Hey, this story might be confusing at times as it was actually a oneshot, as all my stories were, before I decided to break it up into chapters in order to most it.
Please note this was not written for anyone and it's almost finished (roughly 240 A4 pages in total) and thus nothing will change according to user comments.
x.X.x
Kasai stared at the asylum where her elderly grandfather was staying; it had been an eternity since she last visited him and for good reason. He was raving mad since an event many years ago, her mother had told her that he was solely responsible for the fact that Baal was free and roaming the world.
She didn't know much of the story since her mother died and she didn't visit Marues, but that was why she was here today. Her mother said that Marues possessed the soul-stone that was used to imprison Baal; the very same stone could give him unlimited power if he possessed it.
For years upon years Baal had gone about wreaking destruction, it wasn't as bad as it could've been, but she was sure it was because he was searching for Marues and destroying an entire town could possibly mean killing him and then the stone would be lost.
The bad part was that reports said Baal was on the way to her town, Luthara, and in here he would find Marues; her grandfather is in absolutely no condition to defend himself or the stone, but she was. She was a trained assassin with a diverse array of skills. She didn't have any hope of destroying Baal, but she had enough power in her to defend the stone and flee if it came to that.
She had to get the stone from Marues regardless of the cost, if he had the stone the entire world would fall and at the moment the world was in her hands; it was a daunting responsibility that she carried alone. No one else knew about it and she didn't want Marues to know either. She would just tell him she thought she'd be able to protect it better.
With a deep sigh she stepped into the front door of the asylum and got directions towards his current room, or cell more accurately.
x.X.x
Kasai opened the door to his room and entered, she found him sprawled on the floor; thin and malnourished and her heart ached. She knew he was once a plump drunk, it wasn't a good thing, but it was better than this weathered shell of a man before her.
"Grandpapa?" She asked as she stepped closer, the stench in the room made her think he could be dead, but the slight movement of his body indicated otherwise. "It's me, Kasai," she said softly and Marues slowly lifted his head and looked at her; there was no recognition in his eyes.
She swallowed down a lump in her throat, she just wanted to get the stone and leave, this was dreadful to say the least.
"Kasai?" He asked in a coarse voice. "Is that really you?" He continued and she nodded. "What are you doing here? Where's your mother?" He asked and she decided she would only answer the first question, he didn't know his daughter was dead and that was best.
"I'm here to take the stone from you grandpapa, you can no longer protect it and mother told me about it long ago," she said and Marues was immediately upright as he reached into his filthy robe and from it he pulled a blemished yellow stone.
"You…want to protect it?" He asked and she gave a nod. "Why do you want to have this burden, look what it has done to me!" Marues yelled and Kasai swallowed down another lump in her throat; this was uncomfortable for her.
"Because you no longer can, please grandpapa, you know what will happen if it falls into the hands of that monster," she beseeched and Marues suddenly thrust the hand with the stone towards her.
"Then take it, take it and go!" He yelled and she was taken aback by his request for her to leave, but it was all for the best; she didn't enjoy being in his company and she felt guilty because she felt that way.
"Thank you," she said as she reached out and took the stone from his hands, she immediately tucked it into her pocket and got to her feet. "Goodbye grandpapa," she said and then she walked towards the door and opened it.
Just as she opened it she bumped into someone. "Sorry sir," she apologized as she stepped passed him and headed towards the exit; she hoped that was one of the attendants at the asylum because Marues needed help.
x.X.x
Baal looked back at the woman only briefly before stepping into the room and closing the door. He had finally found Marues after following countless trails. Now he just had to find out where he hid the stone and that could be achieved easily.
"Marues," he said and the old man lifted his head up and looked at Baal, though he did not recognize him for his face was covered by a hood and his body by a brown robe. Baal released some energy so that Marues would know he was one with power, but he would not know who.
"Tyrael?" Marues asked as he sat upright. "I should've known you'd travel in disguise," he said and Baal smirked, how gullible was this man after all? Believing him when he told him to release him and now believing he was Tyrael?
"Yes, you must know that Baal is travelling in search of you, he is currently on the way here," he said and Marues's eyes widened at that sentence. "I've come to ask you for the stone so that we may protect it properly in the fortress," he said and Marues looked around.
"I don't have it anymore Tyrael," Marues confessed after a few seconds and Baal got so angry that he was tempted to rip his head from his body.
"Don't have it anymore? Why don't you have it anymore?" He asked calmly instead and Marues fell back against his sack-bed hopelessly.
"You're not the only one that had the idea to protect it," he said and Baal was confused, the angels were in hiding and wouldn't dare come down to earth and due to the stone they couldn't even locate Marues! Who could've taken the stone then?
"Who took it Marues?" He asked and Marues looked around nervously.
"My granddaughter, she said she wants to protect it because I no longer can," he confessed and Baal gave a sigh of relief, then it wasn't an angel. A mere mortal would be no problem at all; all he had to do was find this granddaughter.
"Where can I find this granddaughter and when did she take it?" He asked.
"She left just as you came in," he said and Baal's eyes widened, the woman that bumped into him was the one that had the stone? He growled, it was less than an inch from him he allowed it to slip through his fingers again.
"Does she live in this town?" He asked and Marues nodded. "What is her name?" He asked, he couldn't go about destroying the town, because then the woman might flee and then he would be sent on another chase and he didn't like games unless he started it.
"Kasai Vikira," Marues said and Baal gave a nod as he walked towards the door.
"Thank you for your cooperation," he said and then opened the door and left, he could come back to kill Marues once he had the stone, he didn't want to cause an uproar just yet.
x.X.x
Baal reached the center of the town and looked around, he already knew what the woman looked like; all he had to do was locate her. As he still scanned around he saw a vegetable stall and decided to go ask there, in a small town like this the vendors knew everyone.
When he reached the stall he looked at the elderly woman running it. "I'm looking for someone that lives here," he said and the woman looked him up and down with skepticism. "Her name is Kasai Vikira," he added and he saw the woman's eyes immediately flashed with recognition and the name.
"Why do you want to know?" She asked, unwilling to divulge the information so easily.
"I'm here on business, I need to speak to her," he said and the woman didn't look convinced. "It's important,"
"Did she get in trouble again?" The woman asked and Baal shook his head. "Then what type of business?" She pried and Baal scowled.
"Confidential business," he hissed out angrily; he didn't have the patience to deal with nosy vendors. Though at least he had the satisfaction of knowing he would be able to kill her once he had the stone. In this event the saying 'it's good to be king' was very true; king of hell that is.
"Well, alright, no need to get angry," the woman said as she packed a few vegetables right. "Kasai is usually in the meadow to the south this time of the day, if not, you can find her at her house on the south side of the town next to the bridge crossing the Naverian River," she said and Baal nodded as he turned on his heel and headed towards the meadow.
x.X.x
When Baal reached the meadow he was greeted by at least a hundred different varieties of flowers and it dawned upon him that Marues might just have decided to entrust the survival of the world to a flower-girl.
As he continued into the meadow he saw the silhouette of a woman in the distance and he started walking towards her; from the distance it appeared to be the same woman.
When he got close enough he saw it was, but she was definitely not picking flowers. The woman was practicing fighting against one of her shadow clones; this indicated she was trained in the art of assassination. "Perhaps Marues wasn't so foolish," he said to himself as he stepped closer to her.
When he got close enough she stopped and looked at him, straightening herself out, but she didn't put away her claws or unsummon her shadow. "Can I help you?" She asked and then realized he was the man she bumped into on the way out of the room. "You were at the Asylum?" She asked and he nodded.
"Yes, I went to see Marues about the stone; he informed me you now have it," he said and her eyes narrowed slightly.
"I don't know what you're talking about," she said and Baal growled softly.
"He informed me because we decided it would be best if I guarded the stone instead of you," he said and she scowled as she flipped her long black hair over her shoulder.
"He is in no condition to decide anything, and who exactly might you be to protect this stone that you think I have?" She asked and Baal decided to use the same ruse on her that he used on Marues.
"I am Tyrael, the arch-angel," he said and she started to laugh.
"Please, like I believe that," she said as she still laughed and Baal frowned.
"I need the stone to protect it, either you give it to me or I take it by force," he threatened and she stopped laughing and stared at him with a tad of anger.
"Well, that is the only way you're going to get it if I do indeed have it," she confirmed and Baal growled, she would be the first victim in this place then.
"Very well then mortal," he said and then used telekinesis to yank her towards him, but in mid-transition she broke the hold and flipped back down on the ground and sent her clone to attack him from the right as she went in from the left.
Baal held his hand out towards the clone and fired a ball of fire at it; when it hit, the clone erupted into a million sparkles of white energy. He turned his attention to her just in time to avoid a claw to the face and instead he grabbed her wrists and pushed her back as he held out his hand to her now.
Kasai dodged the blast and went for him again.
x.X.x
(Few minutes later)
Kasai hammered against the bony prison surrounding her, but it was no use; she couldn't break it. "You're no angel," she accused as she leaned back against the wall instead. Angels didn't use necromancy powers!
Baal decided he had her cornered, and he could see the gleaming edge of the stone sticking from her pocket, so there was no reason to hide who he was. He had her cornered and he had the stone in his grasp. "You are right, I'm no angel," he said as he walked to in front of the prison.
"Then who are you and what do you want with the stone?" She asked and Baal started to laugh.
"Same thing as Baal I suppose," he answered with a laugh, this game he liked because he had started it and he was going to end it.
"Oh, don't be an idiot, only Baal can use it to get power," she said and Baal gave a nod as he pulled his hood from his face and looked at her.
"Then perhaps I am Baal," he said and she started to laugh now.
"That is even more unbelievable than your first lie about being an angel," she said as she continued to howl with laughter.
"Oh, but I am Baal," he said and she stopped laughing and looked at him seriously now; there was no way he was Baal, she wouldn't still be alive if he was Baal.
"Prove it then, show me the hole," she said and Baal decided he could do that; it would be worth it to see her fear.
Baal took the top sides of the robe and forced it down his shoulders until his chest was revealed and sitting on the left side was the hole where the soul stone once was. He looked at the woman and saw her surprised and horrified expression.
Kasai couldn't believe it, but this was Baal, the Lord of Destruction and King of Hell and he found her and wanted the stone. There was nothing she could do, he had cornered her and she couldn't even run now. 'I have to protect it,' she thought.
He held out his hand to her and a ball of fire began to form. "Any last requests before you die?" He asked with a smile and she was silent for a few seconds before nodding. "Then say them," he said.
"I want to see how hard I can hit you, if you flinch that will be enough for me and I will go in peace," she said and Baal raised an eyebrow at her odd request. There was absolutely no benefit from her request except her apparent 'peace'.
"Fine," he said as he dropped the prison around her, she would find no peace because he would not flinch from her mortal strength and that would only add more satisfaction to this kill. He opened his arms wide. "Go ahead," he said and she nodded as she pulled back her fist and with all the power in her she slammed it against his chest.
Baal felt something enter his flesh and he wondered whether she had attempted to stab him, though the knife had gone into the hole in his chest so it was pointless. As he was about to murder her he felt his muscles contract painfully.
Kasai jumped back and let out a long breath of relief as she watched the stone glow in his chest and a few seconds later Baal fell to his knees and looked down at his chest.
"You…" he said in disbelief, she had tricked him! This meant he was imprisoned again if the angels found him and they would find him! He couldn't move for an hour after having the stone inserted and beyond that his power was cut so much that she would be able to overpower him with her talents!
Kasai watched him go stiff and she didn't know what to do now; she didn't know how to call an angel, but she couldn't just leave him here because when the paralysis wore off he would just walk to someone stupid, like Marues, and ask them to remove the stone.
"Oh this sucks!" She whined as she summoned her shadow and commanded it to take his legs; at least her house was a bit like a prison. She had iron-casted walls inside the normal granite walls and all her shutters were made from steel; it was her mother's obsession to protect her from demons when she was still young and now it was finally going to pay off, but to keep one inside instead of keeping them out.
x.X.x
Kasai had sneaked him into her backdoor; she had no desire to answer any questions someone might have. She didn't want to tell anyone that she had Baal in her house either; she was already a bit of an outcast as it was.
Once she was inside she dropped him down on the couch and ran her hands through her hair nervously, what was she going to do now? She had to find out how to contact the angels or she'd never get rid of him, but she couldn't tell anyone and she couldn't let him go either. "God, you're going to have to stay here," she muttered depressingly as she went about the house to make sure every possible exit was sealed and locked.
x.X.x
Please R&R