The Chained Watcher

Backstory: Privacy (pt1)

Letting his senses roam over the large-scale enchantments, he nodded to himself after making sure there was no decay or faulty components present. To have his work be subpar would be demeaning, and even though he would be improving the enchantments now he was still pleased to see his older work holding up.

The only problem would be what to do with the experiments...

You see, this particular Watcher was quite into experimenting with the more... biological side of things. He himself did not much care for it, but he knew finding interesting compatible modifications and applying them on mortals was a common pastime of his kin.

Sure, if he was interested in doing such things, there would be a reason for him to keep them. But he wasn't, and would quite frankly rather not have to deal with the interruptions to his own experiments that would most surely arise from them.

Perhaps he should see how much he'll need to change on the inside before making any decisions. There might be an actual reason to keep some of them around, in a retreat like this.

Striding towards the doors, his senses found that all except one of the lifesigns in the retreat were grouped together. That was presumably where the previous owner kept his experiments, but what was one of them doing out?

He entered the main building, and almost recoiled from the clashing colors decorating the walls. Fixing that is now his first priority, before he gouges his own eyes out.

The solo lifesign he'd previously sensed was now approaching, having presumably heard the doors open. Perhaps this is not an escaped experiment? But then what purpose would it serve?

Rounding a corner, a small humanoid mortal came into his line of sight. They were very clearly heavily modified, with silent panther paws for feet, a sinuous reptilian tail, and a large puff of fur on the end of their tail. Bat wings were carefully folded along their back, trailing down like a cloak that nearly touched the floor.

The mortal's expression flickered for the briefest of seconds, before it bowed deeply. Perhaps this was a servant of sorts? But then why the strange additions to their form?

It maintained its bow, speaking in a subtly strained voice. "Greetings, o' honorable one. This one seeks to know if... if the duty of maintaining the cleanliness of the retreat is to be passed on to another, following the change in rulership."

So the reason this mortal is roaming the building is to keep it clean? Perhaps that's not a terrible idea. So long as it keeps out of his way, not having to clean the retreat himself would be convenient. He would save a considerable amount of time that could then be reinvested back into his skills, instead of wasting it on housework.

The mortal was starting to sweat now, and he could sense its carefully controlled emotions begin to tip towards fear. In his sight, there's no sign of dust on any of the horrendous decorations, so it appears that this mortal at least knows how to do its job well.

"There is no need to change that duty."

Relief briefly flares from it, before getting tamped down ruthlessly. He makes his way through the buildings of the retreat, noting down how many decorations he'd have to remove or replace before he'd be comfortable here. The mortal had stayed behind, only moving from its bow once he was completely out of sight.

There was nothing particularly special he found during his search, apart from a carnivorous species of rose bush that devoured the insects that tried to intrude. Perhaps it would be worth looking into such plants for keeping out future pests.

The experiment room made his nose wrinkle in disgust. It had clearly been several weeks since it had been tended to, as several of the more distorted subjects had died as a result of their modifications, either directly or by their own hand. And yet, some of the subjects are still alive, despite the neglect.