Adventures of Supergirl 7x12
The Super-Friends consisting of John, Jeremiah, Kara, Mon, Hank, James, Winn, Lena, Nia, and Kelly entered the portal and found themselves in a fairly normal forest. "Not too bad," Kara judged.
"We're not at the gate yet," John rebuked her.
"Why can't we just transport to her position?" Kelly asked anxiously.
"I can send demons back to their place of origin. It's quite another thing to send yourself body and soul to exact coordinates in hell. We're going to have to journey down all the way down," John explained.
"Good thing I did leg day," James smiled.
"In hell, we're still in our bodies?" Mon asked confused.
"Correct," John replied.
"Everyone test their powers," Kara said urgently. Kara, Mon, Hank, and Nia all failed to activate their abilities.
"As I said," John said condescendingly.
"We had to make sure, asshole," Kara told him off.
"It's odd being disconnected from your minds," Hank admitted.
"Are you going to still appear human even in hell?" Kara asked incredulously.
"From what I know, this is a human hell so I intend to take on the same form as my host," Hank said traditionally.
"Hell is for every race in the universe," John corrected.
"Are we really going to make it?" Nia asked anxiously to John.
"Maybe," he said lacking confidence.
"How come the pope didn't come with us?" Winn asked curiously.
"We'll find plenty of popes in hell," John said dismissively.
"Are we really worthy of this task?" Lena said doubtfully.
"Anyone is worthy for hell," John replied dryly.
"Fear often faces men with obstacles. It makes them turn from honorable endeavors, as beasts fear shadows when the daylight fails. That you may lose this fear and so come through," Jeremiah said to them all. "Proceed," he said to John.
"Thank you," John said and then led the way towards the gate.
After a decent hike through the forest, they came to a simple wooden gate with a stone wall on either side of it. "Figured the gates of hell would be more impressive," Kara said disappointedly.
"Hell has many gates like border checkpoints. This gate is like the one between Canada and America. Very little traffic," John explained.
"Gotcha," Kara immediately understood.
"What do those words mean?" Lena asked of the Latin graffiti on the gate.
"You go through me to a city of lamentation. You go through me to everlasting pain. You go through me to the forsaken nation. Justice inspired my maker up above. I was established by omnipotence, The highest wisdom, and the primal love. Nothing before me was created ever But everlasting things. And I shall last. Abandon hope entirely, you who enter," John recited.
"Harsh," Nia said disgustedly.
"Here all misgivings must be left behind, and all your fear be left for dead," John told her. "You will see people steeped in sorrow who have lost all grace."
"So, do we knock?" James asked.
John lightly pushed on the gate and it opened for him. Immediately, the group heard screams, shouting, sobbing, and groans from behind the gate. The sounds were of people of every language in an incoherent mess. There was cursing, venting of misery, outbursts of rage, loud and soft voices. It didn't matter the sound as they were all heard in their heads. The sounds came in and out like tides of the sea.
"Are these the damned?" Nia asked dismayed.
"Sort of," John replied. "They're neutrals. They're angels and souls that took neither side so heaven and hell both rejected them. Midnight thinks he's so cool being Mr. Neutral. It's not a good place to be."
A platoon of shades ran by them on the dirt road chanting cadences. Out front was the bannerman with a white flag with nothing on it. The platoon ran quickly with a Drill Sergeant shouting cadences and occasionally yelling at them.
When I get to hell, Satan's gonna say
How'd you earn your livin'
How'd you earn your pay
I replied with a boot to his chest
Earned my living laying souls to rest
Cause I'm hardcore
Lean and Mean
The platoon repeated the cadence with low enthusiasm and muttering as if they had heard it a million times before. For the purposes of censorship, they all wore camouflage clothes and black boots to match the forest scenery. The group watched as the platoon passed them by and then another platoon went by with an equal number also led by a Drill Sergeant with cadences.
"Not too bad," Mon said unimpressed.
One shade decided to take a break. "I'll go with the next one," he said as his platoon left him behind.
Suddenly, bees, wasps, mosquitos, flies, and other insects swarmed the shade biting and stinging him all over. "Oh, shit," James said stunned. The shade got back to his feet and started running again but the insects didn't let up forcing him back to the ground. As a new platoon ran by, they didn't stop but simply trampled over the poor shade into the dirt and kept going. The broken shade then tried to get back to his feet only to get hit by another swarm.
"We have to help him," Nia said compassionately.
"No, stay back," John kept her still. "Let's move on."
As they went down the path, they found a platoon desperately trying to cross a river. In their slowness, the insects got to them forcing them to hurry up. In their annoyance and pain, the shades cursed God and their situation. On the ground were worms that would occasionally enter their boots. None could stop to empty their boots without being swarmed.
"How long do they have to keep this up?" Lena asked John.
"For eternity," John said bluntly. "God doesn't take kindly to fence-sitters."
"If God is all-powerful, who the fuck would decide to be neutral?" Kara asked confused.
"Every so often, God gives people the impression he's not around to bait people into thinking they can rebel," John replied. "That, and a lot of people in hell are dumb as fuck."
"So, what is this place? Another planet, a state of being?" Nia asked curiously.
"Both," John said vaguely. "Picture a planet large enough to host the damned of the entire universe but having the same gravity as our Earth. Now, picture this planet with forests, oceans, rivers, streams, and deep pits. Each pit corresponds to a populated solar system or cluster."
"You sure you know where you're going?" Jeremiah asked him.
"Let me take out my map," John said dryly. As he checked the map, a swarm of thousands of insects went through them darkening the sky and decreasing their visibility to nothing. John patiently waited for the swarm to end and then checked his map and compass. "The sea is this way," he pointed out.
"How does that compass work?" Kara asked.
"It doesn't point north, just to where you want to go," John explained.
As they made their way to the sea, they cross several dirt roads with platoons running by with swarms of insects trailing them. Occasionally, they would find victims on the roads bleeding, bruised, bitten up, stung, and covered in insect juices. They lay on the ground shaking in pain and misery. Nia couldn't help herself and helped a shade back to his feet.
"How?" Nia wondered.
"It's not your body but your spirit that is touching him," John told her.
The shade stared at Nia uncertain as to how to react. "Thhhhaaaannnn...," he stammered.
"Thank you?" Nia guessed.
The shade nodded but then shook his head completely confused. He then ran off unable to decide whether to thank or curse her. "What the fuck?" Nia asked dismayed.
"These souls are incapable of making any decisions. They're forever neutral towards all things. If not for the angels leading them down the roads, they wouldn't move and be stung forever," John said.
"That's why their banners are white. They stand for nothing," Mon noted.
John simply nodded. "It's to mock them. Forever, they march enthusiastically with a banner that stands for nothing."
"That's fucking savage," Kara said impressed.
"Tell me about it," John said dryly.
The group finally came to the shore. There, they saw a large population gathered on the coast ready to get on boats across the channel. Looking left to right, the entire coast from horizon to horizon was filled with people. These people were all wearing black robes and cloaks. They were male and female, all adults. The boats were the size of lifeboats made of wood with guides at the head. The shades bickered amongst each other compelled to stay in line and not go anywhere else. They cursed God and their parents for conceiving them. As they got closer to the boats, they were compelled to crawl on their bellies in the mud and low-crawl their way to the water.
"I know what we saw was bad but why go on these boats?" Nia asked naively.
"They're forced to," John said simply. "These souls have been condemned to hell but they haven't been judged to which level they're going to."
"What if our boat gets wrecked?" Kelly asked apprehensively, not knowing how to swim.
"Then, you'll end up walking to shore from the bottom," John said simply.
"How long will it take?" James asked as he couldn't see the other side of the shore.
"Depends on our guide," John said flatly. The gang moved to the front of the line.
"Almost as bad as the DMV," Kara said dryly.
Kelly looked at the rows of souls shocked as she saw teenagers and young adults. "So many," she said stunned.
As they got closer, a skeleton wearing a black cloak and scythe blade in his hand taunted the shades. "Woe to you, wicked souls!" he shouted out. "Do not expect to see the sky again! I'm here to take you to the further bank, to everlasting darkness, ice, and flame," he crackled.
He then noticed the group coming up to him. "And you, you over there, you living souls! Keep well away from these. All these are dead."
John ignored him and went for one of the boats. "By other ways, another port, you will arrive onshore, and not this way. You must be carried in a lighter boat," the skeleton told him.
"This is Charon. He's a real asshole," John said of him to the group. He then turned to Charon. "I'm taking this boat. There's nothing to discuss."
"The fuck you will," Charon said as he approached with eyes of fire.
"You going to tell Lu you denied him the chance to take my soul?" John asked him.
"So be it," Charon allowed and then gestured to a boat. "The shittiest boat in my fleet. Just for you, John."
"Thanks," John rolled his eyes and went over to it. As they came to the boat, the wind picked up, the stormy clouds flashed lightning without stopping, and the thunder rattled the shades on the beaches. "Let's get out of here," he said to the group.
With all of them in the boat, they set off to the other side. The waters were rough, the boat would occasionally leak, and they had to take turns using the paddle. All the while the clouds annoyed them with lightning and thunder. As if to persuade them to go back, it began to rain without end. "How about we sing some songs?" Winn suggested to lighten the mood.
As the boat tossed and got rained on, the group sang sailing songs the whole way to shore. After several hours of rowing, the group took turns to sleep even as they were being rained on.
Once the boat arrived, everyone was woken up. "Are we there yet?" Nia asked miserably. All of them were soaking wet. The storm was now gone, it was now a sunny day.
"Everyone out. Let's move," Kara said excitedly.
"Where are we now?" Jeremiah asked John.
"Limbo," John replied. "This lies the place for unbaptized souls and those who did not have implicit faith."
"Implicit faith?" Jeremiah questioned.
"Basically, if you're the type of person that would have converted if you had the chance, you would have implicit faith and still be saved. These souls didn't have that but they're not grievous sinners either. It's actually not that bad here," John said.
"So, what is the sun here?" Winn asked curiously.
"That's God," John said obviously.
"Wait...that's God," Winn said amazed as he pointed at it.
"Don't point your finger at God," John lectured. "Yes, even here, God's presence is felt. The fucked up thing though is that you can feel God's warmth but not his love. He's just there so close and yet so far away. All of these souls here have to live with that for all eternity."
"Doesn't sound too bad," Lena figured.
"That's because you haven't been in God's presence before. You don't know what you're missing out," John replied.
Looking past the coast, the group saw a large plain with cities in the distance. Rows of damned souls got out of their boats and were compelled to move towards the cities in a linear fashion. Kara eyed the endless rows of souls all around her. "So...Alex was in one of these rows?" she choked.
"Yeah," John said softly.
Kara closed her eyes as resolved herself. "So, where do we go now?"
"To the king," John replied and then pointed towards one of the cities.
The group made their way towards the city on foot passing by fields and occasional towns. When they did, the shades of limbo would greet them and ask them questions about what was going on with Earth. They appeared to know the past and the future but not the present. "Indoor plumbing, it's the best," Kara informed one of them.
Kelly noticed that these shades were not happy or punished. They were just depressed in melancholy. They passed by housing, libraries, churches, and theaters. Without needing food, water, sanitation, or energy their economy was quite different. The weather was always pleasant at the same temperature every day without seasons. They would write stories for public consumption while also having all of the great works of literature in the library. The group saw them put on plays and music concerts with instruments made of wood. Occasionally, a philosopher would teach various ideas to the masses on street corners. The church was filled with people worshiping God but in futility having no hope of ever being redeemed but believing it morally righteous to give worship all the same. After all, things could be worse. They were all clothed in various styles and never needed to wash them. On the way out of the town, they noticed two guards standing by with swords.
"What are you guarding against?" Mon asked.
"The demons and shades that come from the pit," the guard replied.
As they approached the city, they came across a large gathering of Green Martians. "Why are they here?" Hank questioned John.
"This district also includes Mars," John pointed out.
Unlike the humans making villages of wood, the Green Martians created an elaborate tunnel system in the ground like an ant colony. The Green Martians on the surface laid in the sunlight and discussed the futility of their situation. They could mate but never have children, never age, never move above their station. They were eternally separated from God and any of them that managed to reach heaven.
Hank ventured ahead of the group and looked over the Green Martians. They gave him a curious look and then Hank morphed into J'onn. Upon receiving a visitor, the first Green Martian in centuries, they gathered around him enthusiastically asking him all sorts of questions. The rest of the group stood off as J'onn talked with all the shades.
"We need to bring him back," John said worriedly.
J'onn then saw his wife and two adult-looking daughters. He immediately ran to them and embraced them. "How long I have missed you," J'onn said tearfully.
"It's been eternity without you and yet, it feels like yesterday we parted," M'yri'ah smiled. K'hym and T'ania now appeared as full-grown adults. "How long has it been since we died?" M'yri'ah asked.
"A few centuries," J'onn said vaguely.
"And you have moved on, I hope," M'yri'ah asked.
"For these centuries, I mourned you and took no other but recently, I converted a White Martian to one of us and had a child with her. I also found Malefic alive. He had been a traitor but now he's now on our side. Green Martians now live fruitfully on Earth and we will soon retake Mars," J'onn told her.
"I am happy for you, J'onn. Here, I have also taken many lovers as well," M'yri'ah revealed. "So have your daughters."
"What the fuck? Without my permission?" J'onn asked shocked and appalled.
M'yri'ah smiled amused. "My days have been boring and fruitless. Everything that could be said has already been said. We are almost silent to one another. We have no hope to go beyond this station. So, seeing you here is such a gift, but you're still alive?"
"Yeah, I'm here to rescue someone," J'onn said vaguely.
"Rescue?" M'yri'ah doubted. "There is no rescue from this place."
J'onn looked back to the group and then back to his wife and daughters. "This could be an issue," John said dryly as thousands of Green Martians gathered around J'onn and his family.
Taking out his silver cross, J'onn reluctantly activated it knowing what was at stake. Dangerous thoughts entered his mind as he considered only saving a few of them and then still making his way to Alex. Or, rather, he could save them all and the group could still save Alex. After all, hell hadn't been shit so far. A creeping fear entered his mind that this was all an illusion but it was not something he could risk.
"I love you," J'onn said to his wife and daughters.
"We know," they replied.
J'onn frowned as something important had been stripped of them, a grace to be able to receive and return love. These shades in front of him were the incomplete package. Looking around, he noticed he had a shadow but his wife and daughters did not. They were not alive and damned, however pleasant it may be for them. "If I can send you to heaven, would you want that?"
"Don't talk nonsense, J'onn. We all lost hope in that long ago," M'yri'ah scolded.
Looking around, J'onn saw friends, acquaintances, elders, and people he vaguely remembered from his old life. They had suffered at the hands of the White Martians and then burned to death. Now, they were here. Resolved, J'onn aimed his cross at them. "I absolve you," he said and then zapped all three of them. The souls of M'yri'ah, K'hym, and T'ania all disappeared and entered the cross in a flash of light.
"What did you do?" one Green Martian elder asked concernedly.
"I absolved them of their sins and will send them to heaven when I come back to the world of the living," J'onn explained to them.
"Do the same onto us," the Green Martians said gathering around him real close.
"I just did it to see if it would work," J'onn told them and moved back towards the group.
The Green Martians cried out for deliverance now that they were now experiencing hope for the first time in centuries. "I can't," J'onn gritted his teeth. The Green Martians cried and gnashed their teeth in anguish that they were so close to redemption and it was slipping away from them. "I'll be back for the rest of you," he assured them.
"What if you should perish in the depths of hell?" they asked him.
"Don't worry. I'm a badass," J'onn told him.
"A sinful man like you will not make it, murderer, thief, imposter," they accused him.
J'onn gave his people a look of pity and felt he couldn't resist further. "Fuck it," he said and then zapped scores of Green Martians all at once. Hundreds of Green Martians raced out of the tunnels to be saved. J'onn continued to zap everyone around him. As he did, chains appeared around his robes which weighed him down. J'onn tensed up as he felt the weight but continued zapping more shades. He eventually took a knee as it became too much for him. More chains appeared around his legs and arms from all the shades he was absolving. With a cry, J'onn fell to the ground and then with a cry of effort turned to his back. He continued to save all the Green Martians in the village but at a cost. He now laid on the ground, his body imprinted in the ground unable to move a muscle.
The group then walked over to the fallen J'onn. "I told you this would happen," John said peeved.
"You good?" Kara asked J'onn.
"I can't move," he admitted. "I'm sorry."
"We got this. You just sit tight," Kara said.
"Well, now we know how many souls we can save before we tap out," Lena said dryly.
"It won't be the same with everyone. J'onn saved as many as he did because his spirit was strong," John noted.
"Should we set a limit?" Nia asked.
"How about zero," John said pissed off. "The more souls you absolve, the heavier your ass will be. It's a long trip to the seventh circle."
"Okay, what's next?" Kara asked.
"We head towards the city," John pointed out.
"Let's say our goodbyes," Kara said referring to J'onn. The group formed a circle around him. "He was a warrior for good," Kara began.
"He was the toughest slug I've ever seen," Mon said.
"He made us black people proud," James said appreciatively.
"He was a family man," Kelly brought up.
"He was the second-worst boss I've ever had," Winn said sincerely.
"Thank you for protecting my daughter up to last month," Jeremiah said.
"Hate you, hate you all," J'onn groaned from the ground.
"Let's move out," John insisted.
The group then left J'onn behind on the ground where he would have to remain until they returned for him. Still, despite his circumstances, J'onn could only smile.
Upon approaching the city, a man that looked familiar came up to them. "Father?" Kara wondered upon seeing Zor-El.
"Kara, my daughter, all of limbo knows you're here. How did you come to be here?" Zor asked.
"This guy," Kara pointed to John. "I thought this was the Sol system district. Isn't Krypton far away from here?"
"Time is different here. For us, it doesn't seem long but for him, it may have been years," John said.
"And it was," Zor nodded.
"You came so far and for so long to see me?" Kara asked confused.
"Of course. You're my daughter," he said obviously. "You must all be tired. Stay with me in the city."
"We'll need to be at full strength before going into the pit," John allowed.
The group then entered the city as people exercised intellectual pursuits, building construction, and a focus on quality of life. The group couldn't help but notice there were weapons on the walls and towers. Soldiers would occasionally patrol around them wearing armor, swords, spears, and shields from Medieval times. Still, the people seemed to have empty expressions on their faces as if they were simply going through the motions. Upon seeing the living group, they gave them curious looks but nothing else.
"I thank you, Sir, for adopting my daughter," Zor said sincerely.
"It was only a year," Jeremiah downplayed.
"Then who was her mother?" Zor asked.
"Eliza," Jeremiah said softly. "But she died not long ago."
"I am certain she is not here," Zor said.
"I wouldn't think she would be," Jeremiah agreed.
The group entered a mansion inside the massively sized city where every citizen lived in a mansion-sized home. Zor brought over a bottle of wine. "All we eat and drink here is either bread or wine. We don't even need to eat or drink," Zor said as he poured everyone a glass.
The group sat at a long table with Kara sitting close to Zor. Kara cautiously smelled the wine and then had a sip. "It's delicious," she said approvingly.
"The best I've ever had," Lena said, a wine expert and alcoholic.
"So, why are you here?" Zor asked.
"We're here to rescue Alex. She's my adopted sister," Kara said.
"I've never heard of anyone being rescued from here," Zor said confused.
"Well, I'm always finding new ways to surprise you," Kara said bitterly.
"Kara, I failed you. I know that now. I didn't see your potential and only saw you as a shame to our house. Here, in this place, I have been able to see your past and your future. You have accomplished so much for Earth, for the galaxy," Zor complimented.
Kara's anger at him faded away but she felt conflicted. Zor then presented everyone with some tasty bread. "Why did you really send me to Earth?" Kara asked bluntly.
"We intended for you to orbit Earth's star until your cousin was old or strong enough to rescue you," Zor admitted.
"So, I was never supposed to be Kal's guardian?" Kara questioned.
"Initially, we did. But upon reflection, your mother and I decided it would be a mistake for you to raise Kal. We believed you would be incompetent or corrupt him. We believed Kal would be better off alone or with the humans than under your care and guidance. Speaking of which, how is your mother?" Zor asked.
"She's...good," Kara said, still smarting over that burn.
"It will be a joy when she arrives here as well," Zor said.
"Fuck that. I'm going to Argo and saving all of their souls whether they want it or not," Kara said resolved. Winn winced at that realizing what a Kara inquisition may entail.
"That would be good, too," Zor replied.
"So, if you're such a terrible father, how did you end up only on this level and not deeper?" Kara asked antagonistically.
"I believe that saving Argo City from certain destruction may have absolved some of my sins. Alas, I didn't have implicit faith in God to take me to heaven," Zor said.
"Did you think of me right before you died?" Kara asked.
"You and your mother were on my mind," Zor recalled. "It was very quick, my death."
"Are there many other Kryptonians here?" Kara asked.
"Our whole race in fact. Many are on this level and many are at lower depths. I don't know of any that have reached heaven. Had we worshiped Rao as we should, we may have had that implicit faith," Zor considered.
"You're implying that pagan worship creates implicit faith to be saved?" Jeremiah questioned.
"That is my understanding. Of course, it's superior to believe in the correct faith," Zor said. "Implicit faith is a tricky subject. We don't know how many have really been saved by it."
Kara eyed Jeremiah and then back to Zor as they talked theology and philosophy over wine. "Okay, enough!" she freaked out. She stood up over Zor. "I've waited a long time to tell you how I feel. You tried to terminate me in the pod, you rejected me, and you threw me away. I don't care if you saved thousands of people, you failed me," she said angrily.
"I know I did," Zor admitted.
"And you think an apology ends my pain, my hurt?" Kara asked outraged.
"What can I do for you? I am only a damned soul. I cannot look down upon you, pray for you, and walk alongside you," Zor said sadly.
"I apologize for her outburst," Jeremiah said politely.
"No, it's alright. Believe me, I'd rather have Kara curse me to my face than to never see her again for all eternity," Zor said honestly.
"You really mean that?" Kara asked tearfully.
"Remember where we are, Kara. We're in hell full of deception," John warned her.
"Do you love me now?" Kara asked Zor.
"Here, in this place, we can't love," Zor replied. "Even if we want to. Still, we have all the comforts of life. I have no complaints with my existence."
Kara walked away from the table distressed. Jeremiah followed after her. "I hate him so much. I'll hate myself if I forgive him," she said softly to him.
"We both failed you as fathers. If you don't forgive him, then you haven't forgiven me," Jeremiah told her.
Kara stared at him and then turned back to Zor. "I forgive you...and I absolve you." Before Zor could say anything, Kara zapped him with her cross. He then disappeared from the table. Kara then went back to the table and poured herself another glass.
The next day, Kara looked grieved as if she had lost her father for the second time. After absolving Zor-El, she felt very little difference in weight from her cross. John gave her an irked look nonetheless. They then made their way to a large castle positioned at the far edge of the city. While those in limbo generally enjoyed themselves, they couldn't help but notice the eerie lines of the damned making their way to the central castle to be judged. The shades of limbo kept their distance from these lines not wanting to see their faces or hear their lamentations.
John took the group up the wall so they could see the pit below. There, they saw giant cliffs in both directions all the way to the horizon beyond their sight. Before them, the pit was beyond the horizon with no sight of the other side. Just below the cliff heights, there was a raging hurricane storm. From above the white clouds moved rapidly with flashes of lightning. The clouds covered the entire pit being the size of a continent.
"Beyond the storm is where hell truly begins," John told them.
"We going to sky-dive it?" James asked.
"Let's talk to the king first," John replied.
Inside the king's castle, soldier demons lined the halls with spears, swords, and armor. They smirked at the group as they approached the king's throne. Upon reaching the throne room, the group came upon King Barragan. He sat on his throne appearing as a muscular elderly man. He wore a white kimono outfit and a fur coat. On his head was a crown made of bone. His arms were muscular and thick despite his age. He had short white spiky hair, bushy white eyebrows, and a white mustache. He was relatively short at 5 foot five inches and weighing approximately 200 lbs.
At his side were his servants and bodyguards. The first was twelve feet tall and towered above Baraggan behind his throne with an Asian appearance. The second was a Black muscular man with long curly hair in a dress. The third wore a helmet on his head and had red tattoos on his face with a Native American appearance. The fourth was a Caucasian with long straight blond hair. The fifth wore a lion skull for a helmet and appeared as a young Japanese teenage boy. The sixth was another blond Caucasian wearing a bone helmet and appearing muscular like a football player. Although all men, half of them appeared quite effeminate in appearance.
"I do not suffer an audience with the living," Barragan told them off.
"You will suffer us," John said ready to fight.
Barragan merely laughed at him. "Should I send you back to the seventh circle again, John? Or have you learned from your mistakes?" he mocked.
"The seventh circle would do nicely," John replied.
Barragan frowned as he realized what they were up to. "Go back to where you came from. You will not be absolving any more shades of mine."
Jeremiah then confronted Barragan. "Behold the power of God," he said and then placed his sword on the floor. Through Jeremiah's strong faith, the sword became a snake and hissed at Barragan.
"Well, fuck me," Barragan said slightly unsettled. "Findorr, Ggio, give this asshole our answer."
Findorr, the demon with the long blond hair, and Ggio, the demon that appeared as a teenage boy came forward amused just waiting for a moment like this. The castle became twilight as the windows to the castle were covered. Mirrors strategically placed lit up the two demons as they went into a rehearsed dance routine.
[Findorr and Ggio]
"By the power of Lu
Ornias, Beelzeboul, Onoskelis,
Asmodeus, Tephras, Rabdos,
Rath, Tribolaios, Obizuth,
Enepsigos, Kunopaston, Ephippas, Abizithibod,"
So, you think you have friends in high places to put us on the run? Well, forgive these smiles on our faces.
You'll know what power is when we are done, son
The two danced around Jeremiah mockingly.
[Ggio]
You're playing with the big boys now
[Findorr]
Oh, that's pretty.
[Both]
Every spell and gesture
Tells you who's the best
The two demons cast Jeremiah aside as a few dozen demon servants entered the castle with offerings to Lucifer and his lieutenants in a Satanic ritual. The demons organized themselves on the lower and upper floor of the throne room looking down upon the group. Ggio then approached Jeremiah directly with a photograph of Alex and then disappeared it in a flash of light.
Stop this foolish mission
The demon servants then had the group surrounded in an intimidating gesture. Ggio and Findorr pointed at Jeremiah's snake dismissively.
Pick up your silly sword, boy
Findorr and Ggio then took up swords of their own As the demons chanted the names of Lucifer's lieutenants, Findorr and Ggio released their swords as snakes as well. The snakes wrapped around Jeremiah's body and hissed at his neck to intimidate him. Jeremiah remained standing despite the snakes and the Satanic chanting around him.
[Both]
By the might of Lucifer
You will kneel before us
Kneel to our splendorous power!
The demonic snakes then came off Jeremiah's shoulders and went for his own snake on the ground to destroy it.
[Both]
You put up a front
You put up a fight
And just to show we feel no spite
You can be our acolyte
But first, boy, it's time to bow (Kowtow!)
Or it's your own grave you'll dig, boy
The demons continued to chant over and over even as Jeremiah's snake devoured the two demonic snakes. Jeremiah then brought the snake back to his arm and became a sword again. King Barragan smirked at Jeremiah dismissing the fact that his demon lieutenants had just lost their snakes to him. Suddenly, Kara brought forth a weapon that combined all of theirs together into a cannon. The base of the cannon was Mon's ax, Lena's bow was on top of the ax, Winn's two lances fit under the bow's wings, Nia's folded up whip hilt and Kelly's stinger also attached to the bow, and Kara's sword was on top of the bow. Kara aimed the canon at Barragan's center mass and fired a spiritual beam at him. The beam hit Barragan and his throne while scattering his servants. The beam went around the throne and blasted out the wall behind it. The castle shuddered from the blast. Kara quickly took the cannon apart and handed back everyone's weapon.
The castle was in flames with smoke everywhere. Barragan's skeleton hand emerged from the smoke. "Unforgivable," he spat. "It's not possible. Completely unforgivable. I'm going to kill you...with my own hands," he said pissed off.
Barragan glowed red and blasted the smoke away from him revealing his damaged appearance. The flesh on his body was completely gone, his face was now a skull. Half of his face was now missing from the blast he took. In his hand was a scythe blade. The castle walls crumbled around him as it began to rapidly age. Barragan then swung his scythe blade at the group. James blocked the blade with his shield.
"Know your place!" Barragan told him as he swiped repeatedly at James, each time hitting his shield. "I am the god of limbo!"
James deflected Barragan's blade several times until he was knocked down. "James!" Kelly shouted.
"Angels, humans, demons, they're all of little importance. I hold supreme power. Hell should be under my control," Barragan said arrogantly.
James threw his shield at Barragan slicing deep into his gut. Barragan merely laughed at him. "I commend you all. I'm surprised an ant like you has injured me," he mocked.
Barragan's gut suddenly exploded severing his left arm and lower extremities from the rest of his body. "Curse you, ant!" Barragan shouted enraged. James had tucked John's holy hand grenade to his shield before throwing it. James went to retrieve his shield from the floor having been thrown a distance from the explosion.
"Defying a god! Unforgivable!" Barragan shouted outraged.
"Forgive our lack of faith, god of limbo," James taunted.
"You think you've won. I'll send you all to hell alone and afraid," Barragan said to them all and then created a whirlwind and forced the group out the hole in the wall into the pit. There, they all descended into the hurricane storm that was the true inferno.
Author's Notes: With a lot of characters journeying through hell, each one wasn't given many lines. Now that they're separated, that will change a bit. The issue of aliens and tribal people when it comes to theology is worked out with invincible ignorance or implicit faith which states that someone may be saved so long as they subconsciously believe in God and are morally righteous even if they follow the wrong faith or no faith at all. This is in contrast to vincible ignorance where someone had every opportunity to learn the faith and decided not to and/or didn't have implicit faith and/or was not morally righteous. Thus, putting characters like M'yri'ah and Zor-El in limbo is controversial on my part but everything in hell is a possible deception to lure our heroes into failure. Unlike What Dreams May Come that mixed-up Divine Comedy elements into an incoherent jumbled-ass mess, this will be by the book.
*Cantos #2-4