Age of Unalloyed Gold - A Tale of Fire and Decay

Chapter 01 - Crystals

Hey guys! It is finally here :D. In this chapter, we will talk a lot about Millicent, Rogier, and Ranni's questlines. It may sound repetitive, especially if you are familiar with these questlines. But I humbly ask you to bear with me; these events, how Baron dealt with them, and their consequences are very important for the story.

So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy it <3 :)

Also, long chapter warning haha

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ARC I - ADVENTURE

"My love..." She called softly. He pretended not to hear, indulging in her caresses. Sweet kisses, fingers running tenderly in his hair. "Baron."

"Hmmm..." He murmured, still avoiding opening his eyes.

Malenia smiled. The demigod certainly shared her husband's refusal to get out of bed, especially after the moments they shared. Sweet and passionate, fast and slow, tender or relatively aggressive. Each affectionate touch or word would only deepen the connection both felt for each other from the start. The warrior herself would be amazed at how quickly the knight went from foe to someone dear, one she cherished with her life. Yet, how natural it had been. Indeed, a match written in the stars.

"We must go, love. There is still much for us to do."

Still unwilling, Baron turned to her at last. He could not help breathing deeply as his eyes opened wide. His first action was to put her hair behind her ear and gently fondle her cheek, followed by her shoulder and arm. To casually check if it was not a dream.

Her beauty was something out of this world. Even without the golden prosthetics, even when the scarlet rot tried to minimize it. Quite on the contrary. Baron quickly learned those "fancy scars," as he named them, were her own brand of battle scars, a reminder of her constant resistance against the curse from within. Those would only enhance her greatness and make her even more unique. From her curves, exposed sensually as she laid sideways, to the loving way she smiled in response to him... Breathless.

She leaned in to kiss him passionately, eliciting a deep breath from the knight.

"You are making this incredibly hard, my dear Lady."

"Don't force me to kick you out of this bed, my Lord." She retorted with a malicious smile.

Baron glanced at her again, only to find what he already knew: she was not wearing her prosthetics. They removed it the other night so that Malenia could be more comfortable. Although her spare limbs would not hurt her, wearing them for extended periods and physical activity could prove a bit strenuous.

"Kick me? How- Ouch!"

Before he could finish the sentence and even think or prepare for a possible blow, she pushed his chest with enough strength to throw him off the bed. Baron coughed as he kneeled, then chuckled in disbelief. His demigod wife laughed softly. This woman...

"This only proves how soft you've become, my Lord." She turned to the other side of the bed to reach for her prosthetics. "We have rescued my brother, but our work is far from over. We need to train and reinforce our defenses. The Haligtree needs us more than ever now. Our first steps in recovering from the Shattering."

"Yes, my general." She snickered at his sour reply. "I should have known that my wife would choose violence for breakfast. What else are you hiding from me, my Lady? Was I really your first man?"

That was not a question he was particularly inclined to ask, but it was the first thing he thought of to annoy her. As surprising as it could be, both had no previous experience in matters of intimacy. Both spoke the truth and trusted each other equally, which would only increase his confusion whenever Millicent and her sisters came to mind.