Usul | Decayed Kingdom's Hunter

All of the normal noises of the night had stopped. No crickets or owls or scurrying nocturnal creatures. Even the brook seemed to have quieted its babbling. It made it much more difficult for the Orc to mask the sounds of his approach. But there was one sound that now took up the silence left behind. The low, resonant growl made Usul's blood run cold even after all these years.

Devourer.

He'd killed many horrifying and dangerous creatures as a monster hunter and very few things gave him pause anymore. But Devourers still sent a bone-deep chill through him. Especially because they rarely ventured this far out of Kheiron, which made this one unpredictable and far more dangerous. If anyone in Ouranos said they didn't get scared at the sight or sound of one of those nightmares they were a fucking liar.

Then Usul heard something move from deep in the ancient temple and the rumbling growl stopped abruptly to listen as intently as he did. He could see the Devourer; a dark shape that ignored the shafts of moonlight piercing the holes in the roof, carrying its own unnatural darkness with it. It hadn't made that noise. Not only were they deadly silent, but the sound had come from further in the temple. The villagers who had hired him said that no one ventured close anymore to the shrine of the goddess whose name was now forgotten. Not even the gremlins, because there was nothing left to steal.

He watched the Devourer lower its center of gravity, the roiling shadows oddly slowing as it prepared to launch itself at the vague figure Usul caught a glimpse of when it dashed with a curse further into the temple. Well shit. That made this a lot harder. Killing a Devourer was one thing, but saving anything it set its sights on was entirely different.

“Kynthos!” Usul roared his warcry to get its attention. The shadows twitched, but didn’t turn. Devourers were apex predators whose only purpose was death. No pride and no fear. If he wanted to lure it away from what it knew to be a sure meal, he was going to have to make himself more enticing. He dropped his axe and sliced a line along his calf. The dark blood welled along the cut and trickled down his leg. When he looked up, he found luminous silver eyes trained on him. In the span of a few seconds the Devourer had completely turned around, closed nearly half the distance between them and was slowly stalking closer with an unnerving, unblinking stare that made an involuntary shiver slide down his spine.

He stared back, adjusting his grip on his weapon, waiting for the moment it attacked. And when it did, he swung his battle axe to meet it. The aim was true though it didn't sound like it. There was no howl or roar or scream of pain when the blade severed the beast's front leg. They only ever made the one low growling noise, which he somehow found more unnerving than any bellow or screech he could imagine.

It rolled and came back onto its feet again. With the same low chittering growl, it picked up the severed limb and shook it viciously, as if punishing it for being so easily removed before tossing it away and leveling its gaze on Usul again. The shadows that roiled over its body like acrid smoke seemed to churn faster as it lowered itself again, muscles coiling to attack. Usul let the axe fall to his side, the handle sliding through his hand until he gripped the very end.

When it launched itself, Usul swung up from below and twisted when the blade sank into the shadows and cut through the Devourer’s ribs with a sickening crunch. The momentum of the abomination was redirected by the low swing and Usul, in a herculean effort, hoisted it over his shoulder with a grunt. It hit the ground with a heavy thud and the axe embedded itself further, severing the spine without so much as a whimper from the Devourer.

The shadows slid from the Devourer's frame and disappeared around Usul's feet, leaving behind only a skin-and-bones carcass that looked like it had been dead for years, not seconds. Blackened, leathery skin stretched over joints and around bones that didn't appear to have any sinew or muscle to power itself with. Nothing seeped from around the battle axe that split its sternum. Usul rocked the weapon to wedge it free and turned towards the temple. “It’s safe to come out now!” he called out. “You don’t know what sort of creatures aside from yourself took refuge in there so I wouldn’t venture too deep. It is the Goddess of the Dead’s temple, after all.”