FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Zerrex glanced over his shoulder as Mercy looked darkly at Mel, and then she took her father's hand and gently pulled him up to his feet, nodding politely to Little Arcy, and then Elliot. They both nodded back, Elliot raising a hand to her mildly with the same calmness he'd used to treat customers at his old bar with, and then Sammy squawked, taking a last drink from the cup Zerrex had poured him before he shot across the table to leap and scrabble up onto Zerrex's shoulder, giving a victorious look at the vixen. She growled at him in return, and Sammy squeaked and quickly curled around Zerrex's neck, chewing at his hair with a whimper.

The Drakkaren let Mercy lead him over to another table, letting out a sigh of relief before he smiled a bit as he saw Mist and Shine sitting with another pair of siblings: two enormous males who looked awkward sitting in seats that were a little bit too small for them. One of them was almost fifteen feet tall, his body covered in black scales that had tiger-like stripes of red over his limbs and chest, his body that of a Dragokkaren and his eyes a deep obsidian. His musculature was enormous, and there were several large black spikes of bone that stuck out of his arms, while his head had an arch of five curved spikes from temple to forehead to temple. He was naked except for a pair of ripped black pants and a heavy leather belt around his waist.

The older brother, on the other hand, was almost sixteen feet tall, with dark blue scales that lightened to faint blue over his chest and a muscular build that made his smaller brother look like a child. He was wearing armor that covered his shoulders, limbs, and his lower body made of heavy overlaid silver plates, leaving his chiseled chest, back and tail entirely bare. All down his spine were thick spikes that continued down to the tip of his tail, and the Dragokkaren also had a similar tiara of spikes to that of his slightly-smaller brother's... but his was slightly larger, and curved a bit further backwards. He was currently leaning against the back of his chair, looking morbidly across the table at a grinning Mist, before he frowned at the look on his brother's face before he glanced over at Zerrex, then he stared and dropped his glass, leaping up to his feet and then dropping to a kneel. "Lord Zerrex, I am truly not worthy!"

"Lord Zerrex!" His younger brother exclaimed, and he jumped up before dripping over the huge body of his older brother, falling flat on his stomach before he winced and brought his ass up into the air, prostrating himself before the Drakkaren as Zerrex sighed and winced, rubbing slowly at his head. And to think, the last time we met I ended up beating them both down... "Please, please, forgive me for... I mean... it's so good to see you, sir!"

Zerrex rolled his eyes, and Mary walked over, smiling up at him and immediately drawing the Drakkaren's attention as he looked down at her, rubbing his head and saying lamely: "I really don't know why this keeps happening to me. Hey, Dray, Terrance, get your asses up. You're members of the Hezrow family, and last I checked on the mortal plane... wait." He paused, turning to look at Cherry and asking loudly: "Hey, Cherry, does the name Hezrow still mean anything down in Hez'Ranna?"

"The fuck should I know? Can't see why it wouldn't." Cherry shouted back agreeably, and then she paused before grinning widely, immediately shaking Huck off her to bounce over and slap Dray's buttocks, the smaller male leaping into the air with a yelp and then blushing deeply, before he watched in horror as Cherry jumped on Terrance's armored shoulders, the larger male gaping up at her stupidly as she asked impatiently: "Can I have him, can I have him, huh, huh, huh?"

Zerrex rolled his eyes, looking amused despite himself as Terrance unsuccessfully tried to shake Cherry off him, and then Dray cursed as he unsuccessfully tried to grab at the female, but she easily put a hand down on the huge Dragokkaren-demon's other shoulder and hefted her legs up in a scissors as she threw her other arm out, cackling as she spun like a top on her hand before shoving off him and flipping backwards to land neatly on her feet, bowing back and forth as Mary clapped with a laugh. Cherry turned to her with a lecherous grin, and then it froze on her face and she straightened, mumbling something under her breath as she looked awkwardly away before she finally returned her eyes to her, steeling herself visibly as she met the feline's gaze and said stiffly: "Thank you."

Mary reached out and gently patted Cherry's arm, looking around dumbly before she turned and fled off towards Huck, snagging him and hiding behind him. Zerrex sighed, rolling his eyes as he looked down at Mary, and then he said softly: "Sorry... she'll never apologize herself, at least not in public. I honestly don't think she ever would have done what she did if she'd known, though..." He paused, watching as Vampire tried to creep past, looking at Mary nervously. "Of course, some of us were just assholes back then."

Mary glanced curiously over towards Vampire, and the black wolf yelped, jumped, and then trembled before he threw himself forwards, bawling as he grabbed her head and shoved his head against it and babbling apologies. Zerrex winced as Mary stared at him with shock, and then the reptile yelped as the male brothers both grabbed at his legs, pleading: "Lord Zerrex, forgive our impudence... I know that if you remember the past half as well as we do, you'll be offended, but give us both another chance, one last chance, please, your lordship!"

"Dudes, I liked you more when you were being assmonkeys instead of... groveling losers." Zerrex put his hands on his hips, glancing back and forth from one Dragokkaren to the next before he asked mildly: "Runts of the Hezrow family, right? Well just how would noble Hez'Ranna feel to be seeing two of its nobles, now both demons that have lived for many a year, begging and puling in front of an old friend for forgiveness they don't need?" He paused, then looked at them both curiously, asking: "How the hell did you two die, anyway? Pretty sure the clone soldiers wouldn't attack you, after all."

"They didn't... we never put up much of a fight during the Great War, though..." The two looked up at him as Dray spoke, looking apprehensively at his older brother, but Terrance only shook his head and motioned for him to go on before he looked with a wince back up at Zerrex, as if he had been disrespectful. This is freaky. "Despite knowing it was wrong, our national pride compelled us to help our fellow Dragokkaren... and so we ran a supply and medical camp in Ire, even if we never picked up a gun. We never fought, we never killed a single Irenic soldier... and... the way the clones acted was so strange."

Dray fell silent, and Terrance took up the story now, as Mist and Shine came forwards and gently pried the two away from Zerrex, so they both sat back on their haunches. "You see... they weren't like the Irenic soldiers. They never shouted at you outside of combat. They were polite and cordial, even if... cold. Yet they left their own behind on the battlefield without hesitation, and they could be destroyed at any moment by a bombing run that the top brass ordered that would overlap a camp or battlefield... and even the non-clone Commanders treated them like garbage.

"Talking to them was hard, because they were under strict orders to not fraternize with anyone... but of course, a few of them had... their own minds, they weren't just part of a terrifying machine. When things began to break down, they helped us escape before the Commanders could turn on us as lynching material." Terrance hesitated as Dray sighed quietly and nodded silently. "Draylin, my poor brother, was killed in the old-fashioned barbed wire some days later by Irenic soldiers... we panicked when they started opening fire on us, laughing and chasing us like maddened beasts, and he got caught up, all tangled in it... and they just kept shooting him, even long after he was dead.

"I... I ran away with a few clone soldiers." Terrance hung his head as Dray quietly patted him on the shoulder. "But of course, they caught us. The Irenic soldiers crawled out of everywhere like cockroaches when they heard that the war was over, the chain of command was broken, that Patriarch Narrius and his ultimate weapon had fallen into oblivion. They shot at everything Dragokkaren and captured the remaining that they could. They threw me and my surviving... my friends, they became my friends in all that hardship and treated me better than I can ever say... they threw us in a truck and drove us to some resurrected containment facility.

"It was terrifying... far more terrifying than the war had ever been, being stripped down, the soldiers... the soldiers always shouting orders at us, and answering our questions by shooting us in the limbs or striking us. They rushed us through some sort of shower, laughing the whole time... then chained us all up in one big open room and..." Terrance closed his eyes and shuddered, and Mist quietly squeezed into his shoulders, looking at him compassionately as he curled up quietly. "The things they did to us. They abused us in every possible way... beat us constantly... and then one-by-one killed us in all different ways, scientists conducting some sort of... sick experiment on our bodies, always guarded by soldiers with guns stolen from Hez'Rannan units. They would only ever say they were following orders... and they had dead eyes, and looked at us like we were just animals."

Terrance halted, then he looked up quietly at Zerrex, saying meekly: "Lord Zerrex, I know how rude it is for me to ask this of you... but please. Please, you have to do something about these camps, about my brothers who are still in chains after all these years... I know they must still exist, and I know that demons, too, must be held prisoner on the mortal coil by whatever remains of Ire's sick forces, that they'll try to rebuild their regime with... genetic weapons and terrible devices..."

"Ire's leaders are dead... most of the land has been ravaged by the Demon War and the old Ire has fallen." Zerrex said quietly, and the two males looked up at him silently as he kneeled in front of them, Mary quietly touching the Drakkaren's shoulder. "We've already found at least one abandoned facility that Ire could have inhabited, but it was in ruins... and I think I know what the biggest threat to us is at the moment, but believe me. I won't let this happen again. I won't let demons become slaves to mortal experimentation and I won't let the deaths of your friends and family be in vain."

The two males nodded quietly, and then Zerrex stood up as Mary quietly took his hand, looking into his eyes as she said softly: "I know you're speaking the truth, Zer... and see, you are a good person. Without a hesitation, I see you speak those words, ready to charge off into the fight by yourself... but you're a leader too now. Maybe you should try using the powers that rulership gives you instead of constantly putting yourself in danger..." Mary paused, then she smiled faintly, squeezing his large hand quietly with both of her own petite ones. "Don't think I don't know just what you've been up to, after all. Historical data is freely available to all of Heaven and Hell."

"I should change that law." Zerrex said dourly, and Mary laughed before she hugged him tight around the waist, and Zerrex threw his arms out in surprise, blushing deeply before he squawked as Dray and Terrance hugged him as well, Mary's eyes going wide as she was caught between the huge lizards and lifted into the air. The Drakkaren flailed a bit, and then he finally wheezed: "Hey, wanna let me down?"

"Sorry, Lord Zerrex!" The two dropped him, stepping back embarrassedly, and the reptile landed on his back heavily with Mary on top of him. He looked up at her for a few moments, and then they both laughed before Terrance hesitantly extended a hand, saying meekly: "Lord Zerrex, if there's any way a humble Hez'Rannan demon like myself can help... please, allow me to."

The reptile looked up at him for a few moments, then he took his hand, wrapping an arm around Mary and carrying her to her feet as she smiled faintly, the two trading a look before the reptile smiled slightly, squeezing Terrance's huge hand firmly with surprising strength as the Dragokkaren looked down at him with a wince, and then Zerrex said softly: "So is Hell everything that Hez'Ranna said it would be?"

Terrance traded a look with Dray, and they both smiled as the shyer younger brother shuffled awkwardly, then Terrance grunted at him as motioned for him to talk, stepping back from the Drakkaren. "Go on, tell him what you told me last night. You put it way better in words than I ever could."

Dray mumbled something, and Zerrex put his hands behind his back, watching him shuffle through the words before he finally said carefully: "We deserved this. The Circle of Minor Sins, the Outer Circle, is our home now, and a wonderful one at that... because it's just like the old Hez'Ranna. Yet we also endured the punishments, and those we deserved to, as we became the Ascended Dragokkaren, the demonic angels of Hez'Rannan lore. This is... a place of great joy to us most, though, because my brother and I are still together... and because all our friends and family are here as well, and because the Outer Circle is so like old Hez'Ranna... but with a whole new and better world around it, where people live in joy but pay the tolls for their crimes. I know there's lots of sufferance here as well... bad things and unavoidable evils, as with every society and civilization. But it's like we've come home all the same, and that's what makes me... and my brother, and my brother... so happy."

He halted and rubbed at his head, then blushed and smiled as Zerrex clapped, along with Vampire - who still had a few tears on his furry cheeks and was snuffling a bit - a grudging Cherry, and Mary, who was smiling up at Zerrex. He smiled back down to her, and then she slapped his back lightly, saying softly: "If I'd know that Hell was where everyone but Cindy would end up, I think both me and her would have done more evil in our lives."

"Hey, I don't think you and her are capable of evil." Zerrex said softly, nudging the feline gently, and they shared a laugh before the reptile blanched as he felt something squeeze his buttocks firmly, and then Mel leaned against his back as her hands roved slowly down the back of his thighs, the vixen grinning widely.

"But I am." She purred, then she slid around his side, eyeing him hungrily. Before she could speak again, however, Sin approached with Mercy, and Mel winced before backing quickly off. The Drakkaren made a bit of a face at this, but then he glanced up as Sin bowed towards him before she traded a smile with Mary, the two looking at each other for a long time as things seemed to quiet somewhat in the chatter around the area.

Finally, Mary glanced over at Mercy, looking at her for a few moments before she asked thoughtfully: "Do you prefer offensive or defensive magic? What am I saying, you're right, defensive suits you more, and conjuration." Mary shook her head, then she smiled slightly and held out a hand to her, the demoness looking surprised. "Come here, I want to teach you a few incantations. And Zerrex, don't you think about running off while I'm gone, either."

Zerrex coughed and looked awkwardly away as Mercy quietly took Mary's hand and let herself be led away, the male rubbing the back of his head as Sin crossed her arms. "She knows you quite well, Lord Zerrex... I suspect she and Little Arcy probably have study sessions on you."

"Dude, I like being a topic of study as much as you do." Zerrex said morbidly, and Sin made a bit of a face as she nodded. Then he glanced over his shoulder for the Dragokkaren siblings, but they had both been led away by Mist and Shine, the reptile asking curiously: "So tell me, Sin. How much do you know about the Hez'Rannan religions?"

"Only a little." Sin confessed, and Zerrex looked at the Naganatine with surprise, as she smiled faintly and shrugged a bit. "It's a religion far older than even I am... and the zeal of its believers is unmatched. It's strange that so much of it circles around the Princess, when we all know how cruel and wicked she was..."

"Not half as cruel or wicked as the Boss." huffed a voice, and Zerrex looked up with surprise to see a tall, athletic zebra with a powerful, chiseled build standing nearby, a grin on his face. His long mane stood in a tall black Mohawk that went down his spine, and his eyes were a brilliant, burning red that was far more cheery than malicious. He wore patterned leather suspenders that would look ridiculous on any other frame, along with fingerless leather gloves, and around his waist was a steel belt with all variety of special metal pouches welded onto it: a gift from Tinny to another reformed member of the Goth Legion, Bondage.

In life, the zebra had been chubby, weak, and had followed one of the cruelest members of the Legion, Gape, and taken to rape and vicious torture... but after Gape's death, he had started following Zerrex - then far better known as Captain Ravenlight - and although it hadn't improved his behavior much, it had given him a different icon to look after. Shortly after the Legion had been disbanded by the military, Bondage had been slaughtered in his torture lab, and he had been sent to Hell... and both he and Vampire had followed their Captain Ravenlight closely, first as a hobby, and then with greater curiosity and obsession as they watched Zerrex's changes and looked closely at their own former lives.

Now Bondage was a Jailor of Hell, a specially-endowed soldier who did work for Inquisitors and patrolled the Circles of Hell on occasion, keeping things in line and working much like the police did on the mortal plane. He had a few peculiar abilities, one of his similar to Tinny's in the respect that he could shape materials into whatever he desired: the difference being that where Tinman's preferred medium was metal, Bondage was able to control the shape and texture of leather.

"Dude, why was I not invited?" he looked back and forth, and Zerrex coughed, rubbing the back of his head he stared as Vampire tackled the zebra with a cheerful cackle, Bondage flailing before he finally managed to shove the huge wolf off him and climb to his heavy hooves with a grumble. "On the other hand... hey, is that Cherry?"

Cherry paused from where she was berating Huck, and she turned around to peer at Bondage before giving a strange sort of squeak, prancing over to him and grinning widely as she began to inspect his body, leaping back and forth and touching him inappropriately every now and then as the male blushed deeply and tried to push her away. "Excuse me, I... Cherry, it's good to see you but-"

"Butt, yeah, you got an awesome butt." Cherry slapped the zebra's rump firmly, and he jumped, Vampire immediately catching the tall, powerful equine in his arms and grinning at him as he waggled his eyebrows. Bondage sighed and shoved himself out of the huge wolf's arms to land heavily on his rear with a wince, and then Cherry grabbed him and hauled him to his feet, looking over at Zerrex as she said cheerily: "So when's Silverfish and Ghost gonna show up? They're still alive, right? Tinny, get your ass over here, Legion reunion!"

Tinman glanced up from where he was talking with Little Arcy, and then he sighed and walked over, looking somewhat nervous as he rubbed the back of his head slowly. Zerrex rolled his eyes, looking over at Sin, and she shrugged a bit before saying as if nothing had happened: "If you want information on the Hez'Rannan religions, the best place to go is the Sisters... and I know you studied much of it already, since you're fond of staying at their monastery."

"It's a beautiful place." Zerrex said softly, ignoring the chatter between Cherry and the others - or rather, ignoring Cherry yelling and catcalling as Vampire howled and Bondage and Tinman tried to edge away from them. "Plus, you know, it's quiet."

"Like you ever like quiet." said a soft voice, and Zerrex smiled slightly as four arms encircled him, Cypress hugging him tightly from behind before she looked over at Sin with warm eyes. "I made something special for you two... let's go over to the food table and see if you enjoy it."

They looked at each other, but then Cypress smoothly moved between them and took a hand of either one, leading them past where Hans and Huck were chatting, the male helping himself to a bottle of cider. He rose this as Zerrex walked past, and the Drakkaren threw a half-salute in return, before his eyes settled on a large cake that was decorated with a picture of himself and Sin standing together with a golden ring above their heads, and he glanced over at her before asking softly: "Did you realize it was our anniversary today?"

"I'd forgotten all about it." Sin said softly, gazing at him quietly as Cypress gently wrapped her arms around their shoulders and waists, and then the two looked at her as Sin added quietly: "And this is the best gift I could ever ask for, Lord Zerrex. To not only spend time with you... but to meet so many people and learn their stories, even if I somehow expected more people at this reunion."

"Zerrex still had friends that are alive. It's amazing, isn't it?" Cypress said amusedly, and then the three laughed before the Drakkaren stared as Cherry dived past them to land head-first in the cake, sliding over the table and knocking it over to send plates and dishes scattering before she stood up, cake covering her face and breasts and she shoved it greedily into her muzzle.

Most of the rest of the day Zerrex spent chasing Cherry around, throwing things at her as Huck stood with Vampire, the two holding bottles and sipping from them occasionally until they were finally joined by a bruised and battered-looking Cherry and Zerrex. Huck tossed them each a bottle, and then they stood, agreeing with each other occasionally and otherwise standing and drinking cider together.

People began to filter out by 'nightfall,' or rather when Hell became subtly darker: Little Arcy first, saying she had a meeting with Francis to attend, and then Bondage and Vampire, the latter grumbling about a disciplinary meeting. Then Tinman left, and one-by-one, the rest vanished as well, until finally Zerrex, Cherry, and Sin were left sitting at a table, Desire and Cypress cleaning up the rest of the mess around the area and insisting none of them did anything: Sin and Zerrex because it was supposed to be a special occasion, and Cherry because she'd just break whatever she touched.

Then Mary and Mercy came back, both of them looking happy and relaxed, and they sat down at the table as Mary looked curiously over at Zerrex and asked: "So how does immigration work from Heaven to Hell, or vice-versa?"

Zerrex looked surprised at this, immediately looking over at Sin... but she only shrugged, and the Drakkaren hesitated before he turned his eyes to Mary, saying softly: "I don't think anyone's ever asked that before. Well... I'm sure someone has, but... you know, it's been so long since Heaven and Hell have been at peace, and we just finished laying down trade laws... ten thousand, twenty thousand years ago?"

"It was just before you left." Sin answered, then she paused and looked at Mary, adding quietly: "Although angels and demons can live in each other's plane... Miss Mary, I have to advise you that if you stayed in Hell over a long-term period, it would almost certainly have a very negative effect on you. After all, the original demons were all angels at first, that were warped by Hell's corruption."

"I don't care." Mary answered simply, and she looked quietly up at Zerrex, saying in a softer voice: "Or rather... I don't care what happens to my body as long as I keep my mind, because I don't trust Zerrex to remember to visit me every now and then if I'm way up in Heaven, and he's in Hell or worse, the mortal plane. I want to be a part of your life, Zerrex, and... you never failed me. I don't want you dropping into despair... because I've seen you dark, and I've seen just how deep depression can drag you."

Zerrex shifted awkwardly, and then Cherry cleared her throat before she mumbled: "I uh. I. I think the chick's right. Besides, um. Like. How many souls were displaced during the Wars? Reapers from both sides were gathering all kinds of souls and dragging them up and down while they were floating through that crazy limbo shit or whatever happens to them. And only Reapers can enter that white space unless you got yourself some high-quality magic, so... I think it's time people were able to decide for themselves. I ain't saying everyone deserves to go to Heaven or Hell... just that chicks like this who know what the fuck they're doing, they... they uh... they deserve that chance."

Mary looked at Cherry for a few moments, then she reached out a hand and gently touched the back of hers, saying softly: "Thank you."

Cherry shifted uncomfortably, then she lowered her head and whispered: "No problem, babe. And... and I'm real sorry... for everything that happened and me giving Lone the gun and... being the instrument of your death, pretty much. I don't know if you can be as kind as the Boss on this one, after all, so I won't hold it against you if like, you know, you keep holdin' this against me... so like... yeah."

She stopped, then dropped her head against the table with a loud thump, and Mary gently patted her on the shoulder as Mercy looked around at the group. Zerrex looked at her, feeling her draw his attention as clearly as if she had just called for it, and he smiled a bit as she made a few basic signs at him, the reptile nodding and saying softly: "Sure, go right ahead and show us. You know you never have to ask, though... I love watching you do your tricks. It's goddamn amazing."

Mercy looked faintly amused at this, and Zerrex cleared his throat, saying apologetically: "I know they're not just base tricks, I'm sorry. It slipped out, it's... been a long day, you dig?" He paused as Mercy nodded, gazing at him softly, and then he huffed and crossed his arms. "Hey, don't gimme that look, I don't need your sympathy, I'm... ugh, you make me feel like... like a muffin."

The female laughed in her odd way, shaking her head back and forth and smiling warmly, the stitching over her mouth stretching slightly before she closed her eyes, took a deep breath, then threw her arms up, and a flock of white birds flew into the sky. Zerrex watched this with admiration, and then a sleepy pseudodragon poked his head up from under a table nearby, caught sight of these, and immediately leapt into the air, his now-strong wings propelling him upwards before he squeaked as they burst into an electrical net, and Mercy's eyes widened before lightning coursed over Sammy's body, making him shriek in pain before he toppled from the air in a smoking comet.

Zerrex immediately leapt out of his chair and dived for him, but he didn't make it, landing on his stomach with his arms stretched out, fingers just scratching Sammy's wing as he slammed into the ground with a loud, ugly crunch. The Drakkaren winced, crawling quickly forwards and reaching out, and then he halted, taking a long, slow breath and instead of picking him up, quietly feeling for a pulse with one hand as he gently patted along his spine with the other, making sure it was safe to pick him up before he carefully did so, sitting back and cradling him to his chest.

Tears fell from Mercy's eyes as she covered her muzzle in horror, and then she turned away, vanishing through a portal that slammed shut behind her as Sin reached out a hand, before she winced and made her way over to Zerrex. Cherry and Mary were already there, clustered around him... and Sin knelt down, looking quietly at the charred dragon as it whimpered weakly and twitched before giving a terrible gurgle, Zerrex whispering: "He's dying. He's dying, and I can't stop it. Healing spells can regenerate him, but the electricity's still inside him, I can feel it, and yet I can't draw it out... Sin, can you constantly regenerate him? I know it's selfish, but-"

"It won't work... I'm sorry, Zerrex." Sin said quietly, gently touching his shoulder, and Zerrex looked up at her with eyes that were childish and anxious. She gazed at him with both tenderness and sorrow, and then she shook her head slowly as she looked down at the pseudodragon, asking calmly: "How much does he mean to you?"

"A lot, Sin. It was a gift from Desire... a companion animal, a... an intelligent life. And if he dies, Mercy..." Zerrex shook his head slowly, banishing those thoughts before he looked over his shoulder at Cherry, ordering in a drier voice: "Cherry, track and retrieve Mercy. Desire, please go with her... do not treat her as hostile, do not engage her even if she panics, understood?"

"Sir." Cherry said crisply, and she looked over at the golden-scaled demoness, who nodded after a moment, trembling a bit: whether in fear or something else, Zerrex couldn't tell. Then Cherry created a portal and stepped through it, and Desire followed quickly, tossing one last look back at Zerrex as she winced. I'm sorry, Desire, but... someone has to be there to watch Cherry.

"What can I do?" asked Mary quietly, and Zerrex looked at her for a moment before he shook his head quietly, and then she grasped his arm, saying gently but firmly: "Let me help, Boss. Healing happens to be my specialty... I can at least keep him alive a bit longer and forestall..."

"If Mary can keep him alive, Lord Zerrex, we can perform a life transfer between you and him." Sin said quietly, and Zerrex looked up at her with a frown, tilting his head as he felt a faint ray of hope shine through. "You and he are already bound and connected... a creature like this isn't just a pet, after all, but almost the equivalent of a familiar to a spellcaster. If we transfer energy and life force between you two, it will connect you and your pseudodragon even firmer... even if, to be honest... part of me sees this only as things that must happen sooner or later."

"I understand, Sin... but... I can't help what I feel. A big tough demon Incarnate like me..." Zerrex smiled a bit, quietly stroking Sammy's back as he whimpered and Mary held her hands over the dragonlet's back, her hands glowing a faint white. "But if I let him die, even if his life is insignificant, even if we just look at him as a beast... Sin, if I let him die, I let Desire's gift die. I turn away from my beliefs. And this was just an accident... and we all deserve a second chance when we screw up chasing after something, whether it's food or a dream. Besides, you know yourself... he's not just a beast. He's almost like a child."

Sin nodded... then suddenly, she pushed Mary away, the feline falling on her back with a grunt as the Naganatine grasped Zerrex's head and Sammy's, and the Drakkaren's eyes bulged in pain before electricity shot over his body, the reptile's back arching as his hands helplessly fell to his sides, gargling a bit as Sammy squealed and flailed, Sin's glammer fading as her body glowed a terrible, dark green for a moment... and then suddenly it was over, the last few bolts of electricity fading around Zerrex's form as he fell backwards with a groan, a bit of blood leaking from his nose as Sammy twitched on his lap, lighting arcing around his neck before he shook his head and stood up on wobbly legs.

The Naganatine stepped quietly back, then reached down and helped Mary to her feet, the angel staring at her as her glammer slowly came back into play before the angel quickly knelt beside Zerrex, shaking his shoulders gently. Zerrex groaned after a moment, then he cursed and quietly sat up, his head ringing as he muttered: "What just happened?"

"I transferred the electricity and some of the pseudodragon's energies into your body... just as I put your life force and energies into his." Sin said quietly, knitting her fingers together. "I'm sorry for the suddenness of it, but it works better that way. No hesitations, no regrets." She paused as Sammy looked up wearily at her and chirped quietly, and then she smiled faintly. "You'll have to be careful now, though, Lord Zerrex... the link between you two is strong, and a double-edged sword. If any knowledgeable mage ever wanted to hurt you, all he'd need to do would be to capture that little dragon. I can only hope the positives outweigh the negatives."

She stopped, then quietly bowed before turning away and vanishing through a portal, and Zerrex held a hand out after her before he dropped it with a sigh, and then he smiled faintly as Sammy crawled up onto his shoulder, looking around at Mary and Cypress as he said mildly: "Enough drama for tonight now, huh? Let's find Mercy and... make sure she's okay."

Cherry and Desire had failed to find Mercy, and when Zerrex went looking for her, he found nothing. A week passed, and Zerrex sent out other members of his family as he brooded in the Estate, walking slowly back and forth with the dragon perched on his shoulder, now fully-grown. He had a large crown of four regal horns on his head, and a small row of spikes down his back... and his long tail had sprouted eight conical spikes at the end of it, and he was able to do surprising damage with this. His claws had also lengthened, and his body was simply thicker and stronger than it had been before, his eyes bright with intelligence as he communicated not just with squeaks and growls anymore, but by looking at Zerrex and sending him mental images when their eyes met.

Two weeks passed, and there was still no sign of Mercy anywhere, and Zerrex had begun looking for her himself between aiding Lily and Selena with business at the Central Spire, the Drakkaren admittedly a bit more moody than usual. He thought that because Mercy was one of his 'misfit kids,' he was more protective of her than the others... but he also just truly cared for her, and had a special soft spot for her because of the mental torments she faced day in and day out from other demons. He knew what it was like to hate yourself... and he wanted to make her realize her value as soon as he could. After all, in a way she had done him a favor... now he and Sammy were closer than ever, and the pseudodragon had shown off several very powerful traits and learned to not only share mental conversations with Zerrex, but also transmit him images of whatever he was seeing at the time, even if it only worked for short periods of time and the pseudodragon needed a period of rest afterwards.

Three weeks after the reunion, Zerrex started double-checking the portal logs: his worry wasn't that Mercy had gone to Heaven, however, but that she had used one of the few portals set up around Hell that led to the mortal plane. He also knew that the easiest way there was through smugglers who had set up their own portal devices or simply hired powerful mages to cast spells used for dimensional travel... and the Drakkaren knew there was simply no way of knowing for sure. He knew that by now, they should have been able to find a trace of her somewhere in Hell, even if it was enormous... and he also knew that a demoness like Mercy would quickly be picked up in Heaven, and someone would let him know they had found his daughter.

He did know at least, that she wasn't dead... Sin would have felt that. But she was a bit distant these days, although he knew it was only because she was wrestling with the difference between demonic and mortal emotions. She still showed up when she called him, but she seemed... humbled and embarrassed when she was around him.

Zerrex sighed softly as he looked down, rubbing at his head quietly before he started to pace slowly back and forth again in his room, Sammy sitting on the bed nearby and watching him quietly. Then the Drakkaren stopped, putting his hands against the wall, before the little dragon growled softly, and the reptile turned around and said grouchily: "I know it doesn't help, but it takes my mind off things, okay? And goddammit..." The reptile winced, reaching down to rub his right leg slowly as it sent a tinge of pain through his body. "I can never get away from this, can I? Then again, everything bad seems to happen to this leg... maybe I'm just a misfit myself though, right?"

Sammy snorted, then he stood up on his hind legs and crossed his front limbs, looking back at Zerrex moodily. The Drakkaren rolled his eyes, and then he sighed and rested back against the wall, slowly sliding down it to a sitting position as he said flatly: "Okay. I know. Relax and all that nonsense. But if Mercy's on the mortal plane... well... that wrecks my chances of finding her. I'm scared what she's gonna do, Sammy... scared for her, not of her, I wanna make that clear. And I know that because of her appearance, a lot of mortals would find her way more terrifying than a demon... the whole sewn-mouth thing really upsets people up there."

The pseudodragon tilted his head curiously, and then a question mark popped up in Zerrex's head, and the reptile smiled a bit as he said quietly: "When she was born and it was found she couldn't speak, they sewed her mouth shut, as is apparently the custom. Down here, they make the disability blatantly obvious... I think more to ostracize them further than to actually help them out in some way, though. It... it was hard for her, and it can't be removed except by someone with a lot of talent in binding rituals, like Sin maybe... but it grows with her and it doesn't let her do more than make facial expressions. I've... I've never seen her teeth." Zerrex looked away for a moment, and then he looked back at the pseudodragon with a faint smile. "Weird, the things that really strike you, ain't it?"

Sammy nodded, then they both looked up as a portal appeared and Sin stepped through. She looked down at Zerrex for a few moments, and then she said softly: "I think we both need to get some stress out, Lord Zerrex... how would you feel about a sparring session? I know you're usually the one to ask me, often when you're frustrated... but... today... I would like to ask you, if that's alright. Just you and me..." She smiled a bit as the pseudodragon, adding quietly: "I know we can get a bit rough, after all."

Zerrex hesitated for a moment, then he stood up and nodded before walking over and hugging her tightly. Sin blushed, then she hugged him quietly back, and her body went from lukewarm to hot against him as her claws dug lightly into his bare back: as always, Zerrex was wearing only a pair of heavy black pants and his combat boots, while she was in her usual long dress. They held onto each other for a few long moments, and then the reptile finally stepped back, Sin's hands dragging over his body as she whispered: "I envy you so much some days, Lord Zerrex... a demon's power, yet a mortal's soul..."

"Yeah, well it confuses the hell out of me, so if you wanna trade, we can go right ahead and do that." Zerrex said mildly, and Sin smiled warmly, gazing at him with quiet entertainment and that look in her eyes she always had when she knew he probably wasn't serious; the reptile loathed change, after all. "Anyway, where do you wanna spar? The arena?"

"I was thinking the Great Fields in the Southern Province." the Naganatine replied gently, and then she created a portal, smiling a bit. "Privacy and safety... and don't worry, Sammy, I promise not to injure him too much. If you would, Lord Zerrex..."

"Of course." The Drakkaren nodded before he tossed a wave to Sammy, then he stepped through the portal, and Sin followed before it closed. They entered into a massive field with knee-high grasses swaying back and forth as if in the wind, but there was no wind to speak of... and the reptile looked down at the rustling grass before he turned his eyes to Sin, everything for miles around dirty green with ugly brown trees here and there. "So why this location, Sin?"

"I wanted to be away from everyone... I don't want them to see us when we actually put effort into our battle." Sin replied quietly, then she turned towards him with a faint smile, saying softly: "If you get the chance to hurt me, then hurt me, Lord Zerrex... and I promise to do the same to you. No killing, no summoning, but let's be serious. I know that you've always wanted to fight me on a more serious level... I know that before during sparring we always held back. But like you say, fighting someone lets you truly understand them... allows you to truly get to know them. So perhaps if we truly battle it out until one of us is defeated... then maybe we can really get to know each other and... understand one-another."

"I think we already do, Sin..." Zerrex paused, then he smiled a bit as he nodded nonetheless, saying quietly: "But it sounds good to me... except are we really going to fight at full strength?"

Sin looked at him for a few moments, and then she smiled a bit, stepping away and holding up a hand in a ready position as she said quietly: "Lord Zerrex, I could never bear to truly hurt you... so why don't you stop pointing out the flaws in my argument and just do what you do best?"

"Bring it on then, Sin." Zerrex responded softly but firmly, and he set himself in a ready stance as Sin half-bowed towards him before she straightened, raising her own hands in front of herself. Slowly, she rolled her shoulders, breathing softly as Zerrex flexed his right arm, the scales falling away as rock and metal pushed up, the cracks in the terrible, warped limb pulsing with bright blue light. They both looked at each other, excitement in their eyes as they gazed at each other with looks that were almost electric... and then Sin shoved her hands forwards, shouting an incantation as Zerrex leapt high into the air and dived forwards her.

A beam of terrible red flame shot forwards, narrowly missing the Drakkaren's feet before Sin snapped it upwards, but the reptile rolled his body to the side in midair, landing in a low crouch with a grunt, right arm held out before he snapped it forwards, and a thick spike of dark metal shot off the twisted limb towards her. Sin's eyes widened as the beam of fire vanished, and she snapped a hand down with lightning speed, catching the spike as her hand glowed purple, and the twisted shard of metal turned to dust before she lunged forwards to meet Zerrex as he leapt at her.

She slashed down with her glowing hand, leaving glowing purple and black motes in the wake of the swing, but the reptile dodged it easily before he performed a full splits as she shoved her other hand forwards with an incantation recited so quickly that the reptile could barely follow it, and a blast of steam issued out above his head from her hand in a short beam. He winced at the sheer heat he felt emanating from it, and then he slammed both hands down into the ground with a snarl, and the earth cracked around them before Sin was hurled backwards as the field shook and collapsed even as the ground around the reptile shot higher into the air, leaving the Drakkaren standing on a tower of earth as Sin picked herself up and brushed herself off, standing some forty feet below.

Zerrex grinned... and then Sin punched the pillar, and it rumbled, the reptile trying to maintain his balance for a moment before it exploded upwards like a rocket, the reptile snarling as he felt himself buffeted by sharp rocks as his body spun out of control before he managed to twist himself and kick off a particularly-large stone to flip through the air and land at the edge of the crater, before he snarled as he felt something heavy smash into his back, staggering and spinning around before his eyes widened as he saw the rocks that had been blown into the air shooting down towards him.

Rock after rock smashed into the reptile as he covered his face with his arms, piling up on top of the reptile as Sin's hands glowed, and she hesitated a moment as the last few large stones fell into place, leaving Zerrex covered completely in a pile of heavy rock. She wondered for a moment if she had gone overboard, as a few pebbles rolled down and everything else remained silent... and then the pile of rocks exploded, and Sin staggered backwards, creating a translucent magical barrier as Zerrex stood at the lip of the crater with a grin, his body flexed and his angelic wings extended fully, shouting: "Is that the best you've got?"

Sin smiled coldly, her eyes flashing violet before she rose her arms above her head, her dress billowing around her as Zerrex's instincts yelled at him, and the Drakkaren leapt high into the air a moment before the ground where he had been standing collapsed and metal spikes shot up throughout the field. He flapped his wings firmly to hover, then created a sphere of energy and threw this hard at Sin as she pointed at him, purple chains beginning to appear over his wings.

The sphere of blue energy hammered into her and exploded, and Sin snarled as she was thrown backwards before she elegantly flipped her body, dress billowing out around her before she landed on her feet, her vision obscured by a crowd of dust and debris left behind by the blast. She looked back and forth... and then her eyes widened as two more spheres shot towards her out of the dust cloud, but this time she rose a hand in front of herself as the runes for another incantation shot through her mind, and a magical barrier flickered into being, the spheres exploding uselessly against the purple wall.

She dropped it, then looked skywards, before she made a face at the sound of dirt and rock being crunched underfoot, and she flicked a wrist, a massive wall of fire bursting out of the ground in front of her and quickly spiraling outwards around her, Zerrex cursing as he covered himself with his wings as he shot through the orange-yellow firewall before slapping both his wings out, Sin staggering out of the way, her eyes widening as she was trapped inside her own barrier before Zerrex grabbed her, squeezing painfully into her shoulders as he rammed her backwards until he struck a wall.

Sin winced as she was crushed back into the rock, before her eyes flashed violet as Zerrex drew a fist back, and the reptile was launched high into the air by a powerful telekinetic blast, flipping a few times stupidly as his head rang with pain before he straightened his wings out and flapped them firmly, gaining a bit of altitude and letting himself fall into a steep glide. Sin, meanwhile, had pried herself free of the rock wall and leapt neatly up out of the crater, watching Zerrex flight as she held her hands out to either side before she snapped both hands upwards suddenly as he twisted in a dive towards her, and a cube with silvery walls snapped shut around the Drakkaren, the reptile looking stupefied before he simply plummeted straight down out of the air to hit the ground below, bouncing back and forth along the walls of the cube painfully. "Goddammit!"

He made a face as he stood up, feeling disoriented, and then he stepped towards the nearest wall and punched it as hard as he could, knocking it flying out of place. He let out a sigh of relief as he staggered out and back onto solid earth, and then the cube behind him simply exploded, huge chunks of shrapnel striking into his back and shattering his angelic wings as he flew bonelessly through the air to crash down some thirty feet away, rolling a few times until his smoking body finally came to a halt.

He groaned in pain, rubbing slowly at his head before he forced himself up to all fours, vertigo tearing at his senses as he staggered up to his feet, and some part of his mind whispered a warning to him... but Zerrex ignored it for a moment, letting that whisper grow to a scream before he threw a hard, simple elbow backwards, and it struck Sin squarely in the face, causing her glammer to flash as she staggered sideways with a grunt, her hands losing their strange glow before the reptile stepped forwards with a roar as his warped hand became a hammer, and he smashed her hard under the chin with it, sending the Naganatine flying high into the air before Zerrex simply created a wall of energy above her head, and it shattered as she flew through it, howling in pain as the wall became deadly shards of energy that ripped at her as she passed through it.

Sin's body lazily arched, and then she fell through the air before she landed heavily not on the ground, but instead a round, floating platform of silvery metal that appeared beneath her, the Naganatine sitting up on this with a brisk shake of her head before she winced as she grasped at her side, where she was bleeding heavily. Zerrex looked up at her, hesitating a moment, and then she smiled a bit, saying quietly: "We haven't even begun yet, Lord Zerrex. Besides, you're already a bit scraped up yourself."

Zerrex grinned a bit as his horns pushed slowly out of his head, cracking his neck as he flexed his warped arm, the limb slowly becoming a wicked claw instead of a heavy hammer once more. "Nothin' more than I get on the average day. Stop stalling for time, Sin, and just do whatever you're going to do."

Sin shook her head slowly, a slight smile on her face as she gazed down at Zerrex... and then she closed her eyes, dropping to one knee as runes glowed in a circle around her on the platform, before she stood up and rose her arms, her face etched in concentration. The ground beneath the Drakkaren quaked as he cursed, gritting his teeth as he looked back and forth, his emerald eyes flashing as he felt the energy in the air... before the earth began to crack apart and hump up as massive towers of crystal rose slowly into the air all around him, and the reptile snarled before he ran towards the nearest with a flat top, jumping up onto the plateau it offered for a few moments before another tower of crystal shot out of the ground nearby, rupturing and merging with it at the same time to cause it to distort as Zerrex leapt towards another tower, skidding over the rounded top and cursing as he slipped and his back smashed painfully down into it, falling forwards and creating a platform of energy beneath him to save himself from falling towards ground which had become crystal and littered with sharp daggers and razors of gemstone shard.

Zerrex leapt away from his platform as the towers grew and grew and one of them half-collapsed, passing through where the platform had been a moment ago as the Drakkaren landed neatly on an outcropping in one of the twisted towers, feeling it rumbling as it rose ever higher, the green, pink, and blue colored crystals continuing to twist towards the sky before several of the towers collapsed inwards, narrowly missing Sin's platform as they fell and struck other towers, then melded together to form crossbars and supports. The reptile made a face as he leapt up onto one of these, the gemstone towers still growing higher, perhaps sixty feet tall now and all of them growing in a circle, forming a gemstone cage around them and many of them twisting and warping to become a domed rooftop over their head... before Zerrex leapt in towards Sin as a blade sprung from his warped wrist, then he cursed as he struck a forcefield that knocked him flying.

He winced as he flew through the air, arms pinwheeling before he squeaked instead of grunted as he landed against a crystalline pillar that cut viciously into his back, but he managed to get his feet braced against it and bring one hand back to hang off a tear in the edge of it. He cursed as it trembled, the crystal continuing to grow and warp around him... and then he grinned as he launched himself forwards towards Sin in another desperate attack, bringing back his left arm as he struck the forcefield again, and this time it glowed blue as he struck into it, and energy sizzled around and over his body before the reptile slammed his warped arm forwards, and the blade tore through the shield around Sin and cut into her shoulder, causing her to stagger and disrupting her concentration.

The growth of the crystal halted, Sin staring at Zerrex as the forcefield vanished and he fell to his knees on the platform, and the two looked at each other for a moment before Zerrex lunged as Sin brought a hand back, a fireball appearing in it. She was struck hard in a full bodycheck just as she managed to cock it back to throw, and she howled in pain as she flew through the air, crashing against a crystalline wall before Zerrex followed up with a sphere of energy, and Sin threw the fireball weakly from where she was pinned, wincing before the two orbs struck each other in midair and went up in a massive explosion that knocked the plate Zerrex was standing on from the sky and sent Sin ripping through the crystalline walls.

The reptile fell heavily towards the ground, then he cursed as he spun onto his stomach and threw his legs and arms out as if to catch himself against something, and a floor of energy appeared beneath him just above the floor littered with deadly shards of crystal, Zerrex letting out a sigh of relief before staring as the metal plate slammed into the earth only inches away, side slicing into the ground like a blade before it deteriorated. The reptile carefully stood up, rubbing at his head slowly as he looked at the hole he'd made in the wall... and then he stared as the entire crystalline prison rumbled before it began to collapse in on himself, and he snarled as he looked up at the hole and then down at his position, hesitating...

Outside, Sin had both her hands pressed against the wall, her dress in tatters and her violet eyes glowing as she looked up at the hole, waiting for Zerrex to emerge. She made a face as he failed to after a few moments, and so she increased the tremors running through the crystal, the structure beginning to collapse inwards as she watched the hole like a hawk, knowing it was the only way Zerrex could make it out... and then she began to breathe a bit harder, feeling a faint thrill of fear running through her body as the immense crystalline cage began to collapse in earnest, and she ran quickly backwards, watching it implode and nothing, no sign of Zerrex from the hole before the crystalline walls gave out entirely, and a great cloud of dust washed over her, seconds turning into minutes as it finally began to settle and she was left staring at a fallen ruin of crystal, covering her mouth as she asked weakly: "Lord... Lord Zerrex?"

She walked towards the structure, stepping onto smooth and cracked crystal pillars, moving with such grace that even the sharpest of gems didn't cut into her feet as she dug through the wreckage a bit, looking for any sign of the Drakkaren... and she let out a moan as she failed to find anything near the top, closing her eyes and concentrating as she pushed her hands down against the closest pillar, searching for any sort of life beneath the crystal... and when she caught not even a flicker, she snarled and slammed both fists down onto it, and it shattered like wood, chips of crystal flying in all directions before she threw her head back and yelled: "Zerrex!"

"Right here." called a voice mildly, and Sin looked over her shoulder, eyes wide with surprise as she stared at the Drakkaren, his hands in his pockets and an amiable look on his face. She gaped stupidly, and the reptile shrugged, saying pleasantly: "Sorry to make you worry, just took me a little longer to escape than I thought it would... travelling underground is harder than I thought."

"Impossible." Sin said dumbly, then she stood up, ran down the pile of crystal, and threw herself at Zerrex, hugging him tightly around the neck. The reptile laughed and hugged her back, and she gazed at him quietly for a few moments before blushing deep red. "I'm so sorry for losing my composure like that, Lord Zerrex... but I was more worried about you than I can say. I thought you'd escape out that hole..."

"Well, yeah, that's the obvious thing to do." Zerrex flexed his warped arm as he squeezed her gently around the waist with his flesh-and-blood one, smiling slightly. "And I knew you'd have that covered. And I know that I can't blast through crystal without time to prepare for it, and since it was coming down, another hole might have triggered a complete collapse... and I could see the floor was crystallized, but I guessed there was rock beneath it. Since my specialty was earth, I was able to collapse the ground below and some of the crystal went with it, and then it was just a matter of tunneling to the surface, which was... a lot harder than it sounds."

"I thought I'd killed you." Sin stepped away, looking at him quietly for a few moments before she said hesitantly: "Maybe this isn't such a good idea... us going at this so hard..."

"A little while longer, Sin... just a little while longer. I'm feeling a lot more relaxed now." Zerrex replied quietly, and Sin looked at him for a few moments before she finally nodded, and she held out her hand. Zerrex took it, and they smiled at each other before Sin rose her other hand... and the reptile gaped as a massive pillar of crystal floated into the air behind her, trying to pull away but caught in Sin's iron grip as her eyes flashed with mischief: "Hey, totally not-"

The giant pillar floated forwards and snapped out like a baseball bat as Sin let go of his hand, and Zerrex was slapped some hundred feet away across the field, landing with his jaws gaping stupidly and a bit of drool and blood leaking out of them, stunned as reality flickered in and out. He shook his head after a moment with a groan, sitting up woozily, and then he winced at the large gash in his chest, rubbing slowly at it before staring as the same pillar shot through the air like a missile towards him.

The reptile leapt out of the way, going into a roll that took him out of its path as it smashed down top-first into the ground and cracked in half, chunks of crystal raining down in all directions as it crashed to the field. Zerrex made a face at this, and then he cursed as several large fireballs arced through the air like mortals, his warped arm becoming a large, domed shield as he held it up over his head, realizing this was the perfect distance for Sin, especially in a place where she could see so clearly.

The latter gave him an idea, as one of the magical mortars exploded nearby, the flames charring his shield lightly but the sound of the blast far more irritating. He ran forwards a bit as another mortar flew through the air, then he ducked and slammed a hand into the ground, concentrating for a few moments... and then grinning when the earth shook and several large mounds of rock and dirt rose up, the field looking like it had been taken over by giant moles after a few moments and effectively barring Sin's view of him.

He knew it wouldn't hold for long, as he ran forwards with his shield-arm over his head to the first hill, resting against it as his arm returned to its normal warped claw. Sin knew almost every spell in Hell, and even if she felt hesitant to use the big guns against him, she could still pick him off at a distance with ease. And barring her sight would only work for so long: she would either destroy the hills or use another spell to improve her chances of hitting him.

The reptile made a face as he ran quickly around the mound, and then he stared as he saw Sin standing and waiting some thirty feet away with a large chunk of ice floating in the air in front of her. She smiled at him, and Zerrex gritted his teeth before the huge rock of ice shot at his head, and the reptile stepped forwards with a grunt and slammed his warped fist into it, shattering it and then cursing when it released a great blast of fog.

Sin swung her hand forwards with another incantation, and the fog became electrified, Zerrex yelping and cursing and shouting all manner of vulgarities as the electricity sizzled over his body, before he dropped to all fours and concentrated, and the bluish lighting surged over his body as the fog slowly vanished, the reptile using his abilities to ground himself and force the electricity to painlessly - well, almost - drain away into the earth and dissipate. He stood up after a moment, gritting his teeth as he looked across at Sin, who was standing ready... and then he charged forwards, but Sin swung out a hard punch that caught him in the face, and Zerrex's feet continued to try running forwards as he head snapped back before he fell heavily onto his back.

He gargled dumbly on the ground, and then Sin reached down as her hand glowed purple and black, seizing his warped arm, and Zerrex cursed, gritting his teeth in pain as purple chains appeared over the arm, binding it from morphing before her hand slowly began to eat away at his bicep, chunks of metal and rock falling down before the Drakkaren hefted a boot up and slammed it into her gut, knocking her flying away with a surprised squawk of pain. The lizard kicked up to his feet as the Naganatine clutched her gut with a wince, breathing hard, and then Zerrex grasped his twisted arm as bits of it continued to fall off, one of his fingers snapping away like a twig and turning into ash before it hit the ground as he rasped: "No fair."

"You wanted it all-out." Sin replied faintly, and then Zerrex clenched his eyes shut, falling to his knees as his arm gave a terrible scream before twisting and falling off at the shoulder, Zerrex grasping the blackened joint where his arm had once been as she got to her feet, saying quietly: "It's over, Lord Zerrex... you can't fight anymore."

Zerrex didn't reply, looking at the ground... and then his eyes snapped up with a brutal grin as he shot his left arm out, and a beam of blue energy blasted into Sin, knocking her flying backwards through the air as the reptile kept pumping more power forwards, the beam of energy tearing apart the center of her dress and gouging into her stomach as he shouted: "Don't get cocky yet, Sin!"

Sin grimaced, her eyes bulging before she shoved her hands into the beam of energy, and suddenly the blue turned to green before it exploded into what could only be described as life, turning into vibrant ivy that wrapped harmlessly around Sin's body before the whole beam of energy morphed, and the ivy curled around Zerrex's hand and up his arm as his energy was greedily consumed and became organic, the reptile staggering backwards as Sin fell through the air, her own hands caught in the green stuff before she stared in shock as Zerrex coughed and his eyes bulged as ivy shot up out of his maw, the green stuff almost completely covering the Drakkaren's left side, tendrils of it twisting over the Drakkaren's scale and growing from his wounds and out of his jaws as he gagged and staggered stupidly back and forth.

The Naganatine immediately herself free from the ivy with a few hard movements, then she rushed over to Zerrex as he fell on his rear, giving garbled mumbles through the cluster of organic growing out of his jaws. She gently grasped one of these vines, then plucked it loose, and Zerrex winced in pain but nodded rapidly as she looked at him with a grimace, and she tore the other vines free, tossing them away as Zerrex retched and spat out a few leaves, bobbing his head convulsively until he finally coughed out a large brown spore. He looked at this dumbly, then he glared up at her, and Sin held up her hands. "All I did was combine your energy with a different source of energy... how was I supposed to know we'd get the one-in-a-million chance where we created life?"

"Oh, great, so it was life growing out of my mouth, ain't that wonderful?" Zerrex said dryly, then he flailed uselessly against the thick vines intertwining him. "Ugh, cut me free. And be nice about it because you cut off my freaking arm so I can't freaking free myself unless I breathe fire or something."

"Yes, Lord Zerrex." Sin sighed, rolling her eyes as he flailed bad-naturedly against the vines, and she carefully tore his arm free from the thick vines wrapped around it before smiling a bit as the reptile calmed down, looking pouty still but in a better mood as he was able to help her tear off the rest. Then Sin picked up one of the vines, and she glanced over at him, saying hesitantly: "You know, I wouldn't mind examining a sample of this..."

"Go ahead." Zerrex said tiredly, and then he winced as his left shoulder bulged before dark rock and metal slowly began to grow out of it, twisting itself back and forth into the thin shape of a stick-like limb. His hand was only a ball at the moment, but the reptile could feel it returning bit-by-bit towards normal, as he looked over at her as she played awkwardly with the vine in her hands. "I'm sorry I was short with you, Sin."

"No, you're right, it was my fault... don't worry about it, Lord Zerrex." Sin paused, then she said softly: "Besides, this... this is truly fascinating. It means that your energy has the potential to create organic life... and yet most of the time your energy is used for offensive purposes."

"Yet it can pass through certain objects and sometimes people without harming them, too." Zerrex pointed out, and he touched the vine, before wincing as it wiggled, and he leapt away as he pointed at it with the twig-like fingers his hand had finally spouted. "Dude, it wants to eat me."

"It doesn't want to eat you. It wasn't harming you at all when it had you intertwined, after all." Sin said mildly, and Zerrex looked at her moodily before wincing as she held it out towards him with a smile. He twitched backwards, raising his arms in front of himself warily, and then she paused as she looked over him, at the bits of crystal and rock sticking out of the Drakkaren's body, how torn-up his pants were, and the burns here and there... not to mention the blood... on the reptile's already-scarred form. She made a face, then she said carefully: "Lord Zerrex... perhaps we should retire to somewhere where the healers won't ask questions... or better yet, to a quiet place where we can relax and restore our energies. You... look a bit thrashed, is that the mortal term?"

"Yeah, from like. Years ago. You're so not hip." Zerrex said mildly, and Sin sighed, looking at him flatly before the Drakkaren looked slowly over her, at how her dress had become a torn top that showed most of one small breast and a low-riding skirt that was barely caught on her hips, the bottom of it charred and burnt. Admittedly, Zerrex thought the clothes looked kind of cool... but she also had all manner of burns, splinters, and bloody rips through her body, particularly in the shoulder and the side, which had an ugly black bruise all around a deep, charred gouge. "But uh. You ain't so pretty yourself right now. You should totally keep the dress that way, though."

"I don't enjoy showing off my midsection." Sin replied quietly, as she touched her stomach and gave him a sour look, and Zerrex sighed before she created a portal, suggesting softly: "How about we go to the Springs of Kal'Eth?"

"Good call." Zerrex nodded with a slight smile, and then he followed Sin through the portal to step out into the inside of a mountain in the Northern Province, the rock all around them purple and the chamber they entered fairly small. Light shone down from a large hole in the ceiling, causing a large pool to twinkle like the night sky back home, full of stars... and Zerrex looked at this softly for a few moments, watching steam roll over the surface of the water as Sin slipped out of the remains of her dress and carefully wrapped the organic vines in it, putting it aside as she smiled a bit over at the male.

The Drakkaren slowly stretched before he carefully pushed his pants down, watching as Sin stepped over the rocky edge and into the pool, letting out a quiet gasp and then sighing in relief as she waded in until she was up to about her waist, and then she sat down on a natural, hidden bench of stone beneath the waters. Zerrex followed her in after a moment, rubbing at a shoulder as he felt a strange tingle float over his body from the surprising heat of the water and the energy running through it, as he gazed at the carved skull from which water flowed down into the pool from the far wall, looking at it for a few moments before Sin said softly: "Come. Sit by me, Lord Zerrex."

"Of course." Zerrex walked over to her, and Sin rested against him with a quiet smile as their wound slowly began to heal, their natural regeneration further accelerated by both the relaxing atmosphere and the energy content in the waters. These springs were a sacred place, after all, and few people ever managed to make the journey up to them... and Zerrex felt lucky he'd been privileged enough to get inside and permitted to use them whenever he wanted. They were one of the several secret caves hidden on the Great Northern Volcano, where it was said that a great and powerful god slumbered... but Sin had said sadly, it was only a myth, and that the reason the waters had a healing effect was because, long ago, Lucifer had tried to destroy an ancient artifact of the Old Gods by throwing it into this volcano... but instead, it had only melted partially and was trapped at the bottom of the volcano, still draining its powerful energies into the surrounding land. She had always told him that the god story at least kept people from diving into the volcano to search for the artifact... the real story was kept secret for many reasons.

But right now, Zerrex could only relax with Sin snuggling up against his side, his arm around her as the water twinkled radiantly from the many precious gemstones that littered the bottom and top of the cave. They flowed naturally every now and then from the mouth of the skull, born somewhere deep inside the volcano from the intense heat and pressure, and sometimes they would become dislodged from wherever they were before and travel the rivers that now populated the outside of the volcano's shell. As they sat, Zerrex absently reached down and picked one up, and he smiled at it: a sapphire the size of his fist, something that on the mortal plane could probably pay for his own mansion.

He dropped it back into the water after a few moments of admiring its beauty: he had no need for more money, after all, and he already had a collection of pretty stones back home and could get more whenever he wanted. He sighed in relaxation instead, as he and Sin sat together for minutes that passed into a half hour of peace and quiet, their wounds healed and their bodies rejuvenated from the long sparring session: they had both used up quite a bit of energy, after all, even if Zerrex had built his own stamina to enormous amounts over the ten million years he'd trained here with Sin.

Then they both paused as a portal opened and Sammy popped through, whining loudly... and a moment later, Cherry appeared, gasping and panting, looking wildly around before her eyes settled on Zerrex. She pointed at him, her jaws working stupidly, and the Drakkaren stared at her dumbly before Sin asked with a frown: "Lady Cherry, what's wrong? Is it something about Mercy?"

"How the hell did you get here?" Zerrex asked incredulously, and then he paused as he looked at Sammy, who was scrabbling at a collar around his neck, and he whistled sharply. The pseudodragon immediately looked up, cocking its head towards him, and then it scrambled forwards before hesitating at the water, whimpering a bit. The Drakkaren smiled slightly, beckoning two fingers at it, and the dragon grunted something before it carefully slid into the water, paddling through it and looking surprised at its own natural grace before it began to whine loudly again, and Zerrex reached out to pick it up with one hand as he snapped the collar off with the other, looking at the gemstone on it. "A tracking device."

"I knew he'd pop over to you if I uh. Asked him nicely enough." Cherry said dumbly, and Zerrex saw an image of the demoness charging at the dragon and roaring, the reptile glaring at her flatly. She only continued to look frazzled however, as she gripped her stomach and walked forwards, and then she said stupidly: "Boss uh. I'm pregnant."

"What?" Zerrex and Sin both gaped, and Cherry let out a stupid giggle before she fell back on her ass, grabbing her stomach and looking morbid. They exchanged a look, and then Zerrex remembered a time not too long ago when he had taken her in the shower... not to mention the countless times over the course of this month, but she'd need at least two weeks before she really knew, before... "Oh holy crap."

"That's what I said!" Cherry replied righteously, and then she cleared her throat as she sat back against the wall, saying dumbly: "I'm totally not ready for this. Not right now. Not no way. I mean, sure, we got like. Nine hundred and ninety-nine years and eleven months left before we go back up to the mortal plane, but like. Another kid. Another freaking kid and like... wow. Do you remember how badly I handled Priest?"

Zerrex knew she wasn't talking about raising him... she was talking about when she'd been pregnant with him. It had admittedly been a trial even for him, with Cherry chowing down on whatever foods she could find, pregnant to the point where her already ridiculous breasts had swollen to truly ludicrous sizes and her belly had been so big and made her so front-heavy she could barely waddle around. And that wasn't even getting into how crazy her sexual urges had become on top of everything, and how territorial, protective, and moody she had been, clinging to Zerrex one moment and then howling angrily at someone the next.

Of course, Priest had been a big boy, too, when he'd been delivered, although even through the pain, Cherry had spent most of the delivery cackling about how she'd already had plenty of practice at getting big things in and out of her little spaces. Zerrex had just been glad the Four Sisters had so readily agreed to take care of the delivery with Sin... even Lily would have likely been horrified by Cherry's behavior, especially since Lily had suffered quite a time in her deliveries.

Zerrex rubbed slowly at his head, not knowing what to say anymore, and then Cherry looked across at him, rubbing her wrist against her eyes before she asked meekly: "Boss is... is that okay? I know we didn't mean for it to happen but... well... I guess... I know that as demons of Lust, it's not just about the egg and the seed and that biological shit. You have to want to have a baby to make a baby, which is why there ain't so many half-demon mortals running around as you'd think there are from all the psycho raping Lust demons. I... I guess... I guess that means I really, really wanted another kid and..."

"Cherry, you were barren when we were alive... and I had like, ten working sperm in a million." Zerrex said quietly, and Sin murmured something about one in a hundred thousand, earning a sour look from him. "Or one in a hundred thousand, yes. And even with how much I pump out, that still ain't a lot. But now, we have the chance to have that family, and..." He looked down awkwardly, rubbing at his head slowly before he finally looked at her and said quietly: "I guess what I'm trying to say is that... yeah. I think I did want another kid with you, at least one more, because... well... I have so many children with my other wives and... you were always my... second love."

They were words that some people would probably find insulting instead of romantic... but to Cherry, who had always valued her position as his right hand, his second-in-command, the warrior under the Boss, it was probably the best thing he could have said to her, as she blushed deeply and smiled warmly across at him. She fidgeted awkwardly, and then she finally looked up at him, saying quietly: "Me and you, and our two sons. That'll be awesome."

"What makes you so sure that it'll be a boy? You know, other than the fact you're so full of testosterone." Zerrex said with quiet entertainment, and Cherry shrugged amiably, before the reptile said softly: "Plenty of room in here for you if you wanna join us."

Cherry shrugged awkwardly, blushing a bit, and then she finally nodded with a grunt and pulled off her top, tossing it aside before she kicked off her motorcycle boots and finally pulled down her pants, before she grinned brightly as she put her hands on her hips. "Look, no dick! I always wondered what'd happen to the poor kid if I suddenly turned male, though... then again, shapeshifting is a lot harder when you got a tumor in your belly."

"He's not a tumor." Zerrex said flatly, and then he cleared his throat as Sin smiled slightly. "I mean, she is not a tumor."

"Like you need any more daughters to fuck." Cherry said dryly, waving a hand dismissively, and Zerrex coughed as Sin laughed behind a hand, blushing a bit nonetheless. "Make it a dude, a big hot dude you can rape the ass out of while he puts his big old dick up my cunt and makes mommy squeal for joy.

"You're so twisted." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry laughed as she sat down on his other side with a grin, before she kissed him firmly before he could speak again. The reptile's eyes widened in surprise, and then they slipped closed as he threw his arm around her, squeezing both Cherry and Sin close before the former female reached down and squeezed his shaft firmly, the Drakkaren grunting but doing his best to resist her touch.

She let go after a moment, their tongues twisting together delightfully once before she pulled away, huffing a bit and grinning at him. "Bastard. You know we can still fuck for months before you have to keep that big black dick of yours outta my pussy. And even then you can still take me right up the ass. Sure, you might nudge the kid, but by then I'll look like a fucking hot air balloon." Cherry looked morbid at this, rubbing at her head slowly. "Hey, maybe you should abort him. I dun wanna weigh a ton on a good day again."

"Cherry, most mothers wouldn't even be able to think about abortion, much less make sick jokes about it." Zerrex said irritably, and Cherry shrugged with a grunt, looking at him with amusement. "That's twisted even by Hell's standards."

"Dude, chill. You know I ain't serious." Cherry patted her chiseled abdominals, looking down at herself with a slight smile. "Ain't that right little dude in my tummy? I can get away with saying anything I want, so long as I don't really mean it, like always. And don't you go restrictin' me or shit, or I'll have to pound your face in 'cause I need my outlets."

Zerrex sighed and nodded after a moment, and then he looked at Sin, asking her with soft entertainment: "So how many months do you think it'll take? I know that times can be a little screwed up when it comes to pregnancy down here in Hell."

"Let's see..." Sin leaned over and gently touched Cherry's stomach, and she huffed but allowed her to do so, mumbling something under her breath and only relaxing because Sin had served as midwife for her in her first pregnancy. "I'd say the baby is doing alright. Not developing too quickly, but not at all too slowly. I'd give her seven to twelve months at the moment... I know it's not a very good estimate but... I'll be able to narrow it down once Cherry starts showing more signs of pregnancy."

The female grumbled something, and then she curled up against Zerrex with a huff, pressing against his chest as her large fins nudged lightly against his face, the reptile rolling his eyes but feeling softly amused despite himself. "This is whack, I say. Pregnancy is stupid." She paused, then that thoughtful look Zerrex always dreaded came over her face. "Imagine if I like, laid eggs and shit though. And then those hatched. Hey, Sunny, do demons lay eggs?"

Sin blinked, then she frowned at this, looking down at Cherry as she leaned back in the male's arm. "We do not give each other nicknames like that here in Hell, Lady Cherry, it's not proper." A pause, and then she sighed at the female's cheesy grin. "Yes, some demons do lay eggs. Both lower and upper class demons, and everything in between, from Plasmids to demonic lords; it also depends on the development cycle of the breed of demon, such as-"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, I got it." Cherry said impatiently, waving a hand a bit, and Sin looked distastefully at her before she peered up at Zerrex. "Imagine if I laid an egg. Dude, do you know how hard it would be for me to not make that fucker into a giant omelet?"

"Cherry, the eggs you eat are unfertilized eggs." Zerrex paused at the female's nonplussed look, and then she said plainly: "They don't have a fetus growing inside them."

The female's eyes grew big at this, and she said after a moment in a stupid voice: "So... if I ate my own egg... there would be bits of baby boy in them? That is... totally revolting to me for some reason."

Zerrex sighed as Cherry gagged against his chest, and then he squeezed her firmly around the waist, asking flatly: "But for whatever reason, eating one of your own eggs isn't?"

"Dude, what the hell else is supposed to happen to them?" Cherry asked plainly, and Zerrex found himself actually stumped by the female's logic as she continued in a serious voice: "We should all be able to lay eggs. Then whenever we're hungry, we can just like, eat 'em. And then there'd be no world hunger and... wait, we don't have world hunger anymore, do we?"

"Because the entire world is hungry with how much of it has been destroyed." Zerrex replied, shaking his head slowly, and Cherry mumbled something before he looked over at Sin, who was looking at them both with a tilt of her head. "I forgot... you don't catch too much news about the world above down here anymore, do you?"

Sin shrugged a bit, saying softly: "Mostly military tactics, and the redevelopment of countries... we get the important things, but sometimes we... forget that mortals are mortal, and they have mortal needs. So there's little food on the world above, then?"

Zerrex seesawed a hand back and forth beside her, sighing and shaking his head. "Well, they have enough for now... but the problem is the future food stocks. It's hard to farm dead land... it all has to be terraformed again or they have to design machines capable of producing artificial nutrients, but during the Great War, most advanced technologies were destroyed, and the Demon War killed off a lot of people and demonic corruption leeched into a lot of land."

"Only a few countries can say they lived through it... others just sort of survived." Cherry added, and then she paused and said quietly: "And they say there's a few places that have like, gone completely out of whack. Way too much corruption for mortals to handle got into the land and never really went away. Seriously bad mojo, in other words."

"Mojo?" Sin tilted her head, and Zerrex smiled a bit as Cherry paused and made a face, punching herself lightly in the forehead. "Is that... not a good thing?"

Cherry coughed, then she grinned, shrugging amiably. "Nah, it's just a fancy word for like, stuff. And shit. Don't worry your pretty face there, Sunny, you'll get wrinkles."

Sin glowered at her, and then she rolled her eyes and turned away so her back was against Zerrex as she muttered: "You're lucky you're pregnant, Lady Cherry."