The Netherworld
A place where demons dwell, executing their nefarious plans against all that is pure and good. Or at least, so the stories go. Like humanity, there are an infinite variety of demons, in both form and outlook. While they are more predisposed toward nefarious means, there are those who choose a different path. However, one desire all demons share is the desire for power. Be it in the form of personal strength, a vast army, or something less tangible, each demon seeks to gain power, to better realize their dreams.
As such, when new opportunities arise, they often seize them without hesitation. One such opportunity has just arrived, a new Netherworld has materialized from the Primordial Chaos, giving demons a chance to forge a new destiny for themselves. A new world gives countless opportunities for the strong and clever to improve their lot in life. This is the tale of these demons, as they seek to rise above all others!
--- --- ---
Zeros grinned as he looked over the warping landscape before him. A new Netherworld, one without that annoying council to get in the way of his studies. They just didn't have any vision. Sure, he had nearly destroyed a palace or two, and laid waste to a few fields and villages, but that was the price you paid when you were trying to unlock the secrets of magic! Still, he had managed to break out of prison thanks to his good friend, Altrea, and though the loss of his research was painful, not having to watch his back was more than compensation for it. At least he had managed to retrieve his confiscated equipment.
As he reminisced about their daring escape, he ran his hands over his equipment to assure himself it was all there. The heavy, dark red robe, concealing countless pouches and pockets filled with items of mystical potential. The black boots had been issued to him in prison, but there was no sense in throwing a pair of good boots away.His ancient staff, gnarled and covered in demonic runes, was just as sturdy as the day he made it, glowing with untapped potential. Hidden away somewhere in his clothes, he had stashed a gun “donated” by one of the guards. Magic was useful, but it never hurt to have a backup plan. Maybe if he had made such preparations last time, he wouldn't have ended up in prison in the first place.
Glasses gleaming, he ran a hand through his brilliant white hair, and couldn't resist a cackle. This world was his for the taking, his to shape to his desires, until all of Heaven and Hell acknowledge him as the ultimate spallcaster!!!
“Don't get ahead of yourself Zeros.” He companion warned him,
“Whatever to you mean, Altrea?” He asked, turning to look at his childhood friend.
Altrea was different than he remembered. Gone was the little red haired girl in a dress, replaced with a young woman who had no problems laying people out if it suited her. Then again, that had never been an issue when they were younger, either. He long red hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her body was covered in armor of one form or another. Greaves and gauntlets guarded her arms, and chain mail protected her torso, while leather pants guarded the rest of her. Her back was graced with a massive battle axe, which she casually wielded in one hand.
“I mean we just arrived here. We've only got enough food to last us a couple of weeks, we have no shelter, and no idea what lies ahead of us. This whole place looks worse than a disaster area and your room combined!”
“Wonderful, isn't it?” Zeros grinned, “So much potential...”
With a sigh, the axe wielding girl brought the flat of her blade down on his head. “Seriouisly, you need to get your head out of your books and focus on the real world for once. At the very least, you're going to want to build yourself a new lab at some point. You can only do so much without the proper equipment.”
“Hm… I suppose you're right.” Zeros agreed, though he didn't look happy about it. “I suppose I could create a basic structure or two using some earth magic, but it wouldn't really be too useful in the long run. It would take too much effort to properly shape it without appropriate focus items. It would be far more efficient to summon a mass of stone and carve it to suit our needs. The process would take far too long without a construction crew though.”
“Don't worry, I think I found a way to get some decent construction done.” Altrea said with a feral smirk on her face.
“Oh? What did you find?”
“Prinnies.”
Indeed, it seemed the new Netherworld had already integrated one of the most fundamental metaphysical properties, namely,the binding of evil human souls into the bodies of Prinnies.
Sadly, it did not make allowances for the less important details, such as the Prinnies safety. Such details were left up to the demon inhabitants, channeling the metaphysical forces into convenient locations to contain the Prinnies. Without such focal points, there was no way to make Prinnies appear in front of you when you needed expendable minions.
Instead, the Prinnies simply rained down from the sky.
“DOOD!!!” One of them screamed, before crashing into the ground and exploding. Such was life in the Netherworld for th elowest of all creatures.
“I don't think we'll be able to get much use out of them like this. We'll need to get a basic hospital set up to revive them at the very least.” Zeros commented.
"Don't worry. I've got an idea.” Altrea said, putting down her axe. With a roar, the young demon leaped into the air, snagging a screaming Prinny before setting it down gently. Zeros watched the stunned penguin, as Altrea repeated her rescue attempt, and soon they had a small army of Prinnies assembled.
“This should be enough for now.” Altrea said, “Now if you would do the honors...”
Zeros grinned, and began chanting. While combat magic was quick to use, it took extended effort if you were going to do anything besides blowing people up. Fortunately, his genius knew no limits, and in very short order, the ground began to tremble and shake. A great pillar of stone shot up from the ground beneath them, accompanied by started shouts from the Prinnies.
Altrea grinned at the impressive feat of magic Zeros had managed. Now if she could just keep him from blowing thinsg up on a regular basis, they would be in business. Speaking of business...
“Alright you Prinnies, you work for us now, and rigth now, we want you to hollow this pillar out into a basic tower. Make sure that you don't bring it down on top of yourselves, alright! That just menas more work for us!”
The Prinnies glanced at each other, before one fo the braver ones stepped forward.
“Dood, we're not going to do that!”
“Yeah, that sounds hard dood!”
“We're forming a union dood! I used to be a lawyer!”
“Dood, a lawyer? No wonder you ended up here.”
The conversation among the Prinnies would have likely continued on for hours, but Altrea didn't feel like waiting.
“Oh, so the prinnies think that they have rights?” Altrea said, her eyes flashing. “I need two things right now. Cheap labor, and training dummies. The only question is, which one do you want to be?”
“Got it dood! We'll get right to work!” The lead Prinny hastiley reassured her, before the terrified minions began to alter the mass of stone Zeros had summoned. Fear proved to be a powerful motivator, as they quickly began to build them a home. It wouldn't be much, but it would do for now.
Zeros ignored them for the most part, already collecting samples of the new Netherworld. There was so much research to do, and so little time to do it!
Zeros' traits:
Power (1) Sorcery (1), Minions (1) Ally (1) Fortress (1)
A place where demons dwell, executing their nefarious plans against all that is pure and good. Or at least, so the stories go. Like humanity, there are an infinite variety of demons, in both form and outlook. While they are more predisposed toward nefarious means, there are those who choose a different path. However, one desire all demons share is the desire for power. Be it in the form of personal strength, a vast army, or something less tangible, each demon seeks to gain power, to better realize their dreams.
As such, when new opportunities arise, they often seize them without hesitation. One such opportunity has just arrived, a new Netherworld has materialized from the Primordial Chaos, giving demons a chance to forge a new destiny for themselves. A new world gives countless opportunities for the strong and clever to improve their lot in life. This is the tale of these demons, as they seek to rise above all others!
--- --- ---
Zeros grinned as he looked over the warping landscape before him. A new Netherworld, one without that annoying council to get in the way of his studies. They just didn't have any vision. Sure, he had nearly destroyed a palace or two, and laid waste to a few fields and villages, but that was the price you paid when you were trying to unlock the secrets of magic! Still, he had managed to break out of prison thanks to his good friend, Altrea, and though the loss of his research was painful, not having to watch his back was more than compensation for it. At least he had managed to retrieve his confiscated equipment.
As he reminisced about their daring escape, he ran his hands over his equipment to assure himself it was all there. The heavy, dark red robe, concealing countless pouches and pockets filled with items of mystical potential. The black boots had been issued to him in prison, but there was no sense in throwing a pair of good boots away.His ancient staff, gnarled and covered in demonic runes, was just as sturdy as the day he made it, glowing with untapped potential. Hidden away somewhere in his clothes, he had stashed a gun “donated” by one of the guards. Magic was useful, but it never hurt to have a backup plan. Maybe if he had made such preparations last time, he wouldn't have ended up in prison in the first place.
Glasses gleaming, he ran a hand through his brilliant white hair, and couldn't resist a cackle. This world was his for the taking, his to shape to his desires, until all of Heaven and Hell acknowledge him as the ultimate spallcaster!!!
“Don't get ahead of yourself Zeros.” He companion warned him,
“Whatever to you mean, Altrea?” He asked, turning to look at his childhood friend.
Altrea was different than he remembered. Gone was the little red haired girl in a dress, replaced with a young woman who had no problems laying people out if it suited her. Then again, that had never been an issue when they were younger, either. He long red hair was tied back in a ponytail, and her body was covered in armor of one form or another. Greaves and gauntlets guarded her arms, and chain mail protected her torso, while leather pants guarded the rest of her. Her back was graced with a massive battle axe, which she casually wielded in one hand.
“I mean we just arrived here. We've only got enough food to last us a couple of weeks, we have no shelter, and no idea what lies ahead of us. This whole place looks worse than a disaster area and your room combined!”
“Wonderful, isn't it?” Zeros grinned, “So much potential...”
With a sigh, the axe wielding girl brought the flat of her blade down on his head. “Seriouisly, you need to get your head out of your books and focus on the real world for once. At the very least, you're going to want to build yourself a new lab at some point. You can only do so much without the proper equipment.”
“Hm… I suppose you're right.” Zeros agreed, though he didn't look happy about it. “I suppose I could create a basic structure or two using some earth magic, but it wouldn't really be too useful in the long run. It would take too much effort to properly shape it without appropriate focus items. It would be far more efficient to summon a mass of stone and carve it to suit our needs. The process would take far too long without a construction crew though.”
“Don't worry, I think I found a way to get some decent construction done.” Altrea said with a feral smirk on her face.
“Oh? What did you find?”
“Prinnies.”
Indeed, it seemed the new Netherworld had already integrated one of the most fundamental metaphysical properties, namely,the binding of evil human souls into the bodies of Prinnies.
Sadly, it did not make allowances for the less important details, such as the Prinnies safety. Such details were left up to the demon inhabitants, channeling the metaphysical forces into convenient locations to contain the Prinnies. Without such focal points, there was no way to make Prinnies appear in front of you when you needed expendable minions.
Instead, the Prinnies simply rained down from the sky.
“DOOD!!!” One of them screamed, before crashing into the ground and exploding. Such was life in the Netherworld for th elowest of all creatures.
“I don't think we'll be able to get much use out of them like this. We'll need to get a basic hospital set up to revive them at the very least.” Zeros commented.
"Don't worry. I've got an idea.” Altrea said, putting down her axe. With a roar, the young demon leaped into the air, snagging a screaming Prinny before setting it down gently. Zeros watched the stunned penguin, as Altrea repeated her rescue attempt, and soon they had a small army of Prinnies assembled.
“This should be enough for now.” Altrea said, “Now if you would do the honors...”
Zeros grinned, and began chanting. While combat magic was quick to use, it took extended effort if you were going to do anything besides blowing people up. Fortunately, his genius knew no limits, and in very short order, the ground began to tremble and shake. A great pillar of stone shot up from the ground beneath them, accompanied by started shouts from the Prinnies.
Altrea grinned at the impressive feat of magic Zeros had managed. Now if she could just keep him from blowing thinsg up on a regular basis, they would be in business. Speaking of business...
“Alright you Prinnies, you work for us now, and rigth now, we want you to hollow this pillar out into a basic tower. Make sure that you don't bring it down on top of yourselves, alright! That just menas more work for us!”
The Prinnies glanced at each other, before one fo the braver ones stepped forward.
“Dood, we're not going to do that!”
“Yeah, that sounds hard dood!”
“We're forming a union dood! I used to be a lawyer!”
“Dood, a lawyer? No wonder you ended up here.”
The conversation among the Prinnies would have likely continued on for hours, but Altrea didn't feel like waiting.
“Oh, so the prinnies think that they have rights?” Altrea said, her eyes flashing. “I need two things right now. Cheap labor, and training dummies. The only question is, which one do you want to be?”
“Got it dood! We'll get right to work!” The lead Prinny hastiley reassured her, before the terrified minions began to alter the mass of stone Zeros had summoned. Fear proved to be a powerful motivator, as they quickly began to build them a home. It wouldn't be much, but it would do for now.
Zeros ignored them for the most part, already collecting samples of the new Netherworld. There was so much research to do, and so little time to do it!
Zeros' traits:
Power (1) Sorcery (1), Minions (1) Ally (1) Fortress (1)