I switched the Zombie Hunter Axe out for Titanslayer inside the storage ring. As the description had indicated, I was able to freely Quick-Switch between the two weapons, though that meant I always had to be wielding one of them. By default, I stuck to the axe since it was the less cumbersome weapon.

I made my way back quickly, and was lucky enough to not encounter any zombies as I backtracked my route. I was also lucky in that the creature hadn’t run away yet, still meandering around in blind circles like a headless chicken. Except, of course, that this thing was far more dangerous than any known piece of poultry. The way it effortlessly ripped apart the bark of a nearby tree, then bit into the softer wood underneath was a needless reminder of that. At least the creature didn’t have much in the way of brains, as evidenced by its need to chew on the wood for a good ten seconds before realizing it wasn’t food and spitting it back out.

Hope you caught some splinters, bub. I pulled out my phone and aimed the Scanner at the creature.

Creature: Voracious Devourer Type: Demon (Tier II) Description: Not available (Intelligence too low)

A demon. Well, isn't that something. As if walking undead weren’t bad enough, I now had this shit on my plate.

Well, it wasn’t like having a label put on the creature made it different in any way. Nor did it change what I intended to do. The voracious devourer was certainly going to be big enough to activate Titanslayer’s effect at least once over, but would that be enough to get the job done? Probably not... at least, not without a little more force behind it.

I unequipped the axe and set it aside, allowing me to freely Quick-Switch between Titanslayer and my empty hand. “Hey, shit-for-brains, over here!” I shouted at the demon, which didn’t seem to hear me at all as it snarled and swiped at whatever apparitions its senseless mind had conjured up.

I shrugged. Figured as much, but it was good to confirm the thing really was deaf. I got down and picked out several small rocks, stuffing them into my pockets. Once I had a decent collection, I pulled one pebble out, took a deep breath, and tossed it at the devourer.

The rock bounced off the creature's shoulder and clattered to the ground. Given the toughness of its hide, I was half-surprised the thing even registered the blow. Nevertheless, the devourer swiveled toward me and leapt forward, swinging its arms at the mysterious assailant. The attack might’ve been effective if it wasn’t off by about thirty feet.

I threw another rock. This one hit it dead in the eye socket, bouncing off the cartilage or whatever it was underneath. That seemed to anger the creature even further. It adjusted its angle slightly and sprinted forward like it was looking to trample me over.

That was exactly what I’d been counting on. I re-summoned Titanslayer into my hands. Even with the distance between us, the devourer was so quick I just barely managed to shift out of the way in time. At the same moment, I swung the spear at the incoming creature, using its own momentum enhance the strength of my attack as it blurred past me.

It felt like slashing across a block of concrete. If Titanslayer hadn’t been equipped to my hand, there was no way I would’ve been able to keep my grip on the weapon as it scraped across the devourer’s side. As it was, I felt my hands going numb, and as I swiveled around to examine my work, I saw that the damage I’d dealt was roughly the equivalent of a really big paper cut.

Alright, so that wasn’t going to work. The creature stopped a few yards away and ran a hand across the scratch. It brought its bloodied fingers back to its mouth and seemed to be trying to reach for it with the stub that was left of its tongue. When it failed to do so, it stuck its fingers inside and ran them across the stub, rumbling approvingly.

As the demon was busy cannibalizing itself, I scrambled back to maintain distance. Thankfully, Titanslayer was far sturdier than the Zombie Hunter Axe and didn’t seem to have been damaged by the failed attack. I couldn’t say the same about my bruised hands, though, which was probably more significant an injury than what I’d dealt to the devourer. Seriously, was this thing made out of fucking adamantium or something?

I tried to think of another bright idea. Maybe I could hold my ground and brace the spear as it charged, but with how durable the creature was, the most likely outcome there would probably just be me getting run over and killed. I scoured the surroundings and found my eyes drifting up toward the trees. Another idea started springing into my head, one that was probably even more likely to get me killed. Nevertheless, I wasn’t given the chance to think myself out of it, as the demon came barreling toward me again. I Quick-Rolled out of its path and ran for the largest tree nearby, putting Titansayer back into the ring as I snagged the lowest hold and began working my way up the branches.

The devourer didn’t follow me this time. Without its tongue, it had no way to know where I’d gone, so it simply continued attacking in random directions. Still, I kept going until I was about twenty-five, maybe thirty feet off the ground. That was probably high enough. I found an extended branch that was sturdy enough to hold my weight and climbed over its length.

I glanced below, wondering to myself whether I was really going to do this. I licked my lips, feeling my heart race with a strange mix of fear and the kind of excitement that probably wasn’t very beneficial for long-term self-preservation. Pulling another rock out of my pocket, I hit the creature in the back of its head.

“Up here, ya big, bald-headed freak!”

The creature snarled and turned around, swiveling its head from side to side as it tried to get a grasp of my location. I threw another rock to help it out. It howled and pressed forward, nearing the tree as I threw several more pebbles to help guide it to the right position.

“Just a little bit more,” I whispered. I summoned Titanslayer, grasping the shaft with the blade pointed down as I watched the creature approach the area under my branch. I threw one more rock, this time aiming it so it would seem like it was coming from just below my perch. The creature took the bait, edging forward to reach for its invisible prey.

That was it. I took a breath, tightened my grip on the spear, and dove off the branch.

Every ounce of weight I could muster was behind my weapon as I plummeted, aiming for the back of the creature’s neck. It seemed to sense me somehow, its head tilting up just before I landed, but it was too late. The point of my spear pierced into its flesh, the rest of the blade following through. My legs buckled and cracked as I crashed into the monster’s back, a surge of pain following a split-second after. My eyes blurred, and a savage, agonized howl sounded my ears. It took me a second to realize it wasn’t mine.

That was rather disappointing, since I’d really been banking on an instant kill.

Instead, I found myself being flung aside, only for my unyielding grip on Titanslayer to keep me from being thrown off completely. The devourer roared, struggled, and bucked, unintentionally flinging me around as it did. Something popped in my shoulder and a searing pain shredded through it. Before my arm could be torn off completely, I at least had the presence of mind to Quick-Switch Titanslayer back inside the ring.

The weapon disappeared. My momentum didn’t. I flew through the air and just barely managed to activate a Quick-Roll before I hit the ground, helping dissipate the impact. It did nothing for my already broken legs or shredded shoulder, but hey, at least I managed to avoid a concussion this time. In hindsight, jumping down from three stories high to attempt an aerial assassination on a yolked-out, borderline indestructible demonic creature probably wasn’t the brightest idea in the world. Actually, I probably shouldn’t have needed the benefit of hindsight to come to that conclusion.

Lucky for me, I had Mend. I activated the ability as I watched the devourer thrash about erratically, until it lost control of its limbs and eventually collapsed into a heap. It was still alive, evidenced by its torso heaving with each breath and the occasional guttural sounds that left its throat, but the wound on its neck poured blood like a crimson waterfall. I hadn’t completely severed its spine like I’d been aiming to, but with one last twitch of its limbs, the demon finally bled out and came to a still.

The demon.

The notion finally sank in as I stared at the creature’s corpse. Its still-pristine skull, exposed by burned-away flesh of its face, seemed to gaze back at me. It almost looked like it was smiling, those massive incisors all in a perfect row. Even in death, this was a monster beyond belief—a being that simply should not exist. The sheer size, strength, and near impenetrable toughness of its flesh was not something a human was ever meant to contend with.

And yet, I’d managed to kill it anyway. With my own hands, I’d ended the existence of something so much more powerful than myself.

I felt a rumbling in my stomach. It rose into my throat, and I found myself breaking into a chuckle that quickly escalated into an almost maniacal laughter. I don’t know what came over me—I was probably having a mental breakdown—but the strange euphoria refused to die down. It was only when I started choking on a clot of blood in my throat that I finally managed to regain control of myself.

I spit the blood out of my mouth and stood up slowly. My left leg nearly buckled as I tried to put weight on it—it seemed my injuries had been too severe for Mend to heal entirely. The pain sobered me up enough to remind me to take a look at the phone and make sure the creature was actually dead.

Voracious Devourer Slain: +60 XP

That was... a little disappointing. A decent sum, but compared to the level of effort and risk I’d taken to kill the monster, it hardly seemed an adequate reward. It would’ve been easier to just kill a bunch of superior zombies instead. Maybe I’d get a useful drop, at least.

Except, the devourer's body wasn’t disappearing. Approaching slowly, I pulled out Titanslayer and gave the corpse a poke, ready to spring away in case it suddenly started moving again. Zombies were one thing, demons were another, but demonic zombies? That would be a bit much.

Thankfully, the corpse remained motionless. So what gives, then? Did I have to loot it some other way, or—

An earsplitting screech penetrated my skull, scrambling my thoughts. My hands immediately went to my ears, forgetting I still had the tactical earmuffs in place. Damn good thing too, as without them, I’d probably be on the ground writhing in agony instead of just wincing at the sound. I swiveled my head around as I searched for the hidden screamer, only to find an entire cadre of zombies barreling up the street, headed by seven-plus feet of undead muscle in the form of a juggernaut.

Well, isn’t that some impeccable fucking timing.