Re: The ORG
Chapter 7 - Two Sides
“Noraxeen!” Jynx shouted up, as he blocked another hit.
His enemy was fast, and had great prowess with such a simple weapon, compared to his own. Jynx had actually expected to slice right through it, but it was made out of this strange blue metal-
Wait, no. That is far too exciting for the drama that is trying to present itself in parallel plotlines. Not to mention that would be jumping just a little too far ahead.
~~~~~
At the present moment the girl with pink hair sat alone in her room, on her bed, wearing a heavy pair of headphones. They were good for blocking things out as she indulged in one of many books borrowed from the library downstairs. Best of all they allowed her to do just about anything, uninterrupted by certain individuals who could make their voice ear-piercingly loud.
She crossed a leg over the other and leaned back in a comforting silence, oblivious to any noises on the other side of her walls.
~~~~~
Around half an hour ago that other girl with green eyes entered the Underworld by way of blind spot. That is to say, right outside Hades’ door.
She considered turning back, and just telling the others she had not received any leads. Why was she not doing that again? Cinollex kept asking herself this as she went up the dark stone steps. The whole place smelled like death and decay, as if she did not get enough of that every day.
Cinollex came to the room where the god resided, lit dimly by blue-flamed torches high upon the walls. The ceiling itself was unseen, and went up far enough to be obscured by darkness. At the end of the room, a circular table, and a ludicrously tall throne behind it. Cinollex walked forward, head tilting up to look for the Lord of the Dead, only to jump at a voice behind her.
“Oh, right, just walk in. Didn’t you get my secretary’s new number? Not like I had any plans anyway. Not like the Ruler of the Underworld has prior engagements.”
Her eyes were already rolling out of her skull when Hades strolled around.
“Had an appointment with Nemesis, but it can wait. Even if it means letting a little more vengeful spirit into the world. Long as I get to meet with the little roach, right?”
Cinollex kept her chin up, crossed her arms, and continued walking towards the end of the room. She clicked her tongue, and spoke casually, without intimidation. God, that was the last thing you wanted to show around him. Which was not to say Cinollex was frightened of anything Hades could potentially pull; she was just really annoyed by it.
“That’s pretty weak. I’m hardly like a bug; my eyes aren’t popping out of my skull or anything.” She shot a glance at him over her shoulder. He did not seem phased by the comment.
“Of course it’s appropriate, for you. You’re a roach. An insect. Irritating pest that just won’t die very easily. Isn't that right, mm?” His voice was rising, which entertained the girl. Maybe what she said was getting to him.
Hades had it out for Cinollex, to just the slightest degree. Someone who could play with death so easily, and influence the mortality of others… Maybe if she was stuck on her own world, sure, it would hardly affect him. But of course she had to drop by every so often looking for something; some little clue to her powers or an item she could use to screw over his domain and what it stood for.
“So what is it this time? You probably don’t want to bring some significant other back to life, no, not like the usual requests I get, you could do that on your own. You could start a freaking business doing that on your own.”
“I-” Cinollex started to speak, but was cut off right away, as Hades spoke on his way to the round table. She followed, sighing audibly.
“Want another clue to your powers? Some kind of weapon?”
He lent over the table, picking up a little clay figurine. It was of no one in particular, just a run of the mill man in ancient Grecian clothing, only a few inches high.
“Maybe you’re sick of breathing life into anything that doesn’t move, and you want to kill for once.” He crushed the little man in his hand with the conclusion of the sentence, letting the dust fall to the ground. A blue flame burst in his hand where the dust once was, and when it cleared, a second figure had taken the place of the first. The whole time his skin was changing to a distinct shade of orange, as was the fire on his head.
“Well, I think I’m getting sick of-”
“Yes.”
Cinollex had caught up with him at the table, and stood at the opposite side. Hades stared at her a for a moment, barely calming down enough that he was only the lightest tiny of blue again.
“What did you say?”
“That’s exactly what I want. I want to kill things.”
Of course she said it so archaically to mock him. What Cinollex was looking for was more than a gun or sword, and was such a mythic item that saying that it only ‘killed’ people would hardly be describing its function at all.
Hades stood straighter, gripping the figurine and tapping his chin with the other hand. He knew what she had in mind.
“I don’t see the point you know. There is no point. No, not at all. Pointless, even.”
“I intend to find it, regardless.”
“And even if I told you where it is, you little nymph, what would you do with it.” He laughed, fairly loud. Mocking, even.
Cinollex pulled her right sleeve back, revealing the glowing silver band on her wrist. Hades stopped laughing, and his face slowly contorted from joy to confusion to anger; finally settling on a nice complexion of disdain. That thing was not glowing the last time he saw it, and the times before.
“I want to get my hands on the other one.” She said, flatly.
The God did not nudge, but looked down, and then back up to her, or at least the bracelet.
“So you want access to the other side of your so-called ‘fated’ powers. Hmph. I don’t see why I should be giving you anymore power than you can’t already handle.” He began shouting, as if announcing to some invisible audience. “I mean, what? You’d just wind up blowing yourself up. Hey, would make me day, I’ll be honest, but then anyone else could just come up and grab it. I’m far too responsible a god to let something like that happen.”
The Nobody put her hand to her chin to mirror Hades. It was the same one that had the bracelet at the wrist. It began to glow just a little more brightly.
“You know I’m a responsible person, Hades. I can surely handle it.” Cinollex warned. The artifact grew brighter still. “But I can see where you’re coming from. You’re worried about me being too…irresponsible, if you will.”
As the radiance reached its peak, there was the sound of something shifting around, like sand. They both looked to the floor, where tiny particles of dust quickly massed together, and glided up to the table. There they spun in a little ball of brown and white and gray before simultaneously combining into a familiar image. The clay man stood, good as new.
Not really the thing Hades stood for, he started to enter his rage mode. He threw the newer figure he held to the ground and stomped on it, numerous times, orange flames rising taller from his head.
“Whoever decided it was smart to put that kind of power in those little, insignificant, roach hands I’ll never know!” He roared. Hades drove his heel into the ground, grinding whatever was between it and the gravel. Breathing heavily, he moved his foot to get a view of what would remain of the tiny person. His eye twitched. “You really want it this bad, huh? Think you’re cool for threatening a god like this? Someone who could easily wipe out entire cities because he didn‘t cover his nose when he sneezed?”
She had to admit she really felt like she had the power to do so now and it was nice.
“You really think you can handle what this thing can do, if you can even comprehend it?”
“You know, I really think I do.” Cinollex responded, not even making eye contact while nodding, and waving her brightly glowing bracelet around.
“Hmph.” He sneered, once again turning back to blue. “Then, I’ll make a deal with you.”
“Oh, I know how you love deals.”
“I do enjoy a good business transaction.”
“So what is it.”
“I’ll let you hang onto the…‘weapon’, which I’m sure an ignorant human such as you would call it. Easy, right? I just want you to keep it. Just you and only you. Then, when you’re done, and the what’s left of your body is scattered across the Styx, I would like it delivered back to me. Obviously not by you,” he muttered, more to himself than her, “because, well, you’ll be dead. Permanently, may I add. Your soul at my expense for eternity…” Suddenly he spoke up again. “So, we got a deal here?”
Cinollex knew his games, and how Hades was probably just trying to mess with her. There was no reason she would not have that thing glued to her arm the entire time. Who is dumb enough to lose something attached to their arm, anyway? She also had no intention of returning it; he was trying to scare her. How elementary, sir.
“Deal.” She said, holding out her hand expectantly. It was of course the one with the bracelet.
Hades reached out and shook, glaring at the artifact, then back to the girl’s face. It looked painfully smug, but he would hold back. All in due time, he thought.
He went on to instruct her how to get to the item she wanted. It involved navigating a series of long, dark, impossibly complex tunnels. Fortunately Hades told her of a few secret passages, and supplied a map, as he made it very clear to her, multiple times, to not use a Corridor of Darkness to get to the vault. It was very far down, as Hades made sure to lock the artifact away as tight as Tartarus. That meant it was away from his magical tracker-negating powers. Therefore anyone could see where she went without a problem. The last thing Hades wanted was a bunch of idiot mortals running around his secret catacombs.
They exchanged sarcastic good-byes, and Hades went back to dull routine. He walked around his game board and-
“Ow!” Stepped on something. He looked to see what it was.
It was the little figurine he assaulted before. It had some black fabric draped over it for clothing, brown hair, and two small green dots for eyes. It was completely unscathed.
From here on out, it would take Cinollex a considerable amount of time to make her trip, as well as plenty of time to go back up. So the transformation of informational drama to boring walking around was completed, meaning a much more thrilling perspective was to be jumped to. Preferably, an exciting battle between two sides of powerful beings.
~~~~~
The guns started to whirl up again. Kinxu, not condoning any amount of time for her enemies to relax, steadied her aim. Xanele started strafing, ready to avoid the blasts, and to fire back with her own charged weapon. In her other hand, a ball of rainbow-colored light grew in intensity, until she lobbed it, so that it arced perfectly and landed in front of the white-haired girl. She grunted, blocking with her arm and taking the explosion in stride, and began to fire upon Xanele, who was already taking cover behind-
Wait, no, shit.