Jake stared dumbly at the two crispy corpses sizzling in front of him as the fire from his ‘Hot Run’ petered out on his fur. Even though they were all burnt up, they looked… human.
What’s worse, he couldn’t explain why, but the initial remorse he felt was replaced by an insatiable hunger, a desperate need to:
Consume!
Consume!
Consume!
The bold text was really just a manifestation of his desire. But the human side of him – however much was left – told him what he just did was terrible, and what he wanted to do was wrong.
“Sys, or whoever you are sending me here, don’t you know I’m not a killer? I’m just a schemer. A guy down on his luck.”
The goat stared up at the sky, and then huffed when the hunger took over again.
Well, I am hungry…
I guess they’re dead already. What more harm can I do?
Consume away…
He mentally activated the skill, which he instantly regretted.
“Baah!”
Crunching sounds rang in his ears as black tendrils burst from his body and latched around the two corpses like a spider spinning its prey within a web.
Jake tried to run away out of fear of what he had become – jerking his head up and down in an attempt to break free. Too late. The process had already started.
More tendrils jutted out of him, making him finally understand why the bold text said ‘Demon Spawn’ earlier, as the corpses slowly dragged toward him. He smelled their burnt flesh, his mouth salivating at the prospect of ingesting it, again thinking of food back in the old days – a meatball parmesan hero. The sound of bones cracking within the tendrils’ hardening grasp made Jake want to puke, but still, he wanted nothing more than to eat.
The tendrils stopped pulling the remains of the two farmers right in front of Jake, where their black slimy skin bulged as they absorbed the contents of them, empowering Jake, sating him.
+4 MJ for major consumption
+4 MJ for major consumption
He was being incentivized to stray away from garbage and consume living things, prompting the Lion King Circle of Life song to begin blaring in his head. He wondered if some sick god flicked that switch, or whether it was his own ridiculous mind.
Demon Spawn – Level 2 achieved
Placement in competition – [2,336,023/2,336,035]
New trait accessible: Storage [2 slots available]
Locked Trait: Horn Growth
Note: The Demon’s horns will grow permanently upon crossing thresholds of Consumed lifeforms.
Note: Horns enhance a Demon’s transformations.
Note: This trait becomes unlocked at Level 4.
Jake’s ears began to sting as soon as he considered the idea of storage, which didn’t make any sense to him. But more importantly, he just murdered and consumed two innocent people… and they tasted good.
Fuck! There are over two million murderers running around this place?
I want nothing to do with it.
Competition for Demon Lord successor accelerated.
Cataclysmic prevention protocol live.
Reward system for advancement initiated:
Advance 100,000 in placement – gain
Eye of the Cinder [-20 MJ]: Burn enemy airborne Demons by focusing on them for five seconds
No. No! No more! He began galloping into the sea of garbage, already feeling shamefully more comfortable in his new body since hitting level two. Shit! I’m a killer goat!
This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.
Somebody put me out my misery!
Somebody!
“Baaaah!” he bleated for no one to hear, kicking up stray debris in frustration.
Now he was scared to even come into contact with any more people, wondering if his vision would turn infrared and jumble his thoughts again. He didn’t want to be a murderous goat.
He just wanted his old body back so he could live a normal scheming life.
Damn it, Artie. Was it that big of a deal that I robbed you? Did you really have to throw me off a twenty story roof because of it?
Nah, I know. It was the daughter thing.
No one’s good enough for the Don’s daughter. He head-butted another can into the debris.
Oof. This sucks. He turned to the farmers’ remains a little ways out – which was now just two Rorschach inkblots since his tendrils ate even their bones. Sorry for killing you guys. I didn’t mean it. Honest.
He then spun to stare at the ominous barn spewing neon green gas up through its cracks like an overflowing witch’s cauldron. Up close it was that much more daunting – decrepit walls peeling to reveal blackened moss in place of the wood.
He squinted to look closer.
No… not moss. Bugs. They were moving, feasting on something, which made Jake realize maybe the roof that appeared to be lathered with slick tar wasn’t tar at all. He inspected the edges dripping down like blood.
Yuck. I like my barn better.
Wait, is it even my barn?
His ears suddenly prickled at a sound in the distance – like someone had just stepped on an aluminum can on the other side of the barn.
“Baah?”
Jake stalked quietly forward, trying not to make any noise under-hoof. Maybe it was just a cowering farmer who witnessed his horribly evil act of eating humans. Or maybe it was a snake slithering under the debris.
Crnnch.
Another sound made Jake stop in his tracks. His eyes caught movement, which made his breath catch in his chest. What was that? He moved a little bit faster to get a better glimpse around the barn, until he caught sight of a grey-furred goat peeking its head from the far wall.
Oh my god, finally. A like-kind creature.
Jake started galloping happily.
“Baaaah!” He hoped his thought of ‘let’s be friends’ translated through his bleat.
The closer he got the more he realized how stoic the other goat appeared. It had one horn wrapped tightly around its neck like a choker, and narrowed red eyes that seemed unendingly suspicious. What’s worse, it slowly backed away, as if trying to lure Jake into an alleyway.
Hm. He slowed his excited gallop down to a tentative walk. What if that guy has snake-consumer-things like I do? I really don’t feel like being eaten. Twice dead in a day? No thanks.
Let’s see:
Manic Juice [8/10]
Alright, I can jump around and make Batwings again if I have to and fly the hell out of here, Hot Run in the other direction. Or… I can dive into that suspicious little goat’s head and find out what the hell is going on around here.
He shut his eyes tight and concentrated really hard on spending the stored up MJ to read the other goat’s mind.
But nothing happened. So he squeezed harder.
Mmm!
His eyes bulged when something flew out of his ass. He looked back in embarrassment to see remnants of human bone sizzling over the rest of the garbage.
Territory Marked. You have indicated your willingness to take over another Demon’s home.
What! No!
“Baah!” He bleated his apology, and slowly rounded the barn to find the other goat again.
As soon as the grey goat came into view once more, Jake’s head prickled with heat. He knew he could read his mind now just by thinking it – so he figured his target had to be in his sight in order to utilize this skill.
Okay. Let me in!
Jake’s eyes suddenly rolled to the back of his head.
Dong. A deep bell rang inside him, followed by bold text in an otherwise blank canvas.
William von Smooz
Level 8 Serpent Tamer
Racial Archetype: Goat
Placement in competition – [2,165,099/2,366,035]
“I will lure this newcomer into my apothecary and ingest him slowly. Rip him limb from limb and absorb whatever unique ability is simmering inside him. Demon Spawn. Hah. He must’ve just arrived yesterday. Poor prick. I am a lucky Demon. So very lucky.”
Jake shook his head as his vision returned, seeing only his remaining MJ fading from his sight:
Manic Juice [3/10]
Okay, then. I guess he’s intelligent like I am. Wonder if he was a human first too? Either way, I can confidently say fuck this and Batwing the hell out of here.
He forced his little legs to hop, but as soon as he touched the floor again, his hooves were instantly wrapped by grey tendrils. The grey headless snakes slithered slowly now that they were latched on, toying with their prey.
“Baah!”
William strutted out from his hiding spot, a devilish smile forming under his suspicious eyes. “Do you know how hard I worked to lure farmers into my abode?” His voice was deep and demonic, and not a bleat.
Jake was so curious at the other goat’s ability to talk that he almost forgot about the tightening tendrils around his limbs. Almost.
Okay Jakey boy. Time to go to work.
The gods didn’t pick us to be a scheming Demon for nothing.
He activated Hot Run, turning his hooves molten orange and his body bursting with flames.
The tendrils screeched and let go immediately, freeing Jake to gallop in the other direction. He kicked up garbage on every stride, dipping his head to chomp down on the first appetizing can he saw – wondering for a moment if this was William’s shit he was eating.
No matter.
Consume!
Consume!
Consume!
In a flash he was back up to nine MJ, enough to read William’s mind again, or Hot Run halfway around the world. But who was he kidding? His fastest way out of sight was the sky. He needed to Batwing out, now.
Once the Hot Run slowed and fire on his fur petered out, he immediately began hopping to escape, feeling a surge of joy that the tendrils under-hoof didn’t stop him this time.
I’m going to make it.
I’m going to make it.
In a happy splash of blood, two veiny black-clawed wings jutted from his back and gave him three momentous flaps this time, sending him soaring. One look back showed William eerily smirking, as if he was just toying with him.
“I hope you enjoy my Imminent Domain.” William hooted, his voice carrying easily through the entire space.
And when Jake looked forward again, his heart skipped a beat. Black fire suddenly rose to the sky in a circumference around William’s evil barn – fire that Jake could already feel the blazing temperatures of.
It walled him in.
If he flew through it, he’d be burnt to a skeleton, just like the two poor farmers he’d consumed.
Shit. Shit. Shit.
He concentrated intensely to control the Batwings once more, to flap hard in the other direction.
Woosh.
It worked. He was getting the hang of it.
Woosh. One more flap leveled his fall to a manageable crunch, sending garbage flying in every direction.
Ugh.
He looked up, somewhat dazed. The sky blackened from the dark fire’s rising smoke, creating a hazy face with red eyes that echoed William’s. What’s worse, tendrils began to rear up from the debris, dancing in place, tilting toward Jake, all while William strutted closer to him with that eerie smile.
Jake backed up slowly, his heart pounding in his thick throat, feeling surrounded and defeated… just like he felt when Mikey caught up to him back in that alley.
I’m in hell.