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Post by Rhiath on Dec 7, 2008 0:22:09 GMT -6
Rhiath slowed to a halt as the group crested the hill, his eyes locking on the cave at the end of the Soulstream. Competing with, and at times, overpowering the constant, quiet screams of the Stream, was an ever present howling sound, coming up from the cave itself. He sighed slightly, but knew this journey was over.
It had taken them nearly 2 weeks of foot travel, along with an exhausting, nearly 80-mile run. Even for demons, that was pushing the limit. However, they'd made it. No matter how humble or disappointing the appearance, they'd come home.
Rhiath led the way to the entrance, slowing as he neared it. He held out a hand, expecting to be stopped, if not repelled. However, his hand passed simply through empty air. Smirking, he waved back to his group, signaling them to follow as he entered the cave.
Once inside, he saw that the Soulstream formed a small pool in the cave, from which a small trail of souls drifted off. He followed this trail, down several winding paths, until he found the older, more powerful devil. Once found, he signaled his followers to wait, as he approached the doorway the souls flowed through.
Raising a hand, he knocked, hoping to catch his new employer's attention.
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Post by Lotus on Dec 14, 2008 23:53:07 GMT -6
[glow=000000,2,300]With a slight hand gesture, the barrier fell. Lotus was standing in the middle of the entrance. He'd been waiting for Rhiath's return. After a few days had gone by, he began to question his new comrade's loyalty. He thought that, perhaps, the demon had run off. Fortunately, such was not the case. Rhiath had returned, and he brought friends.
"Welcome back," he greeted, "I see you've found some allies. Please, come in."[/glow]
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Post by Rhiath on Dec 18, 2008 22:41:56 GMT -6
Rhiath nodded, waving his party in along with himself. As the group arranged themselves around the room, Rhiath introduced them all to Lotus, along with their abilities. Once the introductions were complete, he spoke for himself.
"I'm sorry it took me so long to get back, boss. The portal closed after I arrived, and I didn't know how to open it again. Definite plus, though. If the portal had stayed open, I wouldn't have met this group. We've walked together across half a continent, and then some, and I trust them as much as you can trust our kind."
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Post by Lotus on Dec 19, 2008 0:42:31 GMT -6
[glow=000000,2,300]Lotus circled around the group, giving them a close inspection. There was the teleporter. He'd be a good infiltration agent. The job could also go to the pheromone manipulator. The abilities complimented each other nicely. Then the aerokinetic fellow. Lotus wasn't sure how or what, but he'd find a use for the guy. There was even a juggernaut among the group. He didn't have any offensive power, but give him a big weapon, and send him into the fray...
The most interesting specimens, however, were the legions. Lotus had heard of them before, and even seen them on the battlefield. And now he got the chance to use them himself. He was almost giddy at the thought.
"Very nice," he spoke at last, "Well then, shall we introduce you to the rest of the army?" He stepped on the rune in the middle of the room, uttering the word 'hall' before vanishing. On the other side, he stood in the center of a large auditorium, surrounded by roughly two hundred lesser demons.[/glow]
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Post by Rhiath on Dec 19, 2008 1:31:30 GMT -6
Rhiath watched as Lotus disappeared, leaving the runes glowing on the floor. He stepped onto the circle, speaking the word 'hall' before any of the others had a chance to follow. They'd figure it out. Consider it a test.
On the other end, Rhiath stepped out of the circle, standing just behind Lotus in the auditorium. His position, to Lotus' right and slightly behind, indicated two things to the demons assembled. 1, he ranked above them, and his commands were only superseded by Lotus' own, and 2, Lotus either trusted him, or didn't fear him, at least enough to give him a possible opening for attack by allowing him to stand behind him, and so close. Tradition stated that Rhiath would be punished if he took that place against the wishes of their master. He hoped he hadn't acted out of turn.
Rhiath looked over the so-called army, disappointed by both quantity and apparent quality. Baalaose had managed to assemble more, and more powerful, demons within a few hours. Those before him? They were little more than beasts, every one of them. They could be trained, yes, but it would take some effort on their part. He looked closer, and noticed one thing that could definitely be used to their advantage.
However flawed these demons were, they were loyal. Loyal to the end.
Coming out of the teleport circle, Kaily stepped ahead of the rest of the group, walking forward to look over the army. A sour look crossed her face.
"This is it? This is an army? What the hell are we gonna do with that?"
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Post by Lotus on Jan 16, 2009 2:39:57 GMT -6
[glow=000000,2,300]As soon as the female's words left her mouth, Lotus gave her a cold stare. He wasn't much for killing his allies, but he was more for that, than he was for being undermined. Stepping up behind her, the ape wrapped a massive hand around the woman's head.
"Let this be a lesson to you all!" he shouted to the army before him, "I will not tolerate defiance!"
By now, she was whimpering, having regretted speaking her mind. But it was too late. Simply by clenching a massive fist, he crushed her skull. The sound was horrible, even worse than the sight. As her headless body crumpled to the floor, he turned to Rhiath.
"Start the training regiments, General. Make sure to kill anyone who gets out of line." Lotus started walking to a doorway near the back of the room. "I'm going to go wash my hands."[/glow]
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Post by Rhiath on Jan 16, 2009 4:05:07 GMT -6
Rhiath grimaced at Lotus' display, but was quick to change his expression as the devil turned around. He nodded, replying to Lotus' comment only with "Yes, sir", before turning to face the assembled demons. Raising a hand, he signalled the remaining 3 humanform demons to assemble behind him, where he gave them their orders.
Rhiath set Theryn, Garrit, and Alyck to work, splitting up the army before him into several smaller groups, and inflicting on them techniques he remembered from military life. In a word, they all sucked. But they worked. And that was all that mattered.
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Post by Lotus on Jan 16, 2009 23:55:33 GMT -6
[glow=000000,2,300]Lotus walked through the doorway, out of the hall, and into a corridor. The woman's blood was dripping from his fingertips. Killing her wasn't something he would have wanted to do before. Yet, he found little resistance in himself when his fingers wrapped around her scalp and contracted. Ever since he'd taken Arius' blade for his own, his actions had been growing more violent, more malicious. And he wasn't so sure he didn't like it.
Exiting the corridor, he came to a small spring, surrounded by rock in all sides. Above the spring was a small, but steady stream, pouring in. He knew that there was more than likely a crack in one of the walls near the bottom, otherwise it would have overflowed long ago. Sitting down on one of the larger rocks, he placed his hands on the water, watching a red cloud form on his side of the spring as he scrubbed the blood off. The ape unsheathed Gaia's Torment, placing it on the ground next to him. The blade was screaming at him, demanding to know why Lotus hadn't used it to kill the woman. He didn't feel like talking to a sword. For the moment, he simply watched the tiny waterfall, trying to formulate some sort of plan of attack.[/glow]
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Post by Rhiath on Jan 18, 2009 0:39:03 GMT -6
Rhiath sighed as he overlooked the would-be army before him. The training was moving along alright, at least as fast as it could have. There was the occasional dispute among the lesser demons was slowing things down. Lotus had told him not to hesitate to punish disobedience, but...well, with numbers like this, they couldn't rightly afford to go offing every whining individual. Raising a hand, he summoned the Legions to his side.
"Fang, go stand guard with Garrit. If any of the demons under him start to get out of hand, make 'em hurt a bit. Don't kill them...just make sure they scream. Loudly. Widower, do the same with Theryn, and Sting, with Alyck. They're in charge until I get back."
As the Legions moved to do as they had been commanded, Rhiath turned, walking to the back of the room, through the doorway Lotus had used. Picking a direction, Rhiath walked to a nearby doorway, through which he saw the older, more powerful devil. As he started to step through, however, he stopped, remembering what had happened to Kaily. Rhiath was no coward...he just preferred having a head attached to his body.
That thought in mind, Rhiath walked back down the corridor a ways, and then returned, making sure to be loud enough to be noticed before stopping at the entranceway into the room where Lotus sat.
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Post by Lotus on Jan 18, 2009 1:46:28 GMT -6
[glow=000000,2,300]Lotus, hearing footsteps behind him, looked over his shoulder. Rhiath had found him. "Well, don't just stand there," he said, waving his now clean hand, "Take a seat."
He looked back to the steady stream and began talking again, regardless of whether the demon took his offer or not. "This is the only spring in Second Hell. I often come here to collect my thoughts, or to escape my problems. It was here, that I hid during Arius' invasion. It was here, that I stayed for too long." He paused for a minute, sighing. Glancing at his screaming blade, the ape devil had decided that this would be a good time to share his plan.
"Rhiath, you know that I have appointed you as the general of my army, but you probably don't know what for. You see. Hell, not this one, but the official territory, is severely weakened. I've decided to strike out, and take command of it myself. With my throne moved, I will find a way to consolidate that Hell, and Second hell. You might not have realized, but demons are escaping from Hell at a rapid pace, feeding on innocent souls. I may be a devil, but I am no barbarian. I am not without mercy and compassion. Therefore, if I take control, I will find a way to quell the exodus, and stop the mortal onslaught." He paused briefly. "Unfortunately, I'm not a strategist. I need a solid plan of attack before we march."[/glow]
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Post by Rhiath on Jan 18, 2009 2:14:04 GMT -6
Rhiath stepped into the room at Lotus' invitation, seating himself on a rock similar to Lotus' own. He listened as Lotus explained the room's origins, and his face maintained an emotionless mask until Lotus began to speak of his plan. Then, in spite of his efforts, he became visibly dumbfounded at the audacity of the devil's goal.
Take Hell for himself? This is gonna be a tougher job than I'd thought...doesnt sound like something I can talk him out of though...and even if I could, it's probably a little dangerous to try...
"Well...I'll be honest, boss. I was never the one making strategic decisions. I was the guy supposed to be obeying those decisions. Most of the time, I said 'screw it', because the guys up top didn't have the slightest clue how to wage a real war."
Closing his eyes, Rhiath cleared his mind. In his mind's eye, he took stock of what they had, and what the apparent enemy didn't. Out of that list, one thing stood out more than any other. Granted, it was one of the only things they had going for them, but it was a significant one.
"The way I see it, boss, you've got one advantage that Hell doesn't have right now, and that's the fact that your forces, while a bit...lacking, in strength, they more than make up for it with their loyalty to you. However you came by these demons, boss, I get the feeling they'd throw themselves at Heaven itself if you told 'em to."
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Post by Lotus on Jan 19, 2009 3:15:31 GMT -6
[glow=000000,2,300]Lotus stared for a long while, in silence. Not really at the stream, per say, but in that direction. Hi gaze traveled through the walls of Second Hell, focused on something along an imaginary horizon. One might have thought he was coming up with a plan, some sort of strategy. He might have been, but he didn't know what what it was.
Snapping back to reality, the ape grabbed hold of his sword, standing. "Well, I do know that we're going to take their researchers, scientists, and anyone who isn't a soldier without killing them, he said, trying to sound profound as he returned Gaia's Torment to its sheath, "I guess we'll just have to wing the rest of it." He began toward the hall. "Well, lets go see how the troops are doing."[/glow]
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Post by Rhiath on Jan 21, 2009 0:02:04 GMT -6
Rhiath nodded as Lotus grabbed his sword, and followed him into the hall. He spoke as they walked.
"Well, if half of what Theryn was telling me is true, the only real problem we'll have is gonna be finding a way in. Once we get there, Alyck knows those tunnels like the back of his hand: we move through, taking out footsoldiers and gaining deserters as we go. That's one bright side to the mess in Hell right now: the numbers we've got oughta scare most demons into running or joining, and we can kill the runners."
As they turned into the cavern, Rhiath gave a loud whistle, signalling his group to organize Lotus's 'army' into squads, no longer a shapeless mass, but a loosely organized unit. For the few hours that they'd been 'training', Rhiath was slightly impressed.
"They're loyal, boss. And, if this is any indication, they learn fast."
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Post by Lotus on Jan 22, 2009 1:03:51 GMT -6
[glow=000000,2,300]He was impressed. They did seem to be learning rather quickly. This was good, as he wished to strike sooner, than later. Lotus took a moment to mull over Rhiath's prior words. Stepping forward, he addressed his army with a booming voice.
"Men, you have a week. At this exact time, in one week, we march. Our target is Hell itself. It will not be an easy battle, so make sure that you are damn well ready to die."
That said, he turned to Rhiath, speaking in a hushed tone. "If we're going to invade Hell, we're going to need a way in. I'm going to use this week to search for just that. If you have enough faith in your companions, I would like you to come with me. After all, two people can find something faster than just one." Lotus didn't wait for an answer, rather, he walked to the Rune in the hall's center. Muttering the word 'gate,' he vanished, teleported back to Second Hell's entrance, in the Etrahn plane.[/glow]
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Post by Rhiath on Jan 23, 2009 4:51:50 GMT -6
Rhiath stood by as Lotus looked over the troops, and issued his timetable. If they'd gotten this far in a few hours, he would be interested to see how they'd progress in a week's time. When Lotus turned to him, Rhiath began to feel a little nervous...until he heard the devil's proposal.
As the invitation sunk in, a small smile appeared on his face. However, this was only the smallest indication of his excitement. Inside, he was practically giddy. He'd always preferred field work, and it hadn't occured to him until after he'd accepted his position as General that the title might imply something a bit less...travel-oriented. Now, it seemed, that small fear was unnecessary, and he was relieved.
Raising a hand, Rhiath called Theryn over to him, speaking quietly to the other elemental. Without giving a reason, he outlined a daily regimen for the troops, effectively leaving Theryn in charge. Then, sending the aerokinetic back to work, he stepped onto the rune as Lotus had, following the devil to the entrance of Second Hell.
"Whenever you're ready, boss."
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