My Devourer System: Rise of the Bastard Son

Lucen wasn't sure whether to sit or get ready for another fight. It was definitely humans coming right now, but if it was Duran and his cronies, then he would have to fight for his life one more time.

Lucen dismissed Thomas's ring and gripped his spear a bit tighter.

Soon, people came into sight, cutting through the treeline and the bushes: Duran, Garin, Lot, Samara, and two other Knights.

Their weapons were all summoned, and their bodies were tense and incredibly alert. Lucen raised an eyebrow; he thought they were coming to help him, but it seemed they already believed he was dead.

Their mana senses must have brushed over Lucen and the dead body of the Fiend. Duran's face went through several shades of disbelief, and the other Knights were frozen to the spot.

Lucen was more interested in the physical rune.

[Rune: Never Enough]

[Physical runes aren't ranked like spells; they draw on laws of the world. Never Enough is the rune of nostalgia and the concept of taking back what was once yours.]

[Its abilities include some standard powers of Hunger mana, which include stealing mana from enemies and your surroundings. Never Enough cannot steal abilities, though, but it can enhance the ones you have.]

[It is very useful for the Withmare because they once had greater power and intelligence than this. So it can draw on powers the species once had.]

Lucen imagined a world where undetectable beings moved around, unable to be seen or sensed, each strong enough to kill a man in a single blow.

He wondered if it would be useful to him. Human domination seemed to have begun recently, so wouldn't people from the past be weaker?

[It depends on how far you can go on the list of ancestry.]

Lucen rolled his eyes, turning to meet the shocked Knights. "Did you go into the nest? Are Tara's parents still alive?"

They looked at each other, frowning. Lucen quietly considered the possibility that they were all working with Chester to kill him.

He had two Spirit Lights that could take on Knights. Armed with the proper weapons, they could probably fight two each. That would still leave him to face two Knights by himself.

"The parents are still alive," Garin said finally. "It was bad down there. Corpses kneeling in rows with their heads crushed, hostages left to stew in the dark, surrounded by blood and feces."

Samara nodded grimly. "I think Tara's parents will get better when they see their son, but I don't expect any of them to speak for a few days."

"Forget all that nonsense," Duran snarled. "There's a dead Tyrant at our feet, and only a Squire around to kill it."

"I didn't kill the Fiend," Lucen said simply. "Yes, that was a Fiend that was becoming a Tyrant, but I wasn't the one who killed it. I got poisoned by the Tyrant, so I didn't see everything, but there was someone else here."

Lot turned, suddenly searching the ground. "It's not here. The Physical rune that the Tyrant must have had."

Duran marched up to Lucen, staring daggers at him. "Where is it?"

"Where is what?"

Duran grabbed Lucen's collar, but another larger hand grabbed his. Garin towered over the both of them, his expression bored but serious.

"Relax, Duran."

"Get your fucking hands off me. And don't you dare order me, Garin."

Lot shook his head. "Duran, he couldn't have taken the Physical rune. It would destroy his unformed soul. Even us Knights would struggle to hold on to it without an [Inner World]."

Duran didn't look like he believed that, though. Lucen would need to slow down his achievements. People were now just thinking he could do whatever the fuck he wanted.

He did, of course, have the Physical rune, but it was ludicrous to even suspect a Squire could hold one.

Duran let go of him and stepped back. Garin glanced at Lucen, his dark eyes seeming to see into his soul without trying.

Samara eyed him carefully, too. "So this person took the physical rune?"

"I quite frankly don't even know what you mean by physical rune," Lucen said exasperatedly. "All runes are physical, no? We draw them on papers all the time."

He quietly hoped his act was believable, but he didn't put too much energy into it just in case.

Lot glanced around the forest carefully. "Should we try and find this person?"

"If he could easily kill a half-Tyrant, what chance do we have?" Garin asked lazily. "We've already lost two days with consecutive fights."

Samara nodded. "It's unfortunate, but we'll send someone back to the Keep with a message. They can hunt whoever took the rune down."

Lucen started walking, ignoring their surprised looks. "Don't mind me. I'm a bit too injured to just be standing around."

He left them behind, strolling almost casually through the forest of tall, white trees. They had killed almost all the Withmares in the forest today.

The fact that this could have spiraled out of control wasn't lost on Lucen, but what he was more concerned with was the fact that this might have been planned.

Someone came here and gave the physical rune to that Withmare. Then that man told the Fiend to kill Lucen.

They knew who he was and possibly what his strengths were.

The Withmare was given the [Never Enough] rune because of its invisibility and Veiling talents.

These skills directly countered what had always been his greatest strength, his [Mana Sense].

Whoever gave the Withmare that rune was actively hunting him. Lucen had a guess that this person was related to the Red Keep and the quest.

The Void creatures were showing that they could reach him.

The shadows curling below the trees all suddenly felt unnatural, and it felt like something was hiding in the corners of his vision.

Lucen quietly prayed Chester would keep Selene inside of the Grey Keep at all times.

He had too many enemies out here.