[PQ] (RQ) the lion’s den

// i'll deliver hell to your doorstep dressed in rich facade //

He is… so incredibly sore from what had happened to him in Jack Tar Landing. Thankfully by now the bruises have shifted from dark blues and purples to being more of a blueish green, though it isn’t like anyone looking at the Butcher would notice them with the way he’s dressed. A nice dark shirt tucked into a nice pair of pants and his favorite boots adorn his exterior, with the sleeves rolled up his forearms and his shirt buttoned up to the collar.

He looks as impeccable as ever, and one might think everything is fine if not for the stiffness in which he moves and walks, the way his smile seems strained when he bends. It isn’t much of an issue for the majority of the trek because Dantalion is here as well — and the Maverick knows first hand what happened. Charlie, on the other hand, Astaroth has not had an opportunity to tell. Though to tell her what, he doesn’t know.

So he opts for an uncharacteristic quiet, leaving the two of them to chatter on the skyship trek here with their literal cart of rubble collected from the Spire in the Grounds, to then getting it down below into the familiarity of the Burrows. Once the location is set, Astaroth straightens slowly and flashes both of his companions a charming grin, pretending effortlessly that he isn’t in nearly as much pain as he is actually enduring.

“Shall we see what we are working with?” Unlike with the portal to the Climb being in the deliciously hot bonfire, this one Astaroth has not quite decided where they are to put it exactly. Which simply leaves room for collaboration, of course.

---

RQ PQ for the Climb section of the portal!

1. Dantalion
2. Charlie
3. Astaroth

First things first, let’s check out what materials we have and where might be best to place this portion of the portal!

No post order <3

Astaroth

// then, i'll burn you to the ground like an angry god //

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

Not to worry Asta - Charlie will be more or less up to date with the situation by the time the skyship reaches The Climb. Not the who, to be clear, because that isn't Danta's story to tell (and he still doesn't know what, if anything, to do about it) but the what. And he's suggested to the little priestess that while they don't actively stop the butcher from trying to haul around heavy shit - pride and all that - perhaps they might just... accidentally get there first?

It's a delicate balance to be sure, but as they find themselves in the deliciously heated stone of The Burrows, the Maverick turns his attention to the work at hand. "Sounds good to me," he says, instantly grabbing at a couple of sacks of materials so they might bring them closer and inspect what they've got. "You reckon here is a good enough spot? I did think the Obsidian Cathedral originally, but I guess this would be a central point for anyone coming through."

---

Danta sneakily grabs two sacks of raw material to inspect and gives his opinion!

Dantalion

they say I did something bad, so why's it feel so good?

Were it not for Danta, Charlie might have been all over Asta like a bad rash in an effort to provide some comfort. As the Maverick explained the outlines of what happened to the Butcher, the priestess' normally sunny expressions grew small and sad to hear about what harm had befallen her friend. "Poor thing." She purred when finally the explanation came to an end. Reaching for her tail, Charlie worried the spade-tip of it between her fingers as she stared adoringly at Asta where he stood across the ship. Nodding emphatically, the blonde looked back to Danta with a determined nod. "I got it." She whispered, before flashing the Maverick a bright smile. "You can count on me."

"I think—" Singing the words as she skipped across the deck, Charlie reached for two sacks of materials that she'd otherwise absolutely have left for Asta. "—this is a perfect place for it." Shouldering the sacks with a small grunt of effort, the priestess marched off behind Danta with her tongue poking out of the side of her mouth.

// i'll deliver hell to your doorstep dressed in rich facade //

He absolutely isn’t paying attention to any of the comments made between Danta and Charlie, and instead as the Burrows’s warmth becomes suffocating for anyone else that wouldn’t be Ancient, but Astaroth finds it soothes the injuries that are further than just skin deep.

Quietly delighted to see that he doesn’t have to do a lot of the heavy lifting, looking over to Danta as he speaks and nods. “I had thought there as well, but here you can get to either the Cathedral or the Soulfire Reach.” Rather than backtracking. Either way, the consensus is made, and Astaroth finds himself with a relatively light bag of trinkets from the Spire.

Flashing a sharp grin to Charlie, a mask of his soreness, the butcher trails after the duo with the heavier items, until they reach a volcanic pillar between two tunnel entrances that if Astaroth remembers correctly, does lead directly toward the Obsidian Cathedral and another that takes a longer trek to get toward Soulfire Reach.

Setting the bag down gingerly, Astaroth inspects the space between, head tilting before he steps over toward Charlie’s side. “Perhaps we should craft our frame into the shape of an arched doorway?” Astaroth hums, reaching up to feel the smooth and warm edges of the pillar that feels almost malleable enough to be able to hammer the pieces in.

Looking over to Danta for his own opinion (that and one of the bags the Maverick has includes said hammers, he’ll get started stiffly organizing larger pieces for the bottom and smaller for the archway.

---

Round two!

Asta is going to organize the pieces so they can make an arched doorway of sorts in the side of the pillar between the tunnels, just gotta hammer and secure them in!

No post order <3

Astaroth

// then, i'll burn you to the ground like an angry god //

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

Hammering is like destroying stuff, or at least that's how Danta reasons it, and he's all too happy to agree with Asta's plan as they approach a perfect little spot between two tunnels. "I'll start higher up," he says, before flashing a bright and fanged smile at Charlie. "Maybe I'll need to put you on my shoulders to get to the very top of the archway, though." Woe is the Maverick, needing to have the priestess's thighs wrapped around his neck. A hard life, truly.

Ahem, but anyway.

Emptying out the bag o' hammers and selecting one that looks particularly good at its job, Danta ferries the pieces Asta has started to organise and begins the work of making the archway. Working downwards, he hopes to run into Charlie's part of the frame eventually, until all they are left with is the very tip top to complete the archway.

---

Danta hammertimes!

Dantalion

they say I did something bad, so why's it feel so good?

"This way no one's coming and goings will interrupt any of the worship taking place inside." Charlie adds brightly. Sashaying casually next to Asta, the priestess clears her throat before glancing up at him. "If you need a little somethin' somethin' to make you feel better, just let me know." She whispered, bouncing her eyebrows at him. Healing, she meant of course, and though bloodboon didn't actually require her to touch him, with everything Danta had mentioned on their journey over, the last thing she wanted was to make the Butcher feel any less autonomous than he probably already did.

Skipping off to help Danta, Charlie reached for a few tools before manhandling the iron into place. "Asta, would you be a peach and stand back there a ways and make sure we get it straight?" Bobbing her eyebrows at Danta as their pieces start to come together, Charlie flashes him a fanged grin. "Only if you're very gentle." She purrs.

// i'll deliver hell to your doorstep dressed in rich facade //

They get to work easily, and a hint of surprise manages to crack through his facade to see just how easily Danta takes to hammering the pieces of the obsidian into the volcanic rock. So, hiding it, the butcher sets to work getting each size of the obsidian into the correct position for them to craft that archway with the glittering pieces of black gemstones.

Charlie’s comment sparks a somewhat amused grin, however, realizing that despite hiding it the best he can, he is moving quite stiffly. “Thank you, darling.” He murmurs softly, handing her a piece of obsidian. “After this is completed, perhaps?” Acceptance is easily granted from the genuine help offered.

The other two Ancients get to work easily and make surprisingly quick work, and at the request of ensuring that it’s straight, the butcher does step back and direct each one of them so that it is centered, imagining that they do in fact, utilize Danta’s height with the petite blonde on his shoulders. “A tiny bit to the left, my dears!” Comes the accented voice of guidance.

---

Round three!

Danta and Charlie to finish up the top portion of the portal while Asta directs!

Astaroth

// then, i'll burn you to the ground like an angry god //

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

"Gentle?" Danta beams down at Charlie and tuts at her. "Now you're really asking me to use my skills." Gentle does not really come naturally to the Maverick, but for the little priestess (and whatever treats he might get for managing it), he's willing to do his best. 

In the meantime, though, hammering. And once he's done enough of that and Charlie has managed to complete the lower portion of the archway, he's called upon to have her shapely thighs squeezed around his neck and shoulders.

"Are you sure?" he's calling to Asta in response to his to the left comment, the Maverick scoffing and shuffling to the side so Charlie can position the pieces of obsidian appropriately. "I think it's perfectly aligned - you're just enjoying the show."

---

Danta puts Charlie Sheen on his shoulders so she can complete the archway!

Dantalion

they say I did something bad, so why's it feel so good?

"I know you're up for the challenge." The blonde chuckles as she partially uses her new dart! ability, to help herself up onto Danta's shoulders. Thrusting her fingers into his mop of blonde hair around his horns, the priestess gave him a little scritch of her nails for good measure before reaching out for the top of the archway.

"You know, I did wonder if he liked to watch." Charlie chuckles from her perch before giving Danta's neck (and cheeks) a little squeeze with her thighs. "Don't you let him rush you, Asta!" The priestess calls merrily. "You make sure he gets it exactly right." So saying the little blonde will keep batting the obsidian and iron around until it's just the way that the Butcher thinks it should be.

// i'll deliver hell to your doorstep dressed in rich facade //

Does he like to watch? That’s a good question. It’s not particularly something the butcher has ever thought about. Instead, he’s hyper focused on ensuring the rectangular shaped obsidian sits precisely in the center of their little archway, tail flicking contently behind him when he calls back. “Quite sure, darling!” Paired by a snort from Charlie’s don’t let him rush you. As if, Astaroth knows that Danta is probably enjoying his positioning just as much as the butcher is enjoying seeing the archway come to life.

“Perfect.” Comes the accented drawl and the sound of his approach, peering up at Charlie from Danta’s shoulders with a sharp grin. “It is not so often I get the opportunity to look up at anyone.” The grin brightens a bit as he looks to Danta with a teasingly playful raised brow.

Anyway, he’s returned to their side with the bag of metal trinkets and things left behind in the Spire, that he plucks a curved half of a jeweled goblet for himself to place eventually before holding the bag out for the two of them. “Shall we decorate?”

---

Round four!

Take the bag of goodies and start decorating! Items in the bag are along the lines of artifacts, goblets, candlesticks, etc!

No post order <3

Astaroth

// then, i'll burn you to the ground like an angry god //

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

"I like to watch," Danta purrs gleefully from between Charlie's thighs, a wicked smile on his face particularly as she decides to give him a friendly squeeze. "Fine, fine," he adds, willing to steer the petite priestess this way and that under Asta's guidance, until the archway is exactly as it ought to be. By this time, of course, the butcher is approaching with his bag of trinkets, Danta humming something that's a mix of surprised and impressed as he accepts them.

Keeping Charlie on his shoulders - she'll need to place the trinkets up high, after all - the Maverick selects a few artifact that he might wedge nicely between the pieces of obsidian and iron before passing the bag upwards. "Maybe the candlesticks along the top?" he suggests to Charlie, leaving her to make her selection even as he turns to start his own decorations.

---

Danta selects some artifacts to decorate with and passes the bag up to Charlie, suggesting some candlesticks along the top.

Dantalion

they say I did something bad, so why's it feel so good?

Well, Asta, maybe it's something that you ought to think about.

"Dooo you?" Charlie signs, leaning forward to place her palms upside on Danta's cheeks, her small breasts flat against his skull. "And I imagine you're a very polite boy about it, too." Cue Borat's voice; NOT!. Chuckling, she presses a kiss to his forehead before straightening so that they might get on with things.

Glancing down at Asta and feel very smug and powerful from her position of privilege on the Maverick's shoulders, the little priestess beams warmly. Locking her fingers beneath her throat and striking a pose, Charlie wiggles animatedly. "I can assure you that you look very good when you do." She purrs in response, wondering just how many before her had had the fortune to see the Butcher from such an angle; she doubted he got down on his knees very often.

"Sounds good to me!" Accepting the bag once Danta was done with it, Charlie used her tail to hold each candle before she placed it, stopping only a few times to make the Maverick back up so she could ensure her spacing was perfect.

// i'll deliver hell to your doorstep dressed in rich facade //

“Is that so, my dear?” Astaroth hums playfully up toward the petite blonde, flashing her a shark’s grin for the compliment. As for her wondering, it’s a fair few, but not in the way that she imagines it to be. For that, the honor must go for whom she’s currently sitting on.

The artifacts are placed (and wedged) in between the placed obsidian, in amongst the labyrinth chain of iron to hold steady, and it’s precisely where Astaroth settles in beside the Maverick to place his goblets, bending the metal here and there to get the cup portion to aim right toward the center so that if flames were to find their little portal, it might cup it just enough to pour into the middle of the entrance. Charlie’s own candlesticks slip into slots and grooves in the volcanic rock and edges of the iron, looped around as the heat of the Climb allows the wax to drip just enough to give it an aged sort of appearance.

Content with the work they’ve done and the burlap sack that’s now empty, Astaroth steps back to admire the portal with a grin, waiting for his companions to join him. “Lovely work, darlings. Charlie, perhaps I can take you up on that deal later, you have both done phenomenal work today and I believe we all deserve a celebration.” Straightening out the shirt he wears, he drifts back to collect the bags brought, folding them neatly to fit over his arm, content to trail along with whatever the Maverick and Charlie deem worthy of celebrating.

He hopes it's hunting, though, despite the pain radiating from his chest.

---

Done! :DD Feel free to fin it or let me know if yall would like for me to!

Astaroth

// then, i'll burn you to the ground like an angry god //

in space the stars are no nearer; just glitters, like a morgue

"So polite," Danta purrs up at Charlie, a shit-eating smile on his face as she leans down to press soft lips to his forehead. "You have no idea." Which, probably true, based on how much of that is a lie and how quickly the Maverick's feelings can spin on a dime.

Happy to finish off the placement of his trinkets while Asta banters with the little priestess and Charlie thoroughly enjoys being taller than the two of them for once (as she should), by the time they're officially done, the portal entrance doesn't look half bad.

"I concur," he says of a celebration, shifting enough to let Charlie hop down from his shoulders. "Come on - I have to show you these new creatures I found up here the other week. They're sheep with fireproof wool, and they taste amazing..."

And so it's with thoughts of hunting pyrina in his mind that Danta leads them from the Burrows, leaving the tail end of their portal dormant and waiting for Dygra's final touch.

~FIN

Dantalion