Chapter 16 Threat of the Diamohn
Interesting.
That was the first thought to enter Metallia's mind as she reclaimed her worldly form. Slowly, she awakened the sleeping vessel and stood, stretching muscles that had begun to cramp from being so long in one position. She did not flinch as pain shot through her, but rather, smiled vaguely as she recalled the events in the Crystal Tower.
So...Lady Saturn's daughter was not the Promise Child. Metallia had spoken correctly when she told Hotaru that there was another person inside her, a strong one who went by the name of the Promise Child. Although they both shared the body formed within Lady Saturn's womb, the Promise Child was an entity entirely separate from Hotaru of Saturn. Hotaru of Saturn was nothing but the pathetic bastard brat born to a traitor.
How very interesting.
Of course, that meant that Hotaru herself would have to die, but that was a minor inconvenience. Weak and gullible as she was, it would be no trouble for the Promise Child to take her over. A delicious shiver of anticipation passed over the goddess.
"This is indeed going to be great fun," she purred aloud, savoring the moment.
"I would like to agree, Metallia," another voice sneered gleefully from behind her. "It most certainly will be fun. Of course, that very much depends on whose fun we are speaking of."
Metallia felt her veins turn ice-cold with rage and raw hatred. "Germatoid," she growled, not even bothering to look at him. "And what warrants you spreading your foul odor to my lair?"
"You wound me with your words, aunt," the diamohn declared mockingly. "Is that anyway to greet your beloved nephew?"
He was baiting her, and she knew it, but his words nettled her too deeply for her to ignore. "You are as much my 'dear nephew' as a cat!" the goddess snarled.
Germatoid assumed a pained expression, putting a hand over his heart. "You are too cruel!" he declared piteously. "Why, what would your brother say?"
Metallia's dark eyes snapped with fury. "Do not EVER refer to Pharaoh 90 as my brother again! That...creature may have been created alongside the gods, but he is not one of us! He and all his sniveling offspring—"
"The diamohn," Germatoid corrected.
"—are to the dark gods what the faeries are to the gods of light: creatures born of our residue, created to serve us."
"Selene calls a faerie girl Sister," Germatoid observed easily.
"Selene is weak!" Metallia spat.
"Come off it, Aunt. You know it is not true. The only reason you will not call my father Brother is because he refuses to be your pawn. He fights for himself, not for the end of the dark gods' exile. That is why you fear him."
"Fear him?" Metallia spluttered angrily. "What reason do I have to fear your father? I am a dark goddess! Chaos is my champion! Pharaoh 90 is a diamohn! I would drink his blood for power but that it would not be worth the bellyache afterwards!" And the goddess spat disgustedly on the floor of her lair before turning dismissively away from the diamohn. But Germatoid was not ready to close matters.
"If you do not fear my father, why do you obsess over the Promise Child as you do?"
His words went through the goddess like a lightning strike. Slowly, her eyes glittering with cold fire, she turned to face the diamohn.
"What do you know about the Promise Child?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous.
"Enough that you ought to fear for your cause, Aunt. She is the creation of Chaos, is she not? She'll put quite a lot of power in the hands of whoever can win her loyalty."
Metallia bared her teeth at the diamohn in a vicious sneer. Slowly, two lily-soft hands came together, sending a sound like a thunderclap rolling through the lair. Germatoid did not flinch, even as she repeated the act several times.
"Bravo," she snarled. "With the right shell, you might find a wonderful career as a traveling entertainer. You are already adept at dancing around a subject."
"Such a venomous tongue!" Germatoid exclaimed. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Don't play the fool! A beetle could see that you intend to use the Promise Child for your own purposes!"
"Guilty as charged, my divine lady. So, when can I collect her?"
"What kind of idiot do you take me for? You think I am simply going to hand the Promise Child over to you? Does your father rebel against Destiny as well as the dark gods?"
"Destiny has no place in this."
"Of course it does! Destiny has already provided you with a means to power: your 'diamohn goddess,' Mistress 9. You have been willed Kinmoku, have you not?"
"That puny star?" Germatoid sneered. "Even you must agree that the diamohn are above that."
"Don't be greedy! Kinmoku is a fine Kingdom. You'll be well set there."
"Our goal is to spread our darkness throughout the cosmos. Kinmoku makes a pathetic stepping stone. Of course, if we were to acquire the White Moon Kingdom...now that would be an effective blow."
"Serenity—and her Kingdom—is my prize!" Metallia snarled. "This goes far deeper than any plans for cosmic domination. This is a matter of honor and glory! The Promise Child will bring justice to the dark gods! Your Mistress 9 will give you the worlds you are meant to have when you are meant to have them."
"My father was never the patient type, Metallia."
"What does that mean to me? He cannot hurt me. I am surprised that you would even dare to come to me with such threats. Or..." she smiled, "is it a plea? A cry for help? Perhaps, your goddess remains elusive, so you come to ask a real goddess for her weapon?"
Germatoid pursed his lips, regarding the dark one with wavering haughtiness. He said nothing, but his silence told Metallia all she needed to know. She snickered. "So, it is the son who fears the father's wrath. It was never meant as a threat on a higher being."
"Would you leave us powerless?" Germatoid growled under his breath, but not so softly that Metallia did not hear.
"Yes!" the goddess roared. "You give me no reason to help you, and I shall never relinquish the Promise Child to anyone!"
"Suppose you help because otherwise you will rue the day you entered the mortal worlds?" the diamohn snarled, taking a menacing step towards her.
Metallia arched an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth lifting in a contemptuous smirk. "Now you resort to pitiful threats?"
"Not threats, Aunt. Promises." He took another step towards her. Something flashed silver and red in the darkness. Germatoid froze. He hardly dared to breathe. For it was the bloody tip of the Silence Glaive pressed against his throat that had stopped his assault.
"Do not be foolhardy, Germatoid," Metallia purred, pushing the glaive towards his throat, holding back just enough to keep it from drawing blood. "Even I could not survive a stab from the Silence Glaive. Are you certain you want to risk it?"
Germatoid narrowed his eyes at the goddess, who met his gaze steadily, holding it for several pregnant moments. Her blood-red lips curved upwards in a triumphant smirk, and Germatoid reluctantly stepped back, teeth grinding in agitation.
"I always knew you were smart," Metallia chortled.
Germatoid gestured rudely at her, using his second finger as he had seen humans do. The goddess was unfazed, and he turned on his heel with a vicious snarl. "This is not over, Metallia. I will get what I came for. You may be able to command the Promise Child, but how will you fare when Sailor Saturn makes her appearance?"
Interesting.
That was the first thought to enter Metallia's mind as she reclaimed her worldly form. Slowly, she awakened the sleeping vessel and stood, stretching muscles that had begun to cramp from being so long in one position. She did not flinch as pain shot through her, but rather, smiled vaguely as she recalled the events in the Crystal Tower.
So...Lady Saturn's daughter was not the Promise Child. Metallia had spoken correctly when she told Hotaru that there was another person inside her, a strong one who went by the name of the Promise Child. Although they both shared the body formed within Lady Saturn's womb, the Promise Child was an entity entirely separate from Hotaru of Saturn. Hotaru of Saturn was nothing but the pathetic bastard brat born to a traitor.
How very interesting.
Of course, that meant that Hotaru herself would have to die, but that was a minor inconvenience. Weak and gullible as she was, it would be no trouble for the Promise Child to take her over. A delicious shiver of anticipation passed over the goddess.
"This is indeed going to be great fun," she purred aloud, savoring the moment.
"I would like to agree, Metallia," another voice sneered gleefully from behind her. "It most certainly will be fun. Of course, that very much depends on whose fun we are speaking of."
Metallia felt her veins turn ice-cold with rage and raw hatred. "Germatoid," she growled, not even bothering to look at him. "And what warrants you spreading your foul odor to my lair?"
"You wound me with your words, aunt," the diamohn declared mockingly. "Is that anyway to greet your beloved nephew?"
He was baiting her, and she knew it, but his words nettled her too deeply for her to ignore. "You are as much my 'dear nephew' as a cat!" the goddess snarled.
Germatoid assumed a pained expression, putting a hand over his heart. "You are too cruel!" he declared piteously. "Why, what would your brother say?"
Metallia's dark eyes snapped with fury. "Do not EVER refer to Pharaoh 90 as my brother again! That...creature may have been created alongside the gods, but he is not one of us! He and all his sniveling offspring—"
"The diamohn," Germatoid corrected.
"—are to the dark gods what the faeries are to the gods of light: creatures born of our residue, created to serve us."
"Selene calls a faerie girl Sister," Germatoid observed easily.
"Selene is weak!" Metallia spat.
"Come off it, Aunt. You know it is not true. The only reason you will not call my father Brother is because he refuses to be your pawn. He fights for himself, not for the end of the dark gods' exile. That is why you fear him."
"Fear him?" Metallia spluttered angrily. "What reason do I have to fear your father? I am a dark goddess! Chaos is my champion! Pharaoh 90 is a diamohn! I would drink his blood for power but that it would not be worth the bellyache afterwards!" And the goddess spat disgustedly on the floor of her lair before turning dismissively away from the diamohn. But Germatoid was not ready to close matters.
"If you do not fear my father, why do you obsess over the Promise Child as you do?"
His words went through the goddess like a lightning strike. Slowly, her eyes glittering with cold fire, she turned to face the diamohn.
"What do you know about the Promise Child?" she demanded, her voice low and dangerous.
"Enough that you ought to fear for your cause, Aunt. She is the creation of Chaos, is she not? She'll put quite a lot of power in the hands of whoever can win her loyalty."
Metallia bared her teeth at the diamohn in a vicious sneer. Slowly, two lily-soft hands came together, sending a sound like a thunderclap rolling through the lair. Germatoid did not flinch, even as she repeated the act several times.
"Bravo," she snarled. "With the right shell, you might find a wonderful career as a traveling entertainer. You are already adept at dancing around a subject."
"Such a venomous tongue!" Germatoid exclaimed. "Whatever do you mean?"
"Don't play the fool! A beetle could see that you intend to use the Promise Child for your own purposes!"
"Guilty as charged, my divine lady. So, when can I collect her?"
"What kind of idiot do you take me for? You think I am simply going to hand the Promise Child over to you? Does your father rebel against Destiny as well as the dark gods?"
"Destiny has no place in this."
"Of course it does! Destiny has already provided you with a means to power: your 'diamohn goddess,' Mistress 9. You have been willed Kinmoku, have you not?"
"That puny star?" Germatoid sneered. "Even you must agree that the diamohn are above that."
"Don't be greedy! Kinmoku is a fine Kingdom. You'll be well set there."
"Our goal is to spread our darkness throughout the cosmos. Kinmoku makes a pathetic stepping stone. Of course, if we were to acquire the White Moon Kingdom...now that would be an effective blow."
"Serenity—and her Kingdom—is my prize!" Metallia snarled. "This goes far deeper than any plans for cosmic domination. This is a matter of honor and glory! The Promise Child will bring justice to the dark gods! Your Mistress 9 will give you the worlds you are meant to have when you are meant to have them."
"My father was never the patient type, Metallia."
"What does that mean to me? He cannot hurt me. I am surprised that you would even dare to come to me with such threats. Or..." she smiled, "is it a plea? A cry for help? Perhaps, your goddess remains elusive, so you come to ask a real goddess for her weapon?"
Germatoid pursed his lips, regarding the dark one with wavering haughtiness. He said nothing, but his silence told Metallia all she needed to know. She snickered. "So, it is the son who fears the father's wrath. It was never meant as a threat on a higher being."
"Would you leave us powerless?" Germatoid growled under his breath, but not so softly that Metallia did not hear.
"Yes!" the goddess roared. "You give me no reason to help you, and I shall never relinquish the Promise Child to anyone!"
"Suppose you help because otherwise you will rue the day you entered the mortal worlds?" the diamohn snarled, taking a menacing step towards her.
Metallia arched an eyebrow, one corner of her mouth lifting in a contemptuous smirk. "Now you resort to pitiful threats?"
"Not threats, Aunt. Promises." He took another step towards her. Something flashed silver and red in the darkness. Germatoid froze. He hardly dared to breathe. For it was the bloody tip of the Silence Glaive pressed against his throat that had stopped his assault.
"Do not be foolhardy, Germatoid," Metallia purred, pushing the glaive towards his throat, holding back just enough to keep it from drawing blood. "Even I could not survive a stab from the Silence Glaive. Are you certain you want to risk it?"
Germatoid narrowed his eyes at the goddess, who met his gaze steadily, holding it for several pregnant moments. Her blood-red lips curved upwards in a triumphant smirk, and Germatoid reluctantly stepped back, teeth grinding in agitation.
"I always knew you were smart," Metallia chortled.
Germatoid gestured rudely at her, using his second finger as he had seen humans do. The goddess was unfazed, and he turned on his heel with a vicious snarl. "This is not over, Metallia. I will get what I came for. You may be able to command the Promise Child, but how will you fare when Sailor Saturn makes her appearance?"