He yelled a challenge at the fiend. A dark bull, flecked with orange, it rolled its too-massive shoulders and charged. He sidestepped, a silver blade in hand, and cleaved down its side. Black ichor dripped from the wound as the creature turned back towards him. It spread its jaws, revealing unnaturally sharp teeth. Kuro was unimpressed. He fired glittering silver-white bolts at its face. The fiend hissed and charged again. This time, Kuro somersaulted over it, cutting a bright line down its back. It stumbled to a stop, gurgling, and collapsed.
He collected the drift of hearts that emerged. A melodious voice sounded, delighted, in his head. He saw the image of Persephone with it. "It works!" she cried, clapping her hands. "How do you feel about it?"
Pit hefted the Persephone Blade in one hand. "It's solid," he said. "Not the best damage ever, but the mechanics are good. It's got good melee and ranged damage and the range is nice."
"The ranged shots should expand with distance," said Persephone. "What do you make of the fire rate? Is it too slow, or..."
"Nah, it's solid too. The melee attack rate is good. It's an all-around blade."
"Hopefully I can improve it," said Persephone anxiously.
"It's good," Kuro repeated. He smiled a little, watching her light up in his head. He cocked one hip, setting a fist on it. His tunic had been altered- with his permission. Persephone had changed all the gold accents to silver, to represent his position as "emissary". He still wore black, but the cut was finer and she'd added a few more silver touches.
He liked it. Emissary. He was individual, but if he had to give an alliance, he'd say Underworld. It meant something different these days.
Though he wasn't sure if anybody else knew that.
He returned to the Soul Garden (Persephone's name for her silver palace) and deposited the collected hearts in the offering. In the central foyer, she descended the stairs, conducting a collection of souls around her in a swirling cloud. She was very focused on her task, and did not acknowledge him until she was outside and had released the souls up toward the dark sky. A soft mist of them crept up around Kuro's feet, curling and tickling in an almost doglike manner. He scattered a handful of hearts around them, causing them to scatter, glowing pink in dots where they'd absorbed hearts. That pink would dissolve and make up a lighter tint in the souls; Persephone had told him that pure white souls were ready to move on.
She came back in now, smoothing wisps of brown hair out of her face. "You're back," she said happily. "Come, I have something to show you."
He followed her, Persephone Blade in hand, through the Garden. They arrived in the inner courtyard, where several messes of souls drew themselves to attention. Several silvery, bull-headed forms coalesced, and a three-headed dog shook its heads. "They've decided on their forms," said Persephone. "The Peacekeepers."
Kuro followed her down the lines of Peacekeepers. Their forms varied. The Minotaur was popular, but so was the Cerberus form. There were a few Hydra and, at the back, a single Dragon flexed its claws. Persephone touched Kuro's shoulder. "They're to help you fight the fiends. You'd be their commander, if you wished."
He hesitated. "Nobody knows how to fight them better than you," said Persephone. "But I can be their commander if you don't want to. We just need their help. If the Underworld is to be kept in balance, the fiends need to be kept in check everywhere. They spawn so quickly..."
Kuro laid a hand on the side of the dragon. It had a cool, smooth texture, like polished marble. "How did Hades keep them in check?"
"He harvested them," she said. "Used them to form his army, or to feed his perverse appetite." Persephone laid one pensive hand on one of the heads of a Cerberus. Kuro followed the movements of her thin, pale fingers for a moment. "I have no other commanders," she said. "I'll not seek them unless I have to."
"What would I have to do?" he asked.
"You wouldn't have to do anything," she said. "But you'd be able to command them as you wished."
"I don't want to command souls," said Kuro, looking into the pale eyes of the Dragon. To his surprise, they had black pupils, behind which shone an undeniable intelligence. "What type of commander you are is up to you," said Persephone. "And again, the choice is yours."
He thought about it, looked into the eyes of the Dragon, and closed his eyes, thinking. Cool air puffed against his arm, and he opened his eyes to see the Dragon shifting its head to nudge him. "I'll do it," he said. "But it'll be on my terms."
The ranks of souls seemed to straighten and stand at attention as their commander took his power. "Some need to go in every direction," he said. "Split into four groups for now. A Hydra with each, some Cerberus, and as even a number of Centaurs as you can." The Dragon puffed air into his hair and he turned to it. "You..." Kuro muttered. "You're with me."
The Dragon dipped its head, a low rumble in its throat. "Go out, stick together, kill as many fiends as you can." A snarling grin flashed across his face. "If possible, every one you see."
The souls there dissipated, flowing up and out of the courtyard. He turned to the Dragon, who watched him with respect. "You're with me," he repeated coolly, and bounced up in the air. "Good luck!" called Persephone.
"Thanks, but I don't need any," he replied, and sailed off. At his heels trailed the white Dragon.
"You're not dumb," he said. "Back me up. We're taking the finer pickings."
The creature offered no comment, but its eyes were serene and sharp. Graceful in the air, it led a swoop with its head and neck to switch to his other side.
A pair of fiends caught Kuro's attention. Cat bodies with the necks of snakes hissed and snapped up at them. "I'll take the one on the left, you take the one on the right," he purred confidently, then dove down. With a single strike he cleaved through the neck of one of the beasts; beside him the Dragon's claws closed around the body of the other. The Dragon's massive jaws cut into the fiend's neck. Both dead fiends dissolved into a spray of souls and a scattering of hearts.
Kuro looked up at the Dragon. "Well done," he acknowledged. It blinked at him, a cool reply, then raised its head as he looked to the horizon. "We're near the river," said Kuro. "Right at the edges here. I've been told it's a bad idea to cross it. I'm inclined to play along." He folded his arms. "Lots of strong fiends here. They build up in the outer badlands. I can't usually fly out this far and expect to take down too many in a day."
The Dragon was watching him with glittering white eyes. He flashed a grin. "I usually work alone, but I bet we can bag a dozen in two hours." The Dragon puffed cool air from its nose and raised its wings. He sprang into the air at the same time it did.