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Zerrex snoozed, not really sleeping but resting his sore body and head after the events of the day, figuring he'd settle everything he could in Hell over the next few days and then return to the mortal plane to do a damage assessment... and, of course, take on Animaxander. That issue looming on the horizon made him frown, especially because he wanted to make sure he was in tip-top condition for when he ended up dealing with that bastard... and then he frowned as he heard another voice, and he winced and sat up, terrified for a moment that Selena had found them... but then he sighed in relief as he saw Cherry approaching him instead, and his four Iuratus were with her, the females all looking brightly relieved.

"So how often does he get a roomful of chicks to himself?" Anathema asked loudly as Zerrex stood and walked over to trade hugs with Mist, Shine, Cypress, and Desire, and Sin sighed and shook her head before Anathema jumped to her feet, walking over to lean on Zerrex and grin at the females, who all glared at her as she said mildly: "Isn't it past you girls' bedtimes? Besides, I'm sure Zerrex isn't half as interested in you as he acts."

"Anathema, these are my Iuratus, or bodyguards... Mist and Shine are the twins, and these two are my daughters, Cypress and Desire." Zerrex introduced in a mild voice, and the female winced as Cherry laughed loudly behind her. "Girls, this is Anathema. But I'm sure you've heard all about her."

"Selena is extremely angry with you, Daddy." Desire said quietly, looking up at him with concern as she patted him gently on the cheek. "And Lily is scared and worried, but you know her. She won't share her fears with anyone. Not because of Anathema, but instead because of how much is happening at once... and because Animaxander still needs to be dealt with."

"Who's Animaxander?" Anathema asked with a frown, tilting her head. "Is he the one that's created the signal that awoke the dead?"

Zerrex shook his head, and Cypress crossed her four arms as she answered: "We're not sure. While you were on the mortal plane, in the weeks that passed we were able to get a better view of those... flying ships in space, and it seems that... the signal originated from there, somehow. There were... strange, very-fast moving bright lights visible as well, coming from one of the ships... two, possibly three of them. We don't know what they were... but they were moving in the direction of the planet the mortals inhabit."

The Drakkaren nodded, frowning at this before Anathema laughed, shaking her head slowly. "Flying ships in space... everyone knows only gods can travel in space! It's a terrible vacuum, and no mortal ship could even get into space anyway because mortal boats can't fly!"

"Oh, this is embarrassing." Cherry said mildly, and Anathema looked stupidly back and forth as there were a few coughs and laughs from the others, before she grinned at Zerrex, putting her hands together: "Can I please please please tell her what a jackass she is?" A pause, and as Zerrex opened his mouth, she looked at Anathema and said triumphantly: "You're a jackass!"

Anathema glared at her, and then she reached up and pulled her head off, and Cherry gaped before Anathema struck Cherry hard in the face with her own skull, knocking the female flat, and Zerrex fell over laughing as the undead Naganatine refitted her head on her shoulders. "I've been gone for... many, many years, it seems. I've lost track of them all. So leave me alone."

"Okay, that was kinda cool. But I'm going to kick your ass nonetheless. Assuming you have an ass." Cherry sat up and craned her neck around to look at the Naganatine's rear from the ground, and Anathema stared at her before the female hopped to her feet and threw a few playful jabs in her direction, grinning at her. "Come on, bitch, put 'em up!"

Anathema just muttered and made a gesture neither Cherry nor Zerrex understood, but Sin covered her mouth with a deep blush before she sighed as Zerrex stood up, wiping tears of laughter from his eyes and then wincing when the undead Naganatine grasped his head in her hands, saying flatly: "Hold on a second. I need some information from your mind."

Mist and Shine drew their cleavers in a moment, the blades resting against the undead female's back, and she made a face before she realized Cypress and Desire were on either side of her as well... but Zerrex rose a hand and waved them away, saying after a moment: "I'll trust you, Anathema... but just... don't screw around."

Anathema only muttered in response, and then she closed her eyes as her hands glowed... and a moment later, Zerrex and the undead Naganatine were standing in a grey room together, and he looked down to see that most of his demonic characteristics were visible... and he smiled after a moment, looking at the undead female as she gazed over him with interest, saying quietly: "This is a mind meld."

"No, this is more of a mind leech." The Naganatine walked over to him, gently taking his warped hand in one of hers and rubbing along the arm slowly with her other as she murmured softly: "Interesting... but show me a memory. Your mind is strong, and yet strangely unstable... but in a way that makes it difficult for me to access. I can understand better your vocabulary and basic gestures now, but these are all... unimportant things. Despite our different dialects, our demonic meshed up well enough together anyway... and... I wish to know more about you."

"Then show me one of your memories." Zerrex said softly, and the Naganatine gave him a distasteful look, which made him smile slightly before he pushed her lightly backwards, saying easily: "Then you've had enough for now."

Before she could protest, he drew back in reality... and their link broke as she looked at him with frustration... but there was also a bit of amusement there, and the reptile gave her an awkward look before he rubbed a hand through his hair and glanced at Mist and Shine, asking softly: "How are you guys doing, anyway? I heard you all gave me a lot of your energy while I was... incapacitated."

"We did, and we've missed seeing you." Desire piped up with a blush, rubbing at her face slowly before she hugged Zerrex suddenly, and the reptile laughed and gently patted the golden-scaled demoness on the head, smiling down at her softly. "Don't ever leave us, okay?"

The reptile squeezed her gently, and then he said with soft entertainment: "Now that'd just be selfish of me, hogging all four of you to myself... but before I forget, any other news?"

Mist only shook her head, and Shine answered quietly: "Nothing extraordinary. They're tracking the movements of the ships in Heaven and the things released from them, and otherwise we've been trying to organize Hell towards dealing with these random power surges... I hear Loki is hiding in the Estate somewhere, however, waiting to talk with you about the power surges that have been appearing on and off throughout Hell."

"But you need to rest a few days and get yourself back in order before you rush off to save the world, Lord Zerrex." Shine added, gazing at him fondly as the twins each hugged one of his arms. "After all, you've already spent far too much time causing trouble without getting any rest as it is... look at your body, at the state which you're in. You and Sin have pushed yourselves too hard as it is, especially in spending all this time and effort in resurrecting Anathema."

The undead Naganatine grunted at this from where she was standing, Desire and Cypress looking at her distrustfully as she said flatly: "Come on, stop treating me like shit. Did I not just end that undead invasion for you all? Did I not sit around peacefully while my former siblings insulted me and my sister?"

"Leave her alone, she's getting bitchy about this whole thing." Zerrex said mildly, and Anathema grunted, crossing her arms over her bare-bone chest, and then the Drakkaren paused before he asked hesitantly: "Do you have any clothes? I dunno why, but looking at you makes me more uncomfortable than when Cherry walks around naked, scratching herself."

"Hey, fuck you." Cherry huffed, then she paused, peering at Anathema as she added flatly: "By the way, I could be just as naked as you if I wanted."

The Naganatine rolled her eyes, and then she frowned at Sin as she said meekly, lacing her fingers together in her lap: "If you wanted, I could lend you one of my dresses, sister..."

"Thank you, Sin, but I'll manage." Anathema snapped her fingers, and a pair of large skulls appeared over her chest as if to cup breasts that weren't there, before another pair appeared over her shoulders, these slightly larger. Chains made of bone connected these together, and another wrapped around her body, holding the ones over her chest tightly in place before a final, large cow skull appeared over her crotch, dangling down around her hips by means of a belt composed of woven, small thin bones around her waist, the female grinning as she held her arms out. "What do you think?"

"You look like you have breasts, at least." Zerrex said mildly, and Anathema sighed before she frowned at Cherry when she walked up and grabbed one of the skulls on her chest. The demoness grinned brightly, and the Naganatine simply fixed her with a baleful look that eventually made Cherry swallow and carefully slide away from her, as the reptile sighed and looked morbidly over the scantily-dressed females surrounding him. No wonder Anathema curled up against me right away... Shelly is right. It does seem like if you want to get my attention, you need to give me sex.

The Drakkaren cleared his throat, and the four Iuratus looked up before the reptile said softly: "Do me a favor, girls. Go to the Estate... slow down Selena if she's trying to find me still, and try and locate Loki. I'm going to stay here just a little bit longer."

The four nodded, and they all half-bowed to him before Cypress opened a portal for them, giving her father a soft smile as she let the others pass ahead of her and waving with one of her free hands before she vanished after them, and Zerrex sighed as he sat back down on the futon and rested his forearms on his knees, looking around at the three who were left with him as Anathema stood nearby, her hands on her hips and Cherry giving her a look that was both interested and suspicious.

The reptile looked after a moment to Sin, and she smiled a bit at him as she slid herself a bit closer, gazing at Anathema with nervousness: but Zerrex was starting to understand that it was almost a territorial nervousness, as she said quietly: "If you like, Lord Zerrex, we can let you get some good rest... the Twins are right, you've spent too long pushing yourself too hard."

"I don't understand." Anathema said after a moment, and she looked from Sin to Cherry, saying slowly: "Mephistopheles... we were his subjects, us Betrayers. We served him in his ideals, we were soldiers, and we listened to him... no matter what he said, no matter he did, we obeyed his every command. He expected Sin and I to be his breeding toys, just as he expected Azazel and Astaroth and Argalox, to be his officers, his soldiers.

"We never questioned him and what he asked us to do... to do so would not just be disrespectful, but dangerous." Anathema continued with a frown, and then she looked at Cherry, her eyes tracing over her collar and her tattoos. "You, you revere him... yet you act more like a court jester than anything else, I see... how you amuse him but also frustrate him, even in this short time I've come to know you. And even your Iuratus spoke to you like they were almost equals, standing instead of kneeling... and not because you demand it, but because that is what they have come to feel comfortable with.

"You are High King of Hell, with all the power of Mephistopheles inside you..." Anathema strode over to him, and then she reached down almost hesitantly to quietly brush a stray look from the Drakkaren's eyes, as he looked up at her silently. "And yet look at you. No crown, no mask, no regal attire... not ordering us around, and yet none of your modesty is false. From my briefest of glimpses through your mind, I've seen that you spoke the truth: you are nothing like Mephistopheles. And I don't understand how you can contain his power without it corrupting you."

Sin looked down and laughed faintly, and Anathema looked at her, not angry, or even confused, but only curious... and the Naganatine glanced up quietly, murmuring softly: "That's exactly why, Anathema... because Lord Zerrex is nothing like Mephistopheles. Mephistopheles was corrupted by his own power, don't you understand that? His own fearsome ability, second only to God Himself, drove him insane... made him believe things we all know weren't true, made him do things to us while we were trapped in Limbo that are worse than the things demons do in Hell to each other as Punishment.

"Zerrex is the opposite of Mephistopheles, Anathema... and although he tries to run from his power and responsibility..." She smiled a bit, looking at Zerrex with soft amusement as she rubbed a hand slowly down his back. "He is still a good leader. He still deals very well with his power and his abilities... and he doesn't treat us anything like Mephistopheles did, because he doesn't have to dominate and beat us down to assert himself in our lives."

Anathema looked nonplussed for a moment, and then she crossed her arms, finally saying flatly: "Well, where's the fun in that?"

Cherry snorted laughter at this, and then Anathema rose a hand and the female high-fived her with a grin, saying amusedly: "I think I could get used to you, babe. But seriously, are you getting any of this? Is any of this crazy shit getting through into your head?"

The female frowned a bit at this, crossing her arms as she looked down at Zerrex, and then she said dryly: "Not really, no. But maybe if I stay attached to you for a little while, maybe I'll start understanding it... you ain't gonna get all territorial and crazy on me, Sin, are you?"

Sin sighed at this, looking at her sister with a bit of a mumble before she finally looked at Zerrex, and then she gazed back at her, saying quietly: "I have faith that... Lord Zerrex loves me. And that no matter how competitive you get... he always care for me the same way."

Anathema snorted at this, looking surprised and amused as she shook her head slowly. "Love? You in love..." She stopped, then looked at Zerrex moodily as the reptile shrugged with a bit of a smile. "That's an interesting thought. And not something I'd expect from you, Sin... you were always the one who was crawling over Mephistopheles, after all, not me."

Sin looked down with a bit of a blush, and then Cherry slapped Anathema on the shoulder, making her flinch as the demoness said firmly: "Now come on, dead girl, stop being so hard on Sin about all that bullshit. Past is the past, I always say... hell, in the past, I fucked a bunch of guys Zerrex hated. Granted, most of 'em are dead now, but that's totally besides the point. And we don't ever bring it up to spite each other... more like... hey, Boss, you remember that time you banged that really ugly chick?"

Zerrex sighed and rolled his eyes, and Anathema shook her head in disbelief before she looked at Cherry, saying slowly: "So who are you exactly to... our generous Lord Zerrex, then? A whore? A child? A problematic Iuratus?"

"I like to think I'm all of the above." Cherry said seriously, and then she coughed and rubbed the back of her head when Anathema settled a glare on her. "Why's it so important to you, babe?"

"Stop calling me that!" Anathema glared at her, looking frustrated, and then she made a face when Sin rose a hand to her muzzle to try and hide a smile. "Don't you have dishes to wash or something else menial to do?"

"Sin is a High Throne of Hell, as well as one of my wives." Zerrex said mildly, and Anathema gaped as Sin blushed a bit, looking awkwardly away. Then she looked almost strangely hurt, crossing her arms and looking down as the reptile frowned a bit, asking quietly: "What's going on between you two?"

They both fidgeted awkwardly, and then Sin finally murmured: "Anathema and I... were always set at each other's throats in the old days. Mephistopheles made us compete for attention and affection and..."

"And she always won." Anathema said bitterly, shaking her head with slow disgust as she looked down at the floor... but Zerrex could tell that despite it all, she was upset. Her emotions came through strangely, and the undead Naganatine did her best to suppress them and mask them... but Zerrex was realizing more and more with each moment that passed that Anathema was perhaps more vulnerable and more sensitive than even he was on a bad day. "So it doesn't surprise me to hear how lucky Sin got everything... she's always been good at playing to people's wants and emotions."

"I don't do that anymore... I've... I've done my best to learn." Sin murmured, but she was looking ashamedly at the ground, before she whispered: "I told them I... we needed you, Anathema. And we do. We still do, even now... you're still welcome here with us, and we... I need my family, my sister around. I wanted you to see this world... what Hell has become... to meet my love and savior, Zerrex, to... to experience friendship... but with me. With me. I... I'm so sorry if my ambitions have become twisted..."

Anathema only mumbled as she turned away, and Cherry rubbed the back of her head, looking imploringly at Zerrex and Sin... but Sin only gazed down, and Zerrex remained silent. He wanted to intervene, interfere... but this was between the two sisters, and Anathema finally shook her head and turned back around, saying firmly: "Then show me, Sin... go ahead, brag about... all these things you've found that I'll never have..." She halted, then looked at her hands, whispering: "My body, made of death, surpassing logic, time, space, even the rules and laws of life... I'm a weapon and designed to produce powerful offspring, Forsaken Ones that are nearly indestructible... how do you think sharing with me all your joys will make me, the one who's always been trapped in your shadow, feel better? I don't feel happy for you, Sin... I feel hatred, and anger, and... and..."

She broke off, snarling and clenching her hands into fists... and then Sin stood up and walked over to her sister, knocking away her hands when she lashed out at her and then throwing herself at Anathema and hugging her tightly, and Anathema clawed into her back with a snarl, her hands burning purple... but Sin only arched her back with a moan of pain as her dress and scales burnt away, leaving distinct handprints on her body as she clutched her sister tighter and whispered: "You'll always have me..."

Anathema's hands ceased to glow, the undead Naganatine going somewhat limp as she looked down, and then she gently dug her claws into Sin's scales, making her twitch as she murmured softly in return: "We're bound by love and hate, life and death, souls eternally trapped together, Sin..." She closed her eyes, and then the two parted, and Anathema looked over at Zerrex, saying quietly: "How do you know that she isn't just drawn to Mephistopheles and forced to obey his powers, as I am?"

"Because Sin was helping me out long before I had the abilities of Mephistopheles." Zerrex replied softly, and then he walked forwards and settled his hands on Anathema, gazing into her eyes as Sin stepped back worriedly. "I love Sin. But I also can't stand how you feel that you have to obey me only because Mephistopheles' abilities are mixed with mine. So take this order, and obey it, Anathema... you are freed of his control. You no longer have to obey the will of Mephistopheles, or my own."

Anathema looked shocked, and then her eyes met his, as she said slowly, reaching up and touching his face quietly: "But you... Zerrex, essentially, you and Sin are good... whereas I am evil. How do you know I won't simply destroy you all if I am freed?"

Zerrex only smiled at this, however, reaching up to grasp her wrist as he said quietly: "Because I don't care about good and evil. I care about right and wrong... and I know that you'll still want to help us against these terrible atrocities coming after us... if only because you'll want to save your own hide too."

Anathema smiled at this, and then purple energy crackled over her body like lightning as she looked down at herself, and her eyes glowed before she gazed at Zerrex with a slow grin. "You... you were the one who released her from her punishment, weren't you?"

Zerrex frowned, then he nodded... and Anathema stood up to her full height, gazing down at him imperiously as she took his face in her hands. "Loyalty and honor before everything. That's what I sense in you, disgusting, filthy concepts worthy of God's own respect. Haughty and irritating, that's what you are... and overconfident and cocky. But I think I see what Sin sees in you..." She smiled, then leaned down and planted a chaste kiss on his lips, before she whispered softly: "While Sin is the shield and the staff, I shall be your sword and your bow."

The reptile tilted his head... and then he winced when Anathema's form lost its flesh and blood and became skeletal before breaking apart, her body swirling violently around him. A moment later, she was locked onto his scales again, forming an exoskeleton that covered his limbs, body, and head... and the reptile flailed his arms irritably, shouting: "Get off me, this creeps me out!"

Live with it. I don't have to listen to you anymore. Anathema responded dryly in his mind, before she paused, and Zerrex felt the bones retracting, creeping over his scales as he stared towards his back, where they locked in against his scales and protected his spine completely, her skull removing itself from over his head to twist around and rest between his shoulderblades before sparks of golden light glowed in the sockets, and her voice said mildly: "Your body will eventually attune itself to my presence... and believe me, one day you'll be glad you have me here, Lord Zerrex. We've spoken on a lot already and I'm tired, so I'm going to have a nap... Sin, don't get any ideas."

Cherry walked over and poked Anathema's skull, and Zerrex craned his head over his shoulders, muttering under his breath before she said mildly: "While this is cool and all, uh... how the fuck is the Boss supposed to do anything with you like, duct-taped to his spine?"

"I hate symbiotic links. I had a very bad experience with a synthetic Nephilim once, and you are not helping." Zerrex added over his back, and he reached back carefully to feel with one hand along the bone plates towards the skull, muttering: "I'm just gonna tear you off and throw you across the room."

"Oh, calm down." The skull slithered upwards, and the skeletal upper body of Anathema formed, sticking over his shoulder and reaching down with a grin to brush one bony hand through his hair as the other stroked under his chin, Zerrex staring in horror at the skeleton's skull as the golden fire burning in her eyes seemed somehow amused. "You're so skittish, Zerrex... just let me rest and feed a bit on your energy, it's not like I can exist infinitely without a little life force here and there. Don't worry, I'll only scrape a little bit off."

"It does come back, right?" Zerrex asked carefully, and she made a rolling motion with her head before she retracted over his shoulder and into his back, collapsing back into a bone wall. The reptile decided that was probably a yes... and he made a face, mumbling about parasites before he looked moodily over at Sin, but he guessed that this was the price he'd have to pay if he wanted to stay on Anathema's good side.

She only smiled a bit at him, however, walking over and touching his shoulder as she asked him quietly with her eyes to put up with it... and he nodded to her, and Sin kissed him for a moment, the reptile returning the affection softly before she said quietly: "I'm going to go and find Lady Selena, and see if I can explain things to her a little. Miss Cherry, would you like to come with me? Lord Zerrex needs to rest."

"Don't even say it, Boss, Selena needs girl talk time." Cherry said immediately, when the reptile rose a hand to argue, and then Cherry imitated his voice as she beat a hand against her chest. "'But like guys, I can totally deal with her myself.' Well, douchebag, you don't have to. 'But guys, I don't wanna totally come across like, as a wimp.' Well you aren't. Fuck you. Selena will just beat on you if she sees you, if she sees us she'll yell at us but then actually listen instead of getting all mine-mine-mine. She's like a kid, and you're her pet. You don't let the pet go up and lick the kid's face when it's being evil."

"That is the worst metaphor ever." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry shrugged and stuck her tongue out, blowing a raspberry at the Drakkaren. He sighed and rolled his eyes after a moment, then muttered and shook his head, returning to the futon and laying down on his chest as he said over his shoulder grouchily: "Then don't blame me when she sets you on fire."

"It's so damn nice being immune to that." Cherry said wistfully, and she waved a goodbye to Zerrex before she and Sin left through the portal. It left the reptile in an awkward silence with Anathema as a skeletal form on his back, as he closed his eyes and mumbled to himself... but then when he opened them, he blinked as he felt a distinct settling of weight and he looked over his shoulder to see Anathema had taken her physical form back on and was laying on top of him with a grin.

She peered down at him, her features once more as normal as they could get, and then she let him roll over beneath her, the two looking at each other before she said amusedly, a hand on either side of his head: "You really are a simple creature, aren't you?"

"Is this the part where you try to kill me? Because I'm not in the mood for a betrayal." Zerrex said mildly, holding up a finger, and Anathema only laughed before she straddled him, and the reptile winced as he waved his hands. "No sex either, please. I've had more necrophilia in the last day than I wanted to have in my entire life."

"Fuck you, I'm... not technically... fuck you." Anathema snorted, then she paused and frowned at him, tapping her temple lightly with a finger. "I have a question for you, Lord Zerrex... why would you release me like you did? I know you can't actually trust me or be placing much faith in me, other than that if I must fight, I will... but I don't understand a lot of things about you or how your mind works. So I want to observe you... but I also want to... experience you." She hesitated, then said softly, stroking down his right arm: "The powers of Mephistopheles... do not draw me simply because of our bond. I am attracted to power, as my sister is... yet Sin has found something other than power she admires in you, I realize that now. I've been gone for so many, many eons... and while I've already been able to update myself on a few things thanks to accessing your mind, many other things still confuse me.

"Let's share with each other, shall we?" Anathema tilted her head, and then she sighed n soft pleasure as she stroked a finger down Zerrex's chest, and the reptile looked down dumbly, watching as blue sparks floated up from his body as her finger traced along it. "You have no idea how good it feels to be back in a body... the physical body seems so limited, but truly, it is divine expression at its finest..."

"You're creepy. Go away." the Drakkaren said finally, and Anathema sighed and rolled her eyes as the reptile pushed her wrist away. Then she grinned and patted his cheek, and he looked at her dourly before he asked: "Are you going to prove to be as big a pain in the ass as the other people in my life?"

"Possibly worse." Anathema admitted, and then she placed her hand against his chest, closing her eyes as she murmured softly: "Do you know how magical it is to be alive? I think you might have some idea... but no true grasp of the concept, unless you've died in the past and suffered having your physical body destroyed and your spirit cursed... the heat of your body, the feel of the air, the thud-thud-thud of your heart... oh, it's all so beautiful."

"Are you alive?" Zerrex asked hesitantly, not wanting to seem callous but his curiosity overwhelming him nonetheless, and Anathema smiled at him as if he was a naïve child, as she reached out and gently took one of his hands.

She guided it carefully under her ribcage to her beating heart, and the reptile felt it thudding in his hand, warm and wet and so strange to the touch, holding quite literally the female's life in her hands as she murmured softly: "Does that feel alive? But then again, to be alive is to more than feel alive... the real question is, are you alive?"

Zerrex opened his mouth... and then he closed it slowly as he held onto her heart quietly, realizing what she meant. Even though he was a demon, he had died to become one... did that mean that unlike the pureblood demons, he too, was a remnant of life, a shell that should have remained in the grave? Did that mean all those who went to Heaven and Hell were abominations to the physical world's natural order and life, that they were in reality nothing more than hollow shells, or perhaps souls made physical with their best and worst attributes blazing clear as day?

Anathema looked at him curiously, watching him sort through all this in his mind, and then she gently pulled his hand away and guided it to her face, licking his palm quietly in a gesture of affection as she said softly: "Life and death... have no real meaning, Lord Zerrex. Mortals only give them meaning... because they are terrified of meaninglessness, and even more, they are horrified at the idea that death is just part of the cycle... that even with their so-called superiority over the unevolved, the uninitiated, they feel they must one day pass away, after watching their friends and family all vanish around them. I would tell you I hold all the secrets to life and death... but there are none, at least, not anymore. Yet even knowing that there is a beyond, that there is a Hell, a Heaven, that people reincarnate and disintegrate and transcend and descend... still, so many mortals search for meaning. And thus, that is why they can be drawn in... manipulated... tainted and spoiled.

"Now get some rest, Zerrex. I'll start returning the favors I owe you by watching over you as you do so." Anathema became skeletal, and her body locked itself against his, this time with no flashy swirl but almost a slow, gentle melding as she sighed with soft pleasure, her skull settling against his back. If you don't mind, I would like to watch your dreams while you sleep. Of course, I'm only asking permission because it's polite.

"Then you can tell me what I dreamt about when I wake up." Zerrex murmured, smiling a bit to himself: the only dreams he ever remembered were the ones where he was mentally attacked by something. "Watch out for Ravenlight, though, he's a bastard. And can you please find somewhere other than my back?"

Anathema sighed in his head, and then her skull slid across his body to settle on his right shoulder, as she whispered: Then I'll rest where the presence of Mephistopheles is strong, and compare you two. Get that rest now, Lord Zerrex... you don't want to make Sin angry.

"Believe me, I know." Zerrex murmured, and he laid back on the futon, closing his eyes. A nap did sound wonderful at the moment, and he had a few days to prepare himself before rushing off to the mortal plane to combat Animaxander, that was also true: the time difference between Hell and the physical realm made him more glad than he could admit on some days. Then he closed his eyes, and confident that he wouldn't be interrupted, he fell into a quiet slumber.

The Drakkaren awoke to find Lily was sitting with him, reading quietly... and then she glanced up with a soft smile, the reptile smiling back as he flexed his body and realized he felt a hundred times better than he had when he'd laid down. She leaned in and kissed his cheek gently, and then she said softly: "It's good to see you actually take some good advice for once, Zerrex... even if you and Sin went and did something that we all should have been informed of." She held up a hand when Zerrex opened his mouth to speak, saying quietly again: "I'm not mad at you anymore. Sin looks happier than I've seen her in years... Anathema dealt with the undead plague on the mortal realm... and you're healed. I'm not going to spoil it all by being angry with you over keeping your loyalty and silence on Sin's behalf. And Anathema might be a bit rude, but she's no monster, just like you showed how beautiful and generous Sin was, despite the legends about her."

"Thank you." Anathema said drolly, as the eyes of the skull on Zerrex's shoulder lit up with golden flames, and then her skeleton pulled itself off his body, the female making a face a and brushing away a few bits of nanomachine fabric that clung to her. "Distasteful mortal toys. But I'm glad to see at least someone around here has some integrity... even if you, like Zerrex, are a strange and vulnerable demoness."

Lily rolled her eyes, and Zerrex shoved Anathema lightly, saying mildly: "Can't you ever be kind to people?" He paused, then looked down at his nanotech armlet, tapping in a short command to make the clothing on his body distort for a moment before reforming, taking on the appearance of thick hide pants and a taut black t-shirt, as Anathema gazed at him with dry amusement. "Lily, right. Has anyone managed to find Loki?"

"Yes, Mist and Shine are keeping him company in the library. He says he feels safe at the Ravenlight Estate... but I think it helps that Sin and the Four Sisters are there, reinforcing some of the magical protection around it." Lily answered, and Zerrex nodded as he stood up, picking Blackheart up and resting the sword on his shoulder as the female smiled a bit, standing herself and adding quietly: "I'm glad that you've brought that weapon back to life, Lord Zerrex. It's a powerful symbol."

"A phallic symbol, maybe." Zerrex replied amiably, looking at the huge, thick-bladed weapon, and Lily sighed, shaking her head slowly before the Drakkaren cleared his throat and concentrated, holding up an arm out and curious as to what would happen as he called a name mentally.

There was an awkward, long pause... and then Sammy appeared out of nowhere and landed on the reptile's arm, looking exhausted as energy crackled over him. He scampered quickly up to the lizard's shoulder, and he nipped at him accusingly, the reptile wincing before he cleared his throat as the pseudodragon looked slowly around at Anathema and then squeaked in shock, jumping on top of the reptile's head as the undead Naganatine looked at him with amusement. "Sammy, this is Anathema. She's a friend, even if she does look a bit scary."

"A pseudodragon... what a delightful little pet. And linked to you by a pact, if he's able to phase through the dimensions themselves to reach you." Anathema said softly, reaching a finger up and gently stroking over Sammy's muzzle, and the pseudodragon calmed a bit, chirping at her as he waved his long tail once through the air, crawling carefully down to sit on Zerrex's shoulder. "He must be a useful ally... and even in my day, his kind existed as a rare species, with a strength that was hidden by their size."

Sammy perked up at this, and then Anathema asked him curiously: "So what's his true name?" A pause, and when Zerrex and the pseudodragon both gazed at her with a stumped expression, she sighed before leaning across to Lily, who looked awkwardly at the ceiling. "You know it, don't you?"

"Well, not really." Lily admitted, rubbing the back of her head as she mumbled: "Desire probably does, though..." She looked at Zerrex as he gazed at her with a frown, Sammy mimicking the expression. "Pseudodragons are named before birth by their parents... and names, as you know, hold great power. Sammy might be able to think for himself... but if you said his true name and then gave him an order, he'd be unable to do anything but carry it out. But if it's never been used except when he was in an egg, then even Sammy doesn't know it."

Zerrex looked at the little beast on his shoulder meditatively, and then he said thoughtfully: "That'd be useful for getting the little bastard to take a bath once in a while, but... Sammy and I get along just fine as it is." He paused, then held a hand up and created a portal, adding in a mumble: "And I'm stalling, aren't I? Let's just get this over with..."

The two nodded, and they followed Zerrex as he stepped through the portal and into the library of the Ravenlight Estate, where Loki was reading nervously at a large table, the twins standing nearby with their arms crossed and Sin sitting at the table. She smiled when Zerrex entered, then nodded to Anathema, standing up as she asked softly: "How are you feeling?"

Loki looked up, and then he let out a sigh of relief as he saw Zerrex, tossing the book away and leaping up to his feet as he gazed back and forth, wincing a bit. "Guys, uh... can I have some privacy here with Zerrex?"

Zerrex slowly closed his mouth, looking from Sin to the nerve-wracked demigod, and then he finally glanced at Mist and Shine, who were both frowning. "Can you two go outside and watch the doors for us? And Sin, maybe you and Anathema can go make sure there's no trespassers on the grounds."

Anathema grunted, looking distastefully at Sin before she rolled her eyes and said dryly: "Fine. Sin, why don't you give me a full tour, show me around this place? Seems to have changed a lot from when the Twins owned it."

Sin nodded with a quiet blush, then she bowed to Zerrex as the four made their way out, Mist and Shine both tossing him anxious looks as they left... and Lily and the Drakkaren sat down at the table together. The otter looked relieved as the doors closed, before he finally rubbed at his face slowly as Zerrex said quietly: "I know you don't trust much of anyone, but we are all safe, Loki. I can guarantee that not even Anathema will betray us to the Old Gods."

"I... just needed them gone while I explain something." Loki said nervously, and he glanced back and forth, the otter leaning backwards as he rubbed at his streaked hair, his strange, heavy trenchcoat rustling around him. For once, he didn't seem at all like the godling he was made out to be... and then he winced, leaning forwards as he blurted: "So I was the one feeding the Old Gods information."

"What?" Zerrex leapt to his feet, looking indignant, and he slammed his hands against the table, shouting: "Loki, goddammit, why the hell did you do that?"

Sammy growled in agreement on his shoulder, and the otter rose his hands, shaking his head wildly as Lily reached out and squeezed Zerrex's forearm, even as she favored Loki with a curdling glare. "No, it's not what you think! They were the mark, not you, even though I treated you like the mark so I could make them the mark and get information on them!" he babbled, and although Zerrex understood little of the sentence, he paused at the last, simple bit that he did understand. "I got... all kinds of shit on them, seriously!"

"Then tell me." the Drakkaren said mildly, trying not to make it sound like an order but failing as he felt grouchiness running through him, sitting down in his chair. At the same time, however, he realized this was probably what Lily and the others felt like when he ran off and did something stupid himself. "Is it useful information?"

Loki nodded rapidly, and then he looked back and forth before he said quietly: "I was the one bringing lots of info back to the Old Gods at first... I... it seemed like fun! Chaos, power, destroying you, who I thought was an asshole... and still do, by the way..." The otter glared at him for a moment, but he flinched when Zerrex narrowed his eyes at him. "But it was never supposed to come like this, to... to turn out this way. Those power surges, across Hell that you've been getting? Those are time distortions, although your son Driz has likely figured that out by now, with his energy abilities. The fabric of Hell is being warped and pulled together, the... broken strings between Hell and the mortal plane, they're all being sewn neatly into place. All the work God did in separating the planes, and... your worst fears are coming true."

"Hell is going to merge with the mortal plane?" Zerrex asked in a strained voice, and Lily went pale as Loki nodded, the Drakkaren staring in horror at the implications of this as he asked weakly: "Will it destroy us?"

"No, but it will... change the laws of Hell." Loki replied, shaking his head slowly as he murmured: "It will change the entire universe, for better or worse... but probably only for a little while." He laughed shakily, and the Drakkaren realized just how terrified the demigod was, saw the fear and panic lurking deep in his eyes as he said in a trembling voice: "They're coming here... I know you saw them. I knew that they'd use a Sea God to try and stop your team from getting to the Observatory, but I had no choice but to feed them information in order to find out their movements... and they are coming here. More Gods are on their way, how they're teleporting such long distances in such short spans of time, I have no idea... but listen to me, Zerrex. Listen to me, and forget everything, every single thing you know about me and that's happened between us, and just trust me. If you want to save lives, and perhaps the mortal plane... you need to stop Animaxander first, and whatever other Emissaries have been sent to the mortal plane."

"Will you come with me?" Zerrex asked quietly, and Loki looked up at him with shock, before the Drakkaren smiled grimly. "It would prove a lot of things about you, Loki... that you really mean what you say, that this isn't some trick... and you are a demigod, and from the tribe of Warrior Gods. Besides, if Animaxander is connected to Odin's death somehow, or even just the ones that ordered the kill..."

"Then I have to avenge father..." Loki murmured, looking down quietly before the otter gritted his teeth and nodded, even as he added: "My strength will be lessened in the physical plane, however... I don't use kind of corruption-fueled magic as you do, but my abilities will still be greatly weakened."

Zerrex nodded, and then he held out a hand, saying quietly: "We'll pick up a few friends I know who can help us too... but I need all hands on deck for this one."

Loki hesitated... and then he took Zerrex's hand and shook it, saying finally: "Alright, Zerrex. Then I will help you however I can." He paused, then grimaced as he sat back in his chair with a sigh, adding morbidly: "The only other bit of information I can tell you is that the Old Gods have been working to exterminate threats to them on the mortal plane... I think that this undead invasion was likely meant to act as a smokescreen while they go after the mortals that stood in the way of their plans. And not just strong mortals... those with great prestige, and power, and even wealth in some cases."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly: physical might was only one kind of power, after all, and while it was the power he preferred... it couldn't win out in every case. It confused him, however, and left the motives of the Old Gods cloaked even more in shadows: by binding Hell and possibly Heaven to the mortal plane once more, what did they want to achieve? Total destruction, invasion, assimilation? The reptile was only sure of one thing: whatever they wanted, it was bad.

He stood up, and then he said quietly: "I'm going to wait... two or three days, enough to get prepared for what's coming and to deal with a few issues in Hell and... hopefully start preparing demons for what sounds almost inevitable at the moment." He paused, then frowned and asked finally: "How are they bypassing the powers of the Scholars?"

Loki shrugged, shaking his head slowly as he murmured softly, looking resolutely at the table: "They're... strong. That's what allured me first... the power. And I never even dealt with whoever's at the head of the food chain... Morpheus would speak to me in dreams, and a few of the other Old Gods in... different ways. I know that they spoke to Anubis as well, but he resisted the temptation... mostly out of fear of you and that slave-master White, I think."

Zerrex nodded slowly, and then he looked at Lily, saying quietly: "See if you can find out what gods and godlings are still residing in Hell, and ask Francis to do the same. Find the ones that will talk to us and are willing to help us, and find out what happened to the ones that might have vanished... I have a real nasty feeling in my gut, and you know my instincts."

"They're usually right." Lily made a face, and then she headed towards the doors and left. Zerrex looked at Loki, before he followed her... then he paused when the otter cleared his throat and stood up behind him, the Drakkaren turning slowly around.

Loki looked at him for a moment, and then he finally adjusted his trenchcoat and said quietly: "I don't like you, Zerrex... but I have come to respect what you're trying to do, and I want to work towards the same goal. I just want to offer up some advice, though... watch your attachments. There's likely going to be a lot of people dying in the very near future."

Zerrex smiled a bit, and then he said softly: "Loki, it's better to love someone until they die, even if they die in your arms... then to step away from them and pretend you don't care, and then watch them suffer and perish without being by their side to support them. Both hurt, and both hurt for an eternity... but you might find that eternity lasts a lot longer and hurts a lot deeper when you try and walk away."

With that, Zerrex turned and left, and Sammy squeaked on his shoulder for attention, the reptile rolling his eyes as he scratched him gently under the chin as Mist and Shine fell into step on either side of him, the reptile asking without needing to look: "Where's Selena? I should probably stop running away like an idiot and actually talk to her, much as I don't want to get punched in the face today."

"Probably with Cherry." Mist supplied, and Zerrex looked over his shoulder in surprise as the Iuratus smiled a bit. "Necessity forms friendships best."

"Selena really does care... but unlike Cherry, she's just had too many years to become set in her ways." Shine added softly, and she paused before adding gently: "I last remember seeing them in the Palace courtyard, near the fountains. They're likely both somewhere around there still."

Zerrex nodded, and then he paused in the hallway, turning to the Twins and saying softly: "Then I need you two to gather up a cadre of willing, trustworthy demons, and find Lily to help her with some very difficult tasks."

The two looked at him steadily for a moment, and then the twins nodded and stepped forwards, each kissing his cheek and murmuring an affirmation and a blessing before Mist created a portal and the two left. Zerrex watched them go, and then he created his own portal, thinking for a moment about how wonderful and ridiculous magic could be and wondering if it would all vanish when - if - the planes merged... except, of course, for magic that required the sacrifice of supernatural lives.

The Drakkaren emerged into a small courtyard a few moments later that was dominated by an enormous round fountain, arcs of water spraying up from a central pillar and filled with glass that pulsed with inner blue light, like icy lanterns rising from the depths of an arctic sea. Sitting in front of this on a small stone bench were Selena and Cherry, the former looking miserable and the latter patting her comfortingly on the back, and they both looked up when Zerrex emerged, Blackheart on his back and Sammy on his shoulder, and Selena asked him shortly: "Are you going off to war again?"

"Soon, but not yet." Zerrex admitted, and he walked across the ten foot gap towards her, even as she glowered at him and sat up, crossing her arms. Cherry winced and waved wildly at Zerrex to go away, but he ignored her as he looked down at the female, saying quietly: "Come on, Selena. I do want to spend time with you."

"Oh, don't lie to me." Selena muttered, looking angrily away as she rubbed at her face, her voice bitter. "You're bored of me... you've got all those other girls now and you always run off and do your own shit without me, anyway... you've used me up and now you've moved on already, just like how you never hang out with any of those old mortal friends of yours..."

"I try my best to, Selena... but the universe as we know it may be ending." Zerrex replied quietly, and he knelt down in front of her as Sammy jumped off his shoulder and ran away to hide in one of the bushes, the reptile saying softly: "If I don't stand up to these Old Gods, who will? I have the power to at least try and change things... and I have the responsibility to use all of my strength and more to try and do so. Selena, ask me now, and I will stay here with you until I'm dragged away... but think of the bigger picture. If I stay with you now... there may never be a later."

Selena looked down, murmuring quietly: "Fuck you, I'm not a child... I get it, I do. But you're always ignoring me, even though you made me a High Throne too... yet you treat me like shit, and we never do anything anymore-"

"Selena, come on." Zerrex didn't try to hide his exasperation with her this time, and she snarled at him before he reached up and grabbed her shoulders, pinning her back in place as he replied flatly: "I treat you like dirt? You're the one always hitting me whenever things don't go your way, always... yelling at me and making me do this and do that!"

"Oh, back off!" Selena shouted, and she jumped up to her feet, shrugging his arms off before she reached down and jerked her ring off her finger, throwing it to the ground as she yelled at him furiously: "Go see your other fucking whores, fuck you, I don't need this shit or you anymore, you goddamn asshole!"

And with that, she opened a portal and stomped off as Zerrex stared stupidly after her, and Cherry sighed, groaning and throwing her head into the air as she mumbled: "Well, had to happen sooner or later, Boss... you and her are great friends, but put you together as anything more and you clash and burn up in the atmosphere." She paused, winced at her words as Zerrex looked dejectedly at the ring on the ground, reaching out to pick it up and hold it quietly in his palm, and she reached out and rubbed his back, mumbling embarrassedly: "I mean... I... I really am sorry to see that happen."

Zerrex mumbled quietly, and then he looked down at his hands: bare of any rings right now. He returned his gaze to Selena's simple wedding band, and then he clutched it tightly in his fingers before he sat back on his haunches, saying quietly: "I think I want too much, Cherry. And I think I'm too driven." He closed his eyes, and Cherry didn't reply, instead waiting it out before he finally murmured: "I don't want to be responsible. I don't want to be High King. I don't want to be strong, and fast, and powerful. I wish I was weak, and frail, and stupid... that I could be one of those people who shamelessly live through life... normal. Or as some geek, able to descend into a fantasy world of dungeons and monsters and dragons, obsessed only with the next video game coming out... I wish my life had been simple, and that I didn't believe in anything, so that when I died... I was gone."

"Now don't talk like that, Boss." Cherry chided gently, and Zerrex looked up at her quietly as she smiled a bit, propping her feet up on one of his shoulders as she said with soft amusement: "You know, we can always get you some pills for your depression."

"Cherry, shut up." Zerrex said flatly, and he tried to shrug her feet off, muttering: "I'm not in the mood for that shit right now, okay?"

Cherry let her feet drop, and then she stood up, walked over to him, and picked Zerrex up in a firm hug, the Drakkaren looking surprised as he hung limply in her arms, and she murmured: "Boss, no matter what, I still love you. Don't you goddamn forget that, because it's fucking hard for me to say, you hear me asshole? Now get up, get out of there, and do your thing. Me and you, we still got a whole shitload of... well... shit to take on, and I for one ain't backing down until we've taken care of business and shown those fucks back on the mortal plane that it ain't their goddamn planet."

Zerrex nodded, and then he got his feet under him as he looked down at the ring... and he squeezed it tightly in his hand, murmuring softly: "I love you too, Cherry. I truly do... thank you, for everything." He paused, looking up at her softly, and then the two shared an awkward laugh before Sammy ran out of hiding and chirped, the female looking down at him with a grin. "And I figured well... Knight Dove here could lend us a hand. Or paw. Whatever he has."

"Good shit. Little fucker really is talented if he can cross dimensions." Cherry said mildly, and Sammy jumped up and danced around on his hind legs, making her snort laughter. "Yeah, talented as all fuck, goddamn!"

Sammy leapt up after a moment to land neatly on Zerrex's arm, scrambling up it to sit on his shoulder, and Cherry rolled her eyes before she reached down and grabbed the Drakkaren's other arm, poking the armlet a few times as he made a face. "Oh, come on, Priest has got something for you or some crazy shit. Let's go and see him, he should be in the high-tech lab thingy."

Zerrex rolled his eyes, but he was glad to let Cherry lead for a while as he slipped Selena's ring quietly into his pocket when the demoness made a portal, and he followed her through to the outside of a facility guarded by two lanky Nightmares in lightweight armor vests over grey uniforms, both of the demonic horses carrying modified mortal assault rifles. Their skin was jet black, and their red eyes burned with corruption, their frames athletic if not muscular... but much of their terrifying appearance was lost by the fact they both flinched and scrambled to push open the heavy iron gates behind them as Cherry approached, Zerrex sighing in her wake as she shouted cheerfully at a camera on one of the heavy walls surrounding the facility: "Hey, Priest, it's Momma! She brought you your father!"

They stepped into a large, square courtyard, where several mechanics were busily fixing up modified mortal tanks: while most machinations didn't work in Hell due to electrical and magnetic interference caused by the corruption and certain breeds of demon, some mortal technologies could be insulated with the proper tools and modified to run off demonic power sources. Zerrex, of course, had no idea what the hell the tanks were actually for, since it had been a long time since the 'war games' of Hell had finally been silenced... and while there were often skirmishes here and there between clans and self-proclaimed 'state nations,' they usually went about it the traditional way: bashing each other with swords and magic until one side surrendered, only to do it all again within a week.

They approached a pair of double doors leading into the enormous, L-shaped facility, and Zerrex made a face as a security device above them scanned slowly back and forth over them, Cherry whistling and kicking lightly at the metal doors until Zerrex finally grabbed her shoulder and grumbled at her. Then the scanning device beeped once it decided it had done a thorough enough search, and the double doors unlocked, Cherry opening one and bowing courteously to Zerrex. "After you."

"I don't trust you." Zerrex said mildly, and the demoness rolled her eyes before the Drakkaren finally gave in, Sammy growling on his shoulder. Cherry growled back as she followed Zerrex inside, and then she ducked and covered her head, the reptile looking confused for a moment as he saw another pair of double doors before he yelped as several panels in the ceiling opened, spraying a decontaminating mist over their bodies as vents in the walls began to roar, fans behind them sucking in the stuff before as Sammy screeched and tried to crawl under Zerrex's shirt.

It ended a minute or so later, and the doors ahead of them clicked unlocked as Cherry stood, coughing and grinning stupidly before she yelped when Zerrex grabbed her by the collar, jerking her forwards and asking flatly: "Any other surprises ahead?"

"Nope." Cherry squeaked, and Zerrex dropped her, mumbling as he opened the doors. The demoness followed him quickly through, and they walked down a sterile steel corridor as the reptile frowned, pausing for a moment before the demoness grinned, and bounced up by his side as he looked at the fluorescent lights in the ceiling. "That's right, this is a corruption-free zone. That means their scientists can work just like mortal ones up top... and dude, I shit you not, some of the technology they have in here Cindy would like, orgasm over."

Zerrex looked at her for a moment, and she cleared her throat before grabbing his hand almost childishly and yanking him down the corridor, the reptile sighing as Sammy sniffed at the air and mumbled to himself, setting himself firmly down on the Drakkaren's shoulder and looking distrustfully around them. A moment later, they entered into a lab area, where a goat demon in the corner was dressed in a lab coat, measuring out strange liquids into vials and boiling one on a small burner on his desk... but Cherry ignored him as she bounced over to Priest, dressed in coveralls and wearing a pair of safety goggles as he carefully used a pair of tweezers and a tiny plasma cutter to remove pieces of metal from the inside of what looked like a missile. "Hey, kiddo, what are you doing? Ain't you gonna give Momma big fuck and a feel-up?"

"Busy." Priest said shortly, and Cherry grumbled something about 'like father, like son,' crossing her arms and sulking as the plasma cutter hissed as it sliced something inside the missile apart... and then Priest smiled as he straightened, pulling out a microchip with the tweezers and gently laying it on a velvet cloth sitting on the large, flat tabletop. "There we go. Mom, Dad, it's great to see you... especially you Dad, you look terrific."

He smiled warmly, and father and son exchanged a tight hug before Cherry cleared her throat... and Priest sighed, giving her a hug as well. Then he turned around and gently lifted the gutted missile up... before he winced when his mother gave his rear a hearty slap, almost fumbling it before he tossed her a dark glare and carefully knelt, setting it into a rack below the table with several other opened missiles. "I wish you wouldn't do that, at least not while I'm working, Mom. This stuff is really dangerous... advanced mortal technologies we harvested from an import ring."

"What are these?" Zerrex asked curiously, looking at the microchips as Sammy squeaked and leaned his head down, and Priest absently patted the little pseudodragon on the head before he smiled at his father as Sammy gave a pleased chirp.

"Navigational components we took out of the missiles... they're long range weapons, meant to be fired out of a special rocket launcher, designed with long-distance interfaces that allow them to be manually controlled at great speeds while automatically avoiding anti-missile obstacles." Priest explained, and then he cleared his throat when Zerrex stared at him, taking off his goggles and putting them aside before he carefully picked the velvet cloth up and set it gently down in an open metal lockbox with a foam inside. "In other words... really, really advanced computer parts. I'm pretty sure that if we harness these properly, we'll be able to set up a working wireless interface across Hell... it's just a matter of insulating them without dampening the signals and finding a wavelength to broadcast on that's free of electromagnetic static."

"I really don't get how he's so smart. How's he so smart?" Cherry asked dumbly, and Zerrex shrugged with a grunt before she poked her son's side, making him grunt as he ignored her and put his tools away in a small kit: the reptile was amazed by how neat and organized his area of this lab was, before he winced and looked over his shoulder as he heard a quiet boom and a crackle of glass to see the goatling standing stupidly in front of a cloud of smoke, glass and a jelly-like substance everywhere on his table. Then again, maybe it's just because he's not a chemist. Or Huck. "Anyway, look, you wanted to do something with that armlet?"

"Oh, right. Here, let me see it, Dad." Priest held out a hand, and Zerrex raised his arm after a moment, feeling oddly hesitant. His son smiled at him, and then he tapped a quick command in before he hit the release on the bottom of the armlet and pulled it off, and the Drakkaren winced, expecting his clothing to vanish... and then he stared when it did, and Priest laughed a bit: "What, you didn't know about that? Then again... we haven't really gone over this machine and all it can do even after all these years, have we?"

"No, we haven't had a chance to just sit down and talk about it at all." Zerrex replied with soft amusement, and he and Priest leaned against the table almost in unison as Cherry crossed her arms with an amused smile, watching the two as the male tilted the nanotech machine towards his father.

"See, it's not just for clothing... it also allows for active camouflage when you move, sort of... a chameleon effect." He paused, then admitted: "Then again, that part of the machine's a little bit chewed up and doesn't work perfectly. It doesn't recognize either patterns or colors very well, so you'll never be entirely cloaked from anyone who's within a short distance. It also takes a moment to scan and detect your surroundings... a bit of a setback, but well... I can't figure out how to make it instantaneous or enhance its intelligence.

"It also lets you interface with other forms of technology, and to hack into security systems and computer networks, specifically: the more complex the system, the longer it takes, and some machines, like vehicular systems, it can't decrypt or activate at all because it's not designed for that... but it's excellent for information gathering and silent entry. The best feature of it, though, is that it builds a catalog as you use it... for instance, if you run a bypass on a door lock made by a security company, and then you have to use it to get by the same type of door lock by the same company, then it should be able to hack into it within seconds instead of possibly minutes."

Priest paused, then he turned around and put the armlet down on the table, picking up a screwdriver and going to work on the device as he said in a softer voice: "And now I'm going to add something else in. Right now, you can use magic on the mortal plane because the machine runs off a special crystal... but I realized that the power drain on that crystal will be incredible if you continue to use magic. I also recognized, however, that the use of magic might be required... so I'm going to add in pieces of crystal specifically for the purpose of being used to cast spells."

"I see..." Zerrex paused, then he asked curiously: "There's enough room in the device for all of that? And what about that voice command thing?"

"Oh, I almost forgot, right." Priest smiled slightly over his shoulder at his father, then he looked back down at the device, removing a section off the armlet before reaching for a drawer in the desk, pulling it open and taking out a crescent-shaped, thick piece of crystal. "Yeah, there's plenty of room... and I never got around to mentioning the other features of the machine. There's an intelligent mapping system that will show you all sorts of statistics on an area, as well as other life forms present with an old-fashioned kind of radar system... and uh.. a holographic projector with a few preset stats placed into it, a body-monitoring device thanks to the nanomachines, all kinds of crazy fun little gizmos. One of my personal favorites, though, is that voice command... which is one of the few bits I think we talked about before. It'll build up a vocabulary and listen to you when you give it orders, so you don't always have to tap stuff into the keyboard... very useful feature, especially since it can learn to detect tone and inflection so it knows when its being spoken to."

"That's spooky." Zerrex said flatly, and then he watched as Priest flipped up another section of the armlet, strange machinery buzzing inside before the tall male carefully fitted the crescent crystal against the underside of the plate he had just removed, and he put down the tool in his hand to pick up a welding device from his kit. Zerrex watched in fascination as he began welding it on with a blue spark that was bright, but not painfully so, wondering how the hell it worked... and then he frowned as he looked around for Cherry, before he winced. "Excuse me, Priest, for just a moment."

Priest grunted in response, concentrating on his work, and Zerrex thought that was best as he stomped over to Cherry and yanked the gun she was playing with out of her hand, making her huff as he put it down before he glared at her: she had also put on several metallic pads over her arms and a pair of thick gauntlets laced with wires, and the Drakkaren leaned in, ordering in an irritated whisper: "You better put that stuff back right now, seriously."

"Make me." Cherry huffed, and then she winced when Zerrex glared at her, clearing her throat and then mumbling grouchily as she took the gauntlets off, putting them back in a cubbyhole together before she slid off the arm-pads and dropped them on a shelf, huffing. Zerrex paused, then he frowned at her, and she tried to look innocently away before he reached between her breasts, and she opened her mouth with a grin before she grumbled as he removed a disc-shaped object, putting it down on the table. "Oh, fuck you. You're no fun."

"Stop playing with Priest's stuff. He's your son, you're not the troublesome daughter. And put anything else you've stuffed in other places back, too." Zerrex scolded, then he turned away and headed back towards the working Dragokkaren-demon, and then he winced when there was a thunderous blast behind them, and Priest looked up and turned slowly around to see a hole in the wall, the metal blackened and torn and the shelving blown away, bits and pieces of machinery hailing down as Cherry stood holding a ring of some sort in her hand, and then Zerrex groaned and slapped his forehead.

"Oh, Mom!" Priest sounded exasperated, slapping his forehead with a wince before he asked in a voice that sounded desperate to figure something out: "Why the hell would you pull the pin out of a compression grenade?"

"It must have gotten stuck on one of my piercings when I pulled it out of my pants." Cherry said dumbly, as a few demons in uniform stared through the hole in the wall, Cherry clearing her throat as she dumbly continued to face forwards, refusing to acknowledge the messy aftermath of the explosion behind her. Then she grinned stupidly and carefully sidestepped towards the door, before she turned and sprinted for it, her back covered in char as she babbled; "See you at home, Boss!"

Priest slumped, looking morbid, and Zerrex awkwardly patted him on the shoulder before he shook his head and said grouchily: "Well, there goes two hundred thousand gold worth of equipment. At least all the special projects are kept in a locked vault..." He looked miserable, and then he shook his head, turning back towards the armlet as he replaced a few plates on it and started to screw them back in, mumbling: "And you know what the worst part of this is? This isn't even the first time this has happened."

Zerrex nodded and rubbed the back of head, saying lamely: "I'll pay for it all. Really, Priest, we've sort of got an emergency fund for this kind of thing anyway, with uh... well... you know your mother."

"No, no... I'll just make an appointment to see Sabnock or one of the other judges, and have her give me a writ that'll let me raid the evidence lockers... lots of stuff there I can use." Priest shook his head, and then he grumbled as he added dryly: "I'd only be really mad if she had destroyed this little device right here, or one of my other big projects, I guess. Mom is Mom... even if she's a huge pain in the ass."

The reptile nodded, sighing as he leaned back against the table and crossed his arms, saying with a bit of a smile: "You know, Cherry wasn't always like this. She used to be... well. Very serious and wicked, and she only got loud when she was busy screaming at someone. But she was no fun... and she caused very little trouble, especially compared to the way she acts today."

Priest paused for a moment to tilt his head curiously towards Zerrex. "What do you mean? I thought Mother's always been the same way about everything... vulgar, rude, and anxious to get into everything."

"Nah... Cherry and I used to be vicious and way too little fun." The Drakkaren laughed a bit, shaking his head slowly as he continued softly: "We yelled, we treated other people like crap, we always tried to force our way and... other things like that. We were unpleasant, in short. Cherry rarely joked around, rarely had any fun at all... all she wanted to was fight and kill and pretend that did something to deal with the pain.

"Cherry and I tried to kill each other before, too... on more than one occasion." Zerrex added musingly, rubbing slowly at the underside of his muzzle, and Priest gave him an amused look as he turned back to the nanotech armlet, working on it again as the reptile cleared his throat. "I meant, for real, seriously. But well... I dun remember exactly where I was going with this, but I think I was trying to say something about how this kind of Cherry is actually much more pleasant than a serious and calm Cherry."

Priest grunted, then he tapped a few buttons on the armlet, making it beep as it began to run diagnostics over itself while he screwed the last panel into place. "Well, that doesn't make her any less destructive when it comes to my equipment. Although I do appreciate the fact that you and her aren't the kind of people who kill everyone in sight... you know, Mom's told me a good few stories about you, and what she and you used to get up to. Here, just wait a minute, I'm having it run a diagnostic."

Zerrex rubbed the back of his head as Priest turned around, the Dragokkaren looking down at him almost benevolently as he said with soft entertainment: "You guys are interesting. And you know I'm glad to listen to your stories, Dad... just like the rest of your kids are, which I wish you'd figure out for yourself one of these days. Even Driz will listen if you talk, you do know that, right?"

The Drakkaren shifted awkwardly, and Priest shook his head with a quiet laugh, reaching out to touch his father's shoulder gently. "I don't think anyone's ever pointed this out, but Driz was always upset because he didn't get the same affection from you. Did you ever stop and look at it that way? That what he craved from you was attention and affection... and that's why he acts so mad at you sometimes, because he's scared he's not going to get that."

Zerrex looked down thoughtfully as he rubbed at his own face, not knowing exactly what to say... and then Priest turned away, heading towards the damaged wall and muttering under his breath as he touched the charred sides of it, saying flatly: "Now, see this? This is exactly why I said fusing demonic magic into unstable mortal devices is a bad idea. High-impact, short-radius... that's supposed to be a rocket's job, not a grenade's, anyway."

Zerrex grunted in agreement after a moment, and then he glanced over his shoulder as the armlet dinged and the disc-shaped protrusion on it whirred, a holographic image showing a pie chart Zerrex didn't understand projecting above it as Priest turned around and approached, resting his hands on the table. "Alright... it seems to be working fine, Dad." He reached out and tapped a button, and the projection vanished before the Dragokkaren picked the armlet up and held it out to him, smiling a bit. "You better go find Mom before she starts a riot or something. If you need me, by the way, well... I'm glad to help out."

"And I appreciate that more than I can say." Zerrex replied softly, as he slipped the armlet on and let it lock back into his forearm, the reptile smiling a bit as the nanomachine clothing over his body rippled before smoothing out. "Thank you, Priest... you're a good son to me. One of my best."

"Hey, just... one thing." Priest looked almost hesitant, and Zerrex tilted his head as he looked up at his son, who rubbed at his head before he finally said quietly: "When you go back to the Estate... check in on Markus, huh? He misses you but... he's scared of seeing you or Cherry. I hear he doesn't get a lot of visitors, and... that's probably hard on him."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, and then he replied with a bit of a smile: "That's no favor, Priest, that's you lookin' out for your kid brother. I appreciate seeing that... and I will. Thanks. Take care, huh?"

"You too, Dad." Priest rose a hand, and Zerrex smiled at him before the Drakkaren turned and left, heading out into the hallway and carefully edging past some suspicious-looking guards and demons dressed in coveralls that were poking at the wreckage of the wall. The reptile decided to make his way towards the exit, musing to himself as he approached the airlock, and he halted in front of them as Sammy chirped from where he was sitting contentedly on his shoulder, before he growled as they were scanned by a camera. Serious level tech here, though.

The scanning process took much less time than it had outside - possibly because Cherry wasn't here, more likely because there was no contamination from corruption - and Zerrex was able to step into the airlock as the pseudodragon glared warily back and forth, before yelping when the mist sprayed over them and the vents roared to life. Then the doors opened to the outside... and Zerrex sighed and slapped his forehead when he stepped out and the first thing he saw was Cherry harassing a mechanic, yelling at him as she pointed at the open engine of the tank.

"Fuck that, I would never put shit like that on any kind of vehicle! Tanks are supposed to be slow moving anyway, not... speedy-fast-jazz-mix and shit." Cherry apparently retorted, and the demon threw his hands up in frustration, looking like he was about to hit her with the wrench. If only. "Anyway, like... oh, hey, Boss, there you are! Fuck, what took you so long, I've been out here for like, hours."

"It's been five minutes, maybe." Zerrex replied sourly, and Cherry grumbled something that sounded like 'same difference' before he pointed at her, adding dryly: "And you still have some ash on your back."

This made her clear her throat, awkwardly reaching behind herself and brushing at her back as she grinned stupidly at the reptile, before he held a hand up and created a portal, saying mildly: "Come on, let's head back to the Estate. We should stop in and see your other son before we start putting teams together... maybe he can even help us."

Cherry winced at this, fidgeting awkwardly on the spot before she sighed and relented, nodding and looking glum. Zerrex thought some of her expression was self-loathing, however... and he shook his head a bit, smiling faintly as he threw an arm around her shoulders once she came close and walking through the portal with her to step out into the main hall.

Sammy chirped and jumped off Zerrex's shoulder, before he paused and stood up, looking at him for a moment... and the reptile nodded, smiling a bit as the pseudodragon ran off. Cherry tilted her head curiously, and Zerrex squeezed her lightly close, saying softly: "He just wants to take a run around the place... it's been a long time since he's been here, after all."

"Yeah, I'd probably want to cut loose a bit myself." Cherry admitted, and then she sighed as she looked morbidly at the Drakkaren, asking in a voice with an edge of a whine to it: "Do I really have to go and see Markus? Can't we hang out with someone cool, like Firenze? He's a misfit too, after all."

"I know it's hard for you, Cherry... but we owe it to him. We're his parents... and I believe parents should take care of their children, especially when they have the means to do so and the kid is trying his best to reform. We have to balance ourselves... but... we need to both respect and view them as a separate adult and treat them as such... but also... care and show compassion and kinship towards them." Zerrex said softly, and the demoness mumbled about parenting guides before he headbutted her lightly, saying dryly: "Hey, Cindy was the one who was really into the parenting manuals. I only got into a few of them."

"Which you read like, non-stop." Cherry shot back, as they headed towards the stairs, and the Drakkaren snorted and rolled his eyes in amusement before he closed them and concentrated, letting his mind reach out as he felt for energy signatures, recognizing a few of them here and there before he jerked his head to the left, and they moved in that direction from the island up another set of stairs.

Zerrex let his arm fall from around Cherry to open the door, since she was still fidgeting a bit and looking awkward, and they stepped into a hallway just in time to see Mercy leave her room, looking a bit disheveled. She looked up at the sight of her father, then smiled warmly and approached, and they shared a tight hug before she tilted her head curiously, and the reptile answered: "We're going to see Markus. Do you know where he is? Maybe you can come along, too, help... ease the tension."

Mercy nodded, smiling a bit as she rubbed at her arms, safely covered by a long-sleeved blouse, and then she made a few quick gestures that Zerrex nodded at after a moment, saying softly: "I'm glad to hear it, then. I mean... well... you know what I mean."

Mercy nodded again, looking at him with soft entertainment, and she led them down the hall as Cherry leaned forwards and asked dumbly: "What the fuck did she just say? My artistic interpretation is so not nearly as good as yours."

"Markus is in the conservatory. And yes, we have a conservatory. That's how posh this place is." Zerrex replied flatly, and Mercy covered her stitched mouth as she silently giggled, Cherry's jaw dropping for a moment before she closed it and crossed her arms, huffing. Then Zerrex tilted his head upwards as he heard faint piano music... and he followed with a bit of a smile as Mercy quietly led them to a twisting staircase, heading upwards as the music grew louder.

On the fourth floor, the door across from the stairwell was wide open, and the three let themselves quietly in to where Markus was seated at the piano, playing for a few other demons the Drakkaren recognized. Among them was Shelly, who gave her father a curdled smile before she looked stoically down at her wine glass, her current boy-toy - a tall, dumb-looking Salamander - half-asleep at another table. But she didn't make a scene, which Zerrex appreciated: he thought even Shelly had a little bit of common decency now and again.

A few of his other children were seated at round tables that had been set out, almost like a buffet, in front of a small stage with two pianos on it and a few other instruments. Zerrex, Cherry, and Mercy quietly took a seat with Blueberry, who looked up in surprise from the book she had been reading before she smiled at them warmly, whispering softly to her father: "He'll be so thrilled to see you guys..."

Zerrex nodded almost absently as he looked at Markus's back, the Dragokkaren concentrating hard on his playing as his fingers roved back and forth over the keys with incredible dexterity. He smiled a bit to himself, remembering how Requiem, so many years ago, had tried to teach him more than just combat and instructed and tutored him in other things, such as poetry and literature... and how angry Narrius had gotten when he'd found out. The most Narrius had ever permitted him to be taught was meditation... but only because Narrius recognized the value of a sharpened, fearless mind.

Markus was looking healthier than he remembered, his scales a bit more lustrous, his plain mortal clothes and sash tight against his frame... and he had a tattoo down one forearm the reptile didn't remember, something zigzagging that Zerrex couldn't see clearly from his angle. But his piano playing was... sad, yet mellow and soothing, and he rarely stumbled or blurred notes as he checked his sheet music only occasionally, his eyes closed for the most part as a silent metronome ticked time back and forth on the black, enormous instrument.

Cherry crossed her arms as she leaned back in her chair, looking quiet: music was one of the few things even her precog wouldn't let her tackle, despite how agile her fingers were. She had all the necessary components, after all, except for one thing... and that one thing was the patience required to learn. After all, even though she didn't act like it... Cherry could display humility when it was necessary to drop her usual façade.

Markus finished after a few minutes, and there was scattered clapping across the room from the dozen or so people present, as Markus turned around and bowed low... and then he smiled warmly when he saw his parents, looking startled at first but quickly recovering as he grasped at something hidden beneath his shirt. Then he rose a hand to them, and Zerrex rose a hand back, before he kicked Cherry beneath the table.

She gave a strained smile and rose her own hand, and Markus looked absolutely delighted before he turned as one of his half-siblings approached him bashfully, distracted for the moment, and Cherry said immediately: "Okay we saw him, he saw us, let's go."

Zerrex rolled his eyes... but before he could argue, Shelly swept imperiously by with her new male cohort in tow, and then she paused, half-curtsying to Zerrex as she said dryly: "Father. So good of you and... dear Cynthia... to come out and see your son play. It's a nice change from your usual soapbox, although it must have been hard for you to step off it."

"Go away before I eat you." Cherry snapped rudely, and then she added with a glare that made Shelly quail: "And it's Cherry. Call me by that name again, and Zerrex's kid or not, I will stuff your head up your own ass."

Shelly huffed indignantly, and then she stormed away as the reptile sighed and slumped his shoulders, Blueberry patting him gently on the shoulder as Mercy shook her head with a look of distaste. Then Zerrex looked up as Markus approached, and he stood before he was picked up in a tight embrace as the Dragokkaren said warmly: "Father, it's great to see you!" He paused, then put him down embarrassedly, grasping his shoulders and planting a kiss on his forehead. "Sorry, I got caught up in the moment... and Mom, hey!"

Markus opened his arms wide, but Cherry only shrank back in her chair, giving him a sour look, as there was an awkward pause before the demoness sighed and sat forwards, taking one of his hands and shaking it between both her own as she said dryly: "Markus, glad to see you working on something so... not violent."

Markus squeezed her hand lightly, and then he let go after a moment, pulling a chair out and sitting down between his father and Cherry - the latter female, however, was almost all the way around the table, and trying to edge closer to Mercy, her chair thumping lightly against the ground before the stitched-mouth female nudged her firmly and made her grumble. "I'm really getting into my music playing these days... it's a fun hobby, and people seem to appreciate listening to it. It keeps me feeling real calm and collected, too..." He smiled a bit, looking at Zerrex as he asked softly: "I hear lots has happened with you, though, Dad... and you too, Mom."

Zerrex nodded, then he looked at Cherry pointedly as he said: "Your mother was actually on a mission recently with Raze, Mahihko, and Lone, the two wolves who... are a valued part of my mortal family. Even if they mess up now and then, right Cherry?"

Cherry shifted awkwardly, and then she grunted and nodded, saying finally: "Yeah, I guess they are. You know Boss, I don't remember telling you just what happened on that long-ass haul... why don't you guys just shut up and have a listen?"

No one argued as Markus leaned forwards and Zerrex smiled slightly, tilting his head curiously... and Cherry hesitated for only a moment, then she finally sat back and cleared her throat, saying seriously: "It all started at the big double doors, and I was like, aw shit, 'cause I know right from the fucking start that like. Someone had tampered with them and gotten into that nightmare of a tower before us..."