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After nine thousand, three hundred, and some odd years in Wrath, and almost twenty-thousand years in Hell, Zerrex had become accustomed to Hell and had finally managed to learn most of the rules, laws, ins, and outs of the strange society and culture of the Plane of Torment. He had learned that an eternity was an inaccurate measurement of time, and that there were indeed laws that you could be sent to prison for in Hell... but also that in Hell, that meant either a Pit of Torment or the Abyss, and both of those were very, very bad places, far worse than any mortal prison.

Zerrex had also learned most of the rules of being a civil servant, and had picked up a few tricks on getting around certain magical barriers or scanning devices: for instance, just because a device was magical or enchanted didn't make it intelligent, just like a computer on the mortal plane. And furthermore, for every spell that existed, there was always a counterspell that would cause it to fizzle out, no matter how powerful the ability was.

Sabnock herself wasn't like any of the other demons he'd met in Hell so far, either: she was impartial, cold, and logical, and always attempted to deal with things from a legal standpoint instead of a moral one. Zerrex had served as both a security guard and an ‘Officer-General' in the court, responsible for keeping any legal representation and the clients themselves in line during proceedings. On the other hand, the Drakkaren's abilities made him almost perfect for the job: with Dominate he could subdue the most raucous of demons, and with Intimidate he could scare the most violent into cooperating fully.

He had finally learned the skill after several years of harassment from both Sabnock and Selena, who had ganged up on him despite their different viewpoints: whereas Selena was all about passion, Sabnock was very distant even in training, talking more about studying and discipline as much anything else. Sabnock had aided him in unlocking his other natural demonic abilities, such as a strange, weak form of telekinesis that allowed him to shove other demons backwards with a glare and concentration, but with Selena he had mastered Wrath.

The signature move of any higher-level Wrath demon was the ability to concentrate one's rage, hatred, and other powerful emotions, and release it in a single powerful burst of raw psychic force. It was the attack he'd done to Ose when the otter-demon had attempted to charge, and Selena said with training it could become one of his most-powerful abilities, just like Dominate.

Zerrex had also learned a bit more about silent casting, runic magic, and other arcane lore, through training with Sin, Selena, Sabnock, and even Ixin. Zerrex was currently sitting with the last, wearing his plain blue officer's uniform and with the stupid blue helm they made him wear tossed aside in the grass, military boots stained with grass as he absently held a bottle with a long wooden straw out to Ixin, who sipped greedily at the apple cider. "So what you're saying is that I'm an incomplete demon?"

"As incomplete as they come, just like a puppet without string." Ixin said cheerfully, then he paused and frowned thoughtfully as he nibbled the end of the straw. "Maybe that's a bad metaphor... uh... dammit, it eludes me. But yeah, the Lucifer's Eye project was never-ever-ever meant to be used on an Initiate... it was only for use on groups of mortals to transform them into soldier demons and on constructs to see if we could ‘animate' demons, you get what I'm saying?

"But from what you've told me about it, Feldspar tried to take it to a different level... that bitch." Ixin grunted, shaking his head slowly and making a disgusted face. "I guess she couldn't be satisfied with stealing our forbidden lore, she had to try and put it to use, too... well, I heard that the whore was wounded in battle, and I hope she dies of her boobs falling off and gets converted into a piano."

"You like her about as much as I do. Wonderful." Zerrex muttered, then he put the bottle down as Ixin gave a loud squawk and flailed against the chains. "My arm's getting tired, so live with it. I'll give you the rest before you go, through, don't worry..." He paused, then tilted his head as Ixin muttered something angrily, feeling a chill run through him. "But what's going to happen to me, then?"

Ixin paused, glanced up at him, and then shrugged slowly, making a bit of a face. "I... I dunno, Zerrex, on a serious level. Alchemy is dangerous shit, especially when you start throwing living creatures into the mix... it causes all sorts of havoc, see. I heard that in the Eastern Province there's another scientist dude in the Circle of Wrath setting up his own sort of Lucifer's Eye project though, something about... mechanical demons, I wasn't paying attention to the scrying I was doing. I saw a jackalope and I thought for a moment it was a Wendigo, back here to gouge my balls off so it could have some boobs for itself."

"You make no sense whatsoever." Zerrex said flatly, then he paused and added dryly: "And jackalopes aren't real. Not here, not on any other plane, either."

"Let me out of these chains and I'll prove they are!" Ixin said challengingly, and then he rolled his eyes as Zerrex only grunted in return. "See, you're no fun at all. By the way, I'd really like some new clothes before I'm left here laying naked without much protection in the Circle of freaking Wrath. I feel like an ad for rape."

Zerrex rolled his eyes, then he leaned down and leered at the imprisoned Drakkaren teasingly, crossing his arms with a slight smile. "Well, I do have to admit, you've got a nice ass that seems to just be begging to be plowed..."

Ixin fluttered his eyes up at the Drakkaren, asking in a breathy singsong: "But Zerrex, I thought I wasn't your type? Oh, whatever made you change your mind, you big handsome stud, you?" A pause, and then he glowered and added: "By the way, I think you forgot to put on your training bra this morning, you pussywillow."

"One of these days I'm going to punch you in the face." Zerrex grumbled, then he picked up the cider and guided the straw back to Ixin's mouth, wincing as purple sparks flew from the energy field surrounding him. "But I'll make you a deal. I'll use a repair spell on your clothes if you tell me more about this guy screwing with Lucifer's Eye type technology."

Zerrex thought he already knew about it, however, as Ixin sipped greedily at the straw... in fact, I might have a date with him right after this. Some fool trying to make a name for himself during the war by producing better soldiers far faster...

"Well uh... let's see..." Ixin paused to reflectively sip at the bottle of cider, which was nearly empty by now. "He bought an arena for himself and everything, and he's got a gaggle of technologically-enhanced demons working for him or something. I mean, like, I admittedly don't know a whole lot about how mortal technology's evolved, but I really don't see the point of putting superior parts on a product that's going to die from a single stab, anyway...

"But he also has some crazy shit he's been working on, from what I hear... and keep in mind, like, I get most of my information by spitting onto the ground and scrying in the water left behind." Ixin addred irritably, before letting out a dramatic sigh as he ran out of cider. "But you know, my memory's gone all fuzzy all of a sudden..."

"I got enough to know who it is. I do work at the law office in the Circle of Tragedy, remember." Zerrex rolled his eyes as Ixin let out a squawk of displeasure, glaring up at him. "You overplay your hand way too often, you know that? You should learn to be more like my friend Raze, who... what?"

Ixin was now bouncing excitedly up and down, his eyes wide as he shook himself around to get the Drakkaren's attention, and then he gave a toothy grin. "Raze, huh? He just happens to be my great-great-something grandson, you know." A pause, and then he looked smoothly-triumphant as Zerrex gaped at the Drakkaren. "Well, all gods start off somewhere, Zerrex... and Lord, just like you and me, was once a mortal. He ascended to godhood through... niggledy-piggledy-poo, I ain't gonna tell you."

Zerrex glared down at the imprisoned mortal, and Ixin winced a bit, coughing and shrinking his head away. "You... look very upset. But okay, so what, I don't precisely know. I just know he did serve as an Angel of Death for a while, and that he did some scary shit... but like... come on! I only know this stuff because he comes and visits me now and then."

The reptile thought of asking why Ixin had never told him this before... but he only sighed, rubbing a hand slowly through his hair before he picked up his helm and fitted it over his head, grumbling under his breath. I'm not in the mood for a smartass response right now, after all... I think I'll just go and report to the office, see if Sabnock needs me for anything... "Thank you, Ixin, for this enjoyable and informative visit. I'll come back once I find some spare time in my schedule."

"Aww, don't go away bein' pissy, Zerrex! Come on, we're still buddies, right?" Ixin looked up at him with big eyes, and Zerrex rolled his own before creating a portal and stepping through it, the mortal yelling after him: "Wait, I drew you a picture of us together! Come back, I want to show you my art that I worked so hard on, you bastard!"

A moment later, Zerrex stepped onto the paved road outside the Hall of Justice, shivering a bit as he always did in the Circle of Tragedy and hugging himself despite the thick jacket he was wearing. Ice and snow covered the ground here and there, and it was much darker down in the bottom Circle of Hell than it was even in the dreary Circle of Wrath, most of the light coming from the eternally-burning streetlamps made of enchanted black metal.

The Drakkaren stepped off the road and onto the sidewalk, nodding to a pair of fellow officers standing nearby and heading slowly for the cracked cement stairs leading up to the enormous double doors of the Hall of Justice, and he pushed his way inside, listening to the faint hum of piano music from down the stone corridor for a moment. Bright white domes in the ceiling lit the inside of the building, and officers and other well-dressed officials bustled back and forth, many of them carrying enormous stacks of paper held together by some sort of binding spell as they hurried down the corridor.

Zerrex slipped his way quickly past the groups of people heading in the opposite direction, then stepped through a side door into a large room filled with desks, crying victims, shouting officers, and paperwork. It was like any busy inner-city police station back home, complete with crying mothers talking about abusive husbands, abusive pimps, abusive sons, and abusive wives, and officers arguing with illusionary images emitted from runes on their desks. Zerrex was thankful he no longer worked in this environment, as he headed carefully through the maze of tables and officers towards a narrow hallway.

Smaller, quieter offices were down here, almost all of them soundproofed and most of them belonging to judges and prosecuters: in Hell, being a judge wasn't as glorious a position as it was on the mortal plane. Furthermore, ninety percent of lawyers in Hell were trained to either consult in civil legal matters or prosecute offenders; as it so happened, the courts system down here rarely made allowances for special defense counsels to be appointed, meaning that the defendant was almost always on his or her own if they were being charged formally with a crime. And hiring a defense lawyer required mounds of paperwork and good reasons other than ‘I was stupid and got caught.'

On the other hand, Zerrex did recognize that it didn't always make for the most balanced or fair defense, especially since there was no such thing as trial-by-jury in Hell. Either an aristocrat or a Magistrate always presided over the court, and the Officer-General was in charge of keeping everything ordered and keeping track of the time... and although most court sessions were recorded, some were kept off the record and only the charges were written down with the initials of the accused, or rather the usually-convicted.

Zerrex knocked perfunctorily on the door before opening it and stepping inside, quickly closing the door behind him as he put his hands behind his back and stood in Sabnock's magically-enlarged office. As could be expected, everything was in perfect order: even the books on the shelves were filed alphabetically, and the case files kept in another shelf nearby sorted numerically by date. The Drakkaren waited quietly as Sabnock finished writing something down in a large datebook, before she closed it and moved it aside to fill something in on the schedule she lived by. Then this binder was closed, and she put her pen back into the holder on the side of her desk, lacing her fingers together and looking up at Zerrex calmly. "Officer Narrius. It's good to see you."

Zerrex winced, as he always did, and Sabnock sighed a bit, touching one of her temples as she made a face. "Zerrex, fine, as you prefer. Although I would like it if one day you would recognize it's just a word and a name, nothing more, so we could get back to treating you like any other officer of this court instead of giving you these... special rules."

"Names have great power." Zerrex said softly, and Sabnock looked at him evenly, before she sighed and nodded slowly. "But I just wanted to check if you had any special duties for me today... and if not, I'd like to request permission to make a surprise stop-in in the Eastern Province at one of my future appointments.

"That's highly unusual." Sabnock frowned a bit, picking up another logbook and opening it as she asked: "What date is the appointment, and do you remember the name of the person you're supposed to see?"

"Uh... Tipet, in the second week of Argnock." Zerrex said after a moment, glancing up in thought. "I forget the name, but it has to do with the arena in the Eastern Province, an inspection of the grounds and a summons for appearance before Judge Esybru."

"You're interested in the research on the Lucifer's Eye artifact... now I know why you were digging in the archives for information on Ashcroft Ixin." Sabnock glanced over him thoughtfully, at the same time straightening her cuffs as she added in a soft voice: "There's a very distinct conflict of interest here, Lord Zerrex... you benefit greatly if the courts don't at all by closing this arena down..."

The Drakkaren shook his head slowly, meeting her eyes. "It's not like that at all, Magistrate. I already have the information I need, and I'm still just an... impartial observer." He paused and nodded slowly, rubbing the back of his head as he looked across at her quietly. "If they're doing something wrong, I'm the first one who wants to get in their way and put a stop to it... but if they aren't, then they should certainly be permitted to see what... sort of progress they can make on their researches."

Sabnock sighed, tenting her fingers in front of her muzzle as she looked at him mildly. "And you have a hunch. Lord Zerrex, how many times do I have to tell you this... we operate by the books, according to the letter of the law. We do not go out on a limb or interrupt the ordered, structured flow of things simply because one has a certain... feeling of foreboding about a place or event. Even the Seers get things wrong from time-to-time, and you're an Incarnation, a demon based almost entirely around primal urges."

Zerrex looked to the side, making a face, before he looked at her and responded quietly, knowing it pointless to lie: "That doesn't make them wrong, Sabnock. And it has as much bearing on thing as me pointing out the fact you're an Ice Devil based around structure and order. Please, I want to look into this... I heard a rumor that he might also be enhancing demons with robotics and mechanical parts, and I think we can both agree that's something that shouldn't be permitted to go on."

The wolverine grunted and looked back and forth indecisively, before she finally let out a loud sigh and leaned back in her chair, closing her eyes and pushing a hand against her forehead. "Officer Zerrex, I don't know how the other Inquisitors or even Miss Selena puts up with you... you're loud, obnoxious, and you stay quiet when you should speak up and speak up when you should just stay quiet. Worst of all, you rarely follow protocol and make rude, lewd comments to any female you catch staring at you for more than five seconds.

"Give me a day to think about it." she said finally, and Zerrex smiled a bit as she sat up, looking across at him irritably. "And so we're clear, that is not a yes in any way, shape, or form. For now, you're on call for the next three hours, but don't expect anything urgent to come up. I'll see you tomorrow around one in the morning."

Zerrex nodded, bowing to her respectfully, and then she went back to work as Zerrex slipped out of the office and made his way quickly out of the building, to portal back to the plane of Wrath and step into his home with a sigh of relief, sitting down in his armchair and throwing off his helmet as Sin looked over at him curiously from where she was putting together a model of a car â€" made exceptionally tough because she had no idea what a car looked like, other than from the picture in front of her. "Are you finished work already, Lord Zerrex?"

"For now, anyway... I'm on call. I guess since we're approaching Coronation Day, everyone wants a bit of spare silver in their pocket." The Drakkaren paused as he held out a hand and concentrated, and then he winced as the bookshelf shuddered and toppled over. "Goddammit."

"Lord Zerrex, you aren't a psychic." Sin reprimanded gently, and she rose her hand, the bookshelf immediately righting itself and the books flying back into order on the shelves as Zerrex mumbled something under his breath. "Besides, the vast array of abilities you've already built up for use at your disposal is incredible, indeed."

"Yeah, but I haven't even been able to feel cocky about it ever since Selena kicked my ass." Zerrex muttered, looking morbid as he crossed his arms over his chest. "But the bigger they are, the harder they fall, isn't that right?"

Sin only smiled over at him sympathetically, and Zerrex sulked a bit as he dropped his head... but inwardly, he was reflecting with a bit more seriousness over what he'd found out less than a decade ago now. After discovering he had such a vast array of abilities, he'd been taunting Selena about how he could kick her ass without much of a contest... and she had grinned and told him to go ahead and assume full demonic form.

Zerrex had refused, and perhaps he'd been a bit arrogant... and she had chanted what he recognized as a short, simple blessing, and he'd been struck rigid with agony. The same thing happened again when he assumed demonic form without a comment at her command... and, horrified, he asked what the hell was going on. Looking at him with almost sympathy, Selena had explained to him the Holy Rule.

The average soldier demon was affected little by a blessing or even an exorcism: this was due to the fact that soldier demons tended to not have a whole lot in the way of ‘holy' or ‘unholy' residue in them, for lack of better terms. But as one went higher up the demonic food chain, the essence of Hell inside a being became more and more intense... until one finally reached the level of Incarnation. As they were nothing less than representations of one of Hell's Big Seven, the ‘unholy' aura in them became so intense that even the weakest of holy abilities dealt terrible damage to the spirit of such a creature.

As a being of physical power, Zerrex would also always gain a major advantage in close combat situations... but he would never be as powerful when it came to magic, mental abilities, psychic attacks, or anything else, especially with his exceptionally-slow learning curve towards magic. Selena had tried to be nice about it â€" a nice change â€" but he had still ended up feeling retarded and moody for almost a month as he reflected more and more on himself.

It was almost like a cosmic joke: he had unmatched power, and could storm through demons like they were hay... but in the end, he was little more than a beast. He might have the stamina and endurance to rush through magic, and his training and raw strength enabled him to break through psychic abilities as if they were nothing... but he would be no match for a well-trained unit of magic users, no matter how strong he became. His tentacles gave him physical range, and his energy abilities magical... but at the end of the day, he was still the same way he had been even as a mortal: the idiot that brought a knife to a gun fight.

Zerrex tried to push the thoughts out of his head for now, though, making a face as he looked over at the bookshelf and flexing his hand slowly: as a Hybrid, he would also never possess all the abilities that some Wrath and some Lust demons did. For instance, he would never be able to shapeshift in the same way a Dius did... just as he would never be able to cause physical damage with a single look, no matter how much he could weaken or terrify an enemy. He guess it best reflected him, though, and his interests in too many things to ever settle down and really work his way to the top with one talent.

Sin came over and gently took his hand, rubbing it slowly and gazing down at him quietly... and he looked back up with a faint smile as he took her hand slowly, lacing their fingers together gently. She smiled a bit, bowing her head and murmuring softly: "Stop being so hard on yourself, Lord Zerrex, and stop thinking things you shouldn't... I... please." She hesitated, then added in a quiet voice: "If it's any consolation, I have faith in you... I truly believe you're the strongest of all demons in Hell."

She flushed deeply, and Zerrex laughed a bit, shaking his head and gently patting her hip with his other hand. "No, Sin, I think that's definitely you... after seeing the things you can do, I'm envious of your powers... but at the same time, I have to honestly admit I'm glad it's not me. I could never handle the burden you do."

"It's just the punishment..." Sin murmured, glancing away and looking embarrassed, before she let go of his hand and half-bowed quietly. "By the way, Miss Selena sends her regards, but she probably won't be home again tonight... she's helping Queen Lilith set up a base in the Western Province for the rebels."

Zerrex nodded, tilting his head curiously. "Is there any news? I mean, I know the broad strokes... but do you know if they're preparing the garrison yet?"

Sin shook her head slowly, quietly rubbing at her stomach. "No... although Selena expressed a great passion to attack Master Scribe Vine ever since he took over the regulation of the Province, Queen Lilith has made it very clear that it is far too early to consider such a move. Castle Cardigan is still on high alert, and the Province itself is still in turmoil... and the Eastern Palace is currently protected by no less than fifteen Scribes, from the intelligence she's received. Master Vine would undoubtedly detect them if they made any adverse movements whatsoever, but for now his powers are blocked by a mix of my abilities and Queen Lilith's."

The Drakkaren nodded slowly, before he sighed and rubbed a hand through his hair, then he made a face as he felt the ring on his finger beginning to heat up and glow, glancing down at the dull yellow band around his finger as it turned red. Goddamn Waning Star... now if only I could figure out how the stupid thing worked, I could have it remind me of other stuff, too... "Looks like I spoke too soon... I'd better get to work."

Zerrex created a portal nearby, then bent to grab his helm... but Sin smiled at him faintly, already holding it out to him. He took it with a smile in return, then put it on and stood up, heading to the portal and adding over his shoulder: "I'll probably be right back... tell Selena I said hi if she shows up, but I should be right back."

"Of course, Lord Zerrex." Sin bowed to him as he stepped through the portal, and the Drakkaren glanced back through the darkness as it closed, softening as he rubbed a hand slowly over the helm before making a face at the cold chill in the air. This place sucks.

The reptile climbed the stairs again, then staggered out of the way as the doors flew open and several officers ran out, but one of them skidded to a halt and called over his shoulder to Zerrex: "Hey, you! Were you summoned by the Waning Star? Come on!"

It turned and ran towards a portal, and Zerrex cursed under his breath before following, looking exasperated as he followed the others and put a hand on the hilt of the silver longsword, wondering what the hell had happened... and then he groaned loudly as he stepped through the white portal and saw all four officers leaping up and down around a Gorgon, who was hissing and slashing at them angrily.

A Wrath-Lust combination like himself, the Gorgons were gigantic females that were often a mix of hideousness and beauty: this one, for instance, had long blonde hair falling from its head and luxurious white and black fur... but its eyes were serpentine and its features were twisted, with a humped and distorted body and long, muscular arms ending in vicious claws. It glared back and forth furiously in its long white dress, and then it howled: "I'd rather die than go with you, you sons of bitches! Get away from me, get away!"

"Would you stop that? You're only pissing her off more." Zerrex said loudly, but the officers continued to yell and circle her with their weapons drawn, and he sighed as he approached, shaking his head slowly and muttering under his breath: "This is going to be one of those long days... well... at least it isn't too much of a scene."

True, they were in a city, but it wasn't too crowded... and true, the Gorgon had sized-up to around thirty feet, and was blocking the street almost entirely... but as this was Hell, demons were more watching with vague interest here and there, but carefully avoiding the confrontation or ignoring it altogether as they headed for work. The buildings here were made mostly of brick and metal, but the Drakkaren thought they'd be sturdy enough to hold if she started smashing more things... and the reptile snapped a hand out, a tentacle slithering out of his sleeve and wrapping tightly around a goat demon that was prodding her with a stick, before he lifted him into the air and dragged him over to where he stood a safe twenty feet away, asking mildly as he set the goat down: "What's going on here?"

"She... she's uh... refusing to give up her son." The goatling said dumbly, as the Drakkaren's tentacle retracted into his body, and the creature stared at him as he asked in a weak voice: "Was that really necessary?"

"Completely." Zerrex glanced to the side, muttering an incantation and holding out a hand, and a logbook formed into existence out of white light, the reptile opening this and flipping through it quickly as he muttered: "Let's see... here we go, I thought I recognized her. Yeah, I've dealt with her before... hey, Maryanne! Maryanne, it's me, Zerrex!"

The Gorgon looked up with a frown as she swung an arm out and knocked all three officers sprawling, and then she blinked a few times as she settled her eyes on Zerrex, wiping absently at the bloody cuts over her arms as she said angrily: "You! You're the one who did that first report on me... you swore I'd never have to deal with this, but look at the mess and-"

"Bureaucracy, you know it sucks here as much as anywhere else." Zerrex replied dryly, glancing through the report he'd made and wondering absently what genius-workaholic had invented the ‘summon notebook' spell, and whether or not some lazy ass had created a ‘dispel notebook' counterspell. Okay, it's object, not notebook specifically but... you know. Right, work work work... "Is it Baron Krieg again? Because we can go talk to him if it is."

"What, and let me guess... you just want me to come with you so you can take my child while I'm gone, isn't that right?" asked the Gorgon bitterly, and Zerrex glared at one of the officers as the Rakshasa climbed to his feet, but Maryanne only slapped it firmly away, sending it flying through the air with a squeal. The others immediately retreated, and Zerrex thanked whatever gods ruled Hell for this before they could piss the powerful demoness off any further. "I'm not moving anywhere for you pissants, not after last time!"

"How about this." Zerrex walked forwards, spreading his arms and meeting her eyes fearlessly: although most Gorgons could petrify or simply kill lesser demons with a single glare, at worst she could only give him a headache thanks to his own Wrath tendencies. "I'll stay with Losan, or take him to a safe place. You and the others go to see Baron Krieg, and sort all this nonsense out. But you need to calm down either way, Maryanne, you're causing a scene."

Maryanne growled something as she looked back and forth indecisively... but then she looked away, and she slumped after a moment, nodding with a sigh as she closed her eyes and relaxed. Slowly, her muscles decreased in size and her features became more beautiful and effeminate, and then she murmured: "Fine. I'll trust you one last time, Zerrex, but only because you got these other morons to leave me alone. You can look after Losan, but I want this dealt with by the end of an hour, got it?"

She glared around at the others, and one of the demons met her eyes and fell over, clutching his head and moaning in pain as he rolled back and forth on his back. Zerrex rolled his own eyes, then muttered aside to the goat demon he'd snagged: "Please jot down that we need to better train our officers in dealing with other demons, will you? And you better go on ahead to Baron Krieg's villa and warn him there's about to be a scene." He paused, then he walked over to the other officers, who were picking themselves off the ground with mumbles and winces to each other. "Alright, Maryanne. I'll just let myself in. You go ahead and take these officers with you, just in case they don't know the route. I'll just stay here with your son, okay?"

Maryanne nodded, looking after him with concern, and Zerrex felt a quiet sensation of longing in his own heart as the demoness turned away and created an enormous portal. She began to harass the officers into going through it as she looked towards her towering homestead, and Zerrex strode up the large stairs and knocked twice before stepping inside through the huge door, offering a supportive smile to the Gorgon. She just doesn't want to let the kid go... and Krieg just doesn't want to share the child with her. Poor little bastard... but where is he?

Zerrex looked back and forth as he stepped into the magically-enlarged home, carefully looking back and forth. Unlike his mother, Losan was short and still very young, and he took after his father, the Baron, as a Selvin demon... a Greed demon usually concerned with physical matters almost as much as Pride demons could be, vain and self-righteous. Zerrex had noted that most of the disputes came from the Circle of Greed as a rule, though: in all the other circles, the disputes generally took care of themselves the old-fashioned way. But money still seems to talk... "Losan? It's me, officer Zerrex!"

He paused as he stepped out into the huge kitchen... and then he paused as he heard a noise behind him, and a moment later the door slammed shut. The reptile rolled his eyes as he heard feet running quickly away on the other side of the frame, and he quickly created a portal, stepping through it and emerging through another in the middle of the hall, and Losan skidded to a halt in front of him with a squeak of surprise before falling heavily on his rump with a whine. "You can't do that! That's cheating!"

"It's good to see you too, Losan." Zerrex said dryly, leaning on his knees to look down at the four-foot tall, pouty-looking demon. He had grey skin and a short muzzle, with a long, strong tail and a white underbelly... and Zerrex sighed as he realized after a moment Losan was wearing only his underwear, crossing his gangly arms over his chest and he looked up at him scornfully with his periwinkle eyes. "Where did you put your clothes?"

"In your butt!" Losan responded rudely, and then he scrambled to his feet... but Zerrex reached down and easily caught him by the shoulder, holding him gently but firmly. The Selvin groaned loudly and struggled uselessly, then it finally relaxed and glared up at him, sulking a bit as he mumbled: "This sucks. Don't you have some other families to pick on?"

"Behave yourself and I'll give you a shiny silver coin." Zerrex said sourly, feeling only vaguely-bad that he was using the vices of any Greed demon against this one to control him, but the kid brightened immediately as he looked up at him with round eyes. It's about as fair as someone offering me a stripper... but whatever. "Now, where are your clothes?"

The Selvin shrugged a bit, standing up and shuffling his feet embarrassedly as he looked down. "I was tryin' to cast a cleansing spell, but I accidently lit them up on fire... so um... Mom had to throw them out, ‘cause she's not very good at magic either. But I guess someone heard her yelling ‘cause she was upset about the room catching on fire, so um... someone probably called you guys after that. I don't think I have anymore clothes upstairs, though, since most of my stuff is at Baron Dad's house."

Zerrex nodded and sighed a bit, then he crossed his arms and asked mildly: "So did you learn anything from this experience?"

"People are mean and dumb." Losan said sulkily, and Zerrex smiled a bit despite himself as he patted the smooth-skinned creature on the shoulder, before turning him around and guiding him towards the kitchen to see if he could fix up a small snack for the child, at least. That'll make him happy. Sometimes I wonder if he's from Gluttony...

Less than forty minutes later, Maryanne came back into the house, looking triumphant, and Zerrex flicked a silver coin to Losan before pulling her aside to find out what had gone on. As it so happened, Baron Krieg had been in the middle of an expensive dinner party, and the humiliation the whole incident had caused him would likely be more than enough to stop him from attempting to hire anyone else to call the law officers in the Circle of Tragedy the moment it looked like there was some excuse to pull Losan away from Maryanne. Maryanne thanked him with a hug that lifted him uncomfortably high into the air and a lecherous squeeze of his buttocks, and Zerrex coughed and flushed embarrassedly before retreating through a portal to head back home. He'd file his report tomorrow on the incident, but otherwise he hoped he was done for the day.

When he stepped back into his home, he was greeted by a grinning Selena, and the two traded a quick hug as Zerrex undressed and listened to her talk about her day. He still had a bit of spare time before work, and he always enjoyed listening to what she had to say, especially when it had to do with the recent rebellion to retake the Western Province.

Ever since Master Scribe Vine had taken over, actions had been taken that were "in the best interests of Hell," instead of in the best interests of that Province's people. Entire villages were drafted to the military force, Raithe's large royal family was dissolved, and new Dukes and Barons had been appointed to replace those who had fled. Although Vine also shared the hive-mind of the other Scribes, he also retained his own consciousness and was able to exert some form of control over the Scribes nearby, focusing their powers to treble his own already-remarkable strengths and magical prowess.

Vine was also known as the Detector of Secrets: it was rumored that nothing was hidden from his eyes... but he was not nearly as omniscient as that. Although he was able to know the names and rough locales of anything that wasn't specially-protected, he was also bound by the same rules and laws as the Scholars and other Scribes were, meaning that Lily's charms and Sin's magic were more than powerful enough to deflect any scrying or divination he attempted to discover her location or the names of those who were aiding Lily in her fight against the stolen throne. Furthermore, Vine was obviously sympathetic towards the Princess's aims, and he was a nothing more than puppet to her... making Zerrex wonder how much of Hell she had taken over, especially with Az'Iriel having been out of Hell for so long now.

Zerrex thought not only was dissent beginning to grow in Hell, but also confusion: after all, it was well-known that Ezekiel and Majesty were currently in charge of all operations in Hell, taking their orders from Az'Iriel... but how could Az'Iriel himself effectively fight a war in Hell when with every minute that passed on the physical plane, a year and a half passed in Hell? Zerrex refused to believe that even the bastard who had killed him could be that talented... from what he knew of military operations, every single Commander required up-to-date information on the state of the battlefield and the movement of enemy troops. Unless he was playing some vast guessing game, or unless he was somehow communicating with his Generals in real-time, Zerrex didn't think...

He paused and looked up, then glanced down as something passed through his mind, lightning-fast. He frowned a bit as Selena halted, looking at him oddly, but then the Drakkaren held up a hand, disregarding it. "It's nothing, sorry. I just got lost in my own thoughts, I guess..."

"Alright..." Selena said slowly, and then she crossed her legs and put her feet up on the table from where she sat on the couch. "But anyway, Lily wants to probe out just how powerful Vine is before she makes any moves. She's also worried about shapeshifters slipping into the organization, but I've got some Dius on standby... and thankfully, we also have the Sisters on our side, so that should help a lot." She paused and shrugged a bit, smiling slightly. "Then again, I guess the Sisters have always been a bit aloof... the Monastery is more into the Plains of Despair than it is in inside the Southern Province, after all."

"Good." Zerrex murmured softly, crossing his arms as he relaxed in his armchair. He glanced idly over to Sin, who was snoozing quietly on the futons they'd stacked up in the corner of the room... and then he glanced back to Selena, asking quietly: "Is she okay? She usually only sleeps after she overexerts herself."

"I think it's the pressure of doing so much behind the back of the Princess..." Selena responded quietly, looking over at Sin and shaking her head slowly, her expression soft. "I feel so sorry for her, I really do. I mean, she and the Princess have always been close... when the Princess was a baby, Sin was the one who looked after her, raised her, and took care of her, until she finally put on the Southern Mask and rose to a High Throne. She taught the Princess everything she knows today: and yet, the Princess now has terrible abilities that seem to go beyond anything even Sin can do, like reshaping the fabric of reality and time itself..."

Zerrex nodded slowly, grimacing as he thought back to the cage he'd been locked in all those years ago: it was a lesson he had never forgotten, however, and since then he'd always been polite to the Princess. He hadn't let go of himself completely, however, and although giving in to his passions under Selena's instruction had let him learn some of his newer abilities... he had never been without discipline. Sabnock showed me that... I know she might not look as demonic as the others, and she might have strange abilities but still be weak, especially for an Inquisitor... I don't think the Princess realizes what kind of true strength it takes to keep yourself under such tight control. "It's like every demon I kill, Sin was affiliated with them somehow..."

"Everyone knows her... she's one of the most powerful demons in Hell, sometimes referred to as the Goddess or the Great Mother." Selena murmured softly, hugging herself quietly and gazing at the sleeping Naganatine with quiet respect. "She gave birth to the Terrors, but also the first demons... she breathed life into many of the guardians and ancient constructs, and she taught us about magic and harnessing our own abilities... and you know what? After... living with you two for so long, I've realized I don't give a shit anymore what anyone says about her. Admittedly at first, yeah, I was scared..."

The demoness hesitated for a moment as she sat up, continuing in a softer voice as she looked across at Zerrex. "In fact, I was terrified... but... I don't feel that way around her anymore. I feel safe... and God, by now we all know she's learned her lesson from what she did with Mephistopheles. Why does she continue to be tortured like this, why is she still in pain? I mean, fuck, it could be eons before the Central Throne is retaken... and ever since the Scholars came to power, the Historians have ceased to exist, so it's not like anyone can clarify the Prophecy anymore..."

This rang the faintest of bells in Zerrex's mind... and he frowned slowly, Selena tilting her head towards him. It was the first time he'd ever heard her talk about the Prophecy, but he'd heard about it before... from the Sisters. From Earth, I think... or was it Fire? I think it was Earth. Thank crap for my Hell-enhanced memory. "I've heard the Sisters mention that before... something about the Red Beast and..." He hesitated a bit. "I believe I was mentioned too, and stuff."

"Darkness from Darkness to destroy its maker with Light..." Selena murmured, and then she shook her head slowly. "That's not exactly right, but you were the mortal who slew the Red Beast... your father, Narrius. The cruelest quasi-god I've ever seen... but I hear the questions already undoubtedly forming in your mind, but like, just let me talk, would you?"

Zerrex nodded, and Selena let out a sigh of relief, gathering her thoughts before saying quietly: "Let's see... what you likely don't know is about how Narrius was somehow able to tear through the Divine Protection in Hell. I've read the file thoroughly now and replayed the memory-tapes, and I did notice how the combination of Drake and Narrius while the latter was dying created a massive change in his physiology and made him show his true self: the Red Beast, a not-alive, not-dead god covered in something no one else has ever been able to control: Unworld essence. That's why it hurt so much when he made contact with you... why it brought back such painful memories and emotions.

"Most of the eyes of Hell were turned to you that day, when the Historians still existed, millions of years ago..." Selena shook her head with a soft sigh, smiling faintly across at him. "This'll probably piss you off, but every step of that confrontation and mortal-made apocalypse has been analyzed, broken down, and taken apart by academics here in Hell. It's an important piece of history: not just for you, but for us as well... especially since once Narrius died, he was thrown down into Hell, and his rage knew no bounds.

"Narrius ripped apart at least seventeen Inquisitors with his bare hands... no protection spell worked, and he no longer needed Drake's symbiosis to unlock his true nature and the powers that came with it." Selena shuddered, looking down quietly and rubbing the back of her head slowly. "It was terrifying. I've never seen anything like it... and he even walked right through the abilities the Scribes threw at him, and no seal could hold him. It took an army to bring him down and the High Thrones of Hell... not to mention many very powerful incantations from the Scholars to ensure he didn't struggle. He was sealed away in the Prismatic at the bottom level of the Abyss after that, with no possible way out into Hell..."

She hesitated, then crossed her arms and added softly: "I didn't want to tell you this before... but there's no possible way to know whether or not he's really still there, if he's died, if he's alive, or if he's even escaped... the Abyss is worse than anything I or anyone else has put you through in Hell, Lord Zerrex. It's a terrible, nightmarish place, used as a prison for the most evil of demons, and it's right up there with the Marquee Sur Noir. It's almost completely formed of dark energy, rock, and hellfire, and many of the prisoners are kept in stasis inside crystal and even pocket dimensions that are scattered here and there throughout the spiraling cliffs leading down to the very bottom of the prison." She paused, then made a face and looked away. "It's no place I would go, even if the choice was living or dying."

Selena leaned back, then smiled sourly. "On a lighter note, the Historians used to coexist with the Scholars: they were prophets and powerful psychics, able to see the future and, when working together, to create Prophecies... many of which are still stored in the Scholar's Tree. They were accused of treason when they predicted the Fall, however, and the Princess ordred them all executed..."

Zerrex tilted his head as she shook her head in disgust, and he asked softly: "The Fall? Of Hell, or of the Central Thrones, or of something else?"

"Of God himself." Selena shrugged, looking sourly amused. "Nonsense, I thought, but who knows anymore? They predicted that God would die and the world would return to normal... but that doesn't make sense, does it? I mean, as the saying goes, ‘all serve His plans.' And even if Az'Iriel can warp the balance and choke Heaven by taking the mortal plane, it doesn't mean he has the power to kill or defeat God... Az'Iriel may be strong, but even he and the Princess don't have the strength of Mephistopheles, and God was able to defeat him and half the Naganatine and shove them aside into a side dimension."

"It was a strange prophecy, though..." Sin added quietly, and the two glanced up in surprise to see her sitting up on the futon, smiling faintly and rubbing at her face slowly. For a few moments she looked like herself, in her Naganatine body... and then with a flicker, she once more resembled Celestial, looking across at Zerrex softly. "I think the Princess reacted out of fear and panic, because it was a very unclear prophecy... it was little more than a sentence, as I remember, but the Princess wanted them and it destroyed immediately, so I'm afraid I can't tell you for certain what it said." She blushed and glanced down, adding meekly: "Sorry, Lord Zerrex."

"It's fine..." Zerrex said softly, shaking his head slowly before he glanced over to Selena, asking quietly: "Is there any way to get inside the Abyss, and then get out of it?"

Selena stared at him, then said slowly: "Maybe I didn't make myself clear. Hell is called Hell for a reason... imagine all the tortures I've put you through and multiply them by a billion, and that's roughly what you'll find in the Abyss. We can't even say the real name of the place, it's that nasty... but since I know you'll keep harassing me, the short answer is no, the long answer is ‘only if you're a fucking psychopath would you want to go in there in the first place, and even if you could, you probably wouldn't because lots of the prisoners are running around free inside there and causing lots of chaos.'" She paused, then added sourly: "And if you were thinking of checking on Narrius yourself, I'll point out that the only way in and out is through hoofing it manually. Only High Monarchs can portal through the hundreds of layers of charms and protection around the Abyss... and I highly doubt the Princess will let you down there."

"If I can get down, I can make it back out." Zerrex said softly, and Selena looked at him as if he was insane, as Sin looked away with a worried expression. "But I still have plenty of time to train and prepare if I want to do that..." He halted, looking down at his hands and curling them slowly into fists, his knuckles turning white as his claws dug into his own palms, trembling slightly as he whispered: "I have to make sure Narrius is still there..."

The two looked at him, and Selena closed her mouth slowly before nodding with a quiet sigh, apparently abandoning the idea of harassing him at the serious look on his face. "Alright, Zerrex. Fine, I... then we better get you learning your magic a bit better."

She looked moodily back and forth, and then she hopped up to her feet and cracked her knuckles, adding sourly: "But don't think that I'm going to come down there and save your stupid ass if you go and get yourself sealed inside there. Only a total moron goes down into the Abyss without a good reason."

"Thank you, Selena." Zerrex smiled faintly over at her, and then he stood up himself, creating a portal and murmuring: "I better get to work now, though... but thanks again. I'll see you for an hour or so after work."

"Fucker." Selena muttered as he walked through the portal, and then she shook her head slowly and asked Sin dryly: "So, do you understand the crazy bastard, or are you still trying to fathom why he's such a nutjob too?"

The Drakkaren rolled his eyes as Selena's comment carried through the portal, but it closed by the time he thought of a smart reply, and instead he grunted and headed outside into the field, before staring in shock as Kent said mildly: "I thought I'd let you try your hand at something different today."

Three Infernal Dragons were lumbering slowly around, their wings tied down to prevent them from flying into the air. Massive, feral beasts with black scales and burning red eyes, many of them had long, white ‘scars' and other marks and deformities over their bodies... but they weren't exactly ugly, all the same. They were majestic, as the nearest leaned down and snorted smoke at him, and Zerrex stared as he walked slowly forwards, the huge beast stepping forwards up beside Kent, who stood beside it casually, as if it were nothing more than a pack-mule. "A hundred and twenty silver an hour... if you can manage to train them and get them to obey you. Two are ten tails tall, and this fellow here is the alpha of the group. He's eleven and a half tails tall but slow-tempered, but if he wallops you with that spiked tail or rams you with his horns, you might find yourself in a whole lot of pain. The other two are females... you can tell from the shape of the horns, among other things. In any case, he's not gelded, either, so try and stop them from mating, and they're for military use, but they need to be trained for ground combat before we get into aerial stuff."

Zerrex nodded dumbly, and Kent patted him on the arm as he walked by, leaving the Drakkaren to acquaint himself with the massive creatures. More than thirty feet tall at the shoulder and with long, flexible necks, they made him feel tiny... but he cleared his throat after a moment and clapped his hands together, getting the attention of the alpha and knowing the females would fall in line so long as he could control the alpha male. What a great test this will be. Gee, thanks Kent. "Alright, steady now..."

It only glowered at him and snorted smoke again, and Zerrex made a face as he waved a hand in front of his muzzle before glaring at the creature. "I'm the leader here, and I'll make you understand that however I have to. Now stop doing that."

It took two hours for Zerrex to even get the dragons to stay still, and another two to make any semblance of progress with them before he finally managed to force them to pace in a row. His Dominate ability came in handy for keeping them under control, but afterwards the alpha tended to lash out at him angrily, so Zerrex saved it for when he really needed to use it, such as when the creature looked like it was about to try and ram him with its curved horns. At the end of the day, however, Kent came out with a domestic hydra, and Zerrex tilted his head curiously before the bear grunted: "Call it a present. They're retiring the poor girl here from duty because she's slowed down a bit, but I thought you might like her... her name's Elle, and I'll keep her in Row 26 Stall D for you here, but I figured I'd introduce you. I'll let you keep her here for free for a week or two, but she's good-natured and doesn't require much food to keep her calm."

"Kent, I... I can't, I mean..." Zerrex stammered, and then he smiled faintly and simply nodded, taking the reins of the hydra and reaching out to gently stroke the central head as the two on either side lowered almost immediately, the hydra purring quietly at his touch. "Thank you."

Kent grunted and nodded, and then he tossed Zerrex a large bag of coins, the reptile fumbling this and then mumbling as he dropped it, leaning quickly down to pick it up. "Thank you... this is... a lot."

But Kent was already gone, and Zerrex shook his head slowly with a slight smile before he led the hydra into the stables, guiding her back to her stall and staying an extra few minutes to pat her gently and check over her body for any wounds or other reasons why they might have gotten rid of her. He noticed her right foreleg had suffered a bad break sometime during her life and hadn't healed properly, and he smiled a bit as he glanced up at her, murmuring: "Just like me when I was alive. I'll come back for you, girl."

She growled softly at him, and the Drakkaren patted her gently once before leaving and carefully closing the stall. He looked at her for a moment longer, then created a portal and stepped through it with a smile... before staring as he saw Selena and Sabnock sitting together and arguing over something.

Sabnock glanced at him as he stepped inside, holding a hand up to Selena, who glared at the wolverine for this and immediately blurted: "Bitch says you can go to the Devil's Gate Arena, but she wants me to go with you, and-"

"There is proper justification for a surprise inspection, but I would feel much more comfortable if Miss Selena accompanied you as unofficial backup." Sabnock overrode her, and the two exchanged glares as Zerrex wondered absently how the hell they could argue over things even when they agreed on something. "Miss Selena would stay at a short distance and circle the perimeter to write down a description of the arena's outer layer while you perform an inspection of the inside, and would ensure that no one attempts to flee the scene or-"

"Get that?" Selena asked drolly, and Zerrex carefully sat down in the armchair, pushing it slowly away from the couch with his feet. "I'm to jot down a description of the people if they try to run away, ‘cause I'm not a cop like you apparently are now, officer-sir. You know, so you can properly apprehend them later. Because we all know that criminals don't fight back against the police, they just give up and sigh theatrically and plot their escapes from jail."

Sabnock slowly turned towards Selena, but the ex-Inquisitor didn't look intimidated in the slightest as she leaned towards Sabnock, grinning playfully. "Look, bitch. You're ancient, I get it. You're wise. And you're strong, I won't ever disagree with you there... but bitch, you be stupid, too. Don't send Zerrex in with a notepad, send him in with that fucking Smiting Rod, and he'll get the job done."

"That, like many of the other weapons here, is an illegal artifact that belongs to the Royal Family, and now to... Master Scribe Vine." Sabnock couldn't hide the distaste in her voice, but even as she looked away and forced herself to look stony, she was obvious quailing under the pressure. Zerrex knew two sides were fighting inside her: the ordered, lawful side... and the part of her that just wanted to stop criminals from profiting in all the ways they did in Hell. "I... Lord Zerrex, I would feel far more comfortable if you would just convince Miss Selena to follow the letter of the law in this instance instead of working as... vigilantes. I want these criminals apprehended, charged, and put into prison, not uselessly maimed or killed. That might be Miss Selena's style, and may even be your style sometimes... but it is not my style."

"Sabnock, fuck off." Selena said rudely, and the Magistrate looked at her with shock, but now Selena looked truly pissed-off. "You know what, screw all this espionage bullshit and all this hypocrisy. I know you, and you know me... you don't like us because we're rough and you're clean and perfect and straight, but try listening to yourself! I know you know about Princess Lilith, and I know you know about me and Zerrex aiding her, and I know you even know about the shit the Princess is scheming up. Does it feel right to you? Does it sit good in your stomach with you, to talk this shit to us while at the same time trying to move towards the very same goals, the very same ends as us?"

The Ice Devil looked away with a flush, and then she lowered her head and murmured: "Her honorable majesty Lilith isn't a High Princess yet, Miss Selena..."

"Yeah, well, she is in my eyes." Selena said with quiet conviction, looking grim, and then she glanced over to Zerrex, sighing and saying softly: "Listen, big guy. It's up to you, because me and her are just going to argue all day otherwise. You got the clearance, but I do have to at least recommend not going in wearing your officer gear. I did some research, and the guy running the operation doesn't take too kindly to jailors and other officers... what a surprise." she added drolly, looking irritably at Sabnock.

Sabnock still looked embarrassed, however, hugging her logbook against her body and humbled by the words of the other demoness, before she glanced over to Zerrex and finally said softly: "She's right... this fighting is pointless. And maybe right now isn't the time for me to be spouting talk about law and order and all that, with the way the whole justice system has been twisted by the Princess and the monarchs in power who are supposed to be protecting the people, not furthering their own agendas...

"Listen, though... Zerrex." It was hard for her to say just his name without proper title and address, and the Drakkaren smiled faintly at the effort... but he still was looking at Selena with deep tenderness, touched by her former words. "The demon in charge of the operation, who the building is registered to is named Halpas Fen'Yl Sabbac Nostaren. He is a very dangerous demon, and he's reputed to be working with another being named Tellis. He isn't a demon, per se... but he's still very dangerous. Don't attempt to engage either of them in combat, they're both very powerful creatures."

Selena shook her head, looking over at Sabnock with a frown. "Halpas and Tellis working together? If that's the case, I should go in with Zerrex, not wait outside... even he might have trouble fighting both of those creatures at once, since his magical abilities aren't top-notch yet."

"It's more important to stop them from running off with robotic parts... even if I take out the head, the hands will still sell whatever they run away with to other buyers." Zerrex said quietly, and Selena grumbled something as he walked over to the weapon rack, glancing through the various gear he had before finally settling on the soul-stealing blade he had taken from Argalox so many years ago now. He hefted the huge, single-edged sword, and he felt it whispering for blood... but he blocked it out as he set it over his shoulders and pulled the clasp on the rawhide belt tight around his body.

He brushed absently at his skin shirt as Sabnock glanced at him worriedly, and Zerrex smiled a bit as he gripped the hilt of the sword, saying mildly: "Don't worry, I don't even know how to draw souls out of people's bodies with it... I just feel more comfortable with this kind of weapon than anything else." He paused as he glanced at the Smiting Rod, before blocking out the memories of Ose and his savage rage as they threatened his mind, the Drakkaren turning to look at Selena as she stood up and patted the runed leather whip at her side with a grim smile. "Are you ready?"

"I'm always ready... it's been a while since I've gotten some action." Selena grunted, and Zerrex snorted quietly before he turned his eyes to Sabnock. She only bowed her head respectfully as Selena created a portal, however, and the Drakkaren followed the Dius through after nodding to her and raising a hand.

"I'll come to your office right after." he said as he stepped through the portal... and then he emerged a moment later in a barren wasteland, looking at a massive stone coliseum with a huge, squat metal dome overtop it, metal plates covering breaks in the solid stone here and there as his eyes narrowed at the mutant architecture, noting what looked almost like antennae and satellite dishes sticking out of the building here and there. "How quaint."

"That's some real shitty architecture right there. Sabnock would throw a fit if she saw it." Selena responded mildly, then the two knelt as she drew a slow circle while murmuring an incantation, and the circle lit up white before the sand rose up to form a perfect replica of the building they were standing outside, and Selena tapped a spot a short distance away. "This is us. I'm going to maintain this distance and circle... now, look close, and you'll see four sets of doors on the outside, but three of them are nailed shut. Yeah, I already did a quick search of this place the first time you mentioned it to me, shut up.

"The problem is that this entire place reeks of negative energy and bad mojo. There is some seriously heavy magic going on inside, and some seriously-nasty shit." Selena muttered, shaking her head slowly and grimacing as she looked across at Zerrex, who nodded: even from this distance, he could feel the pulse of bad karma coming off the building. "The entire place is likely to be a huge maze of portals, illusions and magic doors on the inside, so try not to get led into a trap or dead end, got it? I'm going to stay outside and begin a suppression spell to cancel out some of the building's magical effects..."

Zerrex looked at her flatly, and she grinned slightly at him, her eyes flashing. "After the fight with the Naganatine Twins, I felt like shit, so I got Sin to teach me a few new tricks. Let's just say that if they're using forbidden magic, I ain't gonna balk at responding with the same."

"You're a bitch." The Drakkaren shook his head admiringly, smiling slightly as she shrugged and looked amiable, before he dug in his pocket and produced two silver coins. Selena looked at him mildly, and he knew a comment about how either she was more expensive than that or not on the clock was coming, so he said sourly: "Enchant them so we can communicate through them."

She blinked a few times, then took them with a grin as she turned to the side, drawing several runes in the dirt as she asked amusedly: "Since when did you get so smart? But okay, give me a moment or two."

It took her a few minutes, but when Zerrex walked away and asked through the coin if she could hear him, she said clearly back she could, loud and clear. He smiled slightly and pocketed it, and Selena squatted and began to play her own along her fingers as Zerrex started towards the building, not wanting to waste any more time. The plan was simple, anyway: he would go in through the main doors and directly approach Halpas, and she would stay back and see if she could suppress the magical effects on the building or dispel them altogether while he looked for anything incriminating.

The Drakkaren didn't expect to find any answers in the building, as he strode slowly around the outside of the coliseum and frowned a bit at the chaotic architecture, the warped walls, and the terrible energy radiating off the place. It wasn't like the Lucifer's Eye that he'd been tossed into in any way, and that had been malevolent enough... it was something different, something corrupt and yet mechanical...

He shook his head a bit as he approached a pair of large wooden doors guarded by a pair of Wrath Minotaurs in dragon-scale jackets and mortal clothing. They both glared at him as he approached, one of them flexing a gloved fist, but the reptile smiled slightly as he held up his hands, saying softly: "I heard about this place from some friends... it's an arena, right? I want to test my skills here..."

"What's the password?" asked one authoritatively, but then it paused and cocked its head to the side, holding up a hand to the other one as it slowly drew its jacket back... and Zerrex's eyes noted a sloppily-holstered handgun before the minotaur that had spoken lowered its hand and bowed deeply instead. "Forgive my impertinence, sir. Please go right inside and take the first door on the right... the signs will guide you the rest of the way. Lord Halpas is expecting you."

"Thank you." Zerrex said, nodding in return, and then he stepped past the minotaurs and pushed through the double doors, stepping into a long, dusty corridor with a floor of sand and rounded stone walls. As he strode slowly down it, a bit of sand pattered down from the ceiling with a loud thud... and he could hear the scream of a crowd and the sounds of fighting through the massive, closed gates ahead. Several other guards were standing beside this, one of them smoking and checking a watch every few seconds, and Zerrex carefully turned towards the side door, not letting his eyes linger as he pushed through and into a cement hallway.

The Drakkaren looked at the doors on either side, then up at a pair of metal signs on the back wall at an intersection ahead. The words ‘Visitors' and ‘Employees Only' were written in red block letters, with an arrow below each... and Zerrex took the Visitors corridor as a small, glowing white orb floated by, surrounded by arcs of energy. Will of the Wisps... I hate Willowisps...

Apparently the malicious little spirits were being used as security patrols here, though, as it floated down the Employee's corridor and through the door, and Zerrex made a face over his shoulder before continuing towards the end of the corridor... and pausing at two doors.

One was marked ‘Arena â€" Seats' and the other was marked ‘Stairs,' and the Drakkaren could see plain-looking stone steps leading both up and down beyond this, like he was standing in an office building instead of an ancient coliseum... and the reptile decided to push through this instead. He stepped into the stairwell, letting the door swing closed behind himself before he frowned a bit at the feeling of air ahead of himself, reaching out to touch the banister... before staring as his hand went right through it instead, and he cursed under his breath as the illusionary stairwell faded out of existence and left him instead standing in a white, circular room with a high ceiling... and high above he could see a glowing blue energy field blocking the way into a large viewing area with black walls and plush-looking chairs.

Behind this stood a grinning raccoon in a black suit that looked like it had come from the mortal realm, with a matching obsidian silk shirt beneath and a dark stone that pulsed with white energy hanging from around his neck. His eyes were pure white, with a pair of sunglasses sitting down his muzzle and several black piercings in both ears, and his fur was trimmed short and almost white, making the black mask over his eyes and the large noir pads over his palms stand out in greater definition. He had three long tails that twisted and writhed behind him before settling, and they looked strangely-solid, as the raccoon leaned forwards and said gently: "Lord Zerrex... it's a pleasure to meet you, finally, although I'm so honestly sad it had to occur under circumstances such as these... as you've likely guessed, I am the owner and manager of this special arena and research facility, Halpas Fen'Yl Sabbac Nostaren... and please, allow me to introduce my partner, Duke Tellis of the Western Province."

A unicorn with a long golden mane and effeminate features stepped up beside the raccoon, smiling courteously as he half-bowed, the long horn almost touching the energy field before he straightened. He wore a white suit with golden buttons, and many different gold rings sparkled around his hands as he adjusted his red, puffy cravat. His eyes were blue and fearless, and he wasn't so much handsome as he was pretty... but strangest of all, he bore no demonic characteristics, and Zerrex had a very distinct impression there was nothing at all demonic about him... but he didn't seem to be a mortal or angel either. The hell is that? "I think you two should let me come up there and discuss this whole ‘facility' with you in person. You know, so I don't have to break your face."

"So hostile. Lord Zerrex, do me a favor and look above you." Halpas pointed up, and Zerrex glanced at the ceiling, watching as the white surface slid back with a frown before snarling at the sight of a massive steel disc descending, covered in black runes that had somehow been burnt into the metal and with a glaring red gemstone set into the center. It looked almost like a smaller version of the Lucifer's Eye Zerrex had been thrown under... and Halpas smiled patronizingly as the Drakkaren returned his glare to the raccoon-demon. "We've combined this device with mortal technology and masterminded the development of a far-superior machine... allow me to demonstrate."

Halpas snapped his fingers, and there was a loud whirr of machinery before the gemstone glowed... and a moment later, it released a blast of black ooze, Zerrex leaping backwards before staring as something large and fleshy thudded to the ground... and a moment later, a goat demon shook itself briskly as it stood up and swayed on its hooves, looking across at Zerrex with stupid eyes and standing naked, still covered in the dark fluids as if it had just been born... and the reptile realized a moment later it just had been. "Now imagine what will happen when we begin to market these devices in Hell... the Princess and the Warlord will fight all the harder over owning our technology! And it couldn't have been done without your help, Lord Zerrex... after all, if you hadn't failed in that raid on that mortal machine in the Arctic tunda, you'd probably be sitting back at home right now, still a mere mortal content to waste his days away sorting books..."

"Shut up..." Zerrex's eyes glowed green, and then he drew the large sword free off his back, taking it into both hands as he looked around the room. It was only thirty feet or so in diameter, and the door behind him was sealed by some sort of runic circle... while the other across from him was some sort of one-way transparent shutter, through which he could see minotaurs and other soldier demons grinning and putting down bets. His eyes narrowed as he focused in on minotaur standing nearest the shutter, and he realized it had a mechanical arm covered in large hoses and cables, before his eyes travelled up to Halpas and he asked softly: "What the hell have you done to these people?"

"They're only soldiers... and they're happier now." Halpas said dismissively, before he leaned to the side as Tellis murmured something, and he nodded with a sigh. "Very well. It looks like it's time to destroy you, though, Lord Zerrex. Try not to die too fast."

The machine above began to whirr loudly again, and Zerrex snarled as the goat demon charged at him with a howl, clawing at the air before the reptile simply cut it in half, and he cursed as it turned back into black ooze. More soldier-demons had already been produced by the terrible machine above, though, and Zerrex charged forwards, cutting through two of them as a third fell from the air, and he kicked the massive droplet of dark ooze before it could form into anything, sending droplets of slimy gunk splattering around him a moment before he created a sphere of energy and threw it hard up at the machine's center eye.

It collided and the machine immediately stopped whirring, letting out a loud whine instead before one of the runes started smoking, and Halpas shouted: "Where's the fucking energy shield! Turn on the energy shield!"

Before it could activate, Zerrex drew his sword back before flinging it hard upwards, and it spun once through the air before smashing into the eye of the machine. This time, it didn't whine but scream, and the reptile leapt backwards with a wince as the gemstone exploded a moment later, shattering into pieces as several of the runes burned white and sent cracks twisting throughout the huge disc. It began to smoke, then something broke in the device and it half-fell, the sword falling from the eye to land with a clatter on the floor as Halpas screamed: "That was a ten-thousand silver investment! What are you morons doing, kill that son of a bitch!"

Minotaurs stormed through the ghostly shutter as Zerrex ran over the broken chunks of red crystal from the eye above, and he swept up his sword before turning to the first and cleaving a chunk out of its metal arm as it swung a spiked fist at him. It staggered backwards in surprise with a grunt, and Zerrex spun on the spot, sweeping his sword out to rip a long, jagged cut down through the waist of one before cutting the legs out of the other minotaur, and it fell with a loud whine of pain. Immediately, the Drakkaren stepped forwards and dropped to a kneel, sinking his sword through its chest even as two minotaurs charged him, and the Drakkaren responded by creating a sphere of energy in one hand as he stood up and throwing it at them.

It collided with the first and exploded, sending metal modifications and chunks of minotaur splattering in all directions as the one behind it was sent crashing backwards into the shutter, knocking over several other demons as they tried to storm forwards, and Zerrex stood as he jerked his sword free, his eyes narrowed as a lizard demon rose an arm ending in a claw and launched its hand at him. The reptile twisted to the side and caught the thick black cable the claw attached to, however, and he immediately jerked the lizard demon forwards before punching it hard in the face, and it collapsed in an unconscious heap as the other creatures exchanged uncertain looks.

"Get Security Detail A2 up here immediately! Attack him now!" Halpas shouted angrily, and the three demons charged stupidly forwards towards the Drakkaren as he grinned. As the first swung in, Zerrex stepped backwards and ducked before leaping forwards, and his sword cleaved through the beast at the waist and tore off half the arm and through the side of the Wrath Minotaur behind the halved demon, and both went down in several piles and screams. The last lizard demon turned to flee, but Zerrex snapped out a tentacle with his other arm and it coiled tightly around the demon's throat, the Swamp Spine clawing at it for a moment before Zerrex jerked hard backwards and snapped its neck.

The tentacle slid smoothly back into his body, and Zerrex turned towards the energy field, Halpas snarling at him as the reptile stepped backwards and tensed... before both he and Tellis twitched back in shock as Zerrex simply leapt at the blue energy, stabbing his sword viciously into it. It didn't so much spear through as sink halfway, blue energy stretching around it as azure lightning coursed over the shield, the reptile snarling and cursing as he set himself against the energy forcefully and shoved his palm into the flat surface of the shield, but Halpas only laughed, snarling: "It's hopeless, Lord Zerrex! The field is regulated and constantly supplied by the central core, you can keep killing my soldiers but you can't-"

"Just shut up!" Zerrex said furiously, as he concentrated on pulling in the energy... but he could feel it still burning his body, and he wasn't absorbing it quickly enough... before he grinned and leaned forwards as he tried a different tactic.

He felt the pain increasing as the blue shield began to glow brighter and brighter... and something in the wall exploded, the shield turning white as Zerrex's eyes widened before he kicked off it and created a sphere of energy in one hand before hurling this into the shield. It was absorbed into the white... and then the entire shield exploded backwards, Tellis and Halpas both shrieking in pain as shards of energy pelted their bodies.

Zerrex grunted as he landed awkwardly on his feet and staggered backwards, and finally he fell heavily on his butt, making a face as he climbed quickly to his feet. That never happens in the movies... goddammit, it's been too long since I saw a movie... A pause, and he looked back and forth as the lights in the room flickered as something exploded somewhere else, the disc above him groaning loudly as a bit of dust hailed down from the roof. Then Halpas staggered to edge of the viewing room, snarling furiously as he said over his shoulder: "Tellis, get out of here... I'll deal with Lord Zerrex and catch up to you in the labs, but you have to ensure that none of the other projects are damaged..."

Zerrex snorted as Halpas leapt down into the room, and the Drakkaren walked forwards as Halpas's tails flicked back and forth behind him, the raccoon tearing off his shirt and revealing an athetlic chest... but that both his arms had been replaced by mechanical parts, smooth, overlapping metal plates making up his biceps and thin, skeletal steel rods connecting into round hubs upon which his wrists sat. Clear cables and glass tubes of glowing blue liquid were built into his arms here and there, and he breathed deeply as his tails slowly lowered. "You seem confident... I hope that you're not as quick to die as the rest of these projects. And to think, all I was originally here to do was to inspect the goddamn place..."

"We're very protective of our facility here, Lord Zerrex... don't blame me, blame the way I was raised." Halpas grinned, revealing twisted, ugly teeth before he grunted and twisted his head back and forth, and Zerrex's eyes narrowed as his thick, strange tails slowly split open like flowers, thin, long tendrils and thick teeth pushing out of the central tail. Metal barrels pushed out of the other two tails, however, surrounded by thick, ugly black flesh, and then Halpas grunted as a pair of long, thin arms burst out of his back. They twisted above his head for a moment, then snagged the ledge leading up to the room behind him, the thin stalks of pink flesh hefting him into the air as he spread his arms, a half-dome of blue energy forming in front of the demon as his sunglasses fell to the ground, his white eyes shining with terrible light. "Besides, if I kill you... think of the prices I'll be able to charge for your remains."

He grinned viciously, then rose his legs as his side tails dropped down and took aim at the Drakkaren, both firing small black orbs that flew lightning-fast across the room, crashing into Zerrex and going up in massive explosions that sent the reptile crashing back into the wall, leaving behind large cracks in the thick stone as he fell to the ground and coughed as Halpas laughed and jeered: "Not so cocky now, are you, you son of a bitch!"

"Goddammit..." Zerrex pushed himself up to his feet, and he couldn't even see Halpas past the thick cloud of smoke... which means Halpas can't see me, either. The reptile paused, then his eyes narrowed as he ran to the other side of the room, and Halpas snorted before unloading at him again.

Aiming at a moving target was a bit more difficult, as the demon found out, and instead he blasted the floor beneath the Drakkaren's feet, sending up chunks of stone and cursing as his tails followed the reptile's movements, at the same time beginning an incantation as the reptile zig-zagged, before his eyes narrowed as Zerrex vanished into a thick cloud of smoke, pausing in his recitation... and a moment later a sphere of blue energy flew out from the other side of the room, bouncing uselessly off his shield and exploding against the disc in the ceiling above. Immediately, Halpas dropped his shield and shouted the end of his incantation, shoving his hands forwards and releasing a massive inferno of flames before his head jerked to the side in shock.

Zerrex shot out of the thick smoke to the far right as he ran for the demon and leapt forwards, his feet pounding against the wall for a few moments as he swept the sword out and chopped both arm-stalks off Halpas's back, the demon howling as he fell and landing heavily on all fours before the Drakkaren dropped beside him and slashed off his leftmost tail, the raccoon arching his back with a shriek of pain as blade tore not just through the appendage but into his lower leg below. He spasmed, and his middle tail snapped out, the thin tentacles wrapping tightly around his arm and dragging his elbow towards the open jaws beyond as Halpas began to pick himself up off the ground...

The Drakkaren cursed and switched his sword to one hand before slashing viciously fowards, cutting through the tendrils and then lashing out at Halpas's body, but the demon leaned to the side and spun, shoving out one hand and launching him backwards with a raw blast of force before the remaining gun-tail twisted around and fired a round at him in midair. It went wild, however, crashing into the wall above the reptile's head, but the explosion still sent him to the ground with enough force to knock the sword spinning out of his hand.

Halpas dived for it and seized the blade, his eyes blazing as he looked up with a grin, and a sphere of energy collided with his face and blasted him across the room, the creature striking the wall with a grunt of shock as the sword flew out of his hand and skidded across the floor again. Zerrex disregarded it as he charged forwards, the raccoon-demon shaking his head quickly with surprise and slowly standing up before the Drakkaren slammed his fist forwards in a hard right hook.

The demon's head cracked loudly against the wall before Zerrex slammed a fist firmly down into his gut, half-hefting him into the air with a grunt before he shoved Zerrex roughly with his mechanical limbs, and the reptile staggered before grabbing his hands. For a moment, Halpas stared... and then Zerrex twisted and jerked, and the demon's eyes bulged as he fell to his knees, screaming in agony as blood exploded from his mechanical wrists along with some other gunk. A moment later, they exploded into flame, and Halpas beat them against the floor as the reptile staggered backwards, wincing and watching as one of the demon's biceps blew out before he simply slumped forwards and landed heavily on his side, and Zerrex grimaced a bit as he looked over the sparking, charred demon. Well... that's one of two.

He shook his head slowly, turning away... and a moment later he heard a click before a grenade caught him in the back and sent him flying across the room, and he skidded along the floor on his chest before rolling over on his back to extinguish the flames he felt charring into his flesh, his body smoking as blood leaked out around his form.

The reptile slowly stood, breathing hard as Halpas did the same... and a moment later, the raccoon demon screamed and twitched violently several times as his body bulged horribly... and then one of his metal arms fell off and a long tentacle of ugly-looking flesh all-but-fell out of his shoulder, landing against the ground with a splatter as he panted hard hissed quietly, the tentacle slowly twisting as spikes and hooks pushed out along the length, hissing: "You will die, Lord Zerrex... you've destroyed this body, but I swear I'll rebuild it using your parts and mortal technology..."

Zerrex snorted and smiled darkly, his eyes narrowing. "That's not the first time I've heard that before, Halpas... I get it, you're wounded, I'm wounded. Nice cheap shot, by the way, even though I guess I sort of deserved it for turning my back on you like that. But come on..." The Drakkaren straightened slowly, his gaze locked with the demon's as he stepped forwards and ducked to pick up his fallen sword, taking it in both hands and squeezing into the handle slowly. "Can you even perform an incantation with your body in that condition?"

"I don't need to in order to destroy you..." Halpas snarled, and he stepped forwards, anchoring himself and glaring at the Drakkaren as his energy shield flickered back into existence. The two looked at each other coldly, and then Zerrex broke into a sudden charge, curving around towards the side of the raccoon without the gun tail as his eyes narrowed at the sight of the tentacle immediately snapping out through the shield as if it was liquid.

The reptile swung his sword hard upwards and to the side, slicing effortlessly through the thick flesh and lopping off a large chunk of the appendage before bringing the sword around in another arc as it continued to lash down towards him, and this time the demon's tentacle was repelled, Halpas snarling in pain as Zerrex leapt towards the shield and slashed down into it.

Halpas shoved his other arm forwards, pushing the shield forcefully back against the Drakkaren as his tentacle writhed and twisted above his head, his eyes bulging as Zerrex's own blade glowed with blue energy. Cracks spread along the dome wall as Halpas began to pant, shaking his head in denial as the Drakkaren's powerful biceps flexed, his musculature and his own innate abilities combining to make his attack all-but-unstoppable... and then he leapt backwards and shoved a hand out, releasing a blast of force not at Halpas but directly at the shield on intstinct.

It shattered into enormous shards that scattered backwards through Halpas's body, and the raccoon staggered backwards with a howl of pain before Zerrex leapt forwards and stabbed his sword through the demon's chest. Halpas stared at him, his tentacle immediately rotting away to ash as his tails fell away... and a moment later his head bowed forwards as he whispered: "I'll be back, Lord Zerrex... and don't think I won't be seeking revenge for what you've done..."

With that, the demon collapsed, and Zerrex watched as his essence fled his body, the reptile relaxing and breathing hard before cursing as he remembered he still had to deal with Tellis. The reptile forced himself to lumber onwards despite the pain in his body, turning towards the open viewing room and leaping up into it even as a crew of heavily-armored minotaurs charged into the room, and he smiled slightly, tossing them a wave before heading quickly for the only door he could see leading out and pushing his way through it.

Several demons turned and fled as the Drakkaren burst into the hall, and for a moment he almost gave chase at the sight of their fleeing backs before turning quickly in the other direction, flipping the coin out of his pocket and saying into it clearly: "I've dispatched Halpas, Selena... how are things on your end?"

"Miserable." Selena said after a moment, sounding irritable. "So have you come across Tellis yet? There's a lot of movement out here but not a lot for me to do... there's more than two platoons of Royal Guards surrounding the place with all sorts of runes and contraptions, but I'm working on a portal breaker right now, although it's coming slow... there must be some sort of heavy-duty artifact in there blocking my spellwork."

"More like mortal technologies like psychic deflectors..." Zerrex muttered, then he cursed as he hit a dead-end. Should have chased the other guys after all... "I'm getting lost in this place again already, it's a goddamn maze. I'll talk to you when I find Tellis."

"Got it." Selena muttered, and Zerrex could hear her voice already beginning to fade. The enchantment was wearing off faster than he'd hoped, but he'd also run into more trouble than he'd expected, as the reptile ran quickly back down the hallway and was finally rewarded with another door, pushing through it and onto a narrow catwalk high above some sort of cargo bay facility... and beneath him, between the soldier demons running back and forth like ants, he could see Tellis, giving instructions in a quiet, cold voice to what looked like a Gigataur in full steel armor. I really don't feel like dealing with one of those today...

He paused, then reached into his pocket for his coin... then grinned slightly as he said teasingly into it: "Selena, I'm taking off my pants."

"What the fuck?" Selena said in a halting voice, and then there was a long pause as Zerrex threw the coin down towards the other end of the room with a flick of his wrist, watching as it sailed to the air and listening to her angry yells from where he stood as it flew towards the ground and immediately attracted the attention of many of the soldiers, the Gigataur stomping off towards it as the sound carried down the long cargo bay... and Tellis frowned, stepping forwards a bit himself before Zerrex leapt down from the catwalk and landed in a crouch in front of him, the under six-foot unicorn staggering back in shock before Zerrex seized him by the throat and immediately threw him into a nearby wooden crate.

Tellis winced as the wood cracked and he fell forwards to a crouch, before Zerrex pulled his sword off his back and pointed it at the unicorn's muzzle, Tellis blinking stupidly as the guards stared in horror, the reptile shouting: "Don't move or I'll kill him!"

"You, kill me? I'd like to see that happen." Tellis said softly, and he stood up with a slight smile before walking forwards... and Zerrex stared as the sword sank bloodlessly through his body, the unicorn making a distasteful face. "A soul-sucking blade? Nasty stuff. But that's fine and well, my soul is lodged firmly where it should be." Tellis paused, then grasped the sword's hilt firmly, looking into Zerrex's eyes for a moment before glancing aside and saying mildly: "Kill him."

Zerrex winced as the soldiers charged, and spun on the spot: instead of tearing free, however, Tellis was hefted with the sword, and the unicorn cursed and flailed before the Drakkaren snapped the blade briskly towards the soldiers and he crashed into a lizard-demon in front, knocking him sprawling before the Gigataur stomped them both and crushed them under his hoof. Immediately, it halted and turned with a wince to stare down at the unicorn, and Zerrex took the opportunity to run forwards and jump off its hammer, landing on its square shoulders and stabbing firmly down with the huge sword into the unprotected back of its neck.

The Gigataur howled and staggered forwards even as its body begin to collapse, burning away to ashes as Zerrex leapt away and landed on Tellis just as he was crawling free from where he'd been squished under the lizard-demon. He swung firmly down with the blade, slicing through the back of the unicorn's neck, and it gargled, grasping its throat and choking on its own blood as it flowed in through the slash in the back of its esophagus as Zerrex backstepped rapidly.

The demon soldiers charged... and then the reptile staggered to the side with most of the crowd as the wall exploded and several stacks of wooden crates fell over, the lights flickering as Royal Guards stormed in. Tellis, finally back on his feet, cursed and fled, and Zerrex immediately gave chase as the demon soldiers ran in all directions, some engaging the Royal Guards and others simply fleeing.

Tellis slammed through a side door, and Zerrex followed him into some sort of laboratory, staring at the nine different golden discs, all of them with glass gemstones set into the center that would undoubtedly glow red if infused with some energy... and Tellis ran up to a bank of compters at the front of the room before reaching for a lever. Zerrex cursed and swung hard outwards with the sword as the unicorn grasped the metal switch, and then it staggered backwards with a grunt before staring at the fact it was only holding a useless metal pipe, before the reptile swung hard down and chopped Tellis's arm off.

The unicorn let out a loud whinny of pain, leaping away with a curse and a wince... and then Zerrex stared in horror as its arm regrew before his eyes, the bones pushing out and tendrils of flesh and muscle wrapping quickly around it before skin and fur overlapped this, and Tellis flexed his hand a moment later as he said softly: "I do so hate to fight, Lord Zerrex..."

He stepped forwards, and Zerrex swung his other hand out in a simple, hard jab that smashed into Tellis's muzzle and knocked him flat on his back. He blinked stupidly a few times, then spun around and ran away up the metal steps behind him to another steel platform, and Zerrex followed after giving a muttered curse before skidding to a halt and staring at the massive cannon headed by what looked almost like a satellite dish with a single massive antennae ending in a small sphere, four supports holding this securely in place.

The body of the machine looked almost like a massive, humped generator or engine, covered in cables and with three massive sparkplugs in the top of the quietly-humming device as the unicorn hammered commands into a computer terminal on the side of the weapon, Tellis glaring at him and saying coldly: "Fine, then, we'll just test the might of this new weapon against you, Lord Zerrex, and-"

The Drakkaren swung his sword hard downwards, cleaving through several thick black cables that attached the the machine before leaping backwards as plasma and electricity spouted out of them, and the unicorn staggered away from the device as lighting sparked out of it, covering his face with a shout as Zerrex asked stupidly: "Well, you didn't expect me to just stand there while you monologued, did you?"

"You idiot! You severed the converter cords, the device is going to explode!" Tellis shouted furiously, and then a bank of computers behind him blew up, knocking the unicorn flat before something else above snapped with a loud groan, and a massive steel pipe fell, crashing onto the unicorn's back as plasma splashed out and over the grated flooring. Zerrex cursed as the floor began to give away, the plasma eating rapidly through it as Tellis screamed in pain and frustration, the massive device sliding and tilting into the hole before the Drakkaren heard something beginning to cycle...

He decided he'd pushed his luck enough for today, spinning and bolting for the door, yanking it open and wincing at the fact his exit was blocked by several wooden crates... then he muttered and quickly chanted an incantation, wincing away from the electiricty sparking over the metal walls beside him and shoving a hand forwards to release a blast of force that knocked the wooden crates rolling out of his way.

The Drakkaren ran out of the room and fled towards the hole in the wall, knocking down an armored minotaur that got in his way before covering his head at the sound of a massive explosion behind himself, and he cursed and threw himself through the hole the Royal Guards had blown in the wall to land with a grunt as flames and chunks of wood and concrete flew over his head, hailing down against his sore back as he winced, blinking dazedly as he looked up from where he lay on his stomach... before he looked up and stared as a large metal rod on the side of the building slowly began to give away.

He scrabbled for his feet and dived forwards as it cracked and fell, and the huge steel pole missed him by mere inches as it tore deep into the earth and then slowly leaned to the side. The Drakkaren climbed back to his feet, then ran quickly away with the Royal Guards and other random demons abandoning the arena as something else went up in a large explosion inside of the building, the reptile running for Selena as she created a portal and beckoned at him wildly.

Zerrex barreled through it and into his own living room, crashing into the armchair and dropping the sword as he flipped over it and landed awkwardly on his back with a groan of pain, and Selena followed him through before the portal closed quickly. The two exchanged looks, and then Selena muttered: "So, that kind of sucked."

"You aren't the one who feels like he's been skinned alive." Zerrex muttered in return, and he slowly sat up as Sin stared at the both from the couch, in the middle of a cup of tea that was half-raised to her mouth. Zerrex offered her a lame smile from the floor, and then he asked stupidly: "Can um... you help me out here?"