Disclaimer:
If I owned Rganarok, all hell would break loose! But I don't, and that's too bad...Also, contains YAOI! Male to Male relations!
Authors Note:
=3
But I was thinking about Thanatos...Poor guy...And yeah...Delta the Professor and Thanatos! OH GOD! Run for cover! XD
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It had been a week since he was assigned to Thanatos Tower. He had a deal with the Rekenber Corperation, where he was to ascend the tower and study its contents. Everyday he and a few others would get together and climb the tower in search of anything significant. His group this time was Folon the Lord Knight, Sorrel the High Priest, Wazashi the Creator, and Mike the Gunslinger.
After clearing the first two floors, they were required to check with the representative on that floor, to get the OK to go higher. Once confirmed, they made their way through the third floor fighting Ridewords and Deathwords, AND the occasional Owl Barron or Elder. Rideword and Deathword were easy to dispatch. Folon simply gathered them in a cluster, and Blowling Bashed the hell out of them. Sorrel kept them well healed. As for Owl Barron and Elder, Mike was the best bet. He'd just rapidly fire at them with his guns until satisfied. It wasn't until the 5th floor that they actually had trouble. The Retributions, Solace, Observation, Shelter, ect, were always in clusters and with Retribution's Unholy Cross, they had quite a battle. Amidst the confusion, a red fiery figure came up to the Professor, who was frantically casting spells. For Delta, it seemed like forever. The screams of the others, the red fire engulfing his body, the extreme heat causing him to sweat, and the sinking feeling that he was going away...It all went black...
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After what seemed like forever, Delta slowly opened his eyes, darting them side to side in caution, and clutching his chest in pain. The room was dark, and the only source of light was the moon illuminating the room from a select few windows. He jumped at the sound of chains dragging across the floor. In a panic, Delta got up and stood ready to cast a spell, only to find his chest burning with pain.
"You...What do you want with this place?" The voice echoed throughout the room, source undetermined.
Delta swallowed, and looked everywhere. "N-nothing! Just looking around!"
The voice rose as it expressed its annoyance. "Lies...What are you afraid of? The truth?"
He backed up only to bump into the wall. Yes, he was thouroughly scared. "Who are you? W-what do you want?"
"Interesting..." The voice seemed to start closing in on a certain location somewhere infront of him. A body slowly materialized. The figure had rough dark hair, eyes that illuminated a deep yellow. His body covered in armor which harbored skulls at the shoulders. A large black sword about the same height as Delta rested on the figures back. It stared into Delta's eyes with a miserable glow. "I'm...Thanatos..."
Delta stood straight, despite the pain in his chest. He didn't dare move. He could feel his hair standing on end. "Thanatos...I've...Heard of you...The spirit still wandering this tower..."
Thanatos nodded. "Yes, I am...You are here to study this tower, are you not? I'm surprised you haven't commited suicide yet..."
The air around him was strange. He didn't understand. "I...I am studying this tower...Under Rekenber Corperation..."
"Then I suppose you'd like to hear my story?" The figure gestured Delta to follow him. They sat at a nearby table, where the moon shined in on them. "I was once a man like you..." He paused and studied Delta closely. "This tower was once the portal to the ultimate evil...This tower is where Satan Morroc summoned hoards of monsters unlike any other...It was a gate to hell...I managed to seal this gate, but now look at what has become of me..."
Delta looked at Thanatos with pity. He felt sorry for the guy. "And now you're stuck here wandering this tower for all of eternity..."
The figure nodded. "My efforts have been in vain..."
Unsure of what he meant, Delta inquired further. "What do you mean?" He didn't know why he was so relaxed now. Perhaps it was the moonlight showering over his exausted body.
"I recently caught wind of strange man messing around..." The figure expressed its concern with a sigh.
Delta began fidgeting nervously in the strange silence. "Why is this bothering you?"
The figure stood and snapped its fingers. A cloud of purple began to materialize into a purple humanoid figure. A strange mask covered what should have been its face. "This is Thanatos Maero. Perhaps you should let it show you..." And with that, Delta was engulfed in purple flames.
"Wait, Thanatos!" Delta yelled as he slowly drifted away...
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The room was bright and familiar. It was floor 3. Maero began floating off, beckoning him to follow. Thankfully there were cobwebs all over the place. He swiped at some with his hand and threw them at the floor behind him to create a yellow web. The following Mimic got entangled, and Delta smirked. "Frost Driver!" A trail of icy spires made its way across the floor impaling the Mimic. Delta hurriedly followed Maero untin he reached a device. As he went to touch it, his hand was repelled by a barrier. Annoyed, he thrust his Book of Apocalypse at it, and was quite surprised when the barrier disappeared. He wasn't complaining, so he began pushing at the buttons until words scrawled across the screen.
I've used the Gate Seal technology to seal the gate and the charm stones. Although the seals are in place, I can't stop worrying that they might break in the future. I can't relax when a, shall I say, particular groups covets the charm stones and can easily break the seals. To deter them, I've changed the Gate destination before sealing the Gate. I didn't check the exact destination coordinates for the Gate after I changed them, but the destination gives me a warm, comforting feeling, so it's definently not hell.
"Seals...Gate? Charm Stones?" He picked up the Red Key that was nearby, deciding it may be of some use later. Maero seemed satisfied with this, and brought him to next floor.
Upon his arrival, Delta had to think fast. Several Mimics and DeathWords were rapidly approaching. "Deluge..." At the wave of an arm the floor flooded with water. It didn't take him long to cast Thunder Storm upon the water AND the monsters. The electric current didn't bother Delta, but it fried the monsters alive.
Now safe from the threat, he was able to take in his surroundings. Maero floated in place waiting for Delta to compose himself. His heart was still racing from the ambush, proof that he was still alive. He followed Maero to the next device. It had a peculiar design. There was a rotating nob with ancient markings around it, no doubt symbolizing numbers. Unsure of how to work the device, Delta began turning it in random combinations. Being a Professor, Delta had extreme patience. After half an hour, he sighed. He turned the nob again, completely absorbed in the task.
All of a sudden he jumped back in pain. Several DeathWords were grinning. The book-like apparation opened, spine bent, and began spitting out blood stained pages at Delta, causing him to wince. Paper cut after paper cut, defending himself was no use. In a fit of rage, he wove his hand towards the ground yelling "Heaven's Drive!" He could feel the energy flowing through him. Many jagged spires shot up from the ground impaling the DeathWords. The flurry of papers fell, and all went silent. Delta fell to his knees panting. Maero looked at him in pity.
He began playing with the dial again. It wasn't long before he heard a click confirming his success. Wiping the sweat from his brow, Delta sat back as another entry was shown. It wasn't complete. It looked as if it was missing the beginning.
That could only mean she came here for Satan Morroc. After I investigated the area, I found traces of a battle that involved several human sized creatures and one giant monster. I'm guessing that her group actually fought Satan Morroc and managed to wound it severely. It looks like Satan Morroc retreated to the south and her group followed it. Strangely, I haven't found any traces of her, which is especially suspicious since other evidence in the area has remained for hundreds of years. But I can't figure out why...
"Satan...Morroc?" He began thinking about that Assassin. It was why he was here. He began reminiscing upon his encounter in Morroc...
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"Delta, right? Glad to see you could make it. I would have called upon the others, but they also on important missions." said the Assassin. He had grey hair covering one eye. A large red scarf rested around his neck, covering half of his face. His chest was visible under his well-covered top, which had a hole in the middle with metal decorations resembling a ribcage.
Delta nodded. "R-right...So...What am I doing?" He felt nervous around this guy, since he WAS an Assassin.
"Heheheh, calm down, I won't kill you. I'm Kidd." he answered in an amused voice. "Now's not the time for fun though." He straightened his face. "Surely you've heard about the missing children?" Delta nodded, and Kidd continued. "We believe this may be related to some of Mr. Moore's research. I want you to go to Yuno Library and see if you can find out what he was studying."
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Delta was roused from his thoughts when he realized he was on a new floor, with a Blue Key inhand. Maero faded and dropped a purple stone. Deciding it may be important, he wasted no time in picking it up, and pressed onward, sure to avoid anymore monsters than he needed. The trip was uneventful, and when he found the device, it was already activated. He read the screen while grabbing a Yellow Key.
After the whole ordeal, I decided to leave. But before I could do that, I had to seal the Gate that led to that place. If someone were to find this tower and use the Gate for evil ends, the world will be plagued with an era of chaos. Of course, they'd stop me if they knew I was sealing the Gate...It took me a very long time, but I manages to secretly seal the Gate. But before I began sealing the Gate, I decided to examine it further, just in case. In my studies of the Gate, I discovered that it derives its power from the Charm Stones. So to prevent anyone from misusing its power, I've seperately sealed the stones...
"Seals...Charm Stones...Seals!" He was showered in more memories of his encounter with Kidd.
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The sun was shining bright and the sweat was rolling down Delta's heated body. He felt as if he could collapse at any moment. But holding this Flame Heart wasn't helping. Upon reaching the place Kidd mentioned, he fell onto the ground. "Goddamn...This place must be it..." Nearby there was a stone resembling the Flame Heart. It shined bright as it radiated heat. "Kidd said to neutralize the seal with the same element. Maybe these seals keep this place livable..." He tossed the Flame Heart next to the seal. There was a bright shine of light, then it got unbearably hot. After what seemed like forever, everything cooled down. Delta just lay there, to exausted to move at the moment. This seal was neutralized. Now he had 3 more to go, one in each compass direction of Morroc.
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A jolt of thunder brought him back to reality almost as soon as he left it. He had to think fast. Obviously wanting no further pain, he grabbed a few gemstones. "Land Protector!" The ground around him lit up. No more spells were able to hit him. He beat on the Barron with his Book of Apocalypse. The powers within the book did away with the Barron fast. "Wish Sorrel were here..." he muttered as he found the next device.
It was a peculiar one. It consisted of cogwheels. They weren't lined up right, so the device wasn't working. After much trial and error, Delta got the device to work. The screen lit up, and words appeared.
As I followed her trail to the North, I passed many deserted places. Finally I dropped by a small village where I learned about a tower that refuses entry to humans. I instantly realized that she must have gone to the tower. I headed over there and when I arrived, I was shocked: it was grotesque and didn't resemble a human building at all. I was also amazed-- advanced technology was probably necessary to build the tower's intricate structures. I then learned an interesting fact while searching the tower...
"Yeah, very advanced..." As he said this, a small black creature with a mask appeared. It took Delta to the next floor and vanished, leaving behind a red stone. Upon retrieving it, he had to deal with a Solace. Before he could react, it used Lex Divina on him. It appeared as a small angel hopping aroung on a harp. Ready to cast, Delta was shocked when he found he couldn't talk. He was nothing if he couldnn't speak, so he ran from the creature, but was soon cornered by it. His eyes grew wide with fear as the fallen angel mocked him. Suddenly he found the will to speak again, and without even thinking, he moved in one swift motion, voice shaking. "Soul Burn!" The angelic sinner shriveled up and died. He heaved a sigh of relief. He found the next device easy...Too easy...With the push of a button a screen lit up.
It was never the humans or the gods that built this tower, it was the demons. Intrigued by this information, I decided to try to learn why they had constructed Thanatos Tower. In my research, I learned that this tower was used as a gate to summon demons from hell during the thousand year war, and that the infamous Satan Morroc was one of those summoned here. Satan Morroc...I admit that I'm interested in learning more about his appearance since that occured at around the same time as she came to Thanatos Tower...
"So...This is the gateway to hell?" He picked up the black key. Looking at his collection, he began to wonder what they were for. Before he could think, he noticed a rather large black demon with a panda mask. He got the feeling that despite the smile the mask shows, this guy wasn't friendly. Boy was he ever right. Unsure of what hit him, he dropped the keys and stones. He glared at the demon and cast a spell. "Fire Bolt!" The bolts of fire rained over the demon, but that didn't stop it. Delta felt electricity shock him slightly.
He was unable to move. In annoyance, he whipped up a few spells. "Double Casting! Thunder Bolt!" A light surrounded him as he cast. Two sets of Thunder Bolts assaulted it. It was at a distance, but was rather annoyed. In a mad panic, he was casting spell after spell until the demon plunged its fist into the ground. Black spikes impaled Delta again and again. Delta now knew the meaning of true suffering. He moaned in pain as spike after spike came up, digging into his soft flesh. It wasn't long before he was BEGGING the demon to stop. "Arrghhh...Stop! Please...Stop! It...Hurts!" but his pleas were completely ignored as another set of spikes came. He couldn't take it anymore. Suddenly the demon was slashed in half by a rather large black sword.
Delta finally fell to the ground. Thanatos appeared from the black flames and walked over to the limp body. "Dolor...Collect his belongings." was commanded as Thanatos picked Delta up and dissapeared into the mist...
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It wasn't long before Delta began to wake up, wincing in pain as he lifted a bandaged arm to wipe his eyes.
"You're awake...How are you feeling?"
Delta jumped at the voice and sighed. "Not...Really...Did you...Save me?" His voice was strained and he fell back onto the makeshift bed.
"Yes...It appears that man saw you...How he tamed Odium I do not know..." Thanatos pulled the covers down and examined his body thouroughly. He ran his hand up Delta's chest and stopped over his heart. He could feel it beating steadily. "So soft and warm...Must be great..."
Delta, quite shocked with the sudden contact, jumped a little. "Wh-what?"
Thanatos could feel his heart beating faster, proof of his uneasiness. "Being...Alive...You...Your body is so warm, soft, touchable...Do you know how much I miss this?"
Again, Delta couldn't help but get even more nervous. "No?"
A mournful look crossed Thanatos' face. "I would do ANYTHING to be human again..." He sighed and looked at the wall.
"Wait...You...You aren't human?!" Delta flinched as a painful glare was sent his way.
"No...I forfeited my humanity long ago...In this very tower..."
Delta remembered the entries from the devices. "Perhaps, in theory, you regret not being able to completely rid the world of Satan Morroc's threat, so when you finally died, your soul had too heavy a burden and stayed to finish its work..."
Thanatos smiled. "Hahahah, you sound like some guild leader giving a lecture!"
Delta's wounds must have been healed by Thanatos before he woke up, because he could actually move around without too much difficulty. He sat up and looked into Thanatos' deep eyes. He noticed that they were dark like an abyss, sucking away all light. Just the look of it expresses pain and misery.
Noticing that Delta was staring, Thanatos broke the silence by leaning in for a quick kiss. As he moved away, Delta stared back, eyes wide open. Thanatos looked away. "Ah, sorry, I..."
"Just wanted to feel human?" Delta finished, quite surprised with himself. He didn't understand his feelings...
Thanatos looked back over to him, falling into Delta's warm blue eyes, an ocean of purity. "Yeah..."
Before Thanatos could get up, Delta leaned forward and wrapped his arms around him, reacting purely on instinct. "Wait..." Thanatos saw something in his eyes he'd never seen before. Was it sorrow? Happiness? Want? He could no longer tell, and it didn't matter when Delta kissed his neck softly. Delta was a gentle creature at heart, unwilling to harm those who don't deserve it. He couldn't help himself any longer.
"Delta..." He slowly carressed the younger man, tracing rough fingers down his back. Feelings were mixing, and he hardly knew what was happening. He was probably just as clueless as Delta. Noticing he didn't back away, he leaned closer, breathing over Delta's ear. He was amazed at the way he shivered, a small reaction to such a small thing. Curious as to how it all worked, he copied Delta by kissing his neck. Delta couldn't help but let out a moan. For all the things he knew, he couldn't apply any logic to these current feelings he had.
Annoyed with his armored plate, Thanatos removed the obstacle to get closer, his body actually touching Delta's. The warmth overwhelmed him. He had no idea what on earth possessed him to do so, but he slowly moved a hand down between them. Upon contact, Delta leaned into it, drowning in the pure ecstacy of it. Thanatos' reaction was quite similar. He began to grind against the smaller body, eliciting moans from the younger male. "Mmmmm..."
Noticing what he was doing, Thanatos stopped. He broke their bodies apart, shoving Delta roughly back onto the bed. "What is the use..." Delta was quite taken aback by the sudden change of behavior, and just stared at him blankly. "What are you looking at me like that for?"
Shaken by Thanatos' anger, Delta just leaned back into the bed as hard as he could, wishing he could just disappear. Why was he disappointed in this change of events? Shouldn't he be happy? After all, by the laws of God, what he was doing was wrong. Thinking such things only brought more questions to his mind. If God wanted us to be happy, why was it so wrong for him to want to be here? Why is it so wrong to love someone of the same sex? Aren't the feelings the same? Doesn't it make people happy? Then why was this so wrong? Wait, love? Delta shook his head when that came to mind. Did he love Thanatos? Why was he debating such things with himself? What is the use?
Thanatos, noticing Delta's inner struggle, just sat there. If it was going to happen, it was going to happen. He won't force anything upon the younger man, after all, that would be wrong. But wasn't it already wrong for him to be denied of any happiness since that fateful day? He began to realize just how happy he is that Delta is even here. He'd been alone for so long. Everyone was so scared of him. He hadn't really felt any real emotions until recently.
To hell with it. Delta was already defying God by wielding such power. He could create an ocean, part the water, make it rain fire, all with just a small flick of his wrist. He'd descovered things long lost, things the people of old probably sealed away for a reason. What was just another sin to him? He quickly flung his arms around Thanatos before he could try to stop him. "Send me to hell...I don't care..." he muttered.
Confused, Thanatos sat there as still as possible. "I told you before, I'm not here to kill you..."
It became apparent that Delta was actually sulking. He could hear the distorted voice. "Don't kill me...Just...Love me..." Tears were slowly trickling down.
This was quite a shock for Thanatos, but it wasn't an unwelcome one. Wrapping his arms around the young sinner he smiled. "I do..." He could feel the trembling body in his arms. Now, more than ever, he wanted to sooth Delta's pain, make him stop shuddering. "Just...Calm down...I'm no good with these things..." And he was right, he didn't know how to cheer anyone up. He'd been in this tower for so damn long, the only people he saw were already dead long before he saw them.
He slowly began running his fingers through Delta's long hair, wondering how he could keep it so smooth. His own hair was a mess. Delta jumped a bit at the sudden contact, but smiled and relaxed. He leaned all this weight on Thanatos, as if relieving himself of a heavy burden. Noticing this, Thanatos inwardly smiled. Was this a gift from Freya? After all his suffering, a young man just happens to wander around the tower, Desperos just happens to see him, and tries to kill him, but happens to fail... Perhaps Freya took pity on him. Or was it Odin? He sighed. He didn't even remember which faith he was, but it didn't matter. His only true god was already here, in his arms. The man to spare him of further loneliness and pain.
Now that he was relaxed, Delta didn't even realize why he had been so sentimental. It wasn't like him at all. He always threw caution to the wind, even now as he leans back, losing himself in Thanatos' eyes. "Kiss me again?" Delta 's voice was a bit rough and crackly, due to nervousness.
Thanatos leaned close so their noses were touching. "Sure..." With that, Delta was lost in a breath taking kiss. It was a bit sloppy, since neither of them knew what they were doing. The kiss deepened, and they both found themselves desperatly needing air. They broke the kiss, panting, regaining their lost breath, as Delta clung to him as if he'd be lost forever if he let go. He could hear Delta whisper his name, and he held onto the younger man, noticing the atmosphere taking on a sudden change, a thick haze of desire. These feelings were beyond him, but he didn't care.
Every bit of tenseness was rung from his body as Thanatos methodicaly rubbed his back. He couldn't help but let out a few small moans here and there. From all the studying he's ever done, all the back aches he's ever had, this was heaven. Thanatos seemed to know just where to touch, circular motions with the pad of his thumb. Delta lazily groped at Thanatos' back, trying to return the favor.
Taking it as an OK, Thanatos slowly lowered his arms and stopped, letting his hands rest firmly on the belt. "Just...Tell me if you're uncomfortable..."
Delta smiled at the thought that Thanatos actually cared that much. It just seemed...Abnormal. "Y-yeah..." He replied. His body was a little shaky, not accustomed to such physical contact.
Slowly Thanatos undid the belt, pulling it loose and dropping it to the side. One more smooth motion and his pants were at his knees. Looking down at the growing hardness covered in cloth, he stopped to look Delta in the eyes. "You...Sure...?"
The younger man slowly nodded and took in a deep breath as his undergarments were dropped to his knees, the cold air hitting his just released arousal. It was apparent that he was in need of some relief, so with one rough hand, Thanatos gripped the aching need firmly and stroked it. Delta's breath hitched in his throat upon contact, and found himself holding Thanatos' hand, almost helping him. He must have been quite aroused, because a few more firm strokes made his body start to spasm, and he came hard. The white fluid splattered onto Thanatos' scarred chest, but he didn't seem to mind. He smiled down at the exausted body in his arms. "Beautiful..."
Delta slowely curled up into Thanatos' arms, eyes suddenly seeming quite heavy, he dozed off a bit. He could feel Thanatos' chest moving up and down with each breath. Thinking about it this way, it seemed hard to believe Thanatos was no longer human. As Delta lay there, many thoughts crossed his mind. Why did it feel so good? If someone were to grab your finger and stroke it...Well, it doesn't feel good. And if God frowned upon such behaviors between people of the same sex, then why did it feel good? If God were against it, wouldn't he have made it impossible? Like the way men can't give birth to children.
Satisfied with Delta's reaction to prior events, Thanatos just sat there, looking out the window. It had been so long since he last looked out that window to actually admire the stars. He noted that one combination looked remarkably like the Yggdrasil Leaf. Yggdrasil, the heart of everything living. This one tree of everlasting life keeps the world in balance. He figured Delta already knew about Yggdrasil, since he IS a Professor. Fatigue catching up with him, Thanatos let out a yawn and leaned back, propping the younger man up on his chest. Delta mearly nuzzled closer in response. Not too long after, Thanatos fell asleep too...For the first time since that fateful day...
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