[PROMOTION FINISHING...]
[{OZYMANDIAS} IS NOW A [LIEUTENANT]...]
[PLEASE PICK SKILL PATH.]:
[TRAVELER]: YOUR RUBY WRAITH MAY SLIP BETWEEN SHADOWS AS IF THEY ARE ROADS.
[BEAST]: YOUR RUBY WRAITH'S [ADVANCED SENTIENCE] IS REPLACED WITH [CHAINED SENTIENCE] IN EXCHANGE FOR DEVASTATING POWER.
[JUDGE]: YOUR RUBY WRAITH MAY SEE THE SINS OF MAN, AND DECREE THE PENANCE.
[PROMOTION FINISHING...]
[{CHUNK} IS NOW A [LIEUTENANT]...]
[PLEASE PICK SKILL PATH.]:
[CRUSHING POWER]: BRUTE STRENGTH. THAT'S IT.
[GILDED TOUCH]: YOUR MOLTEN GOLEM PARTIALLY BECOMES GOLD.
[MINER'S TOUCH]: YOUR MOLTEN GOLEM MAY SHAPE THE STONE AROUND IT.
Decisions, decisions.
Lasair had not been expecting two new creatures from the experiment, but it was a pleasant surprise. Plus, the new [LIEUTENANTS] seemed to have plenty of personality already. Ozymandias was inspecting his skill path choice with a judgmental glare. Chunk had decided to ignore his in favor of picking out a favorite plant.
Hello you two. Welcome to the land of the living. Care to make your ability choices?
Chunk gave a slow nod, before turning to his screen with the [FLAMING FERN] still clutched in his hand. Ozymandias, on the other hand, immediately spun in the direction of her viewpoint and pointed his sword at her.
"Who are you?"
The words slipped from the wraith in a way that defied sound. It was as if someone had measured the exact amount of noise that sentence was supposed to make, but took it away instead of adding it. The words had not been voiced, but stolen.
Your creator, little one. And hopefully, your friend.
----------------------------------------
Ozymandias was uncertain of the voice. It came from nowhere, giving only a vague sensation of a shimmer in the air being the cause. In truth, he had not expected it to respond. it had given him a name, and a directive. What more purpose could it serve?
The name was quite nice. It spoke, in whispers and feelings invading his mind, of a king. The king. The one above them all. It seemed to preen, to grasp for every shred of attention, to demand he bear witness.
Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.
Look on my works ye mighty and despair!
Nothing beside remained.
There was no source behind those thoughts. They called for devotion to a thing long since gone. The name was not a siren's call, or a empty promise. It was a lesson. Nothing lasts forever. And that lesson was a challenge, one he was loathe not to meet.
He would build his own empire, be it of man or of beast. And he would tolerate no disloyalty. No error. No sin. The voice was starting him on his quest for order, and intended to stay. He thought he knew what to call it.
Ozymandias followed the decree of the Law, and pierced his blade through the unfeeling majesty of [JUDGE].
----------------------------------------
Chunk thought the floaty box was a little bland. It only had words and angles, no beautiful stems or petals. And the choices seemed rather lackluster as well.
Why would he take [CRUSHING POWER]? Then he might break the plants! A delicate touch was far more useful than a mighty one.
[GILDED TOUCH] was redundant. Unlike his brethren, he already had such decorations. He needed no skill to do it for him. And gold wasn't even that pretty. It had nothing on the brilliance of a slightly wilted [MANAVINE].
[MINER'S TOUCH] seemed at least slightly useful. Maybe he could make a vase, or a garden bed! Stone wasn't the pretty plants, but it could help him care for it.
Maybe the voice would like that too! Then they could share flowers! After all, the voice did say it wanted to be friends. He could see its power threaded through the walls and floor, just like the molten rock that pulsed from his heart. The voice did more than watch over this place. It was this place.
And what gardener wouldn't want to be friends with the garden?
Chunk selected [MINER'S TOUCH] with all the care he could muster, already planning his friendship with the Garden.
----------------------------------------
Once the boys made their skill selections, Lasair watched the changes set in.
Ozymandias once again became more defined, his silhouette sharpening into a perfect imitation of a human. The mask on his face gained some intricacy, with a mouth and nose now being clearly defined. His crown gained a few more spikes, and the shadows within danced with a new fervor.
The biggest change was just how dark he was. Before, he had been pure shadow. Not quite devoid of all light, but pretty damn close. Now, his body lightened, instead of getting darker. He was composed of a dark mist, somehow seeming to be billowing and roiling even as it kept its perfect shape.
All the darkness that had been drained from his body, went straight to his eyes and sword. His eyes became perfect voids, sticking out even more in contrast to his mask. His sword didn't get quite as dark, but did begin to release a small amount of shadowy smoke.
He looked, in every possible way, like a spirit of righteous vengeance.
[STATUS LOADING...
[STATUS]: OZYMANDIAS
[CLASS]: [RUBY WRAITH], [LIEUTENANT], [JUDGE]
[LEVEL]: 5
[AFFINITY(S]): SHADOW
[BONDED]: [DUNGEON CORE]{LASAIR}
[ABILITIES]: LESSER UMBRAMANCY, DARK BLADE , ADVANCED SENTIENCE
Chunk was far more simple.
His size didn't change much in terms of height, but he became a bit broader. His golden drill hand got considerably sharper, and the gold spread up a bit further on his arm. His magma heart reached a crescendo as his molten blood raced to keep up with his growth.
The stone rippled around his feet. With what seemed to be a great amount of effort, Chunk held his hand towards the shifting stone until a vase emerged. He placed his [FLAMING FERN] inside, and a smile cracked its way across his stone face.
[STATUS LOADING...
[STATUS]: CHUNK
[CLASS]: [MOLTEN GOLEM], [LIEUTENANT], [MINER'S TOUCH]
[LEVEL]: 5
[AFFINITY(S]): EARTH
[BONDED]: [DUNGEON CORE]{LASAIR}
[ABILITIES]: LESSER GEOMANCY, GILDED DRILL , ADVANCED SENTIENCE
And with that, Lasair had two new friends. How pleasant.
Oh shit, now I don't have an excuse for avoiding my problems.