Dragon's Dogma - A Forgotten Tale of the Arisen and his Pawn Chapter 5: Fruits of Passion, a dragon's dogma fanfic

Chapter 5: Fruits of Passion

He could tell she had improved her spells by a significant amount, even her very presence was enough to make the air around her heavy. She changed so much that when she gave the finishing touch to end a beasts life she marveled those around her. "A powerful sorceress with no one to rival her" was his new opinion of her, even goblins and Cyclops fell before her might. The people of Gran Soren now spoke of the Arisen as a powerful being to match the Dragon's fire, but in fact it was her that gave off such a mighty presence. It wasn't that he was jealous of her power but feeling the very essence of her magic was enough to make him think he was close to the jaws of a predator.

"Master, what's wrong?" she asked turning to him noticing his gaze upon hers.

"It's nothing don't let it bother you" he said looking away and reflecting on his thoughts.

They had been on escort duty for the past few days, chasing away bandits and goblins from their appointed charge. The healing spring, was their destination, the water of the spring was so rare it could heal the ails of many disease's, so when it was rumored to flourish near Devils Grove they were assigned escort duty by the duke's command for when the duke pays it was sure to be lucrative, an offer too good to pass up. It was a small company of soldiers plus the two additional members from the pawn guild, they were expressionless as always but helpful all the same, he was grateful to have them.

A few of the soldiers marveled at the skills displayed on the battlefield by the Arisen and his pawns, which led to tales of the Arisen as the people's champion and hero of the ages but only he knew, and she felt, that the only reason they were doing this was to return the missing item that was lost, nothing more nothing less.

The camp was set up near a river running to Devil's Grove, it was an open field so at least no worry of ambush while the small band of soldiers kept watch, something less to worry about, no losing sleep over it either. It was dusk, the camp had settled down and many of the soldiers were now asleep, for it would be their turn to take the next shift. The Arisen was only needed during attacks so he was grateful that he would get rest without losing much sleep. There were men and women amongst the Corp, with the Dragon reaping terror, the duke took help from any gender or any pawn. Although the hearts of men were not united, fighting for their country seemed to be a requirement for just about everyone in Gransys.

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The Arisen and his pawns sat by the fire, the pawns awaiting orders and the Arisen just looked for warmth while he waited for sleep to take him. One of the seasoned soldiers and his mage partner took interest in the legend of the Arisen, t 'would be a waste not to talk to a celebrity when you get the chance.

"May I join you ser?"

"Of course" the Arisen was actually glad to have a conversation with one of the soldiers since he was virtually with the duke's army even if no documentation was ever found after the Cyclops attacked the fort, he preferred working odd jobs to get money anyway instead of taking orders from bitter dogs in the duke's court.

"To fight alongside the Arisen ser, tis quite the honor an pleasure to meet ye"

" Tis an honor and pleasure to meet you ser and an even greater honor to fight alongside the dukes soldier's"

"HA! I like ye ser, you are like us ey ser? In truth I expected ye to be a rich brute with no regard to the common folk"

"For true ser?"

"Aye, you are not how I envisioned, ey love?" he was referring to his partner who smiled on at the conversation between two men.

"Dis ere is my partner" she gave off another bright smile to the Arisen.

"Like ye pawns she is a mage and healer, also my lover" the conversation seemed to flow like a river between them like two lost friends that haven't seen each other in a long time, but that was just his personality, something the Arisen liked in a person.

"Lover?" the Arisen asked in surprise.

"Aye" he said smiling from ear to ear.

"She makes for'a good roll n tha hay if you know what'd I mean" they both shared a laugh and the soldier received a good bump on his head from his partner. He began to enjoy the conversation he was having and wasn't worried that he had to keep quiet in order to keep monster away for once. The Arisen would talk and jest all night to keep this feeling he had lost from his once adopted village.

"But isn't it against the armies rule for fraternization to take place within their ranks?"

"Aye Arisen, ye are correct, but that's for the stuck ups who don like t'have fun. In truth when yer partner is by yer side you ave less to worry on. Tis why our ranks is increasin no doubt, a chance for men n woman to fight for a cause, ye think I'd cover the arse of a man? Only if his arse is as pretty as hers" he received another strike on the head from his partner not only did he seem use to this abuse the way he spoke practically begged for her attention. The Arisen envied their little act and laughed along with them, it was pleasant to see them enjoy each other's company, which made him think of her sitting across the fire from him. He took a quick glance at her; noticing she was staring back he quickly turned his head back to the conversation, he didn't want her thinking a presumed thought between them.

The soldier paused for a moment noticing his stolen glances to his pawn.

"Ey pumpkin why not make conversation with the Arisen's love eh?" the Arisen was completely taken by surprise, to be so brazen as to think she was his lover.

"What? No we're not like that" the woman went to the pawn side to strike a conversation with her, she was rather curious of her to begin with, anyone could see that she was different from the rest of the pawns that just stared and looked on, she could no doubt pass as human if she so desired.

"No need to be bashful lad"

"I am not bashful, we don't have that kind of relationship", although in his mind he could think of a few times she ended up in his bed by accident, but the thought of taking her against her will was something he was deeply opposed to. He wasn't even sure if such an idea could ever cross her mind so he relinquished such thoughts from his mind, until now.

"Come lad walk wit me"

Although he was still protesting he went with him anyway, he didn't want her getting the wrong idea nor did he want to give the wrong idea, at least the woman was there to distract her while they continued their conversation. They stopped a few steps from the fire and the soldier began his foolery again.

"Didn't know the Arisen had a thing fer pawns ey?"

"As I said it's not like that"

"Sure, sure lad. Ye know what makes me strong? It's that woman that allows me to keep going in such a crappy job"

Even though this was the first time the Arisen had heard of something like this, this is the situation for every couple; making each other strong.

"The first few jobs I hated that she was assigned as ma partner, yet over time I do not think I could ever part from her, she has saved my life so many times and now being apart from her feels like torture" The conversation had gotten serious so fast.

"Why are you telling me this?" it seemed to be out of place for someone you just met.

"The dukes men were fools, they brought to de duke what they thought was a dead Cockatrice" he began to remember the incident, at the time a group of mages were responsible for an attack at the capital.

"Many houses were destroyed, the monster was bout to destroy the little property we've had until the Arisen and his pawn sleyed the beast. Aye thought you were somethin of a fools tale but I see it with me own eyes. My lover, ney my future wife is with child I ask you to please stop the wyrm so that ay mey gaze upon my childs birth" The Arisen's heart was broken for he had not the words to speak, he just remained silent for a time as a memory reminded him that once a long time ago others asked him to do the same thing and he failed, failed miserably.

She had noticed him staring at her every now and again; even when she sat down by the fire and the soldier approached him he would quickly steal a glance. She was beginning to wish for his orders because she could not interpret his eyes, he would stare and she would stare back awaiting his next order; she wanted to know what he wanted. She wanted to know why he was so surprised at the questions between the Arisen and his pawn, what was it that made him so uneasy? She wondered if she was doing something wrong or if she had upset him like the time she ate those mushrooms without asking for his permission, did she make another blunder? The soldier's partner sat down next to her, although she still had trouble making human expression she still managed to pull off something that looked like a smile. She had been practicing making expressions based on the situation whenever she had the chance, at least this way she could be useful when it came down to greet the shopkeepers, she even managed a discount once.

"How do you fare?"

She was too busy trying to make an expression that she had forgotten to answer the lady's question. "Yes I fare well" she began to feel something in her stomach that made her look down in embarrassment, she was not used to having conversations with a human if it was not her master.

"Are you a mage as well love? I specialize in healing wounds and providing my partners support and you?"

"Sorceress" she managed to stutter, this was the first time she had answered so many questions from a human so of course her nervous way got the better of her.

"You pawns are funny love, I am glad to hear that you and the Arisen are an item. How long have you two been going at it?"

She was just as confused as her master, when he looked up through the camp fire and started walking off with the soldier. She wanted to follow and ask him what to do but she felt this battle was her own.

"I am sorry, going at what?"

The woman had begun to laugh at her shyness and ignorance, it was like teasing a child to her but she felt bad for her and decided to change the conversation instead.

"The ornament on your head does it amplify your power?"

"Oh this?" she took off her head band as it was just for show and handed it to her.

"My master bought it for me at the scrivener's black cat rare item shop, he said it brings protection yet I do not know how."

"Oh, love he really cares for you no? When a man loves a woman he'll give anything to impress her it's why men are all born fools don't you think? But we are the same fools falling for it ey love?"

She was confused at her words, was everyone she met fools then? She gave off a laugh and she laughed alongside her trying to secretly keep up with the emotions she showed. The woman took one last look at her ornament and put it back on her head. Her fingers went through her hair as she placed it back on her head.

"Love will you be doing it tonight?"

"Doing what tonight?" she asked confused as ever. The woman misinterpreted her confusion for an obvious yes.

"Don't worry love, the scouts here told us there are no monster in the river but I wouldn't recommend bathing naked so for now let's go wash your hair, I know great ointments to relieve your skin too" She was pulling on her arm before she could say she wanted to wait for her master to get back, like a puppy waiting for her master to return but picked up by someone else instead.

They went to the river and she happily began to wash her hair for her, it's something she wanted to do since one day she had hopes of running her own shop in the Capital, with the money she was making on the trip and her future husband under the dukes contract it was a realistic dream.

"How's the water? Too cold love?" She asked even though her bare legs were submerged.

"Its fine" she continued to wash the pawns hair happily, thinking of what her future vocation may hold.

"You seem very happy doing this for me" the pawn had noticed her expression quite some time ago.

"Of course love, someday I hope to open me own barber shop and work on people's beauty, I have a very keen eye ya know"

"Yes, I believe someday it will come true" the pawn had noticed something very different from her than the other soldiers though she could not quite tell what it was, it was as if she was feeling two different types of emotions at the same time but could not tell which one was hers. She was still shy around her because she felt her actions were still awkward but the pawn decided to ask her anyway despite her bashfulness.

"How is it that you can have two different types of emotion? I have only been able to sense one in all humans so far, is it a type of magic?"

She looked at her but smiled and laughed, as if she had just made a joke.

"So you can tell love?" she grabbed her hand and put it on her stomach. Just lightly she could feel the emotion coming from her stomach and it was as real as she was.

"How is your emotion coming from your belly?" she asked now with a curious look on her face.

"What are you talking about love? Hopefully soon, you will have the same emotion in your stomach as well. Wouldn't that be fun? Just make sure your husband does more work than you do and if he throws a fit then make sure you let him know whose boss, but give him a good thrashing at night and the both of you will be happy love"

"Happy?"

"Yes, love"

"We both can share the same happiness?"

"Aye, love"

"How can I do that? How do I get that emotion in my stomach?"

Now she looked at her in confusion, but a nice and wicked smile came across the mouth of the mage that was still washing her hair.

The night went on with both parties enjoying the company of another. It was getting late and the tents were set up, it was nearly time to sleep. He had finally come back from a serious conversation with the soldier and she got back from washing her hair. The woman came back to her partner's side for she was in a terribly good mood.

"Come love, there will be merry making in their tent and in ours tonight" He didn't think twice about getting up, he was ready for her anytime; he only left with one small piece of advice to the Arisen.

"Lad, tis a free tent over there, would be a shame to let this opportunity slip by ey?"

She left the pawn with a piece of advice of her own.

"Remember not to show any mercy love" they both heard the advice clearly as they went on their way, no matter how many times the Arisen tried to explain the situation; his words were not paid any mind. He sat back down wondering if he should go to sleep or keep watch since now anything could happen, or so he thought. He ordered the pawns to get some rest for tomorrow; the two obeyed as usual with the exception of her. She did not move despite having received the order from her master. The other two had excused themselves and were already in their tents, he felt he could not look at her directly so he just asked.

"What's wrong, don't feel like going to sleep yet" he said jokingly.

"Master, that woman had emotion in her stomach" even though she did not say it directly he could almost feel her words as he looked up at her from across the camp fire. He was beginning to feel hot inside just like the fire burning in front of them, he was staring at her and could not look away. Has she always mesmerized him this way? She was looking at him in the same way, the fire in front of them was only getting hotter; perhaps it would be a shame to let this chance slip by and for some reason he thought he could hear moans and groans from the nearby tent as if they were purposely getting louder inside his head. He wasn't quite sure what was stopping him from going to her side and making the nearby competition seem like a weak performance, he wanted to put his groin between her as it once was but didn't know how to express that to her in a romantic way that would make her want him just as badly as he wanted her.

"Hey" he said slowly.

"Yes, master?" she asked in anticipation.

"You better get some sleep okay" The conversation from earlier had made his fire cool down, he stood up and started heading towards the river. He had quickly removed his armor and clothes leaving him bare and dumping his being in the river. He needed to cool down, he had submerged himself in the water lettings his reason come back to him. Take her? What then? Continue to passionately love her until death? What a fantastic idea, it was almost too good to be true. Taking her every night sounded too good to be true for him, he wanted it with every fiber of his being. He knew he loved her now, but that love would only last as far as the next challenge. Who will stop the Dragon and reclaim his heart? The Dragons coming was as sure as the morning sun. He would make a family and watch them burn wishing for the Dragons destruction but cursing himself for not being strong enough to protect them. He will not hurt her, he will not lay a hand on her, the Dragon had his heart.

"Strange night ey?" One of the soldiers exclaimed out loud.

A strange night indeed, he had rejected his feelings for her and they were Pawn and Arisen once more. He wanted to get away, hide under a rock for the shame he was feeling. The party of soldiers continued to make their way through Devils Grove and the woodlands made spying an enemy harder than he thought it would yet he felt ready for anything at this low point in his life.

"There master, movement in the woods beast or monsters else." he kept wondering if she knew the damage he wanted to make to her last night but just let the thought go and focused back on the mission. He would be very grateful if it was another goblin attack at least it would give him something to distract him. It was still early in the morning when one of his pawns, being a skilled strider, came back sprinting; it was the first time he had seen one of his own comeback with all haste.

"There master drakes"

"Drakes?"

If they ran into such a beast now it would no doubt create casualties, drakes were fearsome creatures with no equal, even with a powerful sorceress at hand there would be casualties; they may not even survive. It was too risky too continue, he had ordered the highest ranking officer to have them pull back before they were spotted. The soldiers didn't think twice about following these orders, they were already retreating as soon as they heard the word. Although he would have wished that they were as quiet as his ranger for the dragon had keen eyes and a hunger that knew no bottom. The woods had become silent not even the chirping of birds could be heard in the distance, they were retreating, he felt eyes upon them for a wolf waits to see how many sheep it can slaughter. No doubt the silence, the strange wind, and movement above the trees; they had become prey to something vicious that would slaughter them without mercy.

"Move silently the beast may be upon us" the Arisen wished the commander of the troops would have been quieter when shouting orders for it seemed it was the signal for a dragon to crush them under its weight as it sent men flying into the air with its impact to the earth. He quickly got to his feet and ordered his ranger and strider to fire upon the beast giving him enough room to leap unto the beast forehead and stab it in between its eyes.

"ARISEN!"

The Dragon had recognized its foe and took off into the sky spewing fire and clawing at its face, but the Arisen was on its forehead away from the fire that could not reach him and its claws were not long enough to drag him from its face. The only possible solution to the dragon's problem was to crash into earth once more for it could withstand the impact but a mortal was no match for the fall. The dragon begun to plummet to the earth once more, yet the Arisen was not afraid because he had experienced this before. Getting closer to the ground he pulled out his blade from its forehead and let go of the beast, the dragon trying to adjust its fall to take off and eat the Arisen while he fell found that it no longer had control of the air it mastered long ago and crashed into the earth with an impact too hard for its body to ignore. The dragon got up in rage, it realized the sheep had fangs, and now it was going to make them pay; though it was too late to take any other action, the Arisen' s weapon had found its mark on the dragons forehead yet again as he came down like a falling star. The Dragon cried out in pain and shook ferociously at its head trying to free itself from the Arisen' s blade, but the Arisen was only buying enough time for his comrades to escape from the Dragon's fire; if he allowed the party to escape then the battle would be theirs to claim. The dragon shook violently as the Arisen was still on its head and digging the blade ever deeper in it skull, its fire was raging on but was soon extinguished by the volley of arrows that were coming into its mouth, its scales may be hard enough to withstand arrows but the inside of its mouth was not for if any got inside its throat it would surely never spew fire again. In one final act of desperation, it slammed its head near the side of a great tree not hitting it directly but grazing its head so that its enemy may be scrapped clean off. The Arisen jumped to safety, taking the blade from its forehead in the process, it was four against one now, a majestic Drake against the Arisen and his three pawns.

The sorceress was still conjuring; a tower of ice came spiraling at the dragon with great speed but the drake dared not open its mouth for the fear of arrows flying down its throat was too great instead it flew; missing and avoiding the spiral of ice coming its way. It was not just the threat of arrows and blades that had the beast concerned, one direct hit from that sorceress and it would be the end of the dragon's life. Once it avoided the towers of ice it came back down at a high velocity withstanding the assaulting arrows and the stab from the Arisen' s blade near the neck, it had done this not to withstand their attack and devour them but to grab hold of the sorceress that was an obvious threat to its existence. The beast's blood was gushing from its neck and mouth; devouring the sorceress would be easy to do, but the Arisen and his pawns were still troublesome, it needed to buy some time to either escape or fight back.

"I AM YOUR MASTER"

The dragon was speaking directly into the pawns mind, she was now a hostage for the great beast, if they attacked the beast it may kill her but if they did nothing she would remain a hostage. He was at a loss and running out of time, he needed to save her, he couldn't lose her not yet, but he could not do anything with her at its claws. Attacking the Dragon at his neck may kill it, but with the dragons claws tightly around her it could crush her to death or devour her in an instant. He could not move and his time to save her was running out.

"I AM YOUR MASTER"

The dragon finished gazing upon her; it was wounded but still held her tightly in its hand. It wanted nothing more than to devour its prey that had stepped too close to its domain, it wanted revenge, but the wounds on its neck and head were far too great. The pawn in its enormous claws had become unconscious, so it began to back away slowly, their weapons at the ready, and the Arisen's blade hungry for more. The dragon set her down slowly, took one last look at them and took off into the sky; a stalemate.

She had been unconscious; he feared the worse, the quest had been unsuccessful in acquiring the healing spring's water. Some of the men died but none of which he knew, he did not concern himself over them, his thoughts were only on her, he wished she was okay, that she would wake up and tell him she had a bad dream so that he may scorn her gently and tell her not to make him worry. Her pulse was still strong, her chest rose and fell; she was still alive but had been asleep ever since the incident, not even the most potent of herbs would wake her. She slept soundly at the Inn of Gran Soren and he watched over her waiting for the moment she would wake up. He had acquired female pawns to care for her as he went to every healer in town, but to no avail. Not even the rumored witch had herbs to cleanse this magic, this was something far darker than any spell anyone possessed and he was beginning to lose hope in ever seeing her wake up.

He dismissed the pawns that looked after her and crouched down at her bed with his head at her side, there was nothing else he could do for her, no ideas or remedies to try out, he was lost. When he was at her side he felt the weight of guilt for not being able to save her. He had not slept in days thinking about her was enough to keep him awake at night.

***Dream***

"DOES FEAR CLOUD YOUR JUDGEMENT?"

***Dream End***

He opened his eyes again, remembering he was at her bed side; he stood up and began walking around the room, pacing back and forth. He had to wake her up somehow, going on living like this had become too much of a hassle for him it was the reason he avoided any type of relationships but he came back to it and now it was crushing him like a boulder.

"I have to wake her up" he kept repeating.

Guilt turned to fear and fear had turned to anger, he was angry at himself again, so much so that dying for his mistake seemed a well enough atonement. It was still the middle of the night when he decided on his next course of action; quickly gathering items for his little journey he went to call out for his usual pawns to continue to take care of her until he got back and set off quickly after Devil's Grove once more.

He no longer had second thoughts on this, it had been about a day since he set off on his own quest, "Slay your enemies", he would find the dragon that made her fall and rip out its heart from its chest. He decided to do this on his own, he would not have the company of pawns for this mission for it was his mistake and if he lost his life in the process then he would have atoned for his mistakes. "I will wake her" this thought in mind convinced him to find the dragon and beat him to a bloody pulp until he figured out how to wake her up.

Less than a day's walk from Devil's Grove, he kept looking to the skies, for any winged creature was now his enemy. It was almost time to face the Dragon; he ate his last meal and rested at the small camp he had made during the daylight hours. Not having a decent rest in days, he closed his eyes again and sleep was quickly on him, having the thought of the dragon slain or having her wake up brought him comfort.

***Dream***

"COME! FACE ME ARISEN"

***Dream End***

He woke up again, still morning, with the sun nearly reaching its peak. He stomped out his camp fire, gathered his things, and set off again; he didn't feel like resting anymore. He didn't walk too far before he felt someone's presence, watching him, he looked to the skies expecting the dragons wrath to soon be upon him. With his weapon drawn and his mind alert he quickly swept the area with his eyes, sensitive to any movements that might occur. A shadow quickly made its way through the trees, it wasn't the dragon, if it was bandits he was in no mood to deal with their petty existence he was on a mission and they would only taste his blade if they got any closer.

"I will give you this chance to leave me be!" he shouted into the trees.

Bandits, Goblins, animals whatever it was, it was trying to mask its presence, which angered him to no end, it was about to feel his anger unleashed if they kept approaching and no mercy would be spared if they continued.

"I am in quite a foul mood, I will not think twice about cutting you down, so I will say this once more. Leave me be!" he started walking again but did not ignore the growing presence that kept approaching him.

He had had enough, a strict warning was given and he was about to deliver on his promise they were close enough around the trees to have their throat cut.

"MAELSTROM!"

He heard a familiar voice and the frightening ancient tongue from heaven and earth that sent him to the skies without allowing him to react. The branch of the trees had stopped his climb and was hanging on to them with all he was worth, but the trees themselves would not be able to stay in their roots for this force was too strong. He went up with them, letting go of the branches as he soared into the sky, that's when he noticed her. Her elevation skills were stronger than ever and her spells had found no equal, he knew her all too well and could see as he descended into the trees that her body and mind were ready for battle.

She was awake, it was not a dream, he was thrown into the trees of the forest but he had used the branches to try and stop his fall. The impact was still strong but he didn't have time to focus on the pain he quickly got up calling out to her, letting her know how happy he was to see her awake. However, before he could even call out her name she had already finished her next incantation with great precision and power. Spirals of ice came at him like snakes after mice, but he was not as slow, the trees provided some cover but were taken down the instant it made contact. He found cover behind the enormous boulders of the woods but it would not last long with her, she could bend these spells to her will and he knew that better than anyone else. Still he called out to her.

"I am elated to see you safe, do you think we could discuss my blunder?" he was able to jest in the middle of battle yet there was no response from her; not even a forced expression was made as he peeked behind his cover. She was speaking in the ancient tongue again; he had to move quickly, dashing out at full speed behind the boulder he intended to jump at her and take away her staff but didn't even come close, she had finished reciting before he came close to her. He had caught himself in time to see that she finished the incantation making him duck behind one of the trees. An electrifying spell had just grazed him and struck the boulder he had taken cover with shattering it to pieces, his arm was going numb, the pain was only amplifying, if that had hit him directly there wouldn't have been anything left of him to pick up; he had fought alongside her many times to know her movements and commands, if he was anyone else, no doubt he would have met his doom by now. No more time to think before she begins her next spell, he dashed from behind the tree this time he was sure he would get to her in time, only to find that she was no longer there. She had anticipated his movements and now she had disappeared? No, again he knew he grossly underestimated her; she had used her powers of elevation to get to higher ground and begin enchanting again. He felt so stupid, like the goblins of the forest they would only go after what they saw, they never suspected the biggest threat to be the time keeper, the one that slowly targets them and sends them off to oblivion.

"Now I know how those goblins felt" he called out to her.

"You are without a doubt my pawn" the only reply she had for him was the words to target him.

He was a sitting duck, her spells only got more powerful with more time and distance, if he could not close the distance fast he was sure to meet his end. He didn't want to do this but he was going to have to play dirty, throwing stones and wood at her didn't quite meet his taste but if he was going to survive he felt he had no choice. As soon as her last spell hit, he grabbed the nearest rock and threw it at her hoping to disrupt her; she would just step to the side without even batting an eye. Of course it didn't work, if it was that easy to distract her she would have fallen long ago; she was dedicated to him and through their battles she had gotten stronger for him, to prove her dedication to him, it was the only way she knew how to prove herself to her master, she would show the proof of her dedication through his death.

He was running out of places to hide, she had the advantage on high ground, if he would have had his ranger with him a spell caster would pose little problem, but this was a one on one death match and it was clearly her field. The only reason he was sure he was alive was because he had memorized her movements and spells, but very soon his covers and hiding place would run out. There was only one choice left; take a direct hit and hope it doesn't kill him. He would have to taunt her and hope she takes the bait by missing and allowing him to get close, he thought about fleeing from battle but with her sights set on him that clearly wasn't an option, besides he wanted to get close to her and scream at her face for forgiveness. Behind a burning tree he began to shout to her;

"Are you mad? I failed you as your master and now this is the only way for me to atone isn't it?"

Again there was no answer, just soft spoken enchantments coming from her mouth.

"I am sorry I couldn't be a better master, I am sorry I am not the man you thought I was. Clearly this is all due to my failures as the Arisen, you saw that and decided my death would be a better solution" she finished, he reacted before a ball of fire took down the trees in its path. It made him take a further distance from her behind boulders that were on a slope from the forest hills. He spoke out to her again;

"Do you remember back at the camp? That night I clearly saw you as a woman. No, in truth, I saw you as a woman before then; I wanted you by my side so much for so long that it hurt just to think about it" her spells continued.

"But having you by my side as a woman is impossible, I know that now, which is why I need a strong pawn by my side, I would be strong for her and she would be strong for me…" a strong lighting attack had burst his cover and made a cloud of dust, giving him the chance to hide behind the trees again. He spoke out again to her:

"Are you strong enough for me? Are you really my pawn…? Of course you're not, how can such a feeble pawn not be able to eliminate its target? How long do you intend to chase me? Until you run out of breath? I could never have such a useless pawn by my side. Do you hear me!? You are slow and weak!" his words struck deep, he could see that because she stopped her enchantment and was now looking towards the sky with her eyes burning like coal. He had only seen it once, but he already knew what was coming, she intended to level the place and everything in it.

This was going to take great precision and a hell of a lot of luck. If he went after her now, she would stop, run away, and continue her assault; if he was too late, he would pay for it by burning to ash. The impossible was about to happen and he was only peeking through the trees waiting for the right moment to strike. It wasn't long now before burning rocks from the sky would start falling; he only hoped she would be all right if this didn't turn out well. She looked up at the sky only conscience of his movements, if anything should come at her she would know and the game would begin all over again. He finally saw her head come down and her eyes return to the way he had known them, the time was now. He began to run to her keeping a close eye on the sky above, she was out of breath yet did not care for his coming assault for fire would soon claim him while she remained untouched, the magic obeyed her and no one else.

It came, with the sound of a million battle horses it came, crashing to the ground. He had changed his course at the last second, away from her vision and into the smoke of the fire that lay waste to the land.

Smoke and fire was all that was left when she looked around and the flames died down. The forest was in ruins, the dark hole could be seen for leagues. She had been victorious, her mission was complete, for nothing could have survived such an assault; nothing would ever grow for years thanks to her impressive skills. She looked around to make sure no living creature still held its breath but anything caught in the flying rocks path would have been turned to dust.

"Tis done master" she said silently, the only other thing that could be heard was the crackling of burning wood that fell to the ground.

She was taking her time to walk out of the fire and back into the forest that had not yet been burned; the flames were not going to burn down the remaining trees for it was still a luscious green. She walked silently looking around again, perhaps reflecting on her actions to her previous master, though it mattered not anymore; he was gone and the life from her eyes seem to be gone as well.

"Found you!" she looked back in surprise but her staff was kicked from her hand as she was knocked to the ground with the strength of a man taking her down and knocking the wind from her lungs.

He had survived but not without injury of course, his burns were clear and his wounds were deep, but he was ignoring the pain and dealing with the matter at hand.

"Nice try, but I told you, you have to get stronger to be my pawn"

"How are you still alive?" she managed to growl. He had been looking at the rocks that were falling from the sky and carefully timing their impact, with the shallow slope heading in his direction not all of them would hit in the area so he had taken shelter there, the devils luck had been on his side.

Her staff had been kicked away, she was only limited to certain spells none of which were deadly or distracting, for a sorceress to conjure; she has to focus on a single point and channel that energy through it: her staff.

"I am not going to let you go this time" she was struggling with all her might but he grabbed her hands holding them tightly and putting his full weight on top of her. How long he waited for this moment to become a reality, she protested of course.

"Let go you insolent cur" he smiled back at her, he was still very happy to see she was awake. He had missed her even though he had been at her bedside all the time. She fought, he held her tighter, she scowled, he kissed her: forehead, cheeks, chin, neck, chest, bosom; he kissed and licked her, licked over and over again for he only had her on his mind.

She would continue to curse and scream at him. "Damn you, you wretched worm"

"You will only speak words of love to me from now on so let's shut that pretty mouth of yours" he took his lips to hers and shoved his tongue down her throat, she tried biting but her body wouldn't let her, even her arms were beginning to lose strength, she could feel his groin begging for the valley in her legs, his weight was getting heavier with more pleasure as he moved his hips on hers, she began to get weak to his advances. Her mind and body were not communicating with each other, it was giving orders to her body but her body was ignoring her mind. He had slowly begun to disrobe her getting closer to her skin with every piece of cloth removed. Her body was anticipating his manly desires for her, he began to disrobe as well; armor and clothes came off and once again the only thing between them was a thin cloth to protect his swollen manhood from her hips. Her body was about to be ravished by the man she loved and welcomed it, the small piece of emotion that was inside her became a burning flame that consumed more than the fire that fell from the sky. It had consumed all her thoughts and emotions she previously had and cleansed any foreign entity that was not her own, a strong desire for each other that burned passionately just for them.

"Master?" She had grabbed his strong body in her arms urging it to move down on her again, but noticed the crimson liquid on her hands before she continued, she had stopped before he could remove the final piece.

"Master you are wounded" even though he stopped his hips from going wild he wanted to continue their moment despite his pain.

"Don't fret over it lets continue" she was the only thing on his mind, but she was not ready to inflict more damage to her master.

"No, master please, your wounds need healing" despite feeling as if he could crush boulders with his lower body; he listened and obeyed her pleas.