The rewards were supposedly endless, beyond imagination, but we had to promise to extract every bit of the ore, else there would be no deal. Our ancestors knew how accomplished they were, and had no doubts concerning total success. They agreed to the task, and a great number were quickly transported to a chamber here below.
She swept her arm around. In subsequent years, we became responsible, during our mining, for every single tunnel that you see. We and all the gods and human souls have used and traversed them now for millennium. They run throughout the entire Underworld.
Dagon had never once before wondered how the Underworld system of passageways had come into being. He felt truly astounded and overwhelmed to be in the presence of those whose ancestral sweat had created the labyrinths.
Over the next few hundred years, pound after pound of the substance, which became known to us as rarestone, was painstakingly uncovered, but the ten total pounds ended up being more elusive than anyone could have imagined. Many years passed and the overgod became distracted with other important things. He designated lesser gods to watch over us. Here, Magmanna snorted. Watch over us. With our original benefactor out of the picture, we became subject to the whims of whoever was available
These undergods, using powers greater than any we had ever seen, made our previously meager existence nearly unbearable. Our people were starved, punished and subjugated for their efforts, urged through cruelty to tunnel farther and farther toward the center of the Earth.
Eventually, even the gods who were our jailers, known to us only as our Masters, rarely bothered themselves to keep up with our progress. Our new tormentors became the demons who took naturally to the caves and channels we had carved into the earth.
When at last the final ounce of the precious ore was uncovered and offered up, the evil one who was then in charge took the precious load away and then sealed us as far below as possible. We were kept apart from any other god who might have helped us, and far enough away from the overgod that we were beyond his all-seeing presence, and left here, forgotten.
Magmanna finished and indicated to a young male apprentice that he should continue.
In the years to follow, our people got used to a different life. Our bodies adapted to the tremendous heat and the lack of light. We established a hierarchy and a means of communication since it was difficult for our numbers to convene in one place. Eventually, every few millennium, we produced a natural leader who would become our queen, and because of her, the champions evolved…
Magmanna interrupted. Dagon knows the story from here. She pointed to another of her entourage. Tell him of our speculations.
It is said the rock our people extracted painstakingly from the earth was so valuable and important, that once it was all in the possession of the evil one who held dominion over us, the risk of what we knew sealed our fate. We were hidden away and threatened with death if we ever revealed the secret of the material to anyone.
Dagon gaped, appalled. Their story was incredible. But the overgod. How could he have forgotten you?
You have to understand. Magmanna replied, pragmatically. It had been so many years since we had been conscripted by him, that the world’s population and needs had exploded to an enormous degree and the overgod was…well…overwhelmed. For that reason, he created more and more lessor gods to take care of things. There soon became gods for the weather, the crops, the seasons. You, yourself, Dagon, are one of many gods he created with dominion over the ocean. Likewise, he put someone in charge of us, and why would we, a group of insignificant miners, be remembered amid all of this unprecedented growth?
It’s so unfair. Dagon had a hard time wrapping his brain around it. You created a space that the overgod now uses as punishment for gods and humans who have perpetrated heinous crimes, and yet you, the innocents, are relegated to its depths for no reason at all.
Dagon stood, tall and dark, an avenging angel for the glowies. He had never felt more sure of anything than what he was about to say. Suddenly, outside of all of the selfishness that had made his heart black, there was something more important than his needs; something to accomplish that would give meaning to his life.
I promise all of you, here and now, that I will right this wrong. I will petition the overgod himself if I have to, reminding him of his promise to your people. You will get your reward, my friends. This I swear…or I will die trying.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Enlil. Dagon finally called out in his mind, seeking a connection to the god of wind. Are you there?
Dagon. We’ve been trying to reach you for hours. Where the hell have you been? Holly’s been frantic, and I’ve had to snatch her back from storming the portal a half dozen times.
Dagon cringed at the prospect. We met with some wraiths who intended to mind-fuck me, but my companions saved my ass, big time. After the fact, I succumbed to the deepest sleep I’ve had in months, and I don’t think anything could have woken me up. Tell Holly I’m so sorry….wait. Did you say you’re at the portal? Had he heard correctly?
We are. But something has to be up, because it’s been much too easy to get here. We’ve only encountered demons low on the food chain. Nergal must be planning an all-out assault as we try to team up. It’s the only thing that makes sense.
Nergal loved to play cat and mouse, lulling his victims into a false sense of their own powers before sending his baddest bad-asses to pull them apart. Dagon agreed that there must be an army amassing.
It doesn’t mean we have to play into his hands. My friends and I are on the final tier of the Earth’s mantle below you, and only a few hours away from your passageway. For some reason, Nergal doesn’t seem to know about my cadre of glowies. That should level the playing field.
That’s true. He probably feels that because you’re alone, you are the most vulnerable. I’d say he’s positioned his demons on your side of the door to keep you from coming through. I’m going to try something to find out if that’s the case. I’ll keep you posted.
Be careful, my friend, if Dagon dared call him that. You have precious cargo between my blood-granddaughter and my Chosen. Keep yourself and them safe.
The connection terminated and Dagon worked to move his troops as quickly as possible to where he might be able to help.
****
“Lenore, Holly, you two stay here. I’m going to approach the portal and see if I can’t get the attention of one of the guards.”
Holly didn’t want to heed Enlil’s request. She wanted to be the one to go to Dagon, and she wanted to do it. Right. Fucking. Now.
She bit her tongue as Enlil rummaged around in Lenore’s backpack, pulling out the obedience collar she’d been told Lenore used on Anshar when he’d been afraid of his serpent form. Interesting piece of jewelry. Any command given while the collar was in place around someone’s neck, had to be obeyed. Holly understood why none of them used it lightly.
“Make sure you bring my playtoy back to me.” Lenore drawled. “It figures in my plans for Nergal.”
Holly’s ears perked up. This was news to her.
Enlil snorted at the revelation. “Don’t be so sure this thing will work on our king,” he admonished. “A lot of the magicked items they use to torment us don’t seem to have power when turned back on them. I’ve learned that the hard way.”
Lenore did not look in the least bit worried as she answered. “I have it from a fairly good source that the collar will be effective.”
Lenore didn’t have to say more. That edict must have come from Ereshkigal, and if the queen had vouched for its efficacy, the collar would be quite useful against Nergal.
Enlil clearly figured that too. “Okay, but right now, I’m going to try and bag me a demon and use it to see if we can gain an advantage.”
Holly put her hand out and stopped Enlil. “Don’t you think I’d be better bait than you?” She bit her lip. “I’m small, and nobody ever suspects that I’m capable of anything. You’ll be lucky to get within ten yards of one of t
hose beasties.”
“Well, if enticement is our goal, it should be me.” Lenore interjected. “I’ll have one fondling my tits within seconds.” She gazed impatiently to where Enlil still stood with the collar, and then held out her hand. “Give it to me. You know it only makes sense.”
“Anshar will be destroyed if anything happens to you,” Enlil grumbled, handing over the circlet. “Let me weapon-up in case things go bad.”
“Wait.” Holly saw one flaw in the plan. “If these demons are the smart ones, won’t they suspect a trap? I think you can sashay around all day and not one of them is going to budge. But what if we all go in together, give them an arrogant show of force. They’ll be compelled to attack.”
Enlil and Lenore looked at her expectantly, waiting for the rest of the plan.
“When we’ve discovered our supposed mistake, we turn to run away and Lenore accidentally trips. What demon could resist making a grab for her delectable ass? Enlil, you and I will then circle around and cover that ass while Lenore collars one of the bastards.”
“You’re going to make a fucking awesome goddess.” Lenore snorted, then agreed to the plan by tucking the collar down into the front of her shirt. “All I have to do is turn over, secure this baby, and one demon-minion is ours.”
“Be aware that the collar might not fit around an over-sized neck. You may have to fasten it around a bicep or an ankle,” Enlil added.
“I’ll find a spot.” Lenore smirked. “Don’t you worry.”
The trio loaded themselves with weapons and made their way into the open cavern, looking toward the portal on the far wall.
“Now or never, baby.” Lenore said it mostly to herself, but Holly heard and nodded before the goddess took a deep breath and raised the roof. “Hey, prickbags! Wanna come out and play?”
She and Enlil joined in making similar noises, sauntering around in a seemingly patternless path, but it was Lenore who appeared the most pumped.
“I’ve got an extra hand.” she proclaimed. “Which one of you douche-cicles would like some cold jerky?” She made a circular tugging motion with her fingers, all the while pretending to forget herself, moving closer to the doorway.
The air turned frigid; the bait was about to be taken. Holly felt the evil so intensely within her, it was all she could do not to turn around and run. She marveled at Lenore’s fortitude.
The petite, platinum blonde didn’t budge. She just kept up her chatter. “Come on, baby. Show me what you’ve got.”
If Holly wasn’t mistaken, sly chuckles came from just beyond the dark portal. Lenore must have heard it too. The tone was recognizable in any language. The big bad demons goaded each another.
Finally one large, pure-white demon emerged from the hole, fangs dripping gobs of hot acid. Far from sending out the troops, the laughing demons had made it easy. It looked like it would be one-on-one for Lenore. Holly and Enlil backed up to let the goddess get to work.
Lenore narrowed her eyes at the hell spawn as he lowered his hand and grabbed what had to be the largest penis and balls Holly had ever seen.
“Well hello, big fella,” Lenore murmured. “My bad. Was I talking hand job? Such a shame. That’s way too much junk for me to wrap my little digits around.” She turned on her well-trained high heels and gave the illusion she would flee, but instead tripped on a nonexistent rock and went down on her stomach.
“Whoopsie.” She had the collar out of her décolletage and in her hand before she’d taken her next breath. Lenore was ready for the demon to take the bait.
Holly took her cue from Enlil, ready to step in as they watched the corrosive-spitter lift Lenore by her hair. But Enlil held up a hand to stop her. He reminded her in very quiet head-talk that the goddess had the power to regenerate if the demon harmed her in any way. Still, it was unnerving to watch.
These upper demons were speech capable, and this one made no bones about what he wanted from Lenore. “Suck this,” he ordered, wrenching her head around to face him. He was so tall, her face ended up only slightly above crotch level, where he waved his erect, acid-dripping cock toward her mouth; a huge evil smile splitting his face.
“Ooh. It looks like you’ve got a nasty STD, my friend,” Lenore quipped. “Let me see if I can take care of that for you.” She held the collar behind her with one hand while whipping off her shoe with the other and deftly brought the heel of her footwear squarely up into the demons nuts using all of her goddess strength.
The demon’s head tipped back in a roar. He dropped Lenore’s hair and reached for his wounded tender bits with both hands.
Holly blinked. Lenore dropped her shoe. And the collar whipped into place, secured snuggly around the creature’s wrists, cock, and balls. The goddess offered a little bow before her erstwhile lover could even register that he’d been compromised.
“There,” she proclaimed. “Now follow me like a good boy, and we’ll get to know each other better. Sex, however, is definitely off the table.” She shook her head as if in regret. “Swapping fluids with strangers was never my thing.”
Lenore popped her shoe back on and headed to where Enlil and Holly crouched behind an outcropping of rocks. Sure enough, the moaning demon followed obediently with a painful, shuffling gait. Evil wafted from the passageway behind Lenore, but none of the other demons followed. Perhaps they feared Nergal’s wrath if they went against his plans. Well, whatever those plans, they were about to be revealed by the big lump of now-docile demon Lenore had outsmarted.
“Mom, Dad, look what followed me home. Can I keep him?” The goddess beamed with faux enthusiasm.
“I’m feeling a twinge of pity for Anshar,” Enlil invoked sarcastically. “How the hell does he keep your mouth under control? Then again—”
“That was amazing!” Holly cut Enlil off. Enough already with the blow-job innuendos, and besides, right now, she was half in love with Lenore. “Don’t you ever get nervous?” Holly looked to the blonde termagant with awe.
“Sure I do. But I also try not to take anything too seriously. After all, I’m a goddess and there’s not much that can kill me.”
That stopped Holly. “Oh. Right. Just out of curiosity, what can kill an immortal besides amulet removal?”
Enlil answered while Lenore got their guest settled. “Decimation of our Chosen, or total incineration.” His face took on a serious cast. “It’s the same with most otherworldly creatures. Legend has it decapitation works too, but that’s a myth. If our heads are chopped off, it takes a while, but we grow them back. I’ve never had the pleasure, but I understand it’s a very painful process.”
Holly winced at the thought.
Lenore seemed tired of waiting. “Time for our friend to spill it, don’t you think?” The goddess prepared to rock and roll.
The big white fellow, now totally subdued, sat hunched over his permanently clutched privates. “What do you want?”
Lenore snickered. “Not much for small talk, are you?”
“No.” He was compelled to answer. “King Nergal will kill you. That’s all you need to hear.”
“Newsflash, dickhead, Nergal isn’t allowed to kill us. He needs minions like you to do his dirty work or he loses street-cred with his wifey.” She turned cold. “Enough with the bullshit. How many of you are there beyond the door?”
She could see the demon struggle, but he was unable to suppress his reply. “Twenty-four of us,” he spat.
Dagon, there are twenty-four demons on your side of the portal. Enlil fed Dagon the information as it was extracted from the prisoner. The wind god barked his own question at their detainee. “How many like you, and what else are we facing?”
“A dozen of my kind and a dozen of another species.” The demon stopped fighting against his orders to speak.
“What have you been told to do?” Lenore knelt to the backpack and drew something out, hiding it from the fiends’ gaze.
“We are to concern ourselves with Dagon, since he is the weaker one. We must keep you from g
aining access to him, while we go forth and kill him. Once he is dead, we can turn our attention to your group. This god,” he looked at Enlil, “is to be dispatched without mercy at which point we will be allowed to play with you two women.”
Holly exchanged worried glances with Enlil and Lenore. Ereshkigal’s agreement with Nergal specifically precluded death, and there had been no talk of Holly and Lenore being tossed to the demons.
Lenore’s eyes turned cold. “Is there anything else we need to know from him, Enlil?”
“I think you’ve just about covered it,” he grunted. “Ask the final question and we should be finished.”
“Where is your life essence hidden?” Lenore’s voice came out flat.
The demon made every effort not to answer. It went against all natural instincts to give that information to his enemy.
Lenore was tired of waiting. “Let’s make it easy on you.” She didn’t hesitate a moment. “This way you can go out with a smile on your face. Imagine that you’re hooked up with the she-devil of your dreams and fucking her senseless. She’s screaming because your big-bad, demon-dick is nearly splitting her in two.”
An icy glow began to emanate from inside of the goblin’s left elbow. Holly quickly surmised that―brilliantly deduced by Lenore―the sexual stimulation triggered a reaction in the hidden talisman.
“I’ll do the honors.” Enlil took a knife from his pack and sliced into the inner arms’ slippery flesh. The god had the clear, icy crystal in his hand just as the demon shot off an enormous load, and damned if everybody wasn’t satisfied. The demon deflated—every part of him, not just his dick—and he shriveled away to a husk.
Holly sat back, grossed out and astonished. “Eww. Serious clean up on aisle one. Shit…I thought…I didn’t realize…it seemed so…easy.” Her eyes flicked back and forth between the dead demon, the cold spooge, and the crystal.
“Yeah. This time. With the help of the collar. But it’s never that easy in battle,” Enlil replied.
“Will…will he…what will happen to his soul?” Holly wasn’t up on all the rules. Lenore looked interested in the answer too.
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