Multiple Settings Infernal: Dirge of the Kingslayer [IC] [Closed]

[Infab]

Prelude

A hell of a thing, the afterlife.

Heaven, Hell, Purgatory. Different realms of existence that one gets tossed into once your life in the Mortal world eventually comes to an end. Some say you get to live out eternity in a paradise, or you get to burn in lakes of fire. Its all based on how you lived out your life while you're alive. Really only one of those is true, that being the paradise one. And its only a paradise for you. The ones making it nice in the first place get the shit end of the stick. Mistreated and worked nearly to death, the angels really don't know a lick of peace themselves. And its all because the Divine One checked out early and left a pack of self-absorbed assholes in charge.

As for those sent the other way, its not all bad as long as you're not stuck getting tortured or put to work. Life in Hell is almost like life on Earth, especially if you're a Demon. A few shades off, of course, but not all that bad. No pits of fire and brimstone, unless you work in one of the foundries or something. And the bosses, the Icons, couldn't give two shits as to what you do as long as they get to do what they want. Of course, you still have to do what the King of Hell says. He likes being in charge. Gotta feed that ego. Not what Lucifer had in mind when he founded the place, really.

And during your short time in Purgatory, stuck in a vast ancient city for a while, you're watched daily by a group of people whom fancy themselves the police force of the universe while you wait for a group of seven people to decide on where you're sent. At least in this universe, anyway. I guess they have the right to, given they're literally the 'angels of death'. As much as the Angels themselves hate that expression. A powerful tool, those 'scythes' of theirs. Slaying Mortal, Demon, and Angel alike with one stroke.

Well, I'm rambling a bit. Let's get back on track. This is a tale about the afterlife as a whole, and about the people in it. Angel, Demon, Mortal, and so on. Oh, and if that title isn't obvious enough, it's about someone called the 'Kingslayer', but we'll get to that. Gotta set the stage before we get into the meat of the story, right?


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Chapter One

The Light Bringer Plaza
Dis, Capital of Hell​

"As I've stated before, the Royal Knights have been dispatched to their appropriate locations throughout the city. They will remain in these locations until Foundation Week comes to a close. And as always, strict guidelines will be followed. They know what happens should they fail in their duties as Royal Knights."

"And what's that? A few days in your personal punishment chamber?"

The well-armored demon's cold blue eyes remained locked onto the formally dressed male demon chuckling across from them. Not another word came forth from the female wrath demon. None would be needed.

"Arkan, you should learn to take a joke." said another softer voice, coming from the third demon standing amongst them. Another male, with long flowing red hair and pale white skin. "Its not healthy to be so serious all the time."

The female wrath demon's attention turned to the red haired demon. "One of the us has to be serious. The rest of you seem too preoccupied with jokes and your own vanity." she soon stated, before motioning towards the first male demon. "Octavius, here, hasn't been doing very much to prove that he's the self-proclaimed 'best of us' to our King. And all you've been doing, Gremory, is planning parties. I'm the one that has been doing actual work."

Octavius chuckled again. "Do I need to prove I'm the best?" he asked, moving a hand to press flat against his chest. "Who does the King come to when he needs his Icons to do something in the first place? Me. I'm the one that delegated all the tasks to the rest of you."

Gremory spoke up afterwards. "You mean just the two of us. The other Icons are too busy with other things. Save for Raimondo, of course, as he's overseeing the food." spoke the Icon of Lust. "Which suits him. He is the Icon of Gluttony, after all."

"Yeah, all that fat bastard knows is food." Octavius muttered, turning his head slightly to look around them. They stood in the heart of the Light Bringer Plaza, placed squarely at the heart of the city of Dis in its commercial district. around them stood various tall buildings dotted with billboards and screens playing bits of recent news and advertisements. The buildings themselves were owned by different Pride and Greed demons, and were mostly all businesses save for a few banks here and there. All the money in Dis (and Hell itself) flowed in and out of this one spot. This was the heart of Hell's commerce, and had been for thousands of years now.

Various demons from all walks of life moved about around them on foot and in cars, with most going about their daily lives. Some, however, were continuously preparing for the upcoming celebrations. Foundation Day was right around the corner, dedicated to the founding of the city of Dis (as subsequently the Kingdom of Hell) by Lucifer and the original Icons. Every year, the founding was celebrated with a week of festivities culminating in the holiday itself and a large party in the middle of Light Bringer Plaza. Ending with a big speech by the King of Hell.

What always stood out during this time of the year, however, was the growing number of angels. Heaven tended to dispatch angels to Hell to celebrate alongside their demon cousins, in an effort to maintain some form of relations. It eased the tensions between the two realms, but not by much. That's why there were also a third group wandering the streets here as well.

Reapers.

The dwellers of the realm of Purgatory tended to show up whenever there was a large presence of angels and demons together, to make sure peace was maintained between the two groups. Not the best idea to get in a spat with Death standing nearby. Eager to solve the dispute with their 'scythes'.

Octavius eyed a pair of angels whom walked by, before gently shaking his head as he looked back to Arkan and Gremory. Mainly Arkan. "So, how did the vetting go? You've no idea how badly Caius pestered me to have his daughter involved in this."

"I believe she passed the vetting procedure. I'll have to check with Nephthys regarding that." replied the Icon of Wrath. "The vetting for our angelic visitors is going smoothly as well. The Reapers are assisting us in that regard."

"It's about time they did something useful instead of just standing around staring at us." responded Gremory, to the mention of Reapers. "It really kills the vibe a little, having them here."

---
​

"Right this way, madame." stated the suit-clad butler, the Pride demon quickly fixing his white cloth gloves before motioning for her to follow. Kassidy didn't hesitate, the demon following promptly after the butler as they began to make their way through the castle halls. In her hand, a large black suitcase featuring her shop's name and emblem. 'Kassidy's Tailoring Boutique', printed in bright silver script lettering.

This was a big day for her. Hell, it was a big week, and she could barely contain herself. Days prior, she had been given a request to design a formal outfit for the King of Hell himself to wear on Foundation Day during his speech. Which meant everyone in Dis (and across Hell, potentially) would see it. Free advertisement of her services, as her father Caius said. Her mother Selene was just as excited, and her brother Kelly too. Plus, this had been a goal she had set when she first started learning to tailor. Have the most powerful demon in Hell wear something she herself had made.

Inside, she was beaming. On the outside, she maintained a proper no-nonsense look, as she glanced to the Royal Knights that were standing guard throughout the castle. They looked equally as serious. They had to be. They protected the King, as well as his throne and home, from all threats. Lately, those threats were coming from local elements. Disenfranchised demons, seeking to free themselves from the monarchy and found something new in Hell.

As they continued through the castle's many halls and rooms, she found herself pondering over the castle itself. it was one of the few buildings in Hell that was completely 'alien' in a sense, seemingly having been constructed back during Lucifer's reign in Hell. It didn't touch the ground outside, and nothing lead up to the castle itself. You had to be portaled in by the Royal Guard or through other means to actually gain entrance, as there were no doors or windows. And oddly, the inside of the castle was far larger than the outside. Was the castle's internals a completely separate pocket dimension or something? Only Lucifer and the original Icons knew, and they were all gone. At least the inside was well decorated. Black marble floors, ivory columns and walls, paintings adorning the walls. Statues here and there of older kings and Icons.

Eventually, they would come to one final door. "Our lord is just inside. He should be ready for you. I'll announce your arrival." stated the tanned skinned demon, brushing a few locks of his blonde hair back behind his short spike horns before moving towards the doorknobs. Kassidy composed herself, taking a slow breath as the grip on her suitcase's handle grew tighter. Hope he likes what I made.

And if he did, she'd be celebrating later on. She had already invited Lucy and Val over from the Helldiver to take part in Foundation Week, so she'd probably take Mackenzie, Kelly, and Amriel (if she could track him down), and go party with them.

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This is just to kick things off. Feel free to post your characters doing whatever in the meantime. Either in Dis, or elsewhere coming to Dis!

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[Breadman]

At the Helldiver

"Jazz, you worry too much." The demon woman said as she walked down the steps from her office, a larger hulking demon following close behind. His heavy steps masking the clacking of her heels as they walked. "Its just a party." She waved off any concerns with a non-chalant motion of her hand. "Plus Val is coming with me and she's absolutely reliable. Better shot than you with a gun, even."

"Ok hold up. One, that was a fluke assessment." She rolled her eyes at that statement, wondering if he was 100% wrath demon. "And two, its not that I'm worried, I'm just bored."

"You get into one fight at a gala event and you start thinking every one of these has a chance to end with someone getting killed." Lucy rested one hand on her hip and squeezed the bridge of her nose with the other.

"With the people you mingle with, its absolutely possible." He crossed his arms to assert himself. "I give an ocular patdown to everyone at those parties and there's at least one person with the intention to bust a skull or two."

"You give those 'patdows' to the guards, Jazz." She looked up to his eyes. It seemed like he was getting the flaw in his logic. "Besides, you're not fit for the dress code right now. I told you to keep Kassidy's suit intact and you ripped it, while the spare is at the cleaners."

"I was trying to throw out a were-bear." He shrugged. "Not my fault he had too much and went berserk." The wrath demon inspected his knuckles as he recalled the tussle. He grinned with self satisfaction as he thought of the result. A big fight with a bunch of broken stools and him getting mauled. One for the books.

"Its your fault for wearing the suit while doing it." His grin went away. Lucy turned around and headed for the door leading to the outside of the bar. She stopped for a moment to grab the bartender's attention " Looking good, Val." Lucy gave her a thumbs up. "Hope you're ready to meet demon high society at their worst." She said with a smirk. Over the years, they've had one or two lord and barons stop by for a drink and soul searching at the bottom of a bottle, but Lucy hadn't taken her bartender to a big event like this yet. Jazz was a good pick for a plus one because he had the ability to ignore the cream of the crop of annoyance until he was given the word otherwise. She'd rather not inflict that on any other member of her staff. But Val was personally invited for this by Kass, so it wouldn't be right to tell her to watch the bar. Bonus, she had the chance to upstage those boring snobs. Always fun to watch someone's pride get busted down to size. "Oh, almost forgot." Lucy snapped her fingers and her tail and wings started to shift in color. Going from their natural red to black to fit her look better. "Lets have some fun." She said as she headed for the door.

 

[Nellancholy]

Nephthys let out a gentle exhalation of annoyance as she kept her phone held to her ear by her shoulder, her gaze darting over to the windowless wall opposite her desk. As much as she had been asked to, she had refused any requests to move to another office. A more spacious one, with windows, perhaps. She liked it better this way. Fewer distractions, and a stronger incentive to keep printed records to a minimum. Which reminded her to tighten the screws on the IT department back at HQ regarding multiple redundant backups for all their records, both on the cloud and on airgapped drives...

Picking up her planner with her free hand, she proceeded to write that down as she kept her ear on her conversation.

"Yes, I want regular patrols and sweeps on the entire financial district. But LESS uniformed knights around Light Bringer Plaza. Yes, you heard me right. LESS. Is my foot on your ear again or do I need to tell you a third time? The surveillance cameras will pick up the monitoring."

A beep came from the pocket watch on her desk. A finely-crafted, round pewter affair, with digital internals instead of mechanical, the better to reduce wear while the pulsing of a microscopic crystal of quartz kept time accurate to a margin of 1 second a day. There were some parts of human ingenuity worth praising after all. Some of the more influential, more eccentric demons apparently liked to literally set their own time that sufficiently loyal followers would plan their schedules around, but Nephthys liked to stick to the tried and true 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and she made sure her watch told her that just right. And right now, what it was telling her was that it was 1 PM, which meant she was already over time on this call, and she would be late for lunch. Lovely.

But it simply wouldn't do to blow up at the blithering incompetent utterly lacking in initiative on the other end of the line either. Not too much, anyway.

"No, I don't want you to increase the frequency of patrols in the rest of the district. Keep them as they are. Any other day I'd agree with you." She measured roughly three-fifths of a second to let the toady on the other end register her approval. "This week, I do not. The foreign 'dignitaries' are ogling us all over and neither of us want to give the impression that we're feeling them up, do we? Now can you sort out personnel allocations for each patrol or do you need me to hold your leash for that? No, don't stutter. Good. I want your report in my inbox by nine tomorrow morning."

Without so much as a dismissal, she ended the call with a beep. Hooking her watch chain onto her blazer's button and dropping it into her pocket, Nephthys rose from her chair, her skeletal tail swaying with the tension of work. With nary a wasted second, she stepped out of her office, letting the door close behind her and beep to indicate the automated lock. Just as she had requested a few months ago, the corridor outside her office was carpeted loosely, the better for her heels to not announce her presence to her subordinates as she walked. She immediately turned her attention to her phone, drafting an email for the quarterly budget proposal for the knights under her jurisdiction. No more service weapons this quarter, more ammunition and more frequent inspection and maintenance for the existing ones. Cut back on heavy vehicles, increase the allocations for electronic surveillance...

She wondered whether the Reapers needed to jump through all these hoops for their equipment.

 

[ciel.]

As Calista stood at her desk in the plain and empty room where the gates to Heaven were located, she fumbled with some folders which she dropped with a loud thud in front of a lower-level angel that was put in her place to monitor the gates. The angel in her seat jumped at the sound, nervously looking at Calista out of the corner of their eye. She felt uneasy leaving the angel that was chosen to take over her spot while she was attending Foundation Week. Foundation week. The one week where certain angels had to attend. A tingle went up her spine, making her wings almost rattle. Having to be around reapers and demons, not to mention The Icons. She picked herself up though and stood tall. Her blonde, almost white hair fell back away from her face. She wasn’t in her usual heavenly armor, instead she had switched it out with a comfortable cream suit that fit her like a glove. A pair of strappy white sandals on her feet that wrapped up half-way on her shin.

''Try to not mess things up while I'm gone, would you?'' She mumbled and sent them another look that really insisted on not fucking things up. They responded with a stiff nod. ''Call me if anything goes completely south,'' she turned on her heel before she could change her mind about attending this gatherning in the capital of Hell.

With her small suitcase in hand she headed for the portal that would take her to Hell.

***​

Calista flopped stomach down on the bed in the room she had been given for the week. It was way too dark for her liking. Granted she was in hell, but disregarding that, they could do something to spruce it up, she thought looking around the room. With a groan she jumped to her feet and opened her suitcase, pulling out some toiletries to put in the bathroom to freshen up before heading down to the plaza.

Even the bathroom was dominated by black interior, and it made her want to vomit. She splashed some water in her face and brushed her teeth. Her blue eyes seemed a lot darker, she wondered if that was just the interior making them seem darker, or if it was because of the fact she was in literal Hell. She shrugged it off, brushed her hair and walked back to her bed to pull out a more relaxed outfit, which consisted of a pair of jeans and a dark green turtleneck sweater. She also switched out her sandals with a pair of white sneakers. Trying to blend in, although her snow white wings gave her away on the spot. Not to talk about the glowing halo above her head. She patted her pocket, making sure all her belongings were still there. She held off on checking her phone and immediatly calling the totally lost angel that was sitting at her desk.

She had devoted her life to those gates, to that desk. She enjoyed the solitude that came with the job, it was a lot better than a job where she had the archangels breathing down her neck all the time.

The only company Calista had was her own, and the souls that came through here and there. She could hardly call the reapers, demons and other low-life that came through company. She took a last glance at herself in the mirror before she exited her suite.

In the hallway a butler was ready to call the elevator for her, her mouth was in a tight line as she stepped into it and nodded a thank you.

Calista stepped directly out onto the Light Bringer Plaza. It was busy getting decorated for the week ahead. Groups of demons everywhere, and Calista couldn't feel more out of her element. Regardless she picked herself up once more, and took a step forwards, mentally preparing her to stick out like a sore thumb. She had seen a few angels already, but they were still heavily outnumbered. She tucked her wings in closer to her body as she walked into the crowd, scoping out the many little shops that was getting set up.

As she crossed the plaza she noticed the three Icons right in the middle of the many busy demons. She wasn't about to exchange pleasantries, she'd wait aslong as she could to face them. Bobbing and weaving through the crowd she strolled through the streets of Dis, still on guard considering where she was.

 

[PixelSymphony]

Also at the Helldiver

Another shift at the multiversal bar that was the Helldiver was quickly coming to an end, though with its ever present moody lighting and shrouded windows, one could never truly tell the passage of time from inside. Perched at her usual position behind the bar, Val took a quick glance at the large hourglass beneath the counter that was her effective replacement for a timecard, watching idly as the last few grains of sand trickled through the constriction between the two halves to fall finally to rest beneath. Welp, guess this will be the last I see of this place for a little while, so may as well make one for the road. A sugar cube placed into a rocks glass was quickly soaked with bitters, ice and whiskey quickly following after just so many times before, the demonic bartender so familiar with the drink that she didn't even stop to measure her pours. A quick stir and a garnish with a lemon peel later and voila, the concoction that was the old-fashioned sat before her, and with nary a moment of hesitation, the former nun lifted the glass up on high.

"To somehow managing to prolong my existence despite all efforts to the contrary." And back the drink went.

True to fate's interpretation of comedic timing, Val was mid-drink when Lucy emerged from the back of house to greet her. She started a bit, nearly choking on her drink, before resigning to simply wave back while continuing to tip the glass, only lowering once she had drained the vessel dry. "Kind of you to say so boss, considering I'm wearing the exact same thing I wear every other day," the demoness said dryly, tossing the glass into the wash bin and straightening her tie, "but what the hell, a compliment's a compliment." She tiredly leaned against the counter as she responded to the rest of her employers's remarks. "Can't really say I'm ever really ready to meet the high muckety-mucks of any society but, well, Kassidy seemed really excited about this opportunity. Besides, I probably owe her a favor after she patched up the myriad of bullet holes my cape skirt gained last week; still can't believe those stim-heads came in here and tried to turn the place into the OK Corral," she grumbled with a miffed shake of her head. "And you guys wondered why I brought the PDW in from home..."

As the wraith demon made his way by, clearly looking a bit steamed, the bartender gave him a clap on the shoulder (which admittedly took standing on her tiptoes to perform). "Sorry I'm taking your spot big guy, I know how much these events mean to you. I'll try to make it up to you; want me to bring back anything? Souvenir? Skull of your enemies? Bag of cookies?" When Jazz didn't answer, she shrugged. "Well, if you think of something, feel free to text me. I'm sure the instant the King of whatever begins his first proclamation, I'm gonna zone out and tune into my commo anyway."

"Anyway, I'm ready to go whenever you are," Val concluded with, this time booting a massive industrial-looking storage container sitting beside her as a way of drawing attention to it. "Packed and and prepped for whatever insanity this trip is gonna consist of. I think I even included a swimsuit in case you decide it's pool party time at the hotel we're staying at." She thought for a minute. "... wait, come to think of it, where ARE we staying? I don't think I ever caught that..." she trailed off with as she pulled the handle from her luggage, engaging the suitcase's rollers as they departed from the Helldiver to the city of Dis.

 

[Breadman]

"We'll get you a souvenir, Jazz." Lucy waved to her bouncer as she left the bar with Val. "Ah, swimsuit...right, that might have been on my list for luggage." She shrugged as she led her bartender. The pair of demons left the Helldiver and as the complicated multiverse doorway worked, it led them to the city of Dis. Or rather a districts a fair distance away from their destination. "I booked us a decent hotel room nearby. Midas Palace. Five stars, spa, room service-the works." She rounded a corner, letting the wheel of her suitcase screech a bit. "Damn thing needs to be fixed." She muttered with an annoyed tone "Anyway, I figure we don't just walk there. Its a big party, right? So I asked a friend if I could borrow his ride." The demon fished out a pair of car keys from her pocket and clicked the button. A nearby car beeped...and started to roll towards them. It was a black muscle car, sporting a gas guzzling engine poking its upper half over the hood.

"Gearheads and their toys, right?" Lucy looked at Val and shrugged. She opened the trunk and placed her suitcase and motioned for Val to do the same. Soon the pair would be in the front seats of the car. "Lets see what this baby can do!" As soon as she turned the keys, the engine roared to life. Literally. It sounded like there was something inside trying to get out through the metal. Lucy wondered if her friend had bound a speed demon to this thing. She'd have to ask him after they bring it back, but until then, she stepped on the pedal. The charger sped off as they got on the highway. The engine, seemingly not content with just roaring started to bellow smoke and fire. Lucy couldn't help but grin at how this thing operated. Pushing the pedal just a slightly bit further, led to yet another roar.

​

After taking a detour for a bit of joyriding on the hell-charger, the duo would arrive at their destination. The Midas palace overlooked the plaza and their room should have a nice view of the events bellow should they decide to just avoid the crowds. Lucy popped the trunk so they could get their luggage and tossed the key to the bellboy in front.

"Park it somewhere safe, junior. The owner is a real firebrand and wont like it if I bring it back with a scratch." She turned to Val with a slight smile "Welcome to Dis! At least Kassidy and Kelly's version of it." She spread her arms in a more grand fashion "Do you want to hit the town after we drop off the luggage or do you want to take a break after that ride?"

 

[The Black Knight]

A new soul entered through the majestic gates of heaven. With pink eyes and tears staining their face, they squinted through the celestial glare as white, cumulus clouds churned before them. From their surroundings came a beautiful soprano unlike any voice they had ever heard in their mortal life. It caused the tears to dry from their eyes as their mouth fell open in pure awe. The light was dimming, and the clouds were parting like a curtain to reveal the greenest fields, the bluest sky, and the climate was perfect. It was breath-taking. The soul fell to their knees with hands pressed against their face as they started to cry tears—no longer of sadness and fear—but of joy.

Cue the cute deer!

A doe slowly stalked up behind the weeping soul, her white tail flicking. She approached the soul, black nose wiggling. Her nose gently kissed the cheek of the soul, startling them to look up. The deer retracted her neck, ears perked, and tail erect. The soul stared wide-eyed at the deer before their face scrunched up with emotion.

“Are you trying to cheer me up?” he asked.

The doe stepped closer, and the soul immediately wrapped their arms around her, holding her tight as they wept.

Wonderful! We’re getting a 98% joy reading! Great job everyone!

This…was his job. Zaphiel was seated at his cubicle before a sound and special effects board. He worked in a team who controlled the climate, lighting, effects, and sounds of the fakest place in all the realms. It was not only the fakest, it was the happiest because billions of angels made everything happen. There were also on-the-ground angel actors who had to sing, dance, and recite some corny lines that always got the souls believing they were in a dream come true. Zaphiel never understood why souls liked musicals so much, but apparently, they were a big deal in the mortal realm.

The contractor sat back in his chair, sighing as he reached his arms behind him in a stretch. He had taken his beige, suit jacket off, resting it over the back of his chair to give his muscular body some room to breathe. Around his neck was a matching tie beneath the collar of his white, dress shirt.

His white and black eyes rolled to his left to see a small man with short, red hair whipped in some sort of gel. His complexion was warm unlike Zaphiel’s moon-white, and like everyone else in the office, he was dressed for business wearing an orange tie with a white dress shirt and tan trousers. There was a smile stretched on his face as his golden eyes practically disappeared behind his arching eyelids.

“Zaphiel!” he hailed. “How is my favorite employee?”

Zaphiel stared stoically at the short man. He was his supervisor. An archangel named Sabathiel. His smile didn’t seem to thaw against Zaphiel’s lack of response. He instead chuckled in that heavenly way and continued, “Guess what this week is? It’s Foundation Week~! Yeah? Yeah?!”

Zaphiel continued to stare as Sabathiel slapped his thigh in laughter, “I love your enthusiasm! That’s why you’re my favorite!” He then raised a hand to the side of his mouth and whispered in a loud and joking way, Don’t tell anyone I said that.

“We were tasked by the Big Boss to select some representatives to travel down to Dis, and you know when I was given that tasker, I could only think of one angel. My hardest worker, Zaphiel! Well, aren’t you excited? You’re gonna hafta’ be careful around all that sin. I’m not too worried about you though because I’m certain you’ll be fine.”

Sabathiel saw that Zaphiel’s expression was unchanged, and he grinned extra big. “Get the heck outta my office and go pack your bags. I already have a vetting appointment set for you.” Having said that, Sabathiel marched away whistling a cheerful tune.

Zaphiel’s brows finally descended as he shot metaphorical lasers at the back of Sabathiel’s head. He already hated coming to work, now he had to go to Hell? For five days? He turned in his chair, looking around the office as though it was all an illusion. Maybe he was secretly working for Hell and just hadn’t realized it. Baring his teeth slightly in a sneer, Zaphiel shut down his workstation and grabbed his jacket.


There was a white room with a steel table and chair. Seated on one side of the table was a man in a black suit with a leatherback organizer spread before him. His blue eyes rose to the bright ceiling as he detected the shifting space. He silently began to mouth: 3…2…1… In a pillar of light, a tall man had warped into the chair across from him. He was wearing a slate-grey long-sleeved shirt and black jeans. A black duffle bag was on the floor next to him.

The Reaper interviewer beamed and greeted, “Hello Mr…” he glanced down at his office pad. “Zaphiel?”

The angel was seated with his legs slightly spread in comfort and lounged back in his chair. Like how he treated Sabathiel, the angel said nothing and gave the interview an uncomfortable stare.

Oh lord. One of these types, the Reaper thought. He maintained his professional smile and proceeded, “My name is Mathieu Regis and I’ll be your interviewer today. How has your day been?”

…

Mathieu chuckled weakly (not as masterful as Sabathiel) and then his tone became slightly strict, “Now Zaphiel. I get the feeling you don’t want to be here. If you want this process to go quicker, then I’m going to need you to answer my questions with the utmost honesty. Do you understand?”

…

Mathieu scowled at Zaphiel and proceeded to screen, “Did you bring any weapons with you? Answer the question.”

“Do I look like I brought any weapons with me?”

“What’s in the bag?”

…

Mathieu sighed, slid his chair back, and proceeded to walk around the table over to Zaphiel’s duffle bag. He picked it up, unzipped it, and dumped all its contents on the table, finding only clothes and hygiene items.

“Is this it?”

“Is it?”

“Listen asshole, if you don’t cooperate, I’m gonna send your divine ass back to Heaven!”

There was a slow curl creeping across Zaphiel’s lips that Mathieu noticed. An insensitive grin cracked on his face as he sauntered back around the table over to his seat. He calmly sat down and picked up a stamp. Opening the ink pad, he rubbed it around in there, looked Zaphiel directly in his eyes, and stated as he stamped, “Approved.”

The happy smile immediately dropped off the angel’s face. He heard Mathieu laughing almost as wicked as a demon as he was transported from the interview room to some downtown city shithole. His bag and belongings landed on the sidewalk with a slap and clatter. Zaphiel glanced down at his things and rolled his eyes up to the smoldering, hellish sky as he growled. Fuck dis shit.

The angel crouched and began stuffing his things back in his bag. Behind him, peeking from an alley was a thin, horned man whose red eyes were darting to each of the angel’s things. His hands shook with the kleptomaniac, crackhead urge to steal any of the otherworldly things. He would make a killing in the black market. The stranger had an odd glow, kind of like one of those heavenly chickens. His lips unzipped, revealing his jagged teeth. Just one thing.

The demon melted into the sidewalk becoming a shadow that glided over to Zaphiel. The angel paused and glanced down at the shadow beneath him. It had been darker than normal. He noticed his deodorant sinking into the inky blackness, and he quickly snatched it. His other hand came around, balled into a large fist, and punched the concrete with so much force it cracked, and erupting from the cracks was a sanguine liquid along with a muffled scream. The angel struck the sidewalk over and over with the rapidity of a jackhammer, causing fragments of cement to leap around him. The shadow quickly fled across the street and Zaphiel saw a humanoid being surface, flailing its arms as though it was drowning in the asphalt. A car suddenly struck it, the entire vehicle bouncing as though it struck a speed bump.

“What the fuck was that?” the driver laughed.

The succubus in the passenger side said, “Who cares? I hope it was a body!”

The two grinned at each other before laughing as joyously as the beings did in Heaven.

Zaphiel slowly stood, staring at the body of the runover demon in shock as it slowly sank into the street. He glanced at the blood on his knuckles and was literally lost for words this time. Everything had seemed so chaotic here, and no one seemed to care. Zaphiel’s eyes narrowed. It was no surprise Sabathiel didn’t come here himself. This place was a shithole.

The angel turned and gave a quick glance around at his surroundings. He needed to find a place to stay.

 

[PixelSymphony]

Val's eyebrows rose in approval of the amenities listed. "Ooh, spa sounds good; my dogs have been barking like mad lately. That reminds me, can we get like a gel pad or something for behind the counter? Or wait, shit, nevermind. Your heels will probably fuck one of those up pronto." A heavy groan vented from the demoness's mouth like the exhaust from a truck, and she rolled her eyes at the situation. "Guess I'll just get some insoles or something, though that doesn't help things at the moment..." As if in sympathy, Lucy mentioned the transport she had arranged and the bartender breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank the Creator, when I noticed we weren't in Kansas any more, I was afraid this was going to turn into leg day..."

However this sigh of relief quickly turned into just another one of her characteristic sighs of despondency as she bore witness to the unholy abomination that was to be their ride, sauntering on up as if it was trying to ask them on a date. "Really? THAT'S our chariot to this grand gala? An overgrown family sedan with two of the doors missing?" Clearly the former church militant had opinions on the breed of automobile and was none too shy sharing them. "What, are we going to start stocking bottles of moonshine and drinking out of boots at the Helldiver next?" Regardless of her misgivings, Val still hauled her "suitcase" into the trunk of the beast, closing the lid with a clunk before hopping into the passenger's seat. "Yeah, their 'toys' indeed," she grumbled at Lucy, crossing her arms. "That's all these things are, you know: massive posturing devices. Half of the time they can't even-" The sudden roar of the engine cut her words in half like a knife, the scream that rung through the air deafening her and pinning wide her eyes. "-accelerate..." she trailed off, blinking repeatedly as she attempted to regain her composure. Lucy slid the chunky shifter into gear and floored the pedal, and with a gout of fire and brimstone off they went.

They were traveling at a good clip across one of the numerous highways that crisscrossed the massive city, half way to their destination before Val spoke again. "Well okay, fine, great, it goes fast on the highway," she retorted, having regained some of her footing, "but any ACTUAL performance vehicle also has to handle well, and these freaking land-barges couldn't take a corner if you-HOLY SHIT!!" Her sudden swearing had come about from Lucy yanking the wheel to one side, the car changing direction violently enough to throw the unprepared bartender against her seat belt as it careened down an exit ramp. Over the course of the next half hour or so, Lucy would thread the flame-spitting hell-charger through alleyways too small, gaps in traffic too dangerous, and sure enough, corners ENTIRELY too tight for Val to believe the muscle car to be able to handle and yet with each pass, they emerged unscathed, Lucy's grin widening as her employee become more and more distraught at what she was witnessing.

When finally the black beast arrived in the front carport of the grandiose Midas Hotel Val was holding onto the dashboard with white knuckles, her pupils having shrunk to dots. Desperate to escape the cursed vehicle she stumbled panting from the car and fell prostrate on the ground beside it. What... the hell... was THAT?

 

[ciel.]

Navigating through the streets of Dis ended up being a challenge for Calista. She had been there before, sure, but not while it was busy. Most of the time she had also been inside attending some meeting, or accompanying someone. So she never really got the chance to explore Dis. But busy was almost an understatement, it was hectic. Demons bumped into her, pushed her and growled at her at any chance they got. She did her best at ignoring them, there really was no point in making a fuss while the foundation week was happening. She had stopped in front of a store front that sold the most intricate, almost beautiful, designs on knives of every shape and size. She wasn’t really in the need of a new weapon, but these were beautiful in their own grotesque way. Calista never saw the store manager approach her as she was admiring the weapons.

”Ah!” He exclaimed right beside Calista, who whipped her head up to face the demon. “Looking for a weapon?” He smirked.

“Just looking for now,” she exclaimed shifting her weight. She took a deep breath in trying to calm herself down from the surprise appearance. “An angel looking at demonically produced weapons, that’s not an everyday sight!”

”I’m only here for foundation week,” she said as she picked up a knuckleduster and casually slid it over her fingers and clutched the metal in her palm. “Plus there’s no need for a physical weapon, my mind is sharper than any knife.” She smiled sweetly at the demon as she put it down in the case she took it from. “Excuse me.”

Calista left the demon behind and returned to her exploration, passing all kinds of storefronts that offered a variety of things. From weapons, to clothes even to disfigured plushies. She rolled her eyes and continued onwards. She had walked for a solid 15 minutes before she ended up in front of a snack bar on wheels. The menu had an array of options to choose from, she mainly focused on the ice creams which was one of her favorite unhealthy desserts. She opted for a vanilla soft serve ice cream in a cup, as she wasn’t exactly a fan of the cones. She paid for the dessert and twirled the little spoon she had gotten with it, in between her fingers.

As she ate the ice cream the plaza yet again came into view, looking slightly different from before. The decorations had multiplied and the buzz of all the little pop-up shops had been turned all the way up. The middle of the plaza was adorned with a medium sized fountain, with benches surrounding it, she sat on the one that was facing the hotel she was staying at.

Feeling the pressure of her phone in her pocket, she gave in and pulled it out, unlocking it and stared at the home screen.

Nothing.

A sense of relief came over her. She knew that if anything went wrong, she would get a call or a message. The empty inbox and call list didn’t worry the angel. She put her phone back in her pocket and just watched the crowds around her. It was a huge change from the usual emptiness of individuals when she was at her desk. After just a few minutes her head was spinning and the craving to go back to her room was too big to ignore. Almost as if she was in a rush she headed straight for the door leading into the large building. The lobby was cool and well-conditioned. She let out a deep sigh and decided to check out the bar that was connected to the lobby.

She sat down on one of the bar stools and looked around. It was a little empty aside from the people who worked at the hotel. A male bartender came out from the back of the bar and gave her a friendly smile while asking for her order. Calista bit the inside of her cheek as she tried to decide on what to get.

”I’m really not a big drinker,” she said as she looked at the many bottles behind the male bartender. He nodded with an understanding look on his face. “Take your time,” Calista nodded aswell and thanked him.

Her wings had unfolded while she had spoken to the bartender, clearly more relaxed compared to when she was surrounded by demons. She took the chance now, while there wasn’t many around to spread her wings and stretch them. She folded them back in comfortably and ended up ordering a simple glass of champagne. She pulled out her phone again and placed it on the counter after unlocking it. Still nothing. She locked it again and concentrated on her drink, deep in thought about the upcoming weeks shenanigans. She wasn’t absolutely sure about who was going to attend from the Heavenly side. An angel she was hoping to see was Amriel. One of the supervisors who’s company she actually enjoyed. He was a tier above her, but was still at the archangels’ mercy. Where she had two wings, he had four. Where he had four, the archangels had six. Making her theory of them trying to make up for something even more solid. She took another sip of her champagne without noticing the lobby filling With chatter from new arrivals.

 

[Breadman]

"I take it you would prefer to take a break." Lucy said as she looked down to Val's current location. "The ground isn't a good place for that, come on." She said as she lend a hand for Val to get up. "Lets go see if the place lives up to the brochures."

 

[Nellancholy]

Nephthys strode down the sidewalk outside the knight station, habitually doing her laps around the block. Orders from HQ were that civil servants were forbidden from working through mandated breaks, and that included the Knights. Damn those over-reaching, nosy bureaucrats. Probably someone from the departments of Sloth or Pride was behind that genius idea. Idly, still scrolling through her phone, she took a bite from the sandwich that was in her other hand. It contained a blend of matter that was supposedly mincemeat and some manner of source, but it could just as easily be some sort of demonic effluence. Which was fine, all things considered. It was filling enough not to leave her stomach growling before clocking out, and not too heavy to affect her walk back.

Even so, her attention was far more focused on the camera feeds she was cycling through on her phone. A couple of demons from another section (or another plane?) portaling in from Lucifer knows where before tearing up the road on a joyride. The prerequisite delegation of angels sent to oversee their side of the affairs. Hell, one of them got dropped off in the total posterior of Dis. Poor him, must not be in the good graces of his superiors. Something happened offscreen, and a demon got thrown onto the road before getting promptly run over. Nephthys clicked her tongue in annoyance before capturing a screenshot of the car and its registration plate, forwarding it to the traffic division. She'd gone on and on about how the demicide division should have immediate authority to investigate and prosecute vehicular demicide, but those annoyances back at HQ had to clutch their pearls about proper chain of command and decentralized authority. Maybe this would get them to move things along...but it probably wouldn't.

Just as she lowered herself onto a bench, a squad of armored Knights marched by on patrol. Body armor, helmets, assault rifles, the works. A distasteful show of force to demonstrate to their guests how unassailable the institution of the Royal Knights was. Thankfully, she'd have to see a lot fewer of these eyesores over the week. The leader of the squad, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a distinctly non-regulation ponytail gave a smile and a nod as he broke off from the group. "Wesson, Koch. Go ahead without me. I'll catch up."

One of the other Knights (Wesson?) raised an eyebrow, though it was hard to actually tell under that helmet. "Captain, are you-"

"Comply with the order, officer." Nephthys raised her hand. "We're going to have a...tactical briefing here. Unless you would like it to be a menage a trois?"

"Affirmative." Apparently not interested in questioning the decision or Nephthys' word choice, Wesson turned on their heel and marched on.

"Administrator Nephthys!" The captain opened his arms as if expecting a hug, as he made to approach Nephthys. "I really should have gotten you that thesaurus."

"Captain Khepri." That wasn't his actual name, but Nephthys took full advantage of her position over him to give him a pet name in personal conversation. She smiled thinly, crossing her legs as she took another bite of the dwindling sandwich. Chew, chew, swallow. "I hope you're not too used to keeping your firm grip on the streets. I've already given the order to dial back on armed patrols for the week."

"I heard." Khepri arched his back slightly, resting his arms behind his head. His smile didn't falter. "But you know HQ won't approve taking Tactical off duty altogether for even a day. I guess that means you'll have me real close by for a few days since we'll have to be on 'standby'."

Nephthys' piercing gaze might not have been able to penetrate his helmet even if it was a bullet, but it'd give him a real good hit. "Trust me, if I could take you off duty, I already would have. I had assumed that someone like you would be quite ready to take time off. Especially after those raids on the brimstone smugglers..."

"Well, I'm sorry to disappoint, but this dog isn't rolling over as long as I don't have a bullet in me." Khepri chuckled just then, but for a few moments his tone evened out. "You're awfully enthusiastic about cutting down Tactical, huh?"

"Hm." Nephthys scoffed. "A full-time tactical unit that goes on patrols is a strain on limited resources. If we invest more on surveillance and reporting infrastructure, we can rotate squads on-call in and out, and you can still do all the 'rapid responding' you want. If we end up needing to cut our budget even more..."

"I'll be the first on the chopping block." Khepri frowned. "I'm sure that's the only reason." With that, he gave a big mock shrug. "I am at your mercy, oh infernal one. But you know we're on the same side, right? We're just here to do our jobs, and keep Dis clean. And frankly...I have a bad feeling about this Foundation Day."

"We don't- well really, I suppose we do pay you to have bad feelings. A little too much, in fact." By now, the sandwich wrapper was a tight ball in Nephthys' hand. "Listen to me, Khepri...you don't have to use all that rhetoric or appeal to me like I'm a child. Correct, we are on the same side. We are not in the same chair." She couldn't help letting a bit of a sadistic smirk onto her face. "I keep the machine oiled, and all you have to do is turn like a good little cog in it. But..." She relaxed, shifting gears to "aloof but sincere". "I receive, and I make note of your concern. I will treat that 'bad feeling' as a sign of readiness. Nothing too bad ever happens on Foundation Day. Thanks to us. In the event that something does...I'm counting on you." That last part was more of a concession than anything else. Didn't want to bruise poor Khepri's ego too bad.

"Glad to hear that." He didn't seem too glad, but by tomorrow he'd be smiles and jokes again. "Now, Administrator. May I?"

"Dismissed, Captain."

Before the words had even escaped her, Khepri too turned and marched on.

 

[PatriasLover]

The streets surrounding the light bringer plaza


The Royal Knights and Reapers were well aware of the unrest brewing. those disenfranchised demons the military forces of the realms were convinced intended to assassinate the king... were planning on just that. the terrorist group Red Hand had been growing in number, mostly made up of freed humans and pissed-off demons, as well as the occasional defected angel. the Red Hand had started as a worker's rights group, but it had quickly grown militant and was responsible for the assassination of the previous Icon of greed in the mortal year of 1848. good times.

their "leader", though not officially, (their position was more like a face or figurehead) was a fallen angel, going by the name of Marianne. they had been the one nominated to pull the trigger on the King. right now, the anarchist was walking up an alleyway, keeping an eye on their watch... five.. four.. three, two- "you're on time. good." the reble stated, as a devil stumbled through a momentary hole in the realms, a hole in the head closing, the blood fading as the wound heald "how are the humans fairing?"

"Not even gonna give me a minute? I just got shot by the damned Russists." the other cursed, wiping at the wound as it sealed shut, leaving just a small scar. "and frankly, not so great. the Americans are dealing with some trial over their Trumpian coup, the Chinese are oppressing the free press" "as usual. how many people were arrested on the fourth?" "six, i think. Myanmar is sentencing journalists to be executed, the Israelites and the Palestinians are being stupid with each other, and climate change continues to worsen. And there was another school shooting “

The humans were still being stupid. They were trying, though. Whenever people were being cruel, others would fight back for what is right. There would be a March for our lives soon.
"thank you, comrade. Take a day. meet up with the others, you know where. no one is to jump realms till after the end of this week." Marianne stated to the demon, cold, but greatfull, giving a curt handshake (the only contact they would give consent to) "see you on the other side comrade."

the other left, while the anarchist scaned the square. they would need to find a good viewpoint of the king's position. thankfully, a hotel nearby seemed to provide the perfect window. keeping their head low, the rebel approached the front desk, and booked a room with a balcony, providing a fake id. normally they didnt care, but the increased security in the square necessitated extra caution.

as tempted as they were to go right to their room, Marianne instead decided to survey the folks waiting in the lobby, spotting at least one angel, much to their displeasure. hopefully, this one would be the only one. if they were spotted, even if the angel (whose back was to them) didnt recognize them, then they would likely attack, or at least snoop.

They must not be caught. A King was to die in five days. Thus Always to Tyrants.

 

[The Black Knight]

The city didn’t stay shitty for too long. It got better. If that was even possible. Zaphiel noticed a dramatic change in infrastructure as he traveled from the lower end of Dis to the upper—where the buildings were taller than mountains. Demonic citizens drove about in fancy, hellish vehicles that spewed fire and roared as though the machines were sentient. The streets were more crowded with people busying from one location to the next, shouldering by anyone in their way. A few had attempted to shoulder him, and colliding with him had caused them to wince and twirl as they grasped their aching shoulders.

Dis was filled with scum, but it was more real than Heaven. Heaven was one big play, while Hell was life to include all its most horrible aspects. He found himself giving it a little respect.

Zaphiel arrived at Light Bringer Plaza, and he didn’t know what he was expecting. The name was an oxymoron. Maybe it was the location where a Lightbringer had been slain. Who knew? It was strange watching demons decorate. With some of the personalities he encountered, he was surprised they could celebrate anything. He gave a brief survey of the plaza before he turned with his duffle bag slung across his shoulder toward a random hotel. It appeared nicer than the ones in the downtown (much nicer).

The angel entered the hotel, sliding by an excited demon couple who were eager to tour the plaza. He approached the front desk and waited for the representative to give him her attention. The dark-skinned imp stared at him oddly at first before she smiled and greeted, “Oh, are you an angel? Are you with the other one who checked in?”

Zaphiel frowned in contemplation. Another angel was staying here? It must have been a coincidence.

“No,” he answered, while he opened his senses to see if he could detect her. He may or may not have detected the terrorist depending on the intensity of their murderous intent. “I would like a room for five days.”

“You’re here for Foundation Week, I see. Every hotel is supposed to leave some rooms on reserve for our angel guests. You’re fortunate. Our hotel rooms fill up pretty quickly during this week.”

She got Zaphiel situated with a room key and said, “Please let me know if you need anything.”

Zaphiel hadn’t expected the imp to be so polite. Then again, she was trying to run a business. Perhaps etiquette was considered high class in demon society whether it be real or fake. He had sensed the other angel in the lobby and before he headed up to his room, he chose to seek her out first. Finding her hadn’t been a task. She stood out like a sore thumb with her halo and wings, and she was here by herself? While he knew most angels could handle themselves, any poor soul sent to Hell was vastly outnumbered even if the Reapers were present.

The tall angel approached Calista and stepped before the stool next to hers. His black and white eyes roved over her being as though he couldn’t believe she was really here and so open about her divinity. “What asshole sent you here?” Zaphiel bluntly asked. “I’m Zaphiel. I work in the Satisfaction and Security Department.”

He would offer his hand in a shake if she chose to accept it.
ciel.

 

[ciel.]

Lost in her own thoughts she never noticed the other angel approach her. The only thing she was focused on was deciding what to order next. She tutted and tapped the bar absentmindedly. The question from him surprised her, and it took her a second to decipher his question. “Oh, uh, Amriel may or may not have had a feather involved in me being here. He’s one of the supervisors, if you’re familiar.”

Calista watched the hand that Zaphiel held out towards her. She hopped off her stool, and even though her 5’9 frame didn’t even begin to compare to his, she still shook his hand firmly. “Calista. Gate keeper. First pretty face anyone who isn’t an angel sees, when they take a trip to those heights” she winked at the male and sat back down on her barstool, “I’m just here to make an appearance throughout the week.” Although Calista mostly enjoyed her own company, having angels around her wasn’t so bad. Unless they were so far up the ass of an archangel that it looked like the archangel had gotten an upgrade. She kept an eye on Zaphiel as he stood beside her. She wasn’t expecting another angel here, she knew they were around but she wouldn’t have been surprised if she only saw them at the big speech.

“Please, take a seat, hate being the only one sitting.” She nodded her head towards the barstool next to her. “What do you drink?”

The Black Knight

 

[PixelSymphony]

"Ya think?" Val took a few deep breaths before begrudgingly taking Lucy's hand to stand. "After that little trip, I can't tell if I'm more afraid of the hotel being completely different than what I'm expecting... or exactly what I am." She hefted her storage locker's handle alight and once again lead it forward like some kind of tamed beast, each bootfall bringing her closer to the interior of the Midas. As she stepped through the sliding front doors to the lobby (and the bellboy behind her roared the engine of the hell-charger to life as he sped away), Val stopped to take in the splendor.

True to its name, the rooms and hallways of the Midas Palace were decked rich in splendor, and in the central foyer, a grand chandelier hung suspended in the air by an unseen conveyance while the flames from each of its several dozen candles burned various hues of red and orange. Or rather, appeared to burn, as when Val's finely honed senses homed in on the light coming off of the chandelier, it quickly became apparent to her that the spectral readings she was getting off of them were far too controlled to be purely incandescent. No doubt the owners of this hotel had chosen to replace the traditional wax candles with arcanotechnical emitters, allowing them to perfectly control the lighting in this entryway, and, very likely, alter it as needed. She gave a low whistle in appreciation before turning her sight towards where she and Lucy needed to go to check in.

Marble, onyx and gold features accentuated the features of the front desk, and with a pleasant greeting, the receptionist welcomed them to the Midas Palace, her own horns delicately woven with gold leaf themselves. Val had a feeling she'd be seeing a lot of the precious metal in the near future; a sentiment she didn't particularly mind, though admittedly she tended to work more with gold when knee deep in repairing the Helldiver's main telecomms server than by plastering it about herself. Two keycards plunked down on the marble surface as Lucy worked through the details of their reservation, while Val for her part scanned through the parties that were passing through the hotel lobby. Demons and angels coexisting with each other wasn't particularly notable to her, nor was the fact that there were clearly moderate tensions between certain groups of such; no, what she found amusing was that there were more than a few humans (or at least similar-enough looking individuals) that simply did not appear to give a shit about the presence of both of these other parties. Val suspected that more than a few of these blase looking folks were reapers, though without their characteristic scythes in hand it was always somewhat hard to tell. And I thought I was good at blending into a crowd... oh well, not the first time you've dealt with undercover cops in the midst, just keep your cool.

Her eyes continued to scan the area idly and but a few moments later, they locked onto the hotel bar. Ahah, bingo. Now we're talkin' She scooped up her keycard and motioned with it towards the familiar oak and brass environs. "Boss, I'm gonna go sample some of the local, uh, delicacies. Lemme know when we're ready to head up." With gigantic storage trunk in tow, she made her way over and plunked herself down in one of the seats. As the weathered looking-bartender made his way over, she found the whole experience somewhat reminiscent of her first time in the Helldiver though at least this time she wasn't desperately looking for a job. "Hey guv'na, gimme something strong. I need to knock a few memories out of my head." While he made her drink, she leaned against the counter with a sigh, now repeating her same process from earlier at the bar, scanning up and down the oak countertop to see who else had alighted themselves at the first watering hole they could get their hands on.

 

[Infab]

​

What the hell is taking him so long? Didn't Kassidy call him before she went to the castle?

The muscular red wrath demon shifted in their seat, hands gripping the steering wheel of the dull green Pontiac as they looked towards the front of the apartment complex. Did he go back to sleep? I hope he didn't.

She tapped her thumbs on the top of the leather wrapped steering wheel, matching the beat of the song coming from the speakers. Her yellow eyes, however, were still locked onto the front doors of the building. She eventually shook her head. "I'm going to have to go wake him up again..." she muttered, as he thumbs stopped tapping. She soon sighed, before reaching over and turning the radio off. A key twist later, and the low rumble of the old muscle car ceased.

She climbed out of the vehicle, the door shutting with a loud clack as she turned to face the street between her and the apartment building. A few cars passed, including a black muscle car with what looked like Lucy at the wheel. They flew by too fast for her to wave at them, but she was sure she'd see them later on.

Across the street she walked, shoving her hands halfway into her cargo shorts' pockets as she walked. Her thumbs poking out over the rim. She'd have to change into better clothes later. Couldn't show up to a party in just her usual tan cargo shorts and a Hawaiian shirt. Might need jeans or something. As she pondered her choice of attire for later, she arrived at the apartment complex and went inside. Bypassing some demons hanging out in the entrance, she began to climb the staircase leading upwards. Six floors, to appartment 66. That always earned a good chuckle from people.

Mackenzie liked taking the stairs. Far healthier than just taking the elevator everywhere, and she was a stickler for being healthy and in great shape. Well, mostly. She wasn't going to drop her drinking habits...or the underground fighting. Nope. Couldn't drop those. She had too much fun. At least surfing was healthy enough.

She passed a few more demons on the way up. Mostly lust demons, some of them eyeing her and occasionally giving her a wink. A simple smile was returned, as she kept moving. She had somewhere to be, and that somewhere didn't involve them. It did involve a lust demon, however. Well, a half-lust demon. Pride being the other half.

Once she arrived at appartment 66, she tapped her knuckles on the door. "Kelly! You in there?" she asked loudly. The door was unlocked, as she soon found out when she twisted the doorknob. Stepping inside, she caught the scent of lavender. Lovely smell, and one of Kelly's favorites. Maybe he was still taking a bath.

"Kelly?" she asked again, just as loudly As before. A male voice answered from one of the back rooms. "I'll be out in a second! Just finishing up!" he stated, sounding as though he had something lodged in his mouth. Toothbrush probably.

"Alright, just checkin'. Kassidy said we gotta head over to her dad's hotel. Lucy and Val are gonna be staying there for the week, so we gotta go make sure everything's groovy with them." she stated afterwards, as she looked around the apartment.

Kassidy's apartment was one of the nicer ones in the building, with almost a studio like open space for the living room, kitchen, and dining room. A single hall lead into the back, where three bedrooms and a single bath sat. The first bedroom being Kassidy's, while the second belonged to her brother Kelly. The third bedroom had been converted into a sort of at-home workplace for Kassidy, for when she had to bring some of her tailoring work home with her.

The general appearance of the apartment made Mackenzie think of those high end, really techie looking places that one found in more artsy parts of Dis. Occasionally Mackenzie would question Kassidy about it, but that was just Kassidy's thing. She liked the sleek, stylish looks of modernity. Though she probably would have given a few parts of the building an 1980s-esque feel if given the option. Mackenzie, on the other hand, would have gone for the 90s. But this wasn't her appartment, nor her building. She'd stick to her little beachhouse on the waterfront.

Kelly soon emerged, propped against the wall at the end of the hallway where it opened up into the rest of the apartment. Low hanging jeans, unbuttoned shirt, black cowboy boots. "So they're staying at Father's place, hmm?" he asked. "They're in for a week of luxury, then. At least when it comes to hotels. I wonder who Father tossed out to get them their rooms. The place is always packed during Foundation Week."

"Who knows? Probably some demons from out of town. Can't exactly toss out the angels or reapers. That's asking for trouble." responded Mackenzie. She glanced over to where he was, noticing his appearance. "You look like you're going to your next appointment."

He chuckled. "Well, I did have one for later tonight, but I had to reschedule. He's a cutie, so I'm not just going to completely cancel on him." He buttoned up the shirt, leaving it untucked so that it hung down over his his waist and upper pants. "I'll be down in a minute. Let me finish up."

Mackenzie nodded, before spinning about and moving for the door. "Oh, and Kass said to lock up when you leave." she stated as she walked. "Gotcha." was his simple reply.

And minutes later, Kelly was climbing into the green muscle car beside Mackenzie. The first words out of his mouth, as he shut the car's door, were ones that everyone else had already asked her a dozen times. "So when are you getting a new ride? As much as I like the look of the Judge, you can't just use your dad's car forever."

"When I find the right car, I'll buy it. I just haven't found the one that speaks to me. You know?" responded the wrath demon. Kelly chuckled, before reaching over and flipping on the radio. He cycled through the channels, as Mackenzie pulled the car out into the street and set off towards Midas Palace. And it wasn't long before Kelly had found his station. Soon, the car filled with music yet again, Kelly relaxing happily in his seat.

---
​

“What do you drink?”​

"Scotch, on the rocks."

The voice came from the other side of Calista, from a man whom had just sat down. Young looking, with medium length brownish hair and golden eyes. His choice of attire was a tad more urban in appearance than most of the angels wandering about, wearing a white jacket and black button-up shirt. Under it, however, he was a bit more formal. Black slacks and black dress shoes. The supervisory angel himself, Amriel. His four wings were folded up neatly on his back, not a feather out of place.

"Didn't think you were the drinking type." he said, smiling at her before looking past her to the other angel. He offered his hand to him. "Amriel. Supervisory Angel. I bounce around between departments as needed... or as instructed by our higher ups."

 

[ciel.]

Calista had barely asked her question, as the answer came on her other side. She turned her back to Zaphiel, facing Amriel who was, as Zaphiel had done to her, reaching his hand out to the other angel in a greeting. A little shocked at his sudden entrance she made sure the bartender got his order.

A sheepish smile made It’s way onto her face as she shrugged, “I’m not,“ confirming his comment towards her drinking. “But I don’t see any brutes strutting around to comment on what I’m drinking.” She raised an eyebrow at Amriel, almost to challenge him to do something about how she had referred to the archangels. “They’re on my case enough, why would I give them more fuel to bother me if they ever knew I was drinking?”

She ran a hand through her hair and downed the last of her drink. She definitely needed something stronger now. The thought of being intoxicated around the archangels made her skin crawl. They weren’t exactly the types to offer you to walk you home, leave you at the front door and then walk away. They’d end up making you feel like you owe them. That you need to invite them inside and follow every order. Archangels barely set foot near the gates, one of the many reasons why she enjoyed being a Gate Keeper.

Her eyes caught a glance of someone sitting a bit down the bar from them, she had to lift herself up from the seat a little to get a better look over Amriels shoulder.

 

[Breadman]

Val went on ahead to scout the quality of goods and services provided by the hotel, leaving Lucy to deal with the boring part. She pulled her luggage up to the reception where the administrative clerk was waiting. To her surprise, it wasn't a demon, imp or anything else of that nature. Just a regular human. She raised an eyebrow as she inspected him. Well groomed hair on his head and face, fair and clean skin and complete lack of anything abyssal.

"Good day, madam." The clerk said with a soft posh accent "Welcome to the Midas Palace. I'm Nigel, at your service. I believe you're one of the 'out of town' guests, yes?"

"Is it that obvious?"

"Your aura and that of your friend are a tad different." He pointed to the talisman hanging behind him "Its a little trick we have to help sort guests. Many different foreigners have their own tastes and expectations, so we try to keep abreast of things."

"Riiight...Well, yes. I am a 'foreigner' to this Hell. The reservation should be under Lucifaria."

"Ah, yes. You're the friends for young Mackenzie." He turned around to retrieve the keys "You're staying in one of the top rooms overlooking the plaza. Penthouse was booked long ago, I'm afraid. Sir Caius can move mountains, but some things are even beyond him." He retrieved a booklet "Please just sign in and your friend should enjoy our platinum program and all its fringe benefits." As she gave her signature, he spoke again "If you don't mind, we have a questionnaire for foreign guests to fil out. Confidential of course. We simply want to know our clients better."

"I do mi...Actually, I'll answer if you answer my questions."

"If its not breaching my contract with the Midas Palace, I can answer." He opened a drawer to take out the small list of questions. "Allow me to scratch off some. Lets see, lady Lucifaria, house Smaragt, correct?" She gave a nod to confirm "Splendid. We've been informed that you're meeting with both ladies Mackenzie and Kassidy later, to ensure you have your privacy should you require it. That rules out this being a trip for pleasure. Given that you're practically the first person from your Abyssal kingdom, can we assume you're an acting envoy?"

"No, I'm not acting in any such capacity. My siblings might, but I'm here representing myself."

"We'll put you and your friend under independent then. Are your siblings in town?"

"Abyss, I hope not!" Lucy winced at the thought. "You'll see this place turn to ruin real quick if I ever meet any of those three again."

"Ah, shame to hear that. We'll keep it in mind for the future just in case. Right, no other questions worth asking then." She noticed that he scratched off at least 2/3ds of the paper. The relief was immeasurable. "Now what did you want to ask?"

"You're clearly not from around here, Nigel. How did a human end up working the front desk of a place like this?"

"Oh, its a very tame story madam. I worked all my life at a hotel in Budapest while I was alive. A very fine place, much like this one. Eventually my time would come and I spend a good bit of the afterlife in the heavens above. Quite boring for someone like me, I must say. I'm simply not meant to lounge around. So I poked around and traded places with someone to come here. Been working ever since."

"You traded in your spot in Heaven for a job in administration in a Hell hotel?" Lucy rapidly blinked in disbelief "You're insane."

"Boredom drove me quite mad, I admit." He replied with a smile and handed over the keys "Enjoy your stay."

After she plucked the keys from his hand, she smiled and quickly made her way in the same direction as Val did earlier. She took note of the other people she passed by. High-born demons and their servants, self-made billionaires with their entourage, angels with serious expressions and the occasional Reaper. No sign of anyone she knew just yet. After a minute of wondering around, she entered the bar.

"Room for one more?" She asked Val as she sat down next to her. Looking at the available stock, she instantly zeroed in on one drink "Barman, be a dear and pour those Tears of the damned you got over there." As her drink was being poured she looked around to see if this part of the hotel had better people in it than the lobby "Hey." She gently nudged Val with an elbow "Is that angel over there looking at us?"

 

[The Black Knight]

Zaphiel shook Calista’s hand and was surprised to learn that she was a Gatekeeper. What was a Gatekeeper doing down here? She was employed in one of the most important roles in the kingdom. Even she didn’t get a break. At her request, Zaphiel lowered onto a stool and set his bag at his feet. He crossed his forearms and rested them upon the counter.

What do you drink?

“Nothing here,” Zaphiel replied. He didn’t need to eat, drink, or sleep, such things were enjoyable only for the sensations, and while he did enjoy his sensations, he didn’t trust anything in Hell.

Scotch, on the rocks.

Another angel…and the worst kind. Zaphiel didn’t even grace him with his eyes. He hadn’t expected an archangel to be brave enough to descend into Hell for Foundation Week. He wasn’t at work, and he wasn’t in Heaven. The dicks with wings wanted to send him down here. Well, he was down here. Zaphiel picked up his back and rose from the stool just when Amriel offered his hand. The tall angel left the bar to head up to his room. He didn’t know what he disliked more archangels or demons. So far, archangels were disgusting him the most.
ciel. Infab

 

[Infab]

Amriel slowly lowered his hand back to his side, as he watched Zaphiel get up and walk away without even bothering to look at him. What's his problem? I didn't do anything to him. He cocked an eyebrow, watching the angel depart for what he assumed was his room, before returning his attention to Calista. "I guess I upset him somehow." he muttered, before returning to what she had been talking about.

"They're constantly bugging me, giving me crap for every little thing I do or allow." he responded, eyeballing the drink that he had ordered as it was delivered. "So there's plenty of things that suddenly slip my mind when I report back to them. They don't deserve to know everything we do, and I sure as hell ain't telling them what I do while I'm away. So you don't have to worry about me saying anything about what you do either."

He took a drink of his scotch, before glancing over his shoulder to see where Calista was looking. And instantly recognized whom had sat down at the bar a few stools away, as they looked their way. Lucy and Val, from one of his favorite bars. He turned a bit and waved at them, a smile on his face. "Lucy! Val! Fancy seeing you here!" he said aloud.

---
​

It wasn't very long after they had left the apartment building that they were arriving in at the base of the Midas Palace. Honestly, Mackenzie always found the building a bit too rich looking, but pride demons would be pride demons. And it was pretty popular, especially around this time of year. The architecture of the outside of the building made her think of those old buildings in places like New York City that popped up around the beginning of the 20th century. Art Deco or something, she had heard Kassidy call the style.

After a brief conversation with the demon tasked with parking the car (and a minor threat of ripping his spine out through his ass if he got a scratch on the Judge), Mackenzie and Kelly soon moved inside the towering hotel. Straight for the bar they went, both giving the workers at the front desk a wave as they walked by. They came here so often that they were known simply at a glance. A perk of knowing the owner of the building.

Once inside the bar area, passing by other patrons whom were just arriving or lounging around for the moment, they would soon spot Lucy and Val. Amriel too, with an unknown angel next to him. "Heyo!" said Mackenzie, as she grabbed a seat near Val.

Kelly, meanwhile, sat next to Amriel and gave both him and the woman next to him a warm smile. "Nice to see you again, pretty boy. And just who might your lovely friend be?" he soon asked, peeking past the angel at Calista.

---
​

About a minute after Captain Khepri walked away from Nephthys, another presence was felt. And quite clearly at that, given how power practically radiated from an Icon like heat from a furnace. "Administrator." spoke the female voice, slightly muffled by the helmet that the Icon of Wrath was wearing. Arkan's ice cold eyes, pale blue surrounded by jet black sclera, gazing down at Nephthys as she stood a few feet away. One hand resting on the pomel of her longsword, hanging from her hip, while the other hung loosely at her side.

"I see you're making sufficent use of your break. One of the only ideas my associate from Sloth suggested that wasn't entirely idiotic." she soon stated, "As much as I like to run everyone into the ground when it comes to work, I do see the need for rest from time to time. A demon running on fumes isn't useful in the grand scheme of things."

Eventually, she stepped over and sat next to her on the bench. Her armor clacked with each step, and briefly made noise as she sat down. Her sword was moved from her hip to her lap, hands resting atop it. "I've noticed less Knights in full kit around the plaza. I assume that's your doing?"

 

[ciel.]

Calistas eyes shifted from the two newcomers to the other angel as he left the bar area. The sudden exit made no sense to her, as nothing was really said between the three that could offend anyone. She pursed her lips as her attention was drawn back to Amriel. “Probably your face,” she teased, “looking dreadful these days.”

“I haven’t seen them around the gates lately, surprisingly enough.” She trusted Amriels words. Even he had issues with the archangels, which saddened her but to a point it was also a huge relief. “Well here’s to a week full of things that may or may not slip our minds.” She raised her empty glass as a salute.

As she placed her glass Amriels greeting rang through the room. She noticed how the two that she had eyed before reacted to the names he called out. Not long after another two entered the bar, one joining the others and a male making his way over to the two angels. Calista was slightly surprised by the warm smile, but regardless she returned it with the same warmth. They obviously knew Amriel, and she wasn’t about to make a fool of herself in front of him. She took her time as she looked him up and down, somewhat asserting herself. “Calista, Gatekeeper,” she spoke proudly with her feathers slightly ruffled. “And you?” She asked and caught his gaze with her own piercing ocean blue eyes.

 

[Nellancholy]

Beep.

And it was time to leave. Nephthys made to get up when an unmistakable heat approached her, the sound of clinking plate armor approaching her. She almost didn't want to confirm her suspicion, but she sat in place and turned to face the person approaching her.

And there she was, in the flesh. If she had any, anyway. Icon Arkan. By no means a distant leader, but definitely one you didn't see every day. Nephthys generally wanted to believe herself quite indifferent to her, focused more on her duty than to supplication. But the thing about the Icons is that when they wanted your attention, it was impossible to remain at "indifferent". With that firmly in mind, Nephthys stood up sharply, giving a salute. "Icon Arkan! Salutations!"

For her part, Arkan seemed calm, which was very much a good thing. She certainly wasn't the type to keep a lid on anything that displeased her. But here came the question, just as expected. Nephthys' mind was as orderly as her documentation, and for every decision she made on the job, there were ten lines of reasoning she could explain to support it. "That is correct, Icon. I believe that step was necessary to de-escalate the tensions that have been rising in the past few years between us and the other planes. I do not consider this a concession." Did that seem too rehearsed? She hoped not. "Rather, my experience with extraplanar delegations in the past suggests that this is the optimal move to make clear to them that we have no interest in shows of force or espionage. Beyond the standard forms of information gathering, at any rate." She blinked a bit faster, doing her best to keep her gaze level with the Icon's.

"Furthermore, our extended surveillance over the past few months does not suggest a level of risk towards the Foundation Day celebrations themselves that would warrant heightening security to the level employed in previous years. What it does indicate is that domestic criminal elements are likely to attempt to exploit the celebrations to cover any uptick in their own activities. My decision prevents our force from being concentrated in one place and frees up both patrol and Tactical elements to respond to emerging situations across the district." With her explanation concluded, she still felt like a student caught off guard. She felt herself shift on the bench imperceptibly, pulling another centimeter away from the Icon.

"If I may, Icon. I have long been an advocate for paring back the allocation of personnel and materiel to the Tactical divisions. They've historically been in an unwarranted arms race that leads to unnecessary collateral damage while other divisions remain understaffed and often underequipped. I believe our recent investments in electronic infrastructure make their level of preparation redundant. Which is to say..." She folded her hands in her lap. "HQ has been slow to act on the matter, and your word may be what it takes to tip the scales, Icon. I don't...expect you to decide in my favor. I will abide by your decision."

Infab

 

[Infab]

“Calista, Gatekeeper,” she spoke proudly with her feathers slightly ruffled. “And you?”

Kelly grinned. "Ah! A gatekeeper. Always wondered how the Gates of Heaven actually looked. The other angels I've met all say they're rather grand." he replied. "My name is Kelly. High Succubus, Second Class, Male Division. I know Amriel, here, through my sister Kassidy. She made the jacket he's wearing oh so well."

He glanced to Amriel briefly, still grinning, as the angel took another sip of his scotch. "Kassidy's a good friend. I've known her for several years now. Excellent tailor, always knows how to make you look fantastic when it comes to clothing and other accessories." commented the angel afterwards, glancing to Calista briefly before looking to Kelly. "Where is Kassidy, anyway?"

Kelly motioned over his shoulder with his thumb, towards the main entrance. "At the King's Castle. She was selected to create the outfit that the King of Hell will be wearing to the events of Foundation Day, so she's over there delivering the finished product."

---
​

Arkan sat quietly, listening to Nephthys' explanation and comments on the state of things regarding the Knights. Her eyes moved slowly between cars and pedestrians moving about across the street before them, before slowly drifting over to Nephthys as she finished up her statements.

"I don't...expect you to decide in my favor. I will abide by your decision."​

Arkan was quiet for a few moments, but eventually spoke as she turned her head to face the administrator completely. "I have no objections to the removal of the more aggressively dressed Knights from the plaza. In fact, it's a great idea. We have more than enough Reapers wandering about to make up for that, so we have the chance to reassign these Knights to patrols elsewhere in the city instead of in this district. I believe the Lower Waterfront district is in need of more bodies, so that should be an excellent place to start. Don't you agree?"

"We do need to keep an eye on the plaza, or any areas related to where the King will be traveling during the week. We lost an Icon a few years ago to terrorist elements from within our realm, so we need to do what we can to prevent someone far more important from being taken off the board. More surveillance will need to be deployed to make up for the lack of Knights in the area, regardless as to the Reapers' presence. If needed, we can converse with them and see if we can find some common ground. Perhaps work towards sharing information in order to maintain stability here during the upcoming events."

She paused, thinking over the Administrator's last comments on the tactical divisions, before speaking again. "It is in the nature of most wrath demons to want to move into positions in which they would be able to put their abilities to proper use. Either to better serve our King and everyone in Hell, or for their own self interests. The tactical divisions of the Royal Knights, the military forces of Hell... both are full of these types. And most back at headquarters want to continue to bolster that particular division because of our taste for violence and bloodshed." she said, "I see where they're coming from. Abaddon's blazing fire is my own, as I am their descendant. But I do see the need for better infrastructure when it comes to electronics, equipment, and digital surveillance. We live in a modern age. We can't rely completely on overwhelming numbers and force, like the days of old. As... thrilling as that might be. So, I shall instruct your superiors to persue new avenues in an effort to modernize how we do things."

Arkan tilted her head back, glancing upward. "...I do wonder at times how Heaven handles these matters."

 

[Breadman]

"My my my." Lucy smiled as she recognized one of the other two looking her way "If it isn't my favorite angel." She gave the other angel a small wave with her hand "We're here for the grand party. Well more to give Kassidy some morale support while we tolerate the other high brow nobility." Her drink was served by the barman as he was quick to turn his attention back to his other work. She didn't waste time to sip from the glass. 'Oh this is a good crop. Need to find their supplier.' With her visibly pleased by the bottle, she turned her attention back to their surroundings. Just in time for Mackenzie and Kelly to show up.

"Oh you have no idea how much of a relief it is to see you here. Do pass along our thanks to your father, Kelly. He's such a dear." She gave the wrath demon a friendly smile before turning back to Amriel, listening to the conversation between him, Kelly and the poor angel girl caught between them. She noted that it took the succubus about 3 second to turn up his charms. Must be a busy week if he's showing restraint.

 

[PixelSymphony]

Whoop, been spotted. Oh well, it's a bar, not a military archive. Val gave a brief raise of her brows to the angel before the barman returned with her drink, the nose of such hinting at dark rum and some kind of spice blend. She took a careful sip of it and hummed in appreciation. "Ohhh, yeah, there we go doc, now we're talking." The rum was sweet at first before the darkened molasses matured in flavor in her mouth, mixing earthyness and bitterness that quickly turned into pure fire as the alcohol hit. This has to be at least an 120 to 150 proof rum, you don't get that burn from the piddly little sugar waters that you get a Cheesecake Factory... She rolled it around on her tongue, letting the added spices engage with her taste buds, with cinnamon, star anise, maybe even some kind of pepper adding zing to the concoction before she finally swallowed it. Even then her experience continued, as she carefully breathed in and out to aerate the aftertaste, breathing air into the smoldering embers that remained before finally allowing the fire to go out. "Wonderful. Remind me to ask you what you put in that some time."

The (on-duty) bartender raised a brow but said nothing before stepping off to serve the other patrons, while beside Val Lucy plunked down having concluded the check-in. The demon noble's drink order made Val both snicker and groan. "Boy you really are a sucker for that stuff, huh. Maybe I'll make a sangria out of it some time to try out so I don't spend another five minutes of my lift coughing my lungs out," she said with a shake of her head. "Eh? Angel-oh, right, her, yeah, I was looking around earlier and I think we locked eyes for a sec. No idea who she is though, nor who all she's talking to-oh hey Ammy!" She gave a wave at the angelic supervisor as he sat down beside the two other angels, but this was all she was able to get out before a certain muscular Wrath demon sat next to her and all composure instantly vaporized.

"O-oh! Mackenzie! It's... it's good to see you again!" Val said, her normally devil may care attitude suddenly laced with teenage awkwardness. "I didn't realize you were going to be here... not that there's any reason you shouldn't be! I mean, you live here, and... I mean not HERE here, but you know, here," she said, wildly gesturing about, "and uh... so uh, heh, guess it's not surprising the first thing I did here is go to a bar, right? So uh... what can I get you?" she asked, her brain rapidly ceasing normal function and engaging auto-pilot.