RAGNAROK ONLINE FANFIC

TRANSGRESSIONS OF FATE

By: RAGNAR (that really is my name)

Chapter 06: Deals and Agreements

Sodos came into Glast Heim's enormous throne room. It's walls high enough to dwarf anything made by today's builders. Stairs close to the side lead to higher floors where the Royals and the High Born would listen to the King.

The throne itself was made with pure extravagance and grandeur. Whoever designed the thing was probably ignorant of the garishness of the product of his pseudo-artistry. From where he stood, Sodos can still see the markings where there was supposed to be gold and silver gilding. The seat could have been looted out as well if not for the sheer audacity of its size.

Numerous chandeliers decorate the black painted roof to make it look like the night sky filled with stars. The candles have long been burned or rotted away after ages of disuse. Some of the chandeliers even littered the floor because the chains that held them gave way.

Sodos knew this place well. Here, he and his batch of new soldiers were accepted into the main army when he was only ten. Here, he and Leish found Mae, holding on to her father's side when they were still thirteen. Here, Sodos was promoted Captain of the Council's bodyguards when he was twenty. Here, he and Mae were found guilty of insurrection.

Mae was given the mercy of death... Sodos was to be thrown into the Rift.

His footsteps echoed across the throne room long after he has stopped walking.

"So? Where are you Demon?" His tone was rather... arrogant, but then, he lost all sense of respect a long time ago. Besides, he never liked demons.

"WHAT IS THIS NEWS THAT YOU HAVEN'T BROUGHT ME THE SOUL OF GEFFEN, SODOS?" a voice boomed across the room, making some of the crystals from the chandeliers rattle. It was supposed to be a whisper, judging by the sound of it, but this certain demon has not the ability to do so, his voice always sounded like an avalanche.

"We had unexpected distractions. The Wizard was able to disperse the crystal's barriers and – "

Before he had time to react, a powerful hand struck him on the face, sending him flying through the hall before slamming on the wall. He can feel his arms, back, and neck broken from the impact, but, when he stood up, he was whole again.

Brushing all the dust from his pants, he continued on, "as I said, the Wizard was able to send the crystal to a location we are still in the process of finding. We had to pull back because our time was running out."

This time, hand sent him flying against the doors, breaking them apart from the hinges and making him slide a few feet more on the floor before the ruined gates fell on his face.

He lifted the door with ease as his limbs became fixed again. His jaws started to hurt from gritting his teeth too much.

He was getting tired of this.

"EXCUSES, EXCUSES!!!" this time, the demon was shouting. Dust and pebbles can be heard falling in the corridors as they were shook loose by the voice. "YOUR KIND IS FILLED WITH NOTHING BUT EXCUSES!"

A figure can be seen moving through the shadows, quickly approaching him. In short, it was enormous, around three times Sodos' size. As the demon came closer to the remaining candlelight, he can see its goat horns shining dully. Its eyes were burning with rage and its hot breath condensed in the cold stale air.

Baphomet's enormous hand swallowed Sodos' head completely before he threw him back into the thrown room, slamming him into the oversized throne. Amazingly though, the seat was only slightly damaged.

Before Sodos' body was able to reconstruct, Baphomet pinned him to the nearest pillar.

"GIVE ME ONE GOOD REASON WHY I SHOULDN'T THROW YOU BACK INTO THE ABYSS, RIGHT NOW..."

The demon was considerably calmer than a few minutes ago, but his voice was still laced with anger.

He had received enough punishment for one day, and he was sick of it.

"Because I will kill you if you try, Demon," his newly reformed hands found the two knives he sheathed on his back, "and please, don't throw me around like a rag doll, you might live to regret it."

"I will live up to my part of the bargain, Demon, I expect you to live up to yours." Their eyes met, "I will hand over the Soul of Geffen to you as soon as you give me the location of the Guardian's spirits."

Baphomet was an egotistic idiot. The demon wasn't the one who brought them out of the Rift, Sodos was. Baphomet didn't know that the necessary information was just artificially crammed into his brain.

He gave the demon a meaningful look, "Now let me go."

"WHY YOU INSOLENT...!", Baphomet's fist drew back, making him see that this was going to hurt.

The demon released the punch.

However, his twin knives were able to cut off his fist like a pair of scissors cutting paper.

Before the severed limb struck the floor, Sodos brought the tip of both knives to the demon's wrist.

Baphomet roared in pain as he let go of him while black, acrid blood showered across the room from the stump that was his arm. The sticky, hot, dark fluid hissing on the floor as it began to cover it.

This time, it was Baphomet who was pinned to the wall when Sodos gave him a powerful kick. Before the demon could even recover, his knives were at both sides of the demon's throat.

"Listen and listen well, Demon," Anger seeped into his empty heart, "the Fateless take orders from no one!", blood from the demon's neck began to sizzle from the knives' blades when he pressed them harder.

"We are not under command from you, the will of men... not even the gods remember us!" Sodos was smiling now, he didn't know why, but intimidating this dumb beast was a nice distraction.

"I can kill you in a thousand different ways when I feel like it," the knives tightened around Baphomet's throat to make a point, "you're just an insect to me."

The Demon's eyes were filled with terror when he realized that his life was finally on the edge. "SODOS, BE REASONABLE... MAYBE WE COULD STRIKE A DEAL? ONE THAT IS IN YOUR FAVOR, YES?"

"No."

Sodos brought down his blades, but not to sever the head, but to cut off the arms.

Bapho's half-roar, half-scream threatened to shake the whole building down as more blood spilled from where his limbs once were.

Little demons, smaller versions of Baphomet carried him to the King's Bedroom, found behind the throne.

He walked out the throne room, ignoring the gruesome sight behind him. Apparently, Baphomet got his message. The demon was of no use to him now; he needed someone else to find the Guardians for him. The list was long, but there were a few names that quickly came to mind.

Smiling, he reopened the portal that will send him to the Rift.

Clutching the onyx hanging on his neck, he remembered that promise.

Mae...

He has an eternity of patience.

And even if it will take an eternity, the Guardians will pay. They will all pay.