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This was a stupid plan, and the Vampire God knew that it was. Unfortunately, it didn't feel like he had much of a choice. This was a place that he would never have willingly come to, not under any circumstances. The fact that he felt as though he were being forced to now made his blood boil. On Holy ground, he knew that he was going to be weaker than if he'd been on his own turf. Normally, the opportunity to potentially trade blows with a Holykat, God, Angelique or otherwise would have been exciting to him.

In this case? It felt like a death sentence.

When he left Ravnos's wagon, he didn't go to the Holykat Temple straight away. He needed time to prepare himself, mentally, so he had first gone home to his. There, he had paced, mulling over what he needed to do, all while fighting the urge to use his power to check on a certain Disciple whose arms he could practically still feel wrapped around him.

It seemed his feelings for the vampire had not vanished the moment he had left him. That was something he was going to need to examine closer, later. For now, he used years of experience to shove those emotions somewhere deep inside where they wouldn't be able to get in the way of what he needed to do.

Eventually, when he felt ready, he departed.

He had taken to the air, travelling along the dark shadows of sunset as something not seen but felt. A shiver along the spine. A sharp, cold breeze that sends goosebumps prickling along the skin. The closer he got to his destination, the more uneasy he felt, and he arrived just as the last glinting rays of sunshine melted below the horizon.

Grendel stood from a crouched spot on the ground and turned to face the Angelique Cernunnos, his eyes glowing a soft red that soon dimmed away. He held his hands out to show them empty of any weapons.

"I'm just here to talk." He said, voice gruff, watching the other carefully.

Grendel would have been absolutely shocked if this had gone any other way. The moment the Angelique went for his sword, the God's fingers twitched, on impulse ready to summon his own weapon to hand in order to defend himself. On instinct, he stopped himself from doing so. To his credit, he also did not flinch as that sword flashed toward him. He knew it might hurt to be struck down, but it wasn't likely to kill him, so he took the risk.

Luckily the sword fell just short, though it was still a little close for comfort. In fact, nothing about this was comfortable. Though it was slowly growing ever darker outside, being on these grounds made him feel terrible. It set his teeth on edge and made his skin crawl, and there was a faint pounding in his ears that felt like the beginnings of something much worse.

He really didn't think he could stand to stay here very long.

And yet, it was almost as if Cernunnos knew he suffered. He certainly was taking his sweet time in doing anything, at least. Grendel stood there with that sword pointed at his throat for what felt like hours instead of minutes, but still, he managed to wait, even when all he wanted to do was leave, or snarl something at the stoic guard, anything to get him to act.

He held his tongue, and finally, he was allowed to speak.

"I need a favour. And before you say no..." He held up a finger. "Consider this: without my domain, your Holykats would have far fewer monsters in the night to hunt, and your purpose? It would lose all meaning. We all have our parts to play, Cernunnos, and Chaos guides us all."

He said this all in a rush, trying, hopefully not in vain, to mask the pain that was now stabbing sharply in his head

Well s**t. That hadn't worked. Weren't Angelique's supposed to be a God's better half? The ones who could actually be reasoned with? He was reminded, once again, that all Holykats, no matter their rank, were self-righteous, pompous, arrogant, dicks, and he had half a mind to say so, as Cernunnos stepped forward, forcing Grendel to take at least half a step back.

Demons. He shook his head, which served to clear it of some pain and show his refusal. "You know that isn't true, and even if it were, there are far worse things coming, Cernunnos. When that day arrives, and you find your forces overwhelmed, you might even wish we were still around." He blurted out, and it hurt him to do it, not just because he was in actual, physical pain now, but because he was essentially bartering with those he hated the most.

"I can offer you aid, against a common enemy. I just need one small thing," He grit his teeth for this last part. "Please?"

Maybe if he had been a stronger God, he wouldn't have deteriorated so quickly. It made him wonder if the same would have happened to his father. It rankled him, to know that within a few minutes more, he may have been rendered completely incapacitated. As soon as he found himself within the glowing light, the suffering began to fade, and he was able to straighten, not even realizing how much he'd been fighting to stay on his feet until that moment.

The Angelique was nattering on about his deity, and Grendel could not help but completely tune it out as he glanced around the bubble he was "trapped" in. Finally looking back at Cernunnos, he realized just how large and imposing he was, a detail that had somehow managed to escape his notice when he first arrived. Still not really listening, he frowned at those clenched, ham-sized fists, before giving his head a small shake and focusing on the task at hand.

Ah, they'd reached the point, finally! "As I said, just a small thing." He tried to sound offhand, "The Spear of Destiny? I just need to borrow it, for a short time, and would return it quickly after."

It was like talking to a wall. A big, stupid, brutish wall.

Grendel smiled and held up his hands. As though he could read the other's thoughts (or perhaps just recognized that discriminatory look in the Angelique's eyes), he said. "I am a God, I'm pretty sure I can yield any weapon." Well, to a point, but he'd worry about that if and when the time came.

He could tell he was possibly wearing Cernunnos down, and he kept it up. "Yes, and I have a destiny to fulfill. A quick one." Hopefully, "You won't even know it's gone."

The God continued to smile, pleasantly, passively, even when he was being denied what he'd come here to get. The more he heard about this spear, the more his curiosity was piqued. It sounded like it was much more powerful and important than he'd even realized. But if nobody was ever meant to wield it, then why did it even exist?

He was just going to switch tactics when Cernunnos offered to show him the spear. Lord of the Night. He rather liked that. It even sounded somewhat respectful, which was odd, coming from the lips of the overwhelmingly frustrating Angelique that was so determined to bar his path forward. Grendel nodded, still smiling, "I would like that, thank you."

See? He could be pleasantly polite too. Except that as soon as Cernunnos turned his back, the smile dropped, and the God shuddered, feeling dirty all of a sudden. When this was all over, he might need to tear a few hearts out of some mortals to make up for it.

Following behind, and watching as the encircling light moved with him, Grendel took in the room beyond the first set of doors. He paused at the threshold, and then stepped over, eyes sweeping around the room. Even through the protective shield, he could feel something unpleasant bearing down on him.

He followed to the next set of doors, and when they opened, and he followed, he found that weight bearing down heavier still. It was like he had to fight with every step, and he wondered how much worse it would be had he not the protection of Cernunnos. He realized at that moment that he might be in a bit of a predicament, or that this very well could be a trap. But why trap him? The Angelique could have cut him down, or at least tried to, several times now. No, for some reason, he was being amiable. Well, to some capacity at least.

It felt like ages had passed by the time they reached their destination. Grendel had, of course, curiously studied a few of the weapons that they passed, though he found some of them difficult to even look upon. They stopped, and he waited, struck by how this particular weapon was being held.

Oh, it was a powerful one indeed. His eyes took in the form of the spear as soon as the door slid open to reveal it. Instantly, he knew that he needed to have it. Not even for what he'd initially intended. No, he would keep it for himself, and reshape the entire world in his image with it. A world where the children of his domain ruled over everything, where they would no longer have anything to fear. Where sunlight would wither and die and endless darkness would rise. His eyes began to burn bright, a glow that began at the edges but quickly spread throughout. If Cernunnos was speaking, Grendel couldn't hear it. All he could hear was the spear.

Still, he had just enough self-control to stop himself from reaching for it then and there. Barely enough. Somewhere in the back of his head, he knew that it would be a bad idea to do so.

He spoke then, slowly and quietly, eyes still locked on the object. "What would it do to me if I held it?"

The door snapped closed and Grendel blinked, but his eyes still burned. The connection between the spear may have been cut off, but he could still hear its promises, echoing through his mind.

The God frowned. His desire to possess the spear would not be so easily deterred. Everything he had done had led him here. This was not where it was going to end.

"So why does it exist then? Who created it? Surely you don't intend to keep it in this box forever. Someone is meant to wield it." And why couldn't that someone be him? He stood his ground, stubborn.

He could still hear it calling to him. He realized that it wasn't just an echo.

It had never stopped.

"If you're so sure that it would do that to me, then why wouldn't you just let me take it? Sounds like it would kill me before I could even get out the door."