Grall
The party stood in front of a large ornate gate. A blue hue shimmered around the gate, giving it an odd feeling.
"This is the gate to hell." Tyril said, he spoke with such calm, it almost seemed like they were about to go on a vacation to a spa. "What awaits us in there is demons, powerful beings that even the God's feared."
Grall, not wanting to wait any longer, stepped forward prepared to enter this hell. "I am not afraid of anything. My eyes show me that no demon is present at the gates, so let's be off."
With that, everyone entered the gates without a word, Grall in the lead. As they entered the climate changed from peaceful to chaotic. Fire lit the ground ablaze, molten lava flowed freely on either side, and bones littered the ground.
Ahead of them was a small path that led to a large stone structure, upon the stone structure sat a giant demon. As the group approached, unchallenged, the giant demon turned its huge head to look upon him. His eyes widened as they took in Grall.
"Wh.... Why is a God here?" The demon asked, it's voice trembling with fear.
"Do you know me?" Grall asked in confusion.
"Though you take on another body, in a different time, I'd know the God of death, no matter the cycle." The demon voice sounded less shaken, almost confident.
"Then you know I wouldn't be here unless I had my reasons." Grall replied, his hand on the pommel of his sword.
"Of course," the demon said, his voice trembling worse than before, "what is it you wish of me, oh God of death?"
Before Grall could speak up, Tyril answered the demon's question. "Demon lord of the first layer," Tyril spoke with such fear in his voice that it almost matched the demons, "we seek the one who has released the corpse flowers upon the material realm."
The demon's eyes shifted to Tyril, someone he didn't even take note of, and chuckled. "I do not know who it is that released those wonderful flowers upon you mortals," he said in a deep voice, "I only wish I was the one to do so."
His gaze shifted back to Grall, who now stood with his sword drawn, and spoke without the slightest sign of fear. "Why does this mortal speak for you, God of death?" He said, leaning closer as if to take in Gralls figure. "Is it because, perhaps, this is a new body that you gained only recently?" The demon let out a loud and sinister laughter. "That must be it. You no longer can use your powers because your vessel is to weak."
Grall, angered by the demon lords' taunts, began to step forward, his sword in hand. As Grall took the first step he found himself falling into a deep pit. Not just Grall, though, but the entire party was falling. Grall looked around as he fell, Tyril had been knocked out, Adrian was laughing, Imp was trying to use his magic, and Cass held Sakurako tightly as she flapped her wings trying to break the fall. It was hopeless, Grall realized, this was it. This was how they were going to die.
Grall awoke sometime later, his back ached from sleeping on the ground, but other than that Grall was fine. He stood up and took in his surroundings. The others laid not too far from him and we're slowly waking up their selves.
"Where is Tyril and Cass?" Grall asked as he looked around.
"Not here." Imp said in a nonchalant tone.
"Will," Grall said in a snide tone, "that's a no brainier."
"Then don't ask stupid questions." Imp yelled back, infuriating Grall.
"If you want to throw down," Grall said as he reached for oathkeeper, "then let's do it, little Dasari."
Imp chuckled; his laughter got on Gralls nerves. "You only want to 'throw down' because I'm powerless right now." Imp yelled back at Grall, eyeing him with disdain. "If Etherious was here, you wouldn't dare touch me."
"Who?" Grall asked in confusion, he had never heard of Etherious before.
"My other half," Imp answered, "I forgot, you have never seen him. He is a mighty metallic dragon, one that the likes of you wouldn't last a second against."
Grall stared at Imp blankly for a moment before speaking again. "I've killed a wild adult blue female dragon before, I think I can take on a young metallic dragon who isn't even near adulthood."
Imp stared daggers at Grall, obviously trying to see if he was lying and when the answer, he wanted wasn't present, he convinced himself that Grall must be lying. Imp snared at Grall and turned away from him, heading down a long corridor. Grall and the others followed, where Grall didn't care for Imp and only saw him as a loose cannon that could cause the end of the cycle, he didn't hate Imp and didn't wish for him to come to harm.
As they walked down the corridor, the party found a stone bridge that suspended itself over a lake of lava. "Who goes first?" Imp asked the party, to which Grall grabbed Adrian's arm before he could volunteer.
"I'll go. I at least can recover from most any wounds that are inflicted upon me." Grall said as he eyed the bridge. "Make sure to follow closely behind, Adrian you take the rear and protect Sakurako."
Adrian nodded and Sakurako had a worried look on her face. The party moved slowly across the bridge, keeping three feet between them.
As the party reached halfway across, Grall noticed movement in the lava. He paused in his steps, making the rest of the party stop. Grall leaned down to get a better look, as he got closer, a strange creature, resembling a leech, jumped out at Grall.
Grall fell back in time to avoid being burnt by the creature. More of the strange creatures stirred in the molten lava, ready to jump onto the stone bridge.
"We need to move," Grall shouted as he began to push forward, "now!"
The party rushed forward, dodging the leech like creatures as they jumped out of the lava trying to attack the party. As the party pressed forward, more and more of those creatures piled up behind them, the lava dripping from the creatures formed a pool that moved at a rapid pace after the party.
The party continued to run until finally they found their selves outside of the cavern, the lava still moving behind them. As they stepped foot outside, a stone ball fly's over their heads and smashed into the entrance, causing the party to fall onto the ground as the ground shook beneath their feet.
The party looked behind them to find the cavern entrance now blocked by a large boulder, a thick chain hanging from either side. Grall quickly glanced at the area where the boulder came from. Standing on a hill covered in grass was a man clad in dark armor, a single horn on his helm.
"Hello," Imp said, a smug look on his face, "Milindar."
Grall drew his sword, ready for combat, only to be shocked when the black armored individual spoke.
"Hey, guys." The man said in a very familiar voice. "What are you doing in hell?" As the man spoke, he took off his helmet, revealing a stranger's face that held similar features to Grodak.
Grall stared at the man for a moment, trying to see through whatever spell was placed on him to achieve such features, only to fail.
"Who are you?" Grall demanded, he raised his sword ready to fight this stranger.
The strange man looked to Grall surprised and hurt. "I thought," the man began, "out of everyone, you would recognize me, brother."
Grall searched his mind to try and find a plausible answer to whom this man was, then it hit him. The reason this man looked and sounded so much like Grodak wasn't because he was mimicking him, but because he was Grodak. Not much is known about the Casarns disease, except that death comes to most, but it is said that those that manage to survive the disease becomes a Casarn their selves. That means they could look different, with their bodies adapting to the change by changing their appearance, or something like that, Grall didn't care for anatomy but he was now sure this was Grodak.
"Grodak?" Grall asked as he put his weapon away. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm just as confused as you are, little brother." Grodak said as he approached the party, throwing the useless helm off to one side. "It's almost as if a higher power just wanted us to gather here in hell."
"Indeed...." Grall said nonchalantly. "Which direction should we head off in now?"
"We obviously can't go back the way we came." Adrian said as he pondered the situation. Adrian looked up at Grodak and smiled. "What about the way you came, Grodak?"
"There's nothing that way but hell fire." Grodak said, his voice showing a lack of enthusiasm.
"So," Grall said as he looked around, "we have the choice of either left or right."
After a quick discussion, and a game of rock, paper, scissors, the group decided upon a direction. The group set out and traveled mostly in silence, except for the accational tune Adrian whistled.
Days went by with no one in sight, the group would make camp in caves and abandoned houses. They had began to wonder if anyone, or anything, was even present on this circle of hell.
"We are lost." Grodak said as the group continued to walk.
"Of course we are lost, brother." Grall said with annoyance, his patience, like the rest, was very thin. "We would have to know where we are and the surrounding lands to not be lost."
Grodak grimaced, he hated the prospect of not knowing where they were and how to get out of this hell. The group continued i. Silence for a bit longer before Grall stopped the group.
"Hang on." He said, his head darting from side to side, as if he was trying to see something. "Do you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Adrian asked, leaning his head up and turning to try and hear the mysterious noise.
"I dont hear anything." Grodak said, moving impatiently.
"Neither do I." Imp said sagging to the ground.
Sakurako silently took a step forward trying to get into a better position to hear it.
"Its the sounds of a battle." As grall spoke, the rest of the party stared at him in wide eyed astonishment.
"Impossible." Grodak shouted, his anger breaking through as he shoved past Grall. "We haven't found a single soul, alive or dead, here since we started walking. All that's here is those magma slugs...." Grodak paused, as he walked further he could hear the distinct sounds of blades clashing and beasts roaring.
"I'm not lying, my brother." Grall said as the realization dawned on Grodaks face, which was quickly replaced with excitement.
The party began to move in the direction of the battle, as they moved more and more of them could hear the sounds. As more of them heard the spunds of battle the faster they went, until they were in a full sprint.
The closer they came to the battle, the more fierce they realized it was. Body parts could be seen sent flying. A savage war cry echoed off the dead trees that surrounded them.
As they reached the top of the hill, they saw, standing before them, Cassandra, the dark angel, and several odd looking features that mirrored grotesque minotaurs.
Cassandra held ones head in one hand, forcing the creature into a bowed position, and swinging her sword at another with the other hand. At Cassandra's feet lay several bodies, the bodies of those creatures, chopped and bloodied.
Cass slammed the head of one of them into the ground, a sickening loud crack echoed in the ears of the party, and cut the head off another.
As she moved to another, it looked almost as if she was dancing between partners. The creatures reached out to grab her, their fingers coming inches from touching her skin. The party stared on in disbelief and awe.
Cassandras sword moved through the air as an extension of her own arm. Faster then the eye could follow, she brought down these strange creatures.
As the numbers dwindled down to only three remaining, Cassandra paused only long enough to acknowledge the group before barely dodging a blow from one of the creatures. Cassandra stumbled back, almost losing her balance, and caught an attack with the back of her sword.
Sakurako, showing a look of worry, started to move forward, only to slip in the blood stained ground, landing on her back with a loud grunt echoing out of her breathing apparatus. Cassandra glanced for a second and a monster, knowing full well they were out matched, charged forward ramming its horns into Cassandra's abdomen and pinning her to a rotting piece of wood behind her.
A loud scream echoed out of her throat as she dropped her sword to her side. The monster, with a sickening smile, disappeared leaving behind two stakes that held Cass firmly against the rotted wood.
Cassandra reached down to pull the stakes out of her abdomen but as her hands touched the stakes, they were both pulled back and pressed against the wood by the remaining monsters. One of the monsters, with a gleeful smile, rammed a horn into her wrist, first one then the other, and as it did so, a horn would turn into a stake. As the last stake was put into place, the creature disappeared.
The party, having no time to react, stared on in horror. The last of the creatures, the one with the most wounds, turned to them and bellowed a loud cry as it began to charge the party, heading straight for Sakurako. Grall, being the first to pull himself together, jumped in front of Sakurako, grabbing the creature by the horns and was barely able to stop it. The strain of holding the creature in place, even in a wounded condition, challenged his entire being.
"Grall." Grodak screamed as he jumped in, slamming his fists against the creatures skull. To Grodaks surprise, the creature didn't even bat an eye at his attack.
"Brother," Grall said, his voice strained, "help me hold him back, Adrian and Sakurako, go grab Cassandra, Imp, try to damage this fucker."
Everyone, with the exception of Imp, agreed to what Grall had commanded of them. Grodak found the creature to be difficult to hold in place, as now it was trying to turn to attack those that had went to free Cassandra.
"No!" It shouted in anger, its words sounded more guttural and demonic then a minotaurs. "You cannot have the sacrifice. Its for my master."
Grall, mad that the creature was even still alive, let alone talking, turned his gave to Imp who was just watching and shouted. "Kill this thing already!"
"Why should I?" Imp asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. "Is that 'thing' not a living creature that deserves to live like you or I?"
Grall actually had to bite his lip to keep from letting the creature go and killing imp himself. "Then get us out of here."
"How do you suppose I could do that?" Imp asked, the amusement in his voice reaching new heights.
"You have that connection with your tower that allows you to move to wherever you want." Grall grunted out as the creature stopped fighting to get free and instead decided to push forward and attack Grall and Grodak. "Use that!"
Imp sighed and rolled his eyes, the amusement had vanished from his voice as he spoke. "Do you not think I have tried that? I have, several times, since we got here. I am unable to use any magic. Its like somethingis blocking my link to the source."
Grall grunted from both frustration and strain. "Then do something, you useless waste of space."
For a second, sparks flew between Imps fingers as his anger took him. Imp, having a faint sense of the source now, quickly started to pull on the feeling. He raised his hand and uttered the familiar words he had used several times over the past few weeks and found only pain as the magic went wild and tore his arm off.
A scream of agony forced its way out of Imps mouth as he fell to his knees. His vision blared and the taste of bile washed over his tongue. This pain was the second worse pain he had ever felt, the first being when he sacrificed his right arm and had a golem arm attached in its place..... No, thats not right, Imp thought, I felt a pain far worse then that, but when and how?
Imp pushed his thoughts aside as the creature managed to push both Grall and grodak against a wall and was attacking them. He stood up, letting his bloody stump of an arm fall to his side, and lifted his golem arm, chanting the words he needed. The pain in his arm only strengthening his connection with the source as he opened a portal to the material plane.
"I did it." Imp shouted to the group as he grabbed his bloody stump. "We must hurry. I do not know how much longer I can hold this portal open."
Grall placed his feet against the creatures shoulders, holding it in place. "Go, brother." He shouted at Grodak as he took the full blunt of the creatures attacks.
"I can't leave you here." Grodak shouted, the exhaustion evident in his voice. Grall knew that the entire time they had been holding this creature in place, Grodak was purposely taking the most hits and if he takes anymore hits, his life would be in danger.
"You're not." Grall winced as the creature hit his legs. "Just go, as soon as everyone is through the portal, I'll follow after."
Grodak, unsure if Grall would be able to manage on his own, lingered there for a second before turning to look for the others.
Adrian
As Grall gave the command for him and Sakurako to help Cassandra, Adrian didn't ask questions. He knew out of all of them, the ones who had the best strategic minds were Grall and Imp.
I swear, adrian thought to himself, if those two decided to team up and take over the world, we wouldn't stand a chance. He had thought this several times, but more so now as he ran to Cassandra's side.
As he and Sakurako reached Cassandra, Sakurako wasted no time and began to try and pull the stakes out, with little to no results. The stakes seemed to be magical of some kind and bound her to this slab of wood.
"St... Stop..." Cassandra said weakly, her voice hourse and her body shaking. "Its... useless..... Just leave me...."
As Cassandra spoke her eyes, glazed over from the pain, wondered, never focusing on one spot, until she saw Grall and Grodak. She let out a small, barely audible, gasp before wincing in pain.
"Stop.... them..." She said as she tried to move her wings that were pinned behind her back. Her wings were lucky and managed to avoid being pierced by the horns of the demons, but now she could not move them. "They are.... no match... for these demons..."
Adrian scoffed in disbelief before looking into Cassandra's eyes. "We have the God of death on our side. I think they can manage to kill a wounded demon."
No sooner have the words left his mouth had Grall and Grodak been pushed against a wall and was now beating the tar out of them.
"Grall... is a... young God..." Cassandra's voice sounded weaker somehow and adrian couldn't figure out why. "He... has yet... to learn.... how to control-" Cassandra paused for a second grunting in pain as she felt her life force being sucked out of her. "He has yet.... to learn how.... to control... his powers." Cassandra spoke through gritted teeth before letting out a scream of anguish.
"We need to get you down." Adrin said as he drew his sword, ready to cut the wood.
Sakurako, in confusion and fear for Cassandra's life, stepped between adrian and Cass. Adrian peered at Sakurakos face and saw the tears that had made their way down her cheeks.
"I'm not going to hurt her." Adrian said reassuringly as he moved the blade of the sword between the two stakes that pierced her wrists to the wood. "I'm going to try and free her from her binds by cutting them. This sword is magical, you know. Grodak had crafted it for me when my last sword was destroyed."
Adrian gave a slight push on the blade and found the stakes easy to cut through. As Cassandra's hands became free, the remainder of the spike turned to ash and disappeared. Cassandra lifted her hands, weakly, and grabbed the spikes that pierced her abdomen.
"Can you.... help me?" Cassandra asked Sakurako, a slight smile on her lips.
Sakurako intertwined her fingers with Cassandra's, the stakes in between their hands, and pulled. The stakes gave and slowly came out. Cassandra let out a grunt, baring her teeth, trying to keep from screaming as the pain overtook her senses. Finally, after what felt like ages, the stakes came free of Cassandra's flesh, turning into ash as they no longer pulled at her life force.
Cassandra found herself falling forward, unable to stop herself. Adrian, thinking fast, threw himself in front of her and caught her as she fell. The small group let out a collective sigh of relief as Adrian picked Cassandra up and held her in his arms.
"I did it." Imp shouted, causing the small group to turn and look at Imp. A portal stood open next to a one armed Imp, the blood making a small pool at his feet.
Adrian looked to Sakurako, who stared at Cassandra, worry plainly evident in her eyes as she held Cassandra's hand. "Lets go." Adrian said as he turned to the portal and began to head in the direction of it.
Grall
Grall held the creature back with all his might, accationally throwing punches and kicks at it, trying to kill it. As the last of the group walked through the portal, Grall took a deep breath and pulled on his Godly powers, summoning Wreag, his mentor and the most powerful being he had ever met, to his side.
Wreag, however, did not appear. Instead, in his place, Malik, the strongest human to have survived, the mad king himself, appeared before Grall and without even being commanded to do so, he killed the demon. As the demon fell to the ground Grall found himself at the end of Maliks sword. The tip of his blade pushed against his throat, threatening to slice it.
"Who are you and why have you summoned me?" Malik asked, his voice carried the command of someone who had once led a kingdom to war.
"I am Grall, the God of death, and I summoned you to take care of that creature there." Grall spoke quickly but without a hint of fear.
"God of death, you say?" Malik voice was flat, not a hint of emotion had entered his voice. "Fine, then send me back so that I may spend the rest of my damnation in solitude."
"Not yet." Grall spoke loudly, inching closer to Malik. The tip of Maliks blade pierced Gralls skin, drawing blood. "I need you to find someone."
"And if I refuse?" Malik asked, Grall heard a hint of amusement in his voice, or maybe it was all in Gralls head.
"Then I shall never let you go back." Grall pronounced with such confidence it caused Malik to pause.
"What makes you think I would allow you to live if you did that?"
"If you killed me while you are summoned, you would be trapped here for all eternity."
Malik held his blade to Gralls throat, measuring him to see if what he said was an ideal threat or if he spoke the truth. To Gralls surprise, Malik began to laugh as he pulled his sword away from Gralls throat.
"Who is it you wish for me to find?" Malik asked as he forced his laughter to stop.
"I want you to find Tyril." Grall said a small smile on his lips.