Draimon: Fracture: Erasend- Book 1: Deascension

Chapter 15: Regain

The tree opened with three Dragons walking in, all roughly the same as his height; first, a bark Berserker walked in on its knuckles. The next a quadrupedal Dragon with large spines along its back, head and tail. The final Dragon resembled a serpent with four small legs and a little mouth. As Livigon joined the group, the image of a forest of small trees flashed in his mind, he nodded.

"Let us go," he said, and the four of them ran out of the tree, instinctually knowing where to go; once they trailed behind him, he knew they were here to assist him.

 He slowed and allowed them to gather around him, being sure to keep out of sight. Once they were out of sight and hearing, Livigon spoke, "what is the plan?"

"I will hold it down," the vine serpent-like Dragon said.

"I shall weaken it," the Berserker said.

"And I shall provide ranged support," the Spine-back said, "your job is to precisely destroy it with your solar vines."

"When there is a small piece left, I will trap in a bark shell. If the Devourer absorbs the prison, it will die, and the bark will be too strong and it too weak to break out."

"I am guessing you are all young to stop it from getting too powerful if one of us falls, also so we do not emit strong signatures," Livigon said."

"If one of us gets grappled, there are others to help us," the long-bodied Dragon said.

"If everything goes right, we can do this," the Berserker said. "I know this is essential, but I wonder if we will get anything when we return."

"What would that be?" The Spine-back asked as it trudged along, with the Berserker stopping for a moment to think. After several seconds the Dragon caught up with a bound.

"Wealth? No, Material possessions? No, fame I would not mind, but these are desires I shall not fall to like they do." The Spine-back snorted in response.

"So what then, Wopungon."

"Is it not obvious, Sporn? I want a clean shot to a whole bunch of Humans."

"We really should be silent," Livigon said.

"Of course, my lord, excellent idea every one listen to him. We need the element of surprise," the third said.

"This way," Wopungon said, with him leading them through the forest. In the distance, they could see it clearly. Its sickly pale body easily identifiable among the brown of the trees. 

They saw it raise its massive maw as if trying to smell them and then snapped it towards them.

"Not much advantage if it can compound the weak eyes and nostrils," Wopungon said, "I thought we could ambush it." The Monster began its charge, and as it got close, their cores shivered.

"Are those what organs look like?" Wevingon asked.

"They must have been the majority of the biomass it could gain," Wopungon said. Livigon snarled.

"Their destruction is imminent," as he drove his claws into the ground with vines sprouting from the scars on the land. They light up with bright yellow solar energy from the sprout, but a wall of trees sprouted between them.

"Yes, my lord, just let my trees hold it and allow your vines time to charge. Then I can use the fragments." The sparking vines curled around, ready to uncurl at a moments notice.

"Very well."

The Monster lumbered towards the barricade and smashed its body against it. Until it pushed its malleable body past, the branches and Livigon swung his vines, the Monster turning its body to a puddle, the vines swinging overhead.

"By Omingom," he snarled as the centre of the flesh pulled the rest in.

"We may have bigger problems," Wevingon said, as the mass burst upwards and reformed its maw and tail with four legs emerging. It grasped the canopy and leapt off, the thing screaming as it plummeted.

Before the Devourer even left its puddle. Wevingon lashed the vines of his body out to Wopungon, including Sporn attaching them to his body and looked at Livigon. He rose a non-solar to throw them towards him, caught them in his claws and flew them back to safety as the Monster crashed down.

"At last," it said in its garbled mess of voices and began walking towards them, its four feet sticking to the ground. It towered over them.

"Um, I do not think I can bind it just yet," Wevingon said, backing away slightly; new vines sprouted, lit up and lashed towards the Monster only for it to flip its body to the side.

"Do no worry about that," and looking up, he turned his wings into long sparking tendrills. The Wyrm Devourer went in for a foot stomp only to strike one of Wopungon's enlarged fists.

 He smiled as the fist detonated in an explosion of bark shrapnel, the blast sending the foot upwards with solar vines burning away its sole and much of its leg. In response, the leg split open, but Livigon merely spun the tendrill to stay in contact until there was no more.

 As the leg behind moved to take its place, thorns and bark lances were shot to prevent it. The Monster screamed and moved to attack, with Wevingon throwing a part of his body to bind the approaching limb and tug it back, causing it to fall.

"Perfect," as Livigon swung both vines to cut down the middle the flesh above fusing with that below.

"Allow me to assist you, my lord," Wevingon said, digging his claws in the ground; the brown around the Devourer turned green with vines tethering the Monster down.

"You have my thanks," Livigon said; the ground below cut through and crushed the Devourer, but not everything. They still needed a small piece of it.

The Wyrm-torn squirmed itself out the back, its form crushed and mutilated, which quickly reformed into one with a head, tail, and two legs. The Devourer reforming so fast it was able to avoid Sporn's thorns. It was now at their height.

"We need to finish this quickly," Sporn said as it pounced towards Wevingon. Into a bright vine wall which took its legs and a bark wall pushing it to the side.

"We still need you."

"Think you can bind it now?" Livigon asked, with Livigon looking as it roared and squirmed towards them.

"Think you can get rid of that tail?" He asked.

"No problem," as a series of thorns flew down into where the tail began and along. Where they stuck, the tail darkened to a black, broke off and fragmented, the Devourer thrashing.

"What did you do?" Wevingon asked in shock.

"I just used the spores in the thorns to drain life rather than deliver it." Wevingon uncurled his body and lunged towards the jaw, but it unhinged fully and spang forward to bite down upon him.

"Do not worry, Wevingon can still do this, and if he gets infected, it will not be too much trouble," Wopungon said; the Monster tore off Wevingon's head. The Devourer's tounges crept into the wound, it closing after they entered.

"Best to avoid that outcome all the same," Sporn replied as thorns flew and stuck into the Monster, the flesh weakening where they struck.

"Very well," Wopungon said as he began his charge, and when Livigon's solar fueled vines rose, the Devourer ceased. Leaping of its prey and uncurling its body, it then skittered away using the teeth as legs. With Wevingon getting up, his neck and head fully regenerating as he did and the two others rejoining.

"Alight?" Sporn asked.

"Yes," he replied, "my regeneration kept my core safe. Livigon watched the distance as the Monster seemingly vanished.

"Wopungon, locate it again for us," Livigon asked, with the Berserker lowering and tilting his head.

"Nothing," he answered in frustration.

"It could be flying," Wevingon proposed with the two Uncials laughing and even Livigon snickering.

"Well, it could. Some did during the battle."

"Wevingon, Devourers can not fly, and those Cannibals are an exception due to their intelligence and the fact that they might have been Shifters."

 Anything, Livigon thought.

"Even I can not locate it," the Primordial answered as his head formed.

"Must be flying then."

"Come, it must be making its body light, cover all our blind spots," Livigon ordered. With their tails touching, the group shuffled along in the direction they last saw it.

"That must be it," Wevingon said.

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The group kept walking through the forest for what to them seemed like days.

"It might have died," Wopungon suggested, with Livigon sighing in response.

"Very well, how could it have."

"The life span of a Devourer is based on the life it eats, this one must have eaten newborn Coreclones, so it is possible," Sporn snarled. "Of course, with it being a Wyrm-torn, it should have other bodies, but it will know to not come here again.

"Coreclones?" Livigon asked, his voice weaker than when they left.

"Devourers eat our cores to gain our limbs and our battle knowledge," Wopungon snarled, "but what happens to the organs and personal memories. They can not be destroyed by the Devourers, and they can not use them as they are worthless to them."

"So they simply discard them in the form of something we call a slug. Suppose this slug can bring itself to eat something. In that case, it can regain its Dragon shape and can even use a biological version of their elements," Sporn said.

"With them holding on to their memories, it is like they never died, and they can even be given our blood," Wopungon added.

"Though can you call something with memories of the original the same.."

"How do you two know all this? Livigon interrupted.

"O, Enordial told us, he is researching them as he feeds them," Sporn said; Livigon turned his head to Wevingon.

"Is this your first time hearing this?" With Wevingon lowering his head.

"None tell my generation anything," he sighed, with sighs he was used to it.

"Are you not a Levithan of the second generation?" Livigon asked.

"No, I am a Mustela of the third generation, but Enordial asked for me for this job. He really does what the Anicals to be accepted, and when we get the old world back, we can create hybrids with none to stop us with their talk of oppression." When he finished, Wopungon broke off a piece of the ground and ate it.

"Think you can spare some for us?" Sporn asked.

"If you can absorb an element other than your own, be my guest," he answered.

"We could eat others vines," Wevingon suggested.

"We could, but that will just mean we will be stuck in a loop of regaining and using energy," Livigon said, as he stopped, "we should just stop and rest, Wopungon, you can keep watch. Wevingon slumped to the ground.

"It just had to choose this area," he said.

"Knowing it, that is probably the reason why," Wopungon said.

"O, I am sure you know," Wevingon said, with Wopungon sighing.

"It chose this place because of the hard ground. It would have been easier to find if it walked on vine ground," Wevingon arched his long neck up to meet Wopungon.

"Thank you."

"We just did not tell you about Coreclones because we did not think it was essential for the job," Wevingon squirmed.

"What is it?" Sporn asked.

"I believed that you all hated me for being an Anical, but I know that is not the case now. My heart was thundering being so close to all of you, but I am calm now, and I still feel something inside me. It is moving," he cried with tears flowing. "I can not hold it back. It is squirming towards my..."

Pale tentacles burst from his mouth and tore the neck in tow, with Wevingon screaming in pain.

"GET MY CORE!" the tentacles burst from his body, rendering him unable to move with the others, only able to watch. There was no saving Wevingon; if they killed him and destroyed the Devourer, then they would be down a Wyrm-torn.

"I am sorry," Wopungon said, grinding his teeth Wevingon kept struggling until he fell silent and still with the plant flesh at the centre turning pale. The Devourer mutated its body into four tentacles, a head and a tail, with four pale eyes.

"I shall..." but like lightning, a tentacle broke through his chest and pulled Wopungon's core from his body. With a flick, it was sent spinning into the newly-formed jaws at the tentacle's tip.

Livigon watched as the Berserker's body underwent the same transformation, the wound forming a mouth. The Core-torn screamed and charged towards Livigon, the closest Dragon. Only for it to be stopped by the Wyrm-torn's roar, its tentacles growing thicker after consuming its second core, and two more eyes emerged.

The Core-torn walked toward the Wyrm-torn and into its jaws. It then stretched and swayed its body.

"Better," it said with Wevingon and Wopungon's voice layered on top of one another.

"We are not here to destroy you," Livigon said, "we just want to get you back and feed you more cores," the Monster tilting its head in response.

"Know flesh true, but know die if follow." It lunged towards Livigon with all claws ready to strike. Livigon formed his wings into two solar vines and swung wide. The Devourer dodged by grasping a tree and shot two arms towards Livigon.

"You will pay for what you have done!" Sprorn snarled as her thorns shot off towards the Devourer, it swinging out of the way and Sporn redirecting them mid-flight. The Devourer lunged, Sporn rose a thorn wall and loosed more thorns to the side. Livigon saw orange energy swell within its body, but before he could react, the beam shot forth, breaking through the thorns, the wall and Sporn's body.

 The Devourer tore out Sporn's core and devoured it. Livigon could only watch as it turned towards him. Three masses of flesh fell from its body; Livigon stepped back in disgust at the pale piles, wait, is that them, he thought. Standing on one tentacle, the Devourer threw the masses towards Livigon, with himself flapping back.

 He watched them blindly squirm around, then back at the Devourer; it stood there as if waiting for something. One of the slugs had formed a mouth and gnawed on the roots, breaking them apart and pulling them in. The pieces moving were visible through the skin until it smoothed. The Creature mutated growing two large, two small legs, a tail, along with a head and its body straightening.

"Wopungon!" Livigon cired.

"That's my name," it said, sure of itself, "who are you?" It asked, Livigon glared at the Wyrm-torn.

"GIVE THEM BACK!" He roared, the Monster smiling back.

"Can't," it replied, he snarled.

"Wopungon."

"Yes."

"Get Wevingon and Sporn, that is still them, take them far away."

"Ok," Wopungon replied, picking up the two slugs, "didn't intend to stay anyway." He ran away as fast as his little legs would take him.

"No other flesh for flesh," it said in their voices, "think yourself strong but failed," it said in Sporn's voice, "thought could serve you," in Wevingon's. Several bladed legs burst from the near ends of its tentacles and began to scurry.

"SILENCE!" He roared solar energy, it spinning out of the way and swinging a tentacle towards him. Livigon charged his wings and rose them. When he did not feel the arm strike he soared upwards. He saw that the tentacle had gone for where his back was. His way up with blocked by branches, himself nearly crashing into them, he saw the tentacle stretch towards him so flapped back as it gripped an overhead branch.

 It tightened, and a second later, the Devourer had pulled itself up with three tentacles lunging. Livigon pulsed the energy of one wing, sending him to the side as the Devourer rushed past, and rereleasing the energy, he turned to see them stretching for him. 

Livigon fired a solar laser sure it would hit, but even with them so close, they changed course, by Ominomgon, he thought. He manced the solar energy to swirl in front of him, the tentacles staying clear and giving him time to land. He raised his wings.

Recalling its limbs, the Monster leapt at Livigon, its jaw far too wide. He waited and swept his wings towards it, but still, it reacted at inDragon speeds. Livigon saw it reach for the canopy, so he raised his wings. The Devourer changed course again, feeling it grasp a nearby tree and leap off, he moved his wings, but it gripped the top and swung around.

 Livigon knew it was behind him, so he charged his tail and swung it. Again, it changed course. Livigon growled in frustration. He still had large amounts of elemental energy, so charged his wings but turned the energy into flesh. The wings grew to four times their original size, and he swung them, keeping them low to the ground.

 In one motion, he removed the outer layer of roots and sent even more energy to cut down the trees around them. With the softer ground revealed, he raised vines to hurl and push back the surrounding trees. He smirked at the Devourer; it perched on a mass of branches, he may have destroyed the environment, but he had removed its advantage.

 It would be different if he had bark magic, but he had no intention of gaining it. He had to lower the vines to the ground. It was too much strain empowering his wings and mancing at the same time.

The Devourer watched, thinking. Livigon held strong. If he showed weakness, it would strike. If he depowered his wings, it would strike. If he approached it, he would have lost the area advantage. The Devourer paced, its limbs letting it traverse the loose area with ease; Livigon swayed a wing. It so large it reached at his distance.

 He felt the Devourer leap so swept the other wing, he saw it blast a beam of pale orange energy with smashed through his wing. He flapped his free wing to awkwardly move his body out of the way as it crashed to his side; he struck with his whole wing. It leapt again as the wing swept the ground, the Wyrm-torn lashed again, but Livigon quickly raised the wing, himself getting used to the larger limb.

 The Devourer stretched its tentacles to the side, but it began to fall. As Livigon swept the ground, it had absorbed his solar energy and now glowed with his same light. The Devourer fired another might beam, Livigon flapping to the side, his wing regenerated and empowered once more.

 As the beam struck the ground, it smashed through, but was able to push the Devourer up and back to the trees. Livigon fanned his wings, releasing the energy in a wave towards the Monster. The Devourer spun past the attack and stuck with a tentacle Livigon blocked, the limb burned away to nothing. Suddenly he felt his legs become torn off, and his body fall as the Monsters stretched its tentacles out of sight.

 Livigon saw it pounce, but his legs quickly regenerated, and he swept his wings upwards, it moving out of the way. Livigon went on the offensive, lashing with his wings and blasting solar energy. The Devourer moved with grace, using its limbs to manoeuvre its body around each strike. Livigon pressed the attack until. He cut the one it held itself with, felling the Devourer, Livigon went to slam his wings down, but the Monster pulled itself away and began to run.

"Get back here!" He roared, and expelling energy from his wings, he pushed himself forwards after the skittering Devourer. His energy and his wings had begun to hurt, he replenished his energy, but his core ceased. He began to fall as he had reached his limit from all the energy refills. Damn it, he thought, and as if on cue, the Wyrm-torn turned around and raced towards him. 

He crashed through branches and smashed on the ground, he commanded his body to move, but it disobeyed. I can not die here, he thought. Moments later, the Devourer came into view, bounding towards him. Enordial appeared in front of him in a flash of purple.

"What can. You. Do?" Livigon asked, forcing his words out.

"I can do far more than talk to cores," Enordial said, and right in front of the Devourer, a purple ring formed and unable to avoid, it entered. Enordial's small floating head flickered and vanished. I need to recover. Apologies for speaking to your core directly.

It is alright, Livigon thought, what shall you have me do.

Enordial's voice replied, I will not place you under the life debt, just bring them back to us.

Of course, Livigon thought back he still could not move. After several moments, Wopungon came into view. His body was larger than before, with two smaller beings behind him.

"My, are you alright," he asked, rushing over to him, the two Creatures following, "what happened to you."

"You do not remember anything, do you, Wopungon." 

He lowered his head, "no, all I do is feeling the air on my body, the bark below and the urge to bite it. So I did, then I remember changing into this and seeing you. I feel like I know you somehow." The two showed themselves both resembling their past forms, though Livigon could not sense any elemental energy from them. 

They were no longer Dragons, but he simply felt no hatred towards them. Only towards himself.

"Wevingon, Sporn," Livigon cried out, them coming closer in response, "good, it left your names," he said.

"Guess whatever that thing was didn't need them," Wopungon looked down at Livigon, "come on, I'll carry you," he said, pulling him onto his back, "hang on," he said.

"Thank you," Livigon replied.

"O, and can you hold on to these guys," he said again, placing the little ones on his back, them sitting down in exhaustion. "So, where to?" he asked.

"Go forwards, I shall give you directions."

"Right," Wopungon said, pushing off.

"But if you see any others like me, then run," Livigon said. 

"Of course," Wopungon replied. What of the Wyrm-Devourer, Livigon thought.

I could only move it to the outlands with the exit portal, and do not worry. When I am free, I will teleport cores inside it. What is important is that you survived.