Negotiations
"Betrayal…" where the only thoughts he had as he fell into the river of fire.
His skin began to boil away as his armor melted before the waves of magma that engulfed him. He pulled his arm above the waves only to see the skeletal structure of his arm as he tried to keep himself afloat. His arm fell limp and splashed into the magma as his muscles melted away and mixed the rushing magma. A spray of magma splashed against his face and burned through his bronze mask, scarring his face. His chest felt like it was on fire and he gurgled the magma that had begun to fill his lungs. Fissures surged across the stone ceiling and rivers of magma began to pump from them, causing the magma to rise higher and higher. The last thing he saw was his apprentice standing on a raised platform in the center of the collapsing room. She was aglow in a magnificent yellow light; she looked like an angel…an angel of death. At last he could no longer keep himself afloat any longer, and he felt the life drain from his body as he sank beneath the waves. His mask slowly inched its way beneath the surface, the magma filling the groves along it and pouring through its eye slits until at last there was nothing left. All his skill, all his knowledge, all that he was and had to pass on…was gone…lost forever in the river of fire.
Everything became dark and he felt himself carried down an invisible current for what seemed like an eternity. There was a piercing screech of metal against metal as Hell opened its gates and exposed a large fiery pit. The current carried him to the center of the pit, and then let him go. He felt himself plunge into the pit in freefall with spires of fire biting at his back. He wanted to shield himself but found that he could not move. Something grabbed his exposed ribcage and pulled him towards the outer rim of the pit. He looked to see a scorched arm pulling at him but he did not have the strength to fight it. Then another grabbed him and pulled him away from the rim and towards the center. Soon the two turned to a dozen, then a hundred scorched arms pulling at him from all sides all making his fall into the pit a slow and painful process. He opened his mouth to scream in pain as they tore away at him but nothing came out. A low rumble could be felt throughout the pit and the arms of the dead retreated into their coves. His burnt eye grew weak and then slowly closed and once again he found himself floating in darkness.
The burning ceased and he felt for a moment a feeling of relief.
"Slade…"
The voice was more of a rumble than an actual sound and shook the room causing Slade to glide backwards slightly. Once the voice ceased Slade felt himself pulled forward as if caught in someone's heavy breathing. Slade put all his strength into opening his eye and he scanned the darkened room. He found no one.
"Welcome Slade…"
Slade tilted his head back so that his jaw was no longer pressed against his chest. "Who…said…that…" he said in a raspy voice.
"I did…" replied a deep voice.
Slade looked around the room but still could not find anyone. "Show…yourself…"
Four large eyes cracked open filling the room with a dark red glow. Slade shielded his eyes from the light and felt a large muscular hand come up from beneath his boney feet.
"Why am I here?" Slade questioned the four luminous eyes.
"I have summoned you here…for a purpose" said the voice.
"I am not one…to be summoned" Slade scowled.
The room rumbled again as the voice chuckled "Then it pleases me…to be the first".
"Who…are you?" said Slade.
"I…am Trigon…" replied the demon.
"Well…what is your business with me?" Slade asked with great annoyance.
"I have been watching you for sometime…you are greatly feared among your enemies and allies alike; you are exactly what I need for this task".
"Stop the flattery and get to the point" said Slade.
"Cynical as expected, very well then…I have been trapped here for sometime…to long to remember…but there is a way for me to escape…and you are going to give me the means to escape".
"Why should I help you?" Slade challenged "You certainly aren't in a position to be demanding anything".
"BECAUSE I HAVE SOMETHING YOU WANT…" Trigon bellowed, the force of his voice knocking Slade from his feet "…your means of living".
This silenced Slade's challenge immediately. "Go on…" Slade said after a long pause.
"…I believe you know my daughter…Raven…she is a special one for you see… she is not a person…she is a portal and with her I will achieve the means to escape my fiery prison…but first: you must to deliver a message for me tomorrow…on her birthday".
"I'm no a messenger boy" Slade scowled.
Trigon chuckled again and continued "But of course…she will be expecting it and will do anything to avoid receiving it…that is where you come in…you are to deliver it…by force".
"Still not interested" Slade said rejecting the offer.
The light in the room dimmed as Trigon's four eyes shifted to a glare. "Look at yourself…you are nothing but a mere shadow of what you once were…"
Slade brought his hands to his face and saw their haunting skeletal features. His body had been reduced to nothing more than a mere skeleton and the only thing allowing him to move at all was Trigon. Though Slade could hardly believe it…he was dead. "I expect something in return then".
"But of course…I shall give you means of living once the prophecy is fulfilled…but first you must swear to forever be my servant".
"I'm nobody's servant" Slade scowled.
Trigon took in a deep breath then let it out slowly so that Slade was forced to the far end of his palm. "Perhaps I misjudged you…" Trigon's eyes began to glow brighter "Very well then… you may proceed on your way…to oblivion".
Slade screamed in pain as his skeletal body felt as though it would splitter into a thousand tiny pieces. Trigon laughed quietly at Slade's pain and turned his hand over to allow Slade to drop from his hand. Slade began to fall faster and faster all the while the pain growing worse and worse.
Then Slade yelled something he never thought he would ever say "I ACCEPT…I ACCEPT"!
The pain stopped and Slade felt himself come to a stop. He was then lifted into the air until he was at eye level with Trigon once again. "Excellent…I shall repair your broken body for you and in return… you shall deliver my message and fulfill the prophecy".
"What is this message of yours?" asked Slade. Before he was going to go about doing this demons grunt work, he wanted to know exactly the reason for it.
"My message…is the destruction of that dismal planet that she so naively calls home…and soon the rest of the universe" Trigon answered
"Intriguing" Slade mused "I had no idea she had such glorious future, this plan seems to be quite significant to you…I don't know it I'll be able to handle it". Trigon growled but did not say a word. "I'm not be as strong as I was now that I'm dead…I'll need something…more to help me combat the Titans" Slade continued trying to tip the deal more into his favor.
"What is it you desire"?
"Oh I don't know…I'm sure you can think of something".
Trigon thought over this for a few minutes then finally said "Your bargaining posture is very devious…very well…I shall provide you with new powers for your mission".
"And…" Slade persisted
"AND NOTHING" Trigon bellowed "I have given you my end of the deal, now you must come through on yours…unless of course, you wish to reconsider"?
Slade stared at the fiery pit below him while considering his options. He could become this demon's servant forever and get his life back in the process or he could spend the rest of eternity suffering in Hell. He looked back to Trigon who was patiently waiting; obviously he had all the time in the world. Finally Slade came to his decision. "Deal" Slade finished through his clenched teeth sealing his fate. As soon as he said 'Deal' he felt his body begin to change. The armor that had melted away began to reform around him stronger than ever. Slade flexed his fingers as his new armored gauntlets formed around his arms. His mask filled the gaps that had been left by the magma and soon he appeared just as he did before he died. Slade felt a burning sensation within him, as though his body were made of fire. He flexed his fingers once more and his hands were set ablaze. Slade's flexed his fingers once again and the fire was doused and his hands returned to normal. He gently took his mask from his face and stared at its shiny interior. He saw his skull emblazed in fire and a jagged 'S' had been burned into the center of his forehead. Slade replaced his mask and the 'S' appeared in blood red upon his mask.
"There…I have given you what you have asked for" said Trigon.
"Wrong, you seem to have forgotten that I'm still dead" Slade countered.
"On the contrary, it is you who wrong, I told you I would give it to you once the prophecy was complete…and no sooner" Trigon concluded.
The 'S' upon Slade's forehead disappeared as a pillar of fire engulfed Slade and he soared from the pit with his left arm outstretched.
"Now go…"
Trigon disappeared from sight and Slade continued to soar higher and higher through the pit. Soon the pit disappeared as well and Slade could make out a stone ceiling above. Slade's fist penetrated the stone ceiling above him with ease and streams of magma stretched across the floor. Light poured through the hole and into an underground carven as Slade pulled himself through. His body was illuminated in an eerie glow and he twisted himself around. Though he had no means of telling the time…he knew that it was midnight and his mission before him was clear.
"The day…has begun".
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"Ever have one of those days where you just feel happy to be alive"?
-Slade 'Teen Titans'
(Thank you all for reading. Be sure to check out my other fanfics: Teen Titans: Hidden Agenda, Kingdom Hearts: Demon of Darkness and Ace Combat: Wings of War)