Chapter 1: the Trap

Tobias landed in the middle of the city, his presence invisible to all but the most advanced senses. He was in the city square, the tall metal and glass buildings rising high around the small vestige of nature left standing in the city of filth. The Square was just that, a city block near the center of the city that had been made into a park, with trees scattered around, a man-made stream of purified water flowing down the middle. Two planted maze bushes were on either tip of the block, a tourist attraction if he'd ever seen one, but still fun for the young ones who still ventured out this far from their homes. It was one of his most frequented places because of this fact. Children were most preyed upon for their usually untainted souls.

He wasn't there long before he heard the telltale sounds of trouble. He felt a ripple flow over his skin, a definite sign of the presence of a Dark One. He was used to the urge to change to his true form, which instictively kicked in when a Dark One was nearby, having dealt with the urge for years now.

Tobias settled down to earth and leaned against a tree nonchalantly, waiting. A few moments later he was rewarded when a child not more than nine years old passed by almost in front of him, and behind him was one of the most despicable creates he'd ever seen. The Dark Ones. Not entirely Vampire, not entirely Demon, they were a mix of the two, bringing out the evil tendacies of both races, and expounding the thirst for blood of the Vampire and ravenous hunger for flesh of the Demon by a hundred fold. Their true form was forbidden in the human realm, but this one had opted for full scare effect while he toyed with this food. His wings, which came from his Demon form, were streaked with pulsing red veins, small, thin black scales covering them in a form of armour. The scales continued down the wings and across the creature's skin, its body a mass of black and red streaks, its body massive with bulked muscles and its mouth spread wide, filled with two huge rows of razor sharp teeth, its Vampire fangs wide and thick, meant for a much more serious bite than the small, twin dots they normally left. Its eyes were pure black, no white at all in them, the only other color evident was the small bead of red at the center that only appeared while they were hunting. Its ears moved much like that of a canine, spinning side to side, catching all sounds from around it, its eyes eagle-sharp in their clairity. Most Dark Ones chose to focus on enhancing their physical strength and didn't focus much on the magickal and energy gifts that were theres for the taking, which made the younger Dark Ones easy enough. He hated when he found one that was balanced between both physical and metaphysical power.

Bored already, Tobias reached out from this place beside the tree and caught the Dark One by the throat, slamming him hard to the ground with a close-line maneuver. He saw the shock and heard the yelp from the creature as it shifted back to human form. The newer created Dark Ones found it difficult to hold their main form when they were caught off guard. Already the Dark One in Tobias's grasp was regaining his bulk, his skin changing color again. Tobias tightened his hold on the creature, cutting off its air and crushing its windpipe, causing it to gasp and panic, again losing its bulk.

Tobias reached his hand back, changing it into claw form and was about to deliver the killing blow when he noticed the child moving closer and closer. Growling, he turned to tell the kid to get the hell out of there, when he noticed the kid's eyes. They were turning black, his body expanding quickly as he shifted faster than any Dark One he'd ever seen, his wings expanding to battle threat length. Before Tobias could react the Dark One in his hold laughed and kicked him hard in the ribs while he was distracted, sending him into the air, pain vibrating through his body from the blow.

He arrested his ascent and hovered in the air with barely a thought, sizing up his opponents. The first Dark One had changed back to his demon form, both glaring up at him with lustful menace. Yet the second Dark One held his hand out to his companion, staying his movements. He addressed Tobias in a deep, gutteral voice.

"Ah, mighty hunter, I do believe you have become the hunted it would seem." It was a taunt and an obvous one at that. "You like hunting our kind, but now it's time for you to get a taste of your own justice." He gestured and a wave of energy errupted from his hand, whipping the wind around Tobias, trying to rile him and egg him on. They were stalling, he knew, but for what he couldn't figure out. He could easily take the two of them, yet they must have had ulterior motives if they had studied him enough to lay this trap for him.

He expanded his senses to the outlying areas, scanning for anything out of the ordinary. And there it was, popping up in his mind's eye like numerous blips on a radar. They were moving in, multiple Dark Ones surrounding him in the hopes of their numbers taking him down. They hadn't counted on his power, though, and so with a laugh he flashed himself to in front of the second Dark One, looking up at him as he shook his head and took a step back, uncertanty evident on his evil face.

"Oh, but you're wrong, my demonic brethren." He made a tsking noise and smile grimly. There was a loud thudding noise, then he was standing behind the second Dark One, the creature's decrepit and decayed heart still beating in his grasp. "I don't like hunting your kind." He crushed the heart in his hand for emphasis, the organ instantly turning to dust along with the Dark One's body behind him. "I live for it!" he said this last gutterally, his voice changing as he felt his power flow through him. The thrill of battle overcame him and he felt his eyes turn bright red, turning on the other Dark One that he'd held at first. The creature was looking around for his escape, but Tobias never allowed him a second thought. Another burst of speed and a thudding noise and he again held another heart in his hand, crushing it with satisfaction, watching the body reduced to dust.

He scanned the area again, feeling the growing aggitation and fear and outrage of the Dark Ones surrounding him. Yet there was only one energy signature he was looking for. The one pulling their strings. There had to be a Master behind this attack. They were the only ones smart enough to even attempt an organized strike against him. Yet it seemed this one had underestimated him.

He could feel the Master's control over the Dark Ones around him slipping as their fear and uncertainty grew. Tobias allowed his voice to lower an octave, throwing his full power behind the soundwaves. "Come to me, Dark Ones, and seek your justice." Then he waited, the creatures trying to fight off his compulsion but failing. They came to him a few seconds later, clumsily stumbling into the clearing of the Square and, upon seeing him, threw themselves at him in anger, blind to their own approaching end. And he dispatched them that quickly, calling upon the forces of darkness at his command and sending black lightning into the chest of each of the approaching creatures, incinerating their hearts, their bodies crumbling to dust.

He heard the outraged cry of the Master as his puppets were disposed of like so much garbage, then the energy signature disappeared instantly, the Master fading into a bolthole. Tobias sighed and called up the wind, gathering the mass of ashes around him and scattering them evenly across the grass of the park, returning to purity that which was evil.

Tobias looked to the sky then, not allowing himself to think of the beings he'd just so coldy and methodically destroyed. They'd been honest people once, changed by one man's obsession and his biggest mistake. And now, Tobias, Prince to Evil itself, was called upon nightly to dispatch those that threatened the balance of darkness on the Earth plane.

His mood sour, Tobias took to the sky again, feeling that his patrol that night was going to be a long one.