Chapter 3
Written By Illuminet
Disclaimer: Just refer to the first chapter. It's there.
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
------
Alternate Netherworld, Forgotten Tower of Baal, Patriarch Seal
The light was blinding but only lasted for a moment before dispersing. Baal took his first step from his high tower to gaze at the landscape. His crimson eyes first looked towards the sky, and judging from the position of the sun, guessed it to about three hours or so until sundown.
'Perfect...almost night time.'
Baal smirked. The feeling of being free was exhilarating for him.
'Before I head over to conquer the Netherworld, this Alternate Netherworld should be brought under my control first...'
Baal thought. He was unaware of who the Overlord of the Alternate Netherworld, but he did not dwell long on it. He knew that few could match his power in this current day and age.
'Save for Krichevskoy...he was the one to seal me in my own tower after all.'
Baal seethed with rage. After a little while he calmed down, retaining his focus. Things didn't have to be rushed, after all.
------
Alternate Netherworld, Overlord's Castle, Throne Room
She could feel the whole castle shake.
"That's the third time. What's going on out there? We don't get quakes this often."
The Overlord, Priere, said to herself as she sat on her throne. One of her Vassals, a Succubus rushed through the large door leading to the Overlord's chamber. She kneeled before the Overlord and began to speak as she breathed heavily.
"Your highness, there's a giant Demon in the castle! The guards can't hold him off!"
The Vassal said hastily. Priere narrowed her eyes.
"Are you sure? I would have been able to sense a powerful Demon near by..."
Priere never got to finish as a KittyCat Demon rushed into the room, kneeling before Priere in a similar fashion.
"Your highness, it's the Lord of Terror! The Lord of Terror is..."
The Vassal was interrupted by a deep voice.
"...of course I'm here."
The three already in the room looked toward the large doorway to see Baal himself. His giant stone hands were covered in blood, which started dripping on the floor. Priere felt a spike of power emanate from him suddenly.
"You can't be...how were you able to mask such power from my senses?!"
Priere gritted her teeth and clutched the arm rests of her throne tightly. She couldn't believe someone with so much power could hide it so easily. Baal smirked arrogantly.
"Let's just say I have my means. I am superior to you in every way, Overlord...Priere, was it? I suppose you don't need an introduction since your Vassals here did it for me."
Baal bowed slightly and spoke in an arrogant fashion. Priere growled lowly at his rudeness, grabbing a baton type weapon from her side and stood up.
"So your Baal, the Lord of Terror. I'm not impressed."
Priere said confidently. That confidence wouldn't last long though. Baal looked the Overlord up and down.
"Your not as you seem. I was unaware that humans could use certain magics to turn themselves into full Demons. Very interesting..."
He chuckled lowly. Priere was a bit awed by his perceptions, but knew, considering he was the Lord of Terror, he had his ways. It was true she had once been human but her fascination with dark magic lead her down the path to become a full Demon, and later on, the legendary Overlord she was now.
"So what? What's the problem?
Priere asked. Baal smirked.
"No problem at all. But let's not stray on these offhand topics. On to business. I'm sure your already sure of why I've come here, but in case your blissfully unaware of the reason, I'll tell you. Surrender the Alternate Netherworld to me and I'll spare you and the remainder of your Demons' lives, for now."
Baal said with another mocking bow at the Overlord's direction. Priere scoffed.
"Piss off, Baal! What's the point of agreeing with your terms if your simply going to spare us temporarily?"
Priere said with a snarl. Baal's amused face at her reaction made her more angry by the minute. Baal's smirked turned into a slight grin.
"Exactly...I don't want you to surrender peacefully, I would rather beat it out of your pretty little mouth, woman!"
His face went from amused to dead serious, his expression turning grim. He cracked his large knuckles, letting out audible popping noises. Priere grasped her baton tightly and got into a fighting stance, along with her two Vassals. Deep down Baal was relishing in the fear he saw in the eyes of the Succubus and Kitty Cat Demons. Priere's look of determination blocked any fear from her eyes, but Baal noticed a tiny sweat drop appear on the right side of her face.
'Yes, fear what I am. It will only make your battle seem that much more futile to you, and entertain me that much more.'
Baal took a calm pose, standing still and up right. He closed his eyes, making him appear like a statue. Priere and her Vassals grew more tense as they waited. Baal remained unmoving. Priere cursed softly.
'Damn...I just know this is a trap. He wants us to attack and then wants to counter attack. What's the best way to approach this...?'
She was not able to come up with a good strategy in time, as her Kitty Cat Vassal became impatient, and out of fear, went on the offensive brashly.
"No, you idiot!"
Priere screamed at her, but her Vassal ran towards Baal at blistering speed and jumped up, preparing to land a kick to Baal's jaw. All she got was his forearm as he moved it up to block the blow. Baal smirked, extending his arm out to push the Vassal away and grasp her head tightly in his hand. The Kitty Cat squirmed and writhed to try and get free, but the effort was useless.
"You should have listened to your Overlord. Now all you get is your head crushed..."
His fist closed tighter around the Demon's head, but a spark of lightning hit his forearm, making him loosen his grasp so the Kitty Cat could escape. She rushed quickly back to where Priere and the Succubus who just saved her were.
"Don't you dare do something stupid like that again, got it?!"
Priere yelled at her Vassal, who nodded slowly.
'I have got to find a way to get to Etna and warn her of Baal's return...but how?'
Priere thought nervously. An idea came to mind. It was not very good, but it was the only way. She whispered something very low. The Kitty Cat's ears perked up as she heard Priere's voice.
"You two have to get out of here while I hold him off. Find the Dimensional Gatekeeper and go to the Netherworld. Get an audience with Overlord Etna and tell her Baal is free and in the Alternate Netherworld. Don't question me on this, just do it. Now get ready."
She ordered to her Vassal. The Succubus was still unaware of what was being planned.
"Hey Baal, try this on for size!"
Priere stated as she came forward, running past her Vassals as she picked up speed. Baal smirked.
"Your slower that your Vassal, it seems."
It was now Priere's turn to smirk. She seemed to fade out of existence, only to appear in front of Baal's face to deliver a side swipe of her baton against his skull, making his head rear back from the impact. Priere continued the onslaught as she touched ground quickly, driving her baton into Baal's stomach repeatedly as he remained off balance. She put enough force to send him through a wall outside of the chamber. The Kitty Cat wasted no time in dragging the Succubus out of the throne room and away from Baal to look for the Dimensional Gatekeeper.
"I actually felt those blows..."
Baal said as he lay on the ground on top of the rubble that had once been a part of the wall before Priere drove him through it.
"Aw...what's wrong? Did I hurt you too much?"
Priere mocked him. She knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she had to keep his attention on herself so he wouldn't realize her Vassals were gone to look for the Dimensional Gatekeeper. Baal got up slowly, his eyes starting to glow brighter.
"Heh...that felt good, Overlord. Allow me to finish this quickly so I can get your Vassals and stop them from running."
Baal stated as he got up. Priere cursed softly, seeing that Baal's attention was not diverted to just her as she had hoped.
'I have to hold him off somehow...'
Priere thought as she faced Baal.
"I believe I will start off this time, Overlord."
Baal said with his ever present smirk. Priere took a more defensive stance.
'Judging by the way he blocked my Vassal's attack, he's a lot faster than I think. His size only makes him look slow.'
Priere analyzed in her head. It was as she thought. She barely had time to react to deflect his massive left fist as it came at her. She had to jump back before his right fist could come down and smash her.
"You fell for it."
Baal said simply to the surprised Priere. His right fist made it's full motion and hit the ground with enough force to uplift the part of the floor Priere had landed on. The result was Priere getting herself launched at his direction. Baal swiftly caught her by the waist with his left hand and fluidly spun around to throw her head first into the ground. Priere recovered quickly, flipping up right to land on her feet and spinning around to face Baal. All she was met with was a shoulder charge that sent her airborne again, only to be swatted down roughly as Baal concluded his onslaught with a clothesline. Priere found herself face first on the ground. She got up slowly, letting out a strained breath. She turned, seeing Baal with his back faced to her. He turned slightly to glance at her, and after a little bit he began to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
Priere asked as she eyed him suspiciously. Baal only laughed harder. Priere narrowed her eyes.
"What's so damn funny?!"
After a bit more laughing Baal went silent. He looked at her with his usual amused expression.
"I can now see it in your eyes, Overlord. Yes...that priceless look of fear and doubt that's imprinted in your eyes. The most beautiful reaction I can get from others. Your afraid now..."
As if to prove his point, Baal took a step forward. Priere, to her own surprise, stepped back. This was something she never did before when she first became a Demon. Fear was something she was unaccustomed to but she knew that she was afraid of Baal. He proved why he was known as the Lord of Terror.
"How shall I end your life...? It has to be something to keep that wonderful look on your face as I kill you."
Baal said in a casual manner as he walked closer to Priere's destination.
'I am not going to die here...but what can I...wait that's it!'
A spark of hope filled her. This didn't go unnoticed by Baal who looked disgusted at her.
"That's too bad. Seems you got some plan brewing in your head now. I know that look."
Baal stated as he stopped walking. Priere grinned.
"See ya. Dragon's Rage!"
Priere sped towards Baal and landed a blow to his stomach. She landed another one in rapid succession, making Baal lean forward, before she struck him in the chest with enough force to make him rise a little off the ground. She jumped up after him with a forward somersault, and then drove her foot into him, making him go backwards. Baal felt himself hit the wall and then felt himself falling with Priere.
"Clever, knocking me out the window like that."
Baal stated. Priere jumped off him and spread her giant red wings to full length. While Baal fell to the lava pool below the castle, Priere flew to the safety of the cliff's edge that overlooked the castle. Baal didn't even scream as he fell and hit the lava, all he did was keep the smirk plastered on his face. Priere landed on her rear once she touched ground. She breathed heavily.
"That was quite some challenge."
She said to herself. She wasn't able to breath easy yet. Her ears picked up a distinct sound at the bottom of the cliff. Looking over, she saw Baal submerge from the lava and beginning to scale the cliff.
"Damn it, can't you die properly?"
Priere shouted towards him. Baal let her see his smirk.
"There's a lot of ways to die properly, Overlord."
He said as he continued to scale up.
"Your highness, we found the Gatekeeper!"
Priere turned around to see her Vassals and the Gatekeeper with them.
"I thought I told you two to go to the Netherworld once you found her. Ugh...never mind, let's get out of here and I'll complain later. Hurry and open a gate to the Overlord's Castle in the Netherworld."
The Gatekeeper complied. Soon a white disk of light appeared before the four of them.
"Let's hurry."
Priere stated as she was the first one in. She was followed quickly by her three companions before the gate closed. Baal had just arrived up on the cliff as it closed.
"So...they got away. A minor setback to my amusement, however..."
Baal turned to face the Castle.
"...The Alternate Netherworld has fallen in my hands now that the Overlord has fled."
Baal began to laugh. Even the stars in the night sky seemed to dim as if in fear of being caught in his gaze.
***TBC***
Note: Not much to this chapter other than Baal causing a lot of trouble now that he's free from his tower. Well, that and Priere gets to show up here too for quite a bit of the chapter also...and, well this chapter is a bit longer than the first two, so that's a good thing. That's all I really have to say...
Written By Illuminet
Disclaimer: Just refer to the first chapter. It's there.
"..."-Indicate Speech
'...'-Indicate Thought
------
Alternate Netherworld, Forgotten Tower of Baal, Patriarch Seal
The light was blinding but only lasted for a moment before dispersing. Baal took his first step from his high tower to gaze at the landscape. His crimson eyes first looked towards the sky, and judging from the position of the sun, guessed it to about three hours or so until sundown.
'Perfect...almost night time.'
Baal smirked. The feeling of being free was exhilarating for him.
'Before I head over to conquer the Netherworld, this Alternate Netherworld should be brought under my control first...'
Baal thought. He was unaware of who the Overlord of the Alternate Netherworld, but he did not dwell long on it. He knew that few could match his power in this current day and age.
'Save for Krichevskoy...he was the one to seal me in my own tower after all.'
Baal seethed with rage. After a little while he calmed down, retaining his focus. Things didn't have to be rushed, after all.
------
Alternate Netherworld, Overlord's Castle, Throne Room
She could feel the whole castle shake.
"That's the third time. What's going on out there? We don't get quakes this often."
The Overlord, Priere, said to herself as she sat on her throne. One of her Vassals, a Succubus rushed through the large door leading to the Overlord's chamber. She kneeled before the Overlord and began to speak as she breathed heavily.
"Your highness, there's a giant Demon in the castle! The guards can't hold him off!"
The Vassal said hastily. Priere narrowed her eyes.
"Are you sure? I would have been able to sense a powerful Demon near by..."
Priere never got to finish as a KittyCat Demon rushed into the room, kneeling before Priere in a similar fashion.
"Your highness, it's the Lord of Terror! The Lord of Terror is..."
The Vassal was interrupted by a deep voice.
"...of course I'm here."
The three already in the room looked toward the large doorway to see Baal himself. His giant stone hands were covered in blood, which started dripping on the floor. Priere felt a spike of power emanate from him suddenly.
"You can't be...how were you able to mask such power from my senses?!"
Priere gritted her teeth and clutched the arm rests of her throne tightly. She couldn't believe someone with so much power could hide it so easily. Baal smirked arrogantly.
"Let's just say I have my means. I am superior to you in every way, Overlord...Priere, was it? I suppose you don't need an introduction since your Vassals here did it for me."
Baal bowed slightly and spoke in an arrogant fashion. Priere growled lowly at his rudeness, grabbing a baton type weapon from her side and stood up.
"So your Baal, the Lord of Terror. I'm not impressed."
Priere said confidently. That confidence wouldn't last long though. Baal looked the Overlord up and down.
"Your not as you seem. I was unaware that humans could use certain magics to turn themselves into full Demons. Very interesting..."
He chuckled lowly. Priere was a bit awed by his perceptions, but knew, considering he was the Lord of Terror, he had his ways. It was true she had once been human but her fascination with dark magic lead her down the path to become a full Demon, and later on, the legendary Overlord she was now.
"So what? What's the problem?
Priere asked. Baal smirked.
"No problem at all. But let's not stray on these offhand topics. On to business. I'm sure your already sure of why I've come here, but in case your blissfully unaware of the reason, I'll tell you. Surrender the Alternate Netherworld to me and I'll spare you and the remainder of your Demons' lives, for now."
Baal said with another mocking bow at the Overlord's direction. Priere scoffed.
"Piss off, Baal! What's the point of agreeing with your terms if your simply going to spare us temporarily?"
Priere said with a snarl. Baal's amused face at her reaction made her more angry by the minute. Baal's smirked turned into a slight grin.
"Exactly...I don't want you to surrender peacefully, I would rather beat it out of your pretty little mouth, woman!"
His face went from amused to dead serious, his expression turning grim. He cracked his large knuckles, letting out audible popping noises. Priere grasped her baton tightly and got into a fighting stance, along with her two Vassals. Deep down Baal was relishing in the fear he saw in the eyes of the Succubus and Kitty Cat Demons. Priere's look of determination blocked any fear from her eyes, but Baal noticed a tiny sweat drop appear on the right side of her face.
'Yes, fear what I am. It will only make your battle seem that much more futile to you, and entertain me that much more.'
Baal took a calm pose, standing still and up right. He closed his eyes, making him appear like a statue. Priere and her Vassals grew more tense as they waited. Baal remained unmoving. Priere cursed softly.
'Damn...I just know this is a trap. He wants us to attack and then wants to counter attack. What's the best way to approach this...?'
She was not able to come up with a good strategy in time, as her Kitty Cat Vassal became impatient, and out of fear, went on the offensive brashly.
"No, you idiot!"
Priere screamed at her, but her Vassal ran towards Baal at blistering speed and jumped up, preparing to land a kick to Baal's jaw. All she got was his forearm as he moved it up to block the blow. Baal smirked, extending his arm out to push the Vassal away and grasp her head tightly in his hand. The Kitty Cat squirmed and writhed to try and get free, but the effort was useless.
"You should have listened to your Overlord. Now all you get is your head crushed..."
His fist closed tighter around the Demon's head, but a spark of lightning hit his forearm, making him loosen his grasp so the Kitty Cat could escape. She rushed quickly back to where Priere and the Succubus who just saved her were.
"Don't you dare do something stupid like that again, got it?!"
Priere yelled at her Vassal, who nodded slowly.
'I have got to find a way to get to Etna and warn her of Baal's return...but how?'
Priere thought nervously. An idea came to mind. It was not very good, but it was the only way. She whispered something very low. The Kitty Cat's ears perked up as she heard Priere's voice.
"You two have to get out of here while I hold him off. Find the Dimensional Gatekeeper and go to the Netherworld. Get an audience with Overlord Etna and tell her Baal is free and in the Alternate Netherworld. Don't question me on this, just do it. Now get ready."
She ordered to her Vassal. The Succubus was still unaware of what was being planned.
"Hey Baal, try this on for size!"
Priere stated as she came forward, running past her Vassals as she picked up speed. Baal smirked.
"Your slower that your Vassal, it seems."
It was now Priere's turn to smirk. She seemed to fade out of existence, only to appear in front of Baal's face to deliver a side swipe of her baton against his skull, making his head rear back from the impact. Priere continued the onslaught as she touched ground quickly, driving her baton into Baal's stomach repeatedly as he remained off balance. She put enough force to send him through a wall outside of the chamber. The Kitty Cat wasted no time in dragging the Succubus out of the throne room and away from Baal to look for the Dimensional Gatekeeper.
"I actually felt those blows..."
Baal said as he lay on the ground on top of the rubble that had once been a part of the wall before Priere drove him through it.
"Aw...what's wrong? Did I hurt you too much?"
Priere mocked him. She knew it wasn't the smartest thing to do, but she had to keep his attention on herself so he wouldn't realize her Vassals were gone to look for the Dimensional Gatekeeper. Baal got up slowly, his eyes starting to glow brighter.
"Heh...that felt good, Overlord. Allow me to finish this quickly so I can get your Vassals and stop them from running."
Baal stated as he got up. Priere cursed softly, seeing that Baal's attention was not diverted to just her as she had hoped.
'I have to hold him off somehow...'
Priere thought as she faced Baal.
"I believe I will start off this time, Overlord."
Baal said with his ever present smirk. Priere took a more defensive stance.
'Judging by the way he blocked my Vassal's attack, he's a lot faster than I think. His size only makes him look slow.'
Priere analyzed in her head. It was as she thought. She barely had time to react to deflect his massive left fist as it came at her. She had to jump back before his right fist could come down and smash her.
"You fell for it."
Baal said simply to the surprised Priere. His right fist made it's full motion and hit the ground with enough force to uplift the part of the floor Priere had landed on. The result was Priere getting herself launched at his direction. Baal swiftly caught her by the waist with his left hand and fluidly spun around to throw her head first into the ground. Priere recovered quickly, flipping up right to land on her feet and spinning around to face Baal. All she was met with was a shoulder charge that sent her airborne again, only to be swatted down roughly as Baal concluded his onslaught with a clothesline. Priere found herself face first on the ground. She got up slowly, letting out a strained breath. She turned, seeing Baal with his back faced to her. He turned slightly to glance at her, and after a little bit he began to laugh.
"What's so funny?"
Priere asked as she eyed him suspiciously. Baal only laughed harder. Priere narrowed her eyes.
"What's so damn funny?!"
After a bit more laughing Baal went silent. He looked at her with his usual amused expression.
"I can now see it in your eyes, Overlord. Yes...that priceless look of fear and doubt that's imprinted in your eyes. The most beautiful reaction I can get from others. Your afraid now..."
As if to prove his point, Baal took a step forward. Priere, to her own surprise, stepped back. This was something she never did before when she first became a Demon. Fear was something she was unaccustomed to but she knew that she was afraid of Baal. He proved why he was known as the Lord of Terror.
"How shall I end your life...? It has to be something to keep that wonderful look on your face as I kill you."
Baal said in a casual manner as he walked closer to Priere's destination.
'I am not going to die here...but what can I...wait that's it!'
A spark of hope filled her. This didn't go unnoticed by Baal who looked disgusted at her.
"That's too bad. Seems you got some plan brewing in your head now. I know that look."
Baal stated as he stopped walking. Priere grinned.
"See ya. Dragon's Rage!"
Priere sped towards Baal and landed a blow to his stomach. She landed another one in rapid succession, making Baal lean forward, before she struck him in the chest with enough force to make him rise a little off the ground. She jumped up after him with a forward somersault, and then drove her foot into him, making him go backwards. Baal felt himself hit the wall and then felt himself falling with Priere.
"Clever, knocking me out the window like that."
Baal stated. Priere jumped off him and spread her giant red wings to full length. While Baal fell to the lava pool below the castle, Priere flew to the safety of the cliff's edge that overlooked the castle. Baal didn't even scream as he fell and hit the lava, all he did was keep the smirk plastered on his face. Priere landed on her rear once she touched ground. She breathed heavily.
"That was quite some challenge."
She said to herself. She wasn't able to breath easy yet. Her ears picked up a distinct sound at the bottom of the cliff. Looking over, she saw Baal submerge from the lava and beginning to scale the cliff.
"Damn it, can't you die properly?"
Priere shouted towards him. Baal let her see his smirk.
"There's a lot of ways to die properly, Overlord."
He said as he continued to scale up.
"Your highness, we found the Gatekeeper!"
Priere turned around to see her Vassals and the Gatekeeper with them.
"I thought I told you two to go to the Netherworld once you found her. Ugh...never mind, let's get out of here and I'll complain later. Hurry and open a gate to the Overlord's Castle in the Netherworld."
The Gatekeeper complied. Soon a white disk of light appeared before the four of them.
"Let's hurry."
Priere stated as she was the first one in. She was followed quickly by her three companions before the gate closed. Baal had just arrived up on the cliff as it closed.
"So...they got away. A minor setback to my amusement, however..."
Baal turned to face the Castle.
"...The Alternate Netherworld has fallen in my hands now that the Overlord has fled."
Baal began to laugh. Even the stars in the night sky seemed to dim as if in fear of being caught in his gaze.
***TBC***
Note: Not much to this chapter other than Baal causing a lot of trouble now that he's free from his tower. Well, that and Priere gets to show up here too for quite a bit of the chapter also...and, well this chapter is a bit longer than the first two, so that's a good thing. That's all I really have to say...
