Chapter 20: 19. Get Good

Facial expressions and hand animations bring new life to the once stoic minion as he continues his tirade. "Also, Bones? That's a terrible name. Not even an ounce of creativity was put into this. See a pile of bones? Sure, that could work as a name. Surprised you didn't settle on Rock, River, or Tree for my name. It's like you don't even care. Not that It is expected. Still Bones?"

The onslaught of words keeps coming leaving me with no window to interject. "What about something fearsome like Killer or Slayer. I guarantee if my name was Slayer, no bear would mess with me. Or how about some apostrophes? Those always make names look exotic. They can be used in any way, and you give me none."

"Eh…hello, Bones," I say or really think when there is a break. None of the words have actually come from the minion's mouth. They have all been in mind. Or, more precisely, communication has all been done through the soul. I'm still a bit shocked how much soul binding affected my minion. 

Though there is a genuine chance, this is all in my head. I've been alone and through some serious crap for a while now, and I hit my head really hard. Come to think of it, I still can't see out of my left eye. Why does it always have to be the eyes? I'm not putting crazy out of the question. 

I'm still processing Bones' new liveliness and my current state of mind when Bones starts talking some more. "Hello, Boss! Hold on, I'm not done ranting. What the bloody hell happened to your eyes? The least you could do is wash that off. That looks disgusting. Also, you need to say something if you don't like soup. Exploding the food bowl because you don't want to eat it is never the solution." His words are on rapid-fire, and they just keep coming.

"This pile of Bones you call a skeleton is very debilitating." Bones says as he motions to his entire body with his hands. "I could be so much more. Though again, I'm not expecting much from the guy who can't even come up with a name for himself. Like it or not, you're stuck with Boss.

"Finally, and also...why in the bloody abyss would a bear have three heads? Is it an intimidation factor? That seems overkill. Having multiple heads has no economic, biological, or natural advantage. Though admittedly seeing the extra heads getting relegated to basic pauldron props was deliciously satisfying…visually."

"Ehm...Boss works, I guess," I reply as soon as there is a pause. 

"So Boss, what you say about giving my body an upgrade. I'm not sure that is possible now that I'm bound." Bones asks nonchalantly.

"Supposing I can upgrade you, Bones, how would I go about that?" If there is a way to improve my minion, I am all for it. 

The response is overwhelmingly insightful. Bones can communicate perfectly how his current structure is limiting his capacity. His balance has been way off due to incorrect structuring. His strength is nowhere near what it could be, and the lack of bone density has made him quite fragile. On top of that, if I structured his skull correctly, he could communicate verbally.

Following the blueprint left in my mind, I slowly summoned Bones. The level of detail in this summons compared to my previous summons was immense. 

Structural bones are thicker. Supporting bones are shaped precisely. Interwoven throughout the bones are sections of chitin, where Bones thought the added durability and decreased weight would benefit him the most. Keeping chitin on the lighter side allowed mana to flow through Bones as needed. 

To top it all off, gray condensed mana laces through bones and chitin, increasing my minion's overall durability and strength. All said and done, the added upgrades only cost an additional five percent of my available mana. 

Bones is now vastly superior to what he had once been. No longer is he an empty skeleton. He is as close to a human as a pile of bones can get. Pale energy increases his liveliness, giving his once expressionless face life-like emotions. 

"Thanks, Boss! Great work, by the way. I just knew under the right leadership you could aspire to greatness," Bones says while he checks every section of his new body. This time I can actually hear Bones speaking. His voice sounds precisely as it did when I could hear him internally.

"Bones! You are alive? Also, I do great work, at a high cost. You better be worth it." I can already tell the upgrades are worth it. I'm just trying to keep some ego in check. "Remember next time you go ranting about my ineptitude that your glorified pile of bones comes at the cost of my mana and soul.—" My mouth is already dry, just a few sentences into my response. Reactively, I summon a chitin mug, walk over to the waterfall, fill it up, and take a healthy drink.

Bones is still in awe of his new form and isn't quick to respond, so I continue. "—And it's a steep cost at that. We for sure can say goodbye to my scorpion army. I'll be lucky if I can even reanimate two." Now I am flat out lying. "I hope you have some neat tricks up your emm...arms? because a squad of scorpses sure is a lot better than a beefed-up skeleton that can only bring up past mistakes."

"Hey, hey, hey, ease up, Boss. I know for a fact you have scorpions lingering around. One of them tried to knife me earlier, thinking I was a tasty treat. Good idea, by the way." Bones is no longer inspecting himself. Well, at least externally. He seems deep in thought, as if he is trying to analyze his core. My suspicions are confirmed when Bones lets out a disappointing sigh. "I guess it would be too much power for me to have a nice shiny core like yours. That's a shame." 

"Thanks! You know you just got an overhaul on your entire system. You're not satisfied?"

"Oh, believe me, Boss, I am thrilled with myself! And am equally grateful that you would expend so much of your mana to accommodate me."

Bones is now looking me in the eye. Some of the mana that formed his body has now taken on the role of his own eyes. The demonic gaze is much better than looking back into his once empty sockets. Empty eyes were always on their own level of disturbing. He's so lucky to have two eyes, and they are cool and shiny. I wonder if I can replace my broken eye with a similar one. Maybe I will experiment on that next.  

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"The thing is," Bones continues to speak, pulling me out of my head. "Now that I have the best frame, all sense of progression for me is damned or dependent on you absorbing better materials."

I'm still taken back by Bones' ability to think and speak for himself. The fact that he has his own desires is messing with my mind. Not that I disapprove of his desire to progress. I understand that completely. The mind-boggling comes when I think about how Bones can be so human. 

I can confidently say that my previous life did not instill a natural gift for words when all I can manage in response is, "Woah, isn't this a bit heavy for a first date?" So lame and disappointing. 'Date' was the absolute worst word I could have used.  

Bones opens his mouth and lets out a forced laugh. 

"Dang, Bones!" I interrupt his dry hackle. "At least try moving your mouth a little even if you are fake laughing. That is even eerier than the empty eyes."

"Sure thing Boss. And by the way, this isn't the first date. Not that I would date you anyway. Clearly not my type and maybe a little incestuous and definitely too necrophiliac on your part for me to be comfortable with. I get it though. Hey, no judgment from me. Forbidden love always has a strong pull. I'm not going to sling you any shame." Bones is trying to use mana to form a smile. He's overcompensating, and the look is completely wrong. 

"Right. Date was the wrong word. Definitely meant the first day on the job. Isn't this a bit heavy for the…nevermind," I give up mid-sentence realizing this isn't the battle of wits I'm in a position to win. It is frustrating that my minion is better at talking than me. "What about swords and stuff? You can get better with tools, fighting, hunting, and all sorts of things. Progression is not all lost." I say with more seriousness.

"Right. Glad we agree, and this isn't going to get awkward. As I was saying. This definitely is not our first date, thing, encounter, meetup thing. I've been with you since you first summoned me. And all the times since then. You've been stuck with me the first time you gave me a name.

"Needless to say, I've been with you nearly every step of the way. Pummeling weasels, fetching wood, dying to bears and scorpions, massacring scorpions, riding scorpions, exacting revenge on humanlike bears. Been through just about it all.

"The thing is, I've watched you progress through every bit of it. Every victory, even small ones, you gained power, knowledge, and experience. Even in defeat, you have gotten stronger. Side tangent here. Look, I'm no scientist or whatever, but shouldn't we be dead?

"Anyway," Bones takes a short pause deep in his thoughts. "I want that. I want that progression. I want to be able to grow on my own, become stronger, summon my own blades, and throw my own spells….

"What you said does have lots of merit. There will be plenty of ways for me to improve even without a core. Let's table this discussion. I have already asked too much."

I didn't even have to think about it. Everything Bones was saying made sense. "Well, sure, Bones. Let's figure out a way to get you a core. Look, I'm no doctor or whatever. I'm guessing the key to your progression has to do with you having a core. So let's figure out how to get you one of those, and we will go from there."

Bones' mouth is wide open. I choose to interpret it as a joyful shock? "You serious?" He asks earnestly, still mouth wide open. "You are willing to help me out with my progression?"

"Well, of course! Look, you have helped me out. A ton. Thank you by the way. And yeah, we should be dead. Not sure what is going on here. Maybe a curse? 

"Anyway, it's only fair that I return the favor. And besides, it's not like I have any pressing issues. My only goals right now are to get better and burn down the desert. I'm not sure it is possible. If it is, we will figure it out. And if it isn't, we have plenty of lives to waste trying to make it possible."

Awkwardly Bones steps closer to me. He reaches out his hand and locks onto my arm. He then continuously directs his eyes from mine to his arm until I grasp his arm likewise. We shake arms. Then he slowly backs away. Our awkward moment is over. I'm not sure, but I think I can hear him laughing at what just happened. 

The small moment of silence is broken when Bones says, "Boss, how about you summon one of those pointy stick things. I'll go find some food, and you can get some rest. We got some busy days ahead of us."

I can't argue with the plan. A few summons later, I hand Bones two spears and a knife. Then I lay down to sleep. 

Laying in bed, I think of the day, my plans, accomplishments, and discoveries. I know now that something is off with my body aspects and am relieved that both mind and spirit seem to function as they should. Not too deep into my thoughts, I drift off to sleep.

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