"WOAH WOAH! IT'S HATCHING!" I hear the first male voice say.
"Oh gods…" I hear one of the female voices say in horror.
Then I feel the shell give way, and I feel my body instinctively thrash as the shell starts to break around me. Darkness gave way to light and I landed onto what feels like a stone floor.
"WE NEED TO LEAVE! NOW!" I hear a female voice shout in fear.
"WHAT, WHAT IS IT?" I look up just in time to see a man in armour say. He's wearing what looks to be leather armor and he had a simple sword strapped to his belt. He looked to be about in his early twenties.
"IT'S A DEVOURER! WE NEED TO RUN! NOW!" the female voice said. I turned to see a woman standing in front of a stone tablet as she gazed at me in horror.
"We can't just run, what if it gets out? The ones in the stories are the size of cities; this one is smaller than a dog. We should kill it while it's small! If it gets out and starts growing it'll wipe Averlon off the face of the world!" I hear the man in front of me shout.
"We're iron rank adventurers, there's no way we can kill a Devourer!" I heard another male voice shout. I turn to the voice and see him wearing lighter armor and looks to be holding a pair of daggers in his hand.
It was then that I noticed that my vision was strange, the colours seemed to be duller and I could see their hearts glowing red and pulsating in their chests. As I looked at those glowing red orbs I started to feel hungry…
"Then hit it and see what happens!" I heard the woman standing next to the tablet shout in panic.
I feel my blood turn cold and I turn back to see the man had drawn his sword. He raised it over his head and was about to swing right at me. Then time seemed to slow and I found myself easily able to dart to the left, dodging the strike.
"It's fast!" I heard a woman say and I turned to see her with a bow drawn and aimed right at me.
When the arrow flew at me, time seemed to slow again and I easily dodged the arrow.
"WAIT! STOP!" I shout at the group. Instantly I saw all of them cover their ears as their faces scrunched up in pain.
"FUCK! KILL IT!" I heard the man with the daggers shout.
I continued to dodge their attacks; it wasn't that difficult. I was fast, much faster than them. But as I dodged I started to get more and more hungry…
I looked for an exit and saw a doorway but the stone door seemed to be shut. Well maybe I could open it…
I darted along the ceiling, my strange body easily moving along the inverted surface; I didn't seem to be slowed by gravity at all. When I arrived at the door I scrambled along it trying to find a way to open but I didn't see a doorknob or anything. Just this large glowing rune in the middle where the two doors met.
It was then that I noticed that they weren't attacking me anymore. I turned my head and saw all of them, their faces as pale as parchment. They were looking on in horror at the sealed door.
"The door's sealed…" one of the women whispered in horror.
By this point I was getting really hungry and as I looked at the glowing shapes of their hearts I could feel myself start to drool. Well I'm hungry, food's right there…
I hurl myself at the nearest one of the four in the room, the one with the daggers. I extend my arms and tear at his chest. His armour is cut to pieces like paper and soon I find flesh. I feel his body topple over backwards as he screams. I begin tearing into his chest, removing all the pesky obstacles in the way — his flesh, the ribs — and finally I see it. That pulsating red fruit. When I smelt the aroma of his heart I couldn't resist anymore and I thrust my head towards it, biting down hard onto that delicious looking organ.
I felt the man's body twitch as I took my first mouthful of this heart. It was the most delicious thing I have ever tasted. It tasted like honey and I ate every bite as fast as I could. When I finished I felt my body change and I heard a voice in my head.
New Essence acquired
Type: Human
Insufficient essence for assimilation
I felt my body seem to shift and change; it was an odd feeling but it felt quite pleasant. Then as quickly as it began it ended. As it ended I turned to look at the three remaining people trapped in here with me.
"Oh gods… it grew…" one of the women said as her whole body trembled.
As I rear up I realise I'm now as tall as them; previously I was only about half their height. That's quite a growth spurt…
I'm still hungry though…
With the hunger still on my mind I hurl myself at the man with the sword and soon I find myself staring at his beating heart. I once again plunge my head towards it and savour its delectable taste on my palate. Again I hear a voice in my head.
Human Essence acquired
Insufficient essence for assimilation
So I get essence whenever I eat one of their hearts. Well there's still two of them left and I'm still hungry…
The two remaining women are now in tears and are huddled together in the corner of the room. I think I'll take the one who had the bow first…
They screamed as I shot towards them; I could hear the other woman screaming and sobbing as I tore into the woman I chose. Soon another heart was in my belly and I felt my hunger start to ease. Still not enough essence for assimilation…
As I turned to the last woman who was now on her knees with her hands clasped in prayer.
Divine, forgive my transgressions
Deliver me from darkness
Deliver me from darkness
Deliver me from darkness…
She prayed in blind panic, her eyes wide in terror as she looked down at the mangled corpse of the woman I just dined on.
Well this one wasn't going anywhere, no need to rush…
So I reach out and grab her by the front of her clothes and she screams in blinding terror.
"I DON'T WANT TO DIE!" she screams as she sobs. Her words give me pause as it starts to sink in. I just killed these people… I know it's wrong… yet it doesn't feel wrong… I know it should feel wrong…
Odd…
Hmmm, I wonder — even if I kill her I would still be stuck in this room… she was the one who could read that tablet. I may be able to use her to get out…
So I drag her up and I realise I'm now probably two and a half meters tall. I pulled her kicking and screaming all the way back to the tablet and I raised her up. I shoved her face towards the tablet.
"What does it say?" I ask.
The woman screams as she covers her ears. I guess she can't understand me…
I let her go and point at the tablet. Her crying subsided for a moment as she looked at my extended hand and at the tablet. It was then that I noticed my hand was a pale white and it had three fingers each tipped with a large black talon. I look down and see the lower half of my body was like a snake with no legs to speak of. That was also when I noticed I actually had four arms, all with three taloned fingers.
The woman looks back at me tearfully and I point at the tablet again. So she shakily looks down at the tablet and begins to read.
"Within this tomb lies our greatest treasure
A child of primordial powers that will one day awaken
For this tomb holds the cradle of a Primordial Devourer
The ultimate apex predator, eater of heroes and gods
One day the child will awaken and feast upon the flesh of lesser creatures
This tomb will seal itself until the day a suitable sacrifice arrives…"
The woman faltered as she began to sob and her head dropped. I was starting to feel impatient so I reached out and grabbed her by the back of her neck and shoved her head towards the tablet.
As she choked on her sobs she finished reading the tablet.
"Once the sacrifice is complete
The seals of this tomb shall open releasing the child to the world
The child will remind the world of the truth that they have tried so hard to forget
The true nature of life
Eat or be Eaten
Kill or be Killed
Consume, Adapt, Overcome
For this is life's great imperative
Many will say this child is a living nightmare
But this child is no dream
This child is the waking..."