Variant paths.

  I let out a sigh, feeling almost like the dungeon had mocked me. I always took the variant path. Why not, when the rewards were different and it wasn’t such a straight shot? It was almost always more interesting, too. Yet, this time I just wanted to get out of this dungeon.

  People were counting on me, or at least it felt that way. Freeing others from collars felt like an important job in the war against the Forgers. We needed to return to that.

  Yet… Yet…

  I couldn’t say no. Growing in power was also required, given my skills and class as a devourer. The threat of the not so recently passed war of extermination against my kind still hung over my head, even though the name of my class had changed.

  “Let’s check out the variant path.” My voice echoed around the mountaintop.

  Everything shimmered around me, and a sleeping beast appeared. A thick shaggy fur coat covered it, and a massive paw stuck out. There had to be several more tucked underneath. Yet, only the outline really stood out. The rest of it appeared as a flat black, like a painted wall.

  [Echo of Dissolution, Unknown, Unknown, Unknown.]

  The sun shifted back to the horizon, draping shadows across the rocky surface. Where the shadows crossed the shaggy beast, it filled it in like someone had added all the fine details. Its fur stood out in the single long shadow that crossed its body, along with a single, very sharp, claw.

  Images flashed along the edges of the mountain platform as I stepped closer.

  Lenna shot arrows at a snake-like creature moving much faster than her arrows could fly, while Strange kept dodging into the shadows from something with an enormous mouth. Kabi fought up close and personal with something that was pushing him hard, while Dengu stalked a creature through dense leaves.

  Yet, the giant shaggy creature, now resembling a bear more than anything, just slept.

  And the images of my friends remained like tvs hovering along the curves of the mountaintop.

  A paw wacked Strange as he tried to dodge. His whimper cut through the air, even as everything else went silent. He went flying before slamming into a tree.

  I flinched, then rushed to the image and tried to touch it, but my hand passed right through it.

  As soon as I moved, the snores from the bear thing stopped and bright white eyes blinked before locking onto me.

  It moved before I could breathe.

  A massive paw flickered in and out of existence as it passed through shadows, almost hitting my side. I dodged, and my knife appeared in my hand.

  I glimpsed the snake wrapping around Lenna’s leg as she stabbed at it with a knife, but the small blade bounced off the thick scales.

  A rush of air warned me, and I leaped up using the Soarstone to dodge the massive paw a second time. I sliced at the back of the bear as I flipped over it, cutting it only in the shadows.

  The areas not in the shadows, my knife passed harmlessly through. The in and out of the drag on my knife slowed me down more than it should have, and I hit the ground much closer to the bear than I wanted.

  The bear spun and roared right in my face, yet its head blazed in sunlight, untouchable. Spit and nasty breath washed over me, and I ducked down. My knife scratched into the beast’s chest, and I wished for my spear.

  I didn’t know where it’d gone after the fight with the chief. Yet, at the thought, it appeared in my left hand awkwardly.

  The bear dodged my jab, but over its shoulder, I saw Strange get tossed into the air again. This time, blood dripped from his mouth.

  The distraction cost me as a paw smashed into my chest, sending me flying. I struggled to catch my breath as I crashed through the image of Lenna.

  The snake twisted around her and squeezed her tight, blood seeping from somewhere.

  Panic wheeled up in me as the bear darted at me, breaking apart the image yet again.

  Shadows surrounded me as the creature hit, my spear raised in defiance. The spear stretched out in front of me. I yanked on all of the energy inside me and pushed as much heat into the weapon as possible.

  I slid backward, screaming as the bear crashed into my spear tip.

  They needed help!

  Something twitched inside me as I triggered a skill. One I hated.

  Energy surged out of me.

  The bond between me and Strange suddenly glowed as he appeared on the ground a short distance away, barely walking. The enormous wolf beside him locked eyes with me as they swirled a strange black color.

  Lenna shimmered into view on my far left, the snake wrapped around her, but again its head pointed in my direction with its eyes that same strange black color.

  Dengu leaped into action from behind me, moving closer before he spotted Lenna. The whirl of blades whispered that Kabi stood close as well.

  Several large cat beasts shimmered in the air, attacking the bear. Then both they and the bear dissolved into nothingness as my scream cut off.

  Before I could move, Kabi’s blades pierced through the white wolf next to Strange. At the same moment, Dengu ripped into the snake, trying to get to Lenna.

  Within moments, the battle was finished.

  Hunger roared inside me.

  Everything inside me lunged to the fallen wolf. My spear was forgotten as I frantically cut into the carcass with my claws, tearing away a handful of meat that I stuffed into my mouth. White tuffs of fur went everywhere as I clawed at it.

  A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Tear, bite, swallow. Repeat.

  My entire body shook as it immediately converted the food to energy, faster than I could keep up. Darkness crept inward, but I fought it with every ounce of willpower I had.

  Eat. Stay conscious.

  Notifications dinged, but I couldn’t read them. All that mattered was food.

  I snagged the heart and swallowed it whole as energy blazed from my stomach. Minutes ticked by as my heart pounded. Bit by bit, everything slowed down, including my frantic consumption.

  Strange growled at someone, and they backed away. He paced around me in a circle, which helped me relax on some level. The bond between us still blazed with that shadowy energy.

  Slowly, the conversation in the background started to make sense as the pounding in my ears faded into the background.

  “Why did the dungeon give you impossible tasks?” asked Kabi.

  “I don’t know if it did,” whispered Lenna, staring at the skies.

  “But Alex still lives?” He sounded hesitant.

  “Alpha is strong.”

  “Just let her recover and regain her energy…”

  I flinched as something landed next to what remained of the wolf's carcass. A long piece of the giant snake, slightly shredded, stared up at me. Without even hesitating, I tore into it.

  “Do we have more food?” asked Kabi.

  “Rock thing, I fought,” answered Dengu.

  I slowed down after the first couple of bites. It had a slightly bitter taste to it, which I didn’t like. Thankfully, my stomach slowly started getting full as it processed the energy at a slower pace. The heart had done something, thankfully.

  “Guys… I’m okay,” I finally managed, once I could control my hands. My claws vanished, and the teeth inside my mouth shrank.

  Lenna approached slowly, and Strange chirped at her. He glanced at me, asking if it was okay.

  “She’s fine, little guy,” I added. I felt in control of myself.

  He nodded and let her get closer.

  She knelt on the other side of the mess.

  “You saved me,” she whispered, her voice almost broken.

  It forced my head up, meeting her eyes. “I forced you to appear.”

  “And you saved me. Again.” Her eyes searched mine. “My matchup was horrible. Thank you.”

  “I don’t even know what I did.” The words tumbled from my lips, as I thought about the skill.

  “You yanked on the bonds we have with you,” explained Kabi as he approached, all four of his hands tightened into fists before relaxing. “Our greatest leaders could do such, giving us a way to join them in battle, no matter where they were. We joined your side.”

  “My skill doesn’t mention that I could do that.”

  “That’s because it shouldn’t be able to do that yet, without damaging you,” added Lenna. This time her eyebrows drew close together, and she studied every inch of me. “If you weren’t a devourer, you wouldn’t have survived.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  Lenna nodded slowly as her eyes flashed with a sliver of light. “My father always said the system provides guardrails with powerful skills, adding to them as you can handle the changes and abilities. You forced your skill to go beyond what your body could handle. It took more energy than you had.”

  “That’s why I was starving.” It clicked. If I couldn’t regain energy as fast as I could eat, my body would have died. I didn’t lose control because of my high level of willpower, and I wasn’t actually in danger of dying just yet.

  “Did we complete the floor?” I finally asked, wanting not to think about how close everything had come to falling apart. I opened my notifications.

  [You have forced a skill to upgrade. Sovereign’s Call - V. You project a powerful, resonant aura. For those who are not pledged allies, it acts as a compelling siren song, drawing them closer to your position. If your fortitude surpasses an individual's willpower, this deepens into a potential hypnosis, leaving them vulnerable. For any individual pledged to you, it acts as a command, rushing to your side in battle.]

  [Current pledges: Lenna, Kabi, Strange.]

  The language for the skill hadn’t changed, but I didn’t want to spend much longer thinking about it. The Spotted Pride had been removed from my current pledges. It also didn’t answer the question of why the other bosses had appeared. I’d ask Noseen, or if I didn’t end up in a dream conversation with him, one of the elders at the academy before we left.

  [You have completed a variant challenge of the dungeon. You have gained the following rewards: Access to various exits from the labyrinth dungeon. Access to the bridge to the next level of the dungeon.

  [You have gained a level.]

  [You have gained a level.]

  Nothing about bonus experience from killing a higher-level creature. Instead, I’d completed the variant challenge.

  My eyes landed on the vines stretching upward into the clouds, and the land mass floating off in the distance.

  “We did,” said Lenna with a frown, and pointed to something next to the vine bridge. “To leave, we just need to touch the stone over there.”

  [Travel point.]

  The grey stone reminded me of the stones from our first dungeon. So much had changed since then, even though it hadn’t really been that long ago. I climbed to my feet, way more steady than I thought I’d be.

  Strange stared up at me with his razor-sharp smile. He bowed his head deeply, then turned to face the same direction as me.

  “Are we ready to get out of here?” I asked. Hopefully, I wasn’t too much of a mess.

  “Yes, let’s find my parents.” Kabi let out a sigh as he stepped closer to the stone before touching it. Then he vanished.

  Lenna and Dengu were next, though Dengu glanced at me for a moment before leaving. His yellow eyes studied me before he, too, was gone.

  Strange darted to it, vanishing, leaving me alone in the clearing.

  I marched closer to the stone, but before I touched it, I glanced back at the mess I left behind. Yet, it wasn’t much of a mess. The dirt underneath where the remains of the wolf and snake had rested didn’t look touched at all. Bones, scales and fur were all that indicated a battle had taken place.

  Why did this variant exist?

  My hand hovered in the air as I stared at the leftovers of my consumption. Something was missing.

  I touched the stone as it came to me. Blood.

  One moment I was on the mountaintop, the next I stood in the courtyard of the dungeon. Several presences appeared on my radar, and I stepped back from the arrival spot. Lenna’s hand yanked me to the side.

  Azurafolk filled the surrounding pathways.

  As soon as I vacated the center, more Azurafolk appeared, all outfitted for war.

  “What’s going on?” I asked, wondering what we’d stepped into.

  “Kabi’s parents are heading North,” answered Lenna.

  Several steps away, with a few folks between us, Kabi stood next to his parents in an intense discussion.

  “Everyone else is heading to the badlands,” she added.

  That explained all the people. The Water tribe marched directly to war.

  Kabi tugged on the bond, and my head snapped to him. He waved at us to join them.

  We both quickly joined them while I spotted Dengu, surrounded by children, off to one side. Strange stood on his back as the two of them received pets from several small ones.

  I studied both his parents as we joined the conversation.

  [Havi, Blade Dancer, Level 150, Predator.]

  [Manee, Blade Dancer, Level 168, Predator.]

  Both had gained even more levels than our group, which felt off. If my progress through the ranks felt rapid, they must be literally flying.

  “Ah, the young devourer.” Manee smiled at me, and a shiver went down my spine. “Good, you are growing.”

  No one else seemed to notice her words, but I nodded. No one should know what I was, but the level gap was so high, I couldn’t really be surprised.

  Havi nodded at Kabi, then turned his attention to us. “Kabi should join us when we go to Steadfast, but he won’t go without you both.”

  “Father!” Kabi’s voice cut through the background noise.

  “Will you join us on our trip to our city?” he asked, ignoring his son’s outcry.