Rise of the Devourer

Book 2: Chapter 17 — Dog Fight

Noah watched the words floating in his vision, feeling a bitter taste in his mouth.

[Slave - lvl 32]

“Is this some kind of sick joke?” Noah asked, garnering laughs from the crowd. His distaste grew further at the reaction, and he turned to face the girl.

“Hey, I’m not going to hurt you. If you’re being forced, nod and I’ll surrender,” Noah said.

The girl looked up at him, her eyes distant. She whispered under her breath, and Noah barely caught the words.

“Shadow.”

Dark wisps gathered around the girl, as her body changed. Noah felt his breath as she saw the young girl transform. Her skin turned pitch dark, her horns growing larger. Her limbs extended as her skull elongated with sharp teeth. Dark fur grew on her body as the chains around her hands and wrists stretched with her new size.

Noah felt a shiver run down his spine, as he checked Identify again.

[Abyssal Fiend - lvl ??]

Anger filled Noah at the sight. The memory of the miner’s suffering, and his pain returning to him. The crowd screamed with more excitement than ever, shouts and screams echoing for the monster. With a roar, the beast lunged.

Noah moved, teleported away.

“I don’t want to fight you!” Noah tried, but the beast did not respond.

He thought about escaping, but as things were, the monster would chase him out of here. Firming his grip on his spear, Noah steeled his resolve. Claws slashed at Noah, Void mana pouring through the arena. The beast howled, its body vibrating with fury as it lunged for him.

Noah struck with his spear, the claws digging into his weapon, as the rot climbed up the beast’s body. Looking at the red poison, the beast howled, before burning void mana in a fury. The crimson rot burned from the void, as dark red wisps escaped, and Noah felt his concern grow.

It can eat through the Rot.

The abyssal beast lunged and Noah teleported again, gaining some distance. Shouts echoed through the arena to fight the beast, but Noah maintained his distance, dodging the Abyssal Beasts attacks.

His mind raced, trying to think of ideas as he shot projectiles from Starforged Arms to keep the Abyssal Beast engaged in a different direction.

The trick only lasted for a while before the Abyssal Beast learned to ignore the arms, and lunged at Noah. He moved deftly, dodging the blows and using his Quadrivium Ink shield at times to block any attacks he couldn’t dodge, but the defensive maneuvering was not his method of fighting, and it was taking a toll on both his stamina and mana.

Gritting his teeth, and with no good options available, Noah began to push back. Striking with his Spear, Noah layered bleed onto the beast, making as many cuts as he could. Each strike left a little bit of Crimson Rot to seep into the Abyssal Beast’s body. And although the Rot would not remain, it would still do damage and destroy parts that would take energy to heal. To add more on top, Noah rubbed his hands on the blade of his weapon, as Tony layered Neurotoxins upon the edge.

Now each thrust sent pings to Noah, inflicting Bleed, Rot and Toxin damage that would build up over time.

The beast howled, sensing the poison slowly starting to break through its defenses. Growing desperate, the monster flared with void mana, jumping back. Noah circled the arena, keeping an eye on it, as he saw a purple ball of energy forming in the beast’s mouth.

A moment later, the ball turned into a beam that scattered in multiple directions, curving all around as they shot at Noah.

Cursing, Noah blinked away, but found the strikes changing directions to strike at him. Bolts of void shot at him, injuring his abdomen, arms and leg as his clothes were torn and soaked in blood from the barrage.

Noah called upon Blood Drain, his injuries healing rapidly in combination with Lifeblood. The beast didn’t give him much time. Shooting another beam of projectiles the monster jumped in the air, before landing on the arena wall. Using the wall as a jumping base, the Abyssal Beast leapt, as ghastly flames filled its mouth, pouring outwards and flooding the arena.

Noah teleported into the air, blinking above the beast as he landed onto the monster. Grabbing onto the scruff of its neck as hard as he could, Noah stabbed the spear hard. The beast kicked back with a howl, void projectiles launching at Noah from the air around him. The monster’s body twisted, its form changing as abyssal tendrils burst from its back, lunging at Noah.

Noah slashed his spear, stabbing at a tendril, yet another managed to grab him, slamming him into the ground. Noah felt the aura of the beast descend upon him, trying to pin him in place. The sensation felt like a mountain crushing him, but Noah grit his teeth, and resisted. With Tony’s help Noah cut through the tendril with obliterate powered claws. Pouring as much mana as he could, he flooded Blink, teleporting away to the other end of the arena.

The cheers were deafening now, a part of the arena destroyed from the impact of the beast. Noah panted, as the beast growled in a deep rumble, the two of them assessing one another.

Tony stirred in his chest, and for a brief moment Noah considered using metamorphosis. Passing out here would be really stupid. And I don’t want to show all my cards if I can avoid it.

Though he’d wished for a moment longer to breathe, the Abyssal beast had other ideas. With a powerful lunge the monster struck. Noah teleported, moving to the other end of the arena. Charging his spear up with obliterate, Noah threw the weapon as hard as he could towards the monster. The beast moved, but the blade struck it’s body, drawing a deep gash as it crashed into the wall, sending a crack into the structure of the arena. Using dimensional pocket, Noah called the spear back as the monster rushed him.

Teleporting at the last moment, Noah let the monster crash head first into another wall, before slashing into its body and filling it with Rot and Toxins.

The beast roared, its voice shaking the air and pushing Noah back as it turned. Fire gathered in its jaws once more, as it began to fill the arena with ghastly flames.

Noah jumped, dodging as he climbed up the arena wall, and the crowd screamed as they ran up the seats to avoid being burned to death. Fire covered the ground, lighting up the arena in a ghostly flaming hellscape. Noah jumped as the monster chased him, feeling his stamina dropping. Lunging and running around the walls, Noah let the monster crash into the pillars and gates, sending rocks and debris flying.

Jumping above the monster, Noah threw his spear. The beast jumped sideways, dodging, shooting its own projectiles. Teleporting midair, Noah blinked right in front of the monster.

Quadrivium ink manifested a bow in his hands, as Noah pulled back on the bow. Obliterate turned the blue mana a deep purple-black as Noah shot the Void bolt at the creature right in its face.

Disoriented, the monster stumbled and Noah took the chance. Rushing in, he stabbed its gut with his spear, before slashing with his claws. The beast howled in pain, as Noah struck at its face, hoping to render it unconscious. The attack struck true, as he saw the monster stumbling, growing dizzy.

Feeling his victory within gasp, Noah moved in with an obliterate powered punch to end the match, when his eyes caught a glow shining across the beast’s collar.

With a sudden howl, the beast roared, clamping onto Noah’s hand with its jaw before flinging him across the arena.

Crashing into the wall, Noah groaned, pulling himself up as he watched the monster kicking around, almost as if in pain. The collar grew brighter as the beast’s eyes turned red and it began to run around madly, rushing at the audience seated in the arena.

Noah looked at the people who screamed, running for their lives and cursed. Teleporting in, he blocked the beast’s charge with his spear. The monster bit the weapon, as Crimson Rot flooded it, but it paid no heed.

Pulling Noah up, the monster bit, swinging its head around wildly till Noah’s grip loosed and he flew off across the arena.

Rolling across the floor, Noah tried to pull himself up, but the beast was faster. It lunged, its maw about to bite off Noah’s face. Noah grabed the monster’s mouth with his hand,s struggling to keep it open. Drool covered his face as he looked into a pith black maw of endless nothingness, feeling the fangs digging into his fingers and drawing blood.

Warning. Low Mana.

“I surrender!” Noah shouted, but the beast gave no signs of stopping. Pushing his body, Noah summoned Starforged arms, having them stab into the beast’s jaw. Howling, the beast finally pulled back, and Noah teleported away.

“Stop the match!” Noah shouted.

“Snow stop!” he heard Vix’s call. The collar on the beast’s body lit up as it howled. A moment later, the monster began to shrink, its fur fading as the girl’s form returned. Her eyes rolled into her head as she fell onto the floor, completely naked.

“W-WHAT A MATCH. BUT OUR CHAMPION HAS PREVAILED. THE VICTOR IS SNOW!”

Noah panted, watching the unconscious girl on the ground. No one stepped in, not even to cover her body. Slowly walking closer, Noah took out one of the few shirts he kept on him, draping it onto the girl. A moment of silence later, he turned to look at the viewing arena, watching Vix looking back down at him with an amused smile.

Picking the girl up, Noah began to walk out of the arena, when the guard stopped him.

“Put her down,” the man said.

“Make me,” Noah barked, glaring at the man.

“Let him come in,” a voice called from what appeared to be a device on the guard’s chest, and the guard stepped aside.

Noah walked in, making his way up to Vix’s chamber, as he kicked the door open.

“If it isn’t our challenger,” one of the men chuckled.

“Where does she live,” Noah asked Vix, ignoring the man.

“Where I want her to,” Vix replied, drinking from her glass. “Put her down and someone will take care of her. She’s not yours.”

Noah wanted to argue, but he knew he would not be able to back up his words. Especially in his current condition.

Walking across the room, he gently let the girl down onto a chair before he turned back to Vix. “So, what now?”

“Three was our deal. You lost to her,” Vix said, pointing.

Noah did not reply to the unfair nature of the match and setup.

“You look angry. Do you feel that much for this girl?” Vix asked.

“No one should have to be forced into slavery,” Noah said. “It’s a disgusting practice.”

“Quite the righteous man,” Vix said, drinking her wine glass empty. “But she isn’t a person. She is a monster. A creature from the Abyss. Allowing her to live is mercy enough.”

Noah stared at the woman in silence, before glancing back at the sleeping girl. His gaze lingered on the collar and chains on her, a bitter emotion rising in his chest. Unlike the miner, she didn’t seem to have been taken over, so perhaps there was a chance… Noah let the thought fade for the moment.

“I do like you, though,” Vix said. “You entertained me a lot more than I had thought you would. So I’ll let you go. Ask the guards to take you to Devin. He’s the one you need,” Vix said.

“In return, I want you to come back here and fight,” Vix said, extending her hand. “I’d call it a fair deal. So let’s shake on it, why don’t we?”

Noah looked at the woman’s hand for a moment, considering it. A moment later, he grasped her hand, shaking it.

Vix smiled an evil grin. “That’s my boy. I’ll enjoy watching how long you last.”