When it seemed that the entire world was in turmoil, one didn't have to think long and hard as to just what was causing it. It was either some sort of catastrophe caused by some abnormality to the realm or the gods themselves. Xunatar would have loved to have been a betting man as he heard of the symptoms that the inhabitants were going through. Death seemed to have been all but canceled out- no one was able to die. He found this out from his eldest son, much to Steele’s displeasure since he wouldn’t be able to slaughter as he pleased for the time being. His victims simply wouldn’t perish, but instead they seemed no closer to death than they did. There were other side effects, but that one in particular struck at the demonic lord for some reason. While he himself didn’t partake in such gruesome vices much, he knew that it was something that was required, especially for future plans. The cattle had to be put out and this was…annoying at best. Some whispered that this was indeed caused by the Gods, one in particular that had once held the mantle of Justicar, but so many tales and lies were weaved, often co-existing with each other over why she casted her territory away for another. Xunatar learned of the other goddess involved and decided out of the goodness of his heart to go and visit the former. An enemy of his own, no matter how unaware they were, that would make for some interesting matters to discuss. Vilpamolan’s port served as a means to get him to the point of conversing with her. The well dressed, pale man stood glorious over the docks, his bare feet feeling the coldness of the ground as he made himself over towards a strange fog, something unnatural about it captivated him into going into it, almost like it was calling out to him. Out of all things to appear deep within it, only a small boat was in plain sight after a bit and when he settled down into it, it started to steer off from the docks. “Oh, how quaint. Though I’d say that this may be a boring ride by my lonesome”, he cooed, though it made no difference. He would have the goddess’ audience one way or another, he was very certain of that. But even he couldn’t prepare for what he was to face soon.

Further and further the boat went from the mainland until he could no longer see the land from the horizon and then it happened. Xunatar had been sitting contently one moment and then the next every went into a tailspin followed by darkness surrounding every inch his eyes attempted to see. It was a rare moment but he was actually unnerved by this showing of power. The setting didn’t last to long before being replaced with the series of lite candles around him, the newfound lands brought him deeper into their grip via the grotesque river the boat was in. Peeking over the side, he was nearly grabbed and pulled in by its inhabitants but he flung himself away at the last moment and fell backwards into his vessel. A miserable sigh escaped his lips as he considered turning back, believing that this was a foolhardy plan on his part. No, he would not be deterred just yet, his pride wouldn’t let him as his teeth clenched tightly in annoyance. He was getting what he wanted one way or another, even if he had to step off the boat and face whatever was thrown at him. Control had always been his thing, but this was not his domain. The former Justicar had truly changed from the rumors he had once heard about her. The closer he inched forwards in this boat trip, the more he could taste it on his forked tongue. Ahead of him laid a gate with what he assumed to be her sigil, which brought forth a crooked smile across his elven looking face. Slowly the gate opened for its guest and no sooner than when he passed through,it did another twist into this tale of turmoil for the devil came to be.

He knew nothing but what the voices had called out to him before arriving in some sort of frozen wasteland. “Xunatar, demon prince. You have been brought to the ninth circle of Inferos for your heinous crimes against the innocent!” The voices were shrieking in his ears, though there was no telling where they were coming from. Xunatar attempted to block the wicked sounds with his hands against his ears, but to no prevail. “You have corrupted, manipulated and inadvertently killed many for your search for power. May your cold blood find solace here for eternity.” Just as the word “cold” had been said, he could feel himself freezing from head to toe. Glaring out into the middle of a hellish wonderland of ice, he could spot entities coming upon him, siphoning a intangible trail of energy away from him. They seemed to have taken pleasure in draining him, and he could feel himself becoming colder and colder.

Did the concept of time have a place here? He was unsure about the situation, but certainly he could feel himself coming down on one knee and feeling himself in woe. How long had he been freezing alive, seeming forever? There was no telling and it irked him more as the creatures forever kept going on their woke. “Crimes?”, he managed to mutter out through chapped and frost covered lips, his bright eyes looming over his wardens. “Crimes against the weak…against the natural order of the strong ruling over the weak…Pray tell, I have only weeded out the weak. As he continued to distract them with his voice, his hand was behind him, kept out of sight as it started to build up magically. “Don’t be fools to believe that they were meant for anything other than food and slaves for the strong.” His lips curled slowly into a smile, his body struggling against the magic of the Maidens as he tried to stand. “Words to the wise, my fair ladies…never show your hand until the end of the game.” He wasn’t sure how long they were planning on keeping him like this; perhaps if they had their way, then forever. But he was on a tight schedule as it was, and playtime was over. Bring his hand forward, he let his own magic set out in a sickly green stream against them. As they grew weaker, he grew stronger. The heat was still taken from him but he had enough strength to rise as he siphoned them back. “I do quite enjoyed the stay, perhaps next time we should gather together again for tea and crumpets.” Their response was that of deathly screams. “Oh, phooey. Is this hurting you?” Xunatar drained them until nothing was seemingly left of his icy jailers.

“Hm, perhaps I should have asked for directions…” Xunatar scratched at the back of his head, pondering on how to make his escape when he was flung into another place, one void of light save for that of a lantern. By now he was getting sick of wandering in the dark and actually preferred that tundra he just got out of, at least he could see things more clearly back there. That and he had someone to speak with, even if they were trying to kill him. Xunatar shrugged and made haste, largely ignoring the faint feeling that he was being stalked while staying in the light. This travel felt tedious like he was going nowhere, and once again time was a question as far as how long he had to wander in the dark before the trail lead him to what he’d hoped was the final frontier. He pushed the doors open and fixed his appearance as to not look homely and to undo the damage done by those maidens. “What a way to welcome guests. Reminding them of how ugly they are on the inside”, he called out, taking a finger to rub at his now healed lips. They felt so smooth now and he was pleased. If he had just been through the ninth circle of torment that this place offered, he shuddered to think of what the other circles would do to its victims. But not out of fear, but rather a twisted sense of excitement.    

Domus Tenebris was a flurry of activity.  It had not been long since the Blinded Scales had faded from existence and the underworld had 
become Porta Inferi, but it was running as if it had truly been there all along.  Many of the Magisters from the Blinded Scales who had been killed when Dalanesca had gone volatile had found themselves once again in her service, though the manner of which was quite a bit more on the morbid side than it had been in life.  Many of them found themselves with their mouths sewn shut, or tongues cut out - as though the sound of their voices drove her insane.  They wandered about the grounds of Domus Tenebris, tending to her as well as Paradiso Venenum.  Fortunately, the poisons in the garden couldn’t kill them, as they were already dead and living out eternity in servitude.  The most fortunate souls trapped in Inferos were those who were granted servitude, instead of being cast into the Circle in which their sins in life designated them.  It seemed that Inferos chose those who were meek and submissive in their lives to serve Dalanesca, as they were willing to bend over backwards to accomplish whatever was asked of them.

Dalanesca spent much of her time in Paradiso Venenum, concocting new poisons that the world had never laid eyes on.  These poisons were heavily sought after by the assassins of Revaliir, and many of them were beginning to take the chance to travel to Porta Inferi, hoping to gain audience with the Reaper and perhaps obtain a sample of one of the deadly concoctions - so far, none had been worthy in her eyes.  Most of them perished in whichever Circle they were cast upon, becoming one of the myriad of souls populating each Circle.  Truth be told, Dalanesca was glad for it - she was in no mood to visit with random passerby who decided they were brave enough to enter Inferos.  Since the loss of her child, Katja, and the disappearance of her love, Marth, she felt that she was at odds with the world - and of course, she centralised her rage on Angela Rose.

In Paradiso Venenum, Dalanesca merely sat on a bench, staring in a rather aloof manner at the various flora that covered the area.  The thought had, of course, crossed her mind to formulate a poison so strong it would bring Angela to her knees… but she knew better than to even attempt such a feat.  Her fellow Triune member was much older than she was, and she knew that no poison would be powerful enough to put the Goddess of Life into a position where Dalanesca would be able to defeat her.  With a heavy sigh, she had disdainfully given up on that idea.

After a few moments, one of the souls in her servitude entered the garden, giving her a brief nod and a small hand gesture.  This particular servant had its mouth sewn shut, and as such was unable to verbally address Dalanesca.  She had, instead, instructed her help to use a series of hand signals and gestures to communicate with her.  The gesture in question that this particular soul had used meant that someone had reached Domus Tenebris.  Dalanesca gave the servant a surprised look of approval, and rose from her seated position, heading towards the entrance to the Palace of Darkness.

After a few moments, she had arrived, and the newcomer came into view, just as he was running a hand across his own mouth.  It was odd - he did not look terrified as most of those who arrived did - but rather somewhat amused, or perhaps curious.  She stepped slowly towards him, speaking in a low and sultry voice, as was usual of her.  “Inferos is not a place to enjoy,” she said, rather coyly.    “Yet you look almost amused.”  She stepped closer still, until she was close enough to touch the…. Demon, she realized, after a moment’s recognition.  She reached up and delicated traced a finger down the side of his face, her hand lingering near his lip for a brief moment.  “You met the Frost Maidens,” she said softly, her hand falling to her side.  “And you made it out of Contrito,” she said, the name of the Ninth Circle rolling off of her tongue as smoothly as silk.  “Color me impressed,” she said, turning her back to him and taking a few steps away.  She paused, and turned back to face him.  “Walk with me,” she said, though the suggestion was clearly a demand.  She began to head back towards Paradiso Venenum.  Assuming that he followed her, she spoke with him as they walked. “Your name?  And please, regale me with what sins in your life caused you to end up in Contrito,” she said, her icy blue eyes flaring crimson for a brief moment, as she waited for her ‘guest’ to comply with her.

Her intended destination was Paradiso Venenum, and she had plans… this character had made it through Porta Inferi to reach Inferos and Domus Tenebris, but her creations in the garden would help her test his mettle a bit further, and perhaps help her see what he wanted to gain by reaching Inferos.

Xunatar could still hear the words of those ladies of frost echo in his head. He was charged with his doings upon the world, heinous and wicked they were. Truly he could envision that he deserved such a fate for all he had done. He had sent many of his years being a menace and contributing nothing more than true pain and suffering. Some he had done directly and others he hadn’t but the results were still the same regardless. Damnation would certainly claim him in the end, but for the time being, there was much work to be done in his eyes. So much he could savor from this realm he was thrusted into not to long ago. Beautiful daydreams entered his mind until a voice graced his ears and brought back his attention. For a dreary scenery, he wasn’t expecting a woman of captivating beauty here. Perhaps it was another trap set for him, honestly he would have to speak with the Mistress about her welcoming new guests. But it seemed that he already had met her face to face now. “Inferos…” His voice was low as he repeated the name to memory. Perhaps he would end here permanently one day, and if that should occur, then at least he would know of his new home.

“Oh I do not wish to mistake you; I’m amused by the concept of it all. It being put into practice though…that was far less than comfortable, I assure you.” Indeed it was a terrible ordeal that fortunately he escaped, though next time would likely prove otherwise. The demon stood in his spot, ever so still as the Goddess approached and felt him to her leisure. This was her territory and he wouldn’t wish to give her a reason to be displeased with him. Still, that didn’t stop his lewd mind from wandering into some…unsavory thoughts. Xunatar grinned at the mentioning of his latest work, “They did their job well, and this Contrito you speak of…it was a terrible place. I haven’t suffered much in my years, but that is an experience I dread on going through again.” It was the honest true from the tongue of a liar, there were plenty of things he’d rather deal with than to freeze beneath the cold like he had. The goddess had a cruel sense of humor, a trait he was very fond of.

So far she was pleased with his performance, though he was weary as to whether his part was over or if it was truly just beginning. His body heat was back to normal now and he felt better. Being a living icicle wasn’t his intention at the moment and he started to follow her after she had so kindfully asked him. As they walked, he attempted to picture what she would be like if she was raging. He had expected a vengeful Goddess, but he learned never to judge by appearances alone for she may have been a far greater actress than what he believed. “I’m called by many names, though I go by the common name the drow call me when they imprisoned me- Xunatar. It means Prince of Demons.” Her inquiring mind wanted to know what his sins were, something that he knew not why it would interest her, but he had nothing to hide for now. “I suppose that I am guilty for wanting to spread chaos, ruin and trouble amongst the realm. I had lead people astray and corrupted many innocent people to delve into their own sins while unknowingly serving what purpose I require of them. All in the name of power.” His eyes narrowed slyly at the Mistress. “My interest here seems to make sense. Sins are a powerful thing, and truth be told, it has been something I sought to make use into for centuries. Let’s just say that my research had made some progress so far.” He was guilty of murder, whether he planned on the kills or not, and his children served as the catalyst for his Sin project. It would be a shame if any of them died, for he assumed that they would truly end up in one of the Goddess’ circles and he himself frowned at the thought.

“If I may be so bold to ask for the Goddess’ name, dear lady?” He was curious about her and where she was leading them to, and so he made sure he was on his guard during this expedition.          

“I see.”  Her words came softly yet still carried the same weight as if she had screamed them.  A small smile had crept upon her lips upon her learning that he had not been entirely amused with the situation.  Something about the discomfort of others gave her great pleasure, and hearing about it from the very mouth of the one who had experienced the aforementioned discomfort was even better.  She found amusement in the fact that his reception to her physicalities was to stand stock still, and would have, of course, been even further amused if his body had given some reaction to her touch.  The smile the crossed his face piqued her curiosity as he spoke of what had placed him in her Ninth Circle.  “Perhaps, if you do not displease me, upon your death I can pluck you from Contrito and place you in my servitude… maybe I’ll even let you keep your tongue,” she said, her words coupled with a sharp laugh, making it clear that she was not speaking in jest.

As the pair walked, she listened intently as he answered her questions.  “Xunatar,” she repeated.  “Prince of Demons, you say?  I hate to break it to you, my dear, but now… your kind will bend a knee to me,” she said.  Her words were not meant of insult, but rather a declaration of her new throne.  She grew silent once more, listening with bated breath as Xunatar regaled her with what he was guilty of.  Upon the narrowing of his gaze at her, she in turn narrowed her own eyes.  “You belong here,” she said, thoughtfully, as though she was thinking deeply and trying to decide what action to take next.  

When Xunatar asked her name, she took a moment’s pause.  “My name?” she asked, and a dark smile crept over her face.  “I am known by many names now.  My given name, my mortal name, is Dalanesca Coralax,” she said.  Although Marth was currently nowhere to be found, she retained his surname with the small glimmer of hope that Moliira had given her.  Perhaps, if they found him, he would be able to accept the change in her domain - but she had no idea what sort of effect that would have on the Reaver side of him.  “Some know me as the Dark Mother, some know me as the Queen of Shadows.  Others call me the Infernal Queen, or the Lady of Woe.  I am the Reaper of Souls and Harbinger of Darkness,” she said, rather pointedly, though her voice had taken on a deeper tone as she spoke her true title.  “I am Mother to the children of Darkness and those who bask in shadow, and I hold dominion over souls in their eternal torment,” she added.  

After a few minutes, the pair had reached Paradiso Venenum.  Dalanesca pushed open the black gates open and led Xunatar inside.  “This is Paradiso Venenum,” she said, and there was almost a loving tone to her voice.  “In here, you will find the deadliest plants known to mankind… as well as some that are probably still unknown,” she said.  “I pride myself on my ability to concoct the most potent poisons one can imagine.”  She walked to a very non-threatening looking plant and pulled a leaf from it, walking back over to Xunatar.  She held the leaf out to him.  “If you were to eat this on a mortal plane, you would die within seconds.  If it were to touch your skin, you would be paralyzed within minutes.”  She turned the leaf over in her bare hands.  “You are in my plane, Inferos.  You cannot die here.  I don’t know what it is that you are seeking in venturing here, but if you eat this leaf, I’ll hear your desires.”  She walked closer still to Xunatar, until there remained only mere inches between the two.  She stood up on her toes and leaned up towards him, her lips speaking just near his ear.  “You’ll feel like you’re dying, when you consume it,” she said, her voice barely a whisper.  “You’ll want to die - you might even beg me to end you,” she added, taking a step back once more.   

She held her hand out to him with the leaf resting flat on her palm.  “I do hope you’ll… indulge me on this,” she said, licking her lips slightly.  “You’ll be surprised at what I can offer you if you please me,” she added.  She still had no inkling as to why Xunatar came to her plane, or what he wanted from her - but she would not give it up without him first proving his worth.

Having the Goddess eye him down and touching him seemed no different to him than when a predator tested its prey right before the kill. And he acted according, allowing her to savor whatever she wished without resisting and provoking her. Still as she did so, he kept recalling that awful and morbid world he had been temporarily trapped in. Even with that in mind, he’d preferred her company over that of her frigid Frost Maidens. His expression was very coy towards her offer; surely being in her services had to be better than enduring the circles for who knows how long. “I’m sure when the time arrives, you’d prefer to keep it intact. I’m afraid I lose a lot of my charm if I cannot speak, my lady.” If possible, he would love to come down here again as a whole, and not in pieces as accordance to her realm.

As they walked, he silently studied the woman with keen eyes; the way she moved and spoke, her temperament and the meaning beneath the words woven from her mouth. Xunatar cocked his head a tad to the right, her declaration wasn’t completely shocking. With power, it only became natural for one that has it to seek out dominance. With him, he manipulated and coerced many of the fairer races and lesser demons to do his bidding, even without knowing so, and with the Goddess, she wanted not only that of dead, but also that of demons too. She was quite the visionary. “While I don’t really have a problem, I wish to offer some advice as to not to insult you. My kind has a nasty habit of not obeying masters and tend to…learn and submit by force. Though from the looks of it, you already have that going for you.”

He halted for second and wetted his lips a bit. “Indeed. That is something that I can’t argue with at all.” Sooner or later he would have to cash in his chips and answer for his sins. If he was not careful, then he may arrive for his permanent stay sooner rather than later. Dalanesca gave him her name along with several titles, none of which struck him as one that fought to keep the Balance. Perhaps she was changed in a way that darkened her, and that was attractive in his eyes.

To watch innocence, in a matter of speaking, turn black. It was what he lived for.

“Short and sweet, I am known as the Demonic Prince of a Thousand Names, though my favorite little nickname is The White Fox of Despondency”, he said, speaking the name with pride laced on his tongue. The place she led him to was extraordinary; and he loved the intent of her gardens even more. He couldn’t help to let out a sigh of astonishment as he could only dream of what she could potentially do with her plants and poisons. Begging minds would wander why would she, with powers that most couldn’t fathom, would need such things but he assumed that it was perhaps a hobby, or there were darker motives trapped in her mind. “Must say, that I don’t have a green thumb myself, but I can appreciate what they can do.” He let his eyes roam about until they landed upon the leaf she pulled. It looked like a normal leaf but the way she described it, it made his body shiver.

Which would he choose, to eat the leaf or not?

He smiled as she drew closer and though he could still feel the agony he went through in Contrito, Xunatar was in a sense, a glutton for punishment. Besides there was no purpose in coming here to turn back now. He stared into her eyes, shifting his sights from her to the leaf and he obliged by lowering his head down to her open palm and accepted the challenge into his mouth before pulling away. Once it made contact with his tongue, he was only able to back away enough before feeling it stinging him from the inside. The stinging changed into a burning sensation that made his eyes water as he tried to chew it as he lost control of his body. As per her words, he was becoming numb and paralyzed from the outside, and suffering even worse from the inside. Perhaps it was because he kept away from pain for so long, but this was reminding him the hard way of what true torture was. Her reactions towards this went largely ignored by him as he struggled to take hold of his throat just as he swallowed it. The burning fell into his throat with the leaf and he scratched at it to try and relief it. Tiny streams of blood fell soon after with the scratch marks his fingernails dug into flesh. Xunatar struggled, but never did he utter a word of defeat, of caving into her whim of wanting to here him plead for death. Of all things, he wouldn’t let a damn little leaf make him give in.

The goddess placed a hand on her hip and tilted her head slightly to the side as Xunatar listed off the names that he was known by.  She could sense the pride in his words as he spoke the name, and she stifled a chuckle.  “And I find myself wondering… what atrocities did you commit to be graced with such beautiful names as those?” she asked.  She had to admit, they were at least pleasing to the tongue to speak, but there was no way that someone would earn titles such as those from living a life free of sin.  She watched him with dark yet amused eyes as he took in the sight of the different plants that peppered her garden.  It was always rather amusing to her to watch the reactions of others when they first caught view of Paradiso Venenum - the garden that was slowly becoming her weapon of choice.

She found it rather ironic that since her spheres had changed, she had become the polar opposite of her once-friend and currently enemy Angela Rose, but the prize of her new home was a garden - granted, she could not see Angela Rose having a place in the Sundering Gardens dedicated to the plants that could kill the most easily in the world - but then again, there had been many places in the other Triune’s home that she had not yet been privy to - and if things went the way that it seemed they were going to, it was highly unlikely that she ever would.

She turned her attention back to Xunatar and his reaction to her expectation that he would consume the leaf that she offered to him.  She was not using scare tactics - had they been in the mortal plane, this leaf would have killed him within minutes of him ingesting it, demon or not.  She could tell that this… ‘demon prince’ was a bit of a fan of punishment, though she was unsure that he would still be a fan after enduring what was about to happen.  He looked down at the foliage resting in her hand, and when he bent to eat it from her palm rather than taking it with his own hands, she let out a small noise of amusement.  She was very, very pleased that her visitor had chosen to oblige her, but soon found herself rather disappointed that he was not begging her to end his life.  Her eyes flashed crimson at the sight of the blood pooling from the wounds he created on his own neck, deriving her own sick form of pleasure from watching him mutilate himself. Since she had been forced to suffer, she found joy only in causing the suffering of others.  

After a few minutes of watching him writhe, she made his pain stop with a wave of her hand.  She eyed him cautiously, before taking a step towards him.  She reached out with one pale, slender hand, and moving her hand in an upwards fashion swiped a bit of the blood from his neck onto her finger.  She looked at her hand for a moment, before letting out a cold, harsh laugh.  “I’ll admit, I’m impressed at your mettle,” she said.  “But on the other hand, I find myself disappointed that you did not beg for me to kill you, beg for me to imprison your soul in Inferos so that you would no longer feel the pain,” she said.  Her eyes had returned to their normal icy blue, and her expression grew rather serious.  “But you have impressed me,” she said.  

“So tell me,” she continued, and she brought the finger coated in Xunatar’s blood to her lips, taking the digit into her mouth and cleaning the blood off of it.  She savored the harsh, coppery taste for a moment, before she began to speak once more.  “Now that you’ve… earned my favor, so to speak, what is it that you would ask of me?  Why venture here, why put yourself through this… unless there’s something that you hope to gain,” she said, her tone rather dark.

“Simply put, my talents derive from my mouth and mind work. And also how foolish those around me are, a terrible combination indeed. Both make it easy to manipulate others and bend them into taking part of the grand scheme of things”, he replied. There was always another sucker to become a pawn in his plans for on most people’s mindset, they only thought about the smaller picture while he sought for the entire end, and everything could be justified as long as he got the ending he desired. The names themselves were not just a moniker to make him sound more appealing, there was much he had to do in order to earn such a wicked reputation.

It wasn’t until Xunatar ate that leaf and felt something foreign to him these days that he was reminded of the reasons for his standing in the demon world in the first place. Pain. For all that he had done, he had often worked from the shadows, orchestrating things from afar without him having to get physically involved. Whether by choice or not, he had kept away from getting his hands dirty and to avoid repercussions in case things didn’t work as favored. Now he was visited by images of what he had to endure by home, of the heinous and unusual punishments he took to get where he was today. If only mortals could feel a tenth of what he and others of his kind had to thrive through, perhaps then they wouldn’t be as cuddled and weak as they were. Dalanesca’s realm seem to shift that issue into the right direction as he endured what felt like hell for those moment of ingesting her poison.

What seemed like a life sentence was flung away from him by her as if it was nothing. To the Goddess, it might have been just that, nothing. There on his hands and knees, Xunatar took the first few laboring breaths since his torture. He could feel the rivers of blood down his flesh and she took hold of some of it. Red eyes of his looked to Dalanesca as his breathing came back down to a calming rate. “Mettle is what got me here. Back on the plane I originate from…our standings are not based on divine rights, nepotism or birth itself like the mortals of Revallir. No matter what, we find our place by proving ourselves, and there’s only one way that happens.”

The demon slowly flung himself back so that he was merely on knees and his legs as he sat up. He cared little for the crimson that stained his wares as his thoughts traveled back to darker times.

“We suffer, suffer and then suffer again through tedious and unorthodox punishments until we perish, surrender, given in to madness or survive them. Many forms of it come to those wishing to get ranked high, but the things having to be endured are perhaps a step or two lower than what happens here in your stead. At least for us, the torment eventually ends.” From what he learned of Porta Inferi though, it seemed nothing short of winning her approval would save the damned that were placed in the circles. “Rigorous things like having parts of your body impaled with hot rods of iron, limbs under great weights of stone, hell beast devouring layers of flesh, all the while you mustn’t break or perish. The longer you endure, the better your ranking is. My torment was a particularly unpleasant one.”

Xunatar could still feel the special inking used to draw over his back, the fiery and burning sensation all down his back and neck as he was held down with steel. Truly it felt as though he had been on that table forever, and all the other trials beforehand seemed like a rosy daydream in comparison.

His mind wandered about for a bit before her words reached him. “There is something I’d like to acquire from you indeed.” He cracked a smile as he rose back to his feet and cupped at his wounds. “Knowledge. I’d like to know more over this war over that of your sister deity. The entire world is at a standstill, and her kind aren’t the most favored by myself, for reasons of my own and also if there is any way I could be providing assistance for you.” The smile widened and grew more sly. “After all, the enemy of my enemy can make for a friend…

The demon certainly seemed to know a thing or two about suffering, and she had to admit that to herself.  With silence, she resolutely listened to Xunatar, still impressed at how well he had handled the torment of ingesting the leaf she had essentially forced him to do.  She could sense that his mind had wandered to darker things, of course, but she could not possibly know what exactly they were.  She assumed that her torment she had given to him had brought up memories of other tortures he had faced.  When he went into detail, she found herself giving a bit of a devious smirk.

“Sounds like you’ve been through the ringer,” she said, and the simplicity of her speech rang out rather alarmingly.  When he spoke again,she raised an eyebrow at him.  “So you think that I have knowledge I would be willing to impart upon you,” she said, bringing a hand to her chin thoughtfully.  She certainly had a lot of information and knowledge about the darker things of the world, but she was usually not willing to share it with just anyone.  Xunatar had certainly impressed her with his resilience during her leaf-fueled torment, but she had yet to decide if that had been enough to put him in her favor.

“The enemy of your enemy?” she said, her interest piqued once more.  She assumed that the demon prince spoke of Angela Rose, though she was not entirely keen on letting anyone else get involved in that situation.  “I can think of some ways you could be of assistance,” she said, the tone of her voice low, and filled with a hint of innuendo.  She took a few steps towards Xunatar, a delicate hand reaching up to caress the side of his face once more.  “The question is, would you be willing to do what it is I ask of you in exchange for what it is that you want,” she said, her hand trailing down his arm.  She took a step back, her hands coming to her hips.  “Just how far are you willing to go to gain knowledge?” she asked, the dark glint in her eyes hinting at the fact that she had thought of something, if he would be willing.  A certain one of the Inferos circles was lacking in a particular kind of soul, but she would not divulge the details until he further expressed his interest.

Those that couldn’t handle pain and torture shouldn’t be allowed to dish it out onto others, that was his philosophy. It had been too long since Xunatar had been complacent and foregone injury and distress for as long as he could recall. The goddess’ test had reminded him of that and more, and on some levels he was grateful. “So long it has been since I was tried by my peers, milady.” He removed his hand from around his neck and stared at the blood that pooled into his palm. And even longer since he could remember anything, let alone himself, maining him to the point where he could see his own blood. Lifting his gaze up towards Dalanesca, he gave a slight nod as his journey seemed to come to fruition.

“Of course. Only two people in this whole world would know what had happened between the closed doors. While I could go to the other goddess, I don’t think she would receive me as you have. Not to mention it would be unorthodox to go there.” Personally he had nothing against Angela other than potentially standing in his way. At least with the Reaper, he didn’t have as much worry. He had a feeling that their own goals didn’t cross over one another and it was another reason he felt more comfortable being here.

He couldn’t help but to clear his throat a little, the damage down by the poison was still there and it made his voice a tad raspy. “My lady, I am one of many talents that could be used for your favor. Espionage is one of my personal favorites though if must be, I do not mind getting my hands dirty.” The Goddess’ touches and alluring tone made him all the more weary of the situation that was cooking up in her head. It was hard to read what was to come next, be it another task or another leaf to feast from. Xunatar tilted his head upward and cocked it slightly to the left.

“Whatever your heart’s content, as long as it's in my power to do so. When it comes to knowledge, I am willing to do just about anything to obtain it. Knowledge is power, after all and I’m merely a hoarder of such.” Such a weapon was more powerful than the strongest blade or magic when wielded effectively; the problem was that not too many people knew the truth behind it. Perhaps the lady knew of that and was luring the white haired demon by the string with it. But he would take the bait to press his goals forward. “I will go as far as necessary, Dalanesca. Whatever the task you wish, I will complete it.”