Inferno of God

14: In Which a Battle Occurs

The days that followed were all horribly busy and overwhelming. Gabriel's home began to grow too crowded to bear, filling to the brim with confused, but thankfully hungerless angels. When Satan and Baal weren't assisting with the freeing, they were most certainly working on comforting the beings and explaining the events of the last six thousand years. Almost everyone agreed to join the fight, as they felt they couldn't forgive God for taking so much time away from them, but Satan made sure to give strict orders not to force anyone into it. Still, even those who were still loyal to God didn't dare to speak to him in their reformed state.

During this period, those occupying Gabriel's house grew happier than they had been for a long while, and Hell's occupants were able to relax and ease themselves after a long period of unrest.

On the evening before the fight, Baal returned from a visit to Hell with a large group of excited residents, and together they all filed into the sitting room, chattering and giggling like children, while forming a mass around the sofa, where Satan sat, reading.

He looked up suspiciously and frowned,

"Goodness, Baal, was that many people really necessary? We're having enough trouble feeding the ones that are already here."

"The rebellion's tomorrow," laughed he, "don't worry about it. In the meantime, I brought your violin, perhaps you could give us a little performance this evening."

Satan took the distinct cloth case from his grasp and opened it, plucking the strings and examining the bow. He smiled a bit,

"alright, but give me a little while, it's quite out of tune, and I'll need some rosin."

Baal reached into his pockets and held out the amber block, smiling enthusiastically as he did so. Satan thanked him, but set both the instrument and rosin down in favor of rushing to the stairs.

"Gabriel," shouted he, "do you still play the trumpet?"

"Indeed I do, why do you ask?"

"Baal just arrived with my violin, and it appears the residents want me to give them a performance after dinner, would you like to join?"

The response was not a voice, but a series of joyful trumpet grunts echoing down the stairs, a gesture which he accepted as a 'yes' statement.

The events of that evening were hastily set up in the greenhouse, and once the followers they had collected got themselves comfortable, or as well as they could with such a lack of room, Satan began with a short, Gaelic tune, which Baal softly sang along to, followed by Danse Macabre, with a few of his own alterations. With both, Gabriel attempted to play along, but quickly realized how out of practice he was, and that trumpets didn't exactly fit the mood for either piece. Eventually, an appropriate balance was found, and the rest of the concert mainly consisted of Latin and Jazz music, which, although louder and less formal than classical and folk, carried an interesting charm which the residents seemed to enjoy. In the end however, Satan did play a bit of The Devil's Trill Sonata to satisfy those who preferred the former, and in shocking, flawless accuracy for such an impossible song. It was the last day before the tension settled in, and just enough to put everyone in the proper state of mind.

The next day, Satan, in bated breath announced during breakfast that the Archangels could now be freed, and that after they were, the group would go through with the confrontation. He made sure to emphasize, with a frightening amount of stirness, the importance of being careful from then on, for God was, without a doubt becoming suspicious, and possibly asking saved souls to do his bidding. It wasn't hard to believe, souls were becoming much more common in the neighborhood, and they all seemed to have a sense of unrest in their movements.