[30 Exp]
“Blue’s skeletons got another kill.” Jay nodded, and started to dig more hatchet-shaped holes, matching them to the shape of the first hatchet, shaft included.
While Jay dug three molds out and filled them with bones, Red was on pebble collecting duty, gathering small rocks about the size of rings; anything smaller would slip through its fingers.
(Red, come here.) Jay said, filling another mold with bones. Red dashed to Jay’s side while he was crouching down, pointing to the molds.
(Release your mana into the molds until the bones are molten.)
Red nodded and crouched down, letting its necrotic green mana flow from its hand, causing two of the molds to give off a faint glow as the bone filled the mold. Jay sprinkled the smaller pebbles in and dispersed the mana from the mold, solidifying it.
For the third hole, he had to fill it with mana from his own reserves as Red ran out before it could complete all three.
“Alright, that makes four hatchets and one axe.” Jay nodded, and began fixing up the new hatchets, bringing them up to his standard.
In the meantime, Jay instructed Red to polish its squire armor, making sure its gear was in order before sending it away.
(Red, switch out with Blue. I need its mana.)
Blue was still guarding Asra and Hegatha. Red darted away to the shack, and stopped at the door, pausing while looking back at Jay.
Perhaps there was some adoration in its eyes - but seeing that everything was in order and that Jay was safe, it went inside, sending Blue out after it.
Needless to say, Asra and Hegatha were quite confused seeing one skeleton enter only to replace another. Other than Red’s shining armor, it really didn’t make a difference, or so they thought.
Blue was at Jay’s side in a moment’s notice; it watched and waited as Jay dug out two larger molds for axes, mostly using his necrotic gauntlet and a hatchet to dig into the dark earth.
Before Jay could finish his second hole, Blue had already began to add bones into the molds, having gleaned some information from Red - though it already had experience making armor plates with this method, so making a tool wasn’t much different.
Jay nodded, and Blue filled the first mold with mana, melting the bones. As Jay dropped a heavier stone in, Blue tiled its head to the side in wonder, seeing this new idea. Stones in bones? It was simple to do, but simply absurd.
Yet it wouldn’t question its master - not that it could.
Blue started to pack the second hole and make the molten axe while Jay watched.
He pointed to the stones, (Do the second one yourself).
Blue hesitated, perhaps doubting itself, but grabbed a stone and watched Jay as he dispersed the necrotic mana in the molten bone right as the stone disappeared. This would ensure that the stone wouldn’t touch the bottom of the mold and stick out the other side of the axe.
Blue cautiously lowered the stone in, not wanting to fail its master. It seemed to have trouble dispersing the necrotic mana, perhaps because it was not used to doing such a thing - an undead creature dispersing its own life force would be insanity in any other situation.
Yet Blue succeeded, and two roughly-shaped axes were formed, each with heavy axe heads. Blue grabbed one and felt the weight of its chopping end, bobbing it up and down in its arms and then giving it a swing before looking at the heavy axe head with the stone inside - needless to say, it was impressed by the simple trick of embedding a stone inside.
Jay decided to do the finishing touches himself while he had Blue watching at his side. He added some reinforcing bones between the head and the shaft, made the handle smoother, and ran his mana-infused fingers along the blade to sharpen it, then finally checked its stats.
< [Bone Logging Axe - Level 2] > (Stone)
[6 Damage]
[420% Logging efficiency]
[Lifespan] (Passive)
[Current lifespan: 72 hours]
Nice, that should be about…24 damage to trees? Jay thought, doing some hasty calculation before stashing them away, while sending Blue to make another.
Jay didn’t expect Blue to get it in one go, but nevertheless, he sent Blue away to craft one more because he wanted four axes in total. Even if it failed miserably, a low quality axe would still be better than using swords. Probably.
The other skeletons, tasked with culling the swamp waters, began their march back in after the larger predators stopped fighting and splashing around. After a few moments they were fully submerged without even having to stop to fight anything. Everything was dead - at least, the bone-eaters were.
As the skeletons traveled across the abyss, a series of notifications came through and Jay knew exactly what was left, the last hungry mouths still standing after the frenzied bloodshed of swamp creatures and titans was complete.
[8 Exp] x 23
Eight exp. The leeches.
(Dark, stay under the water killing leeches) Jay ordered, deciding his assassin skeleton would need practice, to be adept at fighting in extreme conditions.
While the skeletons could see perfectly in the darkness, the swamp waters were cloudy with muck, forming an opaque barrier, and this would be good training for his assassin - helping it to rely on the feel of its body and the flow of water. Tracing the subtle movements of prey.
Jay quietly watched the water for a moment as he sensed Dark break off from the group, and thought to himself.
Dark will hunt the leeches - and despite being the smallest, the ones trampled underfoot, and the scavengers of the swamp, it’s the leeches that had the last bite. Perhaps there’s a lesson there, maybe we need to be like the leeches? Jay scratched his chin.
Blue finished another axe for Jay while the group of skeletons reached the other side of the bank.
Jay commanded the group first, (Collect the sphere that Blue’s skeletons left, and come back.)
For good measure, Jay brought them back again to make sure the path was clear. Once they came back to Jay’s side he gave them their new axes while the amber sphere.
Glancing back at the shack, Jay decided to drop the spheres off with Hegatha before leaving, while checking on Asra to make sure she was well fed. He put his throne back in his inventory and stored the bone pile under it back into his ring before going to her hut.
He didn’t bother knocking as there were holes around the door.
“Hegatha? I have some spheres for you, and I’m checking on Asra before I leave to hunt.” He called, but to no answer.
Red opened the door, but there was still no answer from anyone. Asra was asleep on the table while Hegatha had simply disappeared, along with Sweeper.
Jay glanced down, scratching his chin.
He could sense Sweeper somewhere below them, so Hegatha must have had a basement, though looking around the room, there was no apparent way down.
Maybe she’s using the leaves to cover up the entrance? He guessed, walking into the house.
Jay made sure Red held the door open as he brushed past the skeleton, not wanting to touch anything that Hegatha had touched.
Jay stood over Asra, who was lying on the table, and wondered how anyone could be sleeping in this stenching shack.
“Asra?” he whispered.
She must be exhausted from the pain. He gently tapped her shoulder, “Asra?”
No response.
Jay glanced at Red, giving his skeleton a regretful, awkward smile, then looked back at Asra again, reaching out his hand towards her face.
“Asra, wake up.” He squeezed her nose.
After a moment her cheeks filled with air, and her eyes opened widely.
*Gah!* She breathed heavily, slapping away Jay’s hand.
“Jay, what the hell are you doing? Don’t do that.” She furrowed her brows, angered to be awoken.
“Sorry,” he whispered, “I’ve just come to feed you before I go hunting. You haven’t told her what you are I presume… Are you okay here?”
“No I’m not okay, and of course I haven’t told her. Just hurry up so we can get out of here...” she pouted, “And give me that blanket you have.”
Jay couldn’t help but smile, “here.” He gave her the blanket and then leaned down so she could access his shoulder.
“Hmph.” She frowned, snatching the blanket, and then reached up, pulling his shoulder closer.
