When Andre was done gorging himself amidst the zombie crowd, not even the zombie lord or his four dark zombie guards bothered to check on the situation.
Seeing this indifference, Andre didn't stand on ceremony either. He commanded the half-corporeal Macallan to lure a weakling zombie back, wobbling and swaying dramatically as it floated.
With something to focus on, time passed quickly, and before Andre knew it, the afternoon had come and gone. It had been a fruitful day—every skeleton mage under his command had leveled up.
Looking at the nearly cleared entrance of the zombie lair, Andre decided it was best to retreat before provoking the electric zombie lord—a mistake he could not afford.
While there was still daylight, he led his motley crew of undead to the nearest Skeleton Mage Shrine. Surely, no group of skeleton mages had ever worked together like this before in the Necroplane.
Upon arrival, Andre herded his skeleton mage minions into a single-file line, as though organizing a ticket queue back on Earth. Sitting aside to "maintain order," he couldn't help but feel a tinge of nostalgia. If only he had a megaphone to bark, "No cutting! Stay in line!"—it would've been perfect.
Just as he got comfortable, a commotion erupted among his undead followers. Something—or someone—was approaching.
Andre rushed to investigate, only to be startled. A tattered-robed skeleton mage was slowly making his way toward the shrine, holding the severed head of a black knight. Following closely behind were two hulking black knight undead, mounted on flaming skeletal warhorses.
Andre's gaze was immediately drawn to the knights. Their skeletal steeds, with glowing blood-red eyes, exuded a dangerous aura. Sparks flared from their nostrils with every breath, and their steel-shod hooves clattered ominously against the stone.
The knights themselves were clad in pitch-black armor, their stoic postures exuding an unshakable resolve. Even through their helmets, Andre could sense their piercing gaze. They were armed to the teeth: wicked red longswords, iron-tipped lances, skeletal cross-swords at their waists, bone shields, and spiked gauntlets that occasionally tapped the reins. From their mounts hung chains adorned with the glowing skulls of defeated black knights.
The robed skeleton mage stopped at the shrine's entrance, clearly here to learn new skills. But Andre knew better than to approach such a high-level undead mage. Instead, he shrank back into his own crowd of skeleton followers, feigning submission.
The high-level mage glanced at Andre and the others sprawled on the ground, his soul fire flickering in apparent amusement. Pointing a bony finger straight at Andre, he transmitted a mental command:
"You—come here and help me carry these."
Andre felt a sharp energy trying to compel his obedience—a Dark Command spell. Fortunately, his yin-yang energy dissipated it effortlessly. Still, he played along, pretending to tremble as he staggered forward.
"Carry them and follow me inside," the mage instructed. Andre grabbed the two chains of black knight skulls.
**These are insanely heavy!**
Cursing internally, Andre struggled to lift them, his skeletal arms nearly giving out. Gritting his teeth, he followed the robed mage up the shrine's weathered steps.
Andre's skeleton mage minions continued queuing obediently, a sight that even the high-level mage seemed surprised by. For a moment, his soul fire flickered erratically, and his tattered robes billowed ominously with dark energy.
This display snapped Andre back to his senses. **Dark energy so strong it moves clothing? How is that possible?**
The high-level mage stopped abruptly, snapping Andre from his thoughts again. The robed figure turned and stretched out a skeletal hand.
"Give me those," came the cold mental command.
Startled, Andre hastily handed over the chains, his fumbling interpreted as fear. Satisfied, the mage took the skulls.
In that moment, Andre caught a glimpse beneath the mage's robe—gleaming metallic bone fragments.
**Metal-infused skeletons?**
A realization dawned on Andre. **So that's what makes him so strong...**