Chapter 70- Hostile Take Over

  Hell- Realm of the Dammed- outside The Copper Keep (Date Unknown) (Afternoon)

  Lady Bloodwell-

  The horned and cwed dy dismounts her two-headed hell wolf. She takes a moment to pet the stead's fnk, before unbuckling and removing the canine's saddle, and yet stops before throwing it. Guards and serfs are all absent for her return. As she squints and looks around she sees the signs of a battle, sshes in the dirt, small craters where there were previously none.

  She drops the saddle at her feet and pulls out a pair of darts as she feels a battle is pending. However the ambush didn't come, instead the doors of her keep opened, and a pale-skinned and gss-covered demon greeted her.

  "Lady Bloodwell, Prince Chainer is awaiting your presence." The lesser demon told her. With half of his face carved from gss, it was hard to tell where he was looking, but if you've seen one urban demon, then there are probably a dozen more nearby.

  For a moment she thought about sying the little man, but looking passed the speaker confirmed her worries, as dozen urbanite demons of various shapes and size waited for her to act. The dy demon growled before stowing her darts and striding into the keep proper.

  The small and human sized demons quickly moved out of her way as she walked into her own fortress. It took a lot of her will power, every time she saw pale demons standing at attention where her guards should have been, but the ck of blood and ichor held her hand.

  The urbanite demons gave her no directions, not that she needed them, for at the central stairwell awaited the visiting demon prince. Chainer was bigger than she was but he didn't have extra limbs or wings, like most urbanites the prince looked surprisingly human in appearance. If it wasn't for the gemstone cws that repced his nails or the fact the upper half of his head was blue and white colored gss. He could pass for a mortal with him being dressed in a tattered leather coat and pants, and every inch of him was wrapped in chains, except his right forearm, for some reason he left that portion of his person bare.

  “You’re far from home your highness.” Bloodwell mocked. She didn’t reach for her darts, instead slowly pcing a hand on her hidden short sword, if the Prince was here for conquest she would not go quietly.

  He kicked a bundle towards her without turning to face her. “Your agent…” His voice held a metallic echo.

  The demoness knelt and opened the bag, a bloodedly and beaten Lekra looked up at her. “I do not understand.” The dy admitted.

  "She was caught stalking prey that wasn't hers." Chainer sounded as angry as she felt at the affront to his men being in her halls.

  “So you invade my home for her mistake?” Bloodwell asked confused.

  The prince’s answer made her further confused when he said. “Invade, no, I am reinforcing an ally.”

  “We are not allies, I serve…” The demoness started to argue.

  "You serve yourself." Chainer's words cut her deep when he further added. "The true loyalists rebel against his usurper son and his traitor forces, while you sit on the sidelines basking and riding along the hellscape.'

  "For too long you have enjoyed princes and dukes seeking your favor, but no longer. I am here to give you the same offer that my men gave the information broker that your agent tried to kill. Step up, or stand aside."

  “All this over some secret farmer?” Bloodwell hissed at the intimidating man.

  Chainer smiled as he expined. "Not just any secret farmer, but Marduk's get, a half-blood freshly awakened because of our generosity."

  “Our? Lies, you spread lies about me.” The demoness hiss angrily at the demon prince.

  The prince ughed for a time. Eventually, the halls echoed his ughs as his minions joined him. Then he snapped suddenly and all his men went silent. Then he stepped into her personal space and said. "I have yet to kill your people, but your schemes have left me lowered. So I will give you the same choices I gave that half-blood. Step up, and begin rallying the loyalists against Bckheart, or step aside, and renounce your title of dy." Then the demon prince reached into the mess of chains on his left arm and pulled out a scroll, probably hidden within his flesh.

  Despite being surprised by the action, Bloodwell caught the scroll. On instinct, she broke the seal and read its contents. This was no simple page of parchment, it was a contract between beings, and from the little she read of the one in her hands this one was one between Lord Bckheart and Prince Marduk, with her as payment for temporary command of the prince's troops.

  “He can’t my deal…” The demoness started to argue with the evidence before her.

  And yet for her passion, Chainer spoke the truth of things to her. “All the young upstart needs is to break the seals on his father's vaults. Once your deal is in hand, he can command, sell, or consume you off as he sees fit.'

  ”Your fall to demon-hood, does not exempt your deal.” The prince walked away from her at that, heading towards the main entrance, which brought him into her keep in the first pce. From there he stated. “My men will remain to reinforce your holding of the Copper Keep and to inform me of your decision… I hope you choose wisely.”

  With that, the prince and the main body of his elite left her keep.

  One of the few rger urbanites bowed, as he stated. “We will be bunking in the western barracks, unless…”

  Her spy groaned shifting in her bindings. Chains rattled in the bag as they moved on their own, but Lady Bloodwell was clear enough of mind to respond. "That will be fine." Once she felt completely left alone with her subordinate, did she move to check on her. When Lekra tried to speak, the demoness shushed her. "Save your strength, mistakes are lessons we weren't expecting."

  Yet her spy’s words stilled her. “Your son… he is alive.”

  “Nath’aniel, are you sure?” Bloodwell asked worried.

  “He has been enacting Entreatment Day… Mostly to the tribes of the Savage Lands attend… but both the World Security Consul and the Masters of Kamar-Taj send people as well.” Lekra reported.

  ‘He is building a powerbase, using their ck of knowledge against them.’ The demoness thought, a shiver of pride at her boy using his limited resources to survive. Then she recalled Chainer’s words. ‘Step up, or step aside.’ so she leaned closer to the spy and asked. “Did you get the words to Gabrie like I asked?” When the wounded woman nodded, Bloodwell smiled before muttering. “Good, now we just have to find a carrot that will get him to drag his bckened ass to Earth with.”

  Citadel- 4th floor, magic crafting chamber- 16th day of the month of Niffle of the 6983 GR (Early Morning)

  Nath’aniel-

  The mage looked over the third 'Stabilizer' that he had made. Eric and his disciple's presentation had him completely sold that this small artificial organ was what allowed him to succeed where others had failed. And while making them wasn't hard at all, finding a safe way to store them in a Tribesman of the Land, however, was another matter.

  When the doors to the room opened, he didn’t need to look to know who had joined him, the sudden dip in every from of energy told him who it was immediately. “Finally found the courage to ask for help?” Nath’aniel asked Him as he looked over the small golden device in his hands.

  “I have. Yet I still worry that your help will lead me to failure.” The other golden thing in the Citadel admitted.

  The mage turned and faced the artificial man, and said. “Him. Apologies Adam, failure is not always assured, but not trying is an assured way to failure.”

  The golden man nodded, crossed his arms, and asked with a straight face. "How does one acquire a soul?"

  Nath'aniel smirked as he already expected the question, and so didn't need to focus on the golden man to give him an answer. “The easy way, or the hard way?”

  “There is more than one way?” Adam asked confused.

  “Three ways that I know of, the easiest is to be born with one. You of course did not get this option given your creator’s halfhearted method of creating life.” The mage expined, while putting down the golden organ to examine his work at making bind points. He was actually unhappy with his work, but did have to admit that it was both a rush job and outside of his wheel house.

  “So the easy way?” The cosmic wonder asked.

  “Easy, take someone else’s. Demons, spirits, and giants do it all the time.” Nath’aniel admitted.

  “The girl that I protected and saved, she will…” Adam started to ask.

  "Need to feed, yes, now that she is awakened." The mage answered honestly. Yet he quickly added. "Although that doesn't mean that she will have to feed on humans. There are rather vicious and evil things out there that she could prioritize over her fellow tribesmen."

  "Such as demons, spirits, and giants?" The golden-skinned man guessed.

  “Yep.” He confirmed and then looked over his disciple's work. Her bind points were much better than the ones he made. Making the mage wonder if something in her Mosel gene may be guiding her work.

  “I do not like the thought of becoming like them. And the hard way?” Adam asked him after some time passed.

  The mage took a deep breath before answering. “Find and wield the Soul Stone, and make yourself one.”

  “The what?” The golden-skinned man asked confused.

  Nath’aniel didn’t hold back when he admitted. “It’s one of the eight Infinity Stones, tools made at the creation of reality. Their power is said to rival gods and beings of unlimited power. But to use one requires an enormous amount of willpower, for if you lose focus for a moment that power will burn you out completely.’

  “With it, you could decide who has or doesn’t have a soul, or what cking one normally means. To be honest, the fact that you have lived this long without one, a soul that is, is quite the accomplishment.”

  “If there are only eight of these stones, I am assuming that finding them is very hard.” Adam guessed.

  “Not for a mage.” Said mage admitted. “Like the sun and other stars, to Mage Sight, the Infinity Stones are massive beacons that say’ I am here’.”

  The cosmic wonder looked hopeful before he started to ask. “Can you…”

  “Point you in the general direction, sure, but I cannot help you get there. Traveling the stars and to other pnes, kind of outside of my current power base.” Nath’aniel agreed, before asking. “You want to go now?”

  After a moment Adam nodded. “As you said, most creatures without a soul are already dead by now. Better to seek out this stone, before the temptation for the easy path becomes too great.”

  There was a small spike of energy in the room, one the mage almost missed, but he did notice that the amount of energy from hell had increased from was left in its wake. “Why don’t you pack a few things, and then meet me outside in the courtyard. I can help point you towards the right star if nothing else.” The mage suggested to the other man, hoping not to draw any attention to the Citadel’s sudden intruder.

  “I will not need much, some water I think, just to be safe.” Nath’aniel wasn’t sure if the other man agreed simplify because he didn’t know about their silent observer and was eager to be on his way, or because he did and also didn’t want to draw attention to it either.

  The mage waited a moment to ensure that the cosmic wonder was far enough away, before raising his hand, aimed his index, pinky and thumb at the intruder and readied hellfire to snuff it out. “State your business demon!” He demanded.

  A bipedal creature with bck gemstones for eyes stepped out of the shadowy corner. It was pale and sickly in complexion but wore a ragged and worn uniform simir to the svers that chased the Brotherhood down here.

  “I carry a message, and am tasked to carry back a response.” The demon’s voice smooth like velvet rubbing against itself, like all it could do was whisper.

  “A message?” Nath’aniel asked surprised.

  “Oh and a warning, shadow-walking is not teleportation and many of our ilk have mastered the technique.” The demon whispered back.

  'Well, now I know what my next project will be to look into.' The mage thought before asking. “And what is this message?”

  “My Prince says he owes you immensely... in that spirit, the Phelem was meant as a gift, but your guest interrupted delivery. Additionally, we have gained a foothold in your mother's keep. Her removal or relocation can be arranged at your desecration or desire." Shadows coiled and armored the demon as he kept a hellfire spell ready on the thing as it delivered its message.

  "I have no interactions with any of the princes of hell," Nath'aniel confessed.

  “He said to tell you, that he wasn’t a prince when he acquired his debt. Although, I know little of his highness’ life before starting my service to him." The messenger admitted.

  "So my mother is some poor ensnared soul?" He asked sarcastically. Although he honestly was one sudden movement away from killing the pale thing before him, and was surprised neither She-Devil nor Psylocke had made an appearance yet. He could feel through the bond that both were sleeping, but had stirred because of his emotions.

  The demon scratched at one of the gemstones he had for eyes before confessing. "If asked, I was told to tell you, your mother fell to demon-hood three thousand two hundred and three years ago, and now stands as a lesser noble among our ranks."

  Hearing it from the sorcerers had been rough, but hearing it from a demon, which cannot lie really drove the betrayal deep. He took another deep breath, unsure of what to do. On the one hand, he very much felt she needed to be punished for what she had done, but on another she was kin. No longer a mage, but still a fragment of everything he had lost.

  Nath'aniel sighed and slowly released the spell he had readied. "Go. Tell your lord that I am neither in a state to receive her nor of a current mind to condemn her. If he can, try and keep her in Hell, distracted."

  The demon bowed and muttered. "Response received." Before another spike of energy warned the mage that the demon had somehow traveled through the shadows back to his portal room on this level. It was only when it opened its own rift back to Hell that the Citadel noticed it.

  “Unknown energy disruption detected, possible intruder present.”

  “Disregard Citadel. That was the intruder leaving not arriving. But try and keep a closer eye on the Portal room, apparently, our enemies have learned some new tricks while I slept." The mage corrected and updated his friend. He took one st look at his work-in-progress fix to make sorcerers into masters, before muttering. "Life just doesn't give me enough time to rex does it?"

  Then he conjured cloth to cover the stabilizers and wiring, before heading downstairs to say an odd farewell.

  DLRhanna