Blood Devil Research: Ryse/Yuuki

You know what Ozaki hated more than anything right now? The blood devil was right. He would rather Nyx stay cute and adorable as she was now. But he had seen something else beyond that. Something was happening to her, changing inside of her. Call it blood devil puberty or whatever have you, that’s what was happening. And when he saw those glimpses of her he could not help but be worried for her, and feel a disconnect. Like she was an entirely different person. But she wasn’t. She was still the same Nyx, she was just going through changes, at least that was the drift he was getting from this tirade.

He did not flinch even as the blood devil punched the wall, allowing himself to show no weakness or doubt. He would not. Because no matter how right this blood devil might be about him, that did not make them right about Nyx. The blood devil’s words did not take the wind out of Ozaki’s sails, only hardened his resolve. He had to be there. No matter what Nyx became. A parent did not get to choose what their child became, but it was their job to love them regardless. And though he was too nervous to admit it out loud, that was how he saw Nyx. He rose his voice to a shout, not to be ignored. “You think instinct is enough when you don’t understand how or why it’s happening to you?! When you have no one by your side to help you through it? You’re wrong. I came here because I want to understand what Nyx is. I want to get to know what she is. I want to be there for her, to get to know who and what she is. That’s why I came. To understand. To learn. And what do I get? A bunch of numbskull blood devils who cower in the sight of someone different from them. And who run away from a fight first chance they get. You’re nothing but a bunch of cowards. I for one. Am certain that whatever Nyx will become it will be neither tame dog or wild wolf. She’ll be a wolfhound. Better than the lot of you because she can see beyond her own nose. Unlike you.”

WC: 393
WC: 2829

595 words
5566 twc

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In the mess hall things were incredibly calm, even past the sight of a few Blood Devils now sitting on couches with other species sucking blood from them while seemingly also to try attending to the comfort of those they were feeding from. Apparently? In spite of their nature to shed blood whenever possible most of them seemed to be incredibly neat eaters, who took extraordinary care of their meals! From adjusting couch pillows for comfort, to caring for the wounds they left behind nearly obsessively, to straight up feeding the one they sat with. "Being a guardian involves fighting, I don't fight, Askel forbade it." she was a pacifist through and through, unlike the other devil's here she had no desire to fight, only that was a lie, she wanted it worse than they did due to how long she'd suppressed that desire. "I just enrolled so I haven't aimed for one yet, but I don't fight, anything." if she fought one thing how could she trust herself to stop at that one thing? No, like father said she'd become dangerous if she picked up a weapon even once, though Oras had already talked her into picking up a sword once, but it wasn't to fight so that didn't count. "I mean does it really count as a murder attempt? That just seems to be how they greet each other....So they greeted me like one of them and I kinda just..." what did she do, nothing expect act like a coward, enraging herself on the side in spite of her calm face. Why had she not punched back? Oh yeah, she didn't fight. "Yeah, I just have to figure out which one, I don't want to try triggering the greeting again." her best bet was likely for Pai to wakeup and ask him questions considering everything. 

The blood devil was laying in his bed within the now locked room, knowing that a simple vampire had no way to get inside the room and he'd won the fight in spite of the fact that creature was still breathing. When you wrecked someone so bad that they had to scream louder in response? Oh, that simply sounded just like victory! However, no Blood Devil could be content with just one single win out of the war if they were presented with the perfect platform for partaking in the next battle. Saying no to another fight? Would be like never breathing again. "So this is an actual fight?" Ozaki would hear the laughed out comment from behind him as the male devil suddenly teleported there via a blood puddle, aiming to pick the staff member up by the scruff and throw him down the hallway. Oh the male knew he'd be darted soon as he was in someone's firing line, but he'd get his enjoyment out of it first. "I guess we'll see if your wolfhound really can see far enough beyond her own nose enough to save you, because the only way I back down is if one of us is dead or if she proves you right that she isn't a tame dog!" the male devil was clearly completely ready to fight Ozaki to the death short of the intervention of a more worthy opponent in the form of another devil. 

Quickly there would start to be a buzz among the other devils as they took to hanging on the walls, standing in doorways or doing anything else they possibly could to watch the fight and be there if they could get a turn. 

Ryse’s words had no effect on breaking Ozaki’s focus. He knew what kind of creature was before him right now. The kind that only understood physical force. The man had made his terms clear, and there was no backing down now.

Nyx, however, did bring him a moment of pause. He hadn’t wanted her to see him like this. Really he didn’t want anyone from the Academy, his home, to see him like this. He took extra care to keep his side of him hidden. To the extent that it could be said he actually was more wary of it than his vampiric blood lust. That was simple. Drink a bit of blood every other week and you were good. This side? This was the temper, the rage he had inherited from his father. The effects of being raised in such a household. He did everything in his power to keep it from slipping out, even if it meant stuttering like bumbling idiot while trying to avoid saying anything that might end up offending or hurting the feelings those around him. But right then he hadn’t been afraid of hurting anyone’s feelings. But Nyx was here now, watching him. He’d have to be much more careful with his words if he was to avoid insulting her even indirectly.

If Nyx happened to see his eyes right now she likely be struck by how very much they looked like that vampire hunter’s they had come across that one night when they first met. Though the two shared similar eye colors, normally Ozaki’s soft gaze was nothing like the hardened one of his senior. This one was of ice and steel, a keen focus of righteous fury that would not allow himself to be moved. 

The first one did manage to tear through his wing. Mentally Ozaki bemoaned the idea of being grounded again. At lead this time it wasn’t Phoenix fire though. So long as he used his healing factor it would be no issue. But he could not focus on that just right now during the fight. 

He flapped his wing rapidly, blood splattering with the new wound made, hopefully sprinkling it on the blood devil in the process. He used a bit of blood manipulation to make this the case, but tried to keep it subtle so as to hopefully not betray his purposes.

As he glanced at his wing to check out the damage he saw behind him a sword being conjured into the air. Well then. He’d known that the man liked to go for the back, this just confirmed that he’d have to be careful.

Ozaki pivoted on his foot to avoid the greater blow to his back, the sword flying past him instead. That one, if strong enough could have gone through his chest and possibly hit his heart. That one had been more important to dodge. The sword at his front slashed through his chest. Ozaki put his hand on his chest, wincing in pain. But more importantly, was the fact that he was gathering the blood that was oozing out onto his hand. It didn’t take more than a mere second to get enough to fulfill his purposes.

He then attempted to slap the blood devil, not caring if the blow actually hit. Though of course getting some claw raking damage in would be great. But his real hope was to get the blood on the blood devil’s face- and more importantly- his eyes. Again he used his blood manipulation to spray more blood than perhaps would have naturally. He was pushing his luck there. But if he could even partially blind the devil, it’d be worth it.

After that he attempted to stab the blood devil with the dart in his left hand. If the blow hit he ensure through his blood manipulation that only half of the available sedation liquid would go into him. Ozaki didn’t want him to conk out immediately. That just wouldn’t be satisfying. And would not feel like a resounding win. He was mad as hell at this blood devil, and wanted him to be conscious for the finale…. Assuming he won in the first place.

If that didn’t hit he had another attack coming up. Odds were the blood devil would be more focused on dodging the dart, so this might have a chance in hitting. Ozaki ducked down and went for the blood devil’s midsection, hoping to get a meaty chunk and plenty of blood shed out of it to feed his dagger. He aimed another swipe in rapid succession, if both hit it would mark the Blood devil with an X on its stomach.

After that was done he finished the attacks he had set up earlier in getting his blood on the Blood devil’s body. At the vampire’s silent command all of Ozaki’s blood on the male blood devil turned transparent and into a sizzling acid.

WC: 845
TWC: 3941

427 words
6615 twc

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Nyx was watching form the side lines, held tightly by the red headed devil who was now occasionally speaking with the other devil's in the mess keeping them calm as several were getting antsy having a fight so close to their feeding partners. Apparently? They took the safety of the people they fed from very seriously and wanted to just repeatedly kill the male devil until he stopped. The red head pointed out it would only get everyone in a killing fury and possibly get the entire base caught up in a fight where suddenly non devils were fair game as well. Nyx could hear none of it, looking at Yuuki's eyes she was noticing something very quickly, a thing she had never considered, the inventory manager looked like a mini version of the man who had tried to kill him several weeks before.

The male devil took all three of the physical attacks as if he enjoyed the pain that came to his body as a result, laughing as he looked at the vampire. "Thanks for making things bloodier~" deciding to use what he had been given all the blood rose from the devils body even some from within the wound he'd just been given and formed itself into tiny needle like projectiles that flung themselves forward at Yuuki aiming to stick into his wings. Generating two swords with two each put into them he'd simply attempt to kick the other male back into the blades since thrusting the blade towards him had apparently not worked the last time. 

Distress flooded through her body when her gaze suddenly blacked out on the fight and saw a perfectly peaceful scene of the male blood devil walking with another few devil's, but the conversation was what caught her attention. Within the moments she was seeing the past, feeling like she was being ripped out of her body? The devil's had been talking about how it sucked that the male couldn't fly anymore due to a combat training exercise where his wing hadn't regenerated the right nerves. "YUUKI! YUUKI!" She was lunging forward again, waving her clawed hand, flapping her wings frantically hoping that the male would look to see what was 'wrong' and she could tell him. "HIS WING, ONE OF HIS WING'S DOESN'T WORK! HE CAN'T FLY!" the male devil reacted to this turning around, only one of his wings expanding, for the moment he was distracted by the child's shouts, wondering how she had known a wing that looked normal on the outside no longer functioned. 

The battle had been hard fought. And even with aerial advantage he had accumulated a few new wounds, and the sudden hug both startled and pained him a bit. Ozaki stutter-flapped for a moment before managing to land relatively safely.

He allowed the rest of the dart’s sedative to flow into the blood devil. While he was slowed down considerably and not able to get up with half of the sedative… There was no point in keeping him awake any more. He was too out of his mind to take in anything Ozaki might say to him. And perhaps Ozaki could kill him. But that would only enable the blood devil to get up right away afterwards. No. It was better to keep him like this.

He had to take a moment to readjust his mind, doing his best to cool the rage inside him. Once landed he wrapped his arms around Nyx to return the hug. Calm calm. Slow breaths to bring down the rage, to push back the ugly thoughts down to the darker recesses of his mind.

This was Nyx. She was a blood devil. So was the blood devil he had just fought. He thought that the rapid mess that he had become in the ensuing fight was what Nyx would become. That there was no other path. To be a blood devil was to be consumed in battle-rage, blood lust, and a lack of self preservation fueled by a masochistic drive.

But that was simply what Nyx was. That did not have to be who she was. Ozaki held no love in his heart for the blood devils of this island. And even now as he calmed down he was wincing at himself for saying Nyx would become a wolfhound. A hunter of wolves. Had he really implied that he’d raise Nyx to kill, to hunt, her own kind?

By Dracula’s fangs.

He only hoped that Nyx did not hear of the ugly words he had exchanged with the blood devils, calling them all numbskulls like that. He should be better than that. He should be accepting of all. He couldn’t be someone who judged others based on their species, a racist. The vampire had to be better than that. Better than his father.

He had done this to try and defend Nyx’s honor. To try and get the blood devils to actually treat her as a fellow rather than a repulsive outcast they could not stand to even look at. He knew how that felt more than anyone. Had this even been for anything? Would any of them actually change their behavior towards her and try to get her to understand what they were rather than scorn her for not automatically being it?

They assumed she already knew. That she would know. But that didn’t mean she didn’t need an explanation. It was important to know what was happening with one’s own body, to understand the changes you were going through while you were going through. Rather than just blindly stumbling through it. 

The blood devils here had their family, they had their battalion. Pai had a support system and a place he belonged that had and would continue to ensure he grew up happy and accepted. Their worlds were so vastly different from one another. If Nyx was capable of even half the battle lust that these creatures were…

He had to wonder if he’d be enough. Perhaps he had bitten off more than he could chew with Nyx. But… He had to try. He could not simply abandon her for fear of what she might become. Ozaki hugged her tighter, not sure what to say in this moment. She didn't even really know why he had started this fight in the first place. Ozaki had been careful not to exchange any words after Nyx had entered the scene. He didn't want her to know the capacity for such loathing of her own species inside of him. "Its okay Nyx." He muttered into her hair, in that moment utterly forgetting about the blood that was currently seeping out of multiple wounds and the blood of his opponent that had managed to spray on him. 

WC: 710
TWC: 5128