It started as a quiet, pathetic guffaw. A small, almost insignificant noise, barely heard over the thunder of Devil boots and the cries of panicked Devils around Cobalt. He knelt there on the floor, staring into the middle-distance as he tightly gripped the bloody horn in his hands. He was slicked in red; some of it his own, most of it belonging to the corpse of the man before him. His father.

He laughed again, louder this time. His mouth contorted as he let the spike of iron to fall to the ground, his eyes watering uncontrollably. There was something stirring in his chest; his intestines churning and writhing like a nest of snakes. He could hear voices calling attention to him, but he ignored their pointed voices.

On and on, Cobalt laughed all the louder, until his eyes were streaming and froth was flying from his lips. Blood-slicked claws raked at his face as he howled, scoring his flesh as his throat nearly split apart. The hollow emptiness in his head rang painfully. He couldn't think. Couldn't feel. Couldn't even breathe. All the Incubus could do was laugh until he toppled over onto his side.

He could see them, oh so clearly. Budding roses, blooming all around him. They were so, so beautiful.

Coarse fabric. Tight chains. A collar clasped around his throat.

And a voice.

"Cobalt..."

A cat. Black, like coal dust. It was staring into his fractured, twitching eyes.

"... just know that no matter what happens, you gave it your all. No-one can fault you for that."

Its words struck and bounced right off him, ineffectual in intent and effect. Cobalt wasn't listening. He couldn't even comprehend what was being said to him. Rather, all he could focus on was the burrowing pain deep down. The cold, gnawing emptiness. Something was missing.

"You did your best. Held out longer than anyone expected. It's something to be proud of."

Gasping, Cobalt began to drag himself over to the dead body on the ground before him. He could smell it so strongly; a corpse awash in fresh blood, feeding the roses that bloomed around it like a crimson garden.

"I told you things would get worse before they got better. I'm afraid that this..."

The Incubus bore his claws.

"... this is as bad as they could have possibly gotten."

He plunged his hands deep into the gaping hole in the body's chest. The ribs cracked and split apart as his fingers delved through warm, wet flesh, wrapping around a fleshy lump entangled by rubbery cords. Growling, Cobalt tore it free, ripping the heart right out of the corpse. It was heavier than he thought; spilling blood from torn vessels as he held it before him, staining his skin red.

It smelled... like nothing he had ever witnessed before.

Nothing else mattered. Not the screaming, not the roses, not the cat. Not the flashes of broken chains and unbound doorways, of broken tiles and blank pages, of the prison within his own mind.

He didn't care.

Cobalt simply didn't care.

Turning his back upon the world around and within him, the Incubus opened his maw wide and began to messily tear into the heart, seeking to devour it whole.

His teeth carved through flesh with reckless abandon, spilling hot blood down his front with every bite he took. Chewing through desperate gasps for air, he swallowed too much too quickly, his throat painfully bulging in his mad struggle to make it all fit. With each chunk swallowed, he could feel something beginning to spark in his stomach.

Then smoulder.

Then burn.

In the very pit of Cobalt's stomach, a black, hateful flame roared to life, igniting his very bones with heat enough to freeze him solid. His veins glowed crimson through his blood-soaked skin, and his scars gleamed with blinding intensity. With the last of the heart swallowed, the Incubus roared and turned his gaze towards the ceiling, drawing all eyes to him.

"What the fuck is he doing?! Kill him already!" a powerful voice boomed, though not even it could drown out the Incubus' feral screams.

He slammed his fists to the floor, shattering the stone. Every tiny, miniscule cell of his body was alight with maddened ferocity, to the point where he was blurred with motion. His muscles coiled around his thickening bones, folding in on themselves as they tightened and stretches. His teeth quivered in his mouth, aching in tandem with his pitifully empty throat. His skull - so blissfully empty - was filled with frenzied instinct; a thousand half-formed strategies, each leading to the same conclusion;

Satiation.

There was movement all around him, but his vision was too blurry to make them out. His nose, however... it told him tales of flesh and bone, still moving all around him. The smell made him delirious, conjuring an unstoppable river of saliva that spilled from the corners of his mouth and onto the cracked floor.

Something struck his shoulder. Dull pain spread from the source of impact, drawing Cobalt's frenzied gaze to the crossbow bolt jutting from his flesh. Another hit him in the arm. Then another. And another. As a hail of bolts peppered the Incubus' body, he found himself growing angry. The furnace fueled his rage, sending sparks of pain throughout his body.

He... was under attack?

No. That wouldn't do.

Gripping his fists tight, he slammed them against the floor again. The pins and needles coursing through his flesh intensified as thick spikes of bone began to pierce through every inch of his body, shredding what remained of his clothes as they extended and coiled around him. As the bolts rattled off the protective shell of bone, the voices outside intensified. Panic. He could taste it in the air.

"What is he doing?!"

"I- I've never seen them do that before!"

"Be ready for anything!"

Flesh writhed, bone creaked, plates formed and shifted as the heat began to rise from within Cobalt's personal fortress of impenetrable barbs. The blue of his skin gave way to bloodstained white, and as crimson steam hissed from the gaps in the shell, he could feel a vast well of scorching energy building up within him. Hotter than the sun, colder than the vacuum of space; a paradoxical flame of hunger and hate and ferality. It grew and swelled, until the light shining from his veins was enough to almost blind him.

"GRYEEEEEAAAAARGH~!"

In an almighty surge of carnimantic might, Cobalt burst free from his cocoon as something altogether different to the weakling he once was.

Every inch of his body was clad in thick, bloodstained bone, like a suit of armour borne from his very flesh. He clashed his claws together as his tail thrashed against the floor, laden with razor-sharp teeth like a barbed whip. Yet more fangs lined his forearms, culminating with the blades extending from his elbows. He took a step forward, his feet clacking against the floor as he took a deep breath. The casing of bony plates encasing his head split open like a jagged beartrap, exposing his reddened maw as he expelled superheated smog from between his teeth.

"S- Sweet Hellfire..." he heard someone breathe.

He didn't know where he was, only that it was beautiful. A grand circular chamber, filled with countless blooming roses and tangled thorny vines. The ground underfoot was wet with a river of red, and petals hung in the air all around him. He reached out for one, his claws slicing clean through it as it fluttered to the ground.

Footsteps to his left. Quick. Charging. Stinking of terrified sweat and adrenaline. Salty, bitter meat drawing closer, tinged by the stench of metal.

Cobalt darted back just as a soldier charged through the mist; an iron-clad Devil aiming a spear right at him. Growling, he gripped the metal haft and ripped it from his grasp, before locking his bony gauntlets tight and thrusting it clean through the soldier's chest. He screamed in pain as the Incubus lifted him above his head, impaling him further as a deluge of blood rained down upon him. Cackling, he opened his mouth wide, the corners splitting in an effort to catch as much as possible.

Every drop was ambrosia.

When the source ran dry, he unceremoniously slammed it into the floor, crushing metal and bone alike. Another Devil charged from behind, but the tip of his spear shattered against Cobalt's back plates. Hissing spitefully, he lashed his tail before he could recover, splitting the Devil's stomach and spilling his insides onto the floor. The stench of gore filled his nostrils, causing his armoured plates to rattle with anticipation.

This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.

"Open fire! Open fire now!"

Countless iron bolts harmlessly struck his bony carapace, the sound of their ineffectual attacks irritating him more than the assault itself. Grappling the eviscerated Devil, Cobalt hurled his corpse across the chamber, disrupting his assailants enough to give him a second of reprieve. He dug his heels into the blood-soaked ground, launching himself forward on all fours. As he skittered through the roses, a group of Devils drew their axes and tried to take him out, but their movements were predictable. Flimsy. Pathetic.

He shattered the leg of the first bit a chunk out of his throat. Bitter and stringy.

He gouged the eyes of the second and devoured his entire left hand. Crunchy and muted.

He cracked the ribcage of the third and pulled his lungs out, swallowing one whole before anyone could react. Strangely sweet.

Every chunk of meat and shred of offal he consumed added fuel to the inferno in Cobalt's stomach, spreading the heat throughout his entire body and intensifying his frenzy tenfold. The Devils threw themselves upon the pyre that the Incubus had become, and he tore them to shreds in a whirlwind of blood and teeth.

As he plunged his claws into back of a soldier and ripped him clean open, Cobalt stared in amazement at the cascade of rose petals spewing from his wounds. It was a thing of beauty.

"M- My lord, the hostages!" a voice cried to his left.

"Keep them subdued, you fool!"

"We don't have enough men to- AGH!" the Devil shrieked as the Incubus barreled into him.

Slamming him against a wall, he grabbed a hold of his arms and planted his foot upon his back, pulling and pulling until cartilage tore and flesh split. His heart was hammering too fast to track, and the thought of indulging himself was kicking his thoughts into overdrive.

So much meat. He had starved for so long. But he had to shut them all up first. Then... Then he could finally feast.

Dropping the maimed Devil, the Incubus spun around just in time to catch an iron bolt right of the air. With an infuriated growl, he launched himself back into the fray, claws splayed wide and tail cracking like a whip.

Ankle-deep in red and surrounded by crimson petals, Cobalt danced amidst hardened steel and terrified Devils, weaving between weapons as he slashed, broke and devoured. Arms, legs, heads, wings, tails, teeth, eyes... all rendered down to nothing; just gore beneath his feet. He turned their weapons against them, shattered their jaws, pierced them upon their own shattered bones. The crueler the violence, the more intoxicating the reward.

It was bliss.

Sheer, unadulterated bliss.

But quickly - too quickly - the dance ended as the chorus of screams died away to nothing. Cobalt was left stand, gasping, drenched and alone. The Devils... they were gone. Dead. Devoured. And yet he still wasn't full.

No. No, not all of them. The scent of Devil still lingered in the air. There was one just ahead, atop a stepped platform. Standing. Staring. Observing.

But Cobalt could smell the stench of a terrified man's sweat.

He would be his target. His prey.

Something struck him from behind. And this time, it breached his armour. A dull pain in his back, punctuated by an electrical sting. Gritting his teeth, he reached behind him and pulled the offending obtrusion free.

A spear. Made from cold and crackling with lightning. It disappeared into a miasma of yellow smoke as a second spear was stabbed through his back. Baring his teeth, Cobalt ripped it out and turned around, snatching it out of the air. Roaring in irritation, his fractured gaze locked onto who had just attacked him.

A Nymph stood defiantly, gasping for breath as she dispelled the spear she had just thrown and summoned another one in a burst of electric magic. She was shaking, terrified, but held her ground. The bright blue tones of her hair hurt his eyes, and the smell of ozone was overly distracting. But something about her smell was familiar, enough to trigger a deluge of salivation.

"Cobalt! Stop, please!" she cried, holding her weapon out defensively.

He glanced down. The Nymph was missing a hand, weakening her grip.

"Whitney, don't!" someone else cried, but the Incubus had already lunged forth.

Raising his foot, Cobalt stamped hard upon the spear's tip, easily knocking her flimsy defence aside as he closed the distance. Booting her in the chest, he grabbed her plastic wrist and crushed it in an instant, completely shattering her prosthetic. Disarmed in both senses, she could do little to defend herself as the Incubus grabbed her throat and pinned her against an iron pillar. His helmet split open to reveal his mouth, but as her scent tingled his tongue, he found his breath catching in his throat.

He... He had tasted this one before, hadn't he? But where...? He could just about remember it, but when he tried to think back, all his mind could conjure were thoughts of anticipation; demands to cease thinking and start eating. Frustrated by his empty mind, he turned to the Nymph's face, struggling to glean it for anything resembling familiarity.

"... P- Please, sir. Stop...!" she choked, tears running down her face.

Why was she crying...?

No. It didn't matter. Salted or no, meat was meat.

Before he could began to tear into her, however, something tight and oily coiled around his chest. Glancing down, he saw a lattice of inky shadows criss-crossing his body. Eyes widened, he was suddenly wrenched backwards, torn away from his prey and thrown to bloodied floor. As he tried to recover, he felt vibrations through the floor. Heavy footsteps, approaching him. The smell of cinnamon and alcohol, mixed with clotted blood. Rage made manifest.

"YOU MOTHERFUCKER!"

Opening his mouth wide, Cobalt bit down hard right as the searing blade of an axe was swung right at his head. He caught it between his jaws, cracking both the metal as well as some of his teeth. Screeching through a mouthful of burning bronze, he hauled himself to his feet and faced his assailant, crouching down with his back raised.

This time, an Oni, brimming with fiery rage. She clutched a labrys in her hands, and her red air was soaked with blood. Head wound. She was off-balance.

"So this is how it fucking ends, huh?! Is it?!" she barked in a harsh, overpowering voice.

Cobalt spat a glob of hissing saliva to the floor, desperate to wash the taste of metal from his mouth.

"Say somethin'! Come on!"

She was big. Musclebound. A veritable feast of flesh and blood.

"Fine. Fine! You want to lose your shit, then I'll fuckin' join you!"

The Oni surged forward, swinging her axe in a swathe of fire and flames. He ducked beneath the strike, clashing his elbow blades off her weapon as he rolled back to his feet, ready to rip her to shreds. They clashed again and again, filling the rose-covered chamber with the sound of ringing metal. Breaking through her furious defences, he spat a deluge of scalding blood and broken teeth into the Oni's face, causing her to scream and stagger back.

As a fresh array of teeth pierced through his gums, he took advantage of the opening and slashed with all of his might.

"AAAAAGH~!"

His extended claw cut through skin and cartilage, gouging effortlessly through the bridge of her nose. Hot, spicy blood sprayed down her face, buckling the mighty demon to the floor as she writhed in agony, screaming all the while. Licking his armoured finger, Cobalt approached her, doubt growing in his mind once again.

This one too... Why so familiar?

"S- Stop it, stop it!"

Someone planted herself in front of her wounded comrade. A Glutton. Small, but plump. A thick tail quivering with fear. She held her arms out protectively, even though she stank of terror and cowardice, like sugar, salt and urine.

"Stop it, stop it, stop it, stop it...!" the green demon babble, eyes clamped shut as she hyperventilated.

She opened them; two big, wet pools, almond on colour.

"This isn't you!" the Glutton pleaded.

Cobalt stopped moving. But why? She wasn't even trying to defend herself. She was just begging to be-

Something hit the back of his head.

Ah. Of course.

A distraction.

No matter.

Slashing another projectile out of the air with his tail, he wheeled around, deigning to finish those two demons off later. Up ahead, a Fallen stood clutching an armful of broken bricks, her eyes gleaming green in the darkness. Even as the Incubus stooped low and sprinted forth, scraping his claws along the ground, she didn't flinch. She just stared, one brick raised and ready to let fly.

There was an intent behind her stare, one that threw his gait off. Again...

Too distracted by the emerald gaze burning into him, Cobalt only noticed the pounding footsteps to his left right as a mighty shield was bashed into the side of his body, completely bowling him off his feet. Gunshots rang out around him as he skidded to a halt, striking his armor and chipping pieces of bone off.

"Grab him before he runs! Pin him!" an accented voice cried as he hauled himself to his feet.

A pair of stone-clad arms grappled him from behind, pinning the Incubus's arms back against the armoured body of a Golem. As she held his struggling form in place, she leaned in and whispered something in his ear.

"Coh eprut tse. Ivatigoc musrevid se," she hissed.

Her words meant nothing. Cobalt focused on trying to break free, but her grip was strong enough to crack his ribs. Before him, he saw an Imp emerge from the red mist, levelling a revolver at him. Dressed in leathers and a cap. Small and wiry. Barely a morsel.

She looked familiar. This earthy scent, too... Where? Where, where, where...?

"Hold him still...!" she growled, cocking the hammer.

She fanned it hard, firing six rounds right into the plates on his chest. Cobalt shrieked and kicked his legs, but the Golem wouldn't relent.

"Yeah, keep struggling, see where it gets you," the Imp spat, reloading her weapon.

The fire flared, allowing him to rip his arm free from his captor's grasp. Twisting around, the Incubus ripped his claws through the side of her head, shredding her ear apart and splattering her stone armour red. With her hold weakened, he wrested himself free and grappled the Golem around the midsection, drawing upon every shred of strength the fire within granted him.

With that strength, he lifted her clean over his head and hurled her at the Imp, pinning her beneath the stone demons overbearing weight.

He looked around frantically, desperately searching for any more assailants. But through the murk and the mist of the red rose garden, Cobalt stood alone.

"Is this your final stand, cur? Succumbing to the madness before devouring friend and foe? It's pathetic." boomed that damnable, powerful voice.

He turned to face the central platform, and the murky figure posed atop it.

Of course. How could he forget? There was one prize that stood above all. He could smell it int he air.

The flesh of a god was within reach.

Licking his lips behind his protective shell of bone, Cobalt began the long march to the top of the platform. He took his time; there was nowhere for his prey to run. Nowhere he couldn't hunt him down. Satiation was so tenuously close.

"This game has gone on long enough. Enough pomp and ceremony; I'll break your neck with my bare hands."

Reaching the top of the platform, the Incubus stared down the Devil before him. Tall. Imposing. Dressed to the nines. Ready and willing to kill. A perfect meal.

"KNEEL," he demanded, extending a finger.

Cobalt's leg buckled, but he did not fall.

"Incubus or not, I will not have you threaten our future. I will not have you deny what is owed to us. KNEEL."

This time he didn't flinch at all. Baring his teeth, the Devil clenched his fists.

"I am Lucifer. The Overseer of Creation. I made you and all you are, and I demand you KNEEL!"

Cobalt extended his claws, clashing them together as he took a step closer to the Devil. Furrowing his brow, Lucifer just raised his fists, incanting ferromantic magic as a set of iron gauntlets formed over them.

"... Enough of this. If you won't kneel, then I will fucking make you!"

He lunged forth, ready to break the Incubus beneath his heel.

And Cobalt met him in kind, fully intending to dine upon a god.