Draconian Peril Ch.5
Styx at this time had tears streaming down her face, she was now openly crying at her defeat.
"In my tribe, we have a law that states: In a battle between immortals or those who are near immortal, the loser of the challenge is bound and enslaved to the victor. You defeated me in one of these battles, so now I belong to you. Master." Styx said quietly, always turning her head away when Ryuu tried to meet her eyes.
Ryuu finally strode forward, taking hold of her chin, and making her look at him. Styx could no longer see the fury and power in his eyes, only kindness, compassion, and understanding. Styx felt an overwhelming sense of pride at having Ryuu for her master now, she could tell he would be good to her. Still slightly unsure about what he wanted, Styx allowed herself a simple smile.
"Master." Styx whispered happily, as she bared herself to him fully.
Ryuu sighed, telling her to stop as she began to strip herself down. Styx complied without a word, re-clothing herself with a small pout on her face. Her heat and lust still plagued her, but not as much now that she wasn't fighting. Ryuu turned and began to walk back toward Baku's lair, motioning for Styx to follow him.
Styx obeyed almost immediately, retrieving and sheathing her sword before running after her master. She slowed about ten feet from him, always staying out of his way, but never straying to far encase he wanted something of her.
Baku sat in his lair, propping himself up on a large mound of pillows and hides as he read a scroll when Ryuu returned with his new 'acquisition' in tow.
"Hey Baku, I think I may have a problem here. Mind telling me what's going on?" Ryuu said, getting his father's attention with a small flame at his feet.
Styx was slightly offended at Ryuu calling her a 'problem', but seeing as she hadn't been given permission to speak; she said nothing on the matter. After putting out the hotfoot his son had given him, Baku sighed, and turned his head away to look at what Ryuu was taking about. Baku saw Styx staring at him in awe while she stood protectively and submissively at Ryuu's side, looking to him every few minutes. Baku thought it was rather cute, in a sadistic and randomly lustful kind of way.
"Ha, I suppose you would call that a problem. Serris thought the same thing, when she first defeated one of the fox people in battle. But you. I never expected you to go out and capture one of them for yourself, congrats on a successful hunt!" Baku bellowed in laughter, dodging several pyroclasm-like fireballs Ryuu had launched at him.
Ryuu was not pleased by any stretch of the imagination by Baku's comments. The fireballs he had shot at his father weren't meant as playful attacks. If they had connected, Baku would be nursing his wounds for months on end. Styx could tell Ryuu was not in the best of moods and took a few steps back, before sitting on the ground, awaiting her orders.
"No more jokes ya fuckin' twenty ton gecko." Ryuu yelled, as he shot several feathers from his wings.
That comment got Baku's attention quickly. He didn't like being insulted, especially by a mere child. Before Ryuu could react, he found himself pinned to a wall by Baku's taloned paws. A savage growl, followed by row upon row of razor sharp fangs mere inches from his face. Ryuu clearly got the message, 'I dare you to say that again'.
"Alright now, what do you think the problem here is?" Baku asked Ryuu after releasing him from the wall.
Ryuu mumbled something to the effect of 'obese twenty ton toad' before he shot into the story of how he had 'acquired' Styx. Ryuu didn't know of the fox people in much detail, all he knew about them now was that they really pack a punch when using a sword. Styx blushed at her master's compliment. She never said a word, even when she realized that Ryuu was leaving out the part where he had claimed her as his own by taking her blood. It wasn't her place now, she knew that well after the beating she had gotten from Ryuu.
Baku bent his head down to look Styx over. He could tell that she was fairly powerful, nogitsune rarely get more than six tails and Styx already had five. Baku moved his head down further to get a better look at her, only to get a whiff of her intense heat. Baku recoiled his head, shaking away her heat scent from himself. Baku smirked,turning to regard his son.
"Well, first off. You might want to go ahead and take care of her heat before it grows any stronger." Baku said with a grin.
Never having been with a woman before, Ryuu's tail twitched in irritation at his father's suggestion.
"What!? Did you just say that I should..." Ryuu began to say, only to have Baku cut him off with a curt nod of his head.
"Either that or you could call you're wolves in here. Now wouldn't that be fun?" Baku taunted, half serious.
"She is your slave, why not enjoy it?" Baku said, just before he turned and began to walk outside. Baku flexed his massive wings, before taking to the sky and telling Ryuu that he would be back around nightfall.
Ryuu sat on a large rock near one of the corners of Baku's lair, considering what he should do. Baku had left hours ago, and even without his encouragement Styx' scent had begun to affect him drastically. Ryuu's hormones had one this battle long ago.
Styx could tell that Ryuu was fighting his instincts, in a way, she was hoping he would overpower them. All the warmth she had seen in him earlier was gone, replaced by a bottomless pit of black and crimson. Styx could see Ryuu extending his talons and flexing his hands, cutting deep gouges into his own flesh each time he made a fist. His wounds healed up almost instantly though, adding to the sense of danger that hung about him. Styx jumped when Ryuu spoke after several hours of silence.
"Styx, do you really need me now? If so, then come here." Ryuu said, with his fist still clenched as tight as he could.
Styx walked over to her master slowly, watching him quietly. He looked as though he was still fighting with himself.
Ryuu motioned for her to sit beside him; she did so quickly, slightly nervous herself. With a practiced ease, Styx moved to rest her head on his shoulder and exposed her throat in a submissive pose. Ryuu saw this and gently took hold of her.
"Styx, are you sure about this?" Ryuu asked, his fangs mere inches from her pulse.
Styx only nodded, her breath shallow, as she eased Ryuu's head closer to herself. Ryuu finally submitted his mind to her needs, sheathing his fangs within the supple confines of her neck. As he began to massage her from shoulders to her tail base, Styx took her own initiative, caressing her master's scaled chest. She could feel the contours of his scales overlapping each other with a silky texture, and his flesh seemed to ripple with every movement of his muscles. Ryuu moved his hand down to one of Styx' tails, pinching the tip of her tail between his fingers. Styx felt a shiver run across her body from her master's touch, and began to moan quietly.
Ryuu chose at that moment to release his grip on her throat. Easing his fangs out of her supple flesh, Ryuu used the blood that continued to flow from her wound to trace a pattern on her skin. The runes he drew with her own blood almost immediately faded away, leaving a long scar in the shape of these runes around her neck, wrists, and around the base of her second tail. The marks only appeared as scars on her flesh, however, the once silver fur that grew from these spots had now turned to a crimson hue; leaving the same marks in her fur as on her flesh.
Styx didn't notice a thing at the time, she was far to engulfed in her own pleasure. She and Ryuu surrendered themselves to their carnal needs. They were completely oblivious to the rest of the world.
Two hours later, Styx awoke to a strange sensation. She felt weaker, more lethargic than she normally did after a nights sleep. She then remembered that Ryuu, her loving master, had taken her to his bed the night before. Add that to the fact that he had taken a good portion of her blood, and it quickly became clear as to why she felt so weakened. She remembered that he had been gentle with her, even though she knew he had been fighting his own instincts most of the time. Styx had been taken to bed by many males in her village, so is the life of a spirit of trickery and pleasure. Ryuu, even being pure until last night had been one of her best. She reached up her hand to feel over the scar Ryuu had left with his fangs when he had drank from her. Taking her blood seemed to kept him in control of himself, it seemed that way at least. Styx couldn't be sure until she asked. Turning her head to see if she could see the mark Ryuu left, Styx noticed the crimson bands around her throat and wrists. She couldn't tell what they were at first, but when she looked closer, she could see they were written in draconian runes.
Styx spent the next few minutes trying to decipher what was written on her, the only words she could translate though, were property, death, and pair-bond. She couldn't figure out what these had been put on her for, and the word 'death' frightened her. Ryuu chose at that moment to wake up.
Ryuu stood, flaring all six of his wings. Styx watched quietly, as Ryuu's wings reached their maximum span, multiple pops filled the air. Styx cringed, no matter how many times someone sees gore or causes pain, the sound of cracking joints will send a shiver down anyone's back. When Ryuu finished his morning stretches, he spoke three words, barely audible even to her strong ears. Styx stood and began to walk toward her master when she saw several shadows begin to detach themselves from the walls. Styx watched, transfixed, as each of the twelve shadows began to rise from the ground and take the form of wolves. Styx froze when she saw how big they were, they were easily four feet tall.
Ryuu beckoned them closer and knelt before them. Styx saw that there were even several pups among the females of the wolves that Ryuu had called to him. As she watched the massive beasts approach her master, Baku's words came flooding back to her.
'Either that, or you could call your wolves in here. Now wouldn't that be fun to watch?' Baku had said, Styx now understood what he had meant by that. A single one of those beasts could crush her under its shear weight. If her master had ordered one of them to sate her heat, it would have ripped her apart. Styx watched from afar as Ryuu greeted the wolves, they seemed so calm and intelligent in their actions. The wolves seemed sentient in their own way.
Styx sat on the ground, not daring to make a move as several of the wolves began to pace around the cave. Several of the pups coming uncomfortably close to her, with their mothers following close behind. Ryuu noticed Styx' unease when his faithful beasts became too comfortable around her. One of the female's pups had decided to use Styx' thigh as a pillow, leaving her on the verge of tears.
Ryuu sighed, smiling a little as he saw the irony in her fear. With a simple whistle, all the wolves including the pups returned to Ryuu's side. Styx collapsed onto the ground, near hyperventilating from the shear terror of being near them. Ryuu and the wolves saw this quickly, one of the females had begun to walk over to her before Ryuu stopped her and dismissed them. Ryuu then stood and began walking at a brisk pace to the spot where Styx lay unconscious. With gentle movements, Ryuu picked her up, cradling Styx in the warm downy feathers of his wings and brought her to the mound of pillows that served as his bed. He set he down on the bed silently, aside from the soothing rustle of his feathers rubbing against each other. Even as he began to walk away, Styx reached out to him in her sleep, weakly taking hold of his wings, and nuzzling into the feathers. Ryuu smiled again, and sat down beside her. With little more encouragement, Ryuu lay down beside Styx, draping a wing over her to ensure that she slept well.
A little while later, Styx awoke to a soothing warmth across her body. Without opening her eyes, she could tell that she was laying on the mound of pillows that Ryuu used as his bed, the same one they had used the previous night. Styx tried to remember how she had gotten here, the last thing she remembered was being surrounded by those massive wolves. The wolves.
Styx shot out of bed as quickly as her legs would let her, throwing aside the feathered blanket that had kept her warm. Only to see that the so called blanket that covered her was Ryuu's wing, and that she had awoken him by accidentally smacking him in the face with his own wing joint. Styx froze, even though she could see that the wolves were gone, she had inadvertently stuck her master. Styx collapsed onto her knees, cleaning away the blood from his nose before stepping back, ready for any punishment Ryuu might instill upon her.
Ryuu stood, feeling over his broken nose. It was sore, but nonetheless, it would heal in just a few minutes. As he stood there, looking at Styx, he realized that she was waiting for him to do something.
"Styx, what are you doing sitting there like that?" Ryuu asked, thoroughly fed up with her 'slave' routine.
Styx mumbled something about waiting for her punishment for striking him. Ryuu looked at her again before feeling over his nose again, and laughing.
Styx looked up, she had expected him to kick her or something, but he was laughing. Her master was laughing at the fact that she had broken his nose, he didn't seem mad at all.
"Styx, stand up. I'm not going to punish you for something so stupid. Besides, I would need to recognize you as my slave before I could do something as serious as that." Ryuu said happily.
Styx looked at Ryuu with pleading eyes, she could recover from any kind of punishment that he could dish out. Yet, for Ryuu to not even recognize her as his servant, his slave, she couldn't bear that.
"You can follow me all across this realm, serve me however you desire, but I will not see a slave when I look at you. I will see an individual, someone with their own will." Ryuu said quietly.
Styx was in tears now, she had been disgraced in battle, and now the one who she was to serve for the rest of eternity had disowned her. This was all too much.
"I would prefer to have you as my mate, instead of as a slave." He said in barely a whisper as he encircled his wings around her, wiping her tears gently from her face.
"Do you accept? Styx." Ryuu asked held her close.
Ryuu held her head across his shoulder and drew a fine cut into his neck with a single talon. His blood began to flow slowly, a deep crimson ambrosia with an ebony glint as it flowed right within Styx reach.
"If you accept my offer, than drink deeply of my blood Styx. Savor the taste as it glides across your tongue. But know this, if you do accept, through my blood flows the strongest and purest form of the Shadow Flare. If you drink even a single drought, the flare will take hold of you, granting you immense power but taking from you others that have love for you." Ryuu muttered in her ear.
Styx considered for a few moments, she had never known any to love her, even as a human. Yet here, Ryuu, a man she had once called master, even for a short time, was offering her an eternity of love, not just blind lust. Here was a man who truly cared for her.
Styx made her decision and with one great bite, latched herself onto Ryuu's throat. Ryuu felt her fangs dig deep into his flesh, locking her jaws in place as she began to suckle on the wound he had made. Styx moaned quietly as her new mate's blood poured slowly down her throat. Slowly, as Ryuu's blood spread throughout her body, she felt a slight tingle of pleasure began to spread as well. Styx bit down harder, making Ryuu cringe slightly. She wrapped her arm around Ryuu's waist and held onto his shoulder to keep him in place as she drank from him. Styx didn't even notice the changes going over her body as the flare took hold of her, as she was too caught up in the pleasure Ryuu's blood was bringing to her.
"Drink Styx, drink till the Shadow Flare has taken full hold. My love, my beautiful fox." Ryuu cried out to her.
"The moon shines upon you to show your beauty. Now, give radiance to the world and see your true self." Ryuu yelled as Styx felt her heart skip a beat.
Styx' eyes went wide as bands of crimson over took the emerald hue, leaving naught but a thin ring of their jeweled green color around her pupils. Her fur brightened until it shown like the full moons light. Her hair grew down past her tails and wove itself into a long braid ending around her mid-thigh. Several small crescent shaped patches of fur fell from her shoulders and hips, leaving sapphire crystals to grow in their place. Styx gasped as these changes took their final turn, finishing with several long, white ribbon-like fins growing from her wrists and under the crystals on her hips.
Styx' transformation ended there with an exhausted sigh from both Ryuu and Styx. She had taken nearly an entire liter of blood from Ryuu in such a short amount of time, he barely had the energy to fold his wings about himself and walk up to her. Styx was completely exhausted as well, though she didn't even have the energy to stand without having to rest herself on Ryuu to walk over to their bed.
Baku had come and gone several times already, each time leaving when he saw that both Ryuu and Styx were still fast asleep with Ryuu covering Styx with his wings. The two slept peacefully throughout the day as they basked in each others warmth as the world went by without them.
Later that day, as the sun began to set and the stars shone their brilliance upon the world. Ryuu and Styx left Baku's cavern and traveled to the clearing where they had met to train her on how to use her newfound abilities. Not to mention, to discover what they were.
"Alright Styx. The moon is full and we have time to spare." Ryuu said as he shifted to his own Shadow Flare form.
"It's about time I teach you how to manipulate your flare." he said quickly before he began running toward her.
Styx saw this and moved herself into a defensive posture. With little effort at all, Ryuu broke through her guard and quickly began pummeling Styx with a flurry of punches. Styx hadn't known that Ryuu was capable of speed like that, when she had fought him, he had relied on only defense and his blades.
"Keep at it Styx. If you can withstand a weak onslaught like this, you might be able to draw out your power quicker than I thought." Ryuu whispered to her as she lay on the ground.
Styx raised her head and coughed up a several mouthfuls of blood. Styx was dragging in ragged breaths slowly, trying to build up enough strength to speak.
"And how exactly... is this supposed... to help?" Styx asked between several painful breaths.
Ryuu stood slowly, helping Styx to her feet as well. As he gazed into her eyes, he could see that she felt very little fear. Ryuu remembered the first time that his flare had reacted with him, it had saved his life and given him the wolves.
"Styx, the Shadow Flare is a power originally granted to dragons by the mother dragon, Tiamat. It was a defense mechanism for those who had none to love or protect them. Whenever a dragon with the flare felt that their life might end, the flare would react with their soul. If you want to be able to have access to the flare, you must have fear in your heart. Even just a little." Ryuu said quietly; he reached up and caressed her face lovingly.
"I am an exception to that rule because I am an incarnation of the Shadow Flare, meaning that I can actually control its power. If you can't learn to react with the power in a symbiotic manner, then you will go on a rampage every time it becomes active." Ryuu said with a harsh tone.
Ryuu took several steps back, flaring his wings and extended his hand toward Styx.
"If this cannot force you into an empowered state, then nothing will." He said just loud enough for her to hear.
With his open palm directed toward his mate, Ryuu began focusing his power around a small ember of his flame that rested in his hand. The energy began rotating at incredible speed, using the ember as a catalyst. Ryuu noticed that his power had grown more erratic than before, so he re-enforced the armor-like scales on his arm.
"Be ready Styx, this is what the Shadow Flare is capable of in a weakened state." Ryuu yelled over the roar of his spiraling energy.
"Ecliptic Hurricane Flare !"
Ryuu released the energy in one shot, causing an enormous vortex of spiraling fire and darkness to burst forth from his palm toward Styx.
Styx eyes went wide with fear when she saw it coming toward her, and she felt that she might not survive. Mere moments before the blast hit her, Styx saw her entire life flash before her eyes.
She remembered the day that she had died, surrounded by those that she once called her friends, before they had raped, tortured, and slain her. They had left her for dead, believing she was dead, but having failed to actually do so. She had died that day from both blood-loss and of all the damage that she had accumulated. It felt to her like days as her spirit drifted of the River Styx, each day losing more of herself to the tides of the river. She quickly forgot her own name, and many other small truths about herself, except for the fact that she had been murdered by the people she trusted the most. It was then that the nogitsune had rescued her spirit from the river and offered her its deal. She had given her generosity and memories to the fox, and surrendered herself to its desires in order to get the power she needed to exact revenge. She then chose the name Styx as the one she would go by from then on, and thus she was freed upon the world, reincarnated as one of the nogitsune.
Styx realized that she couldn't let herself be lost like this, she had a mate now, someone to watch out for her. She also hadn't gotten her revenge.
"Not yet, not yet. I won't die again, not... now." Styx thought to herself as the blast hit her.
Horrifying pain gripped Styx as she was engulfed by Ryuu's attack, she felt fear flash through her mind once again. All of a sudden, a cool sensation washed over her still form, radiating from her body, pushing the tongues of flame away from her body. Styx gasped as the sensation began to quickly magnify, giving an iridescent silver glow to her fur as her Shadow Flare began to take hold for the first time.
Ryuu smiled as he felt that Styx' own power had shown itself and was fighting against him, she had unlocked her power just like he said. Ryuu cut the power to his attack and let the vortex slowly weaken until Styx could walk out of it, unaided.
Styx stood there, basking in her newfound power as Ryuu's flames died down and extinguished themselves at her feet. As she opened her eyes, she could see how much she had actually changed. Her eyes now held a deep crimson hue, sapphire plates had formed on her hips, shoulders, wrists, and the base of her throat.
Ryuu smiled as he saw her newly transformed state. Styx was now near unbeatable thanks to Ryuu's blood, and her form stayed so elegant, pure, almost radiant. Such beauty. As Ryuu stood there, Styx began swaying to a soundless tune. Each step she took seemed as practiced as those of a performer, and as her dance progressed, Ryuu was drawn in by her illusory steps. The world around her seemed to dim with each movement Styx made, and she soon had her mate entranced, locked in a world of her own design.
When he came to, Ryuu quickly realized that night had fallen, but the more pressing matter was that he had been tied to a tree very thoroughly. Both his arms and legs were bound at the wrists and ankles and tied together behind the thick oak. His wings had been folded over his chest and chained closed by the iron rings pierced through each wing. His tail as well had been restrained by tying it around one of the roots of the tree, with a thin silk bow tied around the tip. This aggravated Ryuu beyond measure. How someone could get close enough to him to knock him out and tie Ryuu up was beyond him, but they even had the nerve to mock him with such a ribbon. Ryuu swore that the person who had done this would suffer greatly. He tried flexing his wing, but to no avail, all he managed to do was rattle the chains that bound him. The blades on his wrists were useless as well, they might have been sharpened to a razors edge, but with them sandwiched between the tree and his forearm, Ryuu couldn't extend them with enough force to cut anything. Whoever had bound him was a master at doing so. Completely helpless, Ryuu sagged in his bindings and waited for his captor to return.
Hours passed in silence, many times, Ryuu had begun to doze off. Each time he did so, he would slam the back of his head against the tree, using the pain as a focus to keep himself awake. Ryuu had tried using his power to burn away the bindings, yet each time he tried to tap into the wellspring of his Shadow Flare, it would always come up dry. Even the wolves either ignored their master's call, or really couldn't hear him.
"Hey Ryuu!!" Styx said from right behind him.
Ryuu jumped, flailing in his bindings for a few moments before he recognized the voice as that of his mate. Ryuu turned his head to the side, and saw Styx standing over him.
Ryuu sighed and began to struggle in his bonds again before Styx laid a hand over his heart, a silent signal to stop.
"Do you know what the natural abilities of a kitsune or nogitsune are?" Styx asked after Ryuu had calmed down.
Ryuu relaxed slightly and thought about it for a few moments.
"They can sustain their life force with pleasure, each time they die they will lose one tail and be reborn, and Illusion magic." Ryuu's eyes went wide when he realized what Styx was getting at.
"You bitch! This is little more than an illusion isn't it?" He yelled
Styx smiled, nodding her head and took a few steps back. With one quick snap of her fingers, the illusion faded. Melting away like ice before the fire, Ryuu watched as his illusory prison disappeared before his eyes.
As Ryuu watched his bonds fade into a this mist, he flexed his now freed form. Just like in Styx' illusion, night had fallen. Which meant that Baku would be home, and wondering where Ryuu and his 'slave' are. He lifted his hand to his face and extended the blade at the base of his wrist. Styx looked at Ryuu with a happy expression on her muzzle, an expression which quickly faded when she saw the fury writ on her mate's features.
"Ryuu? What are you doing?" Styx asked, as Ryuu locked eyes with her.
Ryuu flexed his blades again, releasing a large amount of power and focusing it into his blade.
"I'm going to make you realize how much I detest such imprisonment. For seventeen years, all but the human part of my soul was sealed inside a small crystalline orb. I waited in the infinite darkness and empty world of the void. So near to insanity that when I was released, I nearly killed my own mother. I enjoyed that fight, and yearned for more." By this time in his speech, Ryuu's eyes had been reduced to almost non-existent slits in an endless sea of crimson.
Styx could tell that she was in danger as Ryuu slowly approached her, grinding his blades together like sharpening stones. She kept with Ryuu's pace, taking one step back for each step he took forward. This kept up for several minutes, their gazes never leaving each other. Without warning, Ryuu dashed forward in a blaze of black mist, pinning Styx to a tree by her throat. Before she could react, one of Ryuu's blades was against her throat, drawing a few beads of blood. She couldn't tell whether Ryuu actually meant her harm or was making a point, so she stayed still, submissive, limp in his grasp. Styx felt Ryuu's blade begin to cut deeper into her neck, when it was buried almost a quarter of an inch into her Ryuu stopped and withdrew the blade. Ryuu met Styx' gaze once more before he released his grip, allowing her to drop to the ground, clutching her throat as she fought to breathe without allowing her blood to leak into her lungs.
"Consider that a warning. If it happens again, I won't be so forgiving." Ryuu said quietly as he began to walk back toward Baku's cavern.
Styx was in shock, Ryuu had nearly killed her, and he probably knew that as well. During that short time that they had locked gazes, Ryuu had somehow managed to seal her Shadow Flare too. She had no idea that he could be so cruel, so heartless. The sheer brutality he used right then had forced out her submissive personalty, making her even easier prey. Another thing seemed to strike Styx with fear. When Ryuu had grabbed her just then, he both paralyzed her body from the neck down, and his blade had stopped cutting into her only mere millimeters from the one spot in her entire body that could actually kill her. That couldn't be a coincidence, he must have known her weak point the entire time, even when she had tried to kill him. Styx hadn't realized just how powerful he was until now, and he had not used even an single tongue of his Shadow Flare. She then noticed that the entire time she was trying to imagine how destructive he could be, her arousal had taken hold of her almost as much as her heat would. Styx wanted to be controlled by him, even though she was no longer a slave, she wanted to serve him, to call him master. These thoughts sent a shiver down her spine.
"Styx, get those tails moving. I know you've healed by now, so quit daydreaming and walk." Ryuu yelled at her in a commanding voice.
Styx couldn't tell whether he was still pissed, or if her had picked up on what she was thinking about, her expression could have easily given it away. Either way it didn't matter, she was finally being treated like a proper bitch. Upon hearing her master's order, Styx immediately stood and bound over to him. Walking a respectful distance from him as her position demanded, but keeping close enough as to make her relationships to Ryuu as both his slave and mate quite obvious.
When Ryuu and Styx got back to his father's cavern, they could tell that something was wrong. Ryuu could hear none of the almost constant bickering of Baku's servants echoing through the corridors. Silence seemed to infest the area, and fear kept them on edge. As the two turned the last corner and entered the main chamber, Ryuu felt an overwhelming power force itself past him. Styx had fallen to the ground, barely able to move because of the power. As he stood, Ryuu saw the source of the massive surge; his father was angry.
"Ryuu. What have you done?" Baku said quietly, allowing more of his power to flood the room.
Ryuu attempted to stand, but was forced back to his knees in a matter of seconds. It was getting harder for him to breath now, as his father increased the force of his power again.
"What are you talking about Baku, I've been training Styx in the woods." Ryuu said with fury lacing his features.
Baku growled dangerously, easing up on his power greatly. As Ryuu stood, catching his breath, his eyes went wide when he saw Baku charging at him. He didn't have a chance to move before Baku's taloned paw pinned him to the wall of the cavern, breaking multiple ribs and one of his wings in the process. Ryuu coughed up a large amount of blood when he hit the wall, splattering all over his father's arm and face.
"Did you, or did you not, gift your slave with the Shadow Flare?" Baku screamed in Ryuu's face.
Ryuu didn't answer, his eyes were clenched tight in agony and Baku soon felt the reason why. Baku slowly removed his paw from around his son's torso and saw the large pillar of stone that had pierced his chest, nearly tearing his body in two. Baku growled, he knew how painful those stones could be to someone of draconic heritage. Nonetheless, he needed answers. Grabbing hold of Ryuu's chest again, Baku stood up onto his hind legs, and forced Ryuu higher and higher to the ceiling, grinding his body along the wall like sandpaper on wood. Styx, paralyzed by Baku's power, cringed in pain of her own as she heard Ryuu scream, tears streamed down her face, knowing that she couldn't do anything to help her mate.
Ryuu's body had gone completely numb, as he fought for breath, even though his lungs had been totaled by the stone spear in his chest.
"Now tell me the truth Ryuu, if you don't, you might get hurt." Baku said maliciously.
Ryuu raised his head slightly, just enough to meet his father's gaze. Fury burned in both their eyes, danger permeating both of their auras.
"Yes, I did give Styx the dark flame... Because I claimed her as my mate, and I don't want her to die." Ryuu said in between coughs.
Baku eased his grip on Ryuu slightly, allowing his broken wing to hang limp in his grasp. Ryuu smiled slightly as Baku fought the urge to pull his paw away the wall, even though Ryuu's Shadow Flare had begun to burn through Baku's scales quickly. He grit his teeth and attempted to tighten his grip on Ryuu, but the tighter he gripped him, the more his flame burned through his scales.
"Can you feel it father? My power is growing, surpassing your own and eclipsing the source..." Ryuu stated as his wounds healed before his very eyes.
Baku's eyes went wide in fear as tongues of black flame began to creep up his arm, stealing away the sensation with deadly kisses. Baku jerked his arm away from the wall, releasing his son in the process. As Ryuu slowly descended to the floor, the same black flames began to wrap around his broken wing and the gaping hole in his chest.
Baku jumped to the other side of the cavern, and looked over his arm. Several small embers remained from where Ryuu's ebony blaze had scorched his scales, leaving them blackened and numb. Baku looked back toward his son and saw the black flames that he now realized were merely the natural aura of his Shadow Flare, had enveloped an enormous area around him. Ryuu hadn't even shifted his form in the slightest, he retained a flawless draconian form. He then understood what his son had meant when he said that he had 'eclipsed the source'.
Tiamat, the mother dragon, had created the Shadow Flare not only as a way to defend themselves, but also to let them attain power on par with her own. Ryuu's Shadow Flare had far surpassed Tiamat's own, something that no other dragon had ever managed to even come close to. Baku watched his son carefully, truly hoping that he wasn't stupid enough to try anything while in a state as such.
Ryuu turned his sights to his limp mate's form, and slowly took step after step toward her. As he reached her, Ryuu knelt beside her, igniting her own Shadow Flare and triggering her transformation. Ryuu's flames balked at her radiant, ivory hued fur, leaving a large gap between her and Ryuu's flames. With a simple touch to one of the four crystals accenting her fur, he transferred enough power to her drained body to reverse the effects of Baku's unnecessary surge of draconic power.
"About time you woke sleepyhead, how are you feeling?" Ryuu asked in a gentle tone as her eyes fluttered open.
In a moment Styx had wrapped her arms about Ryuu kissing his passionately and looking over his body for signs of injury. Seeing none, Styx looked around her, and noticed the dark fire that surrounded them and acted as a barrier between them and the wounded dragon Baku. Slowly, Styx stood up, even as she was still recovering from the beating her body had taken from Baku's power. Ryuu held her close, as to steady her in her weakened state.
"I'm fine, I think. Ryuu what happened here?" Styx said as she gestured to the wall of flame and the weakened dragon.
"Last thing I remember, Baku had thrown you against the wall and you were screaming in pain." Styx started to say, but was cut off by Ryuu as he placed a soothing kiss on her lips.
"It doesn't matter how, lets just forget about it Ok?" Ryuu asked in near silence as he took her into his arms.
Styx leaned into Ryuu's embrace, enjoying the warmth of his chest, the downy fluff of his wings and the gentle rumble deep within him. Ryuu began stroking along her back, running his hand through the silk-like fur coat of his mate.
"I think its time we leave, wouldn't you agree?" Ryuu asked Styx in a caring tone.
She nodded slowly, and shot a glare of crimson daggers at Baku. In but a few minutes, Ryuu had packed everything that he had brought with him when he came here, and Styx had retrieved the few clothes she had managed to keep intact from her battle with Ryuu.
With one final glance in Baku's direction, Ryuu and Styx left the cavern, never to return.
Ryuu and Styx began walking down an old path back toward the clearing once more, needing to retrieve one last thing before their journey could begin. As they approached the
clearing, Styx ran almost full speed toward the tree where they first met, stopping in front of a large knot in the side of it. Slowly, Styx reached out her hand and placed it on the bark of the tree, just under the knot. After a few moments, the tree under her palm began to ripple like waves and her hand phased six inches into it. Styx then pulled her hand from the tree, but now she held the oh so familiar broadsword she had used in her fight against him, Thenos.
Styx hugged the weapon to her chest for a moment before buckling its sheath to the studded leather belt she wore on her otherwise nude body. Ryuu looked her over for a moment, admiring her beauty before he spoke.
"Now that's what I call hot. Too bad we need to get you some new clothes." Ryuu pretended to pout as he looked over his mate.
Styx looked as though she had been offended by Ryuu's remark and crossed her arms over her waist, unintentionally pushing her breasts together and making her look even cuter in his eyes.
"Now why would you want to cover me up? Are you tired of me already?" Styx asked, a glint of mischief in her eyes.
Ryuu laughed and stepped in front of her, running a claw from the base of her throat to her navel, making Styx shiver slightly.
"No, I just don't want other people to see as much of you as I can." Ryuu said indifferently.
Styx began swishing her tails back and forth in mock anger, curling her lips in a playful growl.
"If you insist, but don't expect me to make an appropriate outfit." She said mischievously.
With but a stray thought, Styx began to create another set of clothes through illusion. Only to have Ryuu stop her halfway through. He lifted a finger to her muzzle and shook his head 'No', she stopped not understanding what Ryuu wanted her to do until he pulled a large roll of leather from his pack. Styx looked at the leather with distaste, she didn't like wearing real clothes, but it didn't appear that Ryuu was going to relent.
By the time they were finished, Styx and Ryuu both had several new leather outfits. Styx had made a pair of miniskirts to go with a vest and a very form-fitting blouse, while Ryuu had made a cloak, vest, two pairs of cargo pants with a set of vambrace.
Ryuu sighed as he shifted into his human form and clothed himself for the first time in months, while Styx shifted into her own human form and shrugged herself into one of her skirts and vest. Ryuu attempted to stand a few times, much to Styx' amusement, but found that since staying in his draconian form for so long, he had forgotten his human sense of balance. This was such the case with Styx as well, having been used to the weight of her tail while Ryuu was used to the weight of his wings. Upon mutual agreement, Styx and Ryuu cut out large enough sections in the backs of their clothing for Ryuu to grow his wings through, and Styx to grow her tail.
The two looked over each other's new forms with silent admiration. Styx could easily understand why he was an outcast to society in his human form. Aside from his crimson eyes, Ryuu's body held no warmth of color at all, his skin was pale and his hair, as white as fresh snow. Add to that the fact that Ryuu still bore his feathered wings on his back, albeit they held a golden-brown color now, and and he still looked as dangerous as before. Styx looked over Ryuu silently, taking in the sight of such a malicious being.
"Hm, even in human form, you look just as dangerous my love. Just as chaotic." Styx said in a husky voice as she ran her fingers through his feathers.
Ryuu smiled at his mate's comment, as he folded his wings over his shoulders, making a soft white-brown hued cloak of feathers. Reaching out, he took hold of Styx shoulder, massaging the flesh over her throat and the pulsing veins just beneath.
"Remember Styx, this will always belong to me." Ryuu said as he drug one of his fangs over her sweet jugular.
Styx moaned at her mates ministrations, reaching up her own hand to Ryuu's throat and felt over the scar that remained from her feeding.
"Yes, and this belongs to me. Right?" Styx asked in a playful tone.
"Of course, my blood is yours and yours is mine. My love." Ryuu whispered in her ear.
Ryuu bit down, sinking his fangs into Styx' smooth skin as he began to drink. Styx was lost in the pleasure of her mate's fangs and quickly lost the strength to stand. Ryuu wrapped his arms under her waist, holding her upright as he fed on her.
The moment was over only too soon for Styx as she felt Ryuu begin to release his hold on her throat, and the moment seemed perfect for a witty comment.
"Ryuu, are you sure you aren't part vampire?" Styx asked as she trace one of her own claws over Ryuu's scar.
Ryuu smiled, baring his throat as he guided Styx' own fangs home.
"No, I'm not part vamp. But my mother Serris, did tell me once that our family has always had an overpowering blood fetish. If you can believe such a thing." Ryuu finished with a smile.
"I can't see it." Styx said with an evil grin.
She bit down on Ryuu's unprotected throat hard, the tips of her fangs touching the bone of his spine. For several minutes, Styx took in drought after drought of Ryuu's precious blood, savoring the flavor as it rushed down her throat. Ryuu felt a slight numbing sensation begin to spread around his shoulder, seeming to suck the breath of life from his body. Ryuu put his hands around her shoulders and began to try and ease her off of him, but to no effect. The more Ryuu pulled, the tighter Styx held to him and the quicker she drank. Finally, after growing tired of fighting her on the issue, loosed a loud and threatening draconic growl. Styx heard Ryuu and quickly released his throat, watching as the blood slowly flowed down his neck and chest.
"I take it you liked your meal?" Ryuu said, slight impatience evident in his voice.
Styx felt a small blush come over her and nodded, keeping her gaze at the ground.
"Yes." She answered in a weak voice.
Ryuu walked up to her and knelt down, taking her chin in his hand and guiding her eyes to met his own mischievous gaze.
"So how do I taste my love?" Ryuu asked playfully, as he tapped lightly over his still slightly bleeding neck.
Hearing Ryuu's playful voice, Styx looked up and saw him lightly tapping on his throat. He didn't seem too mad, or else he might had struck her by now. With a laugh, she responded in kind as she licked her lips.
"Need I say it Ryuu? You taste divine, so much so that I want another sip." Styx said quickly, as she licked his wound.
The sun began to set on their amusement and a serious mood began to take form over their hearts. Styx and Ryuu discussed where they should go for several hours, contemplating each other's ideas, and weighing the possible pros and cons of each thought. It was well into the night as the full moon loomed overhead when the two finally decided on a place to go. Within minutes they had strung their packs over theirs backs and had begun walking down the path set before them.
End of Chapter V