Elt firmly gripped his sword, his body trembling with fear as he gazed at the horrific beast that loomed before him and the valiant soldiers of Lescatie. Once again, Lescatie had fallen victim to invasion, yet this time, the single creature wreaked more havoc than all the previous incursions combined. Unfortunately, their saviour, Sam, was absent, leaving them to confront the monstrous threat alone. The beast stood tall amidst the surrounding knights of The Order, fully clad in armour and wielding spears. One knight, adorned in complete armour, attempted to charge at the creature, but the beast seized him with both hands and squeezed relentlessly, the sound of metal and bones crunching echoing through the air. Elt and the other knights instinctively took two steps back, distancing themselves from the ferocious entity. A few archers made futile attempts to shoot arrows, but the creature's thick skin proved impenetrable. It turned to face the archers, conjuring a ball of fire within its hand and hurling three at them. The archers let out screams of pain as their flesh burned under the scorching flames.

Observing that the beast was momentarily distracted, its back turned, Elt seized the opportunity to strike at its vulnerable spot with his sword. Regrettably, his efforts proved futile as his blade shattered upon contact with the creature's formidable hide. Swiftly, the beast pivoted, fixing its gaze upon the trembling Elt, and with a forceful motion, swatted him aside. Struggling to rise, Elt found himself overwhelmed by excruciating pain from the savage blow. He attempted to regain his footing, yet his body refused to respond, weakened by the creature's merciless assault. Gradually, he felt a colossal hand encircle his abdomen, hoisting him effortlessly from the ground. Locked in a gaze with the beast, Elt shuddered as it inhaled his scent, emitting a low growl that eerily resembled laughter. In that harrowing moment, Elt's life seemed to flash before his eyes.

Wilmarina, Sasha and the others.

He never got the chance to say goodbye to his old friends.

The best clamped it's jaws around Elt's upper body and bit him in half. Tossing his lower body aside, he had his scent. He knew where he was now.

He turned to the rest of the soldiers of Lescatie trying to fight the creature.

Surely, Tah-Um wouldn't mind if he had a little fun.

Druella dwelled in the library of her home. In front of her; a book bearing the most well-known symbols throughout history. She was flickering through the pages to try and find one that matched that of the Sam bore on his arm and clothing. What could it mean? Was it a family crest of sorts?

She was told to rest. She ignored her orders. Ever since her encounter with Sam, he's all she's been able to think about. She was so engrossed in her research, she failed to notice the other presence in the room with her.

"Up so soon, dear sister?"

Druella jumped slightly and looked up from the book to see her sister, Maritan, leaning on the table with a mischievous smile on her face, dressed in a Sunday dress and a beach hat

"Goodness, Mari! You frightened me!" She exclaimed, placing a hand on her chest, earning a giggle from Mari.

"Shouldn't you be resting?" Mari asked.

"I'm just doing some research. Nothing too strenuous." Druella responded, resuming her reading.

"Does your research have something to do with that man?" Mari inquired, her tone conveying a hint of curiosity. Druella momentarily froze, raising her gaze to meet her sister's confident smirk.

"You heard about him?" Druella asked, sensing that the news of her encounter with Sam had traveled far.

"Dear sister, all the Mamono have heard about it at this point. A mortal man besting a lilim in battle? Not exactly a common occurrence," Mari remarked knowingly.

Druella let out a sigh, acknowledging the lingering impact of her encounter with Sam. "Ever since I met him, he's been on my mind, occupying my every thought."

"It's understandable. It's not often a lilim is bested by a human," Mari said thoughtfully, pausing to consider the significance of the event. "Do you intend to take him as your husband?" she added with a playful grin.

"Yes, absolutely. He has captured my full attention. The only problem is that I'm uncertain whether I would be able to best him,

" Druella confessed, expressing her concerns.

Mari leaned into her devious smile, suggesting a solution. "Well... maybe he can take on one lilim in battle, but what about two?"

Druella's interest was piqued, and she leaned in, eager to hear her sister's plan. "I'm listening."

"There's not much to it. I'll assist you in claiming him, but in the end, I want an equal share of him." Mari proposed, her intentions laid bare.

As the conversation continued, the sisters' playful banter and negotiations hinted at the complexities of their relationships as Mamono. With intrigue and a shared interest in Sam, the two sisters contemplated a plan that could shape their destinies and intertwine their fates in unexpected ways.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN WE WERE GOING THE WRONG WAY?" I yelled.

"I'm sorry! I had the map upside down." said NETRISCA.

"Upside down? You're an advanced AI! How the hell do you manage to have a map upside down!?"

I wasn't a happy man. Scratch that, I was downright furious. NETRICSA, that trusty AI companion of mine, just dropped the bombshell that we've been going in the wrong direction. Seriously? After all the chaos and monsters I've been blasting away? It's like taking a joyride through hell and realising you've been driving in circles.

I let out a sigh. How did I not see this coming? Should've known better than to rely on some high-tech guiding system. But hey, I'm Serious Sam, right? The unstoppable hero who laughs in the face of danger. Well, right now, danger can take a hike because I'm too busy being unhappy. Oh yeah, life's just grand. Not.

As I continued my journey my thoughts couldn't help but wander back to NETRICSA, my loyal AI companion. Despite the frustration of going in the wrong direction, I couldn't deny the bond we had formed over the years. NETRICSA had been my constant companion, the one who guided me through countless battles and dangers.

Through thick and thin, NETRICSA had my back. She provided valuable tactical insights during battles, analyzed enemy weaknesses, and even cracked a joke or two to lighten the mood when things got tough. Sure, she had her quirks, but who doesn't? At the end of the day, she was a reliable and irreplaceable ally.

In a way, her presence reminded me of home, of simpler times when we faced dangers on our terms. As we pressed forward, I knew that NETRICSA was more than just an AI companion. She was a friend who understood me in ways no one else could, and I was grateful to have her by my side.

So, even though NETRICSA had led me astray , I couldn't hold it against her for too long. After all, nobody's perfect, not even advanced AI systems. And if anyone could navigate this world's challenges, it was the dynamic duo of Serious Sam and NETRICSA. With her analytical brilliance and my trigger-happy bravado, we were a force to be reckoned with. Together, we'd be the ones to take down Mental.

Just as NETRICSA has recalibrated the map, a portal opened up next to me. Understably I pointed my double shotgun at it. Oh god, please don't be a portal to hell.

You'll never guess what came out kf the portal.

It was a guy who looked just like me. Except both his sleeves were torn off, he rocked a baddas looking beard and sported some aviator shades, with the right lens being cracked.

"Hey, Sam!" He exclaimed.

"Who are you?" I asked him.

"I'm you from the future. Look It's... complicated. Just roll with it." He explained.

"Eh, it's not the weirdest thing that's happened." I shurgged.

"Look, I don't know what you did, but you're after throwing your timeline out of a loop."

"What do you mean?"

"You were never supposed to come here! You were supposed to got to planet Sirius, and kill Mental. But someone or something has brought you here and that's after throwing a wrench in the works, So you need to get off this rock ASAP!" Future me said.

"I would, but I'm kinda doing a job for a divine deity, who's promised me help. You don't think you can give me something to speed up the process, could you?" I asked him, or me. Man, this is confusing.

"How long will that take?" He asked me.

"Eh, probably four days max until I reach my destination.

"Gimme a sec." Future me said before disappearing back into the portal. A few seconds later, a dirt bike came out of the portal, followed by my future self.

"Thanks, buddy. Good to know I have my back." I said.

"What can I say? We're a great guy." We then proceeded to give each other a fist bumb that sent ripples through space and time, before he disappeared back into the portal.

"That was... interesting." I picked up the dirt bike and kickstarted the engine. Okay, let's try and get back on track.

According to NETRISCA, with the dirt bike my journey was reduced to somewhere between one to two days. The sound of the bikes engine. It was like music to my ears.

With the new bike in hand, I took off for the demon world. The quicker I get this done, the quicker I can go back to killing mental.

Authors note: This story is not dead, I repeat, THIS STORY IS NOT DEAD!