The last thing Amatricina had expected to appear on her humble island getaway was a half demon woman who had inadvertently summoned her to the Mortal Realm once over a decade prior. But, when life gave you soldiers, you make an army. At least that was her father had always told her anyways. The reunion between the demoness Amatricina and the half demon Zerori had been perhaps the only positive thing to happen to the demoness in the last week or so she'd spent on this misbegotten planet. Her other ventures had been met with failure or disappointment. The sun hung high in the sky, and the demoness had completed her morning meditations... plus one this time. Zerori needed significant training if she was ever going to truly hone her abilities. The Saiyan in her gave her a fiery temper, even by demonic standards. Amatricina believed she could temper that fire, and forge it into something deadlier given Zerori had the desire to apply her tutelage.

At present the duo were sitting in a large clearing, not far from the base of the active volcano that stood vigil over the island's eastern half. One of the great native beasts had thought it wise to attack the duo not long after they had finished their training. It was a mighty reptilian brute of a creature, standing as tall as one of the trees and possessing a huge mouth filled with dagger like teeth. It stood upright, with two small front limbs and thick powerful legs balanced by a long tail. Amatricina rather admired the beasts, they were the apex predators of the isle, killing and eating whatever they wished. Except for today that is, today this tyrant lizard had bitten off more than it could chew. Tired from her training and ravenously hungry, Amatricina had been in no mood for the predator's games. When it let out a mighty roar and charged the two demons, she had quickly dispatched it with a blast of eye lasers to its brain. Instantly killed by the fiery lobotomy the creature had fallen to the ground in a heap, and Amatricina had made Zerori haul its huge back to camp on her shoulders as a "strength building exercise." The reality was the reptilian beasts smelled rather foul up close, and Amatricina deigned to drag it through the jungle herself.

The beast's carcass now sat at the far end of Zerori's encampment, strategically placed downwind of them. Although Amatricina was more than content to sleep in the molten depths of the volcano itself prior to the girl's arrival, young Zerori required more... conventional living arrangements. Nevertheless, the two sat around a large campfire slow roasting huge steaks of meat carved from the slain beast's tail sections. The meat was rather tough in comparison to some of the smaller, furrier forest creatures, but it tasted remarkably similar to chicken. Chickens being the only earth creature who's name Amatricina had actually taken the time to learn. The duo ate with little refinement or sophistication, given their primitive abode and total lack of silverware or furnishings. Amatricina herself letting the sin of gluttony get the best of her for once, tore off mouthfuls of meat and barely stopped to chew.

She paused suddenly, letting out a low groan as she chewed a massive drumstick slowly. She sensed something, approaching rapidly from the distance. It was the second time an unexpected power level had been headed straight towards her island retreat. Was there something about this place she didn't know? Or was fate truly this unkind to her this day? She took another bite, still chewing slowly as she hoped the power level would move on, but it only drew nearer. The felt as if it had landed on the edge of the island, powering down slightly as it ceased flying. It was no Saiyan, it was no Earthling, and it certainly was no Demon. The only being Amatricina had ever felt with ki quite like that was a knight of fire, supposedly the last of his kind, blessed by his flame god with a holy quest that sent him across the universe smiting the wicked. Amatricina sighed, her gaze turning to the direction the energy was coming from as she swallowed her bite and contemplated setting the drumstick down to go investigate. "I sense something Zerori." The demoness said simply, before deciding to take another bite of her meal. "Tell me you feel it too..." She added dryly, hoping perhaps her mind was simply playing tricks on her.

---

Word Count: 764
Andrew C. Creed , Zerori

    The knight trudged towards the Palm tree forest. His feet felt like iron weights. Gallius unclipped his helmet’s bindings and attached it to his side. His drowsy eyes scoured the forest line before entering. A dull yellow sword cut through the brush, until eventually coming almost face to face with a devilish looking woman. He would quickly hop back and raise the sword to protect himself. Tired or not, sword fighting was embedded into his very muscles. It would take a little more than sleep deprivation to take that away. He quickly eyed the female and her surroundings before stopping suddenly. A grin drew across his face as he saw an old friend, Amatricia. He would dissipate the sword quickly and hold a hand up to the other female. “I apologise fer that, me instincts kikd in. It hath been a long tyme Amatricia, it be gud to no a frend is among the rabbel of thys planet”


    
    “That female is the one, Gallius. The one who helped free me. You should kill her. Or at least maim her some for ruining my battle” Gallius winced and held his head, muttering something under his breath. “Forgif me, me mynd tis hurten a byt”



Word Count: 203

@amatricina  Zerori

To say that Zerori was embarrassed by the reaction she got from Amatricina was a bit of an understatement, evidenced by the deep flush that dusted her cheeks as she endured the explicit criticism from the greater demon. At the mention of her inability to smell the arrival’s scent, Zerori looked down at her food and pouted at it – as if it were to blame and not her own capability. Instead of wasting it, she scarfed it down and swallowed before throwing the stick away that it was cooked on. When it was mentioned that it wasn’t a foe, the hybrid deflated visibly with a disappointed expression before following, “Ugh, fine.”

Taking off after Amatricina, Zerori used the strong limbs, trunks and vines to keep up with little trouble. Speed wasn’t really an issue for her, as it was maneuverability and already Zerori was nearly falling behind. She ground her teeth, pushing herself to pounce off the trees with more force – finally catching until-

“GYAAH!” Amatricina could stop near instantly. Zerori… not so much. At the sudden halt of their movement, the hybrid’s footing was lost as she lost sight of her mentor, resulting in an equally embarrassing fumble through the branches and bushed before landing between Amatricina and a familiar scent. Dirty, bedraggled and in bad shape, Zerori would only raise a hand from her prone form on the ground and bid the knight a deadpanned greeting, “Hey. Don’t mind me, Golden Guy; just ‘dropping’ by,” She grinned, before she looked back at Amatricina with a huff. “Tch, I’m not slow…”

With a grunt, Zerori kicked her body back up onto her feet, “We’ve met, though it was under very strained circumstances. Hey, about that-” She turned to Gallius, head tilted curiously, “How did you shred through that ship in space?” At the mention of his headache, Zerori’s expression fell before she turned around with a dismissive wave. “Eh, don’t worry about it then.” Facing away from Gallius, Zerori walked over to a large boulder in the ground and sat on it. She would wait for their conversation to come to an end. She didn't hold any ill-will towards the Knight, though she wasn't sure that he felt the same. The chaos at Kamui's ship made it impossible to tell what all had happened and whom was responsible.

Words: 398
Andrew C. Creed