FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

The balcony was empty, devoid of life except for the rack of silver bows and a few spare quivers of golden arrows: undoubtedly a place to protect the security of the monarch. The Drakkaren snarled, then jumped off the balcony to land in crouch on the marble floor of the massive hall below... and from behind him, he heard a slow clapping as Narrius said dryly: "Using the Naganatine as a shield... very low. But just what I'd expect from you, Raves."

"She wasn't a shield." Zerrex said coldly, standing up and turning around: surprisingly enough, away from the throne. Narrius was instead standing in a room behind a pair of golden double doors, looking down into some sort of strange glowing pool, the walls of it gold and covered in gemstones... and then he turned and walked slowly out of the room, the doors closing behind him as he looked darkly across at the reptile. "What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be in that pretty little triangle in Hell?"

"Like that could hold me." Narrius looked disgusted, waving a hand at the Drakkaren dismissively as he headed towards the huge golden throne, and Zerrex snarled, feeling like charging the Dragokkaren and cutting him in half... but knowing it was exactly what Narrius expected, instead forcing himself to slowly stride forwards, keeping pace with Narrius but letting him move ahead and walk up the small set of steps and sit down at the throne, the reptile looking back and forth at the marble pillars that lined the hall, then above to check and make sure there were no nasty surprises waiting. "But I'm glad you came, Raves... after our last meeting, I've decided that I may have underestimated you and your abilities...

"You've killed me... several times now." Narrius rested back in the throne, tenting his fingers and smiling coldly as he looked over them at Zerrex, his eyes taking in the Drakkaren. "But in the end, that worked to my advantage: you see, the first time you killed me, the first thing I did was lay low in Hell and wait until I had an opportunity to... begin a far-more covert operation to take over the world than I'm used to. But my test run of my obvious takeover of Hez'Ranna and the world taught me that open domination seems to leave one with their head on the chopping block, so to speak... it's far easier and safer to remain in the background and make other puppets dance for you... not to mention endlessly entertaining."

Zerrex clenched his hands into fists, his corrupted limb glowing, and Narrius snorted in distaste, his eyes rolling slowly along Zerrex and sizing him up. "I discovered the Goddess, my original maker, in Hell... and this time it was the slave who became a Master. She was terrified of me and my power... and she bowed to me humbly, and we began a great scheme together. I infiltrated Heaven under a different name after she became High Princess, and she cloaked my movements while I dealt with God..."

The reptile shook his head and leaned forwards, grinning darkly as he said coldly: "Except it looks like you fucked-up, oh dearest father of mine..." A pause as Narrius leaned forwards, grabbing the arms of his throne and narrowing his eyes dangerously. "Heaven caught on to your movements... and the Goddess and your false Az'Iriel have both been destroyed. Hell hasn't been taken control of... and it looks like you're short a few good soldiers. You might have thrown Heaven into an uproar... you may have terrorized the planet... but I'm here to stop you and kill you, and this time I'll make sure that you go all the way down to the Unworld..."

"I've been there, done that." Narrius said coldly, then he slowly stood, the lights dimming as he scowled. "And I don't like your tone. You better change it, and fast, or I'm going to have to do something to shut that stupid mouth of yours."

"Fuck you." Zerrex replied defiantly, and then Narrius reached a hand out as Zerrex steadied himself, the Drakkaren snarling and saying darkly: "Enough of your rambling, you son of a bitch, let's get down to business and-"

Narrius clenched his hand into a fist, and cracks spread through the reptile's scales before a blast of dark smoke tore out of the Drakkaren's body, dark energy crackling over him as Zerrex's eyes went dull and he fell to his knees, then to all fours, vomiting dark bile and blood as Narrius said patronizingly: "Idiot child... I know your energy signature by now... and it's no problem for me to use that against you in all manner of ways you can't even imagine, you little worthless piece of shit. Now shut the fuck up and listen."

Narrius strode slowly down the steps, walking around the reptile's vomit before he kicked him hard in the side, and the Drakkaren groaned, clutching his stomach as blood spread out from his scales, his body covered in pulsing, ugly wounds. Narrius smiled icily down at him, then stomped a foot down on his chest, holding him in place as Zerrex bucked and groaned in agony, his vision blurry as the Dragokkaren said softly: "Look at you, worthless and helpless to move... and here I thought you'd be useful. But I gave you so many chances to cooperate with me... yet the only thing you did right was die."

The Dragokkaren stomped hard down on him, crushing his ribs slowly underfoot as Zerrex's eyes bulged and he let out another groan of agony, and Narrius laughed quietly, shaking his head slowly as he murmured: "Yet, of course, the only reason you went to the Sanctuary in the first place was because you were lured there... just as you were lured to Lunis, the test ground for my invasion army, led by that... pathetic freak I dredged out of the Unworld. The Princess promised me better, but somehow I wasn't surprised by how worthless he proved to be in the end... now listen closely Raves, because this is the important part.

"It wasn't just about Hell, or the mortal plane..." Narrius looked away contemplatively, polishing his claws against his robes. "I could care far less about either... no... it was about you. About filling you with hatred... about making you give in to yourself and who you truly are."

Narrius reached down and grasped Zerrex's throat, then hauled him up to eye level, saying coldly: "You are my son and my heir... and you will begin to act like it, or I will rip you apart until not a single shred of your essence remains. I am God and your father, and my will be done, do you understand? I am ninety percent of who you are... the remaining ten percent being that bitch-whore mother of yours, Celestial, the slut you fucked when you were but a child."

Zerrex reached up and grasped Narrius's wrist tightly, and the Dragokkaren looked surprised before snarling in fury as Zerrex rasped: "I'm me."

The Dragokkaren slammed the smaller reptile bad-temperedly down into the marble floor, shattering it and causing Zerrex's body to bounce and roll several times onto his stomach... and then Narrius threw a hard kick into his kidneys, Zerrex curling up with a groan of agony as he glared down at him furiously and whispered: "Fine. If that's how you feel, then I'll kill you and exterminate every single person you've ever been in contact with to eliminate your name from history. And no one, not mommy or God, will save your now, Raves. Mommy is dead and God is banished and gone... and I will remake the world in my image!"

Narrius's voice rose in a terrible roar as he spun around and strode slowly away, before he paused in midstep, slowly setting himself instead as his head lowered, glancing over his shoulder with disgust. He watched as Zerrex slowly forced himself to his feet, then he snarled as the Drakkaren reached back behind himself and grasped the hilt of his sword, asking harshly: "Don't you understand that it's worthless? Why must you always continue to struggle like the little cockroach you are, my son?"

"Because sometimes I pull through." The reptile winced then closed his eyes, Blackheart glowing blue behind him before the Drakkaren's eyes flashed open, wincing and gritting his teeth as his scales slowly healed, and Narrius snarled in distaste. "I put some energy aside in my sword just in case... the blade is like part of my body, after all..."

"Stop talking shit!" Narrius roared, swinging an arm out before he rose his other hand, but this time Zerrex focused himself, and only his rocky arm hissed, a few pieces of brittle stone crumbling off it. Zerrex began to laugh quietly, and Narrius looked infuriated, clenching his hand into a fist as he shouted: "Don't laugh at me! I am the one who masterminded everything from your life to your death, Raves, who killed your dirty-whore mother and plunged all the planes into spirals of destruction-"

"You overestimated your power." Zerrex said clearly, pulling his huge blade off his back and grasping the hilt in both hands, his eyes glowing emerald as Narrius's own ruby eyes burned with hatred, blood running down his clenched fingers from the claws digging into his own palm. "The mortal plane was wrecked, sure... but we recovered. Hell was plunged into anarchy and war... but we saved it. And we'll save Heaven, too, and maybe even God."

"You can't save your precious toy God now." Narrius said with disgust, and his eyes flicked towards the side-room Zerrex had been standing in earlier. Zerrex automatically glanced to the side... and immediately Narrius stepped forwards and shot a blade of dark energy at him with a vicious upwards swing, and Zerrex looked back in shock before he was blown off his feet, hitting the ground and left alight in dark flames, skidding backwards some dozen feet into the stairs leading up to the throne as Narrius grinned coldly. "Always so pathetically-easy. Come on, Raves, get up... haven't you learned anything from that worthless shit Requiem? Oh that's right, he's been reduced to ashes."

Zerrex snarled furiously, stepping up to his feet and wiping at his burnt scales, knocking the dark flames off as his horns slowly pushed out of his head, whispering: "Don't talk about him... don't talk about him, you piece of shit..."

"What are you going to do, kill me?" Narrius smiled coldly, spreading his arms and leaning his head forwards, saying softly: "Know your battlegrounds first, Zerrex. I'm God. You can't kill God in Heaven... the most you can do is trick the idiot into taking on a physical form and suck his essence into a specially-prepared container."

The Drakkaren clenched his hands tightly into fists, and then he said coldly: "You aren't God... no one can replace Him in His own Heaven, even if He isn't as all-powerful or all-knowing as everyone likes to believe..."

Narrius tilted his head, then snorted and lowered his hands, flexing his fingers and licking his muzzle slowly. "Fine. I'm just an Archangel... but the same wonderful little rule still applies to me, since I'm at the highest of the fold. But aren't defense mechanisms fun... believing both that God can't be omnipotent but also that he can't be defeated in his home like every other king and chieftain and president I've slain over my many long years..."

Narrius slowly began to circle, and Zerrex moved with him, his sword raised high as the Dragokkaren said coldly: "You're a hypocrite. You're weak. You're pathetic. You're worthless. And I'm going to enjoy ripping you to shreds, Raves... and then I'll add your essence to the soul well I've been building, to make sure I have enough power to destroy that mortal world you hold so dear and precious, and that your family all dies and goes to a Hell I've made... but I won't even have to go down to Hell to kill all the people important to you, will I? See, I was betting on that, too, when I had Francis go down to get a test-group to see how my corrupt angels did against them. I knew you would be jumping at an opportunity to come along, and would likely bring along your silly little friends and family... but even High Princess Lily, your darling wife, isn't that right? She'll be incredibly useful to me herself, as a new level of Breeding Queen, just like your slut Cherry was..."

"Shut up!" Zerrex charged forwards, snarling furiously and moving blindly in rage... and Narrius grinned viciously before slapping the sword away as Zerrex chopped it down, and then he grabbed the Drakkaren's throat, hefting him into the air. Zerrex turned his twisted hand into an axe-blade a moment later, raising it high... but Narrius hurled him backwards into a pillar with a face of disgust.

Zerrex collided heavily with it, falling to the ground in a kneel as his sword skittered away from him... and Narrius held out a hand, the blade flying to it before he approached with the huge weapon, saying disgustedly: "Same old Raves. Fighting with your emotions, never staying calm for a single moment..."

The reptile climbed up to his feet, and the Dragokkaren swung hard to the side with the weapon as he came within striking distance, Zerrex pushing back against the pillar and wincing as the tip of the blade tore a thin line through his stomach before Narrius slashed viciously in from the other side with a grunt, and the sword tore into the thick marble pillar behind him like it was butter as Zerrex rose his stony arm, grasping his rocky wrist and cursing as Blackheart chopped into it, the blade screaming against his limb.

Narrius's fist shot out, striking him hard in the gut, and Zerrex gasped for breath before the Dragokkaren snapped him under the jawline with the pommel of his sword to knock his muzzle skywards, the red-scaled creature drawing his hand back to prepare a lethal claw to his son's throat. Zerrex immediately pushed himself back against the pillar and rose both legs, however, slamming both feet into Narrius's stomach and sending him flying across the room.

The Dragokkaren managed to keep his balance with a snarl, his feet skidding loudly instead against the marble floor before he charged with a furious look to the Drakkaren, raising Blackheart above his head in one hand. He chopped viciously downwards in a halving slice, and Zerrex slipped just out of the way of the awkward attack, Blackheart crashing into the ground in front of him and giving the reptile the opening he was looking for.

He ran up the edge of the blade, then snagged Narrius by the throat with his flesh-and-blood hand, the Dragokkaren looking horrified before Zerrex dived forwards and landed in crouch with his free hand out, the other slamming Narrius's head and back down into the ground. Blackheart flew through the air as Narrius clutched at Zerrex's wrist, but the reptile ignored the pain as he roared and charged, shoving the Dragokkaren into the floor hard enough to send cracks through the ground and chips of stone shooting up as he dragged him across the area.

He straightened as he reached the other side of the room, slamming Narrius's back into a pillar with enough force to shatter the entire length of the thick, enormous stone column, Zerrex's other hand drawing back at the same time as it became a thick, long metal blade... and Narrius stared in shock before coughing blood as Zerrex slammed his stony arm-sword forwards and through Narrius's chest, tearing through his heart as he snarled into his eyes, emerald glaring into ruby... and then the Dragokkaren's burned with raw hatred before he slammed a hand up into Zerrex's chest, sending him flying backwards as a shockwave of dark energy spread through the air.

The reptile landed awkwardly on his ass, then twisted backwards to half-bounce, half-roll over the ground several times before he managed to slam all fours down into the floor, his arm-blade digging deep into the ground. It melted slowly back down into a clawed hand as Narrius strode away from the pillar, bleeding from the wound in his chest for a moment before it healed with terrible swiftness, even his clothing patching itself together as he snarled: "You can't kill me Raves! Heaven itself protects me!"

"I can try." Zerrex muttered, glancing to the right and quickly strafing over to pick up his sword. He spun it back and forth to either side of his body, then set himself in a stance as his eyes glowed, saying clearly: "You aren't an angel or a demon or a god, Narrius... you're a monster. Even if I don't kill you, someone else will."

"It's been my experienced that the monsters usually stay on top." Narrius replied acidly, and then the Dragokkaren charged forwards before throwing a wave of dark fire towards Zerrex, but he looked up in surprise as the Drakkaren leapt over the wall of dark flames and chopped down in a halving slice towards him-

Narrius shot his hand out, and a mess of large spikes of dark energy appeared in the air around the Drakkaren before shooting through his body, Zerrex's form convulsing before he fell limply, and the Dragokkaren grinned savagely as he cocked back his leg before slamming it into the smaller reptile as he fell past him, sending him flying across the room to crash through the golden throne, chunks of metal flying in all directions as Narrius laughed and taunted: "What's wrong, Raves? Have you lost the will to fight all of a sudden? You're more pathetic than I remember... and far messier, too! Only an idiot tries a frontal attack like that!"

There was no sound from behind the wreckage of the throne, and Narrius gave it a distasteful look before the remnants of the metal chair shot at him with violent force. The Dragokkaren snarled and struck a hand out, knocking it away as it flew through the air... and his eyes bulged as he saw a sphere of blue energy following this a moment before it crashed into his chest.

The massive blue blast sent him flying backwards to crash into the damaged pillar behind him, and the huge stone structure fell inwards, collapsing on top of the Dragokkaren as a bloody Zerrex walked slowly forwards, shouting coldly in return: "And you just got your ass kicked by one of the oldest gambits in the book! Maybe you're the one with too much faith in these stupid magical powers everyone has!"

Narrius shoved himself out of the stone wreckage, snarling furiously and bleeding from a large gash in his skull, before it visibly closed and healed... but Zerrex's sharp eyes focused on a slash in his hand as Narrius wiped blood from his face. It was closing far-slower than the other wounds had... and that meant the Dragokkaren was hopefully starting to lose power... because we can't keep this up all day. I can survive maybe one or two otherwise-lethal strikes... but after that, I'll be killed. "Zerrex, I'm going to tear your body limb-from-limb..."

Before the reptile could respond, Narrius punched the ground hard, sending a jet of dark spikes through the cement floor towards the Drakkaren, and Zerrex quickly ran to the side before going into a slide on instinct, and another cluster of dark spikes appeared in the air above his head. The reptile rolled and winced as he saw Narrius in mid-charge, and then the Dragokkaren swung a foot out to attempt to punt him in the stomach.

Zerrex brought Blackheart out to his side, and Narrius's foot collided with the flat, only succeeding in knocking the Drakkaren skidding across the ground as the Dragokkaren staggered backwards with a curse. The reptile immediately rolled to the side, shoving off the ground with his hands to land neatly on his feet as he rose his sword in front of himself, and he intercepted a pounce forwards from Narrius with a hard, straight cut.

Narrius seized the blade in both hands and tore it out of Zerrex's grip, then he bashed Zerrex hard in the muzzle with the pommel, sending him staggering backwards with a cry of pain as one of his teeth flew out of his mouth. The reptile snarled and forced himself through the agony as he saw Narrius switch his grip and prepare a hard swing, and he reached out as the Dragokkaren swung, catching the blade in his rocky hand and spinning around to tear it from Narrius's hands before slamming him across the face with the handle of the huge blade in return.

Narrius half-spun as blood splattered over the floor, then one of his hands reached up just above his tail and snagged the handle of the weapon behind his back, before he tore it out of Zerrex's grip with a screech of metal against stone. He spun the sword in front of himself as he turned back around with a snarl of fury, stabbing towards the Drakkaren... but Zerrex ducked before angling a kick hard upwards into Narrius's crotch.

The Dragokkaren staggered again with a grunt and a wince, then he roared in fury as Zerrex swept his legs out from beneath him, sending him crashing down onto his back with a grunt. Immediately, Zerrex leapt on top of him and swung a hammer-fist straight down into Narrius's muzzle with his rocky hand, but the Dragokkaren swung a knee into Zerrex's lower spine before catching him with both hands and throwing him backwards with an added blast of dark energy.

Zerrex cursed as he caught on fire, rolling several times to put it out as Narrius slowly got to his feet, the two panting hard... and a moment later the roof above shattered as Lord dropped in, the twenty-foot Archangel snarling and holding a massive, bright gold sword wreathed with yellow flames. The grand weapon was almost as large as Lord was, and made the Drakkaren shrink back impulsively as Narrius snarled, before the reptile stepped forwards and shouted: "This is my fight, he-"

Narrius turned to him and blasted him with a wave of dark energy, sending him hurtling backwards, and Zerrex crashed to the ground before rolling several times as Lord said clearly: "Whoever you are, there's no need for this... this is all senseless violence! I order you to halt this at once, or I'll be forced to kill you."

"Try it." Narrius said coldly, and Lord immediately shot forwards, Narrius swinging out his hands and repelling a strike of the golden sword as he drove Lord back with a volley of claws and vicious attacks. Zerrex, meanwhile, shook his head stupidly and climbed groggily to his feet before he snarled and ran forwards... but Narrius, sensing the danger, immediately clawed a deep rip through Lord's chest before knocking him backwards with a palm strike, and then he turned to Zerrex and flicked a wrist, spikes of darkness appearing in midair through the Drakkaren's body and solidifying, trapping him in place as the lizard gurgled weakly.

Lord performed a reverse handspring to regain his balace... and Narrius rose his other hand, sending another set of dark spikes hurling down from above the Archangel, pinning him to the floor. Lord snarled and tore free, however, and Narrius smiled coldly before he pulled a small golden puzzle box out of his pocket, asking coldly: "Isn't this what you really want, Lord? Arodnap's Box, That Which Contains All Good. One of the Forbidden Arts of Hell... and your precious God is sealed inside. But should the box ever fall into the wrong hands or be destroyed, He too will die..." A pause as he glanced at the golden double doors at the side of the room, and they exploded open in a blast of dark flame, before Narrius tossed the golden box through them and into the strange pool in the center of the area, the Dragokkaren shouting: "Run, Archangel! Save your toy God if you can!"

Zerrex twisted back and forth, ripping free from the spines of dark energy as they shattered, and then he snarled as Narrius turned and fled through another pair of double doors, as Lord ran quickly across the ground, before skidding to a halt and shouting: "Zerrex, we need to free God, it-"

"It doesn't matter, Narrius has to die! It's a trap!" Zerrex shouted furiously at Lord, then he spun away as the Archangel winced and paused in the middle of battle, Zerrex growling and turning to charge after his father. Narrius never flees... and I've never known him to be afraid of anything. Lord is obviously incredibly-powerful, but he's foolish...

A pause and a glance over his shoulder confirmed that Lord had gone into the room to try and fish the box out of the well... and Zerrex turned down a corner to see Narrius tear his way through several of his own guards, knocking them flying out of the way like dominos before ramming through the set of red double doors they had been guarding. Zerrex followed, and then he skidded to a halt, watching Narrius leap from catwalk-to-catwalk over a mess of rotating gears and terrible, floating discs that could only be Lucifer's Eyes. This room... it's a factory, a production line...

Zerrex looked back and forth, then he glanced up and caught sight of a claw hanging from a chain, attached to a floating platform. Massive, spiked gears ground all throughout the room, and strange pistons and other systems moved up and down as demons patrolled the catwalks below, and the reptile didn't want to estimate how long or wide the hall was... or what would lay below, as his eyes set on several massive plasma batteries like the ones that Telis had been producing. Narrius, by now, however, had reached the other side, and Zerrex watched as he vanished through a pair of heavy armored doors... and the Drakkaren cursed before he holstered Blackheart against the magnetic holder on his back and leapt into the air, catching the claw with his own stony one.

The floating platform above didn't burst into life, and the reptile looked sour for a moment before letting go of the claw, falling through the air before he created his angelic wings and shot forwards, as soldiers and engineer angels shouted and picked up both crossbows and rifles, shooting at him as he flew past their heads through the air. The reptile snapped back and forth, easily evading their fire before some wit picked up a grenade launcher and fired several rounds at him... all of them missing and instead plummeting below to explode against the sensitive machinery, setting off some sort of alarm.

Zerrex dived down towards the other side of the room, his wings vanishing even as his other demonic characteristics began to emerge at the sensation of terrible dark energy... and he snarled before hammering the open button beside the heavy doors, and they growled before slowly pulling apart. The Drakkaren slid between them at the first opportunity, and then he cursed as he ran down a long, narrow hallway of black metal plating and long white neon bars, Narrius nowhere in sight... but the reptile could feel his presence not far away.

He turned a corner, then ran down towards a heavy shutter at the end of the wall, skidding to a halt in front of it and hitting the open button beside it... and it immediately retracted with a ding, allowing Zerrex to push through the golden door beyond. The moment he was through, the shutter fell... and Zerrex stared at Narrius's back, the Dragokkaren standing out at the edge of a cliff.

They were standing in a small courtyard high above another city section of Heaven, golden stone tiles underfoot and the walls of the palace to their back and sides, some green grass at the corners of the yard in quaint little gardens. The sky above was beautiful blue, and three pairs of pillars formed an upside-down V as they drew slowly together, each pillar in turn on either side growing steadily larger. The lowest pillars were only a squat ten feet tall... but the highest at least doubled this, all of them made of white stone with golden tops. It reminded Zerrex of an organ somehow... and then he stepped forwards, drawing Blackheart off his back as he said quietly: "It's over, Narrius. This is the end for you."

"Look at them all down there." Narrius said coldly, ignoring the Drakkaren's words entirely as he laced his hands behind his back... and Zerrex narrowed his eyes as the Dragokkaren glanced over his shoulder with a cruel smile. The courtyard ended abruptly at a set of steep and extremely tall-cliffs, from what Zerrex could see, from how tiny the buildings looked in massive city in the distance; yet he could still see and hear explosions, and screams from below. "Nothing but sheep or cows or some other unevolved, inferior species... nothing but victims, ripe for the plucking. Heaven is weak and soft, filled with fools who believe they deserve eternal peace... and Hell was arrogant and easy to deceive and corrupt. The mortal plane itself is the worst of all, taking in both aspects of these planes... and God Himself was a peaceful, ‘loving' fool who was easy to manipulate and destroy.

"Lucifer and Lord are confused and lost, and Lord won't escape opening that box, like the idiot he is... although I already disposed of God and Arodnap's Box long ago." Narrius said absently, turning slowly around to face Zerrex, his eyes cold. "He'll be consumed by the secret evil inside Pandora's Box and be destroyed... and Lucifer I'll exterminate later. For now... I'll be content with killing you.

"It's too bad it had to end like this, Raves..." Narrius reached his hands out and smiled coldly... and Zerrex winced and steadied himself against the raw feeling of wrongness and evil emanating from the Dragokkaren as he hunched forwards slightly, his eyes turning a glowing, terrible crimson as he rasped: "Die... die like all else who dare to face me..."

Dark fire burst into life over Narrius's body, then turned into something thick and almost jellylike, black lightning flickering over his form every so often as his body went from tall and well-built to hunched, his arms thickening outwards slightly from their athletic musculature as he leaned forwards, his fingers curling into terrible claws as he growled and snarled like the animal he was at heart, his teeth shining white against the dark energy that coated his entire form. Then he threw back his head and laughed, his eyes burning crimson before he roared: "I have the ultimate power!"

He fell to all fours and charged forwards, and Zerrex leapt backwards in fear, his eyes bulging in horror as dread wrapped around him, emanating off the fiendish beast his father had become. He remembered all the bad things that had happened to him, and he remembered the battle in Paradise, when this terrible thing had first chased him through the floating fortress as it had fallen from the air... and Zerrex let out an inarticulate yell as Narrius pounced at him, swinging Blackheart out as the blade glowed white.

It chopped into Narrius's shoulder and smashed him down into the ground, and he screamed and drew quickly back. Zerrex forged forwards immediately, using his own terror to feed him despite bordering on the edge of panic, windmilling his blade back and forth in quick arcs to push Narrius away before the Drakkaren jumped backwards himself, keeping a fair distance between himself and the beast. Then Narrius stood back upwards, creating spheres of dark energy in either hand before he threw both towards Zerrex.

The reptile didn't dare to touch either of them: they looked only like dark energy, but they felt more like the terrible essence that had coated that Unworld Being that had been manipulating Az'Iriel's armor, and the same stuff that now coated Narrius's form. Instead, he slid to the side and retaliated with a hard outwards swing of Blackheart, moving on instinct and not even realizing what he was doing before the white blade released a thin wave of energy that shot into Narrius and knocked him sprawling. The ivory energy twisted over his body like lightning, and Narrius howled and convulsed on his back against the tiled ground before leaping up to all fours with a twist of his body... and Zerrex followed up with a sphere of blue energy as he shifted Blackherat to his claw hand.

It crashed into Narrius's face as he straightened, then exploded, and the monster's body fell forwards, his ass still in the air as he trembled violently, his head hanging limply as if his neck was broken... and Zerrex dared to hope for a moment that it really was before Narrius leapt up to his feet and howled a long, strangled note, his arms out at his sides as waves of terrible force washed over the Drakkaren and sent him slowly skidding backwards with a snarl. His body trembled as he fought to stay on his feet, and then he stumbled as Narrius slumped forwards.

The reptile straightened, and the Dragokkaren swung a hand upwards as his own body stood tall, sending out a curtain of dark lightning that ripped up out of the ground. Zerrex snarled, then twisted his body to the side, slipping through a narrow crack between two jagged lines of nightmare electricity. Narrius, however, took the opportunity to charge, and one of his claws slashed out and ripped into his Zerrex's lower back as he snarled viciously, and Zerrex screamed, staggering forwards as Narrius's claws tickled against his spine.

A moment later, the Dragokkaren's jaws shot forwards, snapping around Zerrex's side and ripping a deep bite into his kidney as his other hand reached up to snag the reptile's chest firmly, and Zerrex shrieked in pain and terror as every bad feeling he'd ever had in his life weighed down on him at once. He panicked, dropping his sword to push violently at Narrius, dark flames bursting up from his hands just at contacting with the body of the terrible Dragokkaren, and Narrius snarled before attempting to readjust his jaws, and Zerrex shoved hard backwards the moment he felt a loosening.

Narrius's jaws clamped downward and tore a large chunk out of Zerrex's side as his claws tore along the reptile's body, but then he fell free forwards, and the reptile kicked him hard under the jaw before stomping down on his head, knocking Narrius to the ground with a yelp as the Drakkaren began to kick him again and again in the skull, screaming as he flailed at the dark energy burning over his body at the same time. Narrius leapt backwards after a few moments of this, then he settled himself into a pounce position, but as he leapt forwards, Zerrex swung his rocky hand out, and the clawed hand simply grew to more than double its size, snagging Narrius in its grip before Zerrex stepped forwards and slammed him down as hard as he could into the ground.

The monster screeched in agony, and Zerrex began to squeeze hard, even as he felt his clawed, corrupted arm melting... but then Narrius ripped upwards through his fingers, knocking two of them off before he jumped forwards and snapped his jaws around Zerrex's bicep, twisting and yanking as his teeth tore through the solid stone and metal, and dark fire burst up around the corrupt limb before it exploded into shards as Narrius tore past Zerrex, jumping off a middle pillar before leaping across to the top pillar on the other side, standing on top of it and crunching the remaining chunks of stony, metallic bicep in his jaws as he grinned cruelly.

Zerrex fell to his knees, the stump of his rocky arm bleeding an ugly black gunk for a few moments before he gripped his bloody side in his other hand, and he cursed weakly, disbelievingly as he felt his kidney in his hand. It wasn't that he didn't think this couldn't happen... it was that Narrius was simply too powerful, too insanely-strong... and a moment later the twisted creature leapt down from the pillar and landed in a crouch, growling and panting hungrily, walking forwards on all fours as it licked its muzzle slowly. Its eyes burned red, and Zerrex snarled, looking back and forth helplessly for Blackheart before he narrowed his eyes and concentrated as hard as he could, his left hand trembling violently as a blade of energy formed, before he slowly refined and focused it as best he could, until it became a blade of white energy, held with the point towards the ground... and he stayed as calm as he could, trying to focus himself before Narrius leapt straight at his face, roaring as he dived in for the kill.

Zerrex sidestepped and swung the blade forwards as he stepped towards Narrius, yelling inarticulately... and a moment later it was drowned out by Narrius's screams as the white blade tore through his ribcage, cutting through his upper torso before emerging out his back... and the monster flailed in midair even as he fell, his feet catching Zerrex's face and chest and sending him crashing to the ground, the blade of energy vanishing as the reptile slowly began to push himself upwards. He coughed blood, then looked over his shoulder at the monster burning with dark fire, laying prone on its side... before he forced himself up to a crouch with a groan as Narrius climbed to all fours, shaking his head and panting raggedly despite the black acid he left bubbling on the ground, his evil blood pouring out of the wound in his side before the dark energy patched itself together... but red pulsed over the body of the terrible Dragokkaren as he slowly forced himself back to his feet.

His eyes glowed crimson as he looked down at Zerrex, and then he slowly limped to the side, snarling angrily. "This is pointless... you cannot win. I heal faster, I am stronger, I've taken away all your best weapons..." He paused as he glanced across at Blackheart, and he whispered: "And even your precious sword can barely touch me. You have lost, Zerrex... and now I'll kill you without further ado."

He slowly faced the reptile with a cruel grin, standing with the cliffs behind him... and Zerrex kept his eyes on Narrius's, determined to show no fear before he blinked as he saw a strange speck in the sky high above, the shape getting larger and larger as Narrius frowned a bit before saying disgustedly: "Raves, the same technique I used on you earlier won't-"

A half-wolf, half-Dragokkaren dropped out of the sky like a stone, stabbing a massive sword through Narrius's back and driving him to the ground, pinning him in place as he shouted angrily in a raw voice: "I won't be your pawn any longer, vermin! You, give me a hand, I can't hold him by myself!"

Zerrex looked up in shock, and then he heard a loud crash and explosion from behind him, wincing and covering his face as several rocks flew by before a massive shape shot past his head, and Lord buried his own blade in Narrius's back, the Dragokkaren squealing and screaming as he spasmed against the ground, cracks and dark fire ripping outwards around him through the earth as Lord replied with a grin: "Don't push the poor bastard, Lucifer, take a look at him! We can take it from here, can't we?"

Lucifer grunted... and then Narrius bucked and roared, and the two Archangels winced backwards as their swords were forced upwards, and Lord grunted a curse under his breath before he stared in shock as Zerrex buried Blackheart through the center of Narrius's spine with one hand a moment later, and the Drakkaren said raggedly: "This is my fight, I won't let you two steal my kill! Send him way downstairs, past the sewers... send him to the Unworld, not to Hell! And send me with him if you have to, goddammit!"

Narrius bucked, and the three large swords buried through him jerked upwards as Lord winced, looking like he wanted to argue... but Lucifer snarled: "There's no time! Lord, we don't have a choice, it's the only way to get rid of him... you, hold him in place and try to back off at the last moment, but don't wait too long or you'll get sucked down there too! Lord, now!"

The Archangels nodded to each other, then both leapt away to either side, raising a hand and beginning a chant as the ground beneath them trembled, Narrius screaming and howling as Zerrex winced and concentrated, Blackheart glowing white as he shoved it down as far as he could through the creature... but somehow Narrius was rejecting the blades, his body twisting and bucking, ripping here and there before dark spikes shot out of the earth around his body, only to quickly settle back into the ground and vanish... and then the ground around the two distorted, twisting into a terrible maelstrom as tiles rose up and shattered, and Narrius screamed as he began to slowly sink down into it.

Zerrex held him tightly down, barely wincing as Lucifer's sword tore out of the Dragokkaren and shot up into the air, ripping a gash down his muzzle... and a moment later, dark energy rushed over Lord's blade and it shot high into the air like a rocket, leaving only Blackheart buried inside Narrius. Even as the Dragokkaren's arms and legs were consumed, his tail snapped back and forth and his back still arched, despite the terrible hands reaching up through the vortex to claw into the monstrosity's body... but Zerrex could still see the darkness slowly pulsing stronger and stronger through the glowing ivory energy of his sword... before there was a sudden rumble beneath him, and Narrius's body was pulled into the maelstrom with a last howl from the entity.

Zerrex's legs were dragged down with him... and then Lord held up his hands and added a quick incantation, and Zerrex was blown out of the maelstrom, thick translucent gunk flying into the air as he flew backwards and crashed down beside Lucifer, Blackheart flying past him and then toppling over the cliffs to fall far below. The Drakkaren groaned... and he blinked stupidly a few times before looking up at the enormous, stony-faced half-wolf, half-reptile dressed in a long, flowing robe, but he didn't have the energy to speak.

Lord walked around the distortion in reality a moment later, kneeling with a sigh and a grin as he reached down and put a hand over Zerrex's wounded side, and the reptile felt his body healing and his energy beginning to return as the huge, purple-scaled reptile said amiably: "Damn, but you did good there, Zerrex. I was amazed that you could hold your own against him... sorry I ran off on you, but I had to make sure that the box didn't really have God inside it..." A pause as he looked down with a sigh, murmuring: "We're in serious trouble without His guidance..."

Lucifer only grunted, crossing his arms, and the Drakkaren glanced up at him, at the distinct split between his features. His right side a grey wolf, his left size a Dragokkaren, right down to the one ear he had and the half of a lupine's nose, and his left visibly bulkier in terms of muscle and size than his right... it was as if two different beings had been lazily squished together. Lucifer only looked back at him distastefully for a few moments, then he finally relaxed a bit and nodded, his features untensing as he muttered: "We do all the administrative work anyway... but good work... Zerrex, right? I'm glad you survived."

Zerrex nodded and sat up, rubbing at the stump of his broken arm... and he sighed as he stood up and groaned, his stump growing and pulsing as plates of metal and stone formed and it slowly but steadily regrew, until his hand flexed slowly and weakly at the end. It was thin and skeletal, weak right now, with no light pulsing through it... but he could at least move it a little bit. He glanced over to the other Archangels, to at least thank them... and then a massive claw tore through the distortion in the ground and wrapped around him, seizing him in its grip and burning the reptile's body as the others stared in horror before Zerrex was torn through the rift, and it vanished in a burst of dark lightning that slammed both of the angelic beings backwards off their feet.

The reptile was torn down through a terrible, nightmarish haze... and then a moment later he felt himself thrown, the claw marks from the terrible hand burned visibly into his chest as his back crashed down into terrible, rocky earth, bouncing backwards several times before he sprawled on all fours... and he stared up at a nightmare, twisted cavern-roof sky above.

He sat up slowly, and everything was dark but still clearly visible; all he could hear were screams and moans. The entire world was a desolate wasteland, a terrifying place that was already literally eating at his body, as he felt his energy beginning to dwindle, before Zerrex slowly climbed to his feet and looked up as Narrius strode slowly forwards.

He was coated with burning black energy that was even more vibrant in this twisted world, and he had grown even more massive, standing at least triple the size of the Drakkaren. His body had become emacatiated and gaunt, however, and his legs were only a pair of twisted sticks beneath him as too-long arms ending in massive claws swung by his sides. Drool dripped from his maw as he leaned down, eyes nothing more than glowing red light filled with terrible intellect as he roared, the force of sound driving Zerrex backwards before he howled: "This is useless! I escaped from here before... I can do it again!"

He threw his arms out, then leapt forwards and slashed a claw towards Zerrex, but the reptile forced himself to dive out of the way, landing awkwardly on his side with a groan of pain before he scrambled up to his feet. Narrius turned towards him with a twisted grin, reaching down and easily snatching Zerrex up in both hands, and dark lighting and fire twisted over the reptile's body as he screamed in the grip of the giant, Narrius rasping: "But first I'm going to rip you apart... first I'm going to eat you alive, Zerrex, and-"

"Darling..." said a soft voice, and Narrius turned slowly around, the red light in his eyes dimming some before he stared in shock at Celestial, as she floated forwards through the air, her hands clasped together in front of her and a smile on her face... but her features were cold and her eyes burned with terrible crimson light. Narrius snarled as he threw Zerrex straight down into the ground, turning towards her, and her smile turned into a scowl. "You can't get along with him for two minutes, can you? The first time I see you in countless years and here you are, treating him miserably again..."

"Shut up, you were never anything but a worthless whore, anyway!" Narrius spat, stepping menacingly towards her... but her features only grew darker before he grinned and turned around, raising a massive foot to crush Zerrex as he added viciously: "You couldn't even give me a son of any use to me, just a little weak worthless piece of shit slut like yourself!"

His foot came down... and then it was suddenly dragged backwards as manacles of white energy locked around his legs, then slammed into place around his arms. He howled in surprise and pain, and a final collar of white energy slammed into place around his neck, chains leading down to one long leash that Celestial held in her hand as her eyes pulsed with red light, and she said furiously: "Someone needs to teach you a lesson, Ifret, and I've been waiting a long time for a reason to do it!"

Narrius clawed at his collar... and then Celestial turned around and twisted the chain over her shoulder, lifting Narrius off the ground and flipping him over in midair before slamming him flat into the rocks behind herself, and his body bounced as he let out a roar of pain before screaming as Celestial dropped the chain, the binding still staying in place as she shoved both hands out and sent a massive jolt of white electricity shooting over his body, shouting angrily as her hands turned into ivory claws: "You're the weak shit here, Narrius! And I may be a slut, but look at me now! Look at what this weak slut is doing to you, the great tyrant, the big male of the house, the idiot who tried to throw the universe into chaos!"

She sailed down as Zerrex watched in shock, and as Narrius rolled onto his back, she ripped massive red gashes in his chest, the Dragokkaren screaming and howling before Celestial grabbed his shoulders and slammed him down into the ground, his limbs sprawling out as he looked up at her in horror, her eyes turning completely crimson as she licked her muzzle slowly, her skull plate forming as she whispered hungrily: "But at the end of the day... I just want you to give me a nice, big kiss..."

Her muzzle lowered to his and locked with it, and Narrius howled and twisted back and forth, his body spasming wildly as his energy was torn out of his body, turning into a dark mist that washed over Celestial until she tore her jaws back with a long inhale, laughing wildly as she picked Narrius's weak, remaining husk up and tossed him high into the air, before she spun around and slapped him away like a toy, the Dragokkaren crashing to the ground beside Zerrex and falling flat on his back, his eyes staring dully at the Drakkaren, his body still burning with dark energy but shrunken and only a few feet larger than the reptile's own now, as Celestial floated over menacingly, breathing hard and growling... and then she paused and smiled at Zerrex almost lovingly as the Drakkaren stared up at her in terror, before the skull and bone plate over her head faded out of existence and her claws turned back into hands as she created a portal, her eyes turning emerald once more as she said softly: "Come, Zerrex... let's go home."

That scared the reptile... but between her Rift and the Unworld that was slowly sapping his energies, he had little choice. The Drakkaren nodded weakly and climbed to his feet, and Celestial dropped down to give him a quick hug and a kiss on the cheek before absently picking up Narrius's weakened body like it weighed nothing, throwing it over her shoulder and adding in a husky voice: "And I know just what we can do while we wait for your father to recuperate..."

Zerrex winced, but he nodded again and she seemed content with this as she floated past him into the Rift... and the reptile followed a moment later, making a face as several Unworld beings stumbled and crawled towards them with terrible moans of hunger. The portal closed the moment he was through, and Zerrex watched as the walls of the hall he'd stepped into turned from stone and metal into ugly, sick flesh... but he followed Celestial nonetheless, only praying things would go quickly.

She dropped Narrius in an empty, cube-shaped room, and then beckoned to Zerrex to follow... and in the next room, she created a large, oak bed, smiling lovingly to him as she discarded her robe, her eyes turning red as she breathed hard. She was hot and passionate, and she kissed him over and over, rubbing her hands over his body and for a change, doing everything she could to please him as he took her quick and hard... and she seemed delighted as they lay together afterwards, the reptile's naked body on top of hers, Celestial closing her eyes as she held him close... and yet something felt different. She felt strange, as if her insides were moving against him... but she only smiled tenderly at him, and he tried to push his negative thoughts out of his mind before an angry howl sounded from the room beyond.

"Your father is awake." Celestial said absently, and she climbed to her feet, slipping off the bed as Zerrex made a face and slid his own clothes on. She picked up her robe, throwing it back over her body as she looked at Zerrex and said sternly: "We are a family again now, and you will be civil to him, and he will be civil to you, is this understood? You'll call him father, as you call me mother... we're together again, and that's the only thing that matters."

"Yes... mother." Zerrex said carefully, knowing by now that it was best to play along with Celestial's lunacy, no matter what she demanded. It would be hard... but he also knew that it wouldn't be long before Narrius pissed her off, and the idea of seeing that sight made him smile sickly. Then again, maybe this is a good thing after all... after all, she seems to be able to control him well enough, which is terrifying by itself...

He followed her back into the cubical room, and Celestial made a couch rip out of the fleshy wall across from where Narrius was chained, as he snarled and fought hard to pull out of his shackles... and Celestial primly crossed her legs as she sat down on it, looking unconcerned and smiling oddly as she patted the couch beside her. Zerrex sat down, and Narrius grinned before rasping: "So, you're just the whore's slave, huh? That makes sense... I heard you two fucking and I can smell it, too, and I'm not surprised-"

"Now don't be rude, honey." Celestial said sternly, raising a hand and waving a finger at him, and Narrius tore at his manacles, hissing and growling at her as his eyes glowed red, the black energy still twisting over his body... and Zerrex wondered if he had entirely been consumed by his own power and animal rage. "Can I get you anything, darling? Perhaps something to drink, or something comfortable to sit on?"

Zerrex didn't bother to hide his darkly-amused smile as Narrius's eyes burned with rage, and he struggled to do something, anything... but somehow his ability to control dark energy was blocked, and his strength was barely enough to strain the chains holding him. After a few moments, he roared like an animal, saliva flying across the room, and Celestial looked disgusted before glancing at Zerrex and saying coldly: "I'm going to give you two a few moments to talk and resolve your differences. I recommend you calm down, Narrius... and neither of you should try anything stupid, because I'll know. Is this understood?"

"Yes, mother." Zerrex said, forcing as loving a voice as he could, and Celestial positively beamed as Narrius bit at the air and howled, straining to attack her in any way he could. She only sighed at his reaction, then turned and walked through the door closest, and Zerrex waited a few moments before getting up off the couch and approaching the chained-down monstrosity, Narrius howling and roaring as the Drakkaren said calmly: "This is all your own doing, you know."

"Shut the fuck up!" Narrius snarled, but he failed to induce any terror in Zerrex now: instead, the Drakkaren looked down at him coldly and only felt that this was poetic justice at its best, considering the things Narrius had done over his lifetime.

The animalistic monster flailed and struggled, and Zerrex knelt in front of him before reaching out his hand and flicking Narrius's nose, and the Dragokkaren blinked in shock, then his eyes glowed with rage as he lunged forwards, straining and choking himself against the collar chained to the wall as he snapped at Zerrex's face, the reptile leaning fearlessly in and saying icily: "After everything you've done to me, after everything you've done to my mother, after everything you've done to the world and all the planes... I couldn't think of a more-fitting punishment. There is always someone bigger and meaner than you are, Narrius, and even if you're the biggest and meanest, then there's something with enough cunning, or endurance, or stupid luck to take you down. You arrogant fuck, your greatest achievement is your own downfall, because you authored it the moment you killed my mother without realizing how dedicated she is to you... and you ever see what happens when you piss off a stalker?"

The monster hissed and roared in his face... and then Celestial emerged back through the door, holding up a tray with a plate of fudge on it and several steaming cups of what could only be hot chocolate. She smiled warmly, looking back and forth before asking in a cheerful voice: "Who wants a brownie?"

Zerrex stood and smiled, taking one and a mug of hot chocolate with a quiet ‘thank you...' and then he closed his eyes as Narrius howled and screamed beside him in rage and frustration, the Drakkaren savoring the final defeat of Ifret Narrius before he took a bite of the sweet chocolate square, and Celestial gazed at him with love and adoration as she whispered: "Thank you for playing out my fantasy of our little family, my handsome son..."

The reptile only nodded, and for a while there was quiet as Narrius finally went slack against his bonds, sitting hopelessly back against the wall and staring dumbly at the mug of hot-chocolate Celestial had placed in front of him on the ground. Zerrex, meanwhile, felt both awkward and... strangely-good about things, looking at the way Celestial was gazing adoringly over Narrius and recognizing that the Dragokkaren had become her new toy and food-source... and only hoping that Narrius wouldn't manipulate her into setting him free. Except I think she has so much of him inside her... that she wouldn't be fooled even by his greatest of persuasions. And she has everything she wants now... there's no way she could be persuaded to help his terrible pursuits... except... "C... I mean, mom, I have to go. There was a large-scale war in Heaven, and I should go and make sure everyone's either come back or okay..."

"That's fine, son." Celestial said absently, waving a hand at him as Zerrex stood up, before she glanced up at him with a tender smile. "Don't be a stranger though, you can come and see me and your father any time here. We're always happy to have you, right honey?"

"Fuck you." Narrius spat, and then he howled as Celestial narrowed her eyes and white energy twisted over his body, his body convulsing before he half-fell forwards, panting hard... and he snarled before looking away, refusing to play to all of Celestial's whims.

Her eyes glowed red, and she turned them back ot Zerrex, adding icily: "It seems that your father and I have a few things to talk about in private, anyway... but you know the way in and out. Take care of yourself."

"You too, Ce- mother." Zerrex said politely, then he turned and made his way out, shaking his head slowly as Narrius's howls rose up through the area as the walls of flesh twitched and pulsed around him, murmuring: "I'm probably the only person who likes seeing their parents fight with such force... but Narrius is too stupid to learn any new tricks, Celestial..."

He made his way into the dining room, and then further forwards through a narrow archway and down a twisting, strange hall he hadn't passed through before... and the reptile made a face, wondering just how infuriated Celestial had become as he passed through a dungeon with spiked walls and ugly, iron torture crosses sticking out of the ground here and there, manacles and chains hanging off several of them. The next room, thankfully, held a spherical portal... and Zerrex stepped through it, then winced as he fell out onto the roof of the Ravenlight Estate, staring stupidly back and forth before beginning to slowly slide down the angled shingles, and he clawed at them. Why the hell couldn't she have come out onto the top flat part? I don't have the energy to make my wings and my body is still too weak to survive a bazillion foot drop without some damage...

He winced, but his stony arm sent a pulse of pain through his body every time he moved it... and finally Zerrex tried an alternative solution, creating a portal behind himself and falling through it to land awkwardly on his back on the Eastern Balcony. He groaned in pain, then looked up and cursed angrily when he saw there was no vortex, remembering how Narrius had shattered the portal ring in Heaven. Meaning I'll need to find someone else with the strength to hold a vortex long enough for me to make my way back into Heaven...

The reptile staggered through the open doors into the central throne room, and he glanced over at the nearest Amazon, asking stupidly: "Where the hell can I find someone to make me a portal to Heaven? I need one in a hurry!"

She stared, currently in the middle of a pushup... and then she leapt to her feet as the Dius that were fooling around on the thrones leapt to their own, the other Amazons scurrying back to their posts as she said dumbly: "The mage's school? I um... I don't know."

"I can portal you to the mage school!" said a chipper Dius, bouncing over to him and licking her muzzle, leering at him suggestively as she hugged his arm tightly. "If you didn't look so serious, I'd suggest doing something else, though..."

"Mage school would be great." Zerrex said stiffly, and the Dius pouted a bit before making the portal... then giggled happily when Zerrex dragged her through the portal with him, before looking at her and adding mildly: "And I'll fulfill all your little fantasies if you get Magistrate Sabnock and bring her here, tell her it's an emergency call from Lord Zerrex, Lily is in danger, and if you find a prisoner currently on the plane of Wrath named Mahihko: a wolf working in a punishment detail in the mines, he's very recognizable because of the piercings he's been given by Queen Carmen. Bring him too."

"Sir!" The Dius became far more businesslike, nodding seriously and creating another portal, jumping through it as Zerrex turned and glanced around the open courtyard he was in. Rakshasas and Wentaku were looking at the bloodstained, strained-looking reptile curiously, and Zerrex ran up to the nearest, startling the mage out of the book he was quietly reading under a tree as he slammed a hand into it and jarred several apples and Apple Crabs loose.

He made a face as the latter scurried angrily around him, and then he stomped one as he asked: "I need to find someone who can make a portal to Heaven. Is there a mage here with enough ability to do that?"

"Well, um... Professor Lunata is currently giving a lecture by one of the portals High Princess Lilith is reconstructing, she might be able to do it... it's just outside the school to the north, in the fields..." The mage said slowly, and Zerrex groaned loudly before he added meekly: "The other professors are all teaching inside the school and really don't like to be disturbed... they say learning is the highest duty and privilege, and-"

"Right, right, thanks, I'll recommend you for a medal." Zerrex said flatly, then he started away before stopping and turning around, rubbing his head and mumbling: "Sorry, I'm projecting. Thank you, I mean."

The reptile turned and sprinted for one of the open doors in the wall surrounding the courtyard, and Zerrex crashed through them, sending several mages scattering as he tore through their ranks before sprinting to the north, panting hard as he hopped over a rock and scrambled up one of the short, steep rocky hills that the building was built into. He skidded down it, then spotted the ring and the group of mages standing in front of it, pinwheeling his arms stupidly as he half-tripped over a rock as he barreled towards Lunata.

She stared at him with an expression of utter horror, and then Zerrex skidded to a halt in front of her, falling to a half-squat and panting hard as he asked in a rasping voice: "You. Can you... can you open a portal to Heaven? And I swear if you give me any attitude I'll punch you right in the cunt." Cunt. Such an ugly word. Cunt. Goddammit, focus, Zerrex!

"I... I..." Lunata looked back and forth sheepishly, then she leaned forwards and mumbled, shielding her mouth with one hand as she whispered: "I'm more of a theory-teacher than anything else... I... no I'm not, don't think thoughts like that! You're nothing but a filthy pervert!"

Zerrex's eye twitched, then he grabbed her by the head and threw her to the ground, and Lunata wailed before staring up at him as the Drakkaren shouted and pointed at his skull: "Tell me what I'm thinking!"

The reptile focused on images of war and death he'd just seen in Heaven, and the terrors he'd experienced with Narrius... and Lunata wilted, curling up into the fetal position as the reptile said disgustedly: "And that's why theories suck. Because they don't do much in real life until you go from idea to reality. Now get the hell out of here, go back to your stupid... classroom!"

Zerrex flailed his arms in frustration, and then a familiar female voice said drolly as she strode up behind him: "That's criminal harassment as well as assault and battery, Zerrex. Would you please tell me what's going on?"

"Anarchy in Heaven." Zerrex said mildly, then he glared at the group of mages and waved furiously at them, but they only continued to look curious... until Zerrex created a small sphere of energy and threw it to the ground in front of them, and they then scattered, screaming in terror at the minor explosion. "People suck. People suck so hard. But I can't tell you right now, not here. I need a portal to Heaven right now."

"I can create one and hold it for a while with that ring, even though it's only half-constructed. But you have to deal with your anger issues when it comes to academics." Sabnock said mildly, then she looked over her shoulder with a frown as Mahihko scrambled over the hill, bolting happily towards Zerrex. "You're taking him?"

"You'll see why." Zerrex muttered, catching the little wolf as he jumped towards him and clung happily to his waist, before turning solemn as he saw the serious expression of the Drakkaren. Several of the mages were returning to peer curiously at them, and the reptile leaned down to whisper quietly in Mahihko's ear. "You're going to have to be good and fight hard for me, okay? We need to make sure our friends in Heaven are okay, and you're gong to have to be a good, strong little boy, understand?"

"I understand, Daddy." Mahiho said quietly, reaching up to touch his muzzle gently, looking up over him softly before the reptile nodded and straightened, the wolf grabbing one of his hands as Zerrex led him towards where Sabnock was concentrating and murmuring an incantation. A moment later, she rose her hand, and a vortex slowly whirled into being inside the ring, locking into place as the ring shuddered. "Wow... it's... wow, Daddy..."

"Yeah." Zerrex glanced over to Sabnock, who gave him a nod as Lunata uncurled herself and watched them go, and the Drakkaren stepped carefully into the ring and ran into the vortex, Mahihko following along at his side. Behind them, Sabnock relaxed as they vanished completely, and then she sighed and winced as the ring cracked and the vortex disappeared, grabbing at her wrist. I'm out of practice...

As the two emerged from the vortex, it closed behind them, and Zerrex cursed under his breath... both at this and the havoc that had torn through Heaven. Buildings were consumed with both natural and black flames, and corrupted angels loped along the streets as soldier demons in Heaven's armor stormed through the cities, roaring and yelling... and Zerrex knelt by Mahihko, looking into his eyes and saying coldly: "Size up, and kill anything that gets in your way. We need to find our friends and group back together."

"Okay." Mahihko nodded, stepping back and closing his eyes... and in only a few moments, Zerrex was staring at a hulking, muscular giant almost twice his size, the lupine growling as he flexed his claws, electricity sizzling along his arms as his short tail whisked back and forth, the ragged ribbon tied at the end of it looking ridiculous... but the kind of ridiculous no one would ever dare mention to the hulking giant in front of him. "I'm ready, Zerrex. I won't let you down... not ever again..."

Zerrex nodded, then he led the wolf towards the city, looking back and forth as he touched his rocky arm: it was beginning to return to normal now, and Zerrex slowly concentrated, forcing his layer of scales back over it; his tattoo came back into being, the swastika and ivy twisting as his scales regrew. He flexed his hand a bit, then breathed softly and nodded at the minimal pain it caused him as he unconsciously reached to play with his rings... and he made a disgusted face as he realized they had been lost when his arm had been torn off. Wonderful... Selena's going to kill me...

The reptile glanced to the side, then he pointed to a group of armored angels that emerged around a corner, yelling to each other as they shot arrows into a horde of corrupted angels that were chasing them. Zerrex immediately nodded to Mahihko as the wolf shuddered at the sight of the enemy, before he followed Zerrex with a growl as the reptile charged towards the group, running past the angels and tearing a longsword free from the side sheath of one soldier as he passed.

He leapt into the group of corrupt angels, lashing back and forth and snarling as he ripped his way through their ranks, and Mahihko barrled into them a moment later, slapping them aside with blasts of electricity as he roared and howled, trying to keep up to Zerrex. The Drakkaren, meanwhile, had torn all the way through to the back of the group, and the reptile spun around before slashing the blade through the back of another twisted angel, sending it crashing down with a scream of agony.

The remaining corrupted angels were shot through with arrows as the group of soldier angels were able to make a stand with their bows, firing into the broken ranks before shouting and yelling praise as Zerrex nodded to them, deciding to let them clean up the rest of the mess as he turned and headed into the city. Mahihko smashed the skulls of two corrupted creatures together, sending them down in a heap before he looked up in surprise and quickly followed, slapping aside another monstrosity before yelping as an arrow caught him in the shoulder, snarling at the other angels before he made his way after his mentor and idol.

Zerrex found Lily, Sin, and several other demons and angels sitting in the remains of a large warehouse, recuperating... and he let out a sigh of relief, hugging Sin â€" who was covered in makeshift bandages and had several angels trying to heal her wounds â€" before trading a tight embrace with Lily. Sin, however, was starting to ail, and the angelic magic could only do so much: Sin needed to have her strength restored first, but Zerrex didn't have the power to help her out with his own energy stores drained so thoroughly from the war he'd already experienced.

Thankfully, several angel scouts found them within half an hour, and informed them that they just had to make their way towards a citadel near the city's edge. Their forces had concentrated there, and they had built-up a small safe-zone in Heaven where the corrupted angels had been completely exterminated and were being held back by the full force of Heaven's might, while Lord and Lucifer disabled the massive monster-producing machines hidden throughout Heaven's palaces and private residences.

Three hours later, Zerrex emerged carrying Sin into the massive, cleared-out interior of the dome-shaped citadel, Selena looking horrified as she ran over to Zerrex at both the damage to his body and to Sin. He looked over to Raze, and he didn't so much as have to breathe an order for the godling to create a vortex back to Hell... and Zerrex led his two wives and Sin down back to the infernal plane as he murmured: "This is what we called ‘evacuating' back on the mortal plane... keeping safe the important people, in other words."

"You aren't going back yourself, either." Lily said quietly, but Zerrex only gave her a smile that told her argument was useless... and yet she looked determined to argue anyway. In a stroke of both good and bad fortune, however, the Drakkaren winced and stumbled, almost dropping Sin before clutching her tight against him as they stepped into the Ravenlight Estate, and he put her to bed before stumbling backwards and falling over himself, his eyes rolling up in his head.

Zerrex awoke a week later in bed, Selena sitting beside him and holding one of his hands while she held a book up with the other, reading quietly... and the reptile looked up at her dumbly before asking quietly: "Did we win?"

"Yeah." Selena said softly, not looking away from her book and not seeming startled at all, before she finally closed it and put it aside with a sigh, taking his hand in both of hers and murmuring quietly as a tear fell down her cheek: "At least, as much as anyone wins in war, Zerrex. But the corrupted angels have been cleared out, with minimal losses..."

Zerrex frowned, looking up at her with concern, and she went over a full report of the week's events with him. They had burnt out all the gardens and destroyed all the fruit â€" everything they could find, at least â€" but the rogue angels had finally fled Heaven with a group of corrupted angels, and they had been led by Beatrice Blossom and several other powerful demons and their troops. The Lucifer's Eyes had been destroyed, as had been all the production and growing facilities... but in the process, they had lost hundreds of thousands of lives, including several Inquisitors Selena had known, and countless people had been injured. She had also mentioned that several angels had been down to visit him, including Tinman and Raze, and that Lily was gravely worried about him... and Sin was still very weak and very-badly injured, but she was doing better and they had managed to regrow her arm.

Selena then rapped Blackheart firmly where it sat on its holder, adding mildly: "And this... Mahihko found it and dragged it back with him. He refused to let it go... and he's been worried sick about you, too. I'll have a soldier go and find him, but he was promoted yesterday to a different circle, as a reward for exceptional service. I think Lily was amazed by his dedication and enthralled with the sick sort of romance between you two... fuck, you're so fucking weird."

"You're one to talk." Zerrex mumbled as he sat up, and he ignored her as she glared at him and tried to half-push him back down. Instead, he grasped the back of her head and kissed her firmly, and she blushed before kissing him back for a few moments... and then Zerrex pulled away and said with a slight smile: "So what's the real bad news, huh? Since I don't often see you cry."

"It's just stress and... the fact so many of my friends have died in all these stupid conflicts..." Selena murmured, looking down quietly and shaking her head slowly, before she touched his face gently. "And looking at you, too, how badly hurt you've been. It's horrifying... I hate seeing you broken down like this yet again. It happens almost every goddamn century with you, you... ass."

The reptile shrugged mildly, looking sourly amused as he hugged himself and glanced down at his right arm, flexing his fingers slowly and watching the scales move, but feeling the rock and metal beneath it. "Better than every few months back on the mortal plane. But you mentioned that... Beatrice escaped?"

"I got into a scrape with her, but Carmen and I were unable to pin her down..." Selena murmured, shaking her head slowly and looking disgusted. "She's too fast and too strong... her abilities are insane. She ran away, then escaped with the remnants of Narrius's army out of Hell and down to the physical realm... God... I mean..." She glanced down, murmuring: "Feels so awkward to say ‘god' anything these days. I can't believe everything that's happened... Heaven is still in turmoil and chaos, and Lord and Lucifer and the surviving Naganatine are taking a lot of heat over what happened... but no one guessed it. There were so many imperceptible things that happened, and over so many years that it just... it only seems obvious when you look back over everything that we went through, I guess..."

Zerrex nodded a bit, lacing his fingers together before Selena looked up at him and asked hesitantly: "What... what happened with you and him, in the Unworld? How did you escape from there?"

"I... it was Celestial. Celestial made him into her little pet, pretty much, and drained all his energies... and... I just... left with her and got back in through the Rift." Zerrex said slowly, shrugging a bit and making a face. "I couldn't kill him myself... I couldn't seal him myself. No matter how strong I am, there really is always going to be someone stronger, isn't there?"

"That's how life rolls, Zerrex... but he took on God's position. I don't think there's a lot of people who could have stood a chance against him." Selena responded quietly, touching his shoulder gently before she leaned down and nuzzled through his hair, then slid her hand into his ivory locks with a faint smile. "Come on, why don't we go for a walk and you can see Sin? She's been asking about you."

Zerrex nodded, and Selena helped him up to his feet, despite the reptile attempting to shrug her off... but she finally caught his arm and threw it around her shoulders, walking with him and carrying him down out into the hall as the reptile muttered: "This is stupid. I'm not infirm. I'm not even a cripple anymore."

"Shut up, I know you're in pain." Selena grunted in return, and Zerrex had a faint memory of Cherry as they made their way out into the hall, then down it towards Sin's room. Selena knocked twice, then pushed it open... and Sin looked up from where she was sitting quietly in bed with her dress on and the covers thrown up over her legs, blinking a few times and blushing as Selena announced: "Worrywart here wanted to see you as soon as possible."

"I hate you." Zerrex muttered, then he finally pushed Selena away, glancing over the metal, runed brace that encircled Sin's entire arm and shoulder, her hand covered by a thick, solid metal gauntlet as the reptile walked to her bed, asking quietly: "Are you okay? You've been pretty damn sick."

Sin shrugged slowly, then she glanced at him and made a face as she slipped to the side, wincing a bit before whispering: "Curl up with me?"

Zerrex looked over his shoulder at Selena, and she nodded and gave a quiet smile, saying softly: "I'll go and fix some of that tea you like, Sin. I'll take my time, so you two can get comfortable together."

They nodded, both looking grateful, and Zerrex slid into bed with Sin, slipping beneath the covers... and she curled against his body instinctively, the reptile wrapping his own arms tightly around her as she closed her eyes and rested against him. And twenty minutes later, when Selena returned with the two cups of tea, she smiled faintly as she saw them asleep together, snoozing quietly. The demoness looked down at the cups of tea in her hand, then shrugged a bit and sipped at one as she walked out into the hallway, handing the other to Ixin as he passed curiously by.

He blinked, winced away from her, then became a bit more serious as he took the mug, holding it in his hands as he leaned towards the doorway... but Selena closed it firmly and said mildly: "They're resting, so leave them be. You can harass Zerrex later about everything. Besides, you were there, you snuck in with those demon soldiers."

"Yeah, well, excuse me for being curious." Ixin said dryly, before he tilted his head towards her, asking in a more serious voice: "But I mean, like, really. Honestly. They're both gonna live, right? ‘Cause I'm real awkward when it comes to funerals."

"They're both sick, but they'll heal." Selena replied softly, shaking her head a bit and walking towards the door as she lowered her muzzle, adding quietly: "I need to go and do something. Do me a favor, and go see Lily, tell her Zerrex woke up today. She'll send out the message to all the other people who need to know."

"Well, if you insist." Ixin struck a sighing pose, but Selena ignored him, and Ixin looked after her meditatively, swirling the tea and sniffing at it before murmuring: "And if you're so sure both of them are going to be fine, why do I smell Ussim herbs in this cup? That's a tad above your usual healing measures, Selena... looks like you've been studying from Feldspar's textbooks."