Blood Red Shadow :Amoura:

[Sparda]

The longer Amoura's monologue went on, the more frequently Sparda found himself wincing at how hard it was truly hitting home. The long and short of his encounter with Tajna was that he had really only survived because the phantom had allowed it, and while that thought infuriated the demon to no end, he had to finally accept in retrospect that their battle - if it could even be called a battle, so one-sided was the whole affair - wouldn't have ended any other way. The spectre's abilities were simply beyond the Dark Knight's understanding at the time, though a year on, he still couldn't claim to fully comprehend them.

The only comfort he could take now was in the fact that he had survived; that was what Amoura was getting at, painful though that truth was.

Apparently, she herself had suffered from similar folly. He looked up at her, perched in the window, as she recounted rather reluctantly her defeat at the hands of his son. What truly got his attention, though; what truly drove her point home; was her mention of Validus. What Sparda remembered most about that day was the rage that suddenly erupted from within him in the presence of her broken corpse. He had seen nothing but mockery of his weakness in Validus' desecration of her body...

No more. Never again would he allow himself to be driven to despair and fury in such an embarrassing manner. Never again would he give his foes that kind of satisfaction. On this level, with so much at stake, no battle could be decided in a day; he would stay his hand, refuse the amateurish tactics he'd relied on in the past, cut his losses and retreat as many times as it may take to learn his enemies' weaknesses and wait for his opportunity to crush them once and for all...

The Dark Knight was silent as he crossed the room to where he'd tossed Revelation away in his anger. Shuddering at the stab of shame he felt when he looked upon the discarded sword, thrown aside as if it was worth nothing, he knelt upon one knee and reverently picked it back up.

"Mundus would roll in his grave if he saw this," he laughed darkly, looking down at the jet black blade as if expecting a reflection to look back. "His greatest enemy, being lectured by one of his daughters... What's funny is that she's exactly right."

He stood up and turned to face the Night Angel. "I've been a simple-minded old fool, Amoura, and it's cost us all far too much... I'm sorry."

[Silver Eyes]

"All has been forgiven." Amoura's eyes lit up enough to portray a smile. It was a rare sight during these troubled times and it left after it was noted. In a rarely display of intimacy, she walked over and gave him a hug. "And it has been the other way around; the greatest enemy lecturing his daughter. Had you not spoken to me that way, I probably wouldn't be here." The Night Angel withdrew. The empty room dimmed, curtains were closed and a familiar, red-caped vampire stared outside at a building. At the present, she didn't look at all upset to see his image.

"The lesson will be finished after one more thing. It's vital for you to know this if you are to truly understand the mindset of a Nosferatu."

Amoura paced and the memory began. Ranka was talking to an unknown ally over the phone, his sniper ready, screens displaying different angles of the edifice both outside and inside. "You know why Ranka was always such a formidable foe, Sparda?" Amoura spread her taloned hand out to all that he had at his disposal: snipers, detonators, camera screens and much more that he could see. Sparda didn't know the full details of what was at his disposal until they had their fight within the building--albeit, it really wasn't a battle. "Because he used this more often than his strength." Amoura tapped herself on the head.

The scene changed to where Sparda was running inside and she quickly pointed up, "Cameras. All watching every single movement in the building. He also hacked into the ones just outside to watch you the entire time." The vampire briskly walked forward and stomped a foot on the floor, "Bomb here." She slammed her fist against the wall next to her, "And here." The Night Angel kept tapping and punching different parts of the hallway where explosive devices have been installed, "Oh and the elevator. Can't forget that. Every level is lined with bombs."

Amoura turned, "While he didn't think you were coming, he refused to take chances. He set these traps, he had everything ready down to the grenades," she pointed up, "and the fire extinguishers. He had them deactivated so they wouldn't interfere. He knew to turn the lights off so fighting you would be easier on his part. And he got on the phone with you right at the end...because he knew you'd destroy the building on your departure."

Both now stood outside when Sparda annihilated the structure. Moments after the attack, Ranka is seen walking off atop an edifice a safe distance away and hung up his cellphone before tossing it aside.

"His mind and his body worked together in harmony. Even with all the power I now have, I do NOT want him as my enemy. He is and always will be dangerous. He knows my strengths, my weaknesses, my techniques--and he knows how to counter them efficiently."

They were outside the warehouse now and the night breeze danced with the shredded portions of her cloak. The lecture was finally coming to its end.

"That is something you have to master. I'm still learning, I'm being hypocritical in some cases; but I know that you are capable of learning this much faster than I. Brute force will not work with these powers. You need to be tactical, watch your opponents carefully to see what they are capable of and assess as to whether or not you can take them on without help. Even as a demon you need to keep all of those in mind.”

She looked at the doors of the warehouse and they slammed shut to hide the carnage within,

" ‘In many ways, these powers are darker, and more terrifying than those of your demonic powers; you will visit places filled with shadows, pain and death. No matter what, you must walk through that path, without fear, or you will become the prey, and you lose yourself permanently.'" Amoura frowned. Those were the last words Ranka had said to her during a lesson and they were forever burnt into her memory.

[Sparda]

Once more, the Dark Knight would be reminded of an encounter he had long considered a personal failure. This time, there was no annoyance upon his face, but understanding. Admiration, even. Now that he could look back on that night, without the shroud of his frustration obscuring his vision, he could truly appreciate it as what it was; a first-hand demonstration of why Ranka was so rightly feared. It was not the extent of his power that made him such a devastating enemy, but the peerless quality of his tactical and strategic genius.

"What a contrast," the Dark Knight laughed. "Ranka's battle-winning intelligence versus the ham-handed bravado I tried to pass off as strategy. It's quite a strange feeling, being made aware of exactly how juvenile all this power really is..."

[Silver Eyes]

"You have no idea." Amoura mustered a chuckle, "When you first ran into me I had both vampire and demon sealed off out of fear of what I'd become. But, I shed that fear." She tilted her head back to look at the sky and get an idea as to what the time was. The night was still young enough to continue with trainings but she was hoping for a reversal in roles.

"Speaking of shedding fears, I ask for your help in turn once again. My abilities as a demon are many but my knowledge minimal. Do you have the time to help me with basics tonight? I'm sure it'll take more than one session for me to learn."