I Devour the Leftovers

Chapter 7: The Rival

Kaelen found a new hiding place: a disused storage closet on the fifth floor, tucked behind a tapestry depicting a long-forgotten battle. It smelled of dust and old parchment. It was perfect.

He sat on the floor, cross-legged, and opened the stolen book: The Vyre Larva: A Study in Symbiosis and Parasitism. The Alchemic Codex in his mind scanned the pages, translating the archaic text into actionable data.

[Data Analysis Complete: Vyre Larva (Stage 1: Hatchling)]

[Growth Requirement: High-Grade Mana Crystals or Alchemical Catalysts.]

[Warning: Host Will is Critical. Weak will results in total possession.]

Kaelen looked at his arm. The bulge under his skin had grown. He could feel the Vyre's thoughts—primal, hungry, and utterly alien. It wanted to consume. It wanted to evolve.

He needed better food. The scraps in the Pits were no longer enough.

He stood up, his decision made. He would go back to the Pits. But this time, he wouldn't just scavenge. He would take what he needed.

He pushed open the closet door and stepped into the hallway.

"Well, well. Look what we have here."

The voice came from the end of the corridor. A figure stepped out of the shadows. He was a large man, bigger than Kaelen, with a shaved head and a face like a slab of granite. He wore the same ragged uniform as Kaelen, but his was stained with grease and blood.

Kaelen recognized him. Gorran. The leader of the Scroungers he had beaten in the Pits.

Gorran was leaning against the wall, picking his teeth with a rusty nail. He grinned, revealing a mouth of broken, yellow teeth.

"I heard you were still alive, Scrubber," Gorran said. "I also heard you've been eating the good stuff. The high-grade residue."

Kaelen said nothing. He just watched Gorran's hands. They were empty. But Gorran was a fighter. He would be fast.

"You think you're special now?" Gorran pushed off the wall and took a step forward. "You think you can just take what belongs to us?"

Gorran gestured to the stairs leading down to the Pits. "I've got a whole crew down there. We've been saving up a stash. A big one. Enough to keep us fed for a month."

Kaelen's eyes narrowed. A stash. High-grade residue. Exactly what he needed.

"Move," Kaelen said, his voice flat.

Gorran laughed. It was a harsh, grating sound. "Make me, boy."

Gorran lunged. He was fast, much faster than the guards in the Pits. He swung a heavy fist aimed at Kaelen's head.

Kaelen didn't dodge. He met the punch with his mutated arm.

Thud.

Gorran's fist connected, but it was like punching a stone wall. The impact vibrated up Gorran's arm, and his eyes went wide with shock.

Kaelen grabbed Gorran's wrist. He squeezed. Hard.

Gorran screamed. He could feel his bones grinding together.

"Where is the stash?" Kaelen asked.

"Go to hell!" Gorran spat.

Kaelen didn't get angry. He didn't get excited. He simply applied more pressure.

Crack.

Gorran's wrist snapped. He collapsed to his knees, sobbing in pain.

"The stash," Kaelen repeated. "Tell me, or I'll feed you to the Vyre."

Gorran looked up, his face streaked with tears and snot. He saw the cold, dead look in Kaelen's eyes. He knew Kaelen wasn't bluffing.

"T-the storage room," Gorran gasped. "Level Four. Behind the boiler. The door is locked, but the lock is old. You can break it."

Kaelen released him. Gorran fell to the floor, clutching his broken wrist.

"Thank you," Kaelen said. He turned and walked toward the stairs.

"Wait!" Gorran called out, desperation in his voice. "You can't! That's all we have!"

Kaelen didn't look back. "It's mine now."

He descended the stairs. Level Four. The boiler room. The stash.

He had a new target. And he would take it.