A new toy [Bloo]

Form 1. The halls were suddenly filled with a quiet echoing something hard clicking against the floors. Hooves to anyone who'd been around horses before. A monster was walking through the halls his red chitin plainly visible as it ducked through passages. There was a whip of tentacles coiled around its arm and a blade larger than most of the people in the building held right to its chest. The creature seemed incapable of doing anything about the massive cannon that made up it's two free arms.

"Where are the ones in charge?" The question was aimed at a student who hadn't been fortunate enough to find cover before the giant rounded a corner. His bright green eyes bored into the kid as the cannon hovered mere inches from their chest.

Tiberius' head swiveled as his body followed soon after his feet shifting to turn him around. "I am Tiberius, a tank sent by Malan'tai for the leader of Hive to serve without question." He informed Greed seriously.

The monster would glance around asking. "Is there somewhere we can go that I can actually stand? These halls are cramped for me." His whip released from his arm the tendrils sliding through the air on greeds left side.

Tiberius stretched out his tendrils letting the numerous razor tipped tentacles flail around in the air each undulating like a snake. His face was trapped in a single expression his teeth exposed with no lips to hide them, they interlocked perfectly hiding the prehensile tongue behind. "You may call me Tib. I'm not sure what you want to know though. He is a being older than this world who has traveled through systems that no longer exist devouring the races inhabiting them. The monstrous being that created me devours the souls of the dead to extend his own life. This is what the memories he gave taught me."

Tiberius may not have been able to show emotion visibly but the way his voice sounded was as if he was in a mixture of fear and awe. He stood taller going to his full height and stretching his various limbs extending the sword and stretching his legs as well. "Is there something more specific?"

Tiberius shrugged when asked if that was the plan for Earth. He then asked where to find Mal and Tiberius said shrugging. "Probably his house, but emailing him would be an easier way to set up a meeting."

Tiberius absently swung his sword through the air relatively bored really. He hadn't had a good fight since his creation. The memories were there as was a hunger for conflict. He'd sparred before but never actually fought.

Tiberius would nod and tapped an innocuous lobe on the side of his head. "Oh, I was wrong. I'm requesting permission to take you to him now." He spoke as if worried about where they had to go. "Seems your name is interesting, you'll be pretty much the first outsider to see our head quarters.. well one of them." Tiberius gestured for Greed to follow and left the HIVE quickly.

The giant lead Greed to a parking garage. At the bottom level there was a door with a keypad. Nothing suspicious anyone would be forgiven for thinking it was a janitorial closet. Tib however keyed in a sixteen digit code with his tendrils tapping them in rapid sucession. The door opened to a staircase going down.

There was no light down here. Greed would also notice anything with batteries like a cell phone was rapidly drained of power as they went down the stairs. Beetles could be heard crawling in the darkness. A chitinous hand closed around Greeds as he was lead by the hand around twists and turns up slopes and down others. Greed could feel the bites of beetles.

Tiberius hearing his complaint would move quickly. Greed could hear a bit of chitin shatter and then feel blood being wiped on his skin. "You don't smell like those of us who are allowed. I have to make you smell different to them." Once he was marked the insects would leave him be. After nearly an hour in the caverns Tiberius did something and a thing moved in front of them revealing light distantly. As they approached Greed could hear city sounds but there was no sign of the moonlight from before.

As they stepped to a catwalk Greed would see Malan'tai walking toward him with two power armored people with him. "Ah Greed. Welcome friend, to the guild West Coast North American Head office." He gestured to the city below them and it was largely like one above except the people all dressed similar and moved like they had a purpose. Nothing like a free willed mass. He could also see swarms of insects on everything there was almost nothing technological down here. Most things being done by some form of creature. There were swarms of creatures like flies but on closer inspection their mouths were razor sharp and coated in acids.

Malan'tai would chuckle softly at the question as he said calmly. "Greed my.. oldest compatriot, I don't intend to throw my lot in with anyone. She doesn't know about this. You're the only sin to have seen it." He gave a pause to let that information sink in for Greed. The only one he trusted enough to see this.

"We both want more. Always more, my greed runs deep as well. The reason people don't know the degree of my influence is intentional. I show just enough to keep people guessing. But if I don't show you one of the bigger weapons at my disposal. Well you might get the wrong impression." Malan'tai turned to the city and gestured at it in a broad sweeping motion.

"I'm sure you have more pressing questions than something like 'why work with my sister'. Deep down you already knew I was up to something bigger. As I'm sure she does too, the question is, who trusts you more?"

Malan'tai listened carefully for every detail and tone watched every movement. He was already moving when Greed mentioned that something mattered more. "What is a district of living people to you Greed? Doesn't hell run on the currency of souls? And really isn't it a hassel to wait for them to die." Malan'tai held up a ruby polished into a perfect sphere.

He held the gem out to Greed. "Innocent souls, a thousand of them as a token of our meeting here. And more just waiting. I'm a soul vampire, I have plenty I've gathered over the eons." Mal waited for the sin to take it, and when inspected it would be easy for him to tell it was Mal described. A vessel containing long dead innocent souls who had never made it beyond this realm. "Even then if you want money, work for my business. I'll make you one of my cfo's and you can reap the benefits of marketing and owning most of the worlds media alongside me."

"All I want from you, is your loyalty to me above Hive itself. If I need you I'll call. Consider it more a deal of being on retainer. I pay you now for the likelihood of needing you later, and the jobs when needed will pay as well no worries there." Malan'tai grinned and walked toward Greed slightly having sensed the thought of apprehension of the souls not being there.

"How about I show you how I put the souls in the ruby in the first place? I can open my memory of it to you let you feel them leave me to be trapped in this object. Would that assure you of my good intentions?" Malan'tai ever the business man wasn't taking any chances with these opening negotiations he wanted it clear he was on the up and up.