Of course, all this and more was reached by the Divine Imperator’s area of awareness. Despite her prone form, nothing escaped her ears and a single eye opened to stare at Pink. That would be the only answer she gave before closing it, an indication that she could do what she liked so long as she didn’t bother her. And if that was too hard for the pink wolf to understand clearly, Chen was always there to ensure she got the message.

It was doubtful she needed to call in Iona for this little disturbance, leaving Pink safe from being kicked out for now. The lack of anything happening to her however, annoyed Ruxen greatly. “What the fuck! They’re not even cooked in all the way you fucking moron!” she said with ears flattened, taking a whiff of the plate offered. She wasn’t too prone to tasting that wine either when it could have been filled with something stupid like friendship juice or one of Pink’s sparkles.

Ruxen’s grumbles and angry stares flicked to Chen now. “I don’t care if the food’s free. Would you take free food if it was shit? Look at it! It’s not even baked in all the fucking way!” She raised a pat to point at each and every one of the morsels Pink had baked, not even taking the effort to insult the brand choice of wine she had picked out. “This one is shit, and this one is shit. This one is shitty shit. This one is fuck shit. This one looks like your face. And this one is…”

—Heaven: Stargazer's Observatory—

Saef's knocking were answered almost immediately. It was pretty much as if someone was standing by the door, waiting for any guests to come by, be it by fate or coincidence. This certain someone was a white-feathered harpy, wearing a maid outfit. The aura emanated by the being, made it clear that she was one of many Celestial Spirits, aligned with the stars and constellations of the endless night sky, one of the many creatures that serve Ciel, thanks to her unique position.

"Welcome sir. What may I help you with?" She asked as soon as the door swung open, with a light gust of wind, no doubt of magic nature.


If Saef was surprised at the speed of the welcome he didn't show it. Not in any major way at least. The comparatively young man put on his best smile, the one he used to use to convince grant givers back home, and spoke.

"I was wondering if the Stargazer would allow me an audience. There many stories about her but few hard truths. I may be young among the ranksnof the divine but even I know that the best place for knowledge is the source.”

"Lady Ciel will be glad to have your company," the Harpy replied, smiling as she beckoned Saef inside. She took a moment to look at the other individual following closely behind the young man, before addressing him again, "Excuse me for asking, sir, but is she with you? Lady Ciel's instructions were a little vague about the number of guests we would have tonight. I may need to get more refreshments ready if you have company."

With a confused tilt of his head Saef turned to look behind him, and then up. His brow furrowed as he caught sight of the goddess watching them.

“No...I didn’t even know she was there.”

Amaterasu’s presence was worrying for a variety of reasons. Did the higher ups not want him to meet with Ciel? No, if that was the case he would have been stopped before reaching the observatory. So why was she here? And the fact that he hadn’t noticed her irked him. The safety of Heaven was making him soft, he had started to rely on his technology too much and had let his personal awareness slip.

He turned back and stepped through the welcoming doorway. Giving the maid a smile and a nod as he did so.

“Thank you. It appears the Stargazer is more knowledgeable than I had expected.”

"Very well then, please, follow me, sir," the maid said. She left the door open, as an obvious invitation, in case Amaterasu decided to come inside as well. Finding her way to the library were the Harpy was guiding Saef to wouldn't be an issue. 'All roads lead to Celestia' was a saying even more true when someone like Ciel could freely manipulate causality to make 'coincidences' happen more or less at-will.

"Lady Ciel is waiting for you in the library. Excuse me while I bring up the refreshments," the Harpy bowed graciously after she guided Saef to the entrance of the observatory's library, before leaving towards the kitchen.

Ciel waited inside the spacious chamber, whose walls were lined with all sorts of books, scrolls and mystical looking artifacts all the way to the ceiling —almost three stories above their heads. The center of the library was arranged in a way that made it clear that Ciel used it as living room. A luxurious circular couch occupied the edges of a small depression in the floor, around a glass table decorated with a simple vase holding some of the same flowers that lined the fields outside. Above them, ceiling made entirely out of wrought crystal allowed for a clear view of the sky.

"Welcome, please make yourself at home," Ciel said beckoning Saef to take a seat.

"What may I help you?" She asked with a smile in her face.


Amaterasu took the chance, seeing as she had nothing better to do with her time. The goddess followed a fair distance behind the Harpy and Saef, seeing as she wasn't willing to really start any conversation. She didn't have anything to talk about, so there was no point in even attempting any conversation.

The goddess sat down on the ground next to Saef in Ciel's library, maintaining her silence. This meeting was Saef's, after all, and it was already rude enough for Amaterasu to intrude on the meeting.

The inside of the observatory was large, too large. To say that the dimensions were off would be an understatement of space warping proportions. He could have sworn that the building he entered wasn’t more than two stories tall. The library the maid led him to was a full three.

It really shouldn’t have surprised him as much as it did. At least his host seemed nice enough.

Saef too a seat on the large couch, not right next to Ciel but not on the opposite side of the table either. Call him paranoid but he figured the closer he was to Ciel the less likely Amaterasu was to try anything.

“Since I’m new to Heaven my knowledge of who is who is a rather lacking. I’m doing my best to rectify that when not busy on the battlefield. And it appears that you have a significant fan base. Lots of people know of you and quite like you. But nobody seems to know much about you. At least nobody who will tell me. I couldn’t even find out what you do.”

The Thaumaturge leaned forward with a respectful but eager look on his face.

“So if you don’t mind me asking, what is it that you do for Heaven?”

Amaterasu's reaction earned a chuckle, followed by a warm smile, from Ciel. The Stargazer was used to this kind of reaction coming from older, less trusting beings, but a young goddess such as the Solar deity before her being this wary of Ciel was rare. Obviously, the Stargazer was aware that the cause of it came from a cosmic misunderstanding—which Ciel might try to help solve, if that's the stars decree. Yet it was ironic that a Celestial Spirit, of all beings, was this apprehensive when in the Stargazer's presence.

"Lord Saef Harken, right? Iona talked about your arrival in the Nexus," Ciel asked, after Saef finished his questions. She tried not to sound like she knew too much about him, out of education, while confirming that she indeed was aware. An encounter of this magnitude wouldn't pass unnoticed by the one that knew all paths of fate, after all.

Before Ciel answered the second question, the Harpy from before came into the library, carrying a silver tray, holding a tea set made out of the same crystal and silver that decorated the skylight. She filled the cups with a fragrant tea whose smell was slightly reminiscent of that of the flowers that dotted the fields around Ciel's observatory and served them along with checkerboard cookies covered with sparkling vanilla powder.

"Thank you, Aquila. Please, take some of these to Leyona as well. It's not fair of us to be the only ones enjoying your cooking," Ciel said, dismissing the girl, who bowed graciously once again before leaving the library.

"I'm sorry for the interruption," Ciel said, beckoning them to the tea, before taking a small sip of hers. "To answer your question in the simplest way possible, Lord Saef. What I do for the Heaven as you know it can be summed with one word: Nothing," she chuckled slightly, before adding, "Well, it is slightly more complex, but I don't know how much you would be able to comprehend without seeing your reaction to what I just said."

Iona had talked to Ciel about him? Doing so now might make some sense, what with his recent successes in battle. But to have two such important people discussing him back when he first joined was odd to say the least. At least odd enough to try and find out the specifics of their discussion at some point.

As the Stargazer continued speaking Saef accepted a cup from the white harpy with a polite nod. A wisp of steam rose from the liquid in the elegant cup, carrying with it scent that harkened back to his walk through the field outside the observatory. It appeared that his host had a fondness for that particular flower.

He took a sip as the youthful looking woman before him continued. His mind racing at her words. ‘The Heaven as he knew it.’ That would imply that there was a Heaven that he didn’t know. In fact hadn’t he just come across something like that in the last battle...

“How,” He cleared his throat as he set his teacup back to its saucer. “How many Heavens have there been?”

Amaterasu remained silent, but something resonated in her. The thought of another Heaven was intriguing, if anything. It was becoming easier every day to understand what emotions were, but this was something she still couldn't fathom. Was there truly another world that existed for Amaterasu to protect in some other dimension? She didn't know, nor did she care to know, really. Did she? It was all a blur at this point.

A low and emotionless noise came forth when Amaterasu felt the presence of the harpy return into the room before escaping. Why did that happen exactly? Perhaps it was her instincts. She was a fair amount canine compared to the other residents of Heaven, save that magenta-furred humanoid and the submissive disgrace. Maybe she was bred to act like one of those dogs they held in hospitals, calm in every situation. Bah, whatever. She would figure it out in time.

Ciel stared blankly at Saef and Amaterasu's reaction. It was only after the angelic man asked her how many Heavens there were, that she noticed what was the source of it and... broke out into a fit of light-hearted laughter. "Oh, hah, hahaha... I—I'm sorry. I kinda screwed up there, did I not?" She said, resting her cup on her lap and taking a small breath to regain her composure.

"While it's not untrue that there have been other... iterations of the Heavens, as you saw when we met for the last time under Lenuria's waters. However, that wasn't what I mean by 'the Heavens as you know it.'" Ciel brought a finger to her chin and stared at the polished, black marble floor for a moment, considering her options, before she continued, "Well, I guess that telling you a little more isn't going to hurt."

"The reason why I replied like that is that I'm not bound to what you understand as Heaven, or even the Nexus itself. Well, not 'this' me, at least," Ciel made a brief pause to see if Saef and Amaterasu were following her train of thought up to now, before continuing. "This may take a while to explain, if you want a proper explanation, that is. What do you prefer: to hear about me, or about the Nexus itself? Well, at least about as much as I'm allowed to talk about it..."

They had met before? Saef certainly didn’t remember meeting Ciel in the now restored underwater city of Lenuria. Although the mermaid ruler of the city did perhaps bear a certain similarity to the Stargazer.

And as far as the Thaumaturge knew you couldn’t leave the Nexus once you were pulled in. It was the nature of the eternally war torn universe. If she wasn’t bound to this place like the rest of them well, that meant a lot of things. Both about her and the Nexus. The questions he wanted to ask her bounced around in his head like ping pong balls inside a box. He wasn’t sure which one he wanted to go with first.

“Honestly, both. But if I must pick I would like to know what you can tell me of the Nexus. My knowledge of it is as limited as my knowledge of its inhabitants.”

Amaterasu spoke for the first time in this entire ordeal, her cold voice simply uttering her answer to the question. "Harken has the correct mentality in this situation." She believed that, anyhow. Asking a question about Ciel seemed unneccessary for the time being. It was like asking Amaterasu how she felt about anything.

There was only one true question the goddess had to ask the Stargazer, but that would come in time. Her own thought settled down in her mind as Amaterasu shifted into a more comfortable position for her to be on the floor in, which just so happened to be on her front looking forward towards the two other people in the room. Instinctively, her tail began to wag to and fro, though there was no emotion associated with it. Perhaps it was just out of a newly achieved sense of comfort.

"It's not that you 'must' but rather that I cannot speak about two different subjects at once, can I?" Ciel had a loving, yet slightly patronizing smile on her lips—not unlike that of a mother or older sibling talking to an eager child— as she answered Saef and Amaterasu. While it wasn't untrue that Ciel could talk about both literally at once, what purpose would it serve?

"Anyway, I'll assume that you are familiar with the publicly available history of the Nexus. Please, correct me if I'm wrong," Ciel said as a way of introduction before making a brief pause.

"Among the information that I can talk about—for a number of reasons of various degrees of importance— the one that I think that you are most aware at the moment is that this is not the first... shall we say version?, of the Nexus. What you were fighting for in Lenuria was one of the previous capital cities of Heaven, from the times of the former Triumvirate," Ciel said as she summoned a starlight globe to project images of the battle of Lenuria, or so it would seem at first, until the obvious discrepancies like it not being fought by the same combatants, one of which being the very same Mermaid Saef talked to before, and that the giant whale-like creature seemed to have an actual physical form as it rampaged through the city spreading death and destruction unimpeded. The soundless projection ended as soon as the creature's massive form charged into the Mermaid's squad, her fate left untold.

"I assure you that both Hell and the Humans shared a similar fate. It happens every time when the forces that are behind the demi-world known as the Nexus, issue a test and its inhabitants fail to succeed. On the other hand," Ciel changed her projection to what looked like the even more distant past, or distant future, showing what might as well be considered a travesty, or blasphemy, by modern Nexus' standards: The three factions coexisting in peace, along with a number of beings who seemed to be members of the higher Cosmos' Hierarchy—of which at least Iona would be recognizable for Saef and Amaterasu— looking over them, "if the tides of fate shift ever so slightly, this world would be achievable as well. After all... even if Their methods are not the most appropriate, They will indeed offer compensation to those who are 'worthy of it' in Their eyes."

The more human of Ciel’s guests sat silent for several moments as he absorbed the information. The Nexus was even more different from an ordinary universe than he had though. He was even starting to suspect that it wasn’t a natural universe at all. Rather it was more akin to some sort of cosmic Petri dish, created by the Powers of the multiverse in order to some desired result. And had apparently failed and wiped clean an unknown amount of times. It made one wonder just what they were after.

The second scene also gave him pause. Demons had all but destroyed his world, the remaining habitable areas wouldn’t remain so for much longer after the massive ecological damage done. There had even been talk of creating a massive mobile space station to hold the survivors. Regardless, Saef hated the denizens of Hell. Hated them with a passion that had once threatened to consume him. The idea of peace with them caused him to clinch his jaw as the embers of his rage smoldered in his eyes.

And yet even as the emotions rolled through him he could see what lay ahead. Eons of constant and unending combat. None of the three sides of the Triumvirate would ever truly win. Not while the resurrection system was active. And he had the distinct feeling that They wouldn’t allow the creation or usage of loopholes in that system. No, they wanted the fighting to continue like this until somebody passed their test.

Saef’s jaw unclenched and he slowly blinked. When his eyes opened again the lights were gone, the rage now a dim thing exiled to the back of his mind.

“Something tells me you know the kind of shift needed to bring about such a future. If you are willing I would like to hear it.”

Amaterasu silently listened to the explanation, understanding most of what occurred in the past Nexii. Amaterasu felt like she should've felt some kind of emotion here, but she simply couldn't. Rage? Empathy? Susanoo would be drunk off her kiester and Tsukuyomi would just be looking for others to understand how to feel. Amaterasu just... didn't know. She didn't know what to feel.

So, she didn't. She remained with a stoic expression on her face as she watched the light show continue. Though, one part did pique her mind. A compensation would be awarded by the Gods of Gods? It only piqued her interest because of one thing and one thing alone. The goal of a real heart.

But first, Amaterasu would wait. This was Harken's business.

"They don't call me a Fulcrum of Fate for nothing, you know?" Ciel replied to Saef's question with another one of herself, before letting out another light-hearted chuckle. "I'm sorry for that, I know that I should not steal others' time—especially in an hour of need such as this one— but I'm having quite a bit of fun breaking my routine. Let me answer your question straight and perhaps address a few other of the other concerns I can see on each of you right now."

"First of all, I do know what paths of fate could lead to that outcome—I know about all of them, after all— but neither can I exert much of will to steer fate towards any given path, nor do I see it in you the will to try and follow a path that would end in peacemaking with the Demons. If you still wish to know, I can guide you but is that really the choice you want to make, Lord Saef Harken? Also, what is your opinion Lady Amaterasu? Even though your heart is locked, you should be able to make choices and express your desires," Ciel asked with a more serious tone now, staring Saef and Amaterasu with an intense gaze, before returning to her default expression.

The Stargazer scooped a cookie and nibbled at it slowly as she waited for their reply.

“Spoiling are we Stargazer. I never expected someone of your stature to so loose-lipped.”

The fun and games were over; whatever calm Ciel felt would dissipate to a voice she knew very well. Made manifest in a flicker of reality, the space beside her temporarily undoing herself, came the mismatched girl. Her expression curled into a sneering frown, Harley not even giving Ciel so much as a glance; her interests lay more in the two who wanted to learn more about the Nexus. Only when she had studied both did she bother to regard the Stargazer.

“Careful now pet. You might choke on your cookie if you talk too much,” Harley mused, leaning on the sofa’s edge. “We wouldn’t want to have these fine warriors of the Nexus get the wrong idea now do we. No, not at all,” the Vassal said, placing an unwavering stare onto Saef. Immediately however, she flicked back to the goddess and smirked.

“Well, well, look at her Ciel. She’s just like that undead brat of yours.”


"I hold no stong beliefs in either way," Amaterasu stated bluntly. "As sad as I should be to admit, I'm a bit foreign and ignorant on the concept of 'desires'. I hold one true desire, and that is to retrieve my heart from the Machina that stole it."

The group was interrupted by the sudden arrival of Harley. Amaterasu had been informed of rumors of such a being, but never actually expected to meet the being under these conditions. Similarly, she didn't expect for her ear to flick towards Harley in a disapproving manner. Protective instinct, possibly. The Stargazer was a figure of high authority, and it made sense for Amaterasu to leap to her aid.

"What do you mean by 'undead', Miss?" Last time Amaterasu checked, which was about fifteen seconds ago, she was breathing and alive. What is the meaning for this attempted insult?

Something happened and a black and white woman was suddenly among them. His knee jerk reaction was to go for his tome, this person was most certainly not friendly. He stopped himself however. The monochrome woman before him radiated zero power. That just didn’t happen. Ever. Everyone and everything possessed some level of magic no matter how small.

Besides this had all the hallmarks of a warning. The kind he had been expecting from the goddess on the floor nearby. Apparently they were dancing around some highly classified information here. The type that They didn’t want their little test subjects knowing.

So he didn’t jump halfway across the room to gain space. He didn’t summon his most powerful barrier. And his tome remained tucked away in its pocket dimension. His momentarily widened eyes narrowed once more while his posture remained rather tense. He didn’t care if the monochrome woman knew how much she freaked him out. It would probably help his chances of survival. When an apex predator showed up it was best to let it know you knew what the pecking order was.

“If I might chance a question,” He asked of the newcomer. “What should we not get the wrong idea about? I would hate to have my spine removed because of a lack of clear information.”

—Heaven: Palace of Celestia—

"Sometimes, even I'm impressed by myself, hehe! This is really gonna be great," Diana said to no one other than herself—while flashing a huge grin— as she made her way back from the store she went to visit earlier, lugging a couple of bags that were full with a wide assortment of cooking supplies. "I wonder what I should do for Bastion? Last time we fought I remember that she had a bit of blueberry smell coming from her— perhaps I should do a jam filled one for her? And for Suparna, I guess that fermented golden apples will do fine. But... what if I screw up and make them alcoholic? Nah, like that gonna hap—"

Diana's outwardly thinking was interrupted when her ears caught an unfamiliar noise. "Someone's playing something? How long has it been since the last time?" Diana asked herself as her feet carried her towards the source of the sound. A quick visual scan would lead to Diana spotting someone she wasn't acquainted with playing the violin in a balcony overlooking this wing of Celestia. While Diana didn't think that it would be polite to interrupt said person's solitary sonata but she didn't have any pressing matters—the chocolate won't run away on its own... right?— so she found a place to sit nearby and took a moment of her time to listen to the song while chowing down one of the golden apples that she bought earlier.

Shade sat in silence, gently bobbing its head while listening to its partner's music and calmly munching a cookie. Despite being a fragment of a force that existed before Creation itself, it did not have grand ambitions like its counterparts such as a desire to maintain an abstract ideal like "Balance" and much rather enjoyed peaceful moments like this. This was likely the reason it and Sheena went together so well as they were both content to do their own thing when not out taking care of a mission.

Sheena had never been the most talented at playing music back when she was human, but did well enough to had been offered the chance to play in his/her high school musical....which was yet another event her deadbeat father had never showed up to, which was fine with her as she figured he had stopped caring about her a long time ago. Shade seemed to appreciate the music though, so that was an upside. As she took a break, she heard someone munching an apple and turned to face the lady who had been watching, "Oh, hello there. My apologies, I didn't realize I had an audience."

---

—Hell: Castle of Pandemonium—

Tholman was pulled from his thoughts as the being who was previously harrasing the bee turned his attention to him. Before The Herald could get any words out his ears were berated with the sound of shrieking bats, followed by a more recognizable voice berating the incessantly cackling entity above. Well, he didn't remain above for long, instead appearing next to.. Victoire Bordeaux. Tholman pointedly made sure to move out of the way of all of these increadibly powerful individuals. Not to say he himself was not strong, simply that he was not made for the task of...what was it? Front-line fighting? Hell he hardly belonged on the battlefield.

While Tholman knew little of the world with his hermitage, he had heard of the exploits of Ghelgath. Tholman was fascinated with the process that made him, well, who he was.
"The Wicked Lich King himself... How incredibly interesting. Tell me, are you actually Undead? You certainly don't seem like it. Or... do you know?"

"A cur in heat trying to impersonate a lovey-dovey maiden... This stench make-believe love is enough to make me retch." Victoire indeed had to make an actual effort, covering her mouth, to not paint the hall crimson with her latest meal once Apia skipped past her and latched onto Gelgath like a flying lamprey. No one in this corridor had even an inkling of class to them, however, a demon—no, a dirty-blood who must have sold herself in exchange for power that she was never meant to yeild— acting like a lovestruck schoolgirl was the height of travesty.

At least with Apia out of the way, Victoire had proper passage to follow her way— or so she thought, until some random buffoon that Victoire had never seen before decided to violate her personal space. A grin appeared on Victoire's face as an idea flashed through her mind. "Maybe I can make better use of the resources at hand while having some entertainment," she thought, inconspicuously using her blood magic to slowly raise Apia's libido, quite literally making the newborn vampire's blood boil down with her own heat.

A moment later, Victoire turned to face the clown, with an inscrutably neutral smile on her lips. "What is it that I can do for you? If you do not want anything, I would appreciate if you could stop staring at me like a deranged hyena," she asked while keeping her actual attention focused on Apia's reaction.

Apia's face turned red at the mention of her deeds. Thomas was quite the despicable fellow indeed. One fellow with quite the punchable face, at that. Apia opened her mouth to respond to Thomas with a witty remark, but then the world got... cloudy.

Apia felt her body constrict as she stared around an ever-enclosing void of feeling. The air was hot and her face grew even redder. It was as if she was being suffocated by her own feelings. It hurt her, but even then... the world was not all blurry.

The pristine blue hair of Him stuck out to her. Not only that, but nearly every feature of His facade and body stuck out like a sore thumb. It was entirely captivating. Comforting. Enticing. The world began to clarify, but the colors were all gone. What remained were shades of gray and hues of blue. Apia felt her body rise into the air, her legs crossing as she sat within the air beside Him.

Everyone else could die. He was the one that mattered. Nobody else did.

"Go choke on your own insanity," Apia shouted at Thomas. Fuck him. He could die and nobody would care. Hell, everyone would likely be better off without him. Especially Him.

Thomas' intial remark regarding the relationship with Rufus didn't deter Ghelgath' cold stature. That whole ordeal has since frozen over after being placed inside a burning furnace simply by trying to assert for him (see previous thread). Of course, he should've known better than to help King Rufus. He may have technically saved him from his deep slumber in ice, but it wasn't personal in many, many stretches. Now as for the 'girlfriend', who just landed beside him as she admires his dedication in wearing the scarf she made for him, there wasn't much he can say regarding that subject. Yes Apia was someone he'd saved several times in the past, although his usual demeanor seems to contradict with this. Perhaps a bit of unusual warmth managed to hit a soft spot within him, prompting him to do these nice things for her, which is usually a rarity outside say his second in command. He doesn't really understand this either. Does he consider the bee queen a date though? Not quite... yet. For now, he considers her as a close ally. After all, he simply wore the scarf she made just because it looked cool and that it fits his attire.

Meanwhile, some plague doctor is curious about Ghelgath's biological structure. Tholman was it? He only heard the name flutter around here and there so it managed to stick.

"Nah." he simply scoffs as the Lich looks at his own chalky-pale hand, "I'm more flesh than bone. I just command the undead to my every will."

He looks to see Thomas giggling his head off as he lands right next to Victorie who seemed to hide in the shadows. If Thomas wanted to piss Ghelgath off right this minute simply by showing him this chick, then he's shit out of luck. While the Vampiric girl was indeed someone you don't want to mess around with, and the Lich knows this, Ghelgath had very little interaction with her. All he knows is that outside of battle, the girl simply shows a bratty like attitude. An attitude he utterly despises. He can just shove her remarks off relatively well, even that particular one she just said. However, Apia seemed to take these insults a little too personally, especially the one from Thomas.

"Oi, enough." Ghelgath calls out assertively as he gestures her to halt. He then looks at Thomas who was just sitting in mid-air while relaxing to his little jokes. "So?" he asks again in a calm, yet rather hostile tone, "What's the point here? I swear you must've hit your head on something when you were little, cause you're making ABSOLUTELY no fuckin' sense here."(edited)

Thomas's smile quickly shrunk as he backed off of Victoire, moving back to the throne room door. Even he wasn't crazy enough to fuck with a Primordial. A moment passed and he quickly shrugged it off, looking back to Apia and Ghelgath. Neither of them seemed particularly afraid, which was really a damn shame. On second thought, Apia looked a little hot under the collar, but that wasn't fear- ah. Thomas began giggling once again as he looked over at Victoire. "My my, I didn't think she had it in her." He said to himself out loud as Apia began shouting and clinging to Ghelgath. He cooly ignored her and looked back to the icy lich. "I have hit my head when I was little actually. It's a minor neccessity when you headbutt a soldier to death at the fragile age of 7. Regardless, I just came here to tell you what I just told you. Enjoy yourself."

Thomas turned towards the throne room doors and opened them with one push, the doors swinging open with a mighty creak. He walked inside the room, his giggling trailing away from the group as he walked towards the leaders of Hell. RILD, the four baddest Demons of them all. Rufus, one of the first leaders of Hell and a master of all things portals. Ira, a swordswoman with a chip on her shoulder. Lucille, one of Hell's more recent rulers and a stone cold bitch if he was being entirely honest. And last but not least Dana, one of the last remaining Primordial Vampires and Rufus's wife. Thomas liked Rufus and Dana, they were fun.

"King Rufus! I delivered your message as you requested! Better news, they're here right now to recive your judgement!" Thomas turned back to Ghelgath and Apia with a pleased look on his face, standing in front of Hell's leaders without a care in the world. They had recently taken to sending him out to do things they couldn't be bothered to do, some would say he was a glorified errand boy. But Thomas preferred the term enforcer.

Rufus favored the approaching clown with marginally less disdain then the usual sycophant bartering for RILD’s favor. By all accounts he would have been amused to follow in the vain of long departed Hell Monarch’s like Void Dark and having a running line of spokesman to murder on a daily basis, but with the long standing nature of the Nexus it would only get worn out fast. So he refrained from the whimsical impulse to laughter into choked cries for mercy and rose off his couch after Thomas said his piece.

“Well it’s pleasant to see I can rely upon competence at home. Pat yourself on the back, would you?” He patted the clown’s shoulder in passing and strode through the ajar doors to find a motley assortment of blood suckers, popsicles, and a doctor he wouldn’t want to see practicing medicine anytime soon. “Is there a reason you lot are cowering out here? At least step inside so we can glare at you for entertainment. Oh and Victoire, how are your dogs doing? They must be getting lax if you aren’t walking with a limp.”

A dangerous leer formed upon the Eldritch Horror who formed a portal beneath the group’s feet and swallowed them all whole through the ground. In that same instant it another opened over his and Dana’s couch, depositing them in an ungraceful tangle of armor and clothing atop Dana while Rufus stood inverted upon the air, unphazed by gravity as even his hair remained in place. “Come on gang, Let’s have a group pow-wow and talk about this blood bath someone left in my meat storage.”

Apia was surprised by the sudden hole under everyone, but it took a second to actually be pulled down into the portal. Of course she did fall straight through after a second, and immediately as she looked down towards the garment pile she noticed His falling speed. Was this a chance for her? She had to take it.

As soon as He would hit the pile, Apia flew towards his body and fell onto it in such a way that her head was resting perfectly fine on His lap. It was surprisingly soft, and it was also that perfect temperature for sleeping. A nice cool feel. Comforting. Encapsulating. Just like Him.

Was it getting a bit warmer...?

"Boring." That was the only word to escape Victoire's lips in response to the grinning buffoon's act. If he thought that he could probe her for an easy reaction like he did with the others, he should reconsider his harassment tactics.

The bloody cur's reaction, on the other hand, was enough to make Victoire grin inwardly. Not only her obvious distress but the obliviousness of her unknowing 'paramour'. Beings of this lowly caliber could barely call themselves demons in Victoire's opinion. A Demon takes that which is beautiful and leaves nothing behind for others to claim. Love and affection are prerogatives of the strong and yokes of the weak. That's the only truth that there's to know.

Regardless of the entertainment she derived from observing maggots squirming under her claws, Victoire had a mission—no, missions— to accomplish; she turned around and began to make her way to the Throne Room only to be interrupted by no one other than the Great Slacker himself. Naturally, Rufus was as derisive as ever which—as ever— ended up with he abusing his subjects in some sick new way.

"Kin—" Victoire didn't even have the time to properly curtsey before being forcefully teleported away in a messy heap along with the remainder of Hell's rabble. Victorie's reflexes kicked in as soon as she was dropped on the other side of the portal causing Victoire to shapeshift into her shadow bat swarm form and fly away from Dana, landing a few feet away from the throne in the position she usually takes when attending the Hell's Court summons before changing back in her normal self, already in a graceful knelt stance.

"'Tis an honor to be in your presence again, My Lieges. I come to bring news of my findings that may give an edge to Hell in the upcoming future."

Ghelgath quickly realizes that Thomas wasn't annoying them just for the sake of annoying him. He's in fact trying to fetch him, and perhaps Apia by the looks of it. The Lich scowls at the giggling lunatic as he looks up at the four leaders that only recently united to become a Council for Hell. He almost forgot that the group were hanging out right outside RILD's throne room. In fact, he has no idea why he's being summoned to face the Council, other than the fact that whatever was going to conspire wasn't going to be good.

"Ok..." he growls as he tries to keep cool, "What the flying fuck do you guys think I~"

But before he finishes, he finds himself falling down a portal that opened directly underneath him. Ghelgath prepared to be douched in boiling hot lava, but much to his surprise he lands on a couch... or more precisely on Dana who was sitting on said couch. With nothing to push him out of the way, it seems he was going to anger Rufus' wife. And that was going to be nothing less of fun. However, before that can be done, he suddenly gets hit by Apia who saved him from falling on the blonde. As soon as they hit the floor, Ghelgath looks to see the bee's head rested on his lap. Awkwardly the Lich attempts to lightly move her body away from his while getting off the floor, before Rufus and the others descend with the others to talk about this 'Blood Bath'. He can see Victoire kneeling towards them as if she's waiting for some reward and can't help but to issue another dirty look at her before looking back directly at Rufus.

"What bloodbath?" he asks bluntly as he brushes any dust on his clothes, "I don't recall doing any of that shit, nor am I interested in it. And why must we be here out of all places?"

The great government that ruled over Hell was not amused even in their happier days. Indeed, those who visited their chambers were usually there to grovel or beg for their lives or, by some foolery, proclaim to think they could claim leadership themselves. Whatever the case, Team RILD were not kind to their visitors as they were usually witness to idiocy and failure. Such was the case even now, Rufus opening the gates of Hell wide open for the gathered group to stand before them.

Well, stand wasn’t exactly the term to be used, all of them being portaled by Rufus to specifically land on his wife’s lap. Dana exchanged a glare with tongue spat out, sound effect included, before preparing to be bombarded with the pile of demons. It never came, not when each of them apparently had their own ways of avoiding the elder vampire. The other two members of their rulership looked on with equal glances of boredom and annoyance.

Ira, the Arch Demon and Goddess of War, sat with one leg crossed over the other. In her hands lay the crimson blade of her weapon, the woman running her hand over its surface. With each pass, chaotic sparks flew as she sharpened it to a warrior’s point, not taking a single cut from her practice. She ignored the ensemble of buffoonery gathered before them, eyes narrowed behind that helmet of hers.

“Oh?” Lucille the Black Goat raised an eye to Victoire’s attempt at groveling, resting her cheek into the knuckles of her fist. “To what ends do you claim to have found new findings, vampire. And what use do you assume it will have towards our goals as Hell,” she said, leaving the others for Rufus and Dana to be dealing with.

“Whoah, whoah! Hey, hey, isn’t that your bee lady friend, Ira?” Dana said with a wave of her arms. “Look, look, she’s like, totes snogging that walking ice cube. Like, OMG, she’s not letting him go! You totally have a rival to fight over with now, oh ho!” she continued, ducking down to avoid a glob of black flames Ira tossed her way.

---

—The Unknown Regions: Castle Abstract—

Hohenheim raised a curious eyebrow at Titanica's sudden bout of silence. It was rare to see the rambunctious lizard as silent as she was right now. Maybe she learned to read the atmosphere, maybe she was stunned by Hohenheim's natural beauty. Whatever was the answer, it looked like Titanica wouldn't be bothering Hohenheim as she worked on the term of the contract. Which was more than the Alchemist could ask for, probably.

"Here it's. All that you need is sign it and then we can get to business," Hohenheim said as she turned around to address Titanica while waving the roc's feather quill, like an owner trying to entice her pet cat.

The terms of the contract were simple and clean: In exchange for Hohenheim's assistance in her all-too-nebulous goal, Titanica was bound to not betray, harm, or lie to the Alchemist, in any way, shape, or form, until her goal had been achieved or Hohenheim had provided as much assistance as she was capable of. Furthermore, Hohenheim's cooperation wouldn't extend to any combat, unless the Alchemist wished to, nor could she be held liable for the consequences of Titanica's choices. Lastly, Hohenheim's assistance couldn't be used to betray the Court, Masters or the goal, unless it fostered the goals of Hohenheim's Mistress. The same terms applied to Hohenheim as well, in exchange for a future favor of undisclosed nature that Titanica was bound to answer to unless it violated the other terms of the contract. Lastly, failure to uphold the terms of the contract—by any of the involved parties— would result in immediate termination of it as well as the offending party being bound to become the other's 'Servant'—read: slave— for the next year, counting from the day of Court's founding.

A contract between fellow Vassals, infused with both their powers, under the almighty authority of the Court. If Titanica really wished for Hohenheim's cooperation, she knew what she should do. Otherwise, she could simply walk away and continue to mind her own business.

She inspects the contract carefully, making sure to catch every part of said contract to make sure she knows what she's dealing with. In short, she reads it as this: 'As long as she doesn't abuse Hoho's cooperations, and as long as Titanica doesn't defy the Alchemist's calling if need be, there'll be no trouble in between them'. This is also the same regarding Hoho's call to Titanica. Admittedly it still disgusts the saurian Vassal that she has to work underneath this child of an alchemist, but if she wants to find what she seeks, then she'll need to force herself to cooperate with her.

With no other choice, the saurian vassal reluctantly signs the contract herself. After all, she chose to waste her time getting these stupid materials. She might as well finish the job. After signing, Titanica gives it to Hoho slowly while exhaling bluntly.

"Here it is..." she states as she crosses her arms, "Now then, can we finally get on with it?"

---

It always has been clear to Victoire that the rulership of Hell confused education and manners with groveling and begging. She didn't need to be a genius to see that, nor did she need to address it in any way. It wasn't hard to see who was the superior specimen between her and the other 'subjects' that dotted the Throne Room, after all.

"I bring news of a way for Hell to settle the score not only with those conceited lapdogs of Celestia but also with betrayers like Avaritia," Victoire answered Lucille's question before going silent, waiting for Gelgath to finish his childish ramblings. "During one of my excursions, I have found a secret location within one of the sites that are more likely to hold a major skirmish in the near future. I believe that, with proper preparation, Hell could harness its power to Their great advantage. The location in question is named Bloodstone Cave, according to some old manuscripts, laying deep within the Crystal Forest. The Angels may have a special interest in that location thanks to their alignment, nevertheless, I believe 'tis the Machina who would benefit the most from the focusing powers of the forest's unique crystals which is why hell can use them to craft an even more insidious ploy to achieve much greater heights in the future."

Victoire made a short pause to allow time for the information to sink. A vicious grin appeared on her face as she finished her declaration with a final remark, "Summarizing: With proper planning, I believe that Hell can derive a significant victory in trade of a minuscule defeat. A hammer blow of the likes that the Nexus has never seen before."

Diana looked up once the newcomer noticed her presence. The dragon girl smiled at the sudden mention and finished her apple in a single bite before replying, "Oh please, don't mind me. I'm Diana, your friendly neighborhood Thief; curious about why someone I've never seen around is here playing music in such an isolated place instead of doing a million other things they could be doing. I mean, it's been a while since I last saw someone doing that, y'know?"

Diana sighed wistfully, Celestia wasn't the same it used to be. It felt kind of hollow for some time—even people like Omega disappeared without saying even so much as a goodbye. However, if this unknown person was any indication, things may be taking a turn for the better.

The rogue propped herself precariously against a parapet using her tail for balance and craned her neck upwards to get a better look of whoever she was talking to before asking, "Either way, what about you? Like I said, I haven't seen you around before and I know pretty much everyone who hangs around the palace on a daily basis, so I'll assume that you are a newcomer. Am I right, or not? Also, it looks like your number has attracted more spectators. If you are going to charge something for it—give me a discount, please?" Diana pointed out to a group of other curious Angel kids and some older ones who seemed as attracted by the impromptu performance as she did, gathering around the once empty courtyard.

The automated hologram sent by the Supreme Queen to address the matters at TEP—once again— fulfilled her obligations and dissipated without saying any other superfluous words. TEP was a problem that Eos could not ignore for much longer. Even if she had an obligation of protecting mankind, she couldn't let hem run amok with subjects such as vassal research and association with beings or items of non-Machina origins. It could spell ruin for Hyperion if Karizawa continued to poke the hornet's nest unchecked. Not to say anything of the way he seemed to treat that poor kid like a disposable commodity. Thankfully there was someone that Eos could appeal to.

While Eos could contact said person at any given moment, visiting her most usual dwelling here in the Nexus, served a dual purpose. With that thought in mind, the Supreme Queen stepped out of her transport and knocked on the door of Bastion's apartment before calling, "Bastion, Roma, are you at home? I would like to ask you something. Also, I have brought a present." Eos could easily have used her powers and connections to verify whether they were home or not and used holograms but not now, not anymore.

Eos had to change if she wanted the Machina and the world to move on, Roma and Bastion remembered her of that with is why she was here right now, waiting for them just like in the old times when they first knew one another. The only difference was the doll she had in her arms and the looks that her 'incognito body' was getting from people in the neighborhood that Bastion chose to live in.

Hohenheim's grin didn't leave her face even for a single moment as she stashed the contract away in her desk and scratched the back of her head lazily. The brute lizard was never going to change, was she? Apparently, Titanica still can't remember the most important part of their deal, can she?

"Very well, we can certainly begin at this very moment, my dear Titanica," Hohenheim said as she stepped away from her writing desk to the dresser and began to comb her hair as nonchalantly as if she were alone in her room. "However, there's one small caveat: I cannot offer my assistance to you if you do not tell me what is it that you are looking for, can I?" The Alchemist remarked as she tried a few different hairstyles before deciding that letting her hair loose like always would be the best choice.

"Harley!" Ciel exclaimed in a surprised tone as soon as the Monochrome Girl manifested herself in the Stargazer's home. To say that she wasn't expecting this would be a lie. Even so, Ciel was so glad that she forgot about Amaterasu and Saef for a moment. "Do you want some tea? I don't know if you still like this flavor but I can have Aquila get you anything else you may wish for," she said excitedly in the moment before Harley's comments and her guests reply snapped her attention back to reality.

Amaterasu and Saef's reaction was deeply unexpected to Ciel. Did no one know about the Vassals; either their roles or their personal selves? Especially beings coming from the Heavens, considering how many of the Court's Vassals make that palace their residence in the Nexus, including Harley. That was certainly baffling. But not as baffling as the possibility of their ignorance trigger Harley's temper which could have some really... unsavory consequences for them.

"I'm sorry, Harley, I was just having a chat with a couple of unexpected guests. It seems like they are not very aware of the reality of the Nexus, or even of You," Ciel said, referring not only to Harley but to the other Vassals as a whole, "I understand that it must be why you are here. I didn't have any intention of telling more than I'm allowed to, but we can't let them face the challenges before them blindly... right?"

"Also, Amaterasu, my dear, that's a long story. I'll tell all of it to you later if Harley is alright with it. For the time being, it suffices to say that you aren't really like 'her'. There's a difference between not knowing where to look for your feelings and being completely Void," Ciel said, answering Amaterasu's question, before addressing both her and Saef again, "Either way, if it's possible for the two of you; could you treat Harley less warily? Not only is she someone very important for me, but also the leader of the Vassals—beings like Iona and Juno— who commands utmost respect from all those in the upper Echelons of Existence. So, even if it's just as a payback for my hospitality: Could you please treat her well?"

As soon as the hangar bay doors closed with an echoing slam, the entire room was filled in a deafening silence. Constophiles stood silently while looking at the pile of artifacts, his gaze remaining a neutral look. Emotion seems to be completely absent from his look, or if anything it resembles a hint of displeasure and defeat. Yet as a long minute seem to have wasted away in the stale air, the advisor nods and raises his left hand towards his ear.

"Commence incendiary process." Constophiles orders passionlessly.

As the mechanical guards prepared to set afire on these priceless artifacts, one of them issued several uncalled sparks, followed by glitching noises that wrecked through its system. Yet merely a few seconds later, the bot issues a burst of electrical disturbance that knocks out any exposed outlet in the system, rendering any electrical outlet in the room inoperable. Electrical equipment became disabled, the main lights extinguished, and any security camera looking into the room were completely fried as to where one can only see and hear the obnoxious fizzle of static. Even the holographic projectors seem to be glitching. What could've caused the mech to have malfunctioned like that?

Yet Constophiles remains unfazed by the entire ordeal, almost as if he's expecting for this to happen. The entire bay was completely pitch black, as the nearby soldiers struggled to take off their helmets, which had been shut down by the EMP blast, while trying to get a feeling as to what was going on. Yet there is only one device that hasn't been affected by this disturbance, with the advisor taking out a remote from his pocket. He points it at the pile and presses the big red button on the upper-left side of the device. It proceeds to cast a blue light upon the pile, enclosing it in a transparent box, and within seconds it disappears with a thunderous boom. As the emergency lights cast their reddish hue over the facility, all it reveals was a black blast mark at where the artifacts once laid. It seems that it has been destroyed after all...

Or did it?

The pale man places the remote back in his pocket, signaling the soldiers to move out and evacuate the room with haste. As they entered the east gate opposite of where Henry came through, it can be seen that even the hallway was suffering the same malfunctions as the hangar bay. The advisor orders the men with a gesture to be dismissed as they tried to pretend that nothing happened. With that said, Constophiles calmly walks out of the hallway as soon as the power within this sector is restored. The advisor makes it to his private quarters before checking his equipment again. Looks like everything is back to normal. He takes out his holocom-link to contact the Director, but alas there was no response. He must be still in that little meeting of his. So Constophilies leaves a quick message instead.

"Relic retrieval was successful, Director." he says with some relief, "We have received a stunning amount of angelic material from our ex-demonic friend. You were right about his capabilities. Eos, as usual, tried to halt the exchange but alas I was able to create a fake diversion and shut off all security cameras in the hangar bay and in the nearby halls. Not even Henry would know of this event, as I waited briefly before doing anything. I'll personally make sure to wipe the cameras clean for safety... and this message will terminate itself as soon as you close it. But it's safe to say I've covered our tracks well. Operation: Maether may now commence on your mark, Director Karizawa."

---

Oh of course. How could she forget? After all, this is exactly why Hoho's issuing the contract in the first place. Granted Titanica didn't ask first for her help, let alone being quite reluctant to it, but she might as well explain to the alchemist what she seeks. She doesn't want this waste of time gathering materials to be for nothing.

And contrary to Hoho's belief, Titanica knows exactly what she's looking for.

"I smell something..." she begins explaining as she proceeds to sit back on the bed, "Something I haven't sensed outside of my own residence in eons... I sense that I'm unintentionally taking part of an event out of my control. I smell..."

She pauses as she glares up at Hoho menacingly while thinking.

"ME."

"Someone... something... is trying to grab my attention using my scent pattern, for the better or worse, and yet I cannot place where it's coming from. I initially tracked it down to an abandoned foundry left by the Machina... where a recent battle took place. But by the time I arrived there it was gone... and after taking a plunge into the Oblivion Dungeon... I've lost the scent completely. However, I know that whatever it is, whatever is producing this familiar scent, it's still out there. I need to know what it is and where it currently resides..."

She remains silent as she look down at the ground, attempting to still figure out what's causing this scent, before turning her had back to the Alchemist.

"Do YOU know anything about this?"

---

As Vassals conspired among each other or threatened those who'd nurtured them, the Vassal of Energy found herself wracked with worry so profound her lips had actually curled a millimeter downwards from the frothing emotion within the Eel. This was to say nothing of the thumb she worried between her a teeth, a minor tick she'd once picked up from her first Master, and the pacing with which she trampled a furrow from one end of the entry hall to the other.

To an especially astute eye it would appear she had even allowed her shoulders to slump a whole centimeter from their usual level perfection. An unseemly display to be sure. Of course Bastion paid none of this mind as Roma was keen to keep a wall between her and the happy-go-lucky Treasure. Bless her amnesiac soul, for Roma couldn't bear to deny her a few minutes more of blissful ignorance as the Vassal waited for her pupil to arrive so she could try and save the demon's life.

The news was absolutely dreadful- World shattering in point of fact- and it was with no lack of sincerity that Roma would say this would be end of their halycon days if they did not tread with the absolute care.

She was roused from her stupor with a gasp of alarm as the the door beckoned her with the prospect of company and Roma darted forward in a flash. The door was flung open and in the span of a single breath the Vassal forgot her worries and felt a wellspring of warmth fill her buxom. There wasn't a soul outside this apartment- Well, barring Lucille and Vassals- who would know that face yet Roma thought her beauty was without equal. Clutching a stuffed toy which brought back fond memories of its own was her beloved, and she was all to quick to stand upon the tips of her toes and embrace the taller android with arms spread wide.

"Welcome home." The Vassal whispered, confident that Eos' chest would shield prying eyes from the sight of Roma's unrestrained happiness, even if only for a few moments.

"Yes, Lady Stargazer," Amaterasu calmly said as she mustered a smile. Sure, it was a faux smile, but she'd been reading up on her emotional facades. This one conveyed "happiness" and "content", and feeling "content" would be an appropriate reaction in this case. At least, Amaterasu thought it was. Perhaps it wasn't and she just made the situation hopelessly more terrible for everyone. That wouldn't be good at all.

"Also... I would be in your debt forever if you were allowed to elaborate on that subject, Lady Stargazer." If Ciel really knew the truth about the heart, this was the best way to learn how to get it back. Besides that, she was only understanding what had been told to her from others similar to the Stargazer, but not exactly. Speaking of beings similar to the Stargazer...

"Miss Harley, I wish for you to please pardon me of my ignorance. I had not known you were of the same caliber of authority as Lady Stargazer. My dearest apologies." That was... as sincere as it could've been coming from Amaterasu. It was difficult for her to apologize with absolute sincerity, but she tried hard to make it at least sound convincing. She'd been doing so with her sisters for almost a thousand years now, so it was pretty refined at this point.

@KoL



Sheena blinked in surprise and turned to see that other angels had gathered, possibly to listen. "Oh...I guess I do," She glanced back at Diana, "You be correct. My name is Sheena, something of a recent arrival around these parts," The witch figured it be alright to at least share some info about herself since it was likely she and this "Diana" person would be working together in the near-future. "As you can tell by my attire, I'm a Witch, got recruited by Ciel to help in the conflict against the demons and the Machina. Also, this here is my familiar, Shade,"

She nodded to her shadow friend whom bowed its head respectfully before gesturing to the violin again, earning an sigh from the former human, "Again? Really?" It nodded before gesturing to her audience, and Sheena decided to go along with her partner's request, "Alright, alright. I suppose I can't let my audience down, right?" Sheena readied her violin again and played yet another soft and sweet melody that drifted through the air and the surrounding area.

Shade took the bag of cookies and went over beside Diana to offer her some.

The desk in front of him shattered as Henry slammed his fist into it, growling at the cowering salesperson behind the register. "WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU MEAN THE PRICE IS 450 CREDITS?! THE SIGN SAYS 300 YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" This had been going for tne minutes and people were getting antsy as Henry got angrier and angrier. He had been discriminated against 8 different times in the past week alone, he was not going to stand for this bullshit anymore. Especially not over the price of some fucking fruit. Some police robots were heading for the register, looks like he was going to have to crack some skulls. The desk cracked loudly as Henry pressed down onto it harder, when a small whimper cut through his haze of fury. Henry turned around and saw a small child clinging to his mother's leg, both the child and mother terrified of the angry Demon in front of them as they tried to get grocery shopping done.

He sighed quietly and turned back to the desk, his eyes glowing as it repaired itself in a flash, as if nothing happened. "Fucking racists." Henry slapped a credit chip on the counter and walked away with his fruit as though nothing had happened, the police robots watching him closely as he exited the small building. He pulled his cloak to himself tightly and shivered, it was cold out tonight in Hyperion. But he had somewhere to be, so he pulled up his hood to cover his horns and continued on his path to Bastion's apartment. He passed by a drunk old man on the curb, he cursed at him and made threats but there were no actions taken. Henry frowned, everyday was a struggle to not decapitate some random idiot who overcharged him, or threw a rock at him as he minded his own business. he could've gotten away with that back in Hell. But this wasn't Hell.

Henry was just turning the corner to Bastion's apartment when he heard a familiar voice calling to see if they were home. He rounded the corner with basket in hand, seeing a stranger with the voice of Eos. Intriguing. Roma opened the door to answer, pulling the woman into what appeared to be a hug. Well this was certainly something Henry never expected to see. He hesitated before clearing his throat, hopefully grabbing everyone's attention as he held up his fruit basket peace offering. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything. But I brought snacks."

---

Rufus patted him on the shoulder as he walked by, a disgruntled frown flitting across Thomas's face for but a moment before his normal devious grin settled onto his visage. Rufus dumped everyone onto his couch via portals, yet by some miracle nobody landed on his wife. Thomas strolled over to the ratty couch and reclined in midair right next to it, looking upon Apia and Ghelgath to see what they would do next. He was not disappointed as Ghelgath tried to feign ignorance while Apia snuggled with Ghelgath's crotch like some low class whore. Victoire was quite vindictive when she put her mind to it, it was enough to make a man smile.

As Ghelgath attempted to push Apia off of him to get up, he would find a sudden pressure on his head as Thomas disappeared momentarily, pushing the back of his head into the floor with one foot while hefting his ludicrously sized axe over his right shoulder. His other arm reached out to Apia's head, pushing it harder into Ghelgath's crotch with a malicious grin on his face. "Nobody gave you permission to stand. So grovel and kneel like the worms you are." Thomas stepped off of Ghelgath and booted him in the ribs, flipping him over onto his stomach while at the same time throwing Apia off him and near Ira's feet. Ghelgath would feel his ribs crack from the force of the blow, he would likely be left wheezing on the floor for a bit regardless of how tough he may or may not be. "Nobody gave you permission to speak either, now shut up and listen while the important people talk." Once again Thomas vanished in a burst of speed, hovering behind Dana with the axe nowhere to be seen. He had both his hands behind his head in a manner similar to someone lying in a recliner, lazily watching the show unfold as Victoire explained her plans.

'Bold claims there Bordeaux. It would look pretty bad if Hell took a loss for no reason, what guarantee do you have that you can back up your word?' Thomas thought to himself quietly as he stared her down, an occasional giggle slipping from his mouth every now and then.

Within a few short seconds of being on His lap, the asshole of the year runner-up Insania decided it would be a good idea to shove Apia's head full force into His crotch. What followed for Apia was a good amount of blissful seconds, being oh-so-close to His majesty and His staff of ice. Was she really worthy of being THIS close to it? So close she could almost sniff it? Wait... she could sniff it actually. Nobody would notice if you made it seem natural, like you had to get air. What did it even smell like? She wanted to know now more than ever.

What followed after the attempted sniff was Insania stomping on Him, which threw Apia over to Ira's feet and made Apia very unhappy. The thoughts that raced through her head were the kind of nightmares a kid would witness after they watched the Exorcist. Nobody but her could do that to Him. She was the only one who could hurt Him and be unharmed. Insania wasn't her. Insania was some asshole stepping up and trying to make himself look so high-and-mighty. That didn't fly with Apia. A lot did, including being socially awkward around Ira and being incredibly mindful of Dana, but this wasn't either of those things. Not at all. Naughtiness deserved to be conditioned out of the boy that caused it. The naughtiness and anger was so blinding that Apia completely forgot Ira was behind her.

Victoire brought up some bullshit about a significant victory for Hell which Apia hardly listened to due to her blinding rage. She did listen, and every point Victoire brought up was strong. There were no real problems Apia had with the plan. There were problems Apia had with Insania... but her actions could wait. Words were more suited for now, and actions could be settled later.

"Marvelous idea, Lady Bordeaux," Apia began in her normal tone of speaking, more eloquently stated than more common rabble. Then, her voice took a sharp turn down towards a passive-aggressive tone as she turned towards Insania and simply stared, a devious grin washing over her face as she eyed his body up and down. "Though, I do have a question for Insania..." She took a pause, likely for dramatic effect. "How does it feel to suck on the collective shafts of every member of this oligarchy? That's arguably worse than me. You know what that means, Insania?" Apia stepped forward towards the demon reclining in the air before her eyes closed half-shut. "You're worse than me in some way. You're worse than the bloody mutt of a hybrid I am."

"Though... maybe you enjoy it. Maybe you enjoy being the harlot you were destined to be. Maybe my job is done." Apia took a turn on her heel as she walked over to Him, lowering her hand to him as an extension to help him stand up on his two feet.

<:Decording_Voice_Mail_Transmission:>

To Constrophiles:

:<Request denied. Do NOT use the artifacts that the supplier gave to us. I know I directly ordered you to contact Henry to gather knowledge towards Project: Maether, but only now do I believe that it was unwise to commence it this way. I believe I've made a great error, one that I wish to correct before we get into too much trouble. We both know Eos is watching our very moves, and it's lucky that she only gave us another warning instead of immediately shutting down this organization. The meeting with the Board Of Directors have stated that we should be more open to Eos rather than sneaking behind her. Of course, this will mean our progress will certainly slow, but considering how Project: Maether will be achieved, it's possible it can be reasoned with her while still being able to be completed on schedule.

I will notify Eos about the project later. However, regarding the artifacts, I will say this. If she disapproves of Project: Maether, we will be forced to eliminate all and every one of the priceless treasure. We will be back at square one, yes, but for TEP to survive we must act cautiously. I repeat, every single piece of the artifacts, collected by Henry, must be destroyed. If I see anyone holding even the smallest piece of an artifact, it will be confiscated and eliminated immediately. At worse, they shall be put under solitary confinement or terminated. Only if the project is accepted, may we keep the artifacts strictly as research guidelines. I hope you understand my decision and I apologize for the trouble I placed you and everyone involved. Standby for my official confirmation.>:

- Director Karizawa

P.S: Henry's reward shall still be paid as planned. He could be a possible asset to have later on if we play our cards correctly.

---

Ghelgath would feel a heavy blow at the back of his head, cause him to stumble as ringing echoes through his head. He can feel himself getting busy as he attempts to gain balance, only to find himself on the ground as his head is violently smashed into the floor. The Lich gives an audible grunt while struggling underneath Thomas' boot but alas to no avail. Yet as he attempts to ask what was going on, he suddenly feels something snuggling up by his crotch. This sensation caused Ghelgath to wince uncomfortably as he can see the vague outline of Apia also being man-handled by the insane demon prick. It didn't feel right to him, especially since he never engaged in such sexual activities before. It also doesn't help that Dana was basically asking Ira to come and fight Ghelgath over her 'bee lady friend'. Oh the nerve that blondie bitch had in saying this...

Meanwhile, he growls aggressively at Thomas while the prick tries to sound as if he's dick-kisser number 1. No one gave the Lich a chance to speak, his ass. Admittedly, Ghelgath did sound a little fanboyish towards Rufus before coming to reality, but this is turning it up by several ridiculous notches. He couldn't have been this annoying right? He attempts to grab the other demon's attention.

"The fuck are you~ UHGUlGH!"

A hard kick to the ribcage silences Ghelgath as he coughs up some blood with a raspy wheeze. He can quite literally hear a rib or two crack at such a savage kick. What the Hell was this guy's deal? They've literally never seen each other and now he's here trying to enforce all four leaders' authority. This guy seems to be even more of a kiss-ass than the Lich was towards Rufus. He struggles to get up as he kneels on the floor, holding his chest while regaining his breath.

"The Hell is your problem, you dick-kissing bitch?" he says silently towards Thomas in his head, "And I thought my old obsessive obedience was bad..."

He remains silent to hear Victoire talk about a plan to properly prepare for the next battle in a place called Bloodstone Cave. In short, a plan that 'can derive a significant victory in trade of a small defeat.' He says nothing, only nodding in acknowledgement in that idea. He hopes that she has certain merit with that plan, given that she is one of Hell's best strategists.

And then Apia begins to talk smack regarding Thomas, which basically would be nearly the exact wording that Ghelgath would use if he was fine enough to talk. Oh boy. The Lich has a very bad feeling about this. It almost feels that she's going to get what's coming to her soon enough. It was enough to instill some dread within Ghelgath... perhaps out of sympathy regarding the pain he just went through. As the Bee issues a hand out to the Lich, he would hesitate for a short second before grabbing on and pulling himself to standing position, still out of breath from that hard-ass kick.

"Ugh... careful whatcha say here Beesy." he whispers quietly to Apia, "Took the words literally outta my mouth... and uh... thanks, I guess."

"The ruins of another world hold many mysteries — or every answer they provide two new questions are made. Like the Hydra of legends, this cycle will continue forever until one wields the fire of wisdom and sears away the path of confusion."
— Ciel, the Stargazer, quoting her Master

The sands of the ancient desert of Exilia didn't always belong to maelstrom of warfare known as the Nexus. Few may know of its true origins but the fact that its very existence remains a mystery, spoken as if part of some old legend promising fabulous powers and riches for any who are brave to seek it, is enough to drive many to Exilia's deathly grip.

It's said that a power strong enough to snuff the stars out of the sky and drive the world back to darkness lies sleeping under Exilia's sands. Whether these words are true or not, the Leaders of the Triumvirate seem hellbent on acquiring it. The truth will soon be known.

The objectives of this skirmish are pretty straightforward. The faction which can reach the end goal first wins, no other conditions shall grant dominion over what lies dormant beneath the sands. Even so, looks can be deceiving as all who take part in it shall soon learn.

The battle shall take place over the region of Exilia known as the Valley of Blood, long since named for its majestic crimson sandstone formations. All the combatants will start the battle in the same location, the crumbling ruins of the Blood Ring, an ancient arena that saw the death and demise of many in times long past. From there, they shall travel down a narrow crevasse that leads into the First of the Three Great Pyramids, traverse it, reach the Nightless Oasis where the Second Pyramid lies, conquer it and the great Ma'at River which lies beyond it and, finally, reach the depths of the Third Pyramid.

At main chamber of both the First and the Second Pyramids, there'll be a Guardian holding a Serpent's Eye. Both of the Serpent's Eyes must be inserted into the slots at the Third Pyramid's grand altar, the faction that sets the second of the Serpent's Eyes in its rightful place shall rise victorious.

This will be a battle of both speed and wits, where pretty much any tactic or trick is viable, however, a vital rule must be taken into consideration:

— Teleporting, flying and any other method of fast movement aren't forbidden, however, if anyone tries to place the Serpent's Eyes in the grand altar before the Guardians have been defeated, they will struck by a powerful curse and die instantly. No power or resistance can avoid such fate.

The sunlight was welcoming. Incredibly welcoming.

Amaterasu stepped on the sands like she was free of her past and future, basking in the sunlight as she prepared for the challenge ahead of her. Her sisters opted to stay home, to her knowledge, so she was going into this blind and alone. Interesting, considering the whole idea of her trio of triplets was supposed to act as a unit.

Guess this meant that Amaterasu was the strongest of her siblings after all.

On the opposite side of the arena, she noted the existence of a demon. A rather scrawny skeleton from the looks of things, and with a mushroom on his head. Amaterasu could only figure what he could do, based on the power ranking system of other champions. Though, he didn't look to be up there with someone such as Susanoo.

For a moment, Amaterasu considered engaging the skeleton and beating him in one clean attack. She decided against this, however. A warrior like him would die quickly to the threats of this challenge. There was no need to waste her energy on him.

So the goddess of the sun just waited for her allies to arrive. Once they did, she would move with them and provide support. Until then, she had time.

Enough time to consider a game plan, she guessed.

---

The skeleton was wasting no time in his efforts to getting to his goal. He was ready to fight and, more importantly, he was ready to win. His old methods of fighting had grown... weak compared to the forces of the Nexus Champions that he had to go against. If he was ever going to stand a chance, it was time to start playing to win, and that's exactly what Bonesword intended to do.

A plant sprouted on Bonesword's back as he stood waiting for his allies. He couldn't fight on a ranged front well, so the Vulcan Yew on his back had to be serviceable enough to carry the weight of Bonesword's task. He didn't doubt it's abilities, as he already tested it out before in his spare time. He was more doubtful of its abilities against something like that Angel over there. She seemed rather tough at a first glance.

"It's going to be different today. I can feel it." Bonesword went through his physical arsenal of weapons as he stood waiting for his allies.

As always, the Shroomblade was hitched to Bonesword's hip, ready to be drawn at a moments notice if needed.

The Cyber Sword was a new tool, but hopefully one that would serve him well in this considering how technical it was.

The Unleash was sheathed on the skeleton's back, though the thoughts of using it were scarce at best. He didn't want to use it unless he had to for fear of letting loose his rage.

Bonesword's prized pet and familiar, Charlie, slithered up to the skeleton and affectionately nuzzled him before digging a hole in the walls of the arena, carefully making sure the building wouldn't collapse under the skeleton. He was waiting for any backup to arrive, as going in alone would definitely be a death sentence for the skeleton.

@Gardevoiran



The armored Thaumaturge came through the portal alone. Well, not totally alone. Warriors of the Nexus's Heavens came through around him. But he was lacking the troops that usually followed his personal command. His team was being reorganized once again. Set up more like a tactical strike force than a battlefield formation. The process was still ongoing, which meant he had to rely on local support this time.

He scanned the large arena as he summoned his tome. It appeared that all three factions had arrived in roughly the same place this time. The term bloodbath seemed like it could be a very literal reality in the near future. The skeleton demon he had fought along last time was here as well. New and high tech weapons adorning him. Combined with the fact that the Machina drones around him weren't trying to vaporize him pointed to some interesting conclusions.

A goddess stood a few yards away from Saef. Amaterasu if he remembered correctly. A champion of Heaven-no, he stopped himself. The Nexus's Heavens. His recent visit to Ciel had changed how he thought about this demiplane.

Regardless this was not the time for philosophy. Amaterasu was on his side in this battle and they would need teamwork to get through in one piece. He walked over to the stoic goddess, his boots scuffing faintly in the sand of the arena.

"Greetings."

---

The air shifted ever so subtly as a black armour with red highlights began to take form... Or rather, it seemed as if the air peeled away to reveal this dark figure. His movement looking as if he was mid-way through stopping from a sprint as he showed up to the battlefield. Muramasa unlike his brother Masamune was constantly deployed, ready to enter a battlefield and cut a threat in the bud, so that Masamune would not need to be deployed, being the popular model he was he for now was one of Hyperion's public symbols.

"So I will be working with you today", he mused. He looked down for a moment, his eyes surged for a moment as he began to run over the data he had access to,

"Hmmm... According to reports, it appears we will be few in number today... Analyzing tactics... Guerilla tactics preferred, low presence on battlefield expected, use to advantage... General strategy confirmed...", he rose his head back to normal posture once more. These types of tactics were to his preference... A perfect first high-priority deployment. Previously he had only been taking small assignments as he had been given, likely to test and forge his skills and abilities, it was time to put them to the test.

"Mmm, well..." Sapphire Pink glanced between her Cookies, Chen, Ruxen, and Deva. "I guess one out of three isn't bad!" She smiled, though whether she was referencing the cookies or their reception was open to interpretation. "I suppose I forgot to bring cups, so if only one person wants anything, they can just have the bottle. And it's not like someone super special guardian guy could get drunk off half a bottle of wine. So, as thanks for trying my cookies Chen!" Pink handed Chen the bottle, and waved the cookie plate for one last pass if he wanted to snag a few, before turning away.

"Just you wait! I'll make something soooooo amazing that you'll be super happy and want to be my friend! Till then, I'll keep trying. See you soon!" Pink directed this next statement at Ruxen... Or perhaps also at Deva, what with her recent efforts at enchanting. Then Sapphire Pink sparkled her way away, as she turned the corner lightly going "Hm.. Maybe if I..? No, she's probably already got one..."

@Floodtalon @TheWindel

Through the blinding rays of the sunlight high above the scorching desert, the armored Hell Knight oversees his destination as soon as he exits the portal and steps onto the miniscule grains of sand. Being the first demon to pop into the battlefield, alongside several of Hell's minions, Mephilius sees himself in a massive arena-like location and notices the massive looming pyramid in the distance. It's been a good long while since Mephilius fought in an environment such as this, yet the barren landscape and the blazing temperatures didn't deter him, even though his heavy suit. The suit came built in with air conditioning, allowing the encapsulated Knight to breathe efficiently inside when going into these hot environments. Truth be told he doesn't quite need it... for he has endured hotter conditions than this.

But sometimes its nice to feel the cool breeze blow through your face in anticipation of whats the come next.

The Hell Knight wields his Lance in his hands as he attempts to move forward towards the pyramid, not even bothering to wait for the others coming out of the portal after him...

---

@Gardevoiran; @Silvan Haven

"Greetings."

The soothing voice of the archangel Lucifus announces his arrival as he exits the portal with his massive wings basking in the reflection of the descending sunlight as he touches down on a piece of covered sandstone. The warm sun welcomed the stellar user with such grace, as he takes a deep breath of the dusty air that's around him. The archangel notices the two major figures, the armored Saef and~ oh is that Amaterasu? Her appearance her was rather surprising to Lucifus, yet she was welcomed graciously by Heaven's grace. Some of these minor figures also happened to be footmen and high-guardsmen provided exclusively from the Laguna itself. As second in command of their forces, and under the generosity of High Lord Zeruel, the Archangel was permitted to bring these soldiers into this event to assist the cause at hand.

They'll need all the help they can get in a time like this.

Lucifus slowly approaches the three as he extends his hand out to the cast.

"Greetings Captain Saef." he addresses gently before looking down at the newcomer,
"And why a special greetings to you Amaterasu. A pleasure to have you here with us... a shame that your two sisters are unable to participate in this event."

He then takes a sigh as he looks at both with a determined look.

"Alas." the archangel announces, "Are you all ready for what's yet to come? I've been given the proper permission to have some of my men from the Laguna to assist us in the battle. I believe they, combined with our strength and courage, will be a major help in achieving victory here. We simply need to play our cards right."

A heavy metal boot stepped out of the portal and onto the sands of Exilia, it's owner following shortly afterwards. Stomp. Stomp. Stomp. A loud growl was heard throughout the arena in which everyone started, eyes turned towards what appeared to be a young girl in very heavy armor. She looked like a feral animal almost, brow scrunched, teeth bared, muscles tense as she prepared for any sort of attack. What appeared to be liquid darkness dripped from her mouth, falling upon the sands and staining them black. Suddenly wings flared out from her back, adorned with rubies and gold as she looked to the sky and roared. A cloud of darkness erupted forth from her maw, shooting into the sky like a geyser erupting after thousands of years of dormancy. And of course, what goes up must come down. Many combatants would find themselves under attack from black raindrops, any that touched them would burn like acid rain. The Holy combatants would find themselves less affected, but it still stung to be sure.

Out of nowhere the ground began to shake, Nina stopped and looked at the sands beneath her with minor confusion as the shakes slowly began to intensify. Then she took off into the air, just as something erupted from beneath her.

---

Rose dropped onto the ground with a cocky smirk on her face, landing next to Bonesword and Muramasa with a loud thud as a large cloud of sand was kicked up by her landing. This was followed by the light sound of her coughing as she tried to wave the sand out of her face with eyes closed and her other hand covering her mouth and nose. "Jeez, I really need to work on my landing." As the sand finally settled, Rose blinked a few times and smiled brightly, looking at Muramasa and Bonesword with excitement in her eyes and victory in her future. "So! You guys ready to win this for..." She was interrupted by a roar in the distance from one very angry Demon. Rose's hands flew through the air, arms above head as several energy shields appeared above the group to protect them from the rain of darkness that sought to melt them down. Just as suddenly as it started it stopped as Rose's attention was drawn to several readings being sent to her HUD.

A popup would display in both her and Muramasa's gaze, displaying considerable seismic activity and something barreling up at them from underneath the ground, Bonesword would be able to feel it as well for entirely different reasons. "Oh shit, JUMP!" Rose's thrusters activated at max power immediately as something rushed up from the sands to try and kill her.

---

Yet the quietest entrance of all the combatants would be from someone who might just be the strongest of them. Chen quietly stepped onto the sands of Exilia and sighed, he had hoped he would never have to come back to this broken and Shattered world. It felt as if the world was mocking him as he looked around, observing the combatants who sought to sully his past. A roar pierced his melancholy as a Demon rained upon the sands with darkness made solid to try and kill everyone before the battle even begun. He scoffed as an ornate rapier appeared in his hand, tapping the ground and drawing a circle in the air with no urgency at all. A large barrier of wood raised above the Angels, the darkness rained upon it ferociously to try and destroy them. But it was to no avail, this wood had the strength of the strongest Machina metals and was supplemented by holy energy to go with it.

But they weren't going anywhere if they were to be trapped under this downpour of shadows, so Chen tapped the ground with his rapier once more. The earth began to shake violently as something began to form under the sands, yet the angels were completely unaffected. Suddenly a burst of thorns and sharp wood shot out from underneath almost every Demon and Machina, seeking to impale them and end the battle now. "Come now. I don't wish to spend anymore time here then necessary." Chen spoke aloud to the Angels that flanked him, tapping upon the wood that surrounded them and watching it fall apart into branches and flowers. And then he began walking.

"And a greetings to the both of you, Lord Harken and Lucifus of the Laguna," Amaterasu's voice remained monotone, staring off towards the other factions as more and more champions greeted her. Those were the two minute champions that had arrived at the time, and both were followed quickly by Deva's own royal guard, Chen Castellum. "Castellum. Interesting to see you are here and not at Deva's side. I trust this means this battle is high-stakes?"

Seeing the circle drawn by Chen, Amaterasu instinctively reacted by staring directly at the beast of the depths that came on the side of Hell. Disgusting. A creature using the essence of darkness trying to seek a victory here, in a sea full of light. How poetic. She should write that down for Tsukuyomi later.

Amaterasu's ear flicked towards Chen at his suggestion to move, and the goddess couldn't argue against it. There was truly no point in sitting around here in this arena whilst the objective is open for the taking. "Agreed, Castellum." Floating in the air, the goddess raised her arm in the air as she summoned a blade made from hardened golden light, as tough as titanium and as solid as a rock.

With that, the goddess floated beside Chen, ready to fight and eager to win.

---

Bonesword waved silently at his two allies before he noticed the arrival of other combatants. Among the combatants he'd be against, two stuck out the most. The man with the rapier for the Angels, and the Draconic thing that just roared darkness. There were others, such as the goddess of the sun and the armored demon, but those two stuck out the most.

Then Bonesword felt something that he wasn't expecting. Plants, underground, rising up rapidly. That wasn't something he had summoned, nor was it something Charlie was told to do. Gazing around the arena, Bonesword noticed the fellow with the rapier from before creating a barrier of wood above him to protect his allies. "Motherfucker..."

Acting on instinct alone, the skeletal swordsman got into a stance and felt the ground underneath, taking a deep breath before exhaling with a mighty thrust of his hand towards the ravine ahead. Beneath him, the once-thorny-and-deadly brambles that were supposed to impale him and his teammates lifted him off the ground and proceeded to be redirected towards the ravine, carrying Bonesword in the process. Sure, the rain was a bit unpleasant, but the Shooting Star took the damage pretty well before Bonesword was out of the area of effect, surviving with just a little bit left on it's charge.

The skeleton kept his focus up, using the vines as a monorail for him to be carried in front of the opposition, the vines behind him quickly disappearing as Bonesword passed them, Charlie following in tow quickly behind. Looking back towards the opposition, a good twenty feet or so away, Bonesword spoke into his communicator, given to him before the battle had begun.

"Hustle, people, we gotta get a move on before the Demons and Angels get ahead of us, there's no time to be wasted!"

Meanwhile, Charlie poked his head above the ground and revealed a single Vulcan Yew minigun, aimed straight towards Mephilus, and proceeded to fire it while still proceeding into the ravine with Bonesword. Charlie was given more unique orders, but they'd be irrelevant for the time being. Right now, what truly mattered was Bonesword getting ahead of the rest of the opposition.