04-23-2018, 01:27 PM
Ash stood before the massive iron doors, easily double her height, and wondered how she was supposed to knock. A massive demonic visage stared back at her, ornately scored into the metal blocks. Did you just knock on that? there was no knob or door handle, it seemed impractical to her, maybe even a tad gaudy? Ash smirked I’m about to meet THE underverse ruler and I’m critiquing his décor… still Ash felt it was weird as she rapped her knuckles on the face’s eyeball.
There was a clanking of gears and grating squeal of metal as the doorway parted and the darkness of the great hall beyond swept out, the torches in the hallway snuffing in an instant. Ash’s storm demon eyes adapted well enough to the sudden shift of lighting, but as near as she could tell, the only source of it was a fire burning behind the throne at the far end of the hallway. Diablo was nowhere to be seen. Ash stepped into the hallway, her bare feet slapping the stone with a tone of finality as she drew slightly nearer.
“Hello?” she called her voice echoing out into the darkness. The only response was a sharp metal snap, as the doors closed shut behind her.
“Hey! I’m looking for the Lord of all demons? Is this the right place?” she asked, nerves starting to mount just slightly despite herself. Of course Diablo would play games like this, she would too if she had this much power. Hmm, now there was a thought…
“Why are you here, Succubus?” came a deep rumble of a voice. It played off of the walls and pervaded the room such that Ash was unsure of just where it had originated.
“Like… in the philosophical sense?’ she asked, ignoring the insult. There was no reply to her question, but the ever-oppressive heat of the Underverse seemed only to intensify the longer she spent in this room. The voice she assumed was Diablo’s seemed not to be answering, so Ash decided to speak up again. A guy with that much power, he might appreciate a show of her own confidence.
“You know why.” She announced to the darkness, “I proved myself in the pits! I defeated…”
“Neujimin’s letter is not the answer I want.” The voice bowled straight over her words, silencing her without so much as a raised tone.
“Why are you HERE? You have made your way to where you belong. Here with demons.” As he spoke the lights of a hundred flaming braziers burst forth, Diablo’s hulking form lounged upon his throne, as unconcerned as if he had been there the whole time.
“The Omniverse has a way of… guiding us to where we are set to belong. Yet here a demon has come to her master, crying for escape from her true home.” The Lord of Terror seemed almost bemused by the prospect.
Ash faltered slightly, but she knew that hesitating would only decrease her chances of getting out of this place. Risks had gotten her into this place, risks had gotten her through this place. Now a risk would get her back out.
“You need agents like me out there.” She said with as much arrogance as she could muster.
In an instant Diablo was in front of her, massive corded claw around her throat as he lifted her from the ground. On instinct her hands reached up, but she could only scrabble uselessly at his scaled talons. He held her aloft seemingly without effort, her tail dangling helplessly unable to touch the ground.
“I need NOTHING. I have ALL.” Ash’s hands could do nothing to pry loose his fingers, but she steeled her will, refusing him the fear he wanted.
“I will send you back to the surface, but you will do so as MY servant. You have earned nothing from your time here, no matter what lauding Neujmin might heap, you are no champion in my eyes. You are nothing more than another pawn of the Underverse, doing her expected duty to her sovereign home.”
Ash shuddered in pain as Diablo’s brand was seared upon her chest. She was losing consciousness, she needed air, she attempted to speak but could not force words from her mouth. the searing heat of Diablo’s presence was neigh unbearable. The inferno that swirled in his gaze held hers, studying her with an inscrutable case.
“Remember that you serve the Underverse now. Remember that you serve Diablo now. Now and Always. To forget this oath you are swearing would be the pinnacle of your folly.”
Diablo’s second massive claw closed around her head, obscuring her sight and overwhelming her senses with a miasma of heat and pain. His talons closed, the pressure mounting on the outside of her skull. Ash distinctly heard the sound of something snap, before losing all sense of herself to the great conflaguration.
There was a clanking of gears and grating squeal of metal as the doorway parted and the darkness of the great hall beyond swept out, the torches in the hallway snuffing in an instant. Ash’s storm demon eyes adapted well enough to the sudden shift of lighting, but as near as she could tell, the only source of it was a fire burning behind the throne at the far end of the hallway. Diablo was nowhere to be seen. Ash stepped into the hallway, her bare feet slapping the stone with a tone of finality as she drew slightly nearer.
“Hello?” she called her voice echoing out into the darkness. The only response was a sharp metal snap, as the doors closed shut behind her.
“Hey! I’m looking for the Lord of all demons? Is this the right place?” she asked, nerves starting to mount just slightly despite herself. Of course Diablo would play games like this, she would too if she had this much power. Hmm, now there was a thought…
“Why are you here, Succubus?” came a deep rumble of a voice. It played off of the walls and pervaded the room such that Ash was unsure of just where it had originated.
“Like… in the philosophical sense?’ she asked, ignoring the insult. There was no reply to her question, but the ever-oppressive heat of the Underverse seemed only to intensify the longer she spent in this room. The voice she assumed was Diablo’s seemed not to be answering, so Ash decided to speak up again. A guy with that much power, he might appreciate a show of her own confidence.
“You know why.” She announced to the darkness, “I proved myself in the pits! I defeated…”
“Neujimin’s letter is not the answer I want.” The voice bowled straight over her words, silencing her without so much as a raised tone.
“Why are you HERE? You have made your way to where you belong. Here with demons.” As he spoke the lights of a hundred flaming braziers burst forth, Diablo’s hulking form lounged upon his throne, as unconcerned as if he had been there the whole time.
“The Omniverse has a way of… guiding us to where we are set to belong. Yet here a demon has come to her master, crying for escape from her true home.” The Lord of Terror seemed almost bemused by the prospect.
Ash faltered slightly, but she knew that hesitating would only decrease her chances of getting out of this place. Risks had gotten her into this place, risks had gotten her through this place. Now a risk would get her back out.
“You need agents like me out there.” She said with as much arrogance as she could muster.
In an instant Diablo was in front of her, massive corded claw around her throat as he lifted her from the ground. On instinct her hands reached up, but she could only scrabble uselessly at his scaled talons. He held her aloft seemingly without effort, her tail dangling helplessly unable to touch the ground.
“I need NOTHING. I have ALL.” Ash’s hands could do nothing to pry loose his fingers, but she steeled her will, refusing him the fear he wanted.
“I will send you back to the surface, but you will do so as MY servant. You have earned nothing from your time here, no matter what lauding Neujmin might heap, you are no champion in my eyes. You are nothing more than another pawn of the Underverse, doing her expected duty to her sovereign home.”
Ash shuddered in pain as Diablo’s brand was seared upon her chest. She was losing consciousness, she needed air, she attempted to speak but could not force words from her mouth. the searing heat of Diablo’s presence was neigh unbearable. The inferno that swirled in his gaze held hers, studying her with an inscrutable case.
“Remember that you serve the Underverse now. Remember that you serve Diablo now. Now and Always. To forget this oath you are swearing would be the pinnacle of your folly.”
Diablo’s second massive claw closed around her head, obscuring her sight and overwhelming her senses with a miasma of heat and pain. His talons closed, the pressure mounting on the outside of her skull. Ash distinctly heard the sound of something snap, before losing all sense of herself to the great conflaguration.
Quote:Ash has received +1 Brand of Diablo.
Ash is expelled to the void. Please make sure you understand the information in the void info thread.
Sorry for the delay folks, Desman’s meeting should hopefully be up some time later this week or early next.