Rise of the Devourer

Book 3: Chapter 4 — Discoveries

Zax stood within the library, going through the various shelves, as he tried to look for the book that may have the answers he was seeking. A spell pulsed around him, being cast independently with a strain of thought in his mind, maintaining a ward that would silence his presence here. He wasn’t supposed to be here, but just a brief look at the procedures required to gain legitimate access to the location had made the Dragon opt for the easier and faster route.

Independent clones of him moved around the area—none as fancy as the ability Noah had, these ones could only follow one command—going through the books alongside him, as a stream of information continued to pour into his mind.

Zax put the book down in his hand, running another divination spell quickly, as he let the spell guide him to his next book. Picking it up, he began to rapidly flip through the contents of the book, trying to find out more information.

The shard of a dead god… he still didn’t understand how such a thing had come to be. Afterall, what could kill a god? They were true immortals, even if you killed the avatar of a god, another one would be born. Yet something clearly had, and he wanted to find out what.

One of his spell wards triggered as Zax closed the book in his hand, noticing the familiar presence behind him.

“You seem to be looking for something,” Ekira said, leaning against one of the shelves, with her arms crossed. Zax turned around to face the guildmaster. He didn’t intend for it to come to an open conflict, but he still dismissed a few clones to clear enough mental capacity to restrain her safely.

“I’d made sure we redid all our wards after the kid had just teleported right through one of them. Would’ve been shameful had that happened twice. We still can’t stop someone like you, but at least it alerts me,” Ekira said.

“Apologies on the intrusion. We did not have the time to follow procedures,” Zax said.

Ekira chuckled to herself. “I don't really know who you are, Zax or even what you are. You claim to be a mage, but my instincts don’t quite agree,” the woman said, as she uncrossed her ams and stepped closer to him. “But I didn't get this far by being blind. I know it when someone can kill me with ease. And that's when you've got those chains. The fact that you're playing along nicely is all I need.”

“We appreciate it,” Zax said. He very much wanted to avoid conflict if he could.

Ekira looked at him, frowning. “That said, I'll let you know that if you ever force my hand, I may not be able to stop you, but I will hurt you enough to make you regret it before I die,” the woman said, with practically a growl.

Zax looked down at the woman, and gave her a nod. Had he been younger, the insult would’ve made him eradicate her on the spot, but now, it only added to the fascinating nature of humans. How they stood in front of things greater than them, determined to fight till the bitter end.

He had no doubt that he’d regret it, should he ever have to fight the woman in his current state.

“You're more perceptive than we'd anticipated,” Zax finally said, putting the book in his hand back on the shelf

“Comes with the job. Those who weren’t died,” Ekira said, leaning back against the shelf once more. “So? What're you looking for? There’s likely a good reason why you’d be sneaking in this place all on your own.”

“It has been a long time since we have been out of the Astral Rift, so we’d like to catch up on developments some what. But the bigger question we seek, is answer to the identity of who this dead god might’ve been, and what killed them. We’ve been around longer than most, and even in the rift… we would’ve felt it if a god had died. Any god,” Zax said.

“That's the big question isn't it? But no one knows where this mystery god supposedly came from. Or what the cultists intend to do with these Shards. We just know that it exists, and that whatever they’re planning to do, we don’t want to let them do it,” Ekira replied, glancing sideways as one of Zax’s clones picked up another book, still working on gathering information. “All I know is that something is happening, and I don't like it.”

Zax thought over the woman’s words, closing his eyes as he tried to piece together everything that he’d managed to learn so far.

He didn’t like what he saw either.

***

Noah watched Bun Bun and Tony running around the little patch of forest they had come to, just a little distance outside of Heartillia. He had decided to spend some time in nature training with his spear, and both Tony and Bun Bun had taken it as their cue to start playing. Which, in their case, meant violently terrorizing the local population of monsters for the most part.

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Bun Bun being Bun Bun, that came as no surprise, but Tony had decided to join in as well. The symbiote had gotten significant upgrades to its body, becoming capable of altering its form into multiple shapes, splitting into different bodies which he could control altogether with ease.

Noah watched his familiars running around, chasing after some squirrels, yapping at them to make them run up trees. The scene reminded him of the few times he had gone hiking with friends who brought along dogs, which would act in much similar ways.

Although a dog would be significantly less terrifying than these two.

Letting the two of them play, Noah brought his attention back to his spear. After the repairs, Noah could almost feel the spear thrumming in his hands, as if shivering from anticipation of being used. Visually not a lot had changed, his weapon still looked more or less the same, but the feel of it had shifted dramatically. It had also made him realize that he had been neglecting his training with the spear.

His spar with Aurelia had been evidence enough that without his specific abilities, he would be powerless. And even now, he had so far often had to rely on using tricks and traps, surprises, and other similar methods to win his battles. But that would only last for so long.

There was also the weapon skill thing he had seen yesterday, which was another thing that he needed to figure out. He had asked the woman if the weapon skill would lock automatically as his spear grew, and what made the progress of the weapon go up. He replayed the woman’s words in his mind.

“It’s difficult to say how the weapon skill may reveal itself. It could very well be that the skill just does not exist right now and needs to be created by you somehow. Growth weapons come in all shapes and forms. Some grow by killing monsters, some by training with them, others based on the bond with their owners. In the case of this one… it may very well be all three.

This is going to sound a bit strange, but talking to your weapon could also help you gain a better understanding of it. As so far, it's mostly just been dormant, but really, you should treat your weapon as a companion rather than just a tool. That is in part what being a growth weapon means. I wouldn’t go as far as to say that they are alive, but they are definitely close. The better you understand your weapon and cherish it, the more it will respond.”

Noah looked down at his spear. "Guess I've been neglecting you, huh?" Noah said. For a moment, he almost felt the spear shiver in his hands. He wasn't sure if he had imagined that or not, but he put the thought aside for now, taking a stance against a particularly big tree.

He shifted his grip on the weapon, trying to remember everything that Raesar had told him. Weapon mastery guided his stance, telling him to shift his fingers, to twist his legs sideways so that when he thrust, the rotation would add additional momentum to the weapon. He shifted the weight of his body, focusing all his attention on his own posture.

He had never given such deliberate thought to how he moved. If he had to define his own fighting style, Noah would call it instinctive. He moved based on instincts, guided by them.

There had not been many occasions when that had failed him; his instincts had always been good, and he had always been a good fighter. But if he truly had to compete, if he was going to be fighting up against trained warriors, then he needed to be better. He needed to be deliberate. Just instincts were not going to be enough.

Noah took in a deep breath, letting his chest and abdomen fill up with air, before slowly letting it out. Then, with a powerful thrust, Noah struck. A crack sounded in the forest, animals scattering as birds flew away in fear. A second cracking noise came soon after, followed by a third. Noah thrust his spear, going through the motions over and over as he chipped away at the void, the weapon cutting through it with each precise strike.

Yet even as he moved, he could feel that there was something missing. Weapon mastery kept guiding him, as he simply changed the position of his body, the way he twisted his legs, the way he moved his arms, the exact moment he struck, letting that energy carry outwards into the weapon.

As he moved, slowly the tip of his spear began to blur, the strikes causing pressure waves in the air to create bursting noises as he thrust his weapon faster and faster. With a final swing, the tree was sliced into a clean section, as it toppled over next to Noah.

[Weapon Mastery] level 11 → 12.

Wiping the sweat off his brow, Noah smiled as he saw the level up notification. Yet something still felt off. He focused himself on the feeling he had gotten from his spear. He had done everything right, moved the exact way that weapon mastery had told him to, but there was something missing there. It was almost as if his spear was telling him to move in a different way, but he couldn’t quite understand how.

The bracelet on his wrist vibrated with a buzzing noise, and Noah looked down. It had been one of the items they had bought on their shopping spree yesterday, and every member of their group had gotten one. Noah sent a pulse of mana, as the bracelet activated, the gemstone on it glowing.

“Where are you?” Aurelia’s voice came through the bracelet.

“In the forest just outside of Heartillia. What’s up?” Noah said.

“What do you mean 'what’s up'? We need to start moving out, the airship leaves in an hour and we’re going to be late.”

“Oh crap, I lost track of time. I’ll be back in a second,” Noah replied, looking around himself, seeing how he had taken out a decent section of the forest with his training. “Guess I did go a little overboard.”

“What will I do with you,” she said and Noah could almost see her shaking her head. “Come back quick,” Aurelia added, before her voice cut out from the bracelet as it deactivated.

“Alright, Bun Bun, Tony, time to head back,” Noah said. A moment later, Bun Bun rushed back, jumping into his arms, quickly followed by Tony who sank into his body.

Taking one last look at the patch of forest around him, Noah activated Arcane Step, as he teleported back.