4 – Give me the power to live

How? How am I still alive? Hoards of skeletons sliced my body. Fire salamanders burned my skin to a crisp. The flesh on my body feels like melting away. So how is it that I am still alive in this state?

I don't understand. That commander was really a piece of shit. You can never trust anyone. Why don't I have any friends? It's because people aren't true to themselves. It's like they like living in a web of lies. That's why I am blunt and always say whatever goes in my mind. Even if it's rude, if it's something you believe in, you have to say it.

I didn't believe in this mission. And despite trying to be cautious, I was weak in the end. Yet… I can't understand what's going on with me right now. The hoard of monsters simply stopped. The pain that made me scream from the top of my lungs also stopped. It's like…

"Time stopped in place? You are correct."

A voice called out. I could hear it clearly.

"You are correct. I temporarily stopped time so I can have a little chat with you."

Footsteps drew closer. Even if my eyeballs were damaged I could clearly see the person. A mature woman. Well sort off. Huge exposed breasts, an elegant dress but what was shocking… tentacles swirled around her. She was undoubtedly a beauty but at the same time it felt like she was something out of an eldritch book.

She snapped her fingers and I found myself standing up. What the…? Just a second ago I was lying in my own blood and now…

"With that out of the way, let's have a little chat now, shall we? First allow me to introduce myself. I am a Goddess of Chaos. My name is Nyarlathotep. But you can call me Auntie Nyarla."

"What's… going on here?"“You’re probably still in shock. I’m going to try and give you a quick summary, so try to follow me, okay? The kingdom of Eglantine has betrayed you. They didn’t want to deal with someone like you for multiple reasons. One, you are weak. Second, you’re not as gullible as the other four. You can see beyond their fake smiles. They couldn’t have that, so they decided to kill you.”“So then… you’re here to send me home? Is that why you saved my life?”“Don’t be silly. That bullshit about the documents that can send the heroes home being in the possession of the Demon Lord is a big fat lie. Summoning magic is lost magic. It was handed down from the Gods. And it only works one way. Put simply, you can’t go back.”

My head was still a mess. So what is going to happen to me then? Am I simply to fade away? was I really that bad of a person to deserve such a fate?“Aww, don’t feel that bad about yourself. You see, there is a reason why I wanted to have this talk with you. You have the unique magic Devour.”“Yeah. Originally that scared me. I thought I would turn into a glutton and become fat.”“You’re funny, hehe. Anyway, Auntie needs your help to spread some chaos. So I present you with 2 options. The first, I let time flow again and you die.”“That sounds like a shitty choice. What’s my alternative?”

“See those big piles of bones over there? They once belonged to the dragon of domination. The Ice Age Dragon. A being so strong that even the Gods feared it. However the dragon stayed out of the Gods way, and vice versa. But… such a power shouldn’t be lost in time.And here’s where you come in.”A tentacle pulled out from thin air something that resembled a trophy cup. And inside it… was blood.

“This is a high relic containing the essence of the dragon itself. This blood is power. However most people aren’t compatible with this force and simply go insane or die. But since you have the Devour skill…”

"You basically want me to inherit the dragon's power?"

"Bingo!"

With a cheerful voice she lifts her fist and a few tentacles up. Is she really a Goddess? She acts more like a teenager. Regardless…

"What's the catch?"

"Ara? What do you mean?"

"If your words are true, you basically want to put great power in my hands. I'm not buying something that sounds that convenient. Do you plan to turn me into your puppet or something else?"

"Mou… try not to be so skeptical. I wouldn't force you into something that boring. You'll still be you. Free to do whatever you want. Get revenge, go on adventures, become a farmer… I literally don't care.

My goal is chaos. I just want to see the impact you will have on this world. Will you shift its natural balance? Or will you go unnoticed? It's been ages since I could find a person with the requirements for this setup. It's pretty exciting. Besides, if you want to avoid death… you pretty much got no other choice.

I won't lie. Once you drink this you might go berserker for a bit and your body might suffer some changes in order for the blood to accept you, but other than that… you'll have a force far greater than any hero can dream off.

Although I stopped time, this offer is kinda tied to a time limit. So I'm gonna need an answer here and now."

Putting pressure on someone to make a decision because of the circumstances… it's not fair. Then again, if my other option is death, it's not like I have any other choice. I didn't live long enough. I never managed to achieve any goals in my life. Ending it here would be equivalent to me never existing in the first place. What did I do to deserve such suffering? Bullshit! I’m not going to welcome death. And if I can't go back home… I want to live to my fullest. I don't even care about this shitty kingdom either. I just want to do whatever I want.

"Okay. Hand over that cup."

"Excellent choice. Bottoms up then!"

I can't believe I'm doing this. But I took a deep breath… and drank all the blood that was inside. At the same time, the Goddess started to vanish.

"I'm sure we'll meet again some time. Can't wait to see your growth. But for now… brace yourself for the after shock."

Time once again flew when she vanished, and because of that…

Smash. Break. Hurt. Kill. Destroy.

Such destructive urges… is this the lingering feelings of this dragon? I can understand how someone might be driven insane from these thoughts. However…

"Uwaaaaaaaa!!"

Raging azure flames and black lightning erupted from my body. I felt power coursing from my body and at the same time my conscience started to fade away however not before one final glare upon the horde of enemies.

"Let's see… if you manage to spawn faster than I can kill you!! I will kill and DEVOUR! AAAAAAAA!!"