A Bitter Cure
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Laying down in the middle of an intricately carved ritual circle, he started to second guess his choice as the girls started to strip down. He could hear the sound of chanting by the wayside as Dirt, Molly, and Emmy prepared the ritual for Hecate, “Is it really necessary to do this naked?” He asked as he kept his gaze up on the sky even when he felt Beel and Justice climb atop him.
“More physical contact will allow for an easier time for this ritual,” Hecate replied as she crossed her arms across her chest. Thankfully, her feathers were quite thick so he could not see much, but that couldn’t be said about the other two. He felt sweat drip down from his forehead as he resisted the urge to look down even as he caught flashes of creamy white skin.
“Young Warboss, if you want to back out, now is the time. Once the ritual is started, there will be no turning back and we’ll be inside you,” The Tzeentchian daemon warned him, attempting to dissuade him, but it was far too late for that. He had already set his mind and it was better to have this over with instead of delaying it any further.
“You don’t have to worry about that doc. I know I’m in good hands. Do it,” He called out and the sound of chanting picked up as Hecate joined in. He felt heat bloom in his body as the fire that was his soul raged, its flame reaching out to the heavens before it was joined by the emerald green and crimson red fires of his two companions.
He grit his teeth as he felt himself starting to burn, the pain mounting as the chanting got louder. His thoughts drowned out as liquid agony coursed through his veins. He felt his body being torn apart, his very soul being ripped from his core before a blinding white flash filled his vision.
He blinked as the pain melted away, reality fading around him as it was replaced by a scene of utter desolation. There he stood in the middle of a broken fortress of clear orkish make with liberal use of scrap metal and stone which floated in the middle of an endless void. The buildings inside its walls were in ruins, reduced to rubble while fires raged all around him. It was as if the castle itself sustained continuous bombardment from siege artillery with holes large enough to fit gargants through peppering the outer perimeter while the rusted metal pillars holding up the walls creaked in protest. Not even his peoples famed construction could hold back the decay that had set inside as things were starting to fall apart at the very seams.
“I’ve heard that most people have two wolves inside them warring with each other, but this place looks like it had an entire army of wolves run through it,” Justice remarked as she stood there, her wings outstretched and thankfully armor bound. To her right stood Beel, wearing her three piece suit.
Looking down, he’d find his green muscle bound form wearing the armor he had used in all his battles. The same rusted pauldrons and armor he had long buried now wrapped around his body once again, “I know my soul’s rotting from the inside, but I did not expect it to be this bad,” He remarked as he walked around, grabbing hold of a stone pillar to pull himself up a ledge only for the stone to crumble in his hands like it was made of wet chalk.
Beel, meanwhile, wasn’t having any luck herself as she walked around the desolation, her fingers tracing along the rusted metal struts holding his soul together. A wire snapped, its sound echoing like gunshots as the very ground they stood on shook. He had to hold on to one of the support beams for dear life, hoping that it wouldn’t give under his weight, but it thankfully held.
With a sigh of relief he straightened himself up before turning his head as he felt the presence of his doctor. Gliding down from the void above, the Lady of Change landed soft on the ground before remarking, “You surprised me Magsnik. Most mortals would have died from such traumatic injuries to one's soul. There’s more than enough damage here for one,”
He grunted as he looked around, wondering if there was anything else that remained intact. Amidst all the wreckage, one building stood out. Jammed into the side of a large tower like an Escher painting was an undamaged and familiar sight of a house he once called his home. “Thankfully, I don’t have just one,” He commented as he walked up the tower.
“Allow me to survey the damage so I can set out the path to which Beel would have to scour through to remove the curse afflicting yourself,” Hecate called out as she walked around pulling Justice with her.
Looking to Beel, he gestured for her to follow him. With her in tow, he climbed up the winding steps of the castle, avoiding the rotting steps as he made his way up the tower. Up they went through the infinite staircase, climbing its steps without a word spoken between them. They kept walking until both of them would feel a shift in the very air itself as they found themselves standing on an empty greytone street. There amidst the empty lots stood a single lone house torn from a quadruplex.
Walking up to the small home, he found both of them could scarcely squeeze their way up the driveway. The simple screen door in front of him looked so flimsy now that his fingers were too big to slip inside the handle, while the size of the doorway was far too small to accommodate his size, but as he reached out and opened it he could feel the world around him stretch and spin until both and he and Beel would find themselves inside a living room that wouldn’t be too atypical in a 21st century house.
“When you made me promise to never look into your eyes, I did not expect this at all,” She whispered as she walked around, her figure stooped with the ceiling hanging to low for their size, while her hands traced at the sofa that used to be just big enough for him to lay down on.
“So, what do you think? Quite cozy huh? This used to be my workstation before I became this,” He told her as he walked up to a simple folding table where a laptop lay. He knew it wasn’t real and wouldn’t work but it was still so nostalgic to see his old computer once more.
“I didn’t expect it to be so… tiny. How could you even fit in this chair?” Beel replied as she attempted to sit down on the chair only to find it too small for her ass. He chuckled at the comical sight to which Beel glared at her as she got up.
Walking up to her, he plopped right beside her, not minding how his ass was hanging halfway off the seat. Wrapping his arms around her, she leaned up against him as he told her of his tale, “You know, I wasn’t exactly an ork before all this. Before I became Magsnik, I was human…”
He recalled his time as a simple man, all the joys he had and all the friends he shared it with before sighed at the now distant memories. Decades of fighting felt almost like an eternity, yet some things felt like they’d just happened yesterday, “But that's a distant memory now, something that I just look back on fondly from time to time. I’ve moved on and accepted what I became,” he added glumly as he gazed at his clenched fist.
Shaking his head, he leaned against the backrest as he asked her, “I hope you don’t treat me differently after all this.”
Beel giggled as she nuzzled closer to her, making sure that his large arms were wrapped around her form tightly before she commented, “And you say I’m the dramatic one.” He snorted before laughing, she got him there on that one. Maybe he was getting too melodramatic. He then froze as he felt her lips press against his cheeks before she added, “Magnsik, whatever you once were, it doesn’t matter. You accepted me for what I am so how can I reject you for what you once were? You’re still my lovely hunk of a landlord.”
“You horny bitch,” he growled back without heat while his cheeks burned.
“But I’m your horny bitch,” She fired back as she purred, her arms wrapped tightly around his chest as they enjoyed each other's presence while he waited for Hecate to finish her work. No words were said but he knew that they were no longer just simple friends or acquaintances. They were far more than that now they lay in each other's arms.
Unfortunately, all things needed to come to an end sometime as the walls started to unravel with bricks flying off to reveal the tall slender form of Hecate. She gave them a once over before grinning but Beel simply flipped her off, her glare daring her to say something, “While I don’t mean to disturb such a sweet moment, we have matters to attend to. Now come along, I have something to show you that is of great importance,” She told them as she turned around.
With a sigh, he got up, groaning as he stretched out after sitting in such an uncomfortable position for so long. Reaching up to him, Beel pulled him down before her lips pressed against his cheeks once more. “Let’s continue this later,~” She whispered before she pulled away and sauntered off, her hips swaying and drawing his gaze to them. Truly, he was one lucky ork.
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“What the fuck is that…” He whispered in horror as he gazed upon the giant sinkhole that formed at the very base and core of his soul. Like a giant breathing maw, the entrance to the hole opened widely. The jagged metal rebars lining the hole served as its teeth as green fire shot up like a geyser before it was sucked in, pulling at any loose debris left from the destruction it caused.
No wonder Beel couldn’t heal him, this thing was ripping his soul apart. The rot that followed was merely just a side effect of it. Maybe he wasn’t so lucky as he gazed up a giant gaping hole inside the very core of his soul.
“That my, orkish friend, is the WAAAGH, or what’s left of it anyway,” Hecate answered as she dusted herself before she started explaining more in great detail, “If my assumptions are correct this is what’s left of your connection to the psychic field that binds all orks together. When it was whole, this served as a way to fuel an orks explosive growth, but now it is nothing more than a rotting cancer that eats away at everything and anything it touches.”
“You say this served as a connection to WAAAGH? Then I want it removed,” Magsnik then asked. This thing, this thing needed to go and he wanted it gone as soon as possible. It might have served him once when he was still a Warboss but not anymore, “I’d rather die than serve those two again. Their severance package sucks ass.”
“Beel, Justice, if you would,” Hecate called out as both stepped forward.
“I thought you’d never ask,” Justice replied as she pulled out her sword and walked up to the edge of the hole. “You won’t be needing this anymore!” She shouted as she raised her sword and plunged it into the ground. He felt a sharp pain spreading throughout his body as the woman started to cut through the floor, the walls and even the very air itself, tearing away at his soul as the connection was slowly cut off.
Gritting his teeth, he watched as Beel opened her mouth wide before she started sucking. The gaping hole started to deform, peeled away like the rotting skin of a fruit as it was no longer anchored to his soul, “Come on! Do it!” He shouted as he powered through the pain while Justice widened the cut.
It was then that things went wrong. He had barely enough time to warn them as four large hands reached out from the hole and grabbed all of them. He roared out as he and his companions were dragged in, their bodies stretched and contorted before they were deposited into a twisted plane of violence and murder.
He grunted in pain as he was slammed down, his face pressed against the dirt. With his good eye, he watched as Bell and the others were pinned down as well, with his lover shouting in anger, “Unhand us! Do you know who I am?”
“Girlie, I don’t think you know who you’re dealing with here,” A familiar, grating, voice hissed out as Beel was lifted up and Magsnik felt the hair on the back of his neck stand up. A mocking and rough voice that sounded like the booming of a thousand cannons quickly followed, laughing at them as they shouted, “Hah! Tell them Mork!”
He would find himself lifted up and, out from the shadow of war, came the owners of the hands. Two giant, twisted forms of brutes, their tusked maws grinning while their crazed eyes burned with the cunning and brutality of all orks that came after them, “Gorka Morka…” He whispered in dread as the twin gods laughed at him.
“Look at what we have here, Gork! A couple of Daemons that would snatch our champion away!” Mork laughed out, his raspy voice sounding like a thousand blades sliding against steel and flesh. As the girls cried out in pain, their bones crunching against the gods cruel rasp, He roared out in anger as fury filled his veins.
“You fuckers! I’m the one you want, not them! Let them go!” He roared out yet struggled as he might, he could not free himself.
“Oh Magnsik, do you think it would be that easy to remove us? I have to hand it to you, seducing three Greater Daemons to serve you is quite the feat, but they won’t save you from what we have in store for you!” Mork sneered at him before Gork pushed his brother aside and growled at him.
He reared back at god’s booming voice, like shellfire and bombs exploding, shaking him to his very core. The stench of the death coming out from the brutal one’s mouth hung heavily in the air as he started complaining, “Shame innit? You were the best at it, but just had to run away. You were supposed to fight until you couldn’t! That was our deal wasn’t it?”
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“And I did as you asked!” He shouted back and the two narrowed their eyes. Uncaring of their anger, he continued, “I already did my due, I became a Warboss just like you asked me to do. I was free to do what I wanted as a Warboss and I built you an empire that would last for centuries. Even my disappearance would have kept them going, so why torment me in my retirement? What the hell do you want from me!?”
Mork pushed Gork away and pulled Magsnik back before he started squeezing. Magsnik gritted his teeth as he hold back the scream of pain, the god’s hands clamping down on his soul and squeezing the life out of him. “That’s the thing Magsnik, you retired. You were supposed to keep fighting! To get stronger and become the orkiest ork that ever was! You were supposed to plunge the galaxy into a never ending war, but you stopped halfway through!” Mork roared out before Gork continued, “But you ran, you fucking git, that’s what you did. Where’s the human we pulled up from the void to do all our krumpin and fighting? Where was the vicious little weasel that killed a warboss the first time he got into a scrap?”
They squeezed harder, forcing out a cry of pain from his lips. He could feel his innards being pushed up to his throat, the pressure behind his eyes mounting and threatening to push them out as Mork hissed out. “You changed Magsnik, we don’t like that.”
“Why do you keep me alive then? You could have killed me anytime you wanted but you didn’t! Why interfere now of all times?” He gasped back, feeling his ribs creaking in protest until the two finally relented. All four of them sagged against their hold as Magsnik greedily sucked in precious, life-giving air.
“Oh we were understanding, Magsnik. We simply gave you a reminder that you had to keep fighting or else. That is until you decided to try and remove that timer,” Mork answered before Gork butted in again, “So now, we’re just going to watch you die. Enjoy your retirement, you coward!” The two sneered at each other before Beel’s gasp of pain brought their attention back to them.
“Say, how about we tear his friends apart? Maybe then he’ll start fighting!” Gork suggested and Magsnik saw red. He roared out, frothing from his mouth as he bit down and pulled. He felt godly flesh tear away.
“I’ll fucking kill you! I’ll kill both of you! I’ll tear your jaws out and strangle you with your intestines!” He screamed out, promising them nothing but pain, yet all his struggles only earned him more mocking laughter.
“Now there’s the Warboss in you. We’re a big fan of your work, we truly are. Such efficiency in killing and how tenacious your armies are! There’s no infighting, just fighting the right fight!” Mork praised him before he brought Magsnik close to his eyes, his baleful gaze now fully focused on him, “Now here’s a deal Magsnik, we want you back on the field. We want you to lead this army, and we’ll forget this ever happened. We’ll even allow you to keep your lovers over here.”
Magsnik spat out the chunk of flesh he tore out at the gods eyes and Mork hissed out, pulling back away while Gork laughed, “Good, good, keep that fire in you burning. I want that fire in your eyes to burn this galaxy to the ground!” The brutal one roared out.
Ignoring his gunked up eyes, Mork gave him an ultimatum, “You have four weeks to think about our generous offer. Don’t worry, we won’t be micromanaging your every action so we’ll leave you alone inside your soul. We’ll even remove this and fix it all up, but once time is up… let’s just say we’ll be very mad, and you don’t want us getting angry, right?” He could only glare back defiantly as they held him close, all his thoughts consumed by the idea of tearing them apart.
“Enjoy your precious retirement. We expect many great things from you,” Gork snarled before Mork raised his hands and threw them back to the portal that pulled them in. Magsnik woke up screaming as Beel, Justice and Hecate were thrown against the wall of the room, their bodies bruised and broken from the rough handling they received.
All thoughts of revenge were placed by the wayside as he scrambled up to them, grabbing hold of an unresponsive Beel, “Beel? Beel! Answer me!” He called to her frantically, shaking the faded form of his lover, cradling her smaller form up against his chest. He thought the worst had come to pass but, thankful, Beel’s eyes fluttered open. He felt relief flooding his heart as he pulled her closer, enveloping her in a tight yet gentle hug, “Thank god you're alive.”
“I’m sorry Magnsik, they were too strong,” Beel whispered out in pain as she held onto him, her trembling from feeling so small and fragile in his hands right now. He had thought her invincible, but he was sorely mistaken. The galaxy was quick to remind him that there was always bigger fish abound and, unfortunately, those two fish hated his guts.
“Fuck, they hit hard alright. Almost as hard as Pa,” Justice groaned out as Emmy and Molly attended to her.
“I failed you Beel,” Hecate gasped out, light enveloping her form as her broken wings righted themselves with a sickening crack, “I should have accounted for the twins to come for their chosen champion.”
“No, I failed you. I should have been strong enough to fight them. I should have been strong enough to protect you all,” He told her as he took the blame on himself. He was the one that pulled them into this crap, yet he was too weak to actually do something about it. He hated it, he hated this weakness.
“It’s alright Magsnik, it’s not your fault,” Beel whispered to him soothingly, quenching the burning fire of hate in his chest momentarily, “At least what they demand isn’t unreasonable,” She noted as she attempted to stand up, only for her to wince as her physical form flickered. The gods took their toll on her.
Now that he had calmed down, he could finally think logically. The offer was generous, overly generous in fact. The twins actually kept their word as he noticed the flaming aura that had enveloped him recede into a steady glow. There were still flickers and sputters, but for the most part he had stabilized. As it stood, the twins were actually willing to forgive him and live his life but only if he swallowed his pride and abandoned the peaceful life he had carved for himself.
“Many Chaos Champions would envy your position. I advise you to take their offer,” Hecate advised as she pulled herself up before she started gathering her things.
He wanted to take it, yet his pride would not allow it. He had tasted freedom once more and he loathed to give it up. He would not give in, “No, I refuse to crawl back to them and grovel before their feet! I’ll sooner die than work for them ever again, not after what they did,” He replied. It was the worst choice he could make, yet his heart was set on it. No one got to mess with his family and come out unscathed, no one!
“But you’ll die Magsnik! Only a godlike being could fight against another god. My father hates my guts, Hecate is independent, and Justice isn’t so high in the hierarchy that she could ask for Khorne’s help,” Beel shouted back at him, grimacing as she reached for her chest.
“She’s right. I make champions alright, but I don’t have enough favor to get his attention,” Justice piped up in support of Beel.
Yes, only a god like being could truly harm a god, but he didn’t need a god to do his bidding. He was a man and he will not be bowed by the divine, “Who said I was going to ask for help from the gods?” He asked her with a grin before he turned towards the retreating figure of Hecate. “Hey Hecate, you said that there’s a way to sever my connection to the gods by defeating them right?”
“No, you can’t be serious?” Beel asked in horror before she pushed him away and struggled to get out of his hold but his hold remained firm, “If you want to die so much, then fine! Why don’t you break my heart as well! Is that what you want?” She screamed out, tears streaming down her eyes as she started beating against his chest.
“Beel…” Magnsik sighed as he pulled her closer before he said, “The only way I could get out of this without sacrificing the life I’ve built up with you and everyone in this farm right now is to beat the fuck out those two but I’m not stupid to fight them as I am now. I need power and the divine can be a quick fix… but why would I ask for help from the gods when I can turn to you?”
Beel paused before gazing up at him, she asked him, “You can’t possibly mean to ask for that right?”
Drawing in a deep breath, he sighed as he started explaining, “Look, I don’t exactly know how being a Champion works for chaos, but surely a couple of greater daemons working in concert together should be enough to give me enough strength to fight them right? All I need is to get some to lend their strength to me even for just a few hours.”
It was horribly optimistic but… he’d rather go out in a blaze of glory rather than just roll over and give in to the twins' demands, “I know it means that my soul will be shackled to someone, but fuck it. I don’t have anything to lose at this point and it’s not like someone I hate would have my soul, right?” Beel averted her gaze as she pulled into herself while her cheeks burned once more.
“Count me in,” Justice volunteered, drawing all eyes to her, “What? It’s not like it’s not like he’s asking for something unreasonable. Besides, he’s going to be fighting and what type of Champion Maker am I if I can’t turn him into one without the support of one of the gods,” She fired back with a grin on her face.
“I’m not sure that’s how it’s supposed to work. You simply can’t become a champion, can you?” Beel cautioned, unsure of how such a thing could be possible.
He was about to give up and try another idea when Hecate spoke up, “Hmmm… There is a way but it would require four powerful greater daemons, one from each aspect, to bind themselves to the chosen recipient. It would bind them closely together and the recipient can easily keep them bound to him for all eternity or even consume them as they approach the realm of divinity.”
“Could it allow Magsnik to vanquish the twin gods?” Beel then asked.
“To kill them would require one to extinguish Brutality and Cunning personified. To defeat them, however, could be possible. One just has to be mad enough to fight them on equal footing,” Hecate answered.
He felt a grin stretch across his face as he replied, “Unfortunately for them, I’m not known to be one gifted with sense.” Turning to Beel, he then asked her, “Beel, I know I’m asking much from you but will you lend me your strength?”
Tears formed in her eyes as she reached up to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, “’ll give you everything,” She promised him as he returned the hug.
“Group hug!” Justice shouted as she joined in, making him chuckle as he pulled her in as well despite Beel’s pout. He gave her a kiss on the forehead as an apology. With Beel on board, he now had two of the four demons, so he turned his attention to Hecate.
“Oho? Going to ask me for such a favor?” The Lady of Change purred out, grinning as she walked back to them, drawing to her full height as she loomed over them. He could see her relishing in the idea, but there was no going back now. She might just be the single most reasonable Tzeentchian that he knows off.
“What price would you give if I were to ask?” He asked her, bracing herself for whatever she demanded.
“Hmmm, I could ask for your eternal servitude, or maybe a fraction of your soul, but you're my friend's special someone so I’ll give it to you for a discount,~” She teased them before backing down. Leaning in closely, she then said, “All that I ask from you is you invite me to this game night that Beel speaks off,” And so, his image of her as a serious daemon would forever shatter, but he did not mind it one bit as he roared out in laughter.
“Of course, you can even invite anyone else you might want to my games if you want and hey, maybe you have a game that we can play,” He told her. He had to prepare more drinks for his guests, but it was a price he was more than willing to pay.
“Oh I have plenty,~” She fired back, smirking as she challenged him. He met her gaze without flinching as he relished the challenge. He was going to enjoy this.
“Now all that’s left is a fourth and final one, and aren’t they a bag of loose nuts and bolts,” Justice grumbled out and he grunted in agreement.
“Slaneeshi’s aren’t exactly that reasonable,” Beel replied, mirroring his sentiments. Their pursuit of pleasure and perfection could make them hard to deal with, and he doubted there was any daemonette that was as reasonable as the three he had found. Beel was already a handful, but a fully degenerate being like a Slaaneshi? That might prove too much. Three was of great coincidence, but a forth one was not something that is left to chance.
Humming, he then suggested, “Well… I can think of a way to get a Greater Daemon of Slaanesh on board but I would need help with that…” He had an idea but he wasn’t quite sure if it were a good one or not. Maybe it was suicidal, but he was without many options on hand.
“What do you have in mind?” Hecate asked
“Oh that’s simple. You know how They swallowed almost the entire Aeladari Pantheon? Why don’t we snatch one from their stomach?” He suggested making all three pause as they looked at him as if he’d grown another head.
“What? It’s a perfectly reasonable idea,” He replied.