(i told you all i was changeing Arwen's name, so i did. Its Lebel now. French for 'The Beautiful One'. Go Freedom Fries!)
Chapter Three
Making A Deal With Death
The gods had many duties they were obliged to do: Answer the prays of worshipers, defend churches, grant spells to priests, send visons of warning, foil the plans of rival gods...and occasionaly defeat them in battle. All this damanded constant attention from thier gods, as many of them had thousands upon thousands of temples and millions of woreshipers. Thus no god needed to eat, sleep, or even breathe. They could consentrate thier mind on thousands of tasks at once, and even litteraly be in two places at once. Yet at the same time no god was really anywhere at all. Instead of accually being in a place, they mearly focused thier mind upon it, and projected themselves in the form of thier choseing.
This is what Nec'Tul the Reaper did, the Deity of Dead, Paragon of the Afterlife, and Stealer of Souls. He appeared before the doors of Castle Nevernight in all his unholy glory. His robes were the blackest of night, tattered and worn from eons of journey. In his skeleton hand he held a scythe made from adamantine, encrusted with black opals. The blade itself was crafted from the most precious diamonds, sharped and blackened for the death god's pleasure. His skull was so ghostly white that it made snow look gray, and on its forhead was cut an upside down star in a circle: Marking his as one of the gods of evil. Every few seconds a moan of pain left the mouth of the god, as he lived on after death. The souls of all his victims were reflected in the black pits where his eyes should have been. On his side was tied the Book of Death; the imfamous tome that recored the death of every mortal in history, and every one in the future. On his other side was an hourglass made of obsedian, with the ground up bones of saints instead of sand inside the glass.
Before the Death god even spoke a word from his mouth, the adamantine doors unto the Castle Nevernight opened. The Reaper was relived to get out of the twilight that was always present on this particular plane of existance. Nec'Tul prefered the night, and the darkness. Even as he walked, hundreds of his manifestations were metting with dieing mortals, takeing them to his home on the plane of Nifelheim. He took particular pleasure as one of his other selves was dragging and old woman's soul into scythe. Not a fraction of his long dead heart was stalled as she screamed to see her grandchildren one last time. Even if he did hesitate, there was nothing he could do. It was her time. Nec'Tul was the god of death, not death itself. It was his job to withhold Death itself in a remote prison in the planes. He laughed as he remembered his duties. Unlike that fool Raziel, the deity thought, I wont allow someone to escape from thier planar bindings.
This unpleast mind wandering lead the god back to the reason he was at the famous Castle Nevernight. The realseing of Asmodeus The Terrible. The gods had a form of government, of course. Nothing would be able to function without it, and gods would be able to openly wage war aginst each other without it. There were five major gods that were the sopposed rulers of the other gods. There was Raziel the Radient, King of all good, and master of Heaven. Shiva the Destroyer, Goddess of Chaos, and sovrigen of the plane called Pandemonium. Tyr was the the God of Law, the Blind Justice, and paragon of the world called Vallhalla. Galicran the Mighty was lord of magick, and made his home on the Elemental Plane of Magick. The last of the ruling gods was known as Satan. He was murdered by Asmodeus, and thus his murderer had the right to take his place in the Gods Council. He was never offically voted in, but by killing Satan he gained his powers and is technichally the Death Gods' master. This was somthing Nec'Tul would not allow. Asmodeus was insane, even by The Reaper's standards. And so he ventured into the very home of his surperior: Galicran The Magnificant. The Castle was contructed entirely from precious metals. The walls were silver, with diamonds the size of a giants fist ever thity feet or so. Along the celing was an aweing mural, depecing ancient battles. Mainly powerful mages casting spells of epic power. After a short walk, The Reaper encountered another being, undobutedly a servent of Galicarn. It was a giant, roughly ten feet tall, with golden skin and fire-red hair. This must be Thorok, the imfamous Sungiant mage from the Helios clan.
"I hope everything goes well for you, Master Nec'Tul'." The giant said, folding and hands and bowing curtesously.
"If things went well for me I wouldent be here right now, shade. Show me to your master, i have business of the utmost importance with him." The Death God spat with a horrifying melevolence in his undead voice. Soft and manipulating, like a vampires, yet oddly as stong and forceful as a dragons.
"My applogies, Lord Death." Thorok said, althogh doing a horrible job at masking his anger at being referred to as a common shade.
The giant followed his orders, however, and lead Lord Death down the silver hall towards a pair of great golden doors, encruseted with emeralds and rubys. Thorok dident even knock upon the door unto the throne room before it slowly opened with a cryptic creek of its hinges. This marvelous room was nothing short of perfect. Every silver square that made up the floor was etched with glowing magickal symbols. There were painings conving the walls, but instead of frames, they were draw with perfection upon the wall itself. Many were Galicran, dragons, and mages of note. One of the more impressive works of art was of none other then Ryu Lucius Evenstar. His eyess blazed with an enternal fire, as if it were alive. Nec'Tul' looked briefly into his eyes, and they averted his attention to the being of power that sat upon the throne.
Galicran the Mighty, The All, The Savior, The Lord of Magick, and Father of the Sisters, sat upon his utterly holy throne brooding. Even Nec'Tul', a great and mighty god compared to others of his kind, could not help up bow before he adressed his former King. His arms and legs were armored with the finest of metals, upon them glowing magickal runes of thier own. The ledgenary sword called Galahad was at his side, crafted from gold spewed from the very core of the planes. Long, flowing robes of magnifcent purple silk covered the rest of his towering body. A hood hid his face from the eyes of others. It was said that if you looked onto the face of Galicran, you could see your worst fears manifest beofre your eyes, as well as you greatest...and a newfound stregnth. His dark face showed no details, for the shadows were so great the it looked as if there was nothing there at all. The only evidence of his presence inside all of those robes and armor, was the two piercing yellow eyes that glowed with a divine power unhead of by any. Upon the floor before him, streaching at least twenty feet across, was a single eye surrounded by the divine symbols for Evil, Good, Law, and Chaos. This was the holy symbol of galicran. It was such an honor to wear the symbol upon one's clothing that it was punishable by death in many cities to wear it unless you were the highest and most powerful of his priests. The mear presence of either of these gods around mortals would send humanoids and others running for cover. What happened what an unstoppable object met an unmovable force? Nothing, they sat at a standstill for a long time, seeing who would avert they eyes first. Nec'Tul the Reaper stopped upon the pupil of The Eye, and spoke, with the two luminos eyes of Galicran The Magnifcent upon him.
"It has been to long, Mighty Galicran. But I believe we will have time to 'catch up' later. I have a question for you. Isnt it one of you daughters' duties...Ragnaok i believe...to make sure that Asmodeus does not escape?" The Soul Stealer said, with such an audacity in his voice that it was a miracle The All did not blast him into oblivion. There was a long silence, the loudest one you would ever hear.
"My daughers', not mine." The Savior said at long last, his mighty voice echoing across the hall like a deep rumble of a sleeing dragon. "I will deal with her later. Right now, we must deal with the reason I summoned you here."
Nec'Tul laughed inside his own head. Ha!, He thought, you have no power over me you fool. You did not summon me. I decided to accept an invitation.
It was now that the eyes of Galicran turned from yellow to red. Almost as if He knew what The Reaper was thinking.
"The sisters will be dealt with when the time comes, Lord Death. I have not the time for thier blunder now. We cannot allow Asmodeus the gain power. If he does there will inevitably be another war, and if he wins...I would prefer that bastard not to be in my court." The Mighty said in his thundering voice. Technically it wasnt Galicran's court anymore, but his power was so far beyond even all the gods togeather that few would question his judgement. One of those few was Nec'Tul.
"Now see here, Spellweave. This is going to become a war, it is all a matter of how we decide to fight it."
"This i know, Soulless One. I will have the Magi of The Black Rose call a meeting between the International Council Of City-states. I dobut the Magi of the Blue,White,Red, or Yellow Rose will turn down the call. I only ask one thing of you, Deathless..." Galicran continued, his voice low and secrtive. "Ryu will fall under attack by a group of assassin vampires. The leader will be by the name of Agazz." With this, The Reaper knew what Galicran wanted, his let go of his scythe, allowing it to float threatingly in the air. He untied the book from his side, opened it, and began flipping through the pages.
"Yes, Spellweave, what you feared will come to pass." Nec'Tul said, as he stopped upon a page and read it silently. "Ryu is schedualed to die tonight."
Without the smallest bit of hesitition, Galicran the Mighty continued. He knew death was not a certain thing, there are many occasions written in that book where Ryu was sopposed to die...and many that say he his going to die in the future. The book only gave situations possible for death to come for the mortal, not the accual date.
"That worries me not, Ryu is strong. He can defeat Agazz. What i really need from you is you cooperation. You army of woreshipers is great, i need you to send you assassins...all of them. Especially the Magiassins in the Magi of the Black Rose. I want you to kill every powerful mage, priest, and cultist of Asmodeus. I will deny his sorcerers the ability to use The Aura. If you do this, i give you my word that you shall be rewarded. The vacancy in the title God of Evil has satyed empty too long." The Mighty said, and Nec'Tul' paused to think. The only problems with this deal was that many of the cultist were users of Necromantic magick. An area of arcana Nec'Tul goverened (at the consent on Galicran). If he sent out his assassins...he would be killing of his own faithful. It was either that, or Asmodeus returned to power. Then again...when he became the fully fledged Deity of Evil, the benifets would be everlasting.
"Very well, Spellweave. I will do so." Deathless turned at this last word, and left the room. With a thought he sent a vision to every one of his faithful assassins. Within seconds they would be communicating with each other. Within minutes they would be marking thier targets. Within hours thier targets would be dieing. Within a day, Asmodeus would make his presence...and fury...known to all.
Lebel awoke the next morning to see the vivid green eyes of Ryu over here, shakeing her body gently.
"Time to get up, Lebel, we have quite a journey upon our hands." The mage said in a compassionate voice her rarely used. Although it was morning, the six hours of day had not yet begun, for they took place in the middle of the day. Lebel yawned and streached her arms. She smiled mischevoicusly as Ryu.
"I cant wait to get back to Me'Hein'! Fresh bait! Ive been low on gold, figured i would nick a coulple dozen or so." She said. Ryu laughed. It was an odd thing to hear, far more deep then expected of an elf. It sounded...demonic. "I need to ask you somthing Ryu." Arwen continued, this time very serious. "Now that Asmodeus has returned, i was hopeing you could tell me a little about what it was like when he was...shall we say 'in power'?" This time Ryu scolwed.
"We have a long trip to Me'Hein. A good three weeks. Sounds like fun, eh?" This answer wasnt aggitated, but it had a finality to it that told Arwen that the interview was over before if even bagan.
The abomination jumped from the braches, landing catlike on the grassy floor, soon followed by Arwen. Ryu whistled, and out of the shadows came a black stallion. Its mane rippled with black flame-like hair, constantly danceing in an unknow fury. Its nostrils flared with fire, and everytime the creature breathed it gave off a sulfur like smell that washed over the couple like a foul breeze from hell itself. Arwen walked over and patted the stallion's head.
"Hello, Blackstaff." She said, sweetly and unafriad. As if in answer the horse made an odd noise that seemed to exit from the bottem of its stomach. It was speaking Abyssal, the language of demons.
(We need a ride to Me'Hien', Blackstaff. Are you up to it?) Ryu said in a course voice much unlike his own, speaking to the horse in its native tounge. The creature gave a nod of its great head, and a roar. More like a dragons then a horse. Lebel dident understand what the stallion had said, but Ryu evidently did. It must have been a 'yes', bacause the mage got onto the horse with graceful movements like that of a hawk. He helped Lebel on the horse, and she sat upon his lap, so Ryu had to reach around her to hold the reines. They set off unto the night, the hoves of Blackstaff falling to the ground with a gentle 'clank'. The forest wizzed by the two, and the sounds of the birds and other animals were lost in the wind flowing throgh the mages hair, flying behind him like some silvery curtian of silk. Now they were moving so fast that even the most skilled creatures would be awed. The trees were moveing by them so fast that you barly had the time to see them. Only a black wall of nothingness was decerable. After about an hour of this amazingly smooth flight, Blackstaff slowed down to a trot, and Lebel stured to look Ryu in the eyes. They were still in the forest, but the trees were much shorter, less wide, and not as close togeather.
"Might i ask why we are stopping?" She said innocently.
"Dawn will be here soon, Blackstaff cannot see in sunlight. We will sleep." Ryu answered, in a nonchalant fasion. "There is a cave near here, that is where we shall rest." So the trot off te path, towards small clearing by the side of a hill. The hill opened enough for an average humanoid to fit inside. Ryu led Blackstaff into the cave, whos firey mane lit the entuire place. About thiry feet in diamater. Ryu once it seemed, Ryu slumpped down aginst the floor and closed his eyes. Arwen followed suit, putting her head upon his chest. It was indeed an odd sight. Two elves on a cave floor, with a demonic stallion by thier side, waiting for the sun to rise...and then to set once again. Three hours went by, Lebel had fallen asleep and awoken about thirty times, and Ryu dident sleep at all. Finally, as if the conversation had been goin all this time, Ryu spoke.
"I was a small child living in Heaven at the time of Asmodeus' rise. My mother was the Archamge of the Magi of the White Rose. My father was a councilmen in the Celestial Court. Both good people, kind parents. My brother, Nemisis, and I got along well for brothers. We rearely fought. I was about the age an 6 year old human whenit all went wrong. The armies of Hell came through, buring...everything...
Within the Memories of Ryu
The blissful realm of Heaven sat in all its glorified nature upon the Platinum Sea, its waves lapped unto the shores of the city peacefully. Every home was made of marble, and the residents laughed and smiled at every turn of the head. The roads crisscrossed in perfectly simetrical patterns. All was well in the city of Yahweh. No one was expecting the alarms to go off suddenely at about twilight. Never before had the city become under attack, so many were unsure of what was going on. Not a soul was mistaken, however, when the ground ripped itself open, enveloping the bulidings at its whim, and demons of all kinds poured into the Holy City. The rift streched for a mile or so, spewing lava and fire from its depths. All manner of horrid creatures began tearing the city appart. Those unfortunate enough to be near the rift were either pulled into the fire, or eaten by the first wave of monsters. Mephostopholes stepped over the brink, spreading his ash-wings in delight. He let out a roar of unholy power, shattering walls like glass. Heaven's Army responded with lightning speed, literally. Blots of electric power burst from the most unlikey of places, bouncing off thier foes and forming into angelic soilders.Thier glistening armor and flaming swords, alothough magnificent, were little match for these most powerful of demons. Only Raziel's personal guard could handle such powers. The battle for the 'right to rule' had begun.
Mephostophes particually took pleasure has he slashed through entire regiments with his Naginaki blade, he breathed fire unto buildings that were larger then him, and simply crushed those that wernt. He laughed melevolently as the melted marble fell onto a group of soilders. Thier screams enticed his ramapage. The Duke of Evil took time to magically levitate one soilder in and out of the lava, wondering how long it would take before the armor would meld to his skin. And so he walked slowly towards the center of the city, where the Supream Palace stood. Slowly the other lords of Hell made thier way into the battle field, like great thunderstorms slowly rising upon dark winds. In the center of the storm, stood its very core power: Asmodeus the Terrible. Unlike now, the Lord of Evil was not frail and weak; instead he was well muscled and darkly handsome. The bottem half of wizards robes covered his red-skinned legs, and a silk, black-colored, open vest was on his back. It revealed a tattoo on his blood red chest. A pentagram in flames. Two horns extruded from his head curling on themselves and juting to the right and left; two islands of brown in a mat of greasy black hair.
The battle continued, the demons were winning easily. Only Mehostopholes was fighting out of the Lords of Hell. The others trotted exaltently down the corpse covered roads, perhaps with the exception of Asmodeus' occasional blast of arcane magick. The remaining citizens scattered into the arms of the lesser demons as the Duke's passed, fearing a painful death at thier hands rather then the grusome one that awaited them in the claws of a Pit Fiend. This was the only true power. The only constant force that kept the masses at bay, and truly allowed the greater ruling class sway: fear. Asmodeus in particlar took delight as the lowly creatues ran from his unholy gaze. So horrid were the eyes of this dark king that even Cassius The Painbringer averted his own. Asmodeus could gain submisson from any living creature with but an utter of a word. His power was truly aweing. Then of course...he was once an angel.
Only this fact brought shame to the Dark One's spirit. He had once been an angel, a senetor in the Celestial Council. A "good man". He had two wonderful sons, a beautiful and powerful sorcereress as a wife. He was rich, and poweful in his own right. But greed had beckoned him. He could remeber the day he proposed a clensing of Mal'Hal, and offered to lead the crusade into the material world a little two eagerly. Raziel himself raised an eyebrow at his delight in the 'clensing' of mortals. The God of Good decided not to speak about it, until he heard The Dark One speak of it as a final solution to end all evil in the world. The words Raziel spoke to Asmodeus' still burnt a hole in his stomach.
"Perhaps you should be clensed, dearest Lucius. Your eagerness the slaughter mortals troubles not only me." The assinine fool! Such an anger arose inside the Dark One that he began to shout at The Holy. At this instant he was removed from Heaven, and thrown into the pits of Hell. He remaned homself Lucifer, which in the Abyssal language was pronounced "Asmodeus". It was in Hell that he was taken in by Satan, who was at the time God of Evil. Asmodeus' gained Satan's trust, and when the time was right crafted and succeded in an elaborate coo. Asmodeus quickly drained Satan of all his divine power, thus stopping one of the other non-deity lords of Hell from takeing his place. They fell swiftly to his wrath, and bowed before him. Now Lucifer had come to finish what he had started.
Asmodeus finally stopped his march admist the chaos in front of his old home. It was grand in size, and magnificent in stature. Marble sculptures and colums littered the outside walls, a gate surrounded the property. With a curt gesture, Asmodeus flung the gates open. At the same instant the door to the estate dove off its hinges. Standing the the openeding was a a beautiful woman, he white robes glistened with heavenly power, and her vivid green eyes (much like Ryu's) gazed in absolute hate at the man standing before her. She called in a sing song voice that sounded more like a dirge.
"There was once somthing there Lucifer. You used to have a soul. You gave it all away becuase you were greedy. Because you wanted power." From across the year Asmodeus grinned.
"There was once somthing there, Dearest Helen. I am not the man you knew on the Magi of The High. Not the man you knew on the Celistal Council. Im not a man at all anymore." he said comely. The two nemisi stood glare at one another for a long period. The other lords of hell watched. The woman pushed back a small child, who was yelling curses at The King of Evil. Then, with lightning speed and agility, the woman raised her arms and cried an incantation.
"Silia electra incarna!" She spat, and with that simple command the power of the heavens was at her fingertips. She brought her arm swinging down, stopping when she pointed at the the sark figure she hated so. With a crack like an earthquake a blot of lightning sprung from from her fingers. An blinding flash followed, causeing even the spells caster to close her eyes reflexively. Asmodeus conjured a barrier to stop the blot, but had to fight to keep it at bay. It thrusted itself at the red wall of magickal protection like a living force. Breathing heavy, the Dark Lord deflected the blast of lightnigning into the face of one of his fellows. He shreaked in pain, and the others laughed. It was all a game to them. The entire world was a playing field for them to manipulate and destory but thier whims.
Lucifer counter attacked with godly speed. He flung his hand about in unholy patterns, calling upon his inheritted demoic powers reather then arcance magick. These needed no incantations. With a boneshattering scream that was uttered from no mouth the colums and fence of the house shattered. The ground quaked and cracked. A black light so wholely evil it chilled even Asmodeus' soul erupted from his index finger. I shot towards the woman with such speed she had no time to invoke any kind of protection. The beam hit her with a bone crushing force, and even at a distance you hear her ribs, arms, legs, and neck break. She flew back through the door way. This time the scream was high pitched...young. A young child with silver hair and green eyes ran in a complete rage towards Asmodeus. He was screaming insults and blasphamimes. The dark lord laughed as the boy ran towards him, but was unprepared for twhen came next. The boy, still running, was movine his hands in magical patterns...poweful ones. It was too late before he remebered that the child had imborn abilites in magickal studies. He was a sorcerer, a true practicer of magick.
A ball of purple flames exploded in front of Lucifer, barely phaseing him, but still burning.
"The boy was destined to became very powerful indeed" Asmodeus thought as he accually needed to concentrate to dodge the barrage of spells that was being thrown at him. "It is a shame that he did not join my vendetta like his brother did. What was his name...ahh...yes...i remember now."
The angelic child leaped in an unknown rage at the Dark One, a small dagger drawn taken from his mothers dead body. Asmodeus caught the child by the neck and murmured the boys name.
"Ryu" His lips curled into an evil grin. "What a plesent suprise. My, my you have grown. I noticed you were spying on my with your mother's crystal ball. You know you not sopposed to do that."
"YOU...KILLED...MOM...YOU...FUCKER!" Ryu gasped in hate. "YOU...BASTARD...ILL KILL...YOU....ONE DAY...I SWEAR..."
Lucifer did not take lightly to being called a bastard, let along a fucker. He threw the boy back ten...twenty...thrity feet. WIth a quick gesture blots of lightning erupted from the Dark Ones' eyes, hitting the boy with tremendous force. For a short while, Asmodeus took pleasure in how the boy writhed and squirmed in pain. How his hands were beating aginst the stone ground, bleeding. How he called for his mother to help him, praying to Galicran that she would get up and fight once again. This did not happen, however. It was only until Asmodeus levitated the body closer to Ryu that he truly understood. His mother was dead, and she was not goining to come back. Worse yet, was what the man that killed her was. The lighting ceased, and Ryu stopped screaming, he temebled, and wept at his mother feet.
Like an unknown terror, he walked sliently over to the small child, and picked him up by the collar. Ryu did not fight, simply staired at the eyes of his mother, tears rolling down his cheeks. Silently to himeself, the small child was thinking murderous throughts, and swearing upo his soul that he would slay The Bastard
Without the mearest trace of uncomfort, Asmodeus gently let the child fall onto the saddle of the steed in nearly a fatgherly fasion. Although the battle raged endless around them, and so many powerful being surrounded him, Ryu was truly unafraid. Asmodeus bent close to the boy's ear abd whipered.
"It was for the best, child. You mother was weak, she did not know how to raise a child to his full potential. When i die, you will become the King of Hell! Wouldent you like that? You are very powerful, very powerful indeed."
They rode out of the city, past the open gates, and out into the fields ; Towards the Platimum Sea. Its waters, made of liquid platium, raideated no heat, and streached endlessly across the plane.
"We are going to go home soon, Ryu." Lucifer continued. Ryu spat in his face. "Why you little..." The Dark Ones Configure changed instantly from fatherly to loathing. Ryu was thrown off the horse onto the ground. Before he could utter a single comment, he was silenced, for the boy heard a sound that renewed his hope. Trumpets...angelic trumpets. The war cry of Raziel The Holy. The King and undespuited ruler of Heaven. A rift in the sky, identical to the one below, opened in the clouds. Thousands upon thousands of Cheriubim & Serphium warriors weilding flameing greatswords came pleting to the ground like beams of holy light. One particually bright beam of white light came towards them. It was none other then The Holy One himself.
Raziel the Crusader: the God of Good, in all his glory and maginifcece let out a terrorfing shriek of rage as he pelted towards them. Ryu dived for cover and Raziel slashed his katana at Asmodeus, curseing him. For a brief moment, as Asmodeus dodged a srtike, Ryu looked into his savoirs eyes.
Raziel had shiny silver skin, and fierce blue eyes. He wore light, almost gossamer white robes with magical symbols of divine power all over them. His hair was the most noticeable trait. It fell in glassblade-like clums, about thiry in all. They were colored by that of metallic items: Bronze, gold, platinum, and silver, and came to his shoulders.
The Holy One brought his blade slahsing down upon the Dark Lord, who was sprawled on the ground. Asmodeus instantly conjured up his own weapon of choice: a heavy mace addorned with rubies and pentagrams. He blocked the blow and forced Raziel back into the ranks of his Lords. This was childsplay. The Holy dropped each of the lesser lord with impunity. Only Mephostopleses took more then a few seconds. His giant form over powered Raziel, and cut his across the chest with his gigantict blade, pelting him to the ground with earth shattering force. During this time, Asmodeus was prepareing himself. Countless protection and warding spells fell upon the Darok one like raindrops as his arms moved in frantic patterns.
Mephostopheles let out a roar of anger as Raziel shoved his katana into his heart. All the other lords of Evil fled in a rushing of wind and flash of fire. Raziel stood triumphantly at facing Asmodeus's now glowing body.
"I havent the time for this, Lucius. I cast you down from this Heaven and forbade thee from returing. I command you to leave at once, or suffer my wrath!" The Holy said in a deep booming voice. Asmodeus spat.
"I refuse to let myself be commanded by a whelp like you!" The dark one said, launching himself at him ememy. His mace made contact with Raziel, ripping open a new wound in his arm. The lord of Heaven responed with a slash from his sword to Asmodeus' back, and a quick fleeting incantation.
"Nephtuhus hala dum!" He said, pointing his blade towards the Dark ones face as he turned. A searing blast of light srupted from its point, strinking his enemy in the face and causeing a disgusting sizzle of sound. Lucifer wailed in pain and agony as the holy light at at his skin. Then he felt the slashed from Raziel's blade. Twenty...thiry...forty strikes to his arms, legs, chest, and face. He was blasted back with another helping of holy light, and slided over a hundred feet before he stopped moving. He moaned in pain...a jest. Raziel in the distance spread his wings and glided with ease towards his nemisis. Just before he landed, Asmodeus jumped up and smacked him across the face with his unhallowed mace. He cringed, but shook off the otherwise devistating blow. Raziel was not ready for the other seven. One upon each of his limbs, another to his face, and two to his chest.
It was now that Ryu thoguht of a useful spell. His father had taught it to him before it happened. The spell conjured a pentacle (symbol of good) around a thinry foot radius, empowering to good, and harming the evil. This he did, saying "Vive, Vie, Vama"
A golden shadow of power exploded from where he sat, strikeing Raziel and Amodeus by suprise. The holy light shocked Lucifer with an electric jolt, and caused Raziel to glow with a new power. While Asmodeus was stunned, Raziel too his chance, and drove his blade into his heart. The pentacle was already there...so a prophecy took effect.
Yuthgol, god of fate, told Raziel a long time ago that if he were to do battle with Lord Evil inside a pentacle, Good would triumph. As if waiting (and Raziel was sure they were) chains of adamantine stregnth appeared out of nowhere, and anchored themselves to the air. They wrapped around Lucifer, and with one cold glance at Ryu, he disappeared, doomed for six hundred years of pain and fire in Tattarus. Knowing thier leader was fallen, and Raziel would soon return to the battlefield, the remaining demons in the city ran.
Bleeding and wounded, The Holy walked slowely over to Ryu, and thanked him without a word spoken, simply putting his hand unpon the small boys shoulders. He looked into Ryu's eyes, and saw not good nature as was known for angels, but a gleeming horrid hate. It was not obveous to anyone at all, for Ryu was currently more joyous then he had been in years. But behind the kindness, the happiness, and the power, the Holy saw hate. Raziel has known Ryu's parents well...but they were now dead. He considered takeing Ryu in as his own...but that hate scared Raziel beyond anything Asmodeus has done. Ryu wasnt an angel, he wasent fit to be one. Ryu was a monster, an abomination.
"It was shortly after this Raziel took me to Me'Hein, and left me there to be taken care of. This was when i met your family. You mother was still pregnant with you, and you father had just died. I lived on the streets mostly, practicing my powers. I spent most of my time in the temple of Galicarn, when Inioch was still just a common preacher. Those were the days..." Ryu concluded, as he prepared for the inevitable question to come.
"You are an Angel?" Lebel said, sitting up and stairing into his eyes. She loved those eyes so dearly...
"I was." Ryu answered carfully, as if weighing every single word. "I was...but as i said. Raziel saw hate in me, dident he? I wouldent make much of an angel would I?"
"But your parents were both good people! How can."
"You dident know my parents so dont tell me what they were before they died!" Ryu spat back at her angerly, makeing Lebel recoil. There was litterally a fire in his eyes. She appolged, but being a skilled assassin, she knew there was somthing Ryu still wasnt telling her. Both of them were standing now. Ryu conjured two bedrollsfrom thin air on the damp cave floor. He turned back to Lebel, who was unexpectedly right in his face. So close he could count every freckle upon her face. She smiled, and embraced him. Ryu did not do the same, however. He simply looked down at her. Ryu and Lebel had been togeather once...but that was a long time ago. The abomination knew love was for the weak. Lebel leaned in closer, looking into his eyes. Ryu could hear her heartbeating quickly, and he inhaled a deep breath. He lips were so close to his...
"No." Ryu said, pushing her away, and climbing into his bedroll, not even taking off his weapons. The assassin was insulted, but decided that pouting wouldent get her anywere. Ryu too, felt he had insulted her. He knew, however, what love could do to someone. What love did to his mother...he dident want that to happen to Lebel. Love...it was for the weak. Only for the weak. True, he thought. Ryu had not told Lebel about how his mother was betrayed by a senete member and exposed for...what she was inside. Part mortal, part...human. This imperfection ment she was capable of ill deeds. Then, as Lebel lay down with her back to him, Ryu thought..as he looked up and down her body, be must be weak. He just could never, ever show it. But by the gods, it was sincerly hard to deny that she was beautiful. The way she walked and talked, the shape of her eyes, the way her hair fell to her shoulders. Really was quite...lovely.
Chapter Three
Making A Deal With Death
The gods had many duties they were obliged to do: Answer the prays of worshipers, defend churches, grant spells to priests, send visons of warning, foil the plans of rival gods...and occasionaly defeat them in battle. All this damanded constant attention from thier gods, as many of them had thousands upon thousands of temples and millions of woreshipers. Thus no god needed to eat, sleep, or even breathe. They could consentrate thier mind on thousands of tasks at once, and even litteraly be in two places at once. Yet at the same time no god was really anywhere at all. Instead of accually being in a place, they mearly focused thier mind upon it, and projected themselves in the form of thier choseing.
This is what Nec'Tul the Reaper did, the Deity of Dead, Paragon of the Afterlife, and Stealer of Souls. He appeared before the doors of Castle Nevernight in all his unholy glory. His robes were the blackest of night, tattered and worn from eons of journey. In his skeleton hand he held a scythe made from adamantine, encrusted with black opals. The blade itself was crafted from the most precious diamonds, sharped and blackened for the death god's pleasure. His skull was so ghostly white that it made snow look gray, and on its forhead was cut an upside down star in a circle: Marking his as one of the gods of evil. Every few seconds a moan of pain left the mouth of the god, as he lived on after death. The souls of all his victims were reflected in the black pits where his eyes should have been. On his side was tied the Book of Death; the imfamous tome that recored the death of every mortal in history, and every one in the future. On his other side was an hourglass made of obsedian, with the ground up bones of saints instead of sand inside the glass.
Before the Death god even spoke a word from his mouth, the adamantine doors unto the Castle Nevernight opened. The Reaper was relived to get out of the twilight that was always present on this particular plane of existance. Nec'Tul prefered the night, and the darkness. Even as he walked, hundreds of his manifestations were metting with dieing mortals, takeing them to his home on the plane of Nifelheim. He took particular pleasure as one of his other selves was dragging and old woman's soul into scythe. Not a fraction of his long dead heart was stalled as she screamed to see her grandchildren one last time. Even if he did hesitate, there was nothing he could do. It was her time. Nec'Tul was the god of death, not death itself. It was his job to withhold Death itself in a remote prison in the planes. He laughed as he remembered his duties. Unlike that fool Raziel, the deity thought, I wont allow someone to escape from thier planar bindings.
This unpleast mind wandering lead the god back to the reason he was at the famous Castle Nevernight. The realseing of Asmodeus The Terrible. The gods had a form of government, of course. Nothing would be able to function without it, and gods would be able to openly wage war aginst each other without it. There were five major gods that were the sopposed rulers of the other gods. There was Raziel the Radient, King of all good, and master of Heaven. Shiva the Destroyer, Goddess of Chaos, and sovrigen of the plane called Pandemonium. Tyr was the the God of Law, the Blind Justice, and paragon of the world called Vallhalla. Galicran the Mighty was lord of magick, and made his home on the Elemental Plane of Magick. The last of the ruling gods was known as Satan. He was murdered by Asmodeus, and thus his murderer had the right to take his place in the Gods Council. He was never offically voted in, but by killing Satan he gained his powers and is technichally the Death Gods' master. This was somthing Nec'Tul would not allow. Asmodeus was insane, even by The Reaper's standards. And so he ventured into the very home of his surperior: Galicran The Magnificant. The Castle was contructed entirely from precious metals. The walls were silver, with diamonds the size of a giants fist ever thity feet or so. Along the celing was an aweing mural, depecing ancient battles. Mainly powerful mages casting spells of epic power. After a short walk, The Reaper encountered another being, undobutedly a servent of Galicarn. It was a giant, roughly ten feet tall, with golden skin and fire-red hair. This must be Thorok, the imfamous Sungiant mage from the Helios clan.
"I hope everything goes well for you, Master Nec'Tul'." The giant said, folding and hands and bowing curtesously.
"If things went well for me I wouldent be here right now, shade. Show me to your master, i have business of the utmost importance with him." The Death God spat with a horrifying melevolence in his undead voice. Soft and manipulating, like a vampires, yet oddly as stong and forceful as a dragons.
"My applogies, Lord Death." Thorok said, althogh doing a horrible job at masking his anger at being referred to as a common shade.
The giant followed his orders, however, and lead Lord Death down the silver hall towards a pair of great golden doors, encruseted with emeralds and rubys. Thorok dident even knock upon the door unto the throne room before it slowly opened with a cryptic creek of its hinges. This marvelous room was nothing short of perfect. Every silver square that made up the floor was etched with glowing magickal symbols. There were painings conving the walls, but instead of frames, they were draw with perfection upon the wall itself. Many were Galicran, dragons, and mages of note. One of the more impressive works of art was of none other then Ryu Lucius Evenstar. His eyess blazed with an enternal fire, as if it were alive. Nec'Tul' looked briefly into his eyes, and they averted his attention to the being of power that sat upon the throne.
Galicran the Mighty, The All, The Savior, The Lord of Magick, and Father of the Sisters, sat upon his utterly holy throne brooding. Even Nec'Tul', a great and mighty god compared to others of his kind, could not help up bow before he adressed his former King. His arms and legs were armored with the finest of metals, upon them glowing magickal runes of thier own. The ledgenary sword called Galahad was at his side, crafted from gold spewed from the very core of the planes. Long, flowing robes of magnifcent purple silk covered the rest of his towering body. A hood hid his face from the eyes of others. It was said that if you looked onto the face of Galicran, you could see your worst fears manifest beofre your eyes, as well as you greatest...and a newfound stregnth. His dark face showed no details, for the shadows were so great the it looked as if there was nothing there at all. The only evidence of his presence inside all of those robes and armor, was the two piercing yellow eyes that glowed with a divine power unhead of by any. Upon the floor before him, streaching at least twenty feet across, was a single eye surrounded by the divine symbols for Evil, Good, Law, and Chaos. This was the holy symbol of galicran. It was such an honor to wear the symbol upon one's clothing that it was punishable by death in many cities to wear it unless you were the highest and most powerful of his priests. The mear presence of either of these gods around mortals would send humanoids and others running for cover. What happened what an unstoppable object met an unmovable force? Nothing, they sat at a standstill for a long time, seeing who would avert they eyes first. Nec'Tul the Reaper stopped upon the pupil of The Eye, and spoke, with the two luminos eyes of Galicran The Magnifcent upon him.
"It has been to long, Mighty Galicran. But I believe we will have time to 'catch up' later. I have a question for you. Isnt it one of you daughters' duties...Ragnaok i believe...to make sure that Asmodeus does not escape?" The Soul Stealer said, with such an audacity in his voice that it was a miracle The All did not blast him into oblivion. There was a long silence, the loudest one you would ever hear.
"My daughers', not mine." The Savior said at long last, his mighty voice echoing across the hall like a deep rumble of a sleeing dragon. "I will deal with her later. Right now, we must deal with the reason I summoned you here."
Nec'Tul laughed inside his own head. Ha!, He thought, you have no power over me you fool. You did not summon me. I decided to accept an invitation.
It was now that the eyes of Galicran turned from yellow to red. Almost as if He knew what The Reaper was thinking.
"The sisters will be dealt with when the time comes, Lord Death. I have not the time for thier blunder now. We cannot allow Asmodeus the gain power. If he does there will inevitably be another war, and if he wins...I would prefer that bastard not to be in my court." The Mighty said in his thundering voice. Technically it wasnt Galicran's court anymore, but his power was so far beyond even all the gods togeather that few would question his judgement. One of those few was Nec'Tul.
"Now see here, Spellweave. This is going to become a war, it is all a matter of how we decide to fight it."
"This i know, Soulless One. I will have the Magi of The Black Rose call a meeting between the International Council Of City-states. I dobut the Magi of the Blue,White,Red, or Yellow Rose will turn down the call. I only ask one thing of you, Deathless..." Galicran continued, his voice low and secrtive. "Ryu will fall under attack by a group of assassin vampires. The leader will be by the name of Agazz." With this, The Reaper knew what Galicran wanted, his let go of his scythe, allowing it to float threatingly in the air. He untied the book from his side, opened it, and began flipping through the pages.
"Yes, Spellweave, what you feared will come to pass." Nec'Tul said, as he stopped upon a page and read it silently. "Ryu is schedualed to die tonight."
Without the smallest bit of hesitition, Galicran the Mighty continued. He knew death was not a certain thing, there are many occasions written in that book where Ryu was sopposed to die...and many that say he his going to die in the future. The book only gave situations possible for death to come for the mortal, not the accual date.
"That worries me not, Ryu is strong. He can defeat Agazz. What i really need from you is you cooperation. You army of woreshipers is great, i need you to send you assassins...all of them. Especially the Magiassins in the Magi of the Black Rose. I want you to kill every powerful mage, priest, and cultist of Asmodeus. I will deny his sorcerers the ability to use The Aura. If you do this, i give you my word that you shall be rewarded. The vacancy in the title God of Evil has satyed empty too long." The Mighty said, and Nec'Tul' paused to think. The only problems with this deal was that many of the cultist were users of Necromantic magick. An area of arcana Nec'Tul goverened (at the consent on Galicran). If he sent out his assassins...he would be killing of his own faithful. It was either that, or Asmodeus returned to power. Then again...when he became the fully fledged Deity of Evil, the benifets would be everlasting.
"Very well, Spellweave. I will do so." Deathless turned at this last word, and left the room. With a thought he sent a vision to every one of his faithful assassins. Within seconds they would be communicating with each other. Within minutes they would be marking thier targets. Within hours thier targets would be dieing. Within a day, Asmodeus would make his presence...and fury...known to all.
Lebel awoke the next morning to see the vivid green eyes of Ryu over here, shakeing her body gently.
"Time to get up, Lebel, we have quite a journey upon our hands." The mage said in a compassionate voice her rarely used. Although it was morning, the six hours of day had not yet begun, for they took place in the middle of the day. Lebel yawned and streached her arms. She smiled mischevoicusly as Ryu.
"I cant wait to get back to Me'Hein'! Fresh bait! Ive been low on gold, figured i would nick a coulple dozen or so." She said. Ryu laughed. It was an odd thing to hear, far more deep then expected of an elf. It sounded...demonic. "I need to ask you somthing Ryu." Arwen continued, this time very serious. "Now that Asmodeus has returned, i was hopeing you could tell me a little about what it was like when he was...shall we say 'in power'?" This time Ryu scolwed.
"We have a long trip to Me'Hein. A good three weeks. Sounds like fun, eh?" This answer wasnt aggitated, but it had a finality to it that told Arwen that the interview was over before if even bagan.
The abomination jumped from the braches, landing catlike on the grassy floor, soon followed by Arwen. Ryu whistled, and out of the shadows came a black stallion. Its mane rippled with black flame-like hair, constantly danceing in an unknow fury. Its nostrils flared with fire, and everytime the creature breathed it gave off a sulfur like smell that washed over the couple like a foul breeze from hell itself. Arwen walked over and patted the stallion's head.
"Hello, Blackstaff." She said, sweetly and unafriad. As if in answer the horse made an odd noise that seemed to exit from the bottem of its stomach. It was speaking Abyssal, the language of demons.
(We need a ride to Me'Hien', Blackstaff. Are you up to it?) Ryu said in a course voice much unlike his own, speaking to the horse in its native tounge. The creature gave a nod of its great head, and a roar. More like a dragons then a horse. Lebel dident understand what the stallion had said, but Ryu evidently did. It must have been a 'yes', bacause the mage got onto the horse with graceful movements like that of a hawk. He helped Lebel on the horse, and she sat upon his lap, so Ryu had to reach around her to hold the reines. They set off unto the night, the hoves of Blackstaff falling to the ground with a gentle 'clank'. The forest wizzed by the two, and the sounds of the birds and other animals were lost in the wind flowing throgh the mages hair, flying behind him like some silvery curtian of silk. Now they were moving so fast that even the most skilled creatures would be awed. The trees were moveing by them so fast that you barly had the time to see them. Only a black wall of nothingness was decerable. After about an hour of this amazingly smooth flight, Blackstaff slowed down to a trot, and Lebel stured to look Ryu in the eyes. They were still in the forest, but the trees were much shorter, less wide, and not as close togeather.
"Might i ask why we are stopping?" She said innocently.
"Dawn will be here soon, Blackstaff cannot see in sunlight. We will sleep." Ryu answered, in a nonchalant fasion. "There is a cave near here, that is where we shall rest." So the trot off te path, towards small clearing by the side of a hill. The hill opened enough for an average humanoid to fit inside. Ryu led Blackstaff into the cave, whos firey mane lit the entuire place. About thiry feet in diamater. Ryu once it seemed, Ryu slumpped down aginst the floor and closed his eyes. Arwen followed suit, putting her head upon his chest. It was indeed an odd sight. Two elves on a cave floor, with a demonic stallion by thier side, waiting for the sun to rise...and then to set once again. Three hours went by, Lebel had fallen asleep and awoken about thirty times, and Ryu dident sleep at all. Finally, as if the conversation had been goin all this time, Ryu spoke.
"I was a small child living in Heaven at the time of Asmodeus' rise. My mother was the Archamge of the Magi of the White Rose. My father was a councilmen in the Celestial Court. Both good people, kind parents. My brother, Nemisis, and I got along well for brothers. We rearely fought. I was about the age an 6 year old human whenit all went wrong. The armies of Hell came through, buring...everything...
Within the Memories of Ryu
The blissful realm of Heaven sat in all its glorified nature upon the Platinum Sea, its waves lapped unto the shores of the city peacefully. Every home was made of marble, and the residents laughed and smiled at every turn of the head. The roads crisscrossed in perfectly simetrical patterns. All was well in the city of Yahweh. No one was expecting the alarms to go off suddenely at about twilight. Never before had the city become under attack, so many were unsure of what was going on. Not a soul was mistaken, however, when the ground ripped itself open, enveloping the bulidings at its whim, and demons of all kinds poured into the Holy City. The rift streched for a mile or so, spewing lava and fire from its depths. All manner of horrid creatures began tearing the city appart. Those unfortunate enough to be near the rift were either pulled into the fire, or eaten by the first wave of monsters. Mephostopholes stepped over the brink, spreading his ash-wings in delight. He let out a roar of unholy power, shattering walls like glass. Heaven's Army responded with lightning speed, literally. Blots of electric power burst from the most unlikey of places, bouncing off thier foes and forming into angelic soilders.Thier glistening armor and flaming swords, alothough magnificent, were little match for these most powerful of demons. Only Raziel's personal guard could handle such powers. The battle for the 'right to rule' had begun.
Mephostophes particually took pleasure has he slashed through entire regiments with his Naginaki blade, he breathed fire unto buildings that were larger then him, and simply crushed those that wernt. He laughed melevolently as the melted marble fell onto a group of soilders. Thier screams enticed his ramapage. The Duke of Evil took time to magically levitate one soilder in and out of the lava, wondering how long it would take before the armor would meld to his skin. And so he walked slowly towards the center of the city, where the Supream Palace stood. Slowly the other lords of Hell made thier way into the battle field, like great thunderstorms slowly rising upon dark winds. In the center of the storm, stood its very core power: Asmodeus the Terrible. Unlike now, the Lord of Evil was not frail and weak; instead he was well muscled and darkly handsome. The bottem half of wizards robes covered his red-skinned legs, and a silk, black-colored, open vest was on his back. It revealed a tattoo on his blood red chest. A pentagram in flames. Two horns extruded from his head curling on themselves and juting to the right and left; two islands of brown in a mat of greasy black hair.
The battle continued, the demons were winning easily. Only Mehostopholes was fighting out of the Lords of Hell. The others trotted exaltently down the corpse covered roads, perhaps with the exception of Asmodeus' occasional blast of arcane magick. The remaining citizens scattered into the arms of the lesser demons as the Duke's passed, fearing a painful death at thier hands rather then the grusome one that awaited them in the claws of a Pit Fiend. This was the only true power. The only constant force that kept the masses at bay, and truly allowed the greater ruling class sway: fear. Asmodeus in particlar took delight as the lowly creatues ran from his unholy gaze. So horrid were the eyes of this dark king that even Cassius The Painbringer averted his own. Asmodeus could gain submisson from any living creature with but an utter of a word. His power was truly aweing. Then of course...he was once an angel.
Only this fact brought shame to the Dark One's spirit. He had once been an angel, a senetor in the Celestial Council. A "good man". He had two wonderful sons, a beautiful and powerful sorcereress as a wife. He was rich, and poweful in his own right. But greed had beckoned him. He could remeber the day he proposed a clensing of Mal'Hal, and offered to lead the crusade into the material world a little two eagerly. Raziel himself raised an eyebrow at his delight in the 'clensing' of mortals. The God of Good decided not to speak about it, until he heard The Dark One speak of it as a final solution to end all evil in the world. The words Raziel spoke to Asmodeus' still burnt a hole in his stomach.
"Perhaps you should be clensed, dearest Lucius. Your eagerness the slaughter mortals troubles not only me." The assinine fool! Such an anger arose inside the Dark One that he began to shout at The Holy. At this instant he was removed from Heaven, and thrown into the pits of Hell. He remaned homself Lucifer, which in the Abyssal language was pronounced "Asmodeus". It was in Hell that he was taken in by Satan, who was at the time God of Evil. Asmodeus' gained Satan's trust, and when the time was right crafted and succeded in an elaborate coo. Asmodeus quickly drained Satan of all his divine power, thus stopping one of the other non-deity lords of Hell from takeing his place. They fell swiftly to his wrath, and bowed before him. Now Lucifer had come to finish what he had started.
Asmodeus finally stopped his march admist the chaos in front of his old home. It was grand in size, and magnificent in stature. Marble sculptures and colums littered the outside walls, a gate surrounded the property. With a curt gesture, Asmodeus flung the gates open. At the same instant the door to the estate dove off its hinges. Standing the the openeding was a a beautiful woman, he white robes glistened with heavenly power, and her vivid green eyes (much like Ryu's) gazed in absolute hate at the man standing before her. She called in a sing song voice that sounded more like a dirge.
"There was once somthing there Lucifer. You used to have a soul. You gave it all away becuase you were greedy. Because you wanted power." From across the year Asmodeus grinned.
"There was once somthing there, Dearest Helen. I am not the man you knew on the Magi of The High. Not the man you knew on the Celistal Council. Im not a man at all anymore." he said comely. The two nemisi stood glare at one another for a long period. The other lords of hell watched. The woman pushed back a small child, who was yelling curses at The King of Evil. Then, with lightning speed and agility, the woman raised her arms and cried an incantation.
"Silia electra incarna!" She spat, and with that simple command the power of the heavens was at her fingertips. She brought her arm swinging down, stopping when she pointed at the the sark figure she hated so. With a crack like an earthquake a blot of lightning sprung from from her fingers. An blinding flash followed, causeing even the spells caster to close her eyes reflexively. Asmodeus conjured a barrier to stop the blot, but had to fight to keep it at bay. It thrusted itself at the red wall of magickal protection like a living force. Breathing heavy, the Dark Lord deflected the blast of lightnigning into the face of one of his fellows. He shreaked in pain, and the others laughed. It was all a game to them. The entire world was a playing field for them to manipulate and destory but thier whims.
Lucifer counter attacked with godly speed. He flung his hand about in unholy patterns, calling upon his inheritted demoic powers reather then arcance magick. These needed no incantations. With a boneshattering scream that was uttered from no mouth the colums and fence of the house shattered. The ground quaked and cracked. A black light so wholely evil it chilled even Asmodeus' soul erupted from his index finger. I shot towards the woman with such speed she had no time to invoke any kind of protection. The beam hit her with a bone crushing force, and even at a distance you hear her ribs, arms, legs, and neck break. She flew back through the door way. This time the scream was high pitched...young. A young child with silver hair and green eyes ran in a complete rage towards Asmodeus. He was screaming insults and blasphamimes. The dark lord laughed as the boy ran towards him, but was unprepared for twhen came next. The boy, still running, was movine his hands in magical patterns...poweful ones. It was too late before he remebered that the child had imborn abilites in magickal studies. He was a sorcerer, a true practicer of magick.
A ball of purple flames exploded in front of Lucifer, barely phaseing him, but still burning.
"The boy was destined to became very powerful indeed" Asmodeus thought as he accually needed to concentrate to dodge the barrage of spells that was being thrown at him. "It is a shame that he did not join my vendetta like his brother did. What was his name...ahh...yes...i remember now."
The angelic child leaped in an unknown rage at the Dark One, a small dagger drawn taken from his mothers dead body. Asmodeus caught the child by the neck and murmured the boys name.
"Ryu" His lips curled into an evil grin. "What a plesent suprise. My, my you have grown. I noticed you were spying on my with your mother's crystal ball. You know you not sopposed to do that."
"YOU...KILLED...MOM...YOU...FUCKER!" Ryu gasped in hate. "YOU...BASTARD...ILL KILL...YOU....ONE DAY...I SWEAR..."
Lucifer did not take lightly to being called a bastard, let along a fucker. He threw the boy back ten...twenty...thrity feet. WIth a quick gesture blots of lightning erupted from the Dark Ones' eyes, hitting the boy with tremendous force. For a short while, Asmodeus took pleasure in how the boy writhed and squirmed in pain. How his hands were beating aginst the stone ground, bleeding. How he called for his mother to help him, praying to Galicran that she would get up and fight once again. This did not happen, however. It was only until Asmodeus levitated the body closer to Ryu that he truly understood. His mother was dead, and she was not goining to come back. Worse yet, was what the man that killed her was. The lighting ceased, and Ryu stopped screaming, he temebled, and wept at his mother feet.
Like an unknown terror, he walked sliently over to the small child, and picked him up by the collar. Ryu did not fight, simply staired at the eyes of his mother, tears rolling down his cheeks. Silently to himeself, the small child was thinking murderous throughts, and swearing upo his soul that he would slay The Bastard
Without the mearest trace of uncomfort, Asmodeus gently let the child fall onto the saddle of the steed in nearly a fatgherly fasion. Although the battle raged endless around them, and so many powerful being surrounded him, Ryu was truly unafraid. Asmodeus bent close to the boy's ear abd whipered.
"It was for the best, child. You mother was weak, she did not know how to raise a child to his full potential. When i die, you will become the King of Hell! Wouldent you like that? You are very powerful, very powerful indeed."
They rode out of the city, past the open gates, and out into the fields ; Towards the Platimum Sea. Its waters, made of liquid platium, raideated no heat, and streached endlessly across the plane.
"We are going to go home soon, Ryu." Lucifer continued. Ryu spat in his face. "Why you little..." The Dark Ones Configure changed instantly from fatherly to loathing. Ryu was thrown off the horse onto the ground. Before he could utter a single comment, he was silenced, for the boy heard a sound that renewed his hope. Trumpets...angelic trumpets. The war cry of Raziel The Holy. The King and undespuited ruler of Heaven. A rift in the sky, identical to the one below, opened in the clouds. Thousands upon thousands of Cheriubim & Serphium warriors weilding flameing greatswords came pleting to the ground like beams of holy light. One particually bright beam of white light came towards them. It was none other then The Holy One himself.
Raziel the Crusader: the God of Good, in all his glory and maginifcece let out a terrorfing shriek of rage as he pelted towards them. Ryu dived for cover and Raziel slashed his katana at Asmodeus, curseing him. For a brief moment, as Asmodeus dodged a srtike, Ryu looked into his savoirs eyes.
Raziel had shiny silver skin, and fierce blue eyes. He wore light, almost gossamer white robes with magical symbols of divine power all over them. His hair was the most noticeable trait. It fell in glassblade-like clums, about thiry in all. They were colored by that of metallic items: Bronze, gold, platinum, and silver, and came to his shoulders.
The Holy One brought his blade slahsing down upon the Dark Lord, who was sprawled on the ground. Asmodeus instantly conjured up his own weapon of choice: a heavy mace addorned with rubies and pentagrams. He blocked the blow and forced Raziel back into the ranks of his Lords. This was childsplay. The Holy dropped each of the lesser lord with impunity. Only Mephostopleses took more then a few seconds. His giant form over powered Raziel, and cut his across the chest with his gigantict blade, pelting him to the ground with earth shattering force. During this time, Asmodeus was prepareing himself. Countless protection and warding spells fell upon the Darok one like raindrops as his arms moved in frantic patterns.
Mephostopheles let out a roar of anger as Raziel shoved his katana into his heart. All the other lords of Evil fled in a rushing of wind and flash of fire. Raziel stood triumphantly at facing Asmodeus's now glowing body.
"I havent the time for this, Lucius. I cast you down from this Heaven and forbade thee from returing. I command you to leave at once, or suffer my wrath!" The Holy said in a deep booming voice. Asmodeus spat.
"I refuse to let myself be commanded by a whelp like you!" The dark one said, launching himself at him ememy. His mace made contact with Raziel, ripping open a new wound in his arm. The lord of Heaven responed with a slash from his sword to Asmodeus' back, and a quick fleeting incantation.
"Nephtuhus hala dum!" He said, pointing his blade towards the Dark ones face as he turned. A searing blast of light srupted from its point, strinking his enemy in the face and causeing a disgusting sizzle of sound. Lucifer wailed in pain and agony as the holy light at at his skin. Then he felt the slashed from Raziel's blade. Twenty...thiry...forty strikes to his arms, legs, chest, and face. He was blasted back with another helping of holy light, and slided over a hundred feet before he stopped moving. He moaned in pain...a jest. Raziel in the distance spread his wings and glided with ease towards his nemisis. Just before he landed, Asmodeus jumped up and smacked him across the face with his unhallowed mace. He cringed, but shook off the otherwise devistating blow. Raziel was not ready for the other seven. One upon each of his limbs, another to his face, and two to his chest.
It was now that Ryu thoguht of a useful spell. His father had taught it to him before it happened. The spell conjured a pentacle (symbol of good) around a thinry foot radius, empowering to good, and harming the evil. This he did, saying "Vive, Vie, Vama"
A golden shadow of power exploded from where he sat, strikeing Raziel and Amodeus by suprise. The holy light shocked Lucifer with an electric jolt, and caused Raziel to glow with a new power. While Asmodeus was stunned, Raziel too his chance, and drove his blade into his heart. The pentacle was already there...so a prophecy took effect.
Yuthgol, god of fate, told Raziel a long time ago that if he were to do battle with Lord Evil inside a pentacle, Good would triumph. As if waiting (and Raziel was sure they were) chains of adamantine stregnth appeared out of nowhere, and anchored themselves to the air. They wrapped around Lucifer, and with one cold glance at Ryu, he disappeared, doomed for six hundred years of pain and fire in Tattarus. Knowing thier leader was fallen, and Raziel would soon return to the battlefield, the remaining demons in the city ran.
Bleeding and wounded, The Holy walked slowely over to Ryu, and thanked him without a word spoken, simply putting his hand unpon the small boys shoulders. He looked into Ryu's eyes, and saw not good nature as was known for angels, but a gleeming horrid hate. It was not obveous to anyone at all, for Ryu was currently more joyous then he had been in years. But behind the kindness, the happiness, and the power, the Holy saw hate. Raziel has known Ryu's parents well...but they were now dead. He considered takeing Ryu in as his own...but that hate scared Raziel beyond anything Asmodeus has done. Ryu wasnt an angel, he wasent fit to be one. Ryu was a monster, an abomination.
"It was shortly after this Raziel took me to Me'Hein, and left me there to be taken care of. This was when i met your family. You mother was still pregnant with you, and you father had just died. I lived on the streets mostly, practicing my powers. I spent most of my time in the temple of Galicarn, when Inioch was still just a common preacher. Those were the days..." Ryu concluded, as he prepared for the inevitable question to come.
"You are an Angel?" Lebel said, sitting up and stairing into his eyes. She loved those eyes so dearly...
"I was." Ryu answered carfully, as if weighing every single word. "I was...but as i said. Raziel saw hate in me, dident he? I wouldent make much of an angel would I?"
"But your parents were both good people! How can."
"You dident know my parents so dont tell me what they were before they died!" Ryu spat back at her angerly, makeing Lebel recoil. There was litterally a fire in his eyes. She appolged, but being a skilled assassin, she knew there was somthing Ryu still wasnt telling her. Both of them were standing now. Ryu conjured two bedrollsfrom thin air on the damp cave floor. He turned back to Lebel, who was unexpectedly right in his face. So close he could count every freckle upon her face. She smiled, and embraced him. Ryu did not do the same, however. He simply looked down at her. Ryu and Lebel had been togeather once...but that was a long time ago. The abomination knew love was for the weak. Lebel leaned in closer, looking into his eyes. Ryu could hear her heartbeating quickly, and he inhaled a deep breath. He lips were so close to his...
"No." Ryu said, pushing her away, and climbing into his bedroll, not even taking off his weapons. The assassin was insulted, but decided that pouting wouldent get her anywere. Ryu too, felt he had insulted her. He knew, however, what love could do to someone. What love did to his mother...he dident want that to happen to Lebel. Love...it was for the weak. Only for the weak. True, he thought. Ryu had not told Lebel about how his mother was betrayed by a senete member and exposed for...what she was inside. Part mortal, part...human. This imperfection ment she was capable of ill deeds. Then, as Lebel lay down with her back to him, Ryu thought..as he looked up and down her body, be must be weak. He just could never, ever show it. But by the gods, it was sincerly hard to deny that she was beautiful. The way she walked and talked, the shape of her eyes, the way her hair fell to her shoulders. Really was quite...lovely.