New Beginning 21: Awesomeness Revisited

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Down the tunnel? To right!" he says, jumping up on the blind creature. "I'll give us some cover."

The air behind him shimmers slightly, and he pulls what looks like a french horn from nowhere. He points it down the tunnel and brings it to his lips. He takes a deep breath, and blows.

At first, there's nothing. Then, the most beautiful sound begins to play, a complete melody contained withing a single note. The music hangs in the air for a moment, then seems to compress itself in the mouth of the horn and shoot, with great force, down the tunnel.

[Zaleramancer]

The howling voice recedes noticeably.

Zestto, now seated on the blind dragon, snaps his clawed fingers. The great beast leaps into action, dashing forward with great speed. It moved with fluid grace, clawing along the sides and floor of the tunnel.

"Adramelech was never much of a fighter. I doubt he's alone. I'd say at least ten.. maybe twenty legions."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Of what? Can't very well see these buggers of properly if I don't know what they are."

He readies another blast, before stopping.

"Also, my compliments. Zestto is a wonderful vizier name."

The music fills the air again.

[Zaleramancer]

This time, the voice fights out over the music, though still more distant than before.

"RECREANT TRAITOR!"

"Lesser Demons. They aren't very powerful, but they are a nuisance. Like a swarm of flies assaulting an elephant."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Ah, that I can work with."

A heavy door opens and slams shut, echoing off the tunnel walls. The ape in the grey suit is gone. Instead, a petite young lady in a grey suit stands on the dragons back. Her hair falls into her face, hiding her lack of eyes, and her skin is pale and covered with strange, demonic script.

She holds out her hands, and the symbols flair up red. Behind them, disappearing into the distance, is some sort of red wall.

"Lessor demons. Hah! They'll need something much badder to get through that."

[Zaleramancer]

"Interesting. A form of shapeshifting?" He inclined his head curiously while guiding his Dragon.

"Of course, Adramelech is a major demon. Chancellor of the Infernal Regions, President of the High Counsel of Devils and, of course, Keeper of the Demon King's Wardrobe."

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"No, I'm just borrowing this from one of my collection." she says, with a slight slavish accent. "She doesn't have a formal rank, but I'd like to believe that that wall is at least powerful enough to slow someone who folds the demon kings pants. Just in case, though..."

She scrabbles to the back of the dragon, reaches into her mouth with gnarled claw like hands and rips out her teeth, scattering them on the tracks. Jagged pillars rise up, making the tunnel floor resemble the mouth of a shark, then disappear into the horizon.

[Zaleramancer]

"Yes, I'm not worried so much about him. He was ever servile in nature, and would never be here unless something commanded him to do so..."

Up ahead, another station became visible in the far distance.  

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

She sits down beside him, cross legged.

"Got any idea who? I've got to admit, I think I may have stepped into something here."

[Zaleramancer]

"Normally, that would be the Demon King.. but.."

The sub-station opened up as the cave-dragon slowed...

A old and heavy-set man with an expansive beard sat on top of a skeletal horse, he waved a pitch-fork in their general direction.

"Oh. Hello Furcas. Are you also working with Adramelech?"

An aura of flame surrounded the Knight Furcas as several red-skinned and horned minions scattered around the station, surging from behind him.

"It would appear so." The Vizier sighed, "I don't suppose you would be kind enough to tell me who managed to replace the recently deceased ruler, would you?"

A large fireball exploded in their direction as the Cave Dragon raced forward again.  

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Horns, pitchforks, skeleton horses? These guys are so old school."

She picks up the horn again, and gives it a quick blow.

"Is there anything that can make this big fellow move faster? Seriously, literally anything?"

[Zaleramancer]

"Furcas is not know for his hip-and-up-to-date styles."

He tilted his head slightly.

"How is your resilience to flame?"

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"The tools of a billion empires wouldn't be enough to crack me open. Trust me, I was made to last."

[Celadon's Penultimate]

Phi and I appear in a new and alien place.

"What the heck is this place?"

[Zaleramancer]

The Vizier snapped his fingers, and the cave dragon engulfed itself with flames. Energized, it dashed, impossible speeds mounted.

Once again, a sub-station opened up far ahead.

[Zaleramancer]

Twisting halls of stone opened up in every direction.

The strange girl appeared to be dry retching, leaning on a nearby wall. It appeared that the portal had not agreed with her stomach.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"Not this time boys!" she shouted, and the air behind her shimmered like water. The sound again, the opening of a massive, ancient door.

Weapons flooded out, shooting as if fired from a rail gun at the entrance to the station. Spears, swords, arrows, daggers, katars, axes, cudgels, hammers, scythes, and others, each one different from the last flowing like water from behind her.

[Zaleramancer]

The sounds of anger and screaming echoing pleasantly up the tunnel, smothering all the fiery anger behind.

[Gentleman Vaultboy]

"And I'll be back for those, just so you know!" she called down the tunnel.

"So, are we there yet?" she said, grinning. Her shark-like teeth had grown back.

[Zaleramancer]

"Yes, since you asked." Another Sub-Station had opened up ahead.

The rushing dragon skidded to a halt, mostly due to the fact that the other exit of the station was bricked shut.

Zestto covered his eyes with one of his sleeves.

"Please tell me there isn't a large crow standing in the station."

A large crow eyed them both. And the flaming Cave Dragon.