Rise of the Devourer

Noah moved through the underbrush of the forest deathly silent, as he trailed his quarry. Predator’s Mark and Wyrm’s Curse remained on the creature, thrumming with power. His target was a draconian stag, a giant creature with massive antlers that could breathe fire and shoot lightning from its antlers. Like everything else in this place.

Tony swirled in his clothes, his steps further silenced by the symbiotic coordinating Noah’s body and adjusting the formation of the clothing items on his body. He watched from the under bush as the stag grazed in the distance, blissfully unaware of his presence. Noah used Analyze on the creature.

[Adult Draconian Stag (Epic) - ??]

Anadult draconian stag. If you think just because these guys eat leaves and grass that they aren’t dangerous then either you’ve never seen one, or you’re an idiot. Since you’re reading this, the answer is an idiot. These creatures eat plants with the highest mana concentration, and that mana tends to slowly gather itself into their antlers, making them extremely prized items for hunters. But these stags don’t just stand by and roll over, with a lot of mana, comes a lot of firepower. Draconian stags are known to be able to breathe fire, and shoot lightning from their antlers, before charging you to gore you to death. And if they think you’re too big to handle, then they’ll run off faster than you can blink.

Noah let out a breath. The creature hadn’t yet noticed Noah’s presence, as he creeped closer, and his predator’s mark gave Noah a sense for the stag’s awareness level, and where he ended to strike. The creature’s skin was thick and unless Noah struck at its neck and broke it, the battle would be lost.

He clutched his spear tighter in his hand, feeling his power course through a weapon. His instincts were honed in, entirely present in this moment.

The stag looked up, glancing in his direction. There was a pause. Noah held his breath still, not moving an inch.

The creature moved, and Noah struck like lightning. Multiple things happened at once.

Bloodworm Swarm was summoned within a second, wrapping around the creature’s legs and biting on, inflicting Malaise and Hemmorage simultaneously. Two arcane specters formed, one with a copy of Noah’s chains and another with a copy of his spear made from Runeforged Armaments. All three of them teleported around the creature, The spectres striking. The first specters using the chains, as the star reared back, breathing scorching hot flames that burned the specter, nearly vanishing it. The second specter came in, thrusting its spear into its body, as lightning flashed and the stag roared in pain.

The world was covered in a blinding flash, a mini thunderstorm filling the area, the sound of thunderclap echoing through the forest as the two specters evaporated.

Noah moved in, his own spear shooting forward. He let the spear’s power unfold, calling upon its skill.

Valkyrie’s Call thrummed through the weapon, as crimson and golden light erupted from the weapon, power surging through Noah.

The weapon struck true, piercing the stag’s throat, multiple copies of the weapon manifested one after another, swirling with golden light as they all pierced the creature’s body, the stag shuddered, eyes bloodshot and red, as it let out a final scream, flame blasting all around the area.

Then, with a shiver, the massive stag collapsed.

You’ve killed [Draconian Stag (Epic) - Lvl 254]

[Wyrmblood Guardian] has reached level 135!

[Runebody Arcanist] has reached level 135!

[Abyssal Predator] has reached level 136!

Noah let out a sigh, looking down at the creature in front of him. A wave of satisfaction ran through his body, as he dismissed his abilities, and put in the free attributes he’d just gained. He glanced up at the skies, knowing the shade wyvern was watching, lurking in wait. He let out a whistle, and a few minutes later, the dark wyvern swopped in, jumping down as he landed on the stag’s corpse.

Noah shook his head.

The last week had gone in a similar fashion, with him hunting creatures for the wyvern and making bets with the creature, as he tried to hold on. Their little routine would happen every day, and Noah had rapidly gotten better at holding onto the creature as it flew, but the wyvern had also improved at throwing him off with new and different tricks. The two would continue in this way, and if Noah lost, he’d be forced to give the creature some mana crystals, or hunt something it wanted to eat.

The wyvern’s demands had only growth with time, it’s wants for what it wanted to eat growing more and more demanding.

He wanted to grumble. Aurelia’s wyvern in comparison listened to everything she said, and was practically stuck by her side. She’d already become quite proficient in her riding skills as well and had been going out more and more, fighting against groups of enemies and hunting.

The wyvern continued to munch next to Noah, glancing up at him every now and then and grunting. The creature had certainly gotten used to Noah, but it also seemed to mostly be using him as a source of easy food.

At least the experience from all this hunting has been good.

Noah had gone up nearly 10 levels in just a week, with how powerful creatures were in this forest, sometimes hunting one could end up taking an entire day. Some days he’d just have nothing. It certainly was not easy, but that made success all the more thrilling and rewarding.

Noah paused, as the wyvern rose its head from its meal, offering Noah a piece. He looked on in surprise, watching the bloody piece of meat in the creature’s mouth, then he smiled.

“I’m good, you can have it,” he said.

The wyvern looked at him, as if to ask ‘are you sure?’ Before it raised its neck and swallowed the whole thing in one gulp.

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Noah brushed the creature’s scales.

Well, he couldn’t say he’d made no progress at all. He’d definitely began growing closer to the creature in his own way.

Which was why Noah was surprised when the wyvern began growling with a low rumble all of a sudden, blue flames hissing in its jaw.

He stepped back, before realizing the wyvern was not looking at him but behind him instead. Noah turned around and glanced up to see three wyverns swirling in the skies. Lightning crackled around their bodies, as they began to come closer, growling as well. He grew wary, clutching his spear as he watched the wyverns swoop down on the ground, their giant bodies crackling with energy.

One in particular, the one in the middle, was larger than the others, with scales that vibrated with lightning magic. Noah used Analyze on the creature.

[Adult Thunder Wyvern (Legendary) - ???]

Uh oh. An Adult Thunder Wyvern, known to be one of the most ferocious kind, with great magical prowess that allows them to hunt creatures above their weight class, these are one of the , leanest, meanest, and baddest bitches of this forest. They don’t play nice, and they have no reason to. Because here, those who have the biggest stick get to take it all. Lightning magic courses through their scales, and thunder wyverns can shoot bolts of lightning from their mouth as well. They can also summon lightning from the skies and in generally, are really really good at destroying things. I’d best start running.

Noah read through the description. He took a quick glance, and the smaller wyverns around the big one were also thunder wyverns each, but both were juveniles.

The nightshade growled, blue flames blasting from its mouth, but not spreading out very far. A warning strike. Noah kept his attention focused, ready to engage or run as needed. He watched the thunder wyverns rumbling and snapping at each other, and he realized they were arguing about who’d get to go in.

One moved its head closer to take a nip at the corpse of the stag, and the nightshade closed its jaw, growling.

The adult thunder wyvern looked down, and seemed to snort. Lightning crackled around its body, striking down in a brilliant bolt that caused a shockwave to pulse through the forest. Birds flew as the world shook from the impact, and lightning continued to crackle around the creature. It looked down on the nightshade, snorting, as if in derision, before clawing at the ground.

The nightshade glanced at Noah, then back at the creatures. A moment later, the shade wyvern stepped back. The food wasn’t worth the fight.

Noah looked at the creature, eyeing it, he glanced at the thunder wyverns for a moment before heading with the wyvern. To his surprise, the wyvern lowered his head, telling Noah to climb on. A moment of surprise later, Noah climbed on as the the creature spread its wings and took to the skies.

Thunder clouds gathered in the sky above, the cackling shrieks of the thunder wyverns filling the skies, Noah could feel the creature’s anger bubbling inside of it, at the humiliation, and he patted its back.

“I feel you buddy,” he said. “But, you know what? If we work together, we can get strong enough to beat those guys,” he added.

The wyvern snorted.

Then, out of nowhere, the skies twisted, a bolt of lightning formed above their head with a rapid surge of power, striking down at them.

The world turned white at first, and then black.

For a moment, everything was dark, before Noah regained consciousness. The wind howled against his face and he realized he was falling rapidly.

He looked to the side and saw the adult wyvern hovering above the trees, looking in their direction, a massive surge of lightning all around it. The creature watched them fall, before dismissively turning away. Noah felt panic surge as the ground continued to rapidly close in towards him, the shadewyvern next to him falling as well, having one unconscious.

Shit shit shit shit.

He wasn’t sure he’d survive a fall from this high on even with all his body enhancements. He wasn’t keen on finding out. Using Arcane Step, he teleported to the wyvern grabbing onto it.

“Hey, hey! Wake up!” Noah slapped the wyvern’s face, but the creature didn’t seem to be waking up. Cursing, Noah formed claws in one of his hand and sliced his hand open. Blood ran free and Noah poured it down the wyvern’s mullet. His blood surged, life-force flowing into the wyvern.

With a groan, the wyvern opened its eyes. It took it a moment to realize what had happened, before the wyvern twisted through the sky, wings flapping. Crashing through the tree line the two came down, slowing their descent rapidly, before finally resting on the ground, scrapes covering both of them all over their bodies.

Noah stumbled back from the creature’s back, heart pounding as he stumbled onto his feet. It took him a moment to realize just how low his health was, with his healthcare blinking as it hovered in the low 20%

His entire body had the smell of burnt flesh and his hair stood on its end. Arcane Body hummed under his skin, charged with power.

It was only when he looked at his notifications did Noah realize what had happened, and his heart dropped.

[Adult Thunder Wyvern]’s Aura suppresses you. You resist the effect.

[Adult Thunder Wyvern]’s Aura stirs yours [Draconian Aura].

Your lightning attack effects increase by 50% temporarily.

[Adult Thunder Wyvern] has marked you for [Thunder Tempest].

The thunder wyvern hive stirs, gathering its power to strike you.

You’ve been struck by [Thunder Tempest].

[Second Chance] has activated.

Health restored to 10%

[Electrocuted] debuff removed.

[Static] debuff removed.

[Unconsciousness] debuff removed.

[Wyrmblood Guardian] has reached level 144!

[Runebody Arcanist] has reached level 143!

[Abyssal Predator] has reached level 144!

Noah felt a jolt run down his body. He’d died just there, had it not been for Zax’s bracelet. Even then, with how low his health had been, the fall would’ve certainly killed him.

He glanced towards the nightshade wyvern, seeing powerful wounds on its body. There was a hole in one of its wings and scorch marks covered its scales, having melted and burned them, but the damage was lesser. The strike had struck Noah directly, so the wyvern had only been hit by the edge of it.

He walked closer to the wyvern, taking out a mana stone as he gave it to the groaning creature, who silently took the mana stone, letting the power flow through it as it healed.

Noah pat the wyvern’s neck, feeling a strange well of emotion rising inside of him.

The wyvern opened its eyes, and Noah met the creature’s eyes, feeling a similar emotion reflected inside them.

“That’s right. We’re not just going to let them do that, are we? You don’t just hurt us and get away with it,” Noah said, his voice calm, yet an undercurrent of anger rippled through it.

The wyvern looked into Noah’s eyes, and then it raised its head and let out a loud screech into the skies. Blue flames blasted out of its maw, cutting through the skies like a stream as they dissipated into the air. After it was done, the wyvern grunted and lowered its head.

He didn’t need to look at any notification to know something had changed. Noah climbed on. Flapping its still healing wings, the nightshade wyvern took off to the skies, heading back to their hive. The two of them had a lot of training to do.

That adult wyvern didn’t know who he’d made an enemy of, and Noah was going to let it find out when he ripped its heart out of its chest.

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