This part just leapt at my throat. I blame Rakadra. He's blameable.

Chapter 4, Masochists, oh my!

With the knowledge of her name, he'd easily be able to track her with a spell cast on the necklace. She must have counted on that... which meant that there was a trap waiting.

Foolish woman.

Rakadra swept through the confusing world of the demons without meeting anybody, focusing his will onto the mental path that his spell offered.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he ironically reflected over the fact that this might be similar to how a beastman regarded a hunt.

The rest of his mind was occupied with planning rather nasty things. Since most of the really nasty things he could think of already was reserved for a certain beast-human family, he had to make new things up.

Though he'd rather die than admit it, at least this stupidity offered a little varity to the constantly burning hatred of his life. But he was really too pissed off at the necklace stunt to really find it amusing. And Sciel's meddling... when he had TOLD HER to STAY OUT of HIS BUSINESS...

Hm, there...

He landed, cautiously keeping all senses open for a trap. But all around him were only the ever-changing clouds of the warped dimension.

She was hiding here somewhere, he just had to pinpoint where the little bi-

A red-hot tail wrapped around his legs at the same time as the humanoid part of his thought quarry pounced at his back. Rakadra had no chance to keep his balance and crashed face down with a loud snarl - though her tail and his hands took most of the impact.

Quickly using the strength of his arms he rolled them both over to at least get in a better defending position, automatically folding his wings not to have them crushed under the full weight of half-blood and naga. But as he did this, Slither shot her main body upwards, away from his to get out of reach for his claws. On guard she swayed back and forth above him, while her tail STILL worked on encircling him - it already covered all of his legs from the ankles and up over the thigh, slithering upwards towards his waist.

Without a word Rakadra sent his claw out to their full length and slashed at the highest ring of tail, sending scales and slimy flesh flying. The naga screeched in pain and her main body swung wildly - a reaction to the fact that the agony caused her tail to constrict further. Rakadra snarled as the sides of his own knees dug into his muscles, threatening to crumble into agonized pieces.

Slither took the momentary chance at an opening while Rakadra was almost frozen, throwing her entire form to the side with the result that they both rolled over - or rather, he did, she used her free body-length to remain above him. Within a second she had him in an armlock, his wings twitching angrily under the pressure of his own arms being forced down upon them.

He turned his head, cheek flat against the ground, and glared at her from the corner of his left eye.

She smirked, lowering herself to whisper in his ear.

"Hello, handsome."

"You did better than the other one, I give," he grunted in reply.

"Why, thank you."

"Still..."

There was a fizzling sound.

Slither reeled upwards, screaming as black lightning crawled across her entire body.

The tail constricted even more.

Gasping of the pain Rakadra shot off from the ground using his hands, applying more force to the right arm.

They both rolled over and this time Slither hit the ground, twitching on her stomach even as rough hands grabbed her wrists and slammed them onto the ground above her head to pin her down.

"Hello, next victim," Rakadra growled.

Slither chuckled hoarsely, trying to regain her breath.

"My death throes will crush your legs," she calmly pointed out, smirking again.

Rakadra was unfazed.

"One thing at the time," he growled, "get the necklace off me. NOW."

His breath ran down her neck like ice water as he spoke. She shifted a little, marveling in the feeling of his imprisoned limbs trapped in her tail. Even more enjoyable was his wincing in reply, and the painfully tightened grip of her wrists as his bones threatened to crack under the pressure.

What self-control, he only winced despite the agony. Not to mention his speed and strength; two times being able to throw both himself and her over and around like that.

And she could have this, if she could only keep him from killing her.

She had hardly counted on beating him in a fight, considering what had happened to Nagia. Then again, her sister's first and only mistake had been to attack head-on.

This situation would require something different, though.

There was one art she was a master of that might help her get what she wanted... just to catch his interest, that was all she needed, though the art she had in mind commonly was used to confuse an enemy. That would not be the case here...

"You will have to let me turn over, you know," Slither deviously smiled against the ground.

Silently he let her wrists go, but in the same movement he crunched his right hand down on her neck. He left the grip just barely loose enough to let her move, and she leisurely turned over. As her back met the ground and Rakadra's hand thus threateningly squeezed her throat, the stupid little locket hung down close enough to touch her chest.

Slither tilted her head as much as the situation allowed to be able to look at her own little creation.

"But it was so fun to put it there!" she pouted after a moment.

"You worms really enjoy dying, don't you?" Rakadra snarled back, teeth just barely hinted between his strict lips.

"Oh, it's just that I like mine in a blind fury..." Slither murmured, reaching up to run the back of two fingers down his bare right arm, towards the hand that easily could crush her throat at any given time.

Rakadra didn't move a muscle, completely indifferent. She sighed, shrugging slightly.

"Fine, fine..." she muttered, "it has served its purpose either way."

She moved her hand closer to his neck and wrapped the thin chain around three fingers. With a swift pull the tiny links shattered.

Rakadra snatched the locket with his free hand, holding up his weight on his right elbow. Pink sand flowed out between his fingers as he clenched the hand into a fist, now that the chain and thereby spell was broken having no trouble to destroy the unwanted gift. The remains fell to the ground in a pink little heap beside Slither's shoulder.

It should be noted that Rakadra's movements during this was very graceless; indeed they were stiff and twitchy. This was probably since Slither playfully squeezed his legs ever so slightly tighter again.

In reply, thin streams of black blood began to pour out where his claws met the skin on her neck.

"Death throes, remember?" she smirked, eyes half-closed in delight.

He was paling in agony now, but still made no sound to prove it - nor did he tremble or release his own grip of her.

How had Nagia dared to think him weak... ah well, all the better for the younger sister.

But as fun as it was, torturing the half-blood wasn't her true intention. Mmm, better get to it before there'd be a true risk that he'd loose his consciousness.

She smiled at his whitening face.

"Aren't we in a predicament?" she pointed out, smirking even wider.

"For your sister, I take it?" he growled, voice a bit hoarse but still controlled.

"Oh no, that was her loss completely, lord Rakadra," Slither replied, while she spoke drawing up her hands to her chest in a defensive position.

He suspiciously tensed further, expecting a new attack.

"I was rather aiming for more pleasurable things, myself," the naga added.

She winked at him and then focused.

Rakadra gripped her neck tighter but then raised his eyebrows as Slither, instead of attacking, changed.

Her features softened while blonde hair welled out from the scales covering her skull - the scales that melted away completely under the golden flow as part of the transformation.

Even her eyes changed, a fact that even before he realized the ending result irked a feeling of being impressed from Rakadra though he didn't speak it out. The flat, cold irises cracked into a million tiny green crystals while the shape of the entire eyes stretched to the sides, becoming more human.

Rakadra found himself glaring down at that pair of eyes as they opened as wide as the new nature would allow, filling up to the brim with fear.

The half-breed's tense suspicion faded into an intrigued smirk as he did a double-take and took in the full view of the naga's finished transformation. It was a familiar woman's neck he now held - if one didn't count the remaining snake tail. But that was something he could momentarily forget at the sight of Rolante's frightened queen.

"Quite impressive," he admitted.

Slither gracefully melted back into herself to be able to properly return his smirk.

"Simply an appetizer," she murmured, just slightly loosening the grip of his lower body, "I assure you that I can perform a complete transformation."

"How perverse. I like it."

"At your service, lord Rakadra."

"If that's so, do something about the fact that I can't feel my legs."

Slither chuckled hoarsely and relaxed her tail. It was still coiled up around him, but at least his circulation was restored.

"Now, you'll probably feel like it, but I recommend you not to squeeze like that again," Rakadra murmured, removing his hand from her neck to make room for his fangs.

'Got you...' Slither triumphantly concluded.