The Dark World part.02

     In his own stone coffin in the endless blackness he pushes aside the stone lid and walks out as though coming up stairs inside the coffin’s odd shadowy blackness and the blue fire torches of the abyss light up creating an eerie glow over the ruby jeweled treasures in his tomb. A great yawning hiss echoes across the abyss as the armies of Rhoan stir in anticipation.

 

     From the sarcophagus rises a great manly figure; a man standing a mere 5 feet and ten inches yet clearly powerful with his muscular form clearly visible beneath his skin tight black clothing on his torso.  He is wearing loose fitting pantaloons held on by a black leather belt with a red sigil on it in the shape of an infinity sign with a crucifix in the middle whose two top points curve upwards at their tips. He is wearing boots and claw fingered gloves of the same black color as his clothing, and the whole outfit is topped off with an ankle length cape of the same dismal color.

 

    Despite this odd outfit the man’s head and face are hardly demonic in appearance. He has the appearance of a proud Nordic warrior with his shoulder length blackish red hair and black beard with mustache covered face. His eyes glow with a haunting blue light as he rises from his cryptic bed.

 

     Rhoan walks over to a large black glass mirror with a frame of woven golden vines with rubies in place of grapes. He places his right hand upon the mirror and says in his deep regal voice, “Empress of the Eternal Darkness, I Rhoan your humble vassal the general of the fifth legion of thine mighty army have returned and await your summance.” He removes his hand and like a statue stands before the mirror arms crossed behind his back like an obedient soldier waiting for his orders.

 

     Far to the north in the rocky desert kingdom known as the Bad Lands a great festival is taking place in the odd vast city sized castle of the Queen of Thorns. Noble demons, all oddly human in form with some having pointed ears, oddly colored hair, long nails, or strange eyes, are dressed in the finest regal clothing imitating the looks of royalty across time and location around the Earth combined with their own demonic tastes with skulls, knives, thorns, odd black laces, chains, and so forth adorning many of their outfits from mere accessories to complete revamps of human attire.

 

    These many guests adorned the vast football stadium sized main hall of this glorious palace. Atop a terrace looking down at her guests stood (or rather floated) the Queen of Thorns. Her face was that of a petit Japanese woman with short cut black hair and red eyes. Her dress on the other hand was a unique article of clothing. The over all effect was that of a grey Victorian dress with a silver trim. On her waist in the back sitting a top the large umbrella dress was a giant silver bow. Her long sleeves fanned out around her hands with a thick satin internal which hugged onto her wrists giving them appearance of mouths with her dainty pale hands with their silver fingernails looking like some odd tongues. This mouth like appearance of her sleeves is enhanced by the presence of four ivory spikes, like tusks around the rigid cuffs. Behind her head on this dress was a high arch that at the highest point of the cloth reached the height of her head. Along the arch of this collar were four spikes like those of her sleeves which stood slightly curved forward with two on each side of her head. The inside of the collar was made of the same thick cushioned satin as the wrists giving it the appearance like the back of some regal chair. Her abdomen was clearly held tight by a corset as her pale breasts were forced upwards giving her a larger bosom than she would have other wise, although clearly even with out the corset she would not be lacking in cleavage.  A red web like satin lace adorned her bosom around the edges of her corset. In all she has an appearance like that of some Victorian demon queen; as she floats towards the railing of her terrace a red satin trim can be seen beneath the bottom edges of her dress, the over all effect is that of a cold exterior with a dark red passion of an interior for this lady ruler of demons.

 

      As she approaches the edge of the terrace the great symphony stops playing and the guests stop dancing to stand facing their queen. The Queen of Thorns looks out over the aristocracy of her kingdom and in a great voice as loud as the thunder yet as beautiful as a summer’s breeze she addresses them, “My vassals, the lords and ladies of my kingdom, those who make the Bad Lands one of the greatest jewels of the Dark World this day we celebrate. We celebrate not to our own greatness, but to the arrival that shall adorn our world with her glory in only a few weeks. The Empress of the Eternal Darkness her self is coming to our world!”

 

    This was met by a great deal of applause; The Lady of Thorns raised her hands to silence the excited nobles.

 

    “Yes my subjects, my nobles, and my children. This celebration is to announce to you all of her arrival, and it is practice for the greater celebration to come. We must all make sure our affairs are in order and our lands are at their best for her arrival. I am certain of course that the Empress will approve of all we have done with the Bad Lands.”

 

    This was met again by applause by the pleased aristocrats for the praise their queen has given them; especially knowing that she feels that the empress who rules over their entire world as well as other demonic worlds of a vast empire would be just as pleased.

 

     The Queen of Thorns raises her hands again and in a more somber tone says, “Across our world every kingdom is preparing for this arrival. She shall tour each kingdom and its court and then I shall join the other royal lords in her palace for a final meeting over the state of affair on this world. So you see the importance of insuring that each of your vassals’ vassals’ vassals and so forth are in proper order. As ruthless as any of you are or as I am the Empress is a million times so. She gained her title by overthrowing and slaughtering the great demon Darmagion whose body sported a thousand heads and spanned a space the size of nation.”

 

      She changed her tone back to a joyful one and with a wave of her hand as though dismissing such a fearful thought continued, “and now my subjects, continue the celebration for soon this mighty goddess of darkness shall bless our world with her praise!”

 

      As the crowd cheered and the music started back up the Queen of Thorns returned to her red satin cushioned throne with its silver arms and legs. To her right a young voluptuous demon woman wearing a skimpy black lace bra and panties with red bat wings, a red point tail, and small red horns on her forehead stood next to her throne. The young looking demoness brushes an arrant strand of her black hair short hair aside from her purple eyes and smiled as the queen sat down.

 

     “Lady Fira” stated the Queen of Thorns to the skimpy demoness, “What I said to them was true, except for one problem.”

 

    “What might that be queeny?” stated Fira with a giggle and a smile.

 

    “Hm” smiled The Queen of Thorns, “Of course I mean Kainland. That fool the Queen of Carrion handed over her vast kingdom to her three spawns. The only one of them to even have any trade is a weakling who has built his castle right on top of Lord Rhoan’s tomb. I don’t believe he even knows that. Both I and the Queen of the Kingdom of Webs have sent a few soldiers to test his defenses and to see if his brothers would try to help him.”

 

      Fira yawned and put her hands on her hips, “Okay queeny so you want what now? You want me to raze their kingdoms to dust? Sneak in and seduce them and kill them in their sleep? You know you’ve been testing his defenses for a long time now and the empress will be here in only a few weeks. If you were serious you could have gone in yourself and fought, or sent some real military power.”

 

     Fira began to float in the air like she was lying down with her face cupped in her hands, “Besides, it’s not like the empress would condemn you or anyone else for Kainland being such a mess. Buuut if you can dish out the fee I’ll gladly turn their castles into rubble and their armies into a bone yard.” Fira giggled with a wicked smile and floated onto her back side looking at the Queen of Thorns upside down as she twitched her tail around like some excited snake.

 

     “No,” she said, “That’s not why I asked you here. I want you to be an emissary on our world’s behalf. For last night a message was sent across the dark mirrors. It seems Lord Rhoan is awake, and the last thing I want is for him to find a castle on his home and assume the Nobles have forgotten about him and thus insult him.”

 

    “So,” says Fira with a wicked smile, “you want your sister to save face?”

 

    The Queen of Thorns stares straight ahead and gruffly says, “Yes, the twins are strong, even if they are idiots when it comes to politics and commerce. But the young one knows how to run a nation, unfortunately he is weak and as we all know the legions and lower demons are drawn to serve only strong leaders, which has clearly left him with only humans. Even to the point of using them as soldiers.”

 

    “That’s all so fascinating,” stated Fira in a mocking tone, “but what does this have to with me?”

 

    “I want you to go there and aid Green Kain, explain the mistake of him building his castle on Lord Rhoan’s labyrinth to both him and Lord Rhoan when the time comes. With your presence more demons should return and perhaps the Arachnid Queen won’t decide to invade. I have tried my best diplomatic means to prevent her from out right invading and going along with my testing, and…” she paused for a moment contemplating her next decision, knowing that a contract made with Fira the lady of chaos is unchangeable.

 

    “Well?” asked Fira now floating upright with her arms crossed.

 

    With a deep breath the Queen of Thorns somberly said, “And if Green Kain can’t shape up, if Rhoan decides to destroy him or if Green Kain opposes mine or your will then I will not hold you accountable.”

 

      Fira laughed hysterically as she floated about and flew off into the sky, her tiny wings had grown to full sized yet unrealistic looking demonic wings as she flew to the south. The Queen of Thorns sat and looked out at the ceremony, “Forgive me dear sister for I have left your precious baby son in the hands of The Lady of Chaos.”