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For whatever reason, Cherry took her crusade seriously... and over the coming weeks, even as her belly grew even larger - making her look now like she was carry a pair of fat twins - she worked tirelessly with Lily, Zerrex, and a few others. As they worked, Zerrex wondered absently how much money he was going to have left by the end of all this, but he felt lighthearted: after all, even if Ixin's research was costing him horrendous amounts of money, and Cherry's plan also promised to be expensive... he thought they would both lead to good things. On the one hand, he would learn a lot about the Lucifer's Eye project, himself, and the other demons created by it... and on the other, he was giving to the community at large, even if they could only help so many families.

Finally, when Cherry was five months pregnant, they held a charity event at the Ravenlight Estate, in one of the large ballrooms in the interior of the building: all of the High Thrones were present, but it was Cherry who hosted, and thus Cherry who sat in the highest seat, with Zerrex and Lily beside her. Nobles showed up, as did the Sisters of the Judgment Cross, and Sabnock and White... two people who often acted like they cared only about logic, but Zerrex knew both to possess compassionate hearts.

There were also angels present: Raze, who looked unmoved and unimpressed by the whole thing, and Tinny, who was beaming with happiness as he sat beside Vampire, who was grinning widely, the demon standing out like a sore thumb at the table where otherwise only angels were present but not being kicked out. Francis, the Captain of the 13th Vanguard in Heaven was there as well, looking curious about the whole thing as he stood at the back of the room beside Little Arcy. They had fought beside him long ago, and he was an awkward friend of Zerrex's... but a friend nonetheless, and a skilled and proud warrior.

It was what Cherry titled the "Blankets for Babies Benefit Ball," and although she didn't give much of a speech - it mostly consisted of a few summarized statements, before she sat down to awkward applause, hugging her huge belly - she made her idea clear enough. She wanted every baby in Hell to have a blanket, to have at least that comfort, no matter the other conditions... and Zerrex thought he understood what she was going for. It might seem like she was aiming to create only the smallest of gestures... but the smallest of gestures could create an enormous avalanche of help.

The ball was a success: Zerrex shared a spotlight dance with Cherry, and they both smiled, Cherry pressed with her back against his chest, the two moving slowly and leisurely despite the demoness's huge, protruding belly, and she never stumbled once, as the long, transparent silk petals that hung down from the waistband of her stretchy maternity knee-shorts floated around her beautifully. Her huge breasts were tucked away beneath a white top that covered her shoulders and hung with two tails down her back, edged in gold, while her arms were covered from bicep to wrist by long sleeves, matching white-with-gold-borders like her top. Her belly, however, was left bare for all to see... and she got a surprising amount of compliments that night, not just about how well she was handling herself, but about how beautiful she looked... although Zerrex could wholeheartedly agree with both.

Zerrex, of course, wasn't in any sort of formal robe, but a dress shirt and with a black suit jacket overtop, and matching black pants... but as always, his combat boots were present, although this time at least polished. He figured he could get somewhat dressed up for the occasion, and Cherry had hounded him about it anyway... but he had to admit, it was all turning out to be goddamn beautiful, and really showed just how caring even Cherry could be at times. Which, of course, is quite a surprise, considering the way she usually behaves... I blame the hormones.

He smiled a bit to himself as he mingled with the crowd, looking over at the table where they were collecting donations of both money and blankets: soon, very soon, they would be sending teams of demons throughout all of Hell to deliver them to families that needed them... and Zerrex thought it really was a beautiful gesture, and not just because he was still getting over the shock of Cherry's sudden interest in helping Hell's babies. He snorted in amusement to himself as he leaned on his dragon-headed cane, and then Sin touched his arm gently, asking curiously: "Something funny, Lord Zerrex?"

"You mean, you don't find any of this weird or out of place?" He cocked his head, and Sin hesitated, then smiled a bit up at him. "Exactly. Cherry, one of Hell's biggest pains in the ass, organizing a whole charity ball pretty much by herself just so we can deliver blankets to babies to help keep them warm at night."

"A blanket, however, is a young child's fortress..." Sin said softly, and Zerrex looked at her in her beautiful black dress with soft entertainment. "They hide beneath it to escape both the arguing of their parents and their monsters both... and curl up in it for comfort and compassion. It's a very thoughtful gesture upon Lady Cherry's part... although I do admit I am somewhat surprised she was the one who came up with it."

"I've learned that if there's one thing life's full of, it's surprises." the Drakkaren replied, then he winked as he tossed his cane up to catch by the neck and tap her lightly on the nose with, making her blink. "Anyway, you're one of the people who taught me that, so don't look so damn surprised."

"Lord Zerrex." Sin gave him an amused look, but the Drakkaren simply grinned a bit and shrugged, and she squeezed him firmly on the arm as they both looked around. The ball was going marvelously... and Cherry was sitting down, her belly enormous, her breasts even more swollen... but her features bright and cheerful, and even if she couldn't move around too much without quickly tiring herself, she had still been amazing during the spotlight dance... and Zerrex knew she'd continue to show off just what a strict regimen of psychotic workouts could do for the body as time continued to pass.

As always seemed to happen in Hell, however, good things never could last... and as Sin and Zerrex stood admiring the crowd, the doors suddenly burst open and a Royal Guard staggered in, bleeding heavily and clutching at an eye that had been burnt out of his skull, and he rose his other hand and screamed: "Attack! Evacuate the area! We're under attack!"

Then he gargled and fell forwards, and his remaining eye went glassy as several demons armed with rifles stormed into the room... but the moment the weapons were raised, Sin rose a hand as her face went cold, and the three were trapped in purple cubes before these simply blinked out of existence. Zerrex snarled as he looked immediately over to Cherry, the room descending into chaos as nobles yelled, ran through portals, and tried hiding under furniture... but as the Drakkaren began to sprint across the room, the side wall of the building exploded as three enormous, tri-armed grappling hooks slammed through it and continued out the other wall, propelled by some insane force capable of penetrating not only the mansion's many layers, but its magical guards as well.

The reptile snarled in fury, looking at the two massive holes the three hooks had left coming in one wall and exiting through the other: one that stood alone, and another that looked stretched, the entire section of wall between the hooks collapsed and gaping wide. Hellhounds stampeded inside only moments later, at least twenty of them... but with the nobles either gone or hiding, it left behind a small army of powerful demons that Zerrex didn't think the enemies outside were quite prepared to face.

Two hellhounds leapt at him... and Zerrex smashed one out of the air with his cane as he caught the other by the neck, and he snapped it in a single, brisk motion before he slammed the body into the ground, and it exploded into ashes. At least five of them made for the head table... but Selena, Amiglion, and Lily kicked it over, immediately leaping to Cherry's defense: before they could do anything else, however, the Four Sisters of the Judgment Cross surrounded the small pack of hellhounds.

They looked only like Drakkaren with red scales and toned, lithe bodies, almost completely normal by mortal standards except for their large, leathery wings and the tall, proud black bull horns that stood up from their skulls. They wore traditional Hez'Rannan loincloths and wraps around their bodies, dressed the same, looking exactly the same... but each had one defining item on her body, although they were known to trade these between themselves from time-to-time. A blood-rusted cleaver, a cloak with golden tassels, a shining golden amulet and a tiara made from a perfect, delicate rose and its thorny stem... but from their personalities and the way they held these items, Zerrex could easily tell who was who.

Fire's savage grin, Water's look of dark entertainment, Air's cold eyes and Earth's nervous seriousness... and right now, Fire was one holding the cleaver. She roared as she lunged forwards and snapped it outwards, and it released a blast of flame into the pack of hellhounds, before it turned into a tornado of flame as Air shoved her hands skywards, cloak fluttering around her, and the beasts were lifted, yelping and struggling uselessly, high up into the ceiling... and Water didn't look up as she stroked her amulet, and the tornado turned from fire to solid ice, before Earth cocked her fist back, looking the most delicate in her tiara... but proving her strength as she slammed her fist into the frozen cone, and it shattered like glass, pebbles of both ice and frozen hellhound raining down around them and quickly dissolving.

The other hellhounds had already been dealt with: Raze was wiping his hands off on the plain mortal clothes he was wearing, looking disgusted, and Francis stood nearby, flexing the talons at the end of the greaves that covered his lower legs. Tinny was rubbing at his head as Vampire growled, looking back and forth furiously, and then Zerrex and Sin exchanged a look before the reptile glanced at his fellow Thrones and close friends, running towards them as he said clearly: "Protect Cherry."

"Fuck that, I wanna go and kick the fucking shit out of whoever just crashed my party!" Cherry shouted angrily, trying to stand up... and then she grunted and fell back on her ass, looking miserable as she clutched her belly, Selena, Lily, and Amiglion all wincing. "Well. Get me a wheelbarrow first. Then I'll kick their asses, and I'll do it with this goddamn belly of mine."

Zerrex shook his head slowly, making a face: but when he glanced to the side, he could see a pitched battle going on, and he knew he didn't have the time to screw around. He paused, then glanced around, and his eyes settled on Francis as the group naturally gathered around him, angels and demons both awaiting orders. Mist, Shine, Desire, and Cypress were here as well... as was Elliot, although he couldn't really fight, and the reptile knew that Felicity was in the Royal Guard detail outside... and then his eyes settled on Mary, who looked serious but hadn't fled. He almost wanted to ask her why she was here, why she was risking her life... and then he forced himself to go back into combat mode, saying firmly: "Francis, I'm putting you in charge of securing the... I think it's the eastern perimeter. The way the hooks went through, that wall..." Zerrex pointed at the three exit holes, and Francis nodded, the mouse looking serious. "You and Raze need to secure that area. If they made it halfway, we can assume they made it all the way through the goddamn house. Tinman, Vampire, Little Arcy, Sabnock, and White, secure the mansion, turn on every protective rune and security system you come across, seal the building as best you can with the holes we've got."

Zerrex felt awkward giving such forceful orders to the last two: Sabnock had been his boss for a long time, and White, on the other hand, was just plain imposing. Wearing western-style dress clothes, a classy broach at his neck and a hat, the badger wasn't that big, wasn't even a demon... but had a cold look about him that made even Zerrex hesitate. But they both nodded curtly, just like the others, and Zerrex felt relief course through him before he said firmly: "Sin, you and the Four Sisters come with me. Everyone else, stay here, and protect both Cherry and yourselves."

There was no time for argument, as everyone quickly went to their task: and Zerrex ran through the larger hole that had been made in the wall, looking with distaste at the thick, glowing chains that connected the hooks to a hulking device he could see outside. The Four Sisters kept easy pace with him as they ran through wrecked room after wrecked room with Sin following closely behind, but the Drakkaren was surprised to see no other invading soldiers... and his instincts told him this was to lure either him or someone else important out to play.

They emerged onto the side lawn, and Zerrex made a disgusted face as he pointed at the machine that had launched the grappling hooks. It had three distinct, flat layers, and the bottom was the one that had been equipped with massive launchers that the hooks had been fired from, and heavy-duty treads... while the middle layer sported the control chamber, a large dome of rune-covered glass in which sat a demonic operator. The top layer, however, was covered in missiles and cannons... and the reptile looked at the Four Sisters, asking: "Can you handle that?"

Three of them simply shot towards it as Fire stood back a moment, resting her cleaver on her shoulder with a cocky grin as she asked him mildly: "What, don't you trust us, Lord Zerrex?" She paused, then glanced over to her other sisters, as Air called down a massive lightning strike that not only tore a huge hole in the top of the machine and destroyed many of its weapons, it created a sparking, crackling field of electricity around the device, causing several of the weapons to go haywire as Earth slammed her hands into the ground and sent massive spikes of rock jutting up through the treads to stop its escape. "We'll handle it. But I sense someone's out for your blood."

"Figures. Someone always is." Zerrex muttered, and he watched as Fire ran off to join the fight, the others easily distracting the behemoth machine as he looked over at Sin, then out at the wide fields surrounding the Estate, watching as Royal Guards fought against both demons and angels. "It's the rogues. They finally staged an all-out offensive against us... but why? They knew the Thrones would be here, sure... but they should have been able to guess that the assembly of demons would include more than just nobles."

"Something powerful and dangerous is here..." Sin shook her head slowly, then she rose two fingers to her mouth and whistled, and a moment later her four Seethe Hounds appeared beside her. She leaned down and said something to them in old demonic, and they immediately shot off like rockets, one of them leaping on top of a horrified-looking minotaur... and then the upper half of his body was simply ripped away from his legs, which trembled and dissolved before they could even fall. "Why aren't we moving, Lord Zerrex?"

"Because I'm waiting for our antagonist to reveal himself..." The reptile paused, then glanced up, and he made a disgusted face as he saw Loki standing on the wall, easily defying gravity and grinning widely, his eyes cold, black pools of hate. "Except it seems he's been waiting for us to come out and play this whole time."

"I'm supposed to just observe and not interfere... but I can't resist a good fight." Loki shrugged, putting a friendly look on his face before he held out both arms, saying pleasantly: "Lemme show you this magic trick I've been working on."

He rolled up the sleeves of his strange trenchcoat, then rolled his head slowly on his neck before he waggled his fingers... and then he snapped one arm out to the side, and in a poof of smoke, Sammy appeared, hanging by the neck and choking as he clawed uselessly at the otter's hand, the demigod's eyes burning with entertainment as Zerrex snarled and Sin looked up at him with disgust. "Ta-da! Now you see him..." A pause, and then Loki's eyes and face went cold as he created a ball of blue flame in the other hand. "And now you don't."

He swung his hand towards the pseudodragon's face... and then Sin rose a hand and pointed at him, and Loki froze in place for a moment, a shocked-look on his face... and it was just long enough for Zerrex to leap up and kick off the wall before he slammed a foot into Loki's gut in a hard bicycle grip, sending him flying through the air with a yell of pain before he smashed into the ground and rolled several times, his strange hair falling over his face as Sammy fell to the ground and squeaked...

Then he bounced and squeaked again as he fell on his side, and Zerrex landed beside him in a kneel, looking surprised before he reached down and picked him up... and stared. It was just a toy... and Loki laughed loudly as he sat up, clutching his stomach and crossing his legs as he grinned widely, and Zerrex closed his eyes for a moment, calling the little dragon with his mind... and Sammy appeared on his shoulder only a few seconds later, snarling at the demigod as Loki stood and brushed himself off. "Well, since you don't like my parlor tricks... perhaps we should get down and dirty to some real magic!"

Loki snatched a hexagonal piece of metal off his belt, and a rune glowed brightly on it as he held it skywards; a moment later, a small pack of hellhounds faded into existence around the demon, and Zerrex narrowed his eyes at him as he immediately turned and ran away, laughing. Something told the reptile that Loki wasn't running away this time, though, as he headed straight into the battle... and then his thoughts were abruptly cut off as the hellhounds charged...

Only Sin waved an arm outwards and muttered a spell of her own, and the hellhounds froze for a moment before they blew away like dust in the wind, Zerrex looking at her with surprise as she said coldly: "Simple creatures can easily be banished. We need to catch up to him."

"Yeah, I love traps myself." Zerrex said mildly, and Sin gave him a look that was both entertained and irritated as they ran into the battleground. Zerrex recognized a few of the Royal Guards they passed as they fought against rogue demon warriors who often lacked training, but had instead fanaticism to help them in combat... and Zerrex winced as a pair of minotaurs with axes and mechanical parts jutting crudely out of their bodies charged at them.

Zerrex ducked under a swing of an axe and bull-rushed one of them, grabbing him around the middle before he hefted him into the air and threw him down onto his back, and he grunted in pain before the Drakkaren stepped on his chest and kicked him hard in the face, breaking his jaw and knocking him out. Sin, meanwhile, simply incinerated her opponent with a blast of fire... and then the two continued after Loki, who had breasted a small hill and turned to watch the battle, his arms wide as he laughed long and hard.

They stopped halfway up the hill, and the pseudodragon still perched on Zerrex's shoulder hissed at him as the demigod looked down at them with contempt, before he smiled darkly as a short wind blew past, ruffling his coat and causing his tendrils of hair to twist and dance before they fell perfectly back into place. Zerrex's emerald eyes glanced back and forth, the reptile knowing that in Hell, wind wasn't natural... and then Loki said quietly: "This is all going so perfectly, Zerrex. You two fell for my ruse... and since you attacked me... I'm well within my rights to fight back." He paused, then tossed the hexagonal rune to the ground, stepping on it and crunching it underfoot. "Let's discard the trivialities, shall we, and we'll get right to the main event!"

He crouched, then slammed both hands into the ground... and the earth beneath their feet trembled, Loki rising up on a pillar of rock as the hill rolled backwards like a wave, Sin and Zerrex both leaping off it to land on their feet and quickly backstepping, Zerrex wondering how the hell the Naganatine could move so swiftly even in her long dress despite the sheer power he felt ripping at his senses... and then he stared in shock, Sammy whimpering beside him, as three massive figures made of stone and earth rose up out of the ground, Loki standing on the head of one of the sixty-foot creatures as red crystals glowed for their eyes, all of them wearing manacles, collars, and broken chains of metal as ugly mouths opened and roared, flat faces carved with lines of hatred... and the demigod spread his arms, saying pleasantly: "Allow me to introduce some friends of mine who were locked away for quite a while... the Titans. These are not failed gods, as the foolish and misinformed do believe, but instead, they are primordial beings of the earth in origin. Not elementals, my dear darling Sin, so your silly disenchantments won't work on them... but I dare say that you two... or three, if you want me to include the vermin on your shoulder... are no match for me and these monstrosities."

"Yeah, 'cept you have one big problem." Zerrex said coldly, and Loki frowned as the Drakkaren created a blade of energy and slashed his own arm open, blood dripping from the wound. "I have some friends of my own."

The Drakkaren closed his eyes and released his cane, concentrating... and before it hit the ground, it floated back into the air, trembling violently as runes glowed down its length before a terrible portal opened... and a figure as tall as the massive Titans stepped out of it, giving even the monsters pause. It was emaciated and scarecrow-like, wearing torn rags and hood over its face, which was covered in shadow... and upon one shoulder it held a thick wooden beam that looked rotted and worn, perhaps almost as long as the thing's body... and dangling from the end of it by an old, rusted hook attached to a simple ring, was a huge iron bell, covered in scripture neither angel nor demonic, with a single large crack going up one side.

Zerrex ignored the pain that surged through his arm, as the being held a hand out to the side, and a stream of blood flowed from the cut and crystallized into a red sphere in its hand... and then the Drakkaren bowed to Loki, who was staring in shock as the reptile said quietly: "This is my good friend Dust Toll, an understudy of Thanatos. Even you should know and respect that name, Loki... the God of Death is one of the few gods who live up to his reputation."

"You struck a deal with the soul collectors? But your blood would be valuable to them... energy is what they feed on, after all, is it not?" Loki snarled, then he said darkly: "But a single Great Reaper can't fight three Titans at once, even if he's brought some toy along for the ride-"

Sin closed her hands and concentrated, and a moment later a second enormous portal opened, and a monstrous, three-headed Seethe Hound stamped out, collars around all three heads and scars covering its behemoth body, and Sin said quietly: "No, but now the odds are evened, Loki... Lord Zerrex, we'll keep the Titans busy. You may have the pleasure of dealing with our courteous friend."

"I wouldn't have it any other way." Zerrex said darkly, and Loki winced before he turned and leapt off the Titan's head, yelling something, and the giants of tan stone and earth immediately charged forwards with matching roars. Zerrex didn't bother with a detour, running forwards himself and wincing as he dodged past a Titan's fist, surprised by its speed... but before the monster could think about attack again, Dust Toll threw a hand out and easily shoved the Titan that had been chasing Zerrex backwards, causing it to look surprised... before rage carved itself into those stone features and it charged immediately at the Great Reaper with both stone hands held out.

Cerberus slammed itself bodily into another Titan, staggering it... but it immediately slammed both fists down into the giant canine's back, and the Seethe Hound howled pityingly, trembling before the giant reached down and picked it up as if the forty-foot Seethe Hound were light as air, the demonic quadruped limp in its grip... before all three pairs of eyes snapped open and all three heads grinned, and its body suddenly broke apart into three different, enormous Seethe Hounds, one of them tacking the Titan's head and the remaining pair each seizing a huge stone arm and biting through it as easily as their jaws would tear through meat, and the Titan screamed in pain and panic as it charged stupidly into the field, looking almost comical as it waved its stony arms wildly.

The last Titan laughed at Sin... and then the Naganatine threw her arms wide as her glammer shattered, her dress tearing as her body morphed and warped, her demonic side taking over. Her horns lengthened and thickened as her upper body bulged, becoming sexless and flat before it turned rapidly masculine, enormous muscles bulging as her size trebled, her feet vanishing into her tail as she fell to her knees, leaving her small legs visible even as her tail turned into an elongated, snake-like body, spikes ripping out of the top of it and forming a protective ridge, as larger spikes tore out of her back, becoming bigger as they followed her spine until they became immense gargantuan, upwards curving spikes near her shoulders.

Skeletal wings with long, twisted spines jutting from them but no webbing tore from her shoulderblades as the Titan stared in surprise, and then Sin roared, shaking her head back and forth as she shoved hands with rakelike, huge claws down into the ground, her form massive and the end of her body tail swinging back and forth as she hissed, her violet eyes glowing with all of Hell's might as massive, muscular arms flexed. She slowly rose herself up as her tail curled forwards, and then she suddenly lashed a claw out, and it easily sliced through the Titan's chest, causing it to yell in anger before it ran forwards... and Sin flexed her body, and the giant literally bounced off her as her purple and black scales glowed blueish-white for a moment.

With the Titans distracted, it didn't take long for Zerrex to catch up to Loki, as the reptile clicked his tongue at Sammy and gave him a quick mental order... and the demigod winced before he spun around, raising both hands and unleashing a torrent of pure magic at the Drakkaren, who winced as the evanescent energy buffeted him backwards and tore at his clothes, Sammy squeaking as he leapt away from the Drakkaren to sprint to a safe location... but then he simply shook his head and rubbed at his chest as he anchored himself, glaring at Loki, who had only managed to shove him some ten feet back. The otter cursed under his breath, and then he held a hand out as he rose the other one, Zerrex grasping the neck of his cane in both hands as he said darkly: "Shouldn't you be trying to find a weapon?"

"I prefer to fight unarmed." Loki replied mildly, and then he grinned, asking callously: "Or after all these years, have you gone soft and weak? Doesn't honor mean anything to you?"

Zerrex snorted, then he tossed his cane aside... and when Loki dived for it, the reptile made no move to stop him, only taking off his dress jacket. The otter scooped it up... and then he screamed as the cane glowed white and the runes on it stood vibrantly out, and he immediately threw it to the ground, his hands smoking and burnt raw as the Drakkaren tossed his jacket to the ground, saying quietly: "Funny thing about that cane. It wasn't a trivial toy made for me by just anyone... everyone from Sin to the Four Sisters to Lucifer himself have put their mark and enchantments on that weapon, and a few other supernatural beings as well. It has the same runes on it as the Spear of Conquerors in Heaven... a weapon that reacts violently if anyone other than the pure of heart touches it... or me."

"Why?" Loki hissed, looking down at his hands with tears in his eyes... and then he closed them, and they glowed green for a moment as they healed rapidly. Then he threw his arms wide and howled: "Odin damn you! I took my father's eye and I'll take your life as well!"

"I've had a lot of time to bone-up on my so-called mythology... and I assume you aren't talking about the wound on his face." Zerrex said mildly... and Loki snarled before he forced his composure back, and the reptile smiled slightly as he took up a ready position, beckoning to Loki. "So were you serious about the hand to hand thing, or-"

Loki vanished in a burst of dark energy, then he reappeared instantly beside Zerrex, slamming an elbow into his face and stumbling him, the reptile shocked at the male's strength before he slammed a fist into his kidney... and the lizard staggered, swinging out wildly, and Loki vanished again... but this time, when he reappeared behind him, the reptile was ready, and he half-spun as he brought his left arm down, snaring the otter's wrist between his thick body and his strong forearm, and Loki's eyes went wide with surprise before the Drakkaren slammed his own elbow into the male's jaw once, twice, then thrice.

Loki slipped free with the third strike, staggering away as blood ran from his mouth and his nose, and he fell heavily on his ass... but as Zerrex stepped forwards, the demigod grinned, and a circle of fire erupted into life around him, forcing the Drakkaren to leap back with a curse as he shook red flames off his body. He looked down, and made a disgusted face to see his scales bubbling where the fire had touched, and he grasped his left arm, flexing his finger slowly as Loki stood and wiped the blood off his face, flicking it from his arm with a disgusted look as the fires vanished. "Goddamn mortal-lover..."

"Eternal joke." Zerrex shot back, and Loki's face tightened, stopping cold in mid-saunter. Their eyes met, the demigod daring the lizard to say more... and then he grinned, tilting his head as he said darkly: "What's wrong? You forgot to bring along a resume for me, in case your plot fails and you have to apply to be my new court jester?"

"Motherfucker!" Loki howled, leaping forwards as his hands glowed with red flames, and he threw strike after strike at Zerrex, the reptile dodging and leaping backwards before Loki vanished in a burst of darkness... and then he reappeared behind Zerrex, seizing his shoulders and forcing him to his knees as he grinned insanely, leaning his head forwards as he whispered: "I'll show you a real good joke, then, when I make you disappear!"

Before Loki could do anything more, Zerrex suddenly dropped on his back... and the otter staggered before Zerrex kicked both feet squarely up into his face. The otter's mouth and skull cracked sickeningly, and he straightened, his arms out at his sides and a stupid look on his bloody mess of a face... and then Zerrex rolled backwards and added a second hard double- kick to his stomach, knocking him flying before he vanished in midair and reappeared on top of a flat rock some thirty feet away, screaming in agony as he clutched his mushy features, one eye glaring with pure hatred at Zerrex.

"I'll show you yet! I'll show you yet!" he raved... and then, amazingly, he was back on his feet, snarling even as his face snapped back together piece-by-piece, Zerrex watching with something like amazement. Regeneration on this level he'd only seen a few others do... but it verified exactly what Sin had said: Loki was not a force to be taken lightly, and he was truly the spawn of a god... and a powerful one at that.

Loki's Titans were fairing better than their Master: although Sin's physical strength was exponentially magnified in her demonic form, she still was barely strong enough to resist the damage the primordial monster seriously. They seemed to draw their power straight from the earth, so although it was having trouble hurting her with the magical protection her body possessed, they were caught in a stalemate: they could scratch each other up, but neither could find a weak point to injure in the other.

Cerberus had rejoined itself together, and was currently on the Titan's back: however, every time it fell to the ground on its front, it seemed to absorb even more power from the earth, healing the damage the mother of all Seethe Hounds had done and giving it the strength to leap back to its feet and fight savagely again. When she split apart, the Titan was easy to confuse and even to panic... but only when her body was joined together did she have the raw strength necessary to damage its armory main body. Limbs she could tear off easily... but they regenerated with terrible speed.

Dust Toll was the only one making any progress: the silent soul collector had put a binding spell over the body of the giant, and bit-by-bit, black metal chains were tightening over its form, ripping through it slowly and leisurely as the Titan attacked again and again with equal mercilessness. It was driven by pain and fury, jangling the manacles on its body as it charged towards the lithe Reaper... and it easily swung out with the rafter on its shoulder, striking the being with a bell and creating a distinct gong as waves of sound travelled through its body, the Titan staggering as chunks of rock and sand collapsed away from its form.

Only fifty feet away, and yet somehow entirely separate from the battle, Loki and Zerrex were grappling, the otter now trying to use sheer brute force to overcome Zerrex. He brought a leg up to try and kick him in the stomach, but Zerrex only grunted when the foot collided painfully with his solid abdominals, knocking some of the air out of him and letting the demigod take the advantage for a moment... but within seconds, the Drakkaren regained his stance and pushed hard back, before Loki tried slamming his head into the other male's... and the otter was the one who felt pain this time, looking surprised and dizzy as his eyes crossed stupidly, and Zerrex grinned widely. "Dude, there's nothing up there to damage."

Then the lizard leaned forwards and slammed his head into Loki's own, and he groaned, looking shocked as his head tilted up just enough... and the reptile slammed his skull down again into the end of his muzzle, as if he was trying to force the demigod to bless his forehead with a kiss, and the otter's front teeth shattered and he quickly shoved himself backwards from Zerrex, eyes watering in pain as he held the end of his muzzle before the Drakkaren ran forwards, kicking a foot into his chest as his other snapped upwards and smashed him across the face, the reptile spinning gracefully once through the air with his arms out before he landed neatly on his feet... and the demigod crashed hard down onto his back, gagging and coughing blood as he rolled over before snarling over his shoulder, his eye twitching and new teeth already sliding into place as his muzzle realigned itself with his face. "I'll fucking kill you!"

Loki leapt to his feet and charged... and then a long knife popped out from the otter's sleeve, and Zerrex winced as Loki leapt with a scream, stabbing viciously downwards towards Zerrex's face... but the reptile brought up his right arm, blocking it, and the blade snapped off as Loki continued to move forwards... and Zerrex batted him roughly away, looking disgusted as he reached down and easily plucked the blade from his not-flesh, the demigod staring in shock as the lizard's arm warped and tore apart the sleeve of his dress shirt from wrist to shoulder, becoming rocky and metallic as he rose his ugly claw. "So now weapons are okay, huh?"

Loki's eye twitched... and then he grinned psychotically, his eyes full of hate and anguish as he held a hand out, and a huge, ugly single-edged sword that was somewhere between a katana and a cleaver appeared in it, the dark-grey blade of the weapon some six feet long. He breathed hard in and out... and Zerrex could tell now that the wounds on his body were healing slower, and that the demigod was losing his energy bit-by-bit, as his behavior became more and more desperate.

His cloak fluttered around him as a wind blew again in what should be a world without it, and Loki suddenly looked to the sky, screaming: "No, not yet, he's mine! Do you hear me, I'm going to kill the fucker!" A pause, and then he looked back at Zerrex, nodding to himself as he muttered: "Rip him apart... completely destroy him... I am no one's fool..."

Loki snapped his free hand out, and an ugly axe appeared in it, edged in silver but with a thick crescent blade and ashen wood handle. Then he grinned, shaking his head to get his streaked hair out of his eyes as he looked across at Zerrex, both weapons raised as he asked tauntingly: "Aren't you going to grab your precious cane?"

Zerrex replied by grasping his right arm as an ugly blade burst out of the top of his wrist, and Loki narrowed his black eyes at him before he charged forwards, roaring and overeager as a child as he slashed the sword down first, keeping his other arm crossed over his body as Zerrex leapt backwards... before the demigod through the ugly hatchet-axe at him, and the Drakkaren threw himself into the air, the axe spinning violently beneath and past him before it vanished in a burst of darkness and reappeared in Loki's hand, the demigod throwing it hard again, still in his crouched position with his sword flat on the ground... and Zerrex leaned to the side even as he reached up, and he got the axe by the handle as it spun by, Loki looking stunned before the reptile snapped the axe-head off, then crushed the metal in his hand, tossing both pieces away like garbage as Loki visibly trembled with rage. "You can't win... I know you used up a lot of energy just bringing your monsters out to play, and you can't kill me physically. You just don't have the skills."

"We'll see about that." Loki growled, and then he vanished before trees tore out of the ground around the Drakkaren, Zerrex looking surprised as rocks flew in all directions and he leapt quickly away... and then he snarled as Loki slashed through his back, leaving a long, ugly diagonal rip before the lizard instinctively ducked low as the otter tried to stab him... but then he vanished by the time Zerrex reached up, and the reptile realized the trees had vanished as well. It had been an illusion... and a moment later, he saw Loki standing some twenty feet away, grinning as he slammed his hands down into the ground, and the earth shattered and rumbles tore through the air as it rose up... but the reptile closed his eyes, and as real as it looked and sounded, he felt no vibrations in his feet. And the monster's roars were trying to block out something else...

The lizard spun around and reached a hand forwards as he saw Loki, the otter looking shocked as the reptile dodged his attempt to impale him on his sword... but his hand passed through his throat and closed only on thin air, and then Loki grinned as other clones of the demigod faded into existence all around the reptile, and they all said in the same sardonic voice: "Now what will you do, Lord Zerrex?"

They laughed... and then they charged, and the reptile looked back and forth, feeling panicked as he swung wildly through illusions... and something slashed at him here, then tore a chunk out of his shoulder there... before he felt Loki's sword slam into the back of his leg and trip him up, knocking him flat and ripping apart the back of his knee, causing the reptile to howl in agony. It felt like his old bad leg again, and the pain that flared in it was intense, even more intense than it should be... and he looked up in shock as he saw all different copies of the otter raising their swords in different ways to kill him, and one of them was real... and the reptile closed his eyes and curled up in shock before a voice snapped in his head: Stop being a child!

Requiem's voice... and Zerrex immediately rolled as the swords all swung down, and the many Loki - is it already plural? Goddammit, focus! - all cursed as Zerrex tried to figure out some way he could negate the clones without expending a lot of energy. A shockwave, or a powerful spell would knock the real Loki sprawling and likely destroy his concentration... but he didn't know how much energy the godling had left in his body.

Then don't trust your mind. Trust your instincts. Trust your body. Requiem's voice said softly, and Zerrex forced himself to breathe slowly in and out as the Loki clones all surrounded him again. Even as one charged, he closed his eyes... and the blade slashed harmlessly through him, the reptile raising both of his arms in a battle stance as they taunted: "Giving up so soon?"

He could almost feel Loki's energy when he concentrated, as he breathed slowly in and out... and he focused on this, on the somehow-sad essence of the demigod, hidden among the physical and the transparent, the meaningless... and then he snapped a straight palm out, eyes still closed, and Loki's head snapped backwards as he dropped his sword and fell stupidly to the ground. His illusions all vanished, and the otter stared in shock up at Zerrex, as his emerald eyes opened... before he rose his clawed hand, and Loki screamed in shock a moment before it swung down.

Zerrex withdrew the blade at the last moment, and instead merely punched him with enough force to knock over an armored truck... and Loki's breath whooshed out of him as the male gagged and trembled... and then the demigod collapsed, sprawled out and weak, the cuts on his face no longer healing and blood flowing from one of his ears, his clothes ragged and torn, one of his belts halved and dangling uselessly. He moaned and tilted his head back and forth, and foam burbled out of his lips as Zerrex knelt by him... and Loki looked up at him tiredly, the hate gone from his black eyes and replaced only by sadness as he whispered: "Finish me off."

The Drakkaren looked at him for a few moments, and then he smiled a bit as his warped arm slowly became normal again. He stood up and held his hand out as the wicked claw became scaled fingers, and the otter looked at him with genuine surprise as Zerrex said mildly: "You put up a good fight. Come on, stand up."

Loki reached a hand up... and then he snarled and created a blast of energy, and Zerrex was thrown high into the air before the otter snapped his fingers, and a shockwave blasted through the sky above the Drakkaren, sending him crashing down into the earth. The reptile was left stunned as Loki grinned darkly and slowly staggered to his feet, panting heavily... and then he reached down and picked up his sword, dragging it towards the reptile's prone body. "No one... will laugh... at me... anymore..."

Dust Toll sensed Zerrex's distress: and whether he cared only about honoring his deal or collecting more of the Drakkaren's blood, it didn't matter. He slammed the butt of his warped rafter into the face of the Titan, and as it staggered backwards, the chains on its body now with heft gouges ripped into its form, the Great Reaper turned the rafter around so the enormous bell hung in front of his emaciated body. His other hand rose high in the air, and a matchstick-shaped rod appeared in it a moment later... and the Reaper struck the bell hard with this, making it swing wildly back and forth and ring clear and true.

The remaining Miserable Ones on the battlefield all staggered, screaming and covering their ears before many collapsed into death or coma, the reverberations not only of the tolling bell, but of screams and the madness of the many damned and wicked who had been 'collected' by the Great Reapers rang through their skulls. At such close range, the Titans themselves all collectively groaned as the earth around Dust Toll rotted and warped, and they were suddenly starved for their energy source, as Cerberus and Sin both winced... but then redoubled their attacks. And in front of Dust Toll, the Titan charged at him... and the Great Reaper waited a moment until it was close, before it swung the reverberating bell into the monstrosity and it rang out with a massive, terrible cry, and the Titan's howl turned into a shriek that rapidly climbed to the highest of octaves, before the creature simply disintegrated into dust.

Sin wrapped her powerful body-tail around the Titan she was dealing with, pinning it and rising above the beast as it grabbed her and tried to pull her coils off, but she was strong and it was weakened... and then she grabbed its shoulders, and cracks spread through the Titan as its eyes melted, golden fire springing up from its rocky sockets, its open, mossy jaws, and its ugly, shattered body, before it suddenly imploded, becoming slack... and Sin squeezed tightly as her hands seized its rocky head, and she tore its stony skull free from its stony shoulders as she crushed its body like a tin can.

Cerberus split into three Seethe Hounds that surrounded the last Titan, and it looked back and forth in confusion before all three leapt at different parts of the creature... and one smashed into its rocky body and knocked it backwards as another tore literally through its lower leg, ripping it to gravel, and the last dived over its form as it fell and ripped off a raised forearm. It crashed onto its back, and the three Seethe Hounds quickly circled before they leapt upwards... and once more they became Cerberus, which dropped heavily on top of the Titan, and it lay sprawled and broken, staring up with a loud roar not of anger but of panic before all three sets of jaws of the Seethe Hound snapped down on it and ended its existence.

The sonic vibrations and screams of the damned didn't bother Loki, only making him wince as he hurried faster... but they were enough to make Zerrex's head throb painfully despite being an ally, climbing to his feet... and then he looked up in surprise as the otter rose his sword with a senseless yell before it turned to a squeak when the Drakkaren simply tackled him to the ground. Immediately, Loki shoved his hands up and unleashed a blast of pure magic at the same time, knocking Zerrex flying into the air, and he crashed heavily on his back some twenty feet away. This time, however, he rolled quickly to a crouch, a hand out as energy crackled down his arm and he created a sphere of blue energy... and then he threw it as Loki leapt to his own feet, and the otter had a moment to look surprised before the ball of energy collided and exploded, knocking him flying through the air before he landed in a broken heap, his body bruised and whatever fight had been left in him drained.

Zerrex stood up and looked over his shoulder... and he rose a hand with a grim smile to Dust Toll as he shouldered his rafter and turned to leave. It paused, however... then nodded ever-so-slightly to Zerrex as it walked away, before simply fading out of existence. Cerberus, however, stayed with Sin, snarling as the now-gigantic demoness approached in her full demonic glory... and she smiled grimly. Showing off her demonic form was something Sin rarely did... and Zerrex figured the Titans must have indeed been formidable if she'd been forced to resort to using her full power. "Is he dead."

"I don't think so... but he is down for the count." Zerrex replied quietly, as he walked over to the demigod. He booted Loki gently in the side, and he was rewarded with a moan... and then Zerrex carefully flipped him onto his back using his boot, and the otter looked up at him weakly, coughing twice before he vomited blood over himself, looking miserable... and Zerrex offered his hand a second time, saying mildly: "I suggest you don't screw with me this time around."

Loki looked up at him disbelievingly, and then he shook his head slowly, whispering: "But I tried to kill you... all of you. And you know when my strength returns, I will come and destroy you..."

"Blah blah blah. Stop talking and get up." Zerrex replied mildly, and the otter made a disgusted face at him before the Drakkaren said in a softer voice: "I've taught you a lesson today you won't soon forget, Loki. And I know that even if you do attack me again... it won't be for a long while, until you've got some major backup. Your offensive here resulted in the slaughter of the Merciless Ones-"

"Miserable Ones." Loki corrected, looking up at him with distaste. "And yes. I'm sure that by now, you've even killed the ones planted inside your mansion... but don't think this is the end, Lord Zerrex. There are still plenty of corrupted angels locked away somewhere for me to exploit..."

He halted as he realized Zerrex was still holding his hand out to him... and then the otter snorted and rolled over, forcing himself to his feet as Sin and Cerberus both snarled... and then Zerrex held his arm out to them, shaking his head slightly. Loki muttered to himself as he looked with disgust at the others, and then he finally turned, hugging his bruised and bloody stomach as he staggered away. A white portal opened in front of him a moment later, and the otter stopped... and then he looked over his shoulder, saying acidly: "It was said once, and never been said better. A storm is coming, Lord Zerrex... a storm few peoples, mortals, gods, demons, and angels alike, know of. But it will come soon... and I only pray that the tides of it don't wash you away before I get another chance to destroy you and all you care for."

With that, he turned away and staggered through the portal... and it closed behind him a moment later, the Drakkaren looking where Loki had stood with a frown on his face. The demigod had proven to be stronger than he'd thought... not because of his magic or physical skills, but because of his near-indestructibility... and the reptile wondered just what kind of storm could make even an arrogant demigod like Loki bow to its will.

A moment later, a gentle hand touched his shoulder... and Zerrex smiled faintly at Sin, who had returned to her mortal form. She didn't seem at all embarrassed to be standing naked beside him at the moment... and she asked quietly: "Do you think it's really wise to let Loki escape? He's a threat to us all..."

"And somehow I got the feeling he's just a pawn." Zerrex replied quietly, shaking his head slowly. "I'd rather not kill a pawn, Sin... besides, now I know what I'm dealing with. If he comes after us again, I can take him down. Now we'd better assess the wounded and..." A pause and then he made a face. "Deal with Cherry."

The Naganatine sighed, looking morbid, before she looked up at Cerberus and said something in a kind tone... and a moment later, the huge, three-headed Seethe Hound barked and nodded, before vanishing through a portal. Then she paused, looked down at herself... and after a moment, created a small portal with a bit of a blush, reaching into it and pulling out a black dress that was almost an exact copy of the one she had been wearing before. "My apologies, Lord Zerrex. I got... excited."

"I understand." Zerrex smiled a bit at her, watching her put on the dress... and as she smoothed it out over her body, he added softly: "I like you when you're excited."

She laughed a bit... and then they slowly made their way back to the mansion, Zerrex looking back and forth with a quiet look on his face as he examined the wounded and dead they passed. A lot of Royal Guards had been injured... and then he tilted his head in surprise as he saw Felicity sitting against the wall near the large, gaping hole, her spear in the ground and her eye bruised and blackened, her armor dented... but she smiled a bit nonetheless when she saw Zerrex. "Hey, Boss."

"Felicity." Zerrex said softly, and the muscular vixen smiled a bit at her name, standing up... but not saluting, and instead hugging him tight. He was glad to return the embrace... and then the Drakkaren looked up in surprise as the Four Sisters emerged from the holes, all of them covered in drying blood but sporting few wounds. "And you four... you know, it makes it hard to tell you apart with the way you trade things back and forth. I never even knew you did that until what, a few million years ago? All this time I've been calling you each by the wrong name."

"Not always... you were more often right than wrong." Earth said softly, blushing a bit. Earth was the shy one, an ardent admirer of not only him, but of Cherry as well... and the gentlest of the group. "Besides, we became curious one day to discover what would happen when we traded our Materials back and forth. The Goddess never allowed us to, but as Sisters, we always wished to share everything... and we discovered that in each other's hands, our Materials have very different functions."

"Do you like what we did to that machination?" Air asked, smiling at him as she gestured to the ruined hulk that was now sitting on its head, the chains attached to the harpoons it had launched through the mansion shattered. She brushed herself down, adding mildly: "It is mostly demonic in manufacture... but we found a power core that was designed by mortals."

"It used crystal, and was hooked up to devices that demons couldn't build... because of the... corruption, the way it affects machines in this world unless they're insulated." Water added, nodding. Zerrex was always amazed by the way the Sisters could act as one being, almost the same way Mist and Shine could. "We did our best not to damage it, since we figured you'd want to take a look at it."

"Should I go get it?" Fire grinned, grasping the handle of her cleaver, and then she shrugged, looking entertained when the Drakkaren shot her an amused look. "Hey, I can be gentle. But if it means so much to you, we'll let Earth and Water take care of it... they're the best for the job, and more than just because of their powers."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, frowning a bit at the wrecked hulk. "Yeah... that sounds good." He paused, then blushed as he realized he was still holding on to Felicity, who was grinning a bit and looking quite pleased, before he coughed and stepped backwards, blushing and rubbing the back of his head. "Uh. Sorry. Kinda... got caught up and... hey, you could help, too, especially with your powers and all."

"Believe me, I didn't mind." Felicity said in an amused voice, then she punched Zerrex's arm lightly, the black-furred vixen adding softly: "Could do with bein' invited to your place more often, you know. I still look up to you as a role model, Boss... and am I ever goddamn impressed with what you did in Hell."

Zerrex mumbled something, and then Sin bowed and said with a slight smile: "Miss Felicity, with the current problems in Hell, perhaps we'll ask you and another trustworthy person such as Captain Lazarus to watch over Lord Zerrex as his personal guard. I don't think anyone would object, correct?"

Zerrex gaped, and Felicity grinned, before Sin pushed Zerrex through the hole, the vixen blowing the Drakkaren a kiss before he glared over his shoulder at Sin, falling into walking beside her as he asked dryly: "Since when did you start playing matchmaker?"

"I've been doing it for a while, Lord Zerrex... I just do it more prominently when you're obviously putting up a fight against being social." Sin replied with soft amusement, and then she gestured at the wreckage they were walking through, adding in a more serious voice: "Besides, I thought that was obvious that you may need an extra bit of protection for the next little while... and please, if not for your sake, then for Cherry's."

Zerrex made a face, and then he nodded a bit after a moment, saying finally: "Alright. That much I can appreciate, at least... and Vampire and Felicity are good company." He paused, rubbing at his face slowly as they heard yelling ahead, and Zerrex muttered: "Oh great. Sounds like she's been throwing a temper tantrum this whole time."

"Wait." Sin said suddenly, and Zerrex stopped, actually listening... and at the crash of metal, both the Naganatine and the Drakkaren rushed forwards, running through the last few rooms to see Amiglion struggling against a suit of armor that had come alive, his scythe Grim War firmly clutched in both hands as several more suits of armor fought against Selena and Lily, who had at least both had the common sense to pick up their weapons at some point.

A magically-animated suit of armor approached Amiglion's back, raising a sword... and then Zerrex created a sphere of energy and threw it hard, the blast ripping the armor into pieces and sending shrapnel scattering in all directions, Ami wincing and shouting over his shoulder: "Fuck, think you could have shown up a bit earlier? Holy fuck!"

Zerrex cursed, then he jerked his head towards Cherry as Sin looked at him, and she nodded. Cherry was being protected by Mist and Shine, but she was struggling madly in the grips of Elliot and Mary, trying to get free as she yelled all manner of obscenities... but at least four armors were advancing on them. Zerrex looked at new holes in the ceiling and at the shattered doors to the ballroom, and he figured mages must have magically-animated all the armors in the goddamn mansion, from how many were laying in shambles on the ground.

Sin rose a hand at the suit of armor closest to the damaged blockade of the table, behind where Cherry rested... and it clanked loudly before it simply fell to pieces, the magical glow fading from around it. Immediately, the three remaining suits of armor turned to attack Sin... but she rose her hands as her eyes glowed, and then smiled grimly as Mist and Shine leapt out and smoothly chopped another armor into pieces with their heavy cleavers. "The enchantments on them are crude, they should be easy to dispel!"

"Babe, you go ahead and do that, then!" Amiglion squawked as the armor he was fighting against knocked him backwards and swung at his head, but he ducked and sliced it in half, and it collapsed into pieces as Zerrex ran by and simply punched the head off another before it could swing at him, the Naganatine looking relieved. "Dude, thank shit you're... fuck!"

Zerrex looked up... and made a face as well as a dozen golems walked in, made of apparently anything the mages could find... and the Drakkaren snarled as he realized the last two huge lumps with limbs were carrying Desire and Cypress. No... not just carrying...

These last two golems had been fused with his two daughters, their body entwining around them and the females thrusted crudely outwards as if shields or sacrifices, and the reptile couldn't help but notice that while the limbs of the others were simply vulgar, solid things made of all kinds of wreckage, these last two had limbs made from weapons bent and shaped in all directions. Their arms groaned loudly as they rose their arms and pointed them at the girls... and four Wentaku slowly walked in, three of them in green robes and one in purple, and the apparent head mage said coldly: "Drop all weapons and surrender, or we'll kill them."

Zerrex snarled, looking desperately over his shoulder at the others, as the armors drew back a step and stood stock-still, almost as if ready to accept surrender... but the reptile knew that it was a catch-22. Either way, he was screwed... he could sacrifice his daughters for his friends and unborn child... but if I do surrender, they'll undoubtedly kill Cherry, or at least her baby, right on the spot.

He closed his eyes... and then looked up in surprise as a figure dropped in through the ceiling, the mages looking surprised as Ashcroft Ixin grinned and spread his arms, his flute already in one hand... and then he called cheerfully: "Come on, people, this is supposed to be a goddamn party! We should be dancing!"

Before the Wentaku could react, he brought his flute to his lips and began to play a tune... and instantly, every suit of armor and every golem raised one arm into the air, and Ixin somehow laughed and continued to play his flute at the same time as he started a cheerful riverdance, feet moving with surprising grace as the armors and golems formed a rough circle and began to dance around him, the head mage screaming for order as the other mages tried uselessly to control what had once been their puppets. But Zerrex smiled grimly as he crossed his arms and straightened, knowing that now they were in the hands of a master puppeteer and not any amateur mages who had started making soldiers out of desperation.

The dance went faster and faster as several of the golems formed an inner circle around Ixin and the rest an outer circle... and as one of the mages tried to run, Ixin pointed at him, and a hail of weapons flew through the air and crashed down on the mage, thrown by the enchanted armors even as they continued to dance. It left the Wentaku pinned and dying, before his eyes bulged as the thrown weapons formed themselves into an impenetrable metal gate of weapons in the doorway, the other mages looking with terror towards Ixin... before he finished the short tune and the dance stopped, the soldiers stomping and throwing their arms wide, and Desire and Cypress both falling free from the golems they'd been fused with, Desire coughing raggedly.

Zerrex immediately forced his way through the two rings of construct to kneel by them, and then Ixin smiled and reached down to pat Zerrex on the head, saying soothingly: "They're fine, don't worry about that. But look at how rude we are, ignoring such honored guests..." He stood up and smiled warmly, but his eyes were terrible cold, filled with a maliciousness far beyond impish playfulness. "Boys, go greet our guests and make sure they feel welcome."

The suits of armor and golems all turned towards the Wentaku... and then they charged, even as the mages tried to flee: but then the golems and armors leapt into the air, coming crashing down atop their former masters and crushing them under their sheer weight as Ixin crossed his arms, before he paused and blew a single note on his flute... and the suits of armors and golems fell to pieces, a few moans of agony emanating from the pile from one or two surviving mages... but it didn't last long, as Ixin added mildly, pointing at the pile: "I'll send that to the dump for you."

A darkness spread over the wreckage... and a moment later, the gate of weapons, the remains of the puppets, and the Wentaku were gone, and Ixin threw his arms wide and stretched as Zerrex helped both Desire and Cypress to their feet, the mage smiling cheerfully as he said warmly: "If there's two things I love, it's helpin' a friend in need and a good party! And I like a workout too, but..." He paused, crossing his arms and poking himself in the chin with his flute. "That was far too easy. Hey, Selena, cutie-pie, wanna do an encore presentation? It is a party, after all, so we can play a bit, too!" A pause, then he huffed when she flipped him off. "Bitch."

"Asshole." Selena growled back as she approached, and Zerrex closed his eyes, relief the only feeling in his body at the moment as his two daughters leaned against his body, and the Dius shoved her way past the mage, Ixin making exaggerated flailing motions with his arms before he fell on his ass with a grunt. Selena, however, ignored him completely, as she checked over the bodies of both dazed females. "They've been seriously drained of energy, but otherwise they're alright... it looks like they have some minor injuries, but I could probably heal-"

"No." Zerrex said firmly, and Selena made a face at him even as she rubbed at an arm that still had a dark tinge to it, as if it had been soaked in ink. "Your healing powers suck. Ixin, thank you for saving my daughters."

"Hey, anytime." Ixin smiled cheerily up from the floor, although his eyes betrayed a hint of surprise. "Besides, I was really just paying you back for the shit you've done for me... you know, that whole freeing me thing, not killing me when we kicked the crap out of each other, all that fun nonsense. Speaking of which, why in the name of ballsacks didn't you kill that mofo outside when you had the chance?"

"What?" Cherry yelled from across the room, and then she glared at Zerrex before motioning wildly for him to come towards her, since Mary, Elliot, and Mist and Shine refused to allow her to get to her feet. "Get your ass over here right now and explain yourself, you jerkface! That stupid fuckface ruined my fucking party, why the hell didn't you ruin his fucking face?"

"Because he was already a fuckface?" Zerrex muttered under his breath, and Desire laughed a bit, shaking her head as her eyes fluttered open, and the reptile blushed a bit as she gazed up at him, eyes soft and tired. "Hey, you."

"Hi, Daddy." Desire said quietly, and she grunted and reached up to touch her forehead as she stood straight, Cherry pausing in the middle of a tirade to watch as she pushed away any help to walk over to Cypress, taking her gently from her father as she murmured: "I'm okay now. Tired, but okay. Mom, I'm gonna go and... lie down. Maybe you could come help me with Cypress, Momma Selena?"

Selena frowned a bit, but then she nodded, looking at Zerrex sourly for a moment before she finally leaned in and muttered: "While I agree with Cherry... I trust your judgment by now. Just expect me to yell at you later, too."

"Yeah, yeah, go away." Zerrex said dryly, but the exhaustion in his voice was enough to make Selena hesitate before she nodded, only her dark eyes betraying a hint of sympathy and concern. Then the Drakkaren turned towards Cherry, ignoring most of her yelling, saliva flying from her muzzle... and he cleared his throat as he stepped in front of the barricade, the others all pausing and Desire looking up even as Selena created a portal for them, and they watched as the male reached boldly forwards - Lily was sure for a moment Zerrex was finally going to clamp Cherry's muzzle shut - and then he tapped her collar twice.

Cherry slapped his hand away... then stared down at her own hand for a moment, before she grasped her belly and shouted angrily at it: "Stop fucking with my head! Next time you make me do something like that, I'm reaching in there, ovaries or womb or whatever, and ripping you out, you hear me?" She paused, huffed, then turned beet-red as she realized everyone was staring at her... before Desire sighed and shook her head, she and Selena pulling Cypress through the portal before it closed and everyone else going back to resting, as other people began to trickle into the hall. Then Zerrex met Cherry's eyes, and she wilted under his gaze, clinging to her own belly as if for protection as he said quietly: "Discipline, Cherry. Discipline."

"I know, Boss, and I'm sorry, really. I know I really caused a shitload of trouble for you even before this... and I shouldn't be yelling at you over what you did in a fight. You're a hell of a warrior... even here in Hell." Cherry grinned stupidly at the pun, and then she dropped her head back when Zerrex gave her a flat look. "Okay, okay, okay. So... okay. I will seriously try harder to control myself, since I know you put up with enough of my calamitous bullshit over the little things, and you don't need me second-guessing your judgment on other shit. But like, and with all due respect... why the hell did you let that rat-bastard go?"

"Because some battles aren't won by killing your opponent." Zerrex said mildly, shaking his head slowly, and then he smiled a bit when Sammy ran into the room, ducking through Vampire's legs as the demon wolf tromped towards Zerrex and almost tangling him up, before he leapt up to the reptile's shoulder and leaned his head in close with a quiet squeak. Zerrex closed his eyes... and a flurry of images played out in his mind of the battle with himself and Loki, and he nodded slowly as he murmured quietly: "Excellent work, kiddo."

"What'd he do?" Cherry looked utterly lost now, as Lily frowned... and the others waited intently, Zerrex making a bit of a face as he felt himself crowded from behind by curious faces as well. Much as he enjoyed actually having friends, and plenty of them... he didn't like being clustered in when he was trying to explain something. Cherry seemed to pick up on this... and she threw her head back and howled, surprising everyone and causing Vampire to yelp and fall over, almost squishing Tinny and White beneath his huge frame. "Stress on the baby, I need to get the fuck out of here!"

"Lord Zerrex, let's take her to a safe place." Mist suggested, and she gave the Drakkaren a knowing look as she took one of Cherry's arms.

Shine nodded as well, grasping Cherry's other limb and helping her out of the seat as she added: "Somewhere safe, quiet, and out of harm's way."

Zerrex nodded, and then he looked at Lily, saying mildly: "I need you to take over operations here, is that okay? The Sisters will listen to you... and Ixin will too, so long as you remember that he's a person, not just a psychotic."

Ixin nodded rapidly at this, and then he vanished into thin air before reappearing behind Lily, grabbing her around the waist in a tight hug and grinning cheerily as he lifted her into the air, the golden-scaled demoness looking horrified at the violation of her personal space. "We'll be the best of friends, Zer, don't you worry a bit!"

"Please put me down." Lily wheezed, and Ixin did so, patting her gently on the head afterwards and smiling down at her benevolently. Lily glared at him darkly for a moment, and then she looked back at Zerrex as she added: "I already sent a Royal Guard to put all monarchal facilities on high-alert. And the rest of us can spread quickly throughout Hell and look after other important installations, if necessary."

White snapped his fingers, and a moment later, a sour-looking jackal in a wrinkled white suit appeared with a faint crackle of energy. He had a haggard look about his gold-lined eyes, and his pitch-black fur was stained here and there with darker splotches of ink... and immediately, he narrowed his eyes at Zerrex, squawking and interrupting the chatter among the others who had gathered: "You! Oh, how I hate you!"

"Shut up." White said coldly, as he pointed his customized revolver - a beautiful, polished weapon with a barrel as long as a rifle's - at the jackal's feet, and then he said to the once-proud god: "Anubis, a god has taken up a vendetta against Zerrex. Since you're not stupid, I'll assume you have nothing to do with that... but I do suggest you tell us anything you know about this god immediately."

"I don't know anything about Loki." Anubis said staunchly, and then he paused and winced as White leveled the huge revolver at his face, adding weakly: "Whoops, you... didn't mention his name, did you?" A pause, and then he glowered at Zerrex. "But much as I'd like to be part of killing you, no, I really don't have anything to do with him and... his kind."

Anubis spoke the last with disdain, making a face and looking disgusted enough for Zerrex to easily believe that he was telling the truth. When White cocked the hammer back on his revolver, the male quickly continued on, however, wincing and likely not wanting to feel the wrath of the badger. "Loki is from Odin's family, and just like the crime lords on your physical plane, godly families do not often comingle. And in Godly Families, blood relations mean moot... gods of similar origins, for example, are often known as siblings in godly families, or as parent and child if one god has a significantly greater strength. The families originally formed to protect themselves from the Old Gods, and many of us banded with God because... well... of his strength. But the families still often quarreled, which is why there ain't a lot of us left.

"Loki, from what I know of him, is some twisted joker, exiled by Odin from where he lives in his own pocket dimension with some other gods. He's a little bit insane and he's probably gone schizo, because he's too goddamn arrogant to make friends. Much like someone else I know." Anubis looked with distaste at Zerrex, crossing his arms. "Anyway, I was stronger than him and that cheating ass killed me."

Zerrex rolled his eyes, but then he replied mildly: "You, Anubis, were also more insane than him, too. And it took more than me to take you down, Sin helped as well."

"Apologies." Sin added from beside Anubis, nodding to him politely, and the jackal winced and staggered quickly away from her, looking terrified despite Sin's honestly-remorseful tone. "And I hate to interrupt, but Lord Zerrex, perhaps you should take someone with you to help protect you."

Vampire puffed out his chest at this, not noticing Anubis hiding behind him to get away from White, who holstered his revolver with a shake of his head. Although Anubis had once been a proud god... now he was reduced to being White's secretary, since the badger had control of his Heartstone: an artifact created at his death that permitted White to not only revive him, but keep him under control with none of his powers. Zerrex knew White didn't do it to be cruel... but that the Judge of Death wanted to teach Anubis a lesson.

Anubis, after all, had once been a Judge himself, determining the punishments of sinners and banishing those who committed the worst of crimes into the Abyss... but he had become arrogant and cocky after so many years, proclaiming himself as the God of the Dead and causing all manner of mischief in Hell. Finally, he was sealed in the Marquee Sur Noir... and it was there that he was left to rot, until he was killed in combat by Zerrex and Sin.

One day, Zerrex knew, Anubis would get his powers back... but first he had to earn them, and learn humility. Like someone else I know... He paused as he looked at Vampire... and then he turned his eyes to Raze, who was standing at the back of the room and ignoring a lecture from Francis. "Raze, come on. We're going to leave with Cherry. Lily... good luck."

"Hail the High King!" Lily shouted in return, suddenly giving a sharp salute... and everyone in the room echoed it in return and gave their own salutes, the Drakkaren smiling a bit despite himself as the golden-scaled demoness grinned at him challengingly, and then she said quietly: "Good luck to you too, Zerrex... but it sounds like you might be the one who needs it more than I do."

Zerrex didn't reply to that as Mist created a portal, and Raze pushed his way through the crowd before he simply picked the table up and threw it aside instead of walking around it, and Zerrex rolled his eyes before the black-scaled godling grabbed him and strongarmed him through the portal after Mist, Shine, and Cherry... and when they emerged on the other side, the reptile was surprised to see Mary sitting and waiting for them, as they stepped out into Zerrex's private quarters inside the big palace. "Hey, what are we doing here?"

His room was huge and dome-shaped, the roof made of gold and covered in silver, ornate runes that looked decorative but also provided a powerful protective charm that stopped any spirits, evil or benign, from entering the room while he slept. The doors were massive and oak, and all sorts of expensive maple furnishings were sitting around the room, although they looked long-unused... just like the humongous bed that sat in the very center of the area, with plush red blankets, pillows, and massive, rolled-up curtains hanging from the high pillars that made up part of the frame.

The twins gently put Cherry down on this, and she let out a groan before making a face as Sammy leapt from where he'd been quietly sitting on Zerrex's shoulder to land on her huge stomach, standing on it and peering up into her face, and then she growled at him and he squeaked and leapt away, skittering quickly under the bed. Mist and Shine both sighed and rolled their eyes at the same time, and Raze crossed his arms, looking around impassively before Zerrex patted him on the shoulder and said gently: "It's okay."

"Shut up." Raze muttered, and he looked awkward before he sighed and relaxed, his face losing its harshness as Cherry snorted in amusement. "What are you laughing at tanker-ass?"

"Fuck you. Anyway, Zerrex..." Cherry paused to watch as Raze automatically slipped behind the Drakkaren, hugging him protectively back against his powerful, masculine frame, and she held up a finger, asking mildly: "Hey, wait, more important matters first. Isn't Zerrex the boss in your relationship?"

"Yeah, so what? You got a problem?" Raze glared over Zerrex's shoulder at Cherry, protectiveness radiating from his eyes, before he smiled a bit as Zerrex gently squeezed one his hands. The reptile was content to rest back against the fellow male, however... and even if Raze didn't always show it, he knew Raze would do anything from him. At first, it might seem like Raze was holding him the same way a burly, possessive stud would cling to his girlfriend, who he'd call his bitch behind her back and treat like dirt... but Raze would gladly do anything Zerrex asked, and even if they wrestled for the top position, Zerrex was the one who made the positions, who played the dominant in their relationship. The black-scaled Drakkaren didn't hold who he secretly called his beloved because he felt he needed to be protected... but because he wanted to protect and serve his best friend and lover.

Cherry muttered something about touchiness, and then she laid back on the bed, closing her eyes and making a face as she reached up to grasp her stomach, Mist and Shine both carefully adjusting the pillows for her. As Zerrex's Iuratus, they were another of the few females that the pregnant demoness would put up with... while Selena was already not to ever disturb her when she was in bed and even Lily was on the bars, although Sin still came and went as she pleased to do her checks on Cherry, even if the female would become a complete mess while she was doing so. "So hey, Boss. Can you let me in on the big secret?"

"Oh, right, sorry. I forgot in all the hubbub back there." Zerrex said mildly, and he slipped easily free of Raze's arms... but the godling followed quickly behind him nonetheless, his arms crossed but his features much different: just like Cherry, Mist and Shine were being allowed to witness this side of him not because of any particular fondness towards them, but because they were Zerrex's Iuratus... and both of them were well aware that the twins took that position seriously enough that they would do great harm to anything that threatened to so much as hurt the feelings of anything Zerrex cared for. "Sammy observed the combat from a distance, and from multiple angles, to give me a better understanding of Loki's combat style, mobility, and magical abilities... and even though Kent and my own goddamn little pet-" Zerrex glared at Sammy, who stuck out his tongue at him in return. "-won't tell me just what kind of abilities they've been developing, this one they showed me a little while ago when I went in for a progress report. We can share our memories... and since Sammy's smarter than you, Cherry, he's already pinpointed a few interesting things about Loki."

The others looked at him closely as Zerrex smiled a bit, then the Drakkaren said quietly: "For example. Loki's fighting style looks crude... but he's very capable and very good at adapting during combat to better take on his aggressor. I should have realized it from the start, that he wasn't just wildly hitting me with random attacks... but instead, he used a wide variety of attacks and patterns on me."

Zerrex rubbed absently at his leg, and Cherry's eyes shot to it before the reptile winced as she said clearly: "Mist, Shine, Raze, sit the bastard down and take a look at his leg."

"It's fine!" Zerrex protested, but within seconds he was sitting beside Cherry on the bed, the female grinning at him as she rubbed her enormous belly slowly, the male sulking to himself with his arms crossed and his pants already on the floor. Mist examined his leg carefully as Raze held onto one of the Drakkaren's shoulders, to prevent him from getting up... and then Shine made a face when she saw a subtle twitch on Zerrex's features when Mist poked a particular part of his knee, near a crescent-shaped, ugly scar.

Mist immediately prodded the area harder, and all three of them looked at Zerrex when he gritted his teeth and grunted, and Cherry grinned widely as she closed her eyes with a long sigh. "The sweet smell of victory. It smells like big sweaty males who wish they could ball me right now."

"I wish you'd just go away." Raze muttered, and then he looked at Zerrex, asking him in a serious voice: "How much pain are you in?"

"A little." Zerrex finally admitted, and then he looked down at his leg, saying finally as he touched his knee quietly: "I thought... I thought that if I ignored it, it would just go away. That I wouldn't have to deal with all this again, but..."

He broke off, and then Mist stood up, looking at Raze as she said softly: "We should leave these two alone for the moment, Lord Raze. Perhaps you'd like to accompany us to see Miss Lily?"

"I wouldn't mind crushing some demons right now." Raze muttered, and then he paused before he leaned over and kissed Zerrex firmly and passionately for a moment, blushing a bit at the leer he got from Cherry and the surprised looks on the faces of twins before he took Zerrex's hand and squeezed it, saying quietly: "I'll come if you need me."

With that, he created a portal and quickly walked through it... and the twins both bowed deeply to Zerrex before they followed, smiling a bit at each other before the portal closed. Zerrex sighed as he stared at the ceiling, but there was a faint smile on his features as he rubbed slowly at his muzzle... and Cherry looked at him as he laid down beside her, bringing his legs up onto the bed before she rolled over, and her enormous belly half-fell on top of him, the Drakkaren grunting as she looked into his eyes and said mildly: "Look on the bright side, Boss. I can't reach your dick now with that in the way."

"That's supposed to be a bright side?" Zerrex asked mildly, and they both laughed after a moment before the reptile put an arm around the female's shoulders, and the demoness snuggled a bit closer into him as he felt her belly's surprisingly-heavy weight on him... but he didn't mind. If he could, he'd gladly carry the load for her... but then thoughts of the Brood Parasites flashed through his mind, and he shook his head quickly to try and clear it. The last thing I need is to be thinking about old ghosts like them, too...

"So Boss. We still haven't decided on a name for him." Cherry said finally, and Zerrex groaned, slapping his forehead, but she huffed and glared at him. "It's totally going to be a boy, you asshole. And furthermore, this shit is important shit. I don't want the poor little fucker to be born nameless into the world!"

"You named Priest on a whim after two days." Zerrex pointed out, and Cherry huffed and looked awkwardly away, even as she clung to him with her muscular arms. He rolled his eyes, then rubbed a hand slowly over her belly, making her smile a bit as he said softly: "We can name it Cynterra or Carmen if it's a girl though, right?"

Cherry was quiet for a moment, and then she said softly: "Yeah. But I'm leanin' towards Cynterra. Not that my poor baby sister don't deserve the honor... it's just that, all-in-all, I think that Carmen died painfully but quick while Cynterra suffered a whole lifetime of torment." She stopped, then smiled a bit, adding with dry entertainment: "But it ain't gonna be a girl, unfortunately, much as I'd love me a daughter. She'd be like my personal understudy or some shit. You know, could take up where I'd end up leaving off. I could make her the top slut in the entire world, doodle-fast."

"Doodle-fast?" Zerrex looked at her irritably, surprised at how unsurprised he was to hear Cherry talk about how she'd treat a possible daughter and not entirely sure if she was being honest or not. She has spent way too much time in Hell. "And what if our daughter doesn't want to be known as a big whore, what then?"

"Then she totally ain't the kid of you and me." Cherry said blandly, and Zerrex felt like punching her... before he made a face, but before he could speak, she was already shaking her head, looking at him with a grin. "Hey, it ain't an insult, really! We're big whores and we got great lives and shit, and we're pretty happy apart from the... uh... you know, people trying to kill us bit. And the fact they ruined my fucking charity." She suddenly looked dark and vengeful, rolling with a grunt onto her back and smacking her fist into an open palm. "Damn am I ever going to mash that son of a bitch Loki if I do see him again. Now I'm glad you left the shithead alive... it means I get a chance at creaming his corn. And I'll cream his corn real good."

She muttered grouchily in that vein for a little while, and then she finally resumed the conversation as if she'd never broken off, continuing cheerfully: "Look, if she really was someone like... Blueberry, or god forbid, that horrible Shelly bitch." She halted, then covered her mouth and winced... but Zerrex only mumbled disconsolately. "I've uh. I know this is a little bit awkward, but like. Why the hell has she always been so horrible to you and the others? And why the fuck is she like some crazy spawn of that stupid Lunata retard?"

"I dunno... I guess because she was always really into her academic studies, and she was always... embarrassed of the rest of us." Zerrex said slowly, feeling uncertain about the whole thing himself as he shook his head a bit and stared up at the roof of the bed. "Way back then, I never really used to know how to deal with that... and it didn't help that Lily and I were busy all the time. But Lily's always been a good mother to her, while I... I guess I didn't spend enough time with her when she was a child, and when I did, we never really... got along with anything. Either I was bored, or she was bored when we tried to do an activity together... and when she moved out, well, she never really wanted to spend any time at all with me, and you've seen the way she is now."

He broke off, rubbing at his head again as he glanced down, and Cherry nodded slowly, muttering: "I guess some of us are just born whacked. Listen, though, Boss... you did great with most of your kids. I mean, look at like... well... look at me. You took me in as a daughter, and well..." She rubbed the back of her head slowly, then grinned at him stupidly. "Dude, if it hadn't been for you, I would've been downstairs here a long time ago, sucking demon dong for beer money and just 'cause I'd need it so bad. But you..." She looked down, suddenly seeming vulnerable as she murmured: "You helped me control those urges. You helped me deal with my past, and my needs... and turn them not only into weapons, but turn me... normal."

Zerrex gazed down at her softly, and then Cherry cleared her throat before she paused and huffed. "Anyway, the point is that like. You're awesome, and I'll be fucked if I let you talk down about yourself just 'cause a few of your hundred and some kids don't get along with you. Averages are against kiddies liking their parents anyway... and yet you got plenty of 'em who are more than willing to die for you, and who would fuck you dry even without an occasion." She paused thoughtfully. "Then again, since... you're the High King, you're loaded in the wallet and the crotch and the muscles - the three big important places - and you're pleasant and easygoing whatever you try and say to the contrary... like. Who wouldn't want you in their bed?"

"Cherry, go away." Zerrex said mildly, and the demoness huffed as the Drakkaren sat up, looking amused despite his best attempts not to. He rubbed slowly at his head, the female's heavy belly resting in his lap... and then he stroked her face gently with the back of his hand, asking her softly: "So do you think we have everything ready for when the baby comes this time? And do you think we'll be able to keep him safe in case something attacks?"

"The Estate might have been attacked, Boss... but if anything, I think it made for a goddamn good emergency drill." the demoness said after a moment of serious consideration, obviously fighting both her hormones and her natural tendency to crack a joke about any situation. Then she took a breath, before adding hesitantly: "But maybe we should beef it up a little bit more for the next little while... I mean... I know some other genius is gonna go 'oh well, those demons failed but I totally bet I could do it' or something like that."

The reptile nodded with a sigh, and he wished for a moment that he had kept security tighter while they had been running the charity event... but he'd figured that even in Hell, there would be some respect for a charity, and one that gave to babies of all things. Then again... it was also not exactly a bad time to stage an attack: they might have had high-security, but everyone had been relaxed... and all the high-priority figures of Hell, almost everyone Zerrex cared about, had all been in one place, at one time. Perhaps if Loki had better coordinated his attack and used the demonic tank he'd built to fuller potential, and if they had been a little bit more unlucky on Zerrex's side... then those giant grappling hooks might have smashed some very important people clear out to the other side of the building instead of plowing harmlessly through the walls and only managing to scare everyone, instead of kill anybody. A few nobles had apparently suffered some trauma, but thanks to their quick reaction speed - and the fact that Loki had only been interested in drawing Zerrex out, and thus hadn't stationed soldiers at the other side of the building - they had saved their lives... and even these often-twisted politicians seemed to feel indebted to Zerrex for that.

He knew that Cherry was right. They had almost been caught with their pants down... and the reptile sighed before both he and Cherry looked up in surprise as Mary appeared, smiling softly as she walked over to the bed and quietly sat down on it. Cherry looked away with a bit of a blush for a moment, and then Cherry reached out and touched her shoulder as Zerrex sat up and gazed at her quietly, almost reverently. "I thought I'd bring you two some good news... despite our setback... Lily decided to summon a few old friends of hers and some soldiers, and they've begun distributing blankets throughout Hell, Lady Cherry. Despite everything well... we're still going to start our deliveries today, and Lily's promised a task force with the funds we've collected enough to last for an entire week, and she estimates we should be able to give away at least ninety percent of our stock to individual families... and whatever's left over, that'll go to the orphanages... along with some monetary donations, of course."

"Mary... I... holy shit." Cherry sat slowly up with a grunt, Zerrex quietly grasping her shoulders and helping her as the Drakkaren grasped her belly, looking surprised. Then she smiled warmly, rubbing at her eyes with her wrist for a moment before she mumbled: "Shit that's... that's fucking beautiful..."

"It really is..." Zerrex squeezed her shoulders quietly, then he gazed across at Mary, who smiled a bit from the foot of the bed before she blushed as Zerrex quietly patted the spot on his other side. She gladly slid up to sit beside him, resting her back against him and closing her eyes when his arm gingerly slid around her... but then her body relaxed, and she smiled quietly as Zerrex smiled faintly as well, Cherry looking a bit tense for a moment before the male glanced over at her and said softly: "We have some friends who are truly blessed and innocent, don't we?"

"Fuck dude, if Mary here was any more good, she'd be up for sainthood. Am I ever goddamn glad you didn't become no corrupt angel." Cherry patted her lightly on the shoulder, and Mary smiled warmly at her. The female relaxed a bit more, rubbing at her belly slowly before she added quietly: "And Lily too. Lilith might be a demonic sex object queen to most people... but I'll be goddamned if she isn't among the best and brightest and gentlest of us. Just like Sin... and I know I've treated all of you like shit, but I gotta make sure I bow my goddamn head and thank all of you the moment I get the chance."

Mary shrugged, then she quietly reached out and touched Cherry's belly... and miraculously, Cherry didn't try to bite her hand off or something, instead just closing her eyes and smiling a bit. "I'm not just doing it because you have a surprisingly-sweet side, Cherry... I'm doing it for these babies. When you gave your little speech today, you said enough words to turn my heart into a well-played harp, from how many emotional strings you pulled... and Lily looked about ready to give the order anyway, even without me nudging her a bit towards things. She's a darling indeed... I almost envy her confidence."

"I've been lucky in Hell." Zerrex said quietly, and then he bowed his head forwards, murmuring softly: "Mary, it's just... so damn wonderful to see you, to have you here..."

The feline only shrugged a bit, though, tilting her head forwards as she rested back against him, and she murmured softly: "Zerrex... I'm just glad that... you're talking to me now. I know you felt so... so upset over my death, and even though it proved that you have a good heart... I hated to see you in so much pain. Yet you've always fought the right fight, and not just the good fight... but I've seen you do things terrible, and wonderful... evil, and good." She glanced up at him, then smiled slightly. "And you've got a lot of wives, which sounds immoral to me with my Unity upbringing and my continued... learning... in Heaven. Yet, you know... I wouldn't change you for the world."

She poked his muzzle gently, and Zerrex laughed a bit before she gazed at Cherry, who immediately flushed and tried to look away... but the feline reached out and touched her muzzle, meeting her eyes as she said softly: "And since you don't seem to understand... I forgive you, I more than forgive you, Cherry. Because even though you never lost your heart of darkness... you turned it from evil to an enveloping comfort. You fought alongside Zerrex even when it hurt you and scared you... and for that, you've earned another chance at maybe... being a friend."

"I totally don't do the friend thing." Cherry muttered, looking awkwardly away... but when Mary only laughed, she fidgeted awkwardly, then looked over at Zerrex with a wince, asking him stupidly: "Hey, Boss, so like... uh... when the shit are we going to... you know. Do that... stuff... we... have... to do?"

Zerrex rolled his eyes, and then he patted Mary gently on the shoulder, smiling at her a bit as he said softly: "What Cherry is trying to say is that she's very deeply touched. And so am I... you're as gentle as my daughter Cindy is on her best of days."

Mary laughed a bit at this, and for a little while, there was peace, quiet, and calm... the three curled up on the bed and Sammy beneath, snoozing quietly away in the gentle glow that came after the storm they had just survived.