I have a few options when it comes to a guardian for this tomb, and considering what the [Incomplete Creation] is and how it got into my monster list I could probably make something wholly unique. The main problem is where to start with creating an entirely unique monster from scratch for this guardian. For now it might be best to populate the path to the room first and leave the boss, as that’s what it is going to be in the end, for last. So rounding up my thoughts I bring my view up through my crypt and examine what I have to work with physically. Though unsurprisingly it is mostly rock, bones, and a bit of wood for support, most of those last two being rather rotten. Not much to work with really but it does leave some ideas that I could work with when it comes to protection and monsters.

  Putting my mind and [Aether] to work, I quickly begin forming some ideas of how to defend the area, and it’s gonna be mostly surprise tactics. I recall back to what I saw about the ghosts and begin pulling on a few threads of power to form them. I can also feel a slight tug at [Returnal] but there is nothing really that it can pull at though the whispers from my other skill begin to intensify once I begin tapping into my spirit affinity. It’s a bit unsettling as I try to work and takes a bit to be able to tune them out enough while I work on forming my first ghost. The ghost I do end up creating is, well it’s a bit less then I expected but it is called [Lesser] so I don’t know what I expected.

  The ghost is more a silhouette then anything, just barely humanoid, and only really visible as if through a dense fog. It would certainly do a lot to portray it as something spooky but if what I read was right there isn’t much it could do on its own. Good for ambiance is what I would put this as but not much beyond that. However there is a secondary factor that there needs to be tested that I wanna get to, so I turn my gaze to one of the many skeletons at rest. I do feel kind of bad for this but I also know I am kind of lacking in options so I need to take what I can get. With a slight tug of my power and a command to the ghost it evaporates into a mist that quickly flows and clings to the bones I indicated.

  Things are silent for a second or two before a pale white light flashed into the hollow eye sockets and the skeleton began to rise. The joints clicking and snapping as bone rubs against bone, the spirit moving the hollow thing as if it had every part of its anatomy still. Seeing it, it was kind of less disturbing then I expected a skeleton to be but I was also more privy to the whole processes then most people would be so I can’t complain. Checking on my [Aether] it felt a little…not drained, more so stretched, so that was something to keep in mind. Putting that aside I looked at the skeleton itself and suddenly

  Skeleton, possessed: (Minor)

  [Uncommon]

  The skeletal remains of a humanoid, the bones

  are possessed by a ghost animating them.

  While of similar strength to normal skeletons these

  ones are different in that when defeated the ghosts within

  will still exist unless excised by holy magic.

  Now that is something interesting right there, and something I can definitely get behind, not only is this just something I can make easily, the ghosts can come back. That means that they can at least accumulate mental experience if not the actual points themselves. Though that holy magic caveat would mean any cleric who comes by will definitely be a threat and a half. Though I have elementals to help with that so it shouldn’t be too big a threat. It also gives me ideas for something I might be able to do for the boss but I don’t know how I will manage that with what I have.

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  I put a thought to it and I actually hear a response, not in words but in feelings, from my earth elemental who has been sort of just waiting there. It feels like it wants to go and explore the underground around us for resources I could use. I can’t deny the idea is very interesting and with the ability to have a few skeletons between me and the outside world definitely makes me less nervous about that. So with a mental nod the elemental moves and begins pressing into the wall, I was a bit confused until its consciousness just begins phasing into the earth at the wall and it begins searching. Best I leave it to that while I continue with my defenses.

  As it goes off I focus on making a few more ghosts to fill out my rank and file within the crypt, and they take to the skeletons with gusto. I do give a few the order to remain inert until prompted since I feel it would be a really good trap to have the skeletons suddenly attack from behind or grab you while you look at them. It’s definitely baby’s first dungeon right now since I am lacking in any arms or armor to give the skeletons, aside from another skeleton’s arm. That seemed rather poor in terms of weapons so I just let them wander and get used to the new bodies these ghosts where in. I also felt I was stretching my [Aether] a bit thin with these monsters so I stopped creating monsters to give myself room for the boss.

  That is something I am going to have to consider soon though, but maybe for now I can begin making this crypt look less decrepit and more special. Despite the skeletons and death vibes I don’t really wanna live in a poorly maintained set of underground tunnels, it just doesn’t feel right to the part of me that likes the building part of all this. So I decide to set my mind and energy into refining what I have already started with and making it something I can be at least proud of. Though the effectiveness will be yet to be seen.

  First and foremost is pushing energy into every surface from the top of the crypt to the area just outside the final room with earth mana. It’s an odd feeling, it doesn’t use [Aether] but instead it feels like I am using it to actually grab hold of loose mana and form it as I see fit. That aside as I push the mana into the walls I began to review what I can change, I would prefer not to leave it dusty and messy, but a crypt is kind of just dusty by nature. What I can do is remove the debris that years of neglect has built up though, fallen rocks, crumbling supports, even something rotten I don’t even want to know too much about.

  It take awhile to remove all the random bits and pieces, mostly cause I need to wait for my skeletons to move the debris outside before I grind them into gravel or dust for a path I am making. It is worth it in the end though, since I have a bit more a tidy crypt then I used to so I can much better work. Next step is to reinforce every surface with earth mana and supporting stone so that nothing collapses unless I want it to. Pushing the mana into the walls was a good first step but my affinity is telling me a better way to enhance the stone so I let it guide my hands and try and learn from it. It’s actually quite fascinating as it’s taking the natural structure of the stone and patching in the holes that formation causes with a mana lattice. It could be helpful when setting up rooms cause what is a cave but just one giant formation imperfection in the stone.

  With everything cleaned up and supported I wanna turn my attention to my boss, and I finally have something I wanna try. I can’t really make something with what I already have, non of them seem very boss like really and I want this one to be special beyond measure. But then I realized that I could just design it from the ground up, and the system will come to recognize it. This will have the added benefit of making it wholly unique to me and thus something I can be extra proud of and something I will have to be extra careful with designing. I like the challenge though, it gets my mind working on overdrive after all, and that is just exciting. So with a quick check over everything I have, I begin digging into my work with my first boss.