"Woof!" Bruce gave an excited bark and pressed one forepaw against it.
Soon, the bald, translucent head emerged from the mirror. Drawn by an invisible force, it became a streak of light and shot into the gnoll skeleton's body.
The skeleton shuddered violently. The soulfire in its eye sockets flared, and its color grew deeper.
It stiffly turned its neck, making a series of crisp cracking sounds, as if getting used to its new body.
"Get going."
He Xi spoke to Bruce, then went and sat down nearby, using the time to recover some of his nearly depleted stamina and mana.
It would do Bruce good to burn off some of his excess energy. It would also help Slag get used to his new body more quickly.
Ten minutes later.
He Xi sat up and used Appraisal Spell again, turning his gaze on the skeleton.
The sight left him at a loss for words.
The tall gnoll skeleton was striking a very awkward pose, imitating Bruce by propping one leg bone against a nearby tree trunk.
Bruce stood beside him, patting the skeleton's leg bone with a forepaw. "That's it! Get the angle right! Now you can mark your territory whenever you find a tree you like!"
He Xi couldn't understand why a skeleton would need to learn how to do that.
But his helpless exasperation quickly gave way to a satisfied smile.
Appraisal Spell returned a deep crimson glow. With Slag possessing it, the skeleton's level had far exceeded He Xi's detection limit.
"Let's go, Bruce," He Xi called. "Our teammates are still waiting. You can play with him again later."
He called the reluctant Bruce back to his side, then temporarily transferred the Shadow Dodge trait to the gnoll skeleton.
Its form quickly blurred and turned transparent, eventually