Don't listen to Pokefreak! Rakadra DID wear swimming trunks in the original version, I just didn't write them in there! HONEST! AGH! THE HORROR!

Chapter 2, Don't tease the demon spawn, kids!

"He's not that much of a challenge when it comes to the gist of it. The problem is however that the obsession he's got about Beast King's son and grandson clouds everything else in the darling's head."

Sciel smiled and delicately sipped from the smoking little bowl she held between all her fingertips. It might be best not to wonder about the contents.

"Ooh, an obsession..." the hoarse voice of Arachne cooed to the carmilla's left, "that dear just keeps getting more and more putrid."

She paused and raised all of her six arms to inspect her handiwork. An intricate net, hardly visible in the ever-changing air, hung between her claws.

"To put poison or acid on this one, hmm..." she absentmindedly thought aloud.

She lowered her work again and reached out the upper right hand for a bowl on the black table for herself.

"I remember him as a baby," she went on with a nostalgic smirk, "wouldn't sleep unless he got to chew on a piece of a beastman's lung."

"Lung?" Tricla repeated, raising the scales above her eyes. While she said this she straightened up from having checked on the black chalice on the ground beside her throne. Poison trickled into it from her scorpion tail, which hung over the chair's armrest.

The third demonette sat slung over a black throne of her own on the other side of the table in the center of the minor circle. On the top of it was a vast collection of small cages, bottles and smoking plates.

"What did you expect?" Sciel snickered, "Schree wanted the hearts herself."

"Ah, of course. Silly me."

"So, anyway..."

Sciel leant back, resting her cheek on two fingertips.

"Rakky boy is quite a special case," she continued, "we'll need to set him up with somebody suitable for a warrior of his caliber."

"Mm," Arachne nodded, claws clicking while she weaved, "somebody powerful, considering him being what he is."

"Let me see, one of Jagan's finest and resurrected with his enemy's blood? Impressive..." Triclaw murmured with an intrigued smirk.

"Yes, so he's truly a force to be reckoned with," Sciel nodded, "as I say, it's a waste of talent for him to obsess with revenge only."

"Isn't he rather desired?" the scorpio of the three pondered.

"Oh sure! But he never had the patience for a longer relationship, and it seems there has been no heir from his quickies."

Sciel paused and scratched her hair.

"Well, it's not that much of a surprise really, he's not a gentle one even for a demon..." she added with a cruel chuckle, "but in either case, he just haven't had any longtime flame, somebody who's survived him so to speak."

"Ooh, makes me all giddy just to think of all that passion bundled up in a package like him," Arachne giggled in a hiss, making the whole net tremble, "the mercilessness is so becoming that it thrills even me, ancient woman that I am!"

She suddenly sobered and sighed, however.

"But yes, as you said... for that reason I doubt that I can provide any help, Sciel dear. My little darlings have a bit of a problem with Rakadra. Not in the good way, mind you."

"Aww, and here I was thinking that a bit of ranger skills would be good for his bloodline," Sciel frowned, "what happened?"

"Well, you know how we are, defendant of siblings and... it was one of my younger daughters you see, an incident..."

She bent forwards, conspirational. The other two followed.

"She should have known better, true, but she couldn't help herself the poor little darling," Arachne said in a lower voice, "being one of us... she tried to bite his head off, you know... afterwards. Well...!"

She straightened up and continued in a normal tone, while her companions cringed in sympathy:

"One have to understand her, him being such a stud and all. But you see then, dear."

Sciel nodded.

"Oh well... no traps for him then."

She sipped, thoughtfully.

"So... Tricla, you got anything hot on your side?"

The scorpio demonette, who had seemed lost in thought for a while, perked up at those words. And her stonehard, cracked lips parted in a fangy grin.

"If you put it that way my dear, I think I have JUST the thing for your little half-breed."

She clapped her crabclaws together, creating a sound similar to that of two huge maracas clashing.

A flash of darkness shot up from the table, and in the black flames that remained a shape could be vaguely seen. As Tricla nodded it became a bit more focused. And the collection of treats on the table were sent flying by the sudden appearance of a far too big body in their midst, demanding more space than they could offer easily.

"A bit of a mix herself, as you see," Tricla proudly said, her voice cutting through the waterfall of crashes and squeaks, "her father was among those who opened the gates back in the fall of the Light Kingdom. A fast, proud one, this."

"Ooh, lovely!" Arachne cooed, enjoying the disdainful look she got from the central figure.

Sciel gave the new demonette a measuring look from head to... ehm... "toe".

"Mmm," the carmilla finally said, "she looks strong enough to survive him at least. But I'll believe it when I see it."

"She's worthy of a chance then?"

"Of course. It won't hurt any of us if she tries," Sciel smiled.

"My sentiments exactly."

The scorpio turned back to her disciple and smiled.

"Say, would you like to mate for life with one of the most famous demons there is?"

The younger demonette, who until now had silently endured the discussion about her, now crawled off the table, her two tails still slipping over the dark stone long after the main body had hit the floor.

Orange and red scales angrily reflected even the faintest speck of warped light, and it was difficult to tell whether her hair was... hair... and not part of the scales on her back.

On the front, she was humanoid from the waist and upwards - her clothes were nothing but a piece of rolled up, black net that just barely covered her breasts.

Claws similar to a cat's drummed against the table as she spoke.

"With 'a bit of a mix', you weren't hinting at that Rakadra, were you?" she hissed.

"You are quite insightful, dear," Sciel smiled.

The naga's thrice split tongue impatiently twirled between her lips.

"That useless deadweight?" she snorted, "he's had more than three chances to kill his mortal enemy, and he failed every time!"

"Now, now..." the carmilla said, though the memory of some of the latest screw ups made her snicker slightly, "he's been a bit rusty lately, yes. But take his past victories in account."

"Indeed, he's more than a failure, Nagia dear," Tricla nodded.

But the younger demonette scoffed.

"The far-off past carries no importance when more recent events are accounted for. I shall accept no male as weak as him," she snorted.

Sciel's entire collection of teeth showed in her huge smirk upon those words.

"Then go challenge him, won't you?" the vampire lady suggested, "you might be surprised... on the same tangent, I doubt that Rakadra would be interested in any weak females."

Nagia's scales flared up in even angrier hues at the insinuation, but she controlled herself and merely snorted.

"Pha!"

Turning around she flexed her claws at thin air.

"I'll bring you that loser's head and then force him to be my servant after he's resurrected!"

And with that she disappeared in a roaring, black flame.

"What a lovely attitude!" Arachne almost squealed, clasping her middle hands, "you simply MUST train some of my babies, Tricla darling!"

"Why certainly dear, it would be my pleasure," the scorpio smiled.

Sciel sipped her drink, then sighed slightly and leant back with a thoughtful expression.

"Too bad about Nagia though," she said, "I'm sorry about that, Tricla dear. I'll ask Rakadra for a drop of blood later on so that you can resurrect her."

"Oh, think nothing about it, dear, it's only healthy!"

*


Orange and red scales littered the ground like burning snowflakes, spread over the splashes of dark blood that plastered the closest surroundings.

Unfeeling green snake-eyes set in a human face stared wide open at the face before them, though they were already filling up with the mist of death.

'Oh I think... I'm in... love...' was Nagia's last thought before the depth claimed her.

Rakadra pulled his hand free with a swift movement, ripping out the demonette's heart in the process.

Her body slumped to the ground and dissolved before his feet.

"What was that all about?" Rakadra thought aloud.

As he considered it, maybe Sciel had something to... nah, he had told her not...

His train of thought hit the brake and evaluated for a moment.

'... Nah, she wouldn't send anything this blunt, not her style,' he finally decided and took a bite from the purplish heart in his hand, as if it had been an apple.

Not even bothering to wipe the dark blood from his face he turned and began wandering off from the scene of battle, the dripping, still hot trophy still safe in his grip.

'Put up an alright fight though. Wouldn't have minded, but if she goes about it by attacking me she had it coming.'

He smirked, blood escaping the corner of his lips and dripping over his shirt.

'Fiery little thing, but it sure takes more than that to bring... now what?'

He stopped and turned his head, scanning the surreal area suspiciously. It was impossible to see very far in the ever changing, cloudy world, but he could feel that somebody was somewhere nearby.

The feeling disappeared almost instantly as he began looking around, but he wasn't one to doubt his senses.

'Hm.'

Well, the logical conclusion was that whoever it had been, had taken off. Probably another attacker then, who changed their minds.

'Too bad really, a liver would have been a nice dessert.'

Rakadra started walking again, heading off to mind his own business. Unaware that he was STILL being watched, by a being who wrung her hands in exasperation.