Let's experiment with the flexibility of undead. For example, what happens if we try to stick a piece of cloth between a skeleton's lower and upper arm bones? Can we pull a bone off a skeleton and then reattach it (perhaps with the use of some of our Mana)?
Another experiment I'd like to try is how much we can use our power offensively or defensively How quickly can we reanimate something? Could we, for example, reanimate a door to force it to unlock or force it close and remain closed? What about reanimating a card so we can more easily throw it to our target? What about reanimating someone's shoelaces to make them get tied up and cause that someone to trip? What about making something hover between us and our target? Or maybe instead of hovering we can make invisible magical legs for it, like how skeletons have invisible magical joints.
Finally, it's a bit morbid, but I'd like to try finding a living thing and reanimating part of its body or sticking a spirit in it while it's still alive. Maybe it heals them. Maybe it gives them power. Maybe they end up possessed. Maybe we just can't do that. Whatever the case, it would be useful to know.
+1
+1, though we already know non corpses such as shoelaces and doors are much more tiring to reanimate than corpses. The one about putting the spirit in something still alive sounds good though, we are not using Esme though, let’s find a different living thing for it first
Definitely not Esme. Or Bruce or Mary. Basically no humans, preferably not even government ones (at least for our initial testing)
Agreed, no humans yet. Let’s use a rabbit
Attempting to place something into the joint of one of the skeletons is...rather a confusing event. The elbow, as joints go, is a pretty tight with the ulna basically cupping the end of the humerus. However, the radius doesn't perfectly fit to the joint in its current fleshless state; the connection is usually facilitated via cartilage and ligaments. This means the bone is effectively hovering in place, though is quite immovable from that configuration. Into this gap you can easily place a piece of cloth. It reminds you of a magnet; the way these two things can be strongly affixed to each other by some kind of invisible and untouchable force. However, attempting to slip anything between the bones where they're touching proves impossible. Pulling off bones proves impossible as well; or at least as impossible as it would be for you to rip off a man's arm. You get the feeling it could be done but not with your strength.
You don't have a massive mana surplus right now so extensive inanimate object testing is impossible. Instead you attempt a few small things. You can lock and unlock and close and open a door that has been animated, and it does seem to hold itself closed with more force than you can muster to try and bash it open. You animate a scalpel in the medical section next and find that it cannot hover or walk; it rolls about usually but can be made to balance upright and hop. When thrown, it can effect its flight but only very slightly you think. Mostly it can arrest or enhance the spin it has but not move impossibly to home in on a target. Even these two tests leave you quite tired. Animating these things can be done...relatively quickly but not instantly and not covertly. It still takes 10 or so seconds at the fastest and the motions of it are quite obvious.
You don't think you have the mana needed to grab a spirit right now, but you decide at least to search for something living to use. You check the time: probably still too early for any market to be open. You consult your pilfered memories about a place to get living creatures around here. There are shops that would sell them but the market that springs to mind is pretty far from here. Mice might be an easier prey if you could find one in the building. You decide to try that first. You spend the next hour or so tracking mice. You don't manage to catch one, but you do find a nest of them in the alley behind the library. They scatter when you try to get one but they'll be back.
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Topic: The Left-Hand Path (Read 119271 times)