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Post by The Merry Lambfish on Apr 10, 2014 3:56:41 GMT -5
"Is that so?" A new voice entered the conversation, drawing heads towards the end of the hallway. "Because last I heard, the "Highest Queen of Hell' was force to flee from a duel with a hellhound."
At the corner of the hallway stood a tall figure, features hidden in black robes, cloths, and a deep set hood. Her facial features were hard to read; only her eyes could be seen, which glared at Persephone with unmatched contempt. Her arms were at her sides, fingers relaxed and yet ready to act at a moments notice. Her eyes flicked toward the ceiling where the interments of the UCA lay in hiding, before returning to the hellish queen. "I was merely on my way to unearth the plans of one of your cowardly servants, and who do I chance upon but the termagant of hell itself? The very person I've been so anxious to meet.
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Post by Fainis the Sadistic Pansexual on Apr 10, 2014 20:44:54 GMT -5
"Jesus," said Oscar as he listened to Persephone's vain monologue. Whether she was really the Queen of the Hell or the Queen of England, he was not going to be any subject of hers. "Either Ay'm delusional or she is. I dun think even Kedos is that puffed up."
Oscar was suddenly made aware of someone standing behind him when he spoke up, voicing himself snidely. "I've been avoiding the big guy for a while, but I'm still pretty sure that he could prove you wrong there. His head's only gotten bigger and bigger here."
The big wall of Scottish muscle turned around and immediately laughed aloud. A huge smile had broken out across the pilot's grave face. "Alex!" He wrapped the much smaller man in an enormous bear hug. "Is this where yah been hidin' the whole time? Thank God! We were all sure that yah had finally gone and got yerself killed. Sam was losin' her mind over it."
"Well," coughed Alex, winded, but happy, as he was crushed against his friend's body. "Isn't that the surprise. I thought that she would've declared a holiday."
"Aw, come off it, Alex," chided Oscar even as he chuckled. He set the slim titanoologist back on his feet. "She was only rough on yah because she cared. You know that."
"You find out I'm alive and you're already ragging on me about this? I don't know why I expected any different. Some tears of joy would have been appreciated, you know. Even just a single sniffle would do."
"Ay considered it," hummed Oscar with a stroke on his goatee. "But then decided that it wasn't worth the water. Jus' be a waste."
As Alex rolled his eyes and tried unsuccessfully to jostle his much bulkier companion, Darwin stepped closer to the newly arrived Persephone with a narrow hunter's smile. His onyx eyes glinted like stones.
"Excuse me for butting in," he began with a smile of false courtesy. "But may I ask why a queen of Hell believes that she has any authority here? Unless we stand on the ground of Hell itself, I believe that we are quite free from your power. And even if we were within the boundaries of your kingdom, that does not necessarily ensure your rule over us. In fact, I would go as far to say that nothing does. Authority can be challenged. Battled. Even replaced after an appropriately long period of war or a suitably decisive strike to the crown. Thrones are not cement, they are not made from permanence. They are fluid and welcome all with the ability to take them equally. They do not protest who occupies them. They only test them."
"So," cooed the strange man with a rap on his knuckles into his palm. "Why do you think that you have passed your throne's test."
-
Beneath Persephone, where her shadow was cast tall and slender across the ground like a twisted spire from the realm that she boast of, there was movement. A slight swelling of the inky ichor that pooled at the feet of the armored figure. The imaginative mind probably could have conjured images of a shark beneath the water's surface, and all minds, impressionable or otherwise, could have seen a flash of yellow eyes if they had been watching close...
And faintly... ever so faintly... there echoed a laugh from the shadows.
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Post by Tenshi the Sunkern on Apr 11, 2014 23:48:26 GMT -5
Shivers ran down Persephone's spine as she gazed out amongst the crowd. Why there were shivers, she didn't know... and she could have sworn she could hear deranged laughter, but she shook that thought away as she focused her attention onto Kadru first and foremost. Darwin could wait, as could Charles. "Well well, if it isn't an Ophorus, and judging from your appearance, you must be Kadru." Persephone smirked as she cracked her neck. "You have been causing quite a few problems for my Hellian empire over the years, and it's a pleasure to meet the second most wanted criminal in Hell."
Tenshi looked back up at Persephone, her eyes open with surprise. "Wait, she's actually a criminal?"
"Yes, Tenshi, she is. dogging my forces for far too long, making hit and run raids, ruining my supply lines and spreading chaos across my unified forces. She's also done this with past Hellian leaders as well, but it will be me who puts an end to this little game." With that, she looked over to Darwin, a smug smile on her face. "Oh yes. I have passed that test, by lasting on my throne far longer than any previous Hellian Ruler, bar Satan himself. And I will prove my worth for the throne again, by dealing with this brat who has dogged many rulers before me, here and now."
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Post by GI Jho on Apr 11, 2014 23:51:03 GMT -5
"You're nothing, demon-lady," Charles added in, crossing his arms across his chest and locking his eyes with Persephone. "Who are you to threaten that woman? There are many kings or hell and many monsters who make you look like a mere toy. If Kadru is as dangerous as you make claim, then what can you possibly do to stop her?"
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Post by The Merry Lambfish on Apr 12, 2014 1:09:11 GMT -5
"No one rules forever," Kadru said, piercing eyes locked on Persephone. "And today will be the last you draw breath." Her eyes flicked towards the ceiling again.
"But I didn't come here to engage in conversation, so let's cut straight to the point. You have a choice, Persephone, and I suggest you consider it carefully. You will back up the boisterous claims of your power, and meet me in the Forest tonight, alone. Or you will decline, or perhaps attempt to cheat, and the entire UCA will see the supposed 'Queen of Hell' for what she really is: A scared little brat of a child given too much power for her own good. But before you decide, I must make something very clear. Should you choose to fight..."
Her eyes narrowed.
"Only one will walk away."
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Post by Fainis the Sadistic Pansexual on Apr 12, 2014 4:12:16 GMT -5
At the first echo of the cloaked figure's challenge, there was a flurry of motion from behind Persephone. The slender shadow of the demonic woman swelled and stretched grotesquely upwards like a breathing doorway, one that lead into pure darkness. Perfect darkness. Blackness so pure that it shimmered with a rainbow of purples and blues. The inky gate flared to a tremendous size in just a few seconds, dwarfing Persephone like a planet being swallowed by a black hole. Measured from its farthest horizontal point to the opposite side, it was nearly a hundred meters across. A cascade of sound fell from the open pathway of night as a low, guttural growl not unlike that of a lion tumbled out. A wide yellow orb opened from within the black pit, quickly followed by another, then a third and fourth. One by one, several more gigantic glowing eyes materialized until there was a total of eight angular lanterns of venomous light focused on Persephone. It looked as if the self proclaimed Queen of Hell had been caught in the hungry gaze of a titanic spider for one long moment, but then the eyes began pulling apart in pairs of two and a curling grin composed of crystalline fangs formed like the phantom smile of the Cheshire Cat itself.
Hurrrrr hurrr hurr, boomed the thunderous chuckle as a living shape emerged from the writhing well of shadows.
"On no," muttered Oscar as Alex stiffened in fear besides him.
Instead of the body of an enormous arachnid, four separate head, one mammalian, three reptilian, pushed forth from the vertical sea of darkness and breached the mortal plane, whispers of nighttime clinging to the jagged fur and irregular scales that defined them respectively as they shook and grinned madly. Two tremendously broad paws stomped forward, both coming close to crushing Tenshi, who was sent to the floor on her tailbone with a squawk- an action that was by design rather than by accident, if Persephone knew the owner of the paws as well as she thought she did. A lithe, scarred body wreathed in dark fur slithered from the portal on lanky legs. Bristly scorpion pincers clung close to the flanks and a set of saurian arms anchored just between the forelegs were clutched to the chest like the talons of a mantis. Finally, two lashing tails- one that connected to the spitting serpent's head that hung over the wolf maw and dragon jaws that had emerged first and the other a segmented stinger covered in long, serrated, wirelike hairs- pulled free from the shadows that painted the wall. As the dripping spear tip of the stinger exited the black gateway, it collapsed, deflating like a balloon pricked with a pin. Persephone almost felt the whiplash as her shadow snapped back to its normal size and shape in a fraction of a second.
Looming over the Ruler of the Underworld like something ripped from Greek myth and gifted with the size of the Norse wolf Fenrir, an old rival and one time foe of Persephone, grinned down at her with madness in her narrow yellow eyes and firelight reflected in her stony black teeth. The chimeric devil dog, much like the royal witch, was different in appearance from what the UCA had last seen of her. Though the components remained the same, her once purely reddish brown coat of ragged fur was now marred by twin streaks of black as well as a creamy underbelly. Her grinning muzzle was also slightly grayed, silver shimmering around her whiskers and wrinkled nose. And, noticeable only to the most observant, the wolf was slightly taller and stretched a fair distance longer than she had in the past, her twisting tails flowing out further than they had before. Reared up, the beast would match might colossi like the late Armageddon in height!
The great canine demon laughed aloud again, cackling to herself as she peered down at Persephone and Kadru. Sparks flew from the wolf's laughing jaws like spittle as her obsidian teeth gnashed together. She had planned to stay in hiding for a bit longer and simply watch as the so called Queen of Hell further embarrassed herself, but this new one had forced her hand. If the cloaked creature- she could not tell exactly what it was, its scent was alien to the hound- was truly determined to end the life of her plaything, then she could not allow it. Not yet.
Not until she had strained out the last bits of entertainment that she could!
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Post by Tenshi the Sunkern on Apr 15, 2014 20:32:59 GMT -5
Terror was not something that was new to either Tenshi or Persephone. Both had seen things that would scare many into complete silence, things that would haunt their subconscious for centuries to come. Of course, living such long lives as they had, they had gotten to the point where few things in life truly drove them into stone cold silence, or caused them to quiver in fear. Yuuka Kazami was one such figure for the young Queen of Heaven...
And Fainis was just such the other for Persephone, though with the way the massive hellhound loomed over them, grinning as it seemed to decide which of the two to devour first, both were equally afraid. Persephone's eyes shrunk in her sockets as she found herself unable to run. Of all the times... why now did the dreaded hound have to show up? Such a brutal, nasty monster that was beyond anything she had... and it was right there, taking great pleasure in their fear and suffering.
"I... I guess... we have... a full house to w-w-wwitness your glory." Tenshi yammered, her body shaking furiously. "W-w-w-well, W-w-w-w-w-we will fight both of y-y-y-you fools! Right P-p-p-Persephone?"
"S-SHUT UP, IDIOT!" Persephone shouted at Tenshi. That caused the Celestial to stop as Persephone finally got her act together. She took a beep breath. No need to let her enemies gather to make her fear them! That was the old her... THIS WAS THE NEW HER! "So, you both wish to deal with me then? I don't fear either of you fools... You are both beneath me! My loss to you was because of sabotage, not because of any false weakness on my side!" She yelled at Fainis, as she smashed herfoot down for emphasis. That sent up a towering spire of ice, in the form of a great serpent that seemed to glare down at Fainis and Kadru...
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Post by Fainis the Sadistic Pansexual on Apr 15, 2014 20:49:14 GMT -5
Hideous smile never breaking, Fainis lifted her great head and meet the icy gaze of the frozen serpent. The wolf narrowed her eyes ever so slightly, and her curled lips drew back, squirting saliva from between her glistening pink gums. There was a cough from the base of the monstrous hound's throat, as if she were clearing something lodged in her chest, and a translucent glow of fiery orange possessed the chimera's black teeth. Her silver snout wrinkling, the Mother of All Murders snorted and launched two bolts of hellfire from her nostrils. The twin streaks of demonic torment struck the spitting face of the ice serpent and sent it tumbling to the ground with a whistling shriek as steam billowed and burst from within it. Like a mortally wounded Grendel returning to his mother, the cold husk flopped to the ground. The impact floored many of the human-sized figures below and Persephone was left with only inches between her anger flushed cheeks and the dripping fang of the slain ice construct.
The eyes of her creation had been bored out by the dual blasts of demon flame. Melted clean to the base of the skull.
Empty sockets bleeding water, the lifeless serpent stared at its creator almost accusingly.
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Post by GI Jho on Apr 15, 2014 20:53:16 GMT -5
A grim smile spread across Charles' face. What a display. The great queen of hell, her ego crushed merely seconds after joining their group. Charles would have laughed had the whole thing not been so sad. Oh well. It would be somewhat entertaining to watch these two egotists get shredded by the foes they've brought upon themselves....
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Post by The Merry Lambfish on Apr 16, 2014 0:06:20 GMT -5
Kadru too smiled at the sight. The supposed Queen of Hell, still terrified of the hellhound. The truth could not be any clearer.
"So I take it you accept my-", she glanced at Fainis. "-Our challenge?"
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Post by Tenshi the Sunkern on Apr 16, 2014 0:24:07 GMT -5
Despite the terror of the scene, Tenshiw as finding it hard not to laugh when she saw the ice serpent shatter. Just... complete humiliation right then and there. But these fools who dared try to mess with HER friend? Now they had the fury of the Queen of Heaven upon them! Her fear was pushed aside manually as she too took on the mask of bravado in the face of such terror. "You two think you're so high and mighty, talking down to us like that and making fun of us! Well, consider both of you damned to eternal damnation!"
Beside her, Persephone knuckles bore whiter than ever as cold air seemed to ooze from her skin, her eyes reddening as they began to freeze over. Such audacity... Here she was, having tried to be nice from the start, only to be trampled and spat on ever since day one. First it was that damn Asmodeus... then Crigan, and now Fainis and Kadru! What was she, the jester of the UCA? NONSENSE! "That's right! I'm sick and tired of your bullshit, Fainis. You may have gotten a new makeover, and you may tower over me, but rest assured, after your little Championship bout, I will tear you and the Ophorus apart. All in Hell will then see that both of you dumb bitches are beneath me, that I am the true and greatest Ruler of Hell! What do you have to say to that, you dumb fleabag! A true demon can atleast engage in an actual conversation, FIDO!" She sneered, as she lifted up a finger, causing a massive ice finger of the same liking to flick Fainis across the nose...
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Post by Fainis the Sadistic Pansexual on Apr 16, 2014 1:58:16 GMT -5
Without warning, there was a thunder crack of power and change. The icy finger conjured by Persephone to deliver insult upon her hated rival slashed harmlessly through empty air and smoke. The massive frame of Fainis had vanished and in its place was a woman. A tremendous tall woman, thin as a rail, clad in red leather and with unnaturally yellow eyes, but still a woman, mortal looking as any other. Her spiky auburn hair was half shaved from her scalp and what remained was slicked forward like a crest. Leaning forward, the woman grinned, showing a full set of tremendously large, square teeth that glistened brightly like bone, and spoke softly near Persephone's ear.
"Boo."
Her voice was deep and scratchy, scarred by the rarity of its use. It was also quiet, ringing only loud enough for Persephone and Tenshi, the one closest to her, to hear.
Laughter rang out. The woman turned and threw a feral glare at Darwin, who was leaned back with his hands clasped together. Her pale hazel eyes shrunk to pinpoints of trembling rage and hatred.
"Lovely to see that you've updated your look, Fainis," drawled Darwin as he tapped his fingertips together. "Or should I say Flor? Is that still the human name that you carry? It has simply been ages since I've seen you like that. Why, the last time you were still wearing that dreadful horned helmet and convincing all those Christian scholars that all Norsemen did, you naughty girl you. I bet that you tainted history forever doing that, though you never cared much for the written arts. Only the art of combat. It's also good to see that the little spell I weaved to disguise my scent has worked." He waggled a bony finger. "Couldn't have you knowing that I was here before I had the chance to find you, could we now?"
Peeling her lips back, Flor stalked over to Darwin. She ignored Alex and Oscar was they leapt back, wisely clearing themselves from her path. Seized the shorter man by the throat, she lifted him overhead easily with only a single hand, though his slight smirk never faded even as he was throttled. He clucked his tongue and ran his hands over hers familiarly.
"Ah ah ah.... we both know that it can't be that easy, my dear. You are tremendously talent in your ways, and I in mine, but it has been proven whose talents are superior. Don't make the same mistake twice, Fainis. Put me down and let us discuss this like proper Outer Wolrders."
The woman was silent, her lips pulled back over her broad teeth and her eyes alight with fury, but she made no further move against Darwin. Not yet.
"Beyond that," piped Darwin cheerily. "It appears that we're breaking some sort of house rule."
He unfolded two fingers and pointed straight up. An array of weaponry had descended rom the ceiling and was focused on the woman's forehead, where a frenzy of red dots danced, daring her to act.
Slowly, Darwin was lowered. Then dropped. He landed easily on his feet and did not break eye contact with Flor.
"Thanks you, dearest."
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Post by GI Jho on Apr 16, 2014 9:24:14 GMT -5
"Wait... you KNOW this hellhound?" Charles stated, both amazed and horrified. He thought it was crazy when the damn white dragon started talking to him... apparently, this man before him knew about the demon wolf long before here, and perhaps had even spoken to her!
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Post by Fainis the Sadistic Pansexual on Apr 16, 2014 15:28:09 GMT -5
"Why yes!" cried Darwin as he spun on a heel to face Charles. Flor stood taunt and clenched her jaw in rage. Her hazel eyes narrowed to hateful yellow slits aimed at the back of his head like daggers. "We've known one another for ages! Around eleven hundred years, I think. Is that right, Flor?"
The woman was silent. Her teeth were bared as if she were still a hound and her fingers flexed like claws. Fainis was more than vexed. She was enraged. He dared turn his back on her? She would like to lop his head off right now for it, but the gun of the UCA still loomed over her head. Besides that, she knew him. He did not take chances. He made calculations. To be doing something so blatantly unwise, it was all part of one of his games. Flor crossed her arms. And if the game was his, then she refused to play.
Darwin rolled his eyes good naturedly and continued. "Yes, well, something close to that. She was my employer, you see, and then I replaced her when it came time for her... forced retirement. I don't think she's forgiven me for it either, seeing her little show and all. Quite odd really, she's usually very loose about her grudges. She loves to hate and eventually the hates leaves entirely and she merely loves. In her own way, of course, she doesn't exactly hold the same definition of 'love' as everyone else." He chuckled suddenly. "Oh, pardon me. This all must be very confusing. Allow me to make things clearer."
There was a crash of thunder and smoke identical to the one that had changed Fainis into Flor and in Darwin's place stood a tall, crimson creature with spiked doglike legs and a trio of horns. The ruby being bored a striking resemblance to the medieval depictions of demons and devils, down to the arrowhead tail. A massive, tatter cloak of purest black concealed much of his body, but it could not hide the inked script and symbols that winded around his limbs like serpent speak. The inky tattoos seemed to swim as the creature moved.
"Dar Felinus," said the scarlet creature with a deep bow and a flick of his long tail. "Former king of the Outer World, currently deposed and looking for good company. How do you do?"
"Christ!" cried Oscar with a start. He bound forward aggressive, his fists clenched into pale balls. "Yer that ugly bastard that tried to overrun us! Yer the one that lead that goddamn invasion against us!"
"And you're the one that repelled us," replied Dar conversationally, a bit of a laugh to his voice. "Excellent work, by the way, completely underestimated you. It was nice to chat with someone on the other side without some nasty vendetta or another getting in the way while it lasted, but I assume that you wouldn't still be up for a bite to eat sometime, hm?"
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Post by Tenshi the Sunkern on Apr 16, 2014 15:47:10 GMT -5
Revelation after revelation... bombshell after bombshell. Persephone didn't know wherever to be shocked by everything that was going on, or to be completely outraged at it all. So the damn wolf could become a human... and this Darwin that was here was also a demon of her life... So many demons here at the UCA vying for control, it was pissing her off. SHE was the true Demon Lord here, not any of these plebeians! So what if Fainis had learned to talk, and so what if this Dar person was even greater than her? It was all royally pissing her off.
"What is wrong, you two?" Mima chuckled as she watched the look of confusion and anger on Persephone's face. She was relishing all of this, every little bit of it. For a ghost like her, few things surprised her anymore, but just the line of whammies coming to Persephone was just too much gold for her to pass up on. "I thought you were here to parade yourselves at the rulers of Heaven and Hell... I am sorry to say, but it seems you have competition in that area, and they are far more qualified than either of you."
Persephone just growled. This was dumb. Very, very dumb. "Shut up, you stupid witch. I still as Queen of Hell, no matter what these jesters and fakes insist! I'll be sure to put all of you in your place... but for now, I have better things to do than entertain my enemies." She turned and walked out, fuming red with anger, and dragging a shocked and terrified Tenshi behind her. She needed a plan to deal with all this... it was just pure gay stupidity all around.
As the two left, Mima turned back to Dar. "I must say, seeing Persephne get that humiliated and embarrassed in such a short time is a new record. It always makes me happy to see her ever rising ego deflated. Though, she was helping with the whole Norse theme going on around here." Here, the ghost in human form stopped. "You did say FORMER king of the underworld? Who took your place and cast you out?"
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