"Houseguest Part 1"
Belial had been away from Rhy"Din with good reason for the Gods only knew how long. If she hadn't been so easy in allowing Corwyn to cast his "little spell" perhaps she would not be in the current mess she is" but alas, he'd convinced her and Sid to go along with his mad plans. At first his idea had seemed rather noble, a way to stop the Angelic from bringing about "The End of Days", starting of course with Rhy"Din. But, as with all things dealing with Corwyn, his "little plan' was meant to be far more reaching than merely reigning in the Above and the consequences hadn't been fully explained or comprehended. At least, as she likes to remind herself, she is not alone; Sid is along for the ride"
A few mortal years ago, Bel had taken a fancy to a seeming human male she knew as Silfhandel. He had" "issues". They were back in his homeland. Issues, right. His homeland had turned out to be pretty damn barren, and quite open to the sights of the Above. It had been during this adventure that the real trouble had begun. Now some might accuse, (read Gabriel), that she did what she did on purpose, others might understand that she really was clueless. Truth is she had no idea what she was doing" It had meant to be a noble, life saving act, but, as the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Her good intentions had landed her and Silf in a world of Trouble. (Note that capital "T".)
The pair hadn't been in his lands long when the assassins" fell upon them. They stank of Gabriel who, it seems, is determined to hold a grudge against her no matter what. (Sure, she helped Corwyn with his idea and yes, it did change everything that Gabriel had been plotting. And yeah, she wasn't all that unhappy about messing up Gabriel's plans. She's not liked him since she lost that last war against him and ended up demoted to one of the lesser planes of Hades. In Fact, Bel has no more love for Gabriel than he has for her" Still, the assassins are getting old, she's more than a little tired of being pursued by Gabriel's Nazis.) But there they were; a handful of them. She kind of knew that Silf wouldn't really be able to handle his own against them, they are Angelic, and he appeared little more than a human seeming fellow" But she hadn't expected so many' Had there been less than the five she would have had the time to take them all out herself, keeping Silf safe and out of it. But' she'd overlooked one major flaw to her plan: Silf's selfish need to play hero!
He'd charged in, without knowing even the first thing about taking out an Angelic assassin. Not a smart fellow, but his heart was in the right place. Of course, that did him little good as he was gutted by the assassin. The blade slide right through the fragile human chest, too late for Bel to stay the assassin's hand; all that was left for her was to take the assassin out and do what she could to staunch the flow of blood from the wound. Too bad for Silf it was a mortal blow"
Bel's never been big on the "healing thing". She leaves that to Mel, Indi, Sid, you know, everyone else. Once upon a time she was a succubus, a soul sucker; she didn't bother with healing but rather reveled in bringing death? Those days are long gone once she'd discovered her true heritage; she simply wasn't bound by the traditions or rules any longer. But with Silf laying there on the grass, gasping for air, she really wished she'd spent a bit more time on the saving life kind of talents" She'd thought to summon Sid or Mel, but, if she could reach them, would they arrive in time" Silf didn't look like he had much time left so Bel, in her not-so-infinite wisdom, did the only thing she knew to do; she shared her life energy with him.
"Ooooh, if only?" it's has such a nice ring, doesn't it' The wondering questions of "what if's". They soothe and accuse all at the same time. She can only claim ignorance" Because that's what it was.
Perhaps had she paid mind to the histories she'd recorded whilst performing her Heavenly duties, she would have remembered what happens to the human body after being infused with the energy of the Seraph' but that was a long time ago' a really long time ago, and since then much has transpired to make such history vague and distant. Besides, she'd no idea that she had become so". Hmm' Strong" Powerful" Seraph?"!! What the hell had Corwyn done to them anyway?""!!!
Too late" the changes to Silf began nearly immediately, however it was easy to delude herself, whilst in his realm at least, that nothing untoward was really happening. That is, until they came home to Rhy"Din" what a fiasco that had been! His lack of training left him completely open to the sights of the Above, and now he reeked of Bel" "Reeked" as in every Angelic assassin found him but expected Belial. She knew that something had to be done and fast' before Corwyn, Vincent, Gabriel, Daug, heck, any of the others found out the truth of what she'd done"
So she'd taken Silf and ran. They'd drifted from dimension to dimension, from world to world, realm to realm, while she taught him the basics of masking his aura, blanketing his essence so that it would be harder for anyone to 'sniff" him out. It had taken months before he began to get the point. Silf enjoys denial, he feels safer in his own delusions for he not a fan of change. Poor guy, he has no idea what trouble he is in and Bel simply doesn't have the heart, (or the guts), to inform him.
Fact is" how does one explain about the Angelic, or Corwyn, (the Ancient), or Vincent, (the vampire whose *inherited* the essence of Cain)" One doesn't' Unless one wants to reveal all about themselves" a trait Bel has never been comfortable with. So she has kept her secrets while teaching Silf how to protect himself" And, now she's got another secret to keep" from everyone else.
Then the SOS came from Tral. (Tral is the demonic force that Doc created to protect the Oak and Ash, an Inn that Sun and Bel ran on the Docks of Rhy"Din.) Tral was in trouble" big trouble and so was the O&A. Bel was able to gain enough information from Tral before their psychic link was intentionally severed. Whoever did it was obviously powerful, at least enough so to effect Bel's mental link to one of her own. This did not bode well"
At first Bel tried to foist the issue off, thinking she could find someone closer to home than she" But her attempts to reach the others had soon convinced her otherwise: Lankyn was off in the Lands, with Wyld, who tends to be his primary bodyguard. Luse was in his home realm, far from the docksides of Rhy"Din, in a land Bel had never visited. Vincent doesn't bother with such petty situations; he is far too busy plotting to overtake, well" everyone else. Mel, the Dreamwitch, couldn't be found, (she must be walking in dreams somewhere.) Sid was off her psychic radar, (most likely in the Lands hiding from what Corwyn had done to them") And Sun" Well" she attempted to contact Sun, but found only static.
This didn't really surprise her, Sun had gone off on an adventure to claim a relic known to slay Dracolichs", (Bone Dragons, dragons that were once alive but then resurrected as "pets" for evil necromancers.) Daugolazan has been a pain in the ass of the Family for several hundred years, and his intentions towards Bel in particular have never been very pure. Sun's discovery of the weapon had created quite a stir of excitement; the mere idea that the Family could hold the tool of the Bone Dragons potential demise appealed to far more than just Bel. (Although Bel would say she has the *most* right to be relieved as Daug isn't attempting to seduce any of the other Bloods. The mere idea of just kissing the Bone Dragon gives her the willies!)
In the end, it seemed that Bel was "it' so to speak so back to Rhy"Din she headed"
She stashed Silf safely away, not that he wanted it; he's reached a point where his confidence is high and in his arrogance he believes he's ready to take on everything! Bel is wise enough to know otherwise, but she's not having much of an effect on Silf's current mindset. He'd insisted on accompanying her at first, she'd only convinced him otherwise by promising to return for him quickly. She hadn't explained what her concept of quick was however"
Her first stop in Rhy"Din was, of course, the O&A. She noticed the boards hastily nailed over the entrance and windows immediately. Then she spied the piece of paper posted haphazardly to one of the great doors as it flittered up then down by the wind. It read simply:
Property Requisitioned Immediate Demolition Required
DCH Inc.
Now, Rhy"Din doesn't really have a legal system, or a law enforcement agency that has any real power or authority, Bel knows, she's spent many years in this realm and is well aware of the current sad condition of such peace keeping efforts. Rules in Rhy"Din are simple; those who can get away with it do. Reading over the curt message she felt a spark of anger, but she wasn't surprised" DCH has been trying to renege on their deal with Sun for several years now, digging up excuses as to why they should seize the property back from the Bloods. They tend to think that the nexual node located somewhere on the property where the O&A currently resides can be of use to them. They'd used it before" It is safe to assume that they plan to use it again for their own nefarious purposes.
(to be continued...)
Belial had been away from Rhy"Din with good reason for the Gods only knew how long. If she hadn't been so easy in allowing Corwyn to cast his "little spell" perhaps she would not be in the current mess she is" but alas, he'd convinced her and Sid to go along with his mad plans. At first his idea had seemed rather noble, a way to stop the Angelic from bringing about "The End of Days", starting of course with Rhy"Din. But, as with all things dealing with Corwyn, his "little plan' was meant to be far more reaching than merely reigning in the Above and the consequences hadn't been fully explained or comprehended. At least, as she likes to remind herself, she is not alone; Sid is along for the ride"
A few mortal years ago, Bel had taken a fancy to a seeming human male she knew as Silfhandel. He had" "issues". They were back in his homeland. Issues, right. His homeland had turned out to be pretty damn barren, and quite open to the sights of the Above. It had been during this adventure that the real trouble had begun. Now some might accuse, (read Gabriel), that she did what she did on purpose, others might understand that she really was clueless. Truth is she had no idea what she was doing" It had meant to be a noble, life saving act, but, as the old saying goes, the road to hell is paved with good intentions. Her good intentions had landed her and Silf in a world of Trouble. (Note that capital "T".)
The pair hadn't been in his lands long when the assassins" fell upon them. They stank of Gabriel who, it seems, is determined to hold a grudge against her no matter what. (Sure, she helped Corwyn with his idea and yes, it did change everything that Gabriel had been plotting. And yeah, she wasn't all that unhappy about messing up Gabriel's plans. She's not liked him since she lost that last war against him and ended up demoted to one of the lesser planes of Hades. In Fact, Bel has no more love for Gabriel than he has for her" Still, the assassins are getting old, she's more than a little tired of being pursued by Gabriel's Nazis.) But there they were; a handful of them. She kind of knew that Silf wouldn't really be able to handle his own against them, they are Angelic, and he appeared little more than a human seeming fellow" But she hadn't expected so many' Had there been less than the five she would have had the time to take them all out herself, keeping Silf safe and out of it. But' she'd overlooked one major flaw to her plan: Silf's selfish need to play hero!
He'd charged in, without knowing even the first thing about taking out an Angelic assassin. Not a smart fellow, but his heart was in the right place. Of course, that did him little good as he was gutted by the assassin. The blade slide right through the fragile human chest, too late for Bel to stay the assassin's hand; all that was left for her was to take the assassin out and do what she could to staunch the flow of blood from the wound. Too bad for Silf it was a mortal blow"
Bel's never been big on the "healing thing". She leaves that to Mel, Indi, Sid, you know, everyone else. Once upon a time she was a succubus, a soul sucker; she didn't bother with healing but rather reveled in bringing death? Those days are long gone once she'd discovered her true heritage; she simply wasn't bound by the traditions or rules any longer. But with Silf laying there on the grass, gasping for air, she really wished she'd spent a bit more time on the saving life kind of talents" She'd thought to summon Sid or Mel, but, if she could reach them, would they arrive in time" Silf didn't look like he had much time left so Bel, in her not-so-infinite wisdom, did the only thing she knew to do; she shared her life energy with him.
"Ooooh, if only?" it's has such a nice ring, doesn't it' The wondering questions of "what if's". They soothe and accuse all at the same time. She can only claim ignorance" Because that's what it was.
Perhaps had she paid mind to the histories she'd recorded whilst performing her Heavenly duties, she would have remembered what happens to the human body after being infused with the energy of the Seraph' but that was a long time ago' a really long time ago, and since then much has transpired to make such history vague and distant. Besides, she'd no idea that she had become so". Hmm' Strong" Powerful" Seraph?"!! What the hell had Corwyn done to them anyway?""!!!
Too late" the changes to Silf began nearly immediately, however it was easy to delude herself, whilst in his realm at least, that nothing untoward was really happening. That is, until they came home to Rhy"Din" what a fiasco that had been! His lack of training left him completely open to the sights of the Above, and now he reeked of Bel" "Reeked" as in every Angelic assassin found him but expected Belial. She knew that something had to be done and fast' before Corwyn, Vincent, Gabriel, Daug, heck, any of the others found out the truth of what she'd done"
So she'd taken Silf and ran. They'd drifted from dimension to dimension, from world to world, realm to realm, while she taught him the basics of masking his aura, blanketing his essence so that it would be harder for anyone to 'sniff" him out. It had taken months before he began to get the point. Silf enjoys denial, he feels safer in his own delusions for he not a fan of change. Poor guy, he has no idea what trouble he is in and Bel simply doesn't have the heart, (or the guts), to inform him.
Fact is" how does one explain about the Angelic, or Corwyn, (the Ancient), or Vincent, (the vampire whose *inherited* the essence of Cain)" One doesn't' Unless one wants to reveal all about themselves" a trait Bel has never been comfortable with. So she has kept her secrets while teaching Silf how to protect himself" And, now she's got another secret to keep" from everyone else.
Then the SOS came from Tral. (Tral is the demonic force that Doc created to protect the Oak and Ash, an Inn that Sun and Bel ran on the Docks of Rhy"Din.) Tral was in trouble" big trouble and so was the O&A. Bel was able to gain enough information from Tral before their psychic link was intentionally severed. Whoever did it was obviously powerful, at least enough so to effect Bel's mental link to one of her own. This did not bode well"
At first Bel tried to foist the issue off, thinking she could find someone closer to home than she" But her attempts to reach the others had soon convinced her otherwise: Lankyn was off in the Lands, with Wyld, who tends to be his primary bodyguard. Luse was in his home realm, far from the docksides of Rhy"Din, in a land Bel had never visited. Vincent doesn't bother with such petty situations; he is far too busy plotting to overtake, well" everyone else. Mel, the Dreamwitch, couldn't be found, (she must be walking in dreams somewhere.) Sid was off her psychic radar, (most likely in the Lands hiding from what Corwyn had done to them") And Sun" Well" she attempted to contact Sun, but found only static.
This didn't really surprise her, Sun had gone off on an adventure to claim a relic known to slay Dracolichs", (Bone Dragons, dragons that were once alive but then resurrected as "pets" for evil necromancers.) Daugolazan has been a pain in the ass of the Family for several hundred years, and his intentions towards Bel in particular have never been very pure. Sun's discovery of the weapon had created quite a stir of excitement; the mere idea that the Family could hold the tool of the Bone Dragons potential demise appealed to far more than just Bel. (Although Bel would say she has the *most* right to be relieved as Daug isn't attempting to seduce any of the other Bloods. The mere idea of just kissing the Bone Dragon gives her the willies!)
In the end, it seemed that Bel was "it' so to speak so back to Rhy"Din she headed"
She stashed Silf safely away, not that he wanted it; he's reached a point where his confidence is high and in his arrogance he believes he's ready to take on everything! Bel is wise enough to know otherwise, but she's not having much of an effect on Silf's current mindset. He'd insisted on accompanying her at first, she'd only convinced him otherwise by promising to return for him quickly. She hadn't explained what her concept of quick was however"
Her first stop in Rhy"Din was, of course, the O&A. She noticed the boards hastily nailed over the entrance and windows immediately. Then she spied the piece of paper posted haphazardly to one of the great doors as it flittered up then down by the wind. It read simply:
Property Requisitioned Immediate Demolition Required
DCH Inc.
Now, Rhy"Din doesn't really have a legal system, or a law enforcement agency that has any real power or authority, Bel knows, she's spent many years in this realm and is well aware of the current sad condition of such peace keeping efforts. Rules in Rhy"Din are simple; those who can get away with it do. Reading over the curt message she felt a spark of anger, but she wasn't surprised" DCH has been trying to renege on their deal with Sun for several years now, digging up excuses as to why they should seize the property back from the Bloods. They tend to think that the nexual node located somewhere on the property where the O&A currently resides can be of use to them. They'd used it before" It is safe to assume that they plan to use it again for their own nefarious purposes.
(to be continued...)