The Tower of Nero - Skeletonize

A millisecond’s scan of the room showed me ten enemies in various states of readiness. In the far corner, four Germani were scrunched together on a broken-down sofa, eating Chinese food from takeaway boxes. Three technicians sat in swivel chairs, manning control consoles. They were human security, each with a sidearm, but they were too focused on their work to be an immediate threat. A mortal guard stood right next to me, looking surprised that I’d just pushed through the door he was monitoring. Oh, hello! A second guard stood across the room, blocking the other exit. That left just the Germanus leader, who was now rising from his chair, drawing his sword.

So many questions flashed through my mind.

What did the mortal technicians see through the Mist?

How would I get out of here alive?

How did Leader Guy sit comfortably in that swivel chair while wearing a sword?

Was that lemon chicken I smelled, and was there enough for me?

[...]

‘Me?’ I cackled. My nose felt broken. I was bubbling mucus and blood in a way that must have been extremely attractive. ‘Nothing!’

I laughed at him. It was just so perfect. The thought of dying here, surrounded by Chinese food and barbarians, seemed absolutely perfect. Either Nero’s doomsday machines had malfunctioned all by themselves, I had done more damage to the controls than I’d realized, or somewhere deep beneath the building, something had gone right for a change, and I owed every troglodyte a new hat.

The idea made me laugh hysterically, which hurt a great deal.

Leader Guy spat. ‘Now, I kill you.’

He raised his sword … and froze. His face turned pale. His skin began to shrivel. His beard fell out whisker by whisker like dead pine needles. Finally, his skin crumbled away, along with his clothes and flesh, until Leader Guy was nothing but a bleached-white skeleton, holding a sword in his bony hands.

Standing behind him, his hand on the skeleton’s shoulder, was Nico di Angelo.

‘That’s better,’ Nico said. ‘Now stand down.’

The skeleton obeyed, lowering its sword and stepping away from me.

The technicians whimpered in terror. They were mortals, so I wasn’t sure what they thought they’d just seen, but it was nothing good.

Nico looked at them. ‘Run away.’

They fell all over each other to comply. They couldn’t run very well with arrows in their feet, but they were out of the door faster than you could say, Holy Hades, that dude just turned Leader Guy into a skeleton.

Nico frowned down at me. ‘You look awful.’

I laughed weakly, bubbling snot. ‘I know, right?’

My sense of humour didn’t seem to reassure him.

‘Let’s get you out of here,’ Nico said. ‘This whole building is a combat zone, and our job isn’t done.’

[...]

AS NICO HELPED ME TO MY FEET, LEADER Guy collapsed into a pile of bones.

I guess controlling an animated skeleton while hauling my sorry butt off the floor was too much effort even for Nico.

He was surprisingly strong. I had to lean against him with most of my weight since the room was still spinning, my face was throbbing, and I was still suffering from a bout of near-death giggles.

‘Where – where’s Will?’ I asked.

‘Not sure.’ Nico pulled my arm tighter around his shoulders. ‘He suddenly said, “I am needed,” and darted off in another direction. We’ll find him.’ Nico sounded worried nonetheless. ‘What about you? How exactly did you … uh, do all this?’


- The Tower of Nero, Chapters 25-26