Looking out into the hall, I saw no one was there. Rolling my shoulders, I followed the bloody footprints downstairs and was met with three people. I knew them. The large Ogre stood with his claymore at his side, glaring at me while the Demon had an amused twinkle in his eyes. They both wore their regular clothes, no pesky armors. The Elf was in the back, at the entrance to the kitchen, looking deathly pale, “I told you something wasn’t right with him!” She shouted in distress.

The Demon lifted a brow, looking me up and down, “It would seem you do need to eat after all, eh?” Smirking, he leaned on his spear but I could tell his guard was at its peak. The Ogre was no different in this regard. Even though I knew them, I felt my desire to fight peak. Groaning, I wanted to kill and then take my prize of flesh. But I could sense something was off. The feeling those two gave out made me understand this would be dangerous. I couldn’t understand why my instincts were screaming to run. Staring at the two men, I could tell they were strong.

Tilting my head, I knew there was weaker prey in the cellar. Frowning, I wrinkled my nose as I searched my muddled mind for answers. Like a fog slightly parting, bits and pieces came to me. No, those were no good, poisoned. Connecting my gaze with the green man, I wanted to fight him. My blood boiled at the thought of a good fight. I’ve taken down bigger and deadlier opponents, what makes this Ogre so special.

“Shit. Mort, I think he’s going to go for me. I feel like he recognizes us yet at the same time doesn’t. Do you know what this is? Is it a demon thing?” The green man asked. I waited a bit, searching for the right opening. Moving to the side, I watched closely at their interactions.

“It might be a frenzy, young demons often go through it when they hit puberty and basically go on a rampage. We usually lock them up until it passes, but with them, there is no hunger. Whatever else he’s mixed with is affecting him differently. All I know is, he’s not himself.” The Demon muttered with seriousness, taking his spear and pointing it at me. Tipping my head, I recalled I had such a thing. Reaching into my waistband, I took it out and observed it, “What’s up Atko? You wanna fight me with a spear?”

I frowned. There were no openings, maybe I could make one. Channeling mana into my spear to make it longer, I knocked my hand backward and tossed at the large man. Following it in tow, I watched as the demon redirected the spear with his, making it fly off to the side and impale the shelves behind them. It didn’t matter, I reached the green man. Leaning low, I dodged the demon’s counterattack to the right and moved behind the Ogre. Just as I reached out to pierce his back, I felt the air getting knocked out of me.

The Ogre grunted as he spun and the pommel of his claymore struck my ribs directly. Crashing into the bar, I felt it was hard to breathe. Gasping, I saw my chest was caved in, bones sticking out while my regeneration attempted to put me back together, “Shit, Ha’Luk, you didn’t have to hit that hard.” The demon muttered with a few curses, “What else was I supposed to do? He was going for the kill, I hit him with the dull end!”

Scowling at their chatter, I felt my ribs slowly come back into place. The Ogre sighed and stabbed his claymore into the floor boards. Taking out a flask, he gulped down whatever was inside. The Demon took a few steps back and took the female to the side with a grin. I was finally able to stand back up with a pained grunt. Feeling an itch flare at the back of my neck, I clawed the annoying spot while glaring at the Ogre. He cracked his knuckles and narrowed his eyes, his skin seemingly gaining an odd shimmer as he took a step towards me, “I guess you never had the pleasure of sparing with me, huh? Alright, I’ll beat some sense into you. Come on, show me what you’ve got.”

Ticked off, I jumped over the counter and attacked. Though he was larger than me, I knew the best way to take down large opponents was by being quick. Seeing him meet me with a grappling attempt, I twisted to dodge, moving downward and out of his reach as my tail lashed up at his head. Feeling it connect, I took the opportunity to do as much damage as I could but something felt wrong. There was no wet impression of blood or the sense of his rending flesh. Feeling a sense of danger, I managed to toss myself back fast enough that his massive knee connected with my shoulder instead of my head.

Moving back with a hiss, I made some distance. I knew my attack connected but there was only a small red mark on his iridescent skin. Finally noticing the pain in my arm, I saw it was slumped, broken. Gritting my teeth, I pushed my bone back into its socked. The green man was grinning, “You think you’re the only one out there with sharp limbs? You still have a lot to learn boy.” He didn’t let me recover. Charging, the Ogre once again went for the grab.

Using my tail, I tossed a nearby chair at him before fluidly dodging to the side. Grabbing his arm, I felt annoyance rise as I failed to pierce his skin while he simply shrugged off the splintering chair that broke against his forearm. Sensing an attack approaching, I moved behind him to dodge and attempt a counter attack. His fist hit only air but he moved quicker than I anticipated to answer my movement in kind. Before I could even try to dodge, I felt the ground disappear beneath my feet as he held me in a vice choke hold. Trying to understand how he did it, I recalled his leg had moved back and tripped me, allowing him to finally succeed in his grab and skillfully maneuver behind me.

Pissed, I bit down on his arm with all my might. Tasting blood, I knew I finally did some damage as I wrapped my tail around his waist, trying to sever him in half. No matter how much I tried to break deeper past his muscles, I couldn’t. Feeling him wince, I knew it was at the very least, painful, “I guess we’re done with the spar, time for you to go!” The Ogre shouted. No matter how much I struggled to overpower him, his raw strength was beyond me. I was forced to release his arm to gasp for breath. Clawing at him, I couldn’t loosen his grip.

Through my hazy vision, I could hear him speak to me, “Wake up already!” My head throbbed, a ringing echo in my mind as the lack of air made me dizzy. My body lost some strength and I felt myself being pressed against the floor while the Ogre used his weight to hold me down to avoid hurting himself further on the spikes on my back. Attempting one last lash with my tail, I felt it do some damage but couldn’t tell how much.

“Shit, he’s too frenzied. We need to get him out of here, now.”

“The hell do you want me to do? My enhancing potion is about to run out.”

I heard wood crack as the vice grip lessened and I could finally breathe again. Just as I came to my senses, I felt like I was free falling before hitting water. Stumbling to my feet, I felt slight panic rise as I recalled the flood. But seeing the water only reached my ankles, I turned to glare at the guild. They were already boarding up the window again. As much as I wanted to get back in and continue my fight, I knew I was outmatched. The sudden pang of hunger nearly knocked me off my feet as I turned to run.

***

Ransacking a few buildings on my way out of town, I could see the storm gradually weaken. I knew it was too dangerous to remain here. The winds slowly let up while the heavy downpour turned into a mild rain as the storm slowly moved on. Though the prey I found was tasty, it was nowhere near filling enough. The few humanoids I found couldn’t satisfy my appetite, I needed more. I don’t know when I exited the town, but I just kept running and running until I simply could not run anymore. Cursing wildly, I clutched my empty stomach which was growling like a mad wolf. With a groan, I leaned on a tree trunk and took deep breaths. The wind blew with violent sharpness, but I could barely feel it past the agony of the hunger. The cold air made my breath instantly turn into mist. The sun or moon could not be seen from the thick, black clouds that still covered the sky.

I was completely soaked. I couldn’t even tell anymore whether I was hot or cold, but the violent shivering wouldn’t stop as I scratched the painful itch. Wet strands of hair fell down my face as I grimaced painfully. I sniffed the air, trying to find something to eat, but the rain concealed anything that might have brought some sustenance. I could tell I just needed a bit more. Though the storm had turned into a weaker rain and the winds stopped their rampage, it had still washed away any traces I might have been able to find.

I hissed in anger and frustration. The growling of my stomach was getting louder as I pressed on, no longer sure where I was. My eyes fell on a toppled tree as I noticed some kind of fruit sprawled beneath its branches. Feeling a bit desperate, I grab the apple shaped fruit which had a fierce yellow color and bite into it. Feeling bile rise up almost instantly, I spit it out and toss it away. It was disgusting. It felt wrong to even think of eating it.

'Think dammit! The map, you've seen it! Focus! Focus! Focus! Where should I go!?' I raged on the inside, growing more frantic by the second, the familiar deliria clogging my mind. The more I tried to break past it, the more pain it brought. I gritted my teeth and suppressed it with pure willpower. The red haze slowly diluted, letting me think.

I needed a place where there was enough meat to satisfy the hunger. Forget animals and beasts, there was no way I was going to find them during the aftermath of this damn storm. The only creatures that love to hide huddled together like a bunch of ducklings were humans. Humans and every other shitty race like them. But towns or villages were too risky, I would be too vulnerable once the hunger was sated.

I needed something singular and separated, but I had no idea where I was.

I snap my head up as the rain abruptly stops. Looking up, the dark clouds were slowly dispersing. Hearing a small shout in the distance, I moved before I could even process it and rushed in that direction without hesitation. My skin felt tight as I rushed out of the brush and into the road. A small convoy of around 3 carts stood in front of me as the people slowly removed the tarps that had protected their mounts from the rain. The storm must have been a lot weaker here, the convoy was mostly unharmed.

Panting, I tensed from the pain as I watched, counting six Quallas and around three people, the others still in the covered wagons. It should be enough. It has to be. I couldn’t hold on any longer as I charged at the three people who stood outside the wagons. The birds gave away my attack with their shrieks but it was too late at that point. Not caring about their stunned gazes, I tackled two of my prey that were standing close. Snapping their spines and ending their lives, my tail lashed the last one, severing his legs at the thighs before he could shout a warning.

Seeing a few men exit the wagons, I growled and stood. Swaying like a drunkard, standing next to the three corpses, I watched as they shouted warnings and unsheathed their weapons. The birds were tied up so they weren’t going anywhere. My mind had drifted into the red a while ago. Taking the opportunity presented by their hesitation, I grabbed one of the severed legs.

There was an unfeeling emptiness within me, demanding to be filled. Taking a bite, I held the leg in one hand as I jumped at the closest prey, head-butting him in the guts. The others took the liberty to stab out with their blades and spears, one of them impaling the leg I used to block while others were tossed away by my tail. They made the mistake of grouping together too closely.

Seeing all of them were indisposed and out of the fight, I ate some more of my leg. Sensing no one here was a threat like the green man and the demon, I ignored the groaning and screaming men that were still alive on the ground as more people came out. The longer they stayed alive, the fresher they’ll be. The first one to peak out of the wagon next to me lost his head. It rolled on the ground, stopping in front of the others that had just stepped out.

Happily, I glance at my scaly, bloody tail and grin widely, swallowing my chunk of meat. Without warning, I charged at the group. Nimbly dodging their poorly placed attacks, I killed three more people before they surrounded me. A spike of agony made me moan in pain as someone pieced my back with a spear. Hissing, I grabbed the tip that had managed to pierce to my front and pulled. Whoever had the bright idea to stab me was quickly pulled over and impaled on the spikes adorning my back. Shrugging off the corpse, I took the spear and stabbed it through the closest enemy.

The muscular human carrying a large axe charged at me with an enraged war cry, making himself the prime target. I could sense that his strength wasn’t sufficient to take me down. Grinning in mockery, I dodged and countered with my spear before kicking him away, impaling his head through the eye with a single motion of my spear. My figure blurred as I dodged another attack from behind, twisting my spear around and making short work of the fool. Hearing some chants coming from the wagon, I hurriedly took up my spear and tossed. A guttural wail sounded as my target was hit through the wagon’s covers.

Feeling a searing pain in my side, I turned in time to see the woman disengage, holding a sharp scimitar. The others took the chance to attack together, forcing me to make some distance. I heard whistling though the air as an arrow struck my throat, making me stumble backward. Luckily, the aim was off, hitting the side instead of my windpipe. Breaking the arrow and pulling it out, I saw one of my enemies overstep and grabbed his wrist, pulling him forward and making him lose his balance. I felt someone attack from behind with a spear.

With a snort, moved to the side and coiled my tail around the entire length of the long weapon breaking it as I pierced his left lung. Ignoring the falling man, I viciously bit into the man that I’d grabbed, eliciting a nasty crack from his shoulder. A loud crunch came as I bit through a large chunk of flesh and bone, followed by a loud scream of pain.

I felt myself shudder at the amazing taste of the meat. Human flesh practically melted in my mouth, it was soft and delectable. Just as I'm about to take my third bite out of the screaming human, the hairs on my neck stood on end. Tossing the man at the group of people staring in horror, I jumped to the side as a large spike of ice missed me.

Spotting the mage in the backline, I moved to the side, dodging the attacks aiming for my life as I skillfully took down a few more people on my way there. He was running into the woods. Frowning, I leaned low, grabbing a large rock and tossed it at the running mage before he could reach the tree line. He was knocked off his feet as he face planted into the mud, the back of his head caved in. Shoving my hand into an adventurer’s guts, I took my pick from him organs and ripped out his liver.

The hunger grew to its peak, making my actions all the more livid. Ripping into a corpse, I ate while butchering as many of them as I could. Though I received a lot of punishment for my actions, I could no longer help myself. Their numbers had dwindled by a lot, leaving only a few more people that were easy enough the pick down once they started running. I chased them down, killing the stragglers one by one.

Once all of them were dead or unable to move, I finally let myself feast, seeking to satisfy this black hole in my belly. Without any clue as to how long I was there, by the time I came to my senses the entire part of the road was covered in bones and gore, the blood was everywhere, mingling with the muddy puddles from the rain. The colorful feathers were everywhere, blown around by the wind. Finally feeling full, I found myself looking up at the sky, the rays of the rising sun making the red liquid glisten as I wandered into the forest absentmindedly.

Grimacing, I glanced down and saw everything from daggers, swords to arrows lodged into parts of my body. Wincing, I pulled them out while stumbling past the thick foliage, I found the morning rays were lightly shaded by the thickening tree tops. I felt numb, moving as if on autopilot, walking aimlessly. Thinking back on the carnage I’d committed, I felt nothing. No pain, no hunger, no regret.

Soon enough, I was once again running, feeling the urgency of the change that would soon ensue. The mud splattered around while the branches broke under my feet. The agony returned with a vengeance, making my muscles and bones groan under the pressure of my own body. I could feel it approaching like a looming scythe, my blood boiling and freezing in completely spontaneous intervals while the unbearable itch made me rip off patches of my skin.

Nonetheless, I kept running, I needed to find shelter. My eyes burned as I felt something drip down my cheeks while the ringing in my ears made me want to slam my head against the nearest tree. My legs stubbornly continued to run. Cracks appeared on my skin as the blood splattered around from the fierce movement. Time was almost out as the exhaustion began to set in. I could perceive the extreme force that was threatening to collapse my body.

It was too late, I didn't make it.

The bones in my legs snapped and dislocated, making me fall to my knees. I knew I was lost at this point, not even sure in which forest I’d gone into. Glancing around, I could only distinguish blurred colors while my eyes bled. I couldn’t hold the screams in anymore. Falling over, I writhed on the ground, digging my claws into the soft, rain-soaked earth. The loud cracking of my breaking body almost deafened me in the empty forest.

My screams echoed through the woodland, erasing any semblance of peace that was there before. The sizzling ground almost made sounds from the amount of blood that I was losing. My skin slowly peeled off my body, leaving me as nothing but bare flesh. My head felt like it was splitting open as my teeth fell out while my spine ground the muscles of my back to shreds. The adrenaline was keeping me wide and awake despite the fact I should have been knocked out long ago.

As if decomposing, my body remade itself to a whole new design. Fierce pain pierced my brain as I felt my horns grow longer and thicker. I couldn’t stop screaming until I lost my voice from the stress of it. This was far worse than the first time. My entire body quivered from the torturous shockwaves that went through my nerves. That was when all familiar turbulences ended and new ones appeared.

My eyes nearly bulged out of my head from the pain. My tail coiled, violently smashing against the ground. Just as I had thought that it couldn't get any worse, I felt two excruciatingly painful jabs burn across my back and snap me in half from the force of the expulsion.

It finally became too much to bear. The lights went out.