Chapter 104: Crafting

“At least you have enough corpses now,” Jessica says.

Quasi slowly nods. He had been a bit too excited about playing with bones again and being able to use a huge portion of his skills that he had been unable to properly make use of for some time. Granted, fixing Joker was his first idea, and the teeth would have sufficed since necromancy considers them as bones.

But…

“It’s a monster feeding frenzy.”

Initially, everything was going well. Teeth were being removed and Quasi had almost enough to fix Joker. But, he did not take into account how much blood was coming from the destroyed teeth, nor how much attention it would attract.

The [Hero] scratches the back of his head, staring at the now crimson sea, watching as Leviathans the size of dreadnaughts murder each other in the hundreds.

It’s been going on for hours on end

“So, commander…” Darrow starts, taking a bite out of some cooked fish. The Gejan doesn't even avoid the bone, he just rips into it like a piece of soft flesh. He swallows, possibly not even chewing it that much.

“How are we going to traverse the sea? Are we going to ride on one of those things?” he points towards the battling monstrosities.

Quasi shrugs. “I do have an idea, but I'm still working on the design. It's taking a while… Well, maybe.”

Quasi squints, staring at an option for one of his possible creations.

[Skeletal Creation: Bone Sky Dragon]- 3700 Mana.

The mana cost is rather high, but I do have the mana and even the bone needed to summon it. Considering it has the word sky in it, then I am hoping it will be able to fly, but I personally doubt it, considering I’ll be using nothing but bone.

“Actually, you know what?” Quasi stands up and looks at the corpses floating over the water. The crystal light source in the sky is subdued, but it gives enough light that his natural night vision can see what floats over the water.

Watching him stand up, the rest of the group begins to get ready, but stops as Quasi raises his hand.

“It's fine. I’m just going to try a spell. We can't do much of anything right now, so why not?” he says as he begins moving towards the water.

The other watch, unsure, but trusting.

_____________________________________

The [Necromancer] quickly makes his way near to the water, his senses telling him that there are a plethora of corpses floating above and slightly beneath the water. Corpses of monsters with levels ranging from one hundred to two hundred litter the sea.

He sighs and calls upon his mana as he raises his hand.

“[Skeletal Creation: Bone Sky Dragon]”

Mana siphons from his body, filling the air with a purple hue, flowing outwards like a fog. Bones in the distance vibrate as the magic reaches them. The bones disintegrate within the corpses, and the bone dust flows out of the corpses, covering the sky as they quickly converge towards the foggy mana. As they reach it, the bones condense as complicated geometric formations guide it into place. Quasi attempts to look into those formations, but quickly gives up due to the sheer number and complexity.

Instead, he focuses on keeping his mana steady, allowing the spell to go through. Due to the size of the creature he is creating and the distance that the corpses are, the whole process takes a good ten minutes and far more than 3700 mana. The reasoning is unclear, but Quasi would guess that 3700 is the minimal cost of the spell in perfect and ideal conditions.

Regardless, a dragon of bone stands before him with an impressive wingspan, the size of a small airliner. In its skull glows a dark and powerful purple light as it waits for its master’s order.

“Damn.” Quasi says after a moment, looking at its wings and finding them incapable of flight. The wings should normally be covered by some type of light membrane, but the undead is clearly lacking it.

“[Advanced Analyse]”

Undead Bone Sky Dragon. Level 198

Sky Dragon’s are one of the few true leaders of the sky. Intelligent and powerful, they are able to fly for years without ever needing to touch the ground. Their large and powerful wings allow for easy flight while their mastery of wind magic is potent enough to both create and destroy storms. It is this magic that had made even swarms of wyverns avoid such creatures.

This Undead is under the control of Quasi Eludo.

“That's… amazing. I didn't know you could make something like that.” Aldonis gawks at the creation. Never before had he seen anything similar. Even Orlan can't help but stare amazed.

Of course, the others in the group, though impressed, are much less so. They have seen the commander use such amazing magic, though they have yet to see anything in such an impressive scope.

Quasi ignores Aldonis and instead walks towards the Dragon. He raises his hand and taps the bone a couple times.

Quasi frowns.

“Ughhh. This will take a lot more work.”

“You want to fly that.” Jessica states, gazing at the thing. Before, she would have been terrified of such dark magic, but now, it kinda looks cute to her.

“Yeah, I think I can make it work, but I need to make sure I get it right. Give me about twenty minutes for my mana to regenerate to full and then I can show you something even more amazing.”

Jessica shakes her head. Her own mana takes a good half a day to recover. That is already considered impressive for a human, but Quasi takes common sense and throws it out the window by lowering the time to only twenty minutes. It is absurd, and the Gejan consider it completely normal in their ignorance.

For the next twenty minutes, the group waits as Quasi walks around his undead, tapping away and having a thorough look about the body. He finally stops and cracks his hands.

“Alright. Stand back, watch, and don't speak. I need to make sure this is absolutely right.”

___________________________________________

I take a moment to look at my mana, finding it full and ready. I crack my knuckles and tilt my neck, massaging the side of it. Aerodynamics is a surprisingly difficult subject to fully comprehend. There are so many slight nuances that need to be accounted for or you risk failure. Any failure now would result in the loss of time and resources, both of which I do not have to spare.

I raise my hand and pull on my mana again, something that practically all casters could never do. The body of a caster stresses as they use mana. The more they use at once, the more it affects them. Exhaustion, confusion, and a slowed regeneration of mana are some of the milder problems. Some major problems can also happen, like death or even a permanent loss in mana or its regeneration.

For me, that does not apply, for some reason. This body is either immune to the effects or just absurdly resistant to them.

“Now then. [Undead Modification].”

It begins. Time slows as my spell activates. My mana exits my body and begins to cover the undead in its entirety like a purple fog. The bones from the corpses in the water turn to dust and begin orbiting my undead, waiting for direction.

Max Modification Allowance: 1 pound per [Necromancer] Level

Current Bone Weight: 198 pounds.

Cost of limited Sentience: 150 pounds.

I look at the screen, annoyed at the cost increase in sentience. Joker and mule only cost thirty, but then again, they were much smaller and also humanoid. They actually had a stat page.

With a force of will, I first begin by removing bone from inside the dragon. The dragon is clearly too heavy to fly under its own weight. Clearly, magic and a huge wingspan was used to circumvent that, but I do not have that choice. Instead, I must turn a fearsome predator of the skies into a bird.

The bone I remove is all inside. Like a bird, I am hollowing out the bones and increasing the density of what is left. Immediately, the weight and durability of the dragon drops by seventy percent. Next, I begin clearing off needless bones that do not help with flight. The head becomes smaller and more aerodynamic while the ribs fuse together and the back gets smoothes out.

Finally, I come to the hardest, most difficult part.

The wings.

With a mental command, the dragon extends its wings to its full wingspan, a truly impressive width. Unfortunately, no leather material is attached to the bones to catch air, but there's a workaround. Bones bend. Normally, bones bend only a little so as to absorb impacts, but what happens when you take such a thing to the extreme? Say, creating a very thin membrane of bone and then compressing it so that it is still durable to withstand a flight stroke? That is the plan and requires all of my concentration.

Even one small miscalculation in creating this artificial membrane would result in a failed flight, and thus possible death by drowning or giant sea monster.

So, for the next hour, I go through the arduous process of filling up both wings until they create a huge shadow over the island.

Finally, I finish and take a look at my new creation.

[Artistic Talent] has been activated. Permanent boost added.

[Unnamed Unique Undead] Level 237

This is a modified [Bone Sky Dragon] created by Quasi Eludo. This undead is currently one of a kind and has been modified extensively.

This undead is capable of true flight.

[Hardened Skeleton]- Skeletal structure is improved.

[Artistic Talent]- [Wind Resistance]

[Enhanced Undead]- [Cyclone Breath]

-This undead is under the control of Quasi Eludo

I begin to chuckle, gazing at my amazing creation. I turn around, wanting to reveal what I had created, and then frown as all I see is Orlan sitting and gazing at me while everyone else is sleeping.

Orlan shrugs when he sees my questioning eyes.

Damn.

I could be a douchebag and wake them up with a draconic roar, but that can wait till morning. I can show it off then. For now, there's a lot of bone in the ocean and I have two undead that need an upgrade.

The first to come to me is Joker. His arms are back to normal, but my poor undead is a far lower level than I want him to be. He is still dangerous, but not nearly enough for the threats to come.

So, I began searching the database for some better class. Something stronger.

Eventually, I stop as my face stops on a class.

[Skeletal Creation: Skeletal Lurker]- 2100 Mana.

The cost is high, which is… good. It means it would be strong. I’m guessing it is also a species change.

With my mana filled, I point my hand towards Joker.

“[Create Undead]”

It begins as I force the transformation on Joker. Unlike before, the skill does not fight me, instead complying with my will. Joker’s body begins to shift and float out into the air before returning. Bone dust flows from the corpses to fuel the transformation.

It doesn’t take long before the transformation finishes. His body looks more humanoid than before, but still tall and lean. Scythe like protrusions from its body, sharpened to dismember and tear. Though the most notable difference is the two additional scythed appendages protruding from his back.

Without waiting or even checking the status screen, I immediately activate [Undead Modification] and begin enhancing him. More mobility, sharper weapons, and a more streamlined, aerodynamic look. When all is said and done, Joker is bigger, taller, stronger, and absurdly more dangerous.

Joker - [Skeletal Lurker] Level 267

This is a modified [Skeletal Lurker] created by Quasi Eludo. This undead is currently one of a kind and has been modified extensively.

Fourfold Assassinate

Silent Movement

Reactive Dodge

Continuous Parry

Leap Strike

Mana Reaper

Strength

112

Dexterity

221

Stamina

∞

Perception

89

Endurance

52

[Hardened Skeleton]- Endurance Increased by 25%

[Artistic Talent] +20 dexterity.

-This undead is under the control of Quasi Eludo

I smile, turning toward Orlan who is gaping silently at the undead. Joker is now a force that not even Aldonis or Orlan could comfortably take out. Only the difference and diversity of skills they possess would give them an upper-hand. Without their skills, they would stand little chance.

I continue to stare at Joker, his body now looking like a golem of white metal instead of bone. He looks efficient, dangerous, and deadly.

After a minute, I turn to the last undead. I smile at Mule while digging into my coat and finding a bag of powdered crystal.

“Now then. Let’s see how far my skills can take me.”