W4nd3r3r: well, I see you wanna get to know my early life. well congratu-fucking-lations, you're interested.
you want my backstory? it's here for you to read despite my resistance to The Author's imploring.
you wanna find out who i am, my heritage, my true being, why i am the way i am? well here's all the details.
oh and here's a table of contents in case you've been here before
I stayed up all fucking night on YearDawn of 293BC as it would be called, but back then it was just called Lust. i felt the heat in my bones, the power of my magic, all surging through me the second the clocks rolled over to the new year.it had been 666 days since we last celebrated this, and i had been itching to celebrate again, it was a glorious time, and i fucking leaped into the fiery air of the new year pulling my arms in a success pump and i launched myself into the air on accident. i'd accidentally done an infernal force incantation, something only fucking children do, cast accidentally. i was 103 years old by this time, at what would be considered "young adult", by Demon standards, only Demons younger than 25 years old did this, and yet here i was, hurtling into the air in our yard because i fucked up. i was pissed and as i came down my enemy, one of the few cunts who dared bully me, Vaxisha, he decided to say "aww, did the wittle Demon Castidentally?" castidentally being slang for accidentally casting, and an insult in some context. i shouted "yeah well at least my parents didn't die to some fucking mortal gone savage" and he said "at least i had parents that tried and didn't abandon me" and at that i snapped, i casted the best non-lethal spell i could, a force shove that would send him flying into the 10 meter tall obsidian walls surrounding the property about 15 meters behind him, but as i cast it my arms glowed and i saw the force incantation doubling, no, tripling, no, pentupling in power, what was i doing?
*BOOM*
I see Vaxisha fly back into the wall and beyond it in the blink of an eye, and in another blink, he was 1 kilometer away i would find out later. at the moment i blasted him back my closest friend, Zilim, grabbed me and spun me around and just decked me. something i made them promise to do if i ever lost it on Vaxisha, to get me to quit it and avoid killing the runt. i hit the ground and felt blood come out of my mouth, i could taste it. i so badly wanted it to be Vaxisha's.... regardless, Zilim helped me up once i laid there a moment, letting them know i was calm and they said "what the actual fuck did you do W4nd3r3r? i've only seen that kind of power out of the royal Demons, and only when they've truly lost it at the peak of their power." and i said "i have no infernal idea" and we stood there a moment, turning into a minute, turning into 3, and then my parents came out of the house, and saw what happened and said "W4nd3r3r, Zilim, inside, now." and we went inside and they sat us down and said "you both have a right to know this. W4nd3r3r.... "
i have no clue what the fuck they exactly said but i learned one thing in that conversation: i was a crown prince of hell. and the more insane part? Lucifer's direct heir. i was the singular most powerful Demon in the entire Underworld, with nothing but an absent father, magic more potent than i had any clue of, and a friend who'd die, kill, sin, and stand by me.
the following weeks were a blur of "Self control this" and "Zilim you're responsible for W4nd3r3r" that. funny enough, Zilim was a crown prince of hell too, heir to Lilith, Lucifer's Sister. thing is, they knew, they were 127 years old at this point, and it's customary that at 100 years old you find out things like this, as that's when your magical power truly manifests. mine manifested at 67, and yet here i was, 3 years past the customary time, and 36 years past the time i should've been told, just finding out now.
Zilim meant a lot to me, and was always there. i still remember the day i met Lilith, gosh, i thought she was a beautifully sinful queen, which she was, and yet, i had no idea i was her nephew... and that made Zilim... my Cousin. that was a realization i struggled to wrap my head around considering the things Zilim and i did together. so many lonely nights spent just shy of some of the best sin of our lives, and yet always falling short due to some sort of coincidence. Zilim didn't know who i was, and was also the least often cause of us not getting together, so i knew Zilim didn't know, which helped my trust, and also the falling short helped considering Zilim is my cousin, a fact i wrestled with for days after.
once i gained my bearings from all this about 8 weeks afterwards, i began spending all of my time with Zilim. being the heirs apparent we didn't have to attend normal school for the general lessons and shit, and actually were strongly discouraged against doing so now, and were instead encouraged to take specialised magic classes, meant for princes and princesses of hell, designed to help us tame our more powerful magic, as well as mingle with the people of hell, to get to know and understand those we may rule one day. funny isn't it? finding out you're a crown prince and you get forced to fucking practice magic instead of getting to learn history, and the wisdom of others. it was fun but i fucking hated my instructor, luckily he made the mistake of trying to teach me the infernalis incantation, which sets the object of your focus on fire. a simple "if your face were any uglier it'd set itself on fucking fire" and an under the breath incantation later and he ran screaming to the river styx, what a dumbass, he wiped his memories entirely. i got reprimanded but it didn't last long when i gave the magic school's principal a hungry, menacing glare. he knew who i was, which was one perk, people respected me, a respect i all too often loathed because respect is earned. i just called people simpering cucks for it. if one day i ever have a throne in the Infernale Palatium, i'd make this realm change for the better, but in the case of the school's principal, it was useful and helped me. and yet, no matter what i did, no matter what i dragged Zilim into, Lucifer never gave me time. no matter how many dozens of fucking requests i put in, he ignored every fucking one, and the one time i saw him in the palace when meeting Lilith with Zilim, HE FUCKING IGNORED ME.
that was the moment i snapped. i ran after him and charged a spell to hurl at him, but he was gone. it was that day i swore to raze his reputation until he was forced to step in. i began causing trouble on purpose, specifically in defiance of his policies and ideals and campaigns and shit, i went against him at every turn i could. and so began the rest of my life i thought, and i was right, to a point.
9 weeks after HellStira New Year's Dawn
well, it was around a week into razing my father's reputation. it was fun, and yet, it didn't do anything. i spent around 440 hours on it, hardly sleeping, and yet, not a single word. not even a warning, nothing to tell me to stop doing what i was doing, so i decided to go see Vaxisha in the hospital, see how my nemesis acted now, figured it'd be a social experiment, see how he treats me, W4nd3r3r, as not just W4nd3r3r, but a daughter of King Lucifer, his rightful heir.
i got to the hospital and the reception lady asked me who i'd be seeing, to which i responded "fuck off, i'm not in the mood". she tried coming up to presumably stop me but one venomous glare in her direction put her off of that bad idea, and soon 2 security guards began following me, and i look back and say "what's your problem?" one of them says "i'm Vidla, i'm here to be a buffer, as much for the unintelligent people's safety as for yours." i respond with a smirk and say "alright. how much do you make in a day? what's your pay" "excuse me?" he responds and i repeat the question "how much gold are these fools paying you for an hour of work?" and he says "well, 5 coins an hour" i say "how can i contact you? and would you be interested in other work?" and he says "Well, i mean, sure, and my number is dlixifa" and i say "alright, and is your friend as smart as you?" and his friend chimes in and says "well i'm not stupid if that's what you think prick" and i glare and say "clearly not." and ignite a fireball in my hand, to which he shrinks and slinks away. "he's learning but admittedly not the smartest, and you held back, thanks for sparing him" says Vidla "he merely wasn't worth the energy i'd expend" i say, and begin walking to Vaxisha's room.
i soon arrive to an unlocked door to Vaxisha's room, no guard or anything, which was surprising considering i found out later that the impact nearly killed him. i walk in and he looks at me and tries sitting up and says "m-my prince" and i say "oh shut up you simpering cuck, you're merely trying to gain my favour after bullying me for years as if they never happened you hapless maggot. now quit the act you worthless fuck" and he recoils almost as if i had slapped him. that was one skill nobody needed to teach me, and something not even my father had, the ability to turn words into weapons. it's a pasttime i often tested and had a lot of fun with. his face hardens after he mentally recovers from my verbal daggers and he says "fine, so what if i'm trying to gain your favour? after all, being Lucifer's unloved and unwanted spawn merely changes your means, not who you are" i laugh and smile and say "you know, if i thought you had the intelligence to learn it, i might think you knew i was the heir to the throne" and walk to the foot of his bed, and i see him squirm and i say "and that you kept going after that because you were jealous of my blood, the blood that's so much more powerful than yours, the blood with such pure magic in it that you so desperately want. and i think i know the ritual you'd love for me to do. the Crimson Imbunal Ritual. am i off the mark?" and he tries to hide the glimmer of desire in his eyes - something i pick up on before he composes himself - and he says "well, i won't deny that that would be something i'd take, if you were simply monetarily motivated, but we both know you-" and i cut him off with "i don't want money. i want to be given a reason. i'll do the Crimson Imbunal, but i'm challenging you to a duel a week afterwards. is that clear?" and he says "what? are you serious? why even duel? i've out-performed you magically all my life, why would you commit suicide after giving someone else the power you have?" and i say "call it a grudge, after all, you said i'm not monetarily motivated, i'm motivated by other things, one of those being spite for the very blood and existence that courses through your veins, the same blood i plan to drink after i kill you." and a sliver of fear flashes over his jaw before he can compose himself and stumble out "i-i can't believe you'd take a loss like that, but fine. deal" and i immediately bring out the knife i have, and slit open my arm and his, and let my crimson blood flow, forcing it to bring with it flecks of the hellfire that courses through my veins, and let it drip down onto his cut, the hellfire weaving its way into his vein hungrily, almost alive, and as it does so enhancing his blood, making it not royal, but dirtied with the power of royalty's hellfire crimson, he'd no longer be related to his family by blood, nor mine, he'd be a bastard, a selfish bastard hungry for power, a reputation nobody down here wanted, this was an insult to him and already almost reason enough to leave him alive, if nothing else to mentally and emotionally torture him, watch him receive the same shunning i did before my parents. it'd be glorious, but i knew a deeper spell that would be the result of this. a ritual told of only in the most forbidden books, ones i'd heard whispers of, and knew that this was the key ingredient within. one i'd research after leaving here, but i kept bleeding into his arm, and finally his eyes glowed, the sign i should stop, and i did so, retracting my arm, and cauterizing the wound, something the Infernalis spell came in handy for, albeit painful, but i didn't even flinch. he looks at me and says "well, i suppose i'll see you in a week cavarir" ugh, that word. it means walking corpse and i glare at him, only for him to shut up and shrink into the bed slightly, a small sign of submission, but all i need to be satisfied enough to smirk and leave. i'd make time for him, but not right now, and so, i left with Vidla in tow.
as i get to the doors of the hospital i turn to see Vidla still following me and say "Well, i don't suppose you know your way around the Royal Library, do you?" and he looks at me with a bit of surprise in his eyes and says "umm, no, i'm a common Demon, not a royal one." and i say "well, as far as this is concerned" and hand him a challenge coin, a solid hellfire and gold disc with a raised, matte black basalt relief on the face of the coin showing the path of the River Styx; a Royal Esteem Coin. something i'd gathered plenty of to hold onto, in case such a time arises "you're an honorary royal now. now slit your hand and bleed onto it." and he says "are you serious?" and i say sternly "yes. now spill crimson" and he obeys, the coin flares, and i say "look at the edge" and he does so, and it has his name raised upon the surface of the edge, made of crimson, hardened blood of his, bound to the coin by the infernal magic within. and he says "thank you, W4nd3r3r" and i say "call me Wanderer, after all, having you say numbers won't sound right." and walk off, knowing he'll be a great guard as soon as i ensure i can pay him, and i begin walking to the Royal Library.
as i arrive to the entrance of the Royal Library, the well for Royal Blood and slot for Royal Esteem Coins on the door locks greets me, and i spill a fresh dose of crimson into the basin, the door unlocking immediately and automatically opening expectantly.
i walk inside and begin to walk to the basement, and go to sublevel 2, where only those of the highest and most pure of royal blood were permitted, with nobody who had a simple Royal Esteem Coin being allowed in the basement at all. i make my way to the section on the last War Over Christ, a war between heaven and hell, the reason god decided he wanted to go mad and flood the earth for the first time to try and extinguish the hellfire we brought there. i skimmed all the boring bits and went straight to the back, in the appendix section, i was looking for something specific, and there it was
"for a detailed account of the Crimson Comet Ritual, please refer to the book Quest For Crimson, Volume 3, by Lucifer"
i was angry my father wrote it, but he wrote this one too, and after all, if nothing else, he knew how to gain power. so i sought it out, it was rather hard to find, tucked away in a corner of sublevel 2. the basement was silent and empty, and i liked it that way, especially as what i was looking up wasn't against the laws of the underworld, however few there were, but it was almost made illegal just a few dozen short years ago. luckily Lady Lilith put a stop to it and any and all other magical regulation laws, in fact making proposing them a strike in the Royal Court, one of three needed to expel the recipient. i opened the book and skipped to the Crimson Comet Ritual's page and checked the ritual's steps. luckily any and all blood magic was often easy, exceedingly so to the point i was shocked nobody else did it but the Royals, and this spell was much the same
"to perform the Crimson Comet Ritual, follow the following steps:
1: Procure Royal Blood (must include Hellfire flecks)
2: perform the Crimson Imbunal Ritual into a chosen Demon with the aforementioned Royal Blood, ensuring Hellfire flecks enter the body
3: let the recipient's blood accept it and the magic manifest (should take approximately 100 hours)
4: defeat the recipient in combat, and drink their blood after it has been overpowered by defeating them while they wield it via magic (must include Hellfire flecks)
the result will empower your blood and magic to be equivalent to the magical power of an archangel, with the magical potential of any god so long as all blood is drunk. performer is advised to drink over course of weeks to months to avoid detection and bodily overload, discretion also advised."
such an easy ritual seemed almost too good to be true. and yet, there it was, in plain text. i didn't want to be this powerful, i certainly didn't want to be a god, but i wanted people to know i could be, to prove i could amount to something, but that i choose not to, set an example, a precedent even, and so if someone like Vaxisha should appear, no matter their origin, hell, or heaven, i'd be able to defeat them if given time to prepare, so if an archangel or some joke of a god tried me, i could beat them fair and square, albeit at their expense and idiocy.
*reaaaarrrrrr*
i hear a door open to the section i'm in, and quickly jump to another page, and put in my bookmark, lest they know what i'm planning, and begin carrying it to the shelf, and i'm approached by the one who opened the door: Zilim. i didn't want to lie to them. they said "oh, Wanderer, hi, i wondered where you are, what's that?" and gestures to the book and i say "i'm researching a ritual, something i don't want you poking your nose in until it's done." and they say "why is that? should i be concerned?" and i say "yes. for the next person who tries me. and likely Vaxisha. i plan to challenge them to a duel, partly for this ritual." and they say "i don't like where this is going, Wanderer, what are you planning?" and i say "trust me on this. do not stick your nose in it and keep it between us until it's done. i give you my word you'll benefit if so." and they say "i get the sense if i tell Lady Lilith she'll be appalled?" and i say "and i will be too, and likely attempt to kill you if so." and they sigh and say "it's never easy with you but damn if your drive doesn't make me proud to be your cousin. keep me updated, and you've got yourself a silent partner in crime." and i smile a devious smile and say "oh trust me, if this goes well, i'm gonna get an extreme amount of glee from updating you" and Zilim grins a similarly devious grin, one I relish seeing, as it's so similar to mine.
i begin to walk out and put the book back and Zilim follows me and i say "where is the Royal Treasury again?" and Zilim says "umm, why?" and i say "don't i have a small fortune saved from being Lucifer's kid, and also the stipends put into my account as is customary? and my parents saying they put what was left of their stipends into my account as well after i found out?" and Zilim said "are you sure you wanna dip into that?" and i say "i'm certain, besides, if i can put some of it into investments, it'll keep me rich. i'll not only be loyal but a self made billionaire if i play my cards right. i want that rep that i put in the work, not some royal's kid who's a leech." and they say "alright, it's your coin." and i follow them as they lead me to the Royal Treasury.
we arrive there and i walk with them up to the counter where a teller is sitting, and the teller says "put some blood in the basin for identity confirmation in the front of the desk, and yes it's mandatory, and should you require a knife, there should be one there" and i say "it's fine, i only use my own thanks" and pull out my blade once more, the hilt still a tad warm from spilling crimson to Vaxisha earlier for the ritual. it's an ornate and special hilt, white stone marbled with gold, with a hardened hellfire inscription: "W4nd3r3r" in the hilt on one side, the other side reading "Life & Wisdom are Endless, Indulgence and Happiness are not", a small reminder of mine to remind me to calm down before ruining things with Zilim, and to pursue my desires, something I had commissioned years ago when i got good with blood magic, using my first coin from my first gig doing blood magic officially and professionally. i enchanted it so it'd always return to me, no matter how near or far it was. and so, i slit open my arm, forcing out a couple Hellfire flecks to be sure and the basin glowed and the teller said "alright, your account is... Prince W4nd3r3r, umm, two million, four hundred and ninety five thousand, one hundred and five coin" and i smile evilly and surprised and say "well, i guess being Lucifer's kid pays off in this sense. invest half of it for me now, best investments" and the teller says "are you sure? and would you like to round it off?" and i say "actually sure, invest one and a half mil exactly." and the teller does it and says "that will come at a cost of one hundred thousand coin up front, and no further payment, is that acceptable?" and i say "sure, and while you're at it, i'd like to withdraw five thousand coin in hundred point denominations, and i'd also like a checkbook." and the teller says "wouldn't you want a payment card? it's much-" and i cut them off saying "no, i'll trust an enchanted bag more than some fucking payment card, now do it." and the teller looks taken aback and says "right, yes your eminence" and i say "and add a note to my profile to just say yes Mixy, gender neutral, none of this eminence royalty crap." and the teller does it before heading back into the vault to get my coin. a few minutes later they come out with a bag full of the coin, enchanted to have infinite space for the coin and hand it to me and i immediately enchant it with the blood magic i have on my knife so i'll never lose it, and a Marque Of Crimson spell so it'll mark whoever attempts to steal it, or possess it, or even touch it with a mark visible to only me, branded upon their wrist. and the teller says "alright, and here's a checkbook" and hands it to me and i say "alright, and these need my magical authorization to be imbued into them to be valid?" and the teller says "i can set that condition if you like" and i say "do it" and they do and say "Well, will that me all Mixy?" and i say "yes, it will. thank you. and also, if there's ever any activity on my account, can you alert me via the bag of my money?" and they say "yes in fact, if you allow me to put a spell on it?" and i say "what spell? let me do it" and they say "alright, it's the Divinira spell, say it and the bank and it should work with the orb over there, i'll send a test message to be sure" and i cast it and say "go ahead and test it" and they say "alright, let me go" and send a message saying "it should work, and if you're reading this, it does mixy" and comes back out and says "Well?" and i say "it should work and since i read it it does. now then, that'll be all" and begin walking out and Zilim says "so, what are you gonna do with that?" as i stuff the checkbook in the bag and i say "well, a royal has royal guards, correct?" and Zilim says "Well, nobody does, but some did before the War Over Terra" and i say "well then, time to break tradition" and Zilim says "what do you mean? are you saying you actually want a guard?" and i say "yes, but not for protection, for a buffer, so if someone tries getting to me, the guard will handle it. i'm gonna give them a Royal License Of Exemption so anything they do in my service and/or at my command is exempt from any and all laws and customs, and have them deal with shit i don't, so more assistant than guard, but more guard for others, as they'll keep them from giving me a reason to kill someone." and Zilim says "damn, you're serious about this" and i say "yes, i am." and begin walking to the hospital and Zilim says "who is it?" and i say "they're at the hospital right now, take a guess. i met them earlier while visiting" and Zilim thinks and looks at me as if i'd just turned into a human and says "for the love of sin you do not mean Vaxisha do you?" and i chuckle and say "no, while it would be funny to make Vaxisha my bitch, no. never. a guard at the hospital. he was loyal, smart, kept out of my way, and knew when to mind his tongue, and i gave him one of these" and pulled out my Royal Esteem Coins, which i then put into my coin bag, and enchant the bag with a focus summoning enchant so i can call anything i want or need out of it. Zilim then says "so you gave one to a common Demon, seriously?" and i say "yes, i did. i don't give a fuck if there's common and royal, it's a division i want torn down. i don't give a fuck how powerful you are, i'm gonna treat you the same, you should too" and Zilim thinks for a moment and says "you really mean that don't you, you don't just think it bc your father has been a mild advocate for the divide huh?" and i say "exactly. regardless of him, it's my opinion, and besides, defying him and razing his reputation didn't work, i'm done, so you don't need to worry about that anymore, i admit i went a bit out of my fucking mind with that, i said some stuff that was wild just to defy him" and chuckle and Zilim says "yeah you did. that said, the divide between common and royal, it's one i've disliked for quite a while. hell, i stayed friends with you after finding out i was royal, didn't i?" and smiles softly and i say "yeah, you did. thank you for that, your loyalty. you're one of few i know will stand beside me. trustingly." and with that Zilim says "for real?" and i say "yes." see, loyalty in hell? it's hard to find. saying you trust someone to be loyal is a very high compliment, and one i truly mean with Zilim.
eventually we arrive at the hospital, and i find Vidla, and say "let's go to your boss, you're quitting" and Vidla says "well what's my new job then?" and i say "this" and hand him a stack of 5 100 point coins. he then says "i can't take this, that's the value of my entire account at the treasury" and i say "perhaps, but not your account at the Royal Treasury, which that coin i gave you earlier gets you access to. now take it" and he reluctantly takes it and puts it in his satchel and says "alright, what do you want me to do?" and i say "consider that a sign on bonus of 10 days pay and let's say anything i ask you to do so long as you say yes sound?" and he says "call it 20 days pay until i prove myself and do anything you ask me to do that i agree to do" and i say "deal. though that won't take long" and he smiles, and we walk to his boss, the head of security, Fitom, and he says "hey Vidla, what are you doing with-" and stares at me in shock and i say "Vidla quits. he's now my guard." and Fitom says "what? are you fucking kidding me? you can't just poach my-" and i cut him off "go fuck yourself. i'm a prince, and even if i wasn't, i pay better, and money? that's a damn good motivator in this fucking realm, so you need to go fuck yourself and shut your fucking mouth you maggot, Vidla chose to work for me, that's his choice, and unless you plan to become royalty and get into the royal court and make a fucking law about taking away free will, i'm gonna tell you to shut up and fuck off before i kill you you worthless cunt" and he recoils just as Vaxisha did when i brought out my sharp tongue. it's something people don't expect from me. and he says "i'll fuck off" and walks off, smartly so and Vidla says "well, he did ask for it." and i grin at him and say "come on" and turn around to see Zilim, who kept following me looking at me slightly surprised and i say "what?" and Zilim says "well, i just- i never expected you to defend Vidla like that. you really do hate the line between royal and common don't you?" and i say "yeah, i really do. now then, Vidla, let's go get you an account at the Royal Treasury, and then get you dinner, and then i'll take you to my house so you can tour the premises and make a security plan for when i go to sleep, deal?" and Vidla says "sure boss." and i say "i like it, nothing fancy, just boss or Wanderer. keep to those two, and if i'm feeling casual, seriously do call me Wanderer, ok?" and he says "definitely" and i say "Zilim, you wanna meet us for dinner? i wanna run some errands after Vidla's account is open" and Zilim says "sure, see you then" and i smile and say "alright, see you then."
me and Vidla begin walking out of the hospital and i hear "hey, W4nd3r3r! get over here you stealing rat bastard!" and i turn around to see Fitom of all fucking people, the little runt, wearing his best armor. i thought i remembered that name, he was a knight's trainer back in the day. he says "I challenge you to combat, any bladed or melee weapon" and i say "and i accept that challenge, and to the victor goes the other's life" and he looks at me and says "then I look forward to an Imbunal ritual so i might be one step closer to the royal court, your majesty" he added with a sneer. that sniveling cunt. so i pull out my karambits, my favourite weapon and he says "and you think you'll beat me eith those when i have a Basalt sword? fine, it's your funeral" and we start walking towards one another, weapons ready. we begin circling, and i say "it's not too late to yield and save your life, maybe i'll give you some coin for it, and saving my time" and he lunges, just the effect i wanted. i shove my karambits up in the right direction and catch his sword with the inside blades, stopping it, and i then use them to shove it to the side and lunge past it, getting beyond his guard, and i sweep his right leg, and he falls to the ground, an advantage i take in a heartbeat, leaping on top of him, only for him to hold his sword broadside to me trying to stop me but i'm gaining the upper hand and he says "please i beg you, spare me, i yield and forfeit my sword" and i say "you had your chance" and then i shove his sword down, and slash his wrist open with my left karambit, as i spin on the knee on his stomach, and grab his sword with my right after sheathing my right karambit mid-spin, and i then take his sword and plunge it into his throat, silencing his scream with a crimson gurgle as he chokes on his own blood and sword. he lays still and his soul floats up from his chest, yielded to me. i then take it and absorb it, feeling its power radiate through me, it's the first i've absorbed, and his was powerful. it filled my body up with searing energy for a moment, before becoming one with me, and mine, and then a new sensation came over me: a gleeful warmth, knowing how much sweeter it will be when i claim Vaxisha's soul as mine.....
with that, i motion for Vidla and say "strip his body of his armor, and carry it with us to the store to buy a container for it." and Vidla says "i ummm, can, can i not?" and i say "good to know your limits. why not?" and he says "it's just, it was my boss, and i haven't seen a body before, especially not one of a Demon's." and i say "Well, such is hell. very well" and teleport the armor to my house, which was my plan all along and i grab Fitom's sword and say "a good guard must be well equipped. take it." and Vidla again says "can i not?" and i say "you can not, but you will anyways if you keep it up" and Vidla clears his throat and says "ok, no. i refuse. it's not mine to take, nor do i feel appropriate doing so" and i see a glimmer of slight unease cross his face and i say "you'll only ever remain my guard if you stand up to me about your comfort. very well." and teleport the sword along with the armor to my home to handle later, and motion for Vidla to follow me, which he does promptly, and i incinerate the body as we leave.
after a short walk we wind up at the combat store, where armor and guns and knives and all sorts of items lay about the shelves, and i immediately walk us to the Royal section, where the items all glow and hum and thrum with intense magic, and hefty price tags. i see the strongest piece only has 3 enchants on it and say to the shopkeeper "hey, where's the good stuff? i want stuff with at least a dozen enchants, these are fucking worthless, stuff i could craft in my backyard if i wanted" and the shopkeeper says "with what? Hellfire in your veins? not like you're a-" and trails off as he finally turns around to see me, and says "my mistake, i umm-" and i cut him off "do not call me your royalty, call me mixy instead of sir or madam. now, i'll ask again, where's the real Royal section?" and he says "it's in the basement mixy. allow me" and motions for us to follow, and we do and Vidla says "may i ask why you want armor? you handled him on your own with two knives, and frankly even i thought you'd lose" and i say "we're taught with special weapons and such in the Royals' school, and my karambits aren't normal, i've enchanted them with 23 enchants thus far, and i plan to add another 5 i know of when i find the time to do so in peace. it's part of why i hired you, i plan to put you to use guarding the enchantment chamber so i won't be interrupted." and he says "well why are we shopping here then?" and i say "it's for you, if you're going to properly protect me i plan to make sure you can do so without even flinching, but don't think i won't make you earn it. i plan to spar with you until you can beat me, and each time you manage to do so, i'll allow you to use one of the pieces i'm buying you today. i can tell you like earning things, now, is that fair?" and he says "i like that, yes" and i nod as the shopkeeper waves his hand around the basement and says "here they are. each one with 20 enchants each." and i say "very good, do you accept Royal Treasury checks?" and he says "oh, yeah, we do" and i say "very well, leave us be." and he nods and leaves us alone.
i look to the right and see shields and swords and guns and to the left i see armor and protections and suits and other things for defense, and in the back i see the oddities labeled "unstable" and immediately walk to them and look at them, and i say "do any of these catch your eye Vidla? and if so, why?" and he points to a small necklace with a pendant that has feathers sticking out, heavenly white ones, and he says "that there, i believe that's made with angel feathers, if so, it's worth a fortune, and if the shopkeeper doesn't know what it is, it should be dirt cheap" and i say "good eye" and examine the piece, the necklace is made of woven crimson Hellfire, pure Royal blood, and it glows and hums with an energy that astounds me and the pendant is a small ring of bone, clearly a kneecap that's been carved down to size, a Demon one at that, and it has the feathers attacked to the outer curved edge, and the inside has- i gasp at the sight of it. Vidla notices and says "what is it, what's got your eye?" and i say "it's a Favika, a hardened bloodied soul. they're only formed when a Demon is tortured beyond their breaking point, and commits suicide in the River Styx. only 5 have ever done so. the 4 i know of' had their souls locked away in the collections of various royals. how this one ended up here escapes me" and he says "that's an extremely painful thing" and backs away and i say "it is. to be pushed so far your very soul desires suicide is something only accomplished by gods and goddesses." and Vidla says "wait, gods and goddesses? i thought they're supposed to have these strict moral codes-" and i cut him off and say "yes. strict moral codes to ideals, concepts, but for their followers. do you know anywhere in the bible that it says god needs to adhere to what his followers do?" and Vidla thinks for a moment before a look of broken defeat washes over his face and he says "no, i haven't." and i say "exactly. that's why this is so rare, it's practically a physical embodiment of a god's cruelty. the fact it's also a Demon, indicated by the basalt flecks inside it as well speaks volumes to why Lucifer keeps our armies vast and ready to fight god should his angels try anything, and why there's very powerful angel detectors all throughout hell. this level of torment isn't able to be inflicted by Demons, or any non-omnipotent being." and Vidla looks at me soulfully for a moment and says "if you truly believe in destroying the line between Royal and Common, buy it and keep it. protect it. from my knowledge there'd be Hellfire in there if a Royal had died correct?" and i nod and say "yes, you are correct. i'll protect it. though i do believe you have a right to wear it" and he shakes his head "no, consider it yours, a token of us Common Demon's appreciation of you." and i nod and say "alright." and i look at the price. it's listed for 250 coin, it's almost theft to buy it for so little. i then proceed to buy a full suit for Vidla, as well as another odditiy, a pair of communication rings that allow for telepathic communication if spun around the finger for us to wear at all times. i also grabbed a pair of karambits, just like mine, that caught Vidla's eye, though he doesn't know i did, and i grabbed him a small force shield ring to wear on his other hand to make a magical barrier that should stop everything coming at him.
we walk up the stairs carrying all his new gear and the shopkeep comes to greet us and says "hah, and you plan to pay for all this how?" and i say "with a check, as i asked before. now ring us up." and he realises i'm serious and says "i'm gonna make a call to make sure it goes through, you know that, right?" and i say "sure, so long as it will be instant." and he says "for a fee. standard is 100 coin." and i say "fine. fucking leech" and he says "oh and insulting the shopkeep incurs a 10% charge" and i say "and treating me harshly incurs a crimson charge, one tenfold more than your treatment" and he says "but for you, i am uhh, sure that i misunderstand, i'll make the call and discount the check clearing call fee to 50 coin, uhh will that be all mixy?" and i say "yes it will, thank you" in a calmer tone, making it clear he avoided a duel. i can see Vidla slightly relax knowing i was ready to start a fight then and there. Vidla unloads the outfit, and puts down the rings as well and i put the karambits on the table and Vidla says "what are those for? i thought you had a pair?" and i say "indeed i do. i plan to teach you everything i know until you can best me. that will be your first challenge to earn the force shield." he responds "alright, thank you" and i say "good, when we prepare to leave, hold onto them, begin spinning them, with the sheaths on, and learn to get comfy with the weight of them." the shopkeep then rings us up and it comes to around 4 thousand coin, a large sum to most, but next to pocket change to me and i write the check and imbue it with my magic as well so it'll properly go through. the shopkeep takes it and teleports it to be cashed and calls the Royal Treasury and verifies and says "alright, they cleared it somehow, go ahead and take your stuff and have a nice day" and i take the stuff off the counter and hand Vidla the telepathy ring and say "put this on now, it'll allow us to communicate" and put on my own as he does, and i test it and he says back in telepathy "i hear you" and i say out loud now "very good, use it if we're out of earshot, or if i do it due to discretion, you'll know" and he says "alright" aloud. i then hand him the karambits and say "hold onto them like i said" and put on the special necklace, and proceed to carry the other stuff as we walk on to the next shop as he spins the knives. we arrive at the general store, and i walk in and ask the shopkeep "do you have any belt sheaths for the karambits my associate here has?" and she says "yes indeed i do, right here" and walks down the counter and grabs some from behind it and says "here we go, do you want anything else?" and i say "no, i do not thank you." and glance around as she rings it up and i see a small glow on a shelf and ask "what's that?" pointing to it and she says "oh, that's a random thing someone sold me. it's a small orb, glows like that until you tap it to turn it off. do you want it? it's 5 coin" and i say "sure, i'll take it." and grab it, bring it to her, and she inputs in the cost and says "alright, that'll be 20 coin" and i hand her a 100 point one, at her surprise as she dismisses it and gives me my change and she then hands me the sheaths, which i hand to Vidla who calmly puts them on his belt and sheaths the karambits in them. i then grab the orb and pocket it, and say "thank you" and walk out and motion for Vidla to follow me, and he promptly does. on the way to the Royal Treasury he asks "why did you buy the orb?" and i say "i feel it may be important, call it an instinct. i've had it about many things in life, for example you. i've had it about Zilim from the moment we met at the end of our daggers, and i had it about my karambits, which have now won me thirty seven duels, and also saved my life eight times when someone attempted to attack me, and i also discovered they're made of a special metal that's ten times as strong as Wild Demon Form claws, with liquid energy cores filling the hilt and blade that makes their enchants incredibly powerful, as well as their bearer. they're incredibly important to me, as well as everything else i've had an instinct about" and give him a mild grin, and he smiles happily with curiousity also plastered on his face and he asks "so you're telling me you met Zilim at the end of a dagger? how'd that turn out?" and i say "well, the idiot met me after school and got mad about me stealing their girlfriend, but we found out that not only was the girl one of two twins we were dating, but that the twins both swapped places every now and again. we figured this out between lunges and trying to kill one another. afterwards we broke up with them both and remained friends, a bond that's only gotten stronger over the years, and now, well, they're Lilith's kid, something we found out years ago, and i only recently found out i'm Lucifer's and that we're cousins. coincidence works in weird ways sometimes." and Vidla says "so you're saying you coincidentally met your cousin at the end of a dagger fighting over girls, who were twins, and managed to not kill one another, stay friends, and then eventually found out you're cousins?" and i say "well, it doesn't sound quite as eloquent that way but yes" and he says "i swear, your story has more twists and turns than the shit i've seen at that hospital's ER" and i laugh quite loud and smile and say "Well then i guess that's a high compliment, i'll take it" and smile as we approach the Royal Treasury and i hold the door for Vidla and a Demon comes out and says "thanks for holding the door for me" and i say "i wasn't, i was holding it for him." and the Demon says "hah, sure you were" and i say to him "no. i'm serious, is there a problem?" and the Demon says "well you can hold the door for commoners-" and i cut him off and say "i'll hold the door for my personal guard, who also happens to have a Royal Esteem Coin, who you will not call commoner in the tone you just did." and he says "alright, my mistake." and walks off hurriedly and Vidla says "are you gonna do that every time someone insults me?" and i say "only until you ask me to not to. they need to get used to it." and he smiles and says "bitches like her, i can handle. it's only if they're especially mean if i want you to step in, deal?" and i smile and say "alright, deal." and the teller from earlier calls us over and says "so, what will it be?" and i say "well i'd like your name please?" and they say "oh, it's Tavir" and i say "alright Tavir, thank you. Vidla here is going to be opening an account and Tavir chuckles and says "Well, W4nd3r3r, i'm sure you know, Vidla will need-" and Vidla cuts them off holding up his Royal Esteem Coin saying "one of these? already have it. where do i put it? and can i move my account from the normal Treasury into this one?" and Tavir says "oh, well, in that case, place it in the basin for a moment until the glow fades, and then sure, i can transfer everything over" and Vidla does it and when the glow fades he takes his coin back and Tavir says "alright, transferring your account over, and setting it up, so, would you like to copy W4nd3r3r's account settings?" and he says "sure" and Tavir says "alright, any checks will need to have your magical essence imbued into them to clear, and would you like a payment card? and would you like to also auto-invest any and all money made?" and Vidla says "i'd like coin in a bag like W4nd3r3r and i'd also like to auto invest 10% of all income" and Tavir says "very well, would you like to make a withdrawal?" and Vidla says "yes, please withdraw 10 coin", at which point Tavir walks into the back and gets the coin into a bag, and comes out to hand it to Vidla, who takes it happily and Tavir says "so, investments will need to be manual, or you can have it automatically done for an upfront cost of one hundred thousand, our standard. it's a one time fee and-" and Vidla cuts Tavir off saying "oh no, i won't make that much" and i say "actually, can i pay for the fee?" and Tavir says "well yes" and i say "do it." and Vidla says "wait no-" but i wave them off and say "no, it's an investment thing, it'll make your money grow. besides, you need to earn the money to invest anyways, ok?" and Vidla reluctantly nods and says "alright, in that case, Tavir, set my account to automatically invest 20% please" and Tavir says "alright, fee paid and i'll set it to auto invest 20% right now.... and, done!" and i say "fantastic, anything else Vidla needs to handle?" and Tavir says "nope, you're all set Vidla, have a nice day!" and we walk off, heading for the restaurant to meet Zilim.
as we leave the Royal Treasury, Vidla says to me "hey, what should i do with my gear?" and i say "well, let me see the armor and shield ring" and he hands them to me, and i teleport them to my house and say "the karambits and telepathy ring are yours, as well as everything else once you earn it, it's not on loan, no strings attached, when you earn it, it is your property, and i will teach you a blood magic enchant to bind them to you, and another to allow them to shapeshift, and permanently remain clean so you'll never need another outfit again" and Vidla stumbles over his words as he says "i- thank you, boss, that means a lot" and i nod and say "don't worry, i'm gonna take care of you, and anyone else who needs it and has my respect." and he says "so, where to now? will it be dinner?" and i say "yes, we should be going soon, we're to meet at halfway between Chiming, which was a short bit ago, I hardly heard it inside the Royal Treasury, we should be at dinner soon." and Vidla says "alright, where are we going?" and i say "well, what's your favourite restaurant?" and he says "oh nowhere you wanna go, it's a bit out into the common district-" and i cut him off angrily "ugh, i fucking hate that term. just call it the outskirts of the city, i don't care who lives there, the whole idea of districts is such bullshit." and he looks taken aback for a moment, with a but of stunned pride on his face and says "alright, well then it's a ways into the outskirts, and it's not very fancy" and i say "i don't care how fancy it is, is the food good?" and he says "i mean to me, sure" and i say "well i trust you. i trust nobody will poison me there?" and he says "i wouldn't count on it but probably not" with a nervous chuckle and i say "very well, where is it?" and begin walking where Vidla points as he says "it's on Tafam road, named after the Sword Of Tafam, the sword that belonged to the Infernal General Dazil during the War Over Terra." and i say "i didn'tr know someone so historic was, well, for lack of a better term, a common Demon" as we begin walking and i text Zilim the location. Vidla responds "yeah, i was surprised when i first learned the road's name too, but the history books don't lie" and i say "that they don't, something Lucifer did right actually." and Vidla says "yeah, so, anyways, Dazil wielded the Onyx Sword Of Tafam, and actually almost won the damn war with it, had it not been for the last minute archangels that god called in. those reinforcements singlehandedly won him the war, and are the only reason we're here. the sword's still there believe it or not, stabbed into the pavement, we can visit it if you like, funny enough, it's said that Dazil enchanted it so it would free itself from the rock when a worthy Demon approaches, but nobody's tried in years, not since Lucifer couldn't free it" and i say "really? my father tried?" and he said "yeah, and failed miserably, the sword's enchant even screamed at him this harsh shrill screech, it was terrifying." and i say "what did the enchant say? or was it just noise?" as we cross through the small wall that divided the city. i wanna tear the fucking thing down and feel my power burn and Vidla says "are you ok?" and i say "hmm? oh, yes, just angry at the wall's existence. i wanna tear it the fuck down" and Vidla says "yeah, i saw, your veins glowed for a moment" and i say "really?" he says "yeah, i think i'll have to use that as a sign to shut up" and chuckles lightly, which i join in for a moment before saying "you're nice. now, my question?" with a lightly curios tone to my voice and Vidla responds "oh, yeah, it screamed at him "the hellfire in your veins bans you from ever fucking daring to release me, i belong to a true champion of the people not your hellfire poisoned half blood filth you fucking outcast, release me or i shall curse your entire fucking bloodline you heretic!!!", it was absolutely terrifying hearing it scream at King Lucifer like that, to hear it insult him in ways that would get us killed, i half thought he'd start blasting magic at us but he merely let go and glared at it before leaving." and i respond "wow, i didn't think the sword would be so mad that Lucifer used to be an angel, let alone that hellfire was poison to it" and Vidla responds "yeah, Dazil was much like you, willing to fight and die for hell, for the people of it, not giving a fuck about royal blood or not, he was really great, had a lot of common Demons in his ranks" and i say "yeah i remember that, i also remember how when Royals stepped out of line he'd give them 10 times worse punishments because he said that Royals claim to be ten times better, therefore they should be able to take punishments ten times worse and have it mean the same. it was really impressive, not many had the gall to stand up to him" and he replies "yeah. also here's the restaurant, The Basalt Bar" and i say "you mean the Basalt Bar? the one where the People's Riots were planned?" and Vidla looks surprised and says "yeah, actually, how'd you know about that?" and i say "well, as soon as i found out i could access the Royal Library, i went to do research on our history. i even went so far as to use the temporal flux bays to read a ton of history. i must've slept there for around a week in the magical field. it was impressive how much of our history is there in those books. anyways, I looked through everything i could find, and those riots, they were some of the most powerful movements in our history in my opinion, i mean they fought for many of the rights Lady Lilith has written into our Infernal Doctrines, like freedom of identity and expression, oh and the freedom of speech, also freedom of duels was one I love, as you saw with Fitom, provides a great equalization for the violent pricks you find down here." and Vidla says with a warm smile "wow, yeah, i love those ones too." as we get to the door and he opens it for me and i walk through and say "you know you don't have to hold it for me" and he says "you didn't have to hold it for me at the Royal Library. this is my turf, let me hold the doors for you here, and vice versa. deal?" and i chuckle and nod and say "alright, that sounds fair to me." and we walk to the table and sit down and the waitress comes over and looks shocked to see me and says "umm, so, here's our menus, and umm, may i ask, W4nd3r3r, would you like a gilded one?" and i say "oh no, i don't care what the menu looks like, Vidla here says the food is good, doesn't matter what i order with." and she nods, relaxing slightly and says "oh, alright, well then, what would you like to start? we have a ton of different drinks, alcoholic and otherwise" and i say "hmmm, i'll take a glass of Vicious Vodka if you have it?" and she says "most definitely, would you like a bottle?" and i say "actually, sure, and Vidla, what do you want? it's on me so make it expensive, i'm paying you but if i know you, you'll save until you can consistently eat fancy, so spoil yourself now, you deserve it after today" and he smiles and says "Well then, how about we share the bottle?" and i chuckle and nod "alright, then waitress, please make it a large size bottle then?" and she says "coming right up" and i say "so, Vidla, what do you recommend?" and he replies "well, the pasta with Trivan sauce is very good, though i'm not sure if you eat Trivans? i know not everyone likes them" and i say "well, i actually like them, and do they have those weird little capped plants, the ummm, Mazis i think they're called? that they slice and put in?" and he says "oh yeah they have those, why do you want them though? they're like fungus, Royals don't eat stuff like that" and i say "have you known me to be a typical Royal? i don't care what's in my veins, i'm gonna indulge in the foods i like. hell it took me fucking years to find a store near me that sold Mazis at all, so now, i'll have them load it with plenty of slices" and Vidla says "alright, well i think i'll get the same, but i'm gonna get a side of stuffed Mazis, they're massive and juicy" and i say "oh now that sounds fucking sinful, i'll get a half dozen and we can split it, deal?" and he grins hungrily and says "absolutely"
soon the waitress comes back, and puts down the large bottle and two glasses, pours them out for us and says "so, what will you two be eating?" and i say "we're both going to get a pasta with Trivan sauce, topped with sliced Mazis, and a half dozen stuffed Mazis to split if that's alright? and i'll also add some of the grated Celom if you have it, and Vidla, anything different you want?" and Vidla says "i'll also have grated Celom, and can you leave us a bit extra on the side as well? i love the stuff" and the waitress says "alright, i'll go put the order in, enjoy your drinks you two" and walks off, and i muse "i wonder where Zilim is, they should be here by now?" and Vidla says "maybe they got lost? this part of town has more windy streets than the wide opulent gridwork where they're used to." and i say "no, Zilim lives closer to the wall" i say with an eye roll, making my hate of the division clear "so they know this area well. i'd think they'd be here" and as i finish my sentence the door opens and Zilim comes in and shakes their head a moment with a gentle smile and begins walking over and says "i didn't think i'd catch you dead here W4nd3r3r, but i guess you are serious" and i say "indulgence is indulgence, i don't care where, when, or how it happens" and the waitress comes out with the stuffed Mazis and says "oh hi, would you like to order Zilim? the usual?" and Zilim says "yes actually, thanks" and i say "you're a regular?" as the waitress walks off and Zilim says "indeed i am, came here when i learned about the People's Riots, such an amazing piece of history this place is." and i say "i loved those stories too, i planned to come here eventually, and Vidla told me it's good so here we are" and Vidla says "you two really are just like one another huh?" and i say "well, i told you i had a good feeling about them" and Zilim chuckles and sighs "oh Wanderer, you and your feelings, what is it with you an instinct?" and i say "well it's a lot better than yours, especially after the drain pipe" i say teasingly and Zilim looks at me with a look of surprise and says "oh don't you dare bring that story back up" and i say "Well Vidla has a right to know the person he's protecting, and their cousin who may also be protected by him" and another Demon pipes up from behind and says "ha! a cCommon Demon protecting a Royal? as if that's true" and i turn around and say sternly "as a Royal, yes, it is true, and just because the incantations may be cheaper, doesn't mean blood magic is any different. hellfire in fact makes no difference when it comes to blood magic, in fact it's a problem in it and adds instability to the spells. i trust Vidla here can sufficiently protect me, and regardless, i plan on Vidla becoming my friend. one i'll be paying handsomely." and the old Demon turns to me and looks me up and down and says "well i'll be. when you three finish eating, let me know. I got a bet i wanna make with you, and Zilim, your cousin seems to be as good as you say" and nods to them, and i turn back and ask Zilim "who's that? and you speak about me?" and Zilim says "trust me, all good things, and nothing i haven't said to your face. and that was Kavah, an old Demon from the War Over Terra. one of Dazil's best soldiers." and i say "wow, i had no idea." and the waitress comes out with me and Vidla's stuffed Mazis and pasta with the Celom on it and on the side, and another tray of what looks like Fried Styxisa, aquatic creatures that live in the River Styx. and i say to the waitress "thanks, and can i ask for a favour?" and she says "yeah sure", and i say "i'd like the check now if that's possible, i get the sense i'll be dashing out" and she says "sure, here it is" and hands it to me. hardly 250 coin. i look at her and ask "why is it so cheap?" and she says "oh, well, there's a Royal discount of one hundred-" and i cut her off and say "no. i'll be paying full price. i have plenty of money and i plan on keeping this place from closing. call it 500 coin and keep the rest as a tip" and hand her 5 100 point coins from my money bag and she says "i-, alright, thank you, very much" and i nod kindly and she walks back to put the money in the register and Zilim says "i figured you'd do that" and i shrug and begin eating
as we eat i say "and now for the drain pipe story dear cousin" and they look at me and sigh and say "ugh, fine, tell it" and i grin and begin telling it. "so, Vidla, me and Zilim one time, when we were kids, we were sneaky a lot of the time, and i remember that when Zilim was informed that they're Lilith's kid, they were so sick of the Royals' school after a week that they snuck out with me. i went there and we walked out together but as a teacher decided to follow us we began running and the teacher chased us all the way into the outskirts of the city, it was miles, and eventually, we found an open sewer tunnel thing and we just jumped in the fucker! it was insane and it was shockingly dry there, so we ran along it going and going and following the lights until we were sure we lost the teacher. funny enough the reason it was dry was because they were doing a dry flood test. and we'd walked into it. they opened the gates a bit after we ended up in that damn pipe and the water just went flowing like crazy, hell we nearly drowned, but luckily Zilim had learned just the day before an air bubble incantation and used it to save our ass. gosh it was insane, and we got spat out into a shallow spillway with a grate before falling in the River Styx, we damn near fell into that river too. it would've been a bitch to reverse the effects of it." and Vidla starts laughing lightly and says "damn, you two have some insane stories, i tell you. so, was this one of those situations where your instincts said not to do it? or where they said to do it?" and i say "Well they actually told me to do it, and it's a lucky thing actually, that incident gave me this" and i release the magic on my body to reveal the scar running along my face diagonally and run my finger over it and say "i got this as we were dragged along the tunnel, i caught a sharp ass piece of metal, it hurt really fucking bad, but i keep the scar as a reminder of my instincts, same with my others" and gesture to the few on my arms and Vidla looks at me shocked and says "i- i thought Royals used magic to undo their scars, to like, remove them and-" and i cut him off and say "most do. hell, almost all do, it's easier than hiding them, see, hiding them requires one to be fluid, and learn to use Demons' old ability to shapeshift. most Demons can do it, they just don't know it's a thing, or forgot how, or never learned to begin with. i learned it as soon as i heard about it, it was a special class that only Zilim and i attended. we were the only ones in the school who wanted to learn." and at this point Zilim shows their scars, and shows the one on their neck that runs along their arm and down to their wrist and says "i actually got this from Wanderer here, we fought over a lot in our lives, and Wanderer sure as shit taught me a lesson, it has a short one on their back which was what earned me this one." and i say "yeah, fond memories" and smile, and say to Vidla "do you have any scars?" and he says "no, i fortunately don't. i've always been careful" and i say "well, that's liable to change working for me, is that a problem?" and he says "no it isn't" and i nod and smile "good. now, i think i'll leave my scar showing. it's been a while since i have." and we finish our meal in silence.
by the time we all finish, it's about halfway through the next pair of Chimings, and i teleport the bottle of vodka, now a quarter empty, to my house to save for later as the waitress clears the table, and i say to her "thank you, it was delicious" and she says "good! i'm glad". i then turn around to Kavah and say "so, Kavah is your name, correct?" and he says "indeed it is W4nd3r3r." and i say "you had a bet for me?" and he says "follow me" and i do so with Zilim and Vidla in tow. we wind up at the Sword Of Tafam, still buried in stone and Kavah says "i bet you 100 coin you won't touch the sword here W4nd3r3r." and i say "make it 50, i'm not gonna steal like the other Royals have" and he says "oh hush, I have the coin. i bet you 100 you won't touch it now take the ruddy bet!" and i say "mind your tongue, i respect you and expect the same. that said, deal, i'll take your 100 coin" and i walk up to the sword, there's steps and a platform going up to it, and a sign saying "try your luck", it seems it's a tradition for people to try it here, and i stand there calmly, and take a breath, bracing for the enchant to screech at me like it did my father, and i put one hand on the sword, by the pommel, and hold it for a moment. but there's nothing, silence, and then, the sword glows, and my hand glows with it, i can feel the hilt heating up to sear my hand, but it's an electric searing, not burning, i feel the energy coursing through me and the enchant speaks to me aloud with a hiss "another filthy royal come to test their luck i sense? you dare touch me? oh and i sense your father, you dare touch me as Lucifer did? another filthy half blood, blood muddied with hellfire, angel, and demon? do you claim to have a right to me there W4nd3r3r? oh yes, i know your name, i know many things, i am not just an enchant, i'm a being, and i chose this form to better serve the one who earns me, but i am many things, like you, but at your core, what are you hmm? demon? royal? fallen angel? ANSWER ME W4ND3R3R, I DEMAND YOU" it bellows and i say "i'm W4nd3r3r. and you shouldn't give a fuck what's in my blood Tafam, if that is your name, after all, what are you hmm? the very things you're asking me could be what i could ask you, so i'm W4nd3r3r, what are you hmm? i'm a Demon, royal by chance, not by choice, the child of a fallen angel, so i'm everything you said, but most importantly myself. now who the fuck are you?" and i feel the sword flare with heat at my audacity and it bellows "I AM TAFAM, BEING OF ONYX AND STEEL, THE INFERNAL ONE, THE DAMNED, THE KEEPER OF THE RIGHT TO THE THRONE, THE KEEPER OF ROYAL'S RIGHTS, THE PROTECTOR OF COMMON'S CARING, I AM THE KEY TO THE DOOR TO RIFTARIA, AND I AM THE ONE WHO CAME BEFORE GOD, WHAT ARE YOU W4ND3R3R? WHAT ARE YOU, AND WHY DO YOU DARE TO ACCUSE ME OF HYPOCRISY WHEN YOUR ILK HAVE LIVED AND BREATHED IT, WHY DO YOU DARE TO ASK MY NAME?" and i get angry and scream at it "I AM MYSELF, MY ACTIONS ARE MY OWN, AND JUST BECAUSE I SHARE THE BLOOD OF LIARS, CHEATS, MAGGOTS, AND MANIPULATORS, DOES NOT MEAN I AM THEM, THIS REALM IS NOT MY FUCKING HOME, NOR IS IT HOME TO ANYONE IN THIS DISTRICT, TO THEM IT'S JUST HELL, AND TO THE ROYALS, IT'S BUT A FUCKING PLAYGROUND." and with that the sword glows crimson and rips itself out of the stone, out through my hand, slicing it open and spins in the air and comes down, and my blood soaks into the hilt, flowing into it bright crimson red, and the hilt thrums and hums with infernal magic, and my blood hardens into the hilt, hellfire flecks mixed in, the sword binding itself to me and it hisses out "and to thee who has earned me, i shall be eternally loyal, to W4nd3r3r, my life is bound, and yours to keep, I am. a weapon that which was born to execute god now belongs to you, for I am the Equalizer, I am Tafam The Infernal, The Enforcer, The Equalizer, The GodKiller, and you W4nd3r3r, are my master."
by this time the streets are filled with people, which i see as i turn around and look at them and i simply stare, my scarred face showing shock and anger and confusion, and i hold the sword in my hand, wondering if this is a dream and then, Kavah says "FOR THE PEOPLE" in a war cry and the entire district erupts in cheers before me. everyone screaming a war cry. and i hear wings flap and everyone looks to the sky and points, hovering just behind me in the air is my father. King Lucifer, and he flies down and lands in front of me and looks up at me and says "let's go and talk" but no. he had his chance and i say "no. you had your chance. you only want me for the sword don't you, that's why it hated you, that's why Tafam denied you, it knew you'd use it, you'd abuse it. it knew what you are, it knew who you are, and it knows now." and he looks at me angrily and says "son, i demand you to come with me" and i hold up the sword, aligning it with his throat, just a few inches back from slitting it open and say "and King Lucifer, i demand that the people be given equal representation in the Royal Court." and he looks at me with a look of anger, and brandishes his Basalt Sword and shouts "I AM KING LUCIFER, AND I DEMAND THAT YOU DUEL WITH ME W4ND3R3R, THE BASTARD CHILD OF MINE, I DEMAND YOU FIGHT ME FOR THE RIGHT TO THESE PEOPLE'S REPRESENTATION" and i say to him louder now "and i demand you duel me for the throne" and he looks at me with a flare of rage and says "i accept" and with that i lunge at him, and he barely blocks my first blow, and sidesteps as i do too, and we fight, i swing my sword at his throat from the right, attempting to cut his head off, and he blocks it barely, and i step forward and swing into it again from the right and lock his sword, distracting him from his footwork as i glare at him and say "you're not my father you bastard" and i kick his right leg back, breaking his knee and he howls in pain and i force him down onto one knee, the now broken one pressing into the floor and i keep pushing down harder and harder, and i then ease up a moment and start hammering down on his sword with Tafam, trying to smash his sword to tatters, and he eventually slips out rolling away and gets up on one foot, and heals his knee enough to stop the bleeding, leaving it broken still, panting and says "i hate you" and lunges, which i block with a glancing blow, forcing him to spin counter clockwise with his back to me off to my right side, it was all i needed and i spin to face his back and hold Tafam at my right hip, poised to kill Lucifer, and i lunge, Tafam burying itself in Lucifer's lower back, his screams of pain instantly reaching my ears and Tafam thrums with the power of my emotions, and i whisper into Lucifer's ear "your throne is rightfully mine now." and yank Tafam out of his back and Lucifer's forced to lay down on his side as he spits up blood out of his mouth and he chokes out "i wanted to find a balance" and i see regret wash over his face. and i say to him "swear to me you'll do right by all of hell. make a new oath to the throne." and he says "please" and i use an incantation to stop the bleeding and amplify his voice with another and he says "i, Lucifer, hereby vow upon my life to do right by all the people of hell, that with this oath i pledge my allegiance to all Demons, and to do right by them no matter who they are, and to do right by any other being in this realm, no matter their species, or origin or manner of existence" and the people cheer, and i heal his body enough that he won't die, but leave his knee broken and i press on it so he groans in pain and i say "Tafam is mine. and so is my right to this realm. you merely lead it because i allow you to. now do right by it and you can be king. otherwise, i will end you." and he nods and i walk down to the others and put Tafam over my back, who shrinks to fit better and form a sheath, and i say to Vidla, Zilim, and Kavah "what happened here is just the start of changes, but i need space from it all. Tafam said it's the "key to Riftaria" somehow, so I'm gonna find this place, wherever it is. no matter how many years it takes." and Zilim replies "let's go out into The Badlands, make you a nice mansion property out there, nice and quiet, how does that sound?" and i say "definitely. for now, i need sleep. can you teleport us? i'm exhausted." and they say "definitely, let's go" and teleports us to my bedroom where i lay down and nearly instantly fall asleep, where I begin dreaming of the day.
in my dreams i hear Tafam whisper to me "i must show you something" and i see black, pitch black, pure black, blacker than i've ever seen, just pure nothingness, and then blinding white, a brighness that makes me shake violently, and i see it rip apart the universe, i see realms forming and collapsing, i see them linking and breaking, and i see it all as energy crushes into me, imbuing itself with me, and i turn to black geometric smoke, and i see these realms all breaking off separating, still there, but separated by thrumming walls of power as i'm rocketed backwards through them, shattering through walls, and i harden and sharpen into a point, watching all these things fly away from me, blasted backwards and finally i land on this island in this bright milky white void, a circle, and i'm stuck, and finally, i move and get back to smoke and float forwards only to float to a small glowing rectangle, and go through it, and suddenly i'm in hell after a lurching, i see primitive Demons in their Wild Forms, roaming around like monsters, and i become like the objects they're holding, swords. one of them picks me up and lets out a battle cry and after that things accelerate, i see thousands of HellStira years pass, i see lifetimes flash before my eyes, i see myself on earth, in its early days back before it cooled and wasn't a molten wasteland, i see the plants grow, fish coming, i see the evolution of the dinosaurs, i see the comet striking earth and turning a portion into molten death, and i see a man step out as my bearer approaches, brightly glowing, covered in holy light; the Christian God, i see my bearer thrust me at him but he dodges, and blasts my bearer back, killing him instantly, smiting him, i fall to the ground. i see another Demon come up and take me once the Christian God leaves, i'm carried atop a mountain and see Angels murdering dinosaurs, harvesting their souls, and then things accelerate, i see myself brought back to Hell, i see lifetimes pass, i see many bearers die and many take me and carry me through lifetimes as Primitive Demons war with one another, and every now and then i see a glimpse of other realms through the walls between worlds, i see them, check on them as lifetimes pass, as The Primal Convalescence of Demons becoming civilised happens, i see the first War Over Christ, i see the War Over Oceira, the second War Over Christ, thousands upon thousands of years of fighting each, all bloody between Angels and Demons, i see Lucifer's fall, his rising up as the Lord Of Hell, and then The War Over Terra, the most recent war between Heaven and Hell, i see Dazil bearing me and i see him whisper "come on Tafam, win this for me", and i see it, The War Over Terra, Dazil leading it, Dazil fighting tooth and nail, almost winning, very few Angels are left on the battlefield and it seems Hell won, and i see a beam of heavenly light blast down. an Archangel. i see Dazil barely avoid being smited as the Archangel enters the battle, destroying Demons left and right, and i see Tafam drag Dazil out of there through the walls between worlds and into hell, saving him, crashing into the stone, but Dazil is enraged and leaves Tafam behind screaming "HOW DARE YOU LET THEM DIE!" as Tafam says eerily calm and seething "i merely wish for you to live." and Dazil screams this primal angry scream of pain, and rushes to return to the battlefield, and arrives as it's almost over, only to be smited by the Archangel, with Tafam watching safely from Hell, and then i see lifetimes more pass, until time slows back to normal speed as i approach, and i see what Tafam saw in me, what Tafam saw in my mind, in my blood, in my heritage, and in my very soul. and then, it goes back to black, and i awake with a start, and see Tafam hovering over my bed, gently spinning and hear it telepathically "you see now why i hated your father, i sensed the same arrogance in him as i did Dazil in the end. the arrogance that killed my favourite bearer. until you" and i say "you- you've been here all this time?" and it says "yes. I have. i predate even the Christian God, even the countless other Gods in the universe. i am why Hell has never been invaded. I am The Being Of Onyx And Steel, The Infernal One, The Equalizer. you now bear that power as I foresee you bringing balance to things. fairness, justice, and I see you being a force of entropy, in and of yourself. it is why you will enter Riftaria when the time comes." and i say "alright, well when will the time be?" and it says "not now, not soon. entering it is all i ask of you. past that, you are free to do whatever you want, and i will follow you in any and all actions. i am yours, i am bound to you, and i belong to you, so long as you give me your word you'll do me this one favor" and i say "one favour in exchange for your loyalty? that seems like i get the much better half of that deal" and Tafam says "indeed. but i am a tool. a tool merely asks to be treated properly and used for its intended purpose. my intended purpose is only to make you enter Riftaria one time with an open mind." and i say "alright, deal. tell me when" and it replies "you will know. and now that you know my history, my past, my memories, you and i are linked psychically. i will always return to you via magic no matter how near or far you are from me. you will never lose me, and i will never be used by another unless you freely allow them to do so." and i say "alright. can you turn into two karambits?" and Tafam says "indeed, i can even assimilate with your existing ones, add their materials and enchantments to myself to bolster myself. will you accept that?" and i say "are you ever going to leave my possession?" and it says "no. i am yours eternally. i can even reincarnate you should you die whilst bearing me, if you return my Soul Core" and i say "alright, go ahead and assimilate with the karambits. also, your Soul Core?" and Tafam pulls them out carefully with magic, and they hover next to it, as it splits down the middle of the hilt and blade, then Tafam begins glowing as its halves float towards the karambits and it assimilates with them, split into two, and as it and the karambits and magic meld, it becomes one with them, and says to me, now split in two hovering, spinning karambits "i believe you may already possess it. and i will also bolster your instincts as long as i am in your possession, or in this case, at least half of me." and i say "the glowy orb? the one i found in the shop?" and it says "yes" and i pull it out and place it on one Karambit of Tafam who absorbs it and clones it to the other Karambit and says "it is done. i am yours. thank you, W4nd3r3r." and i say "call me Wanderer." and Tafam replies "very well Wanderer." before falling silent.
i walk out of my room and see Vidla sitting across the hall in a chair after having walked out last night and he says "hey Wanderer, how are you? sleep well?" and i say "Well, it was a nice 11 hours, and i dreamed. a lot. first time in years" and Vidla says "oh? what'd you dream of?" and i say "Tafam. it's older and more powerful than any of us know." and Vidla says "that's almost terrifying frankly." and i nod thoughtfully and say "true. and now i do believe it's high time I train you, don't you think?" and Vidla says "oh yes i do" and we begin, the entire time though, Tafam is silent. almost eerily so.
"come on, you can do better than that Vidla!" i shout to him as we fight, it's a colder morning out here in the badlands. the perk of having so much money is that building a house is a trivial thing. and having teleporters means Vidla's happy to come out here on a whim. as i say that he lunges at me with his karambits trying to slash at my gut with his right hand, and my right arm with his left, but i dodge back and to my left and shove my left karambit onto his arm, using the blade to apply a pressure and fear of getting cut to push his right arm to the right, but he slashes up, evading my lock and goes right to my throat and he catches me, his karambit ringing true as i feel myself begin choking on my blood, and as he does so he takes a backstep and kicks my square in my chest, knocking me to the floor, and the landing causes me to get the wind knocked out of me and makes me inhale more of my own blood. i bang on the floor three times and release Tafam from each hand, signaling i yield. Vidla had won. his first time. and i couldn't be prouder as he uses the incantations i taught him to heal ourselves after our sparring sessions. once he stops i say "you gave me a run for my money today. something's driving you" and he says "i want that damn ring, i wanna earn it, and everything else you bought me." and i say "hmm, someone's feisty this morning. and with that ferocity, you've earned this" and pull out the magical shield ring from my pocket, and hand it to him and he smiles a hungry and proud smile and puts it on and says "i've been really fucking excited for this, thank you" and i say "i know you have, i've seen the fire in your eyes growing with every match, as well as these" and gently backhand his abs, which have gotten stronger, and are visible under our tight fitting shirts now. and he groans a bit as i do and says "yeah, you've been putting me through the ringer, i gotta say" and i smile and say in a teasing and purposefully exaggerated royal tone "well, if such a lowly commoner like you is ever to be a true bodyguard, you must be able to hold your own against the very eminence you swear to protect" and laugh as i drop the tone, with Vidla letting out one of his deep chuckles, and smiling, it's a banter we enjoy, and has frankly let me work through some of my preconceived opinions, ones that were forced on me living with Royals my whole life, and helped me truly destroy the reservations i have for common Demons. i think Vidla knows this, which is something i greatly appreciate. he then speaks up and says "hey, what about your duel with Vaxisha?" and i frown angrily and say "don't remind me in such a tone. it irks me, especially when we were having a happy moment. like my knives say, Life And Wisdom are Endless, Happiness and Indulgence are not" an inscription i copied from my ceremonial knives onto Tafam, one it happily accepted as the Hellfire inscriptions sizzled into place. Vidla replies "i didn't mean to boss, i just thought you'd be looking forward to it." and i say "it's alright Vidla, and yes i am. in fact, i do think today will be the day now that you've brought it up. have you been keeping tabs on him as i've asked?" and he says "indeed i have. he should be at home right now, perhaps you wish to duel him there?" and i say "no, bring him here. i'll be using his corpse for a ritual" and i see Vidla chill and unease as he says "you're using his body for.... a ritual?" he says, pausing. i reply "yes, it's the whole reason i spille crimson and Hellfire into his veins at the hospital that day we met." and Vidla says "Well, i trust i don't need to be involved? i'm still getting used to some of the gore in your life" and i say "indeed, in fact i want to be alone and left in peace, so you can guard the door. please text Zilim to tell them i want to meet them for the duel here. and let's go fetch Vaxisha." and he says "alright, will do, i'll change and come with you Wanderer" and i nod calmly before walking out to my deck, overlooking the miles between us and the main city of Hell. i'd built my house on a mountain, one i used magical explosives to hollow out, and put an observatory atop of. see, Hell didn't have a normal sky, it wasn't underground either. Hell looked up at the universe, it had stars and nebulae above it in some areas, with other sections of the sky looking upon other realms, the whole sky was a collage of windows, it was rather beautiful, and then it was so far out, the observatory had the best views and sights. as i look down upon the ash and basalt gravel of the Badlands with its scattered onyx boulders, flecked with snow as it has been recently, i see some winds and such blowing. I walk back through the training court and into the rest of the house, the mountain was a rather nice shape and had a rather circular design, with one part where it jutted out more, making an imperfect circle. it was in that part that i put in an elevator, with stairs circling it all the way down, with the stairs continuing up to the observatory, with long expansive halls in the peak of the mountain above us, with alcoves for art, trophies, and anything else i damn well pleased. for now the halls were empty, as was most of the house, but i knew i'd add on later. my house had 5 floors at present, with another 2 being built below, and excluding the decoration halls and observatory areas. since the mountain had a relatively gentle slope, the decks were in tiers, with a view of the sky on all floors, and a sightline to all the other decks as well, with the glass railings helping this effect. it was a rather opulent mansion, and since nobody lived out here, i had no qualms about taking such a large space. it was one of a few mountains in the area, but the only one of any meaningful height comparatively. as i gaze out pondering my mansion, Vidla comes up and stands a meter away, leaning on the railing, and says "i'm ready to leave if you are Wanderer." and i say "in a moment. i want to soak it in. the peace, it's something i rarely had in the city. it's taken me this long to even be able to fall asleep out here with the quiet. in a few thousand hours i doubt i'll be able to sleep in the city again without trouble." and Vidla says "yeah, i get that, i had trouble the first night or two myself. but the outskirts are more quiet, more similar" and i say "fair. i suppose it's time we leave then hm?" and Vidla takes that as his cue and he pulls up his phone and says "Vaxisha is at his home and i have the teleporter preconfigured to teleport us just outside" and i say "very well" and walk inside with him through the training area and into the rest of the house. all the walls are smoky glass with black crushed basalt sand mixed in to make wild and different smoke shapes and plumes, with some of the privacy walls being made of obsidian, but only on the 5th floor just above us, as that's where my bedroom and personal areas were. as we approach the teleporter Vidla steps forward to activate it, and i walk through it seamlessly, and hear Vidla step out just behind me before it turns off.
i stare at Vaxisha's house and hear him training in the backyard. he's enjoying what i gave him, but soon he'll die for it. i bang on the gate and it opens and he comes around the corner of the house and says "Well W4nd3r3r, i see you've come to duel, unless perhaps you want to back down?" clearly this power has bolstered his arrogance and swagger. such flimsy confidence that i plan to take advantage of in our fight. i say "i am not. i challenge you to the duel, to the victor goes the other's life." and he says "and i accept" and i say "let's go to my house, i would prefer to do this in private and he says "awwww, afraid you'll die publicly?" and i say "not in the slightest. i'm giving you the decency to die in my turf so your fans may have reason to believe you could have won, were it in your own house." and he says "go fuck yourself" and i say "i just might, after we duel, now, quit talking, let's go to my house" and he says "fine" and i teleport us to the training area and i say "Vidla will call the beginning of the fight once he's out of the way. anything goes. magic, weapons, anything." and Vaxisha says "oh this'll be easy" and pulls out a revolver, i can see the energy within it thrumming, as if it's thirsty for death. Vidla steps out of the ring and says "fight" and Vaxisha shoots, which i block with my magic easily, and as he continues emptying all 6 shots he had, i block them effortlessly and let down my shield and pull out my karambits and say "well? are you quite done embarrassing yourself?" and he says "i am. INFERNALIS!" and i see him make a fireball, and throw it at me, which i grab it out of midair on my karambits, and Tafam absorbs it, igniting itself, and i charge Vaxisha with Tafam and yell and become a running wall of sound and death and i turn to smoke as i do, accelerating to faster than a blink and i suddenly am in front of Vaxisha with my blades to his throat, and i cut it open, using an incantation to send all the blood into my mouth, absorbing it, swallowing it, drinking it until it stops. i then plug it up with the magic as Vaxisha's soul floats to the ground to hover there. i then let his body fall limp, wondering what happened with that and i say to Tafam telepathically "what happened? why'd i turn to smoke like you?" as i put it into the sheaths and it says to me "it's one of my abilities, and as you are my master, it is now your ability as well" and i nod, and grab Vaxisha's soul. i relish this moment as i begin to absorb it, i feel the energy within me surging, electric and powerful, sweet, and delightful, and i feel my body searing hot as it absorbs Vaxisha's soul, not more powerful than it would have been before the Crimson Imbunal Ritual, and i let it wash over me before it settles down, and i relax, and pick up Vaxisha's body to bring to my ritual chamber, Vidla follows me, along with Zilim who waited and watched, to the elevator, and i select the 5th floor just above us, bringing all 3 of us up and Zilim says "what was that?" and i say "turns out Tafam gives me more than i thought" and the elevator stops and i walk out into the floor, and make my way to the ritual chamber and Zilim says "why do you need Vaxisha's body and i say "Vidla, leave us, wait outside" and he does so with a nod, and closes the door behind him as i lay Vaxisha's body onto the table i have ready to collect his blood. i then face Zilim and say to him "this is the ritual i was planning from that day in the Royal library. it's called The Crimson Comet Ritual. it will give me a limitless magical potential and let my soul soak more energy than even a god, should i choose to do so. i likely will never need it, but should anyone fuck with this realm ever again, from heaven, or hell, or anywhere else, i intend to be ready to fucking annihilate them with a force that would rattle the Christian God and his strongest Archangels." and Zilim looks at me stunned and says "i had no clue. you're truly serious about this, aren't you?" and i say "yes. and one thing i can do is expand others' souls to their largest capacity, which is the same for all Demons. Royal, common, or otherwise. i can make anyone who deserves it on equal footing with myself and anyone else i do it to, i can put them on the same level as Lucifer even." and Zilim says "you don't just wanna stop the division of Royal and Common, you wanna rip the ideal to infernal tatters Wanderer, for fuck's sake, nobody's even attempted anything even close to this" and i say "precisely. that's the point. nobody expects it, so nobody will stop it. now, i'm going to drink Vaxisha's blood slowly, lest we be sensed or my body be overloaded. i need you to help keep me and his body safe during this time. understand?" and Zilim says "of course, Wanderer." and i say "alright, time for the first dose" and let Vaxisha's blood spill, and i let it flow into my mouth and Tafam says "this is wise. i will aid you. this will take no more than three sessions Wanderer." and i say to it "thank you" and drink. i drink until a third of Vaxisha's blood is missing and barely feel at a slight unease, it was easy. and yet, i need to be patient. i stop, and let my body relax. i feel my power grow immensely and Zilim looks at me and says "Well?" and i say "i feel great. i'll need a good 30 or 40 hours before i can drink again i think, but i can definitely get this done within a couple hundred hours." and with that Zilim grins and says "will i be the first?" and i say "yes. with Vidla being a close second." and Zilim says "thank you. you gave me your word i'd benefit, and you're keeping it." and i say "Well, just as long as Lilith doesn't blow that door to splinters in a moment" and grin and lightly chuckle and Zilim says sternly "absolutely not, i keep my word too, as you know" and i smile and nod, thoughtfully, then say "can i leave you here to guard the body?" and Zilim says "yeah definitely" and i say "just don't drink any of the blood" and put a protective field over it, and Zilim says "i kinda figured not" to which i smirk. i then walk out and say to Vidla "Zilim will stay there and guard the body, and i want you to stick with me, as usual, ok?" and Vidla nods and follows, unusually quiet, and i lead us to the observatory and stand there with the screens showing another realm with these kids and this lion thing that are all running around and stuff's going on. it's rather interesting to watch the chaos as they come through this doorway thing. Vidla follows me and stands in his usual spot by the door. i say to him "why the quiet?" and he says "i just, i have a hard time understanding blood magic" and i say "what don't you understand?" turning to him with an intense gaze. he says, almost shy "well, we spill crimson, and we use it, and i understand that much, but why does it have to be blood? why can't it be, i don't know, spit?" and i say "so your problem is the fact that it's blood and it feels wrong to willingly spill it, is that right?" and he says "yes, it's exactly that. i also want to confess to a lie." i say "i'm not a confessional. spit it out" and he pulls up his pant legs to reveal scars, crisscrossing their way in jagged paths up his legs, up and out of sight above his knee, and he says "these aren't from battle, Wanderer, they're from me" and i look at him with a somber look and say "so that's why you said you had no scars. i understand. when's the most recent time you did this?" and he says "a few cycles ago, little before New Year's Dawn." and i say "i'm proud of you, and i want you to know something. blood magic is not self harm. it's for the purpose of magic, self harm is for the purpose of pain, of suffering. so long as your intent is different, the action is different. maybe not in all contexts, and it will still be upsetting, but i know you can change your mindset. here" i hand him a special knife i made for him, with a basalt and gold hilt, and an obsidian blade with a crimson line through the middle. the handle reads "Vidla" on one side and "Death is the end for soulless monsters, but for those of magick, it's a rebirth" and say to him as i do "i had it commissioned for you, special. it's just like mine, but with a different inscription. it's more fitting to you, especially because i knew. you have that vibe about you" i say, pointing to one of my thinner scars on my wrist. and he nods solemnly as he takes the knife and says "thank you, Wanderer, i swear upon my very soul that this blade will only inflict damage upon me for the purposes and intents of blood magick, and never for self harm." and i nod and say "let's go to the city, i want some food. will you be coming?" and he says "give me a minute to catch my breath" and i nod and begin walking down to my house as i hear him let out a sigh. i know he's crying a bit.
after about 5 minutes he comes down to the 4th floor where i'm at and seems fully composed. i taught him well. i tell him to configure the teleporter, and he does so, and we walk through it, getting dropped at The Basalt Bar's doorstep, i look over and the stone that Tafam was in is now a shrine to..... to me, and Dazil. it's labeled "champions of the people", Vidla catches me staring and says "everyone here loves you. they're proud of you." and i say "i- i guess so. remind me to come here more often." he nods and holds the door for me which i nod with a smile, thanking him silently and we walk in, and there's a table in the corner, made of Onyx with some gold veins inside it, and Vidla leads me to it and says "this table's for us and Zilim only. they commissioned it just for us with a view out the window and look up here, on the wall behind me" and he motions to many papers and articles, all covering Dazil, The People's Riots, and my pulling of Tafam. i say "i had no idea the effect i had." and Vidla says "for you it might seem small, like a small action in a huge war, but to everyone here, it's a huge deal. the fact it's so small to you is inspiring, and has given many here hope. things are much worse than you might think, or rather, they were. even some inner city shops have begun shipping to us, letting us put in orders as an extension of friendship. they offer us the fair prices and access to quality goods. you should take a moment to take it in, appreciate it." and i smile and say "i will, while we eat, then i think i want to walk around, see if i can help anyone here who needs it" and Vidla smiles and the waitress from last time comes over and says "i'm glad you came back W4nd3r3r, what'll it be today?" and i say "same as last time, minus stuffed Mazis, i'm not in the mood for them. also, what's your name?" and the waitress notes it down and says "my name is Kisira, and for you Vidla?" and he responds "i think i'll have the same." and Kisira says "alright, i'll put that order in, alcohol?" and i say "no thanks, not today, i need to keep my wits about me." and she nods and walks off. Kavah comes over and puts down a small bracelet on the table and says "this is a gift, for you W4nd3r3r. take it" and i pick it up and the inscription reads "from Dazil to W4nd3r3r, Tafam Fights for The People" and i put it on, and feel power surge from it, surprising me and i get a chill and say "my gosh, how much power did you put into this?" and Kavah says "everyone who i could find helped me with the enchants. there's a total of 43, all various forms of protection, energy absorbtion, and loyalty, so you'll never lose it. let it remind you of us when you finish this fight, and leave, because we all heard that this isn't your home, it never will be, not until you fix it, but with a name like yours, we don't expect you to always be here. and if it's an emergency, we can chant and it'll burn, searing hot to let you know you're needed." and i say "thank you Kavah, it means a lot. i'll wear it with pride, for eternity. and he smiles a rugged smile and grabs my hand with both of his and shakes it and says "i'm proud of you, and look forward to fighting alongside you and Tafam" and i say "and i look forward to smashing down the doors of the Royal Court with you and everyone else here by my side one day." and he smiles a wicked grin, one that excites me deeply. he then walks off as Kisira walks up with our food and i say "thank you Kisira." and she says "you're very welcome W4nd3r3r. you're always welcome here." and walks off and i say "the people here treat me kinder than any Royals, and it's genuine, not the false skin deep respect the Royals show me because they want to be on my good side. it's refreshing." and Vidla says "that tends to happen when you take a sword that's those people's most sacred symbol of the fight against oppression." and i smile, thoughtfully, feeling the gravity of what i did finally begin to hit me. i did just pull out the symbol of their fight against oppression, freeing it from where it was stuck so long ago. i eat the pasta and it's delicious, so fresh i could swear the trivan were sliced an hour ago, and finished boiling just before it was served. it almost startles me and i smile a gleeful grin and say "this tastes so delightfully fresh, even better than yesterday" and Vidla says "remember the stores selling to us? that's what the difference tastes like" and i think and say "everyone deserves this. do you know of any empty land near here?" and Vidla says "well there's the empty AshLot just a block over. it's been abandoned since a fire broke out and destroyed the theater hall there." and i say "that'll do. i have a plan." and continue eating, tasting the delightfully fresh sauce and wonderful fresh celom on the side, enjoying it all and i scarf it down voraciously. Vidla eats with much the same hunger and passion, and when we finish, we smile at one another as Kisira comes over and says "Well, i see you both liked it more, i don't think i've seen anyone eat so fast there W4nd3r3r" and i say "it was wonderful. say, the trivan, do you have any seeds from them?" and she says "yeah, a ton of them, why?" and i say "can you get them for me? i have a plan. same with seeds from anything else" and she says "alright" and brings the plates away and Vidla says "what are you planning?" and i say "you'll see, help me carry the seeds?" and he nods. eventually Kisira comes back with a big leather bag and says "there's smaller satchels inside with seeds of different stuff we've cut this morning, what do you want them for? we usually save them to roast and use in craft stuff" and i say "the only things seeds need to grow is light, and space to do so. the AshLot provides ample of both" and Kisira smiles and says "really? you wanna grow them here?" and i say "of course, that way you'll be independent, cut reliance on the Royals and such in the inner city, which will keep them from having control over you." and she smiles widely and says "i look forward to attending to it" and walks off, at which point me and Vidla get up and walk out, and i stand there a moment, enjoying the air of the outskirts, it feels personal, calming, and yet, alive, with an energy i hadn't felt before. i smile and say to Vidla "show me the AshLot, and let's get planting" and he smiles and nods, and starts walking, leading me to it, it may be only a block over but i enjoy the walk and just following, lets me retract into my own mind for a time, however short it may be.
shortly we arrive at the AshLot, and i see some kids playing with a ball and say "hey, do y'all like plants?" and they yell "yeah" and i say to Vidla "i'm not a fan of kids but, hey, if they'll help" and he smiles and can see my unease and chuckles and says "what, does the big and bad W4nd3r3r get scared around kids?" and i say "frankly they creep me out" and he laughs and says "come on, they're not that bad when they behave" and i begin following and say "yeah and how rare is that, hmm?" and he chuckles and says "alright, pretty rare, but still." and we walk in and i tell the kids "so, start digging rows, just little trenches, like this" and kneel down to show them how to make a tiny little trough in the soil, and they mimic it and i start the rows of planting and they follow along, continuing them to the other end, fairly straight, and after around 15 minutes we have an entire ton of rows and i say to Vidla "is there a hose?" and he says "yeah of course" and grabs one from the spigot at the corner of the massive lot, and two other Demons come over and say "hey, what are you two doing?" and i say "hi, i'm W4nd3r3r, we're putting the kids to work helping the community with us, we're gonna plant a community garden, see the rows? we're planting trivan seeds cut out of them from the shipment from the Royals' shops in the inner city, among others. do you have a bucket by the way?" and the slightly shorter woman says "oh yeah, me and my wife are gardners, we just never get enough seeds for a full fledged garden!" and i say "Fantastic" and she runs and gets a bucket and comes back hardly a moment later and hands it to me, and i say "thank you, Vidla, start filling this with water for me?" and he says "sure" and begins filling it, and i say to the women "so how long have you two been here? been together?" and the shorter one says "Well i've been here since long before the primal coalescence, hell, i was the big bad of this area back in my Wild Form, and my wife here came around a few hundred years before The People's Riots which is when we met, and started dating, and when marriage became legal, we damn near fought over who was gonna propose" and they both chuckle and i say "wow, i don't think i've ever met anyone who was here from before the Primal Coalescence, you've seen a lot haven't you?" and she says "yeah i have. by the way, my name's Quisila, you may know me from some of the gardening books in the Royal Library" and i say "i do indeed, introduction to infernal implantations, right?" and she smiles brightly and says "wow, yeah!" and i smile and say "i've always loved the library, one perk of finding out i'm Royal was getting practically kicked out of school, and sent to special Royals' school, where i mainly focused on magic in my minimal time there, gave me tons of time to read." and she says "oh, you're uhh Royal?" and i say "yeah, not by choice. i thought my name might be one you know. i umm, well, turns out Tafam likes me" and she gasps and says "i did hear about you! i thought it was a joke!" and i pull out Tafam in its karambit form and she gasps and holds her wife close and says "my gosh, i had no idea. hello again Tafam" and i hear Tafam thrum and come out of my hands and float and say "hello again Quisila. i haven't forgotten you." and she says "well then, i'm glad you found a proper bearer." and Tafam falls back into my hands and i sheath it and say "i thought i recognised you" and she said "i thought you might, i was one of Tafam's former bearers. i got lucky, it protected me from a lot. then after the Coalescence, i didn't want it anymore, i wanted a peaceful life, and Tafam found a new bearer." i say "Well then, good" and Vidla calls to me and says "hey, i got the bucket full!" and i say "oh fantastic! lemme come over there real quick" and begin making my way to him with Quisila and her wife following. when i get there i open the bag and find the seeds for trivans, these juicy little red fucks, and kavis, these long green things, and i pour the seeds into the water and say "now flood the troughs. the seeds will get carried along the water and should disperse pretty evenly and easily. go on Vidla." and he does it and sure enough, it works perfectly. Vidla chuckles and says "well damn, it worked!" and i smile and say "yeah, indeed it did. now come on, let's do the others."
- 3 hours later, 5 hours into 30 until next ritual drinking -
soon every trough had water in them and were drinking it hungrily, the seeds slowly settling into their places, ready to grow. once the water had soaked into the soil, i told the kids to go cover up the troughs, filling them back in, and they rush to do so. i look up to Vidla, the women having left, and say "well, this should definitely keep-" and everything goes black
when i open my eyes i'm in the Royal Hospital, staring at the bright lights above me, and i look over and see Vidla by my side and i sit up and try to speak but ACK, there's a fucking tube in my throat, motherfucker! i yank it out as a nurse comes rushing in to try and stop me and when i get it out i say "don't you fucking touch me. Vidla, what the fuck is wrong with you? what the fuck happened?" and Zilim teleports in and says "W4ND3R3R! Stop! let me speak to you. nurse, leave." and grabs a chair as she leaves and closes the door and says to me "W4nd3r3r, you were out cold, unconscious. when i tried removing Tafam from you it wouldn't budge and said it's the only reason you're alive." i say "Tafam said it'd keep me alive if i died, that it could reincarnate me if i die, i guess that's it." and Zilim says "Well what the hell happened? is it the Crimson Comet Ritual?" and i say "no, and, wait, how the fuck did you know the ritual name?" and Zilim says "well i umm, when you left i used an incantation on the book after you left the Royal Library the other day. i wanted to make sure whatever you did i could help with, so i secretly kept tabs on Vaxisha to make sure his blood wouldn't be poisoned, but it seems that's happened" and i say "god DAMNIT Zilim. fucking tell me these things!! now as for you, Vidla, i didn't mean to snap at you, but why the fuck did i have a tube in my throat? i do not ever want you to let them do that again" and he says "it was how they saved your ass W4nd3r3r, i tried stopping them but they wouldn't let me." and i say "ugh, remind me to get you a Royal Exemption Card to shove in their fucking faces next time." and yank off the wires and shit on my body, much to the machines' monitoring me's disagreement, loud beeping disagreement. i hear the nurse rushing back and burst in and i say "i took off the leads. that's literally it. seriously, chill." and she looks at me and says "and i have to respond properly whenever shit happens, now if you wanna get out of them, do this" and comes over and shows me the "patient turn off" button and says "click this so we know you turned it off and can come in calmer please?" and i nod and say "alright. now, leave me, please." and i then say "we're going to my house to test the blood." and stand up and get ready to teleport us, and i do, and i hear a footstep upstairs and motion for Zilim and Vidla to get low and pull out my karambits. i sneak upstairs, Tafam in my hands rendering my steps silent, magically. i sneak up behind the person and press a blade to their throat and say "give me your name or i'll find out when you try and scream it as you choke on your blood" and the person says "is that any way to treat your father?" and i immediately open his throat. Lucifer can go fuck himself. i then teleport him and his soul to the Royal Court. they can deal with him. i also take the liberty of using an enchant to wipe his memory of the house's location. i then yell to Vidla and Zilim "all fine now. come up." and they come up to the 5th floor to join me. i walk into the ritual chamber and see nothing's been touched, and use enchants and verify the room's not been touched, and i then get to work on Vaxisha's body and check it, and it's untampered, i check my goblet and..... there's the enchant. it's an enchant of delayed death. i cleanse it and find the soul signature of the perosn who cast it. fucking Vaxisha. i cleanse it and Vaxisha's blood of the thing to ensure it's fine and then use an enchant on Tafam's soul core to put my soul back in my body, it feels so oddly filling to have one again. i can feel myself gaining power again, and i let it wash over me. i then say "Vidla, how long was i out?" and he says "well, by my guess, around 30 hours." and i say "very good" and pour out another third of Vaxisha's blood, the second to last. i drink and drink, and yet at the end, i feel fine, so i take some more and halfway through Tafam shouts at me telepathically "STOP, NOW, GAZES HAVE FALLEN UPON US" and i nearly spill the blood and freeze and cast an enchant of illusion immediately and Tafam says "very good casting, we are safe now. do not rush this. you will be safe again in 10 hours. i am sure of it" and i say "why then?" and Tafam says "gods and goddesses who think themselves mighty band together with like minded deities in hopes to find themselves to be mightier together, united by false hope, silver tongued promises, and fucking pathetic wills." and i say "you mean to tell me there's some collective of gods and goddesses out there?" and it says "indeed. their gaze is drawn to any action that could usurp or threaten their power just as your instincts are drawn to things they should be. something i have now truly enhanced for you by the way" and i say "thank you. and i plan to kill those gods and goddesses. can i turn off the illusion spell? it's hard to maintain" and it says "one moment longer" and i wait a moment and say "now?" and it says "yes, but recast within a few minutes, a permanent one." and i say "ok" and do it, then say aloud to Vidla and Zilim "let's blanket the house in an illusion shield. let's set up some basalt and onyx pillars about 10 meters out from the mountain's base all the way around, and a meter back from that we'll put the shield itself" and they say "alright" and i say "use an inflesiafara incantation, it's an enchant of infernal fabrication." and i turn to smoke with Tafam's ability, testing it, and nearly instantly i'm at the base of the house, and the others come down to me once i have all but 6 of the 12 pillars made, and they come and help me, doing 4 together. as i made the pillars, i marked a ring of onyx with basalt edge linings, slightly set up above the ground, with a step and then the top, and a step on the other side, to act as a marker. i then say "use illuspirina, it's an enchant of illusion protection, put it on the line i made" and gesture to it, and they go to the other spots around the house and Tafam says telepathically "you must complete it within a minute W4nd3r3r, lest we be smited now" and i don't reply, opting to cast. i do most of the work, but Vidla and Zilim help, and within 30 seconds, it's up. as far as anyone outside the wall is concerned, there's just a normal mountain here. i then walk back in and use another fabrication enchant on the pillars so they'll generate energy arcs between the pillars at all times, powered by the energy flowing through hell, and then enchant the pillars and the energy arcs themselves to send out bolts of infernal lightning to incapacitate or kill any intruder, and send their soul through the energy cables underground into the house, for collection. i set them to incapacitate all but Lucifer, and to kill him. i then also enchant the line around the house to also be able to shoot hellfire into the air, so if someone steps through the barrier and i tell it to, or takes it down, the failsafe will kick in and burn them to a crisp, scorching even their very soul. that however is manual or only if the barrier falls, a contingency. Tafam says telepathically as usual "you do good work, you are truly deserving of me." and i grin and say back "well thank you." and walk back to the entrance of the house and say aloud to Vidla and Zilim who meet me there "let's go back inside. thanks for the help." and they nod and i begin walking through the tunnel into the mountain to the elevator's base, and enter it with them, and set it to go to level 5. i'd be waiting to be ready to complete the ritual soon. for now, all i need is patience.
i wake up from sleeping, after i drank and did the magic my body was wrecked. i see Tafam floating in its sword form again above my bed and i tap it and suddenly everything goes white, then i'm in a field. it's this blank field, all white, bright, the air tastes sweet, it's, indulgent, it's peaceful, and yet, it's hollow, it feels like my body is charged with electricity, as if i could shoot lightning if i wanted and then a flash, and i'm back. Tafam says telepathically "what you witnessed. does it bring you peace?" and i say "on the surface, maybe. but after that it feels like this hollow electricity, the same thing my sociopathy makes me feel but instead of fiery rage, it's this cold electricity, like electricity flowing through ice in my cold, dead veins, instead of fire igniting every nerve in my body with a fire and will." it says "and everything created by a god is done so in their image. do you know which god created the place i have just shown you?" and i say "no, i mean you say there's countless-" and it cuts me off "no. this is personal." and i say "well then the Christian God." it hums and says "indeed. let me show you another place" and i touch Tafam instinctively and everything goes black, then i'm in the same flat floating island i saw in my dreams in my first night with Tafam, but this time the sky, it's exploding with energy, lightning crashing down and i'm almost struck. it feels charged with all sorts of things, like a bouquet of flowers just bloomed in my soul, as if my nerves are alight with indulgence, my veins flowing peaceful pleasure, and my body put at ease. then blackness, and i'm back, then Tafam asks again "what you witnessed, does it bring you peace?" and i say "yeah, it was, it was intense, beautiful, it- it was the island you showed me in my initial dreams with you." it says "indeed. you remember well. this is a place in the image of a version of you that did not struggle, it is who and what you could be had you not been born a Demon. it is curious though that you do not notice this" and i say "Well because whoever it is, it's not me. being a Demon is who i am. it's part of my very existence. whoever this is, if they're a version of me, they're a vastly different one." and Tafam says "very true, you know yourself better than i previously thought." and it floats down and turns back into karambits, before sheathing itself on my belt. i get up and go to the bathroom to shower. the water feels so hot and delightful on my skin as i stand there using an enchant to let the water drag everything dirty off with it. after the enchant i stand there a few minutes and think. if this ritual will make me able to be a god, and everything created by a god is done so in their image, what would a place i create be like? fiery? cold? hollow? my sociopathy answers the question with a silencing and deafening pang of desire, coldness, and an emotional dullness and i realise it'd be much like me, rather cold and emotionless inside. while i am learning, it's taken me decades to get to where i am now, i remember when i was first told i'm a sociopath, it was the first time i'd glared at Vaxisha and he seemed, almost scared. later, after i met Zilim, and i remember that telling them was the first time i saw worry in Zilim's eyes as they realized i might not ever love them truly, as my sociopathy makes that damn near impossible, granted i told them years into the friendship, so the thought of it going no further would be a complex thought, maybe a scary one. discontinuance, ending, it's an interesting concept, especially with the fact i can't die of old age, and my soul is Immortal, and i understand things end, but that's different. what Zilim and i share, it's deep, intense, and i truly love Zilim, even if it took me many years to realize it. anyways, enough of these thoughts. i turn off the shower, and walk out, putting my belt with Tafam back on, and i tap the buckle, and feel the nanotechnology flow over my body into a combat suit. it's an outfit i always had with me, and i decide i'll make it permanent. i open my phone and call Klaxa's Tech, the company i use for all my technology, and the only ones to really do it professionally, their scientists being protected by the Royal Court. the line rings and i eventually hear "eyyyy, W4nd3r3r! long time no fucking see, how are those turrets at your house doing?" and i say "hey, i'm good Klaxa, and the security turrets haven't been installed. i tell you, Lucifer fucking snuck in here. i wish i'd installed them. i'm gonna install them soon though. now that said, remember that nanotech belt i commissioned from you?" "yeah, i remember, i tell ya, fucking brilliant using them fuckers for clothing" and i say "yeah, thanks. so, i wanna commission another set of stuff from you, i'm kinda tired of my wardrobe and i plan on getting into shit soon here, gonna be shaking things up here, and i wanna get plenty of nanotech. can you make implants?" and he says "Well yeah i can totally make more stuff like the belt, maybe a pendant on a necklace, or a thicker necklace itself, maybe even some anklets too if you wanna get them in some, say, basic metal rings? that could work. also, whaddya mean by implants? you talkin putting this shit under your skin? i advise against it, this shit's hackable, worse case scenario if it's outside of ya you teleport out of it, but inside you? can't teleport away from yourself eh?" and i say "well, yes, i know. but what if you make it controlled telepathically, and require the soul signature of the user, and connect it to my nervous system so i have to move it like a muscle for it to work, or send energy into it through my nervous system to make it work, maybe put in an endpoint attached to my nerve." and he says "hot damn that's some complex shit, you're for real about this. lemme make a call to my surgeon buddy and a magic guy i know and i'll make something for you, 100%. but i also want you to be aware that the only way you'll be able to control it if your soul signature changes is by well, attaching it to your soul, which means we'd have to kill ya and implant it into your orb and have it self assemble when we reincarnate you, which that's some complex and risky ass magic there W4nd3r3r" and i say "i know, let's do it. i'm serious about it. now by the way, when you implant one or a few, can you add more later on as long as there's some? so i can remove all but a few?" and he says "Well yeah, that can work, and if you can shapeshift you can totally shift to have storage for more or less, or do any number of other shit like put this stuff on your blood vessels and cell walls. it'll be real fuckin hard though, might take you years of practice, even if you became a damn monk and meditated on it, but if ya do this, you'd be, well, i'd put money on you never fuckin dyin if you go through with this" and i say "if you'll put money down, how about you give me a discount for the tech and patenting it and shit under the Royal Court under my name instead of yours. i'll sign a contract so your company has full and complete rights to use it and shit, but I want the rights to myself." and he says "nah, W4nd3r3r, you know my deals, i get you the tech and i get the patent that's the way it works dude, come on, you can't screw me outta this." and i say "i know. how about i pay all the fees and shit and add on a hundred thousand coin on top. that's one hundred thousand in extra profit for handling the patents and putting it in under my name, and again, you get the rights to it." and there's silence then he says "fine, if you're serious about this i ain't wanna be on your bad side anyhow. deal. but this stuff's gonna cost a hell of a lot. nanotech ain't cheap, you paid damn near that bonus fee just for that buckle." and i say "can you do it for a half million?" and he says "oh fuck nah W4nd3r3r. i can do a necklace, bracelets, and anklets in nanotech metal with some internally linked nanotech and link it all together to your soul with the internally linked one, all for an even million." and i say "ugh, fine. that better include the fee for the patent filing though, right?" and he says "yeah W4nd3r3r, that'll work. write me a check when you're ready to take this stuff on if i can get this to work. and that fee includes rushing it, top of the line, consider that a gift from me and a bid to get all ya future business, cool?" and i say "trust me, i'll be back" and he says "alright good buddy, see ya soon." and then hangs up. i go out to the ritual chamber and see Zilim tired and i say "sleep, Zilim. i'll be fine." and they say "no way in hell. i wanna feel your soul when this is done." and i say "alright." and then i turn around and call Vidla "if you wanna be in here for the final bit, the time is now" and he walks in and goes to the side of the room, and watches and i take the goblet, i let out all the final blood in Vaxisha's body, it's hardly enough to reach 60% full, unlike the others that were almost overflowing. and i drink. i start and i feel the power surging, i feel my soul growing, i can feel the shell hardening like steel, it's as if i'm growing, and then i swallow the last of it, and i slam the goblet down and let out a howling growl "RAGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH" and i feel my eyes flare with hellfire and i close them and let my body ease up and i steady myself on the table as my soul, my being all begin aligning, falling back into place, and i relax, i let it all fall into place, and my body relax, and then, silence. i then hear Tafam telepathically "are you alright?" and i say back "yes, better than ever. i'm fine, i'm steady now. thank you for your help" and it says back "you are very welcome, very good." and then falls silent, and Zilim says aloud "well? how do you feel?" and i say "like the universe is a war, and the Christian God is in my sights." and smile a devious grin, one Zilim reflects, and i use an incantation on them and Vidla, to make them both able to absorb the maximum amount of energy that any Demon can. i then go down to level 4, and stand at the railing, looking out at the city of hell as my power soaks in and soaks up energy by the second, almost making a vacuum around me. i then get a call from Klaxa who says "hey W4nd3r3r, you're fucking nuts and my people are top tier i tell ya, they got a prototype if you're willing to fuck with it. and they made it upgradeable, so once one is linked to your soul, all other nanite tech on ya will be too, all secure, all based on telepathy from your specific soul signature, and only you. it's ready for installation if you're ready to die" and i say "today sounds like a nice day to die. where?" and he says "let's do this at your home if possible, i'm ready to be teleported, i'm in the lobby, you've been here before. i got it all ready to install." and i say "alright, i'll teleport you in a moment" and hang up, then walk into the training court, large and open, perfect for this. i then teleport Klaxa in and say "settle yourself, and Vidla! Zilim! come down here, i got Klaxa installing some neat fuckin tech." and they come down and i tell Tafam telepathically "reincarnate me when Klaxa's done ok?" and it replies "very well W4nd3r3r. if he attempts betrayal, i shall kill him where he stands." and i say "fantastic." and i pull Tafam off my belt and set it down on the side, out of Klaxa's sight and take off the belt and the nanotech, left only in my underwear and say "well Klaxa, got a pistol?" and he says "i do" and hands me a nice Klaxa TechShot 5S, and i say "wow, TechShot 5S? i'd thought you'd want your newest model, the Klaxa 15 Hellfire?" and he says "oh i do, that's my main pistol, but that TechShot 5S? that thing saved my life. i was standing in my shop on the second floor and then i see a sniper rifle glint outside, some fucker trying to assassinate me, so i draw, and it fires automatically through the floor, autonomously, and it kills the guy on the lower floor that had come in to collect. i then aim it at the sniper. headshot. it saved me from two fuckers, one accidentally" and i say "wow, sentimental. good. well let's go." and i raise the gun to my head and i say to Zilim "time to go out with a... bang" and pull the trigger right as i finish. everything goes black. then what feels like instantly, i'm back sitting in a chair, and Klaxa is in my face and says "Well, Zilim jumped when you pulled that trigger old friend, i tell ya, you got a thing for drama, you oughta go be an actor, and with your new nanotech, it should be a breeze, try it out" and i try to form a blade on my arm, and instantly the tech responds, flowing out of my skin and overtop of it and forming into an onyx blade, sharp, and deadly. and i say "fantastic. as for your fee" and begin writing him a check for one million. i finish, imbue it and say "it might take them a few minutes to put it through, i invested most of my money, and this will take almost all of what i have left in the account itself, if it's too much they'll sell some of my stocks and pay you that way." and he says "ehh it's fine, i'm happy to wait, and here's this" and hands me the patent papers and a contract to sign rights over for 1,000 years and i say "thank you, and immediately sign after ensuring nothing's amiss. i trust Klaxa, but it's better safe than sorry. i then ensure there's no magic, and solidify the contract with my magical essence, and it's locked in. i hand it back to Klaxa who says "i tell ya, this'll make me a fortune" and i say "indeed. also, don't tell anyone our business. understood?" and he says "confidentiality is my law. also, since i can sell ya any nanotech shit you want in just vials of nanites, and you can add 'em seamlessly, wanna wipe my memory of our little trade here?" and i say "nah, it's pointless. you don't tell anyone exactly what you did but they'll guess from the patent anyways" and he shrugs and says "aight, teleport me back to my lobby ok?" and i do so. i then stand and put my belt back on, linking the nanites in it to my internal systems and ensuring its secure. i then put on the necklace, bracelets, and anklets, and have the nanites inside me flow over my body making a combat suit, my usual low effort outfit, and i then look over to the table and see there's a few large, pill shaped vials, around a half meter tall and 20 centimeters thick. with coloured bands at the ends of them standing on stands, with a note that reads "some bonus vials of nanites, you know i do ya right, and given how quickly you signed off that contract you deserve these. red's regenerative nanites, they'll go in your blood and repair everything automatically. they'll also turn bodily waste into energy and making more nanites as well as repairing them. yellow's tertiary stuff, they're used for general external stuff like making these vials to store 'em in. they can operate independently of your systems, and also can make computers and stuff like your phone, as well as store data, they're kinda an intermediary layer between your systems and anything, well, less advanced. then you got blue, those are emergency nanites. they can keep you alive even in the worst situations. i'd give them to your bodyguard so he can dump 'em on ya in an emergency to save your ass. then the green vial, that's a handy machine you can use. feed it any form of matter, and it'll generate nanites, it'll tell ya the type of matter it needs, but it won't need a ton. also, these nanites? they suck in energy from the surrounding area, which they can store. you'll also generate excess energy every now and again from it, so make sure to discharge it when you get to that point, otherwise the nanites will feed it into your body instead of you having to eat, but it'll be a shitty feeling when ya get hungry again bc you technically won't have eaten in a while. be mindful, and good luck dude" i smile, Klaxa's always stingy up front but very giving after if you're nice and don't act like an ass. i put Tafam back on my belt and tell Zilim and Vidla to come here and check this out and they come and i make the nanites flow out into blades on the insides of my wrists, and have them spring out, and back. i then make them flow up and make a machine gun mounted on my shoulder, that shoots Void Energy bolts, Void Energy being the stuff used for incantations. Zilim says "that's all, what, illusion magic?" and i say "nope, nanites" and Zilim's eyes go wide as they realize the insane shit i came up with, and i say "it's awesome, huh?" and Zilim says "sweet unholy fuck, yeah it is. that's insane" and i nod and look to Vidla who looks shocked and a little disgusted and i say "what?" and he says "i just think it's disgusting that this tech exists and it's not available to everyone" and i say "i literally just invented it today. nanite stuff does exist and already did, i'm the only one to think of using it for clothes, and inside my body. trust me, Klaxa does business with everyone too. his shop is actually right by the wall, by a gate too, he offers his services to everyone who can pay, and with the work we have ahead of us to change the wealth gap, he'll soon be booked full every day, with people from all over" and Vidla calms and his face softens into a slight flash of a smile and he says "alright." and i nod, thoughtfully. he's loyal, and this is the beginning of this realm changing. i go to the railing and stare at the city and say "this is the spark that'll light a fire under the Royal's asses, and raze this realm to tatters if they dare to avoid changing." and Vidla joins me and puts a hand on my left shoulder and says "and i'm proud to help you light it, with Zilim joining me on the other side, placing their hand in mine, entwining our fingers, gently, and they smile at me with a look i've only seen them give their partners. and i smile back, and blush, they mean a lot to me. i say "thank you both, for your loyalty, and friendship." and we stare out at the realm, and the air is charged with electricity, and i feel Tafam thrum and say to me telepathically "mind your blood, W4nd3r3r" and i say back telepathically "what do you mean? are you implying that Vidla-" and Tafam cuts me off "no, i am referring to Zilim. Lilith is said to be Lucifer's sister, and yet, Lilith was not created by the Christian God, Lilith was born of the night. her origins are within the darkness, just as you saw was the case with all Demons, they are all born of the darkness itself. Lilith is their deity, their goddess, she created much of hell with her rage and wrath causing the grand lava flows that formed it. Lucifer has come to rule hell however as he was an Archangel, and therefore more powerful as Lilith is not a true deity, but she is Hell's ace up the sleeve as she possesses knowledge of it, tried and true, and has a tie to the land. they are called siblings as they are very similar, and yet, they are not related by blood" and i say "so, then why are they called siblings? what's the point of that?" and Tafam says "the sky, the air, the universe, the Christian God claims he created all of it, and as Lucifer was his favourite son, it is rightfully Lucifer's, and yet, it is not. Lilith has ties to the ground, and so Hell is their being coexisting, a marriage to some, and to others, a duality of siblings, why do you think the interpretations are near endless? because what they have done is powerful. it's special. they are friends, close and entwined, bound by fate, and yet so, so misunderstood with their interpretations so wildly different that the truth is hidden behind a parallax of opinions. Zilim is the magical child of Lilith, and her wife Salira, a being of seduction and allure, who is said to have stolen Lilith's heart with her voice, or so she thought, as when Lilith revealed that Demons are immune to her call, and their love was true and genuine, she fell all the more deeply in love. the resulting bond is how Zilim was conceived. you however are a child of Lucifer, who muddied his blood according to the Christian God by mating with a Demon named Zisari, who has now been lost to history, as she left hell and has not been seen or heard of since, she was one of the first Primal Demons, and one of the only ones to reach the Primal Coalescence, and was the oldest to survive from it. Zilim does not share blood with you despite your notions of that being truth. you are free to initiate what you and Zilim have desired for so long." and i say "you're telling me i'm not related to Zilim after all? like i thought for all those years? and all those nights, those aren't tainted after all?" and Tafam says "indeed. i believe Zilim knows all this, as i sense newfound knowledge in them, and have ever since that first trip to the Basalt Bar. i believe they checked their bloodline and history to ensure the fact that you both are in fact cousins, or to in fact, disprove it." and i say "well then there seems to be a second spark. thank you, Tafam, for telling me this. i've loved them for years, truly, even despite my sociopathy, and always wished they'd reciprocate, and in the last couple years i felt that possibility edging closer, but finding out we might be cousins just shut it all down for obvious reasons." and Tafam says "i understand, but now you understand as much as i do. enjoy this moment. enjoy this spark, the one you light with Vidla against the realm, and the one you light with Zilim, against the rest of existence" and i say "rest of existence? what does that mean?" but Tafam remains silent, electing to thrum calmingly instead, and then go still.
Content warning: the following segment is sexually explicit and NSFW.
it's a couple hours later and I'm still staring out at the main capitol of Hell, by this time Vidla has gone to bed, his quarters being on Level 5 alongside my room, right outside. i even had a special hidden passage built so he can get to me if needed. he took the blue nanites when he left and now it's just me and Zilim. their hand is still holding mine. it's warm, soft, almost magnetic. i turn my head slightly to look at them and they look at me, their eyes wide and seductive, gosh, their pupils are so big, their green eyes flaring with Void Energy, they're beautiful, it hits me all at once. they notice this and turn and say "i take it you know the way i'm looking at you?" and i inhale sharply and say "i- i do" and they smirk as i stutter and wrap their right hand around me, taking it off the railing, still holding my right in their left hand, and pull us close and i feel my heart start racing and they say with a smirk "Well if i'm making you stutter then i suppose all the times you've looked at me this way were genuine, you never stutter, not unless what you're feeling is intense. i still remember that time you got so pissed you couldn't even speak, it was almost amusing, and when you kneed the guy's skull in two, it was frankly kinda hot" and chuckles as i grin, i remember that, and i say "yeah, well i umm, i mean he did kinda d-deserve it, he tried messing with you after all" and Zilim says "indeed he did. you've always been a protector Wanderer, always, and i trust that if tonight goes the way i want, that'll continue?" and i say "Why wouldn't it? i'm never ever gonna let anyone hurt you, they can go ahead and fucking try but i will fucking demolish them if they dare try to-" and Zilim takes their left hand out of mine and puts their it on my chest and kisses me, cutting me off and holds the kiss for a few seconds, a few long, burning moments, and they eventually stop and say "i love that fire Wanderer, i only wish you'd act on it more. i've certainly cast gasoline on it enough, especially considering-" and they remove their hand from my chest, exposing the fire inside through my translucent skin, they used the filava incantation, one that exposes one's internal fire. the embodiment and representation of a Demon's soul. fiery and powerful. using the incantation is only something those you respect most are permitted to do. mine is a bright, passionate reddish purple presently, caused by Zilim no less, who continues their sentence "-the fact that your fire is this beautiful at the moment" and i stare at them still almost shell shocked and say "i wanted to i just felt it edging closer the last couple years but then this whole son of Lucifer stuff happened and i thought we couldn't date because of obvious reasons, and then all of this happened and i just- FUCK" i say as my fire flares crimson. and Zilim says "i know that colour. i've seen it a lot. you're mad, but why?" and i say "because i just wish that this could've happened sooner, i wish we could have a peaceful relationship and-" and Zilim comes closer once again and wraps their right hand around my back tighter and yanks me in to them, pressing our foreheads together and then kisses me, again, grabbing me tightly, and holding me close, and then stops and says "this was never going to be peaceful. fucking never. Wanderer i want you. i desire you. i love you. i always have. and we both know that the most intense love, the most passionate love, sometimes it's war, especially between powerful Demons like us, princes of hell. the fact we're starting a revolution in Hell means we can fight that war together, alongside one another, and get years of understanding and connection and learning from watching each other fight others when we're mad at one another before we have to survive the boredom of home life and only be able to fight one another." and i wrap my arms around them tightly, and say "who ever said we'd have a boring home life? no, i plan to travel, i plan to move through the realms, travel, and bring you with me. i think even Tafam" and tap Tafam on my belt "wants me to do so because it said something about the spark we lit against the rest of existence, and it's like everything is finally aligning and coming together and just allowing me to love you fucking finally, as i have for so many years" and i kiss them, hard, grabbing them, and pulling them in rather harshly, which they return that same intensity and strength as they pull me in, and i use the filava incantation on them and i see our lights mix, intense and passionate, a custom to do for the most passionate sex and we keep making out, growing more intense as we begin walking to the elevator, tangled and entwined, and i feel Tafam hum as the elevator rises to Level 5, and we go to my room, and i push Zilim onto the bed and they lay down and i jump up on top and i say "Zilim, i love you. so fucking much. i freely consent to anything that happens tonight" and Zilim says "i consent, now fuck me already, please" and with that, i fully let loose and begin tearing off their clothes and mine, continuing to make out, ripping their shirt off quickly, and realizing they're not wearing a bra i say "your tits are beautiful" and kiss them each, hard, sucking for a moment and pulling back as i hear them let out a soft moan and say "oh, fuck yes, please Wanderer, i want you" and i then proceed downwards, and pull off their pants and underwear in one clean move, their shoes gone and kicked off in the elevator, as mine were, and i kiss the insides of their thighs and then take off my shirt before saying "you are beautiful" and pulling off my pants as i suck their tit, and then, once we're naked i kiss them and say "you are a masterpiece, and fucking mine" i say with a growl, and kiss them again, and i then move to 69 with Zilim, moving my mouth to their pussy and start in on their wonderful body, enjoying the taste of them and i hear them moan and yell "oh fuck, yes, please, more" and i feel them treat me in turn, eating me out intensely, and passionately, and we continue like that, moving and shifting positions and forms like a mass of passion, intensity, emotion, and sex, until eventually, a few hours later with us kneeling on the bed staring at one another as we embrace, fingering one another, we finally finish for the last time, and collapse onto the bed, exhausted equally, and Zilim kisses me, hard, as i lay there with my hand, and body both still messy. they then say "Wanderer, give me your word this isn't the last time" and i say "this is the first of-" and gasp as i'm completely and utterly exhausted and then continue "oooh, aftershock, but it's the first of very, very many Zilim. that i guarantee you." and they look at me with exhausted passion and cuddle close, and say "we can clean up tomorrow, i just want to sleep together, maybe with you, inside me?" and i chuckle and grin and say "sure. also, how do i praise you? part of me wants to say good girl but, what do you like?" and shift to have the appropriate bits, and gently slide into Zilim's body, to which Zilim lets out a small moan and says "yes please, good girl is good Mistress" and i chuckle and say "well then very good girl, come here" and roughly grab them and pull them close, our bodies entwined, messy and exhausted, and we fall asleep together.
- 11 hours later -
i awake as Zilim shifts in their sleep, our bodies still joined, and i move to separate us down below, and Zilim makes a small squeak as i do so, and i then shift to have my usual female bits. i lay there a few minutes, and Tafam says telepathically "and the fire has been lit W4nd3r3r. very good" and i say "what did you mean by against rest of existence?" and it says "remember when i mentioned Riftaria? you are to leave tomorrow. there's a temporal event resulting in the ability to go there at present, instead of having to wait thousands of years for it to exist. with the proper incantation and if you have enough energy, it will be a permanent door to Riftaria at the time you choose. it will be located in the upstairs room, the clavila on the way to the observatory." and i say "Wait, there's not a room up there, only hallways? and what's a clavila anyways? also, Riftaria doesn't exist yet? how can you know it will?" and Tafam says "a clavila is a ball-shaped chamber with a circular door and zero gravity due to a concentrated Void Energy located within, it's designed with scratches and lines within the walls so that the Void Energy may resonate at its natural frequency to become liquid, and when it flows correctly, with the proper power and direction, it can create doorways between worlds. it is of my own design. when Temporal Energy and Cosmic Energy are added, it can go anywhere, in any time. the temporal event that happens tomorrow will take you to Riftaria, and when there, we will build a clavila there, so we may get home, as this is merely an introductory visit. as for how i know Riftaria will exist, i have been through time, i can see through it, as well as realms and worlds. i am the one true god, the one of all of existence, as you saw all of existence spring forth from the event that created me as well. therefore, i am privy to all of existence. for all time. but such knowledge is for none but myself. i will share with you what is pertinent however." and i say "i'm only going if Zilim comes" and Tafam says "i want them to do so. they are integral to your story." and i say "alright" and Tafam then thrums on the table next to me, calmingly, the vibrations waking Zilim and relaxing me and Zilim says "you and Tafam have such weird ways of speaking" and i say "Wait, what?" and Zilim says "yeah, you both had a conversation just now, about ball shaped rooms and someplace called Riftaria?" and i say "yeah, we did, how?" and Tafam says "i have telepathically linked in Zilim for our conversations. as well as the one at the railing last night. in fact Zilim asked me directly if i was alive and if you two are related indeed, and could confirm the history books stating you aren't, and that is when i spoke to you" and i say "how do i know when someone's linked in?" and Tafam says "if i ever do so again, i will tell you in the future, however i felt it necessary to keep you both in the dark about who was privy to our conversation last night, as an insurance that your individual emotions would properly spark the flames of what happened here." and i say "so you didn't trust us to fuck it up if we logically went about it?" and Tafam says "i mean no offense, but yes, in fact i had no doubt you two would have managed to fuck it up" and i chuckle and say "Tafam, you're a cunt, but fuck if i'm not happy you were in this case" and Tafam thrums mischeviously, and then calmingly before going still and Zilim says "you two have a special bond, i can tell" and i kiss them, hard and say "you have an extremely special one with me too, Zilim. you mean a lot to me" and Zilim smiles and says "this doorway, how will we find it?" and i say "Well i'm assuming Tafam will lead us, either that or it knows we'll find it accidentally." and Zilim says "alright, good. that means we can do our own thing" and they rest their hand on my cheek and continue speaking "like this" and Zilim kisses me and pulls us close, and i melt, relaxing my body and loving Zilim. and finally, after a few infernally burning moments of wildfire, they let go, and relax back into the bed with a small relaxed sigh of pleasure, and say "if i could stay here all day i would" and i say "why can't you?" and they say "well, because i have this girlfriend that likes to travel, yeah, it has this magic sword thingy that talks to me and it, and my girlfriend also likes to fuck me, and i think its gonna wanna do that today" and i pick up on what they're saying and join in the joke and i say "oh, and this girlfriend wouldn't happen to look like me, would it?" and they say "Actually no, it does look a bit like you, but this girlfriend is a fucking fiery legend at sex and my pussy is fucking exhausted from it" and i say "oh? maybe you should ask this girlfriend to kiss it and make it better" with a smirk and a wink and they say "you know that's a wonderful idea, i'll ask it" and turn their head to look away from me and turn back and say "hey girlfriend, can you kiss my pussy and make it better?" and i say "absolutely" and go down under the blanket and go to work, gently helping Zilim relax, as they melt into me, and when they finish with a loud moan i stop and lick them clean, before going up on top of them, and kissing their tits, and then their lips, and then laying down and say "so?" and they say "i love you, so much Wanderer" and i say "i love you too my good girl" and they smile at me and cuddle up and say "can we lay here a while before going out for the day?" and i say "oh of course." and hold them close and relax. basking in this moment.
- approximately 2 hours later -
after laying here for a couple hours, i hear Tafam say "to Wanderer and Zilim, this is how i will disclose who is privy to our conversation, and you both must move. the temporal event is active now. it seems an emergency has occurred in, well, let's just say another time. hurry." and i say "wait, another time? what do you mean?" as i scramble up to get dressed, with Zilim doing the same and Tafam says "as i stated, i am yours eternally. there exists future versions of us, ones that have access to a Clavila, and have knowledge of the past. we will know more then the future versions of us meet." and i say "are you fucking kidding?" and grab Zilim's hand as we rush out the door and Tafam says "yes. and Vidla must stay." and i say "why?" and Tafam says "he is not to go forward, if he does so, we risk allowing him to die, and he is too important in this time, and i cannot protect more than you and Zilim." and i say "ok" and shout out to Vidla out loud "hey, Vidla, me and Zilim and Tafam gotta go do something, stay here!" and he shouts after us "alright, sure thing, lemme know when you're back" and i shout "will do!" and run down the stairs to the teleporter on level 4 and Tafam tells me the coordinates to type in and i do it, and we run through the doorway, tall and black, made of obsidian. we run through and there's another door a few feet in front of us, and i ask Tafam telepathically "is that it?" and Tafam says "yes. hold Zilim tight Wanderer, embrace them." and i say "ok, Zilim, let's go, you ready?" and they say "yes, absolutely!" and we jump into the portal, me holding Zilim tight and we go through, it feels as if we're sliding along a lightning bolt, electricity coursing through us as we're blinded and then BANG we land on the ground in Riftaria, i hear sirens going off, i see people running and shouting and i look up, and- there's me. but, not me, i have a beard and future me says "well, no time for questions, see that eye up there? blast it with every magic you have, same as you Zilim, and when you do, use the incantation ethlisia, it'll blast a bolt of ether. do it when the sirens change to a scream" and i say "i- ok" as i see Tafam on future me's belt, and i ready myself, as does Zilim, and.... RAAAAAAAAA i hear the sirens begin screaming and as they do i, along with everyone else there blast the eye with the incantation and a hundred thousand bolts of clear, ethereal unlight flash through the sky, and stab it, and as its blood rains down, future me comes back and grabs me and Zilim and drags us to a glowing white door and says "i can't have you staying here for too long, otherwise we risk the timeline, good luck, and be safe" and shoves us through the door and we land in Hell again, at our home and i say to Tafam telepathically "what the hell just happened?" and Tafam says "you were dragged into Riftaria, summoned to save it. if you note, every other bolt was identical to yours. as you will exist for so many years, we may pull upon hundreds of thousands of you from existence to create a veritable army as needed in emergencies. what you saw was but a taste of Riftaria. and as you have entered it with an open mind, i ask you: would you like to enter it again, when it exists naturally? unfortunately due to this event we must not travel again, as that may harm the timeline by doing so, so you must wait the thousands of years until it exists, but will you return? regardless, i have fulfilled my purpose" and i say "yeah, definitely, i wanna go back. just remind me, ok?" and Tafam thrums warmly, Zilim then says "well, Tafam, i'll come with if you make me one guarantee" and Tafam thrums inquisitively and asks "and what do you request of me?" and they say "keep Wanderer and i safe, do your best to ensure our relationship remains intact." and Tafam says "indeed. i plan to" and i say out loud now "i love you Zilim. thank you for standing by my side, now and in the future" and they kiss me, hard and passionately, and hold me close, and i hold them just as tight, embracing in a kiss, and then after a few blazing moments Zilim stops and says "cuddles?" and i say "of course my dear" and walk to my room again, holding Zilim's hands, to get some much needed rest, holding Zilim in my arms as we lay there, basking in the moment.
