The battlefield was eerily silent, the air still thick with the remnants of mana, giving off a similar feeling as humidity. Lorelai’s every step felt weighted as she moved forward, her crimson spear still humming faintly with residual power. Her thoughts were a whirlwind of strategy and was trying to calm her fury brought on by Daven, she refused to let it consume her. There was an ominous presence that loomed ahead eclipsing the remnants of the dungeon, even the floor boss. She couldn't explain it, but the energy she felt was alien, unwelcome, and without a shadow of a doubt; dangerous. Beyond this fight, a malevolence awaited her, a force she had no choice but to confront, but she was not optimistic about her chances of winning.
Before she could take another step, a sudden, guttural sound shattered the stillness. Lorelai froze, her heart lurching as she turned to see Daven’s lifeless body convulsing. Smoke curled from his charred frame, yet his chest rose and fell in jerky, unnatural movements. The ground beneath him blackened, cracks branching outward as shadows pooled and writhed like living tendrils.
“What's happening?” She whispered, gripping her spear tightly.
The air grew heavy and cold, the oppressive aura sapping the warmth from her skin. A piercing crack echoed as Daven’s chest split open, shadows pouring out in a torrent. The darkness coalesced into a towering form that rose above his broken body. Its humanoid silhouette was grotesque, its whole body ivory in color but what chilled Lorelai to her core was its face: a massive, gaping mouth filled with jagged, interlocking teeth. No eyes, no nose, only the horrifying maw that seemed to stretch impossibly wide.
The creature’s voice emerged as a guttural, echoing snarl, layered with tones that scraped against her mind. Its mouth did not move at all, yet the words were crystal clear. “At last… freedom.”
Lorelai’s breath caught as she instinctively assumed a defensive stance. “What are you?”
The creature’s mouth twisted into something that might have been a grin. “I am hunger. I am despair. Your kind calls me a Devourer.” It gestured toward Daven’s corpse with a clawed hand. “This vessel was my first, a fleeting taste, a stepping stone to obtaining power.” The creature’s mouth opened wider, revealing rows of teeth spiraling endlessly into darkness. “And you… you shine so brightly. How I crave your light. Once I consume your soul, that light shall be mine”
Lorelai tightened her grip on her spear. “A monster that feeds on souls? That makes you stronger? I’ve haven't heard of your kind before.
“We are insatiable” the Devourer mocked, taking a step forward. “I am necessity. I consume to survive, and through me, power lingers. Even the mightiest angels and devils cower before my kind, for they know they are prey.” Its voice dropped to a menacing growl. “Now, I'll take your body as my own.”
With a guttural roar, the Devourer lunged, its clawed hand swiping at Lorelai with blinding speed. She barely managed to raise her spear, the impact sending shockwaves through her arms. Crimson lightning flared, forcing the creature back a step, but it only seemed to grow more aggressive, more menacing, with every moment.
Lorelai gritted her teeth. “I’ve faced worse than you,” she growled, rushing forward with her spear poised to strike.
"No, you haven't," the Devourer sneered.
Their clash was a storm of light and ivory. Lorelai’s spear danced in swift arcs, bolts of crimson lightning crackling with each strike, but the Devourer’s claws deflected her attacks with ease. Each missed blow carved deep scars into the earth, while the creature’s retaliations grew faster, forcing Lorelai to dodge and weave with increasing desperation.
She unleashed a burst of gravity magic, pinning the Devourer to the earth, but it merely grinned, walking throught the gravitational field as if nothing was different, it dashed, reappearing at her flank. A claw raked across her shoulder, drawing blood. Lorelai stumbled, pain searing through her arm, but she spun around and countered with a thrust that nicked the creature’s side, leaving it unblemished.
“Weak,” the Devourer hissed, inspecting the area where the crimson connected with its ivory flesh. “Still not enough.”
Lorelai’s breathing grew ragged, her vision blurring at the edges. Her mana reserves were nearly gone, and her body ached from the strain of battle. She needed an opening, a chance to end this before the creature overwhelmed her.
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The Devourer seemed to sense her desperation. Its form expanded, towering above her as it raised both clawed hands. “Your light will be my delicacy, oh how I will savor it!”
The ground cracked beneath Lorelai as the creature’s claws came crashing down. [Dash] She threw herself to the side, narrowly avoiding the attack, her after image disappeared, she rolled to her feet. Summoning the last of her strength, she shouted," Lightning Animus: Scarlet Thunderbird!"
The Devourer raised a gnarled arm and took the spell with its bare hand, the thunderbird erupting harmlessly into thousands of tiny sparks. The creature was completely unharmed and now Lorelai had taken her first step backwards since her change, in fear.
Before the Devourer could capitalize on her hesitation, a roar split the air. From the edge of the battlefield, two figures sprinted into view. Thrax, his blue-flamed greataxe shimmering in the wind from his reckless leapt towards the devourer, and Aeryn, wielding her rapier wreathed in blood energy to enhance its cutting power. They moved as one, their combined presence injecting a surge of hope into Lorelai’s faltering spirit.
“Lorelai! Hold on!” Thrax bellowed, charging forward. He swung his greataxe in a wide arc, a blinding crescent of light crashing toward the Devourer "Mountain Splitter!" Thrax yelled as his battle cry. The Devourer turned, swatting the attack aside, dissipating the flames. “More morsels,” it rumbled, its mouth curling in twisted delight as it kicked Thrax away from him. “How delightful. Come, entertain me.”
Aeryn darted in from the side, her rapier slicing through the air in a flurry of strikes. The blood-coated blade found its mark, but the creature’s ivory flesh resisted, the cuts shallow and ineffective. The Devourer retaliated with a swipe, forcing Aeryn to backflip out of range.
“It’s too strong,” Lorelai warned, struggling to her feet. “We can’t fight it head-on.”
“We don’t have a choice,” Thrax growled, blocking another strike from the creature. The impact sent him skidding backward, his boots carving trenches in the dirt.
The three of them fought in tandem, their movements synchronized, but the Devourer was relentless. Every strike they landed seemed to only amuse it, and its retaliations grew more brutal. Aeryn was knocked aside, her rapier clattering to the ground. Thrax’s greataxe dissipated again under the pressure of a devastating blow, leaving him weaponless.
Lorelai’s heart sank as the Devourer loomed over them, its jagged maw opening impossibly wide. “Your struggle is delicious,” it hissed. “I can taste your despair. This is the end.”
A sudden, deafening crack split the air. The ground trembled as a new figure entered the fray, his presence radiating authority and power. Avantus, the Weapon Master, strode onto the battlefield, his armor gleaming like the morning sun. In his hands were two massive weapons, each were designed to be wielded with two hands. One was a sword and the other a maul.
“You dare threaten my apprentices?” Avantus’s voice boomed, his gaze locking onto the Devourer. “You will find no feast here, creature.”
The Devourer hesitated, its maw closing slightly. “An impressive couple of weapons,” it mused. “They shall be mine.”
Avantus wasted no time, his aura exploded. Fighting based classes, once they reached the pinnacle, used enhanced mana-like energy called aura. The strength of one's aura is dependent on their aura's color and richness of that color. From weakest to strongest the strength of the aura is: white, red, green, blue, orange, and purple. The auras strength is determined upon your awakening of it, and the difference in power between each varies on the person. A great warrior with a good foundation who has a white aura can beat a silver spooned second generation with a purple aura. Avantus's body began to glow and with a single, fluid motion, he hurled his weapon, the maul spinning and glowing with aura. The weapon struck true into the Devourer’s chest. The creature shrieked as it was sent flying, the maul flew back into Avantus's hand. He walked slowly towards the creature, the distance between them shrinking.
Grasping the hilt of his weapon, Avantus flexed, the blade erupting in a brilliant cascade of orange energy. The Devourer roared and lunged, slashing at Avantus with its claws, but the Weapon Master was unyielding. With a swift motion, Avantus sidestepped, swinging his weapon in quick massive cleaving arch. He brought it down with a thunderous crack, severing one of the creature’s arms.
The Devourer recoiled, ichor spraying from the wound, its defiance faltering. “Impossible,” it growled. “You cannot destroy me!”
Avantus’s expression remained steely. “You are newborn compared to what you claim to be.” He pressed forward, his weapon bathed in orange aura. The sword's s thrust pierced the Devourer’s abdomen, orange light illuminating its insides.
The creature shrieked, its form flickering as it attempted to retreat, but Avantus would not allow such a dangerous creature retreat. With a quick retraction of his sword from the creature's abdomen, Avantus performed a mighty down swing upon the Devourer’s head. The creature split into two even halves before fading out of existence, the force of the blow sent shockwaves through the air, and gave a scar on a distant mountain.
The battlefield fell silent once more, the oppressive aura lifting as the Devourer’s remnants vanished. Avantus turned to the trio, his expression stern but relieved. “Are you all right?”
Lorelai nodded, though her body trembled with exhaustion. “We… we are now. Thank you, Master Avantus.”
He inclined his head. “You fought well. Rest now.”