Yigros [IC, Fantasy, Always Open]

[IOTA Corp]

Udengraad

"Get down!" Ahagan hissed. "Those are Tempests alright. We need to be tactical about this; we don't know how many there are, or what their plan is."

"Does it really matter?" Argus asked as he pulled his war hammer off of his back. "I came here to kick some ass."

Argus, I know what you're thinking, and it's not a good idea...

Ignoring his dragon-consciousness, Argus gave a yell and charged over the snowy hill. He made it to the edge of the town before a surprised Tempest blasted him with icy magic causing him to fly back into a snow bank.

"Great," Ahagan muttered from the top of the hill.

Then a blast of fire erupted from the snowbank and lit the hairy creature on fire. Then Argus charged out again and swung up at the Tempest's head. Even though the size difference was immense, the impact of the hammer broke the monster's jaw, and a follow-up swing snapped its neck.

"Come on!" Sending a blast of fire out of his hand at another approaching Tempest, Argus charged further into the town.

[The Cyberiad Council]

The Veil

As Diablon waited, she started to hear the sound of horse hooves drew near. She felt pulled into the Veil between Yigros and Moriai, not fully in either world. It was a strange mirror of Yigros covered in a thick fog that lingered menacingly just beyond reach. Here, the souls took on more of a humanoid shape, but still looked ambiguous.

A pale horse emerged from the fog, its skin was torn and gashed, revealing bleached bone underneath and its eyes were nothing but black sockets: its rider was Death, the Reaper of souls, Hunter of the Damned, The Eternal, the Inescapable. He was dressed from head to toe in tattered black robes and a hood that covered his face, except for two burning red eyes that glowed in the darkness. His right hand gripped a large scythe with a black metal handle and a silver blade that curved to a threatening point. In his left hand, he held a wrought iron lantern that caused the mist to part before him.

The ghastly mount stopped a few feet from Diablon and shook its head with a haunting whinny, pawing aggressively at the dirt. Death dismounted, and approached the nearest soul, appearing to ignore the demon. When he reached the glowing mass, he raised his lantern, and the mist formed a path. He pointed a... flesh covered hand, and the spirit zipped down the tunnel of mist and out of sight. Moving on to the next soul, the Horseman spoke in a surprisingly human voice, "Why do you look for Death, Demon? It is not your kind's to wield."

The sound of jangling chains slowly circled the clearing that Death, Diablon, and the souls were in, but the source of the sound remained out of sight.

[Higher Japan]

The Veil

Floating in the middle of it all with the spear by her side, she sighed as she projected from her fingers a cup of tea, the spear glowing from it's low energy use as she took a sip before letting it rest in mid air. "My my, you're someone who I've never had a dance with." She said, laughing as she got off and walked towards one of the souls, looking at it's memory as she tapped it lightly with a spear, memories playing before her as she stopped the display. "I'm only here to ask one question, how do i find the angel of Death."

[The Cyberiad Council]

The Veil

Death stopped when Diablon asked about the Angel. Its red eyes stared her from under the black hood. "I can arrange a meeting right now." Death raised the scythe for effect. "I suppose you don't mean in the sense of dying."

The chains grew louder as if something was approaching...

"Why should I tell you? You and your master seek nothing but to corrupt the natural order."

[Higher Japan]

The veil

"I now exist solely to accept and carry out orders, if i were to fail there is no more return for me. Perhaps the release of death could work, perhaps not." She chuckled, lifting the spear up as the three tips divided slightly, the soul contained in the center glowing with blue as it was closed again before she sat back down in the air. She then materialized another cup of tea in her hands as she sighed and took a sip of it.

"I'd like a meeting to be organized now, and in exchange I shall owe you a life's worth of debt."

[The Cyberiad Council]

The Veil

"Did you just ask the vessel of Death, 'pretty please' ?" Death laughed and sat his lantern on the ground. Death reached up and lowered his hood to reveal the head of a normal man with dark hair and tan skin.

"You are fortunate, Demon, Azrael is intrigued by the boldness of your master." Death once again picked up his lantern and held it up to the mist. The wall of fog rolled away to reveal a figure standing there with burning iron chains shackled to its wrist and slinking off into the mist. Around its neck hung a black key that seemed to fill the air with a strange presence.

"You wanted to find me?"

[Higher Japan]

The Veil

Causing the cup to disappear as she got down and stood on the ground, Diablon stretched slightly as she looked towards the angel of death, mainly towards the black key. "Why yes my dear, I have been looking for you. However, i am not here to kill you." Opening a small crystal orb, she showed a small projection as all that could be seen was swirling souls and a pin on a map, placing it towards the Broken Lands.

"Samael has risen once again, he is looking for your key." Finishing as she cracked and disintegrated the crystal ball, before turning around. "Don't ask why, but consider this a favor. I have other masters beyond that fool, and i must see to her." Ripping open a portal, it connected the veil towards the broken lands as she stepped out. Upon exit, she bowed as she showed Samael the portal. "My lord, he is waiting for you."

[The Cyberiad Council]

The Broken Lands

Samael cracked a devilish smile just as the last of his burns healed. "Excellent." But before he could step through the portal, Death stepped through, Scythe in hand.

"Go no further, god of Darkness. It would violate the oldest laws of magic for you to enter the Veil. Azrael will not serve you again; He is serving penance for his crime."

"You tell that pathetic traitor to show his face, NOW!"

Death reached out and touched his palm on the god's chest, and Samael crumpled to the ground, his eyes pure black. A few seconds passed before Samael took a deep-gasping breath, and staggered back to his feet. "Have you forgotten... you can't... kill me... I'm immortal." Samael gripped his chest like he was having a heart attack.

"Perhaps not, but I can kill your vessel; expelling your soul to Sheol. I bet it's a lot of trouble to re-animate it."

Samael just scowled, before straightening up. Summoning Aether to his hand, Samael molded it into a point and jabbed it through the Reaper's heart. Death just looked bored as he dispelled the Aether. "You really can't kill me."

"Now if we're done measuring each other, can you please tell me what you want with my master."

"I want the Key, I need it to overthrow Rhodin."

"Azrael will not part with it willingly."

"Then let's make a deal. If you get me the key, I'll use it to release your full form."

"As tempting an offer as it is; I can't just take the key from Azrael."

"Don't worry, I have a plan for that." Samael snapped his fingers, and with a ripple of darkness, a demonic looking being with goat-like horns suddenly appeared gripping a staff of Iron. He looked around rather surprised but then settled on Death and the god of Darkness. "Samael! It really hasn't been long enough."

"Be quiet Pakigsaad, I need you to make a contract."

"I don't take orders from you, not anymore."

"Come on Pakigsaad! I'll give you your own little section of Slonnas once I kick out the old Firefly."

The King of the Broken rolled his eyes. "Fine, What should it say?"

---

A few hours later, and Death and Samael had made a deal. The Key had to be given to the Reaper during the battle of the Berserker. After the battle, Death would give the key to The King of the Broken, Pakigsaad, who would then pass it on to Samael.

"Is that sufficient, Samael? The way we have the contract structured, it should be able to circumvent the deep magic placed on the key."

"That will do nicely, now get out of here."

Pakigsaad rolled his eyes as he teleported back to his court.

"We have a deal, Demon-Lord. Don't break it." With that, Death stepped back into the Veil and dissipated the portal.

[Illegal Planets]

I was trapped inside of a lonely dream. A thick fog throughout, the only visibility allowed from a bloated moon's pale light, casting the spindly silhouettes of a dead forest.

In the distance there were dogs barking, and I could just make out the sound of a woman weeping. Then a familiar voice spoke.

I have never killed a man who deserved to die. Women too have met cruel death by my hand. Husband and wife. Father and son.

I tried to pinpoint the source, the familiarity I felt tugging at the edge of my mind. I stumbled through the fog. Grey tendrils seemed to wrap around my ankles, threatening to trip me.

I have never murdered any children, although in the grand scope of my life, that fact alone provides no comfort.

I tripped and fell hard. I was on my knees now. All strength drained from my body and was replaced by fire. I could not bring myself to rise. I was burning alive.

I wanted to cry out. I wanted to beg forgiveness. I could only gaze into the fog, terrified.

I cannot afford such self-indulgent thoughts.

The silhouettes I had taken for trees were demons, dancing and howling just out of sight. Somewhere a woman laughed hysterically.

The Jigoku is a part of me now.

Kingdom of Camarella
at the foot of the Nar Mountains
Hillside Inn and Tavern

I finished my breakfast, a simple mix of rice and vegetables. It was best to eat light when preparing for long journeys. I didn't have a destination in mind so long as I stayed well away from the city.  I had also finished two cups of wine in a failed attempt to wash away last night's dream.

Dressed in a grey woolen cloak, furs and a pair of battered leather breeches, I picked up my uchigatana and placed a single coin on the edge of the table before exiting the Hillside. As I walked I did not let my thoughts wander. I studied the terrain around me for potential hiding spots and any cutthroats that could be lurking.

My eyes were drawn to a dark mound laying just off the road. As I came closer, I recognized the shape to be a corpse. I gripped my sword as alarm bells went off inside of my head. After surveying the area for several minutes, I crept closer still to the body.

The smell of blood was strong here.  There was more than one corpse. One man was dressed in patchwork and leather, a hatchet close at hand. Two more were dressed in a similar fashion, but only a club between them.

Bandits, I thought. Some kind of argument?

It didn't add up. The bodies were each near eachother, and the wounds indicated that a blade had been used to dispatch them in turn, one after another. They had fought as a gang as such lot were known to do. I drew my sword and ventured a little further from the road. Curiosity had gotten the better of me.

After a time I found the fourth body. A man clad in half-plate, a steel bastard sword at his side. His eyes had been eaten at some point. Birds, judging by the shit on his plate. I grimaced. I was no stranger to death, but the sight was still a grisly one.

As I searched for the exact cause of his death, I noticed that he was clutching something close to his midsection. It would be work to pry whatever it was out of a dead man's grip, and I considered such to be beneath even me.

Something compelled me, though.

I used a stick to pry his fingers open too reveal an amulet. As I plucked the trinket away it shot up and strained against it's chain. Bewildered, I dropped the thing. When I picked it up for the second time, again it drifted away and pointed in the same direction.

What good was a necklace that wanted to fly away from you? Seemed like a piece of trite junk some highborn fool would keep in a collection of curiosities. Inspired, I tucked the amulet away within my cloak and decided it might be time to visit the city.

I generally avoided heavily populated areas, but I was getting low on money and the strange amulet might fetch a decent price there. I gave the fallen warrior one last look, and the man seemed to stare back at me with ragged sockets.

I shivered and turned away. I was going to Impelis.

[Zapatha]

In Rummel, King Regis and Mage-General Horus both arrived and went their separate ways with Regis meeting up with Zadkiel and Horus traveling back to the palace to conduct studies on the magical residue left behind and to advise Prince Emhyr's rule in Regis' stead.

[Placeville]

Nowhere.

The automation was staring out at the vast desert landscape. As far as it could tell, it was nowhere. No-one in the middle of nowhere. Perfect fit. The amulet was pointing, so it followed.

After not hours, not days, not even weeks, but months of walking through desert, forest, and God knows where else, it came across a city. "Impelis," the place seemed to be called.

Wonderful, it thought. It led me to an insignificance amplifier.

It followed anyway.

Market square. What am I going to do, sell myself as scrap metal?

This was pointless.

It followed anyway.