Outside in the forest, on a sunny afternoon.

Vikky was jogging along a trail in the forest, at a time relatively early in her first year at Shokushu. It felt good. Every breeze that blew against her in this afternoon wind was pleasant as it blew past her. Ah, the fresh wind~! Vikky was running in a pair of black athletic bloomers obviously inspired by Japan (specially ordered!) as well as a typical red t-shirt (and similarly colored sports-bra underneath) which simply fit well for running along with her running shoes. The trail she was jogging was taking her through the forest covering part of the island. Vikky had jumped on the opportunity to run through these woods, it gave her a feeling of freedom to run through these kinds of places unopposed. She didn’t really understand why she got so strange stares from older students due to this, but ah, well~! Nothing she needed to worry about~!

Her first days at Shokushu had been interesting. Meeting new friends, sharing tales… this school had people from all over with all kinds of backgrounds! The dorms were nice enough, and the classes worked fine! There had been a bit of an incident when apparently Vikky’s bat… the one given to her by Vilmer, no less… had been confiscated due to potential use for harm. She had been a… bit cross due to that, but she could forgive them. After all, this was an excellent school! She couldn’t wait until after she had graduated and got to see Vilmer again so she could tell all about it! Vikky grinned at the thought of him being unable to contact her while she was out here, and the desperation he probably felt at being unable to contact his girlfriend. It was his punishment from going to an all-boys school where Vikky couldn’t reach him! She had done the same, just reversed! But she didn’t blame him anymore. Because of that, she had come to this interesting school! Oh… she’d have to reward him when they met again. Yes… something to make up for all that time they had to spend apart…

Giggling healthily at her daydreams about Vilmer, her boyfriend so far away, the energetic brown-haired girl kept jogging through the forest trail. With each step her legs took she swayed her slightly sweaty body innocently a bit left and right, her body following the movements as it usually does when jogging. Vikky had no idea… what was about to greet her this day.

Deimos strode through the woods, his heavy hoofbeats nearly silenced by the soft earth and fallen leaves. It had been quite some time since Spectre had called on him and he was getting a little . . . antsy. The demonic monster prowled along one of the many trail in the forest, looking for some entertainment. Despite his great size and limited agility, he was relatively certain he could remain undetected for the time being. After all, his keen senses should allow him to pinpoint a potential victim long before she noticed him.

And that's just what happened that day. Deimos' powerful nose began to detect a faint scent of feminine sweat, and perhaps a tiny hint of musk. Soon after, he could hear the girl's footfalls as she approached from the campus. Moving as carefully as possible, the monster drew farther into the trees, finding a concealed vantage point to watch the trail from. When the student rounded a distant bend, he finally caught a glimpse of her. It was clear she was in good physical shape but he was struck by how cute her short brown hair made her look. Of course her body bounced and swayed slightly in all the right places; a natural consequence of her energetic movements that her clothing couldn't quite conceal or suppress. Still, her giggles and dreamy expression seemed to scream out her innocence. Deimos licked his lips. Oh, this would be fun!

Remaining as still as possible, the lurking terror waited for his chosen prey to pass his position. He meant to make his entrance behind her so that he could chase her farther from the campus.

Ah... This forest was quite beautiful. It felt so strange that there weren’t more students out here taking part of this natural resource of this island. It felt like somewhat of a waste. They had all this nature, and Vikky hadn’t passed a single other student since embarking. In fact, she had passed no one at all. If the students didn’t use trails like this for something, who would? There were perhaps more, she just didn’t know about them. Hm, if she were to run this trail varying the directions, would she run into someone after a while? If she did, Vikky vowed to make a friend out of whomever she met with a smile on her face.

Hm, running on the trail was fun and all, but strange thoughts started entering Vikky’s mind as she stared out into the woods. She did like the sense of freedom, but what use was it if she didn’t take advantage of it? A further giggle emerged from the girl as she started deviating her direction jogging to the right. Just as she started passing a few more trees, she was now jogging off the trail. This was an island, after all. Getting lost wasn’t quite as dangerous as it was elsewhere. However, the feeling as the trail changed into raw forest floor, she suddenly had to navigate the trees for where to go next, letting herself jump/bounce on any rock she found because it was amusing as Vikky went further into the unknown… it started to feel somewhat like an adventure! The sheer smell of the woods and the feeling of wildness was all she needed. Wonder if there were any wild animals out here that she could run into?

Giggling to herself again, she figured it was unlikely considering the island. But Vikky would be thrilled if she saw a deer somewhere. It would be fun!

Deimos's eyes widened as the girl changed direction to run almost directly toward him. Had she seen him? But, no - she would surely have run the other direction if she had. Besides, he detected no change in her scent. Apparently she was just enjoying her run and decided to deviate from the trail. It ruined his trap, but made things all the more interesting.

When the carefree student reached the point at which she was likely to notice him anyway, Deimos stepped from the shadows directly in front of her. His red-bronze skin gleamed dully in the few shafts of sunlight that filtered through the canopy above and his green eyes glowed eerily amidst his feral features. His tentacles spread out behind his ten foot frame, snaking through the air aimlessly. He said nothing, just stood looking down at the cute young woman with obvious lust on his face.

If she ever did find herself becoming somewhat lost, she just needed to deviate back. That way, Vikky would run into the trail again one way or another. Besides, this is more interesting since she won’t be able to predict how the next area will look like, or what it will contain fo-

Vikky, who had just been jogging happily while her eyes took in the beauty of the forest, suddenly saw something incredibly out of place. Something that… didn’t at all belong somewhere she could see it. It didn’t belong in her vision range. And it had just stepped into her way, out into the afternoon sun from the shadows.

Vikky’s eyes went wide and a small yelp escaped her as she almost stumbled in her attempt to stop. After barely regaining balance, she quickly returned her eyes to the… monstrous shape which stood before her. The top was… kind of… like a somewhat feral human, the bottom was an animal’s… Tentacles were shaking behind him, as if to show his superiority and increase his apparent size. Like he needed to do that in front of little Vikky. The being was huge. Absolutely… huge. Had Vikky heard there were unnatural beings living in these woods she’d otherwise have been slightly thrilled… but standing so close to one of this size which was looking at her… like that, it was very different. Fear for the being in front of her. The feeling of being somewhere she didn’t belong. Awareness of how fragile she might be. All struck her at the same time with intense force. It didn’t help at all that that the being had a reddish shinyich hue and had horns… making him seem awfully like a stereotypical demon…

Vikky stood rigid, her eyes wide with fear, her pose slightly bent in preparation for a quick get-away. She shouldn’t flee. She didn’t know what the monster was planning, but it was part of many animals’ instincts to hunt for what flees them. If she was ever facing one, she had learned that it is better to stand determined rather than flee because running might activate their predatorily senses. But this being… already seemed to have his in full throttle. The way he was shaking his tentacles. It seemed to be to make him appear bigger or more threatening. That was usually a warning for other animals to beware them, but also usually used when the animal was not intending on fighting. Yes, Vikky who often ran through woods had read up on common animal behavior. But… was this thing even an animal..?

… It… looked human on top. Kind of. Maybe it was intelligent, like some form of magical being. Th-then…

"I-I’m sorry! I, um, I didn’t mean to disturb your, eh, territory! So, uh, I’ll, I’ll just be going now! S-see you!"

… She was consciously speaking in a loud voice. If it wasn’t intelligent, a loud voice was a sign of a threat for wild animals. Still, she had not screamed it full power due to need to possibly be civil. And… uh… she had stammered. Not intending to seem threatening, or anything else for that matter, Vikky spun around 100 degrees and started walking at a normal pace back towards the trail, light fear plastered on her expression. 100 degrees because she didn’t want to completely turn her back to it, wanted to still see it if she turned her head just slightly. Had she done the right thing? She didn’t know. Had she acted intelligently or imbecilely? Her movement was lightly shaking out of fear. Of course… she had never ever before encountered anything like that…

Completely unaware of the young woman's thought processes, Deimos simply watched her as she assessed the situation. When her reaction finally came, the demon-like monster found it amusing. Her words were civil, even apologetic, but the loud delivery spoke of assertiveness. It was obvious she was intelligent, but just as obvious she didn't know what was going on. It confirmed his suspicion: he would be her first encounter with the darker denizens of the island. He could almost feel sorry for her . . . Deimos threw his head back and laughed, his deep reverberating voice like boulders smashing together.

"No need to rush off, little one," he called as she began to walk away. He could smell her fear and decided to play with her for a bit. "I'd be quite glad of your company. I've been alone out here for so long . . . and my balls are really starting to ache!"

"Eh..?" The demon-like being… laughed. It laughed at her reaction. Oh. So it was an intelligent being. That… was a comfort. A huge comfort, even. "Oh, thank god." Her face taking a turn towards the more relieved direction as she placed a hand against her chest while sighing in light relief. Vikky stopped, swaying lightly as she stood. A random thought went through her choice of words with 'god' when this being looked like a demon, but anyway. It was a strange woodland creature, and a sentiment one. "Gee, you frightened me." Of course, she was still frightened, but as long as it was sensible and could talk everything should work out fine.

He mentioned she didn’t need to run off and that he was rather glad about her company. Turning back towards the giant being… which suddenly seemed a lot more like just an extraordinary large man with this and a lot less scary… Vikky gave the guy a troubled stare as she put her hands on her hips. "You’ve been alone for so long? I can imagine, you’re rather… large and scary-looking. If you want better company you should drop the habit of just standing staring at people. She was standing in a somewhat carefree manner, like someone who was all tense just let it all go. That was the case, by the way.

"Gee! I seriously thought you were a wild unnatural animal intending on preying on me for a second there! Give a girl a break! You had me seriously scared, there! You won’t be popular with that attitude! What are you, anyway? I’ve never heard of anything like you! Don’t you have any more of your own kind to keep you company so you won’t be lonely?" As can be seen here, Vikky quickly turn talkative when not as frightened. However, she was still obviously frightened, as could be seen by her slightly shaking and her somewhat forced speech.

"Besides, what does me giving you company have with your… eh?" Vikky dropped her troubled look as she suddenly realized something she had heard. But… um… it didn’t make sense. "Your… what was starting to what... and why..?"

Deimos laughed again. What a delightfully naive young woman! She still hadn't quite made the connection with his obvious interest in her. He began to walk casually toward her, seeking to close the distance between them.

"Well, I have been called a demon," he answered thoughtfully. "Though I don't think that's exactly accurate." He took another step toward her. "And no, there aren't any of my kind here to keep me company." Another step. "Besides, I find cute young things like you much more fun to be with." He looked her up and down again, licking his lips.

"And its my balls that ache - from being so full you see."

… He laughed again. A very heartful laughter, but somehow it felt like something was off for her. Vikky gave a questioning expression as she tilted her head to look at the big guy. Suddenly, he started walking towards her, somewhat normally for him. But for Vikky, the speed he approached with was way too fast for comfort. All her fears were suddenly returning as she felt herself inadvertently taking steps backwards away from the humongous horned and feral humanoid…

… He mentioned he had been called a demon in the past, but that not being true… “Well, that’s not so surprising. I mean, you look a lot like one…”

… He told her there were no others of his kind here… “Um, that must be awfully lonely. Can’t you go where they are..?”

… He said cute young things… like Vikky… were more fun to be with while licking his lips… “E… eh..?”

… Then he explained why his balls were aching. There was no way she could not understand after that. “..!” Her eyes wide for a moment, Vikky suddenly realized how wrong she had been assuming he was rational only because he was sentient. She had never met a sentient being that had meant her ill. It was… something of a first time for her. Of course, all this was a first. As well as…

“… Oh, FAN heller!” Cursing loudly in her native tongue (Swedish – literal translation would ironically be ‘DEVIL either’ (nope, doesn't make sense)) with a frightened voice, Vikky spun around and ran for all her might. There was no time to think. Back to campus. Back to the trail. Away from him. Intending on navigating the trees and simply getting back where she came from, Vikky kept no reserves in her attempt to get as far away as possible. She wouldn't scream, she needed her lungs to breathe. She had confidence in her running strength compared to others her age, but that thing… could she..? This… this was too unreal..!

Resisting the urge to laugh again, Deimos rushed after his prey. His long strides allowed him to keep up with her easily. A short sprint brought him close behind her, but instead of grabbing at her, he leapt forward, meaning to jump over her head and cut her off, trying to make her run further into the forest.

"Going somewhere?" He asked as he turned toward her, not even slightly winded by his sudden flurry or activity.

“..!” So… easily. He had so easily caught up to her. It… it was to be expected considering the sheer size of those legs of his. He could easily outrun her wherever she tried to run. Vikky felt her will quickly being sapped by the sheer apparent meaninglessness in attempting an escape. He was… he was simply too fast. Too strong. Vikky had no items which to defend herself with. Nothing short of some kind of gun could possibly hurt this being, anyway… S-still…

“I’m… I’m not yours!” So she shouted as she darted deeper into the forest. There was a reason she ran that way. She intended that he would pursue her by running past her again. If he did… Vikky would turn around and dash with all she could towards the trail. The trail was still within sight-range. If she could just get far enough to get to the trail..! If her feint was just possibly good enough to get to the trail..!

"Maybe not yet . . ." Deimos called before setting off after her at an easy pace. "But you will be soon."

He wasn't afraid of her getting too far ahead because he had her scent now. It was unlikely she would lose him. He just needed to keep close enough to keep the pressure on and keep her from doubling back toward campus. Deimos did laugh then: she was doing exactly what he wanted her to by running into the forest. Of course he knew nothing of her plan, but would have found the irony of it amusing too. The 'demon' licked his lips again, he could almost taste her already, but the chase was just beginning . . .

Because of her combination of the feelings fear and the running at full speed, Vikky was becoming rather sweaty. She didn’t care at all right now. It didn’t matter at all of her red t-shirt or athletic bloomers became drenched. Only getting away mattered. She had to… for Vilmer as well. Damn it, couldn’t someone save her..!?

… She became aware that after starting to run deeper, it didn’t stop her at all. The demon-like being just kept on a slight distance, only close enough to remind her constantly that he was there. Th-that… he wanted her to run this direction. He wasn’t about to stop her. The further she got in this direction… the more sealed would her fate be. Tears threatened to break free as Vikky felt the desperation grabbing ahold of her. Was there… nothing she could do!?

She applied brakes, and spun sharply left. If she kept running that direction, she should arrive at the trail or campus eventually judging from how the trail had gone earlier. Most importantly, Vikky wasn’t running deeper into the woods anymore, and she wasn’t running directly at him. But this… this was folly. There was no way she could get away from someone this big. If she came too close to campus he’d simply stop playing around and snatch her up. Was… was there no other option..!? Her mind didn’t have time to go through options as she continued her desperate flight.

The scent of Vikky's fear and desperation drew Deimos on like the smell of fresh bread drew customers to a bakery. She was stewing herself in her own juices for him. Of course, sweat and tears weren't the only juices he was looking forward to tasting.

When his quarry abruptly changed directions, Deimos shifted his own trajectory to intercept her. If the girl didn't turn back toward the deep woods, he would soon catch up to her. Though she might catch sight of the trail - and the hope of freedom - she would likely never reach it. Either eventuality suited Deimos. He was enjoying the pursuit, but he would enjoy the girl's body even more.

It... it was all pointless. There was no way he’d let her flee. Her will to flee was being sapped, too. It was as if her subconscious knew how useless any struggle was, and was working against her. As if it didn’t want her to waste energy pointlessly and just accept her fate. It was slowing her down. But NO! Her conscious mind couldn’t accept that… that was unacceptable. She did know she couldn’t escape him… but not trying would be unforgivable..! Completely… entirely… unforgivable!

“K, kjeah!” Just as she was passing a tree with a rather large leafless branch sticking out relatively low, Vikky made sure to run straight into it with all her might… “Ngh!” … and it snapped. The somewhat thick and straight branch broke off from the tree it belonged to. Quickly spinning around, Vikky now held a… long, fragile and rather clumsy two-handed weapon. Running was useless… so she faced her attacker with a terrified… but determined… expression. He... he had large balls, correct? Then… then she knew exactly where to aim… That tall demon-like being was after all not a demon. He had admitted it himself. He was just another animal, if a fairly large one. And animals can be killed.

“… ChaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAaa..!!!” With an improvised war-cry… which probably sounded pathetic being that she was fear-struck and unused to the sort of noise, she blindly charged at the one who had made her his prey. Her improvised weapon was held by both her hands on her left side. Vikky intended on hitting any tentacle or target that tried to attack her while dodging anything that was too large for her to handle. Maybe she had become too involved in the world of fiction..? Those things were easy to PLAN to do… actually pulling them off… God, this was the most idiotic thing she had ever tried…