Into the Hells

by Christopher Johns

  Huh. That was interesting. I released Kayda safely in an open space and, with Questis’ help, walked her through the process of shrinking to the size of a large parrot. Once that was accomplished, I had her stay out for a while. It was nice having her be this small again.

  He nodded, then Jaken tapped my shoulder. “You bought all this silver for something. What do you have planned?”

  So I filled him in. I wanted to make Muu a new spear, but with this one, I wanted it to be a demon slayer spear. It needed to pack enough of a holy punch that it would act as a deterrent and as a viable threat to anything we might uncover that wanted to fuck with us in the Hells.

  “That’s going to be a little rough on you considering your… aversion to silver.” Jaken blinked sweetly, trying to dance around the Werewolf in the room.

  “Are you trying to say that he is a lycanthrope of some flavor?” Questis looked even more interested now and must have noticed the looks of surprise and apprehension on our faces because he added, “I could smell you, Fern could smell you, as soon as you entered into the palace. We weren’t sure who it was at first, but when you started to express the signs of lycanthropy and I was close enough to truly smell the beast on you—I knew.”

  I blinked at him, and he smiled softly. “Look, I realize that you think my kind are uptight and stand on some sort of moral high ground, but I am—how might I put it?—not a prick?”

  “Oh, I like you.” I laughed. And honestly? It was true.

  The dude hadn’t tried to fuck us, and he seemed to be genuinely cool.

  “Now, I believe you had an issue with your ailment? Have you need of tools?” Questis asked.

  “Nope!” Jaken grinned sheepishly before pulling a lidded bucket out of his inventory. “I forgot to give this back to Granda when I left. It’s the one I use, not the one you made him. It should suffice, right?”

  I blinked at it. It looked like it might hold maybe four ingots at a time.

  “I mean, this is going to be a pretty gnarly weapon, man.” I scratched my head. “What do you think?”

  “I have scratch paper if you would like to work on the design?” Questis offered, motioning to paper and coal shaped like a pencil.

  This is a wonderful time to reiterate to you all that I am a shitty artist, man. Can’t draw myself out of a paper bag. Terrible.

  But I tried. Moving slowly, I tried to get the dimensions and designs that I had in mind blueprinted on the sheet so that they could see it.

  The design was, truthfully speaking, simple. It wasn’t a short spear in need of balancing with a counterweight. It was a traditional spear, but the head of it—the bladed portion—was the Celestial pictograph for the word “holy.” A single feather, nib pointed skyward, with seven beams of light radiating from a halo around it. The halo connected midway to the base of the feather so that it seemed like one solid piece.

  “That will be intricate work for a metal worker of his caliber,” Questis observed. “Forgive me, Jaken. I mean no disrespect.”

  “I’m well aware that this is beyond me,” he shrugged, “but if I could make a suggestion?” I flipped him off and tossed the charcoal to him. “Thanks, bud. Silver isn’t the hardest metal. Sure it’s potent against the forces of evil, but it’s not going to be able to stand combat. So, how about if we upped the holiness of it by including an equally holy metal?”

  “You have some?”

  “We all do, man. It’s platinum.” He pulled out several of the coins, and I wish I was flexible enough to shove my own foot in my ass. How had I not known? “Metalwork isn’t your thing, man. Like he said, this is beyond me, but I can work platinum. If you make the base how you made that rod, I can add the cutting edge to it, and then we can use something sturdy to lend it durability during the enchanting process.”

  “Hell yeah!” I punched the Fae-Orc on the shoulder and grinned.

  “I would like to be involved in the enchanting process, if I may?” Questis spoke up, and when I turned to regard him, he had a hopeful look on his face. “I also know of a metal worker in town who is quite talented. She would be willing to come help for a price. It has been some time since I have heard someone so passionate about a project like this, and I wish to be of further aid. My other work for the eve is already completed, as is your key to return. It is just sitting in a safe environment attuning to this plane.”

  I looked at him skeptically at first but held up a single finger. “Only if you let us pay you for your work. We’ve had gifts in the past, and I don’t think it’s fair for us to take advantage of a new friend’s hospitality like that. Do we have a deal?”

  “We have a deal then. I have just the things in mind!” Questis clapped his hands and began to flit about his office then stopped. “Ah. Fern is gone. I will have to summon her myself.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  It was the wee hours of the morning by the time I finished projects I had in mind for our trip to the Hells. Jaken and Questis had taken over the weapon when I finished my portion of it.

  Being around that much silver made me queasy. Blurgh.

  As to the other items I had enchanted for my friends? Well. I had to admit, I was pretty damned proud.

  For me personally? I traded my Infernal Band, it gave me a huge boost to fire damage and added hellish fire damage—probably not useful in the Hells—for a new ring. It was a platinum affair with a simple diamond setting. Perfect for my needs.

  Radiant’s Binding

  +10 to healing distance and potency

  Additional healing never hurt anyone, right?

  Ring crafted by master jeweler Nift Ranger, and enchanted by craftsman enchanter Zekiel Erebos.

  That was going to be super nice where we were headed. For Yohsuke, I had to get him another ring as well.

  Vampire’s Kiss

  Steals a maximum of 50% of the wearer’s HP from a target as long as they are touching. Once that limit has been reached, the ring is inert for up to three hours.

  The kiss of the walking undead isn’t always pleasant but is necessary to survive. Thankfully, they can be sated.

  Ring crafted by grandmaster jeweler Yuckto, and enchanted by craftsman enchanter Zekiel Erebos.

  You know what? You guys probably don’t care who made or enchanted these things do you? Should leave that bit out? Okay. But just for this part, okay? I got busy. Ahem. Back to gushing over gear we go!

  James got two new rings, as his other ones, the mental resistance and the healing, were still decent.

  Samhain

  +10 to physical attacks

  One of the more well-known creature’s to visit the realms was the violent demon this ring shares a name with, and he liked to punch things. A lot.

  Ring of Stone Skin

  Allows the wearer to cast the spell “Stone Skin” once per day for half an hour.

  Sometimes getting beaten up makes you tougher; other times, you get tougher to return the favor.

  Those had been fun to make, but it got a little tougher for Jaken and Bokaj. They needed some serious upgrades, and I was really starting to get why people might think I was ignoring their needs.

  Wild Regeneration Band

  Wearer regains 3% of their health per second for ten seconds but has a chance to fall into a Rage state for thirty seconds. Three uses per day.

  Sometimes in nature, getting bitten can teach you a lesson, sometimes it pays not to bite the crazy thing one bite away from snapping.

  Defensive Signet

  +15 to defense.

  With the symbol of the shield engraved in this ring, getting smacked around doesn’t necessarily feel so bad anymore.

  Ring of Recovery

  Wearer regains 5 HP per second for thirty seconds. Cooldown: 1 hour.

  Feel that warm rush of healing energy!

  Calamity Band

  Teleports user to a spot that they can see within 200 feet. One use.

  That spot over there sure looks healthier! Hope you can get away!

>   Those last two I hoped Bokaj would find useful. I doubted he would want to throw any other ring on if he had one, but he could always have one of our old ones in a pinch. Was it lazy of me? Probably. Do you have a bigass mana headache? No? Thought not.

  Moving on.

  Muu? That asshat was the worst one for me, mana wise. He needed a royal mess of items done, and I couldn’t phone these ones in. He might be physically stronger than us, but he was still lower level, and we needed him healthy. So I ponied up some new rings and a necklace that I thought was hilariously named.

  Shield Band

  +18 to defense.

  Ouch! The hand that guy hit you with sure looks swollen.

  Ring of Spell “Heal”

  For a mana cost, the wearer of this ring can cast the spell “Heal” on themselves. Cost: 50 MP. Cool Down: 1 hour.

  You got mana? You got healing!

  No Bake Necklace

  70% Resistance to fire damage.

  Doesn’t matter how hot this kitchen is, something sure smells great!

  Those had been fun, and painful, to make. And my head was pounding, but I had a couple more things to enchant. First, my own crystalline dagger meant to replace my great dagger. Then the ones that we had procured for Balmur.

  Redemption’s Mercy

  +13 damage to evil beings, +8 to damage against demons and abyssal beings

  The crystal doth sing as it cuts through sin—sweet release.

  Ooooh man. I’d have to call this baby Mercy for short. Though, how much of her namesake I showed would depend.

  Bright Sear

  +13 damage to evil beings, +7 to fire damage

  Holy flame, cleanse this evil before us. Amen.

  Moon Bane

  +11 damage to demons, Evil’s bane – wounds to evil creatures fester and cause damage over time.

  By the glinting silver of this crystal blade, your end is nigh.

  Those two were badass as well. I was honestly lucky to have my Paladin friend here to cast holy intent into it with me. Because of him, the holy damage skyrocketed, and the silver on that last weapon at his behest was a slick idea.

  All in all, my work had some great rewards. I was now level 43 in enchanting. Hell yeah!

  After collecting a tired and grumpy bird into the gem of my collar, I stumbled into the room that Questis had told me about to lay down and see about some shut eye when a wash of cool air rushed over me. I opened my eyes to see Maebe sitting next to me on the bed. Her eyes were downcast, and her shoulders were tense.

  “I take it Silvanas has taken a turn for the worse?” I asked softly as I sat up to be closer to her.

  “She is much the same, but my outlook on things is not.” She paused to collect herself. “She has told me of their original reason for coming here, and it was not what I had once believed. Rather than coming in an attempt to take control of resources and send them to us in the Fae realm, they were banished here by my mother and Titania for their practices that made them somehow closer to the lands they were on. The monarchs feared that if they were beloved by Samir, Silvanas would overthrow them and upset the chaotic balance of the realm. And that realm would cease to be.”

  “Does this affect your governance?” I asked quietly, still a little confused and more than a little tired.

  “No. My people are still mine, but it was good for me to learn of this as it is something that I must now consider.” I could see her eyes narrowing in the shadows that played across her face. “There are spies of the Seelie here, living among the high elves, and I think they could be learning how to commune with the world the same as those as they dwell with. If this information were to get back to the Seelie in my realm, my world would be thrown further into peril.”

  QUEST ALERT!

  A Champion’s Duty – Queen Maebe, leader of the Unseelie Fae, has informed you of a potential plot to throw her world and her people into great peril. Assist her by rooting out the spies living amongst the high elves.

  Reward: Deepened standing with Unseelie Fae, further tutelage in the art of wielding Shadows, and further favor of Maebe upon acceptance.

  Will you accept? Yes / No?

  I accepted without a second thought. She was my girlfriend, I cared about her, and her people. Not to mention, I still had a lot to learn.

  “I’ll help, we all will, to find these guys. So don’t worry overmuch, okay?” I kissed her shoulder, hoping it would help draw out some of the tension. “As soon as we get Balmur back here, we will look for them. Okay?”

  She nodded once without making a sound, then took a deep breath, released it, and looked to me. “I am sorry I cannot come with you to the Hells.”

  “So am I.” I tried to play it off, but I would miss her company. “I understand that you have a duty to your people and that being so far away could be detrimental. I respect your resolve and your dedication to them.”

  “You are a part of them, you know.”

  I couldn’t help the cheesy grin that crept over my face. “I’m your champion. Of course I am.”

  I felt her hand on the side of my neck, her palm sliding up slowly to cradle my cheek. I looked her in the eyes to see a single tear in her left eye.

  “No. You are the man I have come to love.” I felt a thrill of chills envelope my body, and she kissed me gently. Imploringly.

  It felt like that brief brush of lips said so much more than anything I could have at that moment. As my brain fumbled for sonnets, for epic poems of how I felt for her, my body reacted on its own.

  I kissed her back. I kissed her back, and I felt that tear fall against my cheek.

  I knew then and there, I had to come back to this woman. I had to. And I would fight all of the Hells to do it.

  * * *

  I woke up to Maebe watching me from inches away, but I didn’t jump this time. I was used to it by now.

  “You will come back to me.” Not a question. Not an order. Just a statement.

  “We’re coming back come hell or high water, and we’ll bring Balmur with us.”

  Her full lips pressed against the side of my head, and her eyes sparkled at me. “Good. Go get your friend.”

  With a renewed sense of purpose, a bit of a bounce in my step, and my clothes and armor freshly in place, I stepped out of the room. Maebe followed after a moment, and we were on our way to see the others with Questis.

  They sat around a table eating, joking, and trying to plan.

  “‘Bout damn time, man,” Yoh greeted us. “We won’t be gone long, so there’s no reason for the sappy-ass goodbyes.”

  “I will miss you as well, Yohsuke.” Maebe smiled at him, and he just sighed in return.

  Rather than waiting, I handed out the items I had enchanted to my friends. Everyone took them gratefully and slipped them on to their fingers, switching out older items for the newer ones.

  One item I had made last night while she meditated was for Maebe—a nose ring.

  Reminder

  The wearer of this item is reminded of their love’s embrace for four hours. Cooldown: 4 hours.

  Was it sappy? Sure. Necessary? No. But if I could give her some kind of comfort going into this terribly uncertain situation, I would.

  Gods knew I could use it myself. But our friend needed us, and we needed him back.

  “Thank you.” She clutched the item in her hand, then blinked. “Here. Take this as a token of my affection.”

  She reached into her shirt and brought out a simple handkerchief of dark material and lace. All was as it seemed with it, but I had to admit, I felt like a knight with his Lady’s favor at that moment.

  She leaned forward and whispered simply, “I love you.”

  The sound of those words sent a thrill through my being, and I mouthed the same to her in return. The mood was somber, despite the pent up excitement in all of us. Muu held his new spear.

  “What’s it called?” He offered it to me to touch, but I just stared at him before he took it back.

  �
��It’s called Saint’s Grace. Huge damage bonuses against evil beings. Holy damage like crazy. Thanks, man. I’ll try to be worthy of it.”

  I took another look at the weapon. The silver made up the base, true to my original design. As Jaken had suggested, the cutting edge was made up of platinum, but rather than the feather bearing the brunt of the attacking, he had used the symbol to hold two thick, platinum cutting edges that looked like angels wings. They swept from the shaft of the spear and met just at the tip of the feather to support it.

  That was a sick addition, and I was more than a little pissed off I hadn’t thought of it myself.

  “I added a little—the original design was great, but one wrong move and a ray of light might have broken off. That could have made the weapon’s enchantment defunct.” He pointed to the spearhead, and Muu relinquished it to him. “I had a little bit of divine inspiration for this, and Questis’ enchantment was badass. He added both crystal for higher durability and holy oil to make it a bane weapon. It’s highly potent stuff.”

  “That’s more than badass, man.” I gave him a fist bump before looking to Questis. “Thank you. How much do we owe you? For the weapon and the key?”

  “Jaken paid for the weapon himself, so that is no worry.” He looked to Bokaj who forked over a large bag of gold. “And I will not count this sum, but trust that more than two thousand gold is here?”

  Bokaj dipped his hand into his inventory and pulled out another smaller bag and tossed it to the Druid. “There is now.”

  “Then we are settled. Who will take the Key?”

  “I will,” Jaken replied as he stepped forward.

  Questis pulled out a small satchel and handed it to Jaken, then whispered a word I couldn’t hear into his ear before leaning back. “Be certain that everyone you want to bring with you is touching. The limit is fifteen beings that can be transported. Be safe, please.”

  Questis backed away, Fern at his feet. He looked at all of us, stepped toward the doors to his rooms, and motioned that we follow him.