Blood Rising (Tag Seere, Eledore)

[N.P.C.]

* The child's blackened eyes narrowed. It was not unforeseeable for it's prey to evade this attack. One of her bloodline would not fall so easily for such a base attack. What gained it's ire... what nearly caused it's flesh to boil... was the princesses action. Any self respecting demon would have left that mortal suffer his fate, and used the opening to attack the main body, regardless of who the Kulrichir used for a host. Instead... she wasted the effort to pull this mortal out of the volleys path.... denying it it's vengeance and allowing the street to be razed by the spears assault.*

* And even with the opening given... she still stayed her hand... only striking down at the vines before taking flight. The beast reeled from the assault... allowing it's anguish to reciprocate through the girl's screams. In moments... it stood in the street, glaring skywards... as it's spears began to return to the main body.*

* The girls arms proceeded to boil and froth once again... this time forging a gnarled trident from Blood and bone. It took the hideous construct in it's hands before it re-formed it's wings...far healthier and stronger than previously... before it took to the air... it's eyes dead set upon it's prey...*

* Even with the arrows splitting the air... it agilely maneuvered through the air. It's contempt... it's rage burning hotter with each passing moment... in tandem with the black ember who's putrid light was overwhelming it's left arm. Blackness matching that of the jewel on the girls bosom.*

* It rapidly closed in... spear at the ready... before it finally thrust the Gorey weapon foreword, ready to cleave the princesses breast... and finally restore itself to full strength... yet was denied once more. It's screams echoed through the night as the weapon disintegrated into a horrid film of blood and bone as it's devils-flesh dissipated from the girls arm. The archers shaft having rendered it into dead weight. Reeling, it thrust itself backward, away from the Succubus.*

* Its eyes seethed with anger... the hellfire in its left hand burning with a greater intensity. Locking with the girl as it growled...*

[glow=red,4,300]"... you have grown weak.... princess.... walking amongst them... coddling mortal filthy.... you are undeserving of your status... of your power... "[/glow]

* It's rage was not sated by the princesses taunts... mocking it for thinking hellfire would work against her. It could feel it building... festering... the blinding fury threatening to drive it back into that feral state it was in before. Not now... not when it was so close.*

* It knew hellfire wouldn't hurt a princess... there where others who weren't so lucky. The girls lips curled back... a malicious grin darkening the puppets face....*

[glow=red,4,300]"... no... it can't...."[/glow]

* It thrust it's hand downward... before sending the massive ball of damnations fire screaming down upon her mortal pet. It's fires enough to literally reduce the mortal to cinder. The childe had put so much effort into prolonging the archer's pitiful existance... its only a matter of sitting back and waiting for her to act, and then striking at her when her guard is down.*

* And if she doesn't... there is one less annoyance for it to worry about.*

[Seere]

The demon continues to sputter and growl, letting its emotions run freely. It’s a sharp contrast to myself, keeping my feelings in check, not letting any hint of my thoughts slip through. This whole conflict is really something that wears on my nerves. I could end the fight right now and scatter every last ounce of the Kulrichir’s essence. It would be fun to, hearing it scream as my winds and lighting tear it apart. But I can’t. Or at least, I shouldn’t. Innocent girl in the line of fire. Oh, that’s a thought. She had better be innocent, for all the work I’m putting in. I might lose my temper if, after its all said and done, she turns out to be some scum ball who was already condemned to the pit.

From the kids mouth, the demon taunts me. Not even good taunts, really cliché stuff. Grown weak from living amongst them, betrayer to our kind, don’t deserve my power. If I had feet at the moment I’d tap them impatiently. As it is, I settle for a scoff, rolling my eyes.

“You’re an awfully small speck to be lecturing me, you know that? Maybe when you’re a little less pitiful and weak, you can talk to me about how my time on earth has softened me. You say I care to much for mortals, and yet there you are, unable to survive without one. Barely even able to manage a spark of hellfire. What do you plan to do with that, Dry my hair?”

Of course he doesn’t, or at least I hope he doesn’t. The level of stupidity required to repeat an already failed tactic would probably leave me doubled over with laughter. So ya, he’s going to throw it at The archer. Any second now, he’ll lob it over. Oh, no, I was mistaken. First he’ll make a ‘threatening’ comment, like he’s pulled the wool over my eyes, and Now he’s throwing the hellfire. About time. So, the ball is in my court. A gust of infernal winds could push the ball back, or disperse it entirely. There’s a lot of energy in that, probably took is toll on the Kulrichir, pushing himself when his energy reserves aren’t exactly robust. At a rough guess, it’d take him a moment or two to recover from that. The wheels turn inside my mind. It’s a bit of a gambit, but I know I can make it work.

I drop The Archer, letting him fall, with no means of escaping the fire. My wings start to carry me off, out of the line of fire, as I gather my lighting in each hand, hurling bolt after bolt of violet energies at the bloody fiend. I pause only a moment, to glance back at the poor mortal, knowing these might be his last moments. My confident smirk fades, becoming guilt. No, I couldn’t risk endangering him so recklessly. I spin in mid air, straining as I head back. To late to get him out, I have to settle for the next best thing.

This is going to suck.

I grit my teeth as the flames wash over my back, feeling their sting. We both are knocked to the ground, my back shouldering, plumes of pitch black smoke curling of the parts of my wings which had been scorched away. Such a weak flame was harmless to me, so long as I had time enough to muster a proper defense.

At this point, I had planned to say something clever, instead I let out a groan. I wave a hand, resorting to some less direct methods, maybe stall for time, distract his attention. Police sirens flash on the roads a few phantasmal cruisers pull up, letting out a squad of officers. To all human senses they are completely real. Too bad a Kulrichir isn’t anything like a human. It doesn’t need to fool him long, just a few moments.

[Eledore Mouring]

* The shaft meets it's mark... the beasts unholy trident disintegrates into a shower of gore as it's sent reeling back, it's right arm limp and useless. Even if I shudder from the backlash, feeling the girls anguish in my mind, I can't help but sigh in relief.*

* That was too damn close.*

* Unfortunately... this thing only seems to be more pissed off than it was a second ago, it's remaining arm bathed in black hellfire as it spits insults at the Demoness. She's not really helping the situation... snarking back at the fiend, pointing out how insignificant it is compare to her. While yeah... pissing it off further might not seem smart, but at least it keeps that thing occupied. I'm mustering up my energy, forging another shaft... a few more seconds and it's ready to fly. Just have to wait for the right moment to strike...*

* Naturally, it's right then it decides to stop monologuing... and decides to let that unholy ball of fire fly...*

* ... at me...*

* The whole 'slow motion' thing starts kicking in as I stare through that abyssal flame as it barrels its way toward me. My mind mulling over the options here... not only for me, but for her. This is clearly a trap... this thing trying to get her to dive heroically in the line of fire and open herself up. It's a conflicting situation... she let's me die, she can save this child but I'll never be able to bring Silva peace... she saves me, and this thing has it's opening, and we're all screwed*

* standard catch 22*

* Seconds later... I get my answer, as the tail uncurls around my body, and I begin to feel nothingness of free-fall. It's halfway like chute training in basic.... just without the benefit of an extra 40 pounds on your back. She's moving in... taking the fight back to that thing, filling the air with unholy lightening... while I scramble to grab hold of what isn't there. Confliction runs through my head... both angered and relieved by her choice. Even with my rate of descent... there's no way I'm going to clear that flame.*

* She takes a break from battle... looking back toward me... watching me fall. The expression of confidence that previously adorned her face fades... before she spins in mid air... and...*

*oh no*

* I don't even have a chance to respond before she's there... shielding me with her body... or at least trying to. She cringes as the hellfire washes over her back... her ebony wings disintegrating into ash in this unholy display of pyrotechnics. These wings, meant to shield, give way too quickly... I let out an ungodly scream as I feel it's hellish bite dig into my shoulder, before we both begin spiraling to the ground.*

* Like some damned carnival-ride from hell... we spiral our way down to Earth, smoke trailing behind us. The few thoughts running through my brain being the unfortunate fate of whoever cushions the others fall. Regardless of who ends up as street-pizza... I'm sure Morris won't be far behind to finish off the survivor.*

* The impact is nowhere near as hard as I'd thought... still enough to make me blank out for a second... to knock the wind out of my sails. My left arm is numb, my shoulder still feels like it's on fire. Sonofa... I reach over with my right arm... pushing myself up, only to feel a hand grab onto my back to keep me from getting back up. A Lavender voice whispering into my ear, pleading me to stay where I am. I open my eyes... finding myself staring down into the demonesses eyes.*

* My mind goes blank for a moment, thoughts about the pain from my injury just fading away. Did... I just have my face buried in her bosom? Just... safely snuggled between those soft... glorious pair of tits? Even with their proximity... my eyes just keep focused on her face... observing, admiring every perfect little feature. It's like their screaming up to me... those lips of hers, red as sin, begging for me to drink of them... to taste them. My mind races... thoughts of all the things we COULD be doing racing through my mind. Every dirty... impure thing we could be doing...*

* ...Right here in the middle of the street...*

* My pants tightening with the mere thought of what we could be doing, feeling her voluptuous body pressed against my own, her soft, warm skin caressing mine as our bodies moving in unison. The sweet smells in her hair, hearkening back to every girl I've ever loved, the taste of our kiss as we give in, abandoning all trivialities of morality and just... fuck right here in the middle of the street...*

* ... just one little taste... and we can get the ball rolling...*

* My head slowly moves down toward her, My my lips tremble... sweat beginning to slowly form upon my face, rolling down like raindrops. No... this... this isn't the time... but why does it feel so right? Remember why you are here.... forget about it, it can wait... remember WHAT she is... does it really matter?.... This.. THIS is WRONG! ... This is so right.... R... remember...*

*... remember silva...*

* My mind pauses... the tide of lust bated... I try to concentrate... try to keep picturing her... the little girl I remember... there, in the orchard. Remember the broken body you found. Remember... remember what she's become... and what you need to do.*

* ...remember...*

* My right arm takes hold of the ground beneath... as I push my way off onto the asphalt... even with her efforts to keep me down. Her physical hold is strong enough, I keep hearing that voice... still whispering seductively in my ear... telling me not to get up... not to go... as quickly as it began... the raging libido which suddenly sprung upon me subsides... and her voice begins to sound just as snarky as it did before, telling me how I have to stay down here, stay close to her to keep the illusion, lest that thing see either of us.*

".... then... your gonna have to... get up with me...."

* My voice is strained, a pained, animalistic growl... fighting back natural urges and pain... I push myself up to my knees, taking firm hold of the arm she's trying to hold me down with, hoisting her arm up over my shoulder for better leverage.*

".... on your FEET... princess...."

* I grimace out, shoving up with my legs... holding most of both of our weights before she finally gets with the program, actually helping me shove the both of us to our feet. When we're finally upright... I shove myself off of her... my mind still reeling from that bout of unholy foreplay. I grimace as I'm reach up to my shoulder, and clamp down upon it. My teeth grit together as growl in pain. Mother FUCKER this hurts!!! Have to concentrate on that... on the pain... can't let myself get distracted by carnal desires, whether she intended that or otherwise. Your in the middle of a fucking battle soldier... get your brain out of your damn pants and get to work!*

* I don't bother to look back... dont' bother to look up to see what that freak is doing... as I growl back to her.*

".... NEVER... do that... again..."

* Never a cold shower when you need one.*

* With that 'pleasant' experience over with I'm now left to get berated by her snarkiness while trying to shake off this crap. This is like some kind of damned hangover. I was so lost in her nymphomaniacle mojo I'm just now realizing why that thing hasn't made a move. I look around... seeing the illusion. Looks like half the damn LVPD's mobilized and ready for action... to the naked eye at least. Have to give the princess credit... she does good work. Even up at the main event... a perfect replica of herself 'engaging' the beast... who's so lost in it's blood-lust to realize it's getting played.*

* I notice her snarky criticism has died a bit. I sigh. It's an easy guess what this is about. My tones improved since I last spoke... though I still dont' bother to turn to look at her.*

" Don't worry... divine archers are kind of like Boy scouts..."

* I grimace slightly... taking my tuner in hand, I begin to let the energies flow. Releasing my secondary form of defense from it's slumber... as a vorpal blade, forged of astral light, extends from the hilt.*

[glow=yellow,2,300]" ...always prepared." [/glow]

* Skyward that thing is still thrashing about, attacking the illusion... still not realizing she's not there. Now would be a good opening to attack... still, that high up there's no telling what harm it could do to the host. If she's even still in there.*

* Suddenly... the facade is broken. A single swipe of the creatures arm slices harmlessly through it's prey. Needless to say, when it realizes it's just wasted valuable time and energy... it is NOT happy. It scans the area... taking a closer look at the surrounding area. It doesn't take long for it to find us among the shadows, battered and bruised, not fully recovered, and with no gameplan. Basically with our pants down. It let's out a unholy shreik before it Dives in for the kill*

* when suddenly...*

[glow=yellow,2,300]"... what the hell?"
[/glow]

[N.P.C.]

* The demon watched intently... eagerly awaiting the princesses reaction. Will she act true to her herritage... and allow the pathetic archer to fall to his death... or will she save this mortals meager existence and open herself to it's claws. Her answer however... is not to it's liking. The princess wastes no time... sending her infernal lightening crashing toward the creature, which, as winded as the last display had left it, was left only to attempt to nimbly dodge the incoming attack. Several met their mark... causing the beast to reel... and in the process... didn't notice certain important details on what just occurred.*

* the fire struck it's mark... the mortals torment echoing through the nights air, the princess circling up... looking back at the smoldering corpse that fell to the ground... and looked back unimpressed. Speaking in a mocking, deadpan tone, her arms crossed before her.*

" Wow... wasting all that effort and energy on one mortal. Boy, don't you feel special."

* the beast growled before charging at her, swiping with it's claws. An attack which drew no blood... but drew amusement from the princess... who laughed as she dodged each attack with relative ease... again... and again... and again. Each failure compounding the beasts rage.*

"Is this the best you got? At this rate, I'll die of old age before you even get close to hitting me."

[glow=red,2,300]SILENCE!!![/glow]

* The demon frenzied in the sky... despite still being reduced to the use of one arm, it continued it's assault. Each attack growing more brutal... more viscious... in the face of the princesses taunts. Until finally.... it's hand met it's mark. Neatly cleaving it's way between her more than ample bosom... it waited, reveling in anticipation of the banquet of power that would be bestowed upon it.*

* It was rewarded with nothing.*

* The beast was left dumbfounded as it watched the princess disintegrate into ash. No blood... no bones... nothing. As the fury of battle died within it, the realization came back to hit it like a freight train. All this time, all this effort... WASTED fighting against a mere... illusion. The hair on it's flesh bristled... the child's teeth grinding together. It would NOT be made a fool of... not by a traitorous piece of royal GARBAGE!*

* It's eyes shot down... surveying the area... rage as red as blood surging through the girls blackened eyes, staring toward with pure hatred at the procession of law enforcement below. It could smell... TASTE the princesses aura below... almost hand in hand with the nauseating purity coming from the archers weapon. It's glare narrowed... the veil of shadows parting... revealing the pair below. Battered... bruised... barely able to stand....*

*... utterly helpless...*

* It threw the child's head back... it's unholy shriek reverberating through the nights air... cutting through it like a knife before it dove. It's purified arm flopped limply in the wind, It's good arm flexing back.... forming an Axe-like blade from bone... it's new glorious weapon that it would use to claim the childe's lifeblood as it's own. And this time.... it would NOT be denied.*

[glow=1E90FF,2,300].....no....[/glow]

* a whisper... tiny... like a mouses squeak... yet as insignificant as it seemed... the beasts eyes betrayed such was not the case... despite it's beastly form... despite the gory bravado... this development filled it with dread. So much so that it's trajectory was thrown off... overshooting the pair by a good 10 feet and in a rather undignified manner.*

* The beast shook it's head, trying to force that dread from it's mind. It desperately tried to focus... trying to regain it's bearings. This wasn't the time... not now... now when it was so close! Laying here... weakened... left wide open for an attack from it's prey... or giving them an opening to flee like cowards. It turned it's head... focusing... focusing on its prey... on her. Weak... pitiful little princess... wasting away her powers to frolic among mortals... disgusting. As its hate grew... as did it's lust, it's lust to taste her blood... to tear out her jugular and feed.*

* Through this... it was able to force its way back up with its one good arm... and with an unholy growl it turned, rushing ahead with inhuman speed... prepared to cleave that tarts bosom in two...*

[glow=1E90FF,2,300] NO!!!![/glow]

* The demon froze up mid stride... this time close enough for it's prey to look upon it's face. Those black eyes... dark as the pit... filled with hatred and blood lust moments earlier, now frozen... betraying the outright fear that gripped the beast as it fell to it's hands and knees....*

* before the floodgates opened*

* The beast's head shot back... and it screamed. It's mind reeling in a maelstrom of confusion, sorrow, and fear. Nothing like it had experienced moments before... it was disgustingly sweet and pure... being force-fed into it's brain along with pleads, demands and questions.*

* it flopped foreword, the arm that was previously useless grabbing it's face... it look up... it's eyes locked foreword upon the pair... eyes that where once as black as the abyss... tears streamed down from, as jade retina's parted through the blackness... as that tiny voice squeaked out from the crimson abyss...*

[glow=1E90FF,2,300]".....p...please.... h...help...m...me..."[/glow]

[Seere]

For a few moment after I though up my illusions, I thought that it hadn’t worked, that the beast had seen through them. That would have worried me, since it not only meant that the archer was about to die, and that my own abilities had weakened greatly. I wasn’t all that worried about my own safety, death not being something that applied to me in any real sense. For a second, I almost thought the attack was coming down, but then the beast started wailing at the air, swinging its attacks wildly. Good…that’ll buy us a few minutes, hopefully enough for me and my associate to catch our breath.

Speaking of which, the gentlemen certainly seems to be enjoying himself, nestled against me. I feel the shifting mass inside his trousers, the fabric growing taunt. My presence is doing things within his mind, clouding all thoughts, leaving him supple as clay, yielding to my own instinctive desires. I know I shouldn’t, but as it always does, my hunger begins whispering to me to satisfy my urges. Justifications run inside my skull. I saved his life, he owes me. I’m weakened, injured, and this is a chance to replenish my strength. Think of the girl, if stealing a bit of this strapping young man’s spirit will let me save her, than I shouldn’t hold back.

If we’d stayed there much longer, I’d have given in. But it takes two to tango, and my parent suddenly has a change of heart. I feel his emotions just as clearly as I feel his reaching heartbeat and warm skin. I don’t know what’s going on in his head, but I know that something inside their causes him to hesitate, then internally recoil. He grits his teeth and presses me away. Resisting the desire to fuck like rabbits is one thing, but its still probably best for us to stay down while the demon is distracted. A stray shot could still end up heading our way.

He responds by yanking me to my feet, without ceremony or pause. I’m not exactly use to being thrown about like a sac of potatoes, and his comment almost makes me want to punch him square in the face, on principle if nothing else. Another time maybe. He changes his weapon, now wielding an impressive sword of pulsating light. Its got some force inside it to, makes me feel like I’m standing to close to an oven, but its not exactly warmth. The energy he’s brewing doesn’t get along well with my natural essence.

The respite comes to a rather abrupt end, a roar raining down on the desert from the deceived demon as it bellows out in fury. Lighting crackles into my fist, as I brace for the attack. It lunges down, not just murder in its eyes, but a hate far beyond the sort that humans would have a word for. Then, its mouth, or rather, the mouth it’d been using, whispers one small word. I’m not sure if the Eledore’s senses could hear it, but it was clear enough to mine. A single, uncertain ‘no’. Shock registers on the demons face as its control slipps and it plows into the ground, tossing the dry soil into a brown cloud which hung suspended in the night air.

I could blast him now, exploit the opening, but I don’t. Something very unexpected is happening, and I want to see it take whatever course it will. The beast regains its bearings and charges, one claw held high, snarling with rage. Till It repeats its No from before, only a hundred times louder. The body freezes in place, not even the eyes moving. Like a bad puppet show, the joints start flailing out of unison as it tumbles down into the earth. It shudders and shakes, flops about. I’ve been around a long time, and I’ve never seen a demon have a seizure before.

The head suddenly snaps up, and while the jaw doesn’t move like it’s supposed to, the action appearing rigged and forced, it does manage to let out a quiet plea for aid. Not in the booming voice of a beast, but the trembled cry of a young girl who didn’t understand what was happening, only that she wanted it to stop.

Demonic magic is not like human magic. I don’t claim to understand how sorcery works, or what enchantments went into building the necklace at the heart of this binding. I can name a few incantations and techniques used by spell casters when they summon a demon, having experienced that process first hand. So I have no idea how or why the link between the demon and its host body has weakened, but I’m not going to risk losing what may very well be the only chance that teenage girl has at getting out of this alive. Heck, I can’t even guarantee that what I’m about to do won’t kill her. But I know if we don’t do anything, there isn’t likely to be any chance at a rescue.

Wings reappear on my back, pushing the air aside as I rush through it, almost pouncing on the demon, knocking it clear onto its back. I reach out, grasping the necklace. It weighs a ton, even lifting it off her chest is pressing me to my limits. The connection between the girl and the demon doesn’t want to be broken. I flap with my wings, trying to get some extra force as I pull at the chain, hoping to yank it free. If any higher power happened to be glancing my way, I sure as heck hoped they’d cut me some slack and that the possession would end once the focusing necklace was gone.

That’s when the necklace catchs me by surprise. My entire plan had been based on the idea that it was only capable of binding one demon at a time, that adding a second would either be impossible, or require another mage on hand to perform the rites. Not so as it turns out. I feel the energies in it flare to life, uncoiling like a leapord which had been doing in the sun for the past millennia. I look down at the jewel, and suddenly I feel like I’m on the edge of a cliff and the rock is crumbling under my feet and I’m about to fall in.

And that’s before it really starts to pull. Its bindings stab into my essence, pulling at it in a hundred different directions. The skin on my hands starts to break off almost immediately. Then the muscle and blood and nerves start going, even the bones beginning to break apart and be drawn into the gemstone, the rest of my arms already starting to break down. And while my physical body may be little more than a shell which can be reformed with a thought, its not just breaking down my body, its siphoning in my essence and strength. I keep pulling at the Necklace, feeling it straining to stay put.

Its all going to come down to if I can get this thing off before the binding has sucked to much of my strength. With each moment the necklace feels heavier in my grip, my efforts become a little weaker. My thoughts start blurring and I can feel the presence of the demon, the real demon, inside the amulet, my essence brushing up against its. In a few moments, I’m probably going to be sharing a room with the fucking thing. Trapped in the gemstone, powerless to escape.

Like Hell I will. I’m Not about to lose this fight and be forced to rub elbows with such a low class brute till the end of days!

[Eledore Mouring]

* With everything I've experiance in the past several hours... nothing could prepare me for this...*

* I bring my sword to bear while the princess readies with the lightening. Don't know how much good it'll do to choose to stand our ground here and now. Suddenly, the demon's kill dive was so abruptly interrupted, it's focus on splattering our internals across the sands broken... that unfathomable hatred that radiated from it's face gone... moments before it plowed into the sands behind us. All of this because of a tiny little whisper. A sheepish, uncertain little squeek defying the demons intent... an unsure command for it to stop.*

* A whisper that rang like bells on sunday.*

* We stood there... dumbfounded. Instances that could have been used to strike at this damnable thing instead wasted in trying to decipher what just happened. Back at the dam... when I struck it with my arrows... I would hear screams in a similar ... no... this WAS the same voice. Could this have been a fluke... is the girl fighting to reject this thing, or is this some sort of feighnt from the beast? Trying to lure us in for evisceration?*

* It doesn't take long for the abomination to get it's bearings back... seething with the same malice as before... I rears back and charges us... still restricted to the one arm as it prepares to eviscerate the both of us... when it's assault is stalled mid-stride... it's face frozen in absolute terror as it's brought to it's knees...*

* all by a tiny squeek turned into a roar*

* it's head suddenly reals back, as it screams back into the nights sky... and I shudder backwards. I can FEEL it... chills reverberating up and down my spine with the subtlety of a jackhammer... a veritable whirlwind of conflicting emotions, both human and non human, washing over me. I stand fast... fighting to stay on my feet. And I'm not just seeing her as she looks up... thoes jade eyes peircing the darkness... begging us for help...*

* I can feel her...*

* Feel her pain... her suffering as this damnable... THING desperately claws at her soul... trying to re-affirm it's hold on it's puppet. She claws at the bloody locket on her neck... glowing with the same dark light as before, only dulled... weakened from it's expendiatures. It's vines intent to strangle her into submission... pulsing with demonic energy like a beating heart...*

* That's it... that's the key. That thing is controlling her through that vessel... wether it was cursed or an instrument of sealing I don't know... either way we'll have to tread carefully to get this off without killing her. Naturally... I don't get the chance to even try to co-ordinate efforts. Mid-thought I'm nearly knocked aside as the princess once again unfurls her wings... thrusting herself ahead and ramming into the girl... pinning them both to the ground before she joins in... taking the pro-active approach and grabbing onto the accursed locket to use all of her unholy strength to tear it off.*

* Still not much for subtlety...*

* As she's got the demon pinned... two infernal females practically wrestling out here in the desert heat... I'm ashamed to admit how my mind is wandering. My thoughts revolving around that shapely ass of hers instead of the important things... like safely excorcising this girl... can probably be chaulked up to the lingering bits of her carnal Succubial mojo running through my sistem. I'm required to follow through like I did a few minutes ago... clamping down on my wound, riding through the pain to clear my head before I start moving in.*

* Things are definately not going right...*

[glow=yellow,2,300]"NO!!!"
[/glow]

* True enough... the thing is thrashing about... cursing both it's host and the princess... what you'd expect from them when their threatened... it's the princess I'm worried about. It's taking a lot of effort... even having to try to get airborn to tear it off. It's understandable that a demon would have problems, if that stone was meant as a holy seal. Problem is I can feel her powers dwindle with each passing second... soon the locket not only saps her strength, but begins to deconstruct her... dissolving her form and pulling her inside.*

* Looking at the big picture, your average Exorcist might not think this such a bad idea.*

*She's a demon... a Succubus... an infernal beast of lust and temptation who leeches off the souls of the living men durring Sex. She's likely slain countless innocents, corrupted just as many through carnal temptation, hell... I came dangerously close to falling into that trap myself. It's a cycle she'll just keep repeating until the day of judgement. It'd be so easy to just stand back and watch, let it suck her in and, when this thing is at it's weakest, move for teh kill. Two abominations purged for the price of one.*

* Thing is... I'm not like your average Exorcist... and not taking into account I have no idea how her being drawn in would affect our little freind there... she isn't your average Succubus.*

* There are multiple instances where she could have easily killed me, by her own hand or by proxy of this beast. Just the same as she could have avoided all this trouble by killing the girl that thing is using for a host, instead putting herself in danger of being sealed away forever trying to get that locket off. There's something different about her... a light that shines in the eye of that maelstrom of Sin.*

*Something worth saving*

* One would think that the easiest course of action would be to use my sword and break that thing... just cut through that thing and let the peices fall where they may. Problem is... it's not only anchored to the Girl... but the princess as well. Breaking it right now would kill everyone envolved... not just the beast locked inside. And that leaves the next simplest option...*

[glow=yellow,2,300]" Don't you even THINK of falling apart on me now Pincess![/glow]

* My tuner falls from my hand, dangling at my wrist, as I rush in. All concern for my own personal comfort brushed aside as I reach in, my left hand wrapping around the Princess's deteriorating hands, taking holw of what little hasn't been drawn in to the gem, as my good hand wraps around the demonic gem. My teeth grind together as I plant my legs and pull with all the might left in me as if engaged in a spiritual tug-of-war.*

* No quarter has been asked... and quite certainly none is given. I will not fail...*

*WE will not fail*

[N.P.C.]

((Ooc: I'm going to be multi-tasking again so as to wrap this one up))

* she stared back at them... her weary green eyes drowning in tears. Violated both psychically and then spiritually... she has seen far too much since this hellish road-trip began... used as an unwitting pawn in the commission of indescribable horrors. It was all a daze... an abhorrent nightmare she drifted in and out of... helplessly watching as this demon tore it's way through the southwest. The screams... the blood... running through her head.... and all she could do is watch...*

* Now... for the first time since this began... there was hope. These two people... they didn't die like the rest... they've fought... they've hurt it... weakened it so much... that with all of the strength she could muster she was able to push the thing back. She was able to speak... forcing every word.... *

Even as the thing clawed at her soul from the inside...*

[glow=1E90FF,2,300]".....p...please.... make... make it it stop... makeit...make it all stop....I...I want to go home... I just... Just want to go... ho--huuu..."[/glow]

[glow=red,4,300]" Insolent Whelp!!!!"[/glow]

* the beast growled inside the girls mind... it's words seething with venomous anger. This... this little fool DARES to resist? She actually THINKS that she can exorcise herself? The beast might think this comical if it weren't so poorly timed. It reached out with it's mind... taking hold of it's gory puppet strings... and squeezing... tightening their grip around the girls neck*

[glow=1E90FF,2,300]".....pll..pll......pleesss..."[/glow]

[glow=red,4,300]" You insignificant sack of meat!! You DARE to challenge ME?!?!? You DARE to stand against ME?!?!? I am ever living... I existed before your ancestors could walk upright... and I shall exist long after your pitiful race is EXTINCT!!!!"[/glow]

* the beast raged... clawing at her soul.... trying to drag her back into the cage it had kept it locked in... trying to regain control before they could attack. Still... the fought on... even as it tried to strangle her unconscious... she kept fighting... kept clawing at the accursed necklace... gasping for breath...*

[glow=red,4,300]" I shall NOT be DENIED!!!!! Not by the archer... not by the princess... and certainly not by YOU!!!!"[/glow]

[glow=1E90FF,2,300]".....huh....hh...haaa...--"[/glow]

* She tried... god she tried... all of her might to breathe... her face turning blue as her eyes beginning to roll back into her head.... her grip beginning to slip....*

* Then a gale force struck up... she could feel something slam into her before she was thrown back, landing hard back upon the pavement. The shock jarring the threads and breaking her back to life with a ragged gasp. The woman... the one the thing called princess... she was on top of her... pining her down. She tried to look up but couldn't see her face behind her bust line. The woman wasted no time... as she thrust her hands down and grabbed the necklace... trying to tear it off of her.*

*but something went wrong... something... went very wrong...*

* there was a light... a blood red light and then... pain...*

[glow=red,3,300]YOU WEAK-MINDED FOOL!!! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?!?[/glow]

* the beast screamed .... it's vicious roar seething with fear... fear worse than anything it showed before. it could feel it... just like before... that holy maelstrom being unleashed... dragging the impure back inside.*

*It fought desperately, trying to avoid the fate it has suffered long ago... wrapping it's filthy claws around the child's soul... using her as a bloody anchor. It's mind raced, lost in the terror at being trapped again it frantically tried to think of other means of escape.*

[glow=red,3,300]" RELEASE IT... RELEASE IT NOW!!! She'll.... she'll die... this filthy little whore will die like the last! Release it now and you may save her! DO NOT TEST ME WENCH!!![/glow]

* The desperation that hung in it's voice didn't help sell it's con... the Princesses efforts doubling as the beast Desperately fought to stay inside. It's concentration so focused on it's survival that it didn't notice what else was happening.... not immediately.*

* It could FEEL it... the intoxicating sensation of her pure-blooded demonic essence rubbing alongside it's own. It took some ironic joy in watching as the weak little childe's energy being siphoned by the gem... now up to the the point where her hands where physically disintegrating... pulled in by the enchantment It's filthy mind so lost, it almost missed the Archer's arrival.*

[glow=red,3,300]" stupidlittle fools...[/glow]

* it's growled out... bemusement lingering on it's rancid tongue.*

[glow=red,3,300]" there is nothing either of you can do to stop this...[/glow]

* For the most part... it spoke the truth. Even with the slight boost she got from the archers intervention... there was no way she could peel herself from the crystal... not after she's let herself be tainted by the mortal world... weakened to the point where she'd risk her own existence for the feeble life of a mortal.*

[glow=red,3,300]" I shall take solace that I will NOT spend eternity alone...[/glow]

* the fiend gloated...*

[glow=red,2,300]" ...even if I must spend it with a Weakling like yourself!!!![/glow]

* the archer lunged foreword... his eyes locking down upon the beasts.... the mortal forcing his body into action despite his wounds as he growled down upon the abomination... *

[glow=white,3,300]" Doesn't matter how 'weak' she is...."[/glow]

* then... the light. Soft at first... it's repulsive purity burning brighter with each passing second as the weapon was forged... the shafts formation blinding the demon as it helplessly lay pinned on the pavement.*

[glow=white,3,300]" ... just as long as she's stronger than you!!!!!"[/glow]

* And with that... he let the shaft fly, spearing point blank down into the child's head. Her body jerked... eyes opened wide... as the vile blackness dissipated... and that is all that it took.*

* As the beast lost consciousness... it's hold upon the child... the only anchor it had to keep from returning to that wretched prison... was lost. Like a candle in a breeze... it's rancid essence was snuffed out... and drawn screaming back into the jewel, sealing it once again.*

* And then... Oblivion.*

[Seere]

Standing there, pulling upon the amulet as it stole away every last scrap of my being, tearing pieces of my essence away one scrap at a time, a thought occurred to me. What if I just gave in and surrendered to the amulet. Absurd, yes. Perhaps even unbearable. Mankind often tosses around the word eternity, but its full scope isn’t something you grasp till its staring you in the face. It’d be torment, going out of the world in such a small and meaningless way. A Princess of hell, bound in a piece of ancient jeweler till the drums of Armageddon rang out. The very thought appalled me. Yet, there was one redeeming feature to it. How long have I felt the burden of an unnatural soul inside me? It leads me away from my home, made me betray my place in hell, all for the fleetingly trivial concepts of ‘justice’ and ‘morality’. To be done with all that, just step outside the battle between the Divine and Infernal. Not feeling the guilt clawing in me after I feed, no more deluded attempts at something resembling righteousness.

How easy it would be to just stop.

I almost did to. But then the archer came, and grabbed hold of me. He latches on, planting his feet in the desert sands, his frail little body already halfway to the grave from the battle. Yet, there he was, gritting his teeth and trying to summon up enough grit to drag me back out of the amulets pull. Despite literally falling to pieces, it made me smirk. Spells don’t work that way, age old enchantments aren’t just something that can be thwarted by a guy who keeps in good shape.

Human kind, really are some amazingly stupid creatures. Blind, ignorant, laughably weak. Old stories talk about how The first Devils were once angels, who looked down from heaven at Man, and were not impressed by what they saw. When told to kneel before these creatures, they refused. Rebellion arose and they were cast down into the pit. It amazes me that, even for one as old as myself, I don’t even know for certain if that story is true. Thinking about it now though, I guess, I never figured that humans had something I’d overlooked. This half mad fury that the archer summons up, born of equal parts ignorance and spite, somehow turning into a single unshakable drive. He truly, and without reservation, believed that if he strained with all his muscle and sinew and tendons, that he really could defeat such a powerful spell of sealing on nothing more than guts.

I don’t know if I’m impressed or filled with pity at such a notion. I smile, ever so slightly, turning my eyes towards this man who chased a demon over half of Nevada to help a girl he never met.

“Me? Fall apart. You underestimate me. This Amulet might as well have chipped one of my nails for all the danger it could pose to me”

Alright, that’s a bit of dumb bluster and shameless self promotion. Maybe that thick headedness is contagious. My form flickers and fades, as I begin shedding off some of my essence, taking the appearance of a young girl, barely in her teens. It gives me a chance to focus my remaining strength, compress it down carefully, so that I can give one big pull against this accursed talisman. Just as I do, the demon stirs again. Its got a hold of me now, inside the amulet. Its essence and my mingling together. Like the parasite it is, I can feel the demons claws digging into me. Its words resonate through my mind, its blind panic and rage, the madness brought on by its ages of confinement, the raw determination to escape at any cost. It calls me weak, even while clinging to me.

My archer raises to the insults laid against me, driving his power in a surge. The light burns me, burns through me. But the demon of the amulet gets far worse. I feel its essence being scarred by the power that the archer had brought to bear.

With a rather anticlimactic suddenness, its over. The pull I felt against me was gone, the presence of the demon whom I’d only moments ago shared a bit of myself with had vanished, and with a very soft thump, the golden necklace fell into the yellow sands, only the faintest spark along the jewels surface betraying it as anything more than a relic of a long dead civilization.

I stand, lightly stepping over to my archer, offering a hand to pull him back up as well. With much of my essence lost to the amulet, he now stands a good head taller than me. It’ll be days before my strength starts returning to me. Though I have no complaints. I’ll heal far faster than he will. I look into his eyes, and feel a moment of connection. I’m a succubus; I have a sense for the hearts of mortals. The form I’ve taken now, I think I remind him of someone from his past. Painful memories. Sad memories. Something tugging him west, something he has to do. But my reading of his heart doesn’t let me know his mind. Perhaps another day, should we meet again, I might ask him. But today is not that day.

“I hope, sincerely, that you understand that even if it wasn’t intended to be serious, I cannot simply let a mortal get away with calling me weak. I’m a demon after all, you understand of course.” I pause a moment, relishing the ‘oh crap’ moment. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of killing you. I put to much work into keeping you alive just to give it all up now.”

Pointing a finger at the amulet, I summon up a sudden gust, lifting the necklace up and tossing it to the archer. “Take this. I don’t know much about sealing magic’s, so no use to me. The spirit inside it is either gone, or so weak I doubt its even sentient anymore. Still, the enchantments are strong, and probably eager to try and soak up another infernal entity.”

I had intended to just end it there and be done with him, but that little scrap of a soul inside me would have none of that. I walk towards him, subduing my energies for what I have in mind. Then, as I stand in front of the archer who battled beside me, I lean close, and plant a kiss on his forehead. One free of any demonic energies or seductive undertones. A gesture of thanks from a Princess.

Course, just because the soul feels right doesn’t mean that I do. Cant let this end on such a cutsy note. So I step back, pucker my lips, and start blowing. At first it starts as a low whistle, but it begins to build. The air around us feels my call to it, and begins to stir. Soon, the sands beneath the archers feet stir, rising up, twisting and swirling into the night sky, Faster and faster, racing around him, ever tighter, ever stronger.

“Good Bye, Archer from the East”

With one last breath, the winds take full force, a whirlwind lifting the man up high in the air, carrying him off across the desert, towards the western sky and whatever it is out there that he’s heading for.