The wind carried urgency.
The moment the Invasion Protocol was announced, time fractured. Iden no longer counted minutes—he counted cycles. Patrols. Tasks. Upgrades. Every tick of his internal system now served one purpose:
Survive the coming storm.
Camp Directive: Limit Break Protocol
At sunrise, Iden called a full regroup.
Rael, Nyra, and the entire legion of skeletons stood in a tight circle around the Boneforge.
"Listen," Iden said. "We have forty-eight hours. No breaks. No fallback. Everyone here pushes past what they think they can do."
He turned to the Builder.
"New Projects. Effective immediately."
The Builder, now reinforced and upgraded to Level 5, received a queue of tasks, each coded directly into its bone-core scheduling node:
Reinforce all exterior walls with bone-wrapped timber, replacing the primitive fencing.
Dig and embed spike trenches around high-traffic monster paths.
Add second-layer platforms to Bastion Tower for better angle control.
Construct two Obelisk Posts to anchor defensive wards Nyra will apply.
Create ten trap anchors using Nyra's Shadowbound glyphs.
The Builder twitched once—acknowledging the stack—and immediately began the first task.
Endless schedule accepted. Working continuously until system override or resource loss.
Miner Skeleton – already Level 7
Assigned deep cave tunneling for rare ores
Found a Vein of Lifestone Ore
Reached Level 9
Learned "Mana Pulse Detection" (passively senses magical ores)
Woodcutter Skeleton – Level 5 → Level 7
Sent to dense timberline, worked in pairs
Harvested rare bark and sap
Learned "Sap Harden": infuses gathered wood with beast-sap for stronger wall construction
Scout Skeleton – Level 4 → Level 6
Patrolled with Nyra, integrated with her tracking glyphs
Learned "Silent Relay": sends back live movement data without returning to camp
Slain a minor stealth-type beast mid-patrol
Forgemaster Skeleton – Level 3 → Level 5
Forged 4 reinforced armor plates, 2 bladed traps, and multiple bone spikes
Learned "Hot Swap Memory": 15% faster tool crafting if blueprint known
Builder Skeleton – Level 4 → Level 6
Completed 3 major builds within 24 hours
Learned "Multitask Core Split": can work on two microstructures at once
Bladeguard Warrior – Level 6 → Level 8
Assigned sparring against traps, beast training dummy
Duel with Iden twice
Learned "Cleave Recall" – 25% cooldown reduction on blade techniques
Juggernaut Skeleton – Level 3 → Level 5
Defensive drills, brute strength forging tests, stood as living wall during sparring
Learned "Shockwall Fortify": Activates a stagger shield when below 50% HP
Every skeleton kill, completed task, and harvest gave a small portion of EXP to Iden.
And as the hours ticked on—
EXP: 100%Level Up!Iden: Level 8 → 9
Gained:– +5 Stat Points– +1 Skill Choice– Summon Capacity Doubled
Current Level: 9Total Summon Capacity: 16
He stood on the central platform above the Boneforge, watching his forces continue with tireless motion. The night glowed with active torches, forge light, and the shimmer of Nyra's black runes.
"Sixteen skeletons," he muttered. "Sixteen minds. Sixteen tools of war."
He opened the Summon Interface.
Available Capacity: 16/16Current Composition:– Bladeguard Warrior [LV8]– Scout [LV6]– Woodcutter x2 [LV6, LV7]– Miner x2 [LV7, LV9]– Builder [LV6]– Forgemaster [LV5]– Juggernaut [LV5]– New Summons: 6 Slots
He selected 2 more Scouts, another Juggernaut, 1 additional Builder, and a second Bladeguard for the defensive flanks.
Each would train relentlessly for the next 24 hours.
Rael focused on maintaining the wellness of the skeletons—her Sanctum Pulse optimized healing recovery after sparring rounds. She reached Level 6 quietly that night, her aura stabilizing and cooling her pulse speed for better focus during emergencies.
Nyra, meanwhile, had begun integrating directly with the Scout Skeletons, using her Shadowbound glyphs to form Link Networks.
They could now telepathically ping threats directly to Iden's interface in real-time.
She watched him as he walked the defense ring near midnight.
"You've created an empire out of bones," she said. "But what you're really building… is inevitability."
He paused.
"Think that's a compliment?"
She smirked.
"Ask me after the second wave."
With defenses rising, resources dwindling, and summons sharpening their skills with every tick—there was only one thing left to do.
Endure the storm.
And perhaps… evolve beyond it.