Dashing through the ominous looming trees, the skeleton ran past the red finger-shaped grass and off of the chalky cobbled path. The quest marking arrow that directed it bade the skeleton astray from the beaten road, forming shortcuts and detours.
Strangely, no Husks reared their heads as the skeleton advanced. This was strange to Mara, who was limited in her perception. All she could see were the movements the floating screens in front of her portrayed.
Bloody heaps emitting foul orders lined the floor, a single footprint standing out amongst their filth every now and then.
Before long, stark red bushes were pulled apart by bony fingers. Expanding before the skeleton's mask was a quant village with rustic architecture.
There wasn't much noise occurring in the little place, and the skeleton wasn't the kind of creature that had outstanding perception. So if it was going to investigate, it would have to move a little closer.
Unfortunately, though the skeleton could understand words and their meanings--roughly, I might add--it still had no conscious thoughts.
Mortisim seeped out of its bones and covered its digits in a thin mist that was hardly akin to a vapor. Then, reflecting on the second macabre art it had acquired, the Knife Hand Expression (LV 01), it laid all its fingers flat.
The hands gained a sort of sharpness, as if they were two blades. The acerbity was bolstered even further by adding the effects of Skeleton's Perforating Fingers (LV 05).
Shff...
The leaves of the bushes were pushed away, and the skeleton stepped towards the village. Time seemed to blur in Mara's perspective as it encountered its first Inhabitant.
A man of nondescript age with a blank face. He carried lumber up and above his shoulders, approaching the strangely clothed figure entering the village.
Beneath two wooden arches, the two stood face to face.
"What are you doing here? Are you lost...huh?"
The skeleton's teeth clattered together, producing a strange sound. A vague shadow buzzed underneath his line of sight as pain exploded in the center of his chest.
Red. It stained the skeleton as it splattered out of his mouth and the hole in his chest. The gloves the skeleton wore ripped and tore, unable to bear the keen surface of the skeleton's hands.
"Kehk...a...Husk..."
The Inhabitant that lacked a level indicator above his head sputtered out these words as he buckled backward. Lumber tumbled out of the man's grasp as it knocked against the ground, producing a considerable noise.
With a simple movement, the skeleton withdrew its hand and launched more jabs. It kept its hands as flat as a sheet of paper in order to properly use its second macabre art; its hands were engulfed in sanguine liquids before the man was even slain.
The noise alerted more of the Inhabitants, who peeked out of windows or turned their heads. They all wore clothing that could only be seen as a farmer's garb, and the few tools available to them fit this description quite well.
Murmuring resounded as they began to talk, the skeleton sweeping its gaze around the area. Level 1, level 2...level 3. There were no existences that could currently threaten its health.
With an unfeeling vibe it progressed, stepping forward with careful footsteps.
Men wearing brimmed hats that cast shadows over the upper half of their faces lunged for rakes and cleavers. This prompted the skeleton to tilt its head to the side, watching the proceedings with interest.
These same men anxiously bared their weapons at the masked figure, standing before the village's women unfit for battle. This wasn't to say that all of them couldn't fight, as some rose to their feet and bore their arms with their counterparts.
Encircling the skeleton as it stood there without any fluctuations, tools used to reap harvests were pushed toward it.
The cloak enshrouding the figure twirled around as an open palm caught the shaft of a rake. The skeleton tossed it up slightly, ducking underneath the blunt and sharp surfaces shooting at its current position.
Then, running forward in a sort of crouch, it caught the shaft again.
Snap.
Wood bent and eventually shattered as the broken fragments spread. A single hand cut through some of it, the thin, transparent mist fading as it reached its blunt digits. The remaining amount of wood simply broke, unable to handle the weight of the metal head any longer.
Before a man's eyes, five fingers filled his entire view. But before a killing blow could be made, five rakes aimed for the skeleton's neck intercepted its lunge.
Turning around with a quick pivot, the skeleton blocked the strikes with its prosthetic left arm. Ticks in the double digits appeared, threatening to knock the faux limb straight out of its socket.
However, it turned on its heel with the power of the blow. Before the man could regain his confidence, he lost his vision.
And his life.
As the body slumped down, the fury and fear of the villagers intensified even further. Then, facing down the ninety-eight, a strange hazy glint appeared in its sockets, suffusing through the red stained mask.
[Trait Aspiring Butcher activates! 20% status increase.]
From atop a lofty crooked tree, a certain man sat upon a sturdy branch. Swaying his legs along with the breeze, the familiar stench of iron wafted into his nose.
The man with the flowing orange hair the shade of sandstone leaned forward with a discerning gaze. His elbow was crooked upon his thigh, his hand clasping his face as he viewed the actions taking place beneath him.
"Hmm...I think I'm interested."
The man knew everything that caused this to happen, as he had seen it all with his own eyes. Ever since he spotted the skeleton earlier, he had used a skill to cling onto its shadow.
You ask why nobody could see him? He was far more powerful than anything or anyone within The Wettened Woods. He was Rank 4 on the Glorious Deathboard, the player ranking system for Everything is Bury.
His name was Walker, the same as in real life. He had no reason to hide his name, as those outside this game knew naught of his existence. He would be surprised if many people he didn't realize even knew the moniker he acted under!
Walker was quite irritated at the moment and had been for the solid month he was playing this game. The top three players formed an alliance, as they knew each other in real life.
It was also to prevent him from usurping any one of their spots. Walker could even kill the rank 1 in the game if she was alone.
So they were never in groups shorter than 2. It caused the young man's gears to grind, his teeth to clench...he found it laughable that he was in a lower rank than in reality!
Besides, he had picked up this game for fun. It was a...client...that "lent" him one of the mysterious consoles that had taken all of Blue Pangea by storm. So Walker, being quite bored, decided to give it a try.
And now his fun was interrupted by the 3P Alliance. Who wouldn't be irritated? This prompted him to cease his insane level grind and look for treasures...
Unfortunately, since he never paid attention to the game, he had no idea where anything valuable would be. Picking up some information from some handy "volunteers," he went along with the rumors about The Wettened Woods with a passing interest.
And what was he to find but our skeleton? He had to admit, the fighting displayed by it was shoddy at best. But during this drawn-out conflict, it had demonstrated stellar situational awareness and adaptability.
And it didn't hesitate to kill. Seeing what he had seen as a nearly everyday occurrence, Walker was surprised to find one of such caliber within this place.
There were 20 remaining able-bodied fighters amongst the heap of mobs, which meant there were 60 villagers overall. The more the skeleton felled his foes, the more Walker's appraisal intensified.
You might be surprised to know that he didn't see a diamond in the rough, which was a common assessment. Instead, he saw a boulder of carbon.
One that he could press into a diamond with enough pressure.
"Should I take one? An apprentice?"
Walker mulled over the idea with an engaging demeanor.
Meanwhile, the skeleton was brawling it out with a group of much more significant numbers than it. As if it was a demon crawling from the pits of hell, it was coated in the blood that blanketed it in differing reddish shades.
Streams of liquid sprayed past and gushed down its exterior as the crowd lessened, allowing the skeleton to whittle down their numbers with an increasing tempo. The 'Durability' value hadn't diminished a bit, as the Inhabitant strikes were too insignificant to bother it. The limb clothed in sheaves of paper looked wobbly, though.
Stepping back, the skeleton crammed the ball of the limb back into its shoulder socket. Then with a swift turn, it separated a head from its body with a precise swipe.
Already, there were a couple tatters to its cloak. The rips in that and its clothing underneath revealed its meatless chassis, revealing to anyone with eyes that it was a skeleton.
"Why do you pretend to be a whole being, you monster! Take that disguise off your face!"
The curved edge of the rake knocked the skeleton with a bash, the momentum catching the end of the mask and wresting it from its position. A second later, the skeleton's face was revealed to all.
Gasps of horror coupled with intense stares bearing resentment landed upon empty sockets.
The creature that lacked thoughts and seemingly emotions was nothing but a beast to be culled in their eyes. Seeing those stares laced with hatred, a dull spark emitted in its empty mind.
Even an animal could tell when it was hated--when someone faced it with hostility. The skeleton's fight or flight response kicked in, except the latter word lacked an l.
A grim noise resounded as its teeth clattered in a sort of cackle. Then, bouncing on the lush ground on its spine, it hurriedly rotated around and onto its feet. Thin mist surged from its bones and coated every single inch of its frame.
But it was the thickest at its hands.
Lunging forward like the wild beast the villagers saw it as, the Inhabitants felt the sword of damocles hang over their heads.
Almost feral in its movements, the Trait 'Sadism' was activated of its own volition. The description of it hung in a status window before Mara's eyes.
===~===
Sadism:
Creates the status 'Damage Lust', which scales attack power based on how much damage is inflicted in a short amount of time. When damage is no longer being imposed, the buff fades back to 0%. Caps at 100%.
===~===
The skeleton agilely stepped into the salvo of strikes, bouncing the poles off of its frame with slick movements as it utilized all of its body to attack. A forward thrust with its piercing hands, a sweeping kick as the toe of its boot lodges itself into someone's face...all of its limbs were frantically kicking, pulling, and punching at whatever was in range.
Inhabitants tripped over the bodies of their compatriots as their feet plodded upon a pool of their lifeblood. It was a messy affair, the bodies of the Inhabitants lingering for a while before evaporating into plumes of billowing smoke.
A powerful sensation caused the skeleton to recoil, multiple weapons squarely battering against its ribcage. Its jaws agape, the seemingly brittle bones gained an eerie luster under the crimson rays of the sun.
Knees buckled with apprehension, the skeleton never stopping its movement, no matter how many attacks it had to receive. Though there was no natural light in its sockets, many swore they saw phantasmic eyes stare them down with vicious ferocity.
It swung behind the many deadened-looking trees, though.