A hungry prowler and the not very good hunter (Vae'ett)

This thing. Demon that looked like a woman. Whatever. Made no more sense to Penny then the moment the girl had laid eyes on her. As she waited for the death of a being born of the vile abyss and hells the sword had so oft promised, the more she realized that perhaps it was as wrong as it was when it came to the vampire who had saved her before. She looked down at the sword, knowing that it at some level, could tell what it was she was thinking, and she asked it to prove her wrong. Asked it to prove why she was here, fighting a demon that perhaps didn't need fighting. That perhaps what it called vile and evil needed to be narrowed down.

Sure, the demon had killed people. People who may have deserved it, and maybe might not have deserved it the way the demon had done it. Yet when it came to Penny, the girl with the sword and the threats to kill her, the demon did nothing. In fact it tried to help her. Told her to ditch the sword. Run. Despite the girl having threatened to kill the demon from the moment they met.

It was safe to say, Penny lost. "I don't think I'm able to do a round two... Hell. I've given up on killing you. I can't. At best I'd just hope to nick you." The girl admitted her defeat. A surge of cool air flowed over her skin when she did, but she ignored it, instead willing the blade at her feet to vanish, expecting that golden glow. It however, didn't. Odd of it, she thought, but shook away the sight of it, looking back to the demon.

"Don't think it'll disappoint you too much. But can't drop the sword. It saved my life. And I made a promise. I might talk about the terms of what is vile and evil with it... But my life for it's mission. I have nothing to go back too. This sword is everything. And I fully expect to die holding it. Just not today it seems. And hopefully not soon." The girl stated, beginning to turn from the sword and the demon. If it wanted to stay... There... It... Why was she so tired? Tired beyond the exhaustion of swinging a sword uselessly over and over...

"Simmer now, hunter... This isn't over yet." The voice whispered, and before Penny realized what was happening, the girl slumped. A couple of seconds passed as she remained on the spot, before she let out a hissed breath and brought her good hand to her bad shoulder and gripped it hard, before righting it back into place, letting out a low hiss as she did. Turning back to the demon, her golden eyes were glowing now, but rather then the faded golden glow that quickly vanished like before. This glow was constant, and brighter.

Stepping back to the sword, she picked it up with some relative ease. It still looked quite heavy for her, but her lack of strength from before was gone. "It pains me to thank you. But credit is due. You made her so envious. So wanting to prove she could hit you... She exhausted herself." The voice that spoke was the girls, but like an echo, a resonant, masculine voice spoke moments after hers. As if using her to speak yet still able to be heard.

"It has been a while since I've puppeteered a body. A last resort when the hunters grew too tired. This pain Penny moans about is not comparable to the tearing of muscles... You wanted a round two? I can give it. And don't worry about harming the girl. If she dies... There is always another who will pick me up. Perhaps they would be fair easier to control. And this one will just be another body under your vile claws." Gripping the sword in two hands, the possessed girl charged towards the demon, cleaving the sword left to right at the creature before entering into a series of swings. None were trained, if more so then the girl had been, but they were the swings of something that had seen battle before, and knew what to do.

Well at least all this was over, was the first thought that came to Vae’etts mind. One full day of disappointment was enough for her. None of the fights she had been in had managed to offer her the pleasure she was looking for. She wasn’t going to to kill a misguided girl either, so it was a good thing the redhead had conceded and was turning to leave. Upon seeing the girl collapse, the demon would let out a sigh. She couldn’t just leave the poor thing here. No, that was her inner Jett talking. She could easily leave the girl here to fend for herself, but she couldn’t bring herself to do it.

Letting out an obvious groan of annoyance, Vae’ett would cautiously approach the downed girl, only to take a step back when she popped her dislocated shoulder back into place. The fusion gritted her teeth as she deduced what was currently going on. Her suspicion would only be proven when the frail woman’s voice had sifted and boomed through the alley. She had seen this sort of thing before, no, her parts had. The whole situation seemed reminiscent of Clair. As a matter of fact, this whole situation was eerily similar, minus one incredibly bulbous crime boss.

Both of the demon’s hands clenched tightly into fists out of instinct. She was overcome with anger and concern. *Damn you and your soft hearts* the fusion thought to herself, knowing these emotions were things Vaedren and Jett would feel, seeing such a similar occurrence happening before them. “I don’t need to kill the girl. I just have to shatter you into a million pieces” Vae’ett snarled at the swords lack of concern for its wielder. “If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re no better than a parasite or real demon yourself!” the fusion would comment as the now possessed redhead charged at her.

As the wild swings pulled the frail woman closer and closer, Vae’ett would launch herself high into the air, and with a few twirls, would land several feet behind the sword possessed girl. The demon was in a tough spot. As much as she didn’t care for the girl, she couldn’t bring herself to harm them. The sword knew this and would no doubt try to use this to its advantage. If Vae’ett were to stop this thing, she’d have to keep all her attacks focused on the sword itself. With that in mind, Vae’ett would form another blade of energy around her hand in preparation for the fight that was to come.

The possessed girl grunted, turning around to face the demon, lofting the sword so that it faced to the side, her fingers wrapped around the hilt held a slight tremble to the weight, and she looked down and frowned in disappointment. "No... To hold me, is an oath. The oath I have with the girl is far more permanent then I like, but it is our oath. And if she can not fight. Then I will drive her body to fight. This is the way of the hunt."

The runes of the blade glowed bright as she charged forwards once more, not cleaving the blade towards the demon until the sword was certain the attack would connect save for a dodge or block. And it would continue to keep the offensive strong with every swing after that. "I am why she lives. You can not destroy me, but if you did, she would perish, along with all that power I sacrificed to revive her. Her fate is that of a hunter... Grr. Your fate. Is that of a hunter. Stop fighting." The girl seemed to be similar to how the demon had been before. Every swing of her blade was being made sluggish as if the sword that possessed the girl was fighting to remain in control of the situation, and seeming to win, it returned to ferociously swinging the blade with all the might her skinny arms could do.

With the demon not trying to kill its host, the sword kept to the offensive, delivering blow after blow, but the body did not match the intent, and it would be easy for the demon to deflect or dodge out of the way of most of the attacks, most of which were still clumsy, with one such deflection striking one of the glowing runes of the blade, causing the taken over girl to stop in her tracks, her eyes dimming in their glow, before she let out a battle cry and charged forwards, clearly affected by whatever happened, the rune on the blade having lost all glow it had.

Vae’ett remained on the defensive. There was too much of a risk in attacking. Mush to her irritation, as she wished she could just shrug off this caring and nurturing feelings she was having. This wasn’t her, it was the feelings and ambitions of another. She wasn’t quite sure how she wanted to act or feel in this situation and it was very frustrating. This frustration was evident in her block attempts of the sword possessed girl. While the spirit or sword or whatever it was, explained that it breaking would also kill the girl, Vae’ett still but a bit of force behind her swings as she deflected the blade.

“So you really are just a parasite then!” Would retort at the swords claims that if it perished so would the innocent girl it was attached to. This angered the demon quite a bit. This was reflected in the flaring up of the energy surrounding her hand. When the sword and her energy collided, it caused the entire alleyway to light up. The girl suddenly stopped in her tracks and the glow around the blade faded. This gave the fusion a pause for concern.

She reached out with her non bladed hand to check on the girl, only to find herself back peddling as the frail thing lunged forward. The wild swings here finally caught the demon off guard. She did her best to avoid being hit at all costs but with such a wild and unpredictable pattern and with such close proximity, one of the swings eventually managed to land on the mark. The tip of the sword would slice right across the upper part of her left bicep as she attempted to pirouette around the redhead. The sudden sting of cut flesh sent chills down the fusions spine.

Vae’ett’s eyes lit up and a joyous smile crept onto her face. Perhaps she could take a few more of those. Instead of launching a counter offensive or remaining on her guard, the demon firmly planted her feet and waited for the girl to turn around. “Perhaps This Wont Be A Waste of Time After All!"

The sword girl seemed to growl in response to the demons words, but didn't have the mind to talk back, too focused on trying to strike the demon down with every swing of the blade, every miss cracked the ground and jolted her arms, but the being inside pushed her body beyond, keeping to the offensive. Even the falter of having a rune disabled wasn't enough to stop the sword, and for the first time in this short battle, the sword had tasted flesh. Enough so that it smiled with the girls lips.

The sword stumbled to a stop, hearing the declaration of the demon, prepared for a fight, and it stared at the blade, she raised it and trailed a hand along the smooth flat of the blade towards the tip, where blood, a small, practically not worth mentioning drop of blood began to trail down the blade, hitting one of the glowing runes and seeming to seep into the sword. "Is this what it is? To fight?" The girl asked, her voice sounding normal for but a moment, but as she turned around to face the demon, her eyes remained that dark glow of golden that signaled her puppeteer like possession.

"Just one drop of blood that matters. A creature of power. Noknyr wedeuioes ahd mjuunt, ah e tehhet nhossyn luohmendyr auf nhyrssyn." The girl spoke once more with that male echo, but her eyes were narrowed, as if in deep thought. Yet that didn't stop her frail looking figure from charging forwards, sword first at the demon as she then raised the blade. With a surprising bout of strength that didn't seem to belong to the girl, she jumped forwards with a lunge and would bring the sword down towards the creatures chest, as if trying to slice through their body.

“I suppose we’re just going to ignore the fact that you just spoke in tongues right?” Vae’ett said sarcastically as the sword seemed to reclaim its possession over the girl and attack the demonic fusion. As exhilarating as this was becoming, and as great as the open wound on her arm felt, Vae’ett was in no hurry to get herself cleaved in two. Instead she’d be a pick selective with what she’d allow herself to get hit by. Taking into account the wild flailing there would no doubt be a time when Vae’ett felt comfortable taking a hit or two.

Until she could see such a swing coming, she’d do her best to dodge and weave around the attacks. This prompted the demon to reconsider its choice of weapon as well. While the energy blade was good for deflecting and parrying, it wouldn’t do Vae’ett much good if she had to defend against another overhead attack. Really, Vae’ett just wanted an excuse to show off, and show off she would. With a few quick hops she’d put some distance between herself and the possessed girl.

With an almost sinister and gleeful smile, Vae’ett would drive the tip of her energy blade into her palm. Steam billowed from the point of impact as the demon drove the blade deeper till her fingertips were touching her palm. The look on her face was almost deranged, crazed and happy with pleasure from the self inflicted pain. She’d quickly pull her bladed hand away from her palm, as she did, she’d clamp her hand down. This caused the energy to stretch out, forming a shaft or pole. Once her bladed hand was as far as it could get, the energy would leave that hand to form a head on the end of the pole she was now clutching. The move gave birth to an energy scythe that the demon clutched onto with both hands.

If it weren't for her outward appearance one could almost mistake her for a grim reaper or something. Where the bright glow of her energy blade had illuminated the alley, this scythe almost unnaturally sucked all the light out of it. The base and blade themselves were pitch black and there was only a feint purple aura that lined the entire weapon. “I can do this all night. How much longer before she collapses from exhaustion? Surely even a parasite like you can’t push your host past their natural limits.”

The sword cracked into the ground again, deeper this time. The sword tried to release itself from the the hole, but found the arms of the girl were indeed too thin. Too tired and too weak to make the effort worth it. Instead, it let the blade go and stepped forwards towards the demon as they backed away from the girl to gain some distance. But it wasn't a few steps before the girl stopped in place, a hand to her forehead. "Hmh. Don't feel too sorry for her... Just this time. I do think I did what she wanted." The voice spoke softly in response to the demon's insults and warnings. Yes... The girl wouldn't last as long as the sword would like. Not as long as it's prior holder... But then it didn't need too drive her forwards.

The sword behind the girl vanished, her eyes golden, face slack of any emotion in the dark of the alleyway. But then she charged forwards, the sword shaping itself into her hand as she came at the demon and with a yell brought the sword down at the demon, clashing her blade with the scythe. She brought her face near the demon's, the purple aura of the scythe contrasted with the blue glow of her blade. Her face was lit up, that golden glow in her eyes was gone. Her face, had a tired smile that matched the exhaustion in her eyes. "That. Was pretty cool. You show off." The girl stated, before breaking the clash with a back step, only to charge forwards with a thrust towards the demon's side.

The move held the same coordination as when the sword had been in control of the girls movements, but without conflict inside her, the girl seemed to move just that bit more faster, albeit it still seemed sluggish as the sword was few inches lower then she had meant it to be. "Come on then! I wanna keep going until I collapse." The girl claimed, still smiling. That fear she had before all but gone. She wanted to fight. No. She wanted to prove she could fight. Most of all. She wanted to enjoy it.

A slight wave of relief washed over the fusion as the shaft of her scythe blocked an incoming attack from the girl. The relief didn’t come from blocking the attack, but rather from the tone of the girls voice and the clarity of her eyes. It seemed as though the entity trapped within the sword was done trying to puppeteer the girl any further. Surprising though, the frail redhead didn’t want to stop. She had gained a second wind and wanted to keep fighting. A slight grin found its way onto Vae’ett’s face. This wasn’t the girl trying to fight for the sake of her parasitic partner, but rather because she started to find some joy in it. Or at least that’s how it seemed for the moment.

Perhaps the demon could take advantage of this new mindset the girl found herself in. An opportunity to train the girl to use her weapon proper. A chance for Vae’ett to build herself the perfect opponent. The thought made Vae’ett smile from the slight smidgen of pride and cunning she was suddenly feeling. The fact that the girl was no in control of herself again, gave Vae’ett yet another cunning idea. She could let the girl hit her more often now. Chances were she wasn’t experienced enough to know where to land a killing blow, not that it mattered to the fusion in the slightest, but the whole ordeal of resurrection was quite annoying.

“You think the sword was tough on you. Im about to work you to the bone!” Vae’ett shouted with glee as the girl charged in. Another charge. The girl was a fan of those. Vae’ett would have to teach her how vulnerable it made her to her pray. As the blade drew close, Vae’ett would use the shaft of her scythe to parry the attack. In one fluid motion, the demon would lower the head of her scythe so that the blade was just inches from the girls throat. All it would take was one small tug to decapitate her. Hopefully she got the message as Vae’ett would lift the scythe up and away from the girls head before giving her a light tap on the butt with the shaft of the scythe.

“You’ll need to think of better ways to approach an enemy. Keep charging in like that and you’ll get yourself killed….Not that your sword would seem to care. Try again! With a little more thought this time!” The demon would say before readying herself for the girls next attack.

It didn't work. Penny hadn't expected it too. But the tip of the energy like scythe being inches away from her throat was enough to worm that fear from before back into her head. Death was close, but it wasn't for today, as the blade moved away and the girl found herself yelping as hard energy zapped her behind, causing her to take a few steps away.  

Wanting to give her tush a rub but resisting the notion, she turned back to the demon, holding the blade up with both hands. Seems the demon woman was into giving advice now. "She's right." The sword whispered in agreement. Now that was a notion she couldn't ignore.

"Oh now you agree with her." The girl muttered, waiting for some response. But the sword remained quiet. It had sounded calmer then normal. That was weird. Bringing her focus to the demon, Penny instead shifted her stance a little. It felt odd yet familiar. When she was... Not asleep... Not entirely awake, just before, it was like watching a fuzzy TV, only she could feel every motion. She was sure it was adrenaline right now that kept her from falling flat on her face. So she needed to keep it up. Just not charge. The scythe was the main worry... But the shaft could stop her too.

"I'm Penny." Penny said, breaking into a run to the demon, when she got close enough, she stopped within reach and swung the blade right to left, curving the blade to try and avoid the the odd weapon of choice the demon chose... Demon, demon, demon. Vile creature of the abyss. Spawn of darkness. "What's yours!" She called out mid the attack.

“I don’t care!” the demon would respond to Penny announcing her name. It didn’t matter what her name was, at least not to Vae’ett. It wasn’t like they’d be seeing each other in future anyway. “And none of your business.” she’d continue, answering the girls question…Well not really. The alleyway would light up as Penny’s possessed sword clashed with the shaft of Vae’ett’s scythe. The attempt was better than her reckless charging, but still needed work.

Perhaps it was time for lesson number two. Though this one would be a bit problematic to get the point across seeing what little control the girl had over her oversized weapon. Unless she bulked up or gained a few pounds, she’d constantly be at the mercy of that things weight. Each attack would just throw her off balance. Rather than tell this to Penny outright, Vae’ett would hang back and wait for the girl to attack again. After all experiencing things first hand was always the best way to learn.

“Seeing as how you’re basically a skeleton wrapped in skin, this next lesson may take a while for you to master, but its one you’ll need to learn if you plan on staying alive.” With that said, Vae’ett would stand once again opposite the redhead. She took up a stance that basically left herself open. Like she would try to block the next attack from the girl. *Lets just see how smart she is.* the fusion thought to themself. Their brilliant golden eyes not once moving from Penny. “Now quit standing around and hit me!” she’d shout.

"That's a real shame." Penny uttered. Of course, the demon seemed to not care for sharing it's name. The girl was slightly offended, but did her best to not keep it to heart. She shouldn't have expected it, perhaps... But still. Stepping back, the demon squared itself up, getting into a stance that left the girl slightly confused. As if opening themselves for attack and stating the girl's obvious lack in strength.

"Jeez. You don't have to be so insulting. Girl can't have everything." Penny tried to brush it off, but she knew the demon was right. The sword hummed in agreement, but that quiet attitude was mixed with some heat. As if that niceness it had before was slowly washing away. She wanted to tie her hair up again, but that'd require both hands and she needed them for the sword. Letting out a breath, the girl stepped forward and almost like a snapping rope, she felt something crack in her arm. "Ahh!" She let out the gasp of pain, raising her left arm towards her face and dropping her right to the ground as it bore all the weight, the sword's tip clashing into the cement ground.

It hurt. Everything hurt. But she wasn't done yet. She hadn't collapsed yet. "Sorry. I think I got one more. Good thing I already stopped trying to kill you huh?" The girl commented. But then she broke into a sprint, the sword dragging, her arm screeching out in pain... But she had to hold... Hold.

When it looked as if she'd raise her sword arm to attack, she'd suddenly spin in place and grab the sword with her left arm, freeing her right arm, the arm that was barely holding itself together from the strain of every missed swing. Using that momentum, she'd swing the sword with her left hand, but it was clear she wasn't trying to cleave the demon in two. She had stopped a few inches short of being able too do that, the sword only capable, or so she hoped, of cutting the demons flesh by a few inches, no more then that. But whatever the case, she'd lose her grip on the sword and her balance and come crashing down as she finished her swing, falling flat on her back, eyes closed and chest raising as she struggled to take in each and every breath. "Did I at least hit you?" She asked. Hoping.

The fusion let out a small sigh. The girl was not looking to good. Like her body would give out at any minute. Vae’ett could feel something well up within her. Was it pitty? Was she actually feeling sympathy for another creature? *These aren’t my feelings damn it…* *Are you sure though?* The conflicting thoughts in her mind caused her vision to grow slightly blurry, making it hard for her golden eyes to keep track of Penny. The only way Vae’ett knew the redhead was even approaching was from the god awful scrapping sound of the swords blade as it got dragged across the pavement.

Couple the horrible sound of scrapping metal and the fact she was arguing mentally with herself, the demon began to grip her head. It felt like her entire skull was in a vice and the pressure was only getting worse. The pain was so much that it caused the fusion to relinquish her scythe just so she could grip her head with her other hand as well. She’d let out a low groan as she tried to focus past the pain and on Penny as she approached.

Vae’ett was far to distracted to move. She felt locked in place. A sudden sharp pain would draw her attention away from her head for a moment. Her eyes trailing down to her abdomen where she could see a sizable line going across her belly. Blood would slowly start trickling out. Normal this would sends waves of relief and pleasure throughout her body, but it was kind of hard to enjoy the moment when her head was in so much pain. The fusion would stumble back a bit, allowing her full weight to pull her down. Luckily however, there was a wall behind her so she was able to remain on her feet.

She’d glance over at the frail girl. “Yeah, you got me. But look at where you ended up. You need better control of your weapon or you’ll always be thrown off balance by its weight!” Vae’ett tried to turn the girls small victory into more of a learning experience. Best not to let her get cocky after all.

"Ha! Bold of you to assume... I didn't plan on ending up here." Penny tried to fire back, but it didn't feel like a victory. She hadn't seen it, in the last moments, but the lead up... She was too into the motion to not continue with the attack... But the way the demon was gripping her head. It wasn't fair. Penny wanted her attack to be a surprise... Not whatever this was.

Opening her eyes, she looked over to the demon, who was leaning against an alley wall. Seems the cut did something. That's cool. "Sword has the same idea about getting me to get stronger. Hell. I was jogging just before to train up my 'stamina,' whatever that means... Hey... Thanks. I guess." With a pained groan, the girl would start to lean upwards, falling back for a moment, before forcing herself to keep at it till she was sitting upright. She really didn't want to move. But this wasn't exactly the best place to just lie down in.

"I really hope not all demons are like you. Cause you're pretty cool... I mean. Maybe you didn't need to kill these assholes, and I trust you when you say they're assholes. I got a good feeling about that. But I really can't be arguing with the sword every time I meet something it wants dead. First that vampire. Now you. Well... I did kinda kill one of them. Kinda if you count the sun. But he was a dick.... Sorry. I'm not use to this." The girl remained seated, her right arm almost uselessly hanging limp to her side. She sure hoped it wasn't broken or something. Badly strained? Maybe... One of these days she was gonna regret not listening when  people were trying to teach her stuff at one place or the other.

“I honestly have no idea what the hell you’re talking about…Nor do I want to know.” Vae’ett said, still cradling her stomach area. She could feel the the blood pooling up in the small space between her forearm and gut. *Honestly didn’t think the cut was that deep.* she’d think to herself letting out a sigh. “I can’t believe I just stood there like a damn idiot.” she mumbled to herself. Her golden eyes would trail up to the sky above, or what little she could see of it between the two buildings that made up the alleyway.

Perhaps it was time for the demon to pack it up and head home. But where would she go. She hand’t been spending much time where Jett used to live. Last thing the fusion wanted was to scare the crap out of their roommate. Lately she had just been sneaking in at night to grab a bite to eat before leaving. But now, now she felt like she needed to actually rest. She had been fighting all day. The energy flowing through her body was keeping her awake and fresh, but mentally she was spent.

She’d glance once more at Penny. The frail girl barely possessed the strength to even sit up at the moment. It wasn’t Vae’ett’s problem. She could leave any time. But the more time she spent looking at the redhead, the more sorry she felt. She was really beginning to hate these sympathetic and emotional thoughts she continued to have. There was no way the girl was going to make it out of this alleyway under her own power. Not to mention that damned sword. With a roll of the eyes and an incredibly audible sigh, Vae’ett caved to her feelings and approached the girl.

She’d extend a hand and with a slightly unconvincing smile she’d offer to help the girl to her feet. “I’d be wrong of me to abandon my newest rival and student to their fate. Gimme your hand so I can help you up!” her voice was sincere and carried a bit of concern behind it, like she was genuinely worried for the girls well being. “Come on, don’t keep me waiting. Otherwise I might change my mind.”