Just as Dain was about to take another sip of the ale, he felt a feint, but familiar demonic energy. At first it was feint, but it grew so quickly the hairs on his arm had no way to slowly stand up. They went from flacid to erect quicker than even his Saiya-Jin eyes could see. It was difficult to describe and it brought back traces of the terror he had felt as he fought her. Unlike any other kind of energy he had ever sensed. Dain had fought against countless species and had experienced their aura. Some were warm like a glühwwein, other frosty like the tundra. Some so electric it had felt as if they could sear anything, while other felt more like a raging hurricane. Yet none compared to the feeling he was having now. Even if he tried his hardest it would have been impossible to describe. It felt searingly hot, malevolent, eerie, yet seductive. At the same time it felt as if it could freeze the blood in his veins, yet warm like a bath. Even among the demons he had fought, none came even remotely close to the demonic presence his queen gave off. Like a tree compared to an entire forest.

He shifted slightly in his chair as he watched the portal open and the beautiful demon appear. She was truly a being of extraordinary quality and he did not just mean her demonic bust or her feminine hips. Much more so came from the aura around her, it was in a word invigorating. It instilled fear, yet also promised lust and most importantly it promised fun. Perhaps that was the real feeling he got from her. That if he would be at her side, life would simply be fun.

Strangely enough he did not have any urge to breed with her. Dain was by far shy and had any other girl made it´s way into his throne room, that looked so sanguinely good, he probably would have had his way with her. Yet Amatricina did not install that feeling. Perhaps it was because of the fact that the last time he laid a hand on her, she had beaten him so ferociously he had to give up food for four days…

Luckily the overwhelming aura died down a bit as the portal closed behind her and Dain breathed in, suddenly realizing he had been unable to since. Fresh air filled his lungs and he was just about to welcome her when she drew the bottle from and emptied it in a single sip. “T-that bottle cost ove-” Dain began upset, when suddenly he burst out in laughter, realizing the irony of the act. He had done exactly the same thing to his friend Sly, only to make fun of his friend when he started to complain about how much the bottle had cost. A grin formed on his lips as he instantly reached out for a new bottle from his endless collection and he just knew which one. A little silver flask rose up from the shelve and began to make it´s way towards Dain. A little treasure he had picked up from the Maroki people. A fun species that were incredibly technological, but also tended to spend most of their time drinking. From what he had learned this was one of their pinnacles. It started out as medicinal alcohol, but through a series of technological and magical treatments it had turned into a little miracle. As you drank it would begin out a sweet apple taste, only to add Smokey flavors as it rolled over the tongue and as it was swallowed it turned into ice, like a bucket of liquid nitrogen. Yet as it reached the stomach it would turn around and burn with the flame of a volcano. The best part was though that the feeling in the mouth lingered for over ten minutes and they kept changing, almost as if they adapted itself to the flavor the person wanted.

It was a shame he had only learned about this magical liquid only after he had blown up their planet, but luckily he had managed to grab a casket full of these little flasks. -Accidentally mind you, he had simply robbed the collection of one of the best liquor stores on the planet and they happened to be among them- With a grin he caught the little flask and took a minute sip. “Welcome aboard m-your ship my queen.” Dain said with a grin as clouds of ice vapor left his mouth as he spoke. “Also it is mi-yours. To answer your question though; I did not build this ship with my own hands… but I promise you those who did will not come back to claim it.” He said with a wide grin, enjoying the cold and burning feeling in his body.

“This might be more to your liking then.” Dain said still grinning, throwing the flask to her as he caught the ball. He watched in admiration at the ball she had created. Melting glass with his electricity was easy, but to shape it back into perfect sphere was impressive. As she continued to speak though his grin faded slightly and a vein popped up on his forehead. He did not appreciate her coming onto his ship and insulting him. Had it been anyone else then Amatricina he would probably have melted down, formed it into tiny bullets and shoved them into every part of soft tissue he could imagine. He hated it when somebody insulted his collection of fine wares, especially when it came to a bottle that cost more then some planets spend on their military and there were only six bottles left in the universe. Still it was Amatricina and aside from the fact that he did not want to fight her on his ship… it was actually funny. Here he was gorging on food, enjoying the finest liquids in the universe at the center of the only place he had felt at home at in centuries. “You are funny.” Dain said as he erupted in loud laughter to the points were tears appeared in his eyes.

He did not allow himself to laugh too long though -at the fear his queen would get angry again- and forced himself to be serious. His eyes lit up briefly and as he snapped his fingers he muttered a few words under his breath. Out of thin air a table appeared in between them and behind Amatricina appeared a chair made of the finest oak wood. It was a chair fit for royalty, except that it lacked any of the decorations or padding. It was his best chair though and he figured that a demoness with such magnificent… padding… would not mind to sit directly on wood. “Please take a seat my queen.” Dain said respectfully as he bowed slightly, before snapping his fingers to signal that the food should keep coming. Royal presence or not, he was still starving and he would have his feast!

As the cooks brought up the food they had already prepared, there was a moment of silence and Dain took the time to study the orb and process the words the demoness had spoken. It was rather interesting to know there were only seven of them and she already had six now. Under other circumstances that would have opened up rather… interesting options. “Well I trust your judgment, although I do look forward to the retrieval of the seventh ball.” The Saiya-Jin spoke friendly, but with respect as he let the ball spin between his fingers. “It would be my pleasure to entertain you for the evening and I look forward to an… -uh- pleasant chat.” He said with a grin as he put the ball on the table and moved his eyes towards Amatricina, allowing them to quickly glance over her beauty before resting upon her eyes, locking his gaze onto hers. “Please feel free to ask me anything and if there is anything you´d like, please tell me. Everything on board this ship is yours and I will do my very best to satisfy any desires you have.” He said, just as the food arrived on the table and using his telekinesis he tore of a large piece of meat from the boar and put it in his mouth.

Word Count: 1400
Total Word Count: 2,800
@amatricina

Dain could not suppress a grin as she commented on the bottle being worth less than his life. If he recalled correctly, that were almost his exact words to Sly. Though to be honest when he had said that, Sly had taken the liberty to knock him through three bulkheads. Something he would never consider doing to Amatricina. Or did not dare. Definitely either one of those. “Yes my queen.” He said still grinning uncontrollably as for some reason he found her response the best. The Saiya-Jin was cautious not to upset her, but he could not help like her spirit. She was as feisty as some of the Saiya-Jin woman he had dated. He had never figured out whether it was his heritage or a character trait, but he always loved spirited girls. Especially if they were fully capable of backing up their words. He simply did not understand the fun in dating someone who was underfoot and could never strike back if she wanted to. In his mind that would simply be boring and if there was anything he hated, it was boredom. “Thank you, I try. I just feel like life is no fun if you don´t.” He said as his grin turned into a genuine smile and was honestly grateful for the compliment. Even if he was unsure whether she meant it or not.

He simply nodded though as she commented on the state of manners and proper protocol in the universe. Not because he disagreed, but he simply had nothing verbally to add. He had been a soldier for many, many years and a bounty hunter for just as long, both had taught him the important of respect to his superiors. Even if he would have wanted to, he doubted he could have addressed her inappropriately without carefully thinking about each word. It was an automatism and at this moment he was suddenly very glad that it was.

The remark about his ship though he did not let slide. It was a bit of his joy and pride after all and he had spend a large sum of his money and time to model it to it´s current state. “Forgive me Amatricina, my queen.” Dain said with a bit more neutral tone of voice as he stopped eating for a moment and placed his hands in the molded arm chairs. Instantly he felt how the material tightened around his skin and began absorbing the excess energy he was giving up. “The reason this looks like a pleasure palace is because I could. This ship does not require complex systems and all sorts of technology to operate, so I had over 90% of the ships innards removed.” He said as he began slowly power up, allowing the system to adept to the increase in power it was getting. Instantly the ship came to life. A tremble ran through the ships as the main engined fired up. All across the ship systems and rooms began to wake up that were normally dormant and even in the room they were presiding the light became slightly more intense. A soft hum spread through the ship, but perhaps the most notable was the increase in speed, causing the plates on their table to slide a few seconds before the ship´s AI compensated the inertia dampeners. “All this ship requires is my energy and I dare to boast that in the entire universe not even a handful of ships could go toe to toe with it. So long as I am in my chair, I guarantee your safety aboard my ship my queen. Even if I´d have to feed every last drop of life energy into it, I stake my life on it.” He said uncharacteristically serious as he looked her straight in the eyes, as if he wanted to confirm the pledge he had made the other day, this time freely without being near death.

“Oh and the ship is called the Atrioch. It already carried that name when I… procured it, but now it seems fitting I guess. Atrioch, the demon on vengeance. Delivers vengeance only when called up. Yours to call for at any time.” He suddenly said as he began chuckling. Dain had not thought about it till now -he had only been conscious for twenty minutes or so- but suddenly it felt as if fate had played him another trick. Of all the names the ship could have had, it was named after a demon of vengeance, now at the command of the demon queen. It was just so appropriate that it was almost ridiculous.

The Saiya-Jin could only blink though as he was being reprimanded. All he had tried to do was be polite and he wondered what he should have said different. `Please take a seat, if your highness wishes it?´ He had not even considered for a second she could have taken offense to it. It almost seemed petty, especially for a queen, but nonetheless Dain made sure to remember it for the future. “My apologies it was never my wish to command you and I will make sure to avoid such misunderstandings in the future.” He said as he bowed slightly.

Dain was just about to swallow a large piece of lamb meat when she completely carefree uttered the words about her sleeping arrangements. Instantly his throat and other holes shut themselves tight in response, causing the meat to lodge itself in his throat. “SAY WHAT?” He exclaimed genuinely surprised, his eyes enlarged and his mouth slightly hanging open as he stared at her for an inappropriately long time. When he had invited her to come, he honestly had not expected her to come live here. It was not that the Saiya-Jin was angry or upset about it, he was simply completely flabbergasted. “M-my apologies my queen.” He said after a good fifteen seconds, slowly regaining his composure. Dain quickly patted his chest to and forced the meat that was stuck down with a big gulp of wine. “I… I… I am sure we can find you… accommodations that you will find suitable my queen Amatricina.” He said still clearly flustered as his mind was scrambling, bowing deeply in his confusion as if he were a servant. There were a few sleeping rooms in his ship and surely there were still plenty of big open spaces… but he had never anticipated to be a host for the queen of all demons and he was afraid nothing that he could offer would be appropriate. “For the time being you can stay in my room. It has everything you asked for and many other… luxuries you might like. I will have it prepared and cleaned immediately.” He said with a tone of happiness as the idea came to him.

After that they simply enjoyed their dinner together for a while -Dain hoping that would be the biggest surprise of the evening-. Dain agreed with Amatricina to the fullest about the mortals and their cooking. He relayed the message to the cooks, who gratefully took the compliment and then went back into their kitchen were they were far away from the demon queen. Something Dain could not blame them for. What impressed him though was how much his companion could eat. Never had he seen another being that could keep up with him. What he had never learned though were table manners, neither as a soldier nor in the presence of his fellow soldiers. Yet he tried his best to use the silverware as good as he could. Plate after plate of food seem to vanish in extraordinary speeds and between the two of them the cooks seemed barely be able to keep up. “Now THIS is good.” Dain said with the biggest of grins as he padded his slightly inflated stomach and belched softly to let some excess air escape. Thanks so his Saiya-Jin heritage he could enjoy food till the fullest and never gain a pound as long as he occasionally worked out.

“Thank you.” He said as he bowed slightly once more to display gratitude, while trying to hide the look of shock in his eyes saw the damage to the Katchin. He himself could not damage that material to that extend even if he would have thrown his entire might against it. Truly scare… He thought to himself as he raised his head, trying to look composed as always.

After seeing her use her talon to slice of the piece of meat, Dain could no longer restrain himself. He simply stabbed the fork and knife in the table and continued to attack with both hands and his head. It was like a carefully orchestrated ballet. As one hand tore of a peace of meat, the other had just finished putting a shrimp in his mouth and in the slight delay between them, he used his telekineses to take a sip of wine. Had he not been starving for four days he might have been able to restrain himself a little better, but right now there was no stopping him. It was not until she mentioned training that she broke his assault. “Yes my queen. This ship comes complete with a sparring arena, walls of katchin and a gravity room that should be able to deliver to your specs.” He said with an aura of pride, after he had swallowed and cleansed his lips with a napkin. It was part of his pride that he had been able to fit that into the ship. “Might I say though, that is… impressive.” Dain said as with an air of admiration in his voice as he looked at the demoness. For some reason he had assumed she had gotten her strength from birth, but it seemed that she had trained for it. Something he could only respect and the fact that she requested 500. Inside his mind he whistled loudly. So far he had not dared to take it further then 460.

For some reason he enjoyed her company, despite everything she was. On one hand she terrified him, but in the short time they spend together at this table he had grown to respect her as well. Just at that moment a servant came into the room, quickly whispered something into Dain´s ear and than left quickly as if his ass was on fire. “Your room has been prepared and I guarantee the first two. Katchin walls, lockable from the inside and spells have been cast to make it impossible to teleport into the room. As for the last two, feel free to make any changes you want.” He said as he dug into the food again, though with the worst of his hunger stilled he managed to control himself somewhat and at the very least use the fork.

As they continued to eat, a question came to Dain though. “Might I ask how you intend to become queen of the demonic realm?” He suddenly asked as he realized he had not even a clue what the pledge he made would require. Dain hoped fervently that it did not mean he would have to be part of an ancient ritual that would suck out all his blood. “I hate to admit it, but I know almost nothing about demons or the demon realm. If you can forgive me for my lack of knowledge, I would be delighted if you could enlighten me a bit. Amatricina, my queen.”

Word Count: 1900
Total Word Count: 4,700
@amatricina

Dain´s first instinct would have been to argue with Amatricina. Although it was true that he had not encountered those vessels, he felt she was rather harsh. The Saiya-Jin was no mechanic, but he had tested his ship in battle and it had far outperformed it´s previous state. He shifted in his seat as he considered whether he should give her a demonstration. Although he was unfamiliar with her fleet or that moon, he honestly did not know a lot of battle cruisers that could destroy a planet. The Atrioch could do that, if he fed his own energy into the weapons, just as easily as he could. Besides which ship could boast that it would grow stronger continuously if the captain did? All valid points in his own mind, but he decided to shift back his weight and simply smile and nodd. “Yes my queen, please forgive me boldness for making such a statement.” He said with a steel face, a vein in his neck slightly trembling as he forced the words out, trying to make them sound casually. He was unsure if he had succeeded…

He did not know what to say when she mentioned he could probably take her brother. “It would be my honor to test myself against him.” He finally replied as he grinned at her, hoping he´d made it across the rope without tripping. The Saiya-Jin figured that boasting how he would love to kill her brother would be a mistake, but feared that denying her claim would make him look weak. Just as he was about to begin a plate of sweet mashed potatoes, dressed with Vegetables dripping with hot butter, she insulted his ship again and this time he could not control himself in time. “If you think so less of this ship, might I ask why you want to reside here in the first place?” He spoke fiercely, with a deep growl in his voice as his right hand clenched together, twisting the silver as if it was a strip of paper clip. Just in time he caught himself and quickly added the required words, although spoken without any of the usual respects. “My Queen!” Empty words for someone who seemed to enjoy insulting him.

In all his years as a soldier he had known abuse, it was practically a requirement for the job, but never had someone stomped on his pride so carelessly. At least in the Saiya-Jin army it would have been within his right to fight back. As he tried to calm himself down, he wondered why she was getting so much to him. “My apologies, your reasons are not for me to question.” He said as he sat down and rammed his fork into the mashed potatoes, only to make a mess. The twisted metal smashed it, rather then pierce through the soft steaming potatoes, splattering them everywhere.

Dain was unable to prevent himself from being hit, but just in the nick of time he reached out and stopped the large pieces that were about to hit Amatricina.

For a moment Dain only blinked, until he burst out in laughter as he looked down upon his own brown cloak, now covered in yellow puddles of potatoes. It was then when he suddenly had an idea. “Say… Amatricina… why don´t we retrieve your ship? I don´t want to boast, but I do have some experience… retrieving ships.” He said excited as he had finally found something he could be good at. Forgetting her title and what had previously happened in a heartbeat. The Saiya-Jin had never been one to dwell on the past for a long time anyway though. He had found life to be too short to dwell on what had happened and a soldiers life had not granted him that privilege anyway. The men he could have brawled with the night before after a night of too much drinking, were the brothers he had to rely upon the next morning in the trenches. Instead of dwelling upon it he summoned a servant and asked for another bottle of wine and a glass.

The Saiya-Jin did occasionally enjoy a good Bordeaux or Malbec. Perhaps esthetically it was the most beautiful drink in the world. He loved to see how the full red body of wine would slowly slosh into his glass, ruby red, yet slightly see through. It was one of the few drinks he absolutely required to drink from a glass. Just sitting near a fireplace, his feet stretched out to the fire, a glass a red win in his hand, a book in the other… that was a piece of heaven. He had often thought about it and considered it perhaps the reason that he lost his prowess as a warrior; his desire for comfort and peace. Still he preferred it over being a mindless barbarian that could only think about battle. That had been fun for a few hundred years, but after that got pretty stale, rather quickly.

He was just enjoying a sip, when he saw the demoness ruin another good bottle. Or rather… his eyes widened slightly in amazement as the craftsmanship she displayed and even more after seeing what it formed. As he stretched out his hands to catch it, instinctively energy began crackling around the tips of his fingers. Not nearly enough to melt the glass, but enough to protect him from the searing heat still coming from the model. His eyes trembled slightly as he gazed upon it and inspected every detail of it. “My apologies my queen, it seems I have underestimated your race once more.” He said with a slightly trembling as he kept finding more details in the ship and he realized that she was speaking the truth. Even with all his power he would never be able to scratch that behemoth. What was more was that he learned another thing about the demon race. Apparently they could survive in space. That was good to know. “I would never dare to insinuate you would need my protection, I merely meant that I would do the job I pledged to do, before you´d have to go out and do it yourself.” He said slightly humbled as he bowed.

Within meeting her two times, he had already learned more humility then he had done in his entire life. A small grin appeared on his face as that awareness slowly began to seep into him. He was also slowly beginning to recognize the role she would have him play. It was becoming apparent that she was not going to treat him the way he would have preferred. In a way it felt as if she was treating him like a small child, rather than a prideful Saiya-Jin warrior.

Her request to address him differently though, caught him in a difficult position. He had never liked the term warlord much, especially not for the demoness. Dain was fully aware that she probably held that title… but for some reason it felt too barbaric for her. Or perhaps it was because it was not feminine enough and that was why he could not see himself calling her his liege a lot either. “Yes mistress.” He replied with a small grin as he reached for a place of olives, soaking in pesto. With a movement of his finger he lifted one up of the olives and moved them to his mouth, ignoring the glistening drop of oil falling to the ground. With most of his hunger stilled, he began to slow down and pick out the most most delicious dishes to enjoy. The red wine was followed by a fresh ice wine. The almost frosty, sweet taste cleansed his palate and he reached for another olive.

As they had been gorging themselves Dain could not help himself but notice the Demoness had been… increasing herself. He himself had felt how during the meal his stomach had slowly been pushing against the table and during the fest he had carefully shifted his weight slightly to give him some more room. He was just about to shift his weight once more, when she gave him another jab, this time against his pride as a warrior.

It did not even bother him this time. Aside from a slightly trembling jaw, the grin on his face said it all. The demoness might have shattered his pride, but she also offered him the opportunity to get something back, regaining his prowess as a warrior by training with her. “You might be right Amatricina, I may have grown soft over the years, but I think I can offer you more than raw strength. Give me time and I promise you I can give you a run for your money, I stake it on my pride as a Saiya-Jin.” He said with a grin as he had already had one or two idea´s. He was delighted at the aspect of getting to train with her, yet even as he said it he felt a raw pain hitting him. She was too much like him, in every way. The way she ate, behaved herself, that rawness… at first he had sworn allegiance out of fear, yet the more he got to know her, the more that feeling came willingly. She was extraordinary. Beautiful, feisty, wild, dominating… perhaps everything he had ever wanted in a wife. It was a shame she was a demoness. Suddenly it had hit him how amazing she was and it made a crack in his original plan.

He had intended to serve her, learn and observe. Not only until he had regained his former glory, but until he could have broken free from her reign. She would have been an unsurmountable goal. She was what he needed, a purpose, something to work towards. Something to plan, scheme and train towards, so that one day he would have been able to feel the sweet feeling called vengeance as it was him he placed his foot on her chest and pressed her into the dust. Yet as he saw her like that, for a moment his mind wavered and for a split second he wondered how it would be to honestly serve her.

At the same time however that caused the pain he felt, a pain he had never experienced before. He had always served others -aside from a few centuries in which he had his own little empire- but always for his own purposes. As a soldier to grow stronger, as a mercenary to gain money and as a bounty hunter to experience the thrill of the hunt. Now for the first time in his life he might have found someone he could follow. Her ambition was so far beyond anything he ever had; to become the queen of the entire demon realm… it did seem better to help achieve that than continue his life, wandering the stars in search of meaning. Yet he knew at that very instant as well that would never happen. He could never willingly serve someone who looked down upon him and that caused a pain he had never experienced.

He was still pondering about this sudden feeling, when he suddenly felt that familiar energy. Surprised he looked up, realizing he had been eating on auto pilot as he mind wondered. He was caught completely of guard by her transformation and even more by the beauty of it. His mouth opened slightly as he watched her body grow and her energy spike. During the fight he barely had time to admire it, but as she asked him he took his time to study it and the moment he was done he regretted it. Compared to his own transformation, this one was on a whole other level. Aside from an incredible power increase, it made her even more beautiful, stronger looking. “It is most impressive.” Dain said a bit absentmindedly as he took a big sip of wine to wet his sudden parched lips and throat. Unconsciously he licked his lip as he studied her once more and realized for the first time how truly beautiful Amatricina was. If he just ignored the de- no scratch that. If he ignored her demonic features, she would have simply looked like an extremely beautiful woman… yet she was more. He could not describe the feeling, except that he suddenly seemed to be warm and from what it felt like, about to start sweating.

Dain forced himself to take another sip of his wine and lean back casually, as he diverted his gaze back into hers. He experienced relief and disappointment at the same time as she powered down a bit. Every hair on his body was standing up in union, after the display she had just given him. Dain had hold one hand under the table, pressing it so tightly together his nails left deep marks into his skin, while the other was held in front of his face to protect himself.

Instinctively he had seen the crackling lightning and the desire to stretch out his hand to touch it. A part of him wanted to touch the black miasma. It had hurt last time, yes, but he had also never felt so alive. “I am at a loss for words Mistress, except that I am looking forward to it. To conquer in your name and face worthy opponents. Most of all though it would be my honor to stand next to you… even if it is only on the left side.” He said seriously, though perhaps a bit too frank. It was not in his nature though to take second place. He had sworn to serve Amatricina, but he had made no such vow to her brother.

After that Dain had the feeling it was about time to finish the dinner. If he had too he could still have gorged a bit more, but he took the demoness lengthy monologue and display as a sign she was done with the main course. “Could I interest you in dessert Mistress? I was planning to have a simple one anyway.” He said friendly as he snapped his fingers once more to signal the servants to start cleaning the table. As the first reached the table and began to stack the countless plates on her arm, Dain leaned forward and whispered something in the girls ear, causing her to speed towards the kitchen and relay the message to the cooks.

As their table was being cleaned, Dain just stared up to the ceiling for a moment, not only enjoying the cigarette he was smoking, but also contemplating the next course of action. In the end though he decided that he needed her help, so he might as well be honest with her. “Amatricina… He said serious for a moment, dropping the title, as what he wanted to ask her was from one warrior to another. It was not something he could ask her as her servant, as it was already humiliating enough. “You were right about me being weak. For far too many years I have relied upon nothing but raw power to work and I´ve lost… a part of myself I did not even know I had lost until we met.” He said dead serious as he lifted an arm into the air and pointed a finger towards her. “At one point I was a true warrior, now I am just an idiot who can´t even go super properly anymore. All I seem to be able to do is sit here in this pleasure house. With no worthy foes I have grown complacent and weak. I can´t even tap into my true power anymore.” He said, his voice growing more and more bitter, showing the disgust he experienced towards himself. Without a warning his golden aura flared up and Dain growled slightly as he tried to tap into his instinct and guide the power he once controlled. “Over time I guess I grew bored, never having to push myself, never meeting an opponent worthy of my might and now I can´t even do this anymore properly.” He said as he closed his eyes in shame and he focused as hard as he could. As he opened his eyes he sighted in shame.

He had intended to transform his entire finger, but he had barely managed to turn a bit more than his nail into pure electricity. “DAMNED!” He cried in frustration as he let his frustration sore, causing gales of wind to form around him. “Help me! Train me and give me worthy opponents to fight, give me a purpose! Allow me to regain my PRIDE!!!” He bellowed at the top of his lungs, finally letting out the years of frustration, as his power bubbled around him for a moment, causing the room to shake. “Give me that and not only do I swear to always be at your side as your champion, I swear on my pride as a true Saiya-Jin that nobody will get passed me to challenge you!” He said fierce, giving in to his true desire.

That was what he wanted, what he needed. If she could give him that he did not care if he had to serve her for eternity. It was right there and then that he realized that his vow had not been a sacrifice from his side, but rather a promise from hers. His Warlord, Liege and Mistress. That was the moment he would later remember as when he truly gave into Amatricina and it would be the start of a glorious time.

Word Count: 3000
Total Word Count: 7,700
@amatricina

As soon as he was done with his outburst, a wave of shame overcame him. Never in his life Dain had displayed such weakness and he could not understand why he did now. It was not the behavior of a man, let alone a true blooded Saiya-Jin and for the moment he wanted to sink through the ground and vanish. It was only much later that he understood why though. By showing his weakness, he admitted at the same time she was superior and he needed her. Had he not done that he would never have been able to accept her truly as his master. Later he would wonder what would have happened if he had not. Fearing that if he had not been able to overcome his pride, at some point he would have risen up against her. Right now he felt like he just wanted to disappear. A deep pink color appeared on his otherwise rather pale skin and he was unable to look up and look her in the eyes.

“Yes Mistress.” He said ashamed, his eyes still staring at the table, a slight tremble in his voice. He did not even care as she incinerated the remains of the food. She was absolutely right that he did not deserve the food, nor call her by name. One thing he wondered though, was what would happen if he told her he was in fact not mortal. It was not something he could mention to her, not right now at least.

Perhaps it would have helped her understand his mental state a bit more, but he could not live with that idea of pity. Nor did he enjoy the thought of her going out of her way to prove he was mortal, as he had experienced that already. Immortality might seem fun, but not when it could be used to torture him. He had already experienced the feeling of drowning for 24 hours straight, suffocating the entire time, but never enjoying the release of death that was supposed to follow. That had only been water though and just at the thought of what the demoness could do to him sufficed to make him break out in cold sweat and cause a shiver to run down his spine. He decided right there and then, that it would have to stay his secret, the only one he would ever have from his mistress.

Luckily the demoness surprised him. Although she did accurately point out the sorry state he was in, she seemed to accept it nonetheless. The Saiya-Jin had never expected pity or warming words, so he simply took it as a confirmation. Slowly he relaxed a bit and his aura fell away, his muscles shrinking slightly, leaving only his golden hair and azure eyes. He was so accustomed to it´s state it almost felt as his normal form, so he actually forgot to power down due to everything that had happened. “It will be my pleasure.” He said with a small, wavering smile as he quickly placed his arms into the arms of his chair. Dain checked quickly if the ships batteries had been charged and luckily due to his outbreak it had already charged to eighty nine percent. Last time he had spend a full day, the gravity machine and internal shielding had barely drained ten percent, so he hoped it would be enough. I should remember to upgrade the batteries though. He quickly made he mental note, anticipated the heightened as the demoness would probably test the ships power to it´s limits.

“Please follow me mistress.” He said as he got up from the table, giving the cooks a sign to stop preparing desert, before leading her away from the room. Just as he was about to leave though, he suddenly realized the vault still sitting in the middle of the room. “Ah please, allow me to show you the vault of my ship.” He said as he carefully touched her on the arm with only the tip of his finger, while he pressed his elbow against the vault, as he placed two fingers on the vault.

A moment later the three appeared several meters below where they had been standing, in the middle of his vast amounts of wealth. Albeit most of it being in the form of priceless arts and crates of paper money, there were also countless piles of gems, minerals and metals lying at the edges of the vault. “I know it is not much mistress, but I would not dare to keep secrets from you. As goes for all my possessions, feel free to use anything you want mistress.” He said gracefully, not making the mistake to boast about his wealth. Dain then waited till the demoness had seen enough and teleported them back up. “If you want you can take anything to decorate your room, for example.” He said with a grin as the idea suddenly hit him. The Saiya-Jin knew she was not a dragon, but considering the effort she took to make herself beautiful, he figured she would probably not object.

Without further delays he then took her to the gravity room. As they walked there Dain stayed in the role of servant and gracious host, showing her the room as they passed them. One of the first rooms they passed was his trophy room. It contained the heads of several worthy enemies, some ancient weapons and all kinds of trinkets he had picked up during his adventures. This room he only quickly passed though as he was not convinced Amatricina would care for his mortal trinkets.

In fact the only room he actually took the time to show her was the ships armory and forge. A huge room, spanning across almost an entire deck. Within it were several humongous forges, each burning at different temperatures, allowing him to meld almost any metal and substance. The center of the room contained a huge computing center, arranged in a square with a holographic center in the middle. Dain used it to design his armors and weapons, being able to see them before he actually made them. “Mistress could you perhaps show me later at which temperature Katchin melted? So far I have been unable to achieve that.” He asked hopefully as he pointed to, perhaps the biggest of them all, the one forge at the end of the room which was not burning.

After that he showed her only a few other rooms, including a lavendish bathing room, including a huge pool, hot tubs and several shower cabins. Dain had no idea whether the demoness actually needed to bath, but he wanted to be thorough. By the time they had made their way to the training room, almost twenty minutes had passed. A good thing, as Dain hated it to train when he felt like a balloon, making the punches to the gut intolerable.

“This is it mistress.” Dain said as he opened the heavy katchin door, showing the humongous room that laid beyond. It´s far end was just over 2,5 kilometers away, the sides 800 meters apart and the ceiling was almost fifty meters up. “The walls are made entire of Katchin, two layers each a meter thicc and there are internal shields between the two slabs as a final safety measure. Even between the two of us, I´d like to think we would have a hard time damaging the ship.” He said with a grin, knowing he might have just issued a challenge to the demoness. He was equally interested in seeing what she could do, as well as find out how good his engineering skills actually were.

Without delaying any further he entered the room and instantly the holographic adapter activated, loading his previous program. Instantly the cold black walls vanished and they found themselves in the middle of a ruined city. Technology was about mid twenty first century on earth, but it was obvious that the destruction had occurred a long time ago as nature was quite far along the process of reclaiming it. “Computer, override safety protocol one and allow voice commands to be given by anyone in this room. Authorization Dain Z-Alpha-87-C.” He said as he turned to Amatricina. “Welcome to m-your training area. The room is yours mistress. Feel free to pick the decor and adjust the gravity levels as you see fit.” He said with a bow, somewhat anxious to find out what would happen next.

Word Count: 1,400
Total Word Count: 9,100
@amatricina

Dain was delighted his mistress liked his treasure as much as she did. He could practically sense her lust, her avarice and he did not even care as she pilfered every bit of the gems and metals. In fact he kind of felt proud that she seemed to like them this much. That and the fact that he was really glad she did not hit him again. It was a new sensation for him. The Saiya-Jin was not afraid of the pain, he grew up with nothing else, but rather that it meant something to him that he made someone else happy. Especially someone who he knew cared not for him personally. If he had to describe the feeling he had, it was that he was a tool for her and nothing else. Strangely that mattered not. He had found something in life to cling to, something he needed.

During his long, long life, Dain had served in the military. He had conquered planets, defended settlements, wreaked havoc across battlefields. During his early years he had earned the nickname ‘giant monkey raper’ -The nickname does not translate properly from ancient Vegetian- and only his presence often caused the enemy to retreat or halt their progress and reinforce their lines. It had stilled his lust for battle, yet after a hundred years he had grown bored. So he had founded his own empire for a few centuries, expanding it over a few solar systems, only to eventually leave as there was nothing left. After that he had spend years wandering, until he became a bounty hunter. It combined the best of the two; his list for battle and personal gain. Yet in the end it had all felt so meaningless. Selfish in a way. He had nothing big to work towards to, nothing he truly wanted. For the first time in a long time, he felt he had something to fight for, or rather someone.

Dain honestly did not know whether it was another selfish desire, in this case to be useful once more, or perhaps something more. All he knew was that he needed her right now. Therefor -he concluded- it was not the pain or death in general, that he was afraid of the most. He was most afraid of displeasing her and being rejected, straight back into the empty, meaningless life she was rescuing him from. As long as she would not stand in the way of his pleasures and desires, he could not imagine ever betraying her or leaving her side.

“It is my pleasure, mistress.” He said with a genuine smile, seeing Amatricina like this for the first time. To his surprise the words that came out were one hundred percent genuine. It was strange, after seeing his hard earned wealth siphoned, yet her appreciation was worth much more then any possession he had. Not in the last place because his heart had never desired such mortal items. Sure they looked pretty, but he had found that neither ingesting them, nor bathing in them made him happy. Though suddenly he realized they could mean happiness. As they left the vault, he made a mental note to keep that in mind. Meanwhile he hoped that the demoness had not noticed, that from the vast treasure, he had taken one for him to keep. It was a yellow crystal, containing two black stones that sometimes crackle with lightning. Perhaps that was his one possession he could never part with. He had forged the crystal with his own energy, crafting the eternal core of his parents into a part of the sun. It was the custom of the race that had raised him and it held no true value, aside from being pretty. It was the second secret. He hoped it would be the last.

He had not expected her to show much interest in the forge, so that was a pleasant surprise and he gladly accepted her help. It was a dream of his to forge his own armor completely made out of katchin, so if she could help him, that would perfect. What he did not like was her comment that he would be taking a lot of steamy baths with someone named Mark I. He respected the heap of scrap metal, but he felt no other feelings for it. What bothered him was the assumption the demoness thought he was one for steam baths or such a thing. The saiya-jin frowned for a moment, wondering if that was the aura he was giving off. It was one of the many facilities he had build in his ship to please some of his… `entourage´ when he brought them on board of his ship. He cared little for water if he was honest. Still he had to admit her offering to turn it into a proper sauna was tempting for some reason. “I might just take you up on that offer.[/i] He replied with a grin, as he could not deny the fact that she was incredibly beautiful and hot.

Dain was caught of guard though by the wave of heat coming his way. At the last moment he managed to raise his arm in front of his face, lightning arcing around it and still he could feel the tremendous heat scorch him, forming blisters on his arm instantly. “I would never dare say, you are anything less than absolutely exquisite, mistress.” He said with a devious grin, as he glanced over her voluptuous forms.

The true pleasure came though as they entered the gravity room. It had always been his pride and he grinned widely as she let out a soft whistle. “Thank you, it makes me happy to hear you say that.” He said as he held his head up proudly, his eyes glistening for a moment. “Also let´s be honest, for beings as us, who have the power to blow up entire planets, what good is a proper warship.” He continued, stating out loud what he had been thinking for a long time. The ship was his base, his home and nothing else. If he needed destruction or fighting ability, it was easier to just go outside and do the job himself. “Thank you, I do appreciate it that you don´t actively try to destroy my home on the first day.” Dain replied with a mix of gratefulness and sarcasm, as he doubted even she could achieve it that easily.

As she spoke though, Dain realized to his surprise that she had failed not yet fully grasped the concept of the room. “Computer, correct that. Don´t merely make it a backdrop, give me the full simulation, to the best of the ships abilities.” Dain said with a grin, instantly to have it stripped off him as the gravity changed as much as the surroundings. Had he not been in his ascended form, the gravity would have instantly pressed him to the ground.

With trembling legs he watched as the far sides of the room were filled with active volcano´s, spewing ash and magma into the air. Rivers of red, molten rock flew from their slopes and towards Dain and Amatricina, forming a smoking black crust, with red veins. Often forming into small red pools, only to continue flowing as it reached it´s maximum holding. Within seconds Dain felt the incredible heat forming in the room, as well as the air getting really difficult to breath. Not only was the heat scorching his lungs, the smoke and gasses already were causing damage to the cells, covering them in a poisonous layer. In a reflex Dain powered up slightly, allowing his golden aura to clear the air and protect him somewhat from the heat. He had no clue how hot it really was, he doubted his ship could simulate real magma, but at the very least it felt hot enough to him.

Following her example he folded his legs and arms, hovering a few feet above a river of magma, fighting both the gravity and heat. Large beads of sweat ran from Dain´s face and were already causing wet spots on his chest and cloak. Meanwhile Dain was trying to clear his head. It had been a long time since he had meditated properly, perhaps over eight hundred years and he preferred sparring to this form of training. However there was something he wanted to find again, so he figured this was worth a shot.

How long they had already been going at it, Dain did not know, but a question had just arisen. “Mistress, may I ask what you expect from me? Do you want me to be at your side all the time, or simply be able to come at your beck and call?” He asked curiously, as he stretched out his arm and felt a bottle of water appear in his hand. As he awaited the answer he rapidly drank half the bottle, before throwing the other half over his head to cool himself of.

Word Count: 1,500
Total Word Count: 10,600
@amatricina