Devourer-Chapter 234: Into the Maw

Montis sighed as he sat up from his bed, it was the crack of dawn no doubt. After so many years in the military, his body clock has basically become hard-wired to rise early. Sleep deprivation was nothing more than muscle fatigue as far as he was concerned.

As he sat up, a warm, slender arm wrapped possessively around his waist, and he looked down to see one of his wives, Talia, snuggling her face against his side. The twins he was given, Talia and Natalia, should have been freed when Tralis fell. The Empress passed a decree that any wives or concubines who wanted to leave their husbands or masters were free to do so. Also, any abuses carried out would be punished.

From what Montis understands, abusers would have fingers removed as punishment. It was a brand of shame that one would have to carry constantly. At least she was kind enough to stick to the hands rather than the face. She also passed a decree that anyone trying to reverse this punishment would lose alot more than fingers.

Interestingly enough, gloves are pretty popular in Tralis nowadays amongst the surviving nobility. Funny how these things play out.

However, Montis possesses all his fingers, and his two wives seem content to remain his partners. Although polygamy has primarily been outlawed, the Empress has made an exemption for some cases.

“You always do this…” Talia murmured sleepily and Montis felt a small smile grace his lips as he pulled her into a hug. They were both bare as the day they were born, Natalia was back at his estate, seeing as she was pregnant.

Montis also wanted to leave Talia as his estate, but she was having none of it. According to her, it was “unfair” that only Natalia was having a baby, and to Montis’s credit, it was not for lack of trying, hence their current lack of clothes. With his house now elevated to the strata of the great nobles of the Empire, succession was a consideration of ever-increasing importance.

So thus Talia was insistent that she come along, because Montis had to work hard on this problem. As much as Montis did enjoy having some nightly activities, the fact that he was being sent to a region of the world where no one knows anything about was risky to say the least. The last thing he wanted was for something to happen to Talia. But of course, she would not take no for an answer…

“Should we try one more time before you start your day?” Talia asked, her gaze turning husky.

Montis had to suppress the wave of desire that welled up because today was the day they finally reached the path through the Ostayan Wall.

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/xUwClas.jpeg" alt="xUwClas.jpeg">

The Ostayan Wall was a mountain range that separated the Ostayan Woods and Vulpina Maxima, the home of the Vulpus, a furtive people that resembled humanoid foxes. They were similar to the Ostayans in their beast-like nature, but they were also, as far as he knows, a rather intellectual people.

Only problem was, that the path through the mountains was not some natural formation. This ugly gash was carved through the mountain range by some kind of attack. The legends say a Devourer did it, but as Montis thought back to what he saw when he first arrived… well, he was inclined to believe it…

<img src="https://i.imgur.com/r4uNxDY.png" alt="r4uNxDY.png">

Montis was torn from his thoughts when he felt Talia’s soft warm body wrap around him and he instinctively ran a hand along her slender waist.

“Please dear…” Talia purred into his ear and Montis decided to relent. Today he would be entering that horrific looking pass and it would take days to go through it. His ambassadorial caravan was massive and he even had a Hive Brood following along beneath his feet, but there was some dark stories about this place…

If he was going in there he might as well enjoy himself a little longer. Montis grabbed Talia and pressed her beneath him and Talia let out a breathy sigh in response. Her bright blue eyes sparkling in anticipation and her gold hair splayed behind her on the pillow.

“Take me…” Talia purred and Montis lost whatever restraint he had.

After another lengthy and passionate encounter with Talia, Montis washed up and got dressed.

Ether radiation permeated the entire region, an invisible specter that clung to the air and tainted the land. To walk these roads unprotected was to invite sickness, madness, or worse. Every member of the caravan bore enchantments woven into their armor, clothes and trinkets. Wards against the corruption, against the whispers that sometimes drifted through the still air. Even so, the weaker members of the delegation had no choice but to remain inside the enchanted carriages.

A week.

That’s how long it would take them to reach the other side of the pass. A journey through an empty, haunted gash in a mountain, locked within their protective wards, fighting off the slow descent into madness that came with cabin fever and the memetic effects of ether radiation. Already, Montis could sense the growing unease among his troops. If they were forced to camp, they would need to erect barriers, physical and magical, to shield those more vulnerable from the ether’s reach. It was an added burden, but one they could not afford to neglect.

Montis spent the next hour finalizing plans, ensuring everything was in place. The Hive, at least, had no complaints. The insectoid warriors were beyond such mortal concerns. Their carapaces were naturally resistant to Ether exposure, their minds too alien to be troubled by the memetic whispers that plagued other races. They moved with precision and efficiency, already scouting ahead, mapping out every crack and crevice of the broken pass.

And yet, they had found little in that dead pass.

The wilderness was unnervingly silent. What little wildlife should have existed in the region was conspicuously absent. No carrion birds circling overhead, no small creatures scuttling between the blackened rocks. Just emptiness. And in some places, the Ether radiation levels spiked to dangerous extremes, pockets of raw, festering energy that could kill a person in minutes.

“Dear?” Montis heard Talia say as she approached. She wrapped an affectionate arm around his as they both gazed at the horrible gash in the mountain range.

“The Old Gods did this?” Talia asked a slight tremble in her voice.

“So the stories go.” Montis replied softly as he gave her hand a protective squeeze.

Talia was no stranger to danger when she followed him on his campaigns. She knew that if Montis ever lost, both her and her sister would end up as some lord's toy thanks to their beauty. Yet they followed him all the same. Often, he would try to put them somewhere safe, but they always insisted on accompanying him.

“A wife’s duty is by her husband’s side.” Talia said with a stiff nod, speaking more to herself than to him.

Talia, despite having seen the horrors of battle and war, has never truly seen the horrifying power of the Old World. For instance, she has never met the Great Beast, or any of his monstrous lieutenants. He has never spoken to Mahaila or the Crowfather and witnessed their quiet but overwhelming strength. She does not know what the Hive does to those they deem useless beyond their biological matter.

This was her first look at it, and even with someone like Montis, sights like these still made him feel so very small. This world was old, older than he could even begin to fathom and the signs of an age long forgotten still presist. This giant gash carved through a mountain range was a very good example of that. Afterall if one goes west, further beyond to the coast, you would see the shattered remains of a continent. Some great battle happened there that shattered a mass of land as large as the Empire.

“I will keep you safe.” Montis said as he looked down at her.

“I know.” Talia replied with a soft smile.

“Head back to the carriage.” Montis said and Talia nodded. She gave him a quick peck on the lips before heading back to the safety of the carriage.

Montis felt the earth shift beneath him and he took a step back before the ground erupted a few metres infront of him. The large body of Broodmother Vasta emerged, shattering the black glass that made up the ground.

“General.” Vasta said with a small bow, her mandibles clicking as she rose to again.

“Vasta.” Montis greeted and he noted that Talia had probably already returned to the carriage.

“Apologies for the delay. I did not want to scare your mate.” Vasta said with a small clicking chuckle. Her armoured body shifted slightly, and Montis found it hard to ignore the stares she was getting. Broodmothers were rare sights and usually only appeared to speak to people worth talking to.

“I thank you for the consideration,” Montis replied cordially. Honestly, he rather likes Vasta; she was one of the more amiable Broodmothers. Most Broodmothers were abrasive, to say the least. The worst among them served Malegaros directly, but seeing as Malegaros was the Great Beast’s premier flesh smith and his name literally meant Malicious Hunger, Montis supposed it was expected to a degree.

“I believe I have found the reason for the lack of communication with the Vulpus.” Vasta said.

Montis furrowed his brow at those words and an undercurrent of concern ran through his mind. “Explain.”

“The mountain pass is not survivable to any humanoids without proper Ether Radiation protections, protection that is out of reach of most humanoids before the reintroduction of old magics by my king.” Vasta explained and Montis nodded in understanding.

“Your mate would serve well to remain inside the carriage, the radiation would affect your developing offspring.” Vasta stated and Montis blinked in surprise.

“What?” Montis asked.

“Your efforts of procreation are successful. I believe your attempt last night was the point of success. We have tested gestation in highly Ether-contaminated locations; it has led to undesirable mutations. I believe it is in your best interest to confine your mate for the duration of this journey.” Vasta said and Montis pursed his lips at those words. He had no idea that Ether Radiation could affect the baby. He was thinking it might be better to just send her back but he abandoned that idea quite quickly, Talia would never agree, she always was the more stubborn one. Natalia would go back but with some tears.

“I… thank you Vasta, your candour is appreciated.” Montis said in a clipped tone.

In response, Vasta bowed.

It is no bother, Grand General…

◦◦,`°.✽✦✽.♚.✽✦✽.°`,◦◦

Yael grimaced as he dragged another body into the cart. It was bloated and leaking, the stench unbearable even through the rag tied around his face. He had seen worse, but the sight never got easier.

This one must have been rotting in a tent for at least a week. No one had bothered to move it until now, likely too busy trying to survive. The slums around the safety zone were growing, sprawling outward as more desperate souls arrived every day. But for every one that came, another seemed to die, left to decay in the streets, their names and stories forgotten.

Yael glanced around at the rows of makeshift shelters, tattered cloth and scavenged wood barely holding together. People huddled in the shade, eyes hollow, watching him in silence. Some would be dead by morning.

With a sigh, he wiped his brow and grabbed the next body. The cart was already full, but there would always be room for more.

Yael straightened, rubbing his sore arms as he turned to face the voice. Josah stood nearby, watching him with a wary expression. The young man looked weary but alert, the rifle slung across his back a reminder of the dangers lurking in the slums.

"I'm fine," Yael muttered, though his aching body begged to differ. He glanced at the overfilled cart, knowing it was only a temporary solution. By tomorrow, there would be another pile waiting to be collected. "Could be worse."

Josah huffed a tired laugh. "Could always be worse."

Josah was a volunteer from the safety zone, technically still a citizen of Divonia. But since entering the zone, he had acquired a Residence Permit within the Averlonian Empire, granting him limited freedoms. He could travel to Elysia if he saved enough coin for passage, but for now, he had chosen a different path, signing up with the local militia.

It wasn’t an easy job. The militia's purpose was to maintain order in the slums, to keep the peace where the Elysian authorities would not intervene directly. The Imperial Regulars guarded the safety zone itself, but out here, beyond the walls, security was left to volunteers and desperate men willing to risk their necks for a little extra coin.

And then there were the demons...

They moved in the shadows, whispering madness into the ears of those who had nothing left to lose. The slums were full of them, vessels of corruption, their bodies twisted by the darkness they had invited in.

It was why the militia was always short on volunteers. Most men knew better than to stand between the starving masses and the horrors that festered among them.

"You look like you need a break," Josah said, nodding toward the cart. "I can take over for a while."

Yael shook his head. "If I stop now, I might not start again."

Josah nodded, understanding. There was always more work to be done.

Then, a great red glow appeared in the distance, and Yael’s blood went cold as he recognised that hue. Some desperate fools have just summoned a demon.

He sees angels take flight as they surround the blood-red glow in the distance. Yael would bet his right hand that the symbol came from a Pentagram now glowing in the earth, a summoning circle.

Sure enough a massive four metre tall red skinned demon appeared. It had blood red skin, curved glowing red horns, flaming wings and a hulking physique. The demon wielded a massive great axe as it let out a roar of rage. One overzealous angel charge the demon but with a swing of his axe the angel was batted away like a fly.

Yael grasped his light spear as the Josah looked on pale faced at the toweing demon in the distance.

“That doesn’t look like a lust demon…” Josah said and Yael grit his teeth in response.

No, thats a Wrath Bloodreaver….