Keep Your Friends Close... (iroleplayyaoi & woegman)

[iroleplayyaoi]

"Right...John..." Azriel nearly forgot about his human and how much trouble he could be in if his guardian angel wasn't there to stop him. He thought hard about it, knowing just how difficult it would be to do both...but there would be no guardian angel if he didn't cleanse this sin of his. John would hopefully he able to make it on his own and if not, Azriel would have to work hard to get him back on the right path once this mess is taken care of.

"I...I won't let John down. I won't fail this and neither will you, Oraxael. Come, take me to Hell so I can rid myself of this sin." The only choice they had and although he worried about John, Azriel had faith in the boy that he wouldn't stray from the path of good.

[woegman]

"As you wish," Oraxael nodded.  He gestured towards the still open portal.

"This is the gateway to Hell, Azriel," the demon said, "and perhaps the gate to our doom."

Oraxael walked over to his friend, standing shoulder to shoulder with the angel.

"Let's do this, then," he resolved, and then stepped forward and through the gate.

[iroleplayyaoi]

Azriel stated at the portal to Hell, feeling the intense heat hitting his skin made him want to rethink this. He only felt the heat slightly and it was intense already, could he truly entered into the gates of Hell?

He looked over at Oraxael, “even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me.” The angel smiled weakly at him and took a deep breath as he entered the sheering heat, closing his eyes as he tried to adjust to the blistering heat of Hell.

The grass was dead, the trees were brittle and head no life, blackened with no leafs on the branches. A pool of lava flowed through the land at a distance. Azriel jumped in surprise as he spotted a  large three headed dog snarling at him, drool dripping from their sharp canines.

The guardian of Hell. He thought to himself, taking a couple steps backwards, but knowing that the portal already closed. 

[woegman]

Oraxael appeared mere moments behing the angel, and he stepped up behind him, placing his hand on his friend's shoulder.

"Remember," he whispered softly, "You are my prisoner - I'm escorting you.  You should be safe."

Oraxael snarled at the hell-hound, and shifted his form to look more menacing, more severe.

"Depart, guardian," he growled, his voice reverberating loudly, "This is my prisoner, and my prize.  Depart, or I will take my next meal from your hide."

The hound snarled defiantly, but after a moment, slunk away, unwilling to test the demon's resolve.  Satisfied with its compliance, Oraxael took hold of Azriel, and began to escort him deeper into Hell.  Along the way, they passed many a damned soul, set to slave eternally to their sins.  The greedy dragged heavy weights of gold, the gluttonous forced to eat the most wretched things.  Even Oraxael found it distasteful.

"We will be there soon," he mentioned quietly, "how are you fairing?"

[iroleplayyaoi]

Azriel didn’t like the thought of being a “prisoner” but this was the only to Hell safely. He trusted Oraxael and he was sure that his demonic friend would do him no harm.

It was a relieve with the hell-hound took off. Azriel had felt his heart racing just seeing the rumored beast. His hand was unconsciously on his heart and only when the monster started to walk off, did Azriel calm down and look over at Oraxael with a weak smile, sweat dripping from his forehead from the heat. “I never realized just how big he was.” He sighed in relief and followed after him.

Seeing the damned souls paying for their sins made him think about John and pray that he’d be alright. Azriel had to look away from the scene after a short while, not wanting to see their suffering.

“The heat…is exhausting…how do you stand it?” He asked, wiping his brow filled with sweat with his free hand.

[woegman]

Oraxael shrugged off the instinct to chuckle; now was not the time nor the place to be so flippant.

"Comes with the territory, old friend," he answered quietly, "My form is adapted to it - there's a reason things get mean on Earth when it gets unbearably hot out...more demons find it to be comfortable working conditions."

The two walked stolidly onwards, passing by numerous lakes of torment and punishment.  An occasional hellish being looked their way, quizzical about the presence of such a spirit of light in a place so dark.  One soul cried out as they passed.

"Save me, angel!" he wailed, "have mercy!"

[iroleplayyaoi]

That was odd and Azriel was about to ask him something else, when a cry from help snapped his attention away from the demon and over to the crying human soul. Something that no angel could ignore…a cry from help from a human no matter if their guarding it or not.

He wasn’t thinking as he ran over to the soul and placed a hand on his head. The heat seemed to be getting to this human soul as well and he was burning up, probably just as much as the angel was. “Ask and thou shall be forgiven. Released from this Hell and the sins that have washed over you, preventing you from going to Heaven. God will hear you and you shall go home. Free from your sins, his love will come for…for you.” Azriel frowned to know that being angelic and having sinned was more troublesome compared to a human, but he would make sure to help this crying soul.

It appeared that Azriel forgot about “being a prisoner” and resorted to his angelic ways of saving the human souls that were suffering.

[woegman]

"NO!" Oraxael shouted, but his warning came to late.  As Azriel's hand fell upon the human's head, his words spilling out, the man cackled, and transformed into a huge, demonic form.  The monster's hands pulled away from his former form's head, wrapping about Azriel's outstretched arm. 

"Well, well, well," the great corrupter snarled, "What is this?  An angel in Hell, trying to save the damned?  Do you not know, fool, that there is no salvation beyond the borders of the mortal realm?  Here, we are ALLOWED to make them suffer."

The beast turned its fiery gaze towards Oraxael.

"And you," it sneered, "What is your game, demonling?"

Oraxael froze in panic.

[iroleplayyaoi]

The chuckle was a little bit confusing to Azriel, he thought the human would thank him and pray for God to take him back home. It never crossed his mind that he just was tricked by a demon. He should’ve listen to Oraxael and ignored him…but the pleads coming from him were too much for any human to deny. The angel narrowed at him and struggled against the demon who held onto his arm.

“Fool? You’re a fool for falling and causing harm among helpless mortals.” He replied as he struggled, this demon had to be higher up…he was too powerful to break free. Azriel looked over at Oraxael, his eyes silently pleading for him to forgive his mistake. How could he do this? Oraxael could be in trouble now if he didn’t think of something to say or do.

Azriel glared at the demon, it wasn’t…anything he could do and using his angelic powers might be risky if he’s not as powerful as the demon. He looked back over at Oraxael, trying to think of something to do, but nothing can to him. There was little he could do at the moment…tricked by a demon pretending to be a mortal soul in pain.

[woegman]

Oraxael had to think fast - this situation could be deadly, even to nearly immortal beings such as he and Azrael.  His mind raced, and a plan came together.  Sneering, he shifted to his Hellform, a far more brutal, evil looking form than the more human looking visage he typically wore.  The demon turned to look at him, ignoring Azrael's taunt.

"Release the angel back to my custody, fool," Oraxael snarled.  The demon let forth a deep, rolling laugh, and then grinned widely, wickedly.

"Have you gone mad, demonling?" it growled, "I am your superior...and besides, it seemed an awful lot like you were attempting to *protect* an angelic being..."

"I have not gone mad, but you may well have," Oraxael opened his bluff, "That angel is my charge, to be delivered to none less than Asmodeus himself...by me."

The demon sneered, then chuckled.

"Pathetic," it said, "Trying to keep this morsel for your own.  Scurry along, and be glad I do not smite you for your insolence."

Oraxael gritted his teeth, considering his next move, when it came to him.

"Fine," he spoke carefully, "Don't take my word for it - after all, we are demons, princes of lies...but there is one here who CANNOT lie."

Oraxael looked up at Azrael, and hoped the angel would understand his words.

"Tell us, angel," he spoke with a condescension that he did not feel, "And speak true - is it not my mission to deliver you, personally, to the High Demon Lord Asmodeus?"