Problems beget solutions which brings more problems.
I stood outside the Cosmic construct of a large cage I had made. On the slab inside the cage lay my new experiment. Outside was another lower slab with a shorter chair made out of the earth for me.
As I sat I raised my palm over tbe table letting aether float and coalesce into a book with several pages. I smiled at the sight of the book. Creating things like tbe Rune system had been harder than one would think. It wasn't just about making the template or describing it. I had sat down for longer than needed to inscribe the signs and flooded the intent I wanted each of the runes to possess and signify. Each rune would now be used by others as they saw fit.
I flipped open the book and scoured its pages for a rune I had made. It was on the last page of the book. A vertical scale with a skull holder. The rune for death. It was the one rune I wanted to make sure I had before I began.
***
I stretched myself out after almost half an hour of work. In my palm was the inscription pen, something that would etch the markings needed on the bone with dried god blood. In this case, my blood.
'Mutilation.' I shook my head at how I was getting used to it.
I was at the very last most important rune. It wasn't like the runes were much but they needed to be as accurate as it had been in my book. I swept my tongue over my lip wetting it right as the last point was finished.
"Finally." I let go of the pen and it floated alongside the book. "Now for the main event".
I stepped out of the cage with the book and pen floating after me while I willed tbe cage door shut. Then I raised a palm.
" Cosmic Imbue" I muttered. I could simply have sent a trickle of energy into the runes but that would have just charged the rune like a battery. Like a battery, it would power off when all the energy was dead. But with cosmic imbue I empowered the runes to always draw energy from the new shard sitting in the Destroyer's chest.
The runes flickered, and the bones shifted. I tilted my head. 'Come on.'. I sounded quite excited about an undead thing almost on par with me to awaken. Crazy. That was the idea, the perfect solution. By having the creature awaken I could use it for what I needed.
"A parcel to whichever Creator owned these angels would be good". The bones moved again and I noted that the runes were no more flickering. They glowed brightly. The shard in the chest was blazing and I could see the little flow of energy dripping into the runes. A slight gross sight occurred as I watched what was flesh grow out onto the Destroyer's bones. It was both creepy and interesting to see. I checked to make sure my recorder was on.
The skin mended at a slow but active rate. I watched it with fixation as it finally reached down to its leg bones, and then moved to cover its skull. It wasn't till the Destroyer opened its eyes that I realized what I forgot to make sure of.
" Fuck" I hissed as the destroyer pounced at the cage door fortunately the cosmic bars recoiled it back with a hiss. It stared at me and growled. While the energy had actively regrown its flesh and teeth some had not been regrown. Like a tongue and patches of flesh here and there that exposed bone.
I walked around tbe cage watching the creature follow me with its empty eye sockets. There was no glow there, just an eerie empty darkness. I exhaled as I made my next move. Since I had forgotten to add some sort of control rune I had to test if the fact that I had purified its shard would give it loyalty or obedience.
"Open" The golden cage door swung open instantly but without a creak. I readied my Om around it watching as it noted the opening. The creature bounded out and straight for me. White ragged zombie flesh blending with the white ground. It leaped into the air aimed right for me.
"Stop" My palms were ready, and my fingers locked. Ready to shred it to nothing. A loss but atleast I knew that it worked. I could always try again.
I didn't have to snap though. The result of my order was instant. The Destroyer came to a halt right before me. It slammed its clawed long fingers on the white ground with strength but made no attempts to move closer.
'It does listen to me.' I stretched out a hand in awe eyes wide and watched as it didn't bother to focus on the hand.
"Of course you're blind" The creature bristled and slammed the ground but still made no attempt to come forth.
"I obviously can't use you as a pet but I can always use you for what you once were. " I nodded in understanding. It was like a dead skeleton brought back by a necromancer. They had to obey orders but it never meant they liked their masters.
"This is still problematic though. Inscribing tbe runes on the body was a bad call. What if it loses that body part during battle? Best to inscribe it on tbe shard then. After all, if it loses the shard it is dead." I shrugged
"Okay, I have to do something. It might hurt or not but I assure you it'll be over in an instant". Instead of snapping I used my will to tug at the shard and ripped it straight out of its chest. The destroyer fell in a heap its bones and flesh scattering to the ground.
"More work". I groaned in disbelief as now I had to gather all the bones too.
***
It took longer this time mostly because I had to rearrange the entire bones in proper positions The flesh had turned to dust, probably because it was magically grown. Once done I put the shard into the destroyer. I added one more thing though. Not a control run either but a self-destruct rune. Mostly for the shard itself. Once removed from the creature it would detonate. Both as a good way to slay my enemies and also hide my runes. Didn't need those creators' learning my runes and creating contingencies for them.
Like before the shard glowed, flesh wrapped the destroyer up and it rose. This time it did not attempt to charge me. I smiled at the slight improvement.
I instructed it to sniff me and memorize my scent, energy, and aura before ordering it to obey only those with such an aura and be less antagonistic. The creature made no signs it understood but knowing how it had reacted and even sniffed me I knew it got the instruction.
"Now. We try it out with those lovely angels. Atleast what's left of them". I added.
A few hours later and I was done. Mentally tired from the repetition but all smiles all the same. I had about thirteen angels standing before me. Those that were in enough pieces for their flesh to be regrown. Others were too far gone to be used. Even more interesting was the system notifications.
[You have made false life]
[False Life]
[Unlike necromancers who force the souls of the dead back into their corpses, you have configured the energy of one's life force (shard) into empowering a corpse. As such you have made false life]
[Such life lacks individuality or personality and is little more than a drone]
[Consume high-level shards or same-level shards to grow]
[You have touched on death's domain. As a Creator you will not be penalized]
[Your False life runes have been registered]
What amazed me the most was the fact that none needed a template to be formed. It made me more certain that the template was just to aid in creating and wasn't needed. Useful but unnecessary if you knew what you had to do very well without errors.
"On the bright side, I have a solution to my problems here". I smiled as the plan in my head reared itself. First I looked at the template for both the Destroyer and the Angels.
[False Life] - [---------]
[Lv 1] - [ADVANCED]
A destroyer corpse powered by a Shard. It obeys only the purifier of its shard while animated.
[PERKS] - [Heightened sense] - [Life Sense] - [Sonic Scream] - [Divine Fire] - [False Life Evolution]
[Heightened Sense]
[A creature without sight, adapting to its other senses to hunt for prey. Sound and movement are detectable by it]
[Life sense]
[A new addition of reanimation. As a false life in need of evolving its core the creature can sense all living beings within a 50mile radius]
[Sonic scream]
[Sometimes when prey hides, fear gets it moving again. Movement alerts tbe hunter to strike. A high sound attack that only brings fear, but depending on intent causes stun effects ]
[Divine Fire]
[By controlling the energy running rampant within them and expelling it out their maws they create divine fire, capable of burning any and or creatures within their power range]
[Consume]
The innate perk of the false life being. A need made by its desire to evolve as close to true life as possible from consuming shards from other beings and attaining skills or perks from them]
[False Life Evolution]
[As a creature animated by shards and empowered by its energy. More shards consumed increase not only its shard energy but also increases its evolution]
[False Life] - [-------]
[Lv 1] - [BASIC]
Angels from the Helios universe reanimated as nothing but drones.
[PERKS] - [Flight] - [Sol's Light] - [Combat master] - [Divine mana] - [Rogue antics] - [False Life Evolution]
My eye locked on something both new and not new. It was something that I had already prepared for but seeing it here made me interested to know how it worked
[Flight]
[As winged beings they can take to the air at massive speeds. Their rate of flight is not dependent on wing number but proficiency]
[Combat master]
[A longer time in battle helps them to learn and copy their formed fighting style]
[Divine mana]
The basic breakdown of intent is mana. But Divine mana is a gift given by gods to their angels.]
[Life sense]
[A new addition of reanimation. As a false life in need of evolving its core the creature can sense all living beings within a 50mile radius]
[Rogue antics]
[A surprise attack mode that makes all strikes unexpected and unusual.]
[Consume]
[The innate perk of the false life being. A need made by its desire to evolve as close to true life as possible from consuming shards from other beings shards and attaining skills or perks from them]
[False Life Evolution]
[As a creature animated by shards and empowered by its energy more shards consumed increase not only its shard energy but also increases its evolution]