The Skeleton Appears

"Liiiiizard, where are you?"

How did this happen?

Yes, that's right. I've lost my first child.

I would be a terrible parent. I have no intention of becoming one, but still.

Eugh. This is terrible. I need that kid, you know?

Siiiiighhh.

As much as I've been complaining this whole time, now that he's gone, everything just feels oddly silent.

Damnit, am I getting attached?

That's the last thing I wanted.

I need to find him quickly and speed through the rest of this dungeon.

"Come on lizard, where did you go?"

"Hhhnnnggg..."

What was that? A whimper? I follow the strange sound I heard until I find him.

There he is. Hiding behind a pillar, shaking in fear.

What the heck? I know he got really nervous when we first got in here, but ever since killing that first bug he was back to his happy-go-lucky self.

What prompted this?

And what's that vacant stare in his eyes?

He seems completely paralyzed.

We're in different passageways, but there's a sort of half wall between us at this point of the hall. I look down the other way, and see...

A skeleton?

What, is that it?

That's what you're so scared of?

Siiiiighhh.

Strictly speaking, this is an extremely low level dungeon. The monsters here are all really weak.

The skeleton is a little bit stronger than the beetle he took out earlier, but it's definitely weaker than some of the other stuff we've faced.

The scorpions we faced, for example. They had thick carapaces and extremely venomous stingers. And you didn't even bat an eye!

Actually, I don't think I told him about the venom.

Oops.

But still, a skeleton shouldn't be that big of an issue.

I could probably hop over this half wall, but I'm wearing a mage's robe. I don't really feel like doing that kind of physical activity.

I could also just lob a fireball at the skeleton.

But this is ridiculous! It's just a low-ranking skeleton! Its movements are slow, its attacks are weak. The only thing you have to do is make sure you destroy the skull, otherwise it'll rebuild itself.

I'm not lifting a finger. That kid can handle it by himself.

"LIZARD! Snap out of it!"

My shout seems to have startled him out of whatever daze he was in.

"H-huh? Roxy?"

"Come on, it's just a skeleton. You can take it out, easy."

But as soon as I say "skeleton", his eyes cloud over again. He's back in whatever daze he was in, muttering "I can't I can't I can't" under his breath.

What's his problem? Honestly.

Fine.

I, being the benevolent demonic magician Roxy, will help you out!

Of course, I'm still not lifting a finger. I'm not gonna exert myself that much.

But maybe all he needs is a little... encouragement.

"Hey lizard, the skeleton is gone."

"H-huh?"

He stops shaking a little bit.

"Yup, that's right. It's completely gone."

This is a lie, of course. It's still there, slowly ambling down the hallway.

"But something much much worse is there instead."

"W-whaaa...?"

I continue my little fib. I don't know if this will help, but I'm just curious.

"Yup, a Darkling Shade has killed it and is coming towards you."

There's no such thing, of course. But he won't know that.

"It's a terrible, terrifying beast. Just a glance at it is enough to kill you. I'm fine because I'm a demon, but you're not so I need you to shut your eyes."

"!!!"

The kid gasps, and obediently shuts them tight. This might work.

"Don't worry though, as long as you can't see it, it won't be able to hurt you."

"Really? But then how will I defeat it?"

"I'll guide you through it. First, grab your sword and stand up. Take a step forward, and turn to your right. No, your other right. There you go. Now DUCK!"

The skeleton is right in front of him at this point, and is taking a swing. The lizard deftly ducks out of the way.

"Alright, its head is the weak spot. It's a bit taller than you, so I need you to aim upwards.. about 50 degrees?" \

"50 whatsits?"

"Ah, just aim upwards and swing."

Oof, not quite high enough. The kid hits the skeleton right under its arm.

It was powerful enough to dismantle the skeleton, though.

Like I said, incredibly weak.

The bones of the skeleton are scattered all over the ground. The skull fortunately landed right at the lizard's feet.

"Did I get it?"

"Not quite. Ok, I need you to crouch down a little bit. Yup, like that. Now point your sword at the ground. A little to the left... That's right. No, I mean you got it right, not move to the right. Ok, there you go. Now stab downwards."

He's a little confused, but manages to follow my instructions. The sword pierces the skull, and the magic reanimating it fades.

"Good job, lizard. You can open your eyes now."

As he opens his eyes, he sees all the bones around him and shrieks, but scurrying back behind the pillar.

"Hey, hey. Don't worry. It's dead. You got it. That wasn't so hard, was it?"

"You lied!! That was no shade!"

"Yup, I lied. Demons lie. Just what we do. But it worked out, didn't it?"

He's still a little shaken, but he seems to have calmed down a little bit. He stares at me with these big sad puppy dog eyes because scrambling over the half wall dividing us, falling onto the floor on my side with a thump.

Damnit.

He's kinda cute, isn't he.

I might have to change my plans.