Legacy of the Hellsend

[Anonymous]

The horse-drawn carriage finally came to a halt inside the station, leaving the starry night sky behind it. A small company named Constance's Ferry operated the carriage. Since teleporting directly into Connlaoth was dangerous if not outright impossible at times, that's were Constance's Ferry came in. Though they put on a upstanding public facade, their primary business was shuttling magic-users and other unwelcome guests into (and out of) Reajh from the surrounding Sirantil Valley. The bold entrepreneur of the company had to change its name and relocate several times after having been reported or caught.
Seethe and the three others that comprised his team stepped out of the carriage, and he paid the driver from the ride. With a curt wave, he bid his subordinates to follow him outside the station. The team gathered around him once out in the alley, and he looked them over.
Reese Chamberlain, his Comms Artificer, was a bald dark-skinned man with a neatly trimmed patch of hair on his chin. He was human that sold his soul to hell for immortality, and one of the lucky few to actually come out on the better side. Like all the others though, once he had a little taste of power, he only wanted more.
Pharzu, the Logistician of the team, was a humanoid demon like Seethe himself. He had the features of a Japanese man, with  short jet-black hair slicked back. He wasn't from Malignity, but came to the newly rebuilt Hellsend looking for opportunity. Originally he wanted to be a Master, but favored getting his hands dirty over management and authority.
Ayria "A.J." Justlight, who worked both Targeting and Field Medical for the team, was a Light Elf of La'marri and a traitor to her people. She was fair-skinned, short and slender, with bright blue eyes and blond hair pulled back into a short ponytail. She started out only as a correspondant for the Hellsend, but her intense hatred of the ways of her people pushed her to become a full-time Hellsend.
Seethe himself was the tallest and most athletic of the group, with short brown hair and blue eyes. He wore casual, inconspicuous black and dark clothing, as did the rest of his team.
"Weapons check," was Seethe's first order of business.
Each member of the team took out their .45 pistols, slid the clip out, made sure it was full, then locked it back in. They also produced their three additional clips, silencers, knives for show. Once he was satisfied, the team concealed their weapons once again.
"Reese, you got the stuff I asked for?" he asked.
"Right here," said Reese as he pulled out four tiny, clip-on microphones and matching miniature earpieces and distributed them. "I got the main controller. These are all radio-based, so they'll work fine here."
Seethe smirked slightly as he clipped his mic to his jacket collar. Although Hell hoarded technology from the old days of Earth, it was scarcely used in favor of more sorcery-based solutions. But Master Amodon had other ideas for the new Hellsend. "Alright, listen up. We got a lot of things on our schedule to knock out. First order of business is to meet up with Telarn Blackbride the drug lord. He's a contact of the Hellsend's, and he needs some help in a major deal that's going down tomorrow afternoon. Once that's finalized, we got something else to do in the meantime. You trackin' the hit, Pharzu?"
Pharzu nodded, speaking succinctly. "I have everything we need to know."
"Good. Then let's head out. Blackbride's waiting on us. And remember, while we're here, nothing flashy. All of you know how Connlaoth is. Don't make a mess of things. Let's go," finished Seethe as he began to walk.
"Wait," interjected Ayria, stopping Seethe for a moment. "What about Haze and Atel? I was led to believe that they were coming as well?"
"Negative, A.J.," replied Seethe. "They were grabbed for something else in Adela. A task came down from someone with a lot of power, and Amodon wanted Hellsend to get the prestige. Needless to say, they're out of the net for a while 'til that's done."
Ayria shrugged. "Would have been nice to have some meat shields..."
Seethe and his team moved out then, going down the sparsely populated street towards the Blackbride estate. Seethe knew that this was a new tactic, something experimental that Amodon was intent on trying. Hellsends used to be solitary agents, and while that was good enough to get the job done most of the time, there were a lot of careless deaths, renegades, and general inefficiency. Amodon wanted the Hellsend to work in small teams now as a force multiplier. This also went hand-in-hand with his intent to make the Hellsend branch out into more lucrative infernal affairs, not just its small-time Pact business of the past. He wanted to make the Hellsend into something bigger, something to be reckoned with.
And that was something Seethe could get used to.
He glanced around the street, his team in tow; there was more people out at night in Reajh than he would have expected. Interesting, the place had a nightlife it seemed.

[Anonymous]

The four members of the team never worked together before, and they barely knew one another. In accordance with Master Amodon's new plan, though, they'd have to learn to at least tolerate each other. But Seethe could see that that wouldn't be too much of a problem; Reese and Pharzu seemed to hit it off pretty well, as they were having a pretty engaging alchemy discussion as they walked.
"No way, man," disagreed Reese with a shake of his head. "Glassroot extract isn't going to get anything out of anybody, and if ya mix it with Direleaf it's going to blow up in ya face."
Pharzu, however, was confident, and replied sagely, "Only if you are not careful. You may not know, but the ingested combination is very potent."
"Have you ever drank a teaspoon of Firevine serum? That shit lights your nervous system up, man! After five seconds of that and anyone will give in. I don't care who you are." Reese crossed his arms as he walked, steadfast in his opinion as well.
"You're both wrong," said Ayria with a wry smirk as she jumped into the debate. "One part Erhsengi, one part Jackalwood to set it off, and you can have anyone singing your praises. I'd know, I've been on the better side of that one, fortunately for me."
"Both of you have bad taste then. Firevine or you're shooting out some kneecaps, is what I say," was Reese's closing argument.
Ayria laughed haughtily. "Alright then, you take some Erhsengi-Jackalwood and I'll take some Firevine serum. I guarantee that you'll tap out before I do."
"I would pay to see that," remarked Pharzu with an amused snicker.
Reese just grinned and met the challenge. "I'll take that. But I don't say I didn't warn you, A.J. That Firevine is gonna make your nipples explode."
"Quiet." Seethe held up his hand and the group stopped. In front of them stood a large, white mansion behind a tall fence and gate. And striding down the path toward the gate from the house was an older man with a small entourage of five bodyguards. Seethe leaned toward Pharzu and asked to confirm, "That him?"
He nodded. "Telarn Blackbride."
Two of the bodyguards opened the gate for him, and out stepped Blackbride. He was in good shape for his age, though he had some grey hairs interrupting the overall black hair on his head and trim beard. Telarn looked to Seethe and asked in a raspy and eerily relaxed voice, "Are you the Hellsend reps?"
"Yes, we are," he answered, motioning to the others in his team. He stated more than asked then, "The meet was supposed to take place inside your estate, Blackbride."
Telarn just shrugged, saying without any real concern, "I had a late day. Still haven't had dinner yet, and I felt like taking a walk down to a place I know. Don't worry, I made arrangements with the meet in mind."


The Midnight was the appropriately named upper class restaurant that only opened for dinner and stayed open until one in the morning. It was a good place for a romantic date or family outing, but nobles, business owners, and people like Telarn Blackbride found the expensively decorated diner a good place to hold talks and discussions as well.
Seethe could see why Blackbride liked the place, but it was too gaudy for his own tastes. Reese was faintly reminded of some of his old haunts back in England... when there was an England, anyway. Pharzu and Ayria were both primarily concerned with the shiny, silky, very costily tablecloths draped over every table; while Pharzu wondered what the mixture of materials was, Ayria wondered how much she could get for it on the market.
They sat at an oval table with a booth on either of the long sides, both with comfortable black leather seats. Telarn sat with a stony-faced bodyguard on each side, while the other three stood and kept watch. Seethe and his team sat across from Blackbride, with Seethe himself directly across from him.
"So, Telarn Blackbride," started Seethe with a few taps on the table with his hands like a drum roll, "Tell us about this deal you have going down. What kind of deal would make someone of your stature need our help? You certainly have the manpower and adequete means to get by -- you've proved that to us plenty of times."
Telarn took a sip of his wine, a brand so expensive it may as well have been liquid gold. "Don't worry, the contact will be here in a minute -- I already let her know about the change earlier today. She'll have the details for you, and then we can start working out the cuts and shares. Just know that she's a little... abnormal."
"She fuckin' crazy?" Reese blurted out, having that annoyed 'Oh no, not again' tone of voice.
Telarn shook his head, but smirked in an amused way. "I wouldn't say that. You'll see what I mean in a minute."
While they waited, they continued their small talk over their dinner. Seethe was mildly impressed with Telarn's credentials as a drug lord and part time illegal arms dealer on the side. Pharzu was more interested in Telarn's vast selection of drugs, who was more than obliging to name off a few choice picks to him. Reese and Ayria weren't particularly interested in Telarn's doings, and were busy firing off salvoes of boasts and jests at each other about their upcoming contest in a sidebar conversation.
Eventually, they were approached by a tall, pale woman in a long-sleeved, gray dress that reached down to the floor. Her hair was slightly wavy, auburn in color, and went down to her mid-back. She looked over the group of them with light gray eyes and a formal smile. "Telarn Blackbride... good evening, darling." Then, to all the rest with a small nod, "Good evening to each of you."
Telarn finished his bite of food, wiped his mouth with a napkin, then spoke quickly, "Ah yes, of course. Might I introduce my contact to you four. She goes by the name 'Mother'."
Seethe looked up at her, and she looked back at him with warm eyes and a friendly smile... that somehow was very unsettling to him.

[Anonymous]

Mother sat down at the Hellsend side of the table, seated next to Reese, who looked less than estatic to have her company. Telarn motioned to her, saying, "They need to know about the deal. Tell them everything, they're the associates you asked for."
Seethe looked over at her, and Mother glanced back at him, with Reese being caught in the middle. She spoke to him, "What I want is very simple, child... A young girl, named Isabella, will be here in Reajh the afternoon of tomorrow, and she carries with her something that I would like to have in my possession, a sword of some value-"
"That's way too easy, what's the catch?" asked Ayria, who actually sounded suspicious.
Mother smiled slightly, as if expecting the question. "This," she gestured at her own body, "is merely an avatar of myself, darling. To have this sword delivered to my person will require special aid..."
Telarn, a wine glass in his hand, pointed at Seethe, "And this is where you come in."
Mother continued, "I will need a being stronger than a human to deliver the sword to me, I am afraid..."
"And that entails what, Mother?" Pharzu asked, not liking the sound of that by his tone.
She laughed lightly, then explained in a soothing, reassuring way, "All is well, child... it is simply because a human's body is insuitable for this purpose. But a demon will be sufficient enough, rest assured-"
"And we have to just trust you on that?" interjected Reese with a doubtful shake of his head.
Seethe slammed the table with both hands and spoke sternly, "If any of you interrupt one more damn time, I'm gonna put two between your eyes. Get that?" The silence was compliance, and Seethe said, "Continue."
Unaffected, Mother summarized it, "Isabella will arrive with the sword tomorrow, which she must carry to the house I have acquired. Once there, she will hand it over to one of you. All that I ask is that one of you simply hold the sword and wait... I will do everything then. Once I have the sword in my possession, I will tell Telarn the location of his reward."
Blackbride smiled ear-to-ear, and spoke as if it were his dream come true, "She's going to double my gold reserves. With that kind of money, I can have this whole damned kingdom wrapped around my finger."
"Until we get our cut," said Ayria with a greedy smirk.
"Hey, hey. You Hellsend still owe me a few, remember? Fifteen percent, and not a coin more." Telarn was quite adamant in that matter.
"Quiet down," Seethe said curtly to his team, then looked back at Mother, asking her the simple question, "Why do you want this sword?"
Mother smiled again, but bleakly this time. "The sword the child carries belongs to an enemy of mine, darling. If I were to have it my possession, I could safely destroy it, leaving her broken forever..."
Seethe nodded, then asked another question. "And why here, of all places, to make the exchange? And what assurances do we have that you will uphold your end of the bargain?"
"Call it my convenience to Telarn, who has been so kind as to help me in this endeavor, child..." responded Mother, holding eye contact with the hellsend, unintimadated by his questions.
Blackbride answered the second question, "We already do have assurances. I've seen the money already, hellsend. You just do your part, and let me handle that."
"Dad!" came a call from the front of the restaurant.
Telarn immediately brightened up, then waved for the young woman to come back to the table, getting up out of his seat. She walked briskly through the diner, her long dark red hair billowing slightly in her wake. She looked to be in her mid-twenties, but there was something strange about her: her eyes had a slight luminous red glow to them.
Telarn's daughter embraced him, and he hugged her back, "Ah ha, what brings you out here Taylor? I'm a bit busy right now."
"Well, it is Patron's Day, and I haven't been able to see you all day, dad," she said playfully, fixing his suit for him.
Mother smiled, commenting, "What a nice daughter you have, Telarn..."
Meanwhile, Seethe was almost slack-jawed at the sight. He felt his heart sink into the pit of his stomach when he saw who it was and heard her name.
Taylor Blackbride was the one he and his team were supposed to kill tonight.
Blackbride was a common enough last name on earth, but there was no way in hell they were supposed to kill the daughter of the man they were going to work for on the deal.
This was bad. Something wasn't right. Something was definitely wrong with this. Something was terribly wrong with everything here.

[Anonymous]

Seethe maintained his exterior composure until the details were finalized and the deal was agreed upon. He led his team out of the restaurant as the dinner came to a close, and he brought them into the small alley to the building's side.
Where he absolutely blow up on Pharzu, pinning him by the shoulders against the wall of the building and yelling at him, "How the fuck could you not know!? How the fuck could you not know!?"
Pharzu, twice as shocked as Ayria and Reese at the sudden outburst, was quick to explain, "There are many humans with the name of Blackbride, Seethe! And you as well as I do that the Hellsend knew Telarn had a daughter, but did not often speak of her -- he did not mention her name, nor did we ask."
"Wait, wait, wait, hold up," spoke Reese, narrowing his eyebrows as the realization of what was going on struck him. "Are you saying that Taylor Blackbride, that Taylor Blackbride, is-" he glanced around and over his shoulder, then finished in a whisper, "is the hit??"
Ayria laughed out loud at the irony of it all, while Seethe spat back at Reese, "That's exactly what I'm saying! And shut the hell up, A.J.!" He let Pharzu go, then took a step back from him, bringing a hand to his forehead as he thought. "We need to figure this thing out. We're in the middle of something here, and I hate being caught in the middle. Alright... Pharzu, who called in the hit?"
He fixed his jacket and shirt, then answered, "Master Zar called it in, and then Master Amodon officially tasked us to it."
"No, no, no. That doesn't make any sense either." Seethe snapped his fingers a few times. "Master Amodon was the one who tasked us to help Telarn with his deal. Why would he approve Taylor's hit, regardless of how damn common her last name is, on the same night we're supposed to meet with Telarn?"
"She had to have done something to be targeted. Maybe Master Amodon is just showing Telarn a little tough love," suggested Ayria, with a smirk that liked that possibility just a little too much.
"No, I'm telling all of you that something isn't right here," Seethe said, steadfast in his thought. "Look... We'll go ahead and do that thing tomorrow, but we aren't going to go through with the hit just yet. Pharzu, I want you to get in contact with Master Zar and Master Amodon and double-check everything. Reese, help him out with that. A.J., start running and see if you can catch up with the broad, Mother. She might have something to do with this, since she set up the deal in the first place, and I want to know everything you can find out."


The inside of the small house was bland, devoid of furniture or decoration save for one bed, upon which Taylor Blackbride now rested. Her eyes were closed and her hands were interlocked on her stomach; she looked to be sleeping peacefully. Mother sat on the edge of the bed, gently stroking Taylor's dark red hair. "Soon..." she whispered into her unhearing ear, "Very soon, Nazune..."
A moment later, there was a knock at the door. Mother knew who it was, and she stood up and spoke, "Enter, child."
The door opened, and Telarn Blackbride, followed by another hooded man, stepped into the house, shutting the door carefully behind himself. He walked slowly up to Mother with a glazed-over look in his eyes, and she smiled at him, waving a hand in front of his face and asking, "Do you remember who I am, darling...?"
"Yes," he replied, looking straight forward.
"And do you understand what must happen tomorrow?"
"Yes," Telarn answered in the same manner.
Mother maintained her pleased smile, orating to him then, "Then rejoice, Telarn, for of all the families I might have selected, I chose your own to have the honor of playing this part for me. Tomorrow, child, a grand symphony will take place here... in this very city. And is this the one you have chosen for me who will enact my will?"
"Yes."
Mother looked past Telarn, at the man who had followed him into the house. He was tall, and though most of his face was hidden behind his black hood, she could tell by his mouth that he was worried and unsure. She slipped past Telarn, slowly striding up to the man. She smiled warmly at him, then gradually wrapped her arms around him, embracing him softly. She could tell that he was still uncertain... that he still didn't understand yet.
"Who are... What are you doing?" the man asked anxiously.
"Shhh... quiet now, child," Mother said to him gently. "Just relax... Do not be frightened, child, but give yourself to me. Do not resist me, relax... much better... very good. You can feel it now, can you not? You can feel my warmth entering your body... that soothing feeling... let it take you, child. Very good, darling."
Mother released her hug and took a step back, looking at him and asking, "Kael... do you know what you must do tomorrow?"
The hooded man, Kael, nodded, responding while looking straight forward, "Yes."
Mother smiled, very pleased that he had given himself to her will so easily. "Do well, I may even allow you to become my new Champion..."