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Zerrex sighed as knocked on the door in the Circle of Sloth twice more, but as always, there was no answer. Finally, he bad-naturedly kicked it, and it swung open with a creak as a voice yelled at him tiredly: "Go away!"

"Sir, you have a summons to court today, and you're already ten minutes late. Magistrate Sabnock does not like to be kept waiting." Zerrex said clearly, then he produced his logbook with a flick of his wrist: on the bright side, he'd finally gotten the item summoning incantation down with silent casting today, but he was also beginning to understand why every demon in Hell hated dealing with the Circle of Sloth. "Your name is Orson Lafontaine, is this correct?"

"Go ‘way." muttered the tired-sounding demon at the other end of the hut, and the thin-looking demon rose its head slightly to look at him stupidly from beneath a pile of rags and blankets on the floor. "I'm too tired."

The Drakkaren closed his eyes and touched his forehead, wishing absently for patience. For the last six hundred and some years, not a lot had happened, despite the fact there was now a Hell-wide warrant for the arrest of Tellis, the unicorn that apparently had somehow crawled out of the explosion and then fled towards the Northern Province with several slaves and a few boxes of cargo in tow, and had successfully eluded the Royal Guards until he'd escaped into Az'Iriel's territory, likely with all manner of valuable technologies, vanishing into the fog of war.

Zerrex had gone back to work, both as a stablehand and an officer of the law, and he'd finally managed to earn the respect of Sabnock enough for her to act a bit less formal and dignified around him, which was nice. He liked it when people were relaxed, and admittedly it was nice to find out more about her past and how she's become a Magistrate of Hell after spending many years designing the structures of Hell, from bridges to buildings and even the Hall of Justice where she now sat... although she admitted she'd overlooked how many people it was supposed to hold.

The reptile had almost lost count of the years now, but he thought it was drawing close to the last day of his punishment here, and he was anticipating returning to the Southern Province, finding himself a home, and setting up there. The biggest thing that had happened was him going outside one day to feed his pet hydra in the orchard, and he'd found her eviscerated and being eaten by a Wendigo while in the last throes of her life... and Zerrex had admittedly gone a bit berserk, pummeling the Wendigo into a shapeless mess on the ground before sitting with Elle's head cradled in his lap for the last minute or so of her life, and then he'd miserably refused to move even after Selena had come outside an hour later to see what he was doing. They'd burned her remains, and the Drakkaren had run his hands through the ashes as he'd thought absently about how strange it was that even in Hell, he was stricken by the loss of a pet... but even Selena seemed a bit upset about what had happened. Demons still formed attachments as much as mortals did, when it came right down to it...

Otherwise, it had been more of the same: he'd learned a bit more magic, but he felt like giving up on the advanced stuff, and even Ixin had said awkwardly that he might just not be the magical type, and suggested he browse through the book for incantations that caught his eye instead of learning them one by one. Zerrex had jotted these down, and he had learned one or two of them... but it was still incredibly-hard for him to master the spellwork.

And then he'd been assigned to the Circle of Sloth a hundred years ago to ‘help out' the jailors... but it was a joke detail, since there was little of anything to do unless demons crossed into the Circle from other places to pick on the Sloth Demons. It wasn't a bad-looking place, and this circle actually had water and some pretty flowers and foliage, with a gentle mist often rolling along the ground in the mornings and late at night... but it was simply... lethargic. Even the cities were slow-paced, people taking their time when they had to do anything instead of hurrying about, and the jailors were often relaxing and ignoring the general hubbub unless someone started yelling, but there was rarely any real need to intervene. The demons here were slow, sleepy, and lazy: the tortures were usually done by the Awakeners, and they often consisted of forcing the lazy demons to run laps or perform some exhausting task, nothing like the Slavers of Lust or the monsters that were running around in Wrath.

Zerrex cleared his throat, then announced loudly: "I am entering your home in order to take you to your court trial for theft, and if you resist, you will be charged with contempt of court and resisting arrest. I will use whatever force is necessary to bring you to your trial, as is vested in me by Law of Hell. Is this understood?"

"Fuck off..." the Sloth demon said tiredly, but there was no venom in his voice, making it sound almost like a pleading request as he rolled over. "I'll go myself, just... just let me snooze for... ten more minutes..."

The Drakkaren rolled his eyes as he created a portal by the demon, then he walked inside and tore the blankets off, the wolf whining loudly, and Zerrex rolled his eyes as he saw he was naked. "Do you have clothes? It's preferred that... no, you don't have much of anything in here. Fine."

He made a face at the empty room before picking up one of the larger, cleaner sheets, and the reptile held out his index finger as a thin blue flame flickered into existence at the end of it. He quickly cut two holes in the sheet, then jerked the wolf forcefully to his feet, the demon complaining and flailing uselessly before Zerrex forced its arms through the sleeve like a gown. The lizard made a face at the leftover sheet that hung down around the miserable-looking lupine, and he quickly rolled either end of the stained cloth together to form a sort of belt, wrapping this around the wolf's waist and tying it tightly as he said mildly: "There. Now come on."

The reptile wrapped an arm tightly around the smaller demon as her shifted uncomfortably in the sheet, and then they stepped into the courtroom, and Sabnock glared at the sloth-demon, dressed in a flowing black robe and wearing a golden crown as Zerrex carefully guided the wolf over to the table where defense sat, asking clearly: "Officer Zerrex. Did you have trouble with the defendant?"

"He was a bit difficult... your honor, I'd like to make a request to the court that the defendant be kept awake by magical means, as otherwise he'll..." The moment the Drakkaren let go, the sloth-demon collapsed at his side and began to snore loudly, to the amusement of the demons sitting in the stands behind the partition in the middle of the courtroom.

Sabnock banged her gavel once as Zerrex pulled the Sloth demon to his paws and pushed him firmly down into his chair, and he opened his eyes blearily for a moment before his head fell with a loud thunk onto the table. Zerrex did his best to restrain himself from punching the demon in the face, before he let out a sigh of relief as Sabnock said irritably: "I'll grant the motion, as the defendant appears unable to keep himself awake... so ordered."

She hammered the black gavel down against the stone, and a moment later the wolf went rigid, his eyes flashing open before he looked back and forth as if in surprise, then he glanced over himself with a wince. His fingers jittered against the table, and he began to breathe a bit faster, but it was all a side-effect of the spell as Zerrex took his position at the side of the courtroom and bowed his head respectfully as Sabnock said clearly: "Prosecution, begin."

The Wentaku smiled slightly as he brushed down his own dark robes, slipping out of his seat... and for the next half-hour, Zerrex mostly ignored what was going on before following Sabnock to her chambers at the back of the courtroom as she gave him a look.

He stepped in after her and closed the door, tilting his head curiously as he removed his helm, watching as she strode around her desk and sat down, and she offered him a bit of a smile as she said calmly: "You've served well here, Lord Zerrex. Now that your punishment in the Wrath Circle is up, however, I'm going to have to let you go... but you have my fondest regards and wishes for the best of fortune as you continue through your life in Hell."

"My... today?" Zerrex asked stupidly, and Sabnock nodded seriously as the reptile fumbled his helm, looking down into it for a moment before gazing back up at her with a bit of a smile. "I'd... lost count of the days. The years, no, the years I... always count, because I think of my family and..." Zerrex stopped, looking down before he shook his head slowly and glanced back up quietly. "So what does this mean? Don't I have to go and present myself to King Alastor?"

Sabnock nodded and glanced down at the open schedule on her desk, before she flipped through the binder it was in and murmured: "Yes, I've got it written right here. You can get changed and turn in your uniform now, however, since I have a meeting with the other Magistrates, and then I have to pass judgment on several lost souls like yourself. But in three hours' time, you'll be summoned to see King Alastor. I understand that your other Inquisitors will all pass judgment on you there, too... are you confident that you'll earn a pass?"

Zerrex made a bit of a face, tilting his head from side-to-side. "I'm not sure... I mean... I'm always there on time for the tortures, but... they..." He halted, trying to think of how to phrase it before he laughed a bit and said quietly: "It just became another daily routine for me. I'd file papers and mark essays and exams for Lunata, the Bloody King would poke me with a stick or take some mortal technology to my body, Faulk would be a bastard and then I'd work for you. Faulk might say no just to say no, and Lunata will do anything just to get on my nerves..."

"We'll work something out, then, it'll be fine." Sabnock said dismissively, and then the wolverine stood up and nodded to him respectfully. "You've performed your tasks admirably, Lord Zerrex. I admit that I was wrong about you... but aside from your occasional rudeness, you weren't a problematic student at all."

"So does that mean we'll make out now?" Zerrex asked dumbly, and the wolverine narrowed her eyes and pointed at the door, causing the Drakkaren to wince and quickly slip out, before glancing over his shoulder and giving a bit of a smile. "But thank you for everything, Sabnock. I guess I'll see you around."

The Drakkaren strode back out into the courtroom, then he quickly slid through a side door as a dumb grin spread over his face, pulling of his helm and looking down into it... before his grin faded a bit as he stared at his reflection. He only stood for a moment in the small hallway, and then he murmured quietly: "It was... nice while it lasted, though, wasn't it?"

It was true: the Circle of Wrath had been a terrible place by itself, full of monstrosities Zerrex didn't think should exist on any plane or world... but the work for Sabnock and the Law of Justice had been wonderful, and he'd enjoyed his work as a stablehand more than he could say. He could understand now how Kent could keep the same job for tens of thousands of years, since he still wanted to work with the mounts of Hell and get back to training them and just being around them.

The Drakkaren shook his head a bit as he continued at a slower pace down the hallway, pushing through the swinging door at the end of the hallway and stepping into the small staff room, nodding to the other officers sitting and playing cards around a table as he headed to the bunk room at the back, where some of the officers liked to relax between sessions if they had stacked shifts.

Zerrex kept a spare change of clothes in his personal locker here, and he slipped his uniform off, trying to ignore the looks he felt himself getting from one of the officers resting on the bed and keeping his back to them with a slight smile: either curiosity or a proposition, but right now he wasn't much in the mood for either. He slipped his spare clothes on and brushed at them absently as he shoved his uniform into his helm, and then he headed back out to the main staff room with a sigh of relief that he hadn't been molested, holding his silver longsword by the sheath and tapping the pommel absently against his shoulder.

He headed across the room and put his helm up on the desk, earning a look of surprise from the clerk as he said clearly: "I've just completed my final shift of duty and I'd like to turn in my uniform, Terran."

"Are you serious?" the demon gaped at him, then made a face and paged quickly through a logbook, mumbling: "Shit, that's not good. I have you down to serve a change in schedule for a summons to court and to drop an arrest warrant off at the Eastern Sector Jailor's Station tomorrow..."

"Well, if you have them now, I'd be more than glad to just do both plainclothes." Zerrex said amiably, and he smiled inwardly. Here I am, almost begging for more work after the job. "I'll just hand in my uniform now and submit my reports sometime later in the week, since I just completed my sentence in the Circles."

"Well, congratulations to you then, Zerrex." The demonic armadillo smiled at him, then rubbed at one of his horns awkwardly as he took the uniform off the counter and put it aside, making a bit of a face. "But... I dunno if I'm really permitted to do that or not..."

"Oh, come on, what's going to happen? Besides, Sabnock might be pissy about it but she won't really care, and the jailors don't give a crap what we're wearing." Zerrex said reasonably, before he paused and asked slowly: "Wait. Why was I given the duty to deliver a simple change in schedule? Don't the other law clerks or jailors usually handle that sort of menial duty?"

Terran glanced to the side with a bit of a blush, tapping his fingers awkwardly against the desk, and then Zerrex gave him a flat look. "You want me to go and see someone with a history of violence, don't you? Wait, let me show you how psychic I am." Zerrex reached up and pushed a finger against his forehead, glaring at the armadillo as he half-shrank behind his desk. "It's a suspect that's been arrested before. Someone probably in the Circle of Wrath, or who spent a long-ass time there. It's someone who I might be familiar with, or have even served a summons before. And it's someone who might just turn on a cop or officer or whatever you want to call them just out of spite."

"It's uh... yeah." Terran said meekly, peering up at the Drakkaren with a wince. "That about covers it. I sort of need you to handle this, since we don't really have that many people on hand in terms of muscle... it's um... Balthazar Lochaber, also known as-"

"War Dog. You son of a bitch." Zerrex glowered, crossing his arms and suddenly very glad he had brought a weapon into work today despite the fact he'd only been acting as Officer-General in the courtroom. "That's Ire's second and most-famous serial killer... this isn't a job for the frigging... wait, when the hell did he get out of the Abyss or wherever he went?"

Terran shook his head a bit, leaning to a set of shelves at the side stuffed with papers and books, and then he pulled out a large, dusty tome, brushing it off quickly before paging through it and murmuring: "Let's see... no, it wasn't the Abyss. He was exiled from the Western Province by Prince Raithe a hundred thousand and some years ago to the Circle of Wrath... and about ten months ago he was released from a Pit of Torment. He's never been sentenced to the Abyss, but if he's convicted of this offense, then he'll be permanently banished to there..."

The Drakkaren shook his head a bit, before he sighed and tied his longsword around his belt, looking sour as he asked mildly: "What's the offense this time? I figure it has to do with killing some demons, but, you know, it'd be nice to know a few specifics."

"Um... he's accused of slaughtering most of the chain-gang he was working with in the Wrath Circle before jailors could stop him. They decided to put it before the Courts instead of dealing with punishing him themselves, though, just to finally get him carted off to the Abyss." Terran nodded, and then he unclipped the summons from the page it was on and winced at Zerrex's dark look. "Well, at least you won't have to deal with bringing the guy in..."

"Oh, I'm sure I'll somehow get roped into doing that, too." The Drakkaren responded sourly, and then he took the note and glanced it over before folding it closed and holding out his hand. "I need the police report I'm supposed to drop off, too."

"Arrest warrant." The armadillo corrected, and then he blushed as he quickly put the tome aside and sorted through the logbook, pulling out a small envelope and handing it to the reptile. "It goes to Captain Oda, in Section B, but you can probably just drop it off at the front desk."

The reptile snorted and smiled slightly at this. "And end up getting accused of slacking off when it ends up never being delivered by the lazy-ass secretaries. Take care, Terran. I'll probably see you sometime in the future."

The armadillo nodded, and the lizard turned and created a portal, stepping through this and out in front of the Eastern Sector Station. He glanced down at the address on the envelope to double-check the name, and then made his way through the doors, the other jailors tossing him curious looks but also the occasional smile, and Zerrex nodded back to the few he knew from working down in the Circle of Tragedy for so long.

Twenty minutes later, he walked back out of the busy station, slipping past a jailor half-dragging a shackled demon behind him and walking out to the streets. He paused to watch two massive transports roll slowly by on spiked wheels: not for terror purposes, as many mortals likely would think, but instead simply because of the amount of ice on the ground. Zerrex glanced after it, enthralled as always at the way they had harnessed magic in this world, and then he shook his head as he walked across the street and into a snowy park.

The reptile strode slowly over the icy ground, but by now he was so used to it he barely noticed the slick surface. Around him, the small hills were humped with snow, and the lampposts burned dimly, casting a weak glow over everything as he looked towards the base of the Central Spire in the distance. He paused, then sat down on a bench that was kept clean of snow and water by several warming runes carved into the back of it, and he relaxed as he let his hands drop in his lap and he gazed up towards the sky high above.

From here, it looked like any other night sky in the mortal realm, with the occasional star here and there... but the reptile knew by now they weren't stars, but lost souls floating slowly through the air high above. He watched as several children ran by, laughing and tossing snowballs at each other, and then he shook his head with a quiet chuckle before turning his eyes back up to the sky. It's beautiful... and yet everything here is so sad... but that doesn't take away from its magnificence...

The Drakkaren just sat for a few minutes, taking in the design of the world around him before shaking his head a bit and forcing himself to stand up. He felt almost like this was the last time he'd see this place for some reason... and he made a face, mumbling quietly: "Don't be stupid. I'm sure I'll be back here again within the week to hand in my reports... so... yeah." He paused, then created a portal and added to himself quietly: "I'll be back. I will."

With that, the reptile stepped into the portal and through it, stepping back out onto his current home circle of Wrath and making a face. And it's going to stay my home for a while longer yet until I find a home in the Southern Province... I just hope the Princess doesn't outlaw non-prisoners from owning homes in the Circles or something to screw with me, but either way... this is one place I won't miss once I'm out of it.

The reptile glanced down at the location on the summons, and then he closed his eyes and rose a fist in front of his face, muttering a spell that Sabnock had taught him. He felt a faint burning on palm, and then he opened his fingers to gaze at the coordinates that had appeared on his hand, formed out of ice crystals. He flicked this off with his fingers a moment later and checked the location again with a frown, then glanced off down a path to the north before realizing there was a large hole in the ground ahead of him, and he made a face. "You're kidding me."

Zerrex carefully made his way forwards towards the hole, and he noted an outer door with ‘Trespassers will be Killed' written on it in demonic and an old, flowing Irenic script. Zerrex rose a foot and knocked on it lightly with his heel, and then he called down towards the door: "Balthazar Lochaber! I have a paper here regarding a change in your scheduled court appearance, could you please come out here?"

"Come..." growled a voice, and the trapdoor fell open, revealing a ladder and a plain dirt tunnel. Zerrex heard something sludgy moving slowly down the corridor before there was the crash of a door, and the Drakkaren frowned slightly at this before leaping down into the hole and tucking the paper into his pocket, his hand on the sword as he looked down a long hall of soil. Worms and various foul creatures crawled back and forth along the walls and ceiling, and Zerrex winced as a spider the size of his hand leapt suddenly out of a small hole in the wall and snagged a fat, bulbuous fly on the ground before dragging it quickly back into its home.

In the walls, tree roots twisted and moved like the worms, and Zerrex had the distinct sense he was being watched as he walked down the dim hallway slowly, his eyes automatically adjusting to the shadows as he approached a rusted steel door. He carefully pulled this open, wincing at the screeching sound before frowning as he stared down into a large, square pit filled with garbage and bones. Small trees and long, living vines swayed and coiled out of the walls, and water dripped down from the ceiling and trickled from the earthy walls as Zerrex looked back and forth for any other door, before he called hesitantly: "Uh... sir? Are you here?"

"Come down here..." the gravelly voice whispered, and Zerrex frowned a bit, feeling a chill roll through his body as he noted several larger skulls in the unknowably-deep pile of filth. He pulled out the summons as he remembered the few history lessons he'd learned in life, almost all of them either about Hez'Ranna or the military... but a few also on famous serial killers and mass murderers, and the techniques they had employed.

From what he'd heard, the War-Dog had been an ex-soldier who had started shooting and killing civilians for fun, employing both a long-range rifle and all sorts of deadly and bizarre traps to keep himself and his home safe. It was rumored that he'd taken over a hundred lives in his lifetime... and the reptile thought that going down into the foul pit would be a large mistake on his part. Now that he's become a demon, who knows what the hell's happened to his appetites for blood... "Sir, this is a summons to court on Lam three weeks from now. It's very important that you attend this, as it's a trial for-"

Before Zerrex could react, a tentacle ending in a large, flat spade wrapped tightly around his ankle, and the Drakkaren snarled as he was dragged forcefully off his feet and down into the gunk. Filth and debris exploded upwards as a terrible, massive set of jaws opened hungrily with a loud growl, and Zerrex immediately created a blade of energy in one hand before slashing at the tentacle.

It cut halfway through the thick tendril, and the demon let out a roar of fury as it let go of the Drakkaren's leg, the reptile gagging on the smell as he half-swam backwards through the gunk, trying to find purchase as the monstrosity dived under the wreckage. The Drakkaren spun around as garbage spouted into the air and the thing shot towards him eagerly beneath the filth, and he created a large, flat platform of energy, crawling quickly onto this as a pair of huge jaws nipped hungrily at his heels.

He spun around, drawing his silver sword backwards and dropping to a kneel as he stabbed it down into the garbage, and something screamed in agony as he dug into some hard thing. A moment later, three of the purple tenatacles tore out of the filth and slapped him firmly backwards, however, and Zerrex landed on his back on the filth, once more beginning to sink into it as his platform of energy vanished, the Drakkaren cursing as he looked up towards the wall and snapped a tentacle of his own out of his arm.

It wrapped tightly around one of the black trees growing out of the dirt, and Zerrex jerked himself up to it, catching it with one hand and pulling himself up onto the slick branch as he stabbed his sword down into the black tree. It twisted and writhed a bit beneath him as the vines on the wall snapped harmlessly against his body, blood burbling out of the wound in the wood, and Zerrex muttered a quick exorcism he'd picked up from Selena.

The tree and vines surrounding it immediately fell limp as the three tentacles snapped out of the muck again, searchingly rubbing along the garbage beneath the tree the Drakkaren was on before a face with its features and muzzle so twisted Zerrex couldn't make out what species it was anymore pushed out of the gunk... and then the black eyes of the demon settled on Zerrex before its grey-fleshed jaws opened wide and a long black tongue snapped out, striking the lizard in the face with surprising force and knocking him towards the garbage again.

The Drakkaren twisted in midair with a snarl, extending a hand and creating a solid platform of energy beneath himself, and his entire body flexed with exertion as he kept himself balanced on his single hand for a moment, watching as the creature shot through the garbage as two more of those long tentacles snapped out of the garbage, and all five snapped towards him as Zerrex dropped his feet against the platform of energy and crouched, using it as a shield from any attacks from below.

Two of the long tentacles hammered against the bottom of the platform as the other three lashed towards his face, and Zerrex sliced the spade-shaped head of one of them off as he swayed to the side with a grunt. The demon beneath him howled in pain, retracting its tentacles for a moment, and Zerrex grinned triumphantly as he stood... and then no less than twelve long, purple appendages tore up towards him, shattering through the platform of energy and all of them quickly wrapping around the Drakkaren's limbs and body, hauling him up into the air as he cursed before one of them wrapped tight around his muzzle, blocking his incantations.

He struggled a bit as the demon rose slowly out of the gunk, and Zerrex stared at the massive, misshapen limbs â€" most of which were still buried beneath it â€" but moreover at the enormous muzzle pushing out of its body. It was shaped like a huge pyramid, and lined with huge, barbed teeth... and these gnashed hungrily together as the small, deformed head glared up at him victoriously, the tentacles slowly lowering Zerrex towards the creature's maw...

The reptile closed his eyes, concentrating... and a moment later, his wings tore out of his back, and the white energy ripped through the tentacles wrapped around his body, and the demon's center jaw howled in agony as blood the same ugly color as the fleshy tentacles exploded out of them as most of the thick tendrils disintegrated before Zerrex flapped his wings once and tore back from the rest of the long appendages before he hit the ceiling of the earthy pit with a grunt, wincing and sending down a hail of dirt and a few bugs.

War Dog's tentacles fell away, withering and rotting into worthless hunks of black flesh as the creature retreated under the mound of garbage... and Zerrex glided carefully around the room, his glowing-white wings sparking with energy as he narrowed his eyes. The possessed trees and vines drew away from him as he carefully navigated the cramped quarters, watching for any stir in the garbage... before a massive, clawed hand almost the same size as his body shot out, out of the filth, attached to arm that was thick and flabby until it reached the elbow, where it became thin and gaunt until it attached into one of the thick elbows of the grinning beast below.

Zerrex immediately snapped the silver sword out, half-closing his wings protectively around his body, and War Dog screamed and drew away as several of his fingers were cut cleanly from his hands, the rest of his fingers burnt from contact with the Drakkaren's glowing wings. The demon immediately sank back down into the garbage, and Zerrex let his wings vanish, dropping and landing on a broken wooden door, his eyes narrowed as he shouted: "Enough, War Dog! You're already set to trial... if you keep this up, it's going to turn into an immediate execution!"

War Dog was silent, and the garbage didn't stir or rattle... and Zerrex felt unnerved. Despite his talk, it was too awkward in these close confines to use his wings properly... and he'd felt plenty of pain when War Dog had given him a squeeze. If the demon got a firm grip on him, angel wings or not he'd been squished, and he didn't have the energy to keep creating platforms and fighting awkwardly like that.

"I'm so hungry..." the voice whispered... and a moment later the garbage erupted beneath him, sending the Drakkaren flying backwards before the monster tore out of the filth behind him, and Zerrex turned just in time to see the body-jaws opening hungrily, a long, forked tongue rolling out greedily before the reptile crashed onto it.

He howled in agony as the beast chomped down on him and dragged him down into the filth, feeling blood exploding from his waist as his body was almost halved, and he immediately stabbed viciously over and over into the side of the creature's jaws. It spat him out with a squeal, slashing at him through the garbage he was submerged him as it rapidly backed off, and Zerrex was knocked backwards in a wave of filth and murky water, his eyes shut tight with pain as he fought the urge to vomit, clenching his waist and feeling one of his legs spasming. He turned and fled as quickly as he could manage, swimming through the filth as he heard the monster coming towards him again with a snarl, and the reptile hit the cavern wall before his eyes opened, garbage and sick ooze stinging them as he slammed a hand into the earth wall beside him and shouted an incantation as the monster opened its jaws hungrily and shot towards him-

A long, narrow spike of solid rock shot out of the earth wall and into the creature's open mouth, and War Dog's huge hands slammed into the wall of the cavern wall as he jerked backwards, howling again in pain and retreating into the back of the garbage-filled pit as Zerrex clawed up the cavern wall to pull himself towards the surface of the gunk. He snapped a hand out, and a tentacle shot up and wrapped tightly around a tree above, before Zerrex hauled himself up, grasping the slick surface and hanging for a moment as he panted hard, trying not to look at the horrible wound in his midsection or the pus and gunk leaking out of it. Poison or demonic infection... gotta find a way to kill him fast.

Zerrex hauled himself up onto the branch as War Dog rose out of the garbage and looked up, scanning the walls quickly before his eyes settled on Zerrex, and he opened his jaws, and his long black tongue snapped out. The Drakkaren ducked with a wince, and the creature's tongue wrapped tightly around the tree... and Zerrex leaned forwards with a curse as it began to yank it free of the wall, and he slashed the silver sword firmly downwards.

It drew back with a scream of agony and fury as the chunk of tongue coiled around the tree burnt away to ashes, the rest that hadn't been chopped off withdrawing down into the garbage and spouting blood... and Zerrex stabbed the sword into the wall, snarling but feeling panic rising at the nausea and weakness that was beginning to rise in his form... and he aimed one hand down at the garbage below as he shouted an incantation that he'd learned from Selena.

A spark of flame shot from his hand and collided with the garbage, and it immediately caught fire despite how wet it was and greedily began to spread as War Dog shrieked in terror. Soon, there was an inferno beneath the Drakkaren as the walls shook violently, part of the ceiling collapsing and leaving a gaping hole out to the surface... and Zerrex created his wings as he leapt forwards, ripping his sword and shooting outwards, flying free through the gap before his wings sparked out of existence and he fell, landing heavily on his stomach and skidding along the floor of Hell before dropping his head to the ground, groaning quietly as agony tore through his body.

Howls and screams rose up from somewhere beneath the ground as it continued to rumble... and a moment later a massive hand tore out of the earth fifty feet or so away, and Zerrex cursed as he slowly forced himself up to his feet, panting hard and snarling a bit as War Dog tore his way out of the ground... and Zerrex stared in horror at the creature as it emerged fully, walking slowly forwards on all fours.

It was now covered in burns and smoking a bit, and it possessed legs that looked almost exactly like its arms, but these had joints that looked as if they could bend in any direction. It leaned forwards towards Zerrex, shaking its head quickly as several long purple tentacles tore free from its warty, pustule-ridden back, snapping around its body as a short, stubby tail twisted back and forth, before it leaned forwards and roared from its center jaws, the world seeming to tremble at that sound.

It began to lumber quickly forwards, black eyes set on Zerrex... and the Drakkaren staggered up to his feet and cocked the silver sword back, taking careful aim at the slow, awkward creature before throwing the blade hard forwards, and the hilt bounced off the demon's face as Zerrex cursed angrily at himself at his bad timing. The monster was stunned nonetheless, as it veered off to the side and skidded to a halt, shaking its head violently back and forth... and Zerrex moved in a stumbling run to its other side as he looked for some sort of vulnerability in the monster... It's more of a Wrath demon than I am... this is what they must mean by demons that mutate to reveal their true nature completely...

He ducked as the creature turned towards him, raising up on its legs for a moment before lunging forwards with one claw, and Zerrex rolled to the side and dropped flat as a tentacle snapped over his head. He scrabbled back to his feet a moment later, then ran towards the creature instead of away from it to leap onto its back, and War Dog let out a grunt as it rose up and looked back and forth in shock, twisting back and forth as his tentacles coiled back on themselves to try and sweep at Zerrex uselessly.

Zerrex crawled between them, then attempted to create a blade of energy... but he couldn't focus enough through the haze now burning in his head to create anything more than an arc of blue around his hand, and so he did the next best thing, leaning forwards over the creature's head and simply clawing into the monstrosity's eyes with his fingers. It screamed and began to buck and twist wildly, falling onto its side and jerking back and forth as Zerrex yelled incoherently at the same time, seizing the top of its skull by its eye sockets and leaning back, putting his full strength into pulling on the creature's head as blood, eye fluid, and goo that had once made up its eyes leaked down its cheeks.

A moment later, Zerrex tore back its skull like he was tearing open a stubborn lid on a chest, and it arched its back with a howl, trying unsuccessfully to flop onto its back thanks to its massive limbs... and a moment later the Drakkaren slammed his fist down into the demon's brain. It jerked and spasmed wildly, and then it let out a long groan before slumping forwards, and it tentacles evaporated into streams of darkness as its body slowly turned dead white.

Zerrex fell off the creature and crawled forwards a few feet, before he vomited black and yellow bile... and he trembled as he stared at the sick white maggots twisting back and forth in his puke before he rolled onto his back and howled: "Sin!"

He tried to sit up... then fell back... but he was caught by a pair of strong hands, and he stared dumbly up at Vampire, who cursed under his breath before shouting: "Captain! Captain, goddammit, don't you give in! Stay awake, motherfucker!"

"You're wearing the collar..." Zerrex said weakly, and Vampire snorted but didn't smile, his eyes filled with... is that concern? Did we care about each other in the Legion? Where am I... oh, right... Hell... "I gave you that... right?"

"Don't talk, Lord Zerrex." Sin's voice said quietly but firmly, and Vampire looked up in surprise as she knelt on his other side and scanned one hand quickly over his body, before murmuring softly: "You have to stop treating your body like this... this damage is more than severe, you should have fled, you're nowhere near as strong as that pure Wrath demon was..."

"And that's why the Captain always comes out on top." Vampire said quietly, and Zerrex closed his eyes and slumped a bit, feeling his nausea beginning to vanish before he arched his back with a cry of pain as something began to spasm inside his stomach as a burning agony tore down his abdominals. "What the hell are you... what the fuck is that? Fucking shit!"

He opened his eyes, then stared at Sin snarling and slowly wrestling a massive white worm out of his stomach, before she threw it in the air and pointed at it, and it simply exploded as she murmured: "A parasite... Corporal Vampire, would you please ensure that none of them are crawling out of that demon's corpse and exterminate them if they are? Use magic, though, touching them is extremely dangerous for a demon like yourself."

"Alright..." Vampire said uncertainly, and Zerrex smiled a bit. Magic wasn't much Vampire's thing either... since he was still nearly-indestructible, even by Hell's standards, he was still the simple charge-in-and-flail-madly type. Probably why we get along...

Zerrex let out another groan as he felt more pain rolling through his body, but when he opened his eyes, everything seemed clearer as he looked up at Sin, rasping and coughing a bit, the sour taste of puke clogging his mouth and nostrils: "Looks like I owe you my life yet again, Sin... I must have drained most of your magical healing power crap away by now, though."

"It recharges, which you know as well as I do." she murmured, and Zerrex realized dumbly he hadn't exactly made much of a joke as she added hesitantly: "I'm like a battery."

They exchanged faint smiles before Vampire began to yell a stream of obscenities and there was a loud splatter, and then he cursed as Sin stood up and shook her head a bit, saying softly: "I'll be right back, Lord Zerrex... try not to move around too much. I'm going to get rid of that body... it worries me a lot."

The Drakkaren nodded quietly as he pulled himself slowly backwards a few feet, away from the corpse of War Dog... and he watched as Sin simply seemed to reach into Vampire's body before pulling out another of those wriggling parasites as the black wolf winced and blushed deeply in his golden armor, watching as Sin tossed it away and blew it up at a safe distance again, before the Drakkaren stared as one of those parasites crawled quickly out to his left, then turned towards him. The reptile winced and looked back and forth, then picked up a rock as it reared back before launching itself at him, and he threw the stone hard at it.

It bounced off the worm and knocked it flying backwards with a squeal as Zerrex yelled hoarsely: "There's another one over here, Sin, I-"

She pointed at it from where she stood, and it blew into pieces as Zerrex covered his face with a wince. A moment later, she turned back towards the corpse and closed her eyes, holding her hands out towards it and chanting softly under her breath.

The body trembled violently... and then it slowly faded out of view, leaving only what Zerrex thought was a massive white orb behind. A moment later it fell apart, however, and at least a hundred of those thick white parasites fell to the ground as a massive, gigantic white worm with a huge black beak unfurled itself and reared up with a loud hiss, its back trembling and twitching for a few moments before tearing apart as long purple tentacles ripped out of it, the spade heads leaning down and flinging white worms in every direction.

Zerrex covered his face in horror, and then he blinked as glasslike dome appeared over himself and Vampire, who was wincing back as if he wanted to cry. But the worms only bounced uselessly off the domes, before several intrepid worms tried to bury into the earth, and Zerrex cursed under his breath before pushing his hands into the ground and muttering an incantation to turn it to solid stone beneath his body.

The worms near Vampire, however, turned their attention to Sin... but she seemed to be ignoring them before she clenched her eyes shut, and a moment later a bloody Seethe Hound tore out from under her long dress and viciously began to tear through the worms around her. Sin relaxed a moment later, breathing a long sigh before holding her hands out to the side and closing her eyes... and then she raised them slowly, palms towards the sky.

The worms trembled violently as the queen worm looked towards Sin with a long hiss, but Sin ignored it as the Seethe Hound returned under her dress... and as her hands rose higher, the worms floated into the air like a sick white snow, before she clenched her hands shut, and they exploded like firecrackers. Chunks of worm splattered in every direction as the queen worm howled and reared back, before slamming down towards her... but Sin almost absently batted the gigantic monstrosity aside with one hand, knocking the creature onto its back as the domes vanished from around Vampire and Zerrex.

She strode up to it as it attempted to quickly crawl away, before simply smacking its body with one hand, and the creature arched its back as it turned first orange, then darkened to red, a rising hiss filling the air as Zerrex and Vampire automatically covered their faces... and a moment later it shrieked and went up in a puff of flame that turned immediately to ashes and floated away in the wind.

The Drakkaren slowly forced himself up to his feet as Sin turned around and bowed to them both with a blush, Vampire gaping stupidly before she looked at Zerrex with concern and murmured quietly: "Please, Lord Zerrex... I... you aren't well..."

"Yeah, well... this place scares me." Zerrex muttered, before he winced as he began to walk towards his silver sword... but Vampire quickly shook his head before running over to it and sweeping it up, then heading over to Zerrex with a dumb grin and holding it out. The reptile gave him a dryly-amused look in return, and he took it with a slightly-trembling hand as he added sourly: "I'll be glad to get out of this Circle, that's for sure..."

"Let's go to your home for now, then... are you coming as well, Corporal Vampire?" Sin asked curiously, and the demon wolf glanced over at Zerrex before shaking his head a bit with a grunt.

"Nah, but I'll show up soon... I just got myself reassigned to the Southern Province, so it was pure luck that I came across you, Cap'n." he paused, then made a face and shook his head with a slight grin, patting Zerrex firmly on the shoulder before wincing at the way the reptile groaned and tilted a bit in pain. "Oops. But uh... yeah, I was just sent out on a routine check since like... we got a report of the sound of some fight breaking out. Fuck me but that was a scary motherfucker."

Zerrex muttered something sourly under his breath, then he patted Vampire's arm lightly and gave him a smile. "Take care of yourself, huh? Today's my last day here in Wrath, so I should have a lot more free time after this."

Vampire nodded and grinned slightly. "So long as no one else tries to kill your face, right? But alright, I'll see you around then, Captain." The demon-wolf bowed deeply, before he coughed and blushed, looking over at Sin and offering another stupid grin as she glanced down embarrassedly, before looking up in surprise as he mumbled: "Thank you, Lady Sin, for takin' care of the big bastard here. It's an honor to meet you."

Sin murmured something meekly in return, and Vampire created a portal before stepping through it. Zerrex let out a sigh and then reached up to create his own, but then he blinked slowly as dark energy only sparked in place for a moment, and the female created a black portal, looking over him with concern. "You've taken some very serious damage, Lord Zerrex... please don't try to exert yourself at all for the rest of today. You've lost almost all your energy."

He nodded as she walked over, then mumbled embarrassedly as she slipped his arm over her shoulders and carried him quietly through the portal... and her body was warm against him. He closed his eyes, breathing a bit harder, and for a moment he wanted her more than he'd ever wanted anyone else, this female who resembled his mother ninety percent of the time... and Sin seemed to see into his thoughts as she looked at him and blushed deeply.

Then she set him down on the futon, and Zerrex's eyes rolled up in his head in agony and whatever arousal had been there vanished as he felt something give away inside his stomach, before he looked at Sin and said miserably: "I think one of my kidneys just fell out of place."

Sin frowned and dropped to a kneel by him immediately, grunting a bit in pain before she carefully pressed her hands against his abdominals and felt gently along his stomach, and she sighed after a moment, murmuring: "Not a kidney. Something else..." A long pause, before she shook her head slowly. "Your appendix is ruptured... I'm going to remove the remains and treat the damage. I thought mortals usually had it removed?"

"I never had a problem with it before now..." Zerrex mumbled, before he added in a voice he tried hard to keep the panic out of: "But seriously, I felt something fall out of place inside my body, like... right down there..."

He tapped the right side of his stomach, and Sin sighed a bit before rubbing her fingers slowly along his body. She paused, then shook her head slowly. "It's just more damage... your intestines were shredded by the parasite. Just close your eyes for me, Lord Zerrex, and I'll numb the pain while I heal your body..."

The Drakkaren did so as she murmured an incantation, but he winced at the feeling of his body being cut apart and pulled open. It took Sin almost twenty minutes to remove the damaged organ, and then another ten to start healing him... and by then the pain had returned to full force, and Zerrex was absently wishing to either die or be completely fixed. Before he could complain about this, however, a portal opened and Sabnock walked through, looking grimly over at him.

"You're an idiot." she said clearly after a moment, and Zerrex shrugged in agreement before she sighed and sat down, shaking her head slowly. "I'm not going to ask for the details of the fight, because I've known you long enough that you only respond with force... you rarely start confrontations yourself. But why didn't you run? Look at the state you're in now..."

Zerrex made a face as Sin finished healing him, and as he sat up, he felt the pain slowly beginning to recede. He smiled faintly to Sin, who nodded to him respectfully, and then he glanced over to Sabnock, saying quietly: "I just... can't run from a fight, that's all. And that's the way I've always been."

"Well, you're going to be late for your meeting with King Alastor, if we wait much longer." Sabnock muttered, shaking her head slowly and creating a portal. Zerrex nodded a bit as he forced himself to his feet with a grunt, and she looked a bit sympathetic despite everything as the reptile slowly walked over to her, brushing at his torn clothes. "Perhaps you should change, at least..."

"I'll be fine." Zerrex waved a hand, shaking his head a bit and making a face. "Let's just get this over with."

Sabnock nodded, then created a portal... and for only the second time over the last ten thousand years, Zerrex stepped into the lobby of the long security hallway. Again, he was stopped by Wrath minotaurs, who searched Zerrex up and down but left Sabnock untouched, and the reptile reflected this might go exactly the same as last time, except with Sabnock instead of Selena.

When they reached the main hall, however, Zerrex saw Alastor already sitting in his throne and looking moody, six Gigataurs in the massive hall in front of the security-laser-protected throne area, and there were another two Gigataurs and Alastor's Wentaku advisor on the other side of the arch.

Standing in a line were his three other Inquisitors: Lunata, the Bloody King, and Faulk... and then Zerrex walked slowly up ahead of them before he glanced to the side of the room and an expression of surprise crossed his face at the sight of Selena, Queen Carmen in a shifted-down form, and oddest of all, White Phoenix, who was looking at him measuringly with his arms crossed. The Drakkaren looked back towards Alastor as he took his place in front of the Inquisitors, and then his eyes flicked up towards a corner of the room... and he saw a cloaked figure floating in the top corner, the cowl pushed slightly back so he could see Celestial's eyes burning red out from under the hood.

She looked grim, and Zerrex fought to draw his eyes back down from her, swallowing thickly and wondering how the hell she'd snuck in here before Alastor tented his fingers and leaned forwards curiously. "Lord Zerrex... you look like you were just in a fight."

"I was." The Drakkaren said plainly, making a face as he rubbed at his throat. He could still taste puke, despite the cleansing spells Sin had repeatdly cast on him during her impromptu magical surgery... and then he shook his head a bit. "So sorry to show up rather... messy."

"That's fine..." Alastor said mildly, before he leaned over to the Wentaku â€" what was his name? Sunny? No, that wasn't it at all... â€" and murmured something, and the Wentaku sighed before pushing his hands together, and a plain black robe appeared in front of the Drakkaren. "Go ahead, put it on. Germ-free, guaranteed."

"Thank you..." Zerrex said slowly, and he slid the robe on as Carmen closed her eyes and slowly rubbed her forehead with one hand, Selena simply rolling her own black irises. The Drakkaren found the robe a bit tight but comfortable enough... and then an awkward silence spiraled out before the reptile cleared his throat a bit. "So, King Alastor... uh..."

"Oh, right." Alastor sat up a bit in his throne, looking embarrassed, and Zerrex realized he had been watching his handheld television as he fumbled this before hiding it back in the confines of his robes, clearing his throat. "Lord Zerrex, you may step to the side... Magistrate Sabnock, please step forwards with Mistress Selena."

Zerrex walked off to the side, watching curiously as the two stepped forwards, both bowing deeply as they stood on the center carpet, and Alastor cleared his throat before asking in a clear voice: "You two were responsible for sharing the training of Lord Zerrex, is this correct?" A pause as they both nodded. "Has he learned a satisfactory amount over his time in Wrath?"

The two looked at each other, then Sabnock held a hand out towards Selena and bowed slightly, and the ex-Inquisitor smiled slightly before stepping forwards and nodding, saying in a clear voice: "King Alastor, Lord Zerrex is a physical fighter. He uses brawn, not intelligence, to overwhelm the enemy in most cases... but considering his unique abilitie with his own energy powers that may conflict with his learning of magic, I have to say yes. Training him in physical combat is almost pointless, as he already excels at this; his energy powers have grown tenfold over his time in Wrath; and finally, Lord Zerrex has learned even several advanced spells and has continued to pursue his studies even during the worst of times."

"Impressive." King Alastor said almost drolly, and Zerrex smiled despite himself, covering his muzzle with one hand as he realized the demon was back to watching his small handheld television. "Uh... Selena, you can step aside... Magistrate Sabnock, I have another question for you... do you think Lord Zerrex has successfully completed his punishment in the Hell of Wrath, or should he be made to suffer a five-hundred-thousand year punishment in this dark realm?"

Zerrex started, staring in horror at the possible sentence he could face: but Sabnock only nodded and said clearly: "Lord Zerrex has greatly exceeded my expectations. He has not only personally trained more than five thousand mounts over his many years working in the stables, he has also worked diligently as a servant of the people and showed a great desire to follow the laws and rules of Hell, despite the fact he sometimes... takes his job a bit too seriously."

She smiled slightly over at the Drakkaren, and Zerrex shook his head slightly, looking sourly amused as Alastor motioned her back, before wincing as he looked up from the television. "What do you think, Inquisitor Laurence? Is Lord Zerrex fit to leave the Circle of Wrath?"

Without any hesitation, the Bloody King nodded firmly once, and then to the Drakkaren's surprise, he turned towards Zerrex and pushed his hands together as if in prayer, giving him the smallest of nods before turning and leaving. The reptile stared in shock after this, and Faulk looked almost queasy even through the executioner's mask he wore. Alastor also looked stunned... before he smiled slightly and looked at Lunata, who was reading a book. "Inquisitor Lunata?"

"No, I feel Lord Zerrex needs a much harsher punishment... I recommend one million years in the Hell of Wrath, followed by the same sentence to be repeated in the Hell of Pride." she said nastily, looking over at Zerrex with a frown and then holding up her book. "I have here more than a hundred thousand instances of audacious behavior and rebellious thoughts and actions, and I would like to submit them to you as proof of his ignorance."

Alastor sighed, looking morbidly over at his Wentaku advisor, who sighed and muttered an enchantment as he clasped his hands together tightly, and he vanished into thin air before reappearing a moment later with a whistle, holding out a hand. Lunata looked victorious as she held out the notebook, and Zerrex glanced up curiously as Carmen's eyes glowed and her mouth moved in a quick incantation.

The Wentaku vanished, but when he reappeared, the book was gone... and he stared stupidly at his empty hands before exchanging stupefied looks with Alastor as Lunata scowled, before the demon King said in a voice that was almost relieved: "Well now, that's too bad... but it appeared your book was obliterated during teleportation or sent to some random location by a random pulse. But I'll still take your comment into consideration. Please step back, Inquisitor Lunata... Inquisitor Faulk.

"I second Inquisitor Lunata's motion!" Faulk said angrily, striding forwards and half-shoving the Rakshasa out of the way as she tried to walk back to her position, the female giving a yelp as she was bowled over and glaring at the crocodilian Slaver as he gestured furiously. "And we all know that it was Zerrex who did that, or one of his cohorts..."

He broke off as he received deadly glares from around the room, and then King Alastor turned his handheld television off and put it aside, tenting his fingers and saying quietly: "You forget yourself, Inquisitor. You are here to judge Lord Zerrex, not to lay charges, especially not against those ‘cohorts' who include a Queen of Hell, a Magistrate even older and far-wiser than myself, and an ex-Inquisitor with a strength you could never match. Please step back to your position, Inquisitor Faulk."

Faulk mumbled an apology as he stepped back, his head lowered... and Alastor sighed a bit before tenting his fingers and saying mildly: "Normally, at this point, Lord Zerrex would be sentenced to a term of at least half a million years, to the full double-term that the two Inquisitors have recommended. But taking into consideration possible bias on both sides, I'm also going to take into consideration the recommendations of Queen Carmen of Lust, Miss Selena, who has trained and watched over Lord Zerrex for many years now, and a Judge of Death, White Phoenix, who is impartial but also has met and learned about Lord Zerrex

"They have all recommended that Lord Zerrex be set freed. And so at a vote of five-to-two, Lord Zerrex... today you receive your freedom." King Alastor stood up and bowed deeply, giving a bit of a smile. "Congratulations. You are no longer a prisoner, but a citizen of Hell as of today... and on a side note, the Princess has requested you meet with her immediately following this meeting. You are all excused."

Alastor picked up his little television and left, the Wentaku â€" Zulu, that's his name! â€" following behind the demonic canid as he turned his television back on and began to watch again in fascination. Zerrex shook his head slowly as the shutter closed slowly over the archway, and then he turned around as Faulk glared at him before skulking off, and Lunata looked at him sourly before glancing over at Selena and smiling at her adoringly as she passed by. "Miss Selena, hey, it's-"

Selena turned around and punched Lunata hard in the face, and the Rakshasa went down with a loud squeal of pain as the Gigataurs glanced over at her... but none of them seemed very intent on doing anything to help her as she looked at the demoness with horror. The female leaned down with a snarl as she put her hands on her hips, and then shouted: "Leave me the fuck alone, you dumb cow! Fuck, what do you want, some sympathy or a fuck after I just watched you try and torch my friend? Get a life, you dumb, worthless, egotistical, feminist whore!"

Lunata scampered away, breaking into a loud wail as she ran for the doors, and Selena turned moodily around as Sabnock and Carmen both stared at her, but she shrugged and looked defensively back and forth before grinning triumphantly as Zerrex said admirably: "That was epic."

"I'm epic. So fuck you, Sabnock." Selena said with a grin, leaning over to her, but Sabnock only rolled her eyes before giving a curt nod to Zerrex, and the Drakkaren bowed his head respectfully to her as she created a portal and stepped through it. The demoness looked almost disappointed, then shook her head a bit and muttered: "She's never really been one for long goodbyes."

"It takes all kinds of people to keep even Hell running." Carmen patted Selena firmly on the back, smiling at her before walking over to Zerrex and giving him a tight hug, the Drakkaren wheezing as she squeezed him tightly and only managing to pat her on the back lightly in return. "I just wanted to make sure you were still in top condition... and damn, you look like shit but I bet I'd still have a fuck of a time beating you in an arm-wrestle."

Zerrex snorted at this as Carmen grabbed his shoulders with a grin, and the lizard nodded before reaching up to squeeze one of her thickly-muscled biceps, saying mildly: "I dunno about that. You've got some impressive guns here yourself, after all, and I might not be able to match your strength even if I didn't just have my ass handed to me. I keep getting reminded there are lots of things in Hell stronger than me these days, after all."

"What the fuck did you fight, anyway?" Carmen asked curiously, poking his chest firmly. She paused, then stroked a hand over his face and smiled slightly. "After all, I hear you're a hell of a looker in your true form..."

"I think of this as my true form still..." Zerrex glanced down at his hands, before he smiled a bit as he poked Carmen's currently-flat chest back. "But I was serving a summons to a demon, the War Dog of Ire, and he kinda kicked my ass and had all these... parasite things..." Zerrex made a face, twiddling his fingers as he added sourly: "Big worm things bother me. It's a good thing Sin was there or I likely would've been eaten by now."

Carmen rolled her eyes, sighing theatrically as she clung on to Zerrex... and the Drakkaren noticed Selena look at her with something like jealousy. "You Wrath demons. So sexy, so fun, and yet so utterly stupid... but come on now. We may as well at least walk out together..."

The demon Queen winked and took his hand, lacing their fingers together, before someone quietly cleared their throat behind him... and Zerrex turned around, at first thinking it was Celestial, but instead seeing White standing there. He glanced at the females, and Carmen and Selena exchanged a look before the gold-scaled Amazon let go of his hand, looking at him longingly. "I guess I'll catch you later then, Lord Zerrex... but stop by my palace sometime, huh? There's a no-Feldspars-allowed policy, too, and we can set up a very nice welcome for you..."

She winked again as she strode away, and Selena followed the lizard's gaze first to Carmen... then up to the corners of the room, but Celestial had vanished. She frowned a bit, then shook her head slowly and said softly: "I'll be waiting for at the end of the hall, Zer."

The female turned and left, looking over her shoulder at the reptile thoughtfully, and then Zerrex turned his eyes back to White, who was looking up at him mildly. He opened his mouth, but White shook his head immediately and said softly: "No need to thank me, I was just repaying part of what I owe you. But I heard a long time ago you were looking for information on the Heartstone of Mephistopheles... and I can sense another being trapped inside you right now, a godling in fact..."

White paused for a few long moments, then stroked slowly under his own muzzle, looking up into the Drakkaren's eyes. "Normally I wouldn't talk about this, not to anyone... but I've heard a lot about you. I heard you've killed everything from demons to Naganatine, and that you were part of the group that slew the Naganatine Twins... and I also heard you're not a Daius, as most people think for whatever damn fool reason, but an Incarnation. Yet you still hold yourself like you're just some lizard stuck in Hell on a business trip.

"You're interesting." White said finally, nodding slowly and crossing his arms. "And you seem strong enough to resist your natural demonic urges, so..." He hesitated for a long moment, then said quietly: "I'll show you the Heartstone of Mephistopheles and... how to use its powers. But you have to promise me you won't give in to it, or the primal urges it'll bring on you..."

He halted, then took off his hat and glanced down, saying softly: "I gave into it, and that's how I ended up here. I don't know if I'm doing you a favor or bestowing another curse on you by doing this, Lord Zerrex, but that Heartstone is the crystallized essence of perhaps the most powerful being ever to exist. It has unfathomable powers, and it'll be more than enough to break whatever seal the scholars have put on you... but it could also be your downfall.

"I have to get back to my duties, but I'll find you, maybe a few years from now, maybe more, whenever I can find a break between my own punishments." He smiled grimly, putting his hat back on and tipping it to Zerrex. "And to answer your question, no, I'm not technically a demon myself. But I've talked more than enough for now."

He strode towards the doors, then paused and glanced over his shoulder, adding quietly: "But you watch your back, Lord Zerrex. Even if you keep a low profile, the stronger you become, the more the Monarchs will want to use you and the more enemies you'll make. Don't make the same mistakes here you made in life, because down in Hell, those mistakes might cost you more than just your life."

With that, he turned and left, and Zerrex stood for a few moments before a Gigataur poked him lightly from behind and peered down at him. The reptile turned around, half-expecting a fight... and then the Gigataur grinned toothily and kneeled down over him, Zerrex wincing back as it said cheerfully: "Hey, Lord Zerrex! Do you remember me? I met you on that island metropolis you mortals called Lunis."

Zerrex blinked a few times, then he stared stupidly as he remembered the minotaur Cherry had charmed. "But... back then..."

"Yeah, I know, isn't it great?" The Gigataur clapped his hands together as the others looked nervously at Zerrex, before he held out a huge hand and smiled. "My name's Frank... I decided to take a mortal name after you mortals spared my life and freed me from Az'Iriel's army."

I now know a Gigataur named Frank. Wonderful. "It's... a pleasure to meet you, Frank." Zerrex reached up to shake its hand, then stared as his own was engulfed. I now know how I made everyone else feel back on the mortal realm. "We'll have to get together sometime and talk about how life's been since the escape... it's... good to meet you, though."

"Yeah, I'll stop by sometime, and you can always come into the city and find me! I live off Kanna road, in Orbek." Frank nodded several times, then he gave Zerrex a firm pat on the shoulder and almost knocked him over. "You'll be able to find the place no problem, I think."

"Yeah, I'll... keep that in mind." The Drakkaren said unenthusiastically, but Frank didn't seem to notice as the reptile rose a hand and toddled off towards the doors, before picking up his pace to a slow walk as he winced and rubbed at his back slowly, ignoring the skeletal mages that were arguing with each other and attempting to fix one of the scanning runes that had tilted to the side. I meet the weirdest people...

The reptile emerged into the lobby, and he and Selena exchanged a tight hug before she cleared her throat embarrassedly, taking his hands and looking down as she mumbled: "So um... I guess that's it then, huh? I can find a place in the Lust Circle or at Lily's encampment if you want me to get lost, since you're a free citizen now..."

"I never want to be free of you." Zerrex squeezed her hands firmly, and then he leaned forwards impulsively and kissed her cheek, and Selena blushed a bit, before glaring at the Wrath minotaurs behind the Drakkaren, who both quickly looked away. Zerrex shook his head a bit, then he patted Selena's cheek gently and added mildly: "Just remember the rules. If you bring home someone to have sex with or a boyfriend, you have to do it in the other room."

Selena looked at him irritably as he created a portal, before he smiled sourly at her. "Give me some credit. My body's busted and I'm off to see the Princess. I have to do something to entertain myself before I end up in a cage again."

"Watch your ass." Selena warned, and then she watched Zerrex go, making a face and creating her own portal as she softened. "I'll be waiting for you..."

The Drakkaren's portal had already closed, however, as he walked slowly along the balcony towards the open doors and into the Throne Room of the Central Spire... and the Princess laughed quietly as the Drakkaren approached slowly and knelt ten feet away from the throne. "Excellent, Lord Zerrex... most excellent..."

She was surrounded as always by her concubines... and Zerrex noticed that Feldspar was present today, sitting once more by the Princess's side and looking supreme, a massive, gold and red scepter in one hand that ended in a round, crown-shaped top with a massive hammer-head sticking out of either side just below this. She was also wearing a light chainmail hauberk instead of her usual mortal clothes, and golden armor that usually was reserved for Royal Guards, obviously just back from the fields of battle.

Seated on the other side of the Princess was Sin... and she was looking down desolately as the Princess said softly: "I'm glad I was able to keep such a close eye on you throughout this little excursion, Lord Zerrex... but now the time has come to truly see how you fair in Hell. I expect you to move out of the Circle of Wrath by the end of the week, and I know you have more than enough money to do so... and Queen Feldspar has offered to help you find a suitable home near the Garden of Salt, her own wonderful little villa. I think that would be excellent, don't you?"

Zerrex nodded and murmured: "Yes, your ladyship. Most excellent indeed." They're getting along again? What's going on here?

"By the way, Lord Zerrex... your coronation ceremony as King will be soon. Since Feldspar's other partners are all long deceased, it makes you a King of the Southern Provinces." the Princess continued gently, and Zerrex looked up in shock as she added easily: "And just so you know... as a King, you'll be expected to attend any meetings I call and to behave as the other Monarchs of Hell do... and I'd rather you not flirt so much with the lower classes. Yes, Lord Zerrex, I'll be keeping a close eye on you, since it's obvious you prefer I don't know what you're up to."

The Princess's eyes glinted, and Zerrex met her emerald irises evenly with his own matching eyes. For a few moments, they wrestled mentally, but again Zerrex managed to shove her firmly out of his mind and close the door... but it only seemed to amuse her all the more as she added idly: "Your privacy concerns or not, you will serve me... and you'll be kept busy for the next while day and night by the coronation ceremony, the parties, and your first duties, I assure you..."

Zerrex tried not to grit his teeth as Feldspar swayed dreamily back and forth, a terrible image in her current clothing and armor, before he nodded and said coldly: "It's an honor I don't deserve, your Excellency. I look forwards to serving you and my kingdom to the best of my ability..."

"I'm sure you do." The Princess said dryly, before she glanced over him as her eyes glowed. "And just to ensure you don't forget your position..."

She held up a hand, and Zerrex choked as a collar of silvery metal appeared around his neck, clutching at it even as he felt runes scraping over it, and the Princess said darkly: "I am still your Mistress, no matter what position you hold or how powerful you become... and I will always be stronger. Is this understood?"

"Yes..." Zerrex rasped, and the collar tightened for a moment, choking him before he managed out: "Yes... Mistress."

"Much better." The Princess smiled slightly and lowered her hand, and the collar loosened slowly. "I know you'll manage to get that collar off soon enough one way or the other... but I don't think it matters. I've made my point very clearly now." She paused, then waved a hand absently. "You may leave. Concubines, it's time for Service."

Zerrex grunted and turned, walking out of the throne room before he heard feet run up behind him, and Feldspar hugged him quickly with one arm, grinning slightly as she leaned beside him and whispered: "Did you really think I was an idiot all these years, Lord Zerrex? No... I'm not half the fool I've been playing."

The Drakkaren felt a chill roll through him as she slowly wrapped her arm around his waist and kissed the back of his neck, speaking quietly: "Now you're mine, though... you're going to be a King, and I'll always be able to watch you and know what you're doing. I love you, and I won't lose you to anyone... not Lilith, not Selena, not Sin, not even the Princess... you'll be my perfect toy, but mine alone..."

Zerrex felt both relieved and terrified: on the one hand, she was still a moron who only thought she wasn't a moron... but on the other, she had just confirmed his worry that she was a jealous psychopath who was more enraptured with his power than him. He coughed as pried free from her and turned around... but she was already leaving with a cruel grin over her shoulder, adding in a teasing voice: "Just wait until your coronation night, Lord Zerrex... I'll prove to you how much you mean to me then... just as you'll prove to me what you really feel..."

The reptile felt a chill as he turned away and headed quickly out to the balcony, and he created a portal, stepping through it and feeling numb. He fell over on the futon as Selena stared at him from the couch, and then she asked with a frown: "Was it that bad again?"

"It was worse." Zerrex mumbled, and he looked up at the ceiling with a quiet sigh, not wanting to talk about it right now as he simply repeated: "It was much worse."

Selena only looked at him for a few moments... then, perhaps sensing now wasn't a time to talk about anything serious, she cleared her throat and said mildly: "You know, I've always been polite about my boyfriends. But none of them ever lasted longer than a decade, either, I'd like to point out."

"That's longer than most mortal relationships." Zerrex muttered, rolling over to her and making a face. "Want to know how long my marriages lasted before they dissolved? One, I admit, wasn't my fault, but... stupid... everything."

He grunted as he rolled back onto his back, and Selena rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, looking at him sourly. "I'm trying to lighten the fucking mood here, stop being so goddamn... dismal." She paused, then added dryly: "But seriously, ten years ain't long in Hell. I've just never really connected with anyone that well... they all end up seeming like pussies, and I like to take my cock out every now and then."

"I wonder sometimes if your real name is Selena or Samuel." Zerrex mumbled, then he made a face as she growled at him. "Well, it's true! But every time we've had sex, you've always wanted to be on bottom. In fact, I remember several times where I-"

"Shut up!" Selena snapped, blushing deeply, and the Drakkaren looked at her with amusement as she crossed her arms before mumbling: "We all have certain needs, okay? Just how I can point out times where you didn't mind sucking me off."

"I would like to point out that I was eating you out, and you randomly decided to produce a penis." Zerrex said sourly, and now he blushed a bit. "What was I supposed to do, just stop completely? You said I could only get off after you got off."

There was an awkward silence, and then Selena mumbled: "I think I want to spend the rest of my life like this with you."

"I think I know what you mean." Zerrex gazed up at the ceiling, and then tilted his head towards her, the two smiling faintly at one-another. "What exactly do you think we are to each other?"

"How the fuck should I know? Like I even care." Selena got up and walked over to him, then kicked him firmly in the side and Zerrex rolled over with a loud groan of pain before she winced and dropped down next to him. "Oh fuck, I'm sorry, I forgot you just had it out with another demon... here, let me try a healing spell."

The Drakkaren shook his head immediately, looking at her with a wince and grasping her wrist before she could cast the spell. "No, no, no, that's uh... that's okay, I think I'll muddle through somehow and come out the other end fine." He paused as she looked at him sourly, and then added with a mumble: "Dude, I got in a fight with a Wrath demon stronger than me. And after that, the Princess announced I'm going to be crowned King and should no longer associate with riffraff."

"Fuck, that's not good." Selena became dead serious, and Zerrex blinked dumbly up at her as she gently pulled his head against her. She shifted to lay back, and turned towards her, resting his hands and head on her enormous breasts... but there was more comfort in the automatic movement than anything else, and even the Dius didn't make any provocative remarks, only continuing to play through his hair slowly.

Zerrex paused for a few moments, then finally asked: "And this isn't good... because..." he broke off, looking at her questioningly, and Selena looked back with a frown before sighing and rolling her eyes.

"Amazing how you can memorize and look up everything but the actual important stuff in Hell." she muttered, and Zerrex glowered at her before she shook her head slowly. "Even if you become a Monarch, you're an appointment by the Princess through marriage to Feldspar: you'll be a puppet ruler, you'll have no real power to change or do anything other than what you're told. It's like you'll be made a prisoner all over again, basically, because I'm sure Feldspar will want to watch your every single move."

"She already said that..." Zerrex nodded, frowning and tilting his head. "But what do you mean? So even though she... ‘married' me, and the Princess appoints me... I only have a title, but none of the privileges that go with it?"

"That's what I just said." Selena said dryly, kneading her fingers gently along the Drakkaren's skull. "You'll be forced to attend and they might even let you give advice or say a word here and there, but they'll also..." She paused as her fingers brushed the collar on the way down through the hair, and she tilted his head back to look at it with a frown of disgust. "Did Feldspar put this on you? No... it's royal mercury, the Princess must have. It's got a send charm on it, give me a moment..."

Selena pushed two fingers against the metal, and there was a screeching sound as she drew her fingers across the runes... and a moment later the metal turned to sludge that vanished from around the Drakkaren's neck as she cursed and hammered herself in the forehead. "Fuck, are we... wait, take your robes off."

Selena wasn't satisfied until she'd searched the Drakkaren's entire body and scanned him over with magic for good measure, and then she looked at him grimly as he sat naked on the futon, the Dius sitting across from him. "That collar was transmitting every word we said straight to either the Princess or Feldspar, I guarantee you of that... and even though we didn't say anything incriminating..."

"We said enough to seriously piss off Feldspar." Zerrex said sourly, and he dropped his head in his hands, groaning loudly. "I'm sure she's going to flip the hell out the next time I see her..."

"Not necessarily." Selena said thoughtfully, stroking under her muzzle slowly and looking across at Zerrex mildly. "Perhaps we can make cider out of these crab apples."

Zerrex glanced up at her after a moment, then coughed and rubbed the back of his head slowly. "I cannot believe you just said that. But what do you suggest, then? We say that I'm under some sort of mind control or that you're my slave, or what?"

Selena muttered something, then clapped her hands together and said dryly: "You leave that to me. As for you, I'd just worry about your own ass. You're in for a real nasty time over the next while if you have to put on a crown... and this is really going to screw with us trying to keep everyone in Hell from hating your ass."