The Demonlution

[Blue]

"Hmm." Isabella scanned the streets below, they were so empty she half expected someone to pop out behind her and scare her. No one did however, obviously. But she wasn't a fool, this was suspicious as it could get. Either the human really did have a lot of power and had called of the search, but that still left the painful question of why. Or they were waiting somewhere, with some sort of ambush or perhaps waiting for her to make a move. The thought of making the first move was horrifying, but if this was an opportunity would she miss it by staying put?

Ghahh, how frustrating. And confusing. She blamed it all on the humans again as she made her way down the building. Damn, she was seriously handicapped not even being able to jump down without her wings to soften the landing. She absent-mindedly scraped the dried blood off her arm as she walked, keeping low and against the walls like a cat backed up by something much larger. Her wide eyes constantly flickering back and fourth for signs of movement but there was none- it was a hallow ghost town. Possibly giving her more anxiety the if there was someone pointing a gun to her head. Danmitt, were the fuck were they all? She had seen them swarming yesterday, and now all the humans had gone into hiding. She didn't feel like she was being watched, and demons had a very good sense of things like that. Isabella went to tuck her wings in and recoiled in her own pain, clenching her teeth and drawing a shaky breath. Her tail resided wrapped around her waist as always in intense times were it was not needed, what the hell her balance was already thrown off by the awkward wing a tail would do no good to fix that. She felt like one of those birds her group used to pick off for a meal, the way there wings would hang limply after death slightly extended and forever awkward. Fuck, yeah that was her.

Speaking of food, Isabella could feel her ravenous hunger practically snarling at her and demanding to be satisfied. If only she had been able to catch that little demon. Hmm, perhaps now was not a good time to be thinking about food. If she could help it. Isabella jumped lightly down a few feet and hit the street ground, standing up tall although she was mostly hidden by one of those big colorful metal machines. This one was red, red was such a nice color. Alright Isabella, get your mind together. She slid along the street sticking to the corners of buildings and houses, rather then moving away from the city her focus had unintentionally shifted to scanning for any signs of life. A sudden loud scraping noise caused her to jump a few feet in the air at least and nearly have a heart attack, hands spread with claws ready to rip at anything that came in contact with her and eyes searching aggressively before she looked down and realised she and kicked the gun while walking. Oh. Hmm. Isabella crouched down beside it, slightly out in the open but her curiosity got the better of her as she eyed the strange thing. She decided against touching it, least it explode or something. It certainly wasn't edible.

Only a short time later Isabella sat against a crumbling building wall, she could see the streets from here but had picked it because it wasn't out in the open. She just had to sit down, the drilling pain in her left wing arm was too much with each step. Now she had pulled it painfully in front of her, and knew exactly why. Three of the bullets had gone through alright, they were nowhere to be seen and left already healing holes in the skin beneath her feathers. Three that she had somehow allowed to slip her mind until now had buried themselves into the arm and needed to be pulled out. For humans, bleeding out was the problem in a situation like this and would only get worse if the bullet is pulled out. For demons? There bodies couldn't handle the strange substance and refused to start healing until it was gone. Bleeding out was nothing, unless there throats were slashed. She had just spent the last twenty minuets building up the courage to prod close enough, and immediately drew back with a groan. This was by far the most sensitive part of her body, even on the outside would have been better. Isabella took a deep breath. Then another. Then she dug her claws into the wound and screamed through clenched teeth.

 

[Le_Nick]

He finally finished his hearty meal of Salisbury steak with mashed potatoes when he stood up and was being courted along by his bodyguards to another room- A war room. In the center of the spacious room there was a large, round table with a map of the country on it- Marked with red and blue dots all over. The blue dots being survivor strongholds and red dots being possible survivor strongholds paired with the Purple slashes and pins that marked demon strongpoints or roads demons used very often. For being in hiding the humans were making due very well and tracking everything- How? Was a mystery. Sensors maybe? Some sort of communication line possibly? Either way Shaine found the room filling up with four other officers in military uniform and that's when he let out a heavy sigh "I know you guys want to go on the offensive." Offensive?

"But Operation Reclamation has to wait. We're not strong enough to lead it and with only seven other groups possibly weighing in to join in if we do.. We're not strong enough to face the demons head on if they find out and gather in force. We need to wait until we get other groups into it before we all surface and begin the offensive to gain back some cities. This will not happen without my greenlight. Without my greenlight it's going to be a no-go. We need to get stronger and train more people before we try to even fathom attempting war again. Look what happened to the old CIA guys in Washington who tried to reclaim the city with small support- They were massacred. Simple as that. Send a courier out and tell him to take the main road down the city- He should be safe in the open. Whatever demons are there likely won't want to come back out or mess with us again after the show of force you bunch did yesterday in coming to recover me." He'd offer a brief salute before walking out of the room and weaving his way through the intricate tunnels until he surface to simply sit on a piece of rubble- HIs bodyguards dismissed.

The courier on the other hand took the written message he was given- A thin, lanky man he was with dirty blonde hair and a narrowed face made to look goofy by a nose too large. Take the middle road? Bah! Orders were orders and luckily for Isabella, she may just be getting a meal after-all as the courier went jogging out of the back tunnel and made his way into the city- The red bag clinging to his right hip signaling he held -something- of important besides his flesh and blood and Isabella may spot him just jogging straight down the middle of the road- Sunglasses on and with a cigarette hanging out the right corner of his mouth. Really? Smoking while running? It was a wonder on how he was still alive and could even run considering the health hazards of such a 'Feat'

 

[Blue]

A bloody mess, that's all Isabella was at the moment as she shook against the crumbled wall. Her own hands dripping in black blood as well as her wing, all the wounds had been re-opened and pried into but at least they could heal now, right? She was surprised the noises of pain and fury hadn't sent someone running, maybe this city really was a ghost town. Humans here one minuet and gone the next. She whipped her hands on the cold cement wall smearing the black substance across it and getting most of it off of her hands. She stood up, and immediately felt light headed from pain among other things. Fuck, she was hungry.

Well, speak of the devil. Isabellas head snapped to the side as the scrawny thing came running past, the human didn't seem to notice her but she definitely noticed it. The way it was moving, quickly so she could hear his heart beat and breaths as well as spell the tarred smoke coming from his cigarette. It was quite odd actually, but a lot of more civilised demons took up smoking upon coming to this world. The heat, feeling when you inhaled smoke that made your lungs ache, crisp and slightly burn with a breath, it almost felt like home. The habit however had few ill effects, except for it being dangerously addicting. She herself had even once or twice, so the sight made her smirk slightly before deciding she would go after him. Perhaps her mind wasn't in the right place or she would have thought twice about attacking a human out in the open. Still, demon hunger did a bit on the mind turning animalistic.

She walked beside him in a way, slipping between the buildings and human left-behinds. Small flashes of her red wings and maybe her long tail trailing behind her must have caught his eye by now, she took no notice of the bag he was carrying or his expressions, on complete hunter mode. It was something different from when she had been going after Shaine, this was not something to be toyed with. Isabella was silent on her steps taking a slow pace to not hurt herself after such a beat down the previous day, although black blood was still dripping from the tips of her feathers leaving a light trail. Her eyes flashed for a moment stopping and leaning back on her heels. She was close, dangerously close and had been working her way closer for the past few minuets like a lion trailing crouched through long grass. The she jumped, her wings spread out full length as she hit the man from the side instantly going for his neck.

 

[Le_Nick]

The man hadn't noticed- He was tunnel visioned on the road ahead. What did he have to worry about in this city anyways? AFter the group's show of power no doubt any demon would have left instead of finding itself trapped in the city if search parties did come yet, here she was still in the city and the courier had not a single idea she was in the city. Instead he just continued running- Eyes locked forward paired with the steady beat of his heart and the soft pants from his lips as his heart pumped blood through him and sweat beaded up on his brow. This was going to be a long journey for him- At-least he knew the checkpoints he needed to get to in order to get food and water before continuing on the long run over to the main command for another group. Of course being tunnel visioned had its' down sides and he had no clue he was being followed- Blissfully unaware of the danger he was in until suddenly he felt her body slam into his

"FUCK!" the word left his lips as her weight slammed into him and he could feel himself fall straight over without a fight "NO- NO PLEASE! I'LL DO ANY-" He was cut off as she went for his neck and she would have gotten it easily- Teeth and fang sinking deep into that soft, succulent flesh as the man writhed beneath her and cried out loud- Hands coming up to claw at her back weakly. He didn't have the fight in him like Shaine had and he succomed easily- He wasn't even a fight. It was pitiful and embarassing for him- How did he even survive? Maybe his running speed was the only thing keeping him alive considering he could just run from all his problems. EIther way, She could feel his weakness growing as his lifeblood filled her mouth- A veign severed by one of her fangs, hands gradually growing limp.

"May as-well take a walk.." Shaine mumbled to himself as he made his way down the dark, shadowy path leading to their base entrance before making his way back into the city and well.. Why the hell did he feel like going back to the same place again? He simply walked in along the roads until he saw his broken rifle- Stupid broken firing pin! At-least he could still have it fixed and like that he slung the rifle across his back and continued his walk down the road, hands resting at his sides as he seemingly followed the exact same path as the courier

((Sorry for slow post, I just realized you posted))

 

[Blue]

(( Sall good~ ))

Isabella spread her good wing around them like a bird of prey landing on road kill, because that's just what he was once her razor teeth sunk into the mans throat like butter. There was no hesitation, in the hunger and hunt but also this thing was not worth living. He was weak and easy to pick off, simple as the higher up picking off a lower on the food chain. And completely natural, in her eyes. She placed one hand on his forehead looking him in the eyes for just a moment and in one swift motion whipped her body back literately ripping a chunk of his throat out and putting a silence to his cries, nothing more then a gurgle at most as he choked on his own blood. Some demons actually liked to play with there food after it was dead, ripping it apart and tossing it around but in her opinion if it was dead it was no fun any more. Eating did little more then fill her stomach and clear her mind, although she had been hoping maybe it would help put an end to the still agonising ache in her wing it did nothing of the sort.

She leaned back, straddling the mans lifeless body after feeding and wiped the blood from her mouth with a sigh. She never purged herself, always taking just enough and living off of that until the next meal despite what many others did. Some called it wasteful, she called it smart. A stuffed stomach makes one lazy. She pulled her wounded wing around again painfully, god she desperately needed to clean. The limb itself was more black then red, still dripping fresh despite the fact that it should have been healing now that it was cleaned of the metallic filth. She ran a hand through her hair and sighed, calming down slightly and decided to get out of the open again. Maybe she could make her way out of the city now, slowly and carefully of course but this was the only human from the group she had seen and it seemed to be on the safe side today. She was just about to push off when something caught her attention, the bag the man had been carrying. The color mostly caught her attention actually, vibrant red as it was and she pulled it free from him to flip it open and peer inside.

 

[Le_Nick]

She could see his eyes wide with fear as he gazed back into her own before she yanked a chunk out of his neck- Blood pooling instantly beneath his head as his hair became saturated in the crimson liquid- Blood pouring right out the side of his neck and it didn't take long. IN a matter of fifteen seconds he had bled to death right beneath her and had become the demon's version of a McDemons Happy meal. If only she knew what he carried and the impact she possibly could have just made on the survival of her kind in tearing that man's throat out- Maybe it would make her feel a little better and well. Maybe she'd get some sort of demon award for being the demon of the year and doing what she had just done, either way it was a sight to behold as his body was straddled- His body cold- White, and even slightly shriveled from the lack of blood. But she had noticed the bag and when she opened it she would have been presented with two folders- The top folder labeled in some very, very ominous words for her.

"Operation Reclamation - Rising Fury" The words were boldened and easy to say for her. What was Operation Reclamation? It didn't have a name that sounded like it would bode well for anyone- Especially the other operational name next to it that read 'Rising Fury'. The humans were going to exact a terrible revenge on the demons one day- That was certain, The food chain operated in strange ways and well.. The demons and humans were both competing to be ontop of the food chain and at the moment the demons were on top but things could never stay that way forever. Most humans have have been weak and lacking a fight considering a lot of the soldiers were killed in the wars but. Eventually that fight would come back in them and then how long would it be until they fought to reclaim? How bad would the demons be caught off guard thinking the humans had been done?

But that's when she'd hear a voice. Where the fuck had Shaine come from? He had been so silent- So calm and composed even picking up his heart beat would have been hard much less the sound of his padded and wrapped boots "Fancy stuff innit?" He stood there ten feet away from her- HIs good hand folded behind his back while his other hand rested in a sling held close to his body- Wrapped in bloodied bandaging and binding "Poor kid. I didn't think he'd even make it this long- He refused to even touch a weapon, maybe it would have helped him against you. Maybe it wouldn't have."

 

[Blue]

Isabella wasn't sure if she wanted to look at the folders, she could read this language better then speak it of course but her hesitation was evident. After all, over half the demon rising leaders had fallen ages ago to madness or something other to pull them away. She had not been among these leaders, but had still been in a powerful position- powerful enough to put an end to all this if she pleased. Maybe a few months ago she would have scanned the curious contents inside and destroy the documents themselves of course, then figured out something to do with the information. It did indeed seem like a valuable find after all even though she hadn't yet read into it. Now however, she was torn. Were would she even go with this type of information? She could think of nothing off the top of her head, perhaps with more time to scan her mind it would have provided an answer but she was in fact cut off from thinking, for obvious reasons.

Isabella jumped about a foot in the air like a startled cat, jerking both her wings around protect her head out of instinct but of course that movement was followed by furious pain and a condicerable amount of spat curses. She whipped around to face him, moving into something of a crouch with one hand spread ready for balance if she needed it. However he made no move, instead speaking. What was he saying? It took her a second to mentally translate it and of course, he was talking about her meal. Hah, she doubted a weapon would have helped. The thing never saw her coming, he never stood a chance. At least a million possible actions ran through her mind, half of them focused on fleeing and the other half focused on finishing the job she had started yesterday with this human. She stood stiff in pain and silence for a moment, wide dangerous eyes scanning him. The bandage around his hair obviously posed no threat, but it was the limb behind his back that put up red flages for the demoness. He could be holding something potentially deadly, although if that was the case why didn't he shoot her from behind while she had been reading? Her mind wondered back to their bloody brawl yesterday, when he had laughed at her. Was he... toying with her perhaps? The thought made her draw her lip back. Fight or flight.

Or... speak. The thought was almost odd to her, to talk instead of making a physical action as her body urged her on to do. However her mind was prodding on curiosity, caution rather then rash actions. If Isabella moved to suddenly, she knew she might just find out whether or not he was hiding something behind his back. Her tone came out somewhat hushed and guarded, but dripping with hostility in a thick accent. "What do you want? Why are you here? Why was he out here alone? I want to see both your hands, human!"

 

[Le_Nick]

He'd give the demon a long- Hard stare, studying her closely with those soft, grey eyes of his before he simply reached over to a broken piece of whatever and pulled it over so he could sit down infront of her- Both hands coming forward to rest on his knees. She thought he had something and had set a trap- This could be good for his own safety yet, then again he was a rather honest man who at times expressed copious amounts of 'I don't give a fucks' and after a few seconds of staring down at the Courier's body he just leaned back and offered the beautiful demon woman a smile.

"I'm just here. Don't worry about me. Aslong as you don't attack me we're both good and we're both good, close friends am I wrong? I'm sure you're wanting to attack and kill me right now. Drain me of all my blood like you didn't get to do yesterday am I wrong?" His head cocked to the side in a feline fashion before a chuckle rolled outwards and he jammed his right hand into his pocket to produce a wrapped, king sized snickers bar which he would unwrap and simply take a casual bite out of- Eyes closing briefly as he savored the flavor of the chocolate, peanuts, and nuget inside only to offer it to Isabella casually as if they weren't even enemies when well.. They were enemies "I haven't had a chocolate bar in a long time. We have a shit tone of these Snickers bar- We raided a factory during the war and stashed crates and crates of these things away. Don't ask why but it was the best decision we've ever made in our lives."

A rare- brief smile would touch his lips before his eyes lifted up onto her form- Smile all but vanishing "I'm here because you didn't kill me and from the cuts on me the doctors said you could have been experimenting on me so I would really, really enjoy knowing why you were playing with me instead of draining me like that poor little fellow right there. As for this fellow- he's a courier. Sometimes your demon friends find our communications lines and tear them so we have to send out couriers to carry messages- Guess he's not much of a courier now. He's lacking a little wouldn't you say? I'd say he was a little dead- Deader than a door nail now sweetheart i'm just going to make this plain and and simple."

He'd draw in a deep breath- Face suddenly growing serious "Empires rise and fall. Demons rise and fall. Humans rise and fall. It all dictates history am I wrong? Millions were killed in the wars- Millions of humans -and- demons. I'd say both sides are hurting pretty badly right now but humans? We're hurting a little less now i'm not going to threaten you, but i'm going to threaten you and say the world's about to become a very dangerous place for your kind and since you didn't kill me I figured i owed you a favor. I'm going to be straight and to the point. Leave and you will survive. Any who stay will be killed- You can doubt me all you want and kill me but me? Pha. I'm a Lieutenant, second in command where i'm at. They have a guy below me that can replace me even though they'd rather keep me but it won't change what's going to happen."

 

[Blue]

Isabella returned the hard stare, and was quite obviously distressed with the smile because when he flashed it she drew back her lip and hissed at him. Even though she could see both his hands, she wasn't going to let her guard down especially with the friendly attitude that was oh-so confusing. She didn't trust him any more then if he were to be holding a gun. "I'm just here. Don't worry about me. As long as you don't attack me we're both good and we're both good, close friends am I wrong? I'm sure you're wanting to attack and kill me right now. Drain me of all my blood like you didn't get to do yesterday am I wrong?" No, he wasn't wrong but she wasn't going to attack the toyish human just yet. Instead, she cocked her head along with his mimicking his scanning eye movements although hers looked less friendly and more predatory in contrast to his. She supposed what he pulled out of his pocket was some sort of human snack, and it smelled good but he was stark crazy if he thought she was going to take a single step forward for any reason other then to slash him. Or that she would ever accept something from him. Wait, was this human insane? Her posture stayed tense in her crouch not taking her gaze from his movements.

With the comment on the fact that she didn't finish him off the other day- and Isabellas eyes flickered down for a moment almost in embarrassment. Embarrassment on the fact that he would even bring it up, when she so dearly wished she had finished him off at the time. Like hell I'm going to tell you. She would never admit of course that she had been slightly fascinated with him, picked the human male out to be something of an interest enough to spare his life for a few more moments in wonder. She lost most of what he was saying in thought, but caught a few words like courier and sweetheart. Wait, what? Isabellas head snapped back up at the word not because of it directly, but because now she noticed he was actually talking to her like... a person. Not swearing at her, or taunting her, or even talking to her as if she was an animal. But addressing her as the logical thinker she was, equal in mind it seemed. She had never been addressed in such a way be a human... further confusion with the whole situation brought her brows to furrow but now at least she was actually listening to him.

"You are strange..." Isabella mumbled and without taking her intense eyes from his she shifted, crouching down on the balls of her feet and sitting back on her heels without her knees touching the ground. It looked mighty uncomfortable, but was actually something most demons were rather used to in slightly more relaxed states. This somewhat sitting position was ideal because they didn't have to stand fully but could jump up in a split second. Her tail trailed along the ground rather then wrap around but she had her good wing tucked in. "Don't think I saved your life on my own choice. if your friends had arrived a moment later they would have had to collect parts of you from around the room." Her tone was cold, although she wasn't certain if it was the truth and a bit of a bad lier. She snorted in a rather mocking way, it was almost amusing how oblivious he was to there situation. Maybe he thought they were still strong and organised as a race. She had no intention to set him strait about this, better he think that then know the truth but she did still have a few choice words if only to crush his hopes for the race. "I don't think you quite understand how this works, Lieutenant. The only ones that can come and go whenever they want don't have a mind to be reasoned with by either human or fellow demon. And believe me, they seem to like this world a whole lot better then the last so there just going to keep coming. You've only seen a fraction of what we have back home, even before the wars we outnumbered you."

She looked up again, meeting his eyes without a hint of weakness. She wasn't intimidated by his words, although she was slightly confused that only showed through a tiny bit. "Besides, what makes you think telling me this will have any sort of effect on your plans? You say that as if you expect me to run off to my leaders and warn them that the tiny human resistance is coming, that they should scatter and wallow in fear over a couple of surface rats with toys? Please. Maybe you think I'll just daddle my way over and close up the void while I'm at it, oh wait I don't fancy getting ripped apart by beasts. Reguarless of what you think, nothing is going to happen. You can fight all you want, but sooner or later your going to run out of ammunition. Feral demons are just going to keep coming through, going after anything with a heartbeat. All your doing right now is providing then with an endless supply of snacks, and keeping them away from the likes of me." She smirked at the last words, resting her arms on her legs and thrumming her claws against her knees, watching his reaction in amusement.

 

[Le_Nick]

"Oh no- Of course not. You don't strike me to be well. A pet like many Demon's are- No offense of course." he was so calm and composed it was almost unnerving- One could almost imagine the terror of being interrogated by this man considering it didn't seem like many things really daunted him "Who said anything about ammunition? Guns are nice. Takes at-least five bullets to kill a demon- Holy water? Nicer. You know what we can mass produce though? Arrows. I find arrows are a lot well. Deadlier than bullet at times especially laced with poison or other magical things. But that's not the point right now." Shaine was acting so Casual as he reached back behind his back to draw his .45 Colt Commander- Ejecting the magazine and simply clearing the gun before sliding the magazine back into place and letting it rest in his lap

"You see bullets will only get you so far. This is a Colt Commander- Great, reliable gun. Been in service since 1942 I believe- Great package. Fires a big hard hitting bullet, bad news for your people of course. I'm sure you don't wanna get shot with a .45 and I sure as hell wouldn't want to but bullets at times are in-effective. It usually takes more than one bullet to kill a demon and human alike- Something we both share unless we're hit in the neck, Spinal column, heart, or head. Then it's instant death likely. THose are well... Two out of every ten shot scenarios. Now bombs on the other hand are devastating no? You bunch never really got to feel the pain of missiles and rockets I don't think- But areas where you did it was devastating. Shrapnel shreds the wings you see- One bomb can take out a horde of demons flying in. Might not kill them but it'll shred their wings real good for the ground soldiers- Takes their advantage away- See my point is well. Sooner and later we're going to run out of ammunition."

And then the bombshell dropped- An option that had never been spoken of before but surely a demon would understand "During World War 2 we dropped two nuclear or atomic bombs on Nagaski and Hiroshima. To give you an estimate of this, over fifty thousand people in the city of Hiroshima were instantly vaporized in a blank. They say the blast was so hot it baked the outlines of the human body in against buildings and concrete. Imagine what that would do fired at demons- Now of course there are many things we could do. Humans have enough nuclear bombs to end this entire planet fifty to a hundred times minimum. We may not be able to fly and have the advantage in numbers like you do but believe it or not we have the advantage in weapons now. Quantity over quality words. But Quality prevailed and after the initial blast in Hiroshima another twenty thousand died. One nuclear weapon wiped out at-least seventy thousand people off the face of the planet, the majority never having their bodies ever recovered and those who survived having scars from their clothing being flash melted into their flesh now I'm not a scientist but I'd say with the amount of nuclear bombs we could unleash on the demons and even firing a nuclear missile up into your rift thing? That's going to hurt you guys either way. It'll hurt us some- But hell. We're already hiding. we're already in bunkers and under ground. It'll hurt you bunch more than it would us and then of course.."

Another bomb shell. The humans may be weak but they were clever when it came to survival no matter the cost "You ever heard of Yellowstone national park? Big place- Nice place actually. Massive volcanic activity under it- We're actually overdue by what- Seven hundred thousand years for a super volcano eruption that would plunge us into a deep winter after blanketing many places in a thick layer of ash that when breathed in and combined with saliva would solidify and harden into almost concrete and you would choke to death and die. Imagine what would happen if we detonated a nuclear bomb over that sight and triggered a super volcano and sent a massive cloud of ash traveling across the entire planet now I don't know about you but that's a holocaust for demons. Just tossing that out there- But hey what do I know? I'm just a human." he'd shrug before lifting his colt up to holster it- Bringing it back to holster in it in the back of his pants- Rising up to his feet "If you run YOU will live. If you stay it's not looking too great. Have a nice day yeah?"

 

[Blue]

What's he blabbering on about now? Isabella droned out most of it, not at all surprised when he pulled his weapon out. There hadn't been a doubt in her mind that he was armed, and her half-sitting position did not change but she prepared herself to move at a moments notice. She tuned back in somewhere around "Shred their wings" and straitened her back, tucking her wing in tighter with a glare. Touchy subject, large strong wings were a high source of pride and power on a demons part. Wait, world war 2? She didn't quite understand, had the humans survived multiple wars or was this a term he was using to refer to different periods in the demon war? Wait, no that didn't make sense when he mentioned bombs. She couldn't keep quiet any longer talking over him. "Wait wait, who dropped the bombs?" She asked like a child listening to a story, clearly the thought that humans would attack each other had never occurred to her, even though demons did it all the time. Wait, not important. As he continued to talk Isabella felt herself grow slightly nervous and it showed in her posture a bit. One of her hands ran up to tuck a ginger strand behind her ear and her tail absent-mindedly went from flat out on the ground to curled around her boots. It didn't make sense, if they had that type of power why wouldn't they use it already? Isabella wasn't exactly sure if she should believe what he was saying. He could just be talking to scare her, speaking of powers and weapons they didn't possess just to unnerve her... but that brought the question back of why he was talking anyway.

As soon as he moved to stand up Isabellas position snapped completely like a strike, in a fraction of a second she was no longer sitting but standing at full height with her weight shifted to bold. She didn't run, but her very breath was on an edge. Have a nice day? Was that sarcasm? Isabella didn't find it very amusing. With all things considered, she knew she should probably high tail it out of there while he was giving her the chance. Or at least, seemed to be. She watched him for a silent moment before moving, taking a step back to leave without dropping the human from her sights but didn't get any farther then that as a question burned in the back of her mind.

She turned back, to face him with a cold hard expression and took a few steps forward to close the distance. Her hands at her sides it was clear she had no intention of attacking him, but had to close the distance for personal reasons. He was starting to intimidate her, with that strange casual confidence- couldn't have that. Even though she was a bit shorter, Isabella puffed up to full size her wings making her look slightly bigger as she came dangerously close -for her, being less then a few feet- before speaking. She talked with her hands slightly, an oddly human gesture. "Why are you telling me all this? Why didn't you just shoot me, or kill me off somehow? While were on that, what's with calling off the search party? I tried to make a meal out of you, just killed one of your men, and your just letting me have a free run?" She demanded an answer to the question bugging her for some time and now new ones to add to it as well, even though it was slightly stupid and she should have just ran. Classic Isabella, she never knew when to shut her mouth.

 

[Le_Nick]

"Who dropped the bombs? Sweetheart we did. HUman beings- YOu know who invented the bombs? The country you're standing in right now- The UNited States of America- Created the first nuclear weapon with the possibility of wiping out an entire country and ending wars with a simple flick of a switch. You're standing on dangerous soil right now and it would do you well to keep that in mind because we may have been caught off guard. But now we're not, now we're aware of what's threatening us, and now we know what we have to do to eliminate the threat. As human beings, we will always do what it takes to survive. No matter how cataclysmic it could end up being. Fear has two meanings, Forget Everything and Run as-well as Face everything and rise. We ran. And now we're rising." The words would have unnerved this man too if they were being spoken to him by a human should he be a demon and he smiled to himself, having the desired effect of nervousness and even fear on Isabella. It would do her well not to underestimate the power of humans and their destructive force- EVen if they made idiotic and stupid mistakes at times.

With that step towards him he didn't take a step back and in-fact, he took a step forward until they were almost face to face- Just like he had turned to face her when he was tackled the day she tore him apart. Even with one good hand he was ready to take her on again and he made that very, very well known at the moment as she puffed up and his unrelenting eyes remained locked straight on her own- Almost as if he were asserting dominance over the woman "Why did you not kill me instantly? Why did you experiment on me with your claws and hesitate to kill me? Why did you stay over me long enough for my men to come and search for me and locate me before engaging you? Why wouldn't I call the search party off? The key word you are missing is 'Try'. You 'Tried' to make a meal out of me. You made your attempt and here I am, still standing and talking to you right now after you killed a courier carrying a message that is likely being relayed by four other couriers considering we never just send out one courier. It's always best to have a Plan B, C, and D and you killed plan A. I am unmoved and generally uncaring- The man you killed was a lazy slob. Only with us for survival- He was also a murderer during the war and executed a civilian woman for not giving him what he wanted in the form of sex. I hold no dearness to him."

That smile touched his lips once more paired with a chuckle that rolled outwards past those lips before he lowered himself down enough to press his forehead in against her own boldly. he certainly had that fighting, warrior spirit in him that many lacked including the boldness of a thousand men "We both have a lot of questions and many, many answers. The way you find those answers our dictates your own future no? Find your answers in time. I'm not dying any time soon."

 

[Blue]

Isabella greatly disliked his 'explanation', because as a matter of fact it gave her no answers at all and even further confused her. He was just asking more questions, repeating hers, and then adding useless shit of his own! Was this a human thing? How annoying. She scowled in irritation not giving him the satisfaction of looking away from his cool eyes that contrasted her fiery ones so fiercely. Fuck weapons, bombs, anything of the sort. She would take this guy head on again without hesitation despite the multiple wounds they both carried, just because he was pissing her off. The deadly confidant look in her eyes was clear; I'm not scared of you.

Before Shaines forehead even touched hers Isabella had already reacted, placing a clawed hand on his chest with all five naturally sharp weapons digging into his skin just lightly enough not to poke through the fabric. A growl rumbled in her throat and slipped past her lips- it was immediately silenced when he came so close as to actually touch her. Holy shit. This was one brave human. His arrogant attitude was almost admirable, he had done what he probably set out to do which was shock Isabella senseless with just how bold he was- she didn't even draw her claws down to take deep gashes in his chest as she had been prepared to do. She simply stared back silenced in disbelief with wide eyes. Something flickered for a moment behind those wide eyes, a single thought registered. Shit shit shit... Don't pull back! That would show weakness, to draw back and run away rather then stare this human down or attack him. Scratch that, not even attack him- just glare back and try to mirror that boldness as she took a sharp intake of breath. She was determined not to let this pathetic thing intimidate her any more, he must be having a bloody grand time at the thought that he could make a demon nervous. Fuck... no... don't pull back... don't pull back...

It was useless. Isabella snarled and jerked her whole form back raking her claws down his chest- but oddly, just enough to shred the fabric. Not even a scratch to his skin, and she wasn't about to give an explanation of why to neither herself or him as she bolted faster then he could even process out of sight. She didn't know this part of the city well enough to pick a place to go, but even if she did it probably wouldn't have come to mind right now. Isabella was too furious with herself for letting that human scare her off. She couldn't even figure it out, if it was his casual confidence or boldness or maybe just the manner of treating her like something other then a pest that was drawing her in with curiosity and scaring her off at the same time. Through the building, up that wall, down into the room, stop. Listen. She glanced over her shoulder holding her breath and listened for any source of sound that he had followed her. Nothing. Isabella ran her hands through her hair trying to calm down, rocketed with nerves and confusion, unsure even now if she should leave the city because his final words had only made her burn with stronger curiosity that demanded answers. If she stayed, she could get killed running into him or someone else the next time. If she left, this was going to drive Isabella insane.

 

[Le_Nick]

Shaine didn't chase her as she suddenly pulled backwards- The fabric to his shirt being tattered by her claws as he'd just stand there smiling- Watching her run off "No building is going to save you from a nuclear blast. We blow Yellowstone up and cause a super volcano to bring upon us the holocaust of your kind make sure to wear a mask and not to stay in houses long. Twenty centimeters of ash can collapse a roof." The words held a thoughtful hint to them as he stood there before slowly leaning down to take the folder with documents "THat went better than I thought."

Holding it in his sling hand he'd draw his zippo lighter- Giving the flint a few flicks before a steady, orange flame erupted over the wick and he held the documents over the flame- Beginning to burn them on the spot and as soon as the paper and cardboard caught he'd flick the lighter shut and tuck it back into a pocket- Holding the burning, smoldering documents until the writhing orange and red flames were just about to lick at his fingertips before he dropped them down and spun around on the balls of his heels. He had done what he had come to do- Instilled fear but even more, curiosity. She would be back looking for him eventually likely- Why wouldn't she? SO many humans would have sat there sniveling and crying- Begging her for mercy but not Shaine. Shaine had met her head on- Literally- And didn't even flinch. Maybe he was just that cold- Or maybe he was just that seasoned and used to demons, too used to them to even break a sweat in their presence.

War does that to a man and it had certainly done its' toll on Shaine along with his own training he was required to take as an officer to maintain his calmness and an aura of almost well.. Serenity around him to unnerve the enemy and keep his own soldiers calm. Many factors came into it but there was only one factor he truly wished to use and he had used it right on Isabella and it was a wondrous feeling. Maybe she'd know how to close the rift, or even more. Maybe he could prove not all demons were wrong- Imagine that. FIghting demons with demons at your side- So many reasons but the main one out of all was his own like for the Demon.. Strange for a human to exhibit any sort of care towards the beasts who had slaughtered families and children yet he showed such care. His own little secret no one was likely every to hear about luckily and just like that he was already walking back down that lonely road- Whistling idly to himself as Shaine made his way right back to base like nothing had happened

 

[Blue]

If she had been careless before, Isabella sure as hell didn't let her guard down after that. Every movement was calculated and whenever she took a step, she would scan the barren surroundings before hand for any source of movement. She was downright furious that a single human could make her fearful like this, but more then furious she was careful. This time she didn't let her thoughts get a hold of her actions, making sure they were careful as she scrounged the city for the next few hours. Leave or stay, it should have been a ridiculous question. Her life was in danger here, and that was only tipping on her problems with the human refuge. Still, it was a difficult one that she thought about for a long time wondering on the city edges, dragging her claws across the walls, keeping an eye out for demon and human alike. Although her steps were careful she did not take mind to inanimate objects she might have stepped on or across- this is how Isabella ended up stumbling upon the red goop that squirted across the floor as her boot crunched against the tube.

It caught her completely by surprise, wondering in an old store that smelled of rotten food and chemicals she had for a moment thought it was blood. But no, the vibrant red was too bright to be anything natural. Isabella glanced around for a moment, before crouching down beside the stuff that had shot out a jet across the floor. In her curiosity, she pushed caution to the side and dipped a finger in, thrilled when it cling to her skin. Is it edible? It smelled pretty harsh, but just to check she dabbed the tip of her tongue. Oh god. Bad idea. After viciously spitting and swearing as the fowl taste continued to assault her taste buds, Isabella picked up the tube she had stepped on and a black one beside it. Paint. To her fascination, when she went to fiddle with the black color the red on her fingertips blended creating a whole new color. Her sharp mind quickly caught on to this, this whole new wonder that had all but pushed the situation taken place a few hours ago from her mind. Soon her hands were coated in the stuff and she pressed a palm to her wing, giggling when the paint clung to her feathers staining them a whole new color. Well shit. These human creations were nifty sometimes, always capturing her fascination. Abandoning everything else Isabella grabbed the two tubes and headed back outside.

When she found just what she was looking for, Isabella stopped. The side of the building stood taller and prouder then most, not crumbling to the ground and giving in like its brothers. She could have splattered the stuff on the floor, but preferred to stand up strait with her wings tucked in painfully and her tail just a few inches off the ground in balance. With a pause to listen, Isabella made sure no one was around before dabbing her fingers into the smooth substance and smearing it on the wall. The look on her face was quite amusing, some might say it was like a child staring at a new wonder in complete awe at the simple creation of black goop smeared half-ass against the wall. To her, it was incredible. She added red, but noticed the black would overtake her light vibrant colours and to be quite honest, it pissed her off. The stuff was hard to work with, but after a bit she realised it dried instead of staying wet. Holy shit. "Brilliant." She whispered and stared at the wall for a moment. Something flickered across her expression for just a moment before she cleared her hands by wiping them on the ground and started with the red paint again. This time, her movements and smudges were more thought out. Demons had an incredible eye for detail, and clever fingers to go with it but they were also very criticizing about each other and themselves. Isabella quickly grew frustrated when her dabs and strokes didn't come out the way she wanted them too, she would spend ridiculous amounts of time trying again and again until she got them right. It was absolutely mind consuming, she cut everything else out now and brushed against the wall with soft fingertips. The reds, browns, and blacks, they reminded her sorrowly of home so that's just what she was desperately trying to recreate. A piece of home, built off of memory and placed against this foreign wall in a strangers land. She could have stood there for five minuets, or it could have been whole days passed by and she wouldn't know.

 

[Le_Nick]

Shaine had made his way back into the command center to get his bandages replaced- Staring forward at the wall as the nurse worked before he let out a heavy sigh. He should go back and watch her- It's obvious she won't be leaving any time soon and she -could- end up being a threat in a sense if she does stick around and after an hour of his wounds being cleaned and re-bandaged paired with a salve applied to them that would hopefully speed up healing he found his way in the armory- Pulling an old, Russian dragunov rifle off of the wall and that rifle brought back so many memories. The memories of when humans had actually united together despite language differences, government differences, and beliefs and had all banded together to fight that one, single evil that had come into their world.

When the war had first started no one had realized the threat until they realized the demons were killing everything and everyone- Surrendering soldiers were slaughtered along with children and pregnant women alike and it was enough to shock the whole world. They weren't fighting an enemy with morals and in no time all the militaries has gathered together and formed code words to communicate with each-other- The soldiers who were once enemies became friends. Russian soldiers worked along US Soldiers, Taliban and ISIS Worked side by side with Israeli soldiers- German soldiers worked with Russian soldiers alike and all the dislikes for each-other had faded for the moment. He even remembered when the demons had come around to attack the US How the Russians had sent thousands of soldiers over into the US with armor and fighting vehicles to help fight the Demons off and just like the US had sent thousands to Russia when they were attacked to help and try to fight the demons off. It was one evil that united everyone together and it was a miraculous thing to happen for the human race- Of course there were still humans who wouldn't fight. Christian and Muslim extremists alike claiming this was just the end and that they were helping the demons carry out God's will and Allah's will by killing soldiers when they got the chances but they were crushed. Executed. Not a single one captured lived because why should they?

"Thanks Dan." Shaine seemed to zone back in at the distant voice before he took the rifle and a bandolier of magazines for it- Drawing the charging handle backwards before letting it slide forward and in no time he was back in the city tracking Isabella until he found her smearing paint across her wings and at a safe distance and hidden away in rubble and ruins he set up that rifle of his- Peering down the scope to just watch her as she worked on painting that wall. Fascinating! It was.. Interesting. Demons had an imagination of their own and this showed they weren't just enemies and demons- They had feelings too and part of him began to work out what she was drawing. Was it a piece of her history? perhaps. Home..? He only hoped. If demons could miss a home maybe the humans could widdle away at them until they finally wanted to return home with their will to kill gone and perhaps the humans would survive without having to detonate nuclear weapons and what not

 

[Blue]

"How did you do that?" The little demon from before asked in demonic tongue, breaking Isabella out of her trance as he walked up and placed his front paws on the dried image. She motioned towards the paint, not particularity caring to attack him as much as she wanted to earlier and looked back to her own drawing. The landscape was messy, rather amateur but it had a definite homely sting to it. It had not a tree or blade of grass in sight, simply red and brown earth and rocks that looked a bit like the desert canyons of this world. Red lighting on the edges of the rocks contrasted dark shapes that must have been dangerously familiar to Shaine, large beasts of shaggy black fur and red eyes- they looked like something monstrous strait out of a children story book. Humans and demons alike feared them in this world, were back home they were harmless like deer here they seemed to take up violent monstrous habits often attacking without warning or reason. Humans called them demons, grouping them in of course with the rest but among the demon dwellers with slightly more sense they were known simply as beasts.

Both demons stared at the painting sharing a moment of longing. Isabella turned to the small thing with a frown, wondering why he had stuck around. It seemed considerably easier for it to move around in the city without getting caught, perhaps it lived here. Before she could ask, it spoke however in the thick demonic language that carried a hiss. "So is it true? You can't return back to the home world?" His tone might have been mocking, or might have been sympathetic but Isabella didn't like the idea of it being either. "That's not of your concern." She snapped looking back to the painting and pressed her hand to the wall, pulling it away so it left a small hand print of red and black at the edge of her picture. She sighed, before looking back to the demon. "Its true. But that doesn't stop you, I know your lesser demon enough to get through. So why do you stick around here?" The animal-like demon flicked his ear and snorted, leaving his own paw print of red paint on the wall. "I have my reasons." Isabella scowled at the answer and ran her hands over her inured wing, settling the shifted red and black feathers back down. By the time she looked to the small demon again, he was gone. Scurried off somewhere probably again. She stopped for a moment, her tail twitching. Wait, what was that? She closed her eyes quickly holding her sharp breaths in to try and pick up that sound again. It was only light, but she could hear it clear as day the slightly scratched breaths. In a flash she had moved, her tail whipping behind her and then curling up around her waist as she left her painting behind and ran silently to get under more secure cover.

Only once she was sure she was alone and out of sight did Isabella stop and release a breath. Shit, had it been the human from before? Of course he was singled out now, almost always on her mind for worry that he would catch up with her. It absolutely made her furious that she was still running and trying to stay out of the sights of one specific human rather then the whole race of them, but she deeply feared confrontation with him again. Not for the fear of his weapons, but for the fear of his confidence. Isabella was used to being feared herself, she didn't know how to react to the way he addressed her and it scared her. It was like a hunter used to stalking prey, running into another hunter for the first time when they had been expecting just another sheep. Maybe even being hunted herself. She moved across the city again, winding through buildings and windows, alley ways and back walls exploring but also keeping on her feet so if she was being followed it would be hard to keep up. That was the point. She had seen most of it already, but when she ended up in a dead-end alley way it caught her interest. Although it was a stupid move and she forgot she didn't have use of her wings right now, Isabella wondered in questioning why humans would ever put a gap in between buildings just to have it end off in a bricked wall- it made no sense. The bricks had large grooves in them, almost teasing her and asking to be scaled so with a glance behind her to make sure the coast was clear Isabella tucked her wings in and started climbing. It was much more of a challenge then she had originally thought, that's what drew her in more and pushed her to continue. The groves were shallow and hard to hold on to even with claws but her tail was good for balance and soon Isabella found herself quite a few feet in the air. Bored, she jumped back down hitting the ground hard on the balls of her feet back on the alley ground from a height that would have shattered a human on impact. It only ached lightly for her, but she was satisfied that she had managed to get that hight without the use of her wings.

 

[Le_Nick]

Shaine would have watched the lesser demon through his rifle's scope- RIght hand coming up to adjust the small knob on the top of it just a tad as if ranging in on the two before they both scattered. What had startled them and caused them to scatter up? He'd continue looking through the scope of his rifles before crawling his way up amongst the ruins- It was once a five tiered parking lot. Now crumbling to pieces every month and as he made his way up the stairs he'd simply shut and lock each door behind him. Would certainly slow anything down who was trying to get up and it would force them to make a lot of sound in order to get through and to him- After all, it was a five story building and bashing in a metal door? Wasn't necessarily the quietest of things.

Now on the roof of the building he looked at the half ruined cars with mild curiosity until finding a tangle of five cars that had been crushed together- A perfect hiding place if anything came up. He could slip under the ball of cars where there was only one spot to get to him from and pull a rotted door down infront of him to leave him just enough space to level the barrel of his rifle out a rotted hole in the metal- He could fire and they would likely never know where he fired from unless he just kept on firing and with the ammunition he had? He could take on a fair amount of demons unless they somehow managed to tear the cars to his little makeshift bunker away. A good safe house and with that he found himself laying back down on the asphalt- Leveling his barrel through a hole in the side of the wall to look around for what might have startled the two demons and caused them to run away. Whatever it was certainly wasn't great news.

It was also a good thing he had brought a back pack with food, water, and spare ammunition in it too- The top of the roof was almost baking hot because of the asphalt paired with the midday sun, hell he bet he could fry an egg on it and he thanked the concrete boundaries he was laying on "Demons can he startled..Interesting. SO where are you my little demon scare-r? I have a gift in the form of a 7.62x54r bullet for you.. Come out, come out wherever you are.." his left hand came back to pull out a small vial of blood- Always a good baiting technique before he tossed it off the roof into the middle of the street before him where it would shatter with a loud, glassy crash- Filling the air with the tint of human blood- As if baiting at the fact there could be a wounded human hiding out nearby. Maybe that would bring the demons out or whatever had scared the demons away out so he could look about

 

[Blue]

As Isabella turned around to head back she stopped dead still in silence as a dangerously large dark creature made its way past the entrance of the alley, shuffling through the streets on silent pads. The only sound it made was the rough panting, this land was hard on creatures such as itself and gave them something of a scraped breath every time they drew one in. It stood at least eight feet tall at the shoulder with shaggy matted black fur- well not quite fur it seemed to almost wisp off of the beasts back. Beneath its long trunk of legs it held flat paws tipped with eight inch long claws like a grizzly bear and on its large ugly face six tiny red eyes were visible like shiny beads. They were near the edge of the city so it must have just made its way in, lured by the lingering human scent. In fact, Isabella thought to herself, it must have been really starving to come into such a cluttered area. Isabella was sure when it turned and headed for her that would be it, without wings to get away she would end up a meal or play toy for this beast but in fact it didn't turn towards her. It seemed to be following something, a scent that it picked up with its two large nostrils that she hadn't. It made its way around and out of sight, and Isabella cautiously followed just out of her own foolish curiosity.

The thing shuffled down the streets, clearly too drawn in by the scent to notice Isabella trailing a good distance away but slightly out of sight. After a few slow seconds of quick movement she caught the scent too, human blood and fresh at that. It wasn't the man she had killed some time ago, by now he would have reeked of rot but this was a strong scent- she half wondered if there was another demon in the city because for sure that little thing couldn't have taken one down. But as soon as the shattered glass and splatter of blood came into view it clicked in Isabellas mind as a set up right away. She crouched behind one of those metal structures that reeked of humans and pressed her back against it, watching as the large black creature shuffled closer. Half her mind was telling Isabella to get out of there, it was clearly a bait but the other half wanted to know who had done it and why. Had they seen the beast in the city and decided to take them out? Or maybe the humans thought she would fall for that. The thought made her snort, but it didn't make as much sense as the first answer.

The large wispy demon hunched its head down to sniff the ground were it had been splattered scarlet. Unlike Isabella, it didn't have enough mind to see this bait for what it was. It licked the ground with a large cylinder-like grey tongue before standing back up and raising its head to the air now, inhaling deep breaths through its mouth and nose. It was clear the thing had picked up Shaines scent as far away as he was, but it couldn't quite pin-point it. It looked around and then sniffed the ground again, looking quite innocent in its confusion. Isabella knew bloody well that thing was anything but innocent. As soon as something came into sight or it nailed down were its prey was, this thing was going to turn into a vicious monster bent on nothing but ripping and tearing everything in contact into tiny pieces. She stretched a hand out against the metal side of her shelter and the other one to the ground as she crouched there, waiting for something to happen.

 

[Le_Nick]

"There you are.." Shaine's rifle leveled down on the beast that had come into view- The reticle of the scope resting on its head. This would be a tricky thing to take down unless he got that right shot or hurt it badly- He wanted to kill it in one shot or hurt it badly in general considering if he hurt it badly it may come into his building and break its way up to the top only to get shot nine more times by that high powered rifle that fired a bullet enough to leave an exit wound the size of a cantaloupe "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to the war, and my fingers to fight." He'd mumble the words as he steadied his breath- He has said the words before but that was in a time of actual war with other humans. He has always loved the quoted words and would always use them whenever using a long ranged sniper rifle "Blessed be the Lord my strength, which teaches my hands to war, and my fingers to fight." A flick of his thumb sent the rifles safety off and he'd draw in a deep breath and hold it in

"My goodness and my fortress; my high tower, and my deliverer; my shield- he in whom I trust. My lord I trust in thee. Let me not be ashamed, let not my enemies triumph over me... Let me triumph over my enemies"

The last words rolled outwards before his finger closed in on the trigger and pulled it backwards- Sending the firing pin forward to strike the primer of the bullet in the chamber with a loud, audible 'Thunk' that was twice as loud as the rifle Isabella had herd before- A brief flash of orange and yellow erupting out the flash compensator of the rifle before a large 7.62x54 calibered armor piercing bullet rocketed straight through the air- Soaring downwards at an angle straight towards the beast's neck- Aiming to slam straight into the side of its' neck where hopefully the armor piercing slug would penetrate its' thick hide and about an inch into its' neck break into deadly fragments that would continue forward- Tearing flesh, veins, and even punching into a spinal cord if he was luck before exploding right out the beasts neck in a spray of scarlet mist that sent fragments of the bullet ricocheting off a nearby wall with a faint whistle before Isabella would hear the sharp- Tell tale crack of the high powered rifle. It fired a bullet so fast the bullet hit before the sound of the rifle firing hit and she would also- If she was looking- Notice a faint puff of greyish smoke from his rifle firing that kicked up some of the dust from the wall before the dust streamed downwards and Shaine remained glued to the optics of his rifle- Waiting to see if he had dropped the massive beast to where he could shoot it cleanly in the head or if he had simply maimed the massive beast badly and pissed it off.

Whoever had just fired that rifle had been watching Isabella. She would be able to tell if she noticed the puff of smoke- But.. Why didn't he shoot her?