The Disguised Undead & The Ruined Crypt

Shopping for a "Ratman"

The bustling streets of Veyleigh were as lively as ever. Merchants shouted their prices, street performers played cheerful tunes, and the scent of grilled fish wafted through the salty breeze.

But Arlan wasn't here for the sights—he was on a mission.

He glanced at Bones, who now walked beside him in full view of the public. No one was screaming. That was a good sign.

"So far, so good," Arlan muttered under his breath.

Bones twitched his whiskers, looking smug. "Told you. Ratman."

Shade, flickering behind them, whispered, "Still… corpse."

Bones bared his sharp teeth. "Faster. Smarter. Better."

Shade simply scoffed.

Arlan sighed. "Alright, we need to make this disguise legit. No one's gonna believe you're a beastfolk if you're walking around naked."

Bones grinned. "Clothes?"

Arlan nodded. "Yeah, something simple. Maybe a cloak, some bandages—"

Bones suddenly bolted into a nearby clothing stall, knocking over a stack of fabric.

Arlan rushed after him. "BONES—STOP, YOU GREMLIN!"

The old shopkeeper—a wrinkled, sunburned man with a thick mustache—turned and squinted at the chaos.

"Oi, what's all this—" He froze as he spotted Bones digging through a pile of tunics, sniffing the fabrics.

Arlan grabbed Bones by the shoulder, forcing a strained smile. "Uh, sorry! My friend here is… uh… new to civilization!"

The shopkeeper eyed Bones suspiciously. "…New, huh?"

Arlan nodded furiously. "Yeah! He's, uh, from the—mountains! A real backwoods kind of guy! Hardly ever wore clothes, y'know?"

Bones tilted his head. "Naked."

The shopkeeper gave Arlan a deeply disturbed look.

Arlan coughed. "Listen, it's actually part of his skill. He, uh… changes forms. Sometimes bigger, sometimes smaller. So, we need clothes that adapt to transformations."

The shopkeeper raised an eyebrow. "You mean shifting gear? That stuff's expensive. You think I just hand that out to random mountain folk?"

Arlan scratched the back of his head. "Okay, fair. But you gotta have something—maybe some leftover enchanted fabric? Doesn't need to be high-grade, just… flexible."

The shopkeeper grumbled, rubbing his temples. "Hmph. I might have something." He turned and shuffled to the back of the stall, rummaging through a trunk. "Got a batch of low-tier shifting cloth. Adventurers use it when they don't know what size they'll end up with after a class change."

He pulled out a dark cloak with faint silver stitching along the hem.

Bones immediately snatched it up, draping it over himself dramatically. "Cool!"

Arlan sighed in relief. "That works. Anything else?"

The shopkeeper dug deeper, pulling out a simple tunic and belt made from the same shifting cloth. "These should work. Ain't perfect, but better than tearing through clothes every time your buddy changes size."

Arlan grinned. "Perfect. How much?"

"Six silver."

Arlan winced. That was nearly half of what he earned since arriving in Veyleigh.

Bones tugged at the cloak. "Buy."

Shade whispered, "Waste."

Arlan groaned. "Fine." He handed over the coins.

The shopkeeper gave them one last suspicious glance before waving them off. "If he turns into a damn dragon, don't come crying to me."

The Final Look

After several awkward minutes of trying to put on his new outfit, Bones was finally clothed.

He now wore:A dark, tattered cloak with shifting enchantments (to adapt to his size changes)A simple tunic and belt (nothing fancy, but it covered him)

Arlan stepped back, examining him.

"Well… you almost look like a normal person."

Bones sniffed the cloak, then dramatically swished it around his shoulders. "Cool!"

Shade muttered, "Idiot."

Arlan grinned. "Alright, let's go. We've got a crypt to clear."

Bones cracked his knuckles. "Hunt?"

Arlan nodded. "Yeah. Let's see what we're really made of."

The Ruined Crypt – A Dark Presence

The crypt stood on the outskirts of Veyleigh, hidden in the thick jungle foliage. The stone entrance was cracked and covered in creeping vines, but the moment Arlan stepped inside, he felt it.

Necrotic energy. Thick and suffocating.

"Well," Arlan muttered. "This feels cozy."

Bones sniffed the air. "Death. Many dead."

Shade whispered, "Controlled… not wild."

Arlan frowned. That was odd. Normally, abandoned crypts housed wild, mindless undead—relics of old magic. But controlled undead?

That meant someone was commanding them.

Which meant Arlan might not be the only necromancer here.

"Alright," he said, gripping his wand. "Let's go say hi."

They stepped deeper into the crypt.

The First Fight – Corrupted Guardians

It didn't take long before the dead stirred.

With a sickening crack of bone, skeletons clad in rusted armor shambled forward, their empty sockets glowing with eerie green light.

Arlan grinned.

"Alright, let's test out the new and improved Bones."

The first skeleton lunged, its sword cutting through the stale air.

Bones moved like a ghost.

He vanished in a blur of speed—then reappeared behind the skeleton, claws flashing.

With one swift motion, he ripped the undead's spine clean out, sending the rest of its body crumbling into dust.

Arlan stared.

"…Okay. That was brutal."

Bones inspected his claws. "Cool!"

Shade muttered, "Showoff."

More skeletons rushed forward.

Arlan raised his wand. "My turn."

A wave of necrotic mist burst from his fingertips, washing over the undead like a plague. The skeletons twitched violently as their bones blackened and rotted mid-motion.

Within seconds, they collapsed into dust.

Bones clicked his teeth approvingly. "Better."

Shade hissed, "Wasteful."

Arlan grinned. "Oh, shut up. We're just getting started."

With that, they pushed deeper into the crypt.

The Deeper Chambers – A Silent Warning

The deeper they went, the more Arlan noticed something strange.

The undead weren't attacking them randomly.

It was almost like… they were guarding something.

Bones sniffed the air, his whiskers twitching. "Magic. Old."

Shade muttered, "Master… danger."

Arlan clenched his fist. This wasn't just a mindless dungeon.

Someone—or something—was waiting for them.

And Arlan had a very bad feeling about what was coming next.