Reborn to Devour: A Demonic LitRPG

Yoshitsune told me to lead the way, but the fleet-footed samurai quickly left me several seconds behind to prevent the ailing demon from dying before we could stage our noble rescue.

As soon as I got within range, I sprayed my venom towards the most threatening beast. It screeched in pain as the other beasts looked up in time to see Yoshitsune rend their flesh like a blender filled with Jell-O. Viscera and miasma sprayed all over the disoriented demon that was certainly praying to be saved.

The battle was quick and anti-climactic; Yoshitsune methodical attack patterns guaranteed a quick and decisive skirmish. It also helped that we made out 500XP richer than we were just a few seconds prior.

“How are your injuries?” Yoshitsune asked as she knelt in the sand next to the demon.

A lion-headed demon wearing a tattered suit wiped away blood that leaked from their forehead. They looked up at Yoshitsune as though she were an errant angel descended from heaven. Their moistened eyes were filled with awe and relief that they had survived. With trembling hands, they tried to reach up at their savior.

“They must be suffering from a head injury,” I commented as I, finally, caught up to the aftermath of the battle.

The lion’s head whipped my way and I could see some stupid delusion break apart behind their eyes. A life conjured in seconds about a budding romance with Yoshitsune was ruined by my mere presence. I wondered how they would feel if I were to tell them that I was the one that sent the angel to save their life.

“I-I am perfectly fine,” the lion replied in a prideful tone. “Excuse me for my rudeness, my lady, my name is Bayard. Many thanks for saving me from a gruesome fate, temporary as it may have been.”

“It would not be as temporary as you imagined, Bayard,” I replied. “Those beasts would have dragged you into the tar and you would wallow and die until you finally manage to fight your way out.”

Bayard looked over his shoulder towards the bubbling tar. The heat that exuded off of the black liquid was enough to make him shudder as the significant suffering that he’d face.

“Then I am more indebted to you than I believed,” Bayard said, ignoring me and looking directly at Yoshitsune. “Please, tell me your name, my lady, so that I may know how to address my savior.”

I rolled my eyes. Why couldn’t it have been a different kind of fool? I considered throwing him into the murky depths myself when I felt Yoshitsune’s gaze on me. Even without eyes, a prickling sensation in my brain told me she was watching me to understand where I was going with this.

“Yoshitsune,” she answered after I gave her a short nod of approval. “My party mate is Ishmael-san.”

“Ah, Lady Yoshitsune,” Bayard replied ecstatically as he rolled the name over his tongue. “Oh, Angel of the East, for what reason are you traveling with such an uncouth and ignoble creature? I forgive your eyes that have been deprived of sight, but this beast is not the sort that a woman such as yourself should entertain.”

“That ignoble creature is the one that said that we should save you,” Yoshitsune retorted, clearly disinterested in the wooing pressed upon her.

As Bayard looked back at me, I waved and showed my pointed teeth. My forked tongue slithered out as I opened my mouth to speak.

“That’s right,” I confirmed with a nod. “It was clear that you were an unfortunate soul that just arrived at this terrible place. It would not do anyone any good if you were left to die and drown in this cruel initiation by Lucifer himself. So, I thought it would be a good idea to offer a fellow demon a helping hand.”

Even after the most cordial explanation I could put together, Bayard still regarded me with a healthy amount of suspicion. I understood that my new visage did not evoke feelings of trustworthiness, but I still felt insulted.

“Either the people of this realm are of a higher moral fiber than those that languish in the Bowels, or you are luring me into a trap,” Bayard observed.

I clicked my tongue. How unlucky that the fool was only a fool towards women.

“Trap is a poor word, Bayard,” I argued while feigning distress over the accusations. “It is our intent to help you become self-sufficient in this new world. Allies are always preferable to more enemies, wouldn’t you agree?”

Bayard’s dumb nod permitted me to continue one with my pitch. “As such, it is our desire to equip you with the skills needed to survive, no, thrive in a place such as this. You saw how quickly Yoshitsune dispatched those creatures that you struggled against? She is only a level above you. All we ask in exchange for this knowledge is a small commission. Let’s say…ten percent of the XP you earn until you are Level 10.”

Bayard’s eyes widened at the deal offered to him before his lips snarled and a low growl left his mouth.

“Extortioner! Greedy beast! You are the Serpent that misled Eve and led humanity to sin!” Bayard accused. “And now you are attempting to stray yet another woman down your wicked path. Does your deviancy know no limits? Lady Yoshitsune, you must see reason and slay this infernal creature. I beg you.”

“Fuck this, we’re not getting anywhere,” I barked. The change in tone made Bayard’s fur puff up. “This stupid shit stain isn’t grateful at all. Let’s just do what the beasts were going to do and be done with this.”

The sound of Yoshitsune’s hands unsheathing her weapon from her sleeve made Bayard gulp. I knew from my own experiences that his injury timers were still nowhere near close to timing out.

“Wait! Wait!” Bayard shouted, eyes filled with panic. But, Yoshitsune did not halt at his pleas. She pierced his neck with his blade and yanked it downwards. Bayard’s health went to zero and the demon spilled blood onto the sand.

“That was your plan?” Yoshitsune questioned skeptically. She flicked her blade to create an arc of blood on the ground.

I looked down at the dead lion and smacked my lips. Obviously, it wasn’t ideal, but I still believed that my grand scheme to collect free XP wasn’t wrong. I had only come across a difficult first mark. It was something that could happen to even the best.

“Let’s see if his mood changes when he comes back from the dead,” I said optimistically as I squatted down beside him. “Guys like him are usually slow learners. A little punishment goes a long way to keep them in line.”

“If he knew just how terrible it was in there, he’d do anything to avoid going in,” Yoshitsune commented and grimaced at the tar.

“That’s it!” I shouted as an even more brilliant scheme formed in my head.

Yoshitsune tilted her head at me in confusion. “I don’t want you to throw his body in the tar. He may have been like a fly in my meal, but that does not warrant that sort of torment.”

“That’s not it at all, Yoshitsune,” I corrected with a smile. “I only thought of a more grateful group of people that would give us everything we want. Let’s makes sure the plan works on this fuck before we move on.”

I felt Yoshitsune’s skeptical gaze, but she did not argue with me. Instead, she kicked some sand on Bayard’s recovering corpse. Even though she didn’t show it, I’m sure that she was also sick of the grind.

Bayard sputtered back to life after a few minutes. His eyes were wide as he scrambled to regain his bearings. A weak complexion covered his face as he saw his angel’s clothes splattered with his blood. He scuttled backwards on his hands and feet like a crab until he got a little further away from us.

“Are you going to behave now?” I asked him with a smile. “We can keep going if you’d like.”

“No!” Bayard shouted, his paws held out in front of him in a weak attempt to ward us away. “No, I understand your kindness better. I'll agree to your terms.”

“Wonderful,” I inadvertently hissed. “But, now it's twenty five percent. That won't be an issue, will it?”

“It won't,” Bayard readily agreed as a new message appeared in my eye.

Infernal Contract made with Bayard. Failure to uphold to your end of the bargain will result in a cancellation of the agreement and additional punishments enacted.

“Now what?” Bayard asked nervously.

“We teach you how to survive,” I responded, now bound to uphold my end of the arrangement.

Not wishing to have infernal punishment levied against us, Yoshitsune and I took Bayard with us to teach him how to properly fight and defend himself. We showed him how to kill a beast quickly enough to avoid it calling for reinforcements as well as the best places to flee if things become overwhelming.

Now that whatever lustful stupor that poisoned his mind was popped at the tip of Yoshitsune’s blade, Bayard became an invested student. He asked regular questions and actually attempted to follow our instructions to the letter. Perhaps it was the fact that we were contractually obligated not to lead him astray that made him more receptive. Regardless, I was pleased that that intolerable flirtatious side of him had gone away.

“If you do find yourself with an injury, you can take a potion to recover your health and remove those conditions,” Yoshitsune explained to Bayard. The lion’s eyes were focused on the store’s interface. “It is a good idea to always have at least two in your inventory at all times.”

“And I can purchase weapons and armor as well?” Bayard asked. “Is that where you got yours?”

Yoshitsune bit her lip slightly in contemplation. She touched her hidden blade with her opposite hand and looked back at Bayard.

“Something like that,” she replied.

Bayard went quiet as he stared at whatever windows were inside of his eyes. He cursed to himself a couple times before a pair of potions appeared out of thin air and landed in the sand before him. After a couple more minutes, a cavalry saber and a pair of vambraces dropped from the sky.

“Finally,” Bayard said joyfully as he held his new weapon in his hands. “No longer will I need to act in the manner of a beast. I now have a proper weapon for proper men. I won’t thank you since you slit my throat and will be siphoning my income for some time, but I must agree that this was a better fate than I faced alone.”

Bayard set off on his own path away from us, probably quite eager to get as far away as possible. Until he purchased Level 10, he would be a constant stream of income for us.

“Ishmael-san,” Yoshitsune said as soon as Bayard left earshot. “That felt like a good deal of work for a portion of XP from someone that may still just die on his own. Are you sure that this is a good way to go about things?”

“Oh, I’m not doing that shit anymore,” I agreed with a nod as I looked out at the wide expanse of tar. “I told you, Yoshitsune, I found a far better and more grateful group to make money off of.”

I summoned my chain and set myself up in the same way as I had when I fished out Yoshitsune. I swirled part of the chain above my head while I flung the metal back into the tar. My planted foot fastened the end of the chain in place while the rest splashed loudly into the black sea.

“I will pull you out of the tar if you agree to give me half of all the XP you gain until I leave this realm!” I shouted to the bubbling liquid.

Notice

Several users would like to form a contract with you.