[Skill-Eater 2] Chapter 90: Secrets Revealed (Patreon)

When Edge stepped through the black door with Foebinder at his side, a chill wind broke over him, carrying the tang of salt to his lips.

He continued walking down a narrow corridor, whose surfaces were formed from glistening tissue that pulsed in time with his footsteps. Since his inner world was located inside a massive, mysterious, creature, he tried not to ponder the implications of these details. Instead, he focused on making the most of this opportunity to speak with Skill-Eater at length.

Before long, he could see a slice of sky shining from the end of the tunnel. When he crossed the threshold and stepped into the light, Edge found himself perched upon a narrow cliffside, looking out over a storm-sieged stretch of shore. The wind whipped his hair across his brow, and peals of thunder rang out in the distance.

As he had observed during his first visit to this enigmatic realm, this terrain was somewhere on Ord, judging by the shimmering magicytes riding the breeze—thicker than he’d ever seen them before.

He did his best to memorize the details of the continent below as he held his arms out and tried to relax. He wasn’t surprised this time around when the black chains looped around his body and then carried him into the sky, launching him toward the roiling heavens like a falcon taking flight.

He was now certain that his inner world was a reflection of his subconscious, but this domain belonged to another. It was the dominion of Skill-Eater. The home of the ravenous lord bound in chains, as well as its prison and cage.

Once the living links had carried Edge far enough out, they came to a stop and then turned him around, letting him behold his core’s true form in its full, fell glory. At least, he thought that this was Skill-Eater’s true form. He realized in that moment that he had no way to confirm the veracity of that assumption. It doesn’t really matter. Focus on the task at hand.

The colossal being rose from the ocean—so vast that the frothing waves only came up to its knees. It was so covered in chains that he couldn’t make out any details, other than a vague suggestion of powerful limbs. Unlike the legion of clinking links that were weighing it down, the chain running in front of the giant’s mouth had been severed, and the ends formed the pair that was holding him aloft.

Somehow, Edge could sense that the left chain of oblivion, Foebinder, and its twin whose name remained a mystery for now, were a part of Skill-Eater. That they had been subsumed by the captive master of skills and remade into an extension of its will.

The rest felt different in a way that he couldn’t define, though one detail was crystal clear. While those living links were alive and aware, instead of hunger, he felt animosity radiating from every loop and coil—a hatred so deep that it transcended human emotion.

After its second evolution, the tightly-bound titan seemed even more powerful than before. Its appearance hadn’t outwardly changed, but Edge could tell that the army of chains had to struggle to keep it restrained.

Although he knew this was only a mental projection—a representation that his mind could understand rather than a literal depiction of Skill-Eater’s situation—he wondered what would happen if the giant escaped its bonds. The idea sent a visceral thrill running down his spine. A seamless blend of abject terror and eager anticipation.

The longer he stared at the mountain of chains, including the pair that Skill-Eater had tamed, the more certain he became that the entire jingling mass was the manifestation of an immensely powerful skill—magic on a scale far beyond his comprehension.

The situation implied an epic story that had been lost to the ravages of time. Edge was intensely curious about Skill-Eater’s true nature. How it had been defeated and turned into a core—sealed in a reliquary for centuries or more.

He was certain by now that the history of Ord that appeared on the feed was only a veneer of lies. A fable intended to obscure the secrets behind the System, the wardens, the monsters, and the incredible concentration of magic suffusing the planet. While his primary concern was his own survival, if the opportunity presented itself, he would do what he could to sift through the falsehoods and unravel the truth of this world.

But not today.

Right now, all that mattered was learning what he could from the ravenous lord, then conquering the dungeon, defeating the jailbirds, and contending with the powerful creatures that were migrating onto the Ivory Plains and threatening his new home.

Alright, big guy. Naptime is over.

As if responding to his thoughts, Edge sensed Skill-Eater open its eyes. The bound giant smiled wide, causing the chains engulfing its head to rattle and groan.

Even though this was all taking place within the theater of his mind’s eye, he shuddered at the sight—immensely relieved that the kaiju-sized entity was on his side as far as he could tell. It even sounded happy to see him.

“Edge Vasher. You always seem to find yourself in the most spectacular predicaments—half a heartbeat away from a gruesome demise. And yet, not only are you still alive, you have defied the odds and evolved once more, restoring another sliver of my lost might.

“I applaud your efforts and welcome you to my realm, diminished though it may be. Being bound to you has been less arduous and far more amusing than I would have believed. Do try to survive a little longer, my scion. It would be a shame to have our pact end so prematurely.”

“Err… thanks.” Edge tried not to let his apprehension bleed into his voice. Even when his core was in a good mood, speaking to Skill-Eater was more than a little intimidating. “Glad to be of service. It’s nice to see you too. I’ve been looking forward to the moment.”

“Indeed. I’m sure you have questions. This time, I will answer as many as I can before my thoughts are muddled once more. Thanks to your accomplishments, my hibernation will not be so deep going forward. I will be able to speak to you on occasion, though not as often as either of us might prefer. If you manage to reach stage three, the chains will no longer bind my awareness, and the truly-interesting phase of our relationship will begin.”

That’s both fascinating and intensely fucking ominous, but now’s not the time to ponder the implications. “I do have questions. About you, the black chains, monsters, and all the rest. But given my situation, I’m more worried about living through this mess. The rest will have to wait a while longer.”

Edge provided a rapid-fire summary of everything that had happened since entering the Savage Garden, including his plans to complete the quest. “Do you have any advice for conquering the dungeon, especially taking down the boss?”

“I applaud your courage and ambition, although your sense of self-preservation leaves something to be desired. You are wise to avoid that reanimating monstrosity. In addition to being incredibly powerful for its stage, the slime’s inner world can repel the black chains. Even if you manage to defeat it, you won’t be able to steal any skills. Using the creature to delay your enemy’s advance is the smart play.

“Moving on, based on what I can sense from here, you should be able to handle the other elite monster eventually. Its skillset boasts a powerful synergy, but overspecialization inevitably leads to vulnerability. Use your head and find the right counter and you will prevail, despite the disparity in your strength. Unfortunately, the boss’s chamber is sealed by the Invader, so I can’t get a feel for its powers at all.

“You should remain in the dungeon as long as you can and keep hunting to fuel our advancement. Other than that, I advise that you focus on rounding out your skillset. Your offense and defense are adequate for now, but you need to enhance your versatility. Learn the ins and outs of what Foebinder can do, since it can fill some of the gaps, and plan your acquisitions around the holes that remain.”

Skill-Eater provided a few more details, which Edge committed to memory. By the end of its lecture, he sensed that the giant was growing weary, and their time together was coming to an end.

“I have enough energy to answer a final question, perhaps two if they are brief. Ask what you will, and I will tell you true.”

There was so much that Edge wanted to know. But with conquering the dungeon out of the way, it made sense to focus on the problem that threatened his home.

“The Ivory Plains are being flooded with magicytes from the frontier. High-stage monsters and beasts are migrating into the biome and Puppet Town isn’t ready to deal with them. What is our best course of action if we want to survive long enough to adapt to our changing world?”

“You won’t be able to hold them off alone. What you have witnessed thus far is only the beginning. There are powers on this planet you have yet to encounter, some of which might be amiable to an alliance. Seek them out to the north and east and convince them to teach you their ways.”

Skill-Eater went on to offer some suggestions that would help the settlement power up its weakest members, including the requirements to unlock some useful skills that would work well together. If enough people learned them, it would help Puppet Town buy time and reduce the casualties they suffered along the way.

By the end of it, the ravenous lord was half-asleep. Edge hurried and asked a final question before it closed its eyes, soliciting the advice of the master of skills on something he’d been considering.

“I was thinking about merging the auras I stole from the ape. Would that be a good use for my token?”

“They are compatible. The merger won’t be as strong as running both auras at once, but the cost will be far more reasonable. I see no reason not to proceed with that course...”

With that, the titan closed its eyes and drifted off, dragged into slumber by the weight of endless black chains. While he took each word to heart, Foebinder lowered him down to the opening leading to his central chamber.

When he stepped through the black door, it swung shut behind him after the chains passed back through, leaving Edge alone with his thoughts. He sat down in his father’s armchair with a sigh, reflecting on everything he’d learned. What he’d sensed and what he’d been told, then the truth that lay between the lines.

If he was being honest with himself, Skill-Eater scared the hell out of him. He had no real understanding of his core’s true nature, and he found their relationship to be far too one-sided. Its friendly demeanor was only one facet among many—a mask obscuring the intentions of an ancient predator that was more dangerous than any monster.

While his core seemed to be genuinely trying to help him, he knew that it was acting out of pure self-interest. He was afraid that if he ever stopped being useful, Skill-Eater would abandon him without reservation. Although I’m not sure that it can.

While having an immensely powerful entity bound within him was deeply unsettling, it was also the only reason he was still alive. The only reason that he had a chance of conquering the dungeon and completing the quest that would help keep Puppet Town from being claimed by the Crimson Claws.

I need to uncover the truth lurking behind the lies, including my core’s darkest secrets, then find a way to gain some leverage and resolve the power imbalance between us. But there’s no time to worry about it now. I’ll worry about tomorrow tomorrow, and deal with it once I’m out of the dungeon.

Edge eventually returned to his body and fell asleep, dreaming of that stormy sea and the slumbering giant whose heart beat in place of his own.