A punching bag, more like a bag of bones

John seeing those skeletons walking towards him he couldn't help to stay still, while panicking, he remembered getting ganged up so many times by those jerks that have bullied him for far too many times to count. Back then he was already convinced that this fate had been sealed, to just being just that, the bullied boy. 'Not like I really believe in such kind of ideology but it just right back, acceptance was just the only way to cope with it, but... Now isn't the time to think about that.'

Despite his panic, he was still observant and noticed that despite those tall looking skeleton being quite big, their speed was really small but nothing is stopping them to get toward him. A few of his favorite games were almost impossible to win, the monster were too strong and dying was very common in them. But the game mechanics gave opportunity to long and medium range players if their movement speed is faster than their opponents, gaining little to no damage. This tactic is called kiting, it seems like the best option right now. 'I know I am no longer alone, I got someone to have my back' while he looked at Skelly.

"Skelly hit those skeletons, try avoid getting critically damaged though, try to slow them down as much as you can if you can't do it pull back! I don't want you sacrificing yourself to me"

John quickly opened his window and accessed his spatial pouch and gets his staff.

He went back to look at his skills and remembered his only attack skill:

Eldritch Flame (Rank F - Stage 1/10): flame which flickers dark-green, black and grey, it is able to burn hot, corrode and freeze randomly with proper training. (Control spell)

The skill description is very vague to my own disadvantage, 'I guess the only way to experiment this is by actually using it, as to what it does we will see then.' He activated the skill, with his staff various motes of different colors started gathering at the tip of his, some were green, some were red and blue and most were black until a small grey wisp was happily dancing and floating at the tip of his staff, he was amazed by this, but he was trying to control it to no avail.

'This was a bad a idea', he had no idea what to do with this flame, he have no experience. 'Can I throw the flame like fireball', he swung his staff but nothing happened. For this skill experience is key! something he doesn't have. He remembered that to win against an opponent you need to at least be three times stronger than them to have no casualties, and he was nowhere close to that!'

Skelly was busy minding his own business fighting and had finally destroyed his first skeleton and some dark motes started surrounding him and were quickly absorbed into his bones. He started walking back since the skeleton were quite close and they would have ganged up on him if he didn't start walking back to me, he was already slightly wounded nothing serious, a few cracks here and there.

'Well I can't let Skelly do my work for me, can I? He follows orders pretty nicely though' John was smiling, he was very satisfied with Skelly's performance. He started running forward with his staff, the flame still on the tip of staff was feeling more natural as he was running toward the skeletons. John hit the skeleton with the tip of his staff and the flame accidentally bursted and I lost all connection with the flame and felt slightly drained.

The grayish flame started to turn green and started to corrode the skull and other parts of the skeleton slowly, I didn't expect that to happen at all, with the momentum the burst started moving forward hitting two other skeleton beside him, hitting one on an arm on his right and hitting the other one on his left side on the legs and part of his rib cage. He started running away from them, watching their bones slowly corrode. Conveniently the flame killed one skeleton, immobilize and disabled another two opponents, leaving one skeleton slowly crawling on the floor, while the other two skeleton keep marching forward.

"Skelly take care of the one in the right, he is already weakened you should be able to finish him for me, while I take care of this one" Skelly started engaging with his target while I lunge to hit the other skeleton with my staff, what surprised was that this skeleton was tougher, the bones looked slightly darker and his eyes had a deeper tone than the previous combatants. I guess I just underestimated my opponent moved slight missing by narrow margin and the skeleton lunged forward, and got punched by the skeleton. "Shit!" he got hit on his abdomen and was pushed back, he felt like he was hit car and lost his breath momentarily.

Skelly had quickly destroyed his opponent with no problems, his enemy had only one armed, he pushed his enemy and make him fall to the floor and savagely destroyed his armed. The skeleton couldn't do anything and was quickly dealt thereafter and the motes appeared were quickly absorbed in his body. He saw his master laying on the floor trying to catch his breath, while his opponent started to move toward his master opponent, his main objective is to keep his master alive at all cost!

John was trying to catch his breath and was slowly crawling away from his opponent out of fear of losing his life! He wasn't thinking straight at the moment, he was just trying preserve his existence in this world. Suddenly, Skelly lunged toward the skeleton and hit the skeleton on the rig cage, destroying a few rib bones of his body, catching his attention and the skeleton was enraged and started focusing on Skelly. Despite Skelly's intention to help he had actually turned in to punching bag. His previous skirmishes had turned into a disadvantage.

John had finally stabilize and was breathing normally again, but his abdomen still hurts really badly and tried to get up his staff, seeing Skelly struggling and getting beat up, he was considering fleeing, but he couldn't bring himself to leave Skelly behind that way. He once again summoned his flame and he only focused on the flame. What was happening with Skelly and his opponent was non-important in the moment, and he lunged forward with the little strength he had. The flame turned black, and he hit the skeleton in the head with the staff. John was expecting that his flame would burst and his problem would dealt with, but such a thing didn't happen! "I screwed up!" John exclaimed with great disappointed.

Suddenly the flame started to combust, spreading quickly throughout the skeleton's skull as soon as it fell of his staff and unto the skeleton's body. He once again started to feel sapped and got a mild headache, without noticing what was going on, but walked away from the skeleton and walked toward Skelly who was kneeling and wounded, but the skeleton still followed a couple of steps until it completely halted.

The skeleton body had stopped moving, which brought great joy to John!