#contat

The demonic bird flinched back, a few blue feathers flying through the air in the process. Cara only caught a short glimpse of V looking over his shoulder at them, a small smirk on his face before he turned his attention back to Nero.

“My grandmother was called the ‘.45 Caliber Virtuoso’... legendary gunsmith. I hope to be like her someday. An artist, and a lethal artisan. Everything I create is art, whether it’s a gun… Or a steel pot... to cook birds in. Anymore questions, hu? Little chickee.”

Astoundingly enough Griffon actually did not say a single word as a reply, but Cara was more fascinated by the gun that hung framed on the wall, which apparently was made by Nico’s grandmother. But she assumed this interest and passion in something this specific had got to come from somewhere.

“Hey tough guy, you better treat this one better than the other.” Nico told Nero who turned around in the passenger seat.

“Yeah, well, your quality control sucks ass. Otherwise this wouldn’t be an issue.”

“Well how about you don’t let the demons smack you around so much?!”

“Whatever. What does this do?”

“The propellant injection device is based on the combustion mechanism in that numbskull's demon tummy. It's basically a rocket-powered punch, but I bet a show-off like you could go along for the ride if ya like.”

“Nice.”

Griffon chuckled, and a smile also tugged at the corners of Cara’s lips. She still didn’t know the relationship between these two. Were they related? Were they working colleagues? Friends? It was hard to tell by how they were interacting. Nonetheless, Cara appreciated that they were so open and honest with her around. From what she could tell V kept mostly to himself, but she was the biggest stranger in this group yet. But Nico and Nero didn’t seem to behave any different just because she was there now.

The woman looked up in question as she only picked up her name.

“Sorry?”

“I said we’re gonna split up. Nico and I will be a group and you’ll go with V.” Nero told her again.

Cara had to admit that the prospect of accompanying V some more was an intriguing and rather compelling thought. Maybe she could also figure out a bit more about the mysterious man and his demonic companions. Though, it was also futile to deny that she couldn’t exactly call his presence unpleasant. She recalled the moment of their little teasing in the ruins yesterday in way too much detail; especially how his deep green eyes stared at her, observing her, analyzing her…

“I’ll take my leave now.” V finally said and rose from the seat. Cara watched as Griffon dissolved into a whirl of feathers and black particles which seeked refuge on V’s skin, his tattoos reappearing; mostly on his arm as Cara noticed.

“I guess that’s my cue then as well,” Cara said, shouldering her backpack, adjusting her open jacket again and followed the tattooed man outside of the van.

“Hey, Cara, honey! You have a phone, right?!” Nico called after her. The woman turned around, not minding the pet name and pulled out her cell phone from her backpack.

“Good!” Nico said, leaning out of the van’s window, “call me if you need my help!”

“Great, thanks!” Cara made a waving gesture and smiled before she turned around, following after V who was a few steps ahead of her but has stopped walking when Nico called her.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“So, V, you think this kid can kill Urizen?”

“One can only hope.”

He was not nearly as confident as the sound of his voice made it seem. The thought of Nero confronting Urizen again filled his soul with dread, it crawled underneath his skin and held his mind in an icy hold. There was not a flicker of light granting him a warming glimpse of hope. Urizen was too strong, and his powers grew with every soul, with every amount of human blood that was sacrificed.

The entrance to the tunnel behind them collapsed, startling the woman behind him a bit.

“But for now we have more… pressing engagement,” he said, one corner of his lips twitching upwards. He walked on ahead, only turning his head around to see if Griffon was still there, still following him.

At the end of the tunnel they were greeted by Empusas and one Hell Antenora demon.

He smirked while Griffon landed on his outstretched arm; his wings bursting with crackling electricity, an eagerness to dive into battle shining in every one of his blue feathers, an ambition burning in his yellow eyes unrivaled by any other living being still residing in this city.

Shadow rose from the depths of the ink covering his skin, emerging in front of him from a pool of pitch black ink and a cloud of black smoke; she growled, the sound carrying fierceness and raw strength across the battlefield, her crimson glowing markings equaling his own and a constant proof and symbol of their lives being bound.

He smirked as he tilted his head, watching his companions out of green gleaming eyes. His smirk did not even falter when the woman stepped into his peripheral vision, her own weapon in hands. There was a sense of determination all over her, the same conviction he felt from her in the tree and he knew that he would not need to think about her while in battle; she was capable on her own.

“Go.” Was all he said and Griffon and Shadow charged at the demons. 

Bolts of lightning filled the battlefield, crackling through the air and burning the demons with pure electric energy, while a whirl of constantly transforming black fur pierced through the demon’s skin like paper. In this moment they were weapons, the means for him to end those demon’s pathetic lives and to send them straight back into hell. 

Satisfaction settled in his green eyes as he heard the pleasing sound of his cane digging into the Empusa’s skull, destroying its brain and causing it to disintegrate in front of his very eyes.

He caught a glimpse of the woman fighting the Hell Antenora. While he had no time to watch and focus on her, he did see how she twisted her body around to evade its attack, before she used the dumpster close to a wall to gain the upper ground. It was one fluent movement; she climbed on the dumpster with one step, jumped down from it, her weapon over her shoulder and slashed the demon’s throat with one solid swing. She rolled on the ground to quickly gather herself before continuing attacking the other demons.

He was impressed. For a human that was admirable. More than he could pull off on his own.

And it also made him realize that the moment in the Qliphoth, when he had to save her from a demon she didn’t see coming, has been a foolish mistake and not a common experience for her.

It only took mere minutes until the battlefield turned silent again. 

No more demons left. Just Griffon’s chuckle at their victory reverberated through the narrow street they were in.

Shadow and Griffon both returned to him, once more retreating into their respective tattoos on his skin. V knew they felt his approval, felt them show their signs of recognition and gratitude like a soft breeze carried through his body and soul.

He knew the woman watched him, watched how his familiars vanished in strands of fur and bunch of feathers, mixed with black particles that reappeared on his skin. But she didn’t say anything, although V could almost hear the question that was burning on the tip of her tongue, which she held back for what reason he could only assume; she didn’t expect an answer from him.

There was a mutual feel of mistrust in the air between them. He did not trust other people, and he even more so did not allow people to see beneath the layers of confidence and pride he pulled up around him. His heart and soul had too much to bear, too much he would not share with another human being; he was alone in this, would always be.

She did not trust him because she saw right through him. She knew that what he showed her, the glimpses she caught of him were just an outer layer albeit not pretentious. She was aware he knew more about the situation at hand, which he did not tell her. He truly did not give her any reason to trust him.

“Are those the roots we need to destroy?” she asked him once they reached a staging area of the Qliphoth roots. A giant knot of pulsing blood vessels, surrounded by dark grey demonic roots, tendrils and spikes protecting the source of the Qliphoth strength.

“A small one, but yes, indeed,” he replied and with a sound of effort breaking from his lips did he stab his cane right into the knot of blood cells. There were much bigger roots all over the city, looking almost like miniature versions of the Qliphoth, but every single one counted.

If they wanted to have a chance at success they needed to get rid of every single one of them.

The blood turned brown right after he pulled his cane out of it again, the root drying up and dissolving into dust within a matter of seconds. Nothing really happened to their environment as a result but it still brought them one minor success: the Qliphoth wouldn’t get any more blood sacrifices through this one.

“Do we have a destination or is the plan just to roam the city trying to find as many of these roots as possible?” the woman asked after fighting off another small wave of Empusa demons. There was the hint of a judgemental tone in her voice but it was overshadowed by a genuine interest.

He didn’t stop walking as they were now reaching a damaged bridge which was leading across the flooded part of the city. He raised his cane, pointing to a building ahead of them. He wasn’t sure if she could see it. There were a few moving tendrils sticking out of the destroyed roof of that building, but it was this kind of root closest to them, so they would take care of this one while Nero took down another.

“This is still quite a way to go,” it was just an observation, no judgement in her voice in that statement. He agreed.

“We’ll probably get the chance to exterminating more roots along the way. Like this one,” he once more used his cane to point towards a smaller root like the previous one. 

Shadow was at his side immediately. She purred quietly, brushing along his hands as she circled him, waiting for a command or a word from V. He let his fingers slide through her fur as she brushed along his skin, before sending her forward to get rid of the roots.

“Wait, V.” 

He told Shadow to halt her attack, listened to the woman’s voice calling out to him, though his brows furrowed as he looked over at her. She was at the side of the bridge, leaning over the railing of the bridge.

“This bridge will collapse if we destroy that root,” she said pointing downwards where the tendrils of the root went across the bridge and disappeared from his sight. They probably were wrapped around the pillars of it. He didn’t voice it, but it was quick thinking from her. While he could avoid getting injured with his familiar’s help, if the bridge did collapse, she probably couldn’t.

“Then you go up ahead,” he nodded towards the other side of the bridge. She looked at him for a bit, staring at him out of deep blue eyes, trying to analyze what was going through his mind right now.

But she listened to him.

It actually surprised him a bit. She didn’t say anything else, didn’t question him, instead trusted his decision and just nodded once and made her way towards the other side of the bridge, even running as to not waste any more time.

Once she was away from the bridge he sent Shadow at the root again, making her slice through the blood vessels with her claws, all the while Griffon appeared close behind him, ready to interfere should something happen to the bridge.

He felt the shaking of the brickwork before he heard it. It happened in the blink of an eye. The roots turned into dust, no longer supporting the unstable bridge - just as she said before - the stone and bricks crumbled, falling with rumbling noises into the water down below.

V was grateful for his familiar’s quick reflexes. Shadow jumped, easily reaching the other side of the bridge, while Griffon hooked his claws into V’s bracelet on his raised arm and carried the summoner away from the collapsing bridge.

“Did you see that, sweetie?! Pretty amazing, don’t you agree?!” Griffon exclaimed, as he let go of V near the woman again.

“Since you’re a bird it must’ve been really hard to actually use your wings.”

V smirked at her remark, but he did see that she was affected by the previous scene. Maybe she wasn’t impressed, her posture and gaze didn’t seem so, maybe she appreciated him sending her away beforehand or his teamwork with his familiars; ultimately he couldn’t know, but he knew she wasn’t as nonchalant about it as she made it seem.

“Well, maybe you should hope I won’t forget how to use them, if you need them eventually,” Griffon countered.

“We’ll see about that.”

“Oh, we will.”  Griffon chuckled. V didn’t say anything. The discussion was over with Griffon’s statement but V knew that a threat by Griffon was at least empty if it was directed at people on the same team as V. He wouldn’t let someone get hurt or die if it would lead to putting more pressure and strain on V’s exhausted bones.

Shadow let her slide her hand along the fur of her head as before on the church square - which still caught him by surprise - before she padded over to him and retreated back into her tattoos.

“Let’s go.” V said.

“Yeah.”

V has already walked most of the streets in Red Grave City countless times within the last four weeks; eradicating demons and exterminating Qliphoth roots, although a lot of these huge roots have only grown very recently. But he knew his way along the destroyed buildings, through the ruined streets, to find the way to his destination.

He almost flinched back when a warmth settled upon his arm.

The touch was fleeting, just a brief caress of her hand on his skin to gain his attention without having to speak up for it.

He followed her hand with his eyes as she withdrew it, silently pointing to a side street at which end another root was visible, but also a Behemoth was lurking there. She looked at him in question, nothing in her blue eyes hinted at her thoughts still lingering on that gesture and he prayed there was nothing in his own eyes as he nodded, wordlessly agreeing on taking the Behemoth down.

The touch of another human being… how much time has passed since that was a sensation he had felt? Since he sought out that gesture, that caress of attention? Since it was not meant to make him flinch and hinder him in his path? He could not deny how his ribcage squeezed his heart in a painful embrace as his mind could only recall the touch from his mother of when he was nothing but a child.

The touch on his skin still lingered, felt like a burning imprint on his inked body, long after it ended as they quietly approached the Behemoth as to not alert it to their presence.

Griffon flew silently above them until it was above the Behemoth, ready to attack, while Shadow slid beneath the ground. A Behemoth was dangerous, one hit and V met his end, but with very precisely aimed attacks while it still didn’t know opponents were there, and it was beatable within mere moments despite its heavy armor.

The attacks were launched at once. Bolts of lightning charged with demonic energy and a precision unrivaled into the demon below Griffon, while Shadow leaped from the ground, morphing into a spinning blade and stroke the Behemoth head-on.

V watched as the demon’s armor broke apart instantly, its giant two tongues unfurling and falling onto the ground. His familiars did not cease their attacks, they couldn’t allow themselves too. They needed to bring this eyesore down as fast as their skills allowed.

“Exterminate the roots,” he told the woman. He assumed she could come up with something to get rid of the Behemoth. However, just letting Shadow and Griffon handle this was more effective right now if they did not have to be cautious not to hurt her in the process.

She nodded and he looked after her for a moment as she went ahead before he turned his attention back on the demon.

He slid along the ground with Shadow’s help to evade the Behemoth lashing out at him with his tongue, but it was distracted by Griffon unleashing electric strikes across the area. The lightning fueled by demonic power stroke the giant demon, digging right through its thick, unprotected skin and leaving behind the stench of rotten flesh. 

And when the Behemoth finally emitted that faint purple glow V threw his cane.

He used the very little demonic energy he could utilize with the cane to teleport to the creature’s back. His cane dug easily into the demon’s skull, although it started to wriggle and fight against his upcoming doom.

“Resist all you want.” V said, focused on his cane digging deeper into the Behemoth’s head, focused on not losing his balance on top of it until he heard that all too familiar sound of demon bones cracking and giving in. He allowed the sense of satisfaction as yet another obnoxious creature was sent back to hell, dissolving into goo and blood and leaving only the smell of death behind.

Shadow and Griffon both returned to him, Shadow’s markings on his body reappearing, Griffon staying with him, when the woman joined him again; the roots long gone and vanished.

“Such vile things,” she commented, looking at the pool of blood on the ground.

“Those are even feared by their own kind.” V told her. She nodded.

“Apparently they’re also cannibalistic.”

V did not know how she knew that or that what he just said was seemingly nothing new to her, but he assumed there was a reason for a simple human like her being a demon hunter and strategic expert and surviving this long. Knowing about the enemies one was fighting was doubtlessly a necessity.

“You bet they are!” Griffon chimed in, “that’s why over time the restraints on their bodies got heavier. They kept breaking through the armor all the damn time. That’s one species no one would miss,” the demon bird complained. V smirked. He knew Griffon has had more than one confrontation with these demons in the past long before they met.

“We should go.” V said, throwing up his cane and catching it again to walk away from the side street they were still on.

“V,” she said from behind him, and for a moment there was tension settling over his body, anticipation as much as dread, that she would touch him again to gain his attention. He did not understand why he tensed so much.

She did no such thing however.

“Shouldn’t we consider taking a break? I assume more demons are waiting for us, especially when we reach that bigger root. I… don’t know if we can go on for this long without some rest.”

“A break may not be the worst idea our soldier girl had.”

V had to admit that they had a point. His soul and body weren’t resilient like Shadow’s and Griffon’s were. Effort and movement took a much faster toll on him than he would like. Despite being granted these powers of having these demons fight at his side it did nothing to enhance his capabilities as a human. 

In fact, he felt the weight of the battles and the constant walking in his feet, he felt his shoulders slumping after each time he had to raise his cane…

He had a mission to see through. They did not have that much time. But he could not deny that he needed a break at some point too. Just as they could not proceed in the darkness of night they could not walk on an entire day without rest.

He closed his eyes and nodded wordlessly at the both of them.

“Let me call Nico. Maybe she can supply us,” the woman already took out her mobile phone and dialed the number. V did not say anything, instead he walked on until they reached a tiny square and lowered himself onto a wooden box. He felt the gratitude of his bones and muscles immediately, as if every nerve in his body gained the ability to breathe and sighed in relief.

The woman did in fact arrive with the van in a matter of mere minutes, driving over anything in her path without caring for the vehicle’s condition. V considered it to be foolish but her driving skills were still admirable. He did not have a license himself but he still knew not everyone would handle driving in a demon-infested city like this.

“Hey guys!” the woman exclaimed through the open window waving at them. Griffon chuckled.

“Be right back.”

“Our soldier girl has important business to tend to I assume?” Griffon laughed, and V allowed the slight upward curve of his mouth. The woman also didn’t seem to take any offense to his statement.

“Just you wait,” she even winked at Griffon, and while it did silence the demon, V wondered why she seemed to be in such an uplifted mood now of all times.

A hand appeared in his peripheral vision after a while.

He followed the hand up the arm until his eyes met her blue ones. She was smiling at him, a softness on her features that didn’t speak of the gravity of their situation. He wished that attitude was able to break through the walls around his soul to grant him a slightly more optimistic outlook on this endeavor.

She held a sandwich in her hand, offering it to him.

He took it, a wondering glance in his eyes as he stared at the bread in his hands.

“Oohoo, did you make that?” Griffon leaned forwards and looked first over V’s shoulder and then at the woman. She nodded.

“Yeah. Sorry, buddy, I wasn’t really sure about your diet. If you want there’s still some left in the van.”

“I surely wouldn’t mind some human flesh right now.” V looked at Griffon with one eyebrow pulled up. The demon laughed, shaking his feathers.

“Don’t worry, sweetie, whatever V eats also sustains us just fine.” Griffon explained then before his yellow eyes bore into V’s, wordlessly telling him he should better eat that bread.

The truth was that he really wasn’t very hungry. His appetite usually was very low, shoved into the back of his mind so he could focus on the tasks at hand without any distraction. But he figured that he really should eat something, and she took the time to prepare this despite them being in a hurry, despite them facing the eventual apocalypse. Also V can hardly recall the last time someone prepared food for him.

He thanked her, noticed her appreciative smile, and took a bite. His palate was anything but defined, but even he could distinguish between a variety of different flavors and it made him wonder just how she managed to accomplish that in the van with minimum ingredients. 

“Hey, can I leave ya alone again? Nero called. Gotta save that guy’s ass.” Nico leaned out of the window of the van again, rolling her eyes when she mentioned the boy.

“Sure. We’ll call you or see you tonight at the safe house again.”

“Great. Don’t get killed on the way there.” And with that the van drove away, leaving V with the woman alone again.

“V, can I ask you something?”

V looked at her, eyebrows slightly risen to show her she had his attention. He still took another bite of the sandwich.

“Who are you? I mean,” she pursed her lips in thoughts for a moment before continuing, “how is it possible for you to summon demons? I’ve never heard of a human having such an ability.”

V swallowed the last bite of the sandwich and rubbed his fingers together to get rid of the crumbs as he let her words slowly sink in.

“V, what the hell are you?”

The boy’s words from yesterday rang in his ears again, they never truly left his mind. They made him realize how different these two people were, how differently they approached him. This woman was interested in him, she saw him as a human, a soul with curious capabilities. The boy, however, dismissed him, putting him down and taking his humanity away with the simple choosing of a phrase. And even though the young hunter did not mean any harm, it confronted V exactly with the consequences he has chosen for himself all these years ago. 

That realization settled deep within his mind but it made the words she’s chosen much more meaningful, and he felt strings of his heart reaching out, clawing at his ribcage to allow his walls to come down, to let her in, indulge her in the truth.

Sentiment…, he forced the feeling back, refusing to believe how hard that process actually was simply because of her phrasing a question in a different way than someone else. He still did not know her, still wasn’t sure if she may not have some personal objectives - just as he had - despite her seeming as if she wore her heart on her sleeves; trying to refrain from sharing too much but failing to eyes like his who have been forced to see behind other people’s actions and gestures.

Still, to not give her an answer seemed to be as wrong as it was rude. There was a genuine interest in her, it was all over her, and her blue eyes have not averted from him since she asked the question. Since his childhood no one ever has paid so much attention to him. He did not know what to make of it. He did not know how to handle it. The need to indulge her at least in a bit of his mind became almost unbearable. 

He decided to give her a taste of the truth to satisfy her curiosity and to clear his conscience.

“These demons, Griffon, Shadow and Nightmare, are bound to me. They reside in these markings on my skin and I can summon and use them in battle.”

“Why do you stab the demons with the cane then? Can’t they do that? Sounds a lot safer if you simply stood back.” The corner of V’s lips twitched at her question.

“They can not kill other demons. They do as I say but they can not turn on their own kind. They weaken them and I end their lives.”

“How or… why is this possible though? Were you born like this?” her question sounded as if she did not believe it herself. She probably had enough experience with the supernatural to know it was impossible to be born this way as long as one’s parents were human. And there was no demonic blood in his family bloodline.

“No. We are bound by a contract.”

“Also, just to clear that up, sweetie, we are our own individuals. We have our own brain and mind. Well… aside from the big guy maybe.” Griffon leaned forward on the pile of debris he was standing on.

Their own individuals… yes. As long as he would fulfill his obligation.

V did not say anything in return.

“I assumed as such,” there was a smile on her face as she replied to Griffon before she looked at him again.

“Thank you for telling me,” she said. He nodded, though the thought that he barely explained anything pushed at the back of his mind. She was so interested in knowledge and information about demons. And him. It was hard to imagine for him that she was content with the limited information he gave her. She did not even try to ask for what his side of the contract contained. 

Was he glad she didn’t ask? He was not even sure, but he knew he would not have given her the truth anyway.

A moment of silence passed before V grabbed his cane and rose to his feet again. He thanked her for her effort for making the food - and he truly was grateful - and V was astonished how her face lit up with a smile and a shimmer in her eyes.

Sometimes he wondered if he had forgotten how much words could affect people outside of poetry.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

They continued their way until they finally reached their destination. The giant root of the Qliphoth looked almost like a miniature version of the actual tree. Branches, tendrils and blood vessels twirled in a grotesque way, filling up the entire width of the half-destroyed building they were now in.

Some sort of market as it looked like. There were market stalls everywhere, mostly destroyed, and Cara even spotted some long abandoned boxes with groceries. There certainly was a lot of clutter around, it kinda looked like a hurricane has blown through here and destroyed half of the building.

However, she didn’t spot any demons in the area. Neither did she see pools of blood on the ground from where demons could spawn

Cara walked forwards, her gaze locked on the giant root of the demonic tree, when a sudden pressure on her left shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

She looked at her shoulder, confused but not concerned, and followed the length of V’s cane to his face. His brows were furrowed a bit, his eyes not looking at her but their surroundings and then his smirk appeared on his face again; really subtle, just a slight upwards curve of his lips.

She could’ve sworn her breath got caught in her throat for a moment when he turned this gaze to her; she was now even more aware of the pressure of his cane on her shoulder as his green eyes looked at her with an intensity she hasn’t seen from him before. 

“We are not alone.” The words were spoken so low, just a deep grumble of his voice. There was something hidden beneath those words, beneath that smirk and intense glance. As if he was looking forward to what was to come, a confidence and determination to face the impending threat of the situation, which was rather surprising because so far he hasn’t seemed eager to fight demons.

It raised so many more new questions in her and she wished she had more time and another opportunity to ask him more.

V stood next to her and released the cane from her shoulder. He looked at the root ahead of them and then looked at her once more.

“Stay back,” he simply said; not a request, not a demand just a simple statement.

“I can-”

The look he directed at her made the words stop on the tip of her tongue before they could escape. No smirk, not even a glance in his eyes that told her anything. Just a hard expression that made it impossible for her yet again to look past his demeanor. All she was able to gather from this instance was that he apparently knew about what was going on, and for whatever reason he did not want her around.

She decided to trust him.

Cara nodded, not content with the situation because she was convinced she could help but she gave in and stepped back.

V didn’t turn to her again or waited for her to retreat; he just walked straight up ahead, posture upright, gaze locked on the giant root.

She only caught a blur of colors and a breeze rushing past her as something charged at V so abruptly that Cara instinctively jumped back and reached for her weapon.

She only saw a giant serpent-like creature retreating back to the root while V rose back to a standing position; the bird demon landing on his bent arm.

Cara did not make a step forward, heeding V’s earlier words and just observed from a few feet away from behind one of the abandoned market stalls as a fleshy, pulsating humanoid life form emerged from within the root. She didn’t know what it was, a demon most likely, but even though it literally came from within the tree it didn’t appear to be a part of it. The scales  surrounding the heads of these serpents had a different color,then the orange humanoid thing. So far it never seemed as if these roots they have destroyed had any creature living in them and while this was a much bigger root, it just seemed odd.

“You dodged me! Did you dodge me?!” the demon said with a distorted voice although there was no mouth, just a shape of a face full of spikes.

Griffon groaned. “Ugh; Nidhogg. I never liked this guy.”

“You pest. Do I know you?” the creature, Nidhogg, whom Griffon apparently knew (Cara had so many questions), growled.

“Dumb as a box of rocks. Let’s not even mess with this guy, V. He can’t even leave the Qliphoth anyway. Just a Qliphoth parasite.”

So a parasite. Cara was right that this thing did not belong to the tree. She assumed Griffon being a demon would know about creatures like this and since she hasn’t known about the Qliphoth before she also couldn’t have known about this demon. Her fingers twitched as she desperately wanted to take out her notebook. But she didn’t wanna draw any attention to her by moving too much. She much rather observed the scene to get to know more about this life form.

“Did you insult me?”

“Uh-oh.”

“You insulted me!”

“I think he heard me… and he’s angry!” Griffon yelled the last words and Cara’s hand reached for her weapon again as another serpent demon charged at V. The man rather easily jumped out of the way though.

“I’m going to kill you.” The demon growled at him.

V turned around to face the demon with a calm and composure which Cara found admirable. There was a confidence in his posture and the short glimpse she caught of his face just now that left no doubt in her mind that he was absolutely unfaced by this demon.

“Not in this lifetime. ‘As the air to a bird, or the sea to a fish, so is contempt to the contemptible’.”

Cara wondered a bit how these quotes - she assumed it was one - came to his mind like this in such a situation. 

However, it was clear that V was about to fight that demon - Nidhogg - and Cara did not know how to act. She didn’t want to let him fight all on his own. 

She could fight too! This was her job after all!

But she also didn’t want to interfere and get in his way. He told her to stay back, and probably for a reason. Her hand was still gripping her weapon from when the serpent attacked before.

Her hand tightened almost painfully around the handle of the Kama.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

“Even the big bad kitty knows you got shit for brains!” Griffon mocked Nidhogg after Shadow growled as a response to the demon’s lack of an intellect. His familiars evaded yet another attack of the tentacle-like arms of Nidhogg while V kept his distance, his eyes switching between the humanoid core and its appendages.

“Qu-qu-qu-quiet! You… you… bird and cat!”

It was almost astounding how this demon did not even possess a basic level of intelligence. It just attached itself to the Qliphoth and fed off the blood that was sacrificed to it. Just a parasite as Griffon has said, and it barely posed a threat to him and his familiars.

V was in control of that battle. Griffon and Shadow utilizing their strength and energy to attack Nidhogg again and again, using their speed to get V out of range if the parasite got too close, V’s cane dealing the finishing blow to the serpents that regenerated after a while when they did not manage to just deal enough damage to the core for V to kill it for good.

It all changed within a heartbeat.

A screech and a shiver; a cold he never thought he would ever have to endure settled around his bones, freezing him in place.

He had to watch him fall.

He has never seen him fall before.

He was not supposed to fall.

V felt the agony of the energy leaving his body as he had to witness how Griffon got hit by that parasite and fell to the ground. He transformed into the blue glowing sphere he only knew from his explanation should it ever happen to him.

A heartbeat was all it took.

He felt the crushing grip of the pain as the energy of his long-trusted companion was being pulled from within V’s body. He had to witness how the so prideful and ferocious demon lost to that obnoxious creature.

It was a sensation so foreign to him, such a disgusting and dreadful feeling in his mind and body that he lost his focus; his chain of thoughts gone, his defense dwindling.

He heard the sound of crushing wood and clattering metal long before he felt the impact.

His bones rattled in agony, every nerve in his body being set on fire from the pain of being thrown into the clutter all around them.

V moaned in pain, squeezing his eyes shut as he fought through the agony, through the hammering in his head, through the shaking of his limbs and he raised his head to face that distasteful creature again.

A fiery hatred and the overwhelming need to destroy that monstrosity took over his mind and body, pushed the pain his body was in from the impact that could have ended his life aside and allowed him to grip his cane once again and straighten his posture.

Shadow was at his side immediately again, growling and her eyes glowing with the guilt of not preventing him from getting hurt, but she fought Nidhogg all on her own, making up for Griffon getting hit and doing the best she could to prevent anything worse happening.

V stretched his cane out to the side, signaling the woman behind him to not get involved. He knew she called out his name when he got hit, he knew she was already grabbing her weapon.

But this was his fight.

Now more so than before.

“Uah, I can’t believe this dimwit got to me! Kitty, make way, I have some roasting to do.”

V could not deny the relief settling inside of him when the sphere transformed again and Griffon reappeared. His wings glowed with newly sparked electricity, his feathers sizzling with the lightning and thunder he was ready to hurl at the parasite. V could feel the energy returning to him, a faint breeze within his body that told him Griffon was alright.

Still, V would not ever see this happening again.

“V, you’re hurt. Better take a step back.”

“I’m fine,” he simply replied, even after Shadow’s growl, approving of Griffon’s words. He was alright. He would fight through the pain. This was not the first time he got hit during a battle after all. He could endure it. He had to destroy that pathetic excuse of a demon.

And he would see it through.

“Make haste,” he told them and pointed his cane at the creature.

He sent attack after attack, wave after wave of lightning at Nidhogg. He did not allow the monstrosity to even utter a single word again. All it could do was to endure the onslaught of attacks, driven by a rage V was all too familiar with but which barely ever consumed him this way.

And when the parasite began to glow purple he felt the hatred and eagerness in every fiber of his being.

He threw the cane and used the demonic energy for himself to teleport into the air right in front of the dying demon.

He took a twisted satisfaction from the painful screams of that monstrosity, a grin settling on his lips, a cruel glance in his eyes as he stabbed the demon right through the head.

He held onto both ends of the cane as the creature wiggled and screamed in pain. The agony erupting in V’s body wrapped around his nerves like barbwire as the harsh movements of the demon threw his body around in a desperate attempt to shake him off, to prevent him from ending its pathetic existence.

But he refused to let the pain hinder him in his task. He would see this through. This pitiful parasite would not live another moment.

“The cut worm forgives the plow. What do you say?” he quoted as he twisted his cane inside the demon’s head, the sound of blood splattering and its life ending with a groan made a smirk appear on V’s face again.

He jumped away from the demon back to the ground, wincing a bit from the pain that still got a hold of his body.

He watched as the parasite sank to the ground alongside the serpents, dissolving into particles and blood. Within mere moments there was nothing left of that obnoxious parasite.

And it took nothing more than mere moments until the giant root of the Qliphoth began to crack and crumble as it was only being sustained by the parasite’s now passed life. Vines and vessels faded and lost their colors before they crumbled leaving nothing but dust behind.

One step closer.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Cara held her notebook still in hands as she stared in awe at the display of V’s abilities in battle. She could barely blink as she saw how V stabbed that demon and just held onto it until it finally gave up and was defeated.

She was worried before, admittedly. Seeing how V was being thrown into the clutter of the destroyed market stalls around them did make a shiver run down her spine. It looked frightening and it looked painful and she had called out his name before she could think about her next step. In all honesty, to her it looked as if V hasn’t been capable of continuing that battle. That he stood up and pulled off that finishing move was impressive to her. He certainly did not look like he could pull this off with his lean figure and the cane he occasionally leaned onto…

Once the dust settled again and there was this relieving silence settling over the place after the battle, Cara raised her notebook again. She turned around and started walking slowly with the full intent of leaving this area and finding a calm area to sit and write down everything she could think of now that the stress of the battle was over. She also assumed V needed a place to rest for a while. They would find a secluded area, sit down, let him rest and then call Nico to pick them up for today.

She completely froze in place when she heard a groan accompanied by a clang behind her.

Cara turned around slowly, too slowly, as if her mind was warning her that she wouldn’t like what she was about to see. And the growl of Shadow alongside Griffon calling out V’s name made a lump appear in her throat.

“V,” his name was nothing but a whisper as she saw the man fallen onto his hands and knees, Shadow steadying him so he wouldn’t fall over, his cane out of his hands, strangled pants leaving his lips.

She was at his side in a moment, kneeling next to him, her hands on his shoulders as well to support his trembling body. It was then, that she noticed the blood dripping onto the floor, gathering in a small pool on the ground. Her eyes widened, a sense of dread settling over her as the man barely responded, just breathing heavily and shaking as if he was desperately clinging to his consciousness as to not to faint.

“V, come on, lay down,” she said to him, trying to keep her voice calm. She pulled his shoulders a bit, urging him to just roll over onto his back and to stop him from using his strength to keep him upright. V barely put up any resistance, he didn’t have the energy to do so and with a strangled, painful sounding moan, he tumbled over onto his back. Cara managed to catch his upper body and she was grateful for Griffon and Shadow helping her.

Shadow purred worriedly, but she laid down on the ground and allowed V to rest his head and upper body against her, so Cara could take a look at where the blood was coming from.

“That shithead really did got him. Wish I could roast him again,” Griffon said.

Cara paid little attention to the demon. The wound was easily found and she winced as she saw the stabbing wound on his upper body just below his left kidney. As she looked to the side, to where he was just kneeling, she even spotted a small piece of metal, coated in blood. 

Has this thing been stuck in his body the entire time?

He has been fighting while being stabbed?

She focused on the wound again. It was still bleeding. She needed to stop the bleeding before thinking about treating it properly. Cara pressed a hand on the injury, flinching when her hands got covered in his blood. She hated the feeling, she hated the smell. She grimaced again when V groaned in pain.

“I’m sorry,” she was sure he didn’t even hear her. He was rather out of it, his eyes were half squeezed shut, beads of sweat appeared on his forehead. Fighting this battle, getting thrown around and getting such a wound in the process and still pulling off all these moves… she could hardly fathom how he managed to do that. It wasn’t surprising that it all caught up to him now that the battle was done and everything calmed down again.

She dug into her backpack with her free hand and pulled a piece of cloth out of it. She pressed it to the wound instead of her hand. It still wasn’t ideal but it was better than just her hand.

It took a few minutes of V wincing in pain, Cara’s hands trembling, her face twisting as she saw her hands and the cloth being covered in blood, Griffon silently watching the scene and Shadow purring quietly, occasionally licking V’s face to calm him down, until Cara finally was able to say the bleeding ceased.

Oh thank god, it seemed as if nothing had been seriously injured. The issue was that probably any movement now would reopen the wound again. It needed proper treatment, but she neither had the materials nor was this really a place to do so.

She kept her hand pressed onto the wound and dug into her backpack again. She had Nico’s number dialed quickly and put the phone between her shoulder and ear. 

Come on, Nico, she thought as she waited for the woman to pick up. Her now free hand absentmindedly settled on V’s bare shoulder, not moving, just settling on his cold skin as a gesture of comfort and a reminder to herself and him that he was not fatally wounded. It was a nasty wound, it hurt him like hell, but he would make it.

“Yo?”

“Nico, thank god, you need to pick us up. Now. V’s hurt.” Cara replied quickly as she heard the woman’s voice, but she kept her own voice steady so she could understand her words properly.

“Woah, woah, what?! Be there right away. Hang in there.”

“Thanks,” Cara responded and put the phone away.

She sighed, trying not to get the dread and worry get to her. She’s been in these kind of situations before, but it was horrific each time. She never ceased to remove the pressure from the wound, but she rubbed her eyes with her other one.

“Hey, sweetie, you’re doing great. It’s appreciated what you’re doing here right now.”

She looked at Griffon, surprised at the unusually kind words. She nodded and thanked him quietly, forcing a small smile onto her face as the panther demon purred in approval. V was still trembling. He still looked as if he could pass out any moment. She never assumed he could pull off moves and skills like this, especially not while having a piece of metal stuck in his body, but she also didn’t expect the fight to drain him this much.

She wouldn’t let him fight completely on his own again.

Even if he had been right about this one. She could’ve landed a few hits but altogether this was not an enemy she could take on on her own. It would’ve required her to climb the root and attack it directly from there, and it was questionable if she could’ve gotten enough hits to kill it.

Cara sighed in relief, her blue eyes lighting up as she heard the familiar sound of Nico’s van approaching.