Rhenakos’ smirk made her smirk in return. “Idiots indeed.” They weren’t worth her time anymore. They could both put all of them in their place now that her magic wasn’t sealed. It was however like Osiria had told Rhenakos. She was weak without her magic. As much as she could be like a bursting lava river she could always be like a cool stream in the right conditions… And she hated the right conditions.

The trip was oddly quiet and the half phoenix did nothing to try and help the situation. She knew that Rhenakos had most likely lied to her about how he felt and his dreams but there was nothing she could do to make the stubborn man talk. It did hurt a little bit since she thought they had grown closer but his personality had the habit of rearing its head and making her regret being soft with him. Men could be so stubborn…

The brunette watched as her companion sniffed the air and found a trail to where they were supposed to go. However, the dragon cut him off before they could even get a move on the lead they had. “Rhen…” Her voice was so soft under the dragon’s screams that she knew that he couldn’t hear her. He was being reckless. Steel yourself to him or else this will hurt even more when you leave. He doesn’t care. Her mind was screaming it and yet she felt herself being dumb about it. She knew better, didn’t she?

Despite his determined walk, Osiria took to the shadows of the hoard as she looked around piles of treasure and spotted the fight from a distance. It was a demon alright and from the looks of it, he was a rather big creature to boot. He was clawing into the red dragon’s neck as blood spilled out onto the gold and silver below his feet. His razor-like teeth tore through the dragon scales like it was nothing as he started to devour the flesh and blood of its prey. It made her stomach twist and turn. Her foot slipped on stray pieces of gold as the mound came tumbling down. The demon stopped in its motions as its orange eyes met hers.

She took a shallow breath as the creature appeared in front of her. It was lucky enough for Osiria that she was good with her reflexes as she pulled her sword out in time to fend off the creature’s claws. “So very tasty you look my dear.” His voice was almost like silk and if Osiria wasn’t as prepared as she was she knew she would have been hooked.

“You wouldn’t believe how much I hear that,” there was sass in her voice as once more the demon took a swipe at her. This time getting her across her cheek but just barely as the blood came oozing out a little bit from the scratch. His tail took a swipe at her and she managed to roll out of the way but it hadn’t been the only thing she had noticed. It appeared the demon was slowly taking on the traits of the dragons he had been hunting which wasn’t good at all for either her or Rhenakos.

As she laid in the pile of treasure the demon loomed over her. “Nowhere to run.”

“Who the fuck is running?” She let fire leave her lips like a raging inferno as she scurried away towards where Rhenakos is. “He’s gaining traits from the magic in the dragons’ blood! Be careful!” She was panting now as her eyes darted about. The demon was no longer where she had last seen him.

Rhenakos had charged ahead of Osiria, ignoring the fact that the demon was trying to kill the dragon, and attempted to strike the demon with all his might Of course, such bold and brash attempts were met with a single, effortless swat from the demon, knocking Rhenakos into a stray pile of gold.

As Rhenakos tried to scramble up, Osiria took the demon head on, her reflexes as sharp as her blade as she fought against the demon. Had the hunter not been in a mad dash to kill the demon himself, he might have been awestruck with her prowess. However, he noticed none of it, and finally he was back on his feet. He was fairly certain that his ribs were broken, and breathing was becoming something of a struggle, but he took a step forward regardless, hearing Osiria’s advice on how the demon was adapting.

“A dragon…” he said with a growl. This wasn’t too unlike that draconian he had fought just before meeting Osiria. He had the guy on the ropes had it not been for the stray bolt of lightning. Rhenakos smirked. “Fine….” Pushing through the pain, he took another step as Osiria ran to him.

The demon was no longer in site. Rhenakos cursed, looking around. His sword had landed in a pile of jewels on the other side of the dragon. He growled, reaching into his coat for any other weapons. Damnit. Nothing. It was unlike him to be so unprepared.

There was a sudden flash, and suddenly, the demon was on top of Rhenakos, tossing him aside. It rushed Osiria, and grabbed her, putting her into a chokehold, his claw against her neck.

“I've heard of you…the one eyed hunter. I know what you seek…”

Rhenakos laughed, “Like hell. You're scared…”

The demon tightened his grip on Osiria. “Try your flames, pretty phoenix…I dare you. The dragons blood in my veins will negate the burns…”

“Fine. Tell me where it is…,” Rhenakos replied, growling. “Tell me where he is!”

“I'll give you the information. But…the dragon and the woman are mine. Even trade.”

The hunter looked at Osiria and the dragon. “Fine.”. He spoke with no hesitation.

The demon smiled, his disjointed mix of draconic and demonic teeth showing. The demon was convinced that things would go his way. “Very good. The Zets’ki Cradle. That's where you'll find him. I'm not sure the specifics…but I know his brood are there." He shivered with delight. He would taste the woman's flesh that night, and reap the powers of both a dragon and phoenix.

Rhenakos started to laugh. “Good…good. All right then…” He turned around to start to leave. He made it two steps, and then paused. “Oh….I almost forgot…” His image suddenly vanished, and he appeared inches before the demon, his eye wide in insanity. Power radiated from him; a ring on his finger burning brightly, singing the flesh on his hand.

“I won’t give you Osiria, nor the dragon. They’re mine…” He pushed his hand against Osiria’s chest. His eye met hers, but there was not a single ounce of sanity to be found within him. “Inima….”

The half phoenix struggled with all of her might against the strong demon as he pulled her up. “You wouldn’t be so brash without that damn blood in you.” She choked it out as she tried to claw at his hands. The half phoenix choked for more air the more she struggled. Osiria was tiny and it was certainly playing against her at the moment. Feeling his claws in her neck’s flesh she began to clench her teeth in pain.

Osiria could barely hear over the sound of her own blood pumping hard and the sound of her heart nearly exploding in her chest. However, she had heard enough to hear Rhenakos’ tone and she knew enough about him to know what would come next. If her heart wasn’t beating hard enough it was slowly forming a small crack in it. But you knew didn’t you? That he would sacrifice you for this? You should have run… Why didn’t you run? The reasons though many didn’t outweigh the feelings in her soul and that was where the heart wasn’t as strong as the mind.

She had known she was most likely going to die because of Rhenakos and yet she forced herself to ignore it.

Her body gave up the fight soon enough once she began to tire from the struggle. Her ears caught enough once more to hear the deal be struck and slowly her orange eyes closed with grief following close by. They only snapped open once she felt the surge of power and she had caught him appearing near the demon. His greed and selfishness were enough as he stabbed her in the heart with the very sword he had received from her.

For a brief moment as Inima met and they touched the sword lit brighter than before. “Rhen…” She should have died there and then when the sword went through her heart but there were a few moments. “I love you, Rhen.” It was weak and had taken every ounce of power she had left but a part of her knew he needed to hear it because at some point he would snap out of it. The fire in her had kept the sword from killing her instantly enough for her to tell him what she had to.

The half phoenix’s body laid still on the ground as the last few breaths left.

As both Osiria and the demon fell, Rheankos felt a strange mixture of emotions. He was so close to his goal that he could taste it. The hatred in his heart was hitting an apex. Osiria’s words fell with no response, and he turned away from her collapsed form. All of the memories and good times he had shared with her meant nothing compared to his revenge.

Perhaps, that was what his nightmares had been warning him of. He was past the point of redemption. He had surpassed the thing that he hated most, and become something worse than any demon could be. And he knew it. He had never denied what he was becoming, save to lie to Osiria that once.

“Love…?” he said, stopping at the mouth of the cave as he looked down at his hands. Inima was still active, the blade humming softly. His hands were covered in a mix of his, the demon’s, and Osiria’s blood. “Love is worthless…”

It wasn’t long before he was headed to the Zets’ki Cradle. Nothing would stop him now.

Drake cursed the sun and stars as he tried his hardest to wade through the crowds.  It was by pure chance that he, Danwe, and Xeik had stopped in Baltil while running from an ornery group of assassins, when the draconian had heard a rumor about a one-eyed demon hunter leading a woman into the Dragon’s Hoard. 

That mad man who attacked me?  Drake thought for a moment.  Judging by the man’s insane nature, it was possible the woman was in danger.  He had lagged behind, though, as Xeik scouted the town out for any signs of their own pursuers.  That was when he was passed by none other than the crazed hunter himself. 

There was a look in his eye, as if he were supremely focused on one thing, and one thing alone.  There was no woman with him.  Drake felt a chill, though, noticing that he was covered in blood as the crowds seem to part for him. 

Damnit…  He bounded down the hallway leading towards the hoard.  Already his enhanced senses could smell the blood in the air.  None of it was human.  Finally, the dark haired man found them.  Two bodies, a woman laying over a horribly disfigured demon. 

“Shit,” Drake said, his silver-green eyes surveying the situation.  He was too late.  He knelt down, checking the wounds of both.  It was a clean stab wound, made by a magic weapon that the draconian had never seen before.  But, it had gone straight through both of them. 

He sniffed the air again.  “She’s not human either…”  The scent of the blood was something unique.  It wasn’t unlike the draconian blood that was heavy in the air.  Essence of flame.  Something powerful and magic. 

“The least I can do is bu…”  There was a sharp pain in his head.  The dragon sleeping inside of him.  “What…what the hell?”  He looked again as the dragon willed him to look upon her body once more, to feel the magic in her.  “W-what…!?  She’s still alive?  But she’s not breathing?”  Yet there it was, clear as day.  A small, flickering magic.  He picked her up. 

“Shit…what to do, what to do….”  The inn.  He would have to take her there.  Magnus, maybe?  No.  I can't bother him with this.. There was another sharp pain from the dragon.

“Why are you being a pain!” Drake growled.  Then he noticed.  Her body was growing warmer.  Suddenly, it seemed to click.  “Oh….OH.” Quickly, he put her down. 

“She's…a phoenix?”