6:00 A.M., A full two hours before any signs of life could be found inside Slayer Studios. Unlike before when the business this building traded in was nothing but sex, its new owners actually allowed its employees to get a full night's rest and time to themselves. This, of course, extended to those close to said owners, though in the next two hours, they'd be waking up not to start their work but to have breakfast with each other, which had become routine. This is why it was strange that any of them would be awake early in the morning, as everyone loved to get as much sleep as possible. And yet, there was Angel Dust, arguably the most well-known face of the studio at this point, pacing back and forth in a hallway as his mind raced with ideas.
But they weren't ideas for new shows or even what could be the company's first-ever full-length motion picture; they were far more personal and intimate thoughts that made him nervous from head to toe.
"Good going, you dumb fuck, you came here without thinking of a fucking plan first!" He scolded himself in his mind, "Do I knock on the door and see if he's awake? No, that'd be WAY too fucking weird. Do I pretend I tripped and just happened to land against his door, and it opened perfectly as I go through? NO, THAT KIND OF SHIT ONLY HAPPENS IN SITCOMS GODDAMN IT!" He
carried on slightly panicking, "WAIT! WAIT! He just got his room yesterday, and it only has a few things in it; I could say that I'm here to make sure he has everything he needs! Yes! That's the one!" He cheered before taking a deep breath to calm himself, "Okay, here we go." He said quietly as he came to a stop.
Turning on his heels, Angel Dust faced the door of the person he came to see, and after a quick once over to make sure he was sexy as shit, more so than usual, he made his approach ready to knock on it. However, just as his fist was mere centimeters from the door, he heard the sound of the elevator arriving, and when he looked to see who it was, his eyes shot wide open out of both shock and anger.
"Here we go..." Katie said quietly to herself as she stepped out of the open doors, two freshly made mugs of coffee held in each of her hands, "Made it here without any accidents, just need to-"
Stopping mid-sentence, the mantis demon was frozen in her place, caused by her eyes meeting those of the sensual spider. Like a standoff in a western, they remained where they were; the only sound breaking the tension that now filled the air was the elevator's doors closing next to her.
"So, guess Cherri was right. You ARE a sly slut." Angel Dust was the first to speak, which earned him a glare.
"Funny coming from the only pornstar in this circle who the city could recognize as a sentient sperm bank." She countered.
"...Damn, that was REALLY good." He complimented her, incredibly impressed by how awesome that insult was.
"You think so? I kinda just came up with it on the spot." She admitted with a small smile.
"Oh yeah, we're going to have to share that with Cherri later." He replied before his expression became serious, "But before that, we need to discuss what the fuck you think you're doing here." He said.
"Could ask you the same thing." She countered yet again, her face also becoming serious.
"As the owner of both this company and this building, it's my responsibility to make sure everyone here has everything they need and are well accommodated." He explained.
"Careful Angel, your Charlie's showing." She told him with a smirk.
"Well, what about you? Did you suddenly decide to start drinking two hot cups of coffee two hours before breakfast?" He asked.
"Will hasn't had a decent meal, sleep, or drink since he was sealed away with Doom. I just thought after a good night's rest; he might like a nice freshly made mug of coffee that he could drink as he watched the sunrise." She answered.
"Unless you planned to give him both of those mugs, I'm guessing you wanted to watch it with him. Maybe sit next to him as you do?" He questioned.
"Kinda like how your idea of accommodating him ranges from massaging his shoulders to you shoving your face in his crotch." She responded.
Although neither of them planned to escalate this beyond biting insults, after that exchange, they went back to glaring at each other silently as they tried to think of what they should say next. Then it happened, the worse thing that could in that situation, the door that led to the room they both wanted to go into slowly began to open, and they expected soon enough they'd see the armored body of the Slayer. But that didn't happen; instead, the first thing they saw come out from behind that door made their hearts stop, and their stomachs jump into their throats.
A mess of blonde hair with pink and white accents poked out from the doorframe, followed by the mono-eyed demon it belonged to.
" *yawn*...Goddamn, that is a comfy ass bed..." Cherri said to herself while smacking her lips; her one eye closed all the while.
Apart from the messy hair that wasn't in its usual ponytail, her appearance was made up of a single extra-large t-shirt that covered her body, and...that was it. The shirt itself appeared to be Blitzo and Co's merchandise, as it had the Slayer's original helmet on it in an impressively detailed drawing.
" *yawn*...fuck I'm still sleepy..." She muttered, still not bothering to open her eye even by a small bit, "But I'm thirsty...and there's no juice in the fridge...eh...fuck it..." She said before turning around, having decided she wanted more sleep rather than a beverage.
She walked back into the room with one final yawn and closed the door; the only other sounds to come from her were her footsteps as she went further in. As for Angel Dust and Kaite, who she didn't notice at all because she never opened her eye, they had become statues in the hall as every muscle in their bodies tensed up to high heaven.
"...What...the fuck...just happened..." Both of them thought simultaneously, each far too shocked and overwhelmed with emotions to do anything else.
Meanwhile, On Urdak...
Despite not knowing each other for that long, Azrael and Husk managed to talk the hours away until both were too tired to continue. Even with the winged feline not ready to share anything about
his past, which the angel of death understood and didn't make any attempts to pry, they still struck up several conversations about many different things. From his impressive knowledge of most magic tricks to her fascination with specific mortal creations like art and music and their surprising shared interest in liquor, not a moment went by as they talked where they didn't enjoy themselves. But when their exhaustion finally wore them down, they slipped into a peaceful slumber, Azrael having moved her bench closer to his bed so she could rest her torso on it by his side.
As for Gabriel, he left the two not long after they started talking, as it was clear his sister wouldn't need anything else for the remainder of the day. Where he went and what he decided to do when he departed, neither of them knew, though they would learn come morning when a series of unusual noises awoke them.
"...Ngh..." Husk groaned as his one free ear twitched, having picked up what sounded like construction work, "Who the hell is building shit?..." He questioned while coming out of his sleep.
Blinking a few times to clear up his vision, he tried to push himself up just a little to understand better what was happening. But he couldn't, for when he attempted to, he felt himself being held down by an unknown weight on his right arm. Looking down to his side, Husk's eyes widened at what he saw; at some point in her sleep, Azrael wrapped her arms around his and was snuggling it.
"...Uh...Azrael?..." He said while lightly pulling at his arm.
That proved to be the wrong decision; she tightened her hold the moment she felt it move.
"No...don't go..." She muttered in her sleep, snuggling with him more.
On the one hand, this was the most incredible show of affection Husk had ever received in his entire life; on the other, at this time, he only had ONE hand, and he needed it back. However, accomplishing that task would be nigh impossible since he could literally do nothing.
"Great, the one time someone actually wants to do this kinda shit with me is when I'm a fucking vegetable, and there's what sounds like people working happening nearby, fan-fucking-tastic." He said with a heavy sigh as he hit his head against his pillow, "...Although...there is one thing I haven't tried..." He reckoned, "I hate to do it, but she's the only one between us who can see what's going on..." He added.
Doing his best to move his arm, he managed to turn his hand around to where the palm was facing upwards. He then carried out the second part of his plan with that success, which was to bring out one of his retractable claws and as gently as he could poke her with it. To his surprise this didn't work the first time, so he poked her a second time with a bit more force, still no reaction, then he poked her a third time even harder and got this.
"Hehehe...stop Husk...that tickles..." She muttered, still fast asleep.
"...Ya know what? That's on me." He said to himself as a realization hit him, "Woman was hit by a fucking nuke point-blank, and she gets out of it with a few bruises and a limp." He added.
Now knowing he'd need to go all out if he had any hope of waking her, he unsheathed the rest of his small finger daggers and stabbed them into her arm. If it had been anyone else, they would've woken up screaming their head off, their arm profusely bleeding, and as they tried to pull away from him, they might lose some skin and flesh. But for death incarnate, that felt like an ordinary poke, albeit a reasonably strong one, which was what he needed to get her out of her dreams finally. In the same way he did, she stirred from her sleep with a groan at first, blinked a few times to get her vision cleared, then turned her head from right to left to gather her bearings.
"Hm?...Oh, Husk." She greeted with a small yawn that ended with a smile, "Did you sleep well?" She asked.
"Yeah, but you slept better." He answered while gesturing to his arm with his head.
Looking down, Azrael saw her arms wrapped around his, add to that the fact she just woke up, and it wasn't hard to figure out where her head rested as she was unconscious.
"Oh...I'm sorry." She apologized while quickly pulling her arms away, a noticeable violet blush coming through her pitch-black skin.
"Don't be, kept my arm nice and warm all night." He said, which made her feel better, "But before we get any more lovey-dovey, I need you to do something for me." He told her.
"You do?" She questioned, finding that a tad odd.
"Yeah, I need you to go see what's going on outside because if ya listen." He stopped there for a moment, which after a few seconds allowed her to hear the noises coming from outside, "It sounds like they're building something." He finished.
"Huh, that is weird. I wonder why father didn't come to tell us?" She wondered before she pressed her hands against the bed, "One moment, if you please." She requested.
Using the bed to help support her weight just in case she was still too weak to stand and move on her own, to both her and Husk's joyful surprise, she got up with no issue at all.
"Hey! Look who's all better!" Husk exclaimed with a smile, genuinely happy to see she was back to normal.
"I feel...great, actually." She admitted as she stretched out her arms and looked herself over, "I don't feel sore or tired, I'm not lightheaded, and-" She paused mid-sentence so she could take a few steps away from his bed, "I can walk on my own!" She discovered causing her to smile as well.
Just then, a loud mechanical sound came from outside, followed by what seemed like a tool of some kind grinding or drilling into metal.
"Jesus, the fuck are they doing out there?" He asked.
"Whatever it is, it's big." She answered before turning her attention back to him, "I'll go see what's happening. Just try to relax and don't move too much, okay?" She instructed.
"Couldn't if I wanted to." He replied, pointing to the armor-like plates that covered most of him with an irritated expression.
In response to that, Azrael came back over, leaned down, and gave him another kiss, though this time it was on his cheek.
"I'll be back before you can miss me." She told him before turning around and walking away, hoping to help him feel better about his situation.
Sure enough, it did, for as she left the room, he laid back down in his bed and closed his eyes, a smile spread across his face the whole time.
Elsewhere...
None worked faster than Maykr drones; their purpose besides serving the Khan or the Seraphim was to maintain, upgrade, and construct new inventions or structures to better Urdak. Until now, the drones only worked for a single Khan at a time; their consciousness linked to whichever one was active before being passed on to the successor. What this meant precisely is their efficiency for completing tasks depended on the Khan, as her ability to direct all of them at once impacted their performance significantly. But now that the six previous Khans returned and could communicate with them all at once, this increased what the drones could accomplish tenfold.
"I've never seen them work so hastily before," Samur commented as both he and the Khans watched them work.
"They've never had all of us commanding them at the same time." One pointed out, causing him to chuckle.
"True, if anything, we're lucky you didn't accidentally overload their minds when all of your connections were established." He said.
"And yet one is missing." Another pointed out, "Why has the seventh removed herself from them?" She asked.
"She did so temporarily as she has left for the Sentinels' homeworld." He answered. "How come?" A third inquired.
"She and father had a discussion not long after he and the Wretch had theirs, where they realized as all of us are working, there is an entire realm of dead demons and corrupt energy just sitting around. Because of this, they decided something must be done about it, what exactly has yet to be figured out." He explained.
"If that's the status of things, then what are they doing now?" The same one asked.
"Eradicating the remains, collecting the energy, and destroying everything else including all pieces of land or otherwise." He answered.
"That's going to take them a long time." A fourth said.
"Indeed, but it needs to be done, just as this structure must be built." He replied.
Before they could continue this conversation, they heard the nearby door, which led to the inside of the nearest structure open. And when they all turned their heads to see who was joining them, they were all surprised yet pleased to discover it was Azrael.
"Someone's feeling much better." Samur was the first to say, which caused her to smile as she approached.
"One of the perks of being a child of the creator, I suppose." She replied. "Did we wake you? If so, we're sorry." One of the Khans apologized.
"Actually, you woke a...friend of mine, but because of his condition, he asked if I could see what was going on." She explained.
"Is this friend the man that's managed to sweep you off your feet?" A second asked, which was followed by all of them either giggling or smiling at her.
After hearing that, Azrael slowly looked towards Samur, eyes wide like dinner plates and that violet blush back on her face with a vengeance.
"Your father is very proud of your relationship." He said, revealing that Vega had been bragging about it to anyone who'd listen.
"So this is what mortals feel like when their parents embarrass them..." She groaned as she buried her face in her hands.
"There's no need to be shy about it, dear. It's wonderful that you've found someone." One of the Khans told her, the others all agreeing by nodding their heads.
"Could we perhaps get back to why I am here and what you are doing?" She requested as she couldn't take much more of this.
"Of course, miss Azrael," Samur replied, which made her sigh out of relief, "The short answer for what we're doing is building a new facility to conduct what may be the most dangerous research creation has ever known." He revealed.
"How so?" She inquired, regaining her composure before walking over to stand by his side.
"I assume you've been informed by your brother what was discovered in Doom, correct?" He asked first, to which she nodded, "Good, then you know we have the Dark One's power, which is unquestionably the single most concentrated source of unrefined corruption ever discovered.
Whether or not there is another motive besides eluding us behind why he did this cannot be determined at this time. However, we can try and use it to our advantage but only if we can do so safely, hence the purpose of this new facility." He explained.
"That much is needed?" She questioned, stunned by just how dangerous it must be to warrant such a measure.
"No, it goes beyond that, but I cannot get into the details less you have several hours you can spare to listen." He informed.
Unable to say anything more as that information on its own was staggering, as Azrael looked out at the drones working, it made her grateful that the damage caused by the Hell Wave hadn't been worse.
"Is there anything else you need?" He asked after a few seconds of silence.
"Hm? Oh, well, yes, I suppose." She answered before looking back to him, "Where is my brother? He left not long after my...friend and I started talking, and I don't know where he is." She asked.
"He's returned to Lucifer's circle, wanting to check in with him and see how things are going and if he could offer his assistance to avoid standing around doing nothing." He answered.
"Ah, that's good. If he said one more word about Husk, I don't know what I'd do." She admitted. "Oh? So his name is Husk?" One of the Khans inquired as she and the others all smiled. "...Farewell." She bid goodbye before abruptly leaving, not wanting to deal with them any longer.
Letting a few more snickers and chuckles out from how shy she was, they looked back to the drones to continue overseeing the construction once she was gone.