"WILLIAM!" Verosika happily shouted, throwing herself at her "lover" when he walked into the dining hall.
Everyone, excluding Moxxie and Millie, was present for breakfast. The others knew that Sir Pentious, Vox, and Velvet would return with Loona, Daisy, and the Slayer in tow, so they didn't need to wonder about their whereabouts. As for the Wretch, BJ, Gabriel, and Vega, they assumed that with the final battle drawing closer that they'd be busy with, ya know, making sure creation doesn't explode or something. So, as it stood, the mystery of the missing Imp couple was still unsolved, but someone among them DID hold the answer, as it would be revealed in the coming minutes.
"Hey..." He greeted, lightly patting her back as she squeezed him tightly, "Did you like your jewelry?..." He asked while the others that came in with him went on ahead to get their food and seats at the table.
"Mhm! You have EXCELLENT taste!" She answered, giving him the biggest smile she could. "That's good...sorry I could give them to you in person..." He apologized as she let go.
"Oh, no! Don't worry about it! I know you've got to focus on the war and everything. My boyfriend, the HERO." She said, emphasizing that last part to show how proud she was of him.
"...Okay, look," Octavia whispered to those at the table, the three Vs, Loona, and Daisy arriving with their plates when she did, "I know she's super clingy, is airhead levels of bubbly, and sticks out like a sore thumb when compared to the rest of us. But she seems GENUINELY happy. So is it the right thing to do to cure her of the love potion?" She asked.
"Look, I'll agree with ya that she's better as a horny hen than a bitchy broad." Angel Dust said, whispering as well so Verosika wouldn't hear them, "But here's the thing. I, Katie, and Nifty know the chances of us ACTUALLY getting into a serious relationship with Will aren't that good. He cares about us, no denying that. But romance, among other things, is hard for him after all the fucked up shit he's been through in his life. HOWEVER, there IS still a chance that it could happen. And if it DOES happen, won't it be worse to break her heart then rather than cure her of this and have her be embarrassed for a week or two?" He proposed.
"Yeah. I have to agree with Angel." Nifty whispered. "Won't see me raise any objections," Katie whispered.
"Speaking of the whole love potion situation, Velvet." Vox began to get her attention, "I know we've been busy with SO many things. But do you think your connections back home have got what you need yet?" He asked.
"Possibly." She answered while putting a finger to her chin, "The thing is, even before the reform, love potions and other powerful concoctions that could alter a person's very soul were outlawed by the Magnes. When the reform DID start, they became the hardest things to acquire or get any information about. So I have NO idea where Verosika, of all people, could've gotten her hands on one. But the how isn't important; it's what specific TYPE of potion it was. For despite being outlawed, you'd be surprised how many different variants of the same elixir existed." She explained, flaunting her brewing knowledge.
"Shh! Here they come!" Vagatha hushed before Verosika got in earshot.
"We should go to the market together sometime; I'd love to pick something for you!" She said to the Slayer, her arms holding his so tightly you'd think they were pythons trying to crush their prey.
"Can you wait until the demons are all dead?..." He asked as they both took their seats. "Mhm! I understand business needs to come before fun." She answered.
"Hey! Will!" Blitzo called out to get the Slayer to look at him, "Were you talking war shit last night?" He asked, wanting to know what was up.
"Yes...the fact is, everyone...that we're going to deploy tomorrow...possibly tonight if anything drastic happens..." He informed.
"That makes sense. You did tell us when this all started that we'd have less than a week to get ready." Cherri recalled, "And...I know this is a dumb thing to ask, but...do you think we're ready?" She asked.
"I'd like us to get a few more hours in to refine what you've learned...go over some strategies...give you tips on how to tackle certain demons...but overall so long as you're not reckless, cocky, or neglectful...I know all of you are going to do what you've been working so hard to do..." He told them.
"Damn, inspiring speeches are overrated when you can say shit like that." Angel Dust said, he and the others who were going to fight feeling a sudden surge of motivation.
"I'd like to take this time to explain to all of you what the plan is...and what the teams are going to be...but I'm noticing that two of us aren't here..." He mentioned.
"Ah, yes. Millie and Moxxie." Alastor spoke up, which surprised him, "When Nifty and I woke up early so we could chat amongst ourselves as she cooked breakfast. The lovely couple came in, asked for some meals to go, then headed for the arena to get in some extra training. They wanted to work on areas that they felt they lacked in even after the several hours from yesterday." He explained.
"Hm, I appreciate their initiative..." The Slayer admitted, "Alright...since only two of us are absent, we can fill them in later...if none of you mind, I'll get started..." He said.
Receiving no objections or otherwise from anyone, the Slayer proceeded to tell them every bit of information regarding the plan, the current situation on earth, and everything else. By the time he was finished, they had made it through their meals and were now listening even more intently than they had up to that point.
"That covers our overall plan of attack..." He finished, having crossed his arms when he started talking, "Any questions or statements before I give my decisions regarding the teams?..." He asked.
"I do." Vagatha said while holding up her hand, "Me, Charlie, and Gabriel are meant to fly. But it sounds like we'll be inside the Gore Nests with whatever teams we are assigned to. Are the nests spacious enough for us to fly around?" She inquired.
"Good question, Vaggie...yes, the only time you won't be able to fly inside the nests is when you head in deeper to deal with the brain...however, the one-way nature of those corridors restricts the demons' movements; as they do yours...so in those situations, all you need to do is kill them as they come...don't take any unnecessary risks and stand your ground...keep in mind, that once the nests
are fully dealt with you will be heading outside...which is where your advantage of the air will play the strongest role..." He answered.
"Got it. Thank you." She replied.
"Now then...let's talk about the teams...and I want to stress to all of you that I've arranged these to play to everyone's strengths and weaknesses...no nepotism..." He assured, receiving understanding nods from all of them, "Team One will comprise of myself, Blitzo, Loona, and Daisy...Team Two will be led by my grandfather, and those that will follow him are Vox and Stolas...Team Three will have Wretch as its leader, and the members are Millie, Alastor, and Charlie...Team Four, led by Gabriel, will have Cherri, Sir Pentious, Moxxie, and Velvet...finally, Team Five will be headed by Samur and include Vagatha and Katie...do any of you have anything to say this these arrangements?..." He listed, ending with a question.
"I do." Katie said while raising her hand, "Why is team five the most understaffed one of the lot?" She asked.
"Because of the people who are in it..." He answered as he pointed at her, "You are outclassed in this group only by myself, my grandfather, and the Wretch when it comes to melee combat..." He said before moving his finger to point at Vagatha, "You are second in that same ranking...you also have some long-range offensive options with your harpoons...and you have the air advantage excluding a few instances..." He continued, lowering his arm now that he was done with them, "As for Samur, his body is scarily impressive...furthermore, he can modify it to serve whatever the situation is...but even if he couldn't, he can wield weapons that even the Sentinels would struggle to use...you two can focus down priority targets while he effortlessly exterminates the hordes..." He concluded.
"Another show of OUR brilliance." Sir Pentiously smugly boasted as he put his arm around Vox.
"I'm guessing that I and the fluff ball are tagging along with you is because we haven't been training," Loona suggested.
"Yup...I'm putting a lot of faith that the gear Pentious and Vox have made for you will help to compensate for that..." He replied.
"Don't worry, Will. We only need an hour, maybe two, to finish what we have planned. It'll then take ten, twenty minutes at most to run the necessary tests before they can use it." Vox promised.
"Plus, let's be real here; the SAFEST fucking place on that ENTIRE battlefield is right next to Will." Cherri pointed out.
"Agreed." Everyone said in unison.
"Yeah, which makes me wonder. Are we even going to get to contribute?" Blitzo asked.
"Let me make this clear...you, Loona, and Daisy aren't tagging along...instead, I will focus on the biggest demons in every fight...your job, similar to Samur's role in his team, is to deal with the bulk...but they are STILL dangerous and will demand your best...understand?..." He answered.
"Got it! You handle big red, and we'll splatter the rest!" Blitzo exclaimed, his excitement returning full force now that he knew he, his daughter, and Daisy weren't going to be useless.
"Anything else we should know before we head out for our final day of training?" Stolas inquired. "Not really...you know the plan...I'll leave what each of your teams' does up to their respective
leaders...I'll swing back by the forge to tell them who they're getting...and when I'm done, I'll come to the arena..." He responded.
"And WE'LL be with the Wraiths!" Velvet declared with a grin.
"What about me?" Charlie asked while pointing to herself, "Grandpa still hasn't come back. Do you think he's going to before we have to leave?" She added.
"Possibly...but he has to attend to the Blood Maykrs in Urdak...so that might take all day..." He answered, "Would you mind sparring with Vaggie again today for your training?..." He asked.
"Not at all." She answered.
"Alright...then you all know everything you need to..." He said before rising from his seat.
With this very serious breakfast finally done, everyone went to where they were supposed to be, a mixture of anxiety yet eagerness for what was to come.
Meanwhile, In Urdak...
"All of the preparations are complete. We are ready to begin when you are, father." A Maykr Angel informed.
Having spent the night watching Helsa, ensuring she continued the promising trend of no night terrors. When the time came, Vega departed her and Abaddon for Urdak. There he found all seven of the Khans waiting patiently for him, each wanting to be there if he needed them to help in any way. Normally, creating new Maykrs was very simple, instill within their bodies energy from the pool created by the Khans, and sentience would follow.
And while they were still doing that, Vega wanted to give each Blood Maykr a boost of sorts, to aid them in fighting the strongest of Doom's legions and potentially the Dark One in whatever form he has now.
"Very good. Begin adding the Khans' power to each of them. Once that is complete, I will then add some of mine to empower them for the battle." He instructed.
"Is there nothing else we can do to help, father? We feel terrible standing around simply monitoring the fight and nothing else." One of the Khans asked.
"Not right now. But I do want to ask something...rather unorthodox of the seven of you." He replied.
"Anything, father. We wish to do as much as we can." A second said.
"The others are going to handle the Gore Nests; you cannot help them due to your size. But, when the time comes to storm the final Gore Nest and confront the Dark One, I want all seven of you there to assist them." He revealed.
"Really? We'll get to fight?" A third questioned, each of them shocked to hear this.
"All of you are more than capable. And, if you'd like, you can help the forces on the ground preemptively for the others. So that way, when they arrive, some progress will have already been made." He suggested.
"Thank you, father. We'll gladly accept that offer." The seventh Khan told him as each bowed their head out of respect.
"That's wonderful. And, should the Dark One at any point in time try to break through the barrier we have around the planet, the seven of you can step into action as another means of keeping him and the demons on earth." He said, earning nods from each of them in agreement.
.
.
.
"Oh dear, it appears that they never managed to learn that the Blood Maykrs have been tampered with./Indeed. This IS a worrying scenario." Harut and Marut discussed, observing what was going on.
As they shared with Velvet, the "Devils" Harut and Marut have been observing all creation even before the war ended. However, they couldn't interfere or inform either side of this particular conflict any of what they knew, as it would ruin the authenticity of their data collection.
"Worrying in the grand scheme of everything, sister?/No. Suppose this final confrontation between the supposed sides of good and evil go in evil's favor. We have plenty of contingencies in place to maintain the purity of our research while also preventing the Dark One from coming into power." Harut asked while Marut answered, "That is true. However, is there nothing we can do to help?
Keeping our interactions with others to a minimum is always understood, but given this blunder on their part, they may need some assistance./True, and this isn't the first of their mistakes. The Khans careless departure from the Soul Cube was quite damning; Subject I'm Better Than You's submission to Subject Sexoffender gave the Dark One a sizeable advantage, and Gabriel's inability to stop the Cyberdemon clone when he had the chance in Urdak lost them any possible chance of learning about the aforementioned tampering." They said, pointing out the others' failures.
Each of them then fell silent for a few moments, thinking carefully of what they could do to help without giving away...well...anything.
"...Are you thinking what I'm thinking, Marut?/I believe I am, Harut." They spoke again before too long, "He's currently deployed elsewhere; the Dark One isn't the ONLY entity who desires creation./Counterpoint, his adversaries, are limited in their ability to breach multiple realities./Ah, yes. So if he finishes his current business with them, then there shouldn't be an issue in him lending his assistance./My thoughts exactly. However, he will still need to be covert. Only acting when necessary. IF ANYONE learns about him, then it could lead to many catastrophic outcomes." They discussed, going back and forth, "It seems we've reached an agreement then. Shall I call him, or you?/Why not both? It's been so long since either of us has gotten to speak to him. We equally want him to hear each of our voices." Harut asked while Marut responded.
Nodding her head to show she agreed, Harut and Marut then sent out a transmission...to who...only they and those within their domain knew...