[IC] Flames of War ( Rystelle x Ragnarok)

[Ragnarok]

--- --- Ranga wanted to continue but knew she was right so he simply agreed, but not before swiping another kiss and letting her go. Then he dressed, slowly, his eyes glancing over Lydia's body as she redressed herself. He loved the way her toned body moved in perfect harmony. Everything just so tight and supple. Closing his eyes he calmed himself and finished dressing. After he slung his weapon over his shoulder he started to move but was quickly stopped when Lydia made a motion for him to lean down. Doing so he was suprised to find her lips on his again. The stirring in his loins slightly uncomfortable, but he shifted and managed a smile of his own. " No problem, Lydia, Though are you sure. I mean I'm sure we could go another round...or five." He added with a slight chuckle, half seriously. Good thing Lydia was right however. A few hours later and the two travelers came to another entrance that was just big enough for them to get out of. Luckily they stayed on the main path instead of one of the many split offs that crowded the mineshaft. As they exited the mine they were greeted with fresh air, the soothing light of the moon high in the sky, and a slight chill from the storm. Ragna's eyes wandered over Lydia's body one more time before moving up to look at the moon. " I guess you were right after all." He said from behind her, his arms wrapping around her stomach, he kissed her cheek before standing back up. " Score one for optimism"

[Rystelle]

Lydia smiled as she felt Ragna wrap his arms around her and kiss her cheek. "This was a dwarven mine," she informed him with an even tone. "They always have at least one extra exit." Suddenly Lydia's ears picked up as she heard a whirl of sound approaching them from the cave mouth behind them. Tugging at Ragna's hand she urgently exclaimed, "Get down and cover your head!" They dropped to the earth, laying on their stomachs as they covered their heads with their arms. Moments later a large colony of bats burst out of the cave, disturbing the calm night with the sound of their shrill cries. At last! They seemed to say. We are free to fly! Some of the bats flew so low that Lydia could feel their wings or feet brushing against her back and cheeks, but none of them attacked the two travelers. Instead they flew off into the night, determined to do some hunting before the moonlight was gone. "See?" Lydia asked as she stood up and brushed herself off. "Bats. I told you." Then she turned her face to the moon to bathe in its light, her luminescent green eyes closed, and she breathed in deeply. Now that the storm was gone everything was peaceful. The land was quiet and clean, the air fresh and sweet. Lydia exhaled slowly, feeling a calmness settle over her. How long that peace would last, she did not know. But for now she was happy and she would enjoy it. Opening her eyes again she turned back to Ragna, smiled, and said, "Come on. We have to find the river again." They set out, following the path they thought would lead them to the river. Before the end of the night they came upon it and resumed their journey. "How many days before we reach your homeland?" Lydianna asked Ragna as they followed the winding ribbon lit by silver moonlight.

[Ragnarok]

Ragna chuckled as she did her 'I knew it' voice, but it quickly faded when she yelled at him to get down which he obliged. Seconds later thousands of bats burst forth from the cave scurrying all around the two of them for a few seconds before moving on to hunt before the sun rose. Standing up, he brushed his clothes off and stuck his tongue out at her. " Yeah yeah." He mumbled till she turned back and smiled at him, which he returned. They traveled for a good portion of the evening till they came back to the rivers edge. Ragna was busy staring at the river when Lydia's voice broke the relative silence. " Umm...I would say about three or four days. Because we spent most of the day in the mineshaft, traveling it is hard to tell. We could still be a weeks distance away. It also depends on how fast we go. Or how slow." He said the last part with a wink before laughing under his breath. Shortly he fell silent again. "You know we don't have to do this. You can just run away. Get on a boat and sail to a distant land. If you truly fear for your life. There is very little I can do against the power the demon king possesses."

[Rystelle]

Lydia couldn't help but smile at Ragna's remark, knowing what he was insinuating and that he was teasing her. But then he was serious again. She contemplated his words silently for a while. She could run away, it was true, but surely some other demons would track her down. Then they would either bring her to their king or kill her. Lydianna did not really fear for her life, but she didn't exactly wish to die. She would give her life up for a good cause should her life be needed, but all the same she would prefer to die of old age or in whatever way she chose. But even with the threat of possible death looming over her Lydianna would not run. Still, she was touched that Ragna was worried for her. Coming to a halt Lydia reached out and put her hand in Ragna's. Looking up at him with her steady gaze she said, "I do not fear death, but how I might die. And we both know that even if I run some other demon will find me, just as an entire horde of them did in Termina. They will chase me down to the ends of the earth until they have what they want from me. In their wake they will leave a swathe of death and destruction. You know this. I will not see another's live lost for mine. I will readily face whatever might lies ahead. Besides, I will admit that I am curious to know what a demon king would want of a halfling like myself." Lydia paused for a moment, her gaze still set steadily on Ragna's face. Finally she softly added, "But if you are truly worried about what might happen, Ragna, then I will do ask you ask and flee this place."

[Ragnarok]

Ragna took her hand in his and gave it a light, reassuring squeeze. " If you ran, you would regret it till the end of your days. And I feel that would do more harm then good. No. I was just being over worried. You are allowed to make your own decisions. Besides, I can't stop you." He gave her a smile and leaned down to kiss her cheek again. " It's true. They are rather chaotic, but I am sure they would not follow you across the world. The demons have a weak foothold here as is. If they sent any force away from their lands. Like they did in termina. It would result in losing territory. I believe the Termina assault we lost territory to the angels. I digress, Though if you do want me to feel better. May we make a detour to stop at my lands? I'd feel safer with armor again. " It was true that he was worried about her. He made an oath to protect her and if she died he would feel the pain a thousand times over. But it was more then that and Ragna knew it. She was the first person to actually care for him, and she was the first person he truly cared for. Though somewhere inside he knew that he shouldn't get attached lest the king made him kill her. With a sigh he shook his head. "I'm sorry for worrying. It's just I don't trust the king at all. Whatever his agenda. It won't be healthy for anyone."

[Rystelle]

Lydia nodded solemnly at his words, though she couldn't help but smile a little when he squeezed her hand. Still she knew that Ragna was right in that running away would only make her feel worse. If she were to run away she would feel cowardly and weak, both feelings she hated, and would only scorn herself further for feeling like that. No, she would face whatever may come. In her heart she knew that in the end she might still die by Ragna's hand if his king commanded it. But if that happened Lydia could at least rest assured that Ragna was only doing as commanded and that he had, in some way, cared for her. It wouldn't be terrible to die an honest death by a friend's hand, though she began to wonder what might happen to Ragna after as he had sworn an oath to keep her from harm and, having killed her, would have broken said oath. Lydia did not wish to dwell on such matters now, but she knew she might need to address them soon. Giving Ragna's hand a gentle squeeze, Lydia said, "No need to apologize. I certainly don't trust your king, either, but at least I'm going to meet him with you by my side and not some other demon with a penchant for torture." She let out a small laugh to show that she had been joking, though the matter was quite serious. "Yes, we can make a detour to get you some armor. Which way do we need to go now?"

[Ragnarok]

He smiled and gave her a wink. " Who says I don't like to to torture?" He chuckled before continuing. " No. I never found it appealing so I left that sort of thing to the person who is now leading my armies." He sighed before thinking about where to go. " We continue on this road, hopefully get into the demon lands without an issue. Then we take the road south till we hit the forest. My manor is on the edge. From there we can take a horse straight to the capital, hopefully with out issue." He gave her a smile at the plan before continuing forward. " Also I'm sorry if I do or say anything that might make matters worse. But when we reach my manor, I am nothing to you but an escort, If Jezebel found out about you now, she would probably rip us both apart." He shuddered slightly at the thought of his succubus using her claws to defile him before gutting him and leaving his insides to pool out. His mind also flashed back to the dream of Lydia trapped in the great hall back in the dwarven outpost. Neither thought appealed to him but he couldn't get the images out of his head.

[Rystelle]

Lydia nodded her ascent to the plan. She had already guessed that, once in the kingdom of demons, she and Ragna would resume acting as if they had never even been friendly at all. But at hearing a woman's name and being warned of her, Lydia easily assumed what Jezebel might be to Ragna as she already knew about his mother passing long ago. Lydia kept her face calm and did not let her emotions show. She had no claim on Ragna other than his oath to protect her, and therefore she had no right to be jealous. At the same time there was an ill feeling settling into her stomach at the thought of having possibly just lay with another woman's man, whether she might be his wife or simply his bedfellow. If this Jezebel was either of those, and Lydia was sure that she was, and she had known beforehand she wouldn't have lain with Ragna in the first place. She didn't like the idea of being a home wrecker--even to demons. Lydia could either spurn Ragna's advances from now on, or continue to accept them. She didn't know which yet. But as Ragna had asked once at his home she would pretend that he was nothing to her other than an escort bringing her before the demon king. "Shall we go then?" Lydianna asked, her voice kept light so as not to betray any hint of the upset she felt.

[Ragnarok]

Ragna always was an observant one. So when Lydia went through a quick phase of emotions in just a heartbeat at the mention of Jezebel he knew he said the wrong thing but rather then go back on it he merely played it out the same way Lydia did. Simply offering up a smile he nodded at her question. 'They are both perfect, and have both cared for me differently...Why couldn't I have been born a true demon so I wasn't plagued with these human emotions.' His emotions and focus turned inward as they moved through the land. They silence that dominated the first part of their trip continued. The diverse and green forest turned into a gnarled hardwoods and thorny bushes as a seemless transition between the two lands that almost seemed like magic in itself. Just after the transition the road forked. One going north, and another going south. Ragna stopped at the split and looked down at Lydia. " Are you sure. I may be socially inept but I know the mention of Jez put you in an uneasy moment. So if you want we can just head north to the king. I don't want to make you do something you don't want to do. You should know that."

[Rystelle]

Lydia couldn't say that she was surprised that Ragna had noticed what the mention of Jezebel had done to her. She had hoped he hadn't, had hoped that she had been able to mask her feelings quick enough, but she knew her silence must have given her away. She felt utterly conflicted. She cared for Ragna in her own way and had enjoyed being with him, but at the same time she still wasn't sure how she felt about being a side woman and fully knowing there was another one. While Lydia had never been in another relationship of any sort and didn't really know what one should be like, she did know what one shouldn't be like. Yet they had no definite relationship, and Lydianna couldn't ever be sure there would be one. Not only because of their differences in race, but also due to the fact that she had no idea how much longer her life might be depending on what the demon king had in store for her. Whether her life was to be short lived or if she would be lucky enough to have a long one, it was better for Lydianna to decide what she wanted now and not make either of them wait until it was too late. So she made her decision. Motioning Ragna down so that his face was close to hers, Lydia suddenly draped her arms around Ragna's shoulders and kissed him fiercely. She didn't care, she decided. Didn't care what happened, or when. She would take things as they came. Finally releasing Ragna from the kiss she said, "We'll go to your manor and get your armor." A mischievous smirk appeared as she added, "Besides, then you can easily compare the beauty of a demon woman to the beauty of an elf." This was the first time Lydia had ever mentioned her looks in a way that was almost prideful. Almost, as she still felt a little awkward talking about her own appearance.

[Ragnarok]

Ragna was worried that she would decide to go to the manor just to spite him but then she motioned for him to lean down, he did. He closed his eyes expecting a slap or something akin to that and instead felt her arms wrapping around his shoulders and her lips meeting his with a certain ferocity behind them which he returned in full. A few moments later she broke away and Ragna let out the breath he didn't know he was holding. Then she smirked at him in a way that was both alluring and devious. "That seems like a terrifying prospect and I lose either way." He smiled and pulled her into him. " But between you and me. You are infinitely more beautiful then a demon woman. Partially because you won't gut me with your nails if I get on your bad side. " He chuckled and gave her a quick kiss before standing up and looking down the desolate road that led straight to his manor where he could get another set of platemail for him. As he looked down at Lydia his eyes drifted along his body, his mind remembering what she looked like naked. Every curve perfectly outlined in his mind. It caused his loins to stir slightly before he changed the subject as to not have to explain it. "You know. I never figured for you to be the jealous type. I mean not that I don't mind. But do you honestly think she could be anything to me. I gave you an oath. She was more of a status symbol as to not appear weak to both the king and those who followed me. To be completely honest with you. Jez is a scary demon. Sometimes more scary then even the king I think." He smiled and knelt down again. " So I got to ask. Do you want to get everything out of your system before we continue. Or would you rather test fate and do it in my manor." Ragna flashed his own devious smile. It displaying both his hidden lust and warm tenderness.

[Rystelle]

Lydia let out a light laugh at Ragna's words, then smiled. She herself was surprised at for once being happy about being called beautiful--usually she hated people making a fuss about her looks. She also still enjoyed the kiss Ragna gave her, despite knowing about another woman. She should probably be ashamed, she knew, but she wasn't and she didn't care. It was actually nice to hear that she meant something to Ragna, more than the demon Jezebel at least. He could by lying just to please her, but Lydia felt that he was honestly sincere. "I never thought myself to be a jealous type either," Lydia said when Ragna mentioned it. "Truthfully, I didn't know myself to be any type. I've never exactly been one for romance. Always too busy protecting the world." Then her face fell for a moment and her voice sounded a little sad as she added, "Besides, knowing how my father left my mother and me... I didn't want it." Lydia smiled a little again and had to admit, "I guess you just got the better of me. And a bed may be more comfortable, but I think I would prefer out here. With that Jezebel around I'd prefer to have my weapons on me at all times. Can't exactly do that when your clothes are on the floor." Lydia leaned in and gave Ragna another kiss, this time on the cheek. "Besides, I'd rather not give her a reason to gut you. I like you too much for that."

[Ragnarok]

"Oh the eternally selfless Lydia." Ragnarok chuckled and wrapped his arms around her waist. " You like me to much for that. Truly a flatterer you are. I'd also like to not give her a reason to hurt you because well. It wouldn't end well for anyone then." He smiled before nodding slowly. " Yeah, I suppose that is where Jez has a one up on you. She is armed all..." He stopped and mentally smacked himself. "Sorry. But yeah. Being armed when around her is a good idea and being naked isn't the best way to go about that." He gave her another deep kiss before removing his arms from her waist. " I never thought I would get anything from you, so it was a surprise to me as well." He straightened himself slightly before looking down the road. " If you truly wish to do it again. Might I suggest a less open place. I know that the demon lands aren't the most merchant traveled lands, but I'm not one into exhibition." He let out a low, deep laugh and kissed her once more as he picked her up in his arms, cradling her like any loved one. "So where to if I may ask, M'lady?"

[Rystelle]

Lydia had to admit that she was enjoying herself immensely. More than she had ever thought she would in this sort of situation. At the beginning of their journey she hadn't imagined that they would get along, much less that their earlier affair would come to pass. Yet she had no complaints of it and liked whenever Ragna pulled her close and kissed her. Recalling their first meeting in Termina when she had put her hand in his and he had shied away, she smirked. No, certainly neither of them had foreseen what their temporary alliance would turn into--even if this itself was only temporary. Lydia couldn't help but smile at everything Ragna did. She laughed a little when Ragna said that he wasn't into exhibition and agreed saying, "Nor am I." She returned his kiss happily, but let out a small squeak of surprise when he picked her up as if she weighed nothing more than a feather. Soon, however, she gladly settled into his arm and leaned against his chest. "Hm..." She mused at his question. "Further into the woods then and away from the road?"

[Ragnarokkr]

"As you say." Ragna adjusted his light elven lover in his arms before his heavy boots started to move off the dirt road that the merchants and most normal travelers who weren't acting like hormonal teenagers moved on. The twigs and fallen leaves cracked under the heavy foot falls of the large demon. He weaved through the branches of the lively oak trees that stretched upward towards the sky in vain attempts to garner more sunlight then the neighboring trees. There was something peaceful about the setting, that set his mind at ease despite all the danger going on around him. His eyes briefly looked down onto the small body of Lydia as her head rested against his chest. Just having her close made him feel more at ease though that could be the oath that was doing this to him.

As he pushed through the forest He noticed a small clearing in the distance that was lit up by the silver moonlight, as well as the faint flickers of the flame that came from the obviously occupied clearing. An bandit camp or merely some travelers who wanted a little more security? Caution and hesitation built up inside of him as he knelt to the ground to set Lydia down. " I think we should hold off on our lovemaking for now...I'd rather not test our luck in finding out who occupies the space ahead of us. It might be best to just continue on our way with our original plan to return to my manor as soon as possible." He looked into her bright emerald eyes with affection and sadness wanting to hear her opinion in the matter. " Though in the end it shall be up to you as I will gladly fight any battle for another moment with you." His gauntleted hand closed around the hilt of his claymore as his gaze moved out towards the flickering firelight that danced hungrily around the darkness

[Rystelle]

Lydianna quickly weighed the options and made her decision. Putting a hand on Ragna's forearm she shook her her head silently. "I would rather not find out what lies ahead," she said, her voice a low whisper. "We've already had a few encounters with demons. It could just as easily be more. It could perhaps even be a trap set for us. I think we should leave now." She considered using her magic putting out the fire, but if the fire were to suddenly go out then whoever had built it would be alerted to their presence. Humans couldn't see very well in the dark, but demons certainly could. It wouldn't be hard for them to track Lydia and Ragna. The two half-breeds could certainly fight back, but if they were outnumbered and caught by surprise it certainly tipped the scale in their attacker's favor. "Let's go," she reiterated again quietly.

[Ragnarokkr]

Ragnarok nodded grimly as the firelight flickered off his facial features. Voices started up, yelling almost. A woman's voice to be precise. He only caught a few words. "...Damnable man....lazy deadbeat...worthless son of a..." Then the sound of flesh on flesh broke the woman's voice off only for a males voice to take to the wind. " Dear....own good...lot of money..." Something inside of Ragna wanted to turn back towards the camp and confront whoever was there and another part of him wanted to do nothing more then move away from the scene they probably weren't supposed to witness. However once again he glanced down at Lydia, knowing here hearing was better then his so she probably caught more of the exchange. His crimson eyes stared down at her with his hand over hers. " Shall we take a closer look? Or should we just leave as it could be a trap...the timing is almost too perfect..."