Chapter 86: The Devouring

As Ned kept on devouring the swarm of Grade E flying beasts. He noticed motion on his right. Yaluk threw by Anita. Splintered woods were cleaned thoroughly by Yaluk's bloodied face.

Ned revealed a smile. Anita wasn't ordinary at all. His creator—Anita called him, Father—must be some kind of Engineer. But being an engineer alone couldn't create such... Child. Ned wondered, even if they succeeded in combining different core, created a body—even a perfect one. That would not be enough to give life. There must be a complex system that occurred during Anita's creation.

Ned strained his hand, the air around him hummed of noises, that only he could make. The Time to Loot's crew—or what had remained of them—went from bulging eyes to a gaping mouth. They'd rather fight a single brute monster than repel thousands of swarming beasts. For them, that would be near impossible. But seeing Ned handle the rest of the swarm, they felt relieved and skeptical at the same time.

"Who is that lad?" said one of the crew.

"Prepare the barrier!" Lady Darcey ordered. "There might be more of them!"

With her command, the crew scrumbled to maintain their defenses, while the other went to lady Baba to be healed.

With the darkness caused by the swarm almost gone, Lady Darcey ordered some of her crew to chain the unconscious Yaluk and throw him in the Lobby's confinement cabin.

[Ned. Your Core. It's nearly half full.]

I felt... Relaxed. The hunger I felt before, it's, gone. Ned thought. He's been devouring thousands of rook. And he needed a thousand core, fulfilling the demand of his core. With the hand raised up, and with the black energy coiled his hand and spread to devour. Ned analyzed his progress.

[200/1,000.]

Two hundred and counting. The core of Grade E did fulfill some of his requirements, elevated his hunger, and made Ned wondered if he'd devour just the core or the whole magical beasts. Ned noticed that the moment a rook entered the black energy, it turned to nothing—a speck of dust or small particles. It was as if they were being sucked by the gravity itself. But he could feel his energy kept on rising. Although, faint. Ned could still distinguish the small amount of mana he was devouring.

But Ned furrowed his brows. Thousands and it gave me only 200. ICE. How come it's like this?

[The conversion is different from the grade of Core.]

ICE replied.

[100 Grade E core is equivalent to 1 point of your core's needed to evolve.]

A hundred to one. Ned thought. With his hand raised, Ned walked forward. The feeling of being helpless was now gone. He advanced, the rooks that were intelligent enough to notice their demise started to spread and move away from the black energy. But with enough energy, Ned could force the black energy and expand some more.

[201/1,000.]

Another hundred made the digit counted by one.

[202,1,000.]

"I can't keep this all day," Ned whispered.

As the count progresses, Ned noticed that his mana went to tick slowly. It wasn't just his core that gained a benefit. Even his mana and energy moved up as well. His display—red and with a streak of black—kept on reminding him about his current status.

[Mana Points 2,032/3,000]

With the Grade E's mana, although impure, Ned could still filter the impurities and absorb the pure mana. Yet, Ned could feel everything about him was slow. Thousands of Grade E and his mana moved by only 30.

[Energy 100%.]

Ned felt that after devouring the rooks, he felt he had been eating with a full stomach.

So this is what you felt, Rassus. Ned thought. The devour skill that Rassus left Ned made him more of a monster. No human could do what he has been doing. He felt reserved at first. But, now that he devoured, he could not stop himself to keep on devouring. The urge to keep going was the one that Ned couldn't stop. He felt he could keep devouring as long as there was a monster to feed on. The resist to stop was now gone. Ned could only feel the feeling of fulfillment and enjoyment.

Ned was halfway devouring the swarm when he noticed that the rook went rouge. They flew randomly and let out a scratching to the ear noise. Ned shrugged his shoulders. What's happening. Ned thought. With nothing to stop him, Ned let out a scream that made the black energy even more daunting.

With his left crossed on his shoulder, he gripped his right hand. And let out an even more black energy. But even so, the swarm flew randomly, forcing themselves to spread.

Ned recognized the people beside him, it was the Lobby's crew, carrying the unconscious Yaluk.

"So that's it," Ned muttered. Eyeing the summoner with an analyzing thought. The control between the summoned and the summoner was severed when Yaluk went unconscious. Ned thought.

Without someone to control the summoned. They could do whatever they want. Now they are free until the summoner gains his consciousness.

At 251—out of a thousand—Ned cut-short his devouring skill. With the remaining rook randomly flying, mostly to escape, the sky turned blue.

With the sky at clear, Ned breathes in deep and rapid. The first pirate ship already sunk-in deep at the bottomless ocean. While the ironclad warship was halfway there. Beside the sinking warship, was the schooner—none of the living pirate crew were alive—atop the mast was Anita, and at bottom of the wooden base was Hocoff. Although a giant, now with the clear sky and sun, Ned noticed that Hocoff was more of a butler with his precise movements and strong demeanor.

Hearing the screaming of terror. Ned gazed above the sky. There, the evolve rook, fondly playing with its new pet, the Redcap Wing.

The Redcap Wing's beak broke, it was completely torn while its remaining talon—its strongest armament—was totally dismembered. What remained of the great Redcap Wing was terror.

Redcap Wing's skills were now limited due to its summoner went unconscious. All it could do was to flee away from the evolved rook. The Redcap Wing that terrorized the sea for years, was now turned to nothing but a monster not even worth killing anymore.

At the edge of the wooden railings, Ned gestured a hand. Calling Anita.

Anita jumped off the mast, pulling and tearing the boned jack of Yaluk's crew. She then landed near Ned. Cheerfully walking towards him.

"How was Anita, big brother Ned?" she said. Her core turned from red to chromatic. She moved closer to Ned and leaned forward as if waiting for Ned to tap her head again.

Ned smiled, lifted a hand, and brushed Anita's silver hair. "You did well, Anita," Ned said. "Call Hocoff."

"Yes brother!" she said and blushed. Turned to Hocoff and waves her wooden hand. "Hocoff! Big brother is calling you!"

Well, I'm not really Anita, but, whatever. Ned thought. Ned smiled. Ned never felt what to have a younger sister. He wasn't even sure if what he was doing with Anita was the right thing. But he was sure, he was impressed by Anita's show of power. Her strength might be a Diamond level hunter. But that was Ned being skeptical. She might be higher. Ned thought.

With the loud bang, Hocoff landed on the Lobby's deck. The crew could feel their ship went sideways from the giant's landing. On his hand was the coffin, Anita used to rest with.

Not far from Ned, was Lady Darcey, being mended by lady Baba. She went silent. She felt weak against the enemy's leader. She thought of her self as useless. She doesn't deserve to be the crew's captain. She let her crew die. One by one. And it wasn't even a year. Lady Darcey looked down at the wooden deck. She wasn't staring at the scattered woods, iron pilings, and blood that littered their ship. She was staring at herself, for being weak. She was in deep thoughts.

"I've been a pirate doctor for over forty years," Lady Baba said. Wrinkles covered most of her face. "But never in me life encountered a crew this close. This crew, this old lady could say." She paused. Murmuring some words and light shone on her old hands. The wound on Lady Darcey's leg turned red as her skin started to heal. "I could say this crew is the closest me could call a family. It wasn't that ye were weak, it just so happens that the enemy, us facing exceeded our own ambition."

Lady Darcey lowered a shoulder and head. Her round eyes turned red and a drop of tears splattered on the floor. "Ambitions," she whispered. She looked at Ned. She wasn't sure how he would receive Ned. She imprisoned him, gave him the worst of their food. Yet, there he was, protecting them. Saving them.

Looking at how Ned interacts with the rest of the prisoner, she was even more inclined how she would respond to Ned. The giant, and the puppet girl. The two, that did worst to their crew, was there. Helping them. It was only a matter of time before the puppet girl attacks them once more. The puppet girl was truly stronger than her. If she decided to imprison her. Maker only knows how she would respond.

Looking at the far distant, Lady Darcey noticed a staff not far from her. The tip of the staff was a blade. "Yaluk," she muttered. "Lady Baba, me gave ye thanks, that's enough."

She stood, limping but was enduring the wound on her leg. She picked the staff and decided to check the newly imprisoned scourge's captain. "On the light side, the bounty on his head is worth thousands of Pica," she muttered. She yanked open the door and the smell of damp air and wax entered her nose. It was somewhat dark but was recognizable. She knew every nook of the ship, even at closed eyes, she could venture the Cuttlewitch Lobby with no problem. Inside she saw Yaluk curling inside the cage. At the far end of the room. She walked, passing Ned's cell. And she froze. Looking at the cage next to Ned, was empty. She was weakened. Not afraid. She gripped the iron bar while staring at the empty cage. It wasn't entirely empty, since some tagged bandages were left lying on the floor. "Ayo!" she cried an expression she only used so much of her surprise. "The assassin is gone!"