A Sanguine Seduction
The dream swings at our heads this evening, smacking you right from wakefulness into a brief sleep, a buzz of irritation releasing from the pent up magic. To be fair -- you did keep it waiting. If the Dreamer wasted any time on pleasantries, it is lost in this vision, as we arrive directly at the source of the dream. A dead, gray planet, nearly a quarter the size of Akiton, lit from nearly every surface by a rainbow of neon.
Hades Paradise.
We zoom in, through fields of writhing bodies, past comically-phallic towers, and valleys sculpted into peculiar ovals. Over rounded hills that come in pairs, through roiling smoke, up to a rising cliff that looks out upon the massives, jutting from the bottom of the tallest mountain in Paradise.
We skim along the cliff, towards a marble balcony with a wickedly-low railing, broken up by luxurious pools, exotic gardens, and the press of bodies -- alive, dying, and undead -- their exclamations lost in the low pump of bass, emanating from a state-of-the-art speaker system spread all over the complex.
At last, we arrive at the edge of an ornate bar, where a pair of scantily-clad Elven twins -- one male, one female -- are fanning an Undead lord in all his finery.
We see Hades, Lord of Sin, his blue-and-green skin bright under the blacklights atop the bar, his neon-pink mane waterfalling past his shoulders. He talks ferverently to his guest across the bar, which we immediately recognize as Roarin' Ruby, S-Class criminal of the Pact Worlds.
Hades: "--no trouble with me, darling. As long as you follow the rules, of course."
Ruby laughs -- a high-pitched, technical droning -- her head tilting back in an exaggerated motion, including a bonafide slap of the knee.
Ruby: "I'm not very good with rules..."
Hades: "Oh, but darling, they're so simple. And there's only five. Be a dear, won't you?" Ruby growls, shaking her head for a moment, and then goes perfectly, mechanically still. Slowly, she droops her head down, and then snaps it back up, inches from Hades face, although his smooth smile never fades. He doesn't even blink. Ruby: "Okay! What are they?" Hades coos, and holds up a ghastly hand, ticking off a manicured finger as he speaks. Hades: "Rule #1: Have fun."
Ruby: "Oh, I can do that!"
Hades: "So they tell me! Rule #2: Make fun."
Ruby: "I think I'm gonna like this game!"
Hades: "I bet you will... Rule #3: No children on Hades."
Ruby: "Children? Never heard of 'em!"
Hades: "That's the spirit! Rule #4: When you can no longer form Debauchery, come see Hades."
Ruby: "What the fuck does that mean?"
Hades: "In due time, darling. Rule #5: There are no other rules. All else is permitted -- if you can get away with it." Ruby cackles, her circuits glowing an eerie red, and she nods -- over and over again, and with great exaggeration, like a child agreeing to go to the candy store. Hades: "And that's it, baby. Welcome to Hades Paradise!"
Ruby: "Hades Paradise!" Ruby leaps up from the bar, finishing a full cartwheel before she hits the ground, and grabs the male twin by the chin. Using her full mechanical weight, she spins her torso and arms, spinning the man's head all the way around, and then pops the man's head off in a spray of gore. The other twin screams, drawing a knife from under the bar, and stabs Ruby in the eye, which explodes in a shower of sparks. For a moment all is quiet, Ruby twitching as electrial signals lurch throughout her body, and then the Android goes still. Ruby: "Naughty, naughty."
Hades: "Rule #5, Ruby."
Ruby: "That's right..." The dagger in Ruby's eye suddenly heaves, clattering to the ground as a swarm of nanites repairs her skull. The Elven woman steps back in horror, grabbing a fork from further along the bar. Ruby speaks with Hades' voice, a broken recording erupting from her speakers. Ruby (Hades Voice): "If you can get away with it..." Then the Android lurches, the woman screams, and Hades erupts with laughter, as a splatter of crimson splashes across his face. He watches Ruby's work with delight, even as the screams go silent, and drifts a single finger across his skin, drawing blood close to his lips, savoring the flavor with a white-tooth grin. Hades: "Welcome to Paradise."
Hades: "Oh, but darling, they're so simple. And there's only five. Be a dear, won't you?" Ruby growls, shaking her head for a moment, and then goes perfectly, mechanically still. Slowly, she droops her head down, and then snaps it back up, inches from Hades face, although his smooth smile never fades. He doesn't even blink. Ruby: "Okay! What are they?" Hades coos, and holds up a ghastly hand, ticking off a manicured finger as he speaks. Hades: "Rule #1: Have fun."
Ruby: "Oh, I can do that!"
Hades: "So they tell me! Rule #2: Make fun."
Ruby: "I think I'm gonna like this game!"
Hades: "I bet you will... Rule #3: No children on Hades."
Ruby: "Children? Never heard of 'em!"
Hades: "That's the spirit! Rule #4: When you can no longer form Debauchery, come see Hades."
Ruby: "What the fuck does that mean?"
Hades: "In due time, darling. Rule #5: There are no other rules. All else is permitted -- if you can get away with it." Ruby cackles, her circuits glowing an eerie red, and she nods -- over and over again, and with great exaggeration, like a child agreeing to go to the candy store. Hades: "And that's it, baby. Welcome to Hades Paradise!"
Ruby: "Hades Paradise!" Ruby leaps up from the bar, finishing a full cartwheel before she hits the ground, and grabs the male twin by the chin. Using her full mechanical weight, she spins her torso and arms, spinning the man's head all the way around, and then pops the man's head off in a spray of gore. The other twin screams, drawing a knife from under the bar, and stabs Ruby in the eye, which explodes in a shower of sparks. For a moment all is quiet, Ruby twitching as electrial signals lurch throughout her body, and then the Android goes still. Ruby: "Naughty, naughty."
Hades: "Rule #5, Ruby."
Ruby: "That's right..." The dagger in Ruby's eye suddenly heaves, clattering to the ground as a swarm of nanites repairs her skull. The Elven woman steps back in horror, grabbing a fork from further along the bar. Ruby speaks with Hades' voice, a broken recording erupting from her speakers. Ruby (Hades Voice): "If you can get away with it..." Then the Android lurches, the woman screams, and Hades erupts with laughter, as a splatter of crimson splashes across his face. He watches Ruby's work with delight, even as the screams go silent, and drifts a single finger across his skin, drawing blood close to his lips, savoring the flavor with a white-tooth grin. Hades: "Welcome to Paradise."
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