"Combustion" - A Project: Demonhunter Side Story

Author's Notes:

- I don’t own what I don’t own (but I do own Project: Demonhunter, it’s associated characters, concepts of mythological figures, and settings), and I don’t actively look for other stories and plots, so if you see something familiar… just remember that by this day and age, everything’s been done to death. This is just my take on a span of time with the events therein, and it’s really for the development of my characters. It’s just easier for me if they go play in worlds that are already established.

- The Hell Council is made up of leaders of the Underworld from around the planet and cover the majority of major belief systems. I mean no harm in any which way if anyone is offended, but I would appreciate if some research was done before flames are passed out.

- If you would like to see any illustrations done to go with these stories, or images of the characters from Project: Demonhunter, please visit the links on my user page.

---

Deep in the Underworld, there stands a place that not many people talk about… largely because they don’t know it exists. This is the headquarters of Supernatural Control, lead by the Hell Council. It’s members have long since stopped the war between Heaven and Hell, and have come into some semblance of a decent working environment. Gone are the days of epic temptations and salvations, pious heroes and sinful villains… that is not to say that these things do not still exist, but it is now on the shoulders of Supernatural Control to guide the balance between darkness and light.

The following is one of the many exploits that the employees of this organization have embarked on...

---

Within the confines of a huge subterranean office smack dab in the middle of the Underworld… better known to it’s employees as Supernatural Control, two elemental goddesses were reviewing anomaly reports as part of their day’s assignment.

“Lani, everything is so… quiet today.” Rina, the patron of Fire, turned to her Air sister.
“I know, Rina.” The blond goddess nodded, bringing up the various stages of limbo. “Aside from the usual reaper ultimatums, angelic interventions, and… hey…! What the hell is that?”
Lani motioned to an electromagnetic spike in one of the limbo sectors. “Can you get me a picture of that?”
Rina nodded and complied, bringing up a god’s eye view of the area, which included two alien ships quickly passing through the area, and a lone male struggling against an electromagnetic worm.

“I’m going to get him.” Lani started towards one of the nearby inter-dimensional gateways. “I don’t want the reapers complaining to me again.”
“Be careful.” Rina started. “I’m going to let the Hell Council know.”
“Thanks!” Lani waved as she passed into nothingness.

--

“…Where ….where am I?” The tan-feathered avian squinted drowsily against the lights in the Hell Council infirmary.
“You’re in Hell.” A large blue saurian with a wide smile came into view, blocking the overhead lights.
“…” The avian twitched before letting loose with an ear-piercing scream that brought Rina and Lani running.
“’Dian, what did you do?” Lani asked, catching the doorframe and skidding into the room.
“Nothing.” The saurian held up one of his hands as he tried to clear his ear with the other. “I was changing his ice pack… he woke up and asked where he was… I told him…”
Lani smacked the saurian with the folder she was still clutching. “Don’t DO that!”
“What was I supposed to do?” Frigidian shrugged.
“NOT THAT.” Lani threw up her hands.

“Um…” A timid voice came from behind the gods. “… Is he right? Am I …dead?”
“Oh, lordy no. You’re alive as they come, sweetie.” Lani shook her head at the duck. “I’m sorry Frigidian scared you.”
“…Could I get some answers then?” The avian tried to sit up, but decided against it as he got dizzy.
“Sure.” Lani sat down on the edge of his bed. “I just need to know your name and where you’re from, dear.”
“Canard… I’m from Puckworld.” The avian tilted his head slightly. “Why does that matter?”
“Well, to start…” Lani leaned back. “You’re not even remotely close to that sector of space.”
Canard’s eyes looked like they were going to roll right out of their sockets. “What?”

Lani turned to Rina and Frigidian. “Can you guys go and run his information?”
“Sure.” Rina nodded, as she ushered Frigidian out of the room. “Let me know if you get anything interesting out of him.”
The air goddess nodded as the door clicked shut.
“Okay… I’m going to give this to you as straight as possible. You let me know if you’re not with me.” Lani exhaled and looked Canard in the eye.
“All right.” Canard nodded.

“You are currently recovering from a pretty nasty concussion in an infirmary that belongs to the Hell Council, which happens to be in the Underworld… and is not all ‘fire and brimstone’ as some would have you believe. You are also at least three sectors away from home, which is what I gathered when I pulled you out of inter-dimensional limbo.” Lani started. “The electromagnetic worm that you were attacked by is long gone, and we’re working on finding out how to either get you home, or back to your crew. I needed your name and place of origin so our informants could help us track down any of your people. Still with me?”

“Yeah.” Canard nodded. “If I’m not in Hell on Puckworld… what planet am I on?”
“Earth.” Lani stood, getting the avian a glass of water. “It would have been on the shoulder of ‘The Goalie’ from your home planet.”
“…How… how do you know that?” Canard accepted the glass.
“The same way I knew about the worm, and the sectors, and all the other things.” Lani smiled. “I’m an agent for a group called Celestial Phenomenon. My entire job is making sure that the universe spins quietly and continuously.”
“Oh.” Canard nodded. “Never heard of you.”

“That’s what I like to hear. It means that I’m doing my job properly.” Lani laughed. “You know… I just about forgot.”
The goddess extended her hand. “My name’s Lani. I’m the elemental goddess of Air.”
Canard shook her hand as she continued. “That dark-haired girl was Rina. She controls Fire, and that saurian… my apologies again for him… is Frigidian. He represents ice… He’s also my apprentice.”
“Right… the ice pack.” Canard nodded. “A true cold-blooded saurian… well… I suppose there’s stranger.”
“Exactly.” Lani chuckled. “Is there anything else you’d like to know?”
“Yeah… actually.” Canard’s features gained a touch of seriousness. “Why do you and Rina look so different from him?”
“Oh…” Lani raised her eyebrows. “We normally deal with humans around here, so this is our default form… Dian was created after we were, so he elected to look like that. If you like, I can change into something a little more… familiar.”
“What do you mean?” Canard asked.
“Here. Look at the wall.” Lani instructed.

As Canard did so, she quickly changed into a Puckworldian version of herself, and sat back down on the bunk.
The avian jumped slightly as he turned back. “Gah! How…”
“Elemental goddess thing.” Lani shrugged, waving off the duck.
Canard looked at the goddess like she’d grown an extra head. “…Sure.”

“You’ll get used to it.” Lani smiled. “I do, however, need you…”
“Oi, Lani! You’re not going to believe this...” Rina came back into the room holding some forms. “… I see that you’ve succeeded in weirding him out MORE…”
“No, it’s okay.” Canard shrugged at the Fire goddess. “It’s good to know that I’m not out of place here.”
“Good. Because you’re not alone.” Rina smiled.

CONTINUED…