Chapter 13: A City Of Flesh

A a black haired figure arrived at the front gates of a city in the Slane Theocracy. The man possessed crimson armor, adorned with many golden etching. The man seemed to be lost, yet found. With a tired expression the man yawned.

Atlas entered the grand gates of the human city. The skeleton observed the walls, including the positions of defenders and armaments. Not a single detail was left out of his investigation. Atlas was given this task by a godly being, so failure is worse than death.

Atlas' body had been hindering his concentration for the last few days, rendering him in a weakened state. The skeleton had lost his pride, his cleanliness, and identity. What was a skeleton with organs and skin? A living creature.

Atlas feared that this shroud of flesh would infect him with the wickedness of the living, and would only reduce his standing with his brothers. But all of this was acceptable, since it was for the service of a Supreme Being. The pains that he felt, the need to eat, sleep, the need to defecate; all of these things were acceptable. Atlas is a servant of Nazarick, and he will continue to serve no matter the costs. Even if it means becoming what he despises so much.

Atlas entered the city, only observing humans walking by. The Slane Theocracy was a

human-central country, completely scorning the other races. This attitude is what Atlas hates about humans in particular; they are not even a superior race to begin with. Their horizons are as low as the ground and they will never reach new heights. The racism Heteromorphic creature face is unjust, humans should be the ones persecuted.

Atlas continued down the main road and eventually came across a small tavern. The tavern was actually secretly purchased by Nazarick, becoming a safe house for them. Atlas entered the tavern and bought a drink from a 'human' bartender.

The bartender was a beautiful blonde haired woman to any other man that saw her, but to Atlas, she seemed just like any other human.

"Greetings, Atlas, I am Solution Epsilon, I along with Narberal and Yuri shall be working with you." She spoke while giving a sincere smile.

As she greeted Atlas, she moved her chest forward from behind the counter, putting emphasis on her breasts.

Atlas did not look down and maintained perfect eye contact. He simply kept his apathetic face and continued to drink.

"I heard that you are a skeleton, so why do you have skin?" Solution asked.

"For the sake of the mission, I abandoned my pride, please only speak to me if it relates to the mission. This body has made me too tired to keep up with 'small talk'." Atlas sighed.

"Suit yourself." Solution smiled.

"Where are the other team members?" Atlas asked.

"Upstairs."

The body had created many adverse effects for the skeleton. It limited his movement by 10%, which severely limits his combat potential against others. His body also forces the skeleton to wash itself to remain clean. Eating And sleeping also helps make Atlas' life miserable. if he failed to maintain these procedures, flesh layer would degrade on its own, crippling his chance to complete the mission.

Without a word, the skeleton went upstairs while pondering on his body. He entered a medium sized room with a coffee table set up in the middle. Two human-like women sat around it.

"Greetings Narberal and Yuri, I am Atlas, I will be working with you all for the time being." Atlas announced.

They nodded their heads and stood up to greet their new colleague.

"Greetings Atlas, I am Yuri Alpha, I hope we can work well together." Said the one with glasses.

"I don't sense life from you." Atlas spoke.

"I am a dullahan, meaning I am also undead" Yuri explained.

"Then I will refer to you as Sister Yuri."

"Is this a custom from your tomb?" She asked.

"Yes."

"Then I will accept it." Yuri answered.

"You must be Narberal." Atlas spoke as he turned to the other woman.

"Human?" He spoke under his breath.

"Insolent lesser undead, Never call me one of those trash." Narberal responded in a angered tone.

"I see."

"It is not like you are any less 'living'."

Atlas straightened his face and stared at Narberal with his new eyes, giving a Deathly gaze of a maelstrom. He started scraping his face as it itched from dryness. The irritation turned into agony, quickly rendering Atlas prone on the floor, scratching his skin until he started to bleed.

Yuri approached him trying to calm him down, but was refused.

"GET AWAY! DON'T LOOK AT ME! PLEASE!"

The tormented skeleton laid on the floor in a brief fit of agony, but regained his composure after a few minutes.

"How do you like that dirty flesh?" Narberal said jokingly.

"It is trash." Atlas said in a more composed manner.

"I am sorry for my outburst, but I can only tolerate so much." He said as he looked at Narberal.

Atlas gave a nod to them and proceeded to his designated quarters.

The skeleton laid in bed, waiting for his stomach to grumble. The pains became routine, so whenever he felt that pain, he knew what he needed to do. Assimilation with his flesh was not the most comfortable thing in the world, but it pleased his master.

Perhaps this humiliation may become Atlas' strength.

creeeeek

The door opened very slowly, revealing Narberal on the other side.

"Have you come to torment me?" Atlas asked.

"Perhaps, But not now. Here are is the official mission briefing, read it well." Narberal coldly instructed.

Atlas accepted the briefing papers, returning back to his bed.

"Narberal, I will remember that." Atlas spoke.

"Sure you will." She responded as she closed the door behind her.

[Strange creatures. They wear these impractical clothes.] Atlas thought.

After a while, Atlas' body started to feel weird. Their was a sense of anxiety building up in his body. He started to feel restless. He thought it was hunger, but it was not. This kept up for a few minutes until he calmed down. The event did not seem to be a major problem, but possibly a bodily feature, albeit a negative one. Perhaps it was poison, but it was clearly not. Atlas had not consumed a single bit of food, meaning that poison couldn't have been the factor. All of this would not possibly kill him, but for the sake of the mission, his body must remain in good health.

The night passed quickly, giving Atlas some time to rest. He got out of bed and dressed in his designated clothes: black plate armor adorned with golden flower etching, much different from his previous armor. Due to his racial evolutions, he can finally use other armor. The armor may not be the best grade, but it protects the wearer well.

"And finally, the helmet."

Atlas pulled a black helmet out of a chest. It was an intriguing design, having a full face plate covering the front, and 2 golden horns that stretch out from the sides of the helmet. The slot for his eyes were just two circles that were covered with a heavily tinted glass to cover the eyes. It seems like this was well thought out.

"It is time to destroy the enemies of Nazarick."

Atlas put on his helmet and walked out of the door.

What lies before him is an adventure that will test his bones, but only his master may test him, anyone else will die.

{Volume 1: end}