Rise of the Devourer

Instead of the usual arcade, he stood in what looked like a theatre atrium, complete with marble floors and red carpet. At the counter to the left, looking slightly more annoyed than usual, stood Dylan.

A row of three glowing movie posters filled the right side of the far wall, while two doors stood directly ahead of him.

The Void representative had abandoned his human form somewhere along the way. He now appeared as a shifting mass of shadows wearing a roughly humanoid shape, eyes a pair of glowing stars. The shadows that made up his "body" flowed and drifted in slow curls, disconcertingly.

"Ah, the prodigal mortal returns." Dylan's voice dripped with false enthusiasm. "I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about me entirely, what with all your dragon-slaying and princess-courting."

"I didn't slay any dragons.”

“You should better conceal your title before trying to lie about it.”

“And Vion isn't—" Noah stopped himself. He wasn't going to have that conversation with Dylan of all beings. "Never mind. What's going on? Why does everything look different? Why do you look different?"

"You have grown too much too quickly.” Dylan's form rearranged as though shifting his weight, not that Dylan needed to do anything so human. “We are no longer the only one laying claim to your soul."

Noah felt his heart skip a beat. Even here, in a space that was supposed to be his, those words made him slightly nervous. "Who else? Gods? Primordials?"

"How should I know?" The temperature of the room seemed to drop a fraction, as if it reflected Dylan’s annoyance. "All I can say is your little stunt with the dragon's heart did not go unobserved. Absorbing a shard of divine power, sharing it with another, creating a bond that transcends normal soul connections... these are not the actions of a merely mortal being. The powers that shaped this cosmos have turned their attention toward you, Noah Brown. All of them." "What does that mean for me?"

Dylan's star-like eyes met his. In that gaze, Noah felt the unsettling sensation of being measured. "It means that whatever you choose now will define not just your power, but your very nature. The evolution before you is not a simple advancement. It is a transformation of the fundamental aspects of your being."

“How very dramatic,” Noah said dryly. As if every other stage of advancement hadn’t been a thorough, fundamental recreation of one part of himself or another. “Just tell me where the doors lead. Which one is which?”

“Not so fast.” He pointed to the glowing posters. “You must choose which parts of your connections to accept or discard before you move forward.”

“Oh, really.” Noah stepped closer to the first poster, and information flooded his mind.

[Crimson Draconic Herald (Mythical, Rank B)]Evolution of [Wyrmblood Guardian]

The screen split in two as he watched, each half playing out a different version of the path.

[Crimson Draconic Herald of Life]

You have brought life to Erandir and now you must herald growth. Crimson Proliferation carries your restorative power from a single touch, person to person, until you can heal every wound and sustain any life. You will have the power to heal any harm, regrow flesh and bone to your satisfaction. You hold sway over the rot that would destroy, and permit it to grasp only those outside your protection. So long as you live, none of your chosen will age or decay. Life conquers all.

Requirements: Any Blood-aligned Path at level 300, have created a living being, have healed another with your own hands, have a connection to the Crimson Rot.

Warning: Adopting this path will result in modification to some existing abilities.

Noah's breath caught. The power described was staggering. That sounded like he could heal anyone, literally remake their bodies. The miner who'd been transformed by the cultists, the victims of the Abyssal experiments... with this power, he could have saved them. Could have undone the damage entirely.

It sounded like it’d replace most of his blood abilities afflictions with healing transference, but that might not be a bad thing. More DPS was good, but at a certain point, being able to ensure any number of allies simply couldn’t be killed would scale better.

"This one appeals to you," Dylan observed.

"It does."

“You don’t want it. I promise.”

Noah snorted a breath. “I’ll be the judge of that.” He shifted his gaze to the second half of the screen.

[Crimson Draconic Herald of Downfall]

When life has reached its highest peak, there is only one path remaining and you will be its guide. In abundance, you bring the fall. With Crimson Cessation as your blade, it matters not how far above you they have climbed, they will climb no farther. The stronger the adversary, the swifter the fall. Entropy will claim its due at your hand, for all things decay in the end.

Requirements: Any Blood-aligned Path at level 300, have killed with Crimson Rot, have the Titan-Slayer title.

Warning: Adopting this path will result in modification to some existing abilities.

Also incredibly powerful, and almost as tempting as the Life path. Especially if they were about to have Ascendants coming after him, every little thing that helped him hit above his weight class would be welcome.

Both variants of the path had the same stat benefits… and the same restriction.

Attribute Bonuses: +150 Constitution, +100 Mystic, +75 Power, +75 free

Primordial Binding: When the Crimson Heart wakes, you must answer its call.

Even with the restriction, he was tempted. He couldn’t help it. This was exactly the power he needed, and as powerful as his Legendary paths were, he somehow doubted the standard upgrade would come even close.

So that’s what it means when it says the paths will only narrow the farther I go. “Good thing it doesn’t offer a combined option,” he muttered. As it was, he’d be hard pressed to choose between them, but he still didn’t like the looks of that Primordial Binding caveat.

“I never took you for the submissive sort,” Dylan sneered. “Is that really all it takes for you to embrace servitude? Adherents of such a fickle being rarely outlive their immediate usefulness,” Dylan warned. “Power over life and death is all well and good, but you’ve never struck me as the sort to throw away your life because you were commanded to. Besides, it never says what happens to your precious protected ones when you do die, does it? Should I show you?”

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“No.” Noah forced himself to look away. "I haven’t come this far just to sell my soul now, however powerful it would make me."

“Thank you,” Dylan said sarcastically, but Noah thought he heard a hint of relief in his voice.

“You seem awfully willing to dispense information this time,” Noah observed as he stepped toward the second poster.

“I can be less forthcoming if you dislike it.” Was he imagining it, or did Dylan sound a little offended?

Noah shook his head. “I don’t. I’m glad you’re relaxing a bit more.” Even if it was only to persuade him away from the competition, free information was free information.

[Runewarden of the Eclipse (Mythical, Rank B)]Evolution of [Runebody Arcanist]

Bend reality at will. Your dimensional abilities become near-absolute. Create pocket dimensions, trap enemies in spatial loops, step between worlds with a thought. Space itself answers to your command.

Requirements: Rune-aligned Path at level 300, have manipulated dimensional space, have been in personal communication with the Watcher.

Attribute Bonuses: +150 Mystic, +100 Agility, +75 Power, +75 free

Primordial Binding: The Watcher claims all spaces you create, every dimension you open becomes part of its domain. You are its eyes wherever you go, and your power waxes with the moon’s rise.

This one aligned more closely with his existing abilities. Noah had always relied heavily on Blink and his spatial manipulation, so the idea of taking that to an absolute level was incredibly appealing. Creating pocket dimensions, stepping between worlds… But where the Crimson Heart’s binding required him to come when called, the Watcher’s somehow felt even more invasive. Becoming its eyes? Knowing that anywhere he went, whoever he saw, he was exposing them directly to the Lunar Primordial?

Noah thought about his Inventory, about the dimensional spaces he already used. If he accepted this binding, would those become compromised? Would he be giving the Watcher free access to everything he stored?

Almost certainly yes.

He moved to the third poster.

“That’s the one you’re looking for,” Dylan said with absolute confidence.

[Voidstalker Endbringer (Mythical, Rank B)]Evolution of [Abyssal Predator]

The Void hungers and you are its mouth.

Noah stopped right there to give Dylan an exasperated look. “Really?”

“Hey, don’t dis it until you try it,” the Void representative insisted. “I worked hard on finding a solid compromise with this one, just for you.”

“Uh-huh.”

“Just wait until you see what it evolves into at A-Rank! I guarantee, you won’t want to miss it.”

Noah looked down at the screen again, not justifying that with a reply.

The Void hungers and you are its mouth. Your symbiotic relationship with the Void deepens, until all that remains is the best interest of both. The Void destroys at your command, and feeds your hunger with anything you desire. All within the Void’s domain lays open to your whim, its creatures are yours to command, its servants yours to guide.

On the one hand, this meant he could freely consume, deprogram, or retrain every Void cultist without risking the tenuous facade of peaceful cooperation his existing Pact required of him.

On the other hand…

Requirements: Level 300 Path, have a deep connection to the Void, have absorbed power from the Void, have absorbed power from another primordial.

Attribute Bonuses: +150 Power, +100 Agility, +75 Constitution, +75 free

Primordial Binding: That which you consume is divided between yourself and the Void.

“Why am I not surprised.” Noah shook his head. “This was all a ploy to get your claws on my shards.”

“I would never!” Dylan put a hand to his chest with mock offense. “As a Diamond Premium Plus member, you’re entitled to my assistance, and I personally crafted this for you with love and attention.”

“Yeah, sure ya did.” Noah started to step away, but found himself looking to the right, to the dark corner beyond the three brilliantly-glowing Mythical Primordial posters. It looked unnaturally dark, not merely shadowy.

Dylan stood in front of him in a blink. “Nothing back there, good sir. Just carry on with your decision-making.”

Noah stepped through him, the reaction assuring him he was onto something. For a moment he only stood, staring into the shadows, then he activated Truth Sight.

Another poster hung there, dim and half translucent, but the whole thing lit up in his metaphysical sight even more brightly than the other three.

“What’s this?”

“Nothing. Leftovers from… ah…” Dylan cast about for a good excuse, but he was too late.

Noah stepped forward and focused on the fourth poster.

[Devourer Incarnate (Unique, Rank B)]Tied to [REDACTED]

The Dead God stirs. The fragments within you will begin to merge as your [Devourer] aspect awakens fully. Nothing is beyond your hunger. Matter, energy, souls, concepts, all are yours to consume.

Attribute Bonuses: +100 to all Attributes, +100 free

Warning: The separation between Noah and the Devourer will blur, the fusion incrementing with each additional shard consumed.

Master, no. Tony's presence flared with alarm. That path, it wants to eat Tony too.Noah paused, his hand hovering over the shadowy cabinet. "What do you mean?"

The hunger in that Path does not distinguish between enemy and friend. Tony is part of Master, but that thing... The symbiote's presence trembled, clinging tight against Noah's soul. It would not see Tony as part. It would see Tony as food.

"You can feel that? From just looking at it?"

Tony can feel it.

Noah stared at the screen.

The Dead God. The being whose Shards he'd been collecting, whose power he'd been unknowingly cultivating. This Path wasn't a binding to some external Primordial, only an acceptance of what was already inside him.

To merge with the fragments of divinity he carried, the power offered was immense. +100 to all Attributes, plus another 100 free? That was insane, even compared to what the other Mythical Paths offered. And the ability to consume anything held a terrifying potential.

But the cost...

The line between Noah and the Devourer will blur.

He remembered Zax's warnings about the Devourer aspect. How the dead god's power wasn't truly his. How collecting more Shards might not be making him stronger, but feeding the dead god until it was ready to use Noah as a vessel for its eventual rebirth.

It would see Tony as food.

"I am obligated to inform you," Dylan said, and something in his voice made Noah turn, "that the Void finds the fourth option... concerning."

“Yeah, you’re not the only one.”

"The fact that its Shards are scattered across Erandir instead of destroyed completely shows how dangerous it truly is. They remain intact, when they should have degraded into nothing eons ago. They call to each other, draw vessels to them, slowly work toward reunification. You are not the first to carry a Shard, but you are the first to carry multiple Shards and remain... yourself."

Noah looked back at the shadowy not-quite-there poster, Truth Sight laying bare the pulsing power behind it.

Hunger stirred in his chest, the need to consume—

He stepped back. "No," he said firmly. "Not yet. Maybe not ever. I need answers before I even consider this."

“Excellent.” Dylan clapped his hands. "Now that digression is done with, I believe you were preparing to accept my incredibly powerful custom path, yes?"

Noah chuckled and turned away from the row of Mythic posters. The potential in these options was intoxicating, but the costs were too high. Power at the cost of freedom was just slavery with extra steps.

"Tell me about the doors."

"Most would kill for the opportunity you're declining," Dylan warned.

"Most haven't learned what I've learned about cosmic entities and their 'gifts,'" Noah replied. “Doors?”

Dylan sighed. “The first goes to your arcade. The other is… unknown to me. It will not go away, however.” He waved a hand at the doors, and the arcade one swung open, showing the familiar upgrade consoles beyond. Noah felt a brief flicker of nostalgia, the urge to step inside and choose standard new paths, but that wasn’t why he was here.

He wasn’t going to accept a weaker path later, not when he had a way to change things now. He opened the second door before Dylan could protest and stepped through.