Rise of the Devourer

Book 2: Chapter 60 — Final Checks

With a burst of magic, Noah and the rest appeared in the chamber. Noah's eyes went to Snow, who stood next to Zax, now looking taller and bolder than before. But the most notable change was the tattoos marked upon her body. They ran from her shoulder down to her or with portions covering her face and her horns. Her horns had changed as well, curving further with the black tattoo turning white as they flowed over the obsidian colors.

Noah watched as the tattoos on Snow's body shifted and moved before a figure appeared next to her with a burst of dark mana. The shadowy figure took the form of a wolf, standing next to Snow protectively.

Noah whistled. “That looks impressive.”

Snow smiled, brushing the wolf’s fur gently.

“What was that creature?” Aurelia asked.

“A void fiend,” Erwest said, gripping his sword for a second.

“That Shadow,” Noah said. “He lives inside Snow—well I guess not anymore.”

“You don’t have to worry. Shadow is friendly, right Shadow?” Snow said petting the giant wolf like it was just a big dog.

Shadow looked at Erwest with a growl before leaning into the rubs and chin scratches that Snow so freely bestowed upon him. Noah and the others walked closer to the wolf, watching the giant abyssal creature lie down and let the giggling teenage girl play with it.

“This really makes me reconsider everything I’ve been taught about abyssal creatures,” Aurelia said.

“This is not normal,” Erwest said.

“I think even Noah can see that. But it is still fascinating, even if it’s not the norm. It's wonderful and amazing to see that these creatures are capable of things like compassion and empathy,” Aurelia said.

“They really are,” Noah said. “Tony has been nothing but curious here since I first got him. You really don’t expect that from something like an abyssal parasite. Or even just a normal parasite really. Not sure if it’s because Tony is special, or we just haven’t had the chance to explore these creatures of the void.”

Erwest remained silent, not participating any further in the conversation.

“I’m fairly sure that Tony is not a normal abyssal parasite. Those things are not really capable of thought. All they do is infest corpses and create monsters,” Aurelia said.

“I did use an Epic grade Tome to summon Tony. That’s probably a part of it,” Noah said.

"Likely," Zax said. "Let us leave this discussion for later. All of us have a task to fulfill right now. Have the three of you finalized your choices?"

Noah glanced sideways at Erwest and Aurelia. "I think so. There isn't much else left to do besides kicking the cultists' asses."

Zax nodded. "You should take a few minutes to make any last-minute preparations you would like. I have prepared a bag of potions and mana crystals for each of you from the items that I deemed usable at your current rank."

"From the start, you have been extremely helpful, and I know this may be a bit premature, but we would like to pay you back for your help. Noah may not be able to break the shackles; truthfully speaking, I'm not sure there's anyone besides an ascendant who can. But if there is someone, the guild will likely know them. And I'm sure they would be tripping over themselves to make a dragon like you their friend," Aurelia said.

"We have given it some thought. If this matter is resolved without any unforeseen problems, then we will likely seek out the help of this guild of yours," Zax said.

The dragon looked at the three of them. "Take a few minutes to rest or meditate. You can make use of the mana reservoir within this vault to replenish yourself. Once you're ready, we will teleport you to the location."

The four of them nodded and then took a seat. Aurelia sat down to meditate, and Snow talked with Zax to better understand her abilities. Erwest moved a little further before taking a seat in what looked like prayer. Noah wondered if Hellion could hear him.

Walking a little further himself, Noah took a seat beside the pool of life that Snow had been in. He had intentionally not been checking his abilities, as he had been hoping to do so together once he had ranked up. But since the possibility was unlikely before the big fights, Noah opened his astral script and began to check his upgrades.

[Blood Drain (Advanced) - lvl 25]

You have honed your ability to harness the blood of others to a remarkable degree. In addition to the healing benefits and the ability to mitigate blood loss and bleeding, you now possess the power to temporarily enhance your physical prowess.

Noah read through the description wondering how long the boost in physical strength would last. He had already tried keeping vials of bloodas a healing substitute and had found his ability to be relatively ineffective if the target was not recently dead. If he was a little more cruel, he probably could have kept small animals or monsters in his dimensional pocket, to be drained freely for strength and healing.

He put the thought aside for now. He’ll have the chance to test out the limits of this ability soon enough. Moving down the list, he looked at the next ability upgrade.

[Bleed (Rare, Advanced) - lvl 25]

Blood is what you reap, and blood your enemies will shed. Inflict the [Bleed-III] status effect on adversaries, causing more severe and persistent bleeding. Can be applied to weapons, or via aura.

Noah’s eyes widened in surprise at the next change. The bleed ability had so far been a background status in effect, but if he could apply it without having to make contact with the weapon… the opportunities to use it in combat expanded significantly. Noah reeled his excitement back under control. He could already picture the many ways he would use his newfound abilities, but it would not do to get lost in excitement.

Closing the description, and making a mental note for yet another thing to test in the next fight Noah moved on to the next ability.

[Bloodfly Swarm (Epic/Intermediate) - lvl 10]

You can summon a swarm of bloodflies, their hunger for life and blood unending and ever-lasting. Control the swarm to inflict both [Bleed] and [Pestilence] damage upon your enemies, weakening them over time.

Noah grimaced as he saw the next description. The bloodfly ability was unpleasant from the start, and the intermediate rank-up and all the further amplified that effect. He was not familiar with the [Pestilence] status effect but he could not imagine it being pleasant.

He moved on to the next ability.

[Blink (Epic, Advanced) - lvl 25]

The realms continue to bend to your will. You can now teleport instantaneously within the physical realm and traverse the Astral rifts for a few seconds, granting you unparalleled mobility and the ability to phase through physical obstacles and explore hidden dimensions.

Noah read the description, the abilities, and the inbuilt guidancetelling him how it would work.Activating blink Noah stepped into the gap between realms, as his form turned incorporeal. He felt his mana burning rapidly as he phased right through physical objects before reappearing.

He could already think of the few ways the ability could come in handy, especially for dodging attacks. Satisfied with the change Noah moved on to the next one.

[Celestial Harvest (Epic, Intermediate) - lvl 10]

You now not only obtain loot and credit points upon defeating enemies but also gain the ability to siphon a portion of their essence, with a small chance to enhance your own attributes. The potency of the rewards will rely on your Luck sub-attribute.

Looking at the upgrade, Noah remembered to check his astral vault.

[Astral Vault]

Credit Points: 782

Do you wish to spend 782 Credit Points to roll for an item?

Yes/No?

After thinking for a few seconds Noah pressed yes.

Rolling… successful!

1 x [Amulet of Knowledge (Epic)] obtained!

An amulet appeared in front of him, dropping in his hands. The object was golden colored, with silver lines running across it, forming an emblem in the center. Noah used Identify.

[Amulet of Knowledge (Epic)]

An ancient amulet forged by a forgotten civilization's master craftsmen. This amulet resonates with the mystical energies of the Astral, allowing its wearer to obtain more knowledge.

Noah read through the description once, before equipping the item.

Amulet of Knowledge equipped!

Identify has been upgraded!

Noah glanced sideways at Snow to test out his new abilities.

[Rune-Ink Tamer (Epic) - Lvl 1]

[Name: Snow]

A tamer capable of holding creatures in runes made of ink tattooed on their body.

Huh, that’s a lot more detailed. Noah thought, before closing the menu he moved on to the next ability.

[Obliterate (Epic, Advanced) - lvl 25]

Channel the energies of the void to annihilate everything that may come in your path. Now, unleash this devastating force in a focused beam, obliterating targets with pinpoint precision.

“Holy shit, did I just get a death laser?” Noah said, finding his excitement skyrocketing. It took an impressive amount of willpower for him to not just blast the ability immediately. Yet another thing, he now looked forward to using the coming battle.

Somehow, this trap is becoming less about the threat and more about the fun. I will almost be disappointed if there’s nothing there.

Closing the description Noah moved on to the next one.

[Void Hunter’s Senses (Rare, Advanced) - lvl 25]

Your heightened senses now extend to a remarkable range of 10 feet in all directions, granting you an unparalleled awareness of your surroundings. Your eyes pierce through the deepest darkness, your ears detect the faintest whispers of sound, and your instincts are finely tuned to perceive even the subtlest of changes in your environment.

Noah had already felt that one, it was hard not to when his senses expanded in range to almost double the previous size. It was only with Tony’s help that he could keep up with his newfound senses and not simply be drowned by them.

Closing the menu he moved on to the final ability upgrade.

[The Hunter’s Mark (Epic, Intermediate) - lvl 10]

Unallocated Marks: 2

Your hunting prowess continues to grow. You can now mark two prey targets simultaneously, allowing you to keep a vigilant eye on both. The marked prey not only remain visible at all times, but they also suffer increased damage from your abilities, making them more vulnerable to your relentless pursuit.

"Sweet," Noah said with satisfaction as he closed the menu. His shadow stirred, sharing the emotion. Glancing at the others, he noticed that Aurelia had finished her meditation, and Erwest stood beside Zax, ready to depart.

Walking closer to them, Noah joined the rest of the group.

"Here," Zax said, handing Noah a bag as well.

Noah looked inside and found several mana crystals, potions, and a bracelet.

"The bracelet will allow me to keep track of all of you," Zax explained.

"Actually, I have something that might be better," Noah said. He took a moment to ensure his trust in them before proceeding. "Yeah, I do. If not them, then I can't trust anybody in this world."

Noah sent invitations to the rest of them, inviting them to join his party. At the same time, he noticed everyone's eyes widen as the invitations appeared in front of them.

"I've changed the settings so that it will only show the name, location, health, and mana of every party member," Noah explained.

Erwest Ivan has joined your party!

Snow has joined your party!

Zax looked at Noah, and it took him a moment to realize why. "Oh, his true name will appear in the tab."

Before Noah could say anything, he saw a name pop up in his tab alongside the rest.

Zax has joined your party!

Noah opened his party tab.

Party Members:

Noah Brown:

Health: 100%

Mana: 100%

Aurelia Fauster:

Health: 100%

Mana: 100%

Erwest Ivan:

Health: 100%

Mana: 100%

Snow:

Health: 100%

Mana: 100%

Zax:

Health: 72%

Mana: 41%

All eyes turned to Zax as they noticed his health and mana.

"We are alright," Zax assured them. "This place simply does not have enough mana to sustain us very well anymore, and the shackles do not help."

A moment of silence followed as every member of the party realized that everything the dragon had done was not just due to the effects of the shackle's suppression but also with less than half his mana pool, all while being injured.

"You are terrifying," Noah said to Zax.

The dragon smiled. "It's likely that you are the only one here who didn't already feel that way, Noah."

As Noah chuckled at the dragon’s words, another pop-up appeared in front of them.

New Quest generated!

Quest: Big Bad Ugly

A great foe awaits you within an obvious trap. But the time to run away is long past. It is now the time to fight.

Objective: Kill the Guardian.

Difficulty: Very Hard

Reward: Shard of [???]

Noah noticed the quest and soon realized he wasn't the only one who had obtained it. He glanced sideways, observing the rest of the party members as they looked at their own quest screens.

"Well, I guess it's time," Noah said.

At his words, Zax unleashed his magic, forming the teleportation spell around them in an instant.

"We will keep the beast trapped and prevent the horde of monsters from rushing you. If any of you are ever in danger, we will pull you back," the dragon assured them.

Noah nodded as his specter emerged from Shadow. "Leave it to me, boss," the specter said with a happy grin.

Placing his hand on each of his party members one by one, the shadow brought them all into Noah's dimensional pocket. As the world faded away into the astral confines, Noah felt the teleportation spell activate.

The next moment, they vanished.

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