Memories Lost

[GamingLord]

Xylanthos: "Ah... well, next time we'll refrain from scratching behind your ears when you need to tell us, or ask us something important."

Tiamos: "Now, as for our jobs... Of course we do. It's not always pleasent..."

Xylanthos: "It's downright exhausting sometimes, actually. Physically and emotionally..."

Tiamos: "True... but, there's a sort of satisfaction I suppose. Hmm, here's an example. It's such a wonderful feeling when you realize that you've reunited loved ones... like an wife with her deceased loved ones..."

Xylanthos: "Or children with their parents... We do have to experience some rather... vile things in others lives as well, even those of bad people. But knowing that we are also helping others find Heaven makes it that much easier to endure..."

Tiamos: "Yep. Now, where were we, love?"

*Xylanthos chuckled, and stared at Black's head for a moment*

Xylanthos: "I believe you had the left ear, and I had the right... Unless there's anything else you want to say or ask, Black? Anything at all, before we scratch your head?"  

[GamingLord]

Tiamos: "No, we usually stay here. That's why we've tried to make it as comfortable as possible. We only physically leave for important matters with the high council, or for the soul festivals."

Xylanthos: "Well, once a year we take a week away somewhere as well. We still guide souls, however, just not as many at once. Special angels assist us during that time, removing a little of the burden. But yes, ever since we turned 400, we've been doing our "job". And we will, until it's time for us to train the next soul guider, or guiders, and then pass on."

Tiamos: "Hmm, he was a nice old man, wasn't he?"

*Xylanthos nodded, knowing his wife was referring to the previous soul guider who was their mentor.*  

[GamingLord]

Xylanthos: "You're right, it's not really a job. We can't quite either... It's more... something we were destined to do. Fate. It's... odd though. In a way, everyone else can control their lives, choose their paths. We can't really..."

Tiamos: "But, we wouldn't give it up for anything in the world. I don't think any soul guider has. In a strange way, it's fate, pre-ordained.. but every soul that has been choosen for this position has embraced it fully. We have, even if at times it's a bit... trying."

*Xylanthos shuddered a bit, rubbing his neck a little, then sighed.*

Xylanthos: "Even the worse deaths we experience are worth it. We know we're sending them beyond, and we get to have a small taste of their joy... That they no longer suffer. I believe I'll go and get some snacks. Would you ladies like anything?"

Tiamos: "Yeshlag ice coffee, if we have any left, dear."

- - - - -

(Meanwhile, in the deepest pits of Hell....)

*Hi had seemed to change over the months... Whatever he had experienced seemed to do that. Though Reason still was on the receiving end of his violent temper, the angel noticed that such outbursts had become less and less... He seemed to have gained some manner of control, and had definitely become less aggressive in his attacks... A sudden backhand, or slash wound still hurt like hell, but often he'd stop after a single blow, instead of resorting to many.*

*The greatest change though, was in Hell's visual appearance. Initially, it was a typical fire and brimstone deal. Lava poured everywhere, flames burst from all directions. It was as though Hell was reflecting the satan's mood and manner. Now, it was much different.. There were various areas, locales, seperated... some retained the brimstone effect, while others went for more subtle approaches. Darkness... ice... cold... ruined cities, dank underground caverns...*

*The newest addition was a massive palace of sorts... it literally crawled, made up of various bodies that writhed in agony. In parts, and still whole, they screamed, sobbed, and moaned... Wishing for non-existance, for death (For those who didn't know they had died), for revenge, for fairness, for a chance to bargain...*

*A black vortex opened in one of the rooms... Hi's thone room, to be precise... and the satan walked in from the swirling anomaly to take his seat. He had just returned from another realm, on business that once again, he was entitled to... Retrieving his lost demons that had been captured by Niearcim. He had just slayed one of their weaker mages, and now all the demons that were under the individual's control were free... Until Hi materalized their hell chains in physical form, and tugged harshly, returning them to his domain.*

Hi: "Hmmm... The devil's in his Hell, and all is right with the world..."

*He sipped from a goblet that screeched... it was made of faces, the liquid inside their blood that pooled inward.*  

[Inazuma Sky]

The giant serpent hissed at the "horror" and batted it away from the group just as it got close. When it turned around it saw that the group that it had been conversing with had taken to using the canyon as an escape, at which point it made a frustrated noise and dived down after them.

Catching up with the bipeds was a non-effort and upon reaching Rosemary it extended the large fin on it's back and cought them up in the weird, net-like, webbing that sat between it's spines.

neh et. Ustust
No eat. Just Trust

After it caught the group it dove into a hole in the cliff-face and went down several tunnels until it came to a rest in a large chamber an unknown depth underground. The webbing suddenly became less sticky and the group slid to the ground.

sef here. Ign inder to big
Safe here. Flying invader to big

It then turned it's attention back to Jacob, as though to continue it's conversation with him.

hyr ou der tress?
Why were you in the invader fortess?

------------------------------

Ever since the near appocolypse of several months ago, the one-winged angel of reason had become a rather frequent sight in hell. On this particular day he was sitting in Hi's throne room to oversee some of the changes being made. Normally this isn't something that the angel would do, but the new satan needs to collect some of his rampant monsters and had actually asked him to do so.

Reason couldn't tell him no in this case because his request made sense. He hated to admit it, but he was proud of the new satan's newfound maturity. When the new Satan was chosen at first, he was certain that Lucifer had lost his mind and had chosen his replacement incorrectly, but now he could start to see why Hi was the best candidate.

That was something that the ranks in either extreme were unaware of; those that become incarnations were chosen by forces outside of the war. Even Reason wasn't sure of who or what these forces were, but he knew they existed because on rare occasions he sensed that something else was there.

When the new Satan returned he stretched and then flinched from a rather nasty bruise on his side (which was inflicted by Hi quite some time ago). He then presented reports that things were going well.  

[GamingLord]

Jacob: "We're trying to make our way towards the ceremony that's taking place... we need to kill a niearcim to remove a curse on our friend."

*He laid a hand on GL's shoulder to indcate the cursed individual. Distant screeching and groans echoed through the temples, but they seemed to be far away.... and not hunting for them, fortunately.*

Jacob: "Now... who are you? And what is this place? I've never been here before..."

GL: I thought you know all about this realm...

Jacob: No... I'm simply one of the only survivors that managed to escape, and knows the most about it.

*Thas meanwhile was busy looking around at their surroundings, noticing several large tunnels near the ceiling that could lead *anywhere*. Flying up to one and holding his hand near it's entrance, he could feel a slight breeze. Several other tunnels had the same air moving through them.*

Thas: "Rosemary... come up here, if you would. I think it would be best if you waited here to keep a watch for anyone that may come through these tunnels. Eztli and I will watch the ones below. Inazuma, could you provide us with some light? It's rather dark in here..."  

[Inazuma Sky]

Inazuma nodded and after taking a deep breath she summoned her wings since they were brighter than any spell she could have cast anyways. She didn't say anything out loud, but she did have questions.

Why'd we leave anyways? she asked in reference to what she overheard Jacob and GL talking about.

When Rosemary's question came around, she kicked Eztli in the butt and made him join her.

---------------------------------

I ame es Kessie nd ese nells er hm us meh ace
My name is Kessie and these tunnels are home to my race

What the serpent said wasn't anywhere near what she thought. Her gender became apparent as she thought of herself, and when she said "home" the history of her race unveiled itself.

Apparently the giant winged snakes were the original owners of the realm when suddenly a dark force amassed overtop of their major city and destroyed it. A sort of war broke out and lasted for a long while until one day the serpents surrendered.

Rather than wiping out the race entirely, the dark mages let them move underground as long as they provided certain realm-specific services, as they were needed. In exchange the Nearcim would feed them, since they had practically wiped out all of the snakes' natural resources.

The whole vision came through as though it were painted on slabs, or drawn in dirt, and seemed very much like a legend told while Kessie was young.  

[GamingLord]

Jacob: "How can you send your thoughts to us, at any rate? Are you telepathic?"

*He rummaged through the small sack with the little grub like creatures while he introduced the others in the party, wondering if any of the creatures went missing, or if he had dropped some inadvertantly. Finding all accounted for, he shrugged.*

Jacob: "Anyway Kessie, if that history of yours is true, you and your kind need to get the hell out of this realm... The Niearcim are like the devil. They don't really follow through with their deals or promises."

*Silently, the necromancer wondered if any of these serpent beings had mysteriously vanished from the rest of the population over time... The only real reason the niearcim would give them that false sense of security is if they were using them for their experiments with demons.*

- - - - -

*Meanwhile, Eztli glanced in one of the tunnels, using a bit of fire to lit the dark passage. His eyes widened a bit, and he quickly shook off the flames to help shroud the sight in darkness again, before moving to a different tunnel*

Eztli: "Nobody's going to be coming through that one... it's clogged with debris and corpses..."

- - - - -

*GL found a rock to sit down on, and just shuddered a bit. He hadn't had much time to reflect on what he experienced in the flesh structure, what with meeting Kessie and coming across another Horror. But now...*

GL: "God... so many children... babies. Sick.. they're all sick..."

*Thas noticed the reapers reaction, and immediately set about to trying to calm his mind with his powers.*

Thas: Inazuma, we left that.... building... because what we seek is almost on the other side of this canyon. We went in through there, instead of flying over it because of the risk of those Horrors finding us if we took flight.  

[GamingLord]

(A post as Hi)

*Hi listened to Reason's rambling for a short while, barely interested as he leaned back in his throne and sipped his drink. A thought that amused him came to Hi, and he didn't hesitate to fulfill the desire. Tracing a quick little rune in the air, a sudden slash appeared over Reason's mouth, slicing his lips a bit.. Not enough to be serious, but enough to cause him quite a bit of pain and to make him bleed. He chuckled inwardly at the injury inflicted. Really, he wanted the angel to be silent for a moment, but he found this way much more entertaining than simply telling him to "shut up."*

Hi: "Reason, if I may say something... I've been thinking about these little trips I've been taking, retrieving what was rightfully mine. Wouldn't it make sense to stop these thefts at their source?"

*The devil stood, walking around a bit with his gruesome goblet in hand. Surely, he wasn't suggesting...*

Hi: "I've been thinking, of taking a trip to Ni'Jitogrimiz. Now, I'm not talking of taking on Jiluzix himself right now, the fat slimy b*****d. No, no... For now, I think I'll be satisfied in taking a good chunk of what's mine."

"And again, this would make sense, wouldn't it? An eye, for an eye? He continously steals from me, so why shouldn't I do the same after retrieving a number of my own demons? A number of those niearcim mage souls belong to me, at any rate. Their original destiny was to be here, but that filth seems intent on stealing some of my damned souls from the soul stream. That doesn't seem quite fair, there shouldn't be ANOTHER afterlife. It's not quite how.... ugh.. He... intended it, is it?"

*It was damn simple to see what Hi really wanted. More power. Some things never changed. This time, his greed was somewhat hidden behind reasons that made some sense...*  

[GamingLord]

(And now, a solo post for myself... okay, let's hope this sudden creativity lasts for tonight as well, eh? ^^; )

Niearcim Slave: "Mistress Milaku? Master Coatli says that the ceremony will begin in a few hours..."

*Milaku had been resting her head on her desk when the slave had entered her room... Without knocking. Simply walked in, which was completely frowned upon by the other mages. She sighed quietly, before she lifted her head*

Milaku: "Tell Coatli that I shall be prepared. And servant?"

Slave: "Yes, mistress Milaku?"

*A sharp blade zipped across the room, and stabbed the ragged slave in his arm. The poison on it wasn't fatal, but it burned deeply, making him fall to the floor and cry out in pain.*

Milaku: "Remember your manners, and your place next time you come to my door. Leave now, and close the door behind you. Be grateful that I was in a fair mood."

Slave: "Forgive me, mistress Milaku! Forgive me!"

*The slave quickly crawled out of the room, gripping his bleeding limb. He then slowly closed the door, instead of slamming it shut in his pain. He didn't want to give the mage another reason to wound or even kill him.*

*Once she was certain the human child had left, she locked her door, and returned to her desk. Placing her face in her hands, she shuddered a bit.*

Milaku: "I'm no better than the rest of them. . ."  

[Inazuma Sky]

Kessie blinked and looked at the necromancer in confusion.

You can read my thoughts?

When Jacob nodded at the questions she seemed perplexed, but somewhat relieved. It was obvious that talking wasn't something that was particuarly pleasurable for her to do.

We may have some telepathic abilities, but they aren't anything major. We communicate through geastures to each other.

She spread her wings in a non-threatening manner, which the groupd soon learned to mean hello

We only learned moth-speak because of the Nearcim... who need us to keep the realm from falling appart underneath them. It's a good realm. Hidden from the others.

She seemed to have particular pride in that fact.

Without us they would be forced to move somewhere else less private.

A contortion of the face, similar to a frown crossed the area between her eyes.

They do however steal our riding beasts for reasons we don't understand. We're afraid of them stealing our children too, which is why we uphold the pact and live so far underground.

-----------------------------------------

Reason actually had not said very much to Hi before he found his lip bleeding. He also figured that Hi's asking him questions at this point in time was rhetorical and that it would be best if he didn't actually answer.

The Satan was right however. It would make the most sense to stop his theft problem at its root. When that topic came up he simply shrugged and nodded but when question of what God has intended he found himself stumped.

"To be completely honest, I have no idea what he's got planned."

This was the first time that Reason said anything about God's lack of involvement with things, but he didn't really care. The humans, the reapers, and the other free-willed beings of the universe seemed to have been enough to keep the evils at bay. The old Satan realized that in order to truly win the great battle that he would have to win over the free-wills, but after hitting failure after failure, he gave up and had his little coup in order to find a replacement.

Reason snickered at that silently. Poor Hi had walked right into Lucifer's trap, which was something that the old Satan excelled at.

This was why Reason really didn't care what Hi did. No matter how much power he gained he was still destined to loose; A fact that made his position as an incarnation the most frustrating of all.

-----------------------------------------

Inazuma blushed when she realized that she had been mistaken about the location of the ceremony. She realized then that she was even less informed than she initially thought, but was glad that she found out about this stuff in a relativly safe location.

It was when Thas said something about corpses that she lost the frail sense of security she had to the cavern. That was also when she noticed GL's depression over everything that he had seen.

She envied him for that a little bit. Even after going through hell and everything else, he was still able to feel a sense of remorse for complete strangers who have perished. Somehow she had grown to galze over the sheer amount of death that she had seen. It was like she was hardening her heart against it, and the sudden realization of that fact made her feel bad.

That wasn't the kind of person that she was.

She glanced at Sephiroth and sighed before asking him to cover her post for a moment while she went over to talk to GL.

She was carefull not to get in Thas' way and had put a gentle hand on the cursed reaper's shoulder before sitting down next to him.

"You really are quite a guy you know that?"

She smiled at him, wishing that she had some way of showing that she appreciated the fact that he felt things even when the rest of the group seemed unable to do so. It was nice to think that no matter what, there was still one of them that was very human, for lack of a better term.