The demon entwined - Optimas

Forester moved with speed through the undergrowth, sun glinted of the giant axe he held, he was on the hunt. Sweat glistened off his muscled torso as he ran, He stopped as he got up to the top of a hill and looked out over a field of tall grass. That’s when he saw him. Snark Forge, the land of Doombar's greatest demon.

Snark forge stood at over 7 feet tall, blood red skin shone out against the green background of the grass. In nearly every other way the demon looked like a human, he had no hair on his head or body; a tattered loincloth is all the monstrosity wore.

The demon was looking at Forester with glowing eyes. He pointed a giant trident at his adversary by way of invitation and roared to the skies. The battle was on.

Snark forge the red demon ran at Forester with the evil looking trident held aloft.

Forester clasped the axe tightly and with a giant war cry bounded towards his fate. As the two giants clashed, the trident sliced through the air towards a delicate neck. Forester twisted and smashed the attack away with his axe. Now facing away from the demon he completed his turn used the shaft of the axe aiming to connect a blow to the demons face. Snark forge moved faster than a being his size should have been able to and ducked the swing; he dropped his shoulder and tackled the hunter dropping his trident in the process. The pair fell to the floor in a tangle of limbs, each twisting and pulling trying to gain an advantage.

The two greats of two different ways of life fought in a bitter struggle. Snark Forge the greatest demon of the lands against the greatest demon hunter.

The air tingled with the power and sparks began to fly. Electrical energy poured around the clearing, becoming so charged crackles began to appear around the pair. Yet the battle raged, both weapon-less it was a pure brawl.

The combined power of the two duellists exploded in giant ball of light. A flash engulfed the land and a crack like thunder echoes around the grasslands.

The pair had disappeared and so died the noise of the battle. The air was still. Nothing made a sound all too aware that something strange had happened.

Forester awoke in a small wooded clearing he was naked and totally confused. He jumped up and looked around the clearing, on the floor shone Thorgrim the redeemer, his giant twin bladed axe. Forester turned in a circle looking around. It was then he noticed the markings on his body, lines and patterns snaked around his limbs and torso. It almost looked like paint but upon rubbing it he knew it was tattooed.

Although at first she was not noticeable, upon second glance Wraith would become apparent standing beside a large tree trunk, her hand resting lightly on the bark. Her face was in shadow under the leafy canopy, though it was clearly day light.

When she stepped forward, it seemed a fluid, graceful movement, almost as if she had rippled over the ground. Her skin was revealed to be ivory pale, her hair as dark as night and falling to just below her shoulders. Her dress was dark, flowing and free. Her feet were bare.

Her voice was silken as it reached his ears. A low menace creeping over his spine, but the words were friendly enough, "Welcome, stranger, to Illusion Vale. I am called Wraith."

The being that used to be Forester saw the lavish female move from the trees, words were spoken but they fell on deaf ears. He launched into a forward roll, Thorgrim the giant demon slaying axe was held aloft and the wielder stood in a defensive position. Sun glinted off the menacing weapon, tattoos moving snake like over his body.

A strange feeling came over the axe man - a feeling of not being alone - but it was nothing to do with the female who looked at him strangely.

Wraith looked quizzically at the newcomer. She couldn't remember seeing anybody come to the Vale as he had, nor anybody that looked remotely like him. He looked human enough, however, the tatoos that snaked around his body gave indication otherwise.

"Calm yourself, warrior. There is no danger here, certainly not from me." Her tone was quiet, her gentle smile was genuine. "I mean you no harm."

She took another careful step forwards, eyeing the giant axe warily. "Please, tell me your name?"

"I don’t know my name," he looked her up and down, and slowly lowered his axe, "Where am I?"

He relaxed a bit more but did not take his eyes away from the female. Who or what he was he did not know, he was not the demon hunter anymore that much was certain but he felt disjointed almost split in the middle. Pushing the thoughts from his mind, he looked at himself, he paused looked up and said, “I need some clothes, I’m naked like a new born babe." The naked tattooed man laughed, a deep booming sound, yet held himself back, he was a loyal friend but his trust was hard to gain.

The woman smiled gently, kindness written over her features. "I'm sorry I have nothing but this cloak on me. Perhaps it will cover you for now until I can get you back to the city."

She took the large black shapeless cloak from her shoulders and stepped up to give it to him. She was obviously not shy about his nakedness, having been in this situation many times before.

She handed him the cloak and waited for him to don it. "This is called Illusion Vale. A place much different from where you came from. As a result, when you were transported here, you were also transformed fom what you were. I'm sorry, I'm still working on a way to get people back to their own universes."

`I sense power in you, but I do not feel threatened.` He pulled the cloak around himself and picked up Thorgrim the mighty axe. . . There it was again, the feeling that he was not alone.

Eyes moving around the clearing, body tense and hand clamped on the axe. The feeling slowly ebbed, and one word burned into his brain. Optimas. . . `My name is Optimas.`

Optimas held confusion on his face, he looked over his shoulder all seemed at ease. `Illusion vale, huh. Seems similar to where I come from, let us go I have much to see.` The big cloaked Optimas held the axe near the blades and down by his side... as he moved off he still had a deep niggling feeling, why did he think of the name Optimas? It was as if a voice was in his head. He shrugged and pushed it to the back of his mind.

She noticed his uneasiness and tried to alleviate him from it, "You should not have any trouble getting used to here, then, if it really is all that familiar." From his speech and mannerisms, she guessed that he came from a world much like this one, though perhaps a bit of the norm with lords and lasses and such like. Though she wasn't sure by half.

"Come then, follow me and keep a look out. There are things in these woods that generally keep away from me... but you I'm not sure about,"

She didn't address the issue about him sensing her... difference... to others around them. Yes she was a vampire, but one hurdle at a time. There was, after all only so much a person could take all at once.

She led him towards a small hidden path that led deeper into the forest. "I think you're a warrior? So where did you come from?"

He seemed to be taking the news that he couldn't get home pretty well.

"Im from a land much like this, yet full of horrible demons. . ." He grabbed his head - that was strange he thought, the moment he said something about the demons that pain flashed through his mind - the pain was intense but no sooner had it started it had finished. Optimas lost himself into his thoughts, he did not feel right and he didnt feel alone, "let us travel. . . i need time to think, forgive me in my sullen mood." Optimas moved in step behind the lady, all too aware the only think that had not changed in this world was the axe, it shone and glinted as if smiling.

Wraith smiled, nodding her approval as she swept ahead of him along a previously unseen path winding around the trees.

"I know that you're uneasy. Tis a new place," she grinned again and a shaft of light suddenly shone, illuminating a sharpened canine. But then it was gone again.

"I can answer as many questions as you want, though I can't guarantee that you'll like all of them."

She smelt something different on him, but for the moment, she assumed it was something she had never smelt before. Something she needn't have worried about.

Optimas walked behind Wraith, he thought he had seen a large wolf like tooth glint from her mouth but he pushed it to the back of his mind.

He had always been a loner in his old world. He had friends but the life of a demon hunter was not the easiest. He had lost many a friend in the demon wars. . .

Optimas grabbed his temple, a voice, one he remembered broke through his mind. . .

Hunter, what have you done to me, where am I

and with the blinding pain the voice had burnt through the body Optimas screamed to the heavens and colapsed in a heap on the floor. The realisation that the body was actually housing two individual minds was too much and it shut down.

The only strange thing for the outsider watching the giant man collapse was that for an instant his eyes were glowing bright red almost as if they were aflame, then in a heart beat they were closed.

Optimas was lost to the darkness.

Wraith turned at his shout and blinked rapidly as his eyes glowed red. She wasn't sure what was going on, but the apparent collapse of her companion annoyed her to no end.

She had recently fed, so carrying him back to the Vale wouldn't really be a problem. However, she wasn't sure what he would do once he woke up. She didn't want to have the rest of the Valians in danger because she was too kind to a stranger.

She sighed and bent down to shift his heavy bulk into a more relative position, sitting him against a nearby tree. She went and filled a hidden canteen with some fresh water, using her speed to come back to him fairly quickly.

He was still out of it.

She sighed and sat down on the grass beside him, resting back on her hands, she watched the blue sky above as she waited for him to awaken.

Optimas was dreaming, it was the same dream he had every night since that terrible day. The day he first had killed a demon, back when he was the man called Forrester.

Optimas slowly awoke from his dream he was placed up against a tree. Even though he was not sure what had happened he knew one thing, the voice he heard in his head was that of a demon.

He looked around his axe was beside him and so was Wraith, He smiled and nodded his thanks. He got to his feet and stretched.

"how close are we to where were going?" He picked up the axe and slung it over his shoulder.

The woman searched his face a moment, clearly looking for any sign of damage. When satisfied he was as well as he would get, she smiled and got up to stand. Her willowy figure swayed slightly and she looked up at the sky as if in irritation.

"Not far now. If we cut through on this path and do not dawdle, we can get you settled a warm shelter for the night. Beware, it approaches fast in this world."

Then she set off, with him hopefully following along either by her side or behind her. She would make conversation if he wished it, but for now she was content to remain in silence.