Chương 45: Fodder and Fire

Recap: You rested and regenerated stamina. You're at the Bone Weaver's door. The skeletons are hesitating at the threshold. You voted to SEND SKELETONS (MINIONS). They were Level 3 skeletons. The Bone Weaver was Level 5. This wasn't a fight; it was a slaughter. But I needed data. I needed to see how the Boss attacked before I committed my own wooden hide. I focused on the Core Authority pulsing in my mind. It felt like a leash. I just had to yank it.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Core Authority (Command) Cost: 2 MP Current MP: 3/14 Target: 2 Skeleton Warriors Effect: Forced Movement (Against Will) The skeletons shuddered. Their green eye-flames flickered violently. The Boss's aura was pushing them back like a strong wind, but my command was a gust behind them. Go, I thought. They clattered forward. Into the chamber. The Bone Weaver waited in the center. It wasn't a skeleton. It was a construct.

A towering mass of fused bones, stitched together with sinew and dark magic. It held a staff made from a spinal column. It wore robes woven from grave cloth. It didn't speak. It raised its staff. Flash. A wave of necrotic energy swept the room. The two skeletons didn't even scream. They just… unraveled. Their bones separated, turned to dust, and blew away in the magical wind.

SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Intel Gained: Boss Attack Pattern (AoE Necrotic Blast) Range: 20 ft Damage: Instant Kill (Level 3 Mobs) Cooldown: 10 Seconds Okay, I thought. Don't stand in the glow. Torin saw the dust settle. He paled.

"That… that was instantaneous."

"Shield!" Kara yelled. She slammed her staff down. A barrier of light shimmered around the party.

"That was death magic. Physical armor won't stop it." This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Good thing I'm wood, I thought. And iron. The Bone Weaver turned its skull-face toward us. The green fire in its eyes intensified. It pointed the spinal staff at me.

"Fragment… Thief… Return… It…" It knew. It wanted the Sub-Core piece in my stomach. It raised the staff again. The necrotic energy began to build. Now! SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Skill Used: Slam Attack Cost: 5 Stamina Current SP: 19/24 Effect: Launch Body + Interrupt I didn't wait for the party. I launched myself. Not at the Boss. At the staff. I was a 120-pound projectile. The Weaver didn't expect furniture to fly. CRACK. I hit the spinal staff mid-swing. The bone snapped.

The necrotic energy fizzled out, dispersing harmlessly into the ceiling. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Dealt: 2 HP (Weapon Durability) Effect: Boss Skill Interrupted XP Gained: 5 XP (Assist) Current XP: 140/210 I bounced off the staff and landed hard. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Damage Taken: 1 HP (Impact) Current HP: 12/19"Now!" Torin roared. He charged. Kara loosed a bolt of pure light. Renn fired an arrow. The Weaver shrieked. It was wounded, but not defeated. It dropped the broken staff. It raised its hands.

The bones on the floor began to rattle. SYSTEM NOTIFICATION Boss Mechanic: Bone Rise Effect: Summoning Minions (Level 2 Skeletons) Count: 5 Five new skeletons erupted from the floor around the Weaver. They were smaller, faster. They surrounded us. Torin engaged two. Kara blasted one. Renn was overwhelmed by another. I was in the center. The Weaver was looking at me. It wasn't summoning minions to kill the party. It was walking toward me.

"Give… It…" It reached for my lid. Its hands were clawed bone. Sharp. Magic-infused. If it touched me, it might rip the Core Fragment out. Or rip me out. I had 19 SP. 3 MP. 12 HP. I could Bite (2 SP). I could Taunt (3 MP). I could Regurgitate (1 SP). The party was busy with the minions. I was alone with the Boss. Current Stats (Level 3 - Ironband Mimic): HP: 12/19 (Impact damage) Mana: 3/14 (Core Authority cost) Stamina: 19/24 (Slam cost) Inventory: 2 Pebbles, Metal Items (Fused). Mage Staff (Loot).

Status: Core Touched, Boss Engaged, Party Busy. What do you do? A) BITE THE HAND (DUEL) Wait for it to reach. Bite its claw. Drag it into your stomach. Digest the boss piece by piece. (Cost: 2 SP. Gain: Damage, HP Regen. Risk: Close Combat, Magic Counter.) B) TAUNT THE MINIONS (CONTROL) Use Taunt to pull the skeletons away from the party. Let Torin focus on the Boss while you handle adds. (Cost: 3 MP. Gain: Party Safety. Risk: Boss focuses on you exclusively.) C) REGURGITATE MAGE STAFF (WEAPON) Spit the looted Mage Staff at the Boss. It's magical wood. Might disrupt its magic. (Cost: 1 SP. Gain: Distraction, Damage. Risk: Lose Loot.) D) ABSORB THE FRAGMENT (POWER) Focus inward. Force the Sub-Core Fragment to fuse deeper. Unlock a temporary buff. Risk permanent lock. (Cost: 5 MP (Overdraw). Gain: Core Burst (Magic Shield). Risk: MP Negative, System Strain.) VOTING CLOSES IN 24 HOURS. Reply with A, B, C, or D. Most votes wins.

[Author Note] Thanks for voting on Chapter 44! Option C (Send Skeletons) worked as intel gathering! You interrupted the Boss's big attack with a Slam, but now it's summoning minions and focusing on YOU!