Tiafell - the Femboy Elf

Author's Note: This chapter is quite intense and violent, just giving fair warning.

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Chapter 20: Escalation

Dred, Cardexx, and Esteban stood before Tiafell and his allies, having arrived on the battlefield. The ghostly black demon had declared his intention to possess Tiafell. His long white hair and ribbon-like appendages blew lightly in the wind. Black strings appeared between Dred and Trista, pumping red light into her.

"No Dred, please don't..." Trista wept momentarily, feeling the last of her free will leave her. "I'm sorry, Tia.." A single tear fell from her cheek, then all emotion left her face as her irises turned back to yellow, the same shade as Dred's. "I belong to Lord Dred now. I am his tool to use as he sees fit." She said in a monotone voice.

"You can't have her.." Tiafell was fuming, his eyes turned red, the crimson mist around him turned into a blazing flame. He was gritting his teeth, which had become sharp. "I WON'T LET YOU TAKE HER OR HURT ANYONE ELSE IN THIS VILLAGE!!!!!!!" His voice had become distorted and beast-like. He roared as he rushed blindly toward Dred.

"Yes, you fool. Give yourself to me.." Dred's face shifted; he would have been grinning if he had a mouth.

Before Tiafell reached him, Cardexx darted between them, grabbed his son by his arm, and dashed away with him.

"Lord Dred, what does he think he is doing? Do you want me to stop him?" Esteban offered.

"No, it's fine. Let Cardexx do whatever he thinks he is going to accomplish. He is merely delaying the inevitable and will soon pay the ultimate price for it. Why don't you go spend some time with your own child?"

Esteban looked at Nadia, who was glaring at him. "Very well, My Lord." The Hispanic Vampire Lord approached his dhampir daughter. "You have grown, Nadia. It is good to see you again."

"Shut the fuck up!! Don't you DARE act like you are happy to see me!!" Nadia raged.

"Is that any way to speak to su padre?"

"Don't refer to yourself as my father!! I may be your offspring, but you're no parent of mine!!!" She lunged forward, attempting to punch him, but he caught her fist. She unleashed a series of punches, all of them were blocked by her father.

Dred chuckled. "I suppose I should find someone to 'play' with. But first, let's bring in those reinforcements with a 'bang'." The demon closed his fist.

The human-based demons began exploding one by one, killing several amazons and demons within their blast radius. Many of them exploded near the wall, the blasts leaving large holes. With several sections of the wall around Steelweld gone, dozens more demons piled into the village, greatly increasing their numbers. Vampires of the Red Crescent Coven were also among them.

"No... NOOOOO!!!!" Cleyene screamed, horrified by the sight of so many of her people dying at once, as well as their primary barrier having been decimated.

Varpol was fighting one of the deformed demons, but by the time she realized what was happening, it was too late. Her opponent exploded in front of her, sending her into the air. Her body was badly burned and mangled, her right arm and leg had been blown off.

"VARPOOOOOOOOOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Cleyene shrieked, then ran and dropped her weapons to catch her second-in-command. "Varpol!! Stay with me, don't give up!!" Samora, Cirris, and Mirya were watching in horror. Nadia was only able to briefly witness this as Esteban launched his own attacks against her, but still felt deep sorrow over what happened to her teacher.

"Lady.. Cley.. ene... did I serve you well...?" Varpol was convulsing violently. She was frightened and in terrible pain.

"Yes, yes you did. I couldn't have asked for a better general than you." The Chieftess answered somberly. Varpol spat up a lot of blood and began choking. Cleyene held her close, softly singing a Gashuan hymn that honored their fallen warriors and brought comfort to their loved ones.

"O' valiant warriors, who fought through swords and flames

We shall sing your memories and forever hail your names.

The Fallen Heroes shall welcome you onto their side

Our land will not forget you; its heart is filled with pride.

Rest now o' brave ones, claim the peace that you have earned

Onward to the Golden Land of which we all have yearned.

When we make our own journey onto those hallowed lands

We will embrace you all and forever hold your hands."

Cleyene repeated the hymn while gently rubbing her second-in-command's cheek. After several long agonizing moments, Varpol went limp, her eyes staring blankly at the night sky.

"Our land will..." She stopped singing, then spoke with a broken voice. "Thank you for everything, Varpol.." Cleyene kissed her fallen general on her forehead then gently laid her down, using her fingers to close her eyes. She picked her twin blades up and stood. "I'll see to it that a statue is built for you in the main hall..." Tears streamed from her eyes as her face contorted with burning fury. "... RIGHT AFTER I KILL THIS MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!"

The enraged Chieftess ground her blades together to set them both ablaze, then ran headlong toward Dred, killing every enemy in her path without stopping. Dred held an amazonian warrior by his head and crushed it. Seeing Cleyene coming for him, he dropped the deceased warrior, then formed large red blades in his hands. The dual wielders' weapons clashed.

"Lady Cleyene: Chieftess of Steelweld, I accept your challenge." Dred stated.

"I'm not challenging you to a duel!!! I'm going to kill you for what you've done to my village, to my people!!!!" Cleyene's eyes were bloodshot.

"You mourn needlessly. Before the sun rises, you will be reunited with your tribe in Hell."

The Chieftess jumped back to adjust her stance. "These blades are designed to burn with the wrath of every amazonian warrior that has fallen in battle, including those you and your horde have killed tonight. I will use their righteous fury to slice and burn you until nothing but cinders remain!!!"

"Come then, I will show you why their 'wrath' means nothing." Dred taunted her.

Cleyene charged at Dred once again, her flaming swords clashing against his.

Samora was watching. "Cirris, Mirya! On me! We must help Cleyene, our holy magic is the only chance she has!"

"Right!!" Her children answered, joining her side.

"I want revenge for Varpol!!" Cirris was heartbroken and enraged over the death of his teacher.

"And for the others that have died tonight!" Mirya added, feeling similar anger. Before they could act, Trista hovered in front of them.

"Trista! Do not stand in our way!" Samora shouted.

Trista stared at them, expressionless. "I am Lord Dred's tool, weapon, and shield. You must first kill me if you want to face him." She coldly announced. Though her voice and face lacked emotion, her tears told a different story.

"No, you are so much more than that, sweetie." Samora spoke gently. "We know now that you were never truly our enemy. Dred has been using you, allowing you to believe that you were in control while knowing deep down that you weren't. What a heartless way to break someone's spirit. I want to save you if we can."

"No wonder Tiafell flipped the way he did. If this had happened to Mirya.." Cirris' lip trembled at the thought.

"Cirris.." Mirya looked at him, then looked back at Trista, who had raised her staff. The witch and her twin children took their stances to fight her.

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Meanwhile, Cardexx had taken Tiafell to a section of the village that had not seen battle. He stopped, sliding across the ground, and flung his son in front of him. The elf rolled across the dirt until he was face down. He pushed himself up, his crazed demonic state had not lessened.

"Cardexx.. my father..." He growled. The incubus said nothing, merely watching as his son stood up. "Why do you keep me from Dred? You can be free if I kill him!!!"

"You are no match for him! And in your current state, possessing you would be a simple task for him!" Cardexx answered sternly.

"No one will stop me from slaying Dred. I'll kill anyone who stands in my way, even YOU!!!" The crazed Tiafell proclaimed, having completely lost himself to his demonic nature and rage.

Cardexx sighed deeply, then raised his fists in a defensive stance. His weapons were steel gauntlets with armguards and boots with steel greaves. "I was afraid you would say that. I am prepared to do whatever it takes to keep you and Dred apart, even if it means beating you to within an inch of your life. I'm sorry, son.." He closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, his irises had changed from round orbs to swirling whirlpools, rotating clockwise inside his sclera. "I will show you the power of a demon that has full control of his energy."

Tiafell lunged at his father, thrusting his sword at his chest, Cardexx swatted the blade away. This was the start of a series of thrusts and slashes, all of which were easily deflected by the older man's hands. The elf attempted an overhead swing, but his father hit the weapon with enough force to shatter the blade like glass and send the hilt soaring out of his son's hands.

The hybrid let out a monstrous scream. "Fine! I'll use my hands to get through you!!!" He swung at his father, who countered with a left jab to his son's face, then a right, another left, a blow to the stomach, and finishing the combo with a roundhouse kick to the side of his head. The elf spun through the air and crashed onto the ground in a heap. Shocked at first, Tiafell snapped back into his rage, standing up to try and attack his father again. Cardexx seemed to disappear, then reappeared next to him and delivered a right hook to his face. He then moved in a circle around Tiafell with such speed that it looked as though the elf was surrounded, landing punches all around his son's body. He stopped in front of him and delivered a stiff jab to his face, sending him back onto the ground. Though slowly, the hybrid was able to stand once again to continue trying to attack his father.

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Nadia and Esteban had locked hands, with the Vampire Lord overpowering his daughter.

"You have gotten strong, Nadia, I would rank you as a greater vampire now. However.." He planted his knee into his daughter's gut, then backhanded her across her face, knocking her down. "You pale in comparison to the power I wield."

Nadia rose onto her hands and knees. "You mean the power you sacrificed my mother to achieve? It's stolen, you didn't gain it rightfully!!"

Nadia stood to attack him again. He teleported out of her path, then reappeared and punched her in the jaw. Before she could recover, Esteban ducked down and uppercutted her in her stomach with enough power to send her straight upward. He jumped above her, jammed his elbow into the middle of her back, and sent her crashing onto the ground. Landing next to her, he reached down to grab his daughter by her hair and pulled her up. Nadia's mouth hung open and her jaw trembled, her anger giving way to fear.

"Did you really think that you stood a chance against me? Foolish girl, you will never be able to match what I am. Having said that, I have no desire to kill you, so why not rejoin the Red Crescent? I will make you my second-in-command!" He looked her over, his eyes moving up and down. "You look so much like your mother now, it would be a shame for that to go to waste." He very briefly placed his palm on one of her breasts. In reaction to this, Nadia snapped out of her fear and angrily landed a heavy kick between his legs, followed by a double axe handle to his face, causing him to let go of her hair and stagger away from her. Esteban groaned painfully, holding his face with one hand and his groin with the other.

"Touch me like that again and I'll rip your goddamn arm off!!!!" In her fury, she called forth the largest colony of bats she ever had summoned and cast them at her father who was still reeling from her strikes. Esteban was ravaged by dozens of bats colliding with him and exploding upon impact. Regaining his composure, he shouted and unleashed a pillar of flames that surrounded him and expanded, incinerating the remaining colony. After the flames disappeared, he was staring his daughter down, his jovial demeanor gone. His cape in rags, he ripped it off and tossed it away.

"You have crossed the line, Nadia. I rescind my offer to allow you to rejoin us and hear-by banish you from the Red Crescent Coven for life! The best you can hope for now is that I do not decide to kill you.."

Nadia scoffed. "You can shove your coven up your ass! I have my own coven, no, a family now! And don't talk to ME about 'crossing lines'! Not only did you cross a major one just now, you crossed a thousand when you murdered my mother!!"

"Your insolence will get you killed. Very well, I make no promises that you will survive this night, my daughter." Esteban unsheathed his rapier.

Nadia picked up a discarded sword from close by. "You're going to fight me seriously now huh? You'd better!"

"Be careful what you wish for, lest your pride be your downfall!" With that, father and daughter clashed weapons.

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Samora, Cirris, and Mirya had been surrounded by uprooted tree roots that were coming from every angle and were going to great lengths to avoid them. Trista was using one of the tactics she used against her brother.

"Shit, Tiafell made this look easy!!" Cirris complained, having to create a barrier around himself. "Then again, we're talking about someone that is fast enough to block lightning." Cirris began thinking to himself. "And yet, I sense that his father is making sport of him! Is everyone in Tiafell's entire family crazy powerful?"

"She's definitely Tee-Tee's sister, her magical abilities are amazing!" Mirya was burning as many roots as she could, barely staying ahead of them.

"We must find a way to subdue her. I have a spell that will do the trick, but she's making it difficult to focus!" Samora said. "Cirris, is there any way that you get in close and engage her in melee combat?"

"I've been trying to, but these damn roots just keep coming!" Cirris answered.

"I need her to be distracted long enough for me to cast a spell that can restrain her."

"Easier said than done!" Above them, Trista was hovering, preparing another attack. "Incoming!!" Cirris warned. Five bolts of lightning struck the ground around them at once, narrowly missing.

"My gosh!! Thankfully we have our barriers, we're nowhere near fast enough to avoid those!" Mirya was shaking, her nerves were shot.

"I have an idea now that I can see her. Mom, Mirya, I need both of you to boost my speed, I'll take care of the rest!" Cirris proposed.

Samora and Mirya did as he requested, the two mages' spells quadrupling his speed and agility. With great haste, the male twin moved upward, jumping from root to root toward Trista. Before the sorceress could react, Cirris struck her staff with his, bringing her back to the ground with him. Trista showed no emotion as she blocked Cirris' attacks, but the distraction was enough for her concentration to be broken which caused the roots to roam aimlessly.

"Alright, protect me, Mirya. This shouldn't take long." Mirya kept a careful eye out while her mother chanted a spell. Once finished, Samora pointed her staff at Trista, a golden chain wrapped around her body and confined her. Cirris stopped attacking. Though still showing no expression, Trista tried to free herself. "Cirris, now's our chance. Cut the strings that connect her to Dred!!!"

"Right!!!" Cirris yelled and brought his sword down on the attachments that were pumping red light into Trista. However, his blade bounced off. "What..? That should have been a clean cut!!"

A grin formed on Trista's face and Dred spoke through her. "Your holy weapon is not powerful enough to severe these strings, you're still an amateur at wielding that kind of power. HA! Trista's body, mind, and soul belong to me now. Soon, her brother's will too!" When Dred stopped speaking, Trista's blank expression returned.

"Bastard.. he's throwing it in our faces now!" Cirris growled.

Samora sighed. "There's nothing else we can do with her right now. At the very least, she cannot attack us as she is. In the meantime, there is something else I must do."

"What is it?" Mirya inquired.

"I will go and help Cleyene with Dred. You two stay with Trista and keep her safe. The amazons don't know what we do and will try to kill her now that she's defenseless."

"But Mom! What about us working together to help her? You can't do it alone!" Cirris shouted.

"That's right!! Dred is a lot stronger than he was in Gatharham, we must do this together!!" Mirya added.

"I know, but that poor girl deserves a chance at a free life and to share it with her brother. If we leave her alone, someone will surely kill her, and that would be a terrible and tragic fate, wouldn't you agree?" Samora looked at them, neither of them could say a word. "It will be okay. I know Dred won't stay gone for long, but I have enough of father's power to buy us enough time to prepare for our next encounter with him. Father has always believed that Trista could be a valuable ally to us, I feel the same way. Keep her safe so she can have that chance, and so we can have one to find a way to save her."

"Understood." Cirris nodded, reluctantly agreeing with his mother.

"Be careful, okay?" Mirya knew she was right but was still deeply concerned.

"I will be, thank you for understanding." The witch mounted her staff and rode on it toward Cleyene's location.

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The Chieftess was fighting a losing battle against Dred. She had cuts and bruises all over her body and face, while every wound inflicted on the demon healed themselves immediately.

"Do you understand now?" He asked. "I cannot be harmed by the 'righteous fury' of your people. Only holy magic can 'kill' me. But even then, Hell is not powerful enough to hold me. I can break free and return to this world within hours. You are fighting an opponent that spits in the face of death itself! Surrender and accept your fate, Cleyene."

The Chieftess was huffing, utterly exhausted. "Then we'll kill you... every time you come back.. until we find a way to destroy you for good!" She defiantly attacked him again, their weapons clashing.

"If you are the best that Steelweld has to offer, then you and your people are better off going extinct. I have grown tired of fucking around with you."

Two of the ribbon-like appendages on Dred's back wrapped around Cleyene's arms, lifting her off the ground. As she kicked at him, a second pair of arms sprouted out from the lower half of the demon's torso. One after another, Dred slammed his lower set of fists into her gut, cackling with each blow. Cleyene cried out with every punch, spitting up blood. The demon stopped his assault, then held his blades at her throat as if they were scissors.

"It's over, Chieftess of Steelweld. With one shift movement, I shall remove your head from your body, and you will die with the knowledge that you failed your people."

"Fuck.. you.." Cleyene weakly protested, then closed her eyes and quietly accepted her fate. However, Dred's arms and appendages were sliced off by a massive hooked claymore. Brion had arrived just in time to save his mother, who collapsed onto the ground. The severed arms and ribbons on the ground dissolved into nothing.

"You're not killing ANY more of our people, monster!!" Brion yelled.

Dred narrowed his eyes, but then they widened when a huge axe passed through the middle of his head down through his torso, splitting him into two halves.