Title Kibitzing

Rating PG-16

Warning/s Rated for violence that may disturb others

Category Demonata

Pairing/s Lord LossxGrubs ( not to be taken seriously xp )

Summary When his Uncle's prized chess set melts, Grubs knows he's in trouble now.

Author's Note Spoilers up to Wolf Island. Funnily enough, written before I read Wolf Island because the werewolf thing bothered me. Now of course, this fiction is irrelevant to the series, but eh. AU of Wolf Island all the same. The Lord would probably never agree to dewolf Grubs anways, but hey.

kibitzing - Commenting on a chess game in action and disturbing the players.

Disclaimer No own Master Shan's characters

Dervish is going to kill me. No. First he'll pound me to a bloody, miserable pulp, reassemble me and then kill me.

I can't help the small whimper that escapes me, as I watch the beautiful white Queen slowly dissolve into the ground, the remains hiss a hole right through the marble playing board. Lord Loss sits, clicks his tongue impatiently, two of his eight arms crossed. I think he is more annoyed that my Uncle is the one causing me all this grief, and not him.

"Tie."

I hardly hear his growl; still distraught of letting one of Dervishes prized chess collections become a molten mess on the floor. Then again, I probably shouldn't have dragged it up here in the first place. Again and again, Dervish had beaten it into me; Don't touch the marble chess set. The thing was- key word was- his pride and joy. Not only was it solid marble, the black pieces had encrusted rubies in them, the white sporting sapphires as big as my thumb nail. It was one of the first of the many chess sets ever created by Bartholomew Garadex when he'd fought the Lord himself. It had cost a mint, and been a real bitch to find…

I decide to blame it on the lack of chess boards in the house. Heh.

My poor Uncle had gone through so much emotional torture in the last few years, he hadn't the time to replace the one he'd lost when he'd faced Lord Loss. We'd been attacked by the Demonata, Bill-E pushing up daisies, the whole word's impending doom… getting more chess sets aren't top on his priority list at the moment.

So after Dervish founds out about Garadex's chess set and kills me, he'll have to pull me back and kill me a second time over for what I'm doing in the first place.

Summoning Lord Loss.

The whole werewolf deal; it isn't going away. I might have been able to snuff him out before, but really, I know I'll be in constant danger for as long as I live. Maybe once I became an old man; the wolf would finally come out. It's in my blood.

Bringing the Demon Master here wasn't too hard. I've watched Dervish do it once, and watching something like that doesn't fade too quickly from your mind. He had left all the appropriate incantations in a tightly sealed vault, diagrams, actions.. he was very practical. The room had turned red, the thick tell tale spider webs criss-crossing all over the room, and down came the Demon Master himself, floating on his non-existent legs. The pale red monstrosity with eight arms, a heart full of snakes and bleeding from hundred of cracks all over his body.

Two familiars crawled after him, neither I recognised. One had a tiger's face, though one side of it was missing, wearing a clear turtle's shell on its back. Instead of seeing the rest of a tiger's body, I could see straight through to its lungs, heart, liver, intestines. The other was like some horrible parody of a jack rabbit.

"Why, Grubitsch, what a pleasant-" the ridiculous smile had blown clean off, and I could see he was in half a mind to scuttled back up his web and leave. "Are you trying to mock me?"

With a casual wave, he'd sent his two familiars pouncing on me.

You see, part of the rules of Lord Loss' game is that you have two people, one to fight him, and one to fight his little minions. I was quite alone. And Lord Loss was having none of that.

But I knew the Lord couldn't help himself. I could tell he loved the idea of a new challenge. And I hate to brag, but I'm something of a personal play toy of Lord Losses. I could see it in his cruel eyes, as he watched me wrestle with the half tiger, the rabbit biting my ankle apart.

"Carrion, Havoc," he'd jerked his head, and I was left to magic my ankle back into place. I'd always marvelled on how the Lord kept coming up with different, bloody, names for his various creations. "Very well, Grubitsch, you have my attention," he purred, silently hating the way he used my full name.

"Are you going to move?" I ask, finally composed after my miniature break down. I'm not the world's greatest chess player, but I have a knack of getting under Lord Loss' skin, which he hates. Which was why I've managed to win two games so far. The last chess board, a cheap glass one, is the decider.

The Demon Master twiddles a Pawn between forefinger and thumb, shuffles it to the right, worrying my Bishop. "Why did your Uncle agree to this?" he asks finally. I let him play with my Bishop. It's expendable. I'm aiming to the other side of the board.

"What my Uncle doesn't know, won't hurt him," I smile slightly, knocking away a black Knight. Lord Loss hisses quietly. Dervish is still in the Demonata world. It's too dangerous for him to come back with his weak heart. Though after he finds out, he might have a quadruple bypass.

He grumbles something about 'unorthodox' taking a white Pawn. Lord Loss is no fool. He's spent hundreds- thousands of decades working on his game. Distracting him with taking my men on one side, won't stop him from noticing an advancing attack on his King and Queen on the other.

"What do you do all day?" Decide to break the silence, I seem to catch him completely off guard. He can't help but stare at me as if I'm the one with extra limbs. "It's just you, isn't it? With your familiars," I wave at the stationary Carrion and Havoc. Time works differently when you play chess with Lord Loss. When you fight his familiars, time speeds back up again. I watch Havoc gnaw his foot in slow motion. "Quite demeaning of someone of your stature," I murmur, and find an opening to hunt his last Knight down.

Instead of disarming him, he knocks my advancing Castle right off the board with a Pawn. Oops.

"You have no idea," for once he sounds rational, though his voice is exhausted. Like when a wife asks 'how was your day dear'. I can't help but lift my eyebrows a fraction.

"Is this all you do? Lounge around in your universe all day."

"You forget time works differently," Lord Loss rolls his shoulders, letting them bleed freely. "But if you want to put it so bluntly- yes. Until my next play toy comes blindly round the corner, I do nothing."

I don't exactly feel sorry for him. Guy killed my family for God's sake. Then again, it's a shame to waste a brilliant mind, even if it is a Demon Master's. "Read?" I ask, and pull my front lines back a bit.

"The Demonata don't have such mundane items."

"Bet you'd like to," I mutter. His lips twitch faintly. "So," I lean forward slightly, for once interested in demons. "Demon exist in the world to kill, and nothing more?"

"It's like questioning why you breathe, Grubitsch."

I frown at the name, but let it slide. "So, no schools, televisions? Wow. So what about evolution, or demon races? Are you categorised? How do you guys reproduce anyway?" Before I can stop myself, I'm firing questions, nineteen to the dozen. Lord Loss seems to be greatly amused by this.

"I mean, no offence, but your not much to look at," I say bluntly, eyeing him up and down. "So what about the Grady line?" I muse at loud, tilting back in my chair.

"If you're quite finished," the Demon Master cuts in like a dropped axe. "Your ancestors- like many humans, got curious. Half the time the offspring would kill the mother when they gave birth- we have a different chromosome count to you humans."

"You have chromosomes?" I say in a doubtful tone. "So wait, your saying they bred freely with your lot?"

Lord Loss chuckles. "No quite. Obviously some might have, no one will know for sure. Most demons… we don't need sex for pleasure," he explains as simply, and as bluntly, as possible. "We get it from feeding off human emotions. If I feed off your sorrow now, I'd be getting the same satisfaction."

I glance at Havoc, who's now scratching at one floppy ear. I grimace. "Most Demonata aren't exactly human looking, are they?"

"Not normally. But most demons don't have the intelligence to even think that way," I feel silent relief at that. "Science, Mr Grady. People have to sacrifice something for it."

I grunt, noticing his Knight is wide open. I take it. It's not a trap, as he doesn't pounce on my men. Doesn't even seem to be interested in playing.

"However there are some Demon Masters who specialise in lust," he adds, making my hand skim right off the board. "The emotion, boy. Most demons of that calibre wouldn't touch a human with a ten foot poll if they have to."

"Are they Incubus?" I ask, remember reading about the seductive male demons. Or was it female. Couldn't remember what name fitted what gender. Oddly, I've never seen a female demon, apart from Juni, and really, she doesn't count. I decide to tuck that away for another time.

"A fairy story," Lord Loss sighs. "All Demon Masters have that power, they just have different tastes."

True. Lord Loss feeds off misery and sorrow. I guess it wasn't to far fetch to hear of some demons living off… slightly happier emotions. As I turn to watch the familiars scuffling with each other, something hard prods me on the side of the head. I turn, and fully expect to face a grumpy Lord Loss, impatience to start playing again. Instead, he sits there with an oddly smug look about him. And I can still feel those probing fingers. It's not the familiars, and it can't be the Lord, all his arms are pinned closely to his body.

He clearly thinks actions speak much louder than words.

Up down, up down. Gets far to close for comfort. Its not just the touch, Lord Losses eyes have that down right hungry gleam to them, like when he's about to suck the soul right out of a person. I'm not that ignorant to demon magic, but I've never experienced this before. Unguarded, the Demon Master gets full excess to my mind, over riding it with thoughts that was not suitable for young boys. I feel dreamy, floaty even. And as soon as my mind is empty, the wolf rears its ugly mug.

I jerk in surprise, and to my horror, I'm starting to fur up. It's horrible. My two strongest emotions are in over drive. And Lord Loss just sits there with this infuriating grin that makes me want to smash his head open on the ground. He's getting in, while the werewolf wants to come out.

Back in control of my body, I thrash widely, in danger of knocking the chess board clean off the table. Lord Loss seems to decide that it might be great fun to see me in pain, but he won't sacrifice the game for it. An invisible force propels me away from the chess set and I slam into Carrion. Time suddenly speeds back up. The tiger falls to the ground, surprised, and I find out that its shell isn't hard at all. I'm sinking into what feels like jelly! The wolf howls, and sudden I find myself not really caring about the familiars. Without Lord Losses lustful grasp, I can finally think clearly. Or, not so clearly. I open my mouth, and scream, fist my hair, and roll around in anguish on Carrion's sticky back.

My whole body is on fire, and I'm surprised I haven't burst into flames yet. I can feel claws and fangs thrusting their way out, and I know I'm only seconds away from loosing it. I rip my hands away from my scalp, and instead gouge fistfuls of Carrion's shell out. The tiger roars, as I puncture one of its lungs.

I roll off, snarl and slaver like I have rabies. I rip at the ground, needing something to hurt, and I see the wolf in my mind, yaws open wide as it takes hold of my throat and shakes. I need something, I need release!

Havoc. The stupid rabbit spits acid into my face, and half my cheek dissolves. I hardly notice the pain, and latch hold of the demonic bunny. Hearing a rabbit scream is the worse sound in the word, but all I hear is the loud roar of the wolf as it strangles the life out of me. I press my newly grown fangs around Havoc neck, and crush through the vertebra and chop his head clean off. The strangely thick, and yellow blood splatters down my top and through my hair, driving the wolf insane with bloodlust.

I'm not done yet. I need some physical, to keep me grounded. To know the wolf hasn't got to me just yet. I rip out great chunks of Havoc's back; exposing its unusual skeleton. Havocs not down yet either. It's head is moving on its tattered remains, mouth beard. It latches onto my arm, but a magical force throws it off.

I take a firm grip on Havoc's ribs, letting them crush in my claws. I find the cartilage covered trachea, and tear it out, hold it safely in my mouth. In one swift bite, it shatters, and I feel calmer.

Carrion is back, shoving me to the ground, and grabbing my upper arm, tearing the whole thing off. It yowls in delight as my blood hits its disgusting face. I easily change my blood to acid, and it's soon snarls and whimpers in distress.

With a wave, my arm magically attaches its self back on, and I rearrange my mess of a face back into its normal position. Half of my red hair has been burnt away in the fight.

Havoc is trying to reassemble its self, throwing dirty looks my way. Back on all fours, I snarl at them both. Carrion roars back, it's face melting in pelts. It runs at me, and this time I'm better prepared. The wolf seems to be backing off. I transform my arm into a thick blade, and catch Carrion in the mouth, tear up it's jaw and into it's soft shell. It whines piteously, falling to the ground.

I fall to the ground beside it, and start to rip it's guts out, feeling an inhuman as I must look. It claws scratch my shoulders, and I quickly alter my body into steel. I'm so powerful, I could call down a star, create a whole universe, wipe out the whole of the demonata if I felt like it. Once I start, I can't stop. The wolf is back, hungry as ever. It tears out the heart, yapping hysterically, crimson blood runs all over the place. With human hands, it pulls out the tigers lungs and liver, intestines that rap up it's arms and mouth. The blood smell is driving it ballistic.

I finally retch, dumping out my stomach, and the wolf with it. Hellooo reality. Carrion has finally stopped twitching, the only sound is the gurgle of blood. Havoc shivers, doesn't come any closer.

In my minds eye, I can see the wolf lean its paws on a boxing ring wire, jabs a threatening finger at me, but looks exhausted. The next round will be soon enough.

I stagger blindly back over to Lord Loss, try to blink blood out of my eyes, and make myself some what presentable. He looks very amused.

"It looks like you were enjoying that, Grubitsch."

"I was not enjoying that," I snarl, feel reached as blood dribbles out of my mouth as I speak. As I was gone, Lord Loss has managed to change the tide of our chess match. Lips tightly shut, I bend my head and move to the left, then use my free forefinger and thumb to break my nose back into place.

"No more questions?"

Unfortunately, there are, but there's no way I'm letting him use me like that again. Sick bastard.

"Have you noticed," he tries again; my teeth are on edge. "How some universes look like your own?"

"The Demonata?" I nearly bite my own tongue off to stop myself. "Well, so? I thought you said the Demonata hated humans?"

"Why are we always around humans then. If we hated you so much, shouldn't we be putting as much distance between ourselves?"

"It's cuz you hate us, you need to be around us all the time to make sure we know you hate us. It's like human wars. Both sides hate each other, but their still breathing down each others necks," he's done it again. Totally suckered me into the conversation. "Bah. What are we doing, trying to explain the meaning of life?"

"All great discussions are said over chess," the Lord muses.

The black queen slowly falls to the board, and I don't really feel that satisfied. Lord Loss stands. "It's always.. interesting to play with you, Grubitsch. Unfortunate as I have to take away such a stunning gift you have."

"It's a curse," I growl, feel like a cornered rat as he drifts closer. It's horrible, as my arms are immobilised like they're in a straight jacket, and I see way too much of the Demon Master's face than I want to. I've only seen this once, when we played for Bill-E's life. Though my step brother had been a werewolf at the time, so didn't have to experience it like I do now.

There must be some sort of vapour at the back of Lord Loss's throat, or something, either way there should never be any reason for letting a demon kiss you ( especially when you have no arms and legs for kicking and struggling ) even the wolf is trembling in a corner, as the Lord pushes the fowl tasting gas right down my throat, not strong enough to cover up all the blood he is leaking into my mouth.

Apart from his incredible strength, I have seen Lord Loss give life, and take away life just as easily. He could remove a curse, but I have also seen him kiss a person, and devour the life right out of them. Not a very pleasant sight.

I'm not too sure what I should be feeling. It's not like in a game, where the hero wins and lights flash and there are sparkles everywhere. I don't even feel the wolf go, for crying out loud!!

He finally releases me, and I make a great show of spitting and retching, trying everything to get the taste of him out of my mouth. There is something incredibly wrong with having a bleeding tongue. I'm surprised Bill-E wasn't scarred for life.

"You should summon me more often, Grubs," the Lord purrs, as Havoc nervously hops over at a wave. And suddenly, I decide that him using my nickname is way to personal for my tastes.

"Just go and crawl back up your web, you bastard," it's not much point calling a demon a curse, they seem to enjoy it. Lord Loss just shrugs, and the room slowly grows dimmer, as the harsh red light fades away. Back is Dervishes room, his familiar shelves of books and scrolls.

I stare down at the melted chess sets. Damn.

-FIN