Our unnamed skeleton slipped through the open door underneath the not-so-attentive glances of the two. Their arguing only increased in heat, visible flames circling the figures in an empty void.
It poked at the tiles curiously, tilting its head this way and that. If one could look past its gruesome exterior, somebody could even find the actions to be cute.
Puk, puk!
It was uninterested after a good while of this, however. Standing up straight too quickly, it seemed to rub its head as if it got a headache from it. Then, whirring around as its neck bones visibly undulated, it scanned the place while progressing.
The skeleton sensed around, a blurry image popping up in its empty cranium. The darkened miasma curled around a long series of corridors and flat open rooms with a basement-style layout. The place reeked of Latvian and Buddhist imagery, duking it out to see what came out on top, leading to a very unique series of snakelike sacred passages and ominous hedonistic statues lining the walls.
Here, there were cracks and crevices where winds, both foul and holy, vented inside the little place. Shining circles of light lurked underneath the perceiver's nose, yielding plenty of stuff for those with a discerning eye.
The skeleton didn't even have eyes.
Instead, it lurked around while clacking its bones on this and that. Curious textures expanded infinitely through its bony senses, the sensations creating a positive feedback loop to the instinct-driven bonehead. The system puffed out a sigh of "breath," wondering how exactly it was going to get this kid of theirs anything special…
It'd need it, you know. It was so severely underleveled that it was laughable, really. Even a baby could kill the little skeleton if it could get over the macabre state of its appearance.
Macabre…this line of thought led the system to an idea! Skimming through the logs of actions its host took, its "eyes" glimmered with anticipation!
(If my child keeps playing around with those grisly little meat bags, I can afford to create a macabre art…and since he's exhibiting some…unique…traits, I can create a custom one for him! Let's see, let's see…)
[Please note: It is recommended that you deal with the hostiles before entering a liminal space.]
It sent this standard message and crossed its fingers. Then, as the words popped up on a light panel before the skeleton's empty sockets, it cocked its head to the side.
Ssssshhh.
Light sifted through its fingers as it reached out to touch it. Then, feeling betrayed that there was no sensation there to experience, it turned its head in what seemed to be a snort of derision.
—Aiya, my baby…quit being so difficult!
The system said this aloud in an empty space since no other systems were milling about in its territory for now. This was good! All that judgment would've seriously upped its cholesterol intake.
The skeleton sneaked along the walls inadvertently, causing loud sounds in its ears that were like suppressed rattling. Soon, it passed by a gaggle of beings with a demonic appearance and snakelike eyes.
Hrrr? Hrrr…
They grunted ominously as they seemed to have picked up something. Then, moving around with stumbling steps, they crowded the corridor and filled as much space as possible.
Why didn't they pick up the presence of the skeleton, then?
Krrk. Its enhanced skeletal frame was enough to pick at a crack in the wall, allowing it to scale upwards and achieve a slightly higher verticality.
The system's eyes widened at this! Could this little bony boy be exhibiting strategy? It could almost taste the experience rolling down its screen, ready to flood the current action logs.
Krrk, krrrrrck.
The skeleton jabbed a bit too hard, causing the chink in the wall to deepen suddenly. Years had passed in this darkened crevice, years and years without outside influence. It had became so decrepit that even the breeze flowing through the apertures was enough to displace a pebble or two.
A change suddenly occurred as it dug its dusty digits into that gap. A rumble resounded as dark green bricks suddenly heaved, churning like a pair of lungs funneling oxygen through its host. A colorless, misty glint of light flashed as it traveled through each of the skeleton's fingers.
—What the hell? Hey, did he really…! Mmm.
The system took a second to process what just showed up on its action log.
************+500 messages above.
'Undesignated' Pitiful Skeleton sneaks around. Stealth experience rises. (2231 hours)
'Undesignated' Pitiful Skeleton sneaks around. Stealth experience rises. (2232 hours)
'Undesignated' Pitiful Skeleton encounters a group. Stealth LV 09 covers their presence more thoroughly. (2235 hours)
'Undesignated' Pitiful Skeleton sneaks around and performs parkour. Experience regarding these two rises. (2235 hours)
Critical success!
'Undesignated' Pitiful Skeleton makes their first step in this world.
Mortisim has been used for the first time. Achievement: 'Those who are dead.' has been gained. The flow of Mortisim has been temporarily increased according to the host's desire.
Macabre Art created through repetitive desire. MA 'Skeleton's Perforating Fingers' LV 00 has been devised. (2236 hours)
************+5 messages below.
While processing all that, the situation progressed to an even deeper end. Like hail piercing through the sky, the bricks tumbled as the skeleton flailed in the air for purchase. Misty energy with a dreary feel streamed around its fingers, forming a curling vapor on its fingertips.
As it flew back due to the shock that rocked its brittle frame, it clattered loudly against the opposite wall. Cracks arose, smacking against its chassis and lowering its 'durability' by smattering 60 ticks!
And 'limb stability'? Those poor skinny limbs were begging to stay affixed to the diminutive guy, tumbling on for dear…life? Anyway, it didn't matter! What did matter was that those sockets were bustling with a rumbling fury that threatened to separate the limbs and then crush them to bits beneath the rolling tide of bricks.
The Husks below weren't any better off, though. On the contrary, they had it even worse, submerged under a battering onslaught of mossy green debris. Their health ticked to fatal levels in mere minutes, and they were left to flail about as they struggled to escape.
The skeleton held on for life for about five minutes before a soothing sensation washed over it. It didn't repair it automatically, but it was enough to patch up the cracks on its surface.
The reason why? All the flailing of the Husks caused the bricks to continue pelting down on them as their powerful limbs shot them at the ceiling. They rained back down, battering them even further…and since they weren't the sharpest tools in the shed, they kept doing this.
Repeatedly.
Honestly, it was a wonder the skeleton got any experience at all. Maybe causing a misfortune counted for something—perhaps it was the merit of the achievement it had gained. Nevertheless, the system diligently bestowed gifts upon its host as it chewed its fingernails anxiously.
(Please don't forget about that huge sparkling white light streaming out of that place. You have to touch it, alright? Have to. Wait, can I…)
It bent the rules a bit with its following message. Nobody was watching. And who can really stop it if it scrubs the logs with a little bit of its Authority?
[Skeletal Frame has risen to LV 03. Bones have risen to LV 02!]
[Many beasts have been felled. A reward awaits you in an open area. Please note: rewards tend to have a glimmer to them.]
Technically…the system wasn't lying or embellishing. And since the rewards of the Husks were buried underneath the mossy heap of broken bones and squished down viscera, there was no way the skeleton could see the pitiful glow they yielded. No, the thing in that corridor was much more valuable.
Maara, the goddess of death to the Latvians. Mara, the demon of desire to the Buddhists. Maara also had additional properties of fate, and Mara itself is a verbal noun from the causative root that meant 'killing'. With any luck, that thing would still be there…