FSE

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Raze stood between the bookshelves of the Library encased in shadow, his breastplate safely discarded at the Ravenlight Estate and dressed only in black mortal clothes that made him almost seem naked with his dark scales, heavy, dark-metal boots covering his feet and a strap around his body connected to a runed, magical plate on his back holding his sword, Darkheart, firmly in place. He had named his sword after Zerrex's own weapon, even though for the longest time he had thought naming things was dumb, so it had simply been called 'sword.'

Cherry was standing nearby, wearing her demonic armor and with the Great Diviner already manacled to her wrist and sheathed at her side, her whip on her other hip as she fidgeted from foot-to-foot. She looked up at Raze and opened her mouth, then quickly closed it and instead cleared her throat, rubbing at the back of her head awkwardly and trying to catch his eye... but Raze was looking stoically at the ceiling, and Cherry wondered morbidly how Zerrex and Raze got along so goddamn well, before she looked down as Lone and Mahihko finally appeared through a portal together, the little wolf beaming proudly in his old military uniform with a hoop on either hip, and Lone wearing his vest and black jeans, a metal staff with rounded weights at either end in one hand, looking disgruntled as he said for the hundredth time: "Can't we bring guns with us?"

"Guns don't work well under water, or even shooting into water, remember?" Mahihko chided, and Lone bopped him on the skull with the end of his staff, making his eyes water as he clutched at his head, trembling: "That really hurt, Lone!"

Lone opened his mouth, likely to curse at his other half... and then Raze settled his amber eyes on them both, and the two wolves immediately snapped to attention, Mahihko wiping at his eyes and Lone blushing furiously, before the black-scaled Drakkaren said darkly: "No fucking around on this mission, I want to do this nice and clean for a change of pace. Lone, Mahihko, where are your backpacks of gear?"

"What backpacks?" Lone asked stupidly, and Raze glared at him before the wolf squeaked and waved a hand wearing a ring with a dark stone on it frantically. The Northern Star glowed and created a portal after a moment, and Lone ran through it with his tail between his legs before he came back less than a minute later, carrying a backpack in either hand and looking only moderately-winded at having been separated at such a great distance for a short period of time. "Here... here they are!"

"Good." Raze muttered, as Mahihko and Lone put their packs on, and then he looked over at Cherry, asking: "Can you open the locks on the doors leading into the Undersea?"

"Yeah, no problem." Cherry replied calmly, nodding, and Raze frowned a bit at her before he grunted and nodded, creating a portal and walking through it. Cherry sighed in relief, then she trudged through after him, followed by Mahihko and Lone, the two shoving at each other before they once more acted serious once under Raze's cold eyes... but they forget their squabble when they found themselves standing in a massive stone dungeon, water dripping from the walls of the cubical room and a rusted ladder beside them, a huge, circular door covered in runic inscriptions in the floor only a few feet away, surrounded by moldy stone.

Raze was tapping a foot impatiently, his arms crossed as he looked back and forth at their blue-and-grey surroundings: he was already getting nervous for some reason, and then he frowned when Cherry looked up and said coldly: "Someone's been through here already. The runes have been tampered with."

"Is it operable?" Raze asked, and Cherry nodded, quickly bending down and pushing a hand into it before she tapped different parts of the door, pressing hidden buttons down and then backing quickly off onto the solid stone floor as the door trembled before it slid slowly apart into pieces, withdrawing into the floors. Mahihko and Lone exchanged a nervous look, and then they followed Raze and Cherry as they looked down into a long, concrete-walled pit, the only thing inside it a helix-shaped staircase that twisted strangely as it went downwards, so that the stairs were upside down when they reached a ladder at the bottom.

Neither wolf had the courage to ask how they got past this difficulty, both simply following... and then staring as they paused and watched as Raze walked onto where the stairs started to twist upside down, the Drakkaren walking sideways along them before he paused once upside down, looking down - or was it up? - at them and snapping as Cherry started onto the staircase: "Come on, we can't risk finding the Observatory compromised!"

Cherry grumbled as she walked a bit faster, the change of viewpoints sending vertigo even through her as she went from walking down stairs to climbing stairs... and Mahihko took Lone's hand and whimpered as the two wolves made their way hesitantly step-by-step, Raze already at the ladder and Cherry most of the way there. The Drakkaren crossed his arms impatiently, watching them darkly... and then he rolled his eyes when the wolves finally made their way to the bottom stair on the other side of the twist, and they ran up the last steps as Raze climbed the ladder to a metal trapdoor, pushing it open and pulling himself up into a massive room with a huge, circular fountain in the center of it, gigantic statues of several ocean gods adorning the center of it, water flowing from their mouths and hands in gentle arcs.

The room was made mostly out of blue stone, with an immense walkway some forty feet above that wrapped around the entire room, accessible only through several doorways above them. Raze's eyes took all of this in, as well as the red double doors in the wall on a slightly-raised platform, a bit of water leaking through them... but they were barred closed by several massive timbers, and the godling didn't think they were in any danger of getting flooded.

A golden half-dome also hung from the rooftop, casting golden light over everything... and bubbles of water danced through this dome every now and then, making him wonder what was giving off the fluorescence. He disregarded it for the moment, however, instead looking back and forth for an exit as Mahihko and Lone finally hauled themselves up the ladder... and Cherry pointed towards the back of the room, saying mildly: "I think there's something back there. Want me to check it out?"

Raze nodded, and Cherry ran off as the Drakkaren approached the fountain, gazing at the statues. They were massive, marble figures... and Raze wondered if they would have to deal with any of these gods before he looked up as Cherry called: "There's a staircase leading up here!"

The others quickly ran to the demoness, who was leaning on an open metal door... and she grinned a bit as she motioned at the circular staircase leading up who-knew how many floors... and Lone and Mahihko both paled at the sight of the rounded wall. It was made entirely of large, squareish windows separated only by narrow gold metal bars, and both wolves clung to each other as they saw nothing but dark blue water outside and a rocky, ugly ocean floor, terrible golden light pulsing out of the cracks in it and lighting up the monstrous creatures that swam busily back and forth around the tower with terrible auras that made them visible for perhaps miles around.

Raze grabbed the wolves and knocked their heads together, and they both squeaked before he walked past and said over his shoulder: "Come on, we have a job to do. Keep that in mind."

The wolves both nodded after a moment, and Cherry grunted in agreement as Raze started up the stairs. The lupines followed, and Cherry brought up the rear, keeping a sharp eye both in front and behind them as Lone mumbled: "This is the second huge staircase I've had to climb in my life. And personally, I think one was too much as it is."

The others ignored him... and for almost half an hour, they climbed in relative silence, Raze looking cold and stoic as ever as they passed doors on platforms attached to the spiraling staircase now and then, but Mahihko and Lone both looking tired and moody, and Cherry sour, obviously doing her best to maintain her composure but a bit of it slipping through in curses now and then. And then she paused as something nagged at her, and she looked slowly over at the windows before she winced, shouting: "Raze, uh... we got a problem!"

Raze looked sharply up and his eyes widened as he saw the mermaids gathered outside, floating in the water and grinning darkly, their features ugly and warped, their bodies hideous and scaly, with green, kelp-like hair floating around their faces as their long fish-tails lazily swung back and forth through the water. They looked back and forth at each other, then five of them drew their fists back in unison... and Raze looked over his shoulder at the wolves and Cherry, barking a single order: "Run!"

He sprinted up the stairs, and Mahihko and Lone almost fell over each other before Cherry grabbed them and threw the wolves over her shoulder, charging after Raze as the mermaids slammed their fists into different windows, sending cracks through them that immediately began to leak water, the glass trembling violently as the mermaids scattered with shrieking laughs that carried even through the thick glass windows... and then the windows below them shattered, sending a massive spout of water into the room that crushed in part of the stairs, tearing a huge chunk of wooden railing off as Cherry and Raze both continued their mad charge upwards. More windows cracked as they ran, sending more water pouring into the room... and then the two reptiles looked up in shock as the mermaids shattered the windows high above their heads, sending a torrent of water smashing into the spiraling stairs some forty feet up and smashing them into bits, water and debris hailing down towards them.

Raze snarled, and then he lashed out with his mind, and the debris were deflected to either side of the reptiles before the water itself twisted strangely in the air, turning into a solid stream that missed the two Drakkaren and poured down instead to the rapidly-rising flood below... and Cherry snarled before she looked down to see a platform and a doorway not far beneath them, looking at Raze and yelling over the cackles of the mermaids and the thundering of the rising water: "There, there's our way out! Follow me!"

Raze was all too glad to, the strain of forcing the torrent of water off to the side starting to make his head ache as he watched Cherry leap off the stairs to land on the platform, the wolves still on her shoulders... and he followed her after a moment as she dropped Lone on his ass so she could tear the door open and she threw Mahihko into the room beyond before grabbing Lone and tossing him in, and Raze shouldered her roughly through before following himself and slamming the heavy door closed as the mermaids pounded angrily on the glass, shattering more windows... but the door was both waterproof and soundproof, and Cherry let out a sigh of relief... before she turned around and winced as she saw Raze standing with Mahihko and Lone curled up on either side of him in terror, massive crab-creatures slowly stalking towards them... except these crabs were also each equipped with scorpion tails.

Cherry drew the Great Diviner as she ran forwards onto the sandy desert ground, wondering how the hell a desert could fit in here... except then she saw the desert literally flicker in front of her eyes, and she realized it was an illusion of some sort to confuse trespassers. It certainly would make it difficult for most, since the image of the gigantic desert would make it impossible to judge dimension and distance... but thankfully, she had precognition on her side.

As one of the massive red crabs approached, Cherry narrowed her eyes before she launched the Great Diviner at its face... and she grinned when it reached up a claw to try and catch the sword in a lightning-fast movement, responding with only a simple twist of the chain... and the weapon moved only a few inches to the side, but it was more than enough to give it the extra moment it needed to bury into the darkness of the mostly-shut shell, striking something meaty with a thud as the thing screamed... and then the top half of the shell popped open, and a terrible, gelatinous mass tore out of it, shaking violently back and forth as four eye-stalks whipped back and forth through the air, a tunnel-like jaw appearing in it as it howled in agony and bled green blood, gnashing wildly at the chain with its claws before Cherry snarled and quickly drew the Diviner back as she lashed a fireball out at the beast with her other hand.

It struck the terrible mass, and the crab-monster screamed in agony, the greenish mass boiling violently before it turned yellow as its six long crab legs staggered beneath it, and then it fell over with a thud, the other crab-monster hesitating for a moment as it looked at its fallen companion. Then Raze snarled before he charged in, and the crab beast hissed before it lunged forwards to meet him, snapping both claws out and the tail down.

Raze knocked both claws back with his sword, at the same time twisting his blade to deflect the tail with the flat of it before he roared as he slashed hard to the side, and the massive right claw of the enormous creature shattered, the ten-foot-tall monster howling in agony before the top of its shell popped up like the trunk of a car and the terrible, hideous mass inside lunged forwards to try and eat Raze whole... but the black-scaled Drakkaren simply rose a hand in disgust, and the monster froze inches away from it before it screamed, vibrating violently as Raze's hand glowed with psychic force, a purple glow encasing the crab beast before it simply exploded into fragments that splattered against the illusion-hidden surfaces of the room they stood in. The moment it was dead, however, the illusion flickered, then faded out of existence... and instead, they were left standing in a long stone hallway that was barely wide enough for the other dead crab-beast's body, nooks in the wall containing statues of mermaids and other ghoulish creatures.

The Drakkaren looked down the hallway towards a pair of moldy double doors, and then he looked down with disgust at the two wolves as Lone stood slowly up and Mahihko continued to tremble in fear, before he simply snorted and walked ahead. Cherry sighed at this, feeling morbid as she helped Mahihko to his feet, and the little wolf sobbed against her, hugging her tightly. "They're so... s-scary!"

"Then you shouldn't've come here. You and Lone should just leave." Raze said with disgust, and then he added shortly: "Stop babying them, Cherry. We have a job to do. I will not go back to Hell and tell Zerrex and Sin that we failed because these two stupid wolves needed to cry at every turn."

"Fuck you." Cherry shot back darkly, and Raze looked almost surprised as she knelt and hugged Mahihko back protectively for a moment, then she stood and added furiously: "We ain't leaving anyone behind here, and they sure as fuck are not going back through this mess alone. Don't underestimate these two until you see what they can do."

Raze glared at her angrily, snarling: the last thing he wanted was to be challenged, and he thought for a moment about going on alone... but then he thought of Zerrex, and he closed his eyes, remembering he had picked this team for a reason, even if the reason wasn't yet clear to the godling. Finally, he grunted in response, then he jerked his head at the doors, walking down the hallway towards them before he glanced over his shoulder as he heard rapid footsteps... and then Cherry jumped up and smashed both feet into him, sending the Drakkaren hurtling through the air to crash on his upper chest, skidding over the ground and ramming his head hard into the doorway.

His feet fell out of the air after another moment, and he turned around with his eyes blazing, ready to crush Cherry out of existence with his bare hands... before he stared in shock as he saw that at least ten feet of the hall behind him was blocked by spears, metal spikes, and enormous cleaver blades... and Darkheart was actually caught in midair between three of the latter, the blade pointing towards him and the sword trembling violently as if it was going to be cut in half, before Cherry's voice called cheerfully: "Sorry, I was totally just saving your life! Dude, turn the fucking traps off!"

Raze looked stupidly back and forth, and his eyes settled on a large ring in the wall attached to a gargoyle head that was at the top of a crevice... and he pulled down on it, dragging the head down to the bottom and locking it into place with a loud snap, and the various traps and devices retracted, letting Darkheart fall to the ground with a clatter. He walked forwards to pick this up, and Cherry shouted at him: "No, get out of there, they're going to go off again!"

Raze immediately leapt backwards, holding both hands up as he winced... and then Cherry cackled before she slapped both Mahihko and Lone on the back, leaning on the two wolves as she grinned widely across at Raze, saying contemptuously: "So, learned your lesson, asshole?"

The Drakkaren only looked at her darkly, and then she smiled cheerfully before walking down the deathtrap-laden hallway with a hand resting on the shoulders of the two lupines, and Raze turned around with a mutter, putting his sword back onto his back and opening the moldy doors to gaze at a massive, circular room beyond, balconies stacked to the ceiling along the walls and benches surrounding a central platform, obviously meant for either plays or speeches. The male frowned at this, looking back and forth, and then Cherry said mildly: "Well, one way to go. Tell me, you got rope in those backpacks?"

Mahihko nodded, and Cherry smiled at him, leaning down to the little wolf and asking softly: "Can you climb to the very top of this room for me, kid? You and Lone should probably be able to be apart for that long. And if not, well... I can do it, or just throw him up after you."

Lone winced at this, but Mahihko beamed, saying brightly: "I can do it, Cherry, no problem at all!" And with that, he took off towards one of the pillars that went all the way up the room, scrambling up the seemingly-smooth surface with unnatural grace and agility before he caught the edge of one of the balconies, and the little wolf hauled himself up it, climbing the safety railing like a ladder and standing up on it to catch the edge of the balcony above to repeat the process.

Mahihko reached the top balcony tier some minutes later, and he secured a long coil of rope to the pillar before he tossed it down, and Lone and Raze climbed up this as Cherry leapt quickly up the stacked balconies with a speed and agility that even Mahihko couldn't match, the little wolf staring at her in surprise as she landed beside him. Raze, meanwhile, was grumbling as Lone hefted himself up the rope inch-by-inch, his paws continuously slipping against it as he whimpered and cursed, his nervous sweating not helping the situation before both he and Raze simply clung to the rope for dear life as Cherry began to haul them both upwards, grunting as her massive muscles flexed and she shouted: "Come on, we don't got all goddamn day here!"

Once they were all assembled on the balcony, they left through the door and into a T-shaped hallway that was thankfully empty... and Cherry determined it was void of booby-traps after a few moments of careful looking around it. Heading down the intersection thankfully brought them to another staircase... but this one was flooded, a small hole in the wall releasing a gurgling stream of water that had likely been pouring for years, and the water had reached a few floors below... and from the debris and darkness of the liquid, it was impossible to tell how far down it went.

They climbed this narrower, stone-wall-encased staircase as far as it went up, but they were forced to find another route after only eight or so floors. Someone had tried to build a barricade above, but this was dripping and leaking water in short streams, and the moldy wooden planks looked like they were about to break apart and collapse, and whether it was water or something else weighing the wood down, they could all agree it wouldn't be pretty when they did break apart.

The group passed through a short stone hall to step into a massive dining room, this one with a massive, enchanted window of some kind: it was supported by golden bars that separated it into different sections, but as they looked out at it, some sort of beast tried to ram into it and break through it, but the cracks that spread through the glass only leaked for a moment before they rapidly healed, and the shark-like creature grumbled before it swam slowly back and forth, anger and confusion in its beady, dumb eyes. Raze looked at it for a moment, then he made a face of distaste and instead turned his eyes to the room they had entered into.

The ceiling was perhaps a hundred feet high and covered in paintings that had long since run and become faded and ugly, and there was a huge, long table that could seat an inestimable number of people at it in padded red and gold chairs, with a huge oak throne at the head of the table and a small silver one at the foot. Food, plates, silverware, and even candelabras were all set out still, as if whoever had set this table had left it in a hurry... along with all the guests. A few of the chairs were out of place, and the tablecloth had long since started falling apart with age... and Raze glanced down at the carpet beneath their feet, testing it with his boots but unsurprised to find that it had a resilience likely literally magical.

A few more chairs were set up along the wall, one or two of these knocked over... and ancient paintings that had all run or become warped over the years hung on the walls, only a few spots bare with only the shape of the painting that had once hung there remaining. Raze walked slowly down along the table, and then Mahihko asked, curiosity overcoming his fear: "What happened here, do you know, Mister Raze?"

Raze paused and glanced over his shoulder at him, and then he finally said: "Once, the Central Spire was Lucifer's Tower, from where he ruled all of Hell under God's command. The Undersea was once part of Hell, even though it's a world to itself... but when Lucifer left, the minions of the Undersea decided they wanted to be their own distinct world. They destroyed the floating and underwater cities where demons lived and eventually attacked the Central Spire itself and took it over. And that's it."

Raze continued walking along, and Mahihko toddled up beside him, tugging at his wrist embarrassedly, and the Drakkaren jerked his hand away and made a face as Mahihko nibbled one of his own fingers before he asked anxiously: "Are they really strong?"

The Drakkaren made a face, and then he finally sighed and rubbed at his forehead, saying finally: "The revolt was led by powerful gods and vicious monsters. Calypso, Poseidon, and all their many minions. Most of them aren't around here anymore, though, so please. Let's continue moving."

Mahihko nodded, and then he squeaked in terror when something mashed against the glass wall... but it was only the shark-monster, which growled at them balefully. Cherry stuck out her tongue and made a face at it, and Mahihko giggled as Raze turned away... and then the little wolf yelled again, and the Drakkaren gritted his teeth, half-wanting to slap the little wolf before he stared as he saw the shark-creature struggling in the grasp of an enormous tentacle that was dragging it downwards... before a moment later, a cloud of blood rose upwards through the water, followed by several chunks of the beast.

Raze grabbed Mahihko's hand and jerked him into a run, but a moment later another tentacle snaked its way up through the water and smashed through a section of the window, water pouring in around it as it lashed towards the two as Raze rose an arm with a wince, shoving the wolf backwards... but Cherry leapt overtop the Drakkaren with a whoop as she snapped the Great Diviner outwards before grabbing the chain and lashing it down, and it chopped cleanly through the end of the appendage, making it twist madly back and forth to smash over the table and send tableware clattering to the floor, dishes shattering into shrapnel as the demoness landed with a grunt and the tentacle retracted, the window healing itself as Cherry looked over her shoulder with a wince. "Come on, before that fucker gets real mad at us!"

She sprinted forwards, and Lone ran past Raze and Mahihko with a yelp before the lizard and tiny lupine followed last, charging down the long dining hall as huge tentacles smashed through the windows behind them... and then Cherry skidded to a halt ahead of them and ducked low as a tentacle tore through a window above and swiped at her, the spade-shaped end of the fin just scratching along her back as another appendage ripped through the glass wall ahead of her and smashed into the ground just past her foot. She winced, and then the tentacles quickly withdrew... and a moment later, a massive, terrible shape passed outside, the body an immense, bellowed torpedo, a swarm of a dozen glaring, black-dome eyes sitting just above a swirling forest of tentacles on its green-and-orange body.

Four of the appendages were on the outside of the others, massive and thick, covered in suction cups and ending in immense hooks... and inside were more than a dozen other tentacles, these appendages pinker in coloration and thinner. These were snapping back and forth as the best lashed one of its larger tentacles out, knocking a huge crack in the window wall that gushed water for a moment before healing... and it hissed, the tentacles parting for a moment so they could clearly see a twisted beak inside the mess of appendages.

Cherry was running towards the doors again, and Raze and Mahihko followed her, Lone wincing and he followed in their wake... and then the demoness leapt back when one of the thicker tentacles slammed through the glass wall and dropped down across the doorway, the hook sinking into the floor and anchoring it there as it faced them head-on... and then Raze roared as he stepped forwards, drawing his sword and slashing viciously down into the tentacle, and the creature screamed in pain and shock as the immense might of the godling pierced across its rubbery skin and send up a blast of ugly blood, the beast snapping the tentacle back... but it was still hooked into the ground at the other end, and with an ugly tearing sound, the last foot or so of flesh holding the end onto the appendage was torn off as the immense squid-beast backed off into the darkness of the ocean, water pouring into the room from the cracked glass for a moment before it slowly fixed itself, and the group panted quietly by the doorway before Cherry muttered: "Fuck, I'm getting tired of this place."

Raze only grunted, looking down from Mahihko to Lone... and the two wolves were steadily recovering, both looking shaken-up. The godling had no doubt that the beast would attack again if given the chance, and he only hoped that if it did, they would all respond better to it... and he shook his head after a moment, before he shouldered one of the doors roughly open and stepped out into a curved stone hallway that was dripping with moisture, his eyes glancing back and forth as a frown pulled at his cold features. We still have to get a lot higher than this... and things are just getting more and more dangerous... I hope Zerrex is having better luck than we are.

The white-haired reptile rubbed sweat slowly from his forehead, the scales of his chest gleaming with the same. He was standing at the forge, wearing thick dragon-hide gloves to protect his hands, a hammer and several other old, blackened tools sitting on the floor beside him as he worked a lever to pour more of the melted ore over the closed case containing the pieces of Blackheart and the metal Garnet had requested. Zerrex had pointed out that Blackheart was a blade that simply would not melt, but Garnet had murmured that it would with the proper heating... and now they were applying more heat to the goddamn thing than you found inside most activate volcanoes.

The reptile was following Garnet's instructions to the letter, especially the ones he didn't understand, as he stepped back to fumble for a metal rod with a hook on the end of it. He snagged the ring on the mold with this, and he flipped it upside over, the ugly, ash-covered case clanking as it was turned like a piece of meat inside a stove before Zerrex sighed and stood back, patting the end of the rod against his other hand as Garnet stood by, sniffing and murmuring. And then the bear looked up suddenly, whispering: "It's done, now, it's done."

Zerrex nodded, and he removed the case by using the hook, pulling it to the edge of the forge and pausing to pull a large drawer on the bottom of the ugly hexagon open, which was just large enough to accommodate the mold and filled with slimy water. The reptile removed the hook, then he grabbed the case and cursed as the heat bit through the gloves, quickly moving it to the trough before he coughed and winced at the vast blast of steam that went up, waving at the air to clear it as the reek of the hot steam entered his nostrils.

He reached out to work the handle that would close the lid over the forge and eventually suffocate it, but Garnet shook his head, reaching up with his jangling chains and murmuring: "Not yet. We're barely started, Lord Zerrex... go ahead, check your sword. It should be quite cool by now."

"Stupid... magic." Zerrex muttered, but he was admittedly glad: he thought the only reason the molds worked was because they were charmed, but then again, this was his first time doing this and he had no idea what was what. He took off the gloves, then reached down into the gross water and pulled the mold free, surprised at how cold it had gotten in only a few moments, and then he popped it open before he looked down with a frown at the ugly, humped mass inside, saying slowly: "This... this doesn't look like my sword."

"Hit it with a hammer." Garnet murmured, and when Zerrex hesitated, he repeated it in a more-urgent rasp, and the lizard shrugged with a sigh, picking the mallet up and bringing it back before he swung it hard down into the mass. The strike sent cracks through the metal, and Zerrex winced before several large chunks shattered on their own accord, and the reptile looked back and forth before he slowly reached down and picked one up.

It was still quite warm, hot at the bottom, and he cursed, tossing it away after a moment... before he frowned as he recognized a gleaming blade below. Immediately, Zerrex picked the hammer back up and smashed it against several other large, lumpy areas on the sword, and then he knocked these pieces of ore away before reaching down and grasping the freed obsidian handle that was flecked with steely specks, the reptile settling a foot against the edge of the mold and then tearing upwards to pull Blackheart free with a distinct groan.

The weapon was lackluster, still clumpy in spots, and not nearly as pretty as Zerrex remembered... but it was also one whole sword, and the reptile grinned before Garnet whispered: "Now... now we take it to the grinder. The excess must be wiped off the blade... and then we bring it back to the forge for tempering. The process will be long and arduous, but worthwhile... it will be a pretty, pretty sword..."

"It will be..." Zerrex murmured softly in agreement, nodding slowly as he gazed at the blade... and for a moment, he thought he saw the weapon gleam quietly in response, making him smile a bit. Welcome back, old friend.

Despite being glad to see his sword returned to at least a partial state of its former glory, the Drakkaren was also becoming more and more conscious of the time, as he headed to one of the enormous grinders and began sharpening Blackheart against it and grinding the excess off the flat sides of the blade: it had already been three hours of hard work just to get where he was now, and it sounded like they'd have at least a few more ahead of him. It almost made him want to send Ami and Sin off with someone else, but he knew he was a necessary part of the group, if Anathema really did still have a connection to Mephistopheles... and the lizard did his best to not focus too much on his problems, telling himself for the hundredth time this was a more than worthy cause and that they would understand him taking so long with it.

Grinding the weapon down took forty minutes... and when Zerrex took the sword - now looking much-more like its old self - back for tempering at the forge, Garnet instructed him on how to transfer energy with every strike of his hammer against the blade. It would require concentration and visualization... and so Zerrex took five minutes first to clear his mind of his anxieties before he started, and he winced with the pain that a single hammer against the blade ran through him. The process was slow, as well: due to the sword's enormous heat resistance, the sword had to superheated for a few moments inside the forge, then Zerrex could get in only one or two strikes with the hammer on the anvil, each blast sending out blue sparks.

But just under an hour later, as the Drakkaren wheezed and let himself fall on his ass, his hands burnt beneath the gloves and sweat rolling down his body from the terrible, terrible heat, he looked up stupidly when Garnet tossed a cloth over his muzzle and told him that all that was left was to polish the weapon down. Zerrex thought about arguing and skipping the step, but he forced himself to take a breath and instead did so, making sure to do a thorough job... and finding himself slowly down naturally to put real effort into it, working up and down the blade as he both calmed and admired the work he'd managed to put into fixing the sword.

Now, it was impossible to tell that the sword had ever been broken, and the blade had a bright gleam to it, the blade perfectly smooth and no chip, no crack, no bruise evident on the straight, thick steel. The blade was six feet long and roughly half a foot thick, double-edged and dangerously-weighted to let it slice through almost anything with ease... and the obsidian handle gleamed brilliantly, welcoming his hand when he gripped it, and even flake of excess metal came off with ease when he polished along it, until the dark metal and the ruby pommel were both gleaming.

Zerrex looked up, but Garnet was already being led away, and the Drakkaren absently put the sword on his back... and without even a magnetic holster, the weapon stayed, almost seeming to hug him as Silverfish looked down at him from a catwalk above and asked sharply: "So are you finished here, Captain Ravenlight? Or do I need to call the Royal Guards and make a complaint?"

"Let me check." Zerrex smiled slightly as he reached up and grasped the handle of the blade gently, looking at the anvil in front of the forge, and he slashed down hard against it... and Blackheart bit through the thick metal with ease and down into the floor even with the Drakkaren using only one hand, the reptile's eyes glinting at this before he looked up at Silverfish, who swallowed thickly and winced as the Drakkaren replaced the sword on his back and crossed his arms with a grin. "Yeah, I'm done here, asshole. But you do whatever you gotta do."

With that, he turned and headed up the stairs, and the orca above let out a sigh of relief as he watched him grasp the sliding double doors and pull them open enough to slip out, muttering something under his breath about old memories never quite going away.

Raze sat back against a moldy stone wall on a small, half-broken balcony, looking distastefully across the wide, flooded ballroom at where Cherry and Lone were on another. All the three could do was wait, as Mahihko stood between them on a chandelier, unscrewing the plate that held it in place as he whimpered a bit and huge snails slid their way lazily around his feet, making him squeak with disgust and kick at them every now and then when they passed too close.

For a little while, everything had gone smoothly... and then, while they were making their way down a long hall that curled gradually upwards, the giant sea-monster had attacked again, ramming its tentacles through the wall, probably able to see through the stone somehow or smell them out or something. The area had started to flood, and they run as fast as they could, eventually making it into this ballroom and getting stuck due to the fact that there was one set of doors leading in and out... and they were now flooded closed, and some very nasty things happened to be swimming around in the water.

Raze had climbed up here with a little bit of difficulty, while Cherry had carried Lone up like a child and Mahihko had followed her with surprising grace, as nasty little sharp-toothed fishes had snapped and bit at them from the water. Lone had tried zapping them, but that had only made the little monsters glow... and Raze was really wondering when the bigger wolf was going to prove himself useful at all. Mahihko, at least, had noticed the chandelier in the center of the room had a base plate on it. The hope was that if the plate was removed, it would open up access into a ventilation duct... but at this point, Raze would take whatever he could get.

They had been stuck here for more than an hour, now... and what frustrated Raze most was his powerlessness in this kind of situation. He couldn't go into the water without being attacked by the fish, and he couldn't tear the chandelier off with his mental powers because he had already used his telekinetic abilities several times, and on very large scales in both events. He knew that they might need them later on for whatever else was moving around in this tower... and the more he used his abilities, the harder they got to control and the worse the psychic recoil lashed his mind.

Cherry had at least been able to pick Mahihko up and throw him onto the chandelier... and Raze mumbled under his breath before he looked up to see Mahihko grunt and tear the base plate off, before the little wolf hopped up and caught the edge of a circular hole in the ceiling, hefting himself up... and then he screamed and fell heavily on his back as a swarm of ugly, brownish bugs poured down over him like a tide, writhing back and forth in them and shrieking as his body sparked with electricity, sending little beetles flying through the air. The swarm moved with a leisurely pace away from the wolf as the chandelier rocked and swung, and Lone yelled from the balcony, Cherry holding onto his belt to prevent him from toppling over the banister: "Dude, they're just saddle bugs, they're harmless!"

Mahihko trembled violently as he sat up, and then he winced, looking upwards as he grabbed one of the beetles and lifted it to his face... and then he let out a long sigh of relief, looking into its complacent, beady little back eyes and patting it on the head before he carefully put it down on his shoulder, calling: "I have a friend!"

He paused, then giggled and jumped up, grabbing the edge of the hole and pulling himself into it as Raze slapped his forehead, muttering under his breath as the wolf vanished from sight for a few moments. Then he popped his head out of the hole, calling anxiously: "There's a grate opening into some kind of mechanical room... it's a little small though, Mister Raze, I don't know if you can fit through it."

"We'll figure it out!" Cherry called, and then she hefted Lone and threw him across the room, the wolf yelping before he collided with the chandelier and squashed several bugs, sliding along a trail of snail-slime before coming to a halt and looking disgusted. He climbed to his feet, and Cherry grinned and gave him a thumbs up as he picked dead bugs out of his fur with a visible shudder, adding: "You look real cute!"

"Fuck you!" Lone shouted, waving a fist, and then Mahihko grabbed this and half-pulled him into the air, Lone looking morbid before he reached up and seized the opening, vanishing into the hole. Cherry grinned... and then she squeaked when she felt a psychic grip grab her, then pull her roughly over to the chandelier, her weight causing it to strain loudly before she grabbed the ceiling, pulling herself up and pausing to grin and give Raze a thumbs-up as he lowered his hand.

The Drakkaren took a long breath as he tensed his legs and his mind, and then he leapt forwards as he propelled himself with both raw might and psychic strength, landing on the chandelier before he threw himself upwards, kicking off it with enough force to send it plunging into the waters below and covering his head as he rammed through the too-small hole, and then smashed through the ceiling above, chunks of stone flying in all directions as he landed awkwardly in a flexed crouch with a grunt. He looked back and forth darkly as the two wolves and Cherry gaped, and then he straightened up with a grimace, rubbing a bit of mold off his body as his eyes settled on the huge boilers and ancient machines that were all powered-down and clogged with rust and mold.

He didn't even speak as he walked past the hole and over to one of the machines, his eyes settling on a keyboard covered in runes before they slid upwards... and they narrowed as he reached out to brush a curtain of lush ivy off a strange protrusion from the machine. He pulled a large, cylinder-shaped crystal free of the device as the ivy grasped at his fingers weakly, but Raze tore his hand easily free, clutching the battery as he traced the ivy to where it was growing out of a broken tube in the wall, saying softly: "We have to be getting closer to the surface. The water of the Undersea becomes more concentrated and toxic the deeper it gets, allowing only predatory creatures and plants to survive... but the closer to the surface we are, the lower the toxicity. These plants have to have roots dipped in that shallower water somewhere."

Cherry nodded after a moment with a grunt, grasping the two wolves' heads and bringing them back to reality before she followed Raze as he walked down the corridor... and then she reached out and grasped his shoulder, halting him in his tracks. Raze looked over his shoulder at her as he readied himself, and when she pointed, he followed her finger, narrowing her eyes as the two wolves did the same, and Lone winced and covered Mahihko's mouth to stop him from whimpering.

There were ugly cocoons hanging from the ceiling here, a few of the pipes broken and venting steam... and curled up around these pipes or along the wall, apparently sleeping, where terrible, monstrous creatures, their bodies lithe and thin, four arms each ending in two delicate fingers and a flexible thumb wrapped round their rubbery-skinned forms, their bodies changing colors slowly with their breathing. They each had at least sixteen tiny legs that were clinging with ease against the wall, and their necks had a scrunched look to them, as if they were being pushed flat by something... and their mouths were open wide, revealing tunnel-shaped jaws lined with hooked teeth.

Raze pointed silently at a door down the corridor, past a collapsed section of flooring, and Cherry shook her head vehemently before she motioned at the two wolves to retreat, which they gladly did... and Raze followed after a moment before Cherry carefully led them between a large boiler and a generator of some kind, into another narrow corridor between ruined, ancient hulks of machinery. The wolves followed her closely, both of them looking terrified out of their minds as Lone clutched his pole tightly, and Raze walked along last behind them... before one of the creatures silently reached down with all four hands on the ends of his long arms and grabbed the Drakkaren's skull, hefting him up to the ceiling and holding his muzzle shut as it looked into the godling's eyes with its own burning, terrible red-and-black pits.

Its jaws slowly leaned forwards as Raze snarled and dropped the battery he was carrying, clutching at the arms clawing into his face... and then he swung both legs up and wrapped them around its neck, before he twisted hard, jerking himself free and cracking its neck at the same time with an audible snap, and the monstrosity gargled before it let go of the ceiling, both it and Raze falling to the floor but only the Drakkaren landing in a smooth crouch as the creature hit one of the machines with an echoing bang, and Cherry looked up with a wince and a curse as the generator sprung creakily to life, whining loudly as gears inside of it ground together and light shone out of the massive turbine on top of the huge machine.

The monsters all awoke with loud screams, and Cherry yelled battle tactics to the wolves as the beasts clawed along the rooftops and dropped to the floor, rushing at them from all sides as Raze drew his sword and smashed one that tried to jump on Lone's back, even as the wolf fended off another with his pole, shouting in a crazed voice: "There's so many of the bastards, this hallway is too goddamn tight!"

Cherry snorted, but it was mostly in agreement with the yelling of the wolf as she snapped the Great Diviner forwards into the stomach of one of the monsters, and it shrieked and collapsed onto its back, spasming wildly as she tore the sword backwards by the chain and caught it, swinging it around in a vicious slash to decapitate another one of the beasts as she threw a fireball upwards. It struck a steam pipe and exploded, and boiling steam fired out above their heads, creating a fine mist over the area as the creatures were driven backwards with yells of pain, and Cherry shouted: "Come on, this way!"

She ran down the corridor, followed closely by Mahihko and Lone... and when a monster shot out in front of them with a hiss, Mahihko squeaked before he brought both of his hoops up and slammed it across the face, knocking it to the floor in a leap before Lone smashed his pole down into the monstrosity's head, crushing its life out of it and vaulting over another that lunged out from beneath a boiler to try and grab him. It hissed after him, but only for a moment: in the next, its head was rolling along the floor, a flash of its sick blood flying through the air as Raze's sword rose before falling to rest on his shoulder.

They entered into an open area at the end of the corridors, a heavy shutter on one side and a door on the other... and Cherry slammed her shoulder into the door before she looked over at Raze, calling: "It's no good, it's sealed shut! We need to get through that shutter!"

Raze nodded, and he slapped a monster aside as he ran over to it, slamming his sword point-down into the ground before he ducked and grasped the edge of the shutter with a grunt, hefting it slowly... and then he cursed, his huge muscles flexing as he struggled to lift it. Then, after he'd raised roughly a foot of it off the ground, another pair of hands joined his, Cherry grinning at him as her own massive muscles flexed, saying cheerfully: "Thought you could use a hand! Guys, watch our backs!"

Mahihko and Lone obeyed, standing ready before Lone cursed as he looked up at the ceiling and saw a monster dashing along it, and he rose a hand, releasing a blast of lightning that tore through the creature and sent it flying before it crashed to the ground on its back and convulsed wildly, smoke billowing up from its charred remains. He grinned darkly, looking back and forth... and then he winced when another of the creatures launched itself at him, striking out with the pole, but the monster caught the simple attack and slammed the pole back down against him with two of its lithe but incredibly-strong arms, slamming Lone flat on his back against the ground and pinning him by the pole as it grabbed his shoulders with its upper arms, the long neck extending as its jaws opened wide, and Lone gasped in shock, yelling: "Mahihko!"

Mahihko looked over his shoulder as he smashed another monster across the face with a hoop, knocking it staggering before he winced and electrified his other hoop, and he tossed it in an easy arc, sending it smashing into the features of the beast that was pinning Lone. Its head snapped to the side as it screeched, its grip weakening as the electrified hoop zoomed around in an arc and returned to the little wolf's hand just in time to let him smash it into the face of the creature attacking him, knocking it flat as another dropped down from the ceiling to crash on top of him.

Lone grunted as he stood and threw the beast that had pinned him off, and then he slammed the butt of his pole down into the stomach of the monstrosity, knocking the wind out of it before he stepped forwards and punted it as hard as he could into the legs of another one that was scuttling towards him, knocking the creature over and sending them both into a fit. Then he looked over his shoulder with a wince at the sight of at least three of the monsters biting and clawing at Mahihko, but before he could reach them, the little wolf's size expanded as he leapt up to his feet with a roar, now at least fifteen feet tall as he slammed a massive fist into one of the beast and knocked it against a generator with enough force to send broken parts rattling off it, and then he grabbed the extending neck of one and jerked it through the air to smash the monster off another, before stomping hard on the pile with a snarl of anger.

A beast grabbed Lone from behind, and he yelped as it bit into his shoulder, tearing a large chunk of flesh off him before he electrified his body, and the creature backed off immediately, Lone staggering and grasping at the wound as Mahihko's huge body became a target for multiple aggressors, small tears and nicks throughout his fur as they lunged at him, often only to be crushed by his huge fists... and then rougher lupine's eyes widened as he saw that Raze and Cherry had managed to lift the gate to head level, and he charged through past them, earning a snarl from Raze for a moment before he jammed his pole into the mechanism trying to shove it closed, the gears clanking as he shouted: "I got it from this side!"

Cherry let go of the gate and ducked through, yelling for Mahihko and motioning furiously at Raze, who released it with a distrustful wince before he grabbed his sword and ducked under it himself, Lone's muscles bulging as he leaned against the other end of his pole to keep the mechanism stuck, breathing hard as the gears sparked against the end of the staff... and then Mahihko charged through the underside of the gate, his form shrinking as he moved, and Lone fell backwards with a yelp as the pole snapped in two, Cherry's hand snapping out lightning-fast to catch the upper half of it before it could fly past her as the lower half sprung out of Lone's hands to bounce off the ceiling and ricochet into the area beyond, falling into the calm water with a loud plop.

The gate fell heavily, smashing several monsters into halves, one of them still managing to glare malevolently as it tried to crawl towards Cherry... and she made a face of disgust before she stomped on its skull, knocking the life out of it before she tossed the broken pole to the ground and turned around, wincing and cracking her back. Raze shouldered his sword, looking down at her... and then she whistled and pushed past him, and he frowned before turning around to stare with surprise himself at the sight that greeted him.

A marble bridge led across to a tall temple of stacked, rectangular plates on enormous pillars, the structure surrounded by a beautiful pool of water. There were several other structures around this area, and the walls leading to the outside were visible, filled with blue water that actually seemed brighter, somehow... and when Raze looked up towards the rooftop some seventy feet above, he realized that it was because they could see sunlight now, filtering through the water. It meant they were almost there... and he started towards the temple before pausing, glancing over his shoulder and saying dryly to the three bruised and beaten warriors: "No time to slow down. The Observatory can't be far now."

"Got it." Cherry nodded with a bit of a grin, giving him a thumbs-up and glad that he was at least speaking to them now. She patted both the wolves, and then she paused and glanced at Lone's shoulder, which was bleeding sluggishly and turning an ugly purple color. "Hey, you know any healing magic?"

Raze paused, then he approached the wolf, who looked away embarrassedly... and then the Drakkaren glanced up at Cherry and said plainly: "Cauterize it."

Lone opened his mouth to protest, and then Cherry grasped the wounded shoulder, making him squeak before he let out a long, hissing breath of agony, not even able to scream as red fire washed over the wound... and then Cherry let go, coughing and rubbing soot and blood off her hands as Lone swayed on the spot stupidly. She awkwardly patted him between the ears, then wrapped an arm around his body, her hand snug under his armpit as she carried him more than simply helped him along, following Raze as Mahihko took the big wolf's hand and whimpered softly, squeezing his fingers gently together.

The group walked in loose formation across the short bridge, Raze looking warily back and forth before he paused at the steps of the beautiful temple, looking around the area. It was in pristine condition, as if no catastrophe had ever struck here... and he reached a hand out carefully, before a solid, golden dome flickered into existence around the temple, and a voice whispered: "Who are you?"

"Raze Drake Atrox, sole child of Lord Atrox, Archangel of Heaven." Raze announced clearly and calmly, his grip tightening on his sword. "Now tell me your name."

"So callous, for a godling so young." murmured the voice, and the golden dome vanished after a moment, as it invited: "Come inside, come inside."

Raze and Cherry traded a look, and then Cherry shrugged. The Drakkaren grunted after a moment himself, and then he slowly walked up the stairs, the others following in his wake as Mahihko grasped one of his hoops with a soft whine, the other hanging at his waist but his hand hovering above it.

They reached the top of the stairs without incident, and Raze boldly strode between the pillars before his eyes settled on an ancient, golden altar at the back of the room, a luminescent orb floating above this. It pulsed slowly, crackling with power, and the godling strode over the carpets before he frowned and glared at it, asking it sharply: "What kind of trick is this?"

"No trick." the tired voice said from the globe, and Lone freed himself from Cherry, staggering a bit before his head cleared and he made a face, leaning to one side of Raze as Cherry leaned to the other and Mahihko simply clung to Lone, looking around the vast, empty area. "This used to be a place of worship... as even lesser gods often looked to higher gods. I am one of their creations, designed to interface with the machinery of the tower, and even after they were driven out, I have kept things going for kind Lady Sin and the few others who visit this now-terrible place.

"I have no name. I am merely a system built to serve others." the globe paused, its strangely-alive voice almost sad for a moment before it pulsed and said softly: "Intruders have been detected throughout the area... including a strange one that has attracted old enemies back to this tower, such as the great and monstrous Kraken. It seeks the Observatory, as you do... but it has been slowed by the pitfalls of the tower, just as you have. I will open the rest of the way for you, but you must hurry."

Raze nodded, then he glanced over his shoulder as a staircase descended from the ceiling some twenty feet behind them. He looked over the group, and again felt tempted to leave them all behind... before he finally muttered: "We have to move fast. I don't know what we're up against that could get through the Central Spire's security as well as the monsters in this tower, but we're going to have to be ready for anything."

The others nodded, and they followed quickly as Raze brushed past them, jogging towards the stairs and up to the next level, then repeating the process, the emptiness of the temple sending a chill through his body. Cherry stayed at his heels, and Mahihko and Lone followed as quickly as they can, only a small gap between the two pairs before they reached a narrow, spiraling staircase inside a large, cylindrical shaft that led from the roof of the tunnel up to who-knew-where.

Raze led, wanting to run but keeping his pace at a quick walk as he remembered the traps they had already come across in the tower, as well as the beasts they had encountered... and he made a face of disgust when he touched some kind of viscous goop on the wall, pausing before he frowned as more of the stuff poured out and formed into a gravity-defying puddle on the wall... and then part of the puddle of slime slapped out and struck him in the muzzle, making his eyes bulge in shock before he snarled and punched the aqua-blue slime as hard as he could, crushing in part of the wall and knocking several loose bricks toppling into the gap beyond it as dust and dirt rattled down.

The slime, however, simply clung to his fist... and Raze cursed as he shook his arm before Cherry reached a hand up and grabbed it, the slime bubbling and letting out a high-pitched whistle before it exploded, much of the goo thankfully dissolving before it could splatter on either of the reptiles. Raze made a disgusted face, but then he grunted a thank-you before another slime dropped past them, making Mahihko squeak... and the godling cursed before he looked up and his eyes bulged as he saw a massive slime rolling its way slowly down the stairs, collecting more of the living goop off the walls and growing larger as it did so.

Cherry immediately held up her hand, but Raze shook his head, snarling in distaste as he walked forwards and slashed Darkheart down into the creature, cutting a large gash in it... but the wound closed almost immediately as it began to spread down the blade, trying to suck Raze in with a nauseating gurgling sound. The Drakkaren grinned coldly, however, and a moment later Darkheart burst into black flames inside the creature, and the slime howled and writhed before it slowly turned grey and dissolved, Raze flicking his sword to the side to clear some of the goop off it as the terrible darkness vanished from the huge weapon. "Let's go."

They made their way up the stairs, Cherry burning slimes here and there as Mahihko and Lone zapped ones that slid too close, their electricity making the living goop often convulse into different shapes and harden up for a moment so they toppled off walls and down the stairs. They were more a nuisance than a threat, but once one of the larger ones managed to drop onto Raze and absorb half of him, and his features contorted in agony before Mahihko and Lone both fired a blast of electricity into the slime on instinct, and it hardened in the shape of a cube with Raze's leg and arm sticking out of it, the rest of him absorbed... before the cube shuddered violently, then shattered into pieces, the Drakkaren's body twisting and his arms lashing out before he shook his head and grunted, his form of thanking the wolves for their help.

They continued quickly up to the top of the spiraling staircase, Raze ripping slimes off the stairs and floor and throwing them with enough force they exploded violently into pieces when they struck another surface, the others following quickly after in his wake before the godling shouldered open a wooden door at the top and staggered into a large square room, empty except for a huge pair of iron pillars inside which fires burned brightly, visible through large gratings in their sides.

Raze narrowed his eyes at these as Cherry staggered through the doorway, flailing her arms as Mahihko and Lone shot past her before she turned and slammed the wooden door closed, looking disgruntled as she muttered: "Weird ass shit." She paused, then looked at the pillars, then at the open archway across the short room, asking mildly: "Why does this all seem way too easy?"

"Because it is." Raze murmured, then he walked slowly across the room, looking suspiciously back and forth... before he halted at the archway, and then he turned around and motioned to the others. Cherry pushed the two wolves gently forwards first, and they made their way across the area, followed by her... and then she winced when the pillars turned creakily behind her and shot massive gouts of red flames out from the gratings, now aligned to form a deadly firewall across the center of the room.

"Damn, that's some crazy shit. Useless but... crazy shit." Cherry said mildly, her tail in the flames, and she leaned forwards, flicking the end of it back and forth before she held up a finger and said cheerfully: "My thermometer tells me that's about ten million degrees of focal heat! Fuck, but you guys must feel like ouch-burning right now."

"It's cool over here." Lone replied, shaking his head as Mahihko hesitantly stepped towards her, and then he yelped and skittered back over to Lone, who rolled his eyes and patted the small wolf on the head. "I guess it heats up pretty fucking fast, though."

"Someone obviously doesn't want us to leave." Raze said darkly, and then he stepped into the stairs, starting up the long, widely-curved stairway. Lone made a face and followed after a moment with Mahihko, and Cherry came last, rubbing at the back of her head and frowning as she let a bit of distance come between her and the others.

Raze emerged after a few moments into a huge octagonal room covered by a massive dome, strange machinery lining the walls and a few of them buzzing quietly away. His eyes settled after a moment on a massive telescope, shaped like an immense cone and made of segmented black and gold rings of metal, red runes pulsing softly over the length of it. Large, thick cables were connected to several of the computer terminals, and Raze approached one of these, eight large dials covered on runes covering the device.

He reached down and adjusted them, then his eyes flickered up as he felt a strange presence... and he smiled coldly as he turned to another computer, taking a moment to translate the runes in his mind before he hammered a fist down on a large red button as the two wolves wandered into the room with gasps... and Lone squeaked in shock as a claxon went off before the huge telescope slowly slid its way back into the room, the panels on the dome closing as a female voice shrieked in dismay, yelling furiously: "What do you think you're doing?"

A blue cloud rushed towards Raze, turning into a blue body that rapidly became a physical form... and then Raze spun around and swung his sword off his back in the same moment, smashing it down into the figure's shoulder and knocking the blue-furred lioness to her knees, her dark-navy eyes bulging in shock before the godling kicked her hard over, the many charms on her body rattling before she skittered backwards and leapt to her feet with a curse of fury, water and foam bubbling out of the wound before it visibly sewed itself back together, and the Drakkaren snorted in disgust, saying coldly: "I'm no lackey to work toys for you."

The lioness snarled, and then she straightened to her tall, thin ten feet of height, giving them a full view of her body; she had mostly-blue fur that turned to white on her inner body, and her actual clothing consisted of a brown kilt with a white loincloth, and a brown, shell-shaped top that covered her breasts and upper stomach. But all over her body were charms and bracelets and jewelry of every kind and shape, from the three golden rings tight against the upper back of her skull that held sea-blue hair back in a long, brush-shaped ponytail, to the wooden hoops around her waist with beads and rune-covered streamers hanging from them, as her sandaled feet ground slowly against the floor in visible, barely-contained rage, before her features suddenly changed and she smiled, bowing forwards low and deep as she said in her accented-voice: "I'm sorry, young god... my name is Calypso, and I am a sea goddess, and mistress of all the Undersea. Perhaps we can work together on this, and-"

Before she could finish, the Great Diviner flew past her head before Cherry jerked it to the side, and the chain of the weapon wrapped tightly around the lioness's neck, her eyes bulging as she choked and grabbed at it as the sword snapped into the chain and held it firmly in place, the goddess staring in shock at Cherry as she held tightly onto the end of the chain with a cold grin, saying darkly: "I don't like to fuck around, babe. How about you just back the hell off and we all go away happy, huh?"

Calypso's eyes darkened with fury, and then she suddenly turned to water, Cherry cursing as she snapped the sword back to her hand as the chain quickly untangled itself as it wound magically back into the manacle, and then Calypso reappeared in a flood of rushing water, charging towards the female with a hand stretched out... but Cherry only grinned, and the lioness had a moment to look confused as her fingers almost brushed the female's throat before Raze slid in beside the goddess and slammed into her with the flat of his sword, sending her crashing into the domed wall of the Observatory, and she exploded into water droplets in a scream of agony.

The puddle clung to the wall before it quickly slid itself through the cracks in the metal, and Calypso's howls of fury rose up outside the Observatory before the sound of waves crashing against the tower joined with her cries. The tower itself seemed to sway and groan, and Raze made a disgusted face before he walked over to a heavy iron door, shoving it open and looking over his shoulder at the others as he said darkly: "Come on, we have to kill the bitch." She's here after something... but I'm sure that she's willing to destroy the Observatory if she can't get what she wants.

He stepped outside and onto the roof of the Undersea tower, and he looked back and forth as hard rain pelted him, heavy winds blowing against his frame and trying to shove him towards the edge of the tower as he walked through the rippling puddles on the obsidian rooftop of the tower. At his back, the Observatory was a white dome... and a moment later he was joined by the others, Cherry cursing under her breath as Mahihko increased the size of his body and his muscle mass in order to not be blown away by the winds, before the rains halted but the winds rose up higher... and then Cherry shouted a warning, getting to a ready position as Raze rose his sword at the sight of several large tentacles snapping down into the rooftop as waves crashed against the side of the tower, before one gigantic tentacle ending in a stump instead of a claw slammed down, shaking the wide rooftop before it dragged itself upwards; Calypso was standing on the gigantic, sloped torpedo-head of the beast with her arms spread, looking up at the skies as she laughed wickedly, her feet resting on the crown of thorns around the monster's head above its eyes.

"Kraken, destroy them! Crush them! Monster of the depths, annihilate them!" she screamed, and then she spun in a circle on top of the terrible beast as it roared furiously, huge, conical twisters rolling down from the dark skies both near and far and sending up water and wind whipping violently around them, the seas in terrible turmoil, raging and furious as the sun. Dark clouds rolled and rollicked overhead as thunder crackled and snarled, and it was all the four could manage to keep on their feet as the Kraken pulled itself higher up the tower out of the massive Undersea.

Tentacles snapped over the rooftop of the tower, shooting down towards the four as Calypso pointed at them with an inarticulate yell, and Raze slashed viciously outwards parallel to the ground, slamming several of the smaller tentacles backwards as Cherry snapped her whip upwards with one hand, the chain links glowing orange as they left a straight trail of black burns down one of the creature's ugly appendages and knocked it backwards as she deflected another tentacle with the Great Diviner.

Several of the fleshy tentacles shot past them, however, and two of them seized around Mahihko as Lone dodged backwards with his arms flailing, yelping incoherently and looking terrified, before the Kraken hissed as Mahihko's body surged with electricity, the at-the-moment masculine wolf screeching as he was lifted high into the air before the appendages of the great beast flung him hard downwards, but Cherry managed to dive backwards, catching him in one strong arm as she snapped her whip outwards with the other to lash viciously against one of the many limbs of the creature.

It roared, then attempted to smother them under its tentacles... and Raze held up a hand, snarling as he concentrated, and the creature's tentacles were stalled in midair for a moment before they were all violently twisted and contorted by his psychic force, and the Drakkaren roared in return over the howl of the wind as he stepped forwards and shoved mightily backwards, and several of its tentacles were simply twisted off as the gigantic sea-beast was thrown backwards, Calypso shrieking and toppling into the turmoil of the Undersea. Raze slumped, snarling and shaking his head as bells rang inside his skull, and for a moment they were surrounded only by the terrible storm... before two immense tentacles snapped upwards and wrapped around the Observatory as Calypso's shrieking laughs filled the air.

The Kraken hauled itself upwards foot-after-foot, another tentacle seizing around the Observatory as the hooks on the end of them screamed against the metal plates covering the dome, and the two reptiles snarled as they turned around the face it, watching as the goliath hauled itself out of the sea. It was massive, its body rubbery, almost jellylike as it lifted itself over the protrusion from the rooftop, its many arms sliding and slipping against the stone and steel before it managed to lift itself proudly high above, the cluster of malevolent eyes focusing on the group of four for a few moments... and then it roared, the sound loud enough to shake the rooftop as the storm's pitch increased, huge waves striking the sides of the tower and sending great splashes of foam high into the air before it rose its body up, then simply dropped itself down against the dome, rattling the area as Cherry shouted furiously: "We have to stop that fucker, back me up!"

Cherry shot towards the Kraken, and Raze snarled before he did the same, Mahihko following a moment after with a grim look on his features as Lone winced, then cursed and trundled after them last in line. The wolf had no idea what the hell they could do, however: the beast was simply too goddamn large, looking like a building by itself, with tentacles thicker than trees and those main 'arms' larger than trucks... big trucks, at that.

Cherry leapt upwards the moment she came in close enough, landing on one of the Kraken's massive appendages that was currently pressed tightly against the ground past the Observatory to lock it into place, and the creature growled at her as the smaller tentacles shot up to try and swipe her off, but the female only snorted, leaping over the first few that swept at her and then slicing another in half with the Great Diviner, before she threw it hard as she sprinted towards the main body of the monstrosity, the sword slamming home just beneath one of the creature's eyes and making it howl as Cherry kicked off it and swung herself over to another tentacle, the monster's eyes following her as she yanked the Diviner free and spun around in the same moment, lifting her chain whip in her other hand to cut apart everything within ten feet of her as tentacles swarmed towards her like locusts.

The Kraken squealed as its whole body convulsed with pain, and then it snapped the larger tentacle upwards... but Cherry grunted as she bent her knees, holding both her weapons out at her sides as she let herself simply slide down the slick surface of the massive appendage, and then she leapt forwards with a grin, bringing both weapons back for a vicious lash as she aimed at its eyes-

A blast of force caught her out of nowhere, knocking her flying through the air with a curse before she grunted as Raze ran halfway up the side of one of the larger tentacles, then he jumped in the air and caught her by the leg, making her squawk as he spun around and threw her hard at the Kraken's face. She flipped violently through the air, but then cackled as she managed to spin herself at the last moment to slam both feet into one of its eyes, the creature screaming before its sounds of agony rose in pitch as Cherry's whip and the Great Diviner lashed into the bulging cluster of black orbs, popping more and spraying dark ichors into the air over her body as the beast squirmed and flailed, losing ground and falling backwards a bit before another blast of force struck her, sending her high into the air before she was slammed by successive attacks that struck her in the spine to knock her towards the ground, and then directly in the face to send her flying backwards just before she hit the concrete, her head twisting backwards painfully before she crashed and rolled violently, her whip cutting light gashes through her scales.

She groaned, slowly hefting herself to her feet and shaking her head stupidly, and Raze snarled as he rushed in towards the beast, sword resting on his shoulder before he slashed back and forth as tentacles lashed viciously towards her, and he slammed the thinner pink ones out of the way before one of the massive appendages tried to slam down and crush him, but the godling roared as he slid to the side before hurling himself upwards, slashing viciously into the tentacle as he switched his grip to slam into the bottom of the arm and then tear halfway through it, the creature howling as its body arched before he cut viciously downwards into the other half, dropping towards the ground and landing in a crouch as more than half of the enormous tentacle flew through the air, crashing heavily to the rooftop for a moment before it slipped slowly off and into the sea as thunder crackled through the air... and then a terrible force smashed into Raze's face, and he staggered backwards, shaking his head violently before Calypso appeared in front of him with a snarl, grabbing him by the throat as he gargled, feeling boiling water filling his lungs and sending agony through his body before she spun and threw him hard towards the Kraken.

The massive monster snagged him greedily with his tentacles, and Cherry stood up before Calypso snapped her fingers, and she felt that same force strike her in the middle of the back, sending her staggering forwards as she reached back, looking stupid as she felt wetness before she was slammed into the air by that force, and the Kraken seized him in more of its writhing appendages and draw her in as they crushed around her, the female snarling furiously as she wriggled back and forth in its grip.

Calypso laughed, raising her arms at her sides as she watched the Kraken squeeze them, crush them, bringing them towards the large beak in the middle of its forest of tendrils... and then she grunted in surprise more than pain, stumbling forwards and blinking as she looked over her shoulder to see Mahihko standing with his hoops in his hands, shouting in a voice that came out more terrified than angry: "You let them go right now!"

"How adorable..." Calypso purred, smiling at him and stepping forwards to stroke his face... and then she snarled, grabbing him by the throat as she jerked him close and shouted: "If you want your life spared, then stop this immediately!"

Mahihko shrieked, and electricity zapped over his body, Calypso throwing him to the ground as it sizzled over her body and she staggered away, arcs of lighting shooting back and forth along her form before she fell backwards and collapsed into a puddle of water that slunk rapidly away towards the ocean. The wolf whimpered as he looked up at the Kraken, watching as Cherry threw her head backwards and howled in pain even as the creature's tentacles visibly bubbled from the heat her body was giving off, while Raze struggled furiously, half-free from its tendrils but now fighting against the beak that had extended towards him, the flat of his sword and his feet pushing violently against its maw and holding it open to prevent himself from being crushed. "Lone, do something!"

Lone looked back and forth in terror, panic threatening to overwhelm him before he finally looked up at the skies as thunder cracked, and he ran forwards with a snarl, an idea coming to his mind as electricity ran over his body, wincing as he drew close enough to the Kraken to draw its attention before he threw his arms up and shouted: "Hey, fugly! Look at me, asshole, and get ready for the thunder!"

The creature hissed as its smaller tentacles slid towards him... before the Kraken reared back, spitting Raze out in surprise as a massive bolt of lightning shot from the skies and struck Lone, the wolf's teeth gritting and his eyes bulging as he felt the electricity running through his body, before he yelled and threw his arms up, several more bolts of lightning hailing down and striking the rooftop around him, ripping small gouges in the stone as a nearly-invisible dome of electrical bolts began to form around Lone, the wolf making violent gestures inside the arcs and twists of lightning.

It pulsed around him, Lone's eyes glowing with power as more blasts of lightning shot down into the dome from the stormy clouds above, the Kraken roaring and howling as it began to slowly try and push itself back towards the Undersea... and then Lone shoved both hands towards the sea monster, and a massive blast of lighting shot down towards the dome before it glowed and the arcs and bolts that made up the rough shape before they turned almost solid and fired a massive blast of electricity into the bolt, redirecting it and adding more energy before it slammed into the Kraken.

It screamed, writhing in agony and throwing both Raze and Cherry free as electricity shot over their bodies, the two writhing in pain before they landed heavily on the rooftops - but it was the monster that got the worst of it by far, the stream of electricity continuing to slam into it before the dome of lightning around Lone all but exploded, dissolving into motes of light that fizzled out after a few moments; and yet the Kraken continued to smoke and steam as electricity continued to rip over its body, its skin becoming brittle and cracking as several more of its eyes popped, tentacles and pieces of its body bursting into flame as it leaned backwards with a scream of agony before it finally fell, its torpedo-shaped body smashing off the sharp side of the tower and ripping it open, dark blood and its strange organs pouring out of it before it fell into the water, and a massive blast of light and arcing lightning shot up as electricity discharged throughout the water from the sheer amount that had been forced into its body.

Lone staggered, grasping his skull and looking blearily back and forth before he fell to his knees, sitting on his paws for a moment before he fell over on his side in a dead faint, twitching a few times. Mahihko immediately ran over to him with a whimper, before he looked from Raze to Cherry, who were both laying on the ground as well, water and blood leaking out of the godling's mouth and the female simply laying with her eyes closed... and then Calypso reappeared with a snarl, looking furiously in the direction of the water before her eyes glared at Mahihko as a heavy rain started to fall again as the winds died down and thunder rumbled ominously through the skies. "You... you and your kind must all be destroyed!"

She threw a hand out, and Mahihko winced, raising his hoops halfheartedly in defense... and then he stared back and forth in shock as a mist rose from the sea, the rain pelting against his body and the stone rooftop masking sound and muffled further by the thickening fog, before Calypso's quiet laughter echoed around him, seeming to come from every direction as she purred: "Come on, cutie, just surrender... that's all you have to do, surrender, and worship the power of the ocean..."

Mahihko whimpered quietly, looking back and forth in terror as he reached down and carefully put a hand against Lone's back, zapping him... but the wolf only twitched and moaned, barely stirring. The wolf couldn't afford to sacrifice any further energy, either... and he winced as he stayed in a kneel, looking back and forth in terror, only hearing the rain now and unable to see at all through the blinding fog that stank of the sea and felt like it was trying to suffocate him. He whined softly in his throat, the rain pelting his body making it hard to concentrate, panic filling his mind as he tried to figure out what to do... and then he looked up and shrieked in terror, lashing out with a hoop as his body sparked with electricity, the moisture in the air turning his short-ranged, defense zap into a wide, spherical jolt that travelled a surprising distance and sent the figure staggering backwards in shock.

Then a sword thrust itself through the fog, and Mahihko went pale before Raze shoved his way through the fog, coughing and then vomiting against the hand pressed against his muzzle, salty water spilling down his arm and chest to strike against the ground with a sick tattoo, before he simply wiped at his face and grunted in disgust, shouldering his sword as he looked down at the wolves for a moment. Then he glanced back and forth, asking coldly: "Where's Calypso?"

"D-Dunno..." Mahihko shook his head fearfully, and the reptile simply nodded as he looked back and forth, before he grunted and jerked his head at the wolf. Mahihko only looked at him stupidly, and then Raze sighed, pointing in the opposite direction.

"Keep your back to mine. Channel your electricity." Raze ordered, and Mahihko nodded before he stood up as Raze turned around, his amber eyes flicking back and forth before he closed his eyes, feeling his body clench, and he quietly leaned forwards and let himself vomit again, toxic seawater pouring out of his muzzle to splash against the ground. And then he fell to his knees, dropping his sword and shoving his hands against the ground as he snarled in agony, puking more of the poison that had flooded his body out before he looked up with bleary eyes in shock as Calypso appeared out of nowhere, reaching a hand down towards him with a snarl.

He couldn't react, his form wracked with agony from the water that Calypso had somehow amped up the poison levels of and made toxic even to a godling like himself, and then Mahihko yelled, jumping off his back before he slapped a hoop across the lioness's face, and she staggered, twisting around before Mahihko snapped a hoop over her head and dragged it back against her neck, catching her in it as she reached up and grabbed it with a gargle before she screamed as the wolf sent a burst of electricity through the hoop.

Calypso writhed back and forth in agony, beads of water dripping off her body as parts of her form tried to turn to liquid, but with every shock that travelled through her form, the parts of her that had turned to water were forced back solid, and Raze snarled as he picked up his sword, fighting through the pain before he dragged his sword into the air as he spun into a circle, and the blade sank deep into Calypso's gut, making her gag as lighting shot down the godling's sword, zapping through him... but the pain only made him roar before he dragged forwards, ripping the terrible would deeper as water and foam gushed out of it, Calypso screaming before the blade burst into dark flames, and her screams rose into higher shrieks of pain as her body began to rapidly rot away, and Mahihko let go of the hoop, staggering backwards in horror as Calypso clawed at the sword buried inside of her, Raze glaring at her with his teeth grit and his muscles bulging against his scales, holding tightly onto his weapon before he tore hard sideways, grinding the blade into her spine before it tore free but not cutting her completely in half as she fell forwards, a flap of skin and flesh still holding her halves together as her head thudded against the ground, before her knees trembled and she collapsed with a weak moan.

A puddle of water spread slowly out from her body, foam and other strange liquids mixing with this before Raze spun his sword around and rose it above his head, grasping the hilt in both hands with the point towards the ground before he slammed it down through her chest, and Calypso gurgled weakly, her eyes bulging once before her features turned to liquid, and slowly, she melted away until there was nothing left of her. The mist cleared bit-by bit as the clouds ahead began to dissolve, and then Mahihko looked up at Raze with a tremble, staring at the hoop laying by the sword on the ground, nothing of Calypso left other than a few broken charms and some wet clothing. "Is... is she dead?"

"Yeah." Raze said shortly, then he reached forwards and jerked Darkheart out of the ground, before he looked over at Cherry, who was still unconscious. He walked over to her and pushed his foot into her side as Mahihko tended to Lone, trying to wake him up... but he had less luck than Raze did, as the female's eyes flickered open after a moment before she groaned and rubbed at the sears over her body from the seawater. "Salt?"

"Yeah. Fuck, I didn't think of that." Cherry groaned, sitting up and rubbing slowly at herself before she made a face at him, mumbling: "I fucking hate you and your goddamn salt immunity."

Raze grunted, and then he paused before he leaned forwards and vomited on Cherry's legs, his own almost buckling as the female winced before her eyes bulged and she slapped at it like it was acid, standing up and dancing around in pain with loud squawks as the salty liquid steamed and burned into her thighs.

Mahihko shook Lone a bit more, and finally, the wolf grunted and opened his eyes... and then he frowned stupidly, staring at the beautiful, clear blue sky above, asking dumbly: "Am I in Heaven?"

"Lone!" Mahihko hugged the wolf tightly around the neck, and the lupine gagged, flailing his arms before the effeminate male shrank down to his normal size, clinging to him again as tears filled his eyes and he said shakily: "I thought I'd lost you, I was so scared, Lone!"

"Get off me, you little... ugh." Lone pried the smaller wolf's arms off from around his neck, and then he made a face when Mahihko's lip trembled before he sighed and gave him a quick hug around the neck, then he quickly stood up, leaning heavily on Mahihko's head and making the little wolf yelp. "Fuck, is the bitch dead?"

"The bitch is dead. We missed all the action." Cherry said morbidly, from where she was standing beside Raze, who was shaking his head and sitting on the ground, looking exhausted. Then he finally climbed to his feet, picking up his sword and dragging it behind him before Cherry said cheerfully: "Hey, Zerrex wouldn't like that!"

Raze muttered angrily under his breath, and then he finally grunted and hoisted the sword up to his shoulder, heading towards the Observatory as Cherry walked over to the wolves and picked them both up in a tight hug, making them both squeak before she put them down and grinned at both, a hand on the shoulder of either lupine. "Great work, you little bastards, but come on, we ain't done the mission 'til the fat bitch yells or whatever fat people do... eat, I guess. I'll give you dudes a great treat if we make it out of here and Raze actually puts up with seeing us again though, so let's go."

She walked past the wolves, then spun around on her heel and shoved on both their backs, making them pick up a rapid pace as Mahihko gave a quiet, tired whine and Lone mumbled under his breath, his ears laying back as Raze struggled with the door before he finally managed to open it with a grunt: it had become slightly warped due to the Kraken's attack on the Observatory. But when he stepped inside, he saw that everything else seemed to be in working order... and the godling approached the computer terminal, ignoring the others as he adjusted the dials on one before moving to a runic keyboard on another, frowning as he took a moment to decipher the alphabet in his mind before tapping in the name of their opponent on the mortal coil: Animaxander.

The large plates in the ceiling tried to separate as a claxon blared, but then a siren went off and a cracked crystalline orb on a computer terminal began to flash, and Raze approached it, reading the runes that spread across a thin, rectangular screen of green gemstone built into the strange device. The gears are damaged... I'll need to do it manually...

Then he blinked and looked up as he heard a grinding sound, looking over his shoulder in surprise to see Cherry had hooked the end of her whip into one of the plates and was steadily pulling it backwards by the handle, grunting with exertion before the siren halted and the red light in the crystal blinked green for a moment before fading out. Raze looked down at the terminal, and then he watched as the huge telescope in the middle of the room slowly slid out into place... and he finally grunted and nodded to Cherry, walking over to the telescope as an alien voice spoke in an ancient language even Raze had trouble understanding: "Subject located."

Raze looked down into the telescope, closing his other eye as he adjusted a knob on the side of the machine... and he frowned as he saw a massive citadel, workers seemingly frozen in time all around it as they continued to add to the enormous, beauteous palace... but all over the building he could also see strange symbols that he had never come across before in either his explorations or his schooling, and he shook his head slowly before he stood up, pausing and hesitating as the others looked at him expectantly before he said finally: "Look if you want. Just be careful."

Cherry nodded with a bit of a grin, and then she held an arm out when the wolves both tried to rush forwards, glaring at them and saying pointedly: "I'll just look, how about that? You guys just stand back for now, got it?"

She emphasized this with a half-glare, and Lone swallowed and nodded as Mahihko pouted and crossed his arms, but sat down and remained at a distance, and Cherry grunted in appreciation before she made her way to the telescope and looked down into it thoughtfully. Raze, meanwhile, was busily adjusting knobs before he entered another command, and he half-pushed Cherry away from the telescope as several of the large, segmented rings that made up its body rotated and buzzed, before the alien voice said: "Signature traced successfully. Previous location found."

Raze looked down into the telescope... and he saw a dead, cracked-apart planet, his stoic features tensing slightly before he realized there was something on the edge of his vision... and he adjusted the knob on the telescope to zoom out before he stared in shock at the strange fleet of grey shapes, not able to recognize or understand what they were as he said slowly: "There are... I don't know, moving islands in space..."

"Let me take a look." Cherry's voice lacked its usual playfulness, and Raze stepped away from the telescope, letting the demoness have her turn to look at the strange things... but when she looked, she instantly recognized what they were, whether they seemed like they were from a sci-fi movie or not, and she grit her teeth, a twisted grin spreading over her features as she muttered: "You're fucking shitting me. It's like the fucking tabloids were right... but now that I think about it, why the hell not? Sure as fuck would beat flying through nothingness on your own..."

She snorted in disgust, and then she looked up at Raze, saying squarely: "Those, Raze, are spaceships. Way more advanced than our space colonies, and for them to seem like they're moving on the physical plane even when we know what the time difference is, the sons of bitches must be going at tremendous speeds. And I'm guessing the big dead rock in the background is Animaxander's last known location?"

"I've memorized the approximate coordinates. The God's Eye can lock onto them and give us a closer, detailed look at the strange things with them." Raze said coldly, and Mahihko and Lone looked at each other, trembling, as Cherry straightened and nodded. Then the godling closed his eyes and muttered a spell before he extended a hand, and white energy crackled before it expanded into a vortex, Raze wincing as the spell sent pain stinging through his already-strained body. "We have no time for fun, games, or argument. Come on, we'll go to Heaven first... and then down to Hell and hope that we catch Zerrex and Sin before they've left."

"Yeah, except with the Boss's luck, he's dealing with something worse than what we have by now." Cherry muttered morbidly, and then she grabbed up the two wolves, pulling them towards the portal as she sighed and slumped her shoulders. "Come on, misfits, time for your first visit to the pie in the sky." And please, Zerrex. Please. Please be safe...