Keke closed her eyes.
One last chance to daydream before setting into port, of chiseled muscles, soft wings, golden hair…..
After that, who knows what was in store for her.
With her new ship and treasure she gained from the Aboleth in the ruins of Alphatia she could have started a new life, maybe as a pirate, possibly as an adventurer, but currently she was in favour to help Whelp instead. Or at least offer to help. Keke thought she might have been a bit melodramatic when she teased Whelp about the Aboleth's doomsday predictions. She knew that her companion was on some sort of quest to save the world, and decided to let slip some of the information she heard. The warrior woman was definitely unsettled about them and retreated to her cabin to meditate or divinate or something like that. Keke didn't care much about the eldritch catfish's soothsayings, she had heard plenty end of the world scenarios before, and was sure she would hear some more in her immortal life span.
Still, the Aboleth's warnings did seem to correlate with Taraksun's own dreams of sun eating and opening the gates of Abaddon. All of it seemed too convenient to be a coincidence, but Keke didn't care. It was some else's problem. If the gates did not open then she was free to explore and plunder the world on her own, and if they did open then, well….she was an Asura afterall. Though technically she was a Tanarii or a Demon, she exhibited enough Asura characteristics to pass as one. Bluish skin, multiple arms, she even had similar piercings to most Asura to be accepted by them though Keke guessed it was more due to her power than any feeling of kinship. Regardless if she was an Asura or a Demon she didn't particularly want to see this strange world 'gentrified' by her kin, but she wouldn't exactly feel out of place here either. Given her status as an upper, no that wasn't right, a top tier Asura, she was sure she could carve out an important little niche here while Taraksun's troops spread through the lands.
Given the size of this world, it would take at least a decade or two for Taraksun's armies to conqueror it. A more conservative number would be closer to a century, if you factor in Abyssal jockeying and other Asura lord's interfering, but this plane would inevitably fall. Sure, they were defeated before, but that was due to them attempting to break out of the great jungle and into hardened defenses, and Holy Sampada's solar light magic didn't help either. Given that Holy Sampada was now trapped in a bottle somewhere, if the gates were fully opened and the full might of the Asura Legions were free to march, there would be nothing mortal man could do against her former lord if the Aboleth's prophecies were truthful.
She guessed the humans, elves, dwarves, thri kreen or whatever weird sentient beings that lived in this world could unite and do that last ditch defense against evil thing, but that would simply delay the inevitable. The Asuras could be beaten but not truly defeated. They would just simply raise another army from the very ground of Abaddon itself if need be and march again and again until they were victorious. Humans breed fast, but they couldn't compete with the recuperative powers of the Asura army.
The Legions of Heaven could meddle like they so often do, but that was doubtful. Devas, Eladarin, Angels, and even Archons took part in a grand scouring of the lower planes previously. Despite their impressive force, they were defeated and took a major blow several hundred years ago. Wait… was it several hundred or several thousand years ago? She couldn't remember clearly. She recalled being a participant against that crusade, but she couldn't conjuror any of the details save that she was a General under Pazrael and she fought in Torremor. She remembered several epic battles, but the forces of good were defeated in the end. The heavens would have been torn asunder in retribution, except the forces of darkness fell into bickering amongst themselves once again, which didn't surprise Keke given how barbaric the forces of the Abyss are, how obnoxious the Legions of Hell were, and not to mention the snooty Demodand, the mercenary Yugoloth, and of course the backstabbing nature of her own people the Asura. They could fight together for self-preservation, but organizing for an invasion was another thing. Not that they didn't try, but it wasn't after several crushing defeats and a lot of finger ( tentacle and claw) pointing that the armies of the lower planes retreated from the heavens and decided that they were better off on their own.
Still the initial Crusade gambit by the armies of Heaven wasn't a bad ploy. It wasn't that they lacked the will or the warriors, but it was simply a matter of poor logistics. You simply do not wage a war against an enemy that could raise troops from the very ground itself, or at least not on their home turf. You could win one, two, or maybe a hundred battles like the armies of Heaven did, but you could not secure a lasting victory on the lower planes. If she was in charge, Keke would have simply lured out the dark hordes into neutral territory, say the Concordant crossroads or one of the Prime planes, and fought them there, but she guessed the Angels were squeamish about civilian casualties or something like that. She was sure she would have taken the bait herself if the challenge was thrown, it was in her blood. Regardless of what her spotty memory could summon, the forces of good were beaten after a long and bloody campaign, and they weren't going to stick their noses to challenge Taraksun's horde if they did manage to break this dimension's seals. One or two Angels might interfere, but not a Legion of them.
Speaking of Angels, Keke knew they were almost at Grom. What better time than to relax her mind once more and attempted to daydream. To see what the handsome Eliaos was up to. If he would sweep her off her tail and the pair of them would run off to some corner of the Multiverse and engage in a lifetime of sexy scale and feather wrestling.
To her disappointment, she wasn't able to imagine any continuation of the scenario she had brewing in her mind, which was strange because the previous images came to her so easily and clearly. Given the nature of her mind after her tenure in the torture pits of Abaddon she still wasn't sure what was in her past and what was in her imagination. While the images were really vivid, so were the Aboleth's illusions, she knew she couldn't trust them no matter how pleasant they were.
As Keke attempted to drift off into her mental refuge, she felt an unnatural breeze disrupt the salty air, and the odd sensation of reality tearing and reforming itself. She didn't even have to open her eyes, but could tell that someone had invaded her ship simply from the commotion of the crew.
"I did not expect to find you so easily, " said a haughty but familiar voice. "Especially not in your current state."
Keke rose from her deck chair. Before her was a handsome dark haired young man dressed in ornate but oversized golden armour. While he did not look outwardly dangerous, he radiated an aura of menace that panicked the crew. Kweega and Hawke fumbled and almost tripped over her as they fled to the lower decks, leaving herself and Whelp alone with the intruder.
"Demon! Be gone. I shall suffer no trespass," warned Whelp with spear and shield firmly in hand pointing at the gold clad man. Though she normally used a two handed spear, Keke was able to recover a lighter one handed one with a matching magical shield in the Alphatian ruins. Keke thought it suited her better, and watching her in a classical hoplite pose confirmed that. The runes on Whelp's body began to glow, but Keke simply waved off her ally and only friend.
"Leave me Whelp, I know this gentleman," sighed the sealed demoness.
"But..but…Keke…he radiates evil like…"
"…like me? " asked Keke. "Just leave this to me, he's just an old acquaintance, and he wants to talk….isn't that right Passy."
"Of course….Keke….I'm just here to talk…" smiled the dark haired man.
Whelp did not seem convinced, but a stern look from Keke convinced her to retreat into the hold with the rest of the crew. The demoness noted that the head strong warrior woman probably wouldn't have done so a few days ago, but her confidence was probably still recovering from her recent defeat at the tentacles of her slimy captor.
"Interesting companions you have there…Keke is it? That seems a bit too casual," said Pasurendra.
Kalikekeztra muscles tightened when he called her that. Only Selexia, Whelp…..and Eliaos, real or not, were allowed to name her so.
"Oh, don't tense up like that. I'm not here to fight. I'm just here to inform you that you've been summoned by Taraksun," said Pasurendra.
Keke suppressed a laugh at both the suggestion and the drastic difference of personality displayed by Pasurendra. Most Demons and Asura displayed the same character traits in both their 'true' forms and their alternate forms. A haughty power hungry Pitfiend was pretty much the same creature whatever form it took, and a cool seductive Succubus was the same minx in whatever guise she wore. Pasurendra however was something different. In his giant Asura form, he was bestial and savage, more willing to strike first and talk later. In his humanoid form however, he was remarkably laid back and more prone to conversation. A bit slimy in her opinion, like a mortal litigator or a elven gigolo or courtesan. Keke wasn't sure if it was a game he played or if his personality was simply split due to some type of deep rotted insanity. Regardless it was a bit unsettling to see the armoured giant which she so recently wrestled almost to the death act like some pampered messenger boy.
"If I recall, after wrapping my coils around you and almost choking you to death, I was stripped of my armies and my title and sent back home. Which was a far better fate that what you suffered," smirked Keke.
Pasurendra nodded. "Aye, I thought I was to be confined to the pits for a century or two, but our many headed lord is merciful as well much as he is terrible. It seems that the visions he's been receiving from his scroll has convinced him that his moment of victory is at hand."
"Oh? You mean the previous vision he received which spurred him to sacrifice half his army was a false one? I'm sure this new one must be correct then," said Keke snidely.
Pasurendra frowned. "Don't be like that. You know how …divinations … are. Even the best of them are not entirely clear. However, the signs are all there. The year of the Yak, the cycle of the Ram…"
"Double jam berry year…yeah yeah, I've heard it, but still what makes you think I'll simply come back when he calls me? Does he think I'm his lap dog?"
Pasurendra smiled. "Ahh, I see. You wish to renegotiate your contract. An admirable and brave tactic. I would have done so myself, but my bargaining position in the torture pits were…how should I say…tenuous at best. I do not have the authority to offer any incentives for you to return save to avoid his wrath. That is his moniker if you recall. The Awakener of Wrath. I can imagine he would be very displeased if…"
"If I don't come running at his beck and call," snorted Keke. "Please. If his prophecies are coming true, he won't have time to chase me down. He has a lot more to worry about."
Pasruendra shrugged. "As you say. Though I would prefer if you fought at my side, I didn't realize you could take such a …pleasant form," he said with a wink.
Kalikekeztra recoiled. Was he trying to flirt with her? She suppressed the urge to throw up. While the pair of them were in humanoid forms, Keke considered herself first a Marilith and her rival as a Asruendra Asura. The mere thought of the pair of them engaging like Eliaos and herself did in her daydreams was a bit sickening. This was only a temporary form, she wasn't some frumpy house wife, but a six armed engine of destruction.
"Frumpy house wife? You are too modest," smiled Pasruendra once again, clearly enjoying her discomfort from his imagined sexual tension. "You've lost a lot of weight and you are quite toned compared to the image of yourself in your mind. The manacles are a bit …interesting as well. Adds a hint of danger to your guise I think."
Keke recoiled again as his leering gaze scanned her body up and down. Did he just read her mind? When could he do that? Could he always do that?
"I've been able to do that for a while," sighed Pasruendra. "But I'm far from an expert. I'm not a Githyanki or a Mindflayer. I can just scan surface thoughts, and only those that are practically yelling at me. However, for the sake of our past and hopefully future working relationship, I shall refrain from reading your mind, though I need a little cooperation on your part to shield them. "
Keke shook her head. "I'm still not returning with you. I have my own ship, a crew, and a hold full of treasure. If you want however, we can finish what we started in Abaddon," she said as her hands hovered near her new swords. While she was a master of all weapons, and could even enchant her own temporarily, it didn't hurt to have genuine magical weapons at her disposal. She made sure to think extra hard of the lovely magical weapons that she recovered from the Aboleth's lair to give Pasruendra pause.
The golden armoured youth eyed her blades and frowned. "There's no need for that. I'm not here to engage with fisticuffs with you. However, I'll be glad to lock blades if it comes to that. Just remember, I'm under no compulsion to refrain from my magic this time…."
"That didn't stop your blade magic last time, though it didn't help much if I recall," chuckled Keke.
"Blade magic counts as melee doesn't it? Regardless, I'm just on a simple errand from our lord, that is all. " He said while putting particular emphasis on the word 'our'. "We had trouble locating you, but we were told by Vikokima and his Succubus companion of your approximate whereabouts. They made it sound like you were dead, or at least impossible to locate, also told wild stories of an archmage in yellow, but here you are, before me on my first attempt to contact you. That must be inconvenient."
"Yes. I think I would like to have a talk with Vik and Selexy," growled Keke.
"Oh, I can easily arrange that. They are under my banner now," said Pasruendra as his smiled returned. "If you happen to change your mind on my employment proposal we can arrange such a meeting. Perhaps an exchange. Your services for their worthless lives? In fact, believe it or not, I am currently slumming in a nearby island next to one of the human's hive like cities nearby, the one with the pillars. Just finishing up some local errands you know. Drop by regardless. I'm sure we have …many…things to discuss."
With that the golden armoured youth uttered a phrase and vanished.
Keke scanned with her true vision to make sure he was truly gone and breathed a sigh of relief. Magic blades or not, she was still locked out of her true form which would have made battle with that golden armoured snot a bit difficult. She was lucky she was focused on him and not on her own weakness for him to notice.
After a few minutes, Whelp and the crew tentatively returned on deck.
"Are you safe?" asked the warrior woman nervously scanning around. " What was that about?"
Keke had no reply, but she knew when she had just been challenged. It was as if Passy slapped her with the face with a gauntlet. "Hawke, are you familiar with the nearby islands?"
The sailor adventurer nodded.
"Do you know of an island full of pillars?"
"Aye."
Keke then turned to Whelp. "You know that great evil you've been talking about that is supposed to threaten the world? I'm not sure how to strike at it directly, but how would you like to rough up one of its main minions."
Whelp looked confused, but then nodded." I would like that very much."
Keke then smiled. "Oh, and by rough up, I mean kill."