Jay checked his stats after his skeletons levelled up.
<[Necromancer Level 12]> (Pure)
[Race - Human]
HP: 213/213
MP: 87/87
Strength: 20
Dexterity: 25
Vitality: 35
Energy: 45/45
Exp: 3264/20,000
[<[Skills]>]
<~[Necromancy Skills]~>
[Raise Lesser Undead (1)]
[Summon Bone Helminth]
[Mass Summoning]
[Shell Restoration (1)]
[Unstable Teeth (2)]
[Host (1)]
[Mind (1)]
[Undead Mastery (3)] (Passive)
[Necrotic Sense (1)] (Passive)
[Scrimshaw (3)] (Passive)
[Soul Sense (1)] (Passive)
[Shift]~[Living Blueprints]~[Transplant]~[Amputation]
[Uncaring Rip]~[Pitiful Mortal]
<[Other Skills]>
-[Open List]-
[<[Research]>]
[Chimera Research (17%)]
[Immortality Research (5%)]
[Skull-shield Projector Research (32%)]
[Dreadmourn Turret Research (22%)]
“Hmm. I guess I should be glad about being so high level, but being in this empty forest, away from dungeons...” he shook his head.
Jay had been missing the exp notifications he was used to getting every day, as well as watching his skeletons fight through dungeons. They were made to fight so it was a little disappointing.
Something else though, like a yearning in his heart, was telling him to get stronger, to not be idle or remain the same.
“Dammit, I'm wasting damn my time.” he pursed his lips.
“It must be rarer than I thought to find a dungeon. I wish they all had trails leading to them like that spider one.”
As Jay sat for a moment, he stared into the crackling campfire, keeping him warm in the cold night time forest.
The dancing flames were mesmerizing, but not quite soothing enough.
After a while, Heavy walked over and added a few more thicker pieces of firewood into it, helping it to grow back to the size Jay had it at before.
Jay smiled proudly; he didn't even teach his skeleton to do this, it simply did it, figuring it out for itself.
“Thanks, Heavy.” Jay said as it went back to endlessly sparring.
Hearing its master praise it, Heavy turned towards Jay as if at attention, then bowed.
Further behind it, Blue nodded as it watched Heavy.
"Hmm..." Jay smiled.
He couldn't help but wonder if Blue taught it that - but the question became, where did Blue learn it from?
After all, Blue had only just received a mind a few hours ago.
The skeletons only resulted in Jay having more questions than answers - as for answers, Jay could only guess.
“Maybe it's part of its role? To discipline the troops? Not that they need to have discipline since I can control them... but I think I like it.” he thought with a nod, “Perhaps I should act more like an undead supreme commander too...” he thought for a moment.
"Maybe I already am? Who's to say how a necromancer should act anyway." He shrugged.
With the sun already down and after a few hours had passed, Sweeper was still hard at work, crafting and building something at the entrance to the cradle of the three trees.
Jay thought he may as well check on it now before he would have some rations and go to sleep. For the last few hours he had let it do as it pleased, completely ignoring it as it diligently skittered about between the trees and Jays bone platform, pulling bones out while creating the familiar green glow of necrotic mana.
As he walked over, he was pleasantly surprised at what Sweeper had been working on.
All around the bone platform was like a sea of white spikes, all pointing upwards and outwards with sharpened tips, waiting to pierce whatever would dare to charge into Jay's small stronghold.
“Huh, so this is what you've been doing?” Jay was actually glad, “Nice work Sweeper.” he said, glad to see the skeleton was taking its rear guard role seriously - perhaps almost to a fault.
Each of the bones it planted between the roots poked upwards with sharpened tips. Jay could tell it used the minimum amount of mana to form each of them into a piercing point; it allowed it to make hundreds of them.
Multiple lines of these makeshift spikes were planted in any crack be between the roots, anywhere it could find purchase.
With a slight curve outwards, a barrier between Jay and all external threats had been formed.
A small, slender path was made in the middle so that the skeletons could freely travel in and out.
Curious as he was, Jay picked up one of the spikes and analsyed it.
<[Defensive Spike]> (Bone)
- 2 damage
- Anti-charge: 15kg force reduction
- Low quality. Hasty Construction. Barely worth the minimal effort which went into crafting them.
“Heh, well I suppose it's better than nothing; I didn't put in any effort anyway so I guess it's fine.” he shrugged, turning around and going back to sitting by the fire.
Jay couldn't help but imagine himself sitting on a throne in a lofty fortress, surrounded by dark stone walls covered in these pale bone spikes.
Something about it felt right.
“It's kind of comforting, having defences. No matter how small.”
After a quick meal of measly rations, he checked the parasites in his arm once more and finally closed his eyes as he laid his head down, listening to the cracking of the warm fire at his side and the gentle bone clinks of the diligent skeletons at his back.
~Next morning, somewhere north of Losla~
“No luck?” Vanderby asked Linc, seeing him return with nothing after setting out on an early morning hunt.
Linc shook his head, “It's like the whole forest has been picked clean. Too many damn people heading to Losla at once. Everything is either in someone's belly or has been scared off.”
“Ah. Well, hopefully we'll find some food inside the village... and a few beers” Vanderby winked.
Linc glanced at Estra, she simply shrugged.
With empty stomachs, they dashed some water onto the smouldering embers of their campfire and walked back to the road before heading to Losla.
It was about lunch time before they saw the first sign of Losla: the adventurer association perched on a large hill overlooking the somber village.
They couldn't help but wonder how someone from such an insignificant village - one without any walls - deserved such a huge bounty. Dead or alive.
The village at least had an old bridge, which they were now approaching.
“Mage hunters are on guard duty...” Estra whispered, covertly glancing at the black armoured knight standing by the bridge.
Linc and Vanderby glanced back at her with stern expressions, not saying anything as they crossed the bridge, their cold gazes dropping to the ground.
All three of them knew better than to make eye contract with a mage hunter.
As they walked, the town seemed eerily quiet, more like a mercenary camp preparing for war than a humble village.
The locals were all distant and indifferent, staying locked away in their houses as if it were still winter outside, and the ones who did leave their homes rushed around with a nervous urgency.
There were few bounty hunters in town as many had already left to get a head start, though some were still asking questions for any information about Jay, but it seemed like no one wanted to talk.
Scores of bounty hunters had already passed through Losla and were already searching the surrounding forests - particularly the western forests past the farmland. This seemed like the most logical spot, as the mage hunters had erected a structure here: four thick, impenetrable stone walls with a stone roof; multiple magical barriers around it protecting it from different magic such as time, rift, or blink types.
A rumour was passed around between the bounty hunters that Jay had left something precious behind, which was going to be used to track him. Some suggested it was part of a treasure he left.
Others said it had nothing to do with Jay at all.
Of course, no one except the mage hunters knew he was a necromancer.
After finding the Snakeraven inn and enjoying a large meal they got to work.
“Linc, ask the villagers for information. Estra, come to the guild. We'll see what the adventurers have to say.”
Of course, not everything went to plan.
Some time later, Estra and Vanderby were standing outside of Mist Keep dungeon, waiting for something.
“Damn. I guess no one was at the guild since its in ruins... maybe that was because of Jay? Maybe that's why there's a bounty?” Vanderby suggested, leaning against a large statue.
“Hmm, I don't think he would be that powerful, he's only level nine after all. While level nine is high for this year's adventurers, it's nothing compared to the few guards we saw, so something else probably happened.” Estra shrugged.
“Mmh. Yeah I guess so... but there aren't many normal guards around at all. Maybe he did kill them?” Vanderby said, giving a small cheeky smile.
Estra half-smiled and shook her head.
Vanderby and Estra planned to ask about Jay at the guild, but it seemed no one wanted to hang around there, in its ruins or around the mage hunters.
Their next step was to go to the second most popular spot to find adventurers: the dungeons.
“How long are they going to be in there?” Vanderby asked, not expecting an actual answer.
“Losla adventurers are hard workers I guess, though I'm surprised none have left to get lunch.”
Suddenly, the door of the mist keep portal opened.
Two adventurers stepped out with stark expressions on their faces; each covered in bold muscles and sweat.
One of them held a large rectangular shield which looked like it had been through countless wars; in his other hand was a large, fearsome red mace with a single beak-shaped spike on it. It looked like it would cave in your ribs with a gentle swing, and it seemed like the only thing to stop it would be the giant tower shield he carried in his other hand.
The second adventurer wielded a great war hammer; decorated on the side of the hammer was a bearded screaming, roaring mans face with bleeding eyes. He looked as if he were about to wield the same hammer with the most reckless and savage swings - caution and self preservation be damned. There was something both inspiring and savage about it.
Vanderby patiently waited, looking relaxed as he leant against the statue, planning to strike up a conversation as they walked by.
The two brutish adventurers took no notice of anything outside of the dungeon. They only looked at each other, nodded, then turned to go straight back into the dungeon.
“W-Wait a second!” Vanderby called out, shocked that they were going right back in.
It was too late, they were already gone.
Not that they would have stopped anyway.
“What the hell are they doing? And in teams of two? Did you get their names and levels?”
“Sorry. They were too fast,” Estra frowned, “the adventurers are built different around here.”
A humorous smile suddenly appeared on Vanderby's face, “Of course it wouldn't be so easy...” he shook his head.
***Hi. Jay's HP is now a scaling stat, which is why it's so much higher.
HP = (vitality*5.3)*(0.09*level)) + (level*2.2) + Base 15***
