Enoch frightened the temple priest when he portaled into the temple. Nearly knocking over a demon performing a black sacrament as his forepaws landed on the some candles and Baal who was on his back, got jarred loose and fell to the floor. The unconscious demon landed on the priest; causing him to squawk as some tail feathers where pulled loose.
“Help him,” Enoch not bothering to assist the priest; “He was attacked by a Chaos Being. The wound is a glancing blow but needs tending too.” Enoch looking at another priest that was flying to him; no doubt about to ream him for upsetting an important ritual. Enoch just brandished his father’s blade; not in a threatening manner, but to imply he was not in the mood to listen to a bunch of bullshit about appeasing darkness.
“Call for my father,” Enoch speaking; “Tell Lucifer Morningstar he is needed here.”
*******************************************
Lucifer portaled to the temple to see a bunch of priests already looking at Baal. Seeing his son, the wolf-taur demon; Lucifer stomps over to confront his son.
“Tell me why you were on earth,” Lucifer glaring; “and don’t give me some story about wandering about checking the sites.”
Enoch looked at his father; he wanted to tell, but was made to promise not to tell unless given leave to do so. Instead he presents his father’s sword.
“It was the only thing that stopped the Chaos that wounded Baal,” Enoch handing the blade to Lucifer.
“Light-bringer,” Lucifer staring at the sword longingly; “I haven’t wielded this sword since I used it to stab Tiamat in the eye. Where did you find it?” Lucifer asking as he hands the sword back to his son.
“Humans found it,” Enoch answering; “It was an archeology dig. I just relived it from them when the opportunity presented itself.”
“That doesn’t answer why you are on Earth checking wards,” Lucifer not letting Enoch change the topic. Jehovah paid me a visit,” Lucifer lowering his voice; “I think you know what this is about.”
“Not here then,” Enoch sighing; “The priests would have a fit.”
My study then,” Luficer opening a portal.
“No,” Enoch shaking his head; “I still have one more ward to fix. Then the rest should be safe. I can explain if you come with me."
“Fine,” Lucifer closing his portal to the study; “Where then?”
*********************************************
Lucifer was not expecting to visit the heart of hell; the enteral smoking volcano that rises beyond Dis. But when Enoch told him that was where they needed to go; he reluctantly agreed to open a portal to an entrance that only he knew of. A secret entrance that hasn’t been used since He and Jehovah made this ward during the early days of creation.
“I haven’t been here in a long time,” Lucifer looking out onto the horizon. Not even after the fall from heaven,” Lucifer turning around to activate a secret switch, opening a hidden door.
“Someone has been here,” Enoch staring at the ground; “Hoof prints in the dust. And they look recent,” Enoch staring at his father.
“Keep the sword handy then,” Lucifer readying a blade of midnight flame; “I doubt I’ll ever be able to wield Light-Bringer again.”
“Jehovah hinted as much,” Enoch entering the mountainside first; careful to not disturb the recent prints in case they are a trap
“He said in my study,” Lucifer following his son’s paw prints; “I give Enoch him permission to reveal the whole story. So what is the real reason you were on Earth,” Lucifer asking again.
Enoch was hoping to avoid having to tell; making a promise to Jehovah as the truth would possibly shake all the realms to the core.
“It began shortly after the start of the Second World war,” Enoch pausing; “you remember how Hitler got all crazy into the religious occult shit?”
“I remember,” Lucifer rolling his eyes; “Jehovah and I had a face to face sit down to discuss him. In Berlin no less,” Lucifer thinking it was Jehovah’s way of making a joke.
“Well Hitler got lucky,” Enoch staring at a solid wall; His goon squad found one of the wards and they started messing with it. Enoch tapping the stone to find a hidden switch; “They cracked open the ward and chaos came streaming through corrupting the Gestapo.”
“Are you saying Germans started this,” Lucifer not believing what he is hearing.
“No,” Enoch muttering where the door could be; “They were puppets. When Chaos realized that the war was not going Germany’s way; they jumped into the soldiers that reach Berlin.”
“The Soviets;” Lucifer recalling, how the war in Europe ended and Hitler coming to hell after eating a bullet.
“Exactly,” Enoch having an aha moment when a click could be heard and a low rumbling of gear grinding allowing the stone slab blocking their path to lower.
Both Enoch and Lucifer winced as a fetid smell of Sulfur invaded their noses.
“But chaos just didn’t infect the Soviets,” Enoch pressing forward; “It also infect the generals of Imperial Japan and lots of other Nations. Nations, in which the wards lie,” Enoch pausing as chanting can be heard.
“We are not alone,” Lucifer also hearing the chanting. Walking to an alcove window overlooking the caldera of the volcano; both Enoch and Lucifer saw a group of deamon’s surrounding the ward with corrupted sigils of Beelzebub and other high ranking court officiants.
“What is this,” Lucifer seething; wanting to jump down and confront the group, but was stopped.
Enoch looked at his father and shook his head.
“Whatever they are doing,” Enoch whispering; “it must be stopped. And we must hurry.”
*******************************************
They had to take a roundabout way to the chamber below. Enoch quickly explaining that he was on Earth killing the Chaos thralls as he was repairing the damaged wards.
“The first few years were difficult,” Enoch adding; “I had no idea what I was doing.” Enoch stopped talking as he crept up behind a demon guard and quickly snapped his neck. Tossing the corpse down a gas vent of the volcano. Enoch continues his story.
“One day after nearly dying from beating back a lesser Chaos lieutenant,” Jehovah came to visit me; “we got to talking and he took me to heaven and gave me the run of an archive I can only imagine his daughter Penemue has no knowledge of.”
“Wait,” Lucifer sounding surprised; “you were in heaven?!”
“Keep your voice down dad,” Enoch growling; “and yes; but only for a year studying up on how the wards function. It was then that your sword was found in a Viking burial mound.” Enoch gripping the blades pommel; “With it I was able to finally kill that annoying lieutenant.”
Lucifer was stunned that his son was in heaven; the city of light. “And no one knew you were there?”
“Jehovah made sure of that,” Enoch responding as he quickly killed another demon guard.
“This one wears the crest of Lord Adrammelech;” Lucifer examining the corpse. “He has much to explain.”
“I doubt he will be keen on answering your questions,” Enoch bull rushing another guard who was surprised to see them. Quickly running him through Enoch spies a fissure next to a set of doors blocking their destination. “We may have to kill him and everyone in the next room.”
********************************************
“Near the end of my travels, fixing the wards,” Enoch squeezing through the fissure. It was a tight fit but he was able to wiggle his way through.
“I ran into a pale green Angel by the name Tarfiel when in Japan the other week,” Enoch waiting for his father to push through; “she worked with me to deal with the last ward on Mount Fuji. That is where things got interesting,” Enoch speaking as Lucifer struggles to free a hoof.
“Give me a moment, I’m stuck;” Lucifer grumbling.
“I have more to tell,” Enoch waiting; however he was getting impatient as the chanting was nearing its crescendo. Whatever was happening, they needed to get their and stop it.
“Long story short,” Enoch suffering from his father’s glare; “we spotted Beelzebub and a chaos shade messing with the ward. Tarfiel wanted to attack, but I told her to wait. By the time we finished bickering, Beelzebub left and we dispatched the shade. Tarfiel left to report to Jehovah and I came straight here.” Enoch peeking over a boulder to see a group mostly comprised of humans in dark crimson robes with Lord Adrammelech at the center with a Human staked in the centre. “Ah shit,” Enoch swearing; “We need to stop this now.”
********************************************
The human on the ground screamed obscenities at Adrammelech for his trickery. Steve was more than eager to shake a demon’s hand for the promise of revenge; but that revenge soon turned to betrayal as he was tied down to the ground with weird symbols on the ground. The robed individuals were also humans. But these humans had eyes of black and lifeless expressions. They were possessed by lesser shades that chanted as Adrammelech plunged the blade he was wielding into the dammed human soul.
It was then that Enoch jumped from his hiding place; wielding light-bringer he quickly managed to cut down two possessed humans. The shades leaving their bodies as they cry out in pain; the human vessels falling down lifeless. Enoch knows they will come around; they are dammed souls. The rest of the circle turns to face him and begins to attack. Lucifer then bellows as he also enters the fray; his sword of midnight flame cleaving several thralls in once swoop.
Adrammelech grins as he extracts Steve’s heart and quickly opens a portal to flee. His work here done to help resurrect Beelzebub; leaving Lucifer and Enoch to deal with the shades.
“Destroy the corpse,” Enoch shouting to his father as he was closer to the center of the chamber; “before it breaks the ward!”
Lucifer didn’t need to be told twice; seeing his son dispatching the last of the shades, Lucifer approaches the corpse of the human soul and tosses it into the lava lake below.
“I hope we are not too late,” Enoch sheaving Light-Bringer.
Examining the damage, Enoch pull out two vials from a pouch and hands the empty on to his father.
“Quickly now,” Enoch desecrating the adjacent sigils; “fill that vial up with your blood!”
Lucifer nodded; understanding what Enoch had planned he did as he was told and handed the vial back. Taking the vial of his father’s blood; he mixes it with the second vial and pours the contents on the fractured ward.
“Was the other vial containing Jehovah’s blood,” Lucifer recognizing the ancient ritual he and god performed ages ago.
“It is,” Enoch sighing as the ward knits itself back together. Pulling another object out of his satchel he smashes it on the ground. Tendrils of green and grey energies wrap around the ancient ward; strengthening it. “It is done,” Enoch breathing a sigh of relief; “Hell is safe.”
“But what was the ritual that Adrammelech performed,” Lucifer looking at the human thralls as they started to come to.
“Nergal can sort that out when questioning these souls,” Enoch answering as Lucifer opens a portal to take everyone back to the palace. Neither Morningstar was aware that Nergal, along with Adrammelech was part of a plot to bring back Beelzebub.