Demonic Devourer's Development

I didn\'t even have to look for them too hard. Their tiny brains made them return to their old haunt near the Abyss, where I found their trio harassing a passerby for everything he had, starting with life. They pinned him to the ground with javelins and let their birds feast on the man\'s body, laughing amongst each other at his cries of pain all the while.

They stopped laughing when they saw my approach. Their faces paled, and even their birds distracted from their meal, when I silently hovered over their heads.

"Hmm, I don\'t see you doing the task I gave you. Let me guess, you didn\'t even spread the food around—you just took it for yourselves and praised your luck?" The bandits\' fearful faces were an answer just as positive as their scared thoughts. "Didn\'t I scare you enough? Or are you that stupid? Which?"

Well, they certainly were afraid now, at least. But I had to do something more permanent to them. Leave them a memento. I brandished my claws.

"Please, don\'t kill us! W-we did as you said, Devourer, chief! We swear! This… We were just taking a quick break!"

"I\'m not guilty! It\'s all them. I told them we have to work, but they just laughed at me! Kill them, chief, but spare me, I beg you!"

"This was just one time. We won\'t do that anymore, chief, we swear. Right, pals? Just give us one pass!"

"Wrong!" I interrupted their begging and swooped upon the bandit leader. When he on reflex raised his arms in defence, I slashed at the left one with my claws, cutting off at the shoulder and then immediately cauterising the wound with a molten touch of my lava fingers.

With a gasp of pain, the air bandit fell back and rolled off the back of his bird, spreading the smell of cooked meat around the place, to the attention of the passersby. I turned to the other two bandits, who decided to try to flee and now hurriedly urged their steeds into flight.

I was just about to repeat the procedure with them and watch as they end up torn by the hungry crows of onlookers, when my sharp senses alerted me to a projectile that was rapidly approaching the back of my head.

I dodged without turning, and the projectile—a long, hollow needle, the likes of which I saw on porcupines and the top of the Master of Sin head—swished past. It hit the throat of a giant bird and flew through, interrupting it right before it could take off, and destroying its owner\'s hopes of escaping completely.

But my attention was now focused on the one who tried to kill me. After that failed attempt, he didn\'t hide in the crowd. No, he even pushed away a scavenger who got too close—which was the only sensible choice, since that type of people was always keen on nibbling on whatever comes close to their mouth.

My assassin had a long and impressive set of horns that he made from polished stone and planted in his skull. It took dedication, time, and a few deaths for a modification for this to succeed and mold with one\'s soul enough to keep even after another death. The needle he threw at me didn\'t come from his head—that was bald—but from the pouch on his leather belt. The rest of him was a sculpture made from muscle and bone, barely covered in bark-like grey skin.

His mind was a whirlwind of hatred, bitter and dark, supplied by a grim determination.

"Devourer!" He roared, scaring away what few demons were stupid enough to still stay near, and pointed at me with a finger so knotty it was more like a bird\'s. "You killed and ate my Grenia, my beloved Grenia, until she couldn\'t bear it anymore and reincarnated. For that, for separating her and me, you will suffer the same fate!"

I inclined my head to the side. Even with the memories flashing in the avenger\'s head, I still had no clue about the event he referred to. "Beloved? Grenia? I don\'t remember ever seeing you or any Grenia, not to mention any pairs of lovers. Ha! Not in that shithole."

"You don\'t remember? You don\'t remember me, Gozreh? Or how you laughed at us for having feelings that transcended death, for having feelings at all. How you cruelly tore us apart and made me watch how you ate Grenia, piece by piece, until there was nothing left of her, in mind or body?!" the demon seethed. His eyes flashed from under heavy eyebrows. "This doesn\'t matter. For so long, I thought I lost my chance at taking revenge until the fate brought you here. It\'s a sign! A sign that I will win. Then, finally, I will rejoin the cycle of reincarnation with soul free from that burden, in hope of finding my Grenia here again."

While we talked, the air bandits got quite far away from me, and even their unfortunate victim had time to bleed out, die, and escape as well, leaving only their old body behind. I exhaled through my nose. Did that sound like me? Maybe. Did I remember this? No, but it didn\'t matter, as the guy said already.

"You chat too much. Yeah, yeah, vengeance is sacred. If it\'s mine. Since it\'s not, and you had interrupted me when I was busy… Don\'t worry, you will get to rejoin the cycle of reincarnation one way or another."

I swiped with my claws at the air, throwing a volley of wind blades at the demon. They flew like a flock of deadly songbirds, more visible in the mist of Limbo than usual, leaving a trail of frozen water that slowly fell down as drops of rime.

With another roar of rage, the demon smacked them away from himself with a single united smack of both his hands, ignoring the damage the sharp blades left on them, and charged at me.