Screams echo from the vicinity and blood’s smell makes my saliva flow. I jump towards them hoping for a good meal. I have no stomach to eat innocent, but these bandit looking guys will enrich my diet.

A sense twenty-one attackers, half are using iron chestplates. It’s in the way, I only need their hearts since that contains most of their lifepower. Currently I’m not in shape to bother the armored ones so I rush at the weaker ones. It only takes one hit to pierce their chest and the tasty breakfast is served. I much on a few. It’s already my sixth when they notice their fallen comrades. Boiling with anger they surround me in a tight formation.

Let’s say the swedish table is ready. I feel my blood tightening my veins and energy rushing through my head. The change after eating is so much different, I confidently resist against them. Not that I can’t just fly away.

Since I became stronger I don’t care about their hearts for now. And these were just the weaker ones. I attack head on one of them, piercing through his iron plate with bare hands. Yep, my hand broke into pieces but it’ll regrow later on. At the sudden injury my body reacts and my muscles and skin hardens. Jumping from one to another, avoiding amatour slashes I swiftly kill a lot of them.

The sweet blood covers my whole body making me even more hungry. I leave the bandit who feels the strongest last. This person is a lot stronger than the others, not sure why. When I try to check his body build, I realise that my eyes are so in mess I can’t really see a thing.

Was I moving following my other senses? Who cares. I wipe some blood off with my arm.

(Strong Bandit) “Red, is that you?” This simple sentence stops my heart. I recognise this voice easily.

“I suppose I did not expect to meet you again this way, brother.”

Yes, I know this already. In addition to that the person in front of me is the bandit leader from before, I killed all of his friends. I can’t escape this fight no matter how much I want to. I silently stare at the blood on the ground in front of me.

After a few moments of silence we both rush at each other at the same time. He starts with a strong swing from the left, making me jump to the right only to receive a kick with my stomach. I spin around myself to reduce the push and jump at him in a flash. Like a professional mercenary he raises his sword to defend his vital points, but I’m not an experienced fighter. I’m a demon, a predator. I was not aiming for a kill. I simply jumped past him while inflicting damage on his knee. The difference in strength and the lack of protection gives me huge advantage.

With his knee teared to pieces the man falls on one knee. Trying to finish, I attack his arms but this time my broken arm gets a few centimeters shorter. A warrior who lost his mobility is usually dead. The truth is this way his defence became much better.

I could kill him easily with a weapon, but I don’t want to. Both my instincts telling me to play with him and my mind telling me to respect him decides this way.

Circling around to find a weak spot I jump a few times at him with small attacks to weaken him.

For five minutes of struggling and suffering small cuts from each other he finally collapses. Me being almost uninjured, not considering my arm, sit down next to my prey.

I star at him for a while, then start to devour him. Slowly eating and enjoying every last part of his body until nothing remains. The internal organs full of sweet blood and power disappear into my stomach.

A few tied woman watched this from the beginning to the end. Ignoring their frightened looks I collect the other dead’s hearts. They are all weak, but a little bit useful. As a memento I take their coinpurses with me.

Walking to the tied persons as they are shivering in fear, I simply cut their ropes. Ignoring their response I open my wings, which are three times the size now and easily fly up in the air.

Somewhat later I stop at a small lake to clean myself and the clothes. When my naked body is clean I lie down on the grass and focus my mana on my body. I expect my body to grow and don’t want to suddenly collapse from pain.

Just as I thought, my body slowly expanded. My amazingly attractive adult body is different than before. My skin got darker but stayed in the light red spectre for my relievement.

It took a few hours, but I achieved the strongest form I ever had. Spreading my wings wide I took off finding flying really easy compared to before. I can try doing what pissed me off before, so I fly high. I soar to grand heights to see the distance and the land shape and compare it to that fucking map that bothered me so much.

Yeah, I know. I’m just diverting my mind.

As I enjoy the fascinating view I reach an elevation I feel something pushing me back. As if god himself slapped me down, I nose-dive downwards and barely manage to not kill myself. I let out a loud comment of my true feelings.

“What the flying fuck was that?”