Prowlers

Very well, mortal... We have made a deal. Just know that if you decide to turn your back on our little... arrangement... we have eyes on you at all times now. So you can choose to play nice and give us what we want... or meet the prowler.

— Unnamed Zealot Minister

For a majority of the demonic hordes, especially for demons in such a low class as the Third Rank, violence should be doled out in as blunt and brutal a fashion as possible. Such a mentality is among the most infamous traits to mortals as it is the first impression an invading horde tends to make. Brainless creatures like the grunt or ungroth only know these less sophisticated methods and make their inability to develop beyond them a staple of their species.

However, there are exceptions to even this natural law of the demon world. The prowler is one such exception.

Prowlers are a bizarre species donning a lanky yet unmistakably humanoid body type and a thick shell of fiberglass and plastic. These demons possess a soft malleable sort of flesh which pulses and throbs within its shell, causing webs of cracks and thick tears to pop up across its body. The prowler is an invertebrate and lacks many major organs, even those that other demons possess. With such a vulnerable shell, this species tends to be more reserved in both its mannerisms and in its methods of combat. They hide in the shadows, using the dark shades of their flesh to slink into the dark and hide among the scenery.

While in the light, the flesh of the prowler has a prominent sheen akin to gasoline in the sun. This has placed a lot of pressure on them to master hiding in the darkness, though they are not always successful. They have also exhibited the ability to stand still for days at a time hidden within piles of refuse. If not for the many flaws in their shells produced by their bizarre anatomical features and sickening bodily processes, a prowler would be indistinguishable from a normal mannequin when sitting still. The plastic masks they wear on their faces don't do them many favors either.

Demonic Hitmen

Where other demons can be described as mindless brutes or primitive beasts, the prowler would best be described as a calculated hunter. Cruel and intelligent creatures, prowler earns its name via stalking its target across miles to perform a full analysis of their skills and behaviors. An active prowler will work to produce distractions for its victim by luring weak demons onto its target's path. It uses these pathetic creatures to gauge whether a possible victim is worth engaging with. If it is impressed, it begins the full hunting process. If it is disappointed, however, it will simply rush down the creature and dissect it with a single slash.

Once the hunt has begun, the prowler will dedicate itself to keeping up with its target. This species possesses thin nimble limbs which allow it to travel through various kinds of terrain with minimal effort. Clumps of greasy flesh is slotted in between the joins of its shell to help minimize noise as it moves, though this causes the demon considerable pain. The thick claws on its hands make the prowler adept at climbing or hanging from surfaces.

Their claws serve a far less practical but far more entertaining purpose once the next phase of the hunt begins. After collecting as much information about a target as it can, a prowler will begin a sadistic game where it hints towards its presence in subtle fashions. One example is dragging its claws across stone or metal within hearing range of its victim to breed paranoia within them. Another example is the simple drawings akin to monstrous faces made by active prowlers using their own melting viscera. Some have also broken pieces of their shell on purpose to leave fragments of its form where the target will see them. Although rare, some prowlers have been known to make small incisions on the limbs of its victim while sleeping to make its presence known.

Eventually a prowler grows bored of its victim and will bring its hunt to an end. The demon waits for an opportune moment to crawl in and carve open major arteries using its claws and biting into the flesh of its target with its small jagged teeth. It prefers to do this while its victim is awake and aware, filling its prey with abject terror at the risk of having to fight. The prowler typically kills via slitting the throat of its victim and watching as the light fades from their eyes.

This entire process makes this species a prime candidate for hitmen among more powerful demons. Though any true demon would be honored to work under a powerful and influential master, the prowler is far more willing to serve a demon lord than creatures of similar strength. Unlike these other demons, a prowler is never included among the initial waves sent into mortal worlds. Instead prowlers act as more specialized threats who assassinate enemies of their masters with pinpoint accuracy.

Being such sophisticated hunters has earned the prowler a reputation of being a master of intimidation. They are often used by demons such as the zealots who obtain such powerful servants using arcane mind control. When these cultists make a deal with a mortal, they allow a brief introduction to the prowlers under their control as an introduction to their spindly enforcers.

A Final Gambit

If a prowler is killed by its target it will collapse and whatever remains of the demon's shell crumbles apart, leaving its melting rotting flesh to decay. However, this is not the end of the prowler yet despite its body remaining deathly still anywhere from a few minutes to well over two hours. Its death is further accentuated by the loss of that oily shine on its skin and its limbs melting into the demon's torso.

The prowler keeps one final trick up its sleep in case of tricky mortals. Though most of its body possesses a texture similar to rotten meat, the flesh around its long thick neck possesses thin reptilian scales.

Once enough time has passed, the prowler will pop its head and neck out of the gooey mess that no longer constitutes its body to reveal the body of a serpent. This final trick hides deep with the layers of fatty flesh adorning the prowler's normal body. Another mystery of the demon world is the ability to hold such a long serpentine form into the rail-thin body of the prowler. Regardless of how it does so, the snake uncoils and slithers out from between its shoulders to seek out its target and get its revenge. In its snake form, the prowler is far less capable of fluid movements but trades that ability to utilize a potent venom against a creature it tried to hunt.

Even with no prior knowledge regarding this species of demon it is easy to recognize its serpent trick. Demons return to their home world through the violent and absolute obliteration of their flesh. This oftentimes takes the form of a demon dissipating into a thick cloud of smoke or crumbling to dust. When its first form is killed, the prowler simply slumps over and dies. This is nothing more than a trick to lull its victim into a false sense of security before it gets even and finishes the job.

When it has really been slain, the components of its main body will melt like butter on a hot pan, sinking into the dirt before dissipating into a thin smoke. Its serpent form coils around itself before the body is rapidly mummified and broken down by the rapid onset of thousands of years passing by.