Disclaimer: I do not own Magic: The Gathering, only my own characters.
CHAPTER 35-To tame a demon
Eva turned her head is disgust as the claw ran across her cheek. There was no mistaking the demon's intentions. Eva knew she was 'in heat,' as animals would call it. No doubt the demon could sense this. Eva shuddered as the demon placed a finger under her chin, forcing her head up until she was looking straight into its face.
"Mine," repeated the demon in a low growl, so low it was almost a purr.
"Get your hands off me," said Eva.
The demon only grinned more broadly and dove in for a kiss, ravishing Eva's lips with his own. Eva was stunned to find herself actually enjoying the kiss. She was only human, after all, with primal needs that yearned to be fulfilled.
(No! This isn't Arrathir! Snap out of it!)
She brought her knee sharply up in between the demon's legs, connecting strongly with his crotch. The demon doubled over in pain and broke the kiss, still maintaining his hold on Eva.
"Feisty," he gasped "I like that."
"Oh yeah? Well try this!" yelled Eva, shoving a handful of raw mana into the demon's face.
The demon howled in pain as the mana burned his face, but his hold on Eva only grew stronger.
"You'll pay for that, bitch'" he said, slapping her. The force of the blow stunned Eva. "Just one more thing before I get started," he added, leaning over and biting Eva's neck, leaving two bloody holes. "You're mine now," he laughed.
"Arrathir," said Eva "Please…stop…"
The demon only responded by grabbing her in a crushing embrace and violently kissing her while his right hand snaked down her body to her thighs.
"No!" she cried as the demon began pawing at her clothes, eventually tearing them. "Help!"
"If you struggle, it will only hurt you more," said the demon.
Eva could only cry as the demon undressed her. She knew he was going to rape her and there was nothing she could do. She suddenly felt extremely vulnerable as the demon tore away her clothes, exposing more flesh.
(Help me, somebody…)
With a resounding roar, a wurm burst through the trees. It charged at the demon, its mouth open to reveal rows of razor-sharp teeth ready to swallow its prey. Distracted by this new threat, the demon release Eva, who took this extraordinary chance to escape.
The demon jumped over the wurm's head as it reached him, slashing downwards as he did. The wurm roared in pain as the demon's claws cut into its hide. Whipping its tail upwards, it caught the demon in the head, sending his crashing into a tree. Dazed, the demon got up and charged at the wurm's flank, ready to gut it. The wurm's head snapped around with surprising speed, forcing the demon to jump out of the way of the deadly jaws.
The demon landed and skidded to a stop. The wurm roared defiantly, daring him to attempt another frontal assault. The demon discarded the bloodstained trenchcoat he was wearing and flexed its good hand. The two opponents stood there, staring at each other. Dark brown eyes met blood-red ones as both opponents planned their next attack.
The wurm struck first, diving into the ground, tunneling downwards and out of sight. The demon started confusedly about before vibrations right under him warned him of what the wurm was about to do. He barely had time to dive out of the way before the wurm burst out of the ground like a gigantic Graboid. The demon took advantage of the fact most of the wurm's body was underground to rush forwards and slash mercilessly at the emerging body, his claws tearing through the wurm's scales. The demon jumped back as the wurm brought its body crashing down on the ground, shaking the forest all around them.
Halo, Charles, and Erik appeared in the elf village in a flash of green light.
"The Hell what that?" asked Erik.
"Forestporting," explained Halo "Sort of a downscaled version of Planeswalking in a forest environment."
"Where's Arrathir?" asked Charles.
"Look out!" shouted Halo as a wurm crashed past them, a figure hanging onto its tail.
"Was that Quinn?" asked Erik.
"Indeed," said Charles "But why is he fighting that wurm?"
"That was Master Khell," said Halo "He is in his demonic form."
"What?" said Charles and Erik in astonishment.
"Master Khell is a wurm demon," explained Halo "He has merged his human and demonic sides together, meaning he remains in full control of his body when in his demonic form. See, in a hanyo, the demon and human are always fighting for control over the body. Usually, they are on par, resulting in the demonic traits seen in most hanyo. However, Master Khell has managed to overcome this by melding his human and demon minds together into one, thereby meaning he can choose to inhabit his human or demon form whenever he chooses. As to why he is battling Arrathir, I have no clue."
"Right," said Charles "But where's Eva?"
"I don't know," said Erik "Why don't you 'sense her mana,' or whatever it is you do?"
"Fine," said Charles, reaching out with his mind. He brushed against Erik's mana, proud, but cold. As he searched for Eva, he suddenly encountered something unexpected. This new mana was full of hatred and anger, but also power. Pure, raw power.
;I don't believe it! It's Arrathir!;
;What? How?;
;Find Eva. Maybe she can tell us;
Charles managed to locate Eva's mana radiations, but something was wrong. He felt fear coming in great waves from her mana.
"She's over there," he said, indicating a small group of tress across from them.
"Great," said Erik "So how do we get across without getting trampled?"
"Not a problem," said Halo as they disappeared and reappeared on the other side.
"Shit! Warn us before you do that!" said Erik "Right, Wainscot? Wainscot?"
Charles didn't answer; he was only staring in horror at Eva.
She was sitting with her back to them, he head between her knees. She was gently rocking back and forth, as if trying to calm herself. Charles approached her and gently put his hand on her shoulder. She shrieked at his touch and withdrew, an intense look of terror in her eyes. Charles saw her clothes had been violently ripped, but it was her face that frightened him the most. Tear-stained with a large red mark across the left cheek, it bore a mix of pain, confusion, and fear.
"Eva," said Charles "Who did this to you?"
Eva merely whimpered and resumed her rocking.
"It was Quinn," spat Erik with disgust "His scent is all over her."
"How would you know?"
"Idiot," said Erik "I may have rejected my 'keeper' but the bloody demonic attributes still remain."
"Wasn't Arrathir," said Eva "He wouldn't have killed them." She pointed over to a piled of slaughtered elves.
;Chikuro's doing?;
;No, I doubt it. My guess is his demonic side took over;
;But he's only half demon!;
;Yes, and normally his human side remains in control. However, if Arrathir were in great peril, his demonic side would take over to protect itself;
;I don't get it: If Arrathir was in danger, why didn't Chikuro take over?;
;There are still a lot of unanswered questions, Cannon. We won't know everything until we can get Arrathir back to normal;
;Chiburuu, he tried to rape her, didn't he?;
The Keeper's silence confirmed Charles' fears.
The demon ducked as the wurm's tail sliced the air over him with enough force to separate his head from his body.
"Heh, not bad for a filthy dust-crawler," sneered the demon.
He went over to a fallen tree and picked it up as if weighed nothing. He heaved the tree at the wurm who caught it between its teeth, snapping it as if it were a twig. The demon snarled in irritation and prepared for another assault. Suddenly, the wurm's body began to glow and shrink as it transformed into a humanoid figure.
"How long do you plan to keep this madness going, demon?" asked Khell once the transformation was complete.
"You," said the demon "The mage."
"Not just a mage," said Khell, as the symbol of green mana glowed on his forehead "The Keeper of Green Mana!"
"Ah, so this is what you want," said the demon "A duel."
"Unless you release your hold on Arrathir, that is what I will have to do."
"Not a chance."
"Very well," said Khell "You're going down."
"Fool," said the demon "My entire strategy is different from the last time we duelled. Your wurm won't stand a chance!"
"I've changed my deck around as well!" said Khell "I'll take first turn!"
"Fine," said the demon.
Khell gathered his mana and cast his first spell. An anthropomorphic old snake appeared on the field, clutching a staff. "Sakura-Tribe Elder (1/1)!" announced Khell.
"Heh," laughed the demon "Dark Ritual!" A massive surge of mana coursed through his body. "Next, Putrid Imp!" The small demon appeared on the field. "Next, I give him flying by sending one of my spells to the graveyard." The demon sprouted wings and hovered above the field. "Now, I return my most powerful creature to the field using Reanimate!" The ground split as Hypnox (8/8, Flying) pulled itself from the earth. "Finally, with my last mana, I will cast Duress!" The demon immediately accessed Khell's mind and looked through the Keeper's spells. "Ah, a snake deck, eh? Well, loose the Strength of Cedars then." Khell winced as he felt the spell disappear.
"Your move."
KHELL: 20
ARRATHIR: 9
"How are you going to survive against my nightmare?" taunted the demon.
"You creature doesn't scare me," said Khell "I summon Matsu-Tribe Sniper (1/1)." Another snake appeared on the field, wielding a bow.
"What's that snake gonna do?" laughed the demon "Hypnox, attack!" The horror extended its tentacles and grabbed Khell, beating him repeatedly against the ground.
KHELL: 12
ARRATHIR: 9
Khell got up, dazed. "I cast Sosuke's Summons!" Two snakes appeared don the field. "This spell summons two 1/1 snakes. Next, I activate Matsu-Tribe Sniper's ability!" The snake nocked an arrow and loosed it at the Hypnox. The horror growled in pain, but nothing else happened.
"That's it?" laughed the demon "Fine. Hypnox, attack!" However, the creature remained where it was. "Hey, stupid! I said attack!" yelled the demon.
"Sniper's effect kicks in!" said Khell "When he deals damage to a creature, they creature does not untap during its controller's untap step. In other words…"
"You'll just keep pinging my Hypnox to keep him tapped," finished the demon.
"Exactly," smiled Khell "So much for your creature."
"My nightmare served its purpose," said the demon "I remove another spell to give my Imp flying, the cast Exhume!" With a scream, Arrathir's Havoc Demon (5/5, Flying) appeared in play. "Since you have no creature in your graveyard, Exhume does not affect you," grinned the demon.
"When the orochi tribe is threatened," said Khell "They call upon their champions to defend them! Time of Need allows me to summon Sosuke, Son of Seshiro (3/4)!" A muscular snake wielding a sword in each of his four arms appeared on the field. "Sosuke boosts the power of all my snakes by one!" said Khell as his snakes gained new vigour from the presence of their legend. "Now I cast Lure on my Matsu-Tribe Sniper! All creatures must block him, if able. I attack with Sakura-Tribe Elder (2/1), my two snakes (2/1), and Matsu-Tribe Sniper (2/1)!"
With a wild cry, the snakes threw themselves at the demon.
"So? My Havoc Demon kills your snake!"
"Sosuke has a second ability," said Khell "When a warrior I control deals combat damage to a creature, that creature is destroyed at the end of combat!"
The demon was knocked down as the three snakes crashed into him. The Sniper was slain by the Havoc Demon, but as he died, he thrust his last arrow into the demon's heart, killing it. The Havoc Demon exploded with a scream, causing the other creatures in play to collapse and die, save the Hypnox who was merely irritated by the scream.
KHELL: 12
ARRATHIR: 3
The demon got up, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Now you die!" he said, furious "Hypnox, attack!"
Khell was knocked to the ground as the horror's attack hit him.
KHELL: 4
ARRATHIR: 3
"I won't let you win," said Khell "Claws of Wirewood!" Branches shot out from the ground, scratching both Keepers and sending the demon's lifepoints to zero.
KHELL: 1
ARRATHIR: 0
"Now, release him!" said Khell.
"We will meet again, Khellendros!" said the demon as his body collapsed to the ground. Khell crossed over to the body of his friend and checked his pulse: it was steady. Khell closed his eyes and placed his hand over Arrathir's face, muttering a few words. The Keeper's eyes opened and he looked confusedly about.
"Khell?" he said as he recognized his old friend.
"Welcome to Dominaria, Arrathir," said Khell.
"Khell!" yelled Arrathir, embracing his friend "It's great to see you! Man, I have got so much to tell you!"
"So do I," said Khell "But now is not the time. Arrathir, do you remember anything that has happened?"
"Well, that elf was beating me up…Eva! Where is she?" Sniffing the air, Arrathir detected Eva's scent and jumped up, racing over to the trees where Charles, Erik, Halo, and Eva were sheltered.
"Eva! Are you…" he stopped when he saw Eva. Panic fleeted across her eyes for a moment, but she calmed down when she realized the demon was gone. "Who did this?" Arrathir demanded. He suddenly paused. His scent. It was all over Eva.
But how?
Suddenly, it all came back. He saw himself forcing Eva to the ground and attacking her like an animal in heat. He saw Eva's pain, her fear, and, worst of all, he knew he had enjoyed it. He had tried to rape Eva and enjoyed it.
The demon…he took over…I can't stay here!
Disgusted with himself, Arrathir turned, running into the forest at top speed.
To be continued…
Author's note: To all the campers out there, I'm sorry this chapter is up so late. My parents thought it would be an excellent idea to monopolize the computers all evening. Also, you campers are the first to see Khell's new deck. I'm currently working on a sidestory to explain how he can summon creatures from Kamigawa.
I have a few important things to say: First off, note "The Awakening" now has a rating of "M". To those who are unhappy with this decision, I have worked too hard on this story to risk it getting deleted. I know none of you would rat me out, but all it takes is one asshole and BOOM! All gone. I could re-post, but all the reviews would be gone. So, "M" it is. I know this will probably cost me some readers, but so be it.
Next, almost everyone has commented on my use of InuYasha ideas. When I decided to make the Keepers hanyo, I knew I was treading down a dangerous path and had to be careful not to let this fic become an InuYasha rip-off. That was one of the main reasons I made Arrathir a rat demon. Wolf was my first choice, but that was too Kouga-ish. I am trying to distance myself from InuYasha, but some similarities may still pop up. Still, it could be worse. They could find an ancient sword that belonged to Arrathir's father and then it turns out Erik is really Arrathir's half-brother. The next enemy they meet could be Eva's past self who had a love affair with Chikuro in the past and tries to kill him. Oh, and Charles turns into a pervert and goes around asking women if they will bear his child as well as groping Eva. Ah, don't forget meeting an orphaned kitsune as well as an omnipresent demon enemy and a wolf demon hitting on Eva.
END: (rant)
Also, my webcomic address had changed. Check my profile, damnnit!
So, until next Thursday, tchao!
OP: I'm fine, thanks. How are you?
John: Nope, my favourite Un- card will always be Handcuffs!
SS: Once again, the only one to catch the obscure pop-culture reference. Congrats!
MTDL: No, Ravinica will not be in this story. See Chapter 34 for more details.
BB: A core set with the Keepers? That would be awesome! Plus, WOC would need my permission to use my characters. Free boosters!
YM:
1) Since my writing is pretty messy, it takes me about six or seven 8x11 pages, double-sided for a chapter. Duels can run up to 10 pages.
2) The reason I chose the "one update a week" is because I want to push my creativity. I know I can write 2000 words per week, so I'm doing it. This is kind of a toned-down version of the "one update a day" challenge. I like a good challenge.
3) Yeah, you creeped me out all right.
4) I have no intention of glorifying rape. It is a very serious issue. First off, there won't be rape. If Arrathir scores with Eva, it's not going to be that way. Also, don't expect Eva to forgive Arrathir right away for what the demon did. I know rape has tremendous psychological consequences, so attempted rape must also have some of these consequences, which I will try and incorporate.
5) Read YM' story, damnnit!
No, you still can't write a hentai fic.
S15: Not quite sure yet.
ACS: Sorry, but the story is getting an "M" rating. I want to cover my ass. Those FF admins don't kid around.