When you’re the scary thing hiding in the dark, you aren’t so scared. I know this because I’ve played games with my friends way back in my childhood involving such dark atmospheres. I am a skeleton. I am in a dark and scary forest. Therefore, logic would dictate that I wouldn’t be scared. Logic can suck my ligaments.

It’s real creepy out here. I’m talking full blown thunder-and-cackles creepy. As soon as you enter, all light is gone. Yes, I know what a shadow is, but shadows don’t create walls of black mist between you and the graveyard you just hauled your skeletal body from. I accidentally step on a twig, and it just barely breaks under my twenty pounds, with a hardly audible snap. It’s echoed by the bushes to my right and left crunching as they give way to something with a lot more than twenty pounds.

I’m knocked onto the ground, and my pelvis shatters. A dark shape stands over me.

Jean’s POV:

Great. After dying on Earth and waking up in a cave swimming with bloodthirsty bats, fleeing that cave to find just as bloodthirsty bears, and fleeing those bears, now I guess I’ve really hit the shitty luck jackpot. What stands before me is a bonafide skeleton. It spawned from the mist, and it’s moving in my direction. Its empty eye sockets sweep back and forth as it slowly makes its way.

It slowly approaches, before stepping on a twig in front of my bush. Now’s my chance. Activating [First Strike], I rush forward and swing with all my might. I hit its jaw, and it crumbles to the ground, blown back a few feet from the force of the blow. Its pelvis is shattered, but it's still alive. I’d hoped that my Strength of 13, combined with the extra 50% from first strike would take it down, but I’m having no such luck.

I [Analyze] it. If it could take that blow, it’s not something weak.

Level: 6

Race: Skeleton (Colorless)

But with that act, a bright glow emits from the creature. Lines etched into its bones darken, and the leaves around it burst into flames.

Back to our main skelly man’s POV:

FUCK. That bastard did something! Must’ve used some sort of magic, because otherwise the leaves around me wouldn’t be on fire, and I wouldn’t be leaking mana like a barrel with a life-threatening knife wound. I try to scramble backwards, and crack my skull on a rock, splitting it right down the middle.

--Warning, serious damage detected, 15% of health remaining--

The sight of a big blue box hovering in my vision is almost enough to snap me from my flight instinct. What? Kindly rewind that and run it by me again, if you will.

--Warning, serious damaggge--

--Error, invalid user--

--...--

--Resolved, carry on, user--

Another blue box flashes, instructing me to do something odd.

Status, I think.

Knowledge floods my mind, and more blue boxes float into view.

Name: None

Level: 06

Race: Skeleton (Colorless)

STR: 10

AGI: 11

DEX: 09

INT: 16

WIS: 07

TTL: 53

UN: 02

Mana: 27/84

(7*WIS+3*INT)-(0.25*TTL[rounded down to nearest whole])

Health: 09/65

(7*END+3*STR)

Skills: Lesser Regeneration (.1 HP/sec), Lesser Resilience (-5% Physical Damage).

Attributes: Mana Touched (+75% Mana Capacity), Unknown

Titles: The Colorless One (+5 to INT, -2 to WIS).

I… Really don’t know what all of this means, so it can be saved for later. I haven’t moved since cracking my head, so to my shadowy adversary, I probably seem dead. I can use that.

Jean’s POV:

It’s not dead, but it also isn’t moving. Maybe it concussed itself? But that’s stupid, it doesn’t have a brain to slam against its skull. Either way, I haven’t gotten a system message declaring its demise, so I can’t be too careful. Whatever dark magic was happening in and around it is gone now, so it’s presumably safe to approach now.

I creep closer, eying it for movement, but nothing, not even a twitch. I’m right next to it now. I should probably kill it right? It had tried to- well… actually it hadn’t tried to kill me. It was just walking around, hanging out. Something is wrong with me. Never would I have turned to murder so quickly. I think the whole “Other World” thing is getting to me.

“I’ve gotta get out of here…”

Soft words escape my lips. I’ve gotta get out of here.

I turn and walk away, leaving the first monster I’ve encountered alive.

Skellington once more’s POV:

They left. My first human contact in so long, and they tried to kill me and then left when I played possum. I’d gotten a look at his face, and he’s young, probably about 16 or so years old. I mean, I am a skeleton, so I suppose it makes sense he’d try to kill me, but it still pains my spirit.

Anyway, back to the weird audio-visual hallucinations I’ve been having as a result of busting my skull open. The bone is unblemished, now. It’s only been a minute or two, but I’m back in working order. But, if the damage is gone, then why are those damn boxes still in my face?

What the hell is a System?