Devourer

Chapter 33: The Eternal Mother

As I stabbed one of my blades into the body of the first female lizard. I heard a choked cry of despair echo from the side.

“TISSA! YOU FUCKING MONSTERS!” one of the adventurer team cried out.

Yeah yeah, shut up lunchy boy, she tasted good!

I ignored the screams and sobbing as the Armazaftund got off the corpse and allowed me to pick up the now limp corpse. So this is a platinum ranked adventurer… and a lizard kin too. I wonder what I’ll get from this…

Achieved [Lesser Homo Lacerta] Level: 3 / 10

[Advance Cognition] improved

[Olfactory Perception] improved

[Fine Motor Skills] improved

[Pathogen Resistance] improved

[Toxin Resistance] improved

[Lacerta Fire Resistance] acquired

Augmenting...

[Lesser Fire Immunity] improved by [Lacerta Fire Resistance]

[Lesser Fire Aspect] acquired

Lesser Fire Aspect? What the hell does that mean? 

“Yo disembodied voice you know what it means?” I asked internally on a lark and immediately I heard the voice in my head.

Query received

[Lesser Fire Aspect] conveys [Lesser Immunity] and [Greater Fire Resistance]

Huh… you know… I’m feeling really stupid right now. It never occured to me to ask the voice anything… All this time I was just making blind guesses and assumptions when all I had to do was… just ask…

I guess this is what my lil sis would call a muffin head moment… 

Lil sis… I hope she’s doing well wherever she is… 

At least I know she’s not gone forever…

Well I’m sure she’s doing better, her life was terrible just like mine, so I’m sure those bureaucrats at that… weird afterlife company thing… probably arranged a better life for her. 

Well anyway I guess I should ask more questions.

“What’s the difference between greater and lesser fire resistance?” I asked mentally.

Query received

[Lesser Fire] and [Greater Fire] are separate types of [Flame]

Ah so that’s what it is, so there’s different types of fire. 

“Do you know what kind of fires there are?” I asked.

Query received

Full list unavailable…

Comprehensive Data on...

[Lesser Fire] is the weakest and most commonly observed variant of [Fire]. Limited effect on Ether Enchantments and poses negligible threat to host physiology. Fire type is too weak to damage external armor and flesh. The only potential danger comes from obstruction of sensory abilities if [Lesser Fire] is present in sufficient quantities.

[Greater Fire] has been observed to appear from spell conjuration and the breath attack of the [Feathered Wyvern]. This fire type poses a low threat to host physiology due to resistances and regeneration.

[Ether Fire] has been observed to appear from the attacks of the [Lesser Phoenix]. This type of fire poses a moderate threat to host physiology. Extended exposure may compromise exterior armor. Threat is diminished by [Molting] capabilities to purge fire effects, avoiding extended exposure is advised.

It is recommended that the host should pursue further assimilation of the [Lesser Phoenix] genome to increase resistance to this fire type.

Limited Data on

Spell [Walpurgis Flame]

Analysis indicates possible spell conjuration of [Greater Cursed Fire]

Contextual Mentions reference list...

“Angels will purge you in [Holy Fire]”

“The angels wield [Divine Fire]”

“Few things burn like [Daemonic Fire]”

No data available on above mentioned [Fire Types]

Temporary tags allocated for future analysis and reference

Hmm interesting… 

Well, I guess I should finish the rest of my meal...

When I finished off the rest of the screaming sobbing Lizards I got to level 5 of their genome. These were platinum rank, so they are definitely worth more than usual. I got more of the same for the bonuses and the [Lacerta Pathogen] which will definitely come in handy if I run into anymore Lizard Kin.

“Did you enjoy the meal we prepared, great one?” the strange mutated lizard kin asked, his eyes alight with religious fervour. I could see it in his eyes, the flame of fanaticism mixed with a desperate need for validation.

“It wasn’t bad, now then who are you?” I asked as I looked down at the creature, drowning its body in shadow.

“I am the first advocate, great one. I speak for the Eternal Mother and the more mundane members of our family.” the creature replied.

“This Eternal Mother is one of the Queens of the Armazaftund?” I asked.

“No, great one. She is queen of queens. She commands all her children in this resplendent desert.” the advocate replied.

“All of them? In the whole desert?” I asked as I tilted my head.

“Yes, great one.” the Advocate replied.

That doesn’t sound right... After I ate those Lizard Kin I got pieces of their memories from my ability [Memory Assimilation]. From what I can gather the Armazaftund warred with each other, each hive fighting for supremacy. So either this guy is lying or there is some misinformation floating around here.

 “I thought the Hives warred with each other, as far as I know they aren’t working with each other.”I said as I leaned down towards the advocate.

“Please, the Eternal Mother will explain everything. If you could just accommodate…” the advocate began.

I opened my mouth and snapped my jaw shut an inch from his face. The advocate shouted in alarm and fell back into the sand.

“Do you think I survived this long by being accommodating? You think I'm some sort of fool? You think I'll just follow you blindly down into that dark hole?” I snapped in response. 

“Please great one, I meant no offense.” the advocate stammered in reply as it buried its head into the sand in deference.

“THEN TALK! My patience wears thin.” I growled as I brandished my blades.

I sensed no movement from the Armazaftund around me, as far as I can sense they have no inclination to defend this guy. I guess he is a disposable pawn… does he even know anything?

“I do not know much, I just know that you and the Eternal Mother are kin…” the advocate stammered in response.

“I highly doubt that.” I said with a snarl.

“It is what the Eternal Mother says great one. You who came before all…” the Advocate replied.

Huh now that is interesting. Am I really going to meet another Devourer? Well if this is true… then I can’t really pass up the possibility. Besides there is no way they can possibly know what I truly am. Maybe this Eternal Mother can sense me, if I can’t sense her it might mean she is stronger than me. She probably is, the Varakrima Empire fell thousands of years ago. The time frame alone would give this Eternal Mother plenty of time to build up her strength.

Still, why work through proxies? Invisibility isn’t that hard to get, those mantis things had invisibility, I am sure she would have been able to hide and survive if she really wanted to. Why would she just lock herself in a hole in the ground, is she that afraid of Heaven? 

Well the Armazaftund here don’t look that bad, the queens guard looks slightly challenging but I feel I could still win. The Phoenixes I ate previously gave me a strong powerup, I could set their entire den on fire and make a run for it. It’s still risky but I suppose nothing ventured, nothing gained…

Afterall I still have my trump card, I have this ability called [Solar Beam]. I basically shoot this ray of searing light from my mouth. I tested it a bit and it essentially superheats everything around it. I can resist it to an extent but most other creatures just catch fire from the heat. So in theory if I fire that in their tiny enclosed cave, I’ll turn the whole place into an oven. This should seriously inhibit the Armazaftund’s ability to fight. So in the chaos I can just run past the burning enemies and make a break for it. At least that was the plan on paper…

“Alright take me to her.” I said. 

As I followed the advocate deeper into the cave, I could sense slight vibrations in the earth around me. The walls were made of some kind of hardened sand, from what I could tell, the sand was held together with some kind of secretion. I guess they really do live up to their reputation as burrowers. 

Eventually we arrived at this large cavern with a hole at the other end. In front of the hole stood a strange creature, it had a vastly different body structure from the rest of the Armazaftund. For one thing it was big, about as big as me at full size. Towering 5 meters tall, it had a long elongated head. The head connected to a torso that looked suspiciously like mine, it had a rough humanoid shape with four arms. The arms were slender, nothing like the muscular arms of the other Amrazaftund. The hands were tipped with four slender knife-like fingers. The shape was honestly similar to my hands. Odd… maybe the Eternal Mother really was a Devourer…

It’s lower half was this bloated armoured abdomen, similar to the kind you see on insects. From the sides of the abdomen protruded eight insect-like legs that held the creature up. On the front was two smaller insect legs that looked like it can be used for rudimentary digging and close ranged attacks.

“Greetings honoured one…” the creature said as it bowed slightly.

Huh so it can talk…

“I don’t think you are the Eternal Mother.” I replied.

“I am not, I am the Queen of this Brood. I am but a loyal servant of the Eternal Mother. The Eternal Mother awaits in the chamber behind me, all the other Queens from across the desert have arrived and we await your arrival.” the Queen said.

“You have a name?” I asked as I assessed the Queen’s power. 

She was strong, stronger than the two Praetorians standing next to her. Although there was an anomaly with what I could sense. I could tell she had strength yet I sensed little danger. Perhaps her strength lies in abilities beyond combat. Which I suppose is expected of a Hive Queen. A Hive Queen after all usually wouldn’t appear on the battlefield.

“My name is Nafas, Queen of Brood Nafas.” the Queen said as it bowed again.

“And yourself, great one?” Nafas asked.

“I’ll let you know.” I replied calmly, that was half a power play and also the fact… I don’t have a name… 

I guess my old name Timothy would be a bit underwhelming wouldn’t it?

The great devourer, eater of heroes and gods. It’s name? Timothy…

Yeah that sounds lame as hell…

“As you wish great one, would you be willing to follow me to the Eternal Mother?” Nafas asked.

“Lead on.” I said with a nod.

As I walked past the guards I heard growls from behind me and I saw one of the Praetorian’s block the advocate’s way. 

“You will return to the surface.” Nafas said coldly as she turned to look at the advocate.

“But…” the Advocate began.

“Obey...” Nafas growled and the ether crystal on the Advocate’s back pulsed. The advocate stiffened for a moment as every muscle in his body seemed to tense.

“I understand…” the Advocate said as he bowed and turned around robotically.

I looked at Nafas for a moment and her gaze turned to me.

“We have utter control of the weaklings on the surface. They are useful pawns although they do occasionally forget their place.” Nafas said.

I calmly nodded in response and Nafas continued to lead me deeper into the tunnel. Eventually I arrived in a massive cavern, I looked around and saw numerous paths leading out the chamber. The chamber was tall and I could see more passages leading out in the walls. For all intents and purposes this place looked like a central command center. I’ll bet those tunnels lead to the other Hives…

Although there was a glaring thing that was strange about this place. This chamber wasn’t like the tunnels that were made of hardened sand. This place was constructed by humanoids. I could see pillars of sand coloured stone and the floor was made of what used to be finely cut stones, but they were now weathered and cracked, ravaged by the toll of time.

This place was old, very old…

In the center of the chamber I could see seven other Queens surrounding this chained creature. Or should I say the remains of a creature. It’s head was huge, about half as big as my body at full size. The thing was it looked like it was missing half its body, I could see it’s flesh and bone protruding from it’s lower half. For all intents and purposes it looked dead except for one thing.

Leading out of it’s cracked open torso was a string of large blood vessels that connected to a large still pumping heart that was placed on a pedestal. In my vision, the heart glowed like a sun, and I couldn’t help but feel that primal hunger roar up from within.

Above the creature, was a large device with five massive Ether Crystals arranged in a circle. I watched as arks of lightning bounced from one crystal to the other. The lightning arced from crystal to crystal in a circuit.

“Ahh… at last… it is good to see a fellow Firstborn…” I heard the mangled creature say wearily.

As I approached the Queens all parted and bowed reverently and soon I stood before the mangled creature. It’s body greatly resembled the Armazaftund Queens, with the same purple armoured plates and four eyes. I couldn’t tell what the rest of the body looked like because simply, the rest wasn’t there anymore. My best guess was that this magical contraption was the only thing keeping this creature alive.

“Ah a youngling, how quaint…” the creature said with a weak chuckle.

“You are the Eternal Mother? Are you a Devourer?” I asked curiously. 

Although the heart was tempting, this was a priceless opportunity to learn about this world. Thus far all I’ve heard are second hand accounts and books written by people with agendas. I’m pretty sure everything I know has a hefty amount of embellishment to it, I doubt I could trust most of what I have been told. So, who better to ask about Devourers than from a Devourer’s own lips…

“Yes and yes… As for the second yes, I am what’s left of one I’m afraid and what’s left won’t be…” the Eternal Mother said as she was racked with coughing.

“You’re dying.” I stated as I examined her body. From what I can tell it's a wonder she’s even able to talk or even stay conscious.

“Yes. This infernal contraption is running out fuel and it is the only thing binding me to the mortal coil.” the Eternal Mother said.

“What happened to you?” I asked.

“You would be amazed what a ten thousand mage ritual powered by enough Ether Crystals to build a fortress can do. Also I simply was not that powerful, I served another of our kin. He has departed this world thanks to the efforts of the Divine Council. I was his… vassal you could say.” the Eternal Mother said.

“Why weren’t you that powerful?” I asked.

“I simply preferred the pursuit of the mind rather than growing my body. I did to flesh what a sculptor did to marble. I was a sculptor of flesh and I built my master an army to police the weaklings below us. 

The fodder below loses their flavour after a point after all and it would be a waste to simply wipe them out. Tribute does not flow from a dead race afterall…” the Eternal Mother said.

“So you created the Armazaftund?” I asked as I looked around at the Queens, interestingly they all looked away as if in shame.

“Ha, look at me young one I may be a broken wreck of a creature but do you truly think these crude husks was all I could create?” the Eternal Mother said with a weary laugh.

“No these were cobbled together under my instruction by my captors. Their simple minds did what they could, albeit extremely crudely despite my guidance. 

It’s all quite embarrassing to look at honestly.” the Eternal Mother said with a  sardonic laugh.

“Uh huh, so who did this to you?” I asked.

“The Pyfnarth Daiwyn, or Empire of the Sun if you use the common tongue.  The Third Dynasty of the Empire to be exact. They wanted an army since they were the one fighting my creations for most of the Third Conflict.” the Eternal Mother replied.

It struck me how odd it was, to be having a leisurely conversation with a dying thought to be extinct creature… but here we are I suppose…

There’s a lot of information in that reply but I think I’ll take this one step at a time...

“So what exactly do you want from me? And how did you know I was coming?” I asked.

“You are young and since you asked how I knew you were coming I assume I am the first Firstborn you have ever met?” the Eternal Mother asked and I nodded in reply.

“Well you will have the ability to sense our kin at some point. I could sense you for quite awhile, you were born further down south from what I can tell. Although how do you seemingly disappear every day? You couldn’t exactly defend yourself from something you didn’t know existed after all.” the Eternal Mother asked.

“I was born in this tomb, it's this magical structure that can change its shape to fit my needs.” I replied.

“Ah, the Elysian Empire I assume?” the Eternal Mother asked.

“Yes as far as I can tell.” I replied.

“They always did like their secret vaults, you’ll probably run into a few more. Although I doubt they would have any more of our kind’s eggs lying around. We didn’t exactly breed that often.” the Eternal Mother said.

“How do we breed?” I asked.

“Well we don’t breed in the way everything else does. We transform into a pair of eggs and we effectively die at that point. The whole gender phenomenon was just a way some of our predecessors came up with to create more of us without dying in the process. Two halves share the load of reproduction, it makes it less demanding after all.

But of course that made them weaker, and just through evolutionary pressure reproductive ability trumped individual strength. The rest of the Firstborn tolerated the presence of the lesser races. Slaves have their uses afterall, we didn’t think that these lesser creatures could ever overthrow us.

Oh how wrong we were. It turns out quantity has its own quality, like sending a legion of your progeny to gather Ether crystals behind our backs.” the Eternal Mother said with a sigh.

“So they killed all of us?” I asked.

“In a way, we let the cretins roam free. We didn’t even care that they broke off two sections of the world to make their own personal domain. A domain we could not enter by the way, that is unless we managed to eat one of the denizens of those worlds. 

They did so to flee and we thought their power was beneath us. But the lesser races used techniques and technology to give themselves an edge. They simply learned to play a bad hand better than we knew how to play our much more favourable hand.” the Eternal Mother explained.

“You were killed by arrogance.” I stated calmly.

“Oh you don’t have to say it outloud. It’s embarrassing enough as it is.” the Eternal Mother said with a laugh that was followed by a raspy cough.

“So what now? I don’t think you asked me to come here to have a pleasant conversation.” I said.

“Well the conversation is certainly a treat, these ones don’t exactly make good conversation.” the Eternal Mother said as she shifted her gaze to the Queens.

“How may we be of service, great Mother?” the Queens said in unison.

“See what I mean? The deference grew old after the first few millennia. These ones are rather dull minded as well, they lack cognitive capacity. Not surprising considering those that actually created them preferred clubbing their way through all their problems.” the Eternal Mother said with a sigh.

“Also if I have to see another bipedal cretin walk in here and beg for my blessing I might just ask my Queens to just destroy my heart and be done with all this.” the Eternal Mother said.

“So what do you want? Why have you just lived like this for so long?” I asked.

“Hate young one. I wanted vengeance, I wanted to destroy all there is of those who wronged me. I wanted heaven to burn and hell to freeze over, I wanted the usurpers undone. I want them to fall the same way our kind did. I want them to fall to their own arrogance.” the Eternal Mother.

“And how exactly are you going to do that?” I asked as I raised a nonexistent eyebrow.

“Simple really…” the Eternal Mother said.

I want you to eat my heart…