Malu had only one real eye and arm, and he had run around the city. Sweat dripped off his chin; a voice from his right resounded, the side without an eye.

"Catch the cripple!" He heard the sudden taps closing in on him and braced himself, he was too exhausted to run.

He couldn't see it, but he felt the wind before the punch. The punch made him fall over on his back. Dizzy, and now on the floor in a fetal position, he squeezed his body aiming to become tinier and more compact. He felt someone stomping on his back, someone pulled his short black hair, and someone laughed. Even though it was painful he remained silent, that was what his master had taught him.

"Just give up," a voice resounded from his back

"You make us look bad," another voice with a slightly higher tone.

They eventually left him, hitting a corpse wasn't fun after all. He felt his feet ache and lungs seethe. Push-ups, running, and sit-ups, mixed with rare sword training. He had been doing those for an entire year and his master had promised him they'd go hunting tomorrow. He rested before he got up, he loved resting especially when he had a solid excuse, but he had a will, a will that refuted resting.

Before a large wooden tree providing a cool shadow, stood the old boy with a senile bloke. It was his master, who had a small grey beard, painted black circles around his eyes and bald head. He wore chain mail and studded Armour, he had all sorts of things on his waist and a large sword on his back. Still, he leaned on a wooden stick with a slightly curved back.

Malu thought of how his master was not sweating, as he himself was drenched in it. Malu also had to carry his sword, a sword he rarely got to use. It was a blinding yellow and made from bristle-wood. It was the heaviest type of wood, and it was easily flammable; it was found in the northern lands.

"What are we hunting tomorrow, master?"

"We aren't hunting anything, you are hunting and I am watching."

"What are we hunting then`"

"The weakest type of monster

"What is that"

"Living skeletons

Malu's anticipation vanished, a frown showed on his face. Not because he was scared or that this was a grave opponent, he had already killed a dozen skeletons alone. He had been planning to hunt bigger prey, his peers had already killed something bigger.

The skeleton's bones were white with spots of brown all over them, they were found in a mess of different oak sized ruins with a smell of dried blood choking anyone who wanders close. Malu didn't recognize the smell of blood, he had never killed anyone or waited for the blood to dry. But he still knew how it smelled, it was a warm, rotten, sharp smell.

The skeletons themselves were never whole like the ruins around them, they could be missing any parts of their body whether that be their head or legs. Noah thought a toddler could pose a meaningful fight to a skeleton. However, when you struck them down, or cut them into pieces, or smashed them into dust they would regenerate back. The only way to surely kill a skeleton was through fire.

"But not any skeleton!" Malu's eye rose up.

"We are going to kill pink skeletons!" And they fell down.

"But first, before we get you we need you to find a real weapon." And they rose back up again alongside a smile, he had anticipated the moment he could ditch his wooden sword forever.

The master, named Edvin began hauling himself toward the cheapest weapons store. Malu followed the master and soon they walked into the cheapest weapons store. They had to watch their steps not wanting to hit their heads on the roof, the wooden floor was rotten and felt weak. All around them, they saw weapons in barrels, and not a single weapon shone. For light did not reach this part of the city.

"15 copper coins, that's all you have to spend."

Malu knew his master was cheap, but this, this was too cheap! In the entire store filled with weapons, there were only three weapons he could afford to purchase. A rusty battle spade, two rusty daggers, and a rusty blunted sword with scratched all over its blade and a dented handle. It was very clear which one he would choose, it was the sword.

They exited the store and began travelling home.