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| - The vagabond, شيطان (demon), as she was named, cared little for the lives of others. She was born to a family whom had deserted her for fear that their son, whom they wanted, was that of a curse. As the son they wanted was that of a daughter, she was left. In the care of a traveler, she learned how to survive. Stealing. Killing. Surviving. Her loyalty was to her next meal while her dagger's edge could be bought for a fair price. Much like Asa, شيطان was an Assassin. She killed for money and killed for life for without life there was only death and to know she was alive was to know that beside her, lay her victim while she still drew breath upon hearing their last. She skulked about the old Silk Road before it's name bore true meaning in order to pinch off merchants. This went on for years. As an experienced cutpurse and a deadly cutthroat, she would at times, steal away into one's wagon and rob them blind. Leaving them alive but without their goods. She would then enter the city and sell those goods to a fence. One whom would pay her for what she is willing to give up. This changed during August 24th, 79 CE. She pursued her mark as dawn approached. As far as she knew, a woman, well-off by her status was travelling with a group of merchants. It sounded simple. Though they had guards with them. Each of them were armed and each of them were physically overpowering for her. As a شيطان, she knew what to do. As she drew her arrow, she nocked her arrow and took aim. These arrow heads had been steeped in a lethal concoction of several different poisons which she harvested from various snakes by her own hand. As she fired her first arrow, the man fell to the ground but stood once more. The wagon continued on which was different. What made it even worse had been that it began to pick up speed. Seeing this, she too began to rush forth and keep apace with the wagon; however, she was discovered. Arrows fly and seemed to blacken the sky. True this was, she still lived. Unscathed. Undamaged. She used the darkness to her advantage and with that done, she carefully boarded the wagon and concealed herself among the cargo. It was a few hours later that the wagon had come to a stop. With talk being heard, شيطان could tell that they were near the Basilica. Of course, before she could make her escape, she felt a tremor. At first she thought it was only her until panic soon emerged. Ditching her hiding and exposing herself, she saw the guards run off and several other people beginning to run for their lives. Unsure of what was taking place, an explosion nearly deadened her ears indefinitely and when she turned to the source, she saw a distant pillar. A mountain they called it, oozing something. It was red. Thinking fire, she thought nothing of it until she noticed that trees gave way and fell into the fire. From where she stood, she was convinced that this liquid fire was much more dangerous than mere flames. She ran as fast as she could and passed several people. شيطان was not prepared to die. Not like this anyway. Children were cut. Fathers were impaled. Mothers were stabbed. She hurdled people, objects, and even horses in order to escape the coming death. Being a thief as well as a scavenger her entire life, شیطان was fleet of foot. She was also much more comfortable running barefoot and as such, she was just that much faster. Stealing a horse, a man tried to reclaim it, yet he was stabbed in the forehead with a dagger. Sadly as she tried to withdraw that same dagger, it broke at its grip. Forgetting the broken weapon, شیطان rode on. She trample people along her way. Kicked those whom tried to steal her stolen horse and stabbed others with a hidden dagger. It was when she had jumped a gap that she was knocked from the horse. When she recovered, she saw the horse run off with a man chasing it. He did not get far. Not with an arrow in each knee anyway. The poison did its work and as he reached for the horse, he soon fell flatly to the ground. Proceeding, she came across a few soldiers whom tried to stop her. After she had been knocked to the ground, her clothing had been torn and upon her back was a seal which marked her. These markings was one she received the only time she had been imprisoned. With her back exposed, her markings were revealed to the guards before her. Without a choice, she was forced into combat. Despite being outnumbered, she prevailed. Barely alive, yet she prevailed. Pressing on, she came across the very woman whom she originally intended to rob. She was bereft of protection and still wore a few of her jewels. Of course, she intended to take them still, however, she missed one of the soldiers whom had attended to sneak up on her. "Behind you!" Seeing the woman point towards her, the thief spun around and narrowly evaded the killing blow from a short sword. Quickly swaying under the edge of the blade, then stepping to her left, the thief then drove a dagger's edge into the man's neck, and to finalize the moment, she pulled herself towards her opponent by the dagger--effectively killing him. Watching him fall to the ground, she looked to the woman whom had warned her and then fell to the ground herself. She had been cut. She evaded a killing blow, but not the entirety of the attack. As she tried to rise, she fell down to her knee and ultimately exposed her back to the woman. "شیطان..." The name fell from her mouth as if she were fascinated. In this fascination, she chose to spare her. Without her warning, she would have been killed. "Wait!" Despite her words, she ran. Leaving the wealthy woman (her initial mark) behind, she escaped yet again. With grievous wounds, شیطان eventually succumbed to her blood loss and collapsed...her breathing was labored and it hurt just that much more to breath. "A Demon on the brink of Death..." Looking to the voice of who spoke, she saw a woman. Not just any woman, but one with gold adorned about her neck, breasts, wrists, hips, and even her ankles and feet. Despite the urge to take what she wanted, her body would not cooperate with her. "Yes...that's what happens when you're dying little one..." The woman now knelt down in front of her as شیطان tried to push herself upwards. She failed and collapsed upon the ground. Her body was partially covered in ash and blood had been marred upon her sun-kissed flesh. "Such a beauty at that." شیطان eyed the woman as she lifted her head off the ground. With her vision beginning to haze, the last words she heard were simple, though base insult. "Would you like to live, or would you want me to let you die?" She tried to speak, yet her mouth could not move. Her tongue slowly slid to the back of her throat and her vision soon saw patches of darkness. "Still fearless...well, I suppose a demon must have a nice taste to it after all." Last she recalls was a sharp pain in her cheeks. With a slight kiss, she then lost consciousness. From there, the woman watched her. She watched her wounds slowly mend. Flesh become whole. Scars and bloodied gashes mend into unscathed flesh. It was a work of art. However, after her initial infection, she fell into a deep sleep. Still drawing breath. It would be another 1,000 years before the "Demon" (شیطان) would wake.
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