34 – Chill Morning.
I was running through a wide cave, huge stone stalagmites dotted the space. Cracks on the stone ground bled red light into the area, at least enough to see.
I came to a stop. I had followed the scent, but my prey was nowhere to be found.
Pain!
My lips curled and an annoyed hiss escaped me. I reached for my left shoulder and felt the stump slowly growing back. Looking up, darkness was all there was. The light not bright enough to reveal the ceiling.
Hunger...
I crouched on the floor and went on all three, sniffing at the air. The scent was still fresh. The delightful smell of demonic blood around me. I smiled. It was nearby. I followed again, leading me directly to a pillar that reeked of piss, shit, and vomit. A sob came from behind. I felt my heartbeat rise.
Consume.
I climbed on the pillar, grabbing onto the stone with one hand. Circling it, I turned upside down. My left arm now healed to my elbow, the bones exposed and the flesh twisting as it knitted itself back together.
There it was.
Prey...
Sprawled on the floor and shaking. Ash gray skin, wounds all over its body. A missing leg. Broken wings. A figure similar to mine, but more voluptuous and grotesque at the same time. Six horns on top of its head, hair red as the light coming from beneath us. Hooves instead of feet. A wound on its lower back hinted at a tail I had previously ripped off.
Toy...
I could still feel the soft feeling of its leg between my teeth. The crunch of bones. The rubbery texture of the tail. The taste of blood. How easy it was to cripple its wings. Drool fell from my open mouth. I was smiling widely, ready to pounce on my prey and finally end this chase.
“N̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴋ̶̷̲̅ᴇ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴍ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅s̶̷̲̅ᴛ!̶̷̲̅ ̶̷̲̅R̶̷̲̅ɪ̶̷̲̅ɪ̶̷̲̅ᴋ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴏ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̲̅ʟ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅H̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̲̅walker!” it snarled into the ground.
My smiled turned sadistic. My spine tingled. I had seen this before. It was begging. To whom? It didn’t matter to me. I tensed all my muscles and shot my body in its direction.
“DIEEE!!!” I screamed, pouncing towards it.
It turned its head around, utter horror on its face. Its black eyes wide open. I raised my stump, aiming at its left eyeball. I reached it as soon as it finished turning around, my newly formed ulna digging into its skull. The flesh around my stump stopped my thrust, pushing the head back instead of impaling it as I had intended. We tumbled on the ground, my right hand gripping its neck.
Suffering!
“AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!” it screamed in agony.
Its claws grabbed my injured arm. I punched its chest with all my strength, forcing the air in its lungs out. It tried kicking me, I kicked back. Another punch to its chest. Its arms lost a little strength. Another one, this time on its stomach. It screamed again.
Pain. Terror.
I sat on its torso, my left arm still in its eye socket. My flesh growing inside, slowly pushing my arm out. It grabbed my head, its claws digging into my hairless scalp. Its right eye looking directly into mine.
“O̶̷̲̅ғ̶̷̲̅ᴜ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴋ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ʟ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴜ̶̷̲̅ᴍ̶̷̲̅ɪ̶̷̲̅! H̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ʀwalker!” it snarled at me.
I felt an invasion in my mind.
“HAHAHAHAHA!!!” I laughed like a maniac, staring back.
Broken! Pain!
I turned my head to its right arm, still grabbing my head, and bit with all my strength. The flesh came off and bones broke.
“AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!”
More agony. More pain. More suffering.
I swallowed right away, pulling my stump free from its skull. My arm regrew in an instant. Its eyeball remained destroyed. Raising both arms, I brought them down on its chest, interrupting the scream. Its left arm scratched my face, taking one of my eyeballs with its claws.
Pain!
“AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!” I screamed.
Grabbing the offending limb, I twisted it. Bones broke and blood flowed as the skin was torn.
“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!! S̶̷̲̅ʜ̶̷̲̅ᴋ̶̷̲̅ᴏ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴛ̶̷̲̅ᴜ̶̷̲̅ᴋ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ᴍ̶̷̲̅!! H̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ʀwalker ̶̷̲̅ !!” it screamed.
I shot my left arm into its maw, grabbing at the tongue.
Agony....
I pulled with all my strength, ripping the muscle from its throat.
“Uuhh!!” it moaned in pain, but stopped when it saw me bit on the tongue.
As the flesh went down to my stomach, my eyesight returned to normal. Its good eye opened even wider, tears forming. It went for my head again. I went for the horns on the sides of its battered head. Pulling in, I connected our lips.
“Ahh?!” it sounded pleased.
Then, I sucked with everything I had. Blood went down my throat. My strength increasing. My hands pulling at the horns with greater and greater force, until they broke off.
“Uhggguuuhg!” it moaned in pain into my skull.
I separated and swallowed in absolute bliss.
“K̶̷̲̅ʜ̶̷̲̅ᴜ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴍ̶̷̲̅ᴇ̶̷̲̅ɪ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̲̅?̶̷̲̅H̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̲̅walker?!” it snarled at me, its voice weak.
Toy. Prey. Food.
Holding the horns as weapons with both hands, I stabbed at it while cackling.
“AAHHH!! AHHHHH!!!!! N̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴋ̶̷̲̅ᴇ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̲̅!! N̶̷̲̅ᴀ̶̷̶̷̲̲̅̅ᴋ̶̷̲̅ᴇ̶̷̲̅ʀ̶̷̲̅!!” it screamed, still able to form words even without a tongue.
Its broken arms flailed, claws went over my body and red blood spurted from my wounds and covered its large chest.
Pain! Pain! Pain! Alive! Survive!
“DIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!” I screamed into its face.
I stabbed at its chest. Whimpers of pain escaped the creature, its efforts growing weaker with each stab. Its arms fell to the sides. I stopped. A gurgling sound the only clue to its state. Trembling lips, unfocused eye, shaking limbs. My prey had finally been conquered.
Consume. Heart.
I grabbed one of its hands and began breaking every single finger, three times each.
“Hhhhh...Kho!” only air left it accompanied by coughing, a mist of yellow blood escaping its maw.
Taking the fingers into my mouth, I bit tendons, muscles, and bones. Once separated, I swallowed.
Survive.
I ate another finger.
Survive!
Another.
Survive!!
The crunch of bones in my mouth soon formed a puddle beneath me. The taste of demonic blood overcame my senses. I continued to its arms, the tender meat exquisitely disgusting.
“Hhhh....” it let out weak wheezes, feeling the pain but unable to scream or talk.
Supporting myself on its hips with my hands, I pushed down with all my weight and strength. A loud crack sent shivers of absolute ecstasy up my spine.
“AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!” it screamed.
I punched its throat, silencing it. Its chest convulsed and it choked. Getting off, I went on all fours and grabbed the only leg it had left. I repeated the process. Breaking bones, then eating it. After choking many times so far, I had learned to eat them without issue. Break bones, pummel muscles, eat.
As I enjoyed the leg, it tried to scream several times.
Pain. Agony. Suffer!
Eat! Consume! Survive!
I finished the leg and its skin turned slightly green. Muscles jerked and copious amounts of blood left its mouth.
Time!
Endless consumption showed me the proper way to feed on these animals. My broken mind had found the logic behind a few demons. I ripped its mangled breasts off, a much stronger jolt shook its body.
Time! Time! Consume!
Taking aim with a hand, I plunged my fingers between its ribs. I used my other hand to widen the hole and then cracked the chest cavity open. There, a heart was still pumping.
Power! Mind!
I grabbed it and yanked it off. Veins and arteries spurting yellowish, gooey blood all over me. The intoxicating fragrance of urine, feces, and vomit tempted me to continue my well-deserved meal. I shook my head.
Time. Heart. Consume.
Quickly bringing the organ to my mouth, I swallowed it whole.
“Aaahhnn!!” I climaxed as power surged through my body.
Mind? Pain! Agony!
I pushed its head. It had failed me again.
Grabbing it by the horns, I slammed its head against the cracked floor.
“DIE!!”
One time. Its body spasmed. More!
“DIEE!!”
Two times. Blood oozed to the ground. Death!
“AHHH!!”
Three times. I heard a crack. Survive!
“AAAHHH!!”
Four times. The crack widened, I felt it in my hands. Kill them all!!
Five times, and the head cracked open like a coconut, its brain spilling on the ground. Having consumed the heart, its shell served no purpose. I took its horns and stood up. New weapons for a new chase.
I had escaped my prison and began a hunt of my own.
Yet somehow, I knew. They were coming for me.
I opened my eyes and took a long, deep breath. Then, I sighed.
Just a normal Tuesday night in Hell.
Closing my eyes, I thought back on what the demon said. 'Father, help me! The Hellwalker is not a Mortal!'. Also, telling me to fuck off and die. Very colorful vocabulary for a Demon, all things considered.
While my time in Hell had gone through my mind, I only saw glimpses of utter insanity and unrestrained brutality. Dreams helped me paint a more solid picture.
Also, Pokora's existence made me doubt the million years thing, but something inside me confirmed the length of my trial. One of those pesky instincts that gripped my mind with an unbreakable lock.
Something else to ask the Gods, or other Halves, I thought as I looked to the side. I saw big, red tits.
Yolin was sleeping with me, limbs all around my body. My head nestled between her breasts.
From Hell to Heaven, nice!
I closed my eyes and relaxed on the woman's chest. Her warm skin and delicious muscles woke me up in full. I turned around and hugged her, planting kisses on her tattoos.
“Unuwa nanja?” she mumbled in her sleep. Or something that sounded like that.
I smiled and held back a giggle.
We were wrapped in a sleeping bag, lying on the ground of Pokora's living room. Since Alyssa, Bromisnar, and Bonte were asleep by the time we got back, we chose to stay the night and the Elf was kind enough to allow that. It had nothing to do with not wanting to deal with an angry Alyssa. At all.
Opening the sleeping bag, I freed myself from Yolin's arms and stood up. Looking at her face, I quietly laughed at her sleep-talk. She was saying things in Red Tongue, and I found that cute and funny.
After properly covering her with the sleeping bag, I went to the bathroom. Since we were staying out, I wore sweatpants and a tank top as sleep wear. I had grown more used to my golden comrade hanging out and about while sleeping, so I didn't wear underwear anymore. It could be said I graduated nocturnal underwear and embraced freedom.
I rustled it to a better position. Morning erections are a pain. I can't pee properly, and it's uncomfortable when it gets caught on the waistband of the sweatpants. A complete hassle.
Standing in front of the toilet, I waited for it to relax while humming a song.
The door opened and Pokora walked in.
“Kyaaaa,” I mumbled in monotone. “Knock first, you pervert...”
“Oh, noes,” she muttered back, walking to the sink and activating the faucet. “Morning.”
“Доброе утро,” I muttered back.
The sink was opposite of the toilet, so she didn't get a free peek.
“Morning wood?” she asked, washing her face.
“Yep,” I replied with a shrug. “A bit annoying, but what can you do?”
“Wasn't the greeting privet or something?” she asked.
“Nah. That's 'Hi'. And it's pree-vyet, unless you're talking about that British Wizard,” I said back with a chuckle, shaking my head. “Good morning is Доброе утро.”
“Dobr-what?” she asked.
“Do-breh uh-truh,” I supplied. “More formal, but works in this situation.”
“Huh,” she uttered. “The more you know.”
“Indeed,” I muttered. “So you haven't learned Orkish?”
“Haven't,” she replied. Then asked, “Does it bother you I just came in?”
“Not at all, we're both women,” I replied. “Does it bother you?”
“Not really,” she sighed. “I just thought of trans people back on Earth.”
“Ah,” I nodded as my fellow relaxed. “Nothing to worry about with me. Treat me as a woman.”
“Will do,” she replied.
I heard the familiar sound of hair being combed.
Thinking back on the previous night, I remembered something.
“I think you forgot your arrows,” I said with a sigh, and pee flowed.
She laughed.
“So nonchalant,” she said, chuckling. “Those are diamond-tipped, so I can leave them there.”
“They're what?” I asked, a little surprised. "But it's diamond!"
“Diamond is cheaper than food, since it's absolutely useless,” she replied, still combing her hair. “You see, diamond is used as arrow tips and not much else. E'eral obsidian is harder, making it more expensive. You can buy ten kilograms of diamond for fifty copper.”
“Isn't it used for... cutting things, though?” I asked back with a sigh as my bladder emptied.
I gave my fellow a few gentle shakes, then tucked it in.
“There are better materials out there, Natasha. Diamond is shit,” she insisted. “You may be able to shatter a diamond sword, for example. Diamond looses it's 'indestructibility' when people reach three thousand strength. Something unattainable on Earth, but very real here in Galeia. Add the fact diamond has shitty enchanting properties.”
“Now you're going to come up with some bullshit material that is prettier than diamonds?” I asked with a light laugh.
She was silent for a few seconds.
“You won't, right?” I asked again, turning around.
“The name's a bit cringe,” she gave me a wry smile. “Star Tears.”
“Holy shit,” I winced. “Give me some space to wash my hands, please.”
She stepped to the side, still facing the mirror on top of the sink. I did my thing and then rubbed my eyes.
I noticed her dull silver eyes going over my body and giving approving nods.
“Kyaaaa,” I again muttered in monotone. “Stop staring at me, you pervert...”
“You're built like a Greek God,” she pointed the obvious.
“Goddess, if you would,” I chuckled, running my hands through my hair and undoing the braid.
“How come you have breasts?” she asked in confusion, staring at my chest.
“Uh... I'm a woman?” I offered that possibility.
“No, I mean... yours are around average size,” she waved my comment off. “I mean, breasts are mostly fat. I don't see fat anywhere else in your body. Yours should be tiny with that level of fitness.”
“That... is a very good question,” I nodded. “And something I don't question. Maybe bags of E'er? You're assuming breasts 'should' be fat, but remember,” I tapped my temple, “you mortal species imitate us Halves. Fat could be the 'flesh being' way to imitate a breast that can keep milk warm. My species is different.”
She blinked a few times.
“That... doesn't explain the size,” she insisted, gesturing at my medium-sized breasts.
“I know,” I nodded. “But that's the only explanation I can think of right now. Alyssa may learn more if she keeps studying my body.”
“Right,” she nodded, then shrugged. “Mysteries of the universe, I guess.”
“Nah,” I shook my head. “I'm sure all those 'mysteries' have a proper explanation, and my species have just kept quiet about them. I mean, it's fair considering there's mad people trying to kill us.”
“Maybe,” she said, then yawned.
Her fangs were as sharp as Lapia's, and her tongue was a very pale pink.
“Haaa...” I sighed. “Speaking of people trying to kill me. Are court cases held at the Church?”
“Yeah,” she eyed me for a few seconds. “You're going?”
I nodded.
“I am.”