Netherhiem 07
In a huge country, in another realm.
The country was called Eizeldarm, the home of the Voidwalkers, Hydrus' specie collective.
A huge castle like structure was placed near the borders, it was the home of the Overlord of all Netherbeasts.
In a spacious throne room, the overlord was sitting in a throne, big enough to fit his 9 foot big and heavily muscled frame.
He seemed to be a hybrid between a dragon and a griffon, with a dragnoid muzzle, feathery 'blades' on his arms, beginning from his pinkie and reaching his elbows, and a white mane reaching to his waist.
His eyes where dark grey, with his scales and his body fur was a very dark purple.
He was wearing a black and navy blue armor without the helmet.
Kneeling front of his throne were some members of a royal family from another realm, two jackals, one pale dark blue, the other dark brown, and two cats, both black.
All were wearing clothing with egyptian design.
When the Overlord spoke, his voice was low, but still carried a dangerous amount of authority, and can still be heard even if he whispered, "You know Elex, it is true that my people hold so much power, influence and authority in many realms. But you don't see us flaunting it, right?"
Elex, the dark brown jackal, spoke without raising his head, "I know my lord"
"Then what is it that I heard about you making impossible rules, and punishing people for no good reason?"
"They were peasants sir. Some were thinking of starting a revolution and take our throne"
"Even if they were planning a revolution, let them come, we would deal with it and you get to have your throne again in no time" that was another voice beside the Overlord.
It belonged to a crow like creature, slim- almost skinny, with his mid section dark grey and featherless, and black feathers covering his head and shoulders, and a raven skull for a face.
He wore a black and white robe fashioned from feathers, and was open at the top, with his arms holding it on him by the sleeves.
The Overlord spoke again, "Like Adver said, let them come, we'll personally see how strong their revolution is"
Elex raised his head looking at the big dragnoid, "But your majesty, there were a lot of them"
"So?"
Elex didn't reply.
"Let me tell you a story dear Elex" he reclined back on his throne, resting one leg on a foot stool, "A few years ago, there was a group of warriors, who banded together to slay the 'demonic influence'." air-quote, "from their realm, they captured one of the demons who gave them the exact method to reach the demons' world" he wiggled the 'toes' of his resting foot a few times, "Their leader was a great warrior, known far and wide in their world for his relentless strength in battle, and for his indestructible iron will. He led them to where the world connected to that of the demons', he and his army charged through, swords swinging and roars of rage and early triumph. But their biggest mistake, was to underestimate the demons. No matter how much the stabbed the demons healed, no matter how they cut and sliced, the demons fixed themselves, no matter how much they decapitated the blind bodies fought back with greater ferocity....before retrieving the discarded head, and no matter how much they burned, scratched, poisoned, drowned, or even sealed or locked up...the demons just came back, with greater numbers and even greater ferocity than before. They got overwhelmed, some of them were captured, others killed, but those that survived" He gave a small evil chuckle, "they were just postponing the inevitable. After finally in a last attempt to take down the demons, their leader confronted the king of the demons, challenging him to a futile duel. And he did lose, but the demon king didn't stop there, he took the great warrior, humiliating him in front of his still living men in every way possible, before finally 'marking' the poor fool as his own....pet" He pointed down when he said the last part.
Elex and his family looked down, but unable to even sound their astonishment.
Below his resting foot, the foot-stool was a living being, a big thick and tight bodied grey wolf, his body covered in scars and a lost left eye, from his many battles, and some fresh red marks on his ass cheeks, Elex didn't want to know where those came from, he was on his hands and knees, licking and cleaning the other foot in front of his muzzle.
He was naked, except for a black leather collar, connected to a leash held by the Overlord.
The big hybrid could see the stunned looks of the group in front of him, "So you see my friends. This is the fate of those who think they can win every war and battle they come across. This is the fate of those who flaunt their powers and think they are stronger than everybody and everything"
And to make a point, he lifted his resting foot straight up, giving the wolf time to breath.
Before slamming it down hard on his back. Elex could swear he heard a few cracking sounds.
The wolf screamed in deep agony and pain, tears made from both flowed from his eye.
But what amazed Elex more, was that the wolf despite the pain, got back to work on cleaning his master's foot.
'Wow, he must have trained him well'
"So you see my dear Elex, they thought they could win against us, they thought they could take us down and drive us from their world. But instead, they unintentionally gave us a free pass to take it for ourselves. You see, they knew the risks, they knew that we would destroy their very lives if they as much as stepped an inch out of line, if they crossed that inch we would have spared them, but they decided to be bold, stepping a whole mile, a few more even, And you know us Elex: we only attack when provoked. Sure our ancestors were horrible monsters, but times change, and we decided to change with it, so we became a docile species, aiming for peace and harmony between us and those we meet, but despite that, some still think of us as monsters. They could say things about us, and we would've turned a deaf ear, they could conspire drive us out and we would turn a blind eye. But attack us and our friends directly, then we eliminate them and show them that there are lines you shouldn't cross and buttons you shouldn't push"
He lined his foot under the wolf, it was big enough to cover his waist, and kicked him a few feet behind the kneeling group.
He turned his sights back on them, "Now you see, dear Elex, we don't flaunt and brag about our-"
He noticed the wolf standing up attempting to walk out the door.
But received a shadow whip to the back, sending him back on his knees, "Did I say you can stand mutt!?"
The wolf was crying silently from the pain, his back literally steaming from the strike, his very blood heating up briefly. But he still crawled his way out the door, meeting a couple of guards taking him by a leash back to the stables.
"As I was saying, we don't brag about our capabilities and powers, because we know that one day, an entity with the power to destroy us will be born, maybe that won't be for a few millennia, but it will happen" He walked towards Elex, and held his face with both hands, mashing his cheeks together, lifting him a few inches from the ground" So don't let me find you acting above your position"
"Yesh shir" the Overlord let go of his face, letting him fall on his butt to the ground.
He turned to the older black cat, upon closer inspection, her features were more human than cat, "Bastei, would you mind keeping an eye on your dear husband? Don't want all this power to go to his head"
She merely nodded.
The Overlord then left his throne room and guests, on his way to his room, followed by his advisor.
"Your majesty" the crow demon had some urgency in his voice, "About the Purifier base in Maddea?"
"Don't worry, I sent for the best four for the job"
"Actually that's what I'm worried of"
In the outskirts of Tokyo.
In a large section of the woods stood a huge building, with spartan design.
Large marble pillars lined the path to the house, with a small waterway lining around the house, and going under a bridge separating the path and house entrance.
The insides were spacious with a mix of spartan and egyptian designs, and a large pool behind the house.
In a lounging area, the man of the house: Asura, was sitting on a chair, and a cup of tea on the table in front of him.
His husband, Luminai, a white wolf with gold eyes which have bluish green borders, was beside him rocking a baby cradle, inside was their youngest child of three, sleeping peacefully.
"Hi mom, dad"
Luminai turned his head to the voice, facing his oldest and middle children, "High sweeties. Did you have a nice swim?"
They both nodded. The two were swimming in the pool for a while.
The middle, Solas was the one who spoke next, "Jiraya was showing me some swimming techniques" He had a wide smile ever since they came in.
"Hope they helped you lose some weight"
All turned to Asura who was still reading a newspaper, "It's that or I didn't know that 'water-balloon' was the new thing"
Solas smile faded, and he crossed his arms on his body, trying to hide his slightly chubby body. Although 12 years old, he still had some baby fat he had to get rid of, and his father made sure every time he saw him to remind him of that.
But his reminding methods aren't that great.
Solas had some tears forming in his eyes, before dashing to his room, the door's slam echoing throughout the house.
Jiraya remained still, not wanting to anger his father. But Luminai was not as afraid, "You're despicable you know that?"
"He won't be getting any guy with that mass of meat he calls stomach. The only way he could find his perfect mate is if he took better care of his body"
"And he is. But losing fat is not an easy thing to do, it can never happen overnight, and you are not helping, always ridiculing him, and embarrassing him every time you get the chance" He crossed his arms with a blank but angry expression on his face, "Or did you forget his last birthday?"
Asura didn't even twitch.
On his last birthday, Solas was constantly reminded by his father not to eat too much, in the most 'colorful' way possible.
That was two years ago.
Ever since then, Solas asked his mother not to hold anymore birthday parties for him, and just leave him some leftovers from his brothers' parties.
"You effectively scarred him for life" He said with a slightly raised voice.
"I didn't want him to make a glutton of himself" looking briefly at his husband, "It's for his own good"
Luminai gave an angry growl, he had enough, "I just don't know what happened to you!? Where is the Asura that was all about love and respect!? Where is the beast I married and desired to live the rest of my life with!? The loving father who was looking at our sons with nothing but love and pride?"
Asura just kept on reading, Luminai's words falling on deaf ears.
"ANSWER ME DAMMIT!!!!!" he slammed a fist on the table, almost toppling the teacup.
The noise woke their youngest boy, his cries calmed down Luminai in an instant as he picked him up, rocking him softly, "It's okay Mithra, it's okay, mommy's sorry baby, come on now calm down"
He left the lounge after giving Asura an angry glance before he walked to the kitchen a few rooms away from the lounge, maybe some milk could calm him down.
Jiraya looked at his father, "Uhh, dad?"
Asura looked at him with a blank uninterested gaze.
"Umm, Nevermind" He left the room not wanting to caught between his parents' fights.
In Paris.
Near the outskirts, a big mansion, owned by Hydrus' second older brother Fortunas.
It had a slightly similar design to Hydrus' own.
In a lounging room, Fortunas was sitting with some friends, having a delightful conversation.
"I tell you darling, she was such a slut, like, three weeks ago..she was with a stud of bull, then a week later, she is with a nerdy looking lizard, just because he had money, she said" One of them, a red fox, wearing tight pink and yellow shirt, and tight jeans, with his legs crossed, and a pair of black gold glittering high-heels.
Fortunas was like Asura, looking like an older version of Hydrus, he was wearing a black feather scarf, a purple shirt and black pants, with black high-heels, and violet lipstick.
He had short black hair, dyed purple at the front, and pale blue eyes.
He was nibbling on a cookie as another of his friends, a slim feminine looking tiger with a similar clothing style to the fox replied to him, "Oh I know girlfriend. But are you sure it was a lizard? Because I saw her with a horse yesterday"
Fortunas set his cookie the edges of his teacup, "Now now girls, just because she got studs eating off her cunt doesn't mean she is the hottest thing around"
Both looked at him, but the fox spoke, "Oh, like you're the one to speak. You got like what, a hundred studs at your beck and call"
As he said that, a big white and brown fit beagle came into the room, with a new tray of cookies, taking the now empty one with him, bowing down before making his leave, he was wearing a bartender's wrist braces, a black bowtie and black thong, giving the three a nice view of his ass cheeks before leaving.
"See what I mean"
"Oh, quit your whining, if you want I can take you with me the next time I shop for servants, and it will be my treat"
Just then his phone rang, "Hello.....oh hi momsie how are you?"
His mother gave a groan through the phone, "Please stop calling me that. Anyway I hope you got my message regarding your great grandpa's request"
"I got it. But do I have to? I did my nails and don't want to ruin them"
"Your great grandpa specifically said he wanted you and your brothers to do it"
"Oh fine, if it's gr. grandpa then I have no choice"
"Glad to hear that, got to call Mephisto now, have a nice day sweetie" *click*
His friends looked at him, intrigued, "So?" they asked in unison.
"My mother wants me to destroy a castle or something belonging to some religious dumbasses"
The fox rolled his eyes, "I hear girl, and that's is something many of us want to do these days. Seriously, if I had only a fraction of your powers, I would go out and destroy every church in sight"
After that comment, they got to a more interesting subject.
About the hottest priests they met.
Mephisto was Hydrus directly older brother, big and buff, making him look older than his age, and the biggest in size among the four brothers.
He was in an arcade, with his girlfriend.
No seriously, he had a girl with him....demoness actually.
His girlfriend was Minerva, a bright purple skinned succubus.
For some odd reason, he showed more interest in girls more than guys, although he did swing both ways, he favored women.
He also built a habit of calling his brothers faggots, queers and such. But Hydrus would shut him up by simple saying, 'Dude, according to our species: you're the faggot' or something along those lines
He was watching Minerva playing at the claw game, trying to get a little husky doll.
His phone rang, "Hey, mom"
"Hi sweetie, how is your date?" he had an uninterested tone in his voice.
But Mephisto didn't notice, "Going awesome"
"Then I guess you didn't get Gr. grandpa's message?"
"What message?"
"Your Gr. grandpa wants you and your brothers to take care of a Purifier base"
"Do I have to? Going out with Minerva" Minerva bent over slightly, his eyes widening at the sight, his crimson eyes glowing slightly.
"Yes, you have to" *click*
At the White Aurora.
Hydrus was in his office alongside Nobu and Simon, working on catching the villain twins Hansel and Gretel.
Since he has nothing else to do, he called for some of his next week's appointments and interviews.
One of his appointments were the Parker's family regarding their son learning to control his powers.
Toby on the other hand, had his eyes fixed on Nobu, since he saved him he was all Toby could think about.
He even had an almost instant crush on the guy.
His father walked over to shake Nobu's hand, "Hello Mr. Loneblood, it's a pleasure to meet you"
Simon barely managed to stifle a laugh, while Hydrus looked almost ready to pop.
Nobu was thinking quickly when he replied to the wolf, "Sorry sir, but this is Mr. Loneblood" He gestured to the silently fuming Hydrus.
"Oh I'm really sorry for this mix-up" Steven was burning with embarrassment, he tried to fix this blunder, "You just looked a bit too young"
If Hydrus was close to popping before, he was ready to explode now.
Now both Toby and his mother fixed Steven with disapproving stares.
When they sat down, Toby's mom made sure that she was the one that would speak.
"Good morning Mr. Loneblood, really sorry for this misunderstanding, hope you were not offended"
"Oh, no offence taken Mrs. Parker"
"Please, call me Esmeralda. Mrs. Parker makes me feel old"
After all the introductions were done with, Esmeralda wasted no time going into describing her son's dilemma with his powers.
She told him about the times that everything electrical or mechanical in their house went haywire, even their recent accident with the oven.
All the while, Toby's eyes would drift towards Nobu every few seconds.
Unknown to him is that Nobu was giving him the same brief glances, both blushing lightly.
Hydrus was deep in thought after hearing her explanation before answering, "Your son seems to have developed what we call in the W.A as the Nemesis strain"
The Parkers, even Toby looked at him with confusion.
He began his explanation, "The Nemesis strain, is simply the power to mess with the proper function of something, like electrical appliances, making them go crazy or simply overload" He leaned forward, crossing his fingers and resting his chin on them, "It's a good thing you came here. If you by any chance went to the S.H.A they would have locked your son up, maybe even put him in a quarantine of sorts"
Their looks of confusion turned to looks of fear.
This time, Steven spoke, "Lock him up? Why? He didn't do anything" He turned briefly to his son, "Did you?"
"Steven!?" His wife didn't like it one bit when he doubted his own son.
Before things could escalate, Hydrus cleared his throat loudly, catching their attention, "Whether your son did or didn't do anything wouldn't matter to them. To them, his powers are one of the most dangerous. Like I said: his powers can mess up with the common or proper function of anything....including living beings"
Toby stiffened for a second, he never thought of using his powers on people.
Hydrus continued, "His powers can disable the functions and movement of the body, causing all kinds of muscle strains, even the heart, making the nerve cells move in wrong directions, pressuring the brain causing fatal headaches or brain damage, and much more. When it come to machines, how many banks do you think use electrical locks for their safes, if you know what I mean"
The Parkers listened to his explanation, all were left speechless.
Steven found his voice first, "W-what do you think we should do?"
Hydrus let out a deep sigh before answering, "Although I hate the idea, your son will join a small group of those who are awakening to their powers, the part I hate is that your son will have to stay with us, in our dorms, so if you are still willing to have us teach him, he will pack some essentials and come over for a while"
Esmeralda spoke this time, "When will he return to us?" Her voice had a hint of sadness.
"It all depends on him. As soon as he learns to control his powers, he will be able to come back to you" He leaned back in his chair, looking at the family with care, "Our dorms have appliances that are resistant to many powers, including the Nemesis powers"
Relief was starting to show on their faces slightly.
Esmeralda sighed softly, "When will he starts training?"
"The group will be meeting with some instructors next week and assigned their rooms on the same day, the training will begin a week after, to give them a chance to get used to life away from home....those who have one at least"
The Parkers understood and didn't ask about what he meant.
Hydrus pulled out a paper, "So if you agree to some terms, I would like you to sign some papers"
After meeting with the Parkers, the rest of his appointments went quicker than he thought.
He leaned back in his chair, stretching a little.
His intercom beeped, a red light indicating a call from reception, "Yes?"
"Sir, someone is here to see you. He says he is from the S.H.A"
"Let him in" He released an irritated sigh, "Let's see what they want"
A few minutes later, two figures entered, Star Bolt entered first, followed by the magic wielding owl Hocus.
"Mr. Star Bolt and Hocus, to what do I owe the pleasure?"
Before they could answer, Hydrus dismissed Nobu and Simon, so he could talk to his new visitors in case some sensitive matters came out.
Star Bolt was the one who spoke, "I called you yesterday about my friend"
"Yes you did. And I know what is wrong with him"
Star Bolt's eyes widened, he almost leapt from his seat grabbing Hydrus' arms and shaking him, "What is it? Please tell me, can you help him. Please."
He realized his actions, letting go of Hydrus quickly and returning to his seat.
Hydrus however was still not interested, although Star Bolt's reaction did perk his interest slightly, "From your reaction I can tell that you care for the guy, but it's not my place to pry"
Hydrus leaned back again in his chair, "What your friend caught was a demonic parasite"
Both the wolf and owl's eyes widened.
Hydrus continued, "What that parasite does is eat at the soul of the host slowly, affecting the body with every 'bite' it takes"
The other two remained silent, "But luckily, I confronted such parasite in the past and I know how to get rid of it"
Star Bolt's ears and expression perked with the good news.
"However"
Ears and expression turned down again.
Hydrus gave them a creepy and evil smile, "Do you two really expect me to do it for free?"
Hocus stood quickly from his seat, "You little devil"
Hydrus held his finger up, "Ah ah ahh, no need to be tense, I'm just asking for a small favor of my own"
Star Bolt was boiling in his seat, but he couldn't risk getting on the bad side of probably the only person who could help his loved one.
Hydrus was smirking still, "My request is simple. Just remove those who you send to keep taps on me and my family"
Both S.H.A employees stiffened in their places, "Don't act so surprised, your friends just weren't very clever in hiding themselves, I mean seriously, how can you hide from someone who has both heightened natural and supernatural senses"
Both remained silent.
"So do we have a deal?"
"I-I don't know what you're talking about"
Hydrus' smile faded, "Oh, alright, I have to ask you to leave then"
Star Bolt's eyes widened, "What?"
"One of the things I don't like is treated like a fool, you feigning ignorance is a way of doing so in my opinion, so I kindly ask you to leave"
Before either of them could reply, A big dragon wearing bio-tech armor, almost burst into the room, quickly grabbing the two guests, dragging them out the door.
"Wait, we'll do it, we will get off your back, just please we need your help, I need your help, please. Loneblood, LONEBLOOD!!!" Star Bolt called out to him, but if there was one thing Hydrus hated among other things, was if someone tried to act above their capabilities.
As the door slammed behind him, he pinched his nose bridge, a small headache creeping on him.
His intercom beeped again, "Sir?" It was Simon.
"Re-schedule my appointments for today, I'm going home early" He stated getting up from his seat.
"Alright sir"
"And you go home early today too, you deserve a break"
"Okay sir, thank you"
Hydrus left his office, the headache slowly calming down on his way to the parking lot.
It was getting late he noticed, time sure does fly when you're helping people.
On their way back to the S.H.A base.
Star Bolt was silent all the way, when they arrived, he made his way straight to Rudolph's room.
When he entered and saw his boyfriend, he removed his mask slowly, just as his tears started streaming down his face.
He laid his face in his arms on the bed.
He blew it....he just threw away the last and only way to save his loved one...all because he tried to act tough.
After a while he felt a small hand on his shoulder.
He was startled and turned his head to his secretary.
She didn't try to even smile, because she knows that even trying to be optimistic won't do any good.
She was practically the only one who supported his life choices...openly that is.
Others did support him, but they kept quiet fearing for their jobs.
He turned to her and hugged her waist, openly crying now.
She began petting his head trying to calm him down.
But how do you accept that there is no way to save the person you love.
Hydrus arrived at his home, and went straight to his study room.
He sat at his desk and opened a drawer, taking a small pill container, opening it and shaking it lightly in his palm, two pills fell, one red and one white before taking them, he shook the container again, dropping two other pills, and taking them this time.
He poured himself a glass of water, and drank it all in one go.
As he sat there, the door opened and his bat husband walked in, looking slightly worried.
Hydrus looked at him with the best smile he could muster, "Hi Ray, need anything?"
Raymond simply crossed his arms with a sad frown, "I should ask you the same thing, you walked past everyone like they aren't there" He then noticed the bottle of pills on the desk, "Your condition is acting up again?"
Hydrus just held his face in one palm, releasing a deep sigh, "I'm afraid it is Ray"
Ray walked up to his husband and held him in a soft hug.
A few years ago, Hydrus was involved in a nuclear accident caused by a very power hungry villain calling himself the Executioner.
He planned to hack all the world's nuclear reactors, factories and weapon facilities, and hold the world hostage.
The W.A and S.H.A managed to track him down and stop him...or so they thought.
Before his capture, he housed himself in a nuclear factory outfitted with the most advanced technology at the time.
As he was apprehended he activated the self-distruct mechanism of the place.
With all the nuclear and hazardous material, it would cause an explosion big enough to blow a half the ozone layer and cause all kinds of climatic mutations.
No one could do anything, just as one the supers tried to shut it down, the Executioner pressed a hidden button, blowing up all computers and monitors.
Everyone managed to escape and thought of dealing with the nuclear disasters when they come, but they didn't count for someone to remain behind.
Hydrus managed to create a barrier big and strong enough to trap the explasion, but to properly stop the explosion he had to stay in the building when it blew up.
In a last attempt to save the planet, Hydrus managed to lift the barrier and send flying to space and light-years away from earth, luckily he slipped out before it flew away.
He was in a coma for a whole month and quarantined due to nuclear residue, but when he woke up he managed to use his powers to clean himself of any nuclear residue.
He was honored as a hero, and even had a statue of him built in the local museum along with other great heroes who lived before his generation.
But his actions weren't without consequences.
A year after the event, he began developing random headaches along with heart seizures/attacks.
When examined, he was informed that the nuclear residue, although extracted fully from his body, had time to damage but not kill, some cells in his body, all of that happened while he was in his coma.
Although not fatal to an immortal creature like him, the heart problems were very difficult to handle, in contrast to the headaches which seemed to lessen in time.
He was prescribed some medicine from time to time for his heart, and normal aspirin for his headaches.
Now his heart was beating slowly and painfully, but being close to his husband managed to take his mind off of it until it calmed down to normal proportions.
He released the hug and held his bat mate in his arms, "Thank you sweetie, I really needed that"
Ray leaned down and kissed his forehead, "Anytime love"
As ray stood up to leave, he was pulled roughly back and into Hydrus' lap, with the latter smiling lustily at him.
Raymond managed to shake the shock away and smiled at his mate, knowing full well what the smile meant.
Ding-Dong, Ding-Dong.
The doorbell sounded announcing the arrival of an unexpected guest.
The sound woke the two lovers from their moment, both gazing at the other, wondering who is at the door.
Hydrus was so caught up in the moment that he didn't realize it was raining until now.
The two quickly made their way to the front door, to find Masamune already there, greeting whoever decided to visit at a late hour.
When they arrived, Masamune took what seemed like a migration worth of private belongings.
But what startled him most, was the four figures at the door.
"Hello brother, long time no see right?"
It was Luminai, his big brother-in-law, and his three kids