The Fae and the Mercenary (Closed)

The way the day started, one wouldn't expect it to be anything spectacular.

Of course, Michael wasn't the kind of person to expect ANYTHING.

The day would start off as normal, MIchael would wake up and fling his damned alarm clock across the room against the wall, hearing the resounding crack of plastic and knowing he needed to spend another 15 bucks on another one.

He would pick himself up and drag himself towards his bathroom in his apartment complex, showering himself off, attempting to wake up. As he would step out of the shower, he would look at himself in the mirror, seeing the 23 year old male that had nothing special going for him at the moment. His jet black hair ALWAYS a mess, no matter what kind Gel he put in it, no matter how he combed it, no matter how much he washed it, he always had permanent bed head. His eyes were a dark green color, very noticable. The only facial hair he had was a beard, and even then that didn't stand out much. With a sigh, he dried himself with a towe, and went to go find something to wear for he day.

He would grab himself a bottle of water or a bottle of soda, something to help pick him up forthe day because lord knows the taste of coffee would always leave a bitter taste in his mouth. He would then prepare for work that day, which was ALWAYS a lot of fun.

Ashe prepared to step out of the door, on his way to the job in question, his phone began to ring. Grabbing it, he spoke. "Hello?" He asked. It was his mother. She needed...something for his dad. He rolled his eyes a little bit. His father needed hs pills, stating that they couldn't get up, their own car hadn't been running in years and his father the lazy bastard, never bothered to pick himself off the couch and fix it himself, and lord knows they didn't like those "Shady mechanics, they'll steal your stuff like they did all those other times". So naturally, Michae was the one option of doing all their stuff.

Apparenly he needed his medication, and the only way to get it was in the hospital in the next town over. Michael lived in a smaller town, so this wouldn't be THAT much of a drive. However, there was something...odd, something off about the way over to the next town.

That FOREST.

It was like...there was always something there, always something behind the trees of that damned place, watching you, waiting for you to make te slightest little mistake...

Well, thankfully, he had his car for that reason alone. With a sigh, he said he'd get the pills in question, nd hung up. Bloody wonderful, he was going to be late now, and possibly fired. As he hopped into his car and drove off down the road.

...

"Yeah, I can' believe I'm actually surprised by this." Michael grumbled angrily as he hopped out of the car, hacking up a near lung as he approached the hood. "Of course the fucking engine dies. I can't believe I find this fuckig shocking." He said as he opened up the hood and gasped, hacking up another lung as he fanned the engine down. Checking everything, he sighed. TYhe battery died.

"Well, time to call Triple A..." He grabbed his cell phone and punched in a number. Wincing, he looked at the face of his phone and saw the dreaded words.

No Signal.

"You hate me today, don't you?" He snarled up towards the sky and sighed, slamming the hood down and hopped onto it, thnking. He thought...and he thought he saw something in the woods.

Something human shaped.

Hopping off the hood, he approached them again.

"Hello?" He asked into the dark shadowy woods. "Whose there?"

There are many mythical stories that contain magical fairy rings a circle of great magic, Other's simply see them as a naturally occurring rings or arcs of mushrooms. The latter is what the Fae folk rely on to keep there world secret. The mythical stories and legends are in part true, they speak of fairies dancing within the circle. What is not known to common man is that the fairies do dance within the circle but it is not in celebration or to seduce men who have wandered into the forest alone, it is how they travel from their world to the mortal world.

In this day and age faerie circles were not as many as they once were, this was because of population growth in the human species and because the daemons of the under world were doing all they could to destroy them, for what is also not known to common man is that the Fae folk must spend time in natural moon light and sun light each 30 days and for that they need the faerie circles.

You see the secret world of the Fae did not always exist long ago they walked on the very same land that is now dominated by humans but lust filled daemons drove them to pool magic and create the mystical world of the Fae. unfortunately the artificial light in this world did not sustain the Fae magic that was linked to the moon light and to the sun light of the mortal world. Without that light the secret world would crumble and the Fae would be defenseless.

These lust filled daemons longed for the Fae for they are truly beautiful creatures but they did not want to simply admire them, no they wanted to capture them and use them as sex slaves and when the Fae resisted they were murdered and a war began that has ragged on for centuries.

Centuries that Elke had witnessed and lived through, she was an accomplished Fae archer and a member of the royal guard. Elke was the only daughter to Isac and Melina. two Fae nobles who disapproved of their daughters chosen path, the danger she faced protecting the faerie circles and the royal family was too great in their eyes. But Elke was strong willed and determined and once she set her mind to something nothing stood in her way.

It was the day of her lighting, her 30 days hidden in the world of the Fae had come around and she needed to return to the mortal world for one full cycle of the sun and the moon.......Her entry into the moral world will perhaps explain why mortals always see fairy people as tiny little creatures in the tales told to children, you see it is in part true when a Fae enters the world of the fairies they are small and petite but they do return to normal adult size once the spell is finished.

Landing on the toadstool of a hidden circle deep within the forest nestled between two mortal towns, once small the other larger. The mortals tended to keep to the towns only traveling through the forest when they drove the road through the center. Elke had often used this circle and had never so much as had any trouble.........

Today however was different, as she landed and began to resize she was grabbed by the throat and pinned to a tree, a daemon. Elke would have screamed but her wind pipe was cut off by his cold iron grip his rough scale like skin chaffing her delicate flesh. Elke had been taken by surprise and had dropped her bow and was too weak from not having had a lighting in 30 days so her Fae magic was weak. She thrashed and tried to beat the fowl creature with her hands and legs but he was stronger and more determined.

"Hello Pretty One " he hissed at her as he leaned in and licked the side of her face, Elke's eyes raged at him and she was thinking of how many ways she was going to enjoy his death when she heard a voice......."Hello?....Whose there?"

"Hey, is there anyone there?"

He called out again into the otherwise echoing, seemingly empty woods. He was taking mallsteps forward. He didn't want to get any closer to this damned place than it was absolutely necessary. However, as he got a little bit closer, he was almost certain thatg he saw more than one person.

Thank god. This had a fifty/fifty chance of being help. Other half as probably going to be deliverance bullshit, and no body wanted that. HIs hand however grabbd his pants a little bit. Should worse come to worse...well, this is why he grabbed his knife just before he left. He'd heard stories about the woods, and wanted to come prepared.

Hearing no answer, he stepped into the woods, feeling the cold air suddenly sift around him and a hard shiver blew over his body as he was suddenly very cold. his eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness, and looked at where he THOUGHT he saw the two people. His eyes squinted a little bit.

It was funny, one of tem looked like she had wings! But that was really ridiculous, and completely-

Some....some...THING, sure as hell wasn't HUMAN was pinning her to a tree, his...hand? Pressed to her neck it was clawed. There was something so...wrong about this thing! It wasn't like any human HE'D ever seen.... His green eyes widened, and he took a step back.

"What the hell?!"

He had no idea how true that statement was...what in hell! Elke's eyes shot to the mortal she wanted to groan, not only had she been surprised by a daemon she had been spotted by a mortal... could this day get any worse. But the mortals appearance had at least taken the daemons attention so Elke kicked him fiercely in the stomach and he dropped her for a split second, she got about two paces toward her bow before he was on her again this time pinning her face first the ground, his claws ripped one of her wings.

Elke screamed in frustration and pain, her face had been pushed into the forest flaw by the blow and the wind had been knocked out of her......she was really going to kill this daemon and enjoy it, she just had to get out from under him and get her bow. She stretched out her arm but it was no use it was still out of her reach so she tried to swing her arms behind her and unbalance the daemon, her Fae magic was a little stronger then when she first transported but not much and if what she tried next failed it very well could be her death because she would be left completely weak.

Not only would it mean she was dead, it would mean this mortal was left defenseless with a daemon or worse he got away and would tell someone of his tale...she couldn't take a chance on either of those options. Closing her eyes she visualized the tree the daemon had been pinning her too, with a glimmer of light she shimmered to it now behind the daemon she Kicked it hard in the ass sending it face planting into the dirt, she couldn't help but smile at that image. But the daemon was so not smiling as he rolled and glared at her "Don't make this hard on yourself Fae, let me kill you quick" he hissed at her as he tried to scramble to his feet.

Elke was still not close enough to her bow and now the daemon was between her and it and she had no magic left within her, "You could just go back to hell and make it easy on us all" she smiled at him her eyes conveying the challenge. She was not backing down, she couldn't. The daemon lunged at her and she partly darted out of his way but not far enough so he still clipped her shoulder, which was better then her body "aaah" she yelled as she bounced off him and her shoulder felt like it had been dislodged from the socket.

She gripped at her arm for a moment before shotting a look at the daemon that would have killed the spirit of many a man, but this was daemon......not so easy to discourage. After all they had sought to have control on the Fae's for many centuries now. Elke glanced about there was nothing she could arm herself with so it was a matter of avoiding his blows until she could reach her bow. Her quiver between her shoulders and buckled across her chest she had the arrows, just nothing to shoot them with.

Flicking her long brown hair from her face she squared off to the daemon which must look ridiculous to the human, for she would have looked something like a child trying to take on a sumo. But Fae's were quick and well trained in combat. She waited till the daemon lunged spreading her blue hued wings she sprung over his head with the grace of a gymnast, however she had not counted on the daemon being as fast as he was, The daemon turned and collected her with his rock like fist sending her flying into a tree and causing her to wobble and sway a little.

Michael was te farthest thing from a fighter, but if there was anything his father taught him that wasn't beer or football related, it was you don'tstand around while a woman gets her ass handed to her, step up, and step in!

Of course, when dealing with the ungodly beast that was ickin this poor thing ass....well, that was another story. Either way! He was gonna help!....Somehwo!

He grabbed the knife that was in his pocketand rushed over to the beast in question, liftingit up above his head, and driving it into it's shoulder. God, he had a horrible feelng about this....he felt so damn cold thi close...

What WAS this thing?

Elke had just shaken off the blow when the daemon crumbled to the ground with a hideous growl of pain and burst into ashes......well that was him taken care of but Elke hadn't caused it, she looked up from the pile of ash to see the human with his knight still clenched as if it was stuck in the daemon and his eyes shut braced against the horror of the act and the un godly feeling of the demon. She couldn't help it she laughed at him "It's dead, you can breath now" she didn't waste a moment she brushed past the human and went to her bow picking it up she turned to face him.

"I did not ask for your help but I suppose you think I should thank you.......you killed it well done" that was as close as he was likely to get to Elke being grateful, she did not like having her battles fought for her or being treated as though she was useless. "You must not speak of this, I will give you two choices I can preform a binding spell that will prevent you from speaking of this to anyone or I can kill you" she raised an eyebrow at him as if she had really given him a choice and his answer was in question.

Waaait, wait, wait, wait, wait. What the HELL was that?

"Um." He spoke up after a moment of somewhat sunned silence. "Exccuse me. You mid telling me, um, what's the term I' looking for? What the HELL that was!?" He shouted, ptting his knife back in his pocket and looked at thelady in question. "I mean, what the hell WAS that thing? Why can't I tell anyone? Who are YOU? Why do you have those...wings?! What the hell is going on?!"

Michael was someone who never liked being in the Dark. Of course, the dark would probably be simpler, but hey, if you were walking through the forest, saw some demonic entity whaling on something that looked like a fairy...well, we'd like to see yo shrug it off and carry on about your da.

Bump.

Elke shook her head typical human, he was concerned with something that had already been delt with and there for irrelivent now...yet jumped right into the path of danger when he was none the wiser. Elke turned looked the human up and down and sighed he was clearly not going to allow her to bind him untill he had answers.

"THAT... well that, you have already part answered with your question. Hell is exactly where it came from, it was a daemon." she waited for the bug eyed expression to ease from his face before she smiled and added the next bit "and I have these wings' she fluttered them for emphisis "because I am a fae or fairy as you would commonly know us...well your folk tales would know us" she could tell she had made him a little off balance with that so she walked over and guided him to a sitting position at the base of the tree. "Don't want you fainting on me.....and what is going on is really none of your concern so if you will just say you agree to me binding your ability to remember this and to repeat any of it we can both go about our day" she gave him an impatient look, she hated that fae law required one's concent to bind them.

"Okay, first of all." He said as calmly as he could. "You cannot tell a human, someone like me, that you're a fairy, I just killed a demon, and you can't expect me to just walk away all happy and bullshit, because frankly this is putting my sanity, my life, and reality ALL into perspective right now."

He was a little more than freaked out right now, his eyes wide, his hands in front of them, breathing hard through his teeth. "Because there is no way I can go on about my day, ATTEMPT to forget about, and not snap and get sent to a mental institatuion about halfway. So we can do this a few ways.

"You can tell me what the hell is going on, or I follow you and MAKE you tell me what's going on."

As one would figure, we humans can be bothersome creature, especially about those of which we do not understand. Instead, we pester until we get the answers we demnd.

Elke huffed this human was getting under her skin "I do not have time for this....that daemon being here" she gestures to the fairy circle on the ground "and attacking me is serious, I have to finish my lighting and then I have to return to my people and warn the others"

She was angry and began to pace the circle "there are just some things you wont understand, I am a Fae that was a daemon and that is just how it is, you humans...what ever your name is" she waved her hand at him "are not meant to understand or to be involved, that is what they want" she gestured to were the dead daemon had be laying.

He was still in shock, staring at her, slack jawed, eyes wide, hands open, until finally he shouted.

"Are you fucking kidding me!?"

"You can't ust tell a person like me that fairys and demons are actually fucking real and just hope I accept it! do you realize what kind of effect that would have on someone! That's like...putting everything they know and kicking it down the street like a can! IfFaries are real, then is Santa?! The tooth fairy?! The fucking EASTER BUNNY!?"

Yep. It was official. He obviosly got knocked over the head walking through the forest and got clocked over the head with a lead pipe, and now he was experiencing he hallucinations as his brain swelled, most likely getting is wallet stolen, and his body violated. That was the only way.

Rolling her eyes at his out burst, Elke stopped pacing and placed her hands on her hips and glared at him "Don't be stupid of course they are not real....and I hate to burst your bubble, But I am real, like it or not" she fluttered her wings as if to prove it.

"You just simply have to accept that you humans do not know everything" she gave him a smug smile and as she turned to walk away brushed her wing tip against his nose as if rubbing it all in his face. "Now if you don't mind I really would like to bind you and get on with things, all you have to do is say I want my memory binded" she stopped in the middle of the fairy circle and looked at him impatient "easy enough don't you think?"

Elke was really getting bored with this human, sure he was interesting to look at. Even kinda handsome in his own rugged way, fae males tended to be more fair in their looks. She was casually looking him over when she realized she had been distracted from the task at hand " You do understand this is important and that the only other option I have given you is death?" she absently plucked a stray leaf from her dress and tossed it back on to the ground. Elke wore what most of her kind wore a simple white covering draped over and tied at the waist, it did not conceal much but it was practical for flying and easy movement when size changing.

"But...but..."

OKay...so maybe he wasn't insane. With a igh, he pressed his fist to his forehead and bit his lip.

"Okay." He said after a short pause, letting out a low sigh. "Demons are real." He said with a nod of his head, looking to the Fae. "II have a question. Are they dangerous to the human race? MY race?"

It was a fair question Elke had to admit she would be concerned for her Fae if she was in his shoes. "To be honest" she looked him in the eyes her violet eyes flickering with emotion "yes they are dangerous as they seem to be growing careless and have allowed the war between our races to overflow into yours. You will notice the forests not just around here but else were getting ripped down and giving way to corporate expanding...most of those corporates are owned by daemons who have assimilated into the mortal world."

Elke waited till that sunk in, as she was sure it would add to his feeling of being overwhelmed, it overwhelmed her and she had always known about daemons. She couldn't imagine finding out about all this in one day. She began to loose some of her anger toward the human "They are trying to limit the ways that the Fae people light so that hopefully we loose our magic and our sanctuary from them." she found a patch of sun light filtering through the trees and spread her wings to catch the rays.

He nodded a little bit, is eyes closing as he rubbed his eyes with the heel of his hand, groaing a little bit. This was a lot to take in really, grumbling slowly, letting out one final sigh and looked to her.

"Look." He said with a nod. "You said there was a potential this could affect my own group, and despite the fact of what you try to say or do, I saw what you did, and I managed to actually destroy one of these things. I want to help in anyway, since, ya know..I kinda did save your ass."

That probably wasn't the best thing to say, but he was tyrin to keep his composue.

"I want to help fight these things if it means helping my kind."

SAVED HER ASS!!! forget that he just rubbed her the wrong way again, and just when she was softening towards him "You did not save my ass, you got lucky he cold have ripped you limb from limb.....and that's not taking into account any magical powers, what are you going to do rely on dumb blind luck to see you through every time" she laughed "I have been trained for years ....and yet you think you can just walk right in and be a warrior" she exaggerated her laugh just to rile him.

She turned to face him the sun light flowing over her body making her shimmer a little, the colours of her wings radiant and so truly beautiful. "Your best to just leave it to us.........don't you think?" it was not really a question it was her being deeply patronizing.

She did make some very potent points. He did just rely soley on dumb ass luck to save her, and when it came to the fighting department, especially with weapons or even hand to hand contact. He was the farthest thing from a fighter, nearly the opposite.

"Okay.' He said after a moment of silence. "Okay, you make a good point. I' a human, you're a...fairy...thing." he said, waving it off. "Maybe it would bebest if I just left you to your fights and what not.' He hrugged a little bit and reached down, pulling his blade from the ground and slipped it back into his pocket. "Fine, I suppose i'll just leave you be."

Elke was about to just let him leave when she remembered she needed to wipe his memory "Wait....you need to let me bind your memory, so that you don't remember any of this" She felt sorry for him, she couldn't imagine having all this dumped on you in one day and then being told that your basically defenseless so just let someone else handle it....she was actually starting to feel bad for saying it, even if it was true.

She stepped closer to him and was about to ask for permission to wipe his memory when she realized she didn't have enough time to light yet so her power was too low........"Damm it" she cursed and creased her brow..."You can't go yet, I need to light more to build up my magic before I can bind you so ...You have to stay with me till I can, I can't risk loosing you and having you remember" she hoped he wouldn't be disagreeable she didn't want to fight any more today. Pacing past him she stood n the sun light again and spred her wings wide to catch the rays.

"Oh, so you need me to stick around a lttle longer than?" He asked, crossing his arms and turned back to hr. "Just to wipe my memory." He was silent for a moment, and finally let a lowsigh escap from his lips, throwing his hands up in defeat."Damn m gentlemanly ways. I COULD just walk away and leave you here, never to see you again..."

He was silent for another moment, and shook his head.

"But I wasn't raised that way. Fucking mother, teaching me gentlemanly ways..." She was obviously completely at themercy of anything else that could attack her. So..."I'll stay..."

She was a little startled by his out burst but couldn't help but giggle as he was blaming his mother for this she smiled "I don't know that your mother would be too happy about you protecting fairies from daemons, despite the gentlemanly manners she instilled in your up bringing" she laughed softly "But thank you for staying and making it easier on me, I know you didn't have to" She turned away from him and fluttered her wings a little more the sun shining through them illuminating them like pretty blue and purple stained glass.

She loved the feeling of the sun light on her skin and her wings, its warmth radiated through her body it was like being dipped into a warm bath it surrounded her wings and her limbs caressing them, she sighed with contentment and then turned to face him again removing strands of dark hair from her face and tucking them behind her ears she said "My name is Elke..what is yours?" she smiled at him softly and extended her hand as she knew it to be the human custom.

"Just call me Michael." he said to her as he reached out and grabbed at her hand, shaking it before he let go, and sat down near a tree. Snapping off a small branch from the tree beside him, and grabbed his knife, starting to whittle it down.

"So," he said, "While I sitll have my memory, let me ask some things. What's it like being a fairy? What's the worst that a demon could do to a fairy or a human? And most importantly..."

He looked at the newly whittled down branch, which was coming to a fine point.

"Does getting your memory sealed...hurt?"

Elke smiled at how he began his question, they were honestly spoken out of curiosity and fear. She could respect that. " Being a fairy is not really different then being a human except" she wiggled her wings indicating them " Those, and the magic and that we are imortal..that is unless something kills us......but we never die of old age." she smiled at him "we are fast and strong, and our magic is tied to the rotation of the sun and the moon without access to both our magic fades as does out immortality and our world." she looked at him and felt sorry for what he had stumbled into as his next question was not really easy to answer.

"Demons are cruel and malicious beasts, they started this war over lust....they wished to enslave Fae folk to sate their lust and desires and so the war has continued." she shook her head in dismay then with conviction said "The worst they could do in my mind is capture me and use me, but the most compassionate thing they will do instead is kill me"

She sat down in front of him crossed her legs and looked at him, "the worst they do to your kind, is manipulation like the companies I told you about. They can also kill you ....they use to avoid such things but of late they have grown careless or perhaps they are more desperate to kill my kind" she looked distressed, it was true it was becoming harder and harder for fairies to light, and without it they would die.

She smiled at the last question "No it doesn't hurt, to you it will just be as it was before you stumbled onto all this...at worst you may feel a little dizzy, but I will be careful and try to avoid that for you" She looked to his face wondering how he was taking all this.....

He sighed a little bit and he nodded, looking up towards the ceiling. "I see." he said quietly, shaking his head. "Gotta say...this is a LOT to take in. I mean..." He was silent again after shaking his head, and instead, loked out into the clear expanse of woods. He sighed a little bit, and curled his legs up to his chest.

He looked over at the Fae, his eyes closing a little bit. Well, perhaps it wouldn't be so bad if he suddenly just forgot everything he saw. His life would have been much boring yes, but at least everything would go back to the status quo. Well, if he was gonna forget everything, he may as well pump more questions.

"So f ou don't mindd me asking, tell me a little about yourself. How old are you, what exactly do you do AS a fairy? And...well, these demons capture your kind for the sheer thrill of sex? They capture you lot as SEX slaves?"

Elke simply nodded when he said it was a lot to take in, because it honestly was. She had never known any thing else but she knew how confusing she found the mortal world at times, so she could only imagined learning a whole new reality so different from everything you knew was a little overwhelming if not completely frightening.

Micheal seemed to be taking it well though, she allowed her eyes to travel over his face and down over his body, was a handsome human...a Little rugged but that appealed to Elke she like how human males seemed masculine, Fae males were very fair and attractive but it was not masculine Their beauty was almost feminine.

Elke smiled when he had more questions, she did not mind answering them at all. It would at least pass the time while she replenished her magic by lighting. " I am the only daughter of Isac and Melina who are of noble birth" she was not bragging she was just being honest, her station had never been something she cared for. " I am a practiced archer and a member of the royal guard, meaning I am supposed to protect fairy rings and the Fae Royal Family" she smiled brightly at the age question flicking her hair from her face she looked at him and sweetly asked "How old would you say I am" she stood for him and slowly turned so he could take in her form and her wings, she was not waring clothes designed for fashion it was a draping of white cloth meant for ease of movement, Fae knew they were beautiful so did not see the point in hiding it shamefully.

She turned back to him her face growing a serious "And yes that is exactly what Demons desire and would do to any Fae they get their hands on" she shivered a little at the thought and then sat back down in front of him a little closer then before. She whispered "it was their lust and desire to own us, that drove us from this land.....we once lived in the mortal world as you do"