《DEADCORE [LITRPG, DUNGEON, PROGRESSION]》 Book 1 - Chapter 1. Awaken, Entity. The darkness shivered. A force freed him from stasis, ripped him off the permanence. Questions peppered his mind; the where¡¯s and the why¡¯s, the when¡¯s and the what¡¯s¡ªinquiries with no resolutions, questions without answers. How much time had passed? He couldn''t tell. He roused without a name. Without thoughts. Without purpose. A brilliant flash eroded the darkness away. The whiteness faded, and replacing it, a teal-tinted screen hung in his sights. Bright texts. Bright borders. A¡­ screen? He realized. Strange to know what he saw without memories. Wait¡­ He? What¡­ is a he? [Entity: Frail has awakened.] [You are placed on the regenerated planet: Earth.] Frail¡­ my name¡­ I¡­ remember? Images¡­ pictures¡­ drowned his train of thoughts. He saw a human life flashing from the lens of a child, suffered his pain, delighted in the happiness, reeled in the emotions¡­ The puzzle pieces slowly fit into place. He had a life. Not a good one¡ªhis name, Frail, was a title befitting his¡­ Frail disposition. He spent most days behind the windowsills of a hospital, the tune of heart monitors and the footsteps of nurses, his lullaby. His parents gave up on him a decade after his birth. As silly as it might sound¡­ Frail wished for strength. The strength to unshackle himself from the chains of his frailty. The strength to be free. To choose. Yet, those aspirations, once deafening, went mute upon his reawakening. Something forced its way into his head. Changed how he thought and felt. His basal human emotions and desires existed somewhere in his psyche, stuffed into a box with no opening, no locks or hinges to pry it open. Did the box even exist in the first place? The arrays of pictures faded away. In its place, a vacuum consumed the richness of those emotions. His past life, forgotten. The child he saw that world with wasn¡¯t him today. What he became¡­ Frail could not say. [Entity class assigned.] [Entity class: Undead.] Undead¡­ A familiar term. [No domain found. Generating a construct to house your entity core.] [Construct generated.] [Type: undead]
Construct - Human Skeleton wanderer | Tier - 1
Construct Level: - Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 2 Resilience: 5
Resistance: 5 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil
[Skeletal body - Takes 30% less damage from piercing and slashing attacks. Takes 50% extra damage from blunt attacks.] [Undead veil - Immune to all necrotic damage and common poisons. Takes 5x extra life damage.] [Storing your entity core in the body of your newly made construct. Be warned: You shall perish if your entity core is destroyed.] Frail accepted the flood of information streaming through the screen. The words streamed by as gibberish at first, but as he read it over¡ªand again¡ªwords eventually made sense. [Activating vision module.] Sight burst into his view¡ªan eruption of colors and shades, of browns and blues. A dense cavernous structure encapsulated him. Here, natural light barely bounced off the bumps of the coarse dirt walls. Instead, colored, glowing crystals lit what they could inside the compact spaces of the caverns, taking the role of the sun. In conclusion¡­ A cave. He lowered his gaze. A bare ribcage connecting his bone-dry limbs and joints entered his view. A radiant, pulsating, jagged crystal drifted within his ribs. He held a rusty spear, weathered from the passage of time. The sight elicited a torrent of horror. As rapidly as the feeling rose, it dissipated like a switch had been turned off. Skeletons don¡¯t feel. A mantra repeated in his conscience, its source unknown. A part of him believed that he should. But he didn¡¯t. Not yet. Or¡­ he¡¯d never. [Activating hearing module.] A torrent of white noise flooded him¡ªa deluge of cracks and thundering drips of water. The caverns hummed along the rare breeze of air. Those deafening voices dulled to an unassuming ambiance once he familiarized himself with his new body. Cry. He thought. A gnawing urge rose from his hollow chest, crying for release. I want to¡­ cry. Why? That urge flickered away. Calm re-established its dominance over Frail¡¯s cognizance. [Activating the system¡¯s status.] [Mastery awarded! Bone construction.] [Trail awarded! Undead Veil.] [Skill added! Raise construct.]
ENTITY STATUS - FRAIL | Class : Undead
Core Integrity: 100% Essence: - Upgrade slots : -
Construct slots | 9/10
No domain found! Entity features disabled.
Masteries Traits Skills
Bone construction - 1 Undead Veil Raise construct - Undead
Essence Drain
[Bone construction - 1: Grants access to basic skeleton-based constructs.] The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. [Raise construct - Undead: Raise a corpse as a skeleton wanderer.] [Skeleton wanderers are the weakest form of an undead construct. Only use this skill in emergencies. Wanderers take up 1 construct slot each.] [Essence Drain: Drains essence from a corpse. This will not consume the corpse.] [Essences: Your primary resource. Used for all forms of upgrades and constructions.] Frail¡¯s bones creaked as he ruminated over his status screen. Weak. The first word echoed as he attempted speech, to no avail. Bones don¡¯t speak. They rattle. Inch by inch, his incredulous situation melded with his newfound expectations. Frail noted the discord rifling his thoughts¡ªyet his slighted acumen barred him from separating what differences he should be wary of. Whenever he approached the facsimile of a realization, a wall of black repelled him from going further. He rolled his bony fingers. Their tapping sounded different than he expected. Like his being, everything about him felt¡­ off. Distant. Lonesome. The screens faded. He stood amid empty caverns, left to his own devices. Pedestal¡­ He creaked. His feet rattled as he waddled to a passage leading elsewhere. ### The caverns proved arduous for a fledgling skeleton to traverse; the uneven ground and the winding paths leading to nowhere, the unchanging terrains, the indistinguishable rock walls and damp soil, the undergrowths and roots twisting and snaking¡­ Frail thought he¡¯d gotten lost before he saw them at a distance. A pair of Human carcasses. Wholly mangled, their flesh eaten off their bones. One held a bow, the other a shield and a blade. Bones. Frail¡¯s skull tilted. Skill. Raise¡­ construct? Growls echoed from his right. Behind the shroud of harsh shadows and the tall rocks, a creature slid into view¡ªa tubular monster with wiggly vertebrae. Its ring of serrated maw squeezed open and shut, no eyes, no arms¡­ just a jiggly, gray, translucent body supported by stubby legs¡ªif he could even call those that. They looked like fleshy knobs wiggling about. [Cave lurcher - Tier 1 - Creature] It lurched its way closer. The skeleton readied his weapon. Danger. The wiggling head snarled at Frail¡¯s skull. He drew his head back and avoided its bite. A gush of air brushed past him as the mouth snapped shut. His carpals racketed as he thrust his spear in retaliation. Contact. Maroon blood trickled from its body to his spear, coating the rust red. It recoiled back and cried from pain. The pain of the flesh. Frail, dismayed by his inability to understand, connected the next three thrusts. More blood speckled his dirt-stained bones. Desperation swallowed the grub whole as it rampaged suicidally toward Frail. Its flesh crashed Frail¡¯s rackety bones and overwhelmed him with pure force. [Construct integrity: 87%] Their collision sent Frail barreling toward the still corpses. His spear careened off the floor as he tumbled. The grub¡¯s blood, fresh off the perforations on its gray skin, leaked as it reared its head back, preparing to strike. Crack. Two clean bites clawed at his body. Had he been wearing human flesh, those would¡¯ve been picked off clean. Without his spear, his bare-bone arms posed no threat. The crystal roared in alarm within his ribcage. [Construct integrity: 62%] Frail looked at the corpses again. Raise¡­ construct. He thought as he reached out to them. [One construct schema matches the current corpse.] [1. Skeletal wanderer - cost: 100 essences.] [Warning! Insufficient essence. Raise construct fails.] The bodies did not answer. Another bite chewed on his left clavicle. His bones sank under the soil as it pressed its full weight on him. Essence¡­ drain. A line of ghastly mist extended out from the dead humans toward the crystal in his ribcage. It filled him with warmth and satiation. Sensations soon dispelled by the grub with its incessant bites. [Construct integrity: 42%] [200 essences acquired!] [200 essences acquired!] Raise¡­ construct. The bodies jerked. Thin mists encapsulated their skeletons. Their clattering bones startled the dying grub. [Raise Construct, successful.] [Raise Construct, successful.] An arrow zipped and struck the grub¡¯s head, followed by the bulk of a thick shield crushing its midsection. Their combined strikes repelled the grub off Frail¡¯s cracked skeleton. Frail¡¯s adversary limped as it struggled to stand. Another arrow nullified that hope. Its death rang silent. Now¡­ only the clacking of bones echoed in the caverns. ### Two sets of skeletons stood side by side, their empty eyesockets following Frail¡¯s movements as he retrieved his spear. His cracked ribcage and clavicles didn¡¯t hamper his mobility. Weak. Frail cursed silently. His jaw clattered as he made his way back to his silent allies. A pile of bones couldn¡¯t feel. But he lusted for power regardless. No¡­ it was more like¡­ a need. Status.
ENTITY STATUS - FRAIL | Class : Undead
Core Integrity: 100% Essence: 200 Upgrade slots : -
Construct slots | 7/10
No domain found! Entity features disabled.
Masteries Traits Skills
Bone construction - 1 Undead Veil Raise construct - Undead
Essence Drain
[Open the construct list to view all your active constructs.] He flicked his head toward his newly raised constructs.
CONSTRUCT MENU - Slots 7/10
3x Skeletal wanderers (Varied) - lvl 1
Details¡­ he thought as he honed in on the bow-wielding skeleton.
Construct - Human Skeleton wanderer(Bow) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: - Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 2(+2) Resilience: 5
Resistance: 5 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil
Construct - Human Skeleton wanderer(Sword) (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: - Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 4 Dexterity: 2(+1) Resilience: 5(+1)
Resistance: 5 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil
[Shielded constructs take 50% less damage when blocking.] Follow. His lower jaw rasped open. Both skeletons spurred to life. Numbers would help him against more encounters. Shield¡­ Front. His arms beckoned the other to stand at their vanguard. They approached the still lurcher. Essence Drain. Frail¡¯s hand hovered over the creature. The wisp of ethereal connection connected them, fulfilling Frail¡¯s pitless hunger for essence. [100 essence gained.] Raise construct. Nothing. [No construct schema found that matches the selected corpse. Raise construct failed.] Frail pulled his arm away. Bones clattered as the party made their way to the other side of the clearing. Another gust whiffed past, carrying with it the staleness of flesh, thick with the earthy tones of soil. More. Frail ordered the party to stand by. Short bites echoed when they broached the passage and entered a larger cavern. Cold dews dripped from the protruding stalactites above. More mangled corpses scattered all over the damp floor. Two. Frail¡¯s party stood before his foes. The grubs snapped to attention, their mouths squeezing as they found their new prey. His skeletons performed their duties without any direction. The bow-wanderer launched arrows, and the other braced with its shield pointed at the incoming assault. Frail watched the lurchers abandoning their meal in favor of his demise and reared his spear. A loud clang clamored as the shield repelled the onslaught of one grub. The creature recoiled as its teeth cracked from its attempts to crush the shield with its bite. Arrows latched on its extended midriff. Frail barred the other grub¡¯s charge with his spear, keeping it at arm¡¯s length. With the numbers advantage, the two killed the other with relative ease. Cover. He stepped back and allowed the shielded skeleton to take over. Their combined efforts brought the lurcher down. Drain essence. [100 essence gained.] [100 essence gained.] Frail studied the mounds of dismembered corpses. He counted three pairs of heads in total¡­ but their shorter, squat skeletal structure suggested their inhuman origins. Their faces did not match a typical human¡¯s¡ªlarge noses, thinner jawlines, and thick, bulbous cheekbones¡­ The humanoids present carried with them shoddy clubs and wooden shields. A red scrabbling of an angry face was painted on the face of their shields, denoting their¡­ barbaric origins. Their skin tone concluded the answer to his question. Green¡­ Like a wilting leaf. Frail drained their essence. Their origins mattered naught to his lifeless eye sockets. [100 essence gained.] [100 essence gained.] [100 essence gained.] Raise construct. [One construct schema matches the current corpse.] [1. Skeletal wanderer - cost: 100 essences.] [Warning! The body is too mangled for a proper raise construct. Raising will cost you 50% additional essences. Total cost: 150 essences.] 450 total. I have enough. Their detached skeletal parts shuddered when he attempted to raise them. The bodies melted into the floor in a flash of light and converged into a single point, transforming into a pure sphere of white light. Three drops of viscous light oozed on the floor. They convulsed and pulsated, morphing into discernible humanoid shapes. The radiance faded then, and out from them, skeletons of another race stood before him. The band of three grew to a party of six. Chapter 2. Domain Short. The new skeletons stood at about three-quarters of their human counterpart¡¯s height. Their lanky arms almost touched the floor as they stood, contrasting their lumbering clubs and wooden shields. More bodies. He sought their details from the screen.
Construct - Skeleton wanderer(club) (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: - Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 2 Dexterity: 3 Resilience: 4
Resistance: 4 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil
Goblins. The word elicited images of short, violent creatures. Its status page denoted its lower overall power compared to the human versions. These will have to do. Proceed. Frail found the paths leading further into the cave. Under the shade of the endless caverns, a small army of bones lumbered toward their goal. ### It took a long time before he found it. Beyond the veil of the darkness and the cavern walls, a pedestal-like object bathed under the sharp gloom of the glowing crystals. Laying before it, a creature unlike any other he had encountered lay in deep slumber. Its taupe-shaded fur quivered as it snored. Attached to its torso, a pair of fur-clad arms and dexterous legs lay limp. Harsh shadows hid its hideous face, and its size warranted extreme caution. Its snore bellowed. [Cave Werewolf - Tier 1 - Elite Creature] Frail stopped. Elite. He didn¡¯t need to know what tier this creature was to recognize the gulf between their strengths. As alluring as the pedestal appeared¡ªlying so closely he could reach for it¡ªFrail must exercise patience and caution. His army stood at the ready, their skeletal faces unflinching. Bones don¡¯t fear, Frail knew¡ªhe had no gut to feel the pressure from¡ªbut his mind foreboded the flimsy odds of his success. Something about this beast felt amiss. Felt¡­ perilous. Risk. He lowered his gaze to the slumbering beast. Reward. he looked up to the shimmering pedestal. Risk¡­ too big. The skeletons shifted back. He wouldn¡¯t fight unless he had certainty of his success. ### Slash marks dotted the walls along their path. Frail patrolled the rest of the caverns, dispatched all the grubs he found, and then raised a few more constructs¡ªtwo human skeletons and a pair of goblins. A few held a shield and a blade, and the other, a long spear. [100 essences gained!] x 6 [200 essences gained!] x 2 [100 essences gained!] x 2 Once the chorus of pain-filled shrills ended, silence resumed its hold on the cave. [You have reached your construct limit! You cannot raise more constructs.] The glimmer of the crystals twinkled. He had done all he could. All the tunnels had been marked. All the nooks had been perused. His new numbers skewed the odds of victory to his favor. Frail recalled the circular layout of the room and formulated a quick plan with his numbers in mind. The goblins would distract. The shields would deflect. The spears and bows would lay it to rest. The cackle of the skeletons agreed. Dark after dark, the party of ten made their way into the chamber housing the pedestal. The clatter of their hard bones prevented any subtle maneuvers, so he had to start this fight with an arrow to its head. His skeletons enclosed on the beast. Arrow. Frail honed onto the the beast¡¯s head. The arrow sang until its head pierced the right side of the slumbering beast¡¯s skull. In a flash, it recoiled and roared. A deep, hollow cry trembled the bones his entity core sat on. It stood up, unveiling its accurate height¡ªtwice the height of an average adult male, limbs tall and agile, the fur on its head splattered with warm, dark blood. Such sight should have lit the fuse of terror in its enemies¡¯ hearts, but¡­ Skeletons did not fear. It spared no warning before it blurred from its instantaneous speed. It crashed into the goblins in the front, its claws burned the shade of scarlet, then slashed their raised shields with vigorous swings. Splinters of wood strewed the very soil they stood upon. In a flash, two goblins lost their main source of defense. Its consecutive attacks took three constructs down. Arrows flung. The spears and the shields advanced. The goblins performed the plan he brainstormed prior.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. They did not hesitate. Did not question. They simply¡­ did. Distract. The short skeletons discarded their weapons and latched onto its tall limbs. The human wanderers sprinted. Five bodies restrained its limbs¡¯ range of motion. The beast roared and twisted in attempts to fling the pesky skeletons away, to little avail. Shields piled onto its midriff and pushed. It tumbled from the sudden force, losing grip on the ground. Deflect. Frail braced his spear and charged alongside the spears. The beast retaliated. Two lumbering swipes carved their marks on the metallic shields. They lost the luster and brutality they once held. The glow of scarlet lingered as it flailed about, freeing its legs. The rest¡­ we finish. Spears rained on its entire body. Its lower abdomen¡­ carved. Its chest¡­ skewered. Its head¡­ ravaged by Frail¡¯s spear. Another roar thundered. The goblins resumed their hold on the quivering beast. The shields jostled and piled on its figure. Frail gripped his spear tight as his foe struggled against him. More. Its spear perforated its body. The beast writhed. It wallowed. It fell silent. A cackle of bones trailed its final breath. They were victorious. ### [600 essences gained.] Frail dismissed the message. He kept his hand at arm¡¯s reach. Raise construct¡­ [No construct schema found that matches the selected corpse. Raise construct failed.] Per his expectations, raising its construct failed¡ªa confirmation that it only worked on humanoid beings. He drew his arms away¡ªto the pedestal. Three goblins perished. The wounded ones retrieved their weapons and stood sentry before the entrance to this room. The humans gathered around the dead beast. The crystals hummed as Frail reached his goal. [You found the domain pedestal.] [Place your entity core?] Yes¡­ He hissed without a voice. The crystal in his ribcage shuddered. Blackness took over. [You have taken over this domain.] [Domain type mismatch. Current type: Nature. Compatible types: Death.] [Terraform the domain to your compatible type? This will normally cost you essences. But the system will nullify that cost in the tutorial stage.] Tutorial. Frail¡¯s silent voice whispered to the darkness. Yes. [Searching for appropriate tier-1 undead type domain matching your current location¡­] [1 Domain found!] [Forlorn mining shaft.] [A forgotten place, built by those forgotten by existence. Nobody knows of its original purpose.] [Terraforming begins¡­] The earth shook. Frail couldn¡¯t see what happened, but he heard enough to form a sufficient image of the going-on outside his peripherals. ### Damon ### ¡°Stop! Do you feel that?¡± Damon raised his hand, urging the party to halt. The band of three stopped in their tracks. ¡°No? Agil? Do you hear anything?¡± Agil shook his head. I¡¯m not being paranoid, am I? Damon winced and took a moment to breathe. It hadn¡¯t been long since they stepped into this cursed land. Integration, the system said, Earth will be a better place, it promised. Nonsense. All they found after was peril and death. Then it dropped him into the thickness of a dense jungle¡ªthe Tutorial. He knew nothing about the geography of this area outside of the boundless, endless walls and fences of nature; the trees looked¡­ real enough, the vegetation, the bushes, the landscapes, the hues, and the colors¡­ All signs pointed toward this being reality. The suspension of disbelief shattered once monsters appeared. Goblins, primarily. Nasty little buggers; their pale-green skin masked their lithe figures within the dense jungle, and their numbers exacerbated their lethality. One goblin posed no threat, but¡­ they were never alone. They came out of nowhere, led by a chieftain whose name he couldn¡¯t pronounce. [Tutorial stage 1 ¡ª Claim the spoils of four dungeons to proceed.] I want to go back¡­ He longed to live the same old life again. I¡¯ll take boredom over¡­ this. ¡°Yo-¡± Sarah tapped his shoulder. ¡°We must get moving. The goblins-¡± ¡°-are on our tails, I know.¡± In a flash, their seven-man party was cut down to three after a surprise attack by one nasty goblin patrol numbered slightly north of twenty. Their skirmish began with a starry start; Sarah¡¯s bow and the vanguard dealt with their initial charge well¡­ until the green bubbles appeared, and the fireballs scorched their skins. Death ensued once hope dissipated, and they bounded for retreat. They had barely gotten to know each other, so it came as no surprise their deaths didn¡¯t rest heavily on his conscience. But not these two: Agil and Sarah¡­ They were his friends, good friends suffering the monotony of a normal office life. Grahhh!! ¡°Shit. They found us?¡± Agil turned back, readying his bow. ¡°Sarah!¡± ¡°Wait-¡° Sarah clutched onto her staff, looking alert. ¡°-I don¡¯t think so. They are distracted¡­ by something.¡° Far off, hidden beneath the tangle of trees, their pursuers honed in on the source of the tremors beneath the surface. Their green bodies gleamed with sweat, their eyes wide open in delight. Treasure. ### When Frail¡¯s vision returned, he saw¡­ everything. The once dingy, earthy, cavernous paths transformed into a series of long, narrow passages lit by orange lanterns hung from the earthen ceiling. Occasional cart tracks withered on the majority of the paths. Discarded, rusted mining pickaxes and helmets lay beside the walls supported by decayed steel beams. The smell of rust and dust was everywhere. Frail¡¯s vision encompassed everything within his domain. Every passage, every small crevice, every nook and cranny, every small critter lay bare in his vision; he saw not just through the lens of the domain but also through the lens of his eyeless constructs. His thoughts paused when he found the bright entrance to the world outside. A warm glow of sunlight pierced the darkness of the mining shaft. Lines of thick trees crept into his home; carrying soothing, fresh air alongside the fingers of their shadows. A passage to outside¡­ and the entrance to his domain. Protect. The word came to his mind. His skeletons shivered from his will. [Domain terraformed.] [You now control the domain: Forlorn Mining shaft.] [No domain lord found!] [Your first domain lord will always be free upon finding a new domain.] [Domain menu enabled!] [Entity upgrade menu enabled!] [Tutorial: Domain lords serve as the final line of your defense. They must stay on the domain they are assigned to.] [You obtained 5 Upgrade slots.] A series of messages flashed. Entity menu¡­ Domain lord¡­ Entity upgrade: All new terms in his recently awakened mind. Only time would familiarize him with all these features. One by one.
ENTITY STATUS - FRAIL | Class : Undead
Core Integrity: 100% Essence: 1750 Upgrade slots | 5/5
Entity construct slots | 3/10
Masteries Traits Skills
Bone construction - 1 Raise construct - Undead
Essence Drain
Chapter 3. Lord Frail opened the entity upgrade menu.
Entity upgrade menu - The Forlorn Mining shaft | Entity tier: 1
- Internal upgrades -
Entity core upgrade Upgrades the tier of your entity core. - Grants + 10 upgrade slots, +10 construct slots, +2 elite construct slots. - Opens new upgrade paths and unlocks new construct schemas. -Grants access to tier-2 constructs, if upgraded to level 10. Costs 20,000 essences.
Corpse extractor -Transform unused corpses into essences. Corpses will disappear once extracted. Cost 1000 essences. 2 upgrade slots.
Construct fabricator - Undead -Allows construct generation without the need for corpses. -Grants the ability to dismantle constructs back into essences. -Grants the ability to upgrade constructs and unlock new constructs. Grants access to the construct research menu: Here, you can upgrade and unlock additional construct schema. Recommended. Costs 500 essences.
Domain lord fabricator -Grants access to crucial domain lord upgrades. Recommended. Costs 5000 essences.
Construct slot upgrade Increases your maximum construct slot limit. - Grants +5 construct slots. Costs 1000 essences. 1 Upgrade slot.
Expensive. Frail''s limited essences limited his options; he could only purchase two upgrades at most. Both research and slot upgrades were helpful, provided he had easy access to easy-to-find essences, and the Corpse extractor would alleviate the burden on his essence supply. The construct fabricator ranked second highest in his priority list¡­ with the absence of his domain lord sitting at first¡ªthankfully, the messages said it¡¯d be free. The Domain lord fabricator, however, strayed too far from his price range. Frail held on to his essence for now. He¡¯d choose after he studied the layout of his domain. Five stone and dirt chambers¡ªmostly the latter¡ªspread in a curvaceous line, separated by thin, suffocating passages. They were square, expanding in size according to their distance to the entrance, save for the final one¡ªa spacious, circular room housing the pedestal and his entity core. What even am I? He knew he wasn¡¯t just a lumbering skeleton now. His once-human mind failed to explain his existence in words he understood. He was¡­ the walls, the skeletons, every inch of the mining shaft, every molecule of dirt, every hanging lantern, every rusted steel beam, anything inorganic existing here¡­ he saw through them all. In the center of it all, drifting above the pedestal and acting as his heart, his entity core hummed. He didn¡¯t miss the improvements of his cognizance. Before he placed his core above the pedestal, he operated within a torpor of inhumanity; thoughts were fleeting, flickering between insanity and mild coherence. But he still wasn¡¯t a human. Parts of what made a human, human, remained absent. Did it matter? He did not care. He had other problems to solve. Regardless of his goals, Frail must fix his domain lord issue before anything else. [Domain lord not found!] [Domain lord does not take up a construct slot.] [Select one of the following:]
Skeleton Commander (Shielded) (Sword)| Domain lord
Construct Level: 1 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 30 Dexterity: 6 Resilience: 20
Resistance: 12 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Commander¡¯s aura
Deadly charge Warrior¡¯s standard (D)
[Commander¡¯s aura: Grants all undead constructs in the same room +3 strength, +3 dexterity, and +3 resilience.] [Deadly Charge: Blitz forward in a straight line, dealing damage along the path.] [Warrior¡¯ standard - Domain skill: All weapon strikes of constructs within the domain, ranged or melee, receive a 20% damage buff. Spawns 5 (D)skeletal warriors that are leashed in the floor the domain lord is assigned to. They do not count toward the construct limit. They retain all your skeleton warrior upgrades. Constructs respawn in one day upon death when your domain is not under attack.] [Domain skill only affects the floor the domain lord is assigned under.]
Construct - Skeleton Warrior (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 1 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 10 Dexterity: 3 Resilience: 8
Resistance: 6 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal BodyYou might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Undead Veil Bone¡¯s bulwark
[Bone¡¯s Bulwark: Passively provides +10% physical damage resistance. Reduces blunt damage penalty by +10%.] A strong option from the get-go. Simple and effective. Skeletal warriors were straight upgrades to the wanderers, bigger and better in every way. Its trait also relieved the skeleton¡¯s biggest weakness: blunt damage¡ªthough, not by much. All in all, he saw no reason to skip this one.
Skeletal Necromage (Staff)| Domain lord | Tier 1
Construct Level: 1 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 2 Dexterity: 3 Resilience: 15
Resistance: 18 Magic: 30
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Death bolt
Ghostly shield Necrotic presence (D)
[Death bolt: Launches a bolt of death, dealing pure necrotic damage.] [Ghostly shield: A layer of ghostly aura protects the domain lord from all types of harm. Shatters after taking (1x magic) damage.] [Necrotic presence - domain skill: A layer of necrotic shield protects all constructs, reducing damage from all elemental attacks by 30%. Spawns 5 (D)skeletal rogues that are leashed to the floor the domain lord is assigned to. They do not count toward the construct limit. They retain all skeletal rogue upgrades. Respawns one day upon death when your domain is not under attack.] [Domain skill only affects the floor the domain lord is assigned under.]
Construct - Skeleton Rogue(Dagger) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 1 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 5 Dexterity: 10 Resilience: 6
Resistance: 6 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Concealed strikes
[Concealed strikes. Attacks on unwary targets deal an extra 50% damage and stun them. Rogues are invisible at a distance if they are clad with darkness. 20% Dexterity is added to the total damage while concealed.] Magic and subterfuge. Frail paused and gave the second option thought. The idea of death magic evoked the depictions of green-tinted energy bolts. Riveting¡­ but is it better? The rogue¡¯s attributes boasted blazing speed compared to its warrior counterparts. Concealed strikes paired well with the darkness present in the entire domain. However, if he chose to go with this, he would lack bodies to barricade his opposition from advancing. The rogues lost most of their strength once they initiated their assault, unlike the warriors, who served a better purpose of maintaining their formation and lasting longer in fights. Both choices came with their own set of advantages. The commander would buff all his constructs with additional stats and damage; the Necromage provided defenses against elements and possessed unique magic. But¡­ Defenses against¡­ what? Frail¡¯s core craved safety. He didn¡¯t know why, didn¡¯t understand why, but he knew that he must. It wasn¡¯t a feeling; wasn¡¯t a sensation, his mind simply prioritized that above all else. He didn¡¯t fear¡­ so why the urgency? No use rationalizing that. Right now, Frail was hapless. And that must be solved. Frail purchased the construct fabricator upgrade. His crystal hummed with power. [Construct fabricator, purchased. You spent 500 essences.] [You have 1250 essences remaining.] [Construct fabricator menu:] [- Generate construct] [- Upgrade construct] [- Refund construct] [- Unlock construct] He went through the list of options, starting from the bottom.
Construct unlocks | Tier - 1
- Skeleton rogues (Humanoid) | Tier 1 - common | Cost: 300 essence, 2 construct slots.
- Skeleton warriors (Humanoid) | Tier 1 - common | Cost: 300 essences, 2 construct slots.
- Skeleton archers (Humanoid) | Tier 1 - common | Cost: 300 essence, 2 construct slots.
Rogues¡­ archers¡­ Warriors. A basic subset of combatants. [To unlock the higher tier versions of your constructs, you must upgrade your entity tier and level the construct by multiples of ten. Then purchase the associated fabricator upgrades.] [Construct gains level upon certain upgrades.] [You can only upgrade constructs once you unlock them.] If he wished to go the rogue or warrior route, he must pay a lot more. Next. Refund constructs. He had half a mind to refund the remainder of his goblin constructs. [Select the constructs you wished to refund.] [Skeletal wanderer: 50 essences.] Fifty essences barely scratched the amount he wished he had. He kept that in mind and proceeded to the construct upgrade menu. [Construct upgrade menu.] [Skeletal wanderer cannot be upgraded.] [You have no access to other constructs.] As he expected. Wanderers had no access to upgrades. Frail had never been outside, but he knew something would poke their heads in at some point. His past foray into the caves hinted at what encounters awaited. The goblins. The humans. The lurchers. The beast. The last two types he had fought and had learned from. Frail shifted his gaze to the lifeless skeletons. Bows, blades, and spears. Would it be safe to assume that these would be the ones that threatened his livelihood? Narrow corridors and small rooms funneled invaders into a single line, rendering large, long weapons a clumsy tool within that space. If he wished to utilize the full strength of the skeleton¡¯s numbers, then it would be best to focus his defenses in a single room¡­ at least, until he had sufficient numbers to spread them apart. Then his gaze stopped at the clubs held tight within the goblin¡¯s grasp¡ªblunt damage. In that case¡­ he needed shields to shoulder those assaults. The skeleton commander had great odds of overcoming that disadvantage. Rogues fared the worst after their initial attacks¡ªwarriors would not. Magic could come later. As of now, he had to contend with the immediate threat brooding beyond the bright veil of the outside. Shield and volley of arrows. His entity crystal brimmed with power as he finalized his decision. Simple. [You spent 300 essences.] [Skeleton archer - unlocked.] [You have 950 essences remaining.] Then¡­ the domain lord. ### A tall, stout skeletal knight scrabbled out of a blob of unknown, radiant material, its limbs and torso clad with stained iron, wielding a dark-iron tower shield and a hefty longsword. Stains of rust streaked its equipment. The skeletal commander stood two heads taller than the human wanderers, tripling the height of the goblins. Twin horns jutted out of its stained, derelict helmet, curving upward. Hints of a ringmail peeked underneath its dense chest plate, layering over its ivory bones¡ªa monster of its own right, a construct worthy of its lord title. Five globs of liquid light materialized behind the commander and morphed into human-sized constructs. Five skeleton warriors, clad in armor not too dissimilar to their commanders, albeit thinner and less grand, with more holes where one could slip a dagger through. Their shields shadowed half the length of their torsos, their blades tapping on their edges, geared to strike at any moment¡¯s notice. Tough, Frail said to himself, confident of their mettle. Their numbers grew to thirteen in an instant. Pairing them side-by-side accentuated the differences between a wanderer and the warrior constructs. Frankly, it wouldn¡¯t be fair to call them the same unit¡ªone side looked like peasants, and the other, actual soldiers. Archers and ranged attacks presented options that complemented his formation well. The arrows might not be fatal¡ªbut tenderizing his invaders would be sufficient. With the narrow passages funneling their invaders into lines, having bows on the other end guaranteed free damage. The only downside? Price and slots. Archers and warriors take two slots instead of one. He needed north of 900 essences to fill the rest of his slots with archers. Frail ordered his most wounded goblin skeleton and two non-spear-wielding skeletons to approach. Refunding them would free up enough slots to fill his ranks with his desired formation. Refund¡­ A globe of green ooze enraptured the silent party. Their bones corroded and hissed, holes poking through their white exterior as they sank into the floor as white foam. [You received 150 essences.] [You have 1100 essences remaining.] [Generate construct menu.] [Tier 1 - Skeleton Archer(human) | Costs: 300 essences, 2 construct slots.] 900 essences later, three skeleton archers took their place. [You have 200 essences remaining.]
ENTITY STATUS - FRAIL | Class : Undead
Core Integrity: 100% Essence: 200 Upgrade slots: 3/5
Construct slots | 0/10
Masteries Traits Skills
Bone construction - 1 Raise construct - Undead
Essence Drain
CONSTRUCT MENU - Used slots: 10
4x Skeletal wanderers (Varied) 3x Skeleton archers
5x (D)Skeleton warriors - Domain locked
Chapter 4. Invader(s)
Construct - Skeleton Archer(Longbow) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 1 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 10 Dexterity: 8 Resilience: 6
Resistance: 3 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Acid arrow
[Acid arrow: Coats their projectiles in a vomit of acid. Corrodes armor and deals extra damage per tick. Skill activates on every fifth arrow fired.] Acid arrow¡­ effective against armor. ¡°Graaa~¡± Echoes of sharp voices rang from the entrance. Who? Frail¡¯s attention shifted outside. Small, stout, green creatures peered their nosy eyes into his domain. Goblins. Frail inspected their weapons¡ªthey brought a mixture of weapon types: bows, spears, and clubs. His skeletons spurred to life. Ignore the first room, we¡¯ll plant our feet in the fourth. The fourth room had ample space to house all his constructs... and more. With the buff to his construct¡¯s overall attributes, his Domain Lord, and warriors, Frail had confidence in his defense. The bone army marched to the tune of the goblins¡¯ short, rapid steps. Their green skin turned a shade paler once light turned scarce. ### The goblins numbered south of twenty; their bodies huddled in a line as they crawled through the narrow corridors, sighing when they reached the next empty chamber. Frail¡¯s ever-present eyes witnessed everything¡ªtheir skins, their weapons, their lack of armor, and their scarlet, ravenous eyes. A taller, older goblin with a wrinkled face and deflated nose skulked behind them. It carried a staff longer than itself with a skull attached to its end. A mage? Frail thought as they breached the second room. [You can delegate control of your constructs to your domain lord, if necessary.] Convenient. Commanding an army with different roles subsequently posed a unique challenge, however, his mind seemed capable of accomplishing that feat. Let¡¯s see what you can do. Frail delegated the control of the warriors to the domain lord, emphasizing its task to defend their archers until their opposition had clawed their way into the shields of the warriors. The goblins regrouped in the third room. A few peered their heads into the passage leading to the fourth room, hoping to scout ahead and hear something, but Frail¡¯s unmoving army produced nothing but silence. Frail spotted the eldest goblin directing five of its kind, pointing toward the passage. Its words sounded close to gibberish. Those five hoisted their weapons and bounded toward the fourth room. Scouts, Frail concluded as their silhouettes tip-toed toward his skeletons. Let¡¯s give them a proper welcome. Bows¡­ Frail directed his archers. His remaining constructs hid behind the walls before the entrance, the archers positioned in the center of the room, their line of sight uncluttered. Best to nab a few lives before the army of stinky, unwashed goblins galloped toward him. Seconds ticked. The goblins¡¯ shadows flickered beneath the glow of a lantern. The goblins¡¯ ugly heads broached the passage a few steps later. Bowstrings creaked, froze, and then let loose. Multiple arrows zipped through the air. Three landed on their frontmost goblin; one pierced its head, the other two, its chest. It died instantly. The last arrow missed, presumably coming from the wanderer-archer variant. Then, the warriors crushed the next two from their pincer charge. Shields slammed the brittle bones of the tinier goblins. Blades carved their flesh open. Three dead. Frail drained their essences right away. Tiny translucent roots snaked from the ground, coiling around the corpses, delighting him with their pleasant essences. [You gained 150 essences.] [You gained 150 essences.] [You gained 150 essences.] 150¡­ fifty more than the dead goblins before. Are they stronger? Sharp cries alarmed Frail¡¯s presence¡ªno more stealth. Do not chase. Frail ordered. The skeletons formed a horizontal line athwart the entrance with Domain lord leading the pack.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. Give the archers a clear line of sight. The domain lord stepped aside, urging the warriors to follow suit. Beyond the dark veil of darkness, the hurried steps of the goblins reverberated, their shrieks shattering the brooding silence of the mining shaft. Their shadows danced along the flames of the torches hung on the walls. Frail spotted the old goblin planting its staff as it muttered under its breath. A spell? Circles of forest-hued domes encased the goblins¡¯ ranks once its chants ended. Arrows. Four more arrows flew, striking different targets. The ghastly domes around them shattered upon impact, the goblins sprinting within unharmed. Magical Shields¡­ It didn¡¯t matter. The line of skeleton warriors barricaded the goblins from reaching the archers on their backs. Only when the goblins reached melee distance did they witness the might of his domain lord¡­ and its entourage of equally imposing friends. Four domeless goblins noted the glint of a rusted blade cleaving the air. One swipe¡­ and their heads came loose. Shields and spears came next. More domes shattered. More goblins perished. Seven dead. A dozen and change more to go. Clangors of steel and wood erupted throughout the fourth room. A sharp cry bellowed behind the charging goblins. The old one chanted another spell. Brace. Above its head, a ball of fire roared as it twirled. It lit the room with an amber brilliance, then burst toward his Domain lord¡ªthe largest target the old goblin could locate. Fire met a slab of iron. The dark iron sizzled, glowering with the color of a fading sunset. [Domain lord is under attack!] That message told Frail one fact: his staunchest ally took damage. Passivity wouldn¡¯t conclude this battle. To the corners, archers. The rest, charge toward the fireball flinging goblin. His domain lord acquiesced by activating its skill¡ªa skill Frail hadn¡¯t forgotten. Once the embers of flame faded, a jade bloom took its place, coating its shield with its haunting embers. One line of death carved a path between the Domain lord and the eldest goblin. Those who stood between its path were catapulted aside, crashing the walls and the hard floors as they landed and tumbled. None struck directly moved afterward. The archers bounded to the corners of the room and fired, picking off those who survived the deadly charge. Acid arrows sizzled the flesh of those affected. Whilst its magic posed a sizable threat to the domain lord, the old goblins stood no chance against it in melee. One shield slam knocked its staff away. One downward stroke fractured its clavicles. The next one smashed its windpipes. His other constructs deflected the goblins away from the display of pure dominance. Their leader fell on its knees, its mangled body torn with gnashes and blue with bruises, blood streaks smeared its body dark scarlet. The domes of transparent shields disappeared. Without their leader and its magic, the goblins lost their ground, and the legion of bones carved through their formation. A few minutes passed before the rattling of bones heralded his victory. ¡­And a ton of essences. ### Twenty goblins perished. Their leader, slain. Lifeless carcasses dotted his pedestal room. His skirmish ended with a victory¡­ with the rest of the goblin skeletons and his non-archer wanderers dead. The wanderers¡¯ bones dispersed into thin air, nowhere to be found. Yes. Frail suffered losses. It reminded him of how¡­ frail the wanderers were. Skeletons performed their clean-up duty well. Their boosted strength aided their quest to drag the corpses toward his entity crystal. Trills of nature sang outside; no goblin laughter or cries were heard since his victory. [You gained 150 essences.] x 17 [You gained 500 essences.] 20 goblins each netting 150¡­ and the old one gave 500 on its own. The successful defense earned him 3500 essences, a number large enough to form a coherent wishlist. His list began with the warrior construct and archer upgrades, trickling down to the domain lord fabricator, and ending with construct slots upgrades. However, before all that¡­ The corpses he¡¯d gathered¡ªboth from his recent victories and from his initial awakening¡ªidled in his pedestal room. The opportunity to acquire the corpse extractor before escaped him due to its price, but he had the means to purchase it now. Sure, the choice of re-animating them persisted, but after witnessing the gulf of strength between the wanderers and their better cousins, he saw scarce reason to do so. 1000 essences¡ªa heavy investment, but definitely worthy. It has to be. [Corpse extractor purchased. You spent 1000 essences.] [You have 2700 essences remaining.] Waves of power surged into the crystal. Frail felt a ghastly mouth reaching toward the dead, licking its lips. He could taste the dead. How sumptuous. The urge dispersed. Coldness filled the gap in his emotions. Smoky lines of pale green sprouted from the carcasses toward the crystal. Dizzying sensations of pleasure rendered his thoughts into a decadent stupor. The sheer pleasure. How addicting. Then it stopped. When Frail came to, the corpses had turned to ashes. [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 1820 essences.] [You now have 4520 essences.] [Extraction summary] [20x goblin recruit. Total essence: 1000] [1x goblin shaman. Total essence: 200] [11x grub lurcher. Total essence: 330] [1x Cave werewolf. Total essence: 290] Good. Frail hissed, still missing the euphoria he experienced. He shoved the need away. ¡°Ah¡­¡± A sly voice echoed from nowhere. ¡°Looks like I¡¯m late to the party.¡± A stench of rot dispersed around him. A smell he initially thought revolting, but an additional sniff rejected that notion. No, it was¡­ a delightful stench. Where did it come from? All constructs rose to defend against the voice¡­ but all they protected frail from was the dark and the gust of stuffy wind. ¡°No need to be so wary.¡± A voice chuckled. ¡°I¡¯m right here.¡± There he stood, a white-hooded figure not any larger than his skeletal warrior. Growths of meat pimpled his pallid face, blue and gray, his eyes swollen, his lips scarred and stitched. No sane man would call him a human. Every breath he exhaled permeated hints of ashen mist. And they smelled incredible. The first creature Frail truly had no description for. ¡°What? Surprised?¡± Frail ordered his skeletons to strike. None moved. ¡°Relax.¡± The figure leaned on his domain lord. He knocked its steel armor and whistled, ¡°I¡¯m here as a friend, friend.¡± Who are you? Frail spoke his thoughts. No voice came out from anywhere; bones can¡¯t speak. Crystals can¡¯t talk. ¡°I hear you.¡± He answered Frail¡¯s unspoken question. ¡°And¡­ you are right, where are my manners? My name is Harkon. I¡¯m a chosen of Myrkul, the one and only God of the undead.¡± Harkon bowed and extended his hand, ¡°Please, forgive me for my insolence, Entity.¡± Frail fell silent. ¡°No need to fret; you have just awakened; your mind is adjusting to your new self.¡± Harkon sat on the cold ground, surrounded by skeletons, ¡°It takes a while before your old self returns¡ªpartially¡ªwell, you get the gist.¡± ¡°But¡­ that¡¯s not why I am here today.¡± He continued. ¡°Our benevolent God has a gift for you. He and I have witnessed your accomplishments to date; you have so far exceeded our expectations.¡± Harkon flashed a thumbs-up, his stitched lips creasing into an ugly smile, ¡°Interested?¡± The mention of reward piqued his interest, but he lacked any semblance of knowledge regarding Myrkul and the man himself¡­ if he even was a man. ¡°Of course, as your friend, I¡¯m willing to extend an olive branch. A token of our goodwill.¡± Harkon resumed as his smile faded. He leaned forward and reached into his jaw. The sounds of cracking bones and ruptured flesh. Gibberish escaped his lips as he vomited a swirling black orb. ¡°-A gift¡­ From your God.¡± He said later, coughing. ¡°Wow, that is awful.¡± [Myrkul¡¯s gift - ???] Chapter 5. Ruler of Death ¡°Just¡­ take it, man¡ªor¡­ girl?¡ªWhy are you being so bashful?¡± Harkon sighed, pleading with both his hands. ¡°It¡¯s a gift from Myrkul himself! You¡¯re an undead, right? You¡¯re supposed to want this!¡± The orb hung between the decayed man and the entity. Frail didn¡¯t know what gifts the orb would impart him, but he knew one thing for sure: This thing can¡¯t be trusted. His doubts were justified¡ªFrail was speaking to a walking corpse whose sanity he couldn¡¯t determine. Myrkul, for all he knew, could simply be a product of Harkon¡¯s imagination. Yet¡­ he also understood the rift between their strength. This¡­ man, or corpse, could dismantle all his efforts in seconds. Even after minutes of yapping, his skeletons remained in pure stasis. Caution was more than just warranted. ¡°So¡­ what do you say? I can be very persuasive¡­ if I have to.¡± Harkon smiled. This one, however, the creases of his lips did not reach his bulbous eyes. ¡°Make this easy for me. And relax, Myrkul loathes micromanaging his subjects. He¡¯s more¡­ what do you call it? Laissez-faire? Our god loves freedom.¡± A veiled threat; rejection here meant death. Both sides knew it. He had no choice. All this talk, the jests¡­ They were nothing but small talk. Frail directed his attention to the dark orb. At least I get something out of it¡­ but what exactly? [Myrkul¡¯s gift - ???] Harkon grinned. ¡°Go on. Drain it.¡± He wiggled the ends of his fingers. They moved too smoothly for his tastes. [Drain essence] Black inks spread from the orb to his entity crystal. Frail exulted in the delight; the surges of pure power and ecstasy blinded his mind. Darkness drowned his whole self¡ªa reminder of his nonexistence before he became an Entity. Unknown, bone structures erupted on the dark horizon, forming a jagged series of structures, each less discernible than the last. A mountainous throne sat in the middle, occupied by a colossal skeleton larger than life itself. A golden crown rested on its head, adorned with diamonds and sapphires. Three-pronged tips protruded upwards, each holding a diamond on its end. Enameled on its front center was a skull. The giant skeleton''s joints sang when it held its hands together, singing the harmonious tune of death. Bones could not smile without muscles, but Frail somehow captured its expressions. ¡°Another soul joins the legion.¡± A sonorous voice bellowed. ¡°And not just any soul¡­ An entity, too. A peculiar sight.¡± Frail drifted in nothingness, his mind fried from the sight. Incredulous would be an understatement. ¡°Are you¡­ afraid? Of your own God? Of your kind?¡± Myrkul. ¡°I see you¡¯ve met one of my chosen. Ah¡­ that one, I see why you¡¯re so¡­ cautious. Pay him no mind.¡± The God rasped. ¡°Your fate¡­¡± He leaned forward, ¡°¡­is set in stone, I fear. A fate I can alter, shall I bargain correctly.¡± What fate? ¡°Prove yourself worthy, Frail, and you may unshackle yourself from the chains of destiny. To do that¡­ I shall impart one of my better blessings.¡± Service¡­ What- The god raised one of His fingers, ¡°My subjects are free. But I have one decree you must follow. You can do what you wish outside of this¡­ command.¡± Myrkul detected Frail¡¯s hesitation. ¡°Kill the servants of life; Hecratia¡¯s chosen. Raise them as your dead. Sully their bodies and Her name.¡± His voice rose to a fever pitch, undulating the foggy structures around him. Tense air filled the scene as Myrkul fell silent. ¡°And¡­ survive the tutorial, of course. You have no worth otherwise.¡± Chosen. A term used for those with blessings imparted by a God¡­ if Frail had to guess its meaning. ¡°Correct.¡± Myrkul, again, like Harkon, answered Frail¡¯s thoughts. ¡°Swear you will do that.¡± Like Harkon, his inquiry was no inquiry. Myrkul demanded his servitude. Frankly, his terms didn¡¯t restrict Frail¡¯s freedom outside of the Godly business. If He kept his word, then Frail wouldn¡¯t mind the conditions set by this blessing. All he must do was deal with Hecratia¡¯s chosen when they appeared¡­ if they appeared at all. ¡°They will come. Her subjects thrive on killing our kind.¡± Myrkul said. ¡°-Her and I¡­ this is the one thing we agree on: Slaughter¡ªcomplete eradication. You will meet them sooner or later. Whether you accept my blessing or not¡­ it matters naught. After all¡­ You are an undead. An undead entity, no less.¡±Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. Surely, those blessed would come with indescribable power compared to the goblins he had faced. If this God spoke nothing but truth, his blessing would be appreciated¡ªno, essential, in some ways. Frail drifted amid Darkness before the presence of Myrkul. Yes. ¡°Good.¡± He detected Myrkul¡¯s smile, ¡°Then¡­ let me impart you with a blessing most suitable for your kind. Feed it essences, and I shall improve your blessing.¡± [Blessing granted by The God of Undeath; Myrkul.] [You gained a new trait!] [Trait: Undeath legion - Undead.] [Reduces all undead construct slot requirements by 1. This trait does not apply to constructs whose slot requirement is 1.] A trait. It didn¡¯t come with fancy descriptors nor fanfare, but its effects rippled throughout Frail¡¯s non-existent body. ¡°We will meet again.¡± Myrkul¡¯s voice faded as the darkness shrunk. ¡°Do not fail me.¡± ### Harkon vanished when Frail returned. His constructs lingered in his pedestal room, their faces blank, their bodies facing the entrance, bracing for invaders. Only traces of rot permeated the room. A single stained letter lay on the surface. It carried Harkon¡¯s stench. ¡°<3- Harkon. P.S. Do explore the world outside. There are others. They may need your assistance. You know, power of friendship... and all.¡± What nonsense. The ordeal regarding the Gods hung fresh within Frail¡¯s train of thought. Frail spied the outside. Red-tinted light bathed the forest, denoting the passing of day and the arrival of night. The once verdant trees glowed with orange, the barks of trees ruddying, their fingers casting dark, bony shadows on the brown soil beneath. He wished to venture¡ªto see more, but his immobility denied such a plea. That will wait. The entity thought to itself. He hadn¡¯t known what an entity meant, what it did, or its purposes. Survival preoccupied his focus, a touchstone from which he¡¯d find his goals, but without the capacity for genuine emotions¡­ what life would he have if he survived? Should he feel? Should he care? The longer he stayed awake, the heavier these questions weighed on him. First¡­ upgrades. Defenses. Wishes can¡¯t be fulfilled if I am dead. With the new trait, three more slots opened up in addition to the departure of his wanderers¡ªtotaling six. A balanced composition would be best: staunch warriors led by his Domain lord, deft archers with their acid arrows dealing with the stragglers. The dream of a Domain lord fabricator sailed so-ever closely out of reach. Five thousand essences would take him another raid to achieve¡ªif he survived. There was no telling if the subsequent invasion would pose as little issue as today, and Frail loathed counting on luck. Not especially after the introduction of Myrkul and his demands. The chosen might visit him like Harkon, appearing out of nowhere, nipping his life in the bud before he blinked. Not that he could blink in the first place. Frail opened the construct fabricator menu and purchased the skeleton warrior schema. The chill of night encompassed the forest beyond the entrance, its cold seeping in, cladding the now warmer mining shaft with its frosty embrace. Leaves rustled. Heads peered through the bark of trees, their eyes glowing. Goblins weren¡¯t the only things roaming outside. Perhaps he might find those with a similar fate. Other humans, perhaps? ### Humans ### ¡°Arthur. Pleased to meet you.¡± A dozen or more men bustled beneath the shadow of the wooden palisades ahead of them, paying them no attention. Across Damon, a handsome man extended his arms, flashing an infectious smile. His blond hair breezed from the occasional rush of calm wind, his amber, almost golden eyes staring, searching. Damon found a stretch of open field housing a homely camp. Haven, they called it. Arthur¡¯s golden eyes sparkled. No, burned described them better. An illusion¡ªa product of Damon¡¯s imagination, but the embers of his glare seemed so real. Too real. Yet, the leader himself didn¡¯t hammer disbelief as much as the place they stood on. ¡°Sorry for the abrupt entrance.¡± Damon reached out for a handshake. ¡°Thanks for welcoming us.¡± Sarah and Agil watched their handshake with an optimistic caution. Optimistic caution? I¡¯m delirious. ¡°Don¡¯t sweat it,¡± The handsome man grinned. Wooden palisades fenced the encampments filled with tents and campfires. A tall stone structure towered over them, serving as a beacon¡ªthe heart of their camp. Laughing people¡ªfolks of all shapes and colors were bountiful. Here, race and gender mattered naught. Beyond the southern walls, a mountain brooded over them, its shadow creasing one-half of Haven in its full glory. ¡°We are going at 98 strong¡ªif you choose to join, we¡¯ll breach the 100 men milestone. Again.¡± Arthur continued. ¡°There used to be more of us¡­ but a few disagreements split us apart.¡± ¡°If you don¡¯t mind me asking-¡° Damon coughed, ¡°-How did you do this in a week? The buildings¡­ the people¡­ and¡­ how organized everything is¡­¡± Arthur brushed his hair, ¡°Met nice people on my first day here. Trustworthy people. They helped. Well, there¡¯s also the matter of the system itself. You see that protruding slab of stone?¡± He paused, pointing at an obelisk-looking structure, ¡°Looks like a long brick, if you ask me, but¡­ once you access its features, feats like this become realistic.¡± Then he smiled, ¡°Well, the whole thing was already built when we found it. There¡¯s that too.¡± Damon sighed. ¡°I see now.¡± ¡°Putting that aside-¡± Arthur held his shoulder. Damon noted the strain in his eyes. ¡°-you mentioned a goblin horde?¡± ¡°Yeah.¡± Damon turned away from the mountain, ¡°They came out of nowhere. Started killing us, one by one. We¡¯re lucky we made it this far.¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes dimmed. ¡°So it is true. We heard traces of them a few days ago¡ªfootsteps, constant shrieks, distant shrills.¡± He let go of his hand. ¡°We were too busy leveling up to check. Your story fits.¡± Damon wiped the sweat off his upper lip. ¡°We best be ready. Get strong. Get levels. Get loot. Explore. All that.¡± Arthur directed them toward the beacon. ¡°I must insist you stay. In grave times like these¡­ it is best we group up. Touch that beacon and register; you¡¯ll gain useful benefits-¡± ¡°Benefits?¡± Sarah finally spoke. Damon couldn¡¯t help but smirk. Always honest. Arthur¡¯s eyes relaxed. ¡°It¡¯s not much¡­ our beacon is at tier one. You get passive experience every day. Not bad, right?¡± Arthur¡¯s grin didn¡¯t last long. ¡°I¡¯ll be frank, you lot looked capable. We need all the strong hands we can get. Talk to Judas, he¡¯s-¡± He flicked his fingers at a guy clad in a complete set of steel armor delegating tasks to others. A scar slashed his left eyebrow. His silhouette screamed the word intimidating. ¡°-that one. He¡¯ll help you out. Don¡¯t mind his looks. He¡¯s a good man.¡± Arthur tapped his back and left. Sarah sighed. ¡°So¡­ what do you think? Trustworthy?¡± Sarah flashed the haven another look. ¡°Cozy place, I admit. Everything looks¡­ safe. Orderly. Can¡¯t help but think it looks too good to be true.¡± ¡°Always the skeptic,¡± Agil grinned, resting his hands on his hips ¡°I say we give this place a chance. It¡¯s not like we have anywhere else to go; either we stay or deal with the¡­ shit outside on our own.¡± Damon mulled things over again. Both his allies spoke their minds¡­ and both were right. Things were too good to be true and they were out of choices. By staying, they could level with a place to call home¡­ and others to count on. He refused to brave the horde alone in the future. He glanced at his old friends. They had aged years in the span of a week; wrinkles and dark circles under their eyes, a persistent frown that never seemed to wane¡ªthat was the level of stress they had to deal with on a daily basis. ¡°I say¡­ we stay.¡± Damon cracked his knuckles. ¡°For once¡­ I want the comfort of a bed.¡± He glanced at a nearby bed sack. Good enough. Sarah shrugged. ¡°Then let¡¯s register.¡± Chapter 6. The Outside ### 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¡ªquadrupeds with long tails and sheen-black coating, crescent fangs, and sharp, glinting claws¡ªwhilst 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¡ªmaybe 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¡ªresulting 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¡ªa 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¡ªa choice only those rich with essence could realize¡ªand even then, it might not be a great idea. Focus on what I have right now¡ªfrail 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:]
Skeleton Archer upgrades - Tier 1 - Current level: 1
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 2. Costs: 500 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Acid arrow - 2 - Reduces attack count necessary to 4. Acid deals more damage. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 2.
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.
Upgraded weapons(1) - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ weapons. Next level; provides +3 strength, +5 dexterity. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Upgraded armors(1) - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ armor. Next level; provides +5 resilience, +4 resistance. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Skeleton Warrior upgrades - Tier 1 - Current level: 1
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 2. Costs: 500 essences. Raises level by 1.
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.
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.
Upgraded Weapons - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ weapons. Next level; provides +2 dexterity, + 6 strength. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Upgraded armors - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ armor. Next level; provides +5 resilience, +4 resistance. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Both new abilities¡ªWrath and Speed draw¡ªdrew 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.] The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. The bones of his constructs rattled as they shivered from receiving their upgrades. Frail spotted the growth in their bone size¡ªthe 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.
Construct - Skeleton Archer(Longbow) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 4 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 12 Dexterity: 12 Resilience: 6
Resistance: 3 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Acid arrow
Speed draw
Construct - Skeleton Warrior (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 4 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 13 Dexterity: 3 Resilience: 11
Resistance: 6 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Bone¡¯s bulwark
Wrath
[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¡ªonce¡­ 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¡ªthe 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¡ªto 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¡ªa 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¡ªakin to the ones he¡¯d seen prior¡ªflared 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¡ªif 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¡ªnever so much showed hints of pain¡ªand 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.] Chapter 7. Chosen None of those were of his doing. Who else was out there? When could¡¯ve it happened? When I obtained the domain pedestal¡­ I slept. How much time has passed since? Frail could only guess. ### Humans - Damon ### [Three Dungeons have been cleared.] [The first four parties to clear the dungeons will receive additional rewards.] What? ¡°ABOVE YOU!¡± The moonlight glinted off its crescent tail, shrouded by the darkness and leaves. It crashed against Damon¡¯s tower shield, emitting specks of incandescent particles as the beast landed on its feet. Heavy. He winced as he shoved the beast back. ¡°SARAH!¡± ¡°GOT IT!¡± Her voice trembled as a bright spark electrified her hands. ¡°[Lightning bolt]¡± Two additional arrows trailed the forked lightning. The beast whimpered from the jolt of electricity, then whined when the arrows pierced its thick fur. It attempted to flee, but Damon caught it in its path. Face me. Damon scrunched his nose from the stench of charred fur. A quick slash and another round of projectiles battered the beast dead. Its sable coat glistened from blood and its mouth slackened, lifeless. Elites. Damon grimaced and blitzed toward the limping creature. His blade had grown ponderous once night unfolded over the sky. [You gained 150 shared experience points.] ¡°That¡¯s way too close.¡± Agil wiped the sweat off his forehead, ¡°How about we call it a day? I don¡¯t want to be swarmed by these.¡± He nudged on the dead beast. ¡°And let¡¯s pray we don¡¯t come across their dens.¡± At night, the goblins seldom breached the safety of their camps. Darkness was a natural deterrent: The dark beasts, nature¡¯s barrier. How long had they hunted in this forest? Hours? The passage of time blurred without the help of a watch. ¡°We¡¯re pretty far from the camp¡­¡± Sarah bumped his shoulder with the end of her bow. ¡°Guess that¡¯s one disadvantage we didn¡¯t think of¡ªthere¡¯s not enough monsters for everyone.¡± ¡°Hold it,¡± Sarah squinted, ¡°Do you see that? Between the trees¡­ Agil?¡± He followed where she stared¡ªsure enough, he saw a dark opening beneath a natural rock formation below the cliffside. ¡°I do.¡± Agil took a deep breath. ¡°Yo. It has a name.¡± ¡°A name?¡± Sarah quizzed him, ¡°What do you-¡° [The Glistening Caverns ¡ª Recommended Level: 10] ¡°What is that?¡± Sarah stepped forward, her curiosity trailing her footsteps, ¡°A dungeon? Can it be?¡± Damon pulled her back. ¡°No.¡± He looked the other way, ¡°We report this.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Sarah slumped, brushing her hair. ¡°You¡¯re right. What am I thinking?¡± Damon sheathed his blade. One dungeon left¡­ ### The camp bustled with life as the three entered through the wooden gate. Campfires roared and blazed, providing ample heat to clad those around with comfort. The musk of ash subdued the rankness of sweat. Damon found exhaustion¡ªand sometimes melancholy¡ªbouncing off their faces. Arthur¡­ Damon searched for the camp¡¯s leader. There. Arthur leaned on a table in the shade of a small tent. Around him stood Judas and three able-looking folks, each carrying serious, thoughtful expressions on their faces, their eyes unblinking. Their gazes met when he approached. He smiled. The message¡­ ¡°You¡¯re back¡­ Uh, I believe you haven¡¯t met.¡± Arthur gestured at his friends, ¡°This is Damon, Sarah, and Agil, the newcomers. Damon, this is Desmond, Adrian, and Justine. I believe you¡¯re well acquainted with Judas already.¡± The three exchanged a brief greeting. Desmond¡ªan elderly man with thick brows and deep blue eyes, long, frayed hair, damp from sweat and humidity, worn over a fit body for someone his age. The staff he held leaned slightly shorter than he¡ªa mage, like Sarah. His seniority didn¡¯t deter the strength in his calm gaze. In fact¡­ he felt¡­ almost too alive. Adrian held a pair of innocent hazel eyes and brown frazzled hair with a somewhat stocky body. Innocuous described him best. He didn¡¯t speak, content with listening, and a hell lot of idle nodding. ¡°You look strong-¡± Justine¡ªthe other female in this group¡ªspoke. Her tied-back, dirt-stained hair from her adventures outside, glinted from the sweat as she gave his party a quick look-over, ¡°Arthur said you come from where the Goblins are?¡± She stood taller than most women Damon had met, her lean frame complementing the longbow dangling behind her back. ¡°We¡¯re planning to comb that zone soon. Is there anything else I must worry about? Any points of interest? Places to avoid? Landmarks?¡±The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Damon and his party approached the table. ¡°No¡­ the beasts and goblins aside, there isn¡¯t much to speak of¡­¡± Then he shifted his gaze in the opposite direction, ¡°But there¡­¡± ¡°There?¡± She asked, her eyes raised. ¡°We found an opening to a cavern. It has a name; The Glistening Caverns, and a recommended level: 10. It¡¯s a great distance away from here, about an hour¡¯s walk¡­¡± An hour was just an estimation, he didn¡¯t have a watch to confirm. Justine and the rest shot a look at each other. ¡°A named location¡­¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes sank. ¡°A dungeon?¡± Justine said. Apprehension, or excitement, filled the space between where they stood. Nobody blinked. ¡°Get some rest,¡± Arthur spoke. ¡°Judas¡­ walk with me.¡± He gave them a nod as Damon and his friends headed to their tents. ¡°What do you think will happen?¡± Sarah said, crossing her arms, ¡°They look proficient. I mean, bonus rewards? Who¡¯d miss that?¡± She sighed, ¡°I just hope we get to be a part of it.¡± Agil yawned. ¡°Cool. For now¡­ I wanna crash.¡± ### Arthur ### ¡°Most are close to level ten.¡± Most. Not all. And not enough. Judas and Arthur sat on the highest spot in their encampment, studying the faces and the eyes of their allies. Most displayed what he expected; worry, uncertainty, concern. ¡°How many are ready?¡± ¡°For the cavern?¡± Judas confirmed. ¡°About¡­ sixteen or so. Twenty, technically, but some are¡­¡± He scratched the back of his head, ¡°¡­prone to panic.¡± ¡°That¡¯s not a lot.¡± Arthur chuckled. ¡°Takes time. We¡¯re not swimming with resources here¡­ Enemies are limited and we can¡¯t go past a mile from this zone. Then there¡¯s his lot, too. I haven¡¯t seen them, but things will be ugly if we stray too far.¡± Arthur¡¯s gaze fell on the frost-tipped mountain. ¡°Do you think we should go?¡± ¡°Yes.¡± Judas said, ¡°It¡¯ll be tough¡­ but we can do it.¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes widened. He¡¯s confident¡­ That¡¯s a first. Judas continued. ¡°It mentioned recommended level¡ªten. The eight of us¡ªours and Damon¡¯s¡ªare strong enough.¡± ¡°We¡¯ll bring a few others. That¡­ sixteen guys you mentioned, can we bring them?¡± ¡°They meet the level requirements.¡± Judas pursed his lips, deep in thought. ¡°But there¡¯ll be a degree of babysitting involved.¡± Babysitting. What a word. ¡°We¡¯ll deal with it. We¡¯ll retreat if things get too dangerous. I¡¯ll convene with the others come morning.¡± Arthur stood and tapped Judas¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Thank you.¡± ¡°Just helping out,¡± He smiled. With that, they both retreated to their tents. Arthur sat under the shade of his camp. The silence gave him a glimpse of peace, a short stillness he grew to appreciate. Leading was hard. To lead well with lives at stake? That was a whole different story. Life used to be much simpler. Arthur. A name given by his parents in hopes of his great success. The name of a predestined king, who retrieved a blade stuck atop a giant rock. It was nothing but a fantasy¡ªin reality¡­ he lived a comfortable life, separated from the harshness of the real world, sheltered from its evil and misgivings. He realized that very early in his life¡­ that made him excel in different ways compared to his peers. Arthur understood his privilege. Well, his father made sure he knew that. The system¡¯s apocalypse happened. The world as Arthur knew it vanished overnight. What replaced it was hell. A hell under the system¡¯s guidance, a world based on numbers and power. All those pesky, irrelevant problems like money and all earthly matters were just remnants of the past. Tutorial, the system said. Does this mean that what¡¯s out there is even worse? Arthur yawned. Status.
Drifter ¡ª Name: Arthur Cross | Class: Valkyrie¡¯s lancer | Credits: 4163
Level: 14 Progress to next lvl | 51%
Attributes | Free attributes : -
Strength: 28(+15) Dexterity: 18(+12) Resilience: 26(+5)
Resistance: 9 Magic: 8
Skills
Repeating Thrusts - 3 Deadly thrust - 2 Haste - 3
Spear mastery - 5 Valkyrie¡¯s might - 1
Traits
Regeneration - 1 Iron body - 1 Seed - Unknown
Achievements
Survivor Valkyrie¡¯s disciple Slayer - 1
Hasn¡¯t changed much. He thought back to the ones who relied on him here. His office mates, the newcomers, and the rest of his group slaving away outside, risking their lives to grow. What business did he have leading them? A guy so green like him, who had lived a comfortable life, was thrust into a world so unkind to the human norm. He recalled how much his hand shook when he arrived here, how much his stomach churned as he drew blood, the relief washing over him when he took his first life. Paralyzing fear. He, and everyone else, were given the luxury to taste that experience. Without his friends¡­ He wouldn¡¯t be alive to moan about his weaknesses today. Well, and also¡­ Her. Valkyrie. The Goddess of Spears. She came before the eve of his fourth night¡ªwhen he claimed this beacon as their own. Her visage¡­ Arthur had never seen someone as pretty as her¡ªGolden blond silky smooth hair that bounced whenever she turned her head, her glowing golden eyes, her perfect complexion, devoid of flaws, a shapely figure exposing her feminity, containing the inner strength within¡­ He couldn¡¯t forget that sight even if he lost his memories. They spoke; She wished him to enter her service as her chosen. Didn¡¯t ask much of him¡ªsimply requested him to survive the system¡¯s ordeal. And to blossom his seed afterward. Seed¡­ Not that seed, Arthur chuckled. Bedding a Goddess was not something he¡¯d ever dreamed of doing. To improve his chances of surviving, She gave him a blessing. [Valkyrie¡¯s might¡ªlevel 1] [Improves all your physical attributes by 10. Increases your affinity toward all spear-based weapons: all spear attacks deal 20% more damage. You gain 10% more experience points from foes slain with your spear.] With power, came responsibility. He swore he¡¯d heard that line somewhere. Arthur found his bed and shut his eyes. Tomorrow¡­ ### ¡°We¡¯re going?¡± That term wiped the sleep of everyone involved in their meeting. ¡°Yes. We¡¯ll bring a few more with us,¡± Arthur placed his hands on the table, his eyes unflinching, ¡°I¡¯ll come with you, of course; do not worry, we won¡¯t bite more than we can chew.¡± ¡°What about the beacon?¡± One raised their concern. ¡°We have more than enough men stationed here.¡± Arthur gestured toward the encampment, ¡°This is an opportunity we must take. Judas, Justine¡­ bring your best with us. We¡¯ll leave in five minutes.¡± The two nodded. ¡°Damon¡­¡± Arthur said, ¡°I want you three to come with us. Do you object?¡± Damon studied his friends¡¯ eyes¡ªSarah looked excited. Agil appeared nonchalant. ¡°We¡¯re good.¡± He smiled, ¡°Are you sure? We¡¯ve just met yesterday.¡± ¡°We¡¯re all brothers in arms in this desperate situation,¡± Arthur said. ¡°We¡¯ll share the spoils¡­ if there are any. From my experience, this world operates eerily close to a game. I didn¡¯t play them often, but enough to draw a few choice comparisons.¡± ¡°We¡¯re here!¡± Justine shouted, ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s go.¡± He said, looking away. ¡°Damon¡­ Lead the way.¡± Chapter 8. Eyes in the forest ### Entity ### A family of armored skeletons dragged a pair of corpses below the canopy of trees. Skeletons hauling corpses. What a sight to behold. The sable beast¡¯s carcass dragged the soil as its blood seeped into the soil, lugged by his warrior constructs. The archers carried the lonesome human carcass. The rest escorted and covered their tracks. So far¡­ so good. No goblins appeared in the cloak of night, and Frail understood why. The dark, sneaky beasts posed a sizable threat to their numbers. The skeletons made their way through the passage, past through the mining shaft, and dropped the corpses before his domain pedestal. Frail organized another party; this time, he sent eight instead of five, confident of his safety after his brief expedition. [You gained 200 essences.] [You gained 600 essences.] Extract. [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 400 essences.] [You now have 1670 essences.] [Extraction summary] [1x human wanderer. Total essence: 100] [1x sable furred dark beast. Total essence: 300] The next batch of explorers left his domain. One archer kept sentry a few paces outside of the entrance. The possibility of another attack lingered in the back of his mind, but he had to reap all the opportunities around him while the time was ripe. Racketing bones announced their presence in the forest¡ªmeaning it didn¡¯t take long before hisses and roars answered their presence. Twin beasts slid past the cloak of darkness. Their furious eyes glowered. Their fur melded with the blinding darkness. Strange, Frail questioned as his patrol squared up in a formation. They never showed interest in non-edible targets before. The beasts bared their fangs and lurched closer¡ªa warning. A warning¡­ for what purpose? Alone, they posed little threat as long as the skeletons maintained their formation. Had they attacked from the cloak of night, Frail could¡¯ve suffered major losses, but these brandished fangs were meant to dissuade his constructs from perusing further. They¡¯d attack if Frail¡¯s constructs were laced with meat. Something important is in there. Once they realized their warnings were ignored, the beasts charged forth to crush their invaders. Frail split his party into two¡ªarchers behind warriors. The clamor of steel against fangs and claws rang. Sparks of flares rained. Ropes of blood splattered and drizzled the forest floor. The combination of defenses and ranged superiority ensured his constructs their safety. Their sleek bodies were now riddled with arrows as their breaths turned ragged. Their twirling tails failed to mount a grave retaliation. Another usage of wrath ended the battle. Once calm fell upon the forest floor, the skeleton band dragged the corpses back to his dwelling. [You gained 600 essences.] [You gained 600 essences.] [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 600 essences.] [You now have 3470 essences.] [Extraction summary] [2x sable furred beast. Total essence: 600] Enough for another upgrade. The two parties he sent bequeathed him bountiful essences. But not enough for a domain lord fabricator¡­ plus its subsequent upgrades. Frail opened his upgrade menu:
Construct slot upgrade Increases your maximum construct slot limit. - Grants +5 construct slots. Costs 1000 essences. 1 Upgrade slot.
Five more slots. [You purchased a construct slot upgrade!] [You now have 2470 essences.]
ENTITY STATUS - FRAIL | Class : Undead
Core Integrity: 100% Essence: 2470 Upgrade slots | 2/5
Construct slots | 5/15
Currently inhabiting a construct. Entity upgrade menu disabled.
Masteries Traits Skills
Bone construction - 1 Undeath legionStolen story; please report. Raise construct - Undead
Essence Drain
Construct slot upgrade - 2 - inaccessible. Increases your maximum construct slot limit. Warning! Requires tier 2 entity. - Grants +10 construct slots. Costs 5000 essences. 2 Upgrade slots.
Inaccessible, and it costs 5000 essences¡­ Frail closed the entity upgrade window and opened another.
Skeleton Archer upgrades - Tier 1 - Current level: 4
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 2. Costs: 500 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Acid arrow - 2 - Reduces attack count necessary to 4. Acid deals more damage. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 2.
Ability uprade - Speed draw - Increases attack rate by 30% > 40%, arrows deal extra 15% > 20% damage for 15 seconds. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 2.
Upgraded weapons(1) - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ weapons. Next level; provides +3 strength, +5 dexterity. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Upgraded armors(1) - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ armor. Next level; provides +5 resilience, +4 resistance. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Skeleton Warrior upgrades - Tier 1 - Current level: 4
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 2. Costs: 500 essences. Raises level by 1.
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.
Ability upgrade - Wrath - 2 - Buffs strength and dexterity by 30% >40% for 10 > 12 seconds. Costs: 1000 essences. Raises level by 2.
Upgraded Weapons - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ weapons. Next level; provides +2 dexterity, + 6 strength. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Upgraded armors - Tier 1 - Strengthens the constructs¡¯ armor. Next level; provides +5 resilience, +4 resistance. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
The additional ability upgrades lacked impact compared to Frail¡¯s first upgrade. Attributes-wise, the weapon and armor upgrades gave the most value, despite the downside of never increasing the construct level and not providing any further utility other than raw attributes. Would these upgrades prevail over the allure of amassing more constructs? After all, he had five more to play with. Frail saw value in the rogues to act as scouts clad in darkness¡ªtheir concealed strike made them invaluable. After all, his threat stretched beyond mere goblins and dark beasts. At one point¡ªperhaps now or later¡ªhe¡¯d come face to face with other humans, evident from the innumerable human carcasses he¡¯d found. Whether they¡¯d come bearing the flag of peace or strife¡­ he couldn¡¯t tell. Besides, unlocking rogue constructs wouldn¡¯t cost him an arm and a leg¡ª300 essences sounded like a worthy investment in his mind. Two additional rogues crawled out of the white ooze alongside two warriors and an archer. Dark, weathered cloaks sealed their skulls, clavicles, and ribs within a comfortable darkness. Twin-chipped daggers shimmered under the lanterns of his mining shaft as the rogues slithered toward the exit. They moved faster than Frail¡¯s initial expectations. [You now have 670 essences.] Frail scanned the rogue¡¯s upgrade menu.
Skeleton Rogue upgrades - Tier 1 - Current level: 1
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 2. Costs: 500 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Concealed strikes - 2 - Reduces the distance before the conceal bonus is removed. Deals an additional 20% damage. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 2.
New ability - Dark rush - Rush toward a location, temporarily activating concealed strikes. Lasts for 5 seconds and gains +10 dexterity during the duration. Costs: 1000 essences. Raises level by 3. Cooldown: 20 seconds. Gains +6 Dexterity upon purchase.
Upgraded equipment - Strengthens the construct¡¯s weapons. Next level; provides +6 dex, +2 strength. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise level.
Upgraded armor - Strengthens the construct¡¯s armor. Next level; provides +5 resilience, +4 resistance. Costs: 1000 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Dark rush¡­ Another active ability, and it synergized with concealed strikes well. It would be more than beneficial to acquire this in his arsenal. Frail glanced at the encroaching darkness thick on the forest floor. As nice as the upgrade sounded, it meant nothing if he couldn¡¯t afford it. Resume. He needed to know what those sable beasts were guarding. His constructs lifted their heads in unison. Four archers, four warriors, and two rogues scoured beneath the roof of leaves and the moonlight. Another four followed behind them, ready for backup in case the main party came across danger. The trees eventually parted. Hold. Rogues¡­ move up. He ordered the rest to stay. Out of all his constructs, the rogues had the best odds to elude detection. Frail came across a clearing hidden among the bristly woods. The space here seemed¡­ made, unnatural, touched by living things. Short jaggy stumps perforated the earth, wreathing a pack of the same black beasts Frail had encountered. Traces of moonlight breached the opening and bathed over the sable-skinned beasts. They all looked similar¡­ ¡­except for one. Standing at twice the height of its lesser kind, a twin-tailed quadruped rested on its back legs, its eyes searching the darkness for potential dangers. Halt. The skeletons stopped dead in their tracks. [Tier 1 - Black twin-tailed beast - Alpha] Alpha. Doubtless, it packed at least twice the power of its brethren. It might be an entity¡­ that was a possibility he must entertain, but from how they moved and acted, he doubted it. They seemed alive¡­ but their movements lacked purpose. Regardless, Frail stood little chance of defeating them without the aid of his dungeon lord. Without its auras and buffs to all his units, and without the coverage of Frail¡¯s domain bonuses¡­ The alpha would devastate his skeletons on its own. And it wasn¡¯t alone. Frail counted five of its smaller brethren patrolling around the clearing. It seemed suicidal to pursue such a grand task on his first night out. He remembered the paths that led here and withdrew. Go deeper. The band of bones circled the alpha¡¯s home¡ªfar enough . The rogues blazed ahead with their silent steps, skipping past all the roots and the bushes, their vision capturing everything they spotted. Their collective information streamed into Frail¡¯s memories. Now even faster, clearer than before. So quick his mind barely caught up. This new feel pronounced the differences between an Entity¡¯s consciousness and a human¡¯s even further. No human brain could process all these at once. None of the constructs had eyes¡ªphysically¡ªand yet¡­ here he was, seeing everything from the comfort of his domain. The image he saw came from a unity of all the information his scouts had gathered. The rocks, the leaves, the trees, the soil, he could spot them from all angles given by his constructs. When he pieced the information together, the scenery appeared three-dimensional. Get used to it. Frail recognized the distinct advantage of utilizing this vision. If I do¡­ I¡¯ll be- Whispers. Hold. ¡°The dungeon¡­¡± The voice of a man echoed. ¡°Do you think they¡¯ll come back? What if something happened?¡± ¡°The hell you on about? They got a Chosen with them. Of course, they will.¡± Another voice whispered, sounding annoyed. ¡°Sleep, dude. It¡¯s too early to worry about them.¡± The pyres of a campfire drowned their whispers. Chosen. Myrkul warned him about them. Hecratia¡¯s chosen, specifically. Go closer. The scouts found a wall of wooden palisades, with more traces of speech trailing from within. Human speech. The hiss of campfires drowned the whispers as his rogues skulked closer. Frail wanted to know, listen, see what they looked like¡­ But stepping any closer would alarm them. If these happened to be Hecratia¡¯s men, then Frail would step into his sworn enemy¡¯s territory. He glimpsed the size of their camp; his numbers were pitiful compared to theirs. What would be the most likely outcome if they saw a group of skeletons broaching the forest? He¡¯d be attacked. And essences were¡­ too precious to let go. Retreat. Frail could not find anything else worthy of interest besides the palisade walls and the alpha camp. He had great vision, but not so great he¡¯d glare through the curtain of blackness. His rogues returned on time; hints of sunlight turned the once star-speckled skies a shade closer to orange. Another day had passed. How long did he have before those dungeons were cleared? What entailed the clearing of four dungeons? He wouldn¡¯t get the rewards, nor was he ever¡­ connected to the quest in the first place. Unless his home had been specified as one of the dungeons¡­ But then the system would¡¯ve labeled him as one. Instead, he woke up as an Entity. Chapter 9. Nightmare, Nightblades The solace of a warm blanket. The beeps of the heart monitor, the drip from the IV, the constant discomfort plaguing his right hand. Inconveniences Frail tolerated. That was his life as he knew it. A child¡ªeventually, half a man¡ªstuck in the cage of his frailty. He recalled how the light from his parents¡¯ eyes dimmed as years went by¡ªwhen summers turned to winters, winters to falls. They stopped visiting eventually. Frail became a nuisance; a burden to their finances, a weight to their hearts. What did he feel then? He couldn¡¯t remember. That life felt¡­ distant. Frail. No parent was cruel enough to label their child that way. It was a title he gave himself¡ªa punishment for his inadequacies. For all the pain he¡¯d inflicted upon them. But life had changed. Everything changed. That hollow husk he called a living person no longer existed. That child¡ªthat man¡ªbecame a skeleton, then a cavernous mining shaft, housing his heart; the crystal. Back on Earth, Frail had no future, no matter how much medication he took, no matter how long his body rotted on that bed. Here, Frail was freed of that restriction. He must remove the skin of his humanity to do so, but¡­ In his eyes, anything was better than that prison. [Four Dungeons have been cleared.] [#1 Major Event commences.] [The Goblin¡¯s invasion] [Grog¡¯nar, the goblin chieftain will send his generals to conquer the land in 72 hours.] [A goblin patrol will be sent to all active beacons every morning, incrementing in difficulty until the invasion begins.] Another night took reign of the sky when the messages appeared. [Entity quest issued.] [Dominion: Reach Tier 3 Entity core to proceed.] Tier 3¡­ and an invasion? Frail peered the brightening world outside. The forest lay silent, unmoving. Must he deal with the invasion alone? The goblins he fought so far never posed a real threat, but an invasion would undoubtedly put his soldiers through the grinder. ¡°So it begins.¡± Harkon? The walking corpse trotted past his battery of skeletons, his deformed mouth smiling when he approached Frail¡¯s domain pedestal. The strange man seemed exhausted, apparent from the lack of enthusiasm and playfulness. Harkon looked as if he¡¯d just hurried back from somewhere. ¡°I assumed you¡¯ve read it?¡± He took a deep breath. ¡°No need to answer, it¡¯s obvious enough.¡± He glimpsed around his domain room, ¡°You¡¯ve grown. I see you¡¯ve taken advantage of Myrkul¡¯s gift. Good.¡± He gave Frail¡¯s constructs another good look. ¡°I¡¯ve scoured most of the zone,¡± he continued, ¡°-seen and listened to interesting things. Came across a bunch of drifters elsewhere that may serve our God well. Been trying to cajole them to our side. You may them¡ªthey¡¯re not exactly¡­ human.¡± Not human? ¡°The system¡¯s reach extends far beyond your universe. It likes to mix creatures from different worlds into one, see which one deserves its blessings the best.¡± He smirked. ¡°It usually ends poorly for the weaker ones¡­ Your kind included.¡± My kind. Entities. ¡°You¡¯re special, but you¡¯re not the only one.¡± He said, maintaining his smile. ¡°There are others, lying in their hidden domains, devouring everything they see.¡± He shook his head, ¡°Entities are rare¡ªthe chances of one surviving the initial ordeal are slim to begin with. Do you remember how you started? The struggle?¡± Frail recalled the struggle he waddled through during his first awakening. He nearly died to a silly grub, a defeat impossible with his current army. ¡°Your type lives alone without the support of another. That¡¯s a boon the drifters have over you.¡± He added. There it is again. Drifters. ¡°Drifters are¡­ well¡ªyou¡ªif you aren¡¯t an entity. They¡¯re similar to your constructs. Each comes with his/her status, attributes, skills, levels¡­ all that jazz. You know the deal.¡± The camp he spotted last night¡­ that must¡¯ve been them. Harkon yawned. ¡°My gut says you¡¯ll come in contact with them soon. Those are good¡ªThey¡¯re not a part of Her service.¡± Harkon squinted his eyes, his complexion darkening, ¡°The invasion is keeping everyone busy. Once it is over with¡­ you will face her. But that¡¯s a problem for later.¡± Harkon tapped the staunch shield belonging to his Domain lord. ¡°Regardless, my worries are unfounded.¡± He turned toward the exit, ¡°There is more to this¡­ zone you live in than it appears on the surface. I¡¯d take on the patrols if I were you. You¡¯re strong enough to handle them.¡± He smiled. ¡°Reap their corpses. You need everything you can take.¡± He waved his hand. ¡°Be seeing you again, Entity. Do not disappoint our Lord.¡± Only the creaks of his army resounded once he left. Drifters¡­ Why did Frail end up being an Entity instead of them? ### Dawn¡¯s fingers breached the tangle of trees and bathed the forest with their amber radiance, casting a somber warmth on the rooted soil. Trills of distant birds and the constant growls of distant goblins sang, welcoming the arrival of another day. Such warmth did not dispel the darkness thick in Frail¡¯s domain. Patrols¡­ Frail wished they¡¯d cross paths. Maybe I can entice them here? To make that dream a reality¡­ Frail dispatched a rogue outside.Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings. It¡¯s bright. He missed it due to the darkness, but the forest looked radiant during the day. It contrasted the overt frigid atmosphere he¡¯d accustomed to seeing. Frail also sent a stray archer alongside the rogue. The archer would draw attention by firing an arrow if said party appeared to be¡­ manageable. Otherwise, they¡¯d hide. At first, only nature subsisted as the dawn progressed to morning. The dark beasts never bared their fangs under the sunlight¡ªhiding at their homes, presumably. ¡°-Map says there.¡± Frail heard chatters breaking the ambiance seeping from afar. Goblins, he thought at first, but Frail froze when the expected incoherent babble turned out to be¡­ coherent. English? It must be them¡­ ¡°I don¡¯t see any goblins patrols yet.¡± ¡°Means we¡¯re not far enough.¡± A mixture of masculine and feminine voices whispered. Judging from the creaking roots and rustling bushes, Frail expected at least a party of three. He shoved any notion of communication into the bin. With his skeleton-like appearance and his lack of speaking capabilities, the best response he¡¯d get would be a hostile action before his constructs uttered a cackle. Killing them would net him essence, but antagonizing them without learning their strengths would be a dire mistake. The voices rang closer and closer still. At this rate, they¡¯d stride past his location. Stay. Both skeletons hunkered down. The archer retreated closer to his domain. ¡°We¡¯re not here to kill.¡± A husked feminine voice rang, ¡°If they find us¡­ we¡¯ll retreat as planned. Fight only at the beacon with the others.¡± Their speeches whispered past him. Frail saw no signs of humans sneaking past¡­ only the ghost of their voices. His rogue followed the trail of human voices from behind. Frail recognized some of the land¡¯s features as his rogue slithered below the dome of trees. Then he found fresh tracks matching the imprint of a human¡¯s boot. Then, the backs of walking humans. His mind froze for a second. The wave of nostalgia, the chord of familiarity struck him hard. Those feelings vanished in the next instant. Focus. Frail thought as he studied the party of ten behind a tree. Harsh shadows granted it passage and pathways to circle them. Graaaa!! ¡°Halt!¡± The woman alerted the rest. ¡°That sounds¡­ close.¡± Everyone halted to an abrupt stop when echoes of goblins roared. Frail spotted it, too¡ªhints of green skins lurching between the browns of barks and the greens of bushes. ¡°What the fuck¡­¡± One of the humans gasped. ¡°That¡¯s¡­ a lot of them.¡± To call that a patrol was an understatement. The goblins numbered north of thirty; no, even more, their skins obscured their true numbers. Their march thumped the forest floor, their idle chatter disrupted the verdant ambiance. Frail noted the human¡¯s¡­ stiff expressions. It seemed their numbers discouraged them from pushing further. They named names of people he¡¯d never met. ¡°Guess we found them?¡± One spoke¡ªa tall female archer with tied, sick hair that reached her back. Her gait and the attentive gazes directed at her declared her status as the leader of this party. ¡°We can¡¯t engage them¡­ not now.¡° What is that? Frail spotted it first. A moving glass in the shape of a lanky goblin. He saw its hands glinting as it unsheathed its dagger. ¡°WATCH OUT! Dillan!¡± The woman screamed. But it was all too late. Blood sprayed from the hapless victim as its dagger carved a hole into his chest. Another pair of daggers ended his life. The man couldn¡¯t even scream¡ªhe died before he managed a shriek. Then the goblins hallooed. They roared. They howled. Alarm calls shook the forest. Goblin outcries shattered the serenity of nature. Their rampage began blitzing over the humans¡¯ location. ¡°RETREAT!¡± An arrow silenced the glass-tinted goblin standing before the deceased man. It came from the woman. The others paid the deceased a sullen look, then retreated in unison. ¡°Shit¡­ invisible ones now? Where do they come from?¡± One of the humans held his hands together. ¡°[Wind Stride]¡± Flurries of emerald-tinted gales blew their feet, doubling their speed. Frail watched their shrinking backs as the party dissolved into the thick of the grove, blowing winds trailing their path. The goblins maintain pursuit, but alas¡­ They came upon the sight of Frail¡¯s domain first. ### Take your positions. Skeletons geared for another battle. Frail had no methods of detecting the glass-veiled goblins¡­ other than looking. Rogues¡­ hide. His rogues hid in the corners of the fourth room. His warriors and archers took their usual positions. Frail glimpsed the incoming goblin patrol. So many¡­ Frail lost count of the bobbing heads peering through the entrance. The elder goblins marched alongside the normal ones, and he observed hints of moving glass roving alongside them. To contend them with frayed formations would be a fatal mistake. Rogues¡­ dispatch the mages. Warriors hold the line. Let the archers do most of the work. He could not risk allowing the invisible goblins passage to the pedestal. First room¡­ Second room¡­ third room¡­ Cackles of goblins sang before he heard the patter of their footsteps echoing inside the fourth room. Short figures entered the sights of his archers. Now. The first volley dotted the dark roofs of his domain, then fell on their frenzied torsos and heads. Shrieks of demise bellowed. None of the other goblins cared. Instead, they marched at full speed toward the wall of shields and the lone humongous figure at its center. Use wrath and speed draw. Green bubbles shielded the goblins. Balls of fire seared and burned the darkness away. Frail counted at least five soaring beneath the dark ceiling. They crashed and burned his warrior¡¯s shields, painting black marks on their surfaces. Their embers cindered the coarse soil beneath. His skeletons didn¡¯t budge, didn¡¯t scream, didn¡¯t cry. They stood their ground. Another hail of arrows shattered the shields as the goblins neared his barricade. At this moment, the majority of the goblins had entered the fourth room. Where are they¡­ There. Transparent goblins entered Frail¡¯s sight. They posed to strike a warrior¡¯s rear¡ªthe rightmost one. Was it his improved vision that revealed them? He couldn¡¯t tell. Another goblin flanked the warrior on the opposite corner. Its dagger snaked through the gaps of its armor but found ribs and empty flesh. The warriors retaliated with a quick shield bash. Two swipes carved the greens off their skin. The next strike bashed their heads. Good. As long as the archers were safe, Frail deemed it good enough. Rogues¡­ Time to move. The five or so mages channeled another round of fireballs. Unbeknownst to them, two rogues slithered behind their backs, planting two swift stabs into their hearts. The mages had never been proficient in melee¡ªtheir lack of armor and protection made them easy pickings for his rogues. Five mages shrank to three. The rest of the mages launched their spell and traced the paths of his rogues, but they had retreated into the darkness. The clangor of wood against steel echoed. Then fireballs crashed against blackened irons. One slipped through the gaps in Frail¡¯s defenses. It exploded on the floor between two warriors and flung them aside. Shit. Two unseen goblins made their move and slid through the hole in Frail¡¯s defenses. Three archers shot one down. The other goblin sliced the skull off one of his archers before acid arrows crushed its windpipe¡ªFrail¡¯s first loss of the day. He had no time to grieve. Goblins had made their way into Frail¡¯s front line. The rogues discouraged further use of the fireballs. They knew the danger of having their backs turned against them. Now¡­ Make your move, domain lord. It raised its blade and planted its shield on its front. The warriors ahead of it parted, clearing its path. A blitz of green energy carved a line into the hard soil¡ªthree goblins pulverized in a flash. Then, it swung its blade. Two more perished. That display of strength carved fear into their hearts. A seed of terror, a sprout of dominance. Everybody knew who held the reins of the fight here. The skirmish continued for another grueling minute. The victor was clear, but Frail suffered more losses than he expected. Rogues dealt with the mages¡ªtheir fireballs crippled by their constant grievous harassment. The acid arrows killed whoever it touched, and the warriors overpowered the goblins one-on-one. His domain lord stood alone at the apex of power. Sure, it took damage from the occasional daring invisible goblins and fireballs, but their strikes were never fatal. Its retaliation, however, proved too much for their feeble bodies to withstand. Dead goblins lay with their arms and bodies cleaved apart. Mages crumpled, clutching their abdomen from the stabs they received. On his side, he saw multiple shattered bones sprinkling his domain floor. He lost three warriors¡ªone belonging to his domain lord¡ªand three archers. 1500 essences¡­ vanished. Just like that. Per the skill description, the (D)Skeleton warrior should return tomorrow. However, he gained more than enough to make up for it.
CONSTRUCT MENU - Used Slots | 10
4x Skeleton warriors - lvl 4 4x Skeleton archer - lvl 4
2x Skeleton Rogues - lvl 1
4x (D)Skeleton warriors - Domain locked
Chapter 10. Ritual Smears of viscous, foaming blood trailed from the fourth room into the pedestal¡¯s chamber. Loss a few. Not¡­ good. His recent losses spurred Frail¡¯s spirit to empower himself, and with the growing threat, he found the need to take more risks to further his goals. He ogled at the pile of delicious carcasses. [Drain essence] [You gained 150 essences.] x 48 [You gained 300 essences.] x 6 [You gained 500 essences.] x 5 [You now have 12,170 essences.] Wow. He thought he¡¯d tasted euphoria before. Frail¡¯s non-existent stomach would never be full, but¡­ what he ate was a good substitute. So this is what ten thousand essences tasted like. And he hadn¡¯t begun the corpse extraction. [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 4000 essences.] [You now have 16,170 essences.] [Extraction summary] [48 goblin recruit. Total essence: 2400] [5x goblin shaman. Total essence: 1000] [6x goblin nightblade. Total essence: 600.] If Frail lacked the essences for his domain lord fabricator before, now he had that and a bountiful change. The recent defense was a lecture to Frail¡¯s needs. The warrior and archer constructs withstood the majority of the goblin¡¯s attacks. Numbers alone wouldn¡¯t cut it; he needed both numbers and strength. With the recent surprise in the goblin¡¯s lineup¡­ it¡¯d be prudent to anticipate another type of combatant within their army. And that meant his domain lord. It was inept outside his domain¡­ but inside, it was a different story. Perhaps more upgrades could remove such a restriction¡­ but Frail couldn¡¯t plan for an option he didn¡¯t know was possible. What perplexed him were the priorities of what came after; upgrading his constructs, replenishing his numbers, or upping his construct slots¡ªall too important but costly. Reaching tier 2 required his entity upgrade alongside his constructs reaching level 10. I¡¯m overthinking it. In the end, his domain lord routed most of the goblins. He saw a point to prioritize its strength. Frail wouldn¡¯t spend everything into his domain lord; he planned to spend at least a chunk of his current essences on it.
Domain lord fabricator - Undead -Grants access to domain lord upgrades. -Grants access to domain lord research menu: You can unlock additional domain lord schema here. -At tier two, you are granted another option for domain lords. Recommended. Costs 5000 essences.
[You purchased the Domain lord Fabricator upgrade!] [You now have 11,170 essences.] [You do not have the space for another domain lord.]
Domain lord upgrade - Skeleton commander - level 1 - Tier 1 | Next tier: Level 10.
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 4. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Commander¡¯s aura - 2 - Bonus attributes +3>8 strength, dexterity, and resilience. Bonus now also applies to itself. Costs: 1200 essences. Raises level by 2.
Ability upgrade - Deadly charge - 2 - Temporarily increases strength by 30% for 5 seconds after skill activation. Costs 1200 essences. Raises level by 2.
New ability - Lord¡¯s wrath - Raises all attributes by 20% for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute. Costs 3000 essences. Raises level by 3. Also grants permanent +5 strength, 3 dexterity, and +5 resilience.
Domain Skill upgrade - Warrior¡¯s standard - 2 - Damage bonus is increased to 30%. Spawns 3 additional (D)skeleton archers. They are leashed to the floor the domain lord is assigned. Costs: 1500 essences. Raises level by 3.
Upgraded weapons(1) - Strengthens the domain lord¡¯s weapons. Next level provides + 8 strength, +7 dexterity. Costs: 1500 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Upgraded armors(1) - Strengthens the domain lord¡¯s armor. Next level provides + 8 resilience, and +8 resistance. Costs: 1500 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Interesting... The domain skill upgrade spawned additional archers. Its active skill¡ªLord¡¯s wrath¡ªwas a straight upgrade over the warrior¡¯s counterpart, though Frail found the utility of its auras equally beneficial. He found [deadly charge] useful, but the other upgrades improved aspects beyond more damage. He had enough to wrestle Lord¡¯s wrath and the two aura upgrades¡­ Keep Deadly charge for later. Let¡¯s see my other options. ¡­and that was what he did. He bought Lord¡¯s wrath, Commander¡¯s aura 2, and Warrior¡¯s standard. [You spent 5700 essences.] [You now have 5470 essences.] A jolt of strength surged into his domain lord. It shivered from the sensation. Then, its body expanded in size, and he felt the cold wave of strength from its stature. His constructs experienced a similar growth spurt¡ªan effect of its upgraded commander¡¯s aura. As long as they roamed his domain, they¡¯d benefit from his investments. The bonus attributes did not appear in the status windows¡­ but their effects could be spotted through their physical appearance. Three globs of white ooze materialized behind it and formed into skeleton archers. Frail seriously considered replacing some of the dead constructs with rogues after witnessing their efficacy against the pesky mages. Hold on. First, he checked the status of his domain lord.
Skeleton Commander (Shielded) (Sword)| Domain lord
Construct Level: 8 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 35 Dexterity: 9Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions. Resilience: 25
Resistance: 12 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Commander¡¯s aura(2)
Deadly charge Lord¡¯s wrath
Domain Skill : Warrior¡¯s standard (D) (2)
Level 8¡­ Next¡­ which constructs would best serve him with upgrades? Both archers and warriors were centerpieces of his strategy. His skeleton warriors acted as cushions. Archers provided constant damage. Rogues would then deal with those outside of his construct¡¯s reach. Perhaps the Dark Rush upgrade was the right one? It helped rogues close the distance and rendered them invisible for a few seconds. Ultimately, he purchased the dark rush upgrade and replenished his constructs¡ªtwo warriors, two rogues, and an archer. The three additional archers from his domain lord¡¯s standard freed more space for other, better units to roam in the shroud of darkness. [You now have 2970 essences.] Satisfied, he finished shopping by upgrading the armor of the warriors, then purchased upgraded weapons for his archers. Rogues dealt sufficient damage for their roles; to sneak in and distract¡ªor even better, kill¡ªthe goblins¡¯ unarmored mages, then clean up the wounded and faltering ones. He¡¯d never use them to fight anything in the open unless he must. He then spent the final 500 essences to raise his warrior¡¯s resilience by two. [You now have 470 essences.] His legion of twenty-something stood before the pedestal. Frail noted the better armors covering his warrior¡¯s torsos¡ªtheir once fully-rusted chest plates glinting with hints of polish¡ªand the longer, thicker bows dangling behind the archer¡¯s backs. The rogues appeared gaunt and sleek, their lanky figures blending with the cloak of darkness. Frail checked their improved stats to study their growth.
Construct - Skeleton Archer(Longbow) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 4 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 12(+3) Dexterity: 12(+5) Resilience: 6
Resistance: 3 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Acid arrow
Speed draw Upgraded Weapons - 1
Construct - Skeleton Warrior (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 5 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 13 Dexterity: 3 Resilience: 13(+5)
Resistance: 6(+4) Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Bone¡¯s bulwark
Wrath Upgraded Armors - 1
Construct - Skeleton Rogue(Dagger) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 4 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 5 Dexterity: 16 Resilience: 6
Resistance: 6 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Concealed strikes
Dark rush
Frail dismissed all the screens. He glimpsed toward outside. Peace. For now. ### Damon ### Damon could not miss Justine¡¯s vacant eyes when she returned. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Sarah whispered beside him. ¡°Someone died.¡± Four left. Three returned. He needed not to guess what happened. Justine ignored their curious gazes and went straight to Arthur¡¯s tent. Damon and his friends followed her steps. ¡°Dillan¡¯s gone.¡± Justine slammed her bow on the table. ¡°We found¡­ a different type of goblin. It goes invisible before it strikes. Then the patrol spotted us. There¡¯s like¡­ I don¡¯t know, thirty, fifty of them?¡± Arthur sighed. ¡°I see¡­¡± That¡¯s a ridiculous amount for a patrol. Damon leaned in. ¡°It¡¯s my fault.¡± Justine sneered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t care-¡° ¡°It¡¯s nobody¡¯s fault.¡± Arthur insisted. ¡°We don¡¯t know before¡­ Now we do. That is all.¡± ¡°I say we go and deal with the patrol ourselves,¡± Justine¡¯s lips trembled. Her words resonated with those present. Yet¡­ the risk would be tremendous, if not perilous. A momentary silence hung in the air. [Urgent event detected!] [Stop the goblin shamans¡¯ ritual.] [Time remaining¡­ 4 hours.] [Upon failure, the invasion will be sped up by 48 hours.] [Upon success, [Haven] will receive a rare treasure chest.] Everyone¡¯s eyes gaped. What? The fireball-throwing goblins weren¡¯t called shamans. He explicitly recalled the word mage. That means- ¡°What is that?¡± One guy near the walls spoke and pointed up. A beam of scarlet fell from the sky in the distance across the mountain. Target. Damon grimaced. And we must hurry. ¡°Suppose it¡¯s about time we leave,¡± Arthur muttered under his breath. ¡°Call the others. We¡¯ll bring only our best. Those who aren¡¯t ready must stay and level up.¡± ¡°And the invisible goblins?¡± Desmond released a bunch of scrolls. [Detect scroll] ¡°I checked the beacon¡­ it sells these now.¡± Desmond shrugged. ¡°A few minutes after you left. I guess the system provides new things when we need them.¡± ¡°After he died?¡± Justine groaned. ¡°That¡¯s just¡­ mean.¡± ¡°The patrol?¡± Damon lurched forward. ¡°Will we fight both?¡± Nobody answered. They never had a choice to begin with. ### Frail noticed the red beam falling from the sky when one of his rogues dared nudge its head outside. Only the blind and the dead would miss it. Am I not both? His rogues ventured deeper into the forest, taking extra caution to sneak between the shadows befalling the surface. Step, step. Crunch. Footsteps rang. Hurried footsteps. Hasty whispers follow. Frail could not make the words out. Humans again? They must be back for the beam. He ordered the rogue to approach. Its sleek figure darted about with graceful, almost dead-silent steps. Its speed had increased from before¡ªa side benefit from the additional dexterity. Then, he spotted him. A man with golden hair glistening under the sun. Able-looking fellows huddled close to him. That¡¯s the lady I saw. Frail noted the sunken eyes of the woman he¡¯d spied on before. ¡°Where¡¯s the patrol?¡± A man with a slashed eyebrow said. ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ perhaps they returned for the ritual?¡± The familiar woman replied. ¡°The beam¡¯s getting closer¡­¡± Frail detected strength through the unwavering gaze in their eyes. It was clear the ones around the blond stood head and shoulders above the others. One limped with his staff, an old man the same age as his father, a somewhat innocuous adult with plain features, a bald man carrying a short bow, another tanned woman with curled hair and a masculine face¡­ and a man with brown, medium-length hair, a tower shield, and a long, silver blade. ¡°Keep your eyes open.¡± The cluster of humans waded through the forest, discarding any pretense of stealth. Whatever this ritual implied, it must be important; and their worried faces confirmed his suspicions further. Now¡­ Should I help or let nature run its course? He had no intention of siding with the goblins, nor did they possess the necessary sentience to form such a relationship in the first place. His nature as an undead made it a chore to communicate with living things. His undeath would no doubt appall those rich with life¡ªand humans, even more so. Undeads had always been the classic enemies in games and fantasies, after all. Frail learned their names through their unending conversations. Arthur¡ªthe blond¡ªwas regarded as their leader by many. Judas¡ªthe one with slit eyebrows¡ªspoke with nothing but his gruff and his throat. Justine, the archer, kept to herself most of the time. The old man, Desmond, didn¡¯t seem to be too concerned with their urgency. The plain guy, Adrian, spoke with all smiles and no worries. Then, the three close friends behind them: A man named Damon. The girl behind him, Sarah, spoke with unashamed brashness, and Agil, the most timid of the bunch. Their conversations ended when the base of the beam came into view. A constant pulse of heat scorched the lands beyond the ford, blackening the once-verdant sward and turning the trees into charcoal. Whether Frail sided with the humans or not¡­ he found the progression of events alarming. Chapter 11. First Contact A circle of goblin shamans circled a pentagram pulsing in the middle of a charred surface. Hordes of goblins of all kinds and types surrounded them. [Goblin shaman - Tier 1 - Elite] Yes. Shamans, not mages. They stood even taller than their mage counterparts. A skull clattered and dangled on their long staff as they twirled it around. Five¡­ Five shamans. They danced and frolicked around the glowing red scribbles on the charcoal floor. The humans stood, mouths agape. Arthur crouched behind the trees before the river. So far, none had encountered the transparent goblins. Perhaps they were hiding amongst their kind on the other side? ¡°Desmond. Odds?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± The old man, Desmond, scanned the ritual site. ¡°Five elites¡­ innumerable goblins. If¡­ we drag the fight closer toward the river¡­ fight on this side, and not there¡­¡± ¡°But their magic-¡° ¡°-I know.¡± Desmond crossed his arms. ¡°We can¡¯t sit here and take it all.¡± The old man leaned back, ¡°Can¡¯t finesse our way out of this one, I fear.¡± Arthur dipped his head. ¡°Shit¡­¡± Desmond squinted his eyes. ¡°I¡¯m confident my magic is comparable to elites. And so are a few others, I reckon. Their numbers are the true headache.¡± Arthur stood and faced his allies, ¡°Well; you heard him. We¡¯ll fight them on that side. Spread out as far as you can¡ªbe mindful of the invisible ones.¡± He said, keeping his voice low. Desmond took the scroll and unrolled it. ¡°Never used this before¡­¡± The text on the scroll flickered a radiant white. ¡°[Detect]¡­ This should help.¡± Frail watched the scroll flare into flames. Tiny bright particles spread around them. Move back. Frail¡¯s rogue shifted further away. Whatever [Detect] did, he wasn¡¯t interested in finding out. ¡°Agil.¡± Justine beckoned the bald man closer, ¡°You¡¯re good with a bow¡­ stand with us.¡± The humans organized themselves into groups: the vanguard, led by the gruff man, Judas. Justine led the archers. The mages with staffs and thin capes stuck close to Desmond, leaving Arthur on his own far to the side. Goblins and humans. Essences. Frail detected his potential gains¡ªthe resulting corpses from this battle would be¡­ tremendous. All he had to do was wait and drag the corpses once the skirmish ended. In fact- ¡°Wait-¡° Sarah called out from afar. ¡°Who¡¯s there?¡± His rogue froze in its steps. Did they find me? But I¡¯m so far away¡­ Did she use a spell without me knowing? Hurried footsteps rushed toward the rogue¡¯s position. Shit. ¡°[Root]¡± Desmond chanted. A tangle of root sprouted beneath his rogue¡¯s feet. It coiled around its legs, then to its limbs, denying its movement. Sarah slid into view. ¡°It¡¯s not a¡­ goblin?¡± ¡°A¡­ skeleton?¡± ¡°Undeads¡­¡± Desmond and the others caught up to her, ¡°I thought we¡¯d never seen one of these so soon.¡± Raise your hands. Surrender¡ªa gesture told without the need for words. The humans drew back when his rogue let go of its daggers and held its hands up. ¡°It¡­ surrendered?¡± Damon spoke, planting his shield on the floor, panting. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen one before¡­ Do they usually act this¡­ humanly?¡± He felt the daggers of a dozen glares pinpricking his skull. Arthur nudged past the line of men, planting his feet a few steps away from his rogue. ¡°Desmond¡­ dispel your root.¡± ¡°But-¡° ¡°Just do it. If this thing wished to harm us, it would¡¯ve done so. I think¡­¡± Arthur crossed his hands, ¡°I think we can talk to this one¡ªcall it a gut feeling.¡± The roots crumbled into ashes. ¡°Well, your call.¡± Desmond sighed. ¡°Don¡¯t run. We¡¯ll kill you before you can take a step.¡± Arthur warned and placed the tip of his spear on the rogue¡¯s skull. ¡°Where do you come from?¡± His skeleton cackled.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. I can¡¯t speak. At least they didn¡¯t side with Hecratia. If so, they wouldn¡¯t be on speaking terms. That did not imply trust; that depended on how both Arthur and he navigated this conversation. Frail directed his rogue as if a mannequin. The goblins¡­ It pointed toward the ritual site. Arthur followed its finger. ¡°You¡¯re here for the goblins?¡± It nodded. The humans cocked their heads, perplexed. ¡°You¡­ understand us?¡± Frail ordered his rogue another nod. The humans whispered amongst themselves, expressing their bewilderment in their individual ways. So far, Frail anticipated disgust, but he saw nothing of that sort. ¡°Are you their ally?¡± Arthur caught on. He asked purely yes-or-no questions. ¡°Their friend?¡± Frail shook the rogue¡¯s head. Arthur lowered his head. ¡°Huh¡­ Justine, Sarah, and Adrian, watch him. Desmond, Judas, Damon, come with me.¡± They disappeared into the bushes. Adrian kept watch. The grin in his eyes never faded. ### Damon ### Four men stepped far from the undead, their heads swimming from confusion. ¡°It can help us,¡± Arthur whispered under the roof of leaves and trees. ¡°I¡¯m thinking about-¡° ¡°-Are you nuts?¡± Judas protested, barely keeping his voice low. ¡°That thing isn¡¯t-¡° ¡°-Human. Nor is it an ally. I know.¡± Arthur raised his hand. ¡°From its mannerisms and answers¡­ It¡¯s safe to assume he understood human language. English, too, in particular.¡± No. It can¡¯t be a human. ¡°Wait, wait wait¡­¡± Damon raised his hand. ¡°You saw the message when we spotted it, right?¡± [Skeleton Rogue - Tier 1 - common] ¡°That¡¯s a monster.¡± Judas insisted. ¡°How is that even possible?¡± Arthur shrugged. ¡°I don¡¯t care about the how¡ªwe¡¯re not in a position to guess. We need to act. And fast.¡± Desmond kept his lips shut. He listened and nodded. The old man doesn¡¯t seem to disagree¡­ Damon looked toward the undead again. Of all the things he expected¡­ allying themselves with a walking skeleton was entirely out of left field. ¡°And your¡­ Goddess?¡± Judas glared at Arthur. ¡°Will She mind?¡± ¡°She¡¯s good with them,¡± Arthur replied. ¡°She¡­ spoke to me when I saw it. Said this undead can be helpful. Not all of them are, but this one is sentient.¡± Judas sighed. ¡°So the Goddess of Spear can talk, after all.¡± A goddess? What is this, now? Damon scratched his head, ¡°Hold on-¡° ¡°I assume everyone¡¯s cool with it?¡± Arthur tapped Damon¡¯s shoulder and whispered, ¡°I¡¯ll explain later.¡± Damon lost his ability to speak. To think. ¡°Uh¡­ Fuck¡­ Okay.¡± Arthur seemed to be more than what he appeared to be. ### Entity ### The four men returned. ¡°We have a preposition. I¡¯ll keep it short.¡± Arthur said, ¡°Help us. We need all the hands we can get, and you seem to be the stealthy sort. We lack that.¡± They want my help? Frail ignored the moans of protest when Arthur brought it up to his friends. He sensed value in it¡ªas long as the humans left him to his devices and ditched the corpses, he couldn¡¯t care less about what they did. And if he helped them now¡­ there might come a time when they could return the favor. But could he trust them? Trust, by nature, incurred risk. ¡°We don¡¯t have to be allies. How about a truce? No fighting between us,¡± Arthur said. ¡°I don¡¯t have worthwhile rewards to give you-¡° He tilted his head, and Frail noted the spark in his eyes in the next instant, ¡°-wait, maybe I do.¡± He retrieved a swirling orb from thin air. ¡°I found this from a dungeon. Don¡¯t know what it does. It displayed a bunch of question marks when I examined it. If you help us¡­ I¡¯ll give this to you.¡± [Swirling orb - Tier 1 - Construct slot - Uncommon] [Drain to increase your construct slot by five permanently.] Frail¡¯s eyes widened. Where do you get this? The skeleton rogue lowered its hand. What gesture conveyed agreement? A nod? Or¡­ Oh, I know¡­ His rogue gave a thumbs up. ¡°What the fuck?¡± He heard someone say. Then he held his hand and urged them to stay calm. Multiple skeletons rose from the bushes. Fifteen in total. Frail called upon them when they trapped his rogue. Just in case. The humans¡¯ eyes widened. Some raised their weapons in response, but Arthur¡¯s wave stopped the escalation. Arthur flashed a careful grin. ¡°Looks like you¡¯re not alone.¡± ### Men and skeletons stood before the stream leading to the ritual site. The ones with flesh stood on the right, the bones on the left. None truly trusted one another, but they cooperated regardless. ¡°Plan is simple. We charge. Stand no further than 50 meters from me. Don¡¯t let any goblins come close to our archers. We¡¯ll let the sneaky ones deal with the shamans.¡± Arthur sneaked a peek at the four rogues hunched over on the far left. ¡°Before we go¡­¡± A cast of light swallowed his spear in a golden blaze. Its radiance bathed the humans with a flaxen veil. A buff? An aura? Some of the humans moaned from the warmth the veil clad them under, comfort etched on their faces. Then he pointed his spear toward the site. ¡°Start with the archers. We attack after the first three volleys. The¡­ skeletons will handle the left flank. Keep your shields high and face the opponent. Remember our goal¡ªwe must end the shamans before their ritual concludes.¡± Frail counted at minimum 60 of the normal goblins meandering about. A few screw-ups here wouldn¡¯t hurt too much¡ªthe number of walking essences on the other side more than made up for any possible losses. ¡°One hour.¡± Arthur continued, That¡¯s how long we have.¡± He raised his spear. ¡°Go.¡± Arrows zipped toward the unwary goblins. The men charged with Arthur leading the front. Frail¡¯s constructs followed suit. It¡¯d take at least a full thirty seconds of sprinting to reach the ritual site. Bolts of lightning struck. Icicles hailed the battlefield. Then fireballs thawed the ice. The shrieks of goblins overwhelmed the volleys of arrows and magic, answered by equally loud human cries in return. Their preemptive strike netted them a dozen goblin casualties. Despite that, their number didn¡¯t seem to thin. ¡°THERE!¡± Nightblades entered the fray. Steel clashed with reinforced clubs when the two armies met. Clangors of blades drowned the outcry of the skirmish. The shamans moved to action. Skull staffs clattered as they raised those high. Frail watched emerald-tinted energy washing over the battlefield. Pulses that corroded life itself. The goblin¡¯s weapons burned with green-tinted fires. Another weapon buff? ¡°Be careful! It¡¯s the necrotic element! Don¡¯t get hit!¡± Desmond yelled from behind. Frail spotted a stray swing slipping through the shield of an unfortunate man. His skin hissed and bubbled as if burnt. The medley of battle silenced his cries of pain. Necrotic. I¡¯m immune. Frail¡¯s warriors met the goblins with a relentless battery of assault. The archers stayed a distance behind, and his rogues dispatched any stray goblins who slipped past his front-line. The ritual site loomed closer. Emerald embers flickered in his skeleton warrior¡¯s eyes. Wrath. Speed draw. With the skill activation, Frail breached the group of goblins and moved another step forward. Rogues¡­ The mages. Eleven goblins stood in his way. Five mages channeled their spells behind them. Dark rush. A blur of black smoke puffed. Frail studied the rogue¡¯s vision¡ªspace seemed to bend under their lightning-fast speed. In a blink of an eye, the rogues¡¯ blades reached the back of the mages¡¯ necks. Chapter 12. First Ascenscion ### Damon ### Damon grimaced. The pain of the green flames hurt like no other. They didn¡¯t burn; no, they absorbed his life away. Lucky the goblins themselves didn¡¯t change. Always dumb, reckless, and careless. Their numbers and penchant for chaos made them a formidable adversary. Without those¡­ What am I doing? Focus. Sarah¡¯s lightning magic and Agil¡¯s arrows helped alleviate the pressure they experienced. Arthur himself performed the best individually; each thrust reaping the lives of the unfortunate goblins, each swipe repelling them a few steps back. The buff Arthur shared wasn¡¯t a joke. [Valkyrie¡¯s aura¡ªIncreases all physical attributes by 8.] Green-tinted fireballs took him out of his thoughts. Necrotic fireball. Even if they blocked it- ¡°SPREAD OUT!¡± Arthur¡¯s scream urged everyone to scatter. Grouping up against an area-of-effect spell would be suicidal. Their buffed speed helped the maneuver, but his orders reverberated a millisecond too late. Some heard it and pulled their friends away. Most didn¡¯t. Damon did what he could. The verdant, ghastly radiance swelled as their distance shrank. Crap. But the ones headed toward him erupted a second too soon. Something else blocked the necrotic fireballs. Dread painted his face when he thought someone else had taken those deathly magic with their bodies, but when he tugged his shield away¡­ The skeletons shouldered the fireballs head-on¡­ unscathed. Undeads¡­ they aren¡¯t alive. Damon couldn¡¯t keep his smile. Ally or not¡­ Damon was glad the bones were on his side this battle. ### Entity ### All constructs undamaged. Frail expected this outcome. He urged his warriors to intercept the necrotic projectiles when he spotted the shaman¡¯s movements. The goblins near him had thinned sufficiently to supplement this maneuver; the mages lay dead, their allies deceased. The separate flanks converged. Together, Frail led the final charge toward the shamans. With their necrotic projectiles neutered, the alliance broke through the goblin¡¯s final line of defense. Shamans, like mages, crumbled against any competent melee combatant. The chorus of death and the wails of carnage sang before the ritual site. Both sides suffered casualties¡ªthe humans lost a few to the first¡ªand subsequent¡ªvolley of necrotic fireballs, and Frail lost two of his rogues when a group of goblins cornered them. They did their jobs against the mages, but Frail made a mistake by sending them a few paces too far. In the end¡­ the ritual fizzled. Humans panted on the charred floor. All the best men survived, albeit not unharmed. It took Frail a minute before he spotted to the nasty side-effect of necrotic magic affecting the unfortunate humans. They can¡¯t heal. ¡°Gather the wounded.¡± Arthur said as he limped toward his men, ¡°The¡­ shop in the beacon must have antidotes for necrotic poison by now.¡± Frail allowed them time to breathe and organize. He had his personal matters to attend to. The corpses. How do I transport these goblins back to my domain? It¡¯d take hours to drag all these on his own. He¡¯d dealt with the patrols, so he shouldn¡¯t be interrupted during- ¡°Which one of you should I talk to?¡± Arthur¡¯s voice encroached on one of his constructs. Frail assigned a warrior to approach. The young man pulled an orb from nowhere and placed it on his warrior¡¯s palm. ¡°Thanks for everything. Some of us would¡¯ve died from the volley of necrotic magic.¡± He sighed, ¡°We have much to learn. Didn¡¯t expect that element to come so soon. Is there anything else we can help you with?¡± His skeleton warrior shook its head. The temptation called out to him¡ªFrail wanted their help hauling the corpses to his domain¡ªyet he wanted to keep his whereabouts a secret¡­ For now. They fought together once. Some form of trust had been established. Not complete trust, but enough for both sides to mind their own business. ¡°I¡­ must warn you: In two days, the goblins will begin their invasion. This¡­ ritual,¡± He gestured toward the carnage, ¡°-is a means to delay the inevitability.¡± Invasion. ¡°I¡­¡± Arthur ruffled his hair, his words clinging to his throat, ¡°No¡­ that will be too much to ask.¡± He closed his eyes, ¡°Every morning, the goblins send a patrol to raid our home, the beacon. Their¡­ severity compounds every passing day. I assume you¡¯ve dealt with the ones sent this morning? They never reached Haven.¡± Frail nodded. He didn¡¯t do that out of the kindness of his heart; the army of goblins netted him an incredulous amount of essences. ¡°Good to know.¡± Arthur resumed his speech. ¡°Be safe.¡± He gave the skeleton an awkward nod and retreated alongside his allies. This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. With that, the skirmish concluded with their overwhelming victory. ### The sky had ruddied when Frail completed transporting the corpses to his domain. The sunset lit the damp leaves and wet trees with the shade of amber. [You consumed the Entity orb - Construct slots] [You gained +5 maximum construct slots.] Frail relished the ecstasy coalescing into his crystal core. Next¡­ the essences¡­ And him. ¡°Wise choice to get all buddy-buddy with them. They¡¯ll rinse you if you antagonize them right away¡­¡± This sweet, sweet stench. Harkon. The enigmatic individual sat before his domain pedestal, ¡°Arthur¡­ He¡¯s aligned with Valkyrie, the Goddess of Spears.¡± He said, grinning from ear to ear. ¡°He can help against the invasion¡­ and also, Hecratia¡¯s chosen.¡± ¡°Fuck, that smells good.¡± He hopped to the mound of goblin corpses, then landed on his back, twirling his arms about. ¡°Anyway¡­ Bigger things are on the horizon. If you don¡¯t help those poor, poor men, the invasion will swallow them whole.¡± Frail¡¯s skeletons stared at the walking corpse. ¡°What? Don¡¯t look at me like that¡­ It¡¯s a nightmare invasion. No one lives through those without overpowering strength. In a way, it is kinda your fault.¡± My fault? ¡°Yes. Why do you think the system set the difficulty to nightmare? It¡¯s because you¡¯re in the way.¡± Harkon flashed an unnatural grin, ¡°You haven¡¯t met their chieftain, have you? He¡¯s strong, I¡¯ll say that much. The scrubs you¡¯ve been fighting? They¡¯re nothing compared to the ones you¡¯ll meet in the invasion.¡± Frail never entertained death as a possibility after establishing his domain. The goblins¡¯ threat had soared since their first encounter, but to perish under their hands¡­ it seemed¡­ improbable. Harkon leaned forward, ¡°I suggest you get tier 2 as soon as possible. That¡¯ll net you the best odds of survival.¡± He unfurled his bulbous index and middle finger, ¡°Two more days¡­ and their invasion will begin. Remember that. I suggest you take care of their daily patrols in the meantime¡­ and¡­ shall the human ask you for help¡ªwhich is likely¡ªI¡¯d consider accepting it.¡± Harkon rose from his rotting seat, ¡°Oookay. Time to go. Got things to do, places to be¡­¡± His eyes popped open. ¡°Oh¡­ I forgot to mention¡­ About that group; expect a surprise visit soon. They¡¯re good guys, trust.¡± Frail watched his shrinking back as he pranced outside, all smiles and giggles. ¡°Be safe~¡± His voice trailed into the woods. Unpredictable and insane¡­ as always. Frail discarded his words and focused on the present. He worked so hard to drag these corpses for a reason. [Drain essence] [You gained 150 essences.] x 58 [You gained 300 essences.] x 8 [You gained 500 essences.] x 6 [You gained 800 essences.] x 5 [You now have 18,570 essences.] The crystal shivered. This¡­ pleasure, he couldn¡¯t get over. And he wasn¡¯t quite finished. Corpse extraction came next. [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 6400 essences.] [You now have 24 970 essences.] [Extraction summary] [58 goblin recruit. Total essence: 2850] [6x goblin mage. Total essence: 1200] [8x goblin nightblade. Total essence: 800.] [5x goblin shaman. Total essence: 1500.] Twenty-four¡ªno, twenty five thousand. Enough for a core upgrade¡­ and potentially sufficient for a tier-2 construct. He spared no time in opening his upgrade menu.
Entity core upgrade Upgrades the tier of your entity core. - Grants + 10 upgrade slots, +10 construct slots, +2 elite construct slots. - Opens new upgrade paths and unlocks new construct schema. -Grants access to tier-2 constructs, if upgraded to level 10. -Grants ability to furnish and transform rooms. Costs 20,000 essences.
So¡­ I¡¯m here. For the longest time, this option felt like a far-fetched dream. [You spent 20,000 essences.] [You have 4970 essences remaining.] [Core upgrade purchased.] [No invaders found. Domain will be adjusted to suit your new tier.] His domain pedestal shook¡ªno, his whole domain quaked, its source originating from the domain pedestal. Cracks and fissures formed at the walls and floors, painting dark slashes everywhere his vision lay. Then¡­ his sight blackened. Waves of euphoria flooded into his being. All his skeletons stood by and watched his ascension without so much as a smile. A message screen blasted the dark from his sight away. [Searching for compatible domain types.] [Compatible domain type found!] [1. Undead crypt - undead - tier 2] [Floors: 1 - Rooms: 9] [Crypt for those who have perished. A forgotten place filled with the souls of those unavenged. Those who dare approach must brave the might of the dead.] [Domain trait [1]: Buffs all undead construct¡¯s attributes by 20%. Undead constructs regenerate 1% health every second.] [Domain trait [2]: Locked chamber: All invaders must acquire the key to your domain pedestal from the domain lord before entering.] A crypt. Regeneration¡­ Eight rooms¡­ The bonuses it provided would serve him well in the long run¡ªa 20% attribute boost and good regeneration. Its second trait served as icing on the cake¡ªanother layer of protection would be appreciated. After this choice, he¡¯d say goodbye to his old stuffy mining shaft¡ªa pity since he¡¯d grown fond of it. Sure, it wasn¡¯t the best place to linger in, but something about the comfort of earth allured him. [Terraforming initiated.] A lifting force dragged Frail upward. For a second, he thought he¡¯d ascended to the heavens. But it stopped abruptly. Frail felt slabs of hard rock jutted from beneath as he noticed space enclosing near where his heart lay. A massive steel object creaked and slammed shut. Frail could only guess what happened¡ªhis sight hadn¡¯t returned. His constructs would be rendered to paste with such aggressive transformation, but no messages told him about damages. His constructs all remained in perfect health. Then silence. Frail only heard the gusts of ghastly breeze, the tongues of lit flames, and the occasional cracks of the rock-slab walls. [Terraform completed.] A burst of gray invaded his view. Long gone were the cavernous, narrow paths, the lanterns, and the cart tracks¡­ Frail floated atop a curved pedestal housed within a giant crystalline skull with a tail behind its cranium. His constructs stood beyond the door to his pedestal¡ªa massive room with a creaking chandelier on its ceiling, gales pushing through the tiny gaps between the slabs. The door itself¡ªa gigantic, ten-foot twin piece of thick metal, barred any sneaky surprise from relevant parties. It creaked even without any hints of a motion. Nine rooms in total. One acted as the pedestal chamber. The next was where his domain lord stood sentry, to Frail¡¯s north. From here, two paths led east and west, each a passage to another room at the end. Those led southward to two straight rooms, and those chambers led to the entrance, completing the cycle¡ªa square domain layout with the entrance behind the domain pedestal room. Except, the entrance wasn¡¯t hidden underground. Frail now resided in a building¡ªa large crypt. Chapter 13. King of the Night ### The tremors. It happened again. ¡°Whoa¡­¡± Sarah almost stumbled on her steps, ¡°What the fuck?¡± The same quakes he felt before he got here. Except¡­ nobody missed it this time. ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Agil rose from his bed, grasping his bow, ¡°Another event?¡± His half-asleep eyes pried open. ¡°I don¡¯t see any messages.¡± Sarah leaned on her knees. ¡°I guess we¡¯re safe?¡± Damon shut his eyes ignored the commotion. Their recent fight took quite a toll on them, him especially. His wrist still burned. Numerous things ran in his mind¡ªtoo many at this point. A chorus of whispers and murmurs permeated Haven. Long gone were the carefree steps and jovial expressions; now, a weighty sense of dread anchored their necks toward the floor. Thank goodness the skeletons are there. It¡¯d be tremendous if the skeletons stood by their side and weathered the invasion with them¡­ but they had nothing else to give, no rewards to bestow, and they couldn¡¯t coerce them into helping either. He briefly considered fleeing¡ªa sentiment often shared through whispers and half-hearted jests. Running wouldn¡¯t solve his problems, and he wasn¡¯t about to leave his new friends to fend for themselves. Neither Sarah nor Agil wanted that either. As much as his mind denied the reasoning of his stay¡­ Damon refused to leave nonetheless. He spotted Adrian and the others on their way back from beyond the palisade walls. Arthur¡¯s friends never ran out of gas; always progressing, always trying. The haven¡¯s folks would be wise to learn a thing or two from them¡­ himself included. The man of the hour, Arthur, sat amidst his close allies. He needed not ogle to see the trepidation etched on their pallid faces. They dreaded the might of a full goblin assault and the further surprises they might bring alongside them¡ªwho wouldn¡¯t? This morning came the nightblades. A few hours later, the shamans and their necrotic magics. What next? A gargantuan titan the size of their walls? Damon pulled himself up and approached Arthur¡¯s camp. The other two followed. ¡°I¡¯ve urged everyone to reach the tenth level.¡± Judas¡¯ gruff voice coughed, ¡°Two more days. This time¡­ everyone must be involved.¡± ¡°Spare some credits for the detection scrolls and necrotic potions.¡± Justine added, ¡°The walls won¡¯t last against the fireballs. I can alleviate their pressure if we have high-standing towers. We can place a few rangers and archers up there.¡± Arthur gave each of them a slight nod. ¡°Makes sense. We receive enough credits from the treasure to solve our currency issues. I¡¯ll let you handle the purchases, Desmond.¡± He then met Damon¡¯s eyes. ¡°You¡¯re awake¡­ How are you holding up?¡± ¡°Good enough-¡° Damon merely nodded. ¡°-Should we head out and check the source of the tremors?¡± Arthur crossed his arms and shook his head. ¡°Our hands are full at this moment.¡± He nodded at the darkening skies, ¡°It¡¯s getting dark, too.¡± ¡°Then¡­ the skeletons?¡± ¡°¡­we haven¡¯t come to a decision yet¡­ I don¡¯t have leverage against them.¡± Arthur replied, sighing, ¡°It¡¯d be amazing if they helped¡­¡± The rest of the band nodded along. No leverage. He recalled the strange orb Arthur gave to the skeleton; it was the one they found fighting that dreaded lizard¡ªthe scarred venom. Its corpse still lingered in there, hidden after the rows and rows of deceased basilisks. Sarah and Agil tapped his back. ¡°Damon. It¡¯s time.¡± At night, the beast elites prowled the forest; a perfect moment to raise their levels. ### The Entity ### It took minutes before Frail wrestled control of himself. The first thing he noted was the difference in his cognizance. He felt better in many indescribable ways. He feels things now, as opposed to the complete apathy and coldness before. In a way, he felt more¡­ humanly. Harkon alluded to this change when they first exchanged words; that time would help him adjust to his new self. While it would be nice to feel things properly, Frail prioritized his other needs before such luxuries. [Entity core upgrade complete!] [You gained:] [+10 upgrade slots.] [+10 construct slots.] [+2 elite construct slots.] [New construct schemas unlocked.] [New entity upgrades unlocked.] [You can upgrade constructs to tier-2.] A bunch of messages drowned his vision. Construct slots¡­ Upgrade slots¡­ Elite constructs?
Entity upgrade menu | Entity tier: 2
- Internal upgrades -
Entity core upgrade | Tier 3 Upgrades the tier of your entity core. - Grants + 15 upgrade slots, +20 construct slots. +3 elite construct slots. - Opens new upgrade paths and unlocks new construct schema. -Grants access to tier-3 constructs, if upgraded to level 30. - You can create another Domain lord. One domain lord must be present within the domain at all times. Costs 200,000 essences.
Elite construct fabricator -Grants the ability to create and unlock elite-tier constructs. -Grants the ability to upgrade elite tier constrcuts.This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. Costs 15,000 essences. 5 upgrade slots.
Corpse Extractor upgrade -Allows you to extract boss/alpha level corpses Costs 2000 essences.
Construct Fabricator upgrade -Allows you to construct tier 2 units. Costs 5000 essences.
Skill upgrade - Raise construct -Grants the ability to raise tier-1 undead constructs. Costs 6000 essences. 3 upgrade slots.
Mastery - Bone construction - 2. -Grants access to new, more advanced construct types. -Improves attributes for all of your base construct by 5. Costs 20 000 essences. 5 upgrade slots. 1x Undead Upgrade Orb.
Trait upgrade - Undead legion -Now affects elite-tier constructs. Costs 15,000 essences. 5 upgrade slots.
Construct slot upgrade - 2 Increases your maximum construct slot limit. - Grants +8 construct slots. Costs 5000 essences. 2 Upgrade slot.
Elite construct slot upgrade Increases maximum elite construct limit. -Grants +1 elite construct slot Costs 10 000 essences. 2 upgrade slot.
200,000 essences for a tier 3? Frail grew weary at the inflation of essence costs. The tier 3 upgrade hinted at the major expansion of his capabilities; the line about creating another domain lord¡­ It suggested his ability to send his best soldier outside. While it¡¯d be nice¡­ It came at a premium price¡ªa price he couldn¡¯t pay. The lengthy screen listed many things Frail wished he had: The corpse extractor¡¯s upgrade was nice¡ªboss/alpha type creatures also took the previous alpha he encountered. The various additional upgrades and construct slots, Elite construct fabricator drew his immediate interest, too. Raise construct ranked the lowest¡ªFrail never found use for it since he found the domain pedestal. Next, the bone construction upgrade. Even if he possessed the required essences, he still lacked the upgrade orb. It was a choice he could only make once he found its per-requisites. He dismissed the menu. All of a sudden¡­ he felt poor again. More dangers would butt their heads in after his unearthed ascension. It would take tremendous effort to miss spotting his domain. The goblins shouldn¡¯t pose too big a threat come the next day¡­ at least, not unless they grew significantly in size and variety. Beyond the drab walls of his crypt, the ruddying skies heralded the coming of night. Essences. I need it. His recently evolved mind swayed toward the pack of beasts. The beasts. He chose to let them go before, but he¡¯d grown since. Frail could afford to release more constructs now. Thirty possible constructs ensured his next plan a near-guaranteed success. Would he suffer losses? It would be foolish to dismiss that possibility. Frail learned to accept the inevitability of losses, especially if he came head-to-head against a worthy adversary. Once he solidified his plans¡­ Frail sprung to action. New constructs. The beasts would give his warriors trouble. Their speed and the darkness diminished his archer¡¯s effectiveness. Frail chose to centralize his strategy on the warriors and rogues. He opened his constructs menu: [You have 4970 essences remaining.]
CONSTRUCT MENU - Used slots | 13
6x Skeleton warriors - lvl 4 5x Skeleton archers - lvl 4
2x Skeleton Rogues - lvl 4
4x (D)Skeleton warriors - Domain locked 1x in recovery. 3x (D)Skeleton archers - Domain locked
Two warriors for every beast, so¡­ maybe one more for the boss? He counted four surrounding the alpha¡­ Fifteen¡¯s a good number. Let¡¯s make sure they can handle the load. [You spent 2,700 essences.] [You have 2,270 essences remaining.] Six more skeleton warriors entered his domain. Archers¡­ then rogues. Frail added five more archers into the midst; then replenished his recently deceased rogues. [You spent 2,100 essences.] [You have 170 essences remaining.]
CONSTRUCT MENU - Used slots | 29
15x Skeleton warriors - lvl 4 10x Skeleton archers - lvl 4
4x Skeleton Rogues - lvl 4
4x (D)Skeleton warriors - Domain locked 1x in recovery. 3x (D)Skeleton archers - Domain locked
One slot left. He would love to see the number 30, but his wallet denied him that wish. His numbers grew again. More than thirty constructs wandered about in the room before his pedestal chamber, their figures shambling about. He noted the possibility of overcrowding; the spacing between his constructs shrank by a large margin, meaning he¡¯d risk losing multiple constructs when a mage opted to send a few fireballs his way. Perhaps the time had come for him to split his units into two¡­ No, he¡¯d figure that out later. A thin veil of moonlight streaked through the entrance. The time had come. Frail¡¯s constructs sprang to motion. The creaks and rasps of their bones clattered and echoed as they navigated the straight passages. Twenty-nine skeletons exited through the steel gate. He got a good look at his crypt from outside. Gray¡­ drab, and¡­ pyramid-like, those few words best described his new home. While he¡¯d love to sit and inspect his new domain¡­ he had better things to do. His constructs waded through the woods under the blanket of night. Wet steps treaded through the dense trees and undergrowths. Rogues led the way, using their invisibility to scout the proximity around the party; the archers kept their eyes vigilant, the warriors¡­ stout and reliable as always. One of his rogues caught a glimpse of the cloistered den. Frail urged the party to halt. The beast¡¯s numbers remained unchanged. Frail¡¯s rogues circled the vicinity, their movements blurred under the canopy of trees. Once they reached their desired positions, the warriors and archers maintained their formation and marched forward. Rustle. Frail¡¯s ponderous constructs called for their attention. One of the beasts reared its head toward the source of the rattling noise. Its red eyes searched the darkness¡­ and recoiled when the light brushed past the line of armored skeletons. Near a dozen shields shrouded their invaders'' identity, and the rasp of bowstrings stretched. The Alpha stood alert. Shadows of arrows drew lines on the soil and struck their hides. It glowered and roared. The beasts charged, their sable cloaks dotting the landscape, with the alpha at the center-back. Clangors of fangs against iron rang. Sizzle. Out from the darkness, four rogues blitzed into their flanks. Focus on the big one. Frail commanded his archers and warriors to activate their abilities. Green embers clashed with the dim moonlight. Shields and projectiles halted the beasts¡¯ advance and kept them at a disadvantageous position. The rogues dashed past the fallen stumps. Their sunken, empty eyes latched onto the giant quadruped. It didn¡¯t realize the impending danger until their daggers clung to its back and midriff. Splatters of warm blood drizzled the forest floor. It curled backward, gaining some distance away from its veiled assailants. Dark rush. The rogues¡¯ figures melded with their surroundings. Their near-instantaneous speed distorted their vision. Another barrage of daggers crushed the alpha¡¯s windpipes and exposed abdomen. Its brethren wallowed when they heard their alpha¡¯s whimpers, a distraction one second too long, one flick of their eyes too much. Blades met their bodies and bathed under their warmth. Arrows felled their limbs and their throats. The rogues piled onto their victim until it drew its final breath¡­ and joined arms with the rest of his constructs. With their alpha down, Frail had nothing else to fear. His upgrades and numbers had far superseded their threat. Frail¡¯s skeletons returned with the spoils of war.
ENTITY STATUS - FRAIL | Class : Undead |Tier - 2
Core Integrity: 100% Essence: 170 Upgrade slots 12/15
Entity construct slots | 1/30 | Elite construct slots | 2/2
Masteries Traits Skills
Bone construction - 1 Undeath legion Raise construct - Undead
Essence Drain
Chapter 14. Eldritch Lord ### [Drain essence.] [You gained 600 essences.] x 5 [You gained 2500 essences.] x 1 Frail found more of the elites on his route back. [You now have 4770 essences.]
Corpse Extractor upgrade -Allows you to extract boss/alpha level corpses Costs 2000 essences.
He peered at the alpha carcass. Might as well. [You purchased the corpse extractor upgrade.] [You now have 3,670 essences.] Eight fresh corpses sprawled on the coarse crypt floor. No beast dared meddle a line of armored skeletons, no matter how alluring the corpses they hauled smelled. Within seconds, all the corpses vanished into ashes. A familiar line of messages flashed. [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 2500 essences.] [You now have 6,170 essences.] [Extraction summary] [5x sable furred dark beast. Total essence: 1500] [1x sable furred dark beast - alpha. Total essence: 1000] Not much¡­ He had too many checklists to clear before a 20,000 essences purchase wrestled its way up top. Defense-wise, Frail would be wise to focus on his domain lord¡ªhe had no plans on dispatching his constructs outside when the invasion came. His current formation proved sufficient in dealing with non-goblin-related enemies, even without the buffs of his domain. Besides, his domain lord was two levels away from the tier-2 level threshold.
Skeleton Commander (Shielded) (Sword)| Domain lord
Construct Level: 8 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 35 Dexterity: 9 Resilience: 25
Resistance: 12 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Commander¡¯s aura(2)
Deadly charge Lord¡¯s wrath
Domain Skill : Warrior¡¯s standard (D) (2)
Frail opened its upgrade menu.
Domain lord upgrade - Skeleton commander - level 8 - Tier 1 | Next tier: level 10.
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 4. Costs: 800 essences. Raises level by 1. Can be upgraded twice.
Ability upgrade - Commander¡¯s aura - 3 - Now adds +15 strength, dexterity, and resilience. Costs: 3000 essences. Raises level by 3. Requires tier 2 construct.
Ability upgrade - Deadly charge - 2 - Temporarily increases strength by 30% for 15 seconds after skill activation. Costs 1200 essences. Raises level by 2.
Ability upgrade - Lord¡¯s wrath - 2. Attribute increase is raised to 25%. Heals 10% integrity when activated. Costs 1200 essences. Raises level by 2.
Domain Skill upgrade - Warrior¡¯s standard - 3 - Changes spawn from Warriors to Guards, and archers to rangers. They are leashed to the floor the domain lord is assigned. Costs: 5000 essences. Raises level by 3. Requires tier 2.
Upgraded weapons(1) - Strengthens the domain lord¡¯s weapons. Next level provides + 8 strength, +7 dexterity. Costs: 1500 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Upgraded armors(1) - Strengthens the domain lord¡¯s armor. Next level provides + 8 resilience, and +8 resistance. Costs: 1500 essences. Does not raise construct level.
Attribute increases and ability upgrades were beneficial to him. Deadly Charge¡¯s 30% strength buff complemented the other additional attributes it gained through its auras and lord¡¯s wrath. Lord¡¯s wrath¡­ Proper usage would end fights otherwise impossible. The heal was handy, too; ten percent wouldn¡¯t turn the course of a battle on its own, but it would reverse the outcome of a close one. He¡¯d be lying if the tier-locked upgrades did not spark his interest. It spoiled the tier-2 upgrades of his current constructs¡ªwarriors turning into Guards, the archers into rangers¡ªand Frail assumed they would come to his aid regardless of the respective construct¡¯s unlocked status. [You purchased the lord¡¯s wrath upgrade.] [You spent 1,200 essences.] [You now have 4,970 essences.] He watched his domain lord shiver. It didn¡¯t increase in size, yet it felt instantly more threatening than it used to be¡ªa change Frail couldn¡¯t quite describe. [Skeleton commander can now be upgraded to a tier 2 domain lord.] [To upgrade to the next tier, it will require:] [2000 essences.] [Commence tier-2 evolution?] Yes. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The skeleton commander shuddered. Its bones crumbled under its weight. What once was a tall, imposing commander shrank into a pile of armor pieces. [You now have 2,970 essences.] A blob of liquid ash coalesced from his domain floor beneath the remains of his domain. Pale lines stretched from its diameter and rooted into the cold, coarse slab surface, forming the basic silhouette of a monstrous humanoid. [Two upgrade paths found.]
Brute Skeletal Lieutenant (Shielded) (Sword)| Domain lord | Tier 2
Construct Level: 10 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 65 Dexterity: 25 Resilience: 65
Resistance: 25 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Brute¡¯s aura(2)
Brute charge(2) Brute lord¡¯s wrath Crushing Blow
Domain Skill : Brute¡¯s standard (D) (2)
[Skill evolution - Brute lord¡¯s wrath] [Raises all attributes by 20% for 30 seconds. Further boosts strength by 10% and all its attacks heals itself by 10% of the damage dealt. Cooldown: 1 minute.] [Skill evolution - Brute charge] [Grants a physical barrier to the domain lord once the skill is activated. Barrier health: 1x(resilience).] [Skill evolution - Brute¡¯s aura - 2] [Grants all undead constructs in the same room +8 strength, +8 dexterity, and +8 resilience. Grants 5% lifesteal to all nearby constructs.] [Domain skill evolution - Brute¡¯s standard - 2] [All attacks of constructs within the domain receive a 30% damage buff. Spawns 5 (D)skeletal Warriors and 3 (D)Skeleton Hounds that are leashed on the floor the domain lord is assigned to. They do not count toward the construct limit. They retain all your associated construct upgrades. They respawn in one day upon death when your domain is not attacked.] [Evolution into Brute Skeletal Lieutenant unlocks the tier-2 Skeleton Hound construct.] [New skill - Crushing blow] [Generates a shockwave that cleaves through enemies on its path. Deals purely physical damage based on 5x strength. Cooldown: 30 seconds.] The term brute described its attributes well¡ªsky-high strength and resilience paired with decent speed to enhance its effectiveness in combat. Frail had no complaints in terms of its abilities and its attribute spread. It had no magic to speak of, but it didn¡¯t need it to be effective. Brute lord¡¯s purpose changed from its tier-1 counterpart. Its speed granted it the option to go purely offensive. Its lifesteal effects ensured its and its brethren¡¯s longevity in fights. Should the time come when Frail battled a singular, robust enemy, then Frail could count on this variant to finish the job. With physical dominance, its total attributes reached a number Frail could only dream of.
Construct - Skeleton Hound | Combatant | Tier - 2
Construct Level: 10 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 20 Dexterity: 15 Resilience: 10
Resistance: 5 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Crushing bite
Beastial regeneration
[Crushing bite: The following bite deals 2x damage. Cooldown: 5 seconds.] [Beastial regeneration: Heals 0.5% integrity per second.] This option replaced the free archer constructs with hounds. Fast, monstrous, deadly creatures perfectly suited for the domain lord¡¯s strengths. Being tier-2, they were marginally stronger than his warriors, but not by much. Next¡­
Eldritch Skeletal Lieutenant (Sword) (Staff)| Domain lord | Tier 2
Construct Level: 10 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 45 Dexterity: 10 Resilience: 45
Resistance: 35 Magic: 45
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Eldritch¡¯s aura
Eldritch charge Magic blade Eldritch blast
Domain Skill : Spellblade¡¯s standard (D) (2)
[Skill evolution - Eldritch charge] [Covers the lord in a veil of magic. It charges toward the target location, dealing 1x(magic + strength) damage along its path. Afterwards, it teleports back to its original location. Increases strength and magic by 15% after skill activation.] [Skill evolution - Eldritch¡¯s aura] [Grants all undead constructs in the same room +8 strength, +8 dexterity, and +8 resilience. Imbues them a magic barrier, which shatters after taking 0.5(magic) damage. The magic shield will reappear after 1 minute if constructs do not take any damage afterward.] [Skill evolution - Magic blade] [Imbues the lieutenant¡¯s sword with magic. It deals extra magical damage based on its magic attribute. Buffs all of its attributes by 15%. Lasts for 30 seconds. Cooldown: 1 minute.] [Domain skill evolution - Spellblade¡¯s standard] [All weapon attacks of constructs within the domain receive a 10% magical damage buff, its values derived from The domain lord¡¯s magic attribute. Spawns 5 (D)skeletal Warriors and 3 (D)Skeleton Wights that are leashed on the floor the domain lord is assigned to. They do not count toward the construct limit. They retain all your associated construct upgrades. They respawn in one day upon death when your domain is not attacked.] [Evolution into Eldritch lieutenant unlocks the Skeleton Wight construct.] [New skill - Eldritch Blast] [Fires a bolt of eldritch mana using the lieutenant¡¯s staff. Deals magical damage based on the unit¡¯s magic attribute. Cooldown: 1 seconds. ] Magic and strength. It wielded a sword and a staff¡ªa combination of weapons Frail was quite unfamiliar with. The mastery in magic came with a slight cost; this option removed its shield, which robbed a chunk of its previous tank utility. However¡­ if he played his cards right¡­ the ceiling of its potential reached higher than its other option. Eldritch blast supplemented Frail¡¯s ranged needs, and its magical imbuements allowed Frail¡¯s formation to cover a broader berth of damage types. His experience with necrotic damage taught him a valuable lesson¡ªthat there would come a day when mere physical attacks wouldn¡¯t cut it.
Construct - Skeleton Wight (Staff) | Combatant | Tier - 2
Construct Level: 10 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: - Dexterity: 5 Resilience: 10
Resistance: 15 Magic: 20
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Eldritch blast
Eldritch mending
[Eldritch mending: Heals an undead construct. Heal amount is derived from this construct¡¯s magic attribute. Cooldown: 10 seconds.] The wights replaced the three free archers his domain skill imparted. If he must compare them; wights were archers that dealt magical damage with minor healing capabilities. Two difficult choices¡­ Both solved a different problem. If Frail needed pure force, then he¡¯d go for the first option. If he wanted utility and versatility, he¡¯d go for the second. Ultimately, he found the eldritch knight a better fit for his needs. Magic had always eluded him since his first domain lord option. Now, it eluded him no more. The blob formed into a hulking skeletal humanoid once he confirmed his decision. What replaced his previous domain lord was an entirely different beast: a fully armored skeleton wielding a blade and a staff, with gems adorned on its helmet and chest plate. A long azure cape swayed as it rested its feet on the crypt. Two pairs of glowing blue embers flickered within its eye sockets, peering through the darkness of its weathered helmet. Its armor pieces rasped and clattered as it moved about. Its staff embedded a dark, clouded gem. Frail swore he felt a spark of magic whenever he turned his gaze away from it. His Domain archers dissipated into ashes. Three staff-wielding skeletons with a tiara fastened on their skulls took their place. Their staffs mirrored the one grasped on his domain lord¡¯s hand, albeit smaller. The domain lord¡¯s imposing stature relieved much of Frail¡¯s worries. Chapter 15. Dominance Frail finished his domain lord selection. But that was a mere speck in his possible upgrade options. With 2970 essences to spare¡­ Upgrades.
Domain lord upgrade - Skeleton Eldritch lieutenant - level 10 - Tier 2 | Next tier: level 30.
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 8. Costs: 1200 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Eldritch¡¯s aura - 2 - Now adds +10 strength, magic, dexterity, and resilience. Magic shield now regenerates after 50 seconds of downtime. Costs: 3000 essences. Raises level by 3.
Ability upgrade - Eldritch¡¯s charge - 2 - Reduces cooldown by 5 seconds. Costs 3000 essences. Raises level by 3.
Ability upgrade - Magic Blade - 2 - Attribute increase is raised to 20%. Heals 10% integrity when activated. Every blade swing generates a minor blade wave, dealing 40% of magic attribute as damage. Costs 2000 essences. Raises level by 2.
Domain Skill upgrade - Spellblade¡¯s standard - 2 - Changes spawn from Warriors to Guards. Increase wight¡¯s count by 2. They are leashed to the room the domain lord is assigned. Costs: 5000 essences. Raises level by 3.
Upgraded weapons(1) - Strengthens the domain lord¡¯s weapons. The next level provides + 8 strength, +7 dexterity. Costs: 1500 essences. Does not raise the construct level.
Upgraded armors(1) - Strengthens the domain lord¡¯s armor. The next level provides + 8 resilience and +8 resistance. Costs: 1500 essences. Does not raise the construct level.
All the upgrades listed were incredible. Pricey, but it made sense, considering his domain lord¡¯s upgraded tier. He opened the construct fabricator menu.
Construct unlocks | Tier - 2 | You must upgrade your construct Fabricator!
- Skeleton Wights | Tier 2 - common | Cost: 800 essence, two construct slots. Unlock cost: 1200 essences
Can¡¯t do it yet¡­ and it¡¯s not worth it. Not now. Wights filled a niche yet important role; it synergized with his domain lord and provided their only source of instant healing outside his domain¡¯s regeneration. Useful¡­ but each cost him more than twice the amount of essences compared to his tier-1 variants. Basically, Wights had to cover the role of two constructs for their price to be worth it. Besides¡­ he had other purchasing options for new construct types. The elite constructs, for example. Seeing his unused elite construct slots pushed him to save up for it. AT 15,000 essences, Frail would need a lot more goblins to show up. Which coincided well with the incoming patrol. More would rear their ugly heads again come sunrise¡­ meaning, more essences would funnel into his now-obvious domain. Let¡¯s fill out all the slots first. [You spent 300 essences.] [You have 2670 essences remaining.] One last skeleton descended from the white blob, completing his array of undead constructs. The room barely held his numbers; any more, and he had to start separating his constructs into multiple groups.
CONSTRUCT MENU - Slots 0/30
16x Skeleton warriors - lvl 4 10x Skeleton archers - lvl 4
4x Skeleton Rogues - lvl 4
4x (D)Skeleton warriors - Domain locked 1x in recovery. 3x (D)Skeleton Wights - Domain locked
He spent another thousand on a warrior and archer attribute upgrades; improving their strength. [You spent 1000 essences.] [You have 1,670 essences remaining.]
Construct - Skeleton Warrior (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 6 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 15 Dexterity: 3 Resilience: 13(+5)
Resistance: 6(+4) Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Bone¡¯s bulwark
Wrath Upgraded Armors - 1
Construct - Skeleton Archer(Longbow) | Combatant | Tier - 1
Construct Level: 5 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 14(+3) Dexterity: 12(+5) Resilience: 6
Resistance: 3 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
Skeletal Body Undead Veil Acid arrow
Speed draw - Manual Upgraded Weapons - 1
The twilight of dawn baked the clouds with its red glory. It marked the arrival of another day. Like clockwork, gongs and cries immediately shattered the post-dawn tranquility. A lone skeleton rogue patrolled the outskirts of his crypt, imparting its vision into Frail¡¯s mind.Love what you''re reading? Discover and support the author on the platform they originally published on. A line of black smoke trailed in the distance. They¡¯re close. As he expected¡­ the goblins took no time to stumble upon his crypt. Tall shamans meandered alongside its lesser version, short goblins snorting about around them. Transparent silhouettes lurched. All the goblin types Frail had seen, huddled alongside each other, their eyes shining with greed. They saw the open door and gleamed with glee. Treasure. Frail shared the same glee. Essences. ### Frail¡¯s next defense was a one-sided slaughter. The layout of his domain separated the goblins into two groups, each led by three shamans and an entourage of goblin mages. The rogues hid well¡ªtheir cloaks and inherent covertness enabled them to hide in the corners of the barely lit crypts. His invaders strolled past them as if they never existed. Their mirth faded when their feet stepped deeper into the unchanging rooms. A sobering silence drowned the rooms, the absence of life draining their focus. Sure, the goblins weren¡¯t terrified, but he couldn¡¯t say they ventured with peace either. Two paths converged into a massive room. They came across a battery of skeletons, each clad in a ghastly azure aura wreathing their silhouettes and weapons. A wash of worry cascaded from their faces down to their feet. One imperious figure stood above his constructs. Blue embers burned through the gaps of its helmet. It raised its blade. Frail surrendered control of his main force to his domain lord and focused on his rogues. Fireballs and necrotic blasts dispersed the darkness apart. The first, Frail learned to be wary of; the other, he ignored. Goblins rallied and blitzed through the dense rainfall of blue-tinted arrows. Their globe shields shattered after a single volley. Four magical flames burst and swallowed three goblins¡ªcourtesy of Frail¡¯s combined eldritch blasts. Their bodies twisted and charred. Roaring flames spewed from the goblin shamans and mages in retaliation. Spellblade¡¯s aura absorbed the brunt of the fireballs. Shields did the rest. Transparent goblins slipped through the guard of his warriors. They attempted to disrupt Frail¡¯s archers, but his domain lord caught their sleight before any real damage was done. Warriors swung their blades with their eyes burning with verdant embers. Rogues backstabbed the array of mages and shamans. Prompt use of dark rush lengthened their range, and their daggers caught the necks of multiple before they retreated to the darkness. Chaos and panic dragged the goblins¡¯ morale down. The rest¡­ went almost too well for Frail. Adding magic-imbued shields and attacks empowered his constructs beyond his initial expectations. Streaks of blood painted the walls of coarse slabs and the floor. Bodies upon bodies cluttered the space of his domain. Gather the corpses. Bring them to me. [Drain essence] [You gained 150 essences.] x 45 [You gained 300 essences.] x 10 [You gained 500 essences.] x 7 [You gained 800 essences.] x 6 [You gained 18,050 essences.] [You now have 19,720 essences.] He had enough for a few choice upgrades. Next¡­ [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 6450 essences.] [You now have 26 170 essences.] [Extraction summary] [45x goblin recruit. Total essence: 2250] [7x goblin mage. Total essence: 1400] [10x goblin nightblade. Total essence: 1000.] [6x goblin shaman. Total essence: 1800.] 26,000 plus essences¡­ Good. Frail had enough for the elite construct fabricator... and its subsequent upgrades. Undeath legion further boosted the utility of elite constructs, slashing their slot cost to one, and that meant he¡¯d have three elite constructs after he purchased both the trait upgrade and the elite slot upgrade. [You spend 15,000 essences.] [You can now create elite constructs!] [You now have 11,170 essences.] Frail immediately accessed his elite construct fabricator.
Elite construct unlocks | Tier - 1
- Grave guard | Tier 2 - Elite | Cost: 2000 essence, Two Elite construct slot. Unlock cost: 4000 essences
- Grave lancer | Tier 2 - Elite | Cost: 2000 essences, Two Elite construct slot. Unlock cost: 4000 essences.
- Cold lich | Tier 2 - Elite | Cost: 2000 essences, Two Elite construct slot. Unlock cost: 4000 essences.
Construct - Grave Guard (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 2
Construct Level: 10 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 25 Dexterity: 5 Resilience: 35
Resistance: 35 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
skeletal Body Undead Veil Shield Ward
Grave Barrier Shield Bash
[Shield ward: All constructs within 30 meters take 20% less damage from all sources.] [Grave Barrier: Select one friendly unit and place a barrier around it. Nullifies all damage it takes until the barrier breaks. Shield health is equal to 3x this construct¡¯s resilience. Cooldown: 1 minute.] [Shield bash: Shoves any enemies within its reach away from Grave Guard. The affected units will take 20% extra damage when hit by a physical attack. Cooldown: 20 seconds.] Extremely defensive. Frail¡¯s first thought upon scanning its status page. 35 on both resilience and resistance; this construct wouldn¡¯t falter unless it bore the strongest of hits. Barrier safeguarded his other constructs. Shield ward protected its closest allies. All in all¡­ a fantastic option if Frail sought after defense. Next.
Construct - Grave Lancer | Combatant | Tier - 2
Construct Level: 10 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 30 Dexterity: 30 Resilience: 20
Resistance: 20 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
skeletal Body Undead Veil Lance rush
Evasion Grave thrust
[Lance rush: Charges forward in a straight line, dealing damage along its path. Receives a 20% damage buff for 15 seconds after skill activation. Cooldown: 15 seconds.] [Gravely Evasion: Blurs and automatically evades one melee strike every 4 seconds, releasing a blinding mist afterward. The blinding mist blinds all units nearby the elite lancer, lasting for 3 seconds.] [Grave thrust: Charges its spear and skewers the target. This attack deals 2x bonus damage.] Extremely offensive. A complete 180 of the previous option, the lancer boasted high single-target damage output with excellent mobility and a method to avoid direct damage once in four seconds. This construct could handle enemies his other constructs couldn¡¯t dream of scratching, especially if they went outside, where his domain lord wasn¡¯t present. Not only that. If they were together, the passive buffs from his domain lord further enhanced the lancers¡¯ efficacy. Frail turned to the last option: the Grave Lich.
Construct - Grave Lich | Combatant | Tier - 2
Construct Level: 10 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 15 Dexterity: 5 Resilience: 20
Resistance: 20 Magic: 40
Traits / Skills
skeletal Body Undead Veil Grave chill aura
Cold barrage Frost shield
[Grave chill aura: Any enemies within 40 meters will have their speed and elemental defenses reduced by 20%. This aura does not affect those with higher resistance than its magic attribute. Grants the lich a projectile cold-based basic attack.] [Cold barrage: Conjures a rain of ice at the target location, dealing damage based on the lich¡¯s (1 x magic) attribute. Cooldown: 20 seconds.] [Frost shield: Coats a friendly construct with ice, boosting its resilience and resistance by 20. Shatters when taking(1 x magic) damage, dealing the same amount to all enemies around the shielded unit. This is not a barrier spell. Cooldown: 10 seconds.] Cold magic. He assumed it to be the same icicles Desmond cast before. If the lancer possessed overwhelming strength, and the guard, defenses, then this elite was best utilized against grouped-up enemies. Frost shield added a stratagem similar to the grave guard. It possessed a great deal of magic, so it wouldn¡¯t be a stretch to say the ice it delivered would hurt. Time ticked as Frail considered the new options. Chapter 16. Unknowns ### The trio of Damon, Justine, and Adrian ventured into the forest. Their purpose: to spy on the encroaching goblin patrols¡­ and hunt should the opportunity arise. [Goblin patrol: 1/2 remaining.] ¡°No signs of any patrols so far¡­¡± Sarah wiped the sweat off her brow. ¡°We should be safe for now.¡± Justine clicked her tongue. ¡°Feels like I¡¯m wasting a detect scroll.¡± The party of five elected to scour the outside together. Adrian and Damon acted as the vanguard, with Agil and the rest performing their roles to their best abilities¡ªA relatively simple strategy. They found no need to complicate things. ¡°So¡­¡± Justine relaxed and turned toward him, ¡°The three of you, you know each other before¡­ this?¡± ¡°Office mates.¡± Sarah brushed her hair, ¡°-long story. What about you?¡± Justine halted her steps. ¡°¡¯Bout the same. Arthur¡¯s a bit special, I suppose. He¡¯s a new kid before this unfolded,¡± She gestured at the forest, ¡°-looks like a model, to be honest. Don¡¯t even know why he¡¯s trying so hard.¡± Adrian smiled. ¡°You¡¯ve become eerily quiet ever since we got here.¡± Justine nudged Adrian¡¯s shoulder, ¡°Something happen to you?¡± Adrian shrugged. He¡¯d always acted¡­ peculiar. Damon could never figure out what went on in his mind. When was the last time he talked? Spoke? ¡°Ugh.¡± She groaned. ¡°-whatever.¡± ¡°He doesn¡¯t look like the leader type,¡± Damon added. Out of the four, Desmond seemed the most¡­ appropriate for that role. ¡°Being strong is one hell of a plus point here,¡± Justine peered her head past a nearby tree, ¡°-it¡¯s much easier to lead by example. You know what I mean¡ª¡®Specially when he¡¯s blessed.¡± ¡°Valkyrie¡­ Right?¡± Damon whispered. Justine nodded. ¡°Goddess of spears, he said. Very pretty.¡± She leaned on the tree and relaxed. ¡°Whether you like it or not, being a chosen has its own¡­ gravitas,¡± Justine continued, ¡°Here, being good alone isn¡¯t enough. There are priveleges only raw numbers and attributes provide.¡± Her eyes fluttered, ¡°None of us are that lucky.¡± Luck. He¡¯d survived through battles he had no business living through¡­ He¡¯d cashed in all the luck in his life. Damon swept the bushes as they ventured further. Arthur and Judas were busy helping the others to attain more levels and guard the walls of Haven¡ªa task Damon loath to partake in, yet its importance couldn¡¯t be understated. More levels didn¡¯t just provide more attributes; they also gave more skill points and access to more skills in certain level thresholds. None had reached the illustrious level 20, a benchmark for class evolution. Five more levels. Arthur¡¯s at seventeen¡­ His gait stopped when a curious structure peeked through the tangle of trees¡ªa pyramid-like structure, gray and drab, built with shaped slabs of polished stone. It exuded a gravely atmosphere. ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± Agil whispered. He drew his bow. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen such an¡­ elaborate structure before. Sarah? What do you think?¡± All five hunkered behind the bushes and trees. ¡°Is it a monster den? We¡¯ve not seen one in a while.¡± Justine squinted her eyes. ¡°I didn¡¯t see this during our last trek in the forest either. What gives?¡± The tremors. Damon recalled. ¡°Do we check it out?¡± The party searched for answers through each other¡¯s gazes. Seconds passed before Damon sighed and nudged his head toward the pyramid. ¡°We¡¯ll¡­ do a cursory search. How ¡®about that? You all down with it?¡± ### A guard, A lancer, or a mage. Why am I acting as if I can only choose one? In the end of the day, none of the constructs replaced the roles of their variants. Frail planned to get all three in the end. However, for the immediate moment¡­ This one. [You spent 2,000 essences.] [You spent 4,000 essences.] [You now have 5,170 essences.] [You can only construct one of each elite construct at a time.]This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. A cadaverous, lanky, armored skeleton stood a head taller than its common variant. Enameled steel with curvaceous golden adornments and trims colored its ivory silver armor pieces, blue light glinting off the stainless parts. An angular helmet with a slit carved into its midsection blew ghastly air from the darkness within. Two sharp pauldrons protruded on both sides, clasping a long, weathered cape with torn ends, the black stained with mud. It wielded a lengthy spear, one almost doubling its height, with a piece of red cloth dangled below the sharp end. Spotless at a glance, deadly when studied properly; its rounded edge narrowed to a paper-thin honed point, imparting a grim warning to the enemies it faced. A weapon built for a singular purpose. To skewer Frail¡¯s enemies. Frail opted for the lancer for one specific purpose; to help his constructs outside his domain, where the battles were more chaotic and less grouped up. It had the best mobility out of the three and that speed allowed it to adapt to the natural changes in ebb and flow during a skirmish. It wasn¡¯t frail like his rogues, who must flee once their invisibility ran out--actually, it had great survivability in a melee fight. It hit harder than his warriors¡ªnot as hard as his domain lord, but still, hard enough. It had enough speed to escape a bad fight, a feature none of his other elites possessed. It wasn¡¯t as if the lancer would be useless within his domain either, on the contrary¡­ He spent no time opening his new lancer¡¯s upgrade page.
Grave Lancer upgrades - Tier 2 - Current level: 10
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 3. Costs: 700 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Lance rush - 2 - Lance rush has two charges. Costs: 3500 essences. Raises level by 3.
Ability upgrade - Gravely Evasion - Lowers cooldown to 3 seconds. +10 dexterity. Costs: 5500 essences. Raises level by 5.
Ability upgrade - Gravely Thrust - Damage bonus increased to 4x. Resets the cooldown of Gravely evasion after skill activation. +10 strength. Costs: 3500 essences. Raises level by 5. Unlocks access a new skill¡ªRapid thrust. The new skill must be purchased.
Upgraded equipments - Strengthens the construct¡¯s weapons. Next level; provides + 10 strength, + 10 dexterity. Costs: 3500 essences. Does not raise level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Upgraded armors - Strengthens the construct¡¯s armor. Next level; provides + 10 resilience, +10 resistance. Costs: 3500 essences. Does not raise construct level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Good stuff... but, pricey. Whispers¡­ He thought nobody would interrupt his domain after he dispatched the patrol¡­ ¡­until five human figures shadowed his entrance. His skeletons rose in alarm. Wait. Those are... Justine¡­ Damon¡­ Sarah¡­ Agil¡­ and Adrian¡­ Why are they here? Oh, of course¡­ He was reminded again about the recent changes in his domain¡¯s¡­ visibility. ¡°Nothing¡¯s here¡­¡± One of them spoke. ¡°I hate the looks of this place. Feels like death.¡± ¡°Be careful¡­¡± Another spoke. Frail recognized his voice. Agil. ¡°This reminds me of that dungeon.¡± Dungeon¡­ With the visibility and decor, he could see himself as one. He had a choice. To announce his presence and establish contact, or to hide and attack when they reached the room housing all his constructs. The second option seemed overkill, as he didn¡¯t wish to antagonize the humans, but victory would net him more essence. Frail struggled to separate his human thoughts and his entity tendencies. ¡°[Mage Light],¡± Sarah chanted. A bright orb coalesced and floated above her head. ¡°Place is giving me the creeps. Doesn¡¯t this place look¡­ dead to you?¡± The rest nodded. Frail saw the gradual realization in their faces. ¡°This must be where the skeletons come from.¡± One concluded. And this voice¡­ Frail had never heard before. ¡°You finally spoke.¡± Justine tapped his shoulder. ¡°I agree with him¡­ but¡­ what do we do? They don¡¯t seem to be very welcoming of us. I, for one, don¡¯t like it if some strangers enter my homes without permission.¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t he one of us?¡± Sarah added. ¡°I mean¡ªhe¡¯s human, right?¡± ¡°That¡¯s just a speculation,¡± Agil replied. ¡°We don¡¯t know.¡± Frail¡¯s location had been compromised. He saw little reason to keep his presence a secret now. Frail sent one of his warriors to their location and ordered the rest to stand their ground. They don¡¯t seem to hold any hostile intent. Let¡¯s¡­ try and talk. Rattles of bones echoed from his dispatch¡¯s movements. The humans readied their weapons. ¡°Don¡¯t panic.¡± Damon breathed under his mouth, ¡°We don¡¯t want them as our enemy, remember that. Don¡¯t attack at any cost.¡± The warrior¡¯s silhouette peered through the blackness. The two sides met. ¡°It¡­ is him¡ªor, them?¡± Justine spoke. ¡°Uh¡­ hi?¡± Frail watched them lower their weapons. ¡°Sorry¡­ I¡­ didn¡¯t know this is where you live.¡± She continued, ¡°Do you want us to leave?¡± His skeleton warrior nodded. Frail didn¡¯t mind their presence, but he saw no reason to have them hanging around inside his domain. Strangers. That was what they were. ¡°Right¡­¡± Damon breathed a relieved sigh. ¡°Alright. We¡¯ll-¡° Justine stepped forward. It was faint, but they seemed flippant about a particular decision. ¡°I¡­ No, we-¡± Justine spoke, ¡°-We need help.¡± Help? Ah¡­ The invasion. ¡°You know about the invasion. It¡¯s coming soon. Very soon.¡± She continued, ¡°¡­with all the necrotic magic and their numbers and shit¡­ we may not survive their assault.¡± Frail recalled Harkon¡¯s speech. Help them, he said. Frail wished to avoid partaking in their problems when he saw no point in doing so¡­ but Frail couldn¡¯t exactly hide from the patrols either. In the end of the day, Frail could not escape the invasion. Not when his domain stuck out like a sore thumb. Footsteps. Heavy footsteps crunched the arid soil from outside. More of them? The party watched his skeleton¡¯s head peeking through their figures. ¡°What¡¯s wrong?¡± Justine asked, her eyes squinting. His limited vision caught glimpses of their silhouettes. Pallid, translucent lanky humanoids¡­ small, beady maroon eyes¡­ non-existent noses¡­ long, pointy ears¡­ They were in a deep discussion with one another. He heard six distinct, nervous voices, all of them spoke in a language indecipherable. Not goblins¡­ Not humans¡­ then¡­ Who are they? The unknown party tapped the rigid walls of his domain. Their squinty, red eyes peered into the darkness. Some licked their lips. Some kept a vigilant watch. One stood behind them all, his brusque body ladened with pieces of matte, stained dark cuirass. Thorns and protrusions covered the giant blade on his back. They donned what the humans wore. But they¡¯re not humans. Their arrival seemed¡­ convenient. This happened a day before the invasion, right after the patrol had been dealt with. Appearance-wise, they shared no similar characteristics to the goblins. Harkon foretold about incoming guests, but how could he know that these were the guests he talked about? ¡°W¡­ where are you looking at? What¡¯s wrong?¡± Justine turned around. ¡°Guys¡­¡± Agil pulled Justine¡¯s shoulder. ¡°We¡¯re not alone.¡± Clangors of iron feet rang throughout the chambers. ¡°Goblins?¡± Damon raised his shield. His skeleton shook its head. ¡°Then¡­¡± A lone skeleton wouldn¡¯t pose much resistance against his new invaders¡­ so he drew back. Justine and her group noted the skeleton¡¯s retreat and followed suit. Chapter 17. Opportunities Frail scanned his domain lord¡¯s standard upgrade.
Domain Skill upgrade - Spellblade¡¯s standard - 3 - Changes spawn from Warriors to Guards. Increase wight¡¯s count by 2. They are leashed to the floor the domain lord is assigned. Costs: 5000 essences. Raises level by 3.
Out of all possible upgrades in his price range¡ªand considering his possible immediate needs¡ªhe deemed this one the best. [You spent 5000 essences.] [You now have 170 essences.] Five warriors shuddered and tumbled into ashes upon Frail¡¯s purchase. Five staunch-looking skeleton guards took their places seconds afters, their cuirass and armor pieces adorned and embellished with silver trims. They didn¡¯t carry blades this time; each swung around a lengthy one-handed steel-tipped mace. Their shields barricaded their entire bodies. Two more wights entered his domain after. ¡°What the-¡° The humans froze upon the sight of Frail¡¯s army¡ªlines of skeletons bathed in smoky trails of azure smog from the domain lord¡¯s aura. Their unknown invaders caught up before they could utter a word. Heavy footsteps rang louder as they neared the entrance to the penultimate room leading to his domain pedestal. ¡°Sarah,¡± Damon whispered. ¡°Buffs. Now.¡± ¡°Got it. [Lightning weapons],¡± Lighting sparked in her hands, then shot toward the human¡¯s weapons. A thin veil of lighting coated their bows and their blades, colored them the hue of sapphire. He hadn¡¯t seen her cast this spell before. ¡°Agil, stay with me.¡± Justine relayed her orders. ¡°We should-¡° Six gaunt silhouettes breached the darkness. Lit by the dangling chandeliers, their pale visages shifted as their shadows marked the floor. Frail¡¯s opponents had mostly been another army; this time, he only faced six. Just six humanoids. Yet, the intimidation these six brought with them triumphed over the goblins. He looked at the well-armored, pallid-skinned warrior again. His gait¡­ It was as if he faced another Arthur. ¡°What the hell are those?¡± Sarah whispered. ¡°I¡¯ve never seen them before.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not monsters,¡± Justine added. ¡°No names. No tiers. No details.¡± ¡°So, they¡¯re¡­ like us?¡± Damon chimed in. Justine wiped off the sweat on her furrowed forehead. ¡°How the fuck should I know?¡± The six stopped when they saw Frail¡¯s skeleton army. For a flash of an instance, he sensed hesitation in their steps. Should I attack? His rogues hid behind the veil of shadows, waiting. Seconds ticked. None made a move. The one with the giant blade unsheathed his armament. ¡°Shit-¡° Just when Frail thought it would launch an attack¡­ ¡­He rested his weapon on the floor. A gesture of¡­ surrendering? ¡°What¡¯s going on?¡± Agil whispered. ¡°Are we fighting?¡± He shifted aside, away from Damon¡¯s broad shoulder, spying on the unexpected turn of events. ¡°Entity.¡± Frail froze. He heard it. Tangible speech. From him. The six then knelt, their faces turned away from his domain lord. ¡°We are here to request your aid. A man named Harkon¡­ sent us to you, and gave us your language. Our beacon has fallen. Goblins¡­ The chieftain¡­ they took everything. Our friends were dismembered and eaten. Our leader¡­ slain. We failed to stop their invasion.¡± Harkon. So they were the guests he told of. ¡°The invasion?¡± Justine interrupted. ¡°But it¡¯s supposed to come tomorrow.¡± No reply came from the ones kneeling. ¡°Hey!¡± She raised her voice. Her rancor went unheard. Frail struggled to form a reply. Unlike Harkon, who could somehow read his thoughts, the pale-skinned humanoids lacked that capability. Frail noted the small scabs and scars peppering their bodies upon a closer look. They seemed old and untreated, yet they didn¡¯t fester or decay. They weren¡¯t human, sure, but then, what race would they fall under?Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. Don¡¯t tell me¡­ they¡¯re¡­ undead? His domain lord took a step forward. The humans flinched when its shadow crossed their heads. ¡°Let us take shelter in your domain.¡± He continued, treating the humans as if they never existed. ¡°We will do our part to assist you in return.¡± What is Harkon¡¯s end goal here? Why did he send them to me? ¡°They¡¯re coming for us, too,¡± Justine spoke again. She didn¡¯t care if her voice went ignored. ¡°Why not work together?¡± ¡°Because we are undead. You are not.¡± He finally replied. ¡°We are called Draugrs in your tongue. My name is Grimright. These are my companions¡­¡± Draugrs. I see now. Frail¡¯s assumptions ended up right. He did not know why or how, but he felt compelled to lend an ear and listen to their plight. Perhaps their similar race beckoned him to heed their words¡­ a sense of camaraderie? Even still, Frail wasn¡¯t just an undead; he was also an entity¡­ and at some point, human. Grimright began introducing them¡ªone by one. Aside from the obvious gender difference, Frail couldn¡¯t distinguish them from one another. ¡°We¡¯ve come across a few of your friends, human. Our experience has not been pleasant.¡± Frail noted Justine¡¯s intense frown. ¡°The hell you say? I-¡± ¡°Justine. Stop it.¡± She halted her speech when Damon pulled her shoulder. ¡°We can work together,¡± Damon spoke calmly. ¡°At least¡­ until the whole Goblin threat is taken care of. If we unite our forces, we stand a better chance. You may not like us¡­ but that hardly matters. Please, think about it again.¡± He spoke that to every party involved. To Frail, and Grimright. ¡°Harkon said this is the safest place on this island,¡± Grimright answered. ¡°Your strongest soldier is leashed to this place.¡± Grimright pointed toward Frail¡¯s domain lord. The old draugr lowered his arm. ¡°Even with a chosen, one with God¡¯s blessing, we still failed to defend against the horde. They were simply too many¡­ And their generals¡­¡± His beady eyes sank, ¡°The chieftain¡¯s staunch soldiers killed our best warriors in seconds. Flanking him was a mistake. But here¡­¡± He swung his hands at the domain walls, ¡°Here, however¡­ we can funnel them. Limit their biggest advantage. The wall of this domain cannot be broken. Try it¡ªtouch the walls. You¡¯ll understand what I mean.¡± Damon followed Grimright¡¯s instructions. His eyes widened. ¡°What¡­¡± ¡°What is it?¡± Sarah and Justine asked. ¡°Indestructible?¡± ¡°Domain walls are system-protected.¡± Grimright resumed. ¡°Unbreakable unless the system deems it so. The beacon¡¯s pitiful walls crumbled against the full might of their magic and power. We tried it when we found you; the system confirmed Harkon¡¯s deductions.¡± They knocked on the walls before entering. He saw that. Harkon told them all this. It made sense if he wished to protect his kind, but Frail loathed how he dumped all the responsibility on him. ¡°If we gather here. Fight from within¡­¡± Damon turned to his friends, ¡°Look at the rooms. They are huge. It can house all of us inside.¡± ¡°But that means we¡¯ll lose the beacon. And once we do¡­ it will be gone forever.¡± Justine stopped him. ¡°I don¡¯t think Arthur¡¯s willing to lose that. But¡­¡± She paused and closed her eyes, ¡°We must go back. Discuss. Think.¡± She faced Frail¡¯s domain lord. ¡°I¡­ pray you have an answer when we return.¡± Frail couldn¡¯t ignore the draugrs¡¯ negative disposition toward the living. On the other hand, their strength would most certainly help. To unite meant they stood a clearer chance at surviving the invasion¡­ and he¡¯d reap all the rewards bountiful from the fallen corpses¡­ From both humans and the goblins and the draugrs. Frankly, Frail had little to lose. His priority was survival, whether he liked the humans or the draugrs mattered naught. If banding up gave him the best odds of survival¡­ ¡°We¡¯ll come back once we talk things through. I¡­ hope we can work together.¡± She placed her gaze at the draugrs, then Frail. The humans gathered and stepped past the draugrs. ¡°I did not come empty-handed,¡± Grimright spoke after the humans left. ¡°Here. We found an object we cannot use. Harkon said you might like it.¡± He retrieved another object. Another glistening orb, pallid as the skin of the draugrs. ¡°-A gift, shall you accept our request for refuge. Please, I implore you¡­¡± [Tier 1 essence Orb.] [Drain to obtain 15.000 essences.] 15,000? That¡¯s¡­ a decent amount. Grimright sensed Frail¡¯s elation. Even without the orb, housing them wouldn¡¯t cost him anything. The empty spaces within his domain served no purpose anyway. Food might be an issue¡­ but did they need food in the first place? Of course, he did not forget about the possibility of lies and betrayals. Ultimately, taking anyone in, the humans and the draugrs carried the same risk. Frail could only decide on the things he witnessed and observed. So far, none of these draugrs appeared shifty. Desperate, maybe, but they didn¡¯t come with hostile intent. I¡¯ll tread carefully. His skeleton lancer zipped through the distance between them and landed a step before Grimright. A cold breeze blew past as it nodded. He smiled, relieved. ¡°I have another news to share. We encountered another dungeon hidden inside a cave. That orb¡ªand a few other treasures¡ªcame from it.¡± Beyond the river¡­ it¡¯s a good distance away. To leave his domain posed too much risk at this moment. The draugrs stood. ¡°Let us show you that we can be of use. With your help, we stand a good chance of weathering their invasion.¡± As his speech trailed into silence, Frail noted the rapid footsteps beyond his domain. The second goblin patrol¡­ Frail looked at their numbers with glee. Grimright and his allies faced the entrance. ¡°¡­or we can show you now.¡± ### Damon ### They avoided another goblin patrol on their way back. Luckily, the crypt was there, all grand and mighty, drawing their attention before they came face to face. Damon briefly considered turning back and helping. Justine shot that down. She was right, as it stood¡­ The skeletons never needed their help. After all, they¡¯d seen the true power behind the stone slab walls. An army of skeletons numbered north of forty, clad with otherworldly magic, and the staunch armored skeleton in the center. Yeah¡­ they don¡¯t need help. The five sneaked about with their heads craned downward, each deep in thought, thinking, brooding. ¡°I should¡¯ve been expecting it, but I¡¯m still shocked when they came. Another¡­ sapient race¡­ I can only imagine what else is out there.¡± Sarah spoke in whispers, brushing the foliage aside. ¡°Don¡¯t think it¡¯s that weird.¡± Justine answered, ¡°After all the monsters and the magic, I can¡¯t be shocked anymore. Although I find it interesting that the system pits us against other races¡ªalways assumed it¡¯ll only be us here. Since this is¡­ well, you know, Earth.¡± Damon also thought the same. ¡°I don¡¯t know if we should be thankful or scared shitless. I¡¯m firmly in the middle.¡± Agil said. The haven¡¯s walls peered through the dense forest. Damon glanced at the tall structure. The beacon imparted them massive benefits: the ability to purchase potions and skills, to call a place his home after a day¡¯s work of hunting and gaining levels. Losing it would hurt. Wooden gates creaked open¡ªthe scent of unwashed men and campfire dispersed outside. ¡°Let¡¯s find Arthur. We¡¯ll see what happens after.¡± Justine stowed her bow and breathed relief. ¡°We¡­ look like shit,¡± Sarah commented. The threat of the invasion occupied their heads, reflected through their weary eyes and pale complexion. Their steps only got heavier as their strength grew. How was that even possible? ¡°No patrols?¡± Arthur asked when they approached. Even their leader exhibited signs of lethargy. The five shook their heads. ¡°But there¡¯s¡­ more? They can¡¯t be missing.¡± The young man added, standing up, ¡°Where are-¡° ¡°They are headed somewhere else,¡± Justine interrupted. ¡°They won¡¯t be a problem. Trust me.¡± ¡°What?¡± Damon saw Arthur¡¯s eyes widening. ¡°That¡­ is what we want to talk about.¡± She continued. ¡°This is going to sound crazy, but we met him. The skeletons¡­ and more.¡± Arthur¡¯s eyes widened. For a brief second, he smiled. ¡°Please¡­ do tell.¡± Chapter 18. Excursion ¡°The chieftain has three generals under his command.¡± Grimright stood above the piles of dead goblins. His men helped the skeletons drag the corpses to Frail¡¯s domain pedestals, their eyes widening whenever they came close to his constructs. Even Draugrs weren¡¯t used to walking skeletons. ¡°Three vastly different combatants,¡± He continued, ¡°The strongest one is called Ogrin; he¡¯s the biggest of the bunch¡ªfar larger than our beacon walls. It fights honest; it doesn¡¯t use magic, no spells, no tricks¡ªJust plain brute force and an insane appetite for carnage. We could barely land a hit on that bastard.¡± Larger than a beacon wall? How¡­ big is that, exactly? ¡°I¡¯ve seen your entrance¡­ I don¡¯t think Ogrin fits through there.¡± The draugr added. I guess that¡¯s one worry off the list. ¡°The other one carries a long staff with a skull at its head. The magic it wields decimated the majority of us.¡± He looked down at his hand, ¡°We suffer the most casualties from it. Hak¡¯thar, its name¡­ I¡¯ll never forget.¡± Fire magic. Brute strength. Nothing new so far. ¡°Then¡­ the final one¡­ we didn¡¯t see it until it was too late. Couldn¡¯t even spot its name. It vanished after it delivered the killing blow to our leader. One strike.¡± Frail saw his eyes squinting, ¡°-was a dismal sight. The field went silent when he died.¡± The chieftain? His domain lord raised its head. What about him? ¡°Their chieftain sat outside and let the generals finish its job.¡± Grimright¡¯s face sank, ¡°-didn¡¯t need to help.¡± His story portrayed the invading force as an insurmountable force; one which even Frail¡¯s best stood no chance of overcoming. ¡°It was¡­ hopeless. Bleak.¡± Grimright confirmed Frail¡¯s deductions, ¡°Our previous conflict with another drifter group prevented us from stopping the ritual. We might have survived if we had more time and levels.¡± His palm turned to a shaking fist, ¡°But here¡­ we stand a better chance... with knowledge and ideas of what to expect. We didn¡¯t know before¡ªcouldn¡¯t plan for it. But this time¡­ This time¡­ it¡¯ll be different.¡± The two watched the skeletons and the other draugrs before his pedestal chamber. ¡°About the humans,¡± Grimright spoke, searching his domain Lord¡¯s eyes, ¡°What will you do? I admit; my emotions got the better of me. I shouldn¡¯t have treated them the way I did.¡± He looked down, Frail saw his shoulders sinking, ¡°-I should be better, lead with prudence and strength, not rage.¡± The draugr lifted his head. ¡°I am sorry, do not worry about our personal plights, I promise we will not get in your way.¡± What about other entities? Frail wanted to ask, but lacked the necessary gestures to describe his thoughts. No¡­ what about the orbs? He wanted more of those. Grimright carefully watched his domain Lord¡¯s gestures¡ªit did what it could to represent a spherical object with its eldritch arms¡ªthen nodded. ¡°The orbs¡­ they came from the dungeons. I¡¯ve been to one¡­ they were well-hidden¡ªthe rewards within made it worth the while. In fact, this armor, this blade¡­¡± He gestured at his equipment, ¡°These came from there. They belong to Thorgrim¡ªour leader, but after his death¡­ the others deemed it best I carry on his spirit. But that¡¯s beside the point,¡± He returned his gaze to his allies, ¡°If you wish to find the orbs, then you must seek dungeons.¡± In short. Frail must leave the comfort of his domain to pursue those. ¡°Entity¡­ about the humans. What is your decision? They seem confident in their leader¡­ I will guess that he¡¯s a chosen, too.¡± Too? Meaning¡­ ¡°Thorgrim was a chosen. Rightfully so.¡± Grimright sighed. ¡°But¡­ Having another chosen on our side is a tremendous boon¡­ As long as he is alive, of course. Nobody is of use dead. I¡ªno, we¡ªwill support whichever decision you come to; this is your home, after all, and we don¡¯t have the luxury of choice.¡± ¡°No more corpses.¡± A female Draugr reported, her eyes darting between Grimright and his domain lord. ¡°I see you¡¯ve chatted. That¡¯s good.¡± She flashed a worried smile. What¡¯s her name, again? Yrsa? Hers are hard to pronounce. Not that he could speak in the first place. Why are they scared of- It took a while before he realized why they acted so sheepishly. It wasn¡¯t him that they feared. It was his domain lord. ¡°Good.¡± Grimright nodded. [Drain Essence] [You gained 150 essences.] x 50 [You gained 300 essences.] x 15 [You gained 500 essences.] x 10 [You gained 800 essences.] x 8 [You gained 23,400 essences.] [You now have 23,570 essences.]The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. A hefty chunk of essences seeped into his domain pedestal. Frail¡¯s core shivered. Corpse extractor¡­ More. [Corpse extraction complete. You gained 8100 essences.] [You now have 31,670 essences.] [Extraction summary] [50x goblin recruit. Total essence: 2500] [10x goblin mage. Total essence: 2000] [15x goblin nightblade. Total essence: 1500.] [7x goblin shaman. Total essence: 2100.] Then the orb¡­ his grave lancer approached, presenting him the essence orb. Frail took no time to consume it. [You now have 46,670 essences.] One path lay in front of him. The elite constructs. Three generals¡­ Three elites. He questioned his elites¡¯s might compared to the generals¡ªGrimright¡¯s retelling pictured a dismal future¡ªbut with the support of his domain lord and a few choice upgrades¡­ He might tilt the odds to their favor. One more question remained. How strong were the draugrs, actually? Frail struggled to draw an accurate comparison between them and his skeletons. Grimright and the others operated under a different power system, that much was clear, how different, though, was a question that remained unanswered. He had an inkling¡ªtheirs mirrored the systems of a typical RPG game, close to his construct¡¯s status page¡ªHarkon said it once before. ¡°We¡¯ll head outside for a while.¡± Grimright spoke as he gathered his allies around him, ¡°Best to earn some levels before the invasion comes¡ªwe stand a better chance that way.¡± They have levels, too. Can¡¯t forget that. Speaking of which¡­ His domain lord held one arm up. ¡°Do you object?¡± Grimright turned around, ¡°But-¡° I want corpses. His domain lord pointed at the empty space where the carcasses used to be. Bring me some. They can help me. I can help them. ¡°I... understand. You want corpses, right?¡± Grimright grinned. ¡°We¡¯ll bring back as many as we can.¡± The rest of the draugrs nodded along his statement. One aspect the draugrs Frail liked, was their indifference toward dead bodies¡ªsomething humans tended to avoid. Frail¡¯s actions would¡¯ve unsettled a majority of his old kind. However, with the recent light of events¡­ their perspectives might have shifted. He wouldn¡¯t just let them help without taking an active part in his personal growth, so Frail dispatched a sizable amount of his warriors and archers to tag along. Mostly as couriers, but also to speed up their hunt, if their presence proved beneficial. ¡°You¡¯ll follow us?¡± Grimright glanced at his roving army, ¡°Or-¡± The Domain Lord¡¯s nod answered his inquiries. ¡°Well. Guess we won¡¯t worry about dying today,¡± He laughed, ¡°Fine by us. That means¡­ Wait¡­¡± He turned toward another Draugr, ¡°That¡­ dungeon we came across on our way here, where was it again?¡± ¡°Far westward, a great distance from the river. About¡­ thirty minutes if we walk fast.¡± He said. ¡°That spot is far enough from the goblin army. We shan¡¯t face them if we head that way.¡± Thrain, Frail recalled the Draugr¡¯s name. He had a small scar on his left chin. Other than that¡­ he looked almost identical to Grimright. ¡°Ah. That. Now we have the numbers¡­¡± Grimright motioned his allies over, ¡°What do you think?¡± The Draugrs looked at each other, then the skeletons, then to Grimright. Frail sensed a hint of determination in their eyes, yet, their squint and the tension on their eyebrows implied their evident anxiety, too. Frail never visited a dungeon¡­ Well, the cave could technically count as one. Did a domain pedestal exist inside each? Or was the cave special? ¡°It¡¯s a little risky¡­ we may lose some of our strength before the invasion. Shall harm come to one of us¡­¡± Grimright spoke, looking at the floor. ¡°The risk-¡° Some risks must be taken. Frail wanted to say it out loud. Especially considering how grim our situation is. Being safe was one thing, being passive was another. Right now¡­ he and the draugrs were erring on the passive end of the spectrum. The system hadn¡¯t lied about sudden goblin patrols; they had cleared today¡¯s share, and frankly, his domain lord should be enough to fend off any stray goblin party. The draugrs¡¯ actions reflected their crestfallen state; they had lost a lot in the span of days; their friends, their hopes, their leader¡­ A chosen, nonetheless. The dungeon... Why not bring all three? Frail ordered his Grave Lancer to come forward. ¡°This soldier of yours¡­¡± Grimright said, his mouth agape, ¡°Can he leave your domain?¡± The lancer nodded. Frail could taste the confidence brimming in their eyes. ¡°Well¡­¡± He grinned, ¡°This changes a lot¡­¡± Not yet. His domain Lord stepped beside his lancer, urging the party to wait. Success meant more essence. Let¡¯s focus on clearing this dungeon first. And for that¡­
Elite construct slot upgrade Increases maximum elite construct limit. -Grants +2 elite construct slot Costs 10 000 essences. 2 upgrade slot.
Trait upgrade - Undead legion -Now affects elite-tier constructs. Costs 15,000 essences. 5 upgrade slots.
[You spent 25 000 essences.] [You now have 21 670 essences remaining.] Next¡­ Frail unlocked the rest of the elite constructs, each costing 6,000 essences¡ªtheir unlocks, 4000 each plus their summoning, 2000¡ªdraining him a chunk of his hard-earned essences. Two silvery blobs appeared in the center where his domain Lord resided. The Draugrs raised their eye when their shadow fell on them. First; the Grave Guard. One word best portrayed what it looked like¡ªA mammoth, grand shield with an equally sized knight standing behind it. It needed no blade. The shield was its sword. He thought the lancer was well-armored, the grave guard¡¯s steadfast pieces of armor put that comparison to shame. No part of it was a weak point, even when one struck it from the back. To assault its front would be a¡­ tremendous error in judgment. The Grave Lich contrasted the juggernaut. It wore a modest set of clothes and regal clasps, wielding a golden-laden staff with a glowing jagged crystal exuding the word frost. Its presence alone froze the air around it; Frail saw snowflakes forming as it floated inches above the floor. ¡°Wh¡­ What are those?¡± The Draugrs¡¯ incredulous gazes flickered around his newest recruits, lingering slightly longer on his Grave Guard. Grimright, in particular, seemed befuddled. Each step his guard took shook its vicinity. How heavy is the shield it¡¯s carrying? If he saw its silhouette and nothing else, he¡¯d see a gargantuan man lugging around a massive brick wall. It did move ponderously¡ªbut not so slow it took minutes to waddle through Frail¡¯s domain, and markedly slower than its counterpart, the grave lancer. ¡°Will they come with us, too?¡± One of the Draugrs asked. His domain lord nodded. ¡°You¡¯re sure? What about your safety?¡± Grimright asked, concerned. It¡¯s a risk we should take. The best way to ensure further safety was to reap all the essences he could get. It¡¯s now or never. ¡°Never mind,¡± He shifted his eyes aside, ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. We¡¯re not in the position to lay our arms and wait.¡± It seemed Frail¡¯s determination(and the desire for a ton of essences) reached them. ¡°That¡¯s our cue, brothers.¡± Grimright pointed his blade at the exit. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure this excursion is a fruitful one.¡± Frail¡¯s first dungeon excursion¡­ perhaps it¡¯d be wise to purchase a few upgrades before leaving. Chapter 19. Gorgheists ### Thump. Thump. The Grave Guard¡¯s footsteps rumbled the forest floor. A roving band of well-armored skeletons trailed behind it, treading with their skulls held up high, not a trace of exhaustion visible on their dead-pan expressions. Its aura imparted a layer of translucent air around all his skeletons¡ªthe skill description said it provided a 20% all-damage barrier¡ªa tremendous boon for his army of skeletons and their new allies, the draugrs. His Grave lich exuded another aura, but its effects only applied to his foes. Collectively, the elites brandished an imposing sight. The view came with a steep price, however; the unlock and constructing cost for both set him back another 12,000 essences. Their unlocks allowed him a glimpse at their upgrades. The list shown within cost an arm and a leg, but he deemed the price¡­ well worth the effort.
Grave Lich upgrades - Tier 2 - Current level: 10
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 5. Costs: 1000 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Cold Rain - 2 - Cold rain deals an additional (0.3x magic) damage, with increased slow(20%). Costs: 3500 essences. Raises level by 3.
Ability upgrade - Grave Chill Aura - Increases Area of Effect from 40 meters to 50 meters. Further lowers elemental defenses by 10%. The Lich¡¯s basic attacks now splinters, splitting into two, each dealing 25% damage. +10 Magic attribute. Costs: 5500 essences. Raises level by 4.
Ability upgrade - Frost shield - Resilience and Resistance bonus is increased by (0.5 x magic). Increased explosion damage by (1x magic). +5 resilience, +5 Resistance. Costs: 5500 essences. Raises level by 5. Unlocks access a new skill¡ªFrost Thorn. The new skill must be purchased.
Upgraded equipments - Strengthens the construct¡¯s weapons. Next level; provides + 20 Magic. Costs: 2500 essences. Does not raise level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Upgraded armors - Strengthens the construct¡¯s armor. Next level; provides + 10 resilience, +10 resistance. Costs: 2500 essences. Does not raise construct level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Grave Guard upgrades - Tier 2 - Current level: 10
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 5. Costs: 1000 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Shield Ward - 2 - Improves damage reduction by 10%. Grave Guard now takes -5 damage from all sources. Costs: 3500 essences. Raises level by 3.
Ability upgrade - Grave Barrier - Adds Shield health(4x Resilence.). Grants 20% physical damage reduction when shield breaks for 5 seconds. +10 Resilience. Costs: 5500 essences. Raises level by 5.
Ability upgrade - Shield Bash - Now emboldens all friendly in a 20 meter radius around Grave Guard, granting (0.3 x Resilience) to their resistance and resilience. Passively grants +10 resilience. Costs: 5500 essences. Raises level by 5. Unlocks access a new skill¡ªShield slam. The new skill must be purchased.
Upgraded equipments - Strengthens the construct¡¯s weapons. Next level; provides + 20 Resistance. Costs: 3500 essences. Does not raise level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Upgraded armors - Strengthens the construct¡¯s armor. Next level; provides + 20 resilience. Costs: 3500 essences. Does not raise construct level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Grave Lancer upgrades - Tier 2 - Current level: 10
Attribute increase: Increases 1 attribute by 3. Costs: 700 essences. Raises level by 1.
Ability upgrade - Lance rush - 2 - Lance rush has two charges. Costs: 3500 essences. Raises level by 3.
Ability upgrade - Gravely Evasion - Lowers cooldown to 3 seconds. +10 dexterity. Costs: 5500 essences. Raises level by 5.
Ability upgrade - Gravely Thrust - Damage bonus increased to 4x. Resets the cooldown of Gravely evasion after skill activation. +10 strength. Costs: 5500 essences. Raises level by 5. Unlocks access a new skill¡ªRapid thrust. The new skill must be purchased.
Upgraded equipments - Strengthens the construct¡¯s weapons. Next level; provides + 10 strength, + 10 dexterity. Costs: 3500 essences. Does not raise level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Upgraded armors - Strengthens the construct¡¯s armor. Next level; provides + 10 resilience, +10 resistance. Costs: 3500 essences. Does not raise construct level. Cannot be upgraded more than once.
Frail only had 9,670 essences left after the unlocks. He didn¡¯t have much time to ponder¡ªhis mind darted between the lancer¡¯s Gravely Thrust and the Grave guard¡¯s Grave barrier¡ªthe first doubling the lancer¡¯s skill damage, and the other provided an additional layer of safety, with additional attributes that came with the upgrades. The lich¡¯s aura, while useful, wasn¡¯t as effective as the rest. His constructs mostly dealt with physical damage. So¡­ Defense or offense? In the end, he settled with the Grave barrier. 4x its resilience as damage nullification and adding another layer of defense when broken safeguarded his chosen constructs against most things. Most. Their numerous numbers further emphasized the value of all friendy aura effects, and Frail had just enough to take advantage of that fact. 2 charges of lance rush were neat¡­ but its damage buff already lasted the same duration as the cooldown, meaning, he¡¯d always have the buff active even with one charge. With its already great maneuverability, Frail wouldn¡¯t find much use for it unless he was facing two opponents at two distinct locations at once. Grave thrust upgrade¡¯s secondary effect¡ªresetting gravely evasion¡ªcame next. However, the guard¡¯s barrier was¡­ better; it could be given to other constructs, and it worked against all types of attacks¡ªthe lancer¡¯s evasion only worked for melee attacks. If he played his cards right, the lancer should never have to use the secondary effect to survive an encounter. This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon. He spent both upgrades on his Grave Guard: Its barrier and shield ward upgrades, specifically. [You spent 9000 essences.] [You now have 670 essences remaining.]
Construct - Grave Guard (Shielded) | Combatant | Tier - 2
Construct Level: 18 Integrity: 100% Type: Undead
Attributes
Strength: 25 Dexterity: 5 Resilience: 45
Resistance: 35 Magic: -
Traits / Skills
skeletal Body Undead Veil Shield Ward - 2
Grave Barrier - 2 Shield Bash
45 resilience¡­ a barrier now grants 180 extra health. Integrity came in percentages, so Frail didn¡¯t know what 180 barrier exactly meant, but a two hundred extra health would come in clutch when the situation required it. ¡°Shield ward,¡± Grimright slid beside his Grave Guard. ¡°I trust it¡¯s your aura?¡± The grave guard performed a slow, lumbering head nod. ¡°That will be most beneficial.¡± The draugr smiled. ¡°Have you been to a dungeon before? The one we found followed a rather simple rule; to defeat the dungeon Lord at the end of its path. Treasure chests were few and far between, but the contents inside definitely made it worth our while.¡± Sounds simple. It¡¯s not too different compared to his domain. ¡°We need numbers-¡± Grimright said, ¡°-else we risk getting swarmed by them. The one we cleared took the might of our entire combined force¡­ and we barely managed to scrape by without losses.¡± Frail spotted the tightness in his gaze, ¡°If Thorgrim wasn¡¯t there¡­ We might have never met.¡± ¡°Taught us a lot.¡± Yrsa said, ¡°We¡¯re aware of our formation and role since.¡± ¡°What of our reserves?¡± Grimright turned around. ¡°We have enough potions to last until the invasion¡¯s over¡­ hopefully,¡± Yrsa said, looking at an invisible object in front of her eyes. ¡°We¡¯re getting close.¡± Thrain said, ¡°There¡¯s the pit¡­¡± A sinking hole drowned the noise of the forest. No matter how far he peered into it, Frail could only spot darkness. ¡°Could barely see it.¡± Grimright grinned, ¡°The name doesn¡¯t appear until I looked at it closely. The Dark pit¡­ average level is around fifteen, we¡¯re all a few levels ahead. I wonder what other monsters existed down there.¡± Name? Frail saw nothing of that sort. ¡°T¡¯was luck. I happened to look in that direction,¡± Thrain said. ¡°What do we do?¡± We enter, of course. Their forces numbered north of twenty¡ªsix from the Draugrs, fourteen from Frail¡¯s force¡ªand had the balance of offense, defenses, and ranged options. His biggest elite trudged forward. I¡¯ll take Vanguard. ¡°Let¡¯s not waste time,¡± Grimright spoke, unsheathing his blade of frost. The others followed their steps, maintaining their formation as darkness clouded the harsh sunlight. Their footsteps interrupted the eerie silence thick within the black entrance. Nothing so far. Frail¡¯s Grave Guard raised its shield, anticipating a sudden attack. ¡°[Mage light]¡± He heard one of the draugr chant. A bubble of light illuminated their surroundings, revealing the glimmering rocks and stone surrounding them. Their trek went on for another minute before they reached the base of the pit. ¡°I don¡¯t see anything.¡± One of the draugrs spoke, ¡°Wait-¡° Shudder. ¡°Something¡¯s moving,¡± Grimright warned. ¡°No¡­ Not something-¡° An army of somethings. The rocks trembled. At a distance, suffocated by the darkness and the color of stone, a group of hunched-back creatures peered into view. They stood above the average man¡¯s height, with a bulky set of shoulders and limbs, armored with a layer of spiky, rock-like, calcareous horns serving as the creature¡¯s natural armor. None of those features drew his attention like the singular, bulbous, spherical eye resting on their skulls. They had the hue of the forest¡ªamber and verdant-like, with a slit iris in its center. [Lvl. 15 Rock-skinned Gorgheist] Gorgheist¡­ What are these? ¡°Enemies!¡± Grimright raised his blade. ¡°I¡¯ve never fought these before-¡± The grave guard raised its shield. Their foes rumbled and blitzed toward their formation. Their movements slowed when they entered his Grave lich¡¯s circle of aura. Arrows. A hail of arrows struck their tough skin. Thin mist evaporated as their skins sizzled. ¡°ATTACK!¡± Grimright led the draugrs onward. He muttered something under his breath and unleashed a horizontal wave of ice, pushing their foes behind. All buffs on the lancer. Frail commanded. Two of his elite constructs channeled all their buffing spells on the other. [Shield ward] [Frost shield] [Lance rush] Two shell layers coated his cadaverous knight. Its figure blurred as its spear drew a line between it and its target. Fast¡­ Frail surmised. To see something of its height move that way¡­ The draugrs¡¯ spellcasters lit the cavernous space with a variegated set of bright colors as the rest caught up to his grave lancer. Lich. Follow up. [Ice rain] Frail also had access to his spells. Their collective firepower bombarded the Gorgheists. His lancer¡¯s spear tore through their staunch exoskeleton, with the rest of his skeletons aiming exclusively for their eyes. Their initial assault pushed the wave of Gorgheists back, but it came at the cost of draining their stamina and supplies. ¡°None of our spells and attacks are effective,¡± Yrsa remarked. ¡°Their skins are tough.¡± The Gorgheists were resilient, even after being struck by his archer¡¯s arrows. Normal weapons barely dented their tough skin. The draugr¡¯s blades didn¡¯t fare much better. If Frail must guess¡­ they should be weak to blunt damage. That, or they must only aim the eye¡ªa task easier said than done. They were nimble despite their cumbersome impression. But the Gorgheists had more things up their rocky sleeves. Their eyes flashed and pulsated a hue of rotten moss. It seemed to inflict a debuff on the Draugrs. ¡°This¡­ [petrification]?¡± Grimright yelled amid the chaos of the battle, ¡°Don¡¯t stare into their eyes!¡± Frail saw it; the mantle of cracked stone forming on the Draugr¡¯s skin. They dissipated after a while, precisely when they averted their eyes from the Gorgheists. They can¡¯t stare for too long. The petrifying effect did not affect his constructs. Perhaps they only affected creatures with eyes, or¡­ It doesn¡¯t matter. He shrugged that inquiry away. Focus. He ordered his skeletons to take the lead, drawing the gorgheists¡¯ eyes away from the draugrs. They followed up with another barrage of spells and attacks, chipping away at the gorgheists as Frail barricaded their foes with shields and brute strength. His lancer, in particular, was instrumental as its spears always found the right angle to strike, downright killing the gorgheists with its lance rush and grave thrust. The combination of grave evasion and grave barrier, in particular, ensured the lancer¡¯s safety. What other monstrosities lied within? Chapter 20. Watch-out ¡°Anyone hurt?¡± Grimright¡¯s voice broke the silence once calm resumed its hold within the dungeon. The battery of deceased Gorgheists lay with their jaws hung open, most sprawled with their eyes popped like balloons. His gaze shifted to Frail¡¯s constructs. ¡°It is a blessing that your army is unaffected by the petrification.¡± Yrsa approached. ¡°Potion supplies are running low. Do we proceed?¡± ¡°We weren¡¯t ready before,¡± Grimright raised his hand, ¡°They took us by surprise. Next time will be better for us.¡± It will be. I¡¯ll take the lead. Frail expressed that by advancing his stout constructs forward. Stay behind me. Yrsa tilted her head. ¡°The entity wants to take the lead.¡± Grimright explained, ¡°Considering our recent discoveries¡­ that is the best plan forward.¡± Frail spotted relief from their slouched shoulders. ¡°Let us proceed.¡± Grimright sheathed his blade, ¡°We can¡¯t leave the Entity¡¯s home without its best soldiers for too long.¡± ### Their next encounter went smoother. A lot smoother. Once they figured out how to avoid the petrification, and as long as they took their time whittling the Gorgheists down, pressing their advantage through Frail¡¯s support, the combined might of their power and Frail¡¯s constructs took them down with little difficulty. Their hides still proved a hurdle for him and his allies, but it wasn¡¯t a hurdle they couldn¡¯t hop through. ¡°Leveled up.¡± One of them exclaimed, smiling from ear to ear. ¡°Two more.¡± Grimright said, ¡°Two more fights like this and I¡¯ll reach twenty.¡± Level up. A term familiar to his human memories. There wasn¡¯t much fanfare in terms of a visual indication. ¡°We¡¯re quite deep.¡± He peered deeper into the abyss, ¡°I think we¡¯re close to the finish line. There¡¯s usually a gate near the end of a dungeon; and within¡­¡± A boss. Frail concluded. It¡¯d be anticlimactic otherwise. Their footsteps rang still once the makings of a gate appeared. Soft gasps echoed, elicited from the draugrs, with his lancer stepping forward. ¡°Here it is.¡± Grimright traced his hands along the surface of the gate. None missed the motif etched into the stone; a carving of a floating creature hosting a massive eye in the center of its spherical body. Numerous tentacles sprouted from its back, orbiting its figure as if it were the Sun. The sight of the imposing door erred everyone toward the side of caution. ¡°Are you ready?¡± Grimright asked the obvious. He saw a shade of trepidation creasing across his sunken eyes. ¡°This will be¡­ difficult.¡± His grave lancer nodded. ¡°Well¡­¡± The draugrs stepped forward and pushed. A grim pulse of frigid air burst from the gap between the doors. The draugrs steeled their stances, the white flash of fear reflecting off their eyes as Frail¡¯s soldiers slid into the massive circular antechamber. Pure darkness filled their eyes. It swallowed the magelight floating above their heads. Frail only spotted the backs of his constructs through their combined vision. A hum reverberated as they wandered in the bleak, lightless plane. ¡°Wait.¡± One of the draugrs spoke. Frail couldn¡¯t make out who. ¡°U-up there¡­¡± He lifted his constructs¡¯ head. The same being carved into the doors floated in the center. Its one eye remained shut¡­ at least, until they approached it. [Boss¡ªThe Watcher¡ªLvl.20] What the gates pictured did not do this creature justice. It had an almost gelatinous skin, pulsating with violet light leaking through the gaps between its body and its most pronounced feature¡ªthe gargantuan eye sitting in the middle of its torso. It throbbed as it scanned the room, spying on each of its invaders as it hovered above, tentacles lashing from its back as if they had snarled. The ends of its uncountable tentacles housed additional eyes. ¡°Entity.¡± Grimright hushed beside his construct. ¡°The eyes¡­¡± They looked similar to the gorgheists outside. Damaging those might prove beneficial¡ªno, crucial, even. Flash. The Watcher¡¯s main eye shot out a beam of pure energy. It bore a hole through his constructs. Frail lost 2 skeleton warriors in an instant. ¡°ATTACK THE EYES!¡± Grimright roared. The draugrs surrounded the watcher as arrows and magical attacks rained upon it, each aimed specifically at the eyes of the tentacles. Frail commanded his lich to fire its best magic at its main eye, but that didn¡¯t net any result¡ªthe ice bounced off its eye as if a wall had been erected in front of it. A shield? No¡­ a barrier. Its smaller eyes shouldn¡¯t possess the same defenses. He confirmed that once projectiles struck its lesser features; arrows latched into its skin, and spells seemed to be partially effective.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. It¡¯s resistant to magic. Its tiny eyes flashed; raining a squall of tiny lasers upon them. His Grave Guard¡¯s additional defensive aura protected most of his precious skeleton army. The draugrs had the deftness to raise their weapons and avoid the lasers in time. When he thought the Watcher¡¯s retaliation ended¡­ The petrification effect began. ¡°Enchantments!¡± Grimright pried his eyes away from the watcher. ¡°Place it on the spear knight!¡± Go. He commanded the lancer. They couldn¡¯t stay on the defensive forever. [Grave barrier] [Frost shield] Frail¡¯s grave guard erected a sizable defense on top of it, further bolstered by the lich. [Lance rush] Its figure blurred when it activated its skills, skipping past the lasers fired at it. More magic coated its spear as its figure propelled toward the floating monster. [Grave thrust] Time seemed to halt in the lancer¡¯s perspective. It reared its spear backward, then delivered a thrust with all its might. Shatter. A glass-like layer shattered into transparent shards as its spear tore into the watcher¡¯s eye. It didn¡¯t kill it right away¡ªthe watcher shoved the lancer away with a quick twirl. A dark spot billowed where the lancer¡¯s spear had struck. Blood. A high-pitched bellow shrieked the field of darkness. Purple hazes appeared below the watcher, unleashing an army of rampaging gorgheists. ¡°Let us handle the gorgheists,¡± Grimright spoke. ¡°Entity. You take the watcher head-on.¡± Three of his elites¡ªand a sprinkle of constructs¡ªagainst a boss. Who¡¯d win? The combination of the buffs and his cadaverous knight¡¯s pure power proved enough to at least break its defenses¡­ but it didn¡¯t seem to hurt much. Lich. Provide support. The lich¡¯s impact against the watcher solely lay on its frost shield ability; cold rain was most effective against the horde of gorgheists. The grave guard and the rest of his skeletons stood against the incoming barrage of monsters with their shields held high. He allowed those elites a degree of autonomy, opting to hone his focus on his lancer. Two layers of shield¡ªone of ice and strength¡ªshimmered as the lancer circled the floating watcher, biding its time. Watch for the primary laser. The small ones- Frail¡¯s mind scrutinized the watcher¡¯s every movement. It shuddered right as a pulse of purple smoke filtered through the gap between its eye and innards. Now. A beam of destruction scorched the floor. No more surprises. The lancer dashed sideways, its cloak catching the tail end of the beam¡¯s fury before it leaped, flying past the warring gorgheists and draugrs. It drew its spear back as the watcher grew larger in its sights. The watcher¡¯s smaller eyes fired at the encroaching lancer all at once, a concentrated blast that would¡¯ve melted steel into sludge¡­ ¡­but it received a radial blast of cold¡ªthe effects of the lich¡¯s broken armor¡ªthen the final layer of his grave guard¡¯s shield braved the remaining projectiles before his lancer delivered one baleful thrust. [Construct health: 47%] That¡¯s¡­ too much damage. Had he not upgraded the barrier, his lancer would¡¯ve perished. Stab. Ropes of blood spewed forth from the watcher¡¯s main eye. The lancer¡¯s spear hurt it enough to produce such a harmonious tune. The boss abandoned its prideful persona, drifting backward as its minions battled the rest of their party. It then fell, tumbling across the floor as its gelatinous body bounced up and down. More. Frail directed some of his archers to fire their arrows at the watcher as the lancer circled their foe. Sizzles seethed as more thrusts poke numerous holes into its flesh. Not dead yet. Frail warned. Keep going. He hated surprises. His lancer acquiesced with a series of thrusts and slashes, each carving its mark into the watcher¡¯s body as it flailed endlessly. Its proud eye that had reaped two of his skeletons dimmed. Both the lich and the guard applied another layer of defense to his lancer, denying any hopes of sudden counter-attacks. No petrification worked on his army. No amount of staring deterred his soldier¡¯s advance. Every tool the beast had, Frail had a sufficient answer to. The watcher lay still after the brutal beatdown. Its singular iris, once bright and gleaming, turned a shade of gray. It lost the luster that once instilled fear into their hearts. Not that Frail had a heart in the first place. The rest of the gorgheists faltered once the watcher perished. His lancer flanked their backs and dispatched them with the support of the draugrs and his soldiers. When the dust settled¡­ only one side stood victorious. ### ¡°Entity.¡± Yrsa was the first to approach after the conclusion of their final battle. She raised her hand at the dead boss, ¡°I-we¡¯re sorry, but the watcher¡¯s simply too heavy.¡± Makes sense. He ordered his grave guard and warriors to heave the massive creature up. Their combined strength lifted the watcher above their shoulders. Its flesh jiggled as the tentacles wriggled about; it had died, but the constant movement and flailing gave it the impression of life. Deadly lasers. A petrifying glare. Those traits would serve them well against the horde of goblins. Despite his undead nature, Frail did not possess talent in resurrecting the dead¡ªall he could do was form lifeless minions with the essences he¡¯d drained. Perhaps there might come a time when that feat became a possibility. Although¡ªwell, it wasn¡¯t hard to circumvent the petrification effect. All its foes must do was¡­ stop looking at it. ¡°The gorgheists are heavy enough,¡± Grimright spoke behind her. ¡°The chest-¡° A glowing chest materialized from thin air, replacing the blank space in the center of the arena. ¡°There it is. Entity, do you wish to open it?¡± His lancer strode toward the gleaming chest. [The Watcher¡¯s spoils¡ªRare] It hoisted the lid up. A burst of violet light bathed everyone with its blinding radiance. Only once the radiance faded could they spot what remained within. Armors and weapons with grand designs, each with sharp edges and robust defenses. Stashes of potions¡­ vials with different colors and sizes, each appeared delicious, even to his skeletal desires. [Drifter equipment¡ªyou cannot access the data regarding this equipment.] ¡°This is¡­¡± Grimright whispered. ¡°Incredible.¡± He allowed the draugrs a closer inspection at the contents of the chest, willing his lancer to step back. ¡°We¡¯ll split the loot in accordance to our roles,¡± Grimright added. ¡°Here¡­ We¡¯ll start with¡­¡± Frail couldn¡¯t follow their discussion. Without access to any information regarding the equipment and its details, he saw no point in it. The terms they used, however, reflected the status window that all of his constructs operated under; attributes like strength, resilience, etc, seemed to dictate where their roles went. Then, the skills and talents, equipments that buffed said attributes¡ªworked similarly to the upgrades of his constructs. Yrsa lifted a swirling sphere. ¡°Entity. This is for you.¡± This¡­ The sphere resembled the ones both Arthur and Grimright gave him. It looked bigger, although Yrsa¡¯s smaller stature could¡¯ve altered his perspective. [Entity mastery orb¡ªRank 1] [Use to obtain a mastery.] A new mastery? Frail, curious, opened his status.
ENTITY STATUS - FRAIL | Class : Undead
Core Integrity: 100% Essence: 670 Upgrade slots 2/15
Entity construct slots | 0/30 | Elite construct slots | 1/4
Masteries Traits Skills
Bone construction - 1 Undeath legion - 2 Raise construct - Undead
Essence Drain
Bone construction. It granted blanket bonuses for his constructs and the ability to generate bone-type constructs. Would he gain access to a whole different type of construct if he consumed it? ¡°Let¡¯s head back,¡± Grimright gathered his men to his side, each lugging a gorheist by their rear. ¡°We shall return; the corpses must not go to waste.¡±