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Chaos Upon Valysia {Eternal Wanderer x Cinnamon }

The taste of food caused him a burst of bliss like never before. He could swear he was going to die of hunger if he wouldn't eat too soon. He chewed on the rabbit piece of meat, swallowing it and feeling as there was nothing he should worry about in the world. He moved on to the fish and pulling one off the stick, he bit into it progresivelly, chewing every piece, and finishing it just as fast. Innis busied itself with a piece of rabbit, chewing on it and letting out sighs and gasps of pure bliss as it tasted the food. Vill'Kern found once more the resemblance between the green little being and a child, content and blissful out of anything. He then turned his gaze to Ariana.


He could clearly recognize the struggle between the manners she had been taught to use while eating, and the pure starvation that caused her to rip hungrily at the flesh, not caring about manners or anything anymore. It caused him a slight smile, watching her devour the meat. He felt even more drawn towards her by the hour, and he couldn't understand for the name of anything what exactly was going on there. He only could watch, helpless, as he stared with a mix of awe and passion at the princess, with a slight smile across his face. The feast was finally over, after all three of them had devoured every single little piece of meat existent on the roaster, thus giving him the possibility to add another small pile of logs upon the dying embers, and watch as the fire was catching life once more, warming the slight chillfull night air.


The night in that place seemed broken out of a dream. The stars and the moon above lit up the beautiful clearing, the lake reflecting their shining light, as the trees now looked like shadows, bound only by the blue dark sky and the slight sight of the ground. And owl was heard somewhere in the trees, announcing about its starting night shift. The place seemed full of life, more life than even by the day. Vill'Kern turned his gaze to the grom, hearing some sounds, sighs. He smiled upon the scene before his eyes: Innis curled up near the fire, holding the small envelope opener in a protective embrace, as it slept peacefully. He couldn't even stop smiling upon the scene, turning his head to the princess and speaking in a low tone, as to not disturb the little being.


"Innis is guarding that opener with its life. Seems we both have something to guard" He nodded before pulling himself back, and leaning his back against a tree, feeling the rough texture of the wood against the skin of his back. He looked at the princess as she watched, hypnotised by the beauty of the scene, contemplating it. He leaned forth once more, and with a slowly increased heartbeat, placed his arm about her back, thus allowing her to lean against him, while he spoke in the same low tone, close to her ear.


"I am not the only one here who had words about him spread through all Valysia. You know, in my travels, i kept hearing words about a girl. So beautiful that every girl in her kingdom was envious of her. The fairest of all maidens, they called her. And now i'm right here, sitting next to a... living legend."


He smiled as he spoke so, while his eyes caught something. A shimmering light, rising on the other side of the lake. A human form. Strolling slowly, and gracefully on the lake's edge. A female, apparently half naked, covered only on the more... intimate parts, but not by clothing, but leaves and thick tree vines. She stepped gracefully upon the ground, inspecting her realm. Beautiful waves of golden hair fell down her back, as she walked, undisturbed by Vill'Kern and the princess. Vill'Kern whispered in Ariana's ear.


"That is a dryad. A spirit of the forest. She guards every night that no one destroys her beautiful home. She befriends every being of the forest, and she is bound to roam this place, forever"


He looked to the princess, right in the eyes, and smiled softly, as she looked back at him. He was totally drawn in by the magic of that very night, and the princess, oh, so innocent and so beautiful that he was hypnotised. With only a gaze he was already lost in fantasies, totally losing the sense of his current actions. He couldn't stop himself before it was too late, his face closing in dangerously to hers and his lips gently brushing against hers, while his rationaments gave in to the burning desire of feeling the princess' lips against his own, desire born from a simple dream, just some hours ago.
 
A contented sigh slipped from between Ariana's smiling lips, her stomach filled to maximum capacity with what had seemed like the most delicious and extravagant meal she could remember partaking in. Vill'Kern had been right in his assessment of the meal, it had been a truly magnificent feast. The princess's smile widened as she leaned back on her palms, tilting her head back to observe the unbelievably bright stars blinking into existence without the light of the sun diminishing their brilliance. Maybe she would be able to convince the warrior to teach her how to properly prepare the fish one day.


Ariana had never seen so many stars in the sky before, the streets of Khorinys always a light with festivities or some randomly choosen celebration long into the early hours of the morning. The royal city had always seemed to have something going on, whether welcoming in the new seasons and solistices or simply congratulating a young couple on their decision to spend the rest of their lifes together, the happy residents of Khorinys content in their peaceful and joyous lifestyles. The relative silence of the forest was a pleasant change from the constant cacophony of sounds her homeland was known for, but the princess couldn't deny how much she missed the bustling atmosphere and the contentment the radiated from every corner of the kingdom.


Even the moon seemed larger out here in the middle of no where. Maybe they should simply remain out here in the small patch of paradise forever. The Book of Dark Arts would be safe from falling into the wrong hands, and Valysia would be spared from the whims of the unknown 'god' attempting to breach the realm of the living. The princess believed they could all live happily here. She knew they could, just as well as she knew it was an impossible dream.


Ariana was distracted from her melancholic thoughts by the warrior's soft words, following his gaze to the sweet little creature curled into a ball in front of the fire, the envelope opener clutched protectively in its grasp. She was glad one of the few relics remaining of Khorinian decent could bring the little being such joy. She didn't mind relinquishing ownership of the opener to Innis, positive the small creature would keep the object safe.


Ariana's cheeks began to heat up again as the full implications of Vill'kern's statement settled in her mind, uncertain why the fact of his guardianship suddenly flustered her. He had sworn to protect her on several occasions before without becoming so unnerved- guilty, yes, but never truly embarrassed- so what had changed? Perhaps she had been more effected by the warrior's death than she had originally thought.


Before she had time to articulate a reply Vill'Kern had spoken again in the same soft voice as before as not to wake the grom, his large form shifting closer as the warrior set his arm around her shoulders. The princess leaned in to the embrace without a second thought, her heartbeat increasing in speed as she was reminded of his half dressed state. It seemed she had the answer to a few of her previously asked questions from earlier, dozens more popping into her mind to fill the void. Ariana shivered as Vill'kern's warm breath ghosted across her ear, almost missing his whispered words in her startled state.


"Those rumours were about my mother," Ariana murmured softly when she finally managed to find her voice, tilting her face towards the warrior's chest to hide her blush. Her cheeks felt enflamed as he quoted the same words back to her as she had used to describe him in the past, praying he wouldn't the unnatural shade of her face. The moon suddenly seemed too bright. "I just... inherited them when she passed."


Ariana's eyes widened as she watched the beautiful creature Vill'Kern had called a dryad moved through the grass on the other side of the water, fascinated by his explanation of the golden being. She nodded slowly in understanding, smiling gently at the warrior as she realized why this area of the forest had been spared from the Mad Mage's curse. She wondered if the dryad had made its appearance known to them as a way of thanking the warrior for restoring the life back into the trees. She was certain the creature had known Vill'Kern was responsible for the miracle, it radiated from the man like a badge of honour. He was the only one deserving of the title 'living legend'.


Ariana's eyes fluttered closed as if in a trance as Vill'kern's face slowly descended towards her own, instinctively extending her neck to help close the distance between them. The princess rested her open hand against the warrior's chest as she felt his lips brush against her own, lost in the ethereal atmosphere of the night.
 
Was he drunk? Because for sure that was what he felt, exactly. He had enough of that one experience, many a time, to remember perfectly the sensation. Heating face, heating ears, tickling under his skin, on his lips, dizziness and though a sensation of overexcitement. He awaited somewhat fearful that the princess would pull away and slap him across the face, just like it happened to him many other times, when, getting drunk in taverns and trying his luck at any of the girls there resulted in a slap, or even worse, in him, having to fight the men in the tavern in the awful state of drunkness in which he was. But his expectations, luckily, weren't fulfilled.


He only felt her hand press against his still bare chest, her touch feeling like a sort of blessing for the ribcage which was close to explode with his emotioned heartbeats, during the contact of their lips. He truly wished that moment to last forever, he wished that both of them just dissapeared, and remained in this dreamland of a forest, to live their life peacefully. Peace? Was that really what he desired in that moment? Something must have stolen his minds, it couldn't be true. He, the one who waged war against any who dared to stand to oppose him, he, who would be mocking the very last moments of any of his enemies' lives, by tormenting them with a sadistic pleasure, he, who... didn't even blink when he had been asked to bring the princess to a horrid fate... the princess he now was kissing.


All the thoughts ravaged his mind, as the relatively long moment stretched like an eternity along with that beautiful feeling of bliss. Something he's never felt in the past years. A bare hand rose and cradled one side of her face into it, while he tried to prolong the contact for as much as he could. Finally, their lips parted as he pulled gently back, looking into her eyes that shimmered with what he could describe as a mix of bliss and embarassment. He remained silent for the second, only gazing her in the eyes while his lips moved desperately, as he tried to find any words at all, anything, everything. But what could he say in this situation? Wouldn't words ruin it? He had no idea at all. This was the first situation of this type he's ever faced, he acted exactly like a young boy on his first date, as until then, the only women he's had were the short one night stands after nights filled with bottles over bottles of rum and ale.


The moment was filled over the brim with magic due to the dryad that, looking upon the scene from the other side of the lake, called out silently for a species of beautiful night butterflies, that were flying in circles above Vill'Kern and the princess, their ever fluttering wings spreading something that was identical with pixie dust, glimmering in the air all around them. His eyes remained looking warmly upon the princess, and a smile was wide spread across his lips, the sensation of her lips still tickiling his sense, while he took his hand off her face to catch the hand she was keeping against his chest, and hold it, not ruining the moment by any word, but his eyes speaking a torrent of words.


Finally, awaking from the trance, but still holding her and, he spoke with the low tone, firstly looking back to see if the grom didn't wake up in the meantime, but as the little being was sleeping peacefully, he started dragging himself backwards to lean against the tree, pulling the princess yet again into his embrace, strong arms coiling around her petite form as a very armor.


"We'll make it out alive. I promise you that. I'll never leave you alone. Ever. Just like the Moon doesn't leave alone Her beloved stars. You've offered me something no one has since i was a child. I never felt so much... care. You pulled me out of death at least once, and you have been there with me along the road"


He wished to speak forth, but he considered not, as the rest of his thoughts would throw a grim tint over the perfect scene. Instead, he cuddled the princess comfortably into his embrace, and started humming a song, feeling more peaceful than ever.


"You should rest, my dear. We'll have a long way to travel to Hyeris, and who knows what else awaits us on the way"


He turned his head to place a soft kiss upon Ariana's forehead before letting himself fall slowly asleep, with a content sigh.
 
Ariana's eyes slowly opened as the pressure against her lips was removed far too quickly, leaving her with a sudden sense of lose. The princess leaned her cheek into Vill'kern's hand pressed against her cheek, smiling vaguely at the warrior as if in a daze.


Her first kiss. What an utter difference from what she had been expecting. The princess had always thought her first... everything would be with the man arranged by her father and the ruler of another kingdom for her to wed, choosen based on the benefits the betrothal would bring to both countries. Not even in her wildest dreams would Ariana have expected this, to find herself pulled into the midst of a conspiracy threatening the safety of all of Valysia, accompanied by the warrior originally charged with bringing the princess to her untimely demises before his abrupt change of heart had caused him to defect from the dark scheme, and an imp of all creatures, taking a small reprieve from their journey in a fairy tale like forest. As if that weren't far fetched enough, Ariana now found herself falling for her self appointed guardian, astounded the legendary mercenary appeared to effected by the same strange, intoxicating emotions.


At least... she had thought he had been. As Ariana stared into the warrior's incredibly blue eyes doubt began to edge into her mind, sensing his misgivings as the silence stretched on. Had he simply gotten swept up in the moment, allowing himself to be influenced by the fantastical woods and reaching for the nearest warm body? It would make sense, a cruel, logical voice whispered in the back of her mind. She had said it herself, hadn't she, when Innis had misinterpreted the situation after the warrior had awoken earlier in the day. The legendary Vill'Kern The Slayer wasn't capable of such tender emotions.


Ariana was being to feel cold despite the fairly mild weather as she flicked her eyes away from Vill'kern's disheartening gaze, no longer able to watch the man struggle for words. Before she could extricate herself from his grasp, however, her eyes caught on the butterflies that appeared as though their wings were made of pure light, following the descent of the fine powder like substance until she was once again looking into the eyes of the warrior still watching her.


Ariana's breath caught in her throat at the dramatic change of expression visible in Vill'kern's gaze, her uncertainties abruptly forgotten. The princess returned the smile directed at her with an equal amount of warmth, wondering if it would be too bold of her to bring their lips together once more. She barely managed to keep herself from sighing in disappointment as she warm hand pressed to her cheek disappeared, leaving the flesh tingling and feeling over exposed.


The disappointment was short lived as she was pulled into the warrior's embrace, closing her eyes in blissful contentment as the princess rested her head against Vill'kern's chest, enjoying the rumble of his words beneath her ear almost as much as she appreciated the sincerity behind them. Before she could respond a gentle melody reached her ears, beginning to lull her into what promised to be a peaceful slumber.


Ariana's eyes snapped open as if she had received a shock, alarm shooting through her at Vill'kern's drowsy words. He still intended to venture to Hyeris, despite knowing of Samon's deception? The princess forced her eyes to remain open as she listened to the warrior's slowly even out and deepen, pulled into the depths of slumber.


Ariana remained in his embrace longer than perhaps she should have, eventually reluctantly worming her way out from beneath the warrior's sleep heavy arms. She smiled gently down upon the peaceful looking man for several long moments before turning to gather the books and pages she had yet to read through, carrying them to within the circle of light offered by the still burning fire, moving as quietly as possible as not to wake her sleeping companions. The princess still had a long night ahead of her.
 
Vill'Kern slept peacefully, but as soon as he felt her slip away from his embrace, he remained awake. He did not move, however, not wanting to disturb the princess fom the research she pulled herself into. He only remained with his eyes closed, savoring the fresh air and the feeling of calm as much as he could. The dryad on the other side of the lake remained there for a while, as if she was taking her watch over them, Vill'Kern could clearly hear the flipping of pages that Ariana did, and slipped back into revery, remembering about the so tender moment just minutes ago. Why did he just feel the strong longing for yet another one? Why did he feel he wanted to sit up right in that very moment and disturb the princess from her books to kiss her again, this time for longer?


While he thought so, a slight gust of wind showed up, playing through the fire once, and giving Vill'Kern a slight chill. Everything was perfect, but why did he just feel that something started to be off? Could it be that the Book was spreading dark and maleficent energy once more? Opening his eyes once more he gazed about and-


Innis! Where in the world was the little being? Just a matter of minutes ago the thing was right there, sleeping peacefully like a child. But now it seemed to have sneaked away. He focused on the place where the grom once was, and tried listening to the surroundings. All was quiet. Did the grom leave them there? Did it decide that it was time for them to part ways? Weak chances, as the little being seemed to enjoy their presence too much to leave like this, all of a sudden. Maybe it witnessed their little passionate moment and felt jealous. It seemed to have caught a slight passion for the princess as well, but who knew to what extent? No, something wasn't right.


At a point, he heard something. Ruffling of grass. Someone or something was lurking right in the darkness behind the tree he leaned against, and just now he felt the blade of The Oath Of Penitence heating up, a sign for trouble. Careful enough, he picked the luckily unsheathed sword from his side, where he placed it as he always did while going to sleep, and caught it tightly in his grasp. Just before he could move more, he heard the ruffling just behind him. Quick in his movement, he managed to turn himself from against the tree to face the darkness and had only one second to stand, before Innis rushed at him, jumping angrily and trying to strike with the envelope opener at the uncovered parts of his flesh, while screaming wildly.


He leaped back, avoiding the small beast's attack while keeping an eye out on the princess that now probably jumped up all startled. What in the world was even happening? He didn't have time to think, however, as he avoided every of Innis' attacks, while positioning himself before the princess, acting as her shield as he always did. He only had a solution left, and that was to cut the head off the little creature. It seemed that despite its childish behavior, it wasn't that "innocent". But how was it possible, the Penitence itself deemed the little beast as being innocent. Innocent, but not totally trustworthy, Vill'Kern thought as he prepared to strike the being and put an end to it.


His gaze, however, caught something. Its eyes. They no longer sparkled golden, no, they now were purely black, just as... Vorath's? Incredible resemblance, that black and hateful gaze. Was it possible that Vorath transfered a bit of his rotten soul into the being before he was sent to the Fields Of The Damned? But he couldn't. The grom was dead by that time. Was it possible that the Book managed to catch the beast's weak mind and control it? Regardless of anything, now, the only solution to this was to put an end to the grom's suffering. With a move of his foot, Vill'Kern dismissed the being that kept attacking in vain with a heavy enough kick, throwing it a few feet away while the envelope opener fell somewhere into the grass. He then moved, and, grabbing the beast by its neck, he looked it in the eyes and spat his word out full of hate.


"Listen to me, you dark god, ghost or whatever you would be. The princess is mine! Is mine, was mine, and will be mine to the end of my damned days. And as long as I live, i want to live in a peaceful world, without you in it to ruin everything. I will come for you, and i will send you out in ether, never to return. Get lost"


As he spoke his fury out, his hand caught another shimmer of that strange energy that he now possesed, as a proof of his "advancing" and ressurection. The energy spread about the grom's body, and the darkness in its eyes quickly faded, as the dark energy that possesed it was carried out of their surrounding, the grom remaining inert in his hand, but still breathing. Slowly, he set the little still sleeping being in the place it slept in, and carefully placed the opener in its grasp, before returning and sitting by the princess, gently embracing her as to reassure her of their safety, of her safety. Eventually, he gave course to his longing, by placing a kiss upon her lips once more, this time longer, while he held her in his protective embrace.
 
Ariana poured over the book in her grasp, her hands tightening on the old, slightly damaged leather bound book resting on her lap until the brittle pages were strained to their breaking point, threatening to tear free of their bindings. A grimoire. A book of spells and shadows. Pages upon pages of enchantments, incantations, hexes, curses, conjurings, and chants as well as instructions for potions, charms, talismans, magical symbols and runes, ceremonies, alchemic procedures, summoning circles, how to best optimize astrological events, divination, and exorcisms. There were even sections dedicated to the darker arts such as necromancy, voodooism, and sooth saying.


Such a codex wouldn't have been so strange to find in the Mad Mage's lair, if it hadn't been for the language in which it had been written. Khorinian. From cover to cover the book was inscribed in the ancient tongue. How had Vorath gotten a hold of such a priceless heirloom? The princess had never seen such a vast collection before, nothing in Khorinys's royal library had even come close to the grimoire in her hands before it had burned. Not even anything in her father's private collection of books and scrolls could compare to this single tome, even combined the texts wouldn't come close.


It wasn't exactly what Ariana had been hoping to find when she had begun her search through the vast pile of information gathered from the remains of the dark wizard's lair, but she certainly couldn't complain. The princess carefully leafed through the fragile pages as if the entire book could turn to dust in her hands at any moment, unable to believe what she was seeing. Sacred, this grimoire is nothing short of sacred, Ariana thought as if she were in a trance, trying to memorize every detail of the precious artifact. So how could Vorath possibly have acquired it? Her ancestors would have given their lives to keep such a treasure within the possession of the Khorinian people, who knew what they would have done to keep it away from the clutches of such wicked hands.


Ariana froze as she came to the final chapter of the book, her wide eyes staring down at a perfectly illustrated replica of the crystal still resting in her boot. There wasn't much time to appreciate the implications of what she was seeing, however, before a blood chilling screaming echoing throughout the clearing. Ariana's head snapped back to reflexively look for the warrior, jumping to her feet in alarm.


There he was, where the princess could always find Vill'Kern during an dangerous situation, standing between her and whatever of the cause of the commotion. Ariana looked beyond the warrior to the source of the ominous scream, almost dropping her newly acquired treasure in her shock. Innis? But... but why? The creature had been so sincere in its attempts to aid them in any way possible, even going to far as to give its life for the princess when it had seemed as if all hope was lost after Vill'kern's death at the hands of the Mad Mage. What could have possibly possessed the grom to suddenly-


Ariana gasped as she realized the difference that had occurred within Innis's tiny form, her head whipping around to look for the Book of Dark Arts. Its aura was being completely suppressed, as if it were a moving doll controlled by an unknown force. The princess dashed to the forgotten book of darkness still laying on the ground near the pile of texts she had already looked through, snatching the evil thing into her arms along with the grimoire she still carried.


How could she be so stupid? Ariana berated herself furiously, unable to believe her own idiocy. How could she have left the book she knew she take over the minds of those around it unattended? She had allowed herself to lose focus, to forget their mission for the sake for one joyous evening. Because of her ineptitude Innis was now-


Innis was now pinned beneath the warrior in the grass, still struggling to strike the man holding its life in his hands. Ariana looked away from the scene, unable to watch what was about to happen, gritting her teeth against the guilt building in her chest. Because of her Innis was going to die once more, without hope of resurrection this time. Because of her, Vill'Kern was the one that had to end its life, and suffer with that knowledge for the rest of his life. Because of her, another innocent soul was condemned to a fate it never should have had to suffer through.


Ariana slowly looked back to the scene as the warrior spoke to the entity controlling the poor grom, touched by his words, yet drowning in the anguish she had caused. Before she had a chance to react Vill'Kern was already solving the issue in a way she never would have thought possible. As the princess watchedin disbelieve, the warrior's aura extended into the grom, slowly but surely returning the once again slumbering creature to its former state.


Ariana slowly followed the pair back towards the still smouldering fire, anxious to make sure the unaware little being was alright but weary of getting too close to the creature with the book that had taken control of it still clutched to her chest. The princess smiled weakly as the warrior careful placed the envelope opener back into Innis's hands, tensing as he suddenly turned to face her.


Ariana looked away from The Slayer in guilt, expecting him to scold her for leaving the dangerous book unattended. Before she had a chance to apologize however, she found herself within the folds of Vill'kern's protective embrace once more, shocked by the man's reaction. After a moment Ariana relaxed into the touch, resting her forehead against his chest and as quietly apologized endlessly for the trouble she had caused. She was eventually silenced by the warrior's kiss, thoroughly distracted his reassurances for the moment, though the guilt still lingered in her chest.
 
"Don't worry, i will not let anything touch you, never ever. Shhhhh"


He cradled her protectively in his embrace. He felt really strange about how quick everything has evolved, and about how the princess became the very meaning of him in such a short time, the one person he wouldn't imagine spending his remaining years of life without. Even though he could very well be her father, he saw her nothing like a possible daughter, and somewhat, he did feel grateful for that. But he felt awkward about how he turned out from being a loveless and tenderless human being to a person who would give the world for the very safety of a one single person, Ariana.


He could very well see the guilt in her eyes, but he couldn't blame her. He should have known not to sleep, even if the place they were in looked and felt peaceful, they still carried an important item with them, the Book, which seemed to be acting as an anchor for the grim entity, allowing it sight and potential control over the weakest beings that were approaching the book. In their case, the grom. But how was he even to stop that? They had to take the Book to Hyeris to the High Circle to inspect, hopefully, the mage did speak the truth about his intention and wasn't trying to trick them, as almost everyone did aside the little grom that now slept, released of the evil spirit.


He allowed himself to place another kiss upon the princess' lips, deciding not to sleep anymore if she was still researching, who knew what else could be attacking. The dryad across the lake was taking her gentle steps into the forest, dissapearing soon out of sight while he, holding the princess to him, smiled slightly, as to salute her departure.


He gazed to the princess, then felt the grimoire and the Book of Dark Arts that pushed against him, the aura of the Book making him feel a slight unease, but not enough to make him let the princess go off his embrace. Insted, he questioned her curious as to what her newest discovery was.


"What did you find there?"
 
What can I do to keep this from happening again? Innis almost died... again... because of me. What if Vill'Kern can't save it next time? What if Vill'Kern is the one to get hurt- again- next time? Ariana's mind was tormented with negative thoughts as the possibilities of what could have happened, what could still happen, raced through her mind. It was as if a dam had broken free in her head, leaving nothing to deter the torrent of guilt and uncertainty flooding her conscience. She felt as if she might drown in her bitter emotions, unable to pull herself free from her own internal belittling. How can I cause so much trouble without ever being able to offer any solutions? Vill'Kern should have left me in the Forsaken Labyrinth while he had the chance.


Ariana shifted slightly in the warrior's hold as she heard him speak, tilting her head back far enough to meet his gaze as the princess was awakened from her terrible thoughts. She had been so consumed by the words in her mind she had actually forgotten where she was, lost to the world around her, as if an external force had been exacerbating the situation, attempting to confine her to her own mind. The princess hadn't even noticed the discomfort in her weary arms from supporting the pair of heavy leather bound books for an extended period of time. Was it possible the Book of Dark Arts was beginning to affect her as well?


It was several long moments before The Slayer's words registered with Ariana, causing another bombardment of berating thoughts from the latter. Was she truly a fool? She had just been thinking of all the trouble she had caused and there she was, forcing the Book known to infect the minds of those around it against Vill'kern's body, all but asking for trouble.


What was wrong with her? What was wrong with him? Why hadn't he mentioned the discomfort she had been causing him? At least those last two particular questions had obvious answers. Ariana was, quite obviously, the warrior's problem. She had once again been causing him trouble but he had been too concerned with her well being to consider his own safety. The princess should just throw herself and the cursed tome into the water so nearby, remaining at the bottom of the pool where neither could harm anyone else again.


"It's a grimoire," Ariana finally answered his question, speaking slowly as if it were difficult to formulate a thought that didn't involve insulting herself. The princess had truly unnerved herself with the vehemence behind her thoughts, uncertain whether or not she truly would have carried out the action had Vill'Kern not been keeping her still. She shifted in his grasp until her back was facing the man, using her body to keep a separation between him and the book of evil. The princess was now beginning to understand just how much she had underestimated its influence.


"A book of spells and rituals. It is written in Khorinys's ancient language, meaning it must have been written hundreds of years ago, by my ancestors' ancestors. The information contained within it is fathomless, there is even a section dedicated to Khorinian crystals. I have never seen such meticulously recorded knowledge, not even within Khorinys. I've no idea how Vorath could have taken possession of it, it's a relic that should have been under my father's protection." Ariana looked upon the treasured artifact as she spoke, but her thoughts were still on the Book of Dark Arts.


Maybe it would be best to use the cursed thing as tinder for the fire. As long as it existed it would only bring pain and suffering. It was too dangerous to transport in its current state as well, already proving the havoc it could wreak. There must be some other source of information that had the answers they seeked, some reliable, tangible well of knowledge they could tap into instead of taking the word of some crooked mage. Ariana wished she could think of some other possibility to find what they needed, something- anything- that would allow her to give in to the temptation to watch the insidious text go up in flames. But she could think of nothing. Perhaps there was something in her people's book that would help them, but without the time to read through it all-


"Oh," Ariana spoke aloud simply in surprise, abruptly struck with an admittedly untested idea. Perhaps there was something in her boot that could help them. The princess smiled widely at the mercenary behind her, pleased her odd thought had finally given her something potentially productive to do. "I have an idea."


Stepping away from the warrior, Ariana carefully collected a still burning log from the smouldering fire, casting a glance at the exhausted little grom to make sure she hadn't awoke it. She smiled gently at the sleeping creature before she quietly stepped away, struggling to balance the two texts she refused to remove from her grasp again until her task was completed in one arm and keep the flaming log far enough away from her person with the other hand as to not accidentally set her hair ablaze.


Coming to a stop before the body of water Vill'Kern had caught their dinner in earlier, the princess slowly lowered herself into a kneeling position before the glass like substance, momentarily transfixed by the thousands of stars reflected on the calm surface. Setting the heavy books down on her lap, Ariana carefully balanced her make shift torch over the edge of the water, far enough that the flame wouldn't ignite the grass at her feet but not so far as to tip into the water. Ariana pulled her boots free of her feet, collecting the tainted crystal from its hiding place.


Ariana barely spared a glance at the black, bruise like deformity on the delicate skin of her ankle from where the crystal had been resting against her person before she submerged the gem within the cool liquid, taking several deep, calming breathes before she began to speak in a soft, melodic chant.


"By water I cleanse you..."
 
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Vill'Kern listened carefully to the princess' words as she explained him of her absolutely magnificent discovery. It didn't surprise him, knowing that Vorath had been under the hand of a mighty entity, mighty enough to grant him reach to relics such as the tome. He held her against him as she turned, explaining him about the tome further, amazed himself by the discovery, and wondering if there was anything they could put to use out of it. Might be, or might be not, he thought further while his arms rested gentle about her frame, his eyes gazing upon the interesting looking thesaurus.


Uneducated as he was, he couldn't extremely well understand the magnificence of such an object, but he could definitely hear the princess' excitement and pride, as well as her amazement, as she spoke about the valuable coming from her own kingdom, her own culture. He didn't exactly remember if Merchantar had anything like this, but he remembered about huge books, accounts of many well known merchants, leaders, the history of their people and of their inheritance, which was the very trade of... trading. He remembered his father nagging him, placing infinite stacks of books into his lap and demanding of him to read them, unsuccesfully so, as he always found a way out of the room in which he was arrested and bound to read the knowledge of his people, mostly using the window and the many places he could hang from as a way down.


But this tome seemed far more important than the accounts of merchandising back then. It probably hid secrets that no one ever knew, aside from those who had the honor of laying their hands on the book, and of course, Vorath. But now, for the moment, it was useless. Khorinys' people were dead, Khorinys itself was crushed, crumbled, burnt to ash. Even if they would restore the city's formal glory, how could they repopulate it? From what he knew, no citizen made it out alive, they've been all but slaughtered like pigs at season festivals. They'd need royal guards, military forces, many other things that required probably tens of years of working on. He'd probably be long gone and the princess would be an old enough queen when Khorinys would have its former glory restored fully. Nonetheless, the book had to be placed away, for further reposession, or handed to a person trustworthy enough of knowing Ariana's home's deepest and oldest secrets.


She then made a sound, startling him all of a sudden, as he didn't exactly know what happened, but as soon as he saw her big and so encouraging smile, he thought she might have a sort of revelation. She broke out of his embrace, and grabbed the burning log, giving him a skip of the heart with her little balance play. He almost wanted to scold her for playing this way. What if she got hurt? He shook his head, dismissing the negative idea, then watched her close in to the water, now totally confused by the course of her action. Fire near water. What was she exactly trying to do? He caught up with her movement as she removed her boots, remaining barefoot, and grabbing... a crystal? But... but the crystal she's given him back then was empty, and for what he recalled, he sold it to a jeweller while she was speaking to Samon in his workshop. How in the world did she get another?


He heard her chant, and approached, careful, closing in the distance between them, ready to protect her should anything go out of hand.
 
"By water I cleanse you, release your hold upon all of which you contain, and start anew in the warmth of the moon's embrace..." Ariana could feel the negative energy contaminating the crystal slowly awaken as it began to be forcefully evicted of its home inside the core of the stone as she recited the soft chant she had used to cleanse over used crystals in the past. The dark aura contained within this particular gemstone was so much stronger than any the princess had experienced before, so similar to menacing power that had emanated from the Book of Dark Arts when it had attempted to take possession of the warrior earlier in the day. She was beginning to doubt the odds of successfully completing her self appointed task before she had even truly begun.


The princess watched with half lidded eyes as the darkness caused by the negative influence slowly leaked from the crystal, flowing slowly into the pure water to swirl harmlessly within its depths. It was very similar in appearance to the bottle of ink she had once accidently dropped within a basin of water, at that time trying to carry more than she was able, as the princess seemed prone to do. The black energy that had been spilled from the crystal into the soft current slowly dissipated after several moments, allowing room for more of the dark aura to escape. She could feel the familiar presence of the crystal stir in her hands, as if her actions had instilled a glimmer of hope into the inanimate object, though she knew there was still a long ways to go before it was completely purified.


Before Ariana could continue with her well rehearsed chant, the heavy, leather bound books that had been resting so unassumingly in the princess's lap were swept away from her person as if a strong wind had caught ahold of them, tearing both relics away from her protective grasp. Ariana jumped to her feet in alarm, clutching the dripping wet crystal to her chest as she did so as if she feared it too would be stolen from her, and span around to find who- or what- had caused the abrupt commotion.


Instead of finding a thief void of a soul clutching the texts within his grasp, however, Ariana was met with the sight of both heavily tomes lying unassumingly on the ground, one to either side of her, both opened to reveal their inscriptions to the princess. Both. She could clearly see the dark ink against the pale pages of the Book of Dark Arts even in the poor lighting, once again aware of the negative energy being emitted from its very core.


"It's nothing, it's just a reaction from the crystal." Ariana lied to the warrior standing guard nearby, forcing her voice to stay as calm she could possibly make it while her heart felt as if it were about to burst free of her chest. The princess knew she had to complete her task quickly before the Book of Dark Arts struck again, infesting the mind of the nearest unfortunate creature it could find. Ariana stared firmly into Vill'kern's eyes, willing him to accept her words as the truth.


"Would you mind taking Innis to find his treasure cove of shinies? I think I accidentally gave it something important... It would probably be a good idea to give Innis a little distance from the book, too, just in case it remembers what happens and feels guilty. I'm sure it would be very sad if it thought you hated it." Ariana smiled widely at the warrior as if nothing was wrong, willing him with all her might to flee with the grom to safety.
 
Is she in her minds? The warrior asked himself. He just witnessed both books go crazy before his eyes, the black energy leaving the crystal and felt again the same opressive force as in the cave of Thraghul, along with her obviously lying him about everything being just a reaction of the crystal, which was obviously not true as she wanted to make it seem, and she expected him to believe her and just leave her there, with that cursed book next to her and the visible dark torment about her?


The aura shielding him reacted crazily at the sudden outburst of dark corruption, tightening about his still barely naked form while he watched that wide smile of her with stupefaction bursting out of his gaze. Though, her gaze seemed not to be corrupted, yet, even if something in her eyes just screamed out at him to leave the area, with Innis. What in the world should i do? He asked himself as he kept staring at her with a mix of stupefaction, concern, pure fear and wonder for what was she even up to.


But he somehow trusted her. Not fully, as she might as well be under the spell of the grim tome, but still, she didn't seem so. But if he left, he wouldn't do it whole heartedly. He felt the tension of the little sleeping grom growing by the second, and it all made him feel slightly uneasy. What exactly was Ariana trying to do? Try to take out the god and face it, asking it nicely to spare Valysia and let the ride away in the sunset? Weak chances. It was something else. He could see her clearly gazing to the Book, with its blank pages opened, seemingly randomly. No. It wasn't random. She was reading the book. It showed itself to her. What if it already poisoned her mind? What if, upon his leave, she would pick up the book and go north, handing herself to the Deathless King and his sick god, leaving upon him the work of getting her out alive of it?


He would try, no matter what, but with the god being alive then, it wouldn't be that easy anymore. That thing could cause so much chaos even in its ethereal form, he didn't even want to think what was going to happen if it possesed her body. No, that must not happen. But he had to leave her, he wanted to see what she was up to. With a slight nod, he played it off as if he was really understanding and was just listening to her plead. He moved and with a careful touch, took the sleeping grom into his arms, looking back to her once more before taking his steps away, moving out of the sight and dissapearing into the darkness. However, his little theatre playing was just to avoid an argument with her, he only moved a few steps into the darkness to search for a comfortable place in which the little grom could continue its undisturbed sleep, and, once doing so, he returned, near enough so he could peak from the darkness at what was actually happening with the princess and the two books, ready again, at anytime, to intervene if something played wrong.
 
Ariana kept her wide, false smile plastered firmly on her face as the warrior reluctantly gathered the slumbering grom into his arms, waving in fair well as the pair disappeared into the darkness. As soon as they were out of sight, the princess dropped the facade, stumbling away from the Book of Dark Arts, hesitating only long enough to gather the codex of information originating from Khorinys into her arms along with the still tainted crystal. She could feel the negative energy emanating from the cursed text pulling at her mind, trying to coax the princess to read from its pages. Ariana had seen what it had wanted from her, sickened by the almost logical way the ritual had been inscribed. The entity speaking to her through the book had oh so sweetly been whispering in her mind, showing her the best way in which to make certain the crystal in her hands would never again be able to be restored to its former glory.


"Oh, be quiet already, before I use you as tinder for the fire!" Ariana hissed at the hateful thing, aware she didn't have much time. She had been shocked when Vill'Kern had given in to her request, knowing he hadn't believed her story about the crystal. The princess had felt his unease and mistrust as he had departed through the miasma of darkness engulfing her, but she couldn't risk the Book of Dark Arts turning its focus on either the warrior or Innis. The cursed tome had already shown an interest in both beings, and who knew what could happen if it once again took possession of the poor little grom. What if it planted the seed of corruption deeper this time, wrapping itself so tightly around the little being even Vill'Kern couldn't save it? She wasn't sure of his intentions in leaving despite his misgivings, but Ariana was grateful for his actions despite not being able to understand. She didn't have time to think about it now, however, as the princess was racing against time. She needed to complete her task before the warrior's eminent return, and he was once again thrown in danger's way because of her. She simply prayed he had gotten Innis to a safe distance away from the Book's influence.


Backing away from the cursed texts until she was standing within the ring of light provided by the fire, Ariana pried her reluctant gaze from the Book still trying to influence her hand, turning her attention to inspect the inscription the Khorinian text had opened to on its own. The princess's eyes widened as they raced across the step by step instructions and prefectly illustrationed magic circle, pausing only long enough to read the long, flowing hand written heading at the top of the page. Binding thy Enemies.


Ariana's eyes snapped back to the Book of Dark Arts as the tome began to act of its own accord once more, the still open pages whipping back and forth endlessly as if caught within a powerful gust of wind, though barely a breeze swept through the tension filled clearing. The princess made a small noise of pain as the soft whispering in her mind warped and shifted, reaching a crescendo that threatened to destroy what little grasp on sanity she had left if she did not comply with its wishes. Ariana fell to her knees with her eyes clenched tightly against the pain splitting her head in two, unable to think passed the cacophony of noise in her mind.


When the princess returned to awareness, uncertain how much time had passed in which the Damned Book had been attempting to reduce her mind to mush, she first noticed the burning sensation in her hand clenched white knuckled around the crystal. Ariana could feel the power radiating from the stone, raising from the core of the gem and into her person from where the crystal was pressed tightly to her temple- the princess vaguely realizing she must have been trying to use her hands to guard her mind despite having no memory of moving- lending her its strength despite its weakened state. The yelling in her mind had once again been dulled to a whispering plead, allowing her senses to return to her through the haze of confusion the sudden pain had caused.


It took several moments for Ariana's slowed mind to realize she was staring down upon the still opened text of her ancestors laying on the ground before her knees, moments she didn't have time to spare. How long had it been since the warrior had left with Innis? How much time did she have until he returned, and the Book turned its ill intent on him? The princess reached dangerously close to the smouldering embers of the fire in a daze, gathering a large handful of ashes with her unoccupied hand as she kept her eyes locked on the image of the magic circle displayed on the pages beneath her. Ariana did not have the luxury of waiting to find out.


The Book of Dark Arts fell still as she began copying the image in text before her, using the ashes to replicate the double circles encasing a complex string of ancient runes, collecting several more handfuls of the fine dust to draw the intricate designs decorating the center. Ariana moved as quickly as she could while being careful to copy the illustration exactly, unnerved by the seemingly patiently waiting Book. The princess would have been proud of her quite similar replication of the circle of power had there been time, instead pushing to her feet to quickly gather the Book to place in the center of the newly formed circle.


Ariana hesitated as she stood above the ominously silent Book of Dark Arts, weary of touching the cursed thing after the havoc it had wreaked upon her mind. What was it waiting for? It was obviously able to defend itself, so why was it just sitting there? Perhaps it was waiting for her, the princess thought with no small amount of dread, waiting to come into contact with her for a direct assault against her mind. Ariana quickly removed the tunic of the light armour she wore, shivering as she was left with only a thin slip to shield her torso, the slip she had failed to remove from her person back in Khorinys when Vill'Kern had ordered her to change from her dress.


Dropping the material over the evil tome, Ariana rapidly transported the Book to the circle, careful not to smudge the design in her hast to be free of the cursed text. Discarding the tunic carelessly to the side for the moment, the princess once again slipped to her knees as she gathered the Khorinian codex before her, trying to calm her nerves enough to speak the words inscribed in the grimoire without faltering. Lightly touching the fingers of her free hand to the circle of power while the other kept the crystal a safe distance away from the Book, the princess began to recite the incantation in Khorinys's ancient tongue necessary to seal the cursed texts from causing any more harm.


"Hail, Guardian of the Watch Tower of the North. I call the powers of Mother and Earth to me. Bury beneath the soil the darkness so harm will come to none. Ground the evil and let it be done. As I will, so let it be." Ariana threw a pinch of dirt at the object to be bound as the grimoire directed, peeking through her lashes at the Book of Dark Arts. Its apparent acceptance of what the princess was doing made her more anxious than if it had been fighting back. Had it truly given up?


"Hail, Guardian of the Watch Tower of the East. I call the powers of Intuition and Air to me. Sweep away from my sight ill intent and the likes. Return unto those that wish harm unto me. As I will, so let it be." Ariana slowly blew a breath towards the Book as she was directed, feeling optimistic about her plan for the first time. Perhaps the Book wasn't as powerful as she had been led to believe. Maybe it had drained itself of energy trying to take possession of too many beings in one night.


The thought had barely passed through her mind before the Book of Dark Arts flew open once more, as if it had heard her thoughts and had taken offense. The pages once again flew about widely, acting as if they were caught in a torrential wind.


"Hail, Guardian of the Watch Tower of the South! I call the powers of Feeling and Fire to me. Light the darkest of nights and burn a path bright through to the morning light. Incinerate mine enemy and their hate. As I will, so let it me." The fire at her side burst into life once more, the flames reaching higher than the princess stood tall. She flinched at the unexpected reaction but knew she couldn't hesitate now. She could hear the something within the trees moving, making no effort to hide its approach as crack breaking branches echoed throughout the clearing, giving Ariana a vague idea as to its size. She knew it couldn't be Vill'Kern, she had always marveled at how quietly the warrior walked for someone his size.


"Hail, Guardian of the Watch Tower of the West. I call the powers of Intervention and Water to me. Wash away those that stand to opose me, and purify the negative thoughts wished unto me. Cleanse the evil within this tome, and allow no more harm to come. As I will, so let it be." Ariana's eyes widened as she realized she had nothing prepared as a representation of the final element, looking around desperately for something she could use as the resounding thuds of whatever approached drew closer. Sweat dribbled soon the princess's face as panic began to edge into her mind, knowing she wouldn't be able to reach the lake and return in time before whatever the Book had summoned had reached the clearing. She needed to think. She needed time. She needed her damn sweat matted hair to stay out of her eyes long enough to locate-


Ariana drew her hand across her brow, touching her fingers thoughtlessly to the leather cover of the Book to press the sweat coating her digits to its being firmly, prayer it would be close enough to complete the binding ritual. The princess couldn't breathe for several long, drawn out seconds as she waited for something- anything- to happen.


Just when all hope seemed lost to the princess, a gust of wind the strength of which was completely out of place outside of a horrific storm swept through the clearing, extinguishing the fire to leave Ariana in only the light of the moon.


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What exactly was going on? It all was running way too fast before his eyes, but all he could make out of it was that Ariana could see what was written in the Book, he could see her several gazes to it. He was ready at anytime to run and block her in place, was she to grab everything and leave, intending to go north, controlled by the Book's will, but it didn't seem the case, for the moment. He watched her backing away and falling to her knees, clutching at his sword as the aura about him, which became visible to him, started spreading all about, fighting the dark infection of the Book fiercely, not allowing it to go past and engulf the grom again. But what about the princess? She was struggling heavily, her pain striking him as well, making him cringe.


Just as it happened so, he felt himself pulled away from the reality he was living through at the moment. He found himself caught in a restricted, dark space, full of that grim energy that crushed the princess under its tremendous force, confining him, trying to engulf him. If he would have had claustrophobia, he'd be probably dying of fear there, and even without such an impediment, he still felt a chill rising from the core of his own being, while something caught his eyes. The nightmarish eyes that stared into his very soul at the beggining of their journey, while he was on the verge of death by infection, when Ariana had saved his life.


The eyes once more penetrated through his core, and he felt that overwhelming fear, but took a deep breath as he tried to reluctantly pull away from it. And again that echoing, ominous voice around him, speaking to him in a threatening manner as he felt the darkness fold him slowly, with enough strength to make him feel a slight pain in his bones.


The princess is mine, and you cannot stop it. She has been infected, she sees the writings, she will not be able to escape from my chains, she will be my vessel, and you will die like a fool, trying to save your beloved Ariana, but it will be too late, just as it is now. Valysia will be bowing down to my will, not knowing that, whether they accept me or not, i will still destroy them all, and occupy the lands with my troops of undead, demons and all the glorious beasts of Ancient Times. This land is and will always be mine. Your demise is drawing near.





The voice boomed furious and painful in his head, making him cringe and grit his teeth, while the aura about him bursted out in a wave, bestowing light upon his mind and pushing away the darkness, waking him up to the undeniable reality, just in time for him to notice the princess take off her tunic, and move the Book down in the middle of a... ritual circle? What has been going on during his absence, trapped in his own mind? He couldn't tell.


He watched with interest as she started chanting in a tongue he couldn't understand. What was she doing? Was she doing a spell of teleportation? He expected her to suddenly vanish from his sight in a giant shadow, lost forever. But it wasn't so. She placed dirt upon the Book, and paused for a second, before going on, chanting again. The heavy presence grew even bigger on him, and he could now hear it, clearly. He drawn his sword, trying his best not to dash forward and stop the princess from her ritual, yet something making him refrain from doing so, as a premonition.


She now finished the second row of chanting, and blew air against the book, making him raise his eyebrow in utter confusion, but watching on, now even more curious what the ending of this ritual would be. He almost jumped up as the book started reacting insanely once more, and clutched the Oath Of Penitence even harder, as it burnt in his hand. The shield of energy about his body stormed and raged out, extending past the darkness and mixing with it in a constant fight. He could now hear the sounds of whatever being was approaching to attack, and struggled to keep his focus on it, to detect it and to slay it, while the princess chanted once more, causing him to stay in a place and watch with intense anxiety.


With the third chant, he saw the fire blow as if in an explosion, getting startled that the princess could have got burnt in the process, but as it didn't seem so, he listened to her last row of chanting and... panick? That was it, she was looking about, desperate, while the unknown being approached even more, Vill'Kern being tensed to his very core and ready to dash and shield her away. What was going on? Did she fail in her self assigned task? He widened his eyes as he watched her press her sweat coated fingers to the book, and the gust of stormy wind blow over her and extinguishing the fire, while she remained there, on her knees, almost half naked, lit only by the Moon, but also, he felt the heavy presence vanish without a print. He immediately stood and ran to her, kneeling before her as he placed his hand upon her bare shoulder, looking into her eyes.


"Ariana! Are you alright? Say something!"


He prayed to everything he could nothing bad happened to her.
 
Ariana shielded her face with her arms as the wind raged against her from all directions, fighting to remain in one place as the torrential gust forced her petite frame from side to side. The princess was certain she was about to be carried away by the sheer force of it all when her windswept hair unexpectedly fell back about her shoulders like a sudden downpour, the wind abruptly calming to a gentle breeze, fading as suddenly as it had arrived.


Ariana remained in her defensive position for a long moment after the world about her seemed to be restored to its proper order, terrified the ritual had backfired on her. If she were to open her tightly clenched eyes right at this moment, what would she see? The Book of Dark Arts laying harmlessly within the confines of the circle of power she had drawn out of ash, or the entity that had spoken within her mind mere minutes earlier hovering above the now empty Book, waiting for her to open her eyes and witness the horror she had unleashed upon Valysia before it took possession of her body? The princess couldn't sense anything amiss within the clearing, but the dark power had already proven itself capable of warping her mind.


Ariana was spared having to work up the courage to force herself to look at what she had done however, at least for the moment, by a loud rustling noise followed by several thudding footsteps, seemingly coming right at her. The princess looked up in time to see Vill'Kern kneel in front of her, shocked it was the warrior before her and not whatever beast the Book had been summoning with the last of its power before being sealed. It took several moments for her surprise muddled mind to process what he had asked of her, slowly turning her wide eyed gaze from the frantic mercenary to the Book of Dark Arts behind him.


The Book rested within the confines of the circle still, no apparent unearthly shadow the princess had been dreading anywhere in sight, though the magical symbol was no longer inscribed with ash. The fine dust must have been blown away in the wind storm, revealing every detail of the circle of power had been burned into the luscious grass. The marking way visible even in the almost nonexistent light, the freshly burned ground still glowing a faint orange as if it might ignite again at any moment. Unable to locate any other distraction to delay the moment of truth, trying as she may to procrastinate the moment as long as possible, Ariana turned her attention directly to the Book, bracing herself for the worst.


Four bands of seemingly solid energy ran the length of now closed Book, the colourful apparatuses standing out in stark relief against the black leather of the cover of the now contained text. Two apparent rays of light encased the height of the Book, an almost transparent silver band on the right side of the tome and a cool blue on the left, while two more beams of concentrated energy forced the Book to remain closed across its width, a pure gold force across the top of the caged text and a fiery red band running the length of the bottom. Air to the east, water to the west, earth to the north, and fire to the south. Not an ounce of malicious energy slipped from between the resonating forces.


"It worked," Ariana whispered in disbelieve as she stared at the sealed Book of Dark Arts, stunned her ritual had been actually been successful. A wide grin slowly tugged at the princess's lips as turned her gaze back to the warrior holding onto her shoulder as if he thought she might keel over at any moment. An elated laugh escaped her without resistance as Ariana threw her arms around Vill'Kern's neck in celebration. "It actually worked!"


"It was a binding ritual, using the four elements. That was the page the grimoire opened to, when the books acted of their own accord. The Book of Dark Arts was trying to influence me to taint the crystal, so it could never be purified." After several long moments of simply relishing in her victory, very content to remain in the warrior's arms for the rest of the foreseeable future, Ariana became aware of her surroundings enough to recognize Vill'Kern's bafflement, biting her lip as she realized she should probably explain what had happened before he assumed the Book had taken over her mind.


"I'm sorry I lied. The... entity in control of the book was putting images in my mind, showing me how to complete the desecration... It required a blood sacrifice." Ariana pulled away from the warrior enough to smile apologetically at him, trying to convey the sincerity behind her words. Her voice darkened as she continued with her explanation, recalling the longing she had felt to do anything to please the sweet voice whispering in the back of her mind. "It saw Innis as a very suitable candidate for the task. The voice was very... compelling with it is nearby. That shouldn't be a problem anymore, though. The dark aura will be contained to its pages as long as the enchantment holds."


"Where is the little imp? Is it okay?" Ariana looked around the clearing, extending her senses to beyond the trees when she couldn't spot the creature. She smiled as she felt its aura a fair distance away, still slumbering undisturbed. The little thing really must have been tired. She could sense little more within the trees, leading her to believe the creature the Book had been drawing towards them had moved on when it had been freed of its influence. The princess turned her attention back to Vill'Kern when she noticed another change in his aura, staring at the visible shield like power surrounding his being. "Are you okay? Your aura is like fire."


Ariana's face felt as if were on fire when she suddenly realized why she had such an advantageous awareness of his aura, lowering her face in an attempt to hide her blush behind her hair as the the princess surreptitiously glanced around in search of her tunic. "I- I still need to purify the crystal."
 
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He kept patting her shoulder, unsure of what exactly had been struck into her that she wasn't speaking, only staring almost blankly. He watched her turn her head, and followed her gaze to the Book. His eyes grew wide as he saw the magic resembling a cage tightly wrapped about the evil scripture, not letting it open up anymore. What exactly was that? Something good, probably, he thought, feeling as the dark aura was dispersed, and the book didn't let any other corruption out of it. He registered her words, and only opened his arms just after he felt her press tightly against him in an embrace, her bare portions of skin touching against him in such manner it made him feel a slight unease, a pleasant one, but carefully containing his reactions, he placed his arms about her.


He could feel her happiness and the pride bursting out of her small embodiment, her smile shining ever so visible while she pulled back from his embrace. He looked upon her, but couldn't hold his gaze still, it kept going downwards, as if some heavy weights tugged at it. His gaze firstly fell upon her bare, white skinned neck. He imagined the pleasure he would feel biting into that soft flesh and hearing her breath. He was indeed broken away from the present situation, deepened in thousands of fantasies that in their time lasted for only about four seconds, but in his, they were going on for hours. His gaze fell even lower, over the slip that barely covered her upper torso, then even lower, on the soft skin of her stomach and then...


What in the name of murder am i doing? He questioned himself, as his face turned red in a mere second, with the realisation. She had probably already seen his blatant staring upon her young body, she probably was scared of him now. She probably believed he will leap over and have his way with her by force, and was already set to run away from him. All the train of thoughts was broken by her voice, and he was pulled back in the real time, only to be faced one more with her half bare body, and her red face, just as red as his, while she seeked out her tunic. With a slightly trembling hand he pointed it out to her, trying to set his gaze anywhere away from the obvious temptation that was right before him.


He finally looked away, once more admiring the peaceful night that was soon coming to an end, and felt the chill that was rising in the absence of the fire, extinguished by the stormy wind. He spoke softly.


"Well, it seems we're safe. For now. The dark god appeared in my mind again, during the ritual. It tried to infest my thoughts with the lie that you have already given yourself to it. Tried to intimidate me and make me abandon my cause. But i will not. This is when my aura turned out again. I... i think something has indeed changed within me after my return from the dead"
 
Ariana almost wished the beast the Book of Dark Arts had been summoning had arrived within the clearing, if only it would spare her from her current state of embarrassment. How could she not only have forgotten her improper state of dress, but also go so far as to throw herself at the warrior as if she were some common street wench? Her excitement at the small victory over the dark entity was no excuse to act so rashly, as if she had lose sight of her rigid upbringing. The princess's hopes of being able to locate her tunic before Vill'Kern noticed her indecent appearance were cruelly dashed as the warrior directed her attention to the discarded garment, pointedly keeping his gaze towards the trees.


Were it possible to die of embarrassment Ariana would already be at the end of their journey. She could feel the blood pounding in her ears, heating her featurings as if she were in the throes of a wicked fever, as the princess forced herself not to all but run to the piece of attire she could no longer see the wisdom in having removed. Ariana kept her senses to herself for the first time in her memory, certain her rapidly beating heart couldn't handle the extra stress of Vill'Kern's disapproving emotions. In all honesty, she didn't want the memory of his disappointment in her etched into her mind until the end of her days.


Ariana paused as she knelt by the edge of the pool of water where her tunic had landed after the windstorm, clutching the garment to her chest to salvage what little of her dignity remained. She tentatively peeked at the warrior as he began to speak, caught off guard by his serious tone of voice. The princess held her breath as not to miss a word as he told what had occurred between himself and the dark entity that seemed so fond of entering others' minds without invitation while she had been busy performing the ritual. Ariana's hand not currently occupied with the crystal clenched in the material she held firmly to her person, furious with herself for not making sure Vill'Kern had travelled a safe enough distance away from the clearing before engaging the Book of Dark Arts. Was she trying to get him killed again? Her actions recently seemed to favour the entity's cause rather than their own.


"You are not the only one that will not give in to that poor excuse of a poltergeist. I won't allow it to take my body, no matter the cost. You have my word." Ariana attempted to smile reassuringly at the brooding warrior, though the resolve behind her words rang true. She has already taken in to consideration the effect the Book had been able to have on her mind, making her doubt her former belief she would be able to stand firm against the dark spirit itself should the worst happen. No, she could no longer take the chance it would be able to influence her into accepting the crystals' energy, thus providing it with the vessel it needed. There were pages upon pages of different kinds of poisons within the grimoire, she would create the most suitable toxin and keep it with her at all times, unwavering in her decision to destroy her body before allowing the entity to inhabit it.


"Do you... remember much of what happened?" Ariana asked hesitantly in regards to Vill'Kern's return from the afterlife, her thoughts of dark specters and gruesome poisons forgotten in favour of hearing his words. The princess had a thousand and one questions for the warrior regarding what had happened to him after his death, but she had forced herself to hold her tongue as not to overwhelm the recently resurrected man. Even now she had to bite her cheek to keep the questions from tumbling from between her lips in a relentless torrent.


Ariana glanced around the clearing for something to distract herself from bombarding the warrior with her enquiries as he gathered his thoughts, her eyes catching on the large, descending moon in surprise. She had lost track of time, wasting precious minutes in her own little world while she should have been completing the purification process. There wasn't much time before the moon would be completely hidden from view, and her chance would be lost for the night. Who was to say when the next time she would have another opportunity such as this, or if she would have one at all.


With the crystal clutched tightly within her grasp Ariana stepped into the chilled water of the clearing's lake, shivering as the water steadily rose to encase her form the further she moved into the clear liquid until the princess came to a stop with the colder than expected water just below her shoulders. It surely wasn't as far as she had need to go, but with her tunic once again laying discarded on the ground she was willing to deal with the discomfort to hide her shame. She had even considered leaving her trousers on the shore as well, but the thought had barely passed through her mind before she had begun stepping through the water, a blush burning her cheeks and her pants securely fastened in place.


Taking a deep, calming breath Ariana tilted her head back to look up upon the unbelievably large moon with half lidded eyes, her long hair floating in the water around her like whisps of fog as she once again began to perform the purification ritual. "By water I cleanse you..."
 
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He was trying his best not to take one more peek at Ariana, knowing what thoughts this would put through his head. He all but hoped she would cover her body with the tunic, before he could no longer and gave in to the temptation of stealing another glimpse. What age could she be, anyway? He asked himself while looking upon the shadow of a tree. He dismissed the question by throwing in another, wondering if the grom had awakened and if it now wandered through the forest in search for them. No, that couldn't be possible, he'd probably hear the little thing's cries out for him and Ariana.


Ariana, he thought, tempted once more to take a peek at her. Probably she had already dressed, as he heard, slightly, the sound of the leather of the tunic ruffling. After all, what was even the point of himself shying away from delighting himself with... with what? The sight of some more visible skin than usual. Since when was he acting like a shy teen? He couldn't even keep the count of the women he's had before. Yes, but those were simple tavern wenches, who have no other purpose than entertaining the generous clients, his conscience spoke out loud in his mind. She is a princess, she has royal blood flowing through her veins, humblings in her kingdom would have to keep their heads down should they ever meet her, so their gaze wouldn't be blessed with the sight of her wonder. But was it so? Was Khorinys really that cruel? No, it couldn't, last time he visited that city, he saw an ever growing prosper community.


Though, the idea of staring once more at the princess' frail embodiment was indeed shameless, even for him. She was a delicate being, probably not even of age, and pure... Wait! Pure! The mad king has clearly specified that the princess would be brought to him pure, untouched, a maid. So, if he was to desecrate her, she would no longer match as a valid vessel. But what if the evil god found another one? She wasn't the only maid in whole Valysia. Though, she was the only capable of bearing the energy of a god, helped by the Khorinyan crystals. But how could he exactly do so? He couldn't really force her, she would probably fear it even if he told her it would help their cause... No! That was not an option, and he knew it all too well. They had to find another way.


His train of thoughts was however abruptly forced to a halt as she questioned him about how was it. How was in death and what happened beyond the realm of mortals. He turned his gaze to her, again with a red face due to realising what exactly he has been thinking up to then, and, taking a deep breath, he spoke to her the whole experience.


"It was... like nothing ever before. It was a whole, empty field. Nothing. I walked it, and as i did, i was starting to forget you and all the things related to the living... and then, i met my parents. They were there, young, as always, awaiting for me to come, so we could all go together to... eternity. I turned back into a child, and just then, The Nine Ancients pulled me back. They blessed me with their spirits, they entitled me as "Punisher" and they placed the sacred duty of saving all of Valysia upon my shoulders, before... fusing with my spirit. And returning me to life. It was... huge"


He trailed off of speach, as he witnessed her step in to the water, with wide eyes. What was she doing? Anything she would do, he hoped she wouldn't catch a cold, and as she chanted once more, he watched careful, for any signs of threat, while she... she resembled perfectly a priestess of the Water Element, standing there, in the water, and chanting.
 
"By water I cleanse you, release your hold upon all of which you contain, and start anew in the warmth of the moon's embrace. Draw your power from my light, and never again give in to the night." Ariana smiled blissfully into the rapidly fading night sky as she felt the negative influence exit the crystal in her grasp with little resistance, no longer impeded by the dark aura contained within the Book of Dark Arts. Or perhaps it was the beautiful picture Vill'Kern painted of the afterlife within her mind the gave her strength, lending her the energy she needed to rid the small patch of paradise of the last traces of negativity.


The crystal within the princess's grasp thrummed with pure, unrefined energy, swirling about her within the depths of the water like a gently tornado. Ariana's smile widened as she felt the warmth of the precious stone's power encase her, chasing away the chill of the frigid depths as if the crystal was trying to convey its gratitude of being freed of the oppressive darkness it had been forced to suffer through for so long while it had been attached to the cover of the Book of Dark Arts, unable to free itself of the Mad Mage's wicked will.


"Thank you," Ariana murmured in response to the impression she received from the crystal, raising the gem stone from the clutches of the lake to touch the chilled crystal to her smiling lips. The princess hadn't forgotten the assistance it had offered her despite the possibility of it being completely drained of the last of its power, never to regain its light, while she had been caught within the throes of the Book of Dark Arts horrible, crushing power. She wasn't certain she would have been able to pull herself back from the terrible pain it had caused her, threatening to destroy her mind, until it quite possibly led to either her untimely demise or her unquestioning servitude to the entity channeled within the Book's pages, a fate worse than death. "Thank you for everything."


When the cool water began to be too much for the princess's shivering body she started back towards the shore with the purified crystal in hand, disappointed she had been unable to proper scrub the dirt seemingly permanently engrained within her skin and hair, but satisfied nonetheless she had been able to accomplish as much as she had within her limited time frame. The heat returned to Ariana's face as she stepped out of the water and on to the solid ground, painfully aware of the water logged garments clinging uncomfortably to her trembling form like a second skin.


Ariana hurried to retrieve her tunic, once again forcing herself to keep from running in an attempt to at least appear as if she weren't making a mad dash for the discarded material, grasping at the fabric to help chase away the chill just as much as to cover her indecently exposed midriff. Unfortunately, she had barely thrown the half leather, half cotton garment about her shoulders before the cool water drenching her form seeped into the fabric as well, offering the princess no hope of escaping the frigid chill engulfing her until the material dried, presumably once the sun had risen high in the sky, and the trio were already travelling towards Hyeris as Vill'Kern had planned for them.


Thinking of the warrior, Ariana subtly glanced at the man, her eyes widening in a mixture of surprise and embarrassment as she caught his gaze. Clearing her throat as an excuse to raise her free hand in an attempt to hide her rapid spreading blush, the princess glanced away, mulling over his words describing rhe afterlife in her mind. It sounded truly magnificent, and it eased her guilty conscience knowing the people of Khorinys, her father included, were resting peacefully in such a wonderous place. One day she would be able to meet them there, though no day soon, standing before her people with pride in her eyes, knowing their deaths had not been in vein.


Looking back to the warrior, Ariana's guilt made itself known once more, recalling the pain and longing she had sensed from his aura when he had spoke of his parents. How terrible to finally be reunited with them, only to be torn away again from them again so quickly, so cruelly, to be forced back into this terrible reality, with the crushing responsible of saving all of Valysia upon his shoulders. A lesser man would have crumbled beneath the stress alone, yet there Vill'Kern sat, speaking of his sacred duty as if he were speaking of what he next planned to catch for dinner. A living legend, indeed.


Tentatively Ariana crossed to clearing, the soft grass tickling her ankles as she moved across the wide space to the warrior. She paused to set the now pristine crystal upon the cover of the Khorinian codex, certain the gem would be safe upon its cover, before she crossed the last the distance between them to kneel before the warrior.


"I'm sorry you had to leave your parents again," Ariana murmured sympathetically in Vill'Kern's ear, slowly winding her arms about the warrior's neck to hide the tears burning the backs of her eyes at his loss. "I'm sorry this responsibility has fallen to you, but I'm not sorry you are alive now."


Ariana pulled away from the warrior, wincing as she noticed the imprint of moisture she had left on his person, visible in the light of the dawn, her blush burning anew as she realized how rashly she had acted again. "And I'm sorry I've gotten you wet. I'll go get the imp while you, ah, dry off."
 
He watched her ritual catch up once more, this time, seeming way simpler than the first. He watched her with a smile across his lips as she just exorcized the crystal, forcing the dark energy to leave the shell and vanish into ether, not even able to oppose. Was it because of his aura? Because of his new... ability? Or simply the princess was much stronger than he'd thought? He did recall the many moments she pulled through without his help, so, she wasn't that weak and helpless. He watched the energy of the now clean crystal embrace her, just like his newly gained aura embraced him, just as he felt.


He could clearly see, with the darkness slowly but surely dissipating, how she was shivering in the water. And yet, why did he still long to see her full again? It was as if she had read his thoughts and delivered, as he watched her retreat from the confines of the cold liquid, her body more and more visible by each step she took to the edge of the lake. She now looked even better than before, her body drenching with water to the bone. He couldn't but notice the wild side of the princess, as just earlier she has established a full comunion with the nature, asking of it for help in her ritual. So this was the unseen face of the fairest of all maidens. It couldn't but cause him a smile.


He watched how she, once more, was shying away, trying to cover herself with the tunic, but failing, thus remaining still in her drenched garments and the slip about her upper torso, drenched as well, so drenched that he could clearly distinguish her so wished covered self. And this time, he didn't find it embarrasing in the least, more over, he found it actually enjoyable stealing a peek or two at her, while she flailed about, shaking and cold. He watched her as she finally gave up on the tunic, crystal and everything and embraced him. He felt her cold body against him, a sensation so intense he could barely contain it, as he embraced her back, while he listened to her words, and replied with his own.


"It is okay, Ariana... i will fight for this world, and for you, to the end of it all. Even if it will all crumble around, i will take care that no piece of it would fall upon your head and kill you. I promise." He looked her in the eyes as she pulled back, and suggested that she'd get the grom. The tornado inside him, on the other hand, was forcing his whole being to give in to desire. There she was, right before him, what was he waiting for? No. "The grom has to wait, for now" He whispered as he gazed directly into her eyes. His own burnt with the longing, the longing to kiss her, to feel her against him. She was his just as he stated out loud for the dark god to hear. And he was hers.





The very moments after were the storm inside him growing and expanding to the outside, as he embraced her feverishly, and kissed her, slowly, soon enough making out with her while he let himself get driven away by the storm, watching with a blurred gaze as everything was blooming more, and more, as the first rays of the new day gazed upon them, bestowing their smile of warmth upon the whole place.


The few hours later found them, laying down on the grass, embraced, but still clothed as they were when it all came down. Vill'Kern vaguely remembered how, in the storm of events, almost made love to the princess, but how she, dizzy and somewhat scared, stopped him at the right time, before it was all too late. He watched her as she slept, as he just awakened, feeling the light of the sun somewhat hurt his eyes, but remaining there only for the sake of the princess that slept so peacefully at his side. He remained wondering if the grom was already awake. Or not.
 
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Ariana smiled blissfully up at the warrior slowly leading her in an intricate dance about the spacious terrace of Khorinys's second most highest tower, the simple melody of the hired orchestra reaching the pair through the closed double glass doors of the kingdom's designated ball room, separating them from the dozens upon dozens of politicians and citizens alike gathered to celebrate the princess's coming of age. The princess herself, dressed in a beautifully woven white gown, rested her head against Vill'Kern's armour adorned chest as they slow revolved around the pure marble patio in the gracious light of the full moon, feeling as if she may float away from the pure elation she felt at being within the confines of the legendary mercenary's protective embrace. An unrestrained laugh escaped smiling lips as Vill'Kern unexpectedly tilted her body back in a wide arch across his unyielding arm, the world momentarily being thrown up side down for the joyous princess, before she was once again pulled back against the substantial being of the warrior.


Ariana cast an amused glanced through her eyelashes at the man intimately holding the princess against his person, the figure no longer resembling Vill'Kern but that of the head of her royal guard charged with her protection since Ariana had been a child, the young man a fair size smaller than the warrior now responsible for watching over the princess and at least a head shorter, though he too had been known as the strongest. The strongest warrior Khorinys had seen in at least a century. Warm green eyes stared down upon her in an unbearably familiar fond gaze, unruly brown hair falling unattended into the man's eyes as he lended forward to speak directly into the princess's ear.


"You've surprised me again, Firefly," The voice like chimes laughed in Ariana's ear, causing a wide smile to pull at the princess's lips. She had only been referred to by such an endearment by three people in her short life, her mother before she had fallen ill to an unknown ailment- the creator of the nickname, deemed appropriate by the princess's penchant for being in one place at one moment and gone the next- her father, who had continued to indulge in the nickname after his wife's passing as a means of honouring her, and the princess's guardian himself, who had sworn to never allow Ariana to forget the kindness of her mother when the princess had confided in the man one night of her terrible fear of forgetting her mother's warmth after the queen's untimely death.


"I never thought you would be so easily fooled by a wolf in a sheep's skin." The knight continued in the same amused tone, causing the princess's graceful steps to falter, tilting her no longer smiling face back to look questioningly up at her former guardian. The knight continued to smile down upon her, though the princess now felt as if he were mocking her rather than celebrating the occasion with her. The man caught a lock of her hair between his fingers as he had done so often in the past before he continued, speaking to the princess as if she were a disobedient child.


"Do you really think he wants you for anything more than your body, Firefly? He is playing with your fragile emotions, attempting to break your spirit before he hands you over to the senile mage Samon and his round circle of tricksters to use you however they see fit. The Slayer will leave you in such a purgatory with a bag of gold in his hand and without a regret in his mind. Did you truly believe such a beast was capable of love?" The still smiling knight drew the stunned princess into his embrace, continuing his cruel words despite the tears gathering in the corners of her eyes.


"That barbarian has been tricking you since the beginning. Isumron is not the enemy. He swore to your father he would protect you should anything ever happen to the king, and he has been seeking you out tirelessly, frightened for your safety, since the fall of Khorinys, a plan developed from the twisted mind of the devil himself. He wants little more than to defile your purity, the last feat left to conquer on Elos, before he moves on to the next continent. There is not even a province known as Merchantar across the Fiery Sea, he created the story as a way of gaining your sympathy." Ariana's formly guardian gently pushed the silently weeping princess from his embrace, smiling kindly down upon her as he if were commenting on the festivities rather than breaking the young girl's heart.


"He killed me, you know," Ariana felt something warm splatter across her face as her dearest friend spoke, raising a trembling hand to touch the liquid in a daze. Drawing her hand in front of her face to catch the red coating her fingers in the light slipping from the large chamber beyond the glass doors, the princess's gaze slipped from the unidentified substance to the knight, a gasp catching in her throat at the scene before her.


Vill'Kern stood just beyond her guardian's shoulder as he glared down upon her with eyes like ice, a cruel excuse for a smile twisting his lips into a scowl. The Ninth Penitence had been struck completely through her knight's chest, most certainly striking him through the heart, impaling the still smiling royal guard until the blade dripping with his blood rested just above the princess's heart, the crimson liquid slowly spreading throughout the white material of her dress until it appeared as if she had been injured as well.


"He struck me from behind while I was coming to find you, after the beast had finished with your father. Don't let him kill you too, Firefly. Escape while you still can."


Ariana awoke with a gasp, immediately sitting up right as if she had been doused with icy water. She looked about her surroundings frantically, searching for her bleeding knight, knowing she needed to bind the wound before he bled out, before her wide eyes landed on the warrior at her side. The princess stared at Vill'Kern in stunned fear for several long moments as her mind processed the situation, desperately trying to remember why she had been laying with the murderer of her people.


A dream. She had been dreaming, though it was like no dream she had ever experienced before. She could remember the cool breeze caressing against her skin, a stark contrast to the warmth radiating from her guardian as she had rested within the confines of his embrace. She could still feel his warm blood dripping down her face, forcing a trembling hand to her features to make sure the terrible liquid was not still there. Had it truly only been a dream? She could remember every detail so clearly, his warning still ringing in her ears, and the urge to run as far as she could thrumming in her blood.


Yes, a dream. It had only been a dream. But did that truly mean there was no truth behind what she had seen? Never before had her guardian led her astray. The events of the previous night, the pressure and the panic she had felt while laying beneath the giant warrior, the warning her knight had given her, accompanied with the heart break and disbelief she had felt, now mixed together with the discontentment and annoyance she could sense from the warrior until Ariana could no longer decipher between what was real and what had been in her mind. After what felt like an eternity she stood, needing time to think and to breathe before the princess could decide what was truth and what was a figment of her imagination.


"I need to finish reading through the texts before we go to your senile old mage." Ariana stated without emotion, moving almost mechanically towards the pile of books and pages she had yet to read through. She drew the first book she could reach into her grasp as soon as the pile was within arms length, refusing to look up until she could quell the storm of uncertainty and mistrust raging in her mind.
 
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What exactly has been happening? He was laying, calm, peaceful, thinking of their next trip, that would take them to Hierys, and about Samon. Was he really being honest? Would they find friends, or foes? It was true, the old man led him to his death, and tested a potion on him, not knowing exactly what the result of it would be, but he didn't seem to be lying about his own allegiance with him and the princess. Well, it was only some matter of time until they found out.


He felt the princess' distress while being caught within his arms, and not only once. He watched her facial expressions switch back and forth, and mumbling something beneath her breath. He could feel her body tensing up, and he started worrying. Was the evil entity slipping into her mind and distorting her dreams? That must be it, he now knew what the damned thing was capable of. And just before he could react, he saw her jumping out of his embrace, as if something just struck her.


He looked her up, seeing the horrified look on her face. But not only horrified. Angry, rageful, hateful. It was all there, before him, like an open book to read. With a raised eyebrow he continued looking at her, trying to understand, and wanting to ask her what was wrong. He could feel the switch of mood as she focused her attention to him and spoke. No, she didn't speak, she hissed words with hate at him. Damn, if her words could throw punches, he'd have a heavy nosebleed and a few swallowed teeth. That nightmare must've been horrible that it turned her so mad. Or was it the fact that just a few hours ago he was close to bedding her? It couldn't be, he remembered apologizing to her, then cuddling with her into sleep.


But who knew, feminine logic was kinda messed up as he knew it, so everything was possible. But her words rang in his ears. Your senile old mage. So now, that was his cause? Only his? They were following the same trail together, and now she put it all on his back? As if saving Valysia and taking care of the one he fell for, of her, wasn't enough, he now had to put up with her moods? He felt the raging need to stand and ask her straightaway just what the hell has happened to her, but on a second thought, he knew that was only going to cause more and more rage, leading them nowhere and probably offering the evil entity some good laugh at this show. No. They didn't have to do that. But for how long was she going to keep it up this way?


Moving to sitting position, he watched her as she grabbed a book and tried to close herself within its words, and spoke, as calm as he could, yet feeling a slight fear emerging from deep within his core.


"Listen... I'm... sorry for earlier, I don't know what got into me I... really don't know" He tried to apologize, sighing with defeat. He had no idea of how to bring up a proper apology, he never did such, he never apologized for anything. And the slight fear that she might pull away even more from him was giving him an even harder time. "Listen. Samon may have driven us into a disaster last time, but i do not think he is evil... he's just a lunatic old man... But should anything happen, i'm here, and i'll give my life once more if it's needed to save you"


He sighed once more, having the slight impression that the princess wasn't listening to him, deepened in her book, and finally went to start placing the rest of his armor back on his body, while a thousand words ran through his head, over and over again. The evil god had to have something to do with this. Or his earlier behavior. Maybe... both? An idea popped into his mind. What if the entity saw it all, and now poisoned her mind? Weak hypothesis, but it all tied too well. During his thinking, from the bushes emerged the green little grom, careless as always, holding the envelope opener into its grasp and looking to both Ariana and Vill'Kern.


"What do? How gots I forest sleep?"
 
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Ariana stared blindly down upon the book in her grasp, the hand written script lost to her as she concentrated on Vill'Kern's words and the emotions behind them. He seemed genuinely contrite about her cold response towards him, and his aura revibrated throughout the small area in defeat, but was the cause of such distress truly due to the princess's actions, or was he mourning the lost opportunity of accomplishing his final 'conquest' on Elos before he delivered Ariana over to her unfortunate fate at the hands of Samon and the High Council? The princess could recall in vivid detail each and every risk the warrior had preformed while he had been defending her life, but was that truly for the sake of Ariana herself, or for the sake of the reward promised to him once he had delivered her to his employers? How much did she really know about the man other than what she thought she had seen, his actions a stark contradiction from the legends of The Slayer she had grown up listening to.


Escape while you still can, Firefly. Ariana could still hear the warning her deceased knight had given her echoing in the back of her mind like an endless loop. Had it really been a message from beyond the grave, from her guardian who had sworn to watch over her, even if his body was no longer capable of doing such, or was it a cruel manipulation of the entity wishing to take possession of her body? Was there really a corrupt being in seek of her form? She hadn't actually encountered the spirit for herself, she had only been listening to Vill'Kern's description of the force he claimed to visit him in his mind.


He killed me, you know. But there was other evidence, wasn't there? The Mad Mage they had so recently encountered, the very same one Vill'Kern had lost his life to, had spoke of a God, and had said that she was the one it seeked. But Vorath had been rumoured to have gone mad centuries ago, long before this entity had been trying to make a place for itself in the world of the living, and it had been Samon that had directed them towards the wicked wizard in the first place. What if the story of the entity was a fabrication, ment to force the princess to rely on Vill'Kern until he had transported her to Hierys? But he had died, she had felt his aura leave his body herself!


Don't let him kill you too, Firefly. But it was impossible to return from the dead, wasn't it? Ariana had stated it countless times herself, it was a law of nature that no soul could be returned to life once it had entered the afterlife. Samon had given Vill'Kern a dozen potions before that had embarked on their 'journey', had he not? Who was to say one of those vials hadn't contained an elixir that could cause a sleep so deep it mimicked a state of death?


That barbarian has been tricking you since the beginning. But the Forbidden Labyrinth-! But what? The warrior had found the entrance so easily, and he had barely argued with the princess when she had wanted to travel through it, when the logical choice would have been to turn back and take the path he knew to lead to their destination. Unless he already knew where the tunnels would lead.


After the beast had finished with your father.


"Were you the one to strike down the king?" Ariana blurted out breathlessly after several long moments of strained silence, no longer able to contain the question burning in her throat like poison. The princess felt as if the words might suffocate her if she did not give voice to her burden of a question, lodged in her throat aside her pounding heart. She needed to hear the words from Vill'Kern himself, to sense the emotions behind his answer and deem for herself if the man truly was what he claimed to be.


"I do not trust Samon after the fate he so willingly sent you to meet, and I... I am no longer certain I can trust my own thoughts. But... but I trust in you, so whatever answer you give me I will believe, so please..." Ariana trailed off, looking to the warrior for the first time since she had buried her nose in the Mad Mage's books, her eyes conveying the message she could not bare to speak aloud. So please, please tell me you weren't the one to end my father's life.





Ariana turned her gaze away from the warrior before he could reply as she heard a rustling in the tree, forcing a smile to her face as she recognized the drowsy aura making its way back towards the clearing before the familiar green head of the grom popped out from between the over grown bushes. The princess's tensed emotions eased slightly at the genuine confusion the little creature's aura wafted towards her, conbined with its almost constant curiosity and hunger, though she doubted the tension she felt would ever be completely eased from her being until the entity intent on taking possession of her body had returned to whatever hell from which it had came.


"You went for a little stroll in your sleep." Ariana answered in response to the grom's question, not entirely lying though she refrained from mentioning the moment in which it had attempted to steal Vill'Kern's life, and the warrior had been forced to use his newly developed aura to save the creature's soul. Would a heartless man capable of what she had been warned about in her dream gone to such lengths to safe an innocent being, or was that part of his ploy to steal the princess's heart before to sent her to her doom? Ariana strained to keep her expression friendly despite the inner turmoil she felt, as not to make the little creature think it was the cause of her unease. "We didn't wish to disturb your rest."


"Innis, do you know our names?" Ariana asked spontaneously, attempting to distract herself from her maddening thoughts as much as she was trying to keep the little being from questioning too much of her story. If the princess didn't think of some way to find the true answers she seeked she feared she would truly lose her mind.
 
He was trying as much to not pay attention to the princess. He busied himself first with placing and fixing the golden armor, so it will stay right on him, He then started rebuilding the fireplace again, so that after he could go on a small hunt, or send the grom, and make another meal, probably the last one they'll be having for days. But his mind worked feverishly, trying to think of anything that could cause the situation he was in now. He felt the pressure of her thoughts right upon him, into his back.


So, the Book has indeed tainted her mind... i hope i can save her before it's too late, he spoke to himself in his mind while finishing the fireplace. He was just about to place the last small log on the fireplace, when her question struck into his mind, ringing like a cursed bell. He remained staring for the second, and he didn't even feel how the log in his hand dropped. She mistrusted him? After all they've been through so far she still did not trust him? Moreover, she put her father's death into his hands? No, no, no, he must have misheard her question. But it couldn't, he was there, and her words rang cruely through him. It was true, he wasn't a saint himself, but he knew the truth, he never even got to meet her father alive, the only sight of the King being the impaled head at Khorinys' gates.


Turning around slowly, on his heels, he looked carefully behind as he did. He expected that such a question would be followed and accompanied by the unfriendly blade, threatening to stab through him should his words lack the ring of truth. But instead, he was faced with the princess' begging eyes, begging for the truth, and somewhat fearful that the truth would be that him murdered her father. He tried to calm down the feelings raging inside him the best he could, then, kneeling before the princess, so he could be at an acceptable sight, he spoke, in a calm manner, while looking her in the eyes.


"Listen, I may not be a saint. Hell, i'm the worst ever, i'm a cold blooded murderer, a vile, treacherous outlaw. I killed, i slaughtered, i betrayed only for my profit, i did things you'd never imagine a human being could do and i didn't even regret a second. In my darker years, i used to rape bunches of women and murder their children like there was no tomorrow. And then i would go to sleep, happy as if i did the kindest things in the world, awaiting a new day so i could storm another village and have my way with every woman i wanted"


He spoke the words clearly, and he was decided not to hide anything, not even the darkest and most sinister truths about him. At the next moment, his hands caught hers, gently enough, as he continued.


"But i never ever killed a king. Not even a prince. Relatives of kings and princes, such as cousins and so? Yes, i did murder such, but kings, princes, princesses, queens... never. I have never even had the chance to meet your father alive. If i did, he would've probably tried to shackle me and send me to work in your mines, and then, your city would've been in a great chaos, just like any other village or city who tried to get me in chains. Your father was long gone by the time i arrived and took you out of the tower"


Taking out his remaining dagger, he placed it into the princess' hand, and nodded.


"If you do not believe me... strike." He tilted his head to the side, leaving his neck visible and vulnerable. "Strike me, and punish me for the crime you think i did. The only regret i would have would be that i will never see you again... and that you will become a vessel for that despicable pathetic excuse for a god..."


He stood there, on his knees, awaiting for the princess to strike death into him, but instead, she questioned Innis, who responded immediately, not even minding the scene going on before its eyes.


"Yes. Knows name. You Nice-Girl-With-Shiny, and him... Hero" The little being responded, looking with its golden eyes into the princess' eyes.
 
Ariana strained her senses to catch every hint of emotion emanating from the seemingly stunned warrior's hurricane like aura as he froze above the reassembled fire pit in response to her abrupt and callous question, no longer trusting her eyes alone to capture every detail of importance she needed to know. Several emotions Ariana recognized all too well quelled for attention at the forefront of the mercenary's churning spirit, fighting to make themselves known as the dominant sense within his mind.


Shock for several seconds before the sense faltered in favour of indignation, an emotion starting out as a small ember before it gained momentum and spread, spreading and growing into an undeniable flame, also known as outrage. There was also dread peppered through The Slayer's- no, he referred to himself as The Punisher earlier, did he not? It would wise not to question the change.- Ariana could sense The Punisher's dread, though it was weak in comparison to his anger, and it was impossible to know for sure if the cause was his fear of her mind possibly being convoluted by the dark entity they claimed to seek, or if the emotion stemmed from his missed opportunity to bed the princess.


There was something else as well lurking within the depth's of the warrior's aura, an emotion Ariana knew all too well but seemed so out of place in the man's over whelming spirit. Hurt. Yes, the princess was quite familiar with that particular emotion, but the fleeting glimpses she received of the cold feeling seemed almost alien within Vill'Kern's burning presence.


Before Ariana had a better chance to isolate the almost nonexistent emotion, to memorize the feeling and truly be reassured Vill'Kern had felt something other than irritation at her words, the warrior was before her, kneeling down to her level to look the princess directly in the eye as he spoke to her of his sordid past.


There was not an ounce of remorse in the mercenary's voice nor his spirit as he recounted his past actions as if he were speaking of a hunt rather than the ruination of countless villages, confirming all of the stories of Vill'Kern The Slayer Ariana had grown up listening to. There was no remorse, but there was also no pride. The princess could sense the honesty behind his words, and had years of hearing the legends whispered in hushed tones about the warrior to support his statements, but it left her with another burning question that pained her almost as much as waiting for him to answer her enquiry about her father did.


After all that had happened to Merchantar, after all he had seen as a child- what he had seen happen to his own mother- how could he then go and force the same terrible fate on to the countless innocents he had massacred across Elos?


Ariana tensed as Vill'Kern suddenly took her hands in his, bracing for the moment of truth. This was it. The undeniable question she needed the answer to so urgently. Depending on the answer he gave her the princess would either continue to journey with him to Hierys and the High Council of mages she was so loath to encounter, or she would bide her time until she had the opportunity to make her escape and travel North to the wastelands and the Deathless King alone. Even if the fate that awaited her there was worse than death, Ariana wouldn't hesitate. She would not remain in the presence of her father's murderer a moment longer than was absolutely necessary.


Ariana's breath left in her in a gush as she felt the sincerity behind Vill'Kern's words, the tension leaving her being as if an impossibly heavy weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He hadn't been the one to end her father's life. The thought bounced around in the princess's mind endlessly, her hands tightening around the large pair encasing her own. Vill'Kern hadn't murdered her king. But she had already known that, hadn't she? She had watched from the window of the highest tower as the warrior had led his small troop of mercenaries into Khorinys after her home had already been defeated by the orc army. She had witnessed it for herself, so how could she be doubting the truth now?


What other lies had she been fed while she slept?


Ariana was snapped out of her thoughts as she felt the cool metal of the dagger's hilt press into her hand, instinctively closing her fingers around the hilt before it could fall to the ground. The princess watched in stunned silence as Vill'Kern offered his exposed neck to her, a smile playing at her lips as she listened to his sentimental regrets, setting the blade down on the ground to instead embrace he man about the exposed flesh he had expected her to strike.


"A simple yes or no would have sufficed," Ariana attempted to joke, feeling as if she might float away in her relief. She still wasn't positive what was fact and what was fiction, but she trusted the warrior was about as certain the entire situation as she was herself. Pulling away from the man, Ariana glanced down at the blade, placing the dagger in the empty sheath at her waist. She hadn't forgotten about the blade she had lost in the forest, and it wasn't as if Vill'Kern had any shortage weapons.


"I can not say I would not take advantage of the situation, should the opportunity present itself with Samon at the receiving end of the blade. You are very quick to forgive, after what he caused to you." Ariana continued darkly, glancing back up at the warrior to look him in the eye as she quietly gave him the warning weighing on her mind. "I know you think me weak, and that is well within your right, but I am not wrong when I say when we first left Khorinys my aura outmatched yours a hundred to one. Today, after your return from the dead, it is still ten to one. If you fear my mind is being corrupted by the entity, you need to take precautions for your own safety. I believe we both know how this god likes to visit in dreams."


Raising from the ground, Ariana smiled at the grom as she collected her boots from where she had left them by the water, and quickly hurried back to slip the crystal into her boot before Innis had a chance to take a liking to the shiny. The last thing they needed she the little being to start coveting the gem.


"Hero is quite appropriate, but why don't you call me Aria instead of 'Nice girl with shinies'? It's a bit less of a mouthful." Ariana winked at the little being, her mood the polar opposite of what it had been when she had awoken in such a harsh manner. Her spirits were so high, in fact, she did not want to dampen them by going back to her readings, at least for the moment. "Would you like to show me how you caught that rabbit yesterday, Innis? Maybe we'll find something shiny along the way."
 
He closed his eyes. He closed them, and awaited to feel the cold blade sink into his flesh, and to feel his hot blood exit the vessels beneath the skin on his neck. He awaited to feel himself choke on his own blood, to start gurgling and fall into death's embrace. He even forced the aura about him to lower down, so it would keep him no shield from the inevitable strike of the blade. The assumed last moments of his life were stretching out, so long that it almost made him nervous. Was she planning on giving him a longer death? Probably to just stab him repeatedly wherever she found a spot on his body? To let out her anger and rage and unload it all over him.


His body, however, tensed up as he felt the somewhat cold skin of her arms around his neck. Tightly. If he hadn't felt the rest of her body against him, he would assume she wanted to strangle him. But she was clearly embracing him, and he heard her joke. He felt her happiness coat him, causing him to come back into his senses, and smile, as he embraced her in return. He was somehow relieved that she didn't choose to kill him, and he felt the apologetical sincerity behind her gesture. She then pulled away and took the dagger for herself, threatening him with Samon's death. Though, he did hope the case won't show up.


Yes, she indeed was right, but he knew it too well. He didn't forgive Samon, he only wanted to make it seem so, since they seemed to need him still. Breaking the allegiance would have them needing to seek out anothers capable of helping them out, and their time and resources were too limited for repeating the run around. But he still was aware that Samon could be pulling them into a trap, though, he knew he was ready to face it, should it happen. He heard her honest warning and her implying that she was stronger than he thought. He simply shrugged it away, with a raised eyebrow as she was hiding the crystal, then speaking to Innis about the prey.


The little creature was more than excited to be leading Aria, as the princess wished for it to call her, and to teach her how it hunted the rabbit. Vill'Kern smiled at both, as the grom took its way into the forest, calling Ariana after it.


"Comes! Takes to place hunt! Lot rabbits and food. Me catch!"


Vill'Kern watched the two dissapear behind the trees, unsure if he should follow. What if something was lurking beneath the green bushes, awaiting for the princess to take her distance away from him? Could be, who knew? But maybe she just wanted some little time into... intimity. He nodded to himself at the thought, and went back on checking the hand built fireplace. He could hear the excited grom explain the princess, while trailing away, about rabbits and other types of prey. Suddenly, the sound around him faded away, and the voice of Samon rang in his mind.


Vill'Kern!





The little grom led the princess in a clearing that almost looked like a huge warren. Rabbits were jumping all about and away, scared by the sudden appearance of the grom and the princess. The grom, managing to catch the full attention of the princess, spoke, as it took a position much similar to a predator animal.


"Catches rabbit. Quiet. Rabbit don'ts see behind. Very easy!"


The small, green creature took a leap, embracing one of the rabbits and sinking its sharp teeth into it, holding it tight as the white animal struggled for life and finally gave in to death, soaked in its own blood. The grom stood, and held out the dead rabbit to the princess, with pride bursting out of its gaze. Just at that moment, Vill'Kern's massive form was dashing towards the princess and the grom, holding the Book at his right armpit and the sacred tome of Khorinys at the left.


"Aria, we must leave. Samon contacted me just now. Hierys is under attack, by heavy orc troops, with the aid of giants, trolls, golems and a lot of other beasts. It seems the North is trying to take over Elos fully, and judging by the dark clouds that gather upon the northern sky, i can only say the things are going to get far worse"
 
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