Skeletal Warrior

"Hey, Arthur…" Alex began, looking at the dutifully bowed head of her Skeleton Dragon. "Yes, my master?" Arthur rumbled. Alex hesitated, then said sheepishly, "Nothing, just… your spine is kinda… pointy."

Arthur had flown Alex back to the mountain of Giant Crab Spider corpses, a good half-mile from the castle. Alex had envisioned soaring majestically through the air, but the flight was more like… opening a folder labeled "epic adventure" only to find it empty. The letdown was palpable. And Arthur, being a skeleton, didn't exactly offer a plush ride. Her bony spine was decidedly uncomfortable. But Alex couldn't really complain. It wasn't Arthur's fault she was made of bones.

"Oh well," Alex sighed, positioning Arthur and John as her bodyguards. She approached the room-sized carcass of a Giant Crab Spider and cast Necromantic Summoning.

A black, swirling rune appeared above the corpse. A pale, bony hand reached out, followed by a full skeletal figure. Alex had learned by now that Necromantic Summoning always produced humanoid skeletons, regardless of the source. All her hundreds of skeletons looked the same: six-foot-tall, bone-white humanoids.

Of course, there were differences. Like this one…

[Skeletal Warrior]

[Race: Undead]

[Loyalty: 100 (Will never betray)]

[Life Hierarchy Rank: Elite]

[Level: Lv10 (Cannot level up)]

[HP: ∞ (Undead characteristic: Soul fire inextinguishable, therefore immortal)]

[MP: 30]

[Strength: 20]

[Endurance: 20]

[Spirit: 20]

[Skill: Bone Hardening]

Bone Hardening: Hardens bones locally or across the entire body, significantly increasing defense and attack. (Mana cost increases with the amount of bone hardened, minimum 2 MP.)

[Equipment: None]

As always, the summoned skeleton inherited the original creature's level and rank. This Giant Crab Spider had been a Level 10 Elite, so the resulting skeleton was a Level 10 Elite Skeletal Warrior. Double the stats of a normal skeleton!

And… "An Elite skeleton with a skill!" None of Alex's other skeletons had skills. This was a first. "So this is the Elite perk," she mused. "I wonder what Commander, Lord, King, and… God-rank skeletons are like." Her mind raced with possibilities.

"Master," the new skeleton said, approaching Alex and kneeling gracefully. "Allow your loyal servant to offer greetings."

Elite indeed! Normal skeletons just flopped at her feet. This one had class.

"You're my first Elite skeleton," Alex declared. "I shall name you… Mike."

Mike placed a bony hand on his ribcage and bowed. "Thank you for the name, Master."

"You will command my Skeleton First Squad."

"As you command, Master."

And so, the captain of the Skeleton First Squad was replaced. Again. Alex couldn't help it. Her underlings were evolving too fast.

Alex checked her mana.

[Mana: 118/120 (Regenerates 1 point per minute)]

Two hours of charging, 120 mana, 2 spent on summoning Mike, 118 remaining. 59 more Necromantic Summonings. And she had way more than 59 spider corpses. She could have had her castle automatically process the corpses, but that would have wasted valuable summoning material.

[Necromantic Summoning!]

[Necromantic Summoning!]

[Necromantic Summoning!]

[…]

…

59 times! 59 black runes, 59 bony hands reaching out, 59 Level 10 Elite Skeletal Warriors, each with the Bone Hardening skill. Plus Mike, that made 60! Her forces had more than doubled in power! These 60 new recruits could crush all her previous skeletons combined! (Excluding the dragons, of course.)

"The key to a powerful army is… fighting!" Alex realized, a surge of ambition coursing through her. *The more high-level monsters I kill, the stronger my army becomes!* This was the Undead way! She jotted it down in her little notebook.

With the new additions, Alex now commanded 457 Skeletal Warriors. Almost 500! On day two! Most lords barely had 60. She was leagues ahead. This was the Undead advantage.

*It's so… satisfying!* she thought. Corpses equal power. This kind of exponential growth was intoxicating.

Looking at her new Elite squad, Alex raised a hand, feeling a rush of power.

"Let's go cook some meat!"