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(Alright everyone I'd like to state that this isn't my story. It's written entirely by Zerrex Narrius. The entire 1100 page epic can be downloaded at Epiphany. Please direct all praise to Zerrex and not me. Alright this series is markes as extreme, if ya are under 18/21 GTFO yadda yadda yadda, NOW on with the show.)

(This part is about 200 pages long. As will future parts.)

Second Sphere: Frustration

The next five days passed without much note: Zerrex spent much of the time sparring with his various Disciples and getting more used to the armor, learning to transform it back and forth from fluttering cape to full body protection at a moment's notice, and slowly but steadily discovering the many different functions of the bone armor. They hadn't come up with a proper name for it yet, and Zerrex was content enough calling it his 'bone armor' for the moment, not exactly eager to advertise the fact that it was made from the remains of Naganis. As it was, he'd had more than one aspiring thief attempt to break in and steal his stuff on a regular basis: he could just imagine what would happen if he went and told everyone he had a suit of armor made from the bones of one of the most powerful gods to ever exist.

Over the last few days, other Disciples, his wives, and even Raze had shown up, and many of them had brought with them other guests who would be staying here in safety while the murder issues were sorted out. However, Lily had also brought two points of bad news with her: one was that Eslovius refused to sign a full formal peace treaty, and the second that while there had been no murders, someone had set the shrine in the center of the Narrius Necropolis on fire. It hadn't done much damage, but the point was clear nonetheless: someone was looking to hurt Zerrex, and they were willing to go to any lengths to do it.

The good news, at least, was that Eslovius was also backing off a little bit, and Lily predicted that even without a treaty between them, they might be able to establish neutrality at the borders, at least. Vivien had also allowed the other thrones time off for the next week in light of the fact there simply wasn't a lot to do: Elysium could govern most of itself fairly smoothly, and more importantly, Eslovius and the Strange Beasts were both the top of the agenda. With neither of these issues currently serious ones, it meant Vivien could take a few days off... and in light of the fact that Lily, Mercy, and Selena kept bothering her about taking people to Acheron and celebrating the birthday of the youngest of the clan, she had given into their wishes for once.

Acheron, therefore, was bustling with activity, and Zerrex had actually expanded the city: whether temporarily or permanently, he wasn't sure. Either way, he had used his powers to add another block of buildings where people could stay, even if it had left him a little tired and sore. He always stressed to the others his powers weren't infinite, even in Acheron, but they never seemed to listen to him when he actually wanted them to.

The Drakkaren smiled wryly at this thought as he sat down at the head of a long table Earth had set up on the roof of the palace: it was immense enough to comfortably seat them all, and Epiphany was blushing with joy as she sat beside him, looking warmly at her father. They were celebrating her birthday, even if they were probably a few days off due to the time difference between Acheron and the physical plane, but Zerrex didn't think it mattered as he gazed at her affectionately: since Epiphany aged differently than they did on top of everything else, he wasn't even sure if they should call this her ninth or eighteenth birthday, and he didn't care, either. What mattered was that she was glowing with happiness as others sat down at the table, chatting eagerly with one-another.

Disciples, family, friends, relations far and distant... but every one of them had wanted to be at the party, and Epiphany had been delighted by all the guests. Zerrex thought it helped they all brought her gifts - she was physically an adult, but emotionally she could be almost as childish as Mahihko - but it was really seeing everyone in one place, he thought, and all here for her, that really delighted her.

Sometimes, Epiphany could be strange: she would be smiling one moment, but when Zerrex turned away, out of the corner of his eye he could see her expression simply vanish, although she would smile again when he looked at her. She could be interested and attentive in something one moment, and then a second later grow bored with it, sometimes even lashing out or simply dropping it altogether: it was also true with her lessons, as Anathema Sin had told him. One day, for example, they had been practicing magic... and although she'd been engaged and excited at first, after an hour she'd simply... stopped. Anathema Sin had chided her about needing to learn it, and, expressionless and silent, Epiphany had simply flicked her wrist and blown apart the targets they had been practicing on with a barrage of spells silent-casted all at once, spikes of earth erupting and blowing apart in deadly flames and shocks of electricity as she'd announced she was bored.

It didn't seem malefic, but more like... a child who was too good at everything, and had trouble finding ways to express her frustration with how hard it was for her to find a challenge. She was talented... almost too talented, especially with how her powers let her further absorb the DNA of other things to modify her abilities and traits further, able to constantly evolve and improve upon herself in physical ways, and with a sharp mind that let her grow mentally with every passing day.

And Zerrex could also never allow himself to forget that Epiphany was... different from the others. Not a demoness, not a goddess, not living dead, but something in between all three. Like him, she defied proper definition... and Zerrex reached up and stroked her face gently, feeling her emotions as she almost purred and pushed her cheek against his hand, her eyes sliding closed with a soft sigh of pleasure before she gazed out down the table. He could feel that right now, however, she was truly happy.

He smiled a bit, glad for it: he had been worried before, since often Epiphany didn't spend time with larger groups of people. Both because of her vast powers and the... air of strangeness about her, she spent most of her time with Anathema Sin the quiet little cottage outside Sin's Tower. The most Epiphany saw of people was when she came to visit the Ravenlight Estate - always with a guard of his Disciples - or when she followed her beloved mother to the Central Spire whenever Vivien requested her presence for help dealing with the Reapers or some magic-related problem Ixin couldn't figure out.

She was doing well, however, and the party had been going pleasantly... and he nodded to a tall Dragokkaren as he and several others began to serve out food, Hez'Rannan and Hellish delicacies both decadently prepared. Across from him, Naganen smiled warmly as a chicken salad was laid out in front of him, and he picked up his fork... then winced as beside him, Cherry stabbed a knife down into a Hez'Rannan meal known as a Vampire's Delight: a specially-prepared heart filled with spiced blood and other juices, delicious but very-messy and a little horrifying to watch being eaten, especially by someone as messy as Cherry.

She grinned embarrassedly as she noted the blood splattered over Naganen's salad and shirt, and then she reached out and grabbed a handful of the Naganatine's food in front of the male's disbelieving eyes, saying embarrassedly: "I'll just take that bloody stuff. There you go, all better."

Naganen looked at her dumbly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as Epiphany gazed down at the stew that had been set out in front of her, then hesitantly picked up her spoon and looked at it almost curiously. Zerrex couldn't help but watch out of the corner of his eye, smiling a little despite himself and yet at the same time feeling... a bit sad, as he always did. Rapid development was wonderful in some ways, perhaps, but in other ways, it took its toll; for all her intelligence and power, Epiphany sometimes got stuck on the simplest of things.

She figured it out, however, scooping up some of the stew and then carefully tasting it... before she sighed and let her eyes slide closed in delight. Zerrex smiled at this reaction, looking over at her lovingly as a Dragokkaren laid a bottle of rose petal wine out on the table in front of the Drakkaren, then served him a large, rare steak.

Zerrex began to eat, and Epiphany watched him curiously, the way he used his knife and fork seeming to fascinate her as she savored her stew. The Drakkaren enjoyed his own meal, as beside him, Anathema Sin poured herself a glass of rose petal wine, and then filled another and passed it to Epiphany, who blushed with delight. Her mother smiled at her tenderly, then emptied the rest of the bottle into Zerrex's glass before she went back to eating her own meal: a steak even larger than Zerrex's, wrapped in what was called 'wide rinds;' very wide and somewhat thick pieces of bacon prepared from Hez'Rannan wild hogs.

Down the table, people chatted, relaxed, and ate as the Dragokkaren servants fluttered around them, pushing large carts laden with food and beverages, taking plates here and there, refilling glasses and passing out more fare. The cooks in the kitchens had been working overtime to prepare such a banquet, and Zerrex reminded himself to pass his compliments on to the chef as he finished his steak... then grimaced when Anathema Sin grabbed the bone that had been left behind and popped it into her mouth, biting down loudly to break it open before she sucked the marrow from inside it, then spat the remains of the bone out onto her own empty plate. "You're more disgusting than... well..."

Zerrex looked across at Cherry, who was greedily licking her blood-soaked hands as Naganen leaned away from her, a bit pale and horrified by the fact the female's muzzle was dripping blood and her black shirt was splattered with the red substance as well. On her other side, Cindy only shook her head, absently wiping at Cherry's face a bit with her napkin as she chewed the last of her own meal and grumbled chastisements that the hermaphrodite didn't even seem to hear. "Well, you're worse than me, anyway."

"If you can put up with Cherry, you can put up with my habits, too." Anathema Sin said pettishly, and then she glanced over to Epiphany as their daughter finished her stew, gazing down into the empty bowl with a smile on her face. "Are you still hungry, daughter? We can get you more food if you like."

"No, mother, I'm fine... excited. Happy." She gazed up warmly over them all, hugging herself around the middle as she took a long, deep breath that made the stitching that ran down the center of her body stretch, then contract, and she turned her eyes to her father, saying lovingly: "Thank you for this. It means a lot to have everyone here... your Disciples, your children, your friends. I know they're here for you... but through you, they're also here for me. And it's wonderful to be in a place like this, to not be looked at as a Terror."

"No one here could ever see you that way, sis." Naganen smiled over at her warmly, picking lightly at his salad before he blushed a bit when Cherry snagged a bottle of rose petal wine and refilled the Naganatine's glass with this for the third or fourth time. "No, no, leave some for-"

"Oh fuck you, kid, we got like fifty bottles of this shit." Cherry said flatly, and then she patted Naganen firmly on the back, the Naganatine blushing a bit as he gazed over at her with an awkward smile. "Come on, don't be shy! Look at this, your pretty little sister there is being more louder and outgoing than you! You don't want her thinking you aren't enjoying yourself, do you?"

"I'd be very hurt, Naganen." Epiphany teased, and Naganen smiled a little at her before he finally picked up his glass and held it out to her, and Epiphany picked up her own, looking lovingly at him as they knocked their glasses together gently before they both leaned forwards, arms intertwining smoothly as they tipped their own glasses to each other's muzzles to sip at them, then their arms linked together as they brought their glasses back for a second sip from their own.

They both laughed and untangled their arms as they sat back, and then Cherry grinned widely and picked up her own, looking at Zerrex... but he only looked back moodily and sipped at his own glass, and she huffed before turning her eyes to Cindy. The female, however, didn't even spare Cherry a look as she glanced to the other side and began to talk to Daria, and Cherry glared jealously at them before huffing and crossing her arms moodily, grumbling: "No one ever wants to do cool shit with me."

"Cherry, you're covered in blood and food stains, and when's the last time you managed to clink glasses with someone without either breaking it or spilling all over them?" Zerrex asked mildly, and the female grumbled something that sounded like 'not the point,' as she glared at him. Then the lizard sighed and rolled his eyes before smiling a bit, holding up his glass and saying dryly: "Please don't try and lace our arms together or drag me across the table. And gods help you if you spill all over me."

The female brightened at this, grinning widely as she picked up her glass, and they reached out and gently knocked their cups together before Cherry leaned forwards aggressively, the Drakkaren wincing as the glass almost smacked him in the muzzle and she said cheerfully: "Drink up, drink up!"

A bit of liquid dribbled down the Drakkaren's chin as he drank from her cup, but then she drew back and looked cheerfully at him, saying easily as her eyes roved towards Cindy: "See ,I can totally... not..."

She stopped and stared as Cindy and Daria exchanged a slow, gentle kiss, one of Daria's hand stroking gently along Cindy's leg as her other cupped lightly into the back of her head, gripping into her white hair, and Cindy's own hands rested on the newt's naked shoulders, rubbing them slowly. Cherry's eye twitched, and then she leapt to her feet and upended her glass over Cindy's head, the kiss immediately breaking as the female winced before Cherry swung the glass down and it shattered against the female's skull as she was knocked out of her chair, Cherry snapping: "And I'm the whore?"

Cindy sat up dazedly, looking far more embarrassed than angry as she grinned dumbly up at Cherry, who was glaring daggers down at her, hands on her hips, as Daria turned scarlet and leaned away: and although conversation was interrupted down much of the table, other people continued to talk away easily, since outbursts were far from unusual among their twisted-up family. Not that Zerrex enjoyed the chaos... and he sighed a bit as he swirled his rose petal wine with a finger, Naganen and Epiphany both staring as Anathema Sin covered her muzzle and giggled as Cherry began to curse and rant at the other female.

After a few minutes, she settled down, then forcefully traded places, looking balefully at Daria until the female excused herself and hurried down the table to sit in an empty spot next to Maria. People were now getting up, not leaving but instead sitting in the chairs and at the smaller tables around the area, a few of them inspecting the enormous pile of gifts for Epiphany, one or two lounging about curiously. There was always something going on to watch, after all... such as Cindy and Cherry, as the former female wiped a few past pieces of broken glass out of her hair and said awkwardly: "After our last talk, I... thought we had an agreement that-"

"You could make out behind my back at the dinner table with Stripper Tits?" Cherry glared at her, and Cindy blushed but nodded resolutely nonetheless, and Cherry immediately and childishly blew a raspberry in her face. Cindy winced back as spittle flecked over her features, but even though she looked irritated, she also seemed a little too embarrassed - and maybe a little too ashamed as well - to punch Cherry out, like she normally might have done. "Hell no! When I go and have random sex with people it's one thing, but you and her, like..."

Then Cherry's lower jaw trembled a little, before she crossed her arms, huffed, and glared down at her plate, mumbling: "I'll... yell at you later. When we're not in public. Don't need to be making a scene in public here."

Cindy leaned in and gently kissed Cherry's cheek, and the muscular female grumbled a little, but then let her head rest on Cindy's shoulder when the female wrapped her arms around her, hugging her gently against her side. Zerrex smiled a little despite himself at the two as they calmed together, and instead he turned his eyes to Naganen and Epiphany, who were staring a little still before he asked: "Do you want to open your presents before or after dessert, Epiphany? And I got you a little something too, Naganen."

Naganen blushed a bit but smiled warmly at his father nonetheless, and Epiphany laughed and gazed at her father, saying quietly: "Let's have dessert first. Then we can open the presents... but what I really look forwards to is the little trip you promised me, Daddy."

"Yeah, just don't make out with other girls behind her back." Cherry said loudly, but Cindy only sighed and rolled her eyes when Cherry turned and buried her face against her breasts, her arms still crossed firmly beneath her own bust as she mumbled: "These are mine. Not hers."

"I know. I know." Cindy said soothingly, stroking gently along the back of Cherry's collar, and she relaxed little-by-little before the female gazed over at Epiphany and smiled a little, saying quietly: "I'm sorry for putting a bit of a dent in the festivities."

"With your loose lips." Cherry mumbled, and then she grunted when Cindy rolled her eyes and hit her upper back firmly with a fist, making her grumble disconsolately. But when Cindy tried to pull away, Cherry immediately wrapped her arms around her, burying her face deeper into her cleavage. "Mine."

"It's alright, Cindy. But where's mom?" Epiphany asked curiously, and Anathema Sin glanced up a bit automatically, and Epiphany blushed. "I mean. My other mother-figures."

"Maria is down the table and... Marina is..." Cindy looked back and forth, and even Cherry glanced up a bit from the comfort of the other female's breasts for a moment before they both looked at Zerrex curiously. "Where is Marina?"

"I'm sure she'll be along shortly, Epiphany... I saw her earlier, after all. She must have just gone to get something." Zerrex said softly, and Epiphany smiled a bit and nodded at her. The Drakkaren nodded back, then he reached out and gently grasped her shoulder, asking curiously: "Is there any place in particular you wanted to go?"

Epiphany nodded after a moment to the Drakkaren, smiling softly at him as she reached up to gently take his hand and intertwine their fingers. "Yes, Father. I want to visit the mortal world today. As my first day as a full adult, I want to explore the world you love so much and I've never really had the chance to see... I want to understand why you care so deeply for it, and explore it with you. See in it... what you see."

"It took me dying to really start to care about my world, Epiphany... I don't think I can show you exactly how much and why I love the mortal planet as I do in only a single day." Zerrex said softly, but when Epiphany only continued to gaze deeply into his eyes, he laughed softly and nodded, admittedly pleased by her request. "But of course. We'll explore some historic sites, then, as well as... places that have a lot of meaning to me, to this day."

"Wonderful, Father." Epiphany said softly, and Zerrex gazed at her lovingly for a few moments before she half-turned to Naganen, blushing a bit as she reached her other hand up and stroked quietly along his arm. "And will you... come with us?"

Naganen blushed as well, and Zerrex smiled indulgently at how much they reminded him of flirting children, of boys and girls who liked each other but hadn't yet learned how to express that, as he rubbed at the back of his head and then mumbled: "Well, I would but... I have more studying to do here, and Uncle Amiglion is supposed to teach me some more about the Reapers..."

"Why would you go to Amiglion about the Reapers when you could ask me?" Anathema Sin said indignantly, and Zerrex cleared his throat and glanced away when she glared at him, before she turned her gaze sharply back to Naganen even as he winced and looked pleadingly at his father for help. "Everyone knows Amiglion didn't even want the job, which is why he ended up in Hell with all the dissenters... Naganis was forced to punish him just to make him pull his weight! And I was the head of the Reapers until I gave the job over to Kavelis."

"Yes, Mom, I know, but-" Naganen began, but Anathema Sin held up a hand, glowering at him even as the Naganatine shrank back in his chair.

"I swear, you're going to end up just like your father if you keep this up, all work and no play." Anathema Sin said pettishly, and then she yelped when Zerrex reached over and put her in a headlock, grabbing the top of her skull firmly with his other hand and holding her head in place as she flailed her hands angrily. "Let go of me before I-"

Zerrex only applied a bit of pressure, making her gargle a bit as he looked over at Naganen, saying kindly: "It's your choice, son. But Epiphany and I would be glad to have you along, and I doubt Amiglion would mind waiting."

"I know, Dad, but I made a promise to him, and... you have to honor your word, right?" Naganen smiled at his father nonetheless, however, and then he gazed at Epiphany, adding quietly: "But maybe you and I can... can go on a picnic sometime. Now that... we're both adults and stuff, and I'm training to be an ambassador and you're... well... you... we can always... go... by ourselves sometime. Sightseeing."

He turned red, but Epiphany looked at him lovingly before nodding, and Zerrex laughed quietly before he finally let Anathema Sin go and firmly shoved her backwards, knocking her sprawling out of her chair. She grumbled irritably, then sat up as her claws glowed purple before swiping bad-naturedly at the legs of the lizard's chair... but Zerrex only grinned as his chair remained standing, the broken chunks of wood floating eerily before they instantly repaired themselves, and he looked down at her amusedly as she glowered up at him. "It's nice having complete dimensional control sometimes."

"We'll see how cocky you are when we sneak up on you while you're asleep." Anathema Sin muttered, and Zerrex winced a bit at this before she climbed to her feet and set her chair back up and sat down in it, adding mildly: "We also don't understand why you won't learn from us instead of brother."

Naganen blushed a bit, mumbling to himself before Zerrex reached up and squeezed Anathema Sin's shoulder gently. "Now, now, let the kid make his own decisions. Besides, aren't you going to be busy with Earth, helping to design the power structure for the portal?"

"We suppose." Anathema Sin finally sighed and relented, sitting back moodily in her chair before she smiled a bit and leaned back as Dragokkaren servants returned with new carts, these loaded with desserts instead of food. "Oh, here we are. This makes us feel better."

"Wonderful." Zerrex muttered, and then he stood up and clapped his hands together twice, and conversation quieted as the reptile smiled down to his daughter, reaching out to touch her shoulder as he said clearly to those gathered: "Everyone, dessert is being served... so let me take this time to thank everyone for coming to Acheron to help celebrate my daughter's birthday... it means a lot to her, and it means a lot to me, too.

"Happy birthday, Epiphany. From all of us here." Zerrex leaned down and hugged his daughter tightly, and she hugged him happily back, closing her eyes and smiling warmly before the reptile leaned back and smiled as a Dragokkaren servant carefully laid an enormous, three-layered cake down on the table in front of the female, and she laughed in delight at the sight of it: vanilla ice cream with fudge in the center of each layer, with images of Epiphany's favorite animals on the top of the cake done in flavored icing.

The Drakkaren stood by his daughter as the Dragokkaren servant began to quickly cut up the cake, and another served pieces onto plates and carried them down the table: there was just enough for everyone present to have a single slice, but plenty of other desserts as well, so no one went hungry. Other cakes were brought out, along with pieces of fudge and brownies, pastries and chocolate and candy, and to drink, coffee and cola and all kinds of other beverages. It was more relaxing than even dinner had been, as they lounged together and around the rooftop, conversation rising and falling.

Epiphany visibly enjoyed herself: Zerrex was starting to think that she had inherited her mother's hunger for mortal foods as much as everything else, and he picked up a napkin and wiped at her muzzle gently. Despite being an adult, Epiphany smiled at him tenderly, letting him wipe her down even as he felt almost embarrassed at treating her like a child... and then she curled her knees up to her chest in her chair and hugged them quietly, gazing rapturously around and murmuring: "It really feels so nice... I hope this day never has to end." She stopped, then looked at Zerrex, seeming to stare through his eyes to his very soul as she reached out and took his face in both her hands gently. "I hope you and I never have to be apart or change, Father."

Zerrex smiled at her awkwardly, feeling strangely like her gaze was piercing through him as she looked dreamily at him before leaning back in her chair and hugging her legs again, closing her eyes and sighing softly in relaxation as she let her head droop a bit. The reptile looked at her for a few moments silently, wondering what was going through her mind... and then he looked up as Marina and Maria both approached quietly, and Epiphany's eyes flickered open before she smiled happily and stood up, running around the side of the table and hugging them both tightly.

Marina hugged her gently back, looking at Epiphany with an awkward kind of smile as Maria gazed at her tenderly and gently massaged a hand along the female's side, and then Epiphany drew back, taking a hand of either female and murmuring happily: "My other mothers... it's so wonderful that you're both here."

"I... thank you." Marina blushed a bit nonetheless, but then she glanced at Maria, who nodded to her before all three turned their eyes to Zerrex. This only made everyone else present look at the Drakkaren as well, and Zerrex threw up his hands as Epiphany laughed and Marina's smile became firmer and wider. "Sorry, Daddy, but... you are the person we all look at as being in charge here."

"Oh, fine, fine." Zerrex grumbled, and then he stood up and clapped his hands again, and Cherry grumbled even as she peered up from the safety of Cindy's cleavage, where her head was still mostly-buried. "Everyone, Epiphany is going to open her gifts now."

Epiphany smiled delightedly as she bounced over to a table that was literally covered in presents, and Zerrex shook his head amusedly before he carefully made his way past the gathering crowd of Disciples, friends, and family members, slapping Priest gently on the arm as he passed by and reaching out to ruffle Mahihko's hair, before he paused for a moment as he stood side-by-side with a being made of dark energy. Several long, white tendrils sizzled around his head as he crossed his arms, his dark eyes glancing awkwardly to the side as Zerrex looked at him, and then the reptile reached up and squeezed his shoulder, saying softly: "Thanks for coming, Driz."

"I... I was worried about you and everyone else." Driz replied after a moment, the two standing inside the crowd and yet apart from it: Zerrex and one of his first sons, a male who the Drakkaren hadn't done the best of jobs with raising... but now they both smiled a little at each other, the semi-insubstantial body of the demon solidifying a bit as he turned towards his father and said softly: "We can talk later. Let's let Epiphany have a good time. I'm not gonna rush off, don't worry."

"Yeah, good shit." Priest said firmly, and Driz glared over his shoulder at him, making the Dragokkaren grin dumbly and raise his hands. "Hey. You're. Not still mad about me not... telling you the whole-"

"Going off to save Dad and not telling me, yes, I'm still mad about that." Driz said acerbically, and Zerrex winced a bit and carefully stepped away from the two as the being of dark energy glared at Priest, wondering if this was what it looked like to everyone when his son used to fight. "Me and Dad finally start patching things up, and then he seems to die, and you don't even think it's a good idea to maybe tell me 'hey Raven, we found out there's a slim chance Dad might be alive, we're gonna go rescue him, okay?'"

"Hey, if we all died, we needed someone to be High King." Priest argued, raising a finger... and then he yelped when Driz reached out and grabbed his arm, sending a surge of dark electricity through him that made him flail. "Fuck! You are an asshole, you asshole! No wonder I'm the only person who was ever nice to you!"

He flailed childishly at the dark energy being, and Zerrex sighed and rolled his eyes before continuing on his way towards the present-crowded table. Epiphany was hopping a bit from foot-to-foot, looking brightly from her father to the large pile of presents, smiling excitedly as Zerrex laughed a bit before he reached out and picked up a random present from the pile, holding this out and saying mildly: "Hopefully none of them will explode this year."

Cherry cleared her throat from somewhere in the crowd, and the reptile rolled his eyes before he turned with a smile to Epiphany, watching as she made her way happily through the gifts. While presents weren't often given to a person every year in Hell, this birthday was special: it marked Epiphany physically reaching the age where she became an adult. In some ways, it was seen as the last chance they really had to baby her like this, and Zerrex knew that he and many of the others in the family felt like they should take this day to spoil the talented, beautiful young female, and make sure she knew she was loved as she grew into adulthood.

The gifts were of every sort, shape and, size, ranging from magical implements to books to statuettes and shaped gemstones. Epiphany loved pretty, shiny things, especially small stones and carvings... and Zerrex smiled a bit as the female giggled childishly and delightedly over every little gift she got, and then stared as Marina and Maria carefully carried a large, veiled painting forwards from behind the table, a little taller than Epiphany and three times as wide. For a few moments, the female stood, staring at the veiled picture as Marina and Maria supported either side awkwardly... and then the young female stepped suddenly forwards and snatched the sheet covering it off, before blushing and covering her muzzle as she stared at the sight of herself, standing in front of Anathema Sin and Zerrex, her arms crossed over her chest in the painting and quietly grasping the hand of either figure behind herself.

She stared in awe at the painting, and murmurs rose up from the group behind her before she gave a trembling smile, touching her muzzle quietly. Marina had done an exquisite job, capturing her in such lifelike detail the painting seemed to breathe... and she shook her head in amazement before her features slackened slightly even as she stepped forwards and grasped the edges of the painting, murmuring: "You have a power that even I couldn't ever take from you, Mom... and secrets, countless secrets and stories to tell..."

The Drakkaren felt a chill run down his spine at these words as Marina blushed a bit and glanced over to Maria, who looked back at Marina curiously, but then Epiphany's expression returned and she bounced up and down on the spot, brightening happily as she clung to the painting's frame and looked over at Zerrex, asking excitedly: "Can we hang it in the gallery? Or maybe in the front hall, I... I want everyone to see this. I want to put it somewhere where it'll be safe, but people can look at it... I want to share it with the whole wide world, because Mom did such a beautiful, fantastic job and... oh thank you, Marina!"

Epiphany almost dropped the painting as she dashed over to the female, Maria wincing and catching it as the young girl hugged Marina, and Marina laughed a bit and hugged her back, seeming oddly relieved as she rubbed a hand soothingly along Epiphany's back as she clung against the psychic.

Zerrex looked at them, then let his eyes rove back to the painting, stepping forwards and touching along the metal frame gently as he gazed at Maria, who smiled and blushed a bit as she murmured softly: "All Marina's idea. I just made the backing and the frame, grandfather... do you like it? Marina said it would be a good gift for... all three of you."

"And it is." Anathema Sin spoke up firmly from where she was standing, her hands folded in her lap as she gazed over at Marina with a smile, watching as she finally pried Epiphany off herself with a blush. "It's an exquisite craft, Lady Marina. We can see how our daughter would be so delighted by it... and her idea is a very good one, we should place it in the entrance hall of the Ravenlight Estate, don't you agree, Zerrex?"

"The empty space at the top of the stairs?" the Drakkaren asked curiously, glancing towards her, and Anathema Sin nodded with a smile over to him. "Not a bad idea. It looks about the right size to fit in there nicely, too..."

Marina smiled happily at this as Epiphany gazed warmly over at her father, and then she walked quietly over to Maria and leaned up to kiss her gently on the cheek, making the Broken smile softly. "Thank you too, Mom. I know you and Marina presented it together for a reason. And I appreciate it, from the bottom of my heart."

Maria only looked softly at Epiphany, and then the young female giggled a bit as she headed back over to her pile of presents, digging into it before pulling out another box, and Zerrex shook his head with a smile as he approached and gently touched the painting. Energy sparked over it before it vanished, and Marina looked at him with quiet entertainment as the Drakkaren flexed his fingers, a bit of steam rising from them as he said mildly: "What? I can at least safely send objects across dimensions... although since I've been busy these last few days, maybe I'd better slow down."

The lizard glanced down at his hand, wincing a bit at the sight of the steam smoldering up from his scales, and then Marina gently took his hand and squeezed his fingers, leaning down and kissing them softly as she murmured: "Don't push yourself too hard for us, father. As it is, you already hurt yourself every day working for us... when you should be concentrating on yourself a little bit more."

"Marina..." Zerrex looked at her softly, but she only smiled back up at him before nudging him gently, continuing to hold his hand but turning him around so he could watch as Epiphany opened another of her presents, then giggled a bit as she pulled a large, black spider out of a box, the Drakkaren staring a bit as Epiphany cooed and gazed over it as it stared up at her with its beady black eyes. "I... is that..."

"It's a Black Night Weaver... and it's a very good-looking one at that." Epiphany replied without looking up, and the spider slowly reached a leg up and patted at the female's muzzle, which made her giggle a bit as she squeezed its bristly little body gently in her hands before setting it on her shoulder, and the large, black spider scurried immediately up the side of her face and settled itself down between her horns, its large, bulbous black eyes looking sharply back and forth before as a large, two-pointed claw at the end of its tail trembled and tapped quietly against her bone mask, before it suddenly lunged at one of her horns and began to rapidly weave a web between them.

Epiphany giggled and hugged herself, the skulls covering her breasts bouncing a bit as Zerrex gaped and Marina only squeezed his hand sympathetically, and then the young female went back to opening her presents, giggling happily as she unwrapped another large box inside which was an open-topped glass cage, already neatly set up with pegs, small blankets, and a few tiny squeaky toys. Obviously a home for the fist-sized spider that was now contentedly resting in a web it had rapidly woven between Epiphany's horns... and Zerrex shook his head dumbly, not knowing if he was scared of the spider or if he wanted to poke it as Epiphany continued to work her way through her presents delightedly.

Finally, she was done, and she turned and sketched a curtsey to the watching group as she said warmly: "Thank you to everyone... I love all your gifts and especially Charlotte."

"Charlotte's web is between your horns, you do realize this, right?" Zerrex said mildly, and Epiphany looked up with a smile, then she nodded a few times, making the spider bounce a bit as it clung to its webbing before scurrying down to the top of her skull and quickly beginning to weave another web. The Drakkaren was surprised as it worked quickly and efficiently, making itself a neat little cot out of silk strands before he glanced over as Cindy and Daria approached, Cherry lurking in the background and looking distrustfully and jealously at the two: a look that only made Zerrex grin slightly.

"Sorry we didn't tell you, but... Cindy mentioned that certain things make you cringe." Daria said gently, and then she winced a bit as her single eye glanced awkwardly over at Cindy, who was smiling lovingly up at her father as Epiphany turned back to her array of presents and she began to fumble through them, giggling quietly as Anathema Sin walked over to her daughter and rubbed gently along her back with a loving smile. "Is... can you tell Cherry I'm not trying to steal Cindy from her or something, please?"

"Oh, she'll get over it." Cindy said kindly, reaching a hand down and caressing one of Daria's buttocks, and although the newt visibly enjoyed it, she also visibly paled a bit when Cherry shot her a seething glare. "She needs to work on her sharing skills, anyway. It's not fair that only she gets to go out and have fun with people, after all."

"Cherry, don't be a bitch." Zerrex called amiably, and Cherry spat a slew of vulgarities in return before the reptile rolled his eyes. "Ignore her, she's just in a bad mood. Although Cindy, you know that perhaps aggravating Cherry when she's being all grabby isn't exactly a mature and reasonable thing to do."

"Do I always have to be the mature and reasonable one?" Cindy asked mildly, and then she made a face when Zerrex nodded and gave her a look. "You're as fun as she is."

The Drakkaren snorted in amusement, but turned his eyes back to Daria after a moment, cocking his head towards her, and she smiled a little, saying embarrassedly: "When I... was in Wrath, I... I learned to tame bugs. I couldn't always lure victims to me, after all, and as you know, an Abhorrence is always hungry..." She softened, then reached up and touched her collar quietly, murmuring: "At least until they're tamed."

Zerrex gazed at her lovingly, reaching out to stroke her face and kiss her forehead gently, and she blushed deeply before the Drakkaren drew back and smiled amusedly. "And let me guess. Someone told you about my youngest daughter's fondness for creepy things."

"Oh, Charlotte isn't creepy, Daddy." Epiphany said softly, walking towards the Drakkaren as the little spider poked its head up from the webbing, and then it scampered quickly to the end of the female's muzzle, reaching one of its forelegs up warily as Zerrex leaned in close. They glared at each other, and then the little spider poked Zerrex firmly in the end of the muzzle, and the reptile wrinkled his features before Epiphany picked the spider gently up off her face as if it were an adorable puppy instead of an arachnid with a pair of poisonous stingers and a set of mandibles the size of the Drakkaren's fingers, holding it towards the Drakkaren with a bright look on her face. "See, she likes you!"

It clacked its mandibles together, and the reptile narrowed his eyes at it before it chirped like a bird at him, and the reptile looked dumbly at the spider as it wriggled around in the female's hands before scurrying quickly up one of her arms and back towards the webbing between her horns. Zerrex looked at it moodily as Anathema Sin approached, reaching up to squeeze her daughter in the shoulder as she said easily: "The Weaver is actually a very intelligent species, Lord Zerrex... almost as intelligent as a pseudodragon. Probably more intelligent than your pet Sammy, or the wolves... speaking of which, we saw all three of the lupines chasing him around earlier. You should probably go and calm them down before they make a mess."

"Obviously the Anathema part of you is dominant right now. Sin loves the little buggers. Or well, at least Mahihko." Zerrex said mildly, then he rolled his eyes when Anathema Sin blew a loud raspberry at him. "Oh, let them play. Even if they do break something, I can put it back together with a thought."

"But at what cost, I often wonder?" Anathema Sin looked at him softly, the golden flames burning in her metallic socket visibly toning down, and Zerrex smiled at her a bit before she reached up and touched his face gently. "It won't be any kind of birthday gift to your daughter if you hurt yourself today of all days."

Epiphany smiled softly at this, and then she looked back and forth before heading suddenly over to the glass aquarium, reaching up at the same time to gently pull Charlotte off its web. The spider clacked and wiggled its forearms, but went willingly, looking up with strange, insect affection at Epiphany before she leaned down and kissed its fuzzy head, and then she put it in the aquarium, clicking at it quietly with her teeth; whether she was just mimicking it or actually speaking to it, Zerrex wasn't sure, but either way, the spider immediately began to weave itself a nest amidst the various pegs, the Drakkaren realizing they were placed that way on purpose so the spider would have something to cast webbing between.

Then his youngest daughter turned and approached him, saying softly as she reached up and touched his chest gently: "I would like to go to the mortal world now, Father. Only for a little while, perhaps, but... for a little while nonetheless. Since Naganen isn't coming... I'd like it to be just you and me, too."

She smiled at him, eyes only for him even as the others around her looked at her curiously, and then Zerrex nodded after a moment, glancing around at the group before wincing when Cherry stepped between Daria and Cindy, grinning dangerously as she squeezed them both firmly around the neck and Zerrex winced. "You go then, Zerrex, and I'll take over here."

"Uh. No." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry huffed and glowered at him before the Drakkaren surveyed the crowd, winced when he saw everyone was either off conversing between themselves or were getting ready to leave, and then he finally relaxed as he saw Earth was standing peaceably with Carmen. "Earth, you're in charge while I'm gone!"

Earth smiled at him kindly, and Carmen looked over as well, then grinned and rose a hand to him. She was powerful, thickly-built golden-scaled demoness, with two large, ram-like horns and a third long spike that jutted up from her forehead, curving slightly back. Her eyes were shining blue, and her grin was wide and playful, yet respect emanated from her masculine, powerful body: her chest was smooth and flat and covered in powerful muscle, making her look masculine except for the feminine curve of her large hips and her features. If the demoness wanted to, however, she could also walk around with a set of breasts that put Cherry's to shame... but more often than not, she enjoyed going shirtless and masculine, especially since she had a tendency to spar with Zerrex and Zerrex had a tendency to aim for her boobs if they were in existence.

Her only clothing was a simple pair of mortal jeans, and a tightly-cinched, plated black platinum collar around her throat: it let the tattoos over her body stay clearly visible, from the red, spider-like webbing that went across her breast on an angle, from collarbone to her side and abdominals, and the double-helix of snakes that went down either forearm. A blue teardrop tattoo was under one eye, and lastly, Eternal Protector was written over the back of her neck in flowing script and ending in a blossomed black rose... this hidden by the collar, yet Carmen perhaps proudest of all of this tattoo, one Zerrex had given her himself and she'd had Marina touch up later with the rose: the symbol of his Iuratus and his Disciples, worn by almost every one of those dedicated to him.

She looked at him curiously, and he gazed back warmly before winking, sending her a mental order, and she nodded after a moment before grinning at Cherry instead. Cherry glared back, but then grumbled and let go of Cindy and Daria to walk towards the demoness who had once been the Queen of the Circle of Lust and who also happened to be Cherry's "great aunt," as they called her. They were related somehow, Cherry many generations younger, but Carmen's bond to her 'super niece' somehow made all the firmer for it.

Then Zerrex turned and glanced at Epiphany curiously, and she nodded after a moment with a loving smile up to him, and he smiled back, reaching up to squeeze her shoulders gently before he glanced towards Anathema Sin as she nodded to him respectfully. "We'll be back. You and Earth should be able to handle anything that comes up."

Anathema Sin nodded and then leaned forwards to quickly kiss his cheek, and Zerrex smiled softly at her before he winked, then laughed when Epiphany leapt towards him and hugged him firmly. A moment later, the two vanished from the spot to reappear in Hez'Ranna, and Zerrex sighed in relief, arching his back and gazing up at the twilit sky overhead as Epiphany looked up at him lovingly, then stepped back and gazed curiously around at the jungle that surrounded them, filled with chirping wildlife, massive vines and ferns, and enormous trees of all shape and size. Years ago now, someone had also started planting flora from Heaven and Hell on the mortal world... and, in the natural environment, the plants had grown and spread surprisingly rapidly, mixing well with the rest of the natural ecosystem.

Epiphany slowly pulled away from him, walking towards the nearest tree and stroking over the bark quietly, digging small gashes in it with her fingers as they glowed faintly blue. "Oh... so strange..."

Zerrex smiled a bit, watching as Epiphany breathed softly, quietly running her fingers through the grasses, over the flora, even pressing herself down to the soil as she clawed quietly through the earth, digging up roots and small bugs that crawled over her and she paid no attention to, smiling delightedly to herself. Zerrex knew she wasn't just entranced with the feelings and the sensations that ran through Hez'Ranna, the Cradle of Life... that she might not even be able to feel the same strange electricity here running through her body that he did, being the God of the place and so connected to this place in such a primal way... but then his daughter gazed over her shoulder at him, saying lovingly: "And why wouldn't I be so connected, Daddy? You are my God, after all... and here, just like in Acheron, just like in the Deep Temple, I can hear the whispers of your thoughts in the pulse of the planet itself..."

The Drakkaren looked at her awkwardly, and then Epiphany laughed quietly as she climbed to her feet, hugging herself as her body pulsed visibly, stretching the stitching that ran down her chest before she smiled at him lovingly. "I'm done, Daddy. I hope you don't mind me... sampling... the genetic structures of this place. Some are alien, some are not... it's very interesting, to say the least. Such a fascinating collection... and even a few genes I've taken to add to Equinox."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, rubbing the back of his head quietly as he looked at the female, and she smiled at him as he gave her a questioning glance. "Yes, Father. I'd love to visit brother Equinox after this as well... it would mean a lot to me. And I'm sure Equinox would like it too... I suppose this is technically his birthday as well."

"I suppose." Zerrex said softly, and then Epiphany laughed quietly and gazed up at the blue sky overhead, barely visible through the ceiling of treetops. Zerrex looked at her for a few moments, but then he shook his head, forcing away the thoughts of Epiphany's so-called 'sibling,' and instead asking softly: "So would you like to... take a walk around?"

"Can we visit somewhere else, Father? I'd like to visit the rest of this world... sample all the different tastes, see more of just what it had to offer." Epiphany looked at him warmly, and Zerrex gave her a look and a bit of a smile, and she immediately pouted, lacing her fingers together. "Please, Daddy? I want to make the most of this trip."

"Alright, alright. I just didn't think we'd be making this a research voyage." Zerrex said amusedly, reaching up and stroking her face quietly. "Do you have a place in mind, Epiphany?"

She reached up and took his hand in both her own as she nodded and smiled at him lovingly. "Yes, Daddy, I do in fact. Ire, towards the northern border."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, and then he closed his eyes, concentrating as he squeezed her hands back quietly. And, a moment later, they had both vanished from sight, reappearing on a rolling hill outside a small, derelict town that had been abandoned, then used as a staging point before being evacuated again. They stood near a memorial plaque, and Epiphany wandered immediately over to this as Zerrex smiled a bit out at the town, visibly split into two parts by a river that had long since stopped flowing, now only a trench filled with treasures and garbage and skeletal remains. "'Baskin's Grove, the birthplace of the hero Zerrex Narrius, known as the Boss.' But that's wrong, isn't it, Father? You were born on the mortal world, but in Valise City."

The Drakkaren reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently, saying softly: "In a way it's right. I only really started caring about the world once I came here... I only really started to... be a person when I arrived here. I... once I was told that I had died when I was only a child, I was just a soulless body walking around trying to suck the pleasure out of people and out of life. This is where I started to live again."

"But it's wrong." Epiphany said again, frowning a bit before she looked at the plaque, then she irritably swept her claws across it, ripping through the golden metal with easy and disintegrating the words over it as Zerrex winced, feeling a pulse of pain in his chest as well as in his head from the scream of metal. "You can't let something wrong just sit there, Father. It's not proper."

"Epiphany, it wasn't there for me, or you... it was... a memory." Zerrex said quietly, stepping forwards and brushing his hand over the clawed plaque, and Epiphany looked at him curiously, with that strange look in her eyes she got sometimes when he tried to scold her about something... but she just didn't understand. He sighed a bit, then reached up and squeezed gently between her horns before he smiled a little as his fingers came back sticky, realizing the webbing was still between her horns... and moreover, that there were bits and pieces of grass in it now from her rolling around in Hez'Ranna. "You know, that web is still up there."

"I know." Epiphany continued to look at him curiously, and then she asked inquisitively: "Did I do a bad thing?"

Zerrex didn't know why it disturbed him so deeply when she became like this: like she was sociopathic, like she couldn't tell the difference between right and wrong, like doing nasty things only... made her curious. She understood rules when he laid them down, and she understood what she was allowed and wasn't allowed to do... but it had to be explained to her in detail at times. Even simple things, like 'hitting people hurts them,' she wanted to know why it was bad to hurt other people, with that same curious look on her face... almost contrite, almost cold in her need for a logical answer. "Kind of. It was... set up so people would remember this was an important place. Not so much remember me; but to instead remember the town. Now it's just broken metal, Epiphany."

"I'm sorry, Father." Epiphany smiled at him after a moment, and then she stepped forwards and stroked down his arm gently, saying quietly: "I know you were trying to tell me something, showing me this place. I'll try harder to learn, okay?"

"Okay." Zerrex said after a moment, rubbing slowly at his own face, and she looked up at him lovingly before drawing away, and Zerrex shook his head out. He winced a bit, but then followed as Epiphany walked towards a small set of trees in the distance, leaning back and forth curiously around them before she suddenly slammed her hand forwards and ripped a hole in the body of the tall pine, sap exploding around her arm like blood as Zerrex winced, then grabbed at his muzzle when she drew out a small, unevolved squirrel, which bit and clawed uselessly at her armor-like hand as she tilted it back and forth in front of her face with fascination. "Epiphany!"

"I'm not going to hurt it, father." Epiphany said almost crossly, tossing him a flat look before she reached her other finger up and tapped it gently on the nose, and the squirrel suddenly went still, twitching once before visibly slumping and going into a deep sleep. Zerrex watched as she gently began to move it around, examining its little body as she murmured: "Amazing how we all came from these inferior beings... that God, Naganis, was able to tease the genetic structures of these creatures into something superior, trying to build us all equally... and yet he forgot about their minds, their thoughts, their desires. If I ever built a race of creatures, I would build a singular race... and the first thing I would do, would be to modify this..."

She reached up and stroked a claw gently along the front of the squirrel's skull, and then she put it quietly back into the hole in the tree, and the Drakkaren grimaced a bit, then shook his head after a moment as he walked towards her as Epiphany's hands and forearms burned with purple energy for a moment as she looked at him lovingly, bits of bark and strings of sap and anything else that had dirtied her limbs vanishing into steam.

The terrible energy faded back out of existence, and she reached up to touch his chest, saying softly: "It's alright, Father. See? I'm getting better, I'm working harder to respect rules that I admittedly don't always understand. I know you have reasons for why you do things: I know that we are two different people, but I'm working hard to be in your image... all my mothers revere you, after all, and so many others love you deeply. I wish... I wish often I could be more like you. And more like your daughters."

She laughed a bit, and then she looked at him lovingly before stroking the underside of her chin, murmuring softly: "May we go to... I know, I know, let me take us there."

She reached down and grasped his wrist, and Zerrex winced a bit in surprise before her hand glowed faintly, and he felt her almost reaching inside of him, flicking switches in his mind and taking control of his powers for a moment before they both vanished from the spot, and when she let go, the reptile's head swam with vertigo and he reached up to grasp his skull... but Epiphany, meanwhile, licked her lips slowly as her eyes almost glowed, letting go of the reptile's arm as she murmured softly: "There, an excellent genetic sample..."

"What?" Zerrex frowned at her, but her eyes were locked on something ahead, although all the lizard saw around them was barren tundra, speckled here and there with snow and a few broken chunks of concrete, and he grimaced before he turned... and then stared in shock at the sight of a massive, monstrous Strange Beast that was currently looking at them in shock, before the reptile looked at Epiphany and said sharply: "Epiphany, did you bring us here on purpose? Stay back, this is dangerous!"

"I'm an adult now, Father. And I am your Disciple... and I'm so eager to discover the secrets of these creatures." Epiphany licked her lips slowly as she rose her hands, her eyes glowing faintly as Zerrex reached out and squeezed her shoulder, but she only shook her head slightly, saying softly: "No Father. I will not back down. I am your daughter and an adult. You don't have to do this alone anymore... let me prove to you that I can take care of myself. That... I can take care of you."

She gazed over at him softly, almost sadly, smiling faintly at him... and then the Strange Beast roared at them, the very air seeming to tremble as Zerrex cursed and gazed at the creature, gritting his teeth as he winced at the height of the creature as it rose up to full height from where it had been kneeling, now long over its initial surprise. Couldn't she have at least picked an easier goddamn target?

The Strange Beast was no Viper or Chanter; it was a Leviathan, the monster at least thirty feet tall and with a massive, muscled body with golden armor almost melded over its shoulders and breast, heavy plates falling around its waist in a layered kilt that protected its lower body and heavy manacles dotted with gemstones wrapped around its shin. Its feet had enormous claws and it rested mostly back on its thick, huge tail, which trailed behind it like a long, dead snake, short spikes standing up along its length.

The most terrifying part of it, however, was its immense head: it was almost the same size as its chest, snarling and slightly slanted, muzzle short and ugly but its fang-filled snarl stretching almost to the back of its skull. It roared again, and the heavy dewlap that extended from its chin and hung down in front of its chest, connecting at the base of its throat, inflated slightly as it leaned forwards aggressively. It huge, thick arms snapped out, long-fingered hands seizing the handles of two immense weapons buried in the ground before it yanked them free: half-axe, half-sword, they had short, stubby handles that the monster's fingers barely fit around and ugly, nicked and damaged blades that were shaped like massive, broken mountains that had been cut neatly in half by some tremendous force, perfectly straight at the back but the half-rounded single edge of each weapon jarred and broken and ugly... and all too capable of leaving horrendous, ragged wounds.

Its eyes were small and beady, and along the top of its skull and down the back of its neck, its scales spiked up, half-peeled away from its head and vibrating as it hissed at them through its flared nostrils, a bit of drool falling from its enormous jaws as it slapped the flats of its blades together and rose up on its short legs before it expertly spun both weapons - each gruesome swords was perhaps sixteen feet long, perhaps longer - before it leapt suddenly forwards and slashed its weapons savagely downwards towards the two without any further hesitation.

Zerrex cursed as he stepped forwards, creating a wall of energy and catching both blades against this, wincing as the sapphire wall cracked before shoving his hands upwards, and the energy wall exploded upwards in a short, concussive blast, knocking the Leviathan staggering back a step with a grunt. The Drakkaren gritted his teeth, and then Epiphany laughed beside him as she clapped her hands, saying eagerly: "No, Daddy, let me, let me!"

"Epiphany, this isn't a game!" Zerrex shouted at her, and she looked shocked, trembling a bit at this before the Drakkaren created a sphere of energy in his hand tinged with blackness, snarling as he stepped forwards and flung this at the Leviathan's face... but it easily batted the ball of blue energy away with one of its swords before it stabbed the blade into the ground, and a blast of focused light erupted from the earth beneath the Drakkaren's feet in a concentrated laser, sending him crashing backwards with a flurry of curses as his scales were singed, dazed and blinded by the light even as he snarled at the sensation of vibrations through the ground and the thundering stomps of the Strange Beast's rapid approach.

Epiphany, however, immediately stepped forwards, her features colder and more serious now as she flicked her hands upwards, and the ground erupted into short, brutal spikes in front of the creature, the Strange Beast hissing as it skidded to a halt before slamming both swords down into the forest of spikes and attempting to vault towards the female, swinging both its legs up and outwards in a hard kick towards her.

The female, however, only flicked her wrist as she glared at it, and a telekinetic blast smashed into the creature with enough force to knock its weapons out of its hands, one of its swords simply keeling over as the other flew high into the air, and the Leviathan crashed down onto its back, skidding and then rolling more than a dozen feet before it landed heavily on its stomach. One of its massive swords crashed down near it, and the beast snarled as its shook its head, then quickly crawled up to its feet as Zerrex dazedly got to his own, rubbing at his eyes as stars continued to dance in front of his vision.

The monster held its hands out, and both swords shuddered before flying to its hands, the monster spinning the weapons as it caught them before it charged forwards again with a snarl. Epiphany only glared challengingly at it, however, and then she laughed when it threw one of its swords at her, hissing, before she cocked her head when Zerrex stepped in front of her, swinging his right arm up and then staggering backwards with a grimace when the blade bounced off the limb, ripping through his scales and impacting with enough force to send a spray of metallic chunks up but thankfully not cutting deep as it ricocheted off back towards the monster. "Daddy!"

"Epiphany, please, be serious at least!" Zerrex gritted his teeth, and then he shoved his left hand forwards as the Strange Beast snatched its own sword out of the air, and a blast of sapphire energy shot from the lizard's hand, the beam smashing into the creature's face as it began to close and snapping its large head back as its feet tried to continue forwards, knocking it backwards with a hiss... before it screamed as the ground beneath it erupted into long spikes of bone that tore through its back, leaving it impaled and flailing weakly for a moment in a nest of ivory spears before they snapped back into the earth, letting the Leviathan collapse heavily onto its back as the Drakkaren gaped over his shoulder at Epiphany.

"I am serious." she said softly, sounding almost hurt, and then she winced and grabbed Zerrex's arm, shoving him hard out of the way as the Leviathan sprang back to its feet despite the wounds dotting its back as it lashed one of its huge swords out in arc.

She leaned her head away, cursing and wincing as the tip of the sword just grazed her, slicing a thin line across her cheek and then cutting through the strings down the center wound in her body, and Epiphany staggered backwards with a shriek as she hugged at herself for a moment before snarling, her eyes glowing with fury as Zerrex winced and rolled to the side. "Fucking monster!"

Zerrex began to get up as the Strange Beast grinned at her... and then Epiphany glared at it with disgust and snapped her fingers, and a massive geyser of toxic steam blasted upwards beneath the creature, knocking it almost comically into the air as its swords were torn from its hands and it screamed loudly, chunks of rotten and burned flesh falling from its form as it flailed its limbs wildly, back horribly burned as Zerrex coughed and staggered away from the poisonous steam. It reeked of Hell's corruption, and yet Zerrex didn't think this was any kind of magic, but an extension of Epiphany's terrible supernatural abilities.

The female herself reached out, grasping the scales hanging loosely like a vest around her body, and she bad-temperedly yanked at them, causing more hidden stitching along her neck and waist to pop free as she shook back and forth, then pulled it free, revealing that it was indeed exactly that: a fake vest. Although she did possess breasts, and the scales over those were real - as were the scales over her collarbone, and the rest of her body, and around her waist - she had no real scales on her stomach or inner body.

Instead, her strange white bones were revealed: thick and strangely solid along her upper body, coated in some kind of strange, rubbery, flesh-like substance that ran along plates of bone that were strange and thick and solid and ridged. The upper half of her torso was nothing but solid ivory, and inside the rounded, almost-box were most of her strange organs; the largest visible exception of which were her large breasts, which sat upon the top of the bone casing.

The lower half of her torso, however, was composed of a rib like structure and thick bone plates that stuck out of her upper back, several long, fleshy tubes sticking out of the open bottom of the ivory cage above and connecting to the large, pulsating organs entrapped here, inside the claw-like grasp of her curved bones. Solid plates stuck out along her enlarged spine, making her back solid and shielded, and fleshy tendrils and thin, pulsing veins were wrapped around some of these lower 'ribs.' Her anatomy was alien and strange and exotic... and usually covered by the scale vests she liked to wear to hide how completely different from everyone else she was. She was very sensitive about her internals, which was why she had gone to the length of actually sewing the vest into place on her body... and Zerrex grimaced a bit as the Leviathan fell through the air and crashed into the ground in front of her face-first, its legs kicking at the air before Epiphany stepped forwards and kicked hard into its spine, sending it rolling violently a few feet away before she clapped her hands together, and white spikes tore out of the ground on either side of the creature, ripping through its arms and locking it in place as it howled miserably, neon energy sparking along its limbs as its blood flowed from its wounds and reacted with the air.

Epiphany approached it coldly and fearlessly, lashing her claws out and ripping through its stomach, making it moan and gag... and then it screamed when Epiphany shoved her hand into its body, grinning ruthlessly before she looked sharply to the side when Zerrex said quietly: "Don't torture it, Epiphany. Let's... just finish up and be done here."

For a moment, she only looked at him emotionlessly... and then the Strange Beast screamed, the Leviathan bucking several times before its body burst into crackling purple, red, and blue flames, electricity sparking through this before Epiphany drew her arm back as only a skeleton was left behind... but this quickly crumbled away, brittle bones snapping as they collapsed in a pile at her feet before she bad-naturedly swung her hand out as the skull began to fall past, turning it into nothing but bone powder as broken chunks of jawbone and muzzle and smacked lightly against the ground. "Done."

Zerrex looked at her disapprovingly even as he felt a chill of fear run through his body. She hadn't even been trying... and when Epiphany looked back at him, at first the look in her eyes was rebellious before it became ashamed, and she looked down and quietly put her hands behind her back, murmuring: "I'm sorry, Daddy. But I... wanted to impress you. And I get confused sometimes... I hear battle talked about with excitement and anticipation. I thought I was supposed to treat it like something fun."

"It's not fun. We talk about it that way to try and... and cope with the things we have to do sometimes. Yes, I enjoy a good fight, but I don't like... I don't like killing people, not even the Strange Beasts." Zerrex murmured quietly, walking over to pick up the remains of the creature's skull as he lifted it and gazed down at the Leviathan's massive head, shaking his own slowly. "I used to, sure. I used to love it. But only cowards kill those weaker than themselves and take pleasure in it... people try and justify it as survival of the fittest, law of the wild, but where does that put us? In the roles of beasts, as monsters and sniveling bugs, not people who are supposed to be able to see better than that. Not thinking people, who protect and nurture the weak so they too can become strong, not as creatures of honor and integrity. If I kill everyone weaker than me... what's to stop someone else from killing all the people I care about who aren't as strong as everyone else?"

Epiphany smiled a little, looking down as she murmured: "But that's still an eye-for-an-eye psychology. You aren't doing something out of fear someone will hurt you."

"No." Zerrex smiled faintly across at her as he tossed the remains of the huge skull to the ground, where it shattered quietly. He glanced down at this, then said softly: "It's not the fear of them hurting my family or me that bothers me. I know it's not that, because I know that... threatening people doesn't work. Deterrence policies just make people build bigger and bigger weapons, until someone decides they're going to make a quick buck by selling said weapon to some unscrupulous buyer... who then might just use it to kill everyone because he or she honestly just wants to see the world burn, or doesn't care about either side but does care about the profit a war would create.

"It's not... it's not fear of others that stops me from hurting them. It's... a respect for the wishes of Naganis, maybe. And an understanding that all life... is equal." Zerrex smiled a bit as Epiphany only looked confused, saying softly: "It took me several million years to figure that out, Epiphany. You have time. Don't grow up too fast."

He reached out and nudged her chin gently with his fist, and she laughed a little and gazed at him quietly, nodding after a moment with a bit of a blush. The Drakkaren smiled softly at her, and then he became a bit more serious as he reached up and squeezed her shoulder quietly. "But next time, don't surprise me like that, okay? I know you meant well and were excited... and I was surprised you were able to find the energy signature of a lone Strange Beast so quickly..."

"I know, and I am sorry for that, Father. I was just... I wanted to get a sample from it, before it was detected by Heaven or Hell. And I wanted to show you that I am capable of fighting, just like everyone else." She stopped, looking at him quietly and studying his face as she traced her hand silently along his scarred features, as the reptile gazed down at her quietly. "You know I'm powerful... yet you always keep me back. Why is that?"

"Because I want you safe, Epiphany... and it's hard for me to accept that my little almost-nine year old baby-girl is really a full adult now." He wrapped his arms around her waist, gently picking her up in a hug, and she blushed a bit but wrapped her own arms around his neck, smiling and settling her face against his chest when he set her gently back down. "I know that... if it's what you want, I can't keep you off the battlefield forever. But there's... more than physical maturity involved in the fight. I need you to be emotionally ready for it, too... and that takes a lot of training."

"Then at least let Serenity or someone train me, Father, I'm ready." she urged, looking up at him softly, and Zerrex hesitated again before she quietly pushed herself against his body, gazing away and murmuring: "Please. I can do so much more for you out there, engaging the Strange Beasts. From this Leviathan alone, I've managed to absorb all manner of genetic data... the more of these creatures I make contact with, the more of their genetic information I can assemble, the better we can understand them."

Zerrex looked at her for a few moments, nodding hesitantly and grimacing inwardly. She had taken the creature's DNA, copied it into her own seemingly-endless genetic structure... and even though there were no physical changes through her body, the reptile knew she was also capable of controlling whether her own genes were dormant or not... and when they were activated, how much of an influence they would have on what she called her 'main genetic structure.' "I worry about you when you do that..."

"You don't have to, father. You know that I can layer as many strings of genetic data over my own as I please... and I have thousands, perhaps millions of hollow genes to store the genetic information of others inside." Epiphany said tenderly, stroking her hands along his chest, and the reptile couldn't help but feel chilled by her words before she frowned a bit and stepped back, quietly touching her bone-plated chest as she murmured: "Wait, I feel something... something strange. If Mom were here, she would sense it as well... any of my mothers, in fact. Can't you feel that, in the sky?"

"In the sky?" Zerrex tilted his head towards her, then glanced slowly up... and he frowned a bit at the deep grey of the sky overhead, murmuring quietly: "Not... wait. Kind of. Like... a ghost. A dead shell out in space... oh hell, did Old Gods attack one of the space stations?"

Zerrex looked at her sharply, as if she had the answer to his questions, but the female only shrugged a bit in return, looking confusedly at the male before she winced as the Drakkaren grabbed her shoulder before the two vanished from the spot, reappearing a moment later in space.

She gasped quietly as they floated, and then hugged herself, staring raptly back and forth as they rested inside a bubble of atmosphere, the lizard grimacing a bit as he looked in surprise at what might be a space station... but it wasn't any of the five that still slowly orbited the planet, their own little colonies with their own rules and laws and often nasty temperaments. Instead, this... whatever it was... was shaped almost like a top or an upside-down pyramid, made of immense, ring-shaped layers of metal that were stacked on top of one-another. The smallest ring Zerrex thought was perhaps only the size of a house, while the largest ring could easily be an entire city block, if not bigger... and yet this strange thing looked as if it had been torn off some even larger machine, not just from the scratches and dents along its body, but because of the cables and jagged chunks of metal standing out of the top of the strange structure and the broken tubing that dangled from the bottom.

Zerrex frowned at this, then he took Epiphany's hand, gently pulling her with him as he floated towards the top-shaped structure, and when he looked down at the roof of it he was unsurprised to see steel flooring and broken chunks of metal standing jaggedly out of it that had likely once been walls. Epiphany was only staring back and forth in amazement, and the reptile smiled a little at her, saying finally: "I know it's incredible... but you need to focus for a moment. I don't know what this is, but... it feels..."

"Familiar and yet malevolent." Epiphany finished, and Zerrex looked at her with surprise before she smiled faintly at him. "I feel it perfectly well myself, Father. The sensations are so strange... but you worry too much, too. This is merely a husk, an abandoned shell. There are no living things inside, and I don't even feel lingering spirits... what I do sense, though, are powerful emotions... and strong, resounding energies."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly as he settled slowly to the ground, murmuring: "Nonetheless, Epiphany. Places like this make me nervous... because they don't need living guards or undead sentinels to be filled with all kinds of nasty dangers."

"Then why are we here?" Epiphany asked curiously, and she smiled at him as the Drakkaren looked at her dumbly. "I would love to explore this place with you, Father... but after just being scolded on... not taking things seriously enough, maybe... we should take this more seriously, and go get help?"

"Not until we know what we're dealing with here. I don't like putting you in danger, but I like even less the thought of telling everyone, and having to deal with an army of Royal Guards and soldiers scouring this thing over before I get a chance to look at it, likely-as-not damaging everything inside and getting themselves injured and killed. We can handle it." He stopped and smiled a little at her, squeezing her hand gently. "Just as long as we stay safe and work together, okay?"

She nodded, following him silently down what had likely used to be an internal corridor and was now just a path marked by the broken pieces of steel and concrete until Zerrex looked thoughtfully at the ground, letting go of her hand as he stopped in front of a sealed square metal door in the floor. "Looks like they were prepared, whatever else..."

He knelt by it, brushing pieces of debris and broken wiring off of this before glancing at his right hand as scales peeled away to reveal the metal beneath. His fingers melded together after a moment as they thinned out, and the reptile carefully worked this into the side of the heavy armored hatch as Epiphany watched with curious interest.

The lizard gritted his teeth as he concentrated, dragging firmly the side... and although it took a surprising amount of strength, the reptile manage to tear the hatch open, only to groan and curse under his breath as he found a second security layer under this. "Great. They really wanted to protect whatever the hell is in here... Epiphany, how strong are you?"

Epiphany only replied by holding a hand out, however, and two large ivory bones appeared in the space between the hatch and the outer wall, holding the armored shutter open. Zerrex blinked dumbly at this, then carefully let go... and he wheezed in relief when the shutter made the bones grind loudly, but didn't snap them, Epiphany grimacing a little but immediately snapping her fingers to turn the bones dark grey as they hardened even further. "Thanks, daughter."

"You're... you're welcome, Daddy." Epiphany sounded both genuinely surprised as well as touched, and Zerrex looked over his shoulder at her curiously for a moment before he shrugged a bit, returning his attention to the task at hand instead and bringing his metal hand back as it changed shape again, this time transforming into a large, square hammer-like end before he simply punched the inner shutter as hard as he could.

It dented and crumpled like paper, and Zerrex slammed his hammer-fist into this again and knocked it completely out of place, the metal clanking loudly as it fell into the long shaft behind and Zerrex wincing a bit before he cleared his throat, looking over his shoulder with a dumb grin to his daughter as the metal hammer at the end of his arm transformed back into a metallic hand before scales crawled back into place along it. Epiphany, however, only gazed back at him lovingly, and the reptile stood up after a moment, looking down at the withdrawn shutter still locked into place by the heavy bones. It was obviously an elevator shaft, but that didn't comfort him much, since it was also plenty narrow. "Okay, Epiphany. Come here, I'll... carry you down."

She smiled warmly at him and happily wrapped her arms around his neck as the reptile lifted her quietly, keeping her close as he took a slow breath and stepped onto the thin air between the bones holding the shutter in place, grimacing a bit... and then he slowly began to float downwards, descending as he concentrated and murmured: "I need you to close the shutter once we're in the shaft, okay? There may still be enough atmosphere in here I don't need to make one for us, and I don't want everything to depressurize, anyway."

"Okay, Daddy." Epiphany nodded against his chest, curling herself a little closer before she pointed upwards without looking as Zerrex's head cleared the gap, and the Drakkaren winced as the bones lost their density and their color, trembling violently before they were crushed as the shutter slammed back into place and they were surrounded by darkness. The reptile blinked his eyes a few time as his unnatural night vision kicked in, showing everything in muted colors... and then his eyes widened in surprise and Epiphany glanced up interestedly from his chest as lights flickered on in the passage around them, and the reptile carefully let his bubble of atmosphere drop as he felt artificial gravity grab at him, trying to drag him down faster even as he concentrated on continuing to float to the ground, nice and slow.

Tingles ran up and down his legs and he gritted his teeth, wincing a bit in pain: levitation sucked a lot of strength out of him, and the Drakkaren finally wheezed as he noted a door in the wall and created a platform of energy at level with this, letting himself drop the rest of the way and grunting as he landed on the glowing, solid blue surface. He gently set Epiphany down on it as well, and she smiled at him tenderly as the Drakkaren reached forwards and worked his fingers into the cracks between the closed doors, muttering: "Must be because I'm linked to earth as my element... every other goddamn god can whizz through the air but I hate flying even when my wings are out..."

"Don't feel bad, Daddy. You can't be good at everything." Epiphany touched his back gently, and Zerrex smiled at her before he yanked the doors open, and the two gazed into the hallway beyond as lights flickered on down its length.

It was empty, sterile and cold, the only sign that life had ever been here once an abandoned food cart that had fallen on its side, congealed stew spilled over the floor... and the reptile approached this with his daughter as behind them, the platform of energy dissolved into nothingness before the lights in the elevator shaft clicked off. The Drakkaren knelt, touching the stew and grimacing a bit as he examined it. Old enough to have started putrefying, not old enough that all the liquid had evaporated from it, in that gross, slimy stage Cherry's leftovers all too often took on in the fridge.

And that brought up the question of climate, which the Drakkaren was surprised to feel was only a little uncomfortable: if anything, it felt humid, not cold at all. He paused, then breathed deeply before looking at Epiphany, and she nodded, saying softly: "Yes. And there's a faint... something in the air. I can almost taste it on my tongue, it sends shivers through my body. It makes me feel... unwelcome. I've never felt this kind of energy before."

Zerrex frowned a bit at her... and then he looked up thoughtfully, realizing that there was a tingling sensation along his scales, one that he'd learned to block out a long time ago on his visits to... "Heaven. That's Purification... and no, that's not just residue from someone abusing one too many spells, that's being emitted from somewhere."

Zerrex stood up, feeling disturbed by this as he looked down at the congealing stew, then glanced over to Epiphany, saying quietly: "Come on, let's see if we can get to the bottom of exactly what this place is. As far as I ever knew, Heaven never had any space stations of any sort. And this thing has obviously been designed to support life in the big unknown."

"Nothing is truly unknown. Only not-known to us." Epiphany murmured, and Zerrex looked at her for a few moments before he shook his head a bit as she almost seemed to lose interest in everything before the Drakkaren started forwards. She quickly gathered her wits, however, running after him with a blush and grabbing his hand as they walked down the passage together, squeezing it silently... and the reptile gazed at her softly as she looked back and forth, realizing she was nervous, and that could well be what was making her act strange.

They walked quietly onwards, stopping every now and then so they could check out a side room: mostly what they came across were abandoned sleeping quarters in various states of mess, but only one was in complete disarray, as if a struggle had occurred. After some probing, they had found a bit of blood... and even though he was hesitant to do so, he allowed Epiphany to touch it, probing it for genetic information... but it was too faded for her to tell him much about whoever had shed it, only that it had likely been from an angel, likely a canine species.

Another room had contained empty glass capsules, some kind of greenish fluid bubbling inside them... and Zerrex had grimaced when Epiphany had smashed one of the capsules open, wanting to scold her again as she dipped her hands into the green fluid, but he'd forgotten about it the moment she'd whispered that it was artificial DNA. Nothing specific, but she said they were like blank genes, ready to be filled with information and strung into sequences... and the lizard grimaced a bit, not liking what this sounded like and knowing that he was going to have to have another little chat with Lucifer and Lord.

They had found a gently-curving set of stairs leading down, working deeper into the strange and terrible place, and around them the atmosphere grew thicker, more malignant: not only because they were denizens of Hell and the sensation of Purification grew more and more forceful the deeper they went, but because the very energy of the place seemed aligned against them, and it felt like so many other terrible places the Drakkaren had spent too many years in: a prison, a cell, a cage.

They had finally reached what felt like the bottom of the inverted pyramid structure, and the two walked quietly, hand-in-hand, along a curved hallway that ran around the outer edge of the lower ring. Epiphany was rubbing slowly at her face, grimacing a bit, and Zerrex was only doing his best to ignore the terrible feelings lurking in his gut as he breathed quietly through his mouth before they both looked up at a sign in Enochian on the wall pointing towards a massive armored door, the reptile familiar enough with the language to make a face as he muttered: "'Laboratory: Genetics...' something-something. I think we should probably get out of here now, Epiphany. It feels like the Purification is being emitted from beyond here..."

"Yes... but I can't turn back now, any more than you can." Epiphany smiled a bit at him, squeezing his hand slowly as she said softly: "This is my first big adventure with Daddy. I'm not going to leave it half-done."

Zerrex laughed a bit at this despite himself, and then Epiphany reached up and touched his lips, continuing quietly: "But I will be serious, as long as you're serious too. Okay?"

"Okay. Then get ready, it could be anything in there." Zerrex said quietly, and Epiphany nodded and stepped back a bit before the Drakkaren turned towards the armored door and grasped the large valve at one side of it with a grimace, turning it slowly. Over the outside of the door, gears moved and clanked and pulleys worked, air hissing quietly as a larger valve in the middle of the door turned creakily... and then the reptile grunted as he turned the valve in his hands again, and the door clanked loudly and jarred out of place.

The lizard leaned forwards against the heavy armored door, shouldering it roughly open as he looked up... and then gritted his teeth at the immense, empty room behind, Epiphany gasping quietly as she stepped over the threshold herself, and she wandered quietly into the room as Zerrex winced and stepped away from the door... then cursed as it swung slowly back shut on its own weight. It clanked shut, but thankfully didn't lock, and the reptile shook his head a bit before he looked back over the room... and was very glad to see that it was indeed empty, but he couldn't help but shudder nonetheless at the sight of what hung from the ceiling above in a cage made of iron bars and thick glass.

It looked like a miniature white sun with a semisolid, pearl shell... but then Epiphany covered her muzzle with a quiet gasp as she realized what it really was, her eyes widening slightly. Inside the thin white membrane, there was a figure seated, a female who was almost faceless in her beauty, hands quietly laced in prayer over her chest and albino-white... and against the top of the membrane, laying as if there were no such thing as gravity, was a young child, his own eyes closed, naked body sprawled out, angelic wings spread but turned to something resembling stone.

There was a third figure, too, but Zerrex gently turned the female away as she shuddered a bit, then chanced another look at the pearl-shaped object inside the iron cage, the ivory and gold luminescence now seeming all the more terrible as she whispered: "What... what is that?"

"Just as corruption can be extracted from demons... purification can be extracted from angels." Zerrex muttered in disgust, looking up at the iron cage. Cables and girders of all shape and size locked into the roof of this, holding it in place and likely extracting a constant supply of energy to fuel the systems of this strange space station, and Epiphany shook her head, keeping her back to the terrible prison. "I'm sorry, Epiphany."

"Don't be." Epiphany shook her head a bit, then she laughed faintly and shivered, whispering: "I don't know why it makes the Purification feel even... worse... than it did before, but now it just feels like... those souls trapped in there, it feels like their energies are dragging against my body, whispering to me to help them."

The Drakkaren nodded a bit, and then he glanced down from the iron cage before frowning quietly, stepping forwards and kneeling down as his daughter turned and glanced down at him curiously. She watched as the male felt along the floor, muttering: "I can almost..."

Then his eyes flashed, a short spark of pain going through his mind before the reptile's emerald eyes widened in shock as he saw Enochian runes glowing clearly in purple neon across the floor, staggering backwards and reading his own name... and then he gritted his teeth as he felt a pulse seem to travel through the room, felt an energy that wasn't his own... but was similar in a way, too. Was terrible in how similar and yet alien it was, and the Drakkaren clenched his eyes shut as Epiphany reached out and squeezed his bicep, asking worriedly: "What is it?"

"This place has been marked..." Zerrex grimaced, shaking his head and then cursing as he felt another pulse of Purification run through his mind, interfering with his abilities as he muttered: "The problem is that goddamn soul cage is screwing with everything. I can't pick up energy distortions while there's such a powerful pulse going through the air... but if we destroy it or get rid of it, it could damage or blank the technological components in the room."

Zerrex stopped, then he slowly turned in a circle, looking at the walls as he realized that was the answer: the room was lined with control panels and computer systems, and the reptile began to walk towards one before a voice whispered in his mind: Save us.

A shiver ran through the Drakkaren, and he glanced over his shoulder to see the female angel's face pressed up against the membrane, her eyes pure white, her features infinitely sad and sorrowful and terrible... and the reptile clenched his eyes shut, then slowly opened them and winced as he saw only the membrane again, the three angels inside once more back in their original positions. "Epiphany, did you..."

But his daughter only shook her head a bit, glancing at the Drakkaren and saying softly: "You're more receptive than I am, Father. What did you see?"

"They need help." Zerrex said softly, and Epiphany nodded and looked up at the cage above, her fear of the souls gone as that strange, almost emotionless look passed over her face. The reptile looked at her for a few moments, hesitating nervously... and then he said quietly: "Look. I'm going to pull up the files I can from these computer systems, to get an idea of what was going on here. Then we'll... help them. Until then, just... wait here, okay?"

"Of course, of course." Epiphany didn't even glance at him as she cocked her head towards the soul cage, examining it with growing interest instead of detachment now. Zerrex only shook his head, however, turning around and heading quickly over to one of the large computer systems along the outside wall, feeling disturbed by both his daughter's behavior as well as the fact that he actually recognized some of these technologies.

It was the latter he forced himself to focus on for now, since it was more disturbing: Epiphany, after all, he could sit down with and talk to. But these machines, on the other hand, reminded him of the ones they had found in the genetics labs used to design and build Clone Soldiers, and Zerrex gritted his teeth as he muttered: "And if the Heavenly Council was stupid enough to subject Sephire to brutal augmentation and reprogramming... I wouldn't put anything at this point past those politics-crazed bastards."

Nonetheless, he didn't want to imagine that Heaven had been so idiotic as to dabble in cloning to try and build back their military strength... and he shook his head in slow disgust as he found the console was password locked, moving immediately to another computer. Epiphany, meanwhile, was only staring at the iron cage, and Zerrex felt a chill run down his spine, wondering if he should send her home.

Most of the consoles were locked down... but one was some eighty-two percent of the way through compiling a genetics catalogue, with several hundred hours having elapsed... and that at least gave a timeframe of how long since this strange space station had been occupied. The reptile hesitated for a moment, and then he reached out and cancelled the compilation, and the flatscreen monitor mounted on the wall beeped at him angrily and flashed several times before the program closed, leaving the reptile staring at a plain desktop with only a few icons on it... but one caught his attention, and the Drakkaren clicked on this, bringing open a program he recognized from the nights he'd spent lounging around, staring over Cindy's shoulder as she tried to work.

It was a DNA profiler... and Zerrex shivered in distaste as he realized quickly that the DNA pattern was his. He'd seen it often enough, after all... and a few clicks to get to the name of the same confirmed it for him, as he muttered: "But... the date at least shows it's pretty old. Old enough that it might have been before I became... what I am now." He flexed his hand slowly, grimacing and muttering: "Goddammit. Not like I'm surprised, though... I've spilled enough blood all over the place that-"

Then he winced as he heard a loud clanking, turning around and expecting to see Epiphany clawing at the iron cage or something, but instead he was shocked as he saw the female was standing in front of a computer console that she'd somehow managed to make extend from the ground. But more startling than this was the fact that in the center of the room, a hole had opened in the floor and an empty genetics capsule was slowly rising up out of the ground with a whirr, filled with that same greenish fluid they had found in several other rooms and the round, cylindrical capsule spinning slowly before it clicked and spun upwards into the bottom of the iron cage, the black metal roof locking perfectly into place.

The glow grew brighter from inside the membrane, the frozen angels seeming to shiver as Zerrex covered his eyes with a wince from the blinding light, before he stared in shock as arcs of golden electricity ripped through the primordial ooze, sparking back and forth through the green as bubbles of oxygen rose up large vents at the bottom of the clear tank. Then, adding to the strangeness of it all, a powder hissed out of the vents as more electricity sparked down from the top of the cylinder. But Epiphany was only smiling as she tapped a button on the control panel, even as Zerrex walked towards her and asked stupidly: "What... how... what..."

"Oh, it's simple." Epiphany said softly, and she smiled a bit as if this was the perfect explanation, even though it wasn't actually one at all. Then she shushed him quietly when the Drakkaren opened his mouth and pointed towards the capsule, whispering: "Look. New life."

Zerrex frowned a bit, then he looked dumbly over at the capsule... before staring in shock as electricity hissed through the capsule again, and several of the pieces of 'powder' visibly bonded together, energy sparking and glowing around these before these fused pieces doubled, then trebled in size, becoming strange, mutant orbs that floated slowly through the ooze, tiny feelers flicking out of them and letting them scoop their way around. Immediately, Epiphany laughed, and Zerrex gaped at her before she blushed a bit and gestured at the control panel, saying quietly: "It's all here, Daddy. I saw something on the ground and pressed it while you were busy... and this machine... it's amazing. It seems to control and create organic life..."

"It's... not a good thing, Epiphany." Zerrex said finally, then he stepped up beside her, frowning a bit as he looked along the panel: it was wide and gently curved, the back of it smooth and imitating the tiles of the floor except for the small button to one side of it. The front of the panel, meanwhile, was lined with buttons, all of them short abbreviations, likely controlling the amount of... something... being injected into the tank. "We'll have to get Cindy up here to take a look at this... maybe Mengele, too..."

Epiphany shook her head a bit, then she tugged quietly at his arm, and the Drakkaren glanced at her curiously as she asked softly: "Why is it so bad, Father? You look... very distressed. Upset enough that I can feel it even over the irradiation of those souls above."

"Because... once, clones were used in a war. Dragokkaren... and they lived, and they breathed, and they were real people." Zerrex said softly, tilting her head up as Epiphany gazed at quietly. "But they were... brought up too fast, and brought up only to know war, and to think they were soldiers. They were treated like the Damned, Epiphany, but they were never soulless like the Damned... some of them became great, inspiring people, with talents that can't be explained through genetics alone-"

"But genetics explain everything." Epiphany argued, and then she blushed a bit and nodded when Zerrex only looked at her mildly, murmuring: "Sorry Father, continue."

He smiled a little at her, even if it was a sad expression as his eyes flicked towards the haunting capsule and the... mutated things swirling around inside of it. "What I'm getting at, is that... a cloned life, as we discovered, is as real as any life that... that I create, or even Naganis created. People called them 'synthetic' because they were made by science, treated them like they were monsters, like they were responsible for the war... but they were only a part of it, born during war, and unable to do anything, be anything, but soldiers in a battle they didn't want to fight. People forget that the entire reason we won that war was because those clones themselves turned on the cruel hand of their master and fought for their freedom."

"You're saying they have souls?" Epiphany frowned a bit at the capsule, murmuring quietly: "But a soul cannot simply come into existence. Can't be given just by wishing it to someone..."

"Our souls are inexplicable, Epiphany. It was very, very hard for me to accept that you can't classify the soul as anything but a soul, that you can't... explain how it comes to be any more than you can how it goes away." Zerrex replied softly, and Epiphany looked at him for a few moments, but then she nodded hesitantly, even though she seemed unsatisfied with the answer, looking down quietly in thought. The reptile gave her a few moments, but then he patted her back gently, and she looked up at him, tilting her head curiously. "Come on, we can discuss the physics of the intangible later. For now I need your help in taking down this cage."

"But I thought we were going to leave it up... you said you were worried about losing information or something from the machines, right?" Epiphany frowned a bit, tilting her head towards him curiously. "Shouldn't we just leave it for now?"

"Helping these people is more important than keeping every bit of data." Zerrex said softly, glancing up at the trapped souls inside the cage as another pulse of purification ran through his scales, and then he grimaced and shuddered a bit. "Besides, with this ooze and capsule revealed, I'm pretty sure there's enough physical evidence for Cindy or Mengele to figure out what the hell was going on here, data or no data. And once the pressure from the Purification is gone, I'll be able to better focus and feel out energy signatures and use my own powers."

"I... I won't argue then, Father. What do you need me to do?" Epiphany glanced up at the soul cage, then gazed over at him quietly before smiling a little when the Drakkaren reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently.

Then he pointed at the cage, saying quietly: "We can't touch the inner membrane inside the soul cage, but we can't let it shatter, either. Normally I'd teleport it somewhere outside: when caged like this, souls become little more than unstable energy that has a nasty habit of detonating when it's tampered with. With you here, though, we should be able to deactivate it passively."

Epiphany nodded, gazing up at him tenderly, and the Drakkaren looked back with a bit of a smile at the trust he saw in those eyes, saying softly: "You've absorbed genetic traits from Marina, right?"

"Yes Father. But not telepathy, I can't stand voices in my head." the female grimaced and shook her head a bit, and Zerrex smiled softly at her, stroking her face gently.

"You and me both, kiddo. Alright, so first we'll detach the tubes and cables, and then I'll pull open the cage. The moment that glass breaks or one of those iron bars bend, however, the vacuum inside that casing will disappear and you'll have to hold the core of it up with your mind. It can't touch the walls or glass... the membrane is very thin, so any contact with the outside of the cage and the purity running through it will eat a hole in it, like how a balloon can rip just by rolling it against a pebbly surface."

The female nodded to him, and then Zerrex turned and took a breath, carefully stepping down on thin air, and a platform of energy formed beneath his foot, becoming a solid blue set of steps that curved around the capsule and led up to the edge of the soul cage.

Zerrex quickly jogged up these stairs, and Epiphany watched him lovingly for a moment as the stairs vanished when the reptile reached the top, and instead became a narrow walkway that encircled the bottom of the cage, the Drakkaren muttering under his breath as he accidentally tangled himself in some of the cables before wiggling free, tubes and long wires hanging like synthetic black pythons down from the ceiling.

Then Epiphany closed her eyes as the Drakkaren began to slowly unscrew the bottoms of each cable from the cage, wincing a bit at the golden light that sparked up each time he did so. He cursed a bit as purification shocked along his right arm, shaking it out firmly as the scales half-withdrew from the warped material and his own energies pulsed around the limb in frustrated response, before the reptile looked to the side and watched as Epiphany drew in a deep breath, then opened her eyes after a moment, calling quietly: I'm ready whenever you are, Daddy."

"Then help with the cables on the other side before I electrocute myself up here." Zerrex winced as he pulled another tube free, and golden electricity shocked down his right arm, the lizard cursing again and flailing his limb as arcs of purity bolted up and down it, the scales crumbling away as his warped limb bulged, blue light shining clearly out of the cracks in the corrupt metal. "Goddammit! Stupid demon arm!"

"Oh Father." Epiphany said kindly, and then she rose a hand and twisted it to the side, and Zerrex half-covered his face, almost staggering over the platform as cables snapped backwards, a lightshow of purification zapping back and forth along the sides of the cage and up into the mess of rubberized cables and tubing above, sparking quickly in every direction before they vanished from existence... and the Drakkaren gaped as he realized she had just popped every cable on the other side he hadn't reached free, before he looked lamely at the large black pipe that was built into the top of the soul cage, several more heavy wires built into this and labeled with danger markings in Enochian. "Would you like me to get that, too?"

"No, no. We can leave this, I just need to shut it off." the reptile muttered, feeling along the piping... and then he simply grumbled and grabbed the cables in his warped hand, wincing before he tore hard to the side, and sparked as they swung back and forth, arcs of electricity bouncing between their ragged ends and the metal of the pipe... but thankfully only normal electricity, as the reptile sighed in relief and leaned against the pipe for a moment, feeling the energy flow inside dying down as around them, the lights lost much of their energy... but didn't completely lose power. "They must have a backup battery that still works somewhere... okay, I'm going to remove a section of the cage now. Hold onto the core... and once I've opened a space, you can pull it out."

Epiphany nodded, and then she stared at the cage, and for a moment, the reptile felt absurdly creeped out. He knew nonetheless she was exerting psychic influence now, could almost feel the waves of power emanating off her, and he only hoped she didn't break the membrane by accident as he grimaced and worked his fingers over the cage, looking for hinges and catches to pry off and open.

It took only five minutes for the Drakkaren to remove an entire wall section, tossing plates and iron bars bad-temperedly to the ground behind him and not caring if either brittle material shattered before he finally jumped down as Epiphany carefully pulled the membrane free with just a tilt of her head, the core floating and pulsing quietly, trembling a bit in midair as the Drakkaren jumped down from the cage, the platform of energy vanishing as the lizard flicked his arms up and instead created a silver, egg-shaped cradle. Epiphany set the core into this, looking curious as the lizard walked forwards hesitantly, his left hand glowing blue... and then he gritted his teeth before shoving his arm forwards, the membrane rippling and yet not breaking as the lizard's arm phased through it before he cursed in pain, gritting his teeth and looking away as he absorbed the Purification into his own body.

He staggered backwards as the membrane ripped, but only a few faint sparks of golden light shot out of it as the Drakkaren wheezed in pain, and Epiphany looked at her father with concern before her eyes widened at the sight of the angels. They were all frozen in stone now, drained to the point they had become inorganic rock... and then her eyes turned back to Zerrex as he held his left hand out, palm up, before three different-sized doves appeared in his outstretched hand. He smiled a bit at this, letting out a sigh of relief... and then the doves leapt to the air and dissipated into motes of gold and white energy, and Epiphany looked at the Drakkaren silently before he looked back, murmuring: "Unfortunately, the only way to free them is to drain their energy completely... I needed to absorb their souls to yank them out of the core. But... but I make a point these days to never keep energy I don't need, and I sent their souls on their way."

"You're sweet, Father." Epiphany said quietly, gazing at him lovingly as she reached up and touched his right arm, and Zerrex smiled back at her before he rolled his shoulder absently, scale rolling down the warped material as the two looked at each other for a few moments before she closed her eyes and hugged herself as the pressure of the Purification faded from the air, murmuring: "Now I sense it clearly. Traces of energy signatures... familiar and foreign... and the stains left by powerful emotions. Reality here is almost bruised..."

She frowned a bit, pacing towards the capsule... and then she smiled lovingly over her shoulder at her father, and Zerrex tilted his head a bit before Epiphany approached him, quietly rubbing her hands down his sides as she whispered: "This place is perfect, isn't it?"

"What are you talking about, Epiphany? This place is awful." Zerrex frowned at her as he looked up, feeling the distinct ruffle of energy in the air against his scales, and then he made a bit of a face as she only looked at him lovingly, crossing her arms under her skull-covered breasts and licking her lips slowly.

He shook his head a bit, walking past her as he glanced back and forth, eyes roving over the ground as he forced himself to focus, to sense out energies, and feeling that strange, ominous presence much clearer now with the Purification faded from the air... and then he winced when Epiphany hugged him around the middle, her hands playing gently over his abdominals as she ground against his back and kissed teasingly at the back of his neck, and the Drakkaren winced as he reached down to carefully pull her hands free. "Epiphany..."

"This is our place now, our... Centrifuge." Epiphany said softly and with strange firmness, and the reptile frowned a bit as he turned around... before his eyes widened as he looked back and forth over the walls as green ivy ripped out of the steel, growing slowly, pulsating powerfully as Epiphany's eyes glowed, and he winced a bit even as the smell of black roses filled the air, and Hez'Rannan soil, and sweat and Drakkai and sex... "Come, Father. Give me my birthday present. Mark me as a true adult."

"Epiphany, this isn't the time or place." Zerrex said firmly, then he winced and looked up sharply as several cables fell from the ceiling, a few sparking quietly as thick, immense roots tore out of the roof along with several larger vines of ivy that were almost as thick as trees themselves, the reptile locking gazes with her.

Her eyes flashed, and the reptile felt a shiver run through his body before Epiphany smiled lovingly at him, reaching out and stroking along his chest quietly, and the reptile grunted as she pushed him back a step before she leaned up and whispered softly: "Give in to your primal desires, Father... you know that I can see them, I can sense them, I can smell them on you..."

She reached up, slowly pulling the skull-shaped caps off her breasts and tossing them aside, her black-fleshed nipples hard and sumptuous breasts begging to be touched even as the Drakkaren tried to resist... and then she reached up, one finger glowing purple as she tugged at his shirt and slowly drew it downwards, ripping the fabric slowly in half as she whispered again teasingly: "I'm young... I'm a virgin... I'm fertile... I'm beautiful... I'm corrupt... I worship you... and I have no limits to what I'll do for you. I'm everything you desire in one perfect presentation, one perfect package..."

Zerrex tried to resist, and then their eyes locked, and the lizard grunted in shock as her eyes glowed and she grinned wider, lust rampaging through his body as his muscles flexed and he felt his body expand a few inches, cursing under his breath before Epiphany reached her hands up, flicking the remains of his shirt off as the Drakkaren tried to move, but couldn't force his body to... and then she smiled teasingly at him before sliding backwards, sliding her hands down the exposed bone of her body before she tickled along the belt of vertebrae along her waist, and it came undone, spilling down to the ground with the bone plates and revealing her dark-scaled, smooth groin and the swollen black lips of her sex, her clitoris a hardened nub above this as she arched her back and moaned softly, wetness already visibly dribbling down her thighs as she whispered: "Give me my birthday gift, Father, and let me give you my body, and my worship..."

Slowly, she turned around, spreading her legs slightly as she bent forwards, raising her tail as her buttocks flexed and her labia visibly pulsed and spread slightly in eager anticipation, her breaths quiet pants as she grasped the tops of her own knees and gazed over her shoulder at him both lovingly and lustfully. "I am yours; your creation, and your servant, your daughter, your toy. And I am the only one of your Disciples who can withstand your full strength. So give me what you have to give, Zerrex... use me, as an animal, as a toy, as a slave to your lusts. Love me, as a daughter, as a child, as a soulmate..."

Zerrex couldn't reply as he shivered with need, the ivy over the walls flexing and crawling as the Drakkaren stumbled forwards, breathing hungrily... and then he dropped to his knees as he grasped into her hips, and Epiphany smiled softly before moaning in delight as the reptile leaned forwards and nuzzled slowly into her virginal sex, her juices spilling quietly over his muzzle, her scent filling his nostrils, his mind, making his lusts grow even further as he growled in hungry pleasure and his body bulged with power, muscles and height expanding slightly as his strong frame pulsed, and he slowly dragged his tongue up her labia, wetness trickling in a steady leak from her lips, her taste like meat and candy, juicy as a bloody steak or an overripe fruit as the Drakkaren growled like a hungry beast.

His tongue slid again over the lips of her sex, not trying to please her, only wanting to taste her again, his mind filled with lust and animal hunger as his claws gripped tighter into her hips, sinking slowly into her scales as Epiphany moaned in delicious delight and rocked herself eagerly back against his muzzle, a flush building in her features as she whispered: "Oh, Daddy... you're so big and strong... does your little girl taste good?"

Zerrex only growled hungrily in response as he licked again along her labia, then mouthed it slowly, roughly, letting his teeth scrape against the sensitive, swelled flesh of her sex, making her moan loudly before she arched her back, eyes rolling in her head with pants of desire as the lizard's thick tongue slid forwards into her passage, swirling slowly along the walls of her vagina and gliding slowly over the female's intact hymen, making her shiver and buck her hips again as she moaned in delight.

The Drakkaren's shaft throbbed painfully in his pants, his jeans visibly straining to hold the solid length of his member in as he nuzzled against her sex, drawing his tongue slowly free and licking slowly upwards along the entrance to her passage as he growled hungrily, his body flexing powerfully before he teasingly nipped at one of her buttocks, and Epiphany moaned again before she flushed deeply as the reptile nuzzled against her sex, her passage clenching and her labia flexing against his muzzle as another spill of her liquids rolled down the reptile's muzzle.

He growled hungrily, then reached down and clawed at the fly of his pants before yanking them and his boxers down, his member springing free and slapping against his abdominals, most of the way erect and already leaking pre, and Epiphany moaned over her shoulder as she gazed lustfully at the sight of the male's immense length. Not simply huge, but massive, the Drakkaren's shaft was no less than thirty-two inches in length and thicker around than a bottle of wine, the girthy, heavy obsidian member pulsing slowly above two immense navy-blue testicles larger than melons that dangled between the lizard's thighs. The reptile grasped his solid flesh, stroking it slowly as it became fully erect, grinning hungrily down at the female as he stepped forwards and ground it slowly between her buttocks, his hands rubbing along the bone plates of her lower back before he growled like an animal as he grasped her hips, shoving her forcefully downwards onto all fours.

Epiphany collapsed with a grunt of surprise, wincing a bit before she moaned, shivering in delight as the reptile's huge shaft ground slowly, teasingly between her buttocks again, and she gasped quietly as the male's huge length drew slowly back, until the girthy, rounded head pushed slowly at the entrance to her sex, teasingly grinding, nudging against her labia as she shivered in bliss.

Then Zerrex suddenly leaned over her, seizing into her hips hard enough for his claws to rip through her scales and draw blood, Epiphany arching her back in surprise and then screaming in both pain and pleasure as the reptile leaned forwards and rammed his huge shaft into her, her virgin passage clenching immediately against the massive intruder as only the head of his cock tore into her body, shoving rudely into her hymen, making her eyes water before she screamed again when Zerrex roared and leaned forwards, pistoning his hips roughly as his muscular body flexed, tearing his massive shaft almost a foot of the way into her passage, her organs visibly bulging and bloating with the intrusion as she howled in agony and delight, euphoria and agony, her body shivering hard as blood burst down her thighs, mixing with the nectar flooding down her legs.

She clawed into the ground, and Zerrex snarled like a beast as he leaned over her, his lusts flooding through his body, as he grasped the back of her neck and shoved her face hard down against the ground, pinning her as he slammed his hips hard forwards again and sank more than half of his immense shaft into her body, the female screaming again as she grinned over her shoulder at him, panting hard as she rocked her hips eagerly back against him, and the look in her eyes begged for more, for harder, as she shrieked wordlessly as the massive cock continued to invade her tight, clenching sex, as the Drakkaren's enormous form leaning over her as his fingers sank into the back of her neck, blood flowing from the wound and drool from her mouth and tears from her excited, primal eyes.

The lizard slammed forwards and roared as he hilted into her, grinning savagely down at her, eyes almost glowing with lust and power... and as they glared down into Epiphany's hungry gaze, energy almost crackled between them as blood burst in a waterfall from her sex and leaked in a hot red rain from her stretched and damaged organs, dripping off her bones as the cable-like veins along her visible innards pulsed rapidly. And then Epiphany screamed as she arched her back, eyes rolling delightedly in her head as Zerrex drew back slightly only to slam his hips forwards again, blood-soaked, hard-as-steel shaft ripping into her again, making her organs visibly bloat and stretch around his length as more blood dripped down, his testicles slapping almost painfully against her thighs as her passage clenched with savage delight around his massive member.

The reptile snarled in pleasure as he thrusted into her roughly again, baring down against her hard enough to make the concrete crack under her shuddering body as she bucked her hips back against him in an uneven beat, screaming her delight, her voice echoing around the room as the ivy covering the walls writhed and her body burned with almost visible pleasure, writhing and grinding against the ground with a flush of bliss as she experienced her first orgasm, powerful waves of pleasure washing through her and sending her nectar almost exploding back out of her passage, squirting out around the massive shaft thrusting with primal power into her sex as Zerrex growled down at her fiercely, leaning over her both dominantly and territorially as he slammed to the hilt into her body again and again, vicious as a beast as his eyes burned with lust that only grew all the greater as her fluids burst out around his shaft and her sounds of euphoric pleasure rose through the air.

The pain only added to the intensity of her orgasm; if anything, only made her release all the better as she shrieked again in delight, her passage almost ripping itself apart with the strength it was clutching the gigantic invader penetrating deep into her body, her organs visibly pulsing as she stayed pinned and helpless, claws gouging into the cement floor as she rocked her hips hard back against the lizard as fast as she could, the two moving out of rhythm as Zerrex hungrily pumped into her. Her orgasm seemed to last for minutes, and Zerrex growled down at her lustfully as he slammed to the hilt into her again and again, making long, savage thrusts as Epiphany screamed his name over and over beneath his powerful body.

Zerrex leaned further over her, muscles flexing powerfully, putting more weight and more strength into each thrust, not holding back: by now, her stretched vagina was bruised and ripped as well as dripping blood almost steadily, and yet he was splattered not only with her crimson fluids, but the nectar of her sex, the female screaming in delight more than agony even as she rode the ends of her orgasm out and her body convulsed weakly against the ground, breasts grinding into concrete and bone-plates of her form shrieking lightly as they rubbed against cement.

His huge shaft pistoned violently in and out of her as he snarled in delight, the sensations, the power he held over her only adding to his lust as he slid his hand up from her neck to grab the back of her skull and crush her face against the ground, and Epiphany screamed as one of her horns cracked, but her expression was delirious with lust and pleasure as her eye stared back at him, a lunatic grin of ecstasy on her face as he begged to be hurt more, to be hurt worse, to be given every ounce of the lizard's strength as he slammed roughly in and out of her gripping sex as she continued to crudely but hungrily rock her hips back against him. Zerrex growled, all too happy to oblige in his lust-riddled state as his fingers sank deeper into her hip for a moment before he brought his hand up and sank his claws into the bone plates on her back, ripping through hardened calcite as easily as he would through paper, and the female shrieked in delight even as a bit of clear fluid bubbled up from inside the bones before Zerrex roared as he leaned further over her, almost bending her spine as his hand seized into her arm and the other pushed down against her skull, changing the angle of his powerful, heavy thrusts and making a splatter of blood explode from her inner organs to splash over the ground below, the puddle of red spreading wider as he thrusted savagely in and out of her stretched, ravaged sex as his enormous member began to stiffen up fully.

"Fuck me, Daddy! Fuck me, Daddy!" Epiphany chanted in delirious screams, rocking her hips back against him, eager and wanting more as her body burned with lust, her hips savagely working back against the lizard as he pounded deep into her again and again, snarling in lust as he leaned down over her and pinned her beneath his weight and his strong hands, his movements rapid and violent as blood sprayed from her savaged passage with every thrust and Epiphany's screamed echoed through the room.

And then Zerrex arched his back, roaring in pleasure as he slammed to the hilt into her, grinding his member against the ravaged walls of her passage before he began to slam savagely fast in and out of her torn-apart vagina, grinning hungrily down at her as he seized into her shoulders with both hands and slammed her down against the ground, holding her in place as she clawed at the cement and arched her back as best she could beneath his weight, legs trembling as her eyes bulged and she screamed in delight and agony as the reptile's seed blasted into her, so much of his white stuff erupting with the first volley alone it made her strange inner organs bulge slightly and much of it wash back down and spray out the sides of her sex with cannon-like force as the lizard's massive, monstrous shaft pounded deep into her again, her ribs stretching and cracking as the lizard's huge member ground against them from inside and the second volley inflated her organs further, making them push painfully against her body as she howled in delight and need beneath him.

The lizard's orgasm continued, pumping her ruthlessly with his massive member as his testicles beat savagely against her thighs, his body burning with pleasure as he roared overtop her, muscles flexing and bulging with power as he bore down into her with his full, savage strength, ravaging her body as he snarled hungrily and pistoned ruthlessly down into her as blast after blast filled her up, making her inner organs tremble, thin rips tearing through them as they pushed out against her ribs like overfilled balloons, and her lower ribs groaned with the force they were grinding out against them with, one of them cracking loudly as the male snarled in pleasure down at her.

Finally, however, he began to slow, panting and releasing a long groan as the last of his seed pumped into her, a thick waterfall of seed spilling from her sex mixed with red streaks of her blood as his fingers clutched into her shoulders, and then he growled hungrily as he slowly straightened over her, staying buried to the hilt inside of her, eyes half-lidded as he breathed softly. He grasped the base of her tail, tickling along the top of it as she remained sprawled and trembling, moaning weakly and panting hard, and then the lizard slowly drew back, immense shaft pulling free of her sex and the lizard growling in entertainment and lustful pleasure as a river of seed spilled out of her sex before he shoved her onto his side, huge member throbbing slowly in front of himself, dripping with blood and seed as the female half-curled up on her side, leaking blood and a steady flow of seed dripping from the wrecked hole that had once been her vagina, her body and bones bruised as blood dripped from her mouth... but her eyes were half-lidded, and even as Zerrex frowned a bit, feeling his lusts beginning to calm, they glowed with hunger, as she whispered: "Yes, Father... this is right. This is good."

"Epiphany..." Zerrex reached up and grasped at his forehead, clenching his eyes shut, trying to fight off these feelings... and then his eyes opened, and a shiver went through him as he watched the female slowly crawl up to all fours, turning around on trembling limbs before she lowered her head slowly to the puddle of seed and blood, dragging her tongue through it as the reptile whispered: "What... daughter..."

"Shush." Epiphany murmured softly, and her eyes glowed faintly as she looked up at him, her gaze loving and servile as she lowered her mouth to the puddle, and her long tongue dragged slowly through the mixture of blood and seed and other fluids. Zerrex couldn't deny the arousal he felt, and at the same time, his shaft throbbed eagerly, wanting more, the dark, savage part of him wanting to hurt her as well as fuck her until she was broken, and the father-part, the loving part of him wanting to cuddle her and heal her and try to change everything that had happened...

But all he could do was watch, frozen, trying to resist the lust building as she licked up every speck of seed and blood on the floor as her body healed and her organs shrank slowly back down to normal size... but then, before the reptile could resist, her hands slid up his legs and she leaned up to nuzzle against his shaft, eyes half-lidded and glowing strangely as she whispered: "And now that I've cleaned up this mess... let me clean up you, Father..."

And Zerrex couldn't resist, didn't know how to, and Epiphany smiled at him with an expression of love, of lust, and of terrible determination.

The Drakkaren stood silently in Acheron, hands behind his back, at the edge of the palace roof... and then he winced a bit as a voice said softly behind him: "Rough thoughts, huh Boss?"

Zerrex glanced over his shoulder at Cherry, and he smiled hesitantly to her, nodding slowly. She nodded back, however, approaching and gently grasping his shoulder with a kind smile in return, saying softly: "It's been three days, let it go, Boss. It ain't like I never seduced you for a hard fuck or two, either."

"That... that was different, Cherry. And you know it's not the sex that bothers me." Zerrex glanced out over the city, the red skies darker and blue lanterns burning there and there visibly, lighting the strangely-beautiful structures as he murmured quietly: "She was so... so much like Marina. And yet even Marina... was..."

"Yeah, I know." Cherry said quietly, leaning her head against him as they gazed out silently, neither wanting to say it. But it was true, said or unsaid: even Marina had been startled by what Epiphany had done, and almost disappointed in the female who called her 'Mom;' in the young girl she secretly loved in return like a daughter. "Maybe it was just... shit, I dunno, teenage hormones or something flaring up. I mean, some of your other kids got pretty fucking wild during their whole changing to adults phase."

"True. And I hope that's what it was." Zerrex murmured, glancing down even as he felt a shiver spill through his body. "And I know it could have been worse, that's what really bothers me. She... she manipulated me so easily though, abused my desires and passions and lusts and weaknesses... and even though I... I wrecked her physically by the end of it, with how much she kept dragging out my darker lusts, her... her eyes..."

He shook his head, shivering a bit, barely wanting to remember. Hours, hours and hours of sex had passed, and their first session had been their most gentle: he had choked her, broken her bones, clawed into her, savaged her body and used her like she had been a cheap, sadomasochistic whore he had wanted to rape in the worst possible ways... and yet even as she'd laid in a bloody pile at the end of it, barely able to move... her eyes had been terribly alive. Terribly... amused, even. As if she was gleeful at how much he had hurt her... and at the fact that if he hadn't finally managed to tear himself away, she could have easily continued to control him. Easily taken even more abuse.

Cherry only nodded a bit, however, murmuring softly: "Zerrex, she's the kid of you, Annie-Sin, and from the start she was touched by both Maria and Marina as well. I honestly can't think of a combination more powerful... fuck, even if Naganis himself had banged some other goddess and had a kid, it probably still wouldn't be as powerful as she might be. Especially with the fact with that DNA shit she does, her strength is... it might be limitless. She's made contact with so many people over the years, Boss... and many of the people you hang out with and she's spent time with..."

"They're strong, in a word." Zerrex muttered, nodding and looking down as he rubbed at his face slowly, before he shook his head and sighed a bit, saying quietly: "What bothers me even more is that she still, despite how mad I am at her, despite how upset she made me, she still managed to convince me to save the Centrifuge, as she calls it."

But now the female beside him smiled a bit, saying quietly: "Well, I might only be a humble demigoddess, Boss, not some great and wise god-capsule-thing like you are, but I think it's a damn good idea too. And not just because you were smart enough to save the remains of that fucking Purification extractor so we can rub in Heaven's face that they are messing with shit that should not be messed with. Since only angels can build those things, the Council must be scrambling around like dicks with their heads cut off looking for an excuse."

"What a great image." Zerrex muttered drolly, and then he rolled his eyes when she huffed and elbowed him, wincing a bit before he shoved her lightly back. "I know, though, that's... admittedly a lot of the reasoning that got through to me. The whole thing is one big goddamn piece of evidence of Heaven's rawer dealings, and Lucifer and Lord have already sent in teams of angels they can trust to sort through it, see what they can find and where it'll point to. But what really bothers me..."

"Yeah, you don't even have to tell me. The fact that not-you energy signature is all over the place in that room, right?" Cherry glanced over at him with a bit of a smile. "Even if there was also distinctly your energy, and blood, and your gooey white-"

Zerrex glared at her, and Cherry's muzzle snapped shut, the female wincing and flailing her arms as her collar glowed faintly before she looked at him sourly, and Zerrex looked back flatly, saying dryly: "Your mouth is staying shut until I need you to talk. Which is rarely what I need your mouth for." He paused for effect as Cherry snorted through her nostrils, crossing her arms and glaring at him, and then the reptile shook his head a bit as he gazed out at Acheron again, saying quietly: "But yeah. That, hidden Enochian runes all over the place, and Cindy and Mengele were picking through all that information... speaking of which, have you two made up yet? After the wolves caught you fighting with each other you really scared the butt off them."

Cherry looked at him moodily, and then the reptile nodded slightly towards her and her jaws snapped open, the female rubbing absently at her mouth as she muttered: "Asshole. And well, they take me too seriously even after all these years. Besides, I'm allowed to get jealous; it's one thing for me to be a whore but an entirely different thing when I catch Cindy and Daria like. Fucking. Romancing each other. And I mean... look at me."

She blushed a bit as she stepped away, awkwardly rubbing at her scar-covered breast, and Zerrex softened a bit as the female mumbled: "My body's wrecked and looks like a dude's, I'm covered in tattoos and I admittedly need to work a little on my hygiene issues, and well..." She looked over at the Drakkaren, smiling a bit as she patted his cheek gently. "I'm dedicated to you, too, and I know that even if Cindy is now, too... it's still kind of like a splinter she just can't get out, 'cause I know that she'd... love it if we could be... like you did with Selena and Aluinnia, but I couldn't... I couldn't handle that.

"And Daria, damn. Daria's got a fine ass and a beautiful body and she's fucking strong as hell, and... she ain't like me. Everyone who looks at us..." Cherry smiled softer now as she gently took Zerrex's hands, the reptile surprised by the female's sudden emotion as she looked into his eyes silently. "Everyone who looks at us doesn't get how we work, but what they do get is that you're number one, and I'm number two. When you and Daria walk along, most people just think you and her are just friends... they don't understand how fucking absolutely dedicated she is to you, because she knows the way you like to be treated and how you like things with all of us to be casual most of the time, and she loves you all the deeper for that, in a way... is all the deeper dedicated for it. But goddamn, the thing is you don't see it, and I think Cindy kind of likes that. She wishes maybe... I could be like that, I worry, and... shit..."

Cherry glanced away, letting go of one of the Drakkaren's hands to rub at her head embarrassedly, and then she smiled at him again when the reptile reached up and touched her face, saying softly: "You're beautiful to her, Cherry, and you're beautiful to me, too. Why don't you just talk to Cindy about it, then, instead of being such a damn lesbian all the time and yelling at her about it?"

"Because that's what lesbians do, we ain't like faggots like you and Raze, who just grunt and fuck. We 'dialogue' about everything and shit." Cherry said disgustedly, bringing up her hands to flail them back and forth on either side of her head. "Of course, every time I tell Cindy she's being a goddamn lesbian she calls me a stereotypical cunt. But it ain't really a stereotype when it's fucking true, right Boss?"

"I guess that makes it more of a cliché, yeah." Zerrex said mildly, and then he reached up and gently squeezed one of the female's large breasts, saying kindly: "I still love you though, see?"

"You love my tits, obviously, but even Mahihko loves my tits and he's a gay little gay." Cherry smiled nonetheless, though, poking the Drakkaren's chest firmly. "I know, though, I get the message. I'll try talking to Cindy or some shit. But... hey, what about other things? I mean, I know that more than just Epiphany is bugging you... even if I know you must still be seriously pissed, considering you sent her and Anathema Sin back to Elysium."

The Drakkaren made a bit of a face, nodding after a moment as he remembered how angry Anathema Sin had been... not with him, but with their daughter, who had looked ashamed of herself the entire time Anathema Sin had yelled at her, Zerrex not knowing if he wanted to calm the female down or join in and thus deciding to stay out of it for the most part. "Yeah. I don't even want to imagine the chores she's going to give Epiphany. Just as long as she doesn't take her to the bottom of the Tower or something."

"Bah, Annie might have always had a little problem with being hands-on but Sin wouldn't lay a finger on a kid." Cherry said absently, then she grinned a bit and nudged him lightly, adding cheerfully: "Besides, with the way you described her, Epiphany would probably dig... okay, okay, shutting up on that subject. What about the Strange Beasts and shit, though? Did Epiphany ever pass that genetic stuff on to Equinox?"

Zerrex shook his head after a moment, saying quietly: "After the stunt she pulled in the Centrifuge we just came right back here, once I... got control of myself and blocked her out of my mind." He rubbed at his face slowly, muttering: "Ugh, she manipulated me like a succubus teasing a testosterone-laden mortal teenager."

"Oh, get off it." Cherry shoved him lightly, and Zerrex flailed a bit before he glared at her, and then she smiled and jerked a thumb over her shoulder, asking curiously: "You wanna go see Equinox, Boss?"

The reptile hesitated for a moment at this, and then he glanced out over the city, asking finally: "Where's the wolves? And how many people are here in Acheron still?"

"Oh, since the party? Well, a lot of 'em stayed... obviously, some of the big names went home, but a lot of them are staying here, for safety and shit as much as anything else. Balthazar got here like, yesterday, I dunno if you knew that or not since you've been sulking a lot, and right now, I think the wolves are with him, since they kind of need a buffer between themselves and Jeannine and that security bitch of hers." Cherry paused, then grinned amusedly at the Drakkaren. "Ewwy Wally's really pissed off at her. I think he might be regretting that he didn't just leave her to die, even if Mahihko kind of still likes her."

The Drakkaren smiled despite himself at this, and then he glanced over her curiously, asking slowly: "So you... really want to go and see Equinox with me?"

"Might fucking calm your nerves. Hey, why don't we get Naganen too? I think the kid's actually taking a day off, would be good for him. He likes the thing, I just still get the fucking creeps from it." Cherry hugged herself with a shiver, and then grimaced when Zerrex rapped her on the skull firmly. "Oh fuck you, like you're any better than me."

"The point is that I don't say it." Zerrex replied flatly, and then he grabbed her forearm and concentrated, the two vanishing and reappearing a moment later in the library to find Naganen sitting with Mercy, and the Drakkaren looked at his daughter with surprise as Cherry grumbled and yanked herself free of his hand. "I thought Vivien was working you too hard to get any time off."

Mercy smiled at him, however, quietly signing a short answer, and Zerrex nodded after a moment as Naganen smiled over at his father, a book laid out in front of him as he added: "So since she has the time off, Mercy's helping me study... she knows a lot about dealing with mortal cultures and ambassadorship, but I guess since she served as an emissary of Hell for so many years and did so much to help the relations between Elysium and the other nations and planets, I really shouldn't be so surprised... but... I am impressed. I'm always impressed."

He blushed bashfully as he gazed at her affectionately, and Mercy smiled softly in return to the Naganatine before she glanced curiously at her father, tossing a short wink his way as Zerrex gazed affectionately from one to the other. Then Cherry suddenly leapt forwards, putting him in a headlock and making him gag as she firmly ground her fist through his hair, saying cheerfully: "Boss and I are gonna go see Equinox! You two nerds wanna come?"

She leered suggestively at Naganen, who turned beet red and leaned away from her before Zerrex suddenly grabbed Cherry's arm and hauled her over his shoulders, throwing her down on her back and slamming her against the library floor with enough force to rattle the shelves around them, a book or two falling out of place as Mercy covered her muzzle to suppress her giggles and Naganen looked dumbly at them as Zerrex glared flatly down at the female, who wheezed and then glared back up at him, before the Naganatine asked Mercy hesitantly: "Is this really what growing up is like?"

"Only if you're lucky, kid." Cherry grunted from the ground, then she sat up and rubbed at her head before whining: "That hurt!"

"Then next time land softer." Zerrex retorted, and Cherry huffed at him, crossing her arms and glowering as Zerrex glared back, before he rolled his eyes and grabbed one of her fins, yanking her up to her feet and making her giggle stupidly before he smiled over at Naganen and Mercy. "So do you two wanna come with us?"

Naganen hesitated, but then Mercy grabbed his forearm and smiled at him before she looked at Zerrex and nodded firmly, and the Naganatine smiled after a moment as well, mimicking the gesture as he said quietly: "Sounds good then, Dad."

Zerrex gazed warmly at the male, and then he held a hand out, and Mercy and Naganen both climbed to their feet and circled around the table to approach him as Cherry clung to his side. The reptile rolled his eyes, but wrapped his arm around her as Naganen gently took his hand and Mercy grasped his forearm, smiling softly as she slipped her side against his chest, and the reptile smiled back before he said quietly: "Okay, get ready. First jump is to Hez'Ranna."

The reptile concentrated... and a moment later, faded from reality to reappear in the jungle, Mercy gazing warmly around as Naganen closed his eyes and smiled, and Cherry winced, then hesitantly looked back and forth before wheezing in relief, then wincing when Zerrex announced clearly: "And next, to Baroque Prison."

"Shit, shit, no wait-" Cherry babbled, and then Zerrex grinned as they vanished from the spot, reappearing a moment later on a wide, circular platform. Immediately, Amazon guards snapped to attention around him, ignoring Cherry as she staggered away from the lizard and gagged loudly, falling onto all fours and clutching against the cement tiles as she wheezed: "Going to fucking end you one of these days."

Naganen smiled a little, looking dazed at most as gently dropped Zerrex's hand, and Mercy leaned against the reptile, breathing a little hard for a moment as Zerrex felt a throb of pain run through his head before he shook it firmly, clearing it as Cherry slowly clawed her way to her feet. Then the reptile saluted the Amazons, who were dressed not in golden Royal Guard gear but instead heavy, imposing black full plate mail with imposing, twisted spikes jutting crudely up from the exaggerated dome plating, swords at their sides and shields over their backs.

Since Vivien was now High Queen, the handpicked unit Zerrex had assembled over his years as High King and put to use mostly as spies and as an elite strike force had been passed to her... and she had them now working under the orders of Griswold Anderson Lyson, also known simply by his old rank as the General. He was from the times of Old Ire, and had been one of the council in charge of putting together Project: Scarecrow, which had been the official name for the Goth Legion on the papers, the military unit Zerrex had been part of while alive.

However, since Zerrex had spent a lot of time sulking when the Shadow of Hell unit had been taken away from him, she had finally granted him permission to make up his own small taskforce of troops, as long as he promised not to abuse his power and privilege. The Drakkaren had cheerfully gone about the task of picking soldiers for this platoon with Cherry, and Earth had forged special armor for them and helped induct each and every member as an official guardian of the Drakkaren, taking a deep, religious pleasure in helping to 'build their flock,' as she put it, although the reptile saw it less as a religious thing and more as glad to once more have soldiers he could trust to guard him if he ever needed it, instead of Royal Guards who might either really like or really hate him.

Unsurprisingly, with the lack of creativity and the reptile's strange fixation, they were known as the Black Rose Platoon: they were all warriors who had been baptized in the waters of Acheron and had shared a bit of blood with the lizard, pledging their loyalty and allegiance to him. It was a platoon consisting of only thirty troops: fourteen Amazons, four Gorgons, ten Proud Ones, and two Abhorrence. A good variety of powerful demons, all of them veterans that had further been put through their paces by obsessive Serenity, and whom at first had only guarded and provided security for the Ravenlight Estate... but now, who had a much different task, as Zerrex began to lead the others off the cement platform and across a wide stone bridge towards an enormous fortress.

They were back in Elysium, in the Southern Reaches: a set of tall, snowy grim mountains near the bottom of the Southern Province. The mountains and crags and cliffs jutted and stabbed from the ground like broken bones, ugly and almost impassable even on foot, and it had taken countless years of excavation and construction to build this back in the days when Zerrex had been High King... and then years and years of repair work after the Merge to bring the Baroque Prison back to full potential, although it had remained almost vacant for years.

Baroque Prison was where particularly high-value criminals were once been placed: nobles, cultural leaders, and monarchs among them. People with talent who couldn't simply be disposed of... and who in a normal prison would likely quickly be targeted and exterminated. However, during the Merge, avalanches had almost caused it to collapse, and many prisoners had tried to make an escape into the mountains... only for the guards to later find their bodies dead and mangled, often by each other and not simply by the earthquakes and collapsing rocks.

It was composed of two sections: the tower rooftop they had come from, where the cement platform rested. Inside the tower itself were guard quarters, kitchens, and weapons rooms, and the base of the tower rested in the middle of a cleared courtyard that was used for training and running exercises... and the second section was a much, much wider tower, heavy girders and long chains attaching from the walls of this into the mountains and cliffs that surrounded them on all sides. This tower contained the prisoner's cells, a medical station, interrogation chambers and a room for Inquisitors to do their dirty work in... and on top of the tower, there was a squat, ugly keep that was almost cubical in shape, buttressed walls and a single high cabin standing at the very top of the fortress where the Warden's Quarters were.

When Vivien had started talking about shutting it down, Zerrex had offered to buy it for his own use, and she had hesitantly agreed. He had then had much of it converted, and the reptile smiled a little as the Gorgons on either side of the portcullis leading into the fortress interior both saluted sharply, holding their spears at their sides, their rocky, ugly features smiling as both enormous, twenty foot tall females gazed at him reverently. He'd ended up having the perfect use for this place...

He pushed the steel doors behind the portcullis both open wide, stepping into a wide, circular room beyond: the fortress wasn't very large, so he'd had most of it hollowed out into the single large area, some fifty feet wide with ceilings almost thirty feet high. It was mostly empty, spotlights above casting focused light on the sunken pit at the rear of the room, the floor forming a crescent around this and guards in black armor saluting Zerrex sharply as he entered, but he only gestured at them absently as his eyes focused on the shape half standing out of a pit, laying back on a cross-shaped bed of metal that was tilted at a fifty degree angle.

Twenty feet tall, covered in black scales and white bone armor, was a tall, masculine figure. It bore a striking resemblance to Epiphany, the only real difference in the fact that its front was solid, a chiseled breastplate covering its breast and its powerful abdominals bare, and in the fact that its features were a little more Naganatine, a little more savage, and much more male, its eyes currently closed... but as Zerrex approached the edge of the pit it rested back in, they flickered slowly open, pure ivory irises regarding Zerrex as it shifted quietly and rattled the chains wrapped around its upper arms and waist.

Its wrists and ankles were manacled to the metallic, cross-shaped bed, and Equinox gazed at Zerrex emotionlessly as the reptile gazed back, before the Drakkaren smiled a bit and touched his own chest as he looked down at the black floor of the shallow pit, then back up to meet its eyes, saying quietly: "Do you know who I am?"

"Father. Epiphany's Father. My Father." the creature murmured quietly, its voice strange and distant, and Zerrex nodded after a moment, softening at the way it used his title with such deep respect. It didn't struggle against the chains or bindings securing it back against the bed as it looked at him, and then it slowly closed its eyes again, even as it said softly: "Sleeping."

Zerrex shook his head a bit, and Cherry whistled as she approached the rim of the pit before trying to hop forwards, but then she winced as she bounced off a translucent shield of energy, shaking her head briefly and then glowering a bit. Equinox slowly opened its eyes again from where it rested in its bed against the rear wall, and then Zerrex winced as she waved and called cheerfully: "Wanna see my tits?"

"Stop that, Cherry." Zerrex said dryly, as Equinox only looked perturbed for a moment before slowly closing his eyes. Then he sighed a bit, reaching up and rubbing at his face slowly as he muttered: "Epiphany assures me every time I'm up here that he doesn't have emotions, but... I don't know if I believe her anymore."

Mercy and Naganen both looked at Zerrex for a moment, the latter blushing a bit before he gazed silently out at Equinox, and then he said softly: "The important thing, Dad, is that he... doesn't seem to mind this very much."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, gazing at Equinox and feeling a little disturbed nonetheless, however: Equinox, Epiphany's 'twin brother,' assembled from genetic data she had gathered over the years. He was Epiphany's version of a genetic library, of Cindy's Ark project, and contained a sample of every gene, every cell, every string of DNA that Epiphany had ever come across: tree and plant, floral and faunal, animal and mammal and reptile, Equinox contained the genetic data of every thing of every shape and every size... and yet he was barely sentient, almost emotionless, always calm and placid.

Epiphany had created him when she had only been a baby: one day, they'd come to find her in her crib snuggling a tiny, strange-looking thing she had refused to let go of, babbling and clinging to it... and within a day, it had grown all the way into a baby that had looked surprisingly similar to their daughter. Since neither he nor Anathema Sin knew what to make of it, they had left the two tykes together... and watched the way Epiphany, even back then, had been using her powers on instinct, touching organic things, then crawling over to Equinox and quietly grasping him, smiling as her 'brother' had changed slightly with everything she had added to him. Yet he had always been silent, never needed or accepted nourishment, never made waste or shown emotions.

Marina had been the one to figure it out, reading the minds of the two and letting them know what Epiphany had done. Still, Anathema Sin and Zerrex had raised the two together... and they had only been forced to part them half a decade ago now, because in a fit of anger, Epiphany had sent Equinox after a child who had stolen one of her toys, and Equinox had crushed him between his hands and almost killed him, the male already the size and far beyond the strength of an adult at that point.

That was when they had realized Equinox was a slave to Epiphany's will, and that he had to be contained... yet at the same time, Zerrex couldn't bring himself to have the child destroyed. Instead, they had decided the best thing to do was to seal Equinox away, as uncomfortable as it made Zerrex. But admittedly, Equinox's very existence made him uncomfortable: he didn't know how to treat the being, what he was, if he even felt emotions... or even whether or not Equinox should really exist.

Epiphany was fiercely-protective of her 'brother,' however, and he was obviously more than just a toy to her, or a storage bin for genetic data. Zerrex also couldn't deny that the huge male would be useful: likely just as strong as Epiphany, with access to countless abilities and silently accepting any order given to him from his 'sister,' and sometimes even responding to his so-called 'Father.' And that was probably what disturbed Zerrex most of all: despite the fact that Epiphany was his creator, that she said again and again he had no emotions - even going so far as to say he had no soul, which Zerrex didn't think Epiphany understood was terribly cruel - he had attached himself to Zerrex and Anathema Sin. Possibly through instinct at being raised by them for several years next to his sister, possibly because he had heard Epiphany call him 'dad' and Anathema Sin 'mom' so often... but it didn't explain the strange loyalty to the male, or the way he actually opened his eyes whenever Zerrex approached... while normally, Equinox was as still and silent as a statue.

The only reason he was chained up was to prevent Epiphany from summoning him: for a while, they had instead set this fortress up like a room for him, giving him a bed, some books, and a few other odds and ends... but Equinox had only stood silently next to the bed unless ordered to lay down, and had never seemed to notice the passage of time. Then, one day, he had simply vanished before their very eyes... and on a hunch, Zerrex had gone to find Epiphany, and was unsurprised - although deeply irritated - when he found her directing Equinox to wrestle several Damned to the ground for her, so she could safely sample their genetic structures.

So they had been forced to chain him up and shackle him with anti-magic bindings, inscribing shielding runes around the pit he rested in so he couldn't be summoned at will by Epiphany... and the reptile shook his head a bit before he rested his hand quietly against the transparent barrier, energy humming softly in the air as ripples travelled through the invisible wall, and Naganen glanced at Zerrex before he said quietly: "He seems sad."

"I..." Zerrex stopped, looking at his son for a few moments, and then he smiled a little bit, realizing that described Equinox exactly. The silence, the seeming-emotionlessness, the... everything about him, it all emanated an aura of not soullessness... but sadness. "Yes. He does... but I don't know what to do, Naganen. Epiphany uses him like a toy, and he obeys her almost mindlessly, and yet... I feel like..."

"Like the fucking Clone Soldiers problem, just from a different angle. That shit never gets old, huh Boss?" Cherry muttered, glancing at him, and then she sighed and leaned against the transparent barrier herself, saying quietly: "Maybe the dude just needs a hug or something. Boss, let me go give him a hug. Seriously."

"Cherry, while I'm both pleased and surprised that you're showing such kindness for him, I can't just magic away the barrier." Zerrex said mildly, and Cherry glared at him, but the reptile smiled back and reached up to tap the end of his own muzzle, which made her blush and mumble as she looked awkwardly away. He wasn't half as surprised as he acted, with Cherry's past in mind: she had been forced to serve as a Breeding Queen for the Clone Soldiers, after all, and yet had nonetheless developed a powerful bond with many of them before her death... and so if anyone understood what he felt when he looked at Equinox, it was her.

Mercy gently patted Zerrex's arm, however, and the reptile looked at her as she tilted her head... and the Drakkaren hesitated, then shook his own slowly as he looked at Equinox, saying softly: "I don't... honestly know what he is. I think... sometimes... he might be even more powerful than Epiphany, but without her mind, her... cunning." He grimaced a bit as he used this word, hating the implications it brought up... but knowing many of those implications applied to his daughter, as he had all the better learned since the events on the Centrifuge. "I do... think he might have emotions. Simpler ones than we do, maybe, but... emotions nonetheless. And I do think... he has a soul. But all I know for sure is that he and Epiphany... somehow, they're linked."

"Thank you, Father." Equinox murmured, and Zerrex looked up in surprise... but the male didn't move at all. Yet from the expressions on the faces of the others, Zerrex knew the male had spoken... and after a few moments, he finally managed an awkward little smile, nodding slowly across at the huge figure before he slowly sat back on his haunches, the others looking down at the Drakkaren curiously as he rested his hands in his lap and fell silent, merely staring across at the chained-back giant.

After a few moments, Cherry sat down as well beside him, and then Naganen joined him. Mercy stood silently a few moments longer, lingering on her feet as she pushed her hands quietly against the transparent barrier, and then she gazed softly at her father before slipping past him and kneeling behind him, gently grasping his shoulders and massaging them slowly as she leaned forwards and brushed the back of his neck quietly, soothingly, with her stitched-together muzzle, slowly working the stress out of his joints as he smiled a bit and reached up to quietly brush along her fingers with one hand, relaxing slowly under her quiet, affectionate touches as his mind began to settle, even as he continued to wonderingly watch and muse on Equinox and the mysteries and answers the giant may well hold inside of him.

Zerrex appreciated the silence of the others, Naganen to one side, Cherry to the other, Mercy quietly hugging him around the neck and curling herself against him quietly. Around the room, Black Rose guards switched out and watched them curiously, but they were professionals, first, and Zerrex has glad they stayed at a respectful distance for now; right now, he just wanted time to think, and to unwind a little here, trying to figure Equinox out for the thousandth time and Epiphany's connections to him, trying to guess what they should do so the male could be free from his cage, trying to understand whether or not Equinox could act as his own person instead of simply as a servant to the whims of others.

For a little while, as they watched him, Equinox opened his eyes and watched them back... then he simply closed them again, still expressionless and yet somehow sad. The reptile sighed a bit as he looked at this, then he shook his head out: more than an hour had passed, by his internal clock, and he smiled a bit over at Mercy as she leaned over his shoulder, squeezing one of her hands slowly. "You ever notice my bad habit of wanting to save the world?"

"All the time, Boss." Cherry spoke up amusedly, patting him gently on the leg as she leaned her side against his, and Mercy smiled a little in agreement. Then his daughter suddenly glanced down in surprise, leaning away from the Drakkaren as her collar faintly pulsed, and she silently reached up and touched this with a bit of a blush before standing up and gesturing at her father to follow as the muscular female looked stupidly up. "Something I said?"

"It's an alert." Zerrex said flatly, and he nodded to Mercy as he stood before glancing with surprise to Naganen as he stayed seated, almost mesmerized as he looked at Equinox. "Son?"

"Oh, I... sorry Dad. Listen... do you mind if I stay here?" He looked embarrassed, and Zerrex tilted his head curiously as Mercy touched her collar again, this time in surprise instead of alarm. The two looked at each other hesitantly, but then Naganen blushed a bit as he rubbed at his head, saying slowly: "I should be safe here in Baroque Prison, and..."

"And hell, I'll stay with him. I'm sure it's nothing you guys can't handle yourselves." Cherry said comfortably, and she winked over at Naganen before smiling up at Zerrex as she leaned back, saying quietly: "Kind of like it here, anyway. Guards around who'll listen to me and shit, nice atmosphere, big dude over there, and this little tyke here."

She reached out and grabbed Naganen's head, and the Naganatine blushed deeper but smiled as Zerrex nodded, then grunted when Mercy grabbed his arm and half-dragged him towards the doors, raising a hand awkwardly to Cherry as she and his son both waved to him. The moment they were outside, however, Mercy's features turned serious, and Zerrex looked down at her and nodded back as he grasped her forearm: there was only one reason either of them could think of for Vivien to send out an alert while everyone was supposed to be off duty, and through Mercy's collar, at that.

They vanished from the spot, reappearing a moment later on the balcony of the Central Spire, and Royal Guards pushed the doors open and bowed them through as Zerrex and Mercy strode ahead, Vivien's back to them and the female dressed in a long, flowing white gown as she shouted at a quailing Ixin: "-and next time, report to me the moment you get the alarm!"

"If your powers didn't block magic I'd put you in a world of hurt!" Ixin threatened pointlessly, and then he squeaked when the Celestial Devil's eyes glowed gold, the mage scampering away to hide behind Cindy... and, the Drakkaren was surprised to see, Sabnock, who stood beside her dressed not in her usual suit, but a modified set of golden Royal Guard armor, thin silver mesh covering her limbs and stomach between the heavy golden plate. "Look, hurt him! He's the one who always makes you mad!"

Zerrex rolled his eyes, but then Vivien looked over her shoulder at him and Mercy, saying in a deadly-serious voice: "A Chanter is attacking a city in Ire. I hope you don't mind, but I took the liberty of having Maria and Marina take Celeste to a safe room. I don't want to risk her interfering again, and I do not want this Chanter shown mercy."

"Don't worry, I have no intent of taking my daughter with me on this fight." Zerrex said blandly, and then he winced when Vivien only scowled at him, holding up his hands. "Just. Trying to loosen the tension. Is it that serious?"

"It's worse." Vivien's long ballroom dress swirled around her as the equine grimaced a bit, and then she nodded to Sabnock, who nodded curtly back as she fitted a golden helm over her skull. "I'm sending Sabnock and Cindy with you. If the need arises, I'll send others as they become available."

"Sabnock?" Zerrex looked at her with surprise, but the wolverine only nodded to him before he grunted and rolled his shoulders, saying mildly: "Fine. Where's Selena and Lily?"

"I only alerted Mercy." Vivien said quietly, looking evenly at the Drakkaren, and the lizard smiled slightly at the implication of these words before the Celestial Devil grimaced and snapped her fingers, a white-and-black, swirling vortex spinning slowly into being on one of the balconies as she snapped: "There's no time to waste, go!"

Zerrex nodded and immediately ran towards the portal, Sabnock and Cindy flanking him, and the latter female grinned a bit to her father as they charged into the tunnel, smashing her gloved fists together. The Drakkaren couldn't help but grin a bit in return, but the expression immediately faded into one of horror as they ran through the other end of the vortex and he skidded to a halt on a broken cement street, his teeth gritting.

The Strange Beast had decimated the entire block: buildings on either side of the street had crumbled, and dead bodies lay across the ground, mortal, demon and angel. White feathers floated silently through the air as the Chanter dropped an angel's corpse as blood flowed steadily down its cheeks from empty sockets in its face and ears, and then it smiled slowly at them as Zerrex snarled.

The Strange Beast's back was to a now-empty square, and they stood in the middle of the narrow street, the burning and crumbled buildings to either side of them, several looking as if they had been warped almost inside out and girders standing out of others like porcupine quills... and then the Drakkaren pointed towards the creature, saying coldly: "If I were you, I'd run away right goddamn now. I spent too long helping fix this world up to watch it be destroyed again."

The Strange Beast only smiled at them, its features Naganatine-like but with a little more serpent to them, feminine and with eight slender, branching horns sticking out of the sides of its skull that curled every which-way, golden rings dangling from each of these as it half-lidded large blue eyes... and then it slowly rose one arm, purple robes swirling around the violet-scaled creature before it flicked its wrist almost absently, a fireball erupting from midair and flying towards the Drakkaren.

He readied himself, but Cindy stepped in front of him, catching it and crushing it out in her hand as she snarled, her long white braids blowing back over her shoulders from the resulting gust of hot wind... but the Strange Beast only snorted in distaste, and then a wicked grin spread over its features as its eyes almost glowed... before it straightened and suddenly spread its arms to the sides, and it opened its muzzle as it began to sing.

Like Celeste, it was a sound that was impossible to describe, and Zerrex felt his knees instantly go weak as emotion itself seemed to come from her muzzle, spilling through the air and burying into his mind as he fell to a crouch. In front of him, Cindy staggered to the side, then tried to stomp forwards, but instead she fell on her hands, gasping as the melody echoed through the air, the song so powerful that the buildings themselves creaked, the very earth seemed to bend beneath their feet as concrete cracked and glass shattered outwards in a tinkling rain.

Tears fell from the Drakkaren's eyes as emotions ripped through his body and paralyzed him, as memories so powerful and vivid began to flash in front of his eyes they blinded him as the Strange Beast walked slowly towards them, almost glowing with light as she sang and tilted her head back and forth with the flow of her song, gesturing gently and gracefully, each movement making the ground around her ripple and tear, chunks of roadway tearing up as she walked towards them... before her song suddenly halted as an arrow tore into the ground at her feet, and her beautiful features became ugly as she snarled and looked sharply at Sabnock, who looked as calm and serious as ever, a golden bow shining in one hand before she lowered this.

Zerrex looked up, trembling violently, feeling so elated and miserable and joyous and delighted that he felt sick to his stomach, unable to stand, tears falling from his eyes as Cindy lay on her side, clutching herself and bleeding from one nostril as she panted for breath and convulsed weakly... and then to the shock of the Drakkaren, Sabnock's eyes narrowed before she opened her mouth and she began to sing as well in another language, the words flowing and beautiful, her icy voice making every note sharp and flawless as she strode several feet ahead.

Immediately, a wind began to rise, and the Strange Beast staggered a step backwards, raising its arms defensively as it snarled, the Chanter's eyes glowing with rage as its teeth grit together and flakes of snow beat lightly against it, Sabnock's eyes cold and focused on the creature as the beautiful words sprang from her muzzle in a harmonious, constant flow, not even staggering even as the Strange Beast began to sing again, pushing forwards into the chilling wind as she swayed her arms back and forth, the earth rumbling beneath their feet and chunks of stone and metal flaking and crumbling off the buildings around them.

Voices rose together, passionate melodies that twisted and conflicted with each other as the wind grew fiercer, the snow becoming heavier, the cold air seeming to snap itself in strange shapes towards the Strange Beast as she fought back with her own melody, Zerrex sobbing as he covered his head and felt his heart thudding in his chest, clenching his teeth together as Cindy clawed at the ground, the asphalt of the street seeming to pulse warmly as the earth rippled and quaked, before the Chanter went into a sudden sharp staccato, interrupting Sabnock's melody as the earth beneath the wolverine's feet shattered and cracks spread through the lower half of the street, the front of a building collapsing as blood exploded from Zerrex's muzzle and Sabnock gritted her teeth as red fluid dripped from one of her own eyes, staggering backwards and clutching at herself as if wounded as the Chanter grinned across at her, both arms snapping up to her sides as she paused in her melody.

Sabnock panted quietly for a moment... and then she snorted and straightened before coldly raising both arms to her sides... and the Strange Beast's eyes widened as the ground around the wolverine cracked before ice rapidly gathered and built up behind her in a tall, solid wall... and then Sabnock gestured forwards, and the wall warped and bent, becoming a half-domed parabolic reflector as Sabnock slowly cracked her knuckles, then her neck, and the Strange Beast's eyes widened as the wolverine took a deep breath.

Then Sabnock began to sing in a brazen, powerful voice, and the sharp wind became an icy hurricane as her voice was further amplified by the icy dish behind her, the Strange Beast staggering backwards as it was almost blown off its feet, pinwheeling its arms as an invisible orchestra seemed to rise and follow Sabnock's melody, nature itself adding to her harmony as the wind trumpeted and the earth rumbled beneath the triumph of the female's song.

Sabnock's arms rose, gesturing back and forth as a blizzard ripped through the air, the wind tearing around the Strange Beast, harrying it as ice began to form along the buildings as the street as the monster snarled, then stepped forwards, opening its mouth to sing... and Sabnock's eyes flashed as her voice in sudden crescendo. A blue shape appeared, moving so fast it was almost invisible in the mist, and it swung an ephemeral scythe outwards that tore through the Strange Beast's arm, drawing no blood and leaving no mark but sending the creature staggering backwards with a scream as its very spirit was torn at, its eyes widening before it opened its mouth; and more dark-blue shades in the shape of Reapers appeared as Sabnock gestured back and forth, her voice rising powerfully as she belted the melody out, the icy dish behind her almost cracking with the force of her song as the heavy winds directed themselves into the Strange Beast, battering her back and forth as snow tore against her scales like sand, invisible bells tolling in time with the powerful melody all around her.

And yet still, the Chanter managed a response, suddenly stomping forwards as it roared its own harmony in reply, and the winds around it burst around it as flakes of snow shot upwards like a geyser, cracks tearing through the frozen cement beneath her feet down the length of the street as the blue shades were repelled. Zerrex and Cindy both howled in agony on the ground, the female curling up into the fetal position as she clenched her eyes shut and the male seizing into his skull as blood leaked from his eyes, staring sightlessly at memories not his own of dancing and a great banquet and shattered vows... and then Sabnock made a simple short gesture forwards as she sang not against, but suddenly with the melody of the Strange Beast, and a single blue shade appeared out of nowhere, lashing forwards and swinging its scythe through the creature's mouth before vanishing, and the Strange Beast gave a strange gagging sound as its head snapped backwards and it staggered... and then it clutched in shock at a cork of ice that had filled its mouth completely, leaving it unable to move its jaws or force any sound out at all as it clawed uselessly at the ice.

Sabnock's voice rose, strong and confident and emotional, beautiful and powerful and countless other words that could never come close to truly describing the melody that rose from her very soul as she gestured back and forth as if conducting a mighty orchestra at the same time, and immense, transparent bells flashed in and out of existence down the length of the street as they tolled powerfully enough to make the ice and cement beneath them shatter upwards like geysers, Reaper-shapes lashing their scythes back and forth through the Strange Beast as the Chanter convulsed and was knocked back and forth by the force of the spirit's weapons ripping through her, her eyes glowing with shock and pain as her arms pinwheeled outwards and the wind wrapped around her, each strike of every ghostly weapon now leaving a sheen of ice over her scales.

Sabnock sang powerfully, voice rising and falling sharply, building towards a grand climax as her hands snapped back and forth, and the Strange Beast staggered backwards before it almost fell over as one of its feet and lower legs were completely encased in ice, the crystalline blue frost rapidly growing up along her body, locking her to the spot as ghastly spirits danced around her and spectral bells clanged loudly in beat with the melody of Sabnock's song as the blizzard tore around the Strange Beast, almost hiding her from view as she arched her back and threw her arms out as ice crawled and licked and snapped over her body.

Then Sabnock's voice finally began to slow and lighten as the blizzard calmed and the spirits vanished and the bells slowed, the Chanter encased completely in a pillar of blue-tinted ice, frozen with a look of horror and fury on its features before the wolverine coldly rose her golden bow as an arrow of ice appeared in her other hand, nocking it and taking aim even as Zerrex rose a hand and cried out a weak denial, still ensnared by the terrible melody of the Strange Beast's song.

Sabnock fired, and the arrow struck the pillar of ice and shattered it, chunks of ice and frozen Chanter flying in all directions as a powerful blast of pink and purple neon ripped through the air, a furious scream rising from the shattered remains as Zerrex fell forwards, breathing hard and grimacing as he felt his senses slowly returning... and Sabnock looked at him quietly as the reptile rested his hands against the frozen cement, a faint snow lingering around them from the skies above as he murmured: "I'll... I'm fine. Sorry. Cindy?"

"Better." Cindy said wearily, rubbing at her head slowly and wiping blood from her face as she slowly got to a kneel, and she gritted her teeth in pain, hugging her stomach as Sabnock looked at the two for a moment longer, then glanced upwards with a frown and a dark look in her eyes.

"We're not done yet, Lord Zerrex. I recommend you take the lead this time. I feel somewhat winded after that exertion." Sabnock said quietly, and Zerrex smiled grimly as he slowly forced himself to his feet, looking up as two terrible Gateways opened in the abandoned square and a pair of Chanters emerged from these. Then the wolverine staggered a bit, grasping at her side, and Zerrex stepped beside her and silently grasped her shoulder, the female looking up at him wryly. "I fear I may not be as young as I once was."

"Sometimes I think you were never young, Sabnock." Zerrex said gently, and then he squeezed her shoulder reassuringly as he walked forwards, saying coldly: "Cindy, how about some one-on-one while Sabnock watches our backs?"

"Sounds good." Cindy grinned as she punched her palm into her other hand, and then her body flexed, muscles bulging slightly before her scales became metallic, glinting in the dusky light as they strode to the end of the block and the two looked grimly across at the waiting Chanters.

They were similar to the female that Sabnock had just dispatched, except both were more masculine in design: one had six horns that all curled upwards out of his skull, and the other had seven, four on one side of his skull, and three on the other, twisting in seemingly-random directions. Both were dressed in heavy black and green robes, their scales matching purple, their grins cold, and one of them carried a tall, gnarled wooden staff tipped with a skeletal hand that clutched a massive golden stone, and the other carried a silver chain from which dangled a variety of large, runic symbols made of some kind of gleaming metal that shone with its own strange radiance.

"So, is this some kind of class reunion?" Zerrex asked dryly, spreading his arms and glancing back and forth at the empty square he now stood in: there were no major landmarks apart from a fountain that had once stood in the center of it, but was now nothing but a few mangled pieces of concrete and a slightly-sunken, frozen steel base: no cover to hide behind, but until the reptile knew what the two were capable of, he didn't know if that worked in his favor or not. "If so, I think my friend just killed the prom queen."

"You and your smart mouth." said a disgusted voice, and Zerrex gritted his teeth as he looked sharply to the side, his eyes narrowing as he saw Eratosthenes standing on top of a building and glowering down at him with contempt and hatred. Something dangled from one of the male's hands, but he stood too far away for the lizard to make it out properly, the Strange Beast looking at the two Chanters and ordering coldly: "Force him to Invert. I'll deal with him from there."

Both Chanters nodded as Zerrex frowned a bit, but before he could respond, the Chanter holding the chain of symbols flicked them to the side, catching one of the runes in his hand and tearing it free to hold it high above his head, shouting an incantation in a strange language. A moment later, energy sparked in the air in front of him, and then formed rapidly into several snarling, quadrupedal monsters, raw muscle flexing over their four limbs as heavy talons clawed against the ground, long double-tails snapping and wolf-like, furred heads drooling poison as oversized eyes rolled in their skulls. Two of the monsters possessed four eyes in pairs on either side of their skull, while the last had three, with one in the middle of its forehead... and the creatures screamed before one of them lunged forwards, vanishing as neon pink energy tore over its body before it reappeared in midair in mid-tackle above Zerrex's head, jaws open wide and sharp, needle-like teeth glinting before it crashed down on top of the lizard and savagely snapped at his face.

Zerrex cursed as he was thrown to the ground on his back, the creature's teeth grazing his scales before he managed to slam a knee into the monster's stomach, and the Strange Beast was thrown over his head before it twisted in midair as if it had no spine, rear legs slamming down into the ground before it rotated its upper body and landed neatly on its forelegs as well, screaming in fury at the Drakkaren as he stared in shock before it simply vanished from existence and reappeared at his side, lunging forwards and biting savagely at him again: the monsters were waist-high at the shoulder, with thick, long bodies and whip-like tails that snapped savagely from side-to-side... and yet they were goddamn fast as well, and Zerrex cursed as he slapped his right arm out as it became metallic, a corrupt blade shooting from it and slashing the creature across the face, making it scream as electrically-charged blood burst from the wound before it vanished and reappeared a safe distance away, snarling as neon-pink liquid sparked and dripped over its black-furred, four-eyed face.

Cindy cursed as one of the Strange Beasts leapt at her, catching it by the throat and then throwing it hard at one of the Chanters, who were simply standing and watching with cruel grins on their features... but the creature vanished in midair, reappearing a moment later on the ground within harrying distance and snapping at Cindy's tail as the other creature leapt up and raked at her with its front claws: this one, however, Cindy managed to slam a hard kick into the stomach of, knocking it flying backwards to crash to the ground with a yelp of pain before it snapped itself back to its feet.

It threw its head back in a mournful howl, then broke into a charge, and Cindy readied herself as Zerrex snarled... but the Strange Beast in front of him vanished as the one growling beside Cindy did at the same time, and then one of the hounds appeared behind her as the other appeared in mid-lunge at her face, Cindy gasping as it collided forcefully with her and kicked off her, sending her staggering backwards as the creature behind her tackled her legs and knocked her crashing down, and then the sprinting beast pounced on top of her, savagely biting and clawing at her metal scales, denting and cracking them as she screamed in pain as the other two beasts circled and leapt at her as well.

Zerrex snarled as he ran towards them, his corrupt arm becoming silvery and elegant as the blade extending from it glimmered dangerously, and then a blast of dark electricity slammed into his back before wrapping around him almost as if it were solid, the reptile howling in pain as he fell to his knees and his arms were restrained at his sides before the Chanter holding the staff beckoned backwards with one hand, and Zerrex was torn through the air to crash onto his back, skidding several feet. He cursed under his breath as the Chanter slowly clenched his hand, and the ropes of dark energy burned deeper into the lizard's scales, shocking his body and sending agony through him as Eratosthenes taunted from his safe position: "You can't do anything, Naganis! You're helpless!"

The reptile howled in pain and frustration... and then an arrow of ice slammed into the chest of the Chanter before shattering, knocking it staggering backwards before a volley of arrows pounded into one of the Strange Beasts harrying Cindy, knocking the creature onto its side with a shriek as bloody gashes were ripped over its body. The other two looked up from a moment, blood dripping from their muzzles... and then a massive, metallic hand lashed upwards and seized the skull of one of the hounds before it simply crushed it, and the Strange Beast exploded as the other hound screamed and skittered away in terror as Cindy snarled and forced herself to her feet, her body rapidly expanding until she stood at twenty feet tall, covered in muscle that was hidden by the blood-splattered metal scales of her body, a set of steely horns that formed a halo over her skull standing up out of her head as her eyes glowed blue with rage, roaring furiously as blue energy sparked over her enraged form.

Zerrex leapt to his own feet as the dark bands around him vanished, and then he looked up in shock as the Chanter swept his staff down and the golden crystal on it glowed, a swathe of red flames erupting from the weapon and sweeping out towards the Drakkaren. Immediately, the lizard created a wall of blue energy in front of himself, wincing as the flames washed uselessly against this before he slammed his left hand against the sapphire energy, and it shattered into shards that flew forwards and battered the Chanter backwards, making it hiss in pain before the Drakkaren charged towards it... but then one of the Strange Beast hounds vanished from beside Cindy as the other leapt on her back and bit madly at her neck.

It reappeared in front of Zerrex, tackling him to the ground and then sinking its poisonous fangs into his throat, and the Drakkaren gargled before the creature bit harder and lashed the lizard back and forth, his body limp and paralyzed as he felt his throat rip and crimson blood spray from the wound, his eyes rolling up in his skull before the beast tossed him away. His limp body crashed to the ground, rolling once as Cindy staggered and then looked towards her father with shock, the Strange Beast advancing slowly on this... and Sabnock loosed another arrow that tore through the hound's stomach, the creature screaming as it staggered, then glared at her... before its three eyes bulged as its body shivered, the wound putrefying as Sabnock held her hand out towards it, her eyes cold and cruel as she twisted her hand slowly and rot rapidly spread from the wound before the hound tore into two halves, whimpering weakly as its neon blood burst through the air before its toppled body exploded in a haze of electrical fireworks.

Zerrex gargled weakly... and then he screamed when the staff-wielding Chanter approached and stabbed the butt of his weapon down against the lizard's chest, dark energy bursting like lightning along the reptile's body as Cindy roared in fury, bucking the Strange Beast off her back before her bladed tail snapped into it before it could teleport, shattering its skull and knocking it to the ground as she charged... but then crashed into an invisible wall, transparent ripples travelling through the air all around her as she snarled towards the other Chanter, who was holding up another symbol now.

She punched outwards as Zerrex convulsed on the ground, shattering the forcefield as blue energy erupted from her metallic fist, and the Chanter cursed as the rune in its hand exploded before it tore another free from the silver chain as the Strange Beast she had stunned slowly crawled up to its feet, shaking its head briskly before it vanished... then reappeared in front of Sabnock as she began to aim at the staff-wielding Chanter. The wolverine grimaced slightly, her eyes flicking downwards as she adjusted her aim only slightly downwards as the creature tried to leap onto her... and the arrow tore through its lower body in midair, knocking it backwards with a yelp onto all fours as it skittered away before Sabnock stepped forwards and neatly swung her golden bow out as it shone brightly, ripping its face almost completely in half and sending it slumping backwards before it exploded in a burst of neon fireworks in front of her.

Then Zerrex howled in agony again as the Chanter slammed the butt of the staff hard into his breast, dark energy exploding over his form before his eyes glowed emerald as he snarled, his metallic arm seizing the base of the staff: but no longer was it made of metal, but instead it was the ivory of polished bones, steel blade falling uselessly to the ground and immediately beginning to decay as flexible ivory talons clenched the wooden weapon, and he rasped: "If you want it so bad, then fine!"

Dark lightning zapped over the reptile's form before the Chanter was thrown backwards by a blast of black, toxic smog, the creature crashing onto its back with a grunt and rolling several times as broken bits of staff hailed down around it, and Cindy skidded to a halt in front of the dark cloud as the smoke slowly cleared, her father once more on his feet in a crater... but his scales had turned black, and bone plates covered his body: he had Inverted. For a moment, they looked at each other, the male's eyes glowing emerald... and then he flicked his hand out, black swords of energy appearing in the air around him and shooting past Cindy to crash into the Chanter holding the set of runes, pummeling it backwards as its eyes widened in horror before the dark swords exploded and ripped most of its body away, neon lightning sparking up from the creature before the rest of the Chanter self-destructed in a gory rain.

"I'm still me." Zerrex said quietly... and it was true. He felt... distant, detached now, except for the dark, terrible pleasure... but he couldn't sense or feel Negative anywhere, and the reptile turned slowly around to glare at Eratosthenes, spreading his arms and roaring as the surviving Chanter slowly crawled up to his feet. "I'm here, Error! Come and play!"

The Strange Beast, however, only laughed at this, holding up a rosary made from black rose petals as he shouted: "Oh, I much prefer to-"

Zerrex only rolled his eyes in disgust, however, immediately holding up his bony claw as it glowed purple before he made a savage yanking motion, and energy sparked around the Librarian before he screamed as he was ripped savagely through the air by an invisible force, flying off the building and then crashing to his face to skid some forty feet over the ground towards the Drakkaren before flipping over onto his back, his features dirty, bloody and bruised. The lizard grinned callously down at him, and then he only winced as the Chanter behind him fired a bolt of dark energy into his back, saying irritably: "Cindy, do you mind?"

Cindy only snorted, however, then she turned and leapt towards the Chanter as it winced and began to draw its hands back... but in a single, fluid motion, she hammered her fist down into it as she half turned, crushing it down to a kneel as blood exploded from its skull before her arm rotated around and she hammered her fist down into its arched back, snapping its spine loudly and crunching bones before it exploded in a burst of neon pink electricity.

Zerrex snorted at this, then he looked over at the remaining Strange Beast as he climbed to his feet, glowering in disgust as the Inverted Drakkaren slowly approached, bone plates shimmering over his form as he said darkly: "My temper is very short like this, Error, and my respect for life greatly diminished. I suggest you take this rare offer to flee or surrender before I kill you out of hand for being such a nuisance in my life."

Eratosthenes, however, only snarled and thrusted the black rose rosary towards the Inversion, making Zerrex recoil slightly in distaste as his bone claw flexed and the Strange Beast shouted: "Can you speak so confidently when I hold this in my hand? Submit to me, Naganis! You're the one who should surrender, I know your material weaknesses and-"

Then Zerrex snarled in anger and lashed his bone claw out, shredding the rosary and feeling a pang of not pain, but rage rise through him before his left hand shot out, seizing Error by the throat and lifting him off the ground as the Strange Beast gargled and grabbed at his arm with horror. "I am not the same weak Zerrex who cries when his pretty flowers are stepped on and is stuck in the past, in worthless memories! Don't you compare me to him!"

Then the lizard winced and gritted his teeth, clenching his eyes shut as he reached up to touch his forehead, forcing himself to regain control... and it gave the Strange Beast enough time to slam his feet hard into the reptile's chest, dislodging himself as the Inversion staggered backwards and then glared angrily towards the male before he gritted his teeth as the Strange Beast leapt backwards as Gateways ripped open on either side of him, Eratosthenes saying darkly: "Then it's a good thing I had a backup plan."

Vipers snarled and hissed as they emerged... but what drew the Drakkaren's eyes was the massive creature that lumbered out of the immense Gateway that opened beside the Librarian, the monster grinning and savage. It was at least thirty feet tall, with gorilla-like arms that rippled with enormous muscles and ended in thick, ugly fists. Its body was thick and powerful, genderless and naked as a long, thick tail swayed back and forth behind it, squat legs stomping against the ground as it straightened... but what was truly terrifying was the fact that while half of it was covered in deep purple and black scales, the other half was made of uneven layers of grey metal and quartz-like rock, jaggedly split down the middle as it surveyed them intently.

It grinned, revealing white-stone, ugly teeth that ground together as it straightened, jaundice yellow eyes looking over them eagerly as the four Vipers in front of the two hissed and snarled, before it licked its lips slowly with a thick, gluttonous tongue as its eyes locked on Cindy, saying in an animal, cruel voice: "Let Iron kill the bitch. Steel against steel. Fitting."

It shook its head from side to side, the thick black horns that jutted from either side of its skull glinting malevolently, both made of steel and stained with what could only be blood... and Eratosthenes smiled coldly after a moment as Zerrex and Cindy readied themselves. "Fine." He paused, then said softly: "Bring down the god alive, Guardians, but don't be afraid to break him into pieces if you have to."

Immediately, the four Vipers howled, their heads snapping back and forth eagerly as the creatures threw themselves towards the Drakkaren, sprinting and loping on all fours as the massive, half-metal Strange Beast charged towards Cindy, huge arms swinging: Cindy ran to meet him as Zerrex snarled in fury and simply glared at one of the Vipers as it approached, and one of its head was blown completely off, dark energy sizzling across its body balefully as it staggered backwards, but it did nothing to slow or deter the other three as they pounced eagerly onto the Inversion, slamming him onto his back and crushing him into the ground as their claws and fists rose and fell.

Cindy snarled as she swung both hands up and caught the monster's fists as it lashed out at her, and it laughed as their strength met, pushing against her as she grappled him, their bodies flexing and metal plates rippling against both of them as he leaned his serpent-like features in close, the monster's breath reeking of rot and poisoned earth as he rumbled: "Do you really think you can match me, invader bitch?"

"It's our home, not yours!" Cindy shoved him suddenly, and the monster grunted as he staggered backwards before she snarled as she slammed a fist across his face, but the monster only stumbled back a single step as his head twisted slightly to the side, his grin not faltering as Cindy snarled and flexed, her long tail snapping behind her as she hissed: "I stopped being scared a long time ago of monsters."

"Then Iron will make you afraid again." the Strange Beast stepped forwards, slamming one of its fists outwards, and Cindy howled in pain as she was knocked backwards, her metal scales crumpling away from her body where the creature's fist had contacted and leaving only raw flesh that bled copiously, clutching at the crater in her chest before blue energy sparked over her form, insulating and armoring her further as she lunged forwards as the creature began to draw its long arm back, seizing it by the face and slamming it muzzle-first down into the ground before she stomped hard on its muzzle, but the Strange Beast only laughed even as blood burst from its features, lunging away from her and back to its feet as it roared: "Yes, fight as hard as you can, fight and die, little girl!"

Zerrex snarled, blocking the claw of a Viper as he lay on the ground, his bony armor deflecting the worst of the damage they were doing before he seized the foot of one as it tried to stomp down and yanked it off balance, throwing it into two of the other creatures and sending the three crashing over like bowling pins before the Inversion leapt to his feet, seizing the last Viper by one of its throats and yanking it down as the long needle of bone shot from his ivory wrist, slamming this into the Strange Beast's chest and making it scream as dark energy shot down his limb, the jaws of the other head snapping convulsively at the air as black lightning was channeled directly into the monster, making its body bulge and warp before most of its upper body simply exploded backwards in a torrent of gore, dark energy, and foul-smelling smog tinged with neon electricity.

The reptile laughed as dark energy sizzled along his body, the needle withdrawing into his arm before he turned and seized the Strange Beast he had already torn the head from by the ankle, and it screamed and clawed against the ground before the reptile half-turned and slammed it down onto its back before he snarled, claws digging into its leg as it burst into black flames. It screamed, scales bubbling and neon electricity sparking over it as the other Vipers lunged at the lizard's back, but the Inversion only grinned savagely as he half-spun around, smashing both of the creatures backwards with the burning Strange Beast like it was a weapon and leaving dark scarring over their fronts before he slammed the monster down into the ground again, and something inside it cracked loudly as neon shocks burst along its form... then quickly settled as the black flames greedily consumed its body, devouring the energized blood of the corpse before it could explode.

The lizard turned his eyes to the two surviving Vipers as they looked uncertainly at each other... and then a blade of light shot past, slicing the lizard's arm open and making him snarl before he howled in agony as lasers of light hailed down around him through the sky, ripping narrow cuts through his scales and ripping his bone armor as Error held his hands out with a snarl, shouting angrily: "Get him, get him now!"

One of the Vipers began to lunge forwards... and an icy arrow slammed into its side before frost rapidly spread along it, the creature squealing as it stumbled to a halt. Immediately, Eratosthenes glared over at Sabnock, raising his hand to redirect his spell as needle-like lasers of light began to form, but the wolverine simply took aim at him in return and fired a single arrow that smashed into his skull, knocking him backwards with a scream of pain as neon blood exploded from the wound and ice rapidly spread over his face, knocking him flat on his back as he was blinded temporarily by frost and his spell whiffed out of existence.

Zerrex cursed as he was tackled to the ground before he shoved both hands up against the Viper's chest, and large spikes of black energy appeared through its body, neon blood splashing out of the wounds as the creature screamed... and then its howls were matched by the screams of another, and the Inversion's eyes looked with shock to see Cindy's face slowly being crushed under the metallic hoof of the massive, monstrous half-steel, half-flesh Strange Beast, the creature bruised but Cindy's metallic scales all but melted, laying broken on her back as blood ran from one of her eyes and her mouth, convulsing weakly...

The Inversion vanished from beneath the Viper as the spikes of dark energy in its body exploded, sending it rocketing upwards before it burst into neon fireworks in midair, and a moment later, Zerrex reappeared on the back of the immense Strange Beast, his needle extended before he slammed this down into the creature's neck. The monster rasped in surprise, gritting his teeth and stumbling back a step before it swung a fist upwards, clawing at the Inversion... but Zerrex vanished again before he reappeared beside Cindy, grasping one of her metallic shoulders and yanking her backwards, dark energy sparking over her frame as she rapidly shrank down at the same time as she was pulled backwards, her eyes fluttering open as she looked up at the bone-masked face of her father and whispered: "You... you saved me..."

"I'm still me." Zerrex said quietly; and although the rage, the savage pleasure, the darkness inside him didn't vanish, it dulled down enough for him to clearly feel his emotions again as he took one of Cindy's metallic hands, her naked, broken body bleeding slowly beneath him as he looked up coldly at the Strange Beast as it gave a cold, disgusted laugh, clapping its hands slowly as a bit of blood leaked from the hole in the side of its throat. The Viper prowled hesitantly back and forth at the sidelines, simply watching, not daring to step into the confrontation as Sabnock and Eratosthenes both turned their attention to the giant and the Inversion that was protecting his daughter.

"How pathetic. Iron could crush you like a fly." the monster said in a disgusted voice, and then he slammed his metallic hand against his chest, grinning darkly as he asked coldly: "Did you expect your puny little needle to hurt me, tiny creature?"

"No." Zerrex replied coldly as he flicked his wrist, the needle sinking back into his bony arm before he grinned savagely. "I just needed a sample of your energy signature."

The reptile's eyes glowed, and dark energy flashed over the flesh-and-blood side of the massive Strange Beast's body before it erupted into black flames, then simply went up in a huge explosion of torrential dark energy, vaporizing flesh and scale as chunks of steel and rock pattered down in all directions, the earth rumbling beneath their feet as the Viper was thrown to the ground by the force of the blast and Error staggered in horror, his eyes wide as dark flames and electricity crackled through the air. Yet, even before the black smog cleared, Zerrex knew something was wrong as he stared at the slowly-dissipating cloud... and inside it, something was clanking slowly.

The smoke lifted, revealing the grinning monstrosity, its eyes nothing but terrible, glowing pits of light in its face, its flesh missing but a metallic skeleton beneath this revealed and unharmed, the silver sparking as some kind of viscous, ugly sludge slowly rolled over its body from the mostly-undamaged metallic side of its frame. Its ribs were an almost solid box, and it simply had no visible lower organs, at least not in the fleshy side of its form... and even Inverted, Zerrex could only stare in shocked horror as metal hand clapped against silver-bones, making that slow clanking sound as it rasped: "What a pathetic display... all that power, and all you can do is waste it with flashy displays of useless force... Iron will rip your scales from your bones and show you how power should be used, traitor..."

Zerrex snarled... and then Cindy reached up and touched his arm, whispering quietly: "I need you to... heal... me... we have to fight him together."

The Drakkaren knew what she was really asking... and he grimaced, but then looked up and snarled as he saw that strange, mud-like stuff spreading over the monster's bones was transforming itself, filling his sockets and solidifying into ugly yellow eyes, hardening over his bones as it became flesh and muscle and scale... and then he nodded, the bone spike tearing out of his wrist before he slammed it home into Cindy's chest, and she screamed as the Strange Beast laughed and pointed at them. "So scared of Iron you kill your own daughter? You are either merciful or a coward!'

Dark energy sparked over Cindy's form, the female convulsing on the ground as Zerrex gritted his teeth, injecting corruption into her body... and then he withdrew the needle, a last spark of terrible energy travelling over her form before she rolled onto all fours, moaning as black veins visibly pulsed even through her half-melted scales. The Strange Beast laughed again... and then it snorted as its body healed, the last of the sludge transforming into flesh and scale as it rumbled: "Break is over. Iron will kill you now."

It stomped forwards... and then halted, eyes widening as Cindy roared, her metallic scales pulsing with dark energy as her body expanded again in size, snarling and bucking as her long tail snapped back and forth. Her hands grew disproportionate, becoming rending, savage claws as her teeth became too large for her muzzle, wings of white energy ripping out of her back before they slowly turned black and ragged, like dark streamers that twisted and writhed behind her as her eyes glowed terrible, unholy deep blue... and the monster snorted as dark energy pulsed over the female's form as her wounds healed, saying disgustedly: "Please."

It rose a hand... and Cindy screamed and staggered backwards as her metallic scales began to melt visibly, the creature showing a terrible ability to control metal... before Cindy grinned savagely, her features corrupted and warped, but her scales no longer flowing like wax as dark lightning sparked over them, and the creature hissed before the female lunged suddenly forwards, and Iron snarled as he swung a fist out, punching her backwards but cursing in pain as dark lightning sparked down his arm at contact with her.

Cindy roared at him, spittle flying from her jaws as her white hair came undone, falling around her body like a ghostly aura as Zerrex ran towards the creature... and then he snarled as it swung a fist out, catching the huge hand against both his forearms before shoving it hard down into the ground, and the Strange Beast cursed before he snarled when the Viper lunged eagerly in, turning his attention away to smash the Viper angrily aside as he roared: "Iron does not need your help, Guardian, they are-"

Then the monster roared in surprise as Cindy seized his leg and yanked it out from beneath him, ripping deep claw marks through his body and sending up a spray of thick, strange masking muck before she leapt onto his back, ripping a swathe through his spine as Zerrex stepped forwards and slammed his ivory fist into the metallic side of Iron's skull, shattering the metallic, layered plates and cracking the creature's horn before it reached up and seized Cindy, yanking her off and throwing her hard into the Drakkaren. The two were sent bowling backwards, and the Strange Beast snarled in fury as it loomed over them, raising both fists... and then icy arrows smashed along its metal side, the creature hissing as frost spread over it before Cindy lunged like an animal, roaring and ripping her claws against the suddenly-frozen metal to shatter the brittle steel, black ooze and mud-like ichors splattering outwards as Iron staggered backwards and screamed as he hugged himself, the Strange Beast looking horrified as Cindy landed on all fours and grinned over her shoulder before Zerrex created a sword of dark energy as his eyes locked onto the vulnerable break in the monster's armor-

Iron vanished from the spot just as the black sword shot through the air, uselessly smashing into the ground and sending up a dark explosion of energy that only made Cindy and Zerrex wince... and then they both looked towards Eratothenes, Iron crouched beside him and gasping, bleeding from the mouth and the broken chunk in his side, a Gateway already opened beside the Librarian as he snarled: "This isn't over! I'll be back!"

Zerrex rose a hand towards him, his eyes flashing... but the Strange Beast fled too quickly into the portal, and Iron loped in behind him, looking both furious and humiliated as he too vanished into the Gateway. That left only the Viper behind... but it was simply laying on the ground in a heap, and the lizard looked at this with disgust, not feeling like killing it even in his Inverted state... before he grimaced when Cindy pounced on it like a beast and turned it over, snarling down into its eyes as her own glowed darkly before the reptile said quietly: "Enough."

Cindy looked up immediately, then it hissed at the Viper, and one of the Viper's heads weakly snarled back... before the female slowly forced herself to rise to both feet, trudging towards Zerrex and rasping quiet breaths in and out as it nuzzled against the Inversion's neck. Zerrex looked at her silently, and then he grasped her side gently with his bone hand, sending energy pulsing through her... and she arched her back, clenching her eyes shut before her eyes lost their feverish, corrupt glow, and her body slowly shrank down and returned to normal, metallic scales falling here and there away as she grasped at her face, shivering a bit, naked and hugging herself before she sat down and mumbled: "Fuck."

The Inversion smiled a bit down at her... and then Zerrex grasped at his forehead as his body trembled, reality flickering around him... and a moment later, he was once more himself, breathing hard in and out. He had used up a lot of strength while Inverted, and now all the emotional load, all the stress he'd put on his body came crushing onto him as he groaned and sat down beside her, as naked as the female... and they leaned against each other as Sabnock walked towards them, saying in her serious, quiet voice as her eyes glanced to the side: "That monster didn't share the same qualities as other Strange Beasts."

"No, really?" Zerrex said blandly, and Sabnock sighed and touched her forehead as if for patience, the reptile blushing a bit as he looked embarrassedly up at her. "Sorry. Also, can you turn around or something while I get some pants or something?"

"Nudity doesn't bother me. Nor does sex. It simply isn't one of my greater interests." Sabnock replied dryly, letting her eyes look measuringly along the Drakkaren before she returned her gaze to his face, saying quietly: "The creature called itself Iron, did it not? It bore a strong resemblance to a Primordial in power and in appearance."

"Yeah, but it still creeps me out." Zerrex muttered as he held a hand out, and he grimaced as a stack of messy clothes appeared on the ground. Cindy reached out and picked up the top shirt, and she frowned a bit at the holes and small tears in the material, Zerrex grimacing a bit himself even as he said awkwardly: "Sorry. I'm low power. Concentration's shot and... yeah."

Cindy only grunted and nodded, slipping the shirt on without complaint and adjusting the material lightly against her body as Zerrex grabbed a pair of pants. He began to wiggle into them on his butt, not wanting to stand up and ignoring the problem posed by his thick tail as he sighed a bit, then glanced up at the wolverine as she simply continued to regard him silently. "Half-Strange Beast, half-Primordial? Do you even think that's possible?"

"We saw it before our own eyes, did we not? Only fools disregard what their senses tell them because it doesn't seem possible." Sabnock replied quietly as Zerrex finally got to his feet and wheezed as he carefully slipped his tail through the hole in the back of his jeans, grumbling the entire time as Cindy did the same process with the same amount of complaining.

Then the male looked up, and he said flatly: "Stage magicians and illusionists perform impossible feats all the time. It looks like magic but it really isn't."

"They distract and we allow ourselves to be distracted. We perceive what they are doing; we simply don't wish to see the entirety of the trick and lose the illusion that what they have performed is true magic." Sabnock replied calmly, and then she reached out and gently touched the Drakkaren's bicep when he slowly got up to his feet. "Don't."

The lizard looked at her embarrassedly as Cindy leaned against him with a wheeze, and he knew she was telling him to relax before he held up a finger and opened his muzzle, and then slowly closed it when Sabnock looked flatly at him. "Zerrex, I am not nearly as fatigued as either of you after what you've both gone through. I have more than enough strength to open a vortex for the four of us, as I assume we'll be taking that incapacitated Strange Beast as well."

Zerrex grimaced a bit: he'd forgotten about the Viper in his tiredness, looking over at it... and it seemed oddly crushed and humbled. Finally, he nodded hesitantly, and then he walked over towards the Strange Beast, patting one of its head firmly... and it nipped at him, snarling a bit but otherwise not moving, and the Drakkaren grimaced in distaste. "It's times like this I wish I could just call Celeste and make her appear, or I had Marina's powers of telepathically-knowing-everything."

The Drakkaren booted the Viper bad-temperedly in the head, and it hissed at him grouchily and then rolled over, slowly getting up to its feet as the Drakkaren winced and held his hands up: the monster was wounded, blood smeared over its chest, one head hanging limp and neon lightning sparking over its body... but Zerrex was drained as well, and all too well-aware of how nasty and powerful the Strange Beasts could be, especially when pushed into a corner.

Before the creature could do anything, however, icy bands formed around its wrists and waist, locking its arms against its sides as it hissed and struggled weakly for a moment before squealing as Sabnock pointed at it and its wounds visibly pulsed, one reopening as neon blood dribbled down its body, sparking weakly as the wolverine said quietly: "You may not fully comprehend my words, but we do know you understand gesture and tone. Understand that I can and will kill you if you fight."

The Viper hissed and shuddered, but then it slouched visibly... and Zerrex wheezed a bit in relief before he grabbed its forearm. It immediately glared down at him, the limp head snapping its jaws weakly, but it otherwise didn't protest as Sabnock instead pointed forwards, saying quietly as a vortex slowly opened: "Come then, Lord Zerrex. To debriefing in the Central Spire."

"This is why I hate working with you, you're over-professional." Zerrex mumbled, but he nodded, leading the Strange Beast towards the vortex as it stared into the swirling white tunnel. Cindy followed next, and Sabnock came last, keeping them moving at a swift pace until they stepped out onto the balcony... and Zerrex grimaced as Ixin and several Amazon guards immediately stormed out onto the balcony, opening another portal.

"Come on, come on, come on, prisoner transfer!" the mage shouted cheerfully, and the Strange Beast almost whined in its throat as the Amazons poked it forcefully towards a dark portal with spears, making Zerrex wince a bit: he knew they looked and acted like animals, but they had something going on upstairs in their strange minds... and Ixin paused as he caught the lizard's look as the Amazons herded the creature through the portal, the mage looking curiously at the reptile before he sighed and rolled his eyes, saying flatly: "Oh stop that. I'm not going to dissect the fucking thing, last time I tried that the Viper blew up on me and that really wasn't fun... I. Okay. I see you're not in the mood for humor so. I'm. Going to go and get Celeste now."

Ixin winced at the dark look Zerrex gave him, hurrying through the portal before it closed... and then the Drakkaren grimaced as Sabnock walked past and headed into the Throne Room, sighing and following after a moment with Cindy, the two wearily looking towards Vivien as Sabnock half-bowed to the High Queen. "We were successful in driving back the Strange Beast incursion, although we do have a report to make regarding the events. Was the situation being monitored?"

"Yes, Sabnock." Vivien glanced back and forth, and Zerrex was somewhat surprised to see that Selena and Mercy were both present, although Lily and Amiglion were still gone. Around the round table, a few other faces were here as well, but none the Drakkaren knew well off the top of his head: Archmages and military advisors, he thought. "Ixin mentioned you battled a creature that resembled a Primordial."

Sabnock gave Zerrex a long look, and the Drakkaren sighed and slapped his forehead, muttering: "Okay, okay. You win, happy?" Then he grimaced a bit, glancing towards Vivien as he added awkwardly: "And the Strange Beast that seemed to be in charge of them was the one that I ran into in the Unworld. Except his information on me was a little mixed-up this time... he apparently thought I was more vulnerable to black roses after Inversion, instead of like I... am now."

The reptile awkwardly gestured at himself, and Vivien nodded slowly, saying quietly: "Still, the fact he knows about your weaknesses at all is concerning... almost as daunting as this Primordial he has working for him. Normally they're uncontrollable, as you are well-aware of yourself."

"No, it wasn't a pure Primordial." Zerrex grimaced and shook his head quickly, and now Vivien frowned a bit as Mercy tilted her own head curiously. "It was... it was half-Strange Beast, half-Primordial. I already had an argument with Sabnock about how this was impossible, which is why she just gave me that horrible 'I-told-you-so' look, and I know how hard it is to believe, but... I dunno if it was fused synthetically with a Primordial, or if it was... born that way, however Strange Beasts are born... but it was definitely a mix of the two. I think that's why it was listening to Error the Librarer."

Vivien gave him a flat look, and the reptile cleared his throat, rubbing at his face awkwardly before the female asked softly, as Selena winced: "Do you need a period of relaxation in the Deep Temple from your Inversion?"

"No, no... I used up so much energy that I do need to lay down, but... I don't think I'll have to Invert for at least another week or so." Zerrex grimaced a bit, rubbing slowly at his face before he tiredly approached the table, yanking a chair out and sitting down it in. Then he grunted as Cindy flopped herself down in his lap, while Sabnock simply continued to calmly stand, her bow vanishing from her hand. "Vivien, order Sabnock to sit down. She's worse than Serenity."

"I'm fine, Lord Zerrex, please concern yourself with your own well-being." Sabnock replied mildly, and then she held out a hand, a silver pocketwatch appearing in this as she looked down at it and said calmly: "But I would like to finish this debriefing quickly. I have a court case to judge in two hours' time and much to prepare for it."

The Drakkaren looked moodily over at Sabnock at this as Cindy quietly curled herself up in her father's lap and began to snore almost immediately, and the reptile absently rubbed a hand along her back as Vivien scowled a little. Before she could scold them, however, he leaned to the side, asking half-teasingly, half-moodily: "So I never knew you could sing, Sabnock."

At this, the wolverine almost dropped her watch, fumbling it for a moment before she flicked her hand to the side, and it vanished before she crossed her arms and looked warily at Zerrex. Immediately, Selena began to gesture violently at the Drakkaren, but the reptile ignored her as he looked mildly at the Order Devil and she looked coolly back despite... is that a blush in her cheeks? "That was not singing."

"That was definitely singing." Zerrex said mildly, and now Vivien winced, unconsciously mimicking Selena as she gestured violently at the lizard for him to shut up as well. The lizard, however, was too busy looking evenly at the wolverine as she gazed back, her teeth gritting slightly as her eyes narrowed.

For a moment it looked as if Sabnock was ready to encase Zerrex and the unfortunate, snoozing Cindy in a block of ice... and then a small smile quirked at her muzzle, and she said softly: "You're incorrigible, aren't you?"

"And fearless. Stupid, yes, but fearless too." Zerrex smiled at her, looking both relieved and curious, and then he cocked his head towards her and Sabnock shook her own slightly, gazing at him distastefully for a few moments as she hesitated.

Finally, however, she said in a calm and courteous voice: "As I'm sure you've picked up with your nasty habit of gossiping and digging into people's pasts, my father was a Reaper. Before his... before he... before... the Reapers took back their own... he taught me how to sing. I used to sing often when my parents were... here. Now I only sing when it is required for battle."

Zerrex looked at the wolverine, surprised by how difficult it was for her to form the words, to talk about death when she was a Judge who presided over living demons and lost souls and controlled the fates of both... and then he softened as he realized how much she must have loved them, as her eyes locked with his, the faint, uncomfortable tinge still at her collar before Zerrex decided to simply be bold, saying quietly: "For a wise old devil you can be a little silly, you know. If you want to honor them, you should use the gifts they gave you. You have a beautiful voice."

Sabnock looked at him quietly... and then she walked forwards and gently stroked her hand through Zerrex's hair affectionately before simply turning and walking out, and Selena gaped at him as Vivien looked uncomprehendingly at the lizard, then at Sabnock's retreating back, before the Order Devil opened a portal and vanished through it without looking back.

Then Selena covered her mouth and began to giggle stupidly as Vivien glowered at the Drakkaren, pointing at him and shouting loudly enough to make Cindy jerk awake: "Stop trying to get in the pants of every fucking female you meet!"

"Vivien, what are you talking about? If Sabnock got laid on a regular basis she might actually develop a personality." Selena countered, and then she winced away when the Celestial Devil glared at her angrily. "It's not my fault I don't get along all the time with her, you know. I'm a Passion, she's an Order Devil, we're opposites. Also, it's obvious her husband never gives her any. He kind of can't."

"I've never even seen Sabnock's husband." Zerrex said mildly, and then he winced when Vivien scowled at him. "What? What?"

"That's because her husband is paralyzed from the neck down and stays in bed all the time at Sabnock's estate." Vivien said icily, and Zerrex stared at her in shock before the Celestial Devil frowned at him. "Wait, you've known her for how many years and never knew this?"

"She never talks about herself. Ever. She's... more private than I am." Zerrex replied quietly, and then he smiled a bit, adding quietly: "Look, I'm not going to sleep with Sabnock, okay? Are you satisfied?"

"Might do her some good. Besides, we all know her real husband is her work." Selena muttered, and then she winced when Vivien reached out and smacked her, rubbing awkwardly at one of her horns. "Okay, okay, okay, I'll stop. We get along in council, isn't that enough for you?"

"No." Vivien said darkly, and then she glared over at Zerrex as Cindy yawned a bit and straightened, stretching slowly in his lap. "Will you two be professional?"

Cindy only looked blearily at Vivien for a moment, and then she curled herself back against her father's chest as she mumbled: "I'm professional three-hundred and sixty days of the years, Vivien. You can afford to let me spend one council meeting resting in my father's lap after having my body literally melted."

The Celestial Devil glowered but hesitated to respond to this, and Zerrex quickly stepped in, changing the subject as he said dryly: "Listen, I'm. Exhausted, and I want to get this over and done with. Error is obviously head-honcho of the Strange Beasts, or at least a big group of them. Celeste, maybe, can tell us more about... Iron, he called himself, if you talk to her. She seems to know everything about the First Gods and what they were involved in, but Gods know when Iron came about... and we did encounter a new kind of Strange Beast as well. Very animal, very savage."

"Phase Hounds." Cindy yawned, and Zerrex looked down at her with surprise as she nestled against him, mumbling: "Well, they acted a lot like Blink Dogs, except they were a lot faster and deadlier. They also seemed to have perfect control over when and where they teleported, which Blink Dogs can't always do."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, then glanced up at Vivien as she shook her head slowly. "So even though you're the ones who embattled these creatures... you're basically telling me to go and speak to Celeste, who still has a bad habit of reading the minds and emotions of other creatures, is that right?"

"She should be with Ixin by now." Zerrex said helpfully, and Vivien sighed and rubbed at her temples slowly, before the Drakkaren asked dumbly: "Can I go sleep now?"

"Zerrex, you insolent..." Vivien gritted her teeth, glaring at him, but then Mercy gently touched her arm and looked at her pointedly, and the Celestial Devil sighed and slumped, pointing away from the table. The male wheezed with relief as he picked up Cindy in his arms as she smiled tiredly, carrying her towards the door and limping a bit... and then he winced as Vivien looked up from the table, resting her face in her hand and saying quietly towards his back: "I'd prefer you staying in Elysium for the next while. I'll need to talk to you again when you feel better, about this and... other matters requiring attention."

Zerrex grimaced at the sound of this, but then he looked down and nodded slowly before saying quietly: "Alright, High Queen Vivien. I'll stick around then." He paused and smiled over his shoulder, then winced at the scowl on her face before deciding to hurry onwards, heading out to the balcony and mumbling a thank-you to Cindy when she tiredly rose an arm and created a black portal, the reptile passing through this to stumble into the main hall of the Ravenlight Estate.

The reptile yawned quietly as he walked towards the main stairs, staggering his way up them with a grumble as Cindy pushed her face against his chest, and the Drakkaren barely managed to wobble his way up to the second floor before Cindy reached blindly out and fumbled at the handle, shoving it open for him. He mumbled a thank-you, then strode down the hallway, feeling exhausted before he finally reached his ajar door and shoved his way into his room, kicking the door closed behind him and then stepping out of his boots as he half-tossed, half-lowered Cindy to the bed, the female grumbling a bit and flopping weakly to the side as she kicked off her boots and pulled off her ripped shirt.

Zerrex gladly slid into bed, pulling the blankets up and out from beneath Cindy and tossing them over them both, wrestling with the female for a moment as they both tugged at the blanket before she finally curled her back against him and he wrapped his arms around her waist, their heads resting on the same pillow and muzzles resting overtop one-another's before the female murmured softly: "Can I... will you spread a bit more corruption into me? I know you can still do it like this, you just don't like to..."

"Cindy..." Zerrex grumbled tiredly, and she blushed a bit as she snuggled herself back against him, the male muttering: "Look at you. I already reshaped you, years ago... into someone completely different from who you had once been. It never fails to amaze me how Cherry gets so goddamn jealous of you and Daria... when all you ever want is to emulate her."

Cindy blushed and pushed herself back against his chest, murmuring quietly: "I know, Daddy, but it's... complicated. And I... I'll never stop wanting to be more like her, and more like you. The corruption... causes physiological changes. I know, I know; the stuff empowers us, heals us, but it warps us, too, brings out primal instincts, accelerates genetic mutation and stimulates certain functions, and... it's addictive, in a word. It takes over our minds. We start to crave it, to need it... the entire design of the corruption becomes obvious. It enslaves us even further to your will... and don't think I haven't noticed the changes on Cherry. I've seen every inch of her body, I know you give her regular doses."

Zerrex blushed deeply, and Cindy smiled faintly, silently crossing her hands over her chiseled frame to grasp his own hands quietly, murmuring: "I'm sorry, Father, that's... that came out much harsher than I intended. What I mean is... I want to share in that, too."

"But Cherry is my darkness. You were always my shining, radiant light, Cindy." Zerrex said quietly, and then Cindy laughed quietly and squeezed his hands slowly, the reptile gazing down at her silently.

"I tarnished that a long time ago, Father. I betrayed your memories, your trust... as it is, I still don't feel worthy to call myself your daughter." Cindy murmured softly, and then she shook her head slowly. "And even at my best and brightest, Daddy... I could never be as innocent and pure as Mercy, who despite the fact she takes after you in so many ways still... she's still so pure and kind. Or Naganen... so good, so light, so wonderful, that even Negative would never raise a hand to him. I feel like I may have been the prototype for your new children, Father... but I was never as innocent or dedicated as some of them. I was a mortal. And as we all know, mortals are bigger fools than demons and have harder heads than angels."

"Cindy..." Zerrex quietly kissed the back of her skull, but Cindy only snuggled herself closer, smiling awkwardly as she half-glanced over her shoulder at him embarrassedly.

"It's true, Daddy. Besides, as special as you always made me feel... I only started feeling truly special, truly unique, truly in-place after you changed me." Cindy said softly, looking down and still smiling faintly. "And why is that such a surprise, honestly? You do everything for me. You've always protected me. I've always been your little girl... in a way, Cherry's little girl, too. She strives so hard to look after me, after all... she really does a good job of taking care of me."

She glanced aside, then pressed her back slowly against Zerrex, murmuring softly: "And besides. Who else do I have in the universe? Marina can be so distant, as much as I love her... and my real mother, my blood mother... well, you know how difficult that is for me."

Zerrex nodded a bit, holding Cindy quietly close: Cindy had been born of rape, although it was only by chance that she and Zerrex had met countless years ago now. It had taken her a long time, longer than most people would understand, for her to come to terms with who her father was despite her smiling façade... but the Drakkaren was thankful every day that she had forgiven him, she had accepted who she was... and they were able to love each other, as family, and as more.

Cindy's mother, on the other hand, had been unhappy with her daughter seeming to 'give in' to the male who had raped her... even though Jessica Delacroix truly had loved her daughter and wanted her only to be happy. The last straw, however, had really been when Cindy had given herself to Zerrex as a Disciple: she hated what her daughter had become, and the simmering disgust and anger that had burned for literally millions of years had all come to the surface during Cindy's last visit to her mother in Heaven, five years ago. She had presented Cindy with a choice: to be purified in Heaven, or to go back and stay in Hell with the rabble she had fallen in with.

The Drakkaren understood Jessica's rage and dislike of him all too well: he had raped her, after all, and hurt her awfully. Then after she had died, to her it likely looked like he had seduced his daughter, deep as he had cared from her from the very beginning. She had been forced to watch her daughter growing up in the arms of a male she hated, and then watch as they made love, and eventually married. If anything, he thought she had even more right to hate him than Jeannine did to hate Lone.

Still, she and Cindy had gotten along awkwardly but not unhappily when Cindy had gone to Heaven and become an angel herself... and she had survived the corruption of the angels, the Merge, and all the other events to befall their interlocked worlds. Jessica was stronger than she looked, and had made a name for herself as a Priestess in Heaven who helped run a Female's Shelter and several of the female-oriented charities. Zerrex and Jessica had met several times, and she had been polite, if scathing in tone.

And as often happened after Jessica and Cindy got into a fight, she had sent a telegram a few months back humbly asking for Cindy to come visit. Jessica loved her daughter dearly, even if she didn't always understand her... but Cindy was tired of drama and of Heaven's politics and maybe even a little tired of her own mother. Not that she didn't love her: only that she felt out of place in Jessica's home now, found it hard to respect every one of her wishes, and disliked the fact that every time they met these days, it ended in an argument.

The Drakkaren squeezed her close, and then he said softly: "Corruption won't fix that, Cindy, won't help block that pain out... it'll just make it worse in some ways, I think. Why don't we just sleep for now? Next time I Invert, you... you can come to the Deep Temple with me, maybe."

Cindy nodded a bit at this, satisfied with the compromise as she murmured softly: "Alright. Maybe it's just the craving talking, anyway..." She closed her eyes and nestled herself back against him a bit, and there was silence for a little while as they both breathed softly and regularly, neither sleeping before she said finally: "Should I go see Mom again?"

"Cindy... that's not a question I can really answer for you." Zerrex said quietly, kissing the back of her neck softly, and Cindy smiled a bit as she glanced over her shoulder at him, making the reptile sigh before he nodded hesitantly. "Yeah. I think... I think you should. I still regret that... with my mother..."

He fell quiet, and Cindy nodded a bit before she squeezed one of his hands gently, murmuring: "Alright Daddy. But I want you to come with me, too, when I do go. I want her to accept that you've changed, and that you're part of my family now. I want to get all this behind us."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, but he remained silent as he held her close, closing his eyes as he wondered silently if he ever really did change... or if he was just going to end up repeating the mistakes of his past over and over again, if he was only going to become worse instead of better as he thought silently of the looming evils of Negative.

The reptile yawned to himself as he sat back-to-back with Cherry, absently beating a tattoo against his knees before he complained: "I'm bored. Why are we here again?"

Cherry rumbled in agreement, then she muttered under her breath and lightly beat the back of her head against the male's skull. They sat together in a small, plain-looking den room on a leather-bound footrest that was barely big enough to support the two of them, a fire crackling quietly away in the fireplace only a few feet away and the rest of the room dominated by cozy furniture and several mounted trophies.

This was Vivien's home, and they had been brought up to this den room by a butler some forty minutes ago while Vivien 'finished preparing herself for her guests.' For the first half hour Cherry and Zerrex had amused themselves by making lewd sexual puns based around this, but now they were both quickly losing what little patience they had left as boredom dug its way through their skulls and Zerrex fidgeted absently.

Cherry, of course, had been frustrated that Cindy and Sabnock and Zerrex had gotten into a large brawl without her... but the reptile was glad she had stayed with Naganen. His son needed protection, after all, and she had been able to bring him back to Acheron after he was done spending time with Equinox... and she had also been kind enough to run back and forth, letting everyone know that Zerrex would be in Elysium for the next few days while Cindy had gone up to help the angels of Heaven continue to examine the Centrifuge.

Zerrex had mostly spent the last few days calming himself down and trying to relax a bit: and he absently pulled his prayer beads out of his pocket, beginning to play with them slowly as Cherry crossed her arms beneath her breasts and mumbled: "This is really fucking stupid, you know that? The bitch is just power tripping now."

"Oh she is not. You and I both know Vivien's as bad as Lily when it comes to care and maintenance of the kingdom, doesn't get that everything won't fall apart if she's not there to tend to it for five minutes." Zerrex muttered, and then he sighed a bit, adding morbidly: "I haven't gotten to see Lily or Selena much this last while, you know. Vivien's always keeping them busy, and since I go back and forth all the time... ugh, I have travelling. I really do."

"You hate not sleeping in your own damn bed, is what you hate." Cherry elbowed him in the back, and Zerrex grunted before throwing his own elbow backwards, hitting something solid and making the female wheeze. "Oh fuck you. Anyway, it's your own damn fault for marrying so many chicks. Or maybe its Selena's for marrying that clingy bitch Aluinnia or Lily's for being such a workaholic."

Zerrex rolled his eyes at this, and then he grimaced when Cherry shoved herself back against him, pushing firmly back and grinding his feet against the ground before he sighed and slumped a bit, mumbling under his breath. Then he finally glanced over his shoulder, asking: "So did you ever know about Sabnock's husband?"

"Dude, why are you asking me? I don't know shit about anyone. I don't know Lily's birthday, or why Selena's such a cunt sometimes, and I don't even remember when my anniversary with Cindy is." She paused, then said lamely: "Please don't tell her that. She'll kill my face off if she finds out those last few anniversary gifts weren't actually for her, they were just shit that I kinda sorta bought on a whim, stuffed in the closet, and then pretended were surprises for her when anniversary time came around."

Zerrex sighed and shook his head a bit at this, and then the female added quietly, as she rubbed their backs slowly together: "But seriously, I'm surprised Lily or Selena never told you. I mean, it's pretty obvious they knew at least, after all... Selena trained under Sabnock or something for a little while, right? That's part of why they hate each other, right?"

"They don't hate each other, at least... not anymore." Zerrex said finally, and then he grimaced. "And well, I can understand that it's not exactly a subject that's easy to breach. You know, you can't just be sitting with someone and then say 'oh by the way, that chick who wears the suits is married to a dude who can't move.'"

"Is this what you two are like when you're alone?" asked a sour voice, and Cherry and Zerrex both squawked and looked over the doorway in shock to see Vivien standing in it, dressed in a black dress with a golden necklace hanging around her throat. Her ivory features were tense and irritable, her eyes glowing slightly as her long hair floated around her shoulders, and then she sighed as she walked into the room, shaking her head slowly and leaning on the back of the couch as she said dryly: "We were respecting her privacy, that's all. She never told you, so why should we?"

"Because I have more than once made a handicap joke around her." Zerrex said lamely, holding up a hand, and Vivien rolled her eyes as Cherry grunted in agreement, then hopped to her feet and moodily crossed her arms, peering at the Celestial Devil distrustfully. "Anyway, what did you call us here for?"

"I bet it wasn't sex. Although that would be hot." Cherry grinned and leered at the female, and then she squeaked when Vivien snapped her fingers and her collar glowed violently as it tightened, energy sparking around it as the hermaphrodite gagged and fell over.

Zerrex looked meditatively at Cherry as she writhed and gargled on the ground, flailing wildly, and then he rolled his eyes and glowered at the Celestial Devil as her eyes glowed and the collar slowly continued to tighten. "Please stop choking her, she enjoys that way too much."

Vivien winced in distaste immediately, the glow fading as Cherry wheezed loudly and sat up with a grumble, and then the reptile smiled slightly as he asked dryly: "So, going to answer my question or not?"

The female hesitated... but then she finally sighed and nodded, squeezing the back of the couch slowly as she said quietly: "Several things. For one, the Strange Beast incursions that are growing worse and worse... for another, these murders... and of course, your daughter Epiphany and the danger she could pose if she goes out of control."

Zerrex looked less-than-pleased at this last subject, and Cherry snorted as she crossed her arms, rubbing at her throat and becoming more serious as she said quietly: "Babe, a lot of times in the past I made the mistake of doubting Zerrex's judgment and the other members of this family. But so far, the only fuckers who have gone wrong are Aether and Crow... even my son, my little baby boy Markus, he did some bad shit when he was a kid but he grew up spectacular. Don't you ever say shit like that, 'cause I won't stand for it."

"I say what I have to say, Cherry, even when other people don't want to hear it. Especially when other people don't want to hear it." Vivien replied calmly, looking coldly at the muscular female. "Believe it or not, I don't want to think about it either. Not just because Epiphany is so powerful taming her would require an immense amount of force: but because, Lucifer curse you, I do care about you all."

Cherry shifted awkwardly at this, looking away and rubbing at her face as Zerrex looked quietly up at Vivien, and then both females looked at him with surprise as he said softly: "If Epiphany ever did... go bad, I'll deal with her myself. It will be my fault and my responsibility. Otherwise, I don't want to talk about the subject, understood, Vivien?"

Vivien snarled a bit at him as their eyes met, energy almost seeming to spark between them for a few moments... but then she gritted her teeth and nodded, muttering: "The way you talk to me sometimes you'd think that you were the High King of Hell, and I was just your handmaiden."

"The way you talk to me sometimes you'd think you didn't know me half as well as you do." Zerrex retorted icily, and Vivien looked stung before they glared at each other again... and then Cherry cleared her throat and headed for the door, holding her hands up and carefully slipping out of the room as the two watched her silently leave. Then they returned to glaring at each other before Zerrex sighed and rubbed at his face, asking tiredly: "Alright, what about this other stuff?"

Vivien walked around the couch and stepped in front of Zerrex, then she slapped him firmly, the reptile wincing before he snarled as he stood up and shoved her backwards, the two glaring at each other angrily before he shouted, as he squeezed his prayer beads tight in his hand: "Gods, what the hell do you want from me, an apology? What did I do to you?"

And the female stepped forwards, grabbing his shirt and glaring up at him as she shouted back: "You arrogant lizard asshole, it pisses me off how little you respect me and my station but it makes me so much more angry that you won't take care of yourself! For the last time, this is not all your fault!"

"What do you know, Vivien?" Zerrex tore himself free, then he shrugged her hand off when she grabbed his shoulder before he turned around, eyes turning almost solid green in his rage as he reached out and seized the front of her dress, hauling her up to stand on the tips of her toes. "I'm the one this is all circling around, again! Again! Do you know how often I wish I had never been born? That I was dead and gone? That I didn't exist?"

"And can you appreciate how much we need you?" Vivien snarled, stepping back as her dress ripped a bit, half-revealing the strapless black bra beneath it before she grabbed his face before he could turn away, the lizard wincing as one of her hands locked into his hair and she yanked him down, saying in a hurt voice as her lower lip trembled. "You fucking asshole, without you, Firenze never would have existed, neither would Naganen, Anathema would still be in limbo and we'd all probably be dead from Athéos."

Zerrex was silent as a tear rolled down the Celestial Devil's cheek, and then he reached up and quietly stroked her face, looking shamefully down as his beads dangled from his other hand, reverberating quietly before he mumbled: "We could have really good angry sex."

Vivien shoved him backwards with a curse of disgust, turning away and rubbing at her face rapidly with her hands, and then she took a shuddering breath before the lizard reached up and silently slipped his mala over her head, the High Queen blushing in surprise as he quietly brushed her hair back so they could rest comfortably around her throat, Zerrex murmuring: "I do have respect for you, Vivien. Actions speak louder than words, right? I know... I know I can be rude to you and I'm hard to put up with. I'd apologize for that but I'm not... particularly sorry, really, it's who I am and part of my nature and it helps me get along fine with everyone apart from you. Look, if this doesn't prove I respect you, nothing will."

Vivien looked down silently as she played her fingers through the beads slowly, and Zerrex gripped into her shoulders quietly, lowering his head to silently rest his forehead against the back of her skull as he sighed quietly and murmured: "I'm... I'm stressed, okay? Someone's killing people, people I care about, people whose only crimes a lot of the time were... knowing me. People are suffering, and I can't stop it, and it drives me nuts. Security patrols are all over Hell and can't find a single piece of evidence, and gods know that even Heaven's scrutiny hasn't picked up shit and... and there's fucking Error harassing me, making me think he's connected to these events, and Epiphany, gods, it still feels like betrayal. It was so good and yet it was so wrong. I can't explain it, though, Vivien. It's like if Firenze had betrayed you, but worse."

"I almost want to say Firenze did betray me. He died, Zerrex. He died a hero, but I never got to say goodbye or tell him how I felt. I fucking hate you sometimes but you're all I have left and... I can see how much of you was in him. In a different way, yes, but..." Vivien shook her head mutely, then she turned around and hammered a fist against his chest once, then twice... then she simply sighed and hung her head quietly. "You're a hero, Zerrex. I've never met anyone as worthy of that title as you are. I envy you for it."

"You're a Celestial Devil, I thought you were beyond envy." Zerrex smiled a little as he reached up and touched her face, but she grumbled and shoved his hand away, glaring up at him with a look of distaste.

"Don't think that means I'm going to try and get in your pants." she said irritably, but she glanced away as a bit of a blush rose in her cheeks before she sighed a bit and murmured: "This is pointless. Can we please return to the subject at hand?"

Zerrex grunted after a moment, sitting down on the bench... and Vivien hesitated, but then she sat down beside him, their backs to the fire still quietly grumbling behind them as she brushed her hair back and smoothed it out, then she silently began to toy along the mala, saying quietly as she looked at the ground: "Epiphany aside... all the other events do seem like they could be somehow connected, despite you mentioning the Strange Beast that called himself Eratosthenes had nothing to do with the murders. I don't believe that it's coincidence, him showing such a profound interest in you while someone else targets your friends for a malicious purpose also centered somehow around you.

"What I believe we have to do is draw the murderer out somehow. And that while normally catching a killer capable of moving between worlds at will and staying out of even Heaven's searching gaze would be near impossible, I believe we already have the perfect piece of bait for the job." Vivien looked steadily at Zerrex. "Jeannine Wulfe."

Zerrex looked horrified at this, holding up his hands, but Vivien immediately began to speak again before he had a chance to. "I know, I know. A lot could go wrong, but she's also the only person to have even caught a glimpse of this creature... and as both you and Heaven reported, the markings outside her home were... grim. Furthermore, as you likely hadn't heard yet, there was more vandalism detected and someone managed to break through her gates and security systems and ravage much of her home. Whatever did this does not like the idea that their 'prey,' if you'll allow the term, got away."

The Drakkaren shook his head in disgust, however, saying sharply: "Look, I might be willing to bargain with my life, or even let Cherry or someone else step into harm's way for me. But Cherry, Cindy, Marina... much as I love all of them, they can also take care of themselves, and I know it would hurt them more to stand back and do nothing. Jeannine can't take care of herself: she's a business executive, an aristocrat, and furthermore she owes me nothing. She has no reason to put herself in harm's way and I don't think I could convince her to... and even if I wanted to, even if I did, what if something goes wrong? The wolves would never forgive me for getting their sister killed... and that thing, whatever it is, doesn't just kill them... it rips them apart!"

"And that is why it has to be stopped. Would you rather wait until it decides to start doing that to your sons and daughters? We can't keep everyone securely locked-down forever..." Vivien said quietly, and then she poked his chest, adding darkly: "What if it goes after me? Not that I expect you to care about my life... but if I die, guess who's going to have to be a responsible High King again? And guess who is no longer going to be allowed to go outside, fighting all his own battles, and instead will have to spend all day sitting in the Central Spire organizing budget meetings and arguing with nobles while Strange Beasts rampage through the world, fought by his children and-"

"Oh you're such a manipulative bitch. Give me my mala back." Zerrex grabbed the prayer beads and yanked them free from her head, clutching them close but immediately beginning to worry them through his fingers, grimacing in disgust at how right he realized she was, and how much she hated her for the fact she was cornering him. "So you're saying that if I don't agree to this, I'm going to look like as much a bastard as if I do agree to this. That either way, I'm damned."

"This is Hell, we're all damned." The Celestial Devil awkwardly reached out and patted him on the back, however, and Zerrex sighed as he held the mala up against his forehead, the cool beads rubbing gently against his skull as she said softly: "I'd prefer to reason with you over guilt-tripping you, Zerrex..."

"But I know, I know, I don't listen very well to reason." Zerrex mumbled, and he shook his head slowly before glancing at her and wincing a bit. "I'll... talk to Jeannine about it, but I need to get her approval and the wolves' on this, do you understand me? And I need to talk to her security guard, too, probably, or she'll send her one true god after me to kick my ass."

Vivien sighed, rubbing slowly at her forehead before she looked at him moodily. "I have developed a plan, Zerrex, that should work as long as Vivien is hunted by the creature. It will put her in minimum danger, but it'll take some time to prepare, and I'm going to need you to order your Disciples to listen to me. Because gods know that they won't otherwise, especially not Cherry."

Zerrex snorted in amusement at this, saying dryly: "Cherry doesn't even listen to me half the time, Vivien. But fine, I will... so what's your plan?"

Vivien looked at him hesitantly for a few moments, but when the reptile only glared at her as he squeezed his mala nervously, she nodded and said quietly: "I need you and Jeannine to at least... appear to be friends, or more. I want to make her as appealing a target as possible: not only someone who got away, but suddenly someone who's on the inner circle, who will incite... either anger or jealousy in this unknown killer. Who will make him feel all the more like he failed... and we'll use that against him to lure him in.

"Jeannine will have to return to her home in Heaven, however: it's where she'll be the most appealing target." Vivien said softly, and Zerrex looked at her with a grimace even as the Celestial Devil smiled slightly. "I'm not a fool. I know you won't be able to stay there, nor would any of your Disciples. This will come down to Jeannine herself, and to Maria. Because Maria, as a Broken, can create a rift... and if she creates an anchored portal that Vivien can escape through, disguising it as a doorway or something else inconspicuous... Jeannine can lure the creature into a one-way rift leading into Acheron, where you have penultimate power. With a single thought you'll be able to trap and cage the creature, without risking harm to anyone. The most dangerous part of the plan is Jeannine luring the creature into the portal... but even those dangers can be minimized through the use of detection and alarm runes."

"It's..." Zerrex halted, frowning a bit and looking down. It wasn't actually all that bad of a plan, when he thought about it, despite being hesitant about the risks it would put Jeannine in... and he shook his head slowly, murmuring quietly: "It's better than anything I could think of, and I hate admitting that. But it's going to take time... I need to talk to Jeannine about this, and the wolves, and I need to get Maria to build a rift. She's never done that before."

Vivien nodded, then she looked down at her feet for a moment before she mumbled something under her breath, and the reptile frowned a bit at her before she cleared her throat... and a moment later, Zerrex realized she was actually blushing as she looked at him and said in a meek voice: "And... I have a request."

"Oh Gods, please don't say you want to have my babies." Zerrex said dumbly, and she snarled at him, making him wince away before Vivien grabbed his collar and she took a slow, calming breath, closing her eyes, then looking at him even as she continued to blush deeply.

"There's a gala being held at Sabnock's manor. Selena will be taking Aluinnia and Lily has agreed to go with Amiglion. I, however, require a date. And tradition requires that my male escort be... someone of high standing. And someone who does not benefit politically from this, someone who is either not connected to the affairs of Elysium or who is not a formal member of the Council. You, Lord Zerrex, are an appointed ambassador: you cannot rise any higher in Elysium's standings, you are an informal advisor on the council, and you are affiliated more with Acheron and the mortal world than you are with Elysium." She stopped suddenly, then whispered in a meek, schoolgirl-like voice: "Will you be my date?"

The Drakkaren grinned stupidly down at her, asking lamely: "Do we get to make out after we dance?"

Immediately, Vivien shoved him off the seat, and Zerrex laughed as he fell on his back before the female sighed and stood up, muttering a repair spell that made her ripped dress knit neatly back together as she said sharply: "The gala is tonight, and I expect you to be properly attired for it. Thoth, Anubis, White Phoenix, and other high standing members of the legal system will be in attendance, as obviously will be Sabnock. Furthermore, other nobles and dignitaries will be present, and as a gesture of friendship, I also asked Sabnock to invite several high-standing angels, important mortal delegates, and even one of the friendlier ambassadors from Eslovius."

"Newton?" Zerrex asked dumbly as he sat up, and the female looked down at him in surprise before the Drakkaren snorted laughter and slapped his leg. "I love that guy. He's the only person from Eslovius I actually get along with, mostly because he's such a freaking asshole. But he's an asshole like Cherry is, you can't help but want to squeeze him to death with hugs instead of hanging him from the ceiling like a piñata and beating him until candy comes up."

Vivien sighed, smoothing her dress out before she said in a ruffled voice: "Just please be professional, and pick me up around eight. The gala officially starts at ten but I wish to arrive early to discuss matters of importance with Sabnock. Understood?"

Zerrex grunted and held up his hands, and then he looked at her for a few moments as she glared at him, saying slowly: "This. This was the real 'matter of importance' you wanted to discuss with me, isn't it? Not Epiphany, not the Strange Beasts, not even your plan to capture the murderer before he kills anyone else, considering that now he's probably going to start targeting more and more important people. You were stalling."

"Stop reading my emotions, you're as bad as Celeste." Vivien said disgustedly, even as she rubbed furiously at her reddened face, and then she added moodily: "Speaking of which, I want you to go and talk to her. She almost made Ixin cry again, so he refuses to have anything to do with her right now. When I spoke to her myself at some length, she preferred reading my mind to answering my questions, but I got enough out of her to know that she does have some idea who Eratosthenes and Iron both are. You're the only person she seems to actually speak to."

"That's because she's already spent years spying on me and dredging my brain of its secrets." Zerrex said dryly, tapping at his temple, and then he looked moodily at the female when she only shook her head and gazed down at him scornfully. "What?"

"We both know the real reason she talks to you, Zerrex. It's the same reason that Eratosthenes is so interested in you, the same reason Anathema Sin and Lucifer both saw fit for you to wear that bone armor, the same reason so many others look to you in awe." Vivien shook her head a bit, and then she sighed and reached down, grabbing Zerrex's hair and making him yelp and flail as she pulled him to his feet by his ivory locks. "But if it makes you feel better, I can sometimes understand why God would entrust you of all creatures to use as a vessel to pass his powers on to."

Zerrex grumbled at this, shoving her hand free and then smoothing out his hair before he asked sourly: "So eight it is, then. I'm going to go spend some time with the exotic alien being now, since she won't ruin my day like the bitchy High Queen with emotional issues does."

Vivien only nodded at this, however, then she glanced over him and said dryly: "It's a formal affair, Lord Zerrex. As in Hell formal, which means-"

"Fancy robes, I know, I know!" Zerrex flailed his arms a bit, glaring at her and making her glower back. "I held more than one of these myself, you know. You might be older than me but I'm very familiar with Hell's culture and etiquette by now, thank you very much."

"You never act like it." Vivien retorted, and then she sighed and pushed her face into her hands as the reptile blew a raspberry at her, muttering: "In the name of Lucifer... fine, I refuse to argue with you any longer. I have to go, find a dress, and get ready for tonight, Zerrex. As is tradition, please bring-"

"A corsage, I know, just like prom." Zerrex grumbled under his breath, crossing his arms and muttering: "I never went to prom. I never even finished high school."

The High Queen looked at him for a few moments, then wordlessly turned and headed out of the den, and Zerrex sighed before grimacing when Cherry bounced back inside, grinning widely at him as he asked flatly: "How much did you hear and how many times am I going to have to hit you so you'll pretend you didn't hear anything?"

Cherry snorted in amusement at this, leering at the lizard as she rubbed her hands together. "Hey, you know, Carmen's probably going to be at this shindig too. I should totally see if I can get on the guest list one way or another and shit, sounds like it'll be a fucking hoot if only because you and Vivien are going to have to pretend you actually like each other. Weird shit though, her asking you out instead of going with Amiglion and Lily with you. I'll bet you a blowjob that Lily's the evil mastermind behind all this, she can't help but mess with people's love lives. Addiction to romance, it's a fucking drug is what it is."

"It's one you suffer from just as badly as I do." Zerrex retorted, and Cherry glared at him, then grumbled and nodded after a moment as the Drakkaren sighed and rubbed at his face slowly. "Anyway, this means I now have a to-do list for today. Talk to Celeste, find my old formal robes, come back here probably early so Vivien doesn't have a hissy-fit and we can go over early and... ugh. What about talking to Jeannine and the wolves?"

"I can totally handle that." Cherry held up a hand with a grin, and Zerrex looked at her distrustfully, which made the female huff. "I can be diplomatic when I want to be. Hey, let me at least talk to the little wolf buddies and let them know you got a plan in mind that involves Jeannine and shit. Test the waters on the subject."

"I really think I should be the one to talk to them, Cherry." the lizard glanced over at her meditatively, and the female snorted in amusement and rolled her eyes, which just made him glare at her sourly.

She crossed her arms, cocking her head towards him. "Dude, I know they act like two year olds sometimes, but they are adults and they need to be able to handle this sort of shit. More importantly and stuff, the person who should really be talking to the little douches is Vivien, but that big cunt ain't gonna talk to no one about nothing unless it involves the royal council or some kind of noble endeavor or some shit with the monarchs. I can do this fine, Boss... trust me on this shit, huh?"

Zerrex looked at her for a few moments... and then he sighed and reached up to rub at his face slowly, asking hesitantly: "If that's the case... then will you also tell Earth about the plan, too? And if the wolves want to go to Jeannine and see her reaction, for the love of Gods go with them. I'm afraid her scary-ass security guard will kill the wolves otherwise the moment using Jeannine as bait is mentioned."

Cherry grunted, nodding slowly at this and rubbing a hand absently through her fins. "Okay, got it, Boss. Anything else you want me to keep in mind?"

"What, no sex jokes? No bad one-liners? Acting mature and taking orders?" Zerrex cocked his head towards her, looking both amused and slightly concerned as Cherry glowered at him. "Something wrong?"

"Oh fuck you, I'm fine." Cherry answered immediately, and then she grumbled a bit, adding flatly: "I dunno. Just have a craving and shit, you know? And I really need me some lovin'. I wanna keep busy for now though so I don't go all freaky on your ass or some shit, I know that's kind of the last thing anyone needs at the moment, after all."

Zerrex smiled a bit over at her, and she smiled awkwardly in return, rubbing at her scarred breast compulsively through the fabric of the tight exercise top she was wearing before she grunted and nodded to him, saying finally: "Anyway, I'm gonna go do that and shit. You go deal with Celeste, and I'll meet you at the Ravenlight Estate before you leave for the ball tonight to dance with the Queen."

"I hate you." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry cackled before she put her hands on her hips and grinned and she screwed up her face in concentration... and a moment later, vanished, the reptile smiling despite himself as he shook his head slowly. Over the years, some of his powers had seeped into Cherry... and although she couldn't use them as excessively as he did, she nonetheless absolutely loved to show off whenever she could, even if a single shoop left her winded and wheezing.

The reptile closed his eyes, and a moment later, vanished himself, reappearing in the Ravenlight Estate's main hall as he clapped his hands together, eyes glancing curiously back and forth. Celeste was somewhere around here in semi-quarantine, being watched over by Marina and Maria... and the reptile looked back and forth before a portal opened in front of him, and a voice called gently through it: "Come, Daddy. We're here."

Zerrex looked awkwardly at the shimmering black oval... and then he walked carefully into it, stepping through to emerge a moment later into a den room, where Marina was sitting and smiling lovingly, a sketchpad in her lap and several colored pencils put aside. Celeste sat beside her, collar on but still nude otherwise, looking curiously up at Zerrex, and Maria stood near the bookshelves, smiling lovingly over her shoulder at him as her chain bikini jangled gently before she turned around and held out an envelope, saying quietly: "This came for you. I meant to give it to you earlier, but...well, I figured it wasn't important enough to disturb your day for, grandfather."

The Drakkaren took the envelope curiously, looking over it: simple, small, and white, without a stamp on it... not that mail couriers worked the same in Hell as they did on the mortal world. With magic and the ability to portal back and forth, letters simply weren't sent all that often, meaning they were usually hand-delivered by special courier... and he frowned a bit as he looked at the neat, tiny font on the front that said 'Ravenlight Estate, Elysium, Hell' with his name in larger letters below this.

He carefully tore the top of the letter open, then pulled out a simple piece of paper inside, glancing over it... then feeling stupid surprise as the three females gazed at him curiously before the Drakkaren read clearly and slowly: "'Greetings, Zerrex Narrius. I fear this will be a short letter to you, as I only briefly have returned to my home before I head back out on vacation to the not-so-sunny beaches. Please expect a small package to be delivered to your home within several weeks: but as we all well know, the mail system can be unreliable and cross-dimensional package delivery often takes much longer than letter delivery. I hope that you are well and wish you and Not-Serviteur-But-Maria the fondest of regards. Signed, Theophilius Carter."

"He... what?" Maria frowned as she reached out and took the envelope, and Zerrex grimaced before passing the letter to Marina when she held her hand out curiously. "There's not a speck of Unworld residue on the envelope, though... or on that paper, I'd have to touch it to be sure but I don't sense anything. Besides, how could he... mail a letter to you from the Unworld? He must have used a rift to pass into this world and slip it to a courier or something, but even then... no, they'd know he was a Broken..."

Maria looked down musingly, and Zerrex shook his head a bit, muttering: "The dude is nuts, Maria. Not... in a necessarily-bad way, but he's crazy nonetheless. And I have the feeling if something makes sense to him he has the power to pull it off. But I mean... obviously I came here for another reason that's a little more pressing and a lot more hostile." He glanced towards Celeste, and she nodded slowly before she stood up and looked into his eyes, as both Marina and Maria immediately looked sharply at the female.

She reached up and silently undid the collar, pulling it off as Marina winced a bit, but then hesitantly reached up and took it when the Strange Beast held it out: for a few moments, she and Zerrex only continued to look at each other, and the reptile knew what she was going to do. Her intent emanated off her in waves... and then she slowly reached both hands up, grasping his skull with them as she whispered: "It will only sting for a moment."

Before the reptile could respond, pain tore through his body, the lizard snarling and cursing as his hands flexed and his body arched, his teeth snapping together before numbness spread through his form... and a moment later, he was standing silently side-by-side with Celeste in a world tinged with grey, standing in a tall stone hall ornamented with beautiful statues of fantastic creatures and large, flowing tapestries, as Celeste gesture and murmured softly: "Look at these memories, Zerrex Narrius. Memories from inside you that are not yours, mixed with my own to form cohesive images."

Zerrex stared ahead, watching in silent awe as a procession of Vipers in beautiful golden ceremonial armor walked slowly out of a marble archway in the side of the hall, several of them with immense, sword-like weapons on their backs covered in jutting spikes and deadly barbs. Leading them was a Chanter, his robes flowing around him as he headed towards the front of the room, his features calm and cold.

The double-line of Vipers broke apart, the Strange Beasts walking to either side of the room as the Chanter stepped up onto a slightly-raised platform, turning around and putting his hands behind his back as the end of the line marched through the huge archway... and Zerrex stared at the sight of two massive Leviathans, their strange double-swords resting crossed across their backs as they both hauled a tall, ugly creature along, made of sharp, layered plates of steel and with glowing gems for eyes, its breath rasping loudly in and out. It had no tail, and its features were crushed and ugly, with enormous horns that jutted from the sides of its skull, spikes standing out unevenly down the length and width of its ugly, shell-like back.

The Leviathans threw the Primordial forwards, and it collapsed on its knees with a grunt, glaring up at the Chanter as the Leviathans stepped out of the way and joined the Vipers along either wall, as the Chanter said calmly: "You were found in one of our cities, creature. You stand now before us... and remember that you are under the gaze of the First Gods."

The Chanter gestured towards them, and Zerrex turned around... then stared with surprise to see three of the First Gods, Creation among them, sitting quietly at the back of the hall, watching the trial go underway. Not statues, not relics, not Strange Beasts... but the First Gods themselves, Creation sitting silently at one side and the others almost too difficult to look at, the shadows draping across their bodies half-hiding them from view, and yet strangely helping most with defining them.

The creature in the middle had strange, tight skin and a large body, feather-like protrusions cresting out along its skull and down the back of its neck... and yet they were rubbery, and moved slowly with his breaths. His chest was broad and strong, and his hands looked almost as if they were made of rock or bone, a golden ring gleaming on one finger as he rested silently back, silent and watchful, red eyes gleaming above a large, strangely-shaped beak. Zerrex looked at him for a few moments, and some deep part of himself whispered that what he gazed upon was Chaos.

And to the left sat a green-tinted being, limbs long and agile, veins pulsing like living ivy like cables through its body and ribcage visible against a thin chest, feminine and yet as female as the others were male: they were genderless, after all, only slanted towards one gender in physical proportion. It was curvy, though, with a small bust and smooth, vain features, long hair streaming back from its head and falling around its shoulders, beautiful and black and seeming to ripple like water. Life: her body almost as ever-changing as what she represented.

Then Zerrex slowly gazed forwards again as the Primordial gave a raw laugh, whispering: "First Gods, you say... and you, their Guardians, their storm troopers, their enforcers. We were their builders, we are closer to them than you or the other godlings will ever be, spawned of raw creative and destructive forces of the elements... and yet the First Gods betrayed us and turned on us..."

Zerrex silently rose an arm, unknowingly mimicking Creation's movements as Celeste watched curiously... and then the Drakkaren closed his eyes as Creation's arm was pushed silently down by Chaos, and the lizard let his own droop back to his side as the Chanter at the front of the room said quietly: "The Primordials were dragged free from the Elemental Planes to serve the First Gods. They were to build... and yet we have discovered what your brethren much prefer is to destroy. They have refused orders again and again, and Lord Chaos himself has both admired and been disgusted in the same breath by their level of discord. The Primordials were given a choice: exile into the growing universe, or forceful return to the Elemental Planes. Why were you here, earthen Primordial? Or did you return solely so you could be sent back to that dimension of discord?"

"No, I did not." the metallic creature sounded unsure now as he lowered his head quickly, visibly shuddering... and Zerrex got the impression that even if Primordials thrived on chaotic creation and destruction, the dimension they came from was not a pleasant place even for them. "I was ordered to come here by a Guardian, I swear... the Songstress that plays for Destruction and his cohorts!"

The Chanter looked thoughtfully at the Primordial, and then he said coldly: "Enough of this. Destroy the Primordial."

"Wait." Creation said clearly, standing up as the two Leviathans stepped forwards... then paused, glancing up at this as the metallic Primordial shivered and covered its head, losing its attitude and looking terrified: and for good reason, Zerrex thought. Primordials were immensely powerful... but the creature was outnumbered and outgunned. It obviously was intimate with the powers of the Strange Beasts... and the Drakkaren wondered silently if he had severely underestimated the creatures all these years with the name he'd given them.

"Yes. They are not beasts, after all." Celeste said quietly, and then Creation walked directly through them, the memory seeming to flicker silently before it solidified again, and Zerrex and Celeste both silently followed the tall First God as he approached the Primordial, then reached down and gently touched his skull, the creature calming and looking hesitantly up, almost childlike beneath the immense First God.

"If he was summoned here by a Songstress, he has broken no laws. Granted, no Guardian has the authority to summon anyone to the Center... but all the same, no Guardian would have the audacity to do such a thing by itself. The Songstress was likely a messenger... and Destruction has always been quiet and secretive by nature. Judge, if my brethren agree with me, we must return him to exile."

"And we do agree." Chaos rumbled immediately, and Zerrex looked over his shoulder in surprise as the creature spoke in a courteous, kind voice: "I believe I speak for my colleague Life, too, as she is even more generous than Creation in matters of mercy... but I understand the compulsions of the Primordials well. They are creatures of discord and dissonance, but they are not self-destructive or stupid. They prefer energy, and to see things move, than to sit still... but this Primordial would not sneak into the Center of the Universe for no reason. Set him free, Judge, and send him back to his home. My colleagues and I shall speak to Destruction about this."

"As you desire, it is my command." the Judge said reverently, the Chanter bowing deeply and respectfully towards them before he turned his eyes to the Primordial, who looked relieved. "I will not go against the commands of the First Gods. I shall send you back to wherever you have made your home in exile, Primordial. Will you entertain one last question, however, should my Lords and Masters allow it?"

He glanced up, and Creation looked over his shoulder... and then he smiled a bit as the other Gods nodded to him, turning and nodding to the Judge. The Primordial hesitated, but then he nodded as well, keeping himself low and obviously-thankful he wasn't about to be destroyed... and then he looked up as the Judge asked quietly: "What task did you perform tonight then, at the request of this Songstress?"

"The Songstress only bade me to come... I met a Guardian I was unfamiliar with once I arrived here." the metal Primordial said quickly, likely eager to answer and escape. "All I had to do was stay still while he checked me over, and then he gave me a gemstone and sent me on my way. A beautiful Viridian, rare and treasured by the earth. I savored it."

"He ate it?" Zerrex couldn't help but ask, and Celeste shushed him quietly as she reached out and grasped his forearm gently.

The Judge looked at him for a few moments, then he nodded and snapped his fingers, and a Gateway opened beside the Primordial as he looked to the side in surprise. "This goes to a moon made of crystal and stone, tempered by gravity and volcanic heat. It is just outside the territory of the First Gods. You are free to do anything you wish there."

"Thank you, thank you..." The Primordial bowed to them several times, almost groveling as he quickly backed into the Gateway, and then he spun around and vanished into the golden light before it closed. As it did so, the memory flickered... and a moment later, they were standing in a courtyard overgrown with immense vines, huge grey stone walls surrounding them and dark flowers blossoming over the lengths of the tapering plants, Creation standing with Celeste by his side as he glared across at a tall, canine-like male, his fur dark and shaggy over his body, upper form muscular and powerful and legs horse-like and ending in blade-like hooves, small spikes jutting from his body. Over his features, however, his skin was white and stretched so tight it was like paper, his skull showing clearly through, his lipless mouth revealing massive, ugly teeth and his eyes shone like solid golden lamps.

"Destruction, we do not interfere with the Primordials!" Creation shouted, and then he sighed and rubbed at his face slowly before he glared as the canine snorted, his long, triangular ears flicking disdainfully as his sweeper-like tail swished slowly back and forth. And Zerrex realized with shock there were four small, skeletal arms standing out from his back as well, insect-like but ending in tiny hands... and these were all crossed like the muscular arms over his chest, as he shook his head slowly.

"I will 'interfere' with whatever I like, brother Creation." Destruction rasped, and then he shook his head slowly before his eyes roved down to Celeste, adding darkly: "Besides. We have all broken the rules at one time or another. Yet the rules are not solid rules or laws, as you well know... they are guidelines. Guidelines we all strive to follow, even Chaos, but you and I both know the only true laws we must follow are our own Vows. Vows we made when we joined hands with one-another and shared our blood in the first ceremony, when we first realized our potential and what we were. Vows that-"

Creation only sighed loudly, however, slumping his shoulders a bit as he held one hand up and rubbed at his face slowly with the other. "I know, I know, I know. You don't have to repeat the full story every time, Destruction, I was there. Maybe we should have named you Storyteller instead."

Destruction snarled a bit... but then Zerrex realized it wasn't a snarl, but an awkward kind of smile: with the creature's features, it was simply hard to tell as he reached out and slapped Creation on the arm. "And we should have named you Nanny, with how you treat us, Creation. You don't have to look after us all the time, you know."

"I'm compelled to." Creation smiled a little at Destruction, and then he sighed a bit, saying finally: "I understand what you're trying to do, wedding the minds of our Guardians with the abilities of the Primordials... but perhaps you should leave that job up to Life, or myself. Your projects, Destruction, have a very bad habit of ending up a little..."

"Destructive?" The creature's mouth quirked in that strange, raw smile again. "This time will be different, though, Creation, because I am trying to build a destroyer. Something capable of breaking down matter and worlds, something capable of crushing matter back into raw materials. If the project is successful, then we can create Builders. We will have Destroyers and we will have Builders if this works, who can further exert our influence throughout the universe without us needing to be present, without risking the lives of our Guardians, without having to send Gods who may be attacked by ruthless Primordials or the Fallen Ones."

Creation grimaced a little, but he nodded after a moment nonetheless before saying quietly: "Fine. But don't keep secrets this time, Destruction, please let us know what's going on, alright? We cannot risk suffering divisions between ourselves... I don't want to see everything we've worked for compromised for sake of secrets."

"Stop worrying about everything." Destruction replied dryly, and then he reached out and gently touched one of the long tendrils of ivy, and Creation winced as the plant visibly began to bubble, cracking slowly apart. "Falling apart is as natural a process as banding together, perhaps even more so... but it is not necessarily bad..."

A flash of memory... and then Zerrex winced as he stared at a half-metal, half-Strange Beast monster he recognized all too well, the creature breathing slowly as it loomed beside another Strange Beast Zerrex recognized, but Eratosthenes's features were much different: not more youthful, yet somehow younger, like he had far less cares upon his shoulders, obviously long before he'd become consumed with revenge. He stood beside Iron as Creation and Life walked forwards, examining the half-and-half beast curiously as Destruction said calmly but cheerfully: "See? A fusion. Imperfect as of yet, but it proves that the powers of the Guardians and the powers of the Primordials can be fused into one creature."

"Iron lives to serve." the creature bowed its head respectfully, but there was a hungry, violent look in its eyes even as Life touched its arm hesitantly, then winced back a little bit, trading an uncertain look with Creation. "Iron looks forwards to battle."

The two First Gods looked over at where Destruction was likely standing... and then the tall, looming First God walked past Zerrex and Celeste as they watched, and the Drakkaren realized dumbly at some point they had linked hands as he looked at her, but she was still watching silently, so he turned his own attention ahead as well. "Now, no snap judgments. I told you, first I'd build a Destroyer to test my theories. The powers of the Primordials also are easier to focus towards destructive purposes than creative, anyway, even if I was using the abilities of an earth Primordial. Iron is an excellent prototype... and the Librarian has agreed to take him on to teach him the history of the Guardians and his position in the hierarchy. He will be of great benefit to us, I swear to you."

Life looked unconvinced still, but Creation nodded with a sigh, rubbing at one of his large horns slowly before he said quietly: "Very well. Iron, we accept you gladly as one of our own. May you find yourself welcome here."

Iron only grunted and nodded, which made even Destruction pause and frown... and then memories shifted, and they were standing in a desert, the Celeste of the present closing her eyes as the Celeste of the past stood several feet in front of them, watching silently as Iron laughed as he fought a Leviathan in full armor, slapping the Strange Beast backwards before raising a hand towards him, and the Leviathan screamed as his armor began to melt, becoming hot, viscous sludge that burned into his body.

"Iron, stop!" Eratosthenes shouted as he strode up beside Celeste, and he shook his head in disgust as Iron halted with a rumble, glancing moodily towards the two. "No, no, no! You must not kill your own brethren, and you must stop destroying their armor and weapons... how many times must I tell you this?"

"Iron exists to destroy." Iron snarled at the Librarian, but he only gritted his teeth and glared back angrily: obviously, some emotions had always been around and weren't quite as foreign to the Strange Beasts as others. "Do not think Iron respects you because of your position. Iron respects you only because of your power. The moment your power is gone... Iron will crush you like a bug."

The Librarian sighed a bit, and then he looked over at Celeste, saying quietly: "Mother, can you not control him at all? You can influence the desires of Guardians."

"He is no Guardian." Celeste murmured quietly, and then she looked over at Eratosthenes, measuring him slowly with her eyes. "And you... are too eager to impress the First Gods. Are you not Life's favorite, Librarian? Does Creation not consult you for your wisdom on a regular basis? Has not even Death asked of you your thoughts on his philosophies? You already have their affections... why must you try to raise yourself up to the same level as they are on? We exist to protect and serve them. Not to become them."

At this, Eratosthenes snarled, then he said coolly: "And yet you, Mother, are the personal toy of Creation. You have no right to speak to me that way, any more than you will ever be at the sides of the First Gods yourself. You will never sit in a throne beside Creation. You will never even reach his lap. You will always be only at his feet."

"And you will always be below mine, Librarian. Do not overstep your bounds." Past-Celeste replied softly as Present-Celeste squeezed tightly into Zerrex's hand. Then the memories faded out... and they were left surrounded in darkness as the Drakkaren closed his eyes, feeling other bits of information filtering into his mind, awakening from somewhere deep inside him as he turned towards Celeste and she faced him.

Their hands locked together, and Zerrex squeezed hers slowly as he opened his emerald eyes, glowing points in the darkness around them as he asked quietly: "Where are we now?"

"The space between spaces. The recesses between memories. The emptiness I cannot fill in your mind; or perhaps the dark blot inside your heart." Celeste said softly, and Zerrex grimaced a bit as he looked away, even as he heard a tinkling laugh that brought back memories... memories that filled him with joy and sorrow, elation and terror. "You want to know all the answers. But you are not ready for them all, not yet: you are not Creation, and you are only half-Naganis, and you are not even entirely Zerrex. So much of you is consumed with despair you can hide from the others, but I can feel it clearly as my hands touch you..."

She reached up, silently stroking over his chest before she murmured softly: "Besides. If I tell you too much now... you may lose focus. And if I grant you better access to the hidden secrets inside of you, then you may spend so much time gazing upon them you will forget about your other duties. What I can tell you is that yes, the Librarian has the power to rally the Guardians to his cause. And yes, Iron is a formidable adversary, and he has no respect for any form of life. He is not a Strange Beast, and he is not a Primordial. He is only a monster. There is no room for love or compassion or mercy in his callous heart."

Zerrex glanced down, then he looked back up at the female, asking quietly: "And what about in yours? Have you learned about those things Celeste? Have you learned to not read the minds and emotions of others so freely, the value in that, and how it makes it all the more meaningful when someone does open themselves up to you?"

"I am trying, but it is difficult." Celeste replied quietly, then she squeezed his hands before reaching one of her own up to stroke slowly over his face, adding softly: "Do you understand the value of it yourself, though? After all, for all your preaching, I think sometimes you still spend too much time worrying and thinking about what others speak to you or think of you, that you hesitate and diminish the value of your true thoughts."

"Stop... getting in my head." Zerrex said flatly, and Celeste only tilted her own, looking at him curiously and silently before she drew her fingers up through his white hair, making the reptile fidget awkwardly. "You know, people usually only touch each other like that when they're preparing to make out or assassinate. I'd rather not do either right now."

Celeste looked over his body slowly, and then she said softly: "You are not driven by biological drives, yet still sex is important to you. Done more for pleasure, but... at the same time, it is not the pleasure that most interests you. You wish for closeness, you wish to share closeness, you wish to feel comforted: to you, sex is comforting. Sex helps you forget. Sex helps block out unwanted, unneeded thoughts. And sex can give you the dominance and power you crave while putting less than the world at risk. It is interesting, Zerrex Narrius. Your flaws truly define you: yet you are not a victim of them. They have and will lead you to tragedy and loss: but you nonetheless strive onwards. Yet you nonetheless continue to entertain them."

"Yeah, because he's a fucking idiot and he can't make up his mind who or what to believe in." said a sour voice, and both Zerrex and Celeste looked to the side as another version of the Drakkaren approached, this one younger and without the ugly marring of scars on his body, dressed in form-fitting black armor and with a pair of enormous, purple-steel magnum handguns resting low on his hips. His white hair was neatly cut, and his eyes glowed with malice as he spat to the side, drawing one of the twin katanas sheathed behind the magnums and spinning it easily between his fingers before he slowly began to polish the long blade, saying moodily: "That fucker Negative hasn't been around much. I don't know about you two, but I'd like to keep it that way. We should destroy him, crack him like an egg and steal his powers."

"Interesting..." Celeste said softly, and then she held a hand out towards Ravenlight, who frowned at her... then hissed in pain, his body becoming static-riddled as he dropped his sword and it vanished from sight, howling as he clutched at his head... and Zerrex grimaced a bit as he felt a short, sharp pain in his own skull, but it was obviously nothing compared to the agony ripping through Ravenlight as she said quietly: "Segmented personality... manifesting as a separate and secondary life form. Perhaps due in part to your damaged emotions... perhaps due in part to your strange ability to manipulate energy... he is almost as real as you. He is like a parasitic spirit leeching off your emotions..."

Zerrex finally reached out, grasping the Strange Beast's arm and gently pulling it down, and Ravenlight hissed at them as he became solid again before quickly vanishing, the reptile saying quietly: "He's my past. He and the other parts of my personality, who I call simply... Good and Cold, they don't show up as much anymore as they used to, but... I do on occasion hear them whispering to me in my mind. They call me the Conscious Walker, like I'm the driver of this crazy train and they're passengers along for the ride... of course, some of those passengers, like Ravenlight, direly want to get their hands on the controls of the train."

"And Negative. He is outside of you, even when inside: he is not you." Celeste said softly, and Zerrex nodded hesitantly, the female looking over him before she reached a hand up and touched his skull gently again... and a moment later, they were standing back in the physical world, Zerrex wobbling a bit on his feet as Celeste murmured: "I have shown you what I could for now. May I please have my collar back?"

Marina nodded, holding it out to her, and the Strange Beast took this, squeezing it slowly in her hands as she gazed down at it and said softly: "So many secrets in this place, and no one dares to show anyone but those they love their true face... and yet it is only on rare occasion when even that is exposed. Everyone, striving always for perfection, even though so many people know that perfection can never be achieved, and that the pursuit of it in and of itself is a foolish quest, not meant for the wise or the brave. More and more I see that you've taken our home and painted everything reflective, so that it all appears to be only what you wish to see, not what it truly is. The longer I spend in this culture, the more I see how different and alien it is from the universe I grew up in... how much things have changed..."

Then she quietly slipped her collar on with a sigh, shaking her head slowly, and Zerrex looked at her awkwardly for a few long moments before he glanced at Marina as she gazed at him softly, saying quietly: "You need to be careful, Daddy. The Strange Beasts are hard enough to fight as it is... but none of us want you fighting a monster like Iron alone."

"He reminds me of Jupiter. His size, his strength, even the way he talks about people and treats life..." Zerrex shook his head slowly, rubbing at his face quietly. "One Jupiter was enough for me to deal with. For us to deal with... I don't want to have my family faced with another monster of his proportions."

"And we'd rather not leave you to face a monster like that alone, no matter what happens." Maria said quietly, glancing up at him from the bookshelves as Celeste quietly sat beside Marina. The psychic gently touched the Strange Beast's leg, and she smiled a little as the Broken looked at the two on the couch, smiling faintly. "We're all in this together, see? A Broken, a Strange Beast, a Goddess, all of us in the realm of demons, Hell, country of Elysium; and you, Grandfather, our Patron, our Master, God in your own right and thought to be the vessel that contains the last of the energies of Naganis. Unity is our strongest weapon against the Strange Beasts. Not even you can fight these enemies alone... we need to rely upon each other as much as be confident in our own strengths."

Zerrex looked down at Celeste and Marina for a few moments... and then Marina reached up and touched his hand quietly, and it was like he felt linked with her and Celeste for a few moments again, like she formed a connection between them as he looked at the Strange Beast and the Strange Beast looked back with a bit of a smile, and he realized that Marina was keeping in contact so that Celeste would always feel that strange link she craved with another being, so that she wasn't left with the loneliness of only her own thoughts... and slowly, the lizard nodded a bit before he looked quietly over at Maria, saying softly: "Alright, I... I do understand. Ugh, this is partly about the whole concept of an emergency team too, isn't it?"

"Partly." Maria smiled slightly at him, and then she glanced over him slowly before saying quietly: "If you don't mind, Zerrex, I'd like to go track down Theophilius, though. See if I can find where he is in the Unworld."

"Wait, wait, I have a different task for you." Zerrex said mildly, holding up a finger, and Maria cocked her head towards him curiously. "Can you discreetly build a rift between Heaven and Acheron? A one-way portal, more like... one that can't be detected easily, and can't be escaped back through."

Maria frowned at him, rubbing at her head slowly before she murmured quietly: "It would require a lot of energy and months of work... but that's Unworld time, of course. Still, getting the energies at the entrance and exit to balance accordingly-"

"It only has to be undetectable at the entrance, in Heaven." Zerrex said quietly, and Maria looked up curiously as the Drakkaren smiled slightly. "We're building a better mousetrap."

Several hours later, Zerrex was grumbling as he stepped back into Vivien's home, the butler immediately bowing to him and escorting him towards a waiting room as the Drakkaren's long, sea-green robes flowed around him, edged in gold and feeling ridiculously like a dress as he sighed a bit and rubbed at the thin material for the thousandth time. His hair had been neatly pulled back and braided into a long ponytail as well, secured tightly with a blue hair tie strung with pearls, and metallic gloves rested over both hands and fancy dress shoes were on his feet, even though he was wearing his normal black jeans beneath the ridiculous robes.

The butler bowed him into the waiting room, and Zerrex nodded absently to the demon before he looked up in surprise to see that the large, comfy couches surrounding a single table were already taken up by faces he knew well. He smiled awkwardly at Lily, Selena, Amiglion, and Aluinnia, all of them dressed in more-formal attire even as Selena kept cursing and brushing at her long black dress, the female asking flatly: "How the fuck did you get roped into this?"

"Vivien asked me to be her date. Cherry proceeded to guess it had something to do with Lily." Zerrex glared at the golden-scaled female, who blushed a bit and cleared her throat as she looked awkwardly away. "Anyway, I-"

"Hello, Lord Zerrex. It's a pleasure to see you as always." Aluinnia interrupted warmly, gazing across at him tenderly, and the Drakkaren winced and cleared his throat as he rubbed slowly at the side of his face, leaning on the back of a couch as the female Dius gazed at him raptly and Selena blushed in embarrassment: and not just because of the long black dress and matching elbow-length gloves she was wearing.

Aluinnia was the wife of Selena, once her long-unrequited love. She was a pretty Drakkaren, a Benevolent from Heaven who had done very well for herself, running her own small abbey and running charity for 'knights' and 'warriors' she found worthy and honorable but who had no home or no master. Her scales were green, her eyes radiant hazel, a wreath of white lilies hanging around her neck that matched the backless dress she wore, and the ivory collar cinched tight around her throat, inset with a red ruby.

When she and Selena had first been married, years and years ago, Zerrex had performed the ceremony... and this, mixed with her love of knights, her deep desire to please Selena, and the legends about Hell, Hell's masters, and the higher-tier demons, she had immediately locked onto him. Maybe it was partly the fault of the strange magnetism he exerted without meaning to, maybe it was partly because Selena was so visibly obsessed with him at times, maybe it was just because Aluinnia was two-thirds crazy and one-third sly, but either way she had started following the Drakkaren around, making awkward and overly-sexual requests, sleeping in his bed, and generally being a nuisance.

For the first few years, Selena had all-but-encouraged this, finding it both 'cute and hilarious,' in her own words. With her obsessive personality, seeing Zerrex and Aluinnia together - her husband and her wife - and getting along so well made her smile instead of jealous, even if Zerrex acted clearly creeped out every now and then around the Benevolent. However, after watching this for several years, some of the luster had worn off... and Selena now was finding it more and more difficult to avoid acknowledging the fact that Aluinnia was a little obsessed with the Heaven-version of Hell instead of real fact.

For example, she had been almost disappointed when Zerrex hadn't 'punished her savagely' for dropping a platter of food and coffee she had prepared on his bed one day when she had been serving him and Selena breakfast. Selena had then offered to punish her viciously, but Aluinnia had only looked at her with strange sadness, and the subject had been hastily dropped. And she also didn't understand that Zerrex didn't simply make other people a part of his family out of hand, nor was he eager to recruit more Disciples purely for sexual purposes: the collar Aluinnia wore around her neck was a gift from Selena, an imitation of the collars worn by the other Disciples. Aluinnia had apparently taken it with some reluctance and almost-scorn, but she had been wearing it ever since, although she stared creepily at the lizard whenever it was on her neck, as she was doing now.

But what bothered Zerrex most was that Aluinnia did obviously love Selena, even if their relationship could be... slanted. Selena was the boss, telling Aluinnia what to do, and Aluinnia often acted more like a servant than a wife, scrambling around, submissive and meek and happy to serve, lathering praise on Selena. But she did it not out of fear, but adoration... even if she did try and get into Zerrex's pants more often than either he or the Passion really liked. Aluinnia was crazy, that was a given, and even Selena had admitted she was still a little stuck on the delusion that Hell was a big sexual empire of nightmares and perversion and destruction... but she loved Selena dearly, too, and that was what mattered, and why Zerrex put up with her creepy, too-forwards advances.

"Hello, Aluinnia." Zerrex said tiredly, and the female immediately covered her muzzle and smiled brightly at him, looking as shy as a schoolgirl. Then the Drakkaren looked away from her towards Lily, who was half-clinging to Amiglion, her long white dress flowing around her and several beautiful golden bracelets hanging from her bare arms, matching the golden tiara inset with diamonds that rested upon her head. "You can't hide behind him, you know. He's too much of a wimp. And too into guys to protect girls."

"Truer words never spoken." Amiglion agreed amiably, nodding a few times as he crossed his arms over his black robes, and then he grimaced when Lily slapped his arm firmly. "Hey, I'm just being honest here!"

Lily grumbled, and then she winced when the Drakkaren merely continued to look at her mildly, before she sighed and rubbed at her face awkwardly, mumbling: "Okay, you win. Yes, I... may have suggested it to Vivien. But it was Sabnock who first told me she wanted you to be there... and I figured the best way to make sure that happened was to get you a date you wouldn't dare to ditch, the way you ditch all of us."

She glared at him, but it was a lame expression as she crossed her arms awkwardly and fidgeted a bit, and Selena snorted in amusement as Zerrex rolled his eyes and walked around the couch. Immediately, Aluinnia leapt up and dashed around the table to sit down on the cushion, smiling radiantly at him... and the Drakkaren winced a bit before he carefully slid over to the middle couch instead and sat there... but Aluinnia quickly scrambled all the way around the table as the three High Thrones stared and watched the Benevolent finally manage to sit herself beside Zerrex, gazing at him tenderly as she reached out and touched his arm gently. "You look very handsome in those robes, Zerrex. Will you be wedding Vivien?"

Selena immediately covered her muzzle to repress her laughter, making a snorting sound as Lily cleared her throat and grinned at the ceiling and Amiglion began to giggle stupidly. Immediately, Aluinnia frowned at them all, and Zerrex reached up to gently pat her on the head, saying plainly: "Vivien and I aren't like that. We're just... friends."

"Nonsense. You could have any female you wanted..." Aluinnia grasped into the front of Zerrex's robes, licking her lips slowly as she leaned towards him... and then she suddenly winced back as Vivien walked in, the reptile wheezing in relief as the High Queen pointed at Aluinnia and glared at her.

"Hands off." she ordered, and Aluinnia scurried quickly off the couch to hop into Selena's lap, clinging to her and wincing as Selena awkwardly held the smaller female close, glaring a bit at Vivien. Vivien, however, glared immediately back, and Selena dropped her gaze, clearing her throat and mumbling to herself as the High Queen glanced down at Zerrex imperiously as he stood up, the male absently brushing at his robes again. "Don't fidget."

"Shut up." Zerrex said moodily, looking over the female: she had changed, now wearing a flowing, strapless red dress, cut along both thighs and open at the front, but with a long, matching crimson loincloth that draped down to her knees. Long boots rested upon her feet, and her golden hair streamed over her shoulders, almost floating as it quietly swayed behind her back of its own accord. An amulet hung around her neck on a golden chain, inset with the symbol of Hell, and a coronet of the same color, with the same symbol upon the front of it, sat firmly in place around her head. "Are we going now?"

Vivien thrust an arm out towards him, glaring, and Zerrex sighed before he held his own hand out, a beautiful band of black roses appearing in it before he gently laced this around her forearm, muttering: "You never went to prom, did you?"

"I don't know what that means, but I think I hate you for saying it anyway." Vivien replied icily, and then she glanced down at the band of blossomed black roses that spiraled up her forearm, nodding after a moment with a grunt. "Alright. This is acceptable. I'm ready to go. We have matters of importance to discuss."

She snapped her fingers, and a wide white portal opened, Vivien glaring at the Drakkaren... and the reptile grumbled as he walked towards it, before wincing when the female stepped beside him and forcefully laced their arms together, the two striding through the portal and emerging a moment later into a high mountainside, snow falling quietly around them as Zerrex looked back and forth in surprise: they were at the top of what looked like a long, private dirt road, secluded from anything even if the lights of a large city shone quietly in the distance in the deep twilight... and then Vivien pulled him forwards - but a little gentler this time - and they approached a set of tall, blue iron gates, tipped with icy spikes. To either side of this was a high brick wall... but the top of this wall was lined with strangely-dancing crystalline-blue flames.

"Ice fire." Zerrex murmured, and Vivien looked at him with surprise and a slight smile as the Drakkaren looked back with entertainment. "Hey, like I always remind people. I mentored under Sabnock. But I guess she values her privacy as much as I do." After all, those flames don't burn people... they freeze whatever they touch. Painful as hell... but non-lethal as a bonus.

The Celestial Devil looked at him for a few moments, and then she nodded and turned back towards the gates, saying clearly as the others finally emerged from the portal behind them and approached: "High Queen Vivien and company, here at request of Magistrate Sabnock."

There was silence... and then the gates clanked loudly before they swung slowly open of their own accord, and Vivien immediately pulled Zerrex forwards as the rest of the group followed. The Drakkaren whistled a bit to himself as they walked down a beautiful path of heated stones that kept both snow and ice from forming, but the banks of snow on either side were piled high as the lizard looked up towards the imposing but simple front of the manse: it was large and rectangular, a few steps leading up to a small, covered deck that sat in front of the wide white double doors, windows set at regular intervals, curtains drawn in only a few places and light shimmering quietly from the rest.

As they reached the steps, the white doors were opened for them by two minotaurs dressed in elegant white tuxedos, both respectfully bowing as they stepped to the sides of the hall. Zerrex couldn't help but stare back and forth in fascination as they stepped into the entranceway, beautiful paintings on the walls and a plush carpet underfoot that hummed silently, resting overtop a redwood floor... and Zerrex tested his feet against the ground as they walked down the L-shaped entranceway, the Drakkaren looking at a wide set of spiraling stairs at the end of the hall and then at the two archways that bridged away into the first floor as he muttered: "There's an energy current even in the carpet... wait, I get it, there's the runes for a cleansing spell in it and it must be woven with demonic fibers, that's why it looks so spotless..."

"Shut up." Vivien said dryly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as the minotaurs closed the doors behind the group and then stood at attention as a Wentaku emerged, Zerrex staring in surprise. A crocodilian demon with three deep black eyes and short, coarse hair covering its grey-skinned features, gnarled horns standing from the sides of its skull. They usually served as mages and librarians, adept at magic and notorious for their inflexibility... but this one was dressed in a white tuxedo as the others were, although he also had a golden circle pinned to the lapel of his suit jacket, likely denoting his rank in the servant hierarchy. "I am High Queen Vivien, and this is Lord Zerrex Narrius. We are here to meet with Magistrate Sabnock."

"I have been instructed to bring you to the meeting room. Lady Sabnock will be with you as soon as possible: for now, she has kindly asked that you refrain from discussing legal politics with the other guests until her arrival." the Wentaku replied calmly, and Vivien nodded, the butler giving a thin little smile. "Most excellent. Follow me, please."

He led them back into the archway he had emerged from, and Zerrex was unsurprised to find how neat and organized the household was, looking back and forth curiously at the pictures on the walls here and there: mostly landscapes and a few portraits of famous Judges and the devils who had been responsible for first organizing Hell's legal system. The reptile looked back and forth musingly, enjoying the glimpse into Sabnock's life but knowing at the same time this showed very little of her: after all, there wasn't a single picture of herself on the wall, the closest object to anything that revealed her personal life being a painting of her mansion mounted on the wall of one corridor.

Eventually, the butler pushed open a large wooden door and bowed them through, and the group of six emerged into a wide meeting room, the walls plain and simple, several large crystalline globes filled with blue fire hanging from the ceiling and casting a comfortable light over the obsidian-stone table that was surrounded by comfy leather chairs: it was oval in shape, with no real foot and no real head.

Several Judges were already present: White Phoenix, the judge resting back in his jeans and pressed silk shirt with a silver bolo tie cinched around his throat, a red vest overtop this and a wide cowboy hat over his skull, his hands clothed in simple black gloves he read quietly. A small, thin badger with gold-ringed, dark eyes, he looked almost out of place with how normal he seemed... and yet nonetheless he emanated a quiet strength and powerful charisma.

Beside him, already glaring at Zerrex, was a jackal dressed in a pristine white suit with a black bow-tie around his neck, his fur short and black and ankhs of gold encircling each eye, as well as edging his tall ears. He crossed his arms moodily, and Zerrex stuck his tongue out at him childishly before Vivien elbowed him as she dragged him towards the table, the lizard glowering at her even as she asked calmly: "I thought Judge Thoth was to be present as well."

"He's always late." White said calmly without glancing up from his book, slowly turning another page as Amiglion and Lily sat down next to him, and Selena and Aluinnia took the chairs beside Zerrex, the Benevolent immediately smiling lovingly up at the Drakkaren. Then White closed his book and put it down before he sighed as Anubis continued to glare daggers at Zerrex. "Shall we move on to business?"

"Yes, yes, yes, I suppose..." Anubis muttered, leaning sulkily back in his chair as he glared icily at Zerrex, who gave him a smug look before the god sighed and looked miserably up at the ceiling. "First you kill me, and then you make me a lackey, and then I have to work for you, and now I have to work with you. Of all the gods in the universe, the Ancient Ones must have decided to truly loathe me."

"Okay, like. For one thing, you picked a fight with me. As you'll remember, I didn't want to fight you, I just wanted to get the hell out of the Marquee Sur Noir." Zerrex said flatly, pointing across at him as Vivien grabbed at her face in frustration. "For another, you stabbed Sin in the back, pissing her off, and then ripped her heart out. I also was the one who gave up your Heartstone instead of destroying it so you could be revived, if you'll remember. So technically you owe me your stupid little life."

Anubis opened his mouth to argue, but White simply looked at him mildly, and the jackal god immediately closed his muzzle and cleared his throat as he shrank a bit in his seat. After having worked for White for so many years, and still under a period of probation as a Judge of Death - the last time Anubis had been a Judge, he had tried to start a coup to overthrow Hell and eventually been expelled to the Marquee Sur Noir - he knew by now not to push the badger's buttons. "I... let's just forget about it for now."

Zerrex grumbled in agreement as Vivien glared at him, and then he sighed a bit, reaching up to absently toy with his mala through his robes: it was hanging around his neck, comforting him some as he shook his head a bit and then looked mildly over at Vivien. "So what business did you want to discuss? Or should we wait for Sabnock to arrive?"

"Well, the first order of business is a simple matter, any Judge can handle it, so let's not waste our time or Sabnock's." Vivien said calmly, and then she glanced towards the badger as he closed his book and slipped it into his vest, looking back across at her with his same strange expressionlessness: except with the Drakkaren's ability to read emotions and the years he had spent observing and spending time with White, he had learned to pick up on a few of his ticks, and he could tell the badger was a little less than happy with his reading time being interrupted. "I recently received a communication from Heaven regarding changes being made to import and export laws. I need a Judge willing to sign as witness for my counteroffer and approvals."

"Anubis can do it." White glanced at the jackal, who sighed a bit and dropped his face in his hands, but nodded, looking bored already.

"I also have a prisoner who was recently captured by Royal Guards trying to sneak into the Scholar's archives to steal records. An angel, so there's some political pressure from Heaven to have him simply sent back, but he was captured in Elysium and I dislike the idea of giving up a prisoner who committed a crime when we all know that if we return him to Heaven, they'll simply let him go." Vivien said mildly, and Zerrex crossed his arms over the desk, laying his head down on them before he grimaced when the High Queen grabbed his shoulder and shook it firmly. "Pay attention."

"No." Zerrex said sulkily, and Anubis snorted in amusement despite himself as Lily sighed a bit. The Drakkaren sat up after another shake from Vivien, however, rubbing at his face before he shoved himself away from the table, looking towards the ceiling as he flopped backwards in his chair and muttered: "We have no real jurisdiction over Heaven, Vivien. The council's just looking to start a fight with Hell, you know that as well as I do. If you want to make a point to them, then tattoo a silence rune onto the asshole's tongue and then send him back. Then we punish him, Heaven gets their angel back, and if they whine about it you can challenge them or say he was in a secure area with secure information and you had no other choice apart from executing him. Yes, we all know they could use psychics just as easily to remove information from his head but that's not the point or the message."

Vivien looked at him for a few moments, and then she finally grumbled under her breath before glancing over at White, but the badger only shrugged and then nodded slowly in agreement. The High Queen sighed a bit, then she looked up as Zerrex glanced to the side and smiled slightly as the door opened and Sabnock stepped inside, wearing an elegant, ice-blue dress that covered her body primly, with long sleeves down the arms and a necklace of sapphires around her neck, white gloves on both hands but her feet clad as always in black leather loafers that didn't go quite as well with the rest of her ensemble, and the Drakkaren couldn't help but remark: "I never thought I'd see you in a dress."

Immediately, Vivien hit him and made him wince, but Sabnock only smiled thinly before she took a seat at the end of the table, a calm-looking Salamander dressed in the white suit that seemed to be the uniform for all of the female's servants entering with a large tray loaded with mugs, an enormous coffeepot, and a bowl of sugar and tall pitcher of cream. The bulky, thick-bodied reptile placed this down on the table, then quickly began to pass out mugs, features passive and amiable as Sabnock said courteously: "It's a pleasure to see you all here, and ready to discuss business before we indulge ourselves in the gala. I have a request, however: Lord Zerrex, would you please step outside?"

Zerrex looked at her curiously as the wolverine gazed back calmly, and the Drakkaren hesitated, but then looked down at the mug in front of him... and Sabnock sighed a bit, rubbing at one temple. "Yes, of course. Burton, will you please prepare Lord Zerrex his coffee? Two sugars, two cream."

"Ma'am." The Salamander deftly slid the last mug across the table, where it came to a halt just in front of Amiglion before he quickly poured the reptile's coffee, adding sugar and cream with his other hand as the mug slowly filled, and stirring it once he put the heavy coffeepot back. It was all prepared in a matter of moments, and the reptile gazed down at the chestnut liquid before he stood and sipped at it, then smiled over at the Salamander with a grunt of appreciation, the servant bowing his head kindly. "Sir."

Then Zerrex turned and left, wondering if he was being kicked out already for some reason... before the Wentaku butler closed the door behind him and said calmly: "Lady Sabnock has asked me to bring you to see Lord Galleon. Please follow me."

The Drakkaren looked dumbly after the Wentaku, then hurried after him as he sipped at his coffee again, following quickly along behind the butler as they strode to the end of the hall, and the Wentaku stopped to raise his hand, murmuring a short spell or password... and runes glowed over the steel door before it opened silently, and they passed into a quieter, less-posh hallway, the floor here simple and plain, only a few pictures on the walls... but several of these were paintings of Sabnock and demons he didn't recognize, and he smiled to himself as they approached a tall set of ironwood stairs, heading up to the second floor as the butler said calmly: "I hope you do not think that I am speaking out of turn, Lord Zerrex, but this is a rare occurrence. As I am entrusted with taking care of the family, I must ask that you be courteous of his condition and do not excite the Lord of the Manor."

"Of course." Zerrex nodded a bit as he sipped at his coffee and they stepped out onto the second floor, the Drakkaren grimacing a bit at how maze-like the manse was and wondering if it was magically-enlarged or just confusing as hell, as they walked past a slightly-ajar door looking in on a dusty office, the reptile half-wanting to sneak away to peer into this... but knowing that the Wentaku would easily catch him and probably throw him out. He obviously took his job very seriously, as they approached a large door with an eagle engraved over it... and the Wentaku rose his hand and murmured another short incantation, and this door opened quietly into another hallway, framed pieces of ancient scriptures hanging from the walls, the parchment faded and weak, but Zerrex instantly recognizing them as being ancient pieces of codex from a law text, likely drafted by Lucifer himself.

They turned a corner, and the butler halted at a pair of redwood double doors, knocking twice before he gently grasped the black steel handles and pushed them open, stepping inside and saying in a clear, carrying voice: "Lord Zerrex Narrius to see you, Lord Galleon."

"Good, good." whispered a tired voice, and Zerrex stepped slowly into the bedroom, looking back and forth: bookshelves lined the walls, and tapestries emblazoned with the symbol of Hell and of Elysium hung on either side of a wide window, and there was a small reading desk with a picture of Sabnock in a gold frame resting in front of a heavy, black-steel wheelchair... and in almost the middle of the room, the top of the frame pressed against the wall and embossed with runes forming Sabnock's name on one side and 'Galleon' on the other, was a heavy bed upon which lay Sabnock's husband.

The sheets were pulled up over his chest, and his eyes were almost blind, his body visibly thin and weak as he rested with his hands across his chest. Zerrex slowly walked forwards as the male turned his head towards him and he smiled a little, head laying back on fluffed pillows, propped slightly up as he blinked slowly, then whispered: "A little closer. I can't see you very well, Lord Zerrex..."

"Just Zerrex, please." the Drakkaren stepped forwards, glancing down at the male with an awkward smile as he looked over him with surprise: Galleon was an otter, his fur a tarnished brown that lightened faintly over his thin body from what he could see, and he had a thick mane of white hair, his off-white eyes glancing up at the lizard as he stood beside the bed, then leaned down a bit, putting his coffee carefully aside onto a night table. He paused, looking at this for a moment as he saw it was piled with several dusty books, but also a picture of Galleon and Sabnock, likely from years ago... and the otter of back then was very different, strong-built and smiling, wearing only shorts and with tattoos of water symbols down his chest and around his forearms, and Sabnock herself was actually smiling as well, still in only a suit... but somehow more relaxed all the same. "It's nice to finally meet you after all these years."

"Yes... and it is nice to meet you as well." Galleon smiled tiredly up at him, then he grimaced as he shifted a bit in bed. Immediately, the Wentaku butler walked forwards, slipping around to the other side of the bed and pressing a button to elevate it, and Galleon grimaced a bit, shaking his head quickly. "It's alright, Charles. Please, go attend to the other servants, ensure they're preparing properly for the party."

The Wentaku hesitated... but then he nodded, saying calmly: "Call if you need anything, Lord Galleon. Lord Zerrex, excuse me."

The butler walked to the open doors, turning around and quietly closing them behind him... and then Galleon chuckled a bit before coughing once, saying quietly: "Sabnock has always tried so hard to take care of me. Poor girl... she feels she has to bear so much alone. I wanted to express... how grateful I am to you for being there for her though, Zerrex. She thinks very highly of you, even if she doesn't act like it."

He quieted as his breaths rasped in and out, leaning back a bit with a grimace... and the Drakkaren smiled awkwardly as he rubbed at his own face slowly. "It's... it's nothing, really. I have a lot of respect for Sabnock, for who she is and what she's done and... how she's always tried to help others. I'm just myself around her."

"And so few are themselves, especially these days." Galleon murmured, and then he shook his head slowly as he looked up towards the ceiling, saying quietly: "You're curious, aren't you, why doesn't talk about me?"

"Honestly... I can understand." Zerrex smiled a little, glancing down at the male as he tilted his head towards him. "Sabnock isn't... open about a lot. I don't know as much about her as I'd like to, and I've known her for... well, you probably know how long I've known her for. Anyway, I knew she had a husband, but I know she never brought up your condition because... she'd never want to seem like she was looking for pity. She'd never want to burden others. She forgets sometimes that as she's there to help us, we're there to help her... it's... a problem I have myself."

Galleon chuckled quietly again, then he nodded slowly, murmuring in his soft, raspy voice: "Yes. That's well-put, you do know her well, and it makes me glad. Then I take it you have no idea why I'm sick... or still alive?"

"Sabnock's put up with me for years. I can't imagine her abandoning someone she loves." Zerrex said softly, and Galleon smiled up at him with entertainment before the Drakkaren added hesitantly: "And... I am a little intrigued, to be honest, yes. Demons don't usually end up... uh..."

"Paralyzed from the neck down?" Galleon smiled wryly, his almost-blind eyes slowly closing and opening, and the Drakkaren nodded with an awkward smile in return. "Obviously, I wasn't always this way. But Sabnock and I are original demons, you know... very ancient. You've heard her song, and you know her heritage: as for my own, I am even older than Sabnock. My parents claimed to be among the very first demons, but... that is a story for another time."

He paused meditatively, then said quietly: "It was... twenty million years ago now, I think. I know that must sound so very long to you, but for demons... well. I know you understand now how it is not. Time is relative... and even though I have lived so very long, it seems... so very short. The days don't become boring to demons, and especially not to original demons... we have a purpose, after all. We all have a purpose, and even when time begins to run mushily together, it still... feels good, so long as we follow our purpose. Sabnock is a creature of order, compelled to rules and laws, an Ice Devil of great prowess and greater heritage... I am a River Dane, flowing forever along on my path, unable to stop, stubborn enough to wear down the strongest of opposition. We went together well..."

"But you see, I became ill. Normally, sickness in demons is treated quickly: with our supernatural affiliations, after all, and our powers of regeneration and resistance to natural disease, such things as illness frighten most demons more than an angered Gigataur." Galleon smiled a little. "And so it was with us, and I was treated immediately at a Healing Cathedral. The symptoms of nausea and pain vanished for a time, but then they came back stronger... and again, I was treated, but further examined.

"It was too late when we finally realized that I had contracted a rare disease... likely because of Gluttons passing through my favorite swimming hole. I used to swim daily, I love the water, although Sabnock loved ice... and she used to laugh, you know. She used to laugh and skate across the water, turning it to ice above my head, and we'd play such games together..."

"They were wonderful games." Sabnock said softly, and Zerrex looked over his shoulder in surprise as the wolverine quietly approached, reaching a hand out and gently, almost hesitantly touching Zerrex's back as she looked quietly down at her husband, who smiled lovingly up at her, his eyes warming at the very sight of the female. "I miss them."

"I do too." Galleon said softly... and Sabnock sat quietly on the bed beside him as she pushed the covers down to his waist, taking his hand and making the otter smile silently as their fingers laced together, his hand weakly moving as he murmured: "The disease... attacked me. Poisoned me, made me weak, destroyed my muscles and got into my spine. Magic did nothing, nor did anything else... even when we hired healers from Heaven, they were unable to do anything for me. Supernatural disease is like that, though: powerful, quick-moving, and yet slow to kill."

"Part of the reason you are here, Zerrex, is because my husband is reaching the end of his life." Sabnock said quietly, and Zerrex looked at her with surprise, then down at the male as sadness spread across the female's face, whispering in a quiet voice: "It's very hard for me to bear this. And I need a friend right now."

"And you shouldn't be so sad." Galleon murmured softly, despite the sorrow on his own face as his fingers trembled... then squeezed as hard as they could against Sabnock's hand. She smiled though, smiled radiantly down at him even as she leaned against Zerrex and her eyes gazed down at her husband, and he laughed weakly. "We were a strange couple, weren't we? Monogamous in a polygamous society... and even after I got sick, it took me badgering you constantly for you to... go and find relief. And you never dated, despite me telling you to. You were loyal to me... but you were more loyal than you ever, ever, ever needed to be. You were silly, my wife..."

"Yes. I know." Sabnock said gently, and she looked down at the male's chest as she reached her other hand out, silently tracing over his tattoos before she cleared her throat and looked at Zerrex, saying calmly: "I'm sorry to put this on you, but... Galleon will likely die within... within the week. Within a few days." She halted, looking down and closing her eyes tightly, and Galleon squeezed her hand slowly again as he breathed quietly, looking up at her.

"Now don't make this so much harsher than it has to be." he chided gently, then he smiled tiredly at Zerrex, who swallowed awkwardly as he looked down at the otter. "Sabnock cannot handle my will or anything like that... but our good friend, White Phoenix, has taken care of much of that for us. But we would like you to give the eulogy... and I am asking you to be there for Sabnock after I pass on. She's spent more years with me than mortals would believe have existed in all the universe. She will be upset... and had I not asked her to bring you here, I know she would try to hide it, like nothing was wrong. Please look after her for me, and keep her from working on anything. Please help her. Please be there to listen to her."

Zerrex looked down at the otter quietly, and Sabnock shook her head slowly, saying in a dry, serious voice: "No, that's not possible. Preparations are underway to catch a murderer as we speak and there is the difficulty of the Strange Beasts to contend with as well. Zerrex cannot and should not be coddling me for an entire month, it will take up too much time, and we've been readying ourselves for this moment for many years, Galleon."

Zerrex was silent... and then he smiled across at Sabnock, saying quietly: "You're my friend, Sabnock. And while I can't promise to be there for you twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week... I'm not your only friend. I'll spend as much time as possible with you, Sabnock, and you'll come stay with me at the Ravenlight Estate or I'll stay here, and so will your other friends. Galleon, I promise to take care of her. For that month, and for longer... even though she doesn't really need anyone to help her take care of herself."

He wrapped an arm gently around her, and Galleon smiled again and nodded as Sabnock actually blushed, looking down... and then she smiled faintly again, gazing respectfully at the Drakkaren as she murmured: "You're crass, you have no respect for the rules of society, you act sometimes as if you're above the law... but I would not ever change you. You frustrate me sometimes and you embarrass me and you make me wonder if you think about anything but physical contact and proving how strong you are, but... it only goes to show all the more how noble you can be when the mood strikes you."

Galleon laughed weakly at this, and then he smiled tiredly at Sabnock as she glanced down at him, the otter saying in a tired but teasing voice: "Can you at least wait until after I'm dead to flirt with him? Because as I remember, you told me all those things, once upon a time... except you were also hitting me, as I recall."

"She hits me too." Zerrex smiled a little, and Sabnock sighed, looking from one to the other moodily... but thankfully, too, he thought, as if she appreciated the repartee.

"We had... good times." Galleon murmured softly, and the two looked down to the otter as he closed his eyes, smiling faintly. "We had such good times... and I came to truly love you, Sabnock. We were a marriage of convenience, yes... but nonetheless, I came to love you."

Zerrex cocked his head at this, surprised... and Sabnock smiled a bit over at the Drakkaren, shaking her head as she said softly: "Arranged marriages are more uncommon these days... but they used to be the rule, not the exception, Lord Zerrex. When I reached the age of fifty and had not yet been married and my few suitors showed no signs of interest in marrying me, I went through a selection process with my peers.

"My... my parents and other parents met, of equal and other classes. My parents were... well respected in Hell, and known to be very strong. I was already being trained as an attorney for the courts and I was... serious, confident, and eager. My main concern and the one boundary I was permitted to give was that my husband to be would have to promise not to interfere with my studies. Of course, Galleon lied in that regard."

The otter smiled a bit at this as Sabnock looked at him softly, nodding and picking up the story, his quavering voice gaining strength as he spoke: "Maybe a little, yes. I was from a family of slightly-higher rank in the hierarchy than Sabnock, you see... but we had less money, and far less focus. Our rank came from our prowess as warriors, but as the War Games were on temporary hold at that time while the High Thrones held a Great Council, none of us were fighting. I was still unmarried, and as it is rank that determines who pays the dowry in an arranged marriage, we had nowhere near enough money to 'buy a wife,' as the term went."

"But Kethyrn Ballas Crane Yeit'Zull, Sabnock's mother, was a family friend... and she negotiated with us the rules of the marriage. I would spend the next few months getting to know Sabnock and we would prepare for a simple, small wedding. We were chaperoned for the first week, during which I visited her four times..." He laughed quietly, then coughed a few times, and Sabnock smiled faintly as she reached down and touched his chest silently.

"After that, they left us to our own devices." Sabnock gazed down at the otter, shaking her head with a quiet laugh. "Galleon spent much of his time trying to impress me. I, however, spent most of my time not being impressed. He often interfered with me studies and he was very loud and boisterous. All he ever wanted to do was swim or spend time in the rivers. One day, I finally lost my patience with him and simply froze over the pond he was in, and spent the rest of my time studying until my Father came to check on us."

She smiled a little at this. "He was both angry and amused. I don't know which he was more of... but when Galleon finally managed to break out of the ice, he only laughed it off and told my father there was no harm done. I was surprised; I had embarrassed him, yet he wasn't demanding revenge or compensation. That was when I started to pay more attention to him, and understood that I could... I could have a worse suitor."

The otter smiled back at her, then he murmured softly: "We were married not long afterwards. The wedding was a small one, attended only by close family and a few friends, but it was all the more special for it, I think. The dowry was not large, but it was enough to help my family live in comfort... and... I was glad. Not only for my new social status my marriage brought with it, but also because even then, I was... I was fond of her."

"My husband always was faster to warm up to people than myself." Sabnock said mildly, and the otter laughed weakly, smiling at her nonetheless as she gazed over at Zerrex. "Personally, I was only glad that he gave me my space for the most part, and that my duties as his wife were not difficult to perform. I was never fond of sex... but he was at least adequate in bed and did not pressure me. At least, not very often."

"Oh, ice princess." Galleon said with a quiet smile, and Sabnock blushed as she glanced down at the pet name, looking awkwardly away from the Drakkaren even as the lizard smiled a little, and Galleon silently squeezed the fingers still intertwined with his own. "We never... had a child. Devils and demons have trouble conceiving between them to begin with, with the as-always exception of... of Lust..." He stopped, coughing for a few moments, and the wolverine looked down at him with concern, but he only shook his head, breathing a little hard for a moment before murmuring: "No, I'm fine. It's just... been a long time since I spoke so much."

Sabnock nodded, then looked at Zerrex, saying in her calm voice, the only hint of pain coming from her eyes: "I cannot bear children. A not-entirely uncommon defect among Ice and Order Devils... I lack the biological drive for sex because I lack ovaries, and my womb lacks the proper... environment... in which to bear a child. No umbilical cord will grow, no amniotic fluid will be secreted."

Zerrex was blushing a bit now himself, but moreover, he felt sad for the female, as he touched her shoulder gently and said quietly: "You would have made an excellent mother, Sabnock. Why didn't you two adopt?"

"It was not a common practice in Hell." Sabnock glanced to the side, and then she glanced down at the otter when he squeezed her fingers slowly, and she sighed a little, saying quietly: "I have always been... very career-oriented. I was concerned that adopting a child would interfere with that. And I suppose, to be completely honest, I was very bitter. I came to love my husband, with the way he treated me and looked out for me. I felt it unfair after several thousand years of getting used to each other to discover I could not have a child of my own. I... was afraid that with an adopted child around, I'd only be able to think of that. So I busied myself with work and my continuing studies and childishly avoided the subject until finally... it was too late."

Sabnock shook her head a bit, and then she glanced towards Galleon as he murmured softly: "It was... both our faults, really. I wanted a child of my own blood... and well, Sabnock would never have let me sleep with another female." He smiled towards her, and she shook her head, laughing quietly.

"Now that's not true at all." She squeezed his hand silently, then touched his chest, saying quietly: "I simply never understood the compulsion for sex. And perhaps... I was always a little worried you'd leave me. I am too well aware of my own flaws... and I always treasured you. When we made our vows to be only with one another, until the Reapers parted us... perhaps... perhaps I took the vow too seriously. One thing I must admit, after witnessing and to a point studying the lifestyle of Lord Zerrex... is that he has shown me that it truly does only matter that you return at the end of the day to those you love. And I always loved you, Galleon. I always have, and I always will."

The otter smiled again at her, the two gazing at each other silently for a few long moments before the Drakkaren rubbed slowly at his face, murmuring: "Well, Sabnock, that's no flaw on your part. My lifestyle isn't for everyone." He hesitated, then asked quietly: "Do you want me to spend the next few nights here? Just... in case?"

Sabnock glanced at him, then she shook her head, saying softly: "No, that is kind of you, but I... I will be fine. As I've said before, we've been ready for this for a long time now... I only wish to... ensure that I tend to my husband's last wishes before he dies. It is an ancient myth, but they say that a demon who dies with regrets will never entirely be able to move on."

"I have no regrets, my wife, not even about not being able to have a child with you, not anymore... you made my life special and wonderful, and we were good friends as well as lovers." Galleon said quietly, and the wolverine smiled faintly down at him before the otter gazed over at Zerrex thoughtfully even as he coughed weakly, then he said quietly: "Although... perhaps one last outing. Wouldn't you agree, Lord Zerrex? My time is nearly up, and I am ready to die, and look forwards to moving on and entering the eternal sleep until my spirit becomes one with the rivers and the lakes. I may as well enjoy these last few days, instead of staring at this ceiling, counting the minutes until I die."

Sabnock hesitated, and then Zerrex reached up and squeezed her shoulder gently, saying quietly to her: "I think everyone would enjoy being able to see Galleon and you together, downstairs."

The wolverine sighed a bit, but then she murmured quietly down to her husband: "Of course. And it's not that I fear for my reputation, or am ashamed of you... it's only that..."

"I know, Sabnock, I know." The male smiled up at her faintly, then he squeezed her hand slowly before looking over to Zerrex, saying quietly: "My robes should be in the armoire. Would you please fetch them for me?"

"Of course." The Drakkaren nodded, circling around the bed and opening the doors of the furnishing as Sabnock gently pulled the covers off her husband's emaciated body, the otter coughing quietly before he looked up with a faint smile as the Drakkaren approached with a set of sea-blue formal robes not all that different from his own. He looked awkwardly at the male, but he only nodded weakly as Sabnock looked quietly across at him, and the reptile carefully slipped the robes over Galleon's head as Sabnock helped, gently but efficiently moving his limbs and body around.

Once the robes were on, Sabnock quietly slipped her hands beneath his frame and hefted him quietly into the air, almost cradling the so-thin male as he breathed heavily, barely able to support his own head on his shoulders as his fingers twitched a bit... and the wolverine gently set him into the wheelchair, murmuring quietly to the otter: "I'm sorry, husband, I know it hurts."

"Not anymore, my wife. There's no pain... not emotional, not physical. I am... almost content." Galleon smiled faintly up at her as his arms rested on the wide arms of the heavy metal wheelchair, leaning back in it as his head rested quietly against a curved support bar, and he smiled a little as Sabnock picked up his sheet, quickly folding it down until she was able to rest it across her husband's lap, and Galleon laughed weakly. "You missed your calling, darling."

"Be quiet." Sabnock smiled faintly back now, though, then she slipped around to the back of the wheelchair as Galleon leaned back slightly, breathing raggedly but calmly as the wolverine gazed over at Zerrex. "Come now. I'm sure that guests are arriving by this point. Let's head to the ballroom."

The Drakkaren nodded and stepped up beside her, squeezing her shoulder gently... and when the wolverine only looked at him quietly, strangely, he slowly slipped his arm around her, and she nodded to him respectfully and appreciatively as she began to push her husband forwards. With a simple glance from Sabnock, runes glowed over doors and opened... and the lizard realized that the runes weren't simply there to keep intruders out and secure the female's privacy, but to allow Galleon to have moved freely around before he'd lost the use of his arms as well.

The wolverine led him down the hallway... and as they walked, she glanced from side-to-side at the pictures on the gold-tinted wall and the small trophies displayed here and there, and then Galleon whispered softly: "I remember that painting of us... back when we were so young. What, only a thousand years together?"

"We thought it was such a long time... but look at us now." Sabnock smiled a little as she glanced towards the painting, and Zerrex stared at it as they passed, of Sabnock and Galleon with glasses raised, sitting at a table with several demons he didn't recognize and a small, sulking child. "And Lady Carmen was such a difficult child."

Zerrex halted in the corridor, and Sabnock looked over her shoulder at him as the reptile approached the paining and stared stupidly at the sulking brat who was glaring angrily out of the painting, a bow on her head and a skirt on her little hips, but her chest bare and flat... and then he laughed, stepping backwards and muttering: "Oh holy crap, that is Carmen. But that means this was even before..."

"Yes. It was during the days when the ten Naganatine were feared and terrible... it was during the last days of Lucifer's reign, when he was still trying to run Hell." Sabnock said softly, and Zerrex looked at her dumbly as she smiled a little and Galleon chuckled weakly. "I told you that I was old, Zerrex Narrius. Tell me, does it make me less attractive to you?"

"No, gods no, the things you must know..." Zerrex murmured quietly, and the wolverine cocked her head before the Drakkaren grinned a little, glancing at the painting again before he looked towards her. "Why the hell does Carmen have a bow on her head?"

Galleon laughed quietly, but it was a genuine laugh even if he broke into coughing afterwards, and he rasped for breath as Sabnock gazed at him with concern, but the otter only shook his head before he said in an amused murmur: "Carmen was supposed to be raised to be a Lady of Hell: but as we all know, she never quite caught on to the etiquette. Her mother often scolded her for it, but her father loved her and babied her and spoiled her... he always told her to be her own person. And she loved him for it."

Zerrex nodded slowly, and then he returned to walking beside Sabnock as they headed down the hall, passing several large degrees from ancient universities as the reptile hesitated a bit, then swallowed his questions for the moment as they passed through another doorway and onto a flat platform. A gently-sloped ramp spiraled upwards to one side and downwards to the other, and Sabnock quietly began to push her husband along this, moving down towards the first floor as the Drakkaren followed.

They were silent as they reached the first floor, and with a glance from the wolverine, the reptile nodded as he stepped forwards and pulled the door open... and husband and wife smiled at him faintly as they passed through this and into another adjoining hall, the lizard following the two and looking back and forth curiously before Sabnock said quietly: "Although I think by now this should be obvious, understand that you can ask me anything, Lord Zerrex, and I will gladly tell you. Although I was obviously wary of you when we first met, so many years ago... do not forget that I also followed you against the Princess, and we fought side-by-side. I am your friend, and you are mine... and although I have had many friends over the course of my lifetime, I find that I have few today who have survived all those years beside me, and will have... fewer soon." She stopped, then shook her head a bit when Galleon smiled a little and managed to turn his head to gaze up at her silently. "But you are my friend, and I trust you as more than that. You are an advisor, and a counselor, and... perhaps I even admire you a little, little as I may show it. Never think I don't. You insult me and you insult yourself thinking that I do not trust and... and care for you. I merely... do not show it in the form that others do."

"Sabnock..." Zerrex said softly, and he reached up to squeeze her shoulder gently before he smiled a little at her as they halted in front of a pair of large double doors, muffled music quietly drifting out from within the room beyond and voices faintly speaking, and the reptile asked gently: "Then will you dance with me tonight? And will you honor us all with a song?"

"I will dance with you, Lord Zerrex, but I will not sing for you." Sabnock gently reached down, squeezing Galleon's shoulder as the otter gazed up at her tenderly, and she looked lovingly back as she murmured softly: "Tonight, I will sing for my husband instead. Is this an acceptable negotiation?"

"Don't talk in legal terms, Sabnock, you're going to ruin the whole romantic mood you've got going on here." Zerrex replied mildly as he walked towards the double doors, and Galleon chuckled as the wolverine shook her head a bit. Then the Drakkaren pulled the doors open, gazing out into the wide ballroom beyond as the Wentaku in the white tuxedo glanced towards them, and his eyes widened in shock at the sight of Sabnock quietly wheeling the otter forwards.

He recovered quickly, however, calling to the ballroom as the band quieted themselves: "Announcing Lord Zerrex, escorting Lady Sabnock and Lord Galleon."

There were polite claps and a single loud, cheerful yell that Zerrex knew immediately came from Carmen, and the reptile rolled his eyes a bit as he fell back in step with Sabnock as she wheeled Galleon forwards over the grey stone floor. The band kicked up again, and the reptile gazed over the crowd towards them: they were dressed in matching red suits, with small black caps over their skulls, standing on a heart-shaped stage at the end of the ballroom that was flanked by large, wing-shaped railings to either side and with a tall set of steps leading down to the ballroom floor from the tip of the heart. They played calmly and easily, even as they glanced towards them with equal surprise as the butler, and Zerrex had feeling this band was part of Sabnock's vast set of servants, although he didn't know if they were simply talented or hired because of their talent.

People were coming towards them, though, including Carmen - grinning and masculine, dressed in formal robes that already were stained a little with punch from the large banquet table sitting off to one side - Lily, and Selena. The Passion and the Ice Devil looked awkwardly at one another for a moment, and then she cleared her throat before looking down at Galleon, saying finally: "Well, at least you look better than the last time I saw you."

"Selena... it's been years and years, hasn't it?" Galleon smiled a little up at her, and then he laughed a bit as Carmen reached out and touched his shoulder, saying kindly: "And Lady Carmen. We were just talking about you... and how you always used to have that pretty bow on your head when you were a child."

"Oh don't bring that up, geezer, or I'm going to tip you right out of that fucking chair." Carmen said flatly, and Galleon laughed in delight...and this time, it didn't break into coughing as he smiled warmly around at the others. Zerrex, meanwhile, smiled at the two, then slipped away from the group, heading towards the banquet table... and surprised to see Serenity and another of his Disciples standing nearly, the former looking surly and the latter grinning stupidly and waving at him madly despite the huge, muscular black wolf being only a few feet away.

Drake Lazarus, better known as 'Vampire,' was an enormous lupine covered in charcoal fur, his eyes a deep black and his nickname stemming from the enormous canines in the lupine's jaws, the fang teeth very visible with his current silly grin. He was dressed in heavy Royal Guard armor that his muscles flexed and bulged against, golden breastplate and shoulder armors gleaming over his body as the loin-plates clanked, and a black collar embossed with a pattern of roses along its length almost pulsed around his neck, the small, J-shaped horns that curled towards the back of his skull behind his ears were the only clearly-visible demonic characteristic on the whole of the eight-foot demon, as he said cheerfully: "Hey Boss! Hi Boss! We're security guards and shit!"

"For Sabnock, not for you, don't worry." Serenity said dryly, crossing her arms as the reptile glared at them, and then he relaxed a bit at this and grunted as he swirled the punch in the bowl, sniffing at it before picking up a glass and scooping some up, tasting it hesitantly. "She remembered my old Royal Guard days and well... since Vampire's a Captain now-"

"Just like you, Cap'n!" Vampire clapped his hands together cheerfully, and then he glanced towards the crowd around Sabnock, asking curiously: "Who the hell is that with the scary lady, though? The dude looks like he got run over by a truck. But he was mortal so. It actually almost killed him."

Zerrex slapped his forehead, and Serenity immediately said icily: "That's Galleon. Sabnock's husband. Don't you remember the briefing?"

"I was too busy cuddling with you." Vampire batted his eyes at her, and Serenity punched him hard in the chest, rattling his armor and making him wheeze before she seized his collar and yanked him forwards as his ears went flat against his skull and his eyes went wide.

"Listen, we are not dating, it was one... two nights of sex!" Serenity said harshly, and then she threw the black wolf backwards, Vampire landing on his ass and skidding back a bit as the female flushed deeply, muttering irritably: "Besides, I'm the head of Zerrex's Iuratus. It'll take more than that to impress me if you really want to be known as Iuratus as well as Disciple."

"I bought you chocolates!" the black wolf said brightly, and Serenity sighed and rubbed at her face slowly as the wolf grinned cheerfully up at her. "Besides, babe, I'm just having fun. You know that my heart really belongs to Zerrex. He can make me squeal even more than I made you squeal."

The black wolf batted his eyes over at the Drakkaren, and Zerrex sipped meditatively at his punch as Serenity's eyes blazed, almost glowing with anger... and Vampire quickly cleared his throat before he hopped to his feet, saying hurriedly: "You know, I better go do a patrol."

"Good idea." Serenity said darkly, and Vampire hurried quickly towards the doors of the ballroom before she sighed and shook her head with a mutter, then she glanced up at the lizard, adding moodily: "Before you ask, Mist and Shine are here as well... and Desire arrived with Lily, since she's been assigned to protecting her by both Vivien's order and my own. I've recalled most of your Iuratus from Acheron for tonight for this event. I... I hope that's okay."

She became hesitant, looking at him quietly, and Zerrex smiled softly at her, reaching forwards to stroke over her scarred face gently and making her visibly relax as the reptile felt her furious and confused emotions smoothing out. She rested her face against his hand, smiling a little more now, and then Zerrex said softly: "You should be a little nicer to Vampire if you like him so much, Serenity. He's just a bumbler."

"I know, I know. He's... he's a good friend. And he treats me... kindly. Kinder than a lot of people." Serenity shifted awkwardly, shaking her head a bit as she finally pushed her father's hand away... but then silently grasped it, squeezing his fingers slowly. "I just don't want him getting the wrong idea. About me or... you know."

Zerrex nodded a bit, saying gently: "Then you should make sure you don't get the wrong idea about him either, Serenity. He knows better than he lets on about boundaries and relationships, but he's a little... Cherry."

"Yeah, Vampire's a good guy, though." added a baritone voice, and the Drakkaren looked over his shoulder with surprise to see Priest approaching, the fourteen-foot Dragokkaren-demon smiling awkwardly as he rubbed absently at the fins on his head, fidgeting a bit in the heavy black robes he was wearing. "This shit sucks, by the way. Fuck you, sis, for being able to wear your fucking armor. And fuck Carmen for making me her date."

"Half-sister." Serenity blushed a bit at the term nonetheless, looking awkwardly up at Priest... and then she cursed when he stepped forwards suddenly and picked her up in a bone-crushing hug, making her wheeze and snarl. "Put me down!"

"You're a full sister to me, babe, and you always will be!" Priest said empathetically, kissing her forehead loudly before he dropped her... and Zerrex sipped idly at his punch before wincing when Serenity took a wide swing at the Dragokkaren, who only grinned and stood with his hands on his hips... and then wheezed loudly in pain, clutching at his stomach when the punch contacted with much more force than he likely expected, going a little pale as he stumbled backwards and trembled a little.

"Holy fuck, she doesn't hit like a girl." Priest wheezed, and then he fell to his knees and slowly dropped onto his side as Zerrex rolled his eyes and walked away from the two as the other people stared at them disapprovingly.

The Drakkaren wandered down the length of the table, then he almost bumped into another robed figure, who glared at him with beady black eyes, his tentacles writhing beneath his torpedo shaped head. His skin was rubbery and green, and beside him stood a massive shark warrior made of flexing, powerful muscles and rubbery grey hide that was thick and resistant enough to repel almost any attack... but the main vulnerability of these powerful warriors was also very apparent, the huge, thick glass collars that rested around their necks filled with water the one thing that kept them from suffocating on pure oxygen.

"Get out of my way, you asshat." the Eslovian said rudely, and he poked at Zerrex's chest a few times before he threatened: "Don't make me use large, angry words and empty intimidations and say nasty things to you."

"Oh Gods, anything but that!" Zerrex threw his hands up in mock-surrender, and then the two laughed before Zerrex smiled warmly down at the shorter, squid-faced demon, reaching out and shoving him playfully backwards. "So how are you, Newton, you squidgy little bastard?"

The creature smiled amusedly up at him... at least, as well as he could, with the tentacles that dangled over his beak-like mouth, but the entertainment was clear in his expressive dark eyes. "Oh, you know, same-old, same-old. Being ordered to go tell larger nations we'll attack them with our full military might if they continue to tread on the backs of our people, all while the Emperor continues to cook peasants in his cauldrons for laundry detergent. And Decant here got shot out of a catapult and hasn't been quite right in the head since."

"I like pie." the shark demon said agreeably, and Zerrex cleared his throat a bit as he nodded slowly, the large, burly male looking back and forth before he asked dumbly: "Where are we, Boss Newton?"

"We're at a party, Decant, now please, go find some pie." Newton gestured absently at the shark, who grunted and turned away, shouldering the large spear he was carrying and peering along the table as the Eslovian shook his head slowly, muttering: "Poor dumb bastard. Must have crashed into a blue reef on the way down, addled his brain. Funny how he can remember your version of demonic, but he can't process much."

Zerrex grunted, rubbing absently at the scarred side of his face before he asked in a more-serious voice: "So, on the subject of attacks and invasions... what's going on with Eslovius right now? I heard that the treaty thing didn't go very well, they wouldn't go past a truce."

The ambassador glanced back and forth, and then he picked up an apple from the table, peeling it slowly using his thick black nails as he muttered: "Well, of course, you didn't hear anything from me... but Eslovius is a lot weaker at the moment than you'd think. I'm sure you remember how our idiot boss decided to give some of the Old Gods refuge, right? Well, one of said Old Gods finally went berserk and killed half the fucking city he was in before being subdued. But to make matters worse, we had to use an electrical storm to put him down... and what does electricity attract?"

"Strange Beasts." Zerrex grimaced a bit, surprised they hadn't detected the monsters... but at the same time... "Eslovius must be using some pretty heavy shielding for Elysium to have not detected either the Old God's rampage or the Strange Beast attack. What was it?"

"Well, you know us." Newton tapped his own skull gently. "Eslovius has a bad history with psychics. Even though our current empire is pretty shitty, our first empire was even worse, ruled by telepaths who could control and make anyone do their bidding. So we've learned ways to protect ourselves from any kind of intrusion, even from your Scholars, powerful as they are.

"I'm getting off-point, though. It was two Vipers, as I believe you call them. The two-headed ones." Newton grimaced a bit, shaking his head in disgust. "We were not prepared for it. Worse, when we did kill one in the water..."

"Energized blood." Zerrex muttered, and the squid snorted in amusement and nodded as he took a bite out of the apple, grinding it slowly in his beak. "It must have been a hell of a bang."

The Eslovian snorted at this. "You have no idea. Took out several buildings with it, and worse, it broke an Aqua... what we use to filter our water, keep it from becoming poisonous or marshy. We cannot survive for long if our water is not... clean, you understand? Like when your kind is in stale air. You can only breathe for so long before it kills you."

Zerrex grunted and nodded, and Newton continued with a grimace: "The other Strange Beast rampaged through our ranks. The mages were disoriented from the explosive death of the first creature, so it was able to quickly close in on them and tear them to shreds. Without the mages' support, infantry was demolished quickly by the creature's raw strength. The Emperor was forced to send in the Blackguard, our elite knights, to kill the Viper... but several of them were killed. The Emperor now is hiding in his palace, terrified out of his mind. Soldiers and people both are rioting in some of the cities, infuriated by the lack of response, and the supporters of New Democracy are getting stronger every day. The Emperor meant to show his strength during his last attempt to invade your land, trying to prove that he is a worthy heir and the master of his domain... but after what happened with your little hissy-fit..."

"Thanks, Newton, that makes me feel better." Zerrex said dryly, glancing down at his right hand absently before he looked up and nodded slowly. "Alright. So Eslovius isn't going to risk attacking us right now, I get it. I take it even your Emperor isn't stupid enough to make some wild attack on us to try and win support, right?"

"Fuck no. The mighty Emperor is lord and ruler of Eslovius, the smartest and humblest and blah-blah-blah. He's also the biggest coward on the face of the whole fucking planet, hiding in his throne room with Blackguard all around him and clutching the Blood Scepter, the most powerful artifact in Eslovius." Newton paused, adding mildly: "You know... if someone from Elysium ever got their hands on that... they could order Eslovius to do whatever they wanted."

"And believe me, the offer is tempting, but I have other things to worry about right now. Fun as invading a country is." Zerrex said mildly, and then he smiled slightly and slapped Newton on the shoulder as he looked up as he caught sight of someone else, saying mildly: "Stay frosty, Newton. I'll come back and talk to you later after I go piss some more people off."

"Have fun." Newton called, and the Drakkaren walked away from the Eslovian, heading across the ballroom towards where Anubis was grinning at a pretty goddess, despite the fact the demigod accompanying her was glaring daggers at him. Then she glanced to the side, and her eyes widened and her teeth gleamed in a predatory smile as she immediately forgot about Anubis and looked at him, both jackal and the male otter standing nearby glaring daggers as the female walked towards him with her arms spread.

"Lord Zerrex!" Aera Cura almost sang, her eyes glowing and eager, matching the color of the tight red skin that covered the cow's slender, voluptuous body. Her features were vain and beautiful yet almost skull-like, with large floppy ears and a pair of tall horns each adorned with a ladder of silver ring piercings, a black dress flowing around her body and cut down one leg to show off the shapeliness of her body, a pearl necklace dangling low around her large breasts as she hugged him tightly as if he was an old friend, despite the fact that the Drakkaren barely knew the goddess even after all these years. "So delightful to see you... here I was, just talking with two of your other friends, Loki and Anubis!"

"He's not my friend." Anubis muttered, and Loki grumbled and glowered as well, but didn't say anything as Zerrex smiled amusedly over at the otter and shrugged a little. They had their differences - especially in the past, when Loki and Zerrex had been enemies and spent most of their meetings attempting to kill the crap out of each other - but now the two got along... and got along well at that, at least when Loki wasn't trying to be cool and arrogant.

Loki was tall and athletic, his features both handsome and somewhat callous, his hair long and white and falling to the middle of his back, done up in bangs over his face that were streaked with gold and purple. The rest of his body was covered by black fur, and his eyes were dark and moody and emotional. An X-shaped bandolier was the only thing that covered his bare chest, with a triple-belt harnessed around his waist that went halfway up his abdominals, black dragon-scale jeans on his legs and heavy motorcycle boots on his feet, a leather trenchcoat swirling around him as he crossed his arms grouchily and said flatly: "Do you have to interrupt every fucking time I'm here with her?"

"It could be worse." Zerrex said mildly, and then he winced as there was a loud crash, the four looking up in dumb surprise to see that a large caracal had just accidentally knocked an angel flat on his back, the ten-foot behemoth of muscle and brilliant gold fur grinning embarrassedly as he rubbed at the back of his head slowly, his tall, tufted ears flicking. "Well, it just got worse."

The god looked up and spotted them, beaming benevolently as he stepped over the stunned angel and strode towards them. A tight vest made of black dragon scales flexed with his movements, a cape with the symbol of Valhalla in gold over the black cloth flapping behind him, the red lining on the inside making it seem almost like he was being followed by a blaze of flame as he grasped the thick leather belt around his waist. Dangling from this was a thick, steel-headed mallet, the head rectangular and the handle wrapped in red leather, a gold chain with an assortment of pretty charms hanging from this, and he smiled delightedly as his silvery greaves clanked against the floor, Aera Cura half-hiding behind Zerrex and staring at the god with shock as he rubbed at his dusty black jeans before picking the Drakkaren up in a firm hug, gloved hands almost crushing the reptile's biceps as he said cheerfully: "Lord Zerrex! It has been too many nights and days since last we met! Mine brother and I have so missed you dearly, many are the nights we have spent talking about you together as we worked upon our different tasks!"

Loki groaned and slapped his forehead as Zerrex wheezed, and the male set him down after another moment, gazing down at him warmly as the reptile rubbed at his aching ribs, then said lamely: "It's... good to see you too, Thor. So uh. Who's your date?"

"Date?" Thor looked confused for a moment, and then he brightened and held a hand out behind himself as another god approached, this one dressed in thick leather armor with a kilt of the same material hanging from his waist, skulls dangling over this from an ugly, cinched rawhide belt, a tattered red cape flowing behind the charcoal-furred bear and a white scarf wrapped around his muzzle and face, leaving only his red eyes visible. "Oh! Fair Gilgamesh is my companion for the night!"

Zerrex snorted laughter as Thor looked at him questioningly and naively, and Gilgamesh sighed a bit, rubbing at his scarf-covered face slowly before he explained tiredly: "I am not his date. But I was not able to... ask the person I wanted to..." Gilgamesh glanced down, twiddling his fingers awkwardly together. "But I decided to come anyway. As Loki was taking a friend, Thor wanted to bring one as well, so I made the mistake of agreeing to come with him. As a friend. Not as a date."

"Oh Gilgamesh, you are so humble." Thor said warmly, and then he slapped the twenty-foot tall giant on the arm with enough strength to make the larger male wince and stumble a bit to the side, before the caracal laughed and threw his head back, making one of the musicians wince and jar his notes as he drowned out the sound of the band. "Shall we not make merry tonight? Come, brother, dance with me!"

"Thor, look, food." Loki said flatly, pointing towards the banquet table, and Thor immediately glanced to the side before his eyes widened... and then he glared at the Eslovian standing near it, the otter wincing as the caracal stomped towards him and cursing under his breath. "No, you idiot, leave the ambassador alone!"

The Drakkaren sighed a bit, and then he looked over at Gilgamesh, ignoring Aera Cura as she stroked down his back to try and get his attention back on her and Anubis, who was glaring daggers at him. "So why didn't you ask Cindy?"

"I..." Gilgamesh hesitated... and then the god sighed, rubbing at his face slowly and looking awkwardly down at the Drakkaren as his cape swirled around him, saying finally: "I don't wish to impose upon her. And, to be entirely honest, I don't understand her relationship with the Lady Cherry, who admittedly... scares even me a little. To be frank, I think she even scares Thor a little."

"That's understandable, she scares me too. But Cherry's usually more bark than bite when it comes to people around her. She's only really scary if you make an enemy of her... and I don't think she'd mind you inviting Cindy to a dance. This is all very high-school, after all." Zerrex gestured around them, and then he snorted in amusement as Gilgamesh only cocked his head quizzically. "Right, no one gets that reference down here. Just. Believe me when I say that it wouldn't be a bad thing. And she wouldn't say no."

Gilgamesh grunted and rubbed at his head, and then Zerrex winced as Aera Cura grasped his arm as the band started to play slower and couples moved out towards the center of the ballroom, beginning to dance as she asked lovingly: "Then you won't say no to sharing the first dance with me, will you, Lord Zerrex?"

The Drakkaren glanced over at Anubis, but the jackal only threw up his hands in disgust... and the reptile sighed a bit as wrapped an arm around the female and took one of her hands, easily moving into a slow dance as she pushed herself forwards against his body with a tender sigh, clinging against him as the lizard gazed towards the ceiling high above, his eyes roving over heavy spheres of glass containing blue flames that lit the ballroom dangling from silver chains. "Isn't this wonderful, Lord Zerrex? You really are so big and strong... such an important figure in Elysium..."

Zerrex grunted a bit in response to her, knowing her well enough by now to be aware she was only after his wallet and the prestige that would come with any relation to him... and of course, that Aera Cura already had two husbands who were high-up in Elysium's monarchy. Husbands she apparently never spent time with and apparently didn't know each other, as she smiled up at him and half-lidded her crimson eyes. "Don't you want to give me a kiss?"

"No." Zerrex said flatly, but Aera Cura only laughed even as the reptile looked down at her grouchily, and then he looked up, eyes roving over the rest of the crowd before he smiled a little at the sight of Sabnock and Galleon doing their own calm version of dancing, the otter smiling and relaxed as the wolverine gently spun his chair and moved with him, surprisingly graceful and elegant in her dress.

Aera Cura glanced towards them curiously, and for a moment she grimaced before shaking her head a bit, returning her eyes quickly to the Drakkaren. "Come on... don't you find me the slightest bit attractive?"

"I do, Aera Cura, I can easily admit that you're pretty outside..." Zerrex spun her gently, then he pulled her suddenly and firmly back against his chest, making her blush and grin... then glare when he whispered softly into her ear: "But you're ugly on the inside, aren't you?"

"No uglier than you, Zerrex." she returned moodily, and the Drakkaren snorted in amusement as they stepped back and forth, her back still pressed tightly against him as her grin became nasty. "Yes, I admit it. I'm just after you for a good fuck and some quick cash and the bragging rights that come with it. I don't want to be a Disciple, and I don't want a relationship, and I don't think I even want to be one of your friends. But I will be your whore, and I will do anything you ask me to for the right amount of money... and most of all, I'll be discreet about it. Your friends can offer you their bodies, sure... but I can offer silence as well as letting you do anything you want to me. I just want some coin for it... and for you to let me tell a few right people that you found me a sensational lay. And I promise you, that won't even be a lie. Just like I promise if you continue to fight me so much, I can go from playing sugary-sweet girl to making your life miserable."

The reptile looked at her meditatively, and then he spun her easily around again before dipping her low, leaning over her as his eyes glowed faintly, and she trembled a bit now, grasping into his shoulders as he said softly: "I have friends. I have people who love me. I don't need a call girl, exotic and attractive as you are... and you should never, ever forget that if I really wanted you, Aera Cura, I could take you. Money or no money, connections or not. You could hurt me, sure... but goddess or not, you are nowhere near as strong as I am, and I have a feeling your connections and allies would hesitate to save your sorry ass."

He suddenly let go of her, and Aera Cura landed heavily on her back, glaring up at him angrily before the reptile pointed towards the door, saying quietly: "Why don't you stop playing your pedantic games with the affections of others and go on home? Loki has enough issues to deal with without a sociopath like you leading him on all the goddamn time, and even I don't hate Anubis enough to send you crawling into his arms."

"Fuck you." Aera Cura spat, and then she snarled before standing up and brushing herself off. Then she suddenly smiled, the look both sinister and calculating before she turned towards Anubis, striding towards the jackal... but she faltered in mid-step when he grimaced a bit at her, then silently reached up and pointed towards his large ears as they swiveled slightly back and forth, making her curse under her breath before she stormed away.

Zerrex shook his head distastefully... and then he winced as Carmen slid out of seemingly nowhere, snagging him and dragging him immediately into a dance as she grinned at him and said amusedly: "You seemed a little lonely out here after you got rid of the whore, Boss. What's your problem, I thought you liked whores, were all about 'empowerment, empowerment' and shit."

"You know, it's funny, on the mortal world a lot of societies considering prostitution an awful thing." Zerrex replied mildly, as he spun absently with Carmen, and she rolled her head before headbutting him lightly, the lizard grunting and then answering sourly: "I do like whores. I don't like users."

"That makes sense." Carmen grunted, and as the band picked up in tempo, they broke into a quick-step, the two moving together with ease as she asked curiously: "So where the fuck is Ann-Sin? I thought she was all about shit like this."

"Sin is, Anathema hates this stuff, though." Zerrex replied absently, keeping pace with the female's quick movements easily as they stepped back and forth. "I think they're still looking after Epiphany, though... after what happened with her, she's been taking a really long time to calm down. They both are, I think... Sin is horrified, Anathema is angry. But they're both more worried than anything else."

Carmen grunted, and they spun together, moving sideways at the same time as the dancers around the room revolved around the ballroom floor before the song finished in a flourish, and the Drakkaren half-spun Carmen around as he leaned backwards, letting her fall back against him and supporting her easily as she grinned up at him, then softened a bit as they both gazed over at Sabnock and Galleon, the wolverine clapping as Galleon smiled brightly despite the tiredness in his eyes and the heaviness of his breaths. Zerrex could feel his emotions from here, a mix of pain but also great joy... and a refusal to give in to his illness or his body's wants to return to bed, the pleasure of being here, being part of the celebration washing away the bitterness of his struggle even as the Wentaku butler kept walking over and trying to tend to him. "Poor fucking bastard. He ain't a demon who deserved this, he ain't at all. You don't get demons much more noble than the River Danes, you know: knights and warriors and usually the best guys to have at your back, stubborn as shit but easygoing at the same time, don't hold grudges and don't waste time hating on people."

Zerrex nodded a bit, then he and Carmen walked towards the banquet table, where Thor was now cheerfully chatting away with Newton instead of trying to mash him with his hammer, the Drakkaren rolling his eyes in amusement as he and the female stood beside Loki, who was sipping discontentedly at a cup of punch. "So you scared off Aera Cura."

"You know she's a cunt, right?" Carmen asked curiously, and Loki glared at her... then he sighed miserably and nodded, looking moodily down into his cup of punch as the female nodded amiably. "Just checking. You wanna dance, Sparkles? You look kinda down in the dumps and shit."

Loki looked up in dumb surprise at this offer, and Zerrex shrugged a bit at the otter when he looked at them questioningly, as if trying to decide if this was a trick or not... and then Carmen grumbled and reached out to snag his arm, yanking him towards the open floor as the otter winced and dropped his cup of punch, before she firmly began to lead him into a slow dance as the band started up again with an easy, gentle melody. The reptile shook his head in amusement as Loki struggled against her until she let him take the lead, and then the lizard rested back against the table as he picked up a small pastry, ignoring the white-suited minotaur that was looking at him almost eagerly, the servant probably waiting for some order he wasn't about to give.

Another servant rushed quickly over to begin cleaning up the dropped punch glass, and Zerrex carefully slid away down the table before he smiled a bit as he found several angels. Two of them looked at him distrustfully, dressed in regal white robes... but the last smiled at him, an ivory-furred mouse wearing a simple suit jacket overtop a black silk shirt, plain dress pants on that fed into silver greaves ending in large, metallic talons, his wings furled neatly behind his back as he said mildly: "I see you're dressed for the occasion."

"I could say the same thing. I don't think I've ever seen you in anything but Kevlar." Zerrex said mildly, poking the mouse's chest firmly, then he smiled as he took the male's hand, shaking it firmly as emerald eyes met ice blue. "How are you doing, Francis? And who did you bring with you?"

The other two angels looked a little more unsure now, and Francis gestured absently at them, saying mildly: "These are two ambassadors-in-training, Alexander and Lucas. Ambassadors, this is Lord Zerrex. He currently serves as an ambassador from Elysium, but he has a long and decorated history. Keep that in mind when you deal with him in the future, boys."

The taller of the two, an orange tiger with lightning-like black stripes, grimaced a bit as he rubbed at his white robes and adjusted the crown-like golden helm on his skull... while the smaller, a nervous-looking bear, flapped his wings awkwardly before furling them tight, rubbing his hands together and wearing the same uniform, brown-gold fur ruffled: he had been the one Thor had apparently stepped on earlier. Understandable, considering he was only five feet tall and made even shorter by the fact he kept shuffling back and forth and shrank under Zerrex's eyes.

Finally, Zerrex sighed a bit, trying to lighten the awkward tension as he gestured around and said mildly: "Quite a celebration, isn't it? Angels, demons, gods, all gathered here to enjoy themselves and discuss matters of importance between both our planets. I hear there's even a few mortal ambassadors here but I've never been very good at picking people out of a crowd."

"Yes, mortals are our lifeline." spoke up the bear, Lucas, quickly, and then he blushed a bit even as Zerrex smiled indulgently at him. "Sorry, sir. I'm very excited to be here. It really is a fascinating place and a fascinating spectacle."

"Its okay." grumbled the tiger, and Zerrex cocked his head towards him as he crossed his arms and mumbled: "Elysium is still Hell to me, and will always be Hell. Hell and Heaven are opposites. I don't even understand why a Captain of the Vanguard would be so glad to be in a place like this."

Francis looked at him with a frown, but Zerrex held up a hand, saying mildly: "Night and day, light and dark, opposites exist for a reason, for balance. After all, without us around, wicked souls would be flooding Heaven. Even if we only were a cesspool of evil, it has to exist somewhere, otherwise evil would pile up everywhere... and as you can easily see yourself and are probably most disturbed by, we're not a cesspool, and we're not a place of evil incarnate. We're just what you see here. As all things are."

"The senses can lie. Especially sight." the tiger retorted, but despite his glowering outer confidence, Zerrex could feel the hesitance inside of him... and he smiled at him, which only made the male seem all the more infuriated as he asked sharply: "What? What?"

"Enough now, Alexander." Francis said calmly, before the argument could escalate, and the tiger immediately dropped his head, crossing his arms with a grumble but not daring to go against the older and much higher-ranking Seraphim. "Lord Zerrex, why don't you tell the ambassadors about some of Elysium's recent changes?"

Zerrex shrugged a bit, opening his mouth... but the band stopped playing and the reptile instead heard someone clear their throat, saying quickly: "Afterwards, afterwards, I promise."

He turned around as the tiger angel grumbled and the bear nodded quickly, and Francis stepped up beside the lizard, the two looking towards the front of the room expectantly now as they saw Sabnock standing on stage, dress flowing around her as she gazed over the room: by now clustered with different people. At the foot of the stairs was her husband, Galleon, resting back in his wheelchair and gazing up at her tenderly as he breathed quietly, and Sabnock looked at him for a moment before she returned her gaze over the crowd, saying clearly: "Thank you all for attending this, a gala held in honor of Hell's Justice System. I would like to commence official business shortly, but first, if you'll permit it, I would like to honor this occasion with a song."

There were mumbles around the room as Sabnock looked back and forth, as the tiger grumbled behind them... but then Sabnock closed her eyes for a moment, and when she opened her mouth, she began to sing. And the ballroom fell silent as her voice carried the melody alone, singing in the ancient, almost-forgotten language of the Reapers... and a moment later, the band slowly picked up the tune, and following her voice, they found new strength in their instruments, new skill in their hands, as they accompanied her.

There were no words to describe it: her song was powerful, the melody rising and falling, the room swaying in tune with her as Zerrex smiled warmly and hugged himself and Galleon stared lovingly up at his wife as the wolverine gazed back down at him, a smile spreading over her face, loosening the years from her features as she sang... and when she finished, there was no need for applause, no need for anything but silence as the wolverine closed her eyes and the otter whispered, his voice carrying through the entire room: "Thank you."

The rest of the gala passed fairly quickly, the reptile spending much of it arguing with the ambassadors-in-training... well, with Alexander, anyway, since Lucas barely offered an opinion on any subject. The Drakkaren only stopped when the servants brought in the listings for the silent auction, immediately heading over to the table and getting into a bidding war over several items of particular interest. Since it was all going towards charity, Zerrex felt less bad about spending exorbitant amounts of money on things he would either never use or just planned to give away... that, and the fact that outbidding Greed demons who threw temper tantrums was a very amusing sight worth every silver, gold, and even platinum piece he spent.

The reptile also found the time to dance with Lily, Selena, and Aluinnia, although the last he pulled away from as quickly as possible... and near the end of the night, he had danced with Sabnock, who had gracefully kept up and danced for not one, but two songs with him. She had broken away only to share a last dance with Galleon before he was wheeled out to return to bed, and the wolverine had been more relaxed afterwards than Zerrex had ever seen her, even if sorrow did tug quietly through her emotions, invisible to most of those present but clear in her eyes to the Drakkaren and her closer friends.

When the guests finally began to filter out late into the night, Zerrex stayed behind, sitting on the steps of the stage as the security and servants around the palace made sure the guests were able to get outside and safely portal: they were some very important names, after all, and several of them had very powerful enemies. But the night had gone fine, without a single hitch... and now the Drakkaren had finally been able to take off his robes, resting in only his pants. White sat at the top of the stage, quietly reading, and Zerrex's twin Iuratus, Mist and Shine, sat on the bottom steps, smiling warmly up at him.

Crimson-scaled Dragokkaren, they were beautiful and slender, with curvy hips and large breasts and elegant features. The only difference between them was their eyes: one had a left green eye and a right blue eye, and the other female's were reversed, her left eye blue and right eye green. Ram-like horns jutted from the sides of their skulls, and they were clothed only in simple white loincloths and cloth wraps around their breasts, each with a massive cleaver sword resting across their backs, with blades almost as long as the tall females, who both stood a bit taller than the Drakkaren, the single-edged weapons some two feet wide.

Born as servants to the Hellabos Family in Hez'Ranna, they had first been the Iuratus of Victor Hellabos: they had been passed on to Zerrex, however, and had served the Drakkaren ever since, never returning to their former master after discovering he had been disloyal to them. Although servitude was bred into Iuratus, although they were essentially slaves... when given the choice between masters, they would always serve an honorable and loyal leader instead of one who sought only his own gain.

Although they looked like succubi, they were, in fact, a much-rarer breed of demon known as Gemini: like Lone and Mahihko, the twins were intrinsically linked, feeling one another's pain and pleasure. They gazed at him warmly, lovingly, and he reached down and stroked Mist's face, and Shine sighed softly and closed her eyes at the same time as her sister did, before the reptile glanced up as Sabnock approached him calmly.

She nodded to him quietly, and Zerrex stood, gently and silently rubbing along the skulls of the Twins before he smiled to them, and they nodded and smiled lovingly back before the Drakkaren walked towards Sabnock, falling into pace at her side as she turned around and they headed for the main doors. The others were gone... and the wolverine said quietly: "Thank you for staying afterwards, Lord Zerrex. I understand you must be anxious to return to your own home and your own affairs... but my husband wanted one last word with you. I also... wanted to thank you again as well."

Sabnock glanced at him quietly, touching his wrist gently, and Zerrex smiled at her a bit, reaching his hand up to squeeze her shoulder. "It's not a problem at all, Sabnock. I'm glad to do what I can for you. You've helped me out a lot over the years and I've always looked up to you... and you're my friend. Friends help friends, right?"

"Yes." Sabnock nodded in her all-too-serious way, and the lizard laughed a bit as the wolverine shook her head, saying quietly: "I know, I know. I am trying, and it may surprise you to know that I have loosened up over the years. I used to be much worse than even when we first began to work together."

"Somehow I'm not entirely surprised." Zerrex smiled at her again, though, and she only nodded as they made their way up the ramp and towards the second floor, before the Drakkaren asked softly: "Is there anything I can do for you, though? I know you want to... face the end of this with Galleon alone, and I can understand and respect that... but I'd even be willing to sit in on a court case or two for you, or do some of your administrative duties..."

"That is a very kind offer, Zerrex, but I've already asked much of you... and Thoth has graciously agreed to handle my court cases, and White will be able to pick up my duties with the council and other disciplinary demands." Sabnock replied quietly, but she smiled a little now herself as she glanced at him, opening the door to the second floor hall and leading the Drakkaren down it as she added softly: "I am very glad you and Galleon convinced me to sing tonight, Zerrex. It's been a long time since I have... and longer still, perhaps, since I enjoyed it. But more than that, I could tell how much it meant to my husband... and I feel as if I have put him at ease and helped him ready himself for what is about to happen. And in that, I feel myself as if I am becoming... more ready for him to pass on. It will be hard; it will hurt... but I understand it. And my own time will come eventually, the great sleep that even demons fall prey to: none of us escape the grasp of the Reapers forever, after all. Even the oldest demons one day lay down to sleep, and fade away, and their souls leave for the Unworld or... for who knows where?"

Sabnock looked up at Zerrex as they stopped outside the doors to Galleon's room, and she quietly touched his chest as the Drakkaren gazed down at her softly, feeling her emotions... and for all the calmness of her face, they were tumultuous inside her, confused and sorrowful and powerful and tinged with something else... and then she smiled a bit at him before nodding slowly and reaching down to open the door.

The two entered... and Sabnock's eyes widened in horror as they both saw a cloaked figure looming over Galleon, shadows covering its hands and features as it reached down towards the otter, who could only wheeze and tremble as drool fell from the creature's open mouth, the monster hissing and terrible and emanating waves of malice, the dead, torn-apart bodies of two minotaur servants laying on the floor and their blood spread across the walls and even the ceiling in crude, terrible runes that spelled the Drakkaren's name... and just as it began to look up, Zerrex vanished from the spot and reappeared in midair above the otter on his side, slamming both feet outwards and into the cloaked figure's face to send himself flipping neatly backwards to land at the edge of the bed as the creature screamed in rage and pain as it flew out the window, glass and metal shattering around it as an alarm went off before Zerrex snarled and vanished again, reappearing in midair above the stunned creature and slamming his right fist into its stomach.

It screamed as it was sent rocketing into the ground, sending up a burst of snow as Serenity and Vampire both looked up in shock from where they were standing near the gates, and Zerrex almost floated in midair as he shot a look over his shoulder to see Sabnock through the shattered window, leaning over her husband, looking horrified as tears streamed down the wolverine's usually so-calm features, Galleon pale and gasping... and the lizard felt inarticulate rage burning inside him as he dived straight down into the cloaked creature, slamming it onto its back in the snow before he smashed a fist across its face, jarring the hood back enough to cause the shadows to pull back slightly from its body, revealing a scaled, ugly muzzle... and then the reptile's eyes registered the electricity crackling over one of its fists too late before it slammed it into him, Zerrex howling in agony as he was knocked backwards and cracks spread throughout his form in a blinding flash of light, rolling through the white powder before he gagged and vomited blood as the cloaked figure leapt to its feet and hurriedly yanked the hood back down.

Serenity's sword spun towards it, but then the silvery metal suddenly ricocheted backwards as electricity exploded over the blade, Serenity cursing as she winced backwards, then snarled and snapped one hand out to the side, a second silver sword appearing in her grip as the first lashed back towards her and she caught it easily... and Vampire was already charging with a snarl, his eyes blazing as he tore through the snow before the cloaked figure snapped a hand upwards and fired a blast of electricity into the wolf, knocking him flat on his back with a grunt of pain before he rolled backwards and shook his head, disoriented but otherwise undamaged.

Zerrex coughed again, cursing under his breath as he realized that the creature, the murderer, somehow was attuned to his energy wavelength, had almost succeeded not in simply hurting him, but disassociating him... and then he snarled as he stood up and looked at the figure as it released another shockwave of electricity, this time aimed at Serenity as she ran forwards... but Vampire slid into her way, crossing his arms in front of him and skidding backwards as the wave of electrical force crashed into his body and zapped over his Royal Guard armor, smoke hissing up from his frame as it superheated against his form... but then the black wolf snapped his hands to his sides with a savage grin, leaning forwards and forming a ramp as Serenity leapt up and charged over his back, spinning her swords into reverse position as she fell towards the murderer...

And the Drakkaren's eyes widened in horror as not electricity, but black flames burned over its hands as it began to rise them, and Zerrex vanished from the spot, reappearing beside Serenity and tackling her out of the air to the ground as the cloaked figure gave a muffled, wicked laugh as it lashed its hands upwards, a massive eruption of terrible dark energy ripping through the air in arcing streaks of black flame and jagged lightning, Zerrex feeling it tearing along his back and charring his scales and flesh as Vampire yelped and leapt out of the way, covering his head with a wince as the snow around them was vaporized instantly... and when the three looked up, Serenity wincing beneath her father's body, the figure had vanished entirely.

"Dad, fuck, I..." Serenity stopped as Zerrex rasped for breath, and she trembled a little before dropping her swords, hugging him around the neck and making him groan in pain as her hands gripped into the raw, bleeding patches on his back, the female whispering fiercely: "Fuck, why do you always protect me when I'm the one supposed to protect you?"

"Because you're my daughter. Now let go of me, this hurts like goddamn hell." Zerrex mumbled, and Serenity blushed a bit as the Drakkaren dazedly climbed to his feet, Royal Guards appearing around the perimeter and Mist and Shine slamming their way through the doors. The reptile rubbed slowly at his face, groaning quietly before Serenity grimaced and touched the cracks over his chest, as if the reptile's body was glass... but they were slowly healing even as blood dripped down his form, and the lizard nodded silently when she gazed up at him with a scared, questioning look. "Almost. He either didn't have the right wavelength or the right amount of energy... but he knew I could be dissociated. I didn't... goddammit, I thought we were just dealing with a nutjob here..."

The reptile shook his head slowly, and then he held up a finger to Serenity as he glanced nervously towards the shattered window. A moment later, the reptile vanished from the spot, then reappeared in Galleon's room... before he clutched at his chest and fell against a shelf, gritting his teeth in pain as blood gushed from the cracks on his body and his nose, cursing as Sabnock and White both looked at him with surprise. "Sorry... he messed up my organs worse than I thought, it's... it's okay, I'll be... goddammit, Galleon, are you okay?"

"He passed out, he's... he's weak but..." Sabnock trembled a bit, sitting beside her husband before she closed her eyes and cleared her throat, asking in a dry voice: "What happened out there, Zerrex?"

"We can wait if you need to rest." White said calmly, and Sabnock looked at him sharply... but then she nodded slowly as the badger glanced at her, then back towards the Drakkaren, drawing his eyes slowly over the reptile's bloody and battered body. "You seem to have taken a few hard hits... and the lightshow outside was enough to let me know whatever that was, it put up a nasty fight."

"That's one way to put it." Zerrex muttered and nodded, and then he shook his head a bit, rubbing at his face slowly as he looked at Sabnock and said quietly: "I'm sorry. This... this must have been because I came here tonight, because this murderer is... hunting people close to me. This is my fault."

"This is the fault of the creature in the cloak, not yours." Sabnock said dryly and authoritatively, and Zerrex winced a bit as the wolverine stood up and walked towards him, looking at him coldly... and then she trembled a bit before hugging him suddenly, and Zerrex arched his back in surprise as she rested against him, closing her eyes, her small horns pushing against his chest, unmindful of the blood getting on her as she murmured: "You saved my husband. And in all likelihood, saved my life as well."

The Drakkaren looked at her silently... and then he quietly hugged her back despite the pain in his body, clenching his eyes shut before she slipped quietly backwards, rubbing at her face slowly and wincing a bit at the dead bodies on the ground, saying quietly: "I may be... less than myself at the moment, but I do remember from the files that this murderer was only going after single targets. It's why Jeannine Wulfe survived in Heaven despite her mansion being marked, and why Lady Vivien wanted to use her as bait... yes, Lord Zerrex, I know the plan. Vivien discussed it with me at length."

"I didn't see much of her at the gala. Thank Gods she didn't stick around." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at his face slowly and pretending it wasn't concern for the female, but rather for his own well-being. Then he nodded a bit as he looked across at White, saying quietly: "It was wearing one of those stealth cloaks. The kind you only get in Heaven."

"I'll ask Silven to look into it." White replied quietly, then he glanced measuringly over the Drakkaren. "Was that dark energy it tried to hit you with?"

"Yeah. And it was using electricity on specific wavelengths. It knew my weaknesses, it knew I could be rudely kicked out of the physical plane and sent back into the disassociation with the right spark." Zerrex grimaced a bit. "Dissociation, disassociation, two words for the same thing, I need to settle on using one... sorry, sorry, my mind's... a little screwed-up right now. Usually it's only energy control that I have problems with but... gods above, either the murderer's as sharp as Priest is or he's got a team of scientists working with him to let him hit me with just the right amount of excited particles to create a tachyon reaction..."

"So you're sure it was the murderer we've been after?" White said quietly, and Zerrex made a face at him, but the badger only gave a thin smile. "We've encountered copycats before, remember. And larger coincidences or more complicated plots than this. But your gut instincts are usually right... and the blood runes and the method of death of these poor gents on the floor is a good indicator towards evidence that this is the person we're looking for."

"But if it is, he's evolving his routines." Sabnock added quietly, even as she looked silently down at Galleon and stroked his face slowly. Zerrex and White both looked over at her as she looked from one to the other, then said softly: "He's not just confident now. He's angry. And he tried to kill you without hesitation, Zerrex. There was no pleading, no questioning, no attempt at conversation. He tried to kill you, meaning that the end goal of his agenda is not simply the destruction of those you hold dear in an effort to get close to you. He's working his way through the ranks of your friends and family one-by-one with the sole goal of hurting you, and likely in attempts to turn us against each other or space ourselves from you. Had we found my husband murdered, I cannot say that I would have been able to stop myself from lashing out at you in anger despite my preference towards logic over emotions.

"It means, however, our opponent is sinister and dangerous, and for more reasons than the fact he knows your weaknesses, and he knows who your family and friends are, and he is obviously capable of both savagery as well as moving undetected." Sabnock stood up, and although her features were calm, her eyes burned with fury, making her terrifying to behold as she flicked her fingers out, and the decaying bodies of both minotaurs were both sealed inside icy coffins. "Whoever this is, they are not patient, but they are rapidly executing a plan that will attempt to take away everything and everyone you love. Whoever this is, they must hate you more than the Princess hated you, more than Athéos hated the existence of the mortal world. And whoever this is has rapidly become more and more willing to take larger and larger risks, and I fear the fact he was caught but succeeded in escaping after wounding you and fighting two of your Disciples will not deter him, but instead make him even more confident. He may even begin looking for open challenges now, instead of sneaking silently up on his targets."

Sabnock flicked her wrist, and the icy coffins and the corpses inside both vanished from sight, the wolverine closing her eyes as Zerrex gave an uneasy look to White, who was frowning only slightly... but on the stoic badger's features, it was a truly-worrisome expression, as the male asked quietly: "Should I report to Vivien or stay here with you?"

"The moment that window was broken, two platoons of Royal Guards went on high alert and my own security staff will be locking down the mansion and surrounding area." Sabnock smiled grimly at White, then she looked down at Galleon, stroking his pale features silently. "It's alright, White. Go ahead to Vivien. But keep an eye on yourself as well. I don't want to lose another friend so soon."

"I will, Lady Sabnock. Zerrex." White reached up and tipped his hat to them, and then he flicked his wrist and opened a portal, walking through this and vanishing. Then there was quiet, the silence pervaded only by the harsh breathing of the otter and the yelling outside, before Zerrex smiled awkwardly at the wolverine and approached the broken window, raising his hands towards this... and glass and metal reappeared inside the pane, a little jagged and uneven but the best the reptile could manage at the moment.

He turned around, heading towards the doors and closing his eyes as he grasped at one of his aching sides... and then Sabnock said quietly: "Wait, Zerrex."

The reptile glanced over his shoulder at her as the wolverine slid to her feet and walked towards him, and they looked into each other's eyes before she said softly: "I will be fine here. You do not have to fulfill your promise to Galleon if you do not want to. This murderer puts you at great risk, and I will understand if you prefer to spend your time hunting it than coddling me."

"Stop using that word." Zerrex smiled a little at her, turning around and saying quietly: "If you'll have me, Sabnock, despite... what just happened... I would prefer to spend that time with you, as much as possible. Yes, I'm going to have to spend some time this month trying to catch this bastard and tending to my other duties, but... I'm going to spend every moment I can here with you." He stopped, then asked with soft amusement. "Is that an acceptable negotiation?"

Sabnock shook her head slowly, then she said softly: "Incorrigible. Very well." She looked up at him as Zerrex gazed down at her, and then she smiled a little and reached up to run a hand affectionately through his hair before returning quietly to Galleon's side, and Zerrex smiled faintly at her before he shook his head a bit and turned, heading to the double doors and letting himself out.

He grimaced a bit as he glanced back and forth at the servants and Royal Guards on either side of the door, and when the Wentaku looked at him as if awaiting a silent order, the reptile shrugged a little and said finally: "Give... give her a few more minutes alone with Galleon. And although I'm sure one of them will tell you something along this line, tell me immediately if something... happens."

The Wentaku nodded to him courteously, saying quietly: "Of course, Lord Zerrex. We were already informed that you will be aiding Lady Sabnock, as Lord Galleon wishes, once he passes away. You shall be informed immediately."

"Thanks." Zerrex said awkwardly, and then he carefully slipped by the servants and guards to make his way towards the stairs. It was difficult, but the reptile found his way back through the catacomb-like mansion and out the front gates, where Serenity and Vampire were talking rapidly with several nervous-looking Royal Guards... but then the two snapped to attention as Zerrex approached, the reptile grimacing as he asked: "Situation?"

Serenity snapped off a salute, then said clearly: "No signs of tampering with any of the security precautions, no signs of forced entry, no traces of the target left on the ground. Unfortunately, no clear blood splatter, either, or any other traceable samples."

Zerrex grunted, gritting his teeth. If they had managed even a single clear cut on the enemy, had sent up one burst of blood... they could have used Epiphany's powers to uncover the creature's DNA and known everything about it, or at the very least enough to build up an image of it. Right now, the only thing Zerrex knew for sure was that it was taller than him, and possibly reptilian. "Great. I assume Mist and Shine are double-checking the area?"

"Of course." Serenity smiled slightly at this, then she glanced over at Vampire before he nodded quickly, and she sighed and returned her eyes to him, saying slowly: "Listen, Zerrex. Everyone is going to start moving in pairs to watch each other's backs... and we think that you should start staying only on the mortal world and Acheron. It's the only safe zone we know of... and neither of us want to see you in any greater danger than you already are. We also think that you're going to need to start letting someone else handle issues like the Strange Beasts, at least until this problem is sorted out."

Zerrex grimaced at this last particularly, before he said mildly: "Serenity, Vampire... I appreciate your concern, but now that we have a better idea of what we're up against, I'm not about to run away. We're going to hunt this bastard down, and we're going to trap him if we can... but most importantly, I am not going to be chased out of my home by him. I also made a promise to Sabnock, to stay with her as much as possible... and if everything goes according to plan over the next few days, there should be much less concern about my safety in the near future."

Serenity looked at him with a grimace, frowning a bit... and then she said quietly: "But what about the High Thrones? Two wives, a daughter, and a friend... and Vivien, who you do care about more than you want to admit. They're going to be in danger as well... and how do we protect you and them all at once? If you're in Acheron, at least I can be sure you're safe and can concentrate the Iuratus and the Dragon Warriors towards protecting the others... but if you're out here, running around all over the place-"

"Serenity, we have other resources at our disposal, never forget that." Zerrex said quietly, and the female grimaced a bit as the Drakkaren looked up at the sky and rolled his shoulders slowly, muttering as his back felt like it was burning... but he knew it was really just the dark energy finally beginning to work out of his system. "Can we talk about this later?"

"No, I want to talk about it now." Serenity said stubbornly, and the reptile smiled faintly at her as she looked, almost glared back at him. "I'm trying to get you to agree to the course of action that will put you in the safest place..."

"And no matter what we do, no matter what we agree on, someone is going to die in the near future, in all likelihood." Zerrex said gently, and Vampire glanced down and rubbed the back of his head slowly as Serenity looked startled, made strangely vulnerable by this statement. "Serenity... we could take all my friends and lock them up in a vault, and put that vault in Acheron, and seal the portal to Acheron into a gemstone, and sink that gemstone to the bottom of a volcano. I could be in there with them, even, and we could all be armored and armed to the teeth. We could hide everyone away from this murderer. And do you know what he'd do? He'd probably just start killing anyone associated with me, or even just people interested in the history books or my poetry or some crap like that.

"It hurts me to say this, but I would rather this murderer be going after the people who can take care of themselves... my family and friends... than after innocents with no quarrel, no position in this battle." Zerrex looked down quietly, rubbing at his face slowly. "Actually, I'd rather this murderer be dead but... until we stop him one way or the other, we can't just run away. Worse yet, just because an attack hasn't happened in Acheron, doesn't mean that this murderer can't get there. The bastard knew how to fry me, and was throwing dark energy around with such force that it would have dissolved even Vampire if he'd been hit directly by it. And he took several very big hits to the face, and still was able to defend himself from me."

"That's what scares me." Serenity said softly, looking down and silently hugging herself, and Zerrex looked at her quietly as she gazed down into the snow at the reptile's feet, murmuring: "I... I know what you're saying. And I know why you withdrew plenty of people to Acheron, but... not everyone. Why you don't hide there yourself. Because if you do, then Vivien, Lily, Selena... they become even more appetizing targets to this piece of shit."

Zerrex smiled faintly, reaching up to stroke her scarred face quietly and tilting it upwards as he gazed from her to the embarrassed black wolf. "And don't forget about you and Vampire. You're Disciples. And now you're also going to be remembered as the two people who stood up to this bastard and got away alive." He stopped, then said in a serious, quiet voice: "I want you both to always have someone else with you from now until we catch this killer. Preferably two people... Dragon Warriors, Black Rose soldiers, or other Disciples."

"That's ridiculous!" Serenity argued, glaring at him, but when Zerrex only looked at her sharply, she flushed deep red and looked down, swallowing thickly as she mumbled: "I... I'm sorry, Father. I didn't... I didn't realize you..."

"I'm very serious." Zerrex said softly, and his eyes flicked to Vampire, who looked up at him with an awkward smile. "And no, you two can't travel together to watch each other's backs without someone else along. That just makes you both an even more appealing target."

Serenity began to argue, but Vampire clapped her on the shoulder before he stomped a paw and saluted firmly, saying clearly: "Understood, Cap'n. Right, Serenity?"

The female glowered at him, but then she grumbled and nodded after a moment, crossing her arms sulkily before looking up in surprise as Zerrex added meditatively: "We're going to have to recall the Black Rose Platoon from Baroque Prison, then. Station only two to four guards there with Equinox... and the rest can stay at the Ravenlight Estate. Them, Dragon Warriors, Iuratus, Disciples... we have a small army, so why not put them to use?"

"I still don't like this, though." Serenity said finally, and Zerrex looked at her for a moment before shaking his head a bit, and she smiled grimly. "I understand, I understand. I'm not going to make a big fuss, but... still. This gives me a bad goddamn feeling. Alright, though: Vampire, you report to Baroque Prison now, then, issue the order to withdraw to the Ravenlight Estate. Zerrex, we should leave here ourselves if there's no other business to attend to. You need medical attention."

The Drakkaren only grimaced at her, even though he knew the patches on his back were still raw, and cracks were faintly-visible through his body. Instead, he glanced to Vampire as the black wolf opened a portal, saying clearly: "Don't forget. No going it alone."

"Like I'm ever stupid, Cap'n." Vampire winked over at him, and Zerrex rolled his eyes but smiled a bit nonetheless, watching the dark-furred lupine vanish though the portal, before he grimaced as Serenity glowered at him. Thankfully, however, the twins reappeared in that moment, circling towards them through the powdery snow as Zerrex began to step past the female, and then he winced when his daughter and the leader of his Iuratus reached up and seized firmly into his shoulder.

"Pride is a sin." she said softly, and Zerrex winced as he looked at her, and she looked steadily back, before she murmured quietly: "Don't overexert yourself, Dad. Go get checked out. Go and get some rest. We'll handle preparations from here."

Zerrex looked at her for a few moments... and then he sighed a bit and finally nodded, looking at her before he glanced up as the Twins approached, saying quietly: "You two are to accompany Serenity at all times, understood? I'm going to head to the Cloister, which should be safer than even the Ravenlight Estate. I'll call Anathema Sin once I'm there."

Serenity nodded, and then she flicked her wrist, creating a portal for him as the demoness said softly: "Good. Rest, is that understood? I'll begin fortifying security around the Ravenlight Estate."

The male nodded again after a moment, and then he stepped into the portal and winced as darkness swirled around him before he stepped out and in front of Anathema Sin's dark fairytale cottage. He stood for a moment, rubbing at his aching chest... and then the door was thrown up and Anathema Sin charged out, Epiphany at her heels and both of them staring at him with shock as the former Naganatine began to worry over him immediately, the flames in her socket glowing as she said hurriedly: "Oh Naganis, we felt something bad had happened... Zerrex, please, come in, come inside... Epiphany, go and clear off the couch."

"Yes mom!" Epiphany turned and ran back into the cottage as Anathema Sin wrapped an arm around the Drakkaren and helped him to the door, the reptile grumbling under his breath but not fighting too much against her as he grasped at his chest, gritting his teeth with a mumbled curse of pain as they slipped through the doorway and into the small cottage.

Zerrex groaned as he began to sit on the couch as Epiphany hovered worriedly nearby... but Anathema Sin immediately growled at him and turned him around, half-pushing him down onto his stomach as the lizard muttered under his breath. "Annie, you're a bitch."

"We're both worried... excuse us for manifesting it in different ways." Anathema Sin said rudely, and then she shoved her hands down against his back, making the lizard squawk in pain and arch his back, eyes bulging before he felt a faint numbness travel along his spine, wheezing loudly as his head flopped down against the armrest and he lay prone, body flexing a bit as Anathema Sin began to check over his wounds as she muttered: "Naganis above, this is awful damage... partial disassociation of your internal organs, causing ruptures and bleeding, and acidic dark energy still bubbling in these wounds... this is almost as bad as Unworld residue. What were you fighting?"

"A murderer." Zerrex muttered, shaking his head slowly... and then he glanced up awkwardly as Epiphany silently stroked through his hair, the female smiling nervously down at him. Zerrex smiled a little back after a moment, leaving his worries and negative thoughts behind, and he said awkwardly: "I... unfortunately, I wasn't really able to get a sample of it or anything, though... and it..."

He shook his head a bit, murmuring quietly as he felt faint warmth spreading through his back: "It was strong. Really, really strong, as well as smart... it almost disassociated me with electricity, which we all know is goddamn difficult to do... but it knew if it hit me with the right charge, it could do some major damage. Thankfully it was still off a little but... gods above it was close, and it hurt like hell."

"It fried your nerves, that's why you haven't been feeling the internal ruptures." Anathema Sin muttered, shaking her head after a moment, and Zerrex looked over her shoulder at her dumbly as the female said quietly: "This is not good, Lord Zerrex. It bodes ill for you and your family if-"

"Don't worry, Sabnock already went over why exactly this sucks." Zerrex grumbled, and then he winced as the numbness faded and he clearly felt Anathema Sin digging her claws into his back. "Okay, okay, but your points are valid too!"

She snorted, then shook her head slowly as Epiphany looked at her mother almost pleadingly, hesitating but relaxing after a moment as she went back to slowly healing the Drakkaren, her hands glowing a faint pink as she rubbed along the lizard's back; where her hands travelled, flesh solidified and scales knit back together, blue arcs of energy pulsing quietly but visibly over the lizard's frame. "We assume you've decided to increase security then, among other things? We'll need to be well-prepared to deal with a threat capable of hurting you so badly."

But this only made Zerrex smile a bit, the Drakkaren glancing over his shoulder and murmuring softly: "Because you aren't stronger than I am, Anathema Sin."

The Naganatine softened, smiling quietly in return to him even as she shook her head slowly, saying quietly in return: "Believe it or not, Lord Zerrex, we are not in some ways: yes, combined together as I and my sister are, we can control life and death, and hold total dominance over the Marquee Sur Noir... but we are also all the more vulnerable to certain things. Iron cuts us, concentrated holy energy will damage us. Worse yet is when one of us hesitates, the other sister does as well... we have twice the strength, but twice the hesitation, twice the confusion, twice everything else."

Zerrex shook his head a bit before he looked up at Epiphany, saying softly: "Yeah... but with you and our little girl here side-by-side, Gods know that nothing would be stupid enough to attack you two at once. Epiphany's never lost a fight either, after all."

The female blushed, looking pleased as she fidgeted on the spot, and then she asked curiously: "Does that mean I can have Equinox back then, Father? If you free him from Baroque Prison, I can put him to use as a guard... you know yourself that he would be extremely useful."

The Drakkaren only shook his head a bit, however, saying quietly: "No, Epiphany, it wouldn't be right. I've withdrawn a lot of my troops from the prison, but I'm keeping Equinox there." He hesitated as the female's face fell, and then he sighed a bit, saying finally: "If something... really goes awry... like if an army of Strange Beasts raid us or I end up disabled or dead or... you know, something else in that range of 'bad news' happens, then okay. Then we can bring Equinox out. But until then, no Equinox... and no armies of the undead, either."

Anathema Sin rolled her eyes at this, saying dryly: "Bones are only bones, Lord Zerrex, they do no one any good buried in the ground. Let them walk around and have some air... sister agrees with me, it's better to put corpses to use than leave them rotting and useless.

"Sister, please!" Anathema Sin's head jerked to the side, arguing with herself in Sin's voice as her hands ground lightly against the lizard's back, but he only grunted and sighed in relief as there was no pain, his major wounds thankfully healed. "Anathema, don't lie to Zerrex to try and add weight and my voice to arguments when I'm right here..."

Zerrex ignored the Naganatine as she argued with herself in both voices, wondering absently if she would be labeled schizophrenic or a weird case of conjoined twins on the mortal world as he rose his claws in front of his eyes, flicking them absently and making sparks of energy dance between his fingers. Then Epiphany gently took his hand, leaning down and kissing the knuckles softly as she squeezed it between both of hers, murmuring softly so only he could hear: "I'm sorry about what happened before, Daddy. I promise to never do that to you ever again. I just wanted to be sexy for you... and I got too carried away by the moment and the energy."

Zerrex smiled a little after a moment, and then he finally nodded as the female stroked a hand quietly over his knuckles, looking down at him affectionately before she nodded back... and then the Drakkaren finally sat up with a grunt, Anathema Sin halting in her argument with herself to look at the lizard as he rubbed at his head, resting only for a moment longer before standing and saying quietly: "Thanks, you two. But I think I'm ready to head down into the Cloister now... would you and Epiphany like to accompany me?"

Anathema Sin smiled at him after a moment, straightening and bowing quietly, and Epiphany blushed but nodded and quickly stepped up to her father's side, looking at him warmly and affectionately. Zerrex gazed lovingly back down at her, then he headed towards the door, taking the lead as mother and daughter followed with hesitant smiles to one-another as things between them finally cooled and settled.

The Drakkaren walked around the cottage to approach the door leading into the tower, and then he laughed when Anathema Sin hopped up onto his back, her dress billowing around her as she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist, sitting on the base of his tail as he smiled amusedly over his shoulder at her and Epiphany giggled a bit. Then the lizard pulled the door open, and they walked past the spiraling stairs leading up the empty, vast innards of the tower to the single room above, instead walking into the middle of the room, standing atop a golden, long-faded symbol of the sun.

The floor beneath their feet rumbled, then collapsed around them into a ramp leading down into a hidden room below. Epiphany bounced excitedly from foot-to-foot, and Zerrex looked at her with soft entertainment as Anathema Sin nuzzled the side of his neck lovingly, still clutching herself against his back... and the Drakkaren finally walked forwards, quietly making his way down into the spacious, dark 'warehouse' filled with empty cages.

The Naganatine slid off his back, smiling in a sultry, seductive way as she slid past him and approached a steel platform, gazing down at it with strange lust before she stepped onto it as it rumbled. The moment Zerrex and Epiphany stepped onto it, it began to descend, clacking quietly when it reached the bottom... and the reptile strode past mother and daughter and into a long, deep and dark room, the walls the color of rusted metal, cells lining a ramp that spiraled slowly down to the bottom of the deep and dank shaft. Epiphany breathed quietly as she looked back and forth, the smell of drying blood in the air and the sounds of whimpers and screams and crying and laughter echoing through the terrible prison.

They began to descend the ramp, Zerrex looking curiously in through the cages, as he often did, as they passed: some were blocked only by heavy, runed bars, while others had fronts made entirely of clear metal that pulsed with energy, healing whatever damage was done to them by their occupants as they battered and bashed against them. Most of the occupants were demons... and all of them were stained with their crimes, but many of them had also been tortured, mutilated, raped, and violated. Some were near the point of breaking, some screamed in terror as he passed, some only stared sightlessly and others still yelled, still fought, not realizing how useless it all was. They were his toys, his dark playthings: they were both his joys and what made Zerrex wonder silently if he was as wicked and monstrous as any of the many tyrants he had fought over the years. Two wrongs could never make a right, after all... and his justifications sometimes sounded flimsy even to him.

But these were also incurables: creatures who only sought to hurt others for their own pleasure, their own gain. They were tormentors and destroyers who had no qualms about striking out at other people, and Zerrex knew that given the chance, they would make more people suffer. They were not innocent, never innocent, in any sense of the word... and Zerrex closed his eyes nonetheless, worried that they were also still living lives that he was senselessly manipulating and tormenting... before Anathema Sin gently stroked along his back as they reached the bottom of the ramp and headed towards a steel door, the female whispering: "Calm down now, Lord Zerrex. This is no place for ill thoughts."

She pushed it gently open for them, and the three stepped into a long corridor, meathooks dangling over gratings lining either side of the floor, dried blood painting the rusted steel walls. Zerrex could almost feel the whispering presences of all those who had been tortured here, and he wondered silently even as dark lust rolled through his body if he wasn't as bad as the Princess, remembering her own terrible hall of tortured Dragokkaren... but as if reading his thoughts, Anathema Sin kissed his cheek and squeezed him around the waist, murmuring: "The soldier who kills in war and self-defense is no murderer: you chain up and torture these creatures for a reason, Lord Zerrex. They are destroyers and tormentors... you are merely the instrument of their punishment."

"Am I? We're not at war with them... and I'm the hunter, not the hunted." the Drakkaren said softly, glancing over at her, but he was smiling a little before he shook his head slowly, rubbing his hands together silently as they reached the end of the corridor and stepped into a large, octagonal room, gratings around the edge of this as well... but also in the center of the floor, beneath where meathooks and sharp blades and claws dangled on heavy chains, the lizard saying softly: "Not all of them are like you, you know. Some of them actually feel pain instead of exquisite agony when I dangle them on those."

"Then they are fools." Anathema Sin walked forwards, stroking over the rusted metal chains as she half-lidded her eye over her shoulder, the fires in her other socket burning brightly before she motioned towards the large armored door, saying quietly: "But come. Epiphany and I have been cleaning the cloister... the Dragon Warriors here miss you, you know, as do the Sacrifices and the Beasts."

Zerrex smiled wryly at this as Anathema Sin spun the valve on the door easily with one hand, and it clanked open after a moment before bowing the lizard through, and the reptile walked through and across a heavy steel bridge. Glass walls on either side gazed out over a vast gorge, magma bubbling beneath them and gemstones glittering in the walls of the cavern... but the reptile only looked out at this for a moment before approaching the steel double doors on the other side, pushing them open... and smiling as Dragon Warriors akin to the ones in Acheron both immediately bowed respectfully to him, the reptile nodding back as he motioned for them to be at ease.

He strode into the long, wide corridor beyond, looking back and forth as he felt a soothing energy rolling through his body, adding to the calmness his mala gave him... and the reptile glanced to the side with a smile as a heavy door opened and several females emerged. Dius, with antler-like horns... but they were also covered in scars and pockmarks and gouges, one of them with her eye replaced by a glowing gemstone and another with several metallic fingers. They were dressed only in loincloths, and they gazed at him both lovingly and hesitantly before giggling when he beckoned gently to them, immediately running towards him and pushing their naked, scarred breasts against his body as they cooed and stroked along his frame, gazing at him respectfully, collars cinched tight around their necks.

Sacrifices: most of them were female, but a few were male, all of them Lust demons with a penchant for pain. Masochists who had become his concubines and servants... and then the lizard's eyes flicked to the side as another door opened and a head peered out, and then a powerfully-built, larger female stepped out, the Dragokkaren covered in a tight hide of scales and rippling muscles, her scars almost seeming to pulse, her hands massive talons and teeth huge and ugly, two immense horns standing tall from her skull. Once, perhaps, she had been a succubus... but her body had been warped and distorted, and now she was hulking and brutal and animal in appearance, and her eyes burned with lust and servility in place of intelligence.

The Beasts were Sacrifices that had been willingly experimented upon or subjected to concentrated corruption from an Inverted Zerrex... and they were both his shame and his pride. They were almost a brand-new type of demon, capable of becoming gigantic and terrifying monsters, regenerating fearsomely fast and no longer able to feel pain, only pleasure... and they were intrinsically-linked to the Drakkaren, obeying even simple mental commands when he thought hard enough. This one lumbered forwards, its collar tight around its neck but otherwise naked as it grappled against his body, making the reptile grunt before he laughed when it licked sloppily up the side of his face with its thick, large tongue, the reptile smiling amusedly at it as he said quietly: "Now come on, I know you're not that much of an animal, despite your namesake."

She only smiled at him and growled quietly in her throat, however... and Zerrex stepped back as Anathema Sin and Epiphany gazed at him lovingly, the Drakkaren making a gentle shooing gesture, and the Sacrifices smiled as they clustered around the Beast and the four quickly made their way into one of the living quarters. The reptile gazed after them compassionately, smiling a little: the one reason he wasn't able to beat himself up nearly as much as he wanted to over the advent of the Beasts was the fact that it was a position Sacrifices chose to become. Many of the masochistic females were more-than-capable fighters, almost to the point where Serenity was grudgingly-willing to call them Iuratus... but those who wanted to truly be able to defend their Master from harm were all too glad to feed the Drakkaren's lust and his darkest urges to manipulate life, and allow themselves to be transformed into the Beasts.

Zerrex walked slowly the long, wide corridor as Anathema Sin and Epiphany both wrapped an arm around them, striding towards the end of the hall and another armored door, this one held locked by a large steel bar that went across the front of it. Epiphany gestured at this as they approached, and it clanked and immediately rose, the door swinging open as the young female smiled radiantly at her father, who gazed back with quiet entertainment at her show of power, and then the three entered together into a wide viewing room, outfitted with a coffeemaker, a mini-fridge, and several rows of comfortable chairs. A large flatscreen monitor rested at the top corner of one side of the room, and the massive glass walls gazed out onto the floor of an arena below... an arena kept sparkling clean, but where blood was often shed in training, play, and dark games.

The two females sat Zerrex down in one of the seats, and Epiphany slipped into the chair next to him, stroking quietly along his leg and resting her head against his shoulder as Anathema Sin headed over to the mini-fridge, opening it and digging out several bottles of Zerrex's preferred brand of cola, Frost. The Drakkaren smiled across at the Naganatine as she handed one to him, then tossed one to Epiphany, who blushed and rolled the cold plastic bottle between her hands, looking at it curiously until Zerrex reached out and gently opened it for her, and she gazed at him lovingly before sipping slowly at it.

The reptile rested back comfortably, and closed his eyes and sipped slowly at his own bottle of cola, feeling himself relaxing slowly... and yet in the back of his mind, he nonetheless couldn't help but worry for the future and for the present, wondering silently if this was all just a prelude to some greater evil yet to come, and that these loving, sweet moments with his family were just the calm before a terrible storm that was yet to try and steal everything away from him.

Galleon died two days after the attempt on his life.

Zerrex had been playing fetch with Sammy, tossing a Frisbee for the skeletal pseudodragon, the two cheerfully spending time with each other in the sprawling fields behind the Ravenlight Estate, when Cherry had come through a portal and quickly told him a servant from Sabnock's had come with the news. Zerrex had glanced at Mist and Shine, and they had nodded as Sammy had charged over and jumped onto Zerrex's shoulder, chirping nervously before they had vanished and Cherry had run back through her portal with a grimace.

The Drakkaren had Mist and Shine wait in the main hall of Sabnock's manor and sent Sammy out to patrol the grounds while he followed the butler up to the room... but he had gone inside alone, and found Sabnock sitting silently next to Galleon's silent, unmoving body. Her hands were in her own lap, and she had crossed the otter's arms over his chest... and when Zerrex had gently touched her shoulder, she had started to cry quietly, and the reptile had knelt beside her and hugged her quietly.

Sabnock handled herself well: after she cried for twenty minutes, she began to quickly go about the arrangements for Galleon's funeral. The Drakkaren had let her go about the process for a little while, since it seemed to calm her down, and then she had finally shushed her and gently helped her to her feet. She wanted to stay at the mansion for the next little while... and the lizard was perfectly okay with that, despite a few of the worries in his own mind.

For one thing, Jeannine Wulfe was not pleased with their plan, and would require a lot of convincing. The wolves, too, were hesitant, saying they would trust Zerrex's judgment but always begging him with their eyes to figure out something that would be even just a little safer, obviously scared of the possible consequences. And her Dragokkaren security guard, Breeze, was even less thrilled than that, to the point she and Cherry had gotten into a long, loud argument until Mahihko had burst into tears.

Jeannine was no longer in Acheron, but staying at the Ravenlight Estate now, after much bitching and complaining and wheedling. She wanted time to think the plan over and consider her options, but Zerrex thought she'd come around given enough time and patience. A bigger concern than this, however, was the fact that Maria was still gone... and sending someone down to the Unworld to look for her was not an option. Only a Broken could survive in the Unworld for an extended period of time... and Zerrex knew that even he would quickly start to die in the hostile environment of the Unworld. He had already been there too many times for his liking, and wasn't about to take another trip down that dark rabbit hole unless absolutely necessary. For now, he'd have faith in Maria... and the fact that if something did happen to one of his Disciples, he would know about it thanks to their link to him.

Zerrex took Sabnock to her room, promising to return once the last of the arrangements were taken care of, and he'd helped the wolverine out of her suit jacket, hanging this up on a small hook and looking around the female's scarily-neat room. Shelves against one corner section of the trapezoid-shaped room with books all in alphabetical order, hooks on the wall, a large vanity with the mirror covered by a black curtain and a walk-in closet on the other side of the room, with the wolverine's clothes arranged by color and size... and a massive, pristine ceilinged bed, with a night table beside this covered in a neat arrangement of small objects. Two books, a clock - a rare find in Hell - and a small, leather journal... but Sabnock had only sat on the heavy comforter atop her neatly-made bed, and the reptile had almost had to push her gently onto her back before taking her shoes quietly off and putting them down on the rug.

He had left her, worried for her as he'd gone quickly back to the room. Sabnock had mentioned that Galleon had left all his final instructions in a letter there... and it hadn't been difficult to find the envelope containing this. What had surprised the reptile was the fact that the letter was made out to him... and it started with the otter thanking him quietly.

Lord Zerrex Narrius,

By now, we have met, and if I have chosen to entrust you with this burden, then I know you must also be an honorable and generous male: as kind and good-hearted as my wife Sabnock has spoken of. I wish to thank you, first off, for caring for her: for doing this more for her than for me, I hope, and for the time you have promised to spend with her... a promise I have full confidence in that you will not break. Duty and obligation will no doubt necessitate absences now and then, but that is full-well expected: I know by now that Sabnock would not have it any other way, anyway.

I will keep this brief. Sabnock knows all my final wishes and can fine-tune the ceremonies, but I wish for you to give my eulogy. Many of my other friends have long since died, and White Phoenix and Lady Carmen will both give speeches of their own, I am sure, but it is unfair to burden them further than they will already be. You have a natural gift for prose that even Sabnock admires, even if she had never said this to you. She has read your poetry to me, and I have appreciated the message in your writing. You understand honor: you would understand me, I think, and I hope you understand why I am asking this of you as well.

My funeral is to take place at the ceremonial burial spot of the River Danes, Mermaid's Spire. My casket may be closed or open, I have no preference: should Sabnock wish that my face be seen one last time, then I would never take that wish from her. The casket is to become a pyre: I'm sorry that I could not come up with a nicer way to say that my coffin is to be set aflame. I think you'll understand, however. I have heard that the traditions of Hez'Ranna are not so different, after all.

Please do not let Sabnock tend to every little detail: remind her that it is her period of mourning, and she needs to rest herself and move on. Do not be surprised if she shows emotions she has repressed all her life... and tend to her needs. This is most important: at the end of the day, I would not mind if my corpse was dumped on the mountainside and left for the Damned to feed on, so long as Sabnock is taken care of. Please take care of my wife, Lord Zerrex. Please ensure that she remembers she is loved by others, and she is still needed, and still has many years left ahead of her. Please remind her that I will always be with her, in her memories, and in her heart.

_ _

Yours in eternal gratitude,

Galleon of the Endless Flowing Waters

_ _

At the end of the letter, there had been added notations: the name of a funeral home, the name on the funerary account, the price Zerrex was to pay. Greed demons were notorious for running funeral homes and trying to make last minute bargaining changes, despite how idiotic it was to try and pull a stunt like that on a demon in mourning. The reptile had sent a servant to go and contact the funeral director, and several attendants and a Priestess had shown up within fifteen minutes, the reptile watching with his arms crossed as she checked over the body and quietly confirmed the death.

They had gently wrapped the body in red silk while Zerrex had gone to get Sabnock... and he had brought her out of her room to say one last goodbye and see the body off. It had hurt her, but the reptile knew that it would have hurt her more to have been left silently in bed while the body was taken away. Then Zerrex had allowed Charles, the Wentaku butler, to take Sabnock back to her room while the reptile had finished the business arrangements with the attendants. The account was to be paid on the date of the funeral, so all the reptile had to do was confirm several details and sign his name over several pieces of paper.

Zerrex found Sabnock in Galleon's room, neatening it quietly, her shirt disheveled and walking around in bare feet... and the Drakkaren had quietly taken her by the arm and sat her down on the bed when she had begun to rearrange the books. She had just looked at him for a little while, and the Drakkaren had closed his eyes and said softly: "It'll get better. I'm not going to lie to you and say the pain will go away completely... but it'll get easier. First it'll get a lot worse, but... then it'll get easier."

Sabnock only looked at him silently, and Zerrex smiled faintly over at her as he squeezed her shoulder gently. "You and Galleon had something special between you. I could tell that the moment I saw you two together. How happy you made each other. You also had countless years together... and I'm sure you wish you could have had countless more. But you gave him a good ending to a happy life: you were the one who filled him with that happiness, and you can take relief in that. And the memories, the good as well as the bad... you both survived all that, all those years. I know it feels right now like all there is, is pain... that thinking of him cuts in a way that's hard to understand. I know you may wish you could follow him down into darkness, but think of what Galleon would have wanted. You to be happy."

"How do you know?" Sabnock asked quietly, but it wasn't angry, or bitter: it was an honest question, as she studied him silently. "It's not just your ability to read my emotions that's speaking, is it?"

"No, it's not." Zerrex smiled a little at her, saying quietly: "And it's not just the fact I've lost children, or others that I've loved over the course of my lifetime. We both know what it's like to watch friends and family die, for reasons fair and foul. But you know it's different when you lose a soulmate now, how deep it rips, how dark that void you've fallen into is... and yes. Once, I had someone who to me was as meaningful as Galleon was to you. Her name was Alisha... but I always called her Allie. My beautiful, sweet Allie."

He was silent, and Sabnock looked at him for a few moments before she said quietly: "Tell me about her."

Zerrex looked at her silently: it wasn't a request he usually honored, as thoughts of the female rolled through his mind... but then he nodded slowly, saying quietly: "Alright. For you, Sabnock. And because it might help you understand that... even if it feels like it's the end of world right now, like nothing else matters... there's always something else to fight for. To live for. Hard as it is some days."

He looked down, then gently took Sabnock's hand, interlacing their fingers... and the wolverine looked down at this almost as if it were alien to her before she slowly squeezed the Drakkaren's hand... and the reptile squeezed back as he said softly: "When I was mortal, and stupid, I met a girl named Allie while working a job. At first... it was all about sex. We didn't care about each other, we didn't even like each other that much, it was just... good sex. But then... she started spending the night with me in hotels, and I started spending nights at her apartment. Nights bridged into days: I would get up, and she would be making breakfast. I would touch her in ways that made me feel funny, silly: instead of groping her or shoving her around, I would grasp her shoulders gently. I would press myself against her, but not grind into her. She would kiss me... and it would taste like roses and raspberries..."

He closed his eyes, laughing a bit as he squeezed Sabnock's hand, and she stared at him curiously, tilting her head and seeming strangely enthralled with the side of the Drakkaren he so rarely showed, as a faint smile crossed his features. "I remember... sharing champagne in bed with her, and laughing... I remember being naked with her, and comfortable. I remember smiling a lot, and dancing the night away in her apartment, until her neighbors yelled at us... but instead of lashing out at them like I would at any other time of day, we'd just... laugh and quiet down and apologize, she made me... so good-natured.

"I remember telling her awkwardly about Cherry, and being slapped by her... but then her muttering that she loved me too much to let me go over some silly shit with another female. I remember how touched that made me..." He closed his eyes, bowing his head forwards. "I remember seeing the most beautiful pair of engagement rings in a store window, and going in to buy them... but then instead staring at something so much more captivating. Jewelry vambraces and a matching choker... inset with rubies. I bought them all for her, and the clerk was giddy because he was on commission and I had just spent so much money he could retire early... and I remember proposing to her."

He smiled faintly again, then looked quietly at Sabnock, murmuring softly: "And I remember whining about not wanting to meet her parents, and she said she'd go alone then, that it would be a wonderful surprise for them... and the train derailed off an embankment and crashed. I drove out there on my motorcycle... but I was too late to do anything. She was dead, and they were piling the bodies up like old logs... and scavengers had already gone through the luggage and stolen her bracelets. I... I didn't have the strength or the courage to attend her funeral. All I could do was give in to my dark desires... and I hate myself every day for it, Sabnock, every fucking day, for not being stronger. For not moving forwards with my life, the way she would have wanted to. For the fact the first thing I did was go back to Cherry, and I hit her and snarled at her, and she had mocked me about Allie and I beat the shit out of her and then asked her if she was ready to go or not when she was broken and crying on the ground.

"I gave in to every desire, and I was the one who warped Cherry even worse than she had already been. I hate myself for the fact that I didn't tell Cherry then and there to come with me and escape. That I didn't change myself then and there, for Allie's sake... but I regressed into my old darkness and desires. I made a mockery of the memory of the person I have loved more than anyone and anything else in the world, and I continue to live out my mistakes again and again, and I repeat the same old stupid things over and over." He smiled faintly at Sabnock, squeezing her hand slowly. "I don't want you to have the same regrets, Sabnock. I don't want to see you making the mistakes I did, and I'm going to be here for you. To make sure you mourn Galleon, whether you want to or not, and to make sure that I honor his wishes... both for his sake, and because Allie would want me to."

"I remember her name now. You searched Heaven and Hell's records for years looking for someone by that name." Sabnock said softly, and Zerrex nodded silently to her, as the wolverine tilted her head. "And you never found her?"

"Allie was a strong mix of atheist and agnostic. She believed more in rebirth than she did in Heaven or Hell... and she didn't believe very much in that at all." Zerrex smiled a little at Sabnock, adding quietly: "But she always believed in spirits... and in lost souls. She used to chide me a lot, saying that if I continued to be such a jerk, I'd be forced to walk the earth by myself as an invisible spirit and she wouldn't save my ass." He laughed a bit, shaking his head slowly and murmuring softly: "I don't think she ever knew how much that scared me..."

He fell quiet, and Sabnock looked down at the floor, saying softly: "So the pain is still with you, even after all these years, even with all those people who care for you, Zerrex? Friends and family... does that mean it's all going to be meaningless now?"

"Far from it." Zerrex glanced at her with a bit of a smile, and she frowned at him quietly. "If one good thing will come from this... it's that now you can truly appreciate how much those people mean to you. And moreover, it will teach you why you should cherish people as much as you can while they're there in your life... why you should never be ashamed to show your appreciation and compassion for them."

The wolverine nodded slowly after a moment, and then she looked back down at the floor, murmuring softly: "I do not know if I believe strongly in the term 'soulmate,' Lord Zerrex. It implies a great lot and a great depth, and while I loved Galleon with all my heart... he was an arranged marriage, and we came to love each other over a period of time. We were comfortable with each other, true, and I would give the world to have him back... but I am not consumed with grief, and I do feel that I will heal. And also, so many others in the universe go without ever finding love... love itself is a concept I cannot entirely wrap my mind around. Yet I cannot say it doesn't exist, that I have never experienced it. That I do not feel it even now."

She closed her eyes, then squeezed the lizard's hand slowly, and the Drakkaren looked at her curiously as she said softly: "I envy you, though, Lord Zerrex, despite how your experiences prove that the sword cuts both ways: for all you loved her, losing her seems to have nearly destroyed you. Did I love Galleon in the same way? I do not know. All I know is that for now, losing the familiarity of his presence... aches almost as much as thinking of how I will never see him, smell him, feel him again..."

She shook her head slowly, then cleared her throat and stood up... but she didn't let go of the lizard's hand, tugging at him gently as she said softly: "I would like to go for a walk."

Zerrex nodded... and the two ended up walking all around the manse, the reptile becoming more familiar with the layout as Sabnock kept him walking until she finally became tired, and he helped her back to her room. She laid down and told him quietly there was a room set up across the hall for him... and then she had hesitated before asking him to keep his door open, in case she wanted to see him.

The days passed quietly and slowly. Hesitantly, Sabnock began to talk about Galleon, telling stories about their time together, about his life, about the otter she had known and loved and cherished so deeply. Sometimes she would sit with Sammy in her lap, stroking the skeletal pseudodragon quietly, other times she would relax beside Zerrex, and sometimes they would sit across a table from each other... but always they were close. And always, she spoke with love and affection, her features losing their sorrow for anywhere from moments to hours when she talked about the River Dane she had loved.

For the funeral, she insisted quietly but firmly that Zerrex go in casual clothing, despite her own neat black suit... and it had been held at a riverbank. Several other River Danes, all of them otters, all with swirling tattoos over their chests and wearing only simple shorts or light armor, had stood and sung of old battles and legends as the casket had been pushed into the river, Carmen rubbing silently at her face as she stood in a dress next to Cherry with a cute bow topping her head, looking almost like the little girl she had once been that was trapped in the painting in Sabnock's home... and White had stood with his cowboy hat held to his chest, watching silently as his friend was pushed off to sea, and other Judges had attended the funeral, and for once Anubis and Zerrex had managed to stand quietly beside each other without making any snide remarks to one-another, and Sabnock had appreciated this almost as much as she had appreciated the kind condolences from the jackal Judge. Vivien, Lily, and Selena had also been present, tossing offerings of white water lilies onto the casket as they stood on the riverbank... as had many other faces, familiar and not, from Heaven and Hell both.

Zerrex gave the eulogy once everyone was gathered and looking at the coffin: he wasn't the only one to make a speech, but when he walked up beside the half-landed, half-floating coffin, he felt Sabnock's eyes on him, intense, almost measuring. The Drakkaren had stood silently for a few moments, gathering his thoughts, taking his time... and when he had spoken, he had let the words flow through him. Unknowingly, in their time spent together, Sabnock had long provided him with more than enough for him to give a fair and honest speech about Galleon, and the effect he had given on those in his life... and as he gazed at the many faces gathered here, most friends of both, and honorable River Danes that had gathered to send off their fallen companion. It wasn't a long speech, but it didn't feel short either: and when he walked back beside Sabnock, she nodded slowly and squeezed his arm in silent approval.

The coffin rolled into the river and floated quietly down it, and Sabnock sang a slow, sad song, the River Danes joining their voices to the melody as another otter had sat on a tall, bent wooden arch down the river with a torch. As the coffin had passed through this, he had dropped the torch onto it, the casket catching immediately aflame... and they had watched as the pyre had burned brightly until it finally fell over the edge of a waterfall in the distance and into a deep, dark tunnel leading into the northern wastes.

Sabnock handled herself well... and when they had returned back to the manor, she had seemed... strange. Not good, not bad, but as if she had achieved some closure, and was finding it difficult to understand how she should be feeling... but she had quietly gone to her rooms for a nap after spending some time with the guests who had come back, and left Zerrex with Cherry, Carmen, and White to discuss business.

Maria had finally returned from the Unworld, but she was exhausted and drained, slowly recovering her strength in the cloister. She had run into Theophilius after finishing her work on the rift, and while the other Broken obviously hadn't wanted to harm her, he had nonetheless half-kidnapped her and subjected her to a long, seemingly-endless mad tea party as he had questioned her... almost interrogated her. He was interested in Zerrex and the Strange Beasts, and despite the fact he only asked one or two questions out of every ten on the subject, the fact he kept returning to it had been enough to pique Maria's interest... and she had finally wormed her way free after a literal century of putting up with Theophilius's badgering and fighting her way through the labyrinthine rift he had trapped her inside of.

Jeannine, meanwhile, was still refusing to cooperate... although there at least so far, Zerrex's friends and family were all accounted for and there hadn't yet been any disturbing attacks or murders reported. The Drakkaren wondered quietly how long that would last, however... but he was only glad that he was able to devote most of his time to continuing to help Sabnock deal with the loss of her husband.

One week became two: Sabnock began to visibly loosen up some, talking more openly about Galleon and doing more around the manse. She had wanted to go through his things... and while she had almost cried a few times, she was in much better control of her emotions now, and for as many times as sorrow cut into her, she also smiled at the memories some of his things brought back. She had decided to redesign this room as her office... but she wanted to keep all his things here, too, so she could comfortably remember him and always feel his presence in this room, reminding her not to work so hard.

She laughed a little at this thought, and Zerrex had smiled at her, glad to help her with this... and when Carmen and Lily had dropped in, the wolverine had been glad to stop and visit for a little while. Guests came and went, and often Sabnock only saw them briefly... but as she was moving slowly on, it felt like some of what Zerrex had talked to her about was sinking in, and she was being more open with people than he had ever seen the stiff, quiet wolverine be.

Then, after three weeks had passed, Sabnock approached him while he was tidying up her library and bowed her head to him, saying quietly: "My period of mourning is over, Lord Zerrex. You have done more for me in these last twenty odd days than many others have in their whole lives with me, and I thank you for that."

Zerrex looked at her softly, reaching up to squeeze her shoulders gently, and Sabnock smiled a bit at him as she reached up and gently brushed a hand through his hair affectionately. "No, I am fine. I feel like myself again... and Galleon... Galleon is not forgotten. The Reapers have taken him, yes, but he will always be with me as well, in my heart, perhaps even in my soul, and most definitely in my memories." Sabnock touched her own chest quietly, looking down for a moment, and then she returned her eyes to Zerrex and said quietly: "Now. Come with me. I have something I want to share with you."

The Drakkaren tilted his head curiously as she pulled him out of the dusty library. They headed to her room, and Sabnock quietly closed the door behind them before she headed over to her vanity, touching carefully along the underside of it before she produced a small key.

She knelt and opened a drawer as the Drakkaren approached curiously, pulling out a small box from inside this... and Zerrex watched as she pulled out a silver locket that was shaped like a diamond, glimmering quietly in her hand, a long, pretty chain dangling quietly from this. She smiled at it faintly... then looked over her shoulder towards Zerrex as she popped it open, revealing a small portrait of the female inside, younger than she was now... and yet in a way, more severe. "This is for you. It was one of Galleon's first gifts to me, and means much. But it will mean even more if you will accept it as a token of my gratitude and my affection for you."

Zerrex smiled at her, knowing better than to argue as he nodded a bit... and Sabnock quietly dropped it into his hand as they looked at each other. He squeezed it slowly, feeling how strangely-warm it was in his grip despite having been locked away for who knew how long in the small box... and then he gazed down at it for a few moments before Sabnock quietly picked it up by the chain, putting it back in the little box and closing this as she said softly: "And one last thing."

She reached up and gently brushed her hand through Zerrex's hair... then tugged his head down, and the reptile's eyes widened in shock as she kissed him quietly. He didn't know what to do or how to even respond, shocked by it... and then, as she drew back and he opened his mouth, she pushed a finger against his lips and said quietly: "Don't cheapen this, Lord Zerrex, and don't take me for a childish Lust demon that can't tell the difference between love and sex, nor a whore who does her thanking with her body. Admittedly, I am interested in seeing if the stories about your abilities as a lover are true... but more important than that, I wish to share this with you as a friend, and as someone who cares deeply for you. You have helped me. You have taught me to value my friends and companions all the more. Now kiss me, and do not make me repeat myself."

Zerrex looked at her awkwardly... but then he leaned down and kissed her, and she kissed him slowly back as his hands slid gently up along her body, hesitantly at first... but when he began to peel off her suit jacket and she didn't resist, he gained confidence, letting this drop to the floor. Her hands rubbed gently up along his chest as their mouths parted, and the two gazed at each other, studying each other's features before he began to slowly undo the buttons of her shirt, and she leaned back, smiling a little before closing her eyes when he kissed the side of her neck, her own hands quietly beginning to push the Drakkaren's shirt up as she murmured: "Good..."

He pushed her shirt open and stripped it from her, leaving her in only the simple white bra beneath this, the reptile seeing for the first time the way the blue and gold fur that intersected down her body swayed back and forth across her front... and then he gazed into her eyes and ducked a bit to allow her to pull his shirt off completely and toss it aside. He reached up, taking her face gently into his hands, and they kissed again as her hands rubbed slowly over his chest, traced along his scars, felt almost delicately out the ridges of his powerful muscles as their mouths worked slowly together and his tongue twisted gently with hers, before they parted and gazed deeply into one another's eyes, black pearls looking into emerald irises as the lizard's mala jingled quietly around his neck.

He smiled slightly as he reached down, opening the fly of her dress pants and letting them drop... and she stepped backwards out of both her loafers and her pants, leaving her in only her underwear as her hands played down his chest, sending chills of pleasure through the reptile's scales before she gripped into the waistband of his jeans and tugged him slowly backwards towards the bed. She sat back on this, spreading her legs around him as she easily opened the fly of his pants and her hands rubbed back up along his muscular front, her fingers sliding over his scalp and tangling gently into his ivory locks as she pulled him down into another kiss, and Zerrex leaned down into this, tasting her cold, sweet saliva as her jaws hungrily worked with his, his hands reaching out to tightly squeeze into the supports on either side of the bed as she rocked her hips slowly against him as his pants fell and puddled down around his ankles.

She let herself fall backwards after a moment with a soft sigh, gazing up at him longingly as her legs clutched around his waist, and the Drakkaren leaned forwards over her, crawling onto the bed, kicking his pants absently off as he grasped into the comforter on either side of her head and ground his own hips forwards, boxers that were still on doing little to confine or hide the growing bulge beneath them. Her white panties were a little wet as she rocked her hips back against him, licking her lips slowly, and her dark eyes looked adoringly into his as she stroked over his face, the feeling almost electric as she said softly: "Share yourself with me... as I share myself with you."

Zerrex smiled softly down at her, then he lowered his mouth to her, kissing her again as his arms wrapped around her, pulling her up against his chest even as his hands deftly opened the clasp on her bra and he tossed it aside. When their mouths parted, he lowered his head, gently mouthing one small breast, swirling his tongue slowly around the hardened, pink fleshed nipple before he kissed the golden swell quietly, then nuzzled slowly into her other breast, gently scraping his teeth along the short blue fur covering it before he nudged her nipple with the tip of his muzzle, then gazed up into her eyes as he sat back reaching down to slowly pull her panties down to reveal the tender pink of her sex.

Her legs spread for him as he pushed down his own boxers, his thick, girthy length flopping out, half-erect... and when he touched the lips of her sex, they were cold... but when his fingers slid slowly into her, she closed her eyes with a soft breath out, and her insides felt blazing, boiling hot. Her hands grasped quietly into the comforter as he leaned back slightly, grasping his shaft, stroking it slowly as it bulged and grew up to its full size and he positioned the head of his heavy, black-fleshed shaft at her entrance, which looked so small, so tight, so almost virginal even as her lips blossomed for her, even as she gazed up at him without fear, with only a kindness, deep affection and compassion, as he said softly: "If it hurts..."

"I am no untested filly, Zerrex." Sabnock smiled slightly nonetheless, however, touched by his nervousness as she stroked slowly through his hair. "Push into me. Your size is the last thing that concerns me."

Zerrex smiled amusedly down at her at this, but then he slowly leaned forwards, pushing against her sex... and she half-closed her eyes and gritted her teeth, but only breathed a little harder as the rounded, thick head of his shaft began to slowly force its way forwards, spreading the lips of her labia slowly wider, wider as his member began to penetrate into her, before he grunted softly at how tight she was, closing his eyes and leaning over her, muscular body flexing as he lowered his head a bit... and her hands rubbed slowly up along his chest to grasp into her shoulders as her legs trembled and flexed beside him, spread wide as his girthy cock forced its way slowly into her, before he arched his back as he grasped her hips and thrusted forwards with a groan and a quiet grunt.

Almost a quarter of his length buried into her tight, incredibly hot passage, and she let out a short, almost silent moan beneath him as the reptile gazed down at her, but she only smiled a little, nodding to him almost impatiently... and the Drakkaren thrusted slowly forwards again, breathing harder as he felt more of his length burying into the wolverine's body. Firm thrusts forced more of the thick black flesh into her, bit-by-bit, inch-after-inch... until finally, he hilted inside of her, making her gasp quietly as her legs clutched around his waist and her fingers dug into his shoulders, the wolverine trembling beneath him as she pushed her head up against his chest and he lay against her, letting her feel the full weight of his body, the flex of his muscles, the beat of his heart, one hand grasping the back of her head as the other forearm rested on the comforter, before she whispered softly: "A good start... but I'm not impressed yet."

Zerrex smiled down at her at this, and then he began to thrust slowly and easily, drawing almost half of his immense shaft back before thrusting deep, making his movements controlled and powerful. At the end of every long push into her depths, he rocked his hips forwards, hilting and grinding his shaft against the walls of her passage, plumbing her depths with his long, immense member as his testicles ground lightly against her buttocks, the wolverine panting softly beneath him and rocking her hips slowly, easily, at the end of each movement. Her passage clenched around him, a single dribble of blood rolling out of her sex as she pushed herself up against him, her body cold and yet her vagina blazing hot, her liquids rolling over, bathing his length as they moved together in slow, loving motions.

His thrusts sped up slowly as he gyrated his hips gently, grinding against the walls of her passage and making her murmur quietly against him when he did, her eyes closing in pleasure that spilled over her features for only a moment before they smoothed out, but her expression was serene, as if she was on a plateau higher than sexual, as if what they were doing was more than simply indulging lust... and Zerrex knew full well it was. The sex was slow and magnificent and pure, and the reptile drew it out as long as he could, only letting his thrusts speed up on slow occasion as he breathed quietly and his muscles flexed with power overtop her, and Sabnock's body ground up against him, rocking her hips and rubbing along his shoulders and his chest, gripping against his sides as she occasionally nuzzled his neck and met his mouth for slow, delicious, loving kisses.

Sweat rolled down his scales as he thrusted into her, panting quietly as his thrusts pushed deep into her, making her body rock, breathing harder but only giving the smallest, quietest of groans as she rocked her hips back against him... and despite her body being cold, she was flushed with pleasure as she clung to him, her passage clenching around his shaft like a vice as his member sank blissfully into her, pleasure coursing through the bodies of both male and female as they worked together in harmony, in affection, in erotic delight. She had orgasmed twice, her release like a river of fire even as her body only trembled and seemed to pulse with cold up against him... but it made the experience all the more intense, all the more wonderful, as she gasped quietly against his neck.

More than an hour passed, the two both sharply-aware of how much time it had been and yet so lost in bliss and pleasure it was like only moments had flown by, until finally Zerrex felt his own release coming on, his thrusts hard but not rough, staying in control, not giving in to passion despite how much adoration and bliss and so many other emotions and sensations swirled through his form... and he groaned hungrily overtop her as he thrusted down into her, and she gasped against him again as her legs clutched around his waist before she closed her eyes and buried her head against his neck at the feeling of his seed flooding into her, her passage like a volcano around him despite the fact her body felt almost ice cold as they worked together powerfully, in control even in the depths of their release, both of them giving vent to their passions with strange control, the reptile groaning softly as his mala jangled around his neck and Sabnock's face rubbed against the beads as she groaned softly.

And finally, it came to an end: Zerrex rested atop her, breathing hard, his eyes closed in pleasure as she pushed herself up against his body... and then he leaned down as she leaned up, still impaled on his throbbing, powerful shaft, and their mouths met slowly in a gentle, slow kiss before they parted and he smiled a bit, gently stroking her face as he murmured softly: "So. Did I live up to the reputation Cherry and others have given me?"

"Yes." Sabnock said softly, and then she reached up and brushed a hand slowly through his hair, saying quietly: "This was an appropriate way to end my mourning. Galleon always wanted me to find someone else to share romantic intent with, or to at least pursue appropriate sexual relief when my body called for it... but I was always too embarrassed, and it felt... too strange. So when it was required, I used to only ever use discreet male escorts. I paid them, they did what I requested, they left: but now I have you. A friend, a companion. And I do not intend to pay you for your services when I request them."

Zerrex snorted in amusement, then he slowly drew back, and Sabnock gritted her teeth as his huge shaft pulled free of her stretched sex, a spurt of his seed washing out down her thighs and onto the comforter as he lay beside her, then wrapped an arm around her and pulled her against his chest. Sabnock blushed a bit now, however, pushing at him and muttering: "No, I do not cuddle, Lord Zerrex..."

"That's how you're going to pay me, Sabnock, cuddle-time. I enjoy the cuddling more than I do the sex sometimes." He stopped, then softened as he gazed at her and she looked at him embarrassedly. "Relax. It'll do you good."

Sabnock looked disgruntled, but she sighed and nodded after a moment nonetheless, muttering: "While I don't pretend to understand this, Lord Zerrex... alright. I'll give it a try." She stopped, then winced away when he leaned down to kiss her, saying mildly: "Sex is over now."

"Gods you're no fun." Zerrex grabbed her and firmly hauled her upwards, and the Ice Devil flushed as he firmly kissed her lips before putting her back down against his chest, and she grumbled a bit against him even as she rested herself against his body, the Drakkaren snuggling her close as he muttered: "I can't believe you only make out during sex."

"I do not only 'make out' during sex, but I do not easily give out kisses, either. They have a very deep meaning... they are like an emotional contract with a person, or a promise." Sabnock said quietly, and she began to slowly trace the Drakkaren's scars out over his chest. As she did this, however, he felt her relaxing more and more against his body, and a small smile spread across her lips as she continued: "Promises and contracts should never be entered into willy-nilly... and every kiss should mean something, should be something special, should carry deeper meanings than the one before it.

"Perhaps I complicate things too much. What does a kiss mean to you, Lord Zerrex?" Sabnock glanced at him curiously, and the reptile smiled amusedly at her as he poked her forehead, making her frown slightly. "What?"

"First of all, you and Sin need to stop referring to me as Lord Zerrex. I'm just Zerrex, you're my friends." he said softly, and then he hugged her against his body, making her smile a little even as she fidgeted. "And secondly... you make it sound complicated, but I do understand very well what you mean. And I even agree... but my kisses do mean something, Sabnock. They're promises that I'll always be there for you... affections that seal and show how much I care about you."

The wolverine glanced up at him with a slight smile, and Zerrex winked at her before she leaned up and kissed him softly, their mouths working together slowly and deliciously for a few long moments before she pulled away, quietly stroking one of her hands through his hair... and then she slipped carefully out of bed, saying quietly: "Alright, enough of that. Come, Lord Zerrex. We have other things to do today, after all... and while I have enjoyed myself, there are other things I would enjoy doing as well of a less-erotic nature."

"Hey, I said I'd look after you for a month, and promised that I'd keep you from working for that month, too." Zerrex said softly, even as he slipped off the other side of the bed, but Sabnock only smiled quietly over her shoulder at him, making the reptile tilt his head curiously. "What?"

"Don't worry, I have concerns in mind other than working... and things to plan apart from work as well." Sabnock said softly, and Zerrex frowned a bit as she murmured a cleansing spell, getting rid of the mess between her legs before she picked up her panties, beginning to slip into her clothes as she said mildly: "Hurry, Lord Zerrex. Let's be on our way."

The Drakkaren grunted, then he slipped out of bed before glancing at the messy comforter, holding up a hand and casting a cleansing spell over it to get rid of most of the mess left there as well, but the wolverine only smiled slightly as she put her bra on, saying mildly: "Don't worry about that. The servants will change the sheets for me anyway. I dislike sleeping in a bed that has been soiled."

The reptile rolled his eyes at this as he began to climb back into his pants, his mala quietly clicking around his neck... and he was surprised as always as the wolverine's efficiency, how she quickly and neatly got into her suit and smoothed all the wrinkles out of it while Zerrex was just finishing pulling his shirt on. Then he tilted his head as she approached and grasped his bicep, saying quietly: "To the Ravenlight Estate, Lord Zerrex."

The Drakkaren looked at her curiously, but then he nodded with a grunt, and a moment later they vanished from the spot. When they reappeared in the main hall, Sabnock only glanced back and forth before she asked mildly: "Where is Jeannine Wulfe?"

"Oh Gods, you don't want to talk to that creature." the lizard said immediately, and then he grimaced and sighed when Sabnock only looked at him pointedly. "Fine, fine. She's probably tormenting the wolves in her room... for all the time she spends bitching about getting no privacy and stuff, she seems to spend as much time as possible picking on Lone and Mahihko as she can."

The reptile walked towards one of the side doors, and the wolverine followed him calmly, the Drakkaren pushing into the hall... and grimacing at the sight of Breeze. The Dragokkaren had long abandoned her pretend-position as the female's girlfriend in favor of being able to freely loom about and inspire terror in the wolves as she pleased, now dressed in an old Hez'Rannan Military uniform... and when Mahihko had shown up one day in his own, beaming and wanting to talk about the old days, she had ripped the wolf's shirt off and stepped on it, saying flatly that pelts didn't deserve to wear Hez'Rannan colors. That had made the wolf explode into tears, and Zerrex had dragged Breeze aside and threatened to leave her alone in a small room with Cherry for an hour after kicking her ass if she ever said or did anything like that again.

If anything, however, it only made Breeze's temperament uglier. She was difficult to be around: her mix of Hez'Rannan dignity and the New Unity belief system meant she was pompous, arrogant, and believed all creatures were equal in the eyes of God but didn't need to be seen as equal in the eyes of each other, and that God favored those who were strong and firm in their beliefs. It made Zerrex want to set her on fire, and he was honestly surprised Cherry had only actually done so herself once, when Breeze had been trying to mock Zerrex into another theological argument.

She was polishing a large, heavy handgun, standing guard outside Jeannine's door... and she glowered at them as they approached, her eyes flicking to the demoness before she said disgustedly: "Let me guess, now you want Jeannine to dress up in a princess costume to make the bastard hunting her even more likely to go after her, right? The Miss isn't in right now."

"I can hear the Miss yelling behind that door at Lone and Mahihko." Zerrex said mildly, crossing his arms and looking at her flatly as Sabnock studied the Dragokkaren thoughtfully. Breeze glared at them as she holstered her handgun... but Zerrex couldn't help but notice the way her other hand now rested on the butt of the large stun-rod on her other hip. "Need I remind you that you two are staying here, in my mansion, out of the kindness of my heart after you both found Acheron 'inhospitable?'"

"You can demand worship however you like, but Jeannine and I shouldn't be subjected to your heresy or forced to participate in it." Breeze said stiffly, and Zerrex once again got the feeling that the only thing Jeannine hadn't liked about Acheron was the fact she wasn't able to live in a manse... but that she probably could have coped just fine if Breeze hadn't made such a big goddamn snit every day about how her religion was being oppressed. For a security chief, the female didn't seem very interested in keeping Jeannine safe. "And no, you don't. You point it out every day, trying to guilt trip us into something or other."

"I haven't even seen either of you in a week! Gods above, you're worse than Loki. At least he only ever tried to kill me, which I can forgive." Zerrex said disgustedly, slapping his forehead, and Breeze grinned at him challengingly as she drew her gun and pointed it at his head.

"So you're saying I should try to kill you?" she mocked... and a moment later, she froze in place, her eyes bulging as the air around her shimmered before turning solid, leaving the Dragokkaren immobilized in a thick block of crystalline frost. Zerrex gaped at her, then he looked stupidly at Sabnock, and the wolverine looked thoughtfully down at her own fingers.

"I only meant to freeze her arm to make a point. It's been many years since I accidentally put too much strength into a spell... perhaps, since you are a god of fertility and we engaged in an activity that shared your essence in a form with me, my old body was strengthened with some of your godlike vitality." Sabnock mused, then she glanced at Zerrex as he continued to stare at her. "Is something wrong, Lord Zerrex?"

"You. You froze her." the reptile said dumbly, feeling absurdly touched for some reason before he giggled stupidly and reached out to poke the frozen-solid Dragokkaren. "You froze her from head to toe."

"She threatened your health and had a very irritating tone. I have no patience for angels who preach their superiority to their elders and betters." Sabnock said calmly, and then she sighed as Zerrex poked Breeze and made her wobble backwards slightly. "Please just move her."

"Okay." Zerrex said mildly, and then he patted Breeze on the cheek and winked at her, and a moment later the Dragokkaren vanished. By Zerrex's estimate, she would reappear somewhere in Hez'Ranna... and when he grinned and looked pleased with himself, the wolverine sighed and rubbed at her head slowly, pushing past him and knocking twice at the door before opening it. "What? What?"

"Enough childishness, Lord Zerrex, we're here for a reason." the wolverine said dryly over her shoulder, and then she looked ahead to the inside of the plush room, a large bed in one corner and a cot in the other, beneath which were stacked suitcases, weapons, and books on the Unity religion. Mahihko was sniffling and clinging to Lone, who was also trembling, trying not to cry, and Jeannine looked angrily at Zerrex when he entered, the lizard wincing and holding up his hands before Sabnock said calmly: "Lone, Mahihko. Will you please excuse us?"

"Who's this, one of your..." Then Jeannine's eyes sharpened as she frowned and leaned forwards, saying slowly: "No, no, wait. You're a Judge, a Magistrate... you were the one who approved my trade routes with Hell."

Mahihko and Lone both looked up in surprise as Zerrex looked at her dumbly, and Sabnock only nodded before she said calmly: "And I have the power to easily take them away as well, so I would recommend you curb your tongue for the moment, especially in taking your temper out upon these two wolves. You have been chased from your home, terrified. I, however, have lost my husband, likely all the faster in part on the accounts of this murderer that Zerrex is attempting to catch."

Jeannine opened and shut her mouth a few times, and when Zerrex looked pointedly at the two wolves, they whimpered a bit, but then made their way quickly out, Mahihko rubbing firmly at his eyes and trembling before they closed the door quietly. Then the Drakkaren returned his gaze to the female wolf as she finally said carefully: "I... understand that a lot is at risk, and I want this killer caught as much as anyone else. And... Maria, the Broken, came and told me about the rift, how she had set it up so... the moment I was inside, I would be safe, even if the murderer was right on my heels... but... what you're asking of me is too dangerous. I propose we use a shapeshifter, a hired protector... like... wait, why did Breeze let you in?"

"Oh, she's visiting Hez'Ranna right now. Probably near a large body of water." Zerrex said easily, holding up a hand, and Jeannine stared at him incredulously before the Drakkaren simply shrugged... and then the female wolf's muzzle quirked before she threw her head back and laughed.

"I hate to admit it, but that does actually make me feel better..." Jeannine shook her head after a few moments, rubbing at her head slowly and muttering: "God, I guess part of the reason I'm so frustrated isn't just this shit with the killer, but how pissed off Breeze is at everything these days. I was thinking about hiring a new security chief, as a matter of fact... outside of Heaven, and when we have to share a room, Breeze is a monster to live with. Reciting a dozen prayers before bed every night, constantly talking about God this and God that, luring everyone she can find into theological arguments... I have to yell at Lone and Mahihko ten times a day just to vent."

"Why don't you try actually treating them like the brothers they are and just talking to them?" Zerrex asked flatly, crossing his arms, and Jeannine looked at him moodily before the reptile rolled his eyes. "Or why don't you fire Breeze, then?"

"Because the one good thing about her firm, unyielding beliefs is that she's not afraid of anything. I can also trust her absolutely, but that is honestly less important to me than the fact she won't flinch away from the biggest, baddest monsters to protect me." The female paused, then she shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "Zerrex, though... anger and everything else aside... and Magistrate Sabnock, with all respect I owe you... I don't think I can help you with this. I'm sorry, but I'm scared. I don't know if you understand what it's like for me, but I'm only a trader and a merchant. I'm not strong like either of you are: I'm merely a merchant."

The reptile nodded a bit, rubbing at his face slowly, and Sabnock nodded as well before she said quietly: "And is there anything that can overcome your fear?"

"You're asking if I can be bought?" Jeannine asked sharply, but despite her tone, her eyes flickered with interest. "My dignity and pride and personal safety come before money..."

"And if I offered to sign off on a contract that could triple your import allowance into Hell while minimizing your taxation costs?" Sabnock gazed across at the female evenly, and Jeannine's eyes widened at this offer, losing her coyness as the wolverine held her hand out, saying curtly: "Agree to this task, and within one week, I'll have the contract signed by two High Thrones and approved by the High Queen herself. You'll have to deal with Heaven's export tariffs but you'll be permitted to ship and sell three times as much product per fiscal period as you currently do."

Jeannine looked at the two, hesitating for a moment... but when Sabnock began to pull her hand back, she immediately leapt forwards, seizing her wrist and shaking firmly with a grin. "You have a deal, Magistrate, you have a deal! And Zerrex, give me several days to finish some sightseeing around Hell, and I will gladly act as bait."

"You realize you could die, right?" Zerrex asked flatly, and Jeanine winced as this visibly killed some of her buzz.

She crossed her arms moodily over her chest, and then she sighed a bit as she looked down at the floor, saying mildly: "Zerrex... I'm not... as bad a person as I act as time. I can be greedy, and I want the best for my company... and that is why I held out as long as I could. But to be honest... my conscience was also killing me. Part of the reason I was always yelling at my brothers..." She closed her eyes tightly. "Brother... was because it was easier to be angry at him than to be... thinking about things. I heard the murderer had attacked again, and... I was worried that they... I mean..."

She stopped, looking away and shaking her head a bit. "I keep thinking like Tobias would have. Wanting to look out for my own skin, put my life before others'. I want to keep blaming everything on Eugene... but how can this all be his fault when he's not acting like Dad anymore but I am? Still putting myself and the company first... but at least my trading company does good for Heaven and for Hell." Then she laughed a bit, saying bitterly: "Although Wulfe Enterprises employed more than a hundred thousand people at one time...

"No, I knew that by coercion or by bribery, you'd get me to play my part in this eventually. I just hoped that it would be by bribing instead of threatening me... I figured you were always a soft touch, Zerrex." She looked at him with a triumphant little grin, but there was self-loathing in her eyes even so. "And I was right. But... now that I've been pushed into doing this, I'll... I'll do it well, Zerrex."

"Can we go?" the reptile asked Sabnock after a moment, feeling a little disgusted; both with her, and with himself, for playing into her hands. Jeannine winced a little as Sabnock nodded and turned, heading to the door, but the Drakkaren paused for a moment longer, saying quietly as he glanced over at her: "I'll come back later for you. We're going to have to look like we actually get along well to lure this monster out of hiding."

Jeannine was smart enough to only nod in response, and the reptile shook his head a bit before he followed the wolverine out into the hall. He glanced down to see Lone sitting on one side of the door and Mahihko the other, and both lupines looked up silently, staring at the wall opposite for a moment before they both looked towards the lizard at the same moment, but it was Lone who spoke first as Mahihko simply rubbed at his eyes: "Dad, I... I know she's a bitch, but... please don't let her get hurt, okay? She's... she's still our sister. It's not all her fault she is the way she is."

Zerrex looked from one to the other, and then he nodded a bit before he rubbed at his face slowly... then glanced up curiously as Sabnock said quietly: "Come, Lord Zerrex. We still have another stop to make."

The reptile nodded after a moment as Sabnock held up a hand and created a portal, and Zerrex followed her through this after smiling over his shoulder to the two wolves... and he was surprised when they stepped out in front of a small, cozy-looking ranch house that sat alone by itself, surrounded by dusty prairie. He looked back and forth dumbly, his eyes lingering for a moment on a large corral that stood off in the distance next to a small, open-fronted stable supported by heavy black logs, two large hydras curled up on a pile of hay inside of this half-enclosed area... and then the reptile looked to the side as the sound of a clanging caught his attention, before he winced as he saw Sabnock was already walking past the patio at the front of the ranch house, hurrying after her.

He stared in surprise as they found White Phoenix on the other side of the ranch house, his gloves and vest off as he stood in front of a sweltering but small stove-like forge, and yet he didn't seem to be sweating at all. His sleeves were rolled up, revealing his bare forearms, one hand in a thick dragon-hide glove holding a heavy hammer and the other hand made of smooth steel that nonetheless flexed and moved as if it were flesh, and the badger glanced over his shoulder at them as he held a piece of metal firmly down against the anvil with the metal hand, slamming the heavy hammer into it and making that dinging noise as he said calmly: "Zerrex, Sabnock... nice to have you dropping in. I didn't expect you here so soon, though, Judge... but you never were one to rest on your laurels when there was work to be done, now were you? No matter how damn many times we tell you to take it easy. Now, I'll be with you both in just a minute. I'm almost done with this here trinket."

Sabnock didn't respond, only glancing absently up towards the deep, almost-mauve sky above, and Zerrex looked around again after a moment: rolling plains in every direction, a herd of what looked like wild hydras out in the distance, quiet except for the hum of the wind... and then he smiled a bit as he wandered back towards the front of the ranch-style home, drawing his eyes slowly over the front. A large Gigataur skull was mounted on one of the posts holding the roof up over the patio, and the shutters were open but the curtains were drawn behind the filigreed windows, the black cloth woven with decorative runes in gold along the bottom. At first glance, the runic symbols looked mystical... but they were only shapes.

Zerrex closed his eyes on a whim and concentrated... and when he opened them, he felt a faint hum of pain through his skull before he saw the outlines of other runes clearly written over the door in glowing purple electricity. An entire verse of poetry had been smoothly painted over the door in invisible runes... and Zerrex smiled a little bit, crossing his arms as he murmured: "'Eyes, eyes, look away, come again some other day, you have not been invited to play, behind this closed door you'll stay.'"

"Words have great power, Lord Zerrex. You shouldn't read everything you see out loud." White said softly, and Zerrex glanced over at the badger with surprise as he approached, a thin piece of metal gleaming in his hand. He glanced with interest up at the Drakkaren then back over at his house, asking: "What do you think of my home?"

"It's beautiful, White. And it's much nicer than mine, and that's just from looking at the outside." the Drakkaren gazed over at him with entertainment, nodding after a moment before he looked down curiously as the badger held up the shaped sheet of metal. "What is that?"

"For you. Sabnock wanted me to make it." White shrugged a bit, and he held it out towards him. Zerrex hesitated for a moment, then finally held his right hand out... but when White dropped the sheet into his hand, he realized it was actually quite cool: it was the male's metal hand that was actually steaming, and the reptile looked at this before the badger shrugged a little as he shook his fingers out. "Like it or not, my hand's demonic steel. It doesn't like the feel of certain objects. Don't hurt none; just don't do so well with it either."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, then he looked down at the sheet of steel in his hand: it was rhombus-shaped and a little larger than his palm, with rounded edges covered in a series of complex, embossed gold runes and white lines. The Drakkaren frowned a bit at this as he looked at it, feeling it awakening some memory in his mind... and then he slowly reached down and hesitantly touched one of the runes.

He felt his energies automatically transferring into it, and when the Drakkaren pulled his finger slowly to the side, the rune flowed over the metal, trading places with another line... and Zerrex smiled a little bit at this, saying quietly: "It's a calling card. A cheat sheet for summoning people, right?"

White nodded, then he held out his right forearm, turning it over to reveal the black tattoo of a runic circle on the bare skin above where the metal gauntlet locked into his wrist, saying quietly: "Exactly. Anyone who has either one of these tattoos or is carrying one of the hundred or so 'answer cards,' you can summon to your aid. The calling card will give off a distinct, powerful reverberation... if, for example, you entered the same circle of runes in it as is on my tattoo, I'd feel a distinct burning and get an idea of where you are at the time. Enough I could portal right to you, whether I've ever been there or not afore."

Zerrex whistled a bit at this, and then he looked at the male with surprise, asking dumbly: "Wait, why would you..."

But White only smiled at this, shaking his head slowly as he reached up and tipped his hat to him. "You must think of me as one ungrateful bastard if you have to ask that question, Zerrex, or you got a damn fool's idea of paying back promises. You always looked out for my son Corey, for one, and I don't need to tell you how much I appreciated that. And you just spent a whole tangle of days looking after young Miss Sabnock here, when you could have been doing other things with your time, and I appreciate that too. You take care of your friends, Zerrex Narrius. In this universe, that's a rare thing."

Zerrex smiled awkwardly, rubbing a hand through his hair slowly before Sabnock said quietly: "And all older demons are also linked to specific runic emblems. I'll teach you the ones used by myself, Carmen, and others... they may be more difficult to form from the runes available on that card, but written in blood upon a solid surface will also suffice to call us, when combined with our name spoken in demonic."

"Pleasant. And here I was wondering by now if that was a myth or not." Zerrex muttered, but Sabnock only gave one of her small, thin smiles.

"If you ever come up with a more efficient method of sending out an emergency alarm or warning to someone of high rank, by all means, I will listen. Phones are not something many of us can carry with us, after all."

"You'd look downright fitting with a cell phone in one hand and a briefcase in the other." Zerrex remarked mildly, and Sabnock sighed and shook her head a bit before Zerrex glanced down at the metal sheet, turning it slowly back and forth before he asked White in a more-serious voice: "What's the material?"

"Silver and iron, of course, mixed with stabilized mercury to make the runes move and angel's blood to make it sing." White replied calmly, rubbing absently at his metallic hand. "That's why I can barely handle the goddamn thing. A Revenant like me doesn't do so hot with holy materials."

The Drakkaren nodded after a moment, and then he slipped the rhombus into his pocket and nodded to the badger, saying softly: "Thanks, White. This means a lot to me."

"Thank Sabnock and Miss Cherry. They're the ones who insisted." White shrugged after a moment, glancing up towards the sky before he said softly: "It's gonna storm tonight. If you'll excuse me, Lord Zerrex, I need to shut down the forge. Sabnock, good to see you back on your feet."

"Thank you, White." The wolverine nodded courteously as the badger bowed slightly before turning away, and then the Magistrate glanced over towards Zerrex, saying softly: "Come now. We should head back to my manse. I wish to go over these symbols with you and their use, and we should also distribute the calling cards."

She held her other hand up, gently jingling a bag filled with them, and the Drakkaren smiled a bit as he nodded to her. The wolverine nodded slowly back, her eyes meeting his for a moment, and then she slowly smiled as she relaxed a little and flicked her wrist, opening a portal as she said quietly: "I'm glad I have at least your silent approval for this proposition, Zerrex. Sometimes, after all... even the most prideful and the most powerful need to bow their heads and ask for help."

She turned and walked through the portal, and Zerrex gazed after her softly for a moment before he followed her into the dark portal... and when they emerged back into the main hall of her manor, he found her eyes on him again, before she asked quietly: "Tell me. Is this not the longest you've gone without the presence of Negative interfering with your daily life?"

Zerrex hesitated, grimacing a bit... but as she only looked at him calmly, he finally nodded, saying quietly: "I wish people wouldn't keep tabs on my life. But yeah, it is. The longest before was when I didn't Invert for a month, I just kept... my mala on, blocking out every nasty urge that came to mind." The lizard grimaced, reaching up to toy with the prayer beads quietly. "It didn't turn out very good. Negative rushed back and took over my brain for a few days, had to spend... I dunno how long Inverted and hiding.

"But this time it's... it's different. There's no... energy surges, there's no wild lusts or rages, there's no mad scientist type desires to create new life and cackle insanely while thunderstorms crackle around me..." Zerrex cleared his throat a bit at the flat look Sabnock gave him at the last. "Shut up, the fact my sense of humor is still intact is a good thing, and you know it. It goes to prove I'm not twitchy."

He stopped, looking down as he toyed quietly with his mala, and then he glanced up at her, saying quietly: "If you want me to be totally honest, what worries me more is the fact that he's been so... so absent. I mean, yeah. We beat the crap out of each other in my mind, and he really did not like contact with that armor whatsoever. I don't know how a... whatever the hell Negative is can use me as home, but I know he also can't pack up and leave, he's anchored to me... but the fact he hasn't been around makes me wonder if he doesn't have a vacation spot somewhere. The idea of him possessing someone else though..."

"It has terrifying implications." Sabnock said softly, and she looked over him slowly before she reached up and gently touched his chest, saying quietly: "Perhaps you should be the one to try and reinitiate contact with him, in this instance. While I recognize it is not the most pleasant course of action, it may be a better idea for you to contact him and extend the hand of friendship, so to speak, so as to ensure Negative does not attempt to take you over entirely or at least understands that you value what he has to offer, if not the methods by which he offers his powers and abilities."

"Since when did everyone start believing that I wasn't just a deluded nutjob and that Negative was really someone other than me?" Zerrex asked mildly, and Sabnock gave a small, thin smile.

"Ever since I came to value you so closely as a friend and was reminded of why I have always respected your opinions and stances, even when they went against my own in whatever ways large or small." Sabnock said softly, and the lizard blushed and rubbed at his face awkwardly, gazing at her with warmth before she nodded slightly, then held her hand out, the small box from her vanity appearing in this as she thrust it out towards him. "Please don't forget this, Lord Zerrex. It has great meaning to me. I hope one day it will carry such meaning to you."

"It already does." Zerrex took the box gently, squeezing it slowly in his hand, and then Sabnock nodded to him in her calm, serious way, before the reptile asked curiously, rolling the box slowly against his palm: "So those plates..."

"I asked White to make two hundred engravings." Sabnock said calmly, and Zerrex stared at her, then down at the bag, and she held it up and jangled it quietly. "Obviously this sack has altered dimensions. But White is a master of both metal crafts as well as magical arts. I believe his son Corey inherited this talent: you did not think that once White gave up his powers he ceased to show a talent with the forge, did you?"

"Hey, I totally didn't. But how long ago could you have asked that, I've been with you ninety percent of the time this month." Zerrex said flatly, and Sabnock gave a small, amused smile. "What?"

She only shook her head slowly, however, then made the reptile feel truly touched as she said softly: "You act as if I only realized your value after the loss my husband. You were my pupil, and then you were my colleague and friend. You have been the last for many, many years, Lord Zerrex. Your safety is of great concern to me... all the more now that I have realized that you have been able to teach this old Ice Devil a little bit about things that I had long ago forsaken."

Then she paused before adding calmly: "And besides. These are only plates of metal, treated with a matching angel blood residue so that they're resonate when you concentrate on the runes on your own summoning plate. That would be where most of the real work occurred, and what would have occupied most of White's time. These could have been made by anyone with a working knowledge of metal craft. Now come, Lord Zerrex. There is much to prepare over these next few days and much for you to learn. I remember all too well how slow you were at picking up on certain aspects of things, so I only hope I can get you to memorize at least a few simple runic circles."

Zerrex grumbled, but then he nodded and followed as Sabnock walked away, rubbing at the back of his head and wondering mildly if sleeping with her had only given the wolverine another excuse to boss him around.

Two days later, Zerrex was standing in Acheron with his arms crossed, the reconstruction operations called to a halt for today. Instead, Dragon Warriors stood all around the square, along with Earth and many of the Drakkaren's Disciples, Dray and Terrance on either side of him as the reptile looked up at the glowing orb of purple and black light that floated some twenty feet above the square: the exit of Maria's rift, enterable from this end only by the Broken: anything else that touched it was repelled by a violent burst of static and Unworld energies.

A moment later, Maria herself fell from the glowing orb as it rippled quietly, and she landed neatly and easily on her feet, smiling encouragingly across at her grandfather as she approached and nodded, saying quietly: "I spoke with Theophilius while in the Unworld, and the moment I mentioned there was some danger, he finally agreed to leave my rift alone. He kept decorating it with all his weird little toys but now it's just a simple tunnel again... he doesn't want to get caught up in the crossfire, so we should be good to go."

"You're not mad at him anymore?" Zerrex asked with a bit of a smile, and Maria tilted her head back and forth with a sigh, shrugging finally. When the Drakkaren had first spoken to her after being trapped for so long in the Unworld, she had been downright incensed... and that very unladylike anger had again flared up the moment she had gone to check on the stability of her rift and found Theophilius had attached furniture to the walls and floor and left, for some unknowable reason, a family of wooden ducks that had been magically-animated and wandering back and forth.

Although Maria was not at all eager to test herself against the Broken in combat - for all his whacked-out behavior, Camus had respected the equine and the horse could very well hold some of the answers to Zerrex's questions - she was also not about to hesitate to give him a show of force if necessary... even if so far, threats and intimidation only made him act crazier or run away. But he pushed Maria's buttons... and the fact that he had kept her away from Zerrex for a hundred years just so she would answer a few seemingly-ludicrous questions for him had earned some rather severe disapproval.

Zerrex made himself disregard this for moment, however, instead looking up at the rift, and the Broken's own mood seemed to change even before he asked quietly: "So how ready are we for what's coming up?"

"Ready as we can be." Maria reached out and gently touched the reptile's arm as the long, scale-leather cape swirled around his back, the skull embossed on the back of it almost gleaming as his mala hung around his neck. Simple black jeans and a tight black shirt covered his body, and his thick black boots were polished and pristine. Ready... it was a good word to describe him, and the others around them, as Maria said softly: "The only factor we have to worry about is when Jeannine arrives at her mansion. You think this thing is really going to lock onto her fast?"

"It's why I had you check on the rift for the thousandth time today, yeah." Zerrex nodded a bit, rubbing slowly at his face. "We spent all yesterday and part of the night before walking around in public, and I took her all over Hell while under heavy guard from the Black Rose troops. Considering how the bastard was watching me closely enough to have seen me being nice to Galleon, I'm betting he saw Jeannine and I wandering around together... and since she's using a public portal back to Heaven, he should at least be able to figure out what's going on. I need you to get back into the rift though, Maria... you need to be there to keep watch and to be ready to intervene in case he comes through right after her."

Maria nodded, saying softly: "Alright, grandfather. But one last question... how will we know when she's under attack?"

"She's wearing a bracelet attuned to the same frequency as your collars." Zerrex reached up and tapped the clasp of Maria's gently, making her smile a little across at him as he gazed back at her softly. "The moment her emotions start to escalate, it'll make your collars reverberate as well."

"Alright. Then I'll be ready." Maria said softly, and she leaned over and quietly kissed his cheek. "We're going to nab him. Don't worry, okay?"

Zerrex only smiled a bit, and the Broken looked at him softly before she approached the center of the open square again, holding a hand up towards the floating entrance to the rift, and a moment later she was pulled up into it, vanishing through it as dark energy crackled slowly over the surface of the sphere for a moment. The Drakkaren shook his head slowly at this, and then he sighed a little, rubbing at his face with a grimace: he hoped she was right, but he was still feeling nervous after the display of powers the murderer had shown last time, and he only hoped that this simple plan would be enough to capture the complex killer.

He rubbed slowly at his forearm, then glanced slowly around the square: of course, once they managed to actually lure the bastard in, it wouldn't matter whether Zerrex had total dominance over this dimension or not. Cherry, Cindy, Marina, and dozens of other faces were all standing at the ready, not merely willing to do their worst but eager for the fight. The only Disciples not here were Anathema Sin, Epiphany, Serenity, Mercy and Desire: they were at the Central Spire instead, keeping a close eye on the High Thrones. Even Selena was here, standing near Cherry and Carmen, her black metal-and-rock armor gleaming over her body as Aluinnia flitted nervously around the group, her eyes wide and half-terrified, half-enthralled.

All Jeannine had to do was make a dash towards her walk-in closet: once she ran through it, she would instantly pass into the tunnel of the rift, and from there it was a straight shot to the end of the portal. The moment she fell into Acheron, she would be yanked out of harm's way and they would then simply swarm the murderer. Zerrex didn't want him killed, but taken alive if possible, however: he wanted to find out the creature's motivations, and moreover whether or not he was a lunatic or a hired killer. And admittedly, he wanted to make him suffer... but the reptile knew he had to control that part of himself. That part was the dark part of him talking... the part that didn't want justice for the fallen, but cruel, unyielding, callous revenge that wouldn't solve anything.

The cape fluttered quietly behind him, and Zerrex closed his eyes, reaching back to touch the material of this, feeling comfort radiating from the armor. It helped keep him in check, although he knew he'd have to Invert sooner or later... Negative's presence was starting to appear hesitantly here and there in his mind, as if trying to lurk beneath the surface, as if more interested in probing through his unconscious thoughts than anything else and remaining an impartial observer for now. The reptile grimaced a little and rubbed at his forehead slowly, his mala jangling quietly against his chest before he glanced to the side as Daria approached.

The female was dressed only in her simple loincloth and black butterfly stickers, bowing her head respectfully towards them as she rested a long black spear across her shoulders, saying softly: "We're ready, Zerrex. But I wanted to ask... are you ready? You seem really nervous... and I understand why, but it's just..."

"I don't think it's a premonition, it's just..." Zerrex rubbed at his face slowly, wincing a bit as he muttered: "A bad feeling. I know that all of us together should be enough to tackle anything that comes at us, believe me, I do. I have faith in everyone here... I know by now how strong we all apart, and how unstoppable we are together, that's not what worries me... I'm more worried that we're underestimating this crazy son of a bitch, and Jeannine is going to be the one to pay the price for it. And moreover, I'm worried that if I'm afraid I'm underestimating the killer, that psychotic Unity-loving bitch Breeze is going to really underestimate what he's capable of."

"I don't think Jeannine will shed any tears if something bad happens to Breeze, and I don't think the wolves will mind much either." Daria grimaced a bit, crossing her arms as the newt gave a surly look off to the side, and Zerrex couldn't help but smile a little at her. "Personally, I think all of us were getting a little tired of being told again and again that we were abominations in the eyes of her god, and her provoking us into theological arguments about the glory of her religion."

Zerrex grunted, and then he grinned a bit and reached out to poke her stomach gently. "But it really was hilarious when she got you so frustrated your face melted off."

"My face doesn't 'melt off,' Zerrex, I just... lose my makeup when I get really angry." the newt replied coolly, but she was smiling nonetheless as she poked him back with her free hand. "Besides, it's her own fault for taking all of us at face value... just because I look like a high class stripper-"

"You are a high-class stripper." Zerrex said helpfully, and then he grunted when she bopped him on the head with the body of the spear.

"Okay, fine, just because I am that, doesn't mean I'm not scary, too. I'm a Abhorrence second, stripper third." She smiled a bit at him, softening. "And I'm yours, first of all. Besides, we both know she was just looking for a reaction when she started mocking you to my face and behind your back. I was all too glad to give her that."

"Daria, Daria, Daria. You're supposed to just ignore bullies." Zerrex said mildly, flicking her gently under the chin, and she winked at him before he wrapped a companionable arm around her... then glanced down at her collar as it resonated quietly, glowing faintly. His expression became more serious now as he slapped her lightly on the back and looked around at the others, watching as their own collars pulsed slowly, a faint hum filling the air around them. "Alright. Get into position, here we go."

She nodded curtly, heading back to her space in the closed circle surrounding the bottom of the eerily-floating rift overhead, and Zerrex looked up as the hum grew louder before it suddenly cut out... and several long seconds passed, becoming a full minute as Zerrex looked uncertainly back and forth and others gritted their teeth, Terrance raising his hands grimly and his brother Dray flexing his metal arm slowly, raising it and baring his teeth as his eyes glowed faintly. Dragon Warriors surrounded the circle of Iuratus and Disciples, all of them equipped with heavy weapons: massive swords, biting cleavers, deadly executioner axes, and behind them, Dragokkaren stood ready with traditional weapons like kwaibar swords and immense bows.

Then Jeannine Wulfe fell through the rift with a scream, and before she could even hit the ground, Cherry shot out of the ranks, snatching her up and charging straight to a hole in the other side of the circle, skidding to a halt behind the safety of two Dragon Warriors and shoving Jeannine onwards before she turned around and shoved her way back to the front, grinning savagely, a manacle sealed tightly around her forearm and attached by a chain that could lengthen or shorten at her will to the hilt of a simple-looking, double-edged gladius. The Great Diviner, an immensely-dangerous and powerful weapon in the hands of the demigoddess... and she licked her muzzle slowly before snapping sharply: "Look alive, here comes our visitor!"

For a few seconds, there was nothing... and then a cloaked figure was violently ejected from the sphere, crashing down onto its front on the pavement. It lay still for a moment as the sphere above it imploded and then sparked out of existence, leaving Maria floating silently above their heads, black chains dangling from the Broken's body and coiling and writhing like living things... and then Zerrex stepped forwards and snapped his fingers as the cloaked figure slowly got up to a kneel, and a cage made of silvery metal bars appeared out of thin air around the unknown figure, the Drakkaren saying clearly: "It's over. You can't escape... and I wouldn't suggest trying, either, because my friends here are very, very eager to be given an excuse to rip you apart, and I'm not about to stop them."

The figure only stood silently, not moving, not speaking... and Zerrex felt a chill roll down his spine as he looked at the cloaked shape, at how... still it stood. It was more than just the twisting shadows that disguised its body that gave it a terrible emotionlessness... it stood as if it didn't care that it was trapped... or it didn't think it was trapped at all. And then the Drakkaren's eyes widened as electricity shocked over the cloaked figure and he felt indescribable malice emanate from it a moment before Cherry opened her mouth to shout a warning as her precognitive powers detected something just a little too late-

There was a tremendous bang and a flash of light as the steel cage exploded, metal bars flying in all directions and slamming into Dragon Warriors and Disciples as the sound and flash made the rest of them stumble and yell, and then the cloaked figure was moving before Zerrex could regain his senses, watching in horror as it literally leapt through a Dragon Warrior as not lightning, but black flames and terrible arcs of energy emanated off its body, the ground beneath it warping and the Dragon Warrior simply exploding from the contact with the force the creature smashed through it before Maria snarled and flicked a hand out, a blast of Unworld Essence erupting through the air towards the murderer as Cindy stepped into the creature's path, unfazed by the energy coming off it... and then, before Zerrex's shocked eyes, the physical body of the monster, cloak and all, tore apart into six long arcs of blue energy that streamed around Cindy's shocked body... and the torrent of dark energy that had covered the creature smashed into her like a dark fireball that now sought a new source of food, and Cindy screamed before she was blasted off her feet when Maria's blast of Unworld essence slammed into her front.

She crashed onto her back, choking loudly as cracks tore through her body, Zerrex howling a denial as dark flames burned over her almost-skinned front and Maria immediately shrieked in horror, dropping to the ground to run towards her and reverse the damage, horrified Disciples losing focus on the murderer for a moment too long even as the bolts of energy burst along the ground before they suddenly snapped towards Jeannine, and the female had enough time to hold up a hand in denial before they shot around her and the murderer reformed. His arms snapped like a vise around the female, hugging her in a deadly embrace as the cloak twisted around its body... and then the murderer simply vanished from sight, and Zerrex stared in disbelief as Lone and Mahihko both yelled incoherently, Disciples and Dragokkaren and everyone else in chaos as Zerrex slowly held up a hand, not even able to believe what had just happened.

They had been played... their plan had worked so well, too well... and they had met with disaster. And Zerrex felt numb, barely even feeling it as Marina grabbed his forearm and urgently led him over to Cindy, who was moaning and bleeding on the ground even as Maria pulled the last of the toxic Unworld essence from her body... but with a flick of his wrist, Cindy screamed before sitting up and breathing hard, grabbing at her head, her body healed before she looked disbelievingly at Zerrex... and he only looked weakly, stupidly back, before his eyes rose to the wolves.

Mahihko was crying hard, his face buried against Lone, who was hugging him, face pale, shaking his head disbelievingly... and Zerrex looked at him mutely, as he stared back, not accusing, but as if begging for an answer, as if trying to convince himself this was all a lie, a set-up, a bad joke. Then Zerrex pushed his way through the crowd and walked towards the wolves and he hugged them both tightly, and Lone broke down into tears, clinging to the lizard he called father as Mahihko's sobs rose in pitch, and they both held tightly onto Zerrex as he only stared blankly at the ground, horrified at how quickly and readily they had been defeated... cursing himself for ever thinking this would work in the first place.

It wasn't long before Raze arrived from Heaven with grave news, as Mahihko and Lone still cried and Earth took over as best she could, letting Zerrex sit silently with the two wolves at the top of the palace. Raze looked at them with silent sympathy, and he gently reached down, stroking kindly through Mahihko's head-fur before giving Lone a small squeeze to the shoulder, and he had handed them a letter addressed to them in Jeanine's cursive script... and as the two had calmed themselves enough to read this, Raze had pulled Zerrex aside and told him quietly it had gone awry from the start.

Breeze had overestimated herself and underestimated the killer: instead of going along with the plan, she had tried to launch her own trap, pulling a favor with several angels of high rank to arrange for a Vanguard patrol to be stationed near the manse. The moment she had detected unauthorized movement at the manse, she had sent up a flare... and Francis's 21st Legion had descended... and within moments, almost the entire unit had been slaughtered in the foyer of Jeanne's manse, along with Breeze herself. The Dragokkaren had been left hanging in pieces from the chandelier, a gun still silently dangling from her hand, tears dripping down her dead cheeks and a fanatical but broken grin on her face.

Ten angels had been blown into more than a hundred different pieces, and Francis himself was in critical condition in a Healing Cathedral. The inside of the manse was covered in scorch marks from bolts of electricity and blasts of energy, and one of the angels who had stayed back just kept shaking his head and mumbling about 'just one guy in a cloak... we saw him, and then we were all dead.'

The ferocity of the attack meant the Council was already getting involved, and the event was already circulating throughout Heaven... and likely by now had reached Hell's ears. The Archangels wanted another audience with Zerrex, and Raze said quietly he would gladly go in the Drakkaren's place for now until they could sort out what had happened... but Zerrex had only shaken his head a bit before looking up in surprise as Lone whispered: "We gotta go too."

"Wolves..." Zerrex looked over at them quietly, but even though Mahihko was trembling and Lone was breathing hard, neither of them were crying anymore despite how red their eyes were and how pained they looked. The lizard wanted to argue with them nonetheless, but then the larger wolf held the letter up as he gritted his teeth and shivered a bit.

"I... she left us her trading company, okay? Fuck she... she left us everything in her will." Lone rubbed silently at his eyes, trembling hard as he whispered: "It says right fucking here... 'I love you and your little brother, even if you'll always be Ewwy Wally to me... and just in case something does happen to me, I'm....' Oh fuck... I... I just need a second..."

Lone rubbed at his eyes slowly as tears silently rolled down his cheeks, and Zerrex walked forwards and gently took the letter from him, looking down and reading silently: '...and just in case something does happen to me, I've made the arrangements that all my possessions will be passed on to you, through the help of a lawyer in Heaven and a Magistrate in Hell. The costs to transfer my belongings to a demon instead of forfeiting them to an angel's courts are high, but easily paid for thanks to a lucrative business deal I had the foresight to make before I passed away. Please apologize to Zerrex and Magistrate Sabnock for me... and please, Eugene, forgive me for not forgiving you sooner. And for abusing you and your little brother. I love you both, very dearly, even if my pride never allowed me to show it. The time we spent together meant more to me than the time I spent alone in Heaven.'

"She loved us. She loved us..." Mahihko whispered, burying his face in his hands as he shuddered hard, and then he looked up, trembling hard. "Daddy, this has to stop. We have to stop this killer, we have to stop him. We have to hunt him down and stop him."

"And we will. I promise you, we will." Zerrex said quietly, handing the letter back to Lone as he buried his face against his forearm, and the Drakkaren shook his head slowly before he looked up towards the red skies of Acheron, his eyes hardening. I won't rest until I track this son of a bitch down and drag his guts out of his mouth.

He reached up, squeezing silently into the mala hanging around his neck... and then he looked at Raze, saying quietly: "We'll all go to Heaven. Although once we get there... would you mind looking after the wolves for me while I meet with Lord and Lucifer? I know you... don't like to babysit... but they're going to need someone looking out for them, especially while they go and deal with Heaven's court system."

Raze sighed a bit, but then he rubbed at his skull and muttered: "Fine. I... alright." He looked awkwardly past Zerrex to the wolves, then added in a grumble: "I'm not going to try and be extra nice to them, though. I'll... I'll watch out for them."

The Drakkaren smiled a bit at him, reaching up to squeeze the black-scaled lizard's shoulder slowly, and then he nodded a bit before he looked over at the wolves as they visibly tried to gather themselves, the reptile saying softly: "Then there's no time like the present. Let's get going, in that case. We got a lot to deal with... and time is getting ever shorter."

Zerrex glanced over at the wolves, but they both shakily straightened and looked up at him silently, and the reptile nodded a bit before he held his hands out. They both quietly took one, the letter clutched tight to Lone's chest with his other hand, and then Raze grasped the reptile's shoulder as Zerrex took a slow, deep breath, concentrating... and a moment later they faded from existence, reappearing back on the mortal plane. The lizard grunted, shaking his head a bit at the exertion, but then Raze squeezed his shoulder slowly before he held up his other hand, and his crystal belt-buckle glowed as the godling opened a shimmering black-and-white vortex with a grunt to the lizard.

The reptile nodded after a moment, taking the lead through the swirling portal... and as they stepped out in front of the massive, floating castle where Zerrex had met Lucifer and Lord what felt like eons ago, the first thing the lizard saw was a Naganatine with a cold, silver-masked Metatron on either side of it. The 'Voices of God' were powerful angelic mages, and awfully, awfully cold, their emotions almost stripped of them by the unknowable training they went through and replaced with arrogance, their silver facemasks making them seem alien and inhospitable... but then the lizard rubbed at his face, feeling relieved as he realized it was Silven, the Naganatine saying quietly: "Zerrex, Lord and Lucifer are waiting for you in the meeting room. Raze, Lord asked me to... well... to not let you in."

The Naganatine blushed a bit, and Raze grimaced before he reached out and grabbed the shoulders of the wolves when Zerrex gently released their hands. Immediately, both Lone and Mahihko grabbed onto his forearms, and the black-scaled Drakkaren said moodily: "Fine. I have to watch these lupines anyway."

"Oh?" Silven cocked his head curiously, and the Naganatine softened visibly as he looked at the black-scaled Drakkaren for a few long moments before he said quietly, at Raze's almost-glare in return: "I see."

The Naganatine hesitated, then he looked over at the other Drakkaren, saying quietly: "Go ahead, Zerrex. I'm going to go with Raze then, in that case, and help him and the wolves with whatever tasks they're looking to perform." He smiled a little at the trio, the wolves looking up in surprise at this, tears still visibly rolling down Mahihko's cheeks. "It's the least I can do. I'm very glad to help out, and having a Naganatine along - even the odd one out, like me - should help you out."

Zerrex smiled a little at Silven, nodding to him as he squeezed his shoulder slowly, and he glanced one last time over his shoulder at the wolves and Raze, but they only watched him silently... and then the lizard forced himself to look ahead as he walked down the bridge, the Metatrons following silently at a short distance, like vultures. It made the lizard uneasy, as he passed through the half-closed portcullis and looked back and forth over the courtyard, which was empty except for the huge Paladin guards standing at the double-doors leading into the castle.

They opened the doors for him silently, and Zerrex passed into the corridor beyond, grimacing immediately: Seraphim were on either side of the hall, warriors with their swords over their backs and arms crossed over their breastplates as they stood silent sentinel. The lizard made his way to the meeting room as the cape behind him sparked quietly with energy, almost clinging to him, and the reptile wondered silently why it was in Heaven instead of Hell these days that the armor made from the remains of Naganis felt so fearful... and he closed his eyes as he reached the closed double doors, no Priestess here to greet or announce him as he took a slow breath and gathered his strength.

Then he stepped forwards, pushing the doors open and stepping through... and immediately a pair of strong hands seized his shoulders, lifting him into the air and holding him dangling off the ground as Lord half-glared at him and shouted: "What were you thinking? God, Zerrex, you all could have died!"

"Lord, sweetie, honey-buns, drop the lizard." Sephire said mildly from across the room, her facemask raised, and Lord immediately flushed and gently set Zerrex down as the Drakkaren glared up at him moodily, rubbing slowly at his chest and feeling more irritated than anything else as Lord smiled embarrassedly. He seemed honestly concerned, but at the same time, angry... but right now, the reptile's attention was more drawn by the fact that his wife was here as well as Lucifer, who stood patiently in the corner as Sephire asked quietly: "So how the fuck did he escape from you? When you and me play around, don't think I don't notice you pulling your fucking punches all the fucking time, which makes me feel real goddamn stupid when I'm going almost all-out against you. You're almost as strong as Lord is. So what happened?"

"I don't know." Zerrex murmured, reaching up to touch his forehead slowly as Lord crossed his arms and frowned but Lucifer only continued to wait calmly. The reptile gathered his thoughts again, taking a slow breath... and then he looked around at them all, saying quietly: "It almost went off without a hitch. We didn't know that... Breeze had pulled strings in Heaven when Jeannine fell through, I dunno if that tipped him off or the bastard just... was able to adapt to the situation as it changed. What I do know, however, is that he is far, far more powerful than I expected. He can't be just some guy who decided one day, 'hey, let's kill all Zerrex's friends, that'd be hilarious' or something. He's got energy control better than me... and he was fast. So goddamn fast...

"We thought we had him locked down. He was caged, he was surrounded, he shouldn't've been able to escape... but he just... sent out a shockwave and a flash of light without a movement, with just a thought... and then he was gone. Cindy tried to stop him, and he split into these... lightning bolts of energy that travelled around her and dark energy smashed into her and..." Zerrex shook his head, gritting his teeth as he rubbed a hand through his hair. "It's so hard to describe. It sounds so ludicrous, even for what I'm used to dealing with by now. But he reformed right behind Jeannine... and then he just vanished with her. Poof. Like he was never there in the first place."

"Why didn't you tell us? We could have helped." Lord gestured towards him with both hands, saying quietly: "Now the Council's getting involved, now... we lost a lot of people. Francis, he's your friend. Now he's in a Healing Cathedral. He might never fully recover."

Zerrex snarled over at the tall Archangel, turning towards him and shouting: "You think I don't know that? You think I don't feel responsible, because I damn well do, Lord! But what could you have done?"

"Maybe we could have caught him." Lord replied quietly, his features hardening as he looked darkly down at Zerrex and clenched his hands into fists. "Don't get cocky, Zerrex. You're a god, sure and a powerful god, but Lucifer and I are the Archangels of Heaven and the Council has never gone against our wishes for a reason. More than Hell ever was, Heaven is ruled by power. Heaven has stood against Hell's attacks for eons, because of our ability to repel demons... demons are stronger than angels, but if a hundred Incarnations attacked Heaven's gates tomorrow, Lucifer and I could drive them off. Maybe the fact you've won some fights with some people stronger than you has finally gone to your damn fool head."

Zerrex's emerald eyes blazed, the two snarling at each other... and then Sephire walked between them before she looked at Lord and said coldly: "Or maybe you're getting as fucking arrogant as the fucking council."

Now Lord winced backwards, flushing deeply as he touched his muzzle, and Sephire shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "What the hell happened to you? This ain't the Lord I knew, the Lord I married... you're being as pedantic and childish as the fuckers on the Council. If you're so strong, Lord, why the hell didn't you and Lucy go and fight Athéos yourselves? Why didn't you save Zerrex, why let him die, then?"

"I... well... it's complicated..." Lord mumbled, rubbing the back of his head now and looking humiliated as he glanced towards the floor, and he said embarrassedly: "Sephire... come on now, don't say things like that... you know me-"

"Not really." Sephire muttered, shaking her head slowly, and now Lord turned almost scarlet before Sephire turned around and reached up, squeezing the lizard's shoulders slowly as she looked into his eyes, and her own glowed faintly as she whispered: "Calm down."

Zerrex gazed back into her irises, stiffening a bit as he felt something wash through his mind... but when Sephire squeezed his shoulders, he forced himself to relax and ceased resisting, her eyes glowing as he felt soothing, soporific waves rolling through his body. His breathing slowly evened out as he looked at her for a few moments, and then he nodded finally as the cape swirled behind him, reaching a hand out to pat her side as he murmured: "I'm calm, now, I'm... I'm calm."

Sephire nodded to him after a moment, and then she glanced over her shoulder at Lord, her blue iris narrowing and her red, glass eye burning with baleful light. "And what about you, you calm? 'Cause I think Lucy's got something to say."

Lucifer only sighed, however, rubbing at his head slowly before he looked at Zerrex, explaining quietly: "The Council reacted immediately and violently to news of such a large and unusual attack in Heaven. Although I suppose that's to be expected... such an event hasn't occurred for years now, and the ferocity reminds me of the days where Ifret Narrius was ruling in place of Naganis..." Lucifer closed his eyes, and both Sephire and Lord winced at the reverberations that rang through the air as he spoke the name of Heaven's maker. "But Narrius is dead. The Goddess is dead. Athéos is dead. Mersault Camus is dead. Somehow, I preferred the old days to the days of now, dealing with lunatics and monsters like the Strange Beasts."

Zerrex looked over at him with a faint smile, saying quietly: "Unpredictable, yeah. It's not like before. They attack, we respond... but we always get there too late, or it proves too little."

"We need to work together." Lord said emphatically, and Zerrex grimaced a bit over at the tall lizard, who had his arms crossed, shaking his head slowly. "Look, I'm sorry for your loss, and I'm sorry I overreacted. But we need to work together, no... planning things and doing this all your way, Zerrex, no following only your own set of rules. We have to collaborate our efforts, even with the Council."

"Speaking of which, since you're at the epicenter of all these events, Zerrex, the council wanted to put a fucking watchdog on you. You know, in case shit happens, then they can totally say 'we were there and we tried to put a stop to it at least, so stop blaming us because we were supposed to do something other than sitting around with our thumbs up our asses when his head got chopped off.'" Sephire made an absent slicing gesture with her hand, and the Drakkaren looked at her moodily, not exactly in the frame of mind for her jokes. She was grinning, however, and the reptile wondered if she was even more brain-dead than Cherry before his eyes widened as she said cheerfully: "And Lucy got them to nominate me!"

"What?" Zerrex looked sharply over at Lucifer, feeling shocked, incredulous... and wincing back a bit as Lord looked at him sourly with what could very well be jealousy. Oh wonderful. Now I've got a jealous husband Archangel to deal with on top of everything else. "Sephire, that's... I mean..."

"It's great, ain't it?" she said enthusiastically, and the reptile mumbled something under his breath before she clapped her hands together. "Fuck, dude, it's been millions of years, literally, since I got to visit Hell, and the last time I went I was there to kill the shit out of shit, when we were back at war. It's gonna be great to visit everyone, see Carmen and Cherry and all my other great-great-great-great grandkids."

"So you two are related. That makes sense." Zerrex grumbled a bit, glancing up at the razor-like fins on Sephire's head, and the female huffed a bit before he asked slowly: "So... Carmen is..."

"Seven generations away." Sephire recited, holding up a hand even as her smile faltered a little. "My first son... he had a child before he passed away, many, many years ago. His child had a daughter who was... well... raped by a Terror. She was going to be a 'monster slayer,' but went in young and reckless and well... I don't need to go into details.

"Anyway, the child of the Terror had another child, said kid had a kid, and finally Carmen's beloved father, Baron Kandas Fy'Rell Vanna, was born." Sephire shrugged a bit, crossing her arms as she gazed over at Lord softly, who looked back at her compassionately. "I had a good few suitors before Lord, you know. People all over the place have blood relations to me... but that's true of any god or goddess. Everyone's got royal blood in them, with a flexible enough definition and a strong enough microscope."

"We're getting off topic." Lucifer said quietly, and all three looked towards them, as the male said calmly: "Sephire will be acting as Heaven's hand. The Council relented to this only because they know Sephire will report honestly to us, and they hope that her presence in Elysium will further spread Heaven's influence... and in all honesty, I think in a sense they hope that Sephire loses control of herself while in Hell. She can do a great amount of damage very quickly, after all."

"Thanks." Sephire said sourly, and then she grumbled under her breath as Lucifer only looked at her calmly before glancing towards Zerrex. "So yeah. I'm going to need to move my power unit and shit down there, too, since I'll be staying with you indefinitely. I only need to recharge once a month or after a grueling fucking battle, but knowing you and the shit we're in for, I'd better keep myself on my toes."

Lord smiled a bit at this, raising a hand and saying quietly: "Raze and I can handle moving that down for you, I'm sure he's waiting outside..."

Sephire, however, only looked amusedly and sympathetically at her husband, and then she glanced over at Lucifer, who nodded to her. "Go ahead. High Queen Vivien will be expecting you by now, in any event."

The female grunted and saluted, then pulled her mask down over her face, slapping Zerrex on the shoulder as she passed and headed to the door. She ignored Lord almost completely, the large male standing dumbly, before she finally tossed an absent wave at him as she glanced over her shoulder... and then she shut the door behind her, and Lord grimaced before looking mildly at the Drakkaren. "Not that I'm blaming you or holding you responsible, Zerrex... but please spend your time with her investigating instead of in bed."

Before the reptile could respond, Lucifer asked mildly: "Lord, will you please go and inform the Heavenly Council we'll be arriving shortly?"

Lord nodded and smiled at this, looking relieved as he turned and headed to the doors himself... and Zerrex glowered at the male's back before he returned his eyes to Lucifer, who was standing quietly with his hands behind his back. The two looked at each other for a few long moments, as the Drakkaren reached up and awkwardly began to play with his mala... and then he asked softly: "How did you learn to manipulate the armor like that?"

"What?" Zerrex looked dumbfounded for a moment, and then he glanced down at the cape, grasping the fabric gently before smiling awkwardly and rolling his shoulders... and instantly, the cape became a long cloak that covered his body entirely, wrapping around him and almost embracing him as the reptile said softly: "I dunno. It just... responds to me. It's not even like I have to tell it what to do or anything, or I even think it... I just..."

He stopped, then shrugged again, and the cloak flicked backwards, becoming a flowing cape again and no longer covering his arms or front, and Lucifer nodded slowly, saying quietly: "Then I made the correct decision. Now, please come with me."

Lucifer strode towards the doors, and Zerrex made a face as he followed, expecting to be heading outside so they could portal to the Council... but instead, Lucifer turned down the hall and went up the steps, golden-armored, hulking Paladins with war hammers and heavy shields immediately stepping out of the way and dropping to kneels on either side of the hall, the Drakkaren looking dumbly back and forth. Lucifer was silent, however, not even seeming to take in the soldiers that trembled and ran out of his way, or the way angels kowtowed and bowed to him... in fact, the only angel he acknowledged was a Priestess standing beside a black steel door, the Trumpeter smiling kindly at him instead of with the subservience of the others, and the Archangel grunted at her before he pushed the door open and said mildly: "Five minutes. If she asks, you have my permission, and she can go."

"What?" Zerrex looked dumbly up at the lion as he walked past him and into what looked like almost a small interrogation room, decorated as it was only with a simple table... and then his eyes widened as the door closed behind them and a figure awkwardly stood up, looking at him nervously. "Jessica?"

"Yes." Jessica Delacroix nodded, the female looking at him silently, her eyes filled with both fear and revulsion... but beneath it, Zerrex thought there was worry, too. For a few long moments, they only looked at each other: her, pretty and quiet, her features mature and smooth, scales lustrous green that lightened over her chest... or rather, Zerrex knew they did, but right now she was covered from head-to-toe in a white habit, even the Priestess's hands covered by a pair of tight leather gloves, as she twiddled her fingers nervously. Several golden charms hung from a silver loop attached to one side of her hood, all of them ancient Enochian symbols... and Zerrex could hardly believe she was here. Cindy's mother, the female he had raped so many years ago, who had raised his daughter for fourteen years before her grisly death.

They both began to speak at the same time, and Zerrex smiled awkwardly as he carefully stepped forwards, holding his hands out to the side, and Jessica swallowed thickly even as she stood beside the table, flinching a little but not trying to step back. Then Zerrex carefully pulled a chair out from the other side of the table, sitting down in it... and she looked relieved as she sat as well, the two studying each other before the male said finally: "You go first."

Jessica nodded to him after a moment, and then she silently drew her sleeve back, revealing a golden bracelet with Cindy's name on it... but it was cracked and rusted, and she said quietly: "I heard... I heard about the murders. At first I wasn't worried at all, but then I started thinking about my Cindy... my... our... daughter..."

She looked at him quietly, and Zerrex couldn't imagine the strength it took for her to say those words with barely a tremble, before she said softly: "I... I had this made a long time ago. I made it attuned to Cindy's energy... and something awful has happened to her, hasn't it? It burned so hot a little while ago it scarred my scales... and then it just... stopped. Please Zerrex. Please. What's happened to our daughter?"

"She was badly hurt, but she's okay now." Zerrex said quietly, and he hesitantly reached out and gently touched Jessica's hand... and she trembled a bit, but didn't take her fingers away as the Drakkaren's emerald eyes looked quietly into her blue irises. "We were trying to catch the murderer. She stepped into his path, and he... he hurt her. But we stabilized her, and healed her as fast as we could... and by now, she's probably back in Hell getting the last of her wounds checked out or in Acheron still, being treated by my Disciples, like Mary. You know Mary, right?"

"Yes, I know her." Jessica nodded to him, and then she drew her hand away, hugging herself and turning away to look silently out towards the wall. "I want to see her, Zerrex. But I'm scared. She was... she says a lot of things about you that I find hard to believe. You raped me, and at first... God, I hated her, I hated her as a baby, she was just a reminder of what you did to me. But my parents made me keep her instead of abort her, even if they hoped I would give her up for adoption at some point... and I... I was so glad I did. I remember when she drew a picture for me for the first time, saying it was of me and her and how much she loved me... and that was when I first started to love her.

"I hate you because you raped me. You hurt me in unimaginable ways. Yes, I remember that night, but you were the one in the wrong. Fucking bastard, if you'd taken it slow, you could have gotten sex anyway from me, but you wanted to rape me, didn't you? You didn't want it slow." she said bitterly, looking down silently as she rubbed at her face, and Zerrex closed his eyes as he bowed his head forwards. "And then I hated her... until I loved her. And when I loved her, I had to turn all that hate back at you, but fuck, it was like... it was like now you had given me a gift. I felt mocked by God. I heard people whispering behind my back 'what's she upset for now? She claims she got raped, but look at her. She has a daughter she loves who she says makes her happier than anything else in the world. She's a liar, she's a slut, she's just trying to get attention.'"

"You have every right to hate me, Jessica, and I'm not the person who's going to say everything all worked out, okay? I get it. I raped you." Zerrex said roughly, the words coming out harsher than intended, and Jessica flinched a bit before the Drakkaren hugged himself silently. "I can't make that up to you, and I can't give you anything that will. I can't make you like me and I can't make you forget those events, no matter how much time passes, I get it. But goddammit, I agree with you about those people, okay? I agree that I hurt you. I agree that I'm a pile of shit for what I did to you. I agree I should be punished, and I have been punished, and I will continue to be punished until these... these spirits that haunt me, until even you are satisfied. We're not here to talk about that though, we're here for Cindy's sake."

Jessica looked at him silently, and Zerrex opened his eyes, glaring back at her, challenging her to a fight... but she only shook her head a bit, and she looked down slowly, whispering: "But she loves you, and I don't understand how she can love you, Zerrex. She loves you more than she ever, ever loved me. She needs you. But she doesn't need her mother."

Zerrex softened at this, shaking his head quietly. "No, Jessica, that's where you're wrong. She loves you. She loves you deeply and dearly... the difference is that before she knew I was her father, I was her protector, and then I became her lover. It took her years and years to adjust to me being her father... years she spent crying and suffering in silence, never letting us see how much it ripped her up inside. She loves you purely: her love for me... is different. She even felt she had to change herself for me, as you've seen, as I'm sure hurts you more than it hurts me... and I can tell you honestly that I am... sad for the way things have gone. She's... she tries too hard to make up for honest mistakes. And she does want to come see you, she just... got tangled up with other things."

"And she's very dedicated." Jessica looked at him quietly, rubbing silently at one of her eyes before she said softly: "What does she want me to do? Pretend nothing ever happened, and indulge in your sick lifestyle, throwing away everything I believe in myself? What does she want me to do, Zerrex? Put a collar around my neck, let you leash me up like your pet?"

"She doesn't want you to forget. She doesn't even want you to forgive me... she just doesn't want you... trying to change her. Treating her like a kid, even if she is your kid and gods above, I still do it myself." Zerrex smiled a little, and then he stood up, resting his palms on the table quietly as he murmured: "I don't think I could ever put you in a collar, Jessica."

"What, am I not good enough for you now?" she asked bitterly, looking up at him sharply as she stood up herself, and then she angrily hammered her hands against the table, saying darkly: "What, now that you've got my daughter and all that young-looking meat around you, you don't want to have anything to do with me?"

Zerrex looked at her quietly, knowing she was speaking from emotions that didn't entirely make sense... and then he shook his head slowly, stepping around the table even as she flinched back, the reptile towering over the slender female as she quaked a bit but looked furiously up at him nonetheless, torn between fear and hate and rage... and then her eyes widened in shock when the Drakkaren simply hugged her, closing his eyes as his cape fluttered and then blew forwards, surrounding her as well, embracing her against his chest as she shivered hard and he murmured: "I'm sorry for what I did to you."

He leaned back quietly, the scale-leather of his cape slowly sliding against her shoulders, then falling away from her, carried by an invisible gust behind his back... and then she reached up and grasped his wrists tightly, lowering her head and saying softly: "Take me to my daughter, Zerrex. I'll do anything for her. I love her and I want to see her and spend time with her. I've always brought her up here to Heaven, forced her to live by my rules. I'm going to stay with her for a while and experience her life, and see if I can come to understand why she's so important to you."

The Drakkaren nodded a bit, looking at her quietly for a few moments before he said softly: "Then go and get your things. Do you know where the Heavenly Council holds sessions? I have to take part in a meeting there before we can go."

"Fine." Jessica glanced away from him even as he hesitantly reached up and brushed her tears away, and she flinched and grimaced before pushing herself away from him, murmuring: "I'll meet you there."

She headed towards the door, and Zerrex watched her leave before Lucifer stepped into the room, his arms crossed, looking at the wall quietly. The Drakkaren looked at him, and then the half-wolf, half-Dragokkaren finally turned his eyes towards the reptile, saying quietly: "The Council awaits."

Zerrex grunted, approaching the tall Archangel, and the male turned and motioned for him to follow, and the lizard slipped his hands in his pockets as the cape wrapped around him like a cloak again, the Drakkaren following silently with his head lowered as they made their way out of the castle and approached the platform across the bridge. Lucifer opened a white portal, and the two made their way through it, stepping out in front of a set of stairs guarded by armored knights in silver armor emblazoned with a circle cut into eight pieces, each piece with a different Enochian rune inside of it: the symbol of the Heavenly Council.

They immediately struck a salute, hands banging against their winged helms as trembles of fear ran through these Knights of Heaven, spears slamming into the ground as shields and swords over their backs rattled. Lucifer looked at them darkly, and then he motioned calmly and politely to Zerrex to go ahead, and the reptile took a deep breath as he walked up the stairs and into the enormous marble amphitheater, a domed roof high overhead supported by immense statues of angels that each stood some forty feet high, exquisitely detailed and all of them wearing featureless masks.

The inside of the senate building was almost as imposing: only the speaking floor was well-lit, leaving the person standing in front of rows and rows of benches at regular intervals, getting higher the further back they went so all could look down upon whoever was talking. And around the upper edge of the tall dome overhead were wide stone balconies veiled in shadow, special viewing seats for particularly-important figures in Heaven.

As Zerrex stepped hesitantly forwards onto the speaking floor, the only standing figure glanced towards him and smiled nastily: Job, Chancellor of the High Council, one of the four surviving Naganatine of Heaven. He was dressed in flowing black and red robes, his features aged and calm and intelligent... yet they were also without true wisdom, as he tilted his head slightly upwards and said coolly: "Honored delegates of the Council of Heaven, Ambassador Zerrex Narrius has finally arrived. Thank you for finding time in our busy schedule to attend this council meeting."

"He was with me. Is there a problem?" Lucifer asked coldly, not even sparing a glance at the Chancellor as he walked across the meeting floor towards the stairs, and Job quailed backwards immediately in fear. The rest of the council hall went silent: angels, Metatrons, several lower-tier gods, and Lord himself all quieting as Lucifer strode silently up the stone stairs to the back of the shadowy hall, turning around and nodding briefly. "Do not waste time, Chancellor. We all have other tasks to do."

Job grimaced but forced himself to smile weakly, and then he motioned towards a guard standing at the edge of the senate building, near another set of stairs. Immediately, the knight turned and gestured at someone... then he was shoved hard enough into the statue of the angel he was beside for his armor to dent and crack, skidding slowly down it with a wheeze of pain as Raze stormed into the speaking room, Mahihko clinging to his other hand and Lone beside him, looking both fearful and furious as Silven followed behind them with a grimace of disgust. They halted at the other side of the speaking floor, and Job looked over the council as he said clearly: "These four were discovered trying to 'cash in' on the death of one of our most notable merchants, Jeannine Wulfe..."

"She was our sister!" Mahihko shouted in his high-pitched voice, and then he began to cry as he dropped his face against Raze's hip, and Raze silently hugged him close, snarling with such force and anger that his eyes were starting to glow with barely-repressed psychic power, the air around him vibrating. "She-"

"Silence!" Job snapped, and Zerrex clenched his hand slowly into a fist before the Naganatine said curtly: "Will or not, they were here within an hour of her death. Even with both Sir Raze and Silven, our... brother... vouching for them, they attempting to seize control of Jeannine's estates and privileges, which would give Hell a decided edge in trade, would it not? Especially with the coincidence that she died after signing such a lucrative contract. I believe this serves only as further evidence that the culprit behind these savage murders is Lord Zerrex himself, or one of his so-called Disciples. His energy signature has been detected at every scene, and across Heaven, and he can freely move back and forth, and has been known to be... erratic and dangerous in his behavior."

"Ludicrous." Lucifer said darkly from the back of the room, as Lord only blushed and looked silently down, leaning his arms across his knees, and Zerrex stared in shock: it was one thing for Lord to be angry, but to left Lucifer do all the work defending him... and even Lucifer seemed to pause for a moment, looking at his companion's back for a moment before he said coldly: "This is not a subject that is up for debate. Besides, Lady Sephire has already agreed to keep an eye on Lord Zerrex. If he has any involvement whatsoever in these recent events, we will know immediately."

"But nonetheless, the issue of these trade papers and Jeannine's inheritance stands." Job said calmly, and he turned to a small table that stood at the back, picking up Jeannine's letter and holding it up. "Do we want to give even more power to Hell? Do we want to forfeit our rights to determine import and export costs for materials that are necessary for our world to thrive? I think not. Demons cannot inherit such large sums in any event, nor can they take over an angel's business in Heaven. When the Naganatine vote, all must bow their heads, even the Archangels. Naganatine word is law."

Job looked up at Lucifer, whose features tensed only slightly... but it was enough to make Job swallow thickly before a Naganatine wearing leather kilt and loincloth, a heavy sword across his back, leapt to his feet and shouted: "The Laws of Heaven are the Laws of God, and we are the Naganatine, the First Breed, the teachers and His Will! I agree, let us take back our power and our pride from Hell, which seeks to usurp us!"

He snarled down at Zerrex, who glared furiously back up at him, before Silven stepped forwards and said quietly: "Then I vote that we honor Jeannine, who died to try and stop a killer, and we do as she has bidden us in her last letter."

Job crushed the piece of paper in his hand as he lowered it, and Lone shouted weakly, reaching for it... but then Raze grabbed his shoulder and shook his head, even as he trembled with anger. Zerrex was snarling as well, but he knew Job was only trying to provoke them, before he looked up at another Naganatine seated beside Warden, and Zerrex closed his eyes for a moment... before Epoch looked up and he whispered: "No. No, this is wrong. This is wrong."

They all looked in surprise at him, as the white-robed Naganatine looked back and forth, purple scales gleaming quietly as tears rolled down his cheeks. "What have we become? Job, Warden, look at us! Oh, by God's great name, yes, you are my brothers but what have we become? I remember when Anathema was first released, I was with you all, I was gladly with you, fearing... fear most for my own life, let's not bother lying, but... Sin, Anathema, my sisters in Hell... they've changed, and God, I hate to say it but so have we! Do you even remember God's name anymore? No, no, I refuse to do this anymore..."

He stood shakily up, and Warden stared as he reached out, but Epoch threw his arm off, looking almost terrified as he stumbled his way down the benches, almost knocking several angels over as he staggered to the steps and ran down them, half-tripping over his own robes before he looked over his shoulder towards Job, who was gaping in disbelief, and he whispered; "I vote yes. Job, Job, you were so intelligent once... when did the mighty Naganatine stoop to stealing from the dead and the innocent?"

He stumbled and fell, and Zerrex immediately stepped forwards, reaching out and catching him, and Epoch looked hesitantly up at him before he smiled weakly and nodded mutely, and Zerrex nodded slowly back before Epoch stumbled his way out. Job was left dumbstruck... and then Warden snarled before he pointed at Zerrex and shouted angrily: "He was scared of you! You influenced him somehow, traitor!"

"It doesn't matter, Warden, when a vote between the Naganatine is tied, the rest of the council votes." Job said quietly but calmly as he regained his composure, holding up a hand even as he looked icily at Zerrex. "If our brother Abel were still alive-"

"You would have lost the vote, Job, Abel died fighting Strange Beasts on the mortal plane." Silven said quietly but firmly, standing protectively near the wolves as they continued to cling to Raze and tremble, Mahihko still crying quietly. "Haven't we lost enough, brother? So few of us remain... and still, you're insisting on putting cracks between us all. On making the schisms between us greater and greater with every passing day."

"We all know where your allegiance stands, Silven, you fucked the betrayer slut!" Warden shouted angrily, and Zerrex's eyes blazed as he turned towards the benches, as a cold smile twitched at Job's mouth... but before fury could take over, Zerrex felt something brush against him silently, as the council laughed and Job almost teasingly scolded Warden's outburst, obviously approving, and the Drakkaren tilted his head upwards as sound and noise erupted around him...

He closed his eyes and vanished from the spot, reappearing on top of the marble dome in front of a weathered, aged statue of a female Naganatine: Justice, a blindfold over her eyes and a set of scales dangling from her extended hand. The blindfold and metal had been added long after her demise, however: she had been petrified during the first Division between the Naganatine, and the Heavenly Council had thought it fitting to put her here as a reminder of 'all they had lost,' something Naganis never would have approved of. She was no reminder: she was a frozen body that was being dishonored by her placement here.

Zerrex reached forwards... and then he looked down in surprise as the scales of his right hand automatically peeled away, warped, rocky metal showing through as his arm became metallic and corrupt. It shifted and glinted, energy pulsing through the cracks... and then long, scale fibers twisted slowly out of the side of the cape, wrapping around the steel, stroking it almost soothingly and shaping it into beautiful, silvery alloy plates. His hand became a gauntlet, the reptile smiling faintly as the leather wrapped around it, formed a glove over it... then his eyes widened in surprise as the still-visible metal slowly turned beautiful ivory, and the leather locked over it, turning into magnificent purple scales as the composition of his arm visibly changed, becoming toned and thin instead of imitating muscle... and Zerrex flexed this slowly, black claws at the end of each finger as a voice whispered in his mind, begged him without words to help his poor, lost daughter.

Zerrex silently reached out, grasping Justice's skull with an arm that wasn't his own... and then he arched his back, gritting his teeth in pain as energy burst down his limb and shocked over the petrified statue. Cracks spread slowly though the rock as the statue vibrated violently, dust hailing down as angelic knights immediately shot upwards, shouting angrily at him before landing and covering their eyes in shock as the light built into an incandescent glow around the two... and a moment later, Zerrex was silently kneeling with a female Naganatine laying across his lap, not even understanding how it had happened, his right arm looking like his plain, scaled right arm as the cape flapped quietly behind him, but a voice from deep inside him, a voice he strangely-recognized, whispered: Thank you.

The Naganatine was slender and tall, perhaps nine feet, a bit of tone to her muscles and completely naked, her features beautiful but also cold... and she grimaced a little before she sat up, rubbing at her head and muttering: "I'm... I'm sorry, Naganis, I had the most awful dream... wait, you're not Naganis..."

She frowned, turning her eyes to him... and Zerrex stared in surprise at the fact that just like the saying... Justice was blind. Her dull-white irises studied him slowly, and she reached up and touched his face gently, saying quietly: "I thought you were Mephistopheles, but you're not him either. How did you get here, strange one? I can see... too many stories in your energy signature, it's crowded and complex and... oh."

She fell silent, then slowly curled her knees up to her chest before glancing at him again, the reptile wondering quietly what she saw when she looked at him, both because of what she said and because despite the dullness of her eyes, her gaze was still so intense, so searching... and she finally stood up as Angelic Knights continued to stare in shock before she grimaced and asked: "May I wear your shirt? I seem to be... underdressed."

"I... here." Zerrex held a hand out, and a moment later, a simple black set of clothing appeared in them. She looked at him strangely, and Zerrex blushed a bit, pushing the clothes towards her... but when she snatched up the shirt and seemed to 'examine it' as it dangled in front of her, he felt relief run through him. "So you can see?"

"If your tone wasn't so stupid and honest, I'd ask if that was a sick joke." Justice said rudely, and Zerrex's mouth fell open a little in dumb surprise. "I... no, no, I'm sorry. But to realize that my brothers... left me up here as an ornament and abandoned me, with only Silven ever coming to see me, and that my dreams... my feelings of being trapped, of sensing the energies all around me, of... awful things... were real..."

She sighed a bit, shivering as she slipped the shirt quickly on, then she picked up the pair of pants and hopped quickly into them as well, murmuring: "Odd clothing, but sufficient for now. I hear something going on downstairs, Job is running his mouth again... I wish to go down there, take me down, strange god."

"How do you know what I am? Seriously, how are you... seeing?" Zerrex asked flatly, and then he winced when she grabbed him before she pointed grouchily over at an angel, seeming to glare at him with her blind eyes and making the knight freeze up in surprise.

"See that? I sense a puling, pathetic coward, only waiting for the others to run so he can turn and run away too. I see his emotions, and I see his energies, and I see his sounds, like his thudding, scared heart." she snapped, and the angel winced and shrank immediately back before she slowly rubbed at the underside of her jaw, a bit of dust falling from her muzzle as she mumbled: "It hurts in a good way to talk and move after so many years of being rock. It saddens me that Naganis is dead... but I am happy you inherited his powers and that of Mephistopheles. Those two powers together were the only thing that could unfreeze me... you must have a sharp mind to have figured it out."

"Maybe Naganis guided my hand." Zerrex murmured, and Justice looked at him, then smiled radiantly, and the reptile stared at her with surprise.

"I like you. I will like you more if you take us downstairs now, though, they're getting ready to send a search party of Hounds out to retrieve you. Idiot Job. Idiot angels for not running off to their master." Justice glared around them, and Zerrex sighed before he vanished from the spot with her, reappearing back in the speaking floor and immediately striking even Job silent as the Naganatine female grimaced, reaching up to rub at the two long horns that extended back from her skull, gritting her teeth and walking away from the reptile as her baggy, loose clothes floated around her slender frame. "Brothers, are you done yet?"

Warden gaped from where he stood on the steps, and Silven looked up dumbly from where two angels were restraining him, a bit of blood dripping from his nose: the two Naganatine had obviously been doing a little more than yelling at each other. Then a bright, happy smile spread over the latter's face, and he threw off the angels to rush down the stairs and towards her, picking her up in a hug and making her curse as her long tail snapped back and forth, the male shouting joyously: "What a cause for celebration! Justice, sister Justice!"

"Impossible!" Job looked horrified, and then he pointed at Zerrex, snapping: "If this is some trick or illusion-"

"Enough!" Justice shouted, and Silven winced and dropped her, covering his head as she landed on her feet and stumbled, but glared nonetheless across at Job, stomping across the floor towards him and saying angrily: "I have heard every pedantic word from your mouth, trapped up there as I was, Job, and I have felt the emotions of this dead council and this awful, awful place that is no longer Naganis's Heaven! And no, I will not stop myself from saying the name of God: I say it with pride, because I am his daughter... and what are you, but the indignant usurper, worse than Mephistopheles!"

Job slowly shrank down, turning crimson as he looked at her weakly, and she snarled at him, saying furiously: "Of all of you, only Naganis himself and Silven ever tried to heal me... but what horrifies me most of all is that so few of you ever tried to console our beloved Father after he sealed himself away! You wonder why he gave the jobs of Archangels to a male who was once mortal and a god who ascended from mortality... and I see why, I, the blind, petrified one, see why every day."

Then, to Zerrex's shock, she brought a fist back and punched Job hard across the face, the Naganatine's head snapping to the side as blood and a tooth flew from his muzzle before his eyes rolled up in his head and he fell backwards, and then she smiled sweetly, saying kindly as she looked directly over at the two wolves. "Naganatine word is Law. I vote that we fulfill their sister's wishes. I also will be leaving to wherever this god goes, as his consort. It seems that things have changed greatly since the times of Naganis, and I wish to see the world."

"Do you have to say 'see' all the time, I know you're doing it on purpose." Zerrex said flatly, and Justice only smiled over at him as she approached, her white eyes looking at him with amusement.

"The blind see more in a moment than you ever will in your entire lifetime, Zerrex Narrius of Elysium." she said softly, and the reptile's eyes widened in shock before Justice reached up and slowly traced this over his chest in ancient runes, leaving a glowing blue trail over his shirt before she shook her head and glanced over at Silven, who gazed at her longingly. "Fear not, brother. I'll return. And it's not like we won't see each other before then."

"Wait, you can't go... the Naganatine are Heaven's backbone!" Lord said incredulously, standing up and looking down at her pleadingly. "Please stay, with your voice added to the council-"

"It would only cause chaos, Archangel. Your intentions are pure, I see, but nonetheless I fear that... nothing good will come of me being here. My name is Justice, but that is a word that means different things to different people, and those being tried rarely think their punishment is just and deserved." the female said kindly, half-bowing towards him before she looked up at Lucifer, who was looking back at her with silent curiosity... and she slowly smiled, gently blowing him a kiss. "You're very handsome."

Lucifer only cocked an eyebrow at her, and then Justice laughed and clapped her hands before she looked around and grimaced a bit. "Too many people, too much energy, too much noise. Come, Zerrex, before I'm deafened by it."

She held her hand out, reaching blindly for him - no pun intended... - as she continued to stare at the startled, dumbstruck council... and then Zerrex shrugged a bit before reaching out and gently grasping her wrist, tugging her carefully towards the steps until she finally faced forwards again as he said awkwardly: "Stairs."

"Thank you." She felt around with her foot with a grimace until she found the step, then made her way carefully down, unguligrade legs flexing and tail snapping back and forth for balance as she muttered: "Once upon a time, Naganis ran energy through all the steps in Heaven, so I could see them... the naked ground has enough of a pulse that I can see it, but to me, cut stone and wood has so little essence it's just dark splotches..."

Zerrex looked at her awkwardly, not knowing how to respond, and then he halted, glancing over his shoulder to see Raze and Silven speaking before the angel nodded a few times as Lone and Mahihko bounced on either side of the black-scaled lizard. Then he looked around... and sighed as he saw two angels in white uniforms harassing a female in a white habit he recognized all too well, a third knight standing guard nearby and looking bored, if anything, as they went through her things. "Will you excuse me?"

"Just come back as soon as you can. And please don't hurt them." Justice looked up at him seriously, and the reptile looked back down before she grinned. "I'm kidding, I want to see you hurt them a lot, they'd probably try to molest her if they had the chance from what I'm seeing. Teach them why you shouldn't lay your hands upon a lady, let me see if you really are half the male your energy signatures claims you are."

"Now you're just doing that to frustrate me." Zerrex said flatly, and she shrugged agreeably as the reptile looked at her for a few moments, then he grumbled and turned away, walking towards the small group. The angels that worked directly under the Heavenly Council were almost all corrupt, and all too often when the reptile was around this area of Heaven did he see them yanking wagons off the side of the road, rifling through the belongings of civilians, or taking advantage of people in other, even worse ways. Now the Drakkaren felt even worse about asking Jessica here... and he sighed as the armored angel looked up, then winced before Zerrex simply shoved him over with one hand, and the angel thankfully did the smart thing and quickly scuttled away on all fours even as the two uniformed angels looked up.

Jessica was almost crying, her suitcase opened and her clothes scattered over the ground, a torn book laying beside this... and Zerrex put his hands on his hips as he cocked his head towards the two uniforms, asking bluntly: "Are you retarded?"

"I... what?" one of the uniforms asked dumbly, and the other angel glowered before his slower friend picked up on what the lizard was implying. "Hey! You can't talk to us like that! We're... conducting a legal and authorized search of this bitch's belongings here!"

"Oh, you had to go and put name calling into it, didn't you?" Zerrex reached up and rubbed at his forehead slowly, and then he glared at the other uniformed angel, his eyes glowing solid green as he ordered: "Sit down."

Immediately, the angel fell back on his ass, his eyes staring and vacant, and the other angel winced before he covered his eyes, shouting in a strangled voice: "Demon! Demon! Oh shit it's a demon!"

"I'm not a demon, I'm a god... I..." Zerrex sighed as the uniformed angel only continued to yell and blubber, however, and then he winced as Jessica dashed past him and then hid behind the lizard's back, trembling violently. Other angels looked up... and Zerrex immediately glared in their direction, and an entire line of knights immediately backed up, likely recognizing who the reptile was after other tangles with him. "You know what, I don't have time for this."

Zerrex reached out and snagged the uniformed angel by the shirt, yanking him into the air above his head, and the angel squealed as he flailed his limbs before the Drakkaren slowly brought him in close, saying quietly: "Don't ever let me catch you doing stuff like this again. Ever. Understood? At least have respect for your fellow angels." He stopped meditatively, then shook him firmly and added flatly: "And to make my point clear."

The uniformed angel vanished from the spot, then reappeared some forty feet in the air, following with a loud yell of horror, flipping several times before he crashed into the dirt road, and his Dominated friend giggled stupidly as drool dripped from the end of his muzzle. Zerrex shook his head slowly, then he looked down at the male, saying mildly: "You're never going to hurt another female again, right?"

"Right." the Dominated angel agreed, and then Zerrex snapped his fingers, and the uniformed angel shook his head stupidly, before he looked fearfully up at the Drakkaren... and when the lizard looked at him pointedly, he quickly began to pile Jessica's belongings back into her suitcase as the other angel slowly peeled himself off the road, shivering and terrified. "Look, look, I'm being a good boy and putting it all back, okay? Don't hurt me, dude, don't hurt me!"

"Two wrongs might not make a right, but gods above, am I ever reminded of why it's easier to beat people than teach them." Zerrex muttered, rubbing slowly at his forehead, and then he pointed sharply to the side as the angel paused dumbly as he picked up a set of panties. "Get, before I teleport you both to the center of the planet!"

They both immediately scattered, and Zerrex grumbled under his breath as he bent down, quickly picking up the rest of the female's clothes and other items and piling them into the suitcase as Jessica continued to tremble a little, and then the Drakkaren cast a cleansing spell over the case's interior, getting rid of most of the dirt and grime as he muttered: "I'm sorry, Jessica. Idiots like that I don't have the time or patience to teach right now, though, better just to chase them off for now... and well, I'm sorry for asking you to meet me here, too. I forgot what it's like for people who aren't of esteemed high rank around the Council-owned areas... gods know I would have preferred to meet you somewhere else if I had remembered at all."

He closed the suitcase and zipped it shut, then stood up as Jessica looked up at him silently... and then she simply nodded a little, half-reaching for her suitcase... but Zerrex smiled a bit, saying awkwardly: "I got it. It's not a problem."

"Cute. I saw that you wanted to blow them up, though, and I'm both glad and disappointed you didn't beat the indulgence out of them." Justice said mildly as she approached with Raze and the two wolves, who were both smiling a little now, at least seeming relieved, and Zerrex took this as a good sign as he looked down at them softly. "The Gemini got its reward from its sister, at least... brother will ensure that the contracts and money safely get to him in Hell. Angry and stupid as my other brothers have sadly become... but I'm very, very anxious to get to Hell and meet my sisters, Anathema and Sin."

"That's... complicated." Zerrex said carefully, and Justice looked at him curiously, frowning a bit before her face cleared slightly as he nodded slowly, and the reptile gazed back at her, asking quietly: "What did you see?"

She was silent for a little while, long enough that Zerrex thought she wasn't going to answer... and then she said simply, smiling suddenly up at him. "I saw a great amount of love, enough to reassure me that whatever shape they're in now, they're both going to be more than okay."

Zerrex smiled back, nodding, and she glanced around at them all curiously, saying nothing but examining them all in turn even as Raze half-turned and opened a vortex, and then she grabbed Zerrex's arm and allowed him to lead her into the swirl of black and white, gazing back and forth with awe as she whispered: "Magnificent... travelling between the dimensions with such ease... and as if wars never happened that almost ripped both our planes apart, the fault of not just savage demons but arrogant angels..."

She shook her head slowly as they emerged onto a balcony of the Central Spire... and before Zerrex could say anything, Justice immediately tore free from his arm and ran forwards, shoving the double doors open before the Amazons could stop her and bounding into the hall beyond as she shouted cheerfully: "Sisters!"

Vivien looked up with a frown as Lily, Mercy, and Amiglion stared dumbly, and Anathema Sin staggered to her feet with a look of dumb shock, her mouth falling open as Justice cursed and rubbed at her eyes. Zerrex winced as the Amazon Guards looked at him confusedly, and he motioned for them to resume their posts as he followed the Naganatine into the room, even as Sephire peered up from the table at the female and then whistled slowly. "Well, I'll be... is that who I think it is?"

"Justice!" Anathema Sin shouted, and she half-ran, half-staggered forwards as Justice smiled benevolently at them, and the Naganatine traded firm, tight hugs as Anathema Sin laughed in both female's voices, asking eagerly: "How were you freed? Did they find a cure? Did the curse weaken enough for you to break loose? Are you okay? Tell us, tell us!"

"Sisters, please, speak in one voice." Justice chided, grasping the female's shoulders and pushing her back as she eyed her thoughtfully, her blind irises looking up and down her form as her features smoothed out, happy, and yet now also taking in the fused Naganatine wonderingly. "What strength radiates off you, though, and what purity... yes, I knew that my adventurous sister and my shy sister would never be the slave of Mephistopheles for long. One is too proud, and the other is too kind. You have both changed so much, and yet I can see you both clearly at the same time... even if between you, there are a hundred strings of energy..."

"Oh holy shit, it's Justice?" Amiglion said stupidly, finally catching on, and he stumbled up to his feet as he pulled his silver mask off his face, Justice looking over at him with surprise as he laughed and walked around the table, saying happily: "Wow, oh wow! How-"

"You idiot, our sisters just asked all the questions you're about to." Justice said flatly, but then she reached up and patted him on the cheek, saying quietly: "I'm glad you haven't changed a bit from your old self."

Amiglion smiled warmly, and then Justice glanced over her shoulder at Zerrex, adding calmly: "The Gemini looks like it can use some rest, the angry godling wants to return to Heaven to see his hurt mentor, and the mother wants to see her daughter. Don't dawdle, Zerrex. And take the metal goddess with you."

Sephire grunted at this, half-bowing awkwardly to the still-staring, still-disbelieving Vivien, and then she ran around the table and headed over to Zerrex as Vivien started to raise a hand dumbly, but Amiglion and Justice and Anathema Sin were all busy laughing and conversing rapidly, and Zerrex took the moment to quickly slide backwards as he looked at Raze first, saying mildly: "Go on back to Heaven. And wolves, you two can head to the Ravenlight Estate. I'm going to take Jessica to see her daughter before things get too out of hand."

The others nodded, not arguing, and Raze traded a tight, firm hug with Zerrex for a moment before kissing his cheek quietly, and the reptile smiled softly as the angel turned... then hesitated as he looked down at the wolves, glancing over his shoulder and saying quietly: "I can check on Francis later. I'll... make sure the wolves get home safe first. I'll watch out for them. Mom, it's. It's good to see you."

"That's my boy." Sephire said softly beneath her facemask, and she reached out and squeezed his shoulder as Jessica looked up in surprise before Raze simply nodded with a grunt and then glanced up, a portal opening as Lone and Mahihko both quietly took his hands. They smiled hesitantly over their shoulders as they walked towards it, both gazing back at Zerrex... and he rose a hand to them as they vanished through it before Sephire asked cheerfully: "So, is this one of your Disciple bitches?"

"Ex-nay, Sephire, ex-nay." Zerrex grimaced and winced, and Sephire cleared her throat and looked awkwardly away as Jessica looked moodily down. Then the Drakkaren rose a hand, concentrating and opening another portal as he muttered: "Sorry, but I don't have enough energy to shoop. Freeing Justice... took a lot out of me."

He led the two into the portal, wheezing with relief when he emerged into a beautiful, sprawling field outside a small village... and then the Drakkaren put the suitcase down and sat with a groan as Sephire looked back and forth curiously, and Jessica simply grimaced, asking flatly: "I thought we were going to see my daughter?"

"Keep your pants on." Zerrex muttered, gently playing with his mala before he squeezed a bead slowly, concentrating... and within a minute, a vortex opened, and Cindy came through this with Daria, the two looking back and forth before the female gasped in surprise at the sight of Jessica, standing awkwardly next to her suitcase, Zerrex tiredly sitting on the grass and the imposing Sephire looming nearby. "Cindy, sorry to blindside you, but... well. She wanted to see you."

Jessica smiled a little at Cindy, who looked nervously at her as Daria tilted her head curiously... and then Cindy cleared her throat before she said awkwardly: "Hi, Mom, I... wow. I really didn't think..."

"Cindy, wait." Jessica rose her hands, closing her eyes and taking a slow breath, and when she opened them, she looked quietly across at her daughter, saying softly: "I don't want to fight, and I don't want to treat you like a child. I... I'm here to be a part of your life, if you'll have me. I'm here to do whatever it takes to show you that I love you, and care for you, and... that I'm not going to ever criticize you or hurt you if I can avoid it. You're my daughter... and you mean the world to me, the absolute world." She stopped, then looked over at Zerrex, saying slowly: "You're our daughter. And if your father... means so much to you... I'm not going to make you choose between him and me."

"Thanks Mom." Cindy lowered her head quietly, and then Jessica walked across the field and hugged her daughter silently, and Cindy hugged her back, eyes closed as she murmured: "It does... really mean a lot to hear that. I just... do you mean it?"

"I do. I swear I do. And I'm here to prove that." Jessica said softly, and she stepped back, brushing down her daughter's muscular biceps and laughing a bit as she looked up at her with shining eyes. "I always forget how big my little girl's gotten..."

"Mom..." Cindy glanced awkwardly towards the sky, but Zerrex smiled a little, knowing that it wasn't this kind of thing that really upset her, embarrassed as she acted. She fidgeted a little, then she blushed a bit as she gestured over towards Daria, the newt smiling awkwardly as Cindy said quietly: "This is... my friend, Daria, the one I told you about?"

"It's nice to meet you, Daria." Jessica politely bowed her head to the female, looking over her curiously even as she frowned a little, and the newt smiled awkwardly, rubbing self-consciously at her naked, smooth stomach: covered by so little and facing a priestess in a full habit, the awkwardness was understandable, as Jessica said quietly: "I hear you've treated my daughter very well down here and helped her think through some things. I'm... glad she has people like you in her life."

"Thank you." Daria smiled a bit, visibly relaxing some as she gazed at the priestess, and Jessica nodded slowly to her as the newt shuffled her feet a bit, then she smiled a little over at Cindy, suggesting quietly: "Why don't you and your mom go and check out the Ravenlight Estate? And I'm sure after Zerrex recovers we can all go to Acheron, or someplace like that. Make this like... like a little vacation after... what just happened."

"Yeah... yeah, that's a good idea." Cindy said softly, and she and her mother looked at each other for a few moments before she glanced quietly over at Zerrex, saying softly: "Can you... join us for dinner at the Ravenlight Estate, maybe? And Daria, maybe you can... go get Cherry. We'll have a nice big dinner together, all of us."

Daria nodded with a smile, and Cindy nodded back before she opened a portal and blushed a bit as she headed over and quickly picked up Jessica's luggage. Her mother smiled at this, and then she glanced over them all measuringly as Cindy guided her towards the portal before she stepped through... and Cindy blushed as she mouthed a 'thank-you' to Zerrex before following, the Drakkaren sighing a bit before glaring as Daria said mildly: "You raped me to death and I didn't mind."

"You thought you were pure evil and I was doing the world a service. You were a screwed-up kid." Zerrex replied flatly, and Daria only smiled in return before her eyes travelled curiously to Sephire, who was awkwardly lurking in the background, leaning on her massive sword. "Oh, sorry, I guess you two haven't been introduced. Sephire, this is Daria. Daria, this is Sephire, First Lady of Heaven."

"She doesn't look like she's from Heaven." Daria remarked as she glanced curiously over the female, and Sephire snorted beneath her facemask before she reached up and popped it up, grinning amusedly at the newt.

"Well, tits, you don't look like a menacing super-demon, but you're an Abhorrence, right?" Sephire asked teasingly, and Daria looked at her with surprise before the female tapped her glowing red glass eye, saying mildly: "Sensor crystals or some shit that feed right into my fucking brain. Analyzes and let's nosy ol' me see just what the hell everything really is."

Zerrex snorted in amusement at this, and then he shook his head a bit before Sephire absently tossed her huge sword into the air, and it rapidly dissolved. Then she grumbled, beginning to fumble at her mask as the Drakkaren asked softly: "Is everyone in Acheron recovering? Has... has the shock worn off, at least?"

"Not entirely." Daria admitted, shaking her head a bit and smiling faintly down at the reptile, and the lizard gazed up at her before she quietly sat beside him in the tall grasses, pressing herself against his side and closing her eyes as she silently took his hand and squeezed it tightly. "It just... it all happened so fast, Boss. And more than the fact people were hurt... all of us were... scared by it. What could do something like that? How could it move so fast? Even Cherry could barely detect what it was doing."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly, and then he glanced up as Sephire finally removed her helm and chucked it moodily aside, the helm dissolving rapidly into the air before she walked over to Zerrex's other side and sighed as she sat down and rested back against him, crossing her arms and closing her eyes as her head rested on his shoulder. Daria looked at him with surprise, and the lizard simply shrugged a bit before Sephire muttered: "I'll admit I'm both pissed off and glad you didn't invite me along for the ride. Lord means well, and I ain't defending him... I'm tired of defending him.

"This fucker, though... I mean, you guys aren't the kind of guys who get beaten easy, I know that by now." Sephire grinned over at him, tapping her stomach gently. "Still got the scars from that one time you put your fucking sword through me. Damn, I had you pissed off. But the point of the matter is that I'm angry you didn't fall for help... but I'm glad that you didn't at the same time because then it would have likely ended up with me and Lord and maybe even Lucy all in casts and bandages and ugly shape. Me, I can just return to my capsule and recharge, and boom, I'm better. Lord and Lucy, on the other hand, need to heal the old-fashioned way... and soft as Lord can be, he still is one of the reasons the Council hasn't entirely taken over Heaven yet."

She stopped, then shook her head a bit, asking softly: "But damn, Zerrex, on that note... how the hell did you bring back Justice, of all people? She's been sitting pretty on top of the dome for... for forever."

Daria looked up at this, and Zerrex merely shrugged, glancing down at his right hand and flexing it slowly as he murmured: "Someone else inside me asked me to... so I tried my best and... I was just glad to see that it worked. She's a little strange, even for a Naganatine... but I guess I kind of like her already."

Then the reptile looked dumbly up as a portal opened, and Justice herself poked her head through, saying flatly: "You're a little strange for a god, Zerrex Narrius. So don't be a jerk."

With that, she withdrew, and the portal closed, and Zerrex gaped stupidly as Sephire giggled like an idiot behind her hands and Daria only stared from the Drakkaren to the now-empty space. Zerrex looked back and forth stupidly, and then he covered his mouth as he whispered: "Do... do you think she heard that?"

Both Sephire and Daria leaned in close on either side of him, obviously having barely heard what he had just said... and then a larger portal opened, and Justice stepped through with Anathema Sin, both Naganatine smiling amusedly before the latter said in her mixed voice: "Sister has always had the strongest senses of all of us... we used to say she went blind because she saw too much."

"And I still see too damn much." Justice grumbled, and then she looked musingly at Zerrex for a few moments before slowly gazing up towards Hell's sky, murmuring: "But it's beautiful here. Energy runs through everything in Hell, the corruption makes the very air sparkle... it's too bad you can't see it. Gods above, it's so much nicer here than in cold, distant Heaven..."

She hugged herself, twisting slowly back and forth with a smile as her blind eyes closed, and then she tilted her head towards Anathema Sin, saying quietly: "And it's been so good to spend time with my sisters again, learning their stories, learning more about you, Zerrex. And all your friends and Disciples, and the workings of this world... and here you sit, with two people who burn with such terrible darkness inside of them... and yet you have a habit of making friends with the oddest of creatures..."

She laughed as Sephire blushed a bit and glanced awkwardly down, and then Anathema Sin said softly: "It's very nice to see you getting along with Lord Zerrex so well, Lady Sephire... perhaps you would enjoy exploring my Tower at some point?"

"Yes, Sin's told me all about her dark palace of delights, and the Cloister beneath it... she and Anathema have already shared many secrets with me, and I appreciate it. Secrets they haven't even told brother Silven, and Amiglion pretends he isn't privy to... I see that things are different, and yet the same. I like that." Justice smiled a little, then she looked down at Zerrex as she slowly knelt in front of him, stroking the underside of his muzzle quietly as the Drakkaren gazed up at her. "It is not my namesake what you do to those people in that place of wicked pleasure. But it is retribution; it is fairness. It is not evil revenge, and it is not a pointless exercise done only for your pleasure... I would like to believe that you are cleansing them, in a way, before you kill them. Teaching them what pain is like, balancing out their evil acts, so their energies and souls are not so stained, bleaching their very essence with pain so that when they go to the Unworld... they vanish peacefully, and when their energies are made into new souls, these new souls... are clean, instead of already tainted by sin. And not the Sin I know and love and see loves you so very, very deeply." Justice looked back at her fused sisters with a smile, and Anathema Sin blushed a bit as she looked down slightly, rubbing at one of her tall horns.

Then Justice returned her gaze to Zerrex, patting him on the cheek as she added mildly: "And by Naganis, don't be such a prude about sex. Yes, I can see you have quite a harem and you've slept with many a person. But we're consenting adults, for one thing, and for another, this is Hell. You think too often with mortal notions, from a prudish culture: it will be your downfall one day."

Zerrex glared at her, and she snorted in amusement before standing up and crossing her arms, adding meditatively: "Nonetheless. I do want to see this Tower. Your Disciple here seems like she would be glad to visit it herself, and Sephire, well..."

She looked at the goddess for a few moments, a smile spreading over her face, and Sephire grumbled before she threw her hands up, muttering: "You're a bitch. Get the hell out of my head."

"Oh, I can't read thoughts, I can only see what's apparent in your energy signature, your emotions, your... rhythms." Justice said mildly, and she looked thoughtfully over Sephire before glancing over at Zerrex, asking dryly: "So are we going yet?"

"Apologies, Lord Zerrex, sister has always been impatient." Anathema Sin said mildly, and then she grunted when Justice elbowed her in the stomach, huffing a bit. "Well, we're sorry, but it is true. You used to harass Naganis constantly about doing this or doing that, as well as our brothers. And as we recall, it was your big mouth that also got your frozen in stone by Mephistopheles."

"It was worth it." Justice said airily, waving a hand dismissively before she kicked lightly at Zerrex, and the reptile finally grumbled as he nodded and stood up, pulling both Sephire and Daria to their feet with him as the two smiled at him. Justice gazed at him warmly for a moment, and then she stepped forwards and suddenly hugged him around the waist, the lizard looking dumbly down at her. "Thank you."

Anathema Sin only smiled, then she reached out and touched Justice's back as she looked up at Zerrex... and when the Drakkaren nodded, Anathema Sin's eyes glowed faintly before they vanished from sight, reappearing a moment later in front of the Tower. Sephire was the only one who winced, looking back and forth dumbly, and then Zerrex smiled a bit as Anathema Sin stepped back, brushing at herself embarrassedly as Justice leaned away from the Drakkaren and turned around to study the Tower, murmuring: "Interesting... not half as interesting as the Naganatine descendants I met, but interesting nonetheless."

"Yes, sister met Naganen and Epiphany, and she was very fond of our children already... and we're happy to say they both seemed to like her quite a bit, too." Anathema Sin said warmly, and then the Anathema side of the fused Naganatine visibly reared up as she added mildly: "Even if she did act like a fucking schoolgirl at first and squealed all over them both."

"Shut up." Justice grumbled, and then she walked towards the Tower, letting herself through the door, and Zerrex groaned before Sephire wrapped an arm around his waist, pressing herself against his side with a grin.

"I like this babe." the goddess commented, and then she winked as she half-pulled Zerrex forwards, Daria and Anathema Sin following last with amusement on both their faces as the Drakkaren grumbled, his cape swirling back behind him slowly. "So like. Is it true, by the way, that this thingy you're wearing is made from God?"

Justice glanced over her shoulder curiously at this, and Zerrex glared at Sephire's timing before the Naganatine turned around, brightening and clapping her hands together: a reaction Zerrex had not exactly expected. "So that's why! Now I understand... Naganis's energy signature radiates so powerfully and visibly from you because you're wearing something made from his remains!"

"It... doesn't creep you out at all?" the Drakkaren asked slowly, rubbing awkwardly at his face as he walked towards her, where she was standing on the middle of the sun symbol: with her powers, he realized she had already likely figured out how it worked. "I mean, I'm wearing your Father, your God, like a set of clothes. Well. Right now he's a cape. Not. I mean. I should just shut up, maybe."

Justice only rolled her eyes, however, then she poked his chest firmly before tracing several odd runes out over his body... and Anathema Sin immediately covered her muzzle to repress her giggles as the others only looked at the female dumbly even as the floor collapsed around them into a ramp, opening the way to the warehouse. "This sums up all my feelings on that subject."

"That. What? I don't get it, I can't see my own goddamn chest." Zerrex craned his muzzle downwards awkwardly, and Justice grinned a bit before she hopped easily off the platform and landed halfway down the ramp, Zerrex glaring after her and wondering just how blind she really was. "Stop showing off."

"You stop showing off." Justice retorted, and then she vanished into the warehouse, and Zerrex sighed as he followed her down, Sephire still pressed to his side and poking at the runes that were slowly fading from sight on the lizard's chest, as Anathema Sin continued to smile warmly and Daria followed last, cocking her head curiously. They found Justice absently opening and closing one of the cage doors, looking interestedly all around the area, and as the reptile approached, she glanced over at him and asked: "How does this process work? And why are these cages all empty, aren't there more people across Hell who should be playing the victim part of your twisted little fantasies by choice or by consequence?"

"Are all the Naganatine twisted little freaks?" Zerrex asked in a grumble, and Justice only glowered at him before kicking him in the shin, making the reptile wince and half-stumble before he grabbed at her, but she ducked quickly backwards before almost running over to the elevator platform, looking curiously over it before she seemed to recognize what it was as she stood impatiently with her arms crossed, waiting for them as the lizard sighed a bit. "Why are you so goddamn energetic?"

"Possibly because I was sealed in stone for all of recorded history, I dunno." Justice retorted, and then she rubbed at her loose clothes, grumbling a bit. "By the way, I want something nicer to wear. Something comfy. Something sexy. Unlike what my sisters are wearing."

"Hey, I prefer to go naked, blame Sin." Anathema retorted immediately, and then her hands clapped over her muzzle for a moment as there was a visible struggle between the two personalities inhabiting the fused Naganatine, before her hands pulled away as she added loudly: "Uptight bitch won't even go out in public without covering most of her body despite how much she likes to get laid and she wishes that-"

"Sister!" Sin's voice shouted as her head snapped the other way, and then she turned scarlet as she quickly walked over to the platform, mumbling: "Please excuse her behavior."

Justice, however, was only smiling warmly as the others approached, shaking her head and saying quietly: "Just like old times... it brings back good memories."

She paused as the platform began to descend, and then, as if it was the most natural thing in the world, said amiably: "Isn't it funny though, Zerrex? You know, the way all three of these females would love to be chained up and beaten to an inch of their life by you not before, not after, but while you have sex with them so savage it could almost be defined as rape, no matter how much they begged and pleaded for it?"

Sephire, Anathema Sin, and Daria all stiffened and blushed as they stared dead ahead, and Zerrex grabbed at his head, covering his face with his palms with a grumble as Justice only winked over at him, then she reached down and grabbed his buttocks, making the reptile wince and arch his back slightly in surprise as she said mildly: "I think I know where they're coming from, though, and why these kind of twisted, perverted females seek you... ooh, look! Look at all these cells, this is a beautiful setup!"

Justice bounced out of the lift, and Zerrex stared through his fingers after her, face still covered by his hands as the other females looked awkwardly at one another, then at Zerrex... and then Sephire finally cleared her throat before following Justice quickly, and she gaped a bit as she walked to the edge of the spiraling ramp and gazed down into the deep shaft, at the rows-upon-rows of caged creatures... before whistling slowly as she muttered: "Holy shit. Now we're talking, here. Demons, monsters, even a few angels... you keep a goddamn good stock."

"It really shouldn't surprise me you're into this kind of thing." Zerrex said mildly, and Sephire snorted in amusement before she grinned as she crossed her arms... and Zerrex and Daria both stared in surprised as the armor covering the female's body rapidly began to disassemble itself, parts of it dissolving as other pieces hissed and slid over her scales, locking into her sides and back until she was left standing in only a cloth wrap and a tight g-string that did little to hide the secrets of her loins. "I... uh. Wow."

"You like?" Sephire spread her arms with a grin, even as she blushed a bit in embarrassment: her scales melded into bare metal cusps over her shoulders, and her hands were a mix of flesh and flexible metal, several fingers completely replaced by robotic parts. Scars covered her front and, Zerrex knew, her naked back, and her abdominals had been replaced by hardened metal that flexed and moved nonetheless like real muscle, and when she twirled on the spot for them, it gave them a view of the fact the upper portion of her tail had been scraped away, steel melded into scale along the top to her spine, which had been layered with serrated, stacked plates of metal that looked almost as if they had been melted into her back, small cables and wires looping in and out of this and locking into different portions of her upper back. Her shoulderblades, too, were layered with polished steel plating, and cables from these as well as her segmented spinal column connected into a circular diode just beneath the back of her neck as she mumbled: "I mean, I know I'm not... very pretty to look at, but..."

"You're beautiful." Daria said kindly, and she gazed wonderingly over Sephire's tall, powerful frame, watching the flex of her huge biceps and the roll of her muscles before roving over her immense breasts, and the newt smiled at her as Sephire smiled back.

"Are we going or what?" Justice called irritably as Anathema Sin gazed curiously at the two, and Zerrex sighed, grabbing at his forehead before he wrapped an arm around Sephire, and she immediately pressed herself against his side with a warm look as Daria pressed to his other side.

They made their way slowly all the way to the Cloister, Justice fascinated with everything they passed: the blood, the bodies, the prisoners, nothing seemed to faze her, and she listened intently to everything Zerrex had to say. She also argued eloquently with him between simply laughing at him when he started to ramble a bit about his fears and worries, and from her, it worked well to make him feel... more assured of himself, until they entered the main hall and found themselves greeted by the Sacrifices and Dragon Warriors.

Justice was delighted with both of these: the Sacrifices because Zerrex was giving good homes to creatures others would abuse and fail to understand, who even some of those in Hell would try and convince their love of pain was a bad thing and wrong, who would be made to feel like they were worthless, or whores, or mentally ill. They were different, and that was that: and because of their high capacity for regeneration and the fact they were demons, not mortals, there was no harm in... well... harming them physically. Zerrex took good care of them and provided for their wants and needs... and Justice respected and adored that.

The Dragon Warriors, she admired for the way Zerrex had put an evil creature's servants to good use, for the way Zerrex had intermingled their culture with his own to make them feel at home while helping them adapt to the rules and world they were now a part of. She was very interested in the way they had learned to communicate mostly through gesture, since they didn't speak any recognizable language... in fact, the most the Drakkaren had ever heard out of them was roars or grunts, never anything coherent, even if they seemed to be capable of communicating with each other simply by look and gesture.

He let Justice flit around the Cloister, exploring the Sacrifice's rooms, the Beast's den - they had much-larger beds instead of cots, made of scraps of mattresses, blankets, and pillows, each bed almost a nest and often littered with personal items - Daria and Mercy and Maria's rooms, the viewing room over the arena, and even the barracks for both his Iuratus as well as his Dragon Warriors. The Throne Room, too, interested her, and she had approached his throne without fear or hesitation, smiling and stroking slowly over one of the featureless Drakkai heads at the end of one of the arms: it was made of obsidian and black platinum, with a circular, raised base that sat upon a cubical platform... and then Zerrex winced as the female turned around and sat back in it, crossing her legs primly and grinning widely... and Zerrex only gaped as energy sparked over the throne, but nothing further happened. The design of the imposing, tall seat meant that anyone who wasn't one of the Drakkaren's Disciples, or the reptile himself, would be vaporized upon sitting themselves in it... and yet here she was, comfortably sitting on it as Sephire flopped on her ass on the soft, matted floors that covered steel gratings beneath littered with all manner of trap that could be activated at the Drakkaren's whims.

"Does it really surprise you?" Justice sprawled herself over the throne, putting her hands behind her head as she smiled softly, eyes closed as she faced the ceiling... and then she said quietly: "It shouldn't, Zerrex."

"It shouldn't at all." Anathema Sin said softly, walking up beside the throne and resting a hand on it quietly as she turned around, gazing lovingly at the Drakkaren as Daria gently kissed his cheek. Then Justice sat up with a grin, but her eyes were much softer than her expression as she gazed warmly at the male Drakkaren. "Sister and ourselves had quite a discussion about you, you know. And being as we are, we don't need to speak to share our thoughts... it's part of why Justice was always able to get away with so much. And also why Mephistopheles was so quick to petrify her first."

"I could read him clearly, see his intent, even when he wanted to hide it... I suppose I was just a little foolish, at the end of the day, when I failed to seriously think that he would actually go to such lengths to hurt me. To hurt any of us." Justice said softly, glancing down for a moment... and then she slipped out of the throne and walked over to Zerrex, grasping his hand in both of hers and gazing at him kindly. "Besides. I am a follower and daughter of Naganis. You have inherited his energies... I have no other place to return to, no better home, than with you. I will stay with you, Zerrex. I am not like Silven, who continues his work up in Heaven and with White, his dedicated, best friend... and I am not like Epoch or Warden or Job, those who have truly betrayed the memories of Naganis... although I am very glad, at least, to see that only Warden and Job were at the council.

"But it saddens me... Astaroth, Azazel, Geryon, Argalox, and so many others up to Mephistopheles himself... all dead, all gone." Justice shook her head slowly, gazing quietly into Zerrex's eyes with her own dull white irises, seeing him without seeing him, looking into his very soul. "But it is not like we are without new blood, something that perhaps Naganis himself never envisioned... Naganen and Epiphany and others, who carry in them a bit of the Naganatine, more than enough to continue to allow our bloodline to persevere. Not to mention the children of Sin and Anathema... in reality, we are fortunate. There are many of us... our family is vast."

She laughed quietly, nodding slowly to herself at this, and then she squeezed his hand before leaning up and kissing him softly, and the reptile closed his eyes as he kissed her gently back, feeling energy spark between them before she smiled warmly, drawing away and nodding briefly. "Then our pact is sealed now. I will officially begin to refer to myself as your Disciple. I will be your Justice, your sword, your warrior."

Zerrex looked at her for a few moments, and she grinned widely as she poked his chest, saying playfully: "Oh, what's this? You have your doubts? Then maybe we should have a little spar. A little fun, to relax you after the ups and downs of the day. Or I would be glad to wrestle one of these females, if you prefer... the mechanical goddess or the demoness, whichever you like."

"Babe, I would mess you up." Sephire said mildly, half-teasing and half-threatening as she grinned at the Naganatine wide enough to expose several metal teeth. "Besides, you're probably pretty damn rusty after all those years locked in stone, ain't you?"

But Justice only grinned at this before she beckoned to the female, saying easily: "Then you shouldn't have any problem fighting me, will you, goddess? We should set stakes if you're so sure."

Zerrex snorted amusedly as Sephire opened her mouth to reply... but before she could say anything, Justice suddenly dragged Zerrex towards the throne, all but shoving him into it as she said briskly: "Now you stay right there. Sisters, Daria, serve him, make him comfortable. Our Master shall relax as he watches his two Disciples fight."

"I am not one of his Disciples!" Sephire said in an outraged voice, leaping to her feet... and then she grinned and leered over at the Drakkaren as he stared dumbly at the two. "Although I'd love to be. It would make Lord hellishly jealous, too, which is also awesome. As long as you two don't actually beat the snot out of each other, you just take your boners out on me."

Zerrex dropped his face into his hands with a groan even as Anathema Sin gently grasped one of his shoulders, grinning over at Justice as Daria sat on the other side of the Throne and reached a hand up to touch his other bicep, smiling lovingly at him. Then Justice headed over to stand across from Sephire in the wide, comfortable room, her blind eyes turning to look at the female as she licked slowly at her lips, saying kindly: "I'll take it easy on you, Lady Sephire, since you won't be using your weapons or powers here."

"I don't need 'em, girlie." Sephire grunted, and then she charged forwards as Zerrex winced a bit as Justice only smiled... and then a moment later, the powerful female was flying backwards with a look of dumb shock before she crashed into the wall with a squeak, slowly sliding down it to land on her ass with a grunt, looking stupidly at Justice as the female stood with an arm extended and a wide grin on her face.

"Want to try that again?" she mocked, and Sephire's red eye glowed brighter as her blue iris sharpened, gritting her teeth as she shoved her way up to her feet and barreled forwards before slamming a fist out, but Justice blocked this easily with her forearm as her eyes slid closed, her smile calm but ruthless as she slammed her elbow down without looking as Sephire swung up a knee, the female cursing and staggering backwards as the bone drove hard into her leg, making her grunt before she looked up in shock as Justice drove both her hands forwards and slammed them into her stomach, knocking her flying across the room again as Zerrex gaped.

She crashed off the wall and fell on her front, shaking her head stupidly and coughing once before she grunted and forced herself up to her feet with a mumble, and Justice only grinned widely as she beckoned, a faint ripple of energy travelling over her lithe body as she said easily: "Don't be a sore loser now, dear, we haven't even placed any bets on this fight."

"Then maybe we should." Sephire grumbled, standing up and gritting her teeth before she nodded and flexed her arms slowly. "What the hell do you want to bet, though? Money, sex, shiny toys?"

Justice rubbed the underside of her muzzle thoughtfully as she glanced over at Zerrex, who shrugged awkwardly, and Anathema Sin smiled and nodded as Daria watched with fascination, and then Justice glanced back towards Sephire, saying mildly: "I'll be your servant for a week, how about that?"

Sephire snorted at this, crossing her arms and saying grouchily: "That's childish." She paused, then grinned widely. "So I kind of like it. But that means I get to do anything, anything, I want to you, and you gotta listen to all my orders, understood? Even if I say you gotta crawl around in public and give yourself up to an army of males, you gotta listen."

"And I'll even thank you for the privilege." Justice replied easily, and Sephire clapped her hands and grinned cheerfully as the Naganatine rubbed the underside of her muzzle thoughtfully. "But I don't want anything from you. Nothing you can give me is of value to me... but on the other hand, you want to serve my Master but you have no excuse to, you don't feel worthy to offer yourself to him, and you know there will be severe repercussions on you both if you do. If you lose with dignity after putting up a good, strong fight, though... what you can give me is promising yourself to him as a Disciple. As an Iuratus. As a slave. And so no one can say boo about it... let's make an oath in blood."

She held her forearm out, and her blind eyes glowed for a moment before energy sparked violently and a long slash appeared down her forearm, blood spurting from this and then ebbing out of the wound as it glowed strangely... and Sephire hesitated only a moment, looking at Zerrex as a strange expression came over her face before she flicked her hand out, a metal knife forming in it in a moment before she slashed her own arm. And Zerrex watched, gaping, as the two females approached, wanting to say something, yet Daria and Anathema Sin on either side of him squeezing into his arms, telling him silently it was okay, they had made their own decisions, and he could feel their emotions so clearly, so serious, so ready, so willing... and then they grasped each other's arms, wounds pressed together, blood spilling into each other's bodies as energy surged for a moment over their forearms and they both winced.

Then it died down, as Justice said calmly: "I hereby vow to serve Lady Sephire Atrox for a week should I be defeated in combat by her, to do any and all things she wishes, and to thank her generously for the experience."

"And should I be defeated, I hereby vow to become Disciple to Zerrex Narrius, but only if I put up a fair and eager fight, and take my defeat with pride and dignity." Sephire replied seriously, her blue eye almost glowing as the glass gleamed red in her other socket. "This do I swear, this do I promise, with my heritage as a goddess on the line."

Then the two parted as their wounds healed, energy sparking faintly over them both... and Zerrex swallowed a bit: a blood vow made between supernatural beings was a serious, serious thing, something never done lightly, as anything from the lowest demon to the highest god would be compelled to follow through with their promise until it was done... and if the vow was tampered with or broken, the suffering of the offending party would be immense.

They looked towards Zerrex... then both looked towards each other, tall Naganatine female spreading her arms and Sephire readying herself again before Justice said kindly: "Try harder next time."

Sephire's eyes widened, and then Justice stepped forwards and slammed a hand into the underside of her muzzle so fast Zerrex could barely register it, smashing the female's head back and sending her flying upwards to crash into the ceiling with a cry of pain before she began to fall, and Justice leaned to the side as she threw a kick almost straight up, showing a shocking flexibility as her unguligrade legs became almost perfectly parallel to each other as her clawed foot smashed into Sephire's stomach and sent her crashing against the ceiling again. She began to fall, and Justice stomped her foot down and half turned, her body glinting with energy as her other foot lashed up, lightning-fast, and slammed into Sephire with enough force to send her flying across the room to crash upside-down into the wall, the female's limbs snapping out as the heavy stone cracked from the force of her impact before she peeled off the surface and fell on her face.

Justice stood with leg extended, her eyes closed and a smile on her face as energy travelled over her body, and Zerrex could only gape in shock before Sephire laughed and slowly got up with a wide grin on her face, the Naganatine looking curious and impressed as the goddess turned around and slowly wiped blood from her mouth, coughing a few times as her body twitched, visibly bruised and bloodied... but slowly, the damage healed itself as she said mildly: "Now that is some fancy shit you got goin' on there, babe."

"I can see your energy, I can read your emotions, I can hear the flex of your muscles and the beat of your heart and the tenseness in your breathing..." Justice closed her blind eyes, smiling wider. "Yes, you're a good challenge, aren't you? I might have to actually start trying."

"Sister has always been a talented warrior... Justice always enjoyed playing with the others, picking on Warden, sparring with Argalox..." Anathema Sin shook her head a bit, looking quietly entertained, the Sin side of her personality visibly at the surface as the golden flames in her metallic socket burned in fascination. "And she is similar to you, in more than one respect... her ability to interact with energy allows her to accelerate her own particles, making her move faster, strike harder... and enhance her own body by absorbing more energy from the atmosphere when she wishes."

"Thanks, give away all my abilities." Justice said drolly, looking over at Zerrex... and Sephire charged before leaping up to slam a kick towards her head, and without even looking, Justice caught her foot, then twisted firmly, sending the female spinning violently through the air before she crashed into the mats below with a thump, and Sephire looked stupidly up before squawking in a very Cherry-like manner when Justice kicked her firmly in the base of the tail - a particularly sensitive point for most Drakkaren, as Zerrex winced visibly. "Don't cheat."

"How the balls is that cheating when you can see and predict all my goddamn attacks?" Sephire asked flatly, hopping to her feet before she spun around and growled as she threw hard punches at Justice, but the female deflected her fists easily with her palms, and Zerrex watched curiously as the Naganatine visibly changed fighting styles, using a technique the reptile hadn't seen before to guide the female's blows harmlessly away as Sephire cursed under her breath before she suddenly spun and threw a back heel at the female's ankles, but Justice only stepped easily backwards and avoided the blow, before she tilted her palm only slightly when Sephire threw a straight jab... and her wrist bent awkwardly with a loud crack, the female cursing before she snarled and stepped forwards despite the visible damage, slamming her elbow into the side of Justice's face.

Justice barely flinched, only grinning widely... and Sephire stared stupidly in shock as the Naganatine grasped her own hips, the goddess uselessly smacking her elbow several times against the female's muzzle before she cleared her throat and carefully reached up as her wrist healed, patting her cheek gently. "You're. You're very pretty?"

Justice replied by slamming her head forwards into Sephire's face, and the female cursed in pain as she fell back on her ass before Justice slammed a foot into her throat and pinned her, Sephire wheezing loudly as she stared in shock and rasped: "No fair! You're like... made of metal or something!"

The Naganatine only shook her head, however, then sighed and gestured to Anathema Sin as she rose a finger, brightening and then happily explaining: "Sister's body is composed of extremely-condensed energy. It makes her very, very solid... but at the same time, particularly-vulnerable to magic. However, she makes up for this with her ability to see energy and interpret what attacks are coming towards her ahead of time."

Then her head snapped to the side, and Anathema's voice said dryly: "Fuck, Sin, you make everything boring. What my sister is trying to say is that she's got a thick outer shell, similar to Jupiter. Unlike Jupiter, however, blades and stuff will still cut her. They won't dig very far unless they're backed by a lot of strength... but they can pierce her. Battering damage, on the other hand..."

"Oh fuck that shit then." Sephire muttered, and she slammed her fists together before grinning as metallic gauntlets appeared over her hands, her knuckles tipped with short, conical spikes. "How about this, then?"

"Fair enough." Justice winked, and then she suddenly took the offensive, running forwards as Sephire growled before shoving both hands out, but the female leapt to the side before she ran past Sephire and jumped towards the wall, shoving her palms against it and using it as an axis to swing her legs up, smashing them across Sephire's face and knocking her staggering with a curse before Justice brought her legs back, then shoved herself firmly off the wall as she kicked out at the same time, Sephire barely bringing her forearms up in time and letting out a grunt of pain as she was sent crashing onto her back, her arms snapping out to her sides, one broken and the other bruised almost black.

She glared up at Justice as she rolled backwards, then launched herself forwards, but Justice only slapped the straight jab Sephire threw out of the way, making her stumble before the Naganatine slammed her elbow down into the nape of her neck, the female gagging as she fell forwards against the other female, and Justice almost smiled... then her eyes widened in alarm a moment before Sephire drove both fists hard up into her stomach despite the agony it obviously caused her with her pained forearms, tearing the shirt and digging into the female's scales with the short, conical spikes, and it knocked the Naganatine away as Sephire staggered backwards with a wheeze before Justice reached out and seized her by the fins, yanking her back towards the wall and then slamming her face-first into the surface of it, Sephire groaning dazedly as she stumbled backwards before the Naganatine slammed a knee into the female's stomach, and she curled up slightly as she hugged herself, wheezing: "Bitch."

Justice snorted at her, then smacked her under the muzzle almost gently, using just enough force to knock Sephire crashing onto her back before Zerrex winced, and Justice looked over at him sharply, then smiled awkwardly as she stepped on Sephire and pinned her, saying quietly: "Don't worry, Zerrex. I'm only using the force necessary."

"This. This is humiliating." Sephire mumbled, laying sprawled on the ground as she bled from the nose and mouth, and then she shook her head weakly, groaning in pain. "Some super-warrior I'm proving to be, shit."

"I'm only winning because we're only fighting in hand-to-hand. My body means I can't use magic very well... Sin and Mephistopheles were always the best at magic." Justice smiled over to the fused Naganatine, who gazed back at her adoringly. "Besides, Lady Sephire. You fight with a sword. I've only ever trained in using my hands for physical combat... and I can see your emotions, hear your movements, watch your energy fluctuate the moment you begin to do anything. It's fascinating... and gives me that extra edge."

She paused, then gently grasped the shirt and lifted it, looking down at several small holes scoured in her stomach scales, only one deep enough for a bit of a dribble of blood to leak from it, however. "Besides, you hurt me, see! And my body regenerates slowly, so that'll take at least a few hours to heal."

Sephire still only grumbled a bit on the ground, but then she nodded and wheezed, sitting up a bit and smiling faintly up at her. "I guess I can't say I'm exactly dissatisfied though. Fuck, you hit me so hard I'm only hoping my memories are intact and this isn't all some messed-up dream." She rubbed at her face, then gazed over at Zerrex as he stood and approached them, Daria and Anathema Sin both watching warmly from beside the throne.

He looked at Justice, who stepped back with a smile and bowed to him, and then down to Sephire, reaching down to take her hand quietly... and she blushed a bit as he said softly: "A goddess doesn't usually become a Disciple, you know."

"Well, fuck that. Everybody else seems to be into doing it... and besides, I never had Disciples at all. I might as well be one if I can't get 'em." Sephire smiled a little, then she allowed herself only to be pulled up to a kneel, before she took his wrists quietly and pulled his hands forwards to cup her face, saying softly: "You understand me. Lord... once understood me, but he stopped being able to after what I volunteered for... and what they did to me, the Council. He can't understand the darkness... not the way you can. Not the way you do. And the darkness inside me... it's always been there, it's always been hidden, and goddammit... I don't have to hide it from you, and I love that. I spend time with you... and every moment I spend lets me know why my son cares for you so much. Why you've so quickly gathered the following you have. And I admire you for being able to tame yourself, and what's been done to you..."

She silently grasped his waist, then leaned her head forwards, kissing his abdominals before pressing her face against his chiseled stomach quietly, whispering: "I don't care about the consequences anymore. I feel a kinship for you, and I know you'll never demand anything for me that I couldn't handle giving away. Your other Disciples are blessed to have you... make me one too. Please."

She looked up at him silently, tears leaking from her sapphire eye... and Zerrex slowly brushed these away before he knelt in front of her, kissing her forehead softly before he grasped into her shoulders, looking into the blue and red of her eyes, seeing her pained soul... and then he said softly: "Then be my Disciple, my guardian, my protector, Sephire. Nature Goddess Sephire... seal your pact with me."

They gazed at each other... and then Sephire seized him by the back of the head and pulled him into a firm kiss, their mouths working together hungrily, tongues twisting before Sephire bit her teeth down, and Zerrex grunted as he felt her drawing blood from both their tongues, which swirled through their jaws... and then Sephire howled as she tore herself backwards, falling on her back as steam rose up from her metallic parts and she clutched at herself, dark bolts of electricity shocking over her body as Zerrex stared at her with shock... and then metallic wings ripped out of her back, warping the plates that had been covering her shoulderblades as black electricity ripped up and down over them before they solidified, metal and made long, rectangular plates that took on the shape of serrated feathers around the edges of the wide metal appendages, as they snapped and lashed back and forth.

The female howled again in pain, her scales darkening slightly before she gasped quietly as the wings extended fully from her back, each at least seven feet long and almost as tall, powerful and magnificent, radiant silver despite the dark lightning that travelled over them... and her body increased slightly in height as her musculature bulged and expanded, scales growing into place over the steel that made up her body, the texture of the metal becoming darker and reflective... and then she growled and grabbed at her neck, head snapping back before black energy exploded around her throat in a collar, then became solid. An eerie band of black metal locked around her throat, with a circular clasp inset with a lapis lazuli stone... and then Sephire groaned as she fell forwards, catching herself on her hands and then looking stupidly down at herself, most of her scars faded, several gone entirely, even though the ones on her face were still clear as day... and she looked up at him silently as he gazed back.

Her wings flapped once, making a strange clanking... and then they clicked loudly as they began to collapse rapidly upon themselves, metal plates smoothly sliding upwards and downwards until they shrank down into two large fins that extended from her back, Sephire looking over her shoulder at these for a moment with a faint laugh before she looked back towards Zerrex, and he smiled a bit as he touched her face silently, and she smiled up at him for a moment before grunting as she stood up, flexing her powerful body: her waist was still narrow, but her arms and legs were both powerful, and the musculature of her form stood out in all the clearer definition as she murmured: "Holy shit."

"I'll say." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at his forehead a bit... and then Sephire snorted in amusement and grinned widely as the Drakkaren carefully pushed up to his feet, asking quietly: "How do you feel, Sephire?"

The goddess looked down at her hands for a few moments, then she rubbed over her chiseled stomach, quietly drawing her fingers over scaled abdominals instead of metal... and then she smiled a little bit as she gazed up at him, saying quietly: "I feel just fucking fantastic, Zerrex. Look at me... I mean... shit, just look at me! But... wait..."

She looked down thoughtfully, then touched the scales over her stomach before grinning slightly as they peeled back, her metal abdominals surfacing... and then clacking quietly as they pulled apart to reveal her insides and complex circuitry, the eerie glow of supernatural energies radiating out of the opening in her stomach as Zerrex stared down at her revealed gut, and she snorted in amusement. "Good, fuck. My circuit-work can still be accessed... I was worried there for a second. Fuck, Zerrex, you thought of just goddamn everything."

"I only made you a Disciple, you did everything else yourself." Zerrex said lamely, and then he grunted when Justice punched his right shoulder, wincing and rubbing at it slowly, surprised at the dull throb that went through it. "Ow. Hey. No one's supposed to be able to hit that and actually hurt me."

Justice only snorted in amusement, however, then she gestured to Anathema Sin, who blushed at being called on again before she mumbled: "Actually, it's... a combination of both. The desires of both Sephire and Zerrex, their primal, untapped wants... combined with the knowledge of what Zerrex, as a fertility god, needs." She stopped, visibly Sin as Anathema silently withdrew, before looking up and saying thoughtfully: "Perhaps that is why Epiphany was acting so strangely... because she was born of Negative, and was technically formed as a Disciple to your Inverted state, not your natural self..."

Zerrex rubbed awkwardly at his face as Justice looked at him curiously, drawing her eyes up and down his body... and then she snapped her fingers as Sephire poked curiously at herself as her stomach sealed closed, apparently no longer interested in the conversation as Justice said in an entertained voice: "Now the pieces begin to fall into place! I understand now... that is why there's a strangeness about your energy, why there seems to be a dormant, darker soul inside of you... you Inverted! And yet here you stand, miraculous!"

"Sister is very touchy about this subject, and Lord Zerrex isn't too fond of it himself..." Anathema Sin began hesitantly, and then she winced when Justice glowered at her and put her hands on her hips.

"And who is the Deacon here?" she asked sharply, and Zerrex was admittedly dumbfounded with Anathema Sin lowered her head respectfully. He looked at Justice stupidly for a moment, and she turned her attention to him, frowning a bit as her blind eyes roved up and down his body before her face cleared. "Oh, you know the Naganatine were ranked, but you don't know our ranks at all, I see. Or rather, the ranks we held before the Betrayal... well, to cut it short, I was Senior Deacon. My charge was to protect Naganis and his Creations, and police the Naganatine and settle disputes. I beat up Amiglion a lot."

"Yes, because you were a bitch." the Anathema side of Anathema Sin muttered, and then her hands slapped over her muzzle, trying to hold it shut even as Justice sighed and spread her arms, before her fingers pried themselves free and she added flatly: "You should have beat Warden up more. He's turned into a real fucking asshole."

Then her hands slapped back over her mouth as she turned scarlet, but Justice only nodded moodily. "Pathetic, seeing him acting like Job's lapdog... he used to be the Storyteller. Not a very exalted role, but being a Bard had its perks. He could sing wonderfully... but it seems he's given that up to take up the sword and pretend he's a hero like in the fables." She closed her eyes, murmuring softly: "Poor, poor fool. The life of the sword is not a life you choose."

She was quiet and meditative for a few moments, and then everyone looked at Sephire as she giggled stupidly and reached over her shoulder to grab one of the fins sticking out of her back as her metal wing partially unfolded, then retracted, unfolded, then retracted. "Hey, I think I'm getting the hang of this! Fucking kickass, I love flying!"

Zerrex slapped his forehead, and then he blinked stupidly as Justice walked over to Sephire and grabbed her, firmly turning her towards Zerrex and making the goddess blink before Justice ordered: "Say your vows to him. Seal yourself as not just a Disciple, but a servant. An... Iuratus, is the term?"

"Sephire, you-" Zerrex began, and then Justice turned and punched him in the stomach, and all the air wheezed out of the reptile's lungs as he fell slowly forwards, but the Naganatine caught him and straightened him even as the reptile gasped for breath and clutched at his gut, stars dancing in front of his vision.

Sephire and Daria both stared at Justice as Anathema Sin only sighed and touched her forehead, and when the Naganatine shot Sephire a look, she winced a little and held her hands up, saying flatly: "Point made babe. Point made. Okay, fuck, gimme a second, I haven't done this since I married that butt-nut Lord." She stopped, closed her eyes... and then she began to speak again, except Zerrex looked up in dumb surprise as the goddess began to talk not in demonic or Enochian... but instead in another language entirely that he knew no name for, that he knew none of the words of... and yet the beauty of it, her tone, the way the words flowed, told him exactly what she was saying nonetheless.

She spoke gently, looking suddenly soft and quiet as she laced her fingers in front of her huge breasts, even the brightness of her eyes fading: not in a bad way, but as if the hidden anger, the hidden sorrows, the overbearing glee, had all been removed, leaving only calm serenity in its place... and a strange, deep, incomparable joy. She spoke, and his mind translated the unknowable words without needing to think, not knowing how he knew but only knowing he was right as she said: "I am Sephire of Endless Sunsets, I am a Goddess of Nature in all her Glory, I am an agent of renewal and of rebirth, I am a protector and life-giver, and yet I am tainted, my purpose redirected, my designs that of the sword instead of the shield.

"And yet I am loved. And yet I have been accepted into a new flock, made part of a new family. I have sworn myself to this cause, to this service, I aspire only to be the guardian and protector, ever-lasting and ever-loving servant to Zerrex Narrius, God of Energy, God of Fertility, and to obey his whims and commands. May I feel what he feels; may my promises to him never go unfulfilled; may his blood flow in my veins, so I may feel his pains and his pleasures, his sorrows and his joys. I shall bow my head to him, and to his wishes. I shall live to serve: I shall die to serve. I shall take my collar off, my symbol and my pride, only when my honor is lost: I shall forever bear his name upon my soul, this I do pledge, in service, and in love. This, Goddess Sephire, does vow."

Energy sparked over both her body and Zerrex's, the Drakkaren gritting his teeth and arching his back slightly... and then Sephire dropped to a kneel in front of him, eyes closed and head bowed, as Justice said softly: "And thus, it is complete. She is a true Disciple: she is sworn and linked to you, in body and mind."

"I feel winded." Sephire mumbled, and then she slowly climbed to her feet, glancing quietly down at her right hand and murmuring: "Lord's gonna be a little upset about that. I made a vow to you. Even when I had husbands before... Lord's the only other one I ever made a vow to. But goddammit, I connect with you... and I connect with you better than I connect with him, much as I hate to say it. The heart wants... what the heart wants though, right?"

She smiled a little at him, and Zerrex nodded hesitantly before he stared as Justice grabbed Sephire and pulled her over towards the throne, the goddess wincing but letting herself be pulled along before she was shoved towards Daria and Anathema Sin, who both looked dumbly at the Naganatine before Justice ordered: "Now you three, get the hell out of here. I have other work that has to be done and I'm a little shy. So get lost."

"You can't just kick us out!" Daria said in shock, and then she winced when Justice raised a fist and growled, her white eyes making her glare all the more baleful. "Okay, okay, I... Boss, you gonna be okay?"

"I'll be fine, as long as she doesn't hit me again." Zerrex muttered, rubbing slowly at the faint bruising over his stomach, and Daria, Sephire, and Anathema Sin all gazed at him fondly before the reptile said mildly: "Go... go get Cherry, if no one has already, and remind her to be nice for dinner. Daria, I... know you don't like to, but..."

"I'll change into something a little better than this." Daria nodded and blushed a bit, then she grasped Anathema Sin's arm gently. The fused Naganatine looked at her with a smile, then she glanced over at Sephire before rolling her eyes and firmly seizing her arm, the goddess looking dumb for a moment... and then the three of them simply vanished, leaving Zerrex alone with Justice as the female turned around and regarded him for a few moments... then smiled softly at him.

"Come, sit in your throne. I have a question for you." Justice said softly, and Zerrex looked at her for a few moments before nodding a bit as the female gestured quietly towards the huge, heavy stone seat, the Drakkaren slowly heading over to it and sitting down. Justice approached and stood in front of him for a few moments as the reptile sat, his cape flowing back around him, curling itself up against his back so he wasn't sitting on it... and then she reached her hands out and silently touched his knees, seeming to gaze into his eyes with her own blind irises as she asked gently: "If you know you're so powerful... and you have such intense desires... why is it that you contain them?"

Zerrex smiled a little at her, then he reached out and took her face gently into his hands, saying softly: "I can't hide anything from you, can I?"

Justice shook her head with a smile that clearly told him 'not a thing,' and he laughed a bit before stroking silently over her face, sliding his hands up to her two proud, tall horns, and then he said quietly: "Because I can't always give in to my primal urges. I can laugh, I can cry, I can fight, I can tantrum, and I can make a complete jackass of myself... but I can't give in to all my real urges, to all my deep urges. Some things have to be repressed, or saved for here."

"Yet even here, you don't. But that's why I'm here now. To help you with that." Justice reached up and stroked his face quietly, looking into his eyes with a soft, entertained smile as she half-stood and slipped forwards. Her hand slipped downwards, stroking through his mala, and she closed her eyes as she murmured softly: "Incredible. Blissful energy... calming tension. You repress your Inversion, don't you?"

Zerrex nodded after a moment, and she stood up in front of him as she studied him slowly, then she said softly: "You already like my company, and you wonder why I give myself to you at the same time. Yet you saved me. You are the one who inherited Naganis's energies, through obviously an act that He, God Himself, willed... and I can read your emotions and the stories inside your energy signature, letting me see you, understand you, faster and better than people will after spending decades with you. It is why I was the Deacon, the Rule-Maker. I can see into people... and I can enforce my rulings." She held up a hand, clenching it into a fist before smiling slightly at him, her eyes roving over him slowly. "You think you love too easily. You think you gather or force people into subservience, with manipulation or power. You think too low of yourself, and in a way, too low of us, who do not love you because we are female and you are a potent, powerful male, who do not care for you out of hand, who do not sit slavishly at your feet because it is in our nature to serve and be slaves. For a male who believes very strongly in female rights and strength, you also seem to believe in a lot of stereotypes."

Zerrex mumbled awkwardly, looking away, before he stared as Justice leaned forwards suddenly and seized his shoulders, her eyes roving over him as her smile became teasing, her voice sultry as she murmured: "And you're very aware... that we females like sex, aren't you? I have pledged myself as your Disciple... I can very easily take the heaviest pummeling you can give me..." She stroked a finger under his muzzle slowly, her blind eyes looking into his. "And I have been frozen in stone for longer than Sin spent in punishment. To touch and to be touched is splendid: but now I lust for something a little different."

She slowly stroked down his chest, and Zerrex opened his mouth to argue, before wincing as she shoved a finger against his lips. "Yes, I know, you mentioned your dinner engagement already, and I was there when you first made plans with Cindy's mother. But we have a few hours before then, do we not? And all I want is something quick... something to help... get to know you better..."

She winked as she leaned back, then easily pulled off her loose shirt and tossed it aside before pushing her pants down and kicking them off as Zerrex stared at her, the female standing naked before him as she grasped her own breasts and rolled the fair-sized swells teasingly in her hands, her naked scales lustrous and smooth and features beautiful as the swallowed thickly and looked at her dumbly... and then she half-lidded her eyes, saying quietly: "Lust is only a sin when it rules your life, Zerrex Narrius. Refusing to give in to lust and pleasure will only leave you all the more scarred. Now take off your pants before I do it myself."

Zerrex snorted at this as Justice winked at him, and then he reached up and carefully undid the clasp holding the cape around his neck, gently draping it over the back of the throne... and then he reached down, pulling off his shirt and making his mala jingle quietly around his neck as he gazed at her warmly, and she gazed back with deep, excited longing on her face as her blind eyes blinked slowly. He rubbed at his bare chest self-consciously before he realized stupidly that she couldn't see him, anyway... and then he smiled when she reached out and stroked a hand down his broad chest, murmuring softly: "No. If you could see the way I do... you'd know that I can see every scar on your body, outlined against the flow of your energy... and honestly, you're attractive in part because of them. Because of the stories they tell. Because I know that you have suffered and lived through much... and it has made you a stronger person for it."

He glanced down awkwardly... then he finally grasped the fly of his pants and opened this, pushing down his boxers and lower clothing as he wiggled his feet out of his combat boots, tossing all this aside into a pile... and then he looked up in surprise as the female's hands reached down and slid along his flaccid shaft, her blind eyes closing as an expression of surprise spread over her face, muttering: "Now this... this is not what I expected..."

Slowly, she worked the heavy flesh of his huge member in her hands, breathing quietly as she whispered: "God in Heaven... how do you attach this much meat to a person in the first place? Oh believe me, I'm far from complaining..." She half-lidded her eyes, stroking the shaft slowly, blushing a bit as she lowered her head to the thick but still far-from erect tip and lapped slowly at the head of his member, and Zerrex grunted in surprise and pleasure as her hands worked gently along the meat of his penis, feeling it flexing in her grip as it began to steadily grow erect. "Now... now I'm only anxious to see it at full mast... and then to fit it inside me, oh yes, to squeeze every inch of you into my body... you are a creature of pleasure and fertility, after all. Your virility should be and rightly so is astounding... and while Naganis was always shy... I'm immensely enjoying the fact that you are far easier to bed..."

She grinned slightly as she stroked along his member, working it slowly in her grips, her fingers squeezing and massaging along the obsidian length... and Zerrex grunted quietly as he sat back in his throne, letting his eyes slide closed as he almost melted in her grip, breathing quietly in pleasure at the strength and the skill her hands worked along his huge member with, the male gripping lightly into the arms of his heavy stone throne as the female gazed up at him hungrily, his shaft bulging, becoming larger, thicker, until it finally stood, a steely thirty-two inches, several drops of his pre already leaking from the girthy, rounded head and sliding down the long flesh of his shaft, and her hands gripped almost reverently against the shaft, stroking it slowly as she said hungrily: "Enough foreplay. To me, looking at you is foreplay: feeling your distinct, fertile energies is enough to get me aroused. Being in your presence, feeling your strength, and now touching this immense shaft... yes. Enough games."

She stood up, and when Zerrex half-sat forwards, she immediately shoved him back against the throne, grinning widely and pinning him by the shoulders as she leaned forwards, saying hungrily: "No, you sit right there, and enjoy... and just let me take care of the rest..."

Carefully, she stepped one foot up onto the wide seat of the throne, her toeclaws flexing before she brought her other leg up, standing with her legs spread, the almost three feet of thick black shaft between her legs as she squatted and slipped gradually down onto her knees, until the head of the enormous shaft was pressing up against the lips of her sex... and then she slowly revolved her hips, flushing quietly, and he could feel the heat emanating off her sex, pulsing quietly as she ground downwards lightly, just enough for her labia to slowly rub against the thick black head of his heavy shaft as she whispered: "Yes... oh... yes..."

She reached up, silently lacing her fingers through his white hair as she closed her blind eyes, heat pulsing off her body as she lowered her trembling, surprisingly-hot lips... and slowly, deliciously, she began to sink herself downwards against his throbbing, girthy cock. She let out a short, almost-barking cry immediately, and Zerrex grasped into her hips tightly, gazing at her with surprise as her lips spread slowly, only a few inches of his thick head pushing up into her, but making him arch his back and grunt with how tightly she was already clenching against him, as some of her fluids leaked slowly along his huge member... and then she gyrated her hips as she forced down further, stretching slowly, gradually around him as she let out another soft cry, panting softly, her breasts heaving with each breath already as she shivered in bliss. "G-God..."

He gazed up at her with hunger and delight and amazement as she forced herself down a bit further, grunting quietly as she stroked through his scalp, her teeth gritting and face contorting as she forced herself downwards, one of her feet lifting off the ground as she rocked her hips hard, her body and gravity forcing her further down the enormous length of the male's penis... and she shivered in delight, breathing hard, her passage slowly spreading around the Drakkaren's shaft even as he felt almost as if he were thrusting into something solid and yet stretchy, as Justice cried out again, eyes clenched shut as he gazed up at her and held tightly into her sides, not knowing if he should support her or force her down further... and then she cried: "Please! Please! Deeper!"

She threw her head back with a moan... and it turned into a delighted cry as Zerrex thrusted upwards and pulled down gently, experimentally on her. Her blind eyes snapped open, bulging in their sockets as she threw her head back and arched her back, not at all shy about shrieking her delight to the ceiling as her hands clenched against his scalp, and she rocked her hips hard as her sex squeezed tightly around the lizard's huge member, her juices leaking down in a hot, burning waterfall around the obsidian girth buried inside of her.

The lizard groaned in pleasure himself, feeling ecstasy radiating off her, her body almost sparking with her delight and only exciting his own lusts all the more as he gripped tighter into her hips, feeling her bucking down against him as she clenched around him, moaning and shivering... and then she screamed again in pleasure when Zerrex roared and yanked hard down on her, gritting his teeth as his biceps bulged explosively, his chest flexing as she slowly but steadily was dragged down the length of his shaft, her hips rocking madly as she convulsed and hugged his head tightly forwards, howling in delight.

It took another hard yank, the Drakkaren growling and grunting, surprised at how hard it was to sink into her as her body flexed and bulged with the size of the girth being buried up into her as she screamed again in delight, voicing her pleasure to the world as her hips bucked hard, hard, hard down against him... and then finally, she was hilted, and she cried out in bliss and victory, arching her back... and Zerrex's eyes bulged as his claws sank into her scales, digging thin gashes as he snapped back against the chair at the feeling of her stretched passage clenching so tight around his member it was almost painful, before it began to rhythmically squeeze against him as her juices exploded down in a torrent, washing over his thick black cock and jetting out between the stretched lips of her sex as she curled herself forwards against him, the tall female gasping as her hands slipped down to grip into his shoulders, her blind eyes clenched shut as she gyrated her hips and ground herself eagerly down against him as she shivered in delight from the power of her orgasm, moaning loudly and shuddering hard, her features scarlet as he felt both her embarrassment at releasing so quickly as well as her delight.

He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close and nuzzling into the side of her neck, and she almost whimpered with need as she pushed herself tightly against him... then slowly, as her orgasm began to die down, her fluids still rushing and dripping down his shaft, forming a puddle between his legs as her sweet nectar spilled along their legs and over his enormous testicles, the Drakkaren began to rock his hips slowly, thrusting gently up into her as she moved herself back in time, panting weakly and moaning loudly as they moved hungrily together. She was incredibly, painfully tight around his shaft, and it was hard to thrust into her... but the challenge only made Zerrex grunt and work all the harder up into her, his eyes closed and pleasure boiling through his body as his strong musculature flexed forwards against her lithe frame, clutching her around the waist against his body as he breathed hard and pistoned up into her body again, again, again.

She bounced up and down his length, his shaft retreating, then penetrating to the hilt again, grinding against her clutching walls as she gasped and moaned and cried out in delight, her body jittering lightly with every deep thrust as she rocked her hips back against him, straddling him with ease, shivering in delight... and Zerrex breathed hard as he pumped upwards into her. It wasn't just sex, and yet it wasn't quite lovemaking... but it was both, as they pleased their primal desires and yet at the same time, she clung to him so tightly, grasping against him, radiating a thousand emotions that were all focused on him as she voiced her pleasure and lust with such powerful fervor, her sounds music to his hears.

He began to thrust faster into her, even as her passage clenched harder, but the pain of the pleasure only made his lusts all the greater, the very challenge her immensely-tough body presented only delighted him all the further as he pounded his girthy cock hard upwards into her, making her body shudder and work fiercely back against him, every breath a moan, every cry a scream. She matched him movement-for-movement, her blind eyes rolling in her head as she brought a hand up and stroked over his face, then dropped her head forwards, pressing forehead-to-forehead, feeling each other's breath as their muzzles rested side-by-side and rubbed together as the huge shaft buried inside of her ground wonderfully against the tight, clenching walls of her burning-hot, slick passage.

He revolved his hips, grinding against the walls of her passage, making her shriek beside him as she clutched against him and instinctively ground herself in the opposite direction, a flush of deep ecstasy suffusing her features as her body flexed and she ground forwards against him, breathing hotly and then nuzzling against his neck as she whispered: "Oh God, you're so strong..."

Zerrex growled at this in pleasure, grinning slightly as he began to thrust harder upwards into her gripping sex, making her moan in delight as she rocked her hips eagerly back against his fierce upwards thrusts, the reptile saying hungrily through his own hard breaths: "You haven't even felt my real strength yet..."

"Oh God, but I want to, I want to, I want to..." she groaned out, clutching against him and rocking herself eagerly back against his throbbing shaft, clenching so tightly, so painfully, he could barely feel himself stiffening up as she gasped and cried out, her eyes closing tightly as she worked her body against him, and he thrusted hungrily upwards into her, passion consuming them both as his powerful muscles flexed and her lithe frame eagerly bucked down against him, her hands clutching into his biceps as his own strong fingers dug into her hips.

His shaft stiffened as he slammed upwards into her, making her body jounce with every savage thrust, making her tilt her head back with cries of bliss as she bucked down against him and bliss and passion radiated from her in every sense, her breathing hard and heavy as she pushed her body hungrily forwards against him. The male groaned hungrily in pleasure as she began to give short, sharp cries again with every movement of the reptile's body, not just every thrust, and he growled hungrily as he clutched tightly into her hips, feeling her rocking firmly down against him as he thrusted hard upwards into her over again and again and again, every thrust becoming rougher and harder even as she pushed herself back and threw her head back with a loud scream, her movements becoming erratic and fierce, bucking roughly down against him over and over as heat ebbed off her and her passage clenched savagely around his shaft, grinding against his penis even as his harder-than-steel shaft thrusted up into her, the slickness of her passage doing little now to aid his thrusts with how fierce the grip of her sex was around him.

He roared in bliss as he felt her second orgasm, as her fluids exploded down his member, her sweet nectar washing over his shaft, coating him all the more in her juices as they gushed out the flexing labia of the female as it worked against the base of his cock and kissed wetly into his groin at the end of every rough thrust up into her, and her blind eyes snapped open, almost glowing as she screamed again, facing up towards the ceiling as her cries reverberated through the room and she slammed herself downwards as he pistoned savagely up into her, another roar of delight tearing free from his jaws as he arched his back as he felt his own orgasm exploding upwards from deep within, his testicles pulsing and pleasure and erotic hunger bursting through his system as he slammed viciously up into her again and again and again.

The first thick volley of his seed erupted into her as her juices burst in a waterfall down his shaft, and her scream rose in pitch and volume as her straddling legs clutched against him as best she could, grinding herself almost viciously down against him with cries of delight tearing from her muzzle as her blind eyes rolled in her head, her hands reaching up and sliding over his face and gripping into his scalp as she shrieked again and rocked her hips hard down against him, her orgasm increasing in strength as the reptile thrusted rapidly and savagely into her clenching, impossibly-tight, boiling-hot sex. Again, again, again he thrusted into her, leaning against her as she ground herself against him, feeling her hips rocking as volley after volley of his seed erupted into her in an endless torrent, the sheer power it took to thrust into her, the sheer strength of their passion increasing the pleasure ten, a hundred, a thousand-fold for him as she screamed again to the ceiling above.

Seed burst out between her lips as he thrusted into her, again, again, again, the reptile growling hungrily, his muscles bulging, his body emanating power as hers sparked with passion, the two grinding together hungrily, savagely, before she screamed, then yanked his head upwards into a kiss that he greedily met, their jaws working together as her hips bucked and convulsed and rocked fiercely, releasing her nectar as his seed exploded into her again, again, again, again, flooding her with his hot load, their mouths working together in an endless kiss as their muzzles almost bit at one another with the ferocity of their meeting, the male growling, the female gasping, their breath travelling through one another's jaws as his arms wrapped around her body, squeezing her against him, her breasts grinding into him as she bent over him... until finally, their mouths parted after what seemed an eternity that was still too short, both panting roughly as their orgasms finally slowed, the female shivering and riding out the last small bit as her passage gripped tightly into his massive cock and she moaned low in her throat, staring down at him with her blind eyes as she stroked a hand slowly over her face, and she whispered: "Z-Zerrex... oh... so... so good... so loud..."

She closed her eyes, breathing slowly through her jaws before a dreamy smile spread over her face, and she slowly leaned backwards, making the Drakkaren grunt as her passage clenched around his shaft and bent slightly with how far she arched her back, her straddling legs clutching against him... and then she leaned back forwards, her eyes half-lidded as she took his face in her hands and her expression went from serene and delighted to lustful and devious, as she murmured teasingly: "But we're not done yet..."

"Dinner?" Zerrex managed, then he groaned as she gyrated her hips, gritting his teeth as his huge shaft flexed inside of her, his hands clutching against her sides before she neatly slid her arms down and shoved his hands off her, then she grabbed his wrists and firmly guided them to the arms of the throne, as he stared at her dumbly. "What are you doing?"

"Something most males dream of every day." she purred playfully, despite how hard she was breathing and how red she was... and then she slowly drew backwards, forcing herself to stand and pulling herself free from being impaled upon his massive member as she moaned loudly, her arms squeezing into either side of her breasts as her hands clenched into either side of her labia... and when she finally pulled free, a waterfall of his seed spilled out of her as wet, white load dripped off his saturated cock, the Drakkaren grunting and leaning back against the throne with a half-grin, half-embarrassed look at the thick, ropey strings of seed dripping from his massive, towering shaft and now flowing thickly from her sex, the Naganatine's hands soaked in it as it spilled from her stretched passage even as her labia almost winked at him as her blossoming lips closed... and then he gaped stupidly as the female slowly slid both hands up over her body, smearing white streaks across her form before moaning softly and enticingly as she rubbed over her own face, washing her features in his thick seed before she slowly suckled on one of her fingers as the other grasped a breast, whispering teasingly: "If you're so worried about dinner... then you better just make sure you orgasm fast."

Then she dropped to her knees in front of him, and without reserve or embarrassment, grasped into either side of his massive shaft, pulling it downwards and opening her jaws to force the head of his huge member into her mouth, the Drakkaren clutching either arm of the throne with a groan of surprised bliss as he stared down at her, her eyes closed as she steadily forced forwards as she arched her tall body so her breasts could teasingly grind and almost cradle the huge member as her hands stroked up and down the lower half of the thirty-two inches of obsidian cock, making him groan with delight as he sat back in the throne and felt the pleasure already building immensely at the sight of this hungry, adoring female.

Her body visibly pulsed with pleasure, her hips switching teasingly from side-to-side as her long tail swayed, the tines at the end of it flexing eagerly as her hands stroked up and down the hard length of flesh and her jaws descended along the huge cock buried in her mouth, hungrily working her mouth up and down as her long tongue swirled back and forth over it. She greedily lapped up all the seed she could, Zerrex grunting quietly... and then groaning when she pulled back, letting the huge shaft pop free from her jaws only so she could moan loudly and grind her face slowly along the underside of the massive member, moving her hands to stroke up along the top half of the enormous cock as her muzzle ground along it until she was nuzzling into his testicles, inhaling deeply and shuddering in visible bliss as her tongue slid out and dragged along one as if testing its taste, before she whispered hungrily: "Yes... your sweat, your seed, my own release... and a masculine, powerful taste, of your energy, your virility, your maleness. Oh yes... it's truly delicious..."

She slowly nuzzled into his heavy balls, then took one of the large, navy-blue orbs gently into her mouth, suckling slowly back on it, moaning softly around it as her tongue circled it slowly and her hands continued to stroke firmly up and down his huge, obsidian length, her hot breath washing out from her nostrils and making the lizard shudder in bliss as he clutched the arms of the throne and thrusted despite himself into her hands, growling and gritting his teeth in pleasure. She was working him so effectively, so efficiently, she wanted him to orgasm and he didn't want to resist her... and the pleasure was building moment by moment, making it harder and harder for him to do anything but go with the flow of it, groaning quietly in bliss as his muscles bulged powerfully and he pushed himself back against the throne, toe-claws curling as she moaned in soft need and nuzzled and lapped along his heavy blue orbs, gasping softly and greedily licking up sweat, seed, and her own juices.

Then, slowly, she drew upwards and back, grinding her face lightly along the underside of his enormous shaft, giving a quiet growl of pleasure as her hands continued to steadily, firmly stroke the massive length as a bit of his pre dripped from the tip, thick, long beads of the clearer fluid sliding down from the girthy head that already glimmered with her wet saliva. He couldn't resist rocking his hips lightly, rubbing his shaft forwards against her features as she eagerly rubbed her face against his black flesh, then she slid one hand down to grasp into the base of the immense cock as her other stroked the upper end of it, her tongue dragging along it as she began to clean the rest of his seed from the girthy flesh, whispering quietly: "It's been longer than you can imagine since I was able to do this... longer still since I was so glad to do it... and never have I tasted such virility... you truly are a God, and a God of Fertility at that, oh powerful, mighty Lord Zerrex... oh, yes..."

She moaned loudly, and then nuzzled slowly along the length of his enormous shaft before licking slowly up the underside of the huge cock, moving her hands downwards as Zerrex felt his massive member flexing in her hands... before he grunted quietly as she arched her back and leaned upwards, grinning as she stroked the base of it while positioning it between her breasts, his shaft spreading them wide apart and flexing as either swell ground along either side of his massive member and she closed her eyes, licking and suckling teasingly at the head of his monstrous length as she enticed: "Don't resist... I want to bathe in this, in your load, feel what it's like to be washed in your seed, rife with your vitality and energy... I want to be marked as yours, I want to feel like what blessed demon Daria feels like, or my lovely sisters, Sin and Anathema... I want to feel what even Sephire's felt, coated in your masculinity, dripping it, body heaving and subservient... oh Lord Zerrex... oh..."

She moaned again, bucking her hips slowly, and Zerrex couldn't tell if it was for show or in real ecstasy as her hips rocked with her hard movements, her talented mouth kissing slowly over the girthy head of his shaft, making the pleasure rise all the higher as he gritted his teeth, growling in bliss, barely able to resist as his member flexed... and she began to stroke harder, faster, grinding her hot, passion-burning body against him with greater fervor as she urged with panting moans: "Release on me... cover me... soak me... come on me, come all over me... please... please... please! Please!"

Her voice rose to loud cries, begging, needful chants as she stroked him furiously, grinding her body against him, her breast bouncing and squeezing and rubbing deliciously at his shaft, her mouth somehow so skilled she was able to kiss and lick and tease at the head of his massive cock even as she began to scream for him as her hips rocked fiercely, and Zerrex groaned, thrusting weakly against her despite his best efforts not to, grunting hungrily as he felt his member beginning to stiffen up... and then he stared in shock down at her as Justice howled as she arched her back, and her juices burst out of her sex as an orgasm visibly wracked her body, shoving herself up against him, grinding fiercely against his cock as her hands clutched against his member, and the sight of it, the sound of her screams, the smell of the sex and the feel of her body, blazing with such passion, drove him over the edge as the reptile felt himself stiffening... and then he grinned as he managed to resist for a moment longer, bringing a foot up and kicking her hard, knowing from her display it would require far more force to actually hurt the female... but using more than enough to slam her down onto her back, Justice looking up stupidly with her blind eyes before the reptile stood up over her as he grasped his massive black cock, stroking it rapidly as he hardened beyond hard in his hand and growled down at her, even as her hips bucked and her sex blossomed and pulsed as her juices spurted free from between her lips: "If you want it so bad... then have it, bathe in it, and tell me how much you love it, bitch!"

"Yes, I am your bitch, I am your slut, I am, I... oh God!" she arched her back, supporting herself on her elbows and screaming the last words of the sentence as Zerrex roared and his first volley of seed exploded outwards, splattering over her, the massive rope of seed covering her from waist all the way over her face and spurting out far beyond, almost across the length of the room as the Drakkaren stroked his member rapidly and aimed down at her, shaft flexing hard with every volley, with every release, as he coated her in a thick river of his seed. Blast after blast issued out, soaking her completely, covering her body, her face, exploding over her breasts as she shrieked in pleasure and bathed in it, tilting her head from side to side with a look of delirious bliss on her face as the male stood over her and then reached down with a snarl, seizing her by one of the horns and yanking her savagely upwards as he thrusted forwards, mashing the head of his cock against her face as he released another blast that exploded in thick droplets that splattered all over her and the ground around her before he managed to ram it into her throat, and her blind eyes bulged as she choked and clutched at his shaft, but only eagerly stroked the sides of his cock, Zerrex grinning in ecstasy as bliss and feelings of power radiated through his muscular body as he flexed and seized her other horn as well, ramming his hips forwards, stretching her throat as his shaft bent slightly and she gargled loudly as his member rammed down her jaws, forcing it as deep as he could from this angle even as she coughed and gagged and seed exploded out of her mouth around every hard thrust and up from her nostrils in thick fountains, her blind eyes bulging as her hips convulsed nonetheless, dripping with his load and eagerly stroking as much of his cock as she could reach in both her trembling hands.

Finally, Zerrex threw her backwards, panting hard as she collapsed onto her back in a wide puddle of his load, gagging loudly before she swallowed thickly even as long droplets of seed dangled from her muzzle, one or two of the thick string still connected between her maw and his huge cock as it pulsed slowly in front of him, the Drakkaren's chest and legs and heavy testicles splattered with his own load, as well as his hands, as he flexed them slowly and gazed down at her... and then she gave a rasping laugh before clearing her throat, her blind eyes opening slowly as she looked up at him and whispered: "Don't you dare take it so easy on me next time."

Zerrex couldn't help but grin at this as the female shook her head, licking her lips slowly and rubbing at her body with one hand, the other snaking down between her legs to tease her wet sex... but the Drakkaren only held up his hands, saying quietly: "Enough, Justice. I've... had a very emotional day, the last thing I need to do is bury myself in sex and miss Cindy's dinner on top of all of that. As it is, I... this is almost inappropriate, considering what happened."

"What happens, happens... you deal with it in your own way, and move on. You're not... offending anyone here, Zerrex, I can easily and safely say that." Justice grumbled, and then she stood up shakily, breathing hard, her scales still tinged scarlet and her body pulsing visibly as she smiled at him radiantly. "I love you, you do know that, right? And I mean every word I say."

"I... Justice..." Zerrex looked at her awkwardly, and Justice laughed, holding her hand up and gazing at him reverently.

"Don't start." She reached up, wiping some of the seed slowly from her cheek, then she licked it quietly from her fingers and smiled over at him, her eyes half-lidded. "And you don't have to say it in return. No, I just... wanted to say that to you. And let you know that I will gladly do anything you ask..." She paused, then dropped to her knees, quietly reaching out to grasp the back of his ankle as she leaned forwards and softly kissed the top of his foot, and the reptile gazed down at her with surprise as she smiled again, murmuring: "That's how we expressed our submission to another between the Naganatine. A sign of great respect, or of great apology... in this case, it's more the former than the latter, I hope you realize."

The Drakkaren laughed a bit at this, and then he winced as she leapt up and hugged his leg, smearing seed all along the limb as she laughed and said cheerfully: "Now, cleanse us, Lord Zerrex. There's one last thing on my mind but I need to be clean first."

"Ugh, I hate you." Zerrex muttered, but Justice only gazed up at him warmly before the reptile rose a hand and concentrated... and a moment later, they were both clean and the seed was gone from the floor as a faint burning sensation ran over the lizard's scales and Justice winced a bit, energy visibly sparking over her body as the reptile looked at her with surprise. "You okay?"

"Yes, yes, yes. I'm fine, it's only because of my energy composition." she looked up at him with her blind eyes, and when he continued to look at her with concern, she softened and slowly stroked over his leg, resting her head against his thigh and whispering softly: "My Gods. You barely know me... and already, you... you feel so deeply. Why do you give such emotion to such people... why such tender care for the world, despite your hard outer shell, despite how ruthless you can be... why love so deeply when you fear the consequences of it every day?"

"Because to not care about others would be wrong... to hide behind a mask of coldness and make-believe other people don't matter would be the coward's way out. It's one thing if you honestly can't care about someone, and even that isn't entirely right... but it's another to try and bury those emotions by mocking others, making them suffer, and trying to convince yourself that they're worthless." Zerrex said quietly, leaning down and cupping her face gently as he smiled into her eyes. "And besides. Anathema Sin seemed to adore you. That alone tells me... you're well-worth caring for. Plus, you know, you punched out Job and basically made Sephire my Disciple. How can I not respect that?"

She laughed warmly at this, then she stood up and slapped the side of his slightly-wilted penis firmly, making the reptile grunt and twitch even as he blushed in embarrassment at how he felt himself harden slightly, before she stepped backwards and stood, gazing at him with a smile. "I am your Disciple, Zerrex Narrius, by my word, by my choice. Afford me one last bit of ceremony... I want a pretty collar like all the others have, that radiates energy so powerfully... and I want you to acknowledge me as your Disciple, to finish the process. Make... make me yours. Please."

She hugged herself quietly as she gazed at him... and Zerrex gazed back for a few long moments before he nodded slowly, closing his eyes and knitting his fingers together silently as he thought quietly about her... and then he held his hands apart, concentrating, and a moment later a black, scale-leather collar appeared in his hands, with a circular, crystal clasp upon it, the ancient Enochian symbol for 'Sight' inscribed over it as he said softly: "Justice of the Naganatine... tell me who you are."

"I am no one but your servant, your slave, your Disciple, your warrior. I am everyone, except someone of greater esteem or power than you... and yet I am more privileged, because I will spend my life in honored service to you, a follower who can lead... but you are a leader who can never follow. Your strength is immeasurable... but my strength will add to yours, and make you all the stronger. I am Justice: but I am your Justice. I am the burning shield; I am the flaming sword; I am the binding cage; I am the key that sets the innocent free. I am Justice." She knelt slowly in front of him as she closed her blind eyes, head proudly raised but respectful and admiring. "I am Justice."

Zerrex half-knelt to slide the collar around her neck, locking it into place... and then he grasped her shoulders as she gasped softly, energy sparking over her body... and silently, he kissed her forehead. She gritted her teeth, white eyes snapping open and glowing as she clutched into the floor, gasping for breath as her body began to glow unnaturally, blue light shining out of her scales before she reached up and grabbed onto him, shivering violently... and a moment later, wings exploded from her back before she straightened, becoming almost like a star as she threw her head back with a silent scream as she floated into the air, levitating for a moment as her arms dangled at her sides and waves of energy so powerful they made Zerrex stagger backwards rippled over her body... and then the lizard slowly lowered his arm to gaze at her in awe as she slowly touched down, her eyes closed as she breathed slowly.

She was a little taller, a little more toned, athletic... and two more horns had pushed their way out of her skull, curling, dangerous ram's horns as well as the two draconic ones that pushed from the back of her skull. But most notable of all were the enormous wings pushing from her back, an upper set of black, dangerously-glinting raven wings that were immense and terrifying... and a smaller, lither set of wings that twisted out of her lower back, thin and narrow like the wings of a hummingbird but segmented in the middle, these lower pair glowing white with gold edges, faintly radiant with bright energy.

And then she spread her arms to either side... and gasped in surprise as her scales went from purple to silver, becoming metallic and shimmering faintly with blue energy as they took on a stacked, armadillo-like look, her fingers flexing powerfully as Zerrex gaped at the sight of her now-steel body, from toe to head, the huge talons on her feet transforming into white steel as her fingers became like flexible knives... and she looked at her hands stupidly before gazing over her shoulder at her wings, and Zerrex shifted his incredulous eyes to these for a moment as well, watching the way they moved so strangely, the black wings almost seeming to ripple as they clinked with each movement... before the Drakkaren's jaw dropped further when the right wing broke apart, revealing it wasn't made of scales or feathers, but instead half a dozen segmented, flattish steel tentacles, each section made of a large, hexagon shaped portion of black metal that waved slowly back and forth, the wings twisting completely apart as the tentacles hovered around her body, each ending in flat, spade-like tip... and then she visibly concentrated as her white eyes opened and narrowed, and sharp spikes snapped out of the end of each tentacle and hooked slightly forwards as she grinned slowly.

Then she looked over at Zerrex before wincing and half-covering her eyes... and when she lowered her hand, she only stared at him as Zerrex looked blankly back at her, before she murmured softly, grasping either side of her muzzle: "Now... I see you through-and-through. I see into your energies... and my Gods, I see every last detail. For the first time in my life, I'm really seeing color, not just the faded memories of color that are the best thing energies can show... and although you only look like a distinct blue shape in my blind eyes... I know that you're green... and dark blue... and white..."

She strode forwards, stroking a hand lovingly through his hair as the tentacles writhed slowly behind her... and then she laughed as she stepped backwards and grinned at him as the spikes thankfully retracted into the long tentacles, and they slowly snapped back together, taking on the likeness of immense, dark metal wings again as they flapped once, the white, glowing wings twitching a bit before she visibly flexed... and a moment later, her scales returned to their normal purple luster, losing their stacked look and becoming solid once more as she rubbed at one of her arms slowly, whistling a bit to herself. "Such abilities... you've shared a large portion of energy to me, made me even more resilient... and able to armor myself all the further now. Are you tired?"

"Only a little." Zerrex mumbled, as he sat slowly back in his throne, reaching up to rub at his forehead and closing his eyes... and then he smiled a little, his eyes closed but somehow almost able to see her still nonetheless, like a faintly-glowing figure as she walked towards him and silently slid into his lap as her wings furled behind her... and when she kissed his cheek, it sent a pulse of strength through him as he opened his eyes to gaze at her quietly. "You're... wonderful, Justice. But I'm starting to see a pattern here... Cindy, who also has energy abilities... also gained the ability to become metallic. Not to mention tentacles, even if hers are. More like mine and less like yours. And you, with your condensed energy..."

"Relatable, true. Perhaps there is a design here after all." She smiled at him warmly, then kissed him quietly... and he kissed her slowly back before stroking her face gently, as she whispered: "Thank you for not giving me sight."

The reptile looked at her with surprise, and she gazed back down amusedly at him with her blind eyes before hopping out of his lap, saying easily: "I'm no fool, Lord Zerrex... but I see that as you did not force your daughter to speak... you will not force me to see as others do. You understand that I am happy, seeing the world as clearly as I do... and to take away or limit my ability to see energy in return for letting me see normally... you would diminish me. You would offend my sensibilities and my honor and make me seem less worthy... and I love you dearly for not changing me to be 'better' in that way, for acknowledging silently... that I'm fine the way I am."

"You're not fine the way you are, you're... you're special for it. You're wonderful." Zerrex said quietly, looking at her softly, and Justice gazed over her shoulder at him with a touched smile. "You've taken the absence of one thing... and replaced it with another that floors me every time you talk about it. I wish that I could see as you do, Justice."

"But you can." she said softly, walking towards him and reaching up to silently push his eyes closed, and she took his hand, squeezing it slowly as she murmured gently: "Now open the eye in your mind... while keeping your beautiful emerald irises sealed."

He smiled warmly at this, wondering quietly how much she could see now in memories... before he tried to do as she asked, feeling as if a curtain was being drawn open in his mind... and he took a slow breath as a faint glow built in his mind, before it was as if he was seeing... and Justice, standing before him, was made of bright outlines of white filled with glowing blue, her eyes bright motes in her skull, her wings burning black and effervescent white as she whispered: "You see?"

Zerrex looked back and forth: the outlines of the room were faintly visible, and beyond this, other shapes he couldn't quite understand... and the reptile nodded stupidly before Justice laughed, then hit his chest hard, making the reptile wince and his eyes open. Immediately, his sight returned to normal, and he winced and rubbed at his eyes as they pulsed with pain for a moment before she grinned up at him, saying kindly: "You pass your strengths on to your Disciples... but your Disciples also pass a bit of themselves on to you. Unlike your friends and family, I can better control my energy flow... so I was able to, in a sense, choose what of my powers I gave to you... and I made sure to give you talents you could actually put to good use."

She paused meditatively, then winked and hopped backwards, letting go of the reptile before she said mildly: "And I think I have this figured out."

With that, she closed her eyes and spread her arms... and a moment later, the glow faded from her lower wings as they curled around her waist, becoming almost cloth-like and camouflaging themselves as a prim, knee-high half skirt that was open higher at the front than it was at the back... and her much-larger black wings, meanwhile, snapped apart into the serrated, metallic tentacles as they withdrew into her back... but one from either side wrapped around her waist to form a "belt" above the skirt, while two others from each side of her body wrapped around her sides even as they shortened, carefully covering the outside and front of her breasts but leaving most of her good-sized bosom bare, the female glancing down primly before she posed in front of the Drakkaren as the other metallic tentacles vanished completely into her. "You like it? Otherwise, I think I'm going to talk to Miss Daria... she had something stuck on her breasts that I know you kept drooling over mentally."

Zerrex grumbled at this, but the female only laughed warmly before she slapped lightly at her bare stomach, then she glanced up at him curiously. "So you can produce tentacles as well, though?"

"Yeah, well. Yeah. I don't do it as often anymore, fun as they are." Zerrex paused, then he suddenly flicked his left arm up towards her, and a long, black-fleshed tentacle tore out of his forearm, snapping towards her with shocking speed... but Justice easily caught the end of it, the appendage twisting and squirming in her grip as the Drakkaren grinned widely, the long snake of flesh snapping back and forth before she let go of it. "Nice."

"I'm a fast learner." Justice said warmly, then she watched curiously as Zerrex concentrated, making the tentacle rear into the air... before thorns of bone jutted all down its length, and a black spike pushed out of the tip of the long appendage, the female reaching up to touch this and murmuring softly: "Mephistopheles' metal. It's very distinct, has a very powerful energy to it, and only he could ever manipulate it... he never told anyone the secrets of that, not even Naganis. Then again... he held a lot of secrets back from Naganis. From all of us."

She shook her head, and Zerrex smiled awkwardly as the sharp points withdrew in the tentacle's flesh, and then this too pulled slowly back into the lizard's arm, but Justice only gazed at him benevolently. "No, no. Don't apologize, I was merely musing. Things happened a long time ago... and well, we all wish it could have been different, but now what's done is done, and I'm glad you've taken those secrets... and moreover, in a sense, finally brought Naganis and Mephistopheles back together."

Zerrex smiled at her, and Justice smiled softly back before she rested her hands on her hips, adding mildly: "Now. Don't you have dinner to go to? You should go and get some clothes on or something."

"Gods I hate you." Zerrex groaned, and Justice laughed before the reptile grumbled as he picked up his boxers and pants. He slipped his way into them... then looked at her with surprise as she hugged him tightly and kissed his cheek quietly before drawing back and touching his face gently.

"I am yours." she said softly, and the reptile blushed a bit as she studied him for a few moments before nodding slowly, murmuring: "Excellent idea. I shall introduce myself to this... Serenity, then, as well as get her or someone else to take me to Acheron. And I won't be stupid... I'll follow the rules, same as everyone else. I am strong... but if this murderer you seem to be having trouble with really is so skilled..."

She glanced down quietly, flexing her hand slowly. "Dark energy is my greatest weakness. Magic hurts me enough as it is... my body is like an unfiltered vacuum, all it can do is absorb, absorb, absorb, when it comes to any form of energy. So fire, electricity, even frost is pulled into my body, past the armor of my outer shell... and yet my body cannot absorb it, so my insides become charred and damaged. And as dark energy is tapped destruction..."

Zerrex grimaced a bit and nodded slowly, then he gently took her hand and held it against his chest as he studied her, saying softly: "Can you pull in my energies?"

"And I have. Through our bonding, through becoming a Disciple, through every brush against you... not enough for you to notice, enough for me to... taste you. Feel you. Be a little more in tune with you, in some cases, too." She gazed up at him quietly, nodding slowly before she gently took his hand and pulled it against her stomach, murmuring softly: "Do you feel that?"

Zerrex frowned a bit... and then he stared at her, and she grinned up at him as he looked stupidly back. "That's impossible."

"I wanted it... and I think you did too. You're a God of Fertility, Zerrex, what the hell did you expect to happen when you emptied about ten gallons of your seed right into my freaking womb?" she asked sharply, and Zerrex only continued to gape stupidly at her before she shrugged amiably. "It will be a good child, and it will be our child. I'm not about to let my younger sisters get too far ahead of me in any regard, and I don't think you're half as pissed off at me as you're about to act like you are. A little angry, and I can understand that, but at the same time..."

"I... I hate you." Zerrex said flatly, beginning to turn slowly red as he realized stupidly she was right. He looked at her, and she looked back warmly before a tear slowly dripped from one of her blind eyes... and before the reptile even realized he was doing it, he leaned down and licked it slowly up before kissing her eyelid, hugging her tightly as he murmured: "I've known you for only a little while... and already I know you'll be a great mother."

"Oh God, hey, you... I mean..." Justice trembled a bit against him, and then she rubbed at her face and shoved him backwards, gritting her teeth and kicking him in the shins, making him curse and grab his leg before she looked at him so warmly, so thankfully, he forgot his frustrations with her as she murmured: "Thank you. Thank you, a thousand times... thank you."

Zerrex and Justice looked at each other... and then she laughed, punching him in the arm and making him wince and grab the offended area as she said warmly: "Now get out of here! I won't tell anyone until you do, and yes, I'll know when you do with my super-hearing, as you call it. Well... I'll have to tell my sisters, Sin will know even if Anathema obviously still doesn't understand the whole motherhood concept."

She laughed at this, then smiled brightly as Zerrex looked at her sourly. "Oh, no, Naganen is a wonderful boy... but Anathema still just... hasn't gotten used to the idea of being a mother yet. She wants another child with you, I think, she just doesn't know how to say it... but now that I'm almost-assuredly pregnant-"

"Wait, almost? You... you bitch!" Zerrex pointed at her accusingly, and Justice huffed and grumbled. "You're trying to trick me into wanting a baby, aren't you? Goddammit, you're evil!"

"You're evil!" Justice retorted lamely, and then she glowered at him even as Zerrex grabbed the scale-leather cape, swirling it around his shoulders and then locking it into place around his neck. "And I totally would have a kid and am ninety percent sure that I will! It's not my fault there's a time difference between insemination and conception. Having a child is the highest honor a Disciple can achieve for her God, and the greatest show of love and devotion I can give you, so why, yes, you are welcome, by the way."

"I'm ninety percent sure you're lame." Zerrex said flatly, as the cape became a cloak around him, and Justice glared at him before the reptile looked dumbly over his shoulder as a portal crackled open, and the Naganatine stomped forwards before she rose one leg and firmly kicked him in the stomach, the reptile flying through this to crash onto his back in the Ravenlight Estate with a wheeze, several people staring at him in shock as Justice poked her head through the portal and Zerrex grabbed at his stomach, wheezing: "Bitch!"

"I love you too." Justice said cheerfully, and then she blew him a kiss before pulling back through it. A moment later, the portal closed, and Zerrex groaned before he felt a pair of strong hands grab his arms and help him up to his feet.

"Dad, are you okay? What... what was that?" asked a concerned voice, and Zerrex grabbed at his reeling head... then he looked dumbly over at Markus Narrius, his son.

A proud and tall blue-scaled Dragokkaren-demon, he was enormous at twelve feet tall and yet so charismatic and impressive that he seemed to be double that, his body covered in thick, powerful musculature. Black speckles covered his body here and there, and his eyes were brilliant sapphire, just like his mother Cherry's... and another mark from Cherry was on his muzzle, a large scar that had never faded, the teeth in his muzzle near this all metallic and fake. Small, conical spikes formed fringes that went along either side of his skull, and more small spikes followed the trail of his spike all the way to the base of his tail. He was dressed only in simple mortal clothing, but he had a strength and regality about him that was only accented by the plain jeans and buttoned-up dress shirt he wore: the sleeves of this were rolled up, and it left clearly visible one of the more telling marks about him, a series of runes that zigzagged over one forearm... runes that, Zerrex had found out one day after finally asking him about them, told his life story.

Markus had once made a serious mistake: he had given in to a lust for power as a child, despite already being the strongest and most skilled in his class, from the constant training he did... and his calm demeanor had hidden a deep envy of others, and a longing for a strength beyond the physical. He had begun using necromancy to steal the powers of other demons after he killed them... and when caught, Cherry had punched him so hard she had left that telling scar upon his muzzle. Markus had gone to jail... and it wasn't until roughly a decade ago that Cherry had finally forgiven her son for his transgressions, despite the countless years that had passed since then. Markus had grown into a fine example of demonic nobility.

Since that day, he had never again delved into the forbidden arts, recognizing they were sealed and limited for a reason... and the only magic he had ever practiced were simple spells for simple purposes. He knew only a few very basic offensive techniques... and despite his massive size and the fact he was skilled enough to match his older brother Priest blow-for-blow, he instead worked as a piano player for expensive restaurants around Elysium, and sometimes went on stage with part of an orchestra, and once had even done a show by himself. Zerrex had been so proud of him... and when he smiled, Markus only looked at him quizzically before the Drakkaren patted him on the chest, saying softly: "I'm just... glad to see you, son."

Then he paused, gently pushing Markus out of the way before a grin spread over his features at the sight of the male standing awkwardly in front of the stairs, rubbing slowly at the black mane of hair that went from his forehead and down his spine to the base of his tail, a dumb smile on his face as Zerrex said warmly: "Darren, I haven't seen you for months!"

Darren smiled brightly at his father, gazing at him with shining green eyes, a multicolored flaw glinting in one iris as he walked forwards when Zerrex beckoned to him to trade a tight hug with his father, Zerrex squeezing the seven foot tall ,athletic male against his chest. His features were lion-like and covered in short golden fur, with a thick black ruff that fell over his chest... but he had dark red scales over the rest of his body, including his long, thin tail, which ended in a tuft of black fur. He was handsome and cheerful, and no demon but instead a demigod: and as if that wasn't impressive enough, much like Raze, he was a combat psychic, little more than a child and almost the exact same age as Naganen, and yet already capable of massive feats of psychic strength.

The leonine male almost always wore a pair of cloth-looking bracelets around his wrists, with golden runes sewn on them: he'd had them since he was a child, and they suppressed his psychokinetic abilities so he didn't accidentally use them when just trying to concentrate on something or out of surprise. But for the last several years, Darren had been accepted into a special academy for gifted psychics, and he didn't really need them anymore... in fact, his powers had grown so strong that he could now easily use telekinesis to lift the heaviest of objects even with them on, although it was obviously much more difficult. His control had grown superb, however, as that was the first thing focused on in any training school in Elysium.

Darren could also perform magic well-above his grade level... and with all this in mind, he was training to join the mysterious Mental Guild of Elysium, made up of the greatest psychics across the country, from those who could prophesize future events to telepaths and telekinetics of great esteem and strength. They were a newer guild in Elysium, as previously psychics had gone with little recognition... but Vivien had gladly funded them and allowed them to begin establishing their own committee, and in return she was able to call upon them as she could call upon any other guild in times of crisis for their expertise or strength.

Of course, despite the fact that Darren had been labeled a combat psychic, the leonine demigod didn't have much of a taste for battle: while he was glad to train with Marina, Serenity, and even Raze, and while his abilities let him exert psychic force with such power he was able to crush massive blocks of concrete like they were tin cans that had sunk to the deepest depths of the ocean, Darren became a little ill at the sight of blood and admittedly was not the bravest of Zerrex's children. Despite the fact he could probably reduce a Gigataur to paste with his mind if he really wanted to, he was simply too nice and - and Zerrex meant this in the nicest of ways - too wimpy. It was adorable, really... but it wasn't like he got bullied all that much, either. His adorableness, even growing up as he was, meant he had many friends who were all very willing to help watch out for him... and one or two accidental uses of his powers around the academy before he'd gotten better at controlling himself meant few bullies wanted to risk getting him mad and having the same thing happen to them as had happened to one wall of the gymnasium during an awkward game of dodgeball. As in, it had been broken. Period.

No, the only real downside of the Academy was that it was a boarding school, so Darren spent most of his time away from home these days, and Zerrex and Lily both missed him sorely. But as the Drakkaren smiled faintly, he knew why Darren was here, even if the bright innocence in his son's eyes told him Darren didn't know the whole story of why Markus was currently looking out for him instead of him being at school. "Yeah! They... I mean..." He hesitated, then said quietly: "Dad, no one's really telling me anything, to be honest, but they said I was getting a vacation from classes early because of my good work. Now I know that's a lie, because even if I do work really hard, we've been focusing on specific control and... well... you know how bad I am at that."

He rubbed a hand through his long, strange mane with an awkward but friendly smile, and Zerrex laughed a bit as he patted him on the shoulder before holding up a hand, and a blue orb of energy appeared in it after a moment, Darren gazing at this with fascination. "And it took me years to learn how to do just this, Darren. You're too hard on yourself, you'll get it."

Darren nodded a few times as Zerrex clenched his fist, the energy sphere vanishing from existence as his hand glowed a faint blue, most of it absorbed back into his body. The reptile looked down at his fingers as he flexed them absently, amused as always by how he could never get it perfect, never absorb every last shred of energy back into himself... and then he shook his head a bit before softening at Darren's concerned look, reaching up to squeeze his shoulder gently. "Listen. All you need to know right now is that Markus is going to take you to a safe place." He looked up at the Dragokkaren pointedly, and Markus nodded quickly after a moment. "Naganen can fill you in on the rest."

"Aww, Naganen knows before me again?" Darren whined, and Zerrex rolled his eyes in amusement more than anything else as the lion grumbled and crossed his arms childishly, but it was only cute coming from the leonine male. "It's not fair. I think I'm technically the older one, but he always gets stuff first. He's even training to be an Ambassador already and I'm still in school! He should be in school, too!"

"I let you both choose. And don't go telling me you had to go to school because Lily was pressuring you so much, you saw how much she was getting on Naganen's case even with me around." He paused meditatively. "And, you know, despite the fact that Naganen isn't even actually her son."

"Well, yeah, exactly." Darren said reasonably, spreading his arms. "So Naganen could go hide behind his mom when things got out of hand, see? I couldn't do that." He paused, then smiled a little. "Besides. I'm not as smart as Naganen, either. I know that I couldn't learn all the stuff as fast as he is... and just between you and me, Dad, I think he might be stronger than I am, too."

"Oh, don't start that now. Naganen's also even gentler than you are, and you're pretty damn gentle when it comes right down to it." Zerrex winked and reached out to nudge Darren gently, and the leonine male smiled a little despite himself as he gazed with embarrassment at his father. Then the lizard paused before softening a little as he glanced over at Markus, asking quietly: "What about Pallas? Have you seen him at all lately?"

Markus smiled a little at this, and then the Dragokkaren reached out and gently ruffled the leonine male's mane, making him laugh and shove at the much-larger male as he said softly: "I was going to see him later tonight, actually, after I brought the kid here... to a good vacation spot, like you suggested." He glanced thoughtfully at Zerrex, then said softly: "Last time we talked, though, Dad, he wasn't too keen about... moving out. He knows he's in prison for a reason, and he's got a lot sorted out in his head, even if there's a lot of stuff for him to get used to still. And strange as it may sound, prison is probably the safest place he can be right now."

Zerrex smiled a little at this as Darren cocked his head curiously: not at the fact his older brother was in prison, he and Naganen had visited their big half-brother more than once... but instead at what Markus had just said. "But... I thought prisons were really dangerous?"

"Markus is in a minimum security installation, and he's been an inmate there for quite a few years now... while I wouldn't say he's entirely comfortable, he's not... in a bad place, either." Zerrex said carefully, nodding to himself after a moment. "For one thing, he's a model prisoner and he doesn't start crap with the guards. For another, a lot of the other offenders aren't violent ones... so he's not exactly in a lot of danger to begin with. It might sound strange... but White was very kind in the choice he made for Lily and I. Things could have been... a lot worse."

Darren nodded, gazing up at his father softly as he smiled a little. "Last time my bro and I visited, Pallas told me I was finally grown-up enough to hear the story. He told me... most of it, I think. And I think the part that upset him most was... how he treated you, and how he treated Mom. He also talked... a lot about how your Dad is your Dad... but your Father is your Father. I think I understood that part, but like I said, I'm not as smart as Naganen. He seemed to really get it, though..."

The male looked down thoughtfully, rubbing at his leonine features as Zerrex gazed at him softly, and then he looked up and asked curiously: "So are you Pallas's Dad, or his Father?"

"I like to think that I'm both." Zerrex hugged his son impulsively, and Darren laughed before he hugged him tightly back, and when the two parted, the Drakkaren smiled and reached up to ruffle the male's mane, making him smile even as he flinched away. "Anyway. You go ahead with Markus now. I just got reminded of one last bit of business I hope that I have time for before I go to dinner with Cindy and... some friends."

Darren nodded as Markus looked at him curiously, and Zerrex shrugged imperceptibly. The Dragokkaren looked thoughtful for a moment at this, but then he nodded after another moment, slapping Darren on the shoulder. "Alright. Come on, Darren, you'll at least enjoy where we're headed. Lots of people there you know."

The male smiled a bit at this, and Zerrex rose a hand to his sons as they walked past and headed towards the exit of the Ravenlight Estate. Both of them glanced over their shoulders at Zerrex as they passed through the double doors, and the reptile laughed a bit at this, calling: "I'll catch up to you as soon as I can, alright? Both of you."

They both smiled at this, and the Drakkaren shook his head a little with a quiet laugh before he sighed a bit, rubbing slowly at his face and mumbling: "Right. I haven't done this for a long while... so many sons and daughters to keep track of, so many friends and family... so many highs and lows."

The reptile looked down meditatively for a few moments, and then he shook his head a bit before he closed his eyes and concentrated, vanishing from sight. He reappeared outside an ominous, towering prison a few moments later... and the Drakkaren sighed a bit as he looked slowly over this, at the massive, steel gates and the tall stone walls, huge spotlights positioned along the edges of this roving slowly back and forth. A deep trench surrounded the prison, the rocky walls of it slick and mossy, with an ankle-deep, sludgy mire at the bottom through which long, ugly eels rasped and hissed, as bright, ominous lights floated slowly through the moat: willowisps, nasty little spirits capable of painful electrical discharges.

A thick wooden bridge was lowered across the moat in front the Drakkaren, and the reptile approached this, floodlights above the stone archway immediately snapping on as the Drakkaren walked forwards... and guards in blue uniforms snapped immediately to attention as the lizard headed towards them, one of them saying clearly: "Sir! Welcome to Rockfort Prison!"

Zerrex nodded to him politely as the enormous steel gates began to rise, glancing up at the perpetual darkness above them: there were always clouds here, in the Vast Plains, near the edge of territory they shared with the Lost Lord outside the deserts... and thunder ominously rumbled above their heads before the lizard asked quietly: "Forecast?"

"Same as always, ambassador. Storms today, storms tomorrow, storms until next year." the guard smiled hesitantly, and Zerrex nodded and patted the tall Nightmare on the shoulder, putting the black-skinned horse a little more at ease as his red eyes filled with relief, the creature relaxing visibly before he asked nervously, as the interior gate began to slowly rise: "Does the warden expect you?"

"No, this is a surprise visit." Zerrex said softly, and then he smile a bit at the Nightmare before returning his eyes ahead and walking forwards through the raised double-gate, heading into a wide courtyard. Electricity crackled quietly some thirty feet above the reptile's head, arcing back and forth between large conductors that stood at regular intervals from the stone walls of the courtyard: they formed a ceiling, so to speak, that stopped prisoners from escaping by scaling the stone walls or simply flying away if they had wings.

Several prisoners were out in the courtyard, on the other side of a chain-link fence that acted as a separator... and one, a Wrath demon, snarled and threw himself forwards against this as Zerrex walked by before he hissed and drew back: the fencing wasn't the most solid, but the fact it was made of blessed silver deterred most demons from trying to rip through it, even as the Wrath demon hissed: "Gonna kill you, asshole. Gonna kill you."

Zerrex didn't bother responding as he headed towards the large double doors leading into the fortress interior, guards standing with their arms crossed on either side of this in green uniforms, stun batons at their sides. Rockfort was a high security prison, and the guards here were professional, even if - as in any institution - a good few of them were corrupt as well, doing favors for various forms of payment... and the Drakkaren yanked the doors open as he let himself into the short stone corridor behind, a guard seated in a booth protected by clear metal shielding glancing up and then grimacing. "Zerrex Narrius."

"That's my name." Zerrex said mildly, glancing to the heavy armored doors on either side of the booth. "Gonna let me in?"

The guard sighed after a moment, scribbling something in a logbook... and then he slid this through a narrow gap in the shielding and onto the countertop past it, saying flatly: "Sign in, please, and I'll let you through. You're here to see Ambrosia?"

"Yep." Zerrex picked up the simple pen chained to the scarred countertop, jotting his name down in the book before closing it and sliding it back through the slot, then he glanced up at the goatling behind the counter as the demon looked at him sourly, his chestnut-furred features moody as he rubbed slowly at one horn that had been replaced by a metal prosthetic. "Get beaten up by the prisoners again?"

"You have ten minutes from when Prisoner 52262 enters the room. Guard, please escort Mr. Narrius to Visiting Room Six." the goatling said stiffly, and Zerrex glowered at this as a green uniform soldier seemed almost to appear from thin air beside him, the Drakkaren glancing sourly towards the tall Pride Demon. "Nice as always to see you."

"You too." Zerrex said flatly, and then he sighed and allowed the guard to motion him onwards towards a side door in the room, another guard swiping a keycard into the scanner beside this to open the electronic lock. It buzzed loudly, and the guard pushed the door open, Zerrex passing through this with the other green-uniformed demon in tow as he pointed towards the large signs standing out from the walls, marking what room was what. "See, I don't really need you following me, it's right there."

"Please head to room six, sir." the guard intoned dryly, and Zerrex muttered under his breath as he walked down the corridor, crossing his arms before the uniformed demon stepped ahead of him to knock twice on the metal door, then quickly push it open, saying calmly: "Please take a seat."

Zerrex grumbled as he walked into the room, leaning absently on the back of one of the two chairs that sat across from each other on either side of a steel table that was bolted to the ground. The room was narrow, the table going almost completely across it, and the room was almost perfectly symmetrical, right down to the metal doors and the two large, rectangular fluorescent lamps in the ceiling.

The Drakkaren waited five minutes alone, eventually sitting in the chair... and then there was a double knock before the door opened, and a female was allowed to enter the room, an awkward but sly smile on her face, eyes half-lidded and ankles in manacles bound together by a short chain, wrists in handcuffs. She was a Drakkaren, and a Pride demoness, cross-shaped scars etched into the sides of her skull where her horns had once been... and her eyes - one emerald, one crimson - glimmered like gemstones as her white prison uniform clung tightly to her seductive, sultry frame, saying tenderly: "Daddy, so good of you to visit..."

"Ambrosia." Zerrex watched as she maneuvered the chair out from under the table, her tail flicking slowly from side to side: long, black fins stuck out of it from the base all the way to a large, black spade-shape that surrounded the tip like a rudder. Ambrosia had always been an excellent swimmer, however... she had a natural affinity with water that she had made every use of over her long career as a thief, as she continued to smile at him almost indulgently. "I wanted to check in on you. See how you were."

"You mean because of all these nasty rumors about a murderer going around, targeting people related to you?" Ambrosia asked kindly, and Zerrex narrowed his eyes at her as her own eyes half-lidded, a slight smile on her face. "I don't suppose you're here to offer me a get-out-of-jail-free card, are you? I'd really like that, Daddy. It would be a wonderful birthday gift."

"Ambrosia, be serious." Zerrex said coldly, and the female winced back a bit before she looked sullenly at the table, as the Drakkaren closed his eyes and rubbed slowly at his face. "If you're just going to start acting like a child again, I can just leave."

"Well, tell me how I'm supposed to act, then!" she snapped, glaring up at him angrily, and Zerrex grimaced a bit at her tone as she glared daggers at him. "I did everything right! I loved you, and I fucked you, and I didn't kill anyone... and yet Pallas, fucking Pallas, got sent to minimum security and you had me locked up here, with the murderers and the rapists and the shithead Wrath demons who beat people up for fun! All I did was steal a few pretty artifacts!"

Zerrex shook his head slowly, saying quietly: "If you recall, Ambrosia, you went to minimum security first. Just like Pallas did, even though you broke into the Garden of Salt and stole some of Feldspar's research to sell on the black market. You're only lucky that I showed up when I did, or Selena would have killed you. And even I wouldn't've been able to stop her if you'd actually made it out of there with the research instead of triggering the protection runes and getting caught in that electrical snare.

"You swore to me, and to your mother Lily, that you were only involved in that heist, and I was willing to believe it, because it was sloppy. But you were only sloppy because you'd gotten arrogant... do you know how much it hurt to find out you were bragging around the minimum security prison about how you were getting away scot-free from the worst of your crimes? Do you know how much it hurt Firenze and your mother to have to order a psychic interrogation on you? Do you know how much it hurt me to have to acknowledge the only course of action when we found out that you, my little girl Ambrosia, was the thief who'd been stealing magical crystal and artifacts out of the Central Spire and temples around Elysium?"

"I was damn good at what I did." Ambrosia emphasized, as if this was a suitable reason for her actions. When Zerrex only shook his head sadly, however, she trembled a bit and then snapped: "You've always treated me like a child!"

"You are my child." Zerrex said gently, smiling faintly at her, and she snarled at him angrily as he shook his head slowly, murmuring quietly: "Ambrosia, what would you prefer? That I look at you as my little girl, still, or I treat you as a stranger and just another demoness who has gone and gotten herself way in over her head... but who I shouldn't care for? Who I shouldn't think of with memories of eating ice cream with and who once called me Dada, who came to me with her scraped knees and who trained side-by-side for years with Serenity at athletics and gymnastics, and who I was so proud of on the day she won her gold medal at the Southern Province's swim race?"

He stopped and looked up at her quietly, saying softly: "Just because I see you as my little girl, doesn't mean I don't respect you and love you, Ambrosia. It's because you're my little girl I come here and visit you and try to figure out where the hell I went wrong in raising you."

Now, the female had curled her knees up to her chest, shrunk down in her seat and looking ashamed of herself as she hugged her legs quietly... and Zerrex sighed a bit, shaking his head and murmuring: "I hate it when I see people saying: 'oh, yeah, my parents still treat me like a kid, it's so awful.' Narrius never treated me like a kid: he just beat me until he got what he wanted out of me."

"Okay, Dad, I get your point, I... look. I'm sorry I was a bitch, okay?" Ambrosia glanced up at him awkwardly, and the reptile grunted and nodded after a moment before the female looked down and shook her head a bit, muttering: "I don't understand it still after all these years... no matter how I act, what I do, no matter what other people say to me or how they come after me... the only thing that ever bothers me is when you scold me."

"It's 'cause I'm your Dad." Zerrex smiled a bit across at her, then he silently put his hand down in the middle of the table... and Ambrosia sighed quietly before she lowered her legs and reached her hands forwards to gently take the Drakkaren's, closing her eyes and bowing her head. "Pallas is staying in prison, apparently. It... it would be harder to get you out than him, but I could probably swing it on the safety issue if you want me to. This isn't a get-out-of-jail free, offer, though, Ambrosia, you'd still need to wear some kind of restraint but... I worry about you. Especially right now. And you'd have to go back in here the moment we caught the murderer..."

Ambrosia frowned a bit, looking up at him for a few moments and studying him with her mismatched eyes... and then she said softly: "Holy shit, you're serious. You're... Dad... I mean... how serious is this threat then? This is a high-security prison, I'm... I'm surrounded every day by murderers and-"

"Not like this guy." Zerrex shook his head slowly, and then he grimaced a bit as he glanced down towards her hand before beginning to stand... and immediately she trembled and seized into his fingers with both her hands, looking up at him almost desperately.

"Please don't go." she whispered, losing her bravado... and Zerrex knew she wasn't faking, or playing on his nerves, or just trying to get attention and a reaction. Ambrosia was a lot of things... but she was also a Pride Demoness, just like her sister, and any humility from her was genuine, as she closed her eyes tightly and murmured: "Dad... it's... I just want to be part of the family again. I'm tired of spending all my time in the crystal cells at the back of the prison, because so many people would love to hurt you by hurting me... and I'm tired of no one visiting me except you. Serenity never let me be an Iuratus, the second week I was in prison a Wrath demon was paid to rip the horns out of my head and the guards were paid to look away because the people I stole from were still so pissed off at me, demons have long memories and... I don't want to remembered as a thief. It was all about the thrill. It was all about the enjoyment of proving I was so... so goddamn fucking good at what I did. I know I keep fucking up and I keep hurting you and biting your hand when you're trying to feed me a treat, but please. Please. I can change. Please don't go."

"Our ten minutes are almost up, Ambrosia..." Zerrex sighed a bit, looking down at her quietly before he shook his head a little as she trembled and gazed up at him. "And you know why Serenity didn't let you become an Iuratus. Why I had to agree with her that it was for the best you... didn't take on that job. You're so... competitive, and you have a bad habit of making people angry who then clean the floor with you. And loyalty..."

"I know, I know, goddammit I know..." The female grimaced as she looked up at him almost angrily, and then she winced and lowered her head a bit, saying quietly: "I'm sorry. I... can..." She squeezed his fingers slowly, whispering: "I'll be a good girl if you get me out of here though. I won't cause trouble, you can have Serenity watch me and I'll behave nice and good for her... I'll behave. I'll behave, just... give me a chance. Even if it's only for a few days, please..."

Zerrex closed his eyes... and then there was a double knock on both doors, and guards pushed them open, the one behind Ambrosia announcing calmly: "Time's up. Prisoner 52262, please return with me to your cell."

"Wait." Zerrex said quietly, and the blue-uniformed guard behind Ambrosia hesitated, looking across at the Drakkaren... but the reptile smiled a little after a moment in relief even as the green-uniformed guard behind him walked forwards and grabbed the reptile's arm as if preparing to pull him away, the lizard saying quietly: "I just wanna give my daughter something. That's permitted, right, Lieutenant Aluc?"

Now the goatling beside Zerrex hesitated, and the blue-uniformed Wrath demon and Zerrex looked at each other... before he nodded after a moment, saying quietly: "Of course, Ambassador. Guard, no need to be anxious."

Zerrex shrugged off the grip of the goatling, then he closed his hand, concentrating for a moment as blue energy sparked along his fingers... and then he quietly turned one of the female's hands over before gently pressing the item he'd created down into her palm, Ambrosia gazing down silently as her father pulled his hands back, smiling faintly at the sight of a small red ring, made of glimmering ruby... and the Drakkaren smiled at his daughter, saying quietly: "Remember, you'll always be my little girl. Just squeeze that if anything... if anything happens."

He glanced up at the Lieutenant, sensing that the green uniformed prison guard beside him was wary but confused... but the Wrath demon nodded slowly. The reptile wasn't surprised that the higher-ups in the food chain likely had been briefed on the current goings-on and problems in Hell... and Ambrosia murmured an almost silent 'thank you' as she bowed her head and clutched the ring tightly in both her hands. In all likelihood, it would be scanned and examined before they let her keep it... but Zerrex was confident they would let her hold onto it. It was an alarm ring, after all: even if it could be used to signal someone other than him, only the Drakkaren or another being above the status of even higher-powered demons could teleport into a facility like this, and even if he did, it would instantly trigger all kinds of alarms and lockdowns and anti-magic systems to activated.

The Drakkaren allowed the green-uniformed guard to lead him back out into the hall and back to the lobby, the lizard approaching the booth and absently knocked on the clear metal front. The goatling inside this glanced up moodily, and then he said flatly: "You know, I almost went and told the Warden you were here."

"Thank you for sparing me that pain." Zerrex muttered as the logbook was slid out through the slot again, and he signed a second time before sliding the logbook back, asking mildly: "You know, I've always wondered... what happens when you don't sign out?"

"We hunt them down and kill them. Thank you, Mr. Narrius." The goatling flicked a wrist at him, and Zerrex looked moodily through the clear metal booth even as he scrambled mentally to think up some retort. But the goatling had already turned away, and Zerrex glowered before he turned and left.

The Drakkaren made his way back across the courtyard, the prisoners that had been in the yard replaced by a tired-looking groundskeeper slowly mopping up a puddle of blood from the cement, and the lizard grimaced a little bit. Ambrosia had been sentenced here by Judge Thoth... which was good, because if White or Sabnock had done the sentencing, it would have been even more awkward afterwards, since Lily had gone into a tirade and banned Thoth from ever setting foot inside their homes, although thankfully she had eventually calmed down. Ambrosia, however, had shown little remorse for her actions, had bragged about what an excellent thief she was, and worst of all, had been revealed to be the person responsible for stealing the Eye of Hez'Ranna: a perfectly-spherical ruby that had been the size of a beach-ball and revered in a temple dedicated to Hez'Rannan religion as a 'splendorous creation of the Goddess.'

It was likely Hez'Rannan demons that had paid to have Ambrosia's horns torn out of her skull, despite the irony of the fact they were going after Zerrex's daughter... but the massive ruby had been as revered by the followers of the temple as certain sects of the Unity religion revered the Quicksilver Sword, a holy weapon thought to have been forged by angels. That had long been disproven, but the symbolism of the weapon - passed down from the first kings who had followed the teachings of the Unity religion, made of blessed silver steel - meant that there were certain cults out there who had formed legends and 'great truths' of their own surrounding the sword, and worshipped it with much greater fervor than they worshipped any god.

The Drakkaren knew well by now that he was fortunate to only have to deal with a few assassination attempts a year from various fanatical groups: if anything, the fact that he had become a god had only further made people hate and fear him, after all, and others worshipped him for reasons he couldn't quite fathom, since he was pretty sure he'd never demanded tribute or even done much of anything worthy of worship. Yes, he fought to help the world, and he had helped bring the mortal planet back to its old glory... but those weren't things he had done for any 'chosen people,' or for any purpose greater than the fact that it had been the right thing to do... and it was his goddamn home too, and the home of friends and family.

The lizard waited patiently as the security gates slowly rose, rubbing absently at his right arm and mentally guessing at the time... but knowing Cindy, he was probably going to end up early no matter what he did. First, after all, she'd want to show her mother all over Elysium... the Drakkaren only hoped she would stay safe, and they wouldn't run into any hostiles... or worse, any troublemakers like Loki or Ixin, who could quickly ruin the entire night ahead by saying the right thing at the wrong time.

Zerrex walked out as the gates raised completely, putting his hands into his pockets as he passed onto the wooden bridge... and then he smiled slightly as he felt a distinct vibration before Sammy appeared on his shoulder, the skeletal pseudodragon chirping at him before nibbling at his hair. The Drakkaren immediately laughed a bit at this as he stepped off the wooden bridge and onto the windy plains that surrounded the fortress-prison, and he held his right hand out so the small beast could leap down onto it, then turn around and look up at him with his golden-flame eyes as he recited in Cindy's voice: "Cindy wants dinner held in the Ravenlight Estate's medium dining room, the classy one. She wants Daria, Cherry, Mary, Marina, Maria, and Mercy present. She says Sephire, Serenity, Selena, Aluinnia, and Anathema Sin are banned from attending because they get you too riled up."

"Notice that most of those names in the friends-slash-not-friends list all start with the same letter, or pretty much... are the same." Zerrex said musingly, and Sammy chirped and then looked up at him curiously, and the reptile laughed before the skeletal pseudodragon scrambled quickly up his arm and hopped onto his head even as the Drakkaren rose his other hand and created a portal. "Oh stop that, you damn well know you're my little buddy. And I mean the word buddy, as in someone I would totally sleep with if... you know, you were bigger and not made of bones. Ha, bones."

Sammy huffed at him and leaned down to nip the lizard's muzzle as he dug lightly with his claws against the lizard's forehead, and the reptile grimaced as he walked through and into the main hall of the Ravenlight Estate, absently slapping at his small friend. "Oh stop that, it's a compliment. Anyway, it's not my fault you decided at some point you were too cool for me and keep running off to explore Elysium and the mortal planet. Stick around then, at least for dinner. I promise I won't let Cindy chase you off. Might actually help Jessica like me more if she sees I hang around with a cute little bugger like you."

Sammy chirped cheerfully at this, the skeletal little creature nodding before it hopped off Zerrex's head to the ground below, and the reptile smiled down at him. Then he knelt, reaching out and petting quietly along the creature's bony neck as he murmured: "We had quite some adventures, didn't we Knight Dove?"

Sammy chirped again at this, then bounced backwards before hopping up on his hind legs and dancing around in a circle, and Zerrex laughed, nodding a few times before he glanced up with a smile as a voice called gently from the stairs: "He's a good boy, isn't he?"

Zerrex straightened as Lily strode down the steps towards him, walking across the wide entrance hall and gazing at him lovingly with her rainbow-kaleidoscope eyes. Sammy immediately ran in a circle around the lizard's feet, then sat primly down beside him as the Drakkaren opened his arms... and the two hugged firmly, Lily pressing against him as she murmured softly: "I'm sorry we haven't been able to spend much time together over... well... ever since Vivien took charge of everything."

"It's okay. She's doing a lot of good work... I'm just glad to see you're safe." Zerrex said softly, then he paused and glanced back and forth before looking down at her softly: "You shouldn't travel alone, though. Even in the Ravenlight Estate, it makes me nervous now, after I've seen what this bastard is capable of."

"Sephire related the story to us while she was demanding permission to accompany you around Elysium." Lily said softly, gazing up at him quietly before she gently took one of his hand, and she guided it to her face, kissing it softly before closing her eyes and tilting her head so his fingers cupped her cheek. "But I'm not worried, Zerrex. What will happen... will happen. And the only show of strength this thing has done so far is raw destruction... but you, you brought Justice back, a Naganatine thought dead long, long ago. That is true strength, true power, Zerrex... my husband... my beloved. Anyone can knock something down... few people can rebuild and create."

Zerrex smiled a little at her, gazing over her softly: at her golden scales, at her flowing, pretty white dress... and then he hesitated for a few moments before he slowly pulled his hand away to grip her shoulder gently, saying quietly: "I just got back from visiting Ambrosia, Lily."

Lily stiffened slightly... but then she nodded a little, looking up at him quietly and studying his emerald eyes before she said softly: "What did you offer her, Zerrex? I love her, I do, just like I love Pallas... but Pallas, at least, had an excuse, however strong or weak it was. Ambrosia... my little girl ended up being... kind of a bitch."

Zerrex smiled a bit more at this as Lily looked moodily down, unknowingly reminding the Drakkaren very strongly of the daughter he had just been visiting with... and he shook his head before kissing her forehead, saying quietly: "Now stop that, Lily. Ambrosia showed... a little more relent this time, a little more remorse. While I know you disagree with the fact she was sent to a high-security prison-"

"Damn right I do, Thoth's lucky I didn't march over to him and shout at him." Lily said indignantly, and Zerrex looked at her with amusement as she added moodily: "Vivien was getting on my case about that again, though. Said I wasn't being cooperative with everyone, telling me to modify my speeches again for the hundredth time. I get scolded more than Selena does, I don't understand it."

"And at the same time, Vivien doesn't want to bring in a new administration, I know it's frustrating." the lizard said soothingly, squeezing gently into her shoulders, and the female only grumbled now before the reptile smiled a little, saying quietly: "I have to have dinner with Jessica Delacroix tonight, Cindy's mother, and a few other guests. I'd like you to talk to Sabnock or White about a temporary suspension of sentence for Ambrosia, though. Pallas might not want to leave his prison... and he might actually be safe there, the last time I visited him I know he looked... he looked different than when he'd first been locked up... but Ambrosia keeps being sent to solitary confinement in the crystal cells. And if this thing got into Sabnock's manor..."

"God, Ambrosia... and she was supposed to be your Iuratus until Serenity blacklisted her..." Lily gritted her teeth a little at this, and Zerrex gazed at her softly. Lily loved and supported all her daughters... and he thought Ambrosia would be surprised to know about the time-they-would-never-speak-of-again, when Lily had yanked Serenity aside and shouted angrily at her for twenty minutes for not allowing Ambrosia to at least take the Iuratus tests, and how Serenity had almost broken down into tears, a defiant look in her eyes and her lower lip trembling through most of the condescending, angry speech.

Zerrex only nodded in response, saying quietly: "Exactly. I also visit Ambrosia regularly... I see her more often than I see some of my other children, who are all off with families of their own or... you know." He smiled a bit at her, and Lily gazed back up at him quietly before the male gently grasped her upper arms and kissed her forehead softly: "Go on now, Lily. I got people to gather up and I need to make sure other people don't show up. And take Desire with you when you go. I don't want to see anything happen to you."

Lily smiled softly, but she nodded after a moment, saying quietly: "Alright, Zerrex. Alright. But only because you said so." She hesitated, then leaned up and kissed his cheek, saying quietly: "Thank you. It means a lot to me that you've never forgotten about Ambrosia. I love her too, I just... forget sometimes to show it. I forget sometimes she's... she should always be my daughter first, and everything else second."

The two looked at each other for a moment, then Lily stepped back before she gazed down and smiled warmly at Sammy, waving at him before turning and heading towards the stairs. Sammy chirped at her back, and Zerrex watched his wife as she ascended to one of the side doors, the demoness pulling this open and gazing radiantly at him for a moment before she vanished through it. Then Zerrex laughed a bit and shook his head slowly, reaching up and fingering his mala as he muttered: "Okay... let's see if I can do this right."

He squeezed several beads in a row, moving his fingers slowly through the mala, making it jingle quietly... and a moment later, several portals opened. Cherry emerged through one with Carmen, the latter female grumbling as she brushed wrinkles out of the nicer clothes the embarrassed, muscular female was wearing, while Maria and Mercy came through another, Justice, Sephire, and Daria emerged from the third, and Mary stepped out of the last. Zerrex looked back and forth over the assortment of females, rubbing musingly at his face before he said clearly: "Carmen, Sephire, and Justice, you all aren't invited. Go away."

Sephire snorted in amusement at this, crossing her arms over her chest before she looked over at Carmen and Cherry, who both looked dumbly at her. For a few moments, they only stared at each other - Sephire back in her armor, Carmen with a set of massive breasts barely restrained by a dragon-leather bra and her wide hips stretching the leather pants covering her legs, Cherry wearing square-toed cowboy boots, deep blue dress jeans, a belt with a massive silver buckle with the Central Spire and the runes for each of the Provinces embossed over it, with a thick white shirt and a matching denim dress jacket overtop - and then the three all grabbed their faces and screamed at each other, making Zerrex wince back: none of them were very high in pitch, but the roughness of their voices made the sound vastly irritating nonetheless.

Daria flinched, then grimaced and brushed awkwardly at her clothes: she had changed into a pretty black dress with white and red butterflies stitched across the front of it, simple straps going over her shoulders and tied in a pretty bow behind her neck... and Mercy, meanwhile, only sighed silently and shook her head slowly, dressed in simple dress pants and a white, long-sleeved blouse that covered the ivy tattoos along her entire arms. She blushed a bit as she gazed at her father, who let his eyes linger on her for a moment with a soft smile, feeling calmed by the very sight of her even as Sephire, Cherry, and Carmen all began to run around in a circle together, yelling randomly, and Sammy immediately squawked and began to bounce around happily with them, imitating various Cherry sounds before Zerrex finally sighed, then walked out and extended his arm in front of Carmen.

The female's throat collided with this, making her wheeze and gargle before Sephire crashed into her back, and both females fell to the ground with groans of pain and dumb surprise before Zerrex simply glared at the last female, and her yelling was cut off by a wheeze as her collar tightened around her throat, flailing her arms wildly as Zerrex said clearly: "I swear I'll send all three of you for a time-out on the moon if you don't stop this nonsense right now."

"You're such a bastard." Justice said admiringly, and the Drakkaren slapped his forehead as he finally glanced away from Cherry, and her collar loosened as she gasped for her breath and clawed wildly at the air, exaggerating her suffocation: all things considered, if anything the female probably enjoyed when he throttled her with the collar. The Naganatine was clad as before, her wings and the metal around her breasts her only clothing, but mimicking the look remarkably well... and Zerrex looked at her meditatively as she gazed back with her blind eyes before pointing at Carmen and Sephire as they sat up on the ground. "I'll babysit the goddess, but not the Amazon."

"Hey, I got tits!" Carmen said in an offended voice, grabbing at her enormous bosom before she peered over at Sephire's musingly. "Damn, grandma, what big boobs you have, though. Those cannot be natural."

"Oh, eat me." Sephire grumbled, and then she grunted as she stood up and cracked her back loudly, adding: "And hey, they're awesome, but hell on me in combat. You ever get smacked in the tits?"

"Lots." Carmen glared at Zerrex, who cleared his throat before the female stood up and grinned suddenly, saying cheerfully: "Anyway, hey, Zerrex. Why don't you bring Justice with you to dinner, and Sephire and me will go out and get to know each other better? 'Specially since she's a Disciple now and shit, someone's gotta show her the ropes, teach her the rules, and the babe sounds like she can use some looking around, being locked up for all the years she has."

Sephire smiled over at Carmen, and then the two looked pleadingly at Zerrex as they laced their fingers together... and the Drakkaren sighed as he slapped his forehead and Sammy chirped as if in agreement, the reptile finally muttering: "Fine, fine. That sounds fine."

The two females laughed and clapped, then they both waved to Cherry before turning and bolting towards the Ravenlight Estate's doors, and Cherry grumbled... then flailed a bit when Mary approached her and began to help smooth out her denim jacket. She finally gently-but-firmly pushed the feline backwards, glowering a little as she mumbled: "Thanks, but no thanks. This is as good as I'm gonna get."

Zerrex looked over at Mary, who was smiling amusedly: she had a short green dress on that went well with her ivory fur, her black eyes affectionate even as Cherry blushed and looked awkwardly away, rubbing at her arms, Maria standing on her other side and smiling lovingly, a beautiful strapless dress of silver chain hanging around her own body... and then Zerrex broke the tension by asking mildly: "Cynthia, when did you become a cowboy?"

"It's Cherry!" the female stormed immediately, waving her arms vehemently and making both the Broken and the angel wince away from her as Justice laughed and Zerrex grinned. Then she flushed a bit as she dropped her arms at her sides, adding in a grumble: "And... this is my nicest outfit, okay? Fuck you, I don't wear no fucking dresses and shit."

Zerrex shook his head a bit, and then he glanced around at the gathered crowd, saying finally: "Alright. Since apparently Justice is inviting herself as well... I'm going over some ground rules here, and making sure everyone's ready. Some of you already know Jessica... and all of you know it's Cindy's mother. But there are several topics that are not good to bring up around here, such as... well... anything to do with me, the murderer, politics of Hell and Elysium, and especially do not ever bring up her mortal life. Show an interest in her topic, let her control the conversation to a point. She'll probably ask a lot of questions and she might be derisive, but please try and roll with it."

Zerrex looked pointedly over at Justice, who snorted and cocked her head, saying flatly: "You've known me for all of two hours, Zerrex Narrius."

"Yeah, and I already know that you're likely going to bait her." Zerrex retorted, and then he pointed over at Cherry, who was glowering moodily at the Naganatine. "See her? Normally Cherry is queen bitch around here... well, next to Selena, who I hope like hell is still in Acheron. But even she keeps her mouth shut around Jessica because she's terrified of what Cindy will do to her face if she says the wrong thing."

Justice glared at him with her blind eyes, and Zerrex narrowed his eyes in return... and then Sammy chirped cheerfully between them, and the two looked dumbly down at the little pseudodragon before he said clearly in Zerrex's voice: "You're a butt."

Zerrex slapped his forehead and groaned, and then he said flatly: "No, what I am is nervous. Personally, I'd prefer to be in a battle to the death than making nice with Jessica at a fancy dinner. And Cindy will mess me up too if something goes wrong."

Justice shook her head a bit, and then she patted the Drakkaren's cheek, saying kindly: "Well, for your safety, then, I'll be nice, and I can already see the others will be behaving themselves well too... funny, though. Demons, Naganatine, angels, gods, and a Broken all in the same room, having a meal they don't need together, pretending to like each other when I'm sure I'll see plenty of secret sparks flying."

The lizard rubbed slowly at his face, looking moodily at Justice, and she grinned at him before glancing around the group again, before glowering down at the ground as Sammy said in Cherry's voice: "You're a cunt."

Justice kicked at him, but the skeletal pseudodragon scampered easily away, chirping cheerfully, and Zerrex rolled his eyes with a sigh before the female muttered: "Oh stop it, like I would have been able to hit him anyway. I can't see the undead as well as I see the living... they have a very different energy flow, among other things."

"Still." Zerrex grumbled, and then he glanced over at Cherry as she tried to shrug Mary off when the angel began to help her neaten out her clothes again, looking embarrassed. "Oh, stop that, Cherry, you need to look your best for this."

"Don't you think I know that?" Cherry sounded almost desperate as well as frustrated now, however, grimacing a bit before she pointed at Daria, the newt looking embarrassed as the demigoddess spluttered: "How the hell am I going to compare to her, anyway? She's got fucking... etiquette stripper lessons and shit too, like all them rich high-class whores get! And me, I'm... I dunno, this ain't like in the Legion, when I would be all hosh-posh debonair bitch. Look at my biceps! Rich chicks don't have biceps like this!"

Cherry flexed her arm, and then she squawked as her denim jacket tore, her muscle bulging through the fabric... and Zerrex slapped his forehead even as Mary sighed and carefully dragged Cherry's arm back down, muttering a spell that caused the material to quickly repair itself as the female looked embarrassed, then glanced over at Daria as the newt said gently: "Why don't you sit beside me then, Cherry? I'll cover you if anything bad happens and... help you out if any topics come up you're... not as comfortable with. Would that be okay?"

The demigoddess looked both surprised and suspicious, frowning a bit at the newt as she gazed over her slowly before asking hesitantly: "The fuck would you help me for? I mean, babe, we get along fine everywhere else, yeah, but when it comes to my beautiful baby girl Cindy, you and I... bump heads a little and shit."

"Cherry, you're the only one who thinks we 'bump heads;' you're the one who keeps charging at me with your horns lowered, figuratively and sometimes literally." Daria pointed out mildly, and the hermaphrodite cleared her throat as she glanced away, arms crossed and looking embarrassed. "Cindy loves you, and I know she wants this dinner to go well, not just because of Zerrex but because she wants Jessica to accept you, too."

Cherry mumbled as she shuffled on her spot, and then she finally nodded a little and glanced embarrassedly up at the female. "Okay, okay, fine and shit. I... yeah. I gotta go and finish up my shit though, get the last of my stuff together... Boss, you okay with me trying to woo Jessica and shit? Not like. Woo-woo, just. You know."

Zerrex slapped his forehead as the female cleared her throat, then he nodded and said mildly: "Yeah. I suppose everyone can go, really, since you all look like you're ready for dinner... Mercy, can you stay for a second, though? Business talk."

Mercy nodded with a soft smile, and the other females gazed at the Drakkaren before they all went off their separate ways, some through portals, others heading to the stairs and doorways... and then the reptile looked sourly at Justice, but she only shrugged, saying amiably: "I have nowhere else to be. Besides, I want to hear more about this imprisoned daughter of yours."

Mercy looked sharply at Justice, then she glanced over at her father as Zerrex punched Justice firmly in the shoulder, the Naganatine swaying on the spot but otherwise only grinning before the reptile sighed and rolled his eyes, saying flatly: "Yes, I'm having Lily ask Sabnock and-slash-or White to suspend Ambrosia's punishment temporarily, until we can track down this killer. Thanks, Justice, for letting me break that to my daughter so gently. You've got a lot of tact."

Mercy reached up to fumble at her collar, and then she managed to pop it open before she said in a surprisingly-harsh voice: "I don't like that, Dad, I don't like that idea at all. Ambrosia is a manipulative bitch, and she's dangerous as hell when she doesn't get her way... I still remember how hard she and Serenity fought when she was told she couldn't be your Iuratus. They almost killed each other!"

"Yeah, both of them, Mercy. And when Serenity got the upper hand, I'm sure you remember that I had to literally kick her off Ambrosia to stop her from killing or maiming her." Zerrex said gently, and Mercy frowned a bit but nodded slowly nonetheless. "They're Pride demons, and they were attacking each other personally as well as physically. They wanted to hurt each other... and if Serenity had killed Ambrosia, she would be the one in prison right now, with her right of Iuratus stripped from her. And likewise, if Serenity had allowed Ambrosia to become an Iuratus, maybe she never would have felt like she had to turn to stealing to try and get a thrill out of life. As maybe a desperate act for attention... Cherry and I taught her a lot of the techniques she used, after all. Silent entry, moving quietly through an area, on-site procurement, lock-picking, disarming traps, stealth... I taught her how to move quietly without getting caught, and Cherry taught her how to break and enter."

Mercy grimaced a bit, looking up at her father worriedly nonetheless as she said quietly: "Look, I don't... I don't doubt my sister's love for you, Dad, but... Ambrosia might love herself more than she loves you. I don't want... you doing something good for her, just for her to either try and escape you, or turn on us. And I don't want to see her and Serenity fighting, either... they really might kill each other given half a chance."

The two looked at one-another... then Justice said softly: "And yet you're speaking from logic and rules, when your heart speaks very differently, isn't that right, silent girl? Put your collar back on and speak to your father clearly, don't confuse yourself trying to use all these meaningless, fancy words."

Mercy glowered a bit at Justice, but Zerrex only looked curiously at the Naganatine as she smiled slightly at the female with her blind eyes, saying gently: "Look at me, daughter of Zerrex, and tell me I don't know what I'm talking about."

Mercy grumbled a bit, and Zerrex smiled a little despite himself before she sighed and carefully did her collar back up around her throat... and then she looked down thoughtfully for a few moments before raising her hands... but she hesitated. She looked dumbly at her fingers, and then frowned over at Justice, who simply shrugged and winked one of her blind irises... and the demoness grumbled silently before she sighed silently and gestured embarrassedly at the Drakkaren, who nodded before he caught one of her hands and pulled it to his lips, kissing her fingers gently.

The female smiled at him quietly, and then she nodded a little firmer before she gently stroked over the scarred side of the lizard's face, before they gazed into each other's eyes... and then they bumped their noses together before kissing for a short, soft moment, the reptile's mouth working against the stitched lips of his daughter before they pulled apart and gazed lovingly at one-another.

Then Mercy nodded again before she flicked her wrist, silently creating a portal as she looked tenderly at Zerrex before vanishing through it... and the reptile glanced over at Justice, saying mildly: "Stop reading people's emotions or minds."

"I can't, they're too loud." the Naganatine retorted, and then she rubbed absently at the underside of her muzzle. "So what did she say? I might be able to see her, but that doesn't mean I understand what I'm seeing. And apparently it's rude of me to interpret her energy flow."

Zerrex slapped his forehead, and then he looked down at Sammy as the pseudodragon scampered towards them, sitting up on his haunches and saying clearly in the Drakkaren's voice: "Let's stab her. Let's stab her good."

Justice looked down at the skeleton for a few moments... and then she narrowed her eyes suddenly, and Sammy squeaked before he exploded into pieces in a sizzle of energy, the Naganatine immediately looking shocked as she grabbed at her muzzle and said in a startled voice: "I didn't hit him that hard, dear Naganis, I didn't meant to!"

Zerrex, however, only tapped his foot a few times before he looked down at the pile of bones, the yellow flames still burning in the skull's sockets... and then a moment later, the skeletal pseudodragon snapped suddenly back together, chirping cheerfully as Justice looked surprised and the Drakkaren remarked: "I guess you really must have more trouble reading the undead. That's a new trick I really, really wish Anathema Sin hadn't taught him, since now he does it every time he gets a chance."

Justice glowered at the pseudodragon, glaring at him again... and this time Sammy squawked and was blasted backwards by a suddenly explosion of energy, arcs of blue lightning sizzling through the air where Sammy had been as he rolled a few times and then ended up on his back, flailing his limbs at the air as the Naganatine muttered irritably: "You're both troublemakers, you know that?"

"Please stop flash-frying my little friend." Zerrex said pettishly, and then he rolled his eyes when Justice glared at him and he felt a shock of energy spark along his body. "Can you save that party trick for later? Anyway, come with me. I'm going to teach you how things work around the Ravenlight Estate."

As it turned out, getting Justice to behave was a task easier said than done: due to the fact she had never experienced any mortal customs, and how Zerrex's life revolved around mixing the current trends of Elysium with his old mortal culture, she was curious about every little thing and insisted on explaining how life with Naganis had been so much simpler, maintaining that it had been better and purer... but worse and more boring at the same time.

Cindy had the foresight to summon his kitchen staff for him, at least: although the Ravenlight Estate was normally home only to a skeleton crew of servants, since Zerrex liked to do everything himself, he also paid dues to an agency that provided various skilled workers so in case of a situation like this one, he could have people on hand. He also had a list of preferred chefs, butlers, waiters, and other staffers who had worked with the Drakkaren before and knew his habits and preferences and eccentricities, as well as those of his family.

So when they had entered the kitchen, the cooks had already been busy preparing the meal, and the head chef had informed him that the maids were already setting up a table in Dining Room B as per instruction, and then asked him kindly to get the hell out. Zerrex, used to the grumpy, touchy attitude of the cooking staff, had only been amused... but Justice had been a little less than pleased by the entitled attitude of the chef and had stirred up a ruckus before the lizard had finally dragged her out.

The Drakkaren had tried to explain to her how things tended to work with certain people and that he was glad enough to let the chefs run the kitchen the way they wanted to... but Justice only grumbled about entitlement and then she had started on a long ramble about how they all had things they were best at, but all of them had always respected Naganis's wishes, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera ad infinitum.

It almost made the reptile glad when Zerrex had felt a faint tingle in his mind... and Justice had cocked her head as well before seizing the lizard's wrist and dragging him down the halls, no longer wandering with him but obviously set on some goal. He had been unsurprised when they had arrived in the medium sized dining room, the black oak table glinting quietly and the chairs neatly arranged around it, large bottles of rose petal wine and glass pitchers containing other substances sitting in a neat arrangement around a silver centerpiece in the shape of two tall Drakkai holding up a massive pearl decorated with embossed black platinum shapes. Cindy had looked dumbly surprised, dressed in a flowing black ballgown... and then she winced, looking over her shoulder at the neatly-laid out china as Justice primly took a seat before she hissed: "You're both underdressed and Mom will be here any minute!"

Zerrex grumbled at this, and then he glanced at Justice and concentrated... and a moment later, clothing appeared over the Naganatine, the female cursing and wincing as she looked at the blue dress that now clung to her body, grabbing at it and glaring angrily at Zerrex as the Drakkaren shrugged before he looked moodily at Cindy. "I know, it's the same thing she's wearing except for the color, but I don't have a lot of time to concentrate here."

"Ugly. Ugly." Justice muttered, crossing her arms and looking balefully towards one of the tall candelabras sitting on the table: blue flames flickered at the end of each wax candle, while above them, a much greater light was cast from a massive glass crystal filled with strange, glowing blue gases, the orb hanging snared inside the cage of a golden chandelier hanging from the ceiling by a silver chain.

Zerrex grumbled as he walked towards the foot of the table, saying dryly: "Jessica can sit at the head, as the guest for tonight. Cherry and Daria are sitting side-by-side..." The reptile paused as he glanced at the fireplace at the end of the dining room, looking into the blue flames crackling cheerfully away inside the heavy stone before he clapped his hands twice, and almost instantly, the cape swirling behind him wrapped around his body and transformed into a tight dress shirt and suit jacket of dark-colored scale leather, the reptile looking meditatively over this. "Nice. Almost as good as my armlet."

"Don't be insulting." Justice said dryly, and then she glanced towards Cindy, who was still looking moodily from her father to the Naganatine. "And stop that. Your mother is nervous about tonight, but nothing's going to change between you and her if you continue to try and always show her the same façade over and over again. If you were really so eager to share your life with her and show her that you're an adult, you wouldn't be asking everyone to be on their best behavior and putting on such a goddamn fancy show for her. You'd just have all of us get together for a nice meal and prove to her we're not monsters when our masks are off."

Sammy chirped in agreement and hopped up on the table, and Cindy winced before she reached out and gently grabbed the pseudodragon, putting him down on the floor and muttering: "It's complicated... Justice, right? Why are you even here?"

"To help." Justice said easily, and she smiled at Cindy, glancing over her thoughtfully. "You're angry at me, you're just trying not to show it. But your energy boils with it... and you're scared. And yet beneath both those layers and the outer mask of politeness, you know I'm right."

"Is she another fucking psychic like goddamn Celeste?" asked Cindy suddenly and sharply, and then she winced in embarrassment and covered his mouth, even as Marina curiously poked her head in and Justice only grinned widely. "Oh shit, I... sorry, Daddy, and... Justice I mean and... oh Marina, oh no! Daddy, didn't you tell Marina too?"

"Mom, it's fine." Marina said gently, wearing only her loincloth and the wrap around her breasts as she smiled and walked down the table to sit beside Zerrex, the two gazing at each other warmly. "Daddy, would you mind clothing me? I'm sorry I didn't come earlier, but I was listening to you nonetheless... poor Celeste just needed a little reassurance. She's a lot like me in some ways... uncomfortable around others, dependant on... having a little contact to keep herself sane, only trusting a few special people. Not... entirely able to understand others."

She looked quietly at her father for a few moments, and then she laughed delightedly when Zerrex reached out and gently touched her shoulder, and a pretty, slender black dress appeared over her, fluffing out and sparking quietly with the reptile's energies for a moment before it settled, the female gazing at him affectionately as Zerrex said quietly: "I'm glad you're there for her, Marina." He paused, then glanced towards Cindy, who was looking hesitantly from Justice to Zerrex. "It's going to be fine, alright? We'll get through this, we'll introduce Jessica slowly to things around here, and we'll... work things out."

Cindy didn't look convinced, but she nodded slowly nonetheless, grimacing a little bit as she rubbed at her face... and then she sighed and glanced morbidly over at Justice as the Naganatine said mildly: "By the way, your mother already expects this to go badly. But nonetheless, she's trying to see things your way... for your sake. And to be part of your life. I doubt there's any way this dinner can go perfectly, but trying to put up a farce for her is just going to make it go worse, so when push comes to shove, shove back."

Cindy glared at Justice as Sammy chirped beside Zerrex and hopped up into his lap, and the reptile rolled his eyes and sighed a bit as he absently petted the bony pseudodragon, feeling instinctively that dinner was going to go badly even as he reached up and gently brushed his fingers through his mala, concentrating at the same time.

Less than a minute later, the door Marina had just entered through swung open, and the others who had been invited to dinner made their way inside as Zerrex reflected it might not look the best that everyone here except for himself and little Sammy was a female. Well, Cherry's sort of both, but she doesn't really count.

Cindy immediately fell into a fluster as she arranged people in a better order, putting Cherry on the right side of the table with Daria beside her, and then her own spot to the left of the head so she could sit across from Cherry and beside her mother... and she was prompt in forcing Justice to move all the way down to the other end of the table, as Zerrex simply watched the chaos unfold. Marina smiled indulgently on one side of him, and Justice grumbled and crossed her arms as she sat on the other, watching moodily as Cindy ran back and forth, adjusting things here and there even as servants entered with large carts of food, waiting calmly near the front and back of the room.

Finally, she looked up as Jessica entered the room, smiling awkwardly to her mother and gesturing eagerly towards the head of the table as uniformed servants stood silently and calmly, and Zerrex stood as well: the rest of the table immediately rose, Cherry doing her best to grin despite how anxious she looked as Jessica approached the head of the table, and finally sat down... and when the male Drakkaren sat, the rest of the table took it as their cue to do the same, Jessica looking nervously back and forth as a servant stepped forwards and announced calmly: "Tonight's meal will consist of turkey prepared in modern Irenic fashion and several Hez'Rannan delicacies, such as cooked Draybeast tenders. Please enjoy."

The servants began to remove their covered platters from the carts, placing them onto the table and uncovering them to reveal the food beneath, delicious smells wafting through the air as Cindy carefully poured her mother a glass of rose petal wine, Jessica looking critically back and forth before she nodded a little bit as Cindy put the bottle aside, saying quickly: "Doesn't this look good, Mom? And all friendly faces here, too... Mary, you know her, and Cherry, too, and you just met Daria..."

"Yes, very nice." Jessica murmured, and she looked back and forth before frowning a bit as she glanced at Justice, who looked back at her with a smile on her face, her blind eyes deep and knowing. "Pardon, but... didn't we meet briefly?"

"Yes, I am Justice, of the Naganatine. I was there when Zerrex saved you from the angels harassing you." Justice remarked airily, as if commenting on the weather, and Cindy glared at her furiously as Zerrex winced a little bit and rubbed awkwardly at his face, but Jessica only looked at her thoughtfully as Justice continued to gaze at her with her blind eyes. "We're going to get along well, aren't we?"

Jessica smiled a little at this, surprisingly... and thankfully, although dinner was awkward, there wasn't much in the terms of unpleasantness. Cherry was anxious the whole time, and Cindy was overprotective and visibly stressing out over every little detail, but Jessica only shot Zerrex a few nasty looks and otherwise asked only a few careful questions. Justice, meanwhile, was greedily sampling everything she could get her hands on, showing the same gluttony that Anathema possessed for food.

Dinner was replaced by dessert, and when dessert was finished, the plates were taken away and the servants served out mugs of coffee and tea, everyone's preferences already thoughtfully attended to. They were expensive rental servants, but they were good ones, and even if the head chef was a tyrant he demonstrated clearly he knew what he was doing, as everyone relaxed a bit and Justice sipped easily at her coffee. Jessica, thankfully, was occupied with questioning Marina curiously about her art and other things, and Marina was treating Jessica kindly as Zerrex fed Sammy small bits of food as he sat on his shoulder, the pseudodragon taking great pleasure in chewing things up despite the fact that the crumbs for the most part simply pattered their way out of his neck and his ribs.

Zerrex sipped at his mug of coffee, and the pseudodragon pawed at this, but the Drakkaren only snorted and bumped his thick muzzle against the small, skeletal creature, muttering: "Don't push your luck now, you little asshat."

"Zerrex, what is that thing?" Jessica asked from the other side of the table, and the reptile and Sammy both looked up dumbly, making the female frown a bit. "It's too small to be a toy hydra but it's too large to be a wyrmlet."

The reptile blinked in surprise, then he looked pleased at this, putting the mug of coffee down and clicking his tongue at Sammy, and the little pseudodragon proudly hopped off his shoulders and trotted across the table towards Jessica, preening himself despite Cindy's look of horror even as Jessica only looked down at him with curiosity. "It's a pseudodragon. Well. It was. He's kind of undead now." Zerrex paused, then cleared his throat at the glare Sammy shot over his shoulder at him. "Sorry, he's. He's sensitive about it."

"Really now? I've heard stories about pseudodragons." Jessica leaned down a bit, and Sammy turned his attention back to her, cocking his head before she asked curiously: "Are they really as intelligent as they say?"

Immediately, Sammy chirped and hopped up on his back legs, dancing around in a circle to the delight of several of those at the table - and a few of the servants still present - before the pseudodragon said in Cindy's voice: "I'm smarter than I look."

"What an excellent impression." Jessica smiled a bit more openly now, hesitantly reaching a hand forwards... and when Sammy chirped and stepped forwards to push his horned skull against the female's fingers, she warmed visibly and immediately stroked lightly along the back of his neck, saying quietly: "Yes, yes. That's very good. I spent a lot of time around animals when I first worked in the temples in Heaven... I looked after pack hydras and gryphon mounts and helped out in the stables."

Zerrex smiled a little bit, saying quietly: "One of my jobs in Hell was to train animals, and I've never forgotten how it works... I remember I helped out my old stable-master, Kent, only a few years back, when I took Epiphany, Naganen, and Darren out to ride some older hydras that were being retired from the military. While they enjoyed themselves with that, I was training Infernal Dragons."

Jessica looked over at him with interest at this, as Cindy only sat dumbly back, obviously not able to believe what was going on as her mother asked quietly: "Dragons, really? Forgive me for asking... but weren't you scared at all? Infernal Dragons, I hear, are the war-mounts of gigantic demons, and many legends talk about the immeasurable chaos they would wreak during their attacks on Heaven... but I suppose that it's a little different for me than it is for you."

Zerrex smiled a little, rubbing at the back of his head as he said quietly: "You might be surprised, but yeah. Of course they made me nervous... I mean, no matter who you are, when you're dealing with something sixty feet tall and capable of eating you in a few bites, that's going to make you a little nervous. But training them isn't that hard... you have to figure out which is the alpha, and earn its respect and demonstrate that you're in charge. And besides, I've had dragons vomit on me before. That's a lot worse than when they try to ram you or bite you."

Jessica smiled a little at this as she sipped slowly at her tea, Sammy chirping at her as the pseudodragon laid down in front of her and clearly enjoyed the continued petting it was receiving, before the female looked almost surprised at the fact she had just held a short, non-hostile conversation with the Drakkaren... and the two looked at each other for a few moments before she smiled hesitantly wider.

Cindy looked relieved at this... and then she winced a bit when Jessica touched her arm, saying kindly: "Thank you for putting this together for me, my daughter. It means a lot to me that you did... but you didn't have to. You shouldn't have to feel you need to... go to great lengths for me. Nice as it is to be in the presence of all these... friendly faces."

She looked around at them all, her gaze lingering for a few moments on Cherry... and then she shook her head a bit before Daria nudged the muscular female firmly with her elbow, and the hermaphrodite blushed a bit before she managed to say: "Cindy's always been real thoughtful and shit and she really totally wanted us all to come across good to you. Well. I mean well, she wanted us to come across well. And shit."

Jessica looked blankly over at Cherry for a moment as Mercy dropped her face in her hands and Daria sighed, rubbing consolingly over Cherry's back as Justice snorted laughter. Cindy, meanwhile, looked with horror at the muscular hermaphrodite, who slowly shrank back in her chair before Jessica cleared her throat as she looked down at Sammy, then back up at Cherry, finally saying: "Thank you... Cherry. Although you... please. Don't... try to be someone you aren't just because I'm here. I... did mean it when I said that I wanted to be involved in my daughter's life, and I know you're all... trying hard to put on a good face for me. But I know that... my Cindy wouldn't be so adamant about having you all in her life without good reason."

"Oh fuck, finally, so I can-" Cherry began to take off her denim jacket, and then she winced at the dark look Cindy shot her, grinning weakly as she mumbled: "Totally... just shut my mouth and... never... talk again. Just like I always do."

Jessica reached out and calmly touched Cindy's shoulder, however, and then Justice suddenly looked up in stupid surprise as Marina frowned a bit, before looking sharply at Jessica... and the mother of Cindy blushed for a moment before she said softly: "Didn't I ever tell you that I used to be a party girl myself? That that... is why Zerrex and I met in the first place?"

"I... well... I mean..." Now Cindy looked surprised and hesitant, looking at her mother quietly as Jessica gazed at her softly, everyone from around the table watching the two. "I found out that... you... that Daddy was my Father, because he... met you at a rave. But Mom, you were always so... I dunno, in control, so cautious and quiet..."

"Yes, Cindy, but you saw me through a child's eyes back then, when I was still alive." Jessica said gently, then she shook her head slowly, saying softly: "I was a party girl, Cindy. I was always on the road, going from place-to-place on one big, everlasting, world-wide party from the age of sixteen until... well... until after what happened between me and your father. I had sex with bad boys and punks in rock bands for cash and travel privileges. I got on private jets by doing awful things for other people. I helped smuggle drugs past checkpoints because I was a young pretty girl that the authorities wouldn't dare lay a hand on because I was from Ire, and that was back in the days when the feminist movement was strong and let bad girls like me get away with everything up to murder, because any 'male-ocracy' that even said a girl was bad was obviously oppressive, and Ire was enjoying playing off the chaos raised by that to attack traditionalist nations, invading under the pretense of 'helping females everywhere.'

"What Zerrex did to me was awful." She looked up at the Drakkaren, but there was no venom in her voice this time, no spite in her eyes as she looked across at him quietly. "But it at least set me straight. And it did give me the wonderful, beautiful gift of you." Jessica reached up and took her daughter's face gently in her hands, kissing her forehead softly. "And I'm not saying I'm going to like your friends all the time, or I'm going to even approve of everything you do... but I will always support you. And I'll never stop loving you."

Cindy smiled delightedly at her mother as Justice yawned visibly and stood up, picking up her coffee and sipping at the mug before she looked over at Zerrex and said loudly, despite Jessica and Cindy both shooting glares at her back: "Next time I'll listen to you, Zerrex, because this was boring. Except for the food. I'm going to go find sister, Anathema Sin is much more fun than you all."

With that, Justice turned around to walk away... but she did stop and squeeze Cindy's shoulder gently, smiling encouragingly to Jessica at the same time before she headed for the door. Cherry looked dumbly back and forth as Mary shook her head and Mercy smiled through her stitches, and then the muscular female slowly peeled her denim jacket off before she whispered loudly to Daria: "So... so what do I do now?"

Daria shrugged awkwardly, and then Jessica said gently: "Be yourself, Cherry. For example, my daughter tells me that you enjoy a lot of physical activities and you've really helped to bring out a different side of her."

Cherry covered her muzzle, giggling stupidly behind her hands, and Zerrex groaned as he rubbed slowly at his forehead before Mary interrupted quickly: "Cherry's always been very loyal to your daughter. She can be a little silly... but she's always fought hard to protect her, you know, and you can see how much she cares about her when they're out in public together."

"Yeah, Cherry, tell Mom about the last date we went on together." Cindy said quickly, smiling over at the female, and Cherry cocked her head curiously towards the female, which made Zerrex instantly wince, knowing that nothing that could be following would be good.

"You mean when we fucked on the roof?" Cherry asked dumbly, and Cindy turned beet red as Daria dropped her face in her hands and Zerrex sipped meditatively at his coffee, as Marina only shook her head slowly. Cherry looked confusedly back and forth as Mercy winced and Mary sighed, and then she only made the situation worse as she said flatly: "Well, that's what we do on every date! We fuck, when she's not fucking Daria here!"

Cindy gritted her teeth, her face burning scarlet as Jessica winced a little, visibly biting back a reprisal as Daria held up her hands and Maria looked desperately over at her father, the Broken who had been silent through most of dinner begging Zerrex to step in before things got any worse. Zerrex, however, only shrugged lamely as Daria finally argued: "Don't drag me into this, Cherry, I said I was going to help you-"

"I'm no good at this shit!" Cherry burst out, then she rose her hands above her head and slammed them down into the tabletop in visible frustration, making it rattle and the mugs bounce and Sammy hop to his feet with a squeak of surprise, immediately turning and bolting back towards Zerrex. "I'm a big, butch, bitchy bitch with a penis, goddammit, and I'm made of muscles and testosterone and... I like pie and sex and I love Zerrex and I love Cindy and goddammit, I ain't gonna change my shit for anyone!"

Cherry breathed heavily, gritting her teeth and wincing even as she looked defiantly back and forth around the table... and then Jessica sighed a bit and touched her forehead as Cindy winced and reached out to touch her mother's shoulder, but the female only shook her head and said quietly: "Well, Cindy, I think I'm going to head back to my room. Dinner was nice, at least, and..." She stopped, then stood up quietly before smiling a little down at Cherry, even as the muscular female blushed deeply. "I may... not... be fond of you, but I do wish... perhaps... I could be more like you."

And with that, Jessica turned and headed to the door, and Cindy immediately leapt up to her feet and ran after her mother, glaring over her shoulder at them and then beginning to babble apologies as she followed Jessica down the hall, and all faces present turned to look at Zerrex as Sammy peered up from where he was hiding in the lizard's lap, the Drakkaren sipping slowly at his mug of coffee before he remarked: "Congratulations, Cherry. Another social event destroyed."

"Oh fuck you." Cherry said moodily, and then she dropped face-first against the table with a loud clunk and a deep sigh as she mumbled: "I definitely took a dump in bed this time, didn't I?"

"It wasn't a complete loss." Marina said kindly, and Cherry looked up flatly at her, but the female only smiled as she gazed lovingly at her father. "I'm sure you felt it too, Daddy, and I know that anyone who was listening heard what she said... but Jessica at least doesn't hate you. And Cindy will calm down... this was all going to be a fiasco from the start anyway, after all."

"That makes me feel ever so much better." Cherry said moodily, and then she flopped back in the chair before grumbling under her breath, before wincing when Daria leaned over and kissed her cheek gently. "Babe, you could be giving me the best oral sex in the world right now and I totally would still be holding against you what just happened and shit."

"Grammar, Cherry." Zerrex said mildly, and then he looked around at the gathered females thoughtfully as he reached up and absently began to play through his mala as the dress suit and shirt over his chest rippled before puffing backwards into a long cloak. Then he smiled when a servant walked forwards and refilled his coffee mug, nodding to the demon and saying gently: "Will you please go bring the dessert cart back in here? Cherry needs to drown her sorrows in sugar."

"I want cake! And pie!" Cherry shouted as the servant bowed politely to the Drakkaren, and as he retreated, the hermaphrodite moodily looked around at the others seated at the table, asking lamely: "So what do you bitches think the damage was? I mean. You all get laid plenty, right? Well, at least I know I do, and Daria's a whore... Marina, remember when we caught you getting gangbanged that one time? That was hot."

Zerrex slapped his forehead, but surprisingly, it was Maria who spoke up, the Broken saying hesitantly: "Didn't it go pretty much how we expected it to go? No offense, of course, Miss Cherry, but... didn't you think this would happen anyway? What's the big deal, to be entirely honest?"

Cherry looked moodily at the female... but before she could answer, Zerrex held up a finger, saying mildly: "Cherry, I know you're looking for someone to take out your frustrations on. But can you at least wait until you've calmed down a little? Or you know. It's okay to talk about it. The girls here are... well. Cindy picked them for a reason. They're good girls. And they're all very close to you as well as her, if you haven't realized that yet already."

Cherry fidgeted awkwardly, looking embarrassed before she grumbled a little and crossed her arms, saying moodily: "I don't have no goddamn emotions. Emotions are for chicks, I ain't no freaking chick." She cleared her throat at this as Daria patted her soothingly on the leg, and then she fidgeted again before shoving at the newt with a grumble as the female only continued to look at her kindly. "Oh fuck off."

Daria rolled her eyes, and Zerrex sighed, shaking his head a bit before he decided to change the subject, asking mildly: "So has everyone received their summoning plates, while we're here?"

Immediately, the females all smiled, even Cherry perking up a bit as she dug in her pocket for a moment before producing hers and waving it back and forth. "These are awesome, and they were totally my idea, I want everyone to be clear on that and shit. My idea, not Sabnock's, not White's, even if they got the ball rolling and shit."

Zerrex rolled his eyes a bit at the female as she grinned back and forth, and then Maria asked curiously: "But how will you remember all of these different combinations, grandfather? There are quite a good few of them... and moreover, what if we need to call upon you?"

"Well, as Mary..." Zerrex cleared his throat as the feline looked up curiously. "Sorry, I meant mortal Mary, Mary Silverwind... once showed, as a god, I can be summoned if you have my material affinities on hand. Besides, when you concentrate hard enough, I can hear your thoughts..." Zerrex paused, then glanced over the table, closing his eyes as he thought clearly: And most of you can hear mine.

There were a few nods around the table as the rest of the females only smiled at him warmly, and when the Drakkaren opened his eyes again, he leaned forwards on his elbows, saying dryly: "So does anyone else think it probably wasn't the best of ideas for Cindy to only invite people who were my Disciples, and only females?"

Cherry looked dumbly back and forth as Mercy smiled slightly and Daria cleared her throat, looking a little embarrassed as she said awkwardly: "Sorry, Zerrex. That's partly my fault, I think... I made the mistake of mentioning to Cindy that males like Raze and Priest might come across as too intimidating-"

"Hey, don't you talk no crap about my bros or my boy." Cherry said immediately, glowering at Daria, but when Zerrex only looked at her pointedly, she slumped and crossed her arms, saying moodily. "Okay, I guess that... okay. Priest can be a little obnoxious at times, especially when he gets defensive of his Momma. And Raze is a big scary bag of hammers. Still, dude deserves a lot more credit than that, you butt. I mean... hey, I guess I am technically related to him somehow, huh?"

Zerrex sighed at this, rubbing at his face slowly before he glanced towards Daria, saying mildly: "We probably should have asked Tinny or Amiglion to be here. Other non-threatening male figures so it didn't seem like I just surround myself with collared females."

Daria grimaced a little, rubbing at her face slowly as she blushed a bit. "Yeah... I didn't even realize that all Cindy was listing out were other Disciples of yours. She just... really wanted dinner to go well, and so I think she... she tried too hard and listened too well when I made suggestions, you know?"

Cherry glowered over at Daria, but then she only sighed a bit and shook her head, looking moodily at the tabletop as a servant returned with the push-cart. He began to lay platters loaded with desserts that still looked as fresh as if they had just come out of the oven over the table, and the hermaphrodite grumbled as she grabbed the tray holding a large chocolate cake before it could even touch the surface of the table, dragging it quickly over to her and simply shoving her face into it, chewing loudly and sending up crumbs and flecks of icing as Daria winced away with a look of surprise and slight disgust.

Maria looked horrified as well, but Zerrex only rolled his eyes as another servant topped off his cup of coffee before carefully circling around the table. "Ignore her, she's just looking for attention. It'll pass... for now, does anyone else have anything to report? It's been... I know it's been a confusing day for all of us."

There was a bit of quiet at this as even Cherry glanced up from the chocolate cake, becoming more solemn as she wiped slowly at her muzzle with the back of her hand and said quietly: "Now hey, Boss. You better not be blaming yourself and shit for the shit that happened. None of us could have predicted how things went..."

"We don't even know what he was still." Maria added softly, and there were a few awkward nods from around the table as the Broken crossed her arms, saying quietly: "Earth was still trying to figure out how and why the creature was able to get around your total control of Acheron when we left... and its manipulation of energy was very strange, very... complicated. Breaking down even what it was wearing without dispelling the masking effect of the cloak... that takes both talent and a lot of practice."

Zerrex nodded at this, rubbing slowly at his arm as he muttered: "Yeah, believe me, I noticed that too. I have trouble reducing myself to energy and retaining my normal clothing... and even Blackheart I can only carry with me when I do that because it's so dense with my energy. It worries me that this thing has demonstrated to ability to manipulate dark energy so well, too... that's a very rare ability, especially since it was concentrating it so powerfully to make it almost as acidic as Unworld residue."

Maria nodded at this, looking across at the Drakkaren before she said softly: "As well as electricity on a frequency that damaged your own energies, and it was able to carry Jeannine out of Acheron. It can't be a demon or an angel... but neither myself nor anyone else could make heads nor tails of its energy signature because of the cloak it was wearing. I doubt even Epiphany could identify the creature through that cloak."

"Then it's definitely custom-made." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at his muzzle slowly: for a masking cloak to be enhanced to the point where not even people who specialized in reading energy signatures could identify a creature's alignment through it, it meant the cloak would have to have special insulation and charms of all sorts woven into it. Then he shook his head and sighed a bit before glancing towards Mary as the feline rose a hand.

"What about the other thing you and Epiphany found, though? If this thing is connected to that, what was Heaven trying to build and why would they need the help of some deranged god?" Mary asked softly, and Zerrex grimaced at these points, thinking silently of the Centrifuge... and of how Epiphany had been so lustful, of the darkness that had come out of here at that place. "More importantly... why does it leave traces of your energy signature where it goes? I know that it caused a stir at the council, but..."

She broke off, glancing down and then back up with a faint smile as Zerrex rubbed slowly at his face, and Mercy reached up to silently open her collar as she said quietly: "A lot of questions. And a lot of worries... but Daddy, sad as it is to have lost Jeannine Wulfe, we do know that it's after you, and it's closing in on you. With all of us being careful to watch each other's backs now, however, it's going to have to start picking harder and harder targets, meaning we're going to be able to close in on it faster and faster... and maybe most importantly, the creature didn't stay to fight. It closed in on Jeannine and ran."

"That means one of two things... one is that when it chooses a target, it never stops hunting them, and its selecting them by their level of closeness towards Zerrex. The other possibility is that it already has a list of targets it's supposed to kill... and if that's the case, it means that it's doing this job for someone else." the female continued quietly, and the Drakkaren winced, not liking what this implied as Mercy looked up and down the table slowly. "And if that's the case, it means anyone could be behind the murderer. It might even be a group of people, with an interest in killing Father for revenge, for fame, for one of a thousand reasons."

"That makes me feel loved." Zerrex muttered, and Mercy smiled faintly at him as Cherry scooped up a large chunk of chocolate cake and shoveled it into her muzzle, chewing thoughtfully. Zerrex frowned a bit at her as the hermaphrodite looked back at him musingly, and even Sammy rose his head and chirped curiously at the look on the female's face.

Finally, Cherry swallowed, and then she shook her head slowly, saying quietly: "Nah, I don't think so. My instincts tell me different on this one, and I dunno why, Boss, but they do. This thing might be working with someone, sure... but it sure as shit ain't killing people for just that reason alone. Assassins don't usually like big messes... they like either clear intimidation, or something neat and subtle. Not ripping a person into pieces and spreading their body parts all over the goddamn floor, or plowing through a platoon of soldiers to get to one rich babe after she shows up back at her mansion."

Zerrex grimaced a little at this, and Cherry winced in embarrassment before saying finally: "Look, all I'm saying is that even if this guy is under orders from someone else... he behaves like someone who's got a real personal stake in this whole mess, you dig? Plus the silly vandalism shit that we've been picking up over the last while, shit like your shrine being sent on fire and nonsense like that... that ain't the mark of no self-respecting assassin. That's someone who's pissed off at you and wants to rip your goddamn spleen out."

The Drakkaren nodded after a moment as Mercy slowly did her collar back up, wincing a little... and then Daria said softly: "We should talk to Missy Ella about this maybe, Zerrex... I mean, she has a lot of people she can reach out to, after all, and I know that your own resources are already being stretched thin, trying to keep us all safe. Missy Ella might know some of the answers we're looking for, or at least know who knows them... and at worst, if the visit shows nothing, I can warn her to watch out for anything out of the ordinary. You've been going to Toxic Beauty for a few years now..."

"Yeah, and Rose's club, too." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at his face slowly with a grimace over to Cherry, who frowned at this. "You think this thing would stoop to hitting places I frequent? I never even thought about that..."

"I hate to say it, Boss, but you might want to put out a little warning, just in case." Cherry said quietly after a moment, nodding slowly, and the Drakkaren nodded back with a grimace before the female sighed and reached down to scoop up another handful of chocolate cake, shoving this into her muzzle and chewing slowly as she gazed up towards the ceiling. "I'm wishing for the old days again, Boss. You better come over here and kick me in the nads."

Zerrex rolled his eyes, and then Sammy scrambled carefully up onto the table and slunk towards one of the dessert trays, looking curiously around at all the food even as Marina gazed over at her father and said gently: "But the most important thing, Daddy, is that you have to be okay... because without you, everything falls apart. I know you feel like this is your fault, that this murderer is somehow your responsibility... but imagine what would happen if you died, or were taken away, or maybe had never been alive and this day had come? This killer won't be satisfied with you out of the way... even if you were taken out of the equation in one way or another, it's very possible he'd continue to target each and every one of us, until not a trace of your heritage, your culture, your Disciples, your memory, was left. And even then... who knows what his final goal is? All we know is that he doesn't seek to create, or to rule... so far, all he seems to want to do is destroy."

"And destroyers are the most dangerous opponents of all." Zerrex muttered, rubbing at his face slowly. "You can't appease them, intimidate them, or bargain with them... Narrius was a destroyer. Even when he had all of Hez'Ranna, and all of Heaven under his thumb, all he wanted to do was burn them. Burn the jungles, burn the world, burn the entire universe to the ground.

Zerrex shook his head a bit, and then he forced himself to look up and smile awkwardly around at the others as they gazed at him quietly, the Drakkaren standing as Sammy chirped before skittering towards him and leaping up onto his arm, propelling himself quickly upwards to sit on his shoulder. "Sorry. Why don't you all stay here tonight, then... tomorrow, Daria, you and Cherry can come with me and... probably Sephire and Justice, since they're both clinging to me... and we'll go around to the places I tend to hang out at, warn them and ask if there's been anything suspicious going on. For now, though, I... should probably get some rest."

The Drakkaren reached up and shook his head a bit with a grimace, and Marina stood up beside him, touching his arm quietly... but the reptile only smiled at her, saying softly: "I'm fine. Go back to Celeste, she needs you right now, it sounds like. And I think you're learning a little from her as she's learning from you."

"A little." Marina smiled a bit, and Zerrex gazed over the group for a few moments before he turned and headed towards the door. He felt their eyes on them as he went through... but it was Marina who first turned away as the Drakkaren left the room, the female reaching up to touch her chest silently before she gazed out over the table and said quietly: "Please don't disturb Daddy tonight. He needs to be alone right now."

The others only looked at Marina quietly for a few moments... and then they nodded, even as they glanced uneasily back and forth as the most-loved daughter of Zerrex looked broodingly at the closed door.