Into the Hells

by Christopher Johns

  He eyed me carefully but seemed to acquiesce with a slight nod.

  “Don’t worry, Kayda and I are here for you.” I thought about it and brought Coal out as well but had him sit out on the terrace. “Coal as well.”

  “Is he…?” Telfino couldn’t find words for it, so I nodded.

  “My familiar for the time being—with Kayda. He’s a fire wolf. Rest. We’ve got you covered.”

  He laid on the thick moss and closed his eyes as I took a spot on the grass where I could see the door and the terrace. Kayda sat inside the little opening in the tree, watching Telfino sleep. As I sat, I opened my notifications at long last.

  QUEST ALERT!

  Quest completed - Hells Hath No Fury Like a Demon Scorned – The Lord of the City, Yttriol, has given you free rein to murder the demons who have defied him by joining in this sanctioned punishment.

  Kill any demon you like so long as they stand in the sand pit.

  Reward: A longer lifespan than if you didn’t, multiplied EXP, and increased favor with the demons loyal to Yttriol.

  Bonus Reward: If you make any of them suffer, to include Melvaren.

  Number of demons slain (total by party) – 147

  Reanimated puppets – 234

  Slow and painful kills – 27

  Average EXP per demon slain by average level (25) equals 42 (294/7)

  Average EXP per reanimated puppet by average level (15) equals 23 (161/7)

  Suffering bonus – multiplier x 0.27 for base EXP rounded down to the nearest point.

  Melvaren’s suffering-filled death – 873 (688x0.27) x 5 equals 4,365

  Total EXP earned – 18,942

  I had to fight the urge to whistle. Also—where the fuck was all this math in all the other instances of earning experience like this?! Maybe the demon realm was more in touch with the rules of the game than the Prime or the Fae? Because in the Fae realm, game mechanics had all but been gone except leveling up. Maybe I could have a chat with someone who was much more adept at things like this someday and ask them all of these questions I had. For now, it was time to focus, so oh well.

  With that much experience, I had leveled up five times! Holy crap, and a more than healthy two thousand four hundred forty-two points toward level 37. Holy damn.

  Okay. Time to play with the stats!

  Twenty-five points could do some serious damage if I decided to choose now to min/max my character. Kind of like some of the others did—once they reached a certain level, their stats would be really heavy in one or two areas, like Muu’s strength and Bokaj or Yohsuke’s dexterity. Both were crazy high.

  But I thrived in being able to do what I needed where I was needed. So, I put four points in wisdom, ten in intelligence, five in constitution and dexterity, and the final point went into charisma.

  Name: Zekiel Erebos

  Race: Kitsune (Celestial)

  Level: 36

  Strength: 52

  Dexterity: 42

  Constitution: 40

  Intelligence: 85

  Wisdom: 45

  Charisma: 19

  Unspent Attribute Points: 0

  Another cool thing was that Kayda and Coal had both earned half of the experience I had gained from that. So they leveled up as well. Coal had gotten five more levels to level 20, and Kayda was now level 21.

  First, Coal. His five points that were naturally allocated per level had added two points each to dexterity and constitution. Likely all that dodge and fight had toughened him up and made him a bit more spry. He also got an added point of intelligence, likely from having to discern which targets needed to be bitten to fuck. His other points, all fifteen of them, went as follows—ten to constitution, two to intelligence, and three to wisdom.

  A notification popped up in front of me, and I dismissed it out of habit. I wanted to finish leveling Kayda, then I would see what’s up.

  Her four levels saw that she had gained two points in wisdom and constitution each naturally, and that left twelve points to use for her. At thirty-one constitution, she was pretty hearty, so I left that this time. I plugged four points into strength, four into dexterity, and four into intelligence. There. Looking pretty, birdie.

  As I looked at her stats, I noticed that she had one ability that she could take for reaching a level past twenty.

  Blessed Rain – Caster calls on a healing rainstorm to heal allies and the land with a storm that will potentially harm enemies.

  The Storm Roc now knows her calling, and her calling is to heal the land and all of the creatures upon it. But woe to those who have raised her ire, for Lightning and Cold are quick to strike at those she sees as a foe. Range: 1 mile radius on the caster. Cost: All mana. Cooldown: three hours.

  That was amazing. Like, really fucking amazing. And it looked like the ability she had used earlier was called Cold Lightning; it mainly mixed her two elements and threw it at an enemy. The cost was 75 MP, but there was only a ten-second cooldown. So that was sweet.

  Now, on to this notification.

  I opened it up, and my heart dropped.

  QUEST ALERT!

  Quest completed - Enkindle the Elemental Beast – The Primordial Flame has asked you to oversee the growth of the flame wolf until it is strong enough to return to him.

  Reward – 3,000 EXP, unknown.

  It is time, little flame, for my beast to return to his place by my throne, the crackling, hot voice swept through my being.

  I groaned softly, so as not to wake the king, but I couldn’t help but feel my heart rending in two. I hadn’t known Coal all that long, but he had been a good boy. He had fought with me, risked his life for me and mine. Now, all that love and warmth he provided would be gone.

  Forgive me. I know that you have grown attached, and I feel also that he has as well.

  I looked over, and Coal stood, his body looking beefier and stronger than it had been before thanks to his leveling up. His deep, orange eyes looked at me with the same mirrored heartache that I felt. I stood, my legs a little unsteady and went to him.

  As soon as I was outside the reach of the grass, Coal was bumping into my body, his tail wagging like crazy.

  “I’m gonna miss you, buddy,” I snickered as he headbutted me in excitement.

  Home, he replied, his hot tongue licking at my cheek affectionately. Family.

  He sent me a wave of emotion, warmth, a feeling of belonging. He sent me an image of my fighting next to him, of Kayda sharing her food with him, of the party in various states of play as we had been training. Chasing him when he stole food.

  He loved us, but then he sent another image. A similar set of emotions were tied to it. His mother. His family. His true master.

  “You gotta go home, buddy. I can’t keep you from that.” I stood and patted his head affectionately. “I’ll go trade places with Kayda so you two can say goodbye.”

  As I walked away from him, his sadness and longing coalesced and hit me together, but I refused to shut our bond. I would share this last memory with him, with this little family we had begun, and we would get through it.

  Go to him, sweetheart. He’s hurting, and I know that you are too. Go say goodbye.

  Kayda fluttered past me like a rocket, and as I sat watching over the young Elven king, I lived through the breaking of three hearts simultaneously. It was rough, but finally, Kayda was able to fully convey how she felt.

  Love you, brother. She sent him images of the two of them playing together, her watching him sleep, and protecting him from those nosey Dwarves. She loved him.

  Love, he returned. I felt his warmth through our bond once more, and then the Primordial returned.

  I will take him now. There will be a small tear in the rift, but it will seal and likely not be felt for some time. Once I have him, I will return to you with your reward.

  I didn’t respond outwardly. I couldn’t trust myself to speak at that moment, but I did nod.

  I felt a small shift, and then my connection with Coal was gone. It wa
s like losing my arm all over—knowing something was supposed to be there, looking for it and finding it gone.

  Kayda, the poor thing, mounted on the terrace where she had stayed for the whole thing cried in anguish.

  He is safely with me. I will not ask you this again, and should you ever find that you have great need, Coal will come to you once more. That is my gift to you. One final summoning. Continue to prove yourself to me, to all of my fellows, and we will continue to bless you and yours and help you to grow.

  “Thank you, Shining One,” I whispered.

  You show courage in this. I have not forsaken you, and neither has Coal. Keep my gifts from before. I hope they continue to serve you well. Know that my interest in you is piqued, and I trust you, now more than ever. Burn hot, little flame.

  That last was said with a note of what could have been taken as affection that brought a wry smile to my lips.

  I called Kayda to me, and we sat there, just being together. The three grand experience was enough to throw me over the edge to level 37; I spent three points on strength and the other two on dexterity.

  I spent the rest of the time in the room, surrounded by nature training. But not in the normal ways. I began to try and see if I could send my awareness into the nature around me. It was hard, as everything seemed to have an awareness of its own, but the plants seemed to be happy that I was there and that I was trying.

  That was comforting.

  After a bit, I decided to look and see if there were any new abilities or spells that I had gained as a Druid or as a Primal Warrior. I had gained one for Primal Warrior, and it was a doozy.

  Beastial Fury – User enters a near-rage-like trance that brings the beast forth in the caster. Strength, dexterity, defense, and reflexes increased. Spell casting restricted for duration. Duration: 30 seconds. Cost: 235 MP. Cooldown: 15 minutes.

  The cost was steep, but I could see having any sort of an increase to my stats like that would be insane. The quickened reflexes would be great. I wondered if I could cast it under spell effects like the Aspect spells.

  Definitely something to look into when I had some more time.

  The others began to telepathically spout off their levels, and if they had gotten anything new. The majority was just powered up old spells, more mana and the like, but everyone was looking good. Muu had leveled up the most at level 35. Balmur level 40, Bokaj, Jaken, and Yoh all got to level 38. That left James at level 37 with me.

  We were getting up there. Kind of wondered what would happen at the next twentieth level mark for me. Balmur was quiet about it, though he did mention something about insanely boosted sneak attack damage. Was it the same as the first? Would we get some insane new abilities? I was eager to find out.

  They were upset that Coal was gone, about not getting to say goodbye, or in Balmur’s case, hello and goodbye, but they understood that it was time and the final summoning was something we could potentially use later on.

  I sat for a while longer in silence. Finally, the King sat up, blinking his eyes. He still looked stressed out but not as weary.

  “Welcome back,” I greeted him softly.

  “Thank you for watching over me.” His head quirked to the right. “Something is different. It feels hot.”

  “My flame wolf Coal was finally strong enough to go home to his true master,” I replied with feigned grace. I felt like shit about it, but I knew he was where he belonged.

  “You did the right thing.” He smiled, and his purple eyes flashed with mirth. “The Mother knows that you loved him. She is proud of you for knowing it was time to let go and for doing so without ‘a fight’ as she put it?”

  I blinked. “How could you possibly–” then it hit me like a ton of shit to the face. “You’re a Druid or cleric of some kind, aren’t you? But instead of a god, you serve Nature.”

  His smile waned a bit. “That is dangerous knowledge in these times, Master Zekiel.”

  “I understand your being weary, but this could work in our favor somehow.” I began to think of ways it may when someone interrupted my train of thought.

  Hey. Is the king awake yet? James asked excitedly.

  Yeah, sup?

  Ask him if they have some kind of celebration for Mother Nature.

  I looked over at the king and repeated the question. He nodded and explained, “Every year we have one near the solstice. I remember saying something about it before, but we didn’t have one due to my coronation and my mother’s… funeral.”

  I told the others, and this time, it was Bokaj who spoke, That’s how we do it. We have someone perform some kind of great thing to the Mother and proclaim that they’re the closest to her or that her favor is with them, and then we watch them.

  I explained the plan, and Telfino closed his eyes. They snapped open. “This can be done.”

  “Good. Let’s go spread the word then, Telfino.” My vulpine lips curled over my teeth in a grim grin. “We’ve got a trap to set.”

  Chapter Twenty

  King Telfino stood proudly on a platform balcony overlooking the entrance to the palace where hundreds of his people gathered to listen to him speak.

  “My people,” he began, his voice amplified by magic, “our hearts, broken as they are with the loss of our former Queen, my wonderful mother Silvanas, have cause once more to unite in more than just pain.”

  His gaze swept his rapt people. “They can unite in thanks, in gratitude for the Mother, for as one leaf falls, another yet grows in its place, and with it, so too can the love and bounty she shares with us.

  My people, I know that I am young. I know that I am not the strongest among us—but I too know that I love each of you as my mother did before me. Join me, join each other, and join with the land as we have done for countless eons before me and countless eons after. Join me, and be my family now in this time of loss. Let us band together, stronger than ever before, so that we may continue to flourish with our Mother’s love. My people, in three days’ time, as is our custom, will you celebrate our new lives together with me?”

  There was silence so deep and alarming that I didn’t understand it. This kid had just poured his heart out to them, and they stood silently.

  One voice, sweet and light came from a small Elven child near the front of the crowd to lift her chin high in concern.

  “King Telfino, why are you crying?”

  I looked, and he was. He was weeping openly in front of his people.

  He smiled. “I have watched my mother speak to you all countless times before, seen her sway you with her words, her wisdom, and her experience. Her values were imparted to me, but I find myself sorely lacking in the rest. All I have to offer all of you is my love, and seeing you all here has overwhelmed me. Please, I beg your pardon, small one. I did not mean to show any of you this weakness.”

  Kayda, who had been perched in her full glory near the top of the tower, screeched and lifted herself from the crystal to fly over the crowd. In their faces, this sea of high elves below us, I saw fear. Uncertainty. But in more than a few of them, I could swear I saw hope.

  As she crested to the top of where she wanted, a single, pure noted emanated from her open mouth, a whistle, followed by a round of birdsong I had never expected to hear from the giant bird.

  While she sang, a slight mist formed above her, deepening, and then a small shower of warm water began to fall like a spring drizzle.

  The elves looked up, mesmerized, but it was the little girl who began to return her song in kind, swaying gently in the falling droplets. The grass on the ground grew slightly deeper green than before and trees seemed to thicken.

  I watched, speechless as the people began to play, to shout and giggle and laugh as they just took in this song and dance of joy, and I found myself wanting to do the same. King Telfino, his tears swallowed by the rain, smiled up into the skies.

  Rather than lightning crashing down and hitting random spots, it flashed through the spectral clouds lighting the daylight sky with blue
ish and green lights, sparks and flashes. It was breathtaking.

  As the spell ended, Kayda soared from her spot above and landed next to Telfino, her eyes the same color as his, and he nodded.

  “High elves, family, will you join me in this festival of giving thanks to the Mother?!” he shouted with his hands up.

  The little girl, her blonde hair swinging wildly over her shoulders, cried, “Yes! Let’s play some more!”

  The people cheered, seemingly healed by that burst from Kayda. I’d be feeding her some more for that later.

  Telfino turned and thanked her softly before she fluttered over and landed next to me.

  Tired, she grumbled sleepily.

  “Sleep there then, my love. I’ll call for you when there’s food to eat.”

  Food? Her head perked up. Silly thing.

  We went back into the palace and began to prepare things on our end. Kayda would stay here, watch over the king, and call to me should anything happen, and the others and I would go over some of the intricacies of the plan to capture these people. First, we would need to decide on the bait.

  “How about Questis?” James asked around a mouthful of some delicious pie Yohsuke had managed to bake. The crust was perfectly flaky and the filling tart but still sweet. I had checked in on Kayda, and Telfino had food brought to her secretly on his plate.

  “Needs to be someone they think they can get away with, someone who isn’t an important figure,” I reasoned.

  “I don’t know man, that’s not necessarily the case anymore,” Muu observed. “Maebe said it seemed like they were sending spies her way too. They want this. Badly, for some reason, and I don’t doubt that they would take someone high profile if they fit their needs.”

  I had to admit that was a good point. If they thought that they could overpower them or sweep them away before they could defend themselves, their victim could be anyone. Still, it would be rude to just throw Questis into that role without talking to him.