Devourer

I snapped out of my daze and pulled myself together just as that giant monster lunged at me, leaping out of the way at the last second.

I turned around quickly, still on the grass, to face the monster, only to find that it had regained its stance and was already facing me again, preparing to pounce on me once more. I remember in a kid’s picture book that contained animal facts that white rhinos were over 1.8 metres tall. Its size was probably around the same as a white rhino, but it looked more like a feral wolf with its thick, light gray fur, staring into me with its primal, yellow, stalking eyes.

“Attack!” Matrius bellowed, charging at the creature. Leading the charge, everyone followed his action as they all descended onto the creature.

The devourer’s attention broke away from me, going on the offensive at the charging mob.

Reaching the monster first, Matrius swings his sword downwards with both hands. The monster shifted to the side and swatted Matrius with its body, knocking him away to the ground, groaning.

One guy tried to stab the monster with a spear. It didn’t pierce its thick fur. In one instance, the beast with its large mandible clamped down on the man, ripping everything above his hips clean off.

It was a gruesome sight. In all my years, through the good, bad, and ugly, I’ve never seen something as hideous and gruesome as this happening one after another as man after man tried to bring it down, only to be either sent flying or cleaved in half by the monster’s mouth.

“What the hell is that thing?!” I screamed, still on the ground, facing the carnage unfolding in front of me.

“Did you lose your mind instead of your soul? It’s the alpha devourer.” Dieter shouted. “Now, quick! get up and find a weapon unless you want to die for real this time!”

Dieter charged in, joining the others in attacking the devourer. He picks up a short spear and uses it as a javelin, hurling it at the big monster’s side. As one would expect after seeing the previous guy who tried to stab it, the spear would fail to pierce the fur.

The devourer was rampaging. “We’re barely doing any damage!” A bald, bearded, muscular guy holding a two-handed sword shouted.

“We can’t keep going on at it like this,” Haephir yelled to Matrius. “We’re going to need a stronger force of impact to even pierce its fur!”

Matrius was on the ground, holding his side. By the look of it, he had broken some of his ribs. “Just keep it busy for now, don’t get too close!”

“Target its eyes!” Dieter shouted, another spear in hand. He threw it at the devourer, aiming for its eye, though he missed as the devourer evaded the oncoming flurry of spears from the men following Dieter’s lead.

As everyone was sprawling in the area, I spun around looking for something I could use as a weapon. A glimmer on the grassy ground caught my attention. As the battle raged on, I ran towards the object. No longer obscured by the grass, I could identify what the object was: it was a sword. Not only that, I also figured out why it was there; I just didn’t know who it was that held on to the sword.

It was a young man, maybe around twenty-four to twenty-six years old, staring at me with eyes whose life had been snuffed out. His face exhibited a frozen shock, as if he couldn’t believe what had happened to him.

I wished that I could say that the sight of the carcass didn’t bother me, but I wasn’t some inhumane monster. I was a hardened criminal who, in the end, was starting to get soft. You spend years in the business, and it prepares you to see the sight of dead bodies done in ways that you wouldn’t have expected. You get used to the same flavour after eating the same thing for years, but when even one new flavour is added, you are still surprised. I may have seen my fair share of corpses, some done in by me, but this was the first time I saw a monster ripping men in half and tearing them to pieces.

I snapped out of my thoughts and pulled his grip off the sword and grabbed the blade’s hilt. I turned to face the devourer. “Alright. You got this, Riku,” I told myself under my breath, “That beast’s just some overgrown wolf. Even though I’ve never hunted before —” I eyed the monster as it dodged more spears and arrows from archers. “— There’s always a first time in a new life.”

I ran into the fray, joining the rest of the soldiers in fighting off the devourer. As the devourer got its bearings again, it lunged at one soldier and swiftly bit a chunk of his torso off. Then it moved to an archer who tried to run away, but its deep claw lacerated his back, and he collapsed on the grass.

Seeing it turned away from me, I quickly seized the opportunity to stab it from behind. Then its tail stood up like a snake. It was pointy and sharp, like a bird’s talon or a sickle. It quickly shot like a bullet towards me.

There was no way I could’ve blocked it. But I felt as if I could.

Dieter pushed me out of the way, saving me from the tail’s piercing stab. “Focus, Aelius! You're trying to get your soul stolen twice?”

“My soul? What are you talking about?”

“What? Have you lost your memories or something?”

“If I said yes, will you tell me what’s going on?”

“Shit, you actually have. Alright, we’ll discuss this later. For now, focus and avoid getting grazed by that tail, whatever you do!”

I took a knee on the ground. I needed to find a blind spot. Somewhere, it can’t hit me with its arms or tail. I needed to target something soft or generate enough force to stab through its thick skin.

I got it!

I quickly gripped the sword tightly and ran to the man who looked like he was a bodybuilder. “Hey, what’s your name?”

“What, you lost your memory? Now’s not the time for jokes!” He shouted.

“You know what? It doesn’t matter. Okay, big guy, I need you to back me up. I’ve got a plan.”

“The hell are you on about?!” He shouted.

I didn’t give him any time to ponder what I said, however. I quickly charged in, challenging the devourer. Its eyes darted towards me as it saw me gunning towards it. I felt confident. This body was strong and agile. My reflexes had always been fast, but my body was slow to react, like any normal human. This body almost felt like a superhuman. My mental memories might’ve been different, but it seems the muscle memory of Aelius has integrated into me. I could do this.

The devourer swiped its claw at me like a bat. It was fast and powerful.

“Aelius, watch out!” Shouted Matrius.

The forest was filled with the loud shriek of the monster as I quickly braced my body, held up the sword, and let the devourer impale its paw onto my sword like a nail. The force of the impact would’ve knocked me out if it were my old body, but this body was strangely resilient, just like Matrius, just like everyone who’s been hit by the paw but stayed awake, only battered.

What the hell are humans in this world? That force would’ve shattered my body like glass had it been my old body.

“Big guy, quickly! Aim for its nose!”

The muscular guy was already close to me. Seemed like he followed me the moment I charged in. He leapt from the ground and brought down his sword crudely like a sledgehammer. The sword struck the nose, and it embedded itself in it.

The devourer wailed; however, I wasn’t willing to give it time to get itself together and slaughter us. I was surprised, now was my chance. In one instance, I pulled the sword out of its paw and stepped onto the big man’s back as he held down the devourer by the nose with his sword. I leapt from there and aimed my sword at its forehead. With the momentum of my body being dragged down by gravity, I thrust the sword with greater force into its skull. Everything was slow, and a thought crossed my mind. What if its skull is stronger than a metal forged sword?

With a slow panic taking over, a relief would wash over me as the sword successfully embedded itself into the head of the devourer. I had struck deep with great force, but that didn’t mean that was the end. The devourer shook its head violently, wailing from my attack. I held on for dear life on the sword’s hilt as I was whipped left and right. The feeling was familiar, like the time I had held onto the roof of a car for dear life as the driver tried to jerk the car around to lose me. This was stronger compared to that time, but so was my new body.

After a while, the devourer finally exhausted itself, and it fell to the forest floor, dead. I let go of the sword and fell to the floor beside it, sprawling on the ground. I was exhausted, physically, but most of all mentally.

I can’t believe this. I died only to get reincarnated just to stare death in the face again…

I heard laughter heading closer and closer towards me. It was one, then three, then an entire choir of laughter as every surviving man ran to me. The big guy had been beside me and gave me a hand up. Taking his hand, and standing up on the ground, everyone circled me, getting a chance to pat me on the back.

They were all clapping, whistling, and cheering me.

“That was a great job, Aelius!”

“You were amazing, Aelius!”

“You sure as heck showed that best!”

Matrius approached me. “Nice job, Aelius. And thank you. We were really close to being annihilated had it not been for you.”

Dieter patted my back. “I’d say for a man who’s lost his memories, you’re still a pretty good fighter!”

“Eh? He lost his memories?” The big man exclaimed, “So that thing, with my name, was actually real?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I nodded. Everyone grew a little quieter.

“Alright, it was my bad.” He stretched out his hand, “This is weird, introducing myself to you again, but I’m Gallus Vangriff.”

As Gallus introduced himself, it started off a chain with everyone else. Everyone was talking over each other as they enthusiastically tried to introduce themselves. In the jumbled voices, I picked up only a few names that I had already heard.

“I’m Dieter Avenni, the hottest man in the city.”

“Haephir Aglanos, nice to meet you… Again”

“Captain Matrius Stoneman. great job once more.”

“And I’m —” I paused. I was about to say my old name in my past life. I don’t know if any witch trials go on around here, or exorcisms, but if I said my name, I may find myself burned at the stake. I was hesitant, yet I knew deep inside that I could no longer use the name Kuroda Riku. The name given to me by my mother. An attachment I wasn’t willing to forget. “My name is Aelius…”

Everyone stared at me, expecting something else.

“You don’t remember your last name?” Dieter asked.

“Sadly, I don’t.”

Dieter smiled. “It’s Eventide. You are Aelius Eventide.”

Gallus began, “ You also—” but was cut off as everyone’s attention was drawn towards the group of armoured men who emerged from the same forest bushes as the devourer, some injured and supported by another armoured man.

Matrius immediately ran towards them, hollering for the others to go and help the newcomers.

“Who are they?”

“It’s the Earl and the retinue.”

An older man with silver hair stuck out from the rest of the newcomers. Armoured, but unlike the uniformed soldiers by his side, his was more extravagant. A custom perhaps? He was probably the Earl.

I watched as Matrius discussed something with him. He then turned to me and waved me to come. Gallus pushed me to go, and so I went.

“Aelius, meet the Earl of Dumanos, Earl Paul Sarietti. I’ve already explained your circumstances to the Earl.”

“So you’re Aelius Eventide? Impressive what you did to the beast.”

“You saw me, boss?”

Matrius looked at me, his eyebrows raised. The Earl was also surprised. “I am sorry, Earl Saurietti, for his insol—”

The Earl burst into laughter. “I have never been called that before. I’ve taken a liking to you already. Everyone saw the last moment, and the scene is burned in my mind.”

He took my hand in his hand and grasped it tightly. “Aelius Eventide. I sincerely thank you for saving not only the brave men who fought alongside you, but also me and my retainers. Truly, I cannot express how grateful I am.”

My heart felt weird. I’ve forgotten this feeling, being complimented for something you yourself could be proud of. The corner of my mouth broke into a smile. “It’s no problem, bo— I mean sir.”

He shook my hand before he let go. His warm smile goes out of view as he turns to the rest of the camp.

“Alright, everyone! Let us head home and feast!”