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Jerian was watching the creature. He new that it had been watching them, watching where the men went. But it was too late now to recall his orders, and besides there wasn't much else the soldiers could do. If the creature came for them... well, they'd be ready. Not for the first time, memories came to him unbidden - it had been simpler, when he'd been younger. Four years ago, before the Sundering of the Veil and the horrors had been unleashed. Even then, merely fifteen yeas old, he'd fought Demons, he'd killed them too... but they'd never been as powerful as this one. It had only been when The Veil had failed that demons of such power had been able to cross over... unless this thing had been here all along; slipping in between the cracks, or waiting, bidding its time since the days before The Veil was raised.

He was nineteen years old... and he felt like a man ten times that age. Jerian checked his rifle one last time and loosened the iron short-sword in its sheathe at his side. He'd fought powerful demons and lived to tell of it, and he didn't plan to die, not today... But if it came to it... A smile slowly crept onto Jerian's face, an unpleasant smile, if it did come to his death then he'd make a reckoning of himself before then; he'd show this Demon what an Elite Knight of The Society could do.

Some of the soldiers near him whispered nervously to each other, a few took aim at the demon, "Hold." Jerian told them, "Hold your fire until it gets closer. Don't waste your ammo. Let it come into the killing field, then we'll mass fire and take it down... if it goes for the building then try and draw it to you; do whatever you have to to keep it off the other men."

The youth hadn't brothered looking at them. He didn't need to see their faces, see the fear in their eyes. He had enough faces to chase him at night without adding yet more accusatory shades to the number. How many men had died in the last four years? How many soldiers had he led to their deaths? All he knew was that it was very likely that his hands would be stained by more blood before this day was through. Demons never showed mercy and he doubted that the thing out there would leave them alone.

Jayne's tongue licked her lips. Energy weaved itself around her and red flame-shapes appeared around her eyes. She then sent the energy forth in a flash, guiding tiny parts of his consciousness with it. It wasn't much, but enough to shatter the unprepared men's weak mental defenses. Before long. His screeching voice could be heard in all of their heads.
do you think you stand a chance? Just kill yourselves... a soft, terrifying laughter filled their heads.

All of the soldiers near Jerian stiffened, eyes widening in fear and horror, "Sir!" One said frantically, "I...I hear it! In my head!"

"I know." Jerian said, his voice calm, his eyes hard as stone. An Elite Knight's defences were never a thing easily breached, but still he had heard it. Not as powerfully as his men obviously had, but he had heard it nonetheless, "Keep calm, don't panic. It is trying to scare you... it wants you to run, or to die, before it faces you. It fears you."

The lie was better than the truth, and some of his men seemed to steel themselves, encouraged by the false reassurances. Jerian continued to watch the creature, What are you? He thought, If you can project your thoughts, perhaps you can hear mine. His eyes flashed with anger, If you can hear this, demon, then know who I am; I am Jerian, Elite Knight Paladin of The Society, Adept of Air, I fought at the Battle of the Temple Mount, I have killed Demons and burned Angels, I have stared into the deepest depths of The Pit and faced the Princes of Hell without fear. If you think that you can make me afraid, then think again, if you think you can kill me then know that it will be you who dies... and if you think you can survive my anger when all of your brethren could not then you are a fool. Come here and fight me if you dare, coward spawn of a liar and traitor, and let me see the colour of your blood.

He then turned to his men, he didn't know if the demon had heard him, but by The Nine he wasn't going to let it think it had scared him, "Ready yourselves." He ordered, "It'll come soon. We just have to hold until reinforcements arrive."

Jerian then flicked on his radio, trying to contact his superiors, "This is EKP Jerian, Lookout A-16, Behemoth neutralised by unknown demonic entity, Lieutenant Markovich is MIA, presumed dead. We could use a bit of back-up Omega."

"We've already got men en-route Jerian." Came the reply over his radio, "ETA four minutes. Three infantry squads, three Senior Knight Paladins, two Senior Guardians and a Senior Medic too."

"Copy Omega, tell your men to be careful on approach, we don't know what this thing is capable of." Jerian said.

"Acknowledged. Omega out."

Jayne's face turned to watch Jerian. Her grin only grew wider as as the beast inside her absorbed Jerian's words. You... Smell tasty... he replied, and bared his now pointy teeth. However he could not help but be amused, and he wasn't stupid either. You presume beings of being brethren even though I just slew one of them. You are wrong, Jerian of the society. These beings mean nothing to me. I have been here long before them, generations before you. I have seen, heard and tásted more than you could possibly know.
The monster made sure every soldier in the immediate environment could hear what he had to say. Yet here you are, thinkin you know it all. You won't stop me, neither won't your reinforcements. Die now.

Without warning, he jumped up high, making sure the sun was behind Jayne's body and shining in the soldier's eyes. He landed next to one of the soldiers and smashed his shadow enveloped hands through his chest, breaking bones and tearing open organs. When he got ready to dash for the next soldier, something inside him blocked.

It was Jayne's own spirit. So far, she wasn't able to stop the monster inside her since she didn't hold any sympathy towards the lesser Behemoth. She didn't want to let him take over, but she didn't have the power to stop it either. But the monster made his first mistake when he killed that soldier. Jayne didn't know the man, of course, and neither did he know the other soldiers nor Jerian. But killing a human being sent her defenses overdrive, and she started mentally bashing into the demon's defenses with incredible power of will. Slowly, the physical changes reverted. Her eyes closed shut as the red in her hair disappeared again. The crystals fell to the ground and dematerialized. The shadow claws seeped down her body and disappeared into the ground. She then sank to her knees and sat still for a moment, hair covering her face and her hands lying in her lap.

When she moved again, slowly at first, she looked around her. Several collapsed buildings, Soldiers looking at her in fear and discomofort and one very confident looking man. She then felt something drop on her knees. She looked down to see her hands completely bloodied and dripping. When she looked around herself, she saw the body of the soldier her monster had just torn open. She started crying uncontrollably when she realized it had been her doing. Once again, the Monster had taken over and she couldn't remember any of it. She got up slowly as her knees wavered below her. Walking a few steps forward, staggering to the left and then a bit more backward, it looked as she was just stumbling around with no clear idea of where to go. She sank through her knees again and screamed at the sky - this time a normal young girl's scream, with none of the monster's voice left to be traced in it.

Jerian had not bothered replying to the creature's words. Cold anger was enough for him. When it had jumped high and attacked his men he'd been startled like the others, all of them had cursed and tried to shoot it, but the shots had gone wide and it had... torn open one of the soldiers... and then it had changed, fell to its knees and then all there was was a girl on her knees, howling in horror with blood and gore staining her hands.

At first no one knew how to react, but Jerian quickly snapped out of it, "The creature is gone for now, but we can't take risks. Bind her."

The soldiers looked uncomfortable with that. It a girl! A teenage girl! Not to mention... if they moved against her... what if the thing came back? "Sir I'm not sure if-" One began.

"I am." Jerian said firmly, "Tie her up, we're taking her somewhere more secure." He then activated his comm unit and said, "Omega, this is Jerian. We've got a man... eviscerated. The creature's host appears to have regained control, for now."

"Protocols are clear, Paladin." Came the voice of one of his superiors, "Bind the host, wait for reinforcements. The Medic should examine her."

Jerian nodded to himself, "Acknowledged."

He knew the protocols all right; the Medic would examine the girl, and try to figure out what the creature was inside her, and if it could be exorcised. If it could, then she'd be taken back to the city proper and be exorcised... if not... then they'd have no choice but to kill her. Jerian shook his head angrily. He had no stomach for killing innocents, but she was a danger to everyone... and he wasn't confident the creature could be driven out... in fact he wasn't confident they could kill her either; the creature would defend its host and it was incredibly dangerous.

Jayne tried to crawl back and away from the soldiers, who appeared to be unknown for her. All she achieved was that she turned around, and started into a run. Her legs however were still weak, and she didn't make it any farther than a few meters. She sobbed uncontrollably as she tried to crawl away from the soldier and the knight who had just announced he was going to bind her. None of this seemed real. She'd run away for years, and now finally they'd caught her. At her current strength, she was completely unable to stop them.

None of the soldiers seemed happy about it, but a few of them went over to the girl and took hold of her, another soldier took some rope out of a bag and started trying to tie her hands and feet, he gave her a slightly apologetic look, but his eyes also held a wary fear... after all she could turn at a moments notice.

As soon as the soldiers had tied her up, Jerian made a gesture around the room, "Pack up your equipment, get ready to leave at a moment's notice." Finally, he crouched down to the ruined corpse of the man Jayne had killed and stared into the dead man's wide eyes - surprise, fear and horror filled them. Jerian sighed and closed the man's eyes. There wasn't much he could do for the corpse's chest though. Another soldier covered the body with a blanket. Jerian looked down at the blanket and sighed heavily, "More blood upon my hands then." He said softly.

The Paladin looked over at Jayne and said, "More men will arrive soon. One will examine you and that... thing inside you. I have no wish to harm you, girl, but you know what that thing is capable of." It was odd, Jerian calling her a 'girl' as if he were decades older her senior rather than a year. But then, the last four years had aged him greatly. He'd probably have grey hairs before he was twenty five, if he lived that long.

Jayne tried to speak up, to reply, but her throat was dried out and all that she could bring out was a raspy cough. They didn't know what they ware starting! They needed to let her go! She needed to get away, before he was awakened again. They were risking their lives for what? For no reason. It would only bring more harm. She knew it, but she couldn't get the words over her lips.

Jerian recognised the fear in her eyes and his expression was stony, "I know the risks of this, girl. That thing could break free any moment and slaughter us all... but I would rather that we all died trying to destroy the creature inside you, than live knowing we let you, and it, walk free. I will not have the blood of all those you might kill on my hands."

He turned to his men, "Keep a watch on her. If she starts changing shoot her." His voice was cold and hard and brooked no protest, but as he walked away his shoulder slumped slightly and he shook his head.

Jayne tried to protest, but once again her voice didn't respond to her will. She just dropped her head in submission, unable to resist.
We will get them in time... The monster inside her told her. Jayne pushed it back, still on guard for his attacks. He relented, for now.

Jerian didn't approach her again. He was sat down alone in a cleared space near the middle of the room. None of the soldiers approached him, or her. Glances cast her way by the soldiers ranged from fear, to suspicion to pity, but there were always at least three soldiers watching her at all time, rifles held in a relaxed but ready way in their hands.

The soldiers glanced at Jerian too, whispering to each other. Some looked curious, others fearful of him, others had more incomprehensible expressions. Two soldiers were close enough for her to catch part of the conversation, "I dunno Jordan." One soldier said, he was a heavy-set man, broad of shoulder and with his hair shaved off, "I still think he looks too young. I mean, he's barely old enough to be in the army."

'Jordan' a wiry man with close cropped brown hair aid, "Young, sure, but he's Society, isn't he? They're always put in the worst parts of to fighting. I bet he's saw more combat than both of us put together."

The other soldier sneered, "Bah, all sortsof strange stories about that lot. Magic and nonsense."

"Daniel." Jordan said pointedly, "We were just fighting demons, we've been fighting them for four years now. Angels too, vampires, werewolves and God knows what. Magic 'ain't nothing."

"Don't trust him. Not any of that lot. Where'd they get those powers anyhow? Old tales said it was gifts from Demons... what if they're true?" Daniel said, glancing over at the Paladin.

"If my powers come from Demons, Private, then you're all screwed." Jerian said without looking up, "The Society has stood against the Demons and Angels for five thousand years, we've protected you, kept you safe, for generations. We've been fighting and dying for you long before The Veil failed, if anything, you all owe us your lives a thousand times over."

"Why'd you all hide then?" Daniel asked with anger, "Huh? Why'd ou lot hide and keep all this hidden? Why didn't you tell the rest of us, let us prepare? If we'd known - if the government knew - then maybe we wouldn't have been slaughtered when your precious Veil got broken."

"No on would listen, none of you would have believed, and even when proof was brought before the governments they buried for fear of riots and panic." Jerian responded, still not looking at them, "Besides, keeping the Infinite War from the public eye was part of almost every treaty and agreement we ever had with any of those creatures."

"Fat load of good your treaties did us." Daniel muttered.

"It was not we who broke the Second Treaty of Sinai, nor the Golgotha Accords nor the Third Covenant of Jerusalem." Jerian said, "Such agreements kept the Angels out of ou affairs and allowed us to keep the Demons in check. If we had not done so, then the world would have felt the fires long before the Veil was broken." He finally looked over at the two soldiers, "Question me if you wish, question The Society, but don't deny that we didn't do everything damn thing we could to keep you lot alive. Even now; more of my brother and sister Knight have died in battle the past four years than in the past hundred years. The Order has sacrificed everything, and then some, to keep you alive for just a day, an hour longer."

The two soldiers fell silent after that and Jerian turned away. After a short, awkward silence the murmur of low conversations returned.

Jayne readily absorbed all this information. The soldiers were definately in distress, and none of them fully truster Jerian or his 'society'. This was pretty useful information and could work in her favor.
As she rested, her breath evened out and she started to recover from the monster's attack on both her mind and body. She tried the ropes' strenght without letting the guards know, only to find them tightly knot together, except for the ones around her legs. They certainly looked tight, but they didn't feel like it. Thinking back, she did remember a younger soldier tying her legs. He must've had a pity and wanted to be careful. She felt sorry for him, cause he was only taking more risks, but this time it might just work in her favor. She needed to get out, because once the monster tried to renew his attacks, none of the restraints in human posession could bind it.

The soldiers were still talking, but they hushed when Jerian suddenly stood up an began walking to the door, one of the soldiers approached him, "Where are you going, sir? The reinforcements should be here any minute."

"I know." Jerian said, "But this place still smells of blood, and I need some air."

"But... what about our...uh... the girl?" He asked.

Jerian smiled slightly, "Well unless the demon makes a reappearance, she' not going anywhere." His expression darkened, "Still, I wish we had something better than just rope to tie her with... I'd give my left arm for a length of Runic Chain... still, I'm confident in your abilities, I won't be gone long."

Jerian walked out of the building went back to talking to each other.

Jayne smiled mentally. This was it. If she didn't get away now, she was going to be exorcised. Or they'd make an attempt to do so. Even if they would succeed, all they'd accomplish is pull the demon out and break the boundaries it was comitted to by Jayne. They'd only make matters far worse. She fiddled about a little bit and managed to get her feet free unnoticed. She sat up straight and leant into the wall, ready to go but keeping her feet still hidden from view.
"C-could I please get some water?" She asked. One of the guards looked a her suspiciously, but gave her some nonetheless. As soon as he got close, things went really fast. Jayne headbutted him in the stomach, sending the surprised man flying. She quickly turned on her feet and rushed out the back door of the building, quickly running off through the street. She hid in another building and started cutting her roped through at a hidden pipeline, now broken, that had been exposed in the chaos. After that she ran through and out the other side of the building, climbing up a fire escape to get to the rooftops.

Jerian had barely got out the door when chaos erupted in the building behind him. The Paladin sighed in exasperation, "They always run..." He muttered. He spotted the girl running towards another building,
Jerian sighed again and unsheathed the short-sword at his side and made his way into the building. Before long he'd found the severed ropes, he then spotted the fire escape and climbed it after the girl. Once on the roof top he shouted, "It won't do you any good! We can help you! We'll exorcise the demon! It won't hurt you, or anyone else! The Society knows how to handle these things! I know you're scared, but please... I'm the good guy here." Or at least, I'd be the good guy if my Plan B wasn't murder Jerian thought darkly, By The Nine, this isn't what I trained for... I'm supposed to protect people like her not... He cut himself off with a shake of his head and began walking along the roof top, sword held at the ready. If she turned... if the creature attacked him... he'd have no choice about whether the girl lived or died.

Jayne made an incredible jump across a gap, hanging down a rope to the side of another building. She didn't know why it was there and she didn't care either. She quickly climbed back up and pulled the rope up on the roof to prevent Jerian from following. "You don't understand!" she yelled back at him. "You'll only make matters worse!"

Jerian stopped at the gap, he sighed, "I've been doing this since I could walk, girl. I know what I'm doing, you might not believe that, and your creature might not either, but The Society has five thousand years worth of experience in this. We aren't just going to cut that thing out of you and let it go free. There are wardings, there are protections. We have ways to bind creatures like that, to seal them. Exorcisms take place in chambers specifically designed to weaken and trap creatures like the one inside you; it won't get free and it won't possess anyone else."

As he'd been saying this Jerian had bee examining the gap. If the girl continued to run he'd have to jump it.

Jayne looked back. "5000 years?" she replied, seemingly thinking that over for a while. "I still think you don't understand. This... monster... Has been in my family for generations, granting us extended life in the process. It, and us, have been around for over 100.000 thousand years. Whatever it is your society can do, you will make matters worse."

"A hundred thousand years? Huh, that's half the age of the human species." His tone was sceptical, "Though we've exorcised Demons inhabiting hosts who were at least that old. Maybe not quite he same; the possession wasn't passed down between generations, but... hmm... that creature must be some kind of Elder Demon... or a Fallen"

Jerian grimaced, he doubted the thing really was one of the Fallen - the original Angels who had rebelled and founded the Lower Planes... but if it was... if there was a chance... He shied away from that thought, a creature of that power would be a difficult thing to exorcise, not impossible, but difficult, and even harder to bind.

"It doesn't matter, in the end. Your demon is old, and therefore powerful... we have faced similar creatures before." A grimace passed over Jerian's face, he'd heard legend of such beings, heard the tolls they exacted before being defeated... or disappearing at any rate.

"You'll kill us all." Jayne simply replied. He wasn't going to relent, and the monster inside her was stirring again. She started shivering as she pushed it down again, trying as hard as she could to keep it away from her mind. If she didn't lose this guy now, he'd lose the entire city. The monster inside her was getting angrier by the second.