****Authors Note:**** Hey guys, sorry it has taken me so long to update. I have been quite busy and have also had quite a fit of writers block. I wanted to let you guys know that this story really has no basis, since the game also does not really give a back story, and all of the information that I am getting/have has been from the aion wiki: wiki/Aion_Wiki I hope you guys enjoy this chapter and please give any constructive criticism/comments/reviews. They are very much appreciated. Again, thank you!
~BelaAnjo
Chapter 2: Battle of Wits
Raven walked into the room as soon as he heard Okai calling out for him. His eyes quickly scanned the room and landed on Aramay. She hadn't had time to cover herself with her robe, leaving her backside exposed and the mark that now covered her shoulders to her lower back clearly visible. What shocked him the most was that the mark was not there when he first brought her in. He was sure of it; he was the one who helped patch up her shoulder and he definitely didn't see it. Even more so, the mark that now took her back was the mark of The Lord of Shadows. He knew one thing for certain, this mark only shown visible on those who were descendants of the Shedim.
-Raven's Point of View-
This Aramay character is a descendant of one of our lords. This means that she has to be the daughter of Azphel. Could she be? They had never told any of us that Lord Azphel had a child. Does she even know anything? I am utterly confused. I haven't seen anything like this before. All of the descendants of our Lords live here in Asmodae with us and their marks have plagued their bodies since birth.
"Do you know what that is on your back?" I asked her hoping she would shed some light as to why she is suddenly here and that she had just been putting on pretenses as to not knowing anything. She has to know. She does know a lot about us from so called 'stories.'
"No, I don't. I have never seen this before. Needless to say, I have never marked my body. It just appeared and grew darker within seconds." She explained. She is clueless as to how powerful that mark makes her. I have to get her to Azphel as soon as possible.
"Finish your bath and meet me down stairs in the foyer immediately. Azphel definitely has to see you now. Going alone is no longer an option." She nodded her head and I quickly walked out. This is too much at once. Why would a child of Shedim reside in the mortal world? Why hasn't Azphel ever told anyone about her? Does he even know about her? This is just too much of a mystery. I hid at the entrance to the bath hall just so I could sneak another peak at her tattoo. She was still standing in the same spot. She stood there for a few seconds in fact. I found my eyes not only scanning her back where the mark was but also her full body. Her waist was not the tiniest but she was still definitely appealing, her back sleek, her posterior round and plump, and her legs thick. She was beautiful and that was without seeing the front side of her. I found my mouth had dropped and quickly shook the thoughts away. She finally turned and glanced my way, catching me at the door.
"Well, isn't it enough that you had to run in here and see me nude, now you have to stay and gawk?" She remarked. Oh what a smart ass.
"There's nothing too appealing!" I spat back and quickly turned on my heels. Leaving her wide mouthed. Maybe she doesn't know me yet but I always get the upper hand and I always get the last word. I began walking towards the foyer of the house. I need to tell Tuttel we will be late to meet the Lord of Shadows.
-End of Raven's Point of View-
Tuttel was waiting for Raven in the foyer. "Tuttel report back to the Lord of Shadows that we will take a little longer than expected seeing as Aramay is now going along with me."
"Yes sir!" He replied mockingly. They were best friends so when Raven asked something of him in a demanding way, it humored them both.
Aramay lay in the water trying to make sense of what everything could possibly mean. Nothing was familiar to her anymore and this mark on her back was definitely something she needed to find out about. Would it stay for life? Or was this something that would fade as easy as it came? Why was Raven staring at her and why did he have to be so standoffish at times? She wanted to like him, in fact he was very attractive to her but he behaved like such an arse, for lack of a better term. She bathed quickly, not like she wanted to soak, and quickly got dressed. Brown leather pants and also a faux leather top? Definitely not the same clothing they used in her mortal world. Jeans and a t-shirt were more up her alley. Okai came in to brush her hair. Back in the mortal world, she would do it herself. Those were the norms of everyday life, but she wouldn't take no for an answer. Aramay's hair was a little above shoulder length but the finger waves Okai had done made her hair look beautiful.
"Here are your boots." Okai handed Aramay a pair of yet again leather low heeled boots. Aramay was still in shock over her now appearance. She was not obese but she was a heavy set girl. She never saw herself wearing something like she was right at the moment. She didn't know how to feel about it, but there were more important things than her insecurities right now. Though she had to admit, she did love how her curves looked in the outfit.
"I'm sorry madam, but we do have to hurry, your...I mean, the Lord of Shadows does want to see you." Okai reminded Aramay. She picked up after Aramay and led her towards the foyer where Raven and Tuttel were waiting for her.
-Aramay's Point of View-
Great, let's see what this brings us, well me. Hopefully some light is shed on why I am here and we can figure out how fast I can get myself back home. We walked through the doorway to the foyer and I couldn't help but think how beautiful this place actually is. I don't see Tuttel with Raven though.
"You sure took long enough. The Lord of Shadows will be displeased but thankfully you seem to be his….topic of interest. So hopefully, he will be forgiving of it." Raven stated. Hmm, see, that arse complex I so highly believe he has.
"Yeah well, I don't like being rushed. If he is so inpatient, less talking and insulting, more leading me to wherever the hell he is so we can get this over with. I'd love to be on my merry way home!"
"If you say so!" he replied. We started our way out and mounted horses that were waiting for us in the front. Wow, these animals are just gorgeous. Never had I seen a horse in person, let alone rode one. I had difficulty getting on and getting the horse to move and Raven had to lend a hand. He wasn't pleased but he got it moving none the less. The whole ride was quiet. Not a peep, stare or even gesture from Raven. I had to admit I was just a bit nervous. I mean, how serious could this Lord of Shadows be? Guess I just had to wait and see.
The sight of the fortress in front of me led me to lean to far forward and shock the horse I was riding into leaning back on his hind legs and neighing, then it took off wildly with me holding on for dear life.
-End of Aramay's Point of View-
Aramay's horse ran wild as they approached the Altgard Fortress. Raven ordered his horse to speed up and tried to trail behind them in an attempt to help her but before he knew it, her horse leaned back on his hind legs yet again, slipped by the edge of the ice lake and they both went crashing down to the ground; the horse landing in the actual lake.
"Oh what the hell!" Aramay yelled. Not only was she annoyed but now there was shooting pain from her rear to her back from landing flat on her arse. Raven stopping shortly behind her, climbed off his horse and lent a hand to help her get up. With the horses neighing, the footsteps from the demi-humanoids that were approaching behind both Raven and Aramay couldn't be heard and as Aramay was pulled up to eye level with Raven, they were both met by the poison swords blade by their shoulders.
"Oh Lephar would be happy to see we've caught the treasured gunslinger that Asmodae so adores! Tell me Raven, out of all the gunslingers in Asmodae, why are you the one who's arse they kiss?"
Raven chuckled. He didn't even have to turn his back to know exactly which Secret Agent was standing behind him. Boy was Aramay in for a treat!
****Note:**** I am working on getting some photos together of characters and costumes so that you have a better way to picture Raven and Aramay. Also Asmode and the creatures, things and places that are encountered in the story. I'm working on chapter 3 already. Sorry if this one seemed a bit short. It was a bit of a rushed chapter. I promise the next will be better! I am working up the actions between both Aramay and Raven to possibly lead up to something romantic! ^-^
