Rise of the Devourer

Chapter 18: Say hi, Tony

The drifting rays of the suns began to peek over the horizon, as first dawn began to rise. Noah breathed hard, sweat dripping down his face, and off his nose as he held himself upside down with a single hand, and slowly lowered himself. His muscles ached, balance still off with half a limb missing as he did the workout.

It had taken a day for Noah to be able to start walking and doing things again, and another to nearly fully recover. The healer had asked him to remain under observation, but for the most part, he’d been healed from everything except for his hand.

With a grunt, Noah lowered himself to the ground, as sweat covered his body. He was adapting decently to the lack of a hand, though a lot of time he still forgot he didn’t have a left arm anymore.

At least it wasn’t my right hand. That would’ve been a nightmare.

Walking outside the room, with his morning workout done, Noah picked up some water, before heading to the bathroom. There were no toothbrushes in this world, and neither was there any toothpaste. Which was to be expected. And Noah had wondered if he’d just have to resign himself a life where he couldn’t brush his teeth. Fortunately, there was magic, and it seemed to be the solution for everything.

Noah walked into the bathroom, picking up the Potion of Cleaning. He drank the blue liquid, swirling it around his mouth as he felt a strange refreshing fizz of after taste leave him. After clearing his mouth, Noah changed the bandages on his arm, throwing the old sweaty and bloody ones away before binding his stump with the new ones. Lifeblood had leveled up last night, as Noah had been sleeping, and he’d felt really glad that he’d gotten the ability. There was a good chance he wouldn’t have survived without it.

After finishing his new morning routine, Noah made his way out of his room. To pass time, Noah had taken up a couple of hobbies. The first was working out, to adjust to his new situation till he had a prosthetic available. The other was reading. There was a small library in this town that the mayor kept, and as a thank you, he was allowed access to it. There was a lot of information to be gained in books, and given how new this entire world to him, Noah had appreciated the ability to do so.

He'd learnt quite a bit about where he was. The Melior Republic, and the location he currently was in. Other countries, cities, empires and so on. A good bit of history, magic, religion and so on. The biggest shock which really shouldn’t have been a shock to him was that gods were real. And real in the way that they came down to appear among their followers, and talk to them. Fairly frequently at that.

Eventually, his interests had moved on to prosthetic arms, and healing solutions. There were many types, from regular wooden arms to magical and even some mechanical magic powered devices that functioned similarly to a normal arm. Quite a few had additional features to offer as well, that allowed for increased utility. As Noah had been reading through the book, he’d found a possible solution for his problem from a rather unexpected source.

One of the books had mentioned the usage of parasitic summons to connect and control bodies. Noah sifted through the pages, opening the specific mention of the parasite.

Void Parasitic/Blood Parasitic Summons

A summon from the abyss that is parasitic in nature. Its appearance is like a slimy worm of roughly three inches, though some can be as large as five. They burrow into the spine, taking control of the brain before killing their hosts and overtaking their bodies, to turn into mindless monsters. Using the body’s life-force and feeding onto it, they multiply in numbers, before spreading to other creatures.

His first thought had been intrigue as Noah had read the passage, but the further he read into the excerpt, the more curious he'd gotten.

Rather than merely being horrifying body stealers, which they indeed are. These creatures also posses the ability to enhance and modify the body of their hosts to a terrifying degree. Monsters are well known for their ability to undergro rapid growth and evolution at the same checkpoints as people do for their Paths, but these creatures are able to induce a process similar to this growth. Very rare instances have been observed where the fusion with one of these parasites has led to the host gaining in strength and power, leading to a successful mutually symbiotic existence. But that is an anomaly, that is very rarely reproduced and has not yet been observed under artificial circumstances.

One of the main concerns regarding these creatures is their requirement for life-force. Both the Blood and Void variants feed on life to sustain themselves. And it is why even as summoned familiars, they are used on prey and enemy targets to take over, rather than assimilating with their owners, because to keep the parasite alive in your own body you would need to constantly feed it. This will result in a need for constant healing potion or high vitality items that will add up in cost, and if such items are not eligible, will result in death from starvation for the parasite.

As such, I have deemed it impossible to try and implement the body modification process of these parasites without expensive equipment and spells specifically designed to host these creatures. And at such an expense, there are better and safer alternatives available, making this a non viable choice.

The more Noah had looked into it, the more viable his option had seemed in his very specific case. The creature were capable of taking control of the body and modifying it for their purposes, and though as summons they were typically used to puppeteer other creatures or people by the Abyssal Cult, there was nothing saying they could not be used directly on the summoner’s body to control a dying limb.

Flipping through the pages, Noah closed the book, before taking up a different one.

Void summons. Excerpt - III (Life Command)

While frowned upon by most as Abyssal creatures of destruction and outright despised by the church of Hellion, void summons provide a crucial role in many a jobs and aspects, with their natural hunger of life making them excellent hounds, and their ability to destroy items without leaving any residue makes them excellent, if rather odd garbage disposal methods for dangerous magical residues and items.

This excerpt in specific will discuss the life command summoning chain that is required to summon a void creature. Unlike normal summons that can be contracted for sustainance, mana and other such rquirements. Void summons solely feed on the lifeforce of their host. These extremely powerful creatures as such are limited in use and are only summoned when there is a prey which can be devoured to feed their hunger, saving the summoner life force that would other be need to spent upon them.

Trying to circumvent this requirement in part is what has tied Abyssal cults and cults of the void with blood sacrifices, where victims are forced to sacrifice their life energies to summon these creatures and sustain them, so that their summoners do not have to.

Due to this requirement, all void summons come with a life command. It is an oath bound upon their spell that binds them to an agreement that they must obey their summoner, and they must not harm their summoner or other creatures around them unless explicitly ordered to.

It is the existence of this oath and Life command that allows the summon of these creatures of the Void, and the interactions of this Life Command is quite possibly the greatest feat for the summoning of Abyssal creatures. In the next Excerpt, I will be breaking down the uses of Abyssal creatures, and the dangers they posses.

Noah closed the book, before reaching out to his inventory, as he pulled the Skill book he’d picked up from the cultist lair.

[Skill Book of Advanced Abyssal Call - (Rare)]

An advanced book on the ritual practices of calling creatures from the endless void.

Noah had dismissed the book at the time, not feeling particularly interested in the task. But now, with both a tome for the ability to summon a familiar, and a book to learn the ritual of summoning? There was a possibility that this could serve as a solution to his problems.

Taking the books for his reference, and putting it inside his inventory, Noah began to make his way out of the library. The more he’d thought about it, the more worthwhile the plan had seemed. But he would still ask Aurelia about it before going through with any of the steps.

It took Noah a few minutes to find Aurelia, and he saw her in her room, working on some maps and documents by herself.

“Hey Noah. Up early today?” Aurelia asked, as he walked into her chamber.

“Couldn’t really sleep. Too much energy. I’ve been in bed for two days now. Needed to get out of there and do something.”

Aurelia nodded, blowing the candle lighting her room as the suns began to pierce through the early morning’s darkness. From the looks of it, she hadn’t slept through the night.

“Are you busy?” Noah asked.

“No, I’m just about done. I was trying to make some plans for our trip, and see if I could guess where the team that had betrayed me would’ve gone. Windrest is the most likely answer, though if they’re not there, then they would at least pass through the city, so I could track them from that point on.”

“Any luck?”

“Some,” Aurelia nodded. “But not as much as I’d hoped for,” she paused, closing her notes before she turned to Noah. “So, did you need something?”

“Actually, yes. I… well. Have a look,” Noah said, handing Aurelia the book, after opening it on the relevant page.

Aurelia frowned as she read through the contents. “What do you intend to do with this?” she asked.

Noah pulled out his tome and the ritual book on summoning, presenting it to her. “I think I can connect my arm back with this.”

“With… a Parasite?” Aurelia said. “I hate to tell you this, but that sounds insane.”

“I know. But I’ve spent almost every waking moment I had researching this for the past day. All the Parasite needs is lifeforce, and I have an ability that gives me an abundance of just that. They also are adept at modifying the bodies of their host, and can even operate and control dead creatures and limbs. The creature will not only be a summon, but my ability will allow me to command it well too.”

“Summons take mana to keep. What will you do when your mana runs out?” Aurelia asked.

“Not these. They only need mana if they do not have any lifeforce to feed on. Like most creature of the void, lifeforce is what they thrive on, and so long as the parasite resides in my arm, it’ll be able to drink on my lifeforce.”

“What if it tries to harm you?” Aurelia asked.

“I can de-summon it. It’s a familiar, I’ll have control. And I read into it. I read into it for a long time because obviously this sounded like a bad idea, but my ability, the one that saved my life, is extremely fitting to sustain a creature of the void. And the parasite's hunger grows the more it needs to control. With only an arm to look after, it'll be below my natural health regneration.”

Aurelia hummed in thought. “Okay, you have me beat. I can’t think of a counter. But I don't like this idea. Putting a parasite inside your arm sounds extremely dumb. There are prosthetics, or you could just wait a few months to have enough money to regrow your limb. Doing it this way right now is risky. Not to mention, I’ve never heard of someone using a summon, much less a Void parasite in this way. There’s no guarantee it will work.”

“I know. But I’m willing to take the risk. I don’t think the creature can harm me, the life command is coded into the spell. If it tries, the creature will be bound by the spell and sent back to the void. In which case I'll just store my arm again, and try something else, or get a prosthetic arm,” Noah said.

“Very well. In that case, let’s move to an open chamber. I’ll watch you do the summon,” Aurelia said.

Noah nodded, as the two of them stepped out. Making their way downstairs, Noah found a fairly empty chamber that was being renovated, and walked in. After making his way in, he picked the Ritual summoning book, letting it’s prompt appear in front of him.

Would you like to consume [Skill Book of Advanced Abyssal Call (Rare)]?

Yes/No?

Noah selected yes. A ruse of mana flowed into him, as the book glittered with light, before flowing into Noah’s body. A moment later, information flooded in his mind, on how exactly he needed to perform the ritual, and ways to improve upon it.

You’ve gained the Skill [Abyssal Call]!

Due to high proficiency item use, [Abyssal Call (Advanced)] starts at level 25!

Noah took a D grade mana stone from his inventory, as he bent down, and began to scribe on the floor. Even though he’d never performed this summon before, his hand moved steadily, as if he’d been doing this for years. One by one, lines were engraved upon the floor by his mana stone, as he watched the circle form.

Minutes flew by as intricates line appeared on the floor, as if something Noah knew as well as the back of his hand. The sensation was odd, yet perfectly natural. With a last stroke, the circle was complete, as Noah let out a content sigh of satisfaction.

He glanced at Aurelia, who stood watching him work. Upon noticing his sight, she gave him a nod, and Noah returned it.

Taking out the tome now, Noah walked to the centre of the summon circle, careful not to disturb any line he’d carved. Standing in the middle, he let his mana flow into it, as a prompt appeared in front of him.

Would you like to consume [Tome of Abyssal Summon (Epic)]?

Yes/No?

Noah accepted the prompt, selecting Void Hunter as the path for the tome. With a bright flash, the dissipated flowing into Noah.

[Tome of Abyssal Summon (Epic)] consumed.

Initiating Summon Call.

Noah felt the ability working, as the line of mana around him flared to life, burning with intensity. He focused, letting the mana flow through him as he called out into the abyss for the summon he wanted.

Taking out his arm from his inventory, he let it set on the ground, as blood flowed from it freely. Feeling the blood mingle with the mana, Noah began to recite the chant.

"O Abyssal void of endless dark and hunger, feed upon this offering of life, and bind thy body unto this Astral soul. Let your hunger be mine, and my blood be yours," Noah said, struggling to keep a straight face as he did.

A moment passed, and then another, before something called back. The mana lines turned black, as void energy seeped through them, before dark gooey liquid pulsated flooding through the lines. Noah watched the liquid swirl, defying gravity as it began to coalesce around his arm, forming a worm like creature that wiggled around on the floor.

[Void Hunter] has unlocked [Abyssal Parasite]!

Noah felt a connection to the creature, and the creature vibrated, sensing the connection as well. There were rings formed of teeth that opened into a gaping maw at one tip, likely meant to burrow through a body before taking over it. He could tell the creature was suffering, not meant to live outside a host body, and he mentally permitted the creature to join with the arm.

Within moments, the Abyssal Parasite vanished, burrowing into the skin, as it attached itself to the limb. Noah picked the limb up, and a moment later, he felt the creature vibrating, as a single thought presented itself to Noah.

Name.

“You… want a name?” Noah asked, and sensed a feeling he could only describe as an enthusiastic yes.

Noah hummed in thought, trying to come up with a fitting name for a parasite that may end up being his left arm. A moment later, he chuckled, before deciding on the name.

“I’ll call you Tony,” Noah said, before turning towards Aurelia.

"Say hi to Aurelia, Tony." Noah said, waving his own detached arm, as he sensed the parasite vibrate inside, before the goop came out, and wiggled.

Aurelia rolled her eyes, and Noah chuckled once more, before he returned to the task at hand. Quite literally this time.

“Alright Tony, let’s get you connected back to my body like you’re supposed to be.”

Taking out his dagger, he grabbed it awkwardly alongside his severed arm, before cutting off the skin covering that had grown on his stump. Closing his eyes, he pressed the blade before slashing through his flesh as blood flowed freely.

Trying not to waste any time, he quickly pressed the severed arm with the parasite now onto his bleeding stump, attaching it at the joint.

The next moment, he felt tony crawl up into his arm, as the parasite linked itself to Noah’s body.

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