Shadow of the Abyss

'Yalivor Sadu' Altair memorized the name, intrigued by the sense of purpose in which he spoke.

Shrouded by a cloak of tranquility that rolled down his shoulders, warming the hearts of mortal men. Yalivor Sadu, despite his age, had not been the most powerful Altair had ever faced. He was a mere fifth circle, yet by his side, two ninth circles attended him. Their bodies were poised for action. A testament of his prowess or perhaps importance.

Memories rolled like the rustle of the waters upon the shoars. He remembered the organized party some months ago, all clad in armor, on his way to enter Vesim.

'I don't remember seeing him within the army,' he thought. 'Perhaps he was using them as a decoy. It would seem it worked.'

Yalivor Sadu's grin seemed to deepen. "Does my presence bother you?"

"The opposite," Altair said. "Tacticians are hard to come by."

The mask of the two young masters seemed to clash, seeking to penetrate the other's intent. And yet, despite his effort, Yalivor Sadu witnessed only a vale mist of mystery too dense for him to comprehend.

Altair slid his gaze away, marking another individual with a reserved air meant to show warmth but distance. A woman with long golden hair, it seemed like strands of spun gold and eyes of azure. They glittered like sapphire, wrapped in a breastplate of silver that bore the sigil of the Silver Gates.

To say she was beautiful would perhaps be an insult, for her beauty shone brighter than any star, seemingly crafted by Goddesses of old.

"Ariane Newgate," she said, her gaze not shying away. She looked on without a hint of shame or remorse towards her lost men.

'So it was a test,' he thought amusingly, burdened by a sudden itch to gorge her eyes from out of their socket, to store them away within a collection of his jars of formaldehyde.

"It's a pleasure," The Prince replied with a charming smile.

Ariane resisted the sudden urge to scowl, feeling her skin reel in disgust. As if every part of her being wanted to lash out, she forced herself calm, forced herself to recall the old lesson of the Heavens.

Yet, to her surprise, the mere presence of the boy felt like the rotten pits of Hell.

'Have the Hells branded him?' she wondered, resisting the urge to grab her aching chest. She could feel it. Like tendrils were drilling into the flesh, twisting her mind, her perception.

Altair glided to Reina's side and stationed himself between Syris and Ren. He found a seat they'd kept for him.

"Can we get back to the matter at hand," snarled Vynn, attended by his aide, Draxian.

Altair made the gesture of a king to his servant. "Continue." He commanded.

As if he'd felt he had stepped into some invisible trap, Vynn turned red. He balled his fist, trying to maintain some regal demeanor before the various lords.

"It seems to me," Ser Glynn Vardoo began in a stoic demeanor. "Our best bet is to call to our Patron Gods or Sponsors for aid."

"A wonderful idea," Yalivor Sadu exclaimed with half a smile. "But our Lords each have their own price and enemies. For them to—"

"The Black Knights of Bahamut are willing to descend," Said Ser Glynn Vardoo sharply. And from the corner of his eyes, in a subtle way most would miss, he glanced at Altair. "For a price."

The Prince caught the glance, masked his intent with a half smile, and kept his mouth sealed, allowing others to echo their opinions.

"And what price would that be," said Ragnar coldly. "A mortal sacrifice? Our immortal souls? Perhaps our bloodlines? Bahamut, the Great Dragon of All Dragons, is no kind god."

"Neither is Lord Malzeen," Glynn replied. "From our estimation, he seems either to wield a sort of power unlike anything we've ever seen. Why else have no God from Babels Tower descended? Why are we, the children of Gods, left to his whims." .net

Altair kept his smile, gauging the subtleties of those at the table. There had been few Ninth Circles, yet those who were clearly weaker were leading the conversation.

"Is this not our opportunity to strike?" Glynn continued. "Altair has given us time… now, if we are to survive, we must either flee or make a sacrifice."

"A God will only intervene if their acolytes are in trouble," Yalivor Sadu said calmly. "Five days ago, when a Ninth Circle clashed nearly annihilated this city, it was our Lord's divinity that saved many of us. To ask for another favor might…"

"Seem ungrateful,' said Ragnar solemnly. He sighed. "But… we don't have much choice in the matter."

"I disagree," Altair uttered. "You all can leave. It's that simple. Abandon your greed and walk out of Vesim." A profound silence took hold of the table, leaving all but one smiling. "I'm a little ignorant, but I believe I've heard the term Chaos Lord thrown around. I'm sure you all know who or what they represent."

"Monsters who abused the Cycle of Reincarnation to the fullest of their ability to heighten their skill sets by allowing them to experience hundreds of different perspectives. They are the ones who touch upon the Mortal Dao of Perfection but dare not walk its path." Yalivor Sadu mentioned, stroking his hairless chin.

Once more, the silence became deafening until:

"For an S-Rank Skill, it's worth it." Said Vynn darkly.

Altair nearly laughed, looking out at the eyes of agreement. "Then you are nothing but fools. None of you have any idea of who Malzeen is, do you?" he laughed, shaking his head. "Victems. That's what he called us."

Vynn scrunched his brow. "What is your point?"

"My point is that not all deals are necessarily in our favor. I do believe Lord Malzeen never mentioned what type of skill he'll be giving us. How do you know it's even useful? How do we know if we are even compatible with it?"

Thanatos glanced at him and thought with a slight smile, 'So he knew all along. Good, I fear greed might have taken over his mind. How poised his mind has become.'

"What are you trying to say?" Ariane cut in. "Stop speaking in tongues."

"Ahh, what I'm alluding to, my dear. Is that everyone is frightened? Everyone is greedy. So blinded they are that everything we need to enthrall a god or perhaps a demon is here." A cruel grin surfaced over the boy's serine lips. "Within this castle alone, there are so many from Babels Tower. So many saw to attend this cruel festival.

Why not take advantage of that and sacrifice them instead."

"Fuck," many muttered, taken back as their eyes opened wide. A feral chill dancing along their spines.

Altair laughed," Think about it. None of us know what skill Lord Malzeen seeks to give us or if it's even useful. A devil knows how to hide his intent, after all. So why gamble with our future prospects when we have so many 'assets' outside these doors.'

[Daddy: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! SEED OF MY BALLS, I AM IMPRESSED!!!]

[She Who Hunts: Stop addressing him so! He has a name!]

[Conquest: He's not wrong, though. There are quite a few devils, Necromancers, and gods who'd love to get their hands on many of these so-called talented people.]

[Divine Being, Piercing Owl, is impressed by your scheme.]

[Daddy: I need to have a beer with my son!]

"That would be utterly heartless," said Ariane sharply. "Have you any idea how important souls are?"

"I'm sure the Gods within the Church of the Sepith would be more than willing to accept the souls. Megatron and Michael, too," said Thanatos calmly.

Ariane, to say the least, was utterly petrified. She whirled to him, her mouth ajar, "Y-Y-You… Who are you to call them by name so blatantly."

'Seeing that we had dealt with them Quite a bit,' Thanatos thought, recalling how much the Myriad Heavens changed, requiring the allied forces of the plentiful underworlds to join forces to create an orderly system in tandem with the Shadow Proclamation.

It was Michael who approached Hades to propose the role of one of the Master within the Tribunals of Death.

He smiled. "Worry about yourself, girl."

Ariane nibbled at her lips, ever more wary than before.

"I'm hesitant about this idea," Yalivor Sadu conveyed through scrunched brows. The idea of slaughter was not a foreign one to him, but seeing how open some of the faces were to the idea did not sit well with him.

'If they are willing to take life so easily, how can I expect them to watch my back,' he thought.

"I agree," Ragnar added.

"Dido," said Zaros. "I don't like giving my food up."

"But it's not like we've got another option," Ryzar joined in. "If we are to survive. If we are to acquire a potential skill without true sacrifice, why not accept it?"

Syris glanced at Altair, feeling a chill race down her spine. For five days, they had been arguing about what to do. Arguing on the next course of action. Demanding wardings, cannon fodder, and more, yet in a few minutes… an idea was being heavily considered.

The Prince grinned, sensing it wasn't the right time to push. "How about we take a few days to consider? Five days have passed, right? So we've two days left. Why don't we consider our possibilities? I'm sure you guys have been at it for days.

"

Once again, that deafening silence enveloped the throne room before, finally, they rose all in agreement.

"Good"