#clone event

Summary: Sohsa made a massive mistake in completing her final witch trials, instead of summoning a more easy-going demon to form a pact with to help her grow in her magic. She managed to summon one of these most dangerous and untrustworthy demons out there, Commander Bacara. Now she has figured out how to get out of this mess, or she's going to end up dead.

Pairing and character mentions: Marshall Commander Bacara and Jedi!OC pairing, Captain Rex mentions.

Rating: 18+ minors do not read

Story Warnings and information: Modern AU, attempt at writing horror, ritual magic gone wrong, Blood, lots of blood, blood drinking, cursing, licking, bone breaking, biting, ritual cutting, implied sexual arousal, demons, Hell mentioned, choking. This is my first time taking part in an event. Very big on the narrative and plot, cause I may come back to this story. Written for @pinascloneevents Banner by @frostycatblr-fandom-files

Event prompts: Free space, Witch and familiar(?)

Word count: 3,579

The autumn night air blew gently through the forest, as the thick clouds hid the stars. Only the full moon’s light pierced through the clouds and shone down into the quiet forest. But the quiet of the forest didn’t last as the sound of running cut through the stillness as Sohsa raced through the grabbing twigs and thorns. She ducked low-hanging tree limbs and tried to keep her balance, not to slip on the slick leaves on the ground. She rounded a corner as she ran, catching her boot on an unseen tree root from the ground hidden in the dark. Her knee slammed hard onto a rock with a sick crack before she slid across the slick ground to a stop.

Sohsa’s scream broke through the forest night, as white hot pain surged through her body like lightning. But she couldn’t stay down; she needed to get up and keep running from the mistake she had just made, the mistake that was hunting her in the dark. She tried to stand and hobble onward, but her knee gave out as soon as she put the slightest bit of weight on it. She fell to the ground again.

“Fuck!” 

She cursed while slowly rolling onto her back. The pain continued to pulsate through her body, and she squeezed her honey gold and brown eyes shut as if trying to will the pain away. But that wasn’t going to happen. She opened her eyes, blurry from pain and stinging tears, to see the full moon shining bright in the autumn sky. The clouds appeared to dance around the moon like white smoke, and Sohas followed the movement. It seemed to help her take her mind off the pain for a moment, but not the nightmare she was running from. A nightmare she opened herself up to because of her quest to prove herself as a growing witch, and her own impatience with her teachings. 

Sohsa lifted her left hand into the moonlight and twisted it so her palm faced her. Through the wet dirt that clung to her palm, red shimmered and rolled down her wrist from a deep cut. A sacrifice made in blood to form a pact with a demon that would serve her and be sealed to her until her death. It was a rite of passage for young witches at the Academy: once they reached the age of 25, they would make a blood pact with demons from Hell on All Hallows Eve. But in her haste, she misread the incantation and summoned one of the three demons no witch should ever attempt to summon, and much less try to make a blood pact with. 

This demon was known for his hatred of witches and was also known for his desire to eat their flesh. An ice demon condemned to the 9th circle for his treachery and betrayal during his mortal life. He was called Bacara, and he was one of the most dangerous and possibly the most uncontrollable demons an expert could dare summon, let alone an inexperienced witch. The stories and lessons say that with summoning Bacara, you either die trying to pull him forth or he kills you the moment he’s through the gates. In Sohsa’s case, her summoning was successful, but just as the stories said, he tried to kill her the moment he was in the mortal world.

She had fought him when he attacked her. Using her own powers as a witch, she held him off long enough to get the gate back open and push him through to send him back to Hell. But before the gate could slam shut, Bacara had caught the gate in both of his claws. Prying it back open and walking through, bringing his cold and maliciousness with him. Seeing him push the gates open with his own will, and feeling the raw power coming from him. Fear gripped Sohsa, that all she could think about was running away. To save herself from the fate that fell on any witch who faced Bacara.

“What have I done?” 

She said in a whisper, as her hand dropped to the ground, and hot tears rolled down her cheek. “I didn’t mean to summon him, and I can’t send him back. And during All Hallows Eve, with his powers almost doubled… I’m so dead.”

There was panic in her voice as she spoke into the night, as the clouds moved away from the moon to allow for its whole light to shine over the forest. A twig snapped somewhere in the woods, and Sohsa's head snapped over to where she heard the sound. Another twig snapped, and more movement could be heard getting closer to her. Her mouth got dry, and her heart was pounding in her chest so loudly that she was sure whatever was coming to her could hear it. She held her breath as the footsteps got closer and closer, till slender legs on cloven hooves walked out of the treeline. A deer with a small row antlers pushed through the bushes. It snorted at her before trotting off back into the forest. She let out a held breath and took a shaky, deeper breath, then another before lifting her head to look at her knee. She groaned as she sat up from the ground and reached for her knee,  hissing when she slightly touched it.

“I need to heal my knee, so I can get back to the main road to call for help. I can’t fight him alone. ” She said, looking down at her knee. Blood and dirt stained her knee, where her jeans ripped when she fell, and it was starting to swell. Definitely broken, but she closed her eyes and cupped her hand around her knee to focus on healing it. 

Sohsa's powers began to heal her torn skin and broken knee. She let out a held breath, not noticing steam coming from her lips until she felt it. The unseasonable cold air filled Sohsa’s lungs when she took a breath, causing her to open her eyes. Sohsa looked around, feeling the cold slowly drift from the trees, and the air started to hold ice crystals as if it were the dead of winter. It was then that she felt it —the biting, bitter cold energy pulsating in the air like cold electricity. The sound of ice forming on the ground stretching like icy fingers towards Sohsa,  wrapping around her ankles while she desperately tried to drag herself back away from the ice.

“Sss-oh-ssaa…” Hearing her name called felt like ice forming around her heart, as all the warmth seemed to vanish from around her.

The fear that gripped her earlier returned to Sohsa like a vice, making her tremble as she watched the demon she had mistakenly summoned step out of the treeline and walk towards her. He was a towering figure covered in ice and shadow save for his eyes and claws. His eyes blazed icy blue, and his claws were blinding white. His footsteps left a trail of blue and black ice behind him, his claw-like fingers flexing as if preparing to grab her up by the neck and smash her skull into the tree that was behind her.

“Stay..Stay back, demon!” She demanded, still dragging herself backward away from him as he got closer. The demon, ignoring her demands, lowered himself to all fours and stalked towards the wounded witch like a wolf hunting a hurt rabbit. 

“I said, stay back!” Sohsa yelled, pulling her dagger from her boot holster, which she used earlier during the summoning. She held the dagger out before slashing at the demon when he got close enough. Only for Bacara to catch her wrist and twist it slowly till she dropped her dagger. She cried out in pain —not just from her wrist being bent — but from his cold grasp, which felt more like he was burning her skin than freezing it.

“Let me go..AH!” She let out a sharp yelp as Bacara stood and started dragging her by the wrist, pulling her back into the forest.

“No!” She cried, trying to pull free from him, her feet kicking at the earth in desperation, only to leave drag marks in the damp ground as he pulled her into a clearing of the forest. “Let me go! I wasn’t trying to summon you…Ow!” Bacara tossed her by her wrist. She fell with a hard thud onto her side in front of him.

“Please…don’t kill me…” Sohsa pleaded through hard breaths. She swallowed hard and kept her head down. She was too afraid to look into his blazing gaze, which stared down at her.

“Look at me.” His voice was deep, and a chill tickled Sohsa's ears as if the sound itself carried ice from the wind. But Sohsa shook her head and did not look; where there had been fight in her before, she was frozen by fear.

“I said, look at me!” 

The disembodied roar of his voice blazed Sohsa with energy so cold that, when it touched her skin, it burned like fire more than if ice were placed on her. He reached down and grabbed her throat with his clawed hand, lifting her and slamming her against a tree, and with the other, he grabbed her half-healed knee. His claws closed around it like a hunting trap. The sickening crunch, mixed with Sohsa's screams, echoed through the forest.

With a face covered in dirt, leaves, and tears, Sohsa looked at him. Seeing the demon she summoned clearly, staring at her with a face no longer covered in shadow. The dissipating darkness revealed a handsome human face, tanned, holding onto a coldness where warmth should be. His hair was black and curly, with cut tight edges. His blazing ice-blue eyes were gone, replaced with dark brown eyes with a cut on his brow. But the orbs held on to their coldness as he looked up at Sohsa. 

Slowly, the shadows and ice that covered his body were gone. His muscles were well defined, and he was dressed like a normal man: a black long-sleeve shirt, dark jeans, and boots. If anyone saw him, they would never believe he was a demon from Hell.

“I didn’t mean to summon you…Please, it was a mistake,” Sohsa said, almost in a whisper as he tightened his grip around her throat. Her hands grasped the claw around her throat as she gasped for air. She fought to stay conscious, feeling dizzy from the pain and the lack of oxygen. 

“You keep saying that, but here I am,” Bacara said coolly, as his grip on her knee loosened, and his claw changed to a normal human-looking hand. He looked down at her mangled knee, which hung like torn meat on a hook. The moonlight made the fresh blood shimmer before Bacara gently placed his hand over it. He started to pick away at the dirt and leaves that were stuck around and on her knee, with gentle care as if he didn’t just crush it only moments before.

Sohsa watched him, confused at how gentle this demon was being when not too long ago, he was trying to kill her. But when he looked back at her, there wasn’t gentleness in his eyes, only the cold that hung on his body. 

“Why are you trying to summon demons if you’re not even sure which one you’re calling forth, little Witch? Did they not teach you anything at that little Academy of yours?” Bacara asked, not really caring for her answer, but since he was out of Hell, he would make the most of it before returning after he killed and ate this stupid girl.

“I…” She swallowed before continuing, “was trying to summon a different demon… Rex…” She gasped, “But I said the incantation wrong…” Bacara sucked his teeth, hearing who she was trying to summon. 

“So you wanted the golden boy of Hell? But got me instead. What a shame, because he really is a loyal dog to you witches.” His words were full of disdain as he spoke about the other demon. Rex annoyed him with his loyalty and trust to these lesser beings, being so willing to give them his power. But not Bacara, he only enjoyed their flesh and watching the fear play across their faces before he killed them.

 Bacara continued to look her over. Looking at her dirt-covered golden brown face, the frost that clung to her braids, and her honey brown eyes that tried to hide her fear. She was a witch of summer, caught in the claws of winter. It excited him to feel her shiver in his grasp as his cold wrapped around her.

“I like seeing you scared…” He said to her, raising his hand and brushing away some dirt that clung to her cheek with his fingers. 

Sohsa inhaled sharply when his fingers touched her cheek. His touch burned like it did when he grabbed her wrist, but she didn’t take her eyes off him. She wasn’t going to let him be the reason she failed. He may not have been what she wanted, but he was a demon, and she was going to make a pact with him.

“I’m not scared of you…I’m a witch and…I want to form a pact with you. To bind my soul to you, till my time is done in this realm.” Sohsa watched the demon's face for any reaction, but it remained still and emotionless.“If you bind with me, I’ll let you have your autonomy…no chains…and…we’ll treat this as a partnership, then as me being your master.” 

Bacara’s brow rose at her offer, but that was the only expression he would show. This little witch was beginning to intrigue him slightly. She was going to let him have his autonomy, not place the binding chain on his neck, and she wanted to be his partner instead of his master. Bacara could use this to further his own interests in the future. 

She felt his grip around her throat loosen. That was a good sign that she at least had his interest for the moment. “Do we have a deal, Bacara? Traitor of Mygeeto, Commander and Prince of Hell's armies of the 9th Ring of Treachery and Betrayal.” She said his full title as she watched for any response or emotion on his face. But his face stayed frozen with the same stern expression.

“I’ll also…” he grabbed her wrist and pulled it away from grasping at his clawed hand, before she could finish. Squeezing it as he held her gaze with his own. His thumbnail grew sharp, he pressed against the clotted cut on her hand.

She winced in pain as his nail pushed against the cut to make it bleed again, and he slowly dragged the nail down, reopening the whole cut in her hand.

“You’ll also what?” He asked,  blowing the dirt off her hand before his forked tongue licked the blood streaming from her hand. His tongue flicking across her hand sent a shiver down her body from the sensation of his tongue lapping up her blood. He wondered what else she would offer up, in hopes it would save her life. “It’s been so long since I’ve had the blood of a witch…” He said with a sigh before continuing.

Sohsa, feeling a combination of being grossed out by Bacara’s blood drinking and a sense that he may be getting ready to rip her apart for a moonlight snack, caused his teeth grazed her palm. She needed to get Bacara to agree to make a pact, or she was sure she was going to die.

“I’ll feed you witches' blood! My blood, if you agree to stay with me!” She said quickly, looking at him as he stopped licking her hand. Bacara turned to face her, cocking his head as he thought.

“You’re an interesting witch, Sohsa.” He didn’t smile when he spoke to her, but his words seemed to hold a smile his lips wouldn’t form. “And if I make this pact with you, Witch. I have your word, I’ll stay free to do and go as I please, and you’ll feed me your blood when I want it?” He glared at her, waiting for her answer.

 “Yes.” She said, but the answer felt heavy as if the witch chains that usually would go around a demon's neck had now gone on hers. “You have my word, you’ll have your freedom and my blood as you need it.”

Bacara gave a slight nod, letting go of her hand before looking at her busted knee. He hovered his hand over it, and it started to knit together, but it wasn’t a gentle healing, and Sohsa hissed in pain and dug her nails into the ice of claws as the crushed bone and torn skin came back together. 

 Once her knee was healed, Bacara let Sohsa's throat go. She crumpled to the ground, coughing, her throat reddish pink from the ice burn his claw gave her. Bacara looked down at her before taking a step back to let her get to her feet. Sohsa watched as Bacara’s remaining claw turned into a normal hand, and he cut it open with his nail. Black blood bubbled from the cut and pooled in his palm until it dripped off the side of his hand. His blood hissed and steamed when it touched the forest ground. It smelled like sulfur and burned away any vegetation before turning the soil black. He lifted his hand for Sohsa to place her own cut hand into his, once she got back to her feet.

Sohsa took a deep breath, lifted her hand to place it on his, and began the rite. “I, Sohsa Nelem, Witch of Summer, adopted daughter of Orasee Nelem of the Togruta, form a pact in blood to bind and mark Bacara Traitor of Mygeeto, Prince of Treachery and Betrayal, to me till my death finds me.” With the rite spoken, she placed her hand onto Bacara’s, and interlocked her fingers with his hand as he did the same.

At first, nothing happened, but soon Sohsa felt a surge of energy swim through her body like lightning. She gritted her teeth and gripped Bacara’s hand harder to keep from crying out, as all her senses were becoming overwhelmed from mixing with Bacara’s. Her teaching warned that taking on a pact with undiluted demon's blood could cause adverse effects on both parties, but mainly witches. But she was sure Bacara wasn’t going to be patient enough with her to let her find a cup to dilute their blood for the pact. Her knees started to give, but Bacara caught her and wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her close to him.

“Do you feel it, little witch?” He whispered in her ear, his cold breath on her neck felt overwhelming to her overstimulated senses, and she whimpered against him. “The raw power your kind craves so much from us? The power that's exchanged between us when these pacts are made?” His voice took on a low husk as his grip grew tighter on her waist. “It's intoxicating. This is why I hate you witches.” He growled against her neck before pushing her back against the tree.

“Well…” Sohsa gasped, digging her nails into his back, “I hate you too…” She said in a pant, which turned into a gasp as Bacara grabbed the collar of her shirt and pulled it, ripping it to expose the top of her shoulder and running his tongue and lips across her shoulder.

“What are you doing?!” She snapped, her anger seemingly amplified by the ritual, but she had an idea of what he was about to do, and she felt his lips curl into a smirk against her skin. It was the first time he smiled since being released, and even though she couldn’t see it, what she felt from him sent more of a chill down her spine than being close to him.

“Sealing our pact and marking you as mine, as you marked me as yours.” He lifted his head so his lips tickled Sohsa's ears.

“I, Bacara Traitor of Mygeeto Prince of Treachery and Betrayal, form a pact in blood to bind and mark Sohsa Nelem, Witch of Summer, adopted daughter of Orasee Nelem of the Togruta, to me till her death takes her.” He spoke his rite into her ear before a low growl escaped his lips, and he drove his teeth into her shoulder.

Announcing Haunted Clone Week!

Happy to announce our second fan week event, Haunted Clone Week! It will be from October 23rd-31st and will be a spooky, paranormal, fantastical week! Designed to explore all the haunted and scary tales world wide through our favorite vod'e!

Schedule:

Prompt Submitting- July 16th-21st

Prompt Voting- July 23rd- July 30th

Posting- October 23rd-October 31st

At least the pain's been curbed with medication. It makes him feel a bit less bitter about what happened. Enough that he can think about Lottie's condition in the mists of feeling incredibly more sorry for himself. Maybe he ought to check on her, he muses, among others. Or it'll get him out of bed at least. 

Finding that trio of idiots once he'd finally woken up hadn't been all that hard, though keeping away from any of the other clones or mercenaries had been harder. But no matter how he waits, no matter what he plans, the three of them stick so close together he doesn't have the chance to make any sort of move.

Over and over he curses himself. How could he have let his moronic other self get the drop on him so easily? Why did he have to land in such a way that he broke all the rest of his molotovs, lost all his bullets save the one still in the chamber of his gun? And that one, he's saving. Randy told him to, and he knows why.

But he could have still saved it. It would have been easy. Even if he can't kill all three of them now, all it would take would be one, wouldn't it? He's seen how much his counterpart cares about those other two, and they care about him. Killing just one would be a devastating blow, and if his counterpart is the one he can get to, all the better.

But they never give him a fucking chance.

They're obviously alert, now. They never stray more than a few yards from each other, and even if one is out of sight of the other two, he knows they're still close enough that a single shout would bring the others running. He watches them, filled with disgust, as they sleep, huddled together for warmth and comfort, one of them always with their eyes open.

How dare he. How fucking dare he. He has this, not just one but two people willing to care for him, protect him, even after all he'd done to hurt them. And what does the clone have? Nothing. His own fucking allies have abandoned him, near as he can tell, and anyway they were as useless as everyone else in the end. They let their counterparts escape. They weren't strong enough.

He's pretty sure his broken nose is infected. His face feels swollen and he's long given up on breathing through it. And he knows better than to think that any sort of medical help will be forthcoming. They've lost, he can feel it, even before the day he makes his way close enough to the bases to see the tank and the men swarming the compound.

They lost. They never stood a chance, really. The things he knows now.

The clone pulls the gun from the waist band of his pants and stares at it for a long time.

The Administrator was less than amused. 

But it still took as long as it did for him to respond. Why that is... the mercenaries aren't entitled to explanations. Though it's not impossible that the Administrator just doesn't care a whole lot. And that informing his superiors of this earned him more hot water than he cared to experience.

It's certainly not impossible that's the case.

Regardless the Administrator's S.W.A.T. team eventually flood through the area, having arrive by tank. They work to take out the fires left on the bases while spreading out in the woods to fin their targets. They've been informed that the targets are similar to the ones before; doppelgangers have invaded the base. Ugh. Wasn't this glitch worked out!? The whole system will need to be replaced at this rate!

Regardless the doppelgangers shouldn't look exactly the same. They're advised to use caution--to capture the clones and take them into custody. That way if they mistake somebody for the real deal... well they won't be shot on the fly. Because the last thing he wants is more trouble. 

Once things clear up the mercenaries can pick through their belongings--what's left of them--and be ushered off the base. The local hospital will have fun with all these new injured patients. And the cheapest hotel in town will certainly have business for a while. 

It’s then he hears footsteps, and he freezes, his ears and eyes alert for the source of the sound. The clone soon detects movement and frantically crawls underneath a nearby fallen log. He’s not taking any chances at this point, he needs to stay alive. Liam lies still, holding his breath as the steps gradually grow louder. He carefully pulls his pistol from his pocket, lifting his head up just slightly to have a look. What he finds…oh. Oh. OH. Hallelujah. It’s as if some sweet angel had heard his distress!! What luck! The bastard is literally yards away, oblivious and probably scared out of his mind. That Scattergun probably isn’t even loaded, the clone laughs to himself. Pepe is with him though, which could be a problem as he’s armed as well. Hmm. What to do. Two on one was not good odds. He needed Liam alone, he needed a way to separate them. Following them would prove too risky unless he really kept his distance. He could wait till night and kidnap him from wherever he’s hiding. Might backfire if they have other mercs keeping watch though.

Hmm.

Seemed his trick to get them out of the base worked like a charm. Perhaps sniping them here in the woods would make them scatter? He’d have to do it now before they get too far away. It was risky but dammit, he’s through with waiting.