He who aligned the stars

III

"We're going to Hell."

He supposed there might well have been a better way to begin the conversation, as well as more accurate, but at the same time there were not too many instances where he would have the opportunity to open a conversation with a line like that. Especially ones that would actually end in a more literal interpretation rather than loosely based upon personal opinions of a certain location.

A more accurate version would have been 'We're going to the Underworld' but it didn't sound nearly as zingy to him. That and it technically wasn't as inaccurate as it could have been, though he now was of the impression he might have been overthinking things. Worrying still was the complete lack of a response he had gotten from the person directly in front of him, he had assumed that she would have said something by now but the expression had remained unchanged.

Wodime was certain he hadn't stumbled his words, it sounded fairly clear in his head and just as when he spoke it aloud. Should he have gone with his first iteration of the statement?

'Time to take the highway to Hell'.

Yes, now that he thought about it, he had bungled it. He really should have used that one but he figured that would be more appropriate with someone like Kadoc or Daybit who actually listened to that sort of music. He didn't picture Ophelia as listening to punk rock but he could never be sure.

Though he was sure he kept his face blank, he was internally palming himself for his blunder. He had made quite the misstep once again, he shouldn't assume that Ophelia didn't listen to rock music. Perhaps he should ask her on the journey there? It would take a good couple of hours and that was plenty of time for them to discuss things in a less professional setting.

…He needed to get Romani's mobile number. The earlier success he had was because of the advice he received from the man, he was certain that the school nurse would have more advice for him in these situations. He would absolutely do that when he next visited Da Vinci, making a note to grab Romani's mobile number. If Da Vinci did get involved with them, then it would end rather well.

If she didn't? Well…no sense that they couldn't remain friends.

Ophelia still hadn't said anything, the woman continued to stare into his eyes with her single visible orb for what had been going on at least a minute by this point in time. Then her brows pinched ever so slightly and her lip pulled down, the first instance that she was actually going to do something. "Do you intend on elaborating, Lord Kirschtaria?"

Oh, she took his words completely seriously and didn't even see the humour. That was a shame, he felt a little let down about that. Perhaps it was his own fault for not making things more clear, there was nothing he could do about it now, though. He just had to continue on with what his initial intention for pulling Ophelia to the side after the meeting was about.

As a response to her question, he nodded his head once. "The Realm of the Dead, to be more specific." pausing, he recalled what the Lord of the Land preferred it to actually be called. "Or Hades, if you wish to be further specific."

Ophelia made a noise of affirmation "You intend to visit upon the Lord of the Dead, then?" she questioned "With respect, might I ask why you wish for me to accompany you?"

"You might." He confirmed, then turned away and started to walk towards the elevator "Come, we shall speak on the way there."

She barely even hesitated "Yes, Lord Kirschtaria." He privately wished she would drop the Lord aspect of it considering he was most certainly not a Lord in the Clocktower, regardless of whether or not he had been offered a role as one. Still, he wasn't going to force her to be less formal with him, that would probably just make her uncomfortable.

The two entered, he pressed the button and continued to explain. "As you know, I have been in discussion with Hades for the last few months in regards to our current agenda. During which time, we both came to an understanding."

"An understanding?"

"Yes." He confirmed "We are too weak."

Ophelia did not speak for a few moments, but she eventually nodded her head up and down, albeit rather slowly. "I confess that our strength is not as great as the other Factions, even the weakened Abrahamic ones, but I would contend that our numbers and guidance are still dangerous enough when properly utilised."

His lip pulled into a confident smile. "And you would be correct. With strategic planning and proper utilisation of resources, we would pose a great threat to any one faction in the world. Perhaps multiple, if we were coordinated well enough." the smile dropped. "However, we are not coordinated enough and I have little doubt that we shall ever truly be a unified front as things stand. The agenda of the Old Satan Faction is far too limited for what we intend. Seeking only to overthrow the new Satans and return to the old ways."

"The old ways of violence and barbarism." Ophelia dismissed rather curtly "They will only serve to alienate themselves against the wider world at that point. Especially if the rumours of a union between the Three Factions hold any credibility to them."

"There is not a single individual in the Old Satan Faction who can combat the Four Satans." It was a simple fact of life, Devils prided themselves on power and ability which meant they were always going to try and settle things in contests of strength, even if they initially pursued a path of subterfuge, their pride would eventually win out. Sirzechs Lucifer was simply too great a mountain for the Devils to climb and their overreliance on the benefactor was dangerous. Placing stock in the abilities granted to them at the behest of the Infinite Dragon worked as a short term but it came with the long term agenda of aiding her in the war against the 'Great Red'.

He was in no mood for something like that.

"Though, that is beside the point. In part at least, we might well have a shared interest in passing along information about the Devils to the Old Satan Faction, but their grudges are their own and we have no obligation to follow them through." He paused, glancing to Ophelia from the corner of his eye. "I have no need to remind you how they view humans."

It was really a wonder that they were concerned with the Old Satan Faction at all, while it was true that Cao Cao did view them as tools that could be used against the Devils - given they did share a common enemy - that did not suddenly make them a group that could be trusted in any real capacity. Still, it was Cao Cao who dealt with them directly, so any blunders would fall solely on his own head. Provided they did not compromise anything of true import, they he could condone the use of the Faction in meagre things.

However, the Old Satan Faction were dying one way or the other. The best use for them, in his own opinion, was to simply aim them towards the Devils and allow them to destroy one another and then to sweep in when the dust had settled to take advantage of the chaos. Whether or not that was Cao Cao's current plan was something he was not going to ask. He had already placed it in the hands of his fellow human, he was not going to second guess him now.

"All of this aside, the Old Satan Faction - while our strongest group - is still limited." He continued onwards "I explained as much to Hades and he agreed fully. There naturally comes a point where intelligence will no longer be the deciding factor. The pen might well be mightier than the sword, but it was not Perseus armed with a pen that felled Medusa."

"Then we are in search of allies that will close this power gap." Ophelia surmised with a hum of approval. The fact she did not laugh at his joke was, once more, a little disheartening but he could forget about it. They were in the middle of a discussion, after all.

"Yes, your earlier suggestion with the use of the God Loki falls in line with this." The elevator door opened in front of them, revealing a wide chamber, the room enclosed around them in a cylinder, a central symbol carved into the ground. The fast track teleportation hub they had developed with magic and technology for long distance travel at minimal cost. "Myself and Hades concluded, or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that I opened up the possibility to him, of investigating to see if there were other Gods who would be agreeable to our point of view."

"Allying with Gods?" The surprise in her was equally surprising for him, so much so that he stopped walking and turned to face her, raising a lone eyebrow and scanning her expression. The surprise was quick to fall away, replaced instead by intrigue. "Do you believe such a thing is truly possible? Hades has proven something of an exception thus far and even then, his support to our cause has been somewhat limited."

"True, but he has his position to consider and it is hardly as though we are in a favourable position for him to shift from his current stance." The fact Hades had actually put as much effort as he could have done for them alone was more than enough that he could actually be expecting. Really, he was grateful for the effort of the God. "And even if Hades has the might of the underworld to call upon, there are still the other two factions within the realm that control the Grim Reapers as well. Any excuse for overthrowing Hades would likely be welcomed by them and open support of us would be one such excuse."

"I see, I understand."

"Good." Humming to himself, he continued on with his explanation "Which is why were are in need of Gods that would bring with them much less stigma and are not as tied down by their roles so that they can actually provide support to us that can match and even surpass the power of the Satans and rival that of Gods who will oppose us."

"This seems…" Ophelia looked hesitant to speak of it, likely because she was worried he might be insulted if she did so. She closed her eyes, then shook her head faintly before opening them up once more. "Forgive me, Lord Kirschtaria, this sounds much too ideal. Yet the Lord of the Dead has summoned you directly? Does this mean that he has found allies?"

"I would hope so. Though I am measuring my expectations, it is hardly as though I am expecting one of the strongest Gods in all history to come to my aid. That would be much too convenient for either of us, wouldn't it?" He offered her a wry smile, though it quickly faded as he turned back around and walked towards the centre floor panel. Ophelia coming to a stop next to him. "However, his contact does come with the expectation that he has managed to procure some help. Though that of a fellow God would be ideal, I would be content with any being who comes with the recommendation of the God of the Dead."

The autumn haired woman gave a single hum of approval. "Naturally, anyone that would be recognised by a God and put forth as a partner for you would be a boon for us. Though, my presence has not yet been revealed."

"I believe we could use this trip as an opportunity to speak in a less pressured atmosphere."

"...Please do not tell jokes such as that." Ophelia remarked after a moment of silence. "I am certain you called me here for a reason."

…That had been his reason, but there was another reason, he supposed. Though it had been barely anything more than something he thought of on the way here. "Very well. Considering your suggestion of Loki came with the support of Jedidiah, I assumed that the query could be put forth to Hades. Though I doubt he has much in the way of connection with the Norse Pantheon, his presence would be much less scrutinised than our own. If there is merit to garnering aid from the Trickster God, then Hades will discover it."

She stared at him for a moment, then nodded her head once, seemingly mollified with his revised reasoning. Though the primary reason still stood, he wanted to see what Ophelia was like outside of the work environment, same with all others around the Khaos Brigade - he felt they could do with a new name, perhaps something to discuss with Kadoc and Pepe - just because they were working together to a rather grand goal. Having them all so impersonal felt wrong.

Still, there was plenty of time for him to make those connections and as ideal as it would be for them to be made over the course of a couple - or even a single - conversation, not even he considered himself that idealistic. But as long as he had the chance to facilitate such things, then that was more than fine with him.

Those thoughts were set to one side for the time being, there was still much work to consider doing first and foremost and as good as it would be to prioritise building up informal relations, it couldn't be rushed and it seemed as though Ophelia wasn't going to take him up on his subtle hints for the time being. A shame, but it couldn't be helped.

Turning around, he noticed that Ophelia was now looking towards him with a raised eyebrow ever so slightly. It seemed as though she wished to say something but clearly didn't wish to do so openly. Her expression revered back to one of stoicism and she faced ahead alongside him, he glanced towards the operator and nodded his head once. "You already have the coordinates locked?"

Nodding their head, the operator - who he regretfully did not know the name of, something he would have to correct rather swiftly - confirmed his question. "We do, Lord Wodime."

It was more than a couple miles away from Hades' actual temple, well within the land of the undead, but it was something that couldn't be helped. It was the only spot that was accessible via rapid transportation that the God controlled totally without the influence of either Thanatos or Orcus.

At least it would give him some exercise and moving his limbs was always good for the body, keeping it nice and fit. Going for walks was always something that would allow someone to focus their mind on certain topics. In this case, he was certain that the long walk would actually mean Ophelia would speak with him about something, anything really, so long as it was actually something.

"Very well. Two to beam down."

The operator froze for a half second, his mouth half agape as he was caught in the middle of actually carrying out the order. His eyes remained locked on the console in front of him before they snapped up and looked him dead in the eye. Wodime managed to keep the smile off his face as the man clearly caught the reference he was making, something that he hoped at least someone would bond with.

Also this room was effectively a transporter.

It was a reference that had to be made, at least he wanted to make one. Innocent enough that he didn't call attention to it.

After a brief second of silence, the man shook his head as if to dismiss what he had just heard and then resumed his usual work. Tapping away at the console. "Coordinates confirmed for the outer lands of the Realm of the Dead, Site F." The man remained silent for a moment before he rolled his lips, looking as though he was fighting back the urge to make a smile.

Dragging his hands across the screen, he looked back up to them and nodded once. "Energising."

Wodime managed to contain his grin, if only just.

Ophelia wasn't certain what Lord Kirschtaria was thinking when he designated to come here alone and with only her as support.

Her eyes gazed across the location around them, a rusted coloured sky with thick clouds hung above their head. Even taking in a breath of the atmosphere around the was as though she was standing in the very centre of a dumping ground, a vast array of different smells rushed through her nostrils and each one was more acidic than the last.

The only thing that stopped her from keeling over and vomiting onto the dusty red ground beneath her feet was the fact that such a display would have been humiliating for someone like her, especially in the presence of someone like Lord Kirschtaria. Her eye sought him out immediately as she tightened her hands into fists and kept them by her side, trembling as the sting started to settle into her single eye as well. Something burned in the corner of her vision.

As expected, Lord Kirschtaria looked completely unaffected by the display - save for the slight twitching of his nose - and little else. Even if he had visited this place on multiple occasions, that only served to further showcase quite how exceptional he was that he could endure the immediate assault from the purified air of their headquarters to this festering atmosphere of the real of the dead.

Her lip quivered as bile burned in the back of her throat-

It was as though someone flipped a switch, in the next second there was no hint of the foul stench or that it had ever been there in the first place. Ophelia was sorely tempted to take in a deep breath just on the off chance this was temporary, but the rapid transition from foul to clear was startling. Though her breathing did accelerate ever so slightly through her nose, fine combing every scent for the slightest hint that there was something putrid in them.

Nothing, not a single shred of evidence.

Rather…the smell was now pleasant, like something from a vast meadow.

Where did-?

"My apologies." Kirschtaria's voice came from beside her, her eye fell onto him as he looked to her from the corner of his eye, a tight frown upon his face. "I had failed to take into account this was your first visit to the Realm of the Dead." closing his eyes, he continued on "Forewarning as to the environment should have been on the top of my agenda, yet it fell into the wayside due to the rush of seeking to get here swiftly."

He turned to her fully, lowering his head ever so slightly. "It is the land of the dead, even if the living can still walk its surface, the aroma is rather…unpleasant for the living." His expression crinkled ever so slightly as his head came back up, his eyes opening once more and staring down at her with obvious shame. "I am barely used to such an atmosphere myself, I should have expected that you would be even less accustomed to it than I."

Was he taking responsibility for this?

No, it was the land of the dead, it was occupied only by the dead and those who governed them. The idea that the living would stroll through such a place was laughable in the beginning.

Being hostile to the living should have been common sense, the fault was hers for not taking into account this simple conclusion that could have been reached swiftly if she was more focused on where they were actually going. Lord Kirschtaria having to go out of his way to deploy a bounded field around them when she could have made the necessary spells herself was a rather wasteful use of his own abilities. Something she had drawn out with her display.

Schooling her features, she shook her head from side to side. "No, the fault was mine for not being better prepared for this situation."

His eyes crinkled for a moment, visibly scrutinising her for what felt like an eternity before the calm expression returned once more, the aura of composure that she expected from him returned in force. "One cannot account for problems unless they have been alerted to them first. Given my own penchant for gathering information before reaching conclusions, it was rather embarrassing of me to fail to-"

"Lord Kirschtaria." She cut him off with a slight edge to her voice, she understood it was quite rude, especially given the way his face froze mid-sentence before it loosened and he raised a single eyebrow at her somewhat questioningly. "You should not have felt compelled to inform me of the Realm of the Dead being hostile to the living. Such a conclusion should have gone without saying, regardless of what form it took, I should have expected a natural response which worked against me."

The expression tightened up once more, then he nodded his head once "If that is how you see things, then I will not try to dissuade you of this notion." he turned away from her, then directed his attention across the barren wasteland, it was the first time she truly looked to their location and she saw beyond the rust coloured sky and the dusty red expanse.

Of course such a place would be considered the realm of the dead, nothing looked as though it would ever live here. In fact, it looked as though nothing could live here. In the far distance she could see an expanse of mountains, narrowing her single eye she caught a glimpse of a distant orange light along the front of the outcrops but the details were much too small even at this distance and with Magecraft to reinforce her vision. It meant they had been transported quite the distance.

"If you are concerned about the distance, you have very little reason to be." Lord Kirschtaria spoke in a measured tone of voice, her eye fell upon him and noticed that he was looking in the same direction she was. "Lord Hades does not usually expect me to walk the entire distance towards his fortress."

Quite so, it would be rather difficult to navigate the realm of the dead on foot for a human-

…What did he mean by 'usually'?

Her brows furrowed slightly as she aimed a more piercing look at the back of his head, the wording was fairly obvious. However, the implications were rather alarming, was he made to walk this distance on foot during some period in the past? He had never spoken of his method of getting to the Greek God, yet he had spoken at length of the meetings.

Attracting the attention of a God in a positive manner was certainly difficult, but she had never given thought to how he achieved this in the first place. The pieces of the puzzle slowly fell into place with her. It might have been ridiculous for another to consider, but if there was one person who could walk across the land of the dead on foot, then she was certain that Lord Kirschtaria was one of them.

That being said, he had no reason to boast of such an achievement. He didn't need to do so in order to inform others of the depths of his abilities. It went without saying, but…

"Lord Kirschtaria." She voiced aloud to him, there was something else that concerned her first and foremost. "I would not usually speak to your abilities, but are you experiencing additional strain in maintaining this bounded field covering us?" she paused for a moment, letting the words hang in the air. Especially given that he did not immediately respond. "I only ask because we stand in the domain of a God, even manipulating a single aspect of his world on such a small scale-"

"Oh, that is what concerns you?" He sounded mildly relieved by that "In that case, you need not trouble yourself. Combatting the smell of the underworld is the simplest of spells I can achieve here without concern. The other aspects are managed by the aid of the Grim Reapers, they will already be aware of my identity so you need not fear being approached by them."

That was a marginal relief, she supposed the other dangers would allude to the souls of the world. Even if the land was controlled by Hades and his force of Grim Reapers, there was still reason to believe that many of the undead still roamed the location, or perhaps there was even more reason to fear them if the presence of Grim Reapers was regularly required this deep into Hades territory.

She assumed they were deep, considering she could just make out his temple, but the fact remained that she wasn't sure how large the land of the dead stretched on for. This was her first time visiting it, she mentally cursed her inability to foresee such outcomes.

Lord Kirschtaria always spoke of preparing oneself with all available information, even if they did not believe it would come in handy, it was better to know it and not require it, than to require it and not know it. Especially since that - with her lack of proper knowledge - she was now a greater burden to him than she would have been otherwise.

Her brows furrowed as a stray thought occurred to her, it had not weighed itself upon her mind until just now, but she realised that neither one of them had actually moved. She knew she hadn't but neither did Lord Kirschtaria. He was still staring off to the direction of the temple in the far distance, his back to her, but not showing the slightest inclination of moving. She hadn't even seen him so much as twitch in the last few seconds of silence.

The confusion lasted but a millisecond as she analysed the conversation they had from start to finish, focusing upon his discussion of Hades in particular. She admonished herself for examining the wrong part of the conversation. He had said that the God did not usually expect him to walk, she had focused on the 'usually' aspect rather than the rest of the sentence. It should have gone without saying that they - or rather, Lord Kirschtaria - would be provided with transportation.

Actually there was another thing about that. "Lord Kirschtaria?"

"Yes?"

"What manner of transport does the Lord of the Dead usually provide?" She had wanted to ask when it would also arrive, but she did not want to appear impatient or look as though she was trying to rush him. They were now guests in the domain of a God and she recalled the need to keep her head down. Even if they were allies - or close associates - one did not so casually speak bluntly of a God in their own land. She would have to watch her words carefully, especially if she was going to make an appeal to Hades on the topic of Loki.

…

…She was probably going to have to approach a God and then make a request of them. She didn't have anything she could reasonably offer as tribute, even as reasonable as many of the stories presented Hades, she did not reject the possibility that she might have to offer something to him. Now she felt apprehension start to form in the back of her mind, the meeting that was undoubtedly going to take place was weighing upon her and she had been here for less than five minutes.

For that matter, had Lord Kirschtaria ever brought anyone else to the Realm of the Dead alongside him? She did not know of anyone else who had journeyed here with him, perhaps Cao Cao might have but she couldn't be certain of that. At the very least, it was implied that Cao Cao had spoken with the Lord of the Dead but he never once made a direct admission of it. It would be logical to assume they had communed in some way, but never did she recall Lord Kirschtaria speaking about inviting another along with him to his visits.

…Was she the first?

Did he place that much faith in her abilities?

In which case, she had a good deal to live up to, especially if she was to ensure that she did not embarrass Lord Kirschtaria in front of a God after having gone through the trouble of bringing her here. The more she thought about it, the greater the pressure mounted inside her heart. It was - more than likely - the rush of actually coming here and feeling the weight this world exacted upon her.

The sheer magnitude of what she was about to do.

Speaking of visiting the Realm of the Dead was one thing, then to actually go ahead and do so was something very different. She privately wished that the journey to the realm had occurred at a later time so that she could have gone through these concerns within a more secluded environment and approached with a greater degree of confidence. She would have to make do with the time that was afforded to her, though was there truly anyone who could become confident in the wake of meeting a God?

"He usually dispatches a carriage to this location or whichever location I have been designated an arrival for." Lord Kirschtaria's words cut through the turmoil in her mind instantly, providing an answer for her earlier concern in a manner that was satisfactory. "Though I confess, I was rather rushed to arrive that I did not have the chance to alert Lord Hades of my arrival here. Though, given the fact he ensured a message was left for me, I assumed he wished for my arrival at the earliest possible convenience. Therefore, I shall assume our transport shall be along shortly."

Her expression thinned slightly.

…They teleported into the realm of a God without first making known their intentions? Was the relationship between Lord Kirschtaria and Hades so amicable that he could allow such actions to slide with ease? She imagined that walking into the realm of a God, without actually consulting said God, was usually something rather insulting. However, that Lord Kirschtaria maintained his confidence so well, she was left to presume that this was acceptable behaviour-

Her brows furrowed slightly, a faint rumbling met her ears, a distant cloud of smoke rose on the horizon, she took several steps forwards and then narrowed her single eye ever so slightly to try and get a better look at the shape, though the dust worked to obscure much of what was approaching them at rapid speed. She would have assumed the carriage that Lord Kirschtaria spoke of, save for the fact she could feel the faint vibrations of the ground beneath her feet, a quick glance showed that solid clumps of red sand were trembling at a gradually intensifying rate.

The distance between themselves and the dust cloud was quite vast but being closed at rapid speeds, and the trembling meant whatever was approaching them was rather large and very powerful. The hairs rising along the back of her neck, the sweat starting to pool on her brows, the slight difficulty she was having in breathing, as though running out of air. All of these signs pointed squarely towards whatever was running towards them being extremely powerful.

Gulping, she took a single step backwards once more, she didn't look at the blonde next to her - no matter how tempted she was - and the fact he had yet to say a single word or make any alarmed movements meant that this was expected of him. Instead, she kept her focus solely ahead of herself and watched as the large shape grew closer and closer, the rumbling growing intense enough that she could feel her body shaking.

Still, she kept her eye solely ahead of them, staring at the shape as it grew closer and closer and started to become more distinct. The haze of dust parted as the shape galloped out. She felt her heart almost stop, perhaps from some manner of mental effect, but she had never seen anything like this before in all her life. Power she could not even imagine bolted towards her at full speeds, even instinct was sending her into fight or flight, just without the former.

The appeal to turn tail and run was so great that she actually felt her foot turn slightly beneath her, angling away from the direction of the cloud. She caught herself at the last moment, clenching her jaw and locking herself down. She folded her arms behind her back and clenched her hands together, so tightly that she could feel her muscles tremble from how taut they were pulled. Her knuckles almost certainly whitened as a result, but she kept herself still.

It would only serve to embarrass herself if she turned.

She needed to project an aura of strength.

An aura of strength.

An aura of strength.

An aura of-

Was that-!?

Her visible pupil dilated as wide as it could go, consuming every single visible detail about the monster that charged towards her. In the time it had taken her to compose herself of the thought of its approach, it had already gotten to within a mile of them and was still closing down, at its current speed it would be on them in less than a minute. It was then that she got a good look at what was charging towards her, and she felt everything else bleed away from the world.

Senses turned numb, she could no longer feel the rumble, her mind encountered static.

Logically, she was aware of what this was.

Its design - while unorthodox - was iconic enough that it could not be mistaken for anything else.

Logically, she knew its name.

Personally? Her mind called it a pure monster. A creature beyond her. Primal instincts from their ancient ancestors swarmed her mind, reducing her functions to that of a monkey being chased by a big cat or a wolf. And in this instance, she was a small monkey now standing before a very large predator.

The ground trembled, her body shook as the shape abruptly stopped moving, or rather, the legs did. The momentum of it's speed carried it forwards, legs extended outwards and catching itself, tearing up great chunks of dirt beneath it's silver claws as it slowed itself down, her eye slowly travelled upwards as the shape took up more and more of her vision, by the time it completely slowly to a halt, it was barely a couple metres from her.

She couldn't breathe.

Three glowing eyes rounded on her, deep growls akin to a truck engine panted out of the triple mouthed creature, the owners of the three jaws slowly lowered themselves - the flame red eyes swivelled in their sockets and all focused on her - she dared not move, dared not blink, instead she remained stock still, focusing solely on the eyes as visions of her own death flashed through her mind, unable to do anything, not focusing on anything, but the certain possibility of dying.

She was going to die.

She was going to die.

She was going to die-

The silver body leaned backwards, the three eyes removed themselves from her gaze and it gradually turned their gaze onto the one standing next to her, she got a greater view of the body. Silver skin the texture of rough metal, jagged spikes running along the back of it's limbs, no…it was armour. She could make out tufts of black fur underneath the rough metallic surface, the legs adjusted themselves slightly, finding their footing better to lean forwards, it would - for all intents and purposes - have borne the similar appearance of a very large and well built dog. With limbs as wide as she was tall.

Even discounting the presence of heavy steel plate armour - or some other type of reflective silver metal - it would have been the size alone that was extraordinary about it. Except there was something else that was even more mind consuming, the presence alone was choking, as though sucking the oxygen straight from her lungs. Logically, she understood it was merely the high magical presence of the creature interfering with her ability. It was one of the highest grade phantasmal beasts next to the Dragons.

Her eye remained focused on it, and the shoulders.

The point where instead of a single neck, there were three, on the end of each thick trunk there was a large blocky head, long cleaver like fangs jutted from above and below, lining the three sets of jaws with their arsenal. The steel armour covered the entire top of the head save for the point where the eyes resided, the single glowing orbs mounted atop the foreheads of the monster, blinking at irregular intervals and constricting their pupils so greatly.

A puff of air washed over her, she felt the urge to wretch and buried it deep down, even as the threat of bile filling her throat loomed over her, the stench of the breath completely obliterated whatever spell Lord Kirschtaria had deployed, but that should have gone without saying. Instead she tightened her expression, very nearly closing her throat up and turning her head to the side ever so slightly-

She froze.

One of the heads was now facing her, she could see it from the corner of her eye but she didn't dare look at it, instead she kept her focus solely on the ground.

There was a sound like a canon, air washed over her face, chestnut coloured hair covered her eye as her vision was obscured by her own lockes, she should have corrected it but she didn't, the very urge to move was impossible to hold onto for more than a millionth of a second, every time she considered doing so, she had visions of those jaws opening up and snapping shut around her.

Shuffling met her ears, a crunching of weight upon sand and she clenched her eye shut, breath evacuating from her nostril in short bursts as the she felt the heat of the Cerberus get closer and closer to her, through it all, she dared not move a single muscle. No matter what she told herself about Hades expecting Lord Kirschtaria, that did not subtract from the fact that Cerberus was standing right next to her.

Her left eye slowly cracked itself open, aiming itself to the side.

She met eyes with the golden orb of the dog.

It released a sound like a jet engine, leaning it's head backwards and pulling the other two away from her companion, the silence stretched on for a few moments, then it gave a single snort that sounded like firing of a canon, turning it's three heads away from her gradually pulling the rest of its body behind, it was only then that she became aware of the chains that were hung around it's shoulders, trailing back towards the carriage, that floated in the air a good five or so metres, behind the rear of the dog.

The general theme of the carriage was very greco-roman, but that was obvious enough. A series of pillars lining along the side to keep the dirt red tiled roof above, just between the join between the pillars and the rooftop there lay a flat band on chiselled marble that went the full length of the carriage, at least as far as she could tell. Images carved into the surface of the rock depicting a series of events, figures performing deeds or along those size of the carriage amounted to something equal to a small home.

The stone undercarriage pulled forwards, a flat ramp of stone gradually descended towards them before seconds of it slid backwards, a grinding of stone filled her ears as block by block, a set of stairs were formed that led directly towards the thick wooden door at the side of the rectangular carriage.

She stared at it for a moment, then glanced meaningfully towards Lord Kirschtaria, who she noticed was still looking in the direction of Cerberus, she quickly averted her eyes from the creature, while she would never claim to be a coward, she was in no rush to attract it's attention onto herself once more. Ophelia most certainly did not wish to be caught staring at it, beyond that they had obviously received an invitation to enter, which meant delays would not be appreciated either.

Clearing her throat ever so slightly, "Perhaps it would be best if we did not delay, Lord Kirschtaria." she spoke up and internally grimaced at her croaking her words sounded, she hadn't realised how dry her throat had gotten.

"Hmmm? Ah, yes." The blonde hummed, nodding his head in acknowledgement and turning back to face the temple carriage, advancing towards the steps without breaking his mask even once. "It would not do for us to be late, especially since we have been sent a rather iconic chauffeur for our journey."

Ophelia noticed the way in which the body of Cerberus twitched, though the blonde was already halfway up the stairs by the time the comment registered in her mind and she realised he had called something as powerful as the Cerberus a 'chauffeur'. She would have accused him of being arrogant if she didn't know better, though his choice of wording was rather suspect. It was only when he pushed open the door and stepped into the carriage that she realised she was still standing there.

She reacted quickly, moving towards the steps just fast enough to appear urgent but not so fast as to look desperate to get away from the three headed monster. A slight tickle touched the left side of her face, an odd sensation of being watched. On instinct, she turned her head towards the direction she felt the stare from-

Then promptly returned her focus to the stairs and did well not to spring up them as she made eye contact with the Cerberus once more, coming to the top of the steps and taking in a deep breath, pulling the door open and stepping into the interior of the temple carriage.

Cerberus had really big teeth.

That was the singular thought that ran through Wodime's mind as he pushed the door open and stepped into the carriage, barely even registering the interior design as he continued to think back on what had just happened. This was hardly what he had been expecting, the last carriages that had come to collect him were usually pulled by either a skeletal horse or a wyvern, certainly not the strongest of the cerberi.

The fact it had shown up at all had briefly caught him flat footed, which made quite a bit of sense with the benefit of hindsight. Especially because he had arrived unannounced, news from Hades or not, Cerberus would answer the calls of those who appeared in the Realm of the Dead without invitation. Though it had come with a carriage, a rather large carriage in tow as well. A great deal larger than he was used to.

It made him wonder why the sudden change was necessary, perhaps he could ask about it when they arrived, but it was still a curious thing that was pressed upon his mind. He could only hope that Ophelia had not been too greatly troubled by the sudden appearance of the three headed dog. It was specifically ordered to guard the Realm and had enough power to give a Cadre class Angel a tough fight, though it was expected as it was both the oldest of its race.

All of which brought him back to the fact he was now in a carriage being pulled by Cerberus. This was now something that he could say he had experienced, he wondered what Daybit would think of something like this. He was certain the man could have seen the appeal, perhaps Peperoncino would also have had one or two comments about it. He set those thoughts aside, he was here with Ophelia so it was quite rude to think about others when currently travelling with someone.

He blinked as he realised he had not heard her say a word, turning around towards the way he had come, he watched as the woman strode in with an expression on her face that was practically wiped clean of emotion. If he had to give an example, it was as though she was walking on autopilot and thoughts had been banished from her mind.

…That was rather incredible.

To think she was so unaffected by this that she would not even showcase this. He wished he could have some of that mental fortitude of hers, especially since he was rather put on edge with the appearance of Cerberus. More so when he got a look at its teeth, all of which were the size of his arm and just about as thick. It certainly set his heart aflutter with trepidation, it was one thing to hear about the Cerberus and quite another to see it for himself…was this because he asked Hades about it during their last conversation?

The fact he couldn't dismiss the possibility was rather telling, he didn't want the God to feel he had pressured him. Though he would have to prepare for giving some manner of response if he was quizzed about it. Especially given the fact that - even if the appearance of Cerberus was coincidental to his request - he was certain that Hades would ask about his impression of the beast.

There was very little he could truly say, Cerberus was as awe inspiring as it was terrifying. There was an irrational aspect of the creature that defied logic, it was a strange thing for him to consider. He was on good enough standing with an actual God and had seen the Dragon of Infinity with his own eyes. Yet it was the sight of a three headed dog encased in armour that was the one that almost sent him on edge. Perhaps there was some manner of mental aspect to it that he didn't consider, or the likes of Hades and Ourobours lowered their presence to stand before humans without concern of their conversation partners dropping to their knees.

Perhaps he would need to ask.

Though that could wait for later, for now, they had a journey to sit through.

Turning his attention to his surroundings, Wodime actually registered the interior of the design. It was certainly rather appropriate for the outside, he would liken it to the ancient designs of the roman imperial senate homes. Perfectly cut marble table sitting between two large chairs carved from rather fine wood, velvet leather lining the seats. There was very little in the way of decoration, or so he would have said. Were it not for what appeared to be a fishtank in the corner of the room mounted into the wall.

Squinting his eyes, he watched as…

He blinked once, then raised his brows and paced towards the fishtank spanning the length of the wall with a small urgency about his steps, coming to a halt in front of it just to be sure his eyes were not deceiving him. There was a miniature hydra in the water, roughly around the size of a cat, the pale skinned creature swam through the water with webbed feet, then turned. Six of the twelve heads looked towards him for a brief moment, then it approached the bottom of the tank and scuttled away into a small hideaway.

…That certainly wasn't what he had been expecting in a carriage of all things. Unless this was somehow the entire waiting room of his home that had been transported to them. Everything about this screamed luxury and power, a greater emphasis on design than he imagined most would have expected from the God of the Dead. Though, having already been to his home, Wodime was unsurprised by it. The design was exactly as he expected it to be.

Right down to the polished stone floor that reflected him like a mirror.

There was another thing that struck him.

Despite the exterior having shown no visible windows, there was a very large cut out in the wall directly in front of him that displayed the wasteland that was the land of the dead. Taking several steps forwards, he raised an eyebrow and looked it over. Not quite the most interesting of views to be granted, but there was something to be said about the speed they were travelling as the world blurred past them. It was much smoother than he had been expecting.

In fact, if there was no window at all he would have assumed they had not yet moved.

A faint crinkle of leather brought his attention back to the room, watching as Ophelia placed herself down in one of the chairs at the far corner, next to the rather large bookshelf that held a great many tomes within it. He'd overlooked it briefly but it stretched from the floor right up to the sealing with such a perfect fit that he doubted there was even the slightest gap between.

Ophelia said nothing as she stared out across the room, crossing her hands over her lap and falling completely silent. Even when the miniature hydra swam over to the glass closest to her, she barely spared it a single glance before her visible eye gradually returned to staring at nothing. She looked the picture of unflappable focus.

"This is certainly a greater reception than I am used to." He commented after a moment, just something to start the conversation off with. If they were going to be in here for however long their journey took, then they could at least engage in a nice conversation with one another. Also, Cerberus provided a decent enough starter. Especially since Ophelia's first visit opened with meeting the legendary dog of the realm. He was a little envious, it took him more than half a dozen visits to get to this point.

And she didn't even need to ask.

Ophelia's eye flickered with something as it moved towards him, it looked as though emotion entered it once more. "This is…not the usual state of affairs for you?" She asked rather slowly, he sensed a touch of hesitation in her voice but he didn't focus on it.

Shaking his head from side to side, he crossed his arms behind his back and swept his eyes over their surroundings meaningfully. "I am normally accustomed to a smaller carriage towed by less dominating creatures. This is my first time encountering the original Cerberus, though I have seen the lesser variations in the past."

"...The original?"

"Hmmm." Humming, he nodded his head up and down. "Hades discussed it with me during the last conversation I held with him, though it was little more than an idle comment on which Cerberus was the one Heracles - the original - encountered, as there were quite a few I had seen." It led to Hades explaining that he had not let that one out in some time, mainly because it was getting on in life and, peculiarly enough, it had a small problem with visitors. Though being manhandled by the son of Zeus was hardly something to be easily forgotten.

Ophelia regarded him with the same ice cold stare as before, her single visible eye dulled after a few moments of silence, nodding her head once at him. "...I see."

…

…

The silence stretched on for what felt like an hour, despite the fact it had only lasted a few seconds. Wodime kept his expression blank, but he could feel the seconds tick away inside his head, staring at the seated woman with an unchanging look on her face. After a few moments, he realised that this might be a bit much for her all at once. The fact it was her first visit would probably be something of a shock to be in the presence of something like this. "Is there something concerning you, Ophelia?"

Her body stilled for a split second, tightening up and her eye flying back to him with an intense focus behind it. Despite keeping his expression blank, Wodime felt rather put on the spot by the sudden intensity in her eye. Her lips gradually pulled themselves thin before her eyelid lowered, a gentle breath left her throat. "You do not need to trouble yourself, Lord Kirschtaria. My concerns will not jeopardise this meeting with Lord Hades."

She had concerns?

"Concerns?" He thinned his lips "If you refer to your unannounced presence, then you may rest easy with the knowledge that I will be rather vocal on behalf of your staying. If it is a matter of conducting yourself…then there is even less room for worry. Your usual self will be more than sufficient."

That sounded reassuring enough, giving himself a mental nod of the head. Ophelia looked calm enough, so something like this would be simple. "On another note, what did you make of Cerberus?"

"..." Ophelia's expression twitched ever so slightly, "They are…rather impressive." the words were delivered slowly and with a hint of uncertainty about them. He understood completely, there were very few words that one could string together to completely describe the sheer presence that the likes of Cerberus and the Gods carried with them. With Devils and Angels it was different, especially with the Yokai, they were more grounded.

If he was to put it into terms…

It was like applying the principle of a house cat and a sabretooth.

Functionally the same but the scale was increased.

A God? Something else entirely, an existence far and above anything that could be comprehended with the human mind as it was not designed to.

"Cerberus, the one which carries us, is the original of all others. Therefore it is perfectly acceptable to be at a loss for words." He turned his head towards the direction of the great hound, though he could not see them. "They are as impressive as they are powerful, it is not until you stand before something such as that when you realise how small you feel."

To say nothing of how someone without any magical talent or understanding would feel.

Goodness, that would be rather horrifying to consider.

He turned back to Ophelia and nodded once. "This should be considered a learning experience for you. You have encountered one of the strongest phantasmals, aside from Dragons, and are on the path to encounter one of the strongest Gods in the world." he knew that Ophelia would make note of every aspect of the encounter, it was rather humbling to consider. Especially when standing before a God.

There was always some part of his brain even now that made him wonder how such a being could even exist and he was actively working towards their downfall.

Certainly put things into perspective, that couldn't be argued.

Though, for whatever reason, Ophelia did not look all that excited for the meeting. Perhaps she was just focusing on the work ahead?

…That was a shame. If she truly was fully devoted to the work then it meant he wasn't going to get much of a chance to speak with her. Perhaps on the way back when they both had the information they were after?

Yes, that would probably be smarter.

AN: Wodime.

Prize goof.

Outside? Calm and collected.

Inside? "Ooooh! Shiny."