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| Tweet Topic Started: Aug 8 2011, 08:40 PM (1,137 Views) | |
| Draecoss | Aug 8 2011, 08:40 PM Post #1 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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The wilds of Ethriya were a dark, foreboding, yet strangely beautiful place. Massive trees blot out the sun, while moss and stone mask hidden caves and hollows. Dark, overgrown rivers and streams split the trees in two. Hills and mountains dot the lands, and the rare clearing occasionally gives way to fields of long grass. Giant beasts lurk within all corners of the area, making it a place where few men tread without purpose. Day is unnerving. Night is a fight for one's life. It is also the place where most portals in this world converge. Enjoy. |
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| Draecoss | Aug 9 2011, 02:34 AM Post #2 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss collapsed against a tree trunk, vision blurred. Sweat mixed with blood as it trickled down his brow, and down the shallow gash in his side. His hair was matted, and his pistols felt heavy in his hands. Slowly, clumsily, he holstered them at his belt, then sighed and slumped down to the ground. His ribs ached. His head throbbed. He was tired, battered and broken. But not beaten. Draecoss smiled at his new prisoner, the demon girl currently bound before him. It had been a hard-fought battle, but he'd managed to best her. He'd dipped away in cover, laid down a seal, and trapped her within it. The seal temporarily restricted her movement and allowed him to bind her arms to her torso, as well as bless said binds to ensure she could not escape so easily. He'd left her hands and legs free; he was not so cruel as to leave her completely immobile. Besides, the seal would inhibit her magic, so he doubted she would be able to do much. Draecoss was a tall man, tanned, with silvery-grey hair despite his youthful visage. His eyes were a bright, deep green, and his smile was charmingly innocent, and wholly disarming. His clothes were rugged, ragged and battleworn, fine cloths and silks hidden beneath old traveling leathers, along with light armor covering his torso and joints. Yet, for all this wear, his skin was spotless, with neither scars nor dirt staining his features - save the ones he'd just acquired. His only jewelry was a gold ring on his left ring finger, and a silver pendant in the shape of an X, with an emerald eye in the center. It was this pendant he held now in the palm of his hand, lifting it to his lips and whispering a few words. Suddenly, the priest was engulfed in a bright green light and, when the light settled, his wounds were gone. The pain was not, but he felt better for all that. Healing was never quite as easy as he would like, but he often found that he had boundless energy when his faith was rewarded so easily. Draecoss picked himself up, checked his ammo, adjusted his crotch, then walked toward where the demon lay. She was a pretty little thing, for all her wickedness. Draecoss reminded himself how tricky these creatures could be, yet he always felt that same remorse, that same regret for taking a life. That is good. Taking life should never be an easy thing. You may sentence her to death, but the one who passes the sentence must also carry it through, and bear that weight for the rest of his life. Slowly, Draecoss moved toward her, his charming smile now stained with sadness, the ache he felt in his heart for what he knew he had to do. Maybe not, though. Maybe this one will be different than all the others. Draecoss held his pendant in his left hand. His right hand was free, though he realized that, in a few moments, it would probably be holding his pistol. The priest let out a sigh, then spoke the words he always did, uncertain whether or not she was actually capable of replying or not. But he should always give the option, even if it was unlikely to be taken. "Who are you?" he asked. "And why have you come to this place?" Edited by Draecoss, Aug 18 2011, 03:05 PM.
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| Fera'thani | Aug 18 2011, 04:27 PM Post #3 |
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Fera’thani was not at all happy. One moment, the demon had been walking through the woods towards town peacefully (you know, burning a few shrubs, killing the occasional furry creature) when out of nowhere she was attacked. She’d been so surprised by the assault she didn’t have time to react before the circle caught her, and even that could barely contain her power as long as it had. Still, it had apparently worked well enough, for despite her captor’s numerous injuries to be healed, he was free and she was tied up like a pig at the market, ready for slaughter. The immobility provided by the blessed rope was really giving the priest his first good look at the figure. She looked quite impish, but much more human than most like her; in fact, her torso seemed completely normal to look upon aside from the reddish skin, and it was only as one moved further from her center that demonic traits truly began to surface. Just below the knee, her legs changed to a shade darker red, the line so defined she might have just been wearing some sort of semi-transparent stockings. Her feet varied further, each with only two large toes, almost like the cloven hooves of a goat. Her arms were far stranger than this, though. Like the legs, they first changed just beyond the joint, at which point they expanded rapidly, a flame-like pattern separating the colors this time. The pigment slowly faded to a deep crimson at her hands, each of which was unnaturally large and clawed, forming a fist almost the size of a human head and as hard as stone. Her face was mostly normal, except for a few features. Her ears were long and pointed, giving her a particularly mischievous appearance when combined with the two long horns protruding from her forehead. Her hair was silver and relatively short, matching her long eyelashes and the two dots of fuzz that might have been eyebrows if they were wider. Her eyes were peculiar as well. Slit pupils like those of a lizard sat in the middle of orange irises, but where white should have began there was a ring of black the same as the pupil, then more orange right to the edges of the orbs. As if this weren’t enough to prove the fact that this girl was a demon, there was also the matter of how the rope around her was smoldering. It wasn’t enough to burn through any time soon, but touching her skin would reveal that it was blazing hot; enough to cause some moderate discomfort on contact, and making extended exposure something to avoid. Somehow her clothing did not burn as well, though, the wrappings under her arms and the underwear-like garment that covered her groin apparently immune to the heat. Trapped as she was, the girl (at least, it looked like a human female, though with demons it was hard to be certain of their form) sneered up at her would-be executioner, revealing viciously jagged teeth, daring him to get too close with her gaze. “Now why would I tell you that? That’d take all the fun out of it. I must admit though, you are good… for a human, of course. Now let me go and I promise to make your death a swift one. Well, relatively speaking.” |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Aug 18 2011, 09:10 PM Post #4 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss blinked slightly, then shook his head softly at the creature before him. Ones that spoke were rare enough, but then, it was more likely that she would, considering her shape was so humanoid, and that she wore some semblance of clothing, scant though it may be. And her eyes, though yellow and slit, they exuded intelligence. Many of her kind had such intelligence, but few seemed to carry it with the easy, cautious grace that this one did. He laughed easily at her threat, though there was no scorn in it. He took it at face value, and laughed only at the absurdity of the statement rather than the one who made it. "You are not much in a position to make threats, I think." Draecoss' accent held a slight tang to it, a spice of something foreign and exotic tempered by a weariness of one who had seen and experienced much in his life. He was tall, and he stood straight, save that his shoulders were somewhat bowed, his neck stooped. He was young, but he was tired, so very tired. He had been killing these things for too long, far too long, and it made no difference. But he could not stop; so long as they lived, he could not rest, he could not stop. "Where I am from, it is accursed to kill something so beautiful. Well, it was, when the Old God ruled." He sighed, speaking more to himself than to the one before him. "But that is the nature of vows, no? It is simple to keep them when all you kill are beasts and wretched things. It is another thing to kill one such as you." He closed his eyes, briefly, then reached down and drew his pistol, checking his rounds, then raising and leveling his pistol at the center of her head as he pulled back the hammer. "Before you go, I would like to know the name of one such as you, if you would part with it. And if you have final words to spit at me, I will take them gladly." |
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| Fera'thani | Aug 20 2011, 09:20 PM Post #5 |
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Fera’thani did not seem at all phased by the man’s threats. She was, after all, a demon, and he a mere human. It was true, she was tied too tightly to escape any time soon despite the slowly burning rope, and he did have a gun pointed at her face rather menacingly, but she was far his superior. Humanity was merely a nuisance, little more than insects before her might and ambition. To fear one seemed absurd, even in her current dire situation. Instead, she only sneered at him, her savagely jagged teeth menacing even in the expression of amusement. “You really do have quite the sense of humor, filth, to speak as if you will escape this alive. You do raise an interesting question, however…” As she was bound only just above her elbows, she could bend her arms almost completely freely below them. While not quite able to reach the rope that held her, it was enough that she could raise herself up into a sitting position. Once there, she straightened her legs out, flexing her two toes on each foot before raising her right hand upwards towards her face. She examined her razor claws for a moment idly before craning her neck forward the tiniest bit and opening her lips. Slowly, her forked cherry-red tongue slithered out, longer than any humans as it slowly worked over her claw, cleaning away the mages blood drying there from one of the few hits she had gotten off. Smiling, she paused in the action to stare at him, her smirk ever-present. “Are you really demon enough to kill a helpless captive? After all, I have done nothing as of yet except kill a couple squirrels. To murder me in cold blood, you would be as bad as us. Worse even, for at least we provide a fighting chance.” Pausing, she went back to licking her talon clean of the blood, already hardening quickly due to her extreme body heat. Her fingers flexed as she did this, though she remained otherwise still, allowing her words to sink in before speaking again. “It really boils down to a question of faith. Can you compromise yourself in the pursuit of justice, and have it still be meaningful? Will you make yourself into an even greater monster than what you seek to destroy? I somehow doubt your gods would welcome you with open arms, and I doubt even more that you have the backbone to stand alone.” It was a clever ploy, really. Should he assume her words rational (which in a twisted sort of way they were), either he would have to spare her so she could then kill him, or he would turn his back on his faith, which would also free her from her bonds. Still, her body tensed invisibly; ready to react should he find the third path of simply labeling her reasoning sacrilege and shooting anyways. |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Aug 21 2011, 04:37 PM Post #6 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss blinked at his captive a moment, as though considering her words. Then, the moment passed, and he laughed softly. It was true, very few of these kind actually pleaded with him - very few had the capability, let alone the will - but he'd heard it before, and none of them had ever changed his final judgment. No, this only told him two things. First, that the being before him had the audacity to presume what his god knew and did not know. And, secondly, that the being was frightened. Why else would she try to talk her way out of it? Draecoss had the upper-hand, and they both knew it. Any attempts at manipulating his judgment were futile. "No, no, you are mistaken. I worship only the one god; the new one is false, a usurper. But I don't suppose you know the dealings of your kind, do you?" He laughed softly, smiling at her disarmingly. He did not mean her any harm; he truly didn't. But he had yet to meet any that had any shred of remorse or good will. In these creatures, there was only fire and death. And while she was different, she had not done anything to convince him of her possible kindness. "You also presume too much. My god does not have your idea of 'morality.' He will not judge me in harsh light for what I do. Believe me; I know my god far better than most." He lowered his gun for a moment, then sunk down to his haunches to bring his face close to hers. He studied her face. It was warped from a human's face, like the face of a twisted child, but it was beautiful nonetheless. A part of him longed to reach out and touch it, but he knew that was folly. "You are frightened, I know. But do not worry. My god protects the souls of all who die in his name. You shall remain happy for so long as he exists. Rest now, sweet child, knowing that Draecoss Vitarri Monsarra has seen you through from this life to the next." In one fluid motion, Draecoss drew to his feet, aimed his gun, and fired a single round directly between her eyes. |
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| Fera'thani | Aug 29 2011, 10:13 PM Post #7 |
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Fera was ready. It was true, she knew she was in a bind, but she also had no fear of her own success, and she was fully prepared for such an eventuality. Even as Draecoss pulled his gun, she threw herself into action, twisting around to barrel roll out of the way of the shot. The bullet missed her by mere inches, the tree she had been leaned against exploding with the sudden shock of the blast. An instant more and she had regained her feet, using the momentum of her twirl to rise onto them in a low crouch, her lips pursing into a tight “O” as her eyes widened and a jet of black smoke spewed forward like the ink of a squid, filling Draecoss’s field of vision and essentially leaving him blind. The rope the bound her had greatly weakened her demonic abilities, it was true, but she was far stronger than any demon this man had faced before, and not even the will of his “god” could contain her completely. Had she been free, it would have been completely ended for her would-be executioner. Smoke would have been fire strong enough to sear the flesh from his bones, and would have been swiftly followed by her razor claws biting into his hide and ripping it asunder. However, she was not free, and it was a struggle to keep her balance as she spit the jet into his face. By the time she was balanced, she knew there wasn’t enough time to go on the offensive before it cleared, so she turned tail and ran instead. Leaning forward heavily due to the lack of arm movement, she charged into the woods, her strong horns making quick work of he nearby branches, her intense body heat singing the few that managed to sneak past. In moments she had given herself enough distance to feel more secure, and ducked in behind a tree just as her smokescreen was clearing enough to see. She knew she didn’t have too much time, but she needed a plan of attack without her full powers. If she could cut the rope she would be fine, but there were no sharp rocks tall enough to cut it on without making herself a sitting duck, and the flammable trees were of little help. If she could get close to him, she might be able to use some of his metal equipment to free herself, but there was a better chance that she would only end up further confined. There had to be a better way… hmm… oh, that might work… Suddenly, she shouted at the top of her voice, bursting from the underbrush at full-tilt at Draecoss. Even bound, she was relatively fast, and her lowered horns would easily be enough to gore her foe if she reached him. However, there was quite a bit of distance between them, and depending on how quick a trigger finger he had the marksman would have time to get off two or even three shots before she reached him, unless the shock value of the sudden assault was enough to make him hesitate. |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Dec 13 2011, 10:47 PM Post #8 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss had to admit, he was impressed by this one's resilience. It was only smoke, but it was still more than the vast majority of beings could muster after being bound in the manner she had been. He could have made it stronger, but that would have taken time, more time than he wanted to spare. But it seemed he had too much a flair for the dramatic, too much a need to express his own... "humanity." A fatal, if ironic, flaw of his. Yet, in a position such as his, what could he be if not humane? Draecoss' free hand waved wildly in front of his face, beating away the smoke as he spluttered for oxygen. By the time he recovered, she was gone. Draecoss cursed beneath his breath, then readied his pistol, gathering his strength as he prepared to begin tracking and hunting her. He did not go far, however, before she came to him, charging from the brush in an attempt to gut him with her horns. He frowned quizzically, wondering why she would pursue such a futile course of action; ultimately, however, he decided it was merely an iron will and a refusal to give in despite all odds, something he could appreciate. "A shame it had to be this way, no? I was beginning to like you." She had been resistant to most of his pistol fire before this, so it was time to call in a weapon he reserved only for those who were truly powerful enough to require its use. Draecoss holstered his pistol with one hand, reaching back with his left and removing his shotgun from its sling at his lower back. He did not have time to fire it before she was upon him, so instead he slipped to his right, extending his leg in an attempt to trip her, then snapping his weapon to her back. Too late, he realized this had been her plan all along; muscle memory kicked in, and the blessed buckshot flew out in a perfect position to sever her bonds. Despite himself, Draecoss laughed, appreciating her ingenuity. It was a foolish plan, and many in his position would have scoffed. Yet, in his position, what could he be if not humane? |
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| Fera'thani | Dec 20 2011, 07:05 PM Post #9 |
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Fera'thani was quite happy with how things were turning out. By no means had this been her primary plan, but it was a nice turn of events. The bullets ripped through the short space between them, decimating both her back and the ropes. Blessed projectiles were something she could have lived without, but the pain was a small price to pay for her freedom. She gave a roar as her back was torn asunder, the slugs buried in the crater that had been her back. Still, she was able to roll slightly aside, stopping a few feet away from her attacker. One could see her internal organs working, lungs pumping visibly through the hole as black ran from the wound, covering it as though with oil and obscuring any detail. Still, it was only a few seconds before her back began to sew itself back together. "Heh..." With an agonizing slowness, her broken frame began to move, propping her up on an elbow before managing to stagger to her feet. Bent almost double, she turned around to face Draecoss with a defiant smile. Black blood dripped from the corners of her mouth, her entire body trembling with the effort of standing. Her back was still working on repairs, meaning she'd be without magic for a while. On top of that, the holy bullets meant it would take much longer than normal, easily three times as much. Still, she'd keep fighting if possible. "I'll admit, that shouldn't have worked. You humans are even denser than I thought, I suppose." She seemed ready to continue, but was forced to pause as a cough wracked her damaged frame, black spraying from her lips to the earth. She just needed time... |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Dec 21 2011, 02:45 AM Post #10 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss laughed charmingly, hefting his weapon, but not pointing it at her just yet. He was quite amazed at how easily her body repaired itself; she was stronger than her brethren, that was certain. To take a blow from his most powerful weapon and keep up the fight... Draecoss was impressed. "No, no, not all of us are quite so foolish. Only the ones who hunt demons in their spare time. Those ones are quite dense, yes." He smiled disarmingly at her, lifting his weapon for a moment before she was overtaken by coughing. The priest inclined his head, studying her for a moment. Once more, he wondered how it was that her kind could be driven so heavily by hatred. "Do you need a moment before we continue?" There was irony in his question, but no malice. He was honestly growing a bit of admiration for the thing - woman? - before him. It would not halt his mission; he had sworn there would be no exceptions in his task. But he did not mind taking the time to pay her a few courtesies. Though perhaps he was being to gentle. She was quite strong, stronger than most of those he'd faced before. Perhaps she would be the end of him. But he still had a few tricks up his sleeve. Why not let it play out? It had been some time since he'd allowed himself to stop and simply enjoy the thrill of the fight, as he was so often called to do. "Whenever you are ready, we shall continue." |
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| Fera'thani | Dec 30 2011, 12:44 AM Post #11 |
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At Draecoss's words, Fera'thani snarled, her eyes gleaming with anger, razor-like teeth barred in anger. She was badly hurt, it was true, but she would not let this man taunt her and escape unscathed. With an effort, her back far from fully healed, she managed to straighten up with the few muscle fibers that had re-connected. Her heavy arms with their large claws hung limply by her side, the energy needed to hold them up seeming to escape her. Using them like counterweights for the moment, she tottered a bit as she spat put her words. "I... don't need... your sympathy!" The last word was more of a roar than actual language, and with a sudden burst of wrath she charged forward. Her footwork was little more than staggering, but once she had gathered enough momentum it did not matter. Once more leaned forward, she was fast enough to keep upright as she charged, again looking to gore him with her horns. Her arms trailed out behind her, claws tensed and ready to move. This time she seemed more serious somehow, and should her prey escape to either side of her this time, he'd find himself with a few rather painful gashes from the stone-hard talons. She was also a good deal closer, leaving little time to respond with a gun. Still, her footing was not as good this time around, and if Draecoss had the foresight to do so, he might actually be able to catch her horns and stop her with her injuries, like one might do with a charging ram. Her incredibly high temperature would cause some rather painful burns where there was skin contact, but it was better than being gored or clawed, and with his longer arms and better position, it would be easy enough to drive her to the earth and once more render her defenseless for a moment. |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Jan 2 2012, 05:38 PM Post #12 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss shook his head and smiled sadly. She didn't understand that what he was offering was not a thing of pity, nor was it a thing of hatred. What he offered was compassion, in its most basic form. He would take the pain she held about her like armor, and would peel it away. But, alas, she was vehement in her denial, just as they all were. What he wouldn't give for a few quiet words, a swift pull of the trigger, and the gift of sweet release. "No," he replied. "You do not. But I offer it nonetheless." He was wary this time. She had charged him before, and his response had been precisely as she'd planned. But he could not see any clever tricks this time; nothing to watch for. He held position, waited until she was but a few feet away. Then, all at once, he fired his shotgun point-blank. It would not kill her, but with hope it would slow or even stun her. Immediately afterward, he let loose his weapon, then reached out to grab her by the horns, trying to force her into the ground and, thus, into hopeful submission. His weapon was still close, and he still had his pistols if that didn't work out. In further hope of actually managing to wrestle the demon to the ground, he mouthed a prayer, drawing on strength from his god to empower himself and grant him some protection about himself, minor though it was. Edited by Draecoss, Jan 8 2012, 03:35 AM.
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| Fera'thani | Jan 8 2012, 01:56 PM Post #13 |
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Fera'thani was slightly taken aback by the attack with the gun. She knew little about the contraption other than that it launched a haze of painful projectiles, but she had failed to notice that it was trained on her before she had even started her close-distance charge. Now, had she been at full fighting condition, it would have been a simple matter to avoid the attack and continue on, but with her current injuries still working to heal, her various supernatural powers were left unusable, forcing her to take the hit if she wanted to continue her attack. Her arms rose, covering her face, the large tough forearms taking most of the shot. A few small holes were punctured in the tough flesh, but as she was already working to heal her wounds the punctures were sealed almost before she had reached her target. She did not escape unscathed, though. One of the farthest straying shots had gone low, punching a hole in her upper thigh. The pain was notable, but not nearly as bad as her back. Still, the pure kinetic force was enough to make her stumble slightly, sending her right into the man' grasp. Stumbling slightly as she was, and with almost no muscle connected in her back, she was no match for the strength of the human who caught her. Still, there was a touch of satisfaction in the transaction, knowing that she had at least hurt him a bit this time, her extreme temperature that spread even to her horns enough to cause the man extreme discomfort and even burns with prolonged contact. He tried to push her down, but her hands dropped to lock against the earth, bracing her from falling and halting the drop. With neither progressing, it would only be a matter of time before the heat became too much for the human, or before she was once again fit enough to overpower him. Her back was still too damaged to release her healing powers in order to use some other ability without possibly fainting, but soon... Suddenly, something changed. Having failed to push her straight down, he had the presence of mind to try a new direction, twisting her horns and heaving her off to one side. She couldn't re-position her arms fast enough, and with a shout she went over sideways, tumbling once more away from the man in another accidental barrel roll. When she finally came to a stop, she was on her stomach, black blood rupturing from the paper-thin covering of her back to smear the earth. Once more, she started to lift herself off the ground shakily, but this time once she made it to her elbows she stopped, shoulders trembling. One of her large claws lifted from the ground to her face, hidden by her angle and the bangs of her short white hair. she seemed to wipe her eyes free of something, probably dirt, before once again managing to lift herself upright. "Why... won't... you... die?!" She spun on her heel quickly to face the holy man, hair whipping about her face as she prepared to charge once more. However, her face was startlingly unexpected. Her mouth was contorted in rage, teeth barred, but her eyes... were those tears? The liquid welling in her eyes was the same color as her blood, but the way it sat... there were no cuts to run into her eyes to speak of, and since she was a demon she might very well have black tears. Her expression was pained, furious and desperate but also sad. No, there was almost no doubt that they were tears, and given that she hadn't shed a single tear at having her back literally blasted apart, there was no way that they were from pain. Sight blurred fromt he tears, she charged once more, but with much less devotion to her attack, the motion hap-hazard and half-hearted, still a threat if taken directly but probably not lethal. |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Jan 12 2012, 01:42 AM Post #14 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Rare were the moments that caused Draecoss to question his cause, his present course of action. The priest drew his pistol and, in the same motion, batted away one of her claws. He sidestepped her horns and used his free hand to grab hold, attempting to wrench her head into position before him. He whispered a blessing to his god, swept his pistol toward her skull, finger on the trigger... and stopped. He had always remained so true to his zealous eradication of these beings, these demons, no matter the circumstances. Yet, in this one, of all the others, there was a desperation, an implacable grief that he had never before witnessed. Tears of blood. How resoundingly poignant. This one was not like the others. He could not simply take from her the rage and pain she felt, as he had all the others. It was not a question of his own strengths; he would always press on despite his burdens. It was simply... Well, he could not decide what it was, precisely, but something about this demon - no, this woman - told him she was destined for greater things. No, do not fool yourself. There is nothing logical about this. This is not the greater good. This is simply that the mercy you offer is not the mercy you want to give her. This is not just. But it is good. A voice cried out in Draecoss' mind, telling him that it could very well be a ruse, that this could be another attempt to get him to lower his guard. But he dispelled these thoughts; at this moment, he did not want to be a survivor. He wanted to be... What did he want to be? Human. How ironic. Because, for all that you are, Draecoss, you still want to be human. Draecoss withdrew, holstering his weapon and stepping away from the woman. He studied her with sad eyes, then gestured. "I do not wish to fight you any more. I do not want to kill you." He paused, ruminating on his words for a moment, then shook his head. "No, it is more than that, I am thinking. I want you to live. I want you to live." He stood, hands at his sides and heart in his throat, aching for reasons he could not quite fathom. He gestured once more, giving her his leave to flee, to move on. You are a fool, Draecoss. But you are a kind one. |
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| Fera'thani | Jan 13 2012, 10:22 PM Post #15 |
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Fera'thani's footing was weak in her charge, her speed low, and her sight partially blinded, so it was no trouble for the man to catch her this time. She was jerked about easily, held at his mercy. Her eyes still welled with tears of her own demonic black blood, and as the barrel of the weapon rested against her temple the orange orbs closed tight in a preemptive wince, causing the sign of her sorrow to roll down her cheeks freely. Her legs seemed to give way somewhat, as she suddenly felt heavier, though not enough for Draecoss to be supporting her whole weight with simply her one horn in his hand. Then, the holy man's grasp disappeared. As he moved away, Fera'thani's eyes opened wide with shock, and she tumbled to the earth when her limbs failed to support her full weight. She crumpled as one who had been struck unconscious, and once more her face struck the dirt. As with the past number of times, she rose slowly, though this time it seemed like less of a struggle physically (as her wounds had continued to mend) and more of an emotional one. Once she gained her feet yet again, she looked at the man with grimace and clenched teeth, full of both rage and sorrow. "I said... I don't want your sympathy!" She screamed the last word, the cry of a being in pain, and once more made to charge. This time, though, she didn't even make it to Draecoss. After but two steps her injured leg gave way beneath her, the bullet wound still almost completely open as her body worked to repair her more grievous wound. yet again,s he found herself face down in the dirt, but this time she did not rise. Instead she seemed to draw inwards upon herself, curling her arms and legs beneath her broken form in a loose mockery of the fetal position, and Draecoss would be able to watch as her muscle continued to sow itself back together, her body wracked by a few sparse sobs. "Please... I can't-... I can't stop... I don't-..." She trailed off as more sobs shook her, and she made no effort to move to attack again. |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Jan 16 2012, 04:05 AM Post #16 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss stood still, watching the being curled on the ground before him. He stared, crippled by empathy and uncertainty. He had grown accustomed to her defiance, and, indeed, had initially been unsurprised by her reaction. But this sudden vulnerability, this break-down bared for him to witness made him feel uncomfortable. More, it made him feel an intruder to something so very... human. He had witnessed all that humanity had to offer, and had found it wanting. Yet this demon was invoking in him something he had never before felt. It was more than compassion, more than empathy. More, even, than love. What is this? More, what do I do about it? Slowly, Draecoss took several halting steps forward, arriving at her side. He looked down, his expression awash with grief. He lowered himself down to crouch beside her. He had a sudden urge to draw her into his arms, hold her until it was over. But somehow he thought that would be a bad idea. "What - ah. I'm going to... Tell me what..." He stuttered, unsure of what to say. He reached out hesitantly with one hand before drawing it back. How can I be so crippled by this one girl? How am I so shamed, humbled, by this mortal? He stared a moment longer, his throat heavy. Finally, he could take it no longer. He could not simply watch her pain without reaching out in some way. It was a bad idea. But then, when was compassion a good idea? Ignoring the consequences, Draecoss reached out and pulled the demon into his embrace, wrapping her in his cloak. In a low croak, he spoke his own weakness, his shame, his desire. "Please don't cry." Edited by Draecoss, Jan 16 2012, 04:15 AM.
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| Fera'thani | Jan 17 2012, 12:09 AM Post #17 |
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The demon girl was taken aback by the sudden show of empathy, to say the least. Were humans really so foolish? A moment ago she had been trying to kill him, and a simple teardrop had made him fall to comfort her. The implications were terrifying, even by her standards. Why, were all humans like this she could have simply started off with false crying and killed the entirety of this world! These vulnerable bags of flesh truly were a pathetic species. Maybe her mercy was misplaced... no, she knew this is how it would be best. Her skin still burning at well above save temperatures for prolonged contact (a cool 115 degrees), Fera'thani was almost as taken aback by the man's sheer pain tolerance for prolonged exposure to her skin. She'd always been told most humans couldn't handle those temperatures without pain, and even if she'd never seen one live long enough to become aware of it she took it as a fact. Still, that didn't help her current situation. "Get off..." As she managed to choke out the words, her voice starting to sound angry again, her claws dug into the earth by her face, digging small culverts into the loam. She might not want to kill this human, but her instincts made it difficult from even a distance, and with this proximity it was taking all of her self-restraint not to lunge upon him, injured or not. Still, she kept her face hidden in the earth, body shaking now with both sobs and the effort of not killing him. She did manage a weak push with her arm, trying to shove him away and with some success, though it was unclear whether or not he had been forced or simply allowed it from where she was. Given room once more, she managed to force out a few more words. "Please... I want to stop, but-... but I-... I can't! Please... help..." Spoiler: click to toggle
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Jan 17 2012, 02:59 PM Post #18 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss blinked, then snapped back to attention, realizing just how foolish he was being right now. For one thing, his skin was burning in prolonged contact with her. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, she was like to murder him. Hurried, but not without care, he let go of the woman in his arms, his skin stinging with the contact. He did not remove all contact, however; one hand was on her shoulder, drawing attention to him as he locked gazes with her. "I apologize for that; I am prone to, ah, weakness, at certain moments." He paused, pursing his lips. Now was not the time for apologies. He did not know how much longer she would remain in control of herself, and it was clearly a struggle, one that she did not hope to lose. "Listen to me. I'm going to make you an offer. I can stop this. I can ensure you do not hurt anyone ever again. But to do this thing, you see, I must take your free will. You will follow me, and you will obey me. You will be my slave." He leaned in closer, impressing upon her just how grave the situation was. "Understand. You will not like this life. You will hate it. You will beg me to loose you. I will not. Your rage will not subside, but you will not hurt anyone. Do you want this?" A voice within Draecoss informed him that this was, indeed, a terrible idea. He had not done anything like this in too long, and when he had, it had ended poorly. Moreover, it would give her a power over him, though he would not tell her of that. He wanted to help her, but he was not so foolish as to think that he could trust her. Ah, well. Such is the price of compassion. |
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| Fera'thani | Jan 17 2012, 11:57 PM Post #19 |
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Fera balked at the idea as the words fell upon her pointed ears. Total servitude... she had hoped for something less binding than that. She did not prize her freedom any more than the next life form, but that was still quite a high price. Total restraint, no free will... it would be terrible. Not only was that risky, but if this man was careless, she might end up dying from such an agreement, much more slowly and painfully than in a simple battle. To bind her would be to chance death... Then again, wasn't her existence chancing death? After all, she was clearly in danger here. Were she to let herself roam free without inhibition at all, she could easily kill scores of men like this one, but there would be more. She could never rest, never stop, her half-life constantly on the line. Here she would be protected for the most part, as she could tell this insect-... er, person... would protect her, otherwise he would not have spared her just now. Furthermore, this arrangement would also give her time, something that she had precious little of at the moment. Restrained from killing and safe from most harm, she might be able to devise a better permanent solution to this. After all, no mere human could match the power of a demon, no matter how great his magic. Yes, so long as she believed that, she could do this. "I-... Fine. Just... hurry!" She gritted her teeth harder, claws clenching into fists as the sharp tips threatened to pierce even her tough hide. Her back was much closer to being fully haled by now, all but the outermost layers of muscle knit back together, and even her red skin had begun to encroach on the gap. If Draecoss showed any hesitation, not only did she seem likely to attack again, but this time at full power, with no bonds or wounds to slow her, and she'd make quick work of the man without such limitations on her body and magic. |
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Not necessity, not desire - no, the love of power is the demon of men. Let them have everything - health, food, a place to live, entertainment - they are and remain unhappy and low-spirited: for the demon waits and waits and will be satisfied. - Friedrich Nietzsche | |
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| Draecoss | Jan 18 2012, 05:39 PM Post #20 |
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LIEUTENANT PRINCESS
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Draecoss nodded grimly, then drew back to lean on one knee. He reached down to his belt and drew out a dagger, unique in its stark simplicity. He closed his eyes and laid out his left palm and drew it across in a moderately deep gash. He grimaced in pain, then tipped his hand and let the blood spill onto the ground, moving his hand to make a circle. He looked back at Fera'thani, locking eyes with her. "I know this is difficult, but I need you to do a few more things. First, I need your palm. I am going to cut it. It must be done." He took her hand in his, gently, and opened her palm before him. He kissed his blade, then, once more, sliced open her flesh. Despite how touch her skin was, it seemed to cut cleanly and without effort, the steel cool to the touch. Then, he placed the flat of his knife on her palm, and placed his own bloody palm on that. Closing his eyes, his murmured his chant, practiced and weighty. "Our hands are the sheaths of our lives. Our blood is the vessel of our souls. When the blade is drawn, it shall slice them in twain. When it is sheathed again, it will bind them anew." The blade flashed hot, burning hot, between their hands, then suddenly dropped back to an icy chill. Draecoss removed the blade from between their hands. It was doused in their blood. When looking at it directly, it seemed ordinary, but when it was in one's periphery, it seemed to glow faintly, and the blood looked black. More, if Fera'thani closed her eyes, she would see the silhouettes, both human and monstrous, shambling forward. Their necks were wrapped in chains, and their paths were marked by blood. And all the while, they were pulled by something that pulled their chains taut, some being or force she could not see. And all the while, they laughed in bliss. Draecoss placed his bloody hand in the center of the circle he'd made, and, using his knife, made a shallow X across the back of his palm. When he was done, he reached up to Fera'thani's face and, using their blood, painted a cross upon her forehead. When he was done, he locked gazes with her again and smiled disarmingly. "You are doing very well. You have only this last thing. Use the blood on your hand. Draw a cross upon my forehead, as I have done you. As you do this, say these words: 'I bind myself to you. I bind you to me. I give myself to you. I am yours.' Just so. When you are done, place your hand on my heart. And then it will be done." He smiled once again, hoping she could keep hold of herself to do this last thing. If she could, then it would be done. And there would be no going back. |
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