Ragnarok silently followed after the elf girl after she yelled out a peculiar dwarfs name. How she knew him was beyond him because they all looked the same. Short, veiny, and hairy. So rather then procure her wraith he simply watched the dwarven soldiers shift their weapons to him till the fellow named Blathir made them stand down. He nodded a gentle thanks to the dwarf as Lydia introduced him to the stout creature. The time wore on as Lydia and the dwarf weaved their way through the fortress to the kitchen then finally to a private room that was almost definitely Blathir's. Lydia went on to explain everything and somewhere between the fall of Termina and Ragna's family he drifted off. His consciousness feeling the pull of a magic call. WIth a deep breath he let his mind fade away till he saw his father sitting on a throne of bones. "Ah. Dear boy. So good of you to answer the call of your father. Do you know the value of the wee lass you are traveling with? Of course you don't. Your brothers do. Which is why they are trying to kill you... Though I'm sure you already ran into them, huh?" His voice was like a metal knife scraping across a glass plate. Ragna forced himself to calm down and allowed a smile to broach his lips." Yes father. However. Whatever the worth of her. She is like me, and I made an oath to get her to the King safe. Family or not if you try to destroy my oath. I will see your head on a pike." He waved his hand casting himself from his fathers grasp and returning to his body just in time to catch. " Earth knows...." His hearing faded out for a second before he refocused on reality. " I don't...." He decided to stay his tongue and follow them to what equated to a great hall for the dwarves, and with Lydia curling next to the wall he mumbled a simple good night before slipping back out into the courtyard to get a glance at the new dawn. "What could she possibly be to both the King and my father. She is just a half-breed....like me..." Ragna mumbled under his breath before sitting down against the wall and putting his chin in his hands. "So many questions. So little time." His eyes drifted the the black steel helm the now rested on the ground, with his hand moving to the hilt of his claymore. " Mother. Provide me with the power to fight my father and brothers. Provide me with the ability to decimate any and all threats to Lydianna, for she is my oath." He never truly believed in higher powers before however he felt that he should try and get a blessing or two while he was still alive. In the distance the demon war machine was on the march. Destroying everything in their path. Leaving roads of bone, and cities aflame. Ragnarok could feel it in his heart. His brothers were getting closer and the longer they stayed here, the more trouble these....halflings would be in. As much as he despised the little men, he never wished the demons wrath upon them. Specially not his fathers wrath.

Four hours later Lydia awoke feeling refreshed. She didn't need as much sleep as humans did, being part elf. Though if she were to admit it sometimes she liked to sleep in just as much as the next person. But still, now was not a time for sleeping when there were demons hot on both her and Ragna's trail. Thinking of him, she looked around the great hall to see if he was present. He was not, however, and she had begun to wonder where he might have run off to when Blathir appeared. "Ah, you're awake," he said, a little surprised. "Your... friend? Well, Ragnarok is asleep out in the courtyard. Have you had enough rest, Lydianna? Do you need to sleep more?" Lydia shook her head even as she undid her braid and re-did it, it having gone wild in her sleep. "No," she replied, smiling a little at the dwarf's concern. "I will be fine, Blathir. Besides, Ragna and I need to be on the move. I have no desire--and I know Ragna does not either--to sit and wait pretty as a package for a horde of howling demons to come and scoop us up. I also do not wish to involve the dwarves here in any fight we might find ourselves in." Blathir nodded, his face grave but also concerned. "Very well," he conceded. "It's a good thing I went ahead and prepared a pack for you." So saying he handed her a bundle and she opened it to reveal food a plenty with water skins in it as well. "I also took the liberty of filling your quiver with arrows and waxing the string of your bow." A smile crossed Lydia's face as she closed the pack and put it on saying, "Thank you, Blathir, my friend. It is very kind of you to give us so much. I hate to leave without having even properly visited, but I promise to come back when I'm not being chased by all of Hell." Blathir smiled in return and took Lydia's hand in his, giving her hand a firm but gentle squeeze. "Stay safe, Lydianna." She nodded, reassuring him she would, before making her way to the courtyard in search of Ragna so that they might be on their way. She had her weapons strapped to her once more, the handle of the pack slung over her shoulder.

The murky blackness drifted around Ragna as he opened his molten eyes. The sun he was expecting to see was blotted out by the darkness. Shaking the sleepiness from his eyes he started to stand to get Lydianna up and moving when he felt the first crunch beneath his boots. Glancing down at the familiar sound he stared at the mutilated body of Blathir. The halfings organs were strewn across the yard and Ragna's foot rested through the poor dwarves ribcage, which collapsed under the weight. His eyes went wide for a second before he glanced up and looked around once more. The entire fort was torn asunder. Hellhounds played with the dwarves. Nipping bits of flesh away at a time. The Chorus of war sounded around him once again. The painful sound of innocent souls dying for his mistakes. Behind him he heard Lydia's voice among several dwarves pierce the night. They were trapped in the great hall. Quickly turning around he saw the entire thing go up in a blaze. The heat licking at his armor, causing his brow to break out in a slight sweat. Reacting purely on instinct, He went for his claymore to find the sheath empty. Quickly adapting he swung his hand around to try and break the door down to save her. As his gauntlet-ed fist met with the door it shattered and the entire scene disappeared. Ragna was left in the darkness once more. Soon it faded and he was back in his father's manor. The blood of the guard that tried to rape his mom was covering him from head to toe. The broken shovel lay impaled in the bigger demons head. His father passed through at the right time and quickly looked him over. His voice cutting a cold sensation through him. " Who are you boy?" Ragna looked up at his father's imposing figure. " I..I am your worthless halfbreed son. You sent me and my mu-" His father raised his hand. " Say no more. Prove your worth and you won't be a halfbreed. You have a strong figure. You will be either a great pride to my name, or you will die trying." He signaled to his guards who took Ragna by the arms and drug him from his dead mother. His voice burning into his mind. " ...and send someone to clean that whores corpse from the stable." _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________ Ragna's hand went to his blade as his eyes shot open. The shining sun burning his vision. As soon as his eyes shifted he saw Lydia geared up and coming from the great hall. He sighed a small sigh of relief that it was only a dream. But what a peculiar dream. He shook it off and stood up. His helm rolling off his chest. Cursing he picked it up and tucked it under his arm. " Ah, Lydia, I'm glad your saf...An, Nevermind me. Had enough sleep?" He rubbed the back of his head with his free hand. " Anyway we need to depart now. We lost enough time with this." He turned and started for the gate which started to open as soon as they two of them started to move towards it. The road north will take them away from every dwarven settlement until it branches west and east at the river that fed the entire dwarven nation with their water. Ranga had the map in his head and knew they would have to travel several days to reach the river. And then several more to reach his land safely. Such a time consuming trip, but necessary. His eyes glanced up at Lydia and he began to wonder truly what that dream was about. He was also worried for her safety. Partly because of his oath, But some part of his heart could confide in her since they shared tortured pasts. Minutes passed before he realized he was staring he quickly glanced away. He knew it could never be. He would deliver the girl to the king, get his pay, then retire to his castle where he would plot his fathers end. Plans. That is what his life was. Ragna has been waiting for so long for revenge and now he has the reason to. He can kill his entire family and secure...everything. His memories flashed back to the training his father put him through. The countless slaves he had killed because his father told him to. The nights spent staffing off hunger and the Hellhounds his father sicked on him. Then his mind drifted back to Lydia. ' I wonder what sort of life she lived. She seems so innocent and pure. Definitely not for me....' He let out an exasperated sigh. "So Lydia. For the safest path I think we should travel north to the river, then west to the demon lands. If you have any ideas, or just wish to get this over with and cut west. I would understand. Though that way we would put countless halflings...Ah. Dwarven settlements at risk. Personally I think at the river we can lose the trackers, then they will either disperse back to their plans, or well...kill dwarves till they fight back."

Lydia knew well the sensation of someone's eyes boring into her even when she wasn't looking. She knew that Ragna was staring at her. _Let him stare,_ she thought a little bitterly. _It's not as if I'm not used to it._ She was very used to it, in fact, not that she cared for it. People always tended to stare at her, either due to her beauty or due to her being a cross-breed. Humans stared at her in awe, sometimes jealousy, while elves stared at her in disgust. Now she even seemed to have a demon staring at her for some reason. The only people who never seemed phased by her beauty or her origins where the dwarves. They didn't care what you looked like so long as you had some sort of valuable skill whether it was fighting, black smithing, or even wood carving. Lydia felt most at home among the dwarves who praised her fighting skills. When not traveling or in Termina, Lydia was most often among the dwarves. It had been a while since she had visited them, however, and felt a little saddened that she had been unable to talk with Blathir for longer, or any of her other dwarven friends for that matter. Before Lydia could really begin to reminisce about the fun times she had shared with her dwarven friends, she found her thoughts interrupted by Ragna's words. "We'll go north and then west," she replied. "I'll not risk the chance of putting the dwarves in danger. I was not able to do anything for Termina, but I can at least try to do something to help protect the dwarves." She fell silent again, her mood a little soured now as she pondered the fate of Termina. She hoped that it still stood, or else that some of the people had survived. Lydia never thought that she would bring a horde of demons to the doors of the city, and felt that anything that they did to Termina was her fault. She did not want to bring the same fate upon the kind dwarves. No, she would not put the dwarves at risk if she could help it. They would take the long way. Suddenly Lydia swore in frustration. "What in the world would demons want with me?" She grumbled aloud, more to herself than Ragna. "It's not like I've crossed paths with too many of them over the years or caused them much trouble. I can't have something they want. Can I?"

Ragna's voice took a distant edge to it. " We demons are beings born of chaos. Our origins are as shaded as that of the Angels. Yeah sure they tell you that that were made by a big and mighty man. But that is just to stop questions from being raised and it keeps awareness focused on the other races. Nothing we do makes much sense to outsiders. Our thought process is chaotic and disheveled as a land tore apart by our armies." He paused for a second thinking back to his fathers obsidian mansion. The torture he suffered there in the name of strength was laudable. His head shifted slightly as he donned his helm his hand grazing the edge of his hilt as he turned around in one practiced motion. His sword met the sharpened steel of another sword with a clang. The air started to reek of sulfur and the ground around the other demons feet wrought in flame." Awww bro. You are no fun. You weren't supposed to turn around. Then I could have painted your girl with your blood~" The voice belonged to his eldest brother, Baal. Unlike the stories however, Baal was a offspring of his father and a succubus. He got his fathers strength but his mothers looks. Baal was a lithe man who wore only the most base of armor using his speed to avoid attacks. " Oh well. I'm not supposed to be here but I couldn't stand dad's ranting anymore. Anyway. Toodles bro~" With that he was gone back through the same portal he arrived in. Ragna let out a sigh and sheathed his blade once again. " I am so thankful that he takes nothing seriously...Anyway. Where was I... Oh! The king has something planned and that plan involves you. Trust me when I say it will save your mind a lot of trouble if you don't think about it." He managed a weak smile down at her before returning his gaze to the dirt road that stretched outward from them. " Lydia. Why did you decide to come with me. You could have easily killed me and escaped yourself. Or just not come and left me to my own devices until I left. So why, if I may ask?"

The appearance of Ragna's brother had caught Lydia completely by surprise, but even as he and Ragna clashed she had her bow trained on the demon named Baal. Ragna seemed to be able to easily hold Baal. However, when Lydia heard the demon call her Ragna's girl, she almost wanted to loose an arrow into his head anyway. But then the demon was gone and she and Ragna was alone again. She put away her bow and the unspent arrow and they continued on. "What can I say? Your smile won me over," Lydia said with a heavy note of sarcasm in her voice in response to Ragna's question. Then she sighed and more honestly added, "What was I supposed to do? I'm just one person, even if I am half-elf. I don't have the power to take on an entire demon army, or any army for that matter. Yes, I could have simply left you there and ran away on my own, or even killed you and left, but then I would still be being chased by an army of demons and I would have even less answers than I do now--which there still aren't many answers. Besides, you hadn't killed anyone so there was no reason for me to kill you. And I mostly just figured that a single enemy was easier to deal with than a mass of them. That, and you at least appeared genuine in your word that you wouldn't let harm come to me if I went with you. Besides, whether you're full-demon or half-demon, dwarf, elf, or human, anyone can be a good or a bad person. I decided to find out what you were. Any further questions?"

Ragna chuckled at her response. " Was told I always had a crowd winning smile. Though that is more of Baal's department. I'm more of a hack n slash type of fellow." He removed his helm once more now that his brother was gone, as was the smell of sulfur. " I should probably mention that most we demons and the angels can be bound by our words. Think of it as a limiting system. We all pledge some type of allegiance to our kings and we can pledge our services to others, or be forced to serve. Demons call it making an 'Oath' and Angles call it a 'Pledge'. Either way it is the same. As long as I am alive and as long as you are traveling with me no harm that I can stop will befall you." He let out a deep sigh before putting a slight smile on his lips. " Not really a question. But my Brother Baal was the only one that was neutral to me. He neither hates nor loves me. He is also the only one of my family to ever be accepted as Belial's Seer. We tend to lean more towards the armies rather then the knowledge. I know you may not get what he meant but he delivered me a message which is really great. Chaotic and all that." "Though if you are asking if I have any questions. I kinda want to learn more about my traveling companion. Like why did you end up in Termina. Why not sell your services to dwarves, or do something else?"

Lydia mulled over Ragna's words. She had never really concerned herself with the origin of any race, only their actions. Still, it was good to know that the two races most swathed in mystery were at least bound by their oaths. It was more than she could say about elves who were a self-interested lot concerned only with beauty and purity and preserving it for their pleasure. Lydia herself felt none of those draws as her elven blood--thankfully--failed her there. Her skills and abilities were almost wholly elven, but her personality and interests were almost wholly human in nature. For instance, while she did not need to sleep and eat that much, she enjoyed it and often partook in those activities as much as humans did. And just like a human Lydia could be self-interested, self-less, and sometimes even both at the same time, given how odd and complicated humans were. For the most part Lydia tried to be self-less. She traveled the land helping others with problems small and large. She tried to keep the fragile peace held in precious few places by chasing away trouble-makers, stopping thieves, capturing murders. No matter what race someone was, age, gender, or anything else, Lydia tried to help everyone. Equally, if you were a trouble maker, no matter who or what they were she would take them down, sometimes bringing them to a local prison or else simply killing them. She had taken her fair share of lives over the years. She couldn't say the deaths bothered her. Some of the men and women she had killed had been little more than monsters who enjoyed rape, torture, and murder. She had done away with them with no qualms. The only deaths that really bothered her were the few instances when she had had to kill animals that had gone mad and were actively attacking people. Those she mourned because they were creatures that did not know any better. Finally Lydia shrugged. "I try to protect the peace," she said. "There's very few places any more that are peaceful. I and others like me are trying to simply preserve what remains while also trying to expand it. Humans, dwarves, and yes, even demons and elves, if anyone is in any sort of trouble I try to lend them my hand." She glanced at Ragna sideways to see what he might have, then continued on. "I actually do stay with the dwarves fairly often. I am friends to many of them, including their king, and it is where I feel most at home, if I am being truthful. But Termina houses more people of all races than any other small town or village. There it is easy to gather news of trouble brewing in other parts of the world so that I know where I might lend my services."

Time passed on. Day turned to night. The two travelers exchanged small talk but not much else. Just enough to occupy the silence that would encroach on them but not enough to draw them closer. Three days passed like this when the distant sound of the river could be heard crashing over the rocks. Ragna's helm sat over the hilt of his blade as they did not encounter any demons or any other hostiles in the days that they were traveling. The rain started as a light mist at first then gradually got heavier till it was a monsoon. The wind picked up and whipped through the trees sending old branches cracking and falling to the ground. Ragna had to pretty much yell over the weather to have Lyida hear him. Or maybe so he could hear himself. " We need to find cover before this gets any worse!" He felt that his voice was swept away in the wind but knew that she heard him. Hopefully. Off to the side of the road was a indent in the hill. A small cave that must have been used by countless travelers because there was a fire pit and even a small stack of dried wood. Ranga gently nudged Lydia towards it and pointed. " Till this lets up." Hoping she heard him he started towards it. That was when the first flash of lighting came. The bolt struck in front of them sending a tree up in splinters. Then the roar of the thunder cracked over head. Letting loose the anger of the gods in one boom that lasted several minutes. As Ragna entered the cave he realized that it went in much deeper then he thought. "Must be an old mineshaft." He said outloud more to himself then Lydia who he knew would be behind him somewhere. His soaked hair hung down in his face which he quickly tucked behind his ears and let out a sigh. " I hate the rain. Always ruing everything. Though this is much more then rain, huh..." He glanced towards Lydia who was also soaked. "I'll start a fire." He mumbled as he piled the dry and broken pieces of wood into the fire pit. Summoning the little bit of magic he could do, Ragna created a small blaze from the center of the wood and soon it was crackling nicely. After doing that the demon removed his armor and set it by the fire to dry before taking his own spot next to the fire so his clothes could dry as well.

Even with her sharp ears Lydia had trouble hearing Ragna's words over the raging storm. It was all she could do to keep him in her sight and follow him, trusting him to lead them to safety. When the lightning hit the tree Lydia almost jumped out of her skin. She covered her ears and shut her eyes, crying out in pain as the noise seemed to leave her temporarily deaf, the white light leaving her temporarily blind. When she opened her eyes again and blinked she searched the area for Ragna. He had gone ahead, not realizing that he had accidentally left her behind. It took a moment for her to find his large figure and she quickly scurried after him, for once wanting to make sure she was right by his side. As she entered the cave after Ragna he turned and said something, but she was still massaging her hurt ears. Eventually her hearing returned to normal and she heard Ragna say he was going to start a fire. She nodded her understanding and took a seat on the cave floor. Soon they had a nice fire going, but they were still soaked to the bone. Lydia's magic was limited and she did not know a spell to dry their clothes. They would have to do it the old fashioned way. Although tougher than most humans, even elves got cold and Lydia shivered violently as she waited for the fire to dry her off. Once more she rubbed her ears and complained, "That lightning strike hurt."

Ragna managed a weak smile at her words. " Yeah. That hurt me. I can only imagine what it felt like for you." He noticed her body shivering and realized that not all races could deal with the temperature difference as well as demons. Taking the chance he draped his arm over her and pulled her towards him. He knew that demons tended to run slightly higher in the temperature department which is why they made for such great soldiers. " For warmth, seeing how cold you are." He smiled lightly, hoping she would try to stab him or something. Either way, a few hours passed and the storm did not let up. By then the supply of firewood was low and the two of them were dry. But still the wind whipped and lightly cracked over head. Raganrok thought solemnly what would happen if a strike hit the land above them. Would it kill them, or merely just cause discomfort? Nature seemed to answer that thought when the cave shook. Dirt showered down the two of them. Then it was silent save for the crackling of the fire. Seconds passed before a loud rumble could be heard and before Ragna could even react the front of the cave closed like a mouth devouring it's prey. The outside world was locked away from them. Silence followed as even the sounds of the storm were cut off from them. Coughing, Ragna removed his arm from Lydia to cover his mouth. The plume of dust settled moments later and Ranga looked to where Lydia was. The truth dawned on him as he realized the two of them were trapped. The only way to go would be into the mine, hoping that there were other exits. ' This isn't what I meant by spend more time with her.' He silently cursed fate and before he could think about what to say he blurted out. " Well at least our clothes are dry..."

As Lydia felt Ragna pulling her against him she opened her mouth to protest and then closed it again. She didn't exactly know why, she just did. Perhaps it was because over the past few days she came to know that he wasn't that bad of a person and that he was doing his best to protect her and watch out for her. They both shared similar pasts too, and neither of them cared for their families. Lydia would be lying if she said she hadn't taking a liking to Ragna, not that she would really let him know it. And yet she allowed him to pull her close against him with his arm draped over her. "Thanks," Lydia mumbled, leaning into him a bit. Ragna was certainly warm, she found, and it helped to chase away the chill that tried to seep into her bones. They sat like that for hours even after their clothes were dry. Lydia had her knees drawn up to her chest and had her arms wrapped around them, her head resting on top. She was in a half-sleep, having decided to take the time to rest since they were going to be there until the rain let up. Suddenly the cave rumbled and startled her awake. Lydia squeezed her eyes shut pressed her face into her legs to cover her mouth and nose, her hands going over her ears in order to protect them from the noise. She felt Ragna's arm leaving her side and for a small moment felt a pang in her heart. She tried to shake it off, wondering what was wrong with her. Finally the rumbling had stopped and Lydia dared to look up, only to find that they had been caved in. "Wonderful," she sighed heavily when the dust had finally settled. Standing up she went over to inspect the rocks covering the cave of the mouth and the roof of the cave itself. "I don't think we can move these rocks," Lydia informed him grimly. "The roof is damaged and these rocks are the only thing holding them up now. We'll have to go deeper into the mine and find another way out."

Ragna had a feeling it would be something like that. " This. This is why I hate nature. And life. Life sucks." He grumbled angrily his hand resting on a decent sized rock. " Did I mention I hate tight spaces as well?" He shook his head and started to gather his armor before deciding to only take the gauntlets and boots. He took his chain and made a makeshift harness with it to attach his claymore to before glancing over at Lydia. " Well I'm as ready to go into the darkness as you are." His molten eyes seemed to light up slightly at the prospect of being submerged in the darkness. And while they could both see in the dark. So could a lot of other things. And who knew what manner of beasts resided in this cave. Or how deep it went. Ragna's mind raced in a million different directions. Shaking the thoughts off he looked over at Lydia and asked. " Are you ok. Warm enough? I mean...did I overstep my bounds by doing...I'm going to just..." he started to mumble under his breath as he messed with the bindings on his gauntlets. Deciding rather then dig the hole he was in any longer he started to move forward still mumbling something under his breath about bad timing and getting stabbed. As the two of them moved deeper into the mine it gradually sloped down and got slightly warmer. The walls were decorated in luminescent fungi and lichen. Besides their steps and breathing the only real sounds they heard were the occasional drip of water from perspiration and an odd scratching sound that seemed to echo for miles.

For a half-demon of his size, Lydianna felt that Ragna could be incredibly poor with words at times. This wasn't the first time she had noticed him trailing off, leaving unfinished sentences and questions and instead turning to mumbling to himself. She started to simply wonder if he was bad at communicating with others on a personal level, perhaps due to whatever hell his father had put him through. Lydia almost wanted to ask him about it, but instead chose to stay silent. She had been doing that a lot on their trip. Staying silent and really only talking when Ragna prompted her to. It wasn't that she was bad with people, just that she was trying not to form an attachment to him. She had taken a liking to him, yes, but that was different. You could like someone and not be attached to them. For instance, there may be a particular market vendor that you always go to when you do your shopping. He's a nice fellow, always has a smile and friendly words. However, you don't know anything else about him besides what he does. He's not a friend or family or someone you care deeply about. One day he's just suddenly gone and you stop for a moment to tell yourself that you liked him and you'll miss him, but over time you'll just forget about him altogether because he didn't _really_ matter to you. That was how Lydia was trying to keep the relationship between her and Ragna. She might like him and get along with him, but she didn't want to become attached to him. Demons were bound by their oaths he had told her. He had promised to protect her on their journey to the demon king. He had not promised to protect her once there or at any time afterwards. Once Ragna was free of his oath he could try to kill her for his king or for his own reasons. If that happened and Lydia was attached to Ragna, she would feel betrayed. Of course if he or anyone else there tried to kill her she would try to defend herself, but her chances for survival while in the court of the demon king were slim. To take her mind off of these things, Lydia tried to focus her attention on their surroundings. The glowing fungi was beautiful, but she wondered if it might be deadly. She had not seen it before and had no knowledge of it. She did know, however, that this mine had once certainly been excavated by dwarves long ago. Focusing her hearing Lydia honed in on the scratching sounds. "Seems like bats," she quietly informed Ragna. "They appear to be restless. Probably because they can't go out with the storm. They're likely to usually go out through the mouth of the cave, but I bet there's somewhere else they leave too. Perhaps this tunnel exits somewhere on the other side of the hill."

Ragna calmed himself slightly when he realized that he started to mumble to himself again. Rubbing the back of his head he listened to what Lydia was saying. " Or it goes down into the depths of the earth, only coming back up at the edge of Dwarven lands. Though I guess we don't have much of a choice in the matter. Onward and downward I suppose." Moments of silence passed before Ragnarok managed to find the words to break it. " Listen. Lydia. I know I am not the most trustworthy of fellows...or the most social. And for that I am sorry. It's just my life has only consisted of killing and death. My only friend was my blade and a certain Hellhound that is now most certainly dead...and I have no idea why I am telling you any of this..." He closed his eyes and let out a slow and matriculated sigh. " I'm sorry for my random outbursts into my life which you have no interest in. It's just you are the first humanoid, I should say, that has shown me anything akin to kindness. To be completely honest, even with the demonic hordes on our tails and being trapped in a cave, this is the most at ease I've been in...well since I can remember." They entered out into a open spaced cavern that was covered in the lichen. Every inch of it with swirling designs. It was almost too intricate to be a fault of nature. It made Ragna pause for a second. " What if that sound wasn't bats. But a race that disappeared into the earth? I mean there are several stories of war like beings that were driven underground by the dwarves centuries ago...Actually I'm sorry. I like to distract myself in situations like these and it is amazing what you can come up with." He shook his head to get the thoughts from his mind. " We should rest here. It'll do us some good. And we can figure out if those fungus are edible." He set his blade down against the wall and scraped one of them off the wall. Ragna sniffed the mushroom and noted a light tangy smell. Earthy of course. With the barest hint of something. He wasn't sure what but he decided to look over his shoulder at Lydia. " Should I?" He said with a playful smile.

Lydia was less surprised that Ragna had divulged information about himself and more surprised that he had apologized for his short-comings. That and he felt at ease around her. It definitely made his human side more prominent. Lydia hesitated for a moment, then gently pat Ragna's back. "I don't mind your rambling," she said honestly. "Say whatever you want. And if you feel more at ease then that's good." She chuckled a little bit and added, "I never thought I'd make a demon--full or half--feel at ease." As they stepped into the cavern Lydia looked around in awe. It was beautiful and had a mysterious air to it. There almost seemed to be purposeful patterns in the lichen and moss. Lydia had begun wandering closer to the wall to further inspect the fungal growth when Ragna spoke again. She shrugged as she studied the cavern walls. "Who knows? It's a possibility. I would prefer not to come across them if that's the case. But as you wish we'll rest here." Then she turned back to Ragna and saw him scraping some of the fungus off the wall. At his question she shrugged again. "You can try it if you want to," she told him as she started to wander over to the other side of the cavern. "If it makes you sick I can heal you." While Lydia only knew a few general spells she was really good at healing. It was almost funny. She was good at both fighting and killing, but also good at healing. There had been plenty of times when she had saved someone's life by using her healing magic. She could even purge a body of poison so long as the poison wasn't too fast acting. For Ragna's sake, however, she hoped that the fungi wasn't poisonous.

Ranga took another look at the mushroom before popping it into his mouth. He chewed it for a second before swallowing and making a disquieted face. " Those are so not delicious." He spit off to the side before wiping his tongue. " Belg. That tasted worse then the cooking at the academy." He picked up his sword and swung it over his shoulder. His eyes catching a rune on the bare spot where he just took the mushroom. His gauntleted hand traced it for a second before he rubbed the stone. It was smooth as glass which was really odd despite the amount of moss that surrounded it. Not really one to tempt fate at the moment he let it slide. With a few purposeful steps he moved from his side of the cavern to where Lydia was. " Listen. Lydianna. There is one more thing I want to do before...or if we make it out." He knelt down to get on her eye level and bowed his head slightly. " I, Raganrok, Make an oath to you to protect you from all harm that this trip will impose as well as after. If you so desire I will escourt you from the demon lands just as I escourted you into them." As soon as he finished the words he felt the chains wrap around his body. He never did understand how oaths and the such worked. All he knew was that if he broke them the body would be twisted beyond repair and the pain would everlasting till he died. Which was always a good motivator. With that out of the way he stood up and offered her a small smile. " Will that put you more at ease. I may be daft, however I am not completely unaware of social situations. I know you only talk when I prod you. Why it can be multiple things I think...Unless you just hate me...Or..." He stopped himself as soon as he realized he was going off track. " Anyway. We should go. Day's...or..Night..or Cavern time's burning." He turned around, hoping she wouldn't notice him biting his lip as he trekked off down the shaft.

Ragna pledging himself to her was the last thing Lydia would have ever imagined him doing. _Why would he do something like that?_ She wondered to herself as she watched his retreating back, him having moved before she could really even respond. _Why would he pledge himself to a girl he barely even knows? Why me? Why do any demons want anything to do with me?_ But Lydia's main question was still why did Ragna pledge himself to her? Did he like her? Was it just something for him to do? Perhaps he was tired of serving demons and wanted a change of pace. Here she had been, trying not to let herself become attached to him so that she would not be hurt if he betrayed her. And now suddenly he had sworn an oath to defend her from harm and even offered to make sure she escaped safely from demon lands. She honestly couldn't say that she was upset by it. If anything it just made things easier for her. She knew Ragna was bound by his oath and that he would protect her from all harm--including that which came from himself--meaning that she no longer had to worry about him stabbing her in the back. If Lydia wished she could now talk to him freely without having to act so cold, without having to be so distant. He seemed to want to talk as he was the one most often trying to start a conversation. They could possibly even become friends. In time. But what did Ragna get from this? she had to wonder. A friend? A way to kill time? The more important question really was: What should she, Lydia, do to compensate Ragna for his oath? Demons were bound by their oaths and as such they were not to be taken lightly. It was not a favor, it was a commitment. And Lydia felt that for such an important thing she should promise Ragna something in return. She was not magically bound by her words, but she would follow through on them. But what would it be? After a moment's thought she knew right away. "Ragnarok," she called out to him, using his full name and causing him to stop. Lydia approached him and stopped when she was right in front of him. She had to crane her neck to look up at him. A nuisance considering what she was about to do. "Would you mind kneeling down for a moment, please, so that it's easier for me to talk to you?" Hearing that she wanted to talk he instantly did as she asked, kneeling down so that his face was about level with hers. Lydia took a deep breath and then let it out. There was no going back now. "I don't hate you," she informed him, her face honest and open. "I rather like you, actually. You're intriguing. And we share a similar hatred of our families. I like you, but I've been keeping myself at a distance so as not to become attached to you. I knew that you had only promised to get me to the demon king safely. You never said anything about what you might do once we were there or after. Forgive me for being cautious but I was protecting myself emotionally. I'd rather not die with hatred in my heart at the thought of having been betrayed by someone I considered a friend. Hatred is a terrible feeling to live with, but surely a worse one to die with. I'd prefer to die happily. If not happily, then at least with no hard feelings. Yet despite my trying to remain aloof these past few days you still continued to reach out to me, to talk to me, to try to protect me and make me comfortable. And now you have bound yourself to me with your oath, making it impossible for me not to become attached to you in some shape or form. I don't know if I actually mean anything to you, Ragna, but regardless I do thank you. For everything. I don't know if there's anything you want from me in return, but I promise that, if you so desire, I will help you kill your father or any other members of your family you should wish to be rid of." Suddenly Lydia stepped closer to Ragna and draped her arms around his massive shoulders. Without warning she leaned down and kissed him full on the mouth, her eyes closed for a moment, before she pulled away from the kiss although her arms still remained around Ragna's shoulders. "Consider that my pledge to you," she said, gazing at him steadily.