Hellbent

Hellbent Page 2 of 231
Table of Contents:
TABLE OF CONTENTS:..........................................................................................................................................................................1
CHAPTER #1:............................................................................................................................................................................................3
CHAPTER #2:..........................................................................................................................................................................................17
CHAPTER #3...........................................................................................................................................................................................41
CHAPTER #4...........................................................................................................................................................................................53
CHAPTER #5...........................................................................................................................................................................................74
CHAPTER #6...........................................................................................................................................................................................92
CHAPTER #7.........................................................................................................................................................................................112
CHAPTER #8.........................................................................................................................................................................................127
CHAPTER #9.........................................................................................................................................................................................147
CHAPTER #10.......................................................................................................................................................................................168
CHAPTER #11.......................................................................................................................................................................................191
CHAPTER #12.......................................................................................................................................................................................215
EPILOGUE............................................................................................................................................................................................225
Chapter #1:
Malkin had just finished meticulously drawing out the wide circle of binding runes on the cold floor of
his study area. The runes were painted on the stone floor with the blood of a man sentenced to execution some
days past by the Strong Gate City Guard. Malkin was of high rank within the Bureau of Metaphysics Research,
and thus had the connections necessary to convince the city guards handling the cleanup following the
execution to gather the victim's blood for him; for a steep price, of course. Malkin needed the mortal blood of a
formerly intelligent species to conduct his current research. Research that did not seem to be going well.
Malkin had been attempting to bind a demon summoned up from the pits of Hell itself to a medium
sized rune stone he possessed. Malkin, being a specialist in demonology and magic dealing with the corrupting
energies of Hell, had not predicted his efforts would be met with such difficulty. However, his current research
was slightly more ambitious than some of his past experiments.
This would be no simple soul binding, not even simple where the binding of demonic spirits was
concerned. This binding must retain the soul of a demon in a stone permanently, and the soul therein must be
harnessed as fuel to burn the life-energies of other, similarly trapped souls. The containment of a demon would
be only the first step. If the magic were to be successful, Malkin could bind a further indefinite number of souls
within the rune stone, albeit mortal ones. The unfortunate mortals that would be contained in such a device
would be subject to an eternity of agonies, agonies which the dark, malevolent energies of the bound demonic
spirit would easily provide.
And pain and suffering was something Malkin appreciated quite highly. It was a necessary component
to many of his spells of demonic origin. The purest of suffering emitted by a single contained soul would feed
Malkin's power, drawing forth energies from the netherworld satiated and coaxed with the offering of a great
amount of anguish. Such spells were often difficult to cast, requiring the pain and agony that they do. Who has
time to torture something when you are in the middle of casting a spell? Well, the completion of this rune stone
would make all of those difficulties disappear.

All Malkin needed was to bind a demon in just the right way. His painted circle of runes of protection
and binding were now complete. Malkin was ready to cast his summoning again, for what seemed the
hundredth time. But Malkin suspected he'd mastered the words of invocation and enchantment properly this
time.
Malkin placed his hands together and began the invocation. The dark words spilled from his mouth like
blood from a wound, words intended to be spoken by a tongue not of human design. The words themselves
were imbued with a malign power that sought the very edges of sanity, attempting to push one's mind over the
edge. Many weak of mind failed to resist the push of these dark magics, permanently twisting their souls into
something unrecognizable as their original selves, driving them to madness. However, Malkin was not weak of
mind, not in the least.
He felt invigorated by such words of power and the Hellish energies they filled him with. Malkin
continued his chant, calling out to a world beyond that of mortal understanding, to the deep planes of eternal
damnation. The candlelit room dimmed as a palpable darkness spread from the inner circle Malkin had scribed.
As Malkin's chant reached a crescendo, a great silence overtook the room, and Malkin could no longer hear his
own words, yet continue to speak them he did.
Malkin finishing the last syllables of the spell, and all around him the sounds of the room returned with a
great bright red flash from the center of the circle of summoning. Tendrils of black smoke twisted around the
circle, attempting to break free of it, but failing to do so. Nothing could leave the circle without Malkin's
permission.
Quickly, the greasy smoke dissipated, revealing a growling demon within, similarly bound inside the
circle. The demon was small and hunched in stature, with long spindly arms. The demon was gaunt and thin,
yet wiry with stringy muscle. Long claws tipped the demon's even longer fingers, and spikes covered the
demon's hide in varying locations, at varying angles.
"Who dares?!" the demon screeched.
"I 'dare', demon, and I shall dare quite a bit more in just a moment," Malkin informed the creature. "Just
be patient and this will all be over quickly. However, your patience is certainly not required, and you may resist
my attempts all you want. None of it will matter in the end." Malkin thoroughly enjoyed taunting the demons
he summoned. Malkin was confident this current experiment would be the one to succeed, so he figured he'd
take his time with this summoning ritual.
"I'll decide what matters in the end, and my claws will end in your throat, human!" responded the
demon. "There will be no patience for your insolence, but I will patiently watch you die. Yesss, I'd gladly wait
many years watching you die. Many eons. Many of your short, pitiful lifetimes!"
"Believe whatever false conclusions you'd like, little demon. But not I, nor you for that matter, shall be
dying anytime soon, if all goes to plan. And I am quite good at planning."
The demon leapt towards Malkin, arms outstretched and claws bared, ready to rend and tear flesh.
There was a sharp spark and a flash and the demon was immediately hurled back by the surrounding force of
the summoning circle. So far back was the demon thrown, in fact, that it collided with the other side of the
circle, emitting a second sharp flash of energy as the demon was deflected off of it as well, landing back at the
center of the circle. The demon writhed and howled in pain and anger on the stone floor.
Malkin was enjoying his new summoning circle. This one not only held its prisoner with a surrounding
force, but also inflicted great jolts of pain upon the prisoner attempting to break free. Malkin was quite pleased
with his new circle, and also quite amused at the demon writhing on the floor. "Who'll be watching who die,
might I ask, demon?"
The creature finally overcame its pain and stood, shakily, to its feet. "What do you want of me, fool
wizard?"
Malkin ignored the demon's question and pulled forth his rune stone. The stone was a dark grey, with
black runes etched across its sides. The stone looked insignificant, but Malkin had spent many days and many
more hours imbuing it and preparing it for the task that was now at hand. If all went as he intended, this rune
stone would be a tool Malkin could use to summon even greater demons, control even darker, more powerful
forces, and unveil even greater, deeper secrets the infernal realm had to offer his already expansive knowledge
of demonic lore. Who knows what new powers he might possess if this experiment were to work.
A loud crackling noise interrupted Malkin from his reverie. He looked up from his stone to see the
demon, yet again, writhing and cursing on the floor inside the circle of summoning. Apparently it had tried
again to break free.
"You do not learn very fast, do you?" Malkin derided. "Would you care to try again? I certainly
wouldn't mind. Go ahead, have at it. Knock yourself out. Quite literally, of course."
The demon crouched up on its haunches, glowering at its captor. It was quaking still, but no longer from
any pain left over from the force of the binding circle. The demon was shaking with barely contained rage,
staring hatefully at Malkin, its eyes promising death.
"Now if you're done with your little display, I believe it is time to come to business. If it’s any
consolation for you, demon, your binding with this stone here should result in untold suffering being visited
upon many hapless souls in the not so distant future."
"The only suffering I look forward to is yours," it hissed.
"So sorry to disappoint," Malkin held his stone near and began chanting his spell of binding, hoping to
fuse this demon's spirit with it. The demon raged and spat as it realized something bad was soon to happen to it,
clawing frantically at the stone floor it was standing on. Malkin continued his chant unabated.
Lines of glowing red energies began to spiral about the demon's legs, arms, and torso. The glowing
streams wove about the creature's body, and soon began to tighten about its scaly skin in a tight embrace. The
demon clawed desperately at its skin, trying to dislodge the wires of pulsing energy, but only succeeded in
tearing bits of its own skin off.
A low humming began as the wires vibrated, and the demon screached in pain. As Malkin continued
speaking his words to the spell, the fiery wires began to pull the demon from its confines in the warding circle,
towards the rune stone Malkin still held. As the demon was pulled forcefully through the warding circle, the
force field surrounding the circle inflicted another painful shock on the demon, bringing forth another pained
scream from it. Malkin didn't bother to disable the binding force of the circle for this part of the ritual, knowing
full well that the circle's powers were not great enough to contain the demon from such a powerful magical
force as this one.

Almost too quick for the eye to see, once the demon's prone form was free of the circle of summoning,
the wiry tendrils immediately pulled the creature directly into the rune stone Malkin was now holding aloft.
The creature vanished in a flash inside the stone, and the stone itself pulsed with a red glow several times before
ceasing. However, the stone remained warm in Malkin's palm.
Malkin ceased his chanting and held his breath, knowing that his part in this ritual was over. All there
was left to do was wait a few moments to see if the binding would be permanent. Soon his senses, well attuned
to the intricacies of the weave of spellwork, would be able to detect if the demon would remain bound in this
stone and that his ritual was a success.
The rune shattered in Malkin's exposed hand, exploding in a burst of small stone shards. The detonation
cut deeply into Malkin's palm as he quickly retracted it. The stone was destroyed, and along with it, the spirit of
the contained demon. Malkin held his wounded hand close to his chest, cursing loudly. The ritual was another
failure.
Malkin yelled out a barrage of obscenities, throwing over a nearby table in his rage, scattering many
books and parchments. Another demon soul destroyed, and, more importantly, another one of his finely crafted
stones ruined as well, which required far more effort to manufacture. Malkin had felt he was so close; but yet
again, it had been revealed to him that he was not.
Or was he? A thought came over Malkin, and he quickly scrambled through some of the old books he'd
cast to the floor. He identified the one he had in mind, and seized it, ignoring the pain he felt in his bleeding
hand. Referring to his last bookmarked location, he quickly scanned a portion of the page. After briefly
reviewing some of the material, and then slightly less briefly analyzing its meaning, he developed a suspicion.
There appeared to be a problem with the power ratio between the rune stone and the summoned demon.
If the demonic essence imbued within the stone was of a power to a degree higher than the power granted the
stone by Malkin's meticulous spellcraft, then surely the stone should not suffice for containing the demon in the
manner Malkin had chosen. If this balance of energy was even slightly off, then that might explain the stone's
destruction, unable to contain the demon spirit.

Not that this was news to Malkin, but he had assumed the rune's crafting would hold up to the task at
hand. He would likely need an even greater rune stone, which would mean many months of work, or a lesser
demon. The latter sounded like a better option to Malkin, although the subsequent artifact he'd create in the
process would be slightly less powerful. But still powerful.
Malkin decided to head to the library available on the Bureau's grounds. There he might investigate the
summoning of lesser demons, something he had not needed to do for quite some time.
***
"Hello, Malkin," greeted Bethany, the keeper of the library. "What brings you here today?"
"A simple matter, I shouldn't be remaining long," dismissed Malkin as he entered through the front door
of the library, beginning to head down one of the aisles of books in a purposeful stride.
"If I could have your ear a moment, Malkin," Bethany requested, intervening on his path down the aisle.
Malkin stopped and stared, annoyed. "What do you want?"
"Well," Bethany began, undeterred, "I intend to apply soon for an extension of my studies into matters of
demonology. I'm determined to make the subject my specialty here at The Academy, and was hoping you might
write me another recommendation for my application?"
Malkin was familiar with Bethany's interest in demon lore. She was a novice student of matters arcane,
but had been showing great emerging potential. Malkin didn't like that at all. Under other circumstances,
Malkin would be thrilled to employ more demonological specialists under his department, but as things were, he
did not want Bethany, nor her ambitions, present at the Bureau of Metaphysics Research. Currently, funds were
scarce and using them to further his area of research even scarcer. More competitors in his field of work would
mean sharing more of the funds, and a smaller piece of the pie for him. Malkin would have none of that.
"Sure I'll write you another recommendation, Bethany", Malkin promised. "Your potential has not gone
unnoticed here at The Academy. I'm sure the research of demonological studies will find much use for your…
talents".
Malkin definitely wanted to be the one writing Bethany's recommendations. That way, his poor
evaluation of her skills and abilities in these letters might serve to prevent her from moving forward. Because
for Bethany to move forward in her pursuits might mean Malkin would have to move backward. Malkin would
be sure and put a stop to that.
"I'll be sure and mail your department my sealed letter within the week," Malkin said. "Now, if there's
anything else?"
Bethany was staring at Malkin's bandaged hand, but shook her head and waved Malkin down the aisle
he had originally been headed towards. "My thanks, Malkin. I look forward to working with you in the future."
Hopefully you won't have a future, Malkin thought as he pushed forward into the quarters of the library.
***
After procuring a couple of books relevant to his interests, Malkin headed back to his quarters to begin
his studies. However, arriving at his front door he came upon man standing beside it, obviously waiting for
something, or someone. The man had an insignia on his tunic indicating he was from the Division of
Investigation here at the Bureau.
The man eyed Malkin immediately, saying "Malkin Soldernus, of the Division of Advanced Research, I
bring you a message from the Division of Investigation-"
"I know who you're with," Malkin interrupted. "Get to the point."
The man continued, "Brundle, the head of the division, wishes to speak to you. He's informed me that
the matter is somewhat urgent. He's requesting a meeting with you in his office straightaway."
"’Somewhat’ urgent?" Malkin retorted. "I'll be the judge of that. Lead the way."
After depositing his books in his study room, Malkin followed the messenger through the institution
towards the path to the Division of Investigation Malkin was already familiar with. Malkin, working in the
areas of metaphysics and spellcraft research, was familiar with Brundle and his division, as matters requiring
investigation often revealed information quite useful to Malkin and his area of expertise. Both departments
often found themselves requiring the assistance of the other, a so far mutually beneficial partnership.
Malkin soon arrived at the main hall of the Division of Investigation. Without any formalities he was
led straight towards and into Brundle's office. Awaiting him in the office was Brundle, at his desk. Next to the
desk were some cushioned chairs for visitors. Sitting in one of those chairs was a blond haired man, with a
satchel strapped to his side. He had a slight smirk subtly stretched across his face, as if amused by something.
Brundle himself was an aged man with a well groomed, grey beard, and similarly grey clothes.
"I present you with Malkin Soldernus, sir", the messenger informed Brundle.
"You are dismissed," Brundle told the messenger as he bowed slightly and departed through the doors
from which he entered.
"Welcome, Malkin. Be seated," Brundle said.
Malkin nodded curtly, found a seat, and quickly got to the point, "What is this news that's so urgent?"
"You will be apprised of the situation shortly," Brundle explained. "We await one further attendee to this
meeting, a member of the Shadow Guild."
Malkin was well familiar with the Shadow Guild. They were an unseemly necessity here within the city
of Strong Gate. They were but a loosely organized network of criminals who had an almost equal hand in
running the city of Strong Gate as the local government. It was not well known, but the King had ties to them,
to keep their operations running. What better way to run a city as king if your people are in constant fear of a
powerful criminal threat? Such has been a fine distraction of the citizens of Strong Gate from the King and his
council's own long list of misdeeds. No time for an uprising against the status quo when there is an army of
criminals afoot.
"The Shadow Guild?" Malkin questioned. "Don't we have enough of our own operatives here at the
Bureau to support whatever task you have in mind?"
"Unfortunately, not any more," Brundle explained. "There has been an unforeseen… mishap… and
I've lost a large portion of my men. This will all be made clear when our visitor from the Shadow Guild
arrives."
Brundle then turned to the blond man sitting across from his desk. "Until then, Malkin, allow me to
introduce to you a member of the Office of Records-"
"Allow me to introduce myself," the blond haired man interrupted. "I…" the man gestured grandly to
himself as he spoke the word with a dramatic pause, "am Adjantis Grandstein, bard, poet, and literary genius. I
have been requested here today to tell a grand tale for which we, and of course I, shall be remembered for years
to come."
"He is a scribe from the Office of Records," Brundle filled in. "He's been ordered here to record your
actions during the mission I shall be requesting you accept this day. He is to record and fill out a report to
submit back to my offices and the Office of Records. We need to keep track of goings on during this mission,
and the Office of Records was willing to provide us with this assistant.
"And Adjantis," Brundle turned back to the scribe, "no 'poetry' or 'literary genius'. This is to be a simple
log of your activities. No more. Understood?"
"I understand all," Adjantis said. "I understand that you here have just deliberately discouraged what
you yourself admit is literary genius. Now who, might I ask, would discourage such a thing?"
"Your task is a formal matter. Therefore you are to write a formal report, nothing more."
"Poetry knows no form," Adjantis went on. "It is formless. Art knows no bounds."
Malkin was only slightly listening to the interchange going on here. His attention was tempered by the
fact that he very well may be undertaking some sort of mission that would require the presence of this pompous
fool.
Brundle continued, "Adjantis, I introduce to you Malkin Soldernus, of the Department of Metaphysics
Research. He is a specialist in demons of sorts."
"Demons, you say?" Adjantis looked interested. "Will we be working with any of those during this
upcoming mission? I could weave a wonderful tale about them! Make sure to summon something interesting
for me, Malkin; no lowly imps, please. My quill is reserved for only the most important of tales."
"Malkin’s skills in the summoning arts will not be required,” Brundle explained. “Malkin is here for his
expertise and knowledge of the subject matter of demonology. There will be no need for spellwork, only
Malkin's knowledge."
"Sounds simple," Malkin said, and turned back to Adjantis. "And I do not summon demons, or anything
for that matter, for the amusement of others. I am not an entertainer. But if you're so interested in demons, my
good Adjantis, I may be able to arrange, not to summon, but to banish you to some faraway Hell. I'm sure you'll
have plenty to write about there, although it's doubtful you'd have the time to actually write it, seeing as you'd
likely be immediately exposed to the most depraved tortures imaginable. But that tale is one I'd very much love
to read about."
Adjantis had an amused smile on his face, undaunted by Malkin's threats. It looked as if he was actually
thinking about visiting Hell.
There came a loud knock at the office door, and immediately a large bear of a man barged through
without being welcomed in by Brundle. The man was wearing dark leather armor and had two battle axes
strapped to his back. A long, tangled beard hung from his massive jaw, and his dark eye brows were bushy and
made his deep eye sockets and small eyes look even smaller.
"'Ello, captain Brundle," the man greeted. "I'm Kroll, calling for duty".
"Have a seat," Brundle said, indicating the chair Kroll was to take. Kroll plopped down in it and kicked
his feet out in front of him, sprawled and at ease in the comfy chair.
"Kroll is of the Shadow Guild," Brundle explained, "a minor mercenary contracted for this mission in
case things have to get physical. He will be present on your mission, just in case."
"Correction, sir", Kroll said, "I'm no minor mercenary. In fact, I'm a rank five among the Shadow Guild.
However, business has been a little too calm for my tastes, and the Guild had me training new recruits! Hah! I
don't sell my blade slinging arms to train a bunch of neophytes! I don't teach, I do! And I've been informed that
this mission will have me actually do something."

"Correct," Brundle acknowledged. "And your superior rank and skill may come in handy, perhaps. But
still it isn't necessary. I trust you understand that your pay will be the equivalent of that of a lower ranking
mercenary, of which I had originally requested from the Guild?"
"Of course!" Kroll confirmed. "I'm not known for saving up money, but I still have enough coin left
over for the local bar and brothels to tide me over until my next real pay arrives. Until then, I've heard this
mission will take me out of the city, and I need to get out. There's always slaughter to be had in the wilds
outside the city! Count me in!"
"There should not be any slaughter for this mission," Brundle said. "It should be a simple matter of
retrieving an object that has caught my interest. This mission shall succeed best if there is no fighting between
you and your goal."
"I think I can manage to succeed in this mission and make a little killing on the side without much
difficulty, but we'll see where the wind takes us," Kroll said. He looked slightly disappointed.
Brundle carried on, "the three of you: Malkin Soldernus, Adjantis Grandstein, and Kroll… ?", Brundle
paused, looking to Kroll to fill in the blank.
"Kroll, just Kroll", the big man informed the group. "I've no surname, because my family did not give
me one. And my family did not give me one, because no one gave me a family. Unless of course you count the
streets of Strong Gate. Ah, such memories.
"What need have I for two names anyway?” Kroll went on. “I'm only one man. Although I'm probably
worth several more than that. But more than one of anything just complicates things. Who can keep track of
two names? I say, keep it simple, and-"
"The three of you shall be traveling due east to a heavily forested area formerly occupied by a small
barbarian tribe,” Brundle interrupted. “You are to recover an item from the remains of a large excavation party
I'd sent out that way some weeks back. The party was a failure, as they were killed during their travels back to
our city."
"No slaughter on this mission, eh?" Kroll seemed to have cheered up. "What about those that killed
your former excavation party? What if we run into them?"

"You shouldn't run into them at all, if all goes well," Brundle said. "Allow me to explain. Some months
ago I received some information gleaned from a simple, unrelated scouting mission from the Spy Network of
the Shadow Guild. It was revealed to me that there was a small barbarian tribe occupying a large burial ground
that housed some subterranean tombs. Normally I'd have no interest in the affairs of the primitive barbarians of
the lands, but these tombs were clearly not of their design.
"Apparently the tombs predate the arrival of the barbarians; by several millennia, in fact. The barbarians
just so happen to have decided to set up their simple dwellings near the vicinity, uncomprehending of the great
antiquity of the ancient structures. Yet, their antiquity is not what interested me, nor their history. It is well
known that such tombs were often sealed with many magical artifacts inside. Thus I composed a small retinue
of my Division's fighters, investigators, and a mage to go forth and perhaps retrieve any valuable artifacts they
may have been able to uncover from these tombs.
"Initially the group was successful. They invaded the barbarian's camp and slaughtered any inhabitants,
so that they would pose no threat to the excavation that was to follow. After getting those nuisances out of the
way, my group began their excavation and investigation of the surrounding area, including those tombs. Many
of the tombs were deeply sealed by the surrounding soil over the eons, so the team had their work cut out for
them unearthing many of them.
"Couriers were sent back to my headquarters periodically to keep me informed of the dig and the team's
progress. Apparently, they had uncovered only one magical item: some sort of statue, one depicting a demonic
being of some type. That's why I've invited you on this mission, Malkin"
Malkin perked up and suddenly seemed much more interested. "Tell me about this statue".
"There's little I can tell you as of yet," Brundle admitted. "The mage inspecting the item revealed that it
bore some fairly powerful magics, but the degree of the power of this item is yet unknown, as my hired mage
was not given the time to fully analyze the artifact. Or at least, was not able to report back to me his findings in
time. There's that slight issue of him, and all the rest of his group, dying on their way back. I've lost some
valuable men, but at least they do not have to be paid now upon their return. Hiring the three of you will be
much more economical in retrieving this artifact, which is to be your mission."

"So how'd your crew end up getting themselves killed? And why can't we find whoever killed them?"
Kroll asked.
"Well," Brundle began, "eventually the courier who had been scheduled to report to my office for the
final time during the course of this venture did not make his appointment. Last word I had received was that my
team was nearly done with their work and close to closing down their camp. However, several days passed and
I'd heard nothing back from them. They were clearly late, and I don't appreciate it when my plans do not go
according to schedule.
"So I had one of my wizards here at the department perform a scrying spell to discover what exactly
befell my crew. My wizard was able to locate them, all of them; or their bodies, at least. As it turns out shortly
during their travels to return to my headquarters, it looked as if they had been ambushed and slaughtered. The
scrying crystal ball revealed that the weaponry used to slaughter my employees was of a crude type of spear,
something only a barbarian would have been known to use in the area. It would seem my team was not
thorough enough in removing all of the neighboring barbarians, an unforgivable mistake.
"But not all of this news is entirely bad. The bodies of my team were only slaughtered. Their bodies
were not picked clean of their personal belongings, which is unusual for barbarians. That is among the
barbarians' primary purpose for warfare: to loot and plunder the treasures of their victims. Among many things,
they are thieves and scavengers. But they did not loot my crew; and more importantly, they did not steal my
statue, the only magical artifact discovered in those tombs.
"Something does not sit right with be about this statue. Why the barbarians would slaughter my crew
and leave their valuables untouched evades me. But I will not question this small piece of good fortune. The
statue remains on my former team's corpses for now; although there's no guarantee it will remain there for long.
Hence the slight urgency of this mission and why it ought to be expedited with haste. I intend to get this statue,
which is why I've brought you here, Malkin."
"You'd have me merely retrieve a single magical trinket for you?" Malkin said dryly.
"You'd be paid well," Brundle explained. "And I intend to pay you a further fee once you return with
this item back to my headquarters. If it truly is demonic in origin, surely you might find some interest in
analyzing its magical properties. Perhaps you can use some of the knowledge you extract from it in your own
designs. What say you?"
"I'll agree to partake of this simple expedition," Malkin claimed. "But there are no promises once I
return to continue my service by testing this artifact for you. If I am able to determine early on that this artifact
holds little power, I'll have to respectfully decline to waste any further time with it. I currently have important
matters of my own to attend here at the Bureau."
"Fair enough," Brundle acceded. "As for you, Kroll, you are to accompany Malkin purely as backup in
case things go wrong, and they'd best not. This is not an invasion like the previous mission. I do not intend to
lose any more valuable resources on a single magical item. Understood?"
"I certainly hope things don't 'go wrong'," Kroll chuckled. "But sure, a simple frolic through the woods
is fine. Who knows? Maybe I'll actually enjoy the mere simplicity of the fresh air and the lush forests? Then
again, maybe not.”
Brundle accepted Kroll's response with a nod. "Lastly, Adjantis, you are to be keeping a log of your
encounters and experiences on the road. I want a full report of your expedition when you return. Scribe your
notes whenever you can. If I had sent a scribe on the last expedition, uncovering this mystery would have been
a much simpler matter of merely retrieving my scribe's logs from his body. I will not make that mistake again.
I want everything accounted for."
"Of course, sir Brundle," Adjantis said. "You shall not be disappointed. I'm confident you will enjoy
my retelling of the events set forth by my hand. My literature's historicity will be a fine thing indeed."
Brundle folded his hands and regarded the small group. "Now, the three of you are to meet back at the
stables outside the Bureau within the hour. I have arranged for some horses to be available to you for your
travels. The saddle bags on them will contain the rations and maps you will require to make your journey. All
is prepared and ready for you. Good luck to you, gentlemen, but I'm hoping luck will have nothing to do with
it."
Chapter #2:
The trio set out later that day, riding on horseback. Since Brundle was so insistent that they leave on this
journey as soon as possible, they were not able to wait until the next early morning to set off. Instead, they'd
begun their travels later in the day, which meant it would be nightfall before they reached their destination.
They were going to eventually have to set up camp later that night. Until then, their travels continued.
Kroll was beginning to tire of the endless scenery of forestry and nature. Several hours had passed on
horseback and Kroll was getting restless and bored.
"So demons, eh?" Kroll blurted, directing his attention towards Malkin.
"What about them?" Malkin asked.
"You ever talk to one of them things? A demon, I mean," Kroll questioned further.
"I've spoken to countless demons. It's what I do, whether through summoning them to our mortal plane
or directly contacting them through some psychic gateway into Hell," Malkin explained.
"Oh nice!" Kroll sounded interested. "How exactly do you go about these summonings?"
"Hours of study into the arcane mechanics and infernal weave that binds our multiversal cosmic
existence," said Malkin.
"So it requires reading, then?"
"Correct."
"Oh, then count me out."
"I already have," Malkin commented dryly.
"What about succubi?" Kroll queried further.
"They are a female breed of demon that thrives on guile and seduction to-"
"No," Kroll interrupted. "Have you ever summoned a succubus?"
"I could, but I have not done so. It has not been required for my purposes."
"So let me get this straight," Kroll carried on. "You have the power to summon a succubus, a lusty
female of demon origin no less, which probably makes for an even kinkier time. However, while you have this
ability, you have never used it? You can summon hot demon women! What's wrong with you, Malkin?"
"Mating with a succubus means you lose your immortal soul to her forever," Malkin responded,
annoyed.
"Sounds like a fair trade to me," Kroll said with a grin. "What has my soul ever done for me, anyway?
All it does it sit there. I can't even see it. I probably wouldn't even know the thing is missing." Kroll was
inspecting his arms and shoulders, apparently looking for his soul, but finding nothing.
"I would be glad to indulge your interests by summoning such a succubus for you at a later time,"
Malkin said, narrowing his eyes. "However, your soul needs to remain intact for this pending mission. Be
patient, Kroll, for I'll be sure and help you submit your spirit to eternal damnation when the time is more
convenient."
Adjantis was ignoring the ongoing conversation, more distracted by the cold and the biting mosquitoes.
He was not used to such harsh environments, cloistered in his familiar Office of Records for so long. He was
also ill prepared in terms of accoutrements, dressed in his usual fine silks and clothing not suited to long treks
through the forest.
"It's getting dark," Adjantis complained, scratching at a mosquito bite on his arm. "Perhaps we should
set up camp soon. I'm famished. How about we set up camp, this endless trek has been quite uneventful."
"It's not intended to be eventful," said Malkin. "But if we set out early enough with the dawn tomorrow,
we should be able to make one single trip to our destination and back to the Bureau even if we set up camp now,
I suppose."
"Agreed," claimed Kroll. "My arse hurts, and my stomachs empty. This feeble horse can barely carry
my weight. I think it would make a better meal than any form of transportation." Kroll scanned the area,
looking for a place to set up camp. "There," Kroll pointed to an open area, "I'll get us a fire started. Break out
the rations, I'm sick of ridin'."

***
The trio sat around a small campfire, eating dried, salted meats and bread. Kroll was disappointed that
the food The Division of Investigation had left for them did not require to be cooked on the fire. He continued
to eat noisily nonetheless.
"Y'know, I could probably go out and hunt us some real food," Kroll informed the group with a mouth
full of dried bread. "Ain't that what nature's for? Killin' and eatin'. I'm sure there's plenty of critters out there I
could track down and gut with my axes. I can throw these axes like any spear, by the way, so don't you doubt
me for a bit."
"I'll doubt you for quite longer than a 'bit'," Malkin said. "We have what rations we need for the time
being, and certainly for the rest of the entire trip. Food is food, Kroll, just eat, and only keep your mouth open
for eating, not for talking. I grow tired of your chatter."
"I grow tired in general," Adjantis yawned. "This trek has taken a bit out of me. This manual labor is
beneath my position."
"You call sitting atop a horse manual labor?" Kroll scoffed. "Isn't that what you do all day in your office
anyway? Just sit? Even I could do that!"
"There's labor of the body, and then there's labor of the mind. My career involves great exertion of my
creative genius, both in the Office of Records, and in my real job, as a literary poet. I've written many books.
Have you even read a book, Kroll?" asked Adjantis.
"The only labor I see you doing is in wagging your tongue about how great you are," Kroll ignored the
question. "You're all talk. Anyway, are you guys sure you don't want me to hunt us up some real grub? This
bread tastes like dried parchment."
"How would you know what parchment tastes like?" said Adjantis. "Have you ever even picked up a
quill?"
"I used a scrap from an old book to roll some smokeweed once. I suppose books do have some use after
all, eh Adjantis?"
"What book did you ruin, you fool?" Adjantis looked offended that a book might be used for such a
purpose.
"Don't know," responded Kroll coolly. "I didn't read the cover, because I can't read. But it's not like the
former owner of that book is gonna miss that page. She's dead now."
"Oh, why do I ask? Tell me something Malkin," Adjantis decided to change the subject, "what is your
opinion about this so called 'demonic' artifact."
"I'm withholding judgment until I actually am able to procure and inspect the item," replied Malkin,
finishing up his sparse meal. "I do not much enjoy speculation, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say the item
probably has only a minor enchantment on it. Judging by the fact that it was the only magical artifact recovered
from the tombs, I'd say the former civilization that buried it were not particularly magically inclined."
Malkin began putting the remaining leftovers of his food rations back into his traveling pack and
continued. "Also considering that this magical item was buried in a tomb, and not kept among the living, meant
it was not currently being used by the people who crafted this statue. Only a fool would not use a powerful
magical item, thus entombing the artifact likely meant it was not so powerful."
"Then why would you bother with it, then," asked Kroll. "I know I don't mind getting outside and dirty,
but you look like you'd be more accustomed to the indoors with a book in hand."
"Like I said, I'm withholding judgment until I can actually inspect the item," Malkin repeated, placing
his pack behind his spread-out bedroll lying near the campfire. "But even if there is a slight chance that not
only is this artifact rich in powerful magics, but that it also possesses close ties to the sorts of magic found in the
lower planes of Hell, then I most certainly want to be the first one to lay hands on it to determine its worth.
Especially its worth to me. This little venture may prove to be an opportunity I'd regret ignoring."
"Well, we'll be discovering whatever opportunity there exists out in this mess of trees tomorrow, I
suppose," concluded Kroll.
"Yes, all should be made clear to us later on tomorrow. Until then, rest." Malkin began to prepare for
sleep.
***
They set out early that dawn. Malkin was the first to awaken and raise the rest of his group. They
closed up camp quickly and renewed their journey along the rarely traveled dirt road, ridden with weeds and
patches of tall grass as it was.
Adjantis groused the whole time, preferring to remain asleep a few hours longer rather than pack up and
head out so early. He attempted to catch some glimpses of sleep while riding on horseback down the dusty trail,
but found himself unable to do so. He was unaccustomed to the uncomfortable perch atop a slow trotting horse
along a bumpy trail.
More uneventful hours passed as the trio continued along their destined path. "Are we there yet,"
whined Adjantis.
"According to the map Brundle provided us, we actually do draw near our intended location," Malkin
was inspecting one of the maps, holding it spread out over the mane of his horse with one hand while holding
the reins of his mount with the other. "It will be a short while now, it would seem. In the meantime, why don't
you make yourself useful and scribe something in your book."
"Keep your eyes peeled for barbarian scum!" Kroll announced cheerily. "My axes are itchy for some
good ol' slaughter. My hands weren't given to me to handle the reins of a stinkin' horse all damn day! These
hands were meant for hitting things."
"Yes, that reminds me," Malkin folded up his map neatly and tucked it away in his saddle bag for later
reference. "The both of you keep your voices down. We should be approaching barbarian territory soon. Your
two hands may not be enough to hold off an entire tribe of barbarians, Kroll."
"There's only one way to find out!" said Kroll.
"Actually there are two ways," Malkin corrected. "One is you get yourself killed, the other is to use
logic and reason to determine if your overmatched or not. As much as I'd like to see the former, do try not to
get distracted from our purpose so easily, Kroll. Our orders were clear."
"Do you guys smell that?" Adjantis crinkled his nose in disgust. "Something smells awful."
"Wasn't me this time," Kroll admitted.
"No, I smell it too," said Malkin, shading his eyes from the sun with one hand to peer forward down the
trail. "It's coming from up ahead. It smells of the distinct odor of death. Lot's of death."
Kroll looked on, eagerly rubbing his hands together.
"However," continued Malkin, we are not near enough to our destination yet to be upon the bodies of the
excavation team before us. Their piled corpses should be further up ahead. Rein in your mounts, you two. We
need to dismount and scout up ahead. I advise caution, especially you, Kroll."
Adjantis was scribbling some notes in his small book, only partially listening to Malkin.
The three men tethered their mounts to some trees and slowly approached a portion of forest slightly off
of their trail, as Malkin instructed. They crept through the woods adjacent to the dirt road, off into the trees
some distance. Malkin was displeased at Kroll's obvious lack of stealth in plodding through the wooded area.
As they neared the site where the winds were carrying the foul odor from, they peered through a small patch of
short trees.
"Barbarians," Kroll whispered, a little too loudly. Sure enough, there were half a dozen barbarians
wandering around or just standing amongst the middle of a patch of grassed area vacant of trees. The
barbarians were clad in crude animal skins, covering their suntanned, well muscled bodies. The barbarians were
wandering in a daze, weekly holding on to simple spears or crudely crafted daggers.
"What are those buffoons doing out here?" wondered Adjantis. "They're just standing around like idiots.
I'm sure glad I live in civilized society."
"And where are the bodies?" asked Kroll. "Even my poor sense of smell can pick out the sweet stink of
death all around this area. There ain't no dead corpses here."
"Acutally, there are," corrected Malkin. "You are looking at them. These former barbarians are all a
bunch of rotting corpses now. Undead, to be exact. Their smell, their mottled flesh, and their mindless, vacant
stares are dead giveaways."
"'Dead' giveaways?" questioned Kroll. "Well who 'undeaded' them?" Kroll was fingering the axes
strapped to his back.

"I suppose it's likely an improvement though, considering barbarians," sneered adjantis. "It's hard to be
any lowlier than a barbarian."
"I do not know who, or what, resurrected these men into a state of undeath, but this certainly
complicates the matter of our mission." Malkin began weaving his fingers in intricate circular patterns and
muttering some arcane syllables under his breath, casting a simple detection spell. He released his fingers and
held them to his temple briefly. Kroll and Adjantis just stared at him.
"Yes, this mission has just gotten much more interesting," Malkin revealed to his two comrades while
stroking his chin in thought. "The magic animating these undead bears residual marking of the infernal."
Kroll and Adjantis just continued to stare at him.
"Demonic magic did this to these people," Malkin explained.
Adjantis jotted a few more things down in his personal book.
"We need to take a roundabout route around these undead," Malkin was staring at Kroll while saying
this. "I'd suggest-"
There was a loud whinnying behind them, where the group had tethered their horses. "Something's
disturbed our mounts," Malkin hissed. Kroll was already running back then, before Malkin could issue any
caution.
As the three men approached their horses, they found them to be under attack by two additional undead
barbarians. Both were stumbling towards the horses with spears raised. Kroll instantly unsheathed his two
battle axes and charged with a loud warcry. Malkin winced at the loudness, and Adjantis staid back and to the
side some distance, away from the commotion.
Kroll took one swift swing of his axe, removing the arm, and the spear it was holding, of one of the
undead creatures before it could strike out at the horses. "Hah! Now you're unarmed," Kroll said mockingly.
The undead barbarian just groaned in protest and swung out with its remaining arm, scratching a gash across
Kroll's shoulder. "What the hell?" Kroll blurted, surprised at the speed of the thing.
"Undead are not defeated so easily, Kroll," Malkin began preparing some spell components he had
drawn from a pocket under his robes. "They require full dismemberment before they will cease attacking you."
"Full dismemberment I can do!" Kroll exclaimed. The two undead were upon Kroll now, but another
stroke of his axe removed the last remaining arm on the first one, and a solid kick from Kroll's boot sent it
tumbling into the second one. The two undead collapsed in a heap rolling atop one another, not exactly agile on
their feet in the least. Kroll began a series of repeated chops with both of his axes in sequence, chopping down
atop the two undead which were sluggishly struggling to return to their feet. It was of no use, however, as the
axes kept on chopping, until finally the two undead were nothing but a mess of severed limbs and body parts
writing on a heap on the ground. As Kroll continued to chop away, the body parts began to stop writhing, and
finally ceased moving at all.
"We've got company," Adjantis alerted the others, as the rest of the half dozen undead had heard the
commotion and began ambling down the path towards them, spears and daggers drawn. Malkin spoke a quick
word of power and cast his hand out. A flash of red lightning emitted from his outstretched fingers and struck
the thing nearest it: the undead foremost among the attacking group. The undead barbarian's shoulder was
struck by the searing red lighting, blasting its shoulder apart and causing one of its arms and its head to fly
away, and lighting the entire creature on fire in the process. Unfortunately, the arm blown off in the explosion
from the creature was not the one carrying a weapon, and the burning, headless, one armed abomination began
blindly thrusting its dagger about it.
Kroll was occupied with four of the undead barbarians. While he was outnumbered, the undead were
slow, and thus Kroll was able to deflect their feeble thrusts with their spears. However, he was mostly on the
defensive, finding it difficult to fit in a strike at one of his opponents.
Malkin drew forth a dagger as one of the undead approached him. He spoke some words and the
dagger's blade burst into dark black flames. He did this just in time to raise the flaming dagger to parry the
barbarian's overhand jab with his spear. Malkin made a quick riposte in response and jabbed the dagger just
under the undead barbarian's spear wielding arm. Malkin backed away as the undead continued toward him,
seemingly unaffected.
However, the area of the wound the barbarian had suffered was now alighted with a similar black flame
as the one surrounding Malkin's dagger. The flame spread up along the undead thing's arm, and immediately
the arm dropped its spear and hung loosely and uselessly at the barbarian's side, no longer animated by undead
magic. The flame continued up along the creature's head and its other arm as well, and soon its head began to
loll about its neck, no longer infected with unlife. Its other arm too became useless, and then the flames on the
creature died out, and it continued to walk clumsily about without the use of its upper body.
Adjantis had drawn a small dagger from his belt as well. Only he approached the burning disembodied
head of the first undead barbarian. It was still on fire, and Adjantis made certain to avoid the rest of its body,
walking about agitatedly and blindly as it burned and emitted a pungent odor redolent of both decaying flesh
and burnt meat that offended Adjantis' nostrils.
Adjantis deftly struck out with his dagger, spearing the severed burning head with it. He held the
disgusting thing away from him, then pulled his arm back for a throw. "Heads up!" Adjantis called out, as he
flung his arm forward, launching the burning head from the end of his dagger blade into the pack of four undead
still assailing Kroll.
The burning head knocked one of the attacking undead on the side of its face, catching its hair on fire
and causing it to stumble, then fall over. The still burning head landed and rolled underneath the feet of a
second undead barbarian, tripping it and causing it to fall atop the burning body part.
That was all the advantage Kroll needed. With two simultaneous strikes with both of his axes at once,
he flung the two standing undead barbarian's weapons out wide and immediately drew both of his axes into the
sides of his opponents in a roundabout swing, severing both their spines as they fell over. Kroll was then a mad
rush of downward chopping axes as he hacked away at the struggling undead beneath him, some partly on fire
still.
Malkin had just finished stabbing the other two barely walking undead with his enchanted dagger in the
legs. Malkin's black flame quickly spread over the creature's legs and they eventually quit working, bringing
what was left of the undead falling to the ground.
Adjantis was sitting atop a grassy spot leaning on a well shaded tree trunk as this was happening. He
was munching on some of the dried meat he'd fetched from his pack and was scribbling some notes down in his
book, content to let his other two companions ensure the undead stayed down.
"Enjoy she show?" Kroll approached Adjantis after wiping his two axes clean on the furs the dead
barbarians wore.
"Hey, I helped," responded adjantis. "I'm even helping right now, telling what will be a fabled tale told
and retold for generations to come! This journey has become much more noteworthy, and my notes much more
than just notes. I'll likely include all this in my autobiography. Can't wait to get this all published."
"Have you ever even published anything before?" Kroll asked with one bushy eye brow raised.
"It will take the world time to recognize my genius," was all that was forthcoming from Adjantis.
"Silence, both of you," Malkin stepped in, waving his free hand over his enchanted dagger and
dispelling the black flames on the jagged blade. Kroll noticed that there were no traces of blood on the dagger,
and that Malkin had not wiped it clean, either.
"This may be evidence of what befell the failed expedition before us," Malkin began. "You'll notice that
the blades of these barbarians have blood on them already, well dried. The state of decay of these formerly
undead barbarians is also not so advanced. I would venture a guess that they were only killed and raised mere
weeks ago."
"'mere' weeks ago?" Kroll was skeptical. "I've spent enough time around enough corpses to know that
they'd be more rotten than this in mere weeks."
"You may have spent time around enough corpses, Kroll," Malkin began to explain. "but you seem not
to have spent enough time around enough undead corpses. The rate of decay of many classes of undead is
greatly reduced."
"So the excavators before us killed the barbarians, looted the tombs they dwelled on, then the barbarians
rose from the dead and killed the excavators?" asked Adjantis.
"That would seem to be the case," Malkin sheathed his dagger. "It would explain why the former team
had been slain by barbarian made weapons, and further why the bodies of those slain were not looted. This
class of undead does not interest itself in riches or looting."
"Speaking of looting," Kroll piped in. "We were instructed only to get this statue. We get free reign to
loot the pockets of the slain excavators once we get to the site, yes?"
"Are you not following this, Kroll?" scorned Malkin. "Something out here resurrected the dead
barbarians. Something that I'm guessing still remains. And in answer to your question, yes, loot the useless
corpses if you will. But leave the thinking to me."
"Happy to comply!" Kroll looked to their horses, still tethered up by the trees as they were. "So, what
are we waiting for? Let's go find those other corpses."
The trio gathered their mounts and then set out to do just that.
***
It did not take long to finally arrive at the site of the slaughter they'd been informed of. The stench was
quite a bit worse than that which they experienced with the undead earlier that day. There were dozens of the
slain excavators and soldiers sprawled out along a wide open part of the trail heading back to the city, along
with their slain horses they were riding. Adjantis complained of the stench. Kroll began patting down the
pockets of the dead, searching for any valuables they might possess.
"Whatever raised the barbarians did not raise these men and women back from the dead," Malkin
observed, a grim expression on his gaunt features. "This may not take long. All we require is the statue."
"Well, let's find this damned thing, then," Adjantis was pinching his nose. "No use in delaying. We
don't want to stay here long."
Malkin ignored Adjantis and said "that overturned war carriage is likely where the artifact was kept
during the expedition's way back." Malkin trotted his mount over to the carriage, which was badly damaged
and strewn with a few dead bodies, one underneath it. Malkin dismounted and approached the carriage.
Malkin was about to peer inside the wagon, but had second thoughts and called out to Kroll, who was
still busy searching the bodies, "Kroll. Make yourself useful and fetch whatever looks like a statue from the
inside of this coach."
Kroll looked up and trotted over to Malkin's location near the wagon. "Yea, let's see what all the fuss is
about over this statue. Wonder if it's worth much."

Kroll jumped onto the side of the overturned wagon and flung its damaged doors open. He casually
hopped inside, rummaging about noisily. He rose from inside the carriage with a burlap sack in one arm, raised
above his head. "Think we got it."
"Hand it over here," Malkin instructed.
Kroll tossed the bag at Malkin, who swiftly caught it.
Malkin removed the contents of the bag, revealing the statue it contained; the one they'd been sent to
retrieve. Malkin tossed the used bag aside so he could inspect the item with both hands free. He ran his long
fingers across its contours, looking for anything unusual. The statue was fashioned of glossy black granite,
forming the shape of an obviously demonic entity. The humanoid form of the statue depicted the telltale curled
horns atop the figure's head, framing the bony face of the creature, absent of a nose except for two nostrils. The
feet of the statue ended in cloven hooves, and the expression of the figurine was grim. There were jagged runes
etched on the statue, colored in a bright red that was of as glossy a shine as the rest of the figure's granite form.
Malkin recognized a few of the runes covering the statue, but most he did not. In fact, most were of a
script he could not even properly identify and categorize that would make investigating them up much easier.
Malkin recalled the very old age of the dig site that Brundle claimed the statue originally resided at. Malkin
smiled inwardly at the realization that the magics that went into the creation of this artifact were likely so old
they were long forgotten. That would mean if he were to unravel these runes and their meaning, he would have
access to new magics the modern world has never seen before. He would be the exclusive proprietor of their
meaning, if he could avoid revealing too much about the item to Brundle and the rest of his department.
Yes, Malkin thought, this item is very likely worth this short trip. The item was clearly magical, Malkin
didn't even need the rune engravings on it to determine that much. The pulse of energy was apparent to his
sensitive eyes.
"Well?" Kroll intruded into Malkin's thoughts. "What's it do?"
"Maybe it's doing it right now," Adjantis suggested. "That is what most statues are for: sitting there. For
appearances sake."
"No," Malkin said flatly. "This item contains magic of a sort. However, what sort of magic it contains is
not yet known to me. I intend to find that out right now. Give me a moment, you two, and do not talk. I shall
be casting a simple enlightenment spell to discover more about what exactly this artifact can do for me."
Without waiting for a reply, Malkin closed his eyes and began tracing some simple patterns with his
fingers along the sides of the statue. He focused his mind through those patterns, attempting to penetrate the
deep details of the figurine. He peered through the thin veil of the essence of the statue, peeling it back and
driving his mind forth, to better his understanding of the object.
Malkin found himself drifting in an endless void of flame and darkness. His eyes were open, and with
them he beheld a horrible vision of a universe gone mad. The skies rained screams of torment so vast that
screams alone could not communicate the depth of the suffering within them, but Malkin understood those
screams nonetheless. Below him was a vast ocean of darkness threatening to swallow him up and never release
him from its fiery embrace. Malkin could not feel his body, nor see it upon looking downward, where the rest
of him should have been. Malkin tried to release himself from this vision, hoping that it was in fact a vision.
He concentrated, trying to ignore the numbing drone of the endless screams and howls in the not so distant
background.
"Don't fight it, mortal, release your inhibitions," a deep, resonating voice called from somewhere Malkin
could not assign a location to. Malkin looked up and beheld what was obviously the real incarnation of the
statue, the humanoid demon form in the flesh. Whatever the statue was, it either contained or was some sort of
link to this very being.
"Release me, damned you!", Malkin growled.
"Oh, but you can release yourself", said the demon. "Can't you feel the pull? The pull of freedom
tugging at your mind? Allow it to guide you, human. It will take you home."
Malkin felt the pull alright, but the direction it intended to take him was anywhere but his own home; or
his home world, for that matter. He didn't want to discover who's 'home' the demon was referring to. Malkin
concentrated his mind elsewhere, seeking anything in this hellish void that offered anything but torment.
Malkin searched for any escape he could.

"Why do you ignore your destiny, little human?" the demon sounded amused. "You cannot fight destiny,
and I decide what's destined. If you would just release yourself from this world, you shall be free. Submit."
Malkin thought he detected something not of the demon's making, something that eluded his mind when
he tried to focus on it. Malkin attempted to use the weave of magic within him to peer into the depths of this
source, but his concentration was immediately dispelled. This source was enchanted with disruption magic,
which meant it would remove or interfere with any spellwork cast through, on, or near it. Malkin focused on it
again, determined.
Malkin's concentration on this anomalous affect of the void he dwelled in meant his focus on fighting
the pull of the rest of this universe trying to envelop his very soul was loosened. He could not mentally attend
to both matters simultaneously, but he felt he had to take a risk. The screams that swam in the void sounded
nearer, their pained vocalizations growing louder, further grating on Malkin's nerves. Whether the screams
were themselves drawing closer around Malkin, or Malkin himself was drifting towards them, he did not know.
Malkin felt the unusual source of power yet again with his mind, attempting to draw it near him. Malkin
hoped this was some sort of bridge to his own world, and tried to pull himself toward it. But the pull of the
tormented swirl of souls behind him was the stronger, and Malkin realized he could not fight his doom and seek
his salvation at the same time. He tried to bend back the disruption magic of the source with his mind,
desperate to reveal any clue to what it was.
He thought he could see past the enchantment, see through to the heart of what this source was, but the
disruption magic cut him off yet again, this time with a violent and painful shock wave that was sent spiraling
through his brain. He cursed and tried to claw at the pain shooting through his head, but realized he had no
hands to claw with, and no head to feel pain with either, in this dimension. He was a helpless thought, and idea,
a drifting soul with nothing but his own mind to defend himself with.
Malkin felt despair clawing at the edges of his soul, but then realized something he remembered during
his second attempt to peer into the source. There was nothing behind the Disruption enchantment. Malkin
resumed his concentration on the source again, but this time not at what was behind the disruption enchantment,
but at the enchantment itself. Yes, this enchantment wasn't concealing anything, it wasn't seeking to conceal
some bridge from this Hell to his home world. It was the source. There was a spell of disruption enchantment
placed on this very void; or, more accurately, the statue that now contained him.
The howls of the endless suffering spirits around Malkin grew to such heights that they shook his very
mind with loud, unending thunder. Malkin's mind swam in the loudness, the screams almost drowning out any
thoughts he could manage. Almost.
Malkin focused on the source yet again, but this time did not attempt to get his mind past its defenses,
but rather to excite those very defenses, throw whatever he could their way to make them activate. Malkin tried
to feed the source, and was successful. The disruption magic grew and expanded, distorting the screams around
him. Their voices now sounded distant and jumbled, out of place and irregular.
"No, you fool!" the demon protested, yet the demon, too, sounded distant.
At last a great whirlwind of sparks surrounded the void Malkin dwelt in, a chaotic mess that distorted his
vision of the surrounding universe. Malkin began to feel sharp, tingling sensations in his limbs, and soon felt
ground underneath his feet, and the tug of gravity, rather than the tug of an endless sea of pain promising to
drown him.
Malkin was back in his world, the sun above him, and his two colleagues, Kroll and Ajantis, at his sides.
Malkin was still holding the statue, he realized with a start, so he violently cast it to the ground. Adjantis
stepped back, unaware of what Malkin had just been through. Kroll just stared, no response from him.
"What's wrong with it," Adjantis gestured towards the statue now lying in the grass.
Malkin reoriented himself and shrugged off the soul chilling unease left over from his experience with
the demon-possessed statue. "Maybe nothing," Malkin responded to Adjantis. "Maybe everything is right with
this statue." An idea came to Malkin, as the realization of what this artifact was and what it contained dawned
on him.
"The statue is possessed by a demon, one vastly great in power," Malkin muttered to himself as much as
to his associates. "So powerful, in fact, that the magic of its creation is definitely beyond my abilities."
"So you can't use it?" Kroll looked disappointed. "Not even the great Malkin can use a simple statue?"
"Not so fast," Malkin warned. "I said its creation is beyond my abilities, I cannot make a new one. But
why need I make a new one, there's one right here? I cannot create a powerful item such as this, but I very well
may be able to use it. I intend to use it."
Malkin thought in silence for a moment. An artifact that contained a demon, just such an artifact he'd
been attempting to create over the past few months of his research at the Bureau. The item was powerful, any
novice could have sensed the great power of the demon within upon encountering it as he did. What was this
statue doing buried in some long forgotten, useless tomb? Why was there a spell of magic disruption cast upon
the item? Any spellwork done on the statue would be made difficult if its properties disrupted those attempts.
Or maybe that was the point? Not to negate spells from without, but from within. The demon was already able
to attempt to consume his soul upon analyzing the item. The containment properties of this statue were clearly
not impeccable, if they'd intended to completely contain the demon at all. Maybe the magic containing the
demon was not so great. Maybe the demon's attempts to escape the artifact needed to be compromised by the
disruption casting within it, not just the containment ability of the item. Malkin needed more information.
"I need to talk to this demon," Malkin said determinedly. "I'd talk with this contained being directly, but
doing so might risk my soul, especially considering this statue's inclination to disrupt magic."
"Can't this wait until we return to the city?" Adjantis still looked uncomfortable about the smell of dead
nearby.
"No!" Kroll blurted. "I'm to return to the Shadow Guild when we're back at the city, after I receive my
pay. I want to see this now. I won't get a chance later. Let's talk to a demon! Maybe we could let it out to
play? Have some fun with it?"
"Releasing the demon is certainly not to happen, ever," Malkin walked up to where the statue was lying
and cautiously picked it up between thumb and forefinger. "But I will not wait to talk to this entity until we
reach headquarters, when Brundle would be fully apprised of the situation. I want all the information I can get
before making a decision. We talk to this demon now."
"What decision is there to make?" Adjantis questioned, now scribbling in his book again.
"We shall find out once we've gathered more information," Malkin grasped the statue in his hand fully
now, realizing that it was not about to suck his soul dry. Only psychically linking with the object directly risked
his immortal soul. Malkin would not make that mistake again.
"So why don't we do this somewhere more hospitable?" Adjantis scanned the area for a better location.
"We need this area," Malkin looked about, also searching for a better area, although for different reasons
than Adjantis. "I cannot talk to this statue directly, to do so would not be wise. Instead, we shall have the
demon talk through one of these corpses."
"Talking to demons and corpses? This day just got better!" Kroll crossed his arms, waiting for Malkin
to continue with his work."
Malkin approached a slain soldier, its side leaking some entrails and dried blood, but otherwise intact
enough for Malkin's purposes. Malkin grabbed the dead soldier's weapon laying nearby, a broadsword, and cast
it aside and out of the way. Malkin then proceeded to lay the solider supine and straight, with his arms crossed
about his slightly disemboweled abdomen. Malkin then wrapped the dead man's hands about the statue,
pressing the stiff finders closed about it.
Malkin then began intoning the words to a spell similar to the one he'd cast on the statue earlier, only
this time it was done through the corpse and then through the statue. Malkin finished the words to his spell and
stepped back. At fist, nothing seemed to have happened, but then an eery red glow became visible in the dead
man's cloudy white eyes. The body stiffened, as if all the muscles within it were contracting all at once.
"So, now it is you, little mortal, who has me at a disadvantage," the dead body, or more accurately, the
demon, began to speak. The voice came forth from the dried lips of the corpse, a ghostly deep resonance of a
voice that immediately could be recognized as not of this world. The voice was both gravelly and yet smooth as
silk, a sound that confused one's senses. "Now I have a request to make: release me."
"Not a chance, demon," Malkin leaned over the corpse, his serrated dagger drawn, just in case. "I would
have your name."
"You already possess the entirety of my eternal spirit, and still you want more? Greedy, greedy human."
The demon did not sound bothered at all considering his circumstances. "I've realized you've detected this foul
enchantment of spell disruption cast about my prison of a statue. Such an inconvenient thing, for the both of
us."
"It was not so inconvenient for me a short while ago," Malkin was skeptical of anything the demon
might say. "If it were not there during my souls venture into your prison within the statue, where would I be
now?"
"Why, free, of course, like I've already told you. You forget easily, mortal."
"I'm free now, and my name's Malkin. You will address me as such."
"I'd say 'well met' Malkin, but I do not find this meeting well. I am known as Baelth'Kael, and I have a
proposition for you."
"Speak" Malkin commanded the demon to continue.
"As I've mentioned, this spell of disruption is no thing for a wizard to have, especially when it interferes
with so powerful an artifact such as this very statue. I sense great potential in you, spellcaster, certainly you,
too, see the great need to lift this enchantment from your own property, so that you may better use it. It will
interfere with any tinkering you have in mind for this artifact." The demon was now referring to the statue as an
artifact, and no longer a 'prison'.
"Releasing the binds of such spellwork would certainly make my control over your prison easier,"
Malkin agreed. "But it would make your own control over it easier as well. I'm not about to find out who's
control is the stronger."
"Puny disruption magic is not all that holds me back. This item binds me as well; it seeks not just to
interfere with things magical. It would still be a prison nonetheless."
"Speaking of prisons, why were you bound to this statue and forgotten in the first place?" Malkin
decided to change the subject. He was already aware that bargaining with Baelth'Kael would likely be useless.
The demon was underestimating Malkin if he thought him stupid enough to release the disruption spell. But it
would seem the demon had no choice but to at least try. "A powerful many mages must have been present just
to summon you, and many times more powerful must they have been for being able to bind your spirit within
that artifact. To summon you, however, they must have required some sort of soul crystal, something to connect
to you with to pull you from the depths of hell and into this world. What happened to such a device?"
"There was no such soul crystal. You are correct to assume the mages that summoned me were
powerful, so much indeed that they did not require a soul crystal to bring me into your world."
"There is no such magic!" Malkin was getting annoyed. "I've never heard of abilities such as those, and
I've heard quite a great deal during my lifetime."
"Apparently not," the demon chuckled, a bubbling, dark mirth. "I suppose such magic is beyond your
short experience and small mind. I doubt you are even capable of removing this disruption magic and therefore
using this statue. Your statue is useless with these enchantments in place."
"And the lies you provide me are equally useless," Malkin was beginning to see the futility in trying to
extract truth from a demon. "Can you even tell me why the corpse you now reside in was slaughtered? Can
you tell me anything? Or are you just as useless as this statue?"
"The mage in this group of excavators intended to raise the slain barbarians." Baelth'Kael explained.
"The spell disruption magic of this statue interfered with his castings, and he lost control of the undead he'd
raised, becoming his undoing. The enchantments placed on this statue do not just disrupt magic about this
statue, but magic near it, as well. These enchantments are a dangerous thing. You would do well to rid yourself
of them."
"The mage in this group would not have been able to, nor willing to, raise an entire tribe of barbarians
from the dead." Malkin was somewhat pleased, as he thought he'd filtered out some truth amongst the demon's
lies.
"And how might you know that, feeble mortal wizard?"
"I'm familiar with the mage sent on this expedition and his rank," Malkin went on. "I'm also aware that
the remaining purpose of this expedition was simply to return to base to report their findings. There would be
no need to resurrect a small army of undead. We are not some happenstance group wondering the wilderness
who just so happens to come across this site. We were sent forth by the same organization as this group of dead
you see before us. The former mage of this expedition did not raise the barbarians back from the dead."
"Your mage was testing the power of this artifact," the demon tried to explain. "Only through the
powers of my being could he have raised such numbers of undead."
"No, you raised the undead yourself," Malkin corrected. "The mage was no specialist in demons. That
is why I'm here. My question is how did you do it from the confines of your stone prison?"
"My powers are greater than you know. Tempt my wrath, and you shall wind up the same as your
former colleagues."
"I'd like to see you try, Baelth-whatever!" Kroll jumped in, unexpectedly. "You're just a cheap piece of
stone! The only power I see you having is in moving the lips of some dead hunk of meat. Even I could do that,
but I've got better things to do."
"You know nothing of my powers. I have raped the souls of countless innocents, my age is beyond
reckoning, and my power would teach you the true meaning of suffering!"
"Blah blah blah," Kroll was flapping his hand as if it were a talking puppet. "The only thing you're
teaching me is the true meaning of boredom. If you're so great why don't you come on up here and actually do
something? Or do I have to come down there, since standing is one of those powers you seem to lack." Kroll
sounded very smug.
Malkin decided to let these antics continue. Perhaps the demon would reveal something interesting
when it was full of anger.
"Yes, do come down here!" the demon raged. "Grasp this statue and just see what you can do to it. I
will drain your soul dry."
"That's your power? Handling a statue? Why would I want a useless statue, anyway? I doubt I could
even sell you to the most desperate merchant. You couldn't even be worth enough to buy me a pint of ale.
Come to think of it, the intoxicating effects of my ale tankard would probably be more dangerous than you. I
mean, you didn't even raise those dead barbarians. You needed a novice mage's help just to do that. You,
dependant on a novice mageling! Ha!"
"The summoning was my doing, and I shall do it again, next time at your expense! If I needed the
useless wizard, then how come I had him slaughtered?"

"Why indeed," Malkin jumped in. "Wouldn't you need such a mage to help you dispel the disruption
magic that holds you back?"
"The disruption magic's what killed the mageling. The mage himself was to be turned undead, so that I
might control him better. The enchantment interfered, and instead scattered my powers far and wide, infecting
the slaughtered barbarians near the excavation site with the taint of undeath. Who knows what might happen
next when I so choose to cast my powers forth again? You all will be my next victims."
"I think not," Malkin concluded. "I will be able to detect any activity of spellwork you try to weave, and
thus be ready to negate it my deliberately activating the disruption magic early. I think we've gathered enough
information from you, demon."
"Oh, but I haven't revealed the best part yet, my dear Malkin," said Baelth'Kael. "You've still much to
learn, and I much to teach. I can tell you where my soul crystal is located, if you would but listen. The one that
can fully control the powers of this artifact. We could both use it to gain great power."
"The soul crystal you claimed didn't exist? You are vacillating, and I've spent enough time talking to
you." Malkin was preparing to release the spell of communication from the corpse the statue rested upon.
"There was no soul crystal that you are familiar with. But rather there is a special linkage ritual that you
might perform, one that would make you the linkage artifact. Indwelling within you would be full sole
proprietorship of this artifact, and thus the ability to control it."
"Begone, demon, back to your prison," Malkin made a swift chopping motion with his straightened
hand, and the light of the talking corpse's eyes blinked out and resumed their normal milky whiteness.
Baelth'Kael had been sent back into the depths of the statue.
"What was that about some linkage ritual," Adjantis asked, looking confused about Malkin's actions.
"Don't we want to know what that is?"
Malkin retrieved the statue from the arms of the dead solider. "I'm not about to perform some ritual of
the demon's choosing; especially one I am likely to be unfamiliar with. I somehow doubt me 'linking' with the
statue is in my best interest. The demon lies, the ritual is clearly a trap. No, the real soul crystal lies elsewhere;
and there certainly is one, of that I am certain. A being of this power cannot be bound to a foreign plane of
existence without such a tool. The question is, where is it?"
Kroll looked from Adjantis to Malkin briefly. "Who cares where it is, we already have the demon right
there in that statue. It can already raise the dead. Who knows what fun you could have controlling the dead? I
say we get some harlots from off the streets of Strong Gate and make them our undead slaves!"
"As evidenced by the dead lying at our feet, controlling them would not be so easy," Malkin began
returning the statue to the bag that originally contained it. "And need I remind you that the demon himself
revived those dead barbarians. Having that soul crystal would mean having more control over the powers the
demon uses. In fact, it would give me full control over the demon himself. I could even release him from this
statue, temporarily or permanently, if I so choose. The implications of what I could do with such powers are
endless." Malkin strapped the bag that contained the small statue to his belt.
"The implications of what you can do with such powers are limited by Brundle's authority," Adjantis put
forth while jotting some notes down in his book. "He does retain legal rights and full ownership of that item, as
our Bureau's charter will tell you."
"You are correct," Malkin said, narrowing his eyes in thought. "Brundle does own the statue, but there's
nothing in my contract that says I must deliver to him anything more than just the statue."
"But alls you've got is the statue," Kroll said. "You don't have this crystal. Losing the statue is losing
everything. I say we have some fun with the demon before we head straight back to bureau. I know a pub that
would be just the place."
"I was thinking something more long term than that for the statue, actually," Malkin went on. "While I
do owe Brundle the statue, the demon it contains is not specified in my contract to be similarly delivered to him.
If I can gain access to this soul crystal, I can release the demon from the artifact, making it just a worthless
statue with a mere disruption spell cast upon it. I would retain the demon as my slave, and Brundle would have
the empty statue delivered to him, none the wiser."
"But we don't have the soul crystal," Adjantis said, still writing in his book.
"The crystal is bound to the demon," Malkin patted the pouch at his side that contained the artifact. "I
can use divination magic to trace the threads that link from the demon, Baelth'Kael, to his corresponding soul
crystal. Via that pathway, I can determine the crystal's location.
"If you two don't mind extending the end of our little journey, and postpone reporting to Brundle and
receiving your payments, I suggest you accompany me so that I might find this crystal."
"Hell, if I knew the trip would be this much fun, I'd have signed up for free!" Kroll enthused. "Count
me in."
"This will make for a phenomenal epic tale," Adjantis had stopped writing. "But I am no lapdog, to do
the bidding of some overambitious spellcaster. My contribution to this party is great, so I expect to receive
equally great rewards for my efforts as well. What's in this journey for me, Malkin? I can write great stories
without your help. If you do not make this worth my time and my unmatched skill, I will report back to
Brundle immediately."
"Of course," Malkin accepted Adjantis' self interest, if not his self aggrandizement. "I will allow you to
enjoy the fruits of the demon's power. With a demon such as this at our command, we can achieve a great many
things. We may even be able to use it to gather a small kingdom in Hell itself, and draw forth from it an army
of demonspawn to march across the mortal planes. But this will require that you fabricate your written reports
before delivering them to Brundle's department."
"Easily done, we have an agreement," Adjantis closed his book and tucked it away in his satchel.
"Hey, me too!" Kroll decided he wanted more out of this now than some temporary fun. "What about
your good friend Kroll? I can report to Brundle as well."
"How about I summon for you a succubus, to do with as you please," Malkin suggested, hoping Kroll
would be stupid enough to accept.
"Make it two succubi, and you've got yourself a deal!"
"Done," Malkin thought Kroll looked serious, apparently forgetting the whole losing your soul for
eternity part about succubi that they had discussed previously.

"Now that this business is out of the way, here's the plan," Malkin's associates drew around Malkin as he
continued. "I will require a single book on divining things demonic in nature, and I will also need my ritual
chamber for performing this divination after the book is procured. Both of these things reside back at the
Bureau, so we must return there. However, I want no witnesses to our arrival, so we must arrive and enter at
dark, late into the night, when hopefully no one is up and about.
"Come, let's be off. We have much work to do, and many rewards to collect." Malkin began heading
back to the party's tethered horses, his two associates in tow.

Chapter #3
The trio arrived back at the city late at night, after arriving shortly at the city's outer edges and camping
out late, waiting until dark before entering the city's protective walls. They desired few townspeople, and
especially few workers at the Bureau of Metaphysics Research, to be up and able to spot them. They needed no
witnesses to what would be reported to Brundle as their early arrival, something they wished to keep secret.
They made their way into the complex of interconnected buildings that was the Bureau that Malkin and
Adjantis worked and resided at. The three associates walked silently down the halls of the vastly large building,
free of any encounters with other workers. They made their way towards one of the Bureau's many libraries;
the one near Malkin's own quarters located within his own Division of Advanced Research. Malkin wished he
had studied more in the ways of magic of concealment necessary for stealth related purposes, but Malkin found
he did not need such magic thus far. They were to be arriving at the library soon, which was their current
destination.
There was a book there Malkin was familiar with on the subject of divining items of a demonic source.
Normally for Malkin he had divining such things committed to memory already, but Baelth'Kael was a demonic
source so powerful that Malkin had little experience with this sort of demon. He needed a few bits of extra
information. Once the book was in hand, he would be able to determine where the demon, Baelth'Kael, had his
soul crystal hidden away at. Such a crystal was a necessity of what Malkin assumed to have been the demon's
summoning into this world by mortal forces so long ago. However, if there was no such crystal, the divination
spell Malkin intended to cast would reveal that as well. If that were the case, Malkin would need to look
elsewhere to remove the demon's soul from the statue that contained it, while still maintaining control over the
demon's essence. However, creating a new soul crystal from scratch was beyond Malkin's abilities. He may
have to be resourceful.
They arrived at the library's bifold doors without disturbance, but realized the doors to the library were
open, and the lamps inside it fully lit, emitting a soft glow of light into the halls the three companions had
arrived through.
"This library is usually inactive at night," Malkin said as he held his outstretched arm out and to the side
to stop his two associates from moving forward. "The doors are shut, and the lights snuffed out. This means
someone is awake and currently within the library. Someone able to be a witness to our plans."
"Oh, so what," Kroll said a little too loud for Malkin's liking. "What are the chances they are going to
run into Brundle, and then tell him of our arrival here, and then somehow mention the date of our arrival?"
"The chances are slim, I'm aware, but I do not like to take chances." Malkin began to press up against
the hallway walls next to the doors, intending to peek around the corner. "If we can get past this late night
library visitor without his or her notice, the better."
Malkin stole a peek beyond the library doors, and quickly drew his head back. "Damn, it's Bethany, the
last person I'd like to be in there."
Adjantis and Kroll had taken a glance through the doors as well, seeing that the woman Malkin had
mentioned was there, in the main lobby, at one of the tables available, studying from a stack of books late into
the night.
"So what?" Kroll questioned.
"She's extremely nosy, especially where I'm concerned," Malkin explained while pondering what to do.
"She is especially interested in my goings on, as she is focusing her studies at the Academy here at the Bureau
in my area of expertise. If she spots us, she will have many questions for us. She may even ask questions about
our visit here to others, naively exposing what is supposed to be a covert arrival. Brundle is to think we arrived
at the city tomorrow, or as many days as it takes, hopefully when we have the crystal of linkage in hand."
"Let me deal with her," Kroll offered. "I'll remove her head from her shoulders before she can call out a
single alarm. Or, if you'd prefer, I can knock her unconscious with ease. Maybe she'll suffer some sort of brain
damage and forget me entirely, or maybe-"
"That will not be necessary," Malkin interrupted. "Nor would it be a good idea in the least. We've no
choice but to leave and wait for Bethany here to do the same. Once were sure she's gone, we will return."
"I know of a better way," Adjantis boldly stated. "I am an adept bard, skilled with the lute, and can use
the spellweave through song and music to enchant listeners and lull them to sleep. Many occasions have I used
such skills to my deserved advantage."
"When you say 'adept' bard, how adept are we talking about, here?" Malkin remained skeptical of any
boasts his record keeper might have about himself.
"I've used these powers before, I've put my cat to sleep, once," Adjantis said defensively, as if
questioning his abilities was absurd. "I used to use my music as a street performer, gathering a many offerings
by the local passersby. My music enchanted them."
Kroll voiced his own question, "if you can enchant so many to give up their coin to you, why did you
quit your job as a performer?" Kroll folded his arms across his massive chest.
"People in this city are not so generous," Adjantis went on. "I can only bring out what is already in
someone's nature with song magic, and it being as late as it is, it is likely in this girl's nature to want to sleep
very soon. I can leave her peacefully unconscious in no time, and we can sneak by her easily."
"I'd like to see this," Kroll said with a smirk on his face. "Go ahead; work your 'magic'. But I bet a
swift strike to the head with the butt of my axe handle would do the job quicker."
"Explain to me what training or studying you underwent to achieve these skills," Malkin demanded. "I
want to know what the chances of this working are before you try something stupid. I-"
Malkin paused as he sensed a faint humming vibration coming from the pouch at his side that contained
Baelth'Kael's statue prison. Malkin noticed immediately that magic was quickly being woven within the item;
the demon was attempting something, likely to interfere with his plans.
"Don't say a word, you two," Malkin hissed and held up a hand to his two associates. "Give me a
moment!" Malkin focused his mind in on the disruption magic laden within the statue, working them, building
their charge, and exciting their nature to disrupt the intricate weave of spellwork. The demon's magic began to
fade out and discontinue, but with the magics disruption came a loud crackle of energy that sent the booming
noise briefly down the hallway, and assuredly into the library.
"Hello?" Bethany called from within the library. "Who's there?"

Malkin heard a book shut closed and a chair scoot outward along the stone floor as Bethany stood up at
her table of study. Malkin thought quickly and motioned for his companions to follow him as he stepped
through the two doors and into the library, knowing he was caught.
"Hello again, Bethany," Malkin greeted, as he calmly and casually strolled into the library's lobby
entrance. "Up late, are we? Studying for your classes, no doubt."
"You are correct," Bethany relaxed her posture, recognizing Malkin. "I am currently reading up on
extradimensional planes of existence and how they interconnect to our world."
Kroll sized up Bethany and began to reach for one of his axes strapped to his back, but Adjantis kicked
him in the side of the leg. Kroll let his arm drop to his side, glowering at Bethany.
"Interesting," Malkin said while looking at his nails. "I just read a report from one of the members of
my division about discovering a new plane of existence. I think it was a new elemental plane, in fact."
"Oh," Bethany sounded interested, but changed the subject anyway. "Well, you know how to make a
grand entrance, Malkin. What in the Hells was that awful crackling noise?"
"That noise is why I'm here. This bag here contains a flawed magical tool," Malkin gestured at the small
pouch at his side that contained the demon statue. "It's used to connect with one of the demonic realms, and
during one of these connections, a jewel embedded in the object came loose and was lost in the dimension I was
contacting. Not only did this tool become faulty and no longer work, but the jewel that I require to fix it was
lost in the dimension that only this item can open. Thus I need this jewel back. In the meantime, this item
emits some loosened energy it fails to contain due to its damage."
"What dimension does it connect to," Bethany inquired.
"Do you care to see for yourself? I intend to open another gateway to it tonight."
"Oh, yes, absolutely," Bethany was happy to watch Malkin at his craft any time.
"Excellent! I just need to grab a book on how to divine this item and the jewel that is subtly linked to it.
Once I determine the jewel's exact location, I can open up an auxiliary portal to the dimension it resides at and
retrieve it. I suggest you put these books you've left out here back away now. My casting might take awhile,
and you're not likely to have time to return to your studies this night."
"How long would this take?" Bethany asked. "I'm not much of a sleeper and will likely remain up to
study here afterward."
"Well, you don't want to leave your stuff just lying about our Bureau's public library. It is recommended
that the lamps be put out and the doors shut as well if the library is going to be unoccupied for such a duration
this late at night. You can easily reopen everything later, if you still decide to do so."
"Well, I suppose," Bethany began picking up her books. "By the way, who are your friends here?"
Bethany seemed to be paying attention to Kroll and Adjantis for the first time now.
Kroll started, "Who I am is-"
"This here is Kroll, a client of mine," Malkin interrupted. "He was having me inspect this magical item
of which he'd found during one of his travels. Adjantis here is from the Office of Records; he'll merely be
recording some of the properties of this item for his department."
"Please to meet you, lady Bethany," Adjantis bowed low, a sly grin on his face.
"Well, it's late," Malkin clasped his hands together. "We've some work to do, and not much time to do it.
Get your books put away, Bethany, and we'll meet you back out here in the lobby once we've procured the book
we seek. Then we'll head to my study. I'm sure you'll learn a thing or two from your keen observations."
"Right away," agreed Bethany as she began sorting through her books.
As Bethany began to clean up her study area, the three men headed down one of the nearby aisles of
towering bookshelves in the cavernous library. Malkin headed through the library purposefully, well familiar
with the aisles and their organization, knowing exactly where he needed to be. He'd visited this library
countless times, and his two associates followed close behind him. Malkin came to a section of books and
halted abruptly and began scanning a row of neatly aligned books with his index finger.
"So what's the plan?" Adjantis questioned eagerly.
"There's a plan?" Kroll asked. He was still confused why they hadn't just killed the girl. He wasn't
aware there might be better ways of removing her as an obstacle.
"The plan is to gather more information before making a decision," Malkin explained.
"Oh, great! Information!" Kroll crinkled his nose at what was to him a horrendously boring concept. "I
think we already have all the information we need, Malkin. My axe plus little Bethony's neck equals problem
solved!"
"We will allow Bethany to be a passive observer to our workings this night," Malkin went on, ignoring
Kroll. "The artifact we carry has unfortunately placed a small hurdle in the path of our goal by alerting
Bethany, but I believe I may easily remedy this issue. Permitting our dear Bethany to stand by and watch our
work will insure she stays close by. And if she does become a potential enemy, we definitely want her close by,
where we can more easily deal with her."
"We?" Kroll said. "How 'bout you just let me deal with her."
"I may in fact allow that, but only if we determine her to be a potential enemy. When I ascertain the
location of the soul crystal of which we seek, I may decide to do one of two things. Either reveal all to Bethany
and let her join us in our pursuits, our efficiently and cleanly dispose of her."
"Cleanly?" Kroll asked, disapproval of Malkin's methods in his voice.
"Ah, here we have it," Malkin spotted his book, sliding it from its perch atop the shelf. "Come, you two;
let's get Bethany and head to my study. All will be made clear to us in short time."
***
Upon arriving in Malkin's study chamber, Malkin carefully removed the demon possessed statue from
the bag at his side and laid it on a table in the middle of the airy room. Malkin then headed to a nearby desk, his
newly acquired book under one arm. He sat at his desk, laying the book in front of him, and began hastily
flipping through its pages. Adjantis and Kroll hovered nearby. Bethany was at a distance from the trio, casually
inspecting a collection of books at one of Malkin's shelves.
"I say we keep her," Adjantis said to Malkin in hushed tones. "If we ask her to join us, she may come in
handy."
"Bethany has few skills to speak of, Adjantis," Malkin responded while still heavily focused on the
pages within his book. "She is a novice wizard at best, and her ability to work spells poor at this point. She
shows great potential as a student, but that potential will not be realized until many years of her hard work and
study. She is useless now, and our mission should not take so long."
"Shouldn't take long?" Adjantis asked skeptically. "You have no idea where this crystal might be
located. It could be worlds away, for all you know."
"It's distance from us is irrelevant. It is intrinsically connected to Baelth'Kael's spirit, a rare type of bond
not easy to come by or manufacture. This powerful connection will be just enough for me to open a gateway
from our present location to wherever this crystal is located. All I must do is locate this crystal.
"Here we have it!" Malkin said, spotting the section of the book he'd been searching for. "Give me a
moment, you two. I need to memorize a few incantations before we begin."
Kroll and Adjantis stepped back, giving Malkin the room he needed.
Bethany was now at the large table in the middle of the room, gazing at the demon statue. Malkin
mentioned that this artifact connected to some demonic realm, and the statue clearly looked like its origins were
demonic in nature. She was eager to find out what this realm was and what sort of infernal creatures lived
there. She thought to ask Malkin more, but upon glancing in his direction, he was clearly preoccupied with his
spell book laid out on top of his desk.
This Kroll character was said to have stumbled upon this magical item. Bethany looked in Kroll's
direction, and saw him off in a corner with the scribe Malkin introduced her to, exchanging some words
Bethany couldn't make out. Why exactly would a scribe be recording any information for the Office of
Records? The various divisions within the Bureau were well interconnected, but this level of cooperation didn't
seem necessary.
Bethany thought to approach Kroll and ask him where he discovered this artifact, but then noticed
something. She looked closely at the statue standing upright on the table nearby her, and didn’t spot any gems
embedded within it. Malkin had explained that the artifact now malfunctioned due to a gem that had been
loosened from, and fallen off, of the item. There didn't seem to be any apparent gems decorating the statue, nor
any empty jewel sockets, either. Bethany picked up the statue, looking about its exterior for any empty sockets.
A strange tingling sensation overtook Bethany, then, and she felt warm. She shook with a start at the
unexpected feeling, but did not immediately put the statue down, as the sensation was not uncomfortable. Or
was it? The tingling sensation began to feel like thousands of needles poking at her, and the sudden warmth that
filled her body began to grow hot and uncomfortable. Bethany thought something was wrong, but forgot what
that might be. She felt confused, and it became hard for her to think.
She attempted to form sentences in her mind, but the words kept getting derailed and jumbled, unable to
think in her usual linear manner. Her thoughts were scattered, and she found herself unable to put the pieces
together. Where was she? What was this she was holding? Why was she so uncomfortable? How much time
had passed?
"Put that down!" Malkin yelled from across the room, striding towards Bethany from his desk.
Bethany immediately came to her senses and quickly put the statue back down on the table. The warmth
suddenly left her body, leaving a cold chill that seeped through her bones in its absence. Bethany wrapped her
arms around herself and shivered. "My apologies, Malkin. I was just looking-"
"This statue is highly unpredictable, and quite dangerous in the wrong hands," Malkin scolded. "As you
heard in the library, its volatile magics could be potentially dangerous, especially when held by those
inexperienced with such powers."
"Yes, of course," Bethany tried to remember why she'd picked up the statue in the first place, but the
memory eluded her. She still felt a little dazed.
After looking Bethany over, Malkin dismissed her interference with the statue as inconsequential and
grabbed the demonic item from off of the table. "I am now ready to begin relinking with this statue's missing
'gem'." Malkin placed the statue on a ritual pedestal nearby and removed some charcoal dust from one of his
pockets. Malkin blew the dust from his hand towards the statue, then clasped his hands together, closed his
eyes, and began his divinations.

The other three observers watched and waited while Malkin stood there, silent. Adjantis wondered if
he'd even started yet, as he was just standing motionless in what seemed to be quiet meditation. Kroll shifted
impatiently, expecting something more theatric. He tired of watching Malkin just stand there and decided to
look at Bethany instead. She was quite a piece of work, Kroll thought. Maybe it wasn't so bad they'd let her
live, after all.
Bethany's strange mind numbing stupor had fully worn off now, although she was still somewhat
chilled, a coldness that was taking some time to wear off. But she was no longer concerned about that, instead
she was fixated on Malkin at his work. Clearly the spell could be chanted silently by Malkin, using a method of
psionic meditation Bethany was vaguely familiar with. All thoughts of her inexplicable experience with the
strange statue were gone from her mind, for the moment.
At last, Malkin stepped back from the stand that held the statue. Malkin looked irritated, and held his
hand to his sharp chin in silent thought, eyes narrowed.
"Is the ritual over?" Adjantis whispered to Bethany, assuming she might know more about these things.
"Did it ever even begin?" Kroll was inspecting his nails, not really interested in anyone actually
answering his question.
"My spellwork succeeded," Malkin turned and faced the three observers. "Unfortunately, the crystal we
seek is located within a barren region of Hell itself."
"Crystal?" Bethany looked confused again. "Isn't this gem supposed to be in some plane of Hell?"
"The good news is that the crystal exists in the first place," Malkin ignored Bethany's question. "The
bad news is whoever removed the crystal from our mortal world not only hid it in Hell, but hid it in a remote
location within Hell itself, surrounded by some sort of concealing magic. Logic dictates that it was likely the
demon himself that did this, as anyone possessing such a soul crystal would have untold power and control over
the demon, not something in Baelth'Kael's best interest."
"Demon? Soul crystal? What's going on here, Malkin?" Bethany looked worried, and she began to
edge herself back and away from the group.

"Oh, yes, Bethany; I'd almost forgotten," Malkin was staring intently at Bethany now. "The demon
statue will provide us a link to this portion of Hell, where I can easily open a hellgate to it in short order.
Unfortunetely, the soul crystal has been well concealed and I cannot take us directly to its location. We will
have to do some walking once we teleport to this dimension."
"Hah, looks like I'm going to Hell earlier than I though!" Kroll sounded excited.
"We're going to Hell?" Adjantis did not share Kroll's enthusiasm. "I may not be the demon 'expert' you
are, Malkin, but to my knowledge Hell is not a place you can simply go for a casual stroll through."
"I've already mentioned that this is a relatively remote location of Hell. The entirety of the netherworld
is not one big battlefield of constant slaughter and danger. Its lands are as varied as the mortal world we're
familiar with here. Apparently whoever hid our soul crystal did not want some stray demon happening by it.
Thus it is in a relatively isolated location.
"However, there will still be dangers. But think of it this way: great rewards are worth great risks,
Adjantis. A simple cost analysis reveals this to be a sound investment."
"Malkin, I demand an explanation," Bethany was growing irritated at being ignored. "What's this about
a demon?"
"Kroll, please be so kind as to dispose of Bethany now," Malkin instructed. "And do not spill any blood,
I want no evidence that she was ever in this room left behind."
"You're the boss," Kroll said happily as he seized Bethany by roughly by the arm.
"Malkin, damn you!" Bethany protested. "I am a valuable student here at the Academy! Surely my life
is worth more in whatever plans you have?" Bethany resisted Kroll's iron grip, but such efforts were futile.
"Just tell me what it is you seek! I can be of assistance, I promise you Malkin! Do not waste what you-"
With a quick twist of Bethany's neck, Kroll let her slide limply and lifelessly from his arms to the
ground. "No blood, as you said."
Malkin hadn't been paying attention to Bethany, instead he was in the process of drawing out a circle of
runes upon a bare stretch of stone tiled floor, preparing for his gateway to Hell. It didn't take long, for all he had
to do was modify a current circle inscribed on the floor from previous work.
"At least we don't have to share so much of the wealth now," Adjantis was staring at Bethany's limp
body, lying awkwardly on the hard stone floor. "So what do we do with the body?"
"Kroll will carry it to Hell with us," Malkin was just finishing touching up his hell-portal circle. "It
would be the perfect place to dispose of our incriminating evidence here," Malkin gestured at Bethany's body as
Kroll hoisted her corpse over his shoulder. "No one would ever think to visit such a dangerous dimension such
as Hell to happen by her corpse. It is an especially isolated location in Hell, so the chances of this evidence
being discovered and used against us are negligible."
Malkin had the statue in hand, and began a slow, guttural incantation in a deep voice and in a dark
tongue not meant for this world. The lights in the room dimmed and flickered as if struck by an angry breeze,
yet neither Adjantis nor Kroll felt any wind within the chamber. A red glow began to pierce the sudden
darkness that enveloped the room near the center of the ritual circle Malkin had drawn out. The red glow began
to coalesce, increasing in density and thus brightness, until the fiery shine began to sting the eyes upon looking
directly at it. Dark smoke started drifting from the center of the brightness, and began swirling about with the
same wind that no one could feel. The black and red smoke began to take the shape of an elliptical doorway
hovering several inches from off the ground.
At last Malkin ceased his chanting, and the fiery glow receded inside the vortex of elliptical smoke
standing vertically in the center of the ritual circle. An ominous hum emanated from within the portal, sounding
like a vast ocean crashing about in some storm in the distance.
"Well, my fellows, our portal awaits," Malkin was placing the demon statue back within the pouch at his
belt, and looked eagerly onward into the swirling vortex.
Adjantis looked hesitantly at the portal, having second thoughts. But then he looked to his side over at
Kroll, Bethany's dead body easily held over his shoulder. Kroll didn't look uneasy in the least. Adjantis didn't
have to guess what would happen to him should he decide the deal was off and try to leave. Besides, Malkin
clearly had an air of confidence about his decision, and as much as Adjantis hated to admit it to himself, the
demonologist did know more about the alternate realm of Hell than Adjantis himself did. He would have to
trust Malkin's wisdom.

In any event, if Malkin was successful in this mission and upheld his end of the bargain, Adjantis could
expect great rewards that only a fool would refuse. And Adjantis clearly deserved great rewards. It was about
time the world recognized his greatness, and the powers bestowed upon him by the demon statue's awesome
abilities would make his greatness undeniable. Let's see the world dare mock me in its jealousy of my
superiority when I'm in charge, Adjantis thought with a grin. Yes, going through this portal would give him
everything he deserved and more.
"Let's get rid of this corpse and go for a wee stroll through Hell," Kroll said cheerily.
"Both of you keep in mind that we may encounter hostile creatures upon entering through that gate,"
Malkin warned. "We are entering one of the safer portions of Hell, but do not forget that we are still entering
Hell. Prepare yourselves for anything, and follow me."
With that, the three men stepped through the swirling vortex and into Hell.
Chapter #4
Kroll dropped Bethany's corpse to the rocky ground unceremoniously. He stood up, and looked around,
as did both his companions upon entering through the hellgate. The three were surrounded by a vast wasteland
of dark black rock with rubble strewn about the dusty ground and dark, mountainous outcroppings from the land
that could be seen in the distance. Making out much detail in the distance was difficult, as the entire land
seemed stained with a black, charred tint that made everything look darker than it really was. The land itself
seemed to absorb light.
What little light there was came from the burning red sky above, which was composed of a swirling
chaos of dark red clouds. Storms among these clouds could be seen in the distance, and thunder occasionally
pierced the air, although obviously to far away to pose a threat… yet. The clouds were not soft and slowly
drifting as the ones the three adventurers were familiar with back in their mortal world. The reddish atmosphere
twisted and turned in every direction, producing spirals and swirls of a vortex of clouds in some areas while
other areas swiftly sped across the sky by unseen winds in random directions. Despite the volatile nature of the
atmosphere above, no wind could be felt from the cold ground. An eerie red glow permeated everything, yet the
atmosphere was chillingly cold.
Other than rocks, only a few irregular sources of vegetation sprouted from the parched ground. Thick,
ropy vines, hard as bone, branched out and curled about in discordant knots above the crusty soil. They bore
sharp thorns decorating the twisting branches in varying locations.
"Where are all the demons?" Kroll asked, looking about with some disappointment.
"More importantly, where's our crystal?" Adjantis wondered, eager to find this item and leave as soon as
was possible.
Malkin was holding the demon statue in both hands know, seeming to concentrate on it. "Our crystal is
near enough, I sense." Malkin turned towards a valley off to the side, surrounded by insurmountable peaks of
jagged black stone.

"That direction," Malkin pointed. "The crystal is down that path, some ways. It should not be a long
trek." Malkin replaced the demon statue back at his belt and headed down towards the valley without any
further word.
Adjantis looked back at the spiraling gateway he had just entered. Adjantis was relieved it yet remained
there, but wondered for how long it would do so? "Shouldn't we take Bethany's body somewhere more
secluded, Kroll? What if someone steps through our portal and sees her lying there? The last place I belong is
in a prison cell."
"Who belongs in a prison cell to begin with?" Kroll started to follow Malkin down towards the valley.
"There shouldn't be prisons in the first place, if you ask me. Either kill your enemies or don't bother. Prisoners
need to be fed. Why would you feed prisoners?"
"That doesn't answer my question," Adjantis forced himself to follow alongside Kroll, looking back at
the portal one last time. "Did you not understand the question, Kroll?"
"Question?" Kroll thought for a moment. "Oh, yeah, dead bodies and all that. No body cares, stop
whining. Who'd wander into Malkin's chambers and be foolish enough to jump into some forsaken portal in the
middle of the room?"
"Someone like you, maybe."
"Adjantis, there's no one like me. There's only one Kroll, the one and only. You're welcome!"
"You're damn right I'm welcome!" Adjantis retorted. "I'm welcome to whatever I please! I deserve
whatever I want in the world!"
"The world? Which world is that? I think you forget you're no longer on your world anymore. Look
around you," Kroll spread his arms out wide, taking in the dark, cold scene of the Hell they trekked through.
"Do you feel 'welcome' here."
Kroll and Adjantis finally caught up with Malkin, who was continuing to walk at a brisk pace.
"It's not exactly home," Adjantis brooded.

"Home? Who needs a home when you've got feet? Home is just a boundary, and boundaries are for the
weak! I go where I want, and I don't live in a home, I live in the moment! You gotta keep up with the
moment!"
Malkin seemed to be noticing his two companions for the first time, with some distaste. "I think you're
forgetting, Kroll, that the moment you so gladly live in used to be the future."
"There is not future! Where is it? I don't see anything. There's only pain and suffering, and oh boy is it
fun! I don't suppose you can pull the future out of your bag of magic tricks so we can have this blasted crystal
now?"
"Patience will reel in that future just as easily," Malkin was barely listening.
"Patience? Who has time for that? I don't have the patience for patience. I don't want to wait for
patience, I want patience now."
"That doesn't make any sense, you oaf," Adjantis said. "I don't think you have any sense to begin with."
"Hold for a moment, you two!" Malkin stopped, turning about and scanning behind him, the way the
three of them had come. "Something's following us."
"I'll put a stop to that!" Kroll pulled one of his axes from behind his back, looking ready.
"I don't see anything," Adjantis cupped his hand above his eyes as if to shade them from the sun.
Although this wasn't necessary as no sun, however many there were up there, could pierce the dense chaos of
clouds above.
"There's nothing to see yet," Malkin explained. "I can sense that some being, bound to this world by
some magical energy, is drawing near. I cannot tell what it is but my spell sensitivity has detected the magic it
bears."
Malkin held one hand to his temple and narrowed his eyes in concentration, staring intently down the
valley the way they had come. "The source of the disturbance is demonic," Malkin declared.
"Some stupid demon following us, eh?" Kroll readied his axe. "Let it follow, and wander directly into
my axe."
"You have my permission to do just that," Malkin began to prepare some spell components; allowing
Kroll to meet head on whatever was trailing them first.
Light foot steps could be heard around a bend in the outcropping of jagged rock along the wall of the
valley, slowly approaching.
"Doesn't sound big," Kroll said loudly. The footsteps stopped.
"You insufferable lout," Malkin hissed at Kroll, realizing the fool had just given away their position.
"That's because it's not big," came a feminine voice from around the corner, a voice tinged with an eerie
echo. However, it was a strangely familiar echo to Malkin. Around from the corner stepped Bethany, with her
hands on her hips, glaring at the three men. The glare was through eyes of black darkness with pin pricks of
violet light for pupils.
"Hey, I killed you, you're not supposed to be alive," Kroll stared at his hands, thinking himself betrayed
by their lack of ability to snap necks.
"She's not alive," Malkin corrected, still holding his spell components at the ready. "Rather, she's
undead. This sounds familiar."
Bethany stood before them all, her neck apparently realigned. Her skin was white as parchment, except
for dark circles underneath her darker eyes. Her fingers ended at short, lightly curled black claws. "What in the
Hells have you done to me, Malkin?"
"What in the Hell is correct, but what I've done to you is nothing at all," Malkin was looking Bethany up
and down, searching for anything else out of the ordinary. "I sensed before that the energies coming from you
were of demonic design, a demonic design definitely not of my doing. It is most likely that the demonic statue
you toyed with in my study area has done this to you, as I know it's done before." Malkin was referring to the
undead barbarians they had crossed in the past.
"Looks like the demon's allowed her to keep her wits when resurrecting her," Adjantis looked interested,
although he had his dagger in hand nonetheless. "Unlike our last encounter with the undead. She doesn’t smell
as bad, either."
"Give her time, her limbs will be rotting off before you know it," Kroll guffawed. He had put his axe
away, unconcerned with Bethany's reappearance.
"I demand you return me to life, Malkin," Bethany ignored the other two.
"And why should I be so bothered by performing such an inconvenient task," Malkin questioned.
"I am a witness to your misdeeds. I will report you to the Department of Law Enforcement at the
Bureau. Your career with the Bureau will be over, and you will be subjected to their unforgiving sanctions.
You've violated countless laws within the-"
"Laws?" Kroll asked disbelievingly. "We're in Hell, for Hell's sake! There are no laws! Besides,
nothings illegal if you don't get caught. You may be a witness, honey, but I can still take care of that problem
just as easily as I did before when I snapped your little neck." Kroll withdrew his axe again, deciding it would
have some use now after all.
"Yes, Bethany, why did you follow us here in the first place?" Malkin said, unmoved by Bethany's
threats. "We left you at an open portal that would lead you home. The moment you woke you could have
reentered and reported all of our criminal misdeeds. But instead, you come here, where it would be no trouble
at all to dispose of you and your annoying threats. Why, must I ask, would you make such a foolish strategic
move?" Malkin sounded amused, already knowing the answer to his question.
"I'm willing to cooperate," Bethany said, nervousness in her echoing voice. "All you have to do is
reverse my undeath, and then all is forgiven. I will return to the Bureau and continue my normal business as
usual, and will reveal none of your crimes to anyone. Wouldn't that be preferable to my disappearance? People
would notice me missing. They'd ask questions. You take the least amount of risk by keeping me alive. I won't
tell a soul, you have my word!"
"I also have your life in the palm of my hand," laughed Malkin. "We both know you can't just stride
back into the Bureau in the state you are in. The undead are not members of the Bureau, Bethany, they are
property. Your undead presence there would immediately affect your detainment, in which case some lucky
wizard in the Department of Advanced Research will get to experiment on you. Maybe that lucky wizard will
be me. I could use some undead study subjects. Run home now, Bethany, I've got work to do here."
"Damn you, Malkin!" Bethany balled her hands into tight fists at her sides. "You can't just throw away
my potential! It cannot end like this. My studies, my future, all my hard work and effort, all to be destroyed in
a single day! I was a valuable asset to the Bureau. I was going places. You've ruined everything!"
"I haven't ruined everything, I've just ruined you, my dear Bethany," Malkin had put his spell
components away by then. "But all is not lost. I still think you might have some 'potential' leftover after all.
Why not join us, Bethany? You certainly can't betray us to the Bureau, so you pose little risk to our venture
here."
"What is your venture here?" Bethany reluctantly became interested in Malkin's proposal. "What in the
world could you have ruined my career and my life over? What could be so damned important?"
"The statue I carry contains a powerful demon spirit. I'm sure you're already familiar with soul crystals?
We're here in Hell searching for this demon's soul crystal. And I'm sure you know what that means?"
Bethany's eyes widened. "Just how powerful is the demon you've contained?"
"Powerful enough to warrant ruining your great career."
"So not that powerful, after all?" Kroll piped in.
"Oh, it's powerful alright," Malkin was clutching the bag at his side that contained the demon statue.
"The world will tremble before its power; the power that I shall soon wield."
"What choice do I have?" Bethany said flatly. "I will accompany you on your mission."
"Of course you will," Malkin said matter-of-factly. "So then, where were we?"
"Wandering deeper into the depths of Hell, if I remember correctly," Adjantis said, still eyeing Bethany
suspiciously.
"Yes, then let's continue," Malkin said as he resumed his steady pace through the valley they had been
trekking through. Malkin's two associates, with the new addition of the undead Bethany, followed close behind.
***
So, Baelth'Kael had returned at last, to his former kingdom of Drebula. Former kingdom, Lord Korbaz
reminded himself as he considered the implications of Baelth'Kael's return. It had been millennia since
Baelth'Kael had ruled here in Drebula, controlling vast armies to conquer both Hellish domains and the mortal
world alike. One of Baelth'Kael's ventures to collect souls for the forges of Hell from the mortal world above
he'd never returned from. Lord Krobaz had never learned of the exact nature of his disappearance, nor did he
truly care, as he quickly assumed the throne of Drebula. This was his kingdom now, and he'd not release it back
to Baelth'Kael without a fight. He'd grown quite comfortable over the eons with his level of power, all worthy
enemies and opponents to his status eliminated. But now, Korbaz had sensed Baelth'Kael's return.
Lord Korbaz had been notified by a warlock under his employ that a disturbance in the dimensional
plane they dwelled in had been detected, and some sort of transdimensional gateway had been opened, allowing
foreign life forms to step through into their world. Normally such paltry information would not be reported to
one such as Lord Korbaz, but it had been noted that the being that now walked on their world was a demon of
such power equaling that of Korbaz himself.
Upon investigating this matter on his own, Korbaz quickly recognized the telltale presence of
Baelth'Kael's essence, once again on Krobaz' world. Krobaz was now considering his options. Standing at a
towering eight feet, Lord Krobaz' heavy frame rippled with knotted muscle, all except for one of his elongated
arms, clean of all tissue. The appendage was completely skeletal, the bones of his thick hands ending in dense
claws as long as blades. His head, or more aptly, skull, was similarly without skin; a bare skull sitting atop his
corded thick neck. The eye sockets radiated smoky red light in a baleful glare, and the entire head was framed
with long curling horns.
Korbaz was sitting in a large, dark chamber, atop his throne built from the bones of slain demons and
mortals alike; bones from both enemies of Krobaz and otherwise. The armrests ended in horned skulls that
seemed to glare at visitors, and the back of the throne was crowned in a fan of long, sharp tusks. The walls of
Krobaz' throne room were decorated in tapestries made from human skin, and painted with horrific scenes of
slaughter and conquest in human blood, detailing Krobaz' long list of accomplishments. At Lord Korbaz' side
sat a tall iron brazier, atop which was a crackling fire full of coals and charred skulls. The fire crackled and
popped occasionally, and also an intermittent scream of pain and anguish could be heard from within the
magical fire. The brazier served as Lord Korbaz' eyes and ears, as he used it to scan the kingdom of which he
ruled, and give commands through it to better order his minions. Korbaz was peering into its flames, judging
the nature of Baelth'Kael's presence here in his world. The warlock informant who'd brought Korbaz the news
was waiting for Korbaz' decision patiently, standing in front of the large throne.
"Fetch me Lieutenant Lexstriza, now!" Korbaz commanded the warlock. Without a word, the assistant
warlock hurried off to do as he was bid. Whatever Baelth'Kael was doing back in this world, it likely did not
bode well for Korbaz and his towering status within the strict hierarchy of his kingdom. Especially because it
might not remain his kingdom much longer, if his former ruler had any say in it. Baelth'Kael was always more
powerful than Korbaz millennia ago, but that was ages past. Korbaz had grown in power many times over,
plump with the essences of countless souls he'd feasted upon. Many eons of feeding from the suffering and life
force of those he dominated or destroyed had lent him even greater power to rule over Drebula, of which he was
the rightful owner and master.
But that did not mean Baelth'Kael was no longer a threat. Korbaz was the unquestioned ruler of Drebula
now, but certainly questions would begin to arise if Baelth'Kael made his presence known to his minions.
Whatever the former lord of Hell wanted, it was unlikely to be in Krobaz' best interest. Baelth'Kael must be
destroyed.
"You requested my presence, Lord Korbaz," through the chamber doors stepped Lexstriza, making sharp
clipping sounds on the stone tiled floor with her cloven hooves as she strode to the front of the throne. She
wore tight, black robes of leather, and her ears ended in long points that extended almost above her mane of
fiery red hair that seemed to flit about as if it was charged with electricity. From her back protruded two scythe-
like appendages, like two arms tipped with only one sword-long claw each. The appendages served as
weapons, as they could strike out in front of Lexstriza in a scything motion to cleave her opponents in half. Not
that Lexstriza would need to rely on such methods of brute force to protect herself, skilled in spellcraft as she
was.
"Yes, Lexstriza, I have some news," Korbaz drew his attention away from his magical brazier, looking
directly at his Lieutenant. "It appears that our old friend Baelth'Kael has returned to our dimension. He's
entered through some gateway mere hours ago. I've traced his movements across our world, and he doesn't
seem to be headed in our direction… yet."
Lexstriza took in the information, considering the possibilities, understanding immediately that
Baelth'Kael's presence here posed a threat to Korbaz' position. However, whether it was a threat to Lexstriza's
own position in the hierarchy of Drebula was not so certain. Would Korbaz step down willingly, and thus
resume his old place as Baelth'Kael's lieutenant? That would definitely knock Lexstriza down a notch. But
Lord Korbaz would never back down from a threat to his thrown. Perhaps he would be disposed of in what
Lexstriza assumed would be the upcoming and inevitable conflict. Who would she rather serve? Korbaz, or
Baelth'Kael? Baelth'Kael was definitely more ambitious than Korbaz, but she'd have to wait and see how
events unfolded.
"You do not know the nature of Baelth'Kael's return," Lexstriza stated more than asked.
"No, I know little more of the reasons for his return than you. His visit to our world is both
unannounced and unexpected."
"Surely Baelth'Kael would know his entrance back to our plane would be detected by your authorities?"
"Perhaps he's too overconfident in his abilities. I'll put his confidence to the test."
Overconfidence was more of a fault Krobaz himself was inclined towards, thought Lexstriza, but she
kept such thoughts to herself. Baelth'Kael was bold, but also clever and scheming and able to make his moves
and strike without such glaring disregard for secrecy and stealth as seemed to be the case with him now. Why
was he here? And where was he headed?
"You say he is not headed in our fortress' direction?" Lexstriza questioned. "If not, then where does he
go?"
"He is northbound from whence he entered our world. There is nothing of importance in that direction."
"Nothing that we know of," Lexstriza suggested.

"Then we shall find out what it is he seeks. You shall intervene on him and his path northward, with a
contingent of troops. Destroy him, and all those with him. I want to put a permanent end to his meddling."
Is he meddling? Lexstriza thought. "Lord Korbaz, this may be a trap. It makes some sense that he
would not journey directly to our fortress, as he might be well overmatched. Baelth'Kael is certainly able to
conceal his presence in our world, yet he fails to do so. Obviously he wants to be detected. Perhaps he wishes
that our forces attempt to intercept him. What does he have in store for us?"
"Then take even more troops with you," Korbaz stated matter-of-factly, as if it were that simple.
"Perhaps a direct assault approach ought not to be our first strategy. I recommend we parley with
Baelth'Kael, to discover what it is he's doing here in the first place. Aren't you curious?"
Korbaz looked over Lexstriza suspiciously. He did not want her talking to Baelth'Kael at all if he could
help it. If his former master managed to be able to engage in any sort of diplomatic discourse with his valued
lieutenant, some sort of agreement might be made between the two. He did not trust whatever agreement they
might come to, and he did not intend to risk any treachery on Lexstriza's behalf. "Who has time for curiosity
when my throne is threatened? Or may be threatened? It doesn't matter what our old friend is up to, only that
we put a stop to it. Destroy him outright."
"Destroy him outright? This is Baelth'Kael we are talking about."
"Of course, of course," acceded Korbaz, understanding Lexstriza's caution. "Once you've tracked him
down to his exact location, I grant you permission to tail him, and spy on his actions. Assess his position with
haste, and determine any weaknesses. His presence on this world of which I've detected is weaker than I
remember from him, so find out the state under which he is in. Once you know enough, strike, and render his
spirit to shreds. I want nothing left of his essence remaining when you are finished."
"Perhaps his supposed weakness is feigned?"
"There's only one way to find out. Go. And do not return until Baelth'Kael is no more." Lord Korbaz
folded his massive arms over his chest in finality, nodding for Lexstriza to exit the throne room and undertake
her new mission.

"As you wish, Lord Korbaz," Lexstriza headed out of the chamber doors and into the vast hallways of
the fortress. She was headed for the barracks to gather the troops Korbaz had granted her for her task. She may
attempt to parley with Baelth'Kael anyway, despite Korbaz' eagerness to see him destroyed. Unlike Korbaz,
Baelth'Kael's presence did not pose her as much of a threat to her current status. And unlike Korbaz, she was
also much more curious as to Baelth'Kael's reasons for returning, and especially his reasons for leaving Drebula
in the first place. Perhaps Bealth'Kael had amassed additional kingdoms elsewhere throughout the multiverse,
unbeknownst to Korbaz, and thus there was no need to return. Perhaps her old master was not as weak as he
appeared. She intended to have these questions answered; and whatever she discovered, she would have to find
a way to use the upcoming events to her advantage.
***
The four travelers continued on under the scarred sky of red, amidst the freezing, dead air of the hellish
domain they wandered. The valley of black and jagged rock continued on with them, seeming endless. Malkin
seemed not to mind, checking the pouch at his side containing the statue periodically to get his bearings straight.
He knew where he was going, although the rest of his companions weren't so sure.
Especially Adjantis. Sure, Malkin knew his way around hell; he certainly belonged here, adjantis
thought. But this was no place for adjantis' sensible tastes. Adjantis was on edge, fully aware that his ability to
return to his home world rested fully upon Malkin's shoulders. Adjantis was dependent on this summoner of
demons. Malkin could travel to worlds such as these, but he could also travel back. Adjantis could do no such
thing himself. The entire party in this traveling group was dependent on the demonologist, who was now
officially the center of attention. Adjantis did not like being left out of the center of attention.
Furthermore, what would Malkin really do once he found this crystal he so eagerly sought? He had
promised Adjantis great power, and certainly Adjantis deserved great power. But the universe wasn't always
fair, no matter how deserving some worthy individuals such as Adjantis were. There was no fate in the
universe, no direction, but rather chaos and whim. What else could possibly explain Adjantis' low position
within the hierarchy of the Bureau, or the hierarchy of the world, for that matter? Indeed, if there was such a
thing as fate, Adjantis would be leading this party, not some demon-kissing wizard who scarcely understood the
potential of those around him.
But given that the universe knew not fairness, what would Adjantis find at the end of his trek here?
Would Malkin reward him, as promised? Adjantis still had his meager leverage of reporting Malkin's
misbehavior to the Division of Investigation. But corpses left in the pits of Hell reported nothing. Adjantis
warned himself to stay readily on guard here. If this demonic artifact was as powerful as Malkin had claimed,
then would it even matter what Adjantis reported to Brundle or any official authority at the Bureau? What could
Malkin do with such demonic power to subvert Adjantis' efforts to turn him in? What would Malkin's
newfound powers mean for the entire Bureau itself, given the powers Malkin claimed he would attain could
extend his reach that far? Could they? And what would become of him? Malkin, wielding a demon soul bound
in an artifact that could raise the dead.
And speaking of undead, what was the meaning of Bethany's resurrection? Adjantis glanced her way,
seeing her trailing slightly behind the party, looking grim and on edge, yet still somewhat determined. The
demon's soul was supposedly "safely" bound in that statue Malkin carried, yet the demon clearly had some
power to do some things. If it could raise Bethany, what else could it do? It didn't seem that this disruption
magic Malkin claimed was placed on the statue was doing a good enough of a job.
But why raise Bethany? Was the demon expecting her to slaughter Adjantis and his cohorts? She did
not seem such a threat. Certainly something must have gone wrong with the demons casting of a revival
enchantment upon Bethany. No one in the group knew of Adjantis' doubts about all this, and he intended to let
them remain in the dark. But Bethany's distaste for her situation was obvious. Perhaps if things didn't go
according to plan, or at least according to Adjantis' plan, he might approach her as an ally. Just in case. He
eyed Bethany again, this time noticing Kroll approaching her.
"So yer undead, eh babe?" Kroll said, eyeing Bethany suggestively.
"So it would seem," Bethany responded, uninterested in Kroll and his questions.
"Then your heart doesn't beat?"

"I've checked my pulse. Nothing."
"Ah, who needs a heart anyway? I've never used mine. I'm a right heartless bastard!"
"The heart is not the seat of emotion, no matter what foolish poets say. The heart is not some moral
compass. It is merely a very efficient pump."
"I wouldn't say yours is very efficient; not anymore."
"Efficiency implies some end, getting the job done quickly without compromising efficacy. My heart no
longer has a job to do; its purpose has been replaced by otherworldly magics. Since it does nothing, it has no
need to do nothing 'efficiently'. Efficiency for my heart is irrelevant."
"So what else about your anatomy is 'irrelevant' now?" Kroll looked Bethany up and down, as if he
might see the answer to his question, and might not like what he would find.
"I do not know. I've only been undead for so many hours now. I know I no longer have to breathe. I've
found I am able to hold my breath indefinitely. In fact, breathing no longer comes naturally to me. I have to
force myself to remember to do it, but I certainly don't have to do it. I'm wondering if I no longer have to eat as
well. But if I do have to eat, I may have to eat the living flesh of my fellow humans, and that might interfere
with my future career. But, so far, I do not hunger."
"Eating people doesn't sound like it would ruin a career. Who knows, maybe you wouldn't even need a
career if you could just eat people. Who needs to work for money to pay for food at the market? You could just
eat your neighbors!" Kroll let out a laugh, and continued. "I was once on an out of city mission where me and
some fellow Shadow Guild hires ran out of rations. But that didn't stop us; we killed and ate the weakest
amongst us. Although I think the strongest amongst us would have tasted better. But then again, the strongest
amongst us was me!" Kroll chuckled, amused with himself.
"So you think you might taste good, do you Kroll? I'll remember that if I find out I must feast on human
flesh to continue living."
"Eat me alive? Now you're turning me on!"
"Oh, believe me, it will turn you off. Permanently, I might add."
The four companions stopped when they heard the clear sounds of battle up ahead. There were various
sounds of sliced flesh, clashing blades, and inhuman roars of pain and rage. The sounds were coming from
further along down the valley.
"Slow your pace, you three," Malkin commanded, as he began to edge nearer towards the sounds of
battle.
"Finally, something's happening down here." Kroll removed his axes from his back straps. "I was
beginning to think Hell wasn't all it was cracked up to be. I was getting bored."
The four travelers neared a drop in the valley, and peering down it, witnessed the source of the sounds
they were hearing. A large demon, half a dozen times the size of a large horse, with four steady, tree trunk like
legs and a humanoid torso of bulbous muscle where a horse's neck should have been, was being besieged my
two score of smaller demons. The small demons were only half as tall as a human, and were a scaly red, with
hunched reptilian forms and thick manes of sharp spines spreading from head to tail. They carried various
crude weapons, which they used to relentlessly spear, jab, slice, and hack at the larger demon. The giant demon
was wielding a large glaive, which he used to fend off the smaller demons hoarding about him.
"How do we sneak by this mess?" Adjantis wondered.
"Sneak?" Kroll looked as if he'd never heard the word before. "I say we pick a side and help out. Then
once we're finished with the slaughter, kill the demons we've sided with. That way we win and get the most
slaughter for our money."
"That's not quite the worst idea I've ever heard before, but it's pretty close," Malkin 'complimented'. "I
suggest we wait and watch from a distance. We wait and watch to see whoever wins this battle. Depending on
the outcome, we either sneak by, as Adjantis suggested, or we slay the remaining survivors and move on."
"I thought you said this portion of Hell was very remote and unpopulated?" Adjantis asked Malkin.
"It is. We're lucky we've made it this far without encountering any demonic life forms. Now stay back
and let's witness this fight unfold."

The fight continued, with the large demon taking many small hits. It bled profusely from a criss-cross
pattern of cuts covering its thick hide on all sides. But it slew the smaller demons in handfuls, scattering their
rendered bodies in all directions.
"I'm rooting for the big one," Kroll claimed. "I bet he's gonna win. Anyone care to counter my bet with
one of their own? I bet ten silver pieces!"
"This isn't a game," Bethany said dourly.
"Not yet, but it becomes one once you bet ten silver on the little demons. You in?"
"No."
"Okay, how about only five silver pieces?"
"I have other matters at the moment that are more pressing than making some cheap coin."
"Pressing matters? We're just sitting here! There's nothing else to do."
"I'm talking about long term matters. What good is coin going to serve me back at the city of Strong
Gate? The undead can't spend money."
"If you no longer need money, why don't you give it to me? I'm a little broke right now. Think you
could lend me some?"
"Oh, shut up."
"The big demon looks like he's on his last legs," Adjantis noticed. "He can barely lift his weapon. There
are little demons all over him."
It was true. The large demon was staggering about. His thrusts and swipes with his massive glaive had
become slower, less coordinated. For all of the small demons he slaughtered, there yet remained many more.
"I'll bet that ten silver, Kroll," Adjantis offered.
"It's too late to bet now!" Kroll said angrily. "The fight's progressed too far. You have to make these
bets early."
"Backing out of a bet, eh coward?" Adjantis had a bag of coin in his hand. "How about five silver
pieces, then?"
The large demon dropped dead, the smaller ones crawling all over it now as they continued to poke and
prod and tear pieces of the creature's flesh from its meaty body. There remained only ten of the smaller demons
left.
"Oh, looks like it's too late to bet," Kroll said happily. "Too bad."
Bethany stepped up to Malkin's side. "I don't think we can sneak by them."
"You are correct," Malkin agreed. "There's too many of them, too many eyes. The more eyes of our
enemies, the lower the chances of us passing by unnoticed. The larger demon surviving would have given us a
better chance at evasion."
"So do I get to chop up some demons?" Kroll asked with his usual cheery tone.
"There seems to be few enough of these lesser demons in number now," Malkin analyzed. "Enough
have been slain, so our chances of eliminating those that remain seem good. But be warned, they are obviously
fast and wiry, likely compensating for their small stature."
Kroll wasn't listening, already off at a trot headed towards the demons still caught up in a fury, slashing
pieces of meat from their slain foe, and from their slain comrades as well. The slight demons were enjoying
their victory, some eating, others still hacking away at corpses, fewer doing anything that might lead them to
spot Kroll and his party of travelers close behind him approaching.
That advantage of surprise did not hold long, as Kroll let out a savage war cry, swinging his axes with
abandon at the first demon he neared on the outskirts of the previous fight. The small demon took both Kroll's
axes to his sides at ounce, flinging his halved body parts in separate directions. The other demons immediately
sprung up from their current activities and dashed all at once towards Kroll with unexpected alacrity. They took
no time to assess their situation or the enemies approaching them, but instantly acted as one. The demons, it
seemed, were hard wired for warfare, always on the ready for new foes and new kills.
Kroll, not expecting this hasty response to his attacks, was at once put on the defensive as the little
demons swarmed about him. His defensive blocks and parries would have to continue until the rest of his team
caught up with him, which they soon did.

Malkin immediately began casting, but Adjantis and Bethany stood off to the side, not certain they'd be
of much aid in this battle. Adjantis had his dagger in hand and ready nonetheless. Malkin finished the words to
his spell, and translucent flames of black with sparks of dark red erupted from the bodies of several of the
demons surrounding Kroll. The demons thus affected began spasming, flailing to the ground and grasping at
themselves, screaming and screeching in unearthly pain. The magical flames did not appear to burn or tarnish
the flesh of the demons, but they writhed in agony nonetheless. This allowed Kroll to now go on the offensive,
as he gave the suffering demons at his feet a mocking laugh.
"Pain magic," Bethany observed, more interested in the spells Malkin was casting than the fight, unlike
Adjantis, who watched the nasty demons with trepidation and caution. "Magic that draws on the very energies
of Hell itself, a world of constant pain and suffering, and injects that otherworldly pain into the victims of the
caster's choosing. Oh, how I wish I was adept at casting such things. I would have been, eventually."
"Well, like Malkin mentioned, the undead are property at the Bureau of Metaphysics Research," Adjantis
still had his eyes warily on the fight.
"Don't remind me," Bethany looked at her hands, pallid and tipped with dark claws.
"No, I mean, if you're so interested in Malkin's spellwork, and the undead are property at the Bureau,
perhaps Malkin can assume ownership of you. Then you'd remain alive, and also become Malkin's apprentice
in the process; albeit with fewer employee rights than most are entitled to. The bylaws of the Bureau would
likely allow it."
"But I'm also evidence in a crime Malkin committed against the bylaws of our Bureau."
Adjantis thought for a moment. Did he really want Bethany to become Malkin's apprentice? Malkin
and Bethany might both find such an arrangement to their mutual benefit. When and if Malkin succeeds in his
quest for this soul crystal, and potentially decides against amply rewarding Adjantis for his heroic efforts, he
might not be able to call upon Bethany as an ally against Malkin were the two to be contracted as master and
apprentice.
Why had Adjantis suggested such a thing to Bethany? He'd been too distracted by the ongoing fight and
he'd responded to Bethany's comments without thinking. Best not place such hopes in Bethany's head. Adjantis
did not want her to side with Malkin, not when he might have her side with him instead.
"You're right," Adjantis finally said. "Malkin is far too cautious and meticulous to allow a source of
evidence to continue incriminating him. I wouldn't trust Malkin for a second if I were you. Besides, what
would Malkin himself gain by apprenticing you?"
"An undead servant, one willing and able to learn great feats of spellwork, and one who could never
betray and supplant Malkin because of the policy of the Bureau on undead. It would give him a great
advantage."
"But would it give you an advantage?" Adjantis decided to turn the direction of the conversation in
another way. "Would an ambitious student such as you accept the moniker of servan-"
A screech of animalistic hatred from one of the small demons interrupted Adjantis in his speech. The
demon had strayed from the central fight, and was approaching Bethany and Adjantis with teeth bared in a
savage grin, with a pole tipped with a long, barbed hook clutched in its scaly claws.
"Damn," Adjantis backed away, his knife held unsteadily in front of him. Adjantis cursed himself for
not paying closer attention to the fight at hand. Adjantis backed up behind Bethany, who had no weapon.
The demon lunged at Bethany, ready for a swinging slash of its hooked weapon that would surely tear
layers of flesh from Bethany's bones. Bethany reflexively kicked out at the demon, faster than Adjantis, or
Bethany herself, thought possible. Her foot connected with the demons chest as the demon was bringing its
arms back for a swing of its weapon that would never come. The impact flung the creature with a satisfying
crunch as its thorax collapsed, its entire body flying high up into the air, leaving its weapon behind to land
harmlessly on the ground. The flying demon arced over Kroll and Malkin battling the remaining demons, and
splattered on some nearby rocks jutting from the side of the valley. The demon was killed instantly.
"By the Hells," Bethany gasped, realizing for the first time the strength she wielded.
Malkin looked behind him after seeing the demon splatter on the rocks, but not seeing from whence it
was flung. He expected to see some new demon of great strength present in the area, but instead he only saw
Bethany and Adjantis, standing and gaping at the deed Bethany had done. Kroll hadn't noticed anything, still
caught up in the fight with the rest of the demons.
"Maybe my undeath wasn't such a bad thing after all," Bethany mused. She bent over and picked
up the barbed hook the demon had dropped. She strode over to the central fight, Malkin now watching her
intently. There were but four demons remaining, all surrounding Kroll as he batted their small weapons aside
easily. He bore only a few small cuts for his efforts.
Bethany came to the demon nearest to her and swung her hook at it, and the demon held its weapon out
in front of it to block. Bethany expected her hooked weapon to get caught in the demon's side, stuck in the flesh
with so many barbs on the curved weapon. Instead, her swing was so fast and powerful, it broke the demon's
blocking weapon in two, bearing straight through and into the demon itself, slashing it apart from armpit to
neck, as if her weapon was a blade of smooth and sharpened steel. The demon dropped to the ground in two
separate halves, without any lateral force. Bethany inspected her hook, and noticed no blood on it. It was too
fast to collect blood from the demon's innards.
"Hey, stop taking all my fun away," Kroll seemed to notice Bethany for the first time, but still didn’t
seemed to realize the power with which she'd slain the demon.
Bethany determined to give Kroll a better demonstration of her powers. She hooked one of the demons
under the chin with her weapon as fast as the eye could see, lifting it up off the ground. The long hook bore
through the creature's jaw, poking up inside its small head. It dropped its two weapons and began scratching
feebly at the metal imbedded in its face.
Bethany swung the demon around by the barbed hook and flung it, along with the hook still lodged in it,
into one of its comrades, knocking the two demons across the dry and parched dirt with a force that it left deep
ruts in the dirt as they glided/impacted along with it.
The last remaining demon swung its club overhand at Bethany, who deftly caught it in one hand and
forced it backwards so fast the handle jammed in the creature's open mouth. Bethany grabbed the demon by the
neck and continued to wedge the club down its throat. The demon's neck bulged and crackled as the club was
forced through it, and Bethany let the creature fall to the ground with a plop, dead.
"Where'd you learn all those fancy moves, girl?" Kroll looked on, excited by the slaughter Bethany had
wrought.
"The 'moves' were anything but fancy," Bethany said, considering her ability came from strength and
speed, not from fighting expertise. "But my estimate is that I 'learned' these skills from your little statue. My
thanks to your statue, Malkin."
Malkin was sheathing his wand and inspecting the damage Bethany had dealt carefully. "Your strength
and speed is similar to that of a vampire's, but you are no vampire, are you Bethany?"
Bethany bared her teeth with a grin, exposing what looked to be normal canines, not fanged at all. "I
can walk in the sunlight, then. That's good news."
"There are countless classes of undead, few as noteworthy as whatever type of undead you may be
categorized as," Malkin was now inspecting Bethany, from a distance, carefully. "I might be interested in
researching more in depth as to what you are exactly, Bethany. Would you be a willing participant for these
studies?"
"I don't know, what's in it for me?" Bethany was feeling emboldened by her newfound abilities.
"I keep you a secret from the Bureau, and your undead status will remain unknown to the higher-ups.
There are spells available from the School of Illusion that could be used to conceal your undeath. You could go
on with your life as normal."
"But she's anything but normal," Adjantis stepped in. "Who knows what else there is to her undeath?
There may be unforeseen aspects to her nature that simple illusion magic will not conceal."
"There's only one way to find out, and that is by allowing me to study her further," Malkin said. "The
origins of her undeath clearly stem from the statue, so understanding her better may allow me to understand the
statue and Baelth'Kael's powers better. Who knows, once I am in full control of the demon, I may be able to
create more of your kind, Bethany. Maybe I can even reverse your undeath, if I feel so inclined. Then there'd
be no need for illusionary spells to be cast on you."
"Reverse my undeath if you feel so inclined?" Bethany questioned. "I must be inclined to allow such a
reversal as well. I may have to rethink my distaste for my undead state. I will also have to continue to think on
your offer, Malkin. Let us find this soul crystal you seek, and then maybe I can come to some decisions. In the
meantime, I intend to explore the powers of my undeath more fully."
"Very well," Malkin acceded. "I sense we are near our destination anyway. The both of us shall have
our answers soon enough. Let us continue."

Chapter #5
Bethany’s outward confidence in her newly discovered abilities was not quite genuine. She was still
highly uncertain of herself, and especially of her undead state. If she could reverse this undeath and return to
the Bureau, back as normal, and report Malkin’s treachery to the Department of Law Enforcement, she’d likely
do so. This undeath gave Bethany powers, to be sure. She likely did not need to eat or drink any longer, and
that could be very convenient. If there was some newfound nourishment that her undead body required, such as
souls or blood, as other forms of undead often depended on, she had no evidence of such. Bethany was pleased
at that prospect. Not one to place much value on temporary rewards and indulgences such as food or drink,
Bethany realized she’d now have much more time to devote to her studies without the distracting nuisance of
hunger or thirst.
That is, if she could pull the right strings to allow herself to return to her studies at the Academy in the
first place. The Bureau’s policy on forbidding the hiring of the undead were clear, with some exceptions for
liches, undead spellcasters whose powers of manipulating the spellweave were worth the minor risk of having
undead amongst the personnel of the Bureau. All undead not registered as liches amongst the staff at the
Bureau were by default designated as property. The Bureau considered the experimental value of the undead
greater than the rewards of allowing them freedom as true employees. However, Bethany would not be able to
register as a lich any time soon, she simply did not meet the qualifications. She was still an early student at the
Academy, and still very much a novice in things magical.
But if Bethany could conceal her secret identity for just long enough at the Academy, she could
accelerate her learning and perhaps be promoted to the status of Mage in only a few handful of years. Then she
could register as a lich and all would be well. In fact, all would be better than well, for she were to succeed
both as a mage and a lich, she would increase her power and status within the stringent hierarchy of the Bureau
doubly so; in one fell swoop. The bylaws of the Bureau for the treatment of undead were not retroactive, and
there’d be no punitive consequences once it was discovered that Bethany had been misleading fellow workers
about her undead state.

It all sounded like a grand plan, well worth the effort and the risk. But Bethany was askance about
trusting her future in Malkin’s willingness to cooperate. It was certainly in Malkin’s best interest, given the
current information he had, to determine to keep Bethany’s identity secret from those who would remove her of
her rights. Malkin could be expected to uphold his offer to conceal her Bethany so long as she allowed certain
experiments to be conducted on her by Malkin. Certainly Malkin would be a fool to pass up such an
opportunity to investigate tapping the powers this demon artifact could grant him. It was in Malkin’s best
interest to keep her alive.
However, while it may be in Malkin’s best interest to keep Bethany alive, it certainly wasn’t necessarily
in his best interest to keep her identity concealed. If Malkin could claim Bethany as property once she’d been
removed of her status amongs the living and designated as undead, he would have full power over Bethany to
continue his experimentation. At least, full legal power. Bethany had powers of her own now, powers that
superseded that granted by mere legal authority. She now had the ability to offer threats and successfully back
them. In fact, she could likely snap Malkin’s neck right now. She could also probably dispose of Malkin’s two
associates, especially Adjantis, with ease.
But Bethany’s powers were physical, not magical. She required potent magics to conceal her identity
from the Bureau. Such magics Malkin and Malkin alone could provide. She hated to admit it to herself, but she
was dependent on him. Then there was also the consideration of what Malkin would do once his
experimentation was complete? What would that mean for Bethany? It would depend on what Malkin
discovered, but it likely would not be good. And how long would it take before Malkin had finished his
research on her? It would be unlikely to last long enough for Bethany to complete enough of her studies to
qualify as a lich. And Bethany would never qualify as a lich if Malkin owned her as undead property.
Bethany could flee the Bureau altogether, find a new organization to work for that would not hold her
undeath against her. The Shadow Guild would certainly not think twice about hiring the undead, and would
likely consider her powers a great boon to their efforts. But Bethany’s powers were not her passion. She could
only break legs and crush skulls, not uncover the secrets of the universe and achieve great understanding of the
magics binding the world together, unleashing it to do her willful bidding. Bethany would only find business as
a mercenary amongst the Shadow Guild, where she’d use her muscle, not her mind. Bethany should only rely
on this plan as a last resort. No sense throwing her great mind away if she could help it. But could she help it?
The risks in this game were too high. Bethany would have to be on guard for any opportunities
available. Bethany did not like to depend on the whim of opportunity, but it looked like she had no choice.
Bethany determined not to allow anyone to perceive her insecurities, least of all Malkin. She had to be a strong
player in this game, and she had to be able to bargain with Malkin for what was in her best interest. She had to
be able to convince Malkin that her continued studentship at the Academy was the best choice for his plans.
Enjoying your undeath, Bethany? came a voice Bethany could not locate, startling her from her
thoughts. Bethany looked about, but soon realized that the voice had come from inside her mind, although it
was clearly not her own. No one else amongst her group had made any indication that they’d heard the spoken
sound. Something was inside her head, reading her thoughts, maybe? Or was she just mad, a side effect from
her undead condition?
What are you? Bethany thought, deciding not to draw attention to herself from her traveling associates
until she’d figured things out.
There cam no response at first. But after a pause, the mysterious voice spoke again, Malkin is just going
to use you, you know. He has no intention of keeping you a secret from his colleagues.
The voice was unearthly deep, definitely not of her home world. Bethany slowed her pace, letting the
rest of her fellow travelers walk in front of her at a distance, so that no one would notice her distraction.
Bethany was about to respond vocally, but then decided against that, and thought, what makes you so certain?
Yet again, there came no response at first. Then, Come girl, I know you can hear me. Heed my
warnings. Treachery draws near. You need my help.
The voice’s response betrayed Bethany’s suspicions that this entity could not read her mind. That was a
good sign. She glanced up ahead of her, verifying that her associates were too far in front of her to overhear her
next words.
“Let me guess, you’re the demon Malkin’s entrapped in the statue he now holds?” Bethany questioned.
I am Baelth’Kael, yes, but Malkin certainly was not the one who ‘entrapped’ me. Such a feat, I’m sorry
to say, is beyond his doing.
“Malkin mentioned that my undeath bears the taint of your corruption. Why have you done this to me?”
A gift, from me to you, mortal. Or should I say immortal? You are beyond the stock of your kin now,
Bethany. Thanks to me, of course.
“So you just granted me these powers out of the generosity of your black heart?”
I can reverse the undeath, if you’d like?
“That doesn’t answer my question. If you can raise me back from death, why don’t you just send
Malkin and his compatriots to theirs?”
My abilities are limited while confined to this prison. But you do now bear my taint, yes, which is why I
am able to commune with you. I was able to bring you back from death, so that you might find a second
chance, and serve both our purposes.
“You know nothing of my purposes, demon. And I see where this is going. You want me to kill my
fellows here and take the statue, your prison, from them? And what do I get in return?”
Your estimation is not entirely correct. I do not wish you to slay the mortals you travel beside. At least,
not yet. Allow them to find that which they seek. Malkin desires the soul crystal that binds me, controls me. I
say, let him have it. Only once he’s procured the item shall you remove him as the obstacle to your goals that he
is. Seize the crystal for yourself.
“So that I may control you instead?” Bethany mused. “Who’s to say I was not planning that already?
Malkin is convinced that controlling you will bring him great power. Why should I not strive for the same?
Why would you wish to trade one slave master for another?”
The demon’s ensuing laughter echoed inside Bethany’s head, mocking her. We both know that you are
scarcely adept enough to wield such an artifact. You would be unable to use it to your advantage, as your lack
of magical abilities limits you so. That is, unless you had my schooling. I could teach you how to use such an
artifact.
“Teach me to do what with it?”

Free me, of course. Only once I am free would I be able to bestow upon you great rewards for your
efforts. Greater than the reward of undeath I have given you even now.
“Who says this is any kind of reward? You’ve overly complicated my life with this burdensome
undeath. My future used to be clear to me, and my path deterministically chosen and followed. Now nothing
looks certain, and the direction towards my goals is obscured. Whether my current undeath is a boon to me is
dependent on countless variables, many of which are beyond my control.”
Oh, but nothing is beyond one’s control. Our decisions determine our fate through action or inaction.
The variables I have introduced into your little existence are opportunities waiting to be seized. Your prior
certainty about your life was overly simplistic, for true power is achieved through much greater complexity.
”No, my career choice would have yielded me great power, demon. My hard work and perseverance
would have proven to be a much more reliable reward than anything you now offer.”
But that would have been years in the making. Worthy individuals know how to claim greatness now, for
worthy individuals are already great, at least in spirit. The chaos I’ve introduced into your previously safe little
world is opportunity. Opportunity is always there, waiting to be utilized. Only the strong may seize it, for
chaos is a filter that culls the weak. Only the strong may rise up from it. Do not be weak, Bethany.
“Weakness has nothing to do with any of this. The suggestion that my current circumstances are better
than what I had before is foolish. I could lose everything at any time now.”
Or gain everything, with a great arch demon at your side and power beyond your wildest dreams and
your enemies’ darkens nightmares. You could have it all in just one day, in one fell swoop. Denying yourself
this advantage would be truly foolish.
“And why would you keep me at your side were I to actually free you? Why would I trust you?”
You would not, and should not, trust me. Trust is just a type of prediction. To trust is to predict that one
will do what is in your best interest. There is no trust without evidence, and you require evidence to make a
prediction. Don’t depend on trust, or that others will just arbitrarily help you. But analyze others nonetheless,
and determine their next actions. By that means you may predict them, and capitalize on what they do next. Do
not trust me, Bethany, predict me.

“I predict that once you’re free you’ll steal my soul and flee back to your hell-world, where I might be
tortured for all eternity.”
But where’s the evidence for that, which lead you to that prediction? The torment of souls is reserved
for those unworthy of anything else. I’ve exhausted a great deal of power bringing you back from death,
Bethany. I’ve invested too much in you to merely cast all of my hard work aside and consume your soul. You
would better serve me as the undead warrior you are.
Bethany thought for a moment. Was it really in Baelth’Kael’s interest to keep Bethany around were she
to free him? Was the demon really “invested” in her? Could he not just take back that which he had given,
reclaiming the power he’d fused in her undead body? Her understanding of demonic power was limited, and
she was not quite confident of what exactly a demon lord such as Baelth’Kael could or could not do.
This proposition from Baelth’Kael further complicated Bethany’s plans. She did not appreciate such an
alinear puzzle to be solved. Should she side with Baelth’Kael, and free the demon? If the demon held up his
end of the agreement, Bethany would remain as a powerful undead warrior, with an arch demon for an ally, who
could likely aid her in whatever goals she sought, especially the goal of continuing her studies at the academy.
However, if Baelth’Kael betrayed Bethany, one of the risks involved might be the eternal subjugation of her
very soul. Partnering with Baelth’Kael would prove to be the greatest reward were the alliance to be successful.
However, it also had the greatest risk of all her other choices.
She could side with Malkin, instead. If Malkin proved trustworthy, she’d retain her powers and continue
her education, but Malkin would always have some element of control over Bethany until she could achieve her
status as mage, and thus lich, achieving her freedom. If Malkin were to gain control over the demon, he would
be a very powerful ally, but probably not quite as powerful as having the demon an ally himself. If Malkin
chose to instead claim Bethany as undead property, however, her future as a wizard would be ruined and she’d
be forever slave to Malkin. This option available to Bethany held the middle ground for both reward and risk.
Lastly, Bethany could just kill Malkin and the rest of his companions and flee the Bureau to find service
at the Shadow Guild. This would not be her career of choice, but at least she’d be almost guaranteed a job and
moderate safety. This option held the least amount of both reward and risk.
Bethany did not like so many options, so many unknowns. She should probably just take the path with
the least amount of risk, and find employment at the Shadow Guild. Perhaps from there she could find another
path to seeking knowledge of spellcraft. Perhaps she could study on her own, without the aid of an educational
institution. But Bethany should at least explore this one opportunity a little more.
Bethany looked up ahead of her, where Malkin was continuing to lead his party nearer to his goals.
Malkin might know the answers to Bethany’s questions. Certainly Malkin would be in a better position to
“predict” a demon, even an arch demon. Bethany needed answers from Malkin, but first, she needed to deal
with Baelth’Kael.
“Okay, demon. Your offer interests me. What would you have me do, and what is to be my reward?”
I can reward you right now, Bethany. You still do not appreciate the entirety of the gift I have given you.
I can tell you more about your undead powers.
Information, the demon was offering Bethany information about her undead state. Bethany definitely
needed more information, but information offered by a demon was suspect by default. But what did Bethany
have to lose? “Tell me, then, Baelth’Kael.”
Those claws that tip your fingers.
Bethany held up her hands, inspecting the dark claws that curved from where her nails once were.
These claws would only make it harder for Bethany to scribe scrolls. She did not like having them.
Those are more than just weapons, Bethany, the demon continued. Kill a mortal with those claws, and
that mortal shall find undeath as well. Undeath as a zombie at your command.
“Zombies? I can create zombies? And they would do my bidding?”
Yes, there would be no limit to the number of such creatures you could summon. You could draw forth
an army to serve you.
“Can’t I create anything subtler than unthinking zombies? An army of such creatures would be
impossible to conceal at the Bureau.”

Why conceal such power, when you could use it to take what’s rightfully yours? Do not hide from your
organization, confront it, take it, become master of it. With a contingent of undead troops at your disposal, you
could rule on your home world, rather than continue to be ruled by the unworthy.
“I’ll be the one to decide what I do with such power, if I have these abilities at all, as you suggest. That
will be decided at a later date. But what would you have me do now?”
Nothing. Allow Malkin to reach his destination, and acquire the crystal. There’s nothing he’d be able to
do with it in this world anyway; he requires his facilities back on your home plane to really use the artifact. It
is only when he finally procures this item shall you put an end to his meddling. Slay him, and his minions, cut
through their throats with those talons of yours. Witness your powers for what they truly are, and bring them
back from death. Only this time, they will serve you. Once this deed is done, take the crystal back to Malkin’s
laboratory, where I shall school you on using it to free me from my prison. From there, the sky is the limit.
“Agreed,” Bethany lied. “I’ll perform this task, and we will see what you have to offer.” Bethany was
far from deciding on this course of action. She needed more time, but to keep the demon from her mind, she
pretended to agree with his plans. She could always take the crystal and flee to the Shadow Guild, or just
ignore the demon altogether and side with Malkin. Or maybe mastering this crystal would not be so hard after
all. Maybe she could wield it to control Baelth’Kael. To do that, however, she would have to study it in
Malkin’s chambers. She would have to wait and find out.
Excellent, we have a deal. You shall realize great things from this decision, said the demon as he
receded from Bethany’s mind.
If only it were that simple. Bethany was not yet sure what her actual decision was yet, but she knew one
thing for certain. She needed more information, especially about demons such as Baelth’Kael. Only Malkin
himself could and might be willing to provide such information at the moment, and so Bethany would need to
discuss some things with him. She would need to do so as not to draw suspicion from Baelth’Kael, and also so
as not to reveal too much to Malkin. But she needed answers, and Malkin likely had them. And Bethany would
need all the answers she could get.

***
Moving up ahead of the group, where Malkin was taking the lead while periodically checking the statue
strapped to his belt, Bethany matched Malkin’s pace. Malkin did not take notice of Bethany, so preoccupied
was he with his current objectives. Bethany wondered if the demon Malkin had possession of was watching her
even now. Or could the demon really “watch” anything from within its statue prison? By what means could it
observe the events around it, as it seemed to be able to do? It certainly had some form of contact with and
influence over the outside world, as Bethany was clearly evidence of. That is, unless the demon was lying
about being the one to resurrect her. But if not the demon, then who?
“Do we draw near our destination?” Bethany asked Malkin, pulling him from his purposeful
concentration as he noticed her for the first time. Bethany made note of Malkin’s seeming inattention,
considering it would make it all the easier to kill Malkin unawares before he might have time to react. If
Malkin was distracted, she could dispose of him easier, and Malkin would definitely be the first one she would
attack, him being the most powerful amongst the group, followed by the annoying Kroll.
“We do. It should not be long before we reach this crystal,” Malkin said without looking to his side
where Bethany walked. “But be prepared, there’s no telling in which way it is sealed or held in this world.
Baelth’Kael was likely the one to hide it here; and any sensible demon would wish for it to be well hidden or
guarded.”
It is well hidden by concealing magic, buried beneath stone, the demon himself echoed in Bethany’s
mind, without Malkin’s knowing. But fear not, Bethany, for I no longer have a wish to keep my possession
hidden. I will make it easy for your little group to procure the item. Just remember our agreement, Bethany.
Bethany wanted to ask the demon more about how it had hidden this item, and how it planned to allow
her and her group access to it, but could not do so without asking it directly and alerting Malkin to her
suspicious behavior. This was one down side to the demon being unable to read her thoughts.
“If the demon you possess hid this item, how was it able to do so from within the confines of the
statue?” Bethany asked.

“We do not know in which order things came about,” Malkin admitted. “The demon’s binding to this
statue may have come after Baelth’Kael had hidden away the crystal. In fact, that very well may be why the
creature was bound in the first place. Losing the crystal would mean losing power over the demon, so a new
means for controlling it would have to come about. Hence why possibly the demon was entrapped. There’s
little chance the demon might have been capable of hiding the crystal while entrapped, anyway.”
Bethany paused for a moment, hoping Baelth’Kael himself would comment on this supposition of
Malkin’s, but the demon remained silent.
“Why couldn’t Baelth’Kael banish the crystal to Hell while indwelling the statue?” Bethany wondered.
“He’s quite capable of a lot of things, such as animating my dead corpse as we speak.”
“The demon’s abilities are limited by disruption magic placed on the statue,” Malkin explained.
“Anything the demon casts, on rare occasion he can cast anything, will not be able to be precisely predicted.
Such spells might be dispelled immediately, or perhaps even distorted so they do not properly carry out their
original purpose. Your resurrection was likely intended to yield your mind fully to the control of the demon,
which likely failed…”
Malkin trailed off for a moment, wondering for the first time if maybe Bethany’s revival was no accident
by the demon. Malkin eyed Bethany for a moment before dismissing his thoughts and continuing. “Or perhaps
the original intent of spellcasting by the demon was entirely different from resurrecting you. It might have been
a very simple casting gone horribly awry by the disruption magic, resulting in something quite unintended such
as yourself. Disruption magic can easily do that, make simple spells complex, or shift the results to something
entirely unexpected.”
Or is that what I want Malkin to think? the demon suggested. Why would I wish Malkin to know I am
able to plot such as I am now, and communicate with you? Malkin would put an end to that immediately, were
he aware. Which he is not.
Right, Bethany thought sarcastically. If the demon was so capable then why was he still entrapped as he
was? Why would he need to form an alliance with Bethany? But Baelth’Kael did say his powers were limited
while within the statue. But if they were so limited, could the demon truly fool a practiced demonologist such
as Malkin into thinking there was disruption magic placed on the statue?
“You mentioned that I am tainted with the demon’s magic before,” Bethany decided to change the
subject, unable to question the demon himself while directly in Malkin’s presence.
“Yes, and I intend to find out much more about that when we return to my offices,” Malkin had an eager
look in his eye, interested as he was in learning all he could from the demon’s magic. “When we return, you
will agree to allow me to study the nature of your reanimation in full.”
The fool! Don’t give him the chance, Bethany.
“Of course,” Bethany falsely agreed. “But with this reanimation magic in place as it is, how can it
continue to function with its source, the demon himself, entrapped in disrupting magics?”
“The magic is independent once it passes through the confines of the statue. It may be altered from its
original purpose, but once it is fully cast, it exists as a real spell might, as it is now separated from the statue and
its spell of disruption.”
“But if it is the demon’s magic, is there not a chance that Baelth’Kael might still have some control over
it? Some sort of link to it?”
“Ah, worried the demon might still have some control over you?” Malkin smirked as he thought he was
catching on to Bethany’s line of questioning. “Do not fret, once the crystal is mine, even if the demon has any
semblance of control over you, I will control the demon. And since I would control the demon that controls
you, I would therefore be the one that truly controls you.”
“In which case you’ll free me, of course,” Bethany sardonically replied, not pleased with the prospect of
being in service to Malkin.
“Freedom is a myth. No matter your stature, you are always working in the service of someone or
something. Such is the structure of civilization, and thus the world. All work is done through the tightly knit
network of the economy, all interwoven and dependent on the collective system each individual unit forms.
Freedom is always limited by this structuring.”
“But some are freer than others…”

“Of course. Freedom is just the ability to do something that others cannot. Certainly, people like me,
can do a great deal more than those such as you. But through our contractual agreements, explicit or otherwise,
as is the basis for all culture, shall some of my freedoms be shared with you. Serve your purpose, Bethany, and
we both shall reap great rewards.”
“Speaking of great rewards,” Adjantis interjected, “The only rewards I see being distributed are the
powers given to Bethany, and those certainly did not come from you, Malkin.”
“I am somewhat schooled in necromancy,” Malkin replied coolly. “If you’d like I can bring you back as
undead of a sort as well.”
“Feeling jealous, Adjantis?” Bethany asked.
“Hardly, your situation is not to be envied,” Adjantis went on. “It’s just that the longer we delay in
returning back to the Bureau, the greater Brundle’s suspicions will grow about our absence. We need to find
this ‘reward’ soon, for my impeccable reputation is at stake within the Bureau.”
“You have a reputation to stake?” Kroll asked incredulously.
“You’re damn right I do! Not that you’d understand the value of my reputation.”
“I’d like to a put a stake through your reputation.”
“Oh, shut up. You are not clever.”
“With your reputation in mind, the stakes seem rather low.”
“You are stupid.”
“Ha!” Kroll seemed amused with Adjantis’ annoyance. “You’re only stupid compared to someone
smarter than you.”
“Well I’m comparing you to everyone.”
“But you don’t know anyone, remember? You have no reputation to stake. Besides, reputation is just
what other people think of you, and other people are nothing special. Take you, for instance.”
“My question remains unanswered,” Adjantis ignored Kroll. “We are risking much in dallying here, and
my time is not to be wasted. We need to return to the Bureau, and soon.”

“You shall have your wish,” claimed Malkin. “It will not be long. Your reputation will be maintained,
for once I remove Baelth’Kael from the statue upon establishing my control of the demon, the statue shall be
returned to Brundle who will remain none the wiser of our doings here.” Malkin stopped in his brisk pace as
the group neared a small mounting outcropping in the midst of their path.
“Looks like we’ll have to go around it,” Bethany said, looking up at the expanse of jutting rock.
“Or over it,” Kroll suggested. “Who wants to go rock climbing?”
Kroll looked around, but no one seemed interested in his idea. “I know I do,” Kroll raised his hand,
trying to get the others’ attention.
“We’ll do neither,” Malkin stated matter-of-factly.
“Giving up so soon?” Adjantis said sarcastically. “That’s a pity.”
“We do not need to get past this mountain, but rather into it. I sense the crystal is inside of it.”
“And just how are we going to do that,” Adjantis looked over the mountain’s ridges, as if he might see
something of importance. “Can your magic move mountains now?”
“I’d imagine we don’t have to move anything but a door,” Malkin explained. “I doubt the demon’s
magic could create a mountain on top of the crystal. Rather, I’m sure it’s sealed within a small chamber in the
mountain’s side.”
Our friend Malkin is only partly correct, Baelth’Kael spoke to Bethany. My magic can certainly move
mountains, but such was not necessary. There is a sealed door to your party’s left. Find a way to draw Malkin
toward it, so that he may inspect it for himself.
Bethany wasn’t sure how to get Malkin to pay attention to this supposed door, so she just started
walking in that general direction. Bethany looked about, scanning for something, anything, for she could not
actually see any indication of a doorway.
Stop. It is before you.
Bethany was looking at a small depression on the parched ground leading to a flat wall on the side of the
mountain. The mountain wall here was smoother than the rest of the rock. Bethany pressed her hand up against
the rock, but nothing happened.

“Eager to find this crystal before me?” Malkin asked as he approached her, misunderstanding Bethany’s
motives for breaking off from the group to inspect the mountain. “You’d never be able to use it, of course.”
“It is in both of our interests to find it,” Bethany explained. “Besides, I’ll be able to use such artifacts in
the future, and I still have a future. Perhaps more of one now, given my new abilities.”
Malkin didn’t argue with Bethany, understanding it would be best if she continued to believe things were
going her way, even if they actually were. “It looks like you may have found something, in any event.” Malkin
made a shooing motion with his hand, gesturing for Bethany to move aside and out of his way. She stepped
back, and Malkin gave the rock surface a closer look. “This area of rock was not naturally sculpted by the
elements. It is clearly artificially constructed.”
“It’s a doorway,” Bethany stated.
“We shall see,” Malkin began casting a detection spell on the rock surface. After concentrating on it for
a moment, he stepped back. “It appears you are correct. This is a door. Lucky guess.”
“Maybe luck had nothing to do with it. Maybe my new powers are more than what they seem,” Bethany
taunted Malkin. Malkin gave her a look that was both annoyed yet unsure.
Do not attract Malkin’s suspicions, the demon warned. You are still expendable to him, and he will not
hesitate to remove you if he believes you have become a threat. Save your taunts and jeers for when it comes
time to finally kill him.
Apparently Baelth’Kael did not want to lose his valuable pawn, Bethany thought dourly.
“Nothing is as it seems in Hell,” Malkin did not take his eyes off of Bethany. “But coincidence is the
more likely explanation. But if your powers are so great, why not open this door yourself?”
“Oh, don’t be paranoid, Malkin. Just get to work on the door so we can get out of here.”
“Door?” Kroll asked. “So, no rock climbing then?” Kroll and Adjantis were off to the side, watching
the two at the rock outcropping.
Bethany ignored the two and stepped back, whispering, “Why don’t you open this door yourself,
demon?”
And how might you explain that to Malkin? Best if he opens the door himself.
Malkin began a slow rhythmic chant while one of his hands was pressed against the door. His free hand
began weaving back and forth in intricate circles.
“Or maybe the disruption magic would interfere with your casting,” Bethany posited.
Do not question my plans. Play your small role, girl, and you will find nothing ‘disrupted’ at all.
“I’m not questioning your plans, I’m questioning what would happen were you to attempt to open that
door. Might you raise another corpse with the powers I now possess? I would not mind the company. Go
ahead.”
The demon remained silent.
“Talking to yourself?” Kroll asked at Bethany’s side a little too loudly.
Bethany hid her startlement, not realizing Kroll had been so near during her discussion with the demon.
“Yes, I’m talking to myself, Kroll. It’s the only way I can ensure an intelligent conversation.”
“Intelligent conversation? People still have those?” Kroll crinkled his nose.
“Isn’t that the point of conversation? Conversation is the exchange of information, and intelligence is all
about information. The better the information exchanged, the better the conversation.”
“And what information do you hope to get by willingly talking to me?”
“None, which is why I was talking to myself instead. Now shove off.”
“How can you exchange information with yourself?”
“By thinking of currently learned information, you can process it in new ways unheard of before, thus
creating new information. Now shove off.”
“I may not be able to exchange information, but I can exchange blows in a fight with the best of them.”
“I don’t care.”
“One time I’d been drinking late one night at the local pub, and somehow had gotten myself into a fight
for some reason I couldn’t recall. I was so drunk I couldn’t figure out why the guy I was hittin’ with my axe
wasn’t dying. I just kept hittin’ him and hittin’ him. It wasn’t ‘till later that I realized the blade had come off of
my axe handle. But I exchanged enough blows with him to finally put ‘em down anyway. Now that’s an
exchange.”
“Yes, good for you, Kroll,” Bethany’s annoyance only seemed to be encouraging Kroll.
Malkin’s chanting reached a crescendo as he abruptly pulled his hand free from its contact with the rock
surface. A crackling noise filled the air, originating from the rock surface; although there was no visual
representation of the loud noise distinguishable on the rock as it remained static. Nothing else happened.
“Blasted Hell!” Malkin cursed. “My magic is not able to dispel the seal that keeps this door enclosed.”
“Maybe that’s why Brundle hired you,” said Adjantis with a smirk. “You are too incompetent a wizard
to pull off a successful betrayal.”
“Maybe I can bash the door in? Someone get me a big rock,” Kroll looked about, searching for just that.
“My wizardry is specialized,” Malkin explained, unmoved by Adjantis’ insult. “I’ve a mastery of things
demonic. I do not focus on dispelling enchantments.”
Idiot wizard, Baelth’Kael mocked in Bethany’s mind. To specialize one’s talents in such a way is to
miss the greater scope of the opportunities around you. And there is one opportunity our dear friend Malkin
has missed entirely. The disruption magic placed on my statue prison can be channeled by even a novice
wizard to a separate source. Remind the shortsighted Malkin than he can use it on the doorway.
The disruption magic you said didn’t exist? Bethany thought but did not speak aloud, since it would
likely accomplish nothing with the demon. She turned to Malkin, “the disruption enchantment placed on the
statue you carry: could it not be used to dispel the doorway seal?”
“Well aren’t you precocious,” Malkin snidely replied, but it was clear on his expression that he liked the
idea. “I can redirect the disruption energies in the statue to the doorway easily enough. Give me a moment.”
“Well at least this statue is good for something,” Adjantis said.
Malkin withdrew the statue from the pouch at his side, and held it up facing the rock surface. Malkin
concentrated on focusing a minor spell through the figurine he beheld and towards the doorway. The spell itself
was unimportant, but rather the disruption magic it would carry from within the statue would target the
doorway, removing its seal. Malkin released the single word to the spell and forth from the statue a bolt of
energy flew, dissipating on the doorway with a loud burst of crackling sparks.
Immediately following the dissipation of the sparks, seams of purplish light emitted from thin lines forming a
rectangular shape reminiscent of a door on the rock. The light brightened as grinding noises began to rumble
from behind the exterior of the rock, and the rock framed by the light began to slowly recede back into the
mountain.
Malkin stepped back and folded his arms, impatiently waiting for the doorway to finish its retraction
into the mountain side to allow them entrance. The tremors and gravelly grinding sounds of the heavy moving
rock began to fade away as the rectangular rock obstruction finally receded into the darkness of the now open
doorway. Malkin peered inside the passageway, but could perceive only darkness.
“Excellent, the path to our destination opens before us,” Malkin looked pleased.
“I hope your magic can summon light,” Bethany could see nothing in the darkness of the doorway.
“I can summon fire easily enough, but I will need something that can burn for the fire to last,” Malkin
looked about for firewood, but could see nothing. “Unfortunately, this parched wasteland has few
combustibles, so we will have to use whatever relevant items we carry to keep a torch burning.” Malkin was
looking directly at Adjantis.
“Don’t look at me,” Adjantis held out his hands palm up as if to ask what Malkin was staring at.
“Your record of events log,” Malkin was still staring at Adjantis. “Hand it over. It will make for a fine
torch, but not much else.”
“My work?” Adjantis was offended at the very notion of sacrificing his writing.
“That is not your work. Work is the service rendered for the purposes of completing your contracted
task. Your real task is to fabricate non-incriminating records of our activities. The records you carry are
incriminating for the both of us, thus it is not really your work. It shall be burned, to be replaced by real work.”
“You would destroy information? My information? My information should outlive the universe, not be
squandered for something as mundane as a torch.”
“Information is a means to an end. The only valuable end for your papers is to light my way. I suggest
you do not so easily grow attached to inanimate objects, Adjantis. Sentimental value is not true value. Now do
I need Kroll here to pry that book from your dead fingers, or are you going to cooperate with me and logic in
general?”
“I don’t think Adjantis wants to cooperate,” Kroll cracked his knuckes. “I think he chooses the prying
from dead fingers bit.”
“Your job isn’t to think, you insufferable lout!”Adjantis yelled at Kroll, pulling his book from his pack
and shoving it Malkin’s way. “Let’s get this over with.”
Malkin casually took the book, selectively tearing the pages of incriminating evidence about his
activities from it and tossing the remains of the book back to Adjantis. Kroll handed Malkin a broken branch
from a thorny plant nearby, which was subsequently wrapped in the paper by twine in the form of a makeshift
torch. Malkin flicked his fingers at the torch extended out before in him in his other hand, igniting it in a burst
of flame. The flames flared for a moment, fueled by magical energies, then faded lower as they began to take
on a steady burn.
Malkin held out the torch in front of him and towards the doorway opening in the side of the mountain.
A long, cavernous hallway was illuminated within, going down deep and out of sight. With a determined nod,
Malkin strode down and into the passageway. The rest of the group followed, as they all descended into the
depths of the mountain.

Chapter #6
Lexstriza focused on the dark gem she’d channeled Baelth’Kael’s essence through, harnessing its power
to determine the relative direction and distance from her position of which Baelth’Kael resided at. She realized
she was nearing his position, but some new activity emitted by the gem indicated something about her target
had changed. The strength of the connection between the gem and Baeth’Kael had been growing stronger as
Lexstriza traveled the long distance to his location, indicating she was making progress and coming closer to
her former master. However, the strength of Baelth’Kael’s presence suddenly grew to proportions unaccounted
for by Lexstriza’s steady pace towards him. Either her former master had abruptly grown in power, or had
revealed power hidden to her senses but moments ago.
Lexstriza slowed in her steady pace forward through the rocky landscape of Hell. The two score of
demonic troops that followed behind her slowed as well. The demonic troops were great ape-like creatures that
walked on all fours as they travelled, but stood upright when they fought with their long reaching arms. Their
pale, hairless muscles bulged as they lumbered along. Thick curling rams horns sprouted from low, prominent
brows; and long tusks curled up from wide, jutting jaws.
As Lexstriza slowed her pace, she gave the gem’s indications more careful consideration. Something
was not right about this fluctuation of Baelth’Kael’s power. She sensed she was near his location, but remained
suspicious. According to her senses, Baelth’Kael should be just over the next ridgeline, from the peak of which
Lexstriza should be able to see her former master’s location in full. However, her senses also told her
Baelth’Kael’s powers were much diminished mere moments ago, which, if her channeling gem could be
believed, was an incorrect reading.
Lexstriza barked out a command for her troops to hold position behind her while she trekked up ahead to
the top of the next ridgeline. She cautiously approached, desiring stealth in this time of uncertainty. She slowly
peered over, witnessing the view of a small mountainous outcropping of rock, at the bottom of which stood a
simple, open passageway leading inside.

From her vantage point, Lexstriza was better able to get a closer reading from her gemstone of the
magical nature of her view of the mountain, and what she suspected was Baelth’Kael inside. Immediately
Lexstriza realized the antiquity of this newly detected power source, old and ancient. From the radiating age of
the power source, it would seem Baelth’Kael never left Drebula to begin with. Lexstriza suspected this
reemergence of Baelth’Kael’s presence was not only deliberate, but millennia in the making. Lexstriza did not
realize that the age of this power source emanated from the soul crystal, rather than Baelth’Kael’s own spirit.
Lexstriza also sensed mortal souls trapped within the mountainous rock, thousands of them. These had
clearly been concealed to her but moments ago. But judging by their number, Baelth’Kael must have an army
waiting inside at his command, even though they were just mortal souls. Where were the souls gathered from?
Conquest from Baelth’Kael’s long ago venture to the mortal world? That is, if Lexstriza’s former master had
ever left for the mortal world to begin with. Baelth’Kael must have been gathering a mortal army since the very
beginning. Hence why this power source was cloaked by concealing magics.
It seemed to Lexstriza that Baelth’Kael had been residing in Hell for quite some time now, covertly
hiding out and bidding his time, but for what? To retake his kingdom? Why was it allowed to fall into the
hands of the likes of Lord Korbaz to begin with?
It would be foolhardy to proceed into the mountain, even with her troops at her beck and call. Going in
alone, Lexstriza could very well be overmatched by the numerous souls her readings informed her were present
within the mountain side. But proceeding forth with her troops might be construed as a threat to Baelth’Kael,
and Lexstriza never wished to provoke a fight with an enemy she knew little about. As a mighty spellcaster,
Lexstriza valued knowledge both ancient and of the present. Her skills and continuation as a warlock depended
on knowledge both magical and practical in nature, and she needed more information about this unexpected turn
of events.
Lexstriza assumed Baelth’Kael was presently inside the mointain, but she could not be sure. In order to
complete her mission, she would need to gather more information about Baelth’Kael and his current state of
affairs. Lexstriza could cloak herself in invisibility and spy on any conversations Baelth’Kael might be engaged
in from afar without detection. However, while her former master was inside the mountain, managing this
would be difficult. She needed few barriers between herself and the object she intended to spy on in order for
her spells to work, and the walls of the mountain would provide too much interference. Lexstriza could use
stealth to enter the mountain itself, as the doorway leading into it seemed to have remained open. However, she
did not like the possible risks that implied.
But perhaps spying itself was risky as well. Based on her readings, the extent of Baelth’Kael’s powers
were uncertain at best. Perhaps he would be able to detect any spying Lexstriza might conduct. Although Lord
Korbaz had forbidden any sort of diplomatic discourse with the former ruler of Drebula, Lexstriza thought that
might be the best means to ascertain more about the now mysterious Baelth’Kael.
If Lexstriza made contact with the arch demon, there was little reason to believe he’d attack her on sight.
The sudden revelation of Baelth’Kael’s power source here at the mountain side seemed deliberate. Perhaps
Baelth’Kael wished to establish contact with his former kingdom, although this was a strange way to go about
it. If Baelth’Kael attacked Lexstriza, she could easily teleport back to her headquarters with a simple command
word. However, doing so would mean she’d leave her retinue of troops behind to face whatever fate awaited
them in Baelth’Kael’s clutches. But they could easily be replaced.
The real problem with such a flight would be having to explain her failure to Lord Korbaz, who would
not be pleased. She would definitely omit her decision to liaison with the former master of Drebula, as Korbaz
had disallowed such actions. Instead she could explain that she attempted an assault on Baelth’Kael, or her
spying measures were detected by him and battle was inevitable. Whatever the case, at least she could return
with some information she had not been privy to previously, and she expected she would be able to gather more
during an encounter with Baelth’Kael.
Yes, that was likely the best course of action. Lexstriza would attempt to negotiate with Baelth’Kael,
and garner whatever information she could from the arch demon. If Baelth’Kael was in fact more powerful
than Lexstriza and Korbaz had first assumed, maybe an alliance with the arch demon would be in order, and a
coup could be attempted on Lord Korbaz’ throne. If instead the arch demon was in fact weaker as Lexstriza’s
initial readings had told her, perhaps disposing of him would not be so difficult a task.
Whatever the case may be, her next decisions would be made after she established contact with
Baelth’Kael. Lexstriza assumed the safest way to do that might be to wait for Baelth’Kael or one of his minions
to eventually exit the mountain. She would broach contact through that means. Until then, she decided to wait,
and watch.
***
Malkin slowly but deliberately navigated his way through the dark winding tunnel, the torch in his hand
leading his way. His three traveling coconspirators stayed near behind Malkin, so as not to lose their way in the
dark. Malkin had his enchanted dagger in his other hand, ready to lash out with it at anything that stood in his
way. This mountain had likely been sealed for eons, and probably had nothing dangerous inhabiting it, but
Malkin was not about to take any chances.
Malkin studied the cavern walls, noting that they had not been shaped or sculpted. Rather, they were
rough, and bore many stalagmites and stalactites along the way. It was unlikely that any intelligent species
would have made this place its home, as it all looked unused. Likely, this mountain simply served as a location
to safely store the demon’s soul crystal, away from anyone who would seek to use the artifact against
Baelth’Kael.
It wasn’t long before the tunnel spread out and opened into a large cavernous chamber. The ceiling of
the cavern was so high that Malkin’s torch could barely penetrate it, nor could he see its walls with much
precision. However, one feature of the cavernous space was clear: a faint red glow straight across from the
travelers as they all entered the chamber.
Malkin neared the source of emitted light, and as he drew closer, his eyes began to focus on the glowing
red object. Malkin’s eyes glimmered with greed as he immediately was able to identify the item as the soul
crystal of which he sought. It was a long slender crystal with multifaceted but irregular angles, sharp and
angular. The surface of each facet was polished smooth, and reflected a dark inner glow of red that pulsed
occasionally and faintly as a heart would.

As Malkin stepped up towards the crystal’s location, he noticed with a frown that the lower half of the
crystal was embedded in a solid pillar of stone stemming up from the rocky floor. It may prove difficult to
dislodge it, Malkin thought. Malkin stopped and stared, studying the crystal.
“So this is it, huh?” Kroll said. “A big ruby. I’d get a fine price for it at the Merchant’s Quarter.”
“Well, what are we waiting for,” Adjantis complained. “Grab the thing and let’s go.”
“How are we going to get it free?” Bethany asked, hoping that the demon would answer her question,
rather than any of her associates.
“With my axe?” Kroll said, although his axe was not drawn, unconcerned as he was with whatever
dangers may be lurking in the corners.
“Your axe isn’t the solution to everything, Kroll,” said Bethany, still waiting for the demon to fill her in.
“I suppose my fist has its uses, too,” Kroll flexed his meaty hands, thinking to rip the crystal from the
rock. Kroll approached the crystal, ready to try just that.
“Stand back, you fool,” Malkin scolded Kroll, seeming to notice the rest of his group for the first time.
“No one touch the crystal just yet. I need to determine if the item is trapped in any way. Give me a moment.”
Malkin began casting a detection spell that might determine if the crystal was ensorcelled by any magical traps.
My crystal is not trapped, Malkin wastes his time, the demon finally stated in Bethany’s mind.
However, he will find a lot more from his spell than traps. Baelth’Kael did not explain further.
Bethany wanted to ask more of the demon, but decided to just wait for Malkin to finish his casting so
she could hopefully find out by direct observation instead. Bethany took a step back.
Malkin finished the words to his casting, and suddenly the room went dark. There was no illumination
by the torch, which appeared to have gone out. The ominous glow from the soul crystal could not be seen
either. Bethany could not see her hand directly in front of her face, even though her undeath had given her
better abilities to see in the dark.
“Looks like we didn’t burn enough of Adjantis’ parchments,” Kroll said somewhere in the darkness.
“What in the Hell?” Malkin’s voice shouted nearby.

“What in the Hell indeed,” Bethany answered towards Malkin’s general direction. “Was the crystal
trapped afterall?”
“No, not exactly. I attempted to magically peer inside of it to see if I could determine any traps present,
when instead I should have been magically sealing it. There were no traps per se, but my revealing magics
revealed more than just whether there were traps.”
“Where’d the crystal go?” Bethany heard Adjantis’ voice say.
“That’s the problem,” Malkin explained. I’m sensing it everywhere, yet I see nothing. I think its magic
has enveloped us. My spell should have exposed its magics, but instead it has brought its essence all about us.”
“Is that bad?” Adjantis didn’t sound sure of himself.
“What’s the matter, afraid of the dark?” came Kroll’s mocking reply.
Suddenly a feeling of vertigo washed over Bethany, and she could no longer feel the ground beneath her.
She felt her head spinning, and a disorienting dizziness took hold of her, although she realized she was not
actually moving. Just as suddenly as the sensation had come about, it vanished, and with it, light filled the
room. Although this was not the cavernous chamber she remembered being in last.
The four travelers were in the midst of a castle hall. Lush carpeting covered the floor, and finely cut
stone made up the walls. Rich chandeliers and wide arching windows illuminated the hallway. However, the
sounds of screams and harsh fighting could be heard beyond the confines of the hallway. Something was
happening outside.
Malkin stepped up to one of the windows, peering over the sill. “It would seem we’ve arrived here,
wherever we are, at an inconvenient time.”
The rest of the group approached a window, viewing the source of the sounds that could be heard
outside. The view revealed a town besieged by demonic creatures, slaughtering fleeing and fighting townsfolk
alike. Some of the humans present in the midst of this mass slaughter were clearly men-at-arms and knights
defending their town from the monstrous onslaught. Others were mere peasants and children, but the demons
slew their victims indiscriminately.

“Inconvenient time my arse,” Kroll looked on eagerly. “We’re just in time to lend these fighters a
helping hand. Who’s side should we take? The humans or the demons?”
“Why don’t we just stay on our own side for now?” said Malkin. “We don’t know what’s at stake in this
battle.”
“What’s at stake? How about fun? Slaughter? Warfare?”
“Oh, there’s a lot more at stake than that. Something about this place is unreal. I suggest we have a
look around this castle before we make any rash decisions.”
“Just what is going on, Malkin?” Adjantis said. “Where’s the crystal? And more importantly, where am
I?”
“I sense the crystal about us in every direction,” Malkin explained. “Whatever is happening around us,
it is the crystal’s doing. If we unlock the secrets of this… parallel universe… this illusion… whatever this is,
then we determine how to get back my possession and return to our home world.” With that, Malkin spun on
his heel and headed down the corridor of the hallway. The rest of the companions began to follow.
Not that direction, Baelth’Kael warned Bethany. What you seek is in the other direction of this corridor.
Inform Malkin that the king’s audience hall is the other way.
The king? Bethany wondered. “Malkin, from the looks of our whereabouts within the castle from our
vantage point out these windows, I would imagine that the epicenter of the castle in this way.” Bethany
gestured in the opposite direction of the hall Malkin and the rest were heading down.
Malkin turned about, “the epicenter?”
“Normally the king’s chambers would be this way, from the looks of the place.”
“What makes you think there’s a king? What makes you think he would be of any use to us?”
“It’s better than wandering these halls aimlessly.”
“What’s wrong with aimless?” Kroll asked.
“Very well, Bethany,” Malkin acceded. “Let us find the ruling council of this castle. Perhaps we can
extract some information from them.”

The four coconspirators headed down the hallway, the end of which bore an intricately carved wooden
double door. The doors stood open, and so the group moved through them. They entered a large audience
chamber, with a vast ceiling and richly decorated walls full of tapestries and paintings. Leading up to the back
of the room was a long red carpet between the rows of seats. The carpet ended at a large and ornate throne, atop
of which sat what was obviously the king Baelth’Kael had mentioned.
The man was as richly dressed as the rest of the room, in fine silks and shining gems. His face was
obscured as it rested in his hands. His head was down, and he looked upset. The fighting from outside could
still be heard, likely part of the reason for the king’s distress.
“Not feeling well, are we?” Malkin stopped and stood directly in front of the throne.
The king looked up slowly from his brooding posture. His eyes were heavy with dark circles lining
underneath. His face was grim. “What’s this? More demons come to torment me?”
You have no idea, Baelth’Kael laughed in Bethany’s head.
“Do we look like demons to you?” Malkin asked. “I have but some questions that demand answering.
For starters, where are we? And what besieges your castle?”
“They never stop. The screams, the demons, they never stop…” the king shook his head.
“Tell me about the soul crystal,” Malkin demanded. “Where is it?”
The king abruptly looked up from his brooding, seeming to really scrutinize Malkin for the first time.
“You are not demons, yet nor do I recognize you as of my kingdom? You are new to me.”
“Yes, we are outsiders, and we’re here to help,” Malkin lied. “Tell me everything I need to know, so that
we may be better able to lend assistance.”
The king narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin, considering Malkin’s words as if deep in thought. “If
you are truly outsiders, then your souls are not enslaved as ours is to the soul crystal you speak of. We are
slaves to that woeful artifact, trapped within its confining magics, here to haunt and be haunted for all time.”
“Let me guess, Baelth’Kael bound you all within his soul crystal for safe keeping?”
“What do you know of that name?” the king questioned defensively.
“I will reveal all after you do the same. Now what has Baelth’Kael done to you?”
“Baelth’Kael has done this to me and my kingdom, although we are not here for his ‘safekeeping’ as you
so mention. No, this is an even better fate than the one that would have awaited me were I not to have defeated
Baelth’Kael.
“My name is Cyrus Alistair, and I was once a great king,” Cyrus’ chest puffed out as he regarded
himself. “But all was lost, lost in a rash deal struck with the foul demon lord you speak of. Long ago, how long
I do not recall anymore, but during my mortal years in my kingdom I was deemed ruler. Unfortunately, times
were difficult, and drought and famine were killing off the people of my land. I had what rations remained
hoarded in my palace so that I could continue ruling. Some of the townsfolk did not understand the necessity of
my decisions, and so they had to be put down and made examples of by my guards. There were many
demonstrations of the extent of my wrath, public displays of mutilated peasants to deter any further discontent.
“The peasant folk were not lulled into submission by my efforts to tame them as should have been, and
soon a growing number of uprisings began to flourish. Mere peasants were challenging the worth of my
rulership. I felt that my position as king was being threatened, and something had to be done.
“I found myself continually beset by nightmares of my followers turning against me, and overthrowing
me from my throne. But one night the nightmares were absent, and the vision of the foul demon Baelth’Kael
took their place. The demon came to me in a dream with promises to renew the strength of my rule, and to
reestablish my hold over my kingdom. Contained in the dream were instructions of the demon’s name and how
to summon him forth. What choice did I have? I had my conclave of wizards begin their work on summoning
the demon the following morning.”
“Bargaining with demons?” Malkin interjected. “Demons are not to be bargained with, but to be
demanded of. Anything less invites disaster. Speaking of disaster, how much longer is your castle going to
hold off the onslaught outside?”
“Do not seek to counsel me on the error of my decisions,” Cyrus said angrily. “This eternal Hell is
reminder enough of that. I don’t need ignorant outsiders adding to the obvious. And the warring taking place
outside will not end, it will not find conclusion. The demons outside are not even real, but rather the imagined
fears made flesh by the tormented townspeople of my former kingdom. We are not souls tormented by demons,
but rather ghosts haunted by the misfortunes experienced during our mortal lives. There are no demons here to
collect our souls, just the reminder of our own past mistakes.”
“It sounds like the only one to make a mistake was you. Now continue with your story.” Malkin folded
his arms, waiting impatiently for the king to hurry up with his retelling of events.
The king glared at Malkin for a moment, and then slowly began to fade back into his ruminations and
the story that lead to his current misfortune. “It was not long before my best trained wizards had summoned
forth Baelth’Kael in a secluded chamber within the confines of my castle. The demon was allowed entrance to
our world through a portal crafted with a few sacrificed townsfolk offered up to the demon.
“Baelth’Kael then offered me a deal that would save me my throne. In exchange for the souls of my
kingdom and the people I ruled, the arch demon would grant me the service of a retinue of demonic warriors to
help control the inconvenient peasant uprisings. The trade sounded fair enough. Through our deal, I would
retain control over my people while they lived, and Baelth’Kael would lay claim to their souls only once they
had died. I had no interest in the souls of dead peasants, so I hastily signed Baelth’Kael’s contract. Little did I
know that the souls of my kingdom included my own as well in that deceitful agreement. I had assumed only
my followers were at stake.
“However, I did not realize this caveat at first, and thought the agreement a fortunate turn of events. The
powerful demon warriors at my disposal offered by Baelth’Kael immediately allowed me to reestablish my
rightful grip on my society. No one dared threaten my throne when I had a cadre of fierce demonspawn at my
disposal.
“My ambitions eventually grew with this newfound power to wield and control demons. If I could
subdue my own kingdom into submission to bow before me, what might I be able to do to other, neighboring
kingdoms? I came to Baelth’Kael requesting this authority over his demon soldiers, but he denied me my
demands. It was not in the contract for me to do this, and the demon was unwilling to write up a second one.
The demon was unable to lay claim to the souls of neighboring kingdoms from a contract that only I had signed.
While such warfare would have been to my benefit, since there was nothing in it for the demon, Baelth’Kael
was unwilling to cooperate.

“But that didn’t stop me from trying. I scheduled a secret meeting with my cabal of wizards, and we
discussed a means for controlling the demon for our ends. It was decided that we fashion a soul crystal, bonded
to the demon’s essence. We used the true name of the demon I had learned from my dream, and blood from the
demon’s signed contract from our agreement as a necessary spell component. It took my wizards many long
and exhausting hours, but eventually the artifact was successfully created.”
Yes, if I did not intend to just take the crystal from you, I might request some information from your
wizards on just how they crafted such an item, Malkin thought. Then again, I may be able to do just that
anyway, if your souls are all bound to the crystal so.
“So you crafted the soul crystal to control the demon,” Malkin said. “Yet your souls are bound to that
very crystal you fashioned, rather than the demon himself.”
“It is true,” the king agreed. “We could not have known the extent of our error. But better we remain
trapped here than at the whims of Baelth’Kael himself.”
Enjoy your “great fortune” while it remains, fool king, Baelth’Kael said hungrily. It shall not be long
before I reclaim that which is mine. Care to join in the fun of tormenting this pitiful creature once we both have
the soul crystal in our possession, Bethany?
Bethany suppressed a shudder, but not one of anxiety from what might befall this former king. Rather,
Bethany wondered if her own soul might become forfeit as well from dealing with the same demon. If any
infernal contracts became involved, Bethany would have to read and reread it a hundred times before she’d
agree to sign anything.
“Once the soul crystal was created,” the king Cyrus went on, “we immediately used it to hold
Baelth’Kael in our world and control him to suit my purposes. I wielded his power to summon forth more
demons, and soon I had set them upon neighboring lands. Enemy kingdoms did not stand a chance against my
powers, and Baelth’Kael himself could not refuse my control, although he tried. The demon raged about the
violation of the contract, claiming our souls were all void and due to him after our deaths. I did not care at the
time, assuming anything from a demon’s mouth was full of lies. I was preoccupied with other things, such as
the promises of new conquests and the spoils of war.

“But some amongst my circle of officials were concerned about this threat posed by the demon. My
idiot son, the Prince Elijah, became fearful of damning his soul. He met with Baelth’Kael in secret, in the
quarters where the demon was bound in the confines of a protective magic circle. The demon confirmed my
son’s cowardly fears, playing off of them, promising an eternity of torture for my betrayal.
“Elijah then made a deal with the demon. In exchange for bringing him the soul crystal from my
possession, Baelth’Kael offered Elijah immortality that would save him from the eternal damnation of death.
My son agreed, and so stole from me my possession, handing it over to the demon. My son disappeared that
day, likely fleeing my kingdom. Baelth’Kael then banished the crystal to this remote piece of Hell, where I
could not reclaim it.”
“I take it your son was not adept with diplomacy in the presence of demons,” Malkin interjected.
“Immortality does not guarantee life, it only guarantees life from the clutches of old age. If your son were to
die from unnatural means, would he not soon find himself trapped here with you?”
“I was not privy to the explicit details of my son’s contract. But if what you say is true, he still wanders
the mortal world, live and well, immortal from Baelth’Kael’s powers.”
That is unfortunate news, Baelth’Kael said. I indeed expected to reclaim the prince’s soul eventually.
Souls of royal birth are so much the sweeter for damnation. They are higher in currency value in the markets of
Hell.
“So the prince still lives, eh?” Kroll interrupted. “Who lives that long without dying an unnatural death?
This prince must be thousands of years old! That sounds like thousands of years of boredom if you’ve managed
to avoid the risks of unnatural death. I’d rather face Baelth’Kaels eternal torture any day!”
“It does not matter,” Malkin went on. “Your son’s soul will not journey to this place once I’ve freed the
binds the keep your souls contained here. But first, I must know more. Continue your tale.”
“While it brings me great joy to have a means for escape from this Hell,” claimed the king, “it will be
most unfortunate that the same salvation would carry over to my treacherous son as well. He is responsible for
this disaster, and so I wish upon him the eternal torture he most certainly deserves. The torment he has thus far
gratuitously escaped.”
“First things first. Tell me about yourself, and you can seek to deal with your son later.”
“Of course. If there is a later.” The king firmed his jaw and stared intently at Malkin. “You say you
wish to free my soul, but you have not yet said why. Why would you do this?”
“We are in the same circumstances, you and I. I myself have made a bargain with the demon
Baelth’Kael without fully comprehending the consequences.” Malkin turned slightly to the side, concealing
from view from Cyrus the pouch that contained the demon’s statue. Malkin did not want the king to know he
had it on him.
“My soul is forfeit once I find death, much as your son is likely to be. In order to break this curse, I
must locate Baelth’Kael and slay him, putting him down permanently. I need your help to find the demon.”
“Interesting,” Cyrus relaxed, seeming to accept Malkin’s explanation. “If I’d been able to kill
Baelth’Kael myself, I would have done so long ago. Instead, I trapped him, thinking his entrapment would
make him unable to claim my soul. As it turns out, this was true, but my soul was still not free, as I am here
now.”
“How did you trap the demon?” Malkin asked.
“After Elijah delivered the crystal unto Baelth’Kael, the demon quickly banished the artifact into the
depths of Hell where we now reside. Now with the crystal lost from my grasp, I was wholly unable to contain
the demon. The contract between the demon and I had also become void from my treachery, and so Baelth’Kael
was free of any obligatory agreement between us. The demon troops we had summoned with his power
immediately turned on us, slaying our townsfolk and laying siege to my castle walls.
“We knew that Baelth’Kael was the lynchpin holding his demon armies together. But we also knew that
we could not kill the demon, for that would only banish him back to his Hellworld where he may wait and bide
his time. Eventually I would die, and as per my contract, my soul would be delivered to Hell for the arch
demon to claim. So instead my retinue of mages decided to bind the demon in the mortal world, so that he
would never be allowed back into Hell again.
“It took the powers of my entire entourage of spellcasters to perform the magics required to bind
Baelth’Kael. The upheaval of the magical casting was so great that not one of the mages under my command
survived the spellcasting. But cast it they did, binding Baelth’Kael’s spirit inside a figurine fashioned in the
demon’s likeness. Of course, my mages had foreseen the difficulty in keeping the demon permanently
contained, considering the great power of the demon lord. So additional enchantments of spell disruption were
also weaved into the casting. We were not able to fully contain the demon, but anything he might try would
surely be disrupted by the enchantments placed on the statue.
“Those of us who had survived the ordeal had the statue sealed away in one of our tombs, to be
forgotten. I had not foreseen that my soul was still damned. The contractual bindings specified that my soul
was doomed to Hell for Baelth’Kael to collect. Baelth’Kael was not here to collect, but my soul drifted here
noentheless, to the location of the closest approximation to Baelth’Kael’s essence: the soul crystal.
“But you claim the demon has damned your eternal soul as well, Malkin? I assume the demon has been
freed then, and thus destroying the demon’s soul will be all the more difficult. But I will lend whatever
assistance I can.”
“For starters, how do we exit this ghost world we are currently trapped in?”
“You simply disbelieve. Deny yourself this reality as false, and it should recede away from you. You
must concentrate, focus your mind towards the real world that surrounds this place.”
“And what of us who have little ability to concentrate?” Malkin was looking at Kroll.
Kroll grinned stupidly, not understanding that they might leave him there trapped if he was unable to
leave on his own.
“Then you might be trapped here with us indefinitely.” Cyrus leaned back in his chair, taking in the rest
of Malkin’s group.
There is another way, Baelth’Kael interceded. Disbelief is but one method to deny the surroundings of a
ghost world. Destruction of that very world is another. I would recommend the latter, both for its efficacy and
the amusement it would certainly bring.
”And what do you recommend we destroy?” Bethany whispered.

I would start with our friend king Cyrus Alistair. Attack him. He may be a disembodied ghost, but your
blades will cause him suffering nonetheless. Cause him great suffering, and you shall all be disillusioned from
this place.
“Malkin, can not the disbelief in an illusory reality be physical as well as mental?” Bethany asked.
“True, the denial of a ghostly reality can be expressed with actions, not just with thoughts.” Malkin
paused and pondered for a moment. “But once we are free, and take this crystal from Hell back with us to our
home world, what will befall these spirits?”
“Who cares?” Adjantis stepped between Bethany and Malkin. “We’ll have the crystal and that’s that.
What does it matter what happens to the likes of these mere ghosts?”
“You are thinking small, Adjantis,” Malkin scolded. “Think big. If the nature of the contract is that
these souls be sent to both Hell and to Baelth’Kael, and we leave Hell taking the crystal with us, there will be no
more of Baelth’Kael’s essence remaining in Hell.”
“So then where will the souls go?” Adjantis wondered.
“That’s where it is time to think big, my good Adjantis. Baelth’Kael would be in our world, not in Hell,
but the souls herein are due to either. I believe I can bind them further to the soul crystal, so that they remain
attached to Baelth’Kael’s essence when we leave.”
“Remain attached?” Cyrus shouted and stood from his throne. “Don’t you dare!”
“And why not, your ‘highness’?” Malkin laughed. “I could most certainly use your kingdom’s soul
fodder to add greater power over the soul crystal, thus enabling myself greater control over the demon. I am
afraid you and your kingdom of fools are not going anywhere.”
“And neither are you!” Cyrus leaped from the steps of his throne, pulling a sword from a sheath at his
belt. He took hold of the sword in both hands, readying it to slay whoever came near him. “I shall slay you all
where you stand, and so too will your soul be forfeit, interloper!”
“No, my soul will remain mine. I am not the fool you are, to bargain with demons. I bargain with no
one, and the demon and his powers will be mine. Now where was I?” Malkin theatrically paused and thought
for a moment, then said, “Oh yes, escaping from this reality by denying it. And what better way to deny it than
to slay its ruler?”
Malkin turned to Kroll. “Kroll, I’ll let you have the honor.”
“Not that honor is anything special,” Kroll said as he lifted his axes from the straps on his back, “But I’ll
enjoy this. Killing someone of royal birth will be a treat.”
Kroll made a casual swipe of his axe towards the king, to measure his opponents fighting prowess.
Cyrus deftly leapt back, avoiding disembowelment.
“You cannot kill me, you oaf!” Cyrus yelled back at Kroll. “I’m already dead.”
“Then you will die twice,” Kroll blocked a riposte from the king easily.
The king became a flurry of frantic sword thrusts and strikes, which Kroll blocked all easily and
casually. Kroll intended to take his time.
“You of royal birth are not so special without your legions of loyal followers,” Kroll said as we parried
Cyrus’ frantic strikes. “The true worth of a man comes from within, on his own damn merits. He does not
depend on the laws as the feeble crutch that such things are.”
“Kroll, this is not a time for you to vent,” Malkin scolded. “Do your job and be done with this.”
Kroll and Cyrus began to circle each other, waiting for an opening to strike. “What good is killin’ if it’s
done fast?” Kroll whined, annoyed at the suggestion that he should make this a clean, efficient kill. “For years
I’ve had to hide from the laws fools like this weave. Finally I’m the one weaving the rules, this time with my
axe! And that’s how rules should be made. In the moment, foe to foe. The only law is to not get hit.”
“It doesn’t have to be like this,” the king breathed hard. “We can cooperate. I know Baelth’Kael’s
secrets, his weaknesses. Free my soul and I can aid you in your quest to control the demon.” The king blocked
a series of high and low strikes by Kroll, made suspiciously slow so that Cyrus was able to block them, but only
barely.
“The only way to free your soul would be to destroy Baelth’Kael,” Malkin responded. “Then I’d walk
away from this venture with nothing, and that’s no way to do business. Besides, look on the bright side, your
fate will be better than if Baelth’Kael were to be freed to claim your soul himself. And that is something I am
definitely not going to allow. Both the demon’s and your own soul will remain mine.”
These souls shall remain entrapped, yes, Baelth’Kael said. But my soul shall be freed by your hand,
Bethany. Think of the power you will wield. Undead followers at your command and a kingdom of souls to
play with. Your rewards shall be great.
The king backed away slowly as Kroll advanced. “You meddle in things you cannot fathom. Continue
on this path and soon you too shall find your soul lost to this demon’s greed. Destroy Baelth’Kael, and all risks
of damnation for all of us shall be lifted.” Cyrus was in a corner now, with nowhere to run or hide.
“I am not the inexperienced fool you were when dealing with the demon,” Malkin crossed his arms
impatiently, waiting for Kroll to finish his business. “I have handled demon altercations for decades now, and I
know a good investment when I see one.”
Kroll lifted his arm back to strike, and Cyrus made a feeble attempt to block the impending blow.
Kroll’s swipe of his axe was swift, and the force of it knocked the sword from Cyrus’ hand with a clang that sent
it flying across the room. Cyrus clutched his sword arm from the painful shock of the blow, still reverberating
throughout his limbs.
“Where are your laws to save you now, king?” Kroll loomed over the exhausted Cyrus.
“We should not be fighting,” Cyrus begged. “The demon is a threat to us all. We should be making
plans to destroy the foul creature once and for all.”
“Still seeking to make deals and build cooperation, even after your kingdom has fallen around you?”
“My kingdom is irrelevant. Your soul is no less at risk.”
“My soul is mine own to do with as I please, and I need not contracts or pacts to guide me. All I need do
is guide my axe to the nearest enemy, and you’re it.”
With that Kroll swung his heavy axe across, severing Cyrus’ head from his shoulders. The head and the
rest of the body lurched to the side and crumpled on the ground in the direction the axe had swung. The body
lie there, and a pool of blood began spreading beneath the former king’s stump of a neck.
The room began to spin and blur around the adventurers then, and they all steadied themselves to hold
off the nausea and vertigo that spun in their heads. The lights began to dim, and soon the fighting and the
screams from out in the distance beyond the castle walls began to fade. Soon there was only blackness, and not
a sound could be heard.
Malkin called out to his associates but could not hear his own voice. He assumed the others could not
hear it as well, so he didn’t bother to call out again. He just waited, trying to stay balanced in the dark
blackness against the feeling of dislocation, yet knowing there was no need for there wasn’t any floor to fall
towards. Malkin just waited.
Soon vision returned to the coconspirators and they found themselves back inside of the mountainous
cavern. There came a sharp clinking noise and the travelers looked over to spot the soul crystal rolling about
the rocky ground, apparently fallen from its perch embedded in the stone pillar next to it. It still glowed an
eerie red, lighting the cavern for all to see.
Malkin was the first to recover from the nausea and the shock of the abrupt transformation of the
environment around them. He headed swiftly over to the fallen crystal and scooped it up. He beheld it before
him, admiring its soft pulsing glow.
“At last, my fellows,” Malkin said with an eager grin on his face. “We have what we came for. Not
only do we have the power to control a great arch demon, but also the enslavement of an entire kingdom of
souls.”
“What exactly can we do with the souls? Torment them?” Bethany wondered.
“Oh, that’s such a cliché,” Malkin was concentrating on the crystal. “The possibilities are endless. The
power of the souls could be channeled to better control Baelth’Kael. The souls could also be sacrificed as
components for other, greater spells. We would destroy the souls in the process, but depending on the spells
cast, it would be well worth the cost. The souls could also serve as currency to bargain with otherworldly
demons. Or the souls themselves can be summoned forth as revenants, to do our bidding. We could have a
small army at our disposal.”
An army of revenants and undead, Bethany. You could infiltrate the Bureau.
“So what are you waiting for?” Kroll asked. “Let’s let the demon out to play. Use that crystal to
summon him forth. Let’s make him dance!”
“Mastering the crystal will take time,” Malkin pocketed the crystal in another pouch at his belt. “I need
to study it further before I can begin to unravel the secrets on how to use it.”
We cannot allow that, Bethany. The time to strike draws near.
“More time? More studying?” Kroll said incredulously. “Everyone’s always talking about how hard
work pays off. But after all this hard work, all I’m seein’ is more hard work.”
“What hard work have you done, Kroll?” Bethany asked. “All you did was kill a king, and I reckon
that’s not work to you, but play.”
“Just the wait is hard work. Doing nothing really takes a lot out of me.”
“Oh, poor Kroll, having to do nothing,” Adjantis mocked. “Why do you detest doing nothing? It’s
really the only thing you’re good at.”
“I just get bored, that’s all. At least I’m not the one who boasts about doing so much but does nothing
helpful of any kind. I on the other hand have to be on the move. My head would explode if I weren’t.”
“Then stand still and shut up. Exploding would be the only thing useful you could do right now.”
“Silence, you two,” Malkin interrupted. “You can bicker with each other all you like on the way back.
And I can guarantee you’ll feel much less like bickering when your rewarded by my newfound powers soon
enough. That is, unless you play according to the plan and keep our dealings here silent within the Bureau.”
Kroll and Adjantis shut up at that, Adjantis eager to be back home and Kroll eager to be on the move
again.
Bethany, Baelth’Kael slithered in Bethany’s mind. Be prepared. Follow behind your traveling fellows.
When they exit these caves, ready yourself. Your time to strike is then. Take Malkin first, followed by Kroll.
Adjantis is of no consequence. The crystal artifact shall be yours.
Bethany did as she was told, slowing in her pace through the winding caves, falling behind her group.
“I’m ready,” she whispered. “Malkin’s hold over me shall find its end. It will also be a fine opportunity to test
out the abilities you claim I have.”

Yes, make sure you end their lives with those talons of yours. They will soon rise again, only this time at
your command. Soon the follower shall become the leader.
Bethany had made her decision. While Baelth’Kael was a treacherous partner to make deals with, she
knew going along with Malkin’s plan guaranteed her further enslavement to him. And she was worthy of so
much more. Service was worth the rewards it often brought, but service to Malkin didn’t seem to be promising
any rewards. In just a few moments, her service to Malkin would be at its end, and so would Malkin’s life.
Chapter #7
Lexstriza spotted a group of humans exiting the doorway from inside the mountain. She wondered if
she’d been spotted herself, although she had her presence concealed by an invisibility spell. Lexstriza and her
troops should have appeared invisible, but things were not going predictably well as of late. Lexstriza was out
in the open on the valley floor leading up to the mountain entrance. From there, she watched as the humans
made their way towards her. They appeared not to take notice of her presence.
Of course, appearances were not always to be trusted. What would mere humans be doing here?
Lexstriza peered with her magical gaze at the group, seeking some answers. She could sense Baelth’Kael’s
presence among the small group, so that was telling. However, under closer inspection, Baelth’Kael’s essence
seemed to be misshapen in some way. Perhaps the humans were just a disguise for the arch demon?
Lexstriza narrowed down the epicenter of Baelth’Kael’s exact location to a small area, an object,
attached to one of the human’s belts. Lexstriza cast a spell that normally would have revealed much more about
the nature of this “object”, but some force from within the item in question negated her spell. The negation
magic spread, and Lexstriza immediately identified it as a spell of magic disruption. Lexstriza quickly
attempted to call off her casting, but it was too late. The negation magic traced its route back to Lexstriza’s
position and filled her with an uncomfortable shock. Her cloak of invisibility was instantly dispelled, revealing
herself and her troops to the so called humans.
***
Bethany was quietly planning her next moves. Malkin would definitely have to be the first one to die.
Although he was not physically great in stature, not built for melee combat, his spells could lay waste to one
such as Bethany in a heartbeat if the fool was given enough time. He would not be granted such a privilege of
time, however.
Bethany would have to slit Malkin’s throat from behind with her claws, thus insuring his death and
preventing air passage through his wind pipe, silencing any spells he might utter. However, Malkin was at the
front of the party, taking the lead of the group’s travels. Killing Malkin first would mean revealing her
treachery to the other two immediately, because the murder would be done at the forefront of the group. Maybe
killing Malkin first was not the best choice?
But if Bethany acted fast, she could turn about quickly enough to make Kroll her next victim. And
really, with Malkin out of the picture, was there anything Bethany had to fear from these two goons? Kroll was
fast with his axe, and with them in hand had a greater reach than the unarmed Bethany. Bethany may have
greater strength than Kroll now, but that strength would not shield her from the decapitation Kroll’s axes might
bring. But she was quicker than Kroll now. He would have to make his first hit count, or it would be over for
him. Bethany did not intend to give Kroll that chance.
Bethany heard Malkin curse up ahead, and she looked up from her reverie. A small hoard of demons
were standing directly in the group’s path, as if appearing out of nowhere. The group was headed by a tall she-
demon clothed in dark robes. Wizard’s robes, it would seem. This she-devil was likely the leading authority
amongst the group.
Malkin stopped in his tracks, and removed some spell components from his pockets, prepared to defend
himself. He clutched at the soul crystal strapped to his belt, intent on trying to harness its powers in case of
emergency. “It looks like we have company,” Malkin warned, as if the group needed warning. “We are clearly
outmatched by this force, so ready yourselves.”
“I’m always ready for a fight,” Kroll said, oblivious to the near impossibility of defeating this large
force.
“Fighting with these demons should be a last resort,” Malkin explained. “Although fighting is often a
first resort for demons, we shall attempt to negotiate.”
“Can’t you use the demon now?” Adjantis gestured towards the statue Malkin still carried.
“I may have to try, if given no other choices. But I have not even begun to scratch the surface on how to
wield this new artifact. I would have preferred more time.”
The she-devil up ahead barked some indistinguishable commands to her troops up ahead. She then
began to head towards Malkin and his group, without the other demons in tow. They waited behind her, pawing
and restlessly moving about, eager for bloodshed.

“My newfound undead speed would likely make me fast enough to escape these demons’ clutches,”
Bethany mused. “Of course, the rest of you would be stuck here.”
“You go ahead and run, coward,” Kroll mocked. “I will not fall this day without shedding twice my
weight in blood.”
“Cowardice is irrelevant when survival is at stake,” Bethany said. “Courage in the face of death is
useless, for soon you shall be dead, and there’s no glory in death. The dead are not courageous, for they feel no
courage. They feel nothing, and have lost everything.”
“You’re dead, but I bet you’d feel the sting of my axe.”
“Try it,” Bethany warned.
Do not flee without the artifacts, Baelth’Kael demanded. You will be nothing without my help.
Bethany wondered why the demon cared, but then realized that his fate was better off in her unskilled
hands. The she-demon that was approaching her and her group looked skilled in the weave of magics. They
would likely be able to control Baelth’Kael, where Bethany would not.
The she-devil finally arrived at the front of the group’s position. “I wish an audience with Baelth’Kael,”
she requested.
Malkin took note that this demon was not demanding this audience. Malkin stepped up and held the
fiery gaze of the demoness. “I am Malkin Soldernus, ambassador for Baelth’Kael. I am authorized to speak on
his behalf. Anything you wish said to Baelth’Kael will have to go through me.”
“But you are only human,” the demoness stated.
“You assume much about that which you know nothing.”
Lexstriza reconsidered for a moment. Did this ambassador not recognize who she was? Baelth’Kael
himself surely would have. Was not Baelth’Kael’s ambassador instructed on how to handle what should have
been this inevitable encounter? Lexstriza needed to know more.
“I sense that the life force of Baelth’Kael is amongst you,” Lexstriza went on. “Why must I speak to an
ambassador, when the one I seek is right before me?”

“The workings of Baelth’Kael are not for any curious passerby to know,” Malkin reproached. “State
your business, or be gone from my sight.”
Curious passerby? Lexstriza was anything but a curious passerby. She was Baelth’Kael’s former third
in command during his reign in Drebula. Baelth’Kael’s “ambassador” should have known this. Clearly
something was amiss, and this human that stood before her was likely an imposter. Or at least he was being
misleading about something. But Lexstriza decided to play along. While there was a strong possibility that this
group of humans was just that, human, there was no sense taking early risks should Lexstriza’s estimate prove
incorrect.
“Lord Korbaz wishes an alliance with Baelth’Kael,” Lexstriza lied. She deliberately left out any
indication that Baelth’Kael, and therefore this “ambassador”, should have recognized Korbaz’ name. “Lord
Korbaz awaits an audience with Baelth’Kael in the kingdom of Drebula. The powers of the both of you
combined would be considerable, indeed. I have been instructed to escort you to Lord Korbaz’ presence should
you consider accepting this offer.”
“I must consult my council before accepting such an offer,” Malkin explained. “Give me a moment, if
you please.”
“What’s to consult?” Lexstriza inquired skeptically. “As ambassador, isn’t it in your interest to establish
contact with fellow partners?”
“Thing’s are complicated at the moment. There are plans afoot that are greater than any pacts we might
make with one such as Lord Korbaz. Our plans come first, and you shall come second. But that does not mean
your offer is not noteworthy. It just must be reconciled with more pressing matters, matters which have been
long in waiting.”
Lexstriza folded her arms, giving the nod for Malkin to discuss matters with his group of humans.
Malkin returned to his group, and they huddled about him. “Here’s the plan, so listen up. We cannot
deny the demon’s offer, to do so would invite a fight we cannot hope to win.”
“You realize our chances are worse should we accompany these demons to the throne of this Lord
Korbaz,” Bethany offered. “It would not be long before they realize you do not speak on behalf of Baelth’Kael,
and have nothing to offer them except your screams of mercy.”
“Of course I realize this,” Malkin went on. “I intend to feign interest in this Korbaz’ offer, but first this
demoness must accompany us to the entrance portal where we might make our escape.”
“How are you going to convince her to do that?” Adjantis wondered, not liking the sound of this plan.
“Leave that to me. The rest of you just play along with whatever I say to this she-devil. This is not so
unfortunate a circumstance, when you think about it. This entourage of demons believes we speak for
Baelth’Kael. If we can convince this small horde of demons to accompany us, it might guarantee us safe
passage along the trek back to the portal to our home world.”
This plan is faulty, Baelth’Kael told Bethany. Tell the demoness, Lexstriza, that she may await my
arrival for this ‘alliance’ at the Kingdom of Drebula. Tell her I need not be accompanied. Make sure Lexstriza
knows we are aware of her name, to allay any suspicions that you do not speak on my behalf.
Lexstriza, Bethany thought. Baelth’Kael recognized this demoness. Likely the demon feared what
might happen should his statue prison fall into their hands. Bethany was not sure how to discreetly go about
informing Malkin she was aware of Lexstriza’s name, however. But she intended to continue acting as if she
was willing to obey Baelth’Kael.
“Could we not inform this demon warlock that we intend to meet up with Lord Korbaz without an
escort?” Bethany asked. “We could state that we have unfinished business elsewhere, and will attend to this
offer of an alliance at a later date?”
“Why should we pass up an opportunity to travel with such fine company?” Kroll asked, looking more
excited at the possibilities of Malkin’s plan, rather than Bethany’s. “Just look at all those demons! Don’t we
want them on our side?”
“I somehow doubt they would truly be on our side,” Bethany countered. “Surely there’s nothing
offensive about refusing an escort to a meeting to discuss an alliance? Why can’t we travel alone?”
“Be wary of any offer of an ‘alliance’ when dealing with demons,” Malkin cautioned. “There may be no
willingness for an alliance to begin with. The offer may be a trap for Baelth’Kael. It also may have been a lie
merely to measure our reaction to it, or as impetus to broach conversation in which this demoness might gather
information about us.”
“And refusing an escort would make this false alliance any less of a trap?” Adjantis asked. “Our
chances sound the same no matter what plan we decide on, only with Bethany’s we do not keep our enemies so
close.”
“But that’s what you’re supposed to do,” Kroll suggested. “Keep your friends close, and your enemies
closer. How else are you gonna be the first one to act when you don’t know where your enemies are?”
“That adage doesn’t apply when your enemies are two score of demons and a powerful demon
sorceress!” Adjantis said a little more loudly than he’d intended. He looked back towards the demoness, but she
appeared not to have overheard.
Malkin stared hard at Adjantis for a moment. “Suggesting this demon hoard accompany us to the
entrance portal would not be what this she-demon expects. If we refuse an alliance, or make excuses why we
would travel to Korbaz’ meeting hall alone, we shall attract her suspicion. The first thought in a demon’s head
when hearing of such an excuse would be of treachery or trickery. But this demon warlock would not know
exactly what to make of my suggestion. Thus, her next moves in response to my plan would be less
predictable.”
“Why would we want things to be less predictable?” Adjantis wondered.
“Because predictability is only good if you do not predict disaster. Otherwise, we wish to throw this
sorceress off of her guard. Now shut up and play along.” Malkin turned on his heel and stepped up to
Lexstriza.
“Well?” the demoness asked impatiently.
“While your generous offer has come at an inconvenient time, I believe we can fit Lord Korbaz’ into
Baelth’Kael’s busy schedule.” Malkin took a long look behind Lexstriza at her troops, waiting patiently in the
distance for the she-demon’s next commands. “However, there are matters at the moment that must be attended.
Baelth’Kael will gladly join you and be accompanied to the site of Lord Korbaz’ presence, but only after his
rebirth.”
“Rebirth?” Lexstriza narrowed her eyes in suspicion.
“It shall be a glorious thing, long in the making,” Malkin feigned a glossy look of wonder in his eyes as
he spoke the words, assuming the demeanor of one in awe of such a powerful demon lord. “We all have been
eager to bring forth and witness such a rebirth, and this event shall not be delayed. Baelth’Kael shall be as
never before. He will become all the better a partner to join forces with Lord Korbaz. If only you would await
this much anticipated rebirth.”
Rebirth? Lexstriza was now less certain of the true nature of these humans. Some sort of rebirthing on
the part of Baelth’Kael seemed to fit into place with the rest of these recent events. The massive collection of
souls, the antiquity of their presence here, and the weakened, nascent shape Baelth’Kael’s essence was taking
amidst these humans. Perhaps Baelth’Kael’s presence was weaker because he was in the midst of a colossal
transformation. Such transformations took much time, and also required the sacrifice of many mortal souls. It
all fit into place. Or did it?
“How long has this plan been in the making?” Lexstriza asked.
Malkin thought back to the age Brundle had mentioned the ruins were that held Baelth’Kael’s statue.
“Millennia,” Malkin stated confidently, although he wasn’t particularly confident.
“What is your role in all of this, ambassador?”
“I have seen fit to ensure nothing problematic becomes of Baelth’Kael’s plans. During his
transformation, he is unfortunately unavailable, and I must assume the role of liaison contact with his usual
business partners, among other things. For my efforts, I am to be well rewarded.”
“Let me guess, power and immortality?”
“I would accept nothing less.”
Lexstriza was ambivalent about this rebirthing. If what the mortal was saying were true, then
Baelth’Kael would be back and more powerful than ever. It would logically follow that a putsch for the throne
of Drebula was in order, and Baelth’Kael would usurp Korbaz’ power. Baelth’Kael was stronger than Korbaz
before, and with this rebirthing, Korbaz didn’t stand a chance. Lexstriza would prefer a more powerful master
over a weaker one. There was a chance she might want to help Baelth’Kael with this rebirthing.
However, Lexstriza was not sure what Baelth’Kael would really do after his transformation. Maybe he
would return to the mortal plane from which he came, although Lexstriza could not fathom why he might do
that again. Maybe he would not attempt to resume his prior status as Lord of Drebula.
Lexstriza also might be able to take advantage of Baelth’Kael’s apparently weakened state. Lexstriza
could assassinate him during the middle of his transformation, ending his threat to Lord Krobaz’ throne, and
thus maintaining the status quo. Lexstriza appreciated the status quo, but its continuance was no way to
advance herself, for that required change. Drastic, painful change.
Lexstriza decided to give Baelth’Kael and his would be immortal group of humans a little more time to
reveal the true utility of these events. “So what would you ask of me, mortal?” Lexstriza inquired of Malkin.
“How long must I wait for this rebirthing?”
“We do not wish for you to wait, but rather to participate. Our destination to the site of Baelth’Kael’s
rebirth is but a short distance from here. There is a portal there waiting for Baelth’Kael to step through and
return to your world like never before. Once we arrive there, it will require but a short ritual to complete the
process, and Baelth’Kael shall be reborn. We wish for you to accompany us, and witness this great endeavor.”
Malkin’s request was just the excuse Lexstriza needed to buy more time. Time which she could use to
lay the plans of her next moves, weighing the consequences more fully. If Lexstriza could accompany Malkin
and his group, she might be able to gather more information about exactly what was going on.
Lexstriza took it all in and stated “I believe I can spare you the time to accompany you in your plans.”
“Excellent!” Malkin said with genuine enthusiasm. Malkin was relieved that the demoness was playing
accordingly with his request. Now all he needed to do was keep up the ruse just long enough for him and
perhaps the rest of his group to escape through the portal back to the Bureau. The portal would have to be
dispelled immediately upon entering through it, thus cutting off this demon horde from following them.
“We set out now,” Malkin said. “There is no reason to delay. The sooner the ritual is complete the
better.”
With that Malkin gestured to his waiting companions to follow and took the lead towards their
destination. Lexstriza and her demon horde followed.
Hopefully this she-demon was interested in witnessing the “rebirth” enough to continue to abstain from
slaughtering Malkin and his associates. Even if the rebirth were real, Malkin thought, this demoness might find
reason to sabotage it and slay Malkin. Malkin would just have to make it seem as if Baelth’Kael’s rebirth was
to this demoness’ advantage.
***
The now joined traveling parties of Malkin and Lexstriza began to make ground towards their
destination. Or more accurately, Malkin’s destination. Malkin and Lexstriza took the lead, with Malkin
directing the group back towards the portal leading to the mortal world, unbeknownst to Lexstriza. Lexstriza’s
small force of demonspawn trailed slightly behind the group, with Malkin’s fellows, Bethany, Kroll, and
Adjantis, filling the center of the traveling party.
Bethany mostly kept to herself off to the side. In part this was because she did not particularly enjoy the
company of either Adjantis or Kroll, but also so that she could converse with Baelth’Kael unnoticed and without
drawing attention to herself.
Bethany had made up her mind. She had been in service to autocrats like Malkin for far too long. All of
Bethany’s life, she had been made to serve. Her parents harbored her nothing but scorn and distaste as she
repeatedly failed to meet their overwhelmingly high expectations. Bethany had been bred for ambition and
perfection, so much so that thoughts of ever increasing perfection had been the only ones on her young mind.
They had to be; anything less would have made Bethany an outcast of the family. But she’d managed, always
trying harder not to disappoint those who’d raised her. But those who’d raised her always seemed to have set
the bar ever so slightly higher out of her reach the closer she climbed. Bethany’s parents were impossible to
please.
Once Bethany was finally admitted to the Academy at the Bureau of Metaphysics Research, she was
relieved to have some semblance of independence and be away from her ever critical parents. Bethany would
have to enjoy the independence, for her family would never again offer to support her needs of room and board
for her. She was an adult now, and adults had to fend for themselves. Bethany took up residence at the Bureau
and committed her best efforts to pursuing her studies of the arcane. However, Bethany had soon found her
new environment equally oppressive.
Bethany’s siblings back at home were few, and thus were easy to compete with given Bethany’s caliber
and ambition. But at The Academy, Bethany’s competitors were many hundreds of fellow students, and there
was a steep learning curve. Bethany had met her challenges as she always had, and she succeeded. But always
she succeeded based on the judgments of her teachers and superiors. For once Bethany wanted to be the one to
pass judgment. For once Bethany wanted to be the one to disapprove and deny her underlings success. Always
Bethany had been forced to follow, never to lead.
But maybe that was all about to change. Sure, Baelth’Kael had no intention of giving Bethany more
power than he had to. But what the demon intended and what the demon could actually do were two separate
things. Baelth’Kael was in a poor situation to bargain. And, despite all of the demon’s vaunted powers, he was
scarcely able to use them trapped as he was. Bethany could not say the same for Malkin, who politically had
the upper hand against Bethany. Bethany was tired of that reality.
For once, Bethany could have control of someone beside herself. She aspired to control the demon
Baelth’Kael. A powerful arch fiend of Hell, yet at the whim and mercy of one such as Bethany. Bethany liked
the sound of that. Bethany may not know yet how to fully control the demon or the artifacts that bound him, but
Bethany felt she had time. Being undead as she was, Bethany did not need food or water. She did not age, and
she was strong alone. Before her strength came from working the system that others built around her, but now
by herself she was a force to reckon with.
Bethany could slay Malkin and the rest of his goons easily enough when they returned home. Bethany
no longer feared exposure to the authorities at the Bureau. She could hide in Malkin’s misappropriated quarters
for as long as she wished, for she did not need to leave to eat or drink. She could stay and study as long as she
needed. And even if Bethany was found out, she could simply flee with the artifacts to the Shadow Guild,
where her superior talents would be appreciated.
Bethany was not about to ask Baelth’Kael for the information she needed to take full control of the
artifacts. Such information would be riddled with lies likely to free the demon if followed. But Bethany had
the upper hand. Perhaps she could make demands of Baelth’Kael; what was he going to do, trapped as he was?
Whatever magical rituals Baelth’Kael might reveal could always be verified in the books in Malkin’s personal
library. Bethany would have enough time to do just that. She was immortal now and no longer had to rush to
achieve her standing in the world.
You must postpone our plans, Bethany, Baelth’Kael echoed in Bethany’s mind once she was far enough
away from the group not to be overheard.
“You mean our plans to kill Malkin, now that there’s a small army of demons about us? Sound advice,
Baelth’Kael.”
Your sarcasm is not appreciated, girl. Only and when only you and Malkin return to the mortal world
and the portal is fully closed, sealing you from Lexstriza and her forces, shall you end the meddlesome Malkin’s
life.
“What if something goes wrong? How can you be certain Malkin will succeed in escaping from
Lexstriza’s grasp?”
I cannot be so certain. Every move on the playing field is a chance taken, a roll of the dice. You just
have to be quick enough to collect your winnings if they are realized. And time changes everything, always
turning. Make sure the next turn is to your advantage.
“Your analogy is just a fancy way of saying you have no clue what’s going to happen.”
The future is never certain and is always speculative. Malkin toys with a powerful force. Do not
underestimate Lexstriza.
“If Lexstriza’s so powerful, then why don’t we just side with her?” Bethany put forth without much
sincerity. Bethany had no intention of siding with Lexstriza, but she enjoyed arguing with Baelth’Kael for its
own sake. “It’s usually best to side with the more powerful of two allies. Why not report Malkin’s trickery to
Lexstriza? Perhaps we’d be rewarded?”
Do not be naïve. Why side with allies at all? It matters not who is more powerful. An alliance just
means you must share your piece of the prize. And sharing means you have less. Why do you want less,
Bethany?
“But you’re suggesting I ally myself with you.”
And I can guarantee you would be sharing much less with me. Bargain with Lexstriza, and you risk
everything. You may end up “sharing” your eternal soul. Are those really the chips you want to bargain with?
“Oh, but I’d be bargaining with much more than my own soul, now wouldn’t I, demon? I’d be
bargaining your soul as well. Now that’s a strong hand to play.”
Do not be foolish. Were my true circumstances revealed, Lexstriza would leave nothing left of you in her
pursuit to claim my artifacts. You would have nothing to bargain with but your screams of mercy.
”And thus you choose to side with the weaker of two allies? Best to be in my possession than
Lexstriza’s?”
Baelth’Kael remained silent, but Bethany already knew the answer to her question.
***
It was only a matter of time now, Malkin could hardly wait. But he was willing to wait. Great things
were worth waiting for, no matter how long they took, and no matter the sacrifices made. Malkin was drawing
nearer to the portal he had left open that would take him back to the Bureau. Malkin hoped that no nosy
demonspawn had come upon the open portal during his absence and made their way back to his personal
chambers. Demons loved a chance to enter the mortal world, as it was full of soft and weak victims waiting to
be preyed upon. But this location of Hell was remote, so Malkin wasn’t counting on that possible
inconvenience. It was best that he had left the portal open, especially now given his unanticipated
circumstances.
A demon horde for an escort through Hell could be a highly invaluable thing indeed. But it could
equally be a dangerous mistake as well. Malkin walked a razor’s edge of risk here, which he was unused to.
But great power was worth great risks. Malkin just had to continue to deceive Lexstriza. This demoness clearly
knew who Baelth’Kael was, so Malkin was busy as he trod along trying to put the pieces together in his mind.
Malkin needed to understand who this demon sorceress and Lord Korbaz were to better keep up the ruse.
If Lord Korbaz wanted a meeting with Baelth’Kael, then he did not know Baelth’Kael was entrapped as
he was. Since the demon sorceress had been sent to request the meeting with Korbaz, then she was a lower
ranking demon and worked for Korbaz. Since Baelth’Kael banished the soul crystal to this location of Hell, he
was likely familiar with it, and used to reside here along with Lord Korbaz. This was millennia ago, when
Baelth’Kael left Hell and stole the souls of the Kingdom of Cyrus Alistair. Korbaz likely knew Baelth’Kael left
to gather souls back then, but apparently was not aware of the misfortune and failure of his mission.
Baelth’Kael’s spirit returned to this area of Hell when Malkin took a portal here, and Korbaz wishes to
reconnect with whatever former relationship they had. It all was making some since to Malkin now.
Malkin strode along at the forefront of the group, with Lexstriza keeping pace beside him. Lexstriza
was looking ahead of her and back to Malkin impatiently. “How much longer are we to delay, Malkin
Soldernus?”
“It won’t be much longer, mistress…”
“You will call me Lexstriza.”
“Of course, Lexstriza. We near our destination. You won’t have to wait much longer.”
Lexstriza didn’t take her eyes off of Malkin. “I sense a great many souls bound to you, Malkin. It
would seem you have been busy.”
“The credit is not mine. Baelth’Kael is the great reaper of souls, not I. Many of them will make a hardy
sacrifice to catalyze Baelth’Kael’s rebirthing. Many more will be summoned as revenants to serve as
Baelth’Kael’s armies.”
“An army of mortal souls have one fatal flaw: they are mortal.”
“But what they lack in power they make up for in numbers. There is a great deal more awaiting
Baelth’Kael’s command in the mortal world.”
“And why is a powerful arch demon such as Baelth’Kael so interested in the mortal plane, when he
could rule in Hell?” Lexstriza did not want to reveal too much by her line of questioning, curious that this
ambassador did not recognize who she was, working for Baelth’Kael as he did.
“It would be difficult to rule both the mortal world and Hell together. Baelth’Kael has bided his time,
and chosen his path wisely. Once he is reborn, however, ruling both planes of existence will be made much
easier.”
“And why have a mere mortal carry out and expedite such an important event as Baelth’Kael’s
rebirthing?”
“My rewards for my efforts will be great, but my punishments should I fail will be eternal. Besides,
mortals are cheap and expendable. Should I fail at the rebirthing ritual, Baelth’Kael shall send another such as
me in my place to complete the task. He has all the time he needs, and has already waited eons. What more is a
few more days delay, should I fail here?”
What more, indeed, Lexstriza thought. This Malkin was confident that Baelth’Kael’s rebirthing was an
inevitable thing. Were Lexstriza to sabotage the rebirthing ritual, supposedly Baelth’Kael could make the
attempt again. But Lexstriza was tiring of this game. If Baelth’Kael had some grand scheme to be reborn and
grow in power, there was no need to abandon his former kingdom here in Hell. Malkin’s excuse that managing
two worlds for one such as Baelth’Kael was too difficult was suspect. Many arch fiends extended their powers
out into the mortal world, with no impediment to their standing in Hell.
Lexstriza suspected Baelth’Kael was not as powerful as Malkin was making him out to be. Lexstriza
was done with this diplomatic approach to gathering information. She was not about to allow Baelth’Kael to be
reborn and pass whatever judgment he may on Lexstriza in his new, more powerful, form. This transformative
ritual must be put an end to, especially since there were too many unknowns.
The ritual will be destroyed, and this Malkin put to tortures beyond his darkest nightmares. Games of
intrigue and deceit were paltry means for gathering information compared to the raw honesty brought about by
pain and suffering. Whatever deceit Malkin may be weaving would be undone with the purifying touch of
torture.
Once Lexstriza gathered all the real information about what was going on, only then may she decide to
allow Baelth’Kael to be reborn. Surely Baelth’Kael would understand Lexstriza’s caution in extracting the
information she needed to properly make a decision. An alliance with her former master would not be out of
the question should she delay his rebirthing and destroy some of his lackeys.
It was decided then. Lexstriza would give this portal of Baelth’Kael’s rebirthing a good look once she
arrived, and then slay Malkin’s henchmen, saving Malkin for untold agonies. Agony would make Malkin talk
with more candor. Lexstriza intended to put Malkin’s title as ambassador to the test.
Chapter #8
Up ahead, Malkin spotted the distant swirling black and red vortex that was the portal back to his home
plane. Malkin was eager to step through it, and to be rid of this façade of Baelth’Kael’s ambassador. Malkin
didn’t care much for lies, preferring the certainty of truth. His profession depended on the truth gleaned from
studying ancient texts. Knowledge and truth were his weapons. But these recent events in Malkin’s life were
unusual, and Malkin had to depend on lies. It was no matter, however. It would appear Malkin’s ruse was
going to be a resounding success. Deceit was a useful tool, and Malkin was not about to deny himself
something of use. His exit from this Hell plane drew near.
“I assume this is where your lord will make his grand entrance?” Lexstriza said as she took note of the
portal up ahead.
No, this is where I make my grand exit, Malkin thought. “Your estimation is correct,” Malkin said
instead. “I am looking forward to beginning the ritual.”
“Such a small portal, for such a grand arch demon to pass through,” Lexstriza mused casually, although
privately this fact made her even more suspicious than she already was.
“That is why it will be my job to widen the portal, hence the need for our ritual.”
Lexstriza had stopped caring for Malkin’s explanations. It no longer mattered what he said while not
being put to torture. It was much easier to weave wonderful tales while not distracted by untold pain and the
constant threat of death. Lexstriza would soon correct that problem, and have all the information she needed.
The portal was now a dozen strides away from the group, but Malkin did not slow his pace towards it.
“At long last our patience shall be aptly rewarded,” Malkin carried on as he continued to make ground towards
the portal. “Our great lord shall grace our eyes with his immaculate presence.”
Lexstriza readied a spell of paralyzation in her mind, and stayed closely behind Malkin. Lexstriza
wanted to immobilize him before he could cast anything. It was time to make her move.
“And Lexstriza,” Malkin said without facing her, still heading towards the portal. “Baelth’Kael has a
message for you.”

Lexstriza paused, waiting for a response. But without any further word Malkin strode right up to the
portal and through it, disappearing from sight. “Blast it!” Lexstriza exclaimed as she let loose her spell of
paralyzation at Malkin with haste, not caring any longer if this was part of the ritual or treachery on Malkin’s
part. Her spell did not reach its target, however, as Malkin had exited from her Hell dimension.
Lexstriza spun behind her to face Malkin’s associates, only to be greeted by a swift axe stroke to her
chest by Kroll.
“Axe ya later, she-bitch!” Kroll hollered as he darted behind the stunned Lexstriza and ran towards the
portal.
Fortunately, Lexstriza’s magical shields protected her from receiving any significant wounds from the
mortal forged axe blade; but the wind was knocked out of her nonetheless from the force of the impact.
Lexstriza attempted but failed to utter the words to an offensive spell, out of breath as she was.
That gave Kroll and Adjantis enough time to dart through the portal and escape. However, Bethany had
been off to the side, and Lexstriza now fully blocked the entrance to the portal. Lexstriza’s troops were upon
Bethany now, intent on killing something.
One of the ape demons swung a clawed fist at Bethany’s head, but her enhanced undead speed allowed
her to lunge and roll away. Another demon awaited Bethany as she leaped to her feet from her roll, but Bethany
sent a swift kick to its throat, leaving it clutching at its neck on the dirt.
“Bring her to me alive!” Lexstriza screamed. “I want her to be able to talk after you’re done with her.”
The demons began forming a C shaped circle surrounding Bethany, cornering her between the demon
hoard and the demoness who still blocked the portal.
“Any help would be greatly appreciated right now, Baelth’Kael,” Bethany groaned. “I’m not feeling
very optimistic.” However, there sounded no voice inside Bethany’s head from the arch demon. He remained
silent, either because he was no longer with her, or because he did not care.
Lexstriza began uttering the words to a spell, obviously something to be directed at Bethany. Bethany
would have to force her way past Lexstriza and through the portal. Perhaps she should attempt to do so while
the she-demon was in the middle of her casting, concentrating on her spell work and distracted enough for
Bethany to make it past her. Bethany readied herself.
A loud crackling exploded from the portal, expanding for a brief moment and then slowly beginning to
recede back. The small explosion interrupted Lexstriza from her casting, being so near to the portal as she was.
She turned about, annoyed at the interruption.
“The portal is closing!” Lexstriza realized.
Bethany wasted no further time. She ran with demonic speed and leaped head first and slid right
between Lexstriza’s hoofed legs, disappearing into the depths of the crackling fiery portal.
“An inconvenient set back,” Lexstriza muttered as she realized her last captive had escaped. Without
hesitation she began concentrating on the essence of the portal that was beginning to close. Lexstriza stretched
her mind outward and focused her dark energies into the very center of the portal, anchoring it to her Hell
dimension. She was not about to allow the portal to close, an outcome which would make tracking her
newfound enemies especially difficult. Lexstriza began to reopen the portal.
Lexstriza could no longer sense Baelth’Kael’s presence, as it had seemed to have left through the portal
with the humans. Lexstriza could not return to Lord Korbaz empty handed, for that would afford her severe
punishment. She needed answers, and more importantly, she needed Malkin’s eternal soul. She’d settle for
nothing less for this difficulty he’d put her through.
***
Malkin entered his personal ritual chamber through the Hellgate, but immediately turned back upon the
portal from which he had come. Malkin pulled a pinch of bone dust from one of his many pocketed robes, a
spell component he intended to use to quickly close the portal. Malkin paused for a moment, considering
waiting for a few more heartbeats to perhaps allow his fellows to also step back through the portal, if the fools
were quick enough.

Sure enough, Kroll and Adjantis burst through the swirling vortex, and stumbled to a halt in front of
Malkin. “Move aside, you buffoons. I am about to close this blasted gateway. It may suck you two back in
once it collapses.”
As Kroll and Adjantis cleared the way, Malkin realized Bethany was taking far too long to find her way
back to Malkin’s chambers. Malkin was disappointed. If any of the others were to survive, he’d hoped it would
be Bethany, since he would likely be able to legally claim right of ownership over her in her undead state. The
value of such property would be high indeed.
“Close that thing already,” Adjantis yelled, excitement and fear mixed in with the pitch in his voice.
“Didn’t have enough of Hell while in it? Want to bring it back to our world? What are you waiting for?”
“I think they’re busy enough down there with Bethany,” Kroll mused. “Guess the she-corpse isn’t
gonna make it; probably serving us as a distraction. Good girl!”
Malkin ignored the two and immediately began casting his spell to close the Hellgate. He spoke a few
quick arcane words, and then flicked his hand out towards the portal, releasing the bone dust into it. The portal
flared and crackled, and Malkin stepped back as it expanded for a moment and began to draw in on itself. The
portal slowly began to shrink.
“Why is it taking so long? Why is the portal even still here?” Adjantis wondered.
“It will be but a short moment before it is fully closed,” Malkin explained. “Ready your weapons, Kroll.
Demons may still be able to enter this gateway before it collapses.”
“I’m counting on it,” Kroll grinned as he began to step back in front of the portal.
Without warning a body came sliding along the floor from within the receding portal, and Malkin leaped
back out of the way. Kroll readied his axe, about to strike.
The body leaped to its feet and spun on Kroll, revealing itself to be Bethany. “Put that away, idiot, it’s
me, not a demon.”
Kroll almost lowered his axe, obvious disappointment in his expression. “Could have fooled me.”
“I guess you’re easily fooled then,” Bethany said.

“You didn’t even bring us back a real demon to have fun with,” Kroll finally lowered his axe. “What
were you even doing down there?”
The portal then emitted a low, resonating hum, and ceased its recession back in on itself. It slowly
began to open again.
“Is that supposed to happen?” Adjantis sounded nervous.
“Out of my way, you two, the portal is reopening,” Malkin had an iron staff in hand now that he’d
procured from a rack nearby, and had it clasped out in front of him, held vertically. He held it in both hands and
extended it towards the portal, and began concentrating on the portal with the staff directly before him. The
portal’s expansion slowed, but did not stop.
“Our demon warlock friend is attempting to reopen the gate,” Malkin said through clenched teeth.
“Why don’t you go back down there Beth? Distract them some more?” Kroll laughed.
“After you,” Bethany retorted.
“I think I’ll go and report back to my office,” Adjantis offered. “Come and find me when it is time for
our meeting with Brundle. Let me know how things go.” Adjantis began inching back towards the door leading
to the hallway of the Bureau.
Malkin barely spared Adjantis a glance, so intent was he on closing the Hellgate. “Stop him, Kroll. We
will need time to conjure a convincing story for Brundle after this mess is over. I want no loose ends. Adjantis
stays with us.”
“Just try and run,” Kroll folded his arms, not bothering to step in front of the retreating Adjantis,
knowing full well he could catch him if he made a sprint for the door.
“I could easily fabricate a report for us all back at my offices. It’s my job, isn’t it?”
“No, I’m serious. Just try and run. Please.”
“Why aren’t you listening to reason?”
“The only reason I need is for you to make a run for the door. That will give me reason aplenty.”
Adjantis slumped his head in defeat and fell back into a cushioned chair in the room. “This is not what I
signed up for.”
“It’s not about getting what you sign up for,” Kroll scolded. “Things are not so predictable. It’s about
enjoying the moment, no matter how unexpected. What is the moment telling you now?”
“That we’re all going to die; and worst of all, that I’m going to die.”
“But that is your prediction about the future. Remember what I told you about the future? Don’t predict
it. Just go with the flow.”
“There is no future without me, you oaf!”
Bethany was ignoring her two associates, paying closer attention to Malkin and his efforts to seal the
portal. She was not concerned; for she was confident Kroll could not outrun her should she choose to exit the
door into the safety of the Bureau. The portal pulsated, as if it were a living, breathing thing. There was clearly
a contest of wills here, Malkin versus Lexstriza in their battle for control of the Hellgate. Bethany didn’t really
care who won, because she would likely escape no matter the outcome.
It is fortunate that you escaped, Baelth’Kael echoed in Bethany’s head. It is good for both our plans.
“Lot of help you were, down there,” Bethany whispered. “It would appear your psychic connection to
me failed when we were separated by two worlds.”
I wished not to distract you during your trial.
Bethany didn’t care which was true. “Well I passed my trial. Shall I kill Malkin, now?”
Not while the gateway remains open. One enemy is better than two, and Lexstriza is a second enemy.
Keep her entrance into your world sealed.
“A demon that doesn’t want enemies?”
Enemies are of little use. They keep you strong and alert, but they have few other purposes. Dead
enemies are good enemies.
“And the opposite of enemies would be allies. I have an idea where we might find some.”
What do you know?
“The undead powers you claim I have, to raise the dead. Wouldn’t some undead soldiers be handy right
now?”
Undead zombies you might raise would be unable to close that gateway. Leave things as they are. If
Malkin succeeds in closing the portal, kill him as we agreed and take his possessions. If he fails, you must seize
the artifacts from him before disaster is let loose upon you and your fellow mortals. Once you have the artifacts
may you make your escape. That is the plan.
“That is your plan,” Bethany was eager to test out her supposed powers. In part she was excited at the
possibility of being capable of raising the dead. But also she felt a need to test out the demon’s claim; to see if
he was telling her truth or lies about her abilities. “But maybe I have plans of my own, demon? Ever consider
my feelings?” Bethany smiled at her own words.
Don’t be foolish. Feelings might as well not be real. They are a reaction to real events, but rarely
should they be used as a reason to guide real events. Your feelings should not distract you. Control them.
“Or more accurately, you would control me. I think I’ll take a stroll for now. A good walk will help me
clear my head and allow me to think.”
You can not possibly expect to walk the halls of this edifice without detection. The undead are not
welcome here. That goes for you, and anything you might seek to raise as your minion.
“It is late here, and few should be out and about these halls. All I need do is don a cloak to obscure my
appearance.” Bethany began slyly inching towards the door exiting Malkin’s ritual chamber. No one in the
room was paying her any attention. Kroll and Adjantis were still bickering at each other, and Malkin was
entirely focused on the fluctuating portal. Bethany then casually walked out of the room into Malkin’s living
quarters, unnoticed.
You are making a mistake, girl! Baelth’Kael’s voice inside Bethany’s head sounded more distant now,
as if his psychic connection to her mind was receding.
“You can tell me all about it during my walk. We’ll have a nice chat.” Bethany began inspecting a coat
rack next to Malkin’s front door. She spotted a black cloak and donned it.
“Now I’m dressed for the occasion,” Bethany said as she opened the front door. She stepped out into the
wide halls as she pulled the cloak’s cowl over her head. The hallway was poorly lit, and normally she would
have some difficulty seeing in the dim passageways. But she could see about her well, see every crack in every
stone lining the cold walls. Everything was visible to her in the dark in dull grey tones. Her undead state
apparently allowed her these heightened perceptions.
“I could get used to this,” Bethany said to herself as she began to walk lightly down the hall.
You will not have time to get used to this. The demon’s voice was barely a whisper now. You will not
enjoy these freedoms long without my counsel. Baelth’Kael’s voice became quieter even as he spoke, as
Bethany moved further and further away from Malkin’s quarters and the statue that contained the demon’s
essence.
Bethany smiled at that realization. Baelth’Kael’s grip on Bethany’s mind was clearly no permanent
thing, and the demon likely did not have claim to her eternal soul. The demon’s communication with her was
limited by physical distance, indicating the connection was magical, not spiritual. But being so far from the
demonic statue, Bethany’s powers of undeath remained. Her powers were not dependent on the demon, her
powers were now hers and hers alone. Bethany was pleased.
Bethany waited until she was farther away from Malkin’s room, then offered “maybe you are right,
demon,” Bethany feigned reconsideration of her current venture into the halls. “Maybe this is a bad idea. Shall
I return?”
There was only the silence of the halls that responded to her. The demon did not speak. Bethany’s pace
picked up speed, her step lightened as she enjoyed her freedom from the oppressive demon’s incessant voice.
Now what, Bethany thought? Where should she go? What should she do? And more importantly, who
should she kill? If Bethany truly could bring the dead back to life, she had to know for certain. Bethany did not
want to wait to find out at a later time, a time when things might be less in her control.
Bethany normally held patience for achieving her goals. Time was a finite resource, and the more of this
resource was invested in any given endeavor, the better the end result. But time was of the essence. It was only
a matter of time before Malkin and his two hirelings realized Bethany’s absence and decide to do something
about it.
If Malkin successfully closed the portal, his next obvious move would be to track Bethany down to tie
up the last loose end. If Malkin failed to close the portal, Lexstriza would likely claim Malkin’s soul as a trophy
and drag him back down to Hell with her. As good as it might be to get Malkin out of the picture, Bethany
would likely lose the two artifacts of Baelth’Kael to Lexstriza as well, and Bethany had hoped to get a hold of
those. So Bethany had to act now.
Now the question remained of where Bethany might find a lab rat to test her newfound powers on?
Bethany was nearing the lower levels of the Bureau now, descending down a stair well. Bethany knew this was
where the custodians quarters were located, the employees tasked with the cleanup and maintenance of the
Bureau of Metaphysics Research.
The custodians were non-significant contributors to the Bureau. They were expendable resources, and
no one would miss them should a few go missing. Perhaps Bethany should pay one of them a visit.
Bethany arrived at the chamber door that would take her to the living quarters of the maintenance staff.
Late as it was, they were most all likely off duty, and probably sleeping in their rooms. Bethany entered.
Bethany found herself in a hall of many numbered doors closely packed together. Clearly the living
arrangements of the staff here were not large. Bethany tested the knob on the nearest door, and found it locked.
Bethany slowly began to turn the knob harder, applying more pressure, until the knob turned violently with a
undesirably loud crack. Bethany briskly opened the door just enough for her to fit through and quickly stepped
inside, shutting the door behind her as quietly as possible.
It was pitch dark in the room; or so Bethany guessed it was. Bethany could see the small living area
perfectly well, although she spotted no lit candles. The room was a colorless grey, although she assumed she
would spot color should the lights come on. Bethany realized her night vision could not perceive color in the
dark.
Bethany crept through the small room, until she heard the scratching of flint from a room off in a corner
nearby. Shortly after, a soft flickering glow illuminated the edges of the open doorway as a lamp was clearly lit.
“Who’s there?” a voice called out from within the room. The voice was male, and sounded timid and
unsure.
“It’s Bethany, keeper of the library,” Bethany straightened from her creeping pose, realizing stealth was
no longer an option. Bethany made an effort not to look suspicious.

“Who?” the man said as he stepped from his room out into the main living area. The man wore a
sleeping garment and held a softly glowing lamp in one hand. He held it aloft to illuminate Bethany.
“Keeper of the library,” Bethany reiterated. “You are familiar with the library, aren’t you? Have you
even ever been to the library?”
“What?” the man began rubbing his eyes with his free hand, confused. He appeared to be still waking
up from the sleep he was likely having before Bethany entered his home.
“You know, a library, where they keep books? Books are those things with big words that you probably
don’t understand. They have this thing called knowledge in them, something else you probably don’t
understand?”
“What in the Hells are you doing in my room?” the man yelled, now angry at the interloper. “How did
you get in here?”
“It’s called a door. They allow entrance into rooms. You are familiar with the mechanics of doors,
aren’t you?” Bethany stepped closer to the man, intent on gaining a good striking position. Bethany felt
excitement, never having had done something like what she was about to do before.
“My door was locked!” the man yelled, still angry and definitely not pleased with Bethany’s
condescending attitude.
“No, it wasn’t,” Bethany dismissed with a wave of her hand. “Now I have a problem, good sir.
Someone appears to have made a mess in my library. Someone must have become drunk and spilled their swill
all over a shelf of my finest books, knocking it over in the process. The shelf is in ruins, and many books are
similarly ruined. This is the custodians quarters, and I assume you are a custodian. I suggest you head up to the
library and clean this mess up.”
Bethany was creeping even closer as she talked at length. If Bethany’s heart still pumped blood, she was
certain it would have been beating furiously in her chest. Anxiety was mixed with excitement as she was telling
herself to do what she had to do. She had edged near enough to the man to be almost within striking distance of
him. She readied her claws.

“I’m off duty!” the man protested. “You have to submit a request with the custodians office for a
specific cleaning task. You don’t just barge into anyone’s room in the middle of the night and demand they do
your bidding! Now get the Hell-“
The man’s words were cut short as Bethany made a viper-quick slash from her hand across the man’s
bared throat. Bethany’s claws pierced and passed through the janitor’s jugular so quick that she barely felt the
slicing of flesh that her sharp claws left in their wake. Bethany leaped back immediately after her initial strike,
tense with eager anticipation.
Blood spurt out of the man’s neck as he clutched at his throat with both of his hands, dropping his lamp
in the process. The lamp clattered to the floor and Bethany quickly scooped it up to prevent it from catching
anything in the room on fire. The custodian fell to his knees and gargled something incomprehensible that
could have been actual words but might have just been a scream of pain and fear.
Blood poured from the man’s mouth and from between his fingers wrapped around his throat. Bethany
was having some difficulty seeing the bright red of the blood in the dark, as her night vision did not allow her
sight of such colors. Bethany held the lamp up to the dying man, so that she may better enjoy the sight of
flowing blood.
The man was now lying on his side, blood pooling around him, and his jerky spasms were growing
fewer and slower. Bethany felt a thrill of which she’d never felt before. A thrill she could never have hoped to
accomplish during her studies as a student mage here at the Bureau. Sure she’d killed a few demons during her
short visit to Hell recently, but that was nothing compared to the personal nature of the kill she’d just made here.
Demons did not possess the human qualities that invoked such emotion when killed. Bethany was enjoying the
feeling. Even though she was dead, she felt so alive.
Finally the dying man stopped twitching about and lay still. Very still. His eyes remained open as if
afraid, but Bethany knew the man was no longer alive. Bethany could smell the coppery tang of the blood
around him. Bethany snuffed out the lantern she held, and cast it to the floor, no longer desiring the colors the
light illuminated. Bethany watched the corpse on the floor intently.

Bethany eagerly watched in tense anticipation, but nothing seemed to be happening. Did she do
something wrong? Baelth’Kael had informed Bethany that it was her claws that were the catalyst for raising the
dead. She had done everything that she should have done to fulfill the demon’s description of her powers. But
there remained no new movements from the dead man at her feet, except for the slowly widening pool of blood
that was trickling from the man’s neck. But even that was slowing.
But then the body stirred. The man-corpse began to slowly writhe on the floor, and Bethany smiled at
the revelation of her newfound powers. The corpse began to sluggishly slouch up to a sitting position, its head
lolling about its neck drunkenly. The corpse pulled its feet under it and began to rise.
Bethany gasped at the realization that she could feel its presence, not just see it for herself in the dark
room. She could psychically sense that this thing she had brought forth from death was hers, and was
connected to her in some way. She could sense this thing’s very soul, as one could so naturally sense their own
emotions.
The zombie was now on its feet, and facing Bethany. It vaguely regarded Bethany with milky white
eyes, barely conscious of the world around it.
“Come,” Bethany beckoned to the zombie. “We have work to do.” The zombie obeyed.
***
“Where’s Bethany?” Kroll asked, looking around him for the first time since being tasked with keeping
Adjantis from escaping.
“Looks like you’re not such a good guard after all,” Adjantis mocked. “Bethany can’t stand you either.”
“The boss didn’t ask me to keep Beth here,” Kroll said, folding his arms. “Besides, the girl’s missing all
the fun now. Ain’t that right, boss?” Kroll looked over to Malkin.
Malkin was not paying any attention to his two hirelings. His eyes were smoldering with tense
concentration, beads of sweat trickled down his pallid brow. His teeth were clenched as he focused every ounce
of will power he had at his disposal into the fiery depths of the swirling portal. Malkin was shaking from the
effort.
“Looks like Malkin isn’t listening to you, Kroll,” Adjantis laughed. “You do realize that portal has only
become larger since Malkin began his attempt to reclose the thing.”
“Yeah, so? That just means more demons to slay.”
“If that contingent of demons floods these quarters, they will lay waste to the Bureau. Good luck
collecting your pay with this facility in ruins.”
“I’m not here for the coin,” Kroll was staring at Malkin as he spoke, amused at the demonologist’s
obvious discomfort in controlling the portal. “I’m here for the excitement and the moment, to see where it takes
me. Gold will get you a roof over your head and a tankard of ale, but this,” Kroll gestured to the rest of the
room and to Malkin in his trials, “this can’t be bought. It has to be sought out. It will take you places you
didn’t expect, and the unexpected is perfect for staving boredom. You’re not feeling bored, now are you,
Adjantis?”
“There are more negative feelings than just boredom. Bethany had the right idea fleeing from here. If
it’s excitement you seek, maybe Bethany’s found some. Why don’t we go find her? Maybe there will be some
excitement there.”
The portal at the center of the room was pulsing rapidly now and emitting a loud vibrating hum. The
portal looked less elliptical and neatly curved now, instead taking on a jagged, violent, asymmetrical appearance
as the edges began to twist and turn in various swirling shapes.
“Looks like the excitement is almost here anyway,” Kroll said as he regarded Malkin and the portal.
“Bethany doesn’t know what she’s missin’.”
Malkin gasped for air and leaped back as a spark of lightning struck out at him from within the depths of
the portal. “It cannot be done,” he growled between gasps for breath. “This demoness is too powerful! I
cannot hold this portal much longer.”
“Perhaps this is our time to make a clean exit,” Adjantis suggested. “Y’know, while we’re still alive.
That would be the best time to leave.”
“And allow my chambers to be ruined?” Malkin scoffed? “I have valuables in here worth more than
your life. No, I have an idea.”

Malkin withdrew the demon statue from the pouch at his belt. He held the statue aloft and inspected it
for a moment. “The disruption magic on this statue may be able to be used.”
“Well then use it!” Adjantis said.
“If I can channel its powers to disrupt this portal, I may be able to dispel it,” Malkin gripped the statue in
both hands and thrust it into the portal. Malkin narrowed his eyes in concentration, focusing on bringing the
figurine’s powers out from within.
The portal flared with a loud bang and a flash that sent jolts of electricity through Malkin’s arms,
flinging the statue from his hands with a crackling spark and launching it out of the portal and across the room.
Malkin withdrew his hands in stinging pain, and then attempted to withdraw himself as he realized there was
pressure from within the portal that was sucking him inwards towards it.
The portal pulsated rapidly and shifting into various asymmetrical shapes, then expanded outward
instantly, engulfing Malkin. The portal finally settled down, and receded inwards quickly until it remained only
a small swirling mass of smoke the size of a large melon. Malkin was gone, however, consumed by the mass of
the portal.
“Was that supposed to happen?” Kroll wondered.
“Who cares,” Adjantis scoffed. “Malkin is gone, and that means it’s time to get out of here.”
Kroll and Adjantis stared at what remained of the portal. It was a shadow of its former self, smaller and
less tumultuous. But it was still there. However, Malkin was no where to be seen.
***
Malkin was thrown through a twisting abyss of smoke and fiery lights obscured by the vortex of the
portal he was passing through. No, Malkin thought. If the damaged and disrupted portal did not collapse in on
itself and destroy Malkin in the process, he’d be cast back into Hell with Lexstriza waiting for him, promising
him a thousand different deaths. Either way, things looked grim for Malkin.
The swirling black and red of Malkin’s environment ended abruptly as he found himself thrown out back
onto the parched and cracked dirt and stone of the Hell dimension he had only recently escaped. He landed face
first, his palms out in front of him serving as only a partial defense against the rough ground he was cast
against. Malkin slid and ground to a painful halt on the dirt.
Malkin’s face and hands stung from the impact, but there was no time to recuperate. He launched
himself to his feet as fast as he could, adrenaline rushing through his veins. He looked up to see Lexstriza
towering over him, grinning a mouth full of fangs.
Malkin turned about without thinking, and pressed himself into what was left of the portal. However,
the portal was now too small, and Malkin’s contact with it was met with stinging jolts of electricity shooting
through his arms. He flinched and pulled back his arms, cursing. He turned back to Lexstriza and her force,
prepared to begin casting offensive spells.
“It is no use, Malkin, if that is your real name,” Lexstriza mocked. “It would seem that whatever you
did to your own portal up there made it a one way trip. You’re not going anywhere.”
“Oh, but I am, mistress,” Malkin said desperately. “The ritual is almost complete. This is all part of the
plan, and soon we shall bask in Baelth’Kael’s glory.”
Lexstriza flicked her wrist towards Malkin and a sharp bolt of fire was launched into Malkin’s throat as
he talked. The missile exploded in Malkin’s mouth, releasing a burning burst of flames and smoke. Malkin
gagged and coughed and screamed as the inside of his throat burned and his lungs filled with acidy smoke. He
fell to his knees and attempted t spit and a cough and gag away the searing pain.
“Enough of your foolishness, mortal,” Lexstriza stated. “Your meaningless stories no longer interest
me.” Lexstriza gestured towards her minions standing patiently nearby, “Seize him, and bring him to me alive.
And I use the term ‘alive’ loosely.”
The demon hoard set upon Malkin, who quickly straightened himself out and leapt into the motions of
casting a defensive spell. Malkin barely finished the incantations to his spell in time, as he released the final
words from his chant and a whirling swarm of black crystalline blades materialized around him, circling
Malkin’s body faster than the eyes could track.

The crystal shards appeared just as two of the ape-demons leaped at Malkin with claws bared for his
face. The two demons were caught up in the swarm of sharp blades, tearing layers of their skin from their
bones. The two demons were flung spinning, arms flailing about, to crash to the dirt, dead or near dead.
However, many of the dark crystalline formations spinning about Malkin were shattered in the process, and
could only fend off so many similar attacks.
Malkin wasted no time as more demons approached to take the place of the two fallen ones, and began
casting a second spell. Malkin intended to kill as few of the swarming demons as possible with his defensive
shield of circling blades, preferring to keep the shield as backup and defense only in case his offensive spells
failed him.
Malkin forced his hands outward and let loose an arc of red lightning that hit one demon nearby square
in the face, exploding its head into a wet mess of flying brains and blood. The impact of the lightning exploded
in flames and forked out in smaller arcs of lighting from the demon to other ones nearby. The lighting spread
out and engulfed other nearby demons in a collage of fire, red electricity, and various flying body parts. Three
demons were felled by the spell, and two more were injured.
However, many more demons appeared to take their places, which began to not so cautiously circle
Malkin, testing the edges of his defensive circle of blades. One reached out a clawed fist, which was
immediately shredded of several fingers and a lot more flesh. The flying crystals shattered on impact, and the
demon retracted its ruined hand to its chest in howling pain.
Malkin jumped into the motions of another spell, intending to capitalize on the demon swarm’s
hesitancy to attack. However, as he was casting, Lexstriza motioned with her arm and a nearby demon was
hurled through the air by an invisible force, directly at Malkin. The whirling blades were able to deflect the
makeshift missile, but only after expending every last flying crystal against the flying demon’s hide. The
crystals shattered and flew about everywhere, and so did the flung demon, in various directions flinging various
body parts. Blood from the demon made its way through the last of Malkin’s defensive barrier, splattering his
face with gore. Malkin’s shield of blades was gone.

The blades disappeared and the horde charged Malkin just as he was finishing his next spell. He let
loose the last of his incantations and a sound wave of energy radiated out from Malkin’s position, reverberating
through the bodies of the demons about to lay waste to Malkin. The demon’s nearby affected by the spell began
to violently twitch and spasm and howl in agony. The spell triggered every pain receptor and nerve in a
corporeal creature’s body, simulating the most excruciating pain imaginable. The demon’s rolled about the
ground and clawed their faces in anguish.
Malkin was about to enchant his dagger as he unsheathed it so that he might methodically stab each
helpless demon rolling about the ground, when all of a sudden he could no longer move. His body simply
refused to cooperate as he had his hand clutched about his dagger’s hilt on his belt and the other hand pinching
the ground up dust of ruby in a pocket in his cloak. Malkin could no longer balance himself, and so began to
fall over.
Malkin could not look up to see, but could hear Lexstriza laughing in the background and realized a
spell of paralysis had been cast on him. He fell stiffly on the hard ground, unable to move. The demon’s further
outward unaffected by Malkin’s pain spell clambered over the one’s still writhing on the ground, kicking them
out of the way to get at Malkin. Malkin could do nothing to resist.
The demons were upon Malkin now, leaping atop his helpless frame with abandon. They beat and
scratched and tore painful gashes along Malkin’s body, twisting fingers here, hammering him in sensitive places
there, but being especially careful not to inflict any mortal wounds, as per Lexstriza’s request. Malkin’s entire
body screamed with pain, but his paralysis left him unable to express his horror and agony. Malkin could feel
every bite, every claw, every strike of every fist and foot, but could not so much as move a muscle to resist the
pain.
Lexstriza casually flicked her wrist Malkin’s way, and the paralysis ceased. Malkin’s horse screams
filled the air, and he flailed his arms about him in a feeble defense. His screams of pain only seemed to
encourage the demons, and they continued their torture of him.
Eventually Lexstriza grew tired of the entertainment. “Enough. Leave him be.”
The demon swarm immediately obeyed, fearing the consequences of ignoring direct orders. The
demons spread out and away from Lexstriza as she approached the limp and prone form of Malkin lying in the
dirt. She knelt down and grasped Malkin by the throat, then returned to her feet, Malkin held aloft in her
powerful grip. Malkin gasped and clutched at Lexstriza’s wrists, needing air.
“You will explain yourself to me now, won’t you?” Lexstriza questioned.
Malkin tried to nod his agreement, but was unable to do so while being held by the throat. He tried then
to say yes, but air did not so readily flow through his throat with Lexstriza’s hand clasped about his neck.
Malkin just gurgled and his eyes rolled up into the back of his head.
“Of course you will, my good Malkin,” Lexstriza went on. “Now, where’s Baelth’Kael?” Lexstriza
loosened her grip ever so slightly so that Malkin could speak.
“His essence is still back in my world,” Malkin gasped, taking in desperately needed air while talking at
the same time so as not to delay in responding to his oppressor. “We’ve captured his soul in a stone figurine,
but required a soul crystal that he banished here millennia ago when he left your world. Now both
Baelth’Kael’s stored soul and the soul crystal are in my world, right through what remains of that portal.”
Lexstriza considered Malkin’s words, glancing back at the portal. “You successfully acquired the soul
of an arch demon and the means to control it, of which you brought back safely into your home world.”
Lexstriza looked back to Malkin hanging from her outstretched arm and narrowed her eyes. “Then why have
you found your way back into my domain, to fall victim to my wrath and scatter your plans about like so much
dust?”
“I was betrayed,” Malkin choked, not wanting to reveal the truth. “My three coconspirators thought to
take the power all for themselves, and cast me back here to both be rid of me and to serve as a distraction for
their getaway. It looks like it has worked, as you are distracted even now.”
Lexstriza tightened her grip on Malkin’s throat, silencing him. “This diversion will not save your
fellows for long. It will be little effort for me to reopen the portal and let Hell loose upon your coconspirators.”
Malkin tried to speak, but was unable to do so. He gurgled something incomprehensible instead.
“Have something to say, mortal? Would you like to waste more of my time with your feeble words?”
Lexstriza loosened her grip on Malkin’s throat again, enabling him to speak.
“I would wish you luck should you desire to pursue my betrayers, but you’ll need more than luck,”
Malkin said, a plan forming in his dazed mind. “The betrayers are likely long gone by now, and without me you
will be hard pressed to navigate my world to locate them.”
“Let me guess, you’re offering to help me find them, to buy yourself some little extra time before I
decide to kill you?” Lexstriza sounded amused.
“Not to buy myself time, but to see my betrayers destroyed. I only ask that their deaths be worse than
mine.” Malkin saw he was catching Lexstriza’s interest. “My former associates and I all work for an
organization that that portal will take you to, called the Bureau of Metaphysics Research. The betrayal would
be kept secret from the management of my organization, as such back stabbing is against company policy. If I
can return to my world, I can use the company resources to track down my betrayers, and there’s nothing they
can do to overtly stop me, as the organization would have them hung for their crimes.”
Lexstriza pressed her free palm to Malkin’s forehead and began intoning the words to some dark spell.
Malkin squeezed his eyes shut hard, expecting the worst. As Lexstriza continued through the routine of her
spell, Malkin steeled his nerves for more torture, some spell that would prolong Malkin’s suffering for as long
as possible. However, Malkin hoped Lexstriza’s spell would just kill him outright.
Lexstriza’s words abruptly ended, and despite Malkin’s eyes being closed, red filled his vision, and his
whole body became uncomfortably hot and tingly. The tingling sensations set his teeth to chattering and made
every muscle in his body twitch. However, the feeling was not overly painful, just mildly uncomfortable.
Just as quickly as the feelings started, they ended suddenly. Nothing else seemed to be happening.
Malkin opened his eyes to see Lexstriza grinning wickedly at him. She flung Malkin out and away from
her like a rag doll, and he landed on his wobbly feet. Despite landing feet first, Malkin stumbled and fell to his
side. He quickly rose back up, ready for anything.
“I’ve laid claim to your soul, Malkin,” Lexstriza explained. “The day you die, no matter how long from
now, your soul will return to me for me to do with a I please. And I don’t think you will like what pleases me.
Your suffering from then on will be both legendary and eternal. There will be no such thing as a greater
punishment.”
“Why wait?” Malkin asked. “Why not kill me now and have your fun?”
“This is not a time for fun. This is a time for work. There will be much fun to be had once I have
Baelth’Kael’s soul, which would be more than a fair trade for your pitiful excuse for a soul.”
“What are you saying?”
“I shall remove my claim to your soul when you bring to me the two artifacts you have spoken of. You
will return to your home world, and procure for me that which I seek. Should you fail me, by either dying or
fleeing, it will only be a matter of time before you return to me for your much deserved punishment. There is
no escaping death for a mortal such as yourself.”
“I am in your service,” Malkin bowed, partially relieved to get to live awhile longer but also anxious
should he fail in this task given him.
“I will reopen the portal, and you will perform this small task for me,” Lexstriza turned from Malkin and
made her way to what remained of the portal. The demon soldiers cleared the way for her as she approached it.
The demon’s only growled and snapped at Malkin as he followed.
Malkin pushed back his fears. Malkin had sold many souls to demons he’d consorted with during his
long years as a demonologist. Many of those traded souls he knew would be put to torture eternal. When
sentencing others to eternal torture, Malkin hadn’t given his victims a second thought. But now that his soul
was at risk, the enormity of the threat struck him profoundly. Malkin could not fail here.
Chapter #9
“Well, at least the portal is smaller now,” Kroll looked skeptically at what remained of the portal in
Malkin’s ritual room. It burned and turned slowly, only the size of a man’s head.
“But it’s still here, and likely just as connected to the Hell dimension we escaped only recently,”
Adjantis countered. “And now that Malkin’s gone, who’s going to ensure the portal does not widen again?
You?”
“Yeah me!” Kroll rubbed his hands together and withdrew one of the axes from the harness on his back.
“Who says Malkin gets to have all the fun with magic? That portal doesn’t stand a chance against my axe!”
“Your axe isn’t the answer to everything, but who am I to object? Let’s see this.”
Kroll approached the small portal and pulled his arm back for a strike. He let loose with a lightning fast
stroke of his axe, driving the double-sided blade right through the portal. A loud shock split the air and sent
volts of electricity through the axe and into Kroll’s arm, a force of which knocked him back several steps before
he stumbled to a halt. Kroll dropped his axe in pain and cursed, clutching his stinging hand. The portal,
however, remained.
“Your mastery of the weave is impressive, sir Kroll,” Adjantis mocked. “What have you been doing
with all those uncouth slobs at the Shadow Guild all these years? You should become a student here at the
Academy of Magic.”
“Bah, magic!” Kroll grumbled. “I’d prefer getting a hundred more of these electric shocks to the tedium
of studying lore books for hours on end. Problems don’t require hours of study to solve, they require action;
immediate action.”
“A hundred more electric shocks you say?” Adjantis grinned. “Maybe a hundred of those electric
shocks would jolt some sense into your brain. Please do try again.”
“I just need a bigger axe,” Kroll looked around for something.
“I wonder if anything can pass through this portal at all now given its small size.” Adjantis wondered.
“This book shelf is bigger than my axe,” Kroll stepped up to one of Malkin’s numerous shelves full of
well-used tomes and began to push it towards the portal, books and all.
“You think if we just throw those two bothersome artifacts into the portal that the demons will just leave
us alone?” Adjantis eyed the soul crystal and demon statue now placed on Malkin’s table in the middle of the
room.
“Why should we give the demons anything?” Kroll grunted as he moved the heavy shelf. “Giving is no
way to get ahead in this world. You take, whenever and from whoever you want. If someone can’t defend their
kingdom, then it’s my right, nay, my duty, to take it from them.
“A lot of good that attitude has done us. I shouldn’t have to take anything. People should just give to
me freely, because I am by right much more deserving than them.”
“I’m glad that’s workin’ out for ya.” Kroll gave the shelf one last shove as he sent it sliding into the orb
of a portal hovering in the air. The shelf came into contact with the portal, and the portal bent and melded
around the blocky shelf. A sharp hissing sound was emitted from the portal, and arcs of lightning spun about
and through the books, both flinging pages about and shredding them from the energy of the electricity. The
whole shelf vibrated as it came to a stop at the center of the portal. Smoke rose from the books and the hissing
grew louder.
“Any minute now, that portal will collapse, and take those stinkin’ books with it,” Kroll sounded
optimistic.
Adjantis stepped back.
The hiss grew deafeningly loud and suddenly the shelf exploded in a burst of smoke, shorn paper, and
splinters of wood. A book hit Kroll in face.
Kroll rubbed his sore face and looked up to see that the portal remained. “Bloody books!” Kroll
shouted. “Aren’t they good for anything?”
“Books are highly useful.” Adjantis scolded. “You’re just doing it wrong.”
With a lurch the portal groaned and pulsed briefly, then began to crackle and slowly expand.
“Hey, those books were supposed to shrink that thing, not make it grow,” Kroll said with frustration.
“You didn’t do that, you dolt! The portal is reopening, and I somehow doubt it will be Malkin who steps
through it.”
“Good, maybe something will come through that I can hit with my axe; not some la-de-da floating piece
of magic that doesn’t understand the laws of physics. The laws of physics say that when you get hit with my
axe, you die. End of story.”
“Your impressive knowledge of physics aside, we have to get out of here. Don’t you want to live to
fight another day? Corpses don’t hit things with axes, Kroll. Don’t become a corpse.”
“I suppose I’m getting tired of this room,” Kroll acceded. “I say we take that statue, return it to Brundle
right now, and go hit the pub. I’m thirsty!”
“It’s the middle of the night, Brundle’s office hours are over,” Adjantis said. “And how do we explain
Malkin’s absence to Brundle?”
“You’re the ‘great poet’, just make something up.”
“Fine, we take the artifacts for now, and…”
“Hit the pubs! Drinks on me! Let’s drink until we forget where and who we are.”
“Forgetting who you are?” Adjantis smiled. “That’s a splendid idea! Let’s go.”
Kroll scooped up the two artifacts and headed with Adjantis for Malkin’s front door. Adjantis opened
the door to leave, but immediately slammed it closed again with a start and pressed his back up against the shut
door, facing Kroll. A banging came from the other side of the door, and the door shook on its hinges. There
was fear in Adjantis’ eyes.
“Who’s out there?” Kroll asked, annoyed at any delay for him getting his ale.
“Zombies,” Adjantis yelled. “Lots of them. I think they want in.” Groans filled the hallway outside and
the handle on the door rattled. Adjantis held it in place and locked the deadbolt.
“Well open the door and let me handle them,” Kroll unsheathed his axes. “They’ll be dead again in no
time.”
The ritual chamber behind the two crackled with sound, and a familiar hum that the two companions
recognized as something passing through the portal was heard.

“Sounds like the demons are here now,” Kroll turned towards the door leading to Malkin’s ritual
chamber.
“We’re cornered by demons and the undead,” Adjantis groaned.
“Those odds sound fair to me. Nothing I can’t handle,” Kroll headed through the door leading to the
portal, prepared for anything.
Kroll walked in on Malkin standing before him, bleeding and bruised, panting with a mad gleam in his
eyes.
“Where are my artifacts, you worm?” Malkin yelled.
Kroll sheathed his axes and retrieved the artifacts from his belt. “Right here, boss,” Kroll said as he
handed over the items.
Malkin snatched them from Kroll’s hand and slammed them on the table nearby. He grasped the statue
in both hands while holding it straight out in front of him on the table. Malkin was focused entirely on the
statue.
“What’s going on?” Adjantis entered the room.
“The boss is back,” Kroll said. “Looks like good ol’ Malkin here took care of everything down there.
Now all’s that’s left is the zombies.”
Adjantis wasn’t so sure, eyeing Malkin fearfully.
Malkin focused inward on the statue, attempting to establish contact with Baelth’Kael. Malkin spoke
with his mind, Baelth’Kael, I have a proposition for you.
Something stirred in Malkin’s mind, something that sent chills through his body. A sensation like a
slithering slug crawling across skin filled his head, and Baelth’Kael’s voice spoke to him, Ah, mortal, we speak
again. How does your quest fare?
Take my soul! Malkin thought to the demon forcefully.
What has gotten into your head, mortal? Are you trying to make my job too easy?
I am serious, Malkin stated. I am offering you my soul. Claim it, it is yours.

Without any further word, Malkin felt icy tendrils fill and probe his mind. Nausea filled him and he
resisted vomiting. Alas the probing ceased, and Baelth’Kael’s echoing laughter filled Malkin’s head, making
his mind ache.
And now I understand your unusual behavior, Baelth’Kael sounded amused. Unfortunately, I am unable
to lay claim to your soul, Malkin. It would appear that someone else has already beaten me to that goal. Pity, I
would have enjoyed being the one to put you to tortures unimaginable.
Malkin grimaced. Malkin would have much preferred for Baelth’Kael to be the arch demon to lay claim
to his soul. Demon’s were able to claim souls as their own in so far as they lived. If Lexstriza were to die,
Malkin’s soul would once again be his and his alone. If Baelth’Kael were to be the one instead to lay claim to
Malkin’s soul, going about killing Baelth’Kael while trapped inside his statue prison would have been worlds
easier. If Baelth’Kael owned Malkin’s soul and were to be destroyed, Malkin would be free of the mess he was
in now.
But that was apparently not an option. If the arch demon could not take Malkin’s soul from him, then he
was stuck with the urgent need to kill Lexstriza. That is, unless Lexstriza was willing to fulfill her end of the
agreement and returned Malkin’s soul once he brought her the two artifacts. But there was no real incentive for
Lexstriza to hold true to her agreement.
Once the artifacts were to be in her possession, why shouldn’t she simply keep Malkin’s soul? What
could she possibly stand to gain by returning it to Malkin? Nothing. Thus Malkin’s current mission was
obvious. He could not trust Lexstriza, unless of course that meant he could trust she’d submit Malkin’s spirit to
profound torture. Lexstriza had to die. There was no alternative.
Malkin focused back in on the statue, demon, I have a suggestion I think you are going to like.
I am listening, human.
I need to know how to free you from this statue prison, so that we together may slay Lexstriza.
Ah, Lexstriza is the one who now owns Malkin’s soul, is it? The demon laughed. I would greatly enjoy
ending her meddling. It will be a simple matter of freeing me, mortal. First, destroy the soul crystal.
So that you will have the freedom to kill me after you slay Lexstriza? Malkin sneered at the suggestion.
I may be a ‘mere’ mortal, but I am no fool. Now instruct me on how to free you or I’ll open up a portal to some
remote abyss and cast your statue in it, for you to be trapped and forgotten forever.
Have it your way, Malkin. Now listen carefully…
Malkin still held the statue and was so focused on it that he was oblivious to all else in the room.
Malkin quietly nodded as he listened to Baelth’Kael’s instructions.
“Has he lost his mind?” Kroll wondered, regarding Malkin as he just stared at the statue. “I think he’s
lost his mind.”
“What would you know of such things? You scarcely have a mind to lose,” Adjantis said. “I think he’s
working some sort of magic on that statue.”
“That statue contains a demon. Perhaps it is working magic on him.”
“I don’t think I want to find out,” Adjantis looked back towards the exit.
“I wanna find out. But then again, I also want that ale we talked about. Should we tell Malkin about the
zombies?”
Banging could still be heard from the door out in Malkin’s living room.
Without any warning, Malkin leaped up and shoved the statue into a pocket at his side. He withdrew the
soul crystal and turned towards the portal. With the crystal shard in hand, he headed towards the now open
gateway. He disappeared within.
***
Lexstriza was waiting by the portal, her troops nearby. Lexstriza was pleased with the turn of events.
Baelth’Kael was clearly not a threat to her, or even her master Lord Korbaz. Although if Lexstriza gained
possession of Baelth’Kael’s artifacts, the latter could change and she could unleash both her own and
Baelth’Kael’s power loose upon Korbaz’ throne. Lexstriza could be the true ruler of Drebula.
Having such a possession of an arch demon’s soul was a prize unheard of in the depths of the fiery
Hells. It would be one of the finest rewards one could receive. Normally arch demons, when seeking alliances
or cooperation from fellow arch demons, had to walk a fine line between caution and ambition. There were
great gains to be made should a fellow arch demon cooperate, for the powers of the two forces combined were
great indeed. Much could be accomplished with such alliances.
However, much could be lost as well, for betrayal is an ever present threat when dealing with any fiend.
If one becomes too greedy or careless during such arrangements, everything could be lost to a scheming “ally”
who wants a bigger piece of the prize, the prize you may be unfortunate enough to possess. Thus such dealings
with demons were always tricky.
But if Lexstriza could claim Baelth’Kael’s very soul, she could have an arch demon for an ally who’s
also loyal and trustworthy, in a way. She would have the best of both worlds: the power of such a servant and
the absence of risk in the betrayal by such a servant.
Magic would compel Baelth’Kael to obey Lexstriza’s every command. While demons could not be
trusted, magic woven by a wizard always could. Magic does exactly what the spellcaster weaves it to do. And
if magic compels Baelth’Kael to obey and not to betray, then that is what he will do. Lexstriza always found
security in the control she had over magic. Being able to extend that power to control a demon such as
Baelth’Kael would bring with it limitless rewards.
All Lexstriza had to do now was wait for Malkin to return with the much coveted artifacts. Lexstriza
believed Malkin would likely follow through. Lexstriza recognized that Malkin was a demonologist, of sorts,
and likely fully understood the implications of one such as Lexstriza claiming his soul. Malkin knew that
failure or retreat was not an option, for his soul would inevitably return to Lexstriza’s waiting grasp.
The only question that remained was not whether Malkin was willing, but rather was he able. Malkin’s
associates had successfully defeated him once by betraying him and casting him back here to Hell. Who was to
say they would not be so fortunate again, and defeat Malkin in his attempts to regain the lost artifacts?
If Malkin died in his efforts, Lexstriza would immediately know about it, for she would have his soul
afterward. Once Malkin’s soul was in Lexstriza’s possession, she could torture him for information about what
he learned of his associates’ location. Then she could take the necessary steps to enter Malkin’s world on her
own and seek out the artifacts.
This was all assuming that Malkin died if he failed. If instead he became imprisoned, It would be a
simple matter of using magic to divine the current location of Malkin’s soul, and seek him out. From there she
could continue where Malkin had failed.
Lexstriza felt a presence in her mind then, and recognized it immediately as Lord Korbaz attempting to
communicate with her. Korbaz spoke, Lexstriza, you have tarried too long on your mission. I demand a report
from you on the status of your efforts.
“I’ve located Baelth’Kael to a portal I stand before now as we speak,” Lexstriza said. “It would appear
that the portal is some sort of rebirthing device that shall recreate Baelth’Kael anew,” Lexstriza lied, to borrow
from Malkin’s story.
Rebirth? This cannot be allowed! Destroy the portal.
“I have been in the process of studying the portal. I intend to determine how it is woven together in our
world, so that I may seek to unravel it. Baelth’Kael will not reenter our world alive, you can count on that.”
Make sure that he doesn’t. I do not want that fool more powerful than before, so that he may impose
himself upon my kingdom.
“This portal is no simple thing, however,” Lexstriza said. “It has been created by powerful, complex
magics, and it will take me time to figure it all out. I fear I may not have much time before Baelth’Kael’s
rebirth is complete, and so will need the utmost silence and concentration.”
I will not disturb you, then. I shall leave you, Lexstriza, but do not fail me. Make sure Baelth’Kael
never walks my world again, for I do not appreciate such intrusions.
With that Korbaz receded from Lexstriza’s mind. Lexstriza grinned, pleased with how events were
unfolding.
She heard a humming pulse coming from the portal, and she faced it. The portal crackled softly and
Malkin stepped through, a crystal shard in hand that was undoubtedly the soul crystal that was soon to be
Lexstriza’s. Lexstriza also noticed a statue strapped to Malkin’s side, and Lexstriza immediately sensed that it
housed Baelth’Kael’s soul. Lexstriza grinned wickedly.
“Mistress Lexstriza,” Malkin called. “I have brought to you Baelth’Kael’s soul, as per your request.”
“Excellent,” Lexstriza held out one taloned hand towards Malkin, beckoning him to hand over the
artifacts. “Give to me Baelth’Kael’s essence, and I shall free your soul from damnation.”
“As you wish,” Malkin gripped the soul crystal and spoke Baelth’Kael’s name once, with a force that
shook the ground. The soil turned in a spot next to Malkin, and from it rose the hoofed and horned frame of
Baelth’Kael in the flesh.
“I present to you Baelth’Kael’s soul, Lexstriza,” Malkin mocked. “Come and take it.”
“Insufferable fool!” Lexstriza screamed.
“We meet again, my dear Lexstriza,” Baelth’Kael said in a deep, resonant voice. “I trust my old
kingdom of Drebula is well? I am certain you’ve kept it in good condition for me.”
“Korbaz rules Drebula now,” Lexstriza said through gritted teeth, fully aware of the battle that was soon
to follow. “I am his second in command.”
“As you were mine once,” Baelth’Kael smirked. “Always second, aren’t you, Lexstriza?”
“Preferably I would be second to you. Perhaps we can form an agreement. Together, we can overthrow
the usurping Korbaz, and you can resume your rightful place on the throne.”
“Not while I possess this,” Malkin held out the soul crystal, brandishing it for all to see. “Baelth’Kael is
now second in command to me, Lord Malkin. Kill her now, Baelth’Kael, or its back in the statue for you!”
Baelth’Kael curled his hand upwards and flicked it out, and from it burst a fiery blade of green flames
and black steel. Baelth’Kael gripped the conjured sword in both hands and broke into a run towards Lexstriza.
“Destroy them both!” Lexstriza screamed at her minions as she began casting a spell. Baleth’Kael was
upon her just as she conjured up an array of ivory tusks that shot forth from the ground and encircled Lexstriza
in a protective bone wall.
Baelth’Kael swung his sword at the bone prison, but his attack was deflected with a loud clang, and only
a few chips of the bone were sliced free in a spray of ivory. Lexstriza’s defensive wall remained intact.
Baelth’Kael went into a frenzied attack on the bone structure as Lexstriza began casting another spell.
The demonic minions of Lexstriza swarmed into the fray, and Baelth’Kael had to step back to defend
himself from them. Each stroke from his blade fell one of the ape-demons, but there were more to take their
place. The blade not only sliced demon flesh, but contact with the blade on bare skin left the subsequent tissues
bubbling in an acidy turmoil as the green flames melted flesh as if it were wax.
Lexstriza finished the words to her spell, and from within her bone barrier came a screaming cacophony
of anguished and tortured voices, all pleading and yelling in what was undeniable pain. The noise was followed
by a glowing stream of grey mist that periodically and irregularly formed patterns reminiscent of anguished
faces. The mist coalesced within Lexstriza’s cage, and began to drift towards Baelth’Kael’s position.
Baelth’Kael had time to swipe at the grey smoky formation of tortured souls, but his blade did nothing
to the incorporeal matter. The ghostly cloud seeped into Baelth’Kael’s skin, and poured in through his nostrils
and mouth. Baelth’Kael roared in outrage, and stumbled back a few steps, suddenly confused.
The magic infused the souls of the damned with Baelth’Kael’s consciousness, Malkin realized, sowing
doubt, confusion, and anguish on the mind of the victim.
Baelth’Kael hesitated, and that was all the opening the demonic soldiers needed to move in on the arch
devil’s vulnerability. The demons bit, punched, and head butted Baelth’Kael on all sides, and the arch devil
swatted them away clumsily, an irritated grimace on his face.
One of the demons relentlessly pounding on Baelth’Kael suddenly staggered back, its face erupting in
blisters and boils. Its skin began to recede, revealing the impression of ribs and bone underneath. The skin
became taut as the skin shrunk about the demon’s frame, and began to tear with bloody oozing sores that
emerged from underneath its flesh. The creature howled in pain as it continued to rot alive, finally coughing up
a torrent of blood and falling over, dead.
Baelth’Kael looked back to Malkin, who had been the one to cast the spell of decay on the hapless
creature.
“Mortal, I am weakened,” Baelth’Kael called to Malkin in between clumsy strikes with his sword to
fend off further attacks. “The transfer of much my power to that wench, Bethany, has left me drained. Sacrifice
the souls contained in the soul crystal to renew my power.” Baelth’Kael shook his head fiercely to clear the
haze over his mind, still affected by the anguish spell.
“That would relinquish my control over you,” Malkin said angrily. “I’m not taking that chance. Do
what you were meant to do.”
Baelth’Kael turned and renewed his efforts against the demon horde, still sluggish from the mind spell
affecting him but unable to disobey Malkin’s commands. “If I die, mortal, what risks would you be taking
then?” Baelth’Kael said to Malkin. “You’ll soon have Lexstriza to deal with yourself, alone.”
“I’m not going to kill you, Baelth’Kael,” Lexstriza cooed. “I will claim control over your soul as this
mere mortal does now. Soon I shall have both of your souls.” Lexstriza went into casting again, uttering arcane
verses directed at Baelth’Kael.
Malkin needed Lexstriza dead, but Lexstriza needed Baelth’Kael alive. Malkin intended to exploit that
weakness. Baelth’Kael had mentioned Malkin was able to sacrifice the souls in the soul crystal he possessed to
use them to empower the demon. Malkin was not about to sacrifice all of them, but the crystal would still
function if Malkin used only a few of the soul fodder the artifact contained.
Malkin sent a mental probe into the depths of the crystal shard he held. He sensed the thousands of
souls contained within, submitted to a world of isolation from reality in a dimension all their own within the
magical confines of the crystal. Malkin, being the wielder of the shard, called forth a handful of these souls
from within the artifact, and channeled their spirits into a single point of pure energy, the inherent energy of all
living things that dwelled in the multiverse.
Malkin channeled that pure point of spiritual energy straight towards Lexstriza, who was finishing up
the last words to her spell. Malkin unleashed the souls in a white hot missile of power that rocketed right into
and through Lexstriza’s bone barrier. The bone spears exploded in a spray of ivory shards and threw Lexstriza
back onto the ground behind her. The souls hurled at Lexstriza could be heard screaming their last screams as
their souls were utterly destroyed in the explosion.
Lexstriza’s spell had been interrupted, and had died on her lips the moment she hit the ground.
Lexstriza’s enchanting spellwork had faded away from Baelth’Kael’s mind, and with Lexstriza down at
the moment, Baelth’Kael leaped into the fray of hoarding demons and tore into them with abandon.
As Baelth’Kael was occupied with the demons swarming about him, Malkin resisted drawing nearer to
Lexstriza so that he might get a better opening at launching more offensive spells at her. Malkin understood
that Lexstriza had only a small incentive to divert some of her spell casting from Baelth’Kael to him because
with Malkin unable to control Baelth’Kael, the arch demon would definitely still continue his assault on
Lexstriza. But Malkin was not about to take that chance.
Lexstriza stood slowly, shakily at first, and then with a shake of her head forced herself to straighten and
take stock of the situation at hand. Only a small handful of Lexstriza’s demon warriors remained now, and
Baelth’Kael was picking them off easily, sending limbs and bodies flying alike. The fallen, shorn limbs bubbled
and boiled from the effects of the acidic fire of Baelth’Kael’s blade, and howls of pain and fury from the fallen
and dying demons filled the dark air.
Lexstriza began casting again, and Malkin was not certain who her next spell might be directed at.
Malkin did not want to allow her to finish her spell with ease if her next spell was directed at him. Malkin did
likewise, and began intoning the words to one of his spells as well.
Baelth’Kael had just finished pulling his fiery green blade from the bubbling wound in the last demon
warrior’s chest. The creature howled its last breath of agony before laying still, dead. With all of the demonic
soldiers dead, Baelth’Kael wasted no time in making a charge for Lexstriza, who was nearing the end of her
spellcasting.
Malkin finished his own casting and let loose a gleaming shard of black ice. The shard soared towards
Lexstriza’s position, just as she uttered the final words to her spell. Lexstriza suddenly blinked out of existence,
and Malkin’s icy projectile launched right past where Lexstriza used to be, to finally arc into the ground some
distance behind where she was. Where the shard pierced the ground, the dirt iced over and grey frost rose from
a widening patch of frozen ice that thrust sharp icicles up from the ground that would have stabbed into
Lexstriza had she still been present.

Lexstriza had disappeared so quickly that Malkin did not register the change at first, having to blink to
adjust his eyes to the sudden vanishing act that Lexstriza had performed.
Baelth’Kael slowed his run and stood still, regarding the spot where Lexstriza had been just moments
before with a smirk. The demon released his grip on his flaming sword and it vanished into nothingness as it
fell from his hand, disappearing before it hit the ground.
Malkin slowly approached the arch devil, soul crystal in hand, ready for the next onslaught of spells
from the scheming Lexstriza. “What is she up to?” Malkin asked.
“A cowardly retreat,” Baelth’Kael mocked as he turned toward Malkin.
“How can you be so sure?” Malkin wondered if Baelth’Kael could lie to him when he so controlled the
demon with the soul shard. He knew the demon could not disobey Malkin’s wishes in his desires of his actions,
but did Malkin have control over the demon’s words and honesty?
“I no longer sense Lexstriza’s presence,” Baelth’Kael explained. “And she would have little incentive to
remain here, given our near victory over her. She is not foolish enough to remain and tempt us to finish what
we started, for she would easily perish by my hand.”
“Where has she run off to?” Malkin said angrily, wishing with a passion for Lexstriza’s death.
“Likely back to the Kingdom of Drebula, to lick her wounds. She will be back, however, as you possess
something she wants.”
“And she possesses something I want,” Malkin said. “The bitch still has claim to my soul. I cannot just
wait for her to return, we must pursue her.”
“She now resides in a kingdom full of demonic forces to contend with. Your chances of survival in such
an encounter are poor.”
“That would make your chances of survival equally poor, demon,” Malkin said. “You are going with
me.”
“My chances of survival are better than yours. Lexstriza, and Korbaz as well should he discover my
situation, want me alive. I am a valuable resource. You on the other hand are just a nuisance, to be swatted like
a common insect.”
“Insect or no, Lexstriza must die,” Malkin looked about, as if he might see some cue to where to head to
seek Lexstriza. “I cannot allow Lexstriza to recuperate. Where is this Kingdom of Drebula
“If you insist on venturing into my former kingdom, I suggest you allow me to retake the power I so
graciously bestowed on your young Bethany.”
“Graciously bestowed?” Malkin asked skeptically.
“A misfortunate accident,” Baelth’Kael explained. “I had hoped to bring Bethany back from death as a
simple revenant to slay you and your kin. I had not anticipated that the disruption magics placed on my prison
would let slip so much of my power during the transfer, imbuing the unwitting Bethany with more undead
power than the girl deserved. I am still drained from the efforts.”
“I didn’t see Bethany up in my quarters,” Malkin said. “Hell knows where she’s gone off to.”
“She left on a mere excursion to test the extent of her new abilities.”
“Well I don’t have time for a game of hide and go seek while Lexstriza yet lives. We need to strike now,
and waste no further time.”
“My chances of defeat are greater without the vessel of my powers that is Bethany,” Baelth’Kael
warned.
“I don’t care if you are defeated, and I don’t so much care if I die as well,” Malkin shook the soul crystal
at Baelth’Kael, as if that would make him understand. “Just so long as I take Lexstriza down with me, my soul
is safe. Lexstriza must die, no matter the costs.”
“So it is fear that drives you,” Baelth’Kael smiled his condescension at Malkin. “You’ve lost your
vaunted ambition, and now only seek that which all creatures possess when first entering this world: a soul.
You have fallen so low, mortal.”
“You don’t fully possess your own soul either, demon,” Malkin clutched the soul shard. “Now take me
to Drebula!”
“As you wish, but there is one thing you must know,” the demon gestured towards the soul crystal
Malkin was gripping so tightly. “The souls contained therein are not only able to be used for sacrifices in your
spellwork. The souls can be summoned as well, to serve you as revenants.”

Malkin was about to silence the demon for wasting further of his time with his talk, when the weight of
what Baelth’Kael had told him sunk in. Revenants? Of course, Malkin had almost forgotten. There were
thousands of souls trapped in the confines of the shard. “So I could summon an army of revenants.”
“Not an army, the inherent powers of the crystal can only support the spirits of so many revenants
existing outside its bounds. But a small force could be summoned to do your bidding.”
Malkin wasted no further time talking to the demon, instead probing and piercing the dweomer of the
artifact he held with his mind, seeking the source of souls he had only recently called upon to inflict a
devastating force. Only this time, Malkin did not channel the spiritual energy into a focal point, but rather
released as many individual souls from their imprisonment as he could manage, bringing forth the damned souls
to materialize in the world around him.
A score of silhouetted forms began to take shape all around Malkin. Malkin watched his handiwork
with awe as the shapes blurred from indistinguishable forms to something more humanoid. Finally, as the
blurring shapes and shifting mist began to still, the silhouettes hardened and took the forms they bore in life.
Suddenly a score of soldiers formerly of the Kingdom of Cyrus Alistair stood before Malkin and Baelth’Kael.
The soldiers were whole again and dressed for battle, as they were in life, only their skin held a pallid white
sheen of undeath and their eyes were whiter still, with no pupils or irises to determine in which direction they
were staring.
“You again, traitor!” Malkin heard from one of the revenants as he regarded the source of the familiar
voice off to his side. Before Malkin stood the former king, Cyrus Alistair, that Malkin had so recently ordered
slain by Kroll.
Malkin grinned wickedly, “how can I be a betrayer of you, if I was never on your side to begin with?”
“Free my soul, you insolent worm!” the former king yelled.
“I’d be happy to,” Malkin laughed. “Do you know who would lay claim to it after that?” Malkin
gestured behind the king, where Baelth’Kael was standing.
Cyrus turned and beheld the figure of Baelth’Kael, fear suddenly gripping the outraged king.
Baelth’Kael narrowed his eyes at the king. “Yes, Malkin, do release our old friend Cyrus from your
clutches. I am a far more experienced tormentor of souls, and thus Cyrus would be better handled in my
possession.”
“Back, foul demon!” Cyrus screamed. “You will not take my soul. I will never forget that wretched
contract you deceived me into signing.”
“Your memory of the contract will have no effect on its binding magics,” Baelth’Kael said, amused.
“The services due to you detailed in the contract are void now, in any event, seeing as how you violated it by
fashioning the soul crystal to entrap me.”
“It was no less than you deserved,” Cyrus protested. “That contract voided the very ownership of my
own soul.”
“It’s just business,” the demon explained.
“No it is not, it is my soul!” Cyrus said angrily.
“You’re right, it’s not just business. It is also a great source of enjoyment. I would have made the
torment of your soul as personal as possible.” Baelth’Kael laughed at the look of fear that came over the former
king.
“Yes, yes, I get it,” Malkin said, growing bored with the two enemies’ bickering. “You both betrayed
one another and now have sworn vengeance and have declared war and all that other nonsense that means
nothing coming from two who are now enslaved to another entity: me. Still your tongues, we have much work
to do today.”
“I believe we now have a common enemy, oh King Cyrus Alistair,” Baelth’Kael said to Cyrus.
“Malkin’s presence doesn’t make you any less of an enemy,” Cyrus growled.
“But it does makes me more of an ally,” Baelth’Kael explained. “I cannot claim possession of your
wretched soul until Malkin is dead and the soul crystal is mine, and you cannot be free until the soul crystal is
destroyed. In both our situations, Malkin must die.”
“Perhaps you are right,” Cyrus acceded.
“It doesn’t matter who your enemies are, while I have possession of the soul shard,” Malkin said. “As
long as I wield this artifact, the enemy of us all will be Lexstriza. She will die today.”
“Who?” the former king wondered.
“Another arch demon,” Malkin explained. “Like your good friend Baelth’Kael, over there.”
“Killing demons like you would be a pleasure,” Cyrus said as he regarded Baelth’Kael.
“Get your priorities straight,” came the demon’s retort.
“Your pleasure or displeasure is of no consequence,” Malkin said to Cyrus. “You will do as you are
told, and the more you dislike doing it, the better.” Malkin turned to Baelth’Kael. “Now where is the Kingdom
of Drebula?”
“Ah, so our journey begins,” Baelth’Kael said. “My former kingdom is but only a short journey away.
Follow me.” The demon took stock of his surroundings and then began heading in a direction East in a
purposeful stride.
Malkin, Cyrus, and the small contingent of revenants followed suit.
***
“Does Malkin want to die?” Kroll asked as he regarded the open portal in which Malkin had just made
his hasty exit through.
“If he does, we have something in common,” Adjantis said. “The way he’s been acting recently, I want
him dead too.”
“Guess he went back to Hell to have more fun.”
“I somehow doubt he’s having fun down there.”
“Looks like he took our artifacts with him,” Kroll griped. “How’re we gonna turn them in and collect
our due now?”
“I thought you weren’t in this for the money,” Adjantis pointed out.
“Considering how much ale I plan on drinkin’ tonight, I’m gonna need all the coin I can get.”
“You are going to have to get through those zombies before you get your ale,” Adjantis was listening to
the banging on the door still sounding through the room from the undead outside.
“Too bad the killing of zombies has to come first,” Kroll complained. “I would much prefer to be
pickled drunk while cutting up a horde of undead.”
“As much as I’d like to see that, I don’t think we’ve been given much choice,” Adjantis gestured
towards the exit.
“Those zombies stand between me and my ale!” Kroll yelled, unsheathing both his axes. “They don’t
stand a chance!” Kroll trod to the door leading into the vast hall of the Bureau, where a small force of undead
awaited.
Kroll chopped into the dead bolt sealing the door shut with one of his axes, shearing the lock from the
wood, not bothering to manually unlatch it. Kroll then proceeded to kick the door open, charging into the hall,
axes ready.
Kroll sliced left and right, fending off the flailing swings of the undead, removing limbs from pallid
bodies.
Adjantis stood some distance back, still remaining in Malkin’s room, not wanting to be a part of the
fight. He had his dagger in hand, nonetheless.
“Cease your fighting,” came a familiar feminine voice out in the hall just behind the gang of zombies.
Kroll hesitated a moment as the zombies stopped attacking him. Kroll sliced into a zombie standing
nearby anyway, just for good measure, lopping off its head.
“I said hold your weapons,” said Bethany as zombies parted in the hallway to reveal her standing
amongst them.
“Your asking too much,” Kroll grinned as he regarded the familiar face.
“What in the Hells is going on?” said Adjantis as he peered around the door.
Bethany approached Kroll and Adjantis as her zombie followers shuffled out of her way. “Where’s
Malkin?” Bethany demanded.
“He decided he hadn’t enough of Hell the first time he visited,” Kroll answered.
“What?” Bethany was surprised. “Then Lexstriza got him?”

“Or he got Lexstriza,” Adjantis answered. “He fell into the portal, and retuned from it sometime later.
However, he quickly went right back through it.”
“Why would he do that?” Bethany wondered.
“Does it matter?” Adjantis said, anger rising in his voice. “The man’s mad. Who can say why he does
what he does, and who cares? We’ve clearly been following a mad man who’s taken us to Hell and back, and
likely would send us there again were we to keep waiting for him.”
“Forget Malkin, he’s no longer important,” Bethany firmed her jaw. “Where are the artifacts?”
“Malkin took them with him when he returned to Hell,” Kroll responded. “Now we can’t turn them in
and get paid.”
“Well, suddenly Malkin is important again,” Bethany stroked her chin in thought.
“Um, Bethany,” Adjantis looked nervous in the presence of so many zombies. “Where’d you find these
undead?”
“I didn’t find them, I made them,” Bethany explained. “Now be quiet while I think.”
“Why think when we can get drunk instead?” Kroll had his axes sheathed again. “All this action has
made me thirsty. Let’s forget this nonsense and hit a few taverns.
“You shortsighted dimwit,” Bethany looked up from her thinking. “Do you not realize the power of the
artifacts you let Malkin get away with?”
“Malkin can keep them,” said Kroll. “I’m tired of hearing of those magical trinkets.”
“Think of the power they contain,” Bethany argued. “If I can control a powerful demon lord such as
Baelth’Kael, I can rule this Bureau in no time. With you two by my side, of course.”
“Those items are in Hell again,” Kroll countered.
“Then we’ll just have to go in and get them,” Bethany said.
“Hm, your plan holds merit,” Kroll considered Bethany’s words carefully.
“No it doesn’t,” Adjantis said loudly. “It’s a suicide mission. Corpse-girl is just as crazy as Malkin!”
“Do you really want to be stuck here empty handed and explain your failure to Brundle?” Bethany
asked.
“I am a man of aplomb and grace,” Adjantis regarded himself. “Surely Brundle’s division will forgive a
man of my stature. The rest of you fools I am not so certain about.”
“You are a mere scribe, and soon to be a dead scribe,” Bethany threatened. “Brundle does not value
you.”
“You are oblivious to value, if that is what you think,” Adjantis was not deflated by Bethany’s words.
“If you cannot serve me in life, then you will serve me in death,” Bethany readied her black clawed
hands.
“I will serve no one in death,” Adjantis said, not recognizing what Bethany was intending to do to him.
“Because I do not sell my soul to demons. Seek out Baelth’Kael’s artifact, Bethany, and you will surely lose
what’s left of your-“
Bethany straightened her fingers and held them together in a unified point that she swung up underneath
Adjantis’ head. Her claws stabbed up under Adjantis’ Jaw, lifting him from the ground by Bethany’s powerful
arm. Adjantis squirmed and tried to scream, but was unable to do so as his jaw was pinned shut by his own
weight and Bethany’s sharp talons.
Kroll laughed and forgot all about his desire for ale, so entertained by Bethany’s display of strength.
Slowly, Adjantis’ moans of fear and pain began to slow, and his thrashing about became less intense as
the infection of undeath from Bethany’s claws began to spread through him. Finally, Adjantis stilled, hanging
limply from Bethany’s outstretched arm.
Bethany tossed Adjantis’ dead body to the floor unceremoniously, and waited patiently for him to rise
again.
Kroll looked from Bethany to Adjantis’ body again, not understanding what she was waiting for.
Finally, Adjantis stirred, and returned clumsily to his feet as the zombie he now was.
“Adjantis,” Bethany cooed. “Now do you see the merit in my plans to recapture the artifacts?”
Adjantis groaned, not comprehending Bethany’s words.
“Good you see things my way, my dear Adjantis,” Bethany said with a smile.
“I guess the demon’s powers are more fun than I thought,” Kroll said, a grin still plastered on his face.
“Still think I’m a stupid lout now, Adjantis?” Kroll said, giving the undead Adjantis a slap to the face. Adjantis
just groaned again. Kroll laughed.
“So are you with me, Kroll?” Bethany said, growing bored of the fun at Adjantis’ expense. “Or do you
just have ale on your mind?”
“Oh, babe, you had me when you killed the primping sod here,” Kroll gestured to Adjantis, still standing
and staring off into nothingness.
“Good to hear it,” Bethany smiled evilly. Bethany entered Malkin’s room and regarded the portal
swirling in the middle of Malkin’s ritual chamber. “Now follow me. We’re going to Hell.”
Chapter #10
Bethany regarded the scene before her once reentering the Hell world from the swirling portal. She
walked around the two score of demon corpses strewn about the dirt and rock of the landscape. Bethany
inspected the ape-like demon’s lanky muscled arms, thick ram’s horns curling about their heads, and sharp tusks
jutting from their protruding lower jaws.
“Looks like we missed all the fun,” Kroll said, kicking one of the demons’ severed heads, sending it
rolling across the dirt and leaving a trail of grey blood.
Bethany’s dozen or so zombies milled about behind her, still near the portal from which they had
entered.
“Someone did our dirty work for us,” Kroll sounded disappointed.
“This demonic force was formerly under Lexstriza’s command,” Bethany recalled.
“They’re not under her command anymore,” Kroll said.
“No, they are not,” Bethany agreed. “But who’s to say that they cannot be commanded any longer?”
“I’ll say it, and I’ll show you,” Kroll said, not understanding the direction of Bethany’s train of thought.
“Get up, and do some tricks for me,” Kroll yelled at one of the more intact corpses on the ground. The demon’s
body just lay there.
Bethany placed her hands on her hips, glaring at Kroll.
“See Bethany, they can no longer be commanded,” Kroll chortled to himself. “But let me try something
else.” Kroll turned from Bethany and regarded the same demon body lying in the dirt. “Play dead!” Kroll
yelled and waited. The demon remained dead.
“Hey, it worked,” Kroll said, pleased with himself. “I’m a necromancing genius.”
“No, you idiot,” Bethany scolded. “If I can raise Adjantis as a zombie, who’s to say I can’t raise these
demons?”
“Oh,” said Kroll, understanding coming to him.

“I am uncertain if demons are necromantically any different from humans,” Bethany pondered to
herself. “And I’m ever more uncertain of whether I can bring the dead to life after they’ve been dead already for
awhile.”
“There’s only one way to find out,” Kroll said. “Make these puppets dance for your good friend Kroll!”
Bethany eyed the dead demonic bodies as a child would eye toys in a toy shop. She navigated her way
around the mess of bodies towards the more intact one Kroll had attempted to command. She knelt beside it,
and traced her taloned index finger along its pale muscled body.
Bethany then extended all of her fingers and raked her claws along the dead creature’s exposed and
fleshy shoulder, leaving four long cuts. The outer skin of the demon was a pale white, but the flesh underneath,
which Bethany’s claws had revealed, were a darker shade of grey. The blood that slowly began to form around
the wound was an even darker grey.
Bethany stood back up on her feet, and watched the corpse lie there, patiently waiting.
Moments passed, and Kroll watched as well, although less patiently. “Hurry up, puppet,” Kroll said,
getting bored. “Dance for me!”
“It would not be your puppet,” Bethany hissed. “Now be silent, or I will turn you undead, and soon you
will be the one to dance for my amusement.”
“You don’t have to kill me to make me dance, girl,” Kroll was not deterred. “I’ll do a little jig for you
now if you’d like.” Kroll held up his arms, actually prepared to dance.
The corpse on the ground moved, and Bethany turned her glaring face away from Kroll and watched the
body intently. Sure enough, the long arms of the body began to seek around on the dirt for support, and the
short legs kicked outward sluggishly, trying to find footing.
Bethany’s eyes widened and her lips curled upwards in satisfaction at the sight before her. “Rise, my
minion,” Bethany called to the writhing form of the demon corpse. The demonic corpse soon found its footing
and pushed itself up with its long arms into a standing position.
Bethany was pleased that she finally had the privilege of commanding others. Finally, after a lifetime of
servitude and obedience, Bethany could control and command anyone or anything, just so long as she could kill
them. And to add to Bethany’s fortune, her undead strength made killing others many times easier. But
Bethany wasn’t satisfied. She wanted more. She would raise this entire force of former demon soldiers, and
she would soon possess the demon lord Baelth’Kael, who would serve her. Not the other way around.
Kroll was thoroughly entertained by the undead demon standing at ease before Bethany. “Hey, who do
you think would win in a fight?” Kroll asked. “This demon-zombie, or three human zombies?”
Bethany didn’t answer. Instead she quickly set out flicking her claws at each exposed demon corpse in
methodical order. Bethany was careful to cut each demon body in order vertically from top to bottom, then left
to right, in neat columns. Bethany did not want to miss a single corpse. Even the decapitated corpses with
missing limbs and heads Bethany sliced with her sharp talons. If some could not walk or keep up with her, it
was no consequence to Bethany. Bethany wanted followers. As many followers as possible.
Not only did she want the power of commanding a large force of the demonic undead, but she also
wanted the best fighting chance against Lexstriza or Malkin or whoever had the artifacts she sought now.
“Make them fight,” Kroll said as Bethany continued her routine of raising the dead.
“They’re not here for your amusement,” Bethany said without looking up from her work.
“Then why bother resurrecting them?” Kroll didn’t quit.
“Think of the big picture Kroll, if you are capable of thought at all.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Kroll casually dismissed Bethany’s response with a wave of his hand. “The artifacts, the
demon slave, controlling the Bureau, the power, blah blah blah.” Kroll was standing before the risen demon,
trying to make eye contact with it. Its small eyes hidden behind a prominent brow did not regard Kroll,
however. “The thing about all that power, Bethany, is that is has to be maintained. The more power, the more
work you have to commit to keep it all. And the thing about work is that it’s boring.”
More demon bodies began to rise, and the ones that rose milled about mindlessly, as the human zombies
were doing as well nearby.
Kroll was still staring at the first risen undead demon, eying it half-interestedly. “What would happen if
I punched this walking corpse in the face?” Kroll called out to Bethany. “Would it defend itself, or would it
only fight me if you so commanded it?”

“Try it and find out,” Bethany was almost done with her work of infecting the field of bodies.
Kroll complied, and threw a heavy-fisted punch right between the eyes of the demonic zombie. The
demon stumbled a few steps back, then looked up, apparently finally seeing Kroll for the first time. The demon
groaned in a deep, throaty voice that sounded wet and angry.
The demon swung one of its lanky arms towards Kroll as one might swing a flail at an opponent. Kroll
was knocked in the side of the head, launching him into a stumble where he barely regained his foot in time not
to fall over.
Kroll rubbed his head. “So that’s how you want to play it, eh?” Kroll put up his fists, prepared to throw
more punches the demon’s way.
“Knock it off, moron,” Bethany said as she returned to Kroll, her work apparently finished. All around
them more and more dead were rising.
“He started it,” Kroll said, pointing an accusing finger the demon’s way. The demon was no longer
looking at Kroll, apparently having forgotten he existed.
Bethany observed that some of the more decapitated demons were not rising. They remained there on
the ground, as if nothing had happened to them.
“Looks like the more missing limbs means a decreased chance of rising from the dead,” Bethany
observed. “Makes sense, given that total dismemberment kills a zombie. It would follow then that total
dismemberment prevents one from being raised in the first place.”
“Total dismemberment, eh?” Kroll was still glaring at the demon who’d hit him. “I’ve someone I’d like
to test out your theory on.”
“Leave my minions alone,” Bethany said. “Remember what our mission is.”
“I don’t like having to remember things,” Kroll groused.
“Then leave the thinking to me, and do as I say,” Bethany cupped her hand over her eyes, shielding them
from the glare of the red hazy light that filled the atmosphere of the Hell world as she viewed the surrounding
area.
All of the dead demons capable of rising again had risen now, and were standing at attention. Or at least
they were at some semblance of attention, shuffling about on their feet and knuckles aimlessly.
“Gather, my minions,” Bethany called as she looked back to her newly risen horde. There were now a
score of demonic undead at her command. Excitement filled Bethany as she thought of the possibilities, and of
her future. Bethany felt her future now looked bright, and she intended to make it brighter still. The future was
important to Bethany.
At Bethany’s call, both demonic undead and human zombie alike began to slowly fill the gap between
them and their new master, Bethany, rallying to her.
“They don’t move quickly enough,” Kroll complained. “How are we going to catch Malkin if we have
to drag these things along?”
“Patience, Kroll,” Bethany urged. “Slow but steady, towards our goal; given time coupled with
unwavering effort we shall be victorious. I have all the time in the world. I am immortal now, after all.”
“Well I’m not,” Kroll snorted. “I don’t have so much time to kill, and I’d be much preferring to kill
someone else’s time than my own.”
“I could turn you undead, if you’d like. Then you’d be immortal. I don’t think the transformation
would have much of an impact on your intelligence or personality, either. So what do you say?”
“Let’s just get on with this trek,” Kroll said, defeated. “Where do we start looking for Malkin?”
“It’s not Malkin we seek,” Bethany corrected. “It is the artifacts. Judging by the number of slaughtered
demons here, it would seem something killed all of Lexstriza’s troops, and I think I know what. If Malkin
traveled back to this Hell dimension with the artifacts in hand, as you mentioned, then he certainly must have
unleashed the enslaved Baelth’Kael on Lexstriza and her force.
“Amazing, the power he wields,” Bethany said in awe. “To wipe out an entire contingent of demonic
warriors and drive off Lexstriza herself with the control of a single artifact.”
“And you’ll be defeating Malkin where these demons failed?” Kroll asked skeptically. “Defeating him
with the demons he’s already slaughtered once?”
“Yes,” Bethany answered simply.

“Okay,” Kroll said, not questioning Bethany further. “I like the way you think.”
“Truly now, this is not the same force that Malkin fought before,” Bethany went on to explain anyway.
“My minions require complete decapitation to defeat. Furthermore, with me leading them, the more we kill
during our trials, the more I can raise to serve me. I can replenish my troops in no time. Constant warfare will
only make my force stronger, while my enemies slowly grow weaker.”
“This hard packed dirt and rock doesn’t leave many foot prints,” Kroll observed of the ground in the
environment. “How do we follow Malkin, or whoever now has your new toy?”
“I am connected to Baelth’Kael, in a way,” Bethany explained. “He gave me of his own Hellish powers,
powers which still bear his taint. I am a part of Baelth’Kael, and can sense the rest of Baelth’Kael’s essence. I
can sense his direction, and this connection will take me right to him. I am certain the soul crystal will be
nearby once we locate him.”
Bethany squinted her eyes East of her position, gazing out into the vast distance. She nodded for Kroll
to follow, and began heading out onto the horizon. Kroll kept pace with her, and Bethany’s small force of
undead followed as well, although farther behind.
***
A gust of wind began to flow and circle about the dark room, although there were no windows open for
air to pass through. The wind swirled in circles and concentrated around a circle of white chalky runes on the
hard stone floor. The runes formed a wide circle in sharp angular patters the width of which several men could
stand within. The flow of air began to take on a gaseous density, and spiraled into a point in the ground in the
center of the rune circle.
Lightning formed amidst the condensing cloud of vapor in the center of the room that struck the floor
angrily. Some loose parchments and scrolls blew off of a shelf nearby and were caught up in the small
whirlwind around the rune circle.

With one last strike of lightning directly into the center of the white circle, the clouds expanded and
dissipated in a flash of light. When the mist settled, Lexstriza was kneeling in the center of the circle.
Lexstriza stood abruptly, immediately planning her next moves. She had been wise to construct such a
magical circle of power. With it drawn up on the stone floor of an antechamber to her domain, she could
teleport to it from any location in the multiverse. It was a highly valued escape route Lexstriza had used several
times in the previous eons to free herself of some difficult situations. The portal also worked both ways, and
Lexstriza could use it to return to the last visited location from which she used the portal to travel back to her
base with.
However, Lexstriza despised being forced to use such magics, for the teleportation circle was used
almost exclusively for retreat. Lexstriza did not like retreat, because it was evidence of mistakes made.
Lexstriza had few hesitations about taking whatever avenues she had available for self preservation, even if it
meant running in the face of danger. There was no embarrassment in retreat, because self preservation was far
more important than saving face. Pride was illogical; because pride is by definition the overvaluation of self
worth. Overvaluing something meant misunderstanding that something, and misunderstanding was ignorant.
Lexstriza depended on being right and on having knowledge.
And that understanding was the true reason for Lexstriza’s anger at her circumstances. Having to use
the portal to escape meant she made some mistakes, that she overestimated her abilities. And more importantly,
she underestimated this meddling Malkin, a mere mortal.
Lexstriza had failed to consider all of the possibilities. Lexstriza’s oversight was clear to her now. Of
course Malkin might use his newfound control over Lexstriza’s former master, Baelth’Kael, against her. What
choice did she give Malkin, really? Any self respecting demonologist would understand Lexstriza would not
give back his soul so easily.
Lexstriza should have killed Malkin when she had the chance, and used one of her transmogrification
spells to assume the shape of a human. Lexstriza could have even assumed the shape of Malkin. From there
she could have infiltrated Malkin’s home world, where she might capture Baelth’Kael’s artifacts herself.
But instead Lexstriza assumed instilling fear of eternal punishment would be enough cow Malkin into
servitude. Lexstriza’s pride had almost cost her her life. Lexstriza needed to remember that personal
satisfaction came a distant second to basic survival. The luxury of pride had to be earned.
And now Lexstriza was stuck with a dilemma. She was back in her domain at the Kingdom of Drebula,
with only failure to report back to Lord Korbaz. Lexstriza was willing to accept her own failure, but she wasn’t
certain Korbaz would be so forgiving. Lexstriza considered taking more troops from the Drebulan barracks and
using her two-way portal to return to the scene of her encounter with Baelth’Kael. However, Lexstriza would
be unable to do this without accountability. The troops, or any resources provided by Lord Korbaz’ authority,
were strictly watched and monitored, and inputs and outputs of these resources were recorded as was required
by law. Lexstriza would have to sign a custody log for the number of troops she took on her excursions.
Lexstriza was left with little choice. Lexstriza may have desired the ability to admit error to herself, but
to admit error to another was a separate matter entirely. Understanding one’s own weaknesses was paramount,
so that one may learn how to be able to overcome those weaknesses. It was poor judgment indeed to overreach
one’s limits. But to admit error to anther meant revealing weaknesses that could be exposed and exploited.
Lexstriza would have preferred to keep her failure a secret.
But that was not an option, for Korbaz would find out sooner or later. Lexstriza had no intention of
fleeing from the inevitable. She would have to endure whatever punishments Korbaz desired of her. However,
Lexstriza would attempt to spin her tales in a light favorable to her situation. Truth was important, but only if
she understood that truth, and everyone else’s understanding be damned.
She composed herself, and began heading towards Lord Korbaz’ throne room.
***
“You return to me,” Korbaz said in a voice that betrayed no emotion. Korbaz’ skull of a face glared at
Lexstriza as she entered his throne room. His one elongated skinless and clawed hand twitched idly as it rested
on the arm of his throne. “I trust Baelth’Kael has been slain?”

“I regret to inform you that I may have only weakened him during his transformation,” Lexstriza said
with a bow.
“What!” Korbaz yelled as he stood from his seat. “I don’t want him weakened, I want him destroyed.
The weak can grow strong if left alone for too long. How dare you return to me without Baelth’Kael’s head!”
“The news is not all bad,” Lexstriza said calmly, unflinching from Korbaz’ burning red stare from
behind the eye sockets of his bare skull. “The purpose of Baelth’Kael’s transformation was to grow strong and
anew like never before. That transformation has been delayed significantly by my efforts.”
“Delayed?” Korbaz remained standing. “I don’t ask for delays, I ask for results. I don’t need time, you
wretched imp, I need results. Results are real, and delays are just extensions of time, the end of which may not
be the results I desire. How dare you deny me what I desire?”
“I’ve assassinated Baelth’Kael’s mortal acolytes,” Lexstriza went on to explain, even though Korbaz
was not demanding an explanation, only expressing his rage. “With his followers disposed of, there was no
present means to enact Baelth’Kael’s transformation. To defend himself from my onslaught, he had to return in
the flesh as he was before, not as he intended to be. It will be a great while before he is able to restart the
rebirthing process.”
“Back as he was before?” Korbaz raged, stepping closer towards Lexstriza. “What he was before was
still a threat to my throne! You’ve brought me no new information. What that nuisance Baelth’Kael was before
was what I expected to begin with. I will eat your face right off of your screaming skull!” Korbaz threatened.
Lexstriza recalled what Baelth’Kael had told Malkin during her fight with them both. Apparently
Baelth’Kael was weakened during the fight from some sort of transfer of his power to a woman named Bethany.
That would have explained why Lexstriza was almost victorious during her confrontation with her former
master. Almost victorious.
Lexstriza decided to mix in some truth with her lies, to perhaps spin a more convincing story. Lexstriza
still intended to keep the existence of the soul crystal a secret from Lord Korbaz, but that didn’t mean she’d
have to keep everything a secret.
“Actually, Baelth’Kael is not exactly as he was before,” Lexstriza said to her master.
“Don’t toy with me, you maggot, explain yourself,” Korbaz interrupted Lexstriza before she could go on
to explain herself anyway.
“To my understanding,” Lexstriza continued. “Baelth’Kael had bestowed a portion of his powers to a
follower of his, by the name of Bethany. While Bethany yet lives, Baelth’Kael remains slightly weaker than he
was before. He can more easily be stopped in his current state.”
“So you’re telling me that the only good news to come of this was not of your doing?” Korbaz asked
rhetorically. “Were you the one to transfer Baelth’Kael’s powers out of him? Were you the one to make him
weaker? You have done nothing of any use to me, but report meaningless tidbits of information that could have
more easily been acquired from my spies. You will beg for death if you continue to fail me!”
Continue to fail Lord Korbaz, Lexstriza thought? That was assuming Korbaz was willing to give
Lexstriza a second chance in which she would be able to continue to fail him. That sounded good, to
Lexstriza’s thinking. Lexstriza decided to play off of that momentum.
“And I promise you, Lord Korbaz, should I fail you again, I will submit to my much deserved
punishments willingly,” Lexstriza bowed her head. “But all of that must wait, for as I’ve already mentioned,
Baelth’Kael’s rebirthing has only been delayed. Time is of the essence, and I must hurry to put a more
permanent end to Baelth’Kael’s interference.”
“Get out of my sight, and stop wasting my time,” Korbaz dropped back into a seated position on his
throne, his fingers clutching to the armrests so tightly they trembled with barely contained rage. “Make
Baelth’Kael die, no matter what it may cost you. Disappoint me again and you will suffer for so long that every
memory in your head will be replaced with feelings of pain. You will know only pain.”
Lexstriza bowed, and hurried out of Lord Korbaz’ room before the volatile demon lord could change his
mind. Lexstriza was pleased with how things went. She was headed to the barracks to gather more soldiers to
fight for her. From there she would use the portal in her private chambers to teleport with her contingent of
troops back to the scene she had originally fled.
From there, Lexstriza would track Malkin down, and slay him outright. She would swarm all of her
troops on the mortal at once, ensuring he died as quickly as possible. Baelth’Kael would have to be attended to
only after Malkin was finished. In a way, Malkin was a greater threat to Lexstriza than Baelth’Kael, since he
controlled the arch demon.
Since Lexstriza had made the mistake of stealing Malkin’s soul, she had left the mortal with nothing to
lose. An enemy with nothing to lose was not always a bad thing, but when that enemy controlled a fellow
demon lord, she had better be prepared to defend herself. With Baelth’Kael fighting for him, Malkin was just as
powerful as the demon would be alone. Only Malkin had a stronger incentive to see Lexstriza dead.
That was why Malkin had to die first, for Baelth’Kael very well might flee should Malkin’s hold on him
cease with the ending of Malkin’s life. But Malkin would be hunting Lexstriza down, no matter the
consequences, and never fleeing.
And if Lexstriza was quick enough, she could take from Malkin his possession of the soul shard, and in
one fell swoop end the tiresome Malkin and take control of Baelth’Kael. However, once Malkin was slain or
once the artifact had been removed from his possession, Lexstriza would have to be quick, for Baelth’Kael
would no longer remain enslaved. Baelth’Kael might make a grab for the artifacts himself once they were
wrested from Malkin’s grasp. But certainly, Lexstriza had to target Malkin first.
Malkin had to die. If anything came of this, Lexstriza wanted Malkin’s soul more than ever now. It
would be the hardest Lexstriza had ever worked for a single mortal soul, but oh did she want it. If she survived
all of this, she would savor the revenge she would have over Malkin.
But the luxury of such an indulgence could wait. The most important prize she sought was the soul
shard. With the shard in hand, Lexstriza would be unstoppable in her pursuit of usurping Korbaz’ throne. The
power gained from such a position would grant her many lifetimes of luxury, and the difficulties of survival
would be only a distant memory.
***
The fiery sky loomed over Malkin, and rigid sharp rocks hurt his feet as he endlessly trekked along the
rocky landscape of the Hell world. This Hellish world was a constant reminder of what awaited him should he
be stupid enough to die. His soul was only his so long as he remained alive, and remaining alive in Hell was no
easy feat. Malkin’s muscles ached and he was weary with fatigue, but there was no time to rest. If he played
his hand well, his suffering would only be temporary as he’d be allowed to return to his home world, soul intact.
But if he failed, his suffering would know no end.
Malkin took heart in the fact that the force that traveled with him knew no fatigue. Baelth’Kael, the
demon, did not require rest or sleep, as a demon forged amidst the evil of Hell was made of pure malevolence,
and malevolence never rested, never paused, and never hesitated. Malkin’s summoned revenants did not require
rest either, being beings undeath as they were. The dead, like demons, never slept. Death just was, it did not
need time to regenerate.
Malkin envied his forces endurance, and realized his current fatigue was a significant disadvantage. He
decided it was time to rest after all. But Malkin was not about to lie down and take a nap, not when he had the
soul crystal in his possession. The crystal held many souls, and Malkin was adept in demonic magics that dealt
with souls. Malkin could destroy a single soul contained within and draw its life-energy forth from it to
spiritually feed upon. Malkin could feed on souls as a demon could.
“Hold,” Malkin called to his force. “I must regenerate my reserves of energy.”
“Growing tired, mortal?” Baelth’Kael asked with condescension in his voice. “Get used to it, for
Lexstriza will never grow tired of your screams.”
“It will not come to that,” Malkin said more confidently than he felt. “Give me a moment,” Malkin
commanded as he grasped the soul shard in one hand and caressed it with the other.”
“What are you doing?” Cyrus asked.
“Ah, he intends to feed on one of his entrapped souls,” Baelth’Kael realized. “Perhaps you should share
some with me, Malkin.”
“Those are not his souls!” the former king protested. “Those are my people, and my people are mine by
right of birth. It offends me that my property must be sacrificed by this usurper.”
A white mist permeated the exterior of the crystal, a soul rising from its prison. Malkin inhaled strongly
of the spiritual energy.

“Malkin is your king now,” Baelth’Kael laughed. “You have been reduced to a lowly serf. Birth rights
should have nothing to do with power. Action and action alone determine your standing in the world. And your
actions have proven you are weak and unfit to rule.”
“My blood is royalty, and that is action enough,” Cyrus protested.
“Your blood is only fit to be spilled at your feet,” Baelth’Kael said.
Malkin’s chest puffed out and he stood up straight. A warm tingling sensation filled his veins as his
energy was revitalized and the malaise was lifted from his mind. Malkin could sense the fear of the soul he had
consumed as it was utterly destroyed, and Malkin smiled.
“You’re no less of a serf than I am, by your reasoning,” Cyrus pointed out to Baelth’Kael. “Malkin
would be your king as well.”
“But not all servants are created equal,” the demon retorted. “Whether I am a servant or am free, I am
still more powerful than you.”
“Because you were born a demon?” Cyrus asked.
“There is no comparison between mortals and beings such as myself,” the demon glared at Cyrus.
“Then it is your birth that makes you powerful, is it not?” Cyrus said. “Not action, but birth.”
“Your argument is specious,” Baelth’Kael grinned, amused at the reasoning of a mortal. “My power by
birth is useless without action. There have been many arch demons to fall dead due to their own foolishness.”
Malkin dusted himself off after regaining his energy, realizing he had become somewhat unkept during
his lengthy journey through Hell. Malkin then resumed his walk towards the direction he’d been heading
before, the way Baelth’Kael had informed him was the direction of Drebula. Malkin’s traveling force,
Baelth’Kael and Cyrus included, began to follow suit, unable to abandon their current master.
Cyrus and the former demon lord continued their arguing, however, as Malkin had not yet demanded
they remain silent.
“Are you not among those foolish arch demons?” Cyrus questioned. “You lost your soul to me, as I
entrapped it within your statue prison. You lost your own kingdom, Drebula, in the process.”
“As you lost your soul to the shard Malkin now bears,” Baelth’Kael reminded Cyrus. “However, my
strike against you was more worthy, as your entire kingdom was laid to waste. My kingdom remains intact.”
“It is not your kingdom any longer!” Cyrus yelled.
“No kingdom is permanent,” Baelth’Kael said, unmoved by the fallen king’s anger. “The world cannot
press on without wars and conquest to upheave the status quo. The only constant is change, the only true desire
that can prevail in our multiverse is hatred and ambition for more than one already has. Kingdoms are forged
and broken by the will of the stronger power, and the strength of one’s power is not constant, as kingdoms are
not constant.
“Our existence is a maelstrom of change and malcontent. The only winners are those that capitalize on
the ever present advantages that come of that change. It is only a matter of time before I retake my kingdom,
for I am eternal, and Malkin’s reign over me will end in time.”
“What was that?” Cyrus asked. “I wasn’t listening. Something about how you lost your kingdom?”
“You bore me,” Baelth’Kael turned his attention away from Cyrus and focused it in front of him,
surveying the horizon. “It will not be much longer until we have arrived at my kingdom,” the demon informed
Malkin. “It will likely come to pass that you must battle with Lexstriza a second time. You will have your
chance to slay her.”
“I don’t intend to do the bulk of the fighting,” Malkin corrected. “Why lift a finger when I can get
lackeys to do all the heavy lifting for me?”
“Lackey?” Cyrus blurted, never having been referred to as such before. “In my time you would have
been forced to grovel at my feet, wizard!”
“Well your time is over,” Malkin said without looking behind him. “As Baelth’Kael has informed you,
times change. Now it is you who can be made to grovel. Speaking of which, I could command you to grovel
even now, by right of the soul crystal.”
“Don’t you dare,” Cyrus warned impotently.
“Don’t worry,” Malkin said. “That fun can wait until after Lexstriza is dead.”
Malkin pushed such thoughts of forcing his soul servants into embarrassing acts of servitude from his
mind. He did not want to squander any precious time while his current quest remained so imperative and at the
forefront of his thoughts.
Malkin was pleased to hear from Baelth’Kael that he neared his destination. Or at least Malkin hoped
Drebula was his destination. Would Lexstriza remain idle in the relative safety of her Hellish city while she
knew Malkin possessed such powerful artifacts that could be used to threaten her very life? Malkin was
proceeding on with mere guesses to guide his improvised plans. Malkin was unaccustomed to having such a
haphazard agenda.
But his circumstances in his short mortal life were unusual and had no precedent. Perhaps Baelth’Kael
was partly correct, that nothing is constant and victory went to those who could adapt. Although Malkin had no
intention of remaining in such chaotic times and in such an unpredictable environment if he could help it; and
he had to help it. True enough, turmoil and discord culled those too rigid to change from the fight. But who
says turmoil and discord had to be the natural state of things?
Malkin longed for the routine and predictability of the Bureau of Metaphysics Research. There someone
like him could rise through the ranks of the hierarchy with methodical ease. Malkin intended to return there,
but not until he regained possession of his soul. And whether he might succeed in such efforts was no
predictable thing.
***
With a crackle of energy, Lexstriza was returned to the scene of her initial defeat, another two score of
demonic troops in tow. The unexpectedness of the environment did not strike Lexstriza at first, and she
squinted her eyes in concentration. Lexstriza noticed something was wrong about the scene before her.
Her previous contingent of troops was missing! Lexstriza realized with a frown. There was but a paltry
handful of body parts strewn across the field, with blood pooling around other places where other demon
corpses should have been.

Malkin’s portal was still hovering above the ground a short distance away. Lexstriza understood Malkin
was a demonologist of some kind, but was he also a necromancer? Would Malkin have had the bodies of her
fallen soldiers brought through the portal back to his home world, to be experimented on? What would Malkin
want with them? Or perhaps it was Malkin’s betrayers; the former associates Malkin had been traveling with
that supposedly had stolen the artifacts from him and cast him through the portal, discarding him.
Lexstriza was about to cast a spell to shape shift into a smaller form resembling a human, so that she
might pass through the portal and investigate Malkin’s world. However, some prints in the packed dirt around
where the demonic fallen corpses had once been caught Lexstriza’s eye. She inspected the ground, and it
almost looked as if one of the demonic corpses had returned to its feet and walked again.
If that observation was correct, necromancy was at work here. Lexstriza cast a simple cantrip that
would cause any undead energies to become visible to the naked eye. Undeath did not just return the soul to a
creature’s dead body, it filled it with dark energies that were the very substance of undeath. If one’s soul bore
the taint of these dark energies, then the natural requirements for life, such as food and water, were no longer
necessary. The blight of undeath warped the very fabric of nature, as the unnatural force that it was, twisting a
creature into something quite different than what it was in life.
Sure enough, a faint violet glow that twisted and turned in wispy shapes permeated the area near
Lexstriza where corpses had once lain. It was the faint trace of undeath, residually remaining but slowly
dissipating back into the dimension from which it was drawn.
Lexstriza’s demon soldiers reared back and stepped away from the now visible traces of undeath, not
comprehending its true nature.
“Get back, you fools,” Lexstriza commanded to her minions, wishing for them to clear away from the
traces of magic. The demons obediently complied, stepping out of the wispy essence of undeath as it licked at
the legs of those who tread near it. As her soldiers moved back, they revealed that the residual energies trailed
off into the East, until dissipating into nothingness.
East? Lexstriza thought. The newly resurrected undead apparently were headed straight for Drebula,
and Lexstriza thought she knew why. Malkin had not taken the dead bodies back into his home world, he had
resurrected them and marched them straight for Drebula, where Malkin likely assumed Lexstriza resided even
now.
No mere mortal could have raised such a force so easily, and it was certain that Malkin had used the
demon, Baelth’Kael, and his powers, to do so. Even in Baelth’Kael’s weakened state, he could still wield such
powerful magics as to raise a score of demonic warriors from the grave. Lexstriza might be even harder pressed
to kill Malkin outright than she thought, with a retinue of demonic undead at his command, ready to defend
him.
And this Malkin had surprised Lexstriza yet again, as the human had apparently sought her out straight
to her home city. Malkin’s daring reeked of desperation, and surely that was what motivated the demonologist.
While such fear might cloud one’s judgment, it still could make a deadly foe given he had little to lose.
Lexstriza considered releasing her claim on Malkin’s soul, which might put an end to his interference
with her plans. However, that might allow Malkin the sense he needed to flee her world in Hell and return to
his home, to wait and bide his time. Without eternal damnation hanging over his head, what motive would he
have to remain here? What purpose might he have in wishing another encounter with Lexstriza ever again?
He would be free of Lexstriza, and still possess the artifacts she sought. Malkin would be much more
difficult to find in the mortal world. But here in Hell, where demons such as Lexstriza reigned, Lexstriza had
the upper hand. Malkin was stuck in an unfamiliar and hostile world, where he very well might die without
Lexstriza’s help.
Yes, these circumstances were not such a bad thing, and Malkin’s current desperation would be
Lexstriza’s advantage. Lexstriza probably did not even have to seek Malkin out, for he would come right to her.
She considered only briefly teleporting back to Drebula to await Malkin out, but quickly decided against it.
Drebula was where Lord Korbaz resided, and Lexstriza did not want to bring the inevitable fight to his kingdom
if she could help it. Angering the demon lord further would be inconvenient.
“Move out,” Lexstriza ordered her followers as she began to head East, in the direction the trail of
undeath led. Lexstriza intended to intercept Malkin in his journey towards Drebula. This trail of undeath was
still fresh, and if Lexstriza hurried, she could catch up to Malkin and his score of undead in only a short matter
of time.
There she would make an immediate assault on Malkin himself, all her troops and all her spells
swarming on Malkin and Malkin alone, regardless of the undead or Baelth’Kael himself coming to his defense.
It was only a matter of time before Malkin was dead.
***
“It is before you,” Baelth’Kael said, explaining the obvious as Malkin and his revenants witnessed what
was undoubtedly the Kingdom of Drebula shortly in the distance. The city was surrounded by an outer ring of
dark brick walls supported with iron posts ribbing the exterior of the wall every dozen feet around it. The iron
posts jutted up above the walls and ended in sharp curving spikes. The tops of the structure was laden with
more barbed spikes made of both steel and stone, jutting from various angles in various directions in various
shapes and sizes.
The walls were so tall as to nearly conceal the city behind them, but into the distance Malkin could see
tall twisting spires and towers, adorned with flags representing various factions within the city, and also adorned
with what were likely hanging bodies. Whether hung there as a message to a faction’s enemies or merely as
decoration, Malkin could not say.
Malkin spotted an open gateway leading into the entrance of the city up ahead, two guards posted in
front of it. Malkin was not yet near enough to the gate to see what nature of demon guarded the city gates.
“A city of demons,” Malkin said, in awe of what he was about to witness. For decades Malkin had
studied demons impersonally within the safety of his own lab or office. Infrequently he conversed with some
by either summoning them or making temporary telepathic connections to their worlds. Malkin had researched
at length cities such as this, the Kingdom of Drebula, but never had Malkin expected to ever visit one.
As to be expected, Malkin’s profession meant he had a found interest in the infernal. The power demons
held, and the tireless determination they bore in using the power they held to attain yet more power, was an
enticing and fascinating area of study for Malkin.
Malkin was not fond of travel. He scoffed at the more restless amongst his past associates who
professed desires to travel the world and see new sights. Malkin strongly believed that more could be learned
by reading a single book about a foreign culture than one could ever hope to learn by actually visiting the
territory of that culture. Vacations were just a bunch of pretty sights and noises, but without the descriptive
narration of an actual tome of lore, little knowledge was gained from merely witnessing the home of a society.
A picture was not worth a thousand words, a picture was worth one word. Each word itself was a picture,
because each word can be imagined visually. A book is worth a thousand pictures.
Malkin had preferred the impersonal nature and cold impassioned seclusion in his study area, detached
from the object of study but still learning a great deal from it. Cold and impersonal was Malkin’s style. But
drawing nearer to the city of Drebula, an unfamiliar excitement filled Malkin. He was soon to be visiting a
civilized demonic city, as civilized as demons go. Malkin had never even considered this as a possibility
before, understanding the inherent danger of a mortal wandering into a civilization of Hell. Mortals tended to
be property in such civilizations.
Malkin understood the nature of demons better than anyone. They were fiercely competitive, dangerous,
and maleficent. They would sooner destroy something than build it. But sure enough, Malkin was familiar with
the counterintuitive fact that demons did in fact establish civilizations. They did not just destroy; they could
create weapons, cities, organizations, and even art. While their creations were invariably created for selfish or
destructive purposes, with a macabre twist, they were creations nonetheless. And that fascinated Malkin
profoundly.
Malkin would sooner create than destroy. Malkin desired the security of order and civilization and laws.
But Malkin also enjoyed power and knowledge, and that led him to study things demonic. And when Malkin’s
passion for civilization and lust for power was beheld with one single concept, such as a demonic city, Malkin’s
interest was held. Demonic cities were a fond understanding for Malkin.
And soon Malkin would be inside this city, a city created by demons.
“How do you intend to enter, Malkin?” Baelth’Kael asked. “Mortals do not fare well in my kingdom.”
“Inform the guards that you are a trader in souls,” Malkin ordered. Malkin wondered if his control over
the demon would extend beyond mere fighting and following to include dialog and deceit as well. Could
Malkin really demand the demon put his efforts into such actions, actions that were more complex than simply
slaying an opponent outright. “We are here to sell these revenants in the Merchant’s Quarter,” Malkin
explained.
“A king cannot be bought or sold,” Cyrus sounded annoyed. “This is ludicrous.”
“Actually, your royal blood would make you a highly profitable trade,” Baelth’Kael corrected. “At least
your royal birth is good for something.”
“Slaves do not talk,” Malkin growled at Cyrus. “And they especially do not talk back. Not in a
demonic city such as this. Keep silent, or I shall banish you back to the soul crystal.”
Cyrus looked as if he was about to respond, but Malkin’s control over him prevented him from doing so.
The king just glowered at Malkin.
“Will the citizens recognize you?” Malkin asked Baelth’Kael. “You ruled here once.”
“As I shall again,” Baelth’Kael said confidently. “But it has been millennia since last I made this
kingdom my own, and few will remember me. Demons may be immortal, but few of the lesser demons survive
for long. Old age does not kill demons, demons kill demons. They prey on one another in a beautiful cycle of
culling the weak and bearing the strong atop of them to reign for eons to come.
“Many of the common civilians are either dead or gone. Civilization is no permanent thing, and a
demon residing in such a civilization is no more permanent. My fellows are restless, always seeking new
opportunities in a shifting world. Many that survive do not stay put for long.
“Still, someone is bound to recognize one as great as I should we tarry here long enough. Nothing is for
certain.”
“Just play your part,” Malkin demanded as they had finally arrived at the gate to the city.
The group approached the two guards. The guards wore identical uniforms of brown studded leather
that covered their entire bodies, with studded leather gloves and thick boots. They had no faces to speak of, and
so their expressions could not be read. Their skin was pitch black and wrapped about their heads tightly, firm
and smooth. No eyes, noses, or ears were present on their heads. Wide jawed mouths were present, however.
Yet their ebony skin did not cover their lower jaws. Their lower jaws gleamed bone white in the red pall of the
light. Long pointed teeth formed an underbite that curved up over their upper lips.
“State your business,” one of the guards said in a bored tone, addressing Baelth’Kael, for obvious
reasons.
“Soul merchant,” Baelth’Kael replied, not turning his whole body to face the guard who had spoken to
him.
“How many souls?” the guard asked.
“They are all standing before you,” Baelth’Kael said, annoyed. “Can you not count? These revenants
and this fine specimen here,” Baelth’Kael gestured towards Malkin, who tensed.
“The mortal is not a revenant,” the other guard observed. “Do you really have claim to his soul?”
“Not yet, but soon I shall,” Baelth’Kael smiled.
“All souls must be fully acquired to be legally traded in our square,” the same guard said. “There are no
free mortals allowed.”
Either Baelth’Kael had been away for so long from his kingdom that new municipal laws had been
created he was not aware of, or the arch demon was up to something. Malkin narrowed his eyes at Baelth’Kael,
tension rising in him.
“This mortal is scarcely free,” Baelth’Kael said. “But it would be a small matter to claim his soul. Shall
I do so now?”
Malkin’s eyes widened for a moment, and the demonologist was about to speak up. However, Malkin
knew that Baelth’Kael could not successfully take his soul, as Lexstriza had already laid claim to it. Lexstriza
would have to be willing to sign off on her claim to Baelth’Kael for the trade to be successful.
“It would save us some paperwork if you would,” the guard nodded his head to Malkin.
“As you wish,” Baelth’Kael turned to Malkin, and reached for him.
“Enough of this!” Malkin shouted. Baelth’Kael paused, and the guards regarded Malkin curiously.
“This was not the plan, Lord. Lexstriza would be disappointed in you,” Malkin decided to weave some lies of
his own to navigate through this tricky situation. Malkin turned to the guards, “forgive him, he is impulsive.
My soul is not to be claimed until the night of my sacrifice. Lexstriza herself has need of me for her ritual, and
my soul shall be destroyed in a glorious sacrifice to her lord. Now let us pass.
“And you,” Malkin said to Baelth’Kael. “No interference in our plans,” Malkin said as generally as
possible both to convince the guards that nothing was awry and also to clearly command Baelth’Kael.
Baelth’Kael could be commanded by Malkin, but Malkin realized there were some loopholes in his hold over
the demon.
“You didn’t say anything about a sacrifice,” one of the guards said to Baelth’Kael. “Mortal sacrifices do
not have to be claimed upon registration in the Merchant’s Square.”
“Of course,” Baelth’Kael said icily. “How could I have forgotten?”
“Apparently you forget easily,” the other guard said. “Demons that take orders from mortals don’t have
a lot going on in their heads.”
The two guards laughed and stepped aside for Baelth’Kael and his group to pass through. Baelth’Kael
remained impassive and walked with Malkin through the city gates.
Malkin was relieved, and glad to learn of the details of the magic that bound Baelth’Kael to do Malkin’s
bidding. The demon must obey Malkin’s commands, but if Malkin’s commands were too few and far between,
then some of Baelth’Kael’s autonomy could surface amongst his tokenistic obedience and he take steps to
vanquish Malkin’s hold over him. Malkin had to make his orders of Baelth’Kael’s behavior clear and constant,
and that was going to be a difficult thing to do in a city of demons, as a mortal commanding a demon was
unheard of.
If Malkin had not taken matters into his own hands, Baelth’Kael would have likely killed Malkin
outright in a feigned attempt to steal his soul, thus ending Malkin’s control over him.
“Nice try, demon,” Malkin congratulated. “But you will not be rid of me so easily.”
“How many more encounters like that do you think you can survive?” Baelth’Kael asked derisively.
“If I banished you back to your statue, there would be no further encounters like that,” Malkin
suggested.
“Then you would appear as even more suspicious to the beings here. A lone mortal does not stand
chance in my world.”
Malkin hated to admit it to himself, but the demon was right. Malkin could not seal Baelth’Kael away
inside his statue prison for long without getting himself into deeper trouble here in Drebula. Malkin would just
have to be cautious to steer clear of any dialog or encounters with other demons. And being in a demon city as
he was, that was going to prove difficult indeed.

Chapter #11
“I’m hungry,” Kroll complained as he endlessly walked through the familiar scene of Hell he was
beginning to grow so bored with. “What’s there to eat down here?”
“If you were undead, you would not be so burdened by such needs of hunger,” Bethany responded, still
implicitly offering to raise Kroll.
“I wonder what these demons taste like?” Kroll wondered, regarding the troops following nearby. “I’ve
eaten all sorts of creatures when times’re tough, but never a demon. What do demons eat, anyway?”
“Souls,” Bethany answered simply.
“Mmm, some souls sound good about now,” Kroll said. “But I’m still serious about eating one of these
demons.”
“Sorry Kroll, I have some difficulty taking you seriously,” said Bethany. “But I suppose you do have
some semblance of fighting skill that might be lost to me should I turn you undead. Fighting skills that might
also be compromised should you become malnourished.”
Bethany stopped where she was, and turned about, facing the nearest demon. “Demon flesh is toxic
enough as it is,” Bethany informed Kroll. “Coupled with undead corruption, you ought not to eat one of my
demons. You might find one of these human zombies more to your liking.”
Bethany beckoned forth one of the undead cleaning stewards from the Bureau. The thing shuffled forth
unthinkingly.
“Besides,” Bethany continued. “I would prefer to sacrifice one of my less capable minions to your oh-
so-human hunger.”
“Fine with me, babe,” Kroll rubbed his hands together and drew forth one of his axes. Kroll swiftly
lopped the oblivious creatures head clean off and it fell to the ground without so much as a twitch. There was
little blood.
Kroll had his flint in hand and began preparing a fire from torn strips of the corpses clothing.
He spoke as he went about his work, “So you can resurrect anything you want?” Kroll asked absently.
“So far,” Bethany answered. “I’ve yet to test the full extent of my powers. I’m not sure how many and
what exactly I am allowed to revive. But time will tell.”
“What are you gonna do with your powers once you return home?” Kroll was striking away at the flint
in hand, attempting to ignite a small heap of torn cloth on the rocks. “I mean, besides take over the Bureau.”
“Perhaps use my reach to take over the rest of the city,” Bethany thought aloud, considering her long
term plans, more for herself than for Kroll. “I still intend to pursue my skills as a mage, however.”
“I have an idea,” Kroll blurted suddenly.
“Amazing,” Bethany said dryly.
“You could render undead services,” Kroll went on. “You could work for the shadow guild, and sell
zombies to the folk of Strong Gate.”
“My undead only obey me,” Bethany chided. “No one else can assume command over them, and thus
they cannot be sold.”
“I’m not talking about selling them permanently,” Kroll explained. “Rent them out! Kill a small
handful of saucy women and open up an undead brothel! Certainly you could command your undead to bed
any man you’d like. For a price, of course.”
“That’s a stupid idea,” Bethany said with a laugh, somewhat entertained by Kroll’s thinking. “What’s
your interest in all of this?”
Kroll finally had a small fire going and was cutting strips of meat from the dead body’s thigh.
“Well,” Kroll said, licking his lips, whether from hunger or other thoughts Bethany could not say.
“There’s this barmaid that’s been turning down my advances…”
“I’m not creating some undead concubine for you, Kroll,” Bethany folded her arms and gave Kroll a
look a mother might give a difficult child.
“Hey, I’d be willing to pay you! All of your many customers would. Where’s that entrepreneurial
spirit? You could be rich!”

“I’m not interested in making easy coin,” Bethany replied. “And I’m less interested in making it by
selling such indulgences. That scarcely sounds like a worthy challenge and investment for one of my abilities.
My powers are not to be squandered on such vice.”
“What is it you do for fun, anyway?” Kroll wondered with genuine curiosity.
“I read, study, and learn,” Bethany answered.
“I asked what you do for fun,” Kroll said, not satisfied with Bethany’s answer. Kroll was holding strips
of raw meat over the fire now.
“I have been known to frequent some theatre and opera performances,” Bethany said, thinking.
“I suppose theatre is better than having to read the stories yourself.”
“I rarely read fictional stories, Kroll. One walks away having completed reading a work of fiction with
nothing. There is no knowledge in such things that can be utilized in the real world. Fiction is nonfunctional
and instrumentally useless. Nonfiction, on the other hand, has purpose, and holds true meaning. Save your
stories for children.”
“And me!” Kroll added. Kroll took a bite out of a strip of cooked meat hungrily, and said in between
bites, “I wonder if Adjantis here can still write a grand tale about our adventure.”
Kroll glanced at the undead Adjantis, standing in a stupor nearby. “He is a poet, after all. At least he
was when alive, or so I’m told.”
“It should be obvious that Adjantis would no longer be able to even speak, much less write,” Bethany
curled her upper lip at the way Kroll went about eating his food.
“Why don’t you try?” Kroll asked. “You say you study for fun. Study Adjantis.” Kroll looked over at
the former poet. “Sing something, you dead corpse!” Kroll yelled.
Adjantis just ignored Kroll, not comprehending his words, or even hearing them.
“I sense Baelth’Kael’s presence becoming weaker,” Bethany looked back towards the East, growing
tired of talking with Kroll. “The longer we delay here, the further the distance he draws from us. Make your
meal a short one.”

“My meal would go by much quicker if Adjantis would sing something for me,” Kroll ate faster anyway.
“Time flies, and all that.”
Bethany wasn’t paying attention to Kroll any longer, eager to be off and after her goal. Bethany felt
Kroll was both a burden and an advantage. His human needs meant he might slow her down, and his haphazard
approach to everything might also prove inconvenient. But he was well trained in the fighting arts, and Bethany
was not one to turn down an alliance.
There was certainly more strength in unity. The collective whole equated to something larger than the
individual, and the one who wielded the direction of that collective had the most power. Alone, one might
manage. But together, one could prosper, just so long as she could use the group to her advantage. And
Bethany’s abilities to raise the dead testified to the strength in numbers she valued.
So she intended to keep Kroll on her side so long as it did not significantly tax her goals. And the dim
witted Kroll was easy to manipulate. But Kroll’s loyalty was not so certain a thing. Bethany just hoped she
could keep Kroll on her side long enough to procure the artifacts of which she sought.
***
Lexstriza felt the presence of undeath grow stronger. The spell she had cast earlier had worn off, and the
material of undeath was no longer visible to the untrained eye. But Lexstriza’s eyes were not untrained, and the
magnitude of undeath only about a hundred paces away was strong enough for her to sense without any spells
of detection being cast.
A master of the weave for millennia, Lexstriza could sense the various forms magic could take
throughout the multiverse. She could both see and identify energies that would be invisible to one untrained
and determine the dimension they originated from, the nature of the magic being cast, even the personality of
the caster. Magics cast possessed a certain similarity to the individual that had cast them, and every mage had a
certain signature in their spells; as a single finger print could identify the physical creature that left it. One just
needed to know what to focus on.

But the presence of undeath was strong here. Lexstriza was ready. Lexstriza knew many spells that
adversely affected the undead, but she shoved them into the back of her mind. It was not the undead she
intended to kill off; at least not at first. It was Malkin first and foremost that must be slain. And then
Baelth’Kael would be Lexstriza’s servant. After serving Baelth’Kael years ago as his second in command,
Lexstriza looked forward to reversing the roles.
But something was wrong. Lexstriza did not sense Baelth’Kael nearby. It was no difficult feat for arch
demons to sense one another, for the malign power they radiated was unmistakable. But Lexstriza did not sense
Baelth’Kael. She only sensed the presence of undeath.
Lexstriza could now see her former force of soldiers up ahead as she crested a rocky ridge overlooking
their position. There were about ten humans with them as well, also in a state of undeath. One of these undead
humans caught Lexstriza’s attention, as she realized something was powerfully different about it from the rest of
the dead nearby.
It was a woman, and the stench of undeath clung to her the strongest. Immediately Lexstriza recalled
this woman from amongst the group that Malkin had originally traveled with, the group that had betrayed
Malkin. Malkin’s betrayers must have returned to this plane to seek to recapture the artifacts that had so
recently been lost to them.
Lexstriza identified the mass of undead aside from this one woman as mere zombies. Zombies were
amongst the lowliest creatures of undead, and would be easy to defeat with her necromantic spells. Lexstriza
was about to form the words to a spell that would temporarily disconnect this woman’s psychic control over the
zombies, thus disabling her abilities to control them, when a realization came over her.
This woman must be the one Baelth’Kael had spoken of, Bethany. If the demon had spoken honestly, he
had given her much of his powers. And by the number of undead she seemed to be able to control, the clues
were adding up to confirm Baelth’Kael’s claim.
Baelth’Kael must have granted, for whatever foolish reasons, a substantial amount of his power to this
Bethany. And now with such power, the girl could raise the dead. Given the number of undead about this
Bethany, the amount of power lost to Baelth’Kael during the transfer must have been large. Lexstriza wondered
why her former master would weaken himself so. Perhaps this Bethany had commanded Baelth’Kael do so
using the power of the soul shard.
It didn’t really matter, however, because what was, was. And Lexstriza knew exactly what to do about
this situation. This was a fortunate turn of events, for it was to Lexstriza’s advantage to keep this vessel of
Baelth’Kael’s power near to her. Lexstriza wanted Bethany alive, for as long as she lived, she would continue
to possess a portion of Baelth’Kael’s power. And as long as she did that, Baelth’Kael would continue to remain
in his slightly weakened state. Lexstriza desired Baelth’Kael to be weak, to soften his attacks against her while
she made her strike against Malkin. This Bethany must live, for now at least. Once Baelth’Kael was under
Lexstriza’s command, Bethany’s uses would become obsolete, and thus she would need to die. Her death would
then make Baelth’Kael strong again, adding to the power that Lexstriza would soon control.
Lexstriza did not slow in her walk towards where the group of undead was waiting. Lexstriza intended
to establish a diplomatic contact with Bethany. If worse came to worse, Lexstriza might be able to cast a spell
that would trap Bethany temporarily in a dimensional pocket that would be her prison. But if Lexstriza could
nullify Bethany as a threat to her with some sort of spoken agreement, then Lexstriza would take that alternative
instead. No sense in fighting a battle that could otherwise be avoided. Lexstriza did not want to risk losing a
few of her troops, if she could help it.
The zombies themselves did not take notice of Lexstriza’s now obvious approach to their position,
Lexstriza realized. Bethany’s minions were scarcely able to think for themselves without Bethany’s commands.
Lexstriza took note of this observation and filed it away in the back of her mind for future reference. However,
Bethany herself soon noticed Lexstriza and her contingent of troops following close behind. Bethany spun
towards Lexstriza and issued a command for her zombies to rally to her. A man was sitting on a rock next to
Bethany, a living man, who stood with Bethany’s alert and faced Lexstriza as well.
“Hold,” Lexstriza ordered her troops to prevent them from following her. Lexstriza continued towards
her target, slowing only when reaching a talking distance from the woman. “I do not desire a fight,” Lexstriza
offered to Bethany as she approached.
“Then what is it you desire, Lexstriza?” Bethany asked, narrowing her eyes.
The girl knew Lexstriza’s name. Interesting. “I seek information,” Lexstriza lied.
“You seek the artifacts,” Bethany corrected.
“Artifacts?” Lexstriza feigned ignorance. “What artifacts do you speak of? Something to do with
Baelth’Kael’s rebirth?” Lexstriza decided to pretend to still be fooled by Malkin’s original lie about the nature
of Baelth’Kael’s return to her world. “The rebirth you have been attempting to bring about?”
“What do you want?” Bethany said tersely, the gears in her head turning with thought, but not wanting
to reveal anything without first hearing Lexstriza’s wishes.
“Baelth’Kael has clearly expressed a refusal to seek an audience with Lord Korbaz, much less an
alliance,” Lexstriza pretended to explain. “Lord Korbaz’ offer of an alliance has been withdrawn, for
Baelth’Kael has made clear his intent to unseat Korbaz from his thrown and assume it for himself. Baelth’Kael
is a threat to my kingdom, and I intend to end his life. I recognize you as one of Baelth’Kael’s followers. What
is your role in all of this?”
“I was a follower of Baelth’Kael,” Bethany said. “But he abandoned my world without providing the
rewards he promised me. I was to be granted great power, but instead I was left with nothing. No one deceives
me so and lives to tell about it. I seek Baelth’Kael’s death as well, now.”
Lexstriza smiled, pleased that this Bethany had fallen right into Lexstriza’s trap. Lexstriza had pulled
the right strings to lead Bethany to lie to Lexstriza about her motives, likely to avoid a fight. Lexstriza already
knew that Bethany was here for the artifacts, the ones that Malkin had told her he’d taken from this former
associate of his.
“Then we have the same goal,” Lexstriza said, smiling inside because she knew that statement was in
fact the truth. “Perhaps we should combine our forces, to better be able to slay Baelth’Kael.”
Lexstriza didn’t want Baelth’Kael dead, but neither did Bethany. Lexstriza was convinced Bethany
would not inadvertently kill the arch demon when Lexstriza attempted to wrest the artifacts from Malkin.
“That suits my purposes,” Bethany agreed. “My party is searching for Baelth’Kael in this general
direction,” Bethany pointed her hands towards the East, indicating the path of her pursuit. “I sense that is where
Baelth’Kael is headed.”
Lexstriza didn’t know how Bethany would sense such things, but it didn’t matter. It made sense that
Baelth’Kael, or Malkin really, would be headed in that direction, for that was the direction that would take them
all to Drebula. Lexstriza was somewhat displeased, however, as she had assumed Malkin was responsible for
the trail of undeath she had followed. Instead, it was Bethany, following Malkin’s trail.
That all meant that Malkin was further along on his travels to Drebula than she had thought. He may
even be there by now. Lexstriza did not want Malkin reaching Drebula, for that might result in an encounter
with Lord Korbaz that could have harsh political consequences for Lexstriza.
But it was too late; Malkin would likely soon be in Drebula, if he was not there already. Lexstriza knew
what she would have to do.
“That is the direction of my city,” Lexstriza explained to Bethany. “It is likely that Baelth’Kael is near
the city by now. We should hurry, so that we may intercept him before he can manage to wreak havoc on my
kingdom. I would have a lot to answer for were that to happen.”
“Very well,” Bethany said with confidence, although she felt unsure all of a sudden. She would have to
visit a demonic city, if she did not catch Malkin in time. Bethany was not well schooled in the nature of such
civilizations, but she knew little good could come of a mortal visiting one. But then Bethany remembered she
was no longer mortal, and could likely handle herself should she be faced with any problems.
“We should continue our journey,” Lexstriza said, and so the two joined forces began their march across
the wasteland, drawing nearer to the city of Drebula.
Although there may be some complications with Baelth’Kael showing up in Drebula, Lexstriza thought,
if she procured the artifacts in time none of that would matter. With Baelth’Kael by Lexstriza’s side and at her
command, Lord Korbaz would no longer pose her a threat. A single arch demon was no match for two others.
And now Lexstriza’s assault on Malkin would be made much easier with a force of undead on her side,
not to mention whatever this Bethany was capable of by herself. It would seem that both Bethany and Lexstriza
wanted the same things, the artifacts. And the both of them were willing to lie to form temporary alliances to
get those artifacts. The only difference was that Lexstriza knew the whole truth, and could see through
Bethany’s lies. Lexstriza knew that Bethany truly wanted the artifacts, while Bethany assumed that Lexstriza
merely wished for Baelth’Kael’s death.
That advantage of information was all Lexstriza needed to succeed in capturing the artifacts first, before
this Bethany could. And once the artifacts were hers, Lexstriza would see this Bethany dead, so that her power
could be allowed to rejoin with that of Baelth’Kael, making Lexstriza an even greater force to reckon with.
***
Malkin stared in barely contained wonder at the sights of the city within. Drebula was a beautiful place,
in its own way, Malkin thought. The streets bustled with a wide range of different species of demons, many
Malkin did not even recognize. There were demons from a range of various dimensions and Hell worlds. There
were demons born of various demonic classes and castes, such as soul harvesters, torturers, infernal contractors,
mercenaries, and even demonic diplomats.
The demonic populace was of a range of shapes and sizes, some humanoid, some not. There was a wide
range of numbers and shapes of limbs, eyes, and mouths. The research potential of having these creatures’
bodies in Malkin’s lab would be tremendous. If Malkin could get the proper funding from the Bureau, he
thought it might be an idea to seek out a lesser demonic city and invade it, to collect artifacts and specimens for
his research. Unfortunately, the demonology department at Malkin’s organization was not large, and the chance
of getting backed by the Bureau by such an astronomically large and expensive mission would be next to
impossible.
But still, the magic and the powers he could learn from the success of such an endeavor would be
tremendous.
Malkin stared wide eyed at the tall twisting shapes of the buildings. The demonic architecture was
grand. Obsidian bricks finely and smoothly cut formed the slick walls of the tall buildings towering above
Malkin. The edges and corners of the structures were lined with shining polished steel brackets that bore
dangerous barbed spikes sticking outward and curving up towards the red sky. Falling out of a window of one
of these buildings would prove fatal, but not because of the impact with the ground from such a fall. One would
not hit the ground at all, since they would find themselves impaled on one of the numerous spikes curving
upward from the sides of the buildings.
Malkin wondered at the reasoning behind such dangerous architecture. Much of the buildings were
highly unsafe because of this décor, safety hazards that would never be allowed within the Bureau of
Metaphysics Research back home. Were the decorations purely for aesthetics, preferring enjoyable scenery
over safety? Or was the architecture for something more practical, to weed out the weak? Those foolish
enough to fall on such sharp structural protrusions deserved their fate, and were better off dead anyway as the
burdens they likely would have been.
Or maybe the dangerous structural designs found much deliberate use, rather than culling the absent
minding from the crowd due to mere accidents. Demons were constantly at war with one another, plotting and
scheming and stealing and lying. The more dangerous environmental hazards there were present, the more
options one might have to kill off their many enemies. A simple shove or push could send an undesired
competitor to their death.
Malkin observed many bodies impaled on or caught in the numerous dangerous protrusions from the
buildings and streets, in varying states of decay. Many of these bodies were demonic, not mortal. However,
this still did not answer Malkin’s questions. The bodies could have been impaled accidentally, but could have
also been the result of an assassination attempt. Another explanation might be that demons killed their victims
in such a way purely for fun, or to enhance the aesthetic appearances of their environment.
Malkin decided that all three conclusions about demonic architecture must be true. Demons were all
malicious, but their style of malignance was highly varied. Some might prefer aesthetics and others might
prefer pragmatism. It all depended on the varied personality of the demon.
Malkin was well versed in demonic personality, but was not highly familiar with demonic architecture.
There were species of demons born that were easily influenced by environmental circumstances, and their
specific evil personalities could take many shapes. Other species, however, had much more deterministic
personalities, and would choose pragmatism over aesthetics no matter the situation, and vice versa.
Malkin never really considered how these varied species and personalities might have an influence on
architectural design. If Malkin survived all of this, he would determine to make demonic architecture his next
research subject. Perhaps he could even use some of his experiences here this day as part of his research.
That was all dependent on whether Malkin survived this experience, which reminded Malkin of the
difficult task that was before him.
“Where would Lexstriza be?” Malkin turned to Baelth’Kael.
“The Merchants Quarter is this way, human,” Baelth’Kael pointed in a direction down a street.
“Is that where Lexstriza would be, fool?” Malkin asked, annoyed.
“Maybe,” was all that was forthcoming from the demon.
“Do not waste my time,” Malkin growled. “Where is Lexstriza?”
“I do not know where Lexstriza is,” Baelth’Kael said truthfully.
Malkin needed to word his questions more carefully. Baelth’Kael was compelled to answer honestly,
but not necessarily with the honest answers Malkin sought. “Where does Lexstriza normally reside within the
city of Drebula? Where does she live?” Malkin asked more specifically.
“The palace,” Baelth’Kael answered. “But why don’t we visit the Merchant’s Quarter instead?”
“Because I’m not really a merchant, and I’m not here to make a profit. Now where’s the palace?”
“But you’re a demonologist,” Baelth’Kael stated. “Do not the workings of demons interest you? You
could observe me in my element, trading souls in the market. Aren’t you interested what the populace here
might offer us in return for these souls? We should at least trade in the bothersome Cyrus Alistair.”
Cyrus tensed at that. “Are you deaf, demon? We are to visit the palace. If you are such a worthy ruler
of this kingdom, as you claim, don’t you want to go to the palace and claim it?”
“In due time,” Baelth’Kael said coolly.
“I’m not here for some research related excursion,” Malkin argued further with the demon. “My
profession comes a distant second to owning my very soul. We have a mission here, and you will not distract
me.”
“But part of the mission is this ruse you play as a merchant of Hell. You must maintain the ruse to evade
detection and complete your goals. To maintain our disguise as merchants, we must seek out the Merchant’s
Quarter.”
“Take me to the palace, now,” Malkin did not argue with the demon. There would be no purpose to
doing so. The demon could be commanded, so long as the demon did not distract Malkin with words unrelated
to Malkin’s demands.
“As you wish,” Baelth’Kael said with a smirk. “Follow me.”
Baelth’Kael began heading in a purposeful direction along the hard brick streets of the city. Malkin
noticed that a couple of citizens passing him by were giving him hateful or quizzical looks. The demons must
have noticed Malkin, a mere mortal, ordering about what was obviously a very powerful demon. Malkin was
pleased to note that some of the citizens were giving Baelth’Kael hateful stares as well, probably disgusted that
such a being would allow itself to be commanded.
But no one interfered, likely understanding that this was no weak force of travelers. It would seem that
the citizens were willing to mind their own business, for now.
Malkin used the duration of time he had while following his demon guide to observe more of the
scenery of this fascinating world. Malkin didn’t mind losing himself in his wonder of this strange environment,
temporarily forgetting the heavy threat of damnation hovering over him. Malkin welcomed the distraction.
Malkin noticed that everything in this city was constructed almost entirely out of either stone or metal.
There was no wood used in the designs of the city. That made sense, considering how few plants there existed
in this dimension. Buildings could not be constructed out of such organic matter in a world so hostile to nature
and life.
Of course that was not entirely correct, some of the designs of this city were made from organic matter.
Bones of all kinds, shapes, and sizes were used as both decoration and structural support. Some bones were
from animals that must have been massive, as Malkin spotted a building with a deck that had huge bones used
to support a heavy roof of sharp metal shingles. Windows were also draped with leather, some of which looked
to be the tanned skins of human beings.

Many demons wore what looked to be of this same material of human skin. One even wore what was
clearly the removed and dried face of a human woman as a mask as it casually strolled down the road. But most
demons wore leather or materials that would prove much stronger than paltry human hide, and therefore serve
as a better defense of one’s vital organs. Such armor was likely necessary for survival in this world.
Finally Malkin’s demon guide stopped in his trek through the city, and Malkin looked up from his
thoughts. He beheld a bustling square and a busy street lined with various buildings and booths that citizens
stepped in and out of. Malkin spotted signs above the buildings, signs that read what category of shop or
merchant was to be found within. There were various booths and carriages outside where citizens haggled or
browsed for the array of sold goods provided there.
Baelth’Kael had taken Malkin to the Merchant’s Quarter. “What have you done, you filthy trickster?”
Malkin almost yelled at the demon, but did not want to draw attention to himself.
“What I am doing I have not yet done,” Baelth’Kael responded. “I am still taking you to the palace.
This path through the Merchant Square is but one direction we may take to reach the palace. I could take you
another way, if you’d like, but that would cost us much needed time if we had to circumnavigate this area of the
city that we have already arrived at.”
“Take me to the palace using the shortest path possible from our current position to it,” Malkin said very
slowly, seething with rage.
“As you wish,” Baelth’Kael said, lips curling in a mocking grin. Baelth’Kael headed towards a booth at
the front of the square.
At the booth waited a clerk dressed in dark grey robes, who held spectacles over his eyes so that he
could peer at a scroll he held over the desk of the booth. The creature had slanted eyes as narrow as long slits,
which glistened a glossy black. The rest of the creature’s face was as long as his eyes, with pale, elongated
features.
“Merchant?” the clerk asked Baelth’Kael as he drew near.
“Merchant,” Baelth’Kael agreed.
“Stock?” the clerk asked tersely.

“Souls,” Baelth’Kael answered.
“Quantity?” the clerk was now scribbling on his scroll with a quill.
“Twenty,” Baelth’Kael said flatly.
“Registration complete,” the clerk stated with finality. “Enter.”
Baelth’Kael looked disappointed. This particular demon was not talkative, and further interaction with
other citizens was clearly what the arch demon wanted. Malkin was less able to issue commands to the demon
while he was interacting with other demons, as that would invite danger. And while Baelth’Kael was allowed
such a temporary reprieve from Malkin’s orders, the demon might find an opening in the conversation to find an
excuse to cause harm to Malkin, ending his control over the demon.
Either Baelth’Kael could find a loophole in the binding magics to kill Malkin, or Malkin could get
himself killed by one of the citizens of Drebula. Either way, Baelth’Kael must be prevented from talking to
citizens. Malkin considered ordering Baelth’Kael to remain completely silent, but that might also draw
suspicion. Malkin decided to bare through it all until they reached the palace.
Malkin followed close behind Baelth’Kael as they traversed through the market place. Malkin observed
a range of interesting and not so interesting goods. There were mundane items for sale such as weapons,
jewelry, and food. However, these were not exactly the same staples of a market Malkin was familiar with back
home.
The food was almost exclusively meat, and all of it was still alive. Various animals and even intelligent,
sentient beings were held in cages or had their limbs cobbled with manacles or by the breaking of bones.
Demons preferred their meals live, so that they could ingest the soul remaining within the body as well.
The jewelry was made from bone or skin as often as it was made from metal or gems. Much of the
jewelry doubled as a weapon as well as decoration. Rings had long spikes that could be used to puncture an
opponent if punched, bracelets that had a compartment that could release throwing knives, and false claws one
could tip their fingers with, given they weren’t born with claws of their own.
However, there were also many shops and merchants that sold items that had few if any comparisons to
ones Malkin might find on his mortal plane. There were slave caravans, mortal souls in jars, various organs for
many magical rituals, and torture shops. There were many torture shops.
There were a handful of competing merchants that dealt in both torture devices and the victims
themselves that might be used for such torture. Malkin spotted some free samples, where a handful of mortal
slaves were tied to the walls of one quite busy establishment. There was a table nearby displaying various
torture equipment, which potential customers might test out on the restrained slaves nearby. Malkin wanted to
test a particularly gruesome flesh screw out laying on one of the tables, but realized that mortals browsing wares
here might be taboo.
Not all demonic civilizations were hostile to mortal visitors, some desiring the extra commerce they
might bring by consuming and contributing to the local economy. But it would seem that this was not one of
those cities, and so Malkin forced himself to move on.
But Malkin was still enjoying the stark contrasts between this world and the one he called home. Even
if he was reminded that his present circumstances were so dire.
Malkin’s attention was drawn from the market square by a lanky demon wrapped in what seemed to be
strips of human skin. The skin had been dyed a mix of colors of black, red, and green, which made the demon
stand out in his wild mix of colors. Curved thorns protruded from its knees and elbows, and Malkin could not
tell whether they were biologically a part of the creature or synthetic decorations, as the strips of tanned skin
were wrapped to tightly and thickly about the creature’s joints. The creature’s face was painfully emaciated,
almost resembling a corpse.
The demon’s lipless mouth smiled rows of fangs, if smiling was even possible for a creature without
lips. It stepped up to Baelth’Kael. “Slaves, you have for me?”
“Mostly souls,” Baelth’Kael replied with a sly grin on his face. “But this one’s a slave,” Baelth’Kael
motioned towards Malkin. “He’s worth twenty platinum.”
“I am an artist, a sculptor of flesh,” the demonic ‘customer’ said proudly. “I wish to procure a mortal
from you, body and soul combined. My art needs to be fed, and it needs to be fed flesh.”
The demon inspected Malkin more closely, and Malkin was about to speak up to protest Baelth’Kael’s
actions.
The customer reared back with a sneer, crinkling its nose at Malkin. “This flesh will not do,” the demon
said with a frown. “Not enough flesh on this one. Not enough flesh to render and sculpt. Small pieces of flesh
that would not do my masterpiece justice. This one is too skinny. You have no other slaves?”
Malkin relaxed, not feeling a need to speak up just yet.
“No other slaves at the moment,” Baelth’Kael informed the demon. “But I can reduce this one’s price to
fifteen platinum. You would be hard pressed to find a cheaper slave anywhere nearby.”
“My artwork is priceless,” the customer said, offended. “The quality of my work cannot be bargained
with, and it cannot be bought. Only the finest vessel of flesh will suffice to please my work. No amount of
currency, small or large, can be allowed to interfere with my sculpture’s beauty.”
“Make it ten platinum,” Baelth’Kael stated.
“Sold!” the demon said. “This medium may not be worthy of a masterpiece, but my creativity can find
other uses for this one.” The demon rummaged through a pouch on its belt for some coin.
“I am not art,” Malkin stated angrily. “I am not some nonfunctional thing that’s only worth is to be
stared at, as the static, useless thing that art is.”
“It speaks!” the customer shouted. “Art does not speak to its artist. Art does not think. That is what I,
the artist, am for. Perhaps I shall fashion a necklace from your speaking tongue? Would my art speak then?”
“Art may not think,” answered Malkin. “But neither does an artist. Creativity is not to be squandered
on something that has no true use. Art is only meant to be pretty, and what’s pretty is not real. One man’s
beauty is another’s disgust, and neither may be right or wrong about their assessment. That is because art is not
fact, and because art is not fact, it has no meaning.”
“Art means everything!” the demon screeched, drawing stares from other passersby. “It means pain and
suffering, so long as it is not my pain or suffering. Art is the violation of rules, to do something never done
before. Art is original, and to cause pain to another is the ultimate violation of rules, as it always is inflicted on
one who does not wish it. To do unto others what they do not desire is creative, because you create new
patterns that supersede those desired by an unwilling victim. Pain and suffering is art, for pain and suffering is
everything, for there is no creation without destruction.”
“A lump of coal is something,” Malkin said. “But a lump of coal is not suffering. Therefore, suffering
is not everything.”
“It is if the coal is hot and in your eyes!” the demon glared at Malkin. “Yes, I will buy this one. The art
will be made to see, but never to speak.”
Malkin decided to take another approach. Malkin turned to Baelth’Kael, “I’m clearly worth thirty
platinum, not ten.”
“Our customer seems to disagree,” Baelth’Kael mentioned.
“Any less than thirty and you break even on your initial investment,” Malkin argued further. “Too far
lower and you will stand to lose profits.”
“The customer is always right,” the arch demon said.
Malkin was tired with Baelth’Kael’s attempts to circumvent his commands, and so Malkin decided to be
more explicit. “I am worth exactly thirty platinum, Baelth’Kael. No more, no less.”
“You are not worth such value,” the demon artist derided. “You are not worthy of art, not my art. You
will be worth only the sum of the pain filling your semi conscious mind.” The demon reached back into its coin
purse and pulled forth ten platinum. “The mortal is mine, merchant,” the demon said to Baelth’Kael.
“The mortal is worth thirty platinum,” Baelth’Kael said hesitantly, as if he could say nothing else. And
certainly that was partly correct. “Thirty… platinum,” Baelth’Kael repeated.
“You renege on our agreement,” the demon said between clenched teeth. “You allow art to command
you? You allow art to create the artist? That is not the order of things.”
“Business is the order of things,” Baelth’Kael explained. “Any less that thirty and I stand to lose profits.
But what is thirty platinum? Art has no price.” Baelth’Kael tried to make a last effort to sell Malkin to this
customer.
“Yes, true, correct,” the demon agreed. “But this thing,” the customer gave Malkin a smoldering glare,
“is not art. Art does not get to decide its fate. Art is the victim, not the victimizer. You have squandered my
time.” With that the demon turned on his heel and stomped off angrily.
Baelth’Kael turned to Malkin. “Now you’ve gone and scared off a potential customer,” the demon said,
looking down his nose at Malkin. “You are an inept merchant. You would scarcely remain in business for
long.”
“If I’m the merchant, then what does that make you?” Malkin questioned.
“I am whatever I desire to be,” the arch demon said, turning away from Malkin.
“If I’m the merchant, then perhaps I could sell you,” a grin creased Malkin’s face. “I am sure there are
many customers here who would pay a great deal for this artifact,” Malkin fingered the soul crystal strapped to
his belt.
“Without my assistance here, you would be utterly lost,” Baelth’Kael warned.
Cyrus looked about to say something, but held his tongue.
“Is that what you call what you are doing here?” Malkin asked incredulously. “Assisting me?”
“Compared to what I would prefer to be doing to you, yes, this is me being helpful.”
Cyrus spoke up, saying to Malkin “Why can’t you rein this reprobate in? Are you not the wielder of the
artifact? Are you not the proper ruler of this wretched beast?”
Clearly the former king was concerned Malkin’s control over the demon might slip up just long enough
for Baelth’Kael to dispose of Malkin. And while Cyrus despised Malkin, he despised the arch demon even
more. Malkin was the lesser of two evils, and so Cyrus was frustrated by Malkin’s difficulty in controlling the
demon.
“The powers of this artifact are not infinite,” Malkin informed Cyrus. “And I still have not had enough
time to properly study the item. I have much yet to learn of its magical properties.”
“My wizard servants I had craft that item so long ago would have known how to use it,” Cyrus recalled.
“But alas, that knowledge is not known to me.”

“If you have nothing of use to say, then keep your mouth shut,” Malkin was becoming restless. “The
longer we delay, the more and more chances there might be for me to fall prey to Baelth’Kael’s former
citizens.”
Malkin turned his head towards Baelth’Kael and affixed him with a cold stare. “Take me to the palace.
Now.”
“As you wish,” Baelth’Kael acknowledged and began navigating along the busy merchant street.
The rest of the trip was uneventful, and soon Malkin could see a tall cluster of spiraling towers, all
connected together to form some sort of monolithic structure that could only be the palace Baelth’Kael had
spoken of. The tops of this structure could be seen over the rooftops of the nearest buildings, the palace still
somewhat off and into the distance. But it was visible nonetheless. Malkin was glad to be able to see the palace
now for himself, and therefore would be less easily fooled by Baelth’Kael’s deceptions regarding this edifice.
The question remained, however, of what Malkin intended to do once he reached this palace? For the
first time in Malkin’s life, he did not really have a plan.
***
The palace stood before Malkin, an imposing site that towered above him. Malkin and his group were
not even at the outer steps to the palace, and still it loomed large over them. The structure was a chaotic tangle
of snaking towers that wrapped and twisted around one another, reaching for the dark clouds in the sky. The
structure reminded Malkin of a medusa’s head of weaving and waving snakes.
Each twisted tower ended high up above the ground in a long tapering point, tipped with what seemed to
be a lengthy metal spike. The majority of the structure, however, was made entirely of the darkest black
obsidian. The rock shined under the dark sky, impossibly so, even though this world’s atmosphere was not
bright. Malkin wondered if the buildings shine was magically induced in some way, for whatever reason. The
bright white shine contrasted starkly with the black obsidian. Given this shine, as much of the building was
white as was black, a disorienting sight indeed.

As Malkin neared the palace, he could see the creases of the individual bricks that made up the structure
of the walls. The many snaking towers twisted and turned at such chaotic angles, that the brick layering of
these towers was not square or symmetrical. The bricks molded and stretched with the flowing directions of the
spiraling towers, as if the towers themselves were once straight, but made of soft wax a sculptor had twisted
into its current form.
Malkin wondered if that was in fact how the palatial building had been created, by magically softening
the stone walls and then sculpting them. Or perhaps the bricks had been meticulously cut in their amorphous
shapes, and carefully inserted into the twisting walls as if putting together pieces to a complex puzzle. Malkin
wasn’t sure which method of construction would be more difficult. The mastery of such magics, or mastery of
such stone and architecture.
Malkin spotted two guards standing at the wide iron double doors to the palace. The guards were the
same species of demon Malkin encountered when entering the city of Drebula, and Malkin understood this was
a species of demon born into such a profession. Demons often were biologically and psychologically born into
certain caste systems, by the nature of their birth alone, and not by the decree of any laws. Many demons were
born with a certain intrinsic purpose and role to play, giving a semblance of order to such a rebellious class of
monsters.
“You used to rule here once,” Malkin reminded Baelth’Kael. “How do we get in?”
“Not just any passerby can enter,” Baelth’Kael said, avoiding Malkin’s question. “This structure would
be heavily guarded.”
“How did you come to rule this palace in the first place?” Malkin asked.
“I had risen in power from the consumption of my ten millionth soul,” Baelth’Kael retold to Malkin.
Demons could grow in power with the completion of certain infernal goals, such as a set number of murders
within a set amount of time. It was how demons eventually grew powerful enough to become arch demons,
eventually, given they worked hard enough and survived long enough.
“With my greater status in the world, I decided it was time to take my proper place on the Throne of
Drebula,” Baelth’Kael went on. “I had become a more powerful being than the former ruler, Dekkshun, and so
I challenged him. Challenged him, and won.”
“So challenge Lexstriza,” Malkin demanded.
“Challenge the second in command of Drebula?” Baelth’Kael said with disgust. “So that I might aspire
to become second to the usurping Korbaz?”
“No, so that I might have my soul back.”
“One cannot legally challenge a demon lord,” Baelth’Kael argued. “It must be done in person. I would
not be granted an escort to a fight I demand with either Korbaz or Lexstriza. I must demand a fight in the open
and in their presence, and we do not yet have their presence.”
“Then ask for a meeting,” Malkin offered. “Certainly demon lords are allowed to arrange meetings with
one another. How else can you hope to establish matters of business?”
“That could perhaps be feasible,” Baelth’Kael resisted saying, but said anyway.
“Then do it,” Malkin demanded. “Demand an audience with Lexstriza.”
Baelth’Kael glared at Malkin, but headed towards the outer doors to the palace without further protest.
The group neared the two guards posted out front, and Baelth’Kael stepped forth.
“I am Baelth’Kael, former ruler of Drebula, reaper of souls,” the arch demon said formally. “I have
business to discuss with Lieutenant Lexstriza about a certain delivery of spirits.”
“I would have received notice of such a delivery,” one of the guards said. “Your arrival here is not on
today’s schedule.”
“That is because we are ahead of schedule,” Baelth’Kael continued. “Lexstriza will be pleased of this
news, if you would but fetch her. And this is no simple delivery, but the final pieces of a plan long in waiting.
Do not disappoint the Lieutenant by interfering with her plans.”
“Lexstriza’s plans come second to that of Lord Korbaz,” the other guard spoke up. “I will send a courier
to his offices so that your business here may be decided. You will remain outside until we’ve heard back from
one of Korbaz’ representatives.” With that the guard stepped inside the palace doors, while the other remained
and watched over the visitors.
“This plan is faulty, mortal,” Baelth’Kael turned to Malkin, not caring whether the remaining guard
overheard him. “My name will be recognized once news reaches Korbaz’ representative. Korbaz will be the
first to know of my arrival, and we may not see Lexstriza at all.”
“Then make a deal with Korbaz,” Malkin offered. “Suggest you become second in command, and not
Lexstriza.”
“I am second to no one!” Baelth’Kael growled.
“But you have been weakened,” Malkin reminded the arch demon. “You’ve lost much of your power to
Bethany. How would your powers hold up to Korbaz in your current state?”
“My weakened state is only temporary,” Baelth’Kael argued.
“But Korbaz can’t know that,” Malkin countered. “Certainly that would explain your unusual behavior
of seeking such a position. But then again, I could just order you to kill Korbaz. If you are truly better than
second, as you so claim, then surely you can defeat one such as Korbaz. Which will it be?”
Baelth’Kael said nothing, instead staring hatred at Malkin. Malkin realized that Baelth’Kael very well
could die this day, and Malkin understood that Baelth’Kael likely realized this as well. But Malkin had to be
willing to sacrifice this powerful but deadly servant, just so long as that meant sacrificing Lexstriza’s life as
well.
***
The mismatched troops paraded their way along the streets of Drebula. A contingent of demonic ape-
like demons scattered citizens about the streets as they rushed to get out of the way. Normally the site of the
marching troops would not have been unusual, but this time almost half of the familiar demonic soldiers had
clearly been risen from the dead. The quick and alive ones lumbered along, vital and vicious. The undead ones
stumbled forward, their forelimbs reaching for the ground to pull them along, tirelessly and immune to fatigue.
Bethany, Kroll, and Lexstriza headed the front of this sizable force.
Bethany took one look at the massive city around her and began to wonder why Lexstriza had requested
an alliance with one such as her. If Lexstriza and this Lord Korbaz truly ruled the city, then certainly the forces
of defense that this kingdom could rally would be more than a match for one demon, Baelth’Kael. Why would
Lexstriza desire or need Bethany’s help? Perhaps the demoness was not telling Bethany something about her
situation.
“I sense Baelth’Kael is near,” Bethany said to Lexstriza.
“You are correct,” Lexstriza agreed. “He is near enough for me to sense his presence now as well. Give
me a moment.” Lexstriza spoke a single word of magic and focused her mind outward, seeking the source of
Baelth’Kael’s presence.
“I wonder what kind of brew they have available here,” Kroll wondered aloud, as Lexstriza continued
with her spell. Kroll surveyed the scene of the demonic city.
“Doubtfully anything even your constitution could stomach,” Bethany warned. “But I doubt they would
serve you anyway. Unless by serve you we mean serve your head on a platter to paying customers.”
“But I am a paying customer,” Kroll complained.
“Yes, but you would not be paying with your coin. You would be paying with your life.”
Kroll kept silent for once, realizing the overwhelming vastness of the evil around him.
Lexstriza broke from her meditation and faced Bethany with an intense look. “Baelth’Kael has entered
the palace,” Lexstriza said with anger in her voice. “This cannot be allowed.”
“Can’t this Korbaz handle Baelth’Kael?” Bethany asked.
“Maybe, maybe not,” Lexstriza said cryptically. “But we must hurry, before disaster falls.”
Lexstriza increased her steady pace down the street, and Bethany followed.
Odd, Bethany thought, that an arch demon such as Lexstriza might be concerned about the fate of her
master, this Lord Korbaz. Or was Lexstriza afraid that neither Korbaz nor herself could take on Baelth’Kael
alone, and that her enemy reaching Korbaz without her presence may inevitably lead to an endangerment of her
own life with her forces so divided? Bethany did not particularly mind this situation, however, because if
Malkin and Baelth’Kael succeeded in slaying this Korbaz, then Lexstriza would stand a lesser chance of
interfering with Bethany’s plans by killing Baelth’Kael.
Hopefully this Korbaz would soften Malkin and Baelth’Kael up, so that Malkin would be easy prey for
Bethany’s talons. Bethany looked forward to raising Malkin as a zombie. It would be an ironic justice, after
what Malkin had intended. Malkin had threatened to lay claim to Bethany as undead property once back at the
Bureau. Instead, it may come to pass that Malkin might become Bethany’s undead property. Bethany savored
such thoughts, anxious to finally reach the palace.

Chapter #12
“You have been granted an audience,” the guard said to Baelth’Kael after discussing something in
private with the returned courier who arrived back outside at the front gates.
“An audience with whom?” Baelth’Kael demanded.
“An audience, is all I’m told,” the guard repeated. “Follow me to the Audience Hall.” The guard turned
and entered the wide doors to the palace without any further word. Malkin and his revenants followed.
They navigated a wide palatial hallway, the walls made of the same dark black brick. Although this time
they did not shine, as the room was only dimly lit by chandeliers above. The ceiling was so high that the light
from the candles mounted there barely reached the floor of the hall that Malkin walked. There were no
windows, and Malkin had to squint to see clearly. Demons could see much better in the dark than humans,
hence why such little attention was given to further adding light to this area. The pitch black walls did not help
Malkin see straight, either.
Finally Malkin arrived at what could only be the audience hall the guard had spoken of. They entered a
vast chamber, with luxurious cushions arranged neatly at the edges of the room, walls decorated with elegant
tapestries depicting a range of wars, various demon lords in sophisticated poses, and nightmarish visions of
torture and torment. The center of the room was vacuously empty, however, with much room to move. Perhaps
the room was too large to fill with furniture and the like. Or perhaps there was so much emptiness for other
reasons.
As Malkin and the rest entered the Audience Hall, he was not surprised to see two score of the same
species of guards that had greeted them at the gate standing at attention in the back of the hall. At their center
stood a huge ornate throne, the back of which curved backwards and extended so high it almost scrapped the
even higher ceiling. Atop that throne sat what had to be the Lord Korbaz, bulging with rippling fleshy muscle
that contrasted with his fleshless horned skull for a head.

Malkin was somewhat relieved to see that the demon lord’s burning red eyes glowed hatred not at
Malkin, but directly at Baelth’Kael as he entered the chamber.
“Lexstriza has failed me,” Korbaz rumbled through a lipless, fanged mouth. Malkin realized magic
must allow the demon to speak, for his lipless skull could not manipulate the passage of air to form spoken
words any other way.
“Baelth’Kael,” Korbaz said slowly, glaring at his former ruler. “I hear you wished for an audience with
my second, Lexstriza. What treachery is this?”
“I had intended to challenge her,” Baelth’Kael said with confidence. “I desire to supplant her, to
become your second, instead.”
“What foolishness has gotten into your small head, Baelth’Kael?” Korbaz demanded, not expressing any
surprise at Baelth’Kael’s unbecoming words. However, that did not mean that the demon lord was not
surprised. “What became of your vaunted rebirthing?”
The demon lord was still under the influence of Malkin’s original lie, Baelth’Kael realized. He could
use that.
“It failed,” Baelth’Kael explained. “Foiled by the treacherous Lexstriza. Hence why I now intend to
overthrow her for her interference with my plans.”
“And what were your plans?” Korbaz growled.
“Why, to secede you, of course, and take your place on the throne,” Baelth’Kael said coolly. “What else
would I do with such power?”
“You dare threaten my throne?” Korbaz angrily yelled without thinking.
“No, I dared, but I no longer do so,” Baelth’Kael corrected. “Now that I am weakened as I am, I am no
longer fit to rule Drebula. But I can regain what little status I may, and take Lexstriza’s position instead. And
despite my weakened state, I am still a match for Lexstriza. Would you not prefer a more qualified
Lieutenant?”
“And what are these pathetic mortals doing at your feet?” Korbaz seemed to notice Malkin and the
revenants for the first time.

“They are followers I had gathered in the mortal world,” Baelth’Kael said. “They were to perform the
ritual that would be my rebirth. They are all I have left from my venture.”
“How pitiful,” Korbaz mocked. “Gathering mere mortals to serve you, rather than true soldiers.”
“But I hope to at least salvage what I can, and have some semblance of control over true soldiers once I
am working for you in the service of Drebula.”
Baelth’Kael was doing exactly what Malkin would have desired the demon do. Malkin was surprised at
first that the demon was not continuing to attempt to subvert Malkin’s subtle powers of control over him, trying
to find some way to have Malkin slain. But then Malkin realized that Baelth’Kael likely had no choice. The
former ruler of Drebula had to word everything he said carefully, for now Baelth’Kael’s life was in peril.
Apparently the arch demon was no longer a match for this Korbaz, and so could not waste the demon lords time
with suggestions that he bother killing a mere mortal. Only important matters of business would be tolerated by
the volatile Korbaz.
“Then perhaps some use can come of this situation after all,” Korbaz leaned back from his previously
tense position on the throne. “It would please me to have a stronger Lieutenant, and it would please me more to
see Lexstriza dead for her failure. But it will bring me the most pleasure to see you serve me at long last. After
eons of servitude to you while you reigned here in Drebula, I will derive great satisfaction from the humiliation
you will have to endure at my feet for a lifetime to come!”
Lord Korbaz laughed, a harsh, grinding sound, like the scraping of rocks and the grinding of bones.
Baelth’Kael took it all in stride, remaining stony faced and unexpressive.
“Lord Korbaz, I am not too late,” came a familiar deep feminine voice from behind Malkin. Malkin
turned to see Lexstriza stride into the hall with two score of soldiers in tow. Malkin was glad he now had his
target in his sights. But then Malkin was taken by surprise when he noticed that a large amount of Lexstriza’s
soldiers were undead, and Bethany and Kroll were amongst them.
What were they doing here, Malkin thought fiercely. Their presence was unexpected, and it might
complicate matters here. But Malkin ignored Bethany’s and Kroll’s sudden appearance, and focused on
Lexstriza. She was Malkin’s objective, not his former travelers.

“No, you are not too late,” Korbaz agreed with the now present Lexstriza. “You are just in time for your
much deserved death. You may have her, Lieutenant Baelth’Kael.”
“What?” Lexstriza sounded genuinely surprised. “No, you have been duped!”
Malkin could not remain silent any longer, he did not desire any further discussion, much less did he
desire Lexstriza be allowed any time to speak in her defense. “Kill her,” Malkin commanded of Baelth’Kael,
not caring how that might look in front of Lord Korbaz. Malkin just wanted this deed done.
Baelth’Kael summoned forth his fiery green blade again and charged straight for Lexstriza.
Lexstriza leapt back and issued commands for her soldiers to attack Baelth’Kael. They swarmed all
about Baelth’Kael, slowing his movement towards Lexstriza. Baelth’Kael swatted them about like flies,
leaving boiling limbs flying in all directions. They were no match for Baelth’Kael, but they slowed him,
nonetheless.
Malkin was startled to see that the undead soldiers amongst Lexstriza force did not move towards
Baelth’Kael, but were shuffling slowly but steadily Malkin’s way. Malkin noticed that there were human
undead amongst the demonic soldiers as well. Then Malkin realized they had done so after Bethany had issued
some sort of command to them. So this was the power Baelth’Kael had granted Bethany, the ability to raise and
control undead. No wonder the arch demon was so drained from the transfer.
Malkin commanded his revenants to meet the undead onslaught, and they stepped into the fray, meeting
them head on. The revenants were dressed in armor and bore swords, as they did when Cyrus ruled over them
in life. They cut into the undead with skill, all of them well trained as knights of a forgotten kingdom.
However, they were well matched by the fearless and tireless undead, creatures unable to feel pain or
doubt. Some of the undead slipped through the force of revenants and made their way towards Malkin. Malkin
realized that Bethany had commanded them specifically to seek out Malkin, obviously because she desired the
artifacts for herself.
Malkin spoke the words to a spell, and suddenly all about him swirled a hundred pieces of various
bones, spinning around Malkin’s standing form like dust caught in a whirlwind. The swirling bones began to
spiral in closer to Malkin’s body, until finally they slowed and latched onto one another, sealing around Malkin
like a protective cage of bone armor. The armor was enchanted with the ghosts of the dead, and moved with
Malkin, ready to deflect any attacks directed his way.
The gauntlets that embraced Malkin’s hands ended in long curved scythes, also made of bone. Malkin
lifted his ivory blades just in time to deflect the first swing of the nearest undead demon’s long reaching arm.
The blade sheared the swinging arm from the creature, removing it at the elbow. Malkin’s armor was also
enhanced with magical strength, as the power of the spirits the armor contained fueled his movements.
Korbaz folded his arms and beheld the carnage from his throne, enjoying the scene before him. His two
score of guards stood around him, waiting for his next commands. Korbaz let them wait, not intending to
intervene unless he had to. He did not intend to waste his guards’ lives if it was not too inconvenient to do so.
Kroll stood behind Bethany, unsure of what to make of all this. The political implications of the forces
at work were beyond him, but he didn’t really care. Adrenaline pumped through his veins, and his axes were
held at the ready. Kroll was eager to hit something with his axes, but he wasn’t quite sure who his enemies
were quite yet.
“Kill Malkin,” Bethany ordered Kroll as she saw Malkin easily defending himself from her undead
minions.
“As much fun as that’d be,” Kroll acknowledged, “I think we’re better off with as many humans alive
here as possible in the presence of these demons.”
“For once you are able to reason, and you decide to reason against me,” Bethany turned from Kroll and
charged towards Malkin’s position.
Lexstriza wielded in her open palm a floating orb of red fire. She forced her palm forward in Malkin’s
direction, and sent the fiery orb spinning his way. The orb hit one of Malkin’s many revenants and exploded
prematurely, killing off several of the revenants and Bethany’s undead alike, consuming them in roaring flames.
Bethany leapt to the side and rolled away from the lapping flames of the fire blast, standing immediately
after the momentum of her roll had receded. One of the revenants charged her, and Bethany recognized it as the
former king, Cyrus Alistair. Bethany spun and leapt, sending a sideways kick to the revenants sword arm,
knocking the blade from his hands. Bethany threw another kick right underneath Cyrus’ jaw, sending him
tumbling out of her way. She scooped up the sword, and headed towards Malkin.
Bethany reached Malkin and swung her sword at his head, catching him by surprise. However, the skull
helmet affixing the top of Malkin’s head deflected the sharp blade with ease, chipping it and sending it ringing
and rebounding back.
Malkin made an overhand chop at Bethany, who speedily leaped out of the way.
“Didn’t get enough of Baelth’Kael’s power the first time, and now you want the rest.” Malkin shouted,
stating rather than asking of the attacking Bethany.
“And that power will be mine,” Bethany said as she deflected another swing of Malkin’s scythe blades
with her stolen sword. “Claim me as undead property, will you?” Bethany screamed. “You will be joining my
force of undead.”
Cyrus had returned to his feet, and had drawn near to Bethany and Malkin. “Neither of our forces will
remain for long with so many demons about,” said the former king, though whether he was speaking to Bethany
or Malkin remained unclear. “Mortals should not be at each others’ throats when the greater enemy of demonic
forces is so near,” Cyrus pleaded. Cyrus clearly wanted at least one non-demonic victor to rise from this fight,
for he realized the victor would be claiming the soul crystal.
“You forget one thing, Cyrus,” Bethany said in between parries of Malkin’s attacks. “I am no longer
mortal.”
Malkin and Bethany continued their fighting.
Half of Lexstriza’s demon soldiers had been slain by Baelth’Kael now, and only twenty remained.
Baelth’Kael showed no signs of slowing.
Lexstriza was about to cast another offensive spell Malkin’s way, but then had a better idea. She spoke
the words to simple cantrip, and soon white light was glowing from within her throat. She spoke then, her voice
carried through the room with magically augmented volume.
“Lord Korbaz, you have been deceived,” Lexstriza said calmly, although her voice was carried easily
over the clash of fighting throughout the hall with the spell that was activated. “Baelth’Kael is not what he
seems. The wizard mortal who fights with him controls him, with a soul shard no less. Look for yourself, and
judge.”
Korbaz stood from his throne, eyeing Malkin closely. His fiery gaze burned hard at the shard tied to the
mortal’s belt, and Korbaz realized Lexstriza’s words to be true. But Korbaz was not about to allow Lexstriza to
live, as she had likely hoped he would do once he realized Baelth’Kael, or more accurately, this mere mortal,
had tricked him.
No, Lexstriza had clearly been lying to the demon lord all along, for she obviously wanted the soul
crystal for herself. Korbaz wanted this artifact for himself, and Lexstriza would have to die first so that she
herself could not claim it.
“My soldiers,” Lord Korbaz yelled in a loud rumbling echo throughout the vast Audience Hall. Korbaz
was of course speaking to Lexstriza’s remaining soldiers, still fighting with Baelth’Kael. “You serve the
Kingdom of Drebula, and I rule the Kingdom of Drebula. Therefore, you serve me. Heed not Baelth’Kael’s
presence, for it is Lexstriza that must die. Kill her outright.”
Lexstriza’s soldiers paused only momentarily at Korbaz’ commands. That did not stop Baelth’Kael from
killing off a few more during their moment of confusion. But the demons inevitably sided with the stronger
authority figure, Lord Korbaz, and so turned their attentions on Lexstriza.
Lexstriza called forth an invisible shield of energy that resisted and softened the blows of her attackers,
slowing and decelerating punches thrown her way, rendering them ineffective. In addition to the field of force
that surrounded her, anything that came into contact with it had lightning channeled through them, hurling them
back through the air, muscles twitching as they hit the ground and were filled with violent jolts of electricity.
Lexstriza’s shield would hold for awhile, but there were only so many blows it could absorb.
Some of the ape-demons made their way towards Kroll, standing there and basking in his enjoyment of
all the excitement, as if he was a spectator at some gladiator arena. However, Kroll was relieved to have some
clear enemies to put his axes to, and defended himself with alacrity, severing demonic arms and heads alike.
Korbaz turned to his two dozen guards standing at the ready, and ordered that they attack Malkin and
anyone with him. They complied, and soon a small contingent of guards were making their way towards
Malkin.
“You cannot hope to survive so divided,” Cyrus yelled as his attention was turned from Malkin and
Bethany to the approaching guards.
“He’s right, Bethany,” Malkin said, his blades before him in a defensive posture.
Bethany hesitated only briefly, but it took no large amount of imagination to realize the difficulty of
killing both Malkin’s and Korbaz’ forces.
Malkin’s revenants and Bethany’s zombies ceased in their fighting with each other and went to meet the
onrushing guards. The two forces clashed in an onslaught of spilled demon blood, severed undead limbs, and
crumbled revenant armor.
Lexstriza had finally finished off the last remaining number of the demonic soldiers assailing her. They
lay dead and strewn about her feet.
Kroll had killed off the few soldiers that had attacked him as well, and was now looking where to turn
for the next fight.
Lexstriza’s magical field of defensive force that surrounded her had ended, fully expended deflecting the
many attacks from her turncoat soldiers. There was not enough energy left in her spell to repel the thrust of
Baelth’Kael’s acid sword that suddenly plunged through her abdomen.
Lexstriza fell to her knees, a groan of pain escaping her lips as she looked up from the bubbling mess of
her stomach to Baelth’Kael’s wickedly grinning face pressed so close to hers.
“So sorry Lieutenant,” Baelth’Kael said with satisfaction. “You served me well, when I was king. But
you will not share in what will be my new kingdom. You will be forgotten, as the dust you are.”
“Wait,” Lexstriza said, not pleading, but asking. “Malkin’s soul… I have one last service to provide
you, Lord Baelth’Kael. I grant you Malkin’s eternal soul.”
“I accept your offer,” Baelth’Kael said, smiling as he clasped Lexstriza’s shaky hand as the binding
magics that were the claim on Malkin’s very spirit passed from Lexstriza to Baelth’Kael.
“Make Malkin suffer,” Lexstriza said, her last words as Baelth’Kael twisted the blade in her exposed gut
wound, killing her then and there.
Kroll overheard the exchange between the two arch demons, and decided it was time to join Malkin and
Bethany.
Malkin had witnessed Lexstriza’s death from a distance, and a great and warm calm washed over him.
“At last, I am saved,” Malkin said excitedly. We may flee here, artifacts and all. Come Bethany, we can sort
out our differences later.”
Bethany looked about ready to agree, when Kroll ran to Malkin’s side, catching Malkin’s eyes.
“Baelth’Kael has your soul, Malkin,” Kroll said, panting from his previous exertions. “What’s that all
about?”
“I should have known!” Malkin said, angry at himself for letting things get this out of hand. “We have
no choice, Baelth’Kael must die.” Malkin regarded his own and Bethany’s forces still at war with Korbaz’
guards.
“Then all this is for naught,” Bethany argued with Malkin.
Baelth’Kael was making his way towards Malkin and his group.
“This was a disaster waiting to happen anyway,” Malkin stated with conviction. “Baelth’Kael has to
die, and so long as I control the shard, I get to make that decision.”
Malkin turned to Baelth’Kael, who still was not aware that Malkin knew of his treachery.
“Baelth’Kael,” Malkin addressed the arch demon. “Seek out Korbaz, and fight him until he is dead.”
“What?” Baelth’Kael was both surprised and outraged. “I would not long survive such an encounter in
this state. You would waste such a valuable resource such as myself?”
“Do as you are bid, servant,” Malkin stated with finality.
Baelth’Kael looked about to protest, but the binding magics compelled him to speed off and encounter
Korbaz, in what was surely his last day alive.
“I do not intend to wait and see whether my people are victorious or not,” Cyrus said regarding his last
remaining soldiers.
“It was fun while it lasted,” Kroll said as he watched Korbaz and Baelth’Kael clash and fight, Korbaz
forced to rise from his throne and defend himself.
“We must flee before Korbaz figures out what’s happened,” Malkin said and without any further word
headed for the palace exit.
The four travelers raced from the vast halls of the palace, and made their way back out onto the streets
of Drebula. They quickly traversed through the crowded streets of Drebula, making their way towards the outer
wasteland without much incident. The citizens found the site of the four humans traveling free out of the
ordinary, but did not intervene since the four were clearly well able to defend themselves.
The four humans made their way back out into the vast wasteland of Hell, and slowly began their
tiresome journey back home.

Epilogue
“My circumstances were not expected, and thus were unable to be prepared for,” Malkin said to Brundle
in his defense. “I could not have known that the demon contained within the statue could have been of such
great power.” Malkin regarded the demonic statue residing on Bundle’s desk, empty and no longer containing
an arch demon’s spirit.
Brundle remained expressionless, as he usually did, his arms folded on his desk as he listened to
Malkin’s explanation. “But you say the demon no longer remains within?”
“Unfortunately, no,” Malkin went on. “It came to pass that upon the first contact that I established with
the artifact, the arch demon Baelth’Kael had laid claim to my soul. I had no other choice but to kill the demon,
and thus the statue no longer contains Baelth’Kael’s essence.”
“And you lost my scribe in the aftermath,” Brundle stated rather than asked.
Kroll, who was sitting in the room in attendance at the meeting as well, smiled at that.
“Yes, Adjantis was slain by the demon and cast down into Hell,” Malkin answered. “The retrieval of his
body would be difficult, and unworthy of the effort it might cost. But I had attempted to bring the statue back to
my study here at the Bureau where I would have better resources at my disposal to free the arch demon from his
prison. Bringing Baelth’Kael into the material world was the only method by which I could slay him. During
the process, Adjantis and the girl Bethany did not survive”
“It is against company protocol that you diverge from the assigned task so,” Brundle stated flatly. “Were
you to properly adhere to the prescriptions in effect, you would have had to report to me before making such an
executive decision about what to do with what was my property by right.”
“Understood,” Malkin tilted his head in agreement, then lifted it up again curtly and said, “however, the
safety of my eternal soul is ranked as a higher priority to me than company policy.”
“Personal matters may come before policy to you, Malkin, but to me company policy is personal. Your
payment will be docked, nonetheless.”

Malkin said nothing, for Malkin understood the rules well. After what Malkin had already been through,
he didn’t feel that there was any punishment Brundle’s division, or the Bureau itself, could possibly impose on
him that would be of any consequence.
“What about my payment?” Kroll blurted. “I was just following orders, as I’m known to occasionally
do. Leave my pay out of this,” Kroll demanded more than asked.
“You are not held responsible for the infraction committed, and thus your payment will remain the
same,” Brundle said without turning his head towards Kroll.
Brundle moved his eyes back to Malkin seated in front of his desk. “I understand this empty statue still
holds some value?”
“Correct,” Malkin acknowledged. “The statue is still able to retain the soul of highly powerful classes
of demons. However, imbuing the statue with a new soul may prove somewhat difficult with the disruption
spell placed on it. But the disruption spell itself could prove highly useful.”
“I trust you would be willing to render further services to be in the pursuance of further researching this
artifact?”
“I would,” Malkin stated simply.
“Then we have no further business to discuss,” Brundle unfolded his hands and pushed himself back
from his desk, sitting up straight. “You will be required to fill out a brief report to turn back in to my office at
your leisure, since our scribe is no longer available. But our meeting is dismissed.”
Without any further word Brundle returned his attention to some ledgers at his desk, going about his
usual work, as if there was no one else in the room.
Malkin took the cue and rose from his seat. Kroll did likewise. The two men exited Brundle’s offices
and headed into the labyrinthine halls of the Bureau.
“So much for your plans,” Kroll said casually.
“I have not yet walked away from this venture empty handed,” Malkin told Kroll. “I intend to lay claim
to our dear Bethany, as the undead property she now is.”

“Hey, you’re right,” Kroll said, realization coming to him. “You got yourself a sexy concubine. A
‘dead’ sexy concubine.” Kroll laughed at his own humor.
“That is not Bethany’s purpose,” Malkin scolded. “Her research potential is of the highest caliber.
Many great things can come of studying her. She does still hold remnants of Baelth’Kael’s power.”
“If you say so. Hey, we should visit Hell again some time,” Kroll said, changing the subject.
“I think not,” Malkin responded.
“Well, if you ever need some extra muscle for a job, you know who to call,” Kroll said as he came to his
exit and diverged in the hall from Malkin’s path, heading back out onto the streets of Strong Gate.
“Yes, I’ll be sure and keep that in mind,” Malkin said, although whether sarcastically or seriously was
unclear.
Malkin headed to his private room to wait for his upcoming appointment with the Council of Internal
Affairs at the Bureau. Malkin was eager to get started.
***
The Council of Internal Affairs was a small group of board members that oversaw the internal politics,
resources, and some disputes within the Bureau of Metaphysics Research. They were gathered in a circle of
desks in their public meeting hall, and the head of the council, Xander Sertorius, sat at the back of the room,
surveying the members of the meeting.
Malkin was seated at the front of the room, and Bethany was standing in shackles in a corner off to his
side, surrounded my two Bureau guards. Malkin smiled at the paltry security measures the Council had taken to
prevent Bethany from causing anyone harm or from escaping her situation. Malkin had provided as little
information about the exact nature of Bethany’s undeath to the Office of internal Affairs, preferring to keep
Bethany’s extensive powers as secretive as possible.

Malkin did not want some overambitious competitor who might want to attempt to claim Bethany for
him or herself. Malkin wanted to reveal as little as he could about the utility of Bethany’s research potential, for
he wanted that access all to himself.
It would seem Bethany was in little mood to protest her circumstances, as she still desired to one day
reach lichdom status within the Bureau. Her best bet for doing that was in cooperating with Malkin, who might
apprentice her eventually to become a mage. Malkin was not opposed to doing that for Bethany, just so long as,
and after the knowledge gained from studying her undead state, was fully exhausted.
Malkin had been attending the Council’s meeting, paying close attention to the council members talk
amongst themselves about Bethany and Malkin’s situation. Eventually the council chair, Xander, directed his
gaze towards Malkin.
“I understand you have motioned to lay claim to The Property,” Xander said to Malkin, referring to
Bethany by her now legal name. “Please state your case for the council.”
Malkin leaned forward in his chair, ready to finally get to speak. “The Property had been witnessing
some of my work of her own volition on a recent assignment of mine, of which The Property was not directly
involved. My work involved the dealings with an arch demon, Baelth’Kael, of which negotiations were being
established. However, it came to be that the demon was unable to be properly contained. Restraining the
demon resulted in the casualty of the one formerly known as Bethany, who had been risen undead by the
demon’s actions.”
“And why have you brought this to The Council’s attention?” Xander questioned Malkin.
“Because I move that I am entitled to lay claim to The Property,” Malkin said formally.
“And why are you so entitled?” came the council chair’s response.
“I am the most familiar with The Property’s circumstances,” Malkin regarded himself. “I am the one
most familiar with the process that led to her undeath. And more importantly, I am by far the most qualified to
research the nature of her undeath, for the source of her creation was the doing of a powerful demonic entity. I
am the most qualified authority on things demonic, and so it would best serve the Bureau if I were the one
tasked with overseeing The Property in question.”

“The Property is not possessed by a demon,” one of the council members said, off to Malkin’s side.
“She is undead. Would not a necromancer be best suited to her study and oversight?”
“Her state may be undeath, but the magics involved are demonic in origin,” said the demonologist. “But
if a necromancer feels that he has a better claim to The Property, let him appeal the council’s decision. But
there are no necromancers here at present.”
“Without anyone to contest your claim, Malkin, you may be most entitled,” Xander acceded.
“But that does not mean one will not contest your claim at a later date,” one of the other council
members added.
“But of course, until that complaint is filed, does anyone object to Malkin’s claim?” the Council Chair
paused momentarily, waiting for a response. When none was forthcoming, he turned back to Malkin. “Then it
is decided that you may take into your possession The Property. It will be signed off unto you, until the time
may come that another wishes to appeal our decision here today. This meeting is adjourned.”
Malkin stood from his seat and suppressed a smile. He headed over to where Bethany was held in
custody by the two guards, where a council clerk awaited him. The clerk handed Malkin a scroll and quill for
him to sign off on Bethany.
“Those restraints will not be necessary,” Malkin informed the guards as he signed his name on the form.
“I can take it from here.”
One of the guards obediently unlocked and removed Bethany’s shackles, and she stepped forward.
“Well, ‘Property’, are you ready to be off?” Malkin said as Bethany joined him.
“Remember that I am only property willingly,” Bethany said grimly. “Escaping you would not be
difficult.”
“Of course,” Malkin agreed as they both made their way out of the council’s meeting room. “But we
both know this arrangement will advance your self interest in the long term. I think you will make a fine
apprentice.”
Bethany was confident she would in fact be an excellent apprentice. She always had excelled at her
studies, no matter how steep the learning curve was. Bethany just wasn’t sure whether she would in fact be
presented with such an opportunity to learn. Bethany had no legal right to compel Malkin to apprentice her
eventually. But then again, Malkin was not exactly keeping her under lock and key. Maybe he would follow
through, maybe he wouldn’t.
But one thing was for certain. If Malkin was willing to renege on his deal, Bethany was willing to make
an attempt on his life. She could resurrect Malkin as a zombie, leaving him here in the Bureau for some other
opportunistic researcher to claim as property. Bethany could then make her escape to the Shadow Guild, where
she might find acceptance.
But Bethany was willing to see how things might turn out here. She may have tremendous physical and
even magical power, but she had little legal power. If she played her hand right, and all went according to plan,
that could all change, however. Bethany just had to be patient.
***
Malkin stood in his newly cleaned up study room, one hand clutching a small purple gem that he held
over a burning brazier. Malkin was incanting a stream of magical words slowly, eyes closed. Malkin’s hand
hovered close to the brazier, and he could feel its warmth.
Malkin’s incantation reached its end, and he released his hold on the gem, dropping it into the flames of
the fire. Malkin immediately opened his eyes, so that he might observe the fire for himself. The gem burst into
a small spray of purple dust, and the flames of the brazier flared a bright white momentarily before dying down
again.
Malkin relaxed, falling back from his stance in front of the fire and slumping into a chair at a nearby
desk. Relief washed over him, satisfied with the output the magical flames had shown him. The white flash
meant that Malkin’s soul was his and his alone. That could only mean that Baelth’Kael had been slain in his
fight with Lord Korbaz.

Now that Baelth’Kael was dead, Malkin’s soul was his own to keep, and hopefully he would keep it for
all eternity. But Malkin intended to keep much more than that. He caressed the soul crystal sitting atop his
desk, pleased with it being in his possession after so much effort going into its acquisition.
Yes, Malkin had walked away from this difficult trial with more than just his soul. He still had the
thousands of souls of an entire extinct kingdom, and the very king to go with it. The power inherent in that
possession alone made Malkin’s former trials worth the effort.
But the real prize was not the souls the crystal contained, but rather the crystal itself. The knowledge
involved in the creation of such powerful artifacts was vast, and not well known. Not well known at all, in fact.
But with one of these shards in Malkin’s possession, he hoped that he might come to understand the complex
workings of such a device.
And once Malkin unveiled the true nature behind the functioning of such a powerful artifact, perhaps he
might seek to bind another powerful arch demon to it. The many worlds and dimensions of Hell were vast, and
all held many powerful arch fiends to choose from. Malkin was no longer able to unleash the power of
Baelth’Kael on the world he wanted so much of. But all was not lost. Given time and maybe even years of
study, Malkin hoped to get a second chance. And the soul crystal was the key that might unlock that second
chance.

Hellbent

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hellbent

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Hellbent Page 2 of 231

was slightly more ambitious than some of his past experiments.

spirit would easily provide.

would make all of those difficulties disappear.

mind, not in the least.

own words, yet continue to speak them he did.

demon's hide in varying locations, at varying angles.

"Who dares?!" the demon screeched.

take his time with this summoning ritual.

might I ask, demon?"

again to break free.

staring hatefully at Malkin, its eyes promising death.

upon many hapless souls in the not so distant future."

"The only suffering I look forward to is yours," it hissed.

tearing bits of its own skin off.

force as this one.

ceasing. However, the stone remained warm in Malkin's palm.

stone and that his ritual was a success.

again, it had been revealed to him that he was not.

destruction, unable to contain the demon spirit.

process would be slightly less powerful. But still powerful.

Malkin stopped and stared, annoyed. "What do you want?"

write me another recommendation for my application?"

be sure and put a stop to that.

Investigation here at the Bureau.

bring you a message from the Division of Investigation-"

from which he entered.

"Welcome, Malkin. Be seated," Brundle said.

meeting, a member of the Shadow Guild."

Bureau to support whatever task you have in mind?"

introduce to you a member of the Office of Records-"

log of your activities. No more. Understood?"

Research. He is a specialist in demons of sorts."

thinking about visiting Hell.

this mission will have me actually do something."

mercenary, of which I had originally requested from the Guild?"

outside the city! Count me in!"

you and your goal."

paused, looking to Kroll to fill in the blank.

streets of Strong Gate. Ah, such memories.

two names? I say, keep it simple, and-"

your former excavation party? What if we run into them?"

may have been able to uncover from these tombs.

them unearthing many of them.

much more economical in retrieving this artifact, which is to be your mission."

thorough enough in removing all of the neighboring barbarians, an unforgivable mistake.

statue, the only magical artifact discovered in those tombs.

which is why I've brought you here, Malkin."

designs. What say you?"

matters of my own to attend here at the Bureau."

lose any more valuable resources on a single magical item. Understood?"

again, maybe not.”

I want everything accounted for."

horseback and Kroll was getting restless and bored.

"What about them?" Malkin asked.

existence," said Malkin.

"So it requires reading, then?"

"Oh, then count me out."

"I already have," Malkin commented dryly.

"What about succubi?" Kroll queried further.

"No," Kroll interrupted. "Have you ever summoned a succubus?"

through the forest.

the rations, I'm sick of ridin'."

to eat noisily nonetheless.