[align=center]SPOILER WARNING[/align]
Vega Vs. Soulfire:
[21:25] <West> [5:47] <West> “Well right now he has complete power of Life and Death, he’s able to resurrect his greatest heroes and destroy enemies at will. I don’t think you could kill him even if you could match him. The key is making his legion see you as the stronger, and siding against him. Their Demons of Life and Death might be able to counteract his abilities.�
[21:25] <West> [5:49] <Vega> :: Vega grinned for a moment, and heartily looked up at West, standing slowly and dusting himself off. "You know of any ways to get him and enough spectators up into Heaven then?" his grin soon became wicked "you know how my type benefits from that place I'm sure.."
[21:30] <West> His head turned to the side, looking at the Felhunters frozen in midair and pondering for a moment. The fringe over his eye still hid the red eye that made him resemble Vicious more than anyone else could. He was also more passive than Vicious, easily showing no care to the lesser dimensions…
[21:30] <West> “I think it suffices to say that your advantage in Heaven won’t be enough. I’m sure I can help trick him and a small portion of his Legion into a secluded spot up there, but still… You need a power boost, and experience, that only this Challenge can provide, first. Then you’ll know when to
ascend.�
[21:30] <West> With a grin, he raised his hand and offered it to the Archangel, a being worthy of the highest regard on the mortal realm, but hardly different from humans in their longevity and importance, from West’s perspective. But now he was living a mortal’s life and following a mortal’s path. May as well assume that respect for this creature of divinity. He bowed his head slightly as they shook hands. “Better start running.�
[21:30] <West> As quickly as the shield had started, it was gone and time was slowly catching up to itself. None, save Vega, were immune to West’s work with time, but now it was fading and the beasts were resuming persuit at a growing pace.
[21:41] <Vega> :: Casually shaking the hand placed ahead of him, he let loose the clasps attatched to the tips of his wings once again, and tightening his fist with a gauntleted hand, thunder and lightning played around the plated fist once more. Jumping effortlessly, the ten free loose clasps then assumed their position on his feet, erratic surges of electicity playing about his physical form. And just as the magic surrounding them
[21:41] <Vega> C1: began to fade, Vega once again darted forward, the four rear clasps on his feet releasing a high burst of energy in order to achieve such speeds. Several demonic soldiers tilted their heads in awe, on the approach of the single angelic figure approaching merely on foot from the horizon, and before the could shake their bewilderment, Vega soon found himself in the heart of the Demon camp, dodging around various tents
[21:41] <Vega> C2: and crates, while releasing some of the pent up energy inside the gauntlet at a few of the easier targets. He even went as far as to ignite some of the tent fabric as to lay waste to this particular camp. And just as swiftly as he had entered enemy territory, he was out of it, following the path forward..
[21:46] <West> The demons barely had a second to respond, but even the fearsome and impossibly quick Wind demons were stopped from harming him by a single flaming hand that blocked each of their ways. As fast as he was, or even they were, this invisible being of fire was quicker. As Vega exited the camp, he was to be greeted by a man in red, wearing a simple expression of mild annoyance, holding up a gauntleted and clawed hand.
[21:47] <West> “Halt, Angel.� The flames that were set were doused by Ice demons in his wake, the harm he would have done was ignored by many, demons left to die or be devoured by hungering imps. “This is my territory, and I challenge you to do battle.� Even as he spoke, the speeding being found himself somehow heavier, somehow heated… And just then, a woman seemingly made of fire turned flesh flipped into the air from.. Atop his head?
[21:47] <West> She landed at the other man’s side, dropping to all fours like a predator, grinning like a cat, and her clawed fingertips dug into the ground. Obviously she wore nothing but what she was born with. Her hair was flicking randomly, even crackling as dust met her head, her eyes gold and her body perfect, save for some scars here and there. “Sire… Let me play with him, please… It’s been so long…�
[21:57] <Vega> ::Stopping in his tracks, his reflex lead him to cry out; "Shift!" the form he desired most was the gargantuan zweihander sword. The gauntlet began to disintergrate, and in it's place, his hand reformed just as quick, appearing as a clasped fist however, a hilt then formed within his hand, and atop the lengthy hilt, a giant piece of darkened metal formed, around it's edges formed a crude unsharpened blade, the state that
[21:57] <Vega> C1: this blade was in was irrelevant however. Electricity began to form around the sword, darting around in an endless incoherant dance. Vega released the clasps from his feet, and not commanding them futher, they began to hover lifelessly around Vega's physical being. "What's this?" Vega began to speak. "Some demon dressed as a trannie.. and his lesser bitch huh? Is Vicious taking me too lightly?" he grinned wickedly as
[21:57] <Vega> C2: said this
[22:03] <West> In a flash, they were both closer, but the man in red had his back turned and was holding the screaming, thrashing woman by her arms. His hair was a mess, but it was easy to tell two particularly large tufts were made to look like horns. Or perhaps they were…?
[22:04] <West> Turning to face him after the woman had subsided, be bows deeply to the Archangel, who was roughly three ranks below him in the opposite army. “I am Bel. I apologize for my clothes, but this is the only armor my body could create. This woman here changes from a candle to a dragon in a flash, and burns as hot as any molten metals. There’s no point for her to wear clothes. Now I don’t see why you’re being rude.�
[22:04] <West> No weapon on this man, he seemed utterly unarmed and completely trusting in this stranger that just raided his encampment with one sweep. His hands looked ferocious though. The ruddy metal looked completely unusual, and even the little cloth tail trailing behind him hinted at a wannabe-demon that was simply human beneath. All these hints, but the burning hellish aura that could be felt around him was a sign to the
[22:04] <West> *:Cut:* contrary.
[22:04] <West> “I am Bel, descended from the One Firelord Ifrit, keeper of the Sacred Hellflame, Commander-General to Vffekt and loyal servant to his wishes. He wishes to see us do combat, and I myself am curious of your potency. I would make it one-on-one, but if I spent the whole fight holding this spitfire off, I’d lose for sure.� Grinning, as if with a friendly glance, he nodded knowingly, “Women, huh?�
[22:14] <Vega> :: Shrugging for a moment, he rotated his right shoulder, a heavy cracking noise made as he then did the same to his neck, jolting his head to the left then right. "Well you see, this is why I'm being rude now, we're enemies, you work for my.. err, well.. sort of brother.. Eh, I'm sure you've heard the story." Vega then eyed the female demon, his eyes mesmerized by the flames dancing about her body for a moment.
[22:14] <Vega> C1: "... How about I deal with her first, y'know.. remove the nake-- err, Distractions, then we can get the main event underway?" grinning at Bel, he then frantically added in one other thing "Oh yeah, seeing as you introduced yourself, Th' names Vega, Arch Angel of Heaven, the last remaining Shadow Angel. Under the command of Moonlight, who answers to no one but god himself."
[22:15] * West is now known as Bel
[22:22] <Bel> With a grin that almost broke into laughter, “Which God? The stupid Creator? Same God I visit from time to time, bleeding his blood into the cracked earth under Hell? I’ve heard of your Moonlight, and all of her instabilities. I can’t help but pity you for answering to such a lunatic.� Biting his tongue as a chuckle escaped him, he turned his back again and raised one hand to his side, thumbs up.
[22:22] <Bel> “I, on the other hand, have an extremely worthy cause where none suffer but the wicked. These mindless demons are put to good use doing what they do best, and this little number at my side is my favorite general. Though she’s not actually any real entity, she’s sure enough to keep my friends happy and my enemies crispy. I’m not sure, but let’s ask if she wants to fight you alone.�
[22:22] <Bel> Turning his head to her, the amusement only half-faded from his face, he speaks quietly enough from a distance that his words can’t be properly made out. She smirked herself, blowing the angel a kiss before crouching low to the ground again and growling in such a way that even her body seemed less sexy than ferocious. Except for pointed ears and many pale scars on her perfectly orange-red body, she looked human.
[22:22] <Bel> “Sure, I’ll fight you, honey,� Her voice seemed doused in honey, actually, thick with a unidentifiable accent and the tone one might take in the bedroom, “I’ll pluck all your pretty feathers off and cook you over a nice warm fire, chicky-poo. Cluck, cluck, little birdy, you ready?� Her grin had small fangs, nothing worth vampires or snakes, but certainly noticeably white against the red-gold flesh of her lips.
[22:36] <Vega> :: Vega paused for a moment, his facial expression froze in bewilderment.. almost embarrased.. hearing such a line he couldn't hold himself out much longer, using his free left hand, he grasped at his stomach, and burst out into a hysterical fit of laughter, every now and then through this he managed to blurt out certain words from her speech such as "chicky-poo" and "little birdy" not to mention taking the pause from his
[22:36] <Vega> C1: laughter to say "cluck, cluck" before breaking out into laughter again, this went on for a good 15 seconds before he let out a loud audible gasp, and ceased his laughing. "Oh man... that was great, almost made me forget the insults I had to endure from the other freak a moment ago." Breathing in again once more, he dispelled the comical nature that he had just a moment ago, and placing his left leg forward in a bent
[22:36] <Vega> C2: manner, and his right behind him completely straightened, he held the sword out infront of him tilted forward, focusing on the flame demon, his gaze made sure to keep Bel inside at all times too, just in case he tried to pull something.
[22:39] <Bel> Her body seemed to waver and disappear, only an apparition left in her wake as her clawed hand dug into his throat as she latched onto his back full-bodied. Her claws were sharper than most blades and they dug with a fierce strength and even her touch burned right through the resistance the Inferno Drake had instilled in him. She was hotter than molten rock and not holding back on it.
[22:39] <Bel> Her grin was malicious and her body half-solid and half-flame. A whispering combination of both and always capable of choosing either for her wishes.
[22:47] <Vega> :: Just as she had drawn blood from his neck, the defensive clasps quickly got into position, blades of energy protruding from them as 4 of the clasps rushed forward, their goal was to pin her down. A fifth clasp buried itself into the arm assaulting it's masters throat, and only a split second was needed to move the arm from his neck, before the clasp shot out, glowing a pale red in colour. Meanwhile Vega announced
[22:47] <Vega> C1: "Levitas Spiritus!" and from the wings on his back shot forth a wave of incoherant lightning, the rush was unexpected, as well as widespread, covering most of the area behind him, at that moment an orb of electricity formed within the vicinity of the attack, an an angelic being much like Vega's appearance was displayed for a split second, the difference however was this being was born of lightning only, then the
[22:47] <Vega> C2: spirit faded into nothingness.
[22:50] <Bel> Struck down in a flash, she grinned like a happy animal as she watched the attack come down in little more than an instant. Her body was replaced by scorched earth and the clasps were dug into it as her body materialized in front of him. Even for a woman with a lovely body, she had the punch of a male Fire-demon, as she was much more than any incarnation of flame. She was a hybrid, as one could see.
[22:50] <Bel> Her punch was aimed for his jaw, and followed by a rushing knee to his gut in a successive melee combination of force and frenzy. Her eyes glimmered with amusement and playfulness as she rocked against him with these two simple and powerful burning strikes, her body moving effortlessly and tirelessly.
[22:56] <Vega> :: Having not moved his posture, regardless of the last attack, he removed his left hand from the hilt of the zweihander, and then turning his right fist so that the thumb was facing downmost on his right hand, he used the gigantic blade as a shield from the attacks, two successive strikes against the metal let forward a loud echo of strange static noises throughout the area. Vega quickly moved to the counter-attack,
[22:56] <Vega> C1: with the sword in it's current position, he charged up against it, ramming his shoulder into the metal, and propelling it forward at high velocity, his goal was to pummel the demon.
[22:59] <Bel> Struck back, she left a shower of embers around him, little pinpoints of heat. And each, like a small bomb, went off around his body. One particularly close to his left ear, but they were numerous, and she was dropping from above silently, claws extended and eyes literally pouring flames into the air beside them. Almost like crying fire, but she was certainly not crying.
[22:59] <Bel> Gripping his shoulders, she’d bend her body and kick his back from underneath him, using gravity and leverage to lift and toss him through the air, hurling two thick and dense balls of inferno in his wake.
[23:08] <Vega> :: The clasps around his body saw the motion of the flames easy, and just as easily dispelled them, simply by shooting through the elemental flames, forcing their explosions well before they reached their destination. He did not expect the next thing however, and in the blink of an eye he was launched into the air, pivoting 180 degrees he held folded the giant wings around his body, and held up the sword infront for extra
[23:08] <Vega> C1: protection. The flames engulfed his body, and set alight an elemental fire dance in midair, a mixture of explosions occuring in the vicinity.. and from the flames emerged Vega, slightly burnt but otherwise unharmed, hate filled his eyes as he swiftly descended from the flaming smokescreen towards his opponent, two of the clasps attatched onto his blade, at the hilt on either side, and charged the blade, turning it
[23:08] <Vega> C2: transparent for a split nanosecond, before it emerged again as a blue and white glowing blade of elements. Screaming out in a hateful tone "Levitas Vado!" he pulled back his right shoulder, grasping the sword harshly, and then thrusted his arm forward, the blade extending instantly, heading towards Soulfire.. the tip of the blade getting smaller and smaller.
[23:12] <Bel> With a shriek, her body exploded into flames and massive white teeth caught the blade before beginning to break down, the teeth eroding against the power the blade held. The massive dragon was not crowned with flames, it’s entire body was flames. A brood mother, it looked, but it’s eyes were golden and almost human in nature. She didn’t care if her teeth broke, they held that damned blade in place.
[23:12] <Bel> And while she held it, the massive drake-woman swung a massive burning claw up at her opponent, even the tips were like fine-honed lasers of pure heat, that could pierce most any metal by instantly smelting the material. She had sacrificed her impossible speed to gain awesome power and only moderate speed.
[23:18] <Vega> :: Crossing his left hand over his stomach in an open palm, it was a command issued to the 8 clasps that remained, and in the wake of the strike that was aimed at Vega's body, the 8 clasps worked together in forming an high powered lightning shield, just two clasps lacking of it's greatest defensive capability. The impact against the shield made it shudder for a moment, and the physical transparent screen that made up the
[23:18] <Vega> C1: shield went static for a moment, but somehow managed to hold the attack at bay... Vega didn't take much notice of the power drain that the clasps went through in order to defend against such an attack. Instead his glare was set upon the dragon's maw, feeding more and more of his power into the sword, making a desperate attempt to growth it further.. slowly it protruded past the weakening teeth, inching further and further
[23:18] <Vega> C2: into her mouth.
[23:22] <Bel> As her claw drew back, and struck again and again, lashing against the lightning shield with thousands of pounds of muscle. An insane amount of power was being spent to shatter this shield that should be as insubstantial as she often was, and she didn’t seem concerned. Her teeth still rotting away, and at the last moment, the great mouth opened wide, putting all Vega’s effort against him.
[23:22] <Bel> As he fell into her mouth, her presence left the body a massive version of her bombs. Her limp and unconscious body dropped towards the ground, where Bel was waiting, and then he darted away, like a flash. The explosion rocked so hard he was thrown straight off his feet, which caught him a moment later and still he skid across the earth, now facing the inferno. “Impressive,� He said mildly.
[23:29] <Vega> :: Falling towards her mouth, the clasps disengaged their shield and followed, the two on his sword left as well, and as they all gathered near, they were then re-attatched to his wings. Falling into the maw of the dragon, he was surrounded by darkness for only a split second, before his physical fram was engulfed in flame, screaming out in pain, he covered his eyes with his forearms, and then knelt down and folded his wings
[23:29] <Vega> C1: over his body, those combined with the clasps remaining energy provided enough of a shield to endure the initial explosions that surrounded him... Slowly the fire faded down, and from its wake emerged an injured Vega, blood oozing from wounds that were burnt to his chest, arms and face, he was however very much alive. Bathed in his own life essence, he casually paced away from the flames behind him, and towards Bel, the
[23:29] <Vega> C2: clasps on his wings humming, as a pale blue screen surrounded his body, as if encased in a transparent egg shell. He stopped a few paces away from Bel, glaring at him wordlessly.
[23:38] <Bel> Smirking a bit to the other man, he pressed a kiss to the woman’s forehead before putting his gauntleted hand over her face. Her body faded, before sweeping up into the gauntlet’s grasp as a fireball. After that, it sunk into his hand and both gauntlets faded from his hands. Standing tall before the other man, he bows his head slightly, “Well played, kid. I’m glad I didn’t let you fight us both, or you’d be toast. Let’s
[23:38] <Bel> Walking towards the camp without further explanation, he signaled for the angel to follow. The blast area was a shallow crater that was burned so hot the earth beneath it glittered red, molten glass ready to solidify. Walking down the slight decline into his massive encampment, many demons moved out of the way. The ones that didn’t were pulled out of the way, or struck by a passive arm from Bel that tossed them like paper.
[23:39] <Bel> One of the smallest tents present was guarded by easily the most fearsome of the demons. Made of empty black armor, dual-wielding battleaxes at the end of sturdy metallic ropes, they stood like soulless sentries without movement, but for the occasional sway of the axe.
[23:39] <Bel> Bel turned to Vega as they reached this tent, “Welcome to my humble abode. You’ll need a bath, and my only bath is the nearby lake. You’ll also need new jeans, and I happen to keep those on hand for my special missions that require human look-alikes that aren’t shape shifters. Come in.� Waving again, he ducked into the tent.
[23:39] <Bel> *:Cut:* get you cleaned up.�
[23:44] <Vega> :: Vega grinned at the statement for a moment.. pausing before finally speaking "Perhaps.." he of course doubted this completely, having gone no where near all out in the last battle, he simply kept his mouth shut, to hide the fact that he could do much better.. Slowly following Bel, he simply glared at the demonic filth that was in the camp, the one he charged through moments ago. Inspecting the demon in the empty black armor
[23:44] <Vega> C1: most curiously however, pacing past the demon in order to get into the tent, he turned to face it for a moment, flicking at the black plate armor once, he turned and then went into the tent. "Interesting.."
[23:54] <Bel> With a shrug, Bel looked around the tent. It was rather large on the inside, looking from outside did it no justice. And it was all to himself, as one could plainly see. No scorch marks, a neat bed in the back. A library of books to the left, though a small one. A desk with several battle plans scattered on it, half of them already signed and awaiting to be carried out. Even hanging on one of the finely made walls, a
[23:54] <Bel> It was clearly a demon’s version of Vicious. His red eyes seemed to glow, his mussed hair formed a similar pair of horns on the back of his head as Bel had. This portrait was untitled and didn’t seem to interest Bel at the moment. He walked to a red candle on his desk and held his hand out. A small flame jumped from his palm to the wick, and it danced sleepily for the moment. “Sleep well, Soulfire.�
[23:54] <Bel> *:Cut:* portrait.
[23:54] <Bel> Turning to his would-be quarry, he tilted his head slightly in quiet contemplation. “I don’t really have any Life-type demons on hand. Most are off on reconnaissance missions or on missions to save Nobles that would serve our cause. The others are busy watching over other Challengers like yourself. I guess you’ll need some old-fashioned rest.� He grinned slightly and gestured to the bed.
[23:54] <Bel> “No point in bathing until after our fight, though. It’ll get messy. My friend on that candle may be impressive, but not by our standards. Even if you went all-out, you’ve spent enough energy to make it an unfair fight. There’s no point in me fighting you unprepared, considering the idea of our fight is to test you.� This was affirmed as he removed the red coat and hung it on a coat rack next to the desk.
[23:54] <Bel> Beneath he wore a simple black shirt with one mysterious dark green symbol where his heart is. Probably meant nothing, but it seemed strange. The red pants that matched the coat shifted in makeup entirely, changing to a pair of jeans that almost perfectly matched Vega’s tattered ones. “Under my bed you’ll find a few stacks of clothes I keep on hand. Feel free, there’s all types.
[23:54] <Bel> “Now if you don’t mind, I have a small kingdom to overthrow.� Bowing curtly, he made for the exit.
[00:00] <Vega> :: Vega tilted his head to the side in a confused state, he was unfamiliar of being shown such hospitality by his enemies. However he simply stood wordless, and did as told, first he changed into some new clothing, and then tore a few of the older ones into simple linens used to then wrap his wounds. He went about changing for a good 10 minutes, before he then began to inspect the tent, using this situation to his advantage he
[00:00] <Vega> C1: began to investigate, whispering to himself "Shift!" and instantly the Zweihander shifted back to the shock rifle, which was then dispelled into nothingness, he only used this so he could access the Data-screen, which slowly materialized over his right eye. He first inspected the book shelves, going over the many titles in the catalogue.. trying to find something on Vicious or Bel.. as well as some other demonic higher-ups.
[00:07] <Bel> The bookshelf held nothing of interest to him. Many books on warfare, even more books on summoning demons… Though it seemed odd that a Demon free of hell with every type of other demon at his whim would care about these types of books. What did show itself on his scan was the portrait of Vicious, or Vffekt rather. Behind it was a thin journal-type ledger, and Bel’s name was written in Demonic.
[00:07] <Bel> Several demons outside could be seen plotting to destroy Vega with his guard down, but Bel coincidentally passed through. One gauntlet materialized, and as the coat vanished from the coat rack, it appeared over his body mid-stride and he gut one of them without a word, passing by on his way to another of his many responsibilities.
[00:07] <Bel> The scan reported the same signals of energy from the flame as was detected from the woman earlier, though Vega was likely to have figured that out already. But it reported the Candle’s wax wasn’t ordinary, and in fact had nothing similar to match it to in it’s seemingly vast memory banks.
[00:11] <Vega> :: Glaring at the candle evily, he worded to himself; "And you can wait... Bitch." Moving from one side of the tent to the other, he peered at the portrait for a moment, and without word or expression he picked up the portrait, and moved it to the ground, picking up the Journal in the wall, he moved over to the table, and placing it ontop of the battle plans, he opened to page 1 and began to read over the details, only paying
[00:11] <Vega> C1: attention to the ones that mattered.
[00:22] <Bel> It portrayed not what one would expect from a journal. It was more of a record book, a timeline. “Using the blood of an Elemental Lord� was underlined, and a few words after, “Summoning an incarnation of the creator to physical planes. Lacking memory but retaining a portion of gifts, his blood would make the finest weapon imaginable. The book went on to explain many things about a particular summoning, without any
[00:22] <Bel> *:Cut:* important details.
[00:22] <Bel> Then it moved on to explain the Lords. Specifically much information of the Fire Lord. The seven lords were ignored by the Heavens because they were believes to possess much power, but no ability to leave Hell for fear of losing immortality permanently. A rather large notation was dedicated to one soul that was infused with the power of all the elemental lords and sent topside to investigate something.
[00:22] <Bel> As he was being infused, the Lords had difficulty stopping their spell as their powers were forcefully leeched by this anonymous but mindless soul. Bel was already topside during all this, which was briefly noted that Soulfire was the one that reported it. Apparently the soul ascended as planned, gathered a small legion as planned, but ignored his duties altogether.
[00:23] <Bel> When confronted by a juggernaut, he decimated the creature with seemingly little effort, harnessing a power believed only a silly rumor. A combination of all elements, which already seemed familiar to this man. There was no way to find out who he’d been before he was condemned to hell, but his arrival in it’s depths matched a disturbance in one of the highest towers the Upper level of Heaven had.
[00:23] <Bel> One human soul entered, and an impossibly powerful one exited, but they weren’t the same being, and the first one was presumed dead. This showed that the incident was linked to the soul’s arrival and unexpected betrayal in the Depths, but wouldn’t explain how. From then on, only indecipherable technical babble went on, and finally the last page wrote, “Vffekt. Most honored Demon Lord. Who is he?�
[00:28] <Vega> :: Reading over the contents again and again, he started chanting to himself "Who is he?"... finally he snapped back into a more solid state of mind, and using the data screen as a recorder, he read over one final time and saved the data to the memory of Dreadbane. Closing the diary, and then placing it back in it's rightful place, then putting the portrait back up, he paid little attention to the battle plans on the table.
[00:28] <Vega> C1: merely glancing over them for any clue to where Vffect or Bel were headed... finally he moved over to the candle, inspecting it for a moment, he ran a hand to the wax for a moment, inspecting it's properties physically, seeing as the data-screen had nothing on it..
[00:39] <Bel> It’s physical composition was much like real wax, but the second he got close to the flame, a spike of white-hot metal shot right into the flesh of his fingertip from the wax. After that, an upside-down dome of metal shielded the flame from everything but the precious oxygen above it. With a perked brow, Bel walked into the tent, his coat still on but his gauntlets sinking into his flesh. This looked very painful.
[00:39] <Bel> Flexing his hands, he walked to the desk, next to where Vega was standing, and took the flame into his hand, a small smile on his face. “I’d appreciate if you didn’t try to put out my only present friend. She’s all I got, and it’d really cause me to second-guess my choice of letting you rest here. Why haven’t you slept?� The candle suddenly changed shape and turned into a small metal dagger, and lay still. Apparently it’s
[00:39] <Bel> *:Cut:* candle form was not true, and it was strange for such a small dagger to have a large hand guard, much like a fencing sword. Bel didn’t seem angry as he seemed hurt.
[00:44] <Vega> :: Shrugged for a moment, glancing up to Bel; "Excuse me if I don't feel comfortable falling asleep in an encampment full of demons wanting to kill me, and one commander who strangely does not right now.. I've been reading instead" he said calmly while glancing at the small knife curiously. Coughing thirstily, he folded his arms back behind his head and looked over the tent once more, sensing no hostilities from the Demon, he
[00:44] <Vega> C1: threw forth a little hint "Conquering small kingdoms must make you thirsty huh?"
[00:48] <Bel> Laughing a little, he knelt in front of the desk and pulled out the bottom-half of a drawer. Apparently it was a semi-hidden compartment that he kept something he wasn’t comfortable other people known he kept. From the drawer, was an empty bucket with a bottle of the finest red wine, fortified and prepared in a human dwelling. Plopping that on the desk, next came the real liquor. It had no label, and this wasn’t made by
[00:48] <Bel> *:Cut:* humans.
[00:48] <Bel> Lifting the wine from the bucket, he put his hand to the side of the metal bin and spoke a short chant. Summoning from some odd place or another many shards of icy blue liquid that wasn’t water, but cold enough for their purposes. “May as well relax a little with my quarrel, no? I don’t get many chances for a drinking buddy. Soulfire swamps me with even more come-ons than normal when she’s drinking.�
[00:54] <Vega> :: Vega himself chuckled with amusement, although it was probably written somewhere in his code to not sit with a demon at the bar table, he could've cared less at this stage in the game, he was thirsty and hadn't had a drink in ages. Taking a seat by the desk he spoke "You don't seem all as bad as I thought you were now.. I was under the impression you had lured me here to kill me, hell.. you may still do that, but for a drink
[00:54] <Vega> C1: of _that_ I'd die a happy man" he pointed to where Bel was preparing the liquor. "Seeing as you're doing all this for me though, I'll give you a little heads up. Next angel you keep as your company here would have taken everything of value, and gone off in a hurry.. we're not so trustworthy I'm afraid."
[01:00] <Bel> Shrugging to his comments as if he didn’t mind if his things were stolen. He didn’t seem to want anything of value, save his own flesh. “Wine or Gherrickt? I prefer the wine. The rotted grapes and alcohol burn a lot less and give me a mellow feeling. If you like to get really smashed, I recommend the demon version.� Lifting ice-cold classes from the bucket, they’d blended in perfectly with the blue ice.
[01:00] <Bel> “If I wanted to kill you, I’d have torn you in two during that explosion, while you’re in this puny form. That weapon you have channels your more forbidden powers and draws them from their locked part of your soul, right? Very nice way of concealing your power, even I can’t estimate it right now. But then, in that flame, I could’ve ended this dishonorably.�
[01:00] <Bel> Guessing at the angel’s taste, he poured the demonic fluid that stirred itself as it swirled with a mix of many ferocious types of barley and other alcoholic ingredients, he pushed it towards him on the desk and poured himself some wine, “Anyway, I don’t see Angels much different from the Paladins of humanity. They believe whatever they do is God’s will. It’s a bit annoying, but Demons are even harder to bear.�
[01:06] <Vega> :: "You read my mind it seems" he said as he picked up the glass, and tipped back a sip of the alcohol. Letting it rest in his mouth for a moment before swallowing it, it left a displeasing taste in his mouth, the effects that soon followed from that simple sip were well worth it. "Dreadbane.. he has a name *gestures to the data visor screen still covering his right eye* crafted by the creator for me. Still... us angels aren't
[01:06] <Vega> C1: all like you say.. we're just the same as humans but are assured of the existance of gods. I don't believe what I'm doing is in his will, to tell the truth, I'm here to kill some time, and wouldn't mind finding out more about what happened to my Brother." he took another sip of the alcohol, shaking his head quickly and then swallowing the liquid, he gasped for air afterwards. "Phew, good stuff."
[01:10] <Bel> Perking a brow a little, he turned and leant himself against the side of the desk and asked a simple enough question, “Huh?� Maybe too simple, he laughed despite himself, pouring another shot for the other man, “I mean to say, the Creator, right? The one that made your species? Are you sure? What’s he look like?� Sipping lightly at the wine, enjoying the numbing it gave his fingertips, which were holding the glass.
[01:10] <Bel> “I’ve learned recently that after making Heaven, and even Hell, the creator had some kind of fight, lost consciousness in Hell, and his wounds still bleed to this day. Sorry if I seem skeptical, but… Who is the Creator you speak of?�
[01:15] <Vega> :: Vega paused for a moment in forth. Speaking in a feminine tone obviously imitating someone else "A being of the greatest power.. my leader".. going back to his regular voice "Is what she told me, y'know.. I've never seen this guy myself. Only Moonlight reports to him, I just sit back and carry out the orders, it's my job yeah?" taking another sip of the grog, he gasps out again "Still, I've heard that story as well, and have
[01:15] <Vega> C1: been told that it's nothing but a lie.. I don't care all that much for who my creator is and what-not, All I know is that I got this artifact from such a power, and that Moonlight carries out his orders." he shrugged slowly; "Besides, stuff like this keeps life interesting, one day I might actually find the truth.. or something" Vega then began to laugh.
[01:19] <Bel> Grins a little at the other man, which could easily be a friend of his had circumstances been different. Though, how they would be different would be strange, considering their absolute opposites in species and alignment. “Like I said earlier, this Moonlight is a lunatic. I’m sure he made the weapon, but that was likely a long time ago, and you only received it because you’re the last Shadow Angel, right?�
[01:19] <Bel> Taking a longer sip of his wine, swishing it a little in his mouth before downing his, eyes beginning to droop. “Ironic as it is, I got my weapon, and my life, from that Creator’s blood. Another thing he left behind, it’s purposes forgotten and it’s uses twisted… I’ve got a journal somewhere in here where I wrote down what I could from my father’s log book. Apparently all demons were accidents. I don’t feel so bad that
[01:19] <Bel> *:Cut:* way.�
[01:25] <Vega> :: In thought for a moment, Vega takes yet another sip of the alcohol, placing the glass back on the table he speaks up; "So.. apparently the creator is down in your place... and Moonlight is running the show herself decieving us all? Well.. to tell the truth, I wouldn't put it past her." laughing somewhat, he resumed; "So.. my Dreadbane.. and your uh.. .. yeah, seems we have at least one relation, who'd have thought huh?"
[01:25] <Vega> C1: pausing again, he finally asks; "How exactly are all demon's accidents?"
[01:31] <Bel> Laughing with Vega about the eccentric leader of all things “Good�, he spoke softly on the next subject, as if it was a secret or a sensitive subject. “The blood of a being whose very ideas were reality had a mind of it’s own, somehow. Perhaps it was a subconscious urge, or maybe little organisms in the ground, grown in the heart of evil human souls, leeched his power somewhat…�
[01:31] <Bel> “Regardless of what the cause was, a few monstrous creatures emerged from the blood, new life that was never intentionally made and had no specific design or purpose emerged. With only the base urges of all life, to exist. Naturally some forces discovered these things that were born to live in impossibly harsh environments, and tried to eradicate them. Drawing on the creator, they grew much stronger to match it.
[01:31] <Bel> Demons of all elements were born, and then as humans began to discover them, intelligent humans that weren’t base urges, and even some Angels, were corrupted with so much power at their fingertips, and the Seven Elemental Lords were made to organize this mass of beasts and nightmares…�
[01:31] <Bel> The empty glass of wine annoyed him a little, so he paused to fill it nearly to the brim, allowing Vega some time to contemplate and even comment, but it was clear to both of them that though they could relax, there was a battle ahead that could end in fatality.
[01:35] <Vega> :: Wishing to continue the conversation, even for a little bit, he began to speak up once again; "So... basically.. hell is pretty much in charge of keeping the order; is what you're saying? With these elemental lords and what-not.." Vega paused, deeply in thought. "And we're lead on like fools, with only a few targets, such as Darbracken and Vicious. As well as demons in general.. makes me feel kinda cheated now." laughing however
[01:35] <Vega> C1: it was evident that he didn't feel this way. "Oh well, It's an interesting lesson. If word got loose upstairs though, there'd be an uproar."
[01:37] <Bel> Grinning easily, feeling pretty tipsy himself due to a weakness to these things so long as he allowed it. He took a longer drink than he usually allowed himself, before blurting out a strange question, “So who’s your brother and how is he involved in this? And… How is Heaven hunting Vicious… My Lord… Without me ever seeing them? Or was this before he died?�
[01:41] <Vega> :: "You wouldn't believe me even if I told you", he grinned widely, speaking anyway; "My brother is Vicious, or as most of your soldiers know him as 'Vffekt', well... not the soul anyway, just the body." yawning a bit, finishing off the rest of his drink, feeling tipsy himself. "As far as Heaven goes, he's missing, Vicious died one way or another though.. and ended up down there. After sighting him a few days ago as he penetrated
[01:41] <Vega> C1: heaven though.. yeah, things are going to heat up again.. I shouldn't be telling you this, but the armies of heaven will be amassing to take on this new threat."
[01:47] <Bel> With a smirk of pride, he put down the wine glass and made a fist, which became plated with red, “It is the same soul, he’s told me the mortal memories are lost… And anyway, he’s already defeated Darbracken and Moonlight in battle, though he never bothered killing them. He’s more powerful than even his bragging could show. You and me are almost the same level, I can smell it… But he’s… It’s unimaginable.�
[01:47] <Bel> Running his fingertip in circles over the rim of the glass, he continued, “Their armies are a tiny fraction of what they used to be, and even then they could barely keep Hell at bay. Moonlight’s insanity and all this past decade’s infighting has made them pitiful in the face of this Army… But he doesn’t seek to destroy anything, that’s what’s so admirable. He seeks to make peace, and destroy false rule.�
[01:52] <Vega> :: Vega listens intently to Bel, taking to heart his words, he nodded and replied; "Even so, I'm living for myself, now that I've lost Vicious and Seidaki.. the 'least I can do for my departed brother is give his body rest.. and to tell the truth, this challenge excites me. It's the most fun I've had in a long time. Had we met on different terms we could've been friends, but you're working under a man I could just never meet
[01:52] <Vega> C1: eye-to-eye with." sighing slightly, he continues; "Still, even in my brothers body, he sounds like a respectable individual, and powerful to boot... this should be great."
[01:57] <Bel> Nods agreeably, taking a swig of wine to salute the sentiment to himself and to his leader. After a good swish-swallow, he took a deep breath and started to lean one way, gravity taking control, “Powerful is a word for people like Moonlight… Vffekt really make a new future, even for outcasts like me, and crazy guys like you… Without the stupid kings, with real rules that protect the weak and reward the strong.�
[01:57] <Bel> Stumbling away from the desk, he turned and dropped onto his back, the pseudo tail made of the strange fabric, soft like cloth but as impassible as armor, as his coat was between his hands, being idly toyed with, an idle hiccup punctuating his state, “Tomorrow, I’ll show you my power, and teach you how far you have to go before you can dust his shoes with your current power… And before that, gotta reward you for yesterday.�
[02:00] <Vega> :: Vega stayed seated, not wishing to fall over himself, he rocked back and forth slowly, under the effect of the alcohol; "Yeah.. I was wondering when that was coming. So what'd I win chief?" he chuckled heartily, with a brief hiccup. "Will it help against you tomorrow?" he asked out of reflex, not really considering Bel an enemy yet.
[02:04] <Bel> A smirk came and his hand raised from the floor, almost giggling, but laughing instead. “I forget… Vicious is supposed to give it to you… Something about her fire… Or something… I don’t know, ask me in the morning. You get my bed… I’m a little sick of it anyway… Grew up sleeping on a bed of granite, this silk-and-cotton deal is a little too much sometimes…�
[02:04] <Bel> His eyes drooped and closed, as he yawned noisily and dropped his arm lazily to one side, “I don’t think anything she’s got could help you fight me…� As he began to quietly snore, his red coat seemed to evaporate in a red haze around him, leaving the casual clothes and one gauntlet to more slowly dissipate.
[02:06] <Vega> :: Moving towards the bed, he detoured towards Bel; whispering with a soft voice to him "So what is your weakness then?" he said it trying not to slur his words to much, of course he made sure that his eyes were shut before doing so.
[02:08] <Bel> Grinning a little, half-asleep already, he laughed as he spoke it, “The best defense is a good offense, lad… Shut up dad. I mean Milord… Just, shut up… Let me sleep.� His grin turned to a frown, before he turned away from Vega and falling completely asleep.
[02:10] <Vega> :: Grinning himself, he was almost apologetic to the sleeping Bel, but whatever it took to win, Vega was up for it... slowly pacing towards the bed, only a slight shake in his stride, he then fell onto the bed, and began to sleep.
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