Diablo 2: Fallen

Chapter 4: "The battlegrounds in which they meet"
by Lady Jasmine
ladyofjasmine@gmail.com


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Suddenly things no longer felt so clear cut black vs. white or good vs. evil. Moments ago he had just experienced one of the most erotic moments of his life that he had not been willing to take part of. And yet, he wanted more.

Two weeks ago, if one had asked if Valerius would destroy a demon on sight, he would have already had his sword out before the question was finished. And now, as he was sitting in a pile leaves in a dark forest on a foggy night, a demoness sitting in front of him whom he had failed or not bothered to destroy.

Instead, he was leaning towards the notion of protecting her and currently in the process of comforting her.

Diemma raised her gaze to Valerius and he quickly took note of the embarrassment on her face as she said, "I saw it before it happened, you know."

He nodded, remembering how terrified and pale she had become minutes before some unknown enemy took over her and had her way with him. His pulse quickened momentarily remembering Diemma's bold and sensual touch in contrast to the meek Diemma before him that was searching for an explaination.

Yet, a dark part of him was hoping there would be more moments like it. The lustful feelings her mouth had ignited in him was too thrilling to not desire more of.

"Please don't think that way..." said Diemma with a frown. "I didn't have any control."

He shook his hed and sighed. "I know... well, I know now." He rose to his feet, courteously holding his hand out to Diemma.

She blinked in surprise but took it regardless, holding his wrist firmly as she rose. "Thank you..."

He gestured her to start walking. With each crunch of the leaves beneath their feet, the gears in his head were turning.

"A demoness not in control of herself... does that mean she's really even a demon by conventional terms?" he thought to himself. "Does the Hand of Zakarum know of this?"

"Of course they know of this," Diemma answered, sounding very much annoyed. She hadn't even bothered to respond directly to his mind given how much energy it drained out of her. "Why do you think they sent you?"

"What?"

She laughed, shaking her head incredulously. "He has no idea," she muttered to herself, her shoulders still shaking. "He has absolutely no idea how important he is..."

She stopped in her tracks and glared directly at him. He did a double-take for a moment. "Listen to me, Valerius. I know you think I'm crazy. I know I am crazy, but I wasn't always like this," she growled, poking her finger into the mail of his chest.

In the back of his head, Valerius wondered if she had thought about letting her finger pass through his armour and clothes again to poke him as skin-to-skin.

Diemma flushed red immediately and the paladin realized she was still reading his thoughts. "Of course I can still hear you!" In her mouth, she could still tastes his essence and it wasn't what she wanted to remember at all.

She sighed, "Paragon... there was evil here even before I came here, I didn't know it. And by the time I did... I could not leave."

"Could not,or would not?" he interrupted.

"Could not," she turned, continuing her journey back to the town. "Whatever the evil here is, I'm drawn to it." She glanced back. "Same goes for good. As long as there is some kind of power, I'm drawn to it."

He paused thoughtfully. "You seem normal now..."

She nodded. "You still don't get it... right now, I don't have any conflicting wills."

"I don't get it."

"Of course you don't," she muttered, quickening her stride.

"Diemma?"

"Paragon?"

"Do you remember our first encounter or was it in a vision?"

She froze and he caught up to her. He asked a good question, one she hadn't examined closely. She turned slowly, "It was a bit of each."

"So... up until now, I've never really met you, have I?"

She paused thoughtfully before shaking her head.

"So when someone uses you, you get visions before it happens as to what they'll do."

"Yes."

"Why are you telling me this?"

Diemma smirked, "Why are you asking me it?"

"Are you a demon?"

She laughed, her mirth echoing through the midnight forest. "Are you a fool?"

He coughed. "I've seen you go through armour as if it's air. I've seen you teleport. You said you can shape shift. I bet you probably have a grasp of elemental magicks--"

One hand waved out, setting a nearby tree on fire. It crackled under the heat as though it were angrily yelling at the paladin for taunting the woman enough to burn an innocent tree.

"--Ok, more than just a grasp."

She smiled and the flames were snuffed out.

"Why haven't you killed me?"

Her face fell. "You have a purpose." Before he could ask, she responded, "Which I cannot tell you until it is time."

He raised his eyebrow. "Why not?"

She smiled bitterly. "The last time I told someone their fate, I barely escaped with my life and my lover was killed."

His breath exited his body as he was at a loss of what to say. "Did your lover have cloven hooves?" he suddenly found himself asking.

She laughed hard, guffawing nearly. "No, he was a human, as was I at the time."

***

When the candle of his room was snuffed out, Diemma smiled. From her position in the alleyways, she turned her gaze away from the second-story level of the rickety inn. She stepped out of the shadows, feeling something pulling her. Her smile was wiped off her face as an uneasy fear settled over her.

It was happening again. She could see the events unfolding in her eyes. She squeezed her eyes shut, "Not again... please, no..." She tried to teleport away, summoning all of her will, but nothing happened.

That feeling of fear suddenly washed away as she automatically moved, drawn to whatever it was calling her. It was calling her to the room of the window she was watching.

***

In his lone room, Valerius turned to his side facing towards the door. He could feel the weight of his sword on the bed, positioned between himself and the door. When he and Diemma parted, she had said she was going to the far end of the forest, the farthest she could go before she was in pain. Apparently, if she wandered to far from the power that was beckoning her, her mind would shut down from all the horrible pain that would invade her body.

"I thought demons don't feel pain," he had asked her.

"I don't unless someone wants me to..." was her response.

It made sense, he supposed. As a demon, she was immune to all sorts of things. And given how demons sometimes kept a cool head about fighting even when they were bleeding out of every pore, it must be true...

He thought about Diemma, and he realized that regardless of whatever evil was out there controlling her, he had to free her.

"Maybe she's not such a bad demon after all..." he suddenly laughed at himself for that foolish thought. Perhaps she'd be worse if she wasn't under the control of another demon.

But, he did want to help her.

The more he thought about her, his body remembered her ministrations to him in the dark forest. If it had to happen, and if he had been given a choice, he would've rather it be done by Diemma than a Diemma being forced to. He flexed his hands, clenching them as he thought about it more.

There was no denying Diemma was beautiful and crazy, but the one he had met today seemed so fragile compared to the craziness he was used to. It was unsettling at the same time intriguing. He wanted to know more about her, but most of all, he wanted to know how to coax the real Diemma out, or know even if he had met her really.

Also, what did she mean that the Hand knew about her and that was the reason they had sent him?

He and Diemma had never met once, they had no connection whatsoever. Or so he thought.

He closed his eyes and stretched his tired right arm out and immediately made contact with a soft mass. He turned his head quickly to find a shadowy figure, lying on their side, facing him and sharing his blanket.

"Diemma?" he asked, though he knew it wasn't. His hand was already on the hilt. His sword sliced through the air, stopping short at Diemma's neck.

She was smiling, dimly lit by the moonlight from the window. Her hand was holding the blade firmly, her palm was bleeding, but she had miraculously stopped it.

His eyes widened as she spoke, "Valerius, you really need to be smarter than that," the woman said scoldingly as she grabbed the blade and threw towards the direction of the headboard. The sharp edge impaled the wood with a resounding "THUNK" and the sword stuck out above the bed, directly above the space between their bodies.

She sat up in bed, the blanket sliding from her chest to reveal the luscious curves of her breasts. "Now listen here, Paladin," she started, wiping her bloodied hand on the blanket. "You can harm this body all you like, but you will end up just harming Diemma, not me."

He narrowed his eyes, "You're using her and her abilities. That would end all the problems. You've been using her to kill the men, I know it's not her fault but yours."

"Perhaps... but, you lose an ally. Do you know for sure it would end all the problems? I would still be here," she said huskily, licking the tips of her lightly blood-coated fingers. The cuts healed instantly before his eyes and he had to stop himself from using God's name in vain.

"What do you want?"

She smiled as she watched him struggle to move. "To torment you."

His body was not responding, again. He groaned. This was not good. Once more he found himself helpless, and to make matters worse, in bed with a naked demon next to him possessed by another demon.

"Would you prefer it if I talked?" she said with a laugh.

He glared at her. "If my men hear you, they will come in here and kill you."

She waved her hand in a dismissive manner. "They can't hear anything. I knocked them out again." She grinned as she pulled him closer to her and then straddled him again.

"So what should I say?" she asked aloud, sounding all too innocent. "What would Diemma say?" She smiled darkly, enjoying how his face contorted in anger.

"It bothers you when I talk about her... oh this will be so much fun," she said, raising her hands to cup her breasts. Her head leaned to one side as she closed her eyes, seemingly lost in pleasure with every kneading motion to her breasts.

Valerius shut his eyes and turned his head away. Maybe his suffering was Karma's way of paying him back for wishing for more moments like this. He should have been careful as to what he wished for... as the old saying goes.

Diemma sighed as she pressed a hand to the armour covering his chest. "I'm going to have to remove this and these..." she waved her hands over all his metal trappings. She slid her body down further until Valerius could feel her weight on the armour around his waist and below. "And these of course."

Valerius could hear the sheer delight in her voice as she struggled removing each item, cursing and giggling as she did. In the back of his head, the dark thoughts occurred again and he wished he could see her and possibly enjoy it if he convinced himself it was Diemma, not some other demon controlling him.

"Ohhhh..." she said knowingly. "So you want another boon?"

He rolled his eyes in the darkness as she felt her tug off the last piece of armour, a belt, from his waist. "I've learned not to ask for any boons from you," he said wryly as he felt her grind against his stomach. He was grateful his clothes under his armour were still upon his person.

A flame flared to life on the candle on the stand next to the bed, casting a warm illumination in the room and upon the two of them. He wished he hadn't opened his eyes, he wished he hadn't looked at Diemma, fully naked, perched on top of him, her legs spread with his body between them.

She was beautiful and perfection, even with the few scars on her stomach that he made a mental note to ask her about. His eyes drank in the sight of her breasts, her trim and curvy waist, the flair of her hips and right down to the shadow of hair at the vee between her thighs where all the warmth that was on his stomach was from.

Her hands went back to her breasts as she tugged on her nipples until they tightened into small buds, perfect for a man to tug with his teeth, flick with his tongue or even greet with his lips. It was mesmerizing.

"So what would Diemma say?" she repeated, purring as she scooted back, resting her crotch directly on top of his. She could feel him beneath her, hard. "I think... I can find the answer in your head." She smiled, narrowing her gaze at him intensely as she began to grind her hips, rubbing the most feminine part of her body against him.

And she found her answer.

"Oh Valerius..." she said softly, sounding quite innocent, though still genuinely reading from the script in his head. "I think we'd better stop... it's wrong. We should be enemies...We're destined to fight."

"In that case, just think of this as fighting with the battlegrounds being this bed..." he heard himself say. He was astonished, then angry as Diemma laughed, grabbed the neckline of his tunic and rolled the two of them over so he was pinning her to the bed, still between her legs, his hardened cock demanding a warm and wet core.

"Diemma, no," he forced himself to say, even as he was grinding against her pelvis, wishing both his tunic and hose were out of the way so he could bury himself in her. He could feel the heat against him, and he'd rather the heat be around one part of him.

She chuckled and regained her composure. "Do you really think it's a good idea?" she asked innocently, her hands propped against his chest, trying to push him away.

Valerius was furious as he watched his hands took her wrists and pinned them to the bed on each side of the bed. "You want me," he heard himself say, grinding his pelvis against her to draw further proof from Diemma.

Diemma moaned. Despite the telltale flush of her skin, Valerius knew the demon controlling Diemma and her abilities was enjoying every moment of this. He knew what coming next: his rape of Diemma, her fighting it the whole time, crying, but still begging for his attentions.

"Never deny me... you will belong to me... I can save you." In the back of his head, he realized he never even thought that. Where did that come from?

"Valerius... save me then..." she whispered back, sounding sincere despite the smirk on her face.

This wasn't what was in his head previously, Valerius realized. Then whose head was it in? He didn't picture himself wanting to worship Diemma's body as he was right now, kissing her breasts, tugging on her nipples with his lips; he had pictured himself punishing her for being attractive to him.

This wasn't his thoughts... then whose was it?

"Valerius..." Diemma whispered, arching her back and thrusting her chest out.

As he took her other tight nipple into his mouth to pinch the other, Valerius wondered if it was possible that it was Diemma's thoughts being played out. His tongue swirled around the taut rosy bud and she gasped, her thighs squeezing each side of his hips.

He felt her feet rest on the back of his calves as he rocked his groin against her, groaning as the friction brought little jolts of pleasure sparking up and down his rigid length.

His calloused and strong hands swept over the curves of her sides as he drank in the sight of her arching to his touch. She was so sensitive to his touch, he couldn't help but be bewitched by it as he continuously ran his hands over her body in random patterns, smiling as she responded differently each time, but each time pleasurably. Several times, he could feel her skin rise with little bumps beneath his fingers to which she moaned and turned her head side-to-side in response to.

Valerius fought it still. This wasn't the fantasy in his head. Perhaps it was the demon controlling Diemma or...

Diemma's hands reached up, pushing Valerius away from her breasts even though his tongue was still extended out, trying to still reach her. She giggled and began pulling off tunic over his head, tossing the garment up where it landed neatly draped over his sword still embedded in the wall above them.

He looked down at her beautiful body, her smiling face, her comfortable attitude with being bare in front of him and couldn't think of another place he'd rather be, even if this was forced onto him.

"You're beautiful," he said, letting go of her wrists to lean into her and nuzzle the soft skin of her neck. Her hair tickled his nose as he inhaled her warm scent. The sounds of her quickened breathing overwhelmed him as did the feeling of her breasts pressing against his chest, her hard nipples rubbing against his muscled chest.

He flexed his hand as he smiled and nipped her neck, this time with his teeth. She yelped, squirming underneath him as her hands explored the muscled planes of his back. Her nails scratched lightly as his mouth and tongue (and teeth!) moved to one of her delicate ears.

He suddenly realized he had thought she was beautiful and he had said. He pushed his weight off of her with his hands and looked down at her. "Diemma..."

She opened her eyes and looked at him with a dazed expression, "Yes?"

He paused and glanced around. His cock was still hard, but no longer were they being forced to dance to the controlling demon's tune. "Is it you now?"

"Yes," she responded and the reality sunk in. "Oh..... oh!" she sat up from underneath him, sliding close to the headboard until her back pressed against it. She crossed her legs in front of her, hiding her breasts and clasped her hands over them as well.

Valerius pondered the situation. When had Diemma come back to being herself? When had she regained control of her abilities? What had happened to the demon? Was this an elaborate plot?

A slew of random questions flooded his brain that Diemma closed her eyes, feeling quite humiliated. The one thought that she had was "Why had we not noticed?"

"Because we didn't want to..." he answered.

Diemma's mouth dropped open.

"It's true," Valerius said in a factual manner. "We both enjoyed it." He struggled with each word, but as he looked at Diemma, shyly covering her body, he understood exactly why at least he continued on.

"No... it's not that. I didn't say that out loud."

His eyebrows furrowed, "Yes you did, I heard you."

She shook her head, staring at him with a baffles expression. "No I didn't."

Valerius paused. ".... You're right, you didn't."

She felt uncomfortable all of a sudden. How is it possible he could have read that thought? Was she accidentally projecting the thought to him? No... she knew her guard was up now, there was no way he could hear her.

She swallowed a lump in her throat. A part of her was saddened that he had come to realize they both were acting of their own will. Diemma herself hadn't realized it, she thought she was still watching a vision, albeit a wondrous vision that was much needed.

Diemma stared at Valerius silently, listening to his thoughts, which were mostly trained on the demon that had controlled her. Her thoughts drifted away from his, wondering if the paladin had enjoyed what had transpired so far and if--

"I did..." he admitted out loud, not turning to look at her.

The demoness blanched. She had her guard up the whole time she was thinking and he was still able to listen in. She pressed her hands over her face, wondering if she should teleport out of there immediately.

Valerius' hand shot out and caught her wrist. "No, you're staying here," he ordered her looking her square in her frowning face. He realized he must sound like an ass. "Please," he added.

She deepened her frown.

He nodded, "Yeah, I know you can fry me any minute you feel like it, but you haven't yet, have you?"

Diemma was in shock. She barely had enough time to fully finish that thought before he answered it. She had been thinking of using force against him, but there was something about him that she just couldn't do. It had to be fate...

"There's that word again," Valerius sighed and shook his head. "You demons and your obsession with fate... You'd think that your kind would be wary of a predetermined life or event... there are such things as a bad fate."

"I know."

Diemma slowly stood up as Valerius' mind continued to run through what he should do, or why it happened, or what's the best logical move from here. She slid off the bed as it creaked and made her way to the door all the while listening to Valerius' thoughts.

"The Hand of Zakarum would be interested in this. But I cannot leave until this other demon is taken care of. But when that happens, what about Diemma? Why is this all happening? That demon must need something from us..." his thoughts rapidly ran as Diemma reached out for the doorknob.

She felt his hand land on her wrist again, holding it securely and pulling her towards him. She turned to look at him, his eyes were glued to her face as he simply asked, "Do I think too much?"

Diemma nodded slowly.

Suddenly, he pulled her towards him hard. Her palms were wide open to brace herself as she crashed into him. Her hands were pressed against his bare chest again as his mouth collided with hers roughly.

Her eyes widened as she gasped. With that sound, his tongue slipped past her lips and into her mouth, exploring her as his hands caught her waist, pulling her close and onto the bed. He felt the softness of her tongue playing with his, he felt the hardness of her teeth and listened to the small wet sounds of their kissing mixed with her little sounds of satisfaction as he pushed her onto her back.

He settled between her legs, his recovering erection pressing urgently against her bare crotch. She moaned as he broke their kiss. Their eyes locked for a moment and the corner of his mouth pulled into a smile briefly as he lowered his head to her breasts to worship her once more.

Her fingers sank into his hair as she arched her back, tilting her head back into the feather pillow. She felt her other breast being kneaded by one strong hand as the other was having a grand time with his lips and teeth on her nipple.

She could hear and see all the thoughts in Valerius' head, most of them playing different ways he could have her, each of them more tantalizing than the next. She could see his thoughts and they made her burn. She saw a brief image of his face buried between her thighs, bringing her to ecstasy. She saw him seated at the edge of the bed, planted inside her as she was straddling his waist, bouncing up and down on his cock as he sucked and kissed at her breasts. But most of all, her face and body ignited when she saw herself bent over the bed, Valerius shaft inside her vagina, one hand pulling her bunched hair to tilt her head back and the other fondling her backside, occasionally slapping it.

"There will be other times for that one," Valerius whispered to her, nibbling on her earlobe. His hands were at his hose, pushing it down his hips, carefully around and under his throbbing erection and down his thighs. He kicked them off without another thought and pinned Diemma down again, his hands holding her wrists and he grinded against to her, letting the smooth and moist head of his penis rub against the lips of her inviting entrance.

She moaned, pushing her hips up against him to invite him. She could feel the tip of his length graze her, and she instantly wanted it all. She smiled wickedly as she let her mind wander over hot images of what she could do for Valerius for the express reason of his mind seeing it too.

He groaned and shut his eyes, a shudder running through him as Diemma specifically let her mind fill in the details of one particular image he seemed to like: herself pressed against the wall by Valerius, one leg resting high on his waist as he was thrusting fiercely into her, pulling on his hair to force her to look at him and tell him whatever he wanted to hear.

"Gods, you're cruel," he uttered.

Before she could respond, a sudden rapture shot through her body. The pleasure spiked all over and she shrieked. She could feel Valerius' hand at the apex of her thighs, carressing and toying with a part of her that ached so desperately. She gasped as she felt him roll it between his thumb and forefinger.

"Now who's cruel?" he asked.

Diemma moaned desperately as he removed his hand from that aching spot. "Please Valerius..." she begged.

He pressed the tip of his cock against her slick entrance, sliding it up and down, coating the head in the juice of her arousal. She was pushing her hips towards him again and he couldn't help but smile.

Valerius fitted the head against her wet entrance, sliding it in slightly to position it. He took hold her hips and nodded at her before thrusting in... hard.

There was a hot pressure engulfing his lower body and traveling to the rest of his being. He could hear Diemma's cry of passion upon his invasion of her most intimate part.

He was buried to the hilt inside of her. He could feel the hairs of her nether region rubbing against his. He lowered onto his elbows, his head hovering over hers and his eyes gazing into hers. She was flushed, but appeared happy and the picture of health.

"Valerius..." she whispered in a dazed voice. "You feel so nice... so good."

He slid out of her and back in in a smooth motion. He loved seeing her eyes widen and her mouth open with a moan. He continued, speeding up, drinking in the sight and feel of her response to his efforts. He could feel the hard little nubs of her nipples rubbing against his chest with each thrust. He could feel the puff of her breath against his face as her breathing quickened and her cries for release grew in its urgency.

He withdrew from her, letting only the bulbous tip of himself remain. Her eyes flew open and she glared at him, "Valerius!" she pleaded as she wriggled her hips against him, her legs tightening around his waist fiercely, trying to pull him inside her once more.

He feathered a kiss over her mouth before reaching down with one hand to between their bodies to find the engorged bud of her sex. Stunned, Diemma arched against him, straining. He clenched his teeth and slid back quickly inside her. The woman beneath him cried out as a shattering, burning tumult broke within her and set her mind on fire.

Valerius groaned, shuddering as he pumped his hips back and forth furiously, trying to ignore the clamoring sounds of passion and fulfillment running through Diemma's lustful mind. He felt her tighten as she convulsed with wave after wave of ecstasy. Sweated dotted his brow as he strived to stay in control, desperate to keep his savage need in control.

It was too much. He could hear her thoughts and feel her ecstasy along with his own. A great shudder moved through his strong frame as Valerius at last found himself unable to stop himself from filling her with the his hot desire that he'd been desperate to give to her many sad and lonely nights since he had been first fascinated by her appearance.

A hoarse moan ripped from his throat as he plunged roughly into an endless raw pleasure so intense it could sear his soul if Diemma wasn't planning on stealing it.

It was over finally. He was shaken as he lay there in the glow of the candle, yet eventually consciousness returned when he could hear her mind realizing how amazing he had been and how much she wanted more of this. When he felt her trembling beneath him in response to her last thought, a strange yet fierce tenderness engulfed his heart.

Gently, he eased his weight to one side of her and pulled the blanket that was pooled at the foot of the bed up and over them. He drew her into his arms tightly.

She was quiet as she was listening to the sounds of his breathing. Her head was cradled between his chest and under his chin. She could inhale the strong and musky scent of their passions and the clean scent of his skin, now salty with sweat. He wound his arms around her, his jaw nuzzling her soft hair.

In the quiet of the night, tired from their passionate moment , she heard one thought of his ring out loud and clear:

"Did that demon plan this to happen as part of something grander?"

"Don't think that way, Paragon," Diemma answered, wrapping her arms around his neck tighter. "Don't ruin this moment." A look of sadness came over her as she shielded her thoughts again. "It may be all we have."

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