The decayed corpse wasn't as good as a fresh one, but it still provided a good amount of nutrients. Most of it was still intact, and where the rot had taken root maggots and fungus made up the difference. It unfortunately didn't taste as good as the fresh one I had eaten a few days prior, the coagulated blood wasn't nearly as tasty and while a good source of nutrients fungus really detracts from the flavour. Well, at the very least my Absorption skill made devouring the thing in its entirety worthwhile.

<Absorption>

A skill that allows for increased absorption of nutrients and rapid growth through eating.

Reaching level two had increased the efficiency of the skill, noticeably increasing my rate of growth. I had tried using it a few other times, eating dirt and small stones from the lair's floor, but the skill didn't seem to activate. It seems certain things just can't be used with it if they don't provide nutrients. I had considered trying to eat a book to see whether it would work, but that seems like the type of thing that Farkas would dislike.

I had just finished storing the new bones with the older ones when Farkas entered my nest. It seemed surprised by my growth, taking a moment to look me over. I had grown quite a lot, now as tall as Farkas's hip where I had only been slightly taller than its knee when last it saw me. A wide small slowly spread across Farkas's face and it clapped its hands together in delight.

"Follow me," it says. "It's about time we put your abilities to the test!"

It quickly leaves my nest and I follow. It leads me through the halls, past the library and room with the bed, before stopping before a door that I had yet to get through. Farkas removes a metal ring from beneath its robes, sticks of metal hanging from it. Keys. It slots one of the keys into an opening in the door, turning it, and the door opens. This is... It was locked, that's why I couldn't get through. If I can get those keys...

Farkas leads me into a room, one much more brightly lit than the others. The ceiling has evenly spaced glowing stones stuck to it, providing light to the tables below strewn with bottles, papers, cages, and various glassware. A mass of black liquid roils in a sealed bottle, a severed hand in a cage claws at the bars, one corner of the room is cast in shadow for seemingly no reason. I can sense something in the air similar to when I cast Shadow Cloak, especially around the dark corner, but most interesting is the single bookshelf at the back of the room filled with black books. They look almost identical to the one from which I had learned Shadow Cloak. I'll have to get my tendrils on those as soon as possible.

Farkas steps up to the bottle of black liquid, calling me over to it. I carefully heave myself up onto the table beside it, knocking over an empty beaker and pushing a few loose papers to one side. Farkas holds up the bottle so that I can see it.

"Do you recognize this, Voidspawn?"

I look a bit more closely at the black liquid, studying it. It seems... familiar. Something about it looks like... Like me. It's from the Void, just the same as I am, but I don't remember having seen anything quite similar to it in the past.

"This," Farkas continues, not waiting for a response, "is my last attempt to summon one of your kind. The summoning failed, but as you can see I did manage to call forth something. If you go above and beyond aiding me with my tests today, I'll give you this bottle."

That catches my attention. Devouring a piece of something from the Void could be very useful for me... Why would it be useful? Is that a hint from Understanding, or just an innate instinct? Neither has led me astray yet, so that bottle must be something useful to me. If Farkas wants to do some tests, let's play along for now and take the bottle back to the nest for further study.

"Interested? Good." Farkas seems pleased with itself. "Let's get started."

The test started out simple, Farkas had me lift various items in the room. It started with small pieces of metal, then a larger one, and yet a larger one, until eventually it gave me one I couldn't lift. From my estimations I can lift about the weight of a human of Farkas's size, but not half again that weight. Perhaps if I spent some time rearranging my body to have a better angle on it? Either way, Farkas looked quite pleased with my performance lifting the metal, hastily scribbling on a loose piece of paper.

After that Farkas took out two instruments with a few strips of metal mounted above a piece of wood. It took out two sticks with balls attacked to the end, striking the plates to produce different sounds, then ordering me to copy its movements. Once I had, it placed a wooden board between us so I could not see its instrument, then told me to hit the same "notes" as it does. It frowned at my first few attempts, the frown deepening as we continued. After some time it told me to stop, scribbled more on its paper, and put away the instruments.

Next, Farkas took out some papers, each with a different shape sketched on to it. It held up the first page to me, telling me to change my form to copy the shape, gave me a few moments to comply, then moved on to the next page. I did my best to copy each form, though it was difficult to move my tendrils in just the right way. Farkas's frown deepening with each attempt. After putting down the last page, it once again scribbled on its paper before looking up at me.

"This is rather disappointing, rather disappointing indeed. Your size has increased, but your senses are dull and you can't change form well at all. You'll need to learn how to do that..." Its gaze moved away from me, unfocused. "Perhaps we should... No, it would be better to..."

I ignore its muttering, instead turning my attention to the bottle I had been promised. The roiling liquid seems to move faster as I reach for it, as if excited by my presence, reacting to a living thing spawned from the Void, the bottle rattling slightly against the table top-

Until Farkas snatches it up, pulling it away from me. "Oh no you don't! You haven't done enough to earn this yet, you'll get it when you perform better!" Turning away, Farkas beings moving items around to place the bottle at the back of a cabinet.

It what! That- it said I could have the bottle if I did what it asked! My tendrils begin writhing, unconsciously grabbing and slapping at the table around me. In my anger I begin letting go of my carefully controlled form, the tight knot of tendrils loosening and spreading out to reach for various items nearby, until I catch a glimpse of my reflection in a bottle. I've spread my mass out to cover quite a large area, I hadn't even noticed that I had grabbed hold of the ceiling and wall to haul my central mass above the table, tendrils grabbing various nearby items and preparing to throw or smash them. However, what really catches my attention is at the center of my mass. Without the knot of tendrils to hide it, I can see the orb that I think of as my eye, and next to it an orb of perfect black that I had never seen. The two orbs sit at the very center of the web of tendrils, the very center of me.

As I notice how I look, my tendrils start pulling back together, hiding the black orb and pulling the white back to the forefront, once again sitting among them like a blank eye. By the time Farkas turns back to me my momentary rage is forgotten as I am instead lost in thought. What was that black orb? Why did I not know it was there?

<Black Core>

Unknown

What? Up until now, Understanding has never failed to provide information when asked for it. And it's one of my skills, something that's a part of me, why wouldn't understanding know? What could it be that it can hide itself from Understanding...

I barely even notice as Farkas orders me to follow it while it feeds the slaves, absentmindedly following it out of the room while lost in thought.