Rise of the Devourer

Noah hovered in the sky, feeling his new nature settle into place. The perks finished crystallizing, each one becoming as natural as breathing. He was undeniably different from what he would have been with three upgraded Paths, but he had no regrets. He could fly now, for a start, and not just for a minute or two.

[Dragon Shift]

A strange combination of human and dragon, you can shift partway from one form to the other.

He could maintain his fully human appearance, shift to full dragonoid state or anywhere in between.

With a thought, his wings folded inward and vanished, muscles shifting beneath skin that smoothed back to human appearance. He started to fall, and with another thought, his wings spread out behind him to catch the wind.

“I’m sure this is going to get old eventually, but right now…?” Noah laughed as he swooped over the clouds, close enough to reach down and catch the lightning in his claws, then climbed again into the open air beneath the stars.

[Dragon Fear]

You command the natural terror contained by all Dragons.

An aura settled around him, suppressed but present. He felt it coiled in his chest, a pressure waiting to be released. When he chose to unleash it, lesser beings would know the primal terror of facing an apex predator. Even stronger foes would feel the weight of confronting something ancient and terrible.

Noah tested it briefly, letting a fraction of the aura slip free. The air around him seemed to darken, to grow heavy with menace. [Dragon Scales]

Your scales resist most magical damages, and improve your ability to absorb physical damage.

Noah ran a clawed finger along his scaled forearm and felt the reassuring solidity of the protection. Magic would slide off them. Physical blows would distribute across their interlocking pattern. Combined with Tony's armor capabilities, he was becoming more and more difficult to hurt.

[Dragon's Eyes]

A dragon sees far. Be able to see beyond the limit of your human eyes.

He could count the individual water droplets on the wind, extrapolate depth from the endless roiling clouds beneath him until they may as well have been a distance grid. And beyond simple magnification and distance, he perceived energies, auras, the flow of mana through the space around him.

[Dragon's Will]

A dragon's will is unbroken. None can make your spirit bend.

Mental fortitude crystallized in his soul, a bulwark of absolute certainty. Mind control, fear effects, domination magic—all would break against his will before they could take hold. He remembered Vor's attempted mental assault back in Drakonias, how close it had come to working. That weakness was now sealed behind walls of draconic resolve.

[Dragon's Heart]

You who hold a true dragon's heart. Find yourself capable of surviving any wounds, so long as your heart still remains.

The heart-shard in his chest pulsed with recognition, Vion's fragment acknowledging this final piece of the transformation. As long as it beat, he would survive. He could regenerate from catastrophic damage, recover from wounds that should be instantly fatal. His heart was his anchor, his core, the one thing that must be destroyed to truly end him.

He was already impressed by the new set of perks, and if this was only the baseline? He couldn’t wait to see what they transformed into once he reached A-Rank.

He didn’t know how long he spent there, diving in and out of the clouds, testing variations of his shift, and integrating more or less dramatic versions of Tony’s augmentations. When he finally finished and alighted on the broken stone of the ground, he found an exit door standing right beside him.

“How convenient.” He gave one last look up at the roiling storm above, the sky that already had started to feel like home, then stepped out and back into reality.

Stillness and darkness, just for a moment, but that moment was enough.

Something cold and alien tapped at his soul, sending tremors through him that no amount of meditation could stabilize. Then the vision hit him.

Looking down on Death Valley from above, a vast canyon system stretching into the distant darkness, its walls carved with symbols similar to the ones he’d seen in the arcade. The air itself was thick with power, mana so dense it was visible as a perpetual haze.

Creatures moved through the canyon. Dragons and wyrms, twisted, ancient things that could swallow mountains and made Zax seem young. Ascendants, tiny compared to the others yet still grand and terrifying, crawled across the ground.

Some of them looked up as Noah's perception passed overhead, as if sensing his presence even through the vision. And at the heart of the Valley, deeper than any map could show, something slept.

A presence so overwhelmingly vast that even perceiving it in a vision made Noah's soul tremble. The sleeping thing was as large as a dragon, but of a humanoid form, a cloak of darkness vaguely blanketing it.

The overpowering pressure of Ascendants were nothing compared to this. This was the pressure of something that had existed before the rules of existence were written, that had shaped the concept of death itself.

Even Zax would be nothing to this thing. Even the Primordials might pause.

As Noah watched, frozen in the grip of the vision, the thing stirred. An eye opened, burning with pale blue fire that held no warmth, and looked up, through the layers of the Valley, through the fabric of the vision itself, and fixed on Noah.

It saw him. It knew him.

A whisper echoed through the vision, through Noah's very soul: "Come. Prove yourself worthy of death."

Something in Death Valley wanted him to come, and despite every instinct screaming that he should run in the opposite direction, Noah knew he would answer.

Then the coldness withdrew, and Noah’s soul relaxed back into himself. Awareness began to return.

Noah felt the stone beneath him first, the smooth concave surface of the focusing dais, cool against his body’s increased heat. The mana in the chamber pressed against him, dense and welcoming, and his body drank it in with an urgency that startled him.

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He opened his eyes.

Rank has increased to B.

All attributes increased by 200.

Processing existing experience points…

Wyrmblood Guardian has reached level 317.

Runebody Arcanist has reached level 311.

Abyssal Predator has reached level 312.

Dragonoid Human has reached level 315.

The chamber looked different through his transformed sight. The wards Zax had activated earlier glowed with intricate patterns he could now perceive, layers of protection woven flawlessly together.

The mana flows that had felt chaotic before now revealed their underlying structure, currents and eddies that moved according to rules he was beginning to intuit. He could see the whole shape of the arena’s inner mana structure, how the pillars outside directed power inward, how it dispersed through matching pillars all around the entire miles-long area, focused on enhancing the beasts and competitors within.

"Noah?" Aurelia stood at the edge of the dais, staring down at him with concern.

He sat up and stretched, then understood why she was staring when his wings brushed the far walls.

"You're…” she shook her head. “Noah, you have wings."

"I know! It’s awesome." He flexed them experimentally, but none of his instinct from the inner world had abandoned him. Every fiber responded with natural ease as he waved one at her in greeting, then folded them in. This necessitated an odd semi-crouched semi-leaning stance that felt more like he should be stalking prey than standing at ease, and he reflexively wanted to loosen his wings a bit, flare them behind him for added speed when he charged… He shook off the reflex and grinned. "Give me a moment."

He focused on Dragon Shift and willed his form to recede. The wings folded inward, shrinking and then vanishing entirely into his back. His tail retracted, scales sliding beneath skin that smoothed back to its familiar appearance. The claws shortened into normal human nails and the joints of his legs returned to normal. Within seconds, he looked almost entirely human again.

"Better?" he asked.

“Your aura still tastes like it wants to eat me.”

“Oh, I can fix that.” Noah hadn’t even realized Dragon Fear had activated, but it seemed to be less of a toggle and more of an augment. Still, with a little conscious effort, he was able to tone it down to something more reasonable, exclude Aurelia and Zax from the effect. “There. Still me, I promise. Just... more."

Aurelia considered him a long moment, then nodded once. "Good. The 'more' I can work with. Just don't forget the 'still me' part."

"You refused the Mythical Paths." Zax's voice cut through the moment.

"Yeah," Noah said. "The costs were too high. Primordial bindings, divine servitude, potential possession by a dead god..." He shrugged. "I've had enough entities trying to use me as a tool."

Zax snorted in approval. "Good. The Primordials are not beings you want noticing you. Not yet. Perhaps not ever."

"I think it’s a bit late for that. We’ve been opposing their cults pretty heavily."

"Be that as it may, something else has taken notice of you." Zax's eyes narrowed. "During your evolution, I felt a presence reaching into your Astral Space. Something ancient, death-aligned."

"The Reaper," Noah said. "The one Septah told me about. I got... an invitation."

"You received communication from the entity in Death Valley's heart," Zax said slowly. "That is... unprecedented. The Reaper does not reach out. It waits. It watches. It does not invite."

"Well, it invited me. Told me to come prove myself 'worthy of death.'" Noah met Zax's gaze. "Any idea what that means?"

"No," Zax reluctantly admitted. "The Reaper predates my knowledge. Perhaps predates knowledge itself. What I can tell you is this: the entity at Death Valley's heart is why even Ascendants fear that place. It is not a creature to be fought. It is a force of nature, a fundamental aspect of existence given form."

"Ah, wonderful. Can't wait to meet up with another force of nature. I have quite a rapport with those generally. Or enmity. It could go either way."

"You chose the Race evolution." Zax moved closer, examining Noah closely. "Your change is substantial. The Legendary paths suit you well. You've maintained your independence while gaining considerable power."

"I did. You were right. It was the correct choice."

"I merely presented the option. The choice was yours alone." Zax circled him slowly, continuing his assessment. "You will need time to adjust. Your power levels have increased dramatically, but your control will take time to catch up."

"How long?"

"Normally? Months. Perhaps years, for a transformation this significant." The dragon smiled, showing teeth. "Fortunately, we have an arena full of monsters for you to practice on."

Noah felt an answering grin spread across his face. The prospect of testing his new capabilities against worthy opponents was already thrilling, but the added desire to command the subjugation of all who dared oppose him was distinctly draconic in nature.

"You seem eager," Aurelia observed.

“I am.” Noah flexed his hands, feeling the new power singing through every fiber of his being. He was stronger now—significantly stronger. He had evolved, his abilities had expanded, his attributes increased across the board.

But looking at those numbers, remembering the thing he'd seen in the vision...

It wasn't nearly enough. Not even close.

Aurelia shifted beside him like she wanted to say more, but instead squared her shoulders and got down to business. "So what's the plan? We're in Death Valley's border region. Noah's ranked up. What's next?"

Noah jabbed her with his elbow, shaking his head. “We need you to rank up too, remember? And give me some time to acclimate. I may be pushing close to oversoul again if I’m not careful. Two ranks in two weeks is slightly above the recommended average.”

Aurelia laughed. “Right.” Then she sobered. “I…”

“You?” Noah prompted when nothing more was immediately forthcoming.

“I… Do you think I should…” Her voice went quieter, as though ashamed. “Should I even try to press on?”

Noah’s heart just about stopped. “What? Of course we should press on.”

“Not… today, I mean…” She cleared her throat and waved a hand vaguely at Noah. “You’re a Titan Slayer, Dragonslayer, Progenitor. You have paths specifically built around growing under intense pressure. Surviving what you shouldn’t. I’m…” She looked away. “I’m nothing special.”

“You’re wrong. You think just anyone could have come as far as you have? Done as much as you’ve done?” He laughed in disbelief. “Nothing special? Aurelia, you’re the most incredible woman I’ve ever met.”

She froze, barely breathing, and didn’t reply.

Noah cleared his throat awkwardly. “And you’ll only get more incredible if we get started on murdering some ancient monsters, aye?” he asked with forced lightness. He held out a hand. “Only way to keep up is to keep working. Blood, sweat, and tears.”

Aurelia nodded. “I’m not giving up. That’s not what I—”

“I know.”

“It’s nothing like that. Only, you’re growing so fast.”

“Then all the more reason for us to get back to fighting and training. Gotta drag you up with me somehow.” Noah snapped his fingers. “Oh, speaking of training with me…”

Aurelia gave him a curious look.

Noah reached into his Inventory and pulled out something he'd been neglecting with a grand flourish.

Bun Bun appeared in a flash of draconic energy. The dragonspawn rabbit was bigger now, about the size of a large dog, with scales interspersed among his fur and small horns protruding from his head. He immediately sniffed the air, ears twitching, then let out a low growl at the unfamiliar environment. Marrowhold's ambient energy was clearly setting him on edge.

"Easy, buddy," Noah said, kneeling to his level. "This is our new training ground. Things are about to get serious."

Bun Bun considered this for a moment. Then his expression shifted from wary to eager, bloodlust gleaming in his draconic eyes. Good, he decided. Strong prey makes strong predator. We hunt. We kill. We grow.

"That's the spirit."

“You do know summoners don’t need to reason with their familiars, right?” Aurelia asked, unwisely.

Bun Bun immediately zeroed in on her. Before Noah could react, the murder bunny launched himself at Aurelia's feet, sniffing aggressively at her boots before apparently deciding she wasn't food. He retreated with a dismissive snort.

The moment Zax moved, Bun Bun ran over to the dragon and started squeaking excitedly.

The dragon ignored him. “If you’re ready?”

Noah nodded, eagerly. “Can’t wait.”

“Then come.”