His face was afflicted with a false blush at the blaze that ate the arrows. They weren't cheap, and in honesty, the barrage of heavy needles could have been the show of power that could decide the tides of a smaller war, so he appreciated that she gave grand fireworks in exchange for his costly greeting. On his expression, while he watched the projectiles become firewood and heavy hail on her, there was some fascination. He'd already decided she'd be interesting. Her greatest offense would not be delaying him or costing him his quarry, but rather to be a lacking opponent. Daughter of the lands. It seemed perfectly condensed that he should take her instead of all the women ahead.<br/><br/>A hungry wolf's spirit in his fractal irises when he read her breathing. She was already beautiful, the bastard that she was, but he craved her weakness more than the runts she protected. He was glad she didn't dodge the small rock. He listened quietly to her terms after that, repaying the courtesy. Two fingers lifted to be seen from the back, and a handful of generals nodded. They'd like that. Setting off from this campaign with all of his riches and men at their disposal without doing any of the work. He should do his best to disappoint them. He wagered, since most of them had seen his skills, that they weren't very hopeful, anyway.<br/><br/>"Done." he granted. "And since we're going to have such an intimate outcome anyway, me in the afterlife without my army, or you, followed by the ones you're shielding with your body, we should have a conversation, yes?" he offered as he ran at her. There was nothing clever with the attack, especially given her propensity for spheres of fire, even if he did advance swiftly given his supposed human lineage. He was betting on whatever recovery she needed, and hoped to slice from upper right to lower left and hit something on her.<br/><br/>"Do you have friends that will take you once you've escaped?" he posed, voice level for the amount of exertion, as though he was narrating somewhere from the side instead of directly participating. The ground of dirt and silver grains from the trees made its characteristic muffled, metallic rustle under his soles. At his slightly forward angle, the light would play through his chainmail, to treat her to shadows of muscles. "I have friends in the capitol." toward which they were all headed, even if he supposed she could have plans to diverge anywhere between the mouth of this forest and the large city.<br/><br/>If she tried her fire at him again, at any capacity, she would understand the use of his weapon when it spread its metal thin. A great, lithe cover attached to his handle, swung with ease and helping magic by how it shone and sang. The conjured wind should have a chance to deflect or snuff the flames, which might give him opportunity to come close. Some of his men would have sat down, knowing it was allowed, to watch the spectacle of their master skirmish. If she simply avoided all of this by some trick with her wings or agility, he'd still hold to the conversation.<br/><br/>"It's friends of debt, but still. Not everyone thinks poorly of me and The Sullen Crew, is what I'm saying." It was not all that he was saying though, but she would learn the meaning he was drawing as their battle went on. "Friends are important."