there are things that one should never see

Bloodwing peered down over the deck of the trireme at the tentacled beast that emerged from the Gygax. Mermet's claw was still in his hand. The smell of the scorched crustacean was not altogether...unpalatable.

*ahem*

The Founder turned, the Second Mate, Abrax, stood at attention, concern discernible in his beady eyes, and of the crew behind him. He looked to the claw and raised it.

"THIS is the price of daring to conspire against your Prince! Does anyone ELSE dare challenge me?"

The crew immediately scrambled to their posts. Being demons, the were of course always conspiring. But when the superior was keenly aware of it, and proven resistant to it, he could expect much more loyalty, at least as long as he remained strong.

"Dive closer to the battle!" He held the rail tightly as the retreat of the rescue party rose closer to his own horizon.





Qli-2 severed a tentacle with her blades as it lunged at Annechen, and the remainder snapped back just as quickly as the severed length dissolved a narrow trench into the stone floor. The hail of energy bots made the surface of the gelatinous body of the Pandorus hiss and smoke, but did not seem to slow it down. The body of Jeremiah inside the transparent prison slowly dissolved before their eyes until only its skeleton floated inside.






Qli-3 shuddered as she struggled to keep her fusion reactor burning beyond its designed maximum output to keep up with the demands of the atmospheric breach on the life support systems of New Erebus. Looking up from the shackles she held closed around herself. She called out to the footsteps she heard coming closer in the lengthening shadows of the dying city.

"Why have you returned? Were the ships destroyed?"

"No, Qlippothic...not just yet..."





"What is Dr. Mason shouting down there, Abrax?" Abrax flicked his antennae as he peered over the edge, pressing his massive claws on the railing as the angle grew steeper.

"Apologies?" Bloodwing crossed his arms, tapping Mermet's steaming claw against his lips. He arched his brow.

"No. That's not it." He casually tossed the claw over the edge of the ship. Then he and the Second Mate looked to each other. "Do you have wings, Abrax?"

"No Sir. Mermet was of a rare mutation..."

"Spare me the geneology course Abrax," he said as he hoisted the Second Mate over his horns. Abrax struggled in the demon's grip as his antennae doged the flames of the Prince's crown.

"MY LIEGE! I have done nothing to..."

"TO BATTLE!! DIE WITH HONOR!!" Bloodwing hurled the alarmed quisling over his head to curve downwards towards the fracas below. He turned, and noticed the rest of the chitinous crew were climbing down from the masts and advancing upon him. He growled as he raised his wings. "MAN YOUR POSTS!"