A Paw Full of Undead 3: The Bear, the Vamp, and the Catlady (2/2)

Your Drain Life skill is now level 1!

You have unlocked the Mana Focus skill!

Your Mana Focus skill is now level 1!

Threadbare smiled over at Fluffbear... who smiled back. Next to her, a cougar the size of a housecat rubbed its cheek against her, while a very puzzled Pulsivar sniffed the cougar.

“Wasn't that cat bigger not too long ago?” Threadbare asked.

“She's my pet now. I'm a tamer now. It did that when I accepted the job.”

“Oh, okay.”

“Wow, this is better than I thought it would be, that's a relief,” Garon said from his soulstone. “Hi Mom.”

“Son! You is free! Now we can pass on to odder side.”

“Pfft, why would I want to do that?”

“What?”

“I have too much shit to do.”

“You dead! You supposed to move on!”

“You didn't.”

“Zuula didn't because she had to make sure you didn't get trapped in eternal undead hell! Well now you not.”

“No, but Mastoya is.”

“Wait. What?”

“She wasn't herself when she stabbed me. It was the rage. We both came down from it then, and I looked into her eyes. She was crying, Mom. She was hurting so bad.”

“She fucking killed you.”

“Yes. And she didn't want to. Kill you? Yes. Kill me? No. It's going to eat at her, Mom. I need to go and stop that. I need to forgive her.”

Silence for a long while. “You unclever son.”

“Yeah, well.”

“This is like that sprouts t'ing, isn't it?”

“Never ate'em, never will.”

“Fff. You should really just go. She sort it out. Join us eventually one way or other.”

“What was it you told me about being an orc? That you never stop fighting?”

“...damn it.”

“So I won't stop. Hey Threadbare, I know it's a lot to ask, but can you get me to Mastoya? I can at least throw party buffs on you. I think. Gods, this is weird, not having a body.”

“I've been thinking about that, actually,” Threadbare said, looking over to Beanarella's limp form. She'd evidentally been destroyed in the crossfire at some point. He moved toward her, pulling out his tailoring tools. “I could maybe make you a body. If the spells interact like I think they might.”

“Seriously? I'm down. What's the catch?”

“Well, if it works, you'll be in a golem shell. Like me.”

“If not?”

“I don't know, and it uses up the crystal. I don't know what happens to you, then.”

Garon thought it over. “What have I got to lose? Let's do it.”

“Pfft. Unclever child. You not going this alone.”

“Mom?”

“Zuula stick around to make sure you not suffer. Look at you, children all! Green, and not in good way. Someone gots to be responsible adult here,” said the half-orc who'd happily engineered the massacre of most of Taylor's Delve's undead population because she thought it would be an awesome fight. “Guess it gots to be Zuula.”

“Okay. But I need something called yellow reagent to make it work. And I've only got one dose of it left. It's... I need to be a good enchanter to make more of it, and I'm not yet. I think,” confessed Threadbare. “It's hard to practice without materials.”

“Oh, that's what ya need, is tha yellow stuff?” Said a nasal voice. Threadbare whirled, to see Madeline's fading form lounging against a tree. That's right, he DID have Speak with Dead going, and well, she counted too.

“You still around?” Zuula hissed, stalking towards her.

“Whoa, whoa lady, let's cut a deal heah,” Madeline said, backing up. “You want yellow reagant, I want a new body.”

“You tell Zuula where it is or she eat you!”

Madeline laughed, and strode right up to the ghost. “Destroy me and you never get it. We hid it well.”

Zuula clenched her fists...

“Okay,” Threadbare said. “I feel bad about tricking you anyway. Even if you were hurting Garon.”

“Yeah, you should feel bad!” Madeline stalked over to him, shaking her finger. “I trusted you, beah! And you screwed me ovah, and got all my friends dead!” She sighed. “Okay, they were only my friends because I made them my friends, but the point stahnds.”

“I know. I do feel bad about it. But Zuula and Garon were my friends first and they needed my help.”

She sighed.

CHA +1

Your Adorable skill is now level 20!

“Fahk it. Can't stay mad at you. So whaddya say? Soulstone me, prahmise to give me a new bahdy, and I'll show you wheah we hide our loot. Ain't much, but we got plenty of yella dust. An' other colors besides.”

“I'll vouch for her,” Garon spoke up.

“Garon! She enslave you!” Zuula hissed.

“She's a monster. She was just doing what came naturally. You should know all about that, Mom. That nature thing?”

“Dat is low blow.”

“I'm not a knight. Mercs can afford to fight dirty. And anyway, she was nice enough, just... yeah. Didn't work out.”

“Thanks, Gar,” Madeline said. Then she looked at her hands, as they started to fade. “Uh? Might wanna decide quick, Mistah Beah.”

It wasn't much of a decision, really. “Soulstone.” He offered it to her, and she dove in happily.

That joy lasted all of five seconds.

“Level fucking three?” She screamed.

Zuula laughed her ghostly ass off.

*****

The box didn't just hold yellow reagents. It had lots more red, plenty of orange, and even a few doses of bright, glittering green. Along with about three dozen crystals, most of which were level 1.

“Where did all this come from?” he wondered, as the teddy bears and their feline companions stared at the glowing hoard in the box.

“Item smugglahs, mostly,” Madeline replied. “Remembah those resistance guys? I searched theah houses aftah they were dead. Most of them made some coin this way. Which is in that sack to ya left, by the by.”

“Oh, thank you.” My, that was a heavy sack.

Your Sturdy Back skill is now level 7!

“There was a pretty brisk trade in illegal items from the Catamount,” Garon offered. “Used to be some of the wizards and guards could be bribed to look the other way, back before things got serious near the end. Items come out, and the really powerful ones got shipped elsewhere to help with the fight, and the lesser ones got disenchanted and sold as components on the black market.”

“This is what happens when you disenchant things,” Threadbare said, counting the vials of reagents. “That's what my appraise skill tells me, anyway.”

“You need to get better at a lot of t'ings,” Zuula griped at him from her own soulstone. “Gots to find focus. Is one reason Zuula come along. She gonna be your trainer, boy. You will hate her, before all is done. But you will learn. You will learn.”

“I love you, Zuula,” Threadbare said. “I won't hate you.”

“We gonna put dat to de test, little bears.”

Madeline cleared her nonexistent throat. “So, ah, about those bahdies... how does this wahk exahctly?”

“I can make toy golems. Maybe other kinds someday. It uses level one crystals, but soulstones are level one crystals. And it uses up yellow reagents. I just need to find or make toys, and prepare them.”

“Oh you ah in luck,” Madeline chuckled. “We ah, anyway.”

“Mrs. Fub!” Garon yelled. “Oh that's perfect!”

“What?” Threadbare looked down at his upside-down hat, and the soulstones he'd put in it. “What's a Fub?”

“It's a who. She was a toymaker before the slaughter,” Garon said. “It's where Mordecai got most of his toys from, before she started getting suspicious. Her shop came through mostly intact.”

“Oh! That sounds good. Let's go have a look.” Threadbare said, and the voices of the dead guided the little group out of the darkness of the secret hidey hole, and out into the newly-rising light of dawn.

QUICK REFERENCE: THREADBARE'S NEW SKILLS

Spoiler: Spoiler

Ruler Skills

APPOINT OFFICIAL

Level: 5 Cost: 25 Mox Duration: Permanent until changed

You may appoint one official per ruler level. This official, who must be one of your subjects, may accept oaths of fealty, and add them to your subject pool.

ORGANIZE MINIONS

Level: 5 Cost: 15 Mox Duration: Permanent until changed

You may choose one quest shared among your party members or subjects. While on that quest and working toward that goal, they gain a bonus to all attributes equivalent to your ruler level.

SWEAR FEALTY

Level: 5 Cost: Special Duration: Permanent until changed

Any individual may swear fealty to you, spending five moxie while in your presence or the presence of any of your appointed officials. They become one of your subjects and are subject to many of your other ruler skills and effects.

Necromancer Skills

DRAIN LIFE

Level 10 Cost: 20 San Duration: Instant

Drains a small amount of life from a nearby foe and adds it to your hit points. Will heal regardless of physical form. Does not affect certain monster types.

MANA FOCUS

Level 10 Cost: N/A Duration: Passive Constant

Buffs your sanity pool by a percentage equal to your necromancer level.

THREADBARE'S CHARACTER SHEET

Spoiler: Spoiler

Name: Threadbare

Age: 5

Jobs:

Greater Toy Golem Level 11

Cave Bear Level 10

Ruler Level 5

Scout Level 5

Tailor Level 8

Model Level 4

Necromancer Level 10

Duelist Level 3

Animator Level 5

Enchanter Level 2

Golemist Level 2

Smith Level 1

Attributes:

Strength: 95 Constitution: 102 Hit Points: 257(297) Armor: 42(51)

Intelligence: 116 Wisdom: 148(153) Sanity: 264(331) Mental Fortitude: 32

Dexterity: 75(80) Agility: 80(90) Stamina: 165(230) Endurance: 52

Charisma: 74(99) Willpower: 99 Moxie: 173(238) Cool: 20

Perception: 77 Luck: 65(70) Fortune: 142(187) Fate: 11(16)

Generic Skills

Brawling - Level 25 (+5)

Climb - Level 13

Clubs and Maces - Level 9

Dagger - Level 9

Dodge - Level 7

Fishing - Level 1

Ride - Level 8

Stealth - Level 10

Swim - Level 2

Greater Toy Golem Skills

Adorable - Level 20

Bodyguard - Level 6

Gift of Sapience - Level NA

Golem Body - Level 21

Innocent Embrace - Level 11

Magic Resistance -Level 6

Bear Skills

Animalistic Interface - NA

Claw Swipes - 22

Darkspawn - NA

Forage - 13

Growl - 2

Hibernate - 37

Scents and Sensibility - 18

Stubborn - 7

Toughness - 15

Ruler Skills

Appoint Official - Level NA

Emboldening Speech - Level 5

Identify Subject - Level 1

Noblesse Oblige - Level 20

Organize Minions - Level NA

Royal Request - Level 1

Simple Decree - Level 1

Swear Fealty - Level NA

Scout Skills

Alertness - Level 1

Best Route - Level 1

Camouflage - Level 1

Firestarter - Level 4

Keen Eye - Level 1

Sturdy Back - Level 6

Wind's Whisper - Level 1

Tailor Skills

Talioring - Level 38(42)

Clean and Press - Level 5

Adjust Outfit - Level 2

Model Skills

Dietary Restriction - Level 20 (+40 to all pools)

Fascination - Level 3

Flex - Level 14

Self-Esteem - Level 14

Work it Baby - Level 9

Necromancer Skills

Assess Corpse - Level 10

Command the Dead - Level 28

Deathsight - Level 6

Drain Life - Level 1

Invite Undead - Level 12

Mana Focus - Level NA (+10% to sanity)

Skeletons - Level 16

Soulstone - Level 24

Speak With Dead - Level 17

Zombies - Level 3

Duelist Skills

Challenge - Level 3

Dazzling Entrance - Level 1

Fancy Flourish - Level 6 (11)

Guard Stance - Level 8

Weapon Specialist - Level 10 (Brawling +5)

Animator Skills

Animus - Level 13

Animus Blade - Level 1

Arm Creation - Level 1

Command Animus - Level 7

Creator's Guardians - Level 12

Dollseye - Level 2

Eye for Detail - Level 7

Mend - Level 25

Enchanter Skills

Appraise - Level 5

Glowgleam - Level 1

Harden - Level 5

Soften - Level 1

Spellstore - Level 1

Golemist Skills

Command Golem - Level 1

Golem Animus - Level 2

Invite Golem - Level 2

Toy Golem - Level 2

Smith Skills

Refine Ore - Level 1

Equipment

Apprentice Tailor's Apron (+4 Armor, +4 Tailoring)

Baggy Pants of Hammerspace (+5 AGL, +5 CHA, Allows hammerspace for one blunt weapon)

Poor Quality Bling

Ringtail Master's Coat (+5 CHA, +5 LUCK, +5 Armor, +5 Fate)

Rod of Baronly Might (+5 CHA, +5 WIS, +10 Cool)

Yellow Belt of Bravado (+5 AGL, +5 DEX, +5 to the Fancy Flourish skill)

Toy Top Hat (CHA +10)

INVENTORY

A sack of coins.

A Finely-Made Dagger (Dagger Level 5)

A Dungeon Core

Tailor's Tools

A small jewelry box full of reagents and crystals, most minor.

Minorphone (Enhances voice and social skills focused through it twice per day)

Quests

Save Celia

Unlocked Jobs

Berserker, Cleric, Cook, Tamer, Wizard