Lord Of The Flies, Queen Of The Spiders (Anadwen)(M)

[Brisinger987]

"Now why would I ever try and do that, my queen?" Kirnardaz knew that being referred to as a royal was one of the most seductive word constructs he had ever used, and many had fallen prey to it, human and demon alike.

"How about I give you something more than me swearing. I have no power to use offensively or creatively, but to bind myself to others, I can do. To possess, and swear magically is still within my ability." Kirnardaz knelt on one knee, preparing the agreed terms with her in his ancient language.

"I swear, upon the wrath of Ira herself, that I will not attempt to fight or strip you of your power, that in a contract, bound by blood, I will not try to dispose of thee, or usurp thine throne, lest I be stripped of my power. And in reciprocate, I bind thee to the same terms." A symbol appeared above his head, showing that his side of the contract was drawn up. All she had to do was repeat him, and he sent a psychic message saying to her to repeat after him.

[Anadwen]

Daerian's grin appeared wider and wider with every his word. She knelt opposite him, and repeated his words exactly like he did.

"I swear, upon the wrath of Ira herself, that I will not attempt to fight or strip you of your power, that in a contract, bound by blood, I will not try to dispose of thee, or usurp thine throne, lest I be stripped of my power. And in reciprocate, I bind thee to the same terms."

A circle of flame appeared around her for a short while, disappearing into thin air right after. The only sign that it ever existed were the singed edges of Daerian's gown.

"So be it. Do you wish to proceed to the ceremony as quickly as possible? My dungeons are always ready." The deep caverns underneath the ground were prepared for Daerian's ceremonies at all times, and she had all resources for them ready.

They were now bound by an oath that could not be broken, but even if not, she did not mean to deceive him in any way. She only ever betrayed her pawns - and he wasn't that. From now on, he was an ally.

[Brisinger987]

"Of course. When I have my powers, I can summon and create more reliable staff if you so desire. They will be of the demonic kind, but I will alter them, make them utterly obedient, and completely subservient to you." Kirnardaz had automatic control over every being he created magically, so these servants would naturally serve him, but a small alteration would make Daerian their mistress as well.

Kirnardaz beckoned for her to show him the way to her dungeons, eager to gain the power he so eagerly desired.

((Really short, tired post, sorry...))

[Anadwen]

Daerian stood up, and leaving the majority of food behind, begun walking towards the door, gesturing Kirnardaz to follow. She led him through many corridors, spiraling stairs and thin passages, until they reached the underground.

"I will need several things... My special ceremonial outfit... Blood goblet... A black diamond... A dragon's claw..." she begun counting as they walked. "I have majority of the supplies, and the missing... Are obtainable on the spot, to say it like that."

They got to a dark place before one of the doors. "Wait here and don't go anywhere till I return... I cannot enter the dungeons in this dress. It's not safe. I will be back in a matter of few moments." she informed him, and disappeared behind one of the doors again.

[Brisinger987]

Kirnardaz followed and listened curiously. Whatever procedure was going to occur sounded authentic. A blood goblet though? For what blood would she need, as she hadn't heard her list any blood. Perhaps just a drop of blood? Although one would not need a goblet for a small amount of blood.

"Of course." Kirnardaz was beginning to suspect trickery. Surely she would be fine to perform the ritual in that clothing? Her power was not dependent on fashion after all, so why change?

He stood in place, and felt a fraction of power occur to him, before disappearing again. Although in it's brief existence it created a bright spark of white in front of him. It was annoying, the curse Senka had placed on him. It left him weak.

And for that he would kill Senka.

[Anadwen]

Daerian returned shortly, bringing all her needed supplies on a silver tray. There was a long black claw from a dragon, a dark, unpolished and uncut gem, a dagger with a wide blade, and a goblet, adorned with rubies. She herself was clothed in silver pieces of armour, which however only covered what was necessary, and left majority of her white skin bare.

"I am honestly sorry for all the inconveniences. However, I am not able to perform the ceremony in my gown - it would get caught on fire and completely destroy the runes. And that would ruin the ritual. I am speaking of my own experience, and it is all because of purely practical reasons." she explained, and threw the door open.

A great hall was before them, dark, only a few lanterns with dim green glow hung from the walls. There was a waterfall on the other side, streaming seemingly from nowhere at all, and the dark flow of an underground river was divided into two streams, flowing around the edge of the hall. In the middle was a great circle, carved in the black stone of which the whole hall was made. The air was cold and damp, with an ancient scent of death surrounding everything... Daerian led Kirnardaz to the center, but held him back before he entered the circle. The door banged loudly as it closed behind them. No other sounds but their steps and the flowing water could be heard.

She put down the tray. "Now, I should explain you what will have to be done. I now have all the resources ready - except two. Since my power comes from blood, this ceremony also needs blood. Only yours, though. For that is the dagger. You will enter the circle and wait without moving, whilst I will write runes in blood around its corners... And then perform the ceremony itself. Your own blood is needed, for it serves as a bond that will channel the powers into yourself, instead of your surroundings." She smiled softly. "There is no risk, except that it might only return a part of your powers. At the worst, power would be released into air, and disappear. There is nothing to be afraid of. Again, I speak from my own experience."

[Brisinger987]

Kirnardaz saw her new outfit and was actually tempted to just become subservient, even if only for a brief second, before remembering he was their to rule beside her, not become her personal toy.

"Very well. I will not bleed through my arms or legs, only my throat and heart are capable of bleeding. It is an advantage that allows my kind to play dead. We can appear dead, and not be dead. It is useful." Kirnardaz let his breastplate disintegrate, and turned into his demon form, where wounds he took would not scar or simply remain.

His chest was muscular, the crimson skin shifting as muscles tensed and released when he took every breath. His pentagram tattoo was as black as night, positioned right over his heart. He felt powerful like this, his raw flesh beginning to corrupt the air around him.

"Aim for the centre of the pentagram or my throat. Do not fear, I cannot feel pain there." Kirnardaz knew she probably wasn't afraid of hurting him, but he felt he needed to reassure her nonetheless.

[Anadwen]

Daerian shook her head and handed him the dagger and goblet instead. "No, you should do it. Fill it under the edge, then carefully lay it down." she corrected him, and begun preparing the rest.

As she grabbed the gem, she shifted back into her fierce form. Wide wings sprung from her back and her claws like iron crushed the diamond into shards and dust, which she spread around the edges of the circle. Even such a stone, hard enough to carve scratches into steel, couldn't withstand such grip, into which she put all her strength.

Her eyes flashed with fire as she saw Kirnardaz in his demon form, which she found more fitting than the human-like body, but she kept her thoughts to herself. Only her lips twisted into a slight smile, and she continued preparing the circle.

"After you're done with the goblet, put both it, and the dagger onto the tray, and carefully step into the middle of the circle. There, stand still, and don't step out. The ceremony shall not be interrupted, and if it may, any intruder will pay with his life. As long as you keep inside the circle, nothing bad can happen." 

[Brisinger987]

Kirnardaz examined the knife carefully, before deciding that the pentagram was the best option. He pointed the blade towards his chest, and plunged it into the centre of the pentagram, blood pouring from the wound and into the goblet.

When the goblet was nearly full, he removed the knife and as the wound stitched itself closed, the last drops of blood filled the goblet perfectly. He put the goblet and knife onto the tray and walked calmly into the centre of the circle.

For a minute, he sensed a soul moving outside, but it seemed to disappear to him, and he merely though of it as an insect.

"I am ready now Daerian."

[Anadwen]

Daerian straightened her back and stood before him.

"Keep still. Do not step out of the circle, and don't pay any attention to what is appearing outside the circle." she informed him calmly, and picked up the goblet.

Her voice sounded cold and hard as she begun reciting verses in an ancient language, walking around the edge of the circle. She held the dragon's claw in her hand and dipped it in the blood, and made three circles around till she bent and begun writing sharp runes along the edges. The words echoed between the walls, and she kept walking, slowly, while drawing the runes with long lines of blood. There was not one space left on the edge when she finished, but she kept walking, even while she put the claw and empty goblet down.

Green flames, similar to those, burning in the lanterns, appeared at the edge of the circle. Daerian was unmoved by their moving shapes, and her voice was growing louder. Her hands arose to her head, and she crossed them, holding her shoulders. The shards of the diamond around the outer edge of the circle were flashing with bolts of lightning around, and the fire was getting bigger.

Suddenly, a bolt of lightning stroke from thin air, hitting the inside of the circle. Others followed it, crashing with loud thunder, and Daerian didn't stop. Dark shadows started rising from the runes, reaching after Kirnardaz. They were getting bigger, until the circle was shielded by a wall of fire, shadows and lightning.

Wind started blowing from seemingly nowhere, turning around the circle. Daerian was already screaming the verses, slowly walking around. All of a sudden, a single great lightning hit the center, blinding and bright. All fire, shadows a and wind disappeared, and a sole great shadow rose from Kirnardaz's figure amid the circle. Daerian kept shouting, as loudly as she could, as she fell to her knees, bending her head back and staring at the ceiling. Last few words and the shadow covered the demon lord were just indistinguishable wails and screams.

And then it was all gone.

The hall has gone completely silent, and there was no sign that any runes, diamond dust, fire, or lightning ever appeared between those walls.

"It is done, my lord." Daerian whispered.

[Brisinger987]

Kirnardaz revelled in the spectacle around him, and saw that she truly was a master of magic. He felt the soul outside move again, but could see nothing.

Then suddenly the flames and everything else stopped. For a second, all was quiet.

Then he began laughing, and the pentagram over his heart began to release crimson smoke, which wrapped around him, twisting and weaving intricate patterns as the picked up speed, before they began to create a twisting vortex around, creating gales outside like she was stood next to a tornado.

The smoke began to recede, and he breathed the smoke in, feeling the power go to his head.

Suddenly there was a loud crash as a white robed man kicked the door down, pointing a staff at Kirnardaz.

"Demon Prince, I, Archangel Uthrial, condemn you to the hell from which you came!" A bolt of white light flew out of the end, and hit Kirnardaz, clearly not affecting him. Kirnardaz simply just walked on as bolts of white light struck him endlessly.

When he was face to face with the archangel, he simply smiled.

"NEVER, ANGEL-SCUM!" The angel began to disintegrate into black dust, flowing into Kirnardaz's lungs just as the smoke had, the agonised screams of the angel almost as loud as Kirnardaz's maniacal laughter.

And just like that, the angel was gone.

[Anadwen]

Daerian only watched him in awe, still kneeling on the ground. When the figure disappeared, she quickly sprung to her feet and rushed to Kirnardaz. Her claws clenched around his shoulders and her crimson eyes were glowing with wonder and excitement.

"Did it work? Do you have your power again? Did it work?"

The demonstration of his power was not enough for her - she needed to know how he felt, if the ceremony really returned him his former power, at least partly. She summoned great deities from worlds of shadow and darkness, bind their vast powers to him, to return him the glory he showed her. It was complicated, although it didn't seem that difficult...

...And she now hungered for blood, to give her back the energy she lost.

[Brisinger987]

The archangels power resonated inside Kirnardaz, remaining there, but still slowly dissipating. But he could put this energy to use. He felt some of his bonds break, and some of his restrictions falter. This energy would remain with him for a long time.

"You have done me a great service Daerian..." Kirnardaz caressed her face with one hand, letting energy flow throughout him again. "Through you, I am strong... I can begin to rebuild my armies and my realm... And you will be my dark queen, terrible and beautiful as the dawn..." Kirnardaz tilted his head to one side, exposing his neck.

"I'm sure you are thirsty my queen, so take as you please... It's all yours..." Kirnardaz's voice was seductive and full of temptation.

[Anadwen]

Daerian caressed him with her white hands as her sharp teeth skewed into his neck. "My lord, it has been a pleasure to offer my service..." she whispered.

She felt his blood flow, and regained her strength from it. There was no need for her to actually consume it, only be in contact, and absorb the leaving energy. "A great pleasure... There will be an eternal rule of a king and queen in darkness... And it will last... Forever."

Soon, she felt even stronger than before, satisfied that her effort was not in vain. "Is there anything else you would need? My lord, what do you ask next?"

[Brisinger987]

"I feel slightly different than before, less powerful than before I lost it all, but I feel another change. I would like to test my new abilities." The sensation of her drinking his blood felt akin to receiving a love bite. And he quite enjoyed the sensation.

"And I would ask that I could have a place to stay?" Kirnardaz smiled at her, glad she was happy with her meal.

[Anadwen]

"My fortress is fully available. I have more rooms than I can walk through in a day... You just have to choose which one you'd prefer..." she replied silently, and shrugged. It was a vast building, and most of the bedrooms were empty.

"Feel free to test your power on anything that flashes by. Staff. Wildlife. Anything." Daerian returned his smile, and led him out of the hall. "Every thing, alive or not, is at your command. As long as the walls are kept intact, I don't mind storms, fire, or bloodshed."

[Brisinger987]

"I think I will take a solitary wander, and search for a room to make my own. I'll find you when I do, let you know where you can come for a midnight snack..." Kirnardaz let his armour disintegrate, smoke composing around him to form demonic robes of royalty. And when that was complete, he left the room.

When he exited the dungeon, a guard accused him of sneaking around, and simply got obliterated, before being turned into a shadow demon, like those Kirnardaz had summoned earlier.

"Convert others to our cause..."

[Anadwen]

"Surely... Do as you please." Daerian replied, and headed straight into her own room. She didn't want to follow Kirnardaz around like a shadow, but she found him strangely fascinating...

Attractive, that would be the word.

She giggled at the thought, throwing herself into the pillows and blankets from dark velvet and satin. Even the bed itself, carved from dark wood, shook a little.

Only the sound of raindrops, beating at the glass of four dark windows in the big chamber, echoed between the stone walls and hanging tapestries. Her entire fortress seemed to be in a deathly slumber, just like it always was, and she herself, although without any physical need to sleep, found her eyes closing.

Before Daerian realized it, she was sleeping, deep in the dark dreams where she was the queen and the world was under her reign.

[Brisinger987]

Kirnardaz eventually found himself a room for now. Until he had wooed Daerian it would do, and felt his power drop every time a new shadow being was created. He knew that when 20 or more existed, they could survive alone however, and after the 20th drop in power, he didn't care anymore, letting them self sustain and become intelligent as their hive mind grew. Eventually, every other being in the fortress except for him and Daerian were these shadow demons. They could be upgraded and specialised at a later date.

He made a conscious choice to reach out to the only person he could taunt, his entire opposite. Guinevere. He decided to reach out and speak to her.

Good evening Guinevere.

Kirnardaz. Why do you bother me now?

Oh my dear, you sound unwell?
Not much power radiating off you any more...

I sense that you have some, meaning soon I will too.

And yet you seem just as weak as the day I lost everything.
And every time before that.
Tell me, how is Le'raana?

She is fine.
And Ardeadai?

Currently, I have no contact.

The conversation continued throughout the night, Kirnardaz not desiring sleep, instead leaving his new quarters to test his powers. He found he had an entirely new set of abilities, mostly revolving around vortex's and voids.

[Anadwen]

In the middle of night, Daerian awoke, completely alone in her chamber. She yawned.

"That was a wonderful bloody dream..." she whispered to herself. "If I'll keep trying it will be real - one day."

She didn't desire rest or more power... Now, she hungered for company.

Her white figure rushed through the corridors and staircases, now passing shadows instead of the mortals that served her before, what she was pleased by, following the direction in which she sensed Kirnardaz. The storm still didn't stop, thunder was beating in the distance, with an occasional flash of lightning. It often happened after her ceremonies and rituals.

She silently knocked on his door and stood before it, like a ghost in her white gown, waving in the wind, passing through the corridor, and patiently waited for him to answer. It was a long time since she met someone whose company she would enjoy.