FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Late that night, Zerrex was still awake with Cherry and Cindy, the two going carefully over their plans as Mahihko snoozed on the couch and Lone watched television. Since the wolves had gotten better at splitting apart, Lone was manifesting himself more and more often for seemingly-pointless reasons... but Zerrex had the feeling that the two wolves really were two people that were forced to share one body... or at least figured that was the easiest explanation, since his brain couldn't handle hard thinking about two subjects at once.

Balthazar had called in the early evening to let Zerrex know that he'd taken the privilege of setting the meeting up in a place that would suit the Drakkaren's obvious need for at least surveillance, at the ruins of an old weapons production plant. The facility had mostly been bombed to pieces, and the lot was still sitting and gathering dust, most of the metal and brick chunks carefully piled up in several massive heaps of garbage, and the three remaining support walls of the facility only some twenty feet high and held up mostly by chains secured to the ground and some patchy welding work. At one point, they had planned to rebuild it as a shelter for the homeless... but that had fallen through when it was discovered the foundation was too heavily-damaged, and no one was willing to front the money to have it stabilized.

The support walls, however, formed a squareish U, and with the tallest of the ruined walls at about forty feet and the shortest at thirty, it meant that attack squads would have to break through the walls in order to get to them. Since the factory had been gutted, the floor was simply a big, open some hundred-foot rectangle... and the doors leading out through the walls and the holes in the floor had all been welded tightly shut. Balthazar said he was already sending crews in to set up tents, check the stability of the facility, and guard the gates to 'make sure both sides played fair,' but the ferret mentioned that Zerrex would certainly be permitted to bring his own bodyguards in... although Animaxander would surely come with a cadre of his missionaries himself.

Since one wall had been entirely removed, it was a double-edged sword: while Animaxander wouldn't be able to place soldiers in ambush with the instability of the perimeter walls and the openness of the structure - not to mention the soldiers already on patrol in the area - it also meant Zerrex wouldn't be able to do the same. And if an attack did occur, they would be boxed inside, although the Drakkaren had at least one trump card: if he had to make a quick escape for some crazy reason instead of staying to fight, he could always take to the skies with his wings, and the very sight of the angel wings on the demon might just make a few of the missionaries hesitate or freak out. Either way, Balthazar had already gone over every notion and contingency, and they would be in Valise City, on Zerrex's home turf.

Cherry had drawn a crude map of the area when the Drakkaren had told her the approximate measurements... and while her art skills were a little bit lacking, she was quite good at maintaining the proper proportions, which was the main thing. So the two had been working over the squiggly rectangles and squares, marking areas here and there with mutters and going over every possible thing that might happen, writing notes here and there on the map to keep track of exactly what they had already covered.

At the same time, they had an actual map of Valise laying nearby, all the possible escape routes clearly labeled in case of different emergencies, and a notepad next to it with a few jotted notes on it about each. They were both taking this extremely seriously, and even Cherry wasn't joking around as she muttered and tapped a pencil against the homemade map. "Okay, but what if they kill the soldiers and like... I dunno... assimilate them or some shit? You know, pretend to the be the dudes and walk around in their armor and hide the bodies in the garbage piles or... fucking eat them, who knows what these assholes would do to people."

"That's why we'll have Marina with us, she can do a scan of the area and let us know right away if something funky happened." Zerrex replied calmly, and then he paused and looked at the actual map of Valise, muttering under his breath before he picked up a red pen and circled an area on it, Cherry frowning and tilting her head as he put a C inside the circle. "I got an idea. Even though it means my security detail will be significantly weaker, I want you to head to the rich district. It's only two kilometers away, and if you take a rifle and a powerful scope with you, you should be able to keep an eye on the meeting. Plus you've got your own natural camouflage, meaning you'll be hard to spot on the building."

"It's been ages since I put on some camo clothing, too." Cherry looked almost fondly up at the ceiling, and then she looked at Zerrex and nodded, not arguing with a slight grin. "Much as I hate you for it, I think it's a good call though, Boss. I could do some real damage with the right bullets, too... and we still got a few days before the meeting, but I can turn that into a few years. Lemme go down to Hell for a decade or so to prepare some gear, and I'll come back and I promise to only get gangbanged a few times while down there. Better yet, you come with me and you can take part in the gangbanging."

The reptile rolled his eyes, then he said to her flatly: "I'll give you five years. You can leave now, I think we're done with this stuff anyway... get Priest to give you one of the modified rifles, and see how many silver and crystal rounds he can make. Remember to remind him about jacketing the crystal rounds, though, it's brittle stuff even when enhanced by magic or tempering and we need them to be solid when they smack into the enemy."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Cherry rolled her eyes, waving a hand at him absently, and then she paused and looked embarrassed as she walked around the table, leaning forwards and asking awkwardly: "Can I have a kiss before I go? It's gonna be a long lonely time without you."

"And to think, up here I won't even have a chance to miss you while you're gone." Zerrex said ironically, but before Cherry could huff, he kissed her lips gently, and they shared the kiss for a long few moments before their mouths parted, the reptile reaching up with a wink to pat her cheek lightly. "Bring me back something special."

"You got it." Cherry picked up the Drakkaren's cane, pointed it at a doorway, then huffed and shook it violently when it didn't do anything. Then the eyes glowed, and she yelped when it singed her with holy energy, Zerrex sighing and rolling his eyes as he caught it on the end of his foot and tossed it back into the air to catch when it came up to chest level with him, Cherry looking at him morbidly. "Fucking showoff."

"Bitch." Zerrex pointed the cane past the table, and energy sparked before it slowly became a white vortex, and Cherry vanished through it. The portal vanished after a few moments, and the Drakkaren toddled around the table for a few minutes, humming absently under his breath as he went over some of the ideas they had just laid out before a portal reopened, and Cherry came through with a grin, now wearing black chain armor that covered her upper and lower body entirely with long sleeves and long pants, with plates of silver over her breasts and shoulders and covering her groin and hips, and heavy silver motorcycle-boot-style greaves with spikes in a ridge up the back of them and spaced evenly along the sides, both with golden hellfire illustrations etched over the front. Resting on one shoulder was a massive rifle... and her other hand was resting on the back of Vampire's neck, who was wearing his Royal Guard armor and a heavy backpack, but was literally covered in ammo belts and strapped down with several large guns.

Zerrex stared, and Cherry shrugged amiably, the Great Diviner holstered on the steel, scorpion-tail-stylized belt around her waist as she said mildly: "What? You said to bring back something special."

"Hi Boss!" Vampire said perkily, as the portal closed behind him, and then he held up the array of guns with a jangle of metal, adding cheerily: "I'm a pack mule!"

"You're a pack... retard." Zerrex said flatly, and Vampire only giggled stupidly, looking at him fawningly as Zerrex slapped his forehead. "Like I don't have enough to deal with. Cherry, Vampire is a Level-7 Demonic Threat. Bringing him through breaks my agreement with Balthazar."

"Oh, like he's going to give a rat's ass. Dude is probably going to be thankful, Animaxander obviously scares him more than demons or even Kafka does." Cherry retorted, a Vampire frowned a bit, looking thoughtful. Then she strutted forwards, spinning around once before holding her arms out with a grin, and Zerrex noticed that she also had a large, heavy silver sword holstered on her back, which made him instantly suspicious. "What do you think, Boss, huh? Do I not look sexy as well... Hell?"

"Where'd you get it?" he asked mildly, and Cherry cleared her throat and looked away awkwardly, which meant she'd either stolen it, or there was some string attached he didn't want to know about. He poked her chain-armored stomach, and Cherry coughed before he asked sourly: "You know, to be able to work with links that small of metal tempered hard enough to actually be useful, you'd have to have a goddamn good forge."

Cherry cleared her throat, and then she finally said meekly: "I may or may not have gotten it from the Sisters uh... and... I may or may not have promised them that in return, they can um. You know. Come. To the mortal plane. And see you. Sometime."

"Cherry, together, they're a Level-10 Threat!" Zerrex snapped immediately, looking consternated, but before he could go on, Vampire huffed and pouted, and the Drakkaren sighed as Cherry winced away and covered her head, deciding to let it go for now as he looked at Vampire and asked mildly: "What?"

"Why the hell are they so special?" he asked sourly, and then he paused and narrowed his eyes at Zerrex. "What level is Cherry, anyway?"

"She's a Level-9 by herself, Level-10 when the Sisters are around. The Sisters are a Level-10 because when they're together, they're capable of creating a special field around themselves that lets them use magic on the mortal plane." Zerrex said mildly, and Vampire looked at her moodily, Cherry immediately preening herself and looking proud. "Don't worry, Vampire, you're still special. Otherwise, why would Cherry of all people come down and pick you of all people when she could have grabbed Priest or anyone else just as easily?"

Vampire brightened a bit at this, and then Cherry added easily: "Besides, Zerrex there is only a Level-8 Threat, so don't feel bad. You're only really half a level below him, while I'm the most badass in the family."

She grinned widely... then Zerrex glared at her, and she shrank back before brightening after a moment, and she pulled the silver sword off her back to present to Zerrex, who turned curious. "This is a gift from the Sisters, by the way... it's called Reminiscence, and they forged it as a divine blade instead of a wicked one. Apparently it absorbs energy from the people or objects it hits... not life force or souls, strictly saps their energy, so successive hits of the blade will make them tired or some shit while energizing you, I dunno how the fuck your powers work but apparently they got some kinda grasp of it."

Zerrex took the blade, looking curiously over it and realizing after only a moment, as he held it by the handle and one hand under the flat of the sword, that it stylized as a modified Blackheart, even though the Drakkaren could tell the metal was a different material just by the weight of it. It had the same kind of obsidian pommel, however, except the stone inset into the pommel was a sapphire... and the blade was thinner, although a bit longer at seven feet, and it had a long pattern of runes engraved from hilt to tip of the sword, the Drakkaren taking the weapon into both hands as he looked at it and read quietly: "'Darkness without makes Light shine brighter within, and as it is written, so shall it be.' It's exceptional, Cherry, and beautiful. A weapon obviously made not to attack... but to defend."

"Knew you'd love it." Cherry said cheerfully, as she helped Vampire throw weapons and ammunition onto the table, the noise loud enough to draw the two wolves who were still awake from the den, Lone and Mahihko both shyly standing in the doorway. Cherry paused as she caught Zerrex's look, and then she turned around to see the little lupines as Vampire threw the last of the gear onto the table and shrugged off the backpack with a sigh of relief, and then the demonic wolf grinned over his shoulder as Cherry looked at him amusedly: "Hey, show the gun freaks your new toy."

Vampire nodded rapidly, and Zerrex watched as the huge male shuffled through the gear on the table before he pulled out a monstrous-looking machinegun with a long, wide rectangular barrel that was nonetheless cylindrical on the inside, the metal of the gun thick, polished black and obviously heavily-weighted at the front, where there was an additional covered grip inside a heavy block of metal with a fold-out compartment, likely for ammo or storage of something else. The body of the gun was thick and made of hard, straight edges, just like the barrel, and the handle was obviously customized specifically for Vampire, the grip shaped to fit his fingers perfectly and with large, metal loops that his digits locked through to keep them in place against the handle of the gun. It also had a large, padded stock in an S-shape that would rest perfectly against one of the demonic wolf's broad shoulders, and when the huge lupine picked up a massive ammo box and slapped it into place, Zerrex realized it was a machine gun, as the wolf folded back part of the box's top to pull a belt of ammunition free... and then he stared at the size of the bullets before he realized they were shells, as Vampire cheerfully exclaimed: "It's a machine-shotgun! Not an auto-shotgun, not a semi-auto shotgun... this baby is a machinegun that fires shotgun shells, armor-piercing, narrow-cone .10 gauge, bitches!"

"Vampire, the recoil from that must be insane." Zerrex said flatly, and then he realized that was exactly why the demonic wolf was using it. Even with the vents and the weighted design of the machinegun, the rapid succession of shotgun blasts would quickly grind on anyone's body... but with Vampire's regenerative abilities, strength, and the way his whole body was capable of reacting to anything that happened to it... the wolf was likely one of the few people in existence who could use such a gun successfully and on full-automatic fire without risking it tipping upwards after only a few shots or breaking his shoulder. "You just like to show off, don't you?"

"Dude, this thing is sexy." Vampire retorted, cradling it easily in his huge, burly arms, and then he jerked his head at Lone and Mahihko, who were both staring in awe at the weapon. "Look, they like it!"

Zerrex muttered about something else they liked, and Cherry giggled stupidly as Vampire grinned dumbly... then he paused and huffed, before putting the huge weapon down on the table. Immediately, Lone darted past him and tried to pick it up... and the wolf looked stupidly surprised at the weight of the huge gun before he fell backwards and accidentally fired a round into the ceiling, Zerrex wincing at both the sound of the blast in the small space and the sight of part of the roof collapsing down onto the table, as Lone squawked in pain and immediately dropped the gun to grab his shoulder.

A few moments later, Cindy stormed into the kitchen, her goggles still on from whatever experiment she was busy conducting, before she paused as she saw Vampire, who was trying to hide behind a chair... and then she looked at the hole in the ceiling before she turned her eyes to Lone, who was wincing and rubbing his shoulder as Mahihko tried to jerk him to his feet with his other hand, and they both flattened their ears against their heads as Cindy glowered at them before she looked at Zerrex, saying flatly: "You promised this would be a quiet strategy session, not a... a gun orgy!"

"Sexy." Cherry grinned, then winced when Cindy looked at her. The angel blinked at the armor she was wearing, and Cherry struck a pose with her eyes shut and a wide grin on her muzzle... then squeaked when Cindy grabbed her muzzle and jerked her head in close, staring at the other female stupidly.

"Listen, Cherry. Don't aggravate things further. I'm working on a very sensitive experiment and I need you guys to all be quiet, got that?" Cindy glared around at them all, and they nodded dumbly before she left, stalking past Marina as she sleepily walked out towards them in just one of her father's old shirts. She ignored them completely as she walked to the fridge, then she opened it and pulled out a carton of milk, drinking from it loudly before she put it back and walked tiredly over to her father, giving him a tight hug. Then she yawned and walked out of the room, returning to bed with a mumble.

Vampire coughed, and then he held up a finger, saying dumbly: "So where am I staying, since um. We should obviously. Quiet down and stuff."

"Sleepover?" Mahihko looked excited, then he winced when Lone stood up and struck him between the ears with a fist, pouting a bit even though Vampire looked giddy at the idea.

"You three go off to the den, then, and Cherry and I will finish up here. Close the door, though, and keep the noise down." Zerrex said after a moment, and Vampire and Mahihko both danced on their paws, clapping their hands together before they wrapped an arm around each other and pranced off, and Lone sighed and followed, mumbling grudgingly and looking sour. Cherry and Zerrex both knew he was far more excited than he let on, however... but they didn't bother harassing him about it, as the Drakkaren said mildly, gesturing at the pile of weapons on the almost-overloaded table as he rested the sword on his shoulder: "So what do we got?"

Cherry became professional once more, straightening a bit as she replied calmly: "Six guns... Vampire's shotgun, my modified sniper rifle, two assault rifles, one grenade launcher, and one lightning coil. Everything's been modified by demons, revamped and loaded with the best ammo Priest could make in the years I was there, so we got plenty of rounds for the shotgun, about a hundred for my rifle, three hundred to split between the assault rifles, and the grenade launcher and lightning coil utilize demonic crystals as battery packs." She paused at this, then smiled slightly at Zerrex. "I'm sure you remember that bastard Icarus, right? This grenade launcher is done in the same style... it doesn't use standard grenades, but draws energy from the crystals to fire spheres of focused... I dunno, magic, at the opponent, to hurt the crap out of them. And the lightning coil is just plain wicked awesome."

Zerrex didn't bother questioning how Priest had managed to get his hands on a working weapon as complex and advanced as one of the lightning coils currently being given out only to the hardiest-trained of the Scanners. They were powerful weapons that released a constant stream of focused electricity against a target, rapidly subduing even the most powerful of demons and more than capable of lethality if the voltage was turned up. It was a space-age weapon that Zerrex was hesitant to approve of, but at the moment didn't disapprove of either... after all, the survival rate from the weapon was currently in the ninety percentile, and that was far better than the electrified bullets that Scanners had been using indiscriminately in the past to 'tame hostile demons.'

It was also rare that they came across something immune to a good jolt of electricity, at least on the mortal plane... part of the reason Lone and Mahihko were so useful. He figured he'd want them both out for this mission, as he mentally divvied up the weaponry... and then he looked at Cherry, asking mildly: "So do you think it would be unfashionable to show up with a sword at the meeting?"

"I think it would be unfashionable to show up without it." Cherry replied in a serious voice, and then she added in a tone that was actually solemn: "You are going to go in armed, right? Because I'd feel way better if you went in fully-prepared. I don't trust these humans... they seem way too much like old Ire for my tastes."

Zerrex nodded after a moment, saying quietly: "Yeah, I'll go in prepared, Cherry, and so will the others. I don't care if we come across as distrustful... this isn't like the meeting with Balthazar at all. At least we have him helping us with this... and for once, I'm glad that the place will likely be swarming with Irenic military."

The female grunted in agreement, then she and Zerrex returned to the battle plans. They still had a long time before the meeting, but both wanted to be as ready as possible, as they sorted gear and decided on placements. Cindy came into the kitchen around five in the morning and was surprised to see them both still talking seriously, and she made them pause and take a moment to put the guns away when she saw how frustrated the two were getting.

It helped to clear Zerrex's mind of all the worries he had, the simple manual task of hauling weapons up to the second floor's new addition: a full-size room to hold all their weaponry, since the guns and other objects they had found had been making quite a mess around the house. The room, outfitted with heavy lockers for the nastier stuff and with the rest hanging on display on the wall, was large enough to hold almost all their artillery... but they kept their personal weapons in their rooms, anyway, and Zerrex was able to finally put the sword rack he'd been given so long ago to good use with Reminiscence.

When he put it down, the sword seemed to thank him, and Zerrex looked at the blade for a few moments before he nodded slowly and left, wondering if it was imbued with intelligence as well as the energy-pull it had. Then he went back to helping Cindy, since Cherry was in her room, busy changing out of her armor and probably finding some place to put it and the Great Diviner.

It was a nice little break, and when the three returned to the table, even Cherry looked much more at ease, wearing only a simple cloth wrap around her large breasts and a plain pair of ripped jeans, rubbing absently at her crotch as she looked from Zerrex to Cindy before asking plainly: "So you guys got any more ideas?"

"I think you two have covered pretty much everything..." Cindy said after a moment, looking at their notes and seeming impressed as she read their shorthand script with only a little difficulty after getting used to the awkward scrawl of her father and the horrible, tangled weave of Cherry's handwriting. "Although you could still use some work in spelling, Cherry."

"Oh, fuck you, I was raised by gypsies. Spelling, math, shit like that... yeah, ain't so good at it. But I can totally spell every military abbreviation possible and like. Rape the shit out of someone with an anti-artillery cannon without knowing about... parabolas and... stuff." Cherry said dumbly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes in amusement, not bothering to bring up her precognitive powers. "Anyway, you sure? We still haven't covered the possibility of aerial attack."

"It doesn't seem to me like they have wings or technology... but they'll likely cover the air themselves, if they know anything about demons and angels." Cindy replied, and Zerrex and Cherry exchanged a look before the angel held up her hands before either could start speaking. "Don't even think about it. Zerrex, it takes a lot of force to break your wings, and Cherry, from what I see here you'll be far enough away to take out any other would-be snipers if things turn ugly. Here, let's roll this up and move on to something else, hard as it is for you two to just wait around."

The two muttered, but complied, cleaning up the maps and deciding to stash them in Cherry's room, since it was the safest place: Cherry herself only used the room to change or drag someone in to have sex with when other places were taken or just too far away, and no one else ever went inside for fear of Cherry throttling them over privacy issues. While the demoness found a good place to hide it, Zerrex and Cindy went to check on the wolves... but thankfully, they were just playing video games together, Vampire losing horribly and looking frustrated as he kept grumbling about how stupid this was, but obviously unable to bear the thought of giving up before either of the white wolves did.

It meant the house was relatively quiet until just past six, when someone knocked on the door and Zerrex answered it curiously... only to find Maria standing outside, looking embarrassedly up in him. He looked at her for a few moments with surprise, then smiled, about to bow her inside before she asked as she caught sight of Cherry, who grinned at her brightly: "Can we... go somewhere? The streets are very quiet and peaceful..."

"Sure." Zerrex shot a look at Cherry, who huffed, and then he leaned over to her and said softly: "Sammy's sleeping upstairs in my room. If he wakes up before I return, let him know where I am, okay? Poor little bugger gets a bit clingy and temperamental sometimes, just like you."

"Got it, Boss." Cherry said easily, either not understanding or choosing to ignore the insult, and then she leaned past him to wave at Maria, saying cheerfully: "Hey, girly-girl! Don't you worry, Zerrex can be gentle!"

"He's very gentle." Maria said politely in return, nodding her head forwards, and Zerrex marveled at how pure she was as Cherry's jaw fell open, obviously searching for something else to say, but before she could, Zerrex stepped forwards and offered his arm to Maria, who took it with a smile and quietly clung to it with both her hands, keeping some distance between them but at the same time not hesitating so much at the contact. And then Zerrex closed the door, Cherry still frantically searching for an insult before it was too late, and the pair went off down the street.

They were quiet, and Zerrex did admit, it was very peaceful. Even the smell of the air was different, and all the vehicles were parked, houses dim with a few lights on here and there but no one heading to work yet... it was all very beautiful and pleasant. As they walked forwards, the Drakkaren wondered what to say, as he looked at her for a moment, looking exactly like a mortal in just her black dress shirt and a blue, conservative top that covered her bosom completely, jeans and a short skirt covering her lower body and a belt holding both securely up... and then she finally glanced at her grandfather and asked him in a soft voice: "Why does Mother hate you so much?"

"I don't think she hates me, she... just doesn't like me." Zerrex said after a moment, looking at the pavement before he glanced up and shrugged, then he smiled faintly at Maria. "See, it's... well, you know how Hell works. A lot of my daughters came to me for sex and pleasure... and Maya, like Shelly, was born close to her other siblings, and she... never stood out in ways that I could really... relate to, you know?

"That sounds so bad." He laughed a bit, shaking his head slowly as they continued quietly down the street together, Maria watching him closely. "And as she grew up, it became... harder to pay the right amount of attention and share things with her. They were both very strong-willed girls, and still are... their opinions are very firm and unyielding, and admittedly I can be as bullheaded as them, which didn't mix well between us. And when they saw how I favored the daughters who... had sex with me, or who were more affectionate physically with me... I think that's what really upset them, and upset often manifests itself in anger." He shook his head again, murmuring softly: "I want you to believe, Maria, that I never meant for that to happen. I don't want a bad relationship with Maya, or with Shelly, or any of my other daughters or sons... but I'm not as good a parent as I would like to be, and so much happens, so fast... and by the time I have a chance to correct or work on those problems, it's already too late and everyone's angry about this or that or well... you know.

"I can't justify myself. I know I should have worked harder, reached out more... and I don't want to defend my actions or hurt you or hurt them or say bad things about my daughters, when the past is the past and... that's that." He looked at her quietly, nodding slowly. "I... I don't think what I did was unforgiveable. I know we have to work through problems on both ends... but I think maybe one day we could. But you... I want you to be happy, and hell, I want everyone to be happy, to find their own path, to do what's right for them. I know how hard it is to open up and be yourself, but... the last thing I want is to be cut off from you, or worse, to use you or have you used against me as a weapon. I was thinking about my own selfishness in asking you to loosen up, and I'm sorry for that, too, Maria."

"No, you... you were right about that." Maria said quietly after a moment, patting him quietly on the arm, and she smiled faintly. "I am a succubus, after all... and I was raised in Hell. I can see now why all the children made fun of me in school and... why mother and aunt always had me kept at home, because of the culture, because of how they were raising me, and I'm scared that... they've gone the opposite way you did. In spoiling me, and teaching me so, perhaps they have made a gap between myself and them, and I feel a... a great sadness in my chest, but also a very unladylike anger... and I know, of course, that I am not supposed to be a lady."

She laughed a bit at this, looking up at the sky as she wiped at her eyes slowly with one finger. "Me, a succubus, scared of sex... but when I think of all they have ingrained into me... from my pretentious way of speech to my distaste for the physical aspects of life... I feel like I have become a sort of... experiment. Much as I work to suppress it, to stay chaste and ladylike, to be proper and prim and remember that as the child of Maya, I am of noble rank and heritage... and yet I cannot help but feel those urges burning inside me, however tight the damnable chastity device I was forced to wear clings to me with its terrible textures." She shook her head slowly, looking disgusted. "To think after all these years, I still have it on, but I lack the key and it has a permanency spell upon it... so only by going home and facing down my mother, or by illicit theft could I free the key."

Zerrex looked at her with soft amusement, wondering for a moment if her accent and speech style had become more archaic because of the obvious anger she was withholding, and then she looked up at him with a faint smile, saying quietly: "You know, I suppose this is the part where I go and I say... 'But you know, I have once kissed a male,' or something worse... and yet, I never have." She glanced down, looking ashamed. "A succubus virgin, who hasn't even felt more than the gentle brush of your lips on my forehead... I know nothing about sex or affection, and I'm two millennia old. Young, perhaps, for a demoness, but it's no wonder I have no friends and I'm a laughingstock in Hell..."

"Hey now. You have Mary and Szar and the demons back at the manse..." Zerrex said softly, and Maria smiled a bit up at him, before he added gently: "And I know it sounds corny, but I'm your friend too, not just your grandfather." He paused, then laughed. "I hate it even as I say it... then again, my whole close family is kinda messed up, too, so I suppose I'm a lot of things to a lot of people."

"Then just be my friend." Maria smiled a bit, then she tugged Zerrex quietly over to a bench at the side of the road, the two sitting down and the female hesitantly nestling a bit closer as she murmured softly, resting her head on his shoulder: "A friend you can tell all sorts of things you never can tell your family, is that not true?"

"To me, the word friend has great weight attached to it... I don't like to throw it around, even though I do if only... for appearances' sake." Zerrex said softly after a moment, looking down at her as he patted one of her hands gently. "A friend is... someone you can trust. Someone who will fight for you, who will make you their top priority when something goes wrong. A friend is someone who will drop everything and come to your aid when you really need it, who will listen without judgment, who will hold you and comfort you, who you can share affection with, physical and otherwise. A friend is complicated, but also simple... and I'd like to be your friend, Maria, and I'd like you to be mine."

"I agree." Maria murmured, resting against him and closing her eyes, and they sat together like that, a bus slowing for them to pick them up... but Zerrex only waved it onwards, and it rumbled past after a moment, the succubus looking after it curiously as she opened one eye before she smiled faintly up at her grandfather. "Can you... tell me about what sex was like, your first time?"

"Rough and violent." Zerrex said after a moment, then he shook his head a bit, laughing quietly as he gazed down at her softly. "You don't want to hear about that, believe me. I lived... a very vicious life, and that's why I ended up in Hell. Fortunately, I turned myself around while still a mortal... but I still go in for one day a year whenever I'm down in Hell, and they punish me for what I did. I don't enjoy it, but I owe a lot of people a lot of things... and until either I redeem myself wholly or I last out all the days of punishment I owe, then I'll finally be someone... at least neutral, because I don't think I'll ever be good."

Maria nodded, looking at him for a few moments before she wrapped her arms around his neck, and he blushed as she rose her muzzle up towards him, touching her lips as he asked quietly: "Wait... don't do this just for me, or because the lust in you is surging, Maria... or for my affection and attention. As it is, I already feel so undeserving, and-"

"Be my friend." Maria said simply, and Zerrex hesitated before he lowered his finger from her lips, and her muzzle rose to meet his, the eyes of the two slipping closed as he wrapped his strong arms around her small body, and they kissed slowly and gently in the dawn light, Maria giving a soft, breathy sound of surprise into his muzzle when his tongue slid forwards into her maw, and it twisted and danced with hers for a few long, wonderful moments that seemed to last forever before he pulled back, and Maria drew her head away and looked at his chest, a deep flush suffusing her cheeks.

Then she gladly rested against him again, closing her eyes and licking her own muzzle slowly, as if tasting him still on her muzzle, and after a few moments she finally nodded to herself as she said with soft surprise: "It was a lot better than I thought it would be... and a lot different, too. Is it... always so... nice?"

"Not always." Zerrex smiled slightly, then he stood up and offered his arm to her, and she looked at him curiously as he said with soft amusement: "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't offer to take you out for some coffee? Come on, I know a great place, I just need to stop and pick up some money back at home."

"I have a little bit." Maria said with a bit of a smile, and she stepped back as she reached down, blushing as she lifted her skirt to feel in the pockets of her jeans, and Zerrex looked at her with quiet amusement as she murmured: "Sorry, but it's... improper for a lady to wear pants, as they reveal the shape of her private parts and buttocks."

"Only if you wear them as tight as Cherry does." Zerrex said mildly, watching as she fished out a single bill, and then she held it out on her palm with a blush, and the Drakkaren stared as he picked up the hundred, looking at it dumbly. I thought these were out of print.

"Mary gave it to me for doing a good job with the chores around the house..." Maria said with an embarrassed blush, rubbing a sandaled foot against the pavement. "I know it's not a whole lot, but can it buy at least coffee?"

"Uh. Yeah. It can buy a whole lot of coffee. And it sort of is a lot." Zerrex said after a moment, looking at her with amusement, and Maria looked surprised. "Mortal money works differently than Hell money, you'll quickly find... but come on, then, I guess you got the change to spare."

Maria blushed happily and clung to his arm as they walked along, and when Zerrex took her hand in one of his own, she only smiled warmly at him. When they reached a café, the Drakkaren looked up at it, then he paused as he smiled slightly at Maria, saying with soft amusement: "This'll be a good lesson for you on... mortal stuff. Come on."

She nodded, following him closely in through the glass doors, and they walked past a few tired people seated at different tables, approaching the counter as the Drakkaren inspected it for any signs about not-accepting-such-and-such, and he knew he was about to feel like a major asshole as one of the workers yawned and came up to the register. "Can I take your order?"

"Two extra large coffees, both double-double, and a large box of donut holes." The reptile paused, thinking of how disgusting that sounded in retrospect, and glad he hadn't added 'mostly chocolate.' He waited for the cashier to punch the amount in, and then he held up the hundred, which made the poor canine stare. "This works here, right?"

"Lemme check." The cashier opened the register, looking sourly at Zerrex, and then he paused and gave him a look, saying slowly: "Yeah, it works."

The Drakkaren shrugged and handed over the money, and cashier called the order out to another worker, who went about the process of making it, looking relieved to be doing something other than standing around. As she took care of that, the canine took out a twenty with a smug look, and Zerrex frowned before he winced as the cashier then took out two tens, then ten fives, and finally a very large handful of change. "Ninety dollars and eighty-six cents."

"Thanks." Zerrex said flatly, and then he paused and asked dumbly, as the other worker put down the two coffees and the box of food: "Can I get a bag?"

"Yeah, what the hell." The canine grabbed a paper bag and tossed it to him, and Zerrex sighed before he shoveled the money inside, before the dog added pleasantly: "Have a nice day, huh?"

"You too." Zerrex said mildly, picking up one of the cups of coffee, and he and Maria walked over to a corner table, pulling the chairs out as the Drakkaren tossed the bag down on the tabletop, and then the succubus sat opposite him, looking at him curiously and then down at the coffee and box of food as she put both down.

She was quiet a moment longer, then she watched when Zerrex tore open the plastic slot on the coffee cup, taking a drink of the liquid and sighing as he relaxed against the back of the small chair, saying amiably: "I like it black when I need to get myself really going for something, but the sugar adds to the caffeine rush. Go ahead, take a sip."

Maria nodded after a moment hesitantly, and then she did so... and she blinked before rearing her head back, saying thoughtfully: "It's a strange taste... but I don't really mind it too much, I don't think. What about this food? How can you eat holes?"

This made Zerrex grin stupidly, but when Maria only continued to look at him, he cleared his throat and rubbed a hand through his hair, replying casually despite all the fun innuendoes he wanted to spout: "Just take a look for yourself. They're more like little balls, anyway." Oh Gods. "Balls of dough, I mean, they're what... is left when they poke a hole in a donut."

"Donuts... have holes in them? Why?" Maria curiously craned her neck to look past Zerrex at the signs with pictures hanging above the counter, and she frowned as she relaxed back against the chair after a moment, saying thoughtfully: "I think those would be much better if they left them whole. Mortal foods are so strange."

"Yeah, but really good." Zerrex said with relish, sipping loudly at his coffee before he reached out and popped open the top of the other box, and Maria watched as he reached in and picked up one of the pastry balls, frowning at the sight of it before he popped it into his mouth and munched loudly on it. "These are delicious. This one had raspberry filling. You like raspberries?"

"I don't know what they are." Maria said blankly, and she hesitantly reached into the box and pulled out one of the balls, looking at it almost suspiciously. It was sugar-coated and tan colored, and she seemed hesitant to try and eat it... but finally, she put it in her mouth and chewed carefully, and first she frowned, then looked almost confused, and then surprised before she finally smiled hesitantly and nodded. "I... that wasn't bad."

For the next half-hour, they sat together, Zerrex finishing his coffee quickly but glad to sit and wait for Maria to slowly work her way down through hers. It was a pleasure, and as they sat together, the female began to open up bit-by-bit, even if she didn't talk much: the blossoming was more a visual thing, anyway, in her expressions, her gestures, and her eyes.

Finally, she and Zerrex left, and they walked together with the Drakkaren's arm thrown around her shoulders, holding her loosely against him as she smiled, her fingers laced in front of her as she gazed at him fondly. They walked in silence back towards Zerrex's home, and when they stopped in front of the door, she took both his hands in her own and leaned up to kiss his lips quietly.

Zerrex smiled at the chaste kiss, and then he squeezed her hands gently as he said softly: "You know, I could walk you all the way home. It wouldn't be a problem. I'm meeting Animaxander at the end of this week, so there's still two days, almost three, before anything really big happens." At least, I hope.

"No, I can find my way home... I think it's good for me to... face the world alone a little bit." Maria replied gently, and then she smiled softly, reaching a hand up to quietly stroke Zerrex's face. "Thank you very much for this morning, my friend. I don't think I would have enjoyed it nearly as much with anyone other than you. I promise to find my way and do what I can for myself, as well, and I'll look forwards to our next meeting."

"Take care, Maria." Zerrex reached up and stroked her face gently, and she grasped his wrist for a moment, pushing her hand against his palm and closing her eyes as she rested like that, before she finally smiled and slowly stepped away from him, holding onto his fingers even as she did so until they parted, and then she turned and left, walking quietly away. Zerrex watched her go, and he rose a hand in a wave when she looked back almost longingly... and she nodded with a bit of a smile before he turned and entered the house.

Cherry immediately grinned and grabbed him, shoving him against the door with a wince and slamming it closed as she asked cheerfully: "Did you fuck her? Huh? Tell me, go on, I bet you fucked her right up the ass!"

"Go away." Zerrex said flatly, and Cherry huffed, then fell into step behind him as he headed for the kitchen, where Marina was eating a bowl of cereal, smiling at the sight of her father. He smiled back, then looked over his shoulder at Cherry, saying mildly: "We went out for coffee and we had a nice time together. I don't want to talk about it right now, I need to sort through my brain."

"Daddy's upset because he's doing that 'I'm-undeserving' thing again." Marina said to Cherry, and Cherry rolled her eyes as she sat down at the table. Marina ate another spoonful as Zerrex rolled his eyes and left the room, and immediately she winced and leaned out of her chair, calling: "Sorry, Daddy!"

Zerrex climbed the ladder up to the second floor, mumbling about getting some privacy as Cherry asked Marina flatly what the hell was wrong with him, and he figured she'd do a better job than he could of explaining it. It wasn't just the whole feelings of guilt and like he didn't deserve to have so many people so glad to do things with him, it was that he knew this thing with Maria could make Maya and Shelly really start to hate him... and on top of the stupid melodrama, he had the serious issue of Animaxander and Kafka to contend with.

The reptile muttered under his breath as he walked into his room, and Sammy squeaked at him from his bed, before he jumped up onto his dresser and chirped, tilting his head. Zerrex shrugged as he sat down on his bed, then he kicked off his shoes, mumbling about leaving dirt everywhere before he finally said gloomily, as he reached up to pet the dragon lightly: "Just soap opera issues, don't worry. On the other hand, you know... I seriously wonder what Maria would be like as a succubus. She's spent so much time learning pretty much how to be the opposite that... well... she might kinda suck at it. Maybe the reason her powers haven't really manifested, however, is that she's still a virgin... I dunno, could be that her whole tenseness about making sure she's a refined lady is holding her back psychologically somehow... I'm confused again."

Sammy chirped at him comfortingly, and Zerrex sighed before he laid back on the bed and threw his hands behind his head, grunting when Sammy jumped down onto his chest to look down at him curiously. "All that nonsense aside, the Animaxander thing is stressing me out way more, I think. Two days of waiting... I'm so sick of waiting. I want to do something instead of wait-wait-wait all the time..."

The Drakkaren made a face, looking up at the ceiling for a moment, and then he returned his eyes to Sammy, asking him mildly: "So what's it like to be you, huh? I recognize you almost got killed once... well... pretty much did get killed... but look at me, I'm a demon and I still look like I was tossed into a mulch machine, so you know how bad my mortal life was. And now I got all these crazy issues to deal with and people all over the place being assholes and... you get to laze around, play video games, and we've been training hard to keep you in great shape."

He tickled down Sammy's side, and the pseudodragon chittered a laugh before he pounced playfully on Zerrex's muzzle, and the reptile laughed himself and brushed him off, looking amused as Sammy pranced around the Drakkaren's huge chest. "Yeah, yeah. I get it, you're cool. Look, I think I need a short nap to help me relax... I always feel better after a bit of sleep. Do me a favor and don't let Cherry or Vampire pounce on me, huh?"

Sammy nodded and chirped at him as he curled up on Zerrex's chest, his eyes open and attentive, and the reptile yawned before he closed his eyes. It took a good twenty minutes, but then he was fast asleep, and he descended into a dreamless darkness for a little while.

The darkness steadily cleared into first gray, then white, then solid shapes, however, and soon enough Zerrex found himself standing in a dank, mechanical hallway, pipes on the ceiling dripping black bile and blood and strange gauges on the walls humming away, steam venting here and there from metal grates with a soft, dangerous hiss. The floor underfoot was rusted as everything else was, made of bolted-together metal plates... and the Drakkaren started carefully forwards after a moment, making a bit of a face as he looked back and forth and muttered: "I really need to hire a redecorator for my brain, seriously. Great, I wonder what the hell is up now in my head..."

It wasn't long before he reached a heavy gate, several-inch thick bars crisscrossed back and forth and spikes jutting out of each intersection to prevent someone from ramming it down, and the reptile carefully grabbed it and tested it as his eyes examined how it worked. He finally saw hidden hinges at one side of the gate, and on the other a lock... and the reptile grasped the bars as he slid to the side of the passage, pulling carefully before he grunted and jerked hard, and he tore the gate open before he stepped forwards into the archway, looking up and then down a long, empty shaft, wide but with sides covered in thorns and barbed wire.

Then the gate suddenly slammed itself backwards, and the reptile staggered forwards a step, pinwheeling his arms before he cursed as he fell into the duct, flipping out of control for a moment before the Drakkaren spun himself hard, and he cursed in pain as his back and legs tore against the barbed wire and spikes, feeling them rip against his scales as he sped by in his long, seemingly-endless fall as he managed to right himself. He looked back and forth, holding his arms out and realizing with a grimace that even if he pulled out his wings, the force of the stop would likely cause him to hurtle right back onto the deadly walls... and the Drakkaren muttered to himself, trying to figure out a way to stop before he looked down and his eyes widened at the sight of a boiling pit of magma just past a jutting stone head of some kind of terrible monster beneath him.

The reptile created three barriers of energy directly beneath him as he fell, and he smashed through each one with a wince, shards of his own azure energy flying past his face as they failed to halt him with the high speed he was falling at, but they slowed him enough that he was able to lash a hand out and grab the stone monster head, cursing as he felt like his arm was about to be torn from the socket before his grip slipped against the smooth stone, but immediately a tentacle lashed out of his arm and wrapped firmly around the outcrop, and he hung with a sigh some forty feet above the magma, the heat of the lava below still more than enough to make his feet feel like they were burning as he carefully hauled himself up onto the back of the stone neck as the tentacles slid back into his arm, and then he stepped off and into a wide opening leading into only darkness and a bright spotlight.

The reptile knew what he was supposed to do... so he did it, entering the room and feeling unsurprised when a massive steel gate slammed down behind him, sealing his exit... but it wasn't like he could escape anyway. He continue forwards, sensing a vague outline to the room that gave it a circular kind of feel, and then he stepped into the light... and he stood there as a rumble went through the area, before two gleaming, glowing emerald slits opened in the darkness, and he looked up with distaste as his own face leaned out of the shadows, accompanied by the outline of his body... except this head was his fully-demonic side.

The eyes glowed a terrible, sick green, and both sets of horns twisted out of the skull, huge and enormous... and the head itself was massive and monstrous, looming like a terrible specter by itself in the darkness before the ceiling above slowly opened and revealed them to be standing in a huge concrete basin, the mortal Zerrex facing his demonic alter-ego as the huge beast roared furiously down at him, now fully-revealed in the white light that shone down from above.

Standing at more than a hundred feet tall, spikes jutting from his body and the warped arm massive and cruel-looking, it was a terrible sight to behold, with his gargantuan muscles forming a strange paradox to its emaciated body, the ribs clearing sticking through and the waist thinning before it broadened into the large, powerful legs, the knees bent backwards into an unguligrade stance on massive, hooked talons, a curving spike sticking out of each heel and also out of each knee to curve protectively around the joint. Three pairs of gargantuan, angelic wings stood out of its back, and its warped right arm was huge, far too large for its body and ending in a wicked, evil claw. Drool dripped from its fanged jaws, filled with wicked teeth too large for its mouth, and then a long, thick tongue slid from its maw as it leaned down, licking its own muzzle before it asked with a furious roar: "Why do you resist me?"

"Where's your junk?" Zerrex asked meditatively, pointing between its legs at the flat crotch of the beast as he crossed his other arm over his chest to grasp his bicep, and it snarled in fury before it lashed its flesh-and-blood arm down at him, the spines on it standing outright like blades as thick, bone-covered tentacles tore from its forearm towards the Drakkaren. Immediately, Zerrex jumped backwards, watching the huge spikes at the end of each slam into the ground, and then the demonic Zerrex twisted its body to the side and lashed out with its spiked tail, the deadly spade-shaped harpoon at the end of it slicing through the air towards the Drakkaren before he quickly ducked and lowered his head.

The tail slashed over Zerrex, but it sent a red flag up in his head before he stood, creating a sphere of energy and throwing it hard into the demon-him's face, and the blast rattled it, making it stumble backwards in shock as it grasped at its features, tentacles quickly retracting as the reptile shouted: "Who the hell are you? 'Cause you definitely aren't any part of me!"

The demon-Zerrex shook his head back and forth, ragged hair falling around his features... and then he laughed in a much-calmer, much-colder voice before he let his hands fall away from his features, the face the same but the voice different as it asked cajolingly: "But wouldn't that ruin all the fun if you knew?"

Before Zerrex could reply, the demon stamped a foot down, and the earth beneath the Drakkaren exploded, launching him into the air before the not-him reached out and caught him easily in its massive, warped claw, squeezing him painfully tight as Zerrex clenched his eyes shut and snarled, and the demon brought him in close, whispering softly as his eyes slowly turned from pure green to white with black irises and glowing ivory pupils, reaching a single claw from his other hand forwards to stroke gently under his muzzle almost tenderly. "For someone with such a legacy, you sure were easy to capture... but your head is quite a vulnerable point for you, isn't it? With that shattered personality you have, you have such a hard time of keeping track of what in your head is part of you and what isn't... although I admit you did quite so well in figuring out so fast I wasn't part of you, even if you never found me out getting in." The demon paused, then asked curiously, as if they were having a discussion over tea: "Just how did you figure that out, anyway?"

Zerrex winced as he was squeezed firmly, and then he looked at him and finally managed out, as he struggled hard in the viselike grip: "I... never use... tail attacks."

"Right, oh, that's right! Because your own doesn't work so well, that is correct, correct?" The demon smiled down at him, a strange and terrible expression with how genuine it seemed. "Just delightful. But I do fear that I must make short work of you... you see... you may prove a hindrance to my plans if you live. I have others to destroy after I attend to you, as well, since I know very well I cannot trust my minions to do it... and since I cannot yet be there physically, I figured that destroying my targets mentally would be a fair start. And don't you worry about us being interrupted... I took a precaution and chained up that filthy-mouthed Ravenlight and that weakling Drakkai Goddess... am I ever disappointed in her crude behavior and even more disappointing performance, however."

He shook his head slowly, and then he finally sighed theatrically as he squeezed Zerrex... and then the Drakkaren gargled when he felt a multitude of massive spikes rip through his body, the demon's hand becoming a terrible Iron Maiden as he clenched his hand tighter, the amusement vanishing from his features as he said softly: "And now I kill you, and there will need to be no meeting with Animaxander and no dealings with any of my other servants. All for the Great Plan, all for those whom even I must serve and bow to. Die, Zerrex."

The Drakkaren felt himself being squeezed tighter, screaming in agony as the spikes became spears that tore their way through him, trying to wake himself up and yelling in his mental mind that this was all a dream, his mind, that he could beat this, that the pain wasn't real... and then suddenly he fell free as the demon stumbled backwards, wondering what happened for a moment as he clutched at his body, which was bloodless and woundless, the pain suddenly gone despite the fact he was kneeling a puddle of gore... and he looked up in shock to see the demon-him staggering backwards, his strange, reversed eyes looking back and forth before he stared in shock at something behind Zerrex, as a terrible shadow fell over him.

The reptile looked over his shoulder to see Marina rise up: but she was even larger than the demon, shackles around her wrists connected to broken chains, and more massive iron chains wrapped and dangling from a body that was otherwise naked, covering her breasts and falling over her crotch like a loincloth of sorts. She looked up as she slowly let her arms fall to her sides, levitating in the air as her eyes glowed with power, and then she snarled in a terrible, dark voice: "Don't you ever touch my Daddy again!"

The demon screamed as he staggered backwards, clutching at his head as waves of psychic force made Zerrex's vision go blurry, the Drakkaren staggering and falling to a kneel before the warped arm of the demon cracked, then twisted back and forth, suddenly losing consistency and becoming like a string of licorice, stretching and bending with ease... and then it tore off at the shoulder as it formed an ugly corkscrew that slammed into the demon's stomach and spun violently, ripping its way through his guts as he shrieked and clutched at it, the black and white eyes filled with terror as dark blood spilled everywhere, the cement walls around them cracking as the light falling from the sky fizzed in and out, and then the demon leaned forwards and vomited dark bile before his eyes melted out of his skull as he gurgled, and Marina made a disgusted swatting gesture that caused first his head, then his body to explode into dark gore that turned into a black rain, Zerrex covering his head as he yelled in shock before everything went quiet... and then the Drakkaren looked hesitantly up, and Marina was standing over him in normal clothes with a soft smile on her face, holding an umbrella up, and they were at a bus stop in front of what was simultaneously a forest of massive trees and a concrete jungle of buildings. He was kneeling on a sidewalk, and cars raced up and down a road beside him, but everything had a cartoony, twisted look to it... and the rain falling was normal rain, as Marina offered him a jacket, saying lovingly: "The pain is over, Daddy. Whoever he was, he's gone now... perhaps not dead, but he certainly won't try and hurt you again."

Zerrex hesitantly got up to his feet, looking back and forth as he breathed quietly in and out of his mouth, his throat dry, a strange terror still simmering in his veins even as Marina let go of the umbrella to slide the trenchcoat onto her father... and he stared as the umbrella simply floated, before she smiled warmly and clung to him, suddenly wearing her own matching jacket as she took the umbrella by the handle and said lovingly: "The mind is a wonderful place... a dream can last a million years, and you can feel every one tick by... and yet in reality, it will be but mere seconds... just as seconds can pass, and when you awaken, it's been hours... oh father, I'll never let anyone hurt you..."

She squeezed tightly around his arm, and Zerrex looked back and forth before he finally murmured: "I... I don't feel good. I want to wake up."

Marina stepped back from him, looking up into his eyes quietly... and then she nodded slowly... and everything went dark before colors faded in, and Zerrex found himself staring at Marina's face. At first he thought he'd upset her... but then he realized that it was self-reproach in her eyes, as she murmured quietly: "I'm so sorry, Daddy... I didn't mean to go so far."

"I know, Marina... it's okay, I'm... glad to be out of there." Zerrex said finally, and Marina nodded, brightening a bit before Sammy jumped between them and chirped nervously, leaning in and nibbling at Zerrex's muzzle. The reptile laughed, rubbing at the pseudodragon... and then Marina reached a hand out and grabbed Sammy around the base of the neck, yanking him out of the way before the Drakkaren snapped: "Marina!"

Marina halted immediately, blushing a bit as she held the little beast firmly around the neck, and then she put him down and the pseudodragon immediately squeaked and huffed before running behind Zerrex, trembling a bit in fear. Zerrex looked back at him for a moment, at the terror on his face... and then he looked back at Marina, who was blushing deeply and looking up at him as he forced his anger at her down, saying finally: "We'll... call that a push. Please don't do things like that."

"He got between me and you, Daddy. I don't care if he was concerned or not... I don't like it when people push themselves between me and you." Marina murmured embarrassedly, looking away quietly for a moment before her eyes returned to him, and Zerrex carefully slid his way out of the bed, the reptile sighing a bit and standing up as Marina stroked down one of his legs, gazing up at him softly. "I won't do it again, promise."

"Okay. Let's go tell the others what happened with that... thing in my head." Zerrex shook his head slowly, offering a hand to Sammy, and the tiny dragon ran forwards and leapt up onto his arm, crawling up to his shoulder and curling up around his neck as he shivered a bit. The Drakkaren paused to glance over his shoulder at Marina, who was sitting quietly with her arms wrapped around herself, and then she finally nodded and got up, and the two left the room as the male wondered what was the bigger powderkeg at the moment: Kafka, Animaxander, or his daughter.

The morning of the meet with Animaxander found Zerrex in his room, polishing his sword and prepping himself mentally. His nanotech armlet was on his left arm and activated to cover his chest, and his right only had a thin layer of nanomachine fibers covering it, letting him ready his twisted arm at any moment... much as he knew that opponents using divine weapons would be able to hurt even the warped material that made it up.

A belt was cinched tight around his waist, holding a side pack and a flashbang, and he was wearing both black jeans and heavy dragon-hide chaps, which would at least stop him from getting a lot of scrapes and bruises if a fight started. On his feet were heavy combat boots, well-polished and overlaid with heavy metal plates, and strapped to his back was a magnetic holder designed by Tinman many years ago, which would hold the sword tightly against his back. He wasn't going in with a whole lot of gear, but more than enough to get the job done nonetheless, he thought: the key idea was that everyone else would be well-armored and well-equipped, while he would be left to rely on his skill and the idea that if Animaxander betrayed them, he'd be just as vulnerable as Zerrex was to attack.

Vampire, Lone, and Mahihko would all be going in with him as the part of his honor guard that would follow him as far into the factory as Animaxander would allow: even though Zerrex wasn't keen on leaving any of his daughters behind, he also knew that the wolves were the best equipped for the job. Even though Lone and Mahihko were valid options as snipers, the lightning abilities of the two meant they would be more useful in a situation where they could both utilize both those electricity and ranged powers: besides, Cindy and Marina he needed to post at the entrance, where they would be surrounded by enemies but also where they could guard against and watch out for ambush.

Sammy would also be coming along on this mission, but would be going in early with Cindy and Marina, who had agreed to meet up with Balthazar's troops at the entrance to the facility ahead of the meeting schedule in order to make sure that no ambushes or booby-traps could be detected. Of course, even if they had a time for a full search of the entire area, it didn't guarantee that they would be able to find anyone who might be in hiding... after all, even Marina's powers weren't perfect, and there was no telling how good the humans might be at cloaking their minds and hiding the presence of their bodies.

Zerrex sighed as he stood up and finally put the sword on his back, adjusting it to make sure the handle was in an easy-to-grip position, and then the reptile cracked his neck and rolled his shoulders, double-checking his gear before he murmured: "Guess it's time to get going."

The reptile had anxious butterflies in his stomach and nervous bulls parading through his head, feeling far more out of sorts than he had with meeting Balthazar: at least then, he'd had a good feeling about things, and Cherry had accompanied him there and kept him entertained the whole way. This time, he'd be taking a military transport that Lone would be driving, and he still had an hour to kill before he met up with someone who, like the Princess, might be trying to kill him. Zerrex paused as he remembered after a moment what the thing in his head had said about tying up the Princess and his other personalities... and then he smiled a bit to himself, wondering if he had been serious. His brain, after all, had been oddly quiet... and the reptile carefully sat down after a moment, adjusting the sword to avoid it cutting into anything as he rested his hands on his knees and took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

A few moments later, he was visualizing the inside of his own mind... and then all of a sudden, he was simply there, in an elevator going down before it halted with a rumble and the gate slid back, revealing the Princess's lair. It was now slightly-overgrown with vines, and sitting bound in her throne was the Princess herself, who looked at him with disgust as she struggled against the golden chains wrapped around her, snarling: "There you are! Were you just planning to leave me here?"

"Sorry, I thought a mighty Goddess like yourself would have been able to escape... plus I didn't think that thing would leave lasting effects." Zerrex paused, walking into the room as he glanced back and forth at the white bones that were decaying here and there: it had been a long time since the Drakkaren had actually been forced to be in here, and he was admittedly very glad of that now. "By the way, he seemed to know you... care to shed a little light on what happened?"

The Princess snorted in distaste, but her emerald eyes frowned out of her mask at him when he approached and undid the chains easily, jerking them off and setting her free. Slowly, she rubbed at her bruised wrists and arms, then she looked at him squarely and snorted in displeasure, saying softly: "It was a very dangerous being, Lord Zerrex, and that's all you need to know. I'd tell you more but I'm sure your meeting today with Animaxander will give you a few details..." She paused, then snapped her fingers, and Zerrex winced as purple electricity tore over his body, cursing in pain before he blinked as nothing else happened, looking slowly down at his own palms as she added with dark entertainment: "A gift, for... helping me. You'll appreciate this one, don't worry, and it should be much faster-acting than the last ability I shared with you."

Before Zerrex could open his mouth to ask her what the hell she meant, suddenly he was back in reality... and the reptile looked dumbly back and forth before he glanced up as Cherry entered the room. She looked grim herself, in her full armor and with the Great Diviner's shackle around one arm and the sword resting at her side, her whip on her other hip and an ancient rifle with a heavy, polished walnut stock resting across her back, the female looking at him mildly for a few moments before she said quietly: "Time to go, Boss. Marina, Cindy and Sammy are moving in to position as we speak, and the wolves are all busy loading up the van. You been okay up here?"

"Yeah, Cherry, I'm fine." Zerrex gazed at her with soft amusement, nodding, and then he paused and asked quietly: "Shouldn't you be heading out into position yourself, then?"

Cherry grunted, then she rubbed awkwardly at the back of her head, saying finally: "I... I just wanted to wish you good luck today, Boss. I know it's going to be a hell of a... whatever it is that we're going to, and that either way, things are probably going to turn bad and the shit's going to hit the fan. So you know. Just... take care. Last thing I need is you getting your ass killed and being banished back to Hell for a few thousand years."

"Oh, don't worry, I'm sure the weapons they're using are demon-killing." Zerrex said blithely, and Cherry rolled her eyes before he stood up, and they both swung their hands out, catching each other's tightly and squeezing firmly as he looked at her squarely. "Watch your ass, Cherry. Last thing I need is something bad happening to you."

Cherry grinned a bit at this, bringing her other hand up to waggle a finger at him. "Do you know me at all, Boss? Don't fuckin' insult me. Now come on, get your ass in gear and I'll be watching your tight ass as much as my own, so don't fuck up yourself out there."

And with that, she pulled Zerrex in and firmly kissed him for a moment before shoving him back, and by the time the Drakkaren righted himself, she was gone. He shook his head in slow amusement, and then he slowly left the room, pausing in the hallway and going instead to the mural room first to open the door and look inside.

Marina had done a wonderful job in here: he saw so many faces and bodies painted over so little time, and yet it didn't seem crowded somehow. He envied his daughter's talent and wondered just how the hell she managed to do so much in so little time... and he let his eyes trace over the faces of his sons, his daughters, his friends, his family... and then finally he backed out, and glanced to the side to see Vampire poke his head up onto the second floor, the big wolf looking grim even as he tried to grin. "You ready, Boss?"

"As ever." Zerrex said softly, and he walked down the hall as Vampire nodded and dropped out of sight before the Drakkaren jumped down, landing easily beside him and glancing at the huge black wolf. Instead of Royal Guard armor, Vampire was wearing leather pants and a leather jacket that was open to reveal his chest, bare except for two crisscrossing bandoliers, and a few belts of ammunition were wrapped around his body and waist, the machine-shotgun dangling loosely from one hand. The only backup weapon Vampire had was a pair of brass knuckles on his other hand, inscribed with the word: 'Reason.'

The two walked outside together quietly, where Mahihko and Lone were in matching military uniforms. Both had assault rifles dangling on shoulder straps and an additional gun on their back - in Lone's case, the grenade launcher, and in Mahihko's the lightning coil - but only Lone also had a handgun tucked into either boot. Mahihko, on the other hand, had plenty of ammo for his assault rifle clipped to his belt, while Lone had only one additional clip.

The bigger wolf wiped his forehead slowly, a bandanna tied tight around this, while Mahihko was wearing a less-fashionable but more-serviceable headset that would let him keep in communication with Cherry and Cindy. The little wolf smiled hesitantly at his father, and Zerrex nodded to him before he climbed in the back, quietly reaching out to ruffle the tiny lupine's head-fur at the same time before he sat down on the metal bench against one wall. Against the other were several large boxes of ammunition, and several additional guns in metal crates, just in case things turned nasty and they needed some additional firepower.

Mahihko and Lone closed the doors after a moment, and Zerrex listened as they both climbed into the front, before Vampire turned his black eyes to the Drakkaren and asked mildly: "So Boss, you think this'll be good and clean, or the usual fuckaree that happens when we try and plan for something?"

"The latter." Zerrex said absently, and he fidgeted a bit, pulling his sword off his back and putting it down across his lap as he began to absently run his fingers up and down the runes, keeping the tip pointed away from Vampire just in case. "You ready for the worst?"

"I am the worst." Vampire said pompously, as he patted his machine-shotgun and flicked the safety off, grinning a bit at the Drakkaren, who snorted and shook his head before the demon wolf added quietly: "It's a real honor to work with you again though, Boss, 'specially since this feels like the old days... just without any of the bad karma shit, you get me?"

"I get you too damn well." Zerrex replied, and then he made a face when Vampire leaned in and sloppily licked up the side of his face, shoving his head away before he glared at him as the black wolf fluttered his eyes at him. "You're as bad as Cherry, seriously."

The black wolf obviously took that as a compliment, grinning stupidly before the transport started with a grumble, and then slowly pulled out onto the road, and he became solemn as Zerrex sighed and checked his armlet, tapping in a command to tune in on a specific frequency and listen for any broadcasts. While the armlet didn't act as a two-way communicator - there was some glitch that made everything very static-riddled if he tried to talk - it functioned fine on 'listen' mode, and he wanted a good heads-up just in case Cindy and Marina came across any problems. They were a good twenty-five minutes away, and that would give them more than ample time to check the whole area, especially if the Ire soldiers cooperated... and right now the reptile was pretty sure they were way more scared of the humans than they were of demons.

The ride was shorter than Zerrex expected, but there were no communications, meaning everything was going smoothly... and when they rolled slowly to a halt, Vampire became grim as he reached into his jacket before pulling out a pair of sunglasses, flicking them open and putting them on. He paused at the Drakkaren's look, and then he tilted them down and grinned at him as black eyes glinted overtop the dark frames. "You're just jealous that I'm so badass."

The Drakkaren didn't bother responding as the vehicle pulled slowly forwards after a few moments, and then the transport slowed and halted again before it turned off this time. Immediately, Vampire got up and opened the doors, jumping out before he stood ready, his eyes flicking back and forth before he pushed his sunglasses back up his muzzle to cover them. Zerrex stepped out after a moment, putting his sword on his back and making a face as he rubbed slowly at his right arm, before he nodded slowly at the sight of the Irenic soldiers, most of them wearing lightweight Scanner gear and carrying either a heavy assault rifle or an assault shotgun.

The debris piles had all been cordoned carefully off... and the metal fencing was being patrolled by a group of three soldiers, while three patrols of five each carefully walked in wide circles around the factory. At the open gate where they had come in, there were four more, as well as Cindy and Marina in Hez'Rannan military outfits, the angel looking back and forth with a heavy cleaver on her back and the psychic carrying a lever-action shotgun, with a katana holstered at her side. When Marina sensed Zerrex was looking, she sent him a mental 'clear' signal, even though he felt how dubious she still was despite everything.

He turned towards the factory, where at least six more Irenic soldiers were posted, these ones in BAD armor... and backing them up were two Combat Suits, both equipped with missile pods on the shoulders and massive machineguns instead of hands. Balthazar really had gone to all lengths to make sure he'd be well-protected... and he walked towards the lineup with his wolf honor guard after a moment before he frowned at the sight of the empty factory beyond, looking at the nearest soldier and asking quietly: "Where's the humans?"

The BAD soldier looked taken off-guard, and he cleared his throat before he responded: "Sir! No idea, sir!"

"At ease, drop the sir thing and the short sentences." Zerrex said mildly, and the BAD soldier cleared his throat, looking embarrassed even through the facemask he was wearing before the reptile frowned a bit and looked at Vampire, asking him aside: "Ask Cherry if she sees any convoys coming." He then turned his attention back to the soldier. "You got snipers posted?"

The soldier looked back and forth, but the other BAD-armored grunts simply shrugged a bit before he said hesitantly: "Yeah..." A pause, but when Zerrex nodded in approval, he visibly relaxed, adding quickly: "The perimeter is covered and secure... and we've even got psychic repressors set up, calibrated to the frequency we detected and analyzed at the human base in some covered trucks, ready to be moved in just in case."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly: admittedly, it was a hell of a good idea. It would probably mess with both his abilities and Marina's, too, but on the other hand... if there was one thing he was competent in, it was melee combat. If the humans turned out to be powerful magicians, taking that weapon away from them was far more important than avoiding some moderate irritation. "Good. I just hope we don't have to use them."

The soldier nodded in agreement, and then Cherry's voice rose up from the armlet, faint and tinny but there as he rose it automatically in front of himself. "Boss, Boss, we got movement, and there's a hell of a lot of the bastards... what the fuck are they riding... oh shit, this... convoy or whatever, parts of it are breaking up, they might be sending out cells or some shit throughout the city, that ain't good."

"You'd better alert the rest of the troops." Zerrex said mildly to the BAD soldier, who winced and nodded before he yelled something down the line, and immediately the different soldiers all smoothly began to send out alerts to various areas around the city, as the Drakkaren stood back and looked over at Vampire and Mahihko, who both looked nervous while Lone was trying to look stoic as he played with the firing selector on his assault rifle.

"Sir, you'd better go ahead on in... you can take one of your bodyguards with you, if you want." One of the armored soldiers advised, and the Drakkaren nodded, motioning for Vampire to go ahead past the lineup before he turned to Mahihko and Lone, who were both looking anxious, the latter wolf having dropped his act.

He smiled a bit to them, then he said quietly, looking from one to the other: "Don't get separated, don't get lost. Stay here with these soldiers, and if things get nasty, you know what to do." A pause, then he patted Lone's shoulder before ruffling Mahihko's fur again, and then he headed into the gutted factory, unable to help himself from staring at the creaking walls for a moment before he shook his head and walked over to the large square table, where Vampire was already standing at attention.

He stood himself, not wanting to sit until Animaxander arrived... and he didn't have long to wait, as strange carriages made of white-and-gold wood rolled of their own volition through the gates: at least ten of them, and each was more than big enough to carry at least half a dozen people... and the largest carriage came last, two huge white flags with golden crosses on them flapping in the winds on long poles at the end of the six-wheeled monstrosity, a massive unicorn figurehead at the front of the vehicle.

It came to a slow halt near the transport, as did the others, and the reptile realized their transport had been completely boxed in, which would make it even more difficult to get to now if something did happen. He made a face, but then watched as Animaxander climbed slowly out... and although he was at least two feet shorter than the Drakkaren, he was still imposing somehow, a broadsword sheathed at one side... but from the decorations on the golden hilt and sheath, Zerrex guessed that it was more likely a mark of valor than anything else.

At least fifty soldiers climbed out of the other carriages, and what disturbed Zerrex most was their sheer sameness: every single one was wearing a helm that covered his features and a white uniform: a sleeveless shirt with a golden cross on it, and a half-kilt, half-loincloth. All of them had chainmail on beneath this that protected every inch of their arms and legs and likely their bodies as well, and every single one of them had a broadsword at one side and a kite shield on their arm, and hands and feet covered by steel gauntlets and boots.

And then a massive, twelve foot tall palomino horse climbed out of the large carriage to stand behind Animaxander, wearing white full plate mail that was only a shade darker than his smooth, handsome features. Curly blond hair that was a fiery gold fell over one of his bright blue eyes from beneath a golden helm that curved down to protect his cheeks and the back of his neck, and one white-gloved hand was holding tightly onto the gold handle of a sheathed longsword at his side, while a gigantic, round gold shield was thrown across his back, held onto his body by a heavy leather strap. It was definitely unexpected... and when he turned around, Zerrex could see that the huge, slightly-domed shield was covered in runes he immediately recognized as an ancient form of the divine language, at least from what he could see that wasn't covered by a long, curly-haired ponytail. What the hell...

The soldiers dispersed as Animaxander and the horse bodyguard came forwards... and Zerrex walked out in front of the table, waiting with Vampire standing behind him with tense features, watching as the two passed between the BAD soldiers before Animaxander smiled as he approached the reptile, looking up at him with those cold, ruthless eyes as he said in his soft, generous voice: "So we meet at last, Lord Zerrex Narrius of Hell. I am the Grand Inquisitor Animaxander... and this is my bodyguard, Perseus Pegasus, the Lightbringer."

"Greetings." the horse rumbled, and then he looked with distinct distaste at Vampire, asking in a serious, cold voice: "And what, pray tell, are you?"

"Vampire, and I'm bad fucking news." the demon wolf replied darkly as he bristled, resting his machine-shotgun on his shoulder before he calmed when Zerrex shot him a sideways look, and he smiled, revealing his huge fang teeth as he half-bowed and gestured to the side. "Maybe we can get to know each other better while these two talk it out."

"I stay by my master's side." Perseus responded in a tone there was simply no arguing with, and Animaxander smiled slightly at this before he walked over to his seat across the table. Immediately, Perseus pulled it out for him, and the reptile realized they were dealing with a master of manipulation and a fanatic of his teachings as he sat down himself.

"Lord Zerrex, as you are aware, I have had many dealings with Hell and Heaven in the past, although perhaps different Hells and different Heavens than you are aware of." Animaxander started with no preamble, smiling his complacent smile as he laced his fingers together and looked across at the Drakkaren squarely. "And I myself, am a messenger of the Great One, the True God above all other gods."

"Including the god that attacked me a few days ago mentally?" Zerrex asked casually, leaning forwards on an elbow as he tilted his head towards Animaxander, expecting to at least make him frown... but the human only continued to look at him calmly, the smile on his alien features maddening. "Don't tell me you didn't know?"

"Of course I knew." Animaxander replied easily, looking across at him as he tilted his head forwards, and then he said in a soft voice that made Zerrex's blood run cold: "Even if Morpheus is a rank or two above me, our orders come from the same Great God of Gods. It was his initiative on his part to attack you... and how he suffered for it, from that harlot daughter of yours. I believe he's back to work, killing other nuisances... but that is all a story for another time, perhaps when all this is over.

"My message here is clear and simple, Lord Zerrex... go back to where you came from. You don't have to involve yourself in this affair, and I have been instructed to offer you... a free pass, an escape from the war." Animaxander laced his hands together, gesturing with them towards the Drakkaren, and the worst part of it all was the sincerity in his eyes and on his face when he said softly: "You won't survive if you pit yourself against my Master, Lord Zerrex... the Great God is nothing like anything you have battled in the past. His Will be Done is a phrase from my Bible... and it means that whatever he wills... that is what will happen. And right now, he wills that you be removed, one way or the other. But please, you and your compatriots could be useful to us in the future, if you will only remove yourself from the wicked events that are to pass shortly... and if you stand down, I know that many lives will be spared, because many will follow your example."

Zerrex looked at him quietly... and then he laughed softly and shook his head slowly, before he said mildly: "You know, it's been... a really long time since I've had an enemy that was honest with me. A really, really long time. I appreciate that, even if... I can't bear to stand down when other people are in danger. This is our world, not yours... maybe you're the one who should go back home."

"I was afraid you'd say that..." Animaxander sighed and pushed himself away from the table, before he bowed courteously, and then he straightened as he snapped his fingers, and immediately Perseus smashed the table aside and threw his shield over one arm and drew his sword with his other hand, snarling as he seemed to shine with golden energy, Zerrex still seated and crossing his arm with a look of distaste as Vampire stepped forwards and brought his gun up... before he was simply slapped aside with a yelp by the huge shield. "Perseus, you know what to do. As for me... I will take my leave and report to the Great One your defiance."

As Animaxander turned away, Zerrex called to him past the massive horse that was standing ready: "If your God is so powerful, how come he doesn't already know what happened?"

The Grand Inquisitor paused... and then he simply snorted and held a hand up, a white, circular portal appearing, the surface mirror-like and rippling, and Zerrex wondered how the hell he had created such a strange portal on the mortal plane when he didn't sense any corruption in the air, before he vanished through it. Vampire, meanwhile, was awkwardly picking himself up from the ground... before his eyes bulged as the area erupted into chaos, human soldiers drawing swords free and slashing down Irenic soldiers like corn as the piles of garbage trembled before humanoid figures made of garbage and debris ripped out of them. He winced, but then Zerrex simply rose a hand to him, saying mildly: "Go ahead, Vampire... I'll deal with our friend here."

"Thanks, Boss!" Vampire called, and he charged out of the factory ruins to join Mahihko and Lone, who were firing into human soldiers, raising his machine-shotgun to his shoulder and unloading a short burst of three rounds into the face of one of the humans, disintegrating much of his upper body and sending his sword to the ground... and when he fell, his body turned to ashes that blew through his chainmail and uniform, his gear tumbling to the ground in a useless pile.

Zerrex stood up as he drew his sword off his back, Perseus breathing hard across from him and grinning, his eyes alight with fanaticism and his longsword glowing with white fire in his hand as he shouted: "Back, demon! Back to the fires of Hell!"

"Couldn't you come up with anything more original than that?" Zerrex asked flatly, and then he picked up the chair by the back and threw it hard in one liquid motion at the horse, who easily blocked it with the shield, the chair exploding into wooden fragments, and Zerrex took the opportunity to charge forwards and then go into a low slide as he slashed at the horse's ankles with Reminiscence, but the paladin easily leapt into the air and half-spun before angelic wings exploded from his back, glowing white and with a tinge of gold running through them.

"Foul beast!" The paladin drew his sword back, and then he lashed it out, sending blasts of holy energy at Zerrex one after the other, the reptile dodging two of the spheres and wincing at the white flash each sent up before he slashed his sword into the last, and the blade absorbed the holy energy, glinting and sending a thrill through the reptile's body as the horse snarled before diving downwards, trying to ram him with the massive shield.

The Drakkaren swung his blade forwards, and he ground against it, anchoring himself as the paladin's wings flapped powerfully, propelling himself forwards, and after a few moments the reptile felt his anchored feet slipping slowly backwards through the dirt bit-by-bit... and then he threw himself backwards, letting the sword slip backwards with a grunt and sailing several feet with his back parallel to the ground as the horse sailed over him and then arched upwards into the sky.

Zerrex twisted in midair and landed in a crouch, before he launched himself into the air as his own wings tore out of his back, flying directly towards the horse as he looked shocked for a moment before the Drakkaren slashed his sword hard outwards, shouting: "Been a while since my last aerial combat!"

His sword clanged off the shield, and the reptile cursed before he swung the sword at the other side of the paladin... but the horse blocked him with the shield again before he stabbed his holy sword forwards towards Zerrex's gut, but Zerrex threw himself backwards, putting some distance between himself and the horse before the paladin snarled and charged at him, swinging his blade viciously back and forth. His blade only clanged loudly off Zerrex's own, however, before they parted quickly to avoid a rocket barrage gone wild from one of the combat armors.

Beneath them, the ground was in chaos: soldiers on both sides were suffering heavy casualties, but most of the human troops had been suppressed: the issue was coming from the constructs, although Marina was currently taking care of this problem by using her psychic powers to compact one of the massive piles of junk into a tight ball, crushing the garbage with her raw mental power as Cindy and several Irenic soldiers covered her, the latter easily slicing constructs apart when they came close.

Lone, Mahihko, and Vampire were doing their best to support the BAD troops, but one of the Combat Armors had somehow been taken over, and the machine was steadily advancing as it fired its weapons wildly in all directions, beeping and buzzing as the driver inside screamed and pressed against the glass as wires and chunks of metal wrapped around him and slowly crushed him to death. Finally, Mahihko winced and rose a hand, firing a blast of lightning directly into the machine, and it killed both the suffering pilot and the machine as it exploded in a blast of flame, machine parts flying in every direction.

A human charged in, yelling wildly and waving his sword above his head... and then his helmet exploded and he turned to dust, and two kilometers away, Cherry grunted: "Five." Then she paused and took aim at the angel-thing and Zerrex... but sighed after a moment and muttered under her breath as she aimed back at the battlefield, saying under her breath: "Fuck him up good, Boss."

Perseus flew forwards, his shield and sword held out as he roared, trying to get in close where the huge sword in the reptile's hand would be difficult to use... and Zerrex swung the pommel of the blade out, smashing the horse in the face and sending him reeling through the air as he dropped both sword and shield. Immediately, Zerrex flew forwards and brought his sword up, prepared to deliver an overhead blow that would end the conflict... and when he slashed down with both hands, the heavy blade of his sword smashed down into something that got in the way, and the reptile blinked for a moment before he stared at the now-floating shield, and it glowed gold as it swung upwards and knocked the Drakkaren's sword wide before it rammed into his chest, making him grunt... and then he heavy shield smashed down against his upper chest and sent him plummeting towards the ground, the reptile spinning violently through the air.

He crashed heavily into the ground, and his wings flickered before he stood up, letting them vanish completely as he looked up at the paladin, watching the palomino slowly descend, his face twitching and his nose dribbling blood. To his right floated his heavy shield, the runes glowing white as the shield itself thrummed with golden fire, and he laughed harshly as he threw his left arm out, a massive war-hammer appearing in it, the handle smooth wood and the hammerhead a brilliant white steel. "Idiot demon... my faith is my shield, my virtue my sword! I am protected at all times by the God I serve, by infinite holy power... you will not land another blow upon me, demon!"

"We'll see about that." Zerrex growled, then he charged forwards as the paladin hovered just above the ground, lashing out at him but cursing as the shield immediately flew into the path of his sword, and the reptile smashed his blade uselessly against it several times before ducking a swing from the hammer, and then grunting when the shield scooped him easily off his feet and tossed him into the air, letting the horse swing his hammer out and catch him high in the right shoulder to send agony through his body as he flew through the air, smashing into the ground and rolling several times with a curse before he shoved his hands down and flipped up to land on his feet, panting quietly as he assumed a defensive pose and rolling his right shoulder slowly as pain travelled through it, a bit of metal and rock falling away from beneath the dented-in scales.

The paladin threw his hammer in a sudden deft motion, and it spun through the air, Zerrex wincing and half-ducking as he swung out at the same time with his sword to knock it to the side... before the horse was suddenly right in front of him, and he smashed him hard with his shield, sending the Drakkaren down on his back. The paladin rose a foot, his eyes burning, but the reptile managed to roll out of the way before he could be crushed by the twelve-foot giant, and then he charged forwards, leaping upwards as the shield immediately moved to block him and instead landing on it before he leapt behind the startled horse, then he spun around and slashed viciously at his back.

The shield was there in a moment, however, and his sword banged uselessly off it before it repelled him again with a hard slap, Zerrex staggering as his arms went out, looking vulnerable as the paladin turned and began to charge... and then the Drakkaren grinned as he shoved a hand forwards, releasing a torrent of energy that made the horse stagger awkwardly to a halt as the shield spun in front of him, wincing and ducking behind it as the azure energy pummeled the surface of the golden shield and made it vibrate violently, before the reptile let off the beam, leaning forwards and breathing hard as he looked at the strange glisten the golden metal took on, as Perseus straightened and snarled, holding his hand out as his hammer reappeared in it and his shield floating to his side again... but it still had a tint to it. And an idea began to form in his mind, as he felt the energy in the air around him and the paladin shouted: "You can't break my defenses with your pathetic magic, demon!"

"That ain't magic!" Zerrex replied indignantly, and then he ran forwards... but Perseus leapt into the air, his powerful wings propelling him high before the Drakkaren created a sphere of energy, throwing it after him... but the paladin avoided it, the sphere exploding above his head before he grasped the edge of his shield and threw it like a giant discus, and it spun violently through the air like a golden wheel of destruction before Zerrex tried uselessly to block it with Reminiscence, but it knocked his blade aside and then smashed into his chest, knocking him to the ground before the huge horse dropped like a stone to land in a crouch at Zerrex's feet as he smashed his war hammer down in a broad arc.

It crashed into Zerrex's abdominals, making him vomit blood as he howled in agony, before the horse stood up and kicked Zerrex high into the air, taking flight after him as his shield flew above his head and struck the reptile's back, his limbs going out as he clung desperately to his sword, feeling it almost slipping from his grip as he was forcibly rammed upwards before he was thrown... and then the horse flew up beside him and swung the hammer out, breaking one of Zerrex's shins and sending him flipping violently downwards as he howled in pain, clenching his eyes shut before his wings burst from his back and caught on the air as the paladin dived overeagerly past him, looking surprised as he righted himself in midair before Zerrex's good leg swung out... but struck only the shield, and Perseus snorted before he swung his hammer up.

This time, Zerrex parried the attack before he let himself fall, wings going limp as he slashed downwards against the shield and grinding against it with a horrible metal-on-metal sound... but when Perseus struck at him, he hit only air, the reptile suddenly gone in a flash of blue light... and then he screamed as Reminiscence bit into his back, looking with horror over his shoulder as the sword tore into his spine, his legs spasming before going limp and useless and blood running down the white blade before the shield tried vainly to spin in... and Zerrex vanished again in a burst of blue light, reappearing in front of Perseus to hammer the sword down into a shoulder, the paladin dropping his war hammer in shock with a shriek of pain, his eyes bulging and wide as his shield wildly spun around to his front... but the Drakkaren once more vanished and reappeared as his side, hammering the sword home into his ribs.

The shield spun violently, trying to strike at Zerrex uselessly as Perseus slowly tilted backwards, wings flapping wildly as he looked back and forth before screaming and bringing his arms up as the Drakkaren appeared in front of him... but his shield managed to get between him and the sword this time, except when the heavy blade struck hard against the golden metal, it dented. And as Perseus fell backwards in terror, Zerrex pursued him towards the ground, smashing over and over into his shield before he suddenly vanished into blue motes as his body twisted, and when he reappeared, he was still in mid-twist, and he swung Reminiscence hard upwards in a vicious turning-slice that caught Perseus in the back and hurled him high into the air.

The horse spun violently, smashing into his own shield and clutching the sides of it like a giant coin, before he looked up in horror to see Zerrex above his head... and the Drakkaren reached out and grabbed the edge of the cracked shield, jerking it out of his hands and tossing it into the air before he slung his sword hard down with his other hand, and Perseus turned into a comet as he flew down towards the ground some fifty feet below like a rocket, before he sent up a great plume of dust as he smashed a crater into the earth, his body broken and bloodied, staring upwards in horror as his shield flipped like a mindless, giant coin even as it shuddered and tried to guide itself back to its master... and Zerrex caught it with an upwards slash that put another dent into the golden metal before he swung Reminiscence around in a vicious overhead cut that sundered the shield in half, and the reptile slapped one of the ugly metal chunks away before he smashed the other half straight down, and it flew like a spear through the air before impaling itself squarely through the horse's gut, making him gasp and twitch before Zerrex threw his sword hard, straight downwards, bloodlust and fury overtaking him for a moment.

Reminiscence tore through the paladin's chest, and he screamed in agony, eyes bulging and tears of blood leaking from them as he coughed the same stuff, shuddering violently... and then he fell backwards, panting his last breaths as Zerrex slowly touched down nearby, his wing vanishing from his back. He clutched his side, breathing hard himself as the eye surrounded by the burn scar leaked blood... and the chaos of the battle around them was forgotten as the paladin stared up at him and whispered: "My faith... I believed... so much..."

"We all need to have something to believe in... even if it's lies." Zerrex said quietly, and he winced as he fell to a kneel beside him, coughing hard and wiping slowly at the blood that dribbled out of his muzzle, making a disgusted face. I pushed myself past my limits... "What does Animaxander want? Why are you doing this?"

"God... said... to... cleanse all worlds... for Him... for peace." Perseus whispered, looking up at him with eyes full of pain and terror, as he trembled violently, and then he asked in a weakening voice: "Am I... going to die?"

"Yes." Zerrex said quietly, and then he reached out and gently pulled off the horse's helm, letting his hair fall free as Perseus began to cry on the ground, tears mixing with the blood as his body trembled violently, his faith obviously broken and betrayed before the Drakkaren took one of his hands, smiling a bit down at him as the horse stared at him like a frightened child. "But you may yet live again, and even find the real way to peace."

The horse nodded, and then he opened his mouth to speak again... but then he only sighed weakly as his head fell back, and his body immediately began to dissolve, turning to golden evanescence that quickly vanished and left only broken, empty armor behind. The Drakkaren looked at this for a few moments, and then down at the white gauntlet in his hand... and he tossed it aside as he grunted and stood with a wince, leaning on the sword buried in the ground as he breathed raggedly.

The battle had created a lot of energy, enough that Zerrex had been able to feel it in the air... and by using that and his own energy powers, he'd been able to literally dematerialize and rematerialize his body: not phasing or teleporting, but literally turning himself into nothing but energy and then rebuilding himself. With his body made mostly of energy instead of physical matter, it was possible for him to do with minimal chance of disintegrating himself... but that didn't make it hurt any less. Sin had worked with him to teach him the skill... and he'd hoped to never have to use it in combat, and now he knew he was right in hoping that: he felt like his body was tearing itself apart, inside-out.

He thought he recognized what the runes on the shield had been now... a soul-binding spell, making the shield literally as strong as his faith and reacting based on the horse's perception and instincts. Once he'd panicked, the shield had weakened... once Zerrex had dented it, the shield had become vulnerable. The Drakkaren winced as he pulled Reminiscence out of the earth, and he shouldered it as he felt energy flowing out of the blade and into him, rejuvenating him somewhat as he walked slowly into the battle, and he made a face and slashed his sword hard down into a construct that charged madly at him, with steel blades for arms, smashing it into pieces.

Suddenly, his vision flickered... and the reptile found himself seeing a purple outline of some kind of evil spirit, energy crackling over it as it floated out of the construct and glared back and forth, mostly formless with only the barest outline of a head and arms. Reacting on instinct, Zerrex stabbed hard into it with the sword... and it turned into a visible torrent of energy that screamed and jerked back and forth before it lost consistency and turned into smoke that floated harmlessly away, as energy pumped into the Drakkaren's body before he shouted: "They're evil spirits of some kind, they're only vulnerable to energy!"

"You're the only one with energy!" Vampire shouted back in a strained voice, as three constructs closed in on him, and he blasted two apart with a strafe of the machine-shotgun before the last jumped on his back, and then demonic wolf winced before he simply threw himself into the air and landed on his back with a grunt, crushing it beneath his body before he stood up and ran over to the Drakkaren.

Zerrex was watching as the three spirits floated up and shot towards the garbage pile... and then Sammy appeared out of nowhere and leapt up, tackling one and savagely ripping into it with his jaws and claws, and the thing screamed as it spasmed back and forth, Vampire gaping at the sight of the pseudodragon seeming to stand on air before the wicked spirit came into existence for a moment before turning to smoke, and Sammy growled and landed on his feet as he looked back and forth. Immediately, Zerrex whistled, and Sammy shot over to him... before skidding to a halt with a yelp, and Zerrex turned around and stared in horror as he watched constructs collapsing as wicked spirits tore out of them and headed for one of the last remaining junk piles, the others turned into neat boulders that the spirits couldn't tear raw materials out of.

Combined together, however, they rose up as one massive entity... before Zerrex felt a wave of psychic rage, and he winced as he looked over to Marina, who was striding fearlessly towards the gigantic golem, roaring as her eyes burned with purple fury: "Enough!"

The golem rose a foot... and Marina snarled before she simply threw an arm out, and the air literally rippled as a sonic boom tore through the area, Irenic soldiers falling over and Zerrex landing heavily on his rear himself in shock as Vampire leaned into the blast, wincing as the massive golem exploded, chunks of metal flying in all directions... but before they could hit the ground, they all slowed before coming to a halt, rotating slowly as if in a vacuum as wicked spirits appeared in the visible spectrum throughout the floating wreckage, screaming and grasping their malformed heads as if in agony before they exploded into puffs of smoke that rapidly dissolved.

Then, finally, the garbage and debris slowly settled to the ground, Marina relaxing and breathing slowly in and out before she reached up to touch her head... and Zerrex wondered if she'd overexerted herself, or if she was just trying to contain her fury. The battle was over, and the humans lay either severely wounded or had become nothing more than ashes, and the Drakkaren winced as he rested his sword on his shoulder and limped his way over to his daughter, the pain in his shin compounding the pain in his bad leg as Cindy rubbed at a bruise on her face and Mahihko and Lone ran to join them, the bigger wolf looking nervously back and forth and seeming battered, but Mahihko in better shape, the only visible mark a shallow cut over one eye he was nonetheless whimpering about as he held onto it with one hand as if his skull would collapse should he let go.

Some eleven Irenic soldiers had survived, including the Combat Armor and the BAD units that hadn't been killed, and the Drakkaren hoped that was the only wave of humans... before he glanced down at his armlet as Cherry's voice rang out: "First, Zerrex, that was fucking awesome. Secondly, I got some weird-ass shit to report... the other human squads, well... they're fucking... helping old ladies cross the street and helping at food kitchens and all this bullshit... it's like they're building up good PR, so like... no one will believe what happened here. Fuckers are crazy, and like... wait, wait, there's movement..."

A long pause, and then Cherry said darkly: "Kafka's armored limo coming in, ETA to your position two minutes... might be a good idea to book it."

"Agreed. Move out!" Zerrex ordered, and he winced as Vampire grabbed him around the shoulders and helped him jog towards the transport, as Lone and Mahihko bolted and Cindy and Marina ran quickly out to where they'd parked the reptile's motorcycle. Cindy started it with a roar and shot out of the gates, and a few moments later, Lone followed, Zerrex cursing and wincing as he sat on the bench and Vampire closed the doors as they bumped past the curb, almost falling out but then throwing himself backwards to fall on his ass but successfully shut them.

The reptile looked down, and Sammy slipped off his shoulders to land beside him, chirping quietly as he pawed with concern at the Drakkaren's leg... but Zerrex only smiled faintly and shook his head, rubbing slowly at it as he said quietly: "I'm okay, Dove, I just got hit by a holy weapon, that's all. You did real good out there, though, in taking down that spirit, though... I'm proud of you."

Sammy chirped softly, nuzzling into his wrist, and then Vampire sat down at the reptile's other side with a grunt and patted him on the shoulder tiredly, his clothing ripped but his nearly-invulnerable body little worse for the wear as he said ironically: "Well, we've had worse negotiations than that, huh?"

Zerrex snorted in entertainment, then he shook his head slowly as he replied faintly: "Yeah, we really have, and that's kinda scary, isn't it?" He paused meditatively, and then he murmured softly: "Gotta wonder where exactly they're coming from, though... and just what this... Great God really wants. Something about cleansing, but this... this is just... destruction."

"Funny how the two things are used so interchangeably, huh?" Vampire said thoughtfully, and then he shook his head, making a face. "We'll have to deal with that fucker Am... Anime... Anaximander now, though, he ain't... obviously any good friend of ours."

The Drakkaren nodded with a grunt, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he rested back against the transport, listening to the thrum of the tires and knowing that things were probably about to enter a very difficult, very delicate phase now. He wondered just what the hell was going to happen... and he knew he'd likely be sorry for asking when he found out, as he sighed, Vampire quietly rubbing his shoulder and looking at him softly.