Kor and Titus

[Death's Door Inn, City of Tavertha, The Underworld]

In the city of Tavertha, within the Underworld, Kor sat at a table with arms crossed. His stark white hair contrasted against his dark, black skin, and his red eyes gleamed with annoyance. The bone spikes protruding from his body, coupled with devilish red horns, caused the surrounding green-skinned Achironians to lower their heads in fear.

Across from Kor, another Cursed Spirit, with pale white skin and matching hair, glowed with yellow eyes. Red veins covered his muscular frame, leading to two black holes surrounded by purple energy at his abdomen.

"What did Jiiba say about messing around near that Abomination, Kor?" the white-skinned Cursed Spirit, Titus, asked sternly. "You got a death wish or something?"

Kor laughed, fangs gleaming. "I'm not scared of that oversized bug, like the rest of you, Titus. It's been asleep for ages — you really think I'm gonna wake it up just by flying near it?"

Titus shook his head in frustration. "Why do I bother? You never listen."

Kor grinned, leaning back. "Besides, I have nothing better to do. I'm the weakest in the Guild, everyone knows that — I don't have to deal with half the responsibilities that you or Lilith have, 'cuz Jiiba thinks I'm useless!"

"You are useless," Titus sneered, raising his hand to summon a waitress. A green-skinned woman approached with a forced smile.

"Good evening. How may I help you?"

"Have you seen a woman with black horns?"

"I have not…"

The waitress glanced at Titus and then Kor before walking away. Kor snapped, "Hey! We're not done talking to you!" The Cursed Spirit snapped, his red eyes flaring. "Get back here, green pig!"

The waitress returned fearfully.

"Do you know who we are?" Kor intimidated.

"Yes… you're… the Curse Guild."

"Yeah, so we own you. In fact, we own this entire city — this entire region, actually!"

"Lilith owns this region, actually," Titus corrected. "Don't take credit for other people's authority — Lord Jiiba hasn't given you domain over any land yet — humble yourself."

Kor grumbled. "Tch. I'll be a lord eventually, so it doesn't even matter."

"Indeed," Titus said. Kor scowled, but Titus continued, "Yes ma'am, we are members of the Curse Guild, the notorious guild of Cursed Spirits that rule these lands. However, despite what you have heard about us, we mean you no harm. We are simply trying to find our friend — we have something important to discuss with her."

"I see…" The Achironian waitress replied softly, her eyes shimmering. "I'm sorry I can't help you."

"You are forgiven," Titus said, standing up and pushing his seat in. "Come on, Kor. If Lilith isn't at Guild Headquarters, nor her home or anywhere in Tavertha for that matter, there's only one place she would be."

Kor nodded knowingly. "Mm-hmm. She's probably with Bellatrix."

"Wherever that is…" Titus mused, lost in thought. His yellow eyes flickered with no emotion.

"Aren't we supposed to all meet up again when the Abomination wakes up?" Kor asked.

"Yeah… and I have a feeling it'll happen soon. More and more of those Vampires have started messing with it. Eventually, it's gonna open its eyes."

Kor sighed. "Whew, boy, that'll be a blast. What exactly is Lord Jiiba getting out of all this, anyway? I mean, talking with the Abomination somehow through his weird Chaos Magic, seizing control over the Underworld, building the Achironian Army… what's the plan?"

"There is a reason some information is not known to us," Titus explained condescendingly. "We are low-rank Cursed Spirits, therefore the others do not trust us with their whole plan."

"Yeah…" Kor looked disturbed. He shook his head, sighing.

"We know what the endgame is — getting the Chaos Core back, so we can open the Chaos Gate and return back to our realm, Xhaos. For now, it's our job to simply take orders… unfortunately."

Kor scoffed. "It's better than being murdered by Jiiba. But, considering he was the former Chaos Lord, our best shot of getting back to Xhaos is him, so I guess it's best to play along. He's one of the strongest Daemons in history by far, next to Zeus and Anubis, I'd say."

"True. There's a reason he was given the title Chaos Lord and given dominion over the Chaos Core. Someone like him… has no limits." Titus sighed. "Let's go. We have to get this message to Lilith. We'll find her eventually if we keep looking."

"Right." Kor stood up as well, and the two of them exited the inn's lobby, the weary eyes of Achironians following them as they went.

Kor and Titus emerged into the oppressive darkness of one of the Underworld's cities, Tavertha. Flickering torches barely illuminated the labyrinthine streets, casting long shadows on the Achironians toiling away.

Green-skinned Achironians served as guards, their weary eyes scanning the surroundings. Others, like laboring ants, built structures with a sense of urgency. Merchants haggled discreetly, and Achironian children, robbed of innocence, worked alongside their elders. The hushed whispers and painful moans of the sick and the elderly echoed softly in the atmosphere.

The city's heartbeat echoed with the rhythmic clang of hammers striking anvils. Torches lined the pathways, casting a feeble glow on the scenes of grueling labor.

"Oh, hey… would you look at that?" Kor murmured, crossing his arms and gazing up at a particular structure the Achironians built – a temple to Jiiba. It was massive and glorious, constructed from the obsidian stone of the Underworld, yet unfinished.

"Yes, it is quite impressive," Titus said, nodding and looking up. "Lord Jiiba is having these temples erected all over the Underworld to restore his power. Without the Chaos Core, his abilities are weakened, but not gone. He's been consuming the Souls of Achironians and Monsters to compensate, but… it hasn't been enough. In these temples, where sacrifices and rituals can take place, Lord Jiiba will be able to become stronger by collecting Chaos Energy."

"I see…" Kor nodded. "Say, why are you telling me all this stuff anyway, Titus?"

Titus smirked, looking at Kor. "I may be low-ranked, but I'm still higher than you. As a Rank 2, it's my duty to educate you, don't you agree?"

"Oh, shut up! You're not that much stronger than me!" Kor growled.

"Wanna bet?" A gleam of mischief flashed in Titus's eyes, and Kor responded in kind.

Without a word, Kor punched Titus, sending him flying through the air, crashing through houses and destroying structures. Achironians screamed and fled, crawling out from rubble. Kor laughed at the havoc he wreaked.

"Oops! Collateral damage is a bitch, isn't it? Hope I didn't scratch up that pretty face too bad!" Kor mocked.

FYOO!

Suddenly, a beam of purple energy shot towards Kor, but he barely dodged it.

"W-woah! What the—"

Titus's steady voice cut through the chaos.

"Cosmic Art: Retrograde."

Without warning, the purple beam came shooting back towards Kor like a boomerang, hitting him in the back. His body flew through the sky and crashed into the same inn they had just walked out of. He looked down, realizing he had crashed right through the waitress from before, her mangled body at his feet. Blood coated the walls and floor, a scene of pure carnage unfolding in the inn as everyone in the lobby had been killed.

"What was that?" Kor grunted, standing up.

"I'm not done, Kor."

"Huh? Where are you?"

"Cosmic Art: Celestial Placement."

In an instant, Kor found himself somewhere else. He couldn't breathe. On his knees, hands feeling a reddish, rocky surface, he gaped, struggling for air. The desolate landscape stretched before him, no signs of life. Another planet.

He's going to kill me, Kor thought. I'm going to die here.

Just as Kor felt his lungs tire out and his sight fade, he was brought back.

Kor gasped, eyes wide in terror.

"That's just a taste of what I can do," Titus responded, appearing next to him.

"You bastard!" Kor snarled, slamming his fists together. "Cursed Art: Bone Thorns!"

Spikes made of bone shot up from the ground beneath Titus, but he leaped out of the way, hovering in the air. He chuckled softly, a look of condescension in his eyes.

"You still have much practice to do, Kor," Titus remarked, smirking. "Come. Let's find Lilith. Let the result of this spar speak for itself."

Kor spit on the ground, scoffed. "Yeah, whatever."