Helper of a Demoness (Sheena-Tiger & Sheof14Names)

[Sheena-Tiger]

Spa

Characters

Miyu

Full Name:	Miyu
Age:	18
Height:	5'7'' / 170 cm
Hair:	black
Eyes:	dark brown
Other Details:	hair going down to her knees was trained as huntress from a young age

Miyu was a good huntress for her age. Her parents had showed her the trade from a young age, how to track and how to use the bow or survive in the wilds around their village. A village she loved, with wide stretches of hills between big forests full of wildlife surrounding it. A single road going through it. While not a major trading road it was seldom that not a trader or a small group of travelers staying in the local inn. A good source of information and gossip about the world at large. News and stories Miyu loved to listen to. Her favorites were stories about heroes of legend and their adventures. Fights against the evil and demons and everything happened far away. Never was there any danger to the village, not even the wars that happened lately. But a few days ago, after the black haired young woman had returned from a good hunt with her father, the news were dire.​

Rumors of a herd of demon-horses, nightmares and hellions passed through the wooden and paper-built village faster than a fire started in the inn. Accounts from the increased number of travelers were sporadic, maniacal, and panicked. No two stories lined up. One farmer said that they burnt his hay stocks. A merchant said that the last time they passed through, the land was cindered and laid waste. The monks marked their presence with foreboding “Be on guard, for now temptation comes. Temptation to surrender to lesser, baser forms of self. When horses destroy, we all find the stallion inside ourselves wild too.” The biggest worry was that the stories, how diverse they might be, painted a picture of a danger coming closer and closer. Maybe it had been the stories told by bards in exchange for food. Or lectures from old people versed in history or magic. Whatever the reason, Miyu decided it was time to pack and move further south since the people fleeing the danger came down the road from the west. Following them and the road was not the way she would go, she knew how to survive after all.​

Spa

If she had gone west to check on the stories she might not have survived, her decision to leave the road did buy her the time needed. Following the slope of the rolling hills she was still in sight of the village when she turned around to use the peak of one of them to see her home a last time. It was already getting dark, the sun was setting in the east but from the north, where the lights of the village should be, and beyond, there was an eerie red glow. She heard a baleful whinny and a hoof stomp from the distance followed by a flame bursting from what Miyu guessed must be the place of the inn, the largest building in the village. Shortly after, fire spread from the village, far to quick to be normal fire. It was all the young huntress needed to see to turn around and run. The stories had told her that demons did not need to see her to know she was there. Who in the goddess name knew what they needed to follow her? The road was not keeping tracks all to well while someone leaving the road was leaving a lot of them for everyone knowing what to look for.​

The hunt was clearly on and this time it was not Miyu chasing her prey but horses. Black demonic horses she had heard about in stories and her only chance of escape might be that they never appeared during the day in any of the stories. The herd was busy with the village for the larger part of the night while Miyu fled but they far to soon picked up on some escaping prey and began hunting her. The young woman did not take any chances, resting only during the day and only as long as she had to until her legs would carry her further. During the nights she never stopped once, despite them growing colder. Was she getting higher into the mountains? She should not have been that close to them in such a short time but her lungs were burning with each breath she drew. Miyu was not even sure how long she was actually on the run, her food had been used up some days ago, berries and mushrooms along with roots all she had to eat. It had to be the witching hour of the night and the sounds of those horrible horses was closer than ever. With their smoldering, red gazes, breath that puffs smoke in the cold air, manes that bristle with kindling flame, they give chase to the young woman as the herd moves to surround her. She sees an opening, and darts through the forest of shadows, hoping the terrain and trees offer concealment, or at least obstacles these great beasts must overcome. Climbing over some roots, ducking low under some branches while she reaches the crest of a hill. Over there in the distance she could spot a barely traveled trail leading into and through another part of the forest. She only had to cross the clearing between her and the other treeline and maybe, with some luck, she would reach the shadow towering above the trees. Whatever building it was, she could not really make out any details, but it was tall and some flickering lights could be seen through windows even on this distance. Towers in all stories always meant one thing, a mage! And who better to fight these literal nightmares than that? With renewed energy Miyu darted down the hill, stumbling over some roots. Propelled by her own speed and the decline of the hill, the young woman rolled faster down than she could have ran. Her backpack was lost in the process, the bow splintering in a loud cracking noise, alarming her predators to her presence.​

 

[Sheof14Names]

The sound the the crack scatters a murder of crows that had roosted for the eve in the barren branches of a near-dead tree, adding a cacophony of flapping wings and corvid squawking that follows the bow's snap. The demonic-herd, having temporarily lost Miyu's trail in the tenebrous forest among the low branches, thickets, and roots, pick up on the hunting cues. In the distance, the sound of one rearing up, shouting a whinny in a polytonal screech of a neigh and then slamming its hooves into the ground echoes through the forest, and its landing thump shakes leaves and ground alike in a shockwave that stun the lesser woodland creatures in their hidey holes and perches.

At the bottom of the hill, Miyu comes to a vista. In another time, on another night, it might have been beautiful, if not strange for its design far from the normal of her village. Tonight, the tower's 5 spires look as sharp as daggers piercing the belly of the sky as low clouds whip around them, leaving spinning wakes in the cover. Candlelight flickers from each of several tall, cathedral window adorn each side in perfect, symmetry and alignment. Flying buttresses reach down into the ground from the midpoint of the tower, sinking fingers into the soil in claim over the entire demesne.

The immediate area around the tower, several acres at least, appear to be barren of trees, providing a commanding view of the tower, and the tower an opportunity see everyone and everything approaching it with ease. The trees wrap around this vista in a circle, best as Miyu can tell.

While barren of trees, a blanket of rose bushes and vines fills the clearing in all spaces. The last of the year's crimson blooms are opening and withering on the vine, leaving many of the plants nothing but a mess of pokey branches and razor-sharp barbs, among a bed of sanguine-colored silk. No path seems direct without bringing to risk clothing or skin. To make matters worse, Miyu spots the signs of obvious pruning by sheers, making these roses likely the tower's owner's pride.

The hoof beats draw closer. Louder.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Spa

Characters

Miyu

Full Name:	Miyu
Age:	18
Height:	5'7'' / 170 cm
Hair:	black
Eyes:	dark brown
Other Details:	hair going down to her knees was trained as huntress from a young age

The young woman cursed. Not only was the cracking bow she lost from her mother but it was enough to alarm the herd. Or maybe alarm the birds which in turn alarmed the herd in addition to the lout sound. The combination was clearly more than enough to get them back on her track. Why had they to follow her, for days? Her lungs were burning, the pain was hard to bear but the only other option was giving up and that, was no option. Miyu could hear the demons, almost feel their hot breath in her nape and suddenly a shockwave was running through the ground. It was such an unexpected event that the dark haired girl lost her footing once more, this time, lucky for her, it was not going down a hill and she was back on her feet within the second.​

Spa

Right in front of her was the tower. It looked almost angry, it's spires piercing and cutting into the sky of the night. And it was huge if her eyes were not playing tricks on her. Clouds seemed to touch it, which should not be possible unless really high in the mountains. Was she that high up in the mountains already? It did not matter. There was light in a window, someone simply had to be there, able to help her.​

Leaving the only protection from the demonic herd behind her, Miyu ran as fast as her tired legs would allow her. There was nothing left to hide her or slow these horrific animals down. Her keen eyes take in details of the roses, the sea of red but ignores them and the implications of what she sees. Maybe it simply does not register in the mind of the frightened young girl or the fear of falling victim to the nightmares was bigger than the fear of angering the owner of the roses and tower. Her clothes, already damaged from branches and bushes, barely holding together, are no real protection against the sea of roses with their barbs. Barely feeling the pain as her pants are ripped to shreds on her way, the young huntress makes it through the roses. More than once she trips, landing in this sea of red, adding drops of more red to it, yet gets up and keeps running. In the end, Miyu only wears remnants of her clothes which somehow cling to her body, barely more than straps of cloth, unable to hide the supple young body decorated with red marks everywhere. The blood is not running in more than small drops but her whole body, from her feet to her face, is covered in tiny cuts. With her last strength, Miyu throws herself at the door of the tower, hammering with what little strength is left against it. "HELP! Someone help! Let me in! They are coming! Do something!" she yelled, fighting with her consciousness which was already fading away. Maybe death would come easy? Would it hurt if she was not even awake? Her last thoughts were not very hopeful as everything went black around her.​

 

[Sheof14Names]

For moments, it seems anyone inside is either ignoring or didn't hear the huntress at the door. Eventually, one of the large, iron double doors, each easily 4 meters tall, creaks open on well-lubricated hinges, the sound marking the weight of the door. An air of frankincense and sandalwood waft out of the house, followed by a small hint of ozone. Amber light spill outside, pooling on the ground and across Miyu's visage, then it is quickly shadowed behind an immense figure.

Before the huntress stands a ruddy woman over two meters tall. Dressed head to toe in golden appointments over supple black leather, the lady of the tower tilts her face to cast her crimson, glowing eyes down onto Mitu. Golden spikes adorn her leather corset top, barely containing her ample chest. Four golden chains lead up from the corset to connect to a leather choker- the chains clearly helping support the weight by their sprung-to-tension state. All her piercing were polished gold, as well as her buckles, bracelet, and her platform heels' spikes.

Adding a further menace to her initial gaze, two obsidian horns rake back over her head in a curved, protective gesture, and some of her long mane of onyx hair was tucked behind a pointed ear. Her vascular physique cast long, deep shadows of sinew across her shoulders and arms. Behind her swayed in lazy contentment a thick tail that ended in a wide spade.

Accustomed to her sight alone usually frightening off those that were dumb enough to trod over her roses, she simply stands inside her own doorway a moment to let Miyu understand what she had just done by knocking on this particular door. Waiting, she rests a hand on a wide hip, pushing it out in a jaunty gesture.

As she waits for Miyu's inevitable aghast reaction to seeing a devil occupying a devilish tower, Ashtarva begins an internal assessment of the young woman, bleeding and naked as though ravaged by some assailant, watching this smaller creature for subtle movements, clues as to what exactly happened and how modest, violated, or both, Miyu might be feeling. The devil woman decides that at some point in the past, Miyu might have been beautiful, but it's unclear to her if Miyu is prettier like this or as she might have been before now.

As the young woman's smaller form goes limp and flops to the ground as her eyes close, the devil-woman cocks her head to one side, sending her horns to a canted position and sending her black hair over the angular shape of her deltoid. "Huh," she says in a husky voice that flirts with polytonal hints. She scans the horizon for the woman's source or companions. Seeing no, she steps over the body with a pair of legs that bustle with muscularity from within the skin-tight leather pants she wears. She repeats her scan, only now finding the path of destruction Miyu left.

"Well, now. You are in a spot of trouble, little one," she bubbles with a mischievous mirth. "I suppose I better get you in a bath. I don't want you bleeding all over my rugs and linens." At that, Ashtarva returns to Miyu's form, scoops her up with ease and tosses her onto a shoulder like a sack of potatoes and heads indoors.

When Miyu regains consciousness, she finds sitting in a warm tub that smells vaguely of roses, lightly bubbly. Across her naked chest, resting under arm and breast, is a chain holding her firmly in place is hooked into the wall's anchor points to keep Miyu from slipping down and drowning in the tub that is practically a small pool. Her exposed torso is glistening lightly from the bath, her wounds have been wiped dry of blood and cleaned. The smell of aloe rests about each one.

Amber burning candle light the tub's room. The marble tub sits against another great window, this one with a view back toward Miru's home, she knows from the hillscape in view. The room has a floor of a single slate tile, and the walls are herringbone slate tiles with a golden-colored grout. Within the pattern are immaculately places Obsidian gargoyle faces, each holding a golden D ring in its mouth. A marble wash basin stands on a mahogany pedestal. A plumped cushion sitting chair matches the pedestal. Overhead, a chandelier of gold holding five candles in a perfect pentagram within a circle float over room. Nothing else exists inside, save a few towels. The door is ever-so-slightly ajar.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

Miyu

Full Name:	Miyu
Age:	18
Height:	5'7'' / 170 cm
Hair:	black
Eyes:	dark brown
Other Details:	hair going down to her knees

---

Ashtarva

Full Name:	Ashtarva
Height:	over 6'7'' / 200 cm
Hair:	onyx
Eyes:	glowing crimson
Rank:	New Demon
Other Details:	very generous chest pointy ears two obsidian horns rake back over her head in a curved, protective gesture piercings of polished gold

The last thing that Miyu was able to see was the door opening, framed by the growing darkness. Someone was there, tall, with horns and evil glowing eyes. She was unable to properly process what she saw, consciousness fading and unaware that the herd of nightmares had stopped following her some time ago. About when she had entered the sea of roses, leaving that path of destruction. Naturally, there was no response to what the devil woman said or any reaction as Miyu was picked up.​

The young woman groans as she slowly regains consciousness. Things are slow for her, thoughts only coming together with a lot of time but after a while she puts a few pieces together. First of all, she is still alive. And second she is naked. The figure which had towered over her when she lost consciousness was only a blurred thing she was not even sure was real or one of these nightmarish creatures which had hunted her. The human moved slightly, producing a soft rattling sound which somehow mixes in her befuddled mind with the scent of roses while tiny bursting bubbles tickle her skin. Those confused senses slowly started to clear up but it was quite the mess for some time while Miyu woke up. She could feel the water, not knowing yet that it was the source of the nice scent and the chain against her skin was no longer tasting like a chain. What did a chain even taste like? Or smell like? Not iron or bronze or anything just chain.​

Suddenly Miyu jerked awake as her mental state was awake enough to properly understand things around her. The warm water and nice scent had kept her longer in that drifting state before you were fully awake but it had been the chain digging into her soft flesh as she moved that did the final push. The dark haired girl let out a gasp and looked around in the first moment, scanning for danger without taking in the details of the room before looking down. While she was still putting pieces together she realized already that the chain was not there to keep her from escaping but from drowning. It took not long for her to extract herself from the tub, wincing with almost each movement she made. The pain she was feeling was twofold. There was the pain in her muscles who finally had time to actually rest and catch up with the strain put on them during the last days. And there were the hundreds of tiny cuts. They might be healing already and never were a real danger if at the very least cleaned but nevertheless it was pain coming from almost all over her body.​

Shivering after climbing out of the tub Miyu finally was able to take stock of the rest of her situation. The place was stunning, big enough to house her family with everything they needed, though not everything they owned, and furnished like the inn, no even better. With little in terms of clutter she did spot the towels quickly and made good use of them, drying herself with them and then using 2 dry ones as makeshift clothes to cover herself. More to keep herself warm than keep her modesty. Waking up naked in the tub meant that whoever was here had seen her naked anyway. The long hair she ignored, drying it properly would take to long and a growling from the middle of her body was starting to demand attention. The door did not escape her attention, it was not closed. In addition to the chain holding her above water she concluded, that the person did not intend to confine her but maybe was even inviting her. Going along with that train of thought Miyu approached the door, slowly opening it. "Hello? I am awake ... thank you for rescuing me." her voice was soft, a bit unsure. Glowing eyes flashed in her memories again. Not like the horses but more like a human. And that worried her.​

 

[Sheof14Names]

As she pokes her head out of the bathroom, Miyu sees a curved hallway that disappears in both directions without much more than a few paintings and sconces lit in amber candlelight.

Hearing Miyu's voice, Ashtarva's ears perk. With a sigh, she closes the codex she was reading and sets it upon the table next to her. She rises to her feet and calls back. "It seemed the prudent thing to do. You were in a bad way, naked and afraid. Reminded me of-" She caught herself. Best to not give details to this stranger. "Something a very long time ago.. I trust the rose bath helped seal some wounds?" She asks.

Before the answer returns, the devil asks another question, "Also, are you meant as a gift? Some sort of appeasement?"

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

Miyu

Full Name:	Miyu
Age:	18
Height:	5'7'' / 170 cm
Hair:	black
Eyes:	dark brown
Other Details:	hair going down to her knees

---

Ashtarva

Full Name:	Ashtarva
Height:	over 6'7'' / 200 cm
Hair:	onyx
Eyes:	glowing crimson
Rank:	New Demon
Other Details:	very generous chest pointy ears two obsidian horns rake back over her head in a curved, protective gesture piercings of polished gold

Brown eyes inspect the hallway stretching out to both sides, following the curve of the building. The conclusion is simple to her, she must be inside that tower she had made a run for. It was looking pretty nice from the inside, the pictures picking her interest until she hears a voice coming from one direction.​

Curious who might have been her savior, Miyu slowly made her way towards that direction. "I think it helped... yes." the young human called back, thinking and wondering about that last part, those 2 questions. "I don't understand. A gift? Appeasement? What for? I fled from those horrible horses that destroyed the village." Miyu told the voice without body. Without one for the moment, she was sure.​

 

[Sheof14Names]

The demoness sighs softly to herself in acknowledgement of the likely frustration coming her way shortly. She rolls her shoulders pack, lifts her chin and pushes out her chest before responding.Her lips press together to keep herself for sharing too much more. Having someone around to just talk.... How long has it been? No matter. Humans around here aren't too keen on devils. Revealing herself, she decides, it tantamount to burning down her tower herself. "I see. It's no matter. If you were, you'd have known. Well, we might be at a small impasse. Nothing insurmountable. I'm no where your size, and your clothes look about as well kept as the roses you trampled over getting here. You're free to go, as you are...."

Her voice trails along the rounded corridor. The nearest picture to Miyu is a grand landscape, painted by a truly gifted artist. A great, walled city , flanked by Edenic rolling hills in the middle background is under siege from all sides by a dark, cosmic host. A trickle of bipedal figures of enigmatic proportions and types seem to be walking from teh city, across teh countryside and off the canvas, under the guard of flying eyes. A great, flaming scimitar casts swathes of light, preventing all from entering or leaving the city anymore while great fires ravage the hills into black soot and grey ash. The frame of the painting is crenelated on all sides, carved from a single piece of wood.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

Miyu

Full Name:	Miyu
Age:	18
Height:	5'7'' / 170 cm
Hair:	black
Eyes:	dark brown
Other Details:	hair going down to her knees

---

Ashtarva

Full Name:	Ashtarva
Height:	over 6'7'' / 200 cm
Hair:	onyx
Eyes:	glowing crimson
Rank:	New Demon
Other Details:	very generous chest pointy ears two obsidian horns rake back over her head in a curved, protective gesture piercings of polished gold

What did that person talk about, Miyu wondered. A gift or an appeasement and she would know if she was any of that? Of course she knew nothing about it considering, finding the tower in itself had been some kind of lucky accident. Surely that herd of monsters had not tried to guide her to this place with any kind of plan. "I know how to sew... just enough to get by. Maybe I could adjust something to fit me just enough? Going out there with... nothing... might be a death sentence. And... you know... I am really sorry about the plants. From my point I did not spot a way through it and there was no time to search for one."​

The words just left her on their own, almost flowing like a river she was unable to stop. She really was sorry about the roses but really, her life was more important to the young woman than some flowers. Her attention though was indeed drawn to the pictures at the wall, stepping toward the closest one. The meaning behind what she saw on it was lost to the young human but it was nevertheless intriguing. It looked like a siege but maybe those creatures were fleeing, protected by an eye and hunted by that weapon? This was confusing and nothing looked like a human, adding to the confusion. Curious about the picture she reached out, caressing the frame.​

 

[Sheof14Names]

No reply comes from down the hall to Miyu's ears for a moment, giving the young woman time to study the picture in detail as she touches the rich, dark wood frame, it's edges unusual sharp for wood. The paint was thick on the skin, giving rise to crests and valleys of color transparency and mixing as the ivory-white skin it rested on pushed through a baseline whitish pink! There was no telltale weave of canvas or parchment, even where there was little paint. Instead, long streaks of subtle undulations pass under the paints, signs of stretched skin. Miyu, a skilled huntress, would not be able to tell which from animal such a leather would be made.

The demon purses her lips while she has a think within her study. *Quite the presumptive pest, she is. Not unlike most humans. Tears through a bocage of roses that would have taken a decade to grow just to get to house she was uninvited to visit. I've tended her wounds, kept her from drowning, and now she insists on taking my wardrobe as her own. All on one single thank you, and one apology-turned-justification.*

"Tell me about this place you left? Does it have a name? How many leagues from here is it?" The demon asks in her dark, silky voice.

 

[Sheena-Tiger]

Characters

Miyu

Full Name:	Miyu
Age:	18
Height:	5'7'' / 170 cm
Hair:	black
Eyes:	dark brown
Other Details:	hair going down to her knees

---

Ashtarva

Full Name:	Ashtarva
Height:	over 6'7'' / 200 cm
Hair:	onyx
Eyes:	glowing crimson
Rank:	New Demon
Other Details:	very generous chest pointy ears two obsidian horns rake back over her head in a curved, protective gesture piercings of polished gold

The young human stands a bit spellbound in front of the painting. That some time passes before the next words reach her is lost to her as she tries to identify more details about the thing. Her fingers are pulled away, feeling the sharpness of the wood, fearing she might hurt herself. But most captivating was the canvas. It took her a while to recognize the structure under the paint but was not thinking anything special about it. If there was no parchment or even paper, people used skins at least to write things down. Definitely a crude way of using something you could use for more useful things but other options were more expensive. Using bleached leather as canvas was new but why not?

The silky voice pulls her away from the painting and she slowly walks into the direction of the voice, wanting to meet the person. "The village had no important name... and now it is even less important. It was burned down after all. It had nice hunting grounds around it. And travelers stopped by often. There was a small orchard with big apples. More juicy and so large then the ones you can find in the wilds. But... it was close to the villages palisade so it is burned down as well, I guess." she let out some sad sighs every now and then, remembering the places. For her it had been home, regardless of how unimportant a village it was. Home was special. Her few friends had been there, not that she had spend a lot of time with them once she began to go hunting with her parents. "How far away it is I do not know. I simply ran... during days and nights. Barely stopping to rest and mostly through the forests." her words honest. Miyu was quick on her feet, even if exhaustion had slowed her down in the end. During her escape she had even made use of one of the most important advantages of most humanoids over animals, endurance. She might not win on a sprint against most creatures, especially nightmares, but she had managed to use every advantage her body came with, without consciously tapping into them.​

 

[Sheof14Names]

The demoness pauses at hearing the reply. How odd for someone to care so little of their home as to not even speak its name. It might have been unimportant to the grand world, but it was important to her, right?

The amazonian creature shrugged the idea off her considerable shoulders. Other, more important matters to attend. Like, what to do with the woman? Clothe her or send her away as she was? Ashtarva huffs out a frustrated breath. This wasn't the bathhouse. She'd left Aloria long ago. She came here because of that wretched purgatorial realm. She felt no compunction to help anymore. Especially when the other person was so... very rude.

She adjusts her corset with a small twist and then leaves her study via the wrap-around hallway. She rises up the stairs to the next level, her heels clicking hard on the stone tiles and wooden stairs. Soon, she rounds the hall and sees the open door to the bath, then the girl Miyu, wrapped in only the towel.

Towering over the young woman, Ash stands akimbo, looking down her nose, eyes glowing red with fury, her polished obsidian horns catching the candlelight. "I'm just about done with you. You show no respect, no remorse. Demands in lieu of requests, and attempts to dismiss my queries and my valid complaints. Whoever raised you needs to be beaten, because clearly, they have failed to do so properly."