[center][b]Collab: Khan and Kudd[/b][/center]

On the outside, Upsah’s and Orleah’s runes had bled out and drenched the vampire’s attempts to stop them. Flesh ripped apart and torn across the inscription on the surface from the strain which then made his body seize up. It jerked upright abruptly as white foam seemed to come from his muzzle, spilt out over his chest and tried to choke him. His body was racked with trembling that seemed to rupture his inner core with violence before it settled.

If one of the vampires had looked, they would notice Rathel’s rune looked different. The cracking had stopped and bleeding seemed to become under control when Tyrael took hold of the demon’s soul. With the weaken state, it wasn’t permanent but control had shifted and resulted in easing the Rune’s stress though a thin link still remained between Rathel’s and Khan’s soul. 
 
Within was another matter. 
 
Khan’s soul stiffened at the words which seemed to echo around him. They vibrated and rocked, piercing deep within him that felt like his soul would tremble into a quivering mass. The voice was familiar. So much that Khan couldn’t shake that sensation of dread he gained from it. [I]Why? [/I] The question seemed unable to be answered until his mind’s eyes opened to reveal the plane he now stood upon. His eyes glimpsed the many strange and odd landscapes about him, each one more violent looking then the last increasing the sensation he tried to push down. It wasn’t until the voice jerked his attention towards the figure before that Khan’s face paled. 
 
[I]No…this can’t be.[/I]
 
Khan’s throat seemed to choke on his words while Kudd himself, or at least an avatar of him, eyes stared for much longer then needed upon the humanoid that stood in front of him. Once he had settled upon a form, he didn’t seem to have chance much since their last encounter and that frighten a small part of Khan. A familiar type of fear trailed back to when he came so close to dying seemed to flood back. His emotion was broken by the offer to sit as his face harden and spoke in surprising firmness. 
 
“What did you do to me? Norshctalen spoke about a ‘gift’ from you…” Khan hadn’t bothered with pleasantries nor would he entertain them. 

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If Kudd had eyes he'd roll them, but since he didn't he just sighed. [b]"Really now... I went through all the trouble just so we could finally have a chat together, and you're already so defensive. All I have done is let your pets a chance to get out of the house for a little bit. It's not going to do them any good keeping them caged up in their Inferno, you know? Everyone wants to be freed from the place, and I don't blame them."[/b] Suddenly another seat appeared for Khan. It looked suspiciously like that couch Tyrael had found a while back, the one that gave a couple of people painful hernias. Kudd motioned towards the seat. [b]"Ah, but did you have a nice chat with her? She told me her story too, you know. Something about her kind back in Djarkel being subjected and what not... Truly a sad story. I've helped them the best I could. What about you? What have you done to releive their burden?"[/b] 

Kudd chuckled as he reached out in front of him. A glass materialized in his hand, and soon began to fill up with a green liquid. He took a sip from it as he continued to talk. [b]"Ah, but nevermind her. I'm sure the Headmaster of the Twilight College surely doesn't have the time to worry about such things. Begs the question what you do spend all your time worrying about though. Public image? Safety? Tell me, how has your life been since we've last met? People are [i]dying[/i] to know."[/b] Kudd said sarcastically as the image of the college staff fighting appeared in the background. Guards, students, and soldiers were fighting valiantly, but only for a short while before they were cut down. Kudd simply drank his mysterious green liquid, and Khan could see the stuff drain to where his mouth would be and down his throat.

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Khan could see the annoyance at his words, or rather heard them, as Kudd simply sighed then began a casual conversation. If it wasn’t for the fact he had faced likely only a fraction of Kudd’s power and barely lived through it, Khan might’ve considered the tone to be more of a dear old friend disappointed by his suspicion. He merely pushed the thought away. His guard unfazed, either in intensifying it or lessening it, while he listened to who he considered the very king of demons himself continue, the Headmaster’s legs slowly devoured the gap in a few strides leaving little between him and the creature before him. It was an uncomfortable notion that for several moments, lingered within his mind. 
 
In his approach, Khan’s eyes studied the humanoid shape in an attempt to determine if he had seen it before. It had a vague familiarity to it as he noted the eerie lacking features that usually made more individuals distinct, the very realization seemed to have sent shivers down his spine and through his wings. He stopped his approach when he heard the mention of his ‘pets’. That had gotten Khan’s attention quickly enough to cause his jawline to tighten at the thoughts of his worse demons, Olreah, Heus, and worse of all Upsah, been set loose upon the College’s grounds and wreck hell. Thought driven into him so much that Khan didn’t even notice the couch Kudd had pulled out of thin air, or its familiarity, when his hand merely rested upon it for balance. His expression had shown disbelief at the carelessness Kudd had displayed when he released Khan’s demons.[i] Did he not care about the destruction they would wreck or did he play ignorant to their nature?[/i] 
 
The question poured over and over in his head, his body made no movement to sit after Kudd’s gesture. It was clear the Esyire didn’t want to merely sit and chat. Even while Kudd subtly mocked him for denying aid to Norshctalen and her Coven, especially after her sorrowful story, with vile mirth before he moved on. With Kudd’s stress upon dying, the background changed. It shimmered and melted into something much worse. Images filled with pain and torment, staff, student and soldier all dying around the college’s various locations being cut down by demons. 
 
A fresh wash of sickness pitted deeply within his chest at the sights. A strong, sour taste built up at the back of his throat with such bitterness he knew it was strengthened by his own hatred. His hand dug into the couch back yet didn’t tear the fabric, merely made a soft sound with his grip for several moments. A silence seemed to tick by. One…two…three then was shattered by Khan’s voice, heavy with emotion, speaking to Kudd. His eyes however were unable to be ripped away from the chaotic scenes marred by bloodshed. “What are you up to Kudd? Why go through all this trouble to contact me, me of all creatures? I don’t believe it’s for a little ‘chat’.” 

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The figure that was meant to represent Kudd leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees and his chin on folded hands. An ethereal smirk appeared on the silhouette's face. [b]"I believe what you meant to ask is 'To what do I owe the pleasure of your audience', but I understand that you have a lot on your mind. Being Headmaster and all. As for me, well, I'm doing just fine I suppose. Countless millennia living in the Inferno has lost much of its... Taste. Ah, but enough about me. As for why I chose you? Well, simply because you are my favorite. Sure, there are others who try to woo me with their offerings and their actions, but very few have left such a great impression as you did. After all, you are the only person who has ever truly ever been able to find me. Everyone else just makes their little altars and do their ritual in places were I can see them, but as I said, thousands of years has gone by and I've grown fairly bored of their shows."[/b] The scene around them shifted to various temples and places of worship dedicated to Kudd. There is an astonishing high amount. Each one showed the worshippers committing great evil, from violent orgies to mass executions. It did get rather repeated though, with just about one in every five temple doing more or less the same thing, with different methods perhaps, but the same nonetheless. [b]"Honestly, how many innocents does this world have that you can kill hundreds to thousands of them every week? It's like if you have boiled goose every day. After a while boiled goose just taste horrible, not because it's done in a particularly bad way, simply because it's been done over and over again."[/b]

Kudd switched sitting positions to something more casual and much more informal. Some grapes suddenly appeared above his head, dropping low so that he could eat them. Magic floating grapes appeared for Khan too, floating just within arm’s reach. [b]"But let's go back to me. What am I planning and what am I doing? Well quite simply I wish to travel the world and see it in all its glory. Of course, even you should know why I can't do that. But in case you don't, let me explain it for you, since you are such a busybody. You and your friends are slaves to the gods, and you don't even realize it. Some of you even enjoy it! So, when it's finally my time of the year that I get to go outside, the gods will cone in and complain that I'm leaving my house and make you mortals stop me. And because I rarely get to go out, there isn't much I can do about it. At least, not usually. But I've figured out a way for me to finally get some fresh, not-hellfire air, and the mortals and their gods won't bother me. Take a guess how I'll accomplish that.."[/b] Kudd speak loud and clearly, even when grapes were being eaten in his mouth.

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Khan didn't move when Kudd's posture changed, looking to the Esyire like some eager to tell a secret to the ignorant. Naturally Kudd went through the pleasantries despite his own boiling anger at the attack upon the College. It irritated him beyond words that only change in his demeanor was his hand's grip. Instead of loosening, it tightened and nails dug deeper into the fabric before he released. His hand retracted back to his side while a few of his questions had been answered. Namely why it him that Kudd had gone through all the trouble to contact and deep disgust swept over his face, his lip curled up in snare at the idea. Even worse was the fact he caused it himself when he worked countless hours to find Kudd, the one demon who was rumored to help his brother. It was another wild goose chase in the end, one discovered when he underestimated Kudd's power. 

Again, the background changed like an image in water, fluid and easily into another set of pictures. This time worship and chaos seemed to sear his eyes of a different nature. Death, violence and rape was all Khan saw as he closed his eyes until the topic changed. Unable to witness such gruesome cruelty for very long, his eyes opened to see the grapes hover nearby but made no effort to take any. He refused to dine with what he viewed as a monster. It seemed the highlight of the conversation had drawn close to ending by the way Kudd's voice spoke, clear and loud, possibly to ensure Khan's eyes were upon him. 

"If I knew, I won't be having this 'chat' with you. As for the Gods... mortals have always played such roles. No one can deny the Gods' will after all..." He spoke. 

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[b]"Oh come on now Khan, at least try..."[/b] Suddenly the scene shifted. Khan and Kudd were back at the college, but at the same time not there physically. They were at the Dinning Hall, where much of the college has already begun their counter attack. Despite the demon's numerical advantage and individual strength, their lack of organization made them fall to the blades and magic of the college. Though Khan and Kudd had their feet firmly on the ground, any attempts to interact with the world resulted in nothing; their hands would phase through furniture and people as though they were ghost, and not even Satori's powerful magic would detect them. At least not unless Kudd wanted it to. 

[b]"Let's change the subject than, to something you might know. Like these demons over there. Foolish creatures, aren't they? Just charging head on into the wall of spears and whatnot. Their determination almost mirrors mortals, but they lack guidance. A true goal. They simply... Exist, without cause or reason. Almost pitiable, if they weren't so vile. Still, I understand them. So to answer your other question as to why I brought your demons out, it's because I think there's a serious rift between demons and demonmancers. For a master of my magic, you hardly understand your demons. You use them as tools, a means to an end. My end. Come on now Khan, we all know that."[/b] Kudd chuckled before he began to walk away towards other parts of the college, expecting Khan to follow. Even if he didn't, the scene shifted so that Khan would see what Kudd was walking through. His voice still range clear as well. [b]"You see, I've gotten to thinking. After you showed up, I wondered how the demons were doing. You know, those wretched sods who did wrong in the world. You'd figure that it'd be an appropriate end for them here in the Inferno, but that's just the problem. It's not an end. It's a beginning. A new opportunity. A chance to make things rights. Problem is, no one ever told them that. You can blame the gods for that one; they want to keep demons in the dark, just to balance out their self-righteous light. This Black-and-White morality sickens me, truly. So I've decided to let some demons out to the mortal world to find their way. But you know, they need help. Guidance. And so far, the mortals have failed to meet my expectations."[/b]
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Khan was silent for a moment, his eyes watched the college raging a war against it self in a way. This wasn't what he wanted. His heart seemed to skip a beat with each creature, human or otherwise, which fell under a fresh blade. Compassion had always been his weakness in the end and it was the reason he had become what he was today. His eyes snapped to Kudd at mention of his lacking knowledge about his demons but held his tongue firmly, his lips pressed tightly at the slight insult. However he couldn't stop the words when it came to mortals failing to meet his expectations. 

"Seems you and the Gods have something in common, namely your views with mortals. Mortals have never meet the expectations of something higher and that is what us different." Khan replied in a cold tone, his hands tightened at his side to see the blood spilt across the floor. When he landed upon Zaad, encased in glass, he could almost feel the demon's inner pain at watching the mayhem erupt around him even through the fire surrounding him. Both of them felt anger and pity wash over their helpless forms. 

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Soon Khan would see what Kudd meant. They were standing right outside his room, where Uicle, Lucilia, Tyrael, and Grey were fighting three of Khan's demons, Heus, Upsah, and Orleah. Granted, the college staff was winning, but it didn't change what Kudd was saying. [b]"Really, the only difference between you mortals and the demons was how you were born. You're all still misguided, violent psychopaths who are only doing what they think is right, regardless of who gets hurt in the end. If only you could... Understand each other a bit better, you know? Maybe, hey, be friends? Take that vampire over there."[/b] With a wave of his hand, Kudd revealed Lucilia's location to Khan. She appeared to be wrapped up in her own thorns, but the look on her face said that she was trying to inflict pain, not suffer from it. 

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Khan took in the new scenery. He could see Upsah had most of his bones crushed beyond use, a surprise the demon hadn't expired as he laid there limp among the amber which drained his magic. For a moment, the demon looked peaceful. If it wasn't for the fact Khan knew enough about Upsah's past, he would've felt pity edge into his heart over the messy sight. However, the demon had decided to gloat about his killings and kill any kindness merely because he hadn't shown an ounce of remorse over it. Until Upsah did, Khan couldn't bring himself to show kindness that wasn't earned. At Kudd's words, Khan's eyes shifted at who was indicated. He narrowed upon Lucilia who clear intended to kill his demons, not that he blamed her, in her war against them. It was clear she hated them with every fiber in her being yet he felt a deep depression because he knew she bore the largest one of all and he had hoped time would've healed it. 

"What about her?" He asked, his voice eerily calm.

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[b]"She's going to kill you, all because of a misunderstanding and a lack of communication. Oh sure, you'd think she'd be fine, so you ignore her plights and turmoil. In turn she believes that no one is on her side, so she must be ready to fight and kill everyone. And as you can see, she's quite capable of doing that. Gone horribly right, yeah?"[/b] The scene switched to a different position in the fight, this time focusing on Uicle. [b]"How about the lich? What makes him any better than these demons? Nothing actually. When he finally stops cheating death, Aarem won't be getting his soul. Indeed, were it not for Aarem's influence, this one would already have turned into a demon for the sins he committed in the past. And like most of your demons, you still don't know anything about him. You just let him live here, under the impression that he's doing fine. You're lucky he's got too much on his plate to grow paranoid, but than again, it's not paranoia if he has something legitimate to worry about."[/b] The scene than switched over to Tyrael, but than quickly changed back towards the DInning Hall. [b]"As for the demon, well, what's to say? He's a demon and an orc at that. Hardly the most upstanding citizen in your college. Even I'm surprised you let him have any sort of authority. But that's what makes you interesting. Besides, there's nothing worth saying about him that I haven't already said about the others. Because all in all, you still don't know them. They're just tools to you like those demons, your pets. You don't let them out of your sight, you hardly even try to chat with them, you just keep them caged, starving, until you find something that you don't like and you let them out and have at it. Truly despicable, and that's coming from me."[/b]

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Khan laughed bitterly at the jabs Kudd made at him, while his eyes fought back his emotions and tried to appear stronger then he was inside. "Do you really understand me? Or merely pretend you do, Kudd?" 

His eyes had shifted from each one of his allies to his own demons, his eyes showed a wide range of pain and anger at the scene he witness. "If you know so much...then why did I choose another way to bind my demons to me instead of staying traditional? Why did I seek a man, dying and in pain, to attempt a ritual which would likely kill me? Can you answer any of those questions at all?" 

By this time, Khan's face was fixed upon Kudd as he standing dangerously close and seemed to emit cold fury in his wait. 

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Kudd was almost surprised that Khan was actually talking to him now. But he guessed he must have pressed the right buttons. [b]"I could say the same of you, Khan. Do you understand me? Do you merely think you do?"[/b] Kudd chuckled again as he took a seat on an intact bench in the hallway. Khan asked him a question on his binding methods, which Kudd did find mite curios. [b]"Oh, my turn at guessing? I'm game. Let's see.... Is it because you're weak? It's nothing to be ashamed about though. Weak people always find a way. Tradition is nice, but sometimes you have to improvise, more so if tradition is going to get you killed. You could have also been desperate. It turned out well for both of us though, right? After all, if I had killed you back than, well, I wouldn't have anyone to talk to right now. And for my final guess...Ah, this is my favorite answer. Power. A means to gain more power without paying a thing. Sure, those runes are doing a number to your body, but your demons don't have a hold over you beyond that. That's why you aren't Fallen, as you mortals call it. Truly a shame, there was so much potential, but I suppose this method as it's own merits as well."[/b] Soon the two had a guest. Not that the guest could see them, nor could they do anything to the guest. It was a student, heavily wounded with a broken blade lodged into his side. He just barely managed to escape an attack it seems, and he didn't have long before he meets the gods.

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"You're wrong..." Khan sighed, though his expression barely softened. "The Runes are an ancient magic based on connecting souls though I know little of its origins. To take on the burden of each one, no matter the sin and bind them as one. It's price is that my soul upon death will never exist. That's why I had to seek key souls for not all demons are the same. You should know this best, don't you?" 

Khan inhaled then continued. "My reasons might've been greedy in the end, yet I did it in a way which benefited the Demons I used. In the end, that is life for mortals and there's no escaping that shame. What right do I have to steal the aspects of individuals, Demons, when they have right deserve to remain as such? That is why I will never become a Fallen. As for why I allow my allies to continue as they are, I have my own reasons which I find pointless to share with someone like you..."

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Kudd listened to Khan talk to him and his ideals. It was nice finally getting a chance to get to know him better, so he remained politely quiet. But there was something that he wanted to point out. [b]"Benefited, he says. Do you truly think you've done such a thing? You've put them in a gilded cage and made their shackles out of gold, but it's a cage and shackles nonetheless. You demons don't benefit in any way, aside from being at your beck and call. A few of them barely have freedom, or what passes for it in your society."[/b] Kudd walked towards the window and watched the carnage below. The battle outside the college was getting fairly one-sided for the demons, which used their air dominance to preform quick and deadly attacks, while dodging the more physical-oriented fighters below. [b]"You know, I never created Demonmancer to be a tool. Well, not just a tool. Do you think the Inferno is a pleasant place to live? Sure, there are some to survive, some who thrive, but that's a small handful out of a hundred billion, at least. I'm one of those few. But the Inferno was never meant to be a kind place. It is were we are left to suffer. It twists us into cruel, evil things, who will than go on to create more of ourselves, to twist mortals into demons, to make them fall into sin. But than I tried to change that."[/b] Suddenly two figures appeared. They looked angelic, but somehow they felt... Evil. They were not Fallen Angels, but neither where they anything mortal. Something about them said they were demons, but that wasn't right either. [b]"Acended Demons. To take the evil of this world and turn it into a force of good. That was my once, original goal. And yet somehow it has... Been lost."[/b]

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Khan had leaned over to the wounded student as Kudd berated his reasoning. The creature or man, Khan wasn't sure which for sure, seemed to look at the glass half empty without knowing the full details. Yes, to most it was a gilded cage but nothing was without its price. Both Rathel and Khan knew the moment they had met, when Rathel didn't kill him and instead aided his understanding about some Demon's need for penance. The flaw with Khan's demons were that they weren't just sin in a need to be cleansed and tossed into the Pit for rebirth. They were souls so tightly wound in their sin that even an Angel's power couldn't separate them, not without killing the very soul it was attached to. That was the heaviest price a Demon could pay for their sins. 

"I won't argue morals or reasoning with you. You've already set you mind upon the facts before knowing them all and in the worse way." Khan answered as his hand passed right through the student. He raised them to his face when the realization came to him that he couldn't affect the physical plane but instead could idly watch it pass by. His spite shown in a simple phrase at his helplessness. "Damn it..."

His head turned to see Kudd now looking through a window, something had drawn his attention and in turn Khan's curiosity grew. He lifted himself back to his feet, unable to help the man in his current state, before he made his way towards Kudd's position. He arrived just in time to watch what seemed to be two Acended Demons within the courtyard's boundaries.

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The Acended Demons flew off into the college, their actions unknown. At least to Khan. Kudd continued walking through the chaos. Soon he chanced upon a large mob of demons gathering ready for another charge into the Dinning Hall, but he walked right through them. [b]"You know that demons can redeem themselves with great effort and become mortals once again. I tried to teach them all that, but the gods stopped me. It was against their wishes, and so they struck me down. And now I am worshipped as a god of evil, my name besmirched and my entire existence condemned as the villain. That... That was so long ago, I cannot even begin to guess. Two thousand years maybe? Or was it a hundred thousand? It was so long ago... And I've struggled since than. I've tried to make my peace. Tried to fight back. Tried to get used to it. But... There is nothing I can do. Nothing, until you came along."[/b] The scene shifted once again, this time to a time that Khan should know well. It was a black void, but soon a light poked through the darkness. [b]"The gods intended for me to be forever lost in my way, consumed by my own desire and blinded from my power. But that day, when you arrived, you reminded me what I was."[/b] Kudd chuckled again as the crack of light grew bigger. [b]"You were right, a little while back. That I was like the gods. Because, once upon a time. I was a god. But I was a god who wanted to try something... Different. And for it, I was punished."[/b] The light broke the darkness, and the scene showed a young Khan. Just as he was starting to get a hang of his magics, and the first time he tried to contact Kudd.

[b]"I remember a time where I was powerless to do anything. In my weakness, I became cruel, just to trick myself into thinking that I was not weak. I traveled the Inferno and forced my will upon all the demons I came across, like a bully in a school yard. It certainly made me feel better. But than when you arrived, requesting my power, it... Surprised me. No one has ever had asked me for power before, not personally. I was used to demons and mortals groveling at my feet, but you... You had a fire in your eyes that said that you wanted to use my power for a greater purpose than your own ego. In a way, I saw a bit of myself in your eyes. I lost my way so long ago, but seeing you reminded me of why I was here in the first place. I wasn't suppose to just be some... Archdemon, who ruled the masses through fear and pain. I was suppose to be their god, a messiah, to lead through the Inferno and to find redemption. And I wanted to, so badly.... But the world has been made against me. Every attempt, every time I try, I get forced back down again. But I cannot stop. Not until this whole world is... Cleansed. Until it can be remade so that I... No, so that all demons can find a chance to end their suffering. To create an understanding. This, of course, involves the mortals to be able to have much the same as well. Wouldn't do me any good if they merely switched places with demons, now would they?"[/b] Kudd laughed heartily as the scene played out, with Khan's ritual, the initial meeting, the aftermath. Kudd just watched after he finished laughing. You could almost see a tear forming on his translucent face.

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Khan's guilt seemed to nag at him; it turned and faced him in a way he didn't want it to. It screamed that this was his entire fault. If he had never came into the Inferno, none of the College's massacre would've happened. No lives lost or cut down in their prime... He did this and now, he had to make it right. His eyes looked at Kudd with ice in his veins, his voice matched and unchanged, with a reply ready. 

"You and I have nothing in common as far as I'm concerned. We're nothing alike and never will be, I'm willing to attempt to make up for my mistakes and accept my place in the world. You realize...bring Demons into the Mortal plane will merely turn it into the Inferno all over again. It's not an escape, just another prison where you're trying to play being a God all over. I won't let you." Khan had barely noticed the vivid green flames which licked up his muzzle with each word he spoke, his eyes lit with a determination and goal in mind. "I'll kill you if I have to..." 

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A sigh escaped Kudd's mouth. [b]"They always chose to fight, don't they..."[/b] Kudd knew Khan's magic was active, but he didn't particularly care. It's not as though the magic would have hurt him. If anything, the fact that Khan was still so resolute to fight him hurt Kudd more than any magic he would have unleashed on him. [b]"You know, I really thought that might be the answer too. But killing me doesn't solve anything. Stopping me doesn't solve anything. If it did, I wouldn't be here. I wouldn't have had my three hundredth thousand or so birthday just a few weeks back. But..."[/b] The fire around Khan died down as Kudd's form began to take a more solid shape. His humanoid outline slowly disappeared and his white suit fell to the ground, before also disappearing. The scene changed to a black abyss, and the floor beneath Khan vanished.

[b]"I'll let you keep trying. I'll let you all keep your Demonmancy, see if you can reach my expectations. Maybe you might even defeat me. Come on, it'll be fun! At least I'm giving you a chance. Because I'm a merciful god."[/b] 

Suddenly, and violently, Khan was forced out of Kudd's domain and back into his own body. The vampires were still hard at work trying to keep him alive and stop the bleeding, constantly circulating the blood back into him so that he didn't bleed to death. Kudd's poison hasn't quite worn off yet, but at least now it wasn't keeping Khan debilitated. The runes on the other hand might make it hard for him to be up and about under his own power. Tucked onto a pocket on Khan's clothing was a vial containing a green liquid. Attached to a string was a small note from Kudd.

[i][b]"We should really be friends."[/b][/i]