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The Drakkaren awoke an hour before he had to leave for the Ring of Torment, where the Inquisitors preferred to do all their dirty work in the Circle of Wrath, which he'd discovered was far more organized when it came to handing out punishments. The reptile mumbled under his breath as he spent most of that hour letting Sin check his body over, and then he spent the last few minutes attempting to tighten his braided ponytail before Sin did it for him, and the reptile sat through this, whining that he was going to be late with her taking so long until she finally sighed and mumbled for him to go away.

He stepped out of a portal only a minute or so early, making a face as he looked over the massive, dome-shaped building with the two huge rectangles sticking out of either side. It was constructed of bland cement and dark gray steel, and the building was ugly, in a word, with the only entrance being a pair of red double doors beside an enormous shutter marked ‘00-07.' Zerrex had a very distinct feeling he did not want to find out what was behind that shutter, from the screams and sounds of machinery he heard faintly through the walls.

He opened one of the doors instead, stepping inside, and a minotaur in full body armor held up a hand, and the two Nightmares standing behind him in full military uniform both aimed their assault rifles for a moment at the Drakkaren before staring and immediately stepping away. The Nightmares each stood in front of a large, thick metal divider, and between the two dividers was an immense scanning system covered in magical runes used to detect any weapons or abnormalities in the demons who passed through it, as an extra security measure.

Zerrex sighed as he ignored the instructions for the procedure, instead ducking and undoing the laces to take off his boots, and then the minotaur grabbed by by the muzzle and jerked him up to his feet as both Nightmares shared a wince. "Listen up, shithead, because-"

Zerrex grabbed the minotaur's thumb and twisted bad-naturedly, and the minotaur squeaked loudly as it cracked before Zerrex slowly twisted his entire arm to the side simply by the thumb of the fourteen-foot demon, glaring up at him as he said sourly: "I haven't been here for a while, and you're obviously new, so I won't break your goddamn arm. But stop bullying me and the other prisoners who come through here, or I'll twist your freaking head off. You and your pals aren't protected by the Scholars, and we all know it... now leave me the hell alone or your thumb goes, followed by as much of you as I can twist off with it."

"Yessir, right away, sir!" the minotaur babbled, and Zerrex let go of his arm, the huge creature immediately nursing his thumb and staring as Zerrex pulled off his combat boots, then put them on the divider, stepping through the blue field generated by the two huge runed blocks, and there was a positive beeping sound before a guttural voice said something in demonic, and the minotaur gaped before asking slowly: "You're... you're sealed?"

"And I can still kick your ass." Zerrex said sourly, grabbing his boots and one of the bloody burlap sacks from a large pile behind the dividers, and he shoved his boots down into these before sighing and heading through the double doors, feeling his dread mounting as he walked down the sterile metal hallway. This place is horrible... "Stupid... everything."

He glanced back and forth as he entered the locker room beyond, watching the various Slavers patrolling and glowering here and there, but they backed off quickly from the Drakkaren: unlike the Lust Circle, they had no special privileges or protection here. The reptile looked back and forth between the aisles of lockers and benches, and then he strode several rows and stepped into Row C, looking down the long line of small lockers and mumbling under his breath: "Was it C33 or C34?"

He shrugged a bit, then breathed a sigh of relief when he noticed C34 was open, meaning C33 was his. All he had to do was touch the plain metal lock and say his name, and it sprung open to reveal an empty locker... and Zerrex shoved the burlap sack into this before taking off his pants and pushing them inside, too.

He closed the door of the small metal cabinet, then snapped the lock shut before making his way around the rows of lockers, striding all the way down to the far left and towards a pair of Wentaku in robes standing by a sealed door with a large valve on it, before he announced clearly: "Zerrex Narrius here for punishment under Inquisitor Lunata."

The Wentaku both nodded silently, and the valve on the door spun rapidly before it opened with a hiss. Zerrex gritted his teeth, as he always did when entering the ‘Office Quarters,' and then stepped through the door. It slammed shut the moment he did, the valve spinning back into a locked position as the reptile walked slowly down the hall, glancing back and forth at the bloodstained doors, all of them clearly marked with a name and the ‘office hours' of each ‘employee.'

He halted at Lunata's door, then knocked twice before opening it and stepping inside, and the Rakshasa glanced up from where she was working at a desk before giving him a disgusted look as he closed the door behind himself and stood nude, obviously forcing herself to not stare between his legs as she said sourly: "Oh wonderful. I had a nice interlude where I was hoping you might be dead, but yet here you are. I really wish they'd let you keep your pants on."

Bitch. Zerrex thought clearly, and Lunata glowered at him: she had the nasty ability to be able to hear anyone's thoughts in the vicinity, which Zerrex sometimes forgot honestly about but other times just used as much as possible to piss her off. "So what are we doing today, Lunata?"

He tented his hands, looking at her expectantly, and she attempted to growl at him and failed. It didn't help that all the other offices were empty except for the torture equipment the different Inquisitors used, but hers had a large desk piled with books and scrolls instead... and finally, she sighed and pointed at the chair, saying flatly: "Sit."

Zerrex did so, trying to act like he was terrified, and she gave him a look of utter disgust before her eyes widened as she accused: "You want to rape me!"

"I want to rape every female I come across." Zerrex said seriously, and Lunata looked utterly horrified before he rolled his eyes and muttered: "Some psychic you are. You stupid bitch, you wear a tight robe and I still can't see your boobs. You are perhaps the most unrapeable female in the entire world, thanks to the fact you're utterly shapeless and you also look like you're completely shaven, except for that big fluffy tiger head. Even fat chicks are more rapeable than you are, because at least they have skill, and I know you're the lesbian that every other lesbian does her best to avoid."

"I hate you!" Lunata yelled at him childishly, and then she threw a book at the Drakkaren, but Zerrex didn't even flinch as it bounced off his chest and fell in his lap, making a face at her before he picked it up. The Diary of Jane Desmond. Of course it's a chick-book. "You're shallow and insecure and... and stupid! And pathetic! And you're ugly!"

"Yeah, but I know it." Zerrex muttered, flipping the book open and paging through it absently, then he rolled his eyes and read loudly in a pretentious accent: "‘Eleanor and I had but a smidgen of tea, and yet I felt ready to go home. Harvey was simply too beautiful a man for me to bear being so close to him in public, and I knew that I would do something most unladylike if I was around him... and yet I had to have him. So I would bravely...' you know what, this is crap. This is a book from my world they teach in classes on the sixteen hundreds, but it was written in the eighteen hundreds by a male who didn't know anything about Lunis and the culture there. Frocks and petticoats my ass."

Lunata looked at him with surprise, then frowned, and Zerrex allowed her to search his memory before she said slowly: "You're... you're telling the truth. I don't believe it, but I can see it here in your mind... when the hell did a moron like you read that?"

"Cindy... my... oldest daughter read it, and then I picked it up after that because she was complaining about it, so... so we could make fun of it together." Zerrex said stiffly, and then he cleared his throat as Lunata looked at him oddly. "Can you just get around to torturing me or something already? Or do you need to go and get the biohazard gloves just in case you accidently touch my hulking masculine form and get rabies?"

"You get rabies from being bitten." Lunata growled at him, and Zerrex glared at her, resisting the urge to shout that he knew that already at her. Bitch just does not get it. "Stop calling me a bitch! And I don't get what?"

"Metaphors, allusion... jokes in general." Zerrex responded sourly, then he immediately began to rifle through the books on her desk, causing her to squawk and attempt to grab him, but the Drakkaren jerked another book out of the pile and knocked the rest falling to the floor, causing the Rakshasa to snarl furiously. "What's this... whoa, hey, this is porn!"

Lunata's eyes went to the cover, and then she flushed and tried to steal ‘Dark Nights and Dark Males' away from Zerrex, who immediately grinned and kicked the desk firmly backwards when she leaned over it, and she tumbled off it with a loud cry, before letting out a shriek of disgust at the fact she'd landed at the reptile's feet and far too near to his groin for her comfort level, crawling rapidly away to the side of the room and shivering as he read loudly: "‘Today I would make Victor mine... today I would feel his hot black flesh sliding up into the moist folds between my legs... oh, I was already burning with lust in my loins for him, already I could feel my insides heating up with need to feel his great powerful malehood penetrating my tender blossom...'" A pause as he glanced over to Lunata with a leer and a grin. "So howabout this? I'll be Victor and you can be the chick. You read the sex scene out loud and I'll do what he says: torture for all of us, because I'm sure having sex with you would be painful and boring."

"I want you to die." Lunata muttered, and then she snorted and stood up, waving a hand at the junk on her desk and grumbling: "Since you think you're so good at all this nonsense, then fine. Have at it and file all this for me... I'll be back in nine hours or so."

Zerrex stared in horror... and then the Rakshasa left, looking sulky and upset. The Drakkaren wondered absently if he'd touched a nerve somewhere, decided to remember what he'd done for next time, and then he sighed as he walked around the desk and dug through the filing she'd been doing, looking it over and muttering: "Wonderful. These look almost like short essays... right, she works at the instructional school for mages, this is going to be just brilliant..."

Nine hours and forty-two minutes later, Zerrex was sitting and reading an essay over, absently marking out misspelled words here and there with a dictionary close at hand: he still wasn't exactly the most literate when it came to demonic runes, but thankfully most of the essay had been done in mortal languages. During his search of the desk for a pen or at least a quill so he could do notes and write in corrections, the Drakkaren had turned up a small book Lunata had written, filled mostly with self-praise on what a good writer she was and how much she knew about mortals. Again, Zerrex had a sense of another demon that longed to once more return to the mortal realm... but it had also made him feel disgusted. Her sins shone through very clearly in her writing, and despite it being against the rules, the reptile had created a small portal and chucked the book through it, knowing that it wouldn't be large enough to set off the magic sensors, so he could read it later and make fun of it. He'd then closed the portal and gone back to work on what she'd been doing: sorting books and marking essays.

The reptile looked up as the door swung open and Lunata walked into the room, sipping at a bottle of apple cider and looking distastefully at the reptile. She then paused as she noted her desk had been cleaned and organized, before blinking and shouting: "Hey, put that essay down! Leave my marking alone!"

"You told me to do it." Zerrex said dryly, and then he put his feet down and balled his hands into fists, rolling his eyes as she snarled and began to recite an incantation. "Save your breath, I know we both heard the Fate Gong and I could probably take you out by chucking a book at you right now."

That shut Lunata up, even though she still looked as if she wanted to lash out at the reptile, before she stared as he added dryly: "By the way, your students are idiots, and just because they agree with your demonic neo-feminism doesn't mean they should automatically get a passing grade. I looked back through some of the papers you graded and noted huge inconsistencies in your marking scheme, so I read them over myself and re-graded everything."

"That's because you're a male and a chauvinist pig!" Lunata said angrily, walking over to the desk and snatching away the pile of papers, making them vanish into thin air as she added furiously: "Just because I'm a female it doesn't mean I'm weak!"

"No, you're weak because you hide behind that like a shield!" Zerrex stood up, shouting angrily back in her face and causing her to quail as he added in a growl: "You want to be strong, then pump up and be strong, because you have to work for it, male, female, hermaphrodite or androgynous. You aren't strong just because you're female, just like you aren't entitled to anything even if you're a male: we're the combination of not only our experiences in life, but what we choose to do with our lives, and from you I've seen only nonsense. This is Hell, bitch, not finishing school. So suck it up."

Lunata trembled furiously... and then she snarled and created a white portal, immediately turning and leaving through it. The Drakkaren rolled his eyes as she fled, then muttered under his breath: "Even in Hell, some people just think they're entitled to the whole damn world..."

He shook his head a bit, then sighed and rolled his shoulders absently as he headed for the door, letting himself out and heading back to the locker rooms. The reptile made his way quickly for his locker, opening it to slide on his pants and take out the burlap sack. He dumped the contents of this onto the floor, made a face at the bloody shoe that came out with his boots, and decided to ignore it for now, instead slipping on his combat boots and carrying the sack over to a pile of the used sacks at the end of the row before letting himself through the nearby door.

The room he stepped into was tiny, with a glowing white dome set into the wall. It blinked green after a moment, and Zerrex created a portal before stepping through this with a roll of his eyes and stepping into his own room, the portal closing a moment later. Everything at the Ring of Torment was so goddamn ordered, but at the same time it was all ridiculous in the complexity they expected for no reason other then to add some order and extra protection to the Inquisitors. On the other hand, the reptile had heard that some Wrath demons were strong enough to break Inquisitorial Protection somehow, even though it technically meant they had to override the powers of the Scholars... and that's a trick I'd really like to learn myself, although I've also got that nice little bracelet, too.

He paused as he glanced around his room, noting Sin wasn't sitting and reading as usual, but he dismissed it for now: she was probably out doing something for the Princess. On the one hand, he felt a bit nauseated and discontent â€" well... more discontent than usual for me... â€" but on the other he felt okay and no different than usual, although he did still idly wish she was here if just to quell his anxiety. He shook his head a bit, then sighed as he realized what time it was and created a portal, stepping through it and out in front the office door he always reported to.

He knocked once, then opened it and leaned inside nervously, to note a Nightmare sitting behind the desk now instead of Azazel: it made him feel both relieved and nervous in a different way as it settled its red eyes on him. "What is it?"

"Zerrex Narrius, reporting for duty." Zerrex stepped into the room and nodded respectfully, and the Nightmare glanced him over before grunting and returning to his papers. For a few moments Zerrex struggled with what to do, and then he simply decided to remain quiet as the Nightmare stood slowly, jotting down a few last notes before picking up a logbook.

He flipped it open wordlessly as Zerrex continued to stand by the open door, and then the Nightmare said slowly: "Let's see... Servant Zerrex, you've been assigned to the stables. Your duty will be to take care of the mounts the Knights use, which in this circle are not the kinder domestic hydras but either Lesser Wyrms or Draybeasts... our beasts are a bit different than the ones you have on the mortal plane, however, so let's just introduce you to the stables and set you about your duties."

Zerrex nodded, figuring it was probably a better idea to not speak as he stepped aside, at the same time scanning the Nightmare's desk for a name plate of some kind... but he didn't see one, so he decided to just be polite and otherwise stay quiet. The Commander led him out to the path and around the yard to a large, rusted pairs of double doors near the wall opposite, and the reptile stepped into the cinnamon-smelling stables a moment later.

A bear in plain mortal clothes looked up from where he was stacking hay bales, before adjusting his vest absently as he walked slowly over, resting his long pitchfork against his shoulder. He nodded to Zerrex, smiling a bit despite his gaunt featuers, and then the black bear glanced over to the Nightmare as he said briskly: "Stablemaster Kent. I have for you here Servant Zerrex, a former recruit of here under Azazel and Astaroth. You may do what you wish with him and he is of no grave importance to the base, so I'll leave him in your capable hands."

"Commander." The bear nodded, and the Nightmare checked his logbook before nodding back and leaving quickly, Zerrex relaxing a bit and looking back and forth with a wince as Kent sighed, the bear shaking his head slowly and rubbing at a stump where an ear had once been. "Zerrex, is it? Well, it's always nice to get more hands in the stables... thankfully, this ain't nothing like a mortal stable, since there's no constant cleaning up of dung and other nasty things. The main thing is keeping the animals fed, because food keeps them happy and pleasant... and we don't want any of these beasts getting riled up on us."

Zerrex nodded, and the stablemaster turned, calling over his shoulder: "I'll go and grab you some gloves from the back... why don't you take a look at the beasts in the stalls and acquaint yourself with them?"

The Drakkaren was left with his mouth half-open in a question, and then he made a face before slowly walking down between the stalls and looking hesitantly back and forth. He'd heard a bit about both types of creature, but had never experience one for himself... and he noted two things right away: the first was that the Wyrms all looked like bad-tempered, stubby, wingless dragons... and the second was that the Draybeasts looked nothing like their mortal cousins.

The latter were covered in shaggy fur, built moderately-low to the ground, and had two sets of long, curling horns that looked perfect from ramming into someone with. They also seemed to glower whenever he looked at them directly, so instead he did his best to examine them from his peripheral vision as he walked towards one of the narrow stalls holding a Wyrm.

He put his hands against it and peered at the creature, and it looked up from the feeding trough at the side of the room before it walked slowly over on its four shortish legs, raking over the dirt and sending up puffs of dust and straw before it leans its draconic head forwards on its long neck and nipped at his hair. Zerrex immediately made a face and staggered backwards, grabbing at the side of his head before saying irritably: "Don't do that."

The Wyrm snorted, then spat on his face, and at first the reptile only gave it a disgusted look... and then his eyes widened as he smelled the burning a moment before he began to wipe at his face, dancing down the thirty or so stalls and letting out a loud yelp before he fell over and hastily cast a cleasning spell over himself.

It half-worked, the acid vanishing but the burns remaining, and Zerrex slowly stood up as he made a disgusted face before blinking and slowly turning his head as he realized he hadn't reached the end of the stables, but only another wide hallway. His jaw dropped open in a gape a moment later as he saw that the rows of stalls almost faded into the distance, and then Kent approached from behind and tossed down a pair of gloves beside him as he smiled a bit at the Drakkaren, Zerrex looking up at him stupidly as he said: "One hundred and twenty two rows of fifteen stalls each, or sixty-six paired rows of thirty, whatever suits you better. I don't have a lot of time to waste before we do the feeding, and I see you've already learned about ducking when the Wyrms spit, so that's a lesson skipped.

"Both of them are fed the same, we just fill the trough in the stall from one of those stations." Kent pointed at a large pipe, a valve beside this and a pair of enormous wooden barrels attached to either side of a long pole by plain-looking yellow rope. "You gotta be careful that the animal doesn't nip you or anything, and doesn't nudge forwards into the barrel, both of which'll take some time... so ready yourself to get bit once or twice today, Zerrex. I could offer you an electrical rod we use to deter the animals, but half the time it just pisses ‘em off more, and you look like a big strong fellow. If they start getting too aggressive, just give ‘em a whack and a firm ‘no.'"

"Wonderful." Zerrex picked himself off the ground, slipping on the plain black work gloves and flexing his hands, rubbing his palms together slowly. "Any other duties?"

Kent nodded, patting the Drakkaren on the back. "Yeah, but we probably won't have time for them today, since I only have you working here for ten hours. You might've noticed the smell: we scatter new hay on the floor mixed with some cider, the animals seem to like it. We also change their hay every week or so, and that's a huge chore, since we have to take them all out to the field first, then worse, get them all in. Every one of them is tagged and collared, but finding out their number can be a bit tough when they get antsy. But it's about time to start the feeding process, down at Row 122. It don't matter if you go right to left, but you'll need to start at the back and work your way forwards... and oh, if any of the animals haven't eaten, don't refill their trough and tell me, wouldja? It might mean they got a wound we missed or that they're sick with somethin' else."

Zerrex nodded, forcing a bit of a smile. "Alright." He walked over to the large pole, then hefted it up to his shoulders and grasped the handles of the buckets with either hand, keeping the weight tight enough to keep things balanced as he lowered his head a bit, concentrating at Kent smiled at him encouragingly. Water training... like the monks do. I'll think of it that way.

It was a fifteen minute walk to the other side of the stables for the Drakkaren, and by then he could hear some rumbling growls from inside the stalls. The reptile made a face, then made his way to the pipe system and turned the valve, a horrible-smelling mishmash of what looked like garbage, vegetation, and cut apples pouring out: thirty seconds later, the reptile had both barrels filled and a new understanding of why he was wearing gloves.

He walked to the rear stall and shoved the door open, thankfully noting it was easy enough to push open and noting the Wyrm inside was leashed as well, for extra security... and he carefully made his way over to the trough, doing his best to keep his mouth shut. But three minutes later, the reptile was talking absently to both himself and the animals as he made his way through the rows. "Like... half a barrel just to fill one trough... and this junk is disgusting. I thought you Draybeasts preferred vegetation, anyway..."

It was monotonous and hard work... and at Row 93, a Wyrm spat on his chest, and around Row 87 a Draybeast took a bite out of his tail â€" and a rather nasty one at that. Thankfully, once he was halfway done, Kent had told him to take a break for ten minutes, and he'd sat on the floor as the bear wrote in a logbook, saying idly: "You seem to be doin' good for your first time, Zerrex. Did you tend stables in life, too?"

"Nah... I was a soldier..." Zerrex said softly, before he glanced up at Kent curiously. "What about you, if I can ask? You seem pretty comfortable in this environment."

Kent smiled, nodding a bit. "That's right sir, I did indeed. I took care of unevolved horses, and some other big animals on a farm. Had a few dozen cows, too, including my wife." He muttered something under his breath, then shook his head a bit. "I know, it don't sound too Hell-worthy, but I used to make some extra on the side storing illegal weapons for gangs and other nasties, including some bombing equipment that my wife found one day. Bitch used it to blow the stuff up, and me with it, since I was taking a nap in the hay." He paused, rubbing slowly at his ring and grunting: "I would've divorced her, but I guess we were just too used to each other by then. In any case, something didn't look kindly on what I was doing, I guess."

Zerrex nodded a bit, and then he cast a cleansing spell over the gloves before rubbing at his sweaty face slowly, asking mildly: "Gods, it feels like a hundred degrees in here... do you find it hot at all?"

"It's the animals, the Wyrms make the temperature go haywire. You'll get used to it." Kent nodded, then he paused. "Anyway, you should get back to work before you end up having to fight a few pissed-off Wyrms. They're moody when it comes to their feeding schedule."

"I know the feeling." Zerrex responded, and he climbed to his feet with a grunt, watching as Kent walked away as he absently checked his pulse, before touching his forehead with the back of his hand and muttering: "Wonderful. I have a fever now."

He took a bit longer with the last half, but Kent seemed pleased by his efforts, saying they had more than enough time left over to change the hay on the ground. This wasn't nearly as bad as the feeding process had been, since all Zerrex needed to do was rake up the old hay into a pile and then get rid of it, and Kent added mildly he didn't care how... so the reptile raked the hay into a pile at the end of a row, and then simply portaled it into Lunata's office. Dumb bitch. Let's see how she deals with this.

It took another two and a half hours for the reptile to rake everything up and then to lay down the new hay manually, the scent of cinnamon and some other spice intensifying in the air as he did so. It was pleasant, at least, and the reptile didn't really mind the work, despite the multiple bites he'd gotten from the animals, and afterwards Kent said mildly he'd look forwards to seein' him back tomorrow. Zerrex had then stepped through his portal and into his home with a sigh, before collapsing on his cot as Sin looked at him nervously from a small stool. "I think I have a fever."

"That could be good or bad." she said quietly, walking over to him and checking his body over... but then she sat back, shaking her head a bit. "You might feel worse, but it's because of the movement of the poison in your body... there's less of it then there was yesterday, though, and that's good news. Are you feeling okay?"

"You remind me of Cindy." Zerrex murmured, a hand to his forehead, and then he closed his eyes, resting back on the cot and adding: "Just give me a moment or two to... to rest my eyes maybe, yeah..."

A few minutes later he was asleep, and Sin looked over him with a concerned grimace before going back to reading quietly, glancing up at him every so often until she finally put the book aside and tried to shake him awake. Zerrex stirred with a grumble, flailing his arms a bit, and Sin mumbled: "Sorry... I'm sorry, I just... could you please try and stay awake, Lord Zerrex? Please? It would... you know... just in case."

Zerrex nodded groggily after a moment, then sat up and shook his head quickly, rubbing at his eyes before looking back and forth tiredly and asking dumbly: "So... want to play poker? I mean, I've got no cards, but we could still... play... cards..."

Sin couldn't decide for a moment whether the reptile was being himself or was honestly confused, and then she sighed as Zerrex fell back on the cot and curled up with a mumble. "Just let me die or go comatose, okay? I feel like sleeping forever..."

"You've only got about two hours before you have to go back to the Inquisitors..." Sin said anxiously, but then she sighed as Zerrex rolled over and mumbled something else, and she looked at him with a mix of fondness and exasperation. "Miss Selena really is right about you... you're a wonderful and horribly-irritating person..."

The week ended up being one of the most miserable ones Zerrex could remember: although the Bloody King chose to torment him by simply poking him with a metal firepoker every time the reptile fell asleep during their meeting, Faulk spent the entire time screaming at him and whipping him viciously, and Ose let him fall asleep just so the Drakkaren could experience nightmare after terrible nightmare invoked by the cruel creature. Afterwards, the otter with his long, backwards-curling horns followed him out into the locker rooms, watching as Zerrex yawned and forced himself through putting his pants on almost curiously.

"You're a strange being, Lord Zerrex. Tell me, why so glum and tired?" Ose asked cheerfully, before creating a portal as Zerrex turned around with only one combat boot on, adding easily: "Here you go, right this way to work!"

"I'll make my own." Zerrex said shortly, and he stepped carefully around the otter's portal to head over to the room, and the Otter glowered as he turned around, narrowing his eyes slightly before he pointed a finger skywards, and a spark of fire launched into the air before bursting into a bright fireworks display.

It set off a magical alarm, and Zerrex was thus late by almost an hour for work, and Kent glared at him even while the Drakkaren tried to explain himself, before he was ordered to stop wasting time with talk and get to work. The reptile did so, moving quickly, and he made up the time by skipping his usual break and counting the seconds he had to make up.

But at Row 23, he heard a Wyrm making a strange rattling noise in its throat, and he stepped towards the stall with a frown... and a moment later, its jaws were locked on his shoulder, the reptile snarling and cursing before he heard Ose laughing somewhere behind him, and the Otter strolled over to his side, asking curiously: "Do you need help now, Lord Zerrex? Or are you still too proud to ask for it?"

"Bastard!" Zerrex shouted furiously, trying to pry the Wyrm's teeth out of him... but he felt delirious from his need for rest and his body felt weak, so it was all he could do to keep the Wyrm from biting deeper and possibly ripping off his entire arm as blood streamed down his chest: "K-Kent! Kent!"

"I doubt he'll make it here in time. There was a sign on the door about avoiding this stall, but I guess it must have been misplaced." Ose said calmly, absently brushing at the long white robe he wore before striding around Zerrex to grasp his other shoulder, adding in a dangerous voice: "Now swallow your pride and beg me for help."

"You're off the clock!" Zerrex snarled, but as much as he wanted to use one of his newfound tricks to squish Ose like a bug, he was too sick... and the otter obviously knew it, as he grinned slowly and licked his lips hungrily.

"I was hoping you'd say that." Ose said softly, and then he turned around and walked over to the stall opposite, where another Wyrm was leaning hungrily out, apparently having smelled the blood. Slowly, Ose pulled the stall open with a grin, and Zerrex stared over his shoulder in horror as the black-scaled Wyrm slowly walked out, long, forked tongue flicking out of its muzzle before it began to approach him as Ose grinned widely...

Then Kent barreled around the corner, his eyes wide with shock at the sight of the Drakkaren and the Wyrm approaching, and the bear walked up to it, waving his arms and shouting: "Bethania, no! Back in the stall, get back in there, right now!"

The Wyrm hissed at him, but quickly retreated as Ose's eyes widened and he cast a portal spell, and Kent yelled something at the otter as he fled speedily himself, the portal closing behind him instantly. The bear cursed, then made his way over to Zerrex, and the reptile let out a sigh of relief through the pain before falling over and scrabbling backwards into the middle of the row as the Wyrm retreated into its stall, rattling loudly.

"Why the... wait, where'd the damn sign go? This Wyrm's in the last stages of her pregnancy, she'll attack anyone who comes near her until she lays her eggs... dear fuck, Zerrex, what the hell happened?"

Zerrex shook his head, his features pale as he clutched at his shoulder, and Kent winced at the sight of the ravaged flesh before mumbling: "No, nevermind, we need to get you to the medic first of all... I hate to ask, but do you have the energy to cast that portal spell or should I run and get him the old-fashioned way? Zerrex, hey, can you hear me?"

The Drakkaren shook his head quickly, then he slowly laid back on the hay, closing his eyes and murmuring: "Nah... you'd better go. I'll... I'll just take a little break and then finish up..."

"Not like that you won't, the beasts'll eat you alive. Just stay put." Kent grunted, shaking his own head before turning and sprinting away, and the Drakkaren sat quietly for a few minutes before he closed his eyes and slipped down into darkness.

A few minutes later he woke up to Sin standing over him, her hands grasping his shoulder as she trembled a bit, whispering: "Don't... not like this, Lord Zerrex... Lord Zerrex, please... to die as a mortal fighting an army, but to die in Hell from an animal bite makes no sense... please wake up..."

"Sin?" The reptile asked stupidly, and she let out a sob before nodding quickly, her hands glowing with crimson light as she grasped his wound, and he could feel his blood boiling as it pulsed through his body, before he arched his back and grit his teeth at a sudden burst of agony. "Gods, what the hell are you doing to me?"

"Shut up and take it!" Sin snapped, then she flushed deeply and added in a mumble: "I'm sharing some of my energy with you while restoring some of the blood you've lost... and you've lost a lot, Lord Zerrex. You were bitten by a Green Wyrm, and it's accelerated your fever, too... how could you be... be so stupid?"

She flushed again, looking meek but determined, and Zerrex smiled faintly before shaking his head a bit, saying quietly: "It was Ose... he... he took the warning sign off the door, I didn't know it was vicious... so it bit me." It felt too hard to say anything more, so the reptile let it halt at that, before Sin drew away and quietly pulled his head up into her lap, taking one of his hands as her own began to glow a quiet green. "Sin?"

"Just relax... it's just an expanded spell." Sin murmured, and the Drakkaren recognized the first part of the incantation she began to murmur as the one for cleansing... but after that, she followed with a jumble of runes he didn't recognize at all, before he felt a prickling heat through his body and he let out a gasp. "That should take care of some of the poison, at least..."

He nodded, and they rested together quietly... and five minutes later, Kent came back with a Rakshasa, who stared at the sight of Sin before all but throwing himself at the ground, and Sin blushed deeply before Kent bowed as well, looking relieved: "Well, lady, I don't know who you are... but you just saved the life of the best stable boy I've had in ages."

"I'm not a boy." Zerrex muttered, and then he grunted and shakily stood up before grasping the pole of the barrels, adding tiredly: "I... I should finish the job off..."

"Stop it. You're coming with me." Sin said grimly, before she stood herself and turned to Kent, bowing quietly. "My name is Sin, and I am a handmaiden of the Princess. Thank you for taking care of Lord Zerrex while he's been here."

"Lord Zerrex? And... you're Lady Sin?" Kent looked stupefied by this information, before he dropped to a kneel and bowed deeply over his knee, blushing deeply as Zerrex looked away in embarrassment. "I'm honored, milady... and I had no idea Zerrex was a monarch himself."

"It's fine, I'm not... not really..." Zerrex mumbled, waving his hands and trying to forget his ‘marriage' to Feldspar. "I'm sorry, Kent, I'll make it up to you when I come into work tomorrow. In the meanwhile, you might want to make sure Ose didn't screw with anything else around the stables..."

Kent nodded as he stood, then he offered his hand, and Zerrex reached up his own, then paused and stripped off his dirty glove before shaking the bear's firmly. Kent laughed a bit at this, but he smiled awkwardly before saying quietly: "Hey, you just watch out for yourself. I'll inform Commander Atkins of what happened after I finish off these chores, and we'll just mark things down as normal for today."

Zerrex nodded, then made a face as Sin created a portal and dragged him through quickly, barely able to get out a wave and a quick ‘thanks' before staggering around in a circle and looking at her grim expression with a wince. "What?"

"Ose's never acted out like this before... you must have set off a nerve in him." Sin murmured, then she paused and shook her head quietly. "Or worse, you might just be the only person to have ever survived him targeting them. Lord Zerrex, you need to watch your back very carefully for the next little while... but here, get some rest... I'll tell Selena everything that happened when she shows up tomorrow, but I'll trust her judgment if she wants to train you unless... unless you have a preference, Lord Zerrex. I'm sorry, I don't mean to speak out of turn... I'm just... upset."

"And bleeding." Zerrex looked at her shoulder for a moment, then he touched his own as he asked quietly, looking into her eyes: "Was that a life exchange spell you cast?"

Sin blushed dark red, and then she looked away before her violet eyes flicked over to Zerrex's own, and she murmured quietly: "I'm called the Great Mother sometimes and... and I've grown attached to you. I want to keep you safe, not because it's a duty... or... or because of what you are... but... because of who you are. Whether you save us or not, you're the... the first person to not look at me from eyes of fear or hatred for so long and... I can't thank you enough for that, Lord Zerrex..."

"Sin..." Zerrex said quietly, and then he smiled faintly and hugged her tightly, and she clutched his strong body as he murmured: "I'm the one who owes you big now, though... you've saved my life a few times now."

Sin only looked away embarrassedly, however... but she followed him quietly to the bed and tucked him in silently, and they looked at each other for a few moments before she gently stroked his face, and as Zerrex's eyes slid closed, he wondered for a moment whether or not the being he had seen in the Rift had been Celestial, or if his mother had somehow become a part of this being right here.

After spending more than two thousand and seven hundred years in the Circle of Wrath, Zerrex had finally moved out into his own rickety little shack, which Sin had helped him expand magically while the reptile fortified the ugly-looking thing into a proper log cabin physically. It cost him more than a thousand silver coins a year in upkeep, but he was now making around ten silver a day as a stablehand, or seventeen on the days where he helped train the mounts. He had caught on quickly to it, and Kent seemed pleased with the fact he wasn't scared of the creatures at all... and was even more pleased when one of the mounts tried to bite him and Zerrex simply smacked it with the palm of his hand and ordered it to back off, which it immediately had.

It was the only thing about the Wrath Circle Zerrex honestly enjoyed: otherwise, when he needed to make some extra money, he entered one of the fighting tournaments at one of the arenas nearby... but he disliked the no-rules fights and rarely won more than fifty silver, since Sin and Selena had both warned him the fights were sometimes used as a place to test soldiers for both sides of the war. And since killing your opponent was not only permitted but encouraged, Zerrex could end up facing a General of Az'Iriel's army that he wasn't prepared for and end up getting a blessed sword through his gut before he could do anything about it. Or worse, the bastard could just summon in waves of soldiers until I was drowned in numbers...

The reptile shook his head slowly from where he was now, sitting in a plain, ugly armchair he'd stolen out of an abandoned home filled with Anguish Plasmids, most of which he'd killed, but he'd portaled one or two outside the home, and Sin had captured them inside massive balls made of some material between glass and plastic she'd magicked out of thin air. After a few hours, several teams of Royal Guards had shown up and rolled them through portals for experimentation, and they'd discovered that the Plasmids emitted a low, inaudible whistle that would interrupt magical abilities when the Plasmids were in large numbers. Something about the vibrations created and the pitch of the sound, but Zerrex hadn't really been listening, despite how honestly interested he was in the whole thing...

Not a lot had happened: Ose had innocently denied the entire story Zerrex had made up and pointed out the Drakkaren could have been delusional from fever, although it had taken him a while to figure out how to get around the fact that Kent had also been present and had easily picked Ose out of a book filled with more than a hundred pages of pictures of Inquisitors. But the Princess had apparently declared him innocent, and Ose had gone back to torturing Zerrex as always; he attempted to work in a Wyrm every now and then, but always broke down into a fit of cruel laughter afterwards, which meant the reptile spent as many torture sessions irritated with the demon as he did with Lunata.

The Bloody King was only occasionally torturing him now: since Zerrex usually walked around with all his demonic characteristics hidden, or only his horns standing out, Laurence often seemed confused and out of sorts... and once Zerrex had tried reciting an old Unity prayer, just to see what would happen... and the Bloody King had gone into a fit, waving his arms before clutching his head and running out of the room.

Lunata was also failing miserably in her role, to the point where Zerrex almost wanted her to pull his claws out one-by-one or something. Her office now had a comfortable rug made of hay underfoot and cushions on the chairs woven of the same material, and although scratchy and crackly, they worked surprisingly well. So he'd obviously botched-up pissing her off, although it had at least given him a good few ‘housewife' comments to make about her, which she took as a personal offence for whatever reason. Ninety percent of the time these days, however, she would leave him alone to do her marking for her classes... and the other ten percent of the time she would whine, bitch, and yell at him from across the desk.

Faulk, however, was willing to go to any lengths to ensure Zerrex was in agony, from sodomizing him with a spiked metal pole to stabbing blessed knives through his chest... and the reptile was starting to wonder honestly who was the bigger danger to him: Ose, who randomly showed up to cause him trouble, or Faulk, who might accidently kill him one day during a torture session. Not because the crocodilian Slaver was so malicious... but because he was too stupid to ever be a truly-effective torturer. If left alone with someone for a week, he'd kill them in two days before ever getting any information out: Zerrex knew from his own experiences in the field of ‘interrogations' that letting someone heal and feel hope was one of the biggest parts of the actual torture itself. Nothing, after all, is more demoralizing than having your hope swept away... but going into a torture session and knowing the guy's going to kill you either way, and that he's not going to let up even if you tell the truth? You might as well bite your own tongue off and die right then and there.

Zerrex shook his head a bit, and Sin looked at him oddly from across the room, where she was doing a puzzle at a table. The Drakkaren only smiled slightly, however, then walked over to her and sat down, saying softly: "How are you doing?"

"It's hard." Sin said quietly, but she sounded strangely happy as she gazed over the mortal pastime: Zerrex had bought the puzzle for her in a small boutique he'd found in one of the cities that served ‘Non-Wrath-Only' items. Stepping into it had been like taking a breath of fresh air... and although the pleasant and well-dressed employees had looked at the giant, scarred Drakkaren with worry at first, his expression of serenity after he took a long whiff of the rosy smell of the place had been enough to calm them down.

It was a one-thousand piece puzzle of a festival in a park... and Sin was fascinated by both the festival and the way the puzzle worked. She had never seen one before, but since she was always reading, Zerrex had decided to try and get her interested in some other quiet hobby that didn't require too much contact, and she'd taken immediately to the puzzle after Zerrex showed her how it worked, by snapping the pieces together. It had been a week, and she had already assembled most of the puzzle... but now she was down to figuring out where the last hundred pieces or so went so she could finish the image off.

She snapped a piece into place, and then she stroked slowly over the other assembled pieces, murmuring softly: "It's so beautiful... but what about you, Lord Zerrex? You seem in need of a distraction yourself."

"I've just been thinking over the time I've spent in Wrath..." The reptile shook his head slowly, sighing quietly and making a face as he crossed his legs, letting his hands fall into his lap as Sin glanced up at him with quiet, respectful curiosity. "It's so different from Lust... and so miserable here. I thought it would be better out here, since we're near a small village and we've got our own little orchard of apple trees... but even the rocks are possessed with evil spirits and no one's happy, everyone's pissed off at everyone else. I understand it... but at the same time, I don't. This isn't like... like we're trying to train something out of ourselves, but... just become...

"More angry." Sin said quietly, as she locked a small chunk of puzzle pieces into place on the board, before she shook her head slowly. "It wasn't always like this here, Lord Zerrex... but ever since military bases like Nile, Marathon, Serene came into existence, they've been using it more to train soldiers and ship them all over Hell then they have been to actually work on helping people. That's why the Ring of Torment exists, remember... because there's no one here to enforce the rules and punishments other than the jailors and the military, they're created an enormous dome filled with tortures for both specific and general needs.

"But the Slavers only want to prove they're stronger than everyone else... and the military who patrol through there and run the exercises only want to do their jobs and keep the peace, not actually help..." She slipped another few pieces into place, then shook her head quietly. "In mortal terms, Wrath is the slums, the low-end of society where... where we abuse our ability to manipulate the weak of heart and the foolish to force them into following military doctrine, making them soldiers without them ever realizing it. Yet the Princess and the Princes ignore the need for reform... and no matter how Lily pleads for it, her coronation has again and again been set back because Prince Az'Iriel refuses to participate in the crowning... and to rise to that rank, all three other High Monarchs must agree on the appointment..."

Zerrex nodded slowly, crossing his arms and murmuring softly: "And there's no other candidates, because she's the only child of Prince Raithe... and his first wife, the only other person who could ascend to the throne, was killed by Az'Iriel years ago, right?" He tilted his head, and Sin nodded with a faint smile, almost surprised at how fast the Drakkaren was catching on to all the twisted rules of Hell. "So basically... her province is falling apart because she's not being permitted to rule and the Governors and Kings are bickering with each other, while the lesser monarchs like the Dukes and Barons are running away to join either the Princess or the Warlord..."

"It's turned into a massive power struggle." Sin agreed quietly, then she snapped another few pieces into place before hesitating, then asking meekly: "Lord Zerrex, I... I hate to bring it up but... are you thinking about your mother as well?"

"Celestial..." Zerrex said quietly, and then he nodded slowly, looking down silently for a long few minutes. He'd gone back to visit her a few times, and she was always happy to see him and have dinner or do whatever he wanted, her strange, corrupt world always different every time he stepped inside. It seemed to vary with her level of sanity: when she was more twisted towards the Narrius side of her nature, the walls were fleshy and dark, and the caverns became twisted and weird... but when she was sane, the walls were stone or wood, and everything was neat, clean and straightforwards.

They'd had sex a few more times, and he always felt like an amateur with her who needed guidance, no matter what they were doing, and he never lasted nearly as long as he did with anyone else. Their conversation always seemed awkward and slanted, and Celestial always talked about how excited she was for when they would become a little family once more... but he didn't even know if she was really his mother anymore.

The Celestial he'd known had been loving, gentle, and kind. She had been generous and she had always treated him with such affection... but this Celestial was strange, twisted and weird, lashing out one moment and then playfully rubbing against him like a kitten the next. Perhaps she was even a bit evil, and she moved and acted differently than his mother had... but at the same time, it was unmistakably still Celestial, and that was probably what hurt him the most. Mother...

He paused, then shook his head slowly and murmured: "Yeah. I might go see her again soon... and I've also got to stop in and see Ixin, since I haven't dropped by there in a few years now. He'll want to know how I'm doing with the book, though..." The Drakkaren sat back, looking bleak. "And I'll have to tell him I'm on page twenty-three out of five-hundred and some, and Incantation Six of at least two thousand..."

"You're doing your best." Sin said quietly but sternly, and she slid another piece into place before glancing up at him with a faint smile. "Most people would've given up by now, after all... but you just keep pushing forwards, Lord Zerrex. I like that about you... I think that's what many demons admire in you, in fact. But... as long as you're feeling okay... and you should be careful if you go into the Rift again, because..."

She broke off, and Zerrex nodded slowly, looking down at his hand and murmuring softly: "It does strange things to my body, I know. But I feel like I'm getting more used to it now... and... I won't spend too much time inside it, since I'm going out with Selena all tomorrow for training."

Sin nodded and blushed quietly, smiling across at him faintly. "If I can say so, Lord Zerrex, you're really becoming quite an impressive demon... and the fact that you can retain your mind despite all the strength you hold is incredible."

Zerrex grunted something and rubbed the back of his head, looking embarrassed as he glanced towards the sky. But he had to admit it was true... he'd gained remarkable control over his demonic characteristics and, as much as he hated to admit it, he really was starting to feel... more like himself, and more comfortable with who and what he was these days.

More than that... he was actually liking who he was, at least a little bit. He liked what he could do, and he enjoyed the power he possessed... but at the same time, he was careful to never let that expand too much. He tried his best to stay humble... and what helped him avoid growing his ego out too much was the fact he also still felt more like just a Drakkaren than anything else, and if he had to label himself, that was what he said. Drakkaren first, then a demon and whatever else he was... and he smiled faintly as he rubbed at his hornless head, and he asked softly: "Sin... how do you keep yourself so gentle?"

"It's the punishment and the pain..." Sin said embarrassedly, looking down meekly... the same answer she always gave. But as Zerrex looked at her with quiet insistence, she finally shrugged and glanced up, saying softly: "I just... I just am who I am. I mean, we're in Hell... who am I to judge someone else after the evils I've committed? Who am I to... to try and prove that I'm the strongest in the plane when there's no need to prove it at all? Being at the top is a lonely place... and hurting the people you love is the worst thing in the world. Why not..." She turned her gaze downwards again and shook her head slowly. "I should just... keep moving. And remember I'm just part of a much-greater scheme... greater than anything even God could imagine..."

"You miss him." Zerrex said quietly, and Sin blushed deeply and nodded... and the Drakkaren thought of his own family for a few moments before reaching down and stroking her face quietly, saying softly: "I'm sure you'll see Him again one day, Sin. You're one of the kindest, gentlest people I've ever met... and if He's as understanding as everyone says, then I'm sure He'll end your punishment Himself."

Sin smiled and flushed at this, mumbling something to him meekly as she curled her hands together, and Zerrex created a portal before stepping through and out into the field where Ixin was imprisoned.

He frowned and readied himself immediately at the sight of the two Wendigos standing in front of Ixin: terrible monsters with two burning black eyes and huge jaws lined with fangs, covered in shaggy white fur. They both turned towards the Drakkaren almost immediately, and then one hissed something to the other in a tongue strange even in Hell, and it nodded before stalking slowly to the side, raising massive, bloodstained claws.

"Hey, yeah, uh... Zerrex, if that's you, I could really use some help here!" Ixin called in a squeamish voice. "They... they like, eviscerated Chuckie! Okay, his name ain't really Chuckie, but the poor bastard was from the military... dude, the fuckers killed a whole unit of troops and I don't know what the hell they want!"

"Wonderful." Zerrex muttered, then he created a sword of energy in one hand, pointing it at the Wendigo in front of him and saying clearly: "Back off right now, or I'll kill you both. I'm not afraid of either of you, let's make that clear right now."

The Wendigos both snarled and growled... and then one of them tapped its claws against the ground three times and it vanished from sight, as the other loped forwards and rose its own huge claws. The Drakkaren snarled as he heard the clack of the other Wendigo's claws against the ground, but he couldn't lock onto where it was because of their speed... and then the one in front of him pounced, and Zerrex threw himself forwards and dropped onto his back at the same time, lashing out with the sword of energy as the Wendigo passed above him.

It howled in agony as the blade of energy tore through its body, crumpling and falling awkwardly towards the ground... and Zerrex rolled backwards before slamming a foot into its gut and sending it flying through the air. Immediately, the Drakkaren kicked up to his feet... and then a pair of claws raked down his back and sent him staggering forwards.

He snarled and spun around... but then noted both Wendigos visible and fleeing quickly. He frowned a bit at the odd behavior from creatures usually focused only on maiming and killing... but Ixin crowed loudly and said cheerfully: "Holy crap am I glad you just saved my bacon! I was scared the fucking things were going to rip my face off... they didn't exactly seem bothered by the whole magic shield thing goin' on around my body."

"What were the military doing here?" Zerrex asked mildly, and then he knelt down by the body closest, rolling it over and making a face at the mutilated corpse, before picking up a badge and muttering: "Nile... the Southern Barracks..."

"Yeah, they come here now and then for advice on magical stuff..." Ixin said airily, as he attempted to turn his head towards the Drakkaren. "You know, like... reagents and shit like that. I never thought it was all that important though... they never seemed to be gettin' up to anything too harmful, whether they were military types or not." The imprisoned reptile paused, then added dryly: "And by the way, if it's not too much trouble, could you like... get me a cream soda or something next time you stop by? It's been forever since I had anything to drink and I think I figured out a way through my shielding."

"I'll give you cream." Zerrex muttered under his breath, then he shook his head slowly. "I have to report this to the base, let them know what happened. I'll come back later in the week, though, and maybe I'll bring Selena."

"Hot-tits!" Ixin grinned cheerfully, winking up at the Drakkaren as Zerrex rolled his eyes and groaned. "Well, I ain't ever gonna say no to some eye-candy, that's for sure... sure, bring on the bitch and maybe you two can be like a real-live porno in front of me... ‘cept I've already got the worst case in history of blue-ball, so... hey, hey wait and listen to the rest of the funny speech I'm making!"

Ixin flailed a bit against his chains as Zerrex created a portal, and the reptile rolled his eyes, offering the fellow Drakkaren a smile as he said mildly: "Get over it... think of it as time to learn some restraint, since your mouth still seems to go off whenever it has a chance. But I really have to go, Ixin. And remember, we don't know each other."

Ixin grunted something vulgar, and then Zerrex stepped through the portal and headed quickly to the CO's office, knocking twice before pushing the door open. Immediately, Atkins glared at him, saying sourly: "Stablehand Zerrex. You don't work for me, you-"

"Sir, if I may interrupt, I've come across a military unit that was slaughtered by a pair of Wendigos." Zerrex said briskly, saluting, and the Nightmare stood up, looking surprised but also listening as the Drakkaren said quickly: "I can bring you right to them... the Wendigos fled when I engaged them, I don't know why... and there's someone imprisoned there, too..."

"Open a portal and go home, stablehand." Atkins glared at him, as if somehow knowing already that Zerrex and Ixin had a past together. "That now is a restricted aream for military personnel only. Now do as I say; I'll have you debriefed later in the week."

"Sir." Zerrex created the portal, and the Nightmare walked through it quickly before it was forcibly closed by a spell from the other side, and the Drakkaren made a face before creating another portal and stepping through himself onto the high clifftop.

He suddenly didn't want to put this off any longer... but he hesitated nonetheless as he stood beneath the portal that led to the Rift, and finally he took a deep breath and jumped up into it. As always, there was pain and a whriling sensation, and a few moments later Zerrex found himself on the ground, his head spinning.

He slowly forced himself up to his feet, grunting and rubbing at his skull quietly... and then he stared slowly back and forth at the fleshy, bumpy walls of the cavern. Everything was pulsing with dark, sick light, and he was in a small, circular room... but the runic circle that opened the portal back to Hell had been shattered. Zerrex wondered silently what the hell was going on as he stood up, and then he carefully made his way towards the open archway, and he stared down a massive flight of stairs leading deep down into this strange world.

He made his way down them, counting over seventy steps before he reached the bottom, where a curtain of some amorphous jelly hung from the ceiling... and it slithered open when he touched it, the reptile making a face before stepping into a massive circular room, the walls here made of pure, writhing darkness, and the floor felt like pulsating flesh. It was pale tan, like old skin, and when Zerrex dug his heel against it, it wrinkled and tore, and a bit of black gunk bubbled out like blood, causing him to wince and step away quickly.

The Drakkaren looked slowly back and forth, then he strode a few steps into the room, looking up at the strange glowing hole in the roof that seemed to be emanating the light in the room... before Celestial asked him in a quiet voice from the far side of the room: "Did I invite you here, Zerrex?"

The Drakkaren turned, and saw she was floating in the air, her eyes burning red dots in the shadows she was hiding in, her arms crossed over his chest, and he stepped towards her before she snarled: "I asked you a question, Zerrex Ravenlight Narrius! Did I invite you here or not?"

"No..." Zerrex said quietly, feeling both meek and tense, his body flexing a bit as he automatically felt himself moving to a ready stance, watching as she slowly floated forwards, and her robe seemed more like a part of her body now than her clothing, writhing and twisting like living shadow over her form as he added softly: "But... I wanted to see you. If it's not a good time, I can leave..."

"If it's not a good time..." Celestial mocked, and then she laughed harshly, and the reptile saw some faint, terrible outline over her head and hands before she snarled furiously, her eyes burning brighter crimson. "So it's all about you, is that it? Or are you trying to say it's all my fault? Zerrex, I think I've had enough of your disrespect for me and our family... I think I should teach you a lesson."

Zerrex's eyes widened as Celestial held out a hand towards him, and a sphere of crackling darkness formed in her hand before she threw it at him with a scream. The reptile automatically shielded himself with his arms, and the sphere exploded on contact, knocking him flying backwards and skidding along the sick flesh beneath him on his back, before he managed to roll backwards, gritting his teeth and setting himself in a crouch as he glared up at her... and her eyes turned completely crimson as she hissed: "You've defied me for the last time, Zerrex..."

Her voice was unearthly, and the room seemed to tremble as the light dimmed, before she held out her hands... and Zerrex stared in horror as a white plate of bone slowly pushed out of her skull, a terrible death-mask forming over her face before it lengthened behind her, becoming a massive, enormous plate of ivory that extended almost a meter backwards and formed a rounded triangle behind her head. It was curved at the back, becoming flatter and thicker as it came to meet with her skull, and there were several ridges and rows of spikes over it, turning it almost into some terrible crown.

And her hands changed as well, her claws lengthening to become long skewers, plates of bone covering the backs of her hands as her scales faded to pure darkness... and soon Zerrex could only see a bit of scale left at her neck, the rest of her face covered by a snarling skull and her eyes nothing but red light shining out of its sockets... and she roared, arching her back as her robe twisted and slithered like a living thing, before laughing cruelly and facing towards the Drakkaren, howling: "I possess the ultimate power, my child... go ahead, fight... fight and die!"

She lashed out with one claw, and her hand tore off her body at the wrist, flying towards the reptile and punching him with enough force to knock him over, his eyes bulging as he felt his ribs crack before he scrambled away in horror as she floated after him like some terrible ghost, her claws lashing out and ripping long gashes down his back before snapping back into their places at the arms of her robe.

He didn't know what to do, before she held up her hand and a collar of white energy snapped shut around his neck, Zerrex gargling and grasping at this, choking violently as he was slowly hefted into the air and turned to face the creature his mother had become. Celestial grinned at him, the features of the skull that had become her face changing as she asked in a taunting voice: "What's wrong? Are you not as tough as you thought you were? Are you going to be for mercy?"

"Mom... please..." Zerrex rasped, as he floated in front of her, feeling the collar tightening and burning into his scales, smoke floating up from his neck and his hands before Celestial's eyes flickered, and then he was dropped as the white plates vanished from her body and she dropped to the ground beside him as the reptile turned and retched, vomiting bile and blood before Celestial hugged him tightly around the neck.

He looked up at her, leaning away in terror, and she trembled before hugging him close again... and he let himself go willingly, feeling both horrified by what she had become and relieved at the fact her eyes had turned green... and all of a sudden he was standing on plain tile floor instead of thinly-stretched skin, and Celestial rocked him gently and whispered in a trembling voice: "Zerrex... Zerrex, I'm... I'm so sorry, I don't know what came over me... I... I just remember being so angry for no reason and suddenly you were there and... and I lashed out... I'm so sorry, son, please forgive me, please... it's not my fault..."

Zerrex didn't say anything, resting numbly against her as his breath rasped in and out, closing his eyes and falling limp in her embrace... and then he slowly stood upwards, pulling free from her and rubbing at his throat as he said raggedly: "I... yeah. I should go. I'm sorry, Mom, but... I think I need to lay down... I feel really weak..."

"I'm sorry..." Celestial slumped and looked up at him meekly, and for a moment she was completely his mother, as she pointed to the side and created a spherical portal of purple energy in the now-small, rectangular room... and then she grabbed his hand as he began to walk by, whispering softly: "I love you, Zerrex... and... wait..."

She halted, then stood up and quietly stroked a finger over his chest, and Zerrex winced a bit as the purple tattoos of the seal chains came into being. She shook her head slowly, then murmured softly: "Gods... someone really went to work on you, Zerrex, honey... these two seals are really wedged into your spirit. But here, I think I can get rid of one for you."

"Mom, wait, I-" Zerrex started hastily, but Celestial ignored him and ran a finger quickly over his chest again as she closed his eyes, and a moment later Zerrex stared down as one of the chains glowed brightly before snapping apart. He felt a tremble roll through his body, and then Celestial pressed a palm against his chest and his tremors vanished, and he stared at her. "Mom..."

"It's alright, darling... I know you're scared, but... we all have to grow up." Celestial said quietly, and Zerrex felt strangely in touch with that metaphor before she stepped back and quietly laced her hands together, bowing her head towards him and murmuring softly: "Like I thought, the last chain I can't do anything about... its probably the original, the one the Scholars or Scribes or whoever put those seals on you poured all their energy into. But I'm sure you'll break it yourself in time." A pause, and she blushed and glanced up at him meekly before whispering: "But I'm sorry, Zerrex... I'm so sorry for everything that happened. You can go if you want or stay or... and I won't ever let it happen again, I promise..."

"Okay, Mom. Thank you." Zerrex murmured, and then he leaned forwards and kissed her cheek, and she blushed before their eyes met... and they shared a quiet, gentle kiss for a moment before drawing away, Celestial smiling faintly at him. "I love you."

"I love you too, son." Celestial said quietly, and they exchanged a nod before Zerrex turned and walked through the portal to step back out onto the clifftops... and he sighed before sitting glumly down on the edge and dropping his muzzle in his hands. Why does my life have to get even more complicated? I feel ridiculously emo right now...

It could be worse, though, which was depressing all by itself, but also a calming thought: after all, he hadn't been forced to deal with Feldspar for a while, for instance, and that was a big plus. He had gone on a few dates with her, but neither of them had revealed their demon forms to the other yet... but now she was gone on business in her own territory in the Southern Kingdom, attempting to put down a rebellion she had, in her even-more-crazy state, accused the Princess of all people of starting.

He sighed, wondering idly what was going to happen to him with the military and what the Wendigos had been after... and then he shook his head slowly. Life in Wrath was miserable, and he knew that he shouldn't spend too much time away from home even with the protective charms Sin had cast over it, just in case some travelling gangs or bandits or worse, Plasmids, attempted to make a roost in his orchard... and he finally climbed to his feet before staring as he found himself face-to-face with the dark beast version of himself.

"I'm almost out." it whispered, and then it smiled coldly, holding out its arms as dark energy glowed off its body, saying softly: "You envy the power that Celestial held, after all... well, give in to me and that power's all yours. After all, the only other option is that you break that chain and fight me for control of your body... but with your mind in the state it's in, I already have a massive advantage even I think is a touch unfair. So decide, Zerrex, but you better decide fast, because I'm getting stronger and stronger by the moment..."

"Then fight me now, you cocky son-of-a-bitch..." Zerrex snarled, but the beast only laughed and then faded from his sight, and Zerrex grasped his head, feeling a terrible, dull ache beginning to throb in his temples. He wondered how much of that â€" if any â€" had been real... and then he sighed and created a portal, stepping through it and entering his own home once more.

He was somehow unsurprised to find a military officer sitting quietly in his favorite armchair, looking uncomfortable as Sin finished putting together the last few pieces of her puzzle... and beside her sat Selena, who looked more pissed off than he'd ever seen her. He stared at her for a moment, and then the horse â€" it wasn't a full Nightmare demon yet, but it was large and powerful-looking â€" stood up and saluted, saying clearly: "Lord Zerrex Narrius, you have been asked to report to the Commander's office before work tomorrow, at precisely noon. Please do not be alarmed, this will be a standard debriefing."

"Right." Zerrex said sourly, and then he glanced over at Selena, asking curiously: "Am I permitted to bring my main Inquisitor along? Or am I to come alone?"

"Alone and with nothing but your standard clothing on, sir." The horse said briskly, and then he blushed deeply and lost his composure as Selena growled at him and gave him a deadly look. "But I... I can... I'll put in a special request, Lord Zerrex, sir and... ma'am, Inquisitor ma'am."

"Good. Get lost." Selena said darkly, and the horse quickly created a portal and ran through it, looking chastised. She waited a moment as it closed, then leapt up and let out a yell of fury and kicked over the ugly wooden table, scattering the puzzle Sin had been working on all over the floor as she stared and Zerrex leapt into the air with a wince and a terrified look on his face. "Fuck the Princess! Fuck Feldspar! Fuck me! Fuck Hell!"

"Something on your mind?" Zerrex asked sourly, and Selena snarled, stalking towards his dresser before she shoved it violently over, and Zerrex felt a chill roll down his spine before he asked in a quieter voice: "Before you destroy my house... what's got you so upset, Selena?"

"I'm being disbarred." Selena sat down on the dresser she'd knocked over, looking furious for a few moments longer... and then she leaned back and burst into tears, and Zerrex ran over and wrapped an arm around her quickly, and she curled against him tightly as she sobbed against his chest and Sin stared in horror. At first the Drakkaren didn't understand, but after a moment it clicked in his mind as Selena cried hard against his chest and moaned: "Millions of years of s-s-service and it's all gone in a moment..."

"What happened? How could they do that to you?" Zerrex asked in a horrified voice, and he squeezed her tight against his body as she only shook her head miserably, before asking again: "Was it Feldspar?"

Selena nodded after a moment, then pounded her fists against the Drakkaren's massive chest, saying furiously through her tears: "The fucking bitch broke into my house and... and ransacked it for anything she could use against me... she found some illegal charms I kept just... just in case and... she apparently cited over a hundred cases of ‘improper behavior' for an Inquisitor..."

The female hammered a fist down into her own thigh, and then she wiped at her face, murmuring in a quieter voice to the Drakkaren: "It was bound to happen sooner or later... Feldspar's trying to take down everyone above her in the food chain, and as of next week, I'll have been removed from the Inquisitorial Society and I'll be a plain Dius... but I have little training as anything else and... I have to sell my house and all my possessions to pay all the fines they're stacking on me and..." She looked down, and then began to cry again, before arching her back and shrieking: "It's not fair!"

"Nothing in life or death is..." Zerrex murmured, hugging her tight against his chest, and she clung to him as Sin shook her head slowly. She cried for another ten minutes, clinging tight to the Drakkaren, and then he murmured softly: "You'll move in here with me, at least for a little while. We get along fine and I'd be glad to have you around... and I know Sin could use a break from only having me to talk to."

"Don't say no, please, Miss Selena..." Sin said quietly, and Selena flushed deeply before looking down in humiliation, and Sin added softly: "Lord Zerrex is your friend... I... I am your friend. This is what friends do on the mortal realm, isn't it?"

Zerrex nodded and offered a faint smile as he brushed away Selena's tears from her cheek, whispering softly: "It's what good ones do, anyway. Selena, don't be a bitch about this. I don't want you out on the street, and it's not like I'm offering much. This is the Circle of Wrath, after all, not a pleasure cruise."

"Fuck off..." Selena mumbled, but after a few moments of the two looking at her, she finally nodded as a tear rolled down her cheek, looking at Zerrex's knee and murmuring: "I'll make it up to you..."

"There's nothing to make up." Zerrex said firmly, squeezing her quietly against his strong body. "I remember you taking me into your home... now I'm taking you into mine and repaying the favor. We're even... but if anything, I still owe you more with how much you've taught and mentored me."

Selena nodded, looking down and saying softly: "I'm not supposed to teach you anymore... but I think I will anyway. This world... Hell isn't the same as Hell used to be, and I don't think the rules that are in place now work. I think there's something going on behind the scenes... and I want to help you discover that. I still believe in you, Zer..." She glanced up at him and smiled a bit, nudging his muzzle silently with her own before standing quickly and wiping at her face, muttering: "What a pussy I look like. Fine. I'll be back later with the little stuff I still have... and... and thank you. Both of you..."

She looked from one to the other, then nodded quietly and created a portal, vanishing through it... and Zerrex traded a look with Sin as it closed before asking: "How could they do that? Does the Princess have control of the Inquisitors as well?"

Sin shook her head slowly, then hesitated. "She's not supposed to, anyway... but I don't... I don't want to say anything either way. I'm as scared as anyone of what's going on here, especially because Miss Lily isn't being permitted to enter office... I never liked watching the wars in Hell, even... before... when... but things have changed." She looked down, then sighed and stood up with a grunt before righting the table.

Zerrex quickly headed over to the dresser, shoving it back up to its place against the wall and picking up the small bits and pieces that had tumbled off it from the floor, and Sin carefully cleaned up her toppled puzzle and repaired the broken plates and glasses that had been hurled off the table when Selena had flipped it. They worked in silence, and then Sin sat back on the floor as Zerrex sat on the table, taking the plates from her hands as he asked hesitantly: "What's different?"

"Everything." Sin said simply, and she looked down quietly at her hands as she began to twiddle her thumbs slowly. "The... the first wars in Hell were small civil disputes over whether or not we should go to war with Heaven... over whether there was another alternative or not. They grew into the Everlasting War we're in now, with small intermissions of peace here and there, but never anything more than a century before all of Hell is engulfed in conflict again between the Thrones, or a few thousand years while the Thrones call a temporary truce to discuss trade rights, a treaty, or just the laws and argue with each other. The High Monarchs have been known to argue for thousands of years before letting their soldiers do the rest of the talking for them through force and numbers...

"But this time it's different. We've been ordered to raze the Northern Province and destroy Az'Iriel at all costs, no matter how many must die. We've been turning soldiers and prisoners against their brothers and sisters when there used to be a code of law that soldiers cannot be put directly into battle with their former brethren, even if captured, converted, or convinced to join the army by other means." Sin hesitated, then she looked down and quietly hugged herself. "And I don't want to speak bad of my Mistress, but the Princess has never... been so cruel and so engaged in a conflict. She used to be so... so benign, and had us concentrate on healing our allies and keeping them secure over actively engaging in the war...

"Now, however, the battle is between the Princess and Az'Iriel... the fact Raithe is dead and Memnon is not participating directly is apparently unimportant." She shook her head slowly, then looked over at Zerrex with a mix of sorrow and worry. "I... I don't know what to do, Lord Zerrex. The Princess is bent on destruction, and bent on using you as her ultimate weapon... she talks to us all about it constantly during Service to her, when we put on her gown and consult her with advice on what to do in the war. Over and over I've begged her to at least take your feelings into consideration, or to at least permit you to join the meetings... and she always refuses. She has changed... and Az'Iriel has changed... and even Memnon seems to have changed, to allow himself to be used when he used to be such a proud warrior..."

Zerrex nodded slowly, and then he looked up at the ceiling, asking quietly: "Then I wonder when she's going to either put a leash on me or deploy me to the battlefield... or why she hasn't put me in a restrained environment for special training on how to control my inner demon and my own abilities..." He paused, then smiled faintly and rose a hand, adding quietly: "By the way..."

He snapped his fingers, and the single remaining chain glowed purple as Sin stared, before she looked up at Zerrex with surprise, and the Drakkaren related the events that had occurred with his mother to her. She listened intently, then sighed and shook her head slowly, looking hesitantly before blushing and murmuring: "I can think of only one artifact with enough power to destroy the last chain if it's so powerful even a being like her can't break it, Lord Zerrex, apart from your own strength..."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly, then he paused and asked slowly: "Wait... you know what she is, then? I mean, you know what's happened to her?"

Sin shook her head slowly, then she blushed and glanced away. "She sounds like a Broken... sometimes formed from a malicious spirit, sometimes a godling that was stillborn or simply... unfinished... and sometimes, like your mother, formed from a soul that was partially-destroyed in the Unworld... but which managed to escape somehow.

"She... I... Lord Zerrex, she's incredibly dangerous." Sin looked across at him meekly, and when Zerrex didn't lash out at her but only frowned and motioned for her to go on, she took a deep breath and winced, but continued: "Broken are forever trying to piece themselves and their lives back together... and they won't give up until they do so. They're very rare, and incredibly dangerous, because their very touch can harm a person's soul... and from what it sounds like, she's been... she... she was using sex to... to feed off your body."

She flushed darkly, and Zerrex lowered his head quietly. "I... I'm sorry, Lord Zerrex, but you should know the truth... you should know... what she's doing to you, why you always come home sick and scorched afterwards. She's... not alive anymore, and it sounds like she absorbed a lot of the essence of Narrius, so she may have taken on his mindset-"

"No... no... Sin, I... please..." Zerrex turned away, dropping his head into his hands and clenching his eyes shut, before he looked up and asked weakly: "Can... can't it be something else?"

Sin shook her head quietly, and Zerrex slowly got to his feet, then walked over to sit quietly in the armchair... and a few moments later, Sin came over herself and took one of his hands, dropping to her knees beside him and looking up quietly into his eyes. He looked back, seeing his mother in her face, and it hurt... but at the same time, he couldn't stop himself from leaning over and hugging her fiercely, whispering: "Life isn't fair..."

"Life sucks..." she echoed his words, and wrapped her own arms tightly around him, closing her eyes. For a few moments, they rested like that, and then they pulled apart as Zerrex looked quietly down into his lap, and Sin silently left to neaten the rest of the home. After half an hour of the Drakkaren only sitting quietly, however, she walked back over to him and asked quietly: "Can I get you anything, Lord Zerrex? How about some tea?"

Zerrex shook his head a bit... and then he sighed and glanced up at her, asking quietly: "Honestly, Sin... is any of my mother still inside that thing she's become, then?"

Sin looked down at him sorrowfully, then shook her head slowly. "I can't say, Lord Zerrex... it depends on how much time she spent in the Unworld, how strong she was and... simply, whether or not she still wants to exist. You... it sounds like there might be but... I don't want to get your hopes up or disillusion you... all I know is that they're incredibly dangerous."

Zerrex nodded slowly and looked down, then he quietly grasped her hand when she began to turn away, and she immediately looked down at him and squeezed his hand gently back, asking softly: "What about that other thing you mentioned... the thing that could destroy this last chain, out of curiosity... what is it?"

Sin looked down... then sat gently on his knee and sighed softly, reaching up to stroke his face and saying quietly: "The Heartstone of Mephistopheles."

He looked up at her with surprise, and then she leaned down and kissed his forehead softly, before gazing into his eyes and laughing faintly: "If you want to know more, you should talk to White Phoenix about it, he'll know more than I do. He may even be able to show you where it's hidden, since... he was the one who defeated Mephistopheles, after all, and who relinquished the Heartstone once he arrived in Hell. There have been many wars over such a powerful demonic artifact, though, since it possesses all the strength of arguably the most powerful of all demons ever to exist, and certainly the most powerful of the Naganatine..."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly, and then Sin slipped out of his lap, leaving him to ponder this quietly as his hands rested under his muzzle. She vanished through a portal... then reappeared a few minutes later, and Zerrex thanked her with quiet surprise and a warm smile as she held out a silver tray with a pot of tea and a small sandwich.

He offered her half the sandwich, and she blushed and shook her head, and the reptile shrugged before going ahead and eating it himself, but they did share the tea, at least, Sin smiling faintly as they relaxed together and simply chatted about the day for an hour or so, until a portal opened and Selena stepped through, dropping several large bags, and stepping back through the open portal before coming back with a clump of blankets, which she also tossed to the floor before the portal closed behind her.

She looked miserable, a gold locket hanging around her neck... and she rubbed at this slowly before pressing a button on top, and Zerrex realized it was a pocketwatch as she glanced down and mumbled: "Well, I'm counting down the minutes now... this fucking sucks. Everything fucking sucks."

"I hear you." Zerrex said morbidly, and then he refilled his small mug and offered her the cup of tea. Selena grunted, but took it, and then she shoved the lizard off the chair and sat in it, then dragged Zerrex forwards so she could begin tightening his braided ponytail. The reptile had learned to do it himself, but he was always messy with it... so he was both glad Selena was getting her stress out in a non-violent way and that she was here to properly fix his hair for him.

She sighed a bit as she began to relax, then broke the silence by grumbling: "So, Zerrex. Things are getting even worse for you too, it looks like. The new Inquisitor in charge of your training is Ose, because he apparently volunteered for it and they don't want to ‘waste' another Inquisitor on you, after what happened with Orphus. I hope you can kill this fucker too."

"I didn't kill Orphus. He was making fun of me in the meal club... the moron should have known what the Dius and the succubi would do to him." Zerrex muttered in return, and Selena gave a grunt of agreement before he asked sourly: "But Ose, huh? Wonderful. So either I'll kill him or he'll kill me."

"He'll probably get pissy when he finds out about all the protective wards on this house, too..." Selena added darkly, crossing her arms. "You know, demand to be permitted to come and go as he pleases, since he's ‘taking care' of you, and all that shit... it's all real fucked up, in any case, and I'm admittedly... fuck, after what he did with that Wyrm? I'm worried about you, Zerrex..."

She softened a bit, glancing down at him as Zerrex looked up over his shoulder, and she added softly: "And Ose might talk and act like a moron... but he's an older demon, one of the real oldies, in fact, right up there with Alastor. He's been around here billions of years longer than me, which is why he's so good at what he does... and I think he's realized you're an Incarnation, which is why he's leaning so hard on you and attempting to break you down or kill you, whatever comes first. It's like he's waiting for you to snap, just so he has an excuse to fight back with full force."

"But he runs like a little bitch." Zerrex muttered, remembering the way Ose had fled the moment Kent had appeared. "Well, I'll deal with him one way or another... besides, I'm down to one chain now, so hopefully my strength has increased at least a bit..."

Selena rolled her eyes, saying dryly: "Zer, you're a moron. Last time I checked, seals didn't magically go away just because..." She paused and glanced down at the purple glow that shone out from the lizard's chest, then blinked before asking stupidly: "When the fuck did you destroy another chain, and how?"

"Celestial... my mother did it." Zerrex said quietly, and Selena frowned deeply before he glanced over at Sin, who was looking down at her hands. "She's a Broken... and she's... more powerful than any demon I've encountered so far, the Princess and Az'Iriel included. When she turned into this... this... thing... I couldn't even fight back against her. Not just because she was my mother but because she had such overwhelming strength..."

He shook his head a bit, touching his throat, where the burns from the collar were still faintly visible. "She woke up and apologized after she did this... white energy, a collar of it, that she used to... she made it like, lift me up and choke me. She woke up, but it was... terrifying. And the dimension always reshapes itself according to her mood... but I couldn't leave because she shattered the portal runes."

Selena nodded, her hands slowing as she worked down the braid... then she made a face and murmured quietly: "Zerrex... be careful. I don't want you going to visit her unless you really need to for some reason... the Broken are dangerous. I know she's your mother, but if she's been feeding off you, then Gods know what else she's done to your body..."

Zerrex nodded a bit as well and lowered his head, his eyes sliding closed... and Selena blushed faintly before murmuring: "Hey, don't feel too bad, though. It could be worse, and... you're alive and still strong, and she... if she stopped, then she's not completely gone." She halted as Sin gave her a warning look, before quickly finishing the braid and adding softly: "But she broke a seal, and that's good news... you don't look any different, but I'm sure we'll see it when we have you assume your demonic form. Hey, why don't we do that right now?"

"I don't want to." Zerrex said moodily, slumping his shoulders a bit, and Selena sighed but shrugged, and Sin looked away quietly. He paused after a moment, then glanced up and made a face. "Crud. I forgot to tell you... some Wendigo attacked a military team near Ixin. Two of them... but I chased them off without much a fight. They made one pass at me, and one got me in the back, but that was all... I was surprised, actually, because they didn't seem really interested in having it out. Do you understand that at all?"

"So that's why that guard was here." Selena muttered, then she shook her head and grimaced. "This feels like a children's story or something now. Ooh, look at all the mysteries to be solved. Well fuck that, because I'm not playing this shit."

"I'm tired of it, too." Zerrex admitted, looking up at the ceiling with a sigh. "And here we are, all sitting around in this oversized room, talking to each other and not doing anything." He paused, then glanced at Selena and added mildly: "But hey, if you want, we could have sex."

Selena rolled her eyes and hammered on his head, and Sin smiled a bit as Zerrex grunted something and covered his skull, ducking away from her and making a face at the female. "It was just a friendly suggestion!"