A Rattling Monster

I am number one. At least that was the name that my master has given to me. My master is a good looking and honest ratman. He is a little smaller than me and number two, but he is really worthy of our loyalty. I don't know why I am thinking this because we have only lived for a day. Before going into town, master has buried us inside a tomb. That was to protect us. We even met another skeleton, but unfortunately, the master told us that he was dead. For good. It was such a pity; he could have been number three. After waiting for a long time inside the ground, master helped us getting outside of the tomb. After that, he even got us some weapons and some clothes. Master is a good master.

He told us to wear those things, even if we didn't really need it. I know that clothes are used by different races to protect them from heat and cold, or in general their environment. But as a skeleton, me and number two don't need such protection. But master told us it was useful so we obey him. After that, he gave us two swords each and told us to let them hang around our waist. That way, if someone has bad intentions toward us, we can defend ourselves. Master is really smart.

After that, he asked us if we could hear a strange voice. We told him that yes, we could hear the voice even if we feel that the voice is not real. Of course, we didn't say that, because he implied that us hearing the voice was a good thing. Right after saying this, he asked us if we could talk. We answered again, and he asked me and number two to talk to him. We executed his order and after hearing it, he told us to change it a little. After those changes, I find that my voice was a little better than previously. The same thing was happening to number two. Master is very generous.

But unfortunately, he told us a bad news. We have to leave him alone and roam the city. When he talked about the city, he was visibly angry about it. That means the city is a bad thing. He told us that if anyone was threatening us or attempting to attack us, we had the obligation to kill them. He specified that after doing that, the voice will tell us what to say. He even wished us good luck during our time inside the city. Master is really careful.

(Do you have any idea of what is inside the minds of those two skeletons warriors?)

Not a single clue. I mean, I know they have a mind and a spirit, they can understand what I say and even maybe hear my thoughts. But their intelligence and the way they process the information given? Why are they loyal to death to me and are incapable of telling a lie? I have no idea, better ask the System and he hasn't told me anything useful for a long time. The only good thing that I know is the fact that they are good warriors. Really good warriors and even if their clothes are pierced by weapons, they will not bleed to death and will keep fighting. So the chances that one of them truly died in one day is low. Are you still monitoring them and keeping them close by not visible to each other?

(Yeah, yeah, don't worry. Just keep creating more and more of those undead and we will be good. Absolutely don't use any plague or disease in the meantime. We really need to make the [Raise Undead] work to his maximum effect to take down the ratmen. Even if your acid is potent and deadly, the ratmen has some horrors inside their city that will make your spell look like a refreshing and healthy water.)

And you are now an expert with the ratmen since?

(Since nothing, I am an expert with Salazar and I know for sure that we haven't seen his most dangerous creations yet.)

Well, that's for the future, now what should I do? Like you said, I can't plague the capital because first, I will be noticed, tracked and hunted. Then, because I will kill more people than my skeletons, even if just thinking about the number of people that they need to kill make me sad. So what, now I am just the skeleton warriors' factory? Creating one, arming it, make some adjustments and sending them to kill? And when I am bored, casting [Nightfall] to make some progress on it as well?

(Pretty much the only thing you have to do. I mean, patiently waiting for your undead servants to kill some humans, potentially giving you free experiences. Is it that bad?)

That's just boring, you know. I am sure that during those long days you can tell thousands of very interesting stories and talk about strange worlds, stunning creatures and such. But I don't want that, I want to do stuff, stuff that will not kill me of course.

(Well, you have to remain near here, to create more skeletons. But you want some challenge and to do something useful at the same time. So I offer you, to hunt the people that the barbarian named.)

You mean Tedd, Darwin, and Cloak?

(No, Joe, Dareen, and Shadow. You really have a problem remembering the names, I am sure you don't even know the names of the adventurer that have killed the lich right after you were born.)

Yes, I remember them, for who are you taking me?

(So their names? You have at least heard 2 names.)

Easy, the Seven Gods of Destruction. That's their name and they have a holy knight, a priest, a berserker, a thief, and three warriors.

(I will not comment on that, but you can still hunt the names that I have told you. And without my help, that way, you can still be near this place to create skeletons every six hours, and at the same time train yourself.)

Without your help? And what are you going to do?

(I don't know maybe MONITORING TEN SKELETONS? All at the same time? You are exploiting me, seriously, all my previous Hero were begging me for my power, they are on their knees just for a small blessing. But you are enslaving me, making me work for everything, scout everyone, never resting for a single moment.)

Maybe because I am the first intelligent Hero that you have and your best shot at capturing Astria? And don't think I didn't notice the moment where you manage to slip away and had gone watching the spectacle with the chief. Even if you are not the God of Sex, you are a huge pervert, I bet that if I was one of your Hero, you would have asked him to save the captives and f*ck them after.

(First of all no. That's totally not true. I was watching the surroundings, for your safety. I absolutely didn't notice them the moment you enter thanks to the broken window. It was only after we reached the cell that I saw them in the basement.)

Ok, ok I believe you. So I guess I will have to hunt some criminals without you. Just wait a few hours for number three to arrive. And after what? How am I supposed to do this? Disguised as a child and hope that they will kidnap me? Hope that they won't notice the fact that I am not a human and definitely not a child. Or maybe just follow my skeletons warriors. That way, if they provoke some chaos, the gangs will react and try to deal with the menace. And I can follow them back to their base.

Without the help of a god that is my best chance of finding something inside such a maze. While the first base Oslo noticed was a huge house, nothing allows me to be certain that the other bandit hideouts are similar. Instead, it would be better to have multiple houses that touched each other and tear down the walls. That way, from the outside it is four different houses but inside just a giant property.

Finally, I have the mana to create number three. I quickly do this, give him his armor, his weapons, and his instructions. Like his fellow undead, he follows my orders, without a question. And since I have no idea where number one and two are, I decide to just watch the surrounding of number three. But as I get close to Atria, the problem of the surveillance is raised. How will I be able to follow my skeleton warrior without being seen? Because jumping from roof to roof, in the middle of the day and with some houses clearly taller than the others, is a bad idea. Well, let's try the child disguise.