Red Sapphire

[focusedheart]

She sighs and shakes her head. No matter what she did, someone would be unhappy. She nods to Matthew, "Come on, let's get going." She starts walking, keeping alert.

[gravitron]

Matthew eyed her carefully before following. She was surprising him. Especially with the blood.... That she'd let him feed from her he'd never have expected.

[focusedheart]

As they walked she tried to keep herself focused on being alert but her mind kept slipping back to her friend. She missed him so much. Yes she had just given his son blood. Something she told herself she would never do, yet she had. What was wrong with her? The boy showed no signs of respecting his father's reign and yet she was trying to protect him and keep Hunter form killing him.

She glanced ahead at Hunter and wondered about the male a moment. Was she losing her touch as a guardian? She was beginning to doubt herself in this.

[gravitron]

Hunter continued in silence, staying a bit away from the others- He hated Matthew and was unhappy with Sapphire. He was certainl she was making the wrong decision and going to get them all killed, and he didn't know how to convince her of this. She was stubborn, that was for sure.
Matthew's feelings toward Hunter had not changed over time: He hated this disrespectful human, who made no effort to hide his desires to kill him at every turn. Hunter's death would be a gift.
Sapphire, though.... He was starting to wonder about her. She had originally seemed nearly as bad as Hunter, but she was keeping her friend from killing him -always a plus- and had even trusted him with her blood. She was quite a phenomenon. It was no wonder his father had liked her.
"He was killed by your ex, right?" He tried to make conversation in the hopes of figuring her out. "My father, I mean."

[focusedheart]

She blinks slightly at his question. His question had caught her off guard and she tensed slightly. She had been trying to forget about that fact, that her mate was the reason for her friend was gone.

She nods slightly though after a moment. "Yes...he had." She says.

[gravitron]

"I suppose.... Does that have something to do with why it didn't work out between you two?"
Hunter listened carefully, though still he didn't even look towards them.

[focusedheart]

She was surprised how much her heart hurt at the question. She looked to the ground as she tried to push the memories away. " My mate was a coward and I should have been the one to fight him but I couldn't. Your father was a great man and a true friend." She hadnt exactly answered his question.

[gravitron]

He noticed that she had avoided the question, but chose not to pursue the matter further. All that was important now was reaching the Palace and taking his rightful place as king.

[focusedheart]

She fell silent as they walked, her mind now focused on the past again. Could she have changed things? Something told her that even if she wanted to, it would still happen as it did. Fates had their ways.

It was in that moment that the energy around them changed suddenly. She mutters a curse and moved in front of Matthew as a blast of flames came from the shadows, a second blast aimed at Hunter.

She growls and shifts to her dragon form quickly. "Out of the shadows demon."

[gravitron]

Hunter's instincts came into play as he jumped away, barely escaping the attack.
Matthew was about to push Sapphire away from him, but everything happened so quickly and suddenly she wasn't even Hunan anymore. "I don't need your protection," he settled for muttering.

[focusedheart]

She would have argued with Matthew but she didn't have time as more blasts from the shadows came. Each aimed either at Hunter , herself or Matthew. She deflected what she could using her wings. A growl leaving her.

The demons laughter was chilling as it echoed from the shadows. "Come now guardian and hunter, let the boy fight for himself. I'm sure he'll last more than a second at least. "

Sapphire snaps her jaws in annoyance. "Enough of your games." She growls but the demon only laughed again. He was toying with them, playing as he built his strength.

[gravitron]

"I say yes," agreed Hunter. He wished he had somewhere to aim his weapons, instead of just running blindly. "Let him fight for himself. He wants to be king, he can try earning it. And I'm sure he can defend himself. Why are we sticking our necks out for him, anyway, ungrateful as he is?"
"You know, hard to imagine as it is, Hunter is, for once in his life, actually right. I can fight for myself. I don't need you shielding me."

[focusedheart]

Sapphire blinks slightly at Hunter and Matthew. Had she been that protective with him? Was that the real reason she protected him? She had failed to protect his father.

Before she could give her answer a blast of dark energy slammed into her form, sending her crashing to the ground. Demon energy , it burned at her scales in the worst way. She snaps her jaws as she moves to stand back up. "Damn demon. Show yourself!"

[gravitron]

"And fight like a man!" agreed Matthew. "You and me, to the death. Unless you're scared?"

[focusedheart]

Smoke was still coming off her scales as she stood there watching the shadows. The pain was terrible but she ignored it.

The demon finally stepped from the shadows. His human host no longer looked human but resembled his more demon features. His energy cloaked him like a second skin and he smiled coldly at the three of them. "Then so be it. A fight to the death little boy."

He moved to a fighting stance but didn't give Matthew a chance to react as he rushed at him suddenly aiming a bit towards his chest with his clawed hand while bringing his other hand forward with energy ready to be unleashed.

[gravitron]

But Matthew was quick, and he didn't play fair either. As soon as the demon had appeared, he tensed and activated a rare vampiric trick:
Very rare among vampires is the talent to charge their powers, increasing all of them exponentially, by consuming the vampiric blood flowing through their own veins. Their own blood. This is a skill one must be born with, and it is so rare that many don't even believe it truly exists. The only sign it was being charged was that the eyes quickly turned a dark shade of red, quite similar to freshly-spilled blood. Though Alistair was certain it did.
Matthew charged up his power as he waited, as the demon showed up, as he spoke and as he got into position and finally ran at him. And then he activated it, suddenly exceptionally more powerful than expected. With remarkable speed, he made a grab at the clawed hand nearing him and a dagger slipped through his sleeve into his other hand, which he attempted to drive through the hand containing the energy.

[focusedheart]

The demon was surprised by the sudden power that came from the male. It wasn't at all what he anticipated from him. Moving sharply he pulled back but felt the blade of the dagger nick his arm as he moved. Then pivoting sharply he turned to try and aim at Matthew's head another strike of energy to his head.

[gravitron]

Matthew dove out of the way, and gestured with his dagger for the demon to come closer.
"Well, daemon," he smirked. "That the best you got? I've heard stories of your kind.... I expected better."

[focusedheart]

The male narrowed his eyes at Matthew and watched him carefully. The boy had surprised him. The power that came from him was impressive.

Straightening himself, he walked around the boy, smirking. "Careful what you ask for." He commented as the darkness of the fog thickened and swallowed up the demon and Matthew. The laughter of the demon could be heard before shots of energy were fired from the darkness in an attempt to hit the male.

[gravitron]

Uh-oh. That wasn't good. He moved, listening carefully and doing his best to make it out of the attacks' way. He barely managed it. "Is that all you can do? Energy beams? It's almost as if you don't know how else to hurt someone." He stalked the area quietly, listening for any signs of the demon.

[focusedheart]

Sapphire grimaced and tried to stand up as she saw the fog move in. She knew what this fog was and she managed to move away from it but not before another blast caught her side. The scales on her body were smoldering and she was forced to shift back to her human form.

The demon laughs coldly, the fog wasn't just to hide the demon. It was also to help hide the fact that the fog was trying to drain Matthew of his strength, to weaken him and make it easier for him to get in closer. He wasn't going to be foolish. He had to weaken the boy first.

[gravitron]

His blood did what it could to improve his powers and due to his increased recovery and pain resistance, he didn't even realize he was being drained. For that, they also slowed down the draining process, fighting to keep him strong.
"Show yourself!" he shouted angrily. "Coward!"
Meanwhile, Hunter took advantage of the darkness. He was sneaking ever closer through the fog, coming slowly and quietly as not to be noticed. He hated Matthew with all his heart, but he had priorities- The daemon was worse. He came from a family of Hunters and had been taught from birth how to do his job. And so he knew how bad daemons were, and how strong.
And how to defeat them.

[focusedheart]

The male laughed again. He had indeed underestimated this vampire. Silently he stood as he sent the energy through the air at Matthew. He needed to kill the boy but he knew he was running out of time.

The fog was working on draining the powers but the boy showed now signs of weakness. The only one he had affected at this point it seemed was the guardian. Then again, his poison from their first encounter was helping with that.

He scoffs at the word coward. "Yes because name calling always helps." The demon taunts. Moving to the left of Matthew, he sent energy into the ground as the earth began to break apart.

[gravitron]

Barely avoiding the next blast of energy, "My intention is not to insult, simply to point out the truth. Hiding in the shadows, attacking from unseen.... That is not the style of a warrior, but a sneak, who doesn't trust his skills in battle and must instead resort to trickery. But then again.... You daemons never could stand up to us vamps in a fair fight." He jumped over the growing cracks, carefully staying on the whole pieces of ground. "Ah, earthquakes- Something new, though no less cowardly."
Hunter cursed inwardly; attempting to get to the daemon undetected was made harder and slower by the quake.

[focusedheart]

The insulting little prick. The demon scoffs and drew his sword. "Careful what you ask for boy." He growled before leaping from the fog and slicing through the air towards Matthew's side, neck, and legs in several fast motions.

[gravitron]

Matthew's dagger wasn't as good at blocking, but it gave him a speed advantage, and he was strong enough to hold his own. He managed to avoid all but a couple small cuts on his leg and side. He smirked. "Welcome to my world, daemon."
He began moving at astounding speeds, feinting, slashing and stabbing like a whirlwind. At times, he seemed like no more than a blur of pale of silver, aiming for the neck, chest and sides, with a few random jabs at the legs or arms.

[focusedheart]

The demon struggled to keep up with the vampire as his sword barely could block the dagger. He had truly underestimated this boy. He felt the slash of the blade in his flesh. He growled in frustration and leaped back out of the path of the vampire. "You may have won this round vampire but do remember I will not be the only one out there coming after you." With a surge of energy the demon disappeared like the coward he was.

The fog faded and revealed the destruction of the earth but other than that there was no sign of the demon having been there.

[gravitron]

"What are you running from?" he called to empty air. "What are you, scared? I thought I said to the death!" He turned to Sapphire and Hunter. "C'mon, let's go. He'll be back, and so will others. Soon they're all going to learn not to mess with me." His blood began to flow again now that the battle was over and the danger gone.

[focusedheart]

Sapphire grimaced and moved to stand. Her eyes on Matthew. In that moment, he looked much like his father. She nods slightly at his words. "You did kill him. The wounds you caused with that blade, he can't heal them...he's not powerful enough." She says. Her side was burned and charred from the demon blast sh3 had received in her dragon form. The injury hurt but she pushed the thought of pain. She nods slightly as she regards him. "Are you alright?"
Then she looks to Hunter and asks if he was okay as well.

[gravitron]

"My mother didn't really teach me much about daemons. We didn't have to worry about them until you two came along. And of course I'm fine." His cuts had already recovered to barely even pale scars. "And Hunter didn't do anything- he's fine."