I'm spoiling you at this point. Two chapters in one night?
Just ridiculous.
It's finally here though. And neither of us can handle it.
You almost forgot how ridiculously attractive War is.
Wow, (y/n), the cynical side of you says. You've been fighting back and forth with yourself since you arrived in The Pit (as you've dubbed it), and make an effort to stop now that War is actually here.
You anxiously nibble your thumb nail while the Council chews him out, standing near where he'll receive ChaosEater.
You had said goodbye to the others a few hours ago, and have since been painstakingly going over hundreds of potential situations and pacing.
Now that War is here, you're stock still, leaning against your halberd as if that will help your shaky knees. Thankfully it's long enough to allow you to do this without hurting yourself. You absently run your free hand over the delicate engravings on the surface. I should probably thank Death again after this whole mess is over... And Fury. And Strife. I have a lot of thank you's to throw around. You muse.
You only glance up when you hear War making pained noises, finding him arm deep in lava. You're almost positive it doesn't feel as nice as it did for you either, given the circumstances. Maybe the Council have a soft spot for humans. Or they just really dislike War and his supposed crime against the Balance. Either one sounds reasonable.
Shuddering, you wrap one arm around your chained waist when he yanks himself free. The new gauntlet drips with dark energy that you're more than familiar with, but is nonetheless unsettling. Your own chain seems to heat up in response, making you shift uncomfortably.
"The Watcher is bound to you. It will ensure your loyalty, while the human will act as your guide." The Council growls.
Shadow (you refuse to refer to call it the Watcher when you knows there's one than one) swims around War's shoulders, saying in a unconvincingly friendly tone, "Remember that, or I will really get under your skin."
War hits the ground hard, grunting with pain and making your insides twist with empathic discomfort. War digs his fingers into the stone, leaving deep grooves in the rock. You distinctly remember this scene in the game, but damn if it isn't ten times as impressive in person.
"ENOUGH!" The Council orders, obviously much too soon to please Shadow. What an asshole. "Get up, and arm yourself, War."
Hearing his loud footsteps approaching, you tighten your grip on the halberd pole and straighten up. Play it cool. Remember the bet with Strife.
A bet that you will under no circumstances lose or mention to War. Which definitely has nothing to do with your love life. Nothing.
War noticeably pauses when he spots you, his bright white eyes narrowing and a scowl appearing. "This is the human?"
"Damn right." You grin excitedly.
"They have... knowledge and the cunning mind the third kingdom are known for." The Council answers rather flippantly, apparently less than concerned with what War thinks of this situation.
"Take ChaosEater. The angry blade thirsts for destruction." They continue, while War sizes you up.
If the barred teeth are anything to go by, he doesn't like what he sees.
Understandable, you think dismally. Unfortunately you can't say the same. He's just so... Goddamn attractive. Like honestly, it should be against the rules or something. You scowl in annoyance.
You absentmindedly return to running your fingers over the chain links on your 'leash', watching him pull out his battle worn weapon. Your own is shiny and unintimidating by comparison, although its eons older than you.
You silently follow as he makes his way to the soul... Thing.
Shadow seeps out of his gauntlet while they explain the souls = currency, moving in front of you and asking rather accusingly, "You prepared yourself accordingly, didn't you?"
"What kind of question is that? No, I brought my favorite romcom's and a cocktail dress, both of which obviously match the halberd." You snort.
It takes you a full second to realize you've been spending way too much time with Death and Strife if sarcasm is your go-to answer.
Shadow makes a hissing noise in response. It (he?) reaches for you with one hand, wrapping its abnormally long fingers around the chain at your waist. "A shame I can't make you scream."
"War probably can." Your lips tilt up, making your meaning clear. "God dammit, I really have spent too much time with Strife." You add on, mostly to yourself. He would be cackling at this point, you know.
Shadow recoils like you've fricken swung at it, bringing one hand up to its chest. "I should expect as much from a human." You notice War now listening to your argument over the Watcher's shoulder, but decide to ignore him for the time being.
"Keep talkin like that and I'll think you fancy me, Shadow." You grin mock-flirtatiously. "We've got a long quest ahead of us though and I've already got a bet going, so you might wanna keep your infatuation on the down low."
"You-!" It starts, once again cut off by the Council.
"Quiet! Such insolence is not tolerable. The advisor will decide your fate, Watcher."
You honestly did not expect the Council to pick your side.
You almost smile, stopping yourself at the last milli-second. Can't be showing surprise. You scold yourself. You're almost positive you haven't seen Shadow before simply because it's not as fond as humans as its siblings. It does use slang though... You narrow your eyes. Maybe Shadow just doesn't like me?
You sort of want Death's input on this whole situation, but that is obviously not going to happen. Maybe you can get Vulgrim to ferry a message.
"Horseman." The Council suddenly booms, making you flinch back. "Find the demon Vulgrim."
You sigh. This isn't gonna be as easy as I first assumed.
"Does our advisor know where he's located?" Shadow inquires, rather accusingly, in your opinion.
"Probably where he's always located. Got a metric fuck ton of wind chimes all around, a sigil ring." You shrug. There's really no need to give him anymore than that. You'd be much more willing to explain if War was the one asking.
Shadow makes a horrible hissing noise before seeping back into War's gauntlet, leaving you smiling hesitantly at said Horseman. You really can't help yourself. "Ready?"
He just scowls.
Yeah... This is going to be a long journey... You pout, moving to the portal that will quote unquote "take you to earth". You know that really means its going to send you crashing into the Earth, but you've reason to believe you'll survive. You did last time, when you went to get Death.
War goes on ahead of you, completely fearless as he steps through.
You only hesitate a tiny bit, before throwing yourself into the portal and out into open air. You're honestly not sure which is worse, the sensation of using said portal, or the fact you're hurtling toward Earth at a high speed.
The latter, you decide, pulling yourself into a ball of complete and utter terror. There has to be a better way to travel.
Your chains heat up, although this time you know it's not to harm you. The stifling heat wraps around your body like a bubble and absorbs the shock of impact. It does not however, keep the debris from scratching every bit of exposed skin.
"Ugh." You groan, slowly picking yourself out of the crater. Shadow does its usual 'intimidating' thing while you do so, which you don't exactly agree with, but you're also not too keen on intervening with right now. You need to focus on not throwing up your breakfast.
Nonetheless, you have plenty of time to notice Shadow drifting close to antagonize you some more. "What's wrong, advisor? Can't handle a portal?" It mocks.
You shakily get onto your feet, using your halberd as a support. "No, actually, I can't. I sorta assumed given your six eyes you'd've noticed that I'm human." You snarl, glancing around for the ramp. "That way." You point, turning to War. "We go up."
He makes a noise you can't quite name, following your directions begrudgingly. Trailing after him, you begin to explain, "Vulgrim will want a few hundred more souls than what the Council gave you, so we're... You're going to have to farm and then he'll give us a way to progress."
"To where?" He scales the ramp with ease, much to your annoyance.
You have to carefully pick your way through the rubble in fear of injuring yourself. "There's a certain demon that wants to mutually beneficial deal."
Shadow seeps out of the Gauntlet, moving to wait for up War across the gap. "Over here." It hisses, clearly impatient.
You lurch forward before the Horseman can leap across, curling your fingers around the lip of his pauldron. "Can... I seriously I doubt I can make that jump." You admit, bowing your head with embarrassment. "I mean, I can probably climb but..."
If War reacts, you don't see it. You do however, squawk in surprise when he grabs you by the waist. He swings you up on his back without a moments hesitation, apparently figuring this is the easiest way to go about it.
Which is probably true, but doesn't stop you from blushing.
Yeah... This is gonna be a long journey...