At World's End. (Killian only, for now)

[Donovan Walker]

The time was finally here. Everything that they had been preparing for was finally going to pay off. The humans were armed, the demons were prepared. They were ready for the attack. The demons and humans had traveled far, their last attack of this magnitude in Malaysia. As they traveled they had attacked smaller demon clans, practically wiping them out on the way. It was almost as if they used the smaller groups as an opportunity to train the newest member of their army and to gain more fighters if they deem them useful.

Donovan wasn't nervous. This is what he was trained for. This is what he was made to do. He was fully aware that he was fighting and killing his own kind. But Donovan didn’t like what he was. And in order to make up for the misfortune of what he calls a birth defect he was going to fight back. Destroy the demons that made him the way he was. Destroy them for harming humans, the people that have been so protective and helpful to him during his many decades of life. Demons were nothing but evil and the only ones that deserved to live, were the ones that knew they were sentenced to a life time of hell and would make it their mission to put an end to their race.

“We will not back down,” Donovan spoke to the clan of demon haters, which included a dozen or so demons. “You fight them till their defeat. We have not lost a battle thus far and we will not lose tonight!" He continued with his pep talk, getting the clan riled up. Then the group was divided based on their tasks and their positions around the forest. The group he was leading was of the strongest and fiercest humans and demons. He was going to lead that group straight through the domain to where the royalty and eliminate them.

They were given a signal and they charged.

[Killian Delaney]

The queen paced her room, unsure of how to handle the situation. A part of her wanted to slaughter every last one of them... a part of her felt a pang of guilt knowing some of them were related to the people who cared for her for so many years - who had raised her like their own.

A demon kneeled by her door, watching her as she moved back and forth - he was waiting for her instructions. Killian sighed and her shoulders slouched ever so slightly, "Assemble everyone capable. We'll fight." She knew no matter what she'd have to face them. She could not let her people died and she could not let them suffer. She didn't want any other demon to go through what she had... the confusion, the lies. Besides, a small part of her still wanted a bit of revenge.

"Some of them are demons, your highness... I've never seen anything like it. Demons and humans fighting together to kill demons. Especially to kill demons who have done them no harm." The male was clearly perplexed. Killian only wished she was as baffled as he was. Unfortunately, she was not.

"It doesn't matter if they are human, demon, animal - men, women, children. We will fight and we will protect our home. Mothers and their children though are to stay out of this fight. They are to go somewhere safe. These hunters will try to murder us all - they will not stop until they are all dead or we are. Then they will take any children we have and turn them against their own kind. I won't see that happen again." The queen's eyes became cold and hard as stone. Her gaze fell to her vanity where an ornate box held two things - a ring, which belonged to her demon mother and was the only thing left of her family and clan, and a necklace that she ripped off her human mother in a fight with her before she ran away. "Go now, send them out. We will stand prepared for their arrival."

The demon rose and nodded, turning quickly and retreating out and down the hall, calling out for all inhabitants to gather and hear the orders. Meanwhile Killian changed into something more suitable for battle and headed out early. A queen - a ruler - should always be the first on the battlefield in her opinion. No sovereign deserved their position if they hid behind their people rather than stand and protect them with all their might...

---

Her eyes fell upon dark faces. She could see them conversing and she could see them trembling with adrenaline. They were preparing for the assault as Killian and her people stood vigilant in the forest around them, waiting for the strike. It didn't take long. She heard the shout and saw them surge forward over fallen trees and piles of rocks. They were as well-trained as she remembered and even on unfamiliar terrain hardly anything got into their way. She closed her eyes momentarily, praying that still her people were not evenly matched. She wanted this over quickly and believed it would be. Her clan was skilled and she had made sure they were all taught how to fight properly - none of that animalistic behavior that clouded the mind.

In truth, a part of her had been waiting for this day to come for years. She knew it was inevitable. Eventually they would come for her clan. They were determined to wipe out every demon in existence.

As the enemy swarmed forward her people met them with as much force if not more. In an instant the stench of blood was hanging thick in the air. She heard cries from her people which tightened her chest, but she heard screams from the others too which calmed her some. At least she would take some of them out with her if nothing else.

It was then that she caught him. Her eyes snapped to a demon fighting with the humans whom she could swear she recognized. He was strong and she watched as he deftly secured a demon from her clan in his grasp roughly and set him aflame. Killian rushed forward, yanking the man free as he howled in pain and dropped to the ground to put out the flames. Her eyes locked onto the other demon - the one fighting with the humans and froze, one hand clasped tightly around his shirt.

Flashbacks sped through her head rapid. He was from her clan. Her original clan. He had been taken at the same time she was when the demons killed her family. She hadn't seen him in decades. Even when she was still with the hunters her hunter family hardly ever let her around the other children - human or demon. She was never sure why that was since they never seemed afraid she'd hurt them - they just never wanted or allowed it. This boy she knew though.

It was funny... she couldn't remember her family the whole time she was with the humans. She couldn't remember anyone from her clan... but once she was away from them it almost all came flooding back.

Aware that her moment of reminiscing was dangerous she stepped back quickly and released the man with a stony expression. "Leave my clan alone... traitor." She spat the last word venomously at him. Sure she had been with them once, but she came around. She left the hunters. "We've done nothing to you, we harm no humans but those who trespass on our land. This is pointless murder!"

She doubted her words would register. He was most likely completely brainwashed by now - he'd been with them for a long time. Killian had to try though. If there was any chance he wasn't a zombie slave she wanted to take it and run with it. The queen wasn't sure why... maybe it was because she wanted someone from her first clan around. Maybe she just wanted to steal someone else from the hunters. Maybe she just felt like doing it with no good reason behind it. Whatever it was the fact of the matter came down to - she wanted to see if this demon was completely gone or not.

[Donovan Walker]

Things were not going as planned. Few battles were ever easy, but Donovan had not expected this one to be so difficult. His clan had been preparing for this attack for some time, hoping to walk away unscathed. He’d heard little about this clan, just that they were strong and large in numbers. He hadn’t expected them to be as skilled in battle as they were. It was almost as if someone warmed them that they would be coming and trained specifically to prepare for this fight. His men and fellow demons were falling left and right. They were making some progress but not the kind that he wanted to see.

Donovan charged for a demon that was smaller in size, as most typically were, and grabbed him around the neck. He growled as the heat radiated through his body and passed his hands. He set the man a blaze and held tight, almost tight enough to strangle him, but much rather watch him burn alive then die of suffocation. But before he could accomplish what he wanted, the other demon was ripped from his hands by a female. Donovan growled as he searched for the source of his distraction. A demon woman, whom spoke viciously.

“I may be a traitor, but I fight to preserve mankind. To protect human nature from vile creatures like yourself, like myself." She had grabbed onto his shirt so he swung his arm back and slapped her across the face with a fiery hand. He jerked himself free and took a step back. “But unlike you, I am fighting to make up for the error of my existence.” This wasn’t the first time he’d had this conversation with the demons he attacked. They all called him a traitor and felt their murder was unjustified. Some even tried to reason with him.

He lunged for her, grabbing her hair and wrapping it around his hand. He pulled her down onto the ground and lowered himself over her. He didn’t like idea of fighting women unless he absolutely had to, but when he did he treated them no differently than men. Donovan delivered another heated blow to her face, pressing her into the ground with his body weight to keep her from moving.

Demons were stronger than humans and were harder to kill. The challenge was almost fun for him, a game. He would not stop until she was dead.

[Killian Delaney]

Every blow hurt, but it was nothing she couldn't take. Woman or not - she was no weakling. She was no stranger to a fight.

He had her pinned on the ground and hit her again. Her face buried into the damp, mossy earth, some of it passing her lips and filling her mouth with a taste that surly wasn't the most pleasant, but in a way it was as comforting as a familiar smell. This was her home she was fighting for and this was the home she could still save. Of course this early in the fight it wasn't as if she had lost hope, but it was still a nice reminder. It strengthened her resolve.

She arched her back and slid her hands under her body, using them as leverage to hoist herself up and over onto her back with the other demon now under her. She brought a sharp elbow right up under his ribcage and then wrenched herself free, landing in a crouch and spinning around swiftly to keep an eye on him. One hand rose to her hair and gingerly felt to see if he had damaged it any. She could deal with the normal split ends, a bad haircut, but to have a hole burned into the middle of her hair would have pissed her off. Thankfully it seemed alright. You could just never trust a fire demon - whether you were fighting them or not.

"Preserving mankind, hm?" She gave off a hollow laugh. "Protecting them from demons like yourself... Tell me - boy ---" He was actually older than her if she remembered correctly, but she was testing his limits, seeing what would make him pissed off and what wouldn't. If she could piss him off she could get the upper hand. In her experience a pissed off demon - just like a pissed off human - could lose focus in their rage and become clumsy. Of course they could also become more deadly, but it was a risk she was willing to take. "What about those demons who have never harmed a soul, who live amongst humans and hell - they even live a more saintly life?"

"Better yet, boy, tell me what you think they'll do with you once they've killed every other demon. Do you think they'll let you live? They are determined to wipe out all demons, not 'every one but those who help us'." She needed to get inside his head. The sooner she could do that the sooner this could be over. She only needed in for a moment and then she could work her magic. "They will kill you too, even after everything you've done for them. You call demons monsters, but these humans can take children - human and demon - and turn them into killing machines, brainless drones to do their bidding. They send them into battle, not caring if they live or die. They will treat you like their own, like their child, but once you have exhausted your usefulness they will take your life and not bat an eyelash at doing so."

"These humans you fight for are just as much monsters as any demon. Any creature. They kill without regard for who that demon is. They don't care if the demon has ever done anyone wrong - they just want him dead. Blood thirsty, that's what they are. That's what they were when they killed your family, your clan, and took you in to make you the traitorous, murderous, demon you are now. If you want to protect mankind from those like you, you should be fighting the people you're helping. They made you a killer, not the fact that you're a demon!" Killian snarled, her heart constricting at her own words. It was a subject too close to home.

[Donovan Walker]

((attempting to post... I stare at your post almost every day...but I'm having some serious writer's block))

[fallon grimwood]

((OMFG. -dies- you got me all happy and worked up and then BAM, no posttt. lol. well if you need me to add more or make changes to help you out, let me know.))

[Donovan Walker]

So I know that I was supposed to post, but I was halfway done when I got the call that my grandma is in the hospital. Hopefully I can post tomorrow at or after work

[Donovan Walker]

This woman was seriously pissing Donovan off. He expected her to fight. A demon never backed down from a challenge. But she was talking so much that it was beginning to agitate him. He wanted this to be easy and it usually was. Her talking was distracting him. Why couldn’t she just put up a silent fight or accept the fact that she was going to die? Most of the demons he fought with argued or even tried to reason with him but she was being so condescending that it was making his blood boil.

“What makes you think you know so much? You are just an ignorant demon, blinded by your demonic lifestyle. Humans have tried to live harmoniously amongst demons long ago but we did nothing but destroy them. They are taking revenge and ensuring that they can live in a secure environment, free of killers.” He didn’t even know why he bothered. She would not accept anything that he had to say. Not that it mattered. She was going to die soon anyway.

He tried not to listen too much to the things that she was saying. He didn’t want to lose his focus, though some of the things she said did register a little. She seemed to know much more about his lifestyle than most. And she seemed to be more personally affected by it. Nonetheless, he pounced, using his hot hands to grab her face. “You don’t know anything about me. My clan abandoned me because they were evil bastards. The humans were kind and took me in. I am doing a great service to them in thanks for their care.” He grabbed her face tighter, hotter. “You know nothing.”

[Killian Delaney]

((sorry for the complete crap and I hope you don't mind that I perhaps modded you a bit there... not really letting you react to me >.<;; as usual I'll change anything you dislike.))

Killian would have laughed if it wasn't such a pathetic fact - this man... this boy, was not listening, was not caring. He was pigheaded, stubborn. He was a fool. Not a complete fool, but a fool nonetheless. Not to mention he had the trademark temper of a fire demon and the irrational behavior to go with it. No wonder he believed so strongly in what the humans had to say - they just had to feed into his temper, get him angry at the 'right' things. It was an easy task.

She was going to take her time fighting him, ease back and just wait it out until he was tired, but he ruined that plan. He opened his mouth and his words stung deep. “You don’t know anything about me. My clan abandoned me because they were evil bastards. The humans were kind and took me in. I am doing a great service to them in thanks for their care. You know nothing.” Before she knew it she had grabbed his hand and forcefully removed it from her face as she flipped him on his back and pinned him down, swinging at him wildly.

"You are the one who knows nothing! Ignorant fool! Pawn! Your clan was not a bunch of evil bastards! Your clan didn't abandon you! Your parents were slaughtered like animals by the people you help and protect! My parents were slaughtered like animals! My brother, my sisters... all murdered by your human scum!" Tears streamed down her cheeks and stung the burned and bloody flesh where his hands had touched her. They came flooding out and she couldn't stop them.

Was she crying for her family? For the people she never really knew? Was she crying for some innate emotion, some unreasonable love lost? No... most likely she was crying for what she'd never known and never would know. It was no love she was born with, no love she acquired. It wasn't for the people. It was for the 'what ifs'. What if they hadn't died. What if she hadn't spent her youth killing her own kind? What if she had lived in that demon clan, grown up with her birth family? Would she be stronger? Weaker? Would she be happy? Would she have liked them? Would she be demon queen? Would she be mated with someone? Would she have a family of her own?

The questions flew through her head - and her heart - and the sheer weight of them all crushed her, panicked her. Crying was a natural reaction... really. Or maybe she wasn't as strong as she thought she was emotionally. Physically though there was no doubt in her mind that she was strong. Strong enough to win this fight, this battle.

Her hands found Donovan's neck and her slender fingers curled around it, squeezing tightly. She was determined - she wouldn't let go no matter the pain she might feel... and her tears would not be her downfall. They would not weaken her.

She looked down into his eyes through the salty liquid and calmed down considerably as she made a connection. Now the only question was... what would she do to him? One of her personal favorites was making people think they were burning alive, but he was a fire demon so that trick wouldn't work. What fought fire though? Water. 'Drowning will have to do,' she concluded as she began picturing Donovan submerged in water, struggling. She imagined the increasing pressure, the growing pain as his air ran out. Next... the gaping mouth trying to take in oxygen and only getting water. The suffocation, the constricting chest, the flailing...

[Donovan Walker]

There was something about fighting this demon woman that was different than any other battle he had been in. Most demons he fought disagreed with his beliefs, as she did, but none took it as personally. It was as if she were taking this as a threat against her as an individual rather than as an attack on her whole clan for the purpose of cleansing. The things she was saying didn’t make any sense to him. She was making up these explanations to try to get him to show mercy, but he wasn’t going to. She just didn’t know what she was talking about.

She was getting emotional. She was working herself up, providing him with a window of opportunity to take advantage of her temporary weakness. But before he could put much more thought into it, he found himself suffocating. No matter how wide he opened his mouth or how deep of breaths he took, it was as if his lungs were filling up with invisible water. He tried to inhale once more but his nasal cavities just burned. The pressure on his body was massive as if he were being forced into the depths of the ocean. He could practically see massive waves washing over his body, carrying him out further and further from the shore that was his reality. He flailed around trying to bring himself to the surface, but it was no use. The invisible current was too strong. He was going to drown to death, without actually being anywhere near the water.

[Killian Delaney]

Her anger and sadness had gotten the best of her. Her emotions had consumed her. Instead of paralyzing her though it drove her to fight, to kill. It rushed her magic through her veins in waves and she needed to release it. That was why Donovan was in her grasp now.

Killian focused all her magic to make the sensations as real as she could. She wanted him to suffer for his words, his actions, his foolishness. It was unfortunate for him, but also fortunate. It drained her quickly, ebbed her rage. Before she knew it she was staring down at the helpless demon man beneath her in shock.

She removed her hands as if the demon had burned her and scrambled away, standing and running her fingers through her hair which was damp with sweat from the exertion. It wasn't until she had gotten a few good breaths in that she realized she had him crippled and it would do to take advantage of that. hoping he hadn't recovered too much she walked back over and kicked him in the chest, sliding her boot-clad foot up to his throat.

"Surrender, boy. You won't win." She muttered, her voice solemn and hardly boastful. She had no intentions of killing him unless it was necessary. She hated the idea of it... for all she knew he was the last of her original clan left alive. No... if she didn't have to she would not kill him. Perhaps in time she could convince him... at the very least she would keep him in her dungeons until she couldn't any more.