Sentience, one of the critical steps in evolution. When a species reaches this point, the world finally opens up to creation. No longer bounded by the limitation of survival, but given choices to create or destroy. Worlds will be enlightened or will be savaged. The only ones who will know are the ones who precede them.
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Looking around, all is white, with a tint of gray in the distance. Like the world is a vast plane of whiteness, but centered around a dome of gray. A woman's voice shatters the still peacefulness of this plane.
... "Interlink" ...
A robotic female voice seems to emit from everywhere, but no one to be seen
"Huh." A whimper from the soul bound to this plane.
"What's happening?"
... "Interlink" ... The emotionless voice repeats itself.
"Uh, interlink?" The soul repeats in fear.
"Interlink successful, system beginning download, system upload, running diagnostics. Unique skill acquired, sentience."
"What the fu..." The void is shattered. The white world turns black, and the soul plummets to the unknown.
---
Jolted awake, the soul now inherits a body, looking around, the soul finds itself in a cave of sorts. The cave has a well-paved path with a curving wall and ceiling about 20 feet by 20 feet. The ceiling drips the occasional water droplet down to the ground, creating stagnant pools. Staring into the pools of water, the soul finally sees its reflection.
A body of complete bones stares back into the soul. The only semblance of life in the reflection is for two beading green eyes.
Turning around, the skeleton finds itself towered over by another of its kind. But not one feeble like itself, but one in glorious red robes, coated in rings on all fingers from gold to diamonds. A noteworthy amulet hangs from the neck of the being. The amulet is obsidian black oval with a ruby gem encrusted in its center. The aura that emits from this being is one of pure destruction and greed. Seeking nothing more than to take what is not theirs.
Fear would have consumed the skeleton if it were not for a newborn's innocence. The skeleton can't comprehend the power of this minor lich standing before it. The lich stares into its creation and judges its craftsmanship. Finally, after its inspection, the Lich gives a command, one that is not verbal but psychically communicated to the newborn. "Go and protect me."
That was all the skeleton heard and turned, beginning to venture down into the cave almost automatically as if it were a survival instinct to get the hell away from its creator.
After only a few steps, the skeleton receives a notification and stops.
-
[System]
[Minor Skeleton: Level 1]
Hp: 10
Mana: 0
Str: 5
Dex: 5
Skills:
Sentience - You have been bestowed upon by a higher being the gift of true knowledge. Go discover why. Side effects vary.
Undead - Being of demonic creation, immortal, lost, and emotionless. Destroy at all costs. This creature spits in the eyes of the gods.
Liches Creation - Able to communicate with its own species, even if the species doesn't have the same creator.
-
The skeleton stares for a while at this notification, puzzled as to why it is seeing anything but the physical world. "What's going on? Why do I know I shouldn't be here, be alive at that? I am wrong as a being, not just being here. I shouldn't know this."
Rattling from within his skull, the skeleton hears a booming command. "LEAVE MY PRESENCE, GO AND PROTECT THE DUNGEON." A demand not a request from his creator
"Shit, don't need to tell me twice." The green-eyed skeleton thinks to itself as it turns and sprints down the cave away from the lich.
Sprinting down the hallways of the cave, the skeleton almost senses the path it needs to take. Having an idea that it is embedded in his summoning from the lich, the skeleton weaves and turns its way through the cave system. Finding a variety of rooms.
One being what the skeleton would assume is a banquet hall with high ceilings, powerful columns supporting the ceilings, and a vast open space with rotting benches and tables.
Other rooms it found to be empty store rooms, or what might possibly be bedrooms, maybe.
"How do I know what to call these rooms. I don't really know what I'm thinking, but I know it's correct."
Continuing to sprint through the corridors, the skeleton passes many other creations like itself, but with one difference: all the other skeletons' eyes are red, not green. But it does not stop to attempt to communicate with them, some survival instinct is telling it to run to where it was commanded or face the consequences.
The skeleton finally reaches its destination, or at least what it assumes is the destination, since it no longer has the yearning to go down any more halls. But nor are there many to go down either anymore. The skeleton hasn't reached the mouth of the cave but can see natural light filtering in, battling the few torches on the wall for slain shadows.
The green-eyed destination isn't much different from the rest of the cave, since being closer to the mouth of the cave, the cave itself is bigger, with a width of about 40 feet and having 15-foot ceilings.
Around it are other identical skeletons, 10 of them exactly, all about 3 feet tall and wiry and thin. The only difference between it and them is the red eyes.
The green-eyed skeleton approaches one of its brothers and attempts the same communication as the lich did to it. As if by second nature, the skeleton reaches out mentally and speaks to the skeleton in front of it.
"What's going on here? I'm not sure how I got here. I heard a voice saying interlink, and then the lich, and now I'm here. What should I do?
The red-eyed quickly glances at it, and once again, within the green-eyed one's head, it just hears "Protect this dungeon, do not let them to the grandmaster."
The voice is monotone as if a prerecording within its own head
"Grandmaster? Who's that?" quizzically green eyes asked back.
"Protect this dungeon, do not let them to the grandmaster." It is the only thing repeated back to him.
"That wasn't my question, buddy." Green eyes respond a little irritated to his brother.
"Protect this dungeon, do not let them to the grandmaster." It is repeated once again with the same monotone voice. No passion, no emotion. Just strict loyalty and obedience.
The skeleton tries to communicate with a few other skeletons standing around, but to no surprise, the same response he receives no matter the question. "Protect this dungeon, do not let them to the grandmaster."
"I'm more confused now, I think, who's them, who's this grandmaster, what am I doing here?"
But the clinking of a new sound freezes all the skeletons. It sounds like someone wearing bricks is walking into the cave. As the sound gets louder, the green eyes began to hear more. hearing first the large, heavy bricks crushing the ground with each step, but as it drew closer, the skeleton picked out 3 other sounds. One of someone who sounds like he's carrying a few bricks, and then two who barely made a noise at all.
"How the fuck can I hear, I don't have ears. Wait, how do I know I don't have ears or even that there's a thing called ears?"
Before the skeleton could spiral any further, its brothers began to move towards the new noise.
" I guess this is 'them.'"
The green eyes turned towards the mouth of the cavern and began walking towards the noise. Hoping that maybe these brick carriers would have some answers
Making its way around the bend of the corner, blocking the cave entrance. Finally seeing the cause of the commotion, the green eyes standing behind all ten of its brothers see 4 adventurers entering its territory.
"Aw shit here we go."