[PRP] Just Demon Things [Malum/Raska/Others]

[Ruriska]

When the God of Demons had reawoken, the world had held its breath. His children had returned, waiting to see what it meant, why he had chosen now, and demons had whispered to each other curiously in the shadows, many seeking out a victim to sacrifice in his name, hoping he would notice them.

However, since waking up, Malum had done... well, very little. He had spent most of his time with Aisenma, curled up on his bed of furs, getting ‘reacquainted’. Sating his baser needs was clearly his top priority and after that came very brief moments of being vaguely interested in what his children were doing.

This was one of those times, with the unreadable and downright menacing god shifting out of the shadows of Raska’s favourite torture chamber and casually stepping through the puddles of new and old blood to loom over his son’s shoulder. He inspected his son’s work, followed the red lines, listened to the whimpering and then grunted a sound that could have meant approval.  

[Kinu]

The Dark Angelic certainly had his hands full. Literally. He'd just removed a good chunk of pelt from the immobilized creature and was busy weighing it in his claws before slapping it wetly over a large beam for one of his father's followers to take and use as an offering. He moved his paws back to the unlucky soul, sliding them along the thigh of the creature, searching for the Iliotibial band to tear it out.

Raska's offering, if you could call it that, was what came naturally. Suffering. Torture. Agony. Though if he did it to make his father happy was another question, it honestly sated him like nothing else was able to. There wasn't any reason for him to draw lines and say why he did it. Malum usually left him alone to do what he did which was pretty much all he wanted. And he in turn did what his father asked when he asked.

His expression was matter-of-fact, as if it were just another job, like building a den or gardening. His face hardly a place that harbored any hint of what the male was actually thinking or feeling. Aside from savagery, agitation, and just general annoyance. Usually, it was unnervingly devoid of expression, set forever in that look that a predator gives as it's targeting prey.

The shift in shadows didn't register. There were so many ghosts down here he was used to the ******** lurking around. Wrong call. When the grunt broke the silence the Dark Angelics claws practically sliced the leg of the creature clean off as he seized hold of it suddenly. Claws melting into flesh effortlessly. He didn't move or speak, he just froze. Not entirely sure why his father was watching him work. He wasn't like some of his siblings. He didn't go out of his way to be noticed or to try and please his father. That didn't mean he was stupid or disrespectful either. He just... did the smart thing. Don't move.  

[Ruriska]

It was wise of him not to move. It was common knowledge not to make too many quick movements when around a predator lest they mistake you as prey. In Malum’s case, there was no point trying to avoid your fate anyway. Better to just hold still and pray he decided you were worth more to him in one piece.

The fresh blood that rushed out of where Raska’s claws had sliced through made a pretty sound as it dripped to the ground. Malum, very casually for a looming god who had just appeared from the darkness, dropped his chin onto Raska’s shoulder.

“Clumsy,” he rumbled into his son’s ear.  

[Kinu]

If Raska could have unzipped his skin and crawled out of it without being noticed he would have already done so. The closeness of the Deity was terrifying. Not many things scared him. He thought nothing did until now. He kept his gaze trained forward, unmoving, his chest barely rising and falling. If he could have stopped breathing he would have done that too. He could make it through this encounter. That was when he felt the weight of his father's chin upon his shoulder. His stomach dropped clear through the floor and he swallowed involuntarily. 'Clumsy'. Somehow even that word, which wouldn't normally sound so threatening, rang through his nervous system as though he'd just been issued a death threat. Adrenaline dumping into his bloodstream. It had activated his fight or flight.

His claws flexed finally, back and forth into the flesh of the leg, as if he were contemplating ripping it clean off. What the hell did his father want? He couldn't have just been down here to bond. There was no real concept of bonding in their family, except maybe whatever his parents did in private. That wasn't a thought he wanted. He dismissed it quickly. His father's face, so close to his own, felt less like a soft paternal moment and more like Raska had fallen into a den with a cobra. One wrong movement would be enough.

Suddenly the victim jumped, its eyes wide as it tried to sit up. Without thinking Raska slammed a heavy paw down on its neck, forcing it into the table where it snapped. The creature went limp. Blood ran out of the leg and covered the floor beneath the table. Raska finally sighed, resigned. Ah well, if it hadn't been this end the thing would have bled out anyway. He'd severed an important artery. Silence filled the chamber which amplified the unease he felt. Yeah, clumsy. Raska reached down onto the table and drew a question mark in the blood using the pad of one clawed digit. What could he do for his father?  

[Ruriska]

This close Malum could hear his son’s heartbeats and smell his unease, both sensations he found enjoyable. Raska was perhaps the most like himself out of all his children. The rest were clingy or foolish or far too smart for their own good. Raska, however, existed with one single-minded purpose - to bring pain to others. He sought no power or glory, asked nothing of his father or mother or siblings. He was simple there, always, adding another layer of blood to the temple floors.

Unfortunately for him, because he was always there, he was currently the most available to Malum’s whims. Not counting Satsu, who was always scampering about the temple in his shadow. For this particular task, he would not choose a daughter. It rankled enough that some of his daughter’s had moved on and found worthless gods for mates.

The sudden burst of violence as the victim awakened hardly stirred Malum at all, though his pupils dilated dangerously and he watched as Raska permanently set them free from pain. Jealousy stirred in his chest. It was a shame the god of death was so strict on who messed with his domain. Malum missed that moment when life was severed from the source. Even if it had made him rather more creative in his torture methods.

He moved finally, slunk around his son to eye the body closer, now just a lump of torn flesh. Useless.

He casually pushed it off the table and to the floor. It landed with a wet thud.

“Your mother wants more grandchildren,” he said. “And I need more demons.”  

[Kinu]

Raska would have felt an ease in tension as Malum moved away from him but the Deity was still in the room and distance made little difference when it came down to it. He listened, a momentary satisfaction pulsing through his veins at the sound of the wet thud when the body hit the floor. The feeling was replaced instantly by that endless, empty, hunger for more violence. It never lasted long. The satisfaction. He needed another body.

The male had become almost a master at moving around relatively unnoticed. He had no interest in chasing adventure outside of the temple. Honestly, he had very few true desires and the greatest of those was sated well within these walls. Deep in the underbelly of the temple. There were, of course, consequences for living under the roof of a god and being so available. Satsu seemed content to flit around above, he'd hoped Malums attention would have been fixated on her, she would have been elated to be tasked with anything their father wanted. But it seemed that wasn't the case. He'd been remembered. Unfortunate.

The request kind of froze him in place. He wanted what? There wasn't any hiding Raska's blatant confusion. A rare expression for the usually non-expressive Dark Angelic. He sometimes wondered how his father's mind operated, what motivated him to do anything he did, and then the moment the question slid into his brain like a wayward serpent he dismissed it. His reasons honestly didn't matter, it was surviving his will that was the most important part of living at the temple. He reached out to slam his fist into the table, drawing an even bigger question mark in the still warm blood that was quickly cooling. How the hell was he supposed to... do that?  

[Ruriska]

As his son slammed down another sign of his confusion, Malum cocked his head to one side, regarding Raska as the fox would the chicken, predatory and oddly thoughtful. Logic had slithered into his mind, where none usually dwelled, and was suggesting that, of all his children, Raska was the one most ill-equipped for this particular task.

Manes was already mated to a demon, Eminor had no trouble finding his way into someone’s bedchamber and at the very least the rest would have known the basics. But Raska had barely left the torture rooms of the temple since he’d been born. He’d been drawn to the agony down there and hadn’t had any reason to leave for anything other than fresh victims. This Malum understood.

But he was not a merciful god, not in the slightest. Whatever affection he had for his children, it did not extend to patting his son on the back and saying ‘nevermind’. He’d told him what he wanted and Raska would deliver or face the consequences.

Very deliberately he reached out to play his clawed hand flat against the table, slowly smearing away the question mark.

“You’ll figure it out,” he rumbled, lifting his hand and licking blood off his palm. In that moment the temple seemed to tremble slightly, shadows darkening, the suddenly tiny room bursting with his presence as he stared down at Raska.

And then - within the blink of an eye - he was gone.

Not entirely, he was always there in the temple in one or the other but physically he had moved on, no longer concerned with Raska’s confusion.  

[Kinu]

Raska could feel the gaze upon him and the fur along his spine stood on end involuntarily. He knew he was pushing it with the second question but he was honestly confused. This wasn't his business. This wasn't what he did. He would have spiraled off into a black abyss of 'is this not enough' but it was a pointless path and he knew the answer. Nothing was enough. If you did anything to please the god of demons with the hopes of it being enough you would be eternally disappointed. You sometimes were pointed at a new goal, and you sometimes were allowed to stay aiming at your own, but it would ultimately never really be your call.

Fortunately, his desires were simply something that happened to align with the values of their species and he was damn good at what he did. Honestly, he'd been unbothered for so long this eventuality was anything but surprising. He was more surprised he hadn't been dragged to do something like this ages ago. As Malum's presence faded, and he was once more alone, the large male sighed. Even if this request was a burden his father's lack of presence at least eased his fight or flight response enough that he could begin to try to process it. He wanted to throw the table against the wall but he swallowed the reaction, a low growl taking its place. Instead, he slammed his fists into the blood, splattering the smeared symbol. He'd figure it out. He just needed to think. Thankfully he had his solitude. Or, at least, he thought he did..

Ruriska

 

[Ruriska]

Eminor wasn’t the strongest of his siblings. If a battle came down to strength, he would certainly lose. But when it came to wits, he was sure he would run rings around his brothers and sisters. When it came to knowing what made your enemies tick, their weaknesses, their vices, information was a very important ally. And when your father was an insane demon god, keeping an eye on his movements was very, very important.

Which was how he immediately knew about Malum’s little visit to Raska. It was very rare for Malum to take an interest in the reclusive torturer, and especially odd for him to ask for something. It would have made much more sense to ask, well, anybody else. He was pretty sure Raska didn’t even know what his d**k was for other than pissing.

That made it all the more entertaining.

Eminor was keen to bask in just how uncomfortable his brother was with his appointed task. He was also feeling magnanimous. He’d help out a little, on the sly. Raska would owe him and it would be ridiculously fun to watch him fumble around.

So what he needed now was to find an amenable demon lady.

Thankfully, since Malum’s awakening, quite a few demons liked it pop by the temple, hoping to curry favour only to find out the demon god didn’t give a single s**t about any of them. It would be easy to snap one up with promises of power. So Eminor lurked the demon temple entrance, watching and waiting, for just the right one.

Seussi

bring her innn

 

[Seussi]

This was probably the absolute last place on earth that Andromeda wanted to be, but at her mother's insistence, here she was. The spawn of a demon father who she had never met and a Goddess who had taken away her sight to 'help her see'.

Whatever that even meant. Though she supposed it had helped her in some ways. Her other senses were heightened, and most of the time she was able to move in a way that suggested that perhaps she could see just fine and that the blindfold was just some odd adornment, and not one meant to hide from view the gaping burned out holes where eyes had once been.

In any case, she did not feel as though she belonged here. The demon world was one that she was meant to be a part of, and yet she'd never actually had any part in it. She was raised in her mother's temple and had remained there nearly her entire life. When she was finished here, however, she did not know what her plans were. Her mother had made it seem like it was time for her to venture out on her own, and be with her own kind.

At least she had not been sent empty-handed. A gift, of sorts, was sent with her, though Kallypsi had warned her of Malum, and had told her to do what she could but not to expect much. Just offer the gift, and get out. That was her plan. Whether he accepted it or not was none of her concern.

She approached the temple with what she hoped appeared to be confidence, but her nose wrinkled at the stench of death and darker things that hung heavy in the air. When she arrived at the entrance she paused, her head cocking slightly to one side. She had gotten pretty good at knowing when she was not alone.

"Hello?" Her voice rang out, as she turned her head vaguely in the direction that she thought someone might be skulking about.

Ruriskax

 

[Ruriska]

Eminor had been lounging above the entrance, on a jutting rock, head in his hand, legs up, bouncing behind him like a teen girl on a telephone call. It was just the right position to watch for approaching demons, especially of the female persuasion. He had considered briefly if a male would work as well but that would have just made things even more complicated.

The temple itself really didn’t look much like a temple at all. There was a large cave entrance, with some vaguely formed pillar shapes on each side, the path going in clearly well-used, covered in old blood streaks from the last unfortunate thing that had been invited inside. The smell emanating from within was atrocious. A few old bones were scattered about for extra pizzazz.

It looked like what a bear den would look like on the outside if the bear was also rampaging and murderous.

Not that it mattered much to the demon that arrived.

Eminor was watching as she approached the entrance and then stopped, instantly lifting her covered gaze up towards him. Was the blindfold was just for show or were her other senses were just that good, he wondered. Regardless, she was pretty cute, and the first girl to come along and he wasn’t planning on waiting any longer.

He stood up, brushed some dirt from his front and then stepped off the ledge.

He landed neatly before her and immediately outstretched his arms and said, in his most dramatic voice he could manage, “Welcome to the temple of demons! Who dares enter Malum’s domain?”

Seussi

."Kinu"

 

[Seussi]

She waited, head cocked slightly to the side, for just a split second, wondering if perhaps she had been wrong when she heard it. Movement; the sound of air disturbed by a moving body. She had to stop herself from stepping back when she heard something land directly in front of her and schooled her face to hide any surprise.

Her face turned up towards where she assumed the face of the figure was, her lips held in a firm line, and her arms crossed over her chest.

"What are you, the gatekeeper?" Her voice was full of sass, and her tail flicked behind her. Of course, it probably wouldn't do to stand there 'staring' the stranger down, so she shook her head and gave him the response he was probably looking for.

"Andromeda. My mother, Kallypsi, has sent me with a gift for Malum." She left out the part where her mother was a Goddess. The guy in front of her would figure that out for himself, or he wouldn't. Either way mattered very little to her.

ruriska

Kinu

 

[Ruriska]

Eminor clapped in his hands together in delight. “The gatekeeper! I like that! It has a fun ring to it.” He was watching her like a hawk, as she turned her face towards him, though she was slightly off, he was shorter than most people presumed. So perhaps she truly was blind. Unless it was all a very elaborate act.

“Kallypsi,” he repeated, tapping a finger against his chin. “Now that name rings a bell! Veeery familiar. A very godly sort of name.” And very appropriate, considering the blindfold. “Is she the real Kallypsi or just a copycat? Or is she your mother in a vague worshiper sort of way?” He was grinning from ear to ear. Too bad she couldn’t see it.

“It doesn’t really matter. We love gifts. Come in and I’ll show you the way.”

He sidled up alongside her, holding out an elbow and gently jabbing her with it. “Take my arm and I’ll lead you. It’s so easy to get lost, lots of things to stumble over, bones, bodies, lots of random slippery things. I’m sure you understand. Temple of Demons and all.”

Seussi

Kinu

 

[Seussi]

If only she could roll her eyes.

"Glad you approve." She said, her voice as dry as a desert, not honestly giving a s**t if he did enjoy the title or if he was being flippant. It was hard to tell by the tone of his voice alone.

She let out a sigh, which spoke volumes of her exasperation. She could hardly be described as patient, especially in a situation she did not want to be in. "Kallypsi the Goddess, yes." The rest she didn't feel like explaining because she barely even knew the whole story herself. Kally was, allegedly, her actual mother, but Andromeda knew next to nothing about her father except that he was a demon.

Besides, it didn't seem like he cared anyways. Good. That made things a lot easier. When he offered to guide her to Malum and even lent her his arm to hold onto, she couldn't help but feel a little suspicious. However, she supposed it wouldn't do to act ungrateful in this situation, no matter how tempting it was to tell him she could find her way, blood, bodies, bones, and slippery things be damned.

"Thanks," She said, after a slight pause, and placed her hand on his arm.

Ruriska

Kinu

 

[Ruriska]

As she placed her hand on his arm, Eminor brought his other hand across to rest on top, giving her a very condescending sort of pat. “Isn't this nice?” He said and then started them forward at a leisurely pace.

The temple wasn’t really much of a temple, or at least didn’t evoke the imagery one would expect. It was a lot of dark tunnels, dimly lit by torches, messy, various remains scattered here and there. The entryway did open up into a rather large cavern, supported with crudely carved pillars.

“You’ve entered the main chamber of the temple, unfortunately you can’t see the beautiful carvings our servants and followers have made to each of the pillars.” He gave a sad tut. “Did you know Malum dug this whole thing out with his bare hands. I’m told it was very impressive but alas I was not yet conceived. Oops, watch out-” He led her to the right, around a puddle of blood, its origins unknown. “A little bit wet there. Don’t want you to slip.”

He turned her to the left, towards another tunnel.

“There’s some beautiful artwork here as we leave the main hall. Someone has created a pile of bones and very lovingly shoved an arm bone through an eye socket. I’m sure it has some sort of deeper meaning. An eye for an eye or a leg for an eye? I don’t know. I’m not sophisticated enough, clearly.”

But he was clearly enjoying himself regardless.

“As we enter the next hallway, you’ll notice how the smell of death and decay gets even stronger. You’ll also be able to hear screams echoing here and there. Just a little extra atmosphere. Isn’t it pleasant?” On cue a scream echoed up from deeper within and was immediately cut off. “Did you know that god’s aren’t allowed to kill mortals? Well, except for the actual god of death. In response, Malum has become very creative. If you’re lucky, he’ll give you a demonstration. Maybe a hands on one.”

He laughed, following the snaking path, ever downwards, ignoring turn offs here and there. This was the torture level, where many creatures came to die. Whimpers and crying was ever constant and the rotten scent of blood and death was intense.

“We’re getting closer. Can you sense how deep under the earth we are? The countless weight of earth and rock waiting above, wanting to crush us.” He squeezed her fingers. “It wouldn’t kill me, of course. I’m better than that. But it seems like your godly blood is a little lacking. You’re very mortal. That’s such a shame for you.”

His unseen smile was extra sharp.

“OH LOOK! Here we are!” He exclaimed before she could have much time to reply. He pulled away, sidled up behind her and went to grip her shoulders. “Are you ready to meet him? Malum, the god of demons?”

Seussi

Sorry for moving ahead with so much text and not much chance for you to respond hahah. I wanted to speedrun them going there, so Kinu didn't have to wait for too long for us to get to the good part.

Kinu