“So, uh, did we do it?” Teekay asked as he picked himself up off the floor, not having noticed the colossal monster of a being standing before them.
“Maybe?” Eksi replied, surprised that he and Teekay were the first to climb to their feet. They were followed by Tenuk, Tahvra and Akah, then the two non-Decayons, then finally Elkay. Elkay, Elksia and Phovos all seemed weirdly sluggish as they orientated themselves.
“Little ones, please, take a seat.”
The Decayons all snapped to attention as eight perfectly made chairs appeared behind them. Teekay had to help Elkay sit down, and Phovos nearly fell out of her seat, but Elksia did seem to be slowly coming to. As they sat down, their seats all rearranged themselves, so the Decaylings were in a specific order. A table burst into existence in front of them, covered in food that looked and smelled amazing. On the other side of the table, a throne materialized, and the colossal being sat down.
“We did it, yes?” Tahvra did his best to be chirpy, hiding the fact that the monster in front of him was both huge and terrifying.
“You did, yes.”
The being’s appearance became more apparent as the world brightened up around them. It didn’t really seem to have a single form, instead it was an amalgam of the appearances of the Decayons, lacking any features from Phovos or Elksia. It was blatantly aware that they were a Life Goddess and a Time Drake, and it knew Elkay was not a standard Decayon as well. It bowed its head slightly.
“Little ones, welcome to my domain. I am Overlord. Today, we discuss your graduation, and we shall do so via your Decay Lord designations. First off, congratulations are in order, you completed your trial in record time, cleanly and concisely. Please, have something to eat and drink.”
The Decaylings all glanced at each other, then did as they were told. They didn’t know what the food was, none of it looked recognizable, but it was delicious. The drinks though were all clearly some sort of sweet, red wine, which only Tenuk and Elksia seemed to enjoy.
“So what happens now? Are we Decay Lords now?” Teekay asked. He constantly turned to his left, trying to peer towards where Elkay was sitting. He didn’t like how he’d been separated from his partner, and Teekay was genuinely concerned that Elkay was heavily drugged or something, since Elkay was clearly struggling to use a spoon currently.
The Overlord nodded, then snapped his fingers. The bands around the Decaylings’ necks, wrists and ankles all beeped, then disintegrated into nothingness.
“I will be blunt, I am impressed. The last few Decaylings that the Thantir have sent my way, you have all done exceptionally well. Not that the Thantir are supposed to be active, but still. You eight in particular, we expected you to spend a lot longer killing the base corruption before figuring out that you needed to kill its source. And you killed the source in a way we did not expect, completely evading the traps the corruption had inside the sphere.”
“The Thantir are… not supposed to be active? What does that mean?” Tenuk grunted.
“The sect was supposed to have been dismantled, for harbouring an Amalgam Mimic and not sending them to Deathven Proper. And the fact that the Thantir have found a second Amalgam Mimic without reporting them to us…” The Overlord paused, then glanced at where Elkay was sitting. Despite his drugged state, he was well aware that the Overlord was talking about him. “However, I understand their reluctance to do so, which is why I have allowed the Tattered Navigators and the neutered Missing to continue running the sect… Either way, we have more pressing matters at hand…”
“You’re not going to hurt my partner, are you?” Teekay stood up and hissed. “Elkay has done nothing wrong!”
“Do not fret, Shocktrooper. Unender will be fine. The drowsiness he is suffering from is admittedly a side effect from the decontamination process, to make sure none of you were corrupted. Please, sit back down.”
Teekay hesitated, then did as he’d been told. However, he still felt uneasy, and a quick telepathic message from Eksi that he couldn’t discern whether the Overlord was telling the truth or not didn’t help matters.
The Overlord smiled to himself, then sipped his drink from a gigantic, golden chalice. He took several bites of food, then climbed to his feet, raising his chalice as he did so.
“Formtwister, Toxicclaw, Shattershield, Shocktrooper, Soulsoother, I declare all five of you Decay Lords. Congratulations, use your new powers and status well. I expect a lot from you. Especially you, Shocktrooper and Soulsoother. Your skills at such a young age are genuinely impressive. You all have bright futures.”
The Decayons all looked at each other. Before any of them could say anything, the Overlord snapped his fingers, and they all vanished. He then turned his attention to Elksia, who was much more awake now.
“Threadwarper, congratulations, I declare you a Decay Lord. Because of your status as a Time Drake, you have also earned standing among the Time Drake Consortium. You are now a Rank 3 Time Drake, and you are now permitted to travel through Time Drake Consortium and Kronothrax territories without issue. I appreciate both your power and your decision to join Deathven and the Decay Lords in general. Well done.”
“Uh, thanks, I guess?”
Again, before Elksia could say anything else, the Overlord snapped his fingers, and she disappeared. Phovos glanced at Elkay, both of them feeling rather concerned.
“Lifetaker, congratulations, I declare you a both a Lady of Decay and a Decay Lord. Life Goddesses that wish to join our ranks are incredibly rare. Life Goddesses that are willing to put themselves through a Decay Lord Trial to certify themselves are even rarer. You have earned your position among us, and, as a Life Goddess, all Decay Lords are commanded to offer you aid if you request it. Thank you for lending us your vast power.”
“But… I’m not that powerful!” Phovos protested.
“No, Lifetaker, but you are very, very young for a Life Goddess. You will become immensely powerful over time. Welcome. And farewell.”
Another snap of the Overlord’s fingers, and Phovos vanished. The Overlord turned to Elkay and sighed.
“I did not want to think this would happen, but here we are… You will not let me become a Decay Lord, yes?” Elkay wearily asked. “You think I am some sort of monster, when all I do is try and protect others.”
Overlord wandered over to Elkay’s side, patting him gently on the head. “Little one, I understand, but you are a vastly powerful individual, who blurs the lines between the Three Main Types. Every other Amalgam Hybrid that has stumbled their way along our path has been a dangerous, unstable being-”
“I am not unstable. I know who I am. I know what I want to do. And all I want to do is work alongside my fellow Thantir and protect others. I am not a threat do you.”
Overlord tutted. “Unender, I understand, but the Space Between Universes will tear you apart and exploit you. You WILL end up like Novastar, like Elementalsoul, like Deathbringer, like Everlord, unless I intercept you now. Your remaining here, in Deathven Proper, is for your own good. Unender, I declare you a Decay Lord, I declare you one of us, but unfortunately, you must be sealed away. I apologise, Unender.”
“Your apology means nothing.”
“If you say so. But it is for the betterment of everyone. A shame, but a necessary one.”
Elkay sighed to himself. He considered getting aggressive, but that would just prove the Overlord’s point. The Overlord snapped his fingers one last time, and Elkay found himself teleported away, trapped inside a frosted glass chamber. A dark red gas spewed from the ceiling, coating Elkay’s skin and forcing its way into his lungs.
“I knew this would happen. Stupid fluffy kitty lied to me…” Elkay muttered as he swiftly fell unconscious.