Chapter 9
Hilde had hardly slept at all that night. The knowledge that the demon loomed nearby kept her awake. If she slept at all it was with one eye open. By the time the door was unlocking Hilde had driven herself into a near frenzy, like a cord wound too tight. The door swinging open was all that was needed to set her off. The familiar feeling of near death desperation filled her mishandled body with such ferocity that her movements were nearly impossible to follow against an ordinary human, but Duo wasn't an ordinary human. He saw her coming, knowing she had been waiting for him. Her legs swung up off the floor towards his shoulders and chest, she was practically airborne. Her legs were blocked, but the fire running in her veins pushed her on. Landing on the ground she ducked down in an unexpected fashion, shooting her foot towards Duo's knees, heel first. It missed and hit his thigh. He let out a cry of surprise. His reaction drove her further. Shooting back up brought one foot up to connect with his jaw. He backed away barely dodging the lethal limb. Not giving him a chance to recover she thrust her knee up clipping his side. Duo curled over slightly, favoring his injured flesh. The sounds coming from Hilde's throat almost sounded feral. At this point he was expecting her to strike out with her foot. She surprised him by twisting back in an awkward movement and lashing at him with a fist. He stumbled back by the mind-boggling blow. He stood hunched over, the cape shrouding him in a cryptic portrait. A drop of blood fell slowly to the ground. The sound of the blood hitting the floor was like a drum, the silent sound reverberating outward. Glass could be heard shattering. There were restless horses outside neighing hysterically. Shouting could be heard within several yards. Duo cursed and slowly reached up to wipe away the blood threatening to drip again. He slurped up the excess blood noisily. Hilde had stopped to cover her ears, shielding them from the silent thunder. Without blinking, Duo raised his hand in her direction, snapping his fingers wide; Hilde flew back hitting the wall hard, splayed wide open, shaking the dust from the rafters. At that moment, several young whores ran in and saw Duo hastily wiping the blood away. They all seemed genuinely concerned.
"Duo! Are you all right?"
"You're bleeding!"
"Quick someone get a towel!"
"You poor thing! What happened?" Duo grinned through all of this and suddenly smiled jovially, obviously not phased at all by what had happened.
"I let her get a shot in is all." He laughed vainly. Hilde remained unnoticed as several of the women ran around grabbing clothing and supplies, packing them away.
"You have to leave quickly. The entire district will be out for a demon hunt any moment. They'll come looking here first. Duo's face fell to one of severity. Quickly, he glanced at Hilde stunning her into limpness. One whore brought him his pack. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and slung it over his shoulder and across his chest.
"Help me get her on my back." Hilde wanted to fight desperately, but found her body not listening. Before she knew it she was wrapped securely around his back. Her legs of their own clamped tightly around his waist. He gripped her hands firmly. Then they were out the window and jumping from rooftop to rooftop without pause. It was the most terrifying experience she had ever had, yet wonderful. At one point or another she realized she was now holding onto him of her own accord. For that very brief instant, she considered the possibilities of pulling the dagger he kept hidden in his belt and slit his throat.
"It wouldn't do you any good to kill me while we are up here. Besides, that was something my father sent me, it will not harm me." Hilde assumed he simply read her mind, but evidently that was not possible. "My specialty is mind control, not reading. You heart sped up and your grip tightened considerably." Hilde gasped and nearly let go. Duo grabbed her arms just in time saving her from a quick fall. He chuckled, his deep voice rumbling in his throat, a very pleasant sound on the ears. For some reason, Hilde felt she could trust his word. He had not lied yet. Sighing, figuring she could do nothing else, she gently rested her chin on his shoulder and relaxed. Duo was slightly surprised by her antics. He did not force her to do that, so it was by her won initiative, and for some reason, the innocence of the gesture made him blush.
"You said your father left your mother, but how is it he kept in touch with you?" Duo was surprised by the question, so she was paying attention. He cleared his throat.
"Despite what humans think, a demon is very responsible with something he created, whether an evil creation or a half human child. He found out about me about six years after I was born."
"Why so long?" He shrugged, but Hilde saw he was affected by the subject.
"My mother died not long after my birth. Baring a demon's child can sometimes suck the life from the mother so the half-demon babe unwittingly kills and takes life by simply existing." He fell silent for a moment and Hilde though he was done, but he continued with a very morbid voice. "I lived in the whore house all my life, I became everyone's son at some point or another. I was teased horribly ever since I was able to understand who I was. Finally, when I was six summers old a group of other boys beat me with sticks and rocks, calling me filth and a whore's son, calling her filthy names as well. They were older and bigger than me. As you witnessed earlier, my blood is not regular human blood. Being half-demon and half-human, my blood does not belong in the humanistic world or the demonic one. So when my blood is lost in one world or another, it is not accepted. As a result, well, you saw what happened, but that was only one drop. Those boys spilled a lot of my blood. The blood brought out a deep fiendish being. My anger was incomparable by human standards. I was unstoppable. By the end, there were several smears on the walls of the alleyway. No one survived. I don't remember any of it, but when I came to I was in my bed and Father stood over me. He told me that demonic power, no matter how small it is, that is not controlled can cause irreversible damage, as I had demonstrated. He taught me how to control my powers and learn to use them. He was strict, but concerned. After I was 16 summers, he stopped visiting, but I kept receiving small trinkets and letters, telling me of the havoc he causes." Hilde felt him grin and she smiled a little too.
"It's quite admirable, what your father did. A lot more than what a regular man would do."
"Of course, like I said, demons take responsibility for their actions." Hilde smiled, seeing past that.
"What your father felt was more than just responsibility." Duo turned his head slightly at the comment, nearly missing the fact that he had reached the city limits, almost falling off the last set of roofs. He kept going across the open land now. Fields sailed by with ease. Hilde shifted her arms in a more comfortable position.
"What did you mean?" Hilde's weariness was catching up to her quickly. Her eyes slid shut of their own accord.
"Huh?" she mumbled trying to stay awake.
"What did you mean back there by my father?" She buried her head in the place where his neck and shoulder met and inhaled his smell deeply. He smelled like the smoke that came off of burning wood and the food that he had gorged on earlier. It was pleasant.
"He loved you, Duo." He was stunned into silence. "You smell good. Like... morning at home in my village." And then she fell into the deep abyss of sleep. The half-demon wasn't sure wow to react. Placing a deeper sleep over her, he shifted her from his back into his arms as he ran. She sighed contentedly and snuggled in closer. His eyes softened as he looked down on her. A small smile spread over his face. For once, his heart felt at rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They traveled for another day and a half before Duo felt they were far enough to rest, only stopping to feed his burden for brief intervals. It was long past dark before he stopped to lay Hilde down in the tall grass under a quicksilver tree. He examined the surroundings. They now stood at the edge of a forest. The name of the tree came from the long hanging branches brushing the ground. The long leaves and branches glinted silver in the late night moon. Briefly, he hoped the women back in Arion were all right. If someone hurt them he would 'deal' with them later. They were as close to family, besides his father, to him. Setting to work quickly, he moved to his pack to pull out the flint. Setting those aside, he pulled out a large area of tall grass. Just as he was leaving the shelter of the quicksilver tree he glanced over at Hilde who lay still in a deep slumber. To be sure that she would not wake he put her nearly in a coma. Satisfied, he left to gather wood to burn. The night was welcoming to him it did not judge him as others did. Taking a deep breath he wandered deeper into the surrounding trees. Finding wood was a very simple job, not difficult enough to preoccupy the thoughts running rampant in his mind. 'You smell good.' The remembrance brought a blush to his face. 'It's quite admirable, what your father did.' Duo felt a warm wave rush through his body. 'He loved you, Duo.' That was the strangest comment yet. Is it possibly for his father, a full-blooded demon, to love someone? Grant it, Duo felt respect and pride for his father. With the pride came the despair knowing that he would never be able to fully live up to his expectations. That stung more than anything. One thing he couldn't stand the thought of was being a constant disappointment to his father. It was difficult to say how his father felt about his half-blooded son. Whenever something from him to Duo arrived on the doorstep, there was nothing that indicated where he rested, with the exception of the last gift. It was a dark portrait of a dying woman. She was torn and bloody, surrounded in darkness. The light in the picture radiating from her heart. She had a look of great fierceness, fighting the invisible enemy. Below written in an offset black was written 'Desperation' in demonic tongue, something his father had taught him not long before he left.
After that fateful whim of a decision to enter the Patron Tournament and hearing the whispered words of the Desperation Technique and then seeing Hilde fighting in the exact fashion of the portrait only spurred him into action. She would lead him to his father, of that he was sure of. Witnessing the technique for himself, he only felt more resolve to find him. Hilde would be the key. He knew better than to assume directly that his father resided with these slaves, but somehow Hilde would be connected with all of this. He had read into the legend of this technique. It had not been practiced in over 1,000 years. Evidently the young women who had possessed this technique were hunted down one by one. The texts never explained for what reason. There was a value, a hidden key, that they held and the hunters a thousand years ago knew about it and cherished it. His thoughts wandered back to the portrait which was rolled up and placed in wax paper in his pack. He would examine it further when he had some time. He would simply put Hilde under again.
Looking up, he realized it was time to head back to the quicksilver tree. Upon arrival he knew something was very wrong. Gently putting down the pile of wood, he silently stalked around the tree. Inside, a pair of red eyes stayed unblinking, waiting for him to return. The girl would be good bait to lure the half-demon inside. Getting a better sense of what waited inside, Duo stood straight and called to it.
"Come out, demon." At first, there was no response. After several moments, Duo wondered if he was only being delusional and felt wrong. He began to blush. Just as he was going to return to his pile of wood, cursing, the tree's branches flew up in different directions billowing by the ends as they were attached to the trunk, revealing a huge half-snaked demon. It rose up before him, in its massive coils, Hilde was being held in a choking grip. Duo's deep sleep placed on her kept her from waking, but it was obvious she was in great pain. Duo crouched down, sizing up his enemy. The man's body at the head of the snake-like body was a sickly green, his slanted eyes glowing red, the large scales glowing in the night. He wore a sinister grin, baring a long tongue and set of venomous fangs.
"So, you are the son of the demon Inferno." Duo's hands clenched at the mention of his father's name.
"Yeah? And how can I help you?" he said cynically, crossing his arms casually, trying to hide the quaking in his stomach. He had never been faced with another demon besides his father, but he had been warned many times that demons did not take kindly to half-breeds. The snake hissed viciously, reflexively squeezing on Hilde. She let out a cry of pain. Duo had slowly been releasing her from her deep sleep, but forcing her body to stay relaxed. When she finally came to, Duo made her silent, but forced her to assess the situation. It would only make things worse if the demon knew she was awake.
"I've been sent here by my master to give you a message."
"And what may that be? I hope it's not some invitation to a party." P "Your insolence is wearing. I'll come straight to the point," he hissed merrily, obviously taking joy in the message he was bringing. "Inferno is dead. My master wishes to cleanse the demon line of its half-breeds and those who spawned them." Duo's face contorted into a look of rage. He held back knowing the demon was not finished. "I followed your trail to that whore house. Like father like son. To make sure you do not continue your father's deeds, I destroyed every single one of them. They were..." his tongue slithered out and perversely licked his lips, "Delicious." For emphasis, the snake let out a small burp and coughed out a couple of fingers. They landed with a thud on the grass, a sickly gray to each one. Parted from their owners long ago. Images of Duo's childhood ran through his mind. Sabe had been there for him, his mother when his real one had left him behind. She filled the parental hole that his father never could fill. The love that he had for her was only matched by what he could have felt for his own mother if she were alive. The news sank in quickly. His father... his mother... the women back home... they were all killed and by a gruesome monster as this. An inhuman growl ripped through the air as Duo's own eyes began to glow red. There were no bounds to his rage and fury. It was like a silent explosion, shooting out towards the snake, completely in shock. Duo felt his fangs growing, his ears lengthening out to points, eyes wider. It was a terrible sight as he grew angrier the unseen force became harder to withstand. The forces Duo gathered were absorbed into the spaces around him as his hatred, pain, and sorrow grew, demanding more and more space to fill. The animal like scream grew from his wretched throat. Duo felt his body was on fire with the very flames of hell. The snake's eyes grew in shock.
"This isn't right!" he cried, his grip on Hilde becoming lax enough for her to fall through, crumbling on the ground, still unable to move. "He is only half-demon! He... he shouldn't be able to gather such energy." Duo's head rose to lock eyes with the snake, blood red through to the core, as blood tears fell from his cheeks, hitting the ground, now not shaking the ground as before. His face was a horrifying mixture of anger and lust for death. Hilde could hear what was happening, but could not see what happened to Duo. All she could discern was his pain and anguish this unfortunate snake had caused him.
"I will respond to your master's inquiry and you will be my message." Hilde only heard the low growl and the painful cries of the snake, who tried to fight off the blood thirsty demon, only to fall victim quickly. The sound of flesh being ripped open churned her stomach. It was a slow death for the snake. Its cries could be heard for miles around for at least an hour. In its throes of death its body spasmed, nearly crushing Hilde. Shutting her eyes tightly, she awaited her death. At that moment, her mind was released and she did not hesitate in rolling away from the danger. Groaning from the stiff muscles and circulating blood, she slowly moved to a kneeling position and looked around for Duo. What she found made her lose what little food she had in her stomach. The demon stood over the dismembered body of his victim, covered with the gore, licking way the remnants. Hilde gasped in shock from the sight bringing his attention directly onto her. His face was even more terrifying than what he had done. It was mixed with blood and pure animal fury.
She realized too late that Duo was not in control of himself. The bloody tears roll in a steady pool from his chin. Hilde realized he had somehow become a full-blooded demon. Struggling to force her limbs to move, she attempted to get away. Crying out, she was rapidly pinned to the ground. Duo snarled, revealing his pearly fangs.
"Duo, snap out of it... Duo!" He wasn't listening. Growling, he lowered in for the throat, but abruptly stopped. He paused to sniff her clothing, catching the whiff of something familiar and dear to him. Gripping his head in agony, he stepped back crying out with a terrible scream. He leaned forward staring up with pained eyes. They flashed a few times before returning to their original violet. The fangs receded and ears shrank back to their original size. The steady stream of tears turned to salty droplets of clear liquid. His face was twisted in agony as the memories of laughing and smiling faces intruded upon him.
"Hilde?" he gasped out in confusion. Not able to take the strain any further, his body collapsed putting him into a deep sleep. Hilde was frozen in horror. For a moment, she debated on leaving him and finding her way to the mountains, but a second look vanquished any idea of leaving. He was so lost and even... lonely. She would regret leaving him in the end, she knew that instantly. Sighing, she reached down and gathered him up, covering herself in the demon's blood. Grunting, she lifted him and headed back towards the quicksilver tree. Glancing around she was certain no one would come this way with a dead demon outside. Soon after, she set to making a fire and tending to Duo.
Hilde had hardly slept at all that night. The knowledge that the demon loomed nearby kept her awake. If she slept at all it was with one eye open. By the time the door was unlocking Hilde had driven herself into a near frenzy, like a cord wound too tight. The door swinging open was all that was needed to set her off. The familiar feeling of near death desperation filled her mishandled body with such ferocity that her movements were nearly impossible to follow against an ordinary human, but Duo wasn't an ordinary human. He saw her coming, knowing she had been waiting for him. Her legs swung up off the floor towards his shoulders and chest, she was practically airborne. Her legs were blocked, but the fire running in her veins pushed her on. Landing on the ground she ducked down in an unexpected fashion, shooting her foot towards Duo's knees, heel first. It missed and hit his thigh. He let out a cry of surprise. His reaction drove her further. Shooting back up brought one foot up to connect with his jaw. He backed away barely dodging the lethal limb. Not giving him a chance to recover she thrust her knee up clipping his side. Duo curled over slightly, favoring his injured flesh. The sounds coming from Hilde's throat almost sounded feral. At this point he was expecting her to strike out with her foot. She surprised him by twisting back in an awkward movement and lashing at him with a fist. He stumbled back by the mind-boggling blow. He stood hunched over, the cape shrouding him in a cryptic portrait. A drop of blood fell slowly to the ground. The sound of the blood hitting the floor was like a drum, the silent sound reverberating outward. Glass could be heard shattering. There were restless horses outside neighing hysterically. Shouting could be heard within several yards. Duo cursed and slowly reached up to wipe away the blood threatening to drip again. He slurped up the excess blood noisily. Hilde had stopped to cover her ears, shielding them from the silent thunder. Without blinking, Duo raised his hand in her direction, snapping his fingers wide; Hilde flew back hitting the wall hard, splayed wide open, shaking the dust from the rafters. At that moment, several young whores ran in and saw Duo hastily wiping the blood away. They all seemed genuinely concerned.
"Duo! Are you all right?"
"You're bleeding!"
"Quick someone get a towel!"
"You poor thing! What happened?" Duo grinned through all of this and suddenly smiled jovially, obviously not phased at all by what had happened.
"I let her get a shot in is all." He laughed vainly. Hilde remained unnoticed as several of the women ran around grabbing clothing and supplies, packing them away.
"You have to leave quickly. The entire district will be out for a demon hunt any moment. They'll come looking here first. Duo's face fell to one of severity. Quickly, he glanced at Hilde stunning her into limpness. One whore brought him his pack. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek and slung it over his shoulder and across his chest.
"Help me get her on my back." Hilde wanted to fight desperately, but found her body not listening. Before she knew it she was wrapped securely around his back. Her legs of their own clamped tightly around his waist. He gripped her hands firmly. Then they were out the window and jumping from rooftop to rooftop without pause. It was the most terrifying experience she had ever had, yet wonderful. At one point or another she realized she was now holding onto him of her own accord. For that very brief instant, she considered the possibilities of pulling the dagger he kept hidden in his belt and slit his throat.
"It wouldn't do you any good to kill me while we are up here. Besides, that was something my father sent me, it will not harm me." Hilde assumed he simply read her mind, but evidently that was not possible. "My specialty is mind control, not reading. You heart sped up and your grip tightened considerably." Hilde gasped and nearly let go. Duo grabbed her arms just in time saving her from a quick fall. He chuckled, his deep voice rumbling in his throat, a very pleasant sound on the ears. For some reason, Hilde felt she could trust his word. He had not lied yet. Sighing, figuring she could do nothing else, she gently rested her chin on his shoulder and relaxed. Duo was slightly surprised by her antics. He did not force her to do that, so it was by her won initiative, and for some reason, the innocence of the gesture made him blush.
"You said your father left your mother, but how is it he kept in touch with you?" Duo was surprised by the question, so she was paying attention. He cleared his throat.
"Despite what humans think, a demon is very responsible with something he created, whether an evil creation or a half human child. He found out about me about six years after I was born."
"Why so long?" He shrugged, but Hilde saw he was affected by the subject.
"My mother died not long after my birth. Baring a demon's child can sometimes suck the life from the mother so the half-demon babe unwittingly kills and takes life by simply existing." He fell silent for a moment and Hilde though he was done, but he continued with a very morbid voice. "I lived in the whore house all my life, I became everyone's son at some point or another. I was teased horribly ever since I was able to understand who I was. Finally, when I was six summers old a group of other boys beat me with sticks and rocks, calling me filth and a whore's son, calling her filthy names as well. They were older and bigger than me. As you witnessed earlier, my blood is not regular human blood. Being half-demon and half-human, my blood does not belong in the humanistic world or the demonic one. So when my blood is lost in one world or another, it is not accepted. As a result, well, you saw what happened, but that was only one drop. Those boys spilled a lot of my blood. The blood brought out a deep fiendish being. My anger was incomparable by human standards. I was unstoppable. By the end, there were several smears on the walls of the alleyway. No one survived. I don't remember any of it, but when I came to I was in my bed and Father stood over me. He told me that demonic power, no matter how small it is, that is not controlled can cause irreversible damage, as I had demonstrated. He taught me how to control my powers and learn to use them. He was strict, but concerned. After I was 16 summers, he stopped visiting, but I kept receiving small trinkets and letters, telling me of the havoc he causes." Hilde felt him grin and she smiled a little too.
"It's quite admirable, what your father did. A lot more than what a regular man would do."
"Of course, like I said, demons take responsibility for their actions." Hilde smiled, seeing past that.
"What your father felt was more than just responsibility." Duo turned his head slightly at the comment, nearly missing the fact that he had reached the city limits, almost falling off the last set of roofs. He kept going across the open land now. Fields sailed by with ease. Hilde shifted her arms in a more comfortable position.
"What did you mean?" Hilde's weariness was catching up to her quickly. Her eyes slid shut of their own accord.
"Huh?" she mumbled trying to stay awake.
"What did you mean back there by my father?" She buried her head in the place where his neck and shoulder met and inhaled his smell deeply. He smelled like the smoke that came off of burning wood and the food that he had gorged on earlier. It was pleasant.
"He loved you, Duo." He was stunned into silence. "You smell good. Like... morning at home in my village." And then she fell into the deep abyss of sleep. The half-demon wasn't sure wow to react. Placing a deeper sleep over her, he shifted her from his back into his arms as he ran. She sighed contentedly and snuggled in closer. His eyes softened as he looked down on her. A small smile spread over his face. For once, his heart felt at rest.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
They traveled for another day and a half before Duo felt they were far enough to rest, only stopping to feed his burden for brief intervals. It was long past dark before he stopped to lay Hilde down in the tall grass under a quicksilver tree. He examined the surroundings. They now stood at the edge of a forest. The name of the tree came from the long hanging branches brushing the ground. The long leaves and branches glinted silver in the late night moon. Briefly, he hoped the women back in Arion were all right. If someone hurt them he would 'deal' with them later. They were as close to family, besides his father, to him. Setting to work quickly, he moved to his pack to pull out the flint. Setting those aside, he pulled out a large area of tall grass. Just as he was leaving the shelter of the quicksilver tree he glanced over at Hilde who lay still in a deep slumber. To be sure that she would not wake he put her nearly in a coma. Satisfied, he left to gather wood to burn. The night was welcoming to him it did not judge him as others did. Taking a deep breath he wandered deeper into the surrounding trees. Finding wood was a very simple job, not difficult enough to preoccupy the thoughts running rampant in his mind. 'You smell good.' The remembrance brought a blush to his face. 'It's quite admirable, what your father did.' Duo felt a warm wave rush through his body. 'He loved you, Duo.' That was the strangest comment yet. Is it possibly for his father, a full-blooded demon, to love someone? Grant it, Duo felt respect and pride for his father. With the pride came the despair knowing that he would never be able to fully live up to his expectations. That stung more than anything. One thing he couldn't stand the thought of was being a constant disappointment to his father. It was difficult to say how his father felt about his half-blooded son. Whenever something from him to Duo arrived on the doorstep, there was nothing that indicated where he rested, with the exception of the last gift. It was a dark portrait of a dying woman. She was torn and bloody, surrounded in darkness. The light in the picture radiating from her heart. She had a look of great fierceness, fighting the invisible enemy. Below written in an offset black was written 'Desperation' in demonic tongue, something his father had taught him not long before he left.
After that fateful whim of a decision to enter the Patron Tournament and hearing the whispered words of the Desperation Technique and then seeing Hilde fighting in the exact fashion of the portrait only spurred him into action. She would lead him to his father, of that he was sure of. Witnessing the technique for himself, he only felt more resolve to find him. Hilde would be the key. He knew better than to assume directly that his father resided with these slaves, but somehow Hilde would be connected with all of this. He had read into the legend of this technique. It had not been practiced in over 1,000 years. Evidently the young women who had possessed this technique were hunted down one by one. The texts never explained for what reason. There was a value, a hidden key, that they held and the hunters a thousand years ago knew about it and cherished it. His thoughts wandered back to the portrait which was rolled up and placed in wax paper in his pack. He would examine it further when he had some time. He would simply put Hilde under again.
Looking up, he realized it was time to head back to the quicksilver tree. Upon arrival he knew something was very wrong. Gently putting down the pile of wood, he silently stalked around the tree. Inside, a pair of red eyes stayed unblinking, waiting for him to return. The girl would be good bait to lure the half-demon inside. Getting a better sense of what waited inside, Duo stood straight and called to it.
"Come out, demon." At first, there was no response. After several moments, Duo wondered if he was only being delusional and felt wrong. He began to blush. Just as he was going to return to his pile of wood, cursing, the tree's branches flew up in different directions billowing by the ends as they were attached to the trunk, revealing a huge half-snaked demon. It rose up before him, in its massive coils, Hilde was being held in a choking grip. Duo's deep sleep placed on her kept her from waking, but it was obvious she was in great pain. Duo crouched down, sizing up his enemy. The man's body at the head of the snake-like body was a sickly green, his slanted eyes glowing red, the large scales glowing in the night. He wore a sinister grin, baring a long tongue and set of venomous fangs.
"So, you are the son of the demon Inferno." Duo's hands clenched at the mention of his father's name.
"Yeah? And how can I help you?" he said cynically, crossing his arms casually, trying to hide the quaking in his stomach. He had never been faced with another demon besides his father, but he had been warned many times that demons did not take kindly to half-breeds. The snake hissed viciously, reflexively squeezing on Hilde. She let out a cry of pain. Duo had slowly been releasing her from her deep sleep, but forcing her body to stay relaxed. When she finally came to, Duo made her silent, but forced her to assess the situation. It would only make things worse if the demon knew she was awake.
"I've been sent here by my master to give you a message."
"And what may that be? I hope it's not some invitation to a party." P "Your insolence is wearing. I'll come straight to the point," he hissed merrily, obviously taking joy in the message he was bringing. "Inferno is dead. My master wishes to cleanse the demon line of its half-breeds and those who spawned them." Duo's face contorted into a look of rage. He held back knowing the demon was not finished. "I followed your trail to that whore house. Like father like son. To make sure you do not continue your father's deeds, I destroyed every single one of them. They were..." his tongue slithered out and perversely licked his lips, "Delicious." For emphasis, the snake let out a small burp and coughed out a couple of fingers. They landed with a thud on the grass, a sickly gray to each one. Parted from their owners long ago. Images of Duo's childhood ran through his mind. Sabe had been there for him, his mother when his real one had left him behind. She filled the parental hole that his father never could fill. The love that he had for her was only matched by what he could have felt for his own mother if she were alive. The news sank in quickly. His father... his mother... the women back home... they were all killed and by a gruesome monster as this. An inhuman growl ripped through the air as Duo's own eyes began to glow red. There were no bounds to his rage and fury. It was like a silent explosion, shooting out towards the snake, completely in shock. Duo felt his fangs growing, his ears lengthening out to points, eyes wider. It was a terrible sight as he grew angrier the unseen force became harder to withstand. The forces Duo gathered were absorbed into the spaces around him as his hatred, pain, and sorrow grew, demanding more and more space to fill. The animal like scream grew from his wretched throat. Duo felt his body was on fire with the very flames of hell. The snake's eyes grew in shock.
"This isn't right!" he cried, his grip on Hilde becoming lax enough for her to fall through, crumbling on the ground, still unable to move. "He is only half-demon! He... he shouldn't be able to gather such energy." Duo's head rose to lock eyes with the snake, blood red through to the core, as blood tears fell from his cheeks, hitting the ground, now not shaking the ground as before. His face was a horrifying mixture of anger and lust for death. Hilde could hear what was happening, but could not see what happened to Duo. All she could discern was his pain and anguish this unfortunate snake had caused him.
"I will respond to your master's inquiry and you will be my message." Hilde only heard the low growl and the painful cries of the snake, who tried to fight off the blood thirsty demon, only to fall victim quickly. The sound of flesh being ripped open churned her stomach. It was a slow death for the snake. Its cries could be heard for miles around for at least an hour. In its throes of death its body spasmed, nearly crushing Hilde. Shutting her eyes tightly, she awaited her death. At that moment, her mind was released and she did not hesitate in rolling away from the danger. Groaning from the stiff muscles and circulating blood, she slowly moved to a kneeling position and looked around for Duo. What she found made her lose what little food she had in her stomach. The demon stood over the dismembered body of his victim, covered with the gore, licking way the remnants. Hilde gasped in shock from the sight bringing his attention directly onto her. His face was even more terrifying than what he had done. It was mixed with blood and pure animal fury.
She realized too late that Duo was not in control of himself. The bloody tears roll in a steady pool from his chin. Hilde realized he had somehow become a full-blooded demon. Struggling to force her limbs to move, she attempted to get away. Crying out, she was rapidly pinned to the ground. Duo snarled, revealing his pearly fangs.
"Duo, snap out of it... Duo!" He wasn't listening. Growling, he lowered in for the throat, but abruptly stopped. He paused to sniff her clothing, catching the whiff of something familiar and dear to him. Gripping his head in agony, he stepped back crying out with a terrible scream. He leaned forward staring up with pained eyes. They flashed a few times before returning to their original violet. The fangs receded and ears shrank back to their original size. The steady stream of tears turned to salty droplets of clear liquid. His face was twisted in agony as the memories of laughing and smiling faces intruded upon him.
"Hilde?" he gasped out in confusion. Not able to take the strain any further, his body collapsed putting him into a deep sleep. Hilde was frozen in horror. For a moment, she debated on leaving him and finding her way to the mountains, but a second look vanquished any idea of leaving. He was so lost and even... lonely. She would regret leaving him in the end, she knew that instantly. Sighing, she reached down and gathered him up, covering herself in the demon's blood. Grunting, she lifted him and headed back towards the quicksilver tree. Glancing around she was certain no one would come this way with a dead demon outside. Soon after, she set to making a fire and tending to Duo.
