Heck no, 'Roni's got questions!

The silence that Des left the clearing in lasted only as long as it took him and the priestess to disappear into the trees.

"What the hell, Mallory?" Veronica shouted. "What the actual hell is going on?!!!" Mallory opened her mouth to respond but couldn't get a word out before Veronica continued, obviously not done making her point. "What is going on- what was that thing? How does it know your name? How did it just... oh my God It killed all of them! What is wrong with you, you... what is that- what is going on?!?! "Veronica was wildly spiraling from gesticulating wildly at the dead bodies and pushing Mallory against the tree as she screamed for answers. "It killed all of them! Viciously! It's obviously a creature of the dark and you... You helped it! You helped it Malls!! And when it came down to just us and i? it just lets us go? just like that? What have you done what kind of sick shit are you into with that thing that it just let us go after it murdered all of them?"

"I don't know Roni.." Mallory responded. "t's just they had him on the ground and they're about to kill him... But all I could think of was how much fun TT had just hanging out with him on the way home. You know how hard it is for her to talk to people! She's so shy, and yet when I came to and he was carrying me they were just chit chatting like they had been friends forever." Veronica pushed her against the tree and held her there.

"So he plays nice with your little sister one time and now you're his main squeeze? Helping him out of sticky spots and assisting in his **** sprees?"

"No. I don't know. "Mallory responded quietly. "You you just don't understand. I attacked him when we first ran into him and even after I struck first he still didn't hurt either of us more than a sprained wrist." She mumbled, holding up her hand as a point of reference, the swelling of which was already going down. "He could have killed me or taken us both prisoner and did whatever he wanted to either or both of us, but he just carried me home and kept TT company. He even made sure she wasn't scared when they passed the Spider dungeon. So yea, he might have been born a creature of the dark but so was Runa Roya, and I can't think of anything he's done wrong so far to earn being held down and killed. So can we like head home so we're not sitting in this clearing all night? I promise you can ask any more questions you want on the way home."

"All right, Mallory." Veronica responded chest fallen. "You have a point, although I'm not sure I really like the whole comparing him to one of the great heroes part. Let's get out of here, and go home." she said, letting Mallory go so she can pull away from the tree. As they left the clearing and headed back to the village it turned out she only really had one more question and that was if Mallory had kept anything else from her about Des so Mallory told her about the conversation they had in the clearing before Veronica and TT came back from the village and found her awake and alone. Mallory also took the chance to reiterate that while she doesn't understand why she felt the way she felt towards des she was in no way his "main squeeze". Other than that they spent most of the walk back in silence, preferring to keep to their own thoughts about what they had been through. As they approached the village they heard shouting and someone came running out to them that they recognized almost immediately, It was Veronica's dad.

"Oh, thank God you're okay!" he shouted, pulling first Veronica then both of the girls in for a hug.

"Dad, of course I'm okay, I was just out for a walk with Malls, what's wrong?" When he finally pulled away and looked up and her eyes he just smiled and answered her.

"Everyone was so worried you got caught in whatever happened! A while ago one of the adventures came screaming into town about some metal monster hunting them through the woods." He led them through town to the small chapel, where collapsed at the back on a small pallet was the elf scout. Veronica's dad continued as they arrived. "He just came into town ranting and raving and making not a lick of sense, and then before anyone could really ask him any questions he just collapsed. He's still alive but we can't wake him up, probably on account of his injuries." As he said that he rolled the elf over and Mallory saw that about half way between his elbow and where his left hand should be there was only a bloody stump, immediately bringing o Mallory's mind the picture of a bloody bow, landing at the leader's feet.

Back in the forest somewhere..

"So? What do you intend to do with me? I assume there's a reason you didn't do the same thing to me that you did to everyone else."

"Honestly? You didn't attack me so I didn't see a point in killing you." Des shrugged and they walked through the woods. "Although now that I have you here I have questions for you about this world. I know this world has gods, As I've met two of them. So how many more are there?" The prestess seemed visibly shocked that he would casually admit to meeting two God's but managed to answer his question anyways.

"There are 10 gods" She Began, "Nido, 'Father of all' the god of truth and justice, Areh, mother of love and family ties, Fermína, goddess of harvests and fertility, Dieron, god of innovation and the forge, Fedelicus lord of honor and friendship, Carnacius, 'the **** queen' goddess of theft and lies, Melanoche, mistress of **** and hatred, Rohirib, god of pestilence and decay, Roht, god of corruption and war, and Sera, goddess of tragedy. While they're all beings above our understanding, the first five are known as the benevolent gods while the last five are generally seen as their evil counterparts." she explained, before trying to slide in a question of her own. "Which two did you say you had met?" Des simply smiled back and said that it wasnt any of the first five. Soon they came to a small cave that Des had found early that morning after clearing the spider dungeon, where he knew no wildlife would other them. He lowered himself to a seated position and when he gestured for her to join him, she did, sitting cross-legged in front of him with a gap of several inches between their knees. 'you know,' Theon thought at him from his mind, 'didnt notice it before in the life and **** situation, but shes kinda cute.' Des snorted back in response, but couldnt help but agree. When standing, she was somewhere in the 5'5" to 5'8" range, long chestnut brown hair that went about halfway down her back, symmetrical facial features, green eyes just a shade or two darker than a granny smith apple, well manicured nails, good posture (a feature Des didnt mind either way, but he knew Theon went crazy for it) and tits that would easily have been a C or D cup(although the both agreed that even if this world did have bras with a sizing system it was likely nothing like Earth's was the last time he was there), it was hard to tell how much the robes hid, but they were definitely there. He pulled out a map he took from one of the other adventurers and had her show him where country lines were situated heavily populated areas and other things geographical and sociopolitical that the simple map didn't include on its own.

"Well priestess, we've come to the main reason for me keeping you around. I was born into this world with abilities I don't understand, and before I attempt to use them in combat I would like to test them first. All you need to do is help me work through them and once we are done you can go free of harm."

"Truly no tricks? You'll just let me go after everything that happened?" she questioned.

"Of course, why not? Not like I've done anything wrong, well yet. I'd like to remind you that your friends attacked me first, and I was simply defending myself."

"Okay fair enough I suppose. What's up first?"

"Actually first I'd appreciate you healing the wound in my chest."

"Oh certainly." She cautiously leaned forward and raised her hand until it was several inches over des' skin and muttered under her breath. Shortly after the wound quickly closed and seal itself shut as if it had not existed to begin with. 'Living in a world of magic is something else, isnt it?' Theon Marveled at the feeling of the wound just disappearing. 'Anyways first ability' he brought Des back to the present. He reached out in an attempt to give her a mark of submission, the ability almost seemed to lend itself to its use but he could feel a barrier almost as if he needed something more before he could cast it. Vague images of people nodding or shaking hands in agreement came to mind as he tried to **** the ability through and he realized what he needed.

"I would like to give you something" He said "Will you accept?"

The priestess confused by his train of thought nodded timidly and said, "Yes I suppose that would be fine." Permission secured des reached out and placed his hand over hers and almost instantly she hissed in either surprise or pain as The Mark of submission appeared on both of her upper arms a band of what he recognized as circuitry designs almost 2 in tall circling all the way around her biceps. "This is this is a mark of submission! This- this is a divine ability, how did you get this?"

Ignoring her question he looked her in the eye and said "spin around in a circle." her eyes went wide as she found herself turning in a circle.

"why would you-"

"Just to see if it worked as advertised. I have no interest in forcing you to do anything against your will, just making sure it's what I was told it was. Next ability." Des concentrated on the idea of his immaculate conception ability, knowing you could create something out of a thin air was all fine and good until it came to the doing part. He thought about a small dragonfly, made of metal and concentrated on it the mental image he had created sitting in the palm of his hand and simply willed it to be so. For several moments he didn't think anything was going to happen until he felt a bit of warmth in his hand and a gasp from beside him. When he looked down, there is a small metallic dragonfly, about as long as his wrist to tip of his middle finger, and a wingspan of about 6 in sitting in the palm of his hand and as he watched it took off buzzed around the cave a couple times, and landed on his shoulder. An odd thought flitted into his head that the cave was perfectly empty except the two of them and a couple bats sleeping around the next corner. Realizing that it had shared its "thoughts" with him he imagined it in his mind and pushed the thought of it sitting on one of his horns back towards it. Almost immediately it took off from his shoulder flew around his head a couple times and landed on one of his upturned horns.

"Looks like Immaculate conception, also a divine ability, but seems like you've got that one down too. Anything else?" Des simply looked at her and willed his god's eye on, and a subtle overlay covered her and everything in the room, and above her head were several lines of text.

Cassandra Dasri, Human
level 20 Priest, level 10 cleric, level 0 Chosen of Areh(class locked)
opinion towards self: confused, optimistic.

"just one. and it seems to be working perfectly." Des responded. "as agreed, you are free to go, though I suppose unless you can see and navigate in the dark and aren't afraid of wild animals you might be stuck with me for tonight." The princess took a look outside and realized it was indeed pitch black.

"Okay but you stay on your side of the cave, no funny ideas." Does simply shook his head and told her to stay in the cave until he returned and left for firewood. After collecting enough to keep her warm for most of the night he returned, stacking it in a little pile and setting it a light with his breath. Shortly after the priestess had fallen asleep and does went out to look for food.