Well I guess the first thing is to check and see what I can make. These menus seem to react to my thoughts, since I don't really have a body to press buttons with. There are three options before me; construction, monsters, and special. A number in the top right corner informs me that I have twenty-five out of twenty-five mana. Presumably this is the resource I will be using for everything…
So let's take a look… I open the ‘monsters’ menu and take a look at my options. All of the monsters listed before are available, but it seems that by choosing mountains as my location I get a discount on undead, goblins, and orcs. The skeletons are eight mana apiece, so I purchase two of them and watch as a blue mist leaves my orb- or rather, my body- and coalesce into two skeletons.
[Weak Skeleton Lv.1] x2 acquired.
They have their own menus, so I open them up to take a look. Without context I have no idea what these numbers mean, but the name and cost obviously indicate that they are incredibly weak. I have options to arm them, add drops, or even send them out into the world. It seems that aside from people coming to me this will be my main way of interacting with the world.
On a whim, I check my own status. Most of the stats are N/A, but there is an experience meter. As my monsters kill, or things die in my dungeon, this will increase and I will become stronger. Fair enough, I suppose. Interestingly, both myself and the skeletons have an option labeled “evolution” that is locked for both of us. I presume that that leads to tougher kinds of undead, but I wonder what it would do with me?
I suppose I will lead that for later. For now I will send one of these skeletons out into the world, hopefully I will be able to communicate with it somehow and learn something. But if not, it will either kill or be killed. If it kills, my experience goes up, if it dies it will just respawn eventually. Perfectly expendable.
Having taken care of that, I open the construction menu and look at my options- or lack thereof because of my level. Basically all I can do is carve out rooms at this point, so I create a four meter by four meter room between my core and the entrance and set the remaining skeleton to guard it, leaving me with a measly one mana.
I have a mere two mana regeneration a day, so I suspect this going to get really boring, really quick. Except I feel a bit of a tug… Following the feeling I find myself looking through the eyes of the skeleton I sent out at a wounded man crawling away from the bottom of a cliff edge. He must have fallen from further up, and with that arrow in his shoulder it was likely because of some kind of attack. Bandits, perhaps?
I can’t actually command the skeleton, a menu informs me that that requires a higher level core and a higher level minion. So that is something to work towards I suppose, a first step in the process of screwing over the god who sent me here. Not that I disliked the guy, but surely it wouldn't expect me to just accept being an orb for all eternity.
I make a mental note to remember to give very specific orders to skeletons from now on, because I would rather have not killed the man, but it is what it is. Actually… That thought really bothers me, or rather, the fact that I am not bothered by it bothers me. Clearly in this transition some part of my morals and ethics have been changed, I will have to watch out for that change and correct for it to prevent myself from becoming some sort of sociopath…
Still, I can’t stop the skeleton, so unless the man is in better shape than he seems…
Nope, skely tore out his throat. Sucks to be him, I guess. I, however, am thrown out of the skeleton and back to my dungeon by a rush of energy.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
[5,000 XP received! Reached level 3! Mana raised to 40! New options are available for purchase!]
Ho… It appears my skeleton finished off a rather strong person, looks like I lucked out and got far more than I would expect to start off with. It would be nice if someone hadn’t had to die for it, but it isn’t like death matters too much right? I mean, they will either be reincarnated or end up in some spirit realm… There I go with dangerous thoughts again, already I have to remind myself of conventional morals…
Well then, what to do next… I should check my options before spending anything I think… Under monsters there are new types available; spirits and zombies, though even with the discount the spirits are quite expensive at fifteen mana apiece.
[Spirits are incredibly weak, but incorporeal. They cannot be hurt without silver, holy, or magical weapons. Unlocked by having Tier 1 Undead created]
Well that is a useful property, probably far more useful than the zombies poison talons. I will have to consider getting a few of those…
Under the construction tab I now have access to the ‘rooms’ feature. Though the only thing that is available is ‘tomb entrance.’
[Tomb Entrance: 20 Mana Unlocked by having a room connected to the entrance and tier 1 Undead created. Special Rooms may be required for certain evolutions.]
Interesting, definitely something I should get if I plan to continue down the undead path… But for now I think it is better to have a bit of safety, it would suck to die so soon into my new- not sure I can call this life, so let's go with existence.
[Weak Skeleton Lv. 1] acquired.
[Weak Spirit Lv. 1] x2 acquired.
And I spent the extra two mana to lengthen the hallway between me and the entrance room. After a bit of thought, I recall my Skeleton and prepare to send out one of my spirits instead. Makes far more sense to send out the creature that is difficult to hurt and can fly, right?
Also, I am curious if my skeleton has leveled up as well...
A few hours later it turns out I was right, my [Weak Skeleton] was now level five. For whatever that is worth, his stats are decently improved and it seems he has two evolution options.
I have a choice between [Skeleton Soldier] and [Skeleton Archer] but neither of those choices seem like they would lead towards something I could talk to… On the other hand, it doesn’t cost mana, well its not like I don’t have skeletons to spare I guess, [Skeleton Archer] it is. That the other skeletons and spirits can attack intruders while the archer shoots them full of holes from afar. Or as far as you can get in my tiny little dungeon.
The skeleton glows for a second, but nothing really changes besides a bow and quiver being added to it. It is a little anticlimactic, but it makes me feel safer at least.
Once again though, I feel a tug on my mind and follow it to find my spirit observing a group of men walking alone a mountain path. Judging by the ragged and beat up people being dragged along behind them, they are either bandits or slavers. Possibly both, and I can hear them talking about the weather…
“Chief, we should find some place to hunker down in, weather looks bad.”
“There was a small cave not too far away if I remember, we can stop there and finally have some fun with those girls.”
Ok, now I am starting to think that the god arranged this. From above this place had seemed like the middle of fucking nowhere, and now I have half a dozen bandits and three captives being dragged towards me? Fuck…
Well, as long as they lack the ability to fight the spirits I should be ok… Spirits are just a fraction smarter than skeletons, and this one won’t attack such a large group, so I recall it back to the dungeon.
If this is a housewarming gift from god I really should provide a welcome party to be polite after all.
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