Joey was in hell, again. He did not know why he had decided to return, but he was there. He was flying around randomly in his chariot. The two demons that pulled it were roaring needlessly, any being within fifty miles could hear those two go off. Joey was at the reins, singing a song. If one could listen past the two demons roaring, then they could hear him singing a warrior's song that went like this:

From the mists of the mountains a deafening call
Bellows down over the plains
On a host of battle-worn ears it does fall
Pushing out through the thunder and rain

These men of the north they have suffered too long
The anger it swells in their veins
Of the spirited roars of lost warriors' songs
Distant echoes are all that remain

And my voice is my violence
Clear the sky's frozen tears
And no more we'll be silent
With this Sovngarde song in our ears

And we stand tall
Sons of the snow
We will not fall
Under these blows
For our hearts they are hardy
Our spirits are strong
And our voices are lifted into
This Sovngarde song

Conquer the anger and ravenous rage!
Make it a part of your power
Pummeling down let your bloodlust engage!
Under your force they will cower

Feeling the fury so pure and so bright
Breaking the bonds of surrender
Under the moon for our home we will fight
And we will die to defend her

And my voice is my violence
Clear the sky's frozen tears
And no more we'll be silent
With this Sovngarde song in our ears

And we stand tall
Sons of the snow
We will not fall
Under these blows
For our hearts they are hardy
Our spirits are strong
And our voices are lifted into
This Sovngarde song

These perilous peaks
On the rim of the sky
I move in the midst
Of the clouds drifting by
At the top of the world
On a white doomful day
Men of wisdom will show me the way

And we stand tall
Sons of the snow
We will not fall
Under these blows
For our hearts they are hardy
Our spirits are strong
And our voices are lifted into
This Sovngarde song

Oh
Bron Ul Drem
Bron Ul Drem

Upon finishing the song, he landed at a spot that appeared to have burning trees all around. He began to charge his demon arm, feeling the electricity store in it.

Red eyes brimming a bright, piercing red the long haired demon watched as the carriage landed far off in the distance. The power was definitely familiar and it was a power that Cubix had recently detested more than he normally did any individual being. That signature of the abomination that dared to wrap his greasy fingers around Cubix' neck...Ingrate. However, he was gone, lost in the depths of this fiery land, and isolated himself from all else. He was no longer a problem; it wasn't a factor to even be considered. Just like it's predecessor, they vanished, tossing away that crown, and lost themselves in the endless sands of their longevity.

However...

There were pieces that remained. Small, broken pieces that left shattered by the weight of the closing door that those beings left. Those pieces, left scattered, would only become shards that would either be swept away or catch under the feet of something much larger than they were themselves. These shards were pieces that needed to be picked and examined. To blow in the winds, to be swept by the tides, to be caught by the greed would either be beneficial or wasteful...And this demon, who's name was Cubix, had no intentions on wasting something that could possibly be of moderate use to himself. In this situation, Cubix planned to collect an important piece of material that, should it prove to be a dud, could be disposed with as easily as it was picked up. Now, all that was left was to grasp it in his hand, hold it to the light, and see just what colors it refracted. Cubix didn't...Care for ugly colors.

~~~

"Boy," The words carried just as a body materialized, a sweet swoosh followed, and green grass blades danced around his body, running from his legs upwards in a graceful spiral that ran up his form before scattering wildly to the wind he wrought himself. That long hair, that flawless skin, and those elegant, yet sturdy, garb from a century or two back easily made him stand out from the common cannon fodder that ran about in the chaotic void that this was. This man, as he appeared, was a demon. He looked human and he sounded human, but that only represented just how old and powerful he was. This demon was not one that Joey would have ever came into contact with before, despite the fact that he was the very one that was formally responsible for destroying overzealous intruders such as Joey.

That was then, however, and no longer the now. He was an intruder himself, collecting shards, and he just found one that was cocky...Or perhaps stupid was a better word, to announce himself to everything with any sense. In this land, that was something beyond bold. Lacking practical sense or the natural logic of self preservation was slightly attracting to Cubix though. He enjoyed things that could carry themselves with some sort of confidence, so long that they understood their place and his superiority.

"That arm," Cubix would lazily raise and arm as he watched the sparks run and jump, "It is not yours, is it?" A self exclamatory question that Cubix did not even need an answer too. Cubix knew. Cubix knew the moment that Joey landed from his carriage. He was not from here, yet he was. It was all the more interesting. He was like that girl, the other Shinigami, yet he was completely, and absolutely, different. Spreading his seeds, scattering them as far as he could, but for what purpose? There wasn't any reason to indulge on lesser beings such as Shinigami, yet that person, that demon, had. Now he was gone and that power was left a flame unchecked.

"I would like to experience just what you are capable of with that little arm. Standing here, in what you call Hell, you must have some purpose here, correct? I have rewritten it. If you cannot interest me with that arm, your purpose will be to have your internals become decor for the dirt," A clear, sharp, and arrogant threat. To be impressed? He came here for his own entertainment and, should Joey fail at such a trivial challenge, he'd die. It was that simple. The conditions were to make Cubix find some interest, some usefulness, in this Shinigami and, if he couldn't, he would never, ever leave hell...Especially in more than one piece.

Cubix would lower his hand, lightly laying it by his side, as he closed his eyes and moved a hand towards his hair. He'd comb through it as Joey sang or spoke or whatever it was he was going to do. Cubix was, for the most part, completely open.
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791

"Hullo good sir!" Joey responded to the man as he came along. He listened to the man for a bit, when he was done he sat down on the chair that wasn't there and he drank some non existent tea. "My arms are mine," he responded to the first question. "The master helped me, he was the one that fixed me up! Up, up upupupupup!" Joey began laughing needlessly, his arm still storing electricity. His other arm began growing blades. "See, master looked human, but he wasn't! It was such an oddity really. Much like how I am an oddity myself! He was gathering an army of creatures but he just vanished one day." He showed the man his other arm, one could visibly see that there was a blade coming out of it. He looked at the man and he moved his legs to where he was sitting cross legged while sitting on nothing. For, Joey is mad, he may be even more mad than a hatter! He raised his left arm, the one with the blades, and he moved his top hat over to the side of his head. "Just give me a little bit more time, it takes time to charge it u you know."

"The master?" Cubix couldn't help but smirk at that statment. The non-existant being that retreated to the depths after causing the mess he had. Though, playing along with the statement, what was an individual who's master left them to be? Something to be bought like an animal? Something to wither and die out like a pet plant? Something that loses meaning, such as an uncompleted work by a human...In the end, it was something that was not whole. Something that was meant to be finished by something or someone else. This boy was up for adoption. Whether death or a demon would decide to sign the papers was still up in the air.

"My my," Cubix, slowly opened his eyes opened slowly as he ran a hand gracefully through that onyx hair of his. "You wish for time?" Cubix looked up in the air, as if he were considering the request. "I don't bater with insignificant, small creatures," Now...Cubix was slightly irritated. Not only was his prior threat disregarded, if not just dusted off, but this boy was speaking to Cubix as an equal? The insolence was so thick Cubix wondered just how he hadn't, out of rage, attacked already. Well, better late than never.

"You are-" Cubix started, before throwing his hand out, a horizontal swing, and his power ran along with it. There was surge of demonic energy, running through the earth and soaring through the air, as Cubix unleashed his attack. The ground, which was sand, hardened almost as if it were cement. All the sand came together, brought close to solidify, and from infront of Cubix shot out a rectangular pillar of the compacted sand that was as tall as Joey. It would look like, from Joey's point of view, that a square was flying at him. The makeshift tower, shot at a 30 degree angle, was thick enough to hurt Joey quite a bit and, more importantly, launch him back a few yards. "Misinterpreting the situation, little Shinigami," Cubix was urked enough to lose the ability to calmly respond to Joey's talk about an army or his power...Which was really why Cubix arrived here in the first place. Now, this was starting to lean on just getting vengeance.

Cubix would lower his hand, keeping a good read on Joey's movements even if Joey dodged the quick moving attack. Cubix would rotate his neck a moment, rolling his eyes as he did, all the while slightly twitching his left fingers. The moment he twitched them a crown formation of spikes would form around Joey. They were 2-3 feet in length, their size, shape, and height random and sporadic, and they would be slightly leaned in towards Joey, who was in their center, with a few feet of space from his body and the spikes.
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470

As a square came flying at him, he aimed his arm at it and he fired, releasing the electricity that he had been storing in his arm. It shattered some of the square, but not all of it. Leaving a square come at him that had jagged and sharp sides come at him instead. He jumped up and landed on the top of it, safe. But still moving away from the strange man. Then the spikes came out of the ground and stopped the square thing. "You know, this is nice. But you aren't a very good hallucination. I mean, where' the pizzazz? The sparkle? The artistic flare? I mean, you could do a much better job than this! Look at the tavern wench right there, she's about ready to serve me some mead." And with that, he broke into another song.

We're merry men of Skyrim
So sturdy and so stout
When the day is done
When it's time for fun
We'll drink and sing and shout!

You weak livered milk drinkers
Can let your throats run dry
Cause there's just one drink
That we will sink
Until the day we die

Drinking mead in the halls of Whiterun
The maidens and the men!
We swig our brew
Until we spew
Then we fill our mugs again!
You can keep your filthy Skooma
It makes our bellies bleed
Cause when we raise our flagon
To another dead dragon
There is just one drink we need...
NORD MEAD!

Chug a mug of mead
And another mug of mead
Chug another mug of mead
Till you fall down
Chug a mug of mead
And another mug mead
Chug another mug of mead, warrior!

After the long hard days
Of hunting and of war
Our throats are tired and thirsty
And our bodies drenched in gore
But we won't waste our evenings
Feeling tired and feeling spent
We perk right up when we breathe in
That wholesome honey scent

That Cyrodilic Brandy
Too fruity for these tongues
You can keep your fancy alto wine
It tastes like horker dung!
Balmora Blue tastes great to you
But here we like it plain
Just fill my mug
With the mighty jug
Of honey, heart and grain

Drinking mead in the halls of Whiterun
The maidens and the men!
We swig our brew
Until we spew
Then we fill our mugs again!
You can keep your filthy Skooma
It makes our bellies bleed
Cause when we raise our flagon
To another dead dragon
There is just one drink we need...
NORD MEAD!

Chug a mug of mead
And another mug of mead
Chug another mug of mead
Till you fall down
Chug a mug of mead
And another mug mead
Chug another mug of mead, warrior!

"Hallucination?" Cubix said, slightly surprised, "Delusional, blind child...You are not dealing with an illusion. I suppose, the best way to make this clear is with pain, isn't it?" Cubix would say, giving up as the boy started to sing. He was singing while laying on the bed of a trap. Cubix twisted, lightly and slow, his fingers delicately as the spikes shot towards Joey. They were askewed, flying slightly too high or too much to the side, so that they would either crash into the other or run over his clothes and skin. The weapons were angled to scrape and scratch, rather than just out right skewer and penetrate the boy. The aim was wonderfully made and, with them coming from all sides simultaneously, they wouldn't be an easy dodge. Spikes from his back, front, and his right and left all over a wide formation, spreading and hitting high and low, almost created a multidimensional spider-web formation with Joey at the center. He could try jumping, but they could still his his legs, chest, arms, and back or he could try ducking, but his head, shoulders, rear, and feet would be heavily attacked; basically, simple maneuvers wouldn't get Joey anywhere.

Cubix slowly lowered his hand, tilting his head slightly, as a pulse ran from his feet. This pulse, which looked almost like a ripple through the hardened ground, was made with the slimmilest, shortest, smallest amount of demonic energy, though it's purpose was great. Cubix had, in that moment, interconnected his mind, consciousness and spirit with the Earth and, for that instance the ripple ran through the field, he was gathering all the more information. He did this constantly during a battle, but right now he was trying to get a more focused understanding of just what he was dealing with. He wished for these lands to speak to him with what they saw, felt, experienced, and sensed from Joey; as if the world itself were whispering in Cubix's ear, the demon spread out his perception and comprehension and extended it far beyond what was humanely possible. His prowess in this area was probably even more advanced than what any Shinigami could muster.

Cubix, once again, closed his eyes. He held his hands up, before him, palms up as if he were waiting to receive something. As he stood there, seeming still and quiet, he looked almost tranquil and at ease. It was like Cubix felt, for this moment, really good.
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412

Joey finished the song as the first spike hit him. He felt no pain, for he did not truly believe that the man was there. All he new was that he was talking to a hallucination. The first spike grazed his arm, tearing the fabric and causing him to bleed a little. The next spike missed him entirely, so nothing happened. It seemed that most of the spikes were sent so that if he tried to move he would be hit. He did not move, but he was still hit. When all of the spikes had flown on by he simply continued to smile. Two very small spikes were sticking to his stomach, though the demon flesh that was there had kept them from penetrating any vital organs. Several were stuck to his legs, but he stood. Laughing hysterically, he looked at the man. "My my, you are fun! Why don't I teach you a little something? Hmm? A little something about electricity. Ah yes, electricity! The thing that jolts and shocks and makes a roundabout! Let me show you a very simple thing I can do with it!" With that final sentence Joey began rubbing his hands together quickly. He moved his hands apart and electricity was arcing between his fingertips. "And so you know, I only called him "Master" because I never learned his true name."

"My my," Cubix repeated the words, though he was slightly impressed this time. He felt the attacks, though likely not on the same level as Joey should have. Cubix felt them strike, felt them run through the boy's garb and flesh, and knew that they should have hurt, quite a bit. Cubix could tell the boy was defending himself, ever so slightly, however it was only of a certain level. Cubix could, if he really tried, test just how much the boy could defend. Yet, that really wasn't what impressed Cubix. What impressed Cubix was the fortitude. Not even a flinch despite being cut opened? Even more, he kept an upbeat persona as if the attacks hadn't transpired at all. Now this was truly interesting.

"Aren't we the strange one," Cubix would say, eyes opening as he slid a hand through that long, soft black hair. It was always in the way. Cubix was intrigued and that honestly may have just promised Joey's life and security. Cubix wouldn't destroy, no matter how it spoke, something that was interesting to himself. That was wasteful and at this point, Cubix wasn't planning on completely wasting this Shinigami.

"His name was Divus," Cubix said, slightly cutting his eyes at the electrical display. "He has retreated to a place that none can reach. He will likely never show himself to you ever again," Cubix would say, watching the demon laced kido. Cubix couldn't exactly give it any one name. It was amassing power by melding the Shinigami's spiritual power and the Demonic Energy inside those arms creating quite a unique and volatile energy in his hands. Likely...He could only barely scratch it's full potential.

"Well...Are you going to do anything with that?" Cubix asked, an out-of-character grin growing as he awaited for the boy to act. It looked like he was finally finished charging. What was he going to do next?
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319

"Divus, so that was his name..." Joey appeared to be drifting off until he came back for a moment. "Of course I'm going to do something with this. Either A.) I touch your head and give you the shock. Or B.) I touch my own head and I zap myself!" With that he began walking towards the man. He held his arms outwards as if t otouch him and then he put the hands on his head. The electricity pulsated throughout his body, causing him to spasm. When it was all over, he was lying on the ground. He got up, his face was black from soot. He wiped his eyes clean and he simply replied, "Well, that was shocking. Hahahahahahaha!!!!" After several minutes his laughing fit had stopped. He got up and he spoke, "That was a very basic electric attack. It requires one to store electricity within their own bodies without the electricity leaving the body. This alone can take over twenty years to get right. Want me to show you how?"

Cubix turned his head slightly as Joey shocked himself. That had to have hurt, but all that followed was laughter. This boy's mind was very rare and peculiar and it only left Cubix feeling as if he was wrong over and over. Cubix had assumed one thing, but now all the perceptions and conceptions he came here with were so far out of the ballpark that he couldn't even draw them back. Cubix was almost fascinated by the way this boy carried himself and he couldn't help but watch, beyond amused, the show that went on.

"Electricity," Cubix would mimic the words said by the boy. Cubix would close his eyes, diving deep in thought a moment. Cubix was interested. In fact, he was beyond it at this point. Cubix wanted to see how far this boy could go. Looking at it from any and all directions, it didn't make logical sense to Cubix. Cubix appeared to this boy, within Hell, a superior demon of great age and power, and attempted to provoke and intimidate him, only to fail in both areas with the boy attacking himself, laughing and offering to give Cubix something instead. Cubix wasn't used to being pushed into this sort of scenario. "Interesting," Cubix would say, opening his eyes slowly as he was looking away from Joey.

Cubix had completely and fully read Joey with his own Cubio Formalus and now knew the outer details of the demon arms. Having sensed them as well as he could, Cubix had a fair knowledge of what they were like inside as well. Cubix knew about his own race well, likely more so than even those leagues older than he was, and it was with that knowledge and his own current set of powers that he could completely align himself with those arms that the boy had.

"You wish to give it to me then?" Cubix would ask, though the words were really just saying what sort of situation this was. Holding up his own hand, Cubix would aim and open palm towards Joey with his fingers together, straight up, as if he were saying to halt. Cubix focused. He focused on his own demonic energy and he focused on the energy deep inside Joey's body. Those arms. Cubix could at least do this much from a distance. Ordinarily, it would require his full power and his Unbound form, but he could generate a pseudo version of his Spiritus Formalus in order to bring procreative live to the arms that Joey wore. Likely, it was far too early for Joey to truly have them completely activated by Cubix' power, so just Cubix attempting to enter his energy, through the information he found in Joey, was more than enough.

"Electricus" Cubix said, honestly slightly straining.
Joey would feel warmth in his right arm. That warmth was Demonic energy and it was on the rise. The energy surged, running through the arm and likely causing it's charge to erupt. Electricity would fly from the arm, wild and free, creating a dance of sparks and lightning. The Demonic energy that powered this arm would create a slight rise in Joey's own Spiritual power, as his power was a meld of that very demonic energy and his own natural shinigami spiritual energy. The core of that mixture was amplified in that right arm creating a moment of tremendous energy. It was almost like Joey's electric right arm became an energized battery of enormous power. The strength was greater and the amount of energy it naturally generated was twice as much. That would mean, not only were the attacks likely twice as destructive, it would take half as much time to charge and recharge them.

"Umbra Ars • Tonare. You think you can manage it?" Cubix would ask, all the more curious. As the lightning surged from Joey's arm, raging and angry, he was supposed to do something with it. Cubix would, with his opened hand still aimed at Joey, slowly raise it towards the sky. The lightning erupting from Joey's arm would run to Cubix's arm like a lightning rod and, for that moment, Joey would feel Cubix's power. The lightning connection that united both their arms would allow Joey to feel, deep inside every fiber of Joey's being, the full extent of Cubix's real, actual power. Whether he would think of the sensation as an illusion or a hallucination was honestly what Cubix wanted to see.

All Joey would have to do would be follow Cubix's raising his arm to the sky and call out that magical word and, if Joey were truly capable, the Tonare would follow. The hammer of might that was the hellish lightning bolt. Tonare, which was either black, white or yellow, was an enormous attack that summoned down a bolt of insane lightning, at high speeds, down upon an opponent. The attack was swift, capable of being used at any distance, and it was typically enough to harm the target quite a ways. If Cubix were to cast the Tonare, it would be a bolt thick enough to devour an oak tree with an intensity to incinerate pure rock with it's unbridled fury. However, whether Joey could even cast it, or would cast it, was to be decided. With all the electricity, jumping and running out of Joey, he could likely do a lot more than simply summon a Demonic thunderbolt down from the empty skies. Pure, incredible, enormous power was running through Joey, centralized around his right arm, and the possibilities were likely only limited to his own imagination. He could even try to shock himself again...However, with his current power, it likely would do twice the damage.

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