Fade to Black [Duo,Open]

[Deleted]

The ambient noise of the forest filled the air around Leon. Sitting under the bright light of a work lamp, Leon grumbled and muttered to himself of his blasted luck. Just he perfect spot for his motercycle to crap out on him. Night was rolling in quick and the smell of rain wafted through the air.

Leon stood, looking down over the engine and the disassembled oil filtration system in front of him, Leon cursed and looked down. He had dropped his screwdriver under the chassis of the vehicle and a small colony of ants were crawling over it. Leon moved the tool out from under the machine and rolled it around on the ground, crushing the ants that remained on it. He picked up the now dirty screwdriver and proceeded to work again.

Soon, the oil filtration assembly was put back together and was ready to be tested. Sitting down on the seat, Leon kicked the starter to life and listened to the engine rumble. He revved the engine several times and nodded in satisfaction. Looking about one more time, Leon knew that there was a cave nearby where he could put in for the night, for the winds had begun to blow hard and specks of rain were hitting around him. He pulled his jacket around his shoulders and slipped his arms into the arms of the jacket. He pulled his gloves on and leaned over the bike.

Gunning the engine, and startling several different kinds of wild life in the process, Leon followed a holographic display mounted on the small dash of the bike. It indicated a fairly deep cave where Leon could stow his bike for the night and showed that there were no signs of life inside or in the general vacinity of the cave. Leon smiled and rode into the small clearing outside of the cave. Just a run of the mill cave, no hanging signs of "beware" or "caution" and there wasn't even the slightest trace of negative energy or evil spirits that would scare away even the most hardy camper.

Being a battle hardened soldier, Leon was tougher by far then the general campers of caverneers that would plague this area, looking for history and whatnot in caves. He had seen and done things that made the "dangerous" exploring that the caverneers did look like cakework. Oh well... Leon was modest, but also practical. Leading his bike inside, Leon looked about for fallen and dead wood. Finding several large branches around, Leon knew that he would be able to find plenty of kindling and tinder as well. Stashing the bike, Leon moved out and gathered all the wood that he knew he would need for that night.

Once he had the wood neatly placed inside the cave, it was only a simple matter of igniteing it with magic and to kick back and tend to the fire every now and again. A night in the jungle with a fire in front of you wasn't a bad way to end a day. Leon could easily see the back of the cave and knew that he could move about with ease in case a fight broke out. Now, all he really had to worry about was if someone or something wanted to join him around the fire, and where to get something to eat and drink. He had rations, but he wanted something substantial, something like a steak... Oh well. He would have to deal with field rations and his whiskey. Grumbling that it wasn't a five star meal, Leon sat back and began to dine lightly in front of the warm fire as the rain began to pick up outside.

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[Duorzum]

An inhuman, bellowing roar of anger broke the natural rhythms of the rainfall against everything else. What was that? It sounded close.

Duo barely avoided another heavy punch from his opponent, flying backward to gain more distance from him. The problem was, his enemy was flying at the same speed, so he couldn't get a clear shot. The scales were harder than any steel ever made, Duorzum's bullets doing nothing to dent them in. The breath melted metal, rock, even singed the air and burned water away. The opponent was huge. Duo abruptly dipped from a claw grab, the giant three-digit hand only grasping air.

He did not see the creature's next move, a tail slam, coming, so distracted was he avoiding the heavy punches.

That tail smashed into both his face and upper torso, forcing him to fall straight down into the forest canopy. He snapped several branches before coming to a bloody halt on a bunch of rocks. The huge shape dropped like a rock from the sky, landing flat on three-toed clawed feet. Not only was the bipedal creature huge, but really heavy, leaving foot-shaped depressions when he landed.

It threatened in a rumbling thunder of a voice, "Tiny thing get beat up good. Me teach lesson for being nail in toe for Dad!"

The Violet Demon scrambled away from the next strike. A pair of massive fists cracked the rocks where Duo used to be. Had he still been under there, the best case scenario for him would be all bones broken and paralysis. The demonic aberration had to ditch this powerhouse!

He needed somewhere to hide.

[Deleted]

The head of the storm had come quicker then Leon had expected, but then again, he was already situated in his little cave home. Lightning began to flicker in the distance and the dull rumble of thunder echoing to his ears. It was all but eventful... in fact, it was down right boring. The rain pattered and drummed the ground outside of the cave. The ambient noise was nice, but still... it was god-awful boring sitting there in the cave.

Leon was starting to nod off when something began to raise a commotion outside. The ground shook as if a mountain had begun to collapse. Hopping to his feet, Leon strained his ears for what was causing it. Another thunderous crash rocked the ground. That was all the incentive Leon needed to get moving. Running into the rain with his gunblade out and at the ready, Leon moved towards the cause of the noise, judging the location from the loudness of the crashes.

Coming to a semi-open space, Leon found himself confronted with a sight he hadn't seen before. A monsterous creature. It loomed over the area, its fist's stuck in the ground. On the ground, however, was the thing that Leon hadn't seen before. A demonic creature, moving away from the larger monster. Leon knew that no one would believe him if he told them, he summoned a ball of intense fire and shot it at the larger monster. The one on the ground obviously needed help, irregardless of the projected outlook. Leon only hoped that the creature wasn't terribly fast, because he wanted to end this quick. He was getting wet and his mood certainly reflected the hate of getting wet. Following the fireball, Leon fired a concentrated orb of electricity, and then a bolt of sub-zero energy. "Over here, you overgrown house fly!" Leon yelled, throwing insult to injury.

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[Duorzum]

The creature felt something hit him, but both his armored scales and thickly-muscled body reduced it down to a mere tickle. The reaction? His wings appeared, in a great burst of blue-white flame. The wings were so hot, they were melting the rocks underneath them. Every time a raindrop fell near them, they would evaporate before even hitting the ground. He completely turned around to face Leon, approaching him with great strides.

The wings of fire folded up, searing the air around them. The creature's eyes, a smoldering blue-white, were fixed on the tiny human before him. He started to reach for Leon, the three-digit (two fingers and a thumb) hand tipped with huge claws that looked like they could cleave men in half. They probably could.

"More tiny men? Me squish anyway!"

[Deleted]

Damn...Leon thought. His attacks hardly did anything to the creature, not surprisingly however, and the thing did turn to attack him. Leon hopped away, back away from the large claws reaching at him. Focusing magic into his sword, Leon projected a glowing force-blade of intense energy out of the main shaft of his sword. Leon swiped it at the claw, intent on clutting into the creature. Just before colliding with the claw, which was now only several meters away, Leon doubled the intensity of the blade, making it increadably sharp. It could cleanly cut through rock and keep going.

Weither the creature was hit or not, Leon finished the swing and began to move towards the downed creature, hoping that it wasn't dead. "Let's go, son!" Leon called running past the downed thing and towards an outcrop of rock. Hopefully, the thing would follow Leon as he moved to a huge base of rock below a cliff that towered even over the creature before him. If his plan went accordingly, Leon would only be out here for a little while longer. But, the kind of power demonstrated by the monster was formidable and Leon wasn't certain if this thing could put two and two together or not. It seemed able to think rudimentarilly, but that was a far as Leon's knowledge went on that matter. He had to hope for the best.

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[Duorzum]

The blade cut through the thick scales, but not the skin beneath. The big monster stupidly looked at it, confused as to how the human could shear through the natural armor. The heat being radiated from him started to push new scales to the surface though, like a bird regrowing feathers. His frill-like ears went up, the creature sniffing the air. Something had wafted his way. Something foreign. He collected a jumble of scents before finally picking one. The monstrosity flew off, in the direction he was facing.

It was a good thing the rain washed away Duo's vibrant blood. The creature would have seen that and followed it. They were safe... for now.

[Deleted]

The creature flew off abruptly, causing Leon to turn and follow it with his eyes. He quriked an eyebrow, questioning the logical of its decision, but then again, Leon wasn't going to question it. Turing away, Leon returned his attention to the downed creature. He walked over to the demon and kneeled down. "Looks like you made one hell of a friend there." Leon said, offering his hand to help the creature up.

"Don't know what you did to piss him off, but lets be glad that he left when he did." Leon said, looking down at the demon. "Now... iffin you don't mind me askin'... what's a demon doing out here at this time of night?" Leon asked, looking at the creature before him.

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[Duorzum]

Duo swiped some of his vibrant violet blood off of the corner of his mouth. He listened to what the man had to say. The experiment looked dubiously at him. This man was not on any of the files he had read. It was like he did not exist. He had to be careful. Even though the draconic thing's attention was diverted, it did not rule out the fact that it might have been part of a grander scheme. Okay, now he was just getting paranoid, and who wouldn't?

When the man said "demon", his dubious stare remained, but behind the stare was a quietly seething rage. Another one points it out. Duorzum answered Leon, "Getting that thing away from my allies. I would rather have it chase me than destroy a town."

[Deleted]

"Now calm down, son." Leon said, looking carefully at the attitude he was getting from the creature. "I suppose that it was the remark of 'demon' right? Well now, I'm sorry if that ruffled your feathers. Can't help the fact that you look like one that I know of. Didn't mean no offense." Leon said, shrugging. "Now then... Hopefully you'll accept my appology and accept my invitation of getting out of this rain. Its a might wet out here." Leon said, turning and beginning to walk back the way he had come. "I've got food, if you're hungry." He continued, calling over his shoulder.

Whether the creature accepted his invitation and his appology, Leon mulled over what was said to him. Stopping that thing from destroying a town? Could it be Cosmo Canyon that it was after? and for the matter of the creature's allys.Leon thought, walking with his shoulder hunched and his head down. He made short time of making it back to the cave where he had set up camp. He shook his head as he walked over the "threshhold" of the cave and sat down near the fire. It was still warm out from the long day before, but a slight chill ran through Leon. He took out a towel from one of the side bags of his motercycle and toweled off his hair and the majority of his clothes.

He kicked back, looking out into the night. The storm was passing by quickly with the high winds in the higher reaches of the atmosphere. Questions popped into his head, and possibilities to those questions soon followed. But, there were several questions that no answers came to. Who was this... person, who hand incurred the wrath of that monster, and what was the reason that he had done it? What was he protecting and who were his allies? Leon wanted to know, but knew that the only way to find out was either to convince the person to tell him, or to force the information. Neither was an easy road and both had their reprecussions as well as benefits.

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[Duorzum]

Duo sat in the rain, contemplating what the brown-haired man just said. He also argued with himself that his angry disposition was a little uncalled for. The experiment got back on his feet, following Leon's scent to the cave. Since his true form was already discovered, why bother hiding it? His form slipped into view of anyone inside the cave. After entering the mouth, he shook the water off of him similar to how a dog would. Well, he lacked hair, so why not?

Duo stared at the fire, then stared at Leon, "May I?"

This was his way of apologizing and accepting Leon's invitation.

[Deleted]

Leon waved his hand and nodded his head. "C'mon in. Fire's nice n' warm and I've got pleanty of time to sit back and shoot the breese. Name's Leon, friend. Pleasure's mine." He said, nodding to his newly found companion. "I've got food, mind you, it's not quite a delicacy, but it's good enough to keep one alive and moving." Leon said, pulling out several packs of assorted foodstuffs. Several of the packs contained dried meat, some spices, some roughage, and still others add water and have insta-meals. Military surplus, but of high grade.

"Take your pick, mate. I'm not going to be missing them any time soon." Leon said, streching his arms and back. He leaned back against a sloped rock, enjoying the conflict of the coolness of the rock and the warmth of the fire. He cracked his neck and rested his head, finding a comfortable spot. "So... If you don't mind me probing, what's the story between you n' that mountain of an idiot monster from a little before? If he's a friend of your's, then I take back the insult to him. But, my question still stands. Something important happen between you two?" Leon asked, crossing his arms behind his head.

"If you'd rather not talk bout it, I understand." He added quickly, knowing that it might be a tender topic at the moment. He closed his eyes and shrugged, letting a sigh escape his lips. It was just another crazy night in his life, not unlike almost all the other ones he's had. Fights, demons, monsters, magic, and camping in places that were either cramped or dank, wet and all the other angering places. Oh well... just another night.

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[Duorzum]

Duo sat down near the fire, moving his tail and wings to get comfortable, "Name's Duorzum. Duo for short."

He was offered food. Now he felt really bad for getting mad at Leon. Duo picked the dried meat and went at it, wolfing down the stuff as if it were his last meal for a while. It probably would be. He didn't even have to tear at it. His sharp teeth did all the work.

He was asked a barrage of questions from his new friend. Might as well tell him. He owed him that much.

"He's an enemy. He killed one of my brothers-in-arms, and incapacitated another. I'm luring him away so he only focuses on me and not anyone else."

[Deleted]

Leon's eyebrow quriked when Duo mentioned that he was acting as a focal point for the monster. "Sounds like you've got quite a heart for your buddies. I respect that." Leon said, smiling and nodding his head. Taking the oppertunity, Leon looked over Duo, noting the different physical features. He compaired the similarities and differeance's between him and his own friend. His friend was a true demon, however, though he did have a heart, however synical and crazed he was.

Leon shook his head clear of the thoughts, returning his attention to the situation at hand. The clouds that had loomed overhead were rapidly retreating, becoming weaker and more and more sparse in many places. Rain still fell from the shy, but not the torrent that it was before. His clothes had begun to dry, being specially made to shed water quickly, and his hair was now almost completely dry.

Leon turned and offered a towel to Duo, wondering if he would like one. Whether he took it or not, Leon would go along with it either way. He pulled out his gunblade and a whetstone and began to sharpen and polish the blade, the grating of the stone sliding over the metal rose rythmicly into the night air. "Let me know if this bothers you." Leon said, keeping his eyes on his work.

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[Duorzum]

Duo nodded ever-so-slightly at Leon's compliments. This was a start. He wasn't being treated like a villain just because of how he looked. The Violet Demon liked this. He kept silent though, even as Leon started grinding his blade. This gave him time to check on the single bullet that copied itself every time he pulled the trigger. He removed one of the huge guns from their holsters, and popped down the barrels, forcing only one slug up. The other five barrels were empty.

Duorzum pulled out the bullet and inspected it. It looked to be in bad shape. He'd have to get a new one soon. Preferrably ASAP. His guns would be useless if they lacked the proper ammo. No manufacturer could make and sell the proper ammo for his beasts. It was a real chore getting the custom bullet, but because it would be enchanted to copy itself into the other barrels every time he squeezed that trigger, it would save his team a lot of Gil in the long run.

After shoving the bullet back in, and checking the other one in the other gun, that confirmed it. He needed a weapon and ammunition overhaul. Duo was overdue for some upgrades.

[Deleted]

"Thats a nice piece you got there, Duo. Looks to be of special make. You order them custom or pick the up somewhere?" Leon said, returning his gunblade to its sheath. He loved guns, the feel of them, the power behind them, even the smell of them, however awkward it was. Leon was an avid gun collector and had even been know to make several guns of his own design. Even the bullets were custom to him.

"So... what calibur of ammo do you use and whats the powder charge behind the bullet itself?" Leon asked, intrigued over the design over the guns themselves. It was something to do with the rain continuing to drip and patter against the ground outside. Aside from talking, Leon had nothing better to do other then sleep or stand guard. Sleeping was a good idea, but he'd rather not kick back just yet. A few things were uneasy and Leon wanted to at least have a slight handle over the situation before he progressed any farther.

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