...…
Hector P.O.V.
Despite the feeling that this meeting with Minos will not end well, I don't care about going. First of all, this is not even my real body. I admit that I'm a little worried about Satana; she is my guide, after all.
I can't deny that the little time I have spent with her has been enlightening. I was able to form a clear picture of the layout of Hell, giving form to the knowledge I acquired beforehand. The theoretical knowledge is turning into something a little more palpable.
I imagine Hell with the nine main layers that are the Circles, connected with each other and with many other smaller - or even bigger - Realms. My main objective - the information that I seek the most - now is to understand where and how this complex structure is linked.
When I know all the routes and how to navigate them, I will be able to move on my own. With my abilities, it will be like releasing a fish in a lake without natural predators.
I can already envision myself using guerrilla tactics on the bigshots from here. They will not know what will hit them.
Obviously, I am not underestimating them. I bet many around here have ways to track and find people. Minos found us pretty fast, too... It's just that I'm confident in my ability to hide and escape.
And again... Not my real body. Just need to be careful with soul attacks.
And about the other reason, I don't mind meeting Minos… It's not for this that I came here? To get information? Knowing how to move around here became my main objective, but I will not say no to meeting a bigshot and getting a feeling of the guy. How strong is he really? How many demons does he command? How is the politics?
He is a Greek guy, not exactly a demon, so I want to see how this works. Is it all mixed?
I can discover all of this now, much earlier than anticipated. Meeting Satana was really a lucky event.
"What? Did you fall for me?" Noticing me staring at her, she throws the words I said back then at me.
I decide to wipe the smirk off her face "You have something between your teeth."
"What?? Impossible, I haven't eaten anything!" She immediately goes to check it, running her long claws between her teeth.
"Is that so? I must be mistaken then..." I deadpan and turn to ignore the idiot.
"..." I can feel her stare intently at me, so I turn back. "What? Did you fall for me?"
"...you are gonna die alone." She says in a serious tone
I laugh "If you knew~" I shake my head and go back to focus on the travel.
The spawn of the Furies are still following us, and I hold back my Bone Dragon from simply bringing them down with his Breath. Hm? What kind of breathing does this dragon have again? Fire? Poison? Ice? No, I don't think it's ice… Unless I use the Frostmourne. I will later combine Ainz's Necromancy with the weapon of the Lich King, but not now.
Anyway, I am sidetracking. "Those mosquitoes are annoying me. Can I shoot them down?" I ask Satana.
Seriously, those harpies don't shut up. Really birdbrains…
"I don't think anyone cares about them, not even their mothers… Just do it." She shrugs.
"Really?"
"Yep."
"Hmm… Better not." In the end, I decided against it.
"What? Chickening out now?" She goes to mock me.
"Nah, this looks like the kind of thing that will create some complication. Even though those creatures are worthless, Minos or whatever can make a big deal of it and try to start with the upper hand in the talk." I say
"Wow, looking at you thinking ahead~" She says sarcastically "Cough Coward." She coughs the word, making a show of trying to hide it.
"..." I give her a side glance. "I have the bad habit of being very passive and waiting for the people I meet to make a move before dealing with their actions accordingly. It's a good way to keep my conscience clear after I destroy them." My tone must be cold because her laugh froze on her lips. "It may even invite disrespect or give them a chance to do that, but I don't care. Whatever will happen, I will not start… But that doesn't mean I will let it go. You will do well to remember that."
"..."
"By the way, any chance of someone else being there with Minos? Like Thanatos, I don't know…" I would prefer not to be surprised by some gank.
"Very slim… I mean, it can happen, but high-level demons are territorial and keep to themselves. You saw that I lived in isolation, too." She replies
"Hm? Slim but possible, right?"
"Damn, you are paranoid!" She rolls her eyes. "Even if someone is visiting, it would be someone on the same level or weaker than Minos, not different from his many subordinates. And second, we came here on a whim; it's not like he prepared a trap."
"Hmm, your logic is flawless, but…" This is Marvel "...My gut feeling is telling me that I'm walking into a dangerous place. And I'm rarely wrong."
"Well, rarely but possible, right?" She srmiks while throwing my words back at me again.
"..."
...…........
"......" I bet Satana is feeling my gaze on her neck. Oh, how I want to yell 'I told you so' in her ear!
Oh, wait, I know Telepathic Magic.
'I told you so…' I sent to her. By the way her body tensed for a split second, I'm sure that she received it.
But she doesn't have the chance to turn back to me because of the people in front of her.
Yep, here in the Minos Palace, we found more than him… more than a simple guest, or two.
What time to make a little gathering, huh? If our visit here was not decided by chance, if I didn't have any prior contact with Hell, I would really think that this is a trap.
But the only person that would try to pull this shit, the only people that I have any connection with and are equally related to Hell in general, are Satana and Belasco.
Eidolon and this… version of me have no connection. And I have been keeping an eye on Satana, and she looks as annoyed as I am, and I really think she wants our deal to go through smoothly, maybe for bad reasons, maybe not, but she doesn't want any trouble for now.
So…. It's just a coincidence… A very unlucky moment… Ugh…
Well, it is what it is… Let's take this opportunity and put a face and some extra information on those people that I know beforehand. By studying in Kamar-Taj, I was not much of a reader of the "Marvel Occultism" part of the universe in my other life.
When we arrived at Minos Palace, I was surprised that there were no wards or any other kind of protection around, thinking that he should be arrogant or careless. Now I'm not sure if he deactivated it because of his guests.
His palace, which seems to come out of a God of War area, is incredibly big, chaotically stretching through a plain. It's not tall, but it is vast, more like a city with its Greek style being shown by the architecture and art around it.
We are easily escorted to his personal space - I made sure to save as much of the layout of this place in my mind - and after passing inside a place that has the layout that reminds me of the Twelve Houses of Saint Seiya, we arrive at a very beautiful garden.
It is something completely out of place here in Hell, his own copy of Elysium Fields, I bet. It is filled with statues, fountains, stone benches with artistic finishings, trees with fruits, flowers, and soft grass…
More impressive than what the designer and gardener did to this place is the assembled people around. There is a total of ten of them, including Minos. Each one worse than the other…
"Ah Satana~ So good for having you!" The host, Minos, approached us with a friendly smile, arms open.
Appearance-wise, he looks nothing like a demon, but that doesn't mean much when he can be hiding his true form. Many demons have a human form, after all.
But the form he is showing now is of a completely normal white male, with his hair combed to the side, an expensive-looking suit, and a bow tie. He looks like a sleazy businessman or a waiter.
Sleazy businessman is winning… Seriously, his thin face, arched eyebrows, and too big of a smile do not pass the friendly vibe he thinks it does. Even a clueless normal person would back away if he approached them.
That is why Satana crossed her arms and made a show of huffing in annoyance, "What do you want, Minos? I was in the middle of something…"
"Don't be like that~ Such a fortuitous occasion for you to leave your home at the same time I'm hosting some guests." He gestures to the people behind him, who watch us carefully. "I presumed you would like to say 'hi'."
"You presume a lot." Satana says, annoyed.
While the two are in a little verbal spar, I take the opportunity to look at the "guests" of Minos, maybe allies, maybe enemies… I don't know, that is why I'm here.
I recognize the majority of them from drawings that I saw before. Not all demons can freely shapeshift, at least not enough to trick a capable magic user, so their real appearances and the variants can be pretty well-known among the demonologist circle.
For example, that textbook demon fucker with a smirk that looks like it is carved into his face permanently is Belial. Famous guy, and pretty strong too. Just a little below the Hell-Lords, ruler of his own dimension, former angel, fallen probably during the War in Heaven.
He is reclining on his bench like he owns the place, sunbathing with his arms wide and head backwards. His appearance is pretty average… red skin, bald head, goat legs, and small horns make him deceivingly look like a small fry demon. He is giving me strange looks for some reason. The only moment when he smirks disappeared is the split second our eyes met. I already don't like him…
The big guy closest to him is less famous but is not less weak. I heard about him while I was studying Belasco… Molgotha is the lord of a dimension in the Splinter Realms, connected with the Nexus of All Realities, where Limbo stays. The Limbo of Belasco, the Otherplace.
Molgotha also looks like what anyone would expect of a demon, but he is much bigger and meaner-looking than Belial. He has the build of the Hulk, four horns on his head, a pair of straight ones above his head, and another pair of curved ones. Maybe he is trying to compensate for something…
Another famous guy that I know because I read about him is Agathon, who also looks like a demon, but with a mix of faunus. His small afro hair and brown skin really make him look more like the half-goat demi-human than a demon. Well, his horns are not curved too…
I don't have much information about Agathon; I just read some passages about him stating that he is a famous manipulator and schemer, and a servant of Satana's father, Marduk.
There's a high chance he is keeping tabs on Satana… Maybe he needs to die… but then it would alert Marduk. Aah~, so complicated… It's too soon to declare war on a Hell-Lord.
Those last three are famous but nothing compared with those other two on the side… Fucking Lilith, the "First Woman", is sitting right there! And I'm pretty sure that one behind her is Asmodeus.
Lilith is in her demon form, so despite her very nice curves and pretty face, those horns that fuse perfectly with her forehead to simulate some kind of crown make her ugly in my opinion.
Still smashable by the way…
Asmodeus doesn't look like much… Like Belial, he also looks like an average demon with red skin and horns, but he looks… fat… At least it is not "soft fat", more like "strongman fat". What is strange, Asmodeus is the top demon from what I remember, but he appears dim close to even Belial, which should be beneath him in rank.
The one that is really fucking fat is the only guy that I have some kind of personal animosity toward right now.
Krahllak is not famous to the common people, but in the "sorcerer society" everyone knows that he is pretty active on Earth. He is "The Beast", the demon behind the Hand. Yep, the Hand, the same cult of ninjas that is involved with a lot of street-level heroes like Daredevil, Punisher, Psylocke… Even Johan came in contact with them after taking Kingpin's place.
I was investigating the Hand, and damn… they are high in the list of evil organizations that I need to deal with. They are really bold… What a surprise to find the guy here.
It is like skipping a lot of steps… Normally, the mastermind stays behind a deep voice coming from a shadow or an object till the end of the plot to become a final boss. But here he is… Within arm's reach. Too bad this body of mine is too weak.
It would be a good chance to try to kill him.
Without him, the Hand will crumble, they will lose their mystical powers, and all that. If I'm not wrong, the Hand has an enmity with K'un-Lun, so if they become weaker, the latter may deal with them without me having to do anything.
Heck, without their pseudo-immortality bullshit and all the rest, maybe Frank Castle can deal with them.
Krahllak is the one who looks the most disgusting right now. Obese beyond measure and with his thing and long limbs, he reminds me of Mojo… But at least he has legs, and he is black. I also bet he must have a "fithgin form" too.
Now, the last three, I have no idea who they are. I'm gonna ask Satana later for more information. They are much weaker than the rest, so I guess this is a reason they are unknown to me… But they are sitting without those bigshots… Weird. I don't like it.
One of them is a beautiful, regal woman beside Lilith… Maybe it is a pet of the Succubus Queen. Don't care.
The other two look more like demi-humans… Seriously, maybe they are not demons, but I saw some demons that don't look like the stereotype, so I can't rule them out. They are a duo of anthropomorphic leopards.
Like the Khajiit in Skyrym, they really have the head of an animal and fur covers all of their body… I guess… Like Minos, they are also wearing human three-piece suits, but of a yellow-brownish color.
It goes well with the fur, very tasteful…
That is all of them, really an impressive group. This is not an average get-together of friends… They are talking business… And if demons are talking business… There's a high chance that it's bad news for humans.
I can hope that they are scheming against other demons, but I will need to make sure.
"-This meeting will get brighter with your presence." I go back to pay attention to the conversation between Minos and Satana when the guy tries to make her take a seat.
I really don't want to waste a lot of time here… I have duties and responsibilities on Earth, and I have no idea where I am getting myself into. Maybe it will be a week-long party with those long-lived bastards, maybe it will end up in an orgy… I didn't even bring my dick!
Anyway, just knowing that those guys are meeting is enough; I can investigate later. I will snitch them to the Ancient One, too.
I hold myself back from sending another telepathic message, just in case those guys can catch it. In the world of Overlord, it is possible for people to do it, so it should be possible here too.
They could at least feel the magic fluctuation and resonances every time I use it.
Satana doesn't look back at me, so I was also not able to give her a look, but agreed earlier that we are gonna try to leave as fast as we can.
The problem is… There are more people than expected. I don't know how politics work and what the norm is here, but I can guess that it would be rude if Satana just left without greeting them.
Lilith seems to think the same. Being the first of the other nine to open her mouth to talk.
"Satana, dear… Are you not gonna come and talk with me?" She says sweetly, her voice completely normal "In some way, I can be considered your aunt." She giggles in her hand.
"More like grandma…" Satana scoffs.
"..." It seems I underestimated this woman's ability not to give a fuck. Look at Lilith's lips twitching. Do all women hate being called old? Woman… you are old! The "First Woman" remember? You are older than Selene Galio.
"What are you guys even doing here? Creating a club?" Satana looks around and asks bluntly
"..." Okay… I'm starting to like her, direct to the point. Fuck subtly, right? Only by throwing the question, she allows me to read their reactions; I don't even need a verbal answer.
They are old people, cunning and probably know how to control their expressions, but I was able to catch some micro reactions. I can see who has a fragile ego for being annoyed by her disrespect, see who takes things lightly, see who is hiding something, who doesn't care if anything is revealed, and even the ones that don't seem to be that invested.
"Just catching up with old friends." Minos says with a big smile
"Bullshit, there are no friends in Hell. At least not between people on your level…" Satana cocks her hip and looks at Agathon, Asmodeus, and Belial. "Does my father know that you are here?"
Oh, so Belial and Asmodeus are also subordinates of Marduk? Interesting…
Judging by their reactions, instead of betraying her father, it's more like they don't want to tell her whatever is happening here. I saw Agathon give Minos an annoyed look, probably because he was the one who called us here… Mixing business with personal matters.
Maybe Marduk is not fully aware, but at least it doesn't seem they are gonna backstab him… Too bad~
The one who answers is one of the two leopard demons, who leans forward with a friendly smile - that would look better if his mouth was not full of sharp teeth - and raises a glass of unknown liquid to Satana.
"Please, Ms. Satana, we are here just talking some harmless business. My brother and I were just explaining some great investment opportunities to the esteemed people present. If you want, you can listen too."
"And who the fuck are you and your brother?" Satana really doesn't seem to have learn manners. It's that, or she is purposely trying to be kicked out.
I remember that in our first meeting, she was surprisingly friendly, but maybe it's because she wanted to know how a human got in Hell while alive.
The leopard guy doesn't appear to be fazed by her rudeness. "I'm Borss, and this is my brother Morg'rys. We are twins if you haven't noticed." He jokes with a small laugh
"And there's a difference? You guys look the same, and you all always came into a litter of a dozen or so, right? So twins are pretty normal…" She says with a fully serious face.
"..." Now the two leopards' faces change a little.
Damn, Satana is racist with furries! I'm starting to like her more and more.
And I'm sure I haven't read anything about those two here in my previous world. Completely unknown people… Just gonna make a mental note because he talked about "souls".
But like on Earth, here in Hell, businessmen are ready to swallow insults for profit.
"I guess what you said is accurate," Borss says with a casual and mature laugh, keeping himself much calmer than his brother, who is on his spot with a stony face. Spot, get it? Because he is a leopard… And there are spots on his face! I'm a fucking comedic genius!!
Sometimes I hope I'm living in a comic book or a fanfic because then my jokes would not be lost. The readers would appreciate it.
I'm lonely without Cortana; she is my partner in those moments.
"Are you interested in what we are offering?" Borss asks
"...I can at least hear you, but I'm not that interested." Satana answers. I'm interested, and I guess she is saying that for me.
"Great! I bet you are gonna change your mind when you hear about it." Borss claps once. "My brother and I stumbled into a great business opportunity with some Spirit-Flayers-"
"Spirit-Flayers?" Satana interrupts in disgust. If I'm not wrong, Spirit-Flayers are the Mind Flayers of the Marvel universe, but magical instead of psionic.
"Yep, I know, normally I would also not want to deal with the kind, but the opportunity is too good to pass up." Borss says
"Apparently, they are approached by the Ul'ulan's through a ritual. The alien race wants the help of the Spirit-Flayers to unseal their leader, Nebulon." Morg'rys continues a little more seriously
"It seems in the past Nebulon pissed off some sorcerer with a sense of poetic justice because he was sealed in an immaterial form, impossible to be reached by normal means." Borss chuckles again.
From what little I get in the database of the pirates and bounty hunters that came from Earth, Ul'lula'ns are some sort of non-humanoid fish race that gives a lot of importance to material resources like minerals. They eat that, their technology was made of that, it's their whole way of life…
The sorcerer who sealed this Nebulon guy chose a fitting method.
"They want a great quantity of souls to break the seal and bring Nebulon back from his state of non-existence." Morg'rys says
"That is why they went to the vultures that are the Spirit-Flayers." Satana conclude
"Exactly, but the number they want is so absurd that not even the Spirit-Flayers can get it with their scavenging method." Borss replies
"So they went for you?" Satana gives a look at the duo of leopards. Really looking down on them. Her eyes saying 'Why would they go to you?'
Borss obviously noticed that but continued professionally. "I admit that it was a stroke of luck… We are kind of in the right place at the right time." Borss shrugs to not explain more.
"What matters is that now we have the opportunity to exchange the souls the Ul'lula'ns wanted so much for anything they have!" Morg'rys says excitedly
"And the Ul'lula'ns are famous for their riches. It will be a steal!" Borss concludes
"And how many souls are we talking about?" Satana asks "It must be a great number if you are bringing so many people in this?"
"Well… At least 2 billion souls…" Borss tries to act nonchalant at the ridiculous number.
I need to bring forth all my willpower not to narrow my eyes at him. Two billion… Two billion… Okay, most of them must be sinners… But two billion souls that will be used to whatever fucked endeavor they want. Maybe they will disappear forever, to never enter the reincarnation cycle or have another chance. Used like materials.
Satana gives me a sideways glance before commenting "Two billion? I guess it is a feasible number with you all here." He looks around "If not, you would have to ask a Hell-Lord."
"Just a paltry sum when compared with what exists in the esteemed guest's pockets, but we thought that it would be better to share the burden." Borss says acting generous while ass-kissing
"And the rewards are big enough to satisfy everyone. The Ul'lula'ns are in despair." Morg'rys says
"It will be even bigger if we deal with the Spirit-Flayers." Molgotha says with a deep voice
"Agreed, you two are more than enough to be the middlemen." Lilith approves, staring at the leopard duo.
They just casually start talking about betraying the other party. If I have to guess, the leopard duo was too weak to really negotiate with the Spirit-Flayers for a good share, maybe even afraid of them being crossed in the end.
So they are selling the deal to other demons, stronger ones that can defend them from the retaliation of the Spirit-Flayers.
Hm, Ul'lula'ns, huh? I will remember the name… Maybe it's too complicated to stop the deal from here… But what about the other side?
Hehehe~ I bet all those big-shots will become very unhappy if the deal fails because someone got there first, or simply killed the Ul'lula'ns… I will need to check the race.
By the way, I don't believe that this is all. I mean, I believe they are being very truthful about this deal… This one.
But I think they are telling it to hide something. A common tactic of liars, you tell a small truth to hide a bigger one… If a deal with an alien race involving rulers of Realms in Hell is the "smaller truth", what the fuck is the "bigger one"?
Are they planning an invasion of Earth? Gang up against someone? There are Marduk people here… Maybe they want to jump Mephisto, which I would like very much. He is arguably the strongest amongst the Hell-Lords. I bet they don't like him as much as I do.
The thing Mephisto was never so prideful as to be above dealing with humans and other "lesser races". As much as I hate the guy, he really went personally for countless years to do his own dirty work; I can respect the hustle; the constant grinding is what gave him an edge over all other Hell-Lords.
Those guys remain sitting on their thrones, planning big things like invasions and whatever, while Mephisto was little by little getting stronger. Paraphrasing that Brazilian saying: "with every peck, the chicken fills her goiter", or the Chinese one that says that "there is meat even in mosquitoes' legs".
"Well, it seems you guys got everything covered… I'm going." Satana interrupts the discussion on how to deal with the Spirit-Flayers, telling her wish to leave.
"Already?" Minos looks disappointed. Simp…
"Don't you want to participate, Ms. Satana?" Borss asks
"What can poor me contribute that you guys can't?" Satana frowns
Litith smiles "Don't be like that… If you want, just contribute with a small token, like a million souls, and we are gonna give you a fair reward. It will be a good opportunity to mingle with the grown-ups." She says sweetly, but the provocation beneath her smile is obvious.
"Nah, why would I waste my souls?" She looks at Agathon "Seeing that my father sends proxies, I can just ask him later for the rewards. free of charge." She acts like a spoiled brat.
"..." But what can they say? I don't know what the father-daughter relationship, but she is saying she can get something for free, so anyone would understand why she is removing herself from the risks. No one here is dumb.
She also indirectly said that she is gonna talk about this with her father, so if the trio of subrodiantes is here without his knowledge… It may not end well with them.
Maybe they will even try to bribe her.
"Well, bye." She starts turning around without waiting for a response, maybe fearing that Minos would do something to hold her here, and for the way he extended his arm, almost to hold her, I understand she is right.
But she is not interrupted by Minos, but by Asmodeus…
"Wait." The huge demon says while stepping toward us… No, stepping to me. "Who is this one?" He asks. His 4-meter-tall frame allowed the guy to look down on my fragile body. I also feel the gaze of the rest zeroing on me.
I keep my gaze forward, not meeting his eyes, like how a low-level demon would do. I can play the weakling, too.
Different from me, Satana steps between us and keeps eye contact.
"It's my new assistant… What about it?" She asks impatiently, frowning and even tapping her foot on the ground.
Asmodeus only spares her a glance before looking at me again. "Who are you?" He asks me directly, "Aren't you hearing me?" He asks again, his voice full of anger and impatient because of my silence.
"He is deaf and mute, dumbass!" Satana shoves Asmodeus back, but the demons don't even move an inch. "What is your fucking problem?"
"..." Asmodeus pauses but still doesn't take his eyes off me, even narrowing them like they want to see through me.
"I don't know, but he pisses me off on a primal level. And that is enough for me." The demon said, getting angry for some reason.
"..." Okay, which ancestor of mine fucked up with demons? That is the second time already… it can be considered a coincidence. If it happens again, I'm sure there is something wrong with me.
I ignored the first time because I thought that it was some situation generated by the combination of Satana's looks and the fragile ego of the male demons. But I'm really getting suspicious… Maybe I'm cursed… Or blessed.
Is it because of my card assimilations? But who is so anti-demon that those guys are looking at me like I fucked their mother? At least give me the Doomslayer card, Gacha. I would not mind being hated this way.
I would be feared much too. Machiavell would be proud.
"I can assure you that you have never met him." Satana scoffs, looking at Asmodeus like he is an idiot. Paying attention in case he makes a move. "He is just a recently born demon, with a great talent for magic, whom I picked up to be my attendant." She uses the backstory that we established.
If people dig deeper, they will only discover that Satana is taking me around, so that I can discover coordinates to teleport her around Hell.
A small truth protecting a bigger one… they are not the ones doing that.
"Oh, that is rare…" Lilith comments, her eyes boring into me. Is that bedroom eyes, or is she just naturally like that?
"Right? I'm lucky… I think his existence is a mish-mash of some dead sorcerer with the energies from Hell." Satana says off-handily "Anyway, we are going. Nice seeing you guys, or not…" Now, for real, she pulls me away, and I follow her absentmindedly, like I'm her puppet. I can still feel Asmodeus' gaze in my neck, but I ignore it for now.
Don't worry, I recorded your face and presence too… I will remember you all, and I will put your names in my flame chainsaw sword.
...
Third Person P.O.V.
"So… Who was the woman beside Lilith?" Hector asks, the two now on top of the undead Dragon.
"What? Are you interested in her?" Satana gives him a teasing smirk
"The only one I don't know the name of till now."
"She is no one important." Satana says dismissively "I saw her only once before, I think her name is Su… Susy… Suri… Suriname… Sureisha… Surisha! Her name is Surisha!" After focused thinking, Satana remembers
"Surisha? I think there's a legend about her, but it was about a queen who, like Elizabeth Bathory, consumed people to stay young." Hector says, having no recollection of a demon named that way.
"You are probably not wrong, but instead of a vampire, Surisha is a succubus."
"Another one, huh? And you know about vampires? I thought you came to Hell very young…" Hector gives her a deep look.
"Many vampires consort with demons, learning our magic, making deals…" Satana was answering casually when she noticed something. "Wait… how do you know I came to Hell young?" She turns and looks at Hector's ghoulish face with full attention.
"I, obviously, research you on Earth." Hector does not miss a beat and answers "Thank you for giving me your full anime, it made my work easy…"
"..." Satana's face is stone. She doesn't blink while her eyes fixate on his sunken ones.
That is exactly what Hector wants… A little reveal, not looking for a verbal answer, but for a reaction. It says more than words. Now he just needs one last test…
"I met your brother, by the way-Ugh." His words are interrupted when Satana's slim hand shot out and grabbed his neck with a deceptive strength hidden in her thin arms.
Despite the initial surprise, Hector keeps a calm face even through all the pain of his trachea being crushed. Mind and body separation, a good method to ignore torture. His gaze analyzes her full reaction without missing anything.
And he sees a furious Satana, looking like a definition of murder.
'Oh…' He would smile if he could, but she is holding him so tightly that his muscles stuck in place.
"If you have done anything with my brother…" She threatens, her face contorting into one filled with malevolence. Her hands were squeezing tighter and her nails elongating enough to become full-fledged claws.
"..." Hector slowly raises two fingers and then taps them on her forearms.
The signal is obvious… And Satana let go but still stares at him with very friendly eyes, to put it mildly.
"Geez, woman… Have some self-control." Hector says with a raspy voice, his long fingers going to his neck and coming back with a little blood.
He then uses some minor healing magic to close the wounds.
"I can forgive your… hysterical reaction, due to the environment and the way you were raised. But don't do that again…" Hector doesn't threaten; he just states a warning. "And please… I'm a relatively morally good guy. I would not do anything to your brother if he is not doing anything evil." He says, secretly fishing for more…
"...and?" She can't help but ask
"..." 'So she doesn't know what he is doing nowadays… No contact, almost confirmed'. "He is doing good. Ironically, Daimon Hellstrom is studying to become a priest." Hector reveals.
"..." Satana's face goes blank. "A… A priest?" The corner of her lips twitched
"Yep, he has his troubles, but-"
"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!" Hector was interrupted when Satana started her loud laughter again. Any sign of her rage before evaporated just that easily.
"..." Hector stares at her to gauge her reaction; her laugh is obviously because of the irony that her brother is a priest of all things, but also… relief. Like when someone goes into a dangerous situation and ends up without any harm.
Hector then shakes his head and comments "I knew that demons have a screw loose, but you are starting to worry me."
"Ah shut up, idiot." Satana says, but with a playful tone "Let's go check the Limbo… It's a fuckign boring place, but whatever."
"It's a gaming thing, you always go where you know there's a limit to the area, then you go back to the main route to progress." Hector explains, even if she doesn't understand, and urges his dragon to fly faster.
From a distance, they are being observed by someone.
'When we get back, there will probably be a trap…' Hector obviously felt the malicious intent directed at them. The person is not a master of subtlety, but impressively, he can't pinpoint their location or even tell who it is. It can be any of the people from before or their subordinates.
'Mingling with the energy of Hell… so annoying.'
.....
Limbo
Different from the Limbo where Illyana was trapped, the Limbo of hell, the First Circle is an elusive immaterial plane. The first threshold that most souls go through before their next destination.
Some obviously stay here forever.
"Just a warning, we can't stay here forever." Satana says as the Undead Dragon crosses the sky of the Limbo, his wings barely moving the thick fog away.
"Because it starts corroding our bodies, right?" He replies
"Yes, you eventually really die here."
He nods "We are basically on top of Hell. If we reach the other end, can't we reach the material world?" He asks
"If only things are so simple… the entrance can't be an exit and all the exits go to places much less pleasant than this one." She says while looking down on the sea of souls below, still spotting their full astral bodies, even wearing their clothes.
But the great majority of them are absentmindedly, like zombies, hollow… Only a few, with a strong soul, kept the awareness and are looking around with a variety of emotions. Most of them are fear and despair.
While strolling around, Hector asked about the routes from other places to here.
"There's a lot, not really hidden… If you walk in any direction, you will eventually trip into a portal to somewhere else." She shrugs "It's the only thing that exists here, more or less..."
"Like a crossroads…Do you know the exact location of them?" He asks
"Meh, I was never interested that much… You can pay Chiron, too. Even if the guy doesn't accept souls."
"So Souls is really a currency here, huh?" Hector asks with some annoyance.
"Yep, the most valuable type. Some low-level demons hold their few souls tightly, torturing and extracting the most of it… It is what feeds them, makes them grow stronger." Satana explains the law of the jungle in Hell.
"Like that dark metal on Limbo. Really, a cultivation-like world." Hector mutters
"Oh, so you know about Promethium??" Satana looks surprised. "That thing is precious; it only appears in Limbo."
"So the name is Promethium…"
"Yep, I heard a sorcerer long ago named it this way."
"I see… I have some with me." He got more than just 'some'; he got a lot from mining and stealing from Belasco. He even fed Nemesis that to make his armor.
"Give me some!" She asks eagerly and shamelessly.
"No."
"Stingy as fuck, just go to the Fourth Circle, and stay there, greedy fucker!"
"Don't lash out at me, just because you are not used to hearing 'no', Princess." He scoffs mockingly "I'm not your simp."
"What?"
"Anyway, is there a route to the other Limbo here in Limbo?"
"You can call it the Otherplace, it's like people here on Hell call it." She explains "And of course there it is, the two are once the same…"
"How did it happen again…? The division between the two…" He asks, he read about it, but he wants to know from the perspective of a demon."
"Damn, I don't know either… Just heard that it happened fuck long time ago…The Splintered Realms thing. Molgotha is a Lord from one of them, by the way." She sidetracks a little before going back to explain the little she knows. "I just heard someone shattered the big Dimension that existed before Hell."
"Like the Pangea before the continents?" Hector slowly turns to her, his face in serious disbelief. "And someone… shattered it?" He asks very slowly
"Well, that was the fun theory. Many believe that it was a natural disaster, others that there's a big war with some Higher-Beings that left the place in ruins, others that it was just the natural course to the Realms' divide and gain independence… But I like the theory that it was just someone who said 'Fuck it' and shattered everything. Hahaha!"
"..." Hector gives her a raised eyebrow
"What?"
"I don't know… You sound oddly happy in believing that there's someone out there who can just shatter a big dimension into countless smaller ones."
"Well, as weird as it sounds, a lot of demons worship and have faith in this unknown figure, you know?" She says, a little embarrassed. "It's kinda cool…"
"???"
"It's like… It prevented monopoly, you know? Those Primordial beings that are born together with the dimension controlled everything, really Omnipotent. But now that everything is fractured, not even the Hell-Lords can have full control. And even the weakest demons can rise above their station… Fight their fate. Becoming strong… It's kinda romantic…" She sighs
"Hope…" Hector comments
"What?"
"It gives them Hope."
"..."
"Even demons can't help but dream of Heaven… Giving them the ability to be more of what they birth decided for them, it gives them… Hope." Hector says while looking above
"..." Satana can't argue, because he is right.
"Do you want to know why I'm so prejudiced against demons? Because it on your nature to be this way… There's no 'Don't generalize', demons are really wired to be evil. They can't help themselves. Maybe you are different because you are half-human, but demons are naturally flawed, incomplete, perpetually unsatisfied… Demons can only seek momentary satisfaction through desires - not happiness - stealing from the ones that can achieve full happiness. Meta-physically incapable of being happy without making others unhappy. They envy humans… the weak humans that has the thing they yearn for and can't have. Destroy, corrupt, and steal from them even though we have so little…" Hector turned to stare at her again. "That is why I know we can't understand each other… We are inconciliable. I despise you all, but even more I pity you all for being born this way… Maybe the one that shattered the Realm also felt the same… Took pity on the demons and gave them something to strive for."
"....." Satana once again is speechless because she can't really argue with him on that. The only argument she could pull is that obviously, there are exceptions, but it would be weak. Hector knows that already.
"Well, in the end, it failed. It was just a pathetic attempt… If he was that strong, he should have done more." Hector chuckles darkly. "The stronger demons still come on top, and they continue to control everything and create a system where the weak fight between themselves for scraps while never really trying to ascend… Instead of trying to seize pieces of the shattered Hell to grow stronger, they prey on human souls. Demons choose to take the easy path. The Evil Path, because this is how they are..." Hector's eyes changed in an instant, even the way it is physically sunk can't prevent the sharp glint that appears. "That is why there will be retaliation. You can't kick a dog forever and don't expect it to bite you."
There it is… That chill that Satana feels when this guy loses control of his emotions for a moment. She can almost feel him visualizing his plans, the future, and whatever it is… it will not be pretty to the demons.
"You are crazy…" She scoffs and shakes her head to get rid of the feeling. How can a human do anything against Hell? If even that hypothetical powerful existence changed nothing. What can he do? "by the way? Don't badmouth the guy, I like him(or her)... He tried and at least gave demons a chance."
"..." Hector's gaze shifts again, and now a strange and confused light appears on his features. "...a chance, huh?
...
Eventually, the two stars felt the decay of their body for staying too long in Limbo, and Hector ordered the Dragon to go back.
"Necromancy is very handy here on Limbo." Satana comments while patting the unaffected Dragon beneath her "Never thought about that."
"Well, if the Limbo is trying to… decay the body so that only the soul can stay and enter the whole system it does with the souls around here. I guess that an already decayed body, without a soul, is a good counter."
"I thought necromancy puts other souls in dead bodies…"
"There's this type too… this only puts magical energy to reanimate it."
"But he acts so… eh, alive?" She says hesitantly
"Strange choice of words, but I guess it is only the 'program'. It's fake, maybe the remnants of the soul ingrained in the body… Like muscle memory." Hector explains "If the reanimated body exists for long enough, maybe the soul can develop more of an Ego."
"Oh."
"The soul and body seek harmony and balance, too much of one makes the other grow. It goes both ways." He continues, going into teacher mode
"I thought that abd things would happen if the two are not on the same level."
"That too, if the difference is too big." Hector says "But there are always ways to circumvent that… Hell-Lords possess human bodies, maybe only sending a stranding of conscience, or dividing their soul a little… or simply by not caring and letting the body explode eventually. That is how it normally goes. On the other hand, if the soul is too weak, it may be absorbed by the body."
"Crazy…" She says
"Yeah, crazy…" Hector nods.
It's like they are a duo of a nerd guy saying a fun fact to a popular girl.
"By the way, we are being followed before entering Limbo…" Hector finally reveals
"What?"
"Yep, don't know who or how much, but someone was obviously tailing us. It stopped when it left the Second Circle." He explains "So, any other route we can take to miss them?"
"Fuck it, let's go back exactly from where we came from." She replies, a little angry.
"..." Hector gives the same look one would give to an idiot. "Why?' He asks with a sigh
"Are you gonna let people plot behind your back? Let's go crash out their party." She says it like it's obvious
"You are the crashout here." he sighs again. "You know that our contract is null if any of us die, right? This is not even my real body… There are only disadvantages for you." Hector is nice enough to at least warn her
"Fuck it, we ball." She is not listening. "Full speed ahead! It's Ride or Die time, fucker!" She points forward, a little excited for the fight
"..." Hector pauses 'Is she on this? Is she bringing me to a trap? It doesn't make sense… She knows it's not my real body. "Are you that bored?"
"Hm, maybe… It can be nothing and is only a cowardly informant reporting to my father or whatever. Maybe Agathon… annoying scum." She shrugs "It will be nice to give him a scare, and send him to my father
"...you have no sense of danger…"
"But if someone is really following us with bad intentions, it's not like I can't escape forever. Better fight now so that I can drag you into my trouble." She smiles brightly
"...you are surprisingly honest." He deadpans "So I will be honest too and say that I'm leaving you behind if things go south."
"Ouch…" She makes a show of looking hurt, hand covering her chest, and eyes filling with tears.
"The better I can do for you… For our cooperation… It's that if this has something to do with the fact I piss off the demons for some reason, just make a show of getting rid of me, and I will come back later with a new body." He is already creating plans for different possibilities of how things could go.
Satana gives him a deep look before saying casually. "Fine, I will kill you painfully."
"You mean painlessly…"
"I said what I said…"
"I'm gonna explode on you."
"Fuck you, dickless bastard."
"You wish. Fucking bimbo that willingly steps into a trap."
"If you are that much of a pussy, just don't go, bitch!"
"Don't expect me to save you."
"Didn't ask!"
"I bet you're hoping your daddy dearest would save your ass…"
"I don't need him as much as I don't need you. Just stay behind and watch me do all the work." She huffs "Maybe I should be the one with the dick here, seeing that you are not a real man."
"Wow! Misogynist much? I know that you are a demon and abandoned your humanity, but I didn't think that you would be a betrayer of your gender…" He tsks while shaking his head with a disappointed look.
"Ah, go to the kitchen, make me a sandwich, and then bend over that I will be the one fucking you."
"Girl, I can still put you on my list…"
The two continue to grow forward while exchanging barbs, Hector rethinking his life choices. It's not his style to jump on unknown traps this way. That woman is bringing out the worst in him. He would go away if he did not have counter-measures in place…
The truth is, discovering who is following them is also part of his mission.
"Maybe it's a bad decision coming to Hell… Why did no one warn me?" He shakes his head helplessly
....
Extra
In the Second Circle of Hell, a lone woman calmly walks on top of a hill, her eyes staring into the distance like she can see everything.
"He already met Satana…" Solomon comments loudly while the dry winds of Hell blow her platinum blonde hair away from her face.
She feels some commotion nearby and she mutters under he breath "Authority of Beholder… Astaroth."
In an instant, an influx of information reaches her brain, and she understands the small battalion of demons moving in her direction, but she is not their target.
"I see… It's already that moment." She says absentmindedly. "It happened faster than what I was told…" She starts pondering while holding her chin. "Is my master pranking himself?"
While she was distracted, a big and strong-looking demon from the small horde jumped and landed in front of her.
"A human sorcerer walking alone around here?" The 5-meter-tall demon with a goat face asks with a smirk, eyeing Solomon up and down
"Tch. A spawn of Asmodeus…" She releases a sound of annoyance. The moment she dropped her hand from her chin, the movement made the demon clearly see the tattoos on the back of it.
"!!!" The overconfident demon that was showing a smirk suddenly freezes, "So-Solomon!?!"
"..." Solomon's golden eyes shine red for an instant 'It has been so long and I was so excited that I committed a blunder…'
The goat demon is sweating in horror while his hooves step back, but there is also some excitement on his face. "You… You… If I tell my amster… I will surely be rewarded!! They have been looking for you for millennia!!"
"Typical of demons… greed always overcomes the rational fear. You lack a survival instinct that comes from that… let me help you." Solomon looks at the big demon with pity before staring hard. "Authority of Fear… Orobas."
From the perspective of the goat demon, the world changed; it got dark and scary, and all his fears came forth from the deepest parts of his heart and mind. Behind Solomon, a giant demonic horse head appears, a third eye in the middle of its forehead, staring down at him like it is promising aeons of despair… And behind it, a shadowy, faceless figure that scares him even more. The Unknown, that primal fear, makes his mind go blank… his mind can't understand what is happening and what he should fear, so his mind just stops entirely.
"Pathetic… You guys are holding a grudge for my master taking your Authorities for so long that you instinctively hate the main body." Solomon steps forward while the demon is almost pissing himself. "My master had this power originally. He just predated in you all to deliver some karmic justice and to feed his own power."
She pauses in front of him.
"To Asmodeus and the others, their authorities are the core of their existence… To my master is just a little boost." She pats the demon like he is a pet. "Now, go back and act normally, forget that you saw me."
The Authority of Fear is so strong that it is blocking the memories of this encounter in the mind of the demon. He scurries away, not understanding why he was running and what he was even doing.
Solomon goes back to stare at the distance. "Something changed slightly… Could it be that my master can choose differently this time? He is about to see a bifurcation on his path that will have a great impact on his future, depending on what he does."
"Maybe the time of our re-encounter will arrive earlier than expected." Solomon allows a small smile to appear on her pretty face.
....
A.N.:Hello there.
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