15strangers | FINAL TRIAL

FINAL TRIAL
(1 of Hekatombaion)

[When the time comes, Charon arrives on a boat, hrrhrrhrring a little tune as he rows. No need to worry about space, even with all of the shades coming with. Fluffles, unsurprisingly, doesn't go; he does see everyone off, at least, before he falls asleep.

With a final hnnnngrrrgh, they're off. Charon is the master of the Styx, in his own way, deftly avoiding roots and branches from the Qliphoth as he guides his charges up through the layers of the underworld. From the dark and gloomy green of Tartarus, to the lava-flooded Asphodel and it's giant many-headed bone snake, sadly snarled in demonic roots (without thinking, Zack waves to it), on through the lazy rivers of Elysium, and lastly through the pitch stink of the corridors of a temple separating the underworld from the living world.

Throughout, there is eerie quiet. No shades appear to watch their procession-indeed the few wisps around seem to be fleeing, hiding. No rats try to bite Zack's face off. Aside from Lernie, there's truly nothing but tree, tree, and more tree.

Finally, though, the surface air hits, and it is...not cold, but not warm, either. Though, as everyone disembarks, that's probably not what catches everyone's attention. No-it is the barren fields of ancient Greece, just outside the entrance to the underworld-and there is only one thing alive in the area.

It is late afternoon, and the silhouette of the new moon is the only thing that emits real light now in the grey. Indeed, if there is a sun, it is blocked out by the massive, massive roots in the sky, swirling into the stratosphere. The roots in the underworld were in fact more akin to greedy branches; the roots in the sky of the world of life, however, are far more massive, and it's clear the tree is fully grown. And-if the dead grass and trees and barren lands around the Temple of Styx are any indication-it isn't simply feeding on human blood-it's affecting the life of the earth itself, greedily lapping up what it can as it further embeds itself, further spreads, further grows. Further destroys.

It won't stop. There is obsession and power, and Delta is right-it will never stop unless someone intervenes.

Wordlessly Delta points to a Spire of blood in front of them. Yup-they need to enter it to get to where they need to go. Lovely.]

Through here is the core of the tree where the fruit of the Qliphoth is being cultivated. Come.

[Well, no turning back. With luck, the Catillac has some extra towels.

So, immediately after squishing into the...blood elevator?...everyone is schllllorped on a ride akin to w water slide, going up and down, left and right, up, up, up, then down, down, down....down.......

d

o

w

n

into the depths.

And when they emerge...]

[Bright flowers grow on the vines. There is distant birdsong, and the sun shines among fat, lazy clouds. But you can see the shine of glass in the corner of your eye; the air is too perfect to breath, too cold to touch. You don't feel the grass or dirt underfoot that you can clearly see The smell of blood is everywhere.

An illusion? A dream? A delusion? Something else? Who knows. There is a patio table laid out with tea, and four seats. It's almost as if the owner simply got up and left for a moment. It's all strange, all...wrong.

Still. You're finally here. You're in the core. You freed a possible god from the grip of forced ignorance. And you have-you hope-everything you need to end this. But there is still one question:

Who is the true Mastermind, and what is their goal in doing all of this?

It is time, Strangers. By the seas, the heavens and the earth, by blood and darkness, it's up to you.

Good luck.]

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

I've seen outside, Eva! And I remember when Mundus grew the Qliphoth in this same region! I know he must have killed millions...just like I know you have, with how far the tree has spread.

If you call him a monster, then you have to accept you're one, too.

No, Alastor. You don't understand! Things were different when we fought Mundus. The worlds were merged, and humanity had no hope. But Sparda saved the world. He did it so our children-so everyone's children-could live a life free of fear. So they could live in a world where the Qilphoth would never take root again.

[There is a demonic flash in her eyes as she continues. Around her, sharp roots begin to emerge around her.]

But then...our own children...rejected this! One of them grew the Qilphoth out of greed, and the other causes death, and then they fought while the world burned! They hated one another and didn't care what happened! After all that happened...after I died to protect them, after everything I and Sparda had done to show them humanity...

Those are not my children!

You think I don't remember what things were like? I know to you, I just disappeared one day as my empire crumbled, but I died objecting to Mundus' treatment of humanity! I didn't have the resolve then to actually take up arms for you, like Sparda did, but I knew what Mundus was doing, and I died for telling him what I thought of it.

[His wings twitch, sharp blades glinting in the light, but he puts a hand on the flank of his dragon to warn it away from attacking those roots.]

...And I'm sorry that my inability to accept myself meant that was all I did. If I'd been prepared to go to war with Mundus, maybe I'd have still been there when Sparda decided to do the same. Maybe I'd have been there with you, keeping Mundus' legions busy while Sparda faced him directly. And maybe you'd have had someone you could call on when Mundus' minions returned and you needed help...because you didn't, did you? I can't imagine many devils would have been willing to answer the call of a Witch who loved the infamous traitor.

But whether I could have made a difference or not...it's moot right now. Because your children grew up in pain and fear because of those minions. They must have been hunted at every turn, whenever a demon caught scent of them, for being the children of the infamous traitor and the Witch who aided his rebellion. And yeah, they made stupid decisions...one of Dante's caused me a lot of pain for a while, even. I can't believe they hated one another, though...or if they did, it was in the same way I 'hated' Joe. You say you saw them when Vergil grew the Qliphoth...did you also see them on Mallet, when Mundus used Vergil as a puppet?

Edited 2023-07-23 01:02 (UTC)

[There's a veritable hiss at this. She draws away from Alastor as if burnt.

Your words seem to have had an effect on her, but who knows what it is.]

Did you? Did you see them, when Vergil broke free of Mundus' control for just a second, just long enough to force himself to retreat? [He does the opposite, stepping forward with an intense determination in the glow of his eyes and the spread of his wings.] Did you see them when Dante realized who the knight harrying him at every turn really was, and it nearly broke him to realize he'd killed his own brother? When he spent at least the next few months mourning? I could taste his grief and guilt.

I was there, Eva. I saw how much what happened to Vergil hurt him, and how it was all Mundus' fault. So don't try telling me that they felt nothing but hate for one another.

Hey bitch, I don't care what else you've got planned for tonight, it's time for Bible Story Hour.

Once upon a time, there were these two brothers, and their names were Cain and Abel.

Cain was a farmer, Abel had a bunch of animals and he'd watch them fuck.

One day, God called both of these guys to make a sacrifice in Their honor.

Abel sacrificed the best lamb in his flock, and God thought that was pretty neat.

Cain sacrificed the best fruits and veggies he had, but either God was on one of those all meat diets or They were just a really fussy eater. Either way, it wasn't good enough.

So Cain resolved to do better.

So Cain thought he'd do better, and he sacrificed the one thing most precious to him.

His brother.

And God absolutely hated that shit. They couldn't take it. Cain's prize for inventing murder was to get cursed by God and forced to wander all his days.

Over three or four days, a bunch of angels came to him and asked him to repent for what he did. Cain didn't. You wanna know why?

Because it wasn't that he didn't regret his actions.

It was because he knew nothing he could do would bring his brother back.

And it's not like you can exactly just sit around hoping God would do that shit for you.

And besides, his brother was dead. So even if he cared about forgiveness, the person who was authorized to do that wasn't there.

Who else would forgive him? God? God wasn't the one getting murdered.

The point is, you're GONNA fuck up. Doesn't mean you don't stop caring.

[.....that sure was a story.]

[ definitely one of the stories of all time ]

[Hisss.]

I do care! That's why I'm doing this, you fool!

YOU DUMBASS! YOU KNOW NOTHING OF THE IMPERMANENCE OF EVERYTHING THAT EXISTS! YOU CAN'T BRING SOMEONE BACK AND NOT HAVE THEM BE A WEIRD FUCKED UP ZOMBIE MOCKERY OF THE PERSON THEY ONCE WERE, UNLESS YOU ARE A GOD! WHICH YOU'RE NOT! THE DARK FUCKING FATHER KNEW THIS AND I REFUSE TO RESPECT SOMEONE WHO DOESN'T OWN UP TO THEIR OWN FLAWS!

YOU WANT YOUR KIDS BACK SO BADLY? TRY ASKING AN ACTUAL GOD! OH WAIT, THAT'S RIGHT, YOU CAN'T, BECAUSE YOU FUCKING GARBLED ALL OF THEM, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!

Most of them... buuuuut I doubt Hypnos would be of any help.

What if he IS helpful and we just put this bitch in torpor?

You wanna go get him, by all means, do so!

[

Yeah Val, you're getting smacked by a sigil covered root-hand for that shit. Sorry.]

[ #WORTH IT ]

People aren't perfect, Eva!

You're not, your sons aren't, nobody here is! Nobody anywhere is!

You're just refusing to really look at anyone clearly - including yourself!

STOP IT!!!

[A crack appears in the sky.]

FINAL TRIAL

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vague DMC 5 spoilers

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DMC 1 spoilers

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2/? Cw: bible

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