After escaping the demon world, Dale emerged in a grassy plain, by the side of the empty motorway. The road was illuminated by moonlight, with the crisp, cool, night air making a pleasant change from the dusty, dryness of hell.

Just a few feet away, he spotted the back of that familiar, filthy white coat, standing alone in the grass. With his newfound confidence, and undying stubbornness, Dale fearlessly marched straight up to Drifter.

“Hey!” He yelled. “Since when could you open up portals!?”

Drifter’s arms were folded, as he stared into the distance, trying to ignore the gnat buzzing in his ear.

“You know? I’m really getting sick of your shit.”

“Then leave.” Drifter remarked.

“No way! I’m in too deep! I wanna know more about this Locke guy! What happened to the demon world!? What made them come to our world!? And who the fuck are you!?”

“My name’s Drifter, you twit.”

“Okay, we’re not exactly making progress with that one. What about those portals?”

“Dimensional rifts linger.”

“What?”

“Portals between worlds. Created by demons. Even after they’ve disappeared, their presence still lingers for a while. That’s how I was able to cut open a portal, because it was already there, I just reopened it.”

“Oh, so you can’t travel between worlds on command?”

“You got your answer. Now, shut up.”

Dale was left even more frustrated. “Why are you being so difficult!? If you don’t know anything, then just say so! Stop trying to hide this shit from me! I’m trying to help! I mean, how the hell are you supposed to accomplish anything if you won’t even talk to anyone!?”

“It’s not about accomplishing, it’s about preventing.”

“Preventing what!?”

“Forget it…”

Drifter went on ahead, but after being dragged to Hell and back, Dale wasn’t going to just drop everything and pretend like it never happened. He was going to confront Drifter as many times as he needed to, in the hopes of dragging the truth out of him.

He ran ahead and blocked Drifter’s path.

“For fuck’s sake…” Drifter grumbled, already exhausted by Dale’s pestering.

“Drifter… that demon said your sword led to endless fighting and destroyed their world. Any thoughts on that?”

“Not my problem.”

“Really? It’s your sword, don’t you feel the least bit responsible?”

“No.”

“Did you destroy their world?”

“No.”

“Then… aren’t you at least curious about what really actually destroyed their world?”

“No.”

“Why not? Don’t you care!?”

“No.”

“But, why!? Why are you wielding that sword? You don’t help people, you don’t seem to enjoy fighting and you can’t even be bothered to at least find out why it’s even here in the first place! If I had that sword I’d use it to save people, not bring them more misery! What the fuck are you even doing!?”

Drifter drew his sword, resting it on his shoulder. Dale braced himself, instinctively revealing his arm blade, in self-defence.

“I was wondering when you were going to show that off.” Drifter commented.

“You knew already?”

“I can sense the presence of demons, including your little knife.”

“So… are you going to fight me, now that I’m part demon?”

“You’re not a demon, stupid. You just have a demonic blade in your arm.”

“Okay… but, what if I fought you anyway?”

Drifter’s brow lowered slightly, in baffled intrigue. “Why…?”

“Because you’re an arsehole!”

“Your deduction skills are on point.”

“I’ve deduced that you're way too careless to be wielding that kind of power.”

“Careless?”

Drifter almost seemed offended by Dale’s claim. He distanced himself, pointing his sword, with Dale bracing for impact, assuming the battle had started. From what he saw at the top of the tower, Dale guessed Drifter would attack from a distance, before fighting him head on.

Dale was ready and focused. His new demon weapon had heightened his senses. They were sharp enough to react to any minute movements and his blade was sharp enough to slice through steel. He felt light footed enough to avoid anything. The whole world slowed to a crawl, no matter what Drifter did, Dale could react to it instantly.

Despite his hyper focused state, Drifter still managed to pull off a maneuver so unbelievable Dale could never have predicted it. Drifter tossed his sword in the grass, between the two of them and just left it there.

“What are you doing?” Dale questioned.

“If you think you can wield that sword better than me, then take it.” He answered casually.

“You must think I’m a right dickhead to fall for that. The second I touch that thing I’m probably going to be set on fire, or explode, or both.”

“Nope, it’s all yours.”

Utterly perplexed by Drifter’s actions, Dale slowly crept over to the sword, gently lifting it from the ground, praying it didn’t obliterate his arm on contact. As he lifted it up, he felt a rush of energy through his body. The arm blade already made him feel powerful, but this sword was in a tier of its own.

The Legendary Demon Sword's power felt so intense, it was like he could split the whole world in two with a single swipe. It was no wonder why Drifter always looked so calm and confident whenever he fought. Anyone would if they had, what felt like, the power of a god at their fingertips.

“There’s just one catch.” Drifter explained, snapping Dale out of his trance. “If you want to keep it, you’ve got to kill me, first.”

“Kill you? I don’t know, that seems a bit extreme… I just wanted to rough you up a bit.”

“Don’t be such a pussy. Without that sword I’m dead anyway. Come on, put me out of my misery.”

“What is he, suicidal? No… no, that’s not the grin of a man with a death wish. Is he baiting me? How? Without his magic, bullshit sword, what could he possibly do to me?”

Though cautious, Dale took up the sword, its energy surging through him, as he emitted a white aura. With the enhanced speed and power from both the sword and his arm blade, Dale shredded through blades of grass, as he closed the gap between them in a split second, leaping into the air.

He swung the sword down with enough force to cleave a mountain in two, but he was interrupted by a sudden, mighty force. It felt as if the whole world shook from the impact of that single swing, like he crashed into an impenetrable wall. That’s when he noticed the white aura glowing in front of him.

Even without the sword in his possession, Drifter’s power hadn’t dropped at all. With just one hand, he stopped Dale’s assault, dead, without budging an inch, completely neutralising the strike, leaving Dale to drop pitifully to the ground.

Drifter put up his other hand, his entire body radiating with energy, and without even touching Dale, unleashed a burst of strength from his fist that sent him flying, sliding on his back across the field, the sword still firmly in Drifter’s grasp.

“Now do you understand?” Drifter clarified, as he headed over to Dale. “The sword doesn’t make you invincible, especially against someone who’s already been wielding it for years.”

“But, I came at you full force. How did you stop me without even trying?” Dale asked, pulling himself up.

“If I explain, will you stop bitching at me?”

“No promises.”

“Jesus Christ… The sword slowly generates energy over time, like an engine and gently transfers that energy into the body of the wielder. The boost is pretty noticeable the first time, but once you’re over that initial high, the rest of its strength filters in more passively.

Because of that, your body never feels overwhelmed or damaged by the influx of energy. It just feels natural to you. As long as you don’t freak out and try to force out a shit ton of energy from the sword all at once, it’s mostly manageable.

As long as you only take what you need, or what your body can handle, everything should be fine. But, get reckless, or god forbid, lose control and shit goes south real fucking quick.”

“So, it’s like an infinite, demonic battery charger?”

“Sure…”

“Okay but, what the hell does CORE mean?”

“What?”

“On the sword’s handle, it says CORE.”

Drifter examined the hilt of the sword, four letters were engraved along the cross-guard that clearly read CORE. In plain English.

“There’s also that weird dent up the middle of the blade.” Dale continued. “It kinda bothers me that it’s only on one side. It’s so asymmetrical. Who designs shit like that?”

“I don’t know. I didn’t make the fucking thing.”

As expected, Drifter was either clueless, or didn’t seem to care for the details.

“I apologise for interrupting your sparring session boys, but may I have a word?”

Drifter and Dale were so caught up in their conversation, they hadn’t noticed the fashionable young lady, parking her striking red sports car on the side of the road, waltzing right up to them.

“Who are you?” Drifter bluntly asked.

“Please, forgive my sudden intrusion. My name is Reine Lajoie. Daughter of the famous musician, Bryan Lajoie, already following in his footsteps as the next big hit. You may have heard of me…”

“No.”

“O-oh… well, that’s not really important, anyway.”

Drifter and Dale were understandably confused. From nowhere, an upper class lady, sporting fashionable sunglasses, started speaking to them like they were her fellow associates, rather than two random, homeless bozos she just met on the side of the road.

“Are you… driving around in the middle of the night?” Dale questioned.

“Yes. You take issue with that?”

“Are you nuts!? Nobody goes out at night! Did you forget about the demons that could be lurking out there!?”

“As if I’d let some nasty monsters get in the way of a cool, evening drive.”

“I think it’s a little later than evening.”

“Yes, well… that’s what I came to discuss with you.”

“Whuh…?”

“I just so happened to catch a glimpse of you two fighting and I just knew you’d be perfect for the job.”

“Job?” Drifter recoiled at the idea.

“You see… I’m having a stalker problem… It’s been keeping me up at night, so I was wondering if you two could possibly act as my bodyguards for a short while? Just until we catch them.”

“I fight demons, not sexual predators.”

“But, it is a demon! Please, I know he’s still out there, watching me! I asked the police, but as soon as I mentioned the word demon they turned me away! I need help! Look, I even have proof!”

The flustered woman presented a box of chocolates as her decisive evidence.

Drifter took one of the chocolates and promptly ate it. “Ew… almonds. This guy really is sick in the head.”

“He left them on my doorstep, like some creepy weirdo.”

“What a fucking tragedy.” He mused, taking the chocolates off her hands.

“I’m telling you, it’s a demon. I saw it with my own eyes. He’s always lurking around my house with his… pointiness.”

“Sure, we’ll do it.” Dale answered.

Drifter spat out his chocolate. “You fucking what!?”

“What? Now we can earn our money, instead of stealing it.”

“I’ve got better things to do than play bodyguard.”

“Like what?”

“Finding Locke.”

“Okay, where is he then?”

“Uh-” Drifter blanked for a second. “Listen, cunt…”

He was about to reprimand Dale, for being a smarmy prick, until something grabbed his arm.

“No, stop.” Reine begged, having lifted her sunglasses, revealing her saddened, deep blue eyes. “Don’t be mad at him, I’m the one who asked. I can give you a place to stay, for as long as you need. I’m not short on cash, so you won’t be a burden, I swear.”

If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

As he looked into the eyes of the poor, distressed woman, Drifter calmed himself with a deep breath.

“Fine…“ His face turned slightly red. “You’re lucky I have a soft spot for generous, rich girls…”

“You’ll help? Oh, I feel so much more relaxed already…”

“Must be real bad if you’re relaxed with someone like me around.”

Switching from damsel to diva with the flick of her sunglasses, Reine wasted no time getting down to business. “Now then, please follow me to my car. My home is just a short drive away.”

The three hopped in the car, with Dale sitting up smart and straight and Drifter slouching in the back, picking away at his chocolates.

“Can I have one?” Dales asked, kindly.

“No.”

For the rest of the journey, Drifter didn’t speak a single word. He seemed much more interested in staring up at the sky in the open top convertible. They soon arrived at Reine’s home in the heart of Oxford, Summertown. Upon reaching the rich suburb, Reine was eager to show off her lovely abode to her new guests.

“Ta-da! Welcome to my palace!”

They entered the massive living room, adorned with bookshelves, shining polished furniture and a piano by the corner surrounded with other string instruments and stacks of CD’s. As well as a large TV with sofa and chairs covered in pillows.

“This room is practically the size of the entire homeless shelter.” Dale mocked.

“Father did like to spoil me.” Reine obliviously replied. "Please, come in. Make yourselves at home. Ooh, I know, how about I play you some music? A lovely legato, perhaps?”

“No thanks.” Drifter replied, immediately dropping onto the sofa, lying down comfortably.

“Oh… well, maybe we could do something else?”

Drifter had already taken off his scabbard and thrown his coat over himself like a blanket. "Nope. Sleeping. Had a long day.”

“I suppose it is rather late…” Reine was hoping to have a little fun with her guests, since she so rarely had any, but was left disappointed by Drifter's disinterest. However, she quickly remembered her other guest, awkwardly standing in the middle of the room.

“Well, would you like to do something?”

“What?” Dale was taken aback by her sudden request. “Well… I do have a question.”

“A question? About my moi?”

“Yeah. Why are you so trusting towards us? I mean, we’re just a couple of smelly, homeless guys. Why would you invite us into your home? We could be crazy serial killers for all you know.”

“Oh, please. Just because I wear sunglasses, doesn’t mean I’m blind. I can tell you two aren’t the crazy types, especially you… um… what was your name?”

“Dale, and that lump is Drifter.”

“Drifter…? Ooh, mysterious… But, you Dale, you have this adorable innocence about you. Like an eager little puppy, you just jumped at the chance to help me. Thank you, I really appreciate it.”

“O-oh, it was nothing.” He blushed.

“Now then, I suppose we should all get some rest.”

Dale wandered over to the piano, curious about the CD stack.

“What are all these?”

“Oh, just unpublished works.”

“They’re dusty.”

“Yes… I suppose they are. Anyway, we can discuss things further tomorrow, until then, there’s a blanket just under the stairs if you need it. With you two here, I can finally rest easy for once.”

With the lights turned off, Dale curled up on the large chair by the TV as he pondered the events that somehow led him to this moment. As soon as he stepped into her house, he thought Reine was some stuck up snob, but she was surprisingly generous, almost to the point of being naíve.

“Hey, Drifter. What just happened?”

“Go to fucking sleep.”

There wasn’t a peep from anyone until the next morning, a rare moment of peace for Drifter who was used to sleeping with one eye open in fear of being jumped at his most vulnerable. However, while the outside world was safe, for the moment, the demons locked away in his subconscious were eager to play.

A red sky, dark clouds, a burning city and the whole world shrouded by smoke rising from torched buildings. Serpents rampaged through the streets, slaughtering innocents, purely for the thrill of the kill and in the center of all the death and chaos stood Drifter, once again helpless to stop any of it. Only capable of watching, as all hell broke loose, with the sound of cackling laughter echoing throughout the night sky.

It was the same every time.

Drifter awoke the next morning, staring at the ceiling of the living room in pure terror, for a few seconds, until his brain slowly realised he was back in the real world.

“Dammit… I hate that dream…” He sat up and hobbled around the room, still half-asleep. Glancing out the window, he spotted a shady figure standing at the gate of the garden. He threw the door open immediately.

“Nahas!” He called, but the figure was already gone.

“Drifter… what are you yelling at…?” Reine asked, entering the room, in her fluffy nightgown.

“Nothing… sorry…”

“I didn’t know you could apologise.” Dale teased, only to be greeted with a pillow to the face.

Before closing the door, Drifter noticed something sitting on the welcome mat.

“Roses? Sorry, dude. I prefer chocolates.” He mindlessly threw them away in the bushes.

Reine prepared a hearty breakfast for the group with bacon and eggs. Dale was ecstatic to eat a proper meal for once and dug in. Drifter however, was uninterested and simply settled with fruit and water.

He didn’t even join them at the table, preferring to lean against the wall, staring out the window until he was finished. To Dale, it always seemed like Drifter was off in his own little world, too preoccupied with his own thoughts to bother interacting with the people around him.

“You could at least try to socialise.” Dale called.

“No thanks.”

“You know, without that big coat, you actually look normal. Well, minus the crazy long hair. I mean, that shit goes all the way down to your knees.”

Drifter ignored Dale’s comments, turning to Reine instead. “Hey, can I use your shower?”

“Oh. Of course, it’s just upstairs.” Reine answered, shocked by his politeness.

“Thank God, I can’t remember the last time I had a good shower.”

“But, don’t take too long, we have to get ready for the garden party this afternoon.”

“You want us to escort you to a garden party?”

“Well, I’m not going by myself. Not with that creepy stalker out there.”

“Whatever…” Drifter headed upstairs, leaving Dale to handle the details.

“What’s this party for?”

“Oh, it’s just a gathering at Oxford University.”

“Oxford? You mean that place rich people go to?”

“Yes… a place for rich people… to talk about… rich people things…” Reine’s enthusiasm quickly died at the mere mention of the guests.

“What do rich people talk about?”

“I don’t know…”

Not wanting to pry any further, Dale got up, only to catch a glimpse of a blur rushing past the kitchen window, suddenly followed by a loud crash.

“What the fuck was that!?” Dale yelled.

The ceiling above rumbled with loud thumping.

“Something’s in my bedroom!” Reine cried.

“I’ll go check.” Dale rushed upstairs, into the bedroom, but by the time he got there, it was already empty. Reine soon joined him, as he checked over the area.

“The fuck was that all about?” He questioned.

“It must be that creepy stalker, he's getting braver.”

“Okay, but why did he break into your room?”

“Whatever the reason, I’m sure it’s nothing good, I- AAGH!”

“What!?”

“My makeup’s gone!”

“He… stole your makeup?”

“What kind of twisted, evil monster steals a lady’s makeup!?”

“What the hell are you two screaming about?” Drifter casually asked, having stepped out of the shower, still drying his hair.

“The stalker demon stole Reine’s makeup.”

“Huh… that’s a new one…”

“It’s fine.” Reine explained. “I have backup makeup anyway.”

“Okay…”

“Wait!” Dale called. “You sensed that demon breaking into the room, right?”

“No.” Drifter laughed. “I was in the shower, stupid.”

“Shouldn’t we go find it?”

“Nah, fuck him.”

“But, what if-?”

“Hey!” Drifter interrupted. “Go take a shower, kid. Get some of that homeless smell off you.”

“But… okay…”

After cleaning themselves, Drifter and Dale relaxed in the living room, patiently waiting for Reine to get ready, while keeping their wits about them, in case the stalker returned. After about thirty minutes, Reine emerged from her room, with a red dress and her trademark sunglasses.

“Alright boys.” She announced. “First on the agenda is shopping!”

“Shopping?” Drifter questioned.

“Of course. I can’t bring you two to the garden party in those rags. We need to find you something more presentable.”

Dale couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “You mean, like, new clothes? Not second hand stuff people dump in charity shops?”

“Of course not. I’m getting you a fresh new suit.”

“I’ve never worn a suit before…” While Dale was distracted by the prospect of new clothes, Drifter remained uninterested.

“Do we have to go?”

“You’re my bodyguards, of course you do.”

“You don’t need two of us.”

“Oh please. It’s not like you have anything better to do.”

“Fine, but only because that demon might show up again.”

“Good.”

“Why are rich girls always so stubborn…?”

Reine drove the group through the city in her fancy red sports car, until they reached Westgate Shopping Centre, with the absence of a certain group of people catching Drifter’s attention.

“No police? In such a busy area?”

“Oh, there are hardly ever any demon attacks here.” Reine explained. “So, having them patrolling the street is unnecessary.”

“No attacks, but plenty of stalkers, right?”

“Yes… Well, when you see news of demon attacks so regularly you can’t help but feel a little paranoid. Hopefully with you two around any demons that do try to disturb the peace will be in for quite the rude awakening.”

They entered the bustling Shopping Centre, with Reine hurrying them along up the escalators to the clothing store. Distracted by his own excitement, Drifter snapped Dale back into reality with a smack to the back of the head.

“Keep your eyes peeled, stupid.”

“What? Taking your job seriously, now?”

“There are five demons scattered around the area.”

“Holy shit, are you serious? Already? It’s like they knew we were coming.”

“Try not to die.”

While Reine and the rest of the general public were blissfully unaware of the danger looming over them, Drifter and Dale were on high alert… until Dale was immediately distracted with the clothing store and hurried off to find his perfect outfit.

“That dumb, fucking…”

Drifter’s outburst was cut short by Reine grabbing his arm. “Oh, let him have his fun.”

“You call this fun?”

“What could be more fun than spending hours on end experimenting with new attires until you find your perfect look?”

“H-hours...?”

“Yes, come along. I’m sure I’ll find you something.” Against his will, Drifter was dragged deeper into the store, lost amidst the forest of jackets and trousers.

“What about this one?” Reine asked, pulling a random suit from the rack.

“Whatever.” Drifter responded, sitting on a cushioned seat.

“Okay… what about this one?”

“Whatever.”

“Hmm….. what about these?”

“Whatever.”

“Drifter, you’re not even paying attention!”

“Sure I am.”

“So, you’re fine with wearing this frilly white dress?”

“I’m pretty confident in my sexuality.”

“If you’re going to be this difficult, then you find something.”

“Fine.”

Drifter got up and yanked a random suit from the rack. “Here.”

“You sure you want this one?”

“Oh, God. What’s wrong with it?”

“Nothing, but there are so many others to choose from. Don’t you want to way up your options a little?”

“It all looks the same to me.”

“Ugh… fine.” Reine pouted.

“Fine.” Drifter folded his arms.

Breaking their awkward tension, Dale returned, carrying a variety of clothing. “Okay, so… I wasn’t sure whether to go with this long sleeved shirt, or this shorter one, but I also wasn’t sure which shade of black looked best on these trousers, oh, I also have a bunch of jackets I want to try on. Um, Reine. Do you think you could help me figure out which of these looks the best?”

Reine giggled to herself. “Oh, of course. Come over to the changing room and we’ll figure this out together. Coming Drifter?”

“No.” He replied, immediately planting his butt back on his seat. The two left, leaving Drifter to his own thoughts.

“Damn, now I've lost track of those demons… I can sense them gathering near the entrance. I guess they’re ready to make their move. Well, four of them at least… where the hell did the fifth one go?”

Four creatures brazenly waltzed in from the entrance of the shopping centre. Although they varied in height, they were generally tall, muscular creatures, with long thin spines protruding from their heads and limbs like hair. All of them were a slightly different shade of green.

With the monster's sudden appearance, the people weren’t sure how to react. Some stood still in fear while others ran for cover in the stores. Either way, their mere presence cleared the area of all obstacles. The darkest skinned demon was clearly the leader, having a more imposing build than the others, addressing his lighter skinned underlings with a tone of superiority.

“Spinal! Are you certain this was where you spotted them?”

“Y-yes, Tuffnail.” The palest demon answered. “They’re with the woman…”

“I guess you’re not so worthless after all. Hubbs, Smalls.” He ordered his remaining followers. Hubbs being their tallest and skinniest, with Smalls being the opposite, short and stout.

“While we gather up hostages here, you two lure out the Demon Sword, by any means necessary.”

“But, what about the woman that’s with them?”

“Who cares? Stop pretending these humans are our equals, Spinal, or I’ll have to kill you out of sheer embarrassment.”

The demons quickly headed up the escalators. In a cocky display of strength, Smalls barged through the windows of the store, terrifying the customers and employees, as they all hid in the back.

“Look at ‘em run.” Smalls chuckled, satisfied with the mess he made.

“Yes, very subtle, Smalls… you’re just lucky you didn’t give away Tap’s position.” Hubbs berated.

“Oi! At least we’re out doing the real work, instead of hiding!”

“Shut up, Smalls! Before that mouth of yours gets you killed.”

“Not bloody likely. You saw how those humans scuttled away into the back, like bugs.”

“Then why don’t you put it to good use and tell me which of those humans has the Demon Sword.”

Smalls looked at the back of the store. “I can’t! They’ve all huddled together!”

“Yes, very good, Smalls. You used your brain for once.”

“Aw well, guess we’ll just kill ‘em all! I'm sure we’ll find the sword buried somewhere, underneath all the bodies!”

“I suppose we’ll have to now, won’t we?”

“Oh, come on. The killing is the fun part.”

“Wait! Shut up, you fool! Something’s coming.”

“Eh?”

Drifter pushed through the crowd of people, emerging from the forest of clothing, wearing the blade they had been searching for. Smalls sauntered over to the human, amused by his courageousness.

“You’ve got pretty big balls for a tiny human. Now, be a dear and hand over that sword.”

“No.”

“What?” Smalls laughed loudly. “Hey, Hubbs! Get a load of this! This human thinks he’s hard!”

He leaned in, getting closer to Drifter. “I bet you think you’re real tough, don’t you?”

“Does your breath always smell this bad or did you recently acquire a taste for eating shit?”

“That’s a smart mouth for such a dumb monkey brain. Tell you what? Since humans are such weak little fellas, I’ll give you the chance to leave unharmed. Just hand over that sword without any fuss.”

“I’ll give you one last chance to go back to hell, before I send you there myself.”

The monster placed his large, foul hand on Drifter’s shoulder, squeezing tightly, to really get his point across.

“Listen to me, you worthless ape! That sword belongs with a demon, not some frail, entitled, weak little human! Now, hand it over and I might kill you quickly!”

Drifter's hand glowed with a white aura, as he gripped onto Smalls’ arm and without even flinching, tore it clean off with one thrust, ripping it right from the shoulder. The demon’s gaping wound spewed blood, as Smalls was completely stricken by dizzying pain.

“Sorry, could you repeat that? I can’t hear you over all the noise.” Drifter asked.

“My arm!? What did you do to my arm!?”

“I tore it off. Need another demonstration?”

“But, you’re human! Humans are supposed to be weak! They’re just…. lowly humans!”

Smalls fell to his knees, as Drifter ruthlessly kicked him onto his back. Once the monster lifted his head, he was greeted by Drifter’s open palm, already aglow with intense energy.

“Next you’ll say: ‘Please don’t kill me’.”

“Wha-? Please don’t ki-”

Before he could finish Drifter fired a small orb of searing energy into Smalls’ mouth, which rapidly expanded until Smalls' jaw could no longer contain it. The orb exploded, obliterating the demon’s head, splattering viscera over the floor, leaving the lifeless body behind. Drifter looked over at the remaining demon, completely unfazed by the gory display. Watching someone’s head pop like a balloon was nothing to him.

“You next?”