- Peter, Lao, David, Sabu, Moloch -
"Now it's almost fair." Moloch smiled.
Moloch lifted his hand up and made a circle in the air. Blood shot up from the ground and began spinning violently, trapping the four in a large cyclone of red. Moloch sustained the velocity of the attack with one hand while using the other to demolish the insides of the stone pillar David and Sabu were on.
Lao rushed towards Moloch. Moloch flicked his hand toward Lao, creating blood spikes from the ground. Lao jumped over the attack and kept moving.
Lao threw a right at Moloch. His fist connected with the demon's smiling face.
Moloch quickly opened his hand. Blood spikes shot from his cloak into Lao. He was overjoyed in what he thought was a victory until he saw the reborn's face.
Lao had blocked his head and heart from receiving hits. He was still deeply wounded, but he wasn't done moving. His left fist shot forward, breaking Moloch's nose and making a sound similar to that of a log being snapped.
Moloch stumbled backward. Sabu and David were impressed with Lao. Peter and Lao knew it was a minor victory, since the red vortex hadn't stopped it meant their problems were nowhere near over.
"Fucking Hellspawn contracts," Moloch cursed under his breath.
Moloch clasped his hands together and brought the vortex inwards at a rapid pace. He was done playing with his food. The idea that he could capture one of these reborn and torture them later was no longer a priority.
David pointed his left hand at Moloch and fired the strongest blast of fire he could manage, while simultaneously lifting his right hand and covering the other members in stone boxes that he shot out of the vortex. The three were sent out, and now it was just David staring down Moloch.
Moloch had released his hands and quickly shifted them to form a bubble around himself for protection. The smell of burning blood filled the air. Multiple blood spikes shot out from the bubble and perforated David's arms.
'Just run,' David thought.
- Peter, Sabu, Lao -
"We have to go back in!" Peter shouted.
"And do what? Die together?" Sabu said. "Emily already left and Lucifer is fighting for his life, weneedtogo." He nearly bit his tongue at the end.
"He's right, Peter," Lao said.
Peter and Lao got on the uništi as Sabu ran alongside. Peter could see David staring Moloch down. The only thing preventing Moloch from stopping them was the threat that David was close enough to deal serious damage if he did.
'Please save him, Luce. Somehow...please.' Peter thought.
- Lucifer -
Lucifer had started to move towards where he thought the team would go. He had been creating a constant smokescreen as he flew, draining his mana at a rapid pace. Attacks would rip through the smoke every now and again, but nothing would connect. Fenral's large size easily gave away his position, and Garuuk's wing-beats were far more audible than Lucifer's.
Once Lucifer caught up with the team he noticed David was missing. He didn't have time to ask so he decided to focus on protection instead. Lucifer and the uništi were considerably faster than the pursuing enemies.
The team arrived in Verdyr and went deep in before stopping.
- The team -
"FUCK!" Lucifer punched one of the trees causing it to shake. "Sorry." He looked at the scared elves that had come to see what was going on.
"What do we do?" Peter asked. "We can't just leave David to those monsters."
"Our only chance is calling Zach and seeing if there's any nearby grim to help," Lucifer responded.
"There aren't any grim nearby though!" Peter shouted.
"I KNOW!" Lucifer shouted even louder in response.
The other members had flinched at the sound. Lucifer was furious in a way that none of them, except for Peter, had seen before. His anger was frightening in its intensity. Elves had started to take to the canopy, afraid that Lucifer was going to misplace his wrath, and started to ready their bows to shoot.
What followed these events was Lucifer calling Zach and getting the obvious answer that there weren't any grim nearby that could help. There was no one who could help them in time. The team all knew that David was as good as dead. He had personally fought Moloch, a demon renowned for cruelty.
- David and Moloch -
David had been hung up by chains, his hands filled with nails, and his eyes removed.
"If you were smart you would have killed yourself when you had the chance," Moloch said, sorting his tools.
"If you were smart you wouldn't have lost to Satan over, and over, and over, an-"
Moloch grabbed David's tongue and put a drop of smoking red liquid on it.
"That should keep you quiet. Please do keep trying to talk though, it's not like that will kill you."
David couldn't stop gagging. The liquid felt as if it was constantly burning his tongue and choking him at the same time. He could barely breathe.
"Don't worry, I don't plan on keeping you long," Moloch whispered. "As deserving as you are of this punishment, I have more important things to tend to."
- Lucifer and Team -
A day later David's body was brought to the edge of Verdyr by a random orc that had been told to deliver him. The body was wrapped up with a sign on it that read "Remember your place next time."
Lucifer pulled off the wrapping. David's body was barely recognizable. The torture to his body had warped it into more of a barely held together pile of flesh than a person.
"So when are we goin'?" Peter asked.
"Someday, but not today..." Lucifer mumbled.
"'Scuse me? I must have misheard ya," Peter said.
"We're not strong enough to fight them...dying in the Underground won't avenge David." Lucifer kept his eyes on the body as he spoke.
"Then call Death-
"He already said he can't, you heard him," Lucifer interrupted.
"Okay, so convince him," Peter started pleading. "Ya aren't seriously gonna stand here and tell me we're lettin' them get away with this?"
"When Death says he can help, we will," Lucifer said quietly. "Until then, there's nothing we can do."
"Ya know as well I do that if he isn't doin' somethin' now he won't do it later," Peter's eyes started to water.
Lucifer couldn't find the right words to say without lying. He wanted to say things like "I'll convince him" or "I'm sure someday he'll help us" but all of those would be baseless, and he knew Peter would see right through it. His hesitation to speak led to Peter getting louder.
"What kind of leader are ya? Ya let one of your own be tortured like this!" He pointed to the body. "And ya just put your head down and accept it!"
"Peter..." Lao went to interject.
"Fuck off!" He turned from Lao back to Lucifer. "Ya know what kind of creature lets this slide? THE DEVIL!"
The rest of the team looked at Peter with shock.
"That's no way to sp-" Sabu was interrupted.
Lucifer put his hand up to Sabu. He let Peter bombard him with insults. Every word felt deserved. He didn't know if it would make Peter feel better, but he wasn't going to stop him. Eventually, when his throat started to go hoarse, Peter stopped yelling and dropped to his knees.
"Promise me...promise me someday we'll come back and get revenge?"
"We will," Lucifer assured. "Even if I have to beg Satan for help, we will."
The mention of Satan's name was enough to stop Peter from saying any more. Asking for a favor from Satan was world-renowned for being a last resort.
"Come on," Lucifer said, wrapping the body back up. "The sooner we're back in Hell, the better."
The team traveled back to Hell with what remained of David's body. Lucifer was thinking about how Moloch and Baal knew they were coming. He questioned Satan's loyalty as the team traveled. After arriving in Hell the team gave David a funeral pyre.
- Lucifer and Satan -
Lucifer traveled to Satan's part of Hell. He needed answers, and possibly a favor. The former impacting the latter greatly. Satan had been sitting at a stone table, playing a slightly larger version of chess with an illusory clone of himself.
"I need to speak with you about something," Lucifer said to Satan.
"I'm not the one that tipped off Moloch and Baal about your arrival," Satan said, removing his illusory clone, but continuing to move chess pieces.
"Why should I believe you?" Lucifer asked.
"Doesn't matter to me whether you do or not," Satan said, still moving pieces. "Anything ever happens to you in regards to those two false lords then I'll be Death's prime suspect." He scratched his chin. "So even IF I wanted to betray you, it wouldn't be good for me."
Lucifer knew the argument was only partially logical. If Satan had made an attempt the smart move would be arguing that Death would suspect him. What if the plan hadn't gone as expected though? These thoughts and many others swirled in Lucifer's mind as he asked his next question.
"Then who did it?"
"Don't know," Satan shrugged. "Wasn't one of mine. Yours don't have echoes. Maybe it was a grim?" Satan chuckled.
"A grim? Really?" Lucifer's words were almost slurred because of his disbelief.
"Maybe an angel?" Satan suggested. "You know how much your family wants you dead."
That suggestion actually had some merit to it for Lucifer. He couldn't write off the idea that an angel had tracked the team and told Moloch and Baal they were going to be in Passage. He had another thread to follow now. He wasn't fully convinced that Satan didn't have a hand in everything, but it was clear he wasn't getting any substantial answers. He reluctantly moved on to his next reason for talking with Satan.
"I need a favor..." He mumbled so quietly he thought Satan didn't hear him.
"A favor?!" Satan's excitement startled Lucifer. "What did you have in mind?" He turned from the board and gave a smile that seemed wider than his face.