The Underworld/San Francisco, late Tuesday night -- NFB
Bel shimmered in to the familiar Underworld cavern, a place he hadn't set foot in for months. It was empty save for Raynor, waiting calmly. "Belthazor," he said. "I knew you wouldn't disappoint. This is, after all, where you belong."
"I came to tell you I'm not going to do it," Bel said, shaking his head. "I don't belong to you anymore." He steeled himself with the words of support from his friends and kept himself wary for any sort of attack from Raynor or the shadows around them. It wouldn't surprise him if Vornac was just waiting for an opportunity to take him down again.
"I thought you might say that," Raynor said. "But the truth is, it doesn't matter that you've strayed, Belthazor, as long as you're back. And coming back here, to me, is just the first step. If you truly wanted no part in this, you would not have come at all."
"No," Bel protested. "I just thought...I just thought you deserved an answer in person."
"And why is that?" Raynor said, drawing close to Bel. "Because of what I mean to you? Mentor, father, protector? I raised you, Belthazor. Kept you safe from those who would destroy you, even your own mother. I saw your potential and allowed you to achieve it. All that you are now you owe to me."
Bel could feel his resolve starting to crumbled. Raynor was telepathic, he could read thoughts and send his own and worm his way into all things he tried to hide, including all the confusion about what he was and his loyalty to Raynor. "You made me into a killer," he said, trying to hold firm. "I never wanted to be like that. I just wanted to be a normal, human boy. You made me do things I didn't want to do. You let the others...." He broke off, trying to fight back the memories of the abuses of his youth. He raised his head to meet Raynor's eyes. "I never wanted this."
"Which is precisely why I allowed the other boys to...hurt you," Raynor said. "That weakness needed to be beaten out of you. Your human heart is your greatest weakness. For instance, it will allow me to do this."
Raynor held out his hand, and a glowing white orb appeared in his palm. "What's that?" Bel asked.
"Nothing more than your father's soul," Raynor said. "Your mother gave it to me when she brought you to me. Compensation for your training. I have used it for the occasional ritual, but it's still quite intact. For the moment."
"Give it to me," Bel demanded, grabbing for the orb.
Raynor snatched his hand back and vanished the orb. "You'll get it when I decide you're deserving of it," he said. "For now, I will hold it to ensure your behavior. You will do as you're told, you will serve the Source, or I will destroy your father's soul utterly. Am I understood?"
Bel nodded reluctantly, hating himself for it. He couldn't let his human father be destroyed. He had to do something, buy time for him to retrieve it and set him free. "What...what do you want me to do?"
Waving his hand before Bel's face, Raynor gave him the description and location of the witch who possessed the amulet Raynor sought. "Go," he ordered. "Bring the amulet back to me." Bel nodded obediently and shimmered away.
He found the new age shop that Raynor had implanted into his thoughts easily enough. The witch was inside, alone, closing up the store. When he shimmered in, she jumped and gasped, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"Just do exactly as I say and I won't hurt you," Bel said. "Just take off the amulet and put it down."
She shook her head. "I've been sworn to protect it."
"And I've been ordered to steal it," Bel said. The witch backed away as he approached her. "Don't fight me," he pleaded, not wanting to have to hurt her. "I beg you."
He reached out for the amulet she wore around her neck, but a blue light shot out of it, throwing him back against the wall. His still-healing ribs ached anew as he rose to his feet.
"You can't take it from me," the witch said defiantly.
"Maybe I can't," Bel agreed, then shifted into demon form. "But I can." He moved before the witch again, and the blue light rose to shield her. Stronger now, Bel grit his teeth and reached through the blue light. It hurt like hell, but he managed to yank the amulet from her neck. The light shield vanished as the chain snapped, and Bel grabbed the witch, snarling as he prepared to break her neck.
At the last second, he caught himself and let her go, roughly pushing her away. "Tell no one about the amulet," he growled. "Not even your Whitelighter." With that warning, he shimmered out of the store.
A few minutes later, Raynor shimmered in to the shop. He looked around and spied the witch huddled in a corner, still shaking in fear. "If you've come for the amulet, it's gone," she said.
"And yet you're still here," Raynor mused. "Living proof that Belthazor has indeed gone soft."
"Belthazor?" the witch said.
"The demon that'll be blamed for your death," Raynor said. He conjured an energy ball in his hand and threw it at the witch, consuming her in blue flames. Satisfied with the results, Raynor shimmered back to the Underworld to await Belthazor.
Bel shimmered back to the Underworld, the amulet in his hand. Raynor wasn't waiting for him, and he didn't want to go look for him. The less he saw of his former home and brothers, the better.
Raynor shimmered in before him. "Sorry to keep you waiting, I had business to attend to." He moved before Bel and held out his hand. "The amulet," he ordered. When Bel pressed it into his hand, Raynor held it up and examined it, nodding in approval. "Must feel good to be back in the game. It was such a beautiful death," he said.
"What do you mean?" Bel asked.
"The witch," Raynor explained. "How did you kill her?"
"I didn't," Bel said. "I'd never risk drawing attention to myself just for the thrill of offing a low level witch."
Raynor shook his head. "Too bad, I would and did. Don't make me clean up after you again."
Bel stared at Raynor, realizing what he'd done. "You shouldn't have killed her, Raynor."
"You're right," Raynor agreed. "You should have."
"You told me to just get the amulet, you didn't say kill the witch!" Bel protested.
"Some things go without saying," Raynor said. "Now, I want you to find the second piece of the amulet."
"My strength isn't back yet," Bel said, desperate for an excuse. "I could barely fight through the magic of the first amulet."
"You can do it, I know you," Raynor said. "You're the great Belthazor, you can do anything you want. You just seem to have forgotten that. Find the witch. Find the amulet. But this time show no mercy."
"I understand," Bel said. "I'll find it." He bowed his head in obedience, then shimmered back to Fandom, trying to figure out just how he was going to get out of this.
[ooc: NFB due to distance.]
"I came to tell you I'm not going to do it," Bel said, shaking his head. "I don't belong to you anymore." He steeled himself with the words of support from his friends and kept himself wary for any sort of attack from Raynor or the shadows around them. It wouldn't surprise him if Vornac was just waiting for an opportunity to take him down again.
"I thought you might say that," Raynor said. "But the truth is, it doesn't matter that you've strayed, Belthazor, as long as you're back. And coming back here, to me, is just the first step. If you truly wanted no part in this, you would not have come at all."
"No," Bel protested. "I just thought...I just thought you deserved an answer in person."
"And why is that?" Raynor said, drawing close to Bel. "Because of what I mean to you? Mentor, father, protector? I raised you, Belthazor. Kept you safe from those who would destroy you, even your own mother. I saw your potential and allowed you to achieve it. All that you are now you owe to me."
Bel could feel his resolve starting to crumbled. Raynor was telepathic, he could read thoughts and send his own and worm his way into all things he tried to hide, including all the confusion about what he was and his loyalty to Raynor. "You made me into a killer," he said, trying to hold firm. "I never wanted to be like that. I just wanted to be a normal, human boy. You made me do things I didn't want to do. You let the others...." He broke off, trying to fight back the memories of the abuses of his youth. He raised his head to meet Raynor's eyes. "I never wanted this."
"Which is precisely why I allowed the other boys to...hurt you," Raynor said. "That weakness needed to be beaten out of you. Your human heart is your greatest weakness. For instance, it will allow me to do this."
Raynor held out his hand, and a glowing white orb appeared in his palm. "What's that?" Bel asked.
"Nothing more than your father's soul," Raynor said. "Your mother gave it to me when she brought you to me. Compensation for your training. I have used it for the occasional ritual, but it's still quite intact. For the moment."
"Give it to me," Bel demanded, grabbing for the orb.
Raynor snatched his hand back and vanished the orb. "You'll get it when I decide you're deserving of it," he said. "For now, I will hold it to ensure your behavior. You will do as you're told, you will serve the Source, or I will destroy your father's soul utterly. Am I understood?"
Bel nodded reluctantly, hating himself for it. He couldn't let his human father be destroyed. He had to do something, buy time for him to retrieve it and set him free. "What...what do you want me to do?"
Waving his hand before Bel's face, Raynor gave him the description and location of the witch who possessed the amulet Raynor sought. "Go," he ordered. "Bring the amulet back to me." Bel nodded obediently and shimmered away.
He found the new age shop that Raynor had implanted into his thoughts easily enough. The witch was inside, alone, closing up the store. When he shimmered in, she jumped and gasped, "Who are you? How did you get in here?"
"Just do exactly as I say and I won't hurt you," Bel said. "Just take off the amulet and put it down."
She shook her head. "I've been sworn to protect it."
"And I've been ordered to steal it," Bel said. The witch backed away as he approached her. "Don't fight me," he pleaded, not wanting to have to hurt her. "I beg you."
He reached out for the amulet she wore around her neck, but a blue light shot out of it, throwing him back against the wall. His still-healing ribs ached anew as he rose to his feet.
"You can't take it from me," the witch said defiantly.
"Maybe I can't," Bel agreed, then shifted into demon form. "But I can." He moved before the witch again, and the blue light rose to shield her. Stronger now, Bel grit his teeth and reached through the blue light. It hurt like hell, but he managed to yank the amulet from her neck. The light shield vanished as the chain snapped, and Bel grabbed the witch, snarling as he prepared to break her neck.
At the last second, he caught himself and let her go, roughly pushing her away. "Tell no one about the amulet," he growled. "Not even your Whitelighter." With that warning, he shimmered out of the store.
A few minutes later, Raynor shimmered in to the shop. He looked around and spied the witch huddled in a corner, still shaking in fear. "If you've come for the amulet, it's gone," she said.
"And yet you're still here," Raynor mused. "Living proof that Belthazor has indeed gone soft."
"Belthazor?" the witch said.
"The demon that'll be blamed for your death," Raynor said. He conjured an energy ball in his hand and threw it at the witch, consuming her in blue flames. Satisfied with the results, Raynor shimmered back to the Underworld to await Belthazor.
Bel shimmered back to the Underworld, the amulet in his hand. Raynor wasn't waiting for him, and he didn't want to go look for him. The less he saw of his former home and brothers, the better.
Raynor shimmered in before him. "Sorry to keep you waiting, I had business to attend to." He moved before Bel and held out his hand. "The amulet," he ordered. When Bel pressed it into his hand, Raynor held it up and examined it, nodding in approval. "Must feel good to be back in the game. It was such a beautiful death," he said.
"What do you mean?" Bel asked.
"The witch," Raynor explained. "How did you kill her?"
"I didn't," Bel said. "I'd never risk drawing attention to myself just for the thrill of offing a low level witch."
Raynor shook his head. "Too bad, I would and did. Don't make me clean up after you again."
Bel stared at Raynor, realizing what he'd done. "You shouldn't have killed her, Raynor."
"You're right," Raynor agreed. "You should have."
"You told me to just get the amulet, you didn't say kill the witch!" Bel protested.
"Some things go without saying," Raynor said. "Now, I want you to find the second piece of the amulet."
"My strength isn't back yet," Bel said, desperate for an excuse. "I could barely fight through the magic of the first amulet."
"You can do it, I know you," Raynor said. "You're the great Belthazor, you can do anything you want. You just seem to have forgotten that. Find the witch. Find the amulet. But this time show no mercy."
"I understand," Bel said. "I'll find it." He bowed his head in obedience, then shimmered back to Fandom, trying to figure out just how he was going to get out of this.
[ooc: NFB due to distance.]