It seemed like things had returned to normal in the realm of the deceased, however, Lady Death's mind drifted off on occasion, thinking of the missing acolyte, Inferno. For those that dwell in the Below, a place with no sun or moon, the passage of time was difficult to grasp. Such is the case with Lydia.
"It has been one, no, two days since he's left? He's bound to crawl back like the lost puppy he is any second now..." Lydia thought out loud.
Someone sneered. A man. One of the dead.
"It has been a full month since then, woman." He said, in a mocking tone. Lydia didn't take kindly to the intrusion.
"Stay silent, Blaze. I don't trust any of your information." She sneered. Blaze chuckled again.
"I have accounted for every hour of my eternal damnation, so I assure you, the information is truthful." Blaze explained. "I wonder how his holiness will react once he finds out that not only did that Hyperriox slip right through your fingers, but now Inferno has followed his example?"
"Do not remind me of that menace, if you know what's good for you. And should Nova find out, I will accept my punishment with honor." Lydia said. Blaze glared at her.
"Why should you get punished? You could go and retrieve the boy yourself. I doubt he's stayed out of trouble, so he won't be hard to locate." Blaze proposed.
"My job requires my presence here. Do not try to coerce me into abandoning my post." Lydia threatened the man, who only smirked.
"I don't even have my life left to lose. Your threats are void. But you though, might lose your position you adore so much, should, say, the fourth Guardian discover Inferno and report of his whereabouts to Nova." Blaze said. Lydia considered the option.
"Perhaps underneath all the layers of mischief there's someone with a point, Blaze. I'll consult my husband on the matter. Now, remove yourself from my presence, scum." Lydia said, and with a flick of her wrist, sent him away to further away areas of the Below.
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Meanwhile, in Soweiland, the council was finishing up with the day's session.
"So, construction is done in Soweiland Penitentiary. How about you do your job now, Nick?" Leo said, organising some papers in front of him.
"I've already arranged a prisoner transfer with Admiral Mason. Leave me be." Nick grumbled. Leo rolled his eyes.
"Okay, anyone else have anything to add or can we wrap this up?" Leo asked, exhausted from the day's proceedings. Dr. Parr raised her hand.
"I want more funding." She said, not even looking up from some report she was writing.
"Again?! What do you need it for this time?" Leo exclaimed.
"Please, I'm nearing a breakthrough here. This is for the betterment of the world!" She explained, hands on her hips. Leo sighed, and turned to Lucius.
"Oh, you want my input. Go ahead!" The King said, and smiled at the scientist.
"Marvelous! Geowar, can I speak to you outside after you're done?" Dr. Parr asked, as she got up to leave. Despite the fact the proceedings weren't done, nobody tried to stop her.
"Sure. I guess." Geowar said.
A couple minutes later, Geowar met with Dr. Parr outside the meetings room. She was smoking a cigarette and leaning against a wall.
"Walk with me, will you?" She said, and the two went down the hall, and down the stairs to the basement.
"Y'see, Geo, I've taken an interest in your abilities, and whether they're a matter of biology, or psychology, and I think they can be used in the medical field as cures for various ailments." Dr. Parr explained. Geowar listened carefully, without adding anything.
"If the Gaspar brothers are anything to go by, it's clear there is some level of compatibility between your kind and humans, so I've been wondering if, perhaps, I could run some blood tests on our resident prisoner. For science!" She finished. Geowar stayed silent for a bit.
"I'm not sure, doctor. He could use this as an opportunity to escape." Geowar pointed out, raising a hand to his chin.
"You could be present, if you'd like. And I would not remove his titanium handcuffs." She reassured him, but Geowar only looked more wary. "I understand your scepticism, but think about how much good this would do for the world! That boy made a full recovery in a week, from injuries that most people would have died to."
"I suppose there's a point to be made. Fine, then. I'll allow it. But you'll have to present your findings to the council." Geowar demanded. Dr. Parr grimaced, but nodded positively.
"Very well, then. I'll notify you when it's time." The doctor said, then shook Geowar's hand, and walked into her lab. Geowar went upstairs, to resume his work.
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Back in the Below, Lydia had summoned Grimm to her quarters. The cloaked man stood at the edge of the room, staring down his wife and she cleared her throat to speak.
"Husband, we must return to Terra and retrieve Inferno." She declared, crossing her arms. Grimm stared at her for a bit, before saying "No."
Lydia grimaced at her husband. "And why not? Should we let him roam the streets unsupervised? What if he kills somoeone?" She threw her hands up in the air. 'This could also be a great opportunity to capture that fugitive...' she also thought to herself.
"That Guardian is up there, and he can take care of it, Lydia. You're acting on your impulses." Grimm said. "Not only that, but we'd be leaving the Below unsupervised as well. And you'd miss days of work. So no, Lydia, we can't go to Terra."
"Oh, why are you fussing? We can just leave the work to Inferno... see what I mean? We're chained up in here because that dolt decided he wanted to be a rebellious teenager at 900 years old!" Lydia exclaimed.
"Clearly nothing I say will convince you." Grimm sighed and shook his head in disbelief. "Staying behind on my own is no feasible option, therefore I'll follow you so we can speed this along."
"I knew you'd agree!" Lydia chuckled to herself. "Come now, we must depart, posthaste!"
_____________________________________
In the meantime, in the Laboratory of the Sowei City castle, Geroge Renie and Dr. Parr (so just George) had adjusted the place, to fit in a chair for Inferno.
"I will once again say how bad of an idea this is!" George whimpered while struggling with a fire extinguisher. He set the thing down with a loud clang.
"Your objecion have been duly noted and ignored. Now leave, please." The Doctor dismissed his concerns and sent him away, as she twirled a pen beween her finger. Geroge wasted no time in getting out of there, walking past Geowar moving Inferno on his way out. The two men nodded to each other in aknowledgement.
Inferno was still draped in his acolyte uniform from weeks ago, as Geowar pulled him around, in civilian clothes. Large titanium cuffs covered his hands so as to prevent any rogue fireballs from being launched.
"So are your clothes fireproof or did you just refuse to change?" Parr adressed him when he made his way in. Inferno just scrunched his face.
"Fire resistant. And apparently your tailors didn't have anything in my size, since you care so much." Inferno explained.
"We haven't had need of a kiddie size jumpsuit, to be truthful. Sit." The doctor ordered, and Inferno did so.
"So what are you, exactly? A cleric?" Inferno asked, raising an eyebrow. "Are you to take my blood for some potion?"
"That's one way to describe it." Parr shrugged, then proceeded with her examination. While the procedure was going on, just down the hall, Grimm and Lydia has just arrived on Terra. They walked down the stairs of the Matter Transporter, looking around at the basement of the castle.
"I broke this door last time I was here." Lydia pointed at the big door that leads to the outside of Mount Soweiland. Grimm shook his head in disbelief.
The two walked down the corridor, walking in front of the closed storage room, before peeking inside the lab, where Dr. Parr had just collected a vial of Inferno's blood, which she was looking at with amazement.
"What in the name of the Great Ancestor is happening in here?" Lydia exclaimed upon witnessing the sight. Inferno and Geowar turned their heads and stared righ at her.
"Lady Death?" Geowar stammered, at a loss for words. Inferno on the other hand, was ready to explode.
"You promised me you wouldn't hand me away to them, Geowar! This whole thing was a ruse!" He yelled, then, with a mighty roar, he breathed fire from his mouth, which had been left uncovered. The flame engulfed the room, knocking down the ceiling fan, and dazing everyone present.
Inferno jumped onto the chair he was sitting in, and kicked fire from his feet, sending him flying, and making a mad dash right through Grimm and Lydia, towards the Matter Transporter, all while still in handcuffs.
"After him!" Lydia exclaimed, and Grimm gave chase, and with a large leap, landed right in front of Inferno, stopping him right in his tracks. He let out a yelp, and turned around in a swift motion, as the Grim Reaper gave chase.
"Dr. Parr? Are you alive?" Geowar asked, amidst the smoke.
"The test subject!" She coughed out, and quickly grabbed a nearby fire extinguisher, before jumping out of the room, interrupting Inferno's path, and spraying him with the foam right in the face, putting out the flames. Inferno screamed, as the foam had gotten to his eyes, but continued running, pushing past Parr.
Unfortunately for the runaway, a glowing magenta fist interrupted his path for the last time, knocking him uncoscious, as Leo emerged from the smoke.
"What in tarnation have you people done to my castle!?" He exclaimed, looking at Geowar and Dr. Parr for answers. The former avoided his gaze, while the latter folded her arms.
"Thank you for stopping him, friend." Lydia thanked Leo, and shook his hand. Leo felt a chill run up his spine. "We'll be taking him back home now."
"And you are?" He asked, suspicious, as he pulled away from the woman.
"I suppose introductions are in order..." Geowar muttered. "Leo, these are Lyida and Grimm, keepers of the Below. It's basically hell. And this is Leo, he's my, uh, Earth boss. Kinda."
"What are you doing in my country, then?" Leo asked, raising an eyebrow.
"We were in search of this here delinquent, Inferno, seeking to take him back to his duties in the below, but it seems you humans did all the searching for us. We are eternally grateful for your assistance, but I'm afraid we must depart now." Lydia explained, then shined a smile at the prime minister.
"Not happening, I'm afraid, madame." Leo said, eyeing the deathly couple. "This kid of yours is an incarcerated terrorist, and he's gonna stay here and serve his time. You can come pick him up after... life."
"We'd both be death when that time comes. Are you sure we can't come to an undestanding?" Lydia attempted to propose, but Leo stood his ground.
"Sucks to suck. Now kindly scram." Leo spat, then turned around, in order togo back upstairs and continue his work.
"Guardian 4! Bring your human to his senses, immediately!" Lydia ordered Geowar, whosighed, knowing this was coming.
"I'm sorry, Lady Death, but the courts made a decision, and I have to honor it. It would be a huge scandal, if Volcano just dissapeared overnight. Sorry." Geowar shrugged, and gave Lydia a weak smile.
"You foresake your duties in the name of human affars? You'll outlive all of them, tenfold! This simply will not do!" Lydia attempted to reason with him.
"Nothing can be done at this time." Goewar firmly said, getting off the ground and looking down on Lydia. "I think it's time you go back home."
Geowar lifted unconscious Inferno off the ground, and began carrying the poor bloke back to his cell.
"Fine then. I suppose I'll have to take him by force!" Lydia shouted, and lunged at Geowar, pulling outside with her, through the wooden gate, demolishing it again, and grazing past Leo on the way out.
"Lydia, no!" Grim yelled, to no avail, and decided to instead follow her. Unfortunately, Leo blocked his path, looking rather peeved.
"Please, sir. I don't with to escalate further." Grimm hoped to come to an understanding.
"You intrude in my place of work, break down my doors, and claim you don't wanna escalate!?" Leo exclaimed, staring daggers at the cloaked man. "Oh, we're escalating."
Leo then crated an iron boot around his foot, and kicked Grimm right outside the castle as well, leaving Dr. Parr with Inferno.
"It seems god has given me an opportunity to continue my study!" Parr happily stated, and hauled Inferno back into the (charred remains of) the lab.