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 Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 10:18 pm
 Belial stood in the middle of a small clearing of the Blackwood Barrows, staring almost forlornly at the seemingly random assorted items scattered about. The typical items associated with the demons were there, beads, feathers, branches, and of course, blood, but other odd items were strung about, bones and other morbid things as well. Symbols had been cut and scrawled onto the ground around them, in a language most demons probably wouldn't even understand anymore. Cold wind ruffled his hair as the ever-bleak landscape here sought to make him uneasy, and shudder like most did. But not Belial. The Barrows were practically his home, the spirits his kin. He talked to some, some tried to talk back. But it was hit or miss, really, and it was frustrating. He had been trying to bridge the gap between the dead and the living for years, even before the war. He mentally scoffed. The three-years war, as the humans had called it, though it had been so much longer for the demons and the Inbetween. After several long moments of silence he finally spoke, though softly. "I'm missing something...that last summoning was clearly a failure. It's been so long now since I completed it...something should have happened by now." Slightly behind him, and to his side, another voice spoke, a creepy voice, slightly rattly, low (though not near as deep as Belial's by any means), and very menacing. Considering who it was coming from however, it made a lot of sense. "Time means nothing here, Belial. You know this. The difference in time between the Earthrealm and the Inbetween may be significant, but it is insignificant to the souls here. Perhaps you must simply bide your time." It was hard to pin down, but Slim's tone sounded a mix of encouragement and coersion as his two good eyes looked over the other demon, assessingly. Belial shook his head. "No," he said simply before sitting down upon the damp grass and regarding the scene in front of him. "It should have happened by now. I need to figure out what I have done wrong."Slim shrugged and stretched a bit. "Well, perhaps commune with your spirits a bit more. I will be nearby if you need anymore of my sage advice," he says with a slight smirk and chuckle as he saunters off. He notes that while Belial completely ignores his comment, he does indeed settle himself after a few moments, close his eyes, and attempt some sort of communication, or perhaps another ritual. Slim wasn't good at telling the difference sometimes.
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Posted: Tue Feb 07, 2017 11:24 pm
Meanwhile...
Sin had been getting a bit concerned. He had always known Belial to be a bit aloof, off on his own, and doing weird things, mumbling about spirits and hanging around graveyards even before the war. But the pirate didn't pay much attention to him or the rest of the horde, honestly, except to keep an eye out on the more feisty ones that were a bit claw happy (I'm looking at you, Tatsu). What did he know about demons, except how to summon them, and mostly keep them in line? Not much. Sure, he was half-demon himself, but that was a whole other bottle of rum there. Winiko were a different breed entirely. But lately, whenever Belial was around at the Sanctuary Sin and most of the demons called home, which was admittedly rarely, he was getting a more uneasy feeling about him, and the others in the Horde seemed to notice it a bit too, going out of their way to avoid him as well. Maybe it was a demeanor change, maybe it was the fact he was ignoring everyone else more than usual, maybe he just had a different aura after the war, but the pirate was growing increasingly curious as to what was going on.
After Belial's last visit "home" he had taken a somewhat large pack with him upon leaving again, which was rather unusual, and the pirate decided to attempt to follow him. He wasn't entirely sure if it would be possible, since the demons tended to just shift in between realms to travel anyway, but he figured he'd try.
He walked after him for quite a while, and if Belial had any idea the pirate was there, he gave no indication. Perhaps he was absorbed in his own thoughts, or perhaps he just didn't care. Eventually Sin was startled when the landscape in front of Belial just sort of shimmered, and the demon just walked through. It took him a moment to recover, though he realized he shouldn't be so surprised, as he'd heard that even though the ley lines were being repaired, there was still damage that remained. Belial must have found one of those spots nearby their home to use to travel. The pirate was staring for so long he almost didn't realize it was starting to close behind the demon. Not knowing if it would open again for him, he hurried forward and recklessly attempted to dart through after him.
---
When he appeared on the other side, the pirate was assaulted by several sensations at once. He shivered, suddenly aware of the temperature difference from his tropical home they just left, plus the misty damp feeling wasn't helping, and it was a moment before he could gather his bearings. It was overcast, and dark, and though there were trees, and meadows, it was hardly welcoming. A feeling of sadness and loneliness came over him as he stared at the dreary landscape around him. And then he noticed the graves. Well, that was too strict of a term. Crosses, cairns and other symbols that signified the dead were laid to rest or at least remembered were .
"Well, this seems like Belial's kind of scene," the pirate mutters, now realizing the demon was nowhere to be seen. "I better not get stuck here," he grumbles, not even sure if he was in the Inbetween or elsewhere as he decides to go look over a few of the burial sites first. While drab and dark, this place was obviously one of respect and remembrance, and feeling like he really didn't belong here, Sin figured he would be remiss if he didn't at least acknowledge the sacrifices so many had made. There were a few of his own horde that were still MIA and he found himself looking for their names as he looked over effigies. Eventually though, he figured he had better look for Belial, even if it was to apologize for following him and beg for him to send him home. This had been a bad idea.
It took a while, but eventually he heard the demon's deep voice. He couldn't tell if he was talking to someone, or what, but he eventually came to the edge of a clearing, and saw Belial sitting there alone, murmuring to himself with a lot of items he couldn't identify in front of him. What was he doing? Some sort of summoning? Just..talking to himself? Sin didn't move from his spot, but when he heard the demon pause momentarily, he opened his mouth to say something as he took a step forward. And that's when he felt a sharp pain on the side of his head, and the world went dark.
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Posted: Wed Feb 08, 2017 1:04 am
A while later, Sin woke up with a groan. He was laying in cold damp grass, and as he opened his eyes slowly he realized he was not near the clearing anymore, but back near the graves he first saw upon arriving. "Ow," he mumbled, as he started to sit up, rubbing his head. "What the hell happened?"
"You were being a foolish meatbag, of course," a familiar voice says, and Sin turns to see the grinning visage of Slim. Although where his mouth was grinning, his eyes were not. "You are in a place you should not be. And you were about to interrupt something you should not interrupt."
Sin scowled. "And knocking me upside the head was your solution? Probably made as much noise as me saying something."
Slim's good eyes narrowed. "Words are powerful, fleshie. Especially here. Your words could have undone his. A mere rustling of the underbrush is nothing out of the ordinary here." The big elder loomed over the pirate and poked a claw at his chest. "You need to leave. Go back to your paradise home, human."
The pirate frowned and pushed his claw away. "Even if I knew how, I wouldn't," he semi-lied. "What's going on here? What are you two up to? Somehow I doubt you're here paying your respects."
Slim growled, and it looked like he was resisting the urge to lash out, his clawed paw clenching a bit. "Nothing that concerns a meatbag like you. And what would you know of respect?" the big demon scoffs.
Sin moved to get to his feet. "Hey, we all went through a lot with that war. We all lost someone."
Slim knocked him back down with such sudden ferocity it winded the pirate. "You know nothing of loss, human," he seethed. "What was it...three years for you? Do you realize how long it was for those of us in the Inbetween?" He glowered as the pirate gasped for air, and continued, with what felt like long-pent up anger. "I may not give a s**t for the living like you fleshies do, but that war tore our home apart. You humans' reckless summoning of our kind was bad enough but then...then you had to bring the Wraiks into this mess. And yes you almost died for it, but the Inbetween was -shattered- because of your foolishness." By this point the elder was standing over the prone pirate, looking very murderous indeed.
Sin managed to get enough of his breath back to retort, "The Wraiks did that, not us. Besides, your kind didn't have a hissy fit over being summoned, there was no way to know they would be any different." He didn't feel that mentioning the Meiko had mostly repaired the damage was going to help his case, however.
Slim looked like he was going to lash out again, but managed to restrain himself. He put his paw back down on the ground and took a deep breath. "Then next time your kind thinks to play with demons, they should learn a little more about them," he says, before giving him another baleful look. "And do not think my kind is any less likely to remove your vitals from your body. We are all demons after all."
Sin rolled his eyes. "I've been on the receiving end of enough claws and teeth to know that, especially from Tatsu," he mutters. "And your kind isn't generally fanatic enough to take the risk of dying or going crazy just to kill their bond."
Slim scoffed. "That fool acts before he thinks, much like you humans," he retorts, before looming over Sin again after his last comment. "Dangerous words, fleshie. If you think I fear carving out your innards, you are wrong. It merely does not benefit my interests.....yet." he adds menacingly before backing away. Behind Sin the landscape shimmers again like it did when he followed Belial here in the first place, and the elder motions dismissively. "Go home," he tells him again. "Before I have to add a new cairn to this place."
Sin looked like he wanted to argue, even as Slim was turning his back on him to walk away, but changed his mind as he got to his feet with a sigh and turned to head through the way back. He realized belatedly that that was the most Slim had ever said to him the entire time they had been bonded. And as the opening starts to close behind him, he could have sworn he heard the elder say something else, but he shook his head and dismissed it, heading home to think things over.
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Posted: Thu Feb 09, 2017 12:19 am
Slim turned his back to the human after his last threat and started to walk away. He didn't have to physically look to know the human was leaving. His third eye saw him clearly. He saw the pirate pause, but finally turn to head through the way he had opened for him. "Maybe I'll prepare a spot for him anyway," the demon murmured grumpily. He felt mildly better after venting to the stupid human, but regretted having to hold back his anger as much as he did. He idly wondered if the humans would ever survive such a destruction of their realm as the demons had endured. The weaklings would likely take their own lives than deal with such apocalyptic happenings. Wouldn't -that- be a fun thing to watch.
You were too hard on him, a quiet voice then filters into his head, and he rolls his good eyes at hearing Belial. Of course he was watching. He was a pretty perceptive demon, for a meatbag. I wasn't hard enough, he retorts. Anyway aren't you supposed to be communing or something? Our argument didn't interrupt you did it? Slim asks as he enters the clearing where Belial was now standing, but still staring at the items in front of him.
"No," Belial finally spoke aloud as Slim approached him, though he still didn't turn to him. "Neither did you cuffing him over the head earlier. I knew he was there, Slim. There was no need for the violence towards our bond."
Slim bristled a little bit at that and snorted. "He does not belong here. He could have interrupted something important." He knew Belial didn't hold the same loathing towards Sin, even if he too, was upset about the state of the Inbetween.
"He saw the graves. He honored the dead while he was here. He has more respect for what happened than you might believe. Perhaps a scene like that would better teach more humans what we have lost," the deep voice intones as the yellow-eyed demon looked down at the ground, eyes closing for a moment.
Slim almost snorted again, but settled for a sigh. "You let him follow you, didn't you. Sometimes I wonder about you, fleshie," the elder commented, though the word usually used as an insult towards others sounded more joking in nature towards him. "You aren't still doubting yourself or your goals, are you?" he asked with a bit of a headtilt, assessing him again. He hoped not. The last thing he needed was for Belial to start getting more soft spots than he already had.
"He has been curious for some time," Belial replied, opening his eyes and finally moving to look at Slim calmly. "I knew I was doing no major rituals today, and figured it would not hurt anything. His curiosity will be sated for a while at least. Long enough. I do believe seeing the effigies and feeling the effects of the Barrows will indeed enlighten him a bit more, while not truly letting on what I am doing." The demon began to clean up the scene in front of him, scuffing out symbols from the grass and repacking the items he had brought from home.
"Well if you think he becomes too much of a loose end you just let me know..." Slim drawled out in a more eager tone than was probably necessary. "If you want him 'enlightened', I could drag him to the Inbetween to give him more of a first-hand looksee at what 90 years of war looks like...though there's no guarantee he would survive a trip like that," he mused, before shrugging nonchalantly and inspecting a claw. "Though if things go well, a little thing like death won't matter one bit," he grins. "Or life for that matter," he adds in a darker tone as he watched the darkly-furred demon closely.
Belial seemed to pay no mind to his words or even the tone used as he finished up, and looked over his shoulder. "I am going to return to my studies," he simply says as another shimmering entrance appears next to him, though this one seemed a bit more unstable than the last. "Feel free to continue guarding the barrows for curious humans if you wish, otherwise I will let you know if I find anything of note," he simply says, before vanishing into the Inbetween to return to his true home, leaving Slim standing there, admittedly scowling a bit at being dismissed in such a way.
---
The rift opened up into what could be most accurately defined as an underground 'lair' more than anything, and immediately closed behind him. Belial had of course continued his studies and rituals during the war, not willing to give up on his work just because of all the mayhem happening. In fact, all of the death and magic flowing freely around the Inbetween had helped him tremendously, but he had needed a safe and protected place to do so. The baubles and books he had laying around at his other home with the Pirate were mundane compared to those here. If he or any other human, or well honestly, almost any demon saw this place, they would be very, very concerned, and creeped out. Bookshelves were laden with ancient scrolls and dark tomes he had found in his travels, and assorted odds and ends. Bottles of unknown liquids and powders dotted a large workbench in one corner, as well as jars with questionable content, though they looked rather.. organic... possibly bits and parts from the local wildlife . Another table seemed to be focused on plants, with several types either growing or having been ground up nearby. Each work surface had several scrolls or papers with all sorts of designs, languages and runes scribbled on them. A few seemed to maaaaybe have even been written on in blood.
The fact that the place was mostly lit by candles gave it an even more creepy vibe, though the item Belial stalked towards was helping a bit too. In one corner was a rather large lantern, large in the fact it was almost as big as the demon himself. At the moment it was glowing dimly. "Poe," he simply says, as he pauses in front of it, and soon his familiar appears next to him. The demon wordlessly nods at the lantern and Poe floats over, opening his own tiny lantern. Lights and motes appear, swirling around the air for a moment before visibly getting sucked into the larger lantern almost instantly. Poe flits back quickly, as the larger lantern glows brightly and animatedly for a few moments, before dimming back down again. Belial nods in satisfaction, and with a quick flick of his head dismisses his familiar again before he stalks back over to his main work space, a table in the center of the area littered with a combination of items from his collection. He peers over an open book with his place marked from earlier. "Now...where was I..."
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