It was not often that Amatricina got to wander the grand archives of her clan's ancestral fortress. Within were stored treasures and relics collected from across countless generations and millions of years of existence, each trophy or prize jealously hoarded away as to not be coveted by rivals. Demons were envious, avaricious creatures by nature, and they hoarded their riches like the sky hoarded stars in the night. It brought the demoness great satisfaction to simply walk the long corridors and cavernous halls and inspect her myriad of treasures. A few she'd gathered herself, others her father before her, but the vast majority were the trophies and war chest of distant kin who's names she'd only find by reading through dusty scrolls and aged manuscripts. Long departed ancestors who had all but faded from the memory of time, only a brief recollection of their deeds and a collection of trinkets to remember them by. That and their bloodline of course, Amatricina mused to herself. She was after all, the living legacy of every ancestor that had lived and died before her, their memory made flesh and blood. As she was caught in her musings, lost in idle daydreaming, something fantastical began to happen.

The demoness turned, sensing powerful demonic magics at work behind her. One of the treasures was surging back to life, she could feel in drinking in radiant dark energy around her like a sponge drinks in water. What had triggered its reactivation, was it something she had done? What fel powers did it hold? Was it weapon or tool? Questions raced through Amatricina's mind as she approached the set of stone pillars. They were etched in a thousand runes in a hundred tongues, none of which she could decipher. Each one held aloft a golden sphere, carved with ornate runes and symbols, now crackling with arcane power. Amatricina narrowed her gaze, firing twin beams of burning red ki at the center globe, hoping to destroy it. Instead, it drank in the energy, using it to fuel its machinations. The conduit produced a sphere of jet black energy, as flawless as it was absolute. It began to grow in size and form as it drew additional strength from the other two artifacts. It grew rapidly, and before Amatricina could shy away it had taken hold of her. It was overwhelming, like a hole in the immaterial fabric of reality. It suffocated her, sapping her strength as it pulled her through an empty black abyss. More empty than the cold expanse of space, void of light, void of heat, void of existence. Amatricina could scarcely think, much less act. Her thoughts raced endlessly, her mind trying in vain to will her limbs to action and make reason of the madness. Had she died? Was she dying? Endless questions and no one but her own silent screams to answer.

Then, with a bright flash it was over. She could feel it return; existence. Warmth and light and gravity and every other wondrous sense and sensation great and small. And pain, pain like she'd been struck through the entirety of a moon and blasted out the far side. Amatricina gasped loudly, inhaling the first breath of air in what felt like decades. Her vision came into focus, she saw her hands, pressed against cold stone floor as she was doubled over on all fours. Grimacing in pain the demoness struggled to rise to her feet, her balance unsteady from wooziness and delirium. She glanced around her surroundings slowly as her eyes adjusted to the harsh light. Her fiery ruby gaze came to land upon the only other being in the room, one clad in armor and bleeding from the hand. Amatricina opened her mouth to speak, and she realized it, felt it. It was missing, a constant that she had taken for granted her entire existence. As precious as air or water, this place was devoid of it utterly and totally. Dark energy, the nexus of her demonic powers. There was none anywhere, she could not sense it, and could not draw it into her being. She felt sapped of her strength, drained by more than just her ordeal. Where was it! She raged within her mind, searing gaze locked upon her unknown accomplice. "You!" She uttered the word like venom, dripping with malice. "What have you done!"

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Word Count: 730

He had ignored her, Amatricina could scarcely believe it. She had been pulled through a nightmarish black void and the one who had clearly caused it was ignoring her? Hatred swelled within her like water boiling in a kettle. Despite her rage the demoness did nothing to act on it. She was in no condition to fight, not after that ordeal. Even standing was enough of an effort to sap her waning strength. Amatricina stumbled towards one of the far walls of the room, leaning against it as she caught her breath. Even that proved tiring, so instead she slid down and sat on her knees, trying to maintain her dignity despite the circumstances. All the while the armored warrior seemed more preoccupied with something else, in spite of his own injury. What was his motive? Amatricina could only wonder, she kept silent on the matter though. She held no desire to provoke him if he was simply going to ignore her. The more time she had to recover her strength, the better. Was the warrior pursuing someone? Was he being pursued? Was he thieve, sentry, assassin, escort? Too many questions, no time for answers. Ultimately what did it matter, he was here... and so was she. Amatricina briefly considering focusing what energy she had into her Burning Gaze, and seeing if you could pierce the warrior through the back of his skull while his back was turned. But she had no way to gauge the strength of his armor, and doubted she could even properly muster enough ki even if she wanted too.

When her "acquaintance" finally turned to address her, Amatricina could scarcely understand the words that poured from his mouth. She had mastered many tongues in her long life, and whichever this being attempted to speak in, he did so quite poorly. Maybe it was the dizziness and the unsteadiness brought on by her unwanted journey through that black void, but Amatricina felt she had to mentally struggle to piece together every word the man said. Was he a drunkard or just slow? Or was his race simply like that, clearly a fate worse than death. When he claimed he held no desire to fight, or at least that is what it sounded like, Amatricina breathed a sigh of relief. She resigned herself to sitting there as she rested, watching the warrior forge his golden blade and continue to shout strangely worded threats at his unknown opposition. When he began to probe the walls of the room for... whatever exactly it was he was looking for, Amatricina could only sit silently and watch. Her ruby gaze turned back to the relic that had brought her here in the first place. If it had looked anything like the relic from her archives, it did not now. Charred ash was all that remained of the artifact, much to Amatricina's chagrin. She reached a slender hand out and grabbed a handful of ash, letting it slip between her fingers as it trickled back to the floor. It was already fast growing cold to the touch, the heat within slipping away. She wondered her own relic was also now a similarly smoldering pile of ash. Amatricina let out a heavy sigh, exhaling a thick grey smoke as she did, before looking up to address the only other sapient being in the room. "Who are you warrior? And why have you brought me to this wretched place?" Her tone was one of reluctance and agitation, but her eyes still burned fiercely with hate.

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Word Count: 599
Total Word Count: 1,329

The armored warrior seemed to be losing his patience with his search, dust rattled lose from the ceiling when his mailed fist met stone. Amatricina held no desire to offer him any assistance in his search, though she was not too proud to admit she was not curious as to what exactly he hoped to find. He turned to acknowledge her, once more speaking in his strange, barely coherent tone. And once more Amatricina was forced to mentally cipher his strange phrasings and colloquialisms, and what he said surprised her. Not only did this, "Sir" introduce himself, he actually apologized for his earlier aloofness. She did scoff slightly when he said his was the last of his kind. Had their roles been reversed, and it was he who had ended up on her doorstep, she would have made certain the last of his kind was snuffed out. "Apology accepted, Sir." Amatricina said as she accepted his hand, rising back to her feet. Her feet still slightly unsteady, her bust wobbling heavily as she stood upright. The news that the armored warrior had merely been an unwitting pawn in her summoning was welcome news, she enjoyed pawns, they were easier to use. "I'm sorry to hear that you were tricked by the fiends you seek... I'm sure that is a rare occurrence for a warrior of your distinction." Amatricina stated with feigned sympathy as she halfheartedly helped the man in searching the brickwork for his secret passage.

Much to her surprise, Gallius actually found something, and the stone masonry gave way as it shifted form into an arched doorway. Amatricina raised an eyebrow, these were petty magics, but magics nonetheless. "These cultists you seek. When we find them you will have no need to imprison them. I will claim justice, and take from them the only thing they have of any meaning to me." She clenched a fist in anger, her crimson and gold gauntlet twinkling from the gilded light emanating from the armored warrior's own hand. She had been taking note of the man's invocations and incantations, noting that one word was used quite frequently. "Tell me Sir, what is this 'Manus' you keep speaking of? Is it the source of your magics?" Amatricina spoke as she watched the warrior try to dispel the unnatural darkness within the passage. She looked at him, giving a flirtatiously coy smile that betrayed wicked intent. "I might have a trick or two." She said sinfully as she stepped forward into the black depths. Amatricina's pupils dilated as it hit her, the ether of the abyss; it was faint and diluted, but it was there. Dark Energy, or at least some facsimile that closely mirrored it. The demoness breathed in through her nose, wisps of the darkness flowing up her nostrils. Her mouth salivated, and her body quivered. "Ohhh...yess." Amatricina purred, breathing in deeply as she let the darkness fill her lunges. She inhaled for an unnatural length of time, drinking in the darkness like a sponge drinks in water, pulling it into her form. It nourished her, replenishing some of her strength. The miasma dissipated until no trace of it was left, leaving Amatricina with a healthy glow to her complexion as she finally exhaled. "I've missed this." She said contently, stretching her limbs and arching her back as she let out a soft moan. "There, does that fulfill your request Sir?" Amatricina said playfully, silently wishing there had been more of the miasma to feast on. It was a poor substitute for the actual Dark Energy that coursed within the Demon Realm, but with no alternatives it would slate her cravings.

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Word Count: 612
Total Word Count: 1,941

It was with mild curiosity that Amatricina listened to her armored companion explain this "Manus." A forge-god, of fire and blood. She actually respected the creature slightly, if he truly existed his origins were not dissimilar from her own. Fate seemed to be playing ironic games with her if that was the case. Two beings forged in flame pulled together from realms apart by the cruel hands of destiny. It actually made her like Sir, if only slightly. The demoness was becoming more familiar with the armored warrior's thick accent, and though she still had to pick apart his words individually on occasion, his strange tongue was becoming more familiar to her. "This Manus, I like the sound of him." She stated coyly, giving the knight a teasing smile. "My kind was also forged in fire, flame and shadow are our birthright." She turned to her companion, draping her arms around him as she leaned in close to whisper into his ear. "A God that kills his people, leaving only his 'prophet' left to spread his name? Have you ever considered your God may be no God at all? I'd quite like to meet him... I am looking for a suitable husband after all." Amatricina let out a haughty laugh, wicked with lustful intent. She pulled herself off the holy warrior, her walk now held an exaggerated sway of the hips as she moved. If nothing else, she would entertain herself with tempting Sir. Let us see if his God is one of chaste nature, she mused to herself.

When the duo entered the strange hall, Amatricina immediately felt the presence before them. It was evil, that much was clear, she could taste it on her lips. The room itself was an oddity to her, she'd never seen a place like it. Some kind of gathering hall, with rows of seats. It looked like the sort of place the masses would congregate to listen to their betters, though this room was empty as a tomb. When Sir told her to take caution, she merely huffed and obliged. "As you say... Prophet." Came her sarcastic response. The truth though was she still knew she was at a fraction of her true strength, one snack of dark magic and a few minutes rest did not change the fact she'd been forcibly torn between realms and pulled from the place she was strongest. Amatricina wished to avoid conflict, until she knew full well what she was dealing with. "Remember Sir, you cannot have shadows without the light." She stated cryptically, positioning herself on the opposite side of the warrior's sword arm. If her compatriot needed to draw his weapon, she wanted to give him ample room to maneuver.

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Word Count: 457
Total Word Count: 2,398

Amatricina watched the robed figure with a certain uneasiness. Something was not right here, she could feel it in the air. It was not the darkness she sensed, that was almost a welcomed sensation. It was not the evil of the hooded figure, she knew evil great and small well, she herself no stranger to it. But there was... as if a missing piece to the puzzle. It vexed her, and the uncertainty of the encounter kept her on edge. When the figure raised it's gnarled hand, ragged and worn from age or corruption, Amatricina realized what she sensed. Shadow magic, the words bitter in her mouth. She was loath to the dark creatures of shadow, they balked from light and fought only with guile and deceit. They held not the blood lust or wrath of a fire demon, there was no honor or glory to their combat. Amatricina despised many things, but few so much as cravens. When the hooded figure opened his mouth to speak she felt the presence of his familiars around them, her blood boiled and she summoned what strength she had. Her blazen ruby ki flaring to life in her aura. It was a pale shadow of her full demonic strength, but she hoped it would be enough.

The armored prophet attacked first, drawing his burning blade and charging forth weapons in hand. Amatricina let him take the first action, she wanted to gauge their foes strength. When he was sent flying back towards her, she cursed aloud, grabbing him and bracing his fall. "Damn fool!" She hissed, pushing him back onto his feet before springing into action. The demoness moved quickly, displaying an unnatural grace and agility that had been honed by a thousand years of warfare. She vaulted over one of the wooden pews, it buckled and splintered beneath the force against it as she springboarded off of it. While midair the demoness spun into a savage kick, impacting one of the creatures hard and sending it crashing against a wall. Dust shook loose from the ceiling and she landed in a three point stance, eyes forward to meet her foes. Several of the fiends were already lunging forward for her, Amatricina ducked under the first, and rose swiftly, impaling the second on her crown of horns. It shrieked a banshee wail, shrill and rife with terror as the black protrusions forced through its body. Its cries were silenced as Amatricina shook her head violently, flinging the mangled body careening through the air into several of its companions. They were knocked off balance, landing in a tangled pile on the far side of the room with the broken corpse on top of them.

Another of the creatures leapt at Amatricina, tackling her from a flank as her attention was focused elsewhere. They wrestled on the ground for a moment, with the demoness ending up on her back with the combatant on top of her. It clawed and slashed wildly at her face as she held at a bay with her arms, spiked bracers and gauntlets deftly blocking its clawed swipes and gnawing bites. Amatricina delivered a sharp knee to the creature's abdomen, it howled in pain and doubled over slightly. The sickening sound of ribs shattering echoed through the room as Amatricina threw the beast off of her. By the time she rose to her feet two more were coming at her, but the demoness moved too fast. She leapt into the air as they lunged, and while positioned above them she exhaled deeply, unleashing a jet of flame from her mouth that incinerated one with hellish fire. It screamed in absolute agony, breaking off its attack and trying in vain to put out the blaze as it rolled in agony on the ground. Amatricina landed on the second creature, legs pressed together, the heels of her armored boots driving into the creature's skull and shattering its jaw as it was smashed against the ground. It did not have much time as to spasm before its life was snuffed out. Amatricina stood there, panting heavily as she watched the burning creature cry its last breath. She looked at her hands, they trembled slightly. Her strength was already beginning to fade, unable to recuperate the strain she was putting on it. Even without unleashing any of her deadly ki attacks, Amatricina was already tiring. The demoness had no intention of slowing down though, she had not survived nearly two thousand years of endless warfare among her kind just to be killed by some backwater cretins from the mortal realm. "I hope your damned God taught you how to fight!" Amatricina roared back at her companion, her fists clenched in rage and blood lust. The demoness let out a vengeful battle cry, her ki aura flaring again as she prepared herself for the next assault.

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Word Count: 818
Total Word Count: 3,216

It seemed her companion was full of surprises, Amatrinica mused to herself as she watched the knight summon his golden poleaxe. Were this a less... tumultuous situation, she may have actually complimented him on the blade. It looked master crafted, with a brutal edge and a perfectly honed balance between reach, weight, and speed. Perhaps his fire god did truly guide him? Or maybe he was a delusional oaf who held some mastery of fire magics and the knowledge of magical materialization. Whichever it was, the demoness didn't have the time to wax philosophical on the nature of her unlikely ally. As the armored warrior rejoined the fray, she was right there besides him, a whirling flash of movement, elegant as it was graceful in her assault. She gave the knight a wide berth, his weapon had considerable range with its wide arcing sweeps and thrusts. If nothing else he was proving quite capable at cutting a swath through the enemy ranks, were he one of her kind she'd make him a legate and give him a legion of his own. Amatrinica looked up, pulling out of her daydreaming as the hooded figure spoke. She wanted nothing more than to pull the orator's head from his spine, but before she had the chance a new threat emerged, this time quite literally. A massive hand and wrist punching through the ground behind him as he let out a hellish cackle.

Amatrinica braced herself, lamenting her waning strength in the face of their new foe. However she was forced to close her eyes, momentarily blinded by a dazzling flash of golden light. She flexed her muscles, feeling her strength returning to her, the energy invigorating as it was bright. It had a different feel to it than demonic ki, thought she couldn't place its origins. Maybe Sir truly was the avatar of his Manus? "Remind me to thank you for that later." Amatrinica said bluntly, striking a pose as she began powering herself up. Her burning aura crackled and hissed around her, shaking the room and causing small stones and debris to levitate as she gathered her ki around her body. She watched in hardened determination as the towering behemoth rose from the earth. This "Colassis" as Sir put it, it was an impressive beast. Its hand alone was large enough to grab one of them in its clutches, arms long and gaunt with sickly black skin. Its head had no hair, but did have a wide mouth filled with rows of dagger sized teeth. She knew this only because it bellowed and let out a savage howl as it stood upright. The creature's eyes, of which it had many, were like beady purple dots against its black body. The behemoth had a slouched posture, almost walking on all fours as it stood upright. It's hind legs were much shorter than its arms, stocky with four toed feet. Amatrinica could not sense its ki, only the waves of shadow magics that rolled off of it. As it rose to full height its head and shoulders pushed through the ceiling of the building, tearing open a large hole in the roof as debris tumbled down around them. It barely seemed aware it had done that, like a puppet being dragged along by unseen strings.

"That creature is not natural" She warned, cinders dripping from her mouth like bits of spittle as the fervor for battle once more flowed through her. "It is some abomination of shadows, their twisted creation." How these so called cultists had birthed this unnatural horror was beyond her. Even in the demon realm, the perverse magics needed to create artificial constructs and mockeries of life were rare and fleeting. Many shunned these powers as the tools of cravens and usurpers, and cast them and their ruinous powers back into the abyss. Maybe they'd made some dark covenant or discovered some long forgotten relic? Or maybe the same cursed magics exiled in the demon realm also existed in the mortal one. That thought was equally loathsome, and Amatrinica steeled herself for battle. She channeled her ki, focusing it in her throat as she breathed in deeply. When the demoness exhaled she let loose a great beam of blazing ki from her mouth. Crimson hued with a burning aura, the blast was aimed square at the hooded figure, she hoped to cut the head from this proverbial snake in one fell swoop.

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Word Count: 749
Total Word Count: 3,965

Amatricina watched with sickening curiosity as the cultist bled and convulsed. His body was reacting violently to the fel magics within him, his mortal form was not capable of sustaining the power he hoped to channel. Already it was rejecting his flesh, the manifestations beneath jutting through sinew and skin as the man was transformed into a hideous amalgamation of magic and flesh. The demoness wiped her mouth, spitting fire at the floor at she looked upon the creature that stood before her. Her eyes burning red as her aura surged around her. Though she nowhere near her full strength, the boon of Manus, whatever it was, was certainly helping. Amatricina exhaled twin plumes of black smoke from her nostrils. "You're wrong old man!" She said through gnashed teeth. "There is no Demon King. The last one died long ago, he was slain in battle after joining forces with a sorcerer. Whoever you claimed protects you is a liar, and will be your undoing. Your so called "ascension" will be your undoing." She clenched her firsts, her stance wide as she spoke her declaration. He couldn't be right, could he? The Demon Realm had not been united under one king since the time of Dabura. Someone, or something, was masquerading around with a title they had not earned. That had to be only explanation. She would tear this puppet's soul from his body to prove his insolence if that is what it took.

The demoness raised her hands, channeling twin sphere of red ki as she let out an enraged scream. "I AM NO IMP, MORTAL. I AM FLAME AND FURY MADE FLESH!" With that Amatricina hurled the blasts of ki at her foe, they collided and exploded violently. She hurled and other volley, again and again, one after another. Blast after blast in rapid succession, each exploding violently kicking up dust and smoke. "BURN INSECT!" She roared as the demoness fired one ki blast after another, until her arms began to strain from the exertion. She only stopped when she heard a roar above her. The colossal shadow construct let out a bellow as it swung at her with one of its huge hands, trying to crush her. "Suffer!" She cried out, the burning flames that emanated from her eyes focusing into two thin beams of ki before shooting violently outwards. They impacted the creature's incoming hand and detonated in a blast of ruby energy. The beast howled in renewed pain, much of its hand obliterated, a rain of gore and viscera showering down as it clutched its burning stub with its other arm. It was only at that moment Amatricina realized her companion was nowhere to be seen, she turned on her feet, looking around for him. "Sir? Sir where are you?" She called out, before spotting him.

She spotted him a moment later, laying in a crater where the beast had cast him down. Amatricina dashed over, landing quickly besides him. The armored warrior looked wounded, blood sputtered from his lips as he coughed. "You damned fool." Amatricina cursed under her breath, leaning down and grabbing the knight by the arms. She lifted him upright to his feet, bracing his weight against hers as they stood. "You would get yourself hurt, mortal. How bad is it?" She blushed slightly at her own words, more annoyed at herself for showing any kind of compassion for the warrior than anything. Were she not trapped in the mortal realm, and he not the closest thing she had to an ally, she'd happily have left him to die. But, Amatricina was bound by a cruel sense of honor, she would not abandon a comrade to die in the field of battle. Not if she could allow it anyways. "I... I need you if I'm going to beat them, I can't do it alone." The demoness looked up at the shadow colossus, writhing in agony from her attack. "Does your Manus have tricks left up his sleeve to slay these two? If he does... I offer my fire magics in assistance." She said begrudgingly, the words like poison on her lips. Amatricina did not have many options beyond the strange powers her wounded companion possessed.

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Word Count: 708
Total Word Count: 4,674

Amatricina watched as the knight removed his helm, preparing himself for battle in spite of his injuries. Once more he proved full of surprises, conjuring his blade dance of blazing swords. The shadow titan held no hope against their onslaught, flailing and thrashing even as they pinned it to the ground. With one final attack the knight dispelled the beast, its body obliterated in a golden shower of light as the warrior destroyed it beyond a shadow of a doubt. The demoness would have been more impressed, if she wasn't still concerned for their safety. As the smoke dissipated Amatricina could see the cultist leader was still very much alive, though his body further disfigured and burned by her attacks. His insults served their purpose, filling the demoness with rage and clouding her vision. She should have anticipated the attack, but when the cretin launched a spike from his right arm Amatricina had been slow to dodge it. It grazed along her left shoulder, leaving a deep gash along her porcelain skin.

Gritting her teeth, Amatricina let out a roar of pain, grabbing the spike from her arm with her opposite hand and retching it free. Blood flowed cleanly from the wound, it sizzled and burned the ground with molten heat. If the wound scarred, she swore she'd find a way to claw her way into the afterlife itself to kill her foe a second time. The demoness limped her way over to the fallen body of her comrade, clutching the wound on her arm as she did. Her blood hissed as it met cold earth, running down the length of her arm and dripping from her gauntlet. Amatricina stood over the body of her ally, leaning down besides him she gave the knight a small smile. "Sorry Sir, I have an idea... but you'll hate me for it. I need something from you." She straightened the fingers on her right hand, and with one clean thrust punctured through the knight's armor into the flank of his abdomen. If his anatomy was anything like hers, there shouldn't be any vital organs where she had pierced, and blood flowed freely from the wound. Her right hand drenched in the knight's golden blood, Amatricina pulled her hand free. It burned white hot even through her gauntlet, the sensation painful even to a demon of the flame.

Amatricina took her blood drenched hand and mixed it with her own molten blood from her wound. The result seared white hot, and she let out a slight smirk. "Forge-God Manus." She said softly under her breath. "I doubt you are real, but I will pray to you this once all the same. I have need of your strength, to strike down my enemy in the name of your champion. If you value your prophet, grant me this one gift." Whether the god listened, or existed, she did not care. Simply saying the words had been enough for her. She looked up to the abomination that was once the cultist, channeling her ki into her right hand as it seared with twin sets of burning blood. She clenched her fist, crushing a ball of ki between her fingers as rage swelled within her.

"Your words fall on deaf ears, abomination! I am your reckoning." She declared triumphantly, aura flaring as she dashed towards the man with all her might. More spikes flew, but she was ready, dodging each of them as the light from her fist glowed even brighter. "This hand of mine glows with an awesome power!" She roared with pain and rage, "Its burning grip compels me to defeat you!" Now mere feet from the man, she could taste it. His fear. It wafted off his body like a stench, by her hand this sacrilege would be cleansed. With one mighty blow Amatricina thrust her fist through the cultist's rib cage, bones shattering like glass as the searing heat of her fist pushed through his body. She opened her hand, wrapping it around his black heart. A smile crossed her face, and Amatricina leaned in close, whispering into the dying fool's ears as he gasped for air. "Your false king has betrayed you. There is no Demon King... but someday, there will be a Queen." With that she pulled back, tearing her foe's heart from his body. It burned with the same golden light that had filled the shadow colossus moments prior. Amatricina crushed it between her fingers, sending a shower of golden sparks flying as it evaporated.

The gaping hole in the cultist glowed with Sir's... or Manus' light, he screamed in wretched agony, brilliant light first pouring from the wound then bursting from his mouth and eyes. Like a flame it tore through his body, scorching it from the inside out. Then in an instant his form shattered into golden dust, just as their other foe had. It twinkled like starlight before flickering away against the darkness. It was over, at least for now. Amatricina smiled, looking down at her right fist. The blood was gone, her gauntlet cleaned of it fully. Turning slowly, the demon walked back towards the body of her fallen comrade where he lie on the dirt. She picked up the warrior's discarded helmet from the ground, carrying it with her back to him. Amatricina plopped herself down on the ground next to him, resting her back against a large rock. She set the helm down in front of her, looking down at the man. "If you're dying, do not expect me to bury you." She said jokingly, setting his helmet besides him within arm's reach. "You dropped this." She added playfully, more relieved than anything.

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Word Count: 956
Total Word Count: 5,630

Ruby eyes looked up to the heavens, the overcast skies were beginning to give way and the rains had ceased. The sun trying its best to shine through the patches in the clouds, its rays felt warm and comforting as opposed to the cold dampness they replaced. It was refreshing, almost as refreshing as the quiet silence free from the sounds of a desperate battle. Amatricina briefly wondered if the same warm sun was shining down on her world? No doubt they missed her by now, her siblings scrambling to find where she had vanished too. She wondered if her eldest brother Raigu had declared himself regent and instated martial law, he was a stickler for protocol. Home seemed so very distant, but at same time, closer than it had mere moments ago. Maybe she was just letting herself get sentimental, if that was the case she was lucky none of her brothers were around to see it.

Amatricina was pulled out of her daze as the knight tried to right himself, only to fall again to his wounds. She looked down at him with a flicker of worry in her ruby eyes. The demoness let out a soft chuckle as the knight spoke, shaking her head. "I should hope I am far preferable to a 'screaming banshee,' as you put it." As much as it pained her to admit, she was relieved the warrior was still capable of speaking, much less making a joke. Amatricina simply lie there resting against the stone when her ally told her of the incantations. She spat on the ground, it sizzled slightly as it seared the hard packed earth. "I am too weak to leave right now, even if I wanted too. I need a minute to rest, and you need more than that." Without so much as asking the warrior his permission, Amatricina leaned over, lifting Gallius and pulling him towards her. "Besides... we can look once you can stand on your own two feet again."

She propped her companion upright, resting the injured warrior's head against the pillowy cushion of her more than ample bosom. "There... I hope that is more comfortable than lying in the dirt." She cooed, a soft heat rolling off her body like the smoldering embers of a campfire. With a free hand the demoness removed one of her gauntlets, her slender hand flawless in complexion. With careful focus, Amatricina focused her ki at the tips of her fingers, and began to run them along the knight's wounds. "I extracted a price from you in blood, I am honor bound to at least repay it." As she spoke the woman did her best to soothe the warrior's many wounds. Though her touch was delicate, her technique was far from perfect. "I haven't much practice with using ki for healing, so you'll have to excuse my skill." She admitted as she worked. It was rather peaceful, and Amatricina took slow heavy breaths, her chest rising and falling as the armored warrior's head lay against it.

"Silver hair, it suits you." Amatricina purred, brushing a lock of matted hair away from Gallius' eye and tucking it behind an ear. "A warrior of silver and gold, it's quite poetic, isn't it?" Her hand touched against the wound she'd drawn in Gallius' side. With as much tenderness as she could muster Amatricina did her best to close the wound, cauterizing it shut with a burning touch. "We are not so different after all, you and I. Two beings of fire, forged from opposite sides of the same coin. A shame yours did not land on the same face as mine. Were you a demon, you'd make a fine consort." She smirked, running her other hand slowly through the knight's silver locks. "Though you would need to work on that accent of yours..."

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Word Count: 647
Total Word Count: 6,277