Dragon Bone Z: Almost lol, at least in a dream
deathwing17: I am so glad I got a laugh from you XD Oh gosh, Issei would flip if anyone had a bigger harem than him lol.
Hollowreaper 93: We'll have to find out, Hela is an unpredictable goddess after all. A lot of questions lol, I can't give spoilers but I hope you like my answers to them all and thank you again for the kind words.
ahsoei: Good catch ;) Akeno in the dream was a bit of a poke at canon and how basically all of Issei's harem joined after he helped them with something. One act of kindness and bam...wanting to marry him with tons of others without a care lol
Slayer Cross: That he is XD He fell from Heaven for a reason. Oh, not a traitor. The idea is she's loyal to the Crossroads, but won't just abandon Vali. If he needs her, she will help. To answer your questions as best I can, yes this arc will mix with the Diodora battle, Loki is not fully gone and as for the fang...fragments of legends tend to find ways of being useful ;) And as always you are very welcome :D
AJR3333: That is wonderful to hear :) Lol, to be compared to a Marvel movie is a great compliment, thank you very much! Near-lemon XD Hoo boy if I ever make a chapter like that it will be quite the undertaking. *dabs sweat from brow nervously*
Ronmr: That seems to always be the case, things happen at the worst times. The boat important? *glances left and right suspiciously* Whatever do you mean? XD
WinterRuneWolf: I am surprised how many like seeing him with a harem, it really means a lot that you would trust him to make them happy :D No need to worry, I fully agree Issei's in canon was FAR too large. No matter what may come, Dorian would not have THAT many loves lol. *salutes* yes sir! Getting to writing right away sir! ;)
theLawbringer: I see what you mean, though they have been studying each other's myths during their time together. As for the escort missions, they have to build up their reputation before the major players trust them with more. As for the major loaf...if you were looking for the cure to a poison would you check the lab or their study? lol. This is only a few days since the attack, I felt it would be "meta-gaming" if I had the powers actively searching his gaudy statues, murals and carpets in his study when they sought a cure to a virulent poison. Eventually no doubt, but they didn't have the time. In terms of Dorian power...it is my great hope for him to NEVER come across as OP, especially not Rey OP lol. His power growth will be natural and earned as I have striven for the entire story. He is already strong enough to dent Loki's barriers but he is always fighting an uphill battle. As for the myth allies beyond the alliance...I have plans ;)
fanficcyberman: Oh gosh, activating THOSE features when he doesn't want them XD I'm dying here LOL. Thank you very much, I hope you enjoy this one just as much :D
PuppiesZiegler: Love and cheers to you too! I hope your prayers of no writer's block stay true for a long time :)
CaedmonCousland: I enjoy your in-depth reviews and they are so appreciated :D You nailed the...nail on the head lol, Akeno admires Dorian for his simple remarks about her father starting her thinking more on him, but no she won't be throwing herself at him lol. In his defense, Issei really is like that at this point XD He doesn't delve deeper in it until after getting over Raynare's trauma. Not to mention Issei has mentioned in canon on several occasions he is aiming for numbers for his harem. As for the painting of Samael, no one but the highest Church leaders would know anything about it as he is one of their biggest kept secrets. I saw no reason for them to suspect it considering he has been sealed in Cocytus for just about the entirety of human history. I am so glad you have liked my world building and enjoy my plans for Hel ;)
FateBurn: Thank you.
1Batman4u: I must admit I adore that idea as well, Moya from Farscape was one of my favorite ships of all time. I won't give spoilers...but for a fellow Farscape fan I will say...you are VERY close :D
michael68: That is...a surprisingly accurate assessment, dramatic flair aside XD XD
TheLycan2026: Welcome aboard! It is great to meet a recent fan, and thank you so much. Slowly building up that relationship between them in the background was one of my first ideas for the story. It means a lot that you like my portrayal of them :D
naruto: Yep, it's going to amp up from here with the race to save Baldur. I am glad you caught that detail that something from his dream led him to the lab. Remember that as we move forward...
And with that...ONTO THE SHOW!
"So, it does not match any known pathogen in Norse myth including the inferences to possible weaknesses in Lady Freyja's initial blessing of Baldur?"
"Exactly," Azazel confirmed from the sofa. "I wish they had sent me their findings sooner, blame the slow process of merging the touchier subjects of our people. Hearing that a god with Aesir and Vanir blood can be made nigh invincible would make any groups nervous."
"Food is here!" The chipper voice of Bennia broke the somber discussions. With a somewhat graceful spin, she placed a series of plates between them along with a cardboard box.
"Pizza?" Azazel asked with a playful grin at the simple assortment laid out. A second box was placed at the other table being enjoyed by the grim reaper and others.
"It can't be helped," Rossweisse sighed somewhat embarrassed. "The Hyoudous are out, Asia is with her peerage preparing for their game and Hecuba is with Dorian. Regrettably there is no one left who can prepare a proper meal."
"No apologies needed," the fallen angel assured with a smile while pulling a piece dripping with cheese from the box. "Too much of that fancy highbrow food can get anyone nostalgic for the simpler things. Not that I don't miss Ms. Himejima's tea, I can certainly see why Baraqiel's aide enjoys spending so much time in her company."
As if that's the only reason.
"I presume messing with Dorian wasn't your only reason for coming?" Rossweisse had grown to know the older Grigori leader well enough. He had his quirks yet never let it detract from what was before him.
"Quite right, we've hit a brick wall with trying to help our neighbors to the north. These instances of Khaos Brigade involvement are getting troublesome. Olympus, the Peace Summit, with Loki's ties to them it's apparent even your missing sword fiasco had their fingers in it."
"It is quite frustrating how ingrained they seem to be," she admitted. "We are always on the defensive to say nothing of how many groups unaffiliated with our alliance may be involved with them."
"Too true, we know of the Old Satan Faction and this new Hero Brigade but who knows how many other cells they have running around. We know the Infinite Dragon Ophis has been leading them but that doesn't narrow down their ultimate goal much."
Rossweisse cut her own piece of pizza, carefully slicing it from the rest in direct contrast with Azazel's clumsier pull. He almost had to hold back a bit of a chuckle at her use of a knife and fork.
"So while our governments make vague assertions to possible ideas of what could be hitting Baldur, I decided to cut right to one place where not only is there an in-depth collection of writings between groups but also a little lady with a brain to put most computers to shame. I hear you made a name for yourself hunting the impossible in your younger years."
"Well," Rossweisse coughed somewhat to hide her blush of pride mixed with shame at her never published essay. "If obvious sources have come up empty, we may need to consider either something unseen or more likely with Loki's affiliations perhaps he combined attributes of multiple poisons. I have read over nearly every book in this tower across myths, have you considered…?"
A klaxon blaring warned them that the Bifrost was opening, heralding visitors to their tower. Issuing a polite apology, Rossweisse made her way to the chamber not far from the meeting room. With Azazel close behind they checked the incoming destination and identity.
"Thrud?" She murmured seeing that it was coming from Asgard. Quickly, she let her and one other passenger through. Her childhood friend and Hecuba marched through the portal absolutely fuming. It was beyond anger as a deep frustration was obvious in their expression bordering on sorrow. "What happened, where is Dorian?"
"That frozen bitch thinks she's so…" the daughter of thunder calmed herself, the static in the air causing everyone's hair to rise. Once through the portal she held out her hand. Across the tower, a whistling sound heralded Gulbjorn flying through to her side. Once seized, she released a burst of lightning through her weapon causing all the lights to flicker.
"I take it you didn't find anything at Loki's lab we missed?" Azazel asked cautiously.
"Worse, while there we ran into Lady Freyja doing the same thing we were. Uncle Baldur…he passed." She paused as Azazel and Rossweisse's faces contorted in sorrow and defeat. "There is more, Grandmother sought to reach Hel before his soul crossed the gate, so Dorian offered to use the Roads and…"
Hel…
A thin, emaciated shape lurched forward towards the grey-blue light far beyond. He had no muscle on his body, every ounce of strength and spirit utterly sapped with eyes glazed over forced towards their new destination. In the distance, a menacing gate of cruel, spike-filled borders and impossible geometry awaited concealed in a freezing mist biting to the very core. Baldur's soul could not fight the pull, following the compulsion to its ultimate end.
"STOP!" Freyja commanded, flying out of an azure portal in a flash. With speed and strength only a desperate mother could muster she stood before Baldur, embracing him and halting his advance. He did not have the strength to resist. "Open your eyes, please!"
Dorian, Thrud and Hecuba followed next, gasping at the pace Freyja had rushed through the roads to make it to Hel in time. Leaning forward with a groan, the Einherjar caught his breath before surveying the landscape around. He had never been to Hel, however the ice encompassing the terrain was familiar being the very substance he often wielded for his shield. He eyed the area with worry, remembering the effects of the gaseous form he refused to use, despising its power over the mind.
"Tsk tsk," A soft exotic voice tutted from the shadows. "Now how did you outrun the dead to my gates? The Bifrost is not so fast, your retainer? No matter, you come in time to say goodbye, nothing more."
Through the gate ahead a massive elaborate staircase rose from the ice to herald her arrival. A woman descended them slowly knowing full well all in the realm awaited her. The mistress of the void was tall, wearing an extravagant gown with accompanying cloak reaching her ankles. Dorian couldn't determine the color, sometimes appearing golden brown and others a purple blackness from which nothing could escape. The two colors shifted like a fog across her as if her entire body was in a state of flux. Her pale skin degraded to bone only to regrow again an instant later, her immaculate fingers and nails stretching into hag-like proportions before shifting to those shining from years of upkeep.
Thus, it was they beheld Hela, daughter of Loki and Queen of Hel, overseer of those to die without honorable combat. The goddess who was both alive and dead at the same time. Her ocean-blue flowing hair aged to grey spider silk and back, only at the apex of its youth and beauty did a vision return to Dorian's mind. A memory of his arrival at Asgard, one of the first women he had met and the first to betray his trust in a growing line. He scratched at his chest, remembering the scars beneath all too well.
"Kara?" He asked utterly baffled at the new arrival's resemblance to the Valkyrie in training who never existed.
"Kara?" The uttering of that name was the first she paid the Einherjar and the other guests any notice. "Ah yes the little prank my father played on you. Say what you will of his plots and strategies, he never did have much imagination for aesthetics. You are bold to come here after that battle."
"I am here for my son!" Freyja stepped between them. "He has MORE than earned his place in Valhalla. I DEMAND his return!"
"Your demand would go against our very laws," Hela tutted, resting a hand on her hip lazily. "I do recall that I was crowed ruler of Hel, not you. The dishonored dead are mine and balance must be upheld." Her voice dripped with smugness, clearly, she did not take her duties as solemnly as she claimed.
"He was not dishonored! He fought his entire life, Baldur was strong and kind, he…"
"Stumbled at the finish line. You may say goodbye, but your unique son is mine at last. I guess father wanted to give me a present."
Freyja's armor burst to life, her twin blades materializing in hand. With a roar of absolute rage and sorrow she took off towards Hela, her mightiest sword leading the way bearing down on the child of Loki's head. It did not connect, with the lightest of ease, the lady of the damned caught her strike with a pair of fingers. The Queen of Asgard struggled and pressed with all her strength as Hela yawned.
"Someone seems to forget, you may be a goddess, but in this realm…I AM god, being so close to the gate doesn't change that." A shockwave erupted from her outstretched palm, blasting Freyja backwards a good few feet sliding to a stop with her heels carving a path through the ice. Thrud, Hecuba and Dorian had rushed to her side. None brought a weapon save Dorian whose were stored in the Roads. "Baldur, come on home son."
The God of Light continued his zombie-like pace, nearly having reached the point of no return. A few feet from the gate, the glaciers on either side melted into water, flowing through the air to coalesce in front of him, forming a semi-circle barrier stopping the mindless spirit in his tracks. Hela glanced behind Freyja with a sigh. Dorian had Twilight Star raised, combining the newly added water-manipulation powers along with his ability to summon the ice of Hel he had created a makeshift barrier to stop Baldur, if only for a moment.
"Ah, the boy who has been stealing my ice," she smirked with a chuckle. "It will take a little bit more than rearranging the décor to stop Baldur, his fate is sealed."
"No, it's not!" Freyja's rage had simmered somewhat in the face of Hela's overwhelming power while she remained in her realm. "I know you, you collect, and you bargain…so let's make a deal." To the horror of the others, Freyja's armor and weapons dispersed leaving her in her robes. With the most graceful of actions, she knelt low before Hela, prostrating herself before her. "Balance must be maintained, so release Baldur and take me in his stead."
"Grandmother!" Thrud exclaimed.
"No!" Dorian stepped forward, Hecuba reaching out to protest with them.
"Hmm, your darling boy remains among the living and I get a Vanir Queen to add to my collection?" She glanced backwards, eyeing a growing line of silhouettes in the distance. It was obvious they were the denizens of Hel, every single one of them known to her and cataloged like butterflies tacked to a board. "It has been a long time since anyone reached me fast enough to offer such an exchange."
"I was the one who stabbed him!" Hecuba stepped in front of Freyja without hesitation. "I should be the one to take his place in Hel!"
"You?" The half-dead goddess let out a loud smug laughter as if she was amused by and mocking the proposal at the same time. "Do you have any idea how many 'heroes' I have among my collection? It would take fifty of you for me to even consider such a trade."
"A parent should not outlive a child," Freyja muttered under her breath. "I will do it, I will…" Unable to finish her sentence, a single tear fell to the ground to freeze instantly upon the cold Earth of Hel.
This isn't right. She keeps crying again and again and there's not a damned thing I can do about it. What is the point of this power if I keep facing beings it's useless against? Kokabiel, Loki's poison, Sairaorg...Calm down, fighting isn't the only option. There is always...
A loud clang shattered Hela's moment of victory, Dorian had buried Twilight Star into the ground deep. The Einherjar's grey eyes shined, focused at Hela as he marched defiantly up to her. A fire burned in his chest not only to protect Freyja at any cost but also at confronting Kara once more, at least the closest he would ever get to seeing her again.
"You leave her be, return Baldur…and take me."
"Dorian, Are you insane?!" Thrud was the first to speak, however his name flowed from Freyja's lips as a whisper realizing what he aimed to do.
"You are arrogant boy," Hela rounded on him. "If the heir to a legendary hero is nothing to me, what makes you think an Einherjar of no special birth will…?"
A flash of light interrupted her words, Laerad Ragnarok exploding to life as a ball of light emerged to materialize into Iggy. She stood in her full majesty, dress flowing in the freezing wind of Hel, yet she stood her ground. Dorian had never seen her look so menacing.
"His soul does not interest you, but MINE will, we are a packaged deal," she announced. Wings rotating between angel and fallen, devil and Valkyrie shifted across her back. Olympian lightning crackled across her skin and the heat of Hestia radiated from her. The daughter of Yggdrasil showed off the many different realms she had bonded with, proving her worth and causing even Hela's lips to water with delight.
"Iggy, what are you doing?" Dorian asked. He had hoped she could take a physical form to be free of any pact he made on Freyja's behalf.
"Helping you," she turned with a somber smile. "I experienced what you felt for Freyja, she saved you, cared for you with Odin as if you were their own but never said it." Freyja's face turned red at the words. "We will make her happy, together."
"You will not!" Freyja stood back to her feet. "I will be damned befo...!"
The Goddess of Asgard froze in place, Hecuba and Thrud similarly immobilized as the Mistress of the dead raised a hand demanding silence. None could resist her will.
"So," she began with a sneer of superiority. "Baldur's soul goes free, your friends depart, and you join me in Hel for eternity to fight in my army at the age of Ragnarok should it ever come. Does that sound about right?"
Gods are bound by their words, the tutelage with the other Valkyries returned to Dorian. If we make it official, she may try to bend the rules but cannot break them.
"A trade, that is what we propose," he continued with the most official voice he could muster. "It's not just what happened to Baldur but if there is no other way to placate your fascination," he looked at Iggy who nodded her surety of their path. "Then we will trade a soul for a soul."
"Justice," she sighed with disdain at the word. "Well, there's more than one soul here," Hela leaned lazily on a hand reveling in his professional demeanor along with the three women's attempts to free themselves from her grasp. "You both are linked yet neither are even close to Baldur's equal, but a daughter of Yggdrasil who has never laid a seed AND who has seen sooo many places along with an Einherjar of SOME worth," she glanced down at the charm dangling from his hip from which the cracked tooth of Fenrir, her older brother, now hung as a trophy to his defeat. "I will haggle. Your souls together are to be considered on par with a single god's if only for your uniqueness. A one for one trade under those terms would be acceptable but no use of your little Roads, if you leave my domain under this agreement for an instant it will be null and void. Do we have an accord?"
Hela ran a single long fingernail currently in the throes of her corpse-like visage across a palm. Blood ran down her arm to drip to the ground, leaving an x-shaped scar upon the surface.
"D-don't," Thrud croaked through the spell. Every muscle in her body yearned to rip her Blood-Aunt's head off yet she could not move coming up far short in power to her. Even Freyja could barely twitch.
Dorian's hand trembled as he reached out to Hela's outstretched grip, seizing it into a solid handshake. Pain tore through his body as the same scar jumped onto his own hand, both sharing the wound. As quickly as the agony started it was gone, the cross-shaped slashes fading until both palms were utterly smooth. Unexpectedly, gold bracers akin to manacles clasped out of nowhere around his wrists, the cold chilling his very soul.
"The pact is struck," Hela twirled one hand over the other, summoning an ornate urn covered in runes. "Baldur, you may go home." As if in response, Baldur's gaunt form started to evaporate into a thin mist which blew through the air into the urn. Only once every speck of dust was within did Loki's daughter seal it with a lid. "As you wished."
She tossed the jar uncaringly towards Freyja who was only then released from the paralysis in time to catch it. Eyes wide with concern, she cradled it tenderly, able to sense beyond a shadow of a doubt that her son lay just within.
"It will keep but don't be too hasty," Hela winked to her own Blood-Aunt with stifled laughter. "I'd make sure his body is clean before putting that back, otherwise he'll come right back to me. Say your goodbyes, you have five minutes."
"I will kill the other half of you!" Thrud stepped forward even weaponless but Dorian stepped in front, grabbing her in an embrace to stop what would assuredly have been a suicide run. She tried to push through, only stopping as his arms locked around her, desperate to stop her advance.
"You know a lost fight," Hela sneered at Thrud's flushed confused expression at Dorian's resistance. "An admirable quality not shared by my extended family."
"Don't," he begged as she struggled uncertain how else to react. "I'm sorry but I won't let Freyja go through this. Get back to the tower, make sure Rose gets Twilight Star," he motioned towards his weapon still buried in the ice. "She'll be a great leader of the Crossroads, just help her out and make sure Baldur has a body to go back to. I'll think of something...trust me," the restrained smile almost made Thrud believe him.
"She isn't the only one you own an apology to," she threatened with a short tone, shoving a finger into his chest. "We'll be back for you; don't you even THINK of getting away from our training. Not even Hel will get you out of it, I told you when we met, I'll whip you into shape and I meant it."
"Hecuba…"
"Not a word Dorian," she snapped as he turned to her next. "We will get you out, trying to talk us out of it is a useless gesture. We cannot defeat her through strength of arms but there are more avenues than that. I will not rest until all have been utterly expended."
"We will make a new deal!" Freyja had enough, marching without fear towards Hela and her indomitable power. "This is unacceptable! Give me back my bo…!"
"We are done here," Hela waved a hand with the most uncaring of ease. Without a chance to defend or argue, the collected women and all around them were cast from Hel. Pushed back beyond the barrier, the women were thrown to Asgard, the two realms linked more closely than many would admit. With a final cry of defiance, silence settled as only Dorian, Iggy and Hela stood among the frozen staircase leading to the gate of the damned. "Welcome to your new home, we are going to have a SPLENDID time together."
Dorian gripped Iggy's hand tightly, she returning the gesture. Uncertain of what lay before them yet knowing they would not have made any other decision, the pair who had walked side by side since his birth did so again, crossing the barrier to the home of all dishonored slain from which none ever returned.
Crossroads Tower…
Rossweisse held Twilight Star in trembling hands, eyes wide at the gesture ensuring the weapon which meant so much made it into her care. The others were gathered, the entire Crossroads donned in their armor preparing for war. Bennia especially was doing a series of flourishes of her scythe amping herself up for the battle. Xenovia had Durandal drawn from its pocket dimension and Irina wielded Excalibur shining bright.
"We need a plan," Thrud warned. "While within the borders of Hel my dear Blood-Aunt can be counted among the top ten strongest. We wouldn't stand a chance in a direct confrontation to say nothing of the legions at her command."
"An army of damned souls?" Bennia hugged her scythe like a pillow while recalling the gift from Sirzechs still in her robe. "My specialty."
"Can we expect reinforcements from Asgard?" Rossweisse confidently asked, her grip on Twilight Star more certain than before.
"Lady Freyja went on ahead to the palace," Hecuba explained trying not to recall the absolute fury in the goddess' eyes. "She is ensuring Baldur's soul is in a place of safety as they continue working to mend his body. "Odin will know of what transpired shortly but what action they will take we don't know."
"It's time I visited your Realms then," Azazel's childish side had fallen away to be replaced with the Grigori genius. "I'll boot Ajuka's people out of bed for this one, he said he hoped he was getting close. Was there anything at Loki's lab you found that we might have missed?"
"Nothing before we were found by Lady Freyja. Old documents, broken machinery and what personal effects Loki had in the study."
"If anything happens to Dorian, I am smashing every gaudy statue and burning that place to the ground," Thrud swore. She twirled Gulbjorn several times for emphasis, the heavy axe cutting the air loudly.
"That bad huh?" Azazel tried mocking their mutual foe if only to calm her rage. "He seems like the kind of fella to just collect statues of himself to feed his narcissism."
"I am surprised he did not have such," Hecuba admitted. "Just statues, murals and rugs spanning the various myths. They were quite valuable from the look of…"
"He had other mythology memorabilia?" Rossweisse's eyes lit up. Azazel squinted at her sudden burst of energy, only slowly starting to realize what she was getting at. "Hecuba…tell us EVERYTHING you saw!"
Hell…
"With how easily Team Astaroth has been winning, are you worried for your chances in the upcoming fight?" The reporter at the front called out a question with flashing cameras all around.
Rias and Diodora were sitting ahead of the crowd surrounded by microphones both smiling for the cameras with their full demeanor as relatives of Satans on display. As was expected, they had joined a press conference leading up to the fight to see their ideas and gauge the confidence for both sides for the masses. On the more practical side it helped gamblers decide who had the best chance of victory. After the crushing victory against Seekvaira and the Gremory' team's recent loss to Riser, the majority were leaning towards Diodora's chances.
"I am confident in our abilities," Rias announced without a shred of doubt. "I trust in my servants, my friends to show our resolve and my own power. As promised back at the opening ceremonies…I will not lose a single match."
"And Mr. Astaroth! How do you feel about facing the Red Dragon Emperor himself?"
"Humbled to be sure," he assured the onlookers. Every lady under my command is a superb fighter in their own right but it will be quite the hurdle for us to overcome a legend like him."
"Speaking of," a woman in the back stood. "There are rumors that the Red Dragon Emperor has laid claim to your hand Lady Gremory. Are these whispers accurate?"
"Well…I…"
As Rias fumbled with her words at the sudden question, her peerage stood to the side of the podium. They were unneeded for the current round of interviews which set them at ease. None of them, with the possible exception of Akeno, cherished the thought of having to speak in front of so many. That very half-fallen angel queen was at present relaxing on the sofa beside Koneko, the two watching Rias' interview with rapt attention. Honda was ever on guard, its opinion at such events completely unreadable. Asia and Issei tried to do the same but were apprehensive every time Diodora would glance over to give her a shining smile.
"I do not envy the President," he admitted. "Talking in front of that many, being the sister of a Satan is rough."
"She handles it so well," Asia gushed with eyes wide at how Rias dealt with the pressure without even letting it show until Issei was mentioned. She turned to the small dragon Rassei on her shoulder, feeding him a small kernel of food he devoured greedily.
The tiny dragon had been claimed as Asia's familiar months back when they had been searching for one for Issei to no avail. He was still small, barely bigger than a small dog, however, was the only familiar among their numbers who could pull his weight in combat. Ever since Ratatoskr's shaming of the poor drake, it had taken special care to improve itself. He was ready to take part in the rating game.
Kiba was not far but separated from the rest being closer to Diodora's peerage than the others. It was his first-time laying eyes on them, and he agreed with Bennia's rather accurate assessment of their zombie-like behavior. They stood straight watching the conference with hardly a blink between them. Out of the entire group, only one glanced his way if only an instant so subtly it was barely noticed.
"You are one of Diodora's knights?" He asked. Whether it was due to her fellow status of knight or the pure uncaring look he saw from her fight from the last match, Kiba felt the desire to speak with Catherine if only to confirm his fears.
"I am," she acknowledged with a turn. "And you are the lone knight of Rias Gremory. What do you desire?"
"Your style was impressive, Vatican-trained I presume?"
Catherine stared quietly, clearly uncertain if she should answer his question. It was unnecessary, the flourishes and movements clearly identical to one of the highest styles trained by holy-sword candidates within the Biblical faction. He remembered the moves well.
"Asking from one knight to another, what are you fighting for?"
"I fight for the will of my King."
"As do I," his expression deepened at the speed and shortness of her answer. "But a reason to fight means little if it gives no pleasure or drive."
The pink-haired woman stared at him unfazed by his words.
"You walk the battlefield as a ghost," Kiba stared her down. "Fighting for the only purpose you think there is, but it gives no pleasure and only saps the soul with each passing day. Believe me, I know that pain."
Kiba thought back to his daily rituals before the Church fighters came to Kuoh. The utter rage and anger he kept contained against the Excalibur swords. It had gone so far that he'd abandoned Rias in the pursuit of their wielders, leaving the very woman whom he owed his life to. That was the look he had recognized in the first knight of Astaroth, the same he had worn many evenings plotting his vengeance against the weapons he blamed for all his woes.
"Your supposed purpose is ash in your eyes," he pushed, the young woman's left brow twitching ever so slightly as if she wanted to refute every word he spoke and yet couldn't find the rebuttals. "You cared not for the defeat at the last game."
"We won!" She snapped, the first sign of emotion in her voice. "Our Lord was victorious!"
"Your King won, but YOU lost. I was watching the match, you were wondrous, brilliant with your weapons. And yet when it came time for you to show the fruits of your hard work, he took the victory claiming it for his own while you…"
The enraged knight's eyes flared wide; her twitch having spread through her visage. Her hand fell to the longsword's hilt and with a speed that amazed even the devil-knight she drew her weapon, the steel shining forth angled towards his throat. Kiba did not move an inch.
"CAT!" The edge of her sword came to rest less than a hair's width from his throat stopped only by the words of Diodora's Queen Roslina behind. She, along with the rest of the peerage, were eyeing their sister with an air of concern, the first witnessed in the group for any save their king. "Stand down, no order has been given."
The blade trembled for a moment considering if she should listen before receding, returning to its sheath with a satisfying clang of metal on metal. The former saint spun with a frustrated huff, taking several steps before stopping.
"I will find you in the match Ser Kiba. When that happens, I will show you the strength of my convictions you question so openly." With that last word she departed backstage uncaring of how the rest of the press conference played out.
"My apologies," Rosalina bowed low before the blonde fighter. "For the unseemly display of our sister. Rest assured it shall not happen again."
"No need to be sorry," Kiba assured her with an ever-so subtle grin. "That revealed more of her than anything she may have said."
And showed more spirit than she did in all her fights I've seen thus far…
Underworld…
Deep within the realm of the dead between Elysium and Tartarus, a tall figure sat at an imposing desk. Lacking any skin, muscles or sinew, the figure's ivory white bone shined brightly to match his flowing robes like those worn by priests or other holy figures. Blue lights radiated within empty voids where eyes would be while scribbling upon a tome so large it took up the entirety of the wooden surface before him.
"Hmmm," the godly figure thrummed, rapping his fingers on the desk. "Low quotas this year, how troubling."
"Lord Hades," a woman's voice over an unseen speaker reverberated throughout his chambers. "The Governor-General Azazel is requesting to speak with you."
"Tell him I am in no mood for any crows today," he replied with a bite of disdain and annoyance. "Inform him I have more important matters to attend, like cleaning the scum from my boots."
"Aw, don't be like that," Azazel's voice came over the speaker having overheard him. "We hardly ever talk and when we do you always have such venom to your words."
Hades froze, the particular phrasing and emphasis from the fallen angel he saw as worthless pulling a string in the back of his mind. Sitting up straight, the Lord of the Dead spoke loud and clear.
"Put him through." Following his commands instantly, a shimmering hologram of Azazel appeared from his place in Asgard. His beaming smile grated on Hades' nerves, the worthless fallen-angel felt so highly of himself when his life was so little in the Lord of the Dead's eyes.
"Hades, my man," he started without missing a beat. "How are things in the land way down under?"
"What do you want?" He asked quick and to the point having no patience for him on the best of days. With the insinuation his words had inferred, that was even less.
"Straight to the point, good, we want this done fast anyway. I wanted to see if you've had any, shall we say, breaches in your security measures?"
"None have escaped my sight," he assured him. "Just because your own glorified orphanage you call realms can have such flaws does not mean it applies to my domain. "My record is spotless…"
"Except for a certain Einherjar?" The thick pen in Hades' hand snapped down the middle, his restraint the only thing preventing it vaporizing from existence at the fury of one of the ten strongest beings to walk existence.
"An error the Norse Pantheon AND Olympus refuse my allowance to rectify. Mark my words, he will return to that place, no one escapes paradise."
"Yes, quite a predicament that our friends to the north have stopped your little reapers from seeking him out. It would be a shame if anything would befall one of their most prized members."
He beats around the bush more than the God he once served.
"What happens to them is none of my concern."
"No? Then I suppose what happened to Baldur was just beneath your care?"
"Quite right, he is relegated to their damned afterlife. Hela holds jurisdiction there, if you have any questions to his fate take them up with her."
"Oh, from what I hear that is already being worked on." He finally came to the revelation discovered thanks to Rossweisse's intuition and Hecuba's description of Loki's study. "What I wanted to ask you was how the blood of the Demiurge itself got coated onto a knife and mixed into a mistletoe cocktail."
The room fell into utter silence, the root of the matter finally reached. The Lord of the Dead's eyes flared a little larger in the dull candlelight of the chamber, the only sign he was affected by the news…and Azazel caught every twitch.
"His blood you say?" Hades played dumb, looking up as if deep in thought on options that eluded his ken. "That is QUITE the claim."
"I thought you'd agree considering he's been locked up under YOUR care for the last few thousand years of recorded human history. The bastard mixed several drops with a few other less-than savory substances to make it nearly unrecognizable. Fortunately for Baldur, his vanity pointed us in the right direction. I had a feeling you'd be VERY interested that you seem to have a rather sizable leak in your borders."
"Or more likely some drops were utilized from a bygone age," Hades retorted. "The battle between your former god and that abomination was great and he bled across the world."
"True, true," Azazel admitted with a grin, the hologram picking up him resting his chin confidently in a hand. "But you know how these 'old crows' such as I like to overthink things…always expect the worst."
"It is to be anticipated from such pointless lifeforms."
"No doubt, well, this little pointless lifeform wanted to wholeheartedly thank you for putting his mind at ease," he suddenly pulled back the tension his words had been building towards, falling back with his patented cheeky grin. "At least we CERTAINLY won't have to worry anymore of that blood slipping into their hands. Samael may have bled all over the world but there is only so much blood. With your diligent reapers and our own eyes keeping watch over Cocytus we won't have anything to worry about."
"Clearly."
"I'll give your best regards to the Allfather and mother," he waved farewell. "Fortunately, we were bought some time by your despised Einherjar and are working round the clock purging the poison from Baldur now. You would not BELIEVE how complicated it is dealing with this specific poison. Devil magic, angel magic, Sage Arts, Nordic Runes for some power, you name it all needed to have a chance. Syphoning that shit from his body will take time. Now that we know WHAT we are dealing with...we got a real shot." He made sure to sound more sure than those back at Asgard thought when it came to cleansing his body before it degraded. "Thank you for your time, I hope we have the chance to despise one another's company again someday."
With that final line, the hologram disappeared leaving Hades in the twilight ambiance of his room. The candle flickered and was snuffed out unable to withstand the billowing aura from Hades. Azazel's meaning was quite clear to him; he knew, and worse yet the others must know as well though without evidence otherwise it would have been far more heavy handed. They were watching him and his men.
I'll have to cut contact for now, at least until their eyes turn away as always happens. Their patience has never been that great while mine is boundless. You have no idea how foolish you are old crow. If you let these children walk the path they have, our entire world is doomed. You think yourself so intelligent yet are so blindingly short-sighted as to be pitiable.
The foul poison's identity has been discovered with time to mend Baldur's broken body. Time given through the sacrifice of Dorian's soul to the land of eternal ice and death. The Einherjar and Daughter of Yggdrasil walk together as Team Gremory face Diodora, battles to intertwine…until next time I hope everyone Reads and Reviews…but most of all Enjoys! :D