We have always tried to say that certain Traits are worse than others. You would think we would learn our lesson by now, but we never do. Trending pamphlets will denounce something like [Hollow Bones] or [Increased Blood Pressure] or any Trait that most people consider obscure and say that there is no use in them. Everyone who reads these pamphlets will agree and spread the conception around until it becomes common knowledge. 

Then someone takes the notion as a challenge and rocks the world with a new way to use something like [Increased Blood Pressure] by combining it with [Blood Curse], [Blood Casting], or hemomancy. The result is a person that can found some sects of mana-based martial arts or the like. Unfortunately, most people find the basic warrior, mage, gunfighter, or runeslinger set-up far more enticing. 

Sometimes, I wish there was some idiot willing to make some random Trait no one has ever heard of deadly. The Clockworks definitely don’t expect it.

-The Trends of Traits, By Fitus Gious

*=====*

“Oh, before we go,” Fara said, “You should use the flesh-heap again; it was pretty effective.”

Mori turned and tilted her head a bit, “I can do that?”

“Yep,” Fara chuckled, “Most necromancers can. It’s only the ones that use fear as a base for their undead that can only use them once. Speaking of which, what is the base of your undead? I see black, green, and purple in your eyes so I’m assuming that it's the same for your mana?” she asked.

“Wait, wait, slow down here, let’s just save this for later; we have a monster to kill.” Fara blinked in confusion for a moment, but nodded, “Was that something you got from your mother?” Mori asked, amused as she sent a bolt of mana into the corpse through her finger.

Fara grimaced, sighed, and nodded, “Yeah, that might be it… The idea that I’ll be like Ma is kind of terrifying, but it is what it is…”

“Well, either way, let’s get going; we have to hunt that thing down.” Fara nodded and followed Mori down the mesa wall as they made it to the bloodstained ditch the monster had fallen into. Smears of blood streaked across the small ditch and led towards the northernmost cliff. With a weary sigh they followed the path, the flesh-heap just barely keeping pace with their wary pace. The mesa had fallen silent from their battle, small critters hiding in their burrows and insects stilled. Even the quiet undertone of soft wind was missing from the mesa as they made their way along the trail. 

The trail led to the wall, but instead of going up, it went around the side. Following, they found a curving path that led upwards along the side of the wall and to the top of the mesa wall. At the top, the sand-colored, stony ground contrasted greatly with the bright blood making tracking the creature even easier. The track led around a formation of rocks that spiked up and into the sky and down a gentle slope, entering a large cave at the slope's end, “Go in, or smoke it out?” Mori asked.

“Smoke it out?” Fara asked, “What’s that?”

Mori spoke with her hands as much as she did with her voice in an attempt to explain the tactic, “Well… it’s when you set a fire at the front of a cave, then… um… let the smoke go in, choke out whatever's taking refuge inside and kill anything that runs. You know?”

Fara thought for a moment, but shook her head, “Nope. Won’t work. They can burn a Trait slot on it and get a Trait to help them breathe in smoke. We’ve got to clear this out manually. Unless you want to send the flesh-heap in first?” she suggested with a glance at the creature in question. The flesh-heap gave a low, guttural groan and looked between them with its dozen eyes. The undead was a combination of a few different corpses, including at least the human hunter from Thick Sand and a few furry animals. How furry animals as she saw them lived in the middle of the desert was beyond Mori’s expertise and interest.

Thinking about if for a moment, she shook her head, “No, we should go in and personally take care of it. Besides, I can use its body to make another undead, so I don’t want this one eating it,” Mori explained. Fara nodded and they advanced into the cavern. Inside, walls of sand-colored stone surrounded them and held the odd moss patch, growing off of the slightly increased moisture in the air. They crept forward through the oddly symmetrical cave while following the trail of blood. Their journey ended when they found the monster huddling behind a large rock in an open chamber. It was devouring a large insect-like animal that kicked its legs in an attempt to escape. WIth a wet crunch, the bug was killed and the monster greedily chewed the soft flesh in the middle of the shell. 

The two looked on with disgust as the monster finished its meal and huddled into the corner waiting for its body to recover. Mori silently pointed at Fara’s rifle and to the monster, making a finger gun firing while doing so. The woman shook her head, pointing to the shell of the bug and her eye. Mori reluctantly nodded and silently crouched behind another rock on the exact opposite side of the room. For a few minutes, they stared at the beast as its flesh regrew. It was none the wiser, simply making its thin body seem as small as possible. 

Just as the monster stood, a subtle shaking rumbled through the chamber. All three of them panicked, though Mori and Fara had the good sense to not make themselves known and keep quiet. The monster had no such ideas, and howled at the wall in the end of the room. The wall pressed inwards, revealing a tall rectangular outline, and moved to the side as something within was revealed. In a coffin of clocksteel, a Clockwork creature stood like an egyptian mummy. It pushed its hand forward and gripped the edges of its standing coffin and pulled itself forward. In contrast with the solid scout bodies and the bulky headhunter bodies, the new Clockwork was a spindly creature quite similar to the monster. 

It's body was about 9 feet tall, with many-jointed arms and claws the size of knives at the end of its limbs. It's head was a simple cylinder with a large eye in the middle, its body was similar, with a thin, cylindrical design. Catching sight of the monster, it whipped an arm out and a barbed spike connected to it with a wire shot from its left fourth arm segment. It impaled the ceiling, causing a spider web of cracks to form. A whirring followed its movement forward at it launched itself forward and into the monster. 

Growling, the monster ducked underneath the bladed hand and raked its claws along the Clockwork’s thin chest. The claws left a small scratch as they cut, leaving the Clockwork unhindered. Instead of landing on the ground, the Clockwork swung back towards the monster, catching it off guard. The knife-like claws raked across its flesh, drawing more blood than before. Hissing, the monster stumbled backwards and hunch over, warily eyeing the Clockwork. 

At that moment, Fara fired her rifle directly into the Clockwork’s hook in the ceiling. Before the bullet could strike true, the Clockwork yanked it out of the ceiling and charged the woman. At that moment, Mori leaped from the shadow and started her gatling. Bullets sprayed forth, littering the cave with lead. The two enemies dashed to cover, the monster retreating behind the rock it had used before and the Clockwork jumping behind a rock opposite of the first. 

Seeing them taking cover, Mori deactivated her gun but kept it aimed at the Clockwork. For a tense moment, nothing moved and they all were stuck in a stalemate. The monster was the first to make a move, dashing out of cover and making a break for the rest of the cave. Fara, noticing it, let a bullet loose. The bullet flew straight into the creature’s temple, flying through its skull and splattering its brain across the wall. It tumbled forward, slamming into a wall head first. Another crunch was heard from its neck and Fara shot it once more.

[You and your allies have defeated a level 56 Pale Mesa-stalker. A great amount of experience has been awarded.]

[You have reached level 4]

[You have reached level 5]

[Your Flesh-heap has reached level 1]

[Your Flesh-heap has reached level 2]

[Your Flesh-heap has reached level 3]

Mori had no time to check her system messages, however, as the Clockwork took the opportunity to rush them down while the Mesa-Stalker distracted them. Mori did her best to shoot at the Clockwork, but it simply ignored the wildly firing bullets and shoved her aside, scraping her with a passing blow of its claws, and rushing Fara. The woman violently swore and unloaded the rifle into the Clockwork. WIth minimal movements the machine dodged left and right, avoiding the bullet's path into its joints. 

Then it was upon Fara. It swung at her with its claws overhead, bearing down on her. Then, a heaping pile of flesh tackled the Clockwork and tore into it. Tiny claws, hands, and feet smashed against the machine, breaking more flesh and bone than denting metal. Barely regarding the flailing undead, the Clockwork flung the flesh-heap across the room and into a wall. The undead was fine, but most of its bones were broken and its energy was sapped.

The Clockwork turned to find Fara, but found her gone. Turning, it noticed her standing behind Mori, aiming at its leg joint. She pulled the trigger and the gun clicked empty. Stunned, she looked down at it in utter confusion. Then the Clockwork dashed forward, met by a hail of bullets from Mori. It dodged in every way its jointed body could, slowly advancing on Mori. Just as it was about to reach her, she tore the mana cable from the gun and slammed it into the metal cutter’s power plug. 

A small blade on her forefinger hummed to life and, before the Clockwork could react, was plunged into its tubular head. Then something Mori never expected happened: it screamed. It flailed in pain and rage, bringing to bear its claws in a bid to cut the lich in half. Mori, seeing the reaction, put all of her force into the Clockwork’s head. Before long, the skull was run all the way through with the blade. After a few more moments, it stilled and fell limp.

[You have defeated a Clockwork Occupier. A great amount of experience has been awarded.]

[You have reached level 6]

[You have reached level 7]

[You have reached level 8]

[Your Flesh-heap has reached level 4]

[Your Flesh-heap has reached level 5]

[Your Flesh-heap has reached level 6]

Mori sighed and stood over the husk of the occupier. “Alright, what the hell is this thing?” she asked to Fara, who stood dumbly looking at the husk

“You… made it afraid… That means… it was an advanced one… Oh gods…” she muttered, “We… actually survived…”

“Hey,” Mori said while waving a hand in front of her face, “Why’re you muttering to yourself? I know you almost died and all, but that’s not it, isn’t it?”

Mori snapped her out of her stupor and she shook her head, “Ah! Yeah! It’s just that… well, Clockworks come in many tiers. scouts, soldiers, and even headhunters are simple Clockworks. Something like this, though… this is an advanced Clockwork. It has the intelligence and mind equal to that of a human. They are also incredibly strong. This one alone could slaughter entire villages, but we killed it. That means… we can salvage it! Now then! Let’s-” Before she could touch it, Mori held up a skeletal hand, “Hey, what are you doing?” she asked.

Mori stood over the husk and waved her skeletal hand, releasing her reanimating mana. It washed over the husk and seeped into its bones, soon becoming the force behind a new undead.

[You have created a basic undead using your natural death mana. Experience has been awarded.]

She turned to stare into Fara’s fascinated and awed expression, “Before we tear it apart, I want to see what I can get from it. Especially if I can make use of it for my undead. You want to. help?”

Fara turned her gaze to Mori, her expression slowly turning to glee, “Of course!”