In between Good and Evil

[Raydo]

Of course her mother would be a witch. She represented just about everything his church stood against. He should hate her, it was his sworn duty to hunt things like her but he didn't hate her. He found himself ever-increasingly curious about her, if not a bit concerned about things like an invitation to drink her blood.

In an instant, she changed completely. dancing and skipping ahead, she was quite the site. An odd mix of unnatural beauty. He couldn't shake the surrealness of the situation. "Oh.." he said to her offer "I don't think..."

It was too late, she was already summoning more of her creatures. The shadows made his skin crawl as they took shape. He tensed for a moment, in case they decided to attack them, but it never came.

"I don't know about this..." he said nervously. He didn't want to ride one of these things. He should have brought his horse. He looked around. "ughh..fine" he finally said, giving in. "Please don't eat me." he said reaching out a hand as he slowly approached the wolf.

He inched closer and closer before he finally was touching the creature. He swallowed. "This is such a bad idea..." he mumbled before throwing his leg over and pulling himself up. He wavered slightly for a moment before catching his balance.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Evelyn laughed and teased him, "Come on! Don't be such a yellow-belly! It'll be fun! Don't be scared!"

The wolf was incredibly timid. They were created with the intention of helping them so this wolf familiar would now do everything in its power to protect Relin and Evelyn too. As he got closer it licked his hand and continued panting. When Relin finally agreed to let it pick him up he'd raise rather quickly, but then steadily wait for Eve to start them off. The wolf did though lift it's head up in hopes that Relin would scratch at its head, or behind its ears.

Meanwhile, Evelyn clapped her hands excitedly once more rapid fast. Then, taking a fistful of the wolf's mane, she kicked the sides of its ribs and the wolf dashed off down the road. Whether Relin was ready or not, his own mount followed suit. Evelyn giggled and shrieked in delight. Her hair was wild behind her, whipping across her face in the speed of the chase.

"Better catch up!" she called back to him. "Unless you like staring at my ass!"

 

[Raydo]

He scowled at the teasing. Like it was even fair to fault someone for being afraid to crawl on top of a shadow wolf...thing summoned by a demon! What was his life coming to?

"Easy there." he said patting the wolf on the head. It seemed to enjoy that so he scratched it behind the ear. "See? We can be friends..you don't have to eat me." he said

He heard the clapping and then his wolf took off down the road. He was almost fell off right away, only barely managing to stay atop the beast. He flung himself forward and managed to grab ahold of the wolf's neck and held on for dear life. Even with his arms wrapped around the wolf's neck, he still almost fell out.

He was vaguely aware of Evelyn yelling up ahead but he couldn't make out much with the wind in his ear and all of the attention going into not falling off. Judge by her tone though she was certainly making fun of him.

"Are we almost there!" he called out.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Evelyn continued to laugh and giggle as they ran. Relin cried out to her in question if they were almost there and she would reply that they weren't even close. And that he might want to strap in for the ride. How he would do that was another question. Maybe if she'd made him a harness? Something to bring up next time. Assuming...there was a next time.

They traveled like this for over an hour. Not stopping, not slowing down, avoiding all the trees and obstacles in their way in a method attributed to how only wolves moved. Hopefully by now Relin had a better grip on his mount or at least figured out a better way to seat himself.

When the wolves finally stopped Evelyn held an arm out to silence whatever protest he was going to make. She slid off her wolf carefully and crouched low. She looked down at a plant which had a think ooze over it. Wiping her finger in the **** she smelled it and made a gross face. She already knew what it was, but had to be sure. Demon blood. True demon blood. Nodding to the wolves they began to sniff the blood and slowly start walking low in the grass to follow the scent.

"Come down," she whispered to Relin and held her hand out to him. Once he slid down she patted his robes off like they were dirty and made a sour face. "No no no. This won't do. You'll need better armor."

Evelyn stood back and put one hand on her chin as if deep in thought. She snapped her finger then and nodded, holding the hand out to him then. "This won't hurt a bit. Oh! And don't worry about any of your holy nonsense. It's just a shade covering. You'll still be able to magic all the same. I promise."

Her shadow would extend outwards, only going in a straight line to him and connecting with his. Long black tendrils wove up his legs but he didn't feel them. His clothes began to change, a black leather armor covering the robes he'd been wearing. The shadows he couldn't feel, but as the armor wove into existence he'd feel a slight tug of their weight on him and further examination proved they were stronger than normal leather hide.

"There ya go! You look smeeeeexy!"

 

[Raydo]

It was a long hour, but he finally managed to find a position that didn't put him in constant threat of falling off. Even still, there were a couple of close calls. It had felt like hours since they had left when the wolves had finally begun to slow.
He took Evelyn's hand as he slid off of the wolf.

Relin grimaced. He was used to riding a horse, short distances, in a saddle. This was quite literally a different beast. His whole body ached. He tried to stretch out the tightness to only some effect.

"What?" he asked not really sure what she was getting at. He reflexively took a step back when she walked toward him again, arm outstretched. "I'm fine!" he countered quietly but it was too late. The shadows were already crawling up him, and while he couldn't actually feel it, it took everything in his power not to panic and reach down to try and swat them away. It covered his body, transforming his simple clothes for a black armor.

"I don't even know what that means." he said, giving her a look before examining the new armor. It was better and would serve him better in combat. He moved slightly to get a feel for the movement. He hated to admit it wasn't bad at all, not that he would ever say it out loud to her, but his look gave it away.

"So I guess we are following them?" he said nodding to the wolves who were already beginning to track something on the ground.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Evelyn was a little upset that he was fighting her assistance. Didn't he realize she was trying to help him? She didn't comprehend that he still saw her as a demon, and not a partner, or friend. But after the materials formed on him he would get used to the fact and stretch it out a little to get a feel for it. That at least brought a smile to her face.

"I'm so glad you like it," she admitted softly. She was a little worried there for a minute. "And yeah. But draw your sword. And stay ready. I'm sure we're close."

Following after the wolves Evelyn would then hold her hand out and summon a weapon of her own. It started out as a long pole, but then curved slightly like the branch of a tree. And like the shadows, it didn't look like it had much of a solid form. The end of the pole would then extend in two ways. The first and forward position turned into a long bladed edge. This giving the entire weapon a scythe look ("L"). The back part of the scythe also became a blade, but much less dramatic in length and instead arced in a steep curve. This gave that side of the scythe a cane sort of look ("J"). Combined together it was a very deadly looking weapon. She spun it around with ease, using only her one hand, before sliding it around her shoulder to balance it on her back (she was keenly aware where Relin was in relation to the blades and didn't even come close to hitting him).

 

[Raydo]

He gave her an even look. He did like the armor. She seemed rather pleased with herself.

He slid the sword from the sheath on his back as she formed her own weapon. It was a frightening looking thing, a weapon that Relin had never seen anyone use before. She seemed skilled with it though, as she twirled it around effortlessly.

With them as combat ready as possible, they began to follow the wolves deeper into the forest. They had covered quite a long distance on the wolves. They were in a remote part of the forest where the trees grew thick. They kept low, moving slowly as the wolves stalked forward tracking something unseen to Relin.

Thirty minutes passed and they were still moving through the woods until the wolves stopped at a clearing, crouching low. Relin followed suit, crouching low and peering out into the dark clearing. It was hard for him to see anything past a few feet. He saw nothing in the clearing but could hear movement up ahead. He strained his eyes, trying to see anything he could.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Time was at a standstill. Evelyn was keeping her breathing slow and calm. She had trained for missions like this. And only had been ambushed simply by overestimating her enemy. Fool me once, and all that. It would not happen again. For thirty minutes they walked. Though to Evelyn it was no time at all. She was focused on the trail and staying hidden. Time was meaningless.

In the clearing up ahead, Evelyn peered around a tree and searched the land ahead. Tall grass kept most of the field hidden. Anything could be hiding in that bush. But near the center of it all was a gathering of demons sure enough. There were tall giant ogres, tree-like druids, and several other armored black devils. Hidden in the fields were also small goblins, but they weren't much of a threat. Not to Evelyn anyways. Relin...might be a different story.

The group was all gathered around a fire. It was a tall pillar and seemed to burn without any help of wood or coal. There was also no sign of a pit which was odd. Was the fire...alive? Evelyn tiptoed to a higher vantage point and nudged Relin. She pointed over to the fire where there appeared to be someone standing in it. The black haired demon beside him had a very grim look on her face.

"That's her. The dragon. Just look at her."

The flames would dance in the wind as it breezed through giving some insight into the person. There it was clear the figure was femine. She was wearing some red armor, but most of her body was covered in thick scales. She had horns, as all demons did, but unlike Evelyn she had wings too. And more so, a long and wicked looking tail. It was no wonder that Evelyn looked worried.

"I can get in close to her, but I doubt she'll let me get the drop on her. You'll have to take care of the lesser demons while I fight her. Are you ok with that...?"

 

[Raydo]

She pointed out the creatures, his eyes adjusting to the fire. He saw glimpses of monsters that he had only seen in the worst of his nightmares. How were they supposed to fight all of these things, how was he supposed to fight any of these things?

His hand went to his holy symbol on his neck, he murmured prayers as he looked on in horror. "No..." he said honestly. "Not at all...but do we have a choice?" he asked. Of course, they always had a choice. Relin could run away, leave his village to die as his master had. "I'm ready" he found himself saying as he tried to steel himself as much as possible.

He pat his wolf on top of its head, it looked liked it was ready for a fight as well. What happens to demons when they die? he found himself thinking. He knew what happened to moral souls when they died, but did demons just cease? He wasn't sure.

He stretched in his new armor one more time and started running forward, the two wolves charged to his sides and just out in front. As he pulled the blade out, it glowed with a bright, white light. In the presences of so many demons, Relin could feel the blades hunger for their blood. It drove him forward, gave him strength.

Creatures ran at them, the goblins were the closest and the fastest. The tiny creatures snarled and sang horrific sounding songs as the charged. One leaped at Relin, he turned and cut the beast in half as it screamed in pain.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Relin would say that he wasn't ready, to which Evelyn put her hand on his shoulder and tried to comfort him, "If things get too tough, just get out of there. Don't push yourself."

Along with the wolves, Relin would start moving into the tall grass to get closer. And then he charged. So much for stealth. But to Evelyn's surprise, Relin's blade did the trick. He didn't even have to give a mortal wound to the demon creatures for they began to cry out and burn before bursting into flames and then dust.

The wolves were just as effective. Though because they had experience. The creatures dashed and lept at the smaller demons and tore them apart with their teeth and claws. They were natural predators and twice the size of half of those tiny beings. They never stood a chance. The bigger ones would all turn and draw their weapons, moving to block their mistress from the sudden attackers.

And that's when Evelyn attacked. Relin had made an excellent distraction. With a sudden burst of smoke Evelyn appeared behind the fire demon with her large scythe in her hands. The girl, stunned, turned and raised her hand to block the blade as it swung quickly. In just the nick of time she managed to stop the arc of the steel. Evelyn scoffed in anger as gravity took over and her feet hit the ground. She yanked her blade back and then jumped back to avoid the demon's counter.

"That was rather underhanded of you, wolf girl."

Evelyn spun her blade around to get a better grip and smirked, "Yeah. Thanks. Next time try not to block me."

 

[Raydo]

The small hellish creatures came in a wave. With each swing of the sword, he caught one or two of them. One jumped out of the grass, screaming as it swung a rusty looking blade him. It grazed along the armor he had been given, scoring the black material. Relin grabbed the beast's neck and threw aside where it was quickly killed by one of Evelyn's wolves.

The Goblins having their numbers cut in half in a few seconds, fled into the night screaming as they ran. The demon's larger allies would not frighten as easily. Relin barely ducked out of the way as a minotaur swung for his head. He felt the wind of the blow pass over him as he stumbled backward before finding his footing. The creature charged, and Relin swung his blade, catching the creature as he was the beast lowed his head to gore the young man. The blade singed the beast's flesh as horns grazed along the outside of his leg, piecing the odd armor. Relin let out a cry of pain as he stumbled again.

The large created withed on the ground, the wound to its chest smoldering. Relin was about to move forward when something seized one leg and then another, rooting him to ground. Relin saw a woman with skin that looked of plant fibers more than actual skin. Thorns jutted from her body, eyes glowing an angry red. With a grin, she calmly walked towards him, a jagged dagger in her hands.

 

[EmilyHuene]

So the battle between the two demons began. Evelyn vanished from sight as she shadow stepped -her version of what she called teleporting: disappearing in a cloud of smoke and reappearing in a different place. Each time the smoke got thicker and thicker obscuring the already dark forest. The fire dragon-like girl was quick though and quickly reacted to each new position that Evelyn appeared in, barely managing to block or dodge the large scythe that the wolf girl swung like it was made of glass. The only source of light came from the dragon who practically became fire itself, engulfing her flesh in the red flames. Her sharp claws blocked the scythe with sparks and flares dancing off the two indestructible weapons.

Clang clang clang their blades danced. The sound of metal on metal drowning out the screams of the demons around them who fell to the wolves and Relin's blade. They were in their own world; two super powered beings fighting a battle no mortal means could keep up with. Evelyn grunted and roared with power as the dragon snarled and hissed in return. It was incredible to watch them, if not for the fact that they could barely be seen beyond the smoke Evelyn was creating with every jump. It was spawning far quicker than it was dissolving.

And then, just like that it was over. For the dragon did not understand the true nature of Evelyn's blade. At no point had this object ever been defined by Eve. It was not created or forged as a normal weapon so it did not behave like one. When Evelyn pulled out her trump card, the blade suddenly expanding and growing in size, the dragon had no way to dodge. The large arced blade was too powerful to block and the demon ended up with a long gash from shoulder to hip. She screamed as she was thrown backwards and fell onto her back in the grass. Evelyn spun her staff around as the blade returned to its normal shape then rested it over her shoulder.

"This is the end for you!" Evelyn said as she walked closer and then raised the blade high up into the air to finish the strike.

The dragon cowered and began to move back; her arm clutching at the deep wound. Evelyn began to bring down the blade when suddenly a voice boomed behind her, "That is enough, puppet!"

Evelyn froze. The blade continued to fall and just in the nick of time it landed beside the dragon girl instead of impaling her. The hilt of her staff would start to dissolve as it all faded away into smoke leaving her there looking like she was holding some invisible sword. With wide eyes Evelyn would turn and see a horror she never thought she'd see again. A very large gray demon was standing in the field. He had black wings and horns and his eyes were just like Evelyn's: pitch black with a gold hue. All the other demons in the field had been killed. The wolves that Evelyn had summoned lie at the demons feet; like the scythe they too began to fade into smoke and then were gone.

"Step away from your daughter, puppet."

Evelyn fell to her knees. She looked horrified. Her skin turned even whiter than it had been before, if that were possible. Behind her, the dragon would stand and limp around Evelyn as the gray demon began to walk toward them. Wherever Relin was, neither of them were paying him any attention. The demon would raise his hand to the dragon, lifting her chin to examine the wound.

"My child. I told you not to underestimate her. Your mother is full of tricks."

"Ch...child?" Evelyn repeated still very much in shock.

The unnamed demon would move away from the dragon and stand in front of Evelyn, "That is right, my pet. Viris, the daughter you abandoned. Tell me, did that traitor tell you she died? I can only fathom that was the lie he told you. Why else would you leave her in my care?"

Evelyn couldn't respond. She began to shake. Her eyes searching the ground for some sort of answer while her hands trembled. The demon would stand and laugh, before giving Evelyn a painful slap that sounded like a mini explosion. Her body flew from the spot it was and crashed into the treeline of the forest. Several trees broke and shattered in the crash before she finally came to a stop.

"Father!" Viris would gasp. "Surely you'll kill her!"

The demon snorted, "I told you, daughter. Your mother cannot be killed. Try as I might she always came back. You should have tried harder and not gone easy. I warned you of her strength."

"I apologize, Father," she girl replied with the bow of her head.

@Raydo ​

 

[Raydo]

Vines wrapped around his limbs, constructing, binding him. Thorns dug into his skin. He struggled as she moved closer and closer, only tightening his restraints. His fingers growing numb from the pain and sudden loss of circulation, he dropped the sword, only noticing because it had been his main source of light. His eyes could only see the graceful, slender body of his soon to be killer silhouetted in the fire, her eyes lighting up with a dull red.

She stopped in front of him, dragging the impossibly sharp dagger across his chest. It cut through the armor as if it were melted butter. She then raised a finger and ran it down the wound, fascinated with the blood. He whispered the words, causing her to quickly lock eyes with him, eyes filled with hate. She raised the dagger to plummet it into his chest, but the prayer finished and his holy symbol flashed briefly before the creature before him was lit ablaze. She struggled against the holy fire, but it consumed her quickly before going out, leaving only the charred husk of the druid.

Relin was nowhere near the fire, having fought on the outskirts of the field. His new armor had been cut and torn throughout the battle. He breathed heavily as the vines released him, no longer driven by the druid's magic. He fell to the ground panting. He looked up to see Evelyn be thrown back into the forest not to far from him, hearing her crash through the woods. Part of him wanted to charge the demons, the swords holy bloodlust still inside of him. He could barely stand though, the spell was far above his skill. He needed to get the Evelyn.

He half-stumbled into the trees, finding the trail she had left behind when she was thrown. He found her laying at the base of a tree. "Evelyn, are you alright?" he asked, voice filled with concern as touched the side of her face. He wiped around smearing of blood on her cheek before it vanished into air.

 

[EmilyHuene]

Evelyn's body was wrecked. Blood was covering her limbs and streaming down her face; a pool of it was already forming under her. She looked unconscious, in fact she looked dead. His touch would stir her some and she weakly opened up one of her eyes that wasn't covered by the blood. She barely recognized him. Her breathing slow and wheezy. She must've punctured a lung somewhere in that crash.

Raising an arm slowly she began to rumble through her pockets. She came out with a symbol of an ankh in her palm. With a shaky hand she placed it into his palm and offered him one final task. "Give it....to.....raven." Her hand then pressed against his chest and she gave him a shove. Relin would fall backwards as she'd pushed him off balance but he quickly found there was no floor. A shadowy pool of darkness lie underneath him and it sucked him up while the world around him grew smaller and smaller until it was gone.

And then he hit something comfy. The jolt would be disorienting at first but after a moment of finding his bearings he'd come to see he'd been transported back into his bedroom. Specifically, his bed. His armor was gone, his sword gone. Only the bloodied, golden ankh pendant remained in his hand where Eve had given it to him. There was no trace of her, no lingering smell of sulfur. Nothing. If not for that trinket it would entirely feasible he'd drempt up everything that had happened that day.

 

[Raydo]

He took the emblem from her "Alright, I am going to get you out of here." he said leaning down to pick her up. He was out of magic, he needed to sleep before he could tend to any of her many wounds. She mumbled something, likely delirious from the trauma of her wounds.

As he leaned down, she pushed on his chest, catching him off guard. He stumbled backward, foot catching on a branch as he fell backward. His mind braced for impact against the ground, except it never came. He fell endlessly down as if he had been tossed off an infinitely high cliff into nothingness. He wasn't sure how long it lasted, could have been hours but was likely only an instant before he fell softly against the bed in his room.

He was sore, his body cut and somewhat bruised from his fight. His mind raced to catch up to where he was. He had no armor, no weapon. He groaned as he pushed himself up but collapsed back down into the bed, exhausted.

It had been two days since he had slept more than an hour, in that time his whole world had been flipped on its head. He needed to get up but didn't have the energy. He began to fall into unconsciousness, mouthing "Raven." before everything faded to blackness.

 

[EmilyHuene]

After waking for however long Relin chose to sleep, whether or not that was his choice or not, he would find that not a lot had changed. The village was compensating for the demons that came through, the church was trying to find someone to come and replace the fallen priest. They'd sent word to a higher power hoping to bring someone who could fight demons to protect them. Hopefully they came soon.

Relin would also discover something strange, if he chose to search. But the battlefield that had housed the fight (however many days) ago would reveal no signs of Evelyn. The monsters were gone, their bodies erased. There were plenty of spots were their black ichor had splashed into the grass and plants. The tree in which Eve had ended up was still broke, but all of her blood had burned up and it looked simply like a tornado had struck through there. Although everything seemed lost...he was able to find his sword which got left behind.

 

[Raydo]

He woke suddenly from a dreamless sleep. Sunlight as peaking through the covers on his window. He starred at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up, groaning at how stiff he felt. He wasn't sure how long he had slept, but it must have been for a while.

Evelyn's words stuck with him. He had no idea who this Raven was and how he was supposed to find her. He spent some time making sure the village was alright before he took his horse and made his way down the road they had gone that night. It had been two days since he had left. He had pushed himself further than he should of, much past his limits. The fact that he was still alive had to be divine.

He wore no armor but had brought along a simple sword. He hoped to find the artifact he had lost that night. It was a precious thing, likely more valuable to the church than he was. It took him until midday to find the site they had come to. He searched the field but found nothing. The signs of battle were certainly here, but there was no trace of anyone.

The young priest finally located the spot he had last seen Evelyn. He knelt down, feeling the displaced dirt where she had finally slid to a stop. He let out a breath. Was she gone for good? Dead? He pulled out the trinket she had given him and examined it.

Relin furrowed his brow before seeing a glint from the sun in a nearby bush. He moved the undergrowth and saw the blade he had brought with him two nights ago. He let out another breath, this time out of relief before slinging it over his shoulder.

He wasn't sure what to do, where to go, where to even start.

 

[EmilyHuene]

As Relin walked about the forest feeling like despair had taken him, he'd come to notice something strange. There were no birds singing. The forest was quiet. There were plenty of them around, but they were not making any sound. As he'd move to explore this strange occurrence, something would catch his eye. Amid all the trees around them, a single black bird was watching him from a distance. It didn't move, save for the blinking of its eye. And it was then that he recalled what Evelyn had said.

"Give this to a raven."

It had been silent, and she'd struggled to speak the words. But he wasn't look for someone named Raven, he was looking for a bird called a raven. And one just happened to be watching him...Now how did he get it to take the pendant? That was the question