....
Third Person P.O.V.
Baxter Building
"Lucky me, found all of you together!" Tony Stark exclaims after strolling inside the lounge room of the Baxter Building like he owns the place, holding a suitcase in his left hand, and pointing at the people around with the other.
There, he found Susan Storm, Johnny, Ben, Alicia, Jennifer, Bruce, and Janet having a talk. Or at least the ending of a talk, because it seems that everyone was moving on. Tony purposefully pointed at everyone to indicate that he was really talking with all of them.
"How did you enter without being flagged?" Susan asks with a frown. If someone as high-profile as Stark entered the building, she would be warned immediately.
"Please… You guys need to upgrade your security." He acts smugly before getting serious. "But forget about that, I'm here to discuss something much more important." He pauses to dramatic effect, his eyes and tone hard.
"..??" Seeing his serious expression, everyone tenses a little. Even Johnny… Maybe it's some official hero business, some threat that he discovered-
"It's Haloween!! You guys have been tricked, and here is the treat…" He suddenly exclaims "You all are invited to my party!! Prepare your costumes! Not the questionable fashion choices that you use as heroes, good costumes, please!!"
"..." Everyone looks at him like he is an idiot for making such a drama for this.
"Couldn't you have sent a text?"
"Or made a post?"
"No, that was only to the plebeians. You guys deserve to personally receive this awesome invitation from me. Check this out!!"
So they watch with deadpan faces as Tony opens his suitcase and starts distributing small, round objects to them.
It's a scary version of his helmet, half destroyed and with a skull inside, like a zombie was wearing it, that releases a hologram of the invitation.
"Cool, huh? There's also one for Reed there." He passed the suitcase to Susan. "Try making the guy come and not come with something like an evil scientist costume. So low effort~ You ladies can come very sexy… I know that it will not be a challenge." Tony smirks and winks at them, making them groan and roll their eyes. "Here for your husband, Mrs. Pym."
"Who else is coming?" Janet asks while holding the two invitations.
"Everyone! I even called the spies." Tony exclaims "It's a cool people party, obviously everyone will come."
"Even Eidolon?" Jennifer asks while eyeing her invitation, trying to make the helmet stop laughing creepily.
"Despite being very hard to find the guy, I invited him the last time we met." Tony says "If you guys see him, then tell him that I have his invitation on the Avengers Tower. You guys can obviously enter without it, but there's a cool thing that happens if you use them." He smiles mysteriously
"Yeah, I think I will throw it away." Janet eyes the little helmet carefully
"Yep, obviously a prank…" Jennifer nods
"Ah, c'mon, guys!" Tony whines "I swear that is nothing bad, it's just a surprise!"
"I do not trust you."
"Geez, is my credibility so low nowadays?" Tony asks with his arms open, looking around.
Everyone stares at him before saying in unison "Yes." But Johnny looks excited, though.
"Whatever, that will be the Party of the Parties! You guys can't ruin my mood…" He waves them off
"So many heroes united in the same place? Isn't this kinda dangerous?" Janet aks
"Ah, please~ it will be literally the safest place on Earth. Do you think someone would attack it?" Tony looks at her like she is an idiot.
"You just jinxed it."
"Yep, maybe I should not go…"
"I will only go if Eidolon is there."
"Christ, you guys are getting this paranoia from him!" Tony says, exasperated.
"Can't we just shout his name now to call him?" Johnny suggests
"Don't call him for something frivolous." Susan admonishes her brother.
"Hey, my party is not frivolous- Okay, it will be frivolous." He looks offended first, but concedes her point in the end. "But it will be the important kind of frivolous, a necessary frivolous, to keep the morals high and all that."
"Okay, dude, you have sold it. We are going." Ben pats Tony back so that he can stop talking.
"I'm telling you guys, it will be the high point of your month." But Tony continues "Not even Eidolon's life would be more exciting… like, where is he now? Somewhere boring, I bet." He scoffs
...….
Hell
"I think now we have an amenable contract." Hector, on his skinny demon body, speaks to Satana after they spend a good amount of time discussing.
"Ugh, my head is hurting." She clutches her forehead with one hand
"Thinking can be painful if you are not used to it." Hector says casually.
"..." But Satana noticed the insult and glare at him from between her fingers.
"Let's get over it…" Hector takes the stack of papers in his hands, making it float as a magical circle appears beneath it.
The contract was reformulated, and many of the restrictions he would put on Satana were removed, but he doesn't mind.
He has a lot of means to keep an eye on her while she is on Earth. Different from Hell, Earth is just a relatively small planet, with just some small Pocket Dimensions here and there. She can't escape his eyes while walking the surface of his home turf.
On the other hand, she still can't take anyone with her initially and still has to do a lot of work to finish the contract. Showing at least dozens of well-developed hell realms and being truthful about it.
It will be some time before Hector has to pay his part of the bargain.
Till there, he will get his money's worth, and maybe even sway Satana to his side. At least he will try to get some critical information from her, maybe a weakness of her father, a little about his plans…
'If possible to make her go against her father, if not, she is dead.' He thinks as the contract bursts into orange-red flames
Like on cue, the two remove a drop of their blood, Hector by biting his thumb with his sharp teeth and Satana by using one of her long nails to her digit.
The ball of fire that was the contract is like a planet that pulls the drops of blood with some gravitational force.
'She is really not saying anything? Kinda stupid…' Hector thinks while keeping an impassive face.
Doesn't she know that this is not his real body? A drop of blood has much less value this way. Maybe she is trusting that it is enough to do the binding, because of the symbolism that is offered, a drop of blood. The two are connecting with more than their red liquid; it's the symbol of life… But even so, it's weaker now because it's not Hector's real blood.
And if the contract bidding is weak, it will be easier to break.
'She must not imagine that I have a way to break the contract.' Her mistake she can only blame her inexperience and lack of imagination, because Hector has many options to do that. Even this little trick with the blood is enough to create a weak point he can explore.
The ball of fire grows and size and burns even more wildly before it is extinguished unnaturally fast. At the same time, the two felt that the contract was established, a certain weight settling on their souls.
'Hmm, yeah… Not that bad, I think I can cut it even if it hurts a lot…' Hector immediately analyzes.
At the same time, Satana smiles slightly after the contract is done.
"..." Hector noticed that, narrowing his eyes at the almost innocent expression 'Maybe her intentions of going to Earth are pure… maybe…' "We can start now."
"Now?" She shakes herself and stares at him in surprise
"Yes, now. Unless you have something to do in your incredibly busy schedule." To accentuate his sarcasm, he looks around her luxurious accommodations. Satana absolutely does not give the impression that she works hard in any capacity.
"Fine, whatever." She says after rolling her eyes "I guess I can take you on a stroll."
"More than a stroll… An educative tour." Hector corrects, raising a long finger.
"...an educative tour in Hell." She shakes her head "Crazy idiot."
"It's not only because this place is a shithole that I can't try to enjoy the experience." He shrugs
"It's not that bad when you are not a bottom feeder." Satana replies
"Duh, Earth is not bad when you are rich." He talks to her like she is an idiot. "I bet Hell is not that bad as long as you are not a soul being tortured."
"Shut up, why do you care? You are strong."
"A strong man can defend himself, a stronger man defends others…" he puffs his chest heroically. A rather weak sight while he is using this frail-looking demon body.
Satana looks at him like he is an idiot; "You are in the wrong place then. Hell will chew you and spit the bones."
"Hell will try." He scoffs confidently "And it will fail."
"Ooh~ You are so confident!" She waves her hands sarcastically "Wait… What is your name again?" Satana suddenly realizes that he never introduced himself.
"My name? Hmm…" He pauses, thinking about which pseudonym to use
"If you are gonna lie, don't bother… I'm gonna call you 'Idiot' anyway."
"No, no… It's not a lie. You can call me… Helltaker." He declares with an ugly smile.
"..." Satana looks completely unimpressed, staring at him with dead eyes
"What? It's true… Kinda… One of my names, at least." He shrugs
Satana sighs loudly, "Whatever… I wouldn't recommend using this name, though. The prefix 'Hell' has different meanings around here, and depending on which region."
"Oh, that is the kind of information that I want." Hector points out. "Tell me more."
She shrugs and explains "Beyond being how some certain important people name themselves here, like Hellfyr… It's also the title given to the many Spirits of Vengeance. Some may think that you are working for a big shot. Oh, wait, you look like a demon… Normally, Spirits of Vengeance are humans."
"Spirit of Vengeance? Like the Ghost Riders?"
"Ghost Riders? The last two, I think, are called Hell-Driver and Hellhawk." Satana raises an eyebrow. "An acquaintance of mine told me over some drinks. Apparently, it was a big event because Belasco's subordinate killed Hellhawk, an indian Spirit of Vengeance, to send a message to Mephisto. 'To stay out of Limbo', or some shit like that."
"Belasco?" Hector narrows his eyes. "I know the guy… Very gutsy of him to do that to a Hell-Lord."
"Well, he is kinda untouchable on Limbo. If I'm not wrong, a subordinate of his that killed Hellhawk, Necrosis."
'Necrosis is the six-armed centaur Saeko killed.' "I heard recently Belasco received the beating of his life, though." He comments
"Really?" Satanna pauses, and after Hector nods, she bursts into laughter, "HAHAHAHAHAHA! And that arrogant bastard thought himself untouchable because of his Class One backers! Hahahaha." She makes quotation marks on Elder Gods before laughing more.
'Well, no Elder God came to help him while I was beating him up, maybe it would only stop the Hell-Lords.' Hector thinks 'And the bastard survived despite me really trying to kill him.' Belasco was a hard fight, but nothing that he couldn't deal with if he tried again.
Hector pauses, 'Maybe Hell-Lords are not all that…' He remembers a comic where Spider-Man punched Mephisto. If he had the opportunity to punch Mephisto… 'Well, it's earlier in the timeline, Belasco would only ascend as a Hell-Lord much later.' Illyana was rescued before she became a full-fledged teenager.
He also thought about how Necrosis died to Saeko. The guy killed a Ghost Rider and died to his girl samurai. 'Adamantium is pretty overpowered when combined with anime powers…' Speed plus a blade that can cut through molecules is a recipe for an instakill.
It's even what gave him an edge in his fight with Annihilus.
'The problem is how fucking durable everyone seems to be.' He sighs in his mind.
Thor was barely hurt before he pulled the Sword of Actuation, and Belasco was literally indestructible. Hector would need to try to seal the Ruler of Limbo because the guys couldn't die.
'It makes sense that he was arrogant, not even Mephisto would be able to deal permanently with him… I guess I'm lucky his daddies didn't appear to deal with me.'
"You said 'Class One'?" Hector suddenly brings attention to the term "I read a passage about it in an obscure book of Demonology… Can you explain?" He will try to compare with what he knows.
She shrugs. It's not any super secret in Hell. "It's just how the demons divided themselves based on their origins. Nothing to do with strength, by the way!" He points that last part, almost defensively.
"Are you sure? The why is called 'Class One'?" Hector challenges
She huffs once "Who fucking knows? It's just the origin! The person who classified just put one before the others. I think it was Solomon, that cow." She crosses her arms
"What is your Class?" Hector asks slowly
"..." Her eyes move around before she says in a whisper "Class Two…"
"..." 'So fucking childish' Hector almost facepalms
"Don't look down on me, bitch!" She seems to have noticed his negative thoughts about her, but misunderstood what he focused on and why he looked down on her.
"I don't care even if you are Class Sixty-Nine…" he rolls his eyes
"Nice… And it only goes till Class Three."
'Exactly how the book said…' He nods internally, his trust in Satana going up a small step. She at least will not outright lie just for the sake of lying.
"Class One are the evil and fallen Elder Gods; Class Two are the Hell-Lords and everyone connected with them… Most of Hell is Class Two." She adds that part defensively. "And Class Three are the Extradimensional fuckers." She says with distaste.
"Oh, finally we have something in common…" Hector smiles "I also hate the extradimensional fuckers."
She smiles too. "Right? Son of the bitches came here and tried to ruin things… They have no right."
"Using that feeling with a little empathy, and you will be able to understand how I feel about demons."
"Shut up."
While bantering with the succubus woman, Hector remembers the book he read.
The Class Three includes all kinds of Outer Gods, every outsider type demon. The most commonly known are the Old Ones, exposed through Lovecraft's work, like Chthulhu and the Shub-Niggurath. But it also included the Undying Ones, a race of really ancient demons that is said to have existed even before the Big Bang.
It has been so long since one of them appeared that they have already become a Myth even among the demons. It is said that there is a war and they are succeeded by the Nameless Ones… It's unclear if there is any connection with the Nameless One that stole the authority of the 72 and created the Ars Goetia with Solomon.
Because of the similarity with the name, some theorize the Nameless One is an Outsider, a being that came from outside the Multiverse and grew by feeding on Hell, like how an embryo takes nutrients from a mother. That is another motive to hate him, so some clear-minded sorcerers and demons think that it is some sort of propaganda spread by the 72 against him. They obviously hold the biggest grudge.
Hector also remembers another interesting fact, that even though the N'Garai(Belasco patrons) are extradimensional demons, they are not Class Three, but are considered Class One because they are created by Chthon, an Elder God.
Some put them in a special classification as Elderspawns.
Hector decided he has enough and changed subjects again…
"Well, if you want, you can call me Ainz Ooal Gown." His appearance is skeletal enough
"..." Once again, Satana looks at him like he is a special care child who drooled on her expensive clothes.
"What?"
"I don't know which one is dumber? I think I will go with 'Helltaker', at least it doesn't look like I have a lisp."
"Are you sure? If you start calling me Helltaker, you may fall for me." Hector says seriously. Satana simply looks too much like the demons of the game Helltaker.
"...now I'm pretty sure that there's something wrong with your head."
"Later don't say that I didn't warn you."
As Satana leads the way, Hector raises his left arm to access his wristband. His sleeve rolls up, and a holographic screen appears.
'Maybe I can complete some items on my List…'
The screen shows a tab title "Fantasy" and some tasks to accomplish below.
- Ride a centaur
- Ride a dragon
- Infinite hydra meat farm
- Win a stare contest against a medusa
- Onigiri of Onis
- Slay a dragon
- Lay a dragon
- Make a Djinn wish for death
- Win a Rock-Paper-Scissors against a Monkey Paw
- Potty training Cerberus
- Steal the leprechaun's Pot of Gold(and rainbow)
- Make a demon pray to god for mercy
- Take a devil's soul
- Goblin centipede
- NTR goblins
- NTR orcs
- Royal Oyakodon
- Be expelled from the Hero's party
- Pull Excalibur
- Pet every furred beastfolk
- Give a prophecy to an Oracle
- Drown Immortal in the Fountain of Youth
- Shave the beard of Cthulhu
- Give a Beholder conjunctivitis
[...]
The list goes on and on. He adds new things every day his sick mind thinks about them. Harley said that it is a good way to channel his dark thoughts.
'Hmm… Testicular Torsion on Zeus… Where is the succubus part?' He types "Succub-" in the search tab, and the items related to that appear.
- Outfuck a succubus
- Take a succubus' virginity
- Make a succubus fall for you
- Trad-wife succubus
- Break a succubus' heart
- Chastity Belt on a succubus
[...]
'Hmmmmmm~' Hector looks and the list and then at Sattana's swaying perky cheeks.
"!!!" Suddenly, she felt a chill running down her spine, and she even quickly turned around to look at him.
"..." But Hector's impassive face gives nothing. "You are lucky that it can be any target…" he says and walks past her.
"??"
........
Satana guides Hector to the edge of her Mountain Castle before turning to him.
"We could teleport, but I guess you wanted to see things, right?" She says, and then a carriage pulled by a horse breathing fire comes running before stopping close to them.
"You are finally using your brain." Hector 'praises' "But don't you have some flying demon pet? It would be better to look down on the view."
"In truth, I have… But you are asking too much." She gave him a dismissive wave. "I'm not gonna mess with my hair just so that you could get a good view from this place. It's not exactly postal card worthy." And she dramatically gestures to the barren land, lava sea, and very inhospitable place in general.
"..." Hector keeps a straight face before saying. "When you learn to enjoy even the bad things, you can be happy anytime and anywhere." He gives her those wise words before entering first in the carriage.
"..." Her eyes accompany his back in shock. "Don't lecture me. Fuck you." For some reason, he sounded really condescending and pissed her off.
"You wish you could fuck me." He gives her a smug smile. "Unfortunately for you, I predicted that and made this body without genitals. Don't even try."
"As if I would try anything with this dried body of yours!" She says, offended before noticing something as she sits facing him "Wait a minute! You don't have a dick??? HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Hector is not affected by her mocking laughter. "I guess a creature of lust like you can't understand my pure stoic heart." He shakes his head
"HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! You don't have a dick!" But Satana is also unaffected; she only wants to laugh. "So even if you want, you can't do shit!Hahaha!" She is already lying on her seat by laughing, almost slipping from it. She even goes as far as giving some taps on her crotch.
"...such a vulgar woman." Hector spat in distaste, but she continued to laugh.
.......
"So… what do you have in mind?" After calming down, Satana asks while crossing her arms. She is still not sure about this whole scheme and her part in it. "Do a tour around the Nine Circles of Hell?"
"That would be good… As a long-term plan." Hector nods
"Are you serious?" She asks in disbelief "Do you know how big Hell is? I don't know all of it, and not even I can go everywhere."
"I'm not asking you to show me every nook and cranny of the place." He shakes his head, "We can start by you showing me how to move around… Where are we exactly? Localization-wise…"
That is maybe the most important thing to him. More than any other information, knowing how to move around her will be essential for him to act alone.
"We are a little close to the Second Circle… Well, not exactly 'close', it's just that we are in a smaller dimension connected with the Second Circle." Satanna explains.
"Makes sense… The Circle of Lust, huh?"
As a succubus is to be expected that she would be around him. There's also the fact that it's not very deep in Hell. When powering his teleportation device, Hector purposefully "undercharged" it so that it didn't send him too deep.
He is just below the Limbo from Hell.
"What do you mean by that?" She narrows her eyes
"Exactly what you think. You are a succubus."
"It's just a coincidence…" She says, but her voice is weak.
"Now you are gonna tell me that you never went to some succubi pit orgy or went to torture the lustful souls?" He drawls
"I don't have that kind of hobby. Hmpf, I have better things to do." She turns her face away from him.
"Whatever. Tell me, there are obvious portals that connect all those realms to each other… Do you know about them?"
"Of course I know. There are two big routes, each to the first two Circles." Satana raises two dainty fingers. "And many more that connect to realms to pocket dimensions of similar size or smaller."
"Yeah, we can start with that. I want to know the main routes and how to navigate around Hell."
"Again, not even I know everything. I probably know more than most, but even so, is just some superficial things. I only went as deep as the Third Circle."
"Ugh, so sheltered, princess." Hector scoffs in disdain."
"Shut up, do you think Hell is a paradise? This place is dangerous and vicious!"
"Fair point." Hector conceded "Then go on, guide me… Where do you think is a good beginning for a newbie like me?"
"Hmmm~" Satana pauses to think "Well…"
.........…
Baam
"HELL-O, BITCHES!!!" Satana shouts as she opens the door of a building that is a little pub, a little restaurant, a little nightclub, and a little brothel, and maybe a few more things…
"OOOOOOOOOOHHH!!" Her entrance makes the demons all around the place respond with a cheer that sounds more like a roar, raising their drinks, hands, or wings, or whatever superior limbs they have.
"..." Hector stays behind Satana while she goes around greeting them like a politician, waving through the tables, and talking with everyone with familiarity. She jokes, insults, and asks about some events that Hector does not understand the concept.
She is like those girls in school that are social butterflies, being able to float through the social circles, being friends with the nerds that play D&D and the jocks that play football, the emo kids, and the cheerleaders…
The place is as chaotic as it can be. The strange fusion of medieval aesthetics with a seemingly modern establishment is only the tip of the iceberg. There are demons sitting on holes on the wall, tables on the ceiling, holes in the ground, and bridges above them going everywhere.
It's like an anthill to demons.
"Satana, who is the pipsqueak behind you?" A brown demon as muscular as the Hulk asks her after she passes by his table.
"Just a stray that I caught to be my pet." Satana says dismissively, making the demons around laugh uproariously
"..." Hector's ghoulish expression didn't change, seemingly uninterested in them while looking around.
He and Satana already agreed on their story, Satana will just say that he is an attendant, subordinate, or whatever… She obviously tried to take a dig at him by calling Hector a pet, but she underestimated his calmness.
'No one that strong…' He analyzes, thinking that even as weak as he is right now, he could take everyone here.
He is only minding his own business, not engaging in whatever strange social circle exists here, but a certain drunk demon doesn't seem to like that he is unaffected by the jeers.
"Hey, little dude! Don't even try anything with Satana there, she is too much for your limp body to handle! Hyahaha!" He shouts close to Hector's face while putting his meaty hand on Hector's arrows shoulder.
"..." Hector's sunken eyes stare at the laugh demon like he is an idiot before saying "I would appreciate it if you take your hand off me." He is trying to be polite, considering the bigger picture and his mission.
"Hum?" The good mood of the demon evaporates, he sobers up and leans close to Hector "What did you say?"
"...tch. I had more reasonable conversations with dogs with rabies." Hector clicks his tongue
"Okay, come with me!" Satana immediately pulled hector by the wrist in the exact instant she saw his arm making a movement.
She knows very well how dangerous Hector is, and he is also not shy in speaking loudly about his disdain for demons. She is 90% sure he is gonna kill the drunk demon, the other 10% is on the chance he will spare him after inflicting a lot of pain.
In each case, it will not be good to make a scene.
The demon doesn't follow, only stumbles with his words and goes back to drink at the urging of his friends.
Hector allows himself to be dragged by Satana to what seems to be the VIP area, some floors above, the two stopping at a particular booth.
"Two of the usual, Sendri." Satana says to a demon waitress before finally turning to Hector.
The man is showing an even more unfriendly face with his ghoulish appearance. "Why are you even here? Planning to make me the enemy of someone? Or are you gonna use a borrowed blade to kill someone that you don't like?" He asks.
From his experience, this kind of place is like a volcano of bad activity, just waiting for the minor turmoil to erupt. He doesn't even like the human version, so it's not hard to imagine his distaste for the demon's one.
"Damn, you are an ass." She sighs "Don't you want information? In this palace, you can find all kinds of information if you know who to ask… And with all modesty, I know who to ask. This place kinda exists only because of me." She says without a drop of modesty.
"This is some cliche tavern shit, but I guess it makes sense." He sighs "And…" He urges her to continue. His sunken eyes were boring into hers.
"...I like this place too." She confessed after a moment. "I just wanted to come here." She says almost with a childish embarrassment."
"..." Hector stares at her before shrugging, "Whatever… You are doing your part, more or less. No problem." Now that he knows, he can maybe come back here with a more useful body and get some information.
Kidnapping some demons to ask questions can be a good idea. He will not trust everything Satana is telling him. He will get information from other sources, too.
The waitress came back with a swirling red drink that was literally fuming."
"I do not want to drink something hot in Hell." He says while staring at the cup in front of him.
"Too bad for you then, most of the demons thrive in the fire if you haven't noticed." She says without caring before bringing her cup to her lips.
He also shrugs and takes a sip. In the end, Hector is a naturally curious fella. He will give a try to even the strangest things.
"I thought you wouldn't drink…" She smirks
"I said that I didn't want to drink…" He put the cup down and pushed it away, a clear sign that he didn't like it.
"The why you did you?" She asks like he is an idiot.
Hector returns the stare with a similar gaze, looking down on her "The little demon princess must not know it… But part of growing up is doing things that you don't like."
"..."
To make a point, he grabs the cup again and chugs the whole thing with one gulp, not even changing expression.
"It's about choosing what you dislike less… people go to work that they don't like because they would hate being homeless. I hate wasting food, or even stepping on your goodwill that offered me a drink, more than I hated this hellhound piss that you call a beverage." He crosses his fingers above the table while keeping his gaze even.
"...you must really think that I am some spoiled bitching princess, huh?" She asks, her voice showing a little displeasure.
"You still haven't proved me wrong." He states naturally.
"You are really a dickhead." She huffs "Can't you even enjoy the atmosphere?"
"This is not my atmosphere." He replies
"Geez, your prejudice for demons is that big, huh?" She takes another sip
"If you had some hope that bringing me here would change my mind, you are really naive." Hector scoffs "Do you think I don't know the difference between demons and demonic beasts? I know that you guys are sentient, even capable of creating certain bonds between yourselves… I simply do not care." His eyes are as dark as they can get and not because they are part of a demon body, no… It's because this guy is not joking around.
"..." At this moment, Satana understood that she had gotten it all wrong.
Hector doesn't hate demons or anything like that. Hating something is at least the beginning of a feeling… Hector feels nothing about the demon race in general, but despite that, he is ready to exterminate all of them. Because he already understood that he is on the opposite side… With hardly a chance of conversation.
Like the way he chugged down the drink he didn't like, he will go through the gruesome task of fighting a Holy War against the demon race if it means saving the souls of humans.
Now reality finally hit Satana, and the gravity of her actions is settling in…
'It was even the right thing to make a pact with this guy?' She second-guesses herself. Why does she feel that she may have pushed the first domino piece of something much bigger than her? 'Tsk, but I need to go to Earth… I can't waste this chance.'
"Later, let's go see where the souls are tortured…" Hector speaks.
"..."
He is not so naive as to think all his enemies are one-dimensional characters. Even the cartoonish evil must have some nuance.
The scary part is that he is not even turning his face away and pretending not to know. He is fully aware and fully ready to continue his mission.
.......
"Well, that looks more like Hell." Hector gives a sardonic smile full of pointy teeth while watching the scenery.
Satana just showed him one of the routes that the demons can take to the Second Circle from her pocket dimension. It's a pretty common route, nothing secret, but not something that any demon can take.
The "Space Tunnel", as Hector called it, was not safe. Only reasonably strong demons can travel that way, but he guesses that is what is expected from Hell.
Now they are on the top of the hill watching a vast expanse of spirits suffering because they committed the sin of Lust. There are men who are having their genital bitten by demon gods, women who are being inserted with things that not even the ones with "everything is a dildo if you are brave enough" mindset would face, a lot of humiliation and deprivation torture too… It's not only about pain.
The screams and the wails of the poor souls create a ghastly orchestra that would create an adverse reaction in the average person.
"You don't look that affected by the sight." Satana comments by his side.
"I have seen what the worst humans can do… This much is almost natural." Hector replies unimpressed.
"I was talking about seeing your equals being tortured." Satana explains, with a teasing smirk
"You are really naive…" Hector shakes his head. "Do you think I would have empathy for everyone in Hell? That I'm gonna rush to save them? Please, I understand that at least 90% of those are horrible people. I'm here for the innocents that are here unjustly… Or are you gonna say that the system here is perfect?"
"..." That she can't say
"But maybe you have a point…" Hector continues without waiting for an answer
"What do you mean?"
"Don't you think it's a little unfair punishment? Maybe I'm going soft, but even if you committed some very bad stuff during yours… what, 60 years of life… Isn't eternal suffering a bit too much? Can they be saved if they genuinely repent?"
"Never heard of that." Satana shakes her head
"Damn, that sucks… I mean, like… Maybe a hundred years if you killed one person, because you kind of robbed that person of more or less a hundred years of life. Then you can… reincarnate maybe? Not going to heaven, but having another chance…"
"Would that even matter in the great scheme of things?" Satana scoffs
"It would matter to them…" Hector says, his tone gets a little soft "You would be surprised at how much people could change if given a second chance…" He says absentmindedly, like he is talking for his own experience, reminiscing about his past.
"It may give those bad actors another chance of doing horrible things on Earth again." She counters the arguments mercilessly
"Hmm, maybe you are right." He admits she has a point rather quickly "But like… Eternal Punishment? Too much… thousand years, maybe more… Let's be honest, it works like that for the benefit of the demons, am I right? Not to punish sinners, or to keep them away from the living." He smirks
"Yep." She also admits easily. Here in hell, souls are sources of power.
Even those weak demons jumping here on there to deliver some punishment are feeding on the anguish of the sinners and getting stronger. They are doing it for their own benefit, because they like it and because they can…
Why would they not inflict suffering on them when they got the chance?
"Well, no point in discussing this now… It is a very complicated and ambiguous subject. My priority now is the ones that absolutely don't deserve to be here." Hector finally shrugs his shoulders.
Till the moment he can spare some attention to those sinners, he will first need to help the ones who deserve his help more.
"Are you really fucking serious about that shit of saving the souls of the innocent?" Satana says in disbelief. Last time she laughed in surprise, but now she shakes her head in pity and disbelief…
Satana really can't figure out what this guy is thinking; his motivations and beliefs are all over the place… His objective is so naive that anyone would think that he is some sort of single-minded, righteous fool.
But his line of thought is nothing like that; he understands the nuances of the moral conflict. He acts reasonably but talks about absurd plans. Acknowledges that he can't generalize all demons but has his mind set on having prejudice against them. Says that humans can be just as bad, but still take their side.
He navigates this stormy moral sea on his own way… So unapologetically biased and complex that Satana can't even find the desire to laugh.
She feels that it would be talking with a rock. What is strange because she already saw that he is incredibly intelligent and cunning. So many conflicting sides in only one person… Truly mysterious.
"Okay, I can admit that there are really innocent souls unjustly here in hell…" Satana continues "But you also need to admit it's like 1 to every 100."
"Okay, I can admit that." he immediately nods. Easily agreeing with her.
"...sooo… What is your plan? Go through every single soul in Hell? Since the beginning of time? And ask them? Check their past? Even if it is just 1% it must exist trillions…" She says while almost choking a laughter. It's estimated that at least more than 100 billion humans lived on Earth, even if not all come to Hell, he is talking about saving more or less 1 billion souls from the hands of Demon Archdukes and Hell-Lords… Only on Earth, by the way… When you consider the other planets where the souls are sucked here…
It's so ridiculous, he would never…
"Yes." But contrary to her expectations, he only nods at her seriously.
"..." Satana gets frozen in place hearing that simple word… His tone, his eyes… She is very attuned with emotions, highly sensitive to souls' fluctuations, so she can feel it…the guy is 100% serious.
He has an unwavering determination on this subject. He is not elaborating more because he is ashamed that he will be laughed at; he just doesn't need anyone to understand him.
'What a scary mother fucker…' He is already naturally hard to read for some reason, and while she can, when his soul shines so brightly that she can't miss the implications and his real intentions, it goes completely against reality or common sense.
"You are gonna get yourself killed…" 'Will I even see my reward for all of this?'
"That is not a problem." He replies without a care; once again, she feels that he is serious, so she drops the issue for now.
.......
"So you guys conveniently call those things Demonic Beasts?" Standing over the corpses of some deformed fire pigs. Hector was watching what those things did to some of the poor souls before he was noticed and attacked, forced to defend himself.
It was not pretty…This is the Circle of Lust, but Satana said that those things also exist on the Third Circle, of Gluttony.
"They are Demonic Beasts." Satana confirms.
"Hmpf, they are demons, just like you. Just the fact that you are smart doesn't change the fact." Hector scoffs "Don't conveniently separate yourself from the ugly part of your race.
"Then humans are also animals…"
"Never denied that."
"What is your point then?"
"My point is that only a minority of Humans act like animals, while the majority of your demons act the same as those pigs. While your race talks a lot and does so little to really separate itself from those inferior creatures, at least we humans back up our words." He argues.
"..." She hates that she can't argue.
A proof of his words it's just some kilometers before, when they passed through a succubus torturing a soul. Acting no different from any other demonic beast.
In truth, it may be worse… The other succubus (that Satana called inferior) did that sadistically, while those beasts do it for instinct and survivability.
"Hm, everyone needs to get strong to survive here…" She replies in a low voice, the justification a little weak "That is how Hell is… I want to see how humans would fare in the exact situation!"
"That is a good point, Humans probably would be the same in about situation… But my point still stands, the majority of you all do it because it is in your nature. You are all born evil. Like how humans are born to procreate, even if some don't do that, the majority like it very much."
"That is a fucking strange comparison." She comments
"The only thing I thought… The only thing I know for sure 90% humans do or will do one day. We naturally love sex, with just a few exceptions. It brings the best and worst of us. It's motivation, depression, and intoxication…" He shrugs, then he raises his hand again when the last of those huge pig demons charge at him "Grasp Heart." His raised hand closes quickly while he points at the pig.
"OooooInkk~" The pig demon stumbles and moans in pain, keeping standing on trembling legs.
"The vitality of demons is really impressive. This is an insta-kill spell, but it survived… or does it have more than one heart? Too bad, even if you survive, this spell stuns you for a little while. Chain Dragon Lightning." A dragon made of lightning shoots from his hand and hits the stunned pig, killing it on the spot.
"You really know magic, huh…" Satana approaches "And that is some nasty spells…" This is a guy who could physically overpower her easily, and beyond all that, he knows magic.
Satana is already putting him on the top shelf of dangerous people she knows.
"Just some tricks…" He shrugs "Where are we going? Is it far?"
"More or less…" She looks at the horizon "The entrance to the First Circle is close but not that much."
"Then let's make a ride… We have enough material now…" He says while staring at the dead pigs around him."
Without wasting time, he says "Create Undead" and a magic circle appears at his feet, then some dark liquid seeps from it and covers the many bodies around them.
It creates a pool of darkness that remains still for some moments before the ground trembles with a powerful roar coming from below. The pool starts bubbling before an enormous creature emerges from it, the dark liquid running through the white bones cleanly.
A massive skeletal dragon appears before them and opens its wings before releasing an earth-shaking roar.
"Cool…" Hector can't help but say. He has been a Necromancy fan since Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne. Edgy, he knows, but he can't let go.
"Cute..." Satana says at his side.
The word made Hector look at her weirdly. 'How can this cool motherfucking dragon be cute?'
Taking a close look at her, Hector's eyes roam around her bone earrings and the horned skull that rests above her cleavage. 'I guess she likes the theme…'
"Wait, how can you raise a dragon? There are no dragon corpses…" She suddenly asks
"The magic shifts the bones to make it a dragon… But I'm not sure if it will last forever." He says while hopping on the back of the dragon. "It's a game mechanic."
"A what?"
"Just come, woman. Let's see things from above while traveling, and you can point me anything interesting around."
.......
"In that direction is Minos' Palace. He is kinda the administrator of the Second Circle." Satana points a little northeast to where they are flying, sitting in front of Hector with her legs crossed. The dragon's back is spacious enough that the two can sit facing each other like they are on the ground, but can't move much.
"Minos? From Greek Mythology."
"Yep, he is Greek." Satan confirms
"Really weird how all 'Underworld' kinda converges in this Hell." Hector read a lot about Hell, but demonologists are a little stingy with the information.
Understandable because they risk their lives for that. The books in the Ancient One library can be a little outdated or unreliable.
"More or less… You can go to all the Underworlds from Hell. The First Circle, for example, connects with all of them, but is not meant to live. It would be a hub of activity for convenience."
"Because it is made to the immaterial form of the souls, right? I read that the Limbo from the Nexus of All Realities, the one of Belasco, and that Limbo are fused before being separated in the Material and Immaterial planes."
"Yep, our information is the same. We are strong enough to survive in this Limbo for some time, if you want… You can go pay Chiron to take you around, pretty reliable if you have the gold."
"I always carry some drachmas with me…" Hector smiles triumphantly 'And they called me crazy for that… A prepared man is crazy in all days but one!' "Which Circle connects with Hel from the Nordic Pantheon?" Hector asks
"Hmmm, what is the name of the coldest? The deep one…" Satana frowns, trying to remember
"Cocytus, the Ninth Circle, the one reserved for those who committed the crime of treachery." Hector answers.
"Yes! It's between the Eighth and the Ninth Circle. There's a route there, I remember someone talking about that…" Satana says in realization
"That is pretty deep. Hela must be pretty strong." 'Different from DC, the Nordic Pantheon is the top dog here on Marvel'
"Some consider her a Hell-Lord in her own way."
"No way she is stronger than Thor." Hector scoffs dismissively. Hela may become a Hell-Lord one day, but she is not one today.
But Hector thinks… 'Hm, another candidate that I may sway to my cause… And all women… I'm not beating the fucking allegations.' He sighs inwardly while thinking about how many women fit perfectly into his plans…
His luck with the opposite gender is becoming ridiculous. It's going beyond simply meeting them; it's like destiny is putting those women in front of him, and he would be a fool to refuse.
Hela, for example, he more or less knows her character, she can be amenable, came from a warrior race, and he is strong… Green is her color, dark lipstick, dark hair, goth mommy…
'It's another Shego! There are three of them now… Things are getting out of hand!'
"It's the route to the Underworld of the Greeks here in the Second Circle?" Hector asks to take his mind off useless thoughts
"Nope, on the Third Circle… One of the easiest to find and pretty much common knowledge." She answers
"Why?"
"Hard to miss when there's a giant three-headed dog guarding it." She shrugs
"Oh."
"Oh". She repeats mockingly "We should get out of the Second Circle fast… Don't you wanna check the Limbo quickly?" She suggests
"Hm? Why the hurry? Isn't this practically your home…"
"Ugh, there are many reasons I don't leave my pocket dimension… The Second Circle, being the main route, is one of them." She looks annoyed, eyes moving around like she is waiting for something.
"And why is that?" He presses
"Let's say that I don't get along with Minos…" She answers vaguely
"..." Hector's eyes focus on her after hearing her words and tone.
"..."
"...He made a move on you." He guesses.
"..."
"You rejected him, and he is bitter to this day."
"..." The way she is looking back at him is answer enough
"Ah man, tell me those troublesome things with some antecedence!" He groans
"That is none of your fucking business!" She sneers
"It's a cliche, woman! A cliche! It's so easy to deal with cliches when you are prepared…" Hector groans in annoyance again.
"Relax, it's not like he-"
"Don't…" Hector facepalms. He is already feeling the troubles coming his way… Extra work when he just wants to scout "Haah~ Here I go killing again…" He sighs, already resigned to how things will go.
Like on cue, a dozen flying creatures approach them.
"Satana!"
"Satana!"
"Satana!"
"The master wants to see you!"
"The Master!"
"You!"
Feminine hissing voices coming from all of those harpies flying around them like a flock of birds.
"Erinyes' creatures…" Satana says with a grimace
"The furies, huh?" Hector looks around to assess the situation. There are only three goddesses of vengeance in Greek mythology, the famous Furies: Alecto, Megaera, and Tisiphone. But they have a lot of daughters. "At least I will be able to replicate what I did with them in God of War…" After his initial annoyance, Hector is ready to throw hands
"We should go see what that bastard wants…" Satana suggests
"Walk in his home?" Hector gives her a look. "I'm fine with that, but you don't have another body, right?"
"He is not gonna stop pestering us anyway, better shut him down earlier." She says confidently, probably not the first time something like this happened. Less than danger, it's more like annoyance, the reason she avoids him.
"Fine, your call…" Hector concedes before commanding the dragon to fly in the direction of Minos' Palace.
But he can't help but murmur under his breath, "Trouble really accompanies beautiful women everywhere…"
"Oh, you think I'm beautiful?" She bats her eyelashes at him, half innocently and half-mischievously.
"..." Hector stares at her with dead eyes. He can almost see a "Circle" floating above her head, but not to do anything naughty. "For your own good, I hope you didn't set me up…"
If she keeps running her mouth, maybe those furies will not be the only ones that will have their wings ripped off their backs, Kratos-style, today.
......….
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