121 Chaotic Phantasm

{REALM: ???}

{DEPTH 21}

"We're finally back on track!"

Nyx's happy declaration was the first thing Riku heard the moment he set foot on what looked to be a massive tree branch. Unlike the Sea of Stars from before, they finally had a proper sun again as the clouds and the sunlight pierced through the massive tree cover giving them shade.

"I'm still shocked you managed to finish your paperwork quickly enough for it to matter, Nyx," Riku teased the goddess as he placed his hands in his pockets. "We're still pretty much ahead of most of the pack."

"I did my best, you know?" Nyx smugly huffed up. "We're still firmly in third place, at least... Well, give or take a few positions."

Riku chuckled at his goddess's assessment. Indeed, they were the third one to leave Astra's office after all was said and done. Surprisngly, it was Shiva that left after Shizu and Tyche left, allowing him and his madman of a Champion to catch up on the fortune teller. And speaking which, where could she be?

"Is there any way we can locate Shizu in this forest?" he couldn't help but ask as he looked up at the massive leaves covering the sky. "I doubt you can tell me where exactly she is, but can we at least get her back in a feasible time frame?"

Nyx hummed in thought as she mulled over the question. "Probably? Then again, this place is a literal maze at times," she mumbled aloud with a finger on her mouth. "Though, at least it's not like the Sea of Stars where the places of the where is where changes every time. This whole Realm is static. It's just winding and dumb sometimes."

The former assassin clicked his tongue. He really didn't like the sound of what he just heard. Still, that was to be expected with all of the Realms in the Deep Blue, he supposed. It wasn't everyday that one could go from a massive courtroom to literal outer space. And currently, he was now in a forest with no signs of civilization in sight. And no boat either, which meant that he was back to walking again after what felt like weeks of just staying still in a speedboat letting Nyx guide him. This was a new environment, one with its own unique localities and enemies just waiting to have a go at him. Still, it also meant having a new start in a sense, as well as new stuff to cook.

[BOONS OF CHAOS: CHAOTIC SYSTEM ACTIVED]

[CHOOSE A NEW BOON]

Oh, and speaking of new stuff, Nyx's power alerted him of his ability to grab a new power, something that he was really looking forward to if only to shore up his deficiencies.

[CHAOTIC BOND: ALLOWS THE CHAMPION TO BIND HIS LIFEFORCE TO ONE OR MORE LIVING ENTITIES OF RANDOM COUNT, SHARING BOTH HEALING AND DAMAGE EQUALLY TO ALL BONDMATES]

[CHAOTIC OFFERING: ALLOWS THE CHAMPION SUMMON A GOLEM WITH THE PRICE OF A RANDOM AMOUNT OF BLOOD. THE GOLEM'S STRENGTH IS RANDOM]

[CHAOTIC PHANTASM: ALLOWS THE CHAMPION TO SUMMON A RANDOM AMOUNT OF CLONES OF HIMSELF, EACH POSSESSING HIS STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES. CLONES TAKE DOUBLE DAMAGE. CAN ONLY BE USED ONCE PER DEPTH. CLONES CANNOT SUMMON THEIR OWN CLONES]

Riku raised a brow at his selection. While it wasn't all completely bad, they weren't all what they needed either. He needed a ranged option, and none of what he got gave him such a thing. At best, it allowed him to have a summon ability, which wasn't bad, but it really didn't lend to his preferences or skillset whatsover. He liked working alone, and adding more variables to the battlefield never really suited his fighting style.

Still, there was some potential to all the powers he could choose from. Well, except for [Chaotic Bond] which was such a no-brainer of a non-option that it was probably a result of him picking [Chaotic Potential] just a few Depths ago. As for the other two... [Chaotic Offering] would allow him to summon golems which would be good for distractions, but price for every summon being blood really didn't sit right with him. Add in the fact that the amount of blood was random, and it was simply too much of a risk to even bother with such a skill.

[Chaotic Phantasm], however, was quite interesting. Being able to summon clones of himself, all with his powers and strengths was a tempting option. Then again, it was the only viable option he had in terms of being useable in a fight. The fact that it even stated that clones couldn't summon clones meant that they would grow with him the more powers he got, making it a smart long term option should he want a force multiplier.

"Well, that's just an obvious choice then."

"Picking out a new power, my Champion?" Nyx curiously asked.

"Just did," he replied as he tapped on the [Chaotic Phantasm] skill, allowing the prompts and windows to disappear into motes of dark Chaos before flowing right into his knife. "It gave me something useful, at least."

As his new power flowed through him, he couldn't help but smile as he thought of the possibilities that having his new power gave him. Clones were highly useful, even if he could only do it once per Depth. He was assuming that they would run out after some time, but it would at least be more than enough to turn the tide of any battle.

"I keep telling you that my power is useful, my Champion. No need to keep stating otherwise," Nyx scoffed. "Anyway, we should probably get moving. We're not even in the Realm proper yet."

Riku frowned. "We're not?"

"We're at the entrance," she chuckled as she then pointed out what looked to be a cave etched entirely into a massive tree. "We won't be seeing the sun for a while, so get your sightseeing done as fast as you can."