Lowlife, Scoundrel, Bandit Queen

Chapter 175 - 175 - Bonehead

My sword lashes out lightning quick and comes down like lightning too. Instead of bone though, it hits metal. Sparks go flying and metal screeches as metal rings of what has to be some kind of chain armor give and go flying. One even hits me in the face. An armored skeleton! Despite hitting armor instead of a vulnerable spot the attack still isn't all for naught though. The notification brushing my mind like a whisper is irrefutable testament to that.

[*Ding!* Hit! Giant Skeleton's Health reduced by 26!]

The hit connected well enough. It just didn't do nearly as much damage as I had hoped for. I simply hadn't account for the possibility of armor, no matter how worn or rusty it may be.

It is enough to make the undead monster whirl around to face my direction anyway. Or at least it tries to whirl around. Still half stuck in the doorway it fails rather miserably though.

I don't get to see much since we are facing each other in the dark, but what I see chills me to my bones. It's the face, the face that is very much just a skull. It has very prominent jaws still sporting some rather fearsome teeth. What really draws my attention though is the single eye, or rather the orb of baleful green light glowing in the skeleton's single over sized eye socket.

It can almost certainly see me. My [Shrouded Soul] skill improving a little as it gets me into its sight leaves no doubt about it. Whatever skill it uses on me, it feels worse than any I have ever experienced, despite failing to pierce my shroud.

I want to get a better look too now and even more important I don't want to keep fighting in the dark in a ruin with dangerous uneven ground. Even less so against an opponent that apparently has no trouble seeing in the dark. I focus on a spot above the doorway with the undead giant scrambling to get back up and a moment later some of my Mana drains away to fuel the sphere of light springing into existence there.

Finally I get to see more than a baleful green glow and some contours. It really is a skeletal giant. To be more precise, it's an undead cyclops judging by its single magical eye. In life it must have been pretty well armored too. I can see the rusty remains of chainmail worn under a solid breastplate. What really foiled my initial attack though is the rusty chain hauberk it wears in addition. Well, it's good to know what I'm dealing with. I probably really shouldn't be wasting anymore time staring though especially as it presents me with a good target of opportunity right now, one I need to strike before it can straighten itself out again.

Thus, without any further delay I strike again. Not with a might chop or even just a careful slash this time but with a precise thrust. One that is aimed directly at the menacing and sinister glow in its eye socket. And that thrust connects in the most rewarding way, accompanied not only by notifications whispered into my mind but by a silent scream of the undead monster as well.

[*Ding!* Critical Hit! Giant Skeleton's Health reduced by 155!]

[*Ding!* You have defeated a Decrepit Skeleton!]

[*Ding!* Your skill Thread the Steel has leveled up to level 4!]

Oh yes! That's what I have been hoping for! Aiming for the open front of the hauberk and the obvious vulnerable spot it didn't protect was definitely the right move. Curiously enough that level up notification earned in melee counts towards the progress of my hedge witch class, but I'm not going to complain. I don't complain about the other skills involved, [Melee Weapons], [Blades] and [Long Blades] each improving a little either. Right now it feels like those training sessions under the tutelage of Lady Izolda, even though I wasn't the actual student, have really paid off.

The giant skeleton collapses to the ground, all semblance of live gone from one moment to the other. It may have been fearsome a moment ago, but now it's essentially nothing more than a pile of old bones and rusty metal. I don't dare relax anyway.

Was this thing on its own? Or are there others prowling the ruins? I quietly climb the walls of the ruin I'm squatting in to have a look around. With giants like these I should be able to see movement in the vegetation. Like with this one I should be able to hear them too! I strain my eyes and my ears, but I can't pick up anything else. And considering how quiet the night has suddenly become after that brief struggle I most certainly should be able to see or hear something if more of these undead menaces were coming in.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

As it is the climb earns me a little progress for my [Climbing] skill and my [Perception] and my [Stealth] skill both improve a little too, but that's it. Somewhat relieved now, even though my worries are not yet completely dispelled, I slide back down to the ground to get an even better look at the sorry remains of that cyclops.

My first observation is, that it indeed must have been a cyclops in life. It wasn't just a trick of the mind due to the reanimating magic. There is just one large eye socket, which is now utterly empty again. It is quite tall too, just like I surmised at first, taller than the late bandit lord Kronk but not as tall or massive as the king boletus by far. My best guess is that fully upright it would have stood not quite twice as tall as me. I pick up the head, which comes loose now without any resistance and look into the empty eye socket.

"Well, you don't look like someone who would have lived here. Those low doors and narrow alleys would have been hell for you. So, who are you? A conqueror who has run afoul of some curse? An adventurer who got in over their head?"

There is no answer of course and after a moment I put the empty skull back down with the rest of the bones. I do so with at least a little respect though instead of just dropping it. It just seems to be the right thing to do.

I look around my campsite. I'm at a loss. Moving out into the night might not be the best move, but going back to sleep is not an option for me either. Not now and not here. In fact, I think I'll look for an all new campsite tomorrow. A little further out, somewhere in the valley well outside these ruins.

For now though I grab my blanket and climb the walls again. These walls are pretty wide after all and even in the ruined state they are still high enough so that their top should mostly be out of reach even of giants like the one who decided to pay me a visit. The large even stone blocks provide at least decent seating too, even if actually lying down up here is not really an option.

It doesn't take me long, but I manage to improve my [Balance] skill a little anyway, to find a decent spot, not too far from my original campsite. I sit down there on my blanket, with my back to another heavy stone block and huddled up in my cloak. My sword sheathed but ready to be quickly drawn in my lap. From there I keep a close eye on my surroundings and especially the campsite still brightly illuminated by my magical light.

It looks curious. The light essentially only illuminates the interior of that one building. Very little light spills out through the narrow door. It's very visible from above though.

For a moment or two I ponder if I should meditate a little to regain the Mana spent on my magical light, since I most certainly won't regenerate any through sleep, but in the end I decide against it. Watchfulness is what matters most right now. Thus, by the time the sun starts to rise and bath the area in her golden light, I'm tired, a little stiff and, of course, not in the best mood. That nothing else happens does not quite make up for the missed sleep.

I grab my blanket and return to camp, still quiet but not exactly on the prowl myself anymore. I gather up my things, make sure everything is properly stored and finally shoulder my pack again. Afterwards the first thing I do is to actually backtrack away from the ruins until there are no more scattered stone blocks anywhere within sight. Then I start looking for a decent campsite protected by natural features.

Eben though I have no clue just how much time exactly I'll be spending here I suspect that it'll be at least one more night. It's not just mushrooms I want to gather here after all. No, I want to explore these ruins in earnest too. I just have to do it. Coming here would seem like a wasted opportunity otherwise.

In the end I settle on a spot protected by three ancient trees with trunks thick enough that even three or maybe four people would have trouble to encircle them while holding hands. They really are quite sturdy. At their midst their interweaving branches even form a decent canopy. Sure, it won't keep me dry in a real downpour, but at least a light drizzle shouldn't be a problem. Their thick roots provide some more cover. Yet there is enough even ground for my blanket and a proper fire pit. In a pinch I might be able to climb any of the three old trees quickly too. Yes, I really like this place much better than the ruins.

Satisfied with my find, I hand my pack from one of the lower branches. Then I get another branch, a thick and sturdy one, and carve it into a makeshift digging tool I don't dare to actually call a shovel. It's invaluable for digging the fire pit anyway. Once I have the latter lined with flat rocks I pick up around here I have earned some more progress for my [Woodworking] and my [Survival] skill. Stocking up on firewood, much better dead wood than I had to use last night, earns me another very welcome notification.

[*Ding!* Your skill Foraging has leveled up to level 6!]

Now this is a really good one. First off it counts towards the class progress of my scoundrel class. More importantly though, it's an even level for a common skill which in this case means that my vitality improves too, which in turn means indirect gains for my defense and health. Thank you very much! More like this please!

Instead of setting out right away I focus on the furnishings of my camp a little more. For that purpose I gather more branches of hazels and willows. Some become sharpened to serve as spikes in makeshift pit traps, which I disguise with old leaves this time around, in between two of the three trees to secure part of the campsite's perimeter. Some more I weave into a drying rack for the mushrooms I still intend to collect. Some more leaves I gather to serve as soft padding under my blanket for the night. Oh yes, this really is so much better than last night's camp! And the extra work earns me some extra progress for the [Woodworking], [Foraging] and [Survival] skills too. Now, this is what a wilderness trip is supposed to be like!

With my camp prepared and my pack safely stored above head height up one of the trees for the time being I stretch to work some of last night's kinks out of my back. Then I quietly set off in the direction of the ruins again. It's time to get serious about mushroom gathering and exploring!

I take great care to not produce any easy to follow tracks leading right to my new camp. For this purpose I circle around and come in from a slightly different direction this time. Soon enough I slip in between the ruins again anyway. It doesn't take me too long to decide against this approach for exploration though. It's much easier to explore the place from atop the walls. I still don't know who built this place, but I silently thank them again for building their walls so thick and from such massive stone blocks without using any mortar.