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[[Xel: Well if you can't say the reason, then it's not a very good one... ^^ ]]

Xellos wasn't as bothered by the scene as Cerras was. He'd seen this level of gore and carnage many times back during the height of the Koma War, so he'd been desensitised to it early on. Even so, he couldn't deny that the amount was still a bit surprising. Since Lazuli had joined them, Hellmaster hadn't behaved in this manor.
"We're here in place of Lazuli. She's been worried." he explained, hoping that mentioning Lazuli would do something to calm the child lord down. What he couldn't understand, is what happened to set him off this much. Lazuli was never one for arguing. It didn't make sense for this much bloodshed to be over her.

Something wasn't right. He should've asked Lazuli more questions before coming to the fortress. Then maybe he would know what was going on with Hellmaster. His behavior had improved greatly; it had been a rather convenient change. It'd made it easier to work with the lord. But now. "You'd really be fine if she was terrified of you?"

[[I'm really tempted to put Lazuli in here. Just to add to the drama... ^^;]]

Xellos barely managed to deflect the attack aimed at Cerras; it required a bit of creativity, since Hellmaster was so far above his own magic level. And it didn't help that he was currently stuck as a mortal. Being Lord Beastmaster's prized servant only protected him for so long. As he debated what to do next, he then sensed another aura within the fortress. He should've known that this would happen. "Very well." he said, gently taking hold of Cerras's arm, and motioning for her to follow him. She's here... he told her through telepathy. Lazuli followed us to the fortress. And it doesn't seem like she's having a fun time.

Xellos nodded in agreement. We'll have to hurry. She's probably trying to find him. Maybe to apologize for whatever she did to make him mad. She's just like that. Learning how Lazuli's mind worked was not a hard thing to do. If she did something wrong, even if it was almost nothing, she always went to apologize not long after. And if she found Hellmaster before they got there, things would no doubt go bad.

Lazuli wandered along the dark corridors, arms wrapped around herself and trembling. To say she was scared was an understatement. She'd never seen a place like this before; it was definately going to be visiting her in a nightmare later. "Hellmaster? Cerras? ...Xellos?" she called out, her voice cracking from fear. She shouldn't have done this. She shouldn't have left Juri. Where were they? There only seemed to be three auras besides her own. While she was lost in her thoughts, she tripped over something and fell in front of one of Hellmaster's victems. She let out a blood curdling scream and then scurried away from the corpse. Her breath was caught in her throat, and she felt like she was going to be sick. She couldn't get that face out of her mind.

Lazuli had already moved on; running blindly through what she now saw as Hell. No matter where she went, it was just blood and more horrible deformed faces. She felt like they were all watching her, either out of envy that she was still alive or warning her to stay away. Then she heard footsteps, and started running faster. It was bad enough seeing them; she didn't want to see that they were after her now too. Suddenly her feet left the ground, and she felt herself fall. Instinctively she flailed her arms, trying to save herself, and grabbed onto part of the floor above. She squeezed her eyes shut, not wanting to look around at what could possibly be beneath her.

Xellos had been sending waves of energy ahead of them, to help them navigate. "Be careful! There's a large hole coming up!" he warned, and then heard another scream from Lazuli.

Lazuli wasn't aware that the Hellmaster was helping her; she wasn't aware of anything. Her mind had shut down so she wouldn't continue thinking about what she'd seen her. It would've probably made the girl lose it. She remained on the ground where Phibrizzo had put her, staring blankly at nothing. She probably wouldn't be able to put two and two together until later. So for the moment, Phibrizzo's actions were still unknown to her.

Xellos watched the child lord leave, his expression one of slight amusement. Despite everything the Hellmaster had said, he had still come to Lazuli's aid the instant she was in trouble. The look, of course, faded when he looked down at the girl. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her; she'd seen things that no child, or person for that matter, should ever have to. And now he could only wonder how this would affect her in the long run.

Xellos nodded in agreement. "That's probably a good idea." he mumbled. Who knows what she might do when she finally snapped out of her daze. She might run away again. And that would only turn into more trouble. The little girl blinked a few times, returning to reality a little. She was still in a bit of a shock, but she could still visibly see the distant figure of Phibrizzo walking away. "Hellmaster?" she called out, hoping that he would hear her and come back. She might've regretted that decision had she figured out who'd made all the corpses. But right now all she could think about was why she'd come here. To apologize.