Dirge of the Devourer

Gnosis: 619

Redmane began a chant, in a sonorous voice. He sang a song older than the line of the Stahlmen kings. A song once sung to pacify the beast within, to offer praise to the primordial gods of forgotten antiquity. He didn’t remember the song from his former lives, however. The words and their meanings were imprinted on the Skill itself, which he’d eaten.

Today it made Bartosz stop and sway in place, as if he suddenly found himself sleepy. Then he turned around and gazed up at Redmane. Hidden behind that mop of black hair were a pair of beady, transfixed eyes.

The girl was also transfixed. Not for any supernatural reason, simply from the strangeness of this sudden intruder.

He sang the Dirge for a few minutes, until he was certain the child beastman was pacified. Then he had a look at the Skill description to make sure he understood what to do from there.

—

Dirge of the Devourer

Monster Type: Corrupted (Beastman)

Rank 1 - Evolution Possible

Sustained - 5 Gnosis per quarter hour

The Monster initiates a droning chant in the ancient language of Kraal, forefather of all beastmen. Beastmen of a lower level than the user of the Skill, who are within earshot of the Dirge when it begins, find themselves enthralled by the song, and are drawn toward its sound and held to rapt attention by it.

For every quarter hour the Dirge is performed, enthralled beastmen will be at the absolute command of the caster for one full day, though the minds and temperaments of beastmen are ill suited to tasks unrelated to fighting or hunting prey. Furthermore, the Dirge does not impart knowledge of skills the enthralled beastmen would otherwise be unfamiliar with.

Uses of the Skill have a cumulative effect. If a Monster encounters a group of beastmen influenced by the Dirge of another Monster, they may freely command them if the original caster is absent or otherwise indisposed.

—

Redmane looked past the enthralled beast-boy to the girl hiding behind the table.

“Is this your brother?” he asked.

The girl nodded slowly, her eyes wide.

Redmane crouched down in front of his new thrall. “Protect your sister,” he said.

Bartosz slowly nodded. “Ah…”

“There’s a good lad.”

That solved one part of the problem. The other part would be the uncountable number of roving Mongrels beyond their door, which he’d kicked down a moment ago.

There was one safe place, however.

Redmane beckoned the girl. “It’s safe now. He’s docile.”

The girl didn’t budge at first. But Redmane waited patiently. After a few long moments, she slowly emerged from behind her cover, trembling, and stiffly approached the two of them.

“What’s your name?” asked Redmane.

“Franziska,” she said, in a shaky voice.

“Well met, Franziska,” Redmane spoke slowly, in a reassuring tone. “I’m going to take you and your brother to a safe place. I need you to stay there until I’ve slain all the monsters in this town. Alright?”

She swallowed hard and slowly nodded.

“Very good. I’ll carry you both over there.”

Bartosz did not complain about being picked up. Franziska went stiff with fear again, but this was to be expected. Redmane walked out of the house with the two children clinging to him, and took to the rooftops again, making his way back to the Priory of the Well.

He walked back into the church, set down Bartosz and then Franziska.

The girl looked around the devastated church, her eyes a bit wild.

“What happened in here?”

“There were two huge beastmen who were unhappy to see me,” said Redmane. “I had to eat them.”

Her eyes went wide. “Eat them?”

Redmane grinned and nodded.

Her look of fear made him reconsider his reaction. He frowned, and crouched down to eye level with her.

“What’s your favorite kind of animal, Franziska.”

She blinked. Thought about it. “Cats.”

“Very well.”

Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.

Spawn

He produced a small forest cat, with red fur and yellow eyes.

And while he was thinking about it, he gave the cat a few defensive features.

—

Skills Bestowed:

Stalk

Shaman’s Heal

Dirge of the Devourer

Roar of the Elder

Fire Breath

Corpus Bestowed: 1000

Gnosis Bestowed: 200

—

Corpus: 11,657

Gnosis: 419

“This is your cat now,” he told her. “Give him a name.”

If her eyes were wide before, it seemed they would pop out of her head now. “Wh-whaa?”

Bartosz walked up to the cat, plopped down next to it and petted between its ears. The cat closed his eyes, straightened his back so that it could rub its head against the beast boy’s hand.

The girl Franziska watched this mutely for a few moments. As transfixed as Bartosz had been when he’d heard the Dirge.

“Go on,” said Redmane. “Your cat needs a name.”

Franziska chewed her lip, staring at the cat. She seemed to note the color of his fur. “Rusty.”

“Very well. Rusty is your protector now too. You look after him, and he’ll look after you.”

He could also use Rusty to keep a close eye on them when he was away, but she didn’t need to know that part yet.

Redmane looked around the church. There were rows of wide open windows facing the street outside. It wouldn’t do to let them be seen by passing packs of Mongrels, whether this place was secure or not, so he found a room adjoining this prayer hall to have them wait in. He told Franziska he’d bring food if he could find some, reassured her that Bartosz would be alright for now, and turned to leave.

She caught the hem of his cloak just as he did.

“Why’re you helpin us?” she asked.

He paused. Smiled wryly down at her.

“I’ve been afraid before too. It isn’t any fun, is it?”

Franziska frowned and shook her head no.

“I’m here to take care of the monsters. Your brother will do as I command, and I commanded him to look after you. You two play with Rusty until I return, alright?”

She nodded slowly, and two big tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

Redmane gave her a pat on the head. “Be good,” he said.

Just then, by design, Rusty came over and rubbed himself against her leg. She looked down at the cat, smiled a strained smile and wiped her eyes before reaching out to pet it.

Since Rusty had wandered away from Bartosz to see Franziska, Bartosz got up and joined them. Except instead of the cat, he petted his sister’s hair.

Franziska broke out into tears and threw her arms around Bartosz, who looked confused.

The distraction gave Redmane an opening to slip out of the church.

He broke into a run, leapt onto rooftop after rooftop and quickly returned to the corral the crows had pointed out to him. Once he was near, he dropped down onto the street and walked through its broken gates, which had been knocked open and bent nearly in half by something large, that had been traveling fast.

No sooner did Redmane enter the corral, did he see the foe awaiting him.

Acreman Barba

Monster Type: Mongrel (Abyss Touched)

Level 90

Barba was larger than any beastman he’d yet seen. Taller even than those giants Pietr used to guard his hijacked church in Barograd. The Acreman sat at the opposite end of the corral, against a pile of rubble which used to be a structure of some kind, picking his teeth with the tip of a claw. All around him, the half eaten carcasses of horses and oxen lay strewn across the corral.

Barba’s fur was white from head to toe, except where it was stained with dried blood. He had cloven feet like a bull, with a great paunch and equally thick arms, ending in clawed hands. His head appeared to be half swine, half bull. Two long horns curved forward from his temples, and he had a boar-like snout and tusks.

Strangest of all were the eyes. The eyes of many beasts were black, but Barba’s were darker. A deep, profound darkness.

Redmane considered greeting Barba, but he doubted he possessed powers of speech.

The way the Mongrel glowered and grunted at him seemed to confirm that.

Barba rose to his feet ponderously, and a long shadow fell over Redmane as he blocked out the sun.

Blessing of Might

Gnosis: 409

Redmane broke out into a sprint, headed straight for Barba’s left leg.

He used the Skill primarily for the boost of speed it provided. He felt it would serve him well against one so huge.

At first glance it seemed he was right.

The instant Redmane was within reach, he rent Barba’s calf with a claw on his way by. The giant Mongrel snorted in frustration and stomped the ground, making it shake. Redmane lost his footing for a moment, long enough for Barba to turn and swat the ground as if he were a bug that needed flattening.

The ground shook yet again.

Redmane leapt in response, carved open Barba’s snout and sheared the tip off one of his tusks. Barba flinched, squealing in pain, and swatted the air blindly. He missed, but the size of his hand produced a gust of wind that blew Redmane’s hair and cloak back.

These new beastmen didn’t seem so bad.

Not much of an upgrade. Perhaps there would be more. Further evolutions.

If that were the case, Redmane would have to take advantage of these weak ones while he could.

Barba swung his hands, stomped his feet, charged across the corral, wrecking what was left of it when he collided with the stables on either side. He leapt up into the air to bomb the ground with his own mass, the way Vasili had. Only Barba was half again as massive. His leap attacks sent great clouds of dust up into the air, as if a bomb had truly detonated.

Redmane stayed a step ahead of all this. More than a step. With Bloodlust and Blessing of Might, he was more than a match for Barba in speed. The only thing he had to worry about was the sheer area of impact when his palm struck the ground, or when a stomp landed next to him, or when he took to the sky to flatten a full half of the corral.

He quickly realized he’d have to whittle him down, however. Claw after claw landed, stacking up Bleeding to an impressive degree, and yet Barba still came at Redmane as if he were fresh. Redmane considered bringing other weapons into play, such as fire, such as venom.

But just as he began to consider these things, an opportunity presented itself.

Barba stomped the spot Redmane occupied just a moment ago. But then his leg faltered, because it had been slashed a goodly number of times and now bled profusely. The giant Mongrel wobbled on his feet, and then tipped over and fell on his face.

Redmane saw red.

He snarled and leapt for Barba’s face.

A claw took out his right eye, and a sizable chunk of his head to go along with it. Barba’s shriek of pain startled crows from their perches all over the town.

Redmane landed, broke out into a sprint immediately to attack again.

And Barba fixed him with the baleful gaze of his one remaining eye.

An eye touched by the Abyss.

Submerge

Even as Redmane charged, Barba lifted one huge palm up above his head. A mass of black Gnosis gathered in it, and just as Redmane was about to leap in again, the giant Mongrel slapped that magic-infused palm on the ground.

Which spread the darkness everywhere.

The whole world went black.

It felt like being immersed in cold water. But thicker. Like tar or moleasses. A fluid surrounded him, slowing down his movements, though it wasn’t suffocating him.

He could breathe, but he couldn’t see. And he had the vague sense that he was sinking.

You have entered Abyss: Depth Zero

WARNING: ABYSSAL TRAVEL IS HAZARDOUS TO THE IMBUED