Rewind: A Grimdark LitRPG Series (Pyresouls Apocalypse, Book 1) by James Callum (reading tree .txt) 📕

but he didn’t know where in Lormar she was. And even if he did, what would he say to her to gain her trust?

Thoughts swirling in his head, Jacob reached the first bone pile without realizing it. The rattling drew him from his reverie and he cursed himself for getting distracted.

As the bones came alive, he passed one hand over his [Mace]. The spell came easily to him, all the required incantations and motions already ingrained in his mind like the ABC’s.

In a flash of shimmering heat, the head of the [Mace] was swathed in thin licking flames. The name, Heat Blade was a bit of a misnomer. It could be cast on almost any weapon, regardless if it had a blade or not.

The flames that ran up and down the length the [Mace’s] flanged head gave off a pleasant light, throwing back the blanket of darkness as if he carried a torch. For that alone, he was thankful to Camilla.

As he stepped forward, taking the [Mace] in a heavy two-handed grip, Jacob swung at the rising skeleton. In one strike, its ribs shattered. Without halting his momentum, Jacob swept the [Mace] up and over in a clockwise arc.

Before the skeleton could get its bearings after that first strike, Jacob’s [Mace] came crashing down on top of its skull. The flaming weapon crunched through the undead thing’s skull and powderized a good portion of its spine as well.

He thanked Camilla silently again as he watched the flames imparted from the mace’s head char and blacken the rest of the bones.

They didn’t rise again.

A wisp flew out of the pile and passed into his chest with a chill.

You defeat the [Skeletal Warrior].

Awarded 50 Souls.

Another pile of bones began to rattle and assemble. Choosing to indulge his curiosity, Jacob dismissed the flaming [Mace] and instead summoned his [Longsword] in a swirl of ash.

Before the skeleton rose to his feet, he applied Heat Blade to the [Longsword]. Its entire length alight with curling tongues of flame. Jacob lifted it high over his head not to blind himself as the skeleton raised a blood-stained cudgel and lurched toward him.

They were weak and slow to start with but quickly gained strength the longer they were ‘alive’. For now, they provided the perfect test subject.

Down rushed Jacob’s blade, Lightning Cracks Stone clanged against the skeleton’s bony ribcage. The flames darkened the bone but aside from a few chips, no real damage was done.

Undeterred, Jacob pulled back and shifted his weight to his right leg as the skeleton continued to rush him. Dove Takes Flight caught the falling cudgel and threw it out wide, the tip of the sword nicking against its ribs again but dealing minimal damage.

Twirling about, Falling Rain transitioned into Moonlight’s Edge catching the skeleton about the clavicle in a blinding one-two combo that would have most enemies dead or dying.

Up came the cudgel and Jacob just barely executed Sheltering Rain to counter the blow. His sword bit into the wooden weapon and in the instant of struggle, Jacob kicked out into the thing’s ribs and dismissed the blade.

Down went the skeleton, crashing onto its back and struggling to right itself.

Breathing hard, Jacob gave himself a second to regenerate some of his Stamina. The skeleton rose to its feet and made a disconcerting clacking noise with its jaw.

Grinning, Jacob rushed forward to close the gap. He summoned his [Mace] as he swung his arm around. The sudden added weight lent strength to his swing.

A glimmer of awareness had the skeleton raising a bony arm in defense but the [Mace] blasted through the bone and proceeded to take its head from its body.

As the skeletal form of the creature broke apart, Jacob exhausted his last use of Heat Blade to cause the [Mace] to burn brightly. Before the creature could reassemble, he drove the burning head of the weapon into the pile of bones.

They caught like dry kindling.

In a flash of heat and light, the bones turned to ash. Another wisp flew out of the pile, granting him 50 Souls. Not much considering how difficult the creatures usually were.

But with the right weapon, they were almost trivial to dispatch. And if attacked early upon their reanimation, they were clumsy and slow. The only danger came from how many there were.

Several more bones were animating and rather than clear the room, Jacob beat a hasty retreat back to the Pyre.

On his way back, he looked over the logs. His [Longsword] should have been doing at least 300 damage or more per Sword Form. Instead, it was doing a tenth of that. Lightning Cracks Stone did a paltry 37 damage. And his favorite, Moonlight’s Edge was only 45 damage.

And that was with the additional damage from Heat Blade. Meanwhile, his [Mace] was dealing a consistent 200 to 230 per hit. Far more than it should be able to do without backstabbing or utilizing riposte.

He shook his head and sat down to rest at the Pyre. The Fire Oppa perked up at his return, watching him silently. Jacob sat down as the flames of the Pyre rose in a bright flare and a ring of light echoed out from the flames.

His fatigue was washed away in an instant, and his Spell Gem was recharged. The skeletons would be back but he now had a definitive way of dealing with them. At least he confirmed that the player advice he had gotten was good.

With a pet and a fond farewell, he was once more heading down into the upper levels of the Desecrated Catacombs. As he descended the stone path into the burial room, he cast Heat Blade. The [Mace’s] head flared to life and he held it high like a torch, keeping his [Kite Shield] loose and limber at his side.

Jacob smiled as the first set of bones animated and came at him. Not only did he have a proper light source now, but he had a way of putting the skeletons down for good.

Or at least until