He grabbed each part of its mouth, top and bottom, his godsblood-enhanced strength drawing on its well of reserves, holding those jaws open as they sought to snap shut, crunching his bones to rubble. The beast’s hot, acrid breath wafted over his face, smelling of blood, meat and rot. It was nauseating, but he swallowed the bile down, digging his heels in as they continued to grapple. The nightdemon suddenly dove to the ground and his grip faltered, and then it bucked its head upward, punching into his stomach and sending him airborne.

He came crashing down, barely managing to plant his feet before the nightdemon was upon him again, raking its claws across his cheek and tossing him hard to one side. He crashed into the wall, bouncing off and landing in a tangle of arms and legs. He hissed his anger, fangs sliding free from their hidden chambers within his dark gums.

If the nightdemon was impressed, it showed no sign, bounding across the room, crushing tables and chairs under its heavy trod. Shim waited until the last second and then dove to one side, earning a satisfying thud as the monster was unable to stop until it had crashed into the wall.

Shim pulled himself upright and looked back toward where the creature was shaking its head and pawing at a cut on its nose. Its eyes locked on his, glowing gold. It charged.

He bent his knees and exploded upward, supercharged strength sending him far higher than should’ve been possible. The demon skittered beneath him, snapping at his feet but missing, trying to turn fast enough but failing.

He landed on its back.

Its fur was slick with a sticky substance, hardened into clumps and spikes, almost wiry. He grabbed onto some of it to hang on.

Not a moment too soon either, as the creature went berserk, trying to twist its head around to bite him but unable to rotate its neck far enough. Instead, it took to sprinting from side to side, slamming into the walls until they shook, dust raining down from the ceiling above. It was all Shim could do to stay mounted without tapping into his reserves of strength, which he was saving for the kill stroke.

Slowly, inch by inch, he pulled himself up onto its broad head. The nightdemon tossed its head to try to dislodge his grip, but he refused to let go, all the while building up his strength, waiting for the perfect moment to twist like he’d never twisted before. If he could just snap the creature’s neck…

“No!” Sunny screamed, barreling forward from where she’d been hunkering in the shadows. She leapt, grabbing him by the waist, whipping him around, and dragging him off the nightdemon. The blow was so unexpected and sudden that, for just the briefest of moments, he let his guard down.

That was all it took for his foe to gain an advantage.

The nightdemon struck.