Demon encounter

1. Demon encounter

   #41

   Kara looked up to him and then lowered her head watching the ground. "...But...I didn't want him to die for me." she said sadly. "If I knew that was going to happen to him I would have thrown myself in that lake to save him." she said. She stayed silent for a couple of minutes.
   She looked up to him once more with a little smile, She felt safe and comforted with him around her. "I haven't told you my name yet have I?" She said. "I'm Kara." she smiles bringing out her hand to shake. "I suppose I should have told you sooner...but so much was going on."

2. Demon encounter

   #42

   "Kara, ahh that is a pretty name! Think now Kara, what do you think of our new friend here? Do you think she can be trusted to lead us to the lair of any beast powerful enough to rule a whole forrest? She has a quite uneasy disposition about her face I think."

3. Demon encounter

   #43

   "Thank you." she said with a smile. "...Yes I do think she is trustworthy, she just seems to me a kind of reliable person." she said looking over to Joya. "But then again looks can be decieving...but I try to be optimistic about things...and try to trust people the best I can." she said not quite worried, hiding her sadness and uncertainty.

4. Demon encounter

   #44

   Joya pretended not to hear them. She had long since ceased caring what others thought of her. She was still leading them to the village, but wondered if she should send them somewhere else. If the demon got round the confused tracks, it could get very ugly. Then, she heard a deep, deep bass note sound, so deep that it was almost felt rather than heard. This was unexpected. The imp had delivered her message after all, or someone had gotten curious. That was the hunting horn of the Lord of the Hunt, and it sounded like he was in a mood tonight. "I suspect we shall have company soon. I suggest that if that is the case, and it's who I think it might be, you let me do the speaking."

5. Demon encounter

   #45

   The demon blazed his way through the confiusing trail the nymphes were making, and stopped for a second. "...let me do the talking..." He heard them. Twenty feet maybe more to the right, with a flash of smoke and fire then appeared next to a large oak tree no more than a couple of feet from the man, before they could react he was on them. He delt a punch to the back of a man's head, that sent him stumbling.
   
   With more agility than a thing his side should have he leaped at the other woman the one ranger and tackled her. Souless. He mashed his fist into her face and rained another blow into her head. The demon stood up and kicked the man in his side, then wirled on the second woman with a large predtory grin on his face.

6. Demon encounter

   #46

   She looks at the two fallen allies worried. "What should I do? I can't just run off and leave them..." she looks at the creature to notice its coming after her. "I have to be brave...maybe if I try to stall time then they will be able to escape...but how will I?" she looks over to them once more. "No. I will not put my own needs before them, I will not abandon them, they have helped me, and I shall help them..." she said beginning to walk up to the creature.

7. Demon encounter

   #47

   The demon's blow had knocked Joya off her feet, backwards several yards, and had left her somewhat unconscious where she landed. When she came to, she made a mental inventory. Some bruises, and what would probably turn out to be some severe aches, which, for her, was an accomplishment. Maybe a couple of cracked ribs. Nothing serious. Dammit. Neck snapped. Not permanent, but infuriating. It would reknit quickly, likely in the next ten or fifteen minutes, but until then, she wouldn't be able to move. At least, not well. And it might be a tad too late. The girl looked like she was about to do something incredibly foolish, and she didn't know how the young man had fared. This was not a good night.

8. Demon encounter

   #48

   Grabbing the back of his head as he fell, Nitrelain's hand was slightly damp once he hit the ground. The demon had drawn blood, if not very much. At least he could still see straight. Looking up to where he had felt the blow, he froze as he saw Kara, blade drawn if slightly wobling, facing the demon face to face not ten feet away from each other.
   
   Reaching for the sword, he grasped nothing where the hilt should have been. Scanning the ground, he saw it, burried partly in the ground, directly under the demon's belly.
   
   "Kara look out, you can't face that thing alone!" He shouted as he stood, and sat back down suddenly as a wave of dizziness swept over his body. "Damn, I can't even move. Kara RUN!"

9. Demon encounter

   #49

   The demon ignored the man he'd be out of the fight for another mintue. He grabbed the girls sword by the blade, and yanked it out of her hands and through it into a tree just over the man's head. He then reached out grabbed the girl by her wirst and pulled her close, snagging her by the waist he ran off into the brush he pushed a tree out of his way and ran at a wicked pace...

10. Demon encounter

    #50

    She looked amazed at the creatures speed, she tried to break free of the creature, but it was too strong. She screamed in horror of what had just happened, what was it going to do to her? She looks back at her two friends and smiles a bit knowing atleast they will be safe. She looks back to the creature and tried once again to free herself, but to no avail, she had no more will power she might as well be dead at that moment, she knew it was coming soon anyway, she only had to wait for death.

11. Demon encounter

    #51

    Luke grasped the girls mouth and stopped it from screaming, "Stop sturggling or your death will come much more faster than it already is." The demon was lost, it slowed down for a few second to get its baring the damn other girl had said she was going to a village but couldn't be far away. How come he couldn't see it.
    
    Suddenly a large bass horn sounded again somewhere in the woods, the demon started running again this time a little more panicky.

12. Demon encounter

    #52

    A minute or two passed. Finally, Joya felt able to stand up. She carefully and slowly staggered to her feet, holding her head as if she feared it might fall off. That wasn't too far off the mark. She didn't want to do any damage to the fragile, mending bones in her neck. She leaned against a tree, and surveyed the scene. It looked like the boy had also been knocked a fairly good one, and was having his own difficulties. The demon and the girl were gone, hopefully not together. She hadn't seen that part. Joya growled. Now it was a personal thing. No one had ever dared fling Joya about like she was a rag doll, and it could not be allowed. And she had a splitting headache.
    The hunting horn sounded again, and she could hear the baying of the hounds. And then, the Lord of the Hunt himself arrived in the clearing. He was tall, unreasonably tall, and there was a kind of shifting about him that made him hard to see properly. And her blurred vision didn't help.
    He surveyed the damage. "So. The imp was not exaggerating. Explain, Lady Joya."
    Joya didn't move. "Being the Lord of the Hunt, you might know what sort of beast made those tracks."
    He gave a cursory glance. "A demon."
    "Yes, and last I saw of him, he was tearing apart the forest at whim."
    "The demon has trespassed on my territory. I will deal with it. May I ask why you did not act? There are many who fear you."
    "I am not a fool, Lord Huntsman! I well know my limits, and this demon is far beyond them."
    The Lord of the Hunt was silent for a moment. Finally, he said in his poderous voice, "The Hunt will continue!" He yelled into the surrounding woods. "Our prey has changed! We now hunt a demon!"
    As good as she was likely to get. But still... "Lord Huntsman, I fear that the demon has taken someone I agreed to protect, for what reason I cannot fathom."
    Silence. He knew her of old, and knew that while she followed her own peculiar brand of morals and ethics, they were unshakable. He said, "I will lend you one of my hounds." A great, wild looking beast bigger than a wolf and an order of magnitude more fierce leapt forward at his master's command. "You can handle him, I assume."
    She looked at it critically. "Yes. For this Lord Huntsman, I will allow your imps access to the Grove of Moonflies at the next full moon."
    "A fair bargain, Lady Joya." And with that, he turned and vanished back into the surrounding woods, blowing another blast on the hunting horn. His entourage followed, leaving the great Hound behind. She turned to the boy. "As soon as you are capable, we shall track him."

13. Demon encounter

    #53

    It didn't matter to her if her death was going to come soon or later, all she knew was that she wanted this horrible night to end, for the sun to rise and Don greeting her like he did every morning, but she knew now it was impossible to ever get back her old life. She looks up to the demon distasefully, she hated it with all her heart and wished nothing more of its demise. She heard the horns and perked up her ears, was she going to be saved?

14. Demon encounter

    #54

    So much hate in this girl, so much. She would make a good recruit if it wasn't me who had killed her friend. Aye feed your hate girl it is a powerful emotion.
    
    Baying hounds sounded not far off, setting off on a random path the demon gave up all hope of stealth and relied on speed. He ran at brake neck speeds, a tree loomed in his path and he jsut barreled through it. Reveling in the destruction he was causing. His direction seemed erractive and evasive constantly changing. He backtracked even at one part, then ran fifty meters straight blazing a path right through the woods. He took another right then gave a great leap and landed on the edge of the wood the ground thundered as he set down. He threw down the girl and whirled about just in time to upper cut a hound in the face just as it leaped through the woods, at him.
    
    "Huntsman show yourself, let us settle this matter as equals." His voice was gravely and gutteral but showed not a hint of exhaustion.

15. Demon encounter

    #55

    She got up carefully after being thrown on the ground. Kara looks around and sees no land forms that she had rembered, she didn't know where to go, she thought to escape, but where?
    She looked over to the creature and hoped he was too preoccupied with the Lord of the Hunt. She quietly begins to walk away. She didn't know what direction to go in, but she wanted to get away from the demon.

16. Demon encounter

    #56

    Opening his eys again, Nitrelain quickly searched around. Good, he could see straight again, and his head wasn't splitting quite as bad. Bad, Kara was gone, yet Joya remained. Why couldn't the monster have taken here instead. Suddenly he noticed their new companion sitting on its haunches near the woman. With a short yelp he sprang to his feet, he glanced to the spot he had seen his sword, and froze. It was gone. He was unarmed.

17. Demon encounter

    #57

    After she had carefully walked a few yards away she begain to sprint hoping the creature wouldn't notice her leaving.
    Kara looked around tring to look for where her new found friends were. She wasn't going to the town until she had found them, even though the town was only a quarter mile away. She wasn't going to let these friends be killed like Don had been.
    She looked up to the sky and noticed that the sun was beginning to rise, it had been at least a few hours, but it felt like much longer. She took a rest feeling like she was far enough away from the demon, however she was not, she was only a half mile away, and with the demons fast pace he could easily catch up to her.

18. Demon encounter

    #58

    "Calm yourself, boy. The Hound will not harm you, he will help us find your friend." Joya looked at the horizon. The sun was beginning to rise. She addressed the great hound. "Find the girl, and lead this young man to her. She is not prey; do not harm her. When he has found the girl, you may return to your master." She described the girl, and the Hound let out a sound that might have been agreement. She looked around. "I do not know where your sword has gone. The woods are much safer in the daylight. Here." She pulled a large, wicked looking knife from a concealed spot. "You may borrow this; return it to me later. The Hound will take you to your lady, and you can ask for no better guard than he. Once you find her, I suggest you find a good hiding spot. I must take leave of you now. I have... matters of great urgency I must attend to." After checking once more to make sure the Hound would do as it was told, she turned and hurried off the path. Fortunately, it wouldn't take her long to get to her lair; she'd be in before dawn truly broke.

19. Demon encounter

    #59

    A sun beam lanced over a small knoll casting its golden beams on the demon. The demon felt a burning corrosive pain on his back and howled, with that he phase shifted in a flash of black flames back to the underworld.
    
    In a dark marble built room, a lone female figure sat on a high black throne. The demon kept his eyes to the floor, fear coursed through him. A sweet soft but deadly voice flaoted him from the figure, "I am very displeased Bathazar, you have delayed my plans for a whole day because you played games with a vampire and two humans."
    
    "But becuase this is your first failure," at the word failure she took a pause and smiled in pleasure, "I will not kill you but, as Sol sets tonight, you will go to that village and you will by damn, prepare my Apocalypse." The last part she shrieked like a Banshee.

20. Demon encounter

    #60

    She begain to get up and looks around tring to decide a path. "What eay would I go?" she asked herself, she was never good at directions. "North...south...east...west" she turned each way with each direction, however they were all wrong. She was lost and she knew it, well accually not lost, lost because of the town she knew where to go to, but it was more like she had lost her friends.

21. Demon encounter

    #61

    Taking the knife greatfully from Joya, Nitrelain barely had tmie to shout his farewell before the large hound shot off straight as an arrow through the forest. Bellowing through tree and rock alike, Nitrelain was startled when he looked back and saw not a trace of their passage. What stranger magic was this he had not seen before?

22. Demon encounter

    #62

    "Well since the town is that way then I should go this way..." Kara turns around and sees the hound bounding towards her, she screams. She begins to run.

23. Demon encounter

    #63

    Bathazar stood beneath a small knoll as the sun receded for yet another night. As the last vestiges Sol's bright brilance set behind the horizons, the demon got up and walked on the road that lead into to town. Instead of having to come out from the lake his mistress had given further power to roam around the coporial world. He had phase shifted out to an abandon farm and waited out the sun.
    
    The demon walked towards the village it lamp light glowed brightly he was only a mile out...

24. Demon encounter

    #64

    The sun had set. Joya woke up, and went out. First order of business, she needed to go hunting, but that was easily dealt with. It didn't take her very long. After she was finished, she went looking for the boy and the lass, if they were still in the forest. Hopefully, she'd find them before any other predators did.

25. Demon encounter

    #65

    The demon Bathazar smashed through the front door, of some house a family crouched in terror in the far corner of the house in the doomed village. A middleaged man stood against holding a pitchfork, the demon grabbed the pitch-fork and broke it in two, he grabbed the man by the scruff of his shirt and bodily through him out of the house, then grabbed the others lying in the ground he pushed and hurled them out into the street...
    
    ...A pile of bodies lied in the town square, about seventeen, twenty human bodies all badly mauled and beaten. The demon stood fighting the last few men in the village, all of them had swords and leather padded armor. The demon punched one in the chest with his claw and bodily ripped the heart out of man that had been to bold and left his defenses down. The others gaped in surprise and horror, one made a leaping slash at the demon's head the demon grabbed the man's sword and reached around with his other massive fist and delivered a blow to the man's face. The last three shaked madly one dropped his sword and ran, the other two followed suit running after them. The demon gave chase...

26. Demon encounter

    #66

    Running madly behind the hound, Nitrelain gasps in surprise when he sees Kara wandering alone through the forest. Stopping the dog in its tracks with a swift tug, he lets the leash go and runs towards her, picking her up into a great embrace.
    
    The moment is ruined only by screams suddenly coming from the South, followed immdeiatly by 3 men running headlong in a panic through the forest not 15 paces from them. Setting Kara down, he draws the slim knife Joya had lent him.
    
    "Get back and prepare to run, it seems the demon will be here soon."

27. Demon encounter

    #67

    The demon watched them go, giving them a few seconds head start then in a whirl of flames he disappeared and appeared in their midst in the blink of an eye. He grabbed one and mauled him into a tree, while strking the other in the side with a back canted kick that sent him flying.
    
    He advanced on the other menacing, then froze. It was him...
    
    The Lord of the Hunt...

28. Demon encounter

    #68

    Joya made her way through the brush, seeking the most direct path. She paused as she heard the great hunting horns. She smiled grimly, the moonlight just catching her pointed teeth. She hurried through the forest, and soon saw the two young ones. "Come on," she said, stepping into the clearing. "This isn't the place to be. It's about to get very ugly."
    ___________________________________________________
    The great Hounds tore through the brush, baying as if they themselves were demons. They had caught the prey's scent. The Lord of the Hunt followed them, giving lesser creatures no heed. The demon had rampaged through HIS territory, and that would not be forgiven. If one could see his face, he would be smiling. The baying suddenly increased. They had found it at last. This would prove a splendid hunt. He bellowed as he strode into the clearing, his great bow drawn back.

29. Demon encounter

    #69

    The demon didn't wait at all in all these woods the Lord would fill him like of pincushion he rushed into a near by clearing, since he had just teleported there would be no escaping this fight but he would not let the Lord have an easy fight.

30. Demon encounter

    #70

    The great Lord of the Hunt bellowed again. It had been a long time since prey had offered him a challenge. He fired, coming damn close to hitting. It was an intentional miss. The Lord Huntsman enjoyed playing with his prey.

31. Demon encounter

    #71

    The beast made it into the clearing just as an arrow hissed above him into a tree. "No more playing Hunter, let us fight."

32. Demon encounter

    #72

    Kara looks over to Nitrelain. "I can't just leave you here and let you get killed too." she said as she looked over to Joya. "Yes, we should go to someplace safer, but where should we go?" she asked.

33. Demon encounter

    #73

    Looking from person to person, Nitrelain decided it would be best just to run.
    
    "Well Joya, here, take your knife back, I won't know what to do with it anyways."
    
    Turning to start off through the brush back to the destroyed village, for where better to go than somewhere the demon had already finished with, when he was stopped short.
    
    A small gasp escaped him as he looked down, there was his sword, lodged between two branches of the nearby tree.
    
    "Now how did you get here?" He asked it, and realized that he could only see the hilt. "And where is the rest of you?"
    
    The gasp from the two women behind him and the first small pang between his ribs answered his question all to absolutly.
    
    Turning his head around, he found the rest of the sword, sticking straight out of his back.

34. Demon encounter

    #74

    Her eyes widened seeing the sword coming out of his back she immediately came over to him. She knew if the sword was pulled out then he would bleed to death. "How deep do you think it's in?" she asked inspecting the sword blade. "But...how..." she said looking at it. "We need to get you to a doctor." she said worried.

35. Demon encounter

    #75

    Joya's eyes narrowed considerably. "I'm not entirely sure that a doctor would be of use. And anyway, I do not know where the nearest one would be. All I could do is take to out of the forest to a village; you would be on your own then."

36. Demon encounter

    #76

    The besat roared as it's challenge went unanswered he picked a tree that had a large girth and hurled it at the Lord of the Hunt.

37. Demon encounter

    #77

    Without thinking, Nitrelain jerked backwards, and pulled hmiself free of the sword. It was not long before he realized his mistake.
    
    "AAARGH!" He screamed as pain more horrible than he had ever felt ripped through his stomach, and he collapsed spasming to the floor.
    
    Lying there on the weed-ridden dusty trail, he was only vaguely aware of Joya and Kara, staring at him only five paces to his side, but powerless to stop his fate. He was going to die right here in these woods.
    
    Looking up to the sky, he lay back his head as he began to accept his end, and gave a start, his sword was no longer lodged in between the two branches of the wood elm beside him. Slowly, he reached his hand down, and grasped the hilt of his weapon, which was now sheathed on his side.
    
    The surprise of finding this caused him to jump up aloud with a small yelp, and his hands shot to his stomach. Yet the searing pain he had been expecting did not come. In fact, he could not feel any pain at all coming from his stomach. Looking down, he carefully undid the lower two buttons of his shirt, and peered at the wound he had given himself.
    
    What he saw was his own stomach, unharmed in every way, with not even a scar to show for it. He searched the spot the sword had exited and found the same thing, not a scratch. The shock of this nearly caused him to faint again, but it only took one look at Kara to steady his feet.
    
    "Kara! I thought I'd lost you again. Are you...are you hurt?"

38. Demon encounter

    #78

    Joya's eyes narrowed further, but she said nothing. She merely looked around the dark forest. "When you are ready, we should leave this area."
    ____________________________________________________________________
    
    The Lord of the Hunt roared with laughter. This was entertaining prey indeed! He strode into the clearing, pulling his great sword as he did. The sword was fully as long as an average man was tall. "By all means, demon, I'm in the mood for a good fight."

39. Demon encounter

    #79

    The demon belowed out of his arms to short swords dropped made of black steel each blade was reathed in flames. The demon picked them up and sneered at the Huntsman, he charged right at the man at the last second he jumped up and aimed a hooved kick at the Huntsman's throat.

40. Demon encounter

    #80

    Kara looks at him with schock wondering how a mericle like that could have happened. She smiles slightly. "I'm fine...but...how are you though?" she asks looking at where the sword was pulled and sees no signs of it ever being there in the first place. She looks up at him once more placing her arms around him. "I was afraid...I thought you were going to die..." she said happy that he was alive.

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