Grayroch's Boneyard

[Tutorial Floor: Grayroch's Boneyard. 

 Tutorial Floor Trial: Defeat Grayroch's skeleton foot soldier.]

*Rustle* I heard a disturbance in front of me. It sounded like bones falling at random. Through the translucent blue window covering my sight, I saw a figure standing on a pile of bones not far from me. I hurriedly minimized the translucent window with my thought to see the figure more clearly. It was a freaking skeleton equipped with armor and weapons. 

'This is unfair!' I screamed these words in my mind as I saw Grayroch's skeleton foot soldier equipped with all gray armor from head to toe. A plumed helmet protected its skull. Pauldrons covered both of its shoulders, while a pair of gauntlets and boots covered the skeleton's bony hands and feet. Its left arm carried a round wooden shield outlined in the same gray metal as the rest of its armor, and its right arm wielded a rusty single sword.

The Skeleton Foot Soldier armed to the teeth looked intimidating. Especially the rusty single sword that resembled a roman gladius. As I glanced at it, its hollow skull donning a plumbed helmet seemed to be looking right at me. Feeling its stare, I unconsciously took a step back. 

As if it had smelled my fear, the Skeleton foot soldier started moving towards me. Its movements were languid, as if it took a lot of effort for it to move its bony body. Still, it moved towards me, clarifying its target was me, and its objective was to kill me. I was no longer picky with my weapon. Without much thought, I hurriedly grabbed the biggest bone that I could get my hands on and used it like a bone club. 

*Swoosh* Just when I was beginning to consider that the movement speed of the skeleton was sluggish, it swiftly jumped into the air from the pile of bones it was standing on, and in a second, it was almost above me. About to descend and ready to swing its sword in a downward slash aiming to cleave me in half from head to toe. It appears that me getting hold of a weapon has provoked it. 

One second the skeleton foot soldier moved like a puppet with a few broken strings, and the next second it attacked me like a super-soldier. No matter how much I thought, I couldn't get my head around it. Soon I remembered the skills awarded by the tower. The skeleton has to be using a skill. Otherwise, there is no other reasonable explanation for the abnormal movements displayed by the skeleton foot soldier. 

*Rumble* Seeing the skeleton foot soldier almost above me, I hurriedly retreated, but my left foot tripped over a bone sticking out of the heap and stumbled, then my fat body tumbled down the pile of bones. 

*Thud* *Scatter* The skeleton foot soldier landed on the pile of bones with one knee down, scattering the bones.

*Crash* *Scatter* My tumbling body crashed at the foot of another pile of bones and caused a few loose bones to fall from the heap. Except for a few bumps and bruises, I was unharmed. Fortunately for me, there weren't any sharp bones sticking out as I rolled down the pile of bones. Otherwise, things could have been much worse. 

*Stomp* Enduring the pain I felt, I sat straight, leaning on the heap of bones. My attention was attracted by the Skeleton foot soldier climbing down the pile of bones. I could hear heavy stomping sounds as it found its footing down the heap. Despite the downward slope, its pace was slow. Seeing this, I made a mental note that the skeleton's movement speed is low but displays high attack speed and strength when it uses a skill.  

"Ahh!" I moaned in discomfort as I felt pain and tenderness near the arch of my left foot when I tried to move. It seems I hurt my foot when I tripped. Despite the pain, I struggled to stand on my feet. 

*Swoosh* seeing me get back on my feet, the descending skeleton foot soldier used other skills. It dashed forward at incredible speed while thrusting its sword forward, aiming at me. 

*Thud* *Rumble* Seeing the skeleton use another skill, fearing for my life, I jumped to the side and landed on my back. Then I rolled my body to cover a significant distance far from the skeleton at the fastest possible pace. Luck was on my side. No odd bones were peeking out of the bed of bones, so I was safe when I landed on it and rolled over to safety. 

*Crash* The skeleton foot soldier crashed faced down at the foot of the heap of bones where I stood earlier. Its sword and right arm were buried deep in the pile of bones since it had charged forward, thrusting its sword. Using a skill while descending a slope was an unwise decision on the skeleton's part. Not only was the skeleton's sword buried deep in the bones, but its left arm carrying the round shield twisted at a weird angle. 

*Groan* groaning in pain, I stood up on my feet to escape further but stopped when I saw the skeleton foot soldier lying face down, with its sword and right arm buried in the bones while the left arm was twisted at an abnormal angle. Seeing an opportunity, instead of running away, I rushed towards the skeleton. 

*Clunk* By the time I reached the skeleton, it had rearranged its left arm and was using it as support to get up. Seeing this, I panicked, but I did not let my panic cloud my judgment. 

*Thud* I jumped down on the skeleton's back as it tried to get back up. Under the weight of my body, the skeleton foot soldier crashed back to the bone bed. Without wasting a second, I climb and sit on the skeleton's back. Ignoring the skeleton's struggle, I grabbed the bulkiest bone I could get my hands on and then started striking the joint connecting the skull and spine of the skeleton foot soldier with it. 

*Clunk* *Clunk* The skeleton joints were much sturdier than imagined. I had struck it a few times by now, but most of the strikes missed as the skeleton kept struggling, and even if I managed to land a strike, it showed no sign of breaking, but I had managed to dislocate the joint.  

*Swoosh* *Scatter* Feeling threatened, the skeleton activated its skill despite its arm and sword being stuck in the heap of bones. But it worked out for the skeleton. Swiping its sword sideways with enhanced strength, it freed its arm and sword, scattering the pile of bones.  

*Cluck* I did not care what the skeleton was up to. I focused on detaching its skull from its body. As I believed, that is the only way to kill the undead bastard. Using the skill to free its arm didn't ultimately work out in favor of the skeleton as it became sluggish after using the skill. Its struggle to throw me off its back grew weaker. Allowing me to aim before striking with all my might, detaching the skull from its body. With that, the skeleton's struggle stopped utterly. 

*Clench* I hurriedly grabbed the skull and clenched it hard, worrying that the skeleton skull could reattach to its body. And didn't dare to get off the skeleton's body until the T-system made the tutorial completion prompt.