Reborn to Devour: A Demonic LitRPG

A trio of evolved floaters, their spiky munitions shimmering with venom, slowly hovered their way between the trees. A low humming emanated off the monsters like the engines of an alien spacecraft.

Water droplets bounced off the pristine surface of their inky black bodies as a sudden rain cloud opened up above them. The pressure of the downpour forced them to lower in altitude as they attempted to move away from the localized storm. Sensing that their movement was compromised, a strange harmonious note passed between the three of them as the terrain pulsed.

The sound wave swayed the trees, pushed over grass, and forced the turtles to slip into the water. It rumbled over my position and vibrated my scales like I was sitting in a tricked out car filled with powerful subwoofers.

Before the floaters could scramble onto their new target, a loud shot rang out through the hillside and cleanly obliterated all three floaters. Their bodies fell onto the wet grass and steamed their black essence into the sky.

“Well done, once again, my friends,” Capitaine said to his compatriots, Bonnie and me.

“Sure,” I replied noncommittally.

This was the third set of monsters the three of us slaughtered today and it was the third time that I contributed nothing to the fight. None of the fights had been of any issue; Bonnie slowed their movements to allow Capitaine to bury a devastating shot or three into the creature’s bodies.

My job only became relevant if this pair somehow managed to fail at their own jobs. Considering Capitaine's command ability, I agreed to listen to their orders in order to strengthen all of us. It was great that we were so effortlessly successful in our fights, but I have never been more bored in all my time since I’ve been banished to this place.

It was under the oppressive fire of Capitaine’s rifle that I understood why the ancient beasts of rage hated modernized technology. Gunpowder rendered those that took pride in their muscles and found honor in hand to hand combat obsolete. I had even received a quest demanding for Capitaine’s death earlier in the day.

Quest!

Murder the Gunpowder Heretic

The Beasts of Rage cannot stand your relegation to meat shield for one who hides from a distance. Rip out its throat and show which is superior.

Reward: New Passive Ability.

I ignored the quest for the time. Not only was I confident that this reward paled in comparison to what could be gained from slaying the Corpse-Watcher, I was not even sure that I wanted any more of their gifts.

Capitaine led us deeper into the woods, led by the soot-colored furballs that scurried in front of us to sniff out the next monsters. Capitaine called them their little “chiens de chasse.” Their small chirps and yips changed our trajectory several times. All the while, Capitaine tried to engage in conversation any chance that they could, asking questions and talking about themselves whenever possible.

“I will say that I liked my old rifle better,” Capitaine said to Bonnie who politely nodded along. “No disrespect to the craftsman who put this together, but there must be a slight imperfection in the barrel that gives it a leftwards tilt. You must imagine my surprise when I fired it for the first time and missed a perfectly lined shot. Oh well, that’s what happens when a gun isn’t a Charleville.”

“I wouldn’t have noticed that there was anything wrong with it,” Bonnie commented with a perplexed face as though everything Capitaine said was in a foreign language.

“Of course not,” Capitaine laughed innocently. “It took many years of training to understand the intricacies within weapons such as this. As someone who never served, it would be highly impressive if you were able to discern such a thing.”

To our right, some distant cracks of lightning and a rise in XP notified us of Yoshitsune and Culuur’s progress elsewhere.

“Sounds like your partners are getting along quite well,” Capitaine remarked with a self-satisfied smirk, no doubt attributing the kills to their own tactical genius.

I also understood why their last groups failed to listen to them.

I wished that I was in that group. Those two were likely enjoying some quiet far away from our reliable leader. Though, I’m sure both of them were frustrated that we were vastly outpacing their XP gains.

Capitaine silently raised their hand and ordered us to stop. A six-legged beast hopped around between the trees in front of us. With a quick motion of their hand, they dispatched the chiens ahead of us. The little beasts fanned out to corner the monster and drive it in our direction. Bonnie would slow it with her rain and Capitaine would shoot it between the eyes.

However, this monster must have been an evolution of the apes I faced in the tunnels of the Bowels. The beast began to rapidly bounce from trunk to trunk; sounds of creaking wood reverberated from each impact. It slammed into the chiens and destroyed them in a single hit.

“Bonnie, use your rain,” Capitaine ordered as they held up the rifle.

The merfolk immediately opened the sky above the beast. Capitaine’s direct order increased the size and power of the deluge. However, this creature was more elusive than what we had been facing. It bounced off another of the chiens, smashed into a tree, and then slingshot itself in our direction.

Capitaine lined up their shot and fired as soon as they managed to track the creature’s trajectory. The bullet ripped through the air in a direct collision course with the creature.

With a puff of miasma, the beast slightly changed course and had the metal slug sailing off into the distance. It leapt from tree to tree, accelerating with every contact. My eyes barely kept up with tracking the beast’s location.

Bonnie tried to move her rain cloud to intercept the creature but was always just a second too late to slow it down with her water.

Capitaine quickly reloaded their weapon. A new rune-covered lead ball was slotted into the weapon. They raised the muzzle before lowering it again. Adjusting to the creature’s erratic movement patterns would be near impossible and would subject the hyena to the hellish equivalent of the teacup ride.

With a sharp turn, the creature veered our direction. Instead of targeting the demon with the gun, it chose to go after who it perceived to be the weakest of us.

Bonnie started to prepare one of her water balls, but lacked the time. Her eyes widened as her body futilely tried to jump out of the creature’s path. Another puff of miasma would easily correct its course squarely onto the merfolk’s back.

“Ishmael, intercept!” Capitaine shouted.

It pissed me off. Like when your mom yells at you to do the dishes when you are mid-scrub. I had already launched my body to place myself in between Bonnie and the beast bearing down on her. I chose to ignore the noticeable feeling of acceleration and strength that entered my body as soon as the order was given.

A heavy mass slammed into my chest and dented my scales. As soon as it landed, it tried to quickly bounce away. But, it was too late. My claws were already reaching to dig into the beast’s flesh.

“Ishmael, grab it!” Capitaine ordered.

Immediately, and to my great annoyance, my claws gripped flesh and the beast ripped itself apart trying to get away. Large streaks of miasma flowed from its sides as it pulled itself away.

As soon as it plopped onto the ground, a splash of water struck it in the flank. A sluggish bounce was met with a shot to the side of the head, putting it down like a dog in a sad movie. It exploded into smoke and left us with its XP.

“Yes!” Capitaine exclaimed now that the matter was settled. “That is exactly what I was hoping to see. I have my plan.”

Without further elaboration, Capitaine summoned a little red rod. They held it up to the sky and a bright red flare burst over the treetops to signal the other groups back to camp.

“Aren’t you worried about anyone else seeing that signal?” Bonnie asked.

“There is a village near here,” Capitaine answered. “But they want nothing to do with me and even less with the Corpse-Watcher. As for anyone else, I encourage the opportunity to gain more resources. I hope that they do come.”

Capitaine nearly skipped the entire way back to camp. Whatever they learned here was of great benefit to our future. I couldn’t care about any of that shit at the moment. It didn’t matter how effective it was, Capitaine’s leadership deeply annoyed me. The personality, the way that the orders were given; all of it was irksome.

“Thanks for saving me,” Bonnie said to me as we marched through the woods. “I saw you moving before you were told to.”

“Your death would only make things worse for the rest of us,” I replied curtly. “You’ll need to be more agile if you want to get out of the way of attacks like that. It’s not like Culuur or myself will always be able to stand between you and danger.”

“I know,” Bonnie replied, the fins that replaced her ears seemed to wilt slightly from my rebukes.

Something in the reaction pulled at my brain. I didn’t care if Bonnie liked me, nor did I need it. But, somewhere, memories of the past bubbled up in my brain; memories that reminded me of someone that I did care about.

“I meant to ask you when we were still in the Dungeon, but do you have an ability that makes people hallucinate?” I asked.

Bonnie looked hesitant to reveal her secrets, but ultimately relented. “One of my abilities, as a siren, is that my spells induce lethargy and hallucinations. I don’t know what they see, I’ve never used it on an ally.”

“I became a woman standing at a lighthouse,” I answered, causing Bonnie to immediately tense up. “She was so heartbroken for her missing lover that she threw herself into the sea.”

“I know that I inflicted the spell on you, but I still feel violated that you saw those moments,” Bonnie said with a complicated expression. “I’m hesitant to use it any longer now that I know everyone can see such a private piece of my life.”

“That won’t do at all,” Capitaine interrupted, clearly listening to the entire conversation. “Without your full repertoire, we stand little chance.”

With Capitaine’s tactless comment, we made the rest of the way to the camp in tense silence. If Bonnie didn’t learn what she just did about her spells, the hyena would have been blissfully drowning in a bubble.

Yoshitsune and Culuur, ordered to patrol the area closer to base, returned first and awaited us. They seemed to be discussing their hunting strategy in low voices, but ceased their conversation as soon as the rest of us arrived.

It did not take long for Capitaine to summon their alcohol and distribute it to anyone interested. Despite the faces that we all made at our temporary host, none of us rejected their drink. None drank quicker than Bonnie. One tilt of the glass was all it took for the liquor to evaporate like a lakebed in a drought.

“I have our general formations decided for the upcoming raid,” Capitaine announced, mostly for the benefit of the other pair. “Culuur, Yoshitsune, the two of you will pair together and use your mobility to attack the Corpse-Watcher’s minions. The less monsters we have to watch for, the better chance we stand.”

“Sounds reasonable,” Culuur commented and Yoshitsune nodded in agreement.

“While you are doing that, Bonnie will attempt to trap the beast with rain while I pierce its hide with bullets,” Capitaine explained. “Ishmael, you’ll run interference to prevent the Corpse-Watcher from ripping Bonnie and my throats out before we have the chance to do anything. You are the only one that possesses the strength to stand in the way.”

I had a sinking feeling that my role for this fight was dog bait. I felt like the kid that got picked last in dodgeball just to be used as a shield in the first volley. As if to show their discontentment with the situation, the quest to murder Capitaine popped back up.

“Great,” I replied.

“Of course, I’d like to build up my funds in order to buy some suitable materials to better trap the Corpse-Watcher,” Capitaine continued. “I would also like you to make sure that you are, at least, Level 15 and have a suitable amount of potions and supplies. Now, let’s wrap up our break and get back to it.”

The rest of us all exchanged glances, but quickly finished our drinks to follow Capitaine out of the tent. They faced the entrance to the Corpse Copse with a wide, wolfish smile across their face.

“Oh, I’m so excited.”