Hello dear reader and welcome to the official rewrite of The Domino Effect. Now before we start with the story I would like to first address some questions, concerns and or queries you may potentially have.
Q: Are you really Darksinner666 and not some plagiarist/imposter?
A: Yes, I am the real, authentic Darksinner666. Please check out my profile page and you will find links to my work on AO3. My AO3 account will link back here, and for further confirmation, you can check my original account (Darksinner666 on FFN), which will link you back to my AO3 account. It's an ugly cycle, yes, but we'll ignore that for now...
Q: Why are you on a different account?
A: Difficulties currently accessing my original FFN account. If you really want to know, then feel free to check out my AO3 posting of this rewrite. I should be able to access it in the next two weeks, but until then, I have decided to upload my rewrite to FFN now, as was originally promised on my AO3 account. Once I do, I'll post a note/update on the original version of this story of the account change.
Now, on to the rewrite itself.
This rewrite is exactly the same as the rewrite on AO3, no differences at all, so don't feel you are missing anything. I'm just cross-posting is all.
This rewrite IS different to the original however (obviously).
While the general format and plot is mostly identical, I have overhauled much of the dialogue to (hopefully) sound more natural and authentic, i.e., tried to remove cringey dialogue. I have also rewritten several scenes and interactions throughout the story to better contribute to the plot and appear less contrived. I have edited the prose (edited, added and omitted sentences, descriptions, scenes, dialogue). I'm not going to detail every single change made, but if you are interested, then feel free to check out my AO3 version (link in my profile page, or search for The Domino Effect by Darksinner666 on AO3). I have a brief summary of changes made at the end of each chapter there.
Update schedule: (VERY IMPORTANT - READ THIS CONCERNING REWRITE!)
I have altered my release schedule for this rewrite. I will now be updating this rewrite every single day until the 5th of January. This will complete the rewrite on this site so it is fully caught up to the AO3 version. And as per my AO3 schedule listed, I shall return with a new chapter and schedule on the 8th of January (once weekly). From the 8th of January onwards, you can stick to whatever site (FFN or AO3) you want for updates as I will cross-post simultaneously. Cheers :)
Story clarifications (without being spoilery):
I thought this story was about an OC demon?
That is correct, however my definition of a demon might be slightly different to yours. My interpretation is less a flesh-eating monstrosity, and more along the lines of a culturally refined, ruthless being that acts more akin to a bloodthirsty businessman or mobster even. After all, real monsters are the ones lying inside of a person, rather than a physical manifestation.
I thought this story was set in the New World?
It will, and indeed the primary focus shall. However, the initial chapters are set in Yggdrasil to establish characters, motivations, plot devices and more, all of which will play a significant role in shaping this story when we do arrive in the New World.
You have Ainz and co tagged? Where are they? Why are you clickbaiting?!
I'm not clickbaiting. Ainz and co WILL be playing a significant role in this story, but that won't be for many chapters in the future of the story. To that end, this is indeed an Overlord fanfiction, meaning that, yes, I will be eventually exploring and utilising the full canon characters cast, settings, locations and events to help propagate this story in a meaningful way. However, this will take time, as I do not like to rush things. Which brings me to my final point.
If I mention it, it will likely play a role in developing this story.
I want this story to be fun and engaging, and not feel contrived, forced or like I'm pulling things from my ass for convenience. That is why the initial chapters are to help set the stage and provide the necessary exposition to establish the plot, pacing, characters and motivations. I try to be honest and deliberate with my writing. If it is mentioned, it will play a role. Hint: I love foreshadowing.
Content warnings:
What you see in the anime/manga is minimum you can expect, but for clarity's sake:
Content that some people would deem as offensive, inappropriate, dark or mature, including:
- Strong graphic and bloody violence
- Blood and gore
- Strong language
- Drug and alcohol references, use and abuse
- Some sexual content/violence
- Potentially other content such as references to discrimination, etc.
Feel free to leave any comments/feedback, whether constructive criticism, theories, or even just a simple hello! I appreciate your feedback, and make an effort to reply by the next posting to each and every one of you. Therefore, I'd like to give a huge thankyou to all of my readers from the original and my rewrite on AO3. Your support, feedback and interest is always noticed by me and appreciated. So, Merry Christmas to you all, and if you don;t celebrate Christmas, then I wish you the absolute best, and hope you all enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do NOT own any of the rights to the Overlord franchise, including names, characters and locations. I only own my OC's and any other non-Overlord content that I may create for this story. This is purely a work of fanfiction and is not intended to infringe on the rights of any original copyright holders.
Suggested age rating: M
- Bloody violence
- Strong language
Chapter 1: Of Angels and Demons
The sound of a single piano, gentle and tranquil in melody, resonated out from the bar. The patrons had long since left, leaving only the barkeeper to silently listen to the lone performer as he wiped and polished the few remaining mugs and glasses.
The eerie darkness of the night bled into the room, and, coupled with the scarce golden lamps within the barroom, further accentuated the haunting sound of the melodious solo performance.
Slowly, the solo performer increased the tempo of the song, as he struck each key true to the original melody.
The piece was a timeless masterpiece, or at least in his opinion. A remnant from a bygone era. Moonlight Sonata. Even the name sounded mystical and nostalgic to him. And him? Well, his name was far from mystical and nostalgic, hell, he could hardly even remember his real name.
Sharp features bare of any skin imperfection defined an otherwise flawless face, while dark brown hair slicked back with gel helped finish presenting a mature visage of someone appearing in their early thirties. And yet, his fashion choice was not representative of the modern fashion trends of the 22nd century. After all, suits and tuxedoes were only worn by the wealthy such as the corporate elite and CEOs.
And yet, here sat a man who did not identify with the supposed social elite of modern society, adorned in entirely black attire save for a red tie with faint patterned embroidery fit snugly around his neck.
A polished black boot, custom -made, rested over the sustain pedal to prolong a particular key struck.
Black, leather-gloved hands began to dance on the piano as he transitioned to the next movement of the song, every now and then the amber lights of the room reflecting off of the engraved gold and silver cufflinks.
Suddenly, the bar-door opened, accompanied by its usual creak. The pianist could hear the light, dull thud of footsteps on the hardwood floor approach him, almost reaching his back, before stopping.
The sound of wood scraping against wood briefly cut into the song, but just as quickly, it was over, followed by the soft sound of somebody sitting down.
Without bothering to acknowledge the newcomers presence, the pianist continued his performance.
As he picked up his pace, he could hear the newcomer gently tapping his hands to his legs in synch with the song. Even the barkeep temporarily stopped to watch the solo performance, mesmerised by absolute beauty of both the song itself and the performer's skill. As the performer closed his performance with the gentle outro, gentle clapping could be heard from the direction of the newcomer, followed shortly by the barkeep, who then resumed cleaning.
As the pianist began to slowly close the lid on the piano, the newcomer spoke, the alluring German-accented voice belonging to a male.
"I always appreciated music, as you do. Not many people know how to appreciate it these days. Instead, people would rather listen to screeching metal, and awful howls of false wind, claiming it to be music. Not you though. Despite what I might think about you, I can still appreciate good talent. Your performance, Mr Amadeus, was extraordinary."
The newcomer sounded impressed, but Mr Amadeus paid no heed to it, instead pulling back the left cuff of his suit to glance at a golden watch originally concealed underneath.
"However, there is one sound, that I love more than any professionally played instrument. Do you know what that is?"
Mr Amadeus raised a bored eyebrow, even if the newcomer couldn't see it. "Please, do tell."
"Your death throes, demon. Those, are true music to my ears."
At those words, the temperature of the room seemed to drop, with the pianists eyes shooting to his left to take in the newcomer, and the barkeep looking up suddenly.
The newcomer chuckled to himself. "Ah yes. The sounds of heretical demons screaming, dying and begging for mercy! That… now that is the best music of them all!"
The newcomer sat adjacent from Amadeus was his polar opposite in terms of colour scheme. While he was dressed in all black, the newcomer was dressed similarly in all white, with white dress shoes and fedora with gold trim, no gloves and a gold-coloured tie. A gold stopwatch with a chain hung from the left breast-pocket of the man's outer jacket, who sat back relaxed in the simple wooden chair, an antique nearly. The man had sharp, narrow features, sporting a predatory smile, with blond hair and cold, blue eyes.
"Can you do that for me? Please." The newcomer almost begged in a childish, pleading tone. "Can you beg and scream! I love that sound so much, and from what I've heard about you, I most certainly want that!"
Amadeus slowly turned his body on the stool, positioning his feet towards the newcomer, before retorting back.
"I take it you're the new lackey that your Holier than Thou masters have sent to kill me? Because I must say, I'm not impressed."
The newcomer raised a finger to correct him. "Ah-ah-ah! Not a lackey. The Masters of the Exalted felt you required a more delicate touch, this time."
Amadeus couldn't help but snort as he raised any amused eyebrow.
"Because I nailed the last cocksuckers wings on the billboard over the freeway? You should tell your masters to send someone better. I'll even let you leave in one piece. Because, trust me, you are in way over your head."
Low laughter emanated from the newcomer. "Oh, that's cute. But, you really shouldn't speak to me so casually. I am your better in every way! Angels are pure, even the stupid mortals understand that! And what are you? A filthy, treacherous, stupid, fucking, Demon!"
Each word was spat with harsher vehemence than the last, and at the word demon, the man's face was transformed into a disgusted sneer.
"If being arrogant and conceited is what I have to strive to be to rise above you, then I'll pass."
The angel let loose a guttural growl. "Don't act so smug and superior. You're nothing!"
Amadeus shot a glare at the angel.
"If I'm nothing, then what does that make you?"
At that, the newcomer's sneer transformed into a savage grin.
"Why, little demon, I'm so glad you asked."
The white-dressed angel stood up slowly, dusting himself off delicately, before fancying a small mocking bow.
"My name is Asphaestus. And I am an Exalted High Angel, sent on behalf of my superiors to expunge your heretic filth from this world, Mr Sygil Amadeus."
Sygil was originally disinterested in what he assumed to be a mere lackey of an angel, but upon hearing the name and authority of the Angel standing before him, it was difficult to hide his grim expression.
Asphaestus seemed to notice, as he reared to full height.
"Yes… Not so confident now, are you, little demon. I will admit, as far as your kind go, you were quite the nuisance to track. Every time one of my subordinates would go after you, they would seemingly 'disappear'. You've garnered quite the reputation, Mr Amadeus."
This is not good. A fucking Exalted?! I should have expected them to pick up their game, but this is extreme, even for them.
Sygil was paying no real heed to what Asphaestus was spouting, instead opting to try and find a way out of his predicament.
"Come now? No smartass response, little demon?"
Before Sygil could respond, the bartender interjected.
"Oi. Will you two knock it off. I just finished cleaning the place, so if you're going to fight, take it outside!"
Asphaestus turned his head sharply to the barkeep, before sarcastically retorting. "Oh of course, allow me to take this business with my associate outside, would you. Wouldn't want to dirty this fine establishment while you're still alive, right."
"I came here to enjoy a simple night to myself, yet you came to ruin it." Sygil shook his head in frustration.
"You ruined it by existing, Mr Amadeus. By simply existing, yes? Still, as much as I would revel in your complete suffering, I am required to at least grant you a small mercy and grant you a quick death. Even if you decide to fight me, it will be quick, as you are no match for me. Your very existence is a sacrilegious abomination, blasphemying all that He Who Commands Heaven and Earth Above has strived to create."Asphaestus held a clenched fist above his heart, truly believing every word he spouted with devout fanaticism.
Amadeus' eyes narrowed. "I am so fed up with all this holy bullshit that both sides preach. Can't you take a hint and fuck off. I have to finish my contract with Lucifer. You and your Holy Order make that quite difficult to accomplish."
"Of course, your contractor. Lucifer himself. You are a powerful and dangerous asset of his, aren't you. However, you're also a wildcard. One that has become enough of a nuisance. And just like all nuisances..." A white pike, elegant in its design, began to materialise into Aspheastus' hands as his grin became more maniac. "You must be removed."
BANG!
Asphaestus' body fell to the ground, a massive bleeding hole in his head.
The barkeep didn't even see Amadeus pull the gun, or even know he had one. But then he saw the darkness. Like flames, dark, sharp shadows danced off of Amadeus' gun hand as he held the still smoking Desert Eagle. After a few seconds, the shadows disappeared, leaving an otherwise normal engraved gun.
Without hesitation, the barkeep ducked behind the bar, desperate to avoid getting shot.
"What the fuck you psycho!"
Amadeus turned his head in the direction of the barkeep. A small smile played on his face as he spoke chillingly.
"I suggest you run home and forget about this incident. The real fun is about to begin."
The barkeep resurfaced with a Toz-134 aimed straight at Amadeus. However, before he could do anything, the pike Asphaestus previously held was sent flying straight into Amadeus, sending him flying back into the piano with enough force to tip it over. A resonating loud boom coupled with all of the strings being struck inside was the ghastly sound that left the barkeep's ears ringing. Then, Asphaestus stood up, hand clutching his bleeding face.
"You fucking cunt! I will enjoy killing you!"
Amadeus jumped up, ignoring both the attack and his opponents fury..
"For an Angel, you sure don't live up to your reputation of being divine and pure of heart."
The barkeeper felt a mixture of confusion and fear at the absurdity of the scene before him, but he was running on adrenaline by now, and therefore logical thinking was not at the forefront of his mind. Hence, his actions were a direct reflection of his compromised emotional state, since he had never truly been placed in such a situation before. As such, he responded the only way he felt was appropriate at the sight of the two monsters for men that were beginning to fight and destroy his establishment in the process.
"GET YOUR HANDS IN THE AIR RIGHT FUCKING NOW!" Those were his last words as Sygil fired a single shot without hesitation into the man's head, exploding his skull and several neatly stacked bottles of vintage alcohol across the back wall. The pure velocity of the .50 AE round sprayed blood and booze everywhere.
The body didn't even have time to properly collapse to the floor as Asphaestus charged Sygil while his gun was aimed away.
The black-suited demon barely had time jump out of the way as a second materialised halberd came crashing down where he just was, the splintered hard-wood floor exploding. Without missing a stride, the halberd suddenly swung out sideways to decapitate Amadeus. Amadeus had no time to dodge this time, so he used his shadow-teleport to meld into the shadows and teleport behind the crazed angel. This time, however, he forsook his Desert Eagle, materialising in its place a weapon capable of more devastation.
Smoke dissipated away from a smoke grey barrel, travelling up a varnished dark oak forestock with gold trimmings, revealing a polished and engraved steel of the receiver that glistened in the amber light.
Before Asphaestus could react, Sygil unloaded the first round of the lever action rifle into the already deformed face of the surprised Angel.
The blast ripped his face apart, exposing much of the muscle and bone underneath, sending him flying backwards through the closed doors with a loud crash, before he tumbled the few steps onto the cold pavement of the darkened street with an audible oof.
Any shot fired on a normal human being would have been guaranteed fatal. Sygil had taken the time many years prior to imbue all of his weapons, especially his few guns, with Unholy energy, making them much more explosively deadly and volatile on an opponent. A trait that was especially useful for dealing with Holy entities such as Angels, like Asphaestus. However, it was also quite unconventional for a higher entity to use, holy or unholy alike, as firearms seemed more useless. Whoever thought that was an idiot. As far as Amadeus was concerned, a firearm was vastly superior. Shame he couldn't have some of the more modern arsenal mortals possessed.
Sygil casually stalked towards the door, ejecting the first spent cartridge as Asphaestus began to stand up. Oh no you don't.
The rifle was swiftly aimed in Asphaestus' general direction as Amadeus proceeded to unload every single round into the angel. Asphaestus couldn't react as his body was slowly shredded by the gun, with him finally being literally blasted out onto the paved road of the street, blood strewn everywhere.
Asphaestus laid there, eyes glazed over (or whatever was left of them), unmoving.
"You know, for an Exalted, you really did disappoint me. I was expecting more of a challenge. You're pathetic. Still, credit where credit is due. The fight did end quickly as you said."
Amadeus now stood directly over the angel. He couldn't even pretend to act satisfied at his victory, instead sporting a pitiful frown laced with disappointment, before abruptly turning on his heel to walk away, dematerialising his rifle as the same flame-like shadows appeared to eat it away. He wasn't going to bother cleaning the mess.
However, before he could even take a step forward, Asphaestus croaked.
"That… was bloody… pathetic…"
Sygil was caught by surprise that the Angel was still alive, but he maintained his composure as he turned around to acknowledge the ruined angel. "While you fancy theatrics, I fancy efficiency."
"As… do I…"
Amadeus quirked a single eyebrow up in amusement.
"You... are foolish... to be… so… arrogant!"
Aspheastus outstretched his bloodied right hand to point directly at Amadeus.
"I… am barely, getting… started. So please… entertain me."
Amadeus didn't have time to ponder the angel's delusions as he heard the halberd whistling in the air behind him. Before he could react, however, the halberd found its mark and impaled through his left should and heart, its bloodied blade protruding a good metre from his chest. The impact was enough to send him crashing face-first onto the ground. And the pain was unbearable! Not the fact that it stabbed him and completely desecrated his heart and shoulder, but rather the fact the halberd was a Holy weapon. And him being an Unholy entity meant that the reaction was quite excruciating. It felt like a cross between a firestorm and an acid bath occurring simultaneously in every fibre of his shoulder, heart and chest.
As Sygil let out a scream in agony, Asphaestus began to glow, before suddenly a bright white light erupted from his very soul. After the bright flash of light, a fully regenerated Asphaestus knelt there, his white suit flawlessly repaired, and a pair of white angelic wings outstretched on his back. A vibrant golden glow emanated from his body, before he stood up and addressed Amadeus, who was struggling to remove the embedded halberd.
"His Highness promoted me to the rank of Exalted so that I can effectively combat the scourge that is demons such as yourself. Did you really think it would be that simple to defeat me? Are you really that arrogant? No, it doesn't matter, nor does it really surprise me, you filthy shit. Surely now you must realise the hopelessness of your situation. So, now that you are at my mercy, what will you do? Roll over and die? That seems suitable for your filth." A triumphant smirk adorned the angel's face.
"No, I have… something better. I am… going to watch…. as my pets…. rip you apart."
"Bold words. But they mean noth"- whatever the angel was going to say was cut off by the sound of a monstrous roar as the shadows suddenly came alive and charged the angel.
Asphaestus was thrown to the ground as the shadows formed a shape, then two, then three. Three shapes which were viciously snarling, fangs trying to rip into the angel that was desperately trying to roll out of the way and dodge them. They resembled hell-hounds, completely comprised of shadows which flickered like flames, save for the teeth. Those were very much solid. And they were very much trying to kill the trapped angel.
The onslaught was relentless as the hounds gnashed their teeth, clawing and biting at the angel.
"Tchh." The angel cursed his luck as he saw an opening to escape the hounds. He leapt into the air, his wings taking over as he hovered a good ten metres overhead, out of range of the demon's hounds. Speaking of the demon, he had managed to remove the halberd in his shoulder, infected blood profusely leaking out.
Amadeus tossed the halberd aside with his good arm, a dangerous glint in his eyes.
Killing this angel was going to be tricky, especially since he was an Exalted. He had underestimated the Angel's strength foolishly, and his guns had no real effect on the angel, save for slowing him down and bodily mutation. Even then, the angel would regenerate without issue. That meant he had to engage in closer combat. However, with his hounds, he had the advantage of numbers. All he needed to do was the ground the angel and let the hounds finish him off. And he had the perfect tool.
Asphaestus was barely hovering for a few seconds to plan an attack when suddenly the air hissed and instinctively flew to the side. Which was fortunate for him as the spiked chain narrowly missed his head. At a quick glance, he could tell that like the guns Amadeus wielded, the spiked chain was an Unholy weapon, meaning it was deadly for him to be injured by, but nothing his Holy regeneration, a gift by God, couldn't repair. The chain retracted back into Amadeus' right hand, melding inside his sleeve. The spiked chain was a dark grey, fairly long and incredibly vicious looking. The head of the chain was a solid diamond-shaped block of cast-iron as long as his arm, and littered with barbed spikes that would rip its victim to shreds if embedded. As for the linked chain itself, the chains shared similar but smaller barbed spikes. How the demon hadn't shredded his own hand was beyond even him.
"Tch. Annoying." Asphaestus was annoyed at the demon's perseverance, but he should have expected as much. Sygil was tenacious if nothing else.
The chain flew out again, a little high this time, forcing Asphaestus to dodge and fly lower to the ground. The chain retracted and Amadeus advanced. The hell-hounds circled below until they were directly underneath the angel. Meanwhile, Amadeus threw the spiked chain again, aiming for his nemesis' head. Again, the angel swooped down to duck, but in his focus on the weapon, he overlooked the hell-hounds below, who were now in range of an attack. And attack they did.
With synchronised coordination, all hounds leapt into the air. Asphaestus barely had time to register, and no room to move except directly up. Amadeus accounted for this, and threw his spiked chain forth one more time as the angel shot up, this time however wrapping around his left ankle.
Asphaestus cried out in pain as the unholy weapon's barbs embedded into his ankle and lower calf. Before he could attempt to free himself, however, Sygil gave a mighty tug and pulled the deranged angel into the ground, and into the hounds. The hounds showed no mercy and began to tear into the angel, who screamed in agony as the unholy beings gorged themselves. In desperation, Asphaestus tried to recall his halberd, which came flying into his grasp. He swung to decapitate one hound, but the blade merely passed through the hound like the shadow it was.
Amadeus pulled the chain in, pulling the hapless angel with it. As the angel was caught off-balance, the onslaught of the hounds stopped. The angel was sent flying towards the demon whom, with his injured arm, tore the halberd from the angel's grasp, and in a single fluid motion, performed a perfect 360 degree sweep, majestically severing both wings on the angel. With the carried momentum of the pull, coupled with the demon's finesse, the angel was sent crashing into the pub's stone wall, leaving a sizeable dent of busted brick and mortar.
"You are a disgrace; an embarrassment. I would normally enjoy this, however…." The sound of distant sirens coming closer could be heard. "I think I will let you explain to your precious god how you failed. That honestly seems more entertaining to me. Wouldn't you agree?" Amadeus grinned savagely, ignoring the pain welling from his injury. The spiked chain dematerialised, and the hounds began to fade into the smoky shadows extending from the demon's hands.
Asphaestus gritted his teeth as the demon sank into the shadows, literally, and teleported to god knows where. He laid there in a broken, crumpled heap, his body shooting with excruciating agony due to so many unholy injuries. What hurt most, however, was his pride. He had failed to kill the demon. But all was not lost. The demon would suffer more from his injuries. After all, a holy injury on an unholy being such as that demon wouldn't be able to heal. He grinned to himself slowly. At least that bastard will suffer. BLEGHH! He coughed up a copious amount of blood, blackened with unholy elements and poisoning. His stumps seared with pain. But he would heal eventually and regenerate. At least holy beings could heal and regenerate. But now, he had to leave before these pesky mortals arrived, if the closing sirens were any indication.
I will finish you, Amadeus. "I WILL FUCKING FINISH YOU AMADEUUUUUUUUS!"
Amadeus teleported into the apartment he had been hiding in by merging out of the shadows, which were copious due to all the lights being off. Clutching his still bleeding wound, he walked into the bathroom, flicking on the light. Without bothering to remove his bloodstained jacket, he turned the water on in the sink and bathtub, as filthy and decrepit as they both were.
The apartment wasn't even his, at least legally speaking. It had originally belonged to some hapless soul that had the misfortune of pissing him off. Cleaning the blood off of the walls and carpets had been a pain, but murder wasn't necessarily uncommon in this part of town. A bribe to the landlord had kept him rather silent about his renter's disappearance, and using the remaining cash savings the fool had left in his closet helped cover for the rent for a considerable while.
Money wasn't the concern, he just needed a place to lay low from Angels and Demon's alike, especially if he was found. Like Asphaestus had tonight.
Speaking of Asphaestus, the bastard had inflicted a decent injury onto him.
As the water began to warm up, he opened up the cupboard door, revealing a small medicine cabinet. The few expired drugs were of little use to him, but the roller bandages would help. Now, he just needed to find something that would act as gauze to help stem the bleeding.
Even though he was technically immortal, sufficient blood loss would still cause him to pass out, and would impair his cognitive abilities. Neither of which was desirable.
Once he had enough warm water filled up, he removed his ruined jacket and black dress shirt to expose his injury.
He grunted in pain as he looked in the mirror at the injury. It was quite extensive, the surrounding flesh was ripped apart, and a jagged hole that was swollen shut was right where his heart should have been. Such an injury would have been fatal to a mortal, but he didn't exactly fit that criteria anymore.
Regardless, such an injury wouldn't permanently affect him, even if it was somewhat painful. Instead, it was only a very minor mobility nuisance, but he had gone through worse, so he could just push through it. However, his wound, which was still bleeding profusely, was caused by the halberd, which was a Holy weapon. That would pose a problem.
He spent the next little while trying to rinse and clean out his wound, turning the water in the bath pink, then crimson, and then finally black.
He managed, with difficulty, to crudely stitch the wound shut on both the entry and exit points. That would help his mobility without making it drastically worse, and help keep the bleeding stemmed down for now.
All that was left was to apply the small towel as a makeshit gauze, secure it with the bandage, and then pull the plug to drain the evidence away.
Before the wound could continue to leak blood any further, he grabbed a towel and tried to wrap it around his wound.
Being a demon, he lacked an angels extensive regeneration abilities, so his wound was going to take a long time to naturally heal on its own. And judging by the extensive size and trauma of his injury, it could be a few good months before it healed fully. That… was a problem in his opinion.
He would need a plan to deal with this setback, a plan to deal with Asphaestus for he was positive the bastard would be hungry for revenge, even if he was reckless and headstrong fool. An angel, especially an Exalted one, was not to be taken lightly, as he had learnt from tonight.
As he proceeded to try and bandage his chest and shoulder he began reminiscing about the absurdity of angels and demons. Even after so many years of contractual servitude, he still had to remind himself that it was all very real.
Angels. The polar opposite of demons. While demons were opportunists and immortal, bound by a contract to Lucifer, angels were bound to Father. Vindictive and cruel, they were not to be underestimated. But then again, so were demons. In reality, angels and demons were both vicious, the bi-products of a supernatural war that even he sometimes struggled to comprehend. In his opinion, it made little sense, but he was merely a servant of Lucifer.
Oddly enough, Angels were not immortal, instead granted absurd regenerative abilities. Therefore, death was permanent. The only problem was, with their enhanced regenerative abilities, death was easily stalled. Therefore, in a roundabout way, they were immortal. As a demon, he was immortal, and while he could regenerate from superficial or mortal injuries, anything holy was a bane to his existence and difficult to recover from. What made holy injuries so deadly was it could corrupt and eventually destroy his soul, which was currently held by Lucifer. And that there was very little he could do about it. But that was only if he had a holy infection.
Another thing that intrigued him was the apparent lack of guns between supernatural entities. From his experience, both as a mortal and as a demon, they were major game changers, especially if imbued with unholy elements.
He remembered his initial frustration at the lack of guns he could wield. Apparently guns were not supernatural beings preferred weapons, who instead preferred traditional melee combat with bladed weapons. For some reason, other weapons, especially automatic weapons, could not be incorporated, alongside anything that used electricity. As a result of his gun limitations, he felt out of control and decided to spend the next few decades honing skills with a variety of bladed weapons, his preferred being the Japanese Katana and the Hussar's Officers Sabre, both due to their light weight and swift ease of use. He could materialise several other Unholy 'treated' weapons, such as his spiked chain. Of course, such weapons were not easy to use, and the training had been painstaking and slow, but it had paid off in the end.
His reminiscing was cut short as he felt his injury again. Pulling the towel off, he was rewarded by a site he didn't want to see; an early holy infection.
"…."
The bleeding had stopped, but the hole was red and inflamed. Even now, he could feel the holy infection burning his wound. And unfortunately, he lacked the means currently to deal with and remove the infection.
"Fuck…"
Amadeus steeled his resolve and proceeded to bandage himself, before placing his clothes back on, ignoring the blood stains and obvious holes.
After getting changed, Amadeus slowly walked to where 'his' bedroom was. He had an idea to gain extra time to resolve his injury as well as remain under the radar. While he wouldn't be able to treat the injury and expunge the holy infection, he would be able to buy time without the infection worsening. And the answer lay within the DMMORPG Yggdrasil. He couldn't believe how ridiculous the idea was. According to an overly enthusiastic demon compatriot, who constantly boasted about how Yggdrasil literally saved his life and allowed him to hide from several angels until he could formulate a plan to successfully get the drop on them, it would allow him to remain undetected and halt any injury, no matter how grave. Amongst other things.
He shook his head at the thought of what he was about to do to.
From his understanding, DMMORPG's, such as Yggdrasil, were an advanced virtual reality which operated by hooking up to neural interface of sorts. While basic, it allowed a higher entity such as himself, a demon, to literally enter the game physically. Of course, he was limited by what the game's programming enabled, but it was fairly close to reality. The advantage was, supposedly, that when he entered the game, his actual body was placed in limbo, acting as if in a stasis, while his soul was free to function without restraint. As such, all injuries would cease to progress, holy or not, or so he hoped. This would grant him the necessary time to consider options and solutions to heal his injury. This was crucial since a holy infection would prove lethal eventually without correct treatment. His body could die, which while not to problematic as he could reincarnate, no matter how painful that ordeal was, since his soul technically was sold to Lucifer, a holy infection would transmit to his soul eventually and begin to tear it apart. Without a soul, he would not be able to reincarnate or live. Hopefully, Yggdrasil would help halt this process until he could consider a means to resolve it.
"Tchh. Just my luck."
Another upside to entering Yggdrasil was that while his body was in limbo, he could avoid detection by other higher entities such as angels, except his contractor Lucifer. Unless one of them entered Yggdrasil.
Sighing, he grabbed the headset helmet to connect with Yggdrasil. He didn't have to put it on, he only needed focus while holding his hand on the nodes so he could enter. There wouldn't even be a body left in the real-world so tracing was impossible. And since the platform was online and he was entering as an in-game entity similar to an NPC, he would technically be part of the system to an extent, so the headset could be turned off and it wouldn't forcefully disconnect him. The only way to be forcefully disconnected would be if the servers themselves permanently shut down. Not that that is going to happen when the developers are making fistfuls of dollars. Or yen. Or whatever nationality they are.
The headset powered on. He placed his hand on the nodes. He could feel his body warm, and a faint blue light began to emit from the headset as he began to disappear from the real world and enter the virtual world of Yggdrasil.
I hope this works. And then he was gone.
Author's note:
Hope you enjoyed :D