Devourer

Chapter 219: Infernis

“Where the hell are those three?” Grou snarled as he stormed through the mine. It was evident at a glance that the small group of three was the strongest in the entire strike group. Afterall the old Warmaster was one of the subordinates.

That odd demon was taking the lead, and something about that freak just made his hair stand on end. That one must be Ars Goetia, probably some high ranking asshole tourist playing around in Treachery.

It was not uncommon for some the Ars Goetia to spend some time in each of the rings for a vacation. The freak even took the full contract for the other two, if that wasn’t Goetia pride he didn’t know what was.

That was the main reason those were thrown into the arguably easier attack. The last thing anyone wanted was some vengeful retard coming for everyone, even remotely related to the death of some other retard.

Grou for one rather enjoyed where his head was in relation to his body so he would much rather that fool come back alive.

When he turned the corner into the deeper parts of the mine, he paused when he saw the passageway caved in. Judging by the shifting rock, it was a recent development.

Just when he was about to approach and check the seal the top of the ceiling opened up. Grou instantly tried to back away as he feared another cave in. But to his surprise a large pile of Infernis ore just dropped down in a stream.

Grou paused in surprise and shock at the sudden appearance of the pile of highly volatile ore. Then from the same hole in the ceiling a small red-shelled creature dropped down. The creature scurried around over the pile as if inspecting it. Grou heard an odd crumbling sound and he looked up to see the hole being filled up. In just a few seconds, the hole was completely filled up.

He glanced down at the creature, and he could swear it was smiling at him. His blood went cold as his instincts overrode his confusion.

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Woaaah…

That is cool…

I grinned as I watched the explosion from a nearby cliff. Practically speaking, I should be underground but I decided that I wanted to watch the blast. Coming up to the surface would risk discovery but where else am I going to be able to watch an Infernis mine go up like volcano.

The explosion tore through the small, open-top of the mine with the fury of an angry god. Lava, superheated by the volatile Infernis ore, didn’t just flow, it detonated from the earth in a massive eruption. A column of molten rock and fire shot skyward, obliterating everything in its path. The fortress above was instantly torn apart like a simple wooden box.

The blast struck the fortress like a bomb, shattering its stone foundations in a single violent moment. Lava erupted upward with such force that entire sections of the fortress were blown apart, chunks of stone and metal catapulted into the air, glowing red-hot as they soared. The once-solid walls and battlements crumbled, shattered from the ground up, as the pressure from the lava tore them apart. The structure's Molten fragments rained across the landscape, turning the area into a fiery wasteland.

As the fortress collapsed, secondary explosions ripped through the remains. Stockpiles of munitions and volatile materials ignited, triggering a series of violent detonations. Each explosion sent even more debris and molten stone flying into the air, turning the once-fortified structure into a blazing inferno. Chunks of molten rock were hurled for miles, crashing down with devastating force as the lava continued to spew, consuming everything in its path.

The entire fortress was obliterated, reduced to glowing embers and molten slag. The once-protected mine became a molten pit, the landscape littered with the charred remains of stone and metal, engulfed in the hellish light of the eruption.

The army that had been sent out dispatched a detachment back to the fortress, they must have sensed something was wrong. Well they were right that something was wrong but they were wrong to come back.

As the fortress exploded into molten fragments, a rain of fiery debris began to fall on the army approaching its walls. Soldiers looked up in terror as massive chunks of molten stone and shattered battlements, glowing with heat, arced through the sky. The red-hot fragments streaked down like meteors, leaving trails of smoke in their wake.Nôv(el)B\\jnn

The first impact hit with a deafening thud. A boulder-sized chunk of the fortress slammed into the ground, sending a shockwave through the ranks. Screams filled the air as soldiers scrambled to avoid the deadly barrage. Red-hot stones and molten metal showered the battlefield, crushing those caught beneath and igniting anything flammable in an instant. Tents and siege equipment erupted into flames as burning debris tore through the camp.

The heat from the falling chunks was unbearable, radiating intense waves of scorching energy as they crashed down. Some fragments exploded on impact, spraying molten rock in all directions, while others embedded themselves deep into the ground, leaving craters where they landed. Soldiers tried to shield themselves, but the rain of destruction was relentless, turning the once-organized army into a chaotic, fleeing mass.

Everywhere the debris landed, it left trails of smoke and fire, transforming the battlefield into a nightmarish landscape of molten craters and burning wreckage. What had been a well-prepared force was now scattered and broken, overwhelmed by the hellish fallout from the destruction of the fortress.

Amidst the fiery rain of debris, some chunks, supercharged by the volatile Infernis ore, began to detonate upon impact. These fragments, glowing more intensely than the rest, crackled with unstable energy as they plummeted toward the army below. When they struck the ground, they didn’t just hit, they exploded in devastating blasts that ripped through the battlefield.

The first of these supercharged chunks slammed into a cluster of soldiers with a blinding flash. The explosion sent bodies flying and created a shockwave that knocked down anyone within range. The earth seemed to heave as more of these Infernis-laden boulders detonated, tearing massive craters into the ground and launching molten rock fragments in every direction.

Each explosion was more violent than the last. Soldiers who had been diving for cover were thrown into the air by the force of the blasts, their armor shattered, shields useless. The fiery blasts swallowed entire groups of soldiers, their screams drowned out by the roaring detonation of the supercharged debris.

Even those farther from the immediate impact zones weren't spared. The concussive waves from each explosion knocked soldiers to the ground, while the air itself vibrated with heat and pressure. Infernis energy coursed through the wreckage, causing smaller rocks and fragments to ignite into deadly shrapnel, adding to the chaos.

As the explosive debris continued to rain down, the group of soldiers was left in ruin, the ground around them transformed into a burning, cratered wasteland. What had been an organized force was now engulfed in flames, crushed beneath the relentless fury of the Infernis-fueled destruction.

When things finally calmed, the fortress was just a pile of slag, and the returning detachment was all but destroyed. I could see some half-cooked demons staggering away from the destruction, but most of them would not live long without help.

My observers sent word that the army has completely turned around and disengaged from the fight. It appears the blast was heard for dozens kilometers around. I mean the shockwave was preety bad, the initial blast knocked enough of the detachment off thier feet that they couldn’t react to all the debris.

As for the main army they seemed to be heading for another stronghold, unfortunately for them it seems another rival army may have just caught their scent. If they were caught out here in the open then it was probable that the army guarding this mine would be wiped out. Such is the nature of the blood war, there is no general that will pass up a chance at an easy victory. Glory, status and material awards await those that can please their patrons.

“What now?” Janus asked.

“Now we mine, and I see what I can do.” I said as I shredded the tendrils of the contract, trying to coil around my soul. I tossed the scraps of ether into the Hive Mind and my soldiers eagerly tore at it, feasting on the latent ether.

The ground caved in under us, and we all fell into a perfectly carved-out chamber. Adhaya was waiting for us with her head bowed towards me. I looked around and saw that my hive had already collected a rather considerable mound of ore.

And the miners?

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The Crowfather listened quietly as Adhaya explained how each and every miner has been hunted down. An offhand comment mentioned some were “smaller than others”. Phizaros knew that meant some of the miners were children but the Hive devoured them all the same.

He knew what he was signing up for. Phizaros will admit when Mahaila first sold him on this creature he had his reservations but as he walked the streets of that Empire he couldn’t deny his methods. One could rationalise that he was only doing that to stave off heaven, but Phizaros also noticed that the Great Beast does seem to enjoy the finer things civilisation. His strange fascination with the real estate market, city planning and raunchy literature aside he also seemed to genuinely be a patron of many of the things that make civilisation great.

In the end, to Phizaros, this was a concession on his part. He once held onto his morals with an iron grip. His principles guided him, almost to the point of obsession. He felt it was a strength back then, and to an extent, he still feels that way. However, over the millenia he has fallen prey to the age-old problem that all those who came after the Firstborn faced. Those not of the first have fixed forms and change becomes difficult. So soon your mind becomes trapped in a box and you believe your way is the right way. That may be true for a time but life is change and you must adapt as well.

Adapt or perish, that is one of the core tenants of this world.

So for all his principles, morals and virtues what did he have to show for it? His hopes gone and shattered, nothing more than ashes drifting in the wind. Half his friends were dead and the rest might wish they were, a few even seek it.

As for the world, it is in stagnation, suffering, and atrophy, regressing rather than advancing. In the end, his inflexibility left him impotent, and he watched as almost everything he loved withered away. So now, he will take a chance, change, and adapt to this new world. As long as the Great Beast ushers in a better world, then he will serve as he once did to the gods of old.

However, even Phizaros knew it was nothing but pretty delusion and self-justification, he was old enough to see that much at least.

It wasn't a question of desire or principle anymore, it was necessity, plain and stark, staring him in the face. These acts, however ugly, were no longer optional; they were the grim tools required to pull something good out of a world that seemed hell-bent on its own destruction. To cling to some pure, untarnished sense of morality now would mean forsaking the very people he wanted to protect. He’d seen too much, knew too well that clean hands often came at the cost of dirty results. The choices left to him were those no one else would take, and he had no illusions about the cost. If sacrifice was required, then it would be his own conscience laid down. And if that was the price to be paid, then so be it. In the end, someone had to be willing to do what needed to be done, to wade through the mud and pull others through to the other side.

Thus he must tolerate the Hive, the ravenous weapons of the Old Gods. He remembers the Ork, the terror the green skins inspired. The Ork hungers for battle, for violence, for conquest and for glory. The Hives are for more terrifying, they did not hunger for glory, battle, or conquest, they only hungered.

As Phizaros watched the Hive work, he was once again reminded of its cold, empty efficiency. The uninitiated may view each of these creatures as slaves, but Phizaros knew better. They were not individuals; every creature was like fingers on a hand; they were never one without the others. The entire Hive was one giant, ever-shifting organism.

The Great Beast took some ore and started his twisted craft. He warped flesh, broke bone and the creature in his grasp twisted and roared in some kind of profane ecstacy. The shell broke, it’s limbs extended and its form twisted beyond recognition. He could see the Infernis becoming a fundamental part of it, it’s body caught alight but the flames were not dangerous, they were like fur on an animal.

The Hive had just taken another step in its twisted evolution. Phizaros could already see it: This hive will one day surpass the hosts of even the Eternal Mother. The Great Beast’s mind was just too flexible, too unhindered by past convention. He was not just chasing the new optimal; he was having fun, in the same insane mindset of a child.

Endlessly curious, endlessly fun loving and endlessly greedy.

When he gazed at the Hive and listened as the creatures all cried out in exaltation as their fellow was turned into something more than it was, he saw a future of change, where nothing was held static.

With no other rival Firstborn to contest him the Great Beast was free from the constraints that the others brought.

He was free to devour the world…