Ascension to the Heavens|Descent into Hell(Corsair and Xana)

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“I know, I just…” Zamira blew out a long sigh, reaching for words that wouldn’t come. Still, embarrassment lingered from the outburst. She was angry, but not at anyone here. At least, not at any of them. But it was difficult not to feel as if she were to blame for what befell Lily.

“We all are worried,” Eva insisted, with one arm behind Mykel’s back, and the other on his shoulder.

Zamira recognized the intention of the gesture, recognized the comfort and support in her embrace of Mykel, and the realization just made her feel more alone, and guiltier. “I… I think I will get some rest,” she announced, excusing herself from the table before the tears could come.

Despite her worry, exhaustion from the last few days caught up to her, and Zamira did actually fall asleep. Dreams, however, were no reprieve from her guilt, as Lily’s face haunted her mind. Within an empty expanse of rough-cut stone and sparse stars, she found herself face to face with another figure. An angelic being filled with the familiar presence of warmth and love. She could have been Lilianna or Afodisia. Or perhaps both of them.

Still, there was some different about the dream, something real about it. Right now, right here, it was as if they were together in some meaningful way. Distances didn’t matter in the dreamscape.

“Lily?” she murmured, unsure of herself. The being before her was equal parts her lover and her goddess.

She nodded, and reached out to caress Zamira’s cheek, smiling a sad smile all the while. “I need your help.”

“Where are you?

“Hell.”

Zamira balked at the word, and the images it conjured. No, Mykel swore nothing would prevent him from rescuing his sister, and she too was determined to be there. “We’ll come for you; we’ll find you!”

“I don’t know if…” She turned away, eyes hard and lips pressed tight together. Finally, voice so soft she sounded scared, she continued, “I don’t know how much longer I can hold out.”

“You can!” Zamira insisted, grabbing her hands.

“If I can’t, Afodisia will need to relinquish the war domain, to ensure Thanades cannot reclaim it. And if She does that, then She will no longer be able to support Her paladins.”

Zamira blinked a few times, trying to process what she was told. “What will happen then?”

“The Avatar will ascend to take over the domain of War. The paladins will have to take vows before her, or they will forfeit their gifts.”
 
Mykel lay sleepless, staring through the darkness at the ceiling of the room he’d been assigned. They’d been assigned, since Eva shared the room with him. As did Anja, tonight at least. She hadn’t wanted to be alone, and the two of them had welcomed their childhood friend into their room and their bed for the night.

He should be tired. They’d made a long journey, and then Eva and Anja had kept him up half the night. Both of them were asleep now, Eva snoring lightly and Anja burrowed under the blankets and wrapped up tight. He should be exhausted, but still he stared at the ceiling. All because of Lily.

Where are you, sis? he wondered. What happened to you? Where did... did...

His mind recoiled at the thought of naming the no longer dead god who’d taken her. Naming a god attracted the god’s attention, after all. And he wasn’t certain he wanted to do that. Not after what he’d seen.

Mykel.

He sat up, looking around. “Lily?” He was hallucinating now. Wasn’t he?

Zamira... knows. It was Lily’s voice, all right. But from a long way away. She sounded... exhausted. Ask... ask... her... Her voice cut off abruptly, the last word seeming to transform into a scream of anguish for just an instant. He looked around wildly, helplessly, as if he could will her into existence in by doing so.

Then, carefully, he extricated himself from the bed and found his clothes.

-*-

“Come in.”

Mykel opened the door. Zamira sat on the bed, looking haggard and worried. Tears streaked her face and she huddled beneath a blanket, looking more like a frightened little girl than an unorthodox priestess of Love and War. The sight made him brush at eyes that suddenly brimmed with tears - Lily had done the same thing, when she was little and afraid of thunder. “I... I heard my sister,” he said. “She... she told me that.... that you knew...”

Zamira wrapped the blanket around her tighter. “Hell,” she whispered, sounding as lost as he felt. “She... she’s in... in hell.”

The world seemed to drop out from underneath him. “Hell? Then she, she’s..?” He couldn’t finish the question.

“No,” Zamira whispered, sniffing. “No. She, she’s alive. But Th... but the Destroyer is... is hurting her. Torturing her, and she... she doesn’t know...”

The bed creaked as Mykel sat next to her. On impulse he gathered th priestess - Lily’s lover, he knew - into his arms. A protective embrace, like the one’s he’d given Lily during the thunderstorms that had terrified her so long ago. “We’ll find her,” he whispered. “We’ll get her back.”

“How?” Zamira asked, pain and fear and heartbreak pouring into the word,

“I don’t know,” he confessed. “Not yet. But... the demons got out to invade the mortal world, right? So there must be a way back in.” He thought about that for a moment, then smiled. “And we know two demons who might be able to tell us...”

-*-

Perched on the edge of Basltecer’s chair - not quite ornate enough to be called a throne - Edana watched her older sister carefully. She’d done that a lot over the Ages, she knew. Keeping a careful eye on her sister, trying to find ways to help her bear the burden of War after the Godslayer murdered her husband. Afodesia was strong, but she’d had to make terrible choices, time and again. Someone had to look out for her. “What’s wrong?”

“Thanades.” Afodesia leaned heavily against a window, watching Baaltecer’s progress across the blasted waste beyond his keep. Then, with an effort, she drew herself up and turned to face her sister. “I... I’ll be all right...”

Edana didn’t reply. She just lifted an eyebrow, and cocked her head. Sighing, the Goddess of Love and War sagged into a chair. “Don’t look at me like that, Edana,” she protested. “I... I can manage. For now.”

“What. Is. Wrong?” Edana demanded.

“Thanades,” Afodesia replied wearily. “I confronted him, taking one of my Paladins as an avatar. He captured her - captures that portion of me - and torments me through her.” She managed a pained smile at Edana’s look of horror. “I can hold out, for a time. But my strength is... fading.”

Edana stared at her, eyes wide with horror. Then she tightened her lips and rose. “Then we can’t dawdle, can we? Come on, we need to get moving.”

“Where?” Afodesia asked.

“To go see your Dragon,” Edana replied, pulling her sister to her feet. “To rally your Paladins. To... I don’t know! Kick ass? Is that how War works?”

“Sort of,” Afodesia laughed. “All right. Let’s get going.”
 
“You want to go to hell?” Aipieros asked with credulity in his voice. “Well, there is one surefire way, but it’s a one-way trip…”

“But it’s not the only,” Xilani admitted, pointing with one long taloned finger. “Right now, in Reeve’s Bluff –Well, what was Reeve’s Bluff, anyways– the veil between world has thinned. It’s nearly gone, as consequence of the battle between gods and dragon. Scars left on the material plane can be opened, and even transversed, to other planes, including… hell.”

“But it’s not so simple as merely walking into hell,” Aipieros added, taking an appraising over Mykel and Zamira. “Living souls don’t belong there, the same way demons don’t belong here. Your life force will draw attention, beings hungry for your essence. I wouldn’t undertake this journey lightly.”

“We don’t have a choice,” Zamira protested, drawing strength of Mykel’s presence and Lily’s need. “She’s holding out, but The Destroyer is…”

Aipieros glance over at Xilani, contemplation writ in his brow, “Well, if we wanted a path to redemption, it seems to have been laid out before us. What could be more-worthy of atonement than to rescue one god from another?” He laughed, but it was mirthless, echoing the difficulty laid out before them.

“That hardly seems fair. All Matthias had to do was face down an elder demon,” Xilani said, false bravado couched in dark humor, “but I suppose we both have far more to answer for. But, speaking of your father, we should consult with him, before making the journey.”

***

Perceptions shrunk as Clara separated from Afodisia, returning to the material plane. Suddenly she felt tiny, almost constricted in her own skin, the limitless presence of the goddess so far removed from her own flesh and blood existence. It was entirely different sensation than the transitions between dragon and human. It was dizzying, to come from the outer planes, and once more be restricted by time and gravity.

She came to in Radharc Realta, the same place she departed from, and took several steps to regain composure in her human form. Her feet crunched displaced gold coins, drawing the attention from everyone in the treasure hoard. Children, dozens of children turned to look at her, curiosity in their gaze. “Give me a moment with Verrier, kids. Go play somewhere else for now.”

They shuffled out of the treasure hoard, and Clara take a place beside Verrier, trying to gauge how long she’d been gone by the progress of his healing injuries. “We have no allies among the heavens, or practically none, anyways. Just as many active enemies, who’ve already rallied themselves to Thanades’ side, out of spite to you more than any perceived loyalty, I imagine. Meanwhile, the Destroyers builds himself an army in hell, siphoning off the part of Afodisia than remains trapped with Lily. The girl is strong, but he has all the time he wants to break her, and she’s still mortal, in any case.”

“Your people, my paladins, they’ll stand by our side, but they’re no help against a god. Worse, we’ve already seen that Thanades would feed on their souls to power himself. We need real allies, more gods who will fight by our sides. Could any of the other godly relics be used to revive them or their power? Could we call upon other primal dragons, or their offspring?”
 
Verrier looked up, nostrils flaring at the scent of the surge of power entering his lair. A low rumble of a growl escaped him as he flexed and stretched, transforming into a hiss of frustration and fury as the movement pulled at healing wounds. The children hesitated in their games, watching him carefully. Even a short lifetime in Radharc Realta had taught them the importance of being aware of his moods.

A breeze wafted scents through the air. Clara. With a grunt, the Dragon relaxed. Hesitantly, the children resumed their games until the Avatar joined them. “Give me a moment with Verrier, kids. Go play somewhere else for now.”

“What news do we have, Clara?” the Dragon rumbled as the children scampered towards the distant ramp that led upwards to the exit. “Will any of the Gods support you against Thanedes?”

The news she brought was unwelcome, but not unexpected. “We have no allies among the heavens, or practically none, anyways. Just as many active enemies, who’ve already rallied themselves to Thanades’ side, out of spite to you more than any perceived loyalty, I imagine.”

“You would be surprised,” Verrier rumbled. “Thanades was extremely persuasive, as was Moressa.” His talons scraped across the stone. “And the Gods have little love for me, or for the bargain you made with me.”

The news about Thanades rebuilding his strength in Hell was unwelcome, but not surprising. But his plans for the portion of Afodesia’s power and personage trapped in a captive Paladin brought a snarl from the Dragon’s throat. Mine. Mine!

“Your people, my paladins, they’ll stand by our side, but they’re no help against a god. Worse, we’ve already seen that Thanades would feed on their souls to power himself. We need real allies, more gods who will fight by our sides.” Clara sighed. “Could any of the other godly relics be used to revive them or their power? Could we call upon other primal dragons, or their offspring?”

“Only two of the Primordial Dragons remain,” Verrier replied, shifting to settle his wounded chest more comfortably. “There were three, but Yarost’cherev is naught but a bleached skeleton now.” His fangs gleamed as he approximated a smile. “But...”

Claws scraped sparks from the stone floor as he drummed his talons in thought. “The blood of the Primordials gave life to the elements, spawning the drakes and wyrms and linnorms that haunt the wilds even now. They are little more than beasts, though....”

His head came up slightly. “Ignaerius and Criothrax.” Again his fangs flashed at Clara’s expression. “Eldest of the blood drakes, spawned by the wounds inflicted on Uragan and Unichtozhitvolna by Maldovar.” He chuckled. “Ignaerius once thought to challenge me. I let him live, as a warning to others. But I believe I could win them both to our cause.”

His crimson gaze rested on Clara. “And there may be a way to create new Gods. But I must consider that carefully.”

-*-

“Hell,” Matthias said carefully, watching his son’s expression. “You want to enter Hell.”

“Well,” Mykel replied, “want is a strong word. Really, it’s more like need.”

“To rescue Lily from a dead god.” A grim chuckle escaped his angelic throat. “Well. You certainly inherited your mother’s disregard for her own safety.”

“I like to think of it as her heroic spirit,” Mykel smiled.

“It’s the same thing,” Matthias smiled back. “Of course, you have no idea just how dangerous this is.”

“Well, I’ve studied the Demonlands,” Mykel began.

“It’s not the same at all,” Aipieros interrupted. “They are a paradise, next to Hell. Why do you think we wanted to come here?”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Matthias said, leaning back in his chair. “I’ve never been.” He swept the room with his gaze, looking at the assembled demons and Paladins. “So. What do you want from me?”
 
“I was sort of hoping you might talk him out of it,” Aipieros said with a shrug, “but failing that, we will need any weapons or armor of power you may possess. Anything at all that would tilt the odds slightly in our favor.”

Aurianna released a mirthless laugh, “Yeah, I think we can actually help that. Come on.” She lead them towards the weapon storehouse, and back beyond the standard issue arms. A collection of divinely gifted blades, and even some demon crafted armaments adorned the walls. “Usually, only the Order’s Weapon’s Master or Lord Commander can authorize the use of these, but, well, I’d say we have a genuine emergency on our hands here. Besides, I am sure Matthias can convince Rielle that this was necessary. One way or another.”

While the others looked over the collection and picked out weapons for themselves, Aurianna pulled Mykel aside. “I know you want to save your sister. And I am proud that you are brave enough to try something so stupid to do so, but…” She swallowed down her fear, and forced a sad smile to her face. “Don’t do anything foolish. I can’t–” Tears cut off the sentence, and she pulled her son into her arms. “I can’t lose you too.”

~*~

“Our first task must be to stop Thanades, but…” Clara sighed, “Well, you’re in no condition to make the journey into Hell, and I can’t risk letting the destroyer capture me as well. The other half of me has already recruited some paladins to rescue her, but if they aren’t successful, we will need a backup plan.” Clara stared out the room considering what they had available, and how it could be best used in the coming battles.

“We should arm some of the Drakul out of your armory. Not permanently,” she assured him, anticipating his possessive objection, “just until we’ve once again defeated Thanades. And since you are still healing, perhaps we can have a gladiatorial contest, to decide who gets the privilege of wielding your trophies?”
 
“Don’t do anything foolish?” Aipieros repeated with a laugh. “He’s walking into Hell. It’s a little late for that.”

Xilani punched the wolf-bat demon in an oversized arm. “Idiot.”

“I’m just saying.”

“This is s nice sword,” Svalis remarked, hefting a broadsword with a glowing, crystalline blade.

“It’s the battle blade of Cassides, the Archangel of Solace,” Matthias told him.

“I remember him,” Xilani remarked. “A grandson of Thanades, who remained on the side of the Gods. What happened to him?”

“I don’t know,” Aipieros said.

“Me neither,” Matthias agreed. “But we took it from the corpse of Kostchestue, one of the Generals Of Wrath.”

“Well,” Svalis said, sheathing the blade. “Here’s hoping it works out better for me.”

Matthias nodded, then picked up an ornate bladeless hilt. “Here,” he said, handing it to his son.

Mykel took it curiously, then squawked in surprise as a blade of smokeless white and blue flame exploded from it. “What? What is it?”

“Nothing much,” Matthias laughed. “Just the hellfire sword of one Matthias the Traitor, purified and sanctified and dedicated to the service of Love and War.”

-*-

“I had anticipated that,” Verrier rumbled. “A thousand years ago, when the qlippoth broke through the hole Thanades tore in reality, Hrothgar took that liberty.” He dragged his claws along the stone, sending sparks flying. “It was when we made common cause to protect this world. The mountain had no other defense, so he rallied the Drakul and the refugees from the kingdom, and held off the hordes for six months.”

Stretching painfully, Verrier forced himself to his feet. “There will be no need for gladiatorial combat. The Drakul will bear the arms and armor of Heaven against the gods, and Hrothgar will distribute the remains of the arsenal among the levies of the Kingdoms as he judges best.” His jaws gasped open in a fang-filled mockery of a grin. “He knows better than to judge poorly.”

Blood dripped from healing wounds, making the stone smoke and flow as he walked. “Come, Clara. [BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Ignaerius and Criothrax await us. Whether they know it or not. And as we travel, you can tell me who our allies are. Practically none is, after all, not the same as none at all.”[/BGCOLOR]
 
The ruins of Reeve’s Bluff looked even worse a few days out. Nothing smoldered anymore, but the expanse of empty space where life had once thrived was harrowing.

At the center of the destruction, lay two pools of stagnate water. Darker, a glossy black that reflected their faces as clearly as a mirror. Zamira peered into it, and crackling fissures split the image. “What sort of water is this?”

Aipieros shook his head. “Not water. It’s an injury on the world, an open wound that leads to others.”

Eva fell in beside them, “So, we can travel to hell from here?”

“Indeed,” Aipieros agreed, extending one limb. Breaching the shell with one taloned finger, the surface cracked, broke into millions of little pieces and fell away, revealing a darkened pit beneath. “Last chance to turn back.

Lily’s pained plea stuck with Zamira. “She needs us. Lily. Afodisia.”

The air was thick, as they pushed through. Thick, and heavy, almost hard to breathe. Each stride weighed a thousand pounds, and the muck swallowed up each step.

“It’s gotten worse,” Xilani noted, moving with a practiced ease. “You can feel Thanades’ presence here.”

Up ahead was a terrible castle, rising in jagged towers and fortifications. Agony radiated from it, pulsing in waves set tot eh rhythm of her torment. Every scream stung, like the twist of a knife. No one needed to state the obvious, but understanding was written in their eyes as they glanced at one another.

Lily was there.

A dozen black-winged demons descended upon them. They were familiar somehow. Twisted visages of Lily, horrifically warped with gnarled horns and elongated claws. Teeth like razors gnashed in their mouths, black lips curving into hungry smiles. Each wielded a terrible harrow spear, pitted with spikes and ridges that tore into their own flesh, and dribbled their black blood down then shaft. With an ear-piercing wail, they attacked.

***

“Edana, of course,” Clara said, not that it was necessary. Edana was her oldest and most loyal ally. “And Baaltecer. Like I said, practically none.”

She shed her human form as they moved through the treasure room, finding it easier after her journey into the heavens. At least now she was still flesh and bone, still present in this moment in time. She took to the air, and even the open expanse of the sky no longer overwhelmed her. Was this what it was like to be Verrier?

“Do we know that they won’t attack you? Clara asked. She kept pace with Verrier, and frequently out-flew him, the extent of his injuries worrying. “Dragons aren’t exactly known for working together well, and taking down a powerful foe while they are weak and injured is just the sort of thing you are known for.”

They journeyed far. Beyond the ten kingdoms, beyond the domain Verrier had carved out for himself. Further then she’d ever traveled before, but none of it felt big after her journey to the Heavens and Hell.

They arrived after three days of flight, reaching a ring of active volcanoes that bled lava like a deep puncture. It cooled at it touched the water, hardening into a dull black chunk that grew the island. Orange fire glowed within, splashing out in a spray of reds and yellows.

“So, what’s the plan?”
 
[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Well,” Svalis remarked, looking around. “This is pleasant.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“It’s like trying to breathe in a fucking sauna,” Rynne grumbled. “One that’s been emptying a latrine onto the rocks.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“It’s not the heat,” Eva laughed. “It’s the humidity.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]It’s gotten worse,” Xilani noted, moving with a practiced ease. “You can feel Thanades’ presence here.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Lovely,” Anja grumbled. “It’s a shitty version of Hell.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]The Paladins followed Xilani and Aipieros, scanning the ashen horizon as they walked. Mykel tried not to think about how much He’ll didn’t bother him. How normal it felt. His demonic heritage, he was sure. But it bothered him. Until they saw the tower. Lily’s agony - Afodesia’s agony - blazed from it like an inferno and pulsed like a diseased heart.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]And then the demons came for them. Twisted mockeries of Lily. Eva and Rynne dropped the first two with practiced ease, arrows seeming to blossom between obscenely-swaying breasts like silvery feathers. But despite their speed, the fiends were on them before they could reload. Rynne and Eva kept apart, dropping bows and drawing swords.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Mykel drew his new blade, blue-white flame illuminating a broad circle of the ashen plain. One of the winged demons struck at him with a harrow spear and he sheared through it, shaft and point dropping to his feet. In his peripheral vision, Aipieros seized a spear and wrenched it away, then impaled the former owner with it.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Something grabbed him and he slammed into his back. “Brother,” a winged fiend purred, talons taking his throat as she grabbed him. “You should join us.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Steeling himself, Mykel drove his flaming blade into her stomach.[/BGCOLOR]

-*-

“[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]So, what’s the plan?” Clara asked.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Verrier landed clumsily, betrayed by barely-healed pectoral muscles that rebelled against the strain of supporting his weight after a three day flight. He crumpled forward, barely catching himself by collapsing into a human shape. “First,” he growled, rising from his crouch, “we find Ignaerius. Then we barter with him.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Drawing s deep breath, the Dragon clambered up an outcropping of basalt. “Over there,” he said, pointing at a lava vent barely visible through the smoke and heat shimmers that filled the air. “The entrance to his lair was there, last I came here. He spends much of...”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Verrier’s words trailed off as he watched a massive wake firm in the bubbling lava of the caldera. Wave of liquid stone washed aside as a massive figure of obsidian breached and reared, regarding the two of them with hostility and watchfulness.[/BGCOLOR]

“Ignaerius.” Verrier pronounces the name with pointe condescension.

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Verrier,” replied the obsidian dragon, eyes burning with fear and hatred. They flickered towards Clara. “And who is this? Have you grown weak enough to require assistance in confronting me?”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Verrier snorted. “Hardly. And this is [/BGCOLOR][BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Claradochsvyatoy, [/BGCOLOR][BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]sometimes also the Goddess Afodesia. And we have come to make you an offer.”[/BGCOLOR]
 
Zamira slashed with her spear, using her range to defend against the fiends. The blade torn into flesh, and one fell to the ground near her. Lily looked up at her, eyes wet and scared, and reached for her, “Why? Zamira, why?”

Her resolve broke, and she reached for Lily. The demon grabbed her arm and pulled her close, until skin like a furnace brushed against hers. She flashed a smile of gleaming razors, before sinking her teeth into Zamira’s shoulder. Jaw clamped in place, nothing Zamira did could dislodge her from her ravenous feeding, until a sword bisected her torso and her legs fell away.

Xilani grabbed Zamira before she could go down with the demon. “It’s not her. Deception is a demon’s first tool.” With a yank, she pulled her sword free of the demon’s corpse, and viscera sprayed with the flick of her wrist.

Bits of Lily lay strewn across landscape, blood like ichor dissolving the ground beneath it. Zamira tried to ignore the lifeless eyes stat stared up at her as she jerked her spear free of the muck, tried to ignore the thrum of agony that pulsed through the air, set to the rhythm of her adrenaline-pumping heartbeat.

The souls of the damn writhed in the stone exteriors of the keep, wailing eternally. Ethereal hands reached for them as they drew close, their ghostly touch like an icy stab. They had to huddle close together to squeeze through the gates, which opened to a courtyard of thousands of imprisons souls, tethered with innumerous chains.

~*~

Clara didn’t flinch or even blink as Ignaerius turn their gaze upon her, “So that’s what the stench is. You reek of the heavens.”

“I just returned,” she quipped, making a point of looking bored by the conversation. They really did need allies, but she wasn’t about to grovel.

Ignaerius snarled, deep like the rumbling of the earth, “Well, what do you, to venture here, upon my lair?”

“Join us, as war with the heavens and hells rages anew. Thanades has risen again, and calls up Moressa and Illisia as his allies.”

Those are your enemies, Verrier,” Ignaerius noted. He drew himself erect, like a plume a lava geyser. “What’s in it for me?”

“Your continued existence.” Clara crossed her arms over her chest, as though she were speak down to a petulant child. Even if that child towered over her at the moment. “Thanades will stop as nothing to destroy every last taint of chaos in this realm and beyond.

Lava roiled behind him, rising in massive waves that crashed on the harden basalt. “What else?”

“For any god you defeat,” she started, and took a deep breath, “you may devour their heart, and absorb their power.”
 
“And here I thought the Ebon Fortress was oppressive,” Svalis muttered as the massive gates of the twisted keep shut behind them.

“The Ebon Fortress was, in a way, more real than any of the halls of Hell,” Aipieros remarked. “Constrained by concepts like gravity, yes. But wrought of material things, not simply the stuff of the mind and soul.”

“And you would have visited after its destruction,” Xilani added. “It was less terrible and magnificent, cast down into ruin.”

“Delightful,” Svalis mumbled.

“Hey!” Mykel snapped. “Pay attention. We’re here on a rescue mission, not a sightseeing tour.”

“Where are we going?” Eva asked.

“There,” Mykel said, pointing. “He must be there, where that dark power distorts the fabric of Hell.”

Everyone stared. Then everyone looked at Mykel. “Uhm,” Rynne remarked, “I don’t see a thing.”

“I do,” Xilani remarked. Aipieros nodded agreement.

-*-

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Ignaerius[/BGCOLOR][BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)] snorted contempt. “You offer me a choice of dooms then,[/BGCOLOR][BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Claradochsvyatoy. Or Afodesia, or whatever name you choose to call yourself. Destruction, at the talons of Verrier or the power of the Gods.” The hulking figure emerged from the caldera, lava dripping down his sides. “So I rather think I will chance the doom before me.” His fanged maw gasped open. “I smell the blood on you, Godslayer. Your blood. Perhaps I will prevail, this time.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Perhaps,” Verrier replied. “Or, perhaps, the blood you scent is this.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]He held up a small crystal phial, luminous with a swirling, writhing something. Ignaerius hesitates, then peered at it. “What is it?”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Chaos,” Verrier replied. “A drop of the Primordial Chais, distilled from my blood.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“And what will it do?” Ignaerius questioned.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Kill you, possibly.” Verrier shrugged. “Remake you in your own image, of you are strong enough. I bathed in the stuff long ago, when the world was new. It made more of what I was.” He held the bottle, watching the shifting patterns within. “It could reshape you, remake you. Possibly making a Titan of you.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Or kill me,” Ignaerius replied.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Or kill you, yes.” Verrier shrugged. “There is no gain without risk.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Ignaerius regraded Verrier, and then Clara. “And why would you offer it to me?”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Because we need strength, and you are strong.” He smiled. “Not enough to have killed me in the past, but strong.” He rolled the bottle in his hand. “Swear on your name that you will aid us if you live, that you will fight alongside us as long as I honor my oath, and I will swear in my name that I will not be the first to betray our compact. Swear it, and a chance at power is yours.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]-*-[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Mykel looked at his friends. “You can’t? But it’s right... right there...”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]His voice trailed away. They couldn’t see it. Just like they had difficulty breathing here. They weren’t suited to this place. To Hell.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Half-demon.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Normally, it didn’t bother him. Normally it was just some extra strength, beyond that granted by the mantle, and s delightful kink he shared with Rva. But... he belonged here. He was created for Hell.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Rynne slapped him.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“The fuck?” he demanded.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“You were doing that self-pitying thing,” she replied. “Stop it.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]He forced a laugh. “Right. Aipieros? Any ideas about how to get there safely?”[/BGCOLOR]
 
“That’s not the dangerous part,” Aipieros explained, studying distortion. And he was right, it was really a matter of getting there. Which meant traversing a twisting corridor set up like a maze of forsaken souls. Each step brought them closer, and each step weighed more, filling their lungs with cold, heavy air. Even the paladins among them strained as they reached the atrium at the center. Zamira could no longer support her own weight, and rode upon Aipieros’ back. Just a little further, and they could resuce Lily.

Within the Atrium, a nightmare vision greeted them. Wan and gaunt, Lily hung from a large wooden rack by her wrists. No, not by her wrists. By her hands, hands that had been impaled by rods made of swirling, blackened souls. Dull, distant eyes stared through them and her cracked, nearly blue lips were half open.

“She’s willing to die for the War Whore.” Thanades laughed, and the sound thundered in echoes against the stone walls. “What a pity. You came all the way here to rescue her, and there’s hardly anything left. But…” He lifted her chin, guiding her gaze upon her rescuers. “Perhaps the sight of you can inspire hope in her? Some small prayer that she could yet escape this Hell? So long as you don’t fail her.” Thanades’ grin widened, a mockery of the expression. “For, if she were to get her hopes up, just to watch you all not only fail, but suffer her same torment? Why, such a tragedy just might break her completely.”

He let go of her chin, and her head sagged down. He then summoned a scythe forged out of the souls of the damned.

~*~

Ignaerius appraised the phial a moment longer, as if he could read his future in the swirl vortices within. Then he yanked out the stopper and poured the entire bottle down his throat. He clawed at his neck, furrows of orange lava forming in the wake of his talons. Wails like yawning of a volcano erupted from his maw, and brittle stone cracked from the caldera walls, and plunged back into the boiling lava. For several heartbeats, Clara was quite sure he’d die, and that this entire trip would have been a waste of time. Especially once the wails ceased, and Ignaerius lay very still.

Digging his claws into the igneous stone beneath him, Ignaerius pushed himself up, and smiled with a mouthful of teeth like swords, and searing flame dripping from his chin. “You fool!” Ignaerius laughed, his form growing and surging like a cresting wave of lava. “I can have both, power and my vengeance! I will be stronger yet, once I tear your heart from your chest and devour it whole!”

Clara melted away, flowing into great bulk of her dragon, opalescent scales reflecting scarlet, and narrowed eyes glowing golden. Even as Ignaerius grew in size, she towered over him, her shadow spreading out in all directions. Ignaerius hesitated for a moment, challenging her with crimson eyes, before darting forth to snap at Verrier. Her foreclaw stopped him short, however, cuffing his neck to the rough stone below.

Ignaerius snarled, struggled, and then struck her with his tail, landing a solid blow to her midsection. Her grip faltered for but a moment, but that was all he needed, taking flight on great burning wings. Catching a thermal beneath her wings, Clara gave pursuit, closing the distance between them in the space of two great booming flaps of her wings. Slamming her head forth, she caught him just under the right wing, knocking him from the sky in a tumbling descent. He crashed into the lava with a massive splash.

Following him down, Clara was human once more as she landed. Ignaerius surfaced with a coughing gasp, and once more perched himself upon the stone beside them. “I… yield…” he managed.

“Of course you do,” Clara noted, turning on her heels. Eyeing Verrier, she crossed her arms over her chest. “I hope you have a better plan for dealing with Criothrax.”
 
“[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]I hope you have a better plan for dealing with Criothrax,” Clara scoffed.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Verrier’s reply was a cold smile. “I swore I would not be the first to betray our compact, Ignaerius,” he murmured, his shape twisting and growing. He looked over the fallen lava dragon, slotted crimson eyes narrowed. “And I made you strong.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Verrier, I...” Ignaerius began, his words rising into a shrieking roar of agony as Verrier struck. Thick, burning blood sprayed across the hot stone as the Godslayer tore a mouthful of muscle and scales away and swallowed. “Mercy!” screeched the wounded dragon. “Mercy!”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Verrier’s response was to strike again an again, tearing pieces from the still living magma dragon. Ignaerius struggled to rise and Verrier tore tendons and muscles with scythe-like talons, crippling him. Only when Verrier tore his belly open and began devouring his intestines did Ignaerius finally fall silent.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“A better plan, Clara?” Verrier raised his head, thick blood cooling and dripping from his muzzle. He stretched and flexed, revealing in the feel of a body that was finally fully healed from the damage Thanades had done. “My plan worked perfectly.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]Bracing his wings against the massive carcass, he dug his fangs into Ignaerius’ throat and pulle. With a slow, wet ripping sound the massive head tore free. “We would either gain an ally, or I would regain my strength.” He let Ignaerius’ head crash to the ground. “And,” he added with a grin, “I believe we can present Criothrax with a... compelling argument.”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]-*-[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Lily!” Mykel cried.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Oh, shit!” Aipieros cried out at the same time. He glanced around, eyes growing wide as he saw the Paladins readying their weapons. “What the fuck are you doing?”[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Rescuing Lily,” Svalis told him, shifting his grip on the angelic war blade he bore.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“That’s why we’re here, after all,” Eva added, raising a silver bow strung with the hair of Cherubim. An arrow of silver flame materialized as she did.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“This... this isn’t a fight you can win,” Xilani hissed out. But she’d snapped her wrist anyway, coiling out a whip of hissing black flame.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Oh, don’t discourage them Xilani,” Thanades laughed. “Inspire them! Let them hope, in the face of Destruction!” And suddenly the God of Destruction blurred, moving faster than the Paladins would have believed possible. Rynne cried out as the scythe struck, sending her crashing into the wall. Anja leot to her defense, only to be batted away as well.[/BGCOLOR]

[BGCOLOR=rgb(25, 49, 66)]“Am I not a generous God?” Thanades laughed. “I have slain none of you - yet.” His smile was cruel as he looked around. “Abase yourselves. Beg Me for My forgiveness, and I may yet be merciful.”[/BGCOLOR]
 
An explosion of violence erupted before her, but there was little Lily could do, like this. As much as she wanted to believe she could be rescued, Thanades’ power was great and terrible, and her friends stood little chance. What hope remained?

There is always hope, My Daughter.

Afodisia spoke to her, through her, the only comforting presence throughout this entire trial. I’ve nothing left to give. No more strength to resist Him.

It's okay, my daughter. You’ve done enough, and earned yourself a rest. Lily retreated into herself, and Afodisia emerged, renewed strength flowing through Her. Down here in hell,

She’d been cut off from the source of Her divinity. Cut off from the primal essence of order, or the devotion of Her worshippers, or the manifestations of Her domains. Over time, there was little of Her power to call upon, not nearly enough to fight back against the elder God.

But now? Now that Her servants were present, fighting on Her behalf? Strength returned, empowered by their devotion to Her and their love for Lily and the courage it took to make the journey into Hell. That there were just a few of them didn’t matter, not after having been cut off from Her power for so long.

The blood that dripping from her open wounds burned golden, Her power repairing the body She’d been imprisoned within. Muscles in her arm bulged as she tugged at the spikes impaled in her hands, but She fought against the pain, and pulled her arms free.

One of Her paladins flew through the air only to land hard against the nearby wall. She coughed up blood, and wiped it away before standing once more. But before she –Anja– could return to the fight, She touched her back, “Receive My blessing, My daughter.”

Anja turned. “Lily?” Then she gasped, filled with the power and grace of Afodisia, “Goddess!” It took another gasp for her to steady herself, before standing taller, stronger, braver. Moving with speed impossible for even a paladin, she struck back at Thanades, locking his blade before he could swing at Mykel. The power She granted Anja wouldn’t be enough to defeat
Thanades, but it should give her a fighting chance. And the renewed vigor in her courage and devotion further empowered Afodisia.

Sprinting, She raced over toward Rynne, who struggled to get to her feet. A hand swathed in golden radiance helped her up, offering another fragment of Her power. A shudder passed through Rynne, and when she opened her eyes, they burned with golden fire. She returned to the melee as well, fighting alongside Anya with divine grace bolstering her.

“You’re spreading yourself too thin, My Disobedient Daughter!” Thanades growled, Catching Mykel out of the air and throwing him at Her. “Your servants will fall before me, and you will have nothing left.”

She caught Mykel before they could both go down, “You are mistaken, Father. There is great strength in numbers. But never have understood that.” Planting a light kiss on Mykel’s forehead, She granted him Her Blessing. “Show Him, My son. Show Him the strength of your faith in Me.”

~*~​

“You would have healed in time,” Clara pointed out, looking away as Verrier tore into Ignaerius’ remains. But then she sighed, as the reality of their predicament crashed down upon her, “But time isn’t a resource we have in excess.”

Once more, they took to the sky, flying due north. Cold winds and vicious storms hindered their journey, but they persisted. It was a good thing Verrier was healed, given the torrent of blizzards they were forced to fly through. Hail and ice buffeted them as they drew closer, and visibility dimmed.

They landed in a frozen wasteland, covered in three feet of fresh snow, with another blizzard fast upon them. Endless blankets of frost spread in every direction, until it was nearly impossible to differentiate where one was headed, from where they had been. “Which way do we go?”

One snow bank rose, coming to life in a flurry of powdered snow and the crunch beneath its claws. White blue scales reflected the nearly blinding sunlight and blended in with the landscape perfectly. “What brings the Godslayer unbidden to my domain?” Criothrax rasped, its voice like the howl of artic winds.

“An alliance, when Gods and Dragons war once more.”

Criothrax sneered, “And what benefit is an alliance to me?”

“I would not test our goodwill.” Clara suggested, before tossing forth Ignaerius’ head. It sunk into the snow, creating a slurry of melted ice. “We’ve not much left.”
 
Aipieros caught Zamira around the waist, dragging her backwards as the priestess raised her spear. “Let me go!” the priestess shouted, struggling against the demon’s iron grip. “Let me go!”

“To do what?” Aipieros shot back. “Die? Look at them. Do you possess the same gifts as the Paladins?”

As he spoke Mykel blurred forward, his white flame blade cutting a burning trail through the heavy air. Thanedes caught it on his scythe, twisted, and struck. Svalis hammered the scythe into the ground, only to go flying as the God of Destruction kicked him in the chest. “The strength of their faith?” he mocked, driving Mykel back, then cutting silver arrows out of the air. “Their faith was always for Our benefit, daughter! They were created to serve us!”

“We serve Afodesia!” Anja retorted, vaulting off Svalis’ shoulders and swinging her mace two-handed. Thanedes caught the blow with his scythe, bringing it up like a staff, then partied her backhand blow as well. “And humanity! Not some jumped-up zombie!”

Thanedes’ reply was a downstroke of his scythe that rent her breastplate like cloth and tore through skin and muscle. She stumbled, gagging in pain as her blood soaked the stones, then flew backwards as He brought the handle up into her stomach. “I grow weary of this insolence,” He declared, bringing up a hand. Svalis took most of the blast on his shield, which rusted and rotted into nothingness, but the divine power that struck him still sent him flying. “You battle demons, and think yourself strong? I am Destruction given flesh!”

Aipieros pushed Zamira towards Lily. “Go. Free Her. We will survive as best we can, until you do.”

-*-

Criothrax reared up, shedding snow and ice like a glacier come to life. “A pity,” she rumbled, sniffing at the wreckage of Ignaerius’ head and neck. “I would have liked to kill him myself.” Another sniff. “He smells... different. Part of your attempted bargain, I assume?”

Verrier didn’t respond. Idly, Criothrax batted the head like an enormous cat toying with a mouse. “What would I gain from this alliance?” She examined Clara's golden form. “Your enmity does not frighten me, Afodesia. I will fight if I must, and win or die.”

“We offer you power,” Verrier rumbled. “A chance to become more than you are now. In exchange for a promise - an oath on your name - to fight beside us.”

“I can smell Ignaerius’ changed blood on your breath, Verrier,” Criothrax replied. “Did he become more than he was?”

“I swore that I would not strike first,” Verrier laughed. “He was a fool.”

Criothrax snorted. “Hot-headed and impetuous, yes.” She examined Clara again. “Very well, I accept. Grant me this power you describe, and I will fight your war for you so long as I am not betrayed.”

“Then devour Ignaerius’ remains,” Verrier instructed. “And focus on your identity as you struggle to survive.”

The glacial dragon tore into the ruined head without hesitating, staining the snow with blood and brain matter as she did. And then she screamed, convulsing and writhing as her form twisted and ripples and distorted. The Godslayer watched unconcerned until Criothrax collapsed in an heap.

Wind blew. The ice dragon didn’t move.

“A pity,” Verrier snorted. “Still, not a completely wasted effort. Ignaerius flesh allied me to heal myself, at least.” He turned, spreading his wings and rising on his hind legs. “Let us...”

“wait...” croaked a weak voice.

Verrier turned back. Criothrax lurched awkwardly to her feet, staggered, and nearly collapsed. The weak attic sun gleamed on and through a figure seemingly carved of diamond and sapphire. “We... we made...”. She staggered, holding herself upright through sheer force if will. “We have... an alliance... yes? Where... where do we... we start?”
 
“We’ll reconvene in Fairtheora,” Clara decided, sparing a glance at Criothrax. “Our Allies will gather there. Once we are all together, we can craft a plan to face down Thanades, and his followers.”

The journey back wasn’t long, and while Criothrax took it easy the first few days, she kept pace with them, and grew into her greater form, the essence of chaos transforming her. Clara, for her part, hid the way Thanades tormented her other half, fearing that Lily wouldn’t be able to hold out long enough.

It took three days of flight to reach the mountain once again. When they arrived, a strange woman was already there to greet them. Seemingly unafraid of Verier’s wrath, Clara hadn’t decided if she were brave or stupid. Probably both. ”I am Kasmina Rayyan al-Farha, at your service.”

Clara raised an eyebrow, “And who are you?” The young woman was gorgeous, no doubt about that, with bronzed skin and fiery red hair, her strong, slender figure displayed delightfully by the leather bodice and frilled, flowing skirt she wore.

Mischief twinkled in her grey eyes, and she bowed with a flourish, “Avatar of Edana, here to honor her commitment to your alliance. As I understand, Baaltecer will be arriving shortly with another. Which leaves us with…?” She eyed Clara and Verrier and Criothrax, and blew out a long breath. “Six. Six against the god of destruction.”
~*~​
“My Goddess,” Zamira called, placing a gentle hand on Her shoulder, “We must flee, so that we may fight Thanades another day. And we need You to lead the way.”

She hesitated. It wasn’t in Her nature to flee from a battle. Not anymore. But She still wasn’t at full strength, and She could not allow Thanades to destroy Her paladins and harvest their essence.

“Right,” She agreed, focusing what little strength remained within her. It took immense power to tear a fissure in reality, to open a portal between realms. “You’ve done well, My sons and daughters. Now, We retreat.”

“I’ll not let you get away so easily, My Daughter,” Thanades Snarled, racing for the portal. Just as the last of her rescuers –Mykel– flew through. She caved the opening in on itself, constraining the great power of the rift into a single point. The passage collapse, exploding into Hell, and forcing Thanades back. It wasn’t enough to defeat him, not by a long shot, but it would buy them some time.

She managed two steps upon the material realm before the effort of their escape came back to her. Staggering forward, She retreated into Lily once more.

“I’ve got you, my Goddess,” Aipieros offered, catching her before she could fall.
 
“Six against the god of destruction and the gods that follow him,” Verrier corrected, wind blasting and buffering as his wings sculled to allow him to hover a moment before landing. “Mortessa and her children chief among them, I presume. And I’m sure I could name a dozen more who flocked to his banner, whether out of hatred for me or fear of him.”

Criothrax landed as well, her presence dropping the temperature on the landing by several degrees. “A dozen gods?” She chuckled. “I trust you will live up to your name, Godslayer?”

“My name is Verrier,” he replied, stalking towards the landing’s gate into the city. “It means ‘clever’. And I assure you, Criothrax, that I will.”

Criothrax cocked her head, then glanced at Clara and Kasmina. “Is he always like this?”

“Yes.” Kasmina turned to follow Verrier. “Even when we thought he was a God.”

-*-

Mykel hurled himself through the portal as it collapsed, spinning and slashing at Thanedes one last time. Then it was gone, and he was lying on his back in the midst of the wreckage of Reeves Bluff. “Did it work? Did we bring her back?”

“Yes,” Svalis replied, dusting himself off. “Got our asses kicked, but we did it.”

He said mire, but Mykel didn’t hear it. He rolled and scrambled, racing to his sister’s side. Zamira was already there, cradling her in her arms, whispering healing prayers over her. Prayers that were clearly necessary, just from glancing at her. She was covered with bruises and streaked with blood, blood that still dropped from rents and tears in her skin. One arm was broken, and her hands and feet were mangled by the dark flame that had been used to crucify her. “Lily,” he sobbed, falling to his knees beside her. “Lily, are...”

“She... she will... live.”

Mykel and Zamira both gasped, and the other Paladins and the two demons fell to their knees. Weak and pained as it was, there was no mistaking the voice of Afodesia.

“But... we must leave. My... my father will... not be... be delayed... long...” The Goddess struggled to rise, clinging to Zamira as She gritted Her teeth against the agony tearing through the mortal flesh She wore.

“I have you,” Mykel said, catching Her and lifting Her in his arms.

“It... it is well.” Lily - Afodesia - slumped against his chest and caught Zamira’s hand. “We must... away. To Faefeora.”
 
“I’d don’t know if she’ll make the journey to Fairtheora,” Zamira admitted. The horror that flashed across Mykel’s face cut her to the quick. “Her paladin and celestial will speed her healing, but she needs rest. Afterall, there is nothing natural about the wounds she received and…” Zamira cut herself off before she could continue, but the thought haunted her. Even if she does recover, physically, the trauma will remain. Clearing her throat, she repeated her suggestion. “She needs to rest.”

Eva stared hard at Lily and Mykel, and turned to the North. “We should be able to reach the Seraphim Wall by nightfall.”

~*~

Sudden vertigo and weakness gripped Clara, she stumbled word several steps until she could brace against a wall. Sympathetic pain from a distant source welled within her, brief and vivid memories of torment rattling her mind.

“I must… go…”

They all turned to face her shock and concern in their eyes at the sound of the Goddess’ speech. “Afodisia?” Kasmina murmured.

Clara shook her head. “They freed Lily from Thanades, but she’s in no shape to travel here. I will go to the Seraphim, to reunite Afodisia’s Presence. But I do believe Thanades will be close behind, so be prepared to for battle.” Once more she glanced over the others, taking a moment of eye contact with Verrier, before turning away. She shifted into her dragon, and took to the sky.

~*~

Aurianna paced the ramparts of the wall, keyed up with worry and dread. Scouts had reported sight of the group sent into Hell to rescue Lily, with word that Mykel carried her limp body. None had died, thank the Goddess, but there was no word on Lily’s condition. Naturally, her mind filled in the worst.

By sunset, the group neared the wall, and Aurianna and Matthias Both raced down to meet them. The sight of Lily was a blow, mangled limbs and terrible scars speaking volumes of what she endures at the hands of the God of Destruction. Was her daughter still in there, or had he destroyed what remained of her self?

“She’s been through a lot,” Zamira explained, anticipating her concerns, “She needs rest right now.”

By nightfall, Lily had been cleaned and bandaged and set up with a bed. There was room for one –maybe two– people to stay with her, and Aurianna prepared to argue with Zamira that it should be her.

“Wait…” A voice called, a voice hoarse and trembling and small. Everyone turned, and one of her bandaged hands reached towards them all. “Dad… stay… please?”

Aurianna opened her mouth to speak, to protest, but then caught the expression on her husband’s face. Releasing her protests in an exhale, she nodded, and placed a single soft kiss on Lily’s forehead. “Don’t fight rest too long.”

“It’s my fault, isn’t it? That the dead God rose once more? They… they used me, to fuel their ritual. I… just wanted to atone…” She coughed, and coughed more, pushing herself into a sitting position. The movement strained aching muscles and torn flesh, but once she as upright, she drank deep of the available water. It was several long swallows later, once she’d drained the waterskin, before she was ready to speak again.

“I killed a human. I drank deep, and I didn’t stop when his heart did. I didn’t want to stop, even when I could swallow no more. Even still, even now, I want more. Especially now, as my soul struggles against the weakness of this body…”
 
Matthias held his daughter’s hand, examining her features. What he saw there led him to make a small gesture. “Mykel.”

“Yes, father?”

“I think you should stay as well.” He smiled at his wife and the others. “Don’t worry. We won’t keep her up long.”

The door closed, and Mykel took a seat. Slowly, painfully, Lily shared her fears and the guilt that plagued her. As she did, Mykel sat forward and listened more keenly. “You... drank deep? But... you’re not...”

“I should have seen this coming,” Matthias murmured, squeezing his daughter’s hand. “But I wasn’t a demon when you were conceived, Lily. And I didn’t see any of the signs that marked your brother. I fooled myself into believing you were fully human. I... I’m sorry.”

Wood scraped in stone as Mykel shifted closer. “But she’s... wait. Yes. I see it, now.” He caught Lily’s hand, sorrow in his eyes. “Oh, Gods. Lily. I... dad taught me from as far back as I can remember, how to control the urge. But you...”. He squeezed her hand. “You should have told me, when you realized...”

“Wait.” Matthias examined his daughter’s features again. “They wanted you to fuel a ritual? Did Furtan goad you into draining a mortal dry to awaken the Destroyer?”
 
“No,” Lily murmured, forcing herself to recall that night. Forcing herself to relive the ravenous hunger that had led her to killing the man. “It was different. The rituals, they were like the Celebration, except, there was… a lot of blood. I drank some, and many more drank from me. It was later when I awoke to the men…” she trailed off for any more could come out. “I awoke with a voracious hunger. A need. But I wasn’t fully aware of what I’d been doing until he was dead at my feet.” Even now her throat ached. Burned.

“Afterwards, I was told that to earn atonement, I’d have to plead my case to the Gods directly. That I’d serve as the vessel, alone, and that in cleansing their sins, I’d cleanse my own. Each of them, twelve demons in all, fed upon me, and smeared my blood upon a skull…” Still, she left much unsaid. About how they used her, abused her, reveled in her shame and pain. But even all that was distant to the way Thanades had tormented her.

She was quiet for a while, unspeakable horrors cycling through her mind. “It was Jeoram who chastised me after I killed the man, who told me I had to dedicate myself toward redemption if I didn’t want to end up like…” She looked up at her father. “Like you. In my distress, I believed him, and submitted his penance. The ritual was the last step, he said, before I would bask again in the presence of the divine… But I had no idea he was using me to awaken the Destroyer. Just as he had no idea the Destroyer would consume him.”

“I never had these urges before we arrived in Reeves’ Bluff, but I don’t know if awakening my demonic heritage was the plan, or just a convenient incident. But I can no longer ignore it.”
 
“You’re right, you can’t,” Mykel agreed, patting her hand. “And your first lesson is that you need to heal, and your cravings for blood will be all the stronger while you do.”

“Because it isn’t just blood that you drink,” Matthias added. “It’s the ruach, the essence of the soul. It’s why dead blood won’t slake the thirst, and why animals aren’t filling. But you aren’t a demon, or even a half demon. Either of you.“

“What?” Mykel blinked. “You said...”

“No,” Matthias interrupted. “I know what you heard, but it wasn’t what I said. You’re both half...”. He seemed to grope for words. “You’re both half human and half... divine. Half beings of spirit, belonging to the celestial realms. The only difference between a demon and an angel is what they serve and how they act.” A grim chuckle. “There are angels that appear far more savage and terrifying than the most horrific denizen of Hell.”

“Then... why do we drink blood?” Mykel asked. “Demons drink blood.”

“So do angels. Ask your mother, if you don’t believe me,” Matthias laughed. “We don’t need much, since we have our own bodies of flesh. But a pure celestial needs power to maintain a material body for a length of time, whether gifted by a God or obtained from a mortal”.

Nudging Mykel aside, Matthias took a seat by his daughter. “You aren’t a monster,” he said, taking her in his arms and cradling her. “You aren’t. You’re still a Paladin, Lily. And you’re still my daughter. No matter what.”
 
Clara landed upon Seraphim Wall, shrinking her form to touch down upon her feet. She ignored the stares from all other paladins, making her way to Aurianna.

“So do we have any allies among the heavens?”

“Very few.” Clara spared glance around at the keep, “Lily?”

“She’s… recovering.” Aurianna managed a grim smile. “In the healing quarters.”

Seeing Lily wasn’t a shock. She had already felt everything alongside her, experienced her agony through their link. Perhaps the only real surprise was that the girl was still there, more or less intact. Injured, but not broken. “It’s time.”

Lily’s eyes glittered golden, and she nodded but once. One bandaged hand stretched out and –

The walls shook and the ground trembled, jerking them all to attention. A heartbeat later that door burst in, and Anya followed through. “Followers of Illisia and Moressa have launched their attacked.”

Gazes spanned the room, from Clara to Matthias to Mykel to Lily.

“I’m okay.” Lily insisted, reaching her hand out to Clara. Clara took that hand, taking and uniting the split essence of Afodisia. Lily fell back heavily into the mattress and took two shuddered breaths. “I’m… okay. Go!”

Clara led the way out of the healing quarters, bracing as another quake rumbled the ground. Below, Nevin struck at the very foundations of the wall, striking with siege towers and battering rams and catapults. Upon the Wall, Archers stood at the ready, arrows nocked, but not loosed. All eyes turned upon Clara once more.

“They’ve declared war on us. Defend the wall, and yourselves.”
 
“What kind of fools are they?” Mykel groaned, watching the besiegers advance.

“The dedicated kind,” Eva replied.

The attack had come from the east, from the lands the Seraphin Wall defended from the demons. From the side with lighter defenses, because no sane human would have besieged the Paladins that kept the demons at bay.

None until now.

Siege towers advanced, pushed by men and women in grey tabards emblazoned with the black hourglass of Moressa. Catapults creaked and snapped behind them, lofting boulders to batter the walls and clusters of stones to pepper the defenders. The keep shook as one of the boulders smashed into the wall, dislodging stones the size of a man and sending shards of granite flying.

“Shit,” Mykel breathed.

Paladins archers returned fire with bows that no ordinary human could have drawn, sending arrows flying further and faster than the attackers would have believed possible. Men working the catapults went down, only to rise again. The catapults kept up the barrage, relentlessly hammering the walls.

The lead siege tower burst into flames as a trio of Paladins completed a battle prayer. A cheer went up, only to die away as the prayers of a priest of Moressa extinguished the flames. It rolled forward, a door dropping forward to form a bridge that anchored to the wall. “Surrender, Paladins!” demanded the leader of the assault, a burly man in gleaming plate armor and a tabard of the Goddess of Death. “Our battle is not with you, but with the fallen Giddess you cling to.”

Lady Diana, commander of the keep, was the first to meet him. “Our Goddess,” she spat back, raising her greatsword, “is not fallen.” The strength of her blows shattered the commander’s sword as he tried to party, then sheared through his breastplate and into his ribs. He went down in a hour of blood and she stepped over him, advancing on the other invaders.

Then she shrieked in pain and sagged to one knee as the commander sank his dagger into her thigh. He stood up, blood gushing from the mortal wound in his side. “She has defied the Gods,” he explained sadly, tearing the dagger from her leg. “And so, the Lady of Death has sworn She will keep Her embrace from us until you all recant or are defeated.” His hand came up, the dagger still dripping with her blood. “Which will you choose?”
 
“Goddess,” Clara murmured, realizing only a second later she was essentially talking to herself. Or, within herself, as Afodisia existing as a passenger in her mind. The goddess still recovering from the torture Thanades had subjected her to, and reforming with her split self. Before her, deathless foes descended upon the wall.

Eva lined up the shot, drawing a deep breath to steady herself, and released the string. At this distance, the power of her shot ripped the man’s hand from his arm. That was answer, the tactic that would save them all.

“Your foes cannot die,” Clara declared, hacking away one woman’s arm, “but you can still stop them. You must stop them, before they kill us all.”

Now her paladins were forced to dismember the undying clergy of Moressa. To endure their agonized screams as they were rendered helpless. This was torment, for both sides. This war had made them monstrous.

She had to do something. If She lost Her paladins, She’d have no well of worshippers from which to draw strength. Even a few losses would harm morale, and their faith in Her. But what could She do? She’d already extended Her blessing to them.

There was… one other way. One thing she’d never thought she’d do. Thanades had done it, to the mortals who displeased him. Thanades, and the demons after him.

Afodisia, moving through Clara’s body, reached forth to the armless woman still railing against Her, and placed a hand on the woman’s forehead. After a moment’s hesitation, She drew forth the woman’s soul, stealing the essence that powered her now immortal frame. A terrible boost of power surged through Her, intoxicating after Thanades had drained Her so.

But no. That wasn’t why She absorbed the souls of the incapacitated warriors of Moressa. This was a mercy, a mercy Moressa was supposed to grant. If Moressa would abandon Her duty to Her worshippers, Afodisia would take that up too.
 
Svalis and Mykel held a battlement, battering aside Moressan soldiers - Paladins? - with blades that had been blunted into clubs by the prolonged work. Bone shattered and flesh tore with each blow, and they kept coming. Kept dragging and crawling forward, wounds knitting and healing as they came. “Dismemberment,” Svalis grunted, “should be easier.”

“Yeah.” Mykel crushed a man’s skull with his sword. “And Afodesia is the Goddess of Healing. Moressa...”. A backhand crushed a breastplate into ribs, “is poaching.”

“Maybe we should complain?” Svalis grumbled.

An arrow sailed between them, punching through a woman’s skull as she raised a crossbow. “Focus! I’m running low as it is!”

-*-

Matthias stood atop my net of the towers, watching the Moressan force smash into the Wall in wave after human wave. The Paladins threw them back, but they kept coming. Kept pulling themselves back together, and coming.

Literally. With his celestial eyesight, he could see them press severed limbs to stumps, and see them grow back together.

“This is untenable, Ari,” he finally said. Then he sighed. “I... think I can buy us some space. The same way I did at Monsford.” He hesitated. “Should I?”
 
Aurianna took just a moment to wipe the sweat from her brow. It had been years –decades– since she’d last exerted herself this much. Since the last battle had seemed so massive, and so desperate. Since they’d been so overwhelmed by enemies on all sides.

Since she’d last relied on Clara, and her connections to the Goddess and the Dragon to save everyone.

“Yeah,” she answered between breaths. Yet another nevin made it to the top of the wall, grasping with torn, broken fingers, and until she pried his skinless fingers away from the strone with her metal arm and pushed him off the balustrade. “Yeah, do it. Do whatever it takes, at this point. Hell, you could even drain them, couldn’t you? That might stop some of them.”

Not nearly enough, though. As far as she could see, the nevin worshipers of Moressa swarmed the wall.

“Forces draw near!”

“Clearly!” Aurianna called to the scout, protecting Matthias as he cast his spell.

“Not the nevin, Lady Ari. From the south, it’s… it’s demons!”

“What?” She sprinted the width of the wall, and leaned over the other ledge to see. Following the scout’s fingers, golden eyes made out growing blotch on the horizon. What she saw on the other side of the wall made her heart drop. Another army, an army paladins were more accustom to seeing approached. An army paladins were more accustom to fighting, though not in the last few years. A legion of demons, thousands of troops, marched and flew and slithered from the southern wall.

And leading the host was Vaebahl, the demon Lord of Hate.
 
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