FSE

Silver Nights - Chapter 5

Story by Fatchaos on SoFurry

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Silver Nights - Chapter 5

-=Boiling Blood=-

Klamath was writing his journal again, occasionally dipping his feather pen to the ink well. The candles illuminated his study. It was located at the top of his tower, and it had numerous books, scrolls, notes, alchemy apparatus, runes, powerstones and other magical instruments in it. Algra was sleeping soundly in a bench in the corner. Klamath looked at her briefly. His daughter. Looking at her brought back memories every time. They flooded his mind, and he was lost in his thoughts.

The silent, dark nights he spent writing on his journal...

Today, I finally was able to summon The Mistress of Lust! A powerful demoness, indeed! The work of three years finally bearing some profit. I was able to bind her as well, and so far, it looks like the binding is working perfectly! A demon of such power will be a very, very nice asset to my power, and I'm looking forward to see what I can use her for. What a fascinating demoness. She's nearly all lizard-looking, with bat wings, red scales and black bellybands, her face is a bit more dragonic for some reason, with yellow eyes and a beautiful white hair that reaches her whip-like tail. And curved horns, as well. There's a couple of spikes on her shoulders and on her legs as well. Truly, a demon. But a beautiful demon. But I did not summon her for my pleasure. For now, I'll just keep her binded and locked inside the wards. There is a lot to do!

Two weeks have passed now since I summoned The Mistress of Lust. She has been more than able to deal with some of my problems, helping me create more fascinating artifacts with the help of her demonic magic. And she shows no sings of disobedience. In fact, I think she likes working with me. She's rather polite and civilized. Reasonable. Her voice is sweet. Nothing I expected. And the way she looks at me every night. It makes me feel awkward. I suppose it's just because she is a demoness, of lust, after all. I'd be best just to ignore it.

Three weeks have passed. I can hear her speaking inside my head. She wants me. I'm trying my best to ignore her, but the way she pleads, begs, lusts for me, on her knees, sometimes completely lying on the ground inside the wards, begging for satisfaction. I'm not sure if she is using her seductive powers on me or not, I might just be too weak of mind to resist her beauty. But I must stay strong. I am not weak. There's no way she can play tricks on me. Not on me. I must just ignore her.

Four weeks have passed. I cannot think clearly anymore. Clarity has left my mind. She is growing ever restless, pleading me to come to her. She wants me to take her. In my "feral" form. My real form. She must be powerful, if she sensed I'm a half-dragon. She is interfering with my studies now, because she distracts me so. Even now, as I am writing this, I can hear her moan silently, watching me. I tried to unsummon her a couple of times, but I just can't. The way she looks at me. I need to get my thoughts straight. I need some time outside, away from her. Maybe that will clear my head.

Five weeks have passed. My hand is shaking. Hard to write. She's watching me. Calling me. Calling. Moaning. I have been on my feral form for two days now. I do not know why. I have this fire inside of me, it is blinding my thoughts. I can't sleep.

Yesterday, I finally gave to my lust. I have no idea how long it lasted. Several minutes? Hours? All night? Time was elusive to me. She surrendered to my lust, willingly. As did I to hers. It was magnificent, I admit enjoying every single second of it. My mind is clear again, clarity has returned. I checked the wards. They were intact, as well as the binding. She didn't seem to try to trick me into releasing her. No harm done, and I suppose I had deserved a little break, myself. Now I can return to my studies I hope.

Three months since the summoning have passed now. I can focus on my work now, on my studies. She still looks at me with lust. She is very insatiable. I've given her a little more freedom to move around, and she is most pleased. In return, she has pleased me more than I thought was possible. Strangely enough, she never takes me in my human form. She always pleads and begs for my feral form. She says it's magnificent. Majestic. And I have to admit, I enjoy the power in me. The red scales, the brutal force. Talons and fangs. And I enjoy showing all that power to her.

Seven months since the summoning have passed. I think she is carrying a child! How is it possible? Demons shouldn't be able to have children. At least with humans. Or even then, very, very rarely. Could it be, that the little dragon blood inside me was enough to seed her? Fascinating. And frightening. I cannot say how long it will take until she will give birth, and that is troubling me to no end. What will come of the child? I'm afraid only time will tell. Until then, she is calling me again. And I am eager.

Betrayal! She played me for a fool all this time! The bitch! She knew exactly what she was doing! I found out today, after I woke up, that she had vanished. No sings of her anywhere! I don't know how she did it, but she replaced her bindings and wards with the child she was carrying, and by the looks of it, she gave birth during the night, leaving the baby here! I swear, I will summon her if it takes the rest of my days, and make her suffer! But finding her now will be difficult, she, without a doubt, is hiding in the deepest depths of the Demoniac Plane. I've put the baby in a basket with some rugs in it for now, keeping it in the wards. I have no idea what to do with it. It's crying now. How frustrating! How could I be so stupid?!

The baby kept crying all night, so I finally gave up and took her from the basket and fed her some milky nutrients. She stopped crying. But when I put her back to the basket, the racket began again. It's frustrating. But I cannot ignore it. And I don't feel hate. Any hate at all towards the baby. So I took her from the basket again, and held her in my arms for a while. She stopped crying, and fell asleep in my arms. I had a warm, fuzzy feeling inside. Me! Klamath!

The baby is a she. It, no, she looks like any human baby. Rather dark skin tone, yes, but still very much human. Well, except the eyes. they are red. She's already growing hair, and they appear to be white. I do not know why, but I feel happy. Happy. HAPPY! Of all things! I should be mad! But looking at the baby. No, looking at my child, my daughter, it makes me happy. I've put my studies aside for now, and taken my daughter as the top priority. Her mother might have betrayed me, but she left something wonderful behind her. A daughter. I never thought I would feel anything towards anyone. But this child, my daughter. It has awakened something in me. And I find it very nice.

I am concerned about my daughters well-being now. Theoretically, she is part human, part dragon, part demon. And unfortunately, the demon heritage shows. From time to time, she transforms. Her demonic form reminds me a bit of her mother. Dark scales, not red, though. Blackish. Her stomach, chest and the inner sides of her thighs as well as under her tail are lighter of color. It's hard to notice they are actually scales, they are so fine and small. Her head looks a lot more like mine on my feral form. Dragonic. Two spikes come from her snout, and she has four horns. Two spikes on her shoulders, and two spikes on her legs. And a barbed tail. And bat wings with talons. Her hair isn't all white anymore. Two, oddly long purple "braids" of sort bend from her hair. They seem to be hair. Looking at her when she's on that form makes me very sad. Not because I don't like the looks, but because she seems to be in pain. She cries when she transforms. She's hurting. I want to help her, but I can't.

My daughter is five years old now. I have finally found a few, hypo-theoretically, working methods to destroy, or at least, bind her demonic heritage. All methods are painful, however, but they must be done. I don't want to see her suffer any more. I don't want to see her wake up screaming at the middle of the night. Every day, it's worse. She has even attacked me a couple of times. But I will help her, no matter what the cost. As a brighter note, she is very nice to me when she's normal. Loving. She call's me daddy. First time I heard it, I cried. For the first time in my life. I have named her Algra. She loves that name. She worships the toys I have made for her. If only she didn't have to suffer so.

I was finally able to get my hands on Demon Stones. Stones of such power are hard to get, but luckily, Earthym Order happened to transport some not too far away from my tower. Their essence is easy to spot from a distance. They were most probably heading towards Earthym Capital. No idea what the "king" had in planned them for. Doesn't matter now. What troubles me, was that there were a few survivors from the caravan transporting them. I hope they didn't get too good a look on me, even if they don't know who I am, most of the mages back in Earthym Capital do. As for the stones, three are rubies, two are emeralds, one is sapphire, and the last two are amethysts. I'm starting my tests with the amethysts. With correct runes, wardings and rituals, I might be able to get rid of Algra's demonic heritage.

Disastrous. I have used nearly all the Demon Stones, save for the rubies. Algra is still very much the same as she was. I have only been able to make her able to control her demonic needs better, not subdue the completely. She can transform to her demon form now without losing control every time, and she can sleep better now, at least. But the methods. I don't want her to endure such pain ever again. So many times, she plead me to stop, but I wouldn't. I kept telling myself inside my head that it was for her own good. And I failed. I failed Algra. I hope she doesn't hate me. I have tried to explain, and she claims to understand. For now, I told her I cannot bear myself to push her any further. She was happy with the decision, and promised her best to not lose control. She's so strong-willed, that girl.

Today, Algra asked about her mother again. I was afraid to answer, but I found the courage to tell her at last. Without altering any facts. She took it rather well, considering. I told her that no matter what, daddy loves you. She hugged me. I think I cried again.

Algra is 13 years old now. She seems nearly mature already. She is able to control her demonic heritage better now, she rarely loses her control anymore. But sometimes, I am forced to overpower her. Luckily, rarely. She's powerful. She could easily overpower any regular man. And burn them. Or just rip them to shreds. She's gained my part of the heritage on that case, it seems. Complete immunity to fire, and the ability to create it from nothingness. Troubling, she has set some of my books and notes on fire a couple of times. Can't blame her, she cannot control herself at times. For now, I am not very sure what to do. I've returned to my studies, and she helps me when she can. She's so precious to me.

Klamath woke up from his memories. Algra also woke up. There was a lot of noise coming from outside his tower. He stood up from his chair, and looked outside. Damnation! Earthym Order! About twenty men. Well armed. Elite forces. Four mages. One of the mages stepped forward.

  • "Klamath! You have been found guilty of heresy, demonic magic, theft of Demon Stones, illegal use of magic and murder! We are hereby sent to bring you to justice. Open the door, or we will be forced to take action! "

Klamath laughed loudly.

  • "So Mederick sent his pawns. I am insulted by your numbers. He should know better. Now leave my tower before I incinerate each and every one of you! "

  • "Your threats are hollow, warlock! "

Klamath rushed to grab his staff, and shouted to Algra:

  • "Downstairs, lock yourself in the basement. NOW! "

Algra obeyed without a question.

  • "Yes, daddy! "

This wouldn't end well, Klamath feared. He appeared back at his window. The mage shouted at him again:

  • "Well!? Surrender now, or- "

Klamath gave his refusal in the form of a fireball. The mages shielded themselves and the troops as the volatile projectile hit their shielding magic, and exploded violently, spreading flames all over the forest.

  • "Break that door down! "

Klamath rained flames upon them, but the mages were able to shield them all. Two of them were ice-mages, and two water-mages, it seems. They had done their homework. The troops rammed the door until it finally gave in.

  • "He's in the top floor, forward! Check the basement! "

  • "It's locked, sir! "

  • "Then break it open! "

Klamath waited silently at his study, they would soon barge inside. He grabbed the remaining three Demon Stones and hid them in his pouch. They might just save him, or more importantly, Algra. First wave of troops rushed inside, their swords drawn and shields covering them. Fools. Klamath spun his staff over his head a couple of times, stepped forward and blasted a river of flame at them, incinerating them instantly, burning them to the bone. The screams only lasted for a brief second, and the sound and stench of burning flesh filled the study. One of the troopers had been able to dodge behind a sturdy table, jumped over it, and rushed at Klamath. Klamath greeted him with his hand, grabbing his throat. He neatly transformed in his feral form, and lift him in the air with just his right hand.

  • "Fool. "

Klamath crushed his throat, and threw his body out of the window like it was as light as a feather. The mages rushed in now.

  • "Stand back, idiots! We will take care of him! "

Klamath laughed, though it sounded a bit more like a roar. He had red scales, black horns, bat wings and yellow, glowing eyes. He looked a lot like a dragon, but in a bipedal form.

  • "Just one thing. "

Klamath replied.

  • "And what is that? "

  • "It was pretty stupid to challenge a half-dragon in a fight. "

Klamath spun his staff behind him, then brought it in front of him, and blasted another flaming inferno at the mages. The mages replied with their own magic, combining water and ice. Within seconds, the study was a warzone of magic. Ricochets of magic flew wildly around, obliterating the bookshelfs, tables, chairs and walls as they hit them. With his staff, Klamath focused on attacking, and with his free left hand, he focused on shielding himself from the magical attacks poured at him. He was badly outnumbered, but not overpowered. One of the mages couldn't hold her shield any longer, and at that instant, she was burned to dust.

  • "Do not falter! He's growing weaker! "

Klamath knew that, but he laughed anyway.

He still had the demon stones, he could draw power from them if he needed. But then, something he did not expect happened. Two of the troopers dragged Algra to the study, with their swords on her throat. For a split-second, his focus was lost. That was enough, and his shields gave in, and the brutal ice and water rammed his body, and he was sent flying against the wall. He fell down, roaring in pain. One of the mages tried to move in for a finishing blast, but Klamath blasted his face with another fireball, neatly blowing him to tiny bits of burning flesh.

  • "ENOUGH! Surrender now, or we will kill your demonspawn child! "

Klamath roared in anger, stood up, put his staff in an attacking stance, but looked at Algra. She was on her knees, swords on her throat. She was crying. the sight tore Klamath from the inside. He had lost. He felt utterly powerless, knowing he could not do a thing without endangering Algra. His hand started shaking.

  • "Drop your staff, now! "

Klamath looked at Algra again. She looked back, with tears flowing in her eyes. She let a faint sound.

  • "Daddy. "

Klamaths expression turned desperate. He dropped his staff.

  • "Kick it away. Slowly. "

Klamath obeyed. He kicked the staff to the mages.

  • "Don't hurt my daughter. Please. You can do whatever you want with me. Just... don't hurt her. "

  • "Release the demonspawn to her... 'father'. "

The troopers let go of Algra, who tripped on the floor, crawled, and eventually ran to Klamath.

  • "Daddy! I'm so sorry! I couldn't do anything! I'm sorry, daddy... "

Tears filled Algras eyes, and Klamath embraced her.

  • "Don't cry, Aglra. Daddy is not angry. Just don't... cry. "

The mages looked briefly at each other. Now that the demonspawn and Klamath was neatly there together, they could erase them both with one blast. Fitting.

The mages raised their staffs. Klamath saw it, and roared.

  • "What are you doing!? "

  • "What needs to be done. Both you and your demonspawn will be eradicated, here, now. "

The hell with that! Klamath tore his pouch open, and grabbed the three Demon Stones. No time for complex magic. With his left hand, he crushed one of the stones to the ground, and hastily created an impenetrable forcefield around Algra. The mages blasted their magic on Klamath and Algra, and Klamath flew against the wall again. Algra was protected by the forcefield. Klamath raised his head in pain, and saw Algra. She was crying inside the forcefield, screaming something. But he didn't hear. He didn't need to hear. he already knew what she said. With the last remains of his strength, he crushed the other two stones with his right hand to the ground. The mages were running at him, with their staff's pointed at him, shouting something. but it was too late. Klamath squeezed his fist.

  • "I'm so sorry Algra. Daddy loves you. "

Light filled the room, and an unbelievably violent explosion eradicated the tower, illuminating the whole forest in the night, and the shockwave shook trees and tipped over the trees near the tower. The sound of the explosion could be heard far and wide, making animals run around in complete panic. And as suddenly as it had occurred, it vanished. Only silence remained.

The silence lasted for what seemed to be an eternity. The ruins of the tower was all that remained. Faint trails of smoke erupted from the ruins, but no other movement was to be seen. Finally, a hand erected from the ruins. Bruised, bloody, but very much alive. The hand tried the ruins around it. With a roar, Algra lift herself up from the rubble. And collapsed on her knees immediately. She cried in pain.

  • "Daddy? "

There was only silence.

  • "Daddy!? "

No answer.

She started digging the rubble in frustration and desperation. Her talons dug deep in the rubble, but she couldn't find anything. She knew. But she didn't want to believe it. She kept digging. Finally, as her hands were bleeding from all the digging, she stopped, fell on her knees again, and started crying again. A fire inside her erupted.

  • "Well, well, well. Is the little girl all alone now? "

That familiar voice inside her. She hated it so.

  • "SHUT UP! I don't want to hear you! "

  • "Oh, but you will! I am you, whether you like it or not! "

  • "Shut... up. "

  • "Look, accept the facts. You are alone. There is NOTHING for you here. "

  • "Be... SILENT! "

  • "Fool! If you want to honor the sacrifice our father made, then I suggest we stop yearning at the ruins of this tower and start moving, or we will eventually die. In case you haven't noticed, we are wounded. "

Algra looked at her hands, and her body. It was covered in blood, cuts and bruises. The pain was nearly unbearable. But only nearly. She stood up, and took a deep breath. She transformed to her human form. She walked away from the ruins. Before they disappeared in the distance, she turned around.

  • "I love you too, daddy. "

Tears filled her eyes again, and she started running away. No matter where. She just ran.

Eventually, Algra found a road, and started following it. She had no idea how long she had been running, and eventually walking. It didn't matter. She kept on moving. It was dark. Cold. Silent. She could feel a light breeze on her skin. Her mind was blurry from the blood loss, pain and cold. She saw lights. She started moving towards them. It was a village. She kept walking towards it. When she reached the first houses, she collapsed. She could hear screams and shouts. Someone lift her up. She blacked out.

Algra felt warm again. Someone was speaking.

  • "Where did she come from? "

  • "No idea. After that sound that shook the trees, she appeared hours after. She was badly hurt, so we attended to her. She's recovering very fast. I mean, she doesn't have any scars. No bruises anymore. What is this child? "

  • "I don't know, but we can't leave her on her own. "

  • "Agreed. Thank you for taking her in, Shen. "

  • "It's no problem at all. I'll watch over her. Like my own child. "

Algra blacked out again. She saw nightmares. The last moments of her father was struck deep inside her head. She was blaming herself in her mind. She could have defended herself! But she didn't. She had rejected to lose her control to the demon. Maybe if she had, her father would still be alive. Suddenly, she opened her eyes again. She was in a candle lit room. She was in bed. She tried to move, but for some reason, her hands were tied. And legs. she looked around. The wooden window was shut. The door to the room was shut. She waited. She was too scared to scream or say anything. She could hear voices behind the the door.

  • "Is she still unconscious? "

  • "Yes, but she will be awake at any moment, I believe. If she wakes up, you can just tie her mouth. "

  • "Thanks, Shen! Three pigs, it was, right? "

  • "Indeed. Take your time. "

Suddenly, someone opened the door. Algra startled, and she looked at the door. An rather old man came inside, and closed the door behind him. Algra looked at him.

  • "Oh, you are awake? "

She didn't answer. The man took a piece of cloth on his hands.

  • "A little privacy is in order. "

Algra's eyes grew wide. The man tried to tie her mouth, but she did her best to avoid it. But the man brutally grabbed her chin and forced her head to stay still, and was finally able to gag her.

  • "Don't resist, girl. You'll like it as much as I do. "

Algra was in panic. The man crawled on her. But then, she heard the voice inside her head again.

  • "Oh dear. This is disgusting. "

  • "Do something! "

  • "What? Are you asking me to help? We are you. You are us. Help yourself. "

  • "I Don't want this to happen! "

  • "As you, we, wish. "

The old man was genuinely surprised to see the girl had transformed into something very different in a blink of an eye. He rose up, but before he could stagger out from the bed, Algra had already ripped her hands free. She grabbed his head.

  • "Oh? Where are you going? Come closer! "

Algra lift her shoulder up, and brutally slammed the man's head on her shoulderspikes. A faint groan could be heard, and blood filled the sheets under her. She slammed his head on her spikes again. And again. The groaning stopped. She kept ramming his head on her spikes until there was no face left. She kicked the corpse off from her, and rose up. She was covered in blood. She neatly stroke her spikes with her right hand, soaking her index finger in blood. Then she licked it, wrapping her long, forked tongue around her it.

  • "For an old man, you taste rather sweet. "

Aglra's attention turned to the door. So, these bastards tried to rape her? Anger grew inside her. She kicked the door and it flew off it's hinges. There was a middle aged man sitting near a fireplace, who jumped in the air as the door slammed on the wall near him. Algra looked at the man. She could barely control her anger, but was able to say:

  • "You must be Shen. "

Before the man could open his mouth to reply, Algra rammed on him with her shoulderspikes. The man screamed in agony, and blood soon soaked his clothes and the floor below. He staggered a bit, and collapsed on the floor. Algra placed her foot on his head, and let her talons cut his skin a bit. The man tried to say something, but Algra didn't hear anything. Only voices of rage could be heard inside her. She lift her foot up, and rammed it down, crushing the mans head on the floor so hard, the wooden flooring gave in. The man didn't make a sound after that. Algra looked around in anger. She wanted to kill. Soon, screams filled the night.

Finally, the voices of rage stopped inside her head. She regained self-control. She looked around. She was standing in the middle of the village. It was burning, save for a few buildings. She looked at herself. She was covered in blood. None of it was her own. She could taste blood inside her mouth. She staggered backwards, and tripped over when her legs hit something behind her. She crawled backwards, and rose up. She had tripped over a burned body. Her eyes grew wide, and she looked around again. Bodies everywhere. She couldn't even scream. She crawled backwards. She hit another body. She stood up. She realized she was naked. She could sense the taste of blood inside her mouth again. As disgusted as she was, the taste was fantastic. Sweet.

  • "Like the taste? "

  • "What did you do!? "

  • "What they deserved. "

  • "I only asked you to defend ourselves! Not kill the whole village! "

  • "So? I am you. You are me. I liked it. YOU liked it. "

  • "No, no, no no no no no no! "

  • "Now that we are all fed and full of energy, how about we move? "

  • "I will NEVER let you out again! "

  • "You mean you will never let yourself out again? Your true self? Face it. Eventually, you will. And you will like every single second when you do. "

The voice giggled inside her head. She tried to make it stop, but it didn't. She looked around again. She couldn't bare the sight of the village any longer, and started running. She followed the road, not caring where it led.

Algra was walking on the road again. It was already morning. She had transformed back to her human form, but she was still naked. And bloody. She just kept walking. There was a lake. Thinking for a while, looking at the bright water, she jumped in. She stayed in the water for a while. As if trying to cleanse herself from not just the blood, but the guilt. But only the blood was removed. She sighed. She looked at her own reflection at the water. Red eyes stared back at her. The reflection smiled. She hit the reflection with her fist, making it disappear. She got back on the road, and started walking again. There was some people on the road. They looked at her, but she didn't look back. None of them said anything. Just looked. Eventually, she stumbled upon a patrol. The patrol found it hard to believe what just approached them. A completely naked young girl. She looked desperate, her head was fixed to the ground. The officer jumped off from his horse.

  • "Hey! Are you alright? "

Algra didn't respond, she just stopped.

  • "Get some sheets to her for clothes! She must be cold! Now! "

Two soldiers dug in their packs and found a few suitable sheets and gave them to Algra. Algra finally looked up to the officer who was standing right in front of her. His eyes looked kind.

  • "Hey... Put some clothes on, you must be cold. Where did you come from? "

Algra hesitated, but opened her mouth to speak.

  • "I don't know. I don't know anything. "

  • "It's alright. We will take you somewhere safe. "

Algra hesitated again, but finally put the clothes on.

  • "I'll give you a ride. "

The officer lifted Algra on the horse, and stayed on foot himself. Slowly, they moved down the road towards the small town of Branhal.

For days, Algra didn't speak to anyone. She was just sitting there, on the bench in the middle of the town. Most ignored her. She was known as the exotic looking young girl with no past. She just sat there, slept there, and ate the food that the locals gave her. Finally, a man approached her.

  • "Do you have a place to stay? "

Algra kept staring at the ground, but forced herself to look at the man.

He was middle aged, well built, especially his arms. He had a short, blond hair and a short blond beard. His eyes were brown. He looked at her with kindness.

  • "No. "

  • "I'm the town's smith. I could give you a place to sleep. I have a place in my workshop. I don't sleep there myself, but it has a bed. "

Algra decided it was time to change her gloomy mood, or at least try.

  • "Thank you. "

  • "Here, let me show it to you. "

The man led Algra to his workshop, in the middle of the town. The workshop was indeed a blacksmith. Big furnace, anvil, barrels with water, and a set of swords, shields, armor, tools and whatnot in the shelves. Algra found them intriguing. The man unlocked a door behind the workshop. It was a rather tiny room, but looked cozy. There was a bed, a shelf, bookcase filled with old, dusty books, closet and a few pots on the floor near the bed.

  • "It's not much, but at least you can get some decent sleep there. This was to be for my child but... I never had one. "

  • "Thank you. My name is Algra. "

The man smiled.

  • "What a extraordinary name, Algra. Pleased to meet you. My name is Merei. "

He offered his hand to Algra. Algra hesitated a little, but grabbed it.

  • "Wow! You have some guts, kid! Hey, I can show you some of my work tomorrow, if you like. Just don't crush my hand, now! "

For the first time in ages, Algra laughed and smiled.

  • "I'd love to. "

She slept well that night.

Early in the morning, Merei knocked on the door. Algra fought herself out of the bed, rubbing her eyes.

  • "Good morning! Get yourself ready, I'll be waiting for you inside the workshop. "

Algra muttered something as an answer. She looked at the window, looked like it was about sunrise. She washed her face with haste, and dressed up to the only clothes she had: Simple pants with a thick string to keep them on, a wool shirt and simple but sturdy leather boots. She opened the door, and joined Merei at the workshop. The furnace had already been lit. The flames danced wildly in it, and Merei was adding more coal to it.

  • "Had a good sleep? "

Algra stretched her hands and yawned.

  • "Much better than I've had in a while, thank you. "

  • "Sorry for the early wake, but we smiths need to start early. Like most people who actually have to work. "

  • "It's alright... I'm just not too used to it. "

  • "You'll get used to it. "

Time passed swiftly as Merei showed his daily routine: Lit the furnace. Add coal. Keep it bright, red hot. Use the blower to get more heat. Prepare the forging tools, check their condition. Bring a barrel of water. Once the furnace is ready, begin work. Merei took a piece of metal, it was a rather long "rod".

  • "One of our guards wanted a new warhammer, his old one kinda... broke. "

  • "So, you craft weapons? "

Merei laughed in amusement.

  • "Not always, Algra. Most of the time, I smith something more simple, basic tools for the workers and such. And repair things! You have no idea how much time I consume in repairing and sharpening! "

  • "I see. Well, mind if I watch as you work? "

Merei laughed again.

  • "Not at all. That's why I wanted you here. Now... watch as the master works! "

Merei placed the metal rod in the furnace, and used the blower to get more heat. In no time, the rod was glowing bright red from the other end. Merei took the pincers and took it away from the furnace.

  • "Even though this end isn't bright red, it's still hot. Metal conveys heat, you see. "

Algra sat on a barrel and watched.

Merei placed the rod on the workbench, and screw it tightly in place. He then grabbed the tip of the glowing part with his pincers and twisted the rod. The rod now had neat spirals on it. Merei unscrewed the rod, and threw it in the barrel full of water. With a strong hiss, the rod sunk in it.

  • "That was the easy part. "

Algra kept watching with increasing interest. Merei searched his metal storage for a while, until he found a fitting piece of metal. He heated it up, and placed it on the anvil. He took his hammer, and started pounding the metal. Sparks flew as he struck the glowing metal. Algra found the view very intriguing. Slowly, he hammered the metal over and over again, occasionally heating it up again. It began to take the shape of a hammer head. Finally, it looked a lot like a hammer. Carefully Merei struck a few finishing touches. He then heated it again, and using a wedge, he hammered a hole in the middle of the hammer head. Then, he started fitting the rod in it. Didn't fit. So he started forging the rod again. Eventually, the two pieces fit. Just barely. He started forcing some hey-like stuff in between the rod and the hammer head, locking it firmly in place. Finally, he heated the end of the rod, and pound it to lock the rod in the hammer head, not letting it slip off. He swung the warhammer in the air a bit. It looked heavy. He placed the warhammer on his leather workbench, and neatly wrapped leather on the hilt, improving the grip on the hilt. He swung it in the air a few times more.

  • "Ready. Give it a try. "

He offered Algra the warhammer. She took it with both hands first. Didn't seem that heavy. She swung it in the air a couple of times. Merei could nearly believe his eyes. That girl was strong!

  • "Really, Algra. You have guts. I've seen adult men not being able to lift a full metal warhammer like that. "

Algra giggled.

  • "Thanks! "

Merei started thinking.

  • "Want to help me with the next project? I can let you forge a bit if you want to. "

Algra's eyes nearly turned glassy. She found the idea very inviting.

  • "Thanks. I'd love to! "

  • "But first, let's grab some lunch! You must be hungry. I am! "

By the end of the day, Merei was dumbstruck by Algra. Not only was she strong as a mule, but she learned swiftly, and she had an eye for forging. She seemed like a natural talent!

  • "Really, Algra, you astound me. "

Algra felt flattered, and she blushed.

  • "Tell you what. How about we do this again tomorrow? "

  • "Sure! I'm looking forward to that! "

Merei laughed. What guts.

The next morning, Algra was already awake when Merei came to his workshop. The day passed faster than yesterday, and every day Algra became more skillful. Merei examined her closely when she forged. There was passion in her eyes. She truly did love what she was doing. So, Merei decided to do something he had not done before.

  • "Algra. After watching you work, I have to say, you have exceeded all my expectations. How about you become my full-time apprentice? "

Algra stopped her hammer from pounding the glowing red metal at that instant.

  • "Apprentice? "

  • "Yeah. "

She smiled with a smile that was full of pure joy.

  • "Merei, I'd be honored! "

  • "Tosh! Then it is decided!

The shook hands in agreement. Merei could feel his hand being crushed, and laughed.

Days passed, weeks passed, months passed. Algra was 16, and a full-scale smith now. She knew how to work with iron. She knew how to work with steel. And on a pretty rare occasion Merei had, she had learned how to forge twilight steel. She had become familiar with the townsfolk, and the young men gave her the looks. She was young, and very fit, after all. And her hands looked a bit more muscular than that of an ordinary girl. Merei gave her a share of his own payment, and had bought a new anvil so they could both work at the same time. And as it seems, Algra was already working faster than he was. A natural talent. Sure, she made few mistakes every now and then, but not due to the lack of inspiration or enthusiasm, but merely because of the lack of experience. Funnily, Algra never had suffered any burns, even though Merei swore he had once seen her grab a a scythe's blade when it would have burned anyone's hands. But, Merei was more than happy seeing how much Algra enjoyed working. Merei had lost his wife seven years ago to a spreading disease, and thus had no children. Algra kind of filled that emptiness in him. He thought of her as his own daughter. They talked and laughed as they worked. To Algra, forging had become very important, as was Merei. When she could work, she forgot about her past and her struggle to keep her demonic self contained was a lot easier. Being with Merei also filled her with happiness. She didn't have to be alone. There was someone who was always there for her. Someone to talk to. Still, she was becoming of age now, and the demonic self in her kept coming back to her mind during the nights. One night, she woke up to a familiar whisper.

  • "Mmmmmm... As fun as forging is, don't you think we could have more fun? "

  • "Shut up. "

  • "You really have a hard time accepting yourself! "

  • "No. I am having hard time accepting YOU. "

  • "US. You. I am you. You are me. "

  • "Whatever. "

  • "Tsk! Tsk! By fun, no killing. But instead... "

Algra's eyes opened wide. She could feel a fire inside her again. Not out of rage. Not out of desperation. But out of lust. The fire was now inside her stomach, inside her head and between her legs.

  • "Yeees. We want to. "

  • "Stop it. Stop it. "

  • "Oh, but we agree to this, or don't we feel it? "

The flames struck harder. It felt like an unbearable urge that needed to be satisfied.

  • "We felt that, didn't we? Oh yes we did. We are not a child anymore. "

The feeling was intoxicating. She started breathing heavily. She wanted to be pleased, right here, right now. But she didn't want to lose herself.

Algra rolled on her tummy and bit the pillow.

  • "Get. Lost. "

  • "You obviously don't want us to play. Bah. Fine. Not today. But later! "

Eventually, it became harder to fight the feeling. She knew she would lose herself eventually. But she would fight it. And keep fighting. She was starting to look at men in a way that made her feel awkward. She even started to look Merei in the same way. For so long, she could fight the feeling. But when she turned seventeen, she was having a day off at the local tavern. The taste of local beer was nice, as was the wine. Her mind was soon intoxicated. Before she realized, her demonic self was in full control. Not looking to spoil the night, she kept her human form. Algra woke up in her flat. She was not alone. Nor did she really remember anything. She looked to her left. The son of the tavern's bartender was there. And then the familiar voice was in her head.

  • "Mmmm-hmmm~ I think we wore him out. "

  • "You didn't...! "

Algra rose up, and checked the young man. He was breathing, alright. His back was scratched, but he was otherwise alright.

  • "We went a little wild. But we like that, don't we? "

  • "I hate you. I so hate you! "

  • "Self-hatred is not very useful. Besides, we liked it. He liked it. We are satisfied. He is satisfied. We are ALL satisfied. No harm done. "

  • "Are you completely insane!? What if- "

  • "We cannot get pregnant that easily. We know that. Aaaah, the virtues of being a demon! "

  • "I. Am. NOT a demon! "

  • "Partly, we are. You know that. And a dragon! Only this tiny, tiny, pathetic bit of us is human. Yet for some reason, we wish to embrace this weak form. "

  • "I like being human, thank you very much! "

  • "We like. Perhaps. It is fun to pretend to be a lot less powerful than you really are. We are quite a trickster, aren't we? "

  • "Shut up. Shut up. Shut up. I need to think. "

  • "Oh yes, we do. Like when we can have a second go! "

  • "Fuck you. "

  • "If we let ourselves, we would. Tee hee! "

Algra dipped her head a bowl of water. The voice was gone, at last. She did what any girl would do at this point. Make a hasty exit and just escape the awkward situation for now. She started to forge. Anything. She just pound the metal. Merei watched her in silence, not saying a word for a while. Before he did, however, the young lad emerged from Algra's flat. Algra kept pounding the metal, pretending she didn't see. The lad looked a bit awkward himself.

  • "I, ummm... Good morning, Merei. Good morning, Algra. "

  • "Morning, Mereth. "

Algra stopped pounding the metal. He looked at Mereth. Well, he did look pretty handsome, alright. Unlike his father. So she smiled faintly at him.

  • "Algra, I, uh, sorry. "

Algra put her hammer on the anvil. She didn't give him an eye contact.

  • "Sorry about what? "

  • "About last night. I was... drunk. I shouldn't have. I'm such an idiot. "

Algra found his words a bit surprising. And his apology made her feel bad. She knew that she, without a doubt, was the one who pulled the strings last night. She glanced at his eyes. Mereth's eye's looked sincere.

  • "Hey, don't sweat about it. I was pretty drunk as well. "

  • "Still, I shouldn't have. "

Algra glanced at Mereth again. Maybe, just maybe the night wasn't such a disaster in the end.

  • "You can still buy me a drink later, I don't mind. "

  • "R-really? "

  • "Yup! "

Algra smiled, and began pounding the metal again. Merei thought it was best he kept his mouth shut. Young and their problems...

It really wasn't such and disaster after all, really, Algra thought. Mereth was nice, kind and he seemed to really care about her. He had green eyes, brown hair, he was overall pretty fit. He was just a bit shy. She thought she was lucky she picked him that night. And as for the next few nights, Algra kept her self-control. And she admitted it to herself. She did enjoy it. Very, very much. And she was a bit worried that she started scratching Mereth so badly every time, even when she was sure she was in full control of herself. It turned her wild. Even more so when blood came out a bit. She was eager to try something more exotic every night. Mereth didn't seem to mind it. For a while, Algra was really starting to think things could work out for her. Her and Mereth. And Merei had accepted Mereth. Things looked good. But as it happens, things change rapidly.

Earthym Order had a rather large patrol visiting the Branhal. About twelve footmen, and an senior officer. She visited the blacksmith. She was surprised to see a young woman working there! She was of a bit darker skin tone, with white hair, but otherwise looked normal, if not a bit more muscular than your average woman.

  • "Ahem. Excuse me. This must be the town's blacksmith? "

  • "That it would be. "

Merei stopped forging, and walked to the officer.

  • "Welcome. I am Merei, the owner, and the fine young lady over there is Algra, my apprentice. "

  • "Earthym Order, Senior Captain Callaheist. A woman as an apprentice. How unusual. "

  • "Perhaps, but she's a virtue. So. What can we do for you? "

  • "I was hoping you could provide some repairs, on weapons mostly. A few replacements. I have most of the payment ready. We are staying in town until the the repairs are done. "

  • "Very well. "

Merei offered his hand as in agreement. Callaheist grabbed it and they shook hands.

  • "Algra! We have customers! Seems like we have a lot to do. "

Algra stopped her work. She had seen the officer, but figured it was best to leave Merei to do the speaking. She walked to the officer, and shook her hand happily.

  • "Algra. "

Callaheist could feel cold shivers reaching all the way to her bones. Demonic aura. On the girl. She was a demon. The aura was faint, but unmistakeably demonic.

  • "Ummm, Earthym Order, Senior Captain Callaheist. Pleased to meet you. "

  • "As well. "

Algra smiled. The smile sent another wave of cold shivers trough Callaheist's body.

  • "Well, I'll inform my men at once, that we can get the repairs done. I'll be right back. "

Callaheist turned, and walked hastily back to her troops.

Algra looked at Callaheist, puzzled. She turned to Merei.

  • "Did she look nervous to you? "

  • "A bit, yes. Maybe its her... you know. That time of the month. "

Algra laughed loudly and smacked Merei on the shoulder. The impact was rather noticeable.

Callaheist approached her troops. He waved two Sergeants to come to her.

  • "Ma'am? "

  • "Listen closely. The woman in the blacksmith, she is a demon. "

  • "Ma'am?! You sure? "

  • "Very. We will do this nice and clean. We will enter the blacksmith, confront her, and if all goes well, the blacksmith can be rescued, and we can deal with the demon. "

  • "How powerful demon is she? Can we deal with her? "

  • "The aura was weak, so we should be fine. I've encountered demons before, and she isn't nearly as powerful as the ones I have seen before. Tell your troops to stand ready, but I'd prefer them not to know she's a demon just yet. They would give themselves away that instant. "

  • "Understood, Ma'am. "

The Sergeants swiftly told their troops to stand ready, but not do anything. The footmen glanced at each other, confused, but orders were orders. Callaheist and the Sergeants approached the blacksmith. Merei was sitting on a table, and Algra was polishing a scythe. Without a warning, Callaheist and the Sergeants unsheathed their swords. The three approached Algra.

  • "Merei. Get out of here. Now. "

Merei couldn't believe his eyes. Neither could Algra.

  • "What the hell are you doing!? "

  • "Your 'apprentice' is a demon, fool. Now get out of here. Now! "

Algra staggered backwards, and dropped the scythe. She was looking at three swords pointed at her.

  • "Are you completely insane?! "

  • "You are the one who is insane! She's a demon, and you haven't noticed! Now get the fuck out of here! "

Merei looked at Algra. She was pushed against the wall, and Callaheist was lifting her sword to strike.

  • "No! "

Merei rushed and grabbed Callaheist's wrist and prevented him from striking Algra. The other Sergeant kicked Merei back and Callaheist impaled him with her sword.

  • "Fool. I can't have you standing on my way. "

Merei staggered with his stomach pierced. He coughed blood. Algra screamed. A fire was emerging from inside her again. Callaheist swiftly kicked Merei, freeing her sword, and with a graceful turn, she impaled Algra.

  • "Rest, wicked one. "

Algra fell on her knees. She saw Merei on the ground, coughing blood. The fire was now blazing inside her. She didn't accept this. None of this. She roared, and in a flash, it was no longer a young woman impaled by a sword, but a black scaled, winged, horned and spiked demon. She looked a bit like a dragon as well. Callaheist was dumbstruck. She could sense her aura again. It was far more powerful than before. It was overwhelming. Before she could try to do anything, Algra stood up, and grabbed Callaheist by the head, and threw her several meters away from her, still having her sword impaling Algra. The Sergeants tried to lift their swords to strike, but Algra shoulder bashed the other in a flash, penetrating him with her shoulderspikes. The Sergeant let a scream out, and Algra slammed him against a wall, crushing his bones. Letting him drop to the ground, Algra turned to the other Sergeant, who was charging her with his sword ready to strike. Algra grabbed the sword locked on her stomach, and pulled it out in a flash. It hurt. But she liked it. The feeling was euphoric. With enormous strength, she slashed the charging Sergeant. He tried to block her strike, but it cut trough his sword, and decapitated him in an instant. A loud clang could be heard as the head of the sword landed somewhere on the ground. The Sergeant staggered, headless, blood flowing and squirting out. Then he fell on the ground. Algra looked at Callaheist, who was trying to get up. She jumped at her, and grabbed her throat with her left hand, and started pounding her head with brutal hits with her right. Blood was already flying out, she didn't even let her scream for she was squeezing her throat so hard. The bloody, disfigured face was not enough. Algra pulled her right hand far, and squeezed her fist. Purple spikes emerged on her knuckles, much the same color as her talons. She could hear the rattle from her bones as she squeezed her fist even harder. She hit Callaheist with all her strength, crushing her skull against the ground in a gory feast of skull fragments, blood and pieces of brains. Algra let a roar out, and the footmen outside staggered backwards, trying to find courage, but failed to find any. Algra was breathing heavily. She looked at Merei, and rushed to him. His eyes were still open, and he was breathing slowly. She bent over him.

  • "Merei... I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry! "

Merei lift his shaking hand, and stroke Algra's snout.

  • "It's alright, Algra. I knew you were a special girl. "

Merei coughed blood more, and his breathing became very fast and irregular.

Algra tried to find words, but there was none. She just cried. Tears flowed from her red eyes, and drops silently landed on Merei's chest.

  • "Don't... you worry. I have no reg....r... "

Merei's breathing slowly began to reduce the pace, until it stopped completely. Algra cried louder, stroking his face with her bloody hands. She closed his eyes with her right hand. Then she stopped crying. She bit her fangs together, and rose up. She fixed her eyes on the footmen outside. She started walking towards them. She licked her right fist briefly when she did. Sweet taste. The voice inside her spoke again.

  • "We are you. You are us. Accept yourself. "

  • "Yes... I am me. I am Algra. "

It was like her own voice and the demonic voice merged together. There was no other voice left. There was only she. Only Algra. As one. The footmen stepped back as the demon closed in. There were ten of them, but they felt awfully overpowered. Finally, two of them gathered enough of courage by desperation to attack the demon. The first one Algra slammed on the ground with her right hand, and the other one Algra tripped over with her tail entwining on his leg. She dragged him around her, slammed him on the ground once, twice, thrice. He stopped struggling, but it wasn't enough. Algra combusted him into flames and threw the burning carcass away. The stench of burning flesh filled the street. The other footman was on the ground, coughing blood, so Algra stomped on his head, crushing it to bits. Her eyes were open wide, and she started glaring at the remaining eight footmen. Two made a run for it. Three decided to charge Algra all at once. Algra grabbed leg of the freshly killed footman beside her, and started swinging the headless corpse around like a toy. She lit it on fire, and the sight of a headless carcass on fire being swung around was pretty ominous. She threw it at the attacking footmen with great force, hitting two of them, slamming them brutally & shattering their bones, knocking them out. The last one ran towards Algra, with his sword in a impaling position. Algra let him impale her. She coughed a bit of blood, it tasted wonderful. She stared at the footman who was terrified by the fact that the demon didn't seem to mind getting impaled at all. Algra pressed her snout on the footman face, and grabbed his sword hand, slowly pulling the sword out. Finally, it was all out. Algra forced the sword on her hand, and impaled the footman's stomach in turn. Now he coughed blood, much of it reaching Algra's snout. Her forked tongue came out and licked it off. She pulled her head back a bit, and opened her mouth. The footman could see a series of razor sharp fangs. At the very same moment, Algra struck her teeth deep in the footman's throat, piercing his skin and flesh with ease. The footman couldn't even let a scream out, and Algra started pulling her head back, with her teeth still deep in. Finally, the flesh gave in, and Algra lift her head up in a rapture of blood flying around everywhere. She released her hold on the sword, and the footman fell on the ground. The last remaining five had seen enough, and ran. Algra let the fresh blood venture in her throat. She let her tongue clean her snout, and after she had had enough, started looking around her. It was quiet. Very quiet. But she could see some of the townsfolk watching from the windows or whatever shelter and hiding place they had chosen. Mereth was also looking from the tavern. Algra glanced at him. He was shaking his head in disbelief. Algra just chuckled. And kept on laughing. There was nothing left for her. Nothing at all. If the world was to take everything she had, she would then fight the world until it kneel down to her. Sounded like a good plan. She spread her wings, and flapped them a couple of times. She randomly picked a direction. There. She flapped her wings harder, and elevated into the air. She started flying towards her chosen direction. She would keep on flying until she reached some place of interest. What happens then, she would just have to find out. For now, she just wanted to fly. Away.

The townsfolk carefully left their shelters, watching as the demoness slowly flew farther and farther. Eventually, the demoness disappeared completely. There was a moment of silence. No words. The grim sight of battle, no; slaughter was all that was left, and the smell of burning flesh. The remaining five footmen cautiously returned to the village moments later, and were relieved to see the townsfolk was unharmed.

  • "Where... where did the demon go? "

The one of the townsfolk could finally let some words out.

  • "It... flew away. Towards West. "

  • "West? We need to report this immediately. Make damn sure she won't get away with this! "

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