Rachel breathed out a long puff of air as she turned in a slow circle, observing the growing audience; Nia held onto her skirt, moving with her and trying to keep a brave face.
New entities were showing up to watch as word of Dionysus’ downfall no doubt spread amongst the higher beings under the 5th-dimensional weight class. The stronger deities would naturally want to know what changes were happening to the figurative board.
She could see Cerridwen’s hand moving the pieces more and more with every passing second. The nightmarish deity was putting a spotlight on her, which would draw others to try and jump on the bandwagon and dissuade many from making them an enemy. There was an agenda here, but it was played on such a high level that she’d need help to decipher it.
With the selections made, the stadium of ballsy lower deities, studious angels, or rowdy devils and demons began to fade away. She caught Yseress’ teleport in a flash of black flames to Conner’s side in the VIP box, and whatever the fallen Nephilim was laughing about wasn’t amusing the Legend.
Looking up at Izanami and Eostre, sitting on their thrones above, a smirk lifted the corner of Rachel’s lip as the radiant Hell Lady stepped through space to stand in front of her.
Nia jumped. “What are you doing? You’re not going to do shady stuff like Dionysus did, right?”
Rachel reached over to prompt Nia forward. “It’s okay, Nia. Izanami is here for something entirely different than him. But… what’s the point of going up on your chair only to teleport back down to me?” she asked with a short chuckle.
“Atmosphere,” the woman chortled in return, long gown shifting as she gestured to the sky, peeling back the layers to show Eostre and her still in their place. “My way of doing things diverges from Dionysus, little bunny, yet there are rules that must be abided by. Walk with me, Rachel.”
“I’m coming, too!” Nia hissed, squaring her shoulders and mechanically stepping out beside Rachel; she was trying really hard, for having the temperament of a five-year-old.
“Naturally.” Izanami nodded at the kid, slowly making her way to the city’s dry dirt roads, where blue-phasing spirits moved. Nia was growing more nervous by the minute. Rachel didn’t see much of a choice, examining the declining, polluted city that seemed to be one of the Hell Lady’s lands.
“Clever,” Rachel noted, piecing things together. “You have to finish the selection process, but when it starts is up to you. So, you’re explaining the rules to the crowd at length.”
Izanami’s alluring illusion hid what the fallen Creation Deity truly looked like, yet held just enough of a similarity that it wasn’t hard to see the hellish inspiration she was using. The woman’s intelligent, Infernal eyes drifted to her as the ghosts bowed silently in respect at their passing. A curious curve came to her rosy lips before returning her sight to the city.
“It is not just the crowd, my dear. I must inform you, Aleka, Irida, and Thalia of the rules and conditions of this challenge. Yes, I could do this in a grand fashion to all those present, as Dionysus did, impressing the rules onto the creatures that were to enter the arena. However, I don’t find joy in such aggrandizing displays.
“In addition, it has been so long since I’ve had the chance to walk with a cute little girl, as well,” she said, smiling down at Nia, who almost stumbled and fell.
“Don’t be weird! I’m not a little girl. I just… look like one right now,” she grumbled, hugging herself under the Hell Lady’s entertained gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?!”
Rachel put a hand on the frightened bunny’s head, making her ears twitch. “She was a Creation Deity, Nia. Making kids was a big part of her job, so it’d make sense that she’d like them. But if I recall, you were killed by your own son? And if you didn’t want to talk about it, heh, I’m not going to press you.”
“This is… correct,” Izanami whispered, a distant smile moving her eyes to the gloomy skies. “Searching for answers to part the veil of mystery is something you excel at, Rachel. Is it a sorrowful topic for me? Yes. As a mother, it pains me that my husband turned all my children away from me, poisoning their minds. Death is not my torment… Isolation is.”
Izanami fell silent, hands held at her front, carrying a grace and control that made Dionysus look like a child as she spoke about torture that the man would probably never understand; this was the cadence of a woman that didn’t need to pronounce her power because she embodied it.
Nia’s ears rose at the topic, poking her head around to stare up at the somber, quiet Hell Lady, eyes big with wonder. “Is that why they call you She Who Invites?”
“It is,” she gently answered, holding out a hand with an inviting smile. “I know I might be frightening, but it is not my intent to harm the innocent. My ire is reserved for those that have wronged me, and this Hell… Yomi is a place that reflects me as that which was born out of my death. It is a reminder of my misery.”
“That’s so sad,” Nia sniffed, trying to hold back her emotions as she innocently took Izanmi’s hand, making the woman’s features soften. “Can’t you resurrect yourself or something?”
Rachel kept an eye on Izanami as the fallen goddess took the center position, Nia walking on her other side. The Hell Lady seemed genuine, but Rachel was no fool enough to think she didn’t have her own agenda. She was getting close and garnering sympathy for a reason, and all the stories she’d heard about the Japanese death goddess came to the forefront of her thoughts. It would be good to identify what carried over from the myths and religion.
“Your husband, in his grief, murdered your son for killing you, and then he went into Yomi to resurrect you. He saw how corrupted your celestial body was, and was revolted, right? You aren’t alone either, as I recall. Didn’t you make the eight Gods of thunder from the maggots in your corpse? And you sent them to kill a thousand people a day in retaliation for your husband’s scorn.”
Nia withdrew her hand, jumping around to Rachel’s side again. “That’s not nice!”
Izanami flexed her fingers, holding them up and seemingly savoring the feeling of Nia’s small grip. “A house divided is one of sorrow and heartache… And neither can accept each other as family. I created yet another scar on my heart through my loneliness, grief, and anger… To be rejected simply for my lost beauty did break something within me.”
A pained sigh left the Hell Lady’s lips before turning her attention back to them with a more devious gleam. “You are certainly brash, Rachel, which is something I can respect about you. I did not only come to speak with you about the rules, as you have surmised. Am I right to conclude that you are seeking more insight into Cerridwen’s plots?”
Scratching the side of her head, Rachel shrugged. “I may be proud, but I’m not arrogant. I know when I’m out of my depth. And a game like this is something I do need some insight into. I’m not going to take everything you say as fact, truth or not; you’re smart enough to twist it however you like. I will piece things together from what she and everyone else gives me.”
Izanami paused at the top of a hill to stare out across the vast wasteland that surrounded the city, the polluted river cutting deep into the distance. Her flaming, smiling eyes drifted to her after a few seconds of deathly silence that made Rachel’s gut twist as her instincts told her she was missing something.
“For this challenge, Aleka, Irida, and Thalia will be heavily restricted, but it is important to note that Hellhounds are not generally killers. It is their duty to guard and gather. Think of them as the shepherd dogs of Hades. They can travel freely between realms, unlike most devils and demons, because they fulfill a critical role in the passage dividing life and death, herding souls to the River Styx.”
She made a simple gesture in front of them, showing the three grinning sisters, showing them more as wolves than dogs with their ears, tails, and nearly identical, ferocious features, excluding hair, eye, and flame color. They wore formal business suits that contrasted their colors.
“One thing these girls love is the chase,” Izanami mused.
Nia gulped as a little bunny appeared between them, causing their lips to peel back with a vicious grin that showed their sharp fangs, yet they soon were glancing at one another.
“They are as close as can be, and never apart… except when the hunt for something not concerning work comes into play. They’re quite vicious.”
Rachel felt her own tail quiver as they began fighting one another over who would get the rabbit, pushing, biting, and throwing each other around, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away or into different realms. Their conflict devastated the illusionary landscape in their rush to see who would get the rabbit first.
“Aleka is the youngest,” she said, pointing out the green-flamed girl with a mischievous, crazed smile. “The cruelest and most methodical of the three.”
A red-flamed wolf girl came next, wearing an open grin. “Irida is the middle child, and the first to pounce. She is the most sensitive of her sisters.”
“And Thalia?” Rachel asked, staring at the blue-flamed oldest sister, who appeared more reserved than her younger sisters. “The shy one?”
Nia nodded emphatically. “She looks nice.”
“Nice, hmm?” Izanami whispered, showing the black and blue-furred wolf looming over her sisters, strings attached to them as she played the pair against each other. “While Aleka jumps to action and Irida torments her, Thalia snatches the rabbit and gobbles her up.
“The game?” She chuckled. “Survive for ten minutes, by any means necessary. Oh, and as you can see, the girls do enjoy playing with their food… and with each other.”
Nia grabbed onto her skirt again. “Cap… how are we going to do this one? I don’t want to be soul food!”
Patting the child’s head, Rachel breathed out a laugh. “Surviving should be easy since Izanami has already given us the blueprints. Is this a part of the rules or favoritism?”
Izanami turned around and looked up at the red-flaming moon that changed to a corroded, smoky hue within Yomi as Rachel felt the rays strike her skin, sparking something Infernal within her to bloom.
“Neither, and might I caution you that you are too hasty, Rachel. Don’t you find it odd that Dionysus didn’t communicate with Conner personally but through Relica and the Scarlet Hand? The question you should invoke isn’t what Cerridwen’s goal is but rather how Cerridwen and Eostre were able to communicate with you in the first place… Best of luck.”
Rachel’s turning mind came to a screeching halt as Izanami vanished in black flames, and the three grinning sisters appeared around them. The pulse of the Yomi-tinted Hell Moon beat within her breast, DNA morphing with the corrupting light as the pressure of the polluted environment dug into her soul, yet the fallen deity’s words persisted in her mind.
Dionysus asked what I was in his last moments… He believed I was something else besides human. I have to ask Conner about his experience with Dionysus. Why didn’t I do that before?! Dammit! It’s so obvious now.
Her focus snapped to Irida as her red and orange locks burned with her hungry eyes, and a clock appeared at the corner of Rachel’s vision, counting down from ten minutes.
Nia grabbed her from behind in a panic before forcing herself away. “Rachel! W-What do we do?!”
Irida’s tail began to wag, teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “You’re our rabbit and hare, hmm? Ooh. I like what’s happening inside her, Aleka! She’s turning into a devil! See!”
“I do, Irida,” the youngest whispered, scratching her jade-green ear and looking at her elder sister. “What do you think, Thalia? Should we wait for the transformation to complete? Maybe toy with them while it happens? There are two of them, after all. That’s one for me and two halves for you to share.”
“Funny as always, Irida,” Thalia said, brushing back her mess of cobalt locks before walking around them in a slow circle with her sisters as they studied them and sniffed the air. “I have a better idea after Lady Izanami’s discourse. Let’s have our fun, though.”
Rachel tilted her head in acknowledgment of the three denizens of Hell that circled her; there wasn’t a chance in hell, as they said, that she could contest them, and that was perfectly fine. A voice within her told her they would ramp up to her level to have fun.
“Thalia, Irida, Aleka… It’s a pleasure.”
[Lunar Hell Hare - Yomi: Active]
Snickers followed, and Nia even joined in the impish cackle.
The Hell Moon’s protection conditioning her to the land, Rachel held up her arm to observe the black fire and crimson electricity spark across her skin. A cold joy, rational, and cruel tug came from within her, the vibe of the moon rushing into her like a river to find the parts of her personality that resonated with its energy.
Stepping away from Nia, she saw the girl do the same, looking at one another to see the reflected changes overtaking their souls; she could feel Nike tossing and turning within Nia on her bed, uncomfortable with the flood of Infernal Force twisting through their spiritual veins.
White hair fanning out in a rush of wind, raven streaks melted away the shiny glow, and a single, curved horn grew out of the back-left side of their skulls. The new color matched their black and red military school outfits, and she felt the strength Hell brought as her soul was infused with its energy.
Her human-like appearance didn’t change as the Black Moon had done, keeping her form and giving her a far more Succubi-like appeal, with an exception. A corruption spread along her veins, giving her insight into the sorrow and pain of Yomi. Her lips were dyed black, her clover eyes going from pink to sparkling obsidian with a bright red pupil.
She lifted her arm to examine her dark ebony fingernails and polluted skin before catching the war hammer that dropped out of the sky; it was as weightless as her body felt, and the reason came soon after with The System’s notification.
[Infernal Adaptation - Yomi X - Reborn in the corruption of Yomi’s filthy and polluted lands, the user burns with the infectious flames of Hell. While under the Hell Moon, the user understands, can live in, and travel the Infernal Planes.]
[Infernal Soul Harvest VIII - The user is capable of ripping out, burning, or corrupting the spirits of mortals. To do so outside of the Infernal Planes without the protection of the Hell Moon will force the user back to Hell]
[Infernal Soul Pact VIII - Create a binding contract with a mortal that is burned into their very soul. Feats are dependant on Infernal Power]
[Infernal Power (Yomi) VIII - The user’s power is dependent upon which Hell Moon they draw from. Yomi, as a domain of the 7th Circle, grants the user the attributes of a Princess of Hell under the Hell Moon. Outside of the Hell Moon, depending on the powers invoked, the user’s Hell Force will drain at a varied rate.]
[Princess of Hell (Restricted) - the user has the noble standing of a devil born of the 7th Circle, holding the powers over their own State in Hell, with all the powers attributed to them.]
[System Warning - Soul unable to withstand the 7th Circle’s Infernal Force. Restricted to the 1st Circle. Princess of Hell downgraded to Baroness of Hell.]
Rachel looked up as the sister’s excitement faded, flaming tails drooping.
“Well, that was disappointing,” Irida groaned, scratching her head and messing up her flaming red hair. “Here, I thought you were going to surprise us and put a leash around our necks with that sudden rush of Hell Force that would have impressed Dad.”
Stretching out her arms high over her head with the mutts’ stares on them, Rachel saw Nia doing the same. Her lips curled as she studied the three.
“Between the Black, Blood, and Greater Harvest Moons, this Hell Moon puts a lot in perspective. Honestly, you’d probably love me a lot more under the Blood Moon since its natural immortality and healing attributes bypass my weak spirit, but beggars can’t be choosers. How do you feel, Nia?”
“Really good!” the child chimed, moving to stretch out her legs and glancing at the clock only visible to them: 9:10 minutes until they won. “I feel like I could destroy a large town without breaking a sweat, Cap. Woah—hold up!”
Nia threw up her hands as Irida grinned, ruby flames igniting as she shot forward, but it was Thalia’s fist meeting her twin’s face that sent the hound flying off into the distance.
“Ack—screw you, Thalia!” the middle sister screamed.
Aleka’s ears perked up, green eyes darting to her big sister as she straightened, flexing her fingers. “Well, that’s not like you.”
“It isn’t, is it?” Thalia softly commented, sapphire eyes drifting between Nia and her.
Rachel’s ears tilted to the left, holding her hands behind her back and wondering what people thought about the match thus far, but this made sense with the knowledge of Hell plucking at her brain.
“You want to make a contract?”
Nia jumped over them to land on a half-broken stone wall and giggled. “If we survive, that is. Where do you want to cut the game of wolf and rabbit? Five minutes.”
Aleka’s glowing jade eyes brightened. “Ah. So that was what Izanami hinted at. It’s possible as a baroness for her to forge a contract with a Hellhound. Five minutes is too—”
“Thalia!”
The world tinted as [Hell Step III] carried her to the roof of a nearby building as a raging meteor hit the street, [Hell Cloak III] protecting her from the debris. Inside the crater, Irida was wrestling with Aleka, the mix of emerald and red flames melting the ground and creating a molten river that flowed down the hill.
“Irida, stop and—ouch! You bit me, you ugly bitch!”
“Ack—don’t bite back! This is your fault for tackling me—my tail! Not there, Aleka—not my thigh! Ahhh!”
“Hasn’t healed from our last fight! Has it, you wiggly mutt!?”
“Don’t call me that!”
“My ear?!”
The snarling red and emerald-haired sisters rolled into the building across from her, Nia cheering them on in the background as it exploded in flames. They soon disappeared into the blazing city as the melancholy ghostly figures watched from the sidelines; none of them seemed to get hurt in their wrestling match.
“Go for the ear! Yeah, get her good! Ack, that probably hurt. D-Don’t be too rough with her, Aleka! Just make her cry a little bit. Yeah! Pull out her claw!”
“Don’t pull out my claw!”
“Hahaha! Bite my ear, huh?!”
“Thalia, help!”
Rachel crossed her legs, setting her hammer beside her while watching the clock counting down and the fighting siblings. She wasn’t sure when their big sister was sitting beside her, but she wasn’t caught off-guard.
“Enjoying my sisters squabbling?” the sapphire-eyed wolf asked.
A shiver ran down Rachel’s spine at the wolf-like gleam in the girl’s leer. “You aren’t normal Hellhounds. If I’m a Baroness right now, and Yseress is a Princess of Hell… then I’d place you somewhere between us?”
Thalia’s tail melted a path through the roof to gently weave below, cutting away a decent portion of the protective covering, and it told Rachel how dangerous these girls were when the uncharged radial heat of her cobalt fire made her comfortable.
“Each of us are Marchioness’ of Hell, and amongst the highest ranks of Hellhounds as daughters of Cerberus. I’ll get to the heart of the matter. Survive my sisters, until your clock reaches one minute, and I will consider your contest won. There is something we need that Izanami pointed out, and you are someone capable of granting that wish. Do we have a deal?”
Rachel eyed the Hellhound’s hand as she offered it with a devilish smirk, knowing there was no way she could back out of this deal. Her gaze lingered on the wolf’s midnight blue fingernails for only a moment before accepting it, arm tensing at the flame that passed between them. She knew exactly what she was getting into.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Her jaw tightened as their fingers locked, and bright sapphire flames rose to her forearm, and Nia pulled up her sleeve, showing her flesh being tattooed with a circle of wolf’s teeth in the same color.
“I don’t like not knowing what the terms are,” Nia hissed from the house to her right. “We survive, but what is expected of us?”
Rachel let go of Thalia’s hand, flexing her stiff fingers as the fire settled in her soul. Misfortune is against us if we don’t take this, and with us if we take it. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it when it comes, but… Her strained smile met the wolf’s small smirk. Thalia will make sure we don’t make it out alive if we don’t. She’s committed to us winning to get what she—
Her eyes widened as Thalia took a deep breath and let out an ear-splitting howl, causing the racket and ball of death that was already across the city to stop. Maybe she didn’t know where this was going.
“Find their weakness, then find me, if you dare,” the wolf giggled, drifting away in sapphire flames.
Rachel’s shoulders sank, eyes closing as she realized her folly; there was always a catch. “Daughters of a bitch.”
A sharp explosion came from the distance, and Rachel leaned back into the hole Thalia had preemptively made with her tail, grabbing her hammer on the way down. A wave of ruby flames ripped apart the ceiling milliseconds after, Aleka’s vicious giggles following Irida’s answered call to her big sister’s howl.
“Brilliant, Cap,” Nia grumbled. “I’ll take the mean one. She’ll like tormenting a bunny kid.”
Thadda soldier, Rachel chuckled. If we want Thalia’s help, we have to find her sister’s ‘weakness,’ then go find her.
“Great. Not only do we need to find a weakness, but we also get to play hide and seek with wolves on our tails. Fantastic job, Rach. Not one of your brightest plans.”
I’m working with what I’ve got. Just don’t get—
“Stupid vague rules—aaah! She found me!”
Rachel didn’t have time to listen to Nia’s shrieks as half the house was enveloped in solid red fire, the blazing visage of Irida’s hound-like jaws ripping it away. Hammer spinning in Rachel’s hand, she held it against her chest as the redhead skipped through the ruby inferno.
Take your hammer and first meal, Nia!
“Got it! Now knock that bitch out! Her sister is trying to bite off my tail! She knows everywhere I go—she’s tracking my teleport energy!”
Recalling the hammer, Rachel grinned as it now resembled her own transformation after taking in Nia’s attribute with Lunar Energy. Do your best.
“Knock, knock!” Irida sang, sucking in the fire before licking her lips. “Will you run, run, little hare, or jump into my mout—”
A black metal hammer struck the wolf between the eyes, twisting her into a backflip before hitting the ground face down to Nia’s gleeful cackles as she jumped over the building, Aleka in casual pursuit.
“Hahaha! I didn’t think you’d just throw it at h—yikes!”
“Best watch your tail, little bun! Way to take it to the face, Big Sis,” Aleka hummed, hot on Nia’s heels. “Embarrassing! Oh, I could use a little luck, so maybe your leg?”
“Leave my pretty legs out of your mouth, you sicko!”
“Run, ru—dig?! Hey, get out of there!”
“Ho-ho-ho!” Nia chimed through their personal connection. “Didn’t expect me to have digs as a bunny, did ya, hussy! Dig! Dig! Dig! Huh?!”
“Hah-hahaha…”
Rachel recalled her Hell hammer, leaning against it as the black flames licked down its length. Irida forced a laugh, slowly getting up, her skin turning a light shade of red. An earthquake lifted Rachel’s eyebrows as her hammer’s rubies lit up, absorbing the kinetic energy as Aleka dug after the surprised Living Denier.
“Mad?” Rachel asked the snarling girl as she fixed her tanktop and cracked her neck, Hellish eyes locked onto her. Her brain told her to run; her gut told her to stand her ground. “Are you the joke of your sisters?”
“Funny. So… funny! Why don’t you—” Aleka snickered, prowling forward and twisting to kick her in the face; twirling her hammer upright, Rachel braced for the enormous impact. Her forearm tensed as the blow sent her legs into the floorboard to the polluted soil underneath. “Huh—ahh! No way, what did you…”
A little unstable after the strike that should have blown away a whole city block, Rachel thanked her baroness-enhanced abilities and physique. Twisting her shaft around, she swept the stunned Cerberus’ legs out from under her before grounding herself, activating her weapon’s ability, and punting Irida’s head like a golf ball.
“Bye-bye!”
“W-Wait!”
Hammer max-charged, an eruption of focused kinetic energy struck the hound, right where her human ear would have been; a gale exploded with most of the building she was in as the redirected vector wave force-fed the girl a taste of her own medicine. Irida launched into the air, her brain totally checked out after she’d taken a blow that should have been instant death in her embarrassment.
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Rachel unclenched her fingers to find them shaking after Irida’s absorbed attack. At least she knew how much it could absorb at its max, and the Hellhound had probably been significantly holding back. Still, the shock would break her tunnel vision and hopefully make her rethink things.
“Now… time to run,” Rachel mumbled, returning her hammer to Nia’s storage and jumping out of the house to run along the streets.
The frightening part was that Irida’s kick had better form than she did, and she’d been called a natural, gifted fighter; the girl may have been a tad dense, but she was possibly better than her. The redhead would be on her soon enough since even her big sister’s attack didn’t hold her off for long.
Spreading out her Infernal senses as a baroness, Rachel could feel the pulse of Yomi and its negative influence across most of the city. Time slowed, a dagger twisting her gut as Irida’s grinning face appeared in front of her, sharp teeth gleaming in the gray, overhead light of the polluted moon.
“That was unexpected!”
Rachel barely jumped over her swipe, only to see her heel coming right for her face; it had been a feint. Hellfire took her into the building to her right, with Irida’s scarlet fingernails already reaching for her face as she appeared, glee in the hound’s ruby eyes.
“You’re fun!”
Doing a backbend, Rachel came to a complete stop as Irida’s grip tightened around her dress shirt collar. Was she really caught this easily? Irida giggled at her struggles. Rachel twisted to kick the side of the hound’s head, but the girl easily blocked it. She tried to Hellstep away, only to be met by a System message.
[Hellstep Blocked]
Panicking as she felt parts of her Baroness abilities being sealed away, she tried to send a wave of spirit-disrupting energy at the hound to disorient the girl and shrug her off.
[Hell Pulse Blocked]
“What?” Rachel whispered, eyes going wide as the thoughtful redhead’s blazing fist held her. A hum rumbled in the wolf’s throat as she promptly picked her up, the shock-factor roles were now reversed. “Shit!”
“Heh. I think—hmm?”
“I got you! Eesh! It hurts! It hurts!”
The buttons popped off as Nia’s fabric slid through the flame-enhanced fingers of the hound; she burned part of the shirt, but it gave Rachel just the time she needed.
I owe you, Nia!
“More than that, Cap!”
Sparkling light shimmered in front of her as she felt the girl give up her form and create it; the problem: it took a second to reconstitute her body, and while Rachel Hellstepped away, she saw Irida snatch Nia’s flying kick out of the air and throw the screaming child into oblivion.
“I missed—thanks a lot for the back—eep?! Oh-no, she spotted me in the air—Rachel! Help! Help!”
Outside of the house, Rachel forced a laugh as Irida appeared right in front of her. These ladies had powers she’d never seen before that could mess with souls; she couldn’t believe Nia would be fine if caught.
Her hammer met the blow, stopping the wolf’s momentum dead in its tracks, allowing Rachel to land an elbow against her stationary figure. The Hellhound was holding back by a large margin by the bright grin she wore upon taking it to the face.
World slowing with her constant use of Accelerated Mind, Rachel swiftly spotted Nia high in the sky and threw her hammer as Irida returned for more.
Catch! It’s charged!
“Ack—got it! Ahhh! She’s right—get blasted, mutt!”
Rachel’s heart stopped as the Hellhound blurred, faster than a blink, and the feral girl’s flame-wrapped fingers closed around her neck. A weight slammed against her spirit in a way she’d never felt before; a cage of some kind.
[Baroness Powers Blocked]
“Got you—oh, haha! I got a little carried away,” Irida brightly said, quickly letting her go and patting her sides.
[Baroness Powers Released]
“I’m not supposed to be so rushed. Thalia would scold me if I got upset. Now we’re even! You surprised me. I surprised you! Aleka is having fun chasing your little rabbit, but that’s not fun for me. Show me what you got, hare! C’mon!”
Rachel forced a smile as Irida threw a few playful jabs, making her realize just how far out of her league she was in a Challenge Rating 3 when properly handled, as Izanami was doing. Even with the Blood Moon, she could see these sisters being a real challenge. A Marchioness of Hell demolished a Baroness; it was no contest.
”Wow. Umm. So, you’ve… had formal training?”
“Pfft!” Irida snickered and rolled around her neck. “It’s Hell, sweetheart! I meet all sorts of people, and you learn a thing or two from escapees. What did Thalia do there?”
Taking a turn Rachel hadn’t expected, she heard Nia screeching in the background with the hound hot on her tail as she had a chat with the ‘most hotheaded’ of the triplets.
“A contract…”
Irida’s face sparked with understanding. “I see… Well, we need to find my sister! If you don’t find her, then we’re all in trouble.”
Now that she had some time, Rachel placed a hand against the contract, using her Baroness affinity to read the specifics. “Dammit. Hah. Devils are a lot more tricky than I thought,” she mumbled. “I have to convince you to find her… Why are you going to help me find her?”
The fire running along the woman’s hair flared. “Because… she’s taunting me! Thalia doesn’t think we’ll be able to find her in the time limit. I can see her smug face grinning at me in that contract—do you see it?! Ugh. She’s the worst. Irida, don’t do this! Irida, don’t do that! I’ll bite her!”
“Let’s punch her face in! Oh, where’s your hammer?”
“Here?” Rachel asked, bringing it out of storage.
“Yes! And…” She took it and smashed her fist against the side, making Rachel wince as a shockwave hit her ears and the rubies lit up to their brightest. “Okay. She’ll expect me; it’s impossible to sneak up on her. But you… can get a good whack to her nose! Deal?”
Rachel doubled over with laughter upon finally getting the solution that Thalia gave her to this challenge; devils loved contracts and double-crossing. It was all a game, and her big sister was a bigger fish than her.
“Deal.”
Nia… I have your solution.
“Then tell me! She’s already taken half my fluff—I swear!”
Let’s play the game…
Running through the streets with her new, unlikely ally, Rachel informed the incredulous bunny on how to get the hounds on their side. They were pleasure and business, but their overbearing big sister was the sweetest pie they could offer.
Soon enough, the emerald hound was in her beast form, running through the streets with the bunny between her shoulders, looking for Thalia. It was a challenge of devils, not power. And devils dealt less with raw destruction and more through deceit and mind games.
Several seconds before the one-minute mark, Irida jumped over the river with a snarl, landing on one of the long boats lazily traveling downstream. Rachel touched down on the other side, Nia and Aleka howling in rage at not being the ones to find her, united in their frustration at not beating Irida and her.
Wearing a disguise and straw hat, Thalia’s clothes burned away to show her tank top underneath. She got up with a short chuckle, entirely focused on her puffed-up little sister. “Congratulations on finding me, Iri—”
Rachel walked up, summoned her hammer, and smacked Thalia upside the head, launching her into the river, and Rachel used its reversal Feat to take her into the sky as the boat went under. Laughing with Aleka and Irida, more at the ridiculous nature of this challenge than their big sister, Rachel spun out of the sky to land on the side of the river with her bun and two wolf allies; the clock hit 1 minute.
Thalia soon trudged out of the polluted river, drenched in mysterious muck to laughter from her little sisters. “Ha-ha-ha.”
She slowly clapped before grinning and diving at her screaming sisters, carrying them to the ground to share in the mudbath; Thalia ended by grabbing their tails and throwing them into the river. Nia peaced out at the swift turn of events, leaving Thalia and her on the beach as the hound burned off the grime.
“Congratulations, Rachel, you found my little sister’s weakness… Me. Now, our real contract.” She held out her hand again, seriousness coming over the Hellhound. “There is a powerful devil who we can’t personally go after that is going to be entering your world… but if we had a contract with you to aid you, then that is what we call a loophole… You’ll know when that time comes, and we will only be there for that one fiend.”
Rachel grinned and took her hand. “To loopholes.”
“To loopholes…” Thalia’s mark burned again, and the sisters exited the river with a snarl as the world faded away. “Do not summon us for anything else.”
Taking the hint in the shepherd of Hell’s intense sapphire eyes, Rachel nodded. Conner was probably angry with how Yseress said she saw this ending. Again, she felt Cerridwen’s hand and Izanami’s warning. But was it really her or Izanami and Cerridwen’s doing?
Her misfortune had guided her here, perhaps more of a combination than anything else. She was learning secrets about these Seeds and how they functioned, which both goddesses appeared to need.
This Legend’s Quest was orchestrated to give her the kit to handle what Cerridwen saw was to come, and Izanami didn’t appear too trusting in the cauldron-using nightmare goddess, as well, or were her misgivings more about her? There was something odd happening, and Dionysus may have been onto something.
How can I talk to Eostre beyond these dimensional walls? Am I something more than just some Korean girl that likes to fight? The Scarlet Hand thinks I should be dead… I did almost die once.
Rachel’s mind returned to the tragic moment of the car accident that had changed her life forever, along with the misfortune abilities that she seemed to carry. She didn’t like it, but Strategic Mind wouldn’t let her release the thought. One idea sprung to mind as her next level came after overcoming the challenge, and the sisters vanished, parting with a wave and devious, toothy grins.
Mom is a mudang by lineage, meaning… I am, and actively practices Korean shamanism… who are supposed to contact the spiritual realm and deities. It was a huge support to her during the years following the accident. Grandpa practices Taoism’s nei-dun and wai-dan training methods…. Is it related to what is happening to me?
[Level Up - Level 10]
x1 [Stat Point Added]
[1 Stat Point Available]
x1 [Feat Slot Added]
[1 Feat Slot Available]
x1 [Refinement Point Added]
[1 Refinement Point Available]
x1 [Feat Extension Added]
[1 Feat Extension Available]
x1 [Equipable Feat Choice Added]
[1 Equipable Feat Choice Available]
[Limit Break Perk Unlocked]
[Attack Feat Branch: Curse: Karma I - Retribution]
[Grade Advancement - Bringer of Misfortune II Unlocked]
[Grade Advancement - Divine Beast Empowerment II Unlocked]
[Lunar Pool I - Advanced to B-tier]
[Divine Lunar Surge I - Advanced to B-tier]
[Lunar Cap I - Advanced to A-tier]
[Beastial Instincts II - Advanced to D-tier]
[Mental Acceleration II - Advanced to D-tier]
[Strategic Mind II - Advanced to D-tier]
[Hell Moon - Yomi - 45% Lunar Pool]
[White Moon - 65% Lunar Pool]
[Nia Base Grade Increase - Grade V Achieved]
x2 [Style Points Added]
[3 Style Points Available]
x1 [Syncro Point Added]
[1 Syncro Point Available]
x1 [Feat Point Added]
[1 Feat Point Available]
x5 [New Inventory Slots Added]
[19 Inventory Slots Available]
[Stored Lunar Energy]
[Blood Moon - 21% Lunar Pool]
[Black Moon - 16% Lunar Pool]
[Greater Harvest Moon - 100% Lunar Pool]
[White Moon - 24% Lunar Pool]
Rachel breathed out a long puff of air as she turned in a slow circle, observing the growing audience; Nia held onto her skirt, moving with her and trying to keep a brave face.
New entities were showing up to watch as word of Dionysus’ downfall no doubt spread amongst the higher beings under the 5th-dimensional weight class. The stronger deities would naturally want to know what changes were happening to the figurative board.
She could see Cerridwen’s hand moving the pieces more and more with every passing second. The nightmarish deity was putting a spotlight on her, which would draw others to try and jump on the bandwagon and dissuade many from making them an enemy. There was an agenda here, but it was played on such a high level that she’d need help to decipher it.
With the selections made, the stadium of ballsy lower deities, studious angels, or rowdy devils and demons began to fade away. She caught Yseress’ teleport in a flash of black flames to Conner’s side in the VIP box, and whatever the fallen Nephilim was laughing about wasn’t amusing the Legend.
Looking up at Izanami and Eostre, sitting on their thrones above, a smirk lifted the corner of Rachel’s lip as the radiant Hell Lady stepped through space to stand in front of her.
Nia jumped. “What are you doing? You’re not going to do shady stuff like Dionysus did, right?”
Rachel reached over to prompt Nia forward. “It’s okay, Nia. Izanami is here for something entirely different than him. But… what’s the point of going up on your chair only to teleport back down to me?” she asked with a short chuckle.
“Atmosphere,” the woman chortled in return, long gown shifting as she gestured to the sky, peeling back the layers to show Eostre and her still in their place. “My way of doing things diverges from Dionysus, little bunny, yet there are rules that must be abided by. Walk with me, Rachel.”
“I’m coming, too!” Nia hissed, squaring her shoulders and mechanically stepping out beside Rachel; she was trying really hard, for having the temperament of a five-year-old.
“Naturally.” Izanami nodded at the kid, slowly making her way to the city’s dry dirt roads, where blue-phasing spirits moved. Nia was growing more nervous by the minute. Rachel didn’t see much of a choice, examining the declining, polluted city that seemed to be one of the Hell Lady’s lands.
“Clever,” Rachel noted, piecing things together. “You have to finish the selection process, but when it starts is up to you. So, you’re explaining the rules to the crowd at length.”
Izanami’s alluring illusion hid what the fallen Creation Deity truly looked like, yet held just enough of a similarity that it wasn’t hard to see the hellish inspiration she was using. The woman’s intelligent, Infernal eyes drifted to her as the ghosts bowed silently in respect at their passing. A curious curve came to her rosy lips before returning her sight to the city.
“It is not just the crowd, my dear. I must inform you, Aleka, Irida, and Thalia of the rules and conditions of this challenge. Yes, I could do this in a grand fashion to all those present, as Dionysus did, impressing the rules onto the creatures that were to enter the arena. However, I don’t find joy in such aggrandizing displays.
“In addition, it has been so long since I’ve had the chance to walk with a cute little girl, as well,” she said, smiling down at Nia, who almost stumbled and fell.
“Don’t be weird! I’m not a little girl. I just… look like one right now,” she grumbled, hugging herself under the Hell Lady’s entertained gaze. “Why are you looking at me like that?!”
Rachel put a hand on the frightened bunny’s head, making her ears twitch. “She was a Creation Deity, Nia. Making kids was a big part of her job, so it’d make sense that she’d like them. But if I recall, you were killed by your own son? And if you didn’t want to talk about it, heh, I’m not going to press you.”
“This is… correct,” Izanami whispered, a distant smile moving her eyes to the gloomy skies. “Searching for answers to part the veil of mystery is something you excel at, Rachel. Is it a sorrowful topic for me? Yes. As a mother, it pains me that my husband turned all my children away from me, poisoning their minds. Death is not my torment… Isolation is.”
Izanami fell silent, hands held at her front, carrying a grace and control that made Dionysus look like a child as she spoke about torture that the man would probably never understand; this was the cadence of a woman that didn’t need to pronounce her power because she embodied it.
Nia’s ears rose at the topic, poking her head around to stare up at the somber, quiet Hell Lady, eyes big with wonder. “Is that why they call you She Who Invites?”
“It is,” she gently answered, holding out a hand with an inviting smile. “I know I might be frightening, but it is not my intent to harm the innocent. My ire is reserved for those that have wronged me, and this Hell… Yomi is a place that reflects me as that which was born out of my death. It is a reminder of my misery.”
“That’s so sad,” Nia sniffed, trying to hold back her emotions as she innocently took Izanmi’s hand, making the woman’s features soften. “Can’t you resurrect yourself or something?”
Rachel kept an eye on Izanami as the fallen goddess took the center position, Nia walking on her other side. The Hell Lady seemed genuine, but Rachel was no fool enough to think she didn’t have her own agenda. She was getting close and garnering sympathy for a reason, and all the stories she’d heard about the Japanese death goddess came to the forefront of her thoughts. It would be good to identify what carried over from the myths and religion.
“Your husband, in his grief, murdered your son for killing you, and then he went into Yomi to resurrect you. He saw how corrupted your celestial body was, and was revolted, right? You aren’t alone either, as I recall. Didn’t you make the eight Gods of thunder from the maggots in your corpse? And you sent them to kill a thousand people a day in retaliation for your husband’s scorn.”
Nia withdrew her hand, jumping around to Rachel’s side again. “That’s not nice!”
Izanami flexed her fingers, holding them up and seemingly savoring the feeling of Nia’s small grip. “A house divided is one of sorrow and heartache… And neither can accept each other as family. I created yet another scar on my heart through my loneliness, grief, and anger… To be rejected simply for my lost beauty did break something within me.”
A pained sigh left the Hell Lady’s lips before turning her attention back to them with a more devious gleam. “You are certainly brash, Rachel, which is something I can respect about you. I did not only come to speak with you about the rules, as you have surmised. Am I right to conclude that you are seeking more insight into Cerridwen’s plots?”
Scratching the side of her head, Rachel shrugged. “I may be proud, but I’m not arrogant. I know when I’m out of my depth. And a game like this is something I do need some insight into. I’m not going to take everything you say as fact, truth or not; you’re smart enough to twist it however you like. I will piece things together from what she and everyone else gives me.”
Izanami paused at the top of a hill to stare out across the vast wasteland that surrounded the city, the polluted river cutting deep into the distance. Her flaming, smiling eyes drifted to her after a few seconds of deathly silence that made Rachel’s gut twist as her instincts told her she was missing something.
“For this challenge, Aleka, Irida, and Thalia will be heavily restricted, but it is important to note that Hellhounds are not generally killers. It is their duty to guard and gather. Think of them as the shepherd dogs of Hades. They can travel freely between realms, unlike most devils and demons, because they fulfill a critical role in the passage dividing life and death, herding souls to the River Styx.”
She made a simple gesture in front of them, showing the three grinning sisters, showing them more as wolves than dogs with their ears, tails, and nearly identical, ferocious features, excluding hair, eye, and flame color. They wore formal business suits that contrasted their colors.
“One thing these girls love is the chase,” Izanami mused.
Nia gulped as a little bunny appeared between them, causing their lips to peel back with a vicious grin that showed their sharp fangs, yet they soon were glancing at one another.
“They are as close as can be, and never apart… except when the hunt for something not concerning work comes into play. They’re quite vicious.”
Rachel felt her own tail quiver as they began fighting one another over who would get the rabbit, pushing, biting, and throwing each other around, sometimes hundreds of kilometers away or into different realms. Their conflict devastated the illusionary landscape in their rush to see who would get the rabbit first.
“Aleka is the youngest,” she said, pointing out the green-flamed girl with a mischievous, crazed smile. “The cruelest and most methodical of the three.”
A red-flamed wolf girl came next, wearing an open grin. “Irida is the middle child, and the first to pounce. She is the most sensitive of her sisters.”
“And Thalia?” Rachel asked, staring at the blue-flamed oldest sister, who appeared more reserved than her younger sisters. “The shy one?”
Nia nodded emphatically. “She looks nice.”
“Nice, hmm?” Izanami whispered, showing the black and blue-furred wolf looming over her sisters, strings attached to them as she played the pair against each other. “While Aleka jumps to action and Irida torments her, Thalia snatches the rabbit and gobbles her up.
“The game?” She chuckled. “Survive for ten minutes, by any means necessary. Oh, and as you can see, the girls do enjoy playing with their food… and with each other.”
Nia grabbed onto her skirt again. “Cap… how are we going to do this one? I don’t want to be soul food!”
Patting the child’s head, Rachel breathed out a laugh. “Surviving should be easy since Izanami has already given us the blueprints. Is this a part of the rules or favoritism?”
Izanami turned around and looked up at the red-flaming moon that changed to a corroded, smoky hue within Yomi as Rachel felt the rays strike her skin, sparking something Infernal within her to bloom.
“Neither, and might I caution you that you are too hasty, Rachel. Don’t you find it odd that Dionysus didn’t communicate with Conner personally but through Relica and the Scarlet Hand? The question you should invoke isn’t what Cerridwen’s goal is but rather how Cerridwen and Eostre were able to communicate with you in the first place… Best of luck.”
Rachel’s turning mind came to a screeching halt as Izanami vanished in black flames, and the three grinning sisters appeared around them. The pulse of the Yomi-tinted Hell Moon beat within her breast, DNA morphing with the corrupting light as the pressure of the polluted environment dug into her soul, yet the fallen deity’s words persisted in her mind.
Dionysus asked what I was in his last moments… He believed I was something else besides human. I have to ask Conner about his experience with Dionysus. Why didn’t I do that before?! Dammit! It’s so obvious now.
Her focus snapped to Irida as her red and orange locks burned with her hungry eyes, and a clock appeared at the corner of Rachel’s vision, counting down from ten minutes.
Nia grabbed her from behind in a panic before forcing herself away. “Rachel! W-What do we do?!”
Irida’s tail began to wag, teeth gleaming in the moonlight. “You’re our rabbit and hare, hmm? Ooh. I like what’s happening inside her, Aleka! She’s turning into a devil! See!”
“I do, Irida,” the youngest whispered, scratching her jade-green ear and looking at her elder sister. “What do you think, Thalia? Should we wait for the transformation to complete? Maybe toy with them while it happens? There are two of them, after all. That’s one for me and two halves for you to share.”
“Funny as always, Irida,” Thalia said, brushing back her mess of cobalt locks before walking around them in a slow circle with her sisters as they studied them and sniffed the air. “I have a better idea after Lady Izanami’s discourse. Let’s have our fun, though.”
Rachel tilted her head in acknowledgment of the three denizens of Hell that circled her; there wasn’t a chance in hell, as they said, that she could contest them, and that was perfectly fine. A voice within her told her they would ramp up to her level to have fun.
“Thalia, Irida, Aleka… It’s a pleasure.”
[Lunar Hell Hare - Yomi: Active]
Snickers followed, and Nia even joined in the impish cackle.
The Hell Moon’s protection conditioning her to the land, Rachel held up her arm to observe the black fire and crimson electricity spark across her skin. A cold joy, rational, and cruel tug came from within her, the vibe of the moon rushing into her like a river to find the parts of her personality that resonated with its energy.
Stepping away from Nia, she saw the girl do the same, looking at one another to see the reflected changes overtaking their souls; she could feel Nike tossing and turning within Nia on her bed, uncomfortable with the flood of Infernal Force twisting through their spiritual veins.
White hair fanning out in a rush of wind, raven streaks melted away the shiny glow, and a single, curved horn grew out of the back-left side of their skulls. The new color matched their black and red military school outfits, and she felt the strength Hell brought as her soul was infused with its energy.
Her human-like appearance didn’t change as the Black Moon had done, keeping her form and giving her a far more Succubi-like appeal, with an exception. A corruption spread along her veins, giving her insight into the sorrow and pain of Yomi. Her lips were dyed black, her clover eyes going from pink to sparkling obsidian with a bright red pupil.
She lifted her arm to examine her dark ebony fingernails and polluted skin before catching the war hammer that dropped out of the sky; it was as weightless as her body felt, and the reason came soon after with The System’s notification.
[Infernal Adaptation - Yomi X - Reborn in the corruption of Yomi’s filthy and polluted lands, the user burns with the infectious flames of Hell. While under the Hell Moon, the user understands, can live in, and travel the Infernal Planes.]
[Infernal Soul Harvest VIII - The user is capable of ripping out, burning, or corrupting the spirits of mortals. To do so outside of the Infernal Planes without the protection of the Hell Moon will force the user back to Hell]
[Infernal Soul Pact VIII - Create a binding contract with a mortal that is burned into their very soul. Feats are dependant on Infernal Power]
[Infernal Power (Yomi) VIII - The user’s power is dependent upon which Hell Moon they draw from. Yomi, as a domain of the 7th Circle, grants the user the attributes of a Princess of Hell under the Hell Moon. Outside of the Hell Moon, depending on the powers invoked, the user’s Hell Force will drain at a varied rate.]
[Princess of Hell (Restricted) - the user has the noble standing of a devil born of the 7th Circle, holding the powers over their own State in Hell, with all the powers attributed to them.]
[System Warning - Soul unable to withstand the 7th Circle’s Infernal Force. Restricted to the 1st Circle. Princess of Hell downgraded to Baroness of Hell.]
Rachel looked up as the sister’s excitement faded, flaming tails drooping.
“Well, that was disappointing,” Irida groaned, scratching her head and messing up her flaming red hair. “Here, I thought you were going to surprise us and put a leash around our necks with that sudden rush of Hell Force that would have impressed Dad.”
Stretching out her arms high over her head with the mutts’ stares on them, Rachel saw Nia doing the same. Her lips curled as she studied the three.
“Between the Black, Blood, and Greater Harvest Moons, this Hell Moon puts a lot in perspective. Honestly, you’d probably love me a lot more under the Blood Moon since its natural immortality and healing attributes bypass my weak spirit, but beggars can’t be choosers. How do you feel, Nia?”
“Really good!” the child chimed, moving to stretch out her legs and glancing at the clock only visible to them: 9:10 minutes until they won. “I feel like I could destroy a large town without breaking a sweat, Cap. Woah—hold up!”
Nia threw up her hands as Irida grinned, ruby flames igniting as she shot forward, but it was Thalia’s fist meeting her twin’s face that sent the hound flying off into the distance.
“Ack—screw you, Thalia!” the middle sister screamed.
Aleka’s ears perked up, green eyes darting to her big sister as she straightened, flexing her fingers. “Well, that’s not like you.”
“It isn’t, is it?” Thalia softly commented, sapphire eyes drifting between Nia and her.
Rachel’s ears tilted to the left, holding her hands behind her back and wondering what people thought about the match thus far, but this made sense with the knowledge of Hell plucking at her brain.
“You want to make a contract?”
Nia jumped over them to land on a half-broken stone wall and giggled. “If we survive, that is. Where do you want to cut the game of wolf and rabbit? Five minutes.”
Aleka’s glowing jade eyes brightened. “Ah. So that was what Izanami hinted at. It’s possible as a baroness for her to forge a contract with a Hellhound. Five minutes is too—”
“Thalia!”
The world tinted as [Hell Step III] carried her to the roof of a nearby building as a raging meteor hit the street, [Hell Cloak III] protecting her from the debris. Inside the crater, Irida was wrestling with Aleka, the mix of emerald and red flames melting the ground and creating a molten river that flowed down the hill.
“Irida, stop and—ouch! You bit me, you ugly bitch!”
“Ack—don’t bite back! This is your fault for tackling me—my tail! Not there, Aleka—not my thigh! Ahhh!”
“Hasn’t healed from our last fight! Has it, you wiggly mutt!?”
“Don’t call me that!”
“My ear?!”
The snarling red and emerald-haired sisters rolled into the building across from her, Nia cheering them on in the background as it exploded in flames. They soon disappeared into the blazing city as the melancholy ghostly figures watched from the sidelines; none of them seemed to get hurt in their wrestling match.
“Go for the ear! Yeah, get her good! Ack, that probably hurt. D-Don’t be too rough with her, Aleka! Just make her cry a little bit. Yeah! Pull out her claw!”
“Don’t pull out my claw!”
“Hahaha! Bite my ear, huh?!”
“Thalia, help!”
Rachel crossed her legs, setting her hammer beside her while watching the clock counting down and the fighting siblings. She wasn’t sure when their big sister was sitting beside her, but she wasn’t caught off-guard.
“Enjoying my sisters squabbling?” the sapphire-eyed wolf asked.
A shiver ran down Rachel’s spine at the wolf-like gleam in the girl’s leer. “You aren’t normal Hellhounds. If I’m a Baroness right now, and Yseress is a Princess of Hell… then I’d place you somewhere between us?”
Thalia’s tail melted a path through the roof to gently weave below, cutting away a decent portion of the protective covering, and it told Rachel how dangerous these girls were when the uncharged radial heat of her cobalt fire made her comfortable.
“Each of us are Marchioness’ of Hell, and amongst the highest ranks of Hellhounds as daughters of Cerberus. I’ll get to the heart of the matter. Survive my sisters, until your clock reaches one minute, and I will consider your contest won. There is something we need that Izanami pointed out, and you are someone capable of granting that wish. Do we have a deal?”
Rachel eyed the Hellhound’s hand as she offered it with a devilish smirk, knowing there was no way she could back out of this deal. Her gaze lingered on the wolf’s midnight blue fingernails for only a moment before accepting it, arm tensing at the flame that passed between them. She knew exactly what she was getting into.
“I look forward to working with you.”
Her jaw tightened as their fingers locked, and bright sapphire flames rose to her forearm, and Nia pulled up her sleeve, showing her flesh being tattooed with a circle of wolf’s teeth in the same color.
“I don’t like not knowing what the terms are,” Nia hissed from the house to her right. “We survive, but what is expected of us?”
Rachel let go of Thalia’s hand, flexing her stiff fingers as the fire settled in her soul. Misfortune is against us if we don’t take this, and with us if we take it. Whatever it is, we’ll deal with it when it comes, but… Her strained smile met the wolf’s small smirk. Thalia will make sure we don’t make it out alive if we don’t. She’s committed to us winning to get what she—
Her eyes widened as Thalia took a deep breath and let out an ear-splitting howl, causing the racket and ball of death that was already across the city to stop. Maybe she didn’t know where this was going.
“Find their weakness, then find me, if you dare,” the wolf giggled, drifting away in sapphire flames.
Rachel’s shoulders sank, eyes closing as she realized her folly; there was always a catch. “Daughters of a bitch.”
A sharp explosion came from the distance, and Rachel leaned back into the hole Thalia had preemptively made with her tail, grabbing her hammer on the way down. A wave of ruby flames ripped apart the ceiling milliseconds after, Aleka’s vicious giggles following Irida’s answered call to her big sister’s howl.
“Brilliant, Cap,” Nia grumbled. “I’ll take the mean one. She’ll like tormenting a bunny kid.”
Thadda soldier, Rachel chuckled. If we want Thalia’s help, we have to find her sister’s ‘weakness,’ then go find her.
“Great. Not only do we need to find a weakness, but we also get to play hide and seek with wolves on our tails. Fantastic job, Rach. Not one of your brightest plans.”
I’m working with what I’ve got. Just don’t get—
“Stupid vague rules—aaah! She found me!”
Rachel didn’t have time to listen to Nia’s shrieks as half the house was enveloped in solid red fire, the blazing visage of Irida’s hound-like jaws ripping it away. Hammer spinning in Rachel’s hand, she held it against her chest as the redhead skipped through the ruby inferno.
Take your hammer and first meal, Nia!
“Got it! Now knock that bitch out! Her sister is trying to bite off my tail! She knows everywhere I go—she’s tracking my teleport energy!”
Recalling the hammer, Rachel grinned as it now resembled her own transformation after taking in Nia’s attribute with Lunar Energy. Do your best.
“Knock, knock!” Irida sang, sucking in the fire before licking her lips. “Will you run, run, little hare, or jump into my mout—”
A black metal hammer struck the wolf between the eyes, twisting her into a backflip before hitting the ground face down to Nia’s gleeful cackles as she jumped over the building, Aleka in casual pursuit.
“Hahaha! I didn’t think you’d just throw it at h—yikes!”
“Best watch your tail, little bun! Way to take it to the face, Big Sis,” Aleka hummed, hot on Nia’s heels. “Embarrassing! Oh, I could use a little luck, so maybe your leg?”
“Leave my pretty legs out of your mouth, you sicko!”
“Run, ru—dig?! Hey, get out of there!”
“Ho-ho-ho!” Nia chimed through their personal connection. “Didn’t expect me to have digs as a bunny, did ya, hussy! Dig! Dig! Dig! Huh?!”
“Hah-hahaha…”
Rachel recalled her Hell hammer, leaning against it as the black flames licked down its length. Irida forced a laugh, slowly getting up, her skin turning a light shade of red. An earthquake lifted Rachel’s eyebrows as her hammer’s rubies lit up, absorbing the kinetic energy as Aleka dug after the surprised Living Denier.
“Mad?” Rachel asked the snarling girl as she fixed her tanktop and cracked her neck, Hellish eyes locked onto her. Her brain told her to run; her gut told her to stand her ground. “Are you the joke of your sisters?”
“Funny. So… funny! Why don’t you—” Aleka snickered, prowling forward and twisting to kick her in the face; twirling her hammer upright, Rachel braced for the enormous impact. Her forearm tensed as the blow sent her legs into the floorboard to the polluted soil underneath. “Huh—ahh! No way, what did you…”
A little unstable after the strike that should have blown away a whole city block, Rachel thanked her baroness-enhanced abilities and physique. Twisting her shaft around, she swept the stunned Cerberus’ legs out from under her before grounding herself, activating her weapon’s ability, and punting Irida’s head like a golf ball.
“Bye-bye!”
“W-Wait!”
Hammer max-charged, an eruption of focused kinetic energy struck the hound, right where her human ear would have been; a gale exploded with most of the building she was in as the redirected vector wave force-fed the girl a taste of her own medicine. Irida launched into the air, her brain totally checked out after she’d taken a blow that should have been instant death in her embarrassment.
Breathing out a heavy sigh, Rachel unclenched her fingers to find them shaking after Irida’s absorbed attack. At least she knew how much it could absorb at its max, and the Hellhound had probably been significantly holding back. Still, the shock would break her tunnel vision and hopefully make her rethink things.
“Now… time to run,” Rachel mumbled, returning her hammer to Nia’s storage and jumping out of the house to run along the streets.
The frightening part was that Irida’s kick had better form than she did, and she’d been called a natural, gifted fighter; the girl may have been a tad dense, but she was possibly better than her. The redhead would be on her soon enough since even her big sister’s attack didn’t hold her off for long.
Spreading out her Infernal senses as a baroness, Rachel could feel the pulse of Yomi and its negative influence across most of the city. Time slowed, a dagger twisting her gut as Irida’s grinning face appeared in front of her, sharp teeth gleaming in the gray, overhead light of the polluted moon.
“That was unexpected!”
Rachel barely jumped over her swipe, only to see her heel coming right for her face; it had been a feint. Hellfire took her into the building to her right, with Irida’s scarlet fingernails already reaching for her face as she appeared, glee in the hound’s ruby eyes.
“You’re fun!”
Doing a backbend, Rachel came to a complete stop as Irida’s grip tightened around her dress shirt collar. Was she really caught this easily? Irida giggled at her struggles. Rachel twisted to kick the side of the hound’s head, but the girl easily blocked it. She tried to Hellstep away, only to be met by a System message.
[Hellstep Blocked]
Panicking as she felt parts of her Baroness abilities being sealed away, she tried to send a wave of spirit-disrupting energy at the hound to disorient the girl and shrug her off.
[Hell Pulse Blocked]
“What?” Rachel whispered, eyes going wide as the thoughtful redhead’s blazing fist held her. A hum rumbled in the wolf’s throat as she promptly picked her up, the shock-factor roles were now reversed. “Shit!”
“Heh. I think—hmm?”
“I got you! Eesh! It hurts! It hurts!”
The buttons popped off as Nia’s fabric slid through the flame-enhanced fingers of the hound; she burned part of the shirt, but it gave Rachel just the time she needed.
I owe you, Nia!
“More than that, Cap!”
Sparkling light shimmered in front of her as she felt the girl give up her form and create it; the problem: it took a second to reconstitute her body, and while Rachel Hellstepped away, she saw Irida snatch Nia’s flying kick out of the air and throw the screaming child into oblivion.
“I missed—thanks a lot for the back—eep?! Oh-no, she spotted me in the air—Rachel! Help! Help!”
Outside of the house, Rachel forced a laugh as Irida appeared right in front of her. These ladies had powers she’d never seen before that could mess with souls; she couldn’t believe Nia would be fine if caught.
Her hammer met the blow, stopping the wolf’s momentum dead in its tracks, allowing Rachel to land an elbow against her stationary figure. The Hellhound was holding back by a large margin by the bright grin she wore upon taking it to the face.
World slowing with her constant use of Accelerated Mind, Rachel swiftly spotted Nia high in the sky and threw her hammer as Irida returned for more.
Catch! It’s charged!
“Ack—got it! Ahhh! She’s right—get blasted, mutt!”
Rachel’s heart stopped as the Hellhound blurred, faster than a blink, and the feral girl’s flame-wrapped fingers closed around her neck. A weight slammed against her spirit in a way she’d never felt before; a cage of some kind.
[Baroness Powers Blocked]
“Got you—oh, haha! I got a little carried away,” Irida brightly said, quickly letting her go and patting her sides.
[Baroness Powers Released]
“I’m not supposed to be so rushed. Thalia would scold me if I got upset. Now we’re even! You surprised me. I surprised you! Aleka is having fun chasing your little rabbit, but that’s not fun for me. Show me what you got, hare! C’mon!”
Rachel forced a smile as Irida threw a few playful jabs, making her realize just how far out of her league she was in a Challenge Rating 3 when properly handled, as Izanami was doing. Even with the Blood Moon, she could see these sisters being a real challenge. A Marchioness of Hell demolished a Baroness; it was no contest.
”Wow. Umm. So, you’ve… had formal training?”
“Pfft!” Irida snickered and rolled around her neck. “It’s Hell, sweetheart! I meet all sorts of people, and you learn a thing or two from escapees. What did Thalia do there?”
Taking a turn Rachel hadn’t expected, she heard Nia screeching in the background with the hound hot on her tail as she had a chat with the ‘most hotheaded’ of the triplets.
“A contract…”
Irida’s face sparked with understanding. “I see… Well, we need to find my sister! If you don’t find her, then we’re all in trouble.”
Now that she had some time, Rachel placed a hand against the contract, using her Baroness affinity to read the specifics. “Dammit. Hah. Devils are a lot more tricky than I thought,” she mumbled. “I have to convince you to find her… Why are you going to help me find her?”
The fire running along the woman’s hair flared. “Because… she’s taunting me! Thalia doesn’t think we’ll be able to find her in the time limit. I can see her smug face grinning at me in that contract—do you see it?! Ugh. She’s the worst. Irida, don’t do this! Irida, don’t do that! I’ll bite her!”
“Let’s punch her face in! Oh, where’s your hammer?”
“Here?” Rachel asked, bringing it out of storage.
“Yes! And…” She took it and smashed her fist against the side, making Rachel wince as a shockwave hit her ears and the rubies lit up to their brightest. “Okay. She’ll expect me; it’s impossible to sneak up on her. But you… can get a good whack to her nose! Deal?”
Rachel doubled over with laughter upon finally getting the solution that Thalia gave her to this challenge; devils loved contracts and double-crossing. It was all a game, and her big sister was a bigger fish than her.
“Deal.”
Nia… I have your solution.
“Then tell me! She’s already taken half my fluff—I swear!”
Let’s play the game…
Running through the streets with her new, unlikely ally, Rachel informed the incredulous bunny on how to get the hounds on their side. They were pleasure and business, but their overbearing big sister was the sweetest pie they could offer.
Soon enough, the emerald hound was in her beast form, running through the streets with the bunny between her shoulders, looking for Thalia. It was a challenge of devils, not power. And devils dealt less with raw destruction and more through deceit and mind games.
Several seconds before the one-minute mark, Irida jumped over the river with a snarl, landing on one of the long boats lazily traveling downstream. Rachel touched down on the other side, Nia and Aleka howling in rage at not being the ones to find her, united in their frustration at not beating Irida and her.
Wearing a disguise and straw hat, Thalia’s clothes burned away to show her tank top underneath. She got up with a short chuckle, entirely focused on her puffed-up little sister. “Congratulations on finding me, Iri—”
Rachel walked up, summoned her hammer, and smacked Thalia upside the head, launching her into the river, and Rachel used its reversal Feat to take her into the sky as the boat went under. Laughing with Aleka and Irida, more at the ridiculous nature of this challenge than their big sister, Rachel spun out of the sky to land on the side of the river with her bun and two wolf allies; the clock hit 1 minute.
Thalia soon trudged out of the polluted river, drenched in mysterious muck to laughter from her little sisters. “Ha-ha-ha.”
She slowly clapped before grinning and diving at her screaming sisters, carrying them to the ground to share in the mudbath; Thalia ended by grabbing their tails and throwing them into the river. Nia peaced out at the swift turn of events, leaving Thalia and her on the beach as the hound burned off the grime.
“Congratulations, Rachel, you found my little sister’s weakness… Me. Now, our real contract.” She held out her hand again, seriousness coming over the Hellhound. “There is a powerful devil who we can’t personally go after that is going to be entering your world… but if we had a contract with you to aid you, then that is what we call a loophole… You’ll know when that time comes, and we will only be there for that one fiend.”
Rachel grinned and took her hand. “To loopholes.”
“To loopholes…” Thalia’s mark burned again, and the sisters exited the river with a snarl as the world faded away. “Do not summon us for anything else.”
Taking the hint in the shepherd of Hell’s intense sapphire eyes, Rachel nodded. Conner was probably angry with how Yseress said she saw this ending. Again, she felt Cerridwen’s hand and Izanami’s warning. But was it really her or Izanami and Cerridwen’s doing?
Her misfortune had guided her here, perhaps more of a combination than anything else. She was learning secrets about these Seeds and how they functioned, which both goddesses appeared to need.
This Legend’s Quest was orchestrated to give her the kit to handle what Cerridwen saw was to come, and Izanami didn’t appear too trusting in the cauldron-using nightmare goddess, as well, or were her misgivings more about her? There was something odd happening, and Dionysus may have been onto something.
How can I talk to Eostre beyond these dimensional walls? Am I something more than just some Korean girl that likes to fight? The Scarlet Hand thinks I should be dead… I did almost die once.
Rachel’s mind returned to the tragic moment of the car accident that had changed her life forever, along with the misfortune abilities that she seemed to carry. She didn’t like it, but Strategic Mind wouldn’t let her release the thought. One idea sprung to mind as her next level came after overcoming the challenge, and the sisters vanished, parting with a wave and devious, toothy grins.
Mom is a mudang by lineage, meaning… I am, and actively practices Korean shamanism… who are supposed to contact the spiritual realm and deities. It was a huge support to her during the years following the accident. Grandpa practices Taoism’s nei-dun and wai-dan training methods…. Is it related to what is happening to me?
[Level Up - Level 10]
x1 [Stat Point Added]
[1 Stat Point Available]
x1 [Feat Slot Added]
[1 Feat Slot Available]
x1 [Refinement Point Added]
[1 Refinement Point Available]
x1 [Feat Extension Added]
[1 Feat Extension Available]
x1 [Equipable Feat Choice Added]
[1 Equipable Feat Choice Available]
[Limit Break Perk Unlocked]
[Attack Feat Branch: Curse: Karma I - Retribution]
[Grade Advancement - Bringer of Misfortune II Unlocked]
[Grade Advancement - Divine Beast Empowerment II Unlocked]
[Lunar Pool I - Advanced to B-tier]
[Divine Lunar Surge I - Advanced to B-tier]
[Lunar Cap I - Advanced to A-tier]
[Beastial Instincts II - Advanced to D-tier]
[Mental Acceleration II - Advanced to D-tier]
[Strategic Mind II - Advanced to D-tier]
[Hell Moon - Yomi - 45% Lunar Pool]
[White Moon - 65% Lunar Pool]
[Nia Base Grade Increase - Grade V Achieved]
x2 [Style Points Added]
[3 Style Points Available]
x1 [Syncro Point Added]
[1 Syncro Point Available]
x1 [Feat Point Added]
[1 Feat Point Available]
x5 [New Inventory Slots Added]
[19 Inventory Slots Available]
[Stored Lunar Energy]
[Blood Moon - 21% Lunar Pool]
[Black Moon - 16% Lunar Pool]
[Greater Harvest Moon - 100% Lunar Pool]
[White Moon - 24% Lunar Pool]
