Chương 3: Bone dust

"This looks like French toast from that cafe near the office…" Grim watched Eric throw up into the endless white void. /———————————————\ Achievement unlocked! Iron Stomach Survive a ride in Morty without vomiting in the car. Reward: Acid Potion x 5 \———————————————/"You earned your first achievement! I knew you had potential!" Grim cheered. Eric barely heard him. His stomach still felt as if it had gone through a roller coaster.

Removing his jacket, he looked at the white, short-sleeved shirt and black trousers for damage. Relieved that they hadn't caught some of his lunch, he rolled onto his back and looked to the sky.

"I swear to God, that car is trying to make me throw up inside! Why did it have to spin around while bouncing like a cocktail shaker?" Pushing himself to his feet, Eric saw the glowing achievement screen floating in front of him.

"I earned something for not vomiting in the car?"

"You did? That's great! What is it?" Grim stopped looking at the tower and moved closer.

"Acid potion, five of them. Where are they? In my inventory?"

"Yeah, you'll have to find a way to open it. Usually, the moment you think about it…" Eric already had one swirling orange potion in his hands. It looked exactly like something out of that chemistry teacher drug-dealer show he used to binge. Great. Otherworldly chemistry. I barely survived the normal one on Earth.

"How do I use it?" Eric studied the flask, turning it over in his hands.

"I don't know. I never needed potions. Just don't drink this one." Grim shifted his gaze to the tower. Their entry point was a massive cavern carved from black stone. Wide ebony steps led upward, though the staircase looked more decorative than usable.

"Home, sweet home! This is the north side of the entrance hall. From here, we can find our way to the Eternal Arms chamber. Once inside, you'll pick a weapon."

"Please, no more shortcuts. I don't want to get back in that demonic car." Putting his hands on his hips, Eric admired the towering stone structure.

"No, we are on foot. You'll get familiar with the environment. After all, when I return to Earth, you'll be alone here."

"I'll be alone in an entire realm filled with bad guys?" Eric furrowed his brow at Grim.

"Are you really surprised? I'm not talking to thin air, you know." The Reaper shot a dismissive glance. I probably shouldn't push his buttons if I want to survive here.

"Either way, let's get going. I cleared the path to the armory earlier, so we should be good." Eric followed the hooded figure as they entered the tower. The black marble steps were polished enough to reflect a warped version of his face.

"You had gigantic dogs in here?" Eric stepped into an ice cave and reached for a massive triple dog collar on the ground. Grim deflected his hand with the other end of the scythe.

"No touching, or you'll stay frozen forever. I had only one dog with three heads. It lived here in its icy domain and served as a guardian of the tower not long ago." A tall red gate stood split down the middle in front of them. The Reaper knocked on it with his weapon.

"Why's this thing so tall?" Eric tilted his head backwards, staring up at the soaring ceiling. The tower's interior swirled up into the sky. On the floor, a shining platform emerged with stairways on both sides. The left stairway led to a completely frozen red door. To the right, the stairs wound along the tower wall, reaching the top.

"This is just the first level of the tower." Grim gently grabbed Eric's head and twisted it to the side. In the distance, a statue of a golden lion holding an hourglass glimmered faintly.

"When you get strong enough, you'll be able to upgrade items and purchase artifacts. Until then…" The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. The Reaper went silent and glanced at the staircase on the right of the platform. Two Shattered guards were scanning the area. Both pale armor and white hoods. Their faces were replaced by black silhouettes. Light leaked through the cracks in their chest plates. Two sets of feeble, featherless wings sprouted from behind.

"Any luck opening the chamber? I've never seen one sealed like this." One of the guards tried to open the Eternal Arms chamber by force.

"We might need additional equipment. All of it is in the basement, but some traps are still active. Another squad has the task of disarming them." Grim stepped backward, closer to the red entrance gates. He prepared his scythe and pulled Eric to the side.

"Alright. I'll make you ethereal, so the guards can't see you. Sneak past them and wait by the lever near the frozen door. When I signal you, pull it. The platform in the middle will activate and distract them. I'll handle the rest. Understood?" Eric gave Death a determined look and a nod. Grim pulled out some dust and threw it into the air. Instantly, Eric became transparent, even to himself. He could see only the faint outline of his hands and feet.

With no time to waste, the Reaper melted into the shadows cast by one of the staircases and disappeared. Okay, I'm in position… Grim never said what the signal would be.

"How do you activate this thing?" One of the guards rotated a severed hand before slamming it into the ground. Sparks appeared from the impact, and both infiltrators froze for a moment. The shadows near Eric trembled. Grim's silhouette emerged for a split second and pointed toward the lever. [PULL IT NOW!] With all his strength, Eric lunged for the lever and yanked it down. His partner in crime's shadow dissolved into nothingness. The entire tower rumbled. Stones behind the glowing platform cracked and rotated.

Slowly, the light from the slab increased and finally exploded upwards. The guards rushed toward the platform. Colorless waves rippled through the ground as Grim emerged with the sound of a deep, hollow bell toll. One strike later, and the guards disintegrated, their armor disappearing like ashes in the wind. Classy. I liked it." That was quite the setup, don't you think?" Death brushed the dust off his black robe.

"Why didn't you tell me what the signal was?" Eric asked.

"Wasn't it obvious?"

"Well… yeah, but I didn't expect it to be. I suppose you could have done everything by yourself?" Grim stopped for a moment and glanced at Eric.

"Of course, but that's not the point. I'm trying to make you more accustomed to some action and thrills. I don't want you shitting your pants when I'm gone." My dad would make the same stupid jokes. Death tapped Eric with the handle of his weapon, and the effect dissolved instantly.

"Another lesson. Invisibility from bone dust lasts until a weapon touches you. Try not to get hit with the pointy side or any side at all."

"Can you give me some?" Eric eagerly asked.

"That's not a bad idea." Grim handed a small sack tied with a brown cord before starting another lecture.

"You have to open your inventory and accept the trade." Opening his inventory, at the bottom of the five rows in the window, Eric noticed a blinking exclamation mark. Touching it opened the trade window. /—————————————————\ Death [Level?] wants to trade with you the following item: Bone Dust x 3 Do you accept? YES | NO. \———————————————————/ Immediately after accepting, the new item appeared in his empty inventory. Clicking on it, a small window appeared with information and a description.

/———————————————————————\ Bone Dust Description: Nobody knows where this comes from. Coats the target in temporary invisibility. Status effect can be removed by striking the target with a weapon. Does not stack. Quantity: 3 \————————————————————————/ Moving toward the Eternal Arms chamber, the party saw how the mechanism of the front door had been damaged.

"After fixing this one, I'll have to conceal all the other weaponries. These cockroaches never stop digging," Grim muttered.

"I hope there's some armor over there because all this adventuring is going to thrash my clothes. At this rate, I'll be fighting in my underwear after two more battles." Eric leaned against the wall to take a break and process everything. I still can't believe this is real. How can I be sure I'm not…

"I SENSE THE STENCH!" A deafening roar shook the tower. Cracking the ceiling and falling down, a huge silver beast appeared. On its head was a bloodstained horn. Below it, a white eye looked around for prey. It moved on all four legs and sniffed the air.

"IT IS NEAR. THIS HUMAN AND THE WALKING OLD CORPSE!"

"Time for some action! Catch!" Grim pulled the gemstone dagger and hurled it in Eric's direction. Instinctively, Eric opened his inventory and grabbed a handful of bone dust. Think, Graham! The Reaper engaged the enemy as fast as he could. He teleported from the shadows and slashed the silver beast's hide. Each strike rang in the air with the same bell toll as blood sprayed everywhere.

"ENOUGH!" The creature clamped its jaws around the glowing platform and hurled it straight at Grim. Death's black robes whipped through the air from the direct hit as he crashed hard into the frozen cavern. Dumping the sack of bone dust on his head, Eric disappeared completely and ran to the top of the tower.

"I SMELL YOU!" The beast charged after him on all fours, tearing chunks from the staircase. Some of the destruction from the ceiling left debris on the way to the top. Eric squeezed through a narrow gap between the fallen rocks, leaving an acid potion behind. The creature hit the leftover surprise. Sizzling acid cooked its flesh as it let out a bellowing roar.

"Come over here, you flea-bitten mutt!" A spectral hand burst from the wall and smashed the howling beast into the stone floor. As it fell, green chains wrapped around and pulled tight. Eric looked down from the top of the tower. The silver beast was trapped by Death's magic.

"Jump down! NOW!" Grim yelled. Eric leapt into the open air with the knife clenched in both hands. Black smoke surged beneath him, catching him for a split second before hurling him straight at the beast. He crawled onto its back and planted himself right over the eye. Driving the knife down sent the creature into a frenzy. Chains snapped and blood exploded across the tower floor.

"I HAVE TO RID THE REALM OF THIS FOUL SMELL!" The silver beast thrashed wildly before jumping back into the hole in the ceiling.

"Did you see that?!" Eric pushed himself up, grinning despite being covered in blood.

"It wasn't the plan, but I'll admit it was effective." Grim summoned his scythe and went for the stairs.

"We didn't kill it, so you didn't earn anything. Your new bloody perfume is… exciting."

"I wanted something cool, but looks like I'll have to wait a little longer." Eric tapped himself with the knife, removing his invisibility. He left trails of blood on the steps as he caught up to Grim.

"I'll take the blade for a moment. It needs cleaning after the bloodbath." Reappearing in the Reaper's hands, he slid the knife into the scythe's handle. Soft light pulsed through the hilt, and the gemstone's color shifted from green to deep blue.

"I need a shower more than a reward at this point," Eric exclaimed, trying to clean his shirt from the mess.

"Interesting… let's get into the Eternal Arms chamber before another stinky psycho shows up. Whatever you do, just don't sit on my couch, okay?"