256 Spooky Scary Skeletons

For the second time today, I summon the arcane tech pistol into my hand. Every step I take toward the mysterious clattering noise is careful, full of purpose, and as quiet as I can make it. The sound travels throughout the library, echoing ominously as it moves out of sight. While I can't be entirely sure, it sounds like footsteps. The only thing is they can't be human, and they don't sound like someone wearing armor, either.

Part of me wants to head straight towards the exit and retreat into the hall, but I'm feeling more daring than perhaps I should. I follow the bitter coldness hanging in the air closer and closer to its source with a tightened grip on my weapon. As I draw nearer, the coldness grows a secondary quality. It feels 'wrong'. Like whatever it is, it shouldn't exist, and it bothers me that I instinctually know this.

The wrongness is now in the next row over. Taking cover behind the towering bookshelf, I brace myself for a quick peek. Doubt clouds my mind now that it lumbers just barely out of view. My body can feel it. Whatever's making me feel like this, it's coming from something magical. This cold reminds me of the sickening aura I sensed around Opalina or the depressing negativity I feel around Zutiria whenever she casts her dark spells, but different. It definitely feels more like Zutiria's magic than Opalina's if I had to compare the two.

The creeping clattering sound makes its way from the end of the aisle towards the middle of the row. I decide to make myself known once more, saying, "Is someone there? I'm a guest of Duke Gloomcrest. Please, say something."

In response, the sound stops dead in its tracks. This silence persists for much longer than I'd like it to. I wait, sweat pooling on my palms, for some sort of response to my questioning. There is nothing. No clattering, no rattling, no sign that they're even still present other than the telltale pervasive magical aura hanging in the air which gives me sizable goosebumps.

After waiting for just a few more moments, I make the decision that this eerie quietness has gone on long enough. Whatever's lying in wait in the middle of the bookshelves can't be worse than not knowing. As I clench my arcane tech weapon tightly in my fist for whatever comes next, I leave my cover and turn around the corner to look upon the mysterious presence.

I freeze in place once I lay eyes on the mysterious culprit. My mind is unable to immediately process the horrific sight, all logic telling me that what I see shouldn't be possible. Only ten feet away from me, a large skeleton covered in a ghastly green glow pokes around the nearest shelf as if it were pointedly looking for a specific book. It stands on two legs, but it's no human- or any other species that I can recognize. The skeleton has a stretched face with four large fangs poking out from a massive set of jaws, and eyesockets like two pits of coal illuminated by a burning yet sickly green flame. It stands on curved lower legs that bend forward like bows, and for a torso, the creature has a robust ribcage. Its arms are busy tracing the packed bookshelf, but once it notices me, it retreats from the shelf that it was working on and shifts its posture, bending over and standing firmly on all fours.

Seeing it from this new angle puts everything into perspective for me. Now I'm almost positive that this is the skeleton of a big and powerful bear- seven feet tall at the very least. I watch its movements carefully for the first sign of aggression. Curiously, it shows little interest in attacking. The skeletal bear just stares right back at me, studying, thinking- if it even has the capacity for thought like this. This awkward staredown continues until the undead creature opens its jaws and somehow makes a low, deep, grunting sound despite its lack of vocal cords. Magic, I know, but it's still somewhat weird to hear it first hand.

After making noise at me, it goes back to ignoring my presence and then takes a clattering step forward. The skeletal bear noisily walks closer and closer, yet I no longer feel threatened by it. Now I'm only curious, and who can blame me for that? I relax my posture and wipe the anxious sweat off my brow. I'm not stupid, though, and I keep my gun out in case the bear suddenly becomes aggressive at the drop of a hat.

Fortunately, the skeleton notices a shelf to my side and passes me completely to check it over. It pokes what used to be its nose around as if it's trying to read the spines on each book. Then, it grunts again and uses its front paws to pull out a selection of about five books all lined up together, then takes them all in its massive jaw and pulls away. With a hefty amount of reading material packed and ready to go, it gives me a strangely courteous nod and turns away from me, glistening green energy trailing off of its many bones as it starts making its way down the aisle.

My curiosity forces me to check the section it just took books from, and I'm glad I do because what I learn makes the situation reach even greater levels of bizarre. The bear just walked away with a mouthful of self-help books. The row that it took its load from is littered with tomes along the lines of 'New People: They Don't Have to Be So Scary' and 'Just Talk! A Guide to Conversation for Awkward Weirdoes'.

I think it's safe to conclude now that this thing doesn't mean any harm. Now that the danger has passed, I can only ask myself what in the Realms was that about? I know for sure that it was magical in nature but was it a naturally occurring arcane creature, or is it the product of a spell? If it was a creature, then it's not anything I've read about in any of my books, and if it were a spell, then it would have to be necromancy, wouldn't it?

Really, I shouldn't be so surprised given everything else I've seen in Castle Mourneheart. A resident Necromancer would fit right in these dark, stony, cobweb-infested halls. Perhaps this partially reanimated bear belongs to the Court Mage Opalina is currently meeting with? Xothan, I believe his name was?

Of all the schools of magic, necromancy is by far one of the ones I know the least about. While not 'forbidden', it's certainly a darker art and its practitioners are rare. Books about the subject are scarce, it's not something I can just walk into one of Dewhurst's bookstores and ask for a primer on.

Like more topics than I'd care to admit, my knowledge amounts to what I've read in porn which is mostly just busty necromancers reanimating armies of sultry, green-skinned zombie girls hungry for semen. Not surprising, but the truth is stranger than fiction.

It may be very nosy of me, but I decide to follow the skeletal bear to wherever it's heading. I've got the time and this has captivated my attention, so I put away the gun and follow after it as close as I can while still keeping a safe, respectable distance.

The bear leads me past a few different hallways before it finds one of the many suits of armor littering the castle that dons a raven-shaped helmet. It raises one of its front paws, activates the hidden mechanism, and disappears into the secret shortcut as casually as if it had done it a thousand times. From there on, the bear starts ascending through the network of magical stone staircases lit by scarce torchlight until we both emerge in a familiar area several minutes later- the hallway where the Duke, his daughter, and Opalina's bedrooms are.

Sure enough, the reanimated skeleton walks all the way up to the large door of the young Lady Gloomcrest and bows. Its snout touches the doggy door installed, and in response, the structure becomes big enough for the massive bone bear to walk straight through. The doggy door shrinks, leaving me with more questions than I know what to do with.

I suppose I could look for answers by knocking on her door, but I don't know this girl, and I feel that would be terribly rude of me. I'm sure Duke Gloomcrest wouldn't appreciate an unexpected gentleman visiting his daughter, either. All this beside the point that the bear was delivering books about how to deal with speech anxiety to the young Lady.

Disappointing. This is going to be on my mind until I find out what's going on here. Was the bear a pet? Is the Duke's daughter an honest to goodness Necromancer? Perhaps I can ask Opalina about-

"Dear? Why are you staring at Abigail's door?" Opalina appears behind me, emerging from the shortcut with the signature clicking of her heels on rugged stone.

"I've been told there's a girl behind it, and I was considering how best to inevitably add her to my harem," I turn around to face the old witch with sarcasm abound.

"Careful. The walls are thin, and you might give someone the wrong idea..." She giggles before tightening her expression. "Really, though. What happened?"

"There was a... well, what used to be a bear."

"Ah." The Doctor laughs and nods her head matter-of-factly.

"Just ah?"

"Yes, I'm aware of where this is going." Opalina smiles. "You saw one of Abigails's pets, didn't you?"

"I suppose I must have. Odd choice for a pet, unless... is the Duke's daughter a Necromancer?"

"Yes. Talent for dark magic runs heavy in the Gloomcrest bloodline, and there was a time in her life where the young Lady needed a push down the right path. I happened to be around to do the pushing, so, I made her into something of an informal apprentice of mine."

"I... see. Then, I suppose that makes you a Necromancer as well?"

"I dabble in a lot of things, Dear," She smiles a mysterious smile while opening up the door to our suite. "Come along now. We've time for another round of fun before supper. Dealing with that asshole has left me in the mood to bully you a bit more, so count yourself lucky."

I still have all sorts of questions on my mind, but for the time being, they're irrelevant. After shrugging my shoulders, my inexhaustible dick rushes me to follow after Opal for whatever sort of fun she has in mind.