Damen; Man-devil series - Princess In Peril

 

 

 

 

The smell of the forest foliage hung heavy with the morning dews in the air. The sunlight permeates the canopies of leaves, brought on the morning life to the forest creatures. It would had been another day but it was not so that morning. Even the bull frogs are keeping their vigil from under the water surface; keeping its croaks to the bubbles there. There was the swooping hawk which came in for the morning catch but had to veered off with flapping wings to elevate it flights up. The changes was due to the presence of a upper look of a man and body of a goat with the bended legs on the hoofs. It was not everyday that the son of the devil travelled this far, but the tales of the man-devil had reached the ears of those who lived here.

The man-devil crouched on the fallen moss covered log across the stream, raised its nasal passages to bear on the scents that was in the air. Man had travelled there, and the distinct odor musked by sweat and dirt, did not hide the foul smell of its breath. These Orcs are filthy creatures not only in the skin but with their diet of meat and fermented fruits. The one sought by the man -devil was there, it travelled in the group of five.

Then a new scent was picked up by the man-devil; that of Man and despite the musky smell, it had the scent of blood. May not be of the man but that of the Orc that died from its slashes. It was the instinct of the devil that preserved the head of the man-devil when it leaped to the stream banks. The blade had cut in deep into the bark of the tree, but its handler had pulled the blade out with ease.

"Akuma, I stand for my lord's daughter. Freed her and you are free to leave." The one who spoke was bare chested man with the skirt with leather flaps that cushioned it from deadly cuts. His legs was encased in the loose pants tucked into the dark leather knee high boots. The man had a three foot blade held in his hands with the stance of a trained killer.

"The name is Damen, son of Lucifer." The man-devil replied with dis-taste to be associated with the namesake from the eastern land. "Akuma displeased my father's image. He wants to be known as Lucifer."

"A devil remains one in whatever identity it remain hidden behind." The one wielding the blade had chopped the fallen log to halved it and stride forward towards the man-devil. The blade wielder was a warrior of eastern descent but his current oath was to the King Kurd of Karzak in the inlands of the continent after the sea of desert and cold barren land. The masterless warrior had wandered far and then served as mercenary for the King. His tasks was disturbed by the capture of Princess Iuya by the ruthless Lord Darck of Turkmes. The Lord was a wizard with the dark arts had conjured up the servants of Orcs to performed the act.

 

"Sagunto, I can help." Damen voiced out to the approaching mercenary. "I loved her."

The blade missed the man-devil by the whiskers of his horned tail. Damen jumped up to the thick branch and on instinct released the hell fire flame from his left hand towards the river. The unique flame did not dissipate in the water but reached to the stream bed like a streaking lightning that blew a hole there.

"The o-yuma showed it fangs. " Sagunto on the stream banks leaped up with the blade had it removed the branch with the cut but the elusive man-devil had leaped to another branch for safety.

"Stop!" Damen hollered out in the commanding voice that was inherited from his father. "I command thee."

Sagunto felt his body weakening and he used the blade to hold himself up. He called on the Amaterasu for help to restored his strength, but even then his knees buckled over. He fell onto his knee and glared to the crouching man-devil. Damen voiced out his words.

"Listen to me, Sagunto. I am not your enemy. I want to rescue your care, and have her return to her father." Damen looked to the warrior. "You are worthy of her too, but....."

"I am not her worth, but her equal. I too ....loved her." Sagunto replied. "There can be no love between man and devil offspring."

Damen felt the words that pierced his soul; he was the offspring of Lucifer and a lady of Man. He was raised by his human mother; hidden from the eyes of the public in the deep forest protected by the servants of his father. He was tainted by birth but his raising was rich with much learning from the masters. He was given many lessons to prepare him for the position beside his father, but the man-devil soon breached the code of conduct. He befriend Man and soon became entranced by the beauty of Man. Princess Iuya took only his heart but also his allegiance to his father. He battled many of his father's servants then, and even the previous masters of his teaching. That was when the Wizard Darck pleaded for the Orcs' help, Lucifer gave the consent and made his son took on the hunt.

"Aargh!" Sagunto broke the spell that imprisoned his body by Damen. He pushed himself up and held the blade to swing at the man-devil. The blade was not of any blade molded by masters craftsman but was given its power by the metal it was casted from. The metal from the higher skies that sailed the dark skies had reached the home of the craftsman, and it was from there the blade of Ikazuchi-no-Kami - a thunder god, was made. When called on the power, it streak out a slash power of over twenty paces in length but it eats into the soul of the wielder with a searing pain. Damen was hit by the power of the blade and thrown back by ten paces against the trees with the red welt on his chest. He does not bleed nor had his bones broken, but the flesh of his frame quivered from the pain it felt.

"Yuk...yuk, the warriors tires themselves for my killing." The Orc emerged from the trees with the broad sword in its right hand. "I Orluk, called for your heads."

The resounding laughter of the Orc split the tranquility of the forest as more creatures took to run for safety.