Descent of Nightmare (Chapter Seven)
Nov. 6th, 2016 09:07 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tanadin posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
saladloveAnd Cataclysm isn't happy about it.
Chapter list: https://tanadin.dreamwidth.org/650.html
Map of Kaldriel: https://i.gyazo.com/332b0c0172dcc60acb46
Rough map of Hatu: https://i.gyazo.com/ea4f9f51b9dc7b9d8b86
Chapter Seven
Shadow
Akrar, Kaldriel. November 5, 2277. Time instance 842N.
“You saw what?” Emma demanded, crossing her arms. Beside her, Cataclysm raised an eyebrow, and Kyir rolled his eyes behind his shades. She had learned to read Kyir’s expressions over the course of the five years since the Mainframe went down- she practically lived with him, after all. Technically, she and Cataclysm had their own place, but they just stayed in Cataclysm’s room in Kyir’s house. After all, life in the Lu’ann household was never boring.
Shawn sighed. “It looked like a younger Seven and a smaller Clash. The cyborg was different, though- he had wings and two metal arms, but his legs looked normal. The metal looked...weird, too. It had a blue sheen to it and I can’t think of anything that looks like that. He had green eyes- well, his normal eye was green- but he looked like Seven. Minus the hat.”
“Everything you’ve described does not look like Seven,” Kyir said dryly. “How did he look like Seven?”
“He was around the same height and had the trenchcoat-”
“So do you.”
“I’m not done. His hair was the same and he just...he looked like him. Half of his face was metal, but even just paying attention to the normal half, he just…looked almost the same.” Shawn shrugged helplessly. “He looked about sixteen. Like he was Seven’s son or something.”
Emma snorted. “Now there’s a thought.”
“Seriously! That’s what he looked like!”
“Don’t worry, we believe you.” Emma elbowed Cataclysm. “Right?”
“Ow. Yes. Why did you elbow me?”
Emma grinned at him. “Felt like it. What about the phoenix?”
Shawn shrugged. “It looked like Clash, but smaller. That’s about it. Although…” He hesitated. “The cyborg shouted something right before it showed up. I think it was… ‘Solace’?”
“Solace?” Cataclysm repeated. “What does that mean?”
“Might have been the phoenix’s name. It’s a pretty fiery name. Could have been it.” Kyir drummed his fingers against the opposite forearms. “Hm. Seems likely, at least.”
The sound of wings caught their attention and they turned in time to see the demon land. Emma frowned and was glad for Nightbane’s weight at her hip, as this demon looked unfamiliar and unfriendly.
She wasn’t humanoid like all other demons that Emma had seen- instead, she was more reptilian, with a less upright pose and long arms ending in claws. Two horns curved forward from above her eyes and cruel fangs jutted out of her jaws. Batlike wings folded against her back and her tail swung to balance her.
What was really striking, however, was that she was really white all over. From her scales to her claws to her wing membrane, everything looked bleached white. Her eyes were especially bright, and Emma felt wrong looking at them, like they shouldn’t exist, like that bright of a color should never have been seen by human eyes.
She felt Cataclysm tense beside her and she and Kyir quickly both leapt into action, grabbing his arms and holding him still as they knew he was about to pounce. Cataclysm pulled forward, straining against them and screaming in rage with his jaws slamming shut in an attempt to bite her. His feathers sharpened immediately and his claws flexed, the necklace around his throat glowing brightly from the effort to keep him from going into his full demon form.
The albino demon stepped closer, her face only inches away from him. A smirk spread across her face, baring her teeth.
“Hello, Cataclysm. Happy to see me?”
Cataclysm let out a high-pitched furious scream, straining against Kyir and Emma even as Shawn moved to help them. Emma felt something within her sink as a realization clicked into place.
The albino demon.
“Edme.”
“Oh, so you’ve heard of me.” Edme stood up straighter and looked at her, the smirk not fading. “Touching. And who are you?”
“GET AWAY FROM HER!” Cataclysm’s wings flapped, sharpened feathers reflective in the light and narrowly missing Emma’s face. “GET AWAY!”
“I see.” Edme reached out and gently ran a claw along Emma’s jaw, smirk only widening when Emma pulled away. “Fascinating. Unfortunately, I’m not here for you.” Her gaze drifted across them, a malicious light burning deep within her pupils. “None of you. I’ve been sent to find the one you may know as Geek. Direct me to her.”
“Crawl back to hell,” Kyir snapped. “We’re not helping you.”
“You’ll be interested to note that I’ve been sent by the Archdemon of Destruction, Vel’kex. I’m authorized to do anything I have to in order to get Geek back to him, and that includes killing you. I’d rather not, as you’re quite fascinating to have made friends with my dear pet, but I have no qualms about doing so.”
“He’s not your pet,” Emma and Kyir both snarled. Shawn only looked scared, but nodded convincingly.
Edme clicked her tongue. “So you say.”
“You’d better leave, or I’m going to let go of Cataclysm,” Kyir informed her. Shawn looked really scared at that.
“I’m not afraid of him. Now are you going to direct me to Geek or do I have to-”
“Cataclysm!” Emma’s head snapped around to see Geek flying towards them, landing almost clumsily and racing towards them. “What’s causing your necklace to- oh.” She folded her wings and crossed her arms. “Edme.”
“Ah, there you are.” Edme turned towards Geek, eyes lighting up in anticipation. “You’ve been summoned by the Archdemon Vel’kex for a council with all of the Archdemons immediately. I’m authorized to do anything necessary to get you to come along. So are you going to cooperate, or are you going to make this interesting?”
Geek’s eyes widened. “Vel’kex? What does he want me for?”
“He didn’t say.” Edme’s claws flexed and she ran a hand over the belt of throwing knives around her waist. “What’s it going to be, Geek?”
Geek sighed, running her eyes over her friends, pausing on the furious and struggling Cataclysm.
“Take me to him. Just leave them alone.”
“You’re no fun.” Edme spread her wings. “Follow.” She took off, Geek not far behind.
As soon as Edme was out of sight, Cataclysm slumped against them, immediately burying his face in Emma’s shoulder. She hugged him tightly and Kyir kept a hand on his shoulder as he shook violently, feathers unsharpening as his wings folded loosely along his back.
What a bitch, Emma thought, hugging Cataclysm closer and shivering. What a horrible, creepy bitch.
~~~
Geek had a bad feeling about this.
After the revolution had ended, she’d freed Vel’kex, like she had been supposed to almost fifteen years before. Unfortunately, due to events out of her control, she’d been incapable (or, later, unwilling). Vel’kex had only snarled at her and returned home, and she hadn’t seen him since, which was fine by her. He’d had more than enough of her and the Nethernomicon, and she couldn’t say that she blamed him.
But now, he had summoned her and sent Edme- Edme!- to retrieve her. He wanted all the Archdemons to be there, as well, and that never boded well. Not to mention that Edme was humming softly- that damned same tune, if she had to hum creepily why couldn’t she have a playlist or something- and that always meant that something was amusing or satisfying her. It could be just seeing and hurting Cataclysm with her presence, but Geek had a feeling that it alone wasn’t enough to put the Albino Shadow in this good of a mood.
The fact that there was an Archdemon-made temporary portal to Hell waiting for her didn’t help her nerves any, either. Edme led her through it and directly into one of the deepest circles of Hell, into a side room in the Archdemon council chambers. Geek steeled herself before following Edme into the hallway and towards the larger door, knowing what awaited her on the other side and not knowing how she’d make it out of this one if Vel’kex was as pissed as she thought. She held the Nethernomicon as they approached the doors, stroking its surface in a nervous habit, but let go as Edme pushed open the doors and allowed them to step inside.
The room was large, circular, and primarily red, although the floor and walls around each of the six Archdemon thrones were changed to match them. The thrones were in a semicircle around one half of the room, and six of them were filled, but the seventh- the one reserved for the ruler of Hell- was empty, as it had been for almost five hundred years. They hadn’t had a true ruler in that long, and Hell had suffered for it.
Geek felt a spike of emotion before squashing it down. Now was not the time. Now, she had to focus on the archdemons.
In the throne all the way to the left sat Vel’kex, Archdemon of Destruction and currently Geek’s biggest problem. He stood almost seven feet tall, with short black hair and bright blue eyes hidden by green-glassed goggles. Two black horns curled up from his head. His skin was of a middling gray tone with fiery magma patterns running all across it. His wings were red with the same magma patterns and he was dressed in ceremonial armor, as he often preferred to be. His red tail twitched in agitation and he leaned forward in his seat, black claws digging into the armrests as he watched Geek and Edme enter the room.
To his left (Geek’s right) was his opposite, the Archdemon of Regeneration. Aur’thia was shorter than even Geek with red hair and brilliant green eyes. Her skin was similar to Geek’s and her wings were a pale magenta color. Two small white horns poked up out of her hair and she smiled pleasantly upon seeing Geek, revealing her sharp teeth. Her expression faded slightly as her eyes drifted to Edme and she tensed slightly.
Beside her sat Medithia, the Archdemon of Time. She was humanoid but covered in thick bronze scales, with a dragonlike head and long claws on both her hands and feet. She was the only Archdemon without wings and was therefore flightless. Her tail ran out through a hole in her throne and her red eyes watched both Edme and Geek like she was figuring out how best to kill them, but in a friendly sort of way. She seemed fairly calm, which relaxed Geek slightly, as Medithia was known for being easily excitable, albeit usually in a violent manner.
The fourth archdemon was the Archdemon of Eternity, Shezrah. Her eyes were gray and her skin was dark, with occasional patches of gray or dusty blue. Her wings were skeletal, with only occasional strings of glowing blue membrane connecting the bones. Her tail was a similar dusky shade and lashed occasionally as she watched them, black hair almost obscuring her eyes and claws gripping her armrests tightly.
Ixen, the Archdemon of Life, watched them closely as well. He sat very still, tall black-and-green body moving only to breathe as his bright green eyes watched them. He, as usual, wore very little, only bothering with pants and letting them see the green-black gradient on his chest. His feet were hooves and his fingers ended in long claws. Large horns curled up from his head and batlike wings folded neatly along his back, his massive form dwarfed only by Medithia’s height.
The final Archdemon was Baskon, the Archdemon of Death. Geek wasn’t really sure what to think of him, as normally he didn’t like her much due to how close she was to Vel’kex. Today, he looked pained, despite how hard it was to read his expression. He was the least humanoid of all the Archdemons, built similarly to Edme although considerably larger. A metal blade was grafted into his tail and black wings folded against his back. He was covered in odd black scales, making him appear to be made of shadow, but his skull was visible through them and blue lights burned in his eyes sockets. He gave Edme a hostile glare but didn’t even look at Geek.
“Edme.” Aur’thia leaned forward in her seat slightly. “Please leave us.”
Edme looked disappointed but sighed and left, shutting the doors behind her. The echo of the great doors shutting had barely faded before Vel’kex exploded, eyes glowing in bright fury.
“You’d better have a damn good explanation! I have half a mind to kill them and sent you to rot in the Shattered Zone for the next thousand years!”
Geek stared at him in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“You...you…!”
“Vel’kex.” Aur’thia leaned over and put a hand on his arm. “Calm.”
“No! I will not calm down! I will-”
“Enough,” Baskon snarled. “Last night we picked up the energy signatures of two very strong demons. Looking closer, we realized that they were extremely similar to both Vel’kex and yourself.” His claws tightened on the armrests of his seat. “Archdemons are not allowed to have offspring. You know this.”
Geek stared.
For one second. For two seconds. For three seconds. For a good ten seconds she stared before she started to laugh.
“You think I’m involved in this? I have no children, and I’m certain of that- I think I’d remember having a child, nevermind two and with an Archdemon.”
Vel’kex’s wings flared. “There is no other explanation!”
“There must be!” Geek snapped. “I don’t know where you got the idea that I’m the mother of two secret children of yours, but you can drop that idea right now. That’s ridiculous. I’m not stupid. The children of an Archdemon would be unimaginably powerful and could lead to some serious political messes and nobody likes politics. You’re certain they’re his?”
“They are,” Medithia assured, sitting up straighter on her throne. “We’re having a hard time keeping track of them, but there’s no way they aren’t. They need to be dealt with, immediately. I’d suggest sending an army to Kaldriel, led by me, to find them and wipe them out, but Ixen won’t let me.”
“It’s not diplomatic,” Ixen argued. “You cannot send an army to Kaldriel with no repercussions. It would also make our efforts to hide their existence more obvious, and I do not need to remind you what would happen if Heaven learned of their existence. The angels have been aching for a fight for nearly a century- we do not need to give them a reason.”
“Let the prissy-wings come,” Medithia snorted. “We can take them.”
“We have no monarch,” Ixen snapped. “We cannot succeed this way. Until the crown is found-”
“-no monarch can take the throne, yes, we know,” Vel’kex grumbled. “Damn Curse. I wish we’d thrown him in the depths of the Shattered Zone instead of killing him.”
“It was too much of a risk.” Ixen crossed his arms. “As is taking obvious action.”
“We don’t even know where they are,” Aur’thia agreed.
Geek raised an eyebrow. “How did you lose them?”
“They showed up near one of the minor hellgates,” Shezrah explained. “We lost the read on their energy signature when they moved away.”
“Which gate?”
“The one in the Akrar mountains.”
Geek’s eyebrows both shot up. “That’s interesting. Nathan mentioned seeing something weird around there before he left for the Mainframe, but I didn’t have the time to ask what. He might know something.”
“Ask him,” Vel’kex snarled. His magma patterns glowed brighter. “Scour those mountains. Do whatever you have to without alerting Heaven. Destroy them or bring them here, I don’t care. But do it now.”
“Is that an order?”
“Yes.”
Aur’thia glared at Vel’kex before turning back to Geek. “It’s a strong request,” she corrected. “An archdemon searching for something would be too obvious, but you…”
“You’re known for being odd, and your energy signature isn’t particularly noticeable,” Baskon supplied. “It’s only that damn book that gives away your position.”
“No one will suspect me of doing anything official,” Geek assured. “I’m one of the most unofficial demons there is.”
“It would have been better had Vel’kex summoned you in a less… obvious manner.” Ixen shot him a glance.
“Edme isn’t obvious!”
“She’s bright fucking white. She’s obvious.” Baskon’s tail lashed. “Get going, Geek. The sooner we clean up this mess, the less likely we are to have a problem with Heaven.”
Geek saluted, somewhat sarcastically, and strolled out of the room, leaving the diplomatic Ixen and the warlike Medithia to argue over the tensions that would arise from sending a demonic army to Kaldriel for any reason.
She held the Nethernomicon close as she left the building and took to the air, setting a course for the hellgate closest to the Mainframe.
Nathan had some questions to answer.
no subject
Date: 2016-11-06 04:10 pm (UTC)The special metal that allows the use of magic and elemental powers without damaging the hell out of cyborg parts. Neves would love to get hold of some of that metal.
“I’m not done. His hair was the same and he just...he looked like him. Half of his face was metal, but even just paying attention to the normal half, he just…looked almost the same.” Shawn shrugged helplessly. “He looked about sixteen. Like he was Seven’s son or something.”
Emma snorted. “Now there’s a thought.”
Oh boy, there's going to be a lot of hilarity when the Lag Kids true nature is revealed to the Black Market crew.
She felt Cataclysm tense beside her and she and Kyir quickly both leapt into action, grabbing his arms and holding him still as they knew he was about to pounce. Cataclysm pulled forward, straining against them and screaming in rage with his jaws slamming shut in an attempt to bite her. His feathers sharpened immediately and his claws flexed, the necklace around his throat glowing brightly from the effort to keep him from going into his full demon form.
The albino demon stepped closer, her face only inches away from him. A smirk spread across her face, baring her teeth.
“Hello, Cataclysm. Happy to see me?”
Cataclysm let out a high-pitched furious scream, straining against Kyir and Emma even as Shawn moved to help them. Emma felt something within her sink as a realization clicked into place.
Bitch please does he look happy to see you? >:l
“You’ll be interested to note that I’ve been sent by the Archdemon of Destruction, Vel’kex. I’m authorized to do anything I have to in order to get Geek back to him, and that includes killing you. I’d rather not, as you’re quite fascinating to have made friends with my dear pet, but I have no qualms about doing so.”
“He’s not your pet,” Emma and Kyir both snarled. Shawn only looked scared, but nodded convincingly.
Ah so Vel'kex has been unbound from the Necronomicon and gone back to rule in the demon realm, but Geek stayed on Kaldriel. Geez Vel'kex why'd you have to send her to fetch Geek?
“Cataclysm!” Emma’s head snapped around to see Geek flying towards them, landing almost clumsily and racing towards them. “What’s causing your necklace to- oh.” She folded her wings and crossed her arms. “Edme.”
Geek to the rescue, interesting that she can sense the magical strain on the jewelry she's made.
Headcanon that's why she stayed on Kaldriel to open up a jewelry boutique XD
After the revolution had ended, she’d freed Vel’kex, like she had been supposed to almost fifteen years before. Unfortunately, due to events out of her control, she’d been incapable (or, later, unwilling). Vel’kex had only snarled at her and returned home, and she hadn’t seen him since, which was fine by her. He’d had more than enough of her and the Nethernomicon, and she couldn’t say that she blamed him.
Awww Geek and Vel'kex broke up D:
Though like Geek I can't say I blame Vel'kex for being pissed at being trapped in a book 15 years longer than he was supposed to be. Though it was probably for the best it kept Vel'kex safe and out of the hands of the Mainframe, but he probably doesn't see it that way.
The room was large, circular, and primarily red, although the floor and walls around each of the six Archdemon thrones were changed to match them. The thrones were in a semicircle around one half of the room, and six of them were filled, but the seventh- the one reserved for the ruler of Hell- was empty, as it had been for almost five hundred years. They hadn’t had a true ruler in that long, and Hell had suffered for it.
Geek felt a spike of emotion before squashing it down. Now was not the time. Now, she had to focus on the archdemons.
No true ruler of hell in over 500 years? A spike of emotion from Geek at that thought? Wait....how old is Geek? Was the previous ruler her father or something? Is Geek the Princess of Hell?
To his left (Geek’s right) was his opposite, the Archdemon of Regeneration. Aur’thia was shorter than even Geek with red hair and brilliant green eyes. Her skin was similar to Geek’s and her wings were a pale magenta color. Two small white horns poked up out of her hair and she smiled pleasantly upon seeing Geek, revealing her sharp teeth. Her expression faded slightly as her eyes drifted to Edme and she tensed slightly.
Hold on a minute! Is this a demon version of Aureylian? Why did I not pick up on this before when Aur'thia was mentioned in chat? The fact that Mars did art of her should have tipped me off, but it didn't ^^"
The final Archdemon was Baskon, the Archdemon of Death. Geek wasn’t really sure what to think of him, as normally he didn’t like her much due to how close she was to Vel’kex. Today, he looked pained, despite how hard it was to read his expression. He was the least humanoid of all the Archdemons, built similarly to Edme although considerably larger. A metal blade was grafted into his tail and black wings folded against his back. He was covered in odd black scales, making him appear to be made of shadow, but his skull was visible through them and blue lights burned in his eyes sockets.
Ok Tana I can see how this is supposed to be Blame. But I was originally thinking from the description Vallor'roth or Valk'vanor.
Also at least 2 of the other 3 Archdemons are still going to look like Norazdormu and Moranaax.
“You’d better have a damn good explanation! I have half a mind to kill them and sent you to rot in the Shattered Zone for the next thousand years!”
Geek stared at him in confusion. “Excuse me?”
“You...you…!”
“Vel’kex.” Aur’thia leaned over and put a hand on his arm. “Calm.”
“No! I will not calm down! I will-”
“Enough,” Baskon snarled. “Last night we picked up the energy signatures of two very strong demons. Looking closer, we realized that they were extremely similar to both Vel’kex and yourself.” His claws tightened on the armrests of his seat. “Archdemons are not allowed to have offspring. You know this.”
Geek stared.
For one second. For two seconds. For three seconds. For a good ten seconds she stared before she started to laugh.
“You think I’m involved in this? I have no children, and I’m certain of that- I think I’d remember having a child, nevermind two and with an Archdemon.”
Ah so they're blaming Geek for her's and Vel'kex's Lab Kids. Seems logicial, though they are barking up the wrong tree XD
“They are,” Medithia assured, sitting up straighter on her throne. “We’re having a hard time keeping track of them, but there’s no way they aren’t. They need to be dealt with, immediately. I’d suggest sending an army to Kaldriel, led by me, to find them and wipe them out, but Ixen won’t let me.”
“It’s not diplomatic,” Ixen argued. “You cannot send an army to Kaldriel with no repercussions. It would also make our efforts to hide their existence more obvious, and I do not need to remind you what would happen if Heaven learned of their existence. The angels have been aching for a fight for nearly a century- we do not need to give them a reason.”
Oh boy.....
So Jack and Exedae confirmed as Geek and Vel'kex's Lab Kids then?
Who's very existance could cause a war between demons and angels that would likely end up taking place on Kalriel?
“We have no monarch,” Ixen snapped. “We cannot succeed this way. Until the crown is found-”
“-no monarch can take the throne, yes, we know,” Vel’kex grumbled. “Damn Curse. I wish we’d thrown him in the depths of the Shattered Zone instead of killing him.”
Huh.....so the Archdemons overthrew the previous king and as the crown has been lost no one can take the throne? Interesting.
Aur’thia glared at Vel’kex before turning back to Geek. “It’s a strong request,” she corrected. “An archdemon searching for something would be too obvious, but you…”
“You’re known for being odd, and your energy signature isn’t particularly noticeable,” Baskon supplied. “It’s only that damn book that gives away your position.”
“No one will suspect me of doing anything official,” Geek assured. “I’m one of the most unofficial demons there is.”
Are they saying in demon terms that Geek is so insignificant that Heaven aren't keeping an eye on her? And the only interesting thing about her is the Nethernomicon?
*hugs Geek* Don't listen to those assholes, I think you're the most important demon ever.
“It would have been better had Vel’kex summoned you in a less… obvious manner.” Ixen shot him a glance.
“Edme isn’t obvious!”
“She’s bright fucking white. She’s obvious.” Baskon’s tail lashed. “Get going, Geek. The sooner we clean up this mess, the less likely we are to have a problem with Heaven.”
Edme is very obvious and very obviously a complete and utter bitch.
no subject
Date: 2016-11-06 04:22 pm (UTC)"well that seems unlikely"
WELL YEAH HE WAS IN A BOOK FOR 20 FUCKING YEARS
Geek is about 548 years old.
MORANAAX IS A FUCKING WOLF MADE OF TREE BARK DO NOT THINK OF IXEN AS MORANAAX HE LOOKS SIMILAR TO TALMARIAN WHO WE WILL MEET LATER
Jack and Exadae are...problematic.
Curse wasn't the true last ruler of Hell- he overthrew the true queen, who Vel'kex mentioned once in RiR- but this will be explained later.
Heaven doesn't bother as Geek isn't official and Archdemon-y.
no subject
Date: 2016-11-06 04:41 pm (UTC)Yeah he was trapped in a book but at least he's still alive. If Geek had set him free from the book after 5 years like she promised, then Vel'kex would have been stuck wandering Kaldriel and would likely have been swarmed by 9000 units and hit with enough anti magic blasts to kill him. And then what state would Hell be in?
*makes note of Geek's age* This could be important later.
FINE
Yes, if Heaven notices them then all Hell will break loose, quite literally.
Ah, now see when Vel'kex said "Damn Curse." I thought he was referring to an actual curse on the crown or the throne, not that it was a demon named Curse XP
So Curse was a usurper and overthrew the true Queen of Hell. My theory about Geek actually being the Princess of Hell still stands in my mind but instead of her father being the last ruler it was her mother.
Geek is officially unofficial.
no subject
Date: 2016-11-09 12:29 am (UTC)You know, just casual murder between friends.
-Observing Anon