Devourer System : Infinite Paths

The archer and assassin introduced themselves as members of the Blue Eagle bandits group, and now the due were leading him to their hideout, where the governor was waiting.

'All the miners left two days ago, and the governor has been staying at their hideout since then waiting for us, so it is possible he found something inside,' 

'But who is to say that he did not get greedy after finding whatever it was and decided to take a chance at eliminating us with these bandits?' Nero raised his concern with Draven, who was currently in control.

'The chances of him trying to trick us are more likely than him beraying us unless he found something that could set him for life, and he believes he could sell it without losing his head,' Draven answered, not worried about the meeting being a setup.

Nero shrugged, seeing that Draven was not worried, and began to think about what the item could be, imagining it to be an ancient relic, a valuable resource, or maybe something of value hidden inside the mine.

The duo guided Draven across the rocky terrain to a small mountain nearly two kilometers from the mine. They climbed to the halfway point and stopped in front of what appeared to be a solid stone wall. 

While it looked undisturbed, the entrance to their hideout was concealed behind a clever camouflage cover that they removed to take him inside the mountain.

After going through a long, narrow tunnel, Drven reached the hollow inside the mountain, a bustling cavern filled with nearly twenty people busy with various activities. Some were sharpening weapons, sparing, or simply conversing.

The cavern was well-lit by the oil lanterns hanging from the high ceiling, which made the air smell of cheap oil. A quiet intensity hummed through the space as everyone focused on their tasks.

Their presence did not go unnoticed, as everyone dropped what they were doing and began to pay attention to Draven. He was led straight to the biggest tent, and the duo announced his presence before quietly taking their leave.

The inside of the tent looked like a luxury room, as the temperature was warm, and the air no longer felt humid and heavy. Upon entering the inner area, Nero was welcomed by the governor, who was amidst leaving his chair.

"Greetings, Sir. It is a pleasure to see you again," The governor placed his book aside and left the chair, greeting him with a slight bow.

"Greetings. So, Did you find something from the mine?" Draven asked, and the governor smiled wide.

"I did, and while it might not be what you want, since it was something unusual, I decided to hold off on further mining," The governor replied, as the space around his open hand distorted. A moment later, it returned to normal, leaving behind a pitch-dark stone with uneven edges.

"This stone was just buried in the ground. A miner found it and thought it was just a normal rock, but quickly realized that no matter how hard it was hit, it did not even suffer a scratch,"

"After some testing, I realized that it also did not conduct any mana, so it could just be a failed natural treasure," the governor said, going silent as Draven took the rock and began to examine it.

'Is he trying to scam us?' Nero questioned, not buying that the common-looking piece of rock was something special.

"It seems to be the disturbance I felt in the mine, and while I don't know what it is, you have my thanks," Draven said as he placed the dark rock inside the space ring.

"It was a pleasure doing business with you, and now or ever, if you need me for anything, you just have to say the word," The governor said smiling, a look of slight disappointment flashing in his eyes that he quickly hid.

"If you don't mind, I would like to invite you, my greatest benefactor, to my home for a feast," The governor said before sheepishly adding. "At least, what my little resources could allow me to arrange,"

"I have to decline," Draven said, turning around and ignoring Nero, who was continuously asking about the dark rock. "I understand, but at least allow me to escort you to the exit,"

Draven did not say anything and left the tent, making his way to the exit while being closely followed by the governor.

"Sir, I was hoping that you could do me one last favor and recommend me to the Arcantheon Order so I could become an official member of the Arcane family," The Governor said, his voice slow, like afraid Draven would mishear him.

The Arcantheon Order was responsible for Arcane Research, Magic, and Spellcraft and they also took care of everything related to History records, Knowledge, and Education in the Empire.

A family ranked third, only behind the Ruling family and the Military force; the family controlled immense power and influence because of its field, so the allure of joining them was high for everyone.

"I can not help you with that, but my advice is that you join the Virdalor Clan, as with your current experience and contribution of the Thundrite mine, they will probably give you the position of a Viscount," Nero replied, giving the governor advice that was best for someone like him since he was in a good mood.

"Oh, Thanks for your advice," The governor replied, feeling a bit down but still happy.

Draven exited the mountain, took out a scroll from the space ring, and activated the inscription that began to shine as it gathered mana from the surroundings.

The inscription on the scroll came to life, completing the process in mere moments and making the space around Draven turn hazy. Seeing it, the governor said something in a hurry, but his voice did not reach him because of the space disturbance.

After a few seconds, Draven was pulled to an area nearly two kilometers away, in the middle of the jungle, and the moment he landed, he took out the dark rock, a smile spreading across his face, hidden beneath his plain mask.

Nero knew that the rock must be something special, seeing how Draven reacted, and while he was a bit upset after getting all of his requests ignored, he could do nothing but wait.

Nero was sitting in silence, watching Draven examine the dark rock when suddenly, a dark mist began to seep out of it. As thin as a wisp, it gave off an unnerving feel and stayed barely visible for a moment before shooting into his eye.

Nero leaned back, startled by the sudden event, and as he shocked off his fear and raised his head, he saw Draven standing before him, the space between them occupied by a floating orb of shifting energy, an orb made of pure dark strands of energy that shifted like smoke.

He stood up, mesmerized by the amazing and mysterious thing before him, and unconsciously reached for it. The moment he made contact, he let go as if his hand had been burned.

"AAAAAAAAAA"

Nero collapsed to the floor, clutching his head as overwhelming pain engulfed his mind, an icy chill invading his entire head that quickly got replaced by scorching heat, only to shift to a sensation of his thoughts being stretched, pulled in every direction.

All the while, countless unrecognizable words flashed through his mind, confusing images, pieces of pure nightmare and horror, and before he knew it, everything just ended. 

It felt like a bad dream, and Nero could barely recall his experience as he regained his senses, and with each passing moment, the memory only became more vague and clouded.

"Don't stress. You can not recall anything you just saw," Draven said, knowing exactly what Nero had just experienced.

"What The Hell was that?" Nero questioned, his voice breaking, confused by the growing feeling of fear and paranoia, while he could not even understand the reason for such intense and disturbed emotions.

"The rock we got from the governor is a piece of a tablet, one of the few cosmic-grade treasures, an artifact of incalculable worth as it holds the findings of a figure known as Dark," Draven said, leaving Nero slack-jawed.

"The Dark Tablet this small fragment belonged to holds everything from the creation method of one-of-a-kind unique artifacts, potions, arrays, skills, lost knowledge, languages, and probably the most valuable thing in the entire galaxy,"

"The records of Dark Life," Draven said, and Nero quickly furrowed his brow in confusion, left bewildered by the statement.

"What, the most important thing on a cosmic treasure, is a person's life story?" Nero questioned, baffled by the statement but more so because he could see that Draven had the emotions of admiration, if not outright reverence, for this Dark entity.

"It is the most valuable thing to those at the peak of power because Dark is the only person known to have left our galaxy," Draven said, his words one of desire and respect.