Maraud was walking amidst the ruins of a theatre Moloch had purloined in his pursuit of entertainment, and was quoting several Shakespeare plays in quick succession.
"I told him to not sound so pompous, I mean -"
Then he froze rigid. And for the first time, his face consciously showed he'd been caught off guard.
"That scent. I... I didn't think... no..."

Cryth shrugged. "You can. I don't care about the details, I just want the pair of us out of here as fast as possible."

Rookspawn's eyes focused again on Nadia's face.
"I told you the world wasn't gonna give you what you wanted, darling. You gotta go find your mama..."
He choked, despite not having drunk anything.
"I love you kiddo." His smile never wavered. "Always loved being your daddy..."
His eyes started closing. "Follow Arch to your mama... she can tell you the rest... Nadia..."
His chest stopped moving, his eyes closed, and he met his death with the dignity befitting a man of his age.

Victoria followed the scent towards the theater excitement and anger flowed through her as they drew nearer
"The scent...its getting even stronger"
she starting moving faster hoping she hadn't missed him

Amelia nodded
"I don't want to be here any longer then we have to but i guess your right its not that important"
looked out at the arena
"How much longer do you think they will be?"

Nadia tears streamed down her cheeks and her lips trembled
"No don't leave me daddy please don't go"
she laid her had on his chest sobbing into it, clenching onto his shirt
"I love you daddy"
she laid there sobbing for almost an hour not wanting to leave his side. The person who took her in raised her like his only daughter, loved her and cherished her even though she wasn't his. The only person she had in her life that never gave up on her no matter how difficult she could be, being half demon she caused him a lot of terror when she was very young. This man the one she say as her father, the only person she ever known to love is now gone. She is all alone.
"What if she doesn't want me"
she whispered, slightly hyperventilating
"what will I do then?"
she looked up at him as if she was waiting for a reply but knowing she wouldn't get one

"So, exactly why do you hate this person, he seems to have given you something to live for."
The board lowered itself as Nejat sat on it, his legs hanging off the edge as he looks at the female.

Maraud closed his eyes, and walked onto the stage.
"You made this mess," he whispered to himself. "Find the silver lining."
He suddenly shouted, knowing she could hear him.
"VICTORIA!! COME ON MY DEAR, I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO DANCE!"

The fights were winding down and the remaining injured demons were being cleared away.
"The semi-finals now," Squillok suddenly said, having returned next to Sauriel.
"They will announce your opponent first. Watch them."
A creature that walked on hooves, had the face of a pig, had only two legs and had curiously crumpled arms, like an accordion with vicious spikes at the end, emerged into the arena, to many loud cheers. Accompanying it was a large spectral wraith that held a pouch almost reverently in front of it that hovered into the arena. Additionally, a large beast that resembled a manlike tiger stalked in, followed by, of all things, a demonic looking baby with skin crawling with lice and mouths in his hands. It rode astride a monster the size of a pony, with a crocodile's head and the manicured hands of a human woman instead of feet.
"There, there - do you see them!?"
Cryth gulped. "They...do not look friendly..."

Arch cawed and hopped onto the table next to Nadia.
It gave another caw and lightly pecked her, almost like a gentle tap to reassure her. It spread it's wings, then flew to the window, perching and looking back at her, waiting.

Victoria paused for a moment
"He made me this way, left me for dead, and then I had to go through the pain and suffering of turning into the monster that I am."
she looked down at her hands
"I- I killed my own parents because I couldn't control the hunger"
she looked up at him
"I have suffered because of him, locked away cause I couldn't control it i...."
she heard a voice call out to her and she turned to face him the scent she was following was him
"YOU!"
she started charging to him
"Because of you I am this way, fix it"
she demanded

amelia looked over at them
"who are they exactly?"

Nadia looked up at Arch and decided to follow him. she looked down at her guardian and placed a tender kiss on his forhead
"Sleep well daddy"
she got up and walked over to arch
"Take me to my mother please"

Maraud watched her as she came closer, and closer, and closer, and -
Her hands passed through thin air.
"I'm over here!" he called from the back row. "I see your dancing hasn't improved!"

Squillok launched into a description.
"The first demon is an Urk. Fastest strikers in the realms. Their arms can travel faster than a blink! The second is a basic Lich, capable of nothing but summoning primitive skeletons to swarm the target - however, there are so many no one opponent could beat them all and reach the Lich itself. The hulking one is a beast of brute force, a Rurch - very strong, yes. The baby is a Ightare, a monstrous creature that can devour the flesh from your bones in seconds! And the beast it rides, can breath FIRE!"
Cryth held Amelia's hand so hard it almost hurt. "Don't... panic...!"

Arch started flying down the street, slowly and silently so she could catch up.

Victoria looked around
"h-how"
she huffed
"I DON'T WANT TO DANCE. WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME THIS WAY?"
she started heading towards him

Amelia tried to pull her hand away from her brother
"You're hurting me"
she looked back at the demons thinking over the description feeling sick to her stomach
"Brother I dont feel so well"
she started to pale as the color left her body and fear took over


Nadia followed arch
"How far away is she?"

"Well, this looks like it'll get interesting."
He lay back on the board, hanging his head off the side to watch the commotion.
Nejat started twirling his index finger, small beams of visible light flying off and into the ceiling, causing him to slightly chuckle.
"So then, how long have you lovers known each other?"

Maraud looked actually guilty for a split-second.
"I never wanted to turn you. I was young, savage. But you were eager and sexy so how could I resist...?" he winked.
He stepped forwards gracefully to meet her. "And to answer your question, stranger, at least a few centuries..."

Cryth instantly relaxed his grip. "Sorry."
He turned to her. "We can do amazing things too, sis. And look at our team - there's no way that ugly menagerie can stop us."

Arch left the town's border, flying towards the orphanage where she and Rookspawn had first met when she was only a baby.
"CAW! CAW!"

She glared at Nejat
"WE are NOT lovers"
she turned scowling at Maraud
"You manipulated me, lured me away from my party, I was only 16 and and you did this to me"
anger filled her eye and they started turned blood red and her fangs were showing more then they were prior
"You made me a monster. I can't control...control the hunger I fight. I spent centuries being locked away into total darkness because of this hunger.. because of you"
she sung at him to hit him



"its ok"
amelia legs started to buckle for some reason his words didnt seem to help any
"I can't do it brother"




Nadia looked up at the orphanage remembering when he came for her. she was sitting on the steps crying cause she was being punished for being different from the other children. He had walked up and conforted her asking her what was wrong
~~~"They wont let me play because I'm different then them"
she wiped the tears from her eyes and sniffed
"The teachers said I had to sit out here and think about what I did. But I didn't do anything wrong. They hurt me first and I- I fought back~~~

little did he know that that day forward he would have a handfull of a child o raise. But he never gave up on her no matter how much trouble she caused. She wiped a stray tear off her cheek
"I love you daddy"
she said silently as she continued to follow arch

Nejat chuckled, looking at the other person in the area, "Refer to me as Nejat please I find that stranger is a very, well, ugly word."
He stopped shooting out little rays of light and sat up as the board raised itself slightly, washing the area with light.
"It was getting dark in here, also missy, you seem a little mad at me calling you lovers, was there some sort of relationship prior to your incident that you refuse to accept ever happened?"

I'm sorry peoples, I didn't know if I was supposed to take the paper n stuff or have it handed to me. I'll make the new post now. (Obviously)

Rail snatched the paper and pen from Decoda's hand and began to scribble furtively on it.
"I suppose this is the first time we get to actually communicate. SO i guess Hello is in order then? Anyway, I don't really know what you are planning to do. But if you are looking for allies I might know where some are. The Scion of Dawn and the Twilight General are always willing to help creatures like us out. Me and Noise come from them, our mother is one of the Gray. So if there are any issues we could probably get you're proposal heard."
Rail finished and let Decoda read her note. A thought came to her and she scribbled a few more words.
"They may ask for something in payment. I do not know what. Noise and I paid them when we asked for refuge during the schism. But for an alliance I do not know what you might be asked to pay." She handed this second note over as well.
"Ganiid." She said calmly.

Maraud danced around her, her blows coming within tantalizingly close inches to his skin. "Very, very impressive," he commented in wonder, stepping backwards towards the stage again as she pursued him. "And all this before refining your power... I must say Victoria, you are perhaps the most impressive feral I have ever seen. But sadly, you still cannot land a single blow."
He tutted, back-flipping out of her reach back onto the stage, then beckoning to her.
"And to answer your question once again, Nejat, I turned her when I had control issues."

Cryth helped Amelia sit down.
"Calm down, I'm here. We can do it. Together."

Arch flew into the now-deserted orphanage through a cracked window and perched in the waiting room, waiting for Nadia to follow.

She groaned in frustration stomping her foot and gritted her teath
"Stop being a damn coward and moving away from me"
she ran towards him leaping up on the stage as if it were nothing and tried to swing at him again
"sit still... damn it, and no there was no relationship nor will there EVER be"


amelia rested her head on her brothers shoulders, closing her eyes and trying to calm down
"I don't want to do this anymore, we were only supposed to fight a few demons not be placed into an arena full of them to battle on our own"
she was shaking in terror

Nadia slowly walked to the door of the orphanage. she peeked around the door to look around the room before entering. She remembered this place all to well and all the bad memories she had while being here because she was different. she looked at Arch
"Why did you bring be back the this awful place there is nothing here for me, this place has only given me bad memories"

Decoda read the two pages that Rail had written, then looked at her. "I suppose we can ask, then find out what that price might be." She handed the paper back to Rail. "It can't hurt to ask; right?"

"So then sir, you seem to have made this ma'am quite mad, don't you have anything that could calm her down, all this anger and shouting is starting to annoy me."
He looked at the other male, waiting for eye contact as small supernovas erupt within Nejat's eyes, the pure energy from them washing a meter around himself.

Maraud sighed as Victoria came at him like a bullet with fangs.
"If you insist."
He raised a lazy finger and his eyes flashed red.
"Enough."
Victoria's entire body suddenly seized up. She was unable to move even an inch.
"Let me get a look at you."
Her arms fell to her sides involuntarily and Maraud walked around her, inspecting her body.
"Very nice." His eyes lingered over her chest and bottom. "Very nice indeed."

Cryth made her look at him.
"We have all this backup and power of our own. It'll be easy, I promise. I-"
His breath caught in his throat.
"I promise I'll protect you."

Arch flew to the bedroom she had been in when she had been told Rookspawn would be adopting her and perched on the end of it, waiting for her to sit.

Victoria tried to move but no matter how hard she tried she couldn't
"what the hell did you just do to me"
she watched with her eyes as he studied her up and down
"Don't you are touch me"
she noticed him looking at her chest and she struggled to move and still couldn't
"let me go
she was breathing heavy as anger continued to build up, more now then before since she couldn't move


"I know you will"
she sighed slightly relaxing, but she still felt afraid. what if he couldn't? she smiled at him to reassure him she was fine

Nadia walked into the room and smiled remembering the day she was given the news that would change her life. she looked at arch and decided to take a seat after he seem to be waiting for her to do so
"soo now what?"
she looked around the room some more
"I miss him already"
she said sadly

"There we go, that's much better, just talk it out like any other civilised people would. I'll be sitting right up here."
He pointed up as his body raised, the board following him before reforming into what seemed a chair.
Nejat smirked slightly, watching what was happening below.

"I simply exerted my right."
Maraud continued examining her. "As the one who blooded you, until you become powerful enough you are quite simply my pet. As your master I can command you to do..."
He leaned in, his breath tickling her neck.
"...anything..."

Cryth smiled and looked at Sauriel.
"You think you can take these guys?"

"Jeez, the amount of people you get to know," the bed Nadia was sitting on grumbled.
"Seriously, why am I in the market for so many favors..?"

OOT: Sorry I'm a little slow at posting, I'll try to pick it up in the next few days.

Uninterested in the strange events unfolding around the arena, Sauriel looked back at Cryth with a dubious expression.
"I could...though it would take some time. But you are going to join the fray, aren't you? It would be a shame to let your power sit idly."
He took a few steps closer to him.
"The lich needs to be destroyed first, or we will have an entire arena's worth of skeletons to deal with. Help me clear a path towards the lich, I will take over from there."
He looked around at everyone else.
"Can the rest of you hold off the other demons while we do this?"


Tybalt silently watched the exchange between Rail and Decoda before finally speaking up.
"What kind of price will they ask us for? Hopefully not something too extreme..."
He lowered his head in thought for a moment.
"For example, what did they ask you for, Rail?"

Victorias eyes widened as he called her his pet
"I am not your pet nor will I ever be"
she tried struggling again but nothing, when he leaned in being close enough to feel his breath she wanted to tear into him right then and there
"LET ME GO.....NOW!!!"
her voice echoed throughout the theater
"When I break free I will tear you limb from limb"
her eyes were starting to turn even darker almost black and she hissed at him

Amelia clung onto her brother when they were asked if they could hold off the other demons, she looked up at Cryth for his answer hoping he would say to leave her out of it


Nadia jumped up letting out a squeal
"W-who are you?"
she poked at the bed a few times to make sure it was real
"I've never seen a talking bed before"
she poked it again for reassurance

Maraud pulled her into a kiss which she was of course powerless to resist.
He broke it by moving his lips down to her neck, and fastening his lips around it.
"Ah... just as delicious as it was all those years ago. I commend you Victoria, on coming to find me."
He leaned back and with a casual gesture widened her posture, her legs moving apart.
"Very good," he mused as he inspected her body again.

Cryth gave her a reassuring smile.
"We three can handle it."
Jokan nodded assent.
"And what about you?" Cryth said in a neutral voice to Semira.

"Yeah? Well, nice to meet you."
The bed shifted.
"Cripes, the amount of tears you cried into this pillow last time you were here... Why are you here anyway?"