Chapter 210 Implant

While Jay realised he could craft a rudimentary mind for each of his skeletons, for the current situation it could turn out bad. Immediately he thought to choose Blue – however, there was a beast hunting him, and when a skeleton gained a fresh mind it seemed like it needed time to learn how to fight again.

If all of them gained minds right now, he would be like a sitting duck.

Once they gained a mind they lost part of their connection to Jay and couldn’t copy his, albeit primitive, fighting techniques.

Mentally, they were more like new babies rauther than clones of Jay’s mind.

Red and Blue were both level four and currently needed for protection, while Lamp and Sweeper were confronting the beast, so naturally, Jay chose the next in line: Dark.

He was happy with the choice anyway, as he thought the idea of an assassin skeleton was too cool to pass up; he would do whatever he could to advance this particular skeleton and make it stronger.

Dark was currently on fruit-picking duty.

The skeletons clipping away the red desert fruits using the decapitated lizard heads were a little past the half-way point now, and Jay was fine with bringing Dark back for the upgrade.

Dark scrambled back across the desert, kicking up sand as it sprinted towards its master through the mushroms and all their hanging tendrils. It dropped the lizard head and its other dagger on the ground, then stood before Jay and kneeled, following Jay’s commandments precisely.

Jay was sitting down on his throne this time, with his arms resting on the throne as he began the process.

The bright glow of the green mana returned, and from a distance he would have looked like lich lord blessing his skeleton with some kind of power while sitting in his throne.

“I’ll need to meditate after this” Jay thought, as each time it costed him twenty-five mana.

The process went much more smoothly this time, and Jay was glad he didn’t have to hold his arms up. He felt the energy leaving his body too, but it would recover in due time. Besides, he didn’t need to worry about energy since he was carried around on his throne.

Finally, the spell finished.

[A new mind is formed.]

Similar to last time, the skeleton raised its head and looked deeply into Jay’s eyes. It was like it was imprinting on him, remembering its masters face.

Jay gave it a moment, and shortly after the rapid eye movement started again. Jay patiently waited, and finally it stopped.

“Seemed to take a while longer that time. Perhaps because it’s level two?” he thought with a shrug.

“Dark. Welcome to the world.” Jay smiled.

Dark lowered its head again as if in submission to a king, accepting its name.

“Your weapons. Two daggers.” Jay pointed.

Dark slowly stood up and grabbed its weapons.

Heavy was still practicing its swings, slashes, and blocks, but couldn’t help but turn to curiously watch the entire process. Jay could tell it was trying to be sneaky, but he didn’t mind.

Dark, just like Heavy, began slashing its weapons. At first it only used one dagger in its right hand, but began to alternate more after Jay told it to use both weapons.

Unfortunately, Jay didn’t know any combat abilities, fighting style, or combination-attacks which could help Dark. The skeleton would have to figure it out on its own.

Having a melee class would give him a range of standard melee abilities, along with making it simple to learn new melee-skills, but for now all he could do was guess.

As far as Jay could tell, the skeletons didn’t have melee classes either – despite using melee weapons. Sure, they did have roles when they reached level five, which Jay guessed were like classes, but until they got there, he would just have to wait and see.

“I suppose if I learn a skill I could teach them… I would need to find someone to learn it from first though…”

“But I would need to… oh what am I thinking, if I found someone they would probably report me or kill me.”

“I guess the only option would be to capture someone?” he shrugged, “the world has left me with no choice.” his lips slightly curled, as if he would even enjoy it.

Jay watched the two skeletons practicing for a moment and made sure everything was in order before he began meditating to recover his mana.

– – –

~Third Academy, Mirror Reality #34~

Contrary to her normal behaviour, Sylvia was smiling.

“Are you sure you want me to do this?” Sylvia gave Norgrim an evil smile, she almost seemed excited about what she was about to do. She asked the question as if it wasn’t a question at all.

“Yes. His only other option is death – he would cause too much trouble alive.”

“It will hurt him a lot…” Sylvia added.

“Mhm… I realize that.” he nodded, “at least try to not look like you’re enjoying it…” Norgrim paused for a moment, then slightly leant forward and whispered, “…you do realize you’re smiling? I have never seen you smile.” he looked concerned.

“I’m just…” she looked awkwardly around the room, “…excited about today. For unrelated reasons.” Sylvia said, before she quickly left the room and rushed off somewhere.

Norgrim exhaled deeply and shook his head, “…my students are weirdos.” he thought, before tending to his desk plant.

A few moments later, and someone else was at the door.

*Knock, knock*

“Come in – oh, William. Thanks for coming.”

“That’s ok.” he shrugged with a placid stare, seeming a little downcast today.

“William, I need you to find Jay… again.” Norgrim smiled, “you found him before so it shouldn’t be too hard to do it again, right?”

“Uh. oh… Yeah, sure. I mean – no promises, but I can try.” he nodded thoughtfully.

“Well good!” Norgrim rubbed his hands together happily, trying to lift the mood a bit.

“Any other news?” he asked.

“Uh… there’s thousands of mage hunters moving to Losla… thousands… tens of thousands…” William said, sounding bleak and empty.

“I… I see…” Norgrim pursed his lips, “Well, if you can find him, we can save him.” he nodded with an unconvincing smile.

“I’ll try.” William frowned.

“Let me know if there’s anything you need – anything. We must save Jay.”

“Thanks… I’ll try… Can I go now?” he said, still quite downcast.

Norgrim gestured to the door and smiled with a nod; he watched him leave and close the door.

“Weird… Sylvia and William both seem like they’ve body swapped.” he shook his head and leaned back in his char, “probably just a coincidence and not one of the students powers.”

–

A young woman walked into Matheson’s room, despite being twenty she still looked like a teenager.

Matheson creased his brows in both anger and confusion, and glared at her, wondering why she was here at all.

Truth be told, he expected a toothless tobacco-chewing fifty-year old gruffy man to walk in with a bag of creatively dangerous tools, all bent and twisted in different shapes and sizes.

“Hello, I’m Sylvia.” she smiled.

Matheson didn’t say anything. There was something off about her smile, and something in her which made him feel threatened – despite her short stature.

Still smiling, she cleared her throat, “I’ll make it short. I’m going to put a parasite into you,” she said in a voice which was way too happy, as she held something up to show him.

In her fingers was a wriggling black worm which had three sets of insect-like legs at either end of its body, along with some translucent fins running along its back.

Mathesons eyes widened, “No you fucking won’t.” he immediately flexed his muscles, using the fear to drive him to push harder against the cocoon.

He kept looking at the wriggling worm in her fingers; a tiny mouth lined with teeth let out a tongue which seemed to start tasting the air. She smiled slyly as she brought it closer.

“NO. YOU. FUCKING. WON’T!” he spat, hoping to knock the worm out of her hands.

Matheson then flexed as hard as he could, and to his surprise there was a snapping noise – well, more of a popping noise, followed by pain.

“GRAH! Get that FUCKING thing away from me!” he angrily screamed after his shoulder was dislocated.

Next, he leant forward, trying his most desperate tactic: biting the worm out of her fingers and hopefully destroying it with his teeth.

Of course, he failed. Nothing was ever that easy.

“Sorry, this might hurt a bit.” she pouted for a moment pretending to be sympathetic, but in no time another smile formed on her face as she proceeded with her experiment.

She walked behind Matheson and pushed his head forward and slamming it against the desk; she was much stronger than him as a third year student.

He was still shifting around as much as he could in a coccoon of unbreakable silk, but Sylvia didn’t mind – she just needed access to some bare flesh near the back of his neck.

Even Matheson’s toe would do, but the closer she got the parasite to the base of Matheson’s skull, the less painful it would be for him. It was like a sort of mercy, in a dark kind of way.

The parasites tongue kissed his flesh and then latched on, pulling its jaws closer, and soon it began to dig through his flesh.

For the next hour, all Matheson could do was scream in pain. He screamed till he passed out, wake up, then screamed some more.

By the end of it, he looked lifelessly at the table in front of him, his eyes bloodshot and drool dripping from his mouth while he shallowly breathed.

Unknown to his captors, something changed in Matheson’s mind, it was as if a switch had been flicked.

He realized he was trapped again. First by his father, then himself, and now here.

Finally, a trap he had no way of escaping: the parasite.

Weakness had led him to where he was now, and he realized that plainly. The truth was that simple.

Matheson was weak and had to die, and during the torturous worm eating towards his skull, it happened. He didn’t even cry out, saying he was a noble. He said nothing about his father or any nobility. He didn’t even bargain.

He simply fought defiantly, relying on himself to the bitter end.

Matheson was finally, figuratively, dead – reborn again. He was now nameless, and ready to start life anew. It was necessary; Matheson was too weak…

And in this painful stupor, the worm finally disabled his body and gave him some relief – under the command of Sylvia of course.

“I’ll give you control of your body after I do some tests.” Sylvia smiled and got to work, funneling some more varieties parasites into his body. Diagnostic bugs.

Matheson ignored her. He couldn’t feel anything, but neither did he care. As long as he was paralyzed, he was now even a prisoner in his own body.

However, the lack of sensation let him feel something else…

Something familiar, but new.

It was power in its raw form.

It was gentle.

It was mana.