Tower Defense Part One

The shot zipped through the air at breakneck speeds before hitting the Bone Abominations' left arm tendril joint. However, the Bone Abomination didn't react much as it continued attempting to free itself from a wooden pole on the ground.

'Let's see if hitting the same needle again with more will cut off its tendril.' Hendrix thought while gazing at the Bone Abomination and narrowing his eyes. He grabbed another needle from one of the straps and pulled it back, aiming it at his earlier shot.

The Bone Abomination remained oblivious to Hendrix's intentions, focusing only on freeing itself. However, this changed when the needle flew through the air and hit the old one directly. Pushing the first one through the joint and amputating the left arm tendril while the second needle stayed embedded in the wound, preventing any recovery.

The Bone Abomination turned its head towards Hendrix and faced him for a minute. Before, it continued trying to free itself from the wooden pole, seemingly not caring about the attack, or perhaps it decided to do something about what it could, removing the pole.

'Turn on all damage notifications. I need to know how much damage I'm doing.' Hendrix thought before pulling back a third needle, aiming it at the right arm tendrils connecting joint.

[Acknowledged]

Hendrix shot the needle, and it flew into its target perfectly. Subsequently, it got stuck in the joint flesh.

[You have dealt one damage to the Bone abomination.]

'How much health do they have, Guide?' Hendrix thought before grabbing another needle from his straps and pulling it back with one hand while aiming at the same spot. His eyes narrowed once more. However, his facial expression remained hidden beneath his visor.

[I'm not allowed to tell you, Hendrix.]

{Hendrix, are you alright?}

'I am so far. It's fun to fight like this. Especially when I'm not injured or exhausted.' Hendrix thought before firing the fourth needle and amputating the right arm tendril.

[You have amputated its arm and dealt three damage]

{I'm glad you found something else you enjoy. May I know all you enjoy?}

'I enjoy battling, exploring, Inventing, eating delicious food, and being held by you. I don't think I enjoy much else.' Hendrix thought before stepping to the side twice and grabbing another needle, and drawing it back.

{Im happy you found multiple things you enjoy Hendrix. It ails me when you are sad or lifeless.}

'Well, I'm still lifeless most of the time. I rarely have other emotions since my hope left when I received my curses. I just put up a facade so people think I'm normal and nothing is wrong with me.' Hendrix thought, aiming the fifth needle at the Bone Abomination's right leg tendril, impaled in the wooden pole.

{I'm so sorry, Hendrix. If I could, I'd bring you into my realm and protect and comfort you forever.}

'Well, in a way, you might comfort me forever since both of us can't die permanently due to my Immortality. I mean, I spend seven times more time in your realm than in the real world.' Hendrix genuinely smiled before firing the needle into the right leg tendril joint.

{Hendrix, next time I see you in my realm, I must tell you something. I think you're going to like it}

'Heh, alright, I can't wait to hear it.' Hendrix thought, grabbing his sixth needle and drawing it back before firing it at the same spot as the fifth.

Hendrix's shot amputated the right leg tendril, and the Bone Abomination began slowly crawling towards him, using its three face tendrils to clamber towards him at a snail's pace.

'Guide, do I get any reward from killing any individual Bone Abomination? And if so, how much will it help my final score?' Hendrix thought before grabbing and drawing his seventh needle, but not aiming at any Bone Abomination, awaiting Guide's verdict.

[You gain a single point from killing one of them.]

Hendrix began widely smiling as he aimed at the left tendril leg and fired at it, quickly following up with another needle and shooting it after the first.

Both needles hit their targets, amputating the last limb tendril. Afterward, The bone abomination sat still, knowing it couldn't fight back meaningfully.

'Eh? Does it have intelligence? That's not normal.' Hendrix thought as his eyes widened while raising his brows before he turned his gaze beyond the trench towards the wall of bones.

The Wall of Bones began shifting slightly as one of the hundred openings extended outward while widening exponentially. Immediately afterward, another bone ball shot out of it, and once it landed, another bone abomination emerged and shuffled toward Hendrix's fortifications.

'Guide, does the Wall of Bones shoot out a bone abomination every time I completely disable one?' Hendrix thought before holding his visor with his glove and leaning against the wall.

[Yes, it does, Hendrix]

'Alright, I think I have an idea on how to get as many points as possible and to minimize the risk I must face.' Hendrix thought before he got back up and stood tall before aiming at another Bone Abomination.

Hendrix first spent two days mostly disabling all the Bone Abominations. Additionally, he left their two arm tendrils on as a precaution, so he won't have to face more than he could reasonably fight at once. However, he amputated one of their limb tendrils completely, resulting in another Bone Abomination shot out.

After he finished this, he amputated one of the Bone Abominations limb tendrils completely before waiting for another to spawn. He'd continue this for millennia, only stopping to sleep, eat, and other necessities, not caring about how much time passed, and using up most of the needles he had, along with his other supplies.

'The canyon floor is covered with bone abominations. Now I need to light them all on fire. But first, how do I destroy the bone wall, Guide?' Hendrix thought while sitting down, looking out and seeing limbless bone abominations writhing on the ground outside.

[...]

'Guide?'

[I don't know how you can do all this for so long without quitting.]

'Well, I am Immortal. Why should time matter to me? Even if it takes so long to get a good score, I'm willing to do it. As long as it puts me at no risk of my secrets leaking to humanity or any other Sentient civilizations.'

[I see. Well, you impressed Oculus again. It thinks you are a perfect match for the time law of equal exchange.]

'Wait, the time law? What's the law of equal exchange?' Hendrix thought, having an idea but wanted clarification.

[I can't tell you what it is, as Oculus wants you to figure it out.]

'Alright, can you tell me how I can destroy or kill the bone wall?'

[Shoot a needle into all the holes the bone abominations come from. It usually would be difficult, but you found a loophole to lower the difficulty to barely a threat to you.]

'Alright, I'll do so.'

Hendrix walked out of the fortification, and once he was right in front of the bone wall, he began practicing his shot. Sadly each hole was barely larger than a needle he fired. Afterward, he spent a millennium practicing shooting from afar and into such small spaces and honing his skills through repetition and trial and error. Eventually, he succeeded in shooting ninety-nine of the holes.

--------------

'Just one more to do, but first, I want to challenge myself.' Hendrix thought before he grabbed a piece of wood and two rocks before he walked to one. Afterward, he tried making a spark. Once he did, it spread to the Bone Abomination and eventually to all of them as they all began burning in their skeletons and exoskeletons.

Hendrix then began trying to shoot the last hole before they finished burning. However, they finished sooner than he expected.

[You have killed 100,000 Bone Abominations]

[You can't earn XP in the combat assessment and can't until you reach a city in the crown world]

[Their deaths added to your final score]

[Oculus is altering the combat assessment]

Right after the notifications appeared, a hundred thousand new Bone Abominations formed above the ashes of the old. Afterward, they all sprinted toward Hendrix.

"What the heck!? Why Oculus?!" Hendrix yelled, freezing up and shivering, before hurriedly trying to shoot the last hole in the bone wall. However, he kept failing for one reason or another.

The armada of Bone Abominations quickly approached, desiring to tear Hendrix apart. Their tendrils all moved in a myriad of directions as they ran.

Hendrix hurriedly tried avoiding the horde while shooting. However, once the horde was a hundred feet from him, they stopped. While a needle he had just fired entered the hole.

The Bone Abominations all disintegrated before turning dust, as they and the ashes were all blown away by a gush of wind.

'Why, why...'

[Congratulations on beating the first wave. You have two remaining.]

[Your supplies are all restored.]

[Your wounds are all healed]

[The second rounds rules have changed]