The Crimson Spire / Gateway to the Amber Forge

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

lol I know!

As he spoke, a thought occurred to Ilea, though she hesitated to mention it at first. But it was something that would hold the greatest possibility of success. It was something that terrified her but she knew she would have to do it.

"Actually, you would simply need to hide the bond between us just long enough to get him inside. From there, let him try for me. My instinct will be to fight him to remain with you. Use that. Let me fight him. I won't be able to last very long against him, but certainly long enough for you to trap him fully and extract me using the bodysuit you created for me. Instruct your golems to overwhelm him once you have me out, to distract him from the fact that you've pulled me out and closed the trap on him," she suggested softly.

She didn't look at him as she spoke, hoping that she wouldn't need to. Part of her knew that he would need to think of her as a resource he could use, not as someone he had to protect. She was the one thing that Goh would underestimate, after all. He wouldn't think that she'd fight him, would think that he could simply reclaim her and move on.

It would be the best distraction to begin with, allowing Goh to try for her.

She licked her lips nervously now and continued, "Otherwise, don't tell me any more of the plans. Just give me my part and leave it at that. It's actually the best way to take him down. Use his own creation against him," she hoped he wouldn't dismiss her suggestion entirely even though it would require a great deal of trusting her when the time came.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

This has been... a long time coming.

Shale stayed silent for a long time. Many, many minutes passed while he contemplated what she said. She would be the first one to put herself forward as a tool instead of holding herself back as a treasure. Even though she was both... That was the truth. He would have to acknowledge both realities and incorporate them. But, if she could hold him off that well now...

"If I arm and train you... would it improve your ability to oppose him in this place?" He said softly. He did not like the idea but the dislike was rooted in his feelings, not in reality. This alteration to the plan would indeed improve their odds. "If so, then... the rest of the Forge will be my project. You will train against me every morning and evening. You will confront him when the time comes. You will not be alone but I will design and create the golems myself. In that way, even if he gains access to your memories he will not be able to gain an additional advantage over them."  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Oh yeah, it has...

Ilea shook her head slightly where she was laying against his shoulder, "Weapons only. Any new skills and he'll become suspicious immediately. If I'm armed with weapons I'm familiar with, I can fight him for my own reasons as far as he's concerned over it. He'll simply think I'm angry over his treatment of me before I ran, a temporary rebellion he can manage by indulging me in a brief fight before he defeats me and shows me my place. He won't think beyond that if I use the skills I already know and fight him with the type of daggers I'm familiar with. The bodysuit he won't think twice about. It will be different because he knows I favor crimson leather, but he will expect me to have armor of some kind if I intend to fight him at all," she explained, knowing that her part would be risky but held the best possibility of success.

The bodysuit-golem would still be able to act at the right time to protect her from a death-blow, but injuries would be expected, so she'd have to spend her days working with it to prepare for the fight, to give her the best chance for survival as well as distracting Goh until the time was right.

"He'll indulge me at first. Then he'll get angry at me and strike a blow that'll put me out for a while. That will be the best moment to attack him and get me out, when he thinks he's defeated me and is ready to take me back with him," she added, knowing she was right.

Goh would underestimate her, think her nothing more than the creation he'd always intended her to be having a brief willful moment. He'd indulge that then think to knock her out and take her home then teach her a lesson. It was what she knew, what she was used to someone thinking of her.

But she knew Goh that much and was placing a great deal of trust in Shale to save her if he could, though she wouldn't hold it against him if he couldn't.

"I'll need replicas of my silver daggers, the ones he gave me on my first 'birthday', as he called it. I can create them easily if I have access to the materials and a basic blacksmith's forge or I can write down the specifications to have them made if needed," she finished, knowing that using those blades against Goh would be fitting. And he wouldn't think twice at her using them, even re-creations of them, thinking that she wouldn't have learned anything new because she would still be devoted to him. He wouldn't consider anything else of her. She was his creation, after all.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Shale closed his eyes and waited until Ilea was done explaining. She did have an in-depth and personal understanding of Goh's psychology. So, realistically, she was probably right. Though, she was still underestimating his creations a bit. He didn't open his eyes as he replied.

"Have you tried asking your golem to change color?" It really was a smart golem and it would do anything to please and protect its mistress. "As for the daggers..." He sighed slowly. "The crafting chamber has the tools you need. The materials will be available by morning. The golems are already collecting silver along with the other simpler ore shards."

It seemed that he would have to leave the most difficult parts of this plan to Ilea. But, thinking back, long preparation and extreme care had always been his strong points. He had never been that terrifying an opponent in single combat. He just overthought things. So that still left the majority of the work in his court. It would still take several days of uninterrupted work to finish the rest of the construction and build the core of the Crimson Spire. He would begin in the morning, while Ilea was beginning her preparations. But, that meant that he would have several days without rest or food. This would not be a notable inconvenience except that it would mean very little contact between them during that time.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Ilea rubbed her cheek against his shoulder and tightened her arm around his waist as she snuggled in a bit closer to him, "I'll try it tomorrow. The color change, I mean. I can create the daggers in a day and work with the armor the day after," she said simply, not wanting to think about it any more tonight.

As it was, she knew she would have been having nightmares if she wasn't in contact with him as she slept. The prospect of fighting Goh wasn't something she took lightly and knew came with plenty of risks even though she knew it had to be done.

Then did the hardest thing she'd ever done: she raised her head to look into his eyes, "If killing him comes at the risk of my life, don't hesitate. He has to die. I know that now. I think I've always known it in some way. I don't want to die, but I'm not afraid of it. So if you get the chance, don't hesitate because of me. Please," she begged him softly, needing to him promise her that much, "Facing him is going to be terrifying enough as it is, but if you hesitate even a second when the chance comes he'll see it and escape, either with me in his grasp or dead. I'd rather be dead knowing he is too than knowing that he's still alive," she hated having to add that much but knew that he needed to hear it.

She knew that she risked death in facing Goh the way she was planning to, but go into this with even a chance Goh would survive it. She knew Shale would do everything he could to make sure she came out alive, just as she would. There was every chance that she'd survive this. But if there was even the smallest chance Shale might hesitate, she had to do what she could to stop it now.

Her crimson eyes showed her determination to survive, but also held her fear that he might hesitate in order to save her. She hoped she was wrong about that fear, that he'd be as ruthless as he had to be...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

And, satisfying tradition.

Shale Elkeil, Baron of the court of the Demon Realm and vassal to King Lareth the Terrible, stared back into the eyes that burned so honestly into his own. He found himself memorizing Ilea's features in that moment, that perfect moment. It was now truly begun. She was beginning to become what she could be. And now he would have to be prepared to trust.

She knew how firmly he held his word, what he was willing to do to keep a promise made. She had suffered greatly for that very part of him. She needed assurance that he would not show weakness. There was no room for it against such a foe. If he did it could make everything worth less than nothing.

"I swear. He will not survive. Even if I must enrage the gods and shatter the flow of time itself with my last breath and fall into oblivion with him." Shale said. His words were soft but the bond sang with the power of his will. He would not only place the death of this fallen god above Ilea's life. He would place it above his own as well. There was no room at all for anything but thoughts of Goh's demise. Anything, even valuing his own life, could prove to be a dooming distraction.

His hand came up to grasp her hair and pulled her lips down to his. The kiss was ferocious, passionate, powerful, and long. His grip on her body tightened as he pulled her atop him, holding her as close as he could. The time for words was past. It was time to make the most of their last free night before the task ahead.

And make the most of it he did. Through that long night he proved his skill, persistence, power, and endurance. He wielded pain and blood and pleasure, the faintest of touches and even magic to grant her a paradise beyond even what he had brought her to before. If this did become their last night together then he wanted it to be one worthy of them.

But there was something else as well. Along the bond of throbbing crimson that connected them something appeared, faint and flickering. It was almost completely hidden by the throbbing threads of magic but it glittered like gold and shone. A single thread of gold was there, a thread of something that had not ever been in the bond before.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

Gotta love tradition....

By the time he finally allowed her to rest, Ilea was beyond exhausted. She also had no voice left. And she certainly wouldn't be getting up on her own any time soon. Her body was as relaxed as it could get outside of death as she laid where he'd put her. Namely laying on top of him again.

She still struggled not to fall asleep this time, though, not wanting to miss a single moment of him holding her like this. She'd never been held like this before and she found that she craved it, along with the millions of smaller touches and compliments he gave her during the day.

"I don't want to go to sleep... I'm afraid it will all be a dream..." she whispered softly even though it would be hard to understand anything she said for a little while, but the intent of her words came though very clearly.

Her body was still buzzing with the attentions of the last several hours and she felt... something... through the bond but couldn't define it. She rubbed her cheek against his chest and fought sleep even harder, needing one more touch, one more kiss, one more caress, just one more moment like this with him...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

It's traditional for a reason after all.

Shale lay satisfied and comfortable, his hands absently drifting across Ilea's skin. This time, the golems would need to wash the sheets. But her state was priceless and he stayed awake mostly to treasure every second of her absolutely sated touch. He felt every inch where they touched and relished each one. Her breath against his skin was intoxicating, her smallest movement against him making him want to touch her with even more of him.

She spoke. He could only understand a few words but it didn't matter. He understood enough. He lightly kissed her forehead, her eyes, her nose, and the tips of her ears before slowly and tenderly kissed her lips. Through the bond flowed his pleasure, his pride, his satisfaction, and his sense of achievement. She was amazing, not because of Goh, but because of what she could do on her own. He was only starting to uncover her true abilities and he was continually impressed. There were no words that could be spoken that could equal the level of praise that the bond revealed. Even if this entire life was just a dream, it would still be worth everything. This connection somehow made everything else he had experienced seem like training, only dimly remembered.

Eventually, his breathing slowed and deepened as he slipped into sleep. Throughout the night his body never moved enough to lessen the contact between them and his dreams were swift and peaceful, calm and beautiful and full of her scent. Through the night, as the bond pulsed with their contentment, a bright glint of gold shone in the dark.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

And for a different tradition. Or the possibility of one. After all, they've only 'broken in' one room in the entire place...

Ilea fell asleep right along with him, barely moving at all as she slept. When she did move, it was simply to rub her cheek against his skin or slide a hand along his side, a leg along his. Small movements only, just enough to reassure her unconscious mind that he was still there, that she wasn't imagining him.

Her dreams were a little more substantial, filled with images of moments like this, where he was holding her, loving her, teaching her something new, praising her with a smile, taking a walk with her while holding her hand. But as she got close to waking up, the dream took a turn that confused her: Shale took her back to Darkness Abounds, back to the only home she'd ever known, and explored the place with her. Why, she didn't know, but the image seemed to stick with her for a few moments as she finished waking up. It made her frown a bit before the images faded from her mind as she raised her head to look at his face.

She simply watched him sleep for a few moments, then tentatively raised one hand to gently push a lock of his hair to one side. She had a brief thought of tracing his features, exploring the rest of him to a wonderful wake up. But she hesitated for good reason. She'd been taught, rather painfully, to be cautious in any initiative in this area.

She finally settled on placing a light kiss over his heart before she gently eased herself out of his arms to run a bath for them both. While she'd read about intimate moments in other places, she'd only ever experienced a bed or the dungeon. So, while the bath held possibilities, it wasn't anything she considered seriously. She simply wanted to have one more moment with him before they moved to their tasks and prepared for what was to come.

She started the water running and brushed out her hair then set out the bathing stuff and towels. She could already smell the kitchen golem preparing something to eat and wondered what she could do to make this morning special. They likely wouldn't see each other for the next two days, not until the trap was ready.

That brought her mind to the trap and her part in it. She would have to fight Goh. Her creator. The person who had given her life, that she'd loved for so long. Until he'd turned that love into fear and despair. She would have to fight him and that worried her. But she kept that to herself as much as she was able to, knowing that it was something she would have to work out on her own.

She finally turned to note that the water was ready and shut it off then headed into the bedroom to wake him. But she found herself simply watching him sleep, reluctant to wake him and begin the day. Still, her duty to him had her moving to sit beside him with one hand resting on his shoulder, "It's time to wake, Master," she told him gently, knowing that he was likely already awake anyway.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

True, though this place is rather... enormous. It will take a lot of effort to 'break in' every room.

Shale slept deeply enough that he did not wake when Ilea got up. His dreaming mind knew that she was not there anymore but it seemed like a thing to be proud of, each little sign of independence. His dreams were still mostly color and movement but now there was the sound of flowing water and rushing wind. And, he realized as he awoke, he was running with four legs.

The golem was beginning its preparations for breakfast when Shale opened his eyes. The soft sounds from the bath told him exactly what Ilea was likely doing. Well, that would delay the start of the day somewhat. But, a soft smile ran across his face. It would be alright. The next several days promised to be especially difficult for her, even more difficult than concentrating without her might prove for Shale.

He closed his eyes without moving from where he lay and wordlessly called his staff to his hand. With it in his grasp he began to explore the kinds of rare materials that he would need to have in abundance to complete the kind of golems and structure spells that would serve to effectively oppose Goh. He also resumed the final stage of construction for the general structure of the Forge. What little remained would only take a few hours. Then the real work would begin.

Ilea's touch on his shoulder drew his hand to cover hers and his mind to leave the rest of the work for a little later. His eyes opened easily and he sat up, keeping her hand in his as he leaned over to lightly kiss her lips.

"So it is." He said softly. The golem would still be a little while in its breakfast preparations so Shale simply shifted his position and wrapped his arms around Ilea's waist, pulling her back against his chest and restfully letting his chin sit on her shoulder. He remained like that for a few long moments before letting out a soft sigh against her skin and kissing her neck. Then he let go reluctantly and stretched, rising from bed to stand next to her beautiful form in all his scarred glory.

"Shall we?" Shale said with a subtle smile as his hand extended to claim hers once again.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

True... Though it wouldn't hurt to be a little adventurous before the chaos and drama starts up...

Ilea closed her eyes as he simply held her against him, closing her eyes and enjoying the simple sensations of his skin against hers and his arms around her. His kiss to her neck made her shiver wonderfully before she got up and gave him a small smile and a simple nod as she lead the way into the bathing room then into the warm water in the tub.

Once in the water, she did a repeat of the previous morning, making sure to clean him up and added in a gentle massage wherever she could, even making sure to comb his hair out. Once he was finished, she moved to collect the sponge and soap for herself as she turned her attention to her tasks, "I'll be able to finish the daggers in about a day and a half, I think. After that, I'll be working with my bodysuit for what will be needed in the fight. All total, about two days, maybe three," she said softly as she moved the sponge over herself then ducked under the water to wet her hair. She came back up for air and reached for the soap again to wash it, enjoying the sensation of the warm water while knowing that she likely wouldn't be able to do so again.

She was taking her time, though, to spend as much time with him as she could before their individual tasks separated them. The next time she saw him after this would likely be after Goh was defeated, if she survived. Once she finished her tasks, she would be moved into place for the trap.

She finally rinsed her hair and found herself simply looking at him for a silent moment. She didn't remember moving but somehow found herself wrapping her arms around him with her head against his chest, holding to him tightly. While she knew her survival wasn't likely, she suddenly found herself not wanting to leave him.  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Also true. And... we're going to have to coordinate the actual trap battle with Goh's master so that everything goes off without a hitch.

Shale simply followed Ilea's lead, enjoying every moment. Two or three days apart while working and then the final stage, the waiting. That part would be agonizing. Shale would have to remain here, in the Amber Forge, while Ilea was alone in the Crimson Spire waiting for her worst nightmare to come visit. This plan did not please Shale's newfound possessive streak.

When Ilea spontaneously grasped him and held on so tightly he found his arms around her, matching her earnest hold. Shale knew that her survival depended on him developing countermeasures that could counter the desperation fueled power of a fallen god. And he had only a few days. He was going to be so suffused with magic that he would likely not even be aware of his body for those days. But, for now, his body still had a voice he could hear.

His hands moved from Ilea's back, one gliding up to the back of her head, the other sliding down to her hip. He tipped her head back and kissed her slowly, deeply. His desire for her thrumming through his body and the bond with equal fervor. Once he had her attention he moved both his hands to her hips and lifted her body as though she weighed nothing. With her back against the warm wall, he used every skill he knew and several tricks that wouldn't work anywhere else to raise her to places far beyond mere screams, places where the only possible response was silence. No matter what Shale was, he would always be a quick study.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

I'm running Goh for this. That way, there's no question of his demise.

Ilea was completely focused on him and their connection the entire time. She was reduced to absolutely no sound but her harsh breathing by the end of it all, her nails still in his back where she'd clawed at him somewhere along the way. She'd also bitten his shoulder even though she didn't really remember doing it. He wasn't the only one marked up this time, though. She had her own marks from him that would linger this time as subtle reminders that she'd need during their separation.

She kept her legs around his waist as she stared into his eyes and gasped for air. She knew her legs wouldn't hold her for a little bit but couldn't find it in herself to care. In this moment, her nerves were still on fire, her mind filled with nothing but him.

After a brief moment she managed to blink and return herself to their surroundings and found herself blushing for the first time since meeting him. She'd only had vague theories and a few references in books about romantic encounters in places other than the bedroom. Needless to say, she hadn't expected this to happen here and it actually sparked her imagination about other potential locations.

Another moment and her blush faded as she realized that she might not be able to explore those possibilities. She closed her eyes and leaned in to press her forehead to his as she tried to get her breathing under control while her body still shivered in aftershocks and nerve overload.

She couldn't think of anything to say right now that wouldn't ruin this one moment for them both, wanted it to last forever even though she knew her time was limited. They had things to do, preparations to make, things to craft, places to be.

She still didn't know where she was supposed to wait for Goh's arrival but knew he would tell her soon enough, once they were ready for him.

She slid her face along his until it rested in the crook of his neck and her arms were wrapped around him as tightly as her legs were, not wanting to let go just yet. If she let go, they would have to part ways. If she let go, it would make what was to come all the more real.

She couldn't define what she was feeling right now, not really. She'd never felt like this before. So consumed with one person that she didn't want to move even a fraction of an inch away. It was almost a frightening feeling, but still so wonderful that fear couldn't take hold. She didn't know what it was but knew she had to tell him something.

She pulled her face back to look into his eyes again and finally spoke, "Blood and bone, body and soul... I belong to you, Shale... Forever..." she whispered the words, not realizing what they would do to her part of the bond.

It would literally bind her soul to his. If she died, if Goh killed her this time, her soul would still be his to command, she would somehow find him again if her soul managed to be reborn into a new body. She bound herself to him permanently willingly. With those words, the master/servant bond became superfluous...  

[Haeo]

Red Gypsy

Good, I was wondering how that extra layer of communication would work.

Shale had not held back any of his newly acquired skills. He had used everything as best he could. These tremors and gasping were testament to his latest masterwork in pleasure. But, he found himself still standing there, bracing her back against the wall. He could feel her every breath, her heartbeat, and each tremor was still not enough. He felt the slim trickles of blood from the deepest of the scratches she had given him and the dull ache from the bite in his shoulder. He wanted more. He wanted an eternal moment of sensation, feeling everything and never needing to let go.

Still intertwined, their bodies still reflexively responding to the intensity of their joining, Shale's gaze met Ilea's with an intense and patient fervor that had no end. Her blink broke their linked gaze but did nothing to diminish the charm of her blush. Shale's mind was desperately clinging to the moment so that he would not have to awaken his imagination and turn his attention once again to the most efficient way to kill a god. Truth be told, he did not desire the notoriety that such a victory would garner. He would not have the chance to accustom himself to the life of a minor noble under a great king's shadow.

But for now, his hold on her was strong and steady. His muscles did tremble slightly from time to time from his own pleasure but he found himself filled with other urges that he did not know the words for. As her head found a place at his neck he strove to find words for what he could now sense. A brilliant, humming gold that rippled through him with a force and sense of importance that he had never known.

Then she spoke and the bond both seemed to thrum with even more power and die at the same time. With those words he knew that he had been right in a way he hadn't even realized. It really was true that Ilea's greatest magic was in her will. Her own choice determined her true path, and she had chosen him... forever. His own voice seemed misplaced, he couldn't seem to find it for several long moments. Then a powerful surge moved through his blood. Magic and will. There was something else now, silver and gold, slender and unbreakable, that stretched the distance between them. The silver of his will and the gold of something that he knew no name for. So, he spoke softly in the language of an ancient spell form.

"Ascendant sheen of oblivion's first light bear witness and heed to the pact. Know thy limits and dare not trespass for this one, now unified, shall dwell as the circle itself in the embrace of eternity."

Shale did not often use voice magic. The contracts were often not in the caster's favor. But, this was one that he meant with every spark of his being. It would change nothing right now. But, this magic would grow with time. Every moment they spent together would empower them both, granting numerous gifts. There was one phrase, though, that he did not speak aloud. A phrase that he dared not speak, even now as it sealed the bond and seed of their eternal future together. There was a name in it that he knew. A name that he had heard once, as a young child in a dream of white and azure and gray that he had never been able to forget. It was the last dream he had had until Ilea. That dream had told him that his path was different from that of his family. He knew little of the origin of that name but he knew this one thing. It must never be spoken aloud because it would be heard.  

[Red Gypsy]

Haeo

I've already got my part of it typed up for use whenever we're ready. Just need to finish the set up, then I can post it, then you can kill him. Easy-peasy.

Ilea didn't understand the words he spoke, but she still felt the power that coursed through them both as he did so. It sent her already-sensitive nerves off, making her shudder between him and the wall, finally gasping for air when she settled again.

But with what he'd done with the spell, she suddenly had an epiphany. She suddenly knew what she was feeling, knew the word for it. She was afraid to say it, though, since the word seemed so inadequate to describe how she felt for him.

What she'd felt for Goh had been simple devotion and obedience. She now knew that she'd never really loved him.

She loved the man holding her now.

She was afraid to say it out loud, afraid that he wouldn't understand what she meant by it. But she couldn't contain the emotion as it moved through her, filling her to the point that she had to let it out somehow.

So she kissed him. It was an intense kiss, full of passion, desire, and the love she was feeling for him. It was also the first time she'd initiated any contact with him, so it was still a major step for her.