The ground kept shaking.
At first it was only a small vibration under Kael's feet, something he almost ignored while staring at the empty field of ash around him. The creatures he had just devoured were gone now, their bodies turned into grey dust that slowly drifted across the wasteland like fog.
Then the shaking grew stronger.
~Thud.~
Another step followed.
~THUD.~
The ash on the ground jumped slightly each time the sound came. Small bone fragments buried beneath the dust rolled across the surface as if something far away was pushing the ground from below.
Kael slowly turned toward the distant fog.
Something large was moving there.
He could not see the full shape yet, only the way the ash lifted into the air whenever the heavy steps landed. The sound grew closer with each moment.
Behind him, Lirien stood beside the broken bone crib, watching quietly.
Kael glanced back at her.
"You knew something else was coming too, didn't you?"
She didn't answer immediately. Instead she tilted her head slightly while watching the fog.
Another heavy step echoed across the field.
~THUD.~
Then she finally spoke.
"This place is called the Ashen Cradle for a reason."
Kael looked back at the fog again.
The moving shape inside it became clearer now.
Tall.
Much more taller than the creatures he had fought earlier.
A long arm pushed through the grey mist first. The limb was thick and twisted, made of bones fused together in strange shapes. Ash fell from it as it moved.
Then the creature fully stepped out of the fog.
Kael stared.
The thing stood at least ten times taller than him. Its body looked like a giant skeleton forced together from dozens of other skeletons. Extra ribs stuck out from its sides. Several skulls were embedded into its chest like decorations.
One of those skulls suddenly opened its jaw.
~KRRAAA~
The sound that came out was deep and rough.
Ash slid off its shoulders as it took another step forward.
~THUD.~
The ground trembled again.
Kael swallowed quietly.
"That thing is a more bigger than the last group."
Lirien smiled faintly.
"It's a guardian."
"A guardian of what?"
She gestured around them.
"The cradle."
The giant skeleton lifted one of its long arms slowly.
Bone pieces scraped against each other.
~SKRRR… CRK…~
Kael could hear every movement clearly.
The creature lowered its head and looked directly at him.
For a moment neither of them moved.
Then the monster stepped forward again.
~THUD.~
The ground cracked slightly under its foot.
Kael took a step back.
His body still felt stronger after devouring the earlier creatures, but this thing looked like it could crush him with a single swing.
He glanced at Lirien again.
"You still not helping?"
She crossed her arms.
"You're learning."
Kael sighed quietly.
"Great a good teacher."
The giant skeleton suddenly moved faster.
Its long arm swung down toward him.
~WHOOOM~
Kael jumped sideways.
The arm slammed into the ground.
~BOOM!~
Ash exploded upward.
Bone fragments scattered in every direction.
Kael rolled across the ground and pushed himself back to his feet quickly. His small body moved more faster than he had expected.
The skeleton turned slowly and lifted its arm again.
Pieces of cracked bone fell from its fingers.
Kael watched carefully this time.
The monster stepped forward.
~THUD.~
The arm came down again.
~WHOOOM!~
Kael ran beneath it before it landed.
~BOOM!~
The ground shattered behind him.
He reached the creature's leg and grabbed the bone with both hands.
The devouring pull started instantly.
But this time the reaction was different.
The bone did not crumble.
Instead a deep cracking sound traveled up the creature's leg.
~CRRRK…~
The skeleton jerked slightly.
One of the skulls inside its chest opened its mouth .
~GRAAA~
The creature swung its other arm downward.
Kael released the leg quickly and jumped away.
The arm smashed into the ground where he had been standing.
~BOOM!~
Ash rose into the air again.
Kael slid across the ground and steadied himself.
"That worked a little," he muttered.
The skeleton turned again and stepped toward him.
~THUD.~
Kael ran forward instead of away this time.
The creature swung its arm.
~WHOOOM!~
Kael ducked low and slid across the ash beneath the swing.
His hands grabbed the monster's leg again.
The hunger inside his chest surged.
This time the devouring pull became stronger.
~CRKK… CRKK…~
The bones inside the giant leg began cracking and break.
Thin lines spread across the surface.
The skeleton shook violently.
~GRAAA!~
Kael held on.
The cracks widened.
Then part of the leg suddenly collapsed.
~CRACK!~
Bone pieces broke apart and turned into ash that rushed into Kael's chest.
The skeleton lost its balance.
~THOOOM!~
One knee slammed into the ground.
Ash burst upward around its body.
Kael jumped back quickly.
The monster tried to stand again.
Its remaining leg pushed against the ground.
But the damage slowed it down.
Lirien watched from the distance with quiet interest.
Kael ran forward again and time he aimed for the creature's torso.
The skeleton swung one arm wildly.
~WHOOOM!~
Kael jumped onto the broken knee and climbed upward before the arm could hit him.
His hands grabbed the rib bones in its chest.
The hunger roared inside him again.
He pushed both hands against the bone.
The devouring power surged forward.
~CRRRKK~
Several ribs cracked at once.
Ash poured out from the broken bones.
Kael felt the energy rushing into his body again.
The skeleton shrieked.
~GRAAAAA~
It tried to grab him with one massive hand.
Kael climbed higher across the rib cage.
His fingers reached the skull embedded in the center of the monster's chest.
The skull's jaw snapped toward him.
~KRK!~
Kael grabbed it.
The devouring power pulled harder than ever before.
~CRAAAAK!~
The skull shattered.
Ash exploded outward.
The entire giant skeleton froze.
Cracks spread across its body from the broken chest.
The sound grew louder.
~CRK… CRK… CRK…~
Then the whole thing collapsed.
~BOOOOM!~
Its body fell apart into hundreds of pieces that dissolved into ash before touching the ground.
The dust rushed toward Kael like a storm.
All of it poured into his body.
Warmth spread through his chest and arms.
His breathing slowed as the energy settled inside him.
The mechanical voice spoke again.
[Devour Successful]
[Large Energy Absorbed]
[Authority Gained: +0.0037%]
[Fragment Memory Acquired: "Weeping Bone Symphony" (can be used to shatter calcified defenses within 30m)]
Kael stood alone in the drifting ash again.
The giant skeleton was gone.
Only scattered dust remained.
Behind him, Lirien walked forward slowly.
Her wings brushed lightly against the air as she approached.
Kael wiped ash from his face and looked at her.
"You could have mentioned the guardian part earlier."
She smiled slightly.
"You handled it well."
Kael glanced at his hands again.
They still looked small.
Still the hands of a child.
But the strength inside them felt different now.
Stronger and more hungry.
The wind moved across the wasteland again.
Ash drifted in quiet waves across the ground.
Kael looked toward the horizon.
"Is that it?"
Lirien followed his gaze.
For a moment she didn't answer.
Then she spoke quietly.
"No."
Kael frowned.
"Of course not."
The ash in the distance began moving again.
But this time it wasn't because of footsteps.
The ground itself was shifting.
Small mounds appeared across the grey field.
Then another.
And another.
Bone fragments pushed through the surface.
~Crk… crk…~
Something beneath the ash was waking up.
Not one creature.
Not ten.
Hundreds.
Kael slowly exhaled.
"…Alright."
His fingers tightened.
The hunger inside his chest stirred again as the first skeletal hand clawed its way out of the ground.
Behind him, Lirien's voice carried calmly through the ash.
"Welcome to the cradle, little sovereign."
The first skull rose from the dust.
Then the second.
Then dozens more.
And the field of ash began to move.