The bone magician

The expedition team headed down inside the dungeon . Step by step with the only light source being Jay's fire . The door was a stairway which was narrow so we could move only in a straight line .

The fire emanating from Jay's hand increased the temperature inside the dungeon little by little . At first there was smoke emanating from Jay's hand but then it started to dim and a clean flame was projected which there was no smoke .

McElroy:

Hey Jay I have a question about fire magic .

When we burn a wood plank it is a source of Carbon emissions.

But not you didn't have anything so.how was there any smoke. Then later a clean flame .

Jay :

There was a carbon source .

Jay showed his hand which was burned slightly . Due to a slight mistake in the output of mana . But it didn't burn completely. There were a few marks of inflammation which seemed to heal in real time .

The clean flame was obtained by burning mana as a fuel source . While the smoke was from the carbon in Jay's skin .

But there was no pain as if were a normal thing .

McElroy ran mana through his hand touching the walls of the dungeon but his connection was broken by mana running through the walls . It disallowed manipulation of the walls . But if not so . They might have still collapsed inside the dungeon walls .

The stairway opened into a wider room . Into a hallway where torches burnt automatically with the same mana running through them .

Sher Khan:

Why would you have mana running through here .

McElroy:

Maybe to protect them from intruders or captured prisoners who are mages .

Jay :

Don't this place give you scary vibes .

Sher Khan:

What's there to fear it's just a dark and dank room .

He was glotaing while moving he crashed into something and there was a rattling noise . Sher Khan saw some ribs and from it the other side beyond the ribs . He looked up and saw a skeleton staring right into his eyes . Without eyes .

As the sensation ran throughout him , he tripped and accidentally pulled the leg of the skeleton making him also fall and scatter into pieces .

Jay :

Oh no . No no no no no , this is Fort Bronx all over again .

McElroy:

You mean the skeleton war .

Afraid Sher Khan crawled back. Behind both of them .

And from the shadows many skeletons emerged with weapons .

McElroy:

Don't engage maybe they are just here to escort us .

Maybe they are friendly .

McElroy walked fearlessly though he was frightened.

He talked to one of the skeletons .

McElroy:

Hey we're a bit lost what place is this .

The skeleton moved it's jaw as if it was trying to say something but there were lots of organs and parts missing for the sound production.

McElroy:

Oh I'm sorry , here is a pen and paper can you write on it .

The skeleton left his weapon and was made to hold a paper and pen .

The skeleton curled his fingers and saw the pen and the page . And started scribbling something.

See this skeleton wrote asking if were a part of the royal guards or the royal family . To which McElroy replied honestly that they weren't .

The skeleton scribbled again on the paper . Asking if we were a escaped prisoner or not . To which McElroy denied .

Once again scribbling the skeleton asked him to go back or pay with his life . And he left the paper in his hand and grabbed his weapon .

The skeleton intimidated McElroy and awaited for his answer .

McElroy:

When you said you fought skeletons I thought they would be more intimidating and really scary but I guess I'm wrong .

McElroy was not phased by the skeleton standing before him .

McElroy:

There's someone supposed to be controlling it right .

Jay :

Seems so .

And McElroy bashed right through the skeleton . Crumbling him to pieces .

Jay's fire was useless against the skeletons . As they just seemed to like the heat . So he crashed them with his fist covered with iron .

The iron acted like gloves protecting it from direct impact .

And proving worthy for the splitting is skulls . One of the skeletons were uppercutter by breaking it's skull by breaking it's Jay first and the jumping and clashing him with the ceiling at such power the skull broke into dust .

McElroy:

Hey , this is no place for flashy moves.

Jay :

Hey Khan aren't you going to fight , they're just babies you can knock them around easily.

Both of them had forgotten the fact . That for Khan they were terrifying . That skeleton if not for them is able to lift about 50 times it's weight . And for someone manaless it can regenerate . But when they both attack their mana leaks and disrupts the weak link of mana passing through each of the bones.

The skeletons even survive a explosion from 1 kilogram of RDX . But since they are just seen as everyday things they didn't even notice .

And their weapons were very well made and so sharp that they can just glide though a normal persons skin like butter .

But nothing happened and the expedition team moved on .

Even whistling at one point. And they came across a door which was bound with chains. Emanating a pitch black dark aura giving a sense that it should not be opened .

And they broke the door . The door broke down when in his excitement Jay punched the door .

Behind the dark dingy door was a prison . There were iron bars which felt cold in touch and there was no source of ventilation. So it felt somewhat suffocating. The deeper they went . The steps the team took emanated throughout.

McElroy looked inside one of the bars and he saw someone .

A person in very poor quality clothes standing staring the wall . McElroy tried to call him but he didn't answer his call .

He was standing perfectly still not moving even a single nanometer . McElroy cut through the bars with his water and got inside . Where he looked at his face it looked like he was scared by something or someone . His mouth was open and it looked like he was frozen .

Sher Khan:

I know this man from somewhere, let me think .......

Oh he's the head of a university. But why is such a respected man here .

And in that cell it seems he's some leader of a religious group.

And this here is a very well known merchant . Who disappeared suddenly one day without any trace .

And there is a influential noble . All these people belong to high class family and have high status .

Jay :

As well as make big bucks . (Chuckles)

Quickly the team began to search through the cells to find anything that could explain everything. Any evidence maybe a clue could help but there were none .

No suspects to talk to no evidence to gather .

It was assumed that the people were frozen throughout.

Then there was a sound of someone calling .

It was a massive iron door which was 10 inches thick and it didn't had mana running through it. The door was opened to find a robed man lying on the floor .

His eyeball shifted towards us .

? :

So you intruder still came through in the end . Was it for me or something else.

Jay :

We are searching for the cause of the Frozen city . And why you're not frozen like everyone else.

? :

Hmmm interesting, many came and went their merry way .

You're the ones who could come this far .

Jay :

Who are you ?

Jinka :

Hmm , lets see . Yes I am Jinka the bone magician.

McElroy:

What is this bone magic ?

Jinka :

You could say i am from one of the unorthodox one who practice it .

Jay :

Like dark magic.

Jinka : (Laughs hysterically and convulses) (Rolls on the floor)

Dark magic ? Hehhahahahah , Sure Ehhhhah3h3heheheheh what are you 9 , where did you hear it . From when you were in your mother's lap .

Hahahahaha.

Jinka finally stops rolling in the ground and breaths as he had laughed too hard .

Jinka :

Dark magic .

Jinka starts to laugh again he laughs for another 35 seconds and finally stops .

Jinka :

What a lovely child we have here . Listen son there is nothing as dark magic .

Sher Khan:

How were you able to control these skeletons .

Jinka :

Isn't that obvious there are many ways to do it .

Listen up .

Nor begans Jinkas class on bone magic .

Jinka :

Bone magic use can vary depending on the user and circumstances. Well the last bone magic user is me so it doesn't matter (Wheezes) .

First you can either control the bone dust and create an actual skeleton by layering the bone dust on top of another and holding it tight like adhesive .

Second . If you have an actual skeleton , then you can just control it's joints and that'll get it moving .

Third for more precise control you can pass mana throughout its entire body and control it . But the link formed will.be highly weak . And the pro is it allow for more fluid movement of the skeleton.

Understand fools . Now I've taught you unorthodox magic you're the same as me as well . Muhahahahahaha . Rofl .

Jay :

Answer our questions dammit .

Jinka :

I just did ,

Jay :

Why are you trapped here , why is everyone frozen and how can we undo it .

Jinka :

I am not trapped here , I am here just preparing things .

The wall rotated to bring out a bloody sigil with characters written in Sanskrit. All over . Parts of it are covered with ash .

Sher Khan:

You're planning a ritual aren't you , and these prisoners are your sacrifices .

Jinka :

Bingo .

Sher Khan:

What is the purpose in doing this .

Jinka :

Let me tell you a story about . God , destiny and blood .

This will surely ease all your doubts .