Raggedy Goblin

"Get up and try again mon!" Fang ordered as the small goblin skeleton scrabbled around on the ground. The training had been tougher than Jack had expected. He had assumed that being some special chosen one by their summoner would earn him some special treatment. Well, it had but not the kind he had expected. Instead, he was put through hell. Even now his bones were rattling and creaking at every joint. It was annoying to be honest.

"How do you always know what I'm going to do?" Jack complained. They had both agreed he was faster than normal. Yet no matter how sly he was Fang always knew his exact moves.

"To be fair mon, I've been at this game a long time. I can read your moves just from the sound of your bones mon." Jack's eye socket twitched at that. It was so obvious yet he hadn't seen it despite actively thinking about it. It wasn't just annoying, but also hindering. The only upside at this point was the constant beatings had hardened his bone structure significantly. Well, it was also likely that most wouldn't be able to read his every move from just the creaking of his bones. They would however still hear him coming. He felt like he was beating his head against a rock on this one. Actually, he really was, or rather Fang was banging his head against a rock for him.

"Can we take a break." Jack sighed as he picked himself up off the ground again. "I need to rethink my attack plan for a bit."

"No problem mon!" Fang chuckled as he disappeared again behind Jack's back.

"That guy is going to be the death of me with that disappearing act of his." Jack mused with frustration as he meandered aimlessly for a time. He wanted to be lost in his thoughts, he really did. But those incessant creaking and clacking bones. Before long he found himself back at the boneyard. Honestly he had been finding himself here a lot. It was like he was being called here every time, but when he arrived the feeling always faded.

This time felt different, however. He wasn't sure why or how, he just knew it was. He climbed back down for the umpteenth time as he filed through his interface.

Name: Pet (Jack)

Type: Undead

Sub-Type: Skeleton

Species: Goblin

Class: NA

Grade: Trash

Skills: Jerry-rigged, Inspect

Not much had changed since he last looked, beyond the added part for his name. He smirked a bit at that, at least the system gave him that much. But that wasn't the important part today. No, what called to him was the skills section. The Jerry-rigged skill seemed rigged with the way the system put it, no pun intended. Yet somehow despite all that it called to him louder and louder as he approached his namesake.

Jack stopped next to the thunder bird resting his hand against her side. "I wish I could be as strong as you were."

The wind picked up slowly as the skeletal goblin pondered his new life. The bandages flapped silently in the wind brushing his skull with a whisper. As the wind cause the loose bandages to press against his skeleton it clicked.

"Oh my god.... I uh. I hope this is okay. I mean you're dead, but I guess so am I. And I'm supposed to take your place by the summoners side. Does it count as grave robbing if we're both technically dead?" Jack was in turmoil as his inner conscience tried to make up its mind. Static rose on the air as the wind picked up. A soft voice whispered on the wind just on the edge of Jack's hearing. He calmed his mind straining to make out the words.

As jack stood their silently trying to focus, his attention was broken by something flying into his face. He reacted with equal parts surprise and fright as he fumbled with the object in his face. Pulling it away finally he found it was the bandages. Suddenly he knew. It seemed the spirit of his predecessor had answered his inner conflict for him.

"Well. I guess I should get to work then." Jack grinned as he began to make his way back out of the bone yard. It was a creepy grin. Perhaps more so than usual for a skeletal goblin. But he just couldn't get over his excitement. Jack found a place out of the way to test out his Jerry-rigging skill and sat down to put together his first item. A lack of a weapon seemed like a pretty big issue. With that in mind Jack took some spare bones he found and a section of the gray bandage to make a club. After multiple expletives, chipped bones and annoyed grunts he held up his first weapon.

[Bone Club Completed]

[Grade: Poor]

"Hah! Eat that system!" Jack jumped up and down excitedly at his first accomplishment. His excitement was crushed suddenly as a thump sound resounded on the ground next to him causing him to freeze.

[Recomputing]

[Grade: ...Junk]

Jack cried as he smashed the bone club to pieces in his frustration. Jack grunted with annoyance as the bandage got tangled in his hand during the process. Growling, he shook his hand angrily in a vain attempt to de-tangle his hand from the bandages. As jack shook his hand violently a light bulb went off in his head. The sounds of his bones rattling was muffled.

"That's it!" Jack started to jump up and down again but held back his excitement last second. If this worked he might just solve his biggest annoyance as well as improve his combat capability all in one go. Jack did his best to control his emotions as he began to wrap his bones one by one. It was slow going at first. He dislocated his bones one at a time, wrapping each one in a piece of bandage and re-attaching them one by one. By the time he finished with his hands he realized tearing the bandages wasn't going to work well. After some debate Jack found a rock and began sharpening the tips of his fingers on his left hand against the stone. It took him hours, but when he was finally able to cut the bandages with ease he got back to work wrapping his bones one at a time.

There was no sense of time as Jack lost himself in his work. Of course being there was no sun in a pocket dimension, just blinding white light everywhere, it didn't come as to much of a surprise to him. What did come as a surprise however was to find a smiling Fang standing over him after he finished tying the last bandage.

"Jeeze bloody hell Fang! Stop doing that!" Jack jumped three feet high in surprise. Which was actually rather impressive considering he was himself only three feet tall.

"Ah working on your cardio, mon! Good, good, tho your posture is still rather sloppy. If you tighten your femurs and straighten your spine by about half a degree you should be able to adjust your jump height by nearly double, mon." Fang noted in admonishment as Jack stood there slack jawed. The last bit was rather comical actually as it left his jaw hanging by only a single joint.

"Forget it, Fang." Jack sighed as he put his jaw back in place.

"Always do, mon. On account of having no brain and all." Fang chuckled at his own joke, much to Jacks continued annoyance at his puns. "Well mon, seems you finished your work."

"Oh no." Jack cringed at Fang's tone and Fang smiled again creating an even more terrifying environment. "This is a hostile work environment! I want to speak to HR!" Jack yelled as he attempted to avoid Fang's sudden attack.

"Ah good jump lad, I see you took my advice to heart. Now lets try this again, mon." Without further ado their training session tilted full force. After Fang was sufficiently pleased with Jacks progress on his jumps another terrifying skeleton grin spread across his face. Jack barely had time to switch tactics as Fang's bone sword swung through where he had been moments earlier.

"Eh? Where you go mon?" Fang glanced around swiftly in search of of the skeletal goblin. "Ah, so that's what those bandages were for. Impressive. But that won't work on more skilled foes for long." Fang's eyes widened as they flashed with a black flame. Suddenly the very air parted like fog revealing the surprised goblin to Fang's grinning gaze.

"Sh*t!" Jack cursed as Fang activated a sword skill piercing him multiple times scattering his bones like I game of jacks.

"Impressive progress, mon." Fang smiled as he leaned on his sword looking down at Jack's disembodied skull. "Now I know you're feeling down about your loss, but pull yourself together. We aren't done training yet."

Jack growled as he began using the residual necrotic energy to pull his parts back together. Energy flowed over the bones like water. Where normally it seemed a small trickle today however it seemed like a flood. Jack focused as his bones reconnected studying each connection carefully. Slowly a puzzle seemed to fit together as each part connected. He could visualize how every joint fit, where the weak points were at, where the tendons should have been, where the muscles would push and pull each bone.

[A New Evolution Line is Available]

[Do You Wish to Continue]

"Yes!" Jack called out with excitement. Whatever he had been up til now, however much he had suffered, it all meant nothing. His actions had finally led to him getting stronger!

[Evolution Initiated]

Suddenly the bandages seemed to take on a life of their own forming makeshift tendons connecting each bone and strengthening their connection beyond what simple magic could do. The tears and cuts reformed as the bandages constricted around his bones strengthening them exponentially. As he reformed he tested the movement of his joints. They seemed faster, more nimble and sturdier. His grin widened as the last finger attached and the excess bandage wrapped about his arms.

[Evolution Complete]

"Impressive mon. What are ye now mon?" Fang had seen many evolution's when he had served with his first master. None however had been as unique or flashy as what had just happened before his eyes.

"Hmm let me check." Jack pulled up his system interface with a giant skeletal grin to check.

Name: Pet (Jack)

Type: Undead

Sub-Type: Skeleton

Species: Goblin

Title: Raggedy Goblin Skeleton

Class: NA

Grade: Half Trash

Skills: Jerry-rigged, Inspect

His smile turned to a frown as he read the newest line. The hell is this, raggedy Anne and Andy? He was slightly irritated at first until he got to his new grade, and his anger with the system flared.

"Oh F..."

[Summoning]

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