A tiny little STS fanfic based on this post (search for Watcher Ancient Slay the Spire on Reddit):
Darkness. Cool, empty darkness surrounded her. She could feel her soul rippling with the darkness, one with it once again.
Tick… Tock…
She did not know when she had been one with the darkness before. It did not matter. Her mission was incomplete, her life destroyed at the hands of her corrupted brother, and she had never discovered how it all happened. She had *failed*.
Tick… Tock…
At least she had managed to wound him so grievously… Such blighted wounds even its time reversal surely could not heal…
Tick… Tock…
But she had still failed. She was dead. Her Brothers and Sisters would mourn her, but they never understood the rage she wrought against death. No other had mastered the stances like she, no other could wield the powers of her unnamed goddess like she could.
Tick… Tock…
But the darkness was cool, and she was tired. Perhaps… perhaps it was time to rest.
Tick… Tock…
Tick… Tock…
Tick… ToCRKKK!
…
The clock had stopped. Why? What terrible force could break such an artifact so brutally that it simply ceased?
A terrible *shriek* echoed through the darkness. Squelches emanated, and more shrieks. Something *extremely* powerful was destroying the Time Eater with excessive violence.
Slowly, the noise stopped. The echoes warped and disappeared, and silence reigned.
Footsteps approached her. She felt the warmth of light on her hands and face. She tried to get up, stand ready, but she could not move. The light crouched beside her, leaned down to her… and spoke.
“Oh child… my faithful child… what did your brother do to you?”
The voice was soft and caring. It sounded like Elder Sister Maya’s voice. Peace came over her.
“I wish I could save you, my child, but the cursed toxin within me has caused my power to wane. You know this; I cannot even speak to my priests anymore.”
Shakily, she finally managed to roll over. It was not proper to greet the unnamed goddess on your back, but she could not kneel, and so she lay on her stomach and clasped her hands.
“Oh, child. You do not need to harm yourself on my account. Be still.”
The light’s hands grabbed her, and rolled her back over. The goddess pulled her into her lap, made her head to rest on the goddess. She felt it then. The toxin, whatever it was had stolen the warmth from the light’s chest, and all that was left was chilled death.
“You feel it, don’t you? Soon, I will die, and my power will disappear. I cannot stop it.”
What horrible being could make such a toxin as this? Such a… a *blight* would spread to the people on Preon it it ever released into the world…
“What horrible being, you say? Who else? It is my enemy, the cursed one, that which lies and cheats and steals. My brother, the first demon. He is named Vakku.”
She spat the name with such venom that the Watcher was surprised it did not afflict her with Blight. Such hate could only be reserved for the greatest of betrayers.
Though, she supposed such a great betrayal as this would warrant such hate. If her instinct was correct, this Blight that afflicted her goddess was also that which had destroyed every other Spire, and the reason this one was corrupted.
“Ha! You always were my most insightful child. If only I could grant you a favor, but it would take the last of my power. I cannot leave your brethren godless so suddenly.”
If the blight did not afflict power, but person, could the goddess not choose a successor? A successor could grant the Watcher a favor without expending all of their power. But who could she choose?
“…oh. Oh! OH! My child, you are genius. Thank you, child, for your great work.”
That was such a great work? It was not more than an idle thought. And still, who would inherit the power?
“You have saved yourself AND your clan. That is a great work to me.”
The Slay the Spire gang has a Ryu Number of 4, right, besides Watcher who's got 3 by several routes (through super meat boy's incarnations of commander video and Steve, among others)? I'm not forgetting something else that would make Ironclad, Silent or Defect able to take a shortcut?
The Watcher does not have a Ryu Number.
(update and explanation below)
(UPDATE: With the Everyone is Here Vol. II update of Dead Cells, a cameo appearance from Neow gives the Watcher a Ryu Number of 4/3.)
(UPDATE 2: With Fraymakers’s release in Early Access, the Watcher has an unambiguous Ryu Number of 3. While present in the UI, she is not yet implemented in any way.)
I'm assuming the Ryu Number of 3 in question is calculated through Fraymakers, since I can't find any other links. It's entirely possible they exist and I haven't been looking hard enough.
If it is through Fraymakers, I'll reiterate what I've said in the past multiple times: I do not use unreleased games as links. This is not to imply that I have reason to believe something will go wrong with Fraymakers, but it's just good practice to work with known quantities. So until the game comes out in at least Early Access (currently targeting August 2022), Fraymakers cannot be used for Ryu Numbers.
At any rate, assuming Fraymakers releases as promised, the Watcher, the Silent (who is a confirmed assist), and any other Slay the Spire characters that end up making cameo appearances in the Slay the Spire stage should have Ryu Numbers of 2 through CommanderVideo's Minecraft skin.
