Holy Hell!

The village had called for help and it was her job to answer. There was a troll roaming the area, at first it just went after the livestock but then it started taking people. This was when they called for help and this was when Noel answered. Noel was a nun but not like your average nun, she used town the demons that plagued people. Turn the other cheek only worked when the thing you were turning your cheeks to didn't plan on ripping them off. This monster did just that and her services were needed.

Noel couldn't stand demons, if she had her way she'd sent them back to the firey pits of hell they came from in pieces. Of course she was working on that plan, tracking down the troll that had been taring people apart. She had managed to track him to a cavern that took her deep below ground. She had a lantern but without that she couldn't see past her nose. It was darker then the night down there and she didn't like it one bit.

Her gun in hand she walks through the network of tunnels, listening for any close that it might be close but down here it had the upper hand. Down here she wasn't the hunter anymore. Out of no where the creature attacked, grabbing for her head. Noel ducked and rolled, just barely missing. The beast tugged off her wimple and her short blonde hair fell free. She bit back a curse as her beautiful blue eyes scanned the area. She hadn't been looking where she was going and now she saw something strange, she wasn't just in a net work of tunnels anymore, it was some kind of tomb.

There were strange writings around the walls and symbols she didn't understand, this place had an evil aura about it. No wonder the troll was attracted here. In the middle of the room there was the coffin. It was large and stone and when the creature lunged at her next she took shelter behind the stone and shot at the beast. Holy bullets hurt a lot but this troll would be much harder to deal with. While he screamed in pain Noel ducked behind one of the pillars to reload with something a bit more explosive.

Blinded by rage the troll crashed his fists down on top of the stone tomb, breaking it open then coming after her. He swung at the pillar she had been hiding behind. Noel managed to get out of the way but just from the falling bits of pillar, not from the troll. One if the hits connected. Noel cried out in pain as the beast knocked her back. She felt her back connect with the tomb, falling in her gun skid across the floor. Now she cursed. There was a body in there, she was about to hop out and go for her gun when she realized something... the body was starting to move.

How long had it been? One thousand years? Possibly more? Too long had the single, solitary stone stood tall, sealing that which was forbidden to walk the earth. But with seals of this variety, time plays that of a cruel mistress, for no magic lasts forever. And with the very touch of this human priestess, it seemed to crumble like an aged pot, a testiment to its age. From within the bowels of the coffin, something began to stir. A presence not felt since the days when demons ran rampant over the land. But terrifying as its aura was a bit...off. Under normal circumstances, these demons would be quick to act on their release, usually jumping right out of their tombs to tear apart the unfortunate fool who first released them. But this one was somewhat slow to gain his bearings, for the only thing to appear from the pit that was its prison was its hand. This was followed, of course, by the rest of him.

He was about six foot tall, probably more with a well built physique that was completley exposed due to the fact that he had no clothes on. Why he was naked was anyones guess but it didn't seem to matter to him as he stood upright for the first time in forever and looked upon his surroundings with his deep crimson eyes. The first thing he noticed was the smell of death and rotting corpses all around him. Tombs, much like the one he was in were strewn all over the place, some even open slightly, open for the maggots to feast on. He gave no reaction to this stench, however and instead continued his investigation of the area around him. That's when he spotted her. She was cowering before him, adorned with a variety of weaponry both known and unknown to his time. With all that weaponry at her disposal, one could assume that she was the one responsible for this massacare. But this newly awakened presence knew better. She looked too pure to be able to produce carrion on this scale. Something else was clearly responsible.

It was then that the demon took his first steps forward. Though he slept for so long, his balance didn't seem to be affected too much. Besides, he wouldn't have to walk far to get where he was going which at this point appeared to be the hapless priestess. It wasn't long before he stood over her, his gaze locked onto hers and the light breeze blowing through his pale yellow hair. It looked to be the end of the road for this woman, struck down by the one she liberated in a mass of blood and sinew like the bodies that had been laid out all around.

But fate, it seemed, had other plans for this woman of the holy order. A loud crash erupted over the both of them. Though fearsome as it may be, the demon seemed almost happy to have the company of another like him. After all, it had been so long since he had eaten anything and what the priestess would see next would be a display of canibalism the likes of which she might have only heard of from the ancient tribes of Africa or South America. As the troll moved to strike, the demon, as if driven by some unseen force, thrust his hand upon the beast, piercing its chest deep and reacted with a loud roar of pain that would be enough to shatter the sanity of any normal human being.

The demon seemed to grip something with his hand and once he did, he pulled it back, causing a splash of blood to erupt all over the place. When the blood settled and the troll fell to the ground in a lifeless heap, all that could be heard was a simple heartbeat. If the priestesses heart wasn't racing fast due to the grotesuqe scene before her, she would realize that the beating was coming from the demon's hand. There, in his tight grip, was the creature's heart, still beating and producing what little blood it had left that squeaked and trickled to the ground. But there was little time to gaze in awe or horror over the still beating heart. For the demon would make quick work of it, tearing into the muscle with his sharpened teeth. He was consuming the troll's heart. And to him, it was quite delicious.

Noel had no clue what she had done, she had no idea where she was. She knew it was a tomb of some kind, the place just reeked of evil. She could feel it in the air, like constantly waking through cobwebs. She didn't like the feeling. If she had known that this was a demons tomb she would have called in for back up before chasing it down here. This was not something she should be tackling alone. Changelings, trolls, exorcisms, smaller issues but she was not ready to take on more then one demon at a time. Especially not on this scale. Most of all she was not equipped to handle an awakening.

The body in the tomb looked as thought he was still alive, but this place seemed so old that couldn't be possible. You don't entomb a living being. Unless... The priestess bit her lip to bit back the string of curses. This was the tomb of a demon, locked away when they couldn't find a way to kill him and they hoped time would do it for them. It had been a practice but one that had ended a long time ago. All the demons that needed measures like this had been long since locked away... and now she just let one out... "God help me." The woman whispered as the demon approached her. The man was naked, causing a bit of blush to rise to her cheeks despite the circumstances. Being a virtuous woman she had not before seen any man naked older then five years old and there were diffidently differences.

When he began to approach her she quickly realized that the troll would not be her biggest problem. There had to be spells, things that bound him here. To make a tomb as grand as this he had to be a powerful demon. The aura of evil this place gave off was testimony to that. The woman went to push herself off, crying out in pain. Her shoulder had been dislocated... on her firing arm. It was fixable but she wouldn't be able to shoot accurately for the rest of the day. And there was a demon approaching. A very naked, very powerful demon. Soon he was far to close for comfort. With her other hand she pulled a dagger from her belt, the blade was silver, it was meant for werewolves but a blade was a blade for now. She held the blade up, waiting for him to make a move but a large crash drew her attention back to her original reason for coming to this accursed place.

Luckily the troll was to stupid to realize how powerful the demon before it was. When it attacked the woman expected it to kill the troll much like the troll had killed the people. While the two were distracted she sheathed the dagger and went for her gun, if she was to die it would be with gun in hand, even if it would be the wrong one. A cry like nothing she had heard before brought her attention back to the two and her eyes widened with shock and horror when she saw the demon with his hand actually inside the demon's chest. The holy woman could only watch in horror as the demon ripped the troll's heart straight from it's chest.

The Troll fell. That had been her job and he had done it. Kill the troll. Her mission was complete. Now she had a new mission, get back to head quarters and report this awakening. First though she needed to get out of here alive. She knew she should run, the demon was distracted, she had her gun, her legs still worked. Still, her body was frozen and she was made an unwilling witness to what happened next. The heart... it... it was still beating. She did not know what magic kept the heart alive while the body died but she did not want to, she just wanted to run. Then the demon did something even worse. He devoured it.

Her stomach churned, that simple movement seemed to break the spell upon her frozen form as she pushed herself to her feel with her good arm and ran from that cursed place. She did not know how she managed to find her way out but she did. Her legs never carried her faster then they did at that moment. She did not know how far she ran, when she saw the light she just kept running through the forest, wanting to get as far away form that place as possible, hopefully whatever spells left in that place would hold it there. As long as it was kept there if didn't matter if it was awake or asleep as long as it didn't get out.

Finally the woman came across a small stream, she knew she had to be far. She fell to her knees to try and catch her breath. Grasping her shoulder she managed to relocate it, wincing from the pain. Still, even if it hurt it was useable. She ran her hand through her hair, her headress had been left behind at the cavern but she was sure that it would be forgiven considering her reason for fleeing. Kneeling beside the small stream and splashed some of the cool water on her face. She got away, she was safe. With a sigh or relief she turned her gaze to the sky, just happy she managed to get out of there alive.

Though consumed with hunger, the demon did not forget that there was another in his presence, or at least she was before she fled in sheer terror upon witnessing the feast of the heart. He was quite curious about her, actually. Here he was, freed from his prison of stone by her hand and she didn't give him so much as a thought to thank her. That would have to change shortly. He was finished with the troll's heart now, the remnants of the blood smeared on his face. With his bare arm, he wiped away what he could before stretching his limbs for the inevitable pursuit. He could take his time with this primarily for two reasons. For one, she was quite slow compared to him, especially now that he had eaten and two, the scent of her fear carried in the wind like a strong musk.

This was going to be fun.

No sooner than he had streched himself, did he commence with the pursuit. His legs were swift as a cheetah, darting to and fro between the trees and bushes, with footsteps so light that they did little to disturb the very leaves on the ground. Surely, when he caught up to her, the priestess would not know it until it was too late. Though the scent of her fear was becoming faint, he knew he was close now. And when he did finally catch up to her, the demon could only wonder what she was thinking at that point. Did she feel she was safe? Was she thanking her god for not being killed in that bloody mess in the tombs back there? It mattered not to him. She was nowhere near safe and her god wouldn't be able to save her from what he had in mind.

But if one would think the priestess was going to be killed swiftly, there would be another thing coming. The demon decided instead to amuse himself with her rather than tear her limb from limb. He owed her that much at least. Plus he had some things of his own he had to get off his chest and she was the only one that could perhaps provide him with the answers he needed. With that thought in mind, he snuck up behind her to the point where his shadow was hovering over hers. He leaned in close to her, the fear emminating from her slender form causing a toothy grin to paint his face and with a short breath, whispered into her ear. "Yo."

The young woman knelled beside the riverbed, panting, heart racing, terrified and yet she still found herself smiling. The fear was slowly subsiding, the adrenalin rushing through her. Nothing makes you feel as alive as a brush with death. She chuckled lightly at the thought. She was sure she had gotten away, the magics at the tomb had to have held him behind and now all she needed to do was catch her breath and get back to head quarters and report this as soon as she possibly could. Things would just be that simple... But they never were that simple were they.

A shadow loomed over her and her smiled shrank while her fear grew. The girl was frozen. She knew she should move, or run or scream or something but she just froze, her own fear gripping her to tightly to move. H-he got out? How? There should have been spells to hold him there! Holy magic to keep him from leaving! Her thoughts were panicked. She didn't know how he had escaped but he had and he had come after her. There was no way she could out run him, she knew that, even if she was faster then him by the few seconds it had taken him to catch her she wouldn't be able to keep it up for as long as he could, she didn't have the stamina for it. She didn't know what he was planning, she didn't know what he hadn't killed her yet or what he has in store but no matter what it was she would have put money on it not being good.

She could feel the evil radiating off him as he leaned down, when he spoke into her ear it was like he broke whatever spell was holding her. The girl spun away form him, being on her knees it wasn't an easy task but she managed to do so without falling into the river, it was then that a thought occurred to her. Instead of stopping at the river she should have crossed it. Running water stopped vampire, perhaps it would stop him? Without another thought she made a move and stepped into the water, it went up to the middle of her thighs, there was a heavy current that almost made her stumble. Once she was out of arms reach she turned just as quickly and pointed her gun at him. She hadn't gotten to shoot the troll with the holy water bullets but she had gotten to load them.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Noel asked, trying to sound brave and keep the terror from her voice. As she kept the gun trained on her target she backed away slowly, through the river and to the other side. Her dress was heavier form the water but it would dry and she had much more pressing matters.

The reaction of the priestess was just too priceless. His soft whisper of a greeting caused her to nearly jump out of her skin and back away from him as far as possible. He would have believed she might have backed off all the way to the edge of the earth if she had not decided to stop. There, she cowered before him, brandishing a strange object that he had never seen before. The way she was holding it, he could only guess that it was a weapon of some sort and in his state, it would probably be best to stay away from it at any cost, lest he suffer a painful, permanent death. Despite the possible danger, the demon stood tall before her and let out a small chuckle that soon turned into a hearty laugh. "Oh, man," he started between breaths. "Are these the people they're sending out to hunt demons these days? How long have I been out of it?" He stopped then and let out a soft sigh before sitting upon a nearby tree stump and locking his gaze upon the woman.

She was quite extravagant to look upon, especially now since she was soaking wet. Her curves were in all the right places and her face, despite the fear had that innocent twinkle to it. With the grin still plastered on his face, it appeared as if he had something rather perverted in mind for her, but in order to handle such a rose, he must first disarm the thorns, which in this case, would be the unknown weapon she had pointed right at him. The best plan for him would to put on a calming demeanor and try to woo her into getting closer. And that's just what the demon did, setting his elbow upon his thigh and his chin to his hand, his gaze unwavering. "Are you gonna sit there all day or are you gonna come say hi? It's not like I'm gonna eat you or anything. After all, I just got finished eating that rather juicy troll heart."

She was... amusing? She was amusing him!? He face flared a bit. She wasn't supposed to be something evil could laugh at, it was her job to kill it not entertain it! She kept her gun on him as he moved, he didn't seem to care much about it. She knew she could hit him easily, she rarely missed. Being on of the best marksmen around that was expected. Still, at the moment he wasn't attacking her and the bullets were not cheap, besides, she wasn't sure how much of an effect they would have an even if she wanted to shoot him, no matter how badly, that wasn't her mission. Her current mission was getting away and reporting him and she couldn't do that if she provoked him and got herself killed.

Noel truly was pretty, prettier now that her headdress was lost in the his caves. Her golden hair was silky smooth and short and framed her face. Her breasts were full and despite the attempt at being unflattering even her cloths couldn't hide her curves. The woman had a beautiful body and many a man was disappointed to learn she had sworn to stay pure. The dress clung to her legs in a way that made her uncomfortable to be seen in, especially since the person seeing her was a man, he was naked, and incredibly evil. But all of this changed nothing, he was being civil with her... sort of, so she decided to see if she might be able to learn something more she could report.

"I couldn't tell you, I don't know how long you have been locked up there. When was the last time you saw the sun? Who are you and why were you entombed there?" She asked him, still struggling to keep her voice calm so he couldn't hear her fear. She kept her gun on his and her guard up, she wasn't about to let him sweet talk her into dying.

Just gazing upon this priestess more and morewas enough to salivate the demon's sexual appetites. It had been such a long time since he had been with a woman of any variety, demon or human. Taking her now was just so damn tempting. And yet, he held off. There was no need to rush things, after all. It wasn't like she was going to go anywhere he couldn't follow and she did seem to take a bit of interest in him. Why not let her know a bit about him before giving that slender, sexy body a workout that it would never forget? But before he could even so much as think of the first thing to ask her, she questioned him first and it was a question that he was all too happy to answer...in his own unique way, of course.

"Who am I?" he questioned back at the woman. "Hmm. Of course you wouldn't know who I am, would you? After all, you were nothing but the seed of a seed of a seed when I was walking the earth. But since you insist on knowing who your savior is, I suppose there's no harm in it. You may call me the great Zarathustra. Ruler of men, lover of women, a rouge of sorts in the demon community. Back then, anyone who had the discourse of running into me would never forget my name or face. That was before I was placed in that damnable tomb. I can't remember why for the life of me though. Perhaps it has something to do with this..."

Slowly, the demon who called himself Zarathustra rose to his feet, his prominent figure standing tall and proud before her and placed his hands upon his chest. For a moment, it seemed like a somewhat proper gesture, pointing to his heart in such a manner. But it didn't take long for all the sense of dignity and grace to be thrown out the window as the demon pressed deeper into himself, so much to the point where his hands caved into his chest. There, he began to rip and pull, his flesh tearing and ripping apart. There was some blood and a bit of discomfort on the face of the demon, but there was no real sense of pain for him. After all, if there were creatures in this world that could survive without a few limbs or even a head, then ripping a demon's chest open would pose little threat to its life.

At last, the flesh was torn asunder and the innards of Zarathustra's chest were revealed to the world, more specifically, the priestess. Should her eyes sustain such a grotesque sight, she would notice that there was something vital missing within the body of this particular demon: His heart. Yes, it was true. Through some twisted method of the supernatural, he was somehow sustaining his life without the very thing required for all beings, human or otherwise, to live. "As you can see," the demon started upon composing himself. "My heart is missing. Some bastard stripped it from my body by using some kind of black magic. Of what variety, Even I don't know. I should very well be dead, but instead, I've been left in such a state that even a bunch of common monks were strong enough to be able to seal me away."

The girl before him listened carefully as he spoke, committing every word to memory. She was not the kind of girl to take kindly to being made into a pretty house wife meant only for turning out children and pleasing her man. She had a mind and enjoyed using it, currently she was trying to figure out when he had been locked away but all she could tell so far was that he assumed it was about four or five generations ago. When he mentioned being her savior she frowned. I would have gotten out just fine without your help. God is my savior, not the likes of you. She thought to herself but was raised well enough not to interrupt his lengthy introduction. Her nose crinkled when he mentioned being a lover of women. Lover or rapist? Demons could rarely tell the difference. Even as she crinkled her nose in disgust it was still considerably cute. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes when he said he didn't know why they put him there.


But then he did something unexpected, he was going to offer a reason? She watched him place his hand on his chest and watched carefully, at first confused but then her eyes widened in shock and horror as she realized he was going to rip open his won chest to show her. His hands sunk into his own flesh and she felt her stomach tighten. Her heart quickened and she fought hard not to look away and to keep her gun on her target. It was when it started to bleed that she had to really fight it. Dontlookawaydontlookawaydontlookawaydontlookaway It was hard to keep looking as he pulled the skin back to show her.

Then she could see it, all his innards there for her to see, except one. His heart. Her own raced within her chest, her breath quickened, her arms shook and so in turn did her gun. Sure, she had seen bad things, awful, terrible things, but all those things she had seen had hearts. That was how you killed most of them. If removing the heart hadn't killed him.... Her gun went off in her hands.

She hadn't realized it until she felt the kickback. She should have been more careful but she had her gun on him the whole time so the bullet should hit. Still, that didn't matter, she had shot at him. Attacked, provoked, whatever you wanted to call it. She had attacked soemthing she had no idea how to kill. Her body acted without her mind's consent. Her body turned, her legs ran and her feet left behind her mind to try and put together exactly what happened. She had his name, she knew he had to heart, there couldn't be many like that. I have to tell them! I-I have to tell them he's escaped! Her panicked thoughts tried to steer her home. This time she wasn't going to stop, she hoped that she had been right, that he couldn't cross the river because even if she never stopped running she still wouldn't feel like she had gotten away.

Though it was Zarathustra's intent to create shock and awe wherever he went, he had no idea of the concequences his current actions would bring. As he let go his flesh and it began to mend together in an ungodly manner, a sound erupted like that of a cannon. It was so shocking and unexpected to the demon that he instinctivley ducked to the ground. It also happened to be that very second that he saw a burning speck fly past him, ripping into his shoulder blade in mid dive. When he hit the ground, he immidetley felt the burn of the wound, something uncommon for a demon like him. Unless...

The gaze of Zarathustra turned upward and he looked upon a puff of smoke and the priestess running for her very life once more. As she ran, a mix of feeling twisted inside the demon's head. He sat up and shouted out to her then in a loud, almost comical voice. "WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT?!" he screamed and then stood up, figuring she wouldn't care enough to answer that question now that she was fleeing in fear of his retribution. He looked to his wound once more and his nose twitched. He knew well the scent of burning demon flesh and holy power mixed together.

Before he got lost in his anger, however, Zarathustra calmed himself. He began to realize that he shouldn't be too surprised at the priestesses actions. She was only human after all and anyone would freak out after seeing what he showed them. Just how long had he been out for humans to create a weapon that could move so fast that he almost couldn't see it? His curiosity about the woman and this era were growing by the second. And once he got his hands on the former, he would learn many things and remember many sensations he thought he would never feel again. The chase was on once more...that is if you could call it a chase.

It wasn't hard for Zarathustra to catch up to the priestess. If she thought running water would stop him then she had greatly underestimated him. What did she think he was? A vampire or something. He came upon her mid flight and seemed to wrap himself around her like a vine or a finely fitting dress. One arm wrapped around her neck, the hand gently caressing the cheek and the other around her torso, pressing her womanly mounds up much like she did herself if she ever crossed her arms. He leaned his head close to her ear, the sly grin creeping across his face and warm breath at her neck.

"Now, now," he started, pulling slightly to stop her in her tracks. "Don't be so hasty to retreat. I've so much more to discuss. You see, now that I've saved your life, I think it's time you owed me a little service. You would make a great concubine, you know. We could have a few children here or there, preferably girls. I would enjoy watching as they grew up into vuluptuous women and seduce the many men of this world. And aren't you curious about the fact that I have no heart? Surely you or whatever order you belong to would be able to provide me with some information as to it's location, hmm?"

The girl didn't stop, this time she wasn't going to, she was going to keep running until she passed out or until she died. If she couldn't get away then perhaps she could live long enough to find a message carrier. Surely there was a reason the demon hadn't killed her yet. It sent chills through her as she realized that the demon was playing with her. She had heard some of the things that demons did when they "played." Usually disembowelment was an easily desirable alternative. She heard the demon behind her, clearly he had never seen a gun before. That explained why he hadn't been worried while she was pointing it at him... that also made him very, very old.

She could feel his closing in and forced herself to run even faster. Her lungs were burning for air she couldn't allow them to have and her legs wanted rest, she had already done this once today and it was quickly wearing her body out. She could track evil just about anywhere so there was no need to run but that did not mean that she was not in good shape. The girl was in great shape but for running Biology tended to work against her, her upper body was not made for running, but, that thought was far from her mind as she felt the demon so close he could reach out and grab her.

And he did.

She had been hopeful that the water would stop him, that it would at least slow him down enough so that she could escape but that was not the case. The demon snaked an arm around her neck, warm fingers tenderly stroking her soft cheeks. Before she had the chance to reach up and try and pull him off his other arm wrapped around her just below her breasts, so close to them he might feel their weight resting on his arm. Still she found against him, struggling with everything she had in her. He was to close, his lips practically touching her ears, his hot breath on her neck, he was much, much to close and she knew that this would not be ending well. It wasn't until he pulled on her that she finally stopped struggling, it wasn't doing her any good, he was to strong to break free from. As she listened to him speak her heart beat quick as a rabbit's. Her chest rose and fell in quick panting breaths as she tried to catch and calm herself but she was sure he could feel her shaking in his arms.

She listened to what he said, a, quite literally, captive audience. Her eyes widened with shock and horror as she heard what he had planned for her. She was not going to lay with him! She was not going to do anything with him! "You're mad-" she struggled against him, "if you think-" the priestess tried to break free, "I'll agree to that-" she knew it was futile but she kept struggling, "Demon!" she yelled at him, refusing to agree to his plans. Then she heard the last bit of what he said and she remembered what he had said earlier. He was weaker without his heart. She was sure that they would know but she couldn't let him know that. The Gundir Saints were charged with the protection and care of many magics and his heart had to be a powerful relic indeed. She couldn't let him have it.

"I will not help you retrieve your heart. I will not lie with you nor bare your children! My body belongs to God so get your hands off it!" She yelled at him, trying to struggle again even though she knew her efforts were in vein. One of the reasons she kept struggling even though it was useless was in hopes of hiding how utterly terrified she was. She was shaking with fear, her heart racing and still struggling to catch her breath. At this point she was not sure which would kill her first, the demon or the terror he was inflicting upon her.

Oh how her heart raced when he touched her for the first time. He could feel the warm, flowing blood coursing through her veins and the heat of her body through her skimpy attire. It reminded him of the carnal desires he used to carry out when he was free, before the heart robbery and before the monks sealed him up. He could have any woman he desired back then, mainly using his body as a tool of seduction. Oh, how they would flock to him and throw themselves upon his form. Surely, this priestess would be no different. That was until she began to struggle in his grip. It seemed this one wasn't quite ready to warm up to the idea of sharing a bed with a demon such as himself. But that was alright. He would get his way eventually. He always did.

Rather than simply let the priestess go in response to her struggles, he only seemed to hold her slightly tighter than before and whether he was toying with her or he acted out of his demonic nature, he seemed to react in a childish manner not befitting a all powerful demon such as himself. "Aww, come on!" he said in a sort of high, teasing voice while nuzzling his head into her cheek. "I haven't had a woman in so long and I neeeeed some loving!" It seemed as if he were ignoring the need to retrieve his heart and concentrate solely on getting this priestess to bed with him. Sure, she was pure, innocent and a virgin, but that's how he liked them most of the time. He just couldn't help himself.

And when it seemed that nothing would get through to her, the demon finally let up on his grip and sighed while she had the opprotunity to back away. "Tch. Fine, fine," he said in a sort of subdued tone. "But just so you know, I will have you eventually. Just you wait and see." Zarathustra gave the priestess a grin and a thumbs up as if he had all the confidence in the world, no surprise based on what he's been through. He leaned himself against a rock and crossed his arms then, his face becoming a bit more serious this time. It seemed as if it were time to get down to business as it were and it was apparent in the tone of his voice when he spoke.

"I wouldn't simply pass off the theft of my heart lightly you know. If it got into the wrong hands, it could cause such a calamity that not even your god would be able to ignore it. I'm talking power on an apocalyptic scale here. I think it would be in both our interests to see that that doesn't happen." Though it was hard to tell by his previous actions, Zarathustra was quite serious in what he said. A demon's heart can only be used effectively by the demon who it was born in. Any foolish human interference would be disaterous.

With her struggles he still refused to let her go, instead he held her even tighter and no matter what she did she couldn't break free. She was expecting him to do something vile to her, to start groping her or pull at her cloths or some other lustful act fitting of a demon of his power. What he did saw was not what she expected. She turned her head to look at him, her brows furrowed in confusion. He sounded more like a kid being denied cake then a demon denied a willing sexual partner. When he nuzzled her cheek she tensed, then he continued to plead with her and she felt like she was being held by a child... one that needed a good spanking.

Though, thankfully, he released her. The moment she was free she she moved away from him, backing away, holding her gun pointed down, he didn't know how many shots she had left in it and at the moment she didn't have to explain it to him. She looked him over to see if she got him and she noticed a scratch on her shoulder. She frowned, if he was only scratched he had to have moved really fast, some how managed to almost dodge the bullet. He was so sure that he would have her but she was so sure that he was sadly mistaken, she was not like the women of his time, she was a woman of god and would not allow herself to be tainted by him. The world didn't need more demons and she was not about to birth them for him. She watched carefully as he leaned against a rock, the priestess leaned with her back against a tree, finding it easier to catch her breath and calm herself now that there was space between them.

Then suddenly he seemed to get very serious and she looked at him confused. Surely his heart had to be powerful and in the wrong hands it could do some serious damage. He was right about that and she really did hate to admit it but it was true. The woman bit her lip in thought. Should she bring him back to her order? She might get into trouble for it but she would be bringing him to the elders who would be strong enough to care for him... and the children of the city... bad idea. She didn't want him anywhere near corruptible minds. Finally she sighed and relaxed a bit but still held her gun firmly, she had another shot in it still.

"As much as I hate the words about to exit my mouth... you are right. There are several orders charged with hiding such artifacts though, I am sure that it is well hidden and if you are so concerned then I will go check... but you have to stay here." she told him, seeing this as the perfect opportunity to escape and report him, after that she would worry about finding his heart.

It was not quite the response Zarathustra was looking for, but given the circumstances, he could take all he could get at this point. For all he knew, her words would actually be the truth. Perhaps, during his long captivity, some holy order got a hold of it and stored it for safe keeping. Still though, he was unsettled. Surely, people haven't gotten stupid after all these years. Someone would have to have known his past deeds and wished to exploit his power for their own greedy human needs. Plus, there was a faint memory, a dream that he was just now starting to recall.

It was a strange thing, really. Zarathustra knew not the person who took his heart, but while he was contained in that acursed tomb, he a reoccuring vision. He would be floating in darkness, something he would sometimes mistake with his reality, but once the next set of events occured, he would be able to tell the difference. Many ghostly hands appeared seemingly from nowhere. He tried to fight them off, but one by one, they were able to latch on to him and rip apart his chest, revealing the innards of his body. They went straight for the beating heart and pulled relentlessley until it was free from his body. It continued to beat, even as the hand enveloped it and caused it to vanish into thin air. This was followed by a mysterious voice of both male and female mixed together as if to create a vocal disguise. It said plain and simple, "If you want your heart back, head to the north..."

"The north," the demon uttered to himself suddenly to break the temporary silence between he and the priestess. Surely she would have heard it and identified it as a clue. So, he continued, "The Silverback Mountains...perhaps you should start there..." Zarathustra rubbed his temple as if to show he had a slight headache before turning his gaze to the priestess once more. "Fine. Do as you will. But you're too naive to think I'll be staying here to wait for you. What garauntee do I have that you won't simply run off an abandon me? Perhaps I should leave you with a little 'gift' so I can track you down should you defy me." Another grin and chuckle came across the demon's face as he said the word gift. It made the whole concept sound vile and perverted, which was okay with him of course.

He seemed to be thinking, it was very strange to watch. She wondered briefly if she went up and shot him could she kill him there? She decided against it, even if she could make the shot this creature naked before her was living without his heart and it was who knows how many miles away. That should even be possible but here it was right in front of her. She sighed, there was no promise it would even work, in fact, it probably would only piss him off even more. He had been so shocked when she had shot him the first time and having him wrapped around her again was not something she wanted to feel. It had been gross.

Feeling his arm beneath her breasts, his touch on her cheek, breath on her neck. If he had gone even a bit further then that she would have shot him no matter the consequences. Her body was to be pure and un touched, she wasn't about to have him soil her with his demonic hands... or any other part of him... She wanted a nice warm bath but it didn't seem like she would be getting one any time soon. First she needed to report that this demon was awake, then she had to make sure that his heart had not fallen into the wrong hands and then she had more evil to rid the earth of... sadly a long leisurely bath just didn't fit into her schedule.

Then suddenly he spoke and she looked at him confused. "The North? The north is inhospitable. Sure, some villages managed to take root there but they are few and far between. If it is in the north it would be with The Winterwall Saints and they are as hard to find as they are to reach. If your heart is there then it is save from all evil." She told him, smiling slightly when he said that she could go do as she needed. When he wanted a guarantee that she would return she finally did roll her eyes. "Defy you. Demon it is my very purpose in life to send you back to the fiery depths of hell that you crawled out of, I cannot defy someone I have no loyalty to, so, with all do respect little as it may be you may keep your gift and I bit you farewell."

And with that she raised her gun, keeping it trained on him as she backed away, glancing just over her shoulder occasionally to be sure that she wouldn't back into anything. Once he was out of sight for a while she felt safe to turn and walk as she normally would, happy to finally be rid of the monster.

It seemed that this priestess misunderstood Zarathustra's words. When he mentioned the north, he made no mention of any other holy orders that resided there. Nor did he know of this Winterwall she spoke of. It might have popped up while he was asleep but he couldn't remember, nor did he really care if he did. All he cared about now was that this woman was once again trying to blow him off. It was like a game of cat and mouse to him; getting as close as he could just to watch how she would squirm from his grasp. The cat always did win in the end, however.

The demon made no movement towards the priestess as she backed away, her strange weapon pointed right at him. In all honesty, he could probably overwhelm her despite not having his full strength. But what good would it do to harm such a beautiful flower, especially since she would soon become his concubine. Her form faded into the distance shortly thereafter and once again, Zarathustra was left in solitude. His first goal was simple of course. Follow the scent of that priestess to wherever it was she called home and show her his sinful delights. It would be then, he would use her and her sources to find his heart and rip asunder the person or persons responsible.

It was about this time that a chill came between the demons legs, cold enough enough to divert his attention downward. It was only now that he realized that he had no clothes to his name. Being the kind of demon he was though, he wouldn't have minded, but if he were to walk upon the earth once more, he had to do it in style. Perhaps one of the corpses in the tomb had something sufficient. Zarathustra turned away then and began his trek back to the cavern where he once slept. He turned his head back briefly to remind himself of the beautiful priestess who he would soon have for his own and hopefully a path to his heart.

As the girl walked she thought about all that had happened. She had been knocked around by the troll pretty badly and as much as she hated to admit it she might have very well died if not for that demon. Still, living a life as his concubine was simply not an option, she had more important things to do then to pleasure a demon and bare his children. In fact, that sounded like one of the worst things that she could possibly be doing. Noel shuddered at the idea, there were plenty of harlots around to satisfy his desires until she sent him back to hell and she would not be one of them. The priestess remembered the way he had wrapped himself around her and crossed her arms as she walked.

That vile man! The woman thought, furious indignation welling up inside of her now that she was final a safe distance from the demon. How dare he touch me like that! Just who does that bastard think that he is! She thought, letting out a huff. Her cloths felt dirtier then they really were just because he had wrapped himself around them. After walking for a few hours she came across a clearing where there was a small lake. She smiled and let out a sigh of relief. She would have just loved to sleep there but she couldn't, the most she could do was try and wash off her cloths and patch them up. Maybe sneak in a bath of her own.

Looking around and trying to sense the demon she wanted to make sure that he was not there before she stripped off her dress leaving her in a short satin under garment. It was much like a very short dress only she wouldn't dare wear it in front of anyone. The dress's purpose was to keep her covered if her cloths ripped and that it had. Looking overt the dress she had been wearing she noticed a few holes and she took some time to patch them up. Taking a needle and thread from a small pocket on her belt she went to work. Once her dress was all patched up she brought it to the water to wash the dirt and the blood from it. Once all this was finished she wrung it out and then straightened it and laid it over a tree branch to dry.

Now that she had time the girl smiled slightly, perhaps she could sneak in a little bath while the dress was drying? Sitting on one of the rocks by the water she pulled off her shoes and the thigh high white stockings. Once they were off and folded, ready for her when she needed them, she pulled the dress over her head and laid it where it would stay clean before walking into the water. The water was pleasantly warm, it lapped at her milky skin, her beautiful body fully exposed and much like the demon had thought before she was beautiful. Her body had all the right curves in all of the right places, her creamy skin seemingly flawless, she dipped her head beneath the water to wet her hair and wash off her face. There was a blanket with her traveling pack she could use to dry off but right now she was just enjoying the water.

Entering the cavern once more made Zarathustra feel a sense of homliness. He didn't know whether it was the fact that he was here so long or not, but it gave him the thought that when everything was said and done, he would make this into his permanent dwelling. He would, of course, have to accomidate for the priestess. Living amongst tombs of the dead rotting corpses would be morbid indeed. Maybe he could get a couple of nice thrones for the two of them to sit in, though once he thought about it, a bed would have been better. They would be spending a lot of their 'quality' time there anyway.

But first thing's first. The demon had to get some clothes befitting of his greatness. He would kick open a tomb here or there, rummaging through the dead bodies looking for anything that would fit his style. Then, he found it. It seemed to belong to a rather eccentric individual, probably a bandit or a cult leader. Who knew? Without any regard to the sanctity of the person's soul, Zarathustra plunged his fist into the body, causing it to crumble into dust. He must have been dead a long time for the bones to break so easily, but it made it easier for him to get the clothing out and put it on. Without a mirror to check himself out, the only thing he could do now was rely on the priestess to confirm whether or not he looked good. And it wouldn't take long for him to find her either. His scent was ripe all over her clothing. All he had to do was track it and he would reach her with ease.

He came upon the spot with haste and much to his surprise, he found that the woman had shed them, stitching them along the way. A curious and excited look came over his face then as he knew she was wandering about somewhere as naked as he was when he woke up. It would be the perfect opprotunity to do naughty things to her. With a chuckle of glee, Zarathustra tracked her down to the lake where she bathed peacefully. Simply diving in and going after her though would simply not do for him though. He just had to make it exciting for the both of them and he knew just how to do it.

Circling around, the demon snuck himself into the lake while the woman's back was turned. Slowly, he swam, keeping his head barely above water so he could breath and when he got close, he took a deep breath and dived under. There, thanks to the clarity of the lake, he could see the priestess in all her innocent glory. He came to her then, pinching her ankle slightly to distract her. Then, he came behind, her rear close enough for him to reach out and touch. And while it was tempting, he had a more naughty move in mind. As suddenly as she noticed the pinch on her ankle, He rose up like a shark attacking its prey. He let out a sort of half roar between his breath of air and took her into his arms, more specifically, her breasts, which his hands latched onto firmly. It was clear he wanted to see her skin crawl in his presence and if this didn't do it, he didn't know what would.

Noel had been able to enjoy a nice bath for once in a very long time. She was constantly traveling from town to town fighting all kinds of evil things and all of the filth that they brought with them. Usually a bucket of warm water and a sponge was the best that she could hope for, the towns that she went to were poor so no one really had a nice tub and the lakes they had were for their water so bathing in them was out of the option, here she had found a nice, beautifully clear lake with no one around for miles and it was nice to finally have a chance to relax to herself. Well, it was nice until the demon ruined it.

The girl had been completely ignorant of his presence. She hadn't even noticed when he entered the water. She should have been more careful but when she heard a small noise she just thought it was a fish and all she thought of then was that she might be able to catch it for a nice meal later. The sun was warm, the water was fine, her cloths were dry and her body was being cleaned. It was a peaceful and beautiful day. And of course that demon had to come up and spoil it.

When she felt something pinch her ankle the girl jumped slightly, looking down when in the very next second something burst from the water and roared behind her. Her heart practically burst out of her chest and that was before the demon grabbed hold of it. In under a second the day had gone from being beautifully peaceful to being utterly horrible. The demon that she was sure she had left far behind was not only right behind her but he had his arms around her and his hands grasping her breasts. All the hair on her body stood on end and she screamed, spinning around and kicking him hard as she could before fleeing the lake as fast as the water would allow.

The second that she got to the land she grabbed the blanket from her things and wrapped it around her just as fast as she could. She could hear the demon's roaring laughter. Screw the consequences! She thought and quick as could be she drew her gun, aimed and fired the last holy bullet she had loaded. This time the demon was to distracted laughing at his disgusting antics to notice and she was quite satisfied with the tiny hole she left between his eyes. Hopefully this would be the end of that vile thing once and for all.

The priestesses reaction was just too priceless. From the way she shrieked to the way she kicked off him, desperate to get away, Zarathustra burst out in to cackling laughter. It had been too long since he had so much fun with another human being and he was enjoying every second of it. But while the demon was busy splashing about and being consumed with his humor, he failed to see the danger that loomed. It seemed the priestess did not take too kindly to being groped as she was and the path she took to escape led her right to her arsenal, more specifically, her still loaded gun.

And before he knew it, she had placed her last bullet right between his eyes. He let out a loud grunt as his head snapped back from the impact and slumped back into the water. It was a good thing he was there too, for the projectile doused in holy water stuck in his brain would most likely have killed him. In this case though, it simply washed away with the rest of the lake water and all the demon had to worry about now was a splitting headache.

After a moment and the priestess believed him to be finished off, Zarathustra crawled to shore like a beached whale. And looked up at his attacker. A comical angry look came across his face as he screamed at her, "What the hell was that for!" With no moral sense to him, the demon really believed that the woman should have had no problem with him groping her. He was even gentle in his own twisted way, but for whatever reason, it was enough to prompt her to shoot him with that strange weapon of hers.

The shot landed. She smiled. It cut his laughter right there and she watched as he fell back into the water. She smiled, still panting to try and catch her breath. He was dead now, surely she had killed him. She may soil this lake with his death but she might be able to purify it later. Even if she could not thew death of a lake would be worth the death of this demon. It wasn't until a moment later that she realized that falling into the lake would delude the holy water in the bullet

Sure enough the demon was clawing his way to shore. The minute she saw a hand shoot forth from the water she went for her bullet pouch and she began to load another six shots. She wished she hadn't wasted so many on the troll or she would have been able to shoot him again without even loading it. As it was she needed a minute. She thought he was going to attack her, kill her now for sure but instead he reacted almost... comically. Theatrical bastard. She thought as she tried to hurry and load more bullets.

He didn't seem to understand what he did wrong. Now she all but lost it. She had already shot him in the forehead had a surprise grope attack on her breasts, things weren't going well, she didn't think they could get too much worse. "What do you think it was for!? You snuck up on me while I was bathing! And you... you... you groped me! I never gave you any sort of permission to touch me, in fact, I was sure I told you explicitly not to touch me!" She yelled back at him. " 'Lover of women' my holy ass." the girl muttered under her breath, "More like rapist." She continued to mutter, forgetting for a second how good the demon's hearing was.

It took a moment for Zarathustra to extract the bullet from his skull. Thankfully, it didn't go all the way through and despite the irritation, he could still hear the priestesses cute, stinging words directed towards him. When he flicked the bullet aside, he replied in turn, "Oh come on now. Rape is such a strong word, don't you think? I'd like to think of myself as more of an...enthusiastic lover. And besides, since you and I are joined at the hip now, I figured I might as well grope you as much as I can so you can get used to it." The demon stopped briefly to stand up and walk towards the woman again. He kept his hands behind his back and put a toothy grin across his face. "I bet that sensation was exhillarating wasn't it? You've never been touched like that before and now that I've put it in your mind, you won't be able to escape it. That's why virgins like you are so fun to play with."

Zarathustra turned his back to the woman then, his gaze turning to the lake the sun was beginning to set and it gave him a chance to reflect on his past for a brief moment. Just looking upon this landscape brought back memories of old where he was like a king and had the freedom to do whatever he chose. If he didn't get his heart back, those moments would remain only a faint memory. "But I really do need you, you know," he replied suddenly, all sense of light heartedness gone from his voice. "I want to see this new world in all its glory, to see new places and meet new people." The demon turned once again to the priestess and something appeared on his face that she might have never believed would be on the face of a demon, a warm, gentle smile. "People might think that because I'm a demon, I must be some kind of evil, human slaughtering monster. But, really, I never wanted to fall into that lifestyle. I just want to be free and have some fun along the way."

The priestess's eyes widened with shock as she pulled the bullet from his head. She watched him flick the bullet aside and listened to what he said. Her face flushed deeper at what he said. "Of course it is a strong word! It's a strong thing!" she protested, clutching thew blanket around her as the only thing between her and the demon. She loaded her gun with the holy bullets but she resisted using them. Again the demon seemed to be being almost civil and she didn't have an unlimited supply of these bullet. As sickening as it was this demon wanted her as a concubine and no one wanted a dead sex buddy.

"And we are not joined at the hip! You won't leave me alone!" She yelled at him, truly wishing that he would just go away and leave her by. Had he not defiled her enough when he wrapped himself around her? Apparently not. "Groping is not a 'might as well' thing to be doing demon. I will not get used to the feeling of your hands on my breasts!" When he mentioned the sensation she flushed even deeper. Her heart was still racing and she was trying to tell herself that the only reason that it was racing like that was because he had come up and surprised her. Silently she prayed that he was wrong. She didn't want such lustful thoughts rolling around in her mind. "People are not toys. You can't.... can;t just play with them!" She argued, trying her best to refute everything that the demon was saying.

Then, it was so strange, he suddenly became very serious. He claimed to need her, that he wanted to see the new world. His smile was even stranger. It was warm and true, there was no lie, deception or lust hiding behind that smile. He sounded less like a demon and more like an explorer to some strange, new land. It almost made her feel guilty for calling him 'demon' and refusing to use his real name. She chewed the thought over then she sighed, everyone was allowed to repent, perhaps even demons. "...Zarathustra..." She began, finally using his name. "If what you say is true then you cannot continue to touch me when I have told you no. To explore the world and meet the people you have to prove that you mean them no harm."

As she explained this she turned her gaze to the setting sun. They sky was turning spectacular colors. She had not realized how late it was or she would have waited to wash her cloths. They were still wet as she was. Her golden hair slick with water clung to her head and framed her beautiful face. Droplets of water made her skin glisten in the waning light. "If you truly mean no harm then I will request you do two things. First, make a fire. Once night falls it will be cold and the fire will help my cloths dry. Second, once my close are dry I will request you not to look while I dress myself. Do you think you can manage?" The girl asked, holding tightly to the blanket that was keeping her covered. It was supposed to keep her warm at night but now it was all wet and that would do no good on a cold night.

"Tch, you're no fun," Zarathustra replied to the request of the priestess with a bit of a dissapointed look on his face. For a minute, it seemed he wasn't going to comply with her demands, but after giving it some thought, the demon gave in for once. "Fine, fine. I'll keep my hands off of you for now. I suppose if you're going to be my woman, I can give you the gift of linencey once in awhile." Typical Zarathustra. He was still consumed with the idea of making her his concubine, but for now, the woman should be satisfied that he wouldn't be molesting her for the time being.

There was nothing left at that point except to do as she asked then. But as seemed usual for the priestess, things didn't go quite the way she expected. "By the way," the demon asked curiously. "How do you expect me to make a fire?" Despite all the glory and grandeur of his power, it seemed that the Great Zarathustra lacked the ability to make a simple campfire by his own hands. And other than the weaponry the priestess carried, she didn't look like she had any fire making materials of her own. It made one wonder if this demon could actually get with the modern times.

"I'm not supposed to be fun." She added, a smug look on her face. For a moment she almost looked like a child sticking her tongue out but her tongue never passed her lips and that look quickly vanished when he made the comment about her being his concubine again. "I will not be your-! ... you know what? Forget it." She said with a wave of her hand tired of telling him that she wasn't going to be his concubine. She had said it enough times already and he never seemed to hear her even once. Besides, if it would keep him from raping her for tonight then that would be all she needed.

Then they were silent, she waited for him to start the fire but was shocked by what she heard. For a moment she just stared at him, blinked a few times, then she laughed. "You can't make a camp fire? Mr. Big Bad Demon can't even make a camp fire?" She laughed. After a second or two she regained her composure but that smug smile never left her face. The girl stood up and turned her back to him so she could arrange the blanket to wrap around her so that she would be decent enough to move about. "Most of the lesser demons I'm called to kill are at least nuisance enough to start a house fire, throw a fire ball to scare some people. Some of them could even breath it. But Mr. Big bad demon here can't even make a camp fire?"

On that note she went a little ways into the trees, grabbing some tried sticks and some moss. A log with a knot in it and a rather smooth stick with a point on the end of it. Of course the girl had something to make a fire with in her pack but he didn't and she just wanted to tease him that much more. When she came back she set up a dried patch of grass, laying rocks in a circle around it to keep the flames from spreading. She put the knotted log in the center and the pointed stick between her hands and began to make the stick spin against the log, before long it started to smoke. "My savior? You'd freeze to death without me." she commented as the space between the wood began to get red.

She put the dried moss on the red and soon the moss caught fire. It was a little one but as she fed it the fire grew until it was finally a good sized camp fire. Once that was done she sat down by it and held her hands up to it, the blanket staying firmly in place and keeping her covered. It was wrapped around her beneath her arms with a bit that went over one of her shoulders. She hating having the other bare but it was the best she could do. "See, let the weak human woman make the fire so you don't freeze to death. How exactly did you expect to stay warm at night with no fire? Or was there no winter when you were last alive?" Of course there was a winter, now she was just mocking him.