The Lone Skeleton
Ebony Tower #1
By: R.X. Hurdle
Prologue
My name, irrelevant. My way of life, irrelevant. Everything I love, irrelevant. That was what I was presented with when I found an ebony tower near my home. It wasn't very tall (I'm lying, it was quite tall), but it was, imposing. Everything from riches to fame to bitches would have been mine and mine alone.
That was until I found myself in the tower proper. Weaponless, defenseless, useless and alone, I ascended one floor to meet my doom, via a spear to the heart. It wasn't even a fancy looking spear, it was one that you can get from the local blacksmith if they were around.
Everything was, dark. Then light appeared before returning my vision to normal, back at the base floor. I looked down to see, me.. Well, me in the sense that I was a skeleton and I was absolutely hideous. I just, stared into the back of my thoughts with nothing to show for it. Pathetic and still without equipment, I decided to just, sit.
Hours passed and final, boredom was setting in. I needed to do something and seeing that I was, undead for the foreseeable future, I decided to grab something and swing it repeatedly. Hopefully by doing this action enough, would I get a feel of something happening.
I began to look for something to swing and a club was readily available. The materials were wooded with glass shards from the striking part of the club. No sooner did I pick it up, something happened. A screen that you would see in a popular RPG (Role-Playing Game) appeared.
Hello Dear Skeleton! Congratulations on acquiring a weapon. Club Mastery, Basic Level is now available once you've defeated 10 enemies with it.
My mind was already shattered beyond belief and now this, system got the gall to mention this while in a state of unlife??? Shitty system needs to be upgraded.
"Hello, system."
"Hello, Skeleton. Despite not having vocal cords, I can communicate to you directly, via your thoughts."
"Well, that makes talking to you easy then. So, seeing that I'm indeed a skeleton, how do I get stronger or better yet, how do I return to being you know, ALIVE!!!???"
"To answer the first question, you need to integrate different skeletal designs into yourself to get stronger. As for the second question, you're not going to become [Alive] ever again, to be blunt."
"Ok then. Seeing that you've answered both of my questions, do I get to see a status panel at all?"
"Surely! Seeing that you've come to grips with what you've become, I can happily give you your status right now!
Name: ??
Creature Type: Skeleton (Basic)
Level: N/A
HP: 100 (Red Level 1)
MP: 0
STR: 5
VIT: 5
INT: 5
RES: 5
SPE: 5
AGI: 5
Points to use on stats: 20
Weapon: Glass Shard Club
Damage: 15+STR
Armor: N/A
Damage Reduction: 0
Skills:
Bone Meld
Fluid Absorption
Memory Thievery
These are your current stats as of now and I can always have them active to you for further review!"
"Ok, I need a few things now: Firstly, the twenty points I have, put five of them in STR, VIT, INT, and RES."
"Not a Problem. Reassigning available points to STR, VIT, INT and RES!"
"Next, an explanation of skills currently available, please and thank you."
"Very courteous for a skeleton. Most are very unreceptive and very rude. So, explanation time!
Bone Meld will allow you to use different bones from fresh or old skeletons to increase your stats or pocket available points. Some have special properties that will allow you new skills and attacks to use.
Fluid Absorption will allow your bones to use ground bone matter to meld into your skeletal frame. Bone Meld and Fluid Absorption are vital to your survival.
Memory Thievery allows you to steal the thoughts of the recently deceased to get knowledge or skills they may have. Useful for yourself, seeing that you can't gain skills because you can't level up."
"Astute to say the least. Good to know that I can gain skills and get stronger by just grinding bones and then using fluids to absorb. Do I have a task at all?"
"The wonderful thing about you is that, you came into the tower without a [Focus] and as such, you don't have a [Focus] to fulfill. In retrospect, you're free to do whatever you like within the confines of this particular tower."
"How many floors is this tower?"
"361 total floors are on this tower and you can gain access to all but the top floor. To access the top floor, you'll need to get three seals to access the top floor and in essence, advance to Ebony Tower #2."
"Ok. I now know what I want to do. System, from hereon, I'm calling you Sy. Is that acceptable to you?"
"This is, new to me... Most would just disregard me. I'm, happy to assist you further as I would like to do more than just be a tutorial to ungrateful players and destined heroes."
"Well then, moving forward, you'll assist me in information and any new information you get fed through me, you can analyze as I ascend the towers."
"You mentioned towers. Towers as in multiple towers. Are you implying that you're going to conquer this tower and then move to the next?"
"Got it in one, Sy. The goal is to take this as far as we can before our imminent demise by a hero or something.... I can't do this alone and you don't wish to be alone. I see it as a win-win. Sy, although you are a system, you seem to have a personality. Let us shine, together!"
"Affirmative. My name is now, Sy. I'm now designating myself as your guardian navigator. My life is now linked to your existence. As long as you survive, I will not fade into absurdity. As a request, please name yourself please. It would be easier to address you."
"Well, my old name is dead alongside my previous life. As of now, I name myself, Wake Stitcher, after a cool guy I met and a profession that I'll develop climbing."
"Wake Stitcher... Skeleton Wake, I look forward to your cooperation. To our success."
"Let's begin the ascent."
Sy fused herself to me and from looking at her (Yes, Sy was actually a her) digitized body, she did have a bodysuit (Sorry perverts. Get your fanservice elsewhere.) and I used the system to paint these bones, ashen black. As we looked at the stairs leading to Floor 2, it was time to say goodbye to Floor 1. Hopefully, we don't return there again.
Prologue End