by Eric Vall
I walked through the door of the hospital wing, sauntered out into the main lobby, and noticed a large group of people huddled near the far left side of the room. My leg still throbbed gently as the blood clotted my wound, but it held all of my weight without so much as a tweak of pain.
However, they didn’t look like the Shadow People I was used to. They were still tall, nebulous beings with short legs and long arms, but they now had more … human features.
Their figures were more pronounced, and I saw their faces now had a nose, distinct cheekbones, and even hair. The Caliginis’ bodies were still dark and still featured the red eyes and sharp teeth, but these were far from the horrific beasts I’d seen when I’d first entered the Shadow World.
Then I saw her.
At the center of the group stood a tall woman with long, flowing black hair. Her cheekbones were high and pronounced, and her bright red eyes were now surrounded by long, thin eyelashes and thick brows. The woman was clad in a shadowy suit of armor that hugged each and every curve on her body, and she wore an equally black crown atop her head.
“Q-Queen Zilla?” I gasped.
The woman looked over at me and grinned widely.
“I know it’s a little shocking,” the Shadow Queen mused, “but these are our true forms, King Ralston. Tenebris forced us all to take on the other ghastly shape when he was ruler. He claimed we were all monsters, just like the Rapha Beasts, and so he made us take a similar form. But now that he’s gone, we are free to be ourselves once more.”
I could barely think as I stared down the Shadow Queen. This was Zilla? I never in a million years would have thought she was this beautiful.
“I, uh, heard you wanted to see me?” I asked as I tried to regain my composure.
“I have something for you.” The dark-haired woman nodded, turned around, and beckoned for me to follow.
Instantly, my mind went to all sorts of dirty things. Maybe Todd was right, after all. Maybe Zilla wanted me to “seal the deal” by sleeping with her and becoming a Shadow King or some shit like that. I honestly didn’t care at the moment. I was too busy taking in all of her beauty.
So, I just followed Zilla over to a small table, where another humanoid Shadow Person was waiting.
This one was a man with jet-black hair and a chin that looked so sharp, I worried it was lethal. His look was topped off by a thin, black pencil mustache on his upper lip and an equally dark goatee.
“I’m glad to see you’ve made a full recovery, King Ralston.” He smiled, and I instantly recognized his voice.
“Blagdan,” I said as I returned the smile.
“In the flesh,” he bowed, “all thanks to you, of course.”
“So, if you guys are all back to your normal selves,” I began, “I’m assuming all went well at the castle?”
“Beyond well,” Zilla explained. “News of Tenebris’ death spread through Umbra quite quickly, and by the time we got to the castle, there was next to zero opposition. My men and I quickly dispatched the handful of loyalists inside, and then I reclaimed what was rightfully mine. And a few more things … ”
The Shadow Queen motioned over to the table, and I followed her gaze.
“Holy shit!” I whistled when I saw what was on the table. “Is that what I think it is?”
On top of the dark, wooden bench sat a heap of black, almost gaseous armor surrounded by a glow of purple.
Tenebris’ armor.
“It’s yours now, King Ralston,” Zilla announced, “as you saw first-hand, this is one of the strongest suits of armor in the known universe. I know you still have much of Hell to conquer, and I figured this would aid you along the way.”
“I-I don’t know what to say,” I stuttered as I picked up a piece of the dark armor.
“Say nothing,” Blagdan retorted. “We are forever indebted to you, Jacob Ralston. If you wish to thank us, then use this armor in your future conquests. And be sure to stop by and visit from time to time.”
“That won’t be an issue,” I reassured the general. “Now that my friends and I know we are welcome here, we’re going to be around a lot more often.”
“Excellent,” Zilla smiled, and then she motioned toward a Shadow Person off to the right, “but there is still one more thing we want you to have.”
“That’s not necessary,” I reassured the Shadow Queen, “you’ve already given us plen--”
I nearly swallowed my own tongue when I saw what the Shadow People brought me next.
It was a medium-sized book, with a black and purple cover and a title in a language I couldn’t make out. The entire thing was surrounded by a wisp of purple flame and intricate drawings that depicted the Caliginis and the various beasts of their world.
“The Book of Bezaleel,” Zilla confirmed, “take it, King Ralston. It belongs to our Savior.”
I was hesitant. This book was one of great power, but I also knew just how important it was to the Caliginis people.
“This is your sacred text,” I argued, “this is the book that gives the Shadow World and you guys all your power. If I take it back to Earth Realm or Hell with me, won’t that all disappear?”
“Nope,” Blagdan explained, “once the magic of the Book of Bezaleel has been unleashed, it takes an act of the Exalted One to make it go away. And, even then, it sometimes doesn’t work.”
“We will be fine without it,” Zilla added, “especially now that Tenebris is out of the way.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I just picked up the book and began to leaf through its pages. Everything was written in the same foreboding, foreign text on the front cover, but it was intermixed with illustrations that were in a somewhat Celtic style and featured several creatures and figures I’d never heard of.
“What language is this?” I questioned. “I’ll admit, I’m not familiar with it whatsoever.”
“There are three sections to the Book of Bezaleel,” Zilla explained, “and the spells in each one get progressively stronger as you journey through the book. The first is written in Inferoglyphs, while the second is all Umbrian, the language of the Caliginis.”
“And the third?”
“The third section is made up of a language even we do not understand,” the Shadow Queen sighed, “Deorish. The language of deities. It is said only the Exalted One, Lucifer, and a select few can read it.”
Well, shit. If I wanted to unlock this thing’s secrets, and in turn its power, I needed to first figure out how to read the juicy spells in the back.
Then it hit me.
Ziminiar. He was the Great Scholar of Hell for millennia. If anyone could crack the code on this language, it was the new King of the Sixth Circle.
“Thank you,” I reiterated, “you have no idea how much help these items will be on my next mission.”
“Thank you, King Ralston,” Zilla smiled, “because of you, my people will prosper once more.”
I gathered up the armor and the book in a large cloth satchel, tied it up, and flung it over my shoulder. Then I remembered I was still missing something.
“Where are my weapons?” I questioned. “I’m not gonna get too far without those.”
“I had our blacksmiths bring them back to your bedside in the healing room,” Blagdan explained, “they should be there when you return.”
“Alright,” I nodded and extended my hand, “I think we’ll be on our way, then.”
“Leaving so soon?” Zilla frowned. “The celebration is just beginning.”
“Unfortunately, I can’t celebrate too much,” I admitted, “I still have a Demon King to kill back in my world.”
“Well, then,” Blagdan noted as he shook my hand, “we hope to see you again soon.”
“Oh, you will,” I reassured him. “You will.”
“Three cheers for King Ralston!” Zilla called out as I began to walk away.
The crowd of Shadow People let out three “hip-hip, hooray”s as I headed back to the healing room, and I couldn’t help but feel a sw
ell of pride.
“Soooooo,” Todd asked as he sat on the bed and swung his feet in the air behind him like a schoolgirl, “how was she?”
“We didn’t--” I began, but then realized the comment didn’t even warrant a response. “They gave me a new set of armor. And the Book of Bezaleel.”
“You have the Book of Bezaleel?” Vidia squealed. “You have to let me borrow it sometime!”
“Maybe after Ziminiar gets a chance to read it,” I said. “The part with the most powerful magic is written in a language that only the Exalted One and Lucifer can read.”
“Then we’ll just have to see if we can crack the code,” Eclipse purred happily. “You know I’m always down for a good puzzle.”
“First thing’s first,” I mused as I surveyed my surroundings, “we need to get back to the Fourth Circle.”
I glanced down on the floor by my cot and saw the familiar shape of my old armor, complete with my belt, goat-headed dagger, Unhallowed Sword, and the ball that would become my warhammer. I quickly scooped everything up, tossed it in the satchel, and then turned back to face my friends.
“Is everybody ready to head back?” I asked rhetorically. “This was a fun little side quest, but we’ve still got the big boss waiting for us back in Hell.”
My team nodded as they stood up, walked over to form a circle, and then all joined hands and closed their eyes.
“There is no place like home,” Todd snickered, and then he clicked his heels together.
I just rolled my eyes, joined the circle, and tried to summon up enough fear to take us all back to the Fourth Circle.
It wasn’t hard. I knew what laid ahead.
Beelzebub.
Within seconds, my black Hellfire spread across my body, engulfed my friends in its intense glow, and then began to transport us across space and time.
We were going home.
Chapter 13
“Yeesh,” Todd grumbled as he took a few wobbly steps, “this whole ‘teleporting between dimensions’ shtick is gonna take some getting used to.”
As the black Hellfire subsided, I could see my friends and I had safely arrived back in the courtyard of my castle. The brisk, brimstone-scented air whipped at my neck as I released my friends’ hands, and I looked around triumphantly.
We were home.
“Finally,” Tris huffed, “I feel like it’s been so long since I’ve seen my beautiful couch. I think I was starting to forget what it even looked like!”
“You’d better get on it, then,” I warned. “We’re not going to have much time to relax. Once the other Demon Kings arrive, we’re going to have to jump right into battle planning.”
“Dude,” Tris giggled and placed a hand on her right hip sassily, “you don’t have to tell me twice. Toodelloo!”
The Sister of Sloth turned around and bounded for the entrance of the castle as quickly as she possibly could, and I watched her tight ass jiggle through her form-fitting pants as she disappeared into the building.
“She might be exaggerating,” Inpulsa spoke up, “but Tris has the right idea. We just got out of the frying pan, and soon we’re gonna be thrown right back into the fire.”
“You guys have all done your part,” I announced to the group. “Go rest. You’ve earned it.”
“Aren’t you going to join us?” Eclipse purred. “The bed always feels so much emptier when you’re not in it.”
“Blech,” Todd gagged. “I think that’s my cue to head back to Toddster Tower. Maybe I can get in a power wank before the Legion of Doom show up.”
“Uhhh,” Deja questioned, “don’t you mean ‘power nap?’”
“I know what I said, Clockblocker,” Todd snickered, and then he surrounded his body with black Hellfire and took to the sky. “Later, gobstoppers. My schlong ain’t gonna pleasure itself.”
“We really need to get him laid,” Eclipse sighed as the tiny imp shot off toward his quarters. “I swear he’s like, addicted to masturbating or something.”
“Is that even a thing?” Deja asked, “I’m sure that can’t be healthy … ”
“It’s not,” Ira interjected, “the penis can only handle about two straight hours of friction a day. Then it gets all red and swollen and sometimes even develops blisters or stuff like that. I’m getting super fucking wet just thinking about it.”
“I’m not even going to justify that with a comment.” Eclipse shuddered.
“What about the woman he keeps talking about?” Inpulsa suggested. “Todd always seems to find a way to interject the ‘redhead from Kansas’ into the conversation, but I’ve never met her in person.”
“That’s because we’ve only met her once,” I shrugged, “back on our first adventure. I guess it was love at first sight, because he’s been talking about her ever since. Even though he’s too shy to go after her.”
“Todd?” Deja gasped. “Shy? Those are two words I never thought I’d hear together, like, ever.”
“It’s true,” I continued, “Todd’s always been a big talker, but he’s only had one or two solid girlfriends his whole life. And even his hookups happened when his confidence was propped up by weed and alcohol.”
“Awwww,” Deja giggled, “Todd’s a hopeless romantic.”
“Don’t let him hear you say that,” I shot back.
“Speaking of romantic … ” Eclipse interrupted, “are you coming to bed right now, or not?”
I looked at Eclipse, in her skin-tight leather outfit, and thought about what would happen if I went with her.
“Unfortunately not,” I sighed, “as much as I want to, I’ve still got business to attend to. I need to see what Ariel can do about this new armor and the Unhallowed Sword. Plus, I need to be here to greet all the Demon Kings when they arrive, especially Ziminiar. Besides … you’re supposed to be resting. If I go up there with you guys, there’s not going to be anything close to sleeping going on.”
“You know us too well,” Deja grinned, “but you’re totally right. I’d hate to be even more drained before our big battle with Beelzebub.”
“You wouldn’t be the only thing that’d be drained,” Ira giggled, “so it’s probably for the best. I still need to go figure out all the fun things I can do with this Darkfisk toxin. The limits only go as far as my imagination and, as you all know, my imagination can go pretty fucking far.”
The Sister of Wrath let out a giggle before she placed her hand to her mouth, blew us all a kiss, and then headed off to her “shed of wonders.”
“Hopefully, she’s making weapons with that.” Inpulsa shuddered.
“You and I both know she’s not, Sister,” Eclipse mused through a yawn. “Now come, let’s not keep Jacob. He’s got a lot of shit to do, and I feel like I could sleep for a week.”
“Keep the bed warm for me.” I winked at the three succubi as they turned around, wrapped their arms around each other’s waists, and then strutted away.
“No promises,” Eclipse joked over her shoulder.
I shook my head amusedly as I lifted the satchel from the Shadow World back onto my shoulder and then headed in the direction of the Coliseum. I’d made this journey a million times before, and nowadays it felt like I could do it on autopilot.
Walk past the bubbling water of the sulfur pits … hang a left at Ira’s love shack … continue on until I reached the outskirts of the city … and then there it was, in all its glory.
The giant, three story structure built out of pure dark brimstone, the building that housed Todd’s Royal Rumbles, Ariel the angel’s workshop, and all of our training exercises. Honestly, it seemed like I spent more time here nowadays than I did in my own castle.
That was probably for the best, though. Our journey into Beelzebub’s domain was looming, and it was going to take all of my army, combined with my trusted Demon Lords and the armies of all of my allied Demon Kings, to even stand a chance against the Lord of the Flies.
I just hoped it would be enough.
When I finally reached t
he door of the workshop, I rapped three times, stood back, and waited patiently. Within seconds, the dark wooden door popped open to reveal the short, athletic figure of Ariel.
The angel was wearing nothing but a pink sports bra and a pair of dark black leggings, and her skin was glistening with a thin layer of sweat.
I had definitely interrupted one of her workouts.
“Jacob!” she gasped. “You’re back!”
“What?” I grinned. “Did you think I was gonna stay in the Shadow World forever?”
“Well … not willingly,” the redhead said as her eyes flitted down to the ground, “it’s just … Cupi and Lilith made it sound so dangerous.”
“It was dangerous,” I explained, “but it was well worth the effort. That’s why I’m here right now, to show off the goodies. Well, and to ask you for a huuuuuge favor.”
“Anything,” the freckled angel smiled, “I’m just happy to see you alive.”
“That makes two of us,” I chuckled as I followed Ariel deeper into her shop.
Over in the far doorway, I saw a pull-up bar mounted onto the frame, with a few weights on the floor right next to it.
Yep. She was totally working out before I got here.
Not that I was gonna complain. The redhead always looked like she had the body of a goddess, with a beautiful complexion and a bright smile to match.
“So, whatta ya got for me?” Ariel asked excitedly.
Before I could answer, the redhead snatched the bag from my shoulder, took it over to the workbench, and then opened it up. She pulled out the first bit of Tenebris’ armor, let out a whistle, and then laid it down on the brimstone surface of her workspace.
“It’s Caliginis armor,” I explained, “worn by Tenebris, the tyrant who ruled over them.”
“The Caliginis?” she asked.
“I have a lot of explaining to do,” I reminisced.
For the next ten minutes or so, I explained what all had happened to us in the Shadow World. I told Ariel about Zilla and Tenebris and the Shining Alliance, and how we’d helped liberate the Shadow People.
“You were busy in there.” The redhead crossed her arms and pursed her lips. “So, I’m assuming this armor is enchanted with black magic, then?”