Hades || Lord of the Dead (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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dreaminsanctity2014-12-17 02:31 am
lordofthedead) wrote in dreaminsanctity2014-12-17 02:31 am
Entry tags:
[meme] Welcome to the Underworld
Welcome to the Underworld
Congratulations! You're (probably) dead! Whether or not it's canon for your string to have been cut or... you ran into some... unforeseen circumstances... You're in the Underworld. But your very generous host has offered you a second chance for life. He'll restore you to your world, all nice and proper, if you do a little something for him.
"See, I'm trying to take over the cosmos. I know, I know, it's so cliche, but that's the scheme of things. I need a little bit of help. I'm not just looking at my corner of the cosmos, I want it all. The other side of the grass, the multi-verse, call it what you want. And if you do a good job I'll also leave your little sunspot of a home untouched. Good, right? You get to live again, and you won't have to deal with me! Unless you want me to take your world... but that's a whole other story... While you work for me, you'll even get sort of a... temporary version of your body. I gotta work to put your complete package back together, but that'll keep you moving while you keep busy."
Of course, if you're really good at your job, he might just... keep you around a bit longer. He'll find a reason ;)
Or maybe you actually, willingly, decided to stick around. Sure, the Underworld's drafty, but it could be better than going home, eh?
Come on, your host isn't that bad of a guy.
I don't know, Hades woke up while I was working. Make a contract with Hades, already have one established; be new or end up stuck there for awhile because your "soul isn't ready yet." He'd ask for things like kill 100+ people or poison a city or burn down an ecosystem or get a lot of really powerful relics for him... pretty much either something awful or gaining powerful shit for him.
It's also completely possible that:
1) Your "unforeseen circumstance" was getting killed by another character that was conscripted by Hades
2) You're not dead, but Hades possesses your soul courtesy of a different deal (similar to Megara, basically)
3) You're a damn goody-two-shoes who's too stubborn to actually work for him :| Ugh what a waste of space!
4) You asked Hades to give you some special power of sorts (whatev you want) to help you achieve your task. He'll grant you that! You'll just have to do an extra task in return :|
Zidane Tribal | Final Fantasy IX | (Spish)
Ha ha ha. No way.
His completely-stubborn soul wasn't taking a swim in the river though, no way. Which meant not only was he being utterly useless to Hades, but he was also getting in the way. Eventually, Hades found a way to punish him: feed the pooch.
Seemed simple enough to Zidane until he realized that the "pooch" was a three-headed gate guardian by the name of Cerberus and the "food" was about the size as the mutt.
"Crap!" He barely dodges a set of jaws going for him, tail skirting out of reach as he tumbles. "I'm not your meal!!" he yells, running towards the slab of meat from who-knows-what kind of creature. "This is your food!"
Or maybe it isn't and this is all just a hilarious game to Hades. The god might even be watching from somewhere, eating popcorn.
This time, he only manages to dodge one mouth, but the middle head grabs him up by the tail before he can make it away and he yells out in pain as he's pulled up, unsheathing his daggers and throwing one like a boomerang, but the beast doesn't seem all that perturbed.
"Shi--someone give me a hand?! Anyone?!"
He's pretty sure his voice just echoes through the cavern. Dammit! What happens if a soul gets eaten, anyway?!
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"A beast lies waiting, it's hunger await,
to pluck a flea from its nape.
Strung out for the world to see its crime,
it's sentence shall come, in but a matter of time..."
With a grin, Kuja pinched his chin between a thumb and forefinger as his head cocked to the side. "Isn't that what we have here? A flea that's been caught?"
Smile widening, the silver-haired man actually had no idea he was... dead. Working for Hades was but a ruse he was using in order to find the prey he'd sought for all along -- Zidane. Having been set on his trail from the death god, Kuja hadn't worried about the specifics, motivated only to find his so-called brother.
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"K-Kuja!?" But he--why is he--you know maybe it doesn't really matter if Zidane can just get Kuja... "Shut up and help me!"
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Flare Star!" the spell wove in his fingertips in a matter of moments, shooting out towards Zidane.
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This isn't happen. This did not just happen. What the hell did he do to deserve this treatment?! Are his memories screwed up again? Are Kuja's??
The Flare Star, thankfully, startles Cerberus enough to release Zidane and the genome full-throttle lets his body plummet back towards the ground to avoid the spell. He lands, barely, on his feet and is on the move immediately after, knowing Kuja isn't just going to stop and let him catch a breather!
"Why are you fighting me?!" he demands, swinging a dagger 'round in one palm, keeping only a sliver of focus on Kuja as he weaves an irregular pattern in his running, cutting circles around stalagmites. "We don't have to fight! Not here of all places!!"
Cerberus sits back, paws folding over one another, ears drawn back, and watches intently. Whether or not he's letting Kuja have his wish, or biding his time, is anyone's guess.
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Was the blond stupid? Well, that being besides the point, "What better place than here?" his voice sang as he steadied in the air, readying another spell, "What better time than now?" Zidane had always been a thorn in his side, and now that they were on different sides of this war he would finally have his chance to eliminate his stand-in.... once and for all!
"An elegy of fangs and magic, the sweet sound of your complete and utter demise!" leaning slightly forward, the non-elemental energy began to gather in his hands...
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So if they can't die, then like hell he's not going to fight in earnest!
"Tch--fine! You wanna fight? Well, I'm not going to lose!"
Two can play at the airborne-game, Zidane thinks, flipping a dagger high into the air and grabbing the top of a stalagmite to rocket himself upwards just as Kuja's spell shatters the rock, burning through his glove and searing skin. He retrieves his dagger mid-air, gathering power of his own to send ribbons of red energy Kuja's way.
He balances along the cavern wall, barely stable, but he doesn't intend to stay for very long.
"Why're you here? How'd Hades get to you?" He may be willing to fight, but he still wants answers. He can multitask.
That newest spell of Kuja's is going to be a problem, he just knows it.
Georgia Lass | Dead Like Me | (Spish)
So she would very much like to just go back to being undead, alright? This "soul" nonsense is stupid.
Which is why she's (trying) to massacre a town on some planet that's certainly not Earth. There's nothing ethical about this at all. Some (very quiet) part of her is bothered that she's even going along with this bullshit. But here she is, the good little pawn.
She's pretty damn sure he isn't even her actual boss, Lord of the Dead or not. He's not her Lord. He's a freaking Disney character!!
But there's a big problem with this whole thing.
She's not exactly adept at killing... anyone. Maybe she should have asked for some kind of... "help" in that regards. The ability to shoot laser beams or something. Except she had a feeling he'd just make her life harder even if he could grant that.
So she's got a sword she can barely use and the town that she's supposed to be killing hunting her down, courtesy of all her failed efforts thus far.
Fuck.
She's the worst at this. At least she can't die, but seriously, she could use some backup.
Dark | DNAngel | (Spish)
Besides, what Daisuke doesn't know doesn't hurt him.
He wishes this was a solo mission, though.
"Be sure to stay out of my way, alright?" he scoffs, arms folded, at his "partner" in this matter. "I can't have anyone befuddling this stint. It'll ruin my reputation."
The Magician | OC | (Hayley)
"What a curious deal? Leave my poor, helpless little world alone in exchange for a favor? What help would a god need from equally defenseless mortals--well, recently dead mortals--like myself?"
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Ugh.
Hades sure knows how to pick 'em, doesn't he? He's starting to think he should take some of these souls and toss them into the river, help or not. But workers are workers, and he needs whatever minions he can get.
He spreads his spindly fingers. "Look, the multi-verse takes centuries upon centuries to encompass. I could do it myself! But it'll take longer, see? So I get some temp workers, they get a little incentive, and we're all happy!" Except for the ones who accidentally ended up trapped in eternal servitude, but tomato-tomahto. "And frankly, while I'm being so honest here: watching all the defenseless mortals is great for the entertainment value. Better than the Coliseum! HA."
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"Now, the question of the hour: why? A play for power for the sake of power? For some greater goal? On principle! For glory! So many possibilities to pick..."
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"A little of column A, a smidgen from column B. Power is all the rage. Principle..." He toys with how the word rolls of his tongue, then nods, satisfied, "principle is good. Fitting." Snaps two fingers to let off a spark of orange flame. "And then there's the eternal boredom I've had to suffer through in this lovely job of mine. It's time for a real change."
One that Zeus and his jerk son and all their stupid relatives can't even begin to touch. Because yeah, no matter how much power he amasses, Olympus is still something always--ALWAYS--out of reach.
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"Well! That is a cause I can strive for, and one I am sad to say I am currently, terribly, awfully, afflicted with at the moment. What is it that you're looking for, exactly?"
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He holds out a palm and in a puff of dark smoke, a scroll appears, one end unrolling, hitting the floor, and continuing to roll past Hades. Scrawled on the page seems to be a list of names, some crossed out, with varying numbers and other shorthand text with them.
He hmmms at the scroll, deep in thought, then conjures a quill into his other hand and a pair of spectacles over his eyes. He finds a blank space and then peers at this new soul.
"You got any specialties?"
Hades might have judged the soul too swiftly. Maybe it was alright. Alright enough that Hades might actually give him something he can succeed at, instead of throwing him into the deep-end for a laugh and watching him try to find footing.
What? Occasionally he can be a "good guy."
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"Would that happen to suit anything on the list?" He'd be more than happy to watch if all else failed.
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He doesn't need all the worlds intact...
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Death Emizel | Disgaea 4 | (Grif)
Nope, these souls must have been going somewhere else, and for some reason it was up to Emizel to figure out where. If he actually forced to do it or volunteered though, well, either option sounded pretty likely.
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So when Hades scouts from a distance with smoke curling under Emizel, some other part of the Underworld explodes in cascade of flame. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING HIM!! THAT little twerp?! In his Underworld?! HIS REALM?!
No. No. He was NOT standing for this.
"PAIN. PANIC!"
The minions, already cowering nearby after witnessing the explosion, crawl nervously around what remains of the doorway. "Y-Yes, boss?" they echo.
"There's a living pest crawling around. Keep an eye on him for me. Find out what he wants, while I..." He rubs at a brow, orange flames very slowly receding. He doesn't finish his sentence, turning his back on them as dismissal.
The pair of imps scamper off, popping up not long after by Emizel, one on either side of the demon.
"Hey!" Pain hollers. "You can't be here! It's called trespassing!"
"Y-Yeah!" the blue imp adds. "The boss is really mad, so just a-hhh, tell us what you want!"
"And then scram!" Pain finishes.
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...Perhaps Emizel did find his culprit after all.
"Actually I think I wanna to talk this boss of yours," Emizel kept walking and ignored their warning. "I doubt it'll take very long."
Assuming Emizel doesn't find what he was looking for. Then that would be good news for them, right?
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"W-Wait!" Panic squeaks. "You really don't want to talk to him!"
"Uhhh yeah, he's really not... all that..." How does he turn the intruder off of this crusade? Without horribly angering Hades if he finds out? "Interesting..."
"YEAH! We're doing you a favor, stopping you here!"
Pain folds his arms and nods along with his companion's words. "But we're sorta like the boss's... heralds. So you should tell us what you'll tell him, and we'll pass word onto him."
"And then he'll judge if you're worth his time!" Panic exclaims.
Which Emizel is, very obviously to them, worth the boss's time. Panic glances towards the direction of the Underworld that Hades most recently exploded. He thinks he can still smell smoke. Or maybe that's just permanently burnt into his senses.
Yeah.
Probably that.
Another explosion distantly rattles the cavernous path. The two imps cower a little.
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"And what do you explain was that?" he looked down at the imps. Okay so maybe he didn't find it that interesting, in fact things going up in flames was pretty standard for the most part for a demon. But it was still something. Granted it probably meant that something was angry.... But Emizel did have a job to do. He'll just have to tread lightly.
"I'll be on my out, after I don't find what I'm looking for."
*side-eyes email wondering where notif ended up*
It's pretty difficult.
"OH! WELL," Panic finally says, laughing all the while (he's not hysterical at this point... really...), "It's not everyday someone comes here who isn't, yooou know... dead," he whispers the last word.
Pain punches Panic in the shoulder, then makes a let's go gesture. It takes Panic a moment to realize why, and then he can feel it. Their boss, en-route, very fast.
"You just have fun now," Pain tells Emizel, "try not to anger him, okay?"
Panic's eyes go comically wide. The two imps trip over one another, scrambling in a mad-dash to get away as a mini-comet is suddenly hurling down straight at Emizel.
It was doing that to me awhile ago too, so mean :|
"Alright.." the demon took a deep breath and pressed forward, on the look out for any other hazards along the way. Rocks are pretty easy to spot, but as he got closer to the middle...yeah, gonna have to hope he doesn't get blasted in the face with flames.
Hyuuga Hizashi || Naruto || (Infy)
Perhaps you're showing him around the Underworld as a fresh arrival? Perhaps it's your job to fix him, so you can work together. Perhaps you'd like to take advantage of that seal on his soul, and how clearly and effortlessly it could be used to control him?
Or perhaps you're simply making him a deal, one in which the fate of the entire multiverse hangs in the balance, far vaster than anything Hizashi has ever imagined. He looks clearly uncertain about the whole matter, though he's also not dismissing it out of hand, either. He's served others faithfully his whole life, after all, even gave his life to protect his home and those he cared about most..... And he's familiar with rulers both kind and cruel, though perhaps not on the level of a god.
He's not kneeling, not yet--but he sounds deferential already, warily respectful if not fearful, a little hesitant to even voice questions. Who knew what might upset the lord of the dead? How terrible might his anger be? "What..... would you have me do? What would be my alternative?"
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Hades taps at his chin, hunkered down over a table that is thankfully devoid of chess pieces (he has a new room solely for that purpose now, so many worlds, after all), waiting. He can be patient, sometimes. Especially when a soul has... such untapped potential.
"Alternative? You see that river out there?" He jerks a thumb to a window, where outside the River can be seen, thick with cloying, wailing, miserable souls. "You take a dip in there for all of eternity. You don't come back out. Ever. No changing your mind, deciding oh Hades, I'm sorry, I should have taken your offer! Nope. None of that."
Taps his chin again. "I got worlds to conquer. To do that, I need power of other... sources. Some worlds have ancient relics, some have unrivaled technology. Sometimes I simply just need souls. Souls of other worlds have a different kind of power entirely, because they don't necessarily end up in my realm," unless he's harvesting pawns out of them, "so how do I get 'em? Well, genocide."
Obviously.
"There's more, though. More ways to conquer a world. Harness a world. Some of them have hearts, or their own lifeforce. You have to... hm, ruin it. Obliterate its soul. Burning down ecosystems, making its atmosphere unrepairable, ect. You get the gist, I'm sure."
He's certainly spoken enough about the types of things he's asking for.
All the while as he talks, he actually looks very excited by the whole thing. He's all about death, okay. It's his MO. So how-to-kill-a-planet is just really cool. DON'T JUDGE HIM.
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So..... this is his fate, is it? To serve another master, or to suffer for all eternity..... Death really hadn't been freedom at all. Just one more kind of cage for the soul, freed of its earthly shell. This is his punishment, for trying to defy destiny..... He feels vaguely sick at the thought. But at least..... At least he has a choice in this matter, even if it's a terrible one, even if it's hardly better than no choice at all. At last it's something, maybe even something better than what he'd had in life..... At least he might be able to get something out of it, some sort of compensation. He's being offered payment of a sort for his services, more like a mission than his role as a Branch Family member of the clan.....
Freedom for his world, his country, his village, his family. His home, the people that he cared about most, would be safe. They could enjoy some measure of freedom and peace, even if the rest of the world--of the multiverse?--does not, as long as this god keeps his word. (And what if he doesn't? Does it really matter? What could he possibly do against a god?) Isn't that what he'd sacrificed his life for to begin with? What other choice does he have? If it means his brother and his son will be safe.....
The thought is..... revolting, to be perfectly honest. Genocide against another world's population, poisoning a world's environment, obliterating its soul..... He's dimly grateful that souls can't be physically ill, because he can already feel his heart sinking at the prospect? But what other choice does he have? What else can he possibly do if he wants to see those he loves safe? (The Branch Family is a tool and a weapon. They are there to serve and protect. Like the leaves of a great and mighty tree, they are indispensable as a whole force, yet utterly expendable and interchangeable as individuals.) He has to do this. For the sake of their happiness, he has to destroy that of others. Isn't that the way of a ninja's life? To do the mission you're given, no matter what your personal sentiments, no matter what the cost?
You do as you're told, obey orders, fulfill objectives. You're paid to act, not to feel. No deed is too dirty for a true shinobi. The Will of Fire demands that you do what you must, sacrifice anything and everything for the sake of your own shogi King--and while Hades isn't his King, he knows very well who is, what matters most to him.
It's not his place to judge his assignment, or Hades' excitement over it. So Hizashi just nods, willing himself to smile, to accept the truth of his new existence. Above all else, from now on, it seems he'll be an instrument of murder and destruction. If he can distance himself enough, in a certain way, it even is..... interesting, he supposes. He's never even heard of anything like this. "I hadn't realized worlds had souls, or that they could be killed."
Hoshigaki Kisame || Naruto || (Infy)
Hades, for his part, will find Kisame a little skeptical. It's not that he seems to disbelieve Hades' intentions, or dispute their value, or even that they're possible; he seems to take for granted the idea that Hades can and will succeed just as a starting point for the discussion, and isn't even questioning the morality of the possibility. Nor does he seem overly concerned with what he might be called on to do in the name of conquest--no, he's interested in what the god himself intends to do. He's interested in intentions and practicalities and, in the technical execution and spirit of such an endeavor. Kisame raises an eyebrow at Hades, arms folded thoughtfully. "My, my..... Everything in existence is a little unwieldy, isn't it? What will you even do with it all, once you have it, if you can't be everywhere at once? How do you plan to rule that kind of kingdom?"
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...ZEUS...
"The thing with the multi-verse is, right now, every bit of it doesn't fall into my domain. I can't yet be everywhere," he explains plainly, arms crossed. "All sorts of worlds have their own different kind of Underworld. Out of my territory." He grins, all teeth. "But if I make it my territory... Change the circulation of souls to my Underworld, rebuilding the core life/death structures... then I can be 'everywhere at once.'"
Yeah, he doesn't answer the "what he'll do with it" part of Kisame's questions. How silly of him.
Sea--I mean, see keywords. B| Not a fiiiiiiish~
That's a long way off, though, to be considered only once he's proven himself competent and capable; Kisame rocks back onto his heels, listening thoughtfully as Hades details his plans a little more. It makes sense, he supposes--or at least, as much as it can to someone like him, ignorant of the processes Hades is referring to. But the gist of it, at least, is easy to grasp--souls from different places get sorted into different places, and those connections give the gods influence over the lands their souls come from. Redirecting those paths, or creating new ones, will increase the power, and broaden the influence. It's a neat system, and a sound strategy, working on building up his fundamental power base and avenues of control.
He doesn't smile yet, but Kisame does nod, uncrossing his arms to start ticking things off. He's not easily turned from his course just by ignoring a few questions--he's a little too single-minded for that. But he does agreeably take into consideration the explanation he's given, setting out the best possible scenario Hades could hope for as their basic assumption. It seems to please his employers, hearing such faith in them--and it's to his best interests, as well, learning how they'll act if all goes according to plan. Hades may be offering this deal to him, after all, but it seems to be his interview, at the moment, insofar as he's seized control of the questioning process to probe for information.
After all, he's through with working for employers he doesn't believe in. If their plans aren't sound, if their management style isn't something he can agree with, if their goals and ideals aren't something he can support..... Maybe it'd be better for him to go take a swim, after all. He's certainly earned one, by this point, and at least he'd go out with his pride intact, his values unshaken, and his head held high. This monster would not be chained or shamed again.
"Alright, so you go take on these other shinigami, directly or indirectly, yourself or through glorified errand boys like me. You win. The other Underworlds are yours--rebuilt to be united with yours, or cleaned out and abandoned, or destroyed entirely. The whole multiverse's population of souls, now and in the future, is yours. The worlds they belong to are yours, barring whatever resistance you crush from the living mortals or any other gods the other worlds have. Then what?"