Chapter 89: Danger Close.
"Ghost three to Ghost one, got eyes on yet another patrol," Lucious's voice chirped through the comms.
"How many this time?" Markus replied turning his head to look at Lucious's camera feed from the commander's seat.
"Twelve of those odd foot soldiers and two of the walking tanks," Lucious chirped as he focused his gun sight in on them giving Markus a rather close-up view of the insectoid soldiers as they walked through the desert sands.
"That's the fourth one in eight hours, gotta give these guys this, they are persistent, to say the least," Markus said.
That's when he noticed that Lucious was keeping his crosshair on the leader of the patrol, who was identifiable by their larger stature and darker-coloured carapace.
Over the time they'd spent observing this insectoid race, they'd noticed that the colouration of their carapace was not as random as they initially first thought.
It seemed that those with the brighter colours were lower in rank than those with the darker colours, there was also a variation present in things like horn size that gave away the differences in caste, bigger horns meant higher rank.
"Don't get any ideas about pulling that trigger Ghost three," Markus chuckled as he watched Lucious's sight cam tracking the leader of the patrol.
"Aww spoilsport," Lucious chirped cheerily.
"We have enough problems with them combing the desert for us as it is after Ghost five and my little stunt at the city, the last thing we need is to give them a narrower target band to work with," Markus said.
"Any sign of the Nightmare Assassins?" Levi's voice chimed in.
"No nothing yet," Lucious replied.
"Do you even know what they look like?" Victus's voice asked.
"They aren't hard to spot just look for someone who is A: not an insect and B: a fucking broody edge lord," Lucious chirped making a few of them laugh.
"Yeah sounds about right but if you do see one do not think about taking a fucking pot shot at them, if they are anything like us they will feel the ill intent of being direct at them and move before the shot connects," Markus said.
"Do you really think they can dodge a railgun round boss?" Levi asked curiously.
"Well I can so we have to assume the same is true of them," Markus said.
"Seriously, you can dodge railgun rounds?" Levi responded with genuine surprise in her mechanical voice.
The Xeno voice synthesisers had come quite a long way since the ex-Weyland Yutani synthetics had joined the hive and were helping them, they could now accurately express both inflexions and emotions while also having a voice print that was unique as the Xeno using it.
"Yeah seriously, you should see the Seekers move Ghost four, I keep forgetting that the War Angels haven't done as much training with the Seekers as the rest of us," Lucious said.
"We have trained with them but I've never seen them dodge railgun shots is all," Levi protested.
"Yeah it's not something we have to do often thankfully but it goes for pretty much any projectile, it's not the projectile we're dodging it's the intent behind it we can feel, so we use that to guide our movements, think of it like being able to see a laser targeting system painting you," Markus said.
"Sounds useful," Adesus said walking into the cockpit and dropping into the seat opposite Markus and putting one of her long legs up over the arm of the seat as she lounged back into it.
Before Markus could respond Lucious came back over the comms again.
"Got another of those Dragonfly aircraft doing a sweep as well, no scratch that four of them flying in formation," he said and instantly his helmet cam lifted up to show the four aircraft flying in formation only a few hundred feet off the ground.
The insectoid aircraft were obviously gunships by the weaponry that they had bristling off the underside of their large bulbous heads, there appeared to be some heavy plasma cannons as well as missile racks mounted in between their four long legs.
A set of four large beating wings kept the craft aloft and provided them with the ability to not only hover but to pull off some incredible aerial manoeuvrability. as they'd already seen when these crafts supported their ground troops when they were stopping civilians.
"Think the Clan has come up with a countermeasure for them yet?" Adesus asked leaning forwards to look at Markus's display while letting her long tail flick back and forth with annoyance.
"If I know the Grand Matriarch and Patriarch they will be pouring over every single report that we send their way with experts from the hives and also from our allies to come up with effective countermeasures for these things," Markus said confidently.
"I still find it unusual that your Clan leaders are so involved with the day-to-day stuff as they are," Adesus said leaning back in her seat and showing off her lithe body as she rocked one of her three-toed feet idly back and forth on the arm of the chair.
Markus couldn't help but be glad of his visor being raised so that she couldn't see him admiring the way the matte material of the stealth suit really showed off her curves and feminine assets like her incredibly strong and long thighs.
"Jack and Tik eleth Mason believe in leading from the front, there is no job within the Clan that they will delegate to another if they are not willing to do it themselves, hell I've seen the Grand Patriarch scrubbing toilets in the Seeker temple many times, they are firm believers in the Clan being a giant family and as the heads of that family they lead by example," he replied proudly trying in vain to no get himself hypnotised by the flexing of Adesus's left thigh as she flicked her leg back and forth.
Unfortunately, this was easier said than done as the more his eyes studied the bunching of her powerful thigh the more it was also drawn to her swishing tail before following it up to its root which while hidden from view behind her the base of her surprisingly pert rear end was not plus the way she was sat gave just the most tantalising hint of those two powerful orbs of feminity upon which she sat.
Suddenly another voice burst into his head very nearly making him jump out of his skin as it broke his thought train.
"Ghost six to Ghost one I'm detecting a rapidly climbing blood pressure and accelerated heart rate on your biomonitors, is everything alright up there!?" Verris exclaimed over the open team channel making Markus flush bright crimson under his suit.
"E-Err yes everything is fine just got myself worked up with some clan pride is all," Markus stammered his response being now doubly grateful for the visor obscuring Adesus's view of his face as she had stopped swinging her leg and swishing her tail and was looking at him like she was trying to bore her eyes through the face plate and see his face within.
"It just spiked again! I'm coming up there!" Verris said and before Markus could even protect the large Xeno appeared on the bridge with a full-blown medical kit and a plethora of scanners in his hands ready to deal with a full-blown medical emergency.
"I'm fine honestly!" Markus said in protest but that did little to dissuade Verris from hooking the scanners into the ports on his suit's wrist comp to make use of the internal sensors as the scanners couldn't penetrate the shielding.
"I would be remiss in my job if I did not check, from the moment I was assigned to this team every single person's health became my personal responsibility, I swore before my king and queen that I would always do everything in my power to preserve and protect every life in the clan and every innocent life I encountered and I take that oath as serious on this day as I did on the day I swore it!" Verris said as he began scanning all while Adesus looked on in both curiosity and amusement.
It didn't take long for Verris's incredibly sensitive scanners to figure out what had happened as they didn't just measure things like blood pressure and heart rate, they also measured things like brainwaves and pheromones.
As he looked at the readouts on his own arm he lifted his large head and gave Markus a look that he knew well, he'd been rumbled as the sensors had revealed his arousal as plain as day to the incredibly skilled Battle Angel.
But to his credit Verris didn't give the game away, he simply gave the highly embarrassed Seeker a knowing smile and a soft hiss.
"You might want to refrain from staring too hard Seeker or you are going to keep setting my alarms off," Verris said telepathically using the hive link to speak to him so no one but he could hear him.
"Easier said than done," Markus replied using the same method and the large Xeno chuckled.
"Ok all good I've adjusted the sensitivity of the sensors which should stop any more bouts of 'Clan pride' from setting them off," he said using inverted comma fingers to emphasise his point as he unplugged him from the sensors.
"Yeah ok thanks doc," Markus mumbled as he partly wished the seat would swallow him into the metalwork of the ship.
Now while he knew that the Clan preached attraction as the healthiest and most natural thing in the universe and never something to be ashamed of, they never mentioned anything about being embarrassed by it, especially when it was pretty much outed by an overzealous Xeno doctor.
After Varis had packed up and headed back down to his sickbay to continue his analysis of the samples that Adesus and Markus had picked up for him Markus turned to find Adesus giving him a rather amused look.
"Clan pride getting you all hot and bothered inside that suit eh Seeker?" she said with an amused rattle of her quills though there was something else to her voice that Markus couldn't put his finger on.
"Y-Yeah I umm do find myself getting worked up when I talk about the Clan," he said trying to skirt around the truth as Adesus gave him a rather warm smile.
'Well I hope it's not just talking about the Clan that gets you all worked up Markus," she said with a distinctly playful note in her voice now.
"N-No not at all," he stammered trying desperately to turn his attention back to his monitors and to ignore the way her suit was now pulling taught in all the right places as she leaned back over her seat to the point where he began to worry that Verris was about to burst his ass back onto the bridge for yet another medical emergency.
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Adesus couldn't help but smile to herself as she watched Markus's very obvious discomfort and embarrassment which despite him not lowering his visor was still painfully obvious through his body language.
Something about that his embarrassment she found actually rather endearing, it was like as powerful as he was what with being a Dream Warrior and a trained Seeker of Truth it was still good to know that not only was he just as mortal as anyone else, but also as susceptible to the same flaws as they were.
Though honestly, she'd had no idea that he was even really looking at her until Verris burst into the bridge freaking out about his blood pressure and heart rhythms, after that point and what with how quickly Verris hightailed it out of there it was now painfully obvious and while Adesus while truly not used to handling the attentions of the opposite sex she wasn't completely oblivious of it.
It now actually made her think about how she found herself acting around Markus, it was like something in her brain had unlocked since she'd met him and she was struggling like hell to not only understand it but to control it.
For instance, she was still beating herself up over actually feeling jealous over the time that Markus took Feris to the Grand Patriarch for help with trying to contact the all-mother and their Great Tree.
But she couldn't help it, the thought of him spending time with Feris and not her had lit a fire in her blood and her quills that had been incredibly hard to shake, infact the thought of him spending time with other females other than her made her feel nervous and unsure of herself and she knew she shouldn't feel like that, especially as Clan mason was all about both equality and unity.
It was a completely unfair expectation of her to expect him to spend time with only her and no other female, like honestly how would she feel if he flew off the handle if she spent time with any of the other males in the team?
He was not a possession to be owned, he was a person to be cherished and that's when it hit her like a slap.
She had been subconsciously trying to get his attention on her, to get him to look at her not just as a warrior or as an equal but as a female, as a woman.
As she replayed the past few days over in her mind she actively saw the way her body language had simply screamed it, the way she'd flicker her tail at him in order to draw his attention to long and luscious it was not to mention strong.
The way she had rattled her quills for him to show him they were long, soft and well groomed.
The way she had relished sparring with him not only because of how close he was to her and she could admire his form but also because it gave her a chance to prove to this obviously powerful warrior,r that she was one in her own right and that she could protect him if it came down to it.
The way she had been constantly battling the urge to spend time with him for no other reason than just to be around him and to enjoy his company.
Of how comfortable she had felt when it had been just the two of them in the OP overlooking the city, despite it being nought more than a hole in the dirt and sand she couldn't have been happier because it was he who was there with her.
All of this came rushing into her mind like a mighty crash of a pair of cymbals with her head caught between them, she was attracted to him and had been subconsciously trying to attract him as a mate!
This revelation shocked Adesus to her very core, somehow this alien male had managed to not only slip right past her defences, but he had also simply negated the whole lot of them and had appeared inside her walls like an assassin slipping into oa stronghold under the cover of night.
But now the question remained hanging in the air before her nose like a carrot on a stick meant to bait her into motion, did she try to pursue him or did she back the fuck right off?
Suddenly she needed some air and to think long and hard.
"I'm going out for a walk," she declared and before he could respond she was up and out of the door heading for the loading ramp of the ship.
Once she was in the cave she was very tempted to activate her cloaking tech in order to hide herself and possibly would have if she hadn't known that not only could he see right through it but that his Dream Warrior abilities would lead him right to her if he really caught her.
So instead she opted to clamber herself up onto a high rock shelf that was close to the roof of the cave and to sit herself down on the ledge overlooking the base they had set up within its stone walls.
Infact so preoccupied with her own thoughts was she that she didn't notice that she had company on that shelf.
"Now that's the look of a woman who just spilt her dinner in her quills," a voice said from behind her very nearly making her reach for her weapon as she spun around only to find Feris sat there behind her resting her back against the stone wall.
"Fuck me Feris you nearly made me jump out of my quills!" Adesus said with an annoyed tone to her voice though it wasn't because of Feris it was because she'd been caught so completely off guard by her.
"Sorry didn't mean to startle you," Feris said shifting herself over to sit next to her friend on the edge.
"What are you doing up here?" Adesus asked and the young Hand smiled at her.
"It's a good place to meditate, I've been trying to reach out to see if I can hear a whisper of the All Mother's voice," she said.
"Anything?" Adesus asked and Feris shook her head and rattled her quills forlornly.
"Not a thing, it worries me Adesus it really does," she said and Adesus nodded.
"I'm sure our new friends will help us to get her back," she said trying to sound confident for her.
Feris nodded and smiled, "Yeah Lucious said the same thing, he told me not to worry as Clan Mason will not rest until the All-Mother is back in the hearts and minds of all her hands and all Velons," she said happily.
"You have become rather close to that young Raptorian boy haven't you?" Adesus said and Feris shot her a bit of a shy glance but still nodded.
"He's such a sweet boy, he's always fussing over me and everyone really, he always wants to make sure that I'm both comfortable and well fed and when I try to tell him that I can make my own food he just says nonsense it's a male's duty to ensure his pride is cared for, sometimes I actually forget that he's a fully trained special forces soldier," Feris said trying to imitate Lucious's chirpy sing songy voice.
"You really like him don't you?" Adesus said suddenly and Feri's quills rattled in alarm and then she looked at her and sighed heavily.
"Is it really that obvious?" she asked in a soft voice.
"Kinda yeah, but only to one of us, I doubt he's noticed all the qull rattling and if he has I doubt he knows what it means, or the swishing tail for that matter," she said.
"Oh I think he knows, I'm pretty sure the Great Tree told him something as it told me to take care of its beautiful son because he would care for me for life," she said.
"Wow the blessing of a deity to take one of its beloved children, now that is an endorsement," Adesus said with a chuckle and Feris laughed before playfully pushing her shoulder.
"And what about you hmm? Still rattling your quills and shaking your tail at our human Seeker hoping he'll somehow figure out what it means?" Feris said with a sly smile as it was now Adesus's turn to rattle her quills in alarm.
"Shit, I guess I'm obvious too huh?' she said and Feris laughed.
"Yeah kinda," she said.
Adesus blew out a held breath and lowered her head.
"I just don't know what to do about him Feris, every time I look at him I find my eyes wandering and my quills tensing like I'm gonna pounce on him and try to pin him down, but then another voice is yelling at me saying I shouldn't be looking at him this way, that he's not Velon and he won't understand our ways, that I'll offend him and that it's wrong because he's not one of us," she said.
"Honestly I think that attitude is shitty and archaic, also, to be honest, it is kind of part of why we are in this fucking mess, to begin with, Clan Ruara's whole deal is Velona for Velons and no one else, our blood is purer and stronger than yous and therefore we are the superior beings and it's just hypocritical extra shit, I mean look at this place it's not even other fucking Velons holding our people prisoner in their own homes, it's an alien mercenary army under the employ of Clan Ruara!!" Feris snarled angrily flaring up her quills like she was preparing to attack.
Adesus sighed heavily and nodded, "Yeah and that's part of the reason I'm so confused and angry with myself, the very fact that these vile thoughts exist within my own mind both shocked and angered me, especially after not only were we taken in by these aliens but cared for and now here they are risking their very lives for our home and people," Adesus said sadly.
"Exactly! And that's why it is up to us to prove to them that we as a people are worth it!" Feris said with an aura of fire and passion burning around her like pure purple fire when in reality it was her hot blood pumping into her quills and making them pulse bright purple.
She jumped to her feet and then looked down at Adesus, "Thank you Adesus you have given me the fire I need, you reminded me what true Velons are supposed to strive for," she said before she turned and made to climb down the rock face.
"What are you going?" Adesus asked in confusion.
"To get me a scaley and feathery boy, the Great Tree put its faith in me to look after its beloved son and I am not going to let it down, I am going to show the Great Tree and the All Mother that while I am not a warrior I can still prop up and support someone who is!" she said with such fire and determination in her voice that Adesus actually found herself actually worrying for the little Raptorion's safety.
As Feris climbed down the rock face Adesus turned and saw a familiar figure stepping out onto the hull of the Runner and as she watched curiously he made his way to the nose of the ship just in front of one of its large defence turrets.
When he reached it he sat himself down on the hull and appeared to start meditating quietly to himself, it was a good choice of placement as other than the two Xenos who could move freely on pretty much every surface he was away from everyone.
A sudden burst of movement caught her eye and Adesus turned her head just in time to see Feris moving to intercept Lucious who was just coming back in from his sniper position having been relieved by Levi who was now on guard or Stag as they referred to it.
As Adesus watched the determined Hand marched her way right up to the little Raptorian who saw her coming and gave her a cheery wave as she approached him.
Feris stopped right before him and although she couldn't hear what was being said between the two Adesus could see the determination in Feris even from her, her body language practically screamed it, her quills were up and they were practically glowing while her tail was swishing.
Then in a burst of movement, Feris snatched the little Raptorian off his feet and to both of their surprise pressed her mouth aggressively to his locking him in a deep kiss before breaking it, tucking him under her arm like she was carrying a rolled-up carpet and marching her arse back to the ship.
Adesus suddenly found herself chuckling as she remembered something that Feris hadn't obviously planned on when she had decided to break her confidence out of its box, overzealous Xeno doctors.
Before she'd even made it halfway back to the ship Verris burst out of it dressed in full battle armour holding a weapon and screeching something which was obviously about dangerous blood pressure.
The pair of them stopped dead as they encountered each other and stared at one another for a moment both wearing the same expression of confusion which even Lucious who was still tucked under Feris's arm was sharing.
Verris turned on his axis and with a grumbling hiss about setting their bio readers to private he stomped his way back into the ship leaving both Feris and Lucious watching him go before they looked at one another and laughed.
Moments later they had followed after him though with the moment having been somewhat ruined by an overzealous Xeno doctor Feris opted to place Lucious back on his own two feet and instead to lead him aboard by the hand in a far gentler display instead.
"If you are planning on carrying our tame Seeker off under arm you's may want to remind him to switch his sensors off first, or Verris may just have a breakdown," a deep and rather gruff voice said from directly above Adesus's head very nearly making her jump out of her quills, though thankfully she threw herself backwards onto her back and not forwards right off the outcrop or it might have been a bit more than her pride and her backside that hurt.
Standing directly on the ceiling above her head was Victus and thanks to him having his helmet lowered now she could see his large flat teeth as he grinned at her from in between his hanging braids and bangs.
"What in the name of the blood are you doing on the ceiling Victus!?" Adesus exclaimed looking up at the massive Beledon who was standing on the ceiling like he was a giant furry Xeno with horns.
"Seeker tells me to install turrets and sensors, so I's decides to test out Xeno spider system that science hive tells us about, used it to put sensors and turrets up in cave mouth and also to put the special cloaking net up over the cave mouth," Victus said proudly before surprising Adesus again by pulling off a perfect flip and landing right on his hooves beside her with little more than a soft thump.
"So that's how that got up there, I thought our two resident Xenos put that up," Adesus said glancing at the much larger version of the sheet they'd used to hide their OP which was now covering the cave mouth making it blend in with the rock.
"They's helps, but me's does most of heavy lifting," Victus said proudly as he stood admiring his handiwork then he turned back to look at her.
"If you's intends to pursue Seeker Markus you's has my blessing, when me's first sees yous and Feris me's wishes to beat you's both to death with own hands for what was done to me's people, but then as me's talks to you's me's sees and realises you's is not people responsible for the pain we's suffered, you's is innocent like Velons out there, me's also sees the real pain you's both suffers when you see's what vile bastard who hurt Beledon did, was real pain, cannot fake that, you's hurts for Beledon despite not having done any wrong and that proves to me's that you's is good peoples, so if you's if going after Seeker Markus me's gives you's me's blessing," Victus said turning and placing a truly monumental sized hand right on Adesus's shoulder making it looks like she was wearing a pauldron made of fur.
Adesus looked up at the massive smiling Beledon and sighed before nodding and smiling.
"Thanks, Victus that means a lot to me," she said and he gave her a nod and an even bigger smile.
"You's is welcome," he said.
"Nothing stays secret in the Clan for long does it?' she said and Victus actually laughed which was a sound like someone beating a bag of gravel with a spade and shook his head.
"Not likely, pretty Xeno girls like to talk and be friendly, if you's wants to know who loves who and what is going on walk in hive for five minutes and you's will know," Victus said with a smile and Adesus shot him a curious glance.
"So you got a thing for our black-skinned friends eh big guy?" she said giving him a nudge with her elbow in the massive thigh and Victus snorted and looked momentarily embarrassed that he'd accidentally let slip one of the secrets of his heart.
"'Is something wrong with that?" he asked and Adesus smiled at him widely.
"Not even slightly, it actually makes me happier because you like us are newcomers to the Clan and for you to fall for a race so completely different from you so quickly makes me feel easier about how I feel," she said.
"They's not so different really, only on outside, inside they's the same, want same things as Beledon, safe warm home, good food, good friends and love to come home to and cherish, Clan Mason give these things to all who hear the call, so not so different," Victus said and with that he just stepped off the side of the outcrop much to Adesus's alarm.
She quickly scrambled to the edge only to see him land at the bottom of the wall with little more than a thud before walking away as if it was nothing and then it hit her, the suit had major league shock absorbers and dampening not to mention retro thrusters in it and she suddenly felt stupid, the whole damn thing was designed to make them as manoeuvrable as possible.
Adesus chuckled to herself as she rolled over onto her back and looked up at the ceiling, then as she leaned her head back she saw Markus still sitting on the Runner's hull obviously lost in deep meditation and that's when she felt something against the back of her hips.
As she reached back she felt the edges of the collapsable Yautja war staff he'd given her as a gift and she felt her smile widen again, it was at that point her mind was made up, she was going to have him no matter what, consequences be damned, she was going to make that handsome alien male hers and no-one else.
So with that Adesus flipped herself up onto her feet and she spun on the spot backing up as she did.
When her tail end touched the wall she pushed off and sprinted forwards launching herself into the air, she sailed high over the cave and landed on one of the thruster cowlings rolling forwards to steady her landing and no sooner had she gotten to her feet again the active adhesion system that Victus had referred to as the Xeno spider system kicked in and attached her to the hull.
As she walked up behind Markus she drew the war staff from her hips and extended it to its full length.
"You have the aura of a determined woman," Markus said without looking up or turning around which for a moment threw her until she remembered that Dream Warriors like him saw the unseen as part and parcel of their existence.
"I am determined," she said and he lifted his head and opened his eyes, this time with his visor down she could actually see the blazing energy contained within those beautiful jewels in his head.
"Glad to hear it though the presence of that staff in your hand gives me pause for thought, are you here to challenge me to another duel?" Markus asked.
She pointed at him with the bladed end of the staff, "Indeed Markus Reinhard I Adesus Bloodguard challenge you to a duel," she said with defiance burning in her voice and Markus stood up though she noticed her never touched the ground as he did so, it was like the air itself lifted him to his feet.
"Alright any particular reason or just for fun?" he asked drawing his own warstaff from his back and extending it with a flick of his wrist causing the large Yaujta warstaff to snap open.
"To prove myself worthy, if I win I will earn the right to claim you as my own and if you will you will earn the right to choose your own fate and mine as well," she said trying desperately not to let her voice shake with the nerves that were firing like a lightning storm in her head.
Markus's eyes widened to the point that they looked like miniature galaxies in his skull as his power still hadn't bled off yet.
"Wait are you saying what I think you are saying Adesus?" he asked in amazement.
"Well if you think I am saying that I intend to claim your body mind and soul as my own then you would be correct, not take your stance warrior for today I will prove myself!!" she said taking her battle stance and drawing her staff into a guard.
Markus looked amazed but he nodded and then saluted her with the staff before drawing into a guard himself.
"Alright Adesus if that's how you wish it to so be it, rules?" he said in a softer voice than she expected him to use, it made her wonder if she had made the right choice going down this route and not just asking him as Feris had with Lucious, but she was committed now and win or lose she would hold her head up high, as right now she face a Dream Warrior and she would not back down.
"No holds barred and full power, best of three strikes," she said causing him to look up at her like she was crazy but he simply smiled and nodded.
"Alright if that's your wish," he said and with that, she tensed every muscle in her body.
"Begin!!" she yelled and she fired off all of the energy that was stored in her muscles, but she never even got to take her first step forwards before she got tapped on the end of the snout by the blade of what turned out to be Markus's staff.
"Head strike, first blood, lethal contact," Markus said stepping back and drawing the staff with him.
Indeed Adesus did feel a light trickle of warm blood down her muzzle and while he obviously hadn't landed a lethal strike on her the words were used to emphasise if he had put any power behind the strike it would have indeed been lethal to her.
"Point conceded, take your guard Dream Warrior," Adesus snarled angry with herself for having been so arrogant in her estimation of her abilities when facing off with one such as him, she had been so confident that she would be able to match him regardless of his power that she had forgotten the golden rule when facing a Dream Warrior, never ever underestimate them.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like to refine the rules somewhat?" Markus asked as he retook his mark.
"No! I made this bed and now I will lie in it, win or lose, now begin!!" Adesus yelled and this time before she had even moved even an inch she felt Markus's staff tap her on the shoulder.
"Second blood, throat cut, lethal strike," he said and Adesus felt her heart sink like a rock in her chest.
She dropped her staff with a clang and fell to her knees but before she had even got halfway to the ground a pair of hands appeared under her arms and she was hoisted to her feet before being turned on the spot.
Adesus barely had the chance to see Markus's face before he pulled her forwards off balance and into a deep kiss.
Adesus's mind turned to mush as she felt his soft human lips meet those of her muzzle and the two locked together, inside her skull it was like lightning, fireworks and mush all blended together into an explosion of colour and electrical sparks.
The softness and warmth of his lips robbed her of any semblance of sense until he released her but remained holding her to ensure she didn't collapse on the rubber springs that seemed to have replaced her legs while she wasn't looking.
When words managed to form and burst out of the slush in her head the first one to break free was "Why?"
"Simple Adesus, you said this was a duel to prove yourself worthy and I felt it the moment you landed on the ship hull, I felt the fire in your heart and I felt the power in your soul, you were determined to prove yourself worthy of me, it was the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life and I have stared into the heart of the universe and of nature itself, but the fire in your heart was far more beautiful than any of those things that I have seen in the ether sea, you knew I was a Dream Warrior and you still had the heart and fire to stand before me and challenged me on my own terms, that is bravery pure and simple and even when offered the chance to change the rules you stood fast and tall, you said win or lose well today I declare we both won, I accept your claim Adesus," Markus said with a smile so bright it looked like someone had nicked his teeth and replaced them with pure sunshine.
Adesus stood there for less than a second before that mush in her skull erupted into movement and she threw her arms around Markus and lifted him off his feet pulling him into a kiss on her terms this time.
"I won't ever let you down, now or ever Markus I swear it, you are the only person who has ever understood me and I will never ever leave your side, now and always, in life and death," she said into his ear feeling her blood pulsing as the promise of her words reached ears more than his own and they accepted that promise as gospel truth and swore to hold her to them, but they needn't have worried, this was an oath she could never break, but for now she had a prize to claim.