Black & Red

The Wind whipped and the air cracked as you and Rose smashed into each other, hands clasping together, the air between your palms crushed as you both pushed with all of your ****.

The Pressure alone was enough to shake the ground beneath you, the whistling gale that spun widely around you as an unstoppable ****, met an immovable object. You... were Equals.

The Inquisitor was silent, even as you screeched like a mad bastard forcing her back, though she slid forward, delivering a casual backhand across your chest, one that sends you tumbling rapidly out of the yard, and into the woods.

You felt the pain in your back, as you collided with the thick trunk of a tall tree, cracking the bark and a few columns of your spin. But you arose howling again, only to find a hand-lined with razor-sharp talons ready to dart into as a spear would an unsuspecting soldier.

But you caught this blow, smashing at Rose's forearm that cracked hideously.

"No... No not my Rose, please not my Rose."

Your foot buried itself into her chest, her Red mane flowing widely as she rocketed away, elegantly flipping mid-air and sliding back into her legs, not even a hint of pain on her beautiful face.

She clicked her arm back in place, as casually as you or I might flick a light on, and she walked forward, her hands held out "This is not who you are." She whispered.

But there was no room for listening for this new you, there was only battle and bloodlust.

When you met in that city of trees, you were moving faster than you ever had before, hitting harder than you knew you could, Rose was a graceful combatant, trained and practising, she stayed firm on the ground holding her stance as the two of you danced the jig of ****, your claws slashing and clashing like razors, sending sparking embers out into the air. But you... you didn't fight like Rose, you fought like Monster backed into a corner, a very flexible and deadly fast monster that despite being mindless, followed the endless rhythm, all of those months, all of those night in that cave, honing your skills came to this... and damn where you something.

Yes, Rose was graceful, but you attacked as a lightning bolt would, without hesitation, faster than a clapping thunder, jumping, twisting, and bouncing, leaping with your featherweight and spinning to unleash a never-ending flurry of blows that cut open Rose's arms as she shielded herself.

"What am I gonna do? if I actually kill her? how am I going to live?"

You won't.

"How can I carry on, without her with me?"

You can't.

"How can I help her, to stop me?"

...You fight.

You understood, she was trying to tire you out, that much was clear, Rose was a powerful Upir, and you trusted her to beat you...

You were not sure how much time passed, under that starless sky, but by this time, a dozen trees had fallen, those that had stood were scared, leaves of red and gold fell from the dying trees, and the clashing twang of bladed claws rung into the night.

Rose stepped back, her breaths heavy, one of her blue eyes clamped shut from where you had jabbed at it. She clutched at her shoulder, her frost expression never melting as she popped it back into place, wiping the blood that ran down her face and blowing hair out of her face.

Your heart was thumping and your aura shimmering in and out of form. There were wounds scattered about your body, but some seemed to refuse to regenerate... You smiled inside.

"Almost there Rosie... almost there."

Spitting the blood that sat your tongue, you growled, spinning forward once again with claws ready. Rose vanished into Blackened mist, the two of you weaving in and out of presence with your claws sparking against one another, your bodies booming across the woods as she slit her palm, drawing a symbol across your chest at lightning speed "Dragon's Breath: Azure inferno!"

You wailed as a horrible blue flame exploded like a bomb up into your face, melting your flesh and making your entire left side go numb.

The dirt was cold and the sky looked beautiful as you looked up into it. You felt the Monster you had become grunt as it looked down to your shoulder, blackened and singed.

It got shakily up to its feet, staring at Rose as she painted another symbol on her own lips and whispered "Dragon's breath: Frozen scales." Taking in a full breath, her lips glowed a baby blue as she bellowed out devastating focused air into your body, the controlled stream of ice-cold oxygen striking against your burnt shoulder... and freezing it completely solid, leaving the Monster unable to move it's arm as the frost seeped into your skin.

"RAAAA... EURRRGH." it wheezed weakly, as Rose pulled up frowning sadly as she painted one more symbol, on each of her knuckles.

"I'm sorry, Beloved... if you're in there... this is going to hurt." She whispered, but only the monster answered giving her once last definite Roar as she growled "Dragon's Breath: Exploding fist."

EXPLODING FIST?

"Fuck... this is going to suck."

Her red hair streaked in the breeze, her arm bulging with muscle as she drew back her fist which began to glow an ominous blue, smoke rising from the symbols burned within. standing over you like an Angel of Wrath.

You couldn't recall the fist hitting you if you tried, but you could recall the pain, a pain so deep that it bit into the tissue of your face, white-hot and unforgiving... the sound also came to mind, an ungodly BOOM, one louder than a bomb, it sounded close to lightning striking, it rang you to the core.

When you awoke, you were laying in a smouldering crater, your vision split in two and unable to move, you were probably in more pain than you had ever been, but you still weren't your own, there was still danger, what if you recovered and accidentally killed "HIYA!"

In four quick strokes, a flashing red-hot blade cutting into your elbows and knees. You looked up at Diana, Sword of Lugh in hand. You were still too tired to say anything but felt as someone very very strong picked you up, and slid off into a rush back to the Manor.

When you awoke the second time, many eyes where crowded around you "He took down every single one of us, what a fucking badass!"

"Sh-sh-sh *Pop* shut up Huginn."

"Will you give him some air, the Master needs to Rest!"

"Are you out of your mind!? He tried to kill us!"

"Shut up, Velka, He wasn't in control, we just need to get him somewhere safe and everything will be alright."

"Move out of my way." Rose... Rose's voice, you wanted to hear her talk "Come on Diana, the rest of you just wait out here."

"Who are you to tell me what to do, Inquisitor?"

"I said shut. up. Velka, it is a ladies duty to attend her lord's wishes and He'd want us to listen to Rose."

"That's all well and good but-"

Your eyes flew open as your reached out with your ruined arm, grasping at Velka's denim jacket, staring with your one open eye, now entirely bloodshot, everyone was tense as You stared "W-Wait... out... here... t-take care of.... Rudy..." You managed to whisper.

Velka gave you a strange look, but bowed her head "Yes my lord."

"Th-thank you..."

You passed out again.

"Beloved."

You stirred, coughing and spluttering as you tried to shield your eyes from the painful blue UV light that painted the room blue, Diana was on your left, rubbing something painfully into your fucked up arm, and Rose on your right, drawing runes on your arms as she smiled at you "Dragon's Breath: Flourish."

A warm feeling rolled up through your muscles, the broken cells in your body slowly but surely mending as the runes did their work.

"How many of those bloody Runes are there?" You managed to say.

Rose shrugged as she drew more runes along your chest, and on the side of your face that you couldn't feel "Seven."

"What are they?" You asked, realising that you might perhaps be a little delirious. But Rose gave you a comforting look and nodding.

"Dragon's Breath: Flourish..." the warmth spread through you again, relaxing you and taking the pain away "Well... they are the Seven original Runes ever created by King Dracula, so powerful and taxing that using just one is enough to exhaust an Upir for days..."

"And you used like Four, you're pretty badass..." You whispered.

Rose nodded "...They are, Azure Inferno, Frozen scales, Exploding fist..."

"That one looked like it hurt." Didi said, punching your arm playfully and making you groaning in pain "Sorry... sorry, continue."

"Also there is Candlelight, Flourish, Maw and... the greatest Rune of all, mythical even among us, one that only Dracula himself could summon, one that pulled the stars down from the sky and rendered the battlefield in abysall light." She was so gentle, so soft in the way she spoke, it was almost motherly.

"What was it called?" You asked.

Her blue eyes, locked unto yours, a loving look in her eyes "Skyfall."

You felt yourself shiver... Skyfall, what a fantastic name.

A fantastic name, indeed.

Rose lent in, touching your face with shaking hands "I am sorry... I am so sorry, that looks like it will scar... b-but..."

"It's okay." You said with a smile as Rose sat beside you, and Diana sat crossed legged in front of you, the two of them a little worse for ware.

The Redhead frowned "it's not just that... I have been distant, and unintimate... and I kept secrets from you, I love you, and I don't want to lose you."

Your hands grasped at hers, holding it tightly "Good luck getting rid of me. just no more lies okay?"

She nodded happily "I promise."

"Well, tonight wasn't much of a party huh, bro?" Diana chuckled.

You shrugged "Depends on your definition-ugh... pain party maybe."

The three of you shared a laugh, as the UV light subdued your inner monster, it was starting to seer your skin a little.

"I need to make sure that everybody is... ugh... alright." You tried to get up, and failed miserably even as Diana pushed you back down.

"Everybody will be fine, luckily it seemed that you didn't really try to actually kill anyone. Look I'll go deal with them, you just rest." Didi said, leaning down to kiss your lips tenderly before giving you a gentle smile and rushing off.

You slipped into a deep sleep, the kind that exhaustion brings, and yes while it was deep... it was absolutely anything but Peaceful.