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Zerrex nodded in quiet agreement, and then the two headed towards the wreckage of the transport as the Drakkaren cursed himself again as he checked over his Nanotech Armlet, muttering: "Still picking up interference..."

"Fuck, great. Something else must be here." Cherry muttered, and Zerrex nodded quietly before she looked at him and asked finally: "Why the fuck do you always have to go and blame yourself?"

"It was my fault this time, Cherry. It was." Zerrex replied harshly, and the demoness muttered something under her breath, and the Drakkaren snorted as he picked up the pace. Ten minutes later, the two were approaching the rim of a massive pit, the buildings nearby shored up with supports and the only path down a narrow set of metal stairs.

Cherry crossed her arms by this and stood as Zerrex stepped onto the platform and started down the steps, and he paused, looking over his shoulder at her. The demoness only shrugged, however, whistling as she remained at the top, and when Zerrex growled under his breath, she said sharply: "Well, fuck, I ain't goin' down there with you. If something happens to me you'll blame yourself for it and we'll get in some major shit that likely can't be solved by moping."

"The fuck is your problem, Cherry?" Zerrex asked, half-snarling at her... and Cherry snarled back, stepping out onto the top of the stairs as she lashed an arm out angrily.

"My fucking problem is that you're doing this bullshit again! Fuck, Boss, it's the one goddamn thing I can't stand about you!" Cherry shouted, and then she added with a growl: "Shit happens, okay? Deal with it. I miss her too, but I sure as fuck am not cheapening her sacrifice by being a little whiny bitch about the whole thing."

Zerrex snarled at this, and then he turned around and stomped down the stairs, and the demoness slapped her forehead with a wince before she shouted after him: "Come on, don't do this, I-" Zerrex entered into a large hut built into the wall of the pit, and she slumped, mumbling: "I'm sorry, Boss. I just... love you too much to watch you cut your soul up over this..."

Zerrex muttered as he slammed his fists into controls inside the hut, making different computers and monitors bleep and sizzle, and then he jerked the gates blocking a lift almost off their hinges before stepping onto it and hammering the controls for the elevator. It bleeped loudly at his treatment, and then it rumbled before beginning to descend down into the pit, the Drakkaren muttering to himself as he stomped angrily back and forth, looking like a caged animal in the shaft formed from interlocking girders.

Ten minutes later, the lift finally descended through the roof of a metal building at the bottom of the deep abyss, and a pair of electronic shutters slid open, allowing the reptile to step through into an abandoned facility of some sort. Or perhaps abandoned wasn't the right word: a streak of blood stained the wall opposite, and Zerrex forgot his despair and fury as coldness swept through his being, reaching up to grasp Blackheart as he looked back and forth.

He stepped out into the square metal room, looking at the signs on the wall before he walked towards the open corridor, striding down the steps and onto a metallic catwalk above a large, open room, a circular platform splattered with blood at the end of the long hall and computer terminals much closer to the Drakkaren, as he frowned and looked down at these. He finally hopped off the catwalk, landing on the ground only some ten feet below to approach one of the terminals... and then he spun around as he heard a sick noise behind him, and he snarled at the brown-furred canine he spotted.

He had a bulky and humped upper body and a thick mass of blackish, rakish hair laying back from his skull, dark leather pants tight around his lower form and his large paws naked. His eyes were charcoal, and his jaw oversized, with teeth like rocks as he finished throttling the life out of the Dragokkaren scientist in one large hand before he threw him to the ground, turning towards Zerrex and revealing the other side of his face, which was made entirely from tan stone, with a single large oval-shaped emerald forming his other eye. The teeth on this side of its features were made of black obsidian, and it smiled grimly at Zerrex as it reached up to adjust the dark collar it wore, which was studded with rubies, saying in a voice that was surprisingly high: "A newcomer with a pretty sword."

"Who the hell are you, another god?" Zerrex asked coldly, and the figure threw its head back and laughed sharply, before the Drakkaren's eyes flicked back and forth as two figures stepped out of the shadows, both made of rock and sand. They weren't quite golems, but they were more than the bound earth spirits that Animaxander had used, as their ball-shaped hands formed into large spikes and their featureless heads leaned forwards aggressively... and then the two figures shot at him as the wolf stepped back and crossed his arms, watching with entertainment.

The Drakkaren drew Blackheart in a vicious overhead slash into the first, nearly cutting it in half with a burst of sand before he leapt backwards and slapped the blade outwards into the body of the other aggressor, knocking it staggering. The first rock being leapt at Zerrex again, though, strings of sand forming between its upper body and trying to knit itself back together, and then the Drakkaren slashed viciously through its waist, and it collapsed into chunks of rock before the reptile blocked a double-stab from the still-standing rock creature, then he shoved hard backwards against its spiked hands, knocking its arms into the air before he grunted and slashed out at head level to slice off both its arms and its featureless skull.

It collapsed into dust as the being laughed, and then it stepped forwards with a snarl, rolling its shoulders as the wolf said darkly: "Impressive, but not impressive enough. I can create more of these if I will... and I am no god, but a primordial being of the elements, I am Gaia herself, freed from where Naganis locked me into servitude!"

"Wait, you're a chick?" Zerrex asked stupidly, and Gaia snarled at him before he winced back, taking his sword into both hands before he asked sharply: "And what the hell is a primordial?"

"A being of the elements... we came about long before the gods did, we existed as raw forms, we are of chaos while they seek to bring order to all things!" Gaia shouted furiously, and then she threw her head back and laughed. "But if I help these gods eradicate you, I shall be able once more rule this planet, doing whatever I see fit, unrestrained, without the need of maintaining form or thought!"

"I hate disorder. Besides, they're just going to betray you anyway... Athéos doesn't seem like someone who likes to share." Zerrex said coldly, and then Gaia snorted before she rose a hand that erupted into a torrent of muck, and the Drakkaren winced before he was knocked backwards into a computer terminal, bowling over the table and rolling into another with a grunt as Blackheart flew through the air to crash to the ground somewhere in a mess of wires, the reptile cursing and tearing free of the mud as it began to solidify, shouting: "Goddammit, that's just wrong!"

Gaia charged towards him without warning, and Zerrex winced before he leapt to the side as she threw the table he'd crashed over out of the way, swinging a hand down as it became a club and barely missing him... and then she shrieked and staggered when the Drakkaren kicked her hard in the rocky side of her face, stumbling her before she tried to pounce on him, but the reptile sidestepped smoothly again and grabbed her by the back... but her body turned into mud beneath his hands and reversed itself, and the reptile stared as he found himself holding her front and her face grinning at him only a foot or so away, before she slammed a fist into the elbow of his right arm... and promptly howled in pain, looking at her broken hand with shock.

Zerrex immediately lifted her into the air by the front and slammed her down against another tabletop, and she yelped before the reptile ran forwards, dragging her along it through several computer terminals before he threw her hard into the nearby wall, and she crashed against it, leaving a goopy mark and sliding slowly down it with a disgusting plop before her body solidified and she leapt to her feet with a snarl. She charged again at Zerrex, and the Drakkaren snarled himself as he lashed out with his right arm, the limb warping as his scales almost exploded off it with the speed it transformed before his twisted fist smashed through her head with enough force to make the rocky half of her face literally explode.

Gaia staggered backwards, her arms flailing, her head now just a goopy mess splattered all over the tables and wall behind her, and Zerrex grinned... then stared as her head reformed out of her body, and she looked at him with disgust before one of her fists smashed into his stomach, knocking him into the air before she swung a fist around that morphed into a hammer just before contact with his chest. The reptile was sent flying through the air with a hiss of pain, and then he landed heavily on his feet, leaning forwards as his claw-hand dragged scratches through the ground before he got his balance in front of the stairs leading up to the rounded platform, and the reptile looked to the side before his eyes settled on some kind of control panel and an idea began to form in his mind.

He straightened... and a rock collided with his chest, knocking him backwards with a grunt as it shattered on his chest before he held his right arm up in front of himself, wincing and blocking several more dangerous chunks of rock as Gaia generated them out of seemingly thin air, shouting angrily: "Why won't you just die?"

"Because I'm in a really goddamn bad mood!" Zerrex shouted back, and then he started towards her... but then winced as Gaia dropped to a kneel and pushed her hands against the ground, and the metallic floor between them exploded, spouts of mud and muck shooting upwards and creating a treacherous swamp between them that the reptile knew he had no hope of crossing. Either it would drag him down or he'd simply get stuck, and Zerrex cursed before he ducked as a spear of rock shot out of the mire at his face, and it collided with the steel wall behind him instead, ripping a hole into the next room as the Drakkaren winced.

He created a sphere of energy in his hand and threw it, but Gaia only grinned, and the reptile stared in horror as it simply made a thick splat upon colliding with her body before it fizzled out, and the huge wolf licked her muzzle before she laughed. "Delicious! Feed me more of your energy, lizard! Oh, how you'll be a pleasure to peel apart and consume!"

"Great." Zerrex muttered, and then he looked down at his twisted arm, remembering how it had hurt her... but he also realized he had no way of crossing the mire to get close enough, as Gaia taunted him again... but he ignored it easily, before an idea blossomed in his mind. He closed his eyes as he concentrated, a conical spike extending out of his forearm... and then the Drakkaren grit his teeth as he shoved his warped arm forwards, aiming the spike at her before he concentrated his energies in a rush down the arm, and then his eyes flash as he made them explode, a blast of blue light erupting as his limb was knocked backwards by the recoil of the blast and the conical light was launched from the miniature explosion.

It hurt like hell, but the reptile had the pleasure of watching as the spike shot like a rocket into Gaia's chest, knocking her backwards as she howled in agony, her eyes bulging as she clutched at the hole it knocked in her body before she snarled, stomping forwards into the muddy mire... and immediately, the wound healed before she rose her arms, and the reptile winced as a tidal wave of muck rose up and shot towards him. He cursed, bringing his hands up and focusing to create a wall of energy, and he caught the tidal wave against this, the mud bearing down with amazing pressure against his blue shield before it suddenly split in half and bent backwards, turning into two solid, enormous harpoons of clay as hard as metal that shot forwards as Gaia ran across the mire, and they shattered the shield, crashing into the metal floor on either side of Zerrex as the lizard winced before Gaia leapt at him with a howl... and the reptile twisted his body, ducking and rolling his form into an elegant, modified butterfly kick as he bent his leg to smash the sole of his boot into the side of the wolf, knocking her skidding onto the rounded platform and making her howl in agony before she snarled and managed to roll to a crouch.

Zerrex landed at the base of the steps, and they glared at each other before he said furiously, pointing at her: "You've pissed me off so much, that I'm going to end this fight right now, with just this one goddamn hand of mine!"

"Bring it on." Gaia shouted furiously, spreading her arms and looking at him, her eyes burning with both entertainment and frustration as Zerrex cocked back his fist, snarling and widening his eyes... and then he reached out and quickly slapped a red button on the control panel, and Gaia had just enough time to look stupid as several sirens blared before the middle of the platform - exactly where she was standing - rose up, and a cylindrical wall shot up around it, a mushroom-shaped top lowering from the ceiling and screwing quickly into place to seal the capsule completely.

The crane holding onto the top released and rolled to the side as the entire rail moved, alarms continuing to blare as the ceiling slowly slid open, and Zerrex could see Gaia through a narrow clear-metal window in the airtight capsule, the primordial's screaming muffled as she hammered on the walls and the Drakkaren approached the computer terminal, wiping a bit of mud off it as he looked at her and said clearly, not caring if she could hear or not: "Gee, these guys must handle a lot of biohazardous garbage like you... that compartment is airtight, and preset to launch straight into the sun. Then again, they are handling everything from nuclear cell prototypes to deadly chemicals as they try and find a suitable fuel source for Asylum... so I guess this is goodbye, Gaia."

The reptile pressed another large red button, feeling a sadistic sort of glee as he reached up and waved goodbye to the wolf, who screamed furiously inside the capsule as another siren went off before another section of the platform slowly rose up around it, and the reptile realized it was a massive cannon, staring as the gigantic thing just continued to rise and rise and rise out of the opened ceiling... and then it clicked and tilted ever so slightly before another section of the platform rose, forming a barrier around the base of the cannon as electricity shot over it, Zerrex watching it charge onscreen... and then two minutes later, it fired with an echoing bang that was clear even through the several-foot thick barrier of metal, and the garbage shuttle was fired high into the sky, becoming a dot in only an instant as a miniature thruster system activated the moment it flew into space to adjust its course and send it hurtling with the already-dying Gaia straight towards the sun.

Zerrex shook his head slowly, watching as the computer terminal entered a cool-down mode and machinery buzzed and pulsed, and then he turned around and leapt carefully over the mire, landing on the other side with a grunt and then wincing as he felt his feet sliding, kicking at the ground before cursing and falling backwards into the mud with a groan, laying there for a few moments and then sighing and muttering. "I wish I'd launched myself out of that stupid rail cannon..."

"Can anyone hear me?" asked a faint, static-ridden voice, and Zerrex blinked before he sat up, making a face at the mud in his hair before the voice asked again, the signal distorted and weak: "Is anyone there?"

"Yeah, I hear you. Who is this?" Zerrex asked calmly, leaning down towards his armlet. When there was no answer, he sighed and muttered, getting up and walking over to where Blackheart had fallen amidst some broken machinery... and then there was another loud buzzing, and the Drakkaren halted in mid-kneel, fingers just brushing the handle of his sword as he asked sharply into the armlet: "Are you there?"

"Here... this is General Cyllos, of the Dragokkaren Enforcers... is this Lord Zerrex Narrius?" A pause, and then he said calmly: "We received a distress signal from Sergeant Ivory and are currently en route to pick up her and her party. We request that your rendezvous with us at the evacuation point in sector five, on the roof of the engineer's quarters. Our ETA is twenty minutes. What is your current location, over?"

"Uh... I'm in the pit right now, by some massive cannon thing that just launched a hostile right into the sun." Zerrex said after a moment, rubbing the back of his head and making a face as he searched the signs around the area for some building code or name. "I think that all hostiles in the area have been neutralized, however... but I've never encountered this many high-tier supernatural opponents in one area before."

"We'll wait for you at the evac point." Cyllos said after a moment, not asking for any other details or getting into conversation, and the reptile half-grumbled, half-admired his self control before the Dragokkaren added calmly: "Good luck, Lord Zerrex. Hez'Ranna is proud of you. Over and out."

"I'm not very proud of me right now." Zerrex mumbled as the communication beeped out, and then he sighed, sweeping Blackheart up onto his back and rolling his shoulders. Then he finally headed back towards the catwalk, climbing up a narrow ladder and wincing as he reached the top, half-expecting something horrible to grab him or bash him in the face... but there was nothing there. The facility was silent now, and despite wanting to do a final sweep of the area, he also didn't want to keep the evacuation team waiting.

The reptile jogged over to the lift, poking the button on the side several times and then cursing as the button buzzed and 'Electrical Overload' displayed on a small panel above the gates. The Drakkaren muttered under his breath, then he slammed a fist into the first shutter in line and prying it slowly upwards.

It wasn't hard to move - Zerrex guessed the average mortal could have easily done it - but it also wouldn't stay locked on the track. The reptile grumbled as he combated this by lifting the shutter across his head and resting it on his shoulders as he knelt to lift the second shutter in line, getting it to head level before the lizard threw himself forwards in a roll into the lift, both of the shutters falling as the Drakkaren landed awkwardly on his back with a clank of metal against metal.

He shook his head, then checked the lift controls, poking them a few times... but when it refused to start, he muttered under his breath, figuring that firing off the magnetic cannon had something to do with this. Zerrex glanced around for other solutions to his problem, and finally his eyes settled on the crisscrossing girders that made up the walls of the elevator shaft... and he sighed and rolled his eyes before he started to climb them like a ladder, muttering under his breath about how things could never just work nicely together.

It took him twenty minutes to reach the top, and the fifty feet or so he climbed by firing out a tentacle that snaked its way to the very top of the area and locked into the wall, pulling himself quickly upwards with mutter. The gate up here, thankfully, was still open... and just as Zerrex pulled himself up into the small outpost, the lights flickered violently before a light dinged green, and the reptile rolled his eyes as he realized that the machinery had just started to run properly again.

He cursed his luck for the umpteenth time as he let himself through the door and ran up the stairs, looking back and forth for Cherry as he approached the top... but she was nowhere in sight. For a moment, he felt concern run through his body, wincing a bit as he rubbed at his mucky hair... and then he let out a sigh of relief when Cherry stuck her head out a nearby building. He half-wanted to yell at her, half-wanted to hug her... and then he winced as she dragged a mangled body out on a board she had turned into a stretcher with the help of some sheets and rope, and she said urgently as she beckoned to him: "Please tell me you know where the hell Cindy is."

Zerrex ran over to her and bent down, examining the Dragokkaren: he was badly-wounded and babbling incoherently, either in shock or delirium... and he realized after a moment he must be one of the Enforcers. "Okay, okay. You take the front, I'll take the back, take a good speed and I'll do my best to keep up. Our evacuation point's changed, it's the sector five engineer's quarters."

"Fuck, that's a good distance..." Cherry gritted her teeth, but then she nodded and picked up the handles on her end as Zerrex picked up his, and then they both started to run in silence, the only noise the screaming, babbling Dragokkaren between them. It gave Zerrex a chill to watch him jerk and move on the boards, worried he'd tip off or worse, that he might actually try and attack them... maybe the last was a bit paranoid, but these days being paranoid often meant staying alive, with the creatures they were dealing with.

That, and in instances like this, seeing mortality like this up close reminded the Drakkaren of his own death, and brushes with complete annihilation... and was it so wrong that he didn't like seeing someone put through these sorts of sadistic tortures? Then again, that was a double-standard, he realized, and he smiled grimly as they continued forwards, thinking of his own personal dungeons in Sin's Tower... but at least those were souls in Hell that would never see the light, wrong as I know it is...

Ten minutes later, and the fast pace of the Drakkaren took them out of Sector Four and into Sector Five, as the signs around Uroboros proudly stated. Zerrex was thankful for both his already-intimate knowledge of the city and the fact it hadn't changed much since his previous days in Hez'Ranna. Neither of them knew what building the engineer's quarters were, but thankfully, the huge transport helicopter on the rooftops didn't make it exactly difficult to find... and the Drakkaren called Cherry to a halt, saying quickly: "Listen, we don't have time to navigate those quarters... uh... just keep moving forwards."

"Got it, Boss." Cherry nodded firmly, and Zerrex concentrated as they ran forwards, gritting his teeth as a long stairway of blue energy flickered into being, leading up to the rooftop high above, and both Cherry and Zerrex pounded up this, the steps vanishing out of existence behind the Drakkaren. The shortcut led them right beside the waiting heavy transport chopper, and instead of taking aim at them, the reptile was glad as four soldiers immediately stepped in from either side to grasp the bottom of the makeshift stretcher and lift it out of their hands and into the front of the helicopter, as a huge Dragokkaren with crisscrossing scars over his face walked towards them, motioning at the helicopter as the whirring blades picked up in speed and noise.

Zerrex and Cherry both leapt in, sitting down on a bench near Cindy as she sighed with relief, and Ivory and Krath both looked at them with weak smiles from where they sat opposite, both currently being bandaged up by medics. Then Cyllos carefully slipped into the helicopter, and he and Cherry exchanged a nod before the cargo doors slammed shut and muffled the sound of the whirring blades.

There was an awkward, broken laugh that was more like a sob from the wounded Dragokkaren, as a medic tended to him, injecting him with some sedative... and then his eyes closed and he fell into unconsciousness. Zerrex's eyes drew from this to Cyllos as the huge Dragokkaren sat on the bench opposite, clad in battle armor and with the features of one of the Super Enforcers from Narrius's clone army, and for a moment the two just looked at each other before Cherry said finally: "Fuck, it's good to see you. Dude, been a while. You get that promotion yet?"

"Rank, I've learned, is of little importance. What's important is that I keep my soldiers alive." the Dragokkaren paused, then glanced over at the Enforcer, adding quietly: "Did anyone locate any others, or did things go FUBAR before that?"

Cherry grunted as everyone else shook their heads, and then she said finally: "These ones were from the second division Albatross sent in. But the dude's armor was stripped almost entirely off and the rest of them were in an even worse mess. It looked like they had gotten lost in the mist or something, though, 'cause there were like. Three guys missing from the platoon... but fuck, they're probably all in fuck-ugly states too."

"We'll send in a recon team to check over the area, give them some additional vehicular support and short-range communicators that can be reflected off an airborne drone." Cyllos said calmly, and Zerrex looked him for a few moments before the Dragokkaren asked him quietly: "You suspect that all hostiles in the area have been neutralized, is that correct Lord Zerrex?"

"Yeah... two old gods, and a primordial being." The Drakkaren shook his head, muttering: "I'm still not clear on what the last one was, though. Some kind of... super-elemental or something. But well... I'm just following my instincts here. There's no more static, and it was like... the gods took care of Uroboros, and the primordial was attacking the pit itself. It had a sense of strategy to it."

Cindy nodded at this, saying quietly: "He's right. Hades was able to raise the dead as bound souls, according to... Anathema..." She halted, squeezing the skull close against her for a moment, and then she took a breath and continued in a mostly-steady voice: "And Helios was the heavy firepower, and last we had something attacking the sensitive insides of Uroboros, where all the action is. This time, the Old Gods were really prepared, really working in coordination... it's not like the other times we've fought them, when they've been one or two beings causing havoc or chaotic destruction."

Cyllos nodded slowly at this, and then he looked at Ivory and Krath for a moment before his eyes roved back to Zerrex, saying quietly: "Commander-in-Chief Albatross will want to debrief you back at the base as soon as possible. Is it a problem?"

"No, I'm... used to it by now." Zerrex smiled faintly and nodded as he hung his head, and Cherry hesitantly reached up to squeeze his shoulder gently, as he sighed and rested back on the bench against the wall. "But then there's something I have to do afterwards."

The next day, Zerrex stood in front of the portal between Hell and the mortal plane that had been built in Hez'Ranna, along one of the dusty dirt highways that led between the major towns. The jungle here had been cleared out somewhat to make way for a few buildings of basic wood, giving it a rustic feel, and Zerrex thought the entire place was a demonic tourist trap that was growing into a little resort town: there was even a private helicopter service and a terminal for armored buses that would carry demons from city-to-city, on guided tours or one-way trips.

The portal itself was shaped like an immense ring, powered by two armored pillars that had cores of demonic crystal. Both were covered in runes, and huge Dragokkaren Enforcers stood on constant watch on either side of the portal... but the portal itself was outside and was protected only by a huge monument that depicted an angel, mortals, and demons, with several tablets inset around the base of the memorial telling the story of the Demon War.

The Drakkaren finally took a long breath, looking over his shoulder and smiling a bit at his family, all of whom had gathered to send him off, along with Albatross, Churchill, and Cyllos, whom Zerrex had learned had served with his family during their stint in Lailland during the war... and then the Drakkaren finally faced forwards, readying himself. He was bringing little with him into Hell... but that was what felt right. The others would stay for a week or so in Hez'Ranna, and then return to Ire... and Zerrex would meet them there once he was done in Hell.

He stepped into the portal, facing forwards... and emerged after a moment into a crowded courtyard, Royal Guards keeping demons in line as Zerrex clutched a cubical chest tight to his body, making a face and walking quickly down the steps and navigating his way through the crowd, ignoring the reception desk entirely. The clerk immediately yelled for security, but the moment the Royal Guards saw him, they backed off, and the Drakkaren was able to step through a door into the keep that surrounded the portal with little trouble.

The corridors here were crowded, too, demons grabbing luggage, grumbling at each other, complaining about the long wait times and filling out forms... and Zerrex winced as he ducked past a minotaur that was cursing about having lost his license, before he finally slipped into a lobby and headed for the exit with a sigh, passing several officers in blue uniforms and glad that none of them recognized him as he kept his head down and feet moving. He didn't want to be slowed down by anything, as he finally pushed through the entrance doors and stepped out of the building, looking back and forth with a sigh as he crossed the dusty road into a large field and creating a dark portal to hurriedly run through.

He emerged after a moment onto the road in front of the Ravenlight Estate, and Zerrex closed his eyes, hating what he had to do, hating himself, hating the Old Gods, as he swallowed thickly... but before he could even say her name, Sin appeared through a portal, stumbling towards him as her glammer faded, her eyes round and scared, her body trembling... and the Drakkaren looked at her silently for a few moments before he put down the chest and opened it, quietly pulling out Anathema's skull and holding it out towards her as he whispered: "I'm so sorry..."

"Oh... sister..." Sin walked forwards, trembling hard, and she took the skull and half-turned away, tears running from her violet eyes before she hugged it close, shaking violently... and Zerrex looked at her helplessly, not knowing what to do. He wanted to hug her, or tell her it was going to be okay, or something, anything... but nothing seemed right, and he didn't feel worthy of touching her, even as he half-reached one hand towards her and then dropped it with a wince, cursing himself again.

Sin fell to her knees and brayed a loud sob, dropping her head forwards, and Zerrex finally dropped to a kneel beside her and hugged her tightly, clenching his eyes shut... and she shivered, but didn't fight him, only pressed closer as she continued to cry loudly, holding tightly onto the lifeless skull that had been Anathema's anchor to the world. Others began to appear, but Zerrex barely saw them as tears trickled down his own muzzle, clutching Sin close as she cried and cried and cried... until finally, countless minutes later, a gentle voice said: "Come on... let's get you two up now."

Lily quietly helped Sin and Zerrex to their feet, the Drakkaren still holding onto the Naganatine as if for dear life and Sin squeezing the skull against her body, her side looking as if it was welded to Zerrex's chest... and Lily sighed softly before she carefully slipped an arm through one of Sin's, Amiglion, Selena, and Driz following as they walked towards the Ravenlight Estate. They were led quietly to Sin's room, where Driz carefully put the box down on the table beside her bed and looked hesitantly at Lily, and the golden-scaled female hesitated herself... but Sin quietly put the skull into the chest without anyone asking her, closing it and clenching her eyes shut before she murmured, as Zerrex finally pulled away and sat on the bed beside her: "I'm... I'm so sorry, everyone, I've made such a fool of myself..."

"Don't start that now." Lily chided gently, and then she reached out and stroked Sin's face, saying softly: "We all know she was very important to you. And you should be feeling very upset right now... she was your sister, and you two had just come to see each other. Would you like to spend some time alone?"

Sin nodded quietly after a moment, and everyone stood up, before she reached out and grasped Zerrex's wrist, the two looking at each other before she asked quietly: "How did she die?"

Zerrex was quiet for a few long moments, and then he said finally, looking down: "Saving my life. And probably Cindy's too. I... was foolish and interrupted a fight, and an Old God trapped me while another tried to wipe me out of existence... and Anathema stepped into the beam. She... she reflected it and killed one and badly injured the other, and Cindy... killed him." He continued to stare at the floor shamefully, murmuring: "I'm sorry, Sin. I wish I could have done more."

"You brought the goodness in Anathema's heart out... I'm sure she'd thank you for that, and I thank you for it myself, Lord Zerrex..." Sin said quietly, and Zerrex gazed at her softly for a few moments before the Naganatine lowered her head, murmuring: "I'd like to be alone now, for a little while."

"Alright. Take your time." Zerrex said finally, and then he turned and followed the others out, slumping his shoulders a bit. He looked at the others, and they gazed at him with sympathy that just made him feel even worse... and he closed his eyes, wanting to ask to be alone himself but knowing he didn't deserve it like Sin did. "I... oh, Driz. Hey. I remember that I sent you, Firenze, and Markus out investigating a disturbance in the Eastern Province... did anything ever come of that?"

"Dad..." Driz started, but when Lily gave him a pointed look, he gritted his teeth, then finally nodded with a sigh. "Yeah, it was a time echo. A pocket dimension where the particles just kept repeating past events over and over again... nothing too serious, but we got stuck in there for a while. We managed to close it with some help from Mom."

Zerrex nodded a bit, and then he headed towards his room, the others following behind him before he asked slowly: "Do any of you know what a 'primordial' is? I encountered one on the mission in Hez'Ranna... it took launching her into the sun to kill her." He paused, then smiled faintly as he kicked open the door to his room and pulled Blackheart off his back, placing it into one of the mounts on the wall. "I don't think I'm ever going to get tired of saying that."

"A primordial? Are you serious?" Ami gaped at him, and Zerrex looked dryly at the Naganatine. "Okay, yes, I get it, you are. But primordial beings are very dangerous creatures, Zerrex... while the gods created life and order, the primordials are said to have shaped the universe itself and all the planets. They're the purest of elementals, and I thought most of them were sealed away or dead from conflict with gods... the two don't exactly get along very well, but well, primordials tend to hate each other, too. They love chaos, and building pretty things just to rip them apart... God... I mean, Naganis... said that a lot of them are invulnerable when they're in their own element, too, and they don't have real solid, set forms."

"Believe me, I learned that pretty quickly." Zerrex muttered, wiping absently at his hair: it had taken him almost an hour of scrubbing to get all the muck off his body. "Anyway, the Old Gods are apparently teaming up with them or at least releasing them into the world... and from what you guys are saying, that's a little bit worrisome."

"Yeah, it is." Lily said quietly, and then she reached out and gently squeezed his shoulder, saying softly: "What's more worrisome is you pushing yourself too hard. Come on, take a rest, Zerrex... you look like you could use it."

Zerrex didn't respond, only shifting awkwardly... and finally, Lily relented with a roll of her eyes, muttering: "Fine, in that case, then at least come and help me out with some diplomacy. Hell's been a madhouse lately, and the merging of the planes is scaring the crap out of almost everyone. And of course, there's all the conspiracy nuts and troublemakers who are throwing around all kinds of rumors and really causing a lot of frustrating bullshit to happen."

The Drakkaren nodded, making a bit of a face at this: the problem with reacting quickly to the upcoming merge was that people would try to disprove it or the existence of time distortion or blame the lessening time differences between the physical and divine planes on something else. It was frustrating with how much it interfered with their daily business, but the reptile was also well-aware that he couldn't just grab dissenters and lock them up, however much he wanted to... he had to keep things peaceful and orderly without reverting to heavy-handed tactics.

As they walked down the corridor back towards the main entrance, Zerrex asked finally: "So do we portal up the Central Spire, or somewhere else?"

"No, the Central Spire is currently closed-off while Ixin and a team of engineers checks over its stability and reliance on magic to stay standing." Lily replied quietly, then she smiled a bit as she added: "Your friend, Jim Huckleberry, was one of the engineers chosen to help with the project. He seems very knowledgeable, if also very odd."

The reptile nodded a bit, laughing faintly as they stepped out into the entrance hall and headed across to the corridor opposite the one they had just left, saying softly: "That's a good description of Huck. He's a good guy, really..."

There was little conversation as they walked the rest of the catacombs of the Estate in silence, making their way up to the second floor meeting room, where Selena was already sitting with a few others, looking grouchy. She smiled at Zerrex when he entered, and then frowned at the expression on his face as the others took their places around the table, and Firenze looked at his father for a few moments as Driz sat beside him, frowning a bit before Amiglion said quietly: "Anathema died in combat."

There were a few murmurs around the table as everyone sat down, and Zerrex sighed as Selena grasped his shoulder gently, but she didn't ask what happened: the reptile was almost surprised by the small kindness, and there was an awkward quiet punctuated here and there by murmurs for a few minutes, before the reptile finally asked: "So where exactly is everyone at as of this moment?"

"Time distortions are getting stronger and stronger... in rare instances, they've actually physically affected areas, caused damage to the environment." Driz said immediately, leaning forwards and nodding seriously. "Sir Raze reported from Heaven a few days ago that the same is happening up there... Ixin put forwards a theory that it'll help us pinpoint what areas are going to be erased from existence when Hell becomes a physical world, however."

"We sent scouts with warnings across the Beyond to what might be other Hells." Lily said quietly, and Zerrex looked at her with surprise before she smiled faintly: "I feel this is a problem for all of us, so... it's only fair that the other people be given fair warning, too. No matter how different their Hell, their culture, their peoples... they don't deserve death."

Zerrex nodded slowly, rubbing at the underside of his muzzle before he murmured quietly: "You're more honorable and have more grace than most angels, Lily... and far more than me. I'm... touched and impressed." The Drakkaren paused as Lily blushed a bit and nodded, and then he glanced at Selena, asking her mildly: "Any luck with the Barred City?"

"Dude, fucking place is going to be turned into a fucking mass grave, and at this point I don't even give a shit." Selena said disgustedly, shaking her head slowly. "Only about three percent of the populace is heeding the evacuation order, and even some of the mages working for us, like... seriously, right now, working for us, on examining and slowing down the time distortions...are going back home there and claiming the place can survive any AMP burst, because it's got... chain-magic, they called it. But Ixin says the place is going to pretty much implode the moment we start merging with the physical plane, and much as I hate that asshole, it's... well... he knows his shit."

The Drakkaren nodded, rubbing at his forehead slowly with a sigh. So the choice is forcing them to evacuate, which would mean starting a war against a city that might literally be impenetrable... or letting them all die. "Well... we can only do so much." he said finally, then he paused before looking thoughtfully at Selena. "But maybe we could change their minds if Ixin demonstrates just what an AMP might do to their town."

Selena paused at this, and then she nodded with a slow grin. "So many ways we could do that, too. Okay Zerrex, I'm glad to see you can still think, at least..." She patted him on the back, and then leaned in close, murmuring softly: "But I'm... I'm here for you."

She leaned awkwardly away, blushing a bit... and Zerrex smiled faintly at her before he looked slowly around at the table: friends, family, compatriots. People he could trust... and he closed his eyes before he said finally: "Alright. Then one last question... how ready are we for what's going to happen?"

There was silence around the table... and then Firenze stood up nervously. A small figure with manacles on his arms but the chain no longer dangling between them, his collar half-hidden by the grey turtleneck sweater he was wearing and the baggy jogging pants on his legs less than flattering, he nonetheless seemed like a regal figure as he said quietly: "Not very, Father... we'll have... maybe a thirty percent survival rate, if this keeps up. We need to accelerate things."

Zerrex nodded slowly... and then he stood as well, saying softly as he leaned forwards: "Then that's just what we need to do. Everyone, thank you for your time and patience... but now it sounds like we should all head back to our various jobs, if we're going to speed things up a little bit. And Firenze, wait a moment, could you?"

Firenze nodded as the others stood and filed out, and Zerrex paused as Selena also stayed put, leaning back in her chair. He looked at her, and she shrugged a bit, saying mildly: "Dude, I got nothing to do now. Lily doesn't trust me to not make a mess of things being all diplomatic-like with people and I've tried every tactic I know in getting those bastards out of the Barred City, but they won't budge. So until Ixin is done his job, I figure I'll hang out with you. You look like you could use a friend, anyway."

The Drakkaren sighed, but then he smiled a bit and nodded, saying quietly: "Yeah, I guess you're right. Anyway, Firenze..." Zerrex looked across at his son, who gazed back hesitantly, knitting his fingers together. "You're going to be the person everyone reports to while I'm gone."

"What?" Firenze stared, looking shocked, and then he babbled a few senseless denials before Zerrex held up a hand, and he stumbled to a halt before blurting: "But I'm a freak! I mean, even when we were out working on our job, I almost went nuts-"

"Almost is the key word there, and you are not a freak." Zerrex said calmly but firmly, and Firenze blushed as he shifted awkwardly on the spot, looking down at the ground. Then he looked up when his father settled both hands gently on his shoulders, the Drakkaren looking into his eyes as he said quietly: "I can't think of anyone better, and I've been telling you over and over, that if I could choose, you'd be the one I'd make High King. I wasn't lying or just trying to make you feel better, Firenze... and besides, it's not like you'll have to deal with a lot. Basically, what I'm asking you to is to listen to everyone's ideas... use that wisdom you have to think on things... and encourage people to deal with the problems themselves and use their own ideas. You'll gather information... Lily can do the administrative work, and everyone else will be more than happy to help out in their own ways, too. You're a figurehead a lot of people will be able to gather around... a demon who's learned to control among the most terrifying of powers."

Firenze nodded slowly, looking down for a few moments... and then he finally looked up at Zerrex and said quietly: "If you believe in me, Father, then... I'll believe in me. I... thank you. I'll do my best to make you proud."

Zerrex laughed quietly at this, smiling as he patted Firenze on the cheek. "You make me proud every day, kid. Now go on, find a place to make yourself comfortable and we'll see about getting you set up sooner rather than later in the Central Spire."

Firenze nodded a bit as he left with a blush and a smile, and then Zerrex sat back with a grunt on one of the chairs, sighing and rubbing automatically at his bad leg, even if it wasn't hurting that much at the moment. Selena seemed to recognize it was more an anxiety reflex than anything else as she gazed at him quietly, and then she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, leaning in and resting her head against him as she asked quietly: "So it was that bad, huh?"

"Yeah. It was like... I dunno." Zerrex couldn't find the words, so he only left off there, sitting quietly with Selena resting against him. And for a little while, at least, everything was silent, and Zerrex took solace in the quiet contact with the female.

The Drakkaren didn't spend long in Hell, and he knew from the moment he left that he wouldn't be able to spend a lot of time anywhere but the physical plane, with the havoc the time distortions were wreaking on the time difference between the divine and mortal realms. But over the next five mortal years, the reptile was at least afforded a bit of peace: the only major event was finding Loki, thankfully still alive, in the custody of Scanners, and getting him released so he could flee to Hell and be debriefed on what had happened.

Weakened and vulnerable, he'd teleported away from the crumbling castle at the last moment, but he hadn't managed to reach a safe distance: instead, a pillar had fallen on him and knocked him out, and when he'd awoken, he'd been locked away in the custody of a team of Scanners. They had locked him in a secure cell, psychic repressors built into the walls repressing all of his abilities and filling his head with a painful static, and they had shackled him to the wall and run an electrical current through the manacles, meaning he was zapped if any excess pressure was applied to the manacles. Demigod or not, they had taken every precaution with him and apparently never reported his very existence until a new section commander had taken over... and the dirty little secret of the Scanner unit located near the Row of Skulls had finally been boxed up in a special transport capsule for what he thought was execution after almost daily tortures, but instead, he'd met a calm, cordial ferret at the end of what had felt like hours of movement.

Three questions later, and he'd been freed, and President Balthazar had had Mercy and Blueberry serve a gaunt-looking Loki tea and light foods, a blanket wrapped around him while he sat in a chair, his clothes little more than tatters on his body. To Loki, it was terrifying that he'd been put through so many cruelties and caged like an animal by mortals, and it had obviously destroyed his pride and left him bitter and furious. But after a little while in Hell, he had started to regain some of his former demeanor... and while he bitched at every chance at Zerrex about not having come and rescued him - as if the Drakkaren had known where he was the whole time - he was only slightly-hateful towards the mortal races and he was at least a little more humble about things in general.

Loki did refuse to help out at all with any of Zerrex's 'mortal loving' ideas, but on the other hand, he was more than happy to help with the preparations to ensure that Hell would continue to exist when it merged with the physical universe. He also provided an excellent ambassador to the other godly beings living in Hell, and convinced more than one of them to continue helping out Hell, despite the fact that the Old Gods had many of Hell's resident gods terrified out of their minds.

In Ire, the Nazi party had lost some of its steam: as years ticked onwards and Kafka continued to support the reign of Balthazar, members began to leave the party, perhaps because the Dragokkaren had been too supporting of the ferret, or perhaps because he was starting to be seen as not revolutionary, but simply a windbag... and Zerrex thought this was good news, although he still distrusted the Fuehrer of the Nazi party and refused to think of him as anything less than a possible threat. No one disagreed with him on this, especially since the Drakkaren got into one or two scraps with Rasputin that left both of them bloody and achy, but then the fight often broke up at mutual consent.

But at the end of those relatively-peaceful five years, as Zerrex was wandering the Ravenlight Estate in Hell and whistling a bit to himself, adjusting paintings on the wall here and there... there was a sudden, terrible rumble, and the Drakkaren gritted his teeth with a curse as he staggered, the lights of the Estate flickering before the world went dark as a terrible boom echoed through the world, cracks spreading through the walls as the reptile covered his ears and attempted to create a portal to find out what was happening... but dark lightning only sparked in front of him, and the reptile realized with horror that the merge must have become, as another terrible boom shot through the dimension.

Immediately, he shot down the corridor even as the floor bucked under his feet, several planks exploding upwards and sending him lurching into the wall, but Zerrex snarled as he charged towards the door and then rammed through it, almost falling down the stairs before he simply hopped the banister and landed on the tile below. People were yelling and screaming, and the Drakkaren cursed under his breath as he shot for the open doors of the Ravenlight Estate and ran outside... and he stared in shock as massive bolts of lightning rained down from the no-longer spiraling sky above, a terrible darkness instead visible high above their heads and a curtain of what looked like red rain rushing towards them as massive arcs of electricity twisted through the solid, dense something it was... and then he cursed and ran ahead through the gates onto the dirt road, watching as the curtain approached and then bracing himself for impact as he gritted his teeth...

And the moment it touched his body, it felt like he'd been struck by lightning, his back arching with a curse as shocks of energy tore up and down his body, seeming to last forever as he saw only red dots and arcs of plasma blasting here and there through the curtain... and then they were through, and the Drakkaren staggered forwards with a gasp, looking back and forth in shock at a Hell that had a horizon in the distance instead of a Central Spire or anything else. He could only hope that the Spire continued to exist, as he cursed and looked back and forth in horror and amazement, before his eyes flickered upwards to stare at the black sky above... and he could see stars, stars that were so strange and beautiful here, and in the distance, a beautiful blue planet... and Zerrex touched his own chest, looking down at himself slowly before he threw his head back and yelled at the sky, not knowing if it was in fury, fear, or simply joy at having survived the merge.

He realized, too, that the atmosphere here was thin with only a few breaths, and there was a strange taste in the air now... and he was only glad that he didn't have to breathe as he made a face and looked back and forth, then gazed up at the dark sky again. He couldn't see the sun, so he guessed this was night, and he wondered what Hell would look like during the day... and when he glanced over his shoulder, the Drakkaren was glad to see that the Ravenlight Estate had survived the merge as well, and people were yelling and panicking as well as staring and cheering, and he couldn't help but make a face as he realized that it might look okay on the outside... but undoubtedly, the inside would be a hell of a mess.

Carefully, Zerrex attempted the most basic spell he knew, one to create a small ball of light... and it didn't work, no energy even fizzing in his hand. He wondered if this would be the Hell they were going to live in, a Hell without magic... and then he looked up in surprise as Sin ran out of the Ravenlight Estate with her Seethe Hounds following her, the animals barking loudly in terror and the Naganatine's dress flowing around her, the female asking desperately: "Lord Zerrex, are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine, Sin." Zerrex hugged her tightly, and Sin hugged him back: a true hug, and one of the few that hadn't been too awkward ever since Anathema had passed. It wasn't because Sin blamed him, he knew, but because he blamed himself... but there was no time to think on that now, and instead the Drakkaren glanced over her, asking quietly: "Is your glammer gone because of the AMP?"

"It seems that way... none of my spells are working." Sin said quietly, shaking her head slowly before she touched her own face embarrassedly, as one of the Seethe Hounds whined up at her loudly. "Am I... I... I mean..."

"You're beautiful... and believe me, no one's paying attention to us right now anyway. Goddammit, we're going to need to get a damage report, but without magic working it's going to be a pain in the ass to get to the Central Spire from here..." Zerrex made a face, shaking his head slowly before he looked at Sin, asking slowly: "Do you think demonic crystals will override the anti-magic effect?"

"No... I think we're just going to have to stay put for now." Sin said quietly, and then she took Zerrex's hand, and the Seethe Hounds quieted as both she and Zerrex looked up at the physical world in the distance, Sin murmuring softly: "Lord Zerrex, I... that world. It's so beautiful..."

"It's home." Zerrex said softly, and Sin smiled a bit as she looked at him for a moment, then gazed quietly back at the stars. Zerrex looked up at the sky, wondering what this must be like from her point of view and remembering how he had been entranced, that first few nights back home, by the beauty of the sky, starry night and sunny day both... and for the longest time, there was only quiet between them, as they both stared up into the blackness dotted with specks of vibrant white light.

Finally, Sin murmured: "The last time I saw stars... was when we lived in Eternity, with Naganis. It may have been our own little realm, but we could look down when we pleased and see the physical universe toil and turn below... and I remember thinking about how pretty they were. I mean... essentially, they are... fuel-powered furnaces of destruction, filled with reactions that could destroy an entire world... and yet... in the gentle cradle of the gravity they create, entire solar systems can be born, with living, breathing worlds in each."

Zerrex nodded, and then he laughed a bit... and when Sin looked at him, the Drakkaren smiled over at her and said with soft entertainment: "You know, now we're not just demons from Hell. We're alien demons from another planet that happens to be Hell."

"I don't understand." Sin said honestly, but when Zerrex laughed, she couldn't help but laugh herself, and their hands squeezed tightly together as the two smiled at each other. And then they both looked up into the sky again and the darkness beyond, and despite what had just happened... despite how it had been so sudden, and how Zerrex had no way of knowing the shape the rest of Hell was in... the Drakkaren felt strangely at peace with everything, as he held the hand of the Naganatine and then gazed together into the vastness of space.

Four hours later, a vehicle came trundling down the road towards them, and the Drakkaren frowned a bit before he realized it was Lily and Ixin in a buggy: the female looked worn out and tired, but relief spread across her face at seeing Zerrex, Sin, Selena, and a few of their children sitting out on a blanket together in front of the gates to the Estate. The mansion itself was a horrible mess inside, and the Drakkaren had figured they'd clean it up once magic was working again and could do most of the hard work for them... and besides, the air actually felt cool and pleasant, and there was even a light breeze now washing across the plains: the first real weather Zerrex had experienced in Hell.

The buggy screeched to a halt some twenty feet away, and Lily leapt out of it and charged over to Zerrex, who stood and caught her in a tight hug before he gazed down at her with concern, asking quietly: "Are you okay? And Ixin, what the hell happened? I thought you were going to be able to send out a warning before everything went to... well... I guess 'hell' really isn't a suitable word to use in this case."

Ixin glowered at Zerrex, then he pointed at him and said to Lily grouchily: "See, I knew he'd say that right away! Asshole." He glared some more at the Drakkaren, but the reptile could see the faintest of blushes tingeing Ixin's cheeks. "Anyway, seriously, I really thought we'd be able to know. But... I guess I was wrong on that count. All of a sudden, I just got about fifty different blips on the monitoring machinery at my lab, and then all my devices fried when we got hit with that first AMP shock. Fuck, it's going to be... weeks, at least, before magic starts working again. Lily here I picked up on the road, trying to walk here... but even with the speed these hunks of junk move at, it must've taken us hours to get here."

Ixin turned around and booted the buggy hard, and then he grumbled and turned back around, looking dryly at Zerrex. "But well, my lab's been trashed, and I'd say by now all of Hell is in the physical plane and probably throwing a panic. And unless you've got some genius idea on how the hell to get a message out to all of what is now a planet, well... I think we're going to just have to wait and hope things spread word-of-mouth and really goddamn fast, because like. According to my measurements, this planet is probably really goddamn enormous."

"What measurements?" Zerrex asked dumbly, and when the mage only glared at him, the lizard rolled his eyes with a sigh and a nod. "Fine, I'll just take your word for it, then. How much damage did you two come across while coming here?"

Lily shook her head a bit at this, sighing and pulling away to sit down on the blanket, and Ixin snorted as he sat back on the buggy, asking mildly: "You mean from the merging or from riots? There are some very angry people out there who want us to be doing shit... not that we could do a hell of a lot of anything even if magic was working apart from telling everyone to calm the fuck down and send details of Royal Guards out in force. My concerns right now, personally, are the Abyss and the Circles of Hell... and well, I think it's safe to say that the Barred City is likely just a smoking crater in the ground by now."

"Oh great. Do you think we secured the first two areas enough, though? There were a lot of people in both those places that I'd like to see survive this mess." Zerrex said quietly, and Ixin grunted, tilting a hand back and forth as he made a face. The Drakkaren rubbed a hand slowly through his hair at this, and then he looked over his shoulder at Lily, asking halfheartedly: "Is there anything at all we can do?"

"Have patience. We'll think of something, sooner or later." Lily said softly, and then everyone looked up with a wince as another boom echoed through Hell, and the demoness muttered: "I wish that would stop, though."

"AMP aftershocks. They'll go away sooner or later... once they start getting muffled in the distance, magic will start working better, at least." Ixin said mildly, and then he grumbled as he walked over and sat down on the blanket beside Selena, who glared at him. "So what are we doing here, playing strip poker?"

Zerrex rolled his eyes, then he sat down on Ixin's other side, pointing at the small amount of food Sin had salvaged from the kitchen. "We were just sharing that, actually, and-"

Before the lizard could finish, a small shape popped into existence on his shoulder, and then the reptile yelped and almost fell over as Sammy squeaked loudly at him and then hopped into the air, gliding majestically down to stand on his head. Zerrex sighed, looking morbid as he laid on his side, tapping one hand against the ground before he frowned and asked: "How the hell did you do that?"

Sammy shrugged, then bounded off Zerrex's head, running around him in a circle as the reptile sat up before the pseudodragon jumped up and put his little front claws against the lizard's chest, leaning up towards him as Zerrex looked down... and then his head swam before he closed his eyes, and in his mind he saw Cherry, the female saying curtly: "Okay, Sammy, carry this message to Zerrex. People are scared as fuck of Hell and Heaven just... appearing out of nowhere, and even though Balthazar and a few other world leaders are trying to keep things calm, some other people just want to nuke the shit out of these planets. All the portals to Hell and Heaven have shattered from... some kind of super-pulse that passed through them, and recently that sweet little girl Mary showed up with her brother the douchebag, and Mary was real concerned about you for some reason while Zane-guy kept babbling about how Heaven and Hell are all fucked-up.

"Okay, like. If you can't get back here or send anyone, send a message somehow. You gotta figure out a way to do that at least." Cherry said urgently, and Zerrex winced: both at the growing pain in his skull and the anxiety flooding his body. "Because believe me. Now suddenly everyone's backing Kafka again, and Kafka says this is a hostile gesture or some shit. You gotta do something, Boss! Now get out of here Sammy, get!"

Then Sammy stepped back from Zerrex and whined loudly, and the reptile nodded, rubbing slowly at his face before he muttered: "Goddammit... everyone, listen close. The physical world wants to attack us... and believe me, we're a short enough distance away that they could definitely hit us if they wanted to. It would take a little while for the missiles or whatever to get here... I hope... but I have no doubt that a good few countries pack more than enough artillery to do it. We need to send them a message somehow... that means we need either lights, rockets, or some kind of shuttle through space."

"I got an idea." Selena said immediately, and Zerrex tilted his head as he looked over at her, and she grinned as she jumped up to her feet, saying firmly and pointing at him: "Just wait right here."

Zerrex watched her run off, nonplussed, and then he shook his head quickly before looking around at the others, asking Ixin flatly: "What about you? I'm sure before you started excelling in magic you studied chemicals or something."

"Dude, in my day, we didn't even have chemicals." Ixin replied in an amused voice, and then he paused, tapping at his head. "But well. I use magnesium in a lot of my experiments, but I am totally not driving that stupid-ass buggy all the way out to my lab. My butt hurts and I'm a 'do-it-on-foot' kinda guy."

"Lily, please take Ixin down to the armory. Most bullets have a cap on the end of them filled with gunpowder, which is not as powerful as magnesium, but should more than do." Zerrex said dryly, and Lily nodded as she hopped up to her feet, extending a hand to Ixin. Ixin took this daintily, batting his eyes at her, and then the two bounced off, making Zerrex roll his eyes.

"What about us?" Markus looked up at him from where he'd been sitting almost silently across the blanket, scared out of his mind. Zerrex softened as he gazed at him, this child of his who had once made a serious mistake and was, even now, probably one of the least-affected by the AMP aftershocks... but I guess that figures. We all have our fears, even the fearless. "What should I do, Dad?"

"Take Priscilla and Serenity to the shooting range out back and start gathering up more ammunition." Zerrex said calmly, and Markus nodded as the two females jumped to their feet as well beside him. Then the reptile held up a hand, adding softly: "Wait, Serenity. Maybe I have a better job for you."

Serenity smiled at him with slight amusement: with small breasts easily covered by a golden plate half-wrapped around her body and held on by silver chains, she was one of his few daughters that didn't take after the lust side of the family. Her body was strong and supple, her limbs toned and well-muscled and her legs and groin protected by several hanging, leaf-shaped golden plates, and across her back was sheathed a narrow-bladed, strange silver longsword with a pointed handle, carefully held on her body in the grip of several extra-large chain-links. Her face had a line of crisscrossing battle scars across it, and her body was a mix of beautiful green and gold scales, spots and patches of gold across her back and limbs and her stomach, chest, and groin almost aflame with the beautiful bright scales.

Serenity was also another of Zerrex's Iuratus: when Mist and Shine weren't available to protect him, Serenity was usually the person who acted as the senior bodyguard and bossed around both Cypress and Desire. She was a bit younger, but much tougher, and her alignment wasn't simply Wrath, but also Pride... and it both helped and hindered her that she had inherited her father's overly-serious nature. Unlike him, however, she hadn't exactly loosened up much over the years... and thus she didn't exactly get most jokes or even much of her father's biting sarcasm. "You want me to keep an eye on you?"

"No, I think I'm fine in that regard." Zerrex said with soft amusement, meeting Serenity's deep green eyes with his own before he waved and laughed a bit as he waved to Priscilla, which made Serenity bite the inside of her cheek: a gesture he'd come to learn meant she was trying to suppress irritation rather than amusement. "Oh, come on, I gotta give all my girls the same level of respect."

"Not the exact same, I hope. I think being your personal bodyguard qualifies me for a little bit more respect and perhaps even affection." Serenity said seriously, as if she was talking about things that could be measured out and divided up as something physical like rice grains or money could. Zerrex looked at her dumbly for a few moments, and then she cleared her throat, asking calmly: "Should I stay by your side and protect you from any dangers that might arise?"

"No, I think that Sin has that covered, thank you." Zerrex half-bowed courteously towards her, and then he grinned a bit, pointing at the buggy. "I need your steady hand to do something for me, and disassemble that vehicle with as little damage as possible, especially around the front. We'll need the fuel cells."

Serenity didn't look exactly pleased with this, but she nodded as she reached up and pulled her sword free, before she held it out and let her fingers release the blade. It continued to float eerily by her open palm, and as she closed her eyes, the sword began to spin violently... and then Serenity snapped her hand forwards as her eyes glowed with psychic power, and the sword began to delicately slash back and forth, slicing plates and pieces off the buggy as Zerrex turned his attention to Sin now.

She gazed up at him softly, and Zerrex sat down beside her with a quiet grunt before he said quietly: "You've told me before that it's possible to move things through the Marquee Sur Noir. That it extends through and beyond all other dimensions... that even the Old Gods wouldn't have much power there. Now that Hell and the physical world are in the same plane, however... do you think it's possible to move through the Marquee and reach the planet, all the way over there?"

Sin looked thoughtful at this, and then Serenity joined them after a moment, the buggy a ruined hulk of metal plates and bared innards behind them as her sword spun back towards her before snapping itself safely back into the chain across her back, and she interrupted quietly: "Either way, you're High King of Hell and can't make the trip yourself. Hell needs you right now, more than ever before... you need to show that you aren't going to abandon this place in favor of Earth."

"But I can at least try... the Marquee is a place I control, and that bows to my commands... and Lord Zerrex, I just realized something." Sin said softly, looking at him with a bit of a smile. "It's very difficult, of course, to exit the Marquee and come out in a different place, relative to time and space... it exists outside of what we even term 'dimensions,' after all. It's... better, and yet worse, than the Nothingness between dimensions. But perhaps, if I can force not myself to move, but only the Marquee... I could make several short trips through Hell and see if I can find other people and tell them to spread the word not to panic. I can check on several important areas throughout Hell as well... I only hope I can manage it. The Marquee is supposed to be static, after all..."

"And Hell should be another dimension. I have faith in you, Sin, and it's a much better idea to communicate with the inhabitants here before we try to travel to another planet with it." Zerrex smiled slightly, nodding slowly as he decided to bet his faith on his family and friends holding off whatever crazed strikes the world might be planning against Hell. Against, essentially, my planet. "Serenity, well... you better watch my back, then. You too, Sammy. We're going to head into town on something far better than a broken buggy."

"Then I hope the best to you, Zerrex... take care." Sin said softly, and then she rose a hand as she slowly faded out of existence. After a moment, when she didn't reappear, Zerrex figured she must have made it work somehow, because he doubted that the Marquee had been affected at all by the merge with the physical world... because if it had, or worse, if a portal to it appeared somewhere... we'd be dealing with some very nasty entities that might even give the Old Gods a run for their money.

Zerrex paused, looking towards the Ravenlight Estate and wondering what the hell Selena was up to... and then he finally shook his head, walking over to the ripped-up buggy as Sammy jumped up on his shoulder with a curious squeak, and the reptile rubbed his hands together as he examined the engine before reaching forwards and grasping the fuel cell that powered it, disconnecting several cables with his other hand and then pulling it firmly out. It sparked, and Zerrex grinned slightly, muttering: "Love these things. Cheap, reusable, and they hold a charge forever... but okay, come on, now we got a power source."

Serenity still looked perplexed and foreboding, and Sammy chirped curiously on the reptile's shoulder as they headed towards the Ravenlight Estate... and then Zerrex stared as Selena kicked open the front doors and marched out with Loki and two other godlings in tow. "What the hell. Selena, this is your plan?"

"Their powers don't function off corruption, it's genius!" Selena argued, glaring at him and huffing, and then she pointed behind herself as the two Zerrex didn't recognize at first tried to run off. "Don't even think about it. Zerrex, these are Loki's pals, Aera Cura and Yemaya."

Loki rubbed the back of his head, stepping aside and coughing as the two gods came forwards: Aera Cura, on the one hand, fit in very well with Hell's environment. She was tall and slender, with red skin and big, floppy ears, and she was one of the very few evolved cows Zerrex had ever seen in his lifetime. She had darker spots over her bare shoulders, and was wearing a black corset and a knee-length white skirt with several long strips of cloth hanging from her waist, each with different black sigils sewn into them. Short, conical golden horns stuck up between her large ears, which themselves were pierced with both studs and rings, and a pearl necklace hung low around her neck, as she gave a seductive smile to Zerrex and bowed to him deeply, standing almost at perfect height with him. "It's an honor to meet you..."

"A... a true pleasure." Yemaya added, her eyes bright and big. Unlike her counterpart, she was wearing a blue-streaked, frilly white dress that well all the way to her ankles, and the antelope had long, spired horns and pretty, childlike features. Her body was smaller than that of Aera Cura, and conservatively-covered by the dress, which billowed slowly despite the fact there was no wind. In her horns, there were seven piercings, and upon her hands seven rings... and her blue eyes gazed at him with something like amazement before she nodded to him rapidly and then said brightly: "If I can be any help at all-"

"Shut up, Yemaya." Aera Cura said disdainfully, and then she bowed deeply again to Zerrex before straightening, saying in a soft voice: "I am an infernal goddess myself... Yemaya, on the other hand, is little more than a fertility spirit. The waters, the moon, childbirth... let me assist you with my knowledge..."

She started to sidle closer, and then Serenity and Selena stepped on either side of Zerrex and glared at her, and some of the arrogance went out of Aera Cura's eyes as she winced and stepped backwards instead, clearing her throat and looking down with a mumble. By the consternated look on Loki's face, Zerrex could tell that the otter had probably been trying to get at least one of the goddesses to sleep with him... and he grinned a bit at this, before he paused and asked mildly: "Don't be offended, but I have to ask. Why haven't you sided with the Old Gods?"

Both of the goddesses looked awkwardly away at this, but it was Yemaya who looked at him first and said finally, in an embarrassed voice: "We're only minor deities, nothing like Loki... our powers exceed that of your average demon or angel, but are no competition for that of the higher-ranking divine beings... the only real difference is that some of our abilities function even through this anti-magic aura perverting the air, like psychic abilities."

Zerrex nodded slowly, and then he rubbed at his muzzle a bit as he looked at Loki, who was mumbling irritably. Obviously the goddesses were on far lower tiers than the demigod - which he was probably trying to use to his advantage to get laid, but it doesn't look like that's going to happen any time soon now - but they were still goddesses... and as the reptile looked towards the planet floating in the sky, he asked slowly: "Loki, do you think you could make a jump all the way to the physical world?"

"Oh no, I ain't falling for that trick." Loki said immediately, and the reptile looked at him dryly as the demigod stepped backwards and held up his hands, a sour expression on his face. "Even if I could, I wouldn't. I ain't helping those bastards out at all. And sure, I get that if they don't get some... signal or something from Hell, then we'll probably all die in nuclear fire. So I'll help you send up a signal or whatever, but I am not going to go to the mortal plane, especially not right now."

Zerrex made a face, and then another idea came to mind before he asked quickly: "Then can you go and find Amiglion? He was... crap, he was probably at or near the Central Spire. Amiglion can ask Reapers to help, and they have their own special ways of travelling to and from different worlds... they should be able to easily skip to Earth."Although I'm sure Amiglion will have a hell of a time convincing one of them to help us.

Loki still didn't look completely happy with this idea, but he finally nodded and sighed, saying flatly: "Just so we're clear on this, I still hate you."

"Yeah, yeah, get out of here." Zerrex waved a hand at him, and Loki grunted before he extended either hand to the goddesses with a wide grin on his face. With a smile, Aera Cura reached up and gently took one of them, even though her eyes stayed on Zerrex... but Yemaya fidgeted on the spot, looking awkward before she stumbled over to Selena and half-hid behind her, making the demoness wince.

Loki deflated at the reactions, and then he sighed, rolling his eyes before he looked at Aera Cura with a wink. "Guess it's just you and me then, babe." He paused, then looked over at Zerrex, giving him a pointed look as he said flatly: "I'll come back to see Yemaya later, so don't strain her."

Then he and Aera Cura vanished in a puff of dark smoke, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as Selena carefully stepped away from the goddess, who blushed as she smiled naively up at the Drakkaren, saying softly: "I'm sorry, but Aera Cura scares me a little, and Loki's courting is a little... rough."

"What a surprise." Zerrex said with soft amusement, and then he smiled down at the goddess, asking quietly: "Can you portal or teleport or something to that world over there?"

Yemaya shook her head, and then she gazed at the blue sphere in the sky hesitantly before murmuring finally: "But most of it is water... perhaps, from the roof of your Estate and given some time and concentration, I might be able to affect the tides and wave patterns... but that's just silly, how would anyone see a message written in the middle of the ocean?"

"Believe me, there's all kinds of ways. Mortals are very paranoid and they like to see every little detail of what's happening on their planet." the Drakkaren replied, then he glanced over at Selena, who crossed her arms and looked at him flatly: "I know you hate to, but..."

"Oh fuck. Fine..." Selena sighed and grumbled under her breath, then she leaned forwards and grunted as slowly, leathery, large wings pushed their way out of her back, the demoness gritting her teeth before they extended to their full, enormous wingspan, flapping once, then twice as she looked down at Yemaya, who was staring at her with shock. "Trust me, chick. Don't worry, I won't drop you."

"Okay." Yemaya nodded after a moment, and then she hopped up into Selena's arms, and the muscular demoness winced, then glared at Zerrex when he covered his muzzle to hide a laugh, the two looking like a lesbian couple that had just been married. Then Selena muttered under her breath and ran forwards, taking off into the air and flying quickly up to the roof of the Ravenlight Estate as Zerrex laughed and shook his head, walking forwards through the gates and saying amusedly: "Come on, Serenity. We still got something to do."

Serenity looked at him for a few moments thoughtfully, as they walked around to the side of the Estate, where a heavy shutter barred the way into a large side building. She looked at this with a frown, and then stared when Zerrex grunted and shoved it up, revealing a large garage full of different vehicles in different states of health. "What... what is this?"

"Priest likes to tinker, and I like to ride motorcycles and break them." Zerrex said plainly, and Sammy chirped on his shoulder, the pseudodragon's eyes big and round. Then the little dragon leapt off onto a worktable as Zerrex bent down by an open engine compartment in a motorcycle near the back, and he slipped the fuel cell inside, wincing as sparks shot up from the engine before he quickly connected the cables and muttered: "Let's see... I think this is the one..."

Zerrex shut the compartment firmly, and then he twisted the keys in the throttle... before laughing and clapping as the engine roared into life, the front headlight flashing on and surprising Serenity, who immediately drew her sword and took up a ready position... but Zerrex only rolled his eyes, reaching up to toggle the switch to turn the headlight off. "Don't be a spaz. Now there's a golf cart or something here that works, but I recommend you ride with me. This particular model was built for Dragokkaren, so it's big and spacious enough even for me... Sammy, you should stay here and I'll call you when we get to the next location."

Sammy immediately chirped in agreement with a relieved look on his face, and Serenity winced as she slowly replaced her sword on her back, asking him finally: "Are you sure this is a good idea?"

"Hell used to be mostly flat, right? And even on these dusty roads..." Zerrex kicked the studded tires with a grin as he rolled the motorcycle slowly past his daughter and out of the garage. "Lots of traction, and a spill on a motorcycle, while it hurts like hell, definitely won't kill you or me. Besides, you're my Iuratus, and thus you have to listen to me."

"I'm trying to keep you safe here!" Serenity said in a consternated voice, but Zerrex only swung a leg over the motorcycle and then grinned over his shoulder at her. She looked at him for a few moments, then finally sighed and muttered as he walked forwards, climbing onto the seat behind him and making a bit of a face: since she was a little shorter than he was, her feet couldn't even touch the ground anymore, even with Zerrex leaning the bike to a good angle. "This is not a bright idea."

"Few of my ideas are." Zerrex said cheerfully as she wrapped her arms around his waist and he felt her armored chest pressing to his back, and then he twisted the handle and shot forwards, Serenity gritting her teeth with a hiss of shock as they shot towards the open gates and then out onto the road, the Drakkaren swerving past the buggy and shouting: "Watch how you lean, make sure you don't tip the motorcycle over!"

"You're the one driving the goddamn thing!" Serenity shouted back, clutching her father for dear life as they shot down the roads... but after a while, she slowly relaxed and started to enjoy the travel along the deserted highway, even as they jounced and threatened to spill off here and there when Zerrex hit either a hole in the road or took a turn too hard.

As they approached one of the cities, however, Zerrex was forced to slow... and he halted outside of it, the two looking on as glee faded into grim seriousness at the sight of the city. Buildings were aflame and demons were both rioting and panicking, and the Drakkaren frowned as he looked over his shoulder at Serenity, asking quietly: "What do you suggest I do here?"

"Tell them to stop, and remember that demons are still often ruled by power. You have to demonstrate your strength." Serenity said calmly, and Zerrex made a face as he nodded and rolled the motorcycle slowly forwards, the engine grumbling as eyes slowly turned to him through the crowd. Without waiting for the order, Serenity hopped off the motorcycle and strode alongside it, shouting: "All bow to High King Zerrex Narrius, and cease this lawlessness at once!"

"What's happening?" screamed a voice from the crowd that gathered quickly around the Drakkaren, and Zerrex halted the motorcycle next to a broken-down carriage. It looked like it had been attacked, and the Wyrms that had been drawing it lay dead and eviscerated, making Zerrex wince... and then, as other voices shouted at him, he leapt up and pulled himself to the top of the carriage, holding his arms out as other voices howled and yelled.

"Quiet!" Zerrex roared finally, and the crowd went mostly silent, a few mumbles coming up from the group as the Drakkaren looked back and forth before he said coldly: "You were warned. Again and again, you were warned that Hell would be merging with the physical plane. Well, that has now happened. And all of you are using the chaos that has ensued to your advantage in one way or another, chasing after your own ends and falling to your own sins when we should be banding together, now more than-"

Zerrex halted as a rock flew out of the crowd, and the reptile caught it easily and crushed it, pointing in the direction it had come from and shouting: "Step forwards immediately!"

No one did, and a murmur went through the crowd before the Drakkaren's eyes glowed green as he ordered calmly: "Whoever threw this... step forwards now."

Dominate lashed out of his eyes like a tidal wave, and demons gaped and fidgeted and drooled before one, a minotaur, finally staggered out of the crowd... and Zerrex felt a burst of fury, but he quickly swallowed it, instead focusing his eyes on him and asking quietly: "Why did you throw a rock at me?"

"You upset me... I was scared, and angry, and desperate. I was only doing what my neighbors were doing... who gave you the right to boss us around?" the minotaur spoke in a sleepy, weak voice, and then he shook his head and staggered backwards in terror, but now the crowd was more like wall than a safe hiding place, and he fell to his knees after a moment, clasping his hands and begging: "Please... please, oh... oh please, don't hurt me!"

This wasn't what Zerrex wanted, as he closed his eyes and bowed his head forwards. There was no honor in it, no joy he could take from it, a foolhardy, broken minotaur begging for his life after being driven into a panic... and so finally ,he rose a hand and said quietly: "If I am to make a difference and not be a hypocrite... I need to lead by example. Every one of you will be helping to reconstruct and rebuild the very things you have stolen and destroyed... and it is not only a punishment, it is a blessing. Remember, no sin goes unseen here in Hell... and anyone who has killed today will be thrown in a Pit of Torment for a century, if not more, do I make myself clear? The minor trespasses can be forgiven in a state of panic: the major trespasses will not be, even when anxieties and tensions run high."

"He's weak, we can take him, come on!" some other maddened demon shouted, and then a Salamander, a Swamp Spine, and a massive, burly horse demon of some kind all charged forwards, the first two leaping onto the top of the carriage... and Zerrex snorted, throwing the Salamander easily to the ground before he kicked the Swamp Spine hard in the stomach before the horse demon tried to ram it over... but Zerrex simply leapt off as it tilted onto its side, landing neatly on the horse's shoulders before he let himself freefall forwards, snapping his shins tight around the horse's head just beneath a pair of twisting horns and making him gargle before the Drakkaren flipped forwards and smashed him skull-first into the ground, leaving him groaning in agony. Then the lizard stood up and wiped his hands clean, making a distasteful face before he kicked the horse demon in the neck as he began to climb to his feet, and his eyes bulged before he fell flat on his face, the reptile muttering: "Sorry, but I've got no time right now to play games with dissenters."

Then the lizard leapt back up on top of the carriage, looking back and forth as he shouted: "Enough chaos! Everything must return to order... it's a very simple rule. The better you behave, the better I can treat you during these times of chaos. But if you insist on continuing to attack each other and myself, I'll have no choice but to order in the military forces to not just keep the peace, but enforce every rule and policy I can think of!" Harsh, but we are on the brink of extinction. "Until magic returns within the near future, we'll just all have to get along and work on things in teams with our bare hands. Discipline and order is what separates us from being animals... or do you want the mortal plane to think we're all monsters, just like in their fairy-tale versions of Hell?"

Mumbles sounded throughout the area... and then Zerrex nodded with a grunt before he rose a hand, saying clearly: "If force is all you understand... if you think that physical power is the only authority... then that is what I'm going to have to use to calm and quell you. But it is the last resort for me... because I believe that it would be akin to a dictator forcing the inhabitants of his country to do whatever he wants. I want to rule by doing what is best for my people... by instructing them, not by treating them as slaves. But believe me, what is best right now is that everyone remains calm, and works on fixing up the damage that has been done here... and if I have to use force to keep people calm for this next while, so be it. This isn't some political gambit or an overhyped false-pandemic: our dimension has just merged with a physical dimension, and we have become a world in a universe that once denied our very existence.

"If anyone disagrees with me that this is an issue serious enough for me to use the full power of my position, please, go ahead and speak right on up. I'd be glad to listen to your arguments on the subject." Zerrex said drolly, and when there was only quiet that greeted this, the reptile smiled grimly. "Good. Now, as I was saying... since for a little while we're going to have to do this the mortal way, I'm going to be sending through both scouts and engineers to set up whatever mortal transmitters will work. I expect you all to spread the word that I want order, not anarchy, or I'm going to have to go all martial on your asses, and I'm pretty sure no one wants to see that."

There was silence, and Zerrex nodded with a grunt. "Good. Alright, time for me to keep moving. Get to work immediately, do your jobs, help clean up, or stay quietly in your homes, and we'll get through this without needing to resort to force."

The Drakkaren hopped off the fallen carriage, then he mounted his motorcycle as Serenity slipped on behind him, the female wrapping her arms around him as she muttered: "You do realize that they're going to either hide or end up arguing all over the place about who should be in charge, right?"

"Yeah, but it's better than them wrecking the city." Zerrex replied dryly, and then he drove forwards, the crowd quickly parting for him as the Drakkaren muttered: "Let's just hope that they don't make too much of a goddamn mess. I'd really like for things to stay as quiet as possible over the next few days."

As Zerrex drove through the main street of the city, he saw that word was spreading much faster than he could drive: either fear or respect - Zerrex was betting on fear, unfortunately - was driving people to listen to him, and it was at least getting the area to calm down. He wished they'd listen to him for reasons other than the fact he was a strong authority figure, but he knew that in Hell, that was asking far too much... so instead, he'd make do with what little he had, as the wind blew through his hair and Serenity held tightly onto him, only interested in keeping her father and High King safe from harm.

The Drakkaren spent roughly an hour in the city, stopping here and there, getting into short-lived brawls, and trying to suffocate the chaos he came across before it could turn into full-out anarchy. Just as he was getting ready to leave the city, however, Sin faded slowly into existence in front of him, looking exhausted but happy she'd found him as the motorcycle skidded to a halt beside her, Zerrex staring at her with surprise as she took several long breaths before managing out: "Priest... Huck... towers..."

"What? Take your time, Sin, there's no rush. At least, I hope to crap there's no rush, because I'm really sick of horrific things that require me rushing around happening all over the place." Zerrex said morbidly, and the Naganatine nodded a few times, taking a few moments to recover before she straightened and smiled awkwardly at him, blushing a bit. "Now what's up?"

"The electromagnetism in the air has decreased, according to Priest's machinery... the shielded compound was apparently protected from many of the aftereffects of the AMP and the merging, so most of his equipment is intact." Sin said quietly after a few moments, then she added: "Jim Huckleberry, Priest, and several other engineers are all working together to set up what he referred to as a... signal tower? A satellite tower? I'm sorry, Lord Zerrex, I can't entirely remember the name."

"No, I think I know what you're talking about, Sin, and it's good news." Zerrex replied, looking surprised. The electromagnetism has decreased that much? But maybe it's only temporary... when the corruption returns, the level of electromagnetism in the air will probably increase... huhr, say that three times fast. "Is he aiming to send a signal to the planet or across Hell?"

Sin shook her head, saying quietly: "Just across Hell, he says... something about... sending a signal to another planet taking time, I have to admit I don't entirely understand this kind of science. To us Naganatine, even the concepts of things such as... the speed of light is relative and trivial. We were always able to bend any law we wished in Eternity or the physical world, but... perhaps the laws of the physical world are much different now."

She halted, then smiled a bit, rubbing at her head slowly as she murmured: "I'm sorry, Lord Zerrex, I don't know what I'm saying. My head hurts from using the Marquee in the way I have... but I am glad to report that the Central Spire is still standing as it always has, and that the Abyss is still tightly sealed shut. I hope you don't think it oversteps my bounds, but I dispatched Captain Lazarus with four platoons of Royal Guard to stand guard, just in case the Abyss opens. Other Royal Guards are being assembled as we speak, as well as basic military in many places, to help quell the chaos." She paused, then added quietly: "The Circles have been hit hard by this. Many demons died, and until magic returns to Hell, we won't be able to do a head count and know for sure how many we've lost. Because the Circles and their environments were tempered and powered by both corruption and magic, much of each simply... vanished. Now, they look... more like a deep and terrible pit with a few writhing demons trying to survive."

Zerrex nodded slowly, gritting his teeth: that was some of the worst news he could have heard, at least regarding that major section of Hell. He shook his head after a moment, then he said quietly and calmly: "We'll have to dispatch troops to assist with evacuation, then. What about the Barred City?"

Sin was quiet... and Zerrex nodded again, sighing as he looked over his shoulder and said quietly: "Serenity, slip around to my front, okay? Let Sin sit in the back." I don't even have a bad one-liner at the moment about being trapped in a girl sandwich... this is getting way too serious, way too fast.

The Naganatine climbed onto the motorcycle without argument and curled herself tightly against his back, as Serenity sat in his lap and rested her back against his front, chain links and smooth flat of the sword brushing against his muscular, masculine body as he leaned over her, looking quietly ahead as he guided the motorcycle around in a circle before heading back towards the Ravenlight Estate. He knew that there was no point in continuing into the countryside now, and they would be better able to plan at the Estate, where everyone would be... and Zerrex could only hope that they could find some way to signal the planet they were currently orbiting slowly, the planet he was trying so goddamn hard to protect from the Old Gods, that they weren't hostile.