asgardgenesis | audio;

It’s called a Qliphoth.

[A beat, and that’s a familiar sound of Nero gritting his teeth in annoyance.] The tree that Odin mentioned? Yeah, it’s a Qliphoth, and it’s bad news.

That… is an understatement. [ In contrast, V sounds somewhat bored, as if this is just very old news to him. ] The Qliphoth is a tree that grows in the Underworld. It thrives on human blood, and those within its path become no more than dust once it’s done with them.

[Nero sighs.] Back home, it basically destroyed an entire city in about a month- and demons were running all over when we came back to finish the job. So we can’t let it sit here, otherwise we’re gonna have even more problems than what we’ve had in the past. [Is that the sound of him grabbing a blade? Or setting the chamber of a gun? Porque no los dos! He’s getting ready, obviously. There’s humor in his tone though.]

And besides, Hell’s not that great a look for Asgard anyway.

Yet another understatement. You're remarkably reserved, Nero. All things considered. [ This may not be a voice very many recognize. Vergil doesn't care for humans and their nonsense — and that mostly includes the nonsense here. But, well. He lives here, so he has to care.

Unfortunate. ] The Qliphoth is a tree that grows in the Underworld, and as such will be infested with demons and their ilk. It must be destroyed. Allowing it to grow will result in an even greater infestation of creatures that want nothing more than wanton destruction and see humans as little more than food. I doubt this is something the rest of you will want.

While they are not a particularly bright species, some demons can be cunning. There may be.. challenges, in destroying the tree. [ There's a sigh from him. He's made this mistake once before. Surely this one isn't his fault, right? ] It should go without saying, but do not let them, or the tree roots, touch you. Human blood strengthens demons and will make them difficult to kill. You should kill them without remorse, since they will show you none.

There will be traps designed to harass and confuse the unwary. Demons that are more at home in the filth inside the Qliphoth will use this to their advantage as well. [ There’s a sound of a book flipping open and pages being turned. ] To get rid of the Qliphoth, there are nine seals that need to be found and removed. It’s… easy enough to take care of the seals themselves; it is the guardians of the seals that you may need to be wary of. Fortunately, demons may be deadly, but they are not invulnerable to normal steel. Otherwise demon hunting would not be as lucrative as it is… to some people. [ Is that a jab at Dante? Well, V would know just how much it cost to hire the demon hunter as well as how much of a mess his place looked during his brief time there. ]

Yeah, yeah. No time for details, the sooner we get out there to kick this thing’s ass, the sooner we’ll be out of trouble. [A beat as Nero quips back.] Besides, I don’t think anyone wants to hear the gruesome details of how gross this thing can be. [Because it is gross, there’s no denying that.]

Hey, Dante, you got any words of wisdom? [It’s a joke, and you can hear Dante speak up, though he sounds a bit further away from everyone else.]

Yeah, easiest advice is don’t get yourself killed! [This is followed by the slamming of a door, and one doesn’t have to see anything to know Nero’s balking at the fact that Dante’s just up and left already.]

Wh- hey! Where the hell are you- [SIGHS LOUDLY, THIS FUCKING FAMILY.] Jackass.

[ A slight snort of amusement at that. He agrees, just don't expect him to say it out loud. ] And there you have it. Words of wisdom from the legendary demon hunter himself. So. Stay on your toes, hit them hard and don't get killed. If need be we will attempt to assist you if we can, but otherwise don't get in our way. [ Is that steel in his voice? Well yes, it's personal after all. ]

[And sauntering past, hips a-swaying and with a toss of her hair, goes Trish, already armed and ready and in hot pursuit.]

And don’t forget to watch out for tentacles… they can be kind of handsy. Right, Vergil?

[ There's no response there, just a sigh, more footsteps, and the door closing again, though not as violently. Nero's family sucks. ]

[[Blue = Nero, green = V, light blue = Vergil, red = Dante, pink = Trish ;)]]