《God Of Hell》


 Chapter 1: Abandon all hope, you who enter here...

    Chapter 1: - Abandon all hope, you who enter here...


    Death came easy when you were shot through the fucking skull.


    Nero had learnt that the hard way. Well, he had learnt it the easy way first, in biology class a while ago. But now, now he knew it, knew for certain that when you blew a person¡¯s brains out, whatever simulacrum of a personality, a being, a self and a consciousness it holds was blown away too, splattered across the wall in a beautiful pink mess.


    Or did he?


    He was thinking, wasn''t he?


    I hadn''t even noticed.


    How could he, it was his natural state of mind, never keeping still, never clinging to one moment, always in a race against everyone else to keep himself at least two steps ahead.


    But it shouldn¡¯t matter what the state of his mind used to be if it was currently congealing on a wall. Should it?


    No, no it should not.


    And yet he still was; not moving, not breathing, seeing, hearing or even living. But he was thinking¡­ Somehow.


    Whatever this was, he knew it wouldn¡¯t last. Or was that him hoping it wouldn¡¯t? After all, as much as he enjoyed his own company, an infinity in this equally infinite void would drive him insane. So he thought of what mattered, the most important thing on his mind and frankly what would be the most important thing on just about anyone else¡¯s mind in his position.


    What could he have done to prevent his death?


    He toyed with the idea, gnawed at it and tinkered with all its edges, vertices and faces until finally coming to the conclusion he¡¯d already found just seconds before the trigger was pulled.


    There was nothing I could have done to prevent this.


    Perhaps if he were someone else it would have brought him peace to know this. Nero wasn¡¯t someone else. It made Nero¡¯s blood boil, made his mind thrash, he wanted to scream, kick and fling shit at the wall until the heat death of the universe.


    But that wouldn¡¯t happen, not just because he didn¡¯t have a body to do the flinging or the shitting anymore, but because he could feel his consciousness slipping from him. His earliest memories were blurs, obvious facts became hazy and names tangled into one another like loose strings in a storm.


    Whatever this was, this state before death, it was coming to an end, and death proper would follow soon.


    Frantically he began reaching for his memories, not the ones he loved but the ones he despised, for he knew hate was a stronger motivator than love could ever be. He clung onto everything he loathed about the world, everything he loathed about himself, the stupid way the human spine was designed, the way his moron neighbour always made horrible puns that only he found funny, rabbits. The bastards. What was up with them anyway? With their stupid eyes and big ears, always listening in for something.


    Finally he hated the fact that he was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop it.


    It didn¡¯t matter, in time it all spilled past his mind like water through limp fingers and he couldn¡¯t even remember the name of those stupid hopping creatures he hated so much.


    Soon he couldn¡¯t recall what anything was, but he knew what hate was, he¡¯d cling to that like a lifebuoy in the middle of a raging ocean. Whatever those were.


    Nero was dying, but he¡¯d die hating.


    He waited to forget that too, but didn¡¯t. What washed over him instead was a voice, like fire burning through his veins, melting his insides and twisting it into a terrible sensation he could only half remember.


    ¡®Abandon all hope you who enter here¡­¡¯


    It was a soft voice, a woman¡¯s or maybe a young girl¡¯s.


    ¡®Can you hear me?¡¯ It asked, tone tentative. He could, not through any means he could identify. It sounded like she was speaking to him from within his own skull.


    ¡®I¡­ I can¡­¡¯ He replied, shocking himself by the sound of his own voice. He could speak- no, think, think so loud that it was hard to tell the difference.


    ¡®Who are you?¡¯


    ¡®You can call me Ember.¡¯ She said, ¡®And I will guide you to safety.¡¯ The sound of her voice seemed to drift away from him now.


    ¡®What? Where am I?¡¯


    ¡®Quickly,¡¯ She said, voice tinged with haste. ¡®You must follow my voice, or they will have you, the Enemy will have your soul and you will be damned, a plaything for their amusement!¡¯


    Well, that was as horrifying a thing to hear as he could imagine.


    ¡®How do I do that?!¡¯


    ¡®You just do!¡¯


    Nero doubted he¡¯d be getting any more helpful tips from her and he still had the impossible task of following a voice while falling through a void of nothingness.


    ¡®Follow the sound of my v¡­¡¯


    Ember was a distant thing now, and Nero¡¯s panic grew directly proportional to how far away she sounded.


    You just do. That was what she¡¯d said, so Nero did.


    He banished the panic, somewhere at the back of his mind he knew it was a distraction, banished the anger, the fear, the confusion and just focused on one thing, Ember.


    There was a yanking sensation, so sudden and forceful that he could swear he¡¯d have puked were he still capable of such a thing.


    ¡®You¡¯re doing it!¡¯ Ember chimed happily, voice growing closer.


    What he was doing felt horrible. He was still falling, and he was sure it was in the same relative direction, but every half second or so he¡¯d be forced to make a zig or a zag at a random angle and without a hint of forewarning.


    It was as if Ember was in a speedboat riding a titanic storm and he was in that very same ocean, tied to the boat¡¯s hull by his own entrails.


    Despite how uniquely miserable it felt, Nero could do nothing but hold on for dear life.


    All falls, however, had to hit the ground eventually, and Nero¡¯s was no different. He just didn¡¯t expect it to feel so horrible.


    All that momentum coming to a sudden dead stop was a terrible sensation, his guts squirmed, his mind blurred and his head rang. He could have sworn that this time he was actually puking.


    Wait¡­ Was he?


    There was a retching sound, and a pressure building up in his throat. He opened his eyes to find himself keeled over a white marble floor and emptying his guts onto its surface.


    He could see. It was all blurs, round edges and fuzzy details, but he could see.


    A tiny ball of light danced in front of his eyes, gold in colour and barely larger than his pinky finger.


    ¡°You made it!¡± he heard something say from within it. He recognised the voice, and it took Nero¡¯s momentum addled mind a slow and trodding march before he arrived at the reason.


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    ¡°Ember¡­¡± He tried to say but ended up coughing out the words instead. God, he wanted to just lay down for a few seconds.


    His vision grew more and more focused as his eyes settled on the light yet what he saw seemed more out of place with reality than rounded edges and fuzzy lines.


    The light wasn¡¯t shaped like a ball but a person, a child to be exact. She had bright yellow skin and billowing blonde hair, both of which glowed with a smokey golden aura. It was an odd thing, she seemed perpetually made of flames and somehow simultaneously aflame.


    If she was bothered by it, it didn¡¯t show, her smile was as bright as any other child being handed candy.


    Nero noticed her levitation last, noting the subtle drifting of her body just inches above the ground with a dull acceptance. It was just that sort of day.


    ¡°What the fuck?¡± He managed to say.


    Ember¡¯s face scrunched up in confusion, so delicate were her features that it looked like wrinkles on a sheet of paper. She opened her mouth to speak but was cut off by a voice Nero had never heard before.


    ¡°Light Breather, we thank you for answering our summons!¡± It boomed.


    That prompted Nero to finally take in his surroundings. He was in a small, windowless room with white brick walls and stone pillars that wore the cracks of age openly across their surface. There was a circle around him and candles on its edges. Just beyond the circumference stood a ring of a dozen hooded figures, all with eyes on him.


    They wore brown robes save from one who was draped in all black. Judging by that alone, Nero let himself assume that was the leader of this odd little procession and likely the one who had spoken to him.


    He got to his feet and only then noticed the intimate chill in the air. He had only a robe on, brown, like the ones worn by the others, though he had nothing underneath it was uncomfortably short. ¡°Where the fuck are my clothes?¡± He asked immediately.


    ¡°We apologise Breather, apparels do not make the trip through Damnation.¡± The black cloak explained.


    Nero found his frustration growing in tandem to his terror. ¡°Where the fuck are my clothes!?¡±


    It was probably not the best course of action to get aggressive at a group of people plentiful enough in number to easily beat him to death, but being literally murdered and then seeing a magic ghost tended to do strange things to a person¡¯s judgement. Apparently.


    What surprised him however was how the group shrank back from him, like he was some beast and not a twenty year old kid who had never ever been inside a gym.


    It would have been refreshing, if it didn¡¯t niggle him so much.


    What do they know that I don¡¯t?


    There were bigger things to worry about now and he found his mind drawn instantly back to them as the black robed man raised a hand. He was the only one who hadn¡¯t shown terror at the sight of Nero¡¯s rage.


    ¡°Brothers, sisters, the Light Breather is weary from his travels through the planes, leave us.¡±


    There was not a hint of hesitation before the rest of them stalked out of the room, confirming Nero¡¯s suspicion that he was in fact their leader as they flowed out through a great wooden door.


    The man only spoke again when the door was shut behind him.


    ¡°I apologise for the terrible introduction, I should have known that such a welcome would be¡­ Startling.¡± He said, taking off his hood.


    He was an old man with grey hairs enough to prove it, even if the wrinkles hadn¡¯t. A black beard sat on


    his rough face, a face which looked like it had been on the wrong end of a thrown fist far too many times.


    Still, there was a calm to him and one that almost made Nero let his guard down. Almost.


    ¡°I am Atix Beckley, senior Inquisitor, I know you¡¯re scared, confused and more. Lord knows I was too, but I promise you, I can explain.¡±


    As if to punctuate his words, the man took off his robes, folded the cloth and held it out for Nero.


    Nero inspected it for a moment, fearing it might be rigged with some kind of trap and then snatched the thing from him with what he hoped was a lightning quick motion.


    If it was, it didn''t show on the bigger man¡¯s face. Nero had thought the man looked intimidating, hooded and draped in all black. That was only because he hadn¡¯t seen what was hidden beneath.


    His attire was mediaeval in nature, he wore leather and ringmail atop his person, and by his hip was a sheathed sword. The leather covered much of his body, scar tissue covered the rest.


    His hands, his neck and any other exposed part of him seemed to have suffered at least one hack, slash or sprain.


    The sight of it all made him banish the idea that this was just some sort of elaborate cosplay on this stranger¡¯s part.


    No¡­ Standing before him was a warrior.


    And a killer too¡­


    He slid the too-large cloak on and found himself grateful for the extra layer of dignity he¡¯d been able to restore in doing so. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said softly, finally grasping at some measure of calm. ¡°Now, please tell me, where the fuck I am.¡±


    The man opened his mouth to speak, hesitated then sighed. ¡°It is better if you follow me.¡±


    ¡°I-¡±


    Without another word Atix turned and stepped out the large wooden door.


    Nero hesitated only a moment and then followed. Nothing was making sense, this was his chance to change that and he wouldn¡¯t let that slip away.


    He hugged the cloak tightly as he walked, careful not to trip himself on the stupidly oversized thing. Nero emerged into a hallway filled with familiar brown cloaked figures. They all gazed at him with awe, wonderment and was that¡­ a hint of fear?


    Unlit torches hung on the wall and try as he might Nero couldn¡¯t spot a single lightbulb in the entire hallway.


    That¡­ that¡¯s not right. That¡¯s not right at all.


    Atix turned, made his way up a winding flight of stairs and Nero stayed close behind.


    Something bright zipped past his eyes. A firefly? No, Ember.


    ¡°You haven¡¯t told me what your name is yet you know.¡± She said, with a girlish giggle.


    ¡°Because I have more important things to do.¡± Nero snapped. He turned, glared at her and she smiled back brightly. She was floating a metre or so to his side, bobbing up and down like a ship upon invisible waves.


    ¡°Like what?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Like finding out where the fuck I am and why I¡¯m hallucinating a fucking fairy bugging the shit out of me.¡± He hissed.


    Ember¡¯s face scrunched up once again and Nero for a moment entertained the idea that she¡¯d understood the gravity of the situation. That hope was quickly snuffed away when next she spoke. ¡°What''s a fairy?¡± She asked.


    ¡°It¡¯s Nero.¡± He replied wearily.


    Ember cocked her head to the side. ¡°A fairy is Nero? That doesn¡¯t make sense. You can¡¯t use a made up word to explain another made up word?¡±


    Nero sighed. ¡°Fuck me¡­¡± He said, rubbing the bridge of his nose.


    Atix turned to him with an inquisitive look and Nero did his best impression of a not crazy person by smiling back at him and ceasing his conversation with his imaginary friend.


    ¡°You¡¯re convening with the Ember I see.¡± He noted, looking amused.


    ¡°Y-you can see her?¡± He asked, eyes wide.


    He shook his head. ¡°No, I could, but not anymore, now that she¡¯s soul forged to you I think you¡¯re the only one that can see her.¡±


    Nero blinked. ¡°I¡­ Soul forged? What?¡±


    Atix looked like a man with a million things to say and not a clue which to start with. ¡°Light Breather¡­¡±


    ¡°Nero.¡± He corrected. ¡°My name is Nero.¡±


    The warrior nodded. ¡°Nero. You have joined a war, a war that humanity is on the losing side of and has been on the losing side of since the day it began.¡± His tone was grave, voice grim.


    ¡°A war against who?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Demons.¡±


    ¡°Demons¡­¡± He repeated, looking for a homonym to that word that didn¡¯t mean what he thought it meant.


    Atix smiled sadly. ¡°I suppose it is a testament to just how much time I¡¯ve spent here that such a thing barely sounds insane anymore.¡±


    ¡°Demons.¡± Nero repeated uselessly.


    ¡°You are our one hope Nero, you are our saviour. The Light Breather.¡± He said. When his eyes settled on Nero it seemed like the man was looking at someone else completely.


    They came to a stop in front of a heavy iron door. Atix undid the heavy bolts and swung it open with a whirring metallic creaking noise. He stepped aside and gestured for Nero to step through. ¡°I¡­ would recommend you brace yourself for what you¡¯re about to see my friend.¡± There was an unmistakable pity in his eyes.


    It made Nero hesitate a moment. But only a moment.


    Nero made his way through the door and was hit with a gust of wind that sent his robes flapping. The air tasted of sulphur, and despite the speed of its currents it licked his skin with a prickling heat not unlike smoke from a fire.


    Nero stood atop a tower and around him was an alien landscape.


    For a moment he thought it was covered in ash, and then he realised he couldn''t have been more wrong. Those were trees he was looking at, a dense forest of trees all growing and functioning, and all the colour of charred or charring things.


    A terrible screech bit into his ears from above, like nails on chalkboard. Nero turned his gaze to the sky where a massive, winged serpentine creature soared through the air. It was the length of a whale and had a wingspan so great as to more closely resemble jungle canopy.


    There was a thick canvas of clouds above the monster. Sickly purple clouds. He saw lightning running through the underside of its belly like the veins of some long forgotten god.


    Yet there was no thunder.


    Why was there no thunder?


    His head was pounding, his mouth dry, his mind a mess.


    ¡°This is Tayalnisyan, or as you might know it, Limbo. The first of the nine circles.¡± Atix¡¯s voice crashed into him from behind.


    ¡°So that means¡­¡± He began, but didn¡¯t have the will to finish his sentence.


    Atix clasped him on the shoulder and replied with words as heavy as an anvil. ¡°Yes Nero. You¡¯re in Hell.¡±

 Chapter 2: What makes a man?

    Chapter 2: - What makes a man?


    Nero was seated across from Atix. They were back in the room he had appeared in, and he¡¯d warmed up to it. It was a way better place to be in than outside where horrors unknown to man lurked.


    For a moment there was silence, save from the pair of wooden stools creaking underneath their weights. The man seemed content within it, eyes warm and fatherly, as if to say ¡®take all the time you need son.¡¯


    On any other day it would have been reassuring. Today Nero hated it. It was a barely noticeable comfort in a disastrous situation, about as effective as a handjob received while hot pokers were shoved down his dick hole.


    Ember hovered around the man¡¯s sword hilt. She inspected the odd patterns etched into the metal with an inquisitive look on her yellow face.


    Compared to Atix and him, the creature looked perfectly unbothered by the events of the day.


    ¡°So, everyone in this building, everyone I¡¯ll meet, is dead?¡± He asked, breaking the silence with a question directed at Atix. It seemed the most important and reasonable thing to ask.


    ¡°Well, no.¡± Atix shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ll rarely meet an unshackled Damned out in the wild. Most people in the tower, if not all of them really, are several generations removed from those condemned to Damnation.¡±


    It was refreshing, being able to think again. And also incredibly terrifying because he knew the exact question to ask next, and exactly what would come after it. ¡°So what happens to the dead people?¡± He swallowed.


    ¡°Damned.¡± Atix corrected. ¡°Death, real death happens here in the afterlife. It¡¯s similar to what you¡¯d expect in the physical plane, can be caused by anything from old age to disease. The only difference is here, sometimes it can be because a demon bug crawled up your asshole and exploded with the force of a grenade.¡±


    Nero did well to keep the visual image of that happening to him nice and far away from his head. ¡°And I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s permanent?¡± He asked and Atix nodded.


    So he could still die. Nero didn¡¯t know if that was a good or a bad thing. He wasn¡¯t religious, never had been, but he knew enough to associate Hell with eternal suffering, so there was something to celebrate in knowing that his was only going to be for the rest of his finite life.


    Yay.


    There was a pause, and Nero realised that Atix hadn¡¯t answered his question. ¡°You still didn¡¯t tell me what happens to the Damned.¡±


    The man took a deep breath then pulled his sleeve up. Just above his wrist and up his arm was a band of what looked like melted flesh. It was roughly five inches wide and only slightly greater in length.


    ¡°Depending on the weight of their sins, they appear in their circle, are bound by cuffs and forced to serve the rest of their lives as thralls to whichever Demon Lord bids the highest for their soul.¡±


    Atix¡¯s eyes were a distant thing now, looking through Nero and not at him. His own eyes on the other hand couldn¡¯t leave the sight of Atix¡¯s scarred flesh. ¡°It¡¯s not mind control if that¡¯s what you¡¯re thinking, but I wish it was. They wrap a cuff around your wrist, enchanted so if you don¡¯t do whatever the keyholder orders you to, it burns like nothing you¡¯ve ever imagined, burns so hot that you can¡¯t help but obey. No matter what they make you do, no matter how heinous it is¡­. You obey.¡±


    Atix was glaring now, with a scowl so vicious it looked more like a scar than an expression upon his face.


    ¡°But occasionally, whether through planning, determination or just plain old circumstance, some escape, and an even smaller fraction of that bunch, when the stars align just right, get to slit their Demon Lord¡¯s throat in his fucking sleep.¡±


    Nero was suddenly more aware of the sword which Ember sat gingerly on the hilt of, odd symbols were etched into its handle.


    He found a pit growing in his stomach. ¡°And that¡¯s what would have happened to me, if not for her?¡± He whispered, and Atix glanced to his hip, realising from where Nero was looking, that Ember must be somewhere on his person.


    ¡°Yes.¡± He nodded grimly, but it seemed there was more to say. He didn¡¯t say it, however.


    Nero decided to prompt him. ¡°You said we¡¯re judged by the weight of our sins. I¡¯m going to take a guess and say the sins get worse the deeper you go. So Where?¡±


    Atix raised an eyebrow. ¡°Wha-¡±


    ¡°Where was I headed to, it¡¯s clear you know, it¡¯s clear everyone in this building knows, so had she not saved me, where would I be?¡± He asked.


    It was Atix¡¯s turn to be on the backfoot of the conversation now. ¡°I¡­ You were on route to Tradimento, the ninth and last circle. But I do not believe where Damnantion decides to send a man is of any worth.¡±


    Atix looked as if he was bracing for Nero¡¯s reaction. A breakdown was likely in order, freaking out, denial, surely denial. All his bracing did not seem to prepare him for what actually came.


    Nero shrugged. ¡°Makes sense.¡±


    You always were an overachiever.


    ¡°I- I see¡­¡± He said, looking as if he¡¯d been hit in the head and didn¡¯t know where he was.


    Nero got to his feet, pacing now, it always helped him think. ¡°So, this war, it¡¯s about freeing humans from the Demons, yes?¡±


    Atix nodded. ¡°You¡¯re the Light Breather, destined saviour of mankind, your magic is uniquely potent against Demons.¡±


    Magic, of course he had magic, this day just couldn¡¯t get any weirder. ¡°Alright then, I¡¯ll help you.¡±


    Atix wore shock once more. ¡°You will?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯ll need information though, a lot of it, on Hell, its people and obviously the Demons.¡± He told him.


    Atix was on his feet in moments. ¡°The tower is old but I¡¯m sure there are still texts of value within its libraries.¡±


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    ¡°Perfect,¡± Nero grinned, take me to it.


    Atix made his way to do just that and Nero followed him.


    It was the wisest decision to make, he realised. Not the helping of course, no, but the act of lying through his teeth by saying he¡¯d do so.


    The library was in worse condition than Nero had expected, caked in what looked to be centuries of dust and coated with spiderwebs. These webs were blood red rather than white, however, and Nero shuddered at the thought of encountering the abomination that had spun them.


    Still, it was usable, or at least usable enough. And the moment he was within it, he got to work. The first thing to note was that the texts were all in a language he could read.


    It wasn¡¯t English though, it wasn¡¯t even a script he¡¯d ever seen in his life, but the moment he saw it he knew exactly what each character symbolised and how they all came together.


    It occurred to him that he was also speaking the dialect as well, he¡¯d been speaking it since he got here and only noticed when he paid careful attention to what he was saying.


    Like manual breathing.


    It was disconcerting, interesting but not nearly as important as his real task here.


    He¡¯d asked for a guide to help him get up to speed on things. Which was a good idea as it turned out the library¡¯s contents were perhaps half as old as its walls. That meant almost everything was outdated and he needed current information if his plan was going to have any chance of working.


    That guide in particular had been a junior Inquisitor by the name of Alisan. She was a young woman, perhaps his age or a bit older and draped in the monk-like cloak the residents of this castle all seemed to wear.


    She looked upon him with the same set of hopeful eyes that everyone else in the building seemed to hold.


    It only served to make Nero feel worse about what he was going to do, but he couldn¡¯t help but focus on the positives, it meant she¡¯d be easy to trick into helping him.


    People were easy to manipulate once you knew who they were, and no one was better at knowing people than Nero was. Perhaps in someone else¡¯s hands they¡¯d have used their gifts for good, but in Nero hands they were used for Nero things, Like using a zealot to unwittingly let you escape the reach of her association.


    ¡°I¡¯ll need a map.¡± He smiled, and the woman hurriedly ransacked through shelves before pulling out one and rolling it out on the table. Like most things in here, it was aged and told him so with the yellows and browns around the edges.


    The depiction of the landscape was not too dissimilar to what he¡¯d seen when he stepped out onto the roof. They were in a tower, up on a hill and surrounded by thick forests on all sides.


    Beyond the forests were settlements, Nero could see, but he needed a way to them that didn¡¯t include him having to venture into the abyss itself.


    ¡°And everything save from this tower is Demon territory?¡± He asked, Alisan nodded grimly.


    Ember floated over the depiction of a stream and followed its path through the map, stopping when she came upon a bridge.


    He was about to tell her to float somewhere else when he realised that she¡¯d landed on a cleared pathway carving through the forest and connected the tower to a town called Stradale.


    ¡°Wacha¡¯ looking at?¡± Ember asked, staring up at him with wide eyes.


    ¡°The most likely path the Demons would come through.¡± He lied, tapping his finger on the bridge.


    Alisan glanced at his finger, thought for a moment then shook her head. ¡°Oh, we don¡¯t need to worry about that, the bridge collapsed years ago.¡±


    Nero smiled, wearing relief while doing his best not to swear loudly at the revelation that his safest route of exit was destroyed. ¡°So¡­ how did you get here?¡±


    ¡°Well, all twelve of us made our way through the Dark Forest, it couldn¡¯t have been done without Atix¡¯s help.¡± She explained.


    That was new information, it meant this place wasn¡¯t the permanent residence of the Inquisition.


    It didn¡¯t make getting out of here much less of a problem however, Nero very much doubted he¡¯d be getting Atix¡¯s help in escaping his fucking death cult.


    ¡°I see.¡± He nodded. ¡°Is there a chance there¡¯s a map of the tower here.¡±


    Alisan nodded. ¡°Oh, there is!¡± She smiled. ¡°I¡¯ll get it for you.¡± The woman said, running off to do just that.


    She probably thinks you¡¯re some kind of hero. Nero buried the guilt that welled within him. Alisan came back only a moment later, laying several sheets of paper atop the map.


    They were the plans for the tower, he¡¯d identified both the room he¡¯d appeared in and the winding stairs that lead up to the roof.


    ¡°So you say there¡¯s only twelve people in the building?¡± He asked.


    Alisan nodded then hesitated. ¡°Well thirteen now that you¡¯re here.¡±


    ¡°Fourteen!¡± Ember pouted, not pleased to be dismissed.


    ¡°Fourteen.¡± Nero found himself correcting her. That brought a smile to Ember¡¯s face.


    Alisan looked distraught at the mistake, bowing her head dejectedly. ¡°Yes, fourteen. Please forgive me for overlooking your Imp, Lightbreather.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s fine.¡± Nero said as non-awkwardly as he could manage. ¡°So, she¡¯s an Imp?¡± He asked.


    ¡°Well, that¡¯s what she looked like when I saw her.¡± She answered. ¡°You¡¯d have to ask Atix what kind she is, he¡¯s the one that summoned her, I couldn¡¯t tell you for the life of me.¡± Alisan looked ashamed not to have been of more help.


    He moved on from the topic quickly. ¡°This gate, that¡¯s the entrance yeah?¡± He asked. ¡°Is it guarded?¡± He asked. To Nero it was the exit, but it was always better not to voice such things.


    ¡°Yes, two of our best Casters stand guard, ready to ward off any Demon incursions.¡± Alisan said. He cursed his mind for recognising that the woman was trying to reassure him of his safety here. It made what he was doing feel all the more cruel.


    ¡°That¡¯s good.¡± Nero nodded.


    That meant he couldn¡¯t sneak out through there.


    He traced his hand across the plans and found a door that seemed to lead to nowhere. Nero shuffled the papers around and found that it was a secret passage into what seemed like an underground tunnel.


    That was good, that was hope.


    ¡°And is that where all the guards are stationed?¡± He asked the woman, careful to keep his eyes from lingering on the secret passage.


    Aison nodded. ¡°Yes?¡± She frowned. ¡°Is there something wrong?¡±


    ¡°Nothing, I was just hoping more people would be at the gates.¡± Nero lied. From her response, that likely means they don¡¯t know about the passage. That would be his escape route then. Nero felt the spark of hope burn within him but quickly snuffed it out. It was a dangerous thing to celebrate before a job is done.


    That was what his boss used to say.


    ¡°We can station more guards at the gates if it¡¯d help you feel more secure.¡± Alisan offered, nearly tripping over herself with the haste of her words.


    ¡°That would be excellent.¡± He smiled. A good way to appease her and simultaneously make sure there were less people he could bump into when sneaking out.


    Alisan beamed a smile that seemed almost designed to stab him through the heart with guilt. Nero ignored it.


    ¡°Is there anything else I could help you with Light Breather?¡±


    ¡°No, not at all.¡± He shook his head. ¡°You¡¯ve been quite helpful.¡± He told her.


    He didn¡¯t know if this place had nights, but he had a suspicion that the people here slept. He¡¯d make his move when that happened, and he¡¯d be out of here.

 Chapter 3: Is it not Virtue?

    Chapter 3: - Is it not Virtue?


    Hell had nights. Nero didn¡¯t know if that was refreshing or horrifying, but it did, and in this case it was an advantage he made sure to leverage.


    They weren¡¯t like earth nights, the purple clouds still retained their hue, only dulled, and two moons hung in the heavens, one silver and the other a sickly blue.


    He didn¡¯t know how dark it would get nor how long that dark would last so he decided to make his move as soon as the world became bathed in shadow enough for an advantage. Nero hated working on incomplete information.


    He was wearing stockings and a tunic now, gifted to him by the Inquisition. Nero was thankful as they were far more mobile than what he¡¯d had.


    Finally, once he¡¯d gathered up enough courage, he made his way out of the library. He slipped past a patrolling guard and slid into the next hallway. Ah, yes, there were patrolling guards now.


    Alisan in her helpful nature had ¡®noticed¡¯ his concern about security and relayed that information to Atix who doubled security around the building.


    A slight miscalculation on his part, and one that had larger consequences than he could have anticipated. He supposed it was the novelty of dealing with zealots that caused it and Nero made a silent note not to make that same mistake again.


    He¡¯d corrected it as much as he could by memorising their schedules, and so it was no surprise when a man popped up from the corridor next to him and walked past, none the wiser that he was coiled into the shadows of a corner.


    It wasn¡¯t long before he was at the door leading down to the tunnels. It was then that a thought occurred to him, one that filled him with dread.


    What if it¡¯s locked?


    Nero decided to know his fate. He wrapped his hand around the handle and twisted downwards. The door slid open but not without making a painful creak that screeched through the air.


    Shit!


    Nero slid into it quickly and gently shut the door behind him.


    Before him was a set of stairs so ancient they made the tower look like a springy youth. Not a trickle of light sank into the passage and the only reason he could see as to why was Ember¡¯s bright, flickering glow.


    Said source of light floated around Nero¡¯s head now. She¡¯d been talking since, asking questions and Nero had been doing his best to ignore her while banking on the fact that no one else could hear her.


    ¡°Where are we going Nero?!¡± Ember asked, arms folded with an expression that he knew was her trying to look intimidating. She looked more like a pouting bunny instead.


    ¡°I¡¯m exploring.¡± He whispered to her and began walking down the steps.


    ¡°Exploring?¡± She asked and seemed to be recalling the meaning of the word. ¡°Ah exploring, yes, but isn¡¯t this dangerous, shouldn¡¯t you call Atix to come down with you?¡±


    ¡°Yes, but Atix is sleeping and I would rather not bother him.¡± He replied, not meeting her eyes.


    ¡°Still, I think it¡¯s dangerous down here Nero.¡± She said, a soft tremble to her voice. ¡°I think we should wait till tomorrow.¡±


    Nero was starting to suspect that God was taunting him by making him lie to the most undeserving people imaginable. He hesitated then spoke. ¡°Ember¡­ I¡¯m not actually exploring.¡±


    ¡°What- what are you doing then?¡± She asked, puzzled.


    They had reached the bottom now and were walking through the narrow tunnel.


    ¡°I¡¯m getting us out of here.¡± He told her.


    ¡°Getting us out? But we¡¯re supposed to stay here, the Demons lurk everywhere else, the tower is the only place we¡¯re safe in.¡±


    ¡°Well, I don¡¯t feel safe here, the Inquisition wants to enlist me into a war they¡¯re losing and make me the most important target for the winning side.¡± He snapped, perhaps more edged than he would have preferred.


    Ember¡¯s face darkened. ¡°But it¡¯s the only way to save humanity.¡±


    ¡°What if I don¡¯t want to save humanity!¡± He hissed and watched as the Imp flinched back from him. Nero shook his head. ¡°Sorry, sorry. It¡¯s just¡­ This is hell right? So maybe the people sent here are here for a good reason.¡±


    ¡°What do you mean?¡± She coked her head to the side.


    ¡°I mean¡­ I¡¯m not a hero¡­ I¡¯m not anything good at all.¡± His reply turned to a half-audible mumble by the time it was done.


    Ember frowned in thought for a long moment and then smiled. ¡°Well, I think you can be¡­¡±


    He sighed. ¡°Well of course you do, you¡¯re a child.¡±


    Ember huffed. ¡°I¡¯m three hundred thousand years old!¡±


    Nero blinked. ¡°Well¡­ that¡¯s news.¡± He admitted. ¡°But you behave and look like a child and hence should be treated as one. Anyone who would disagree is either a liar or a weirdo.¡± Nero shrugged.


    Ember, thankfully didn¡¯t push it, only glared daggers at him.


    ¡°Listen, I¡¯ve thought this through.¡± He explained gently. ¡°You see this sack in my hand?¡± He raised it. ¡°It contains a shitload of fruits, I said I needed it for research and they gave me enough for a whole week.¡± He explained. ¡°There¡¯s also a map in here and a few other tools that¡¯ll help with survival.¡±


    ¡°The forest is large but not that large, I reckon I could make it to the nearest town in seven days.¡± He told her. ¡°From there I¡¯ll figure out the rest.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t do this Nero.¡± Ember whispered.


    ¡°It¡¯s already done.¡± He told her.


    The rest of the walk was one of silence and Nero hated it. He¡¯d already gotten used to Ember¡¯s constant buzzing about but now she was quiet as still water, and her glow was a dull thing, like the light of a dying flame.


    ¡°It¡¯s happening again.¡± She whispered, but Nero didn¡¯t prompt her to elaborate.


    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.


    It broke his heart, it did. But it wasn¡¯t his fault. It wasn¡¯t on him or anyone to join a fight against literal fucking Demons, frankly it was an insane ask and an insane thing to even consider.


    At least that was what he told himself.


    Nero made one more corner through the tunnel and found himself at the exit door. It was wooden like the other one and even if it was locked it looked flimsy enough to break through with a simple kick.


    His exit was there, so why was he hesitating?


    Was it courage? No, he searched for it and found none there, it was in fact the opposite. Always the opposite.


    So focused on getting out of Atix¡¯s grasp, he hadn¡¯t even considered what outside actually was. It was a world of monsters. He¡¯d seen that dragon thing, how many more of them were out there? And how much worse did things get?


    Sure he had seven days of food, but that wouldn¡¯t help him if he became food. Then there was the town, he didn¡¯t know what these people¡¯s customs were, fuck he didn¡¯t know anything about them, he barely knew anything about this place at all.


    No, no, he couldn¡¯t just leave, he needed to prepare more. Atix said he had magic, he could train that, he could learn how to fight, learn how everything worked. The man wouldn¡¯t do anything to put him in danger so quickly right?


    No he wouldn¡¯t, he needs me.


    So all he had to do was stay by his side, learn all needed to and then, when the opportunity arose, dip under circumstances he had more control over.


    But this could be his only chance to escape. He didn¡¯t know what resources Atix had, he didn¡¯t know what the man was capable of. For all Nero knew the trusting complacence that had let him get this far was only because they knew he needed their knowledge of everything.


    I really, really hate working with incomplete information.


    He was stuck at a crossroad, but still there was some good here. He hadn¡¯t shut the door on either choice just yet. He could step out into the wilderness right now, or he could turn around and slide back into the library with no one being the wiser.


    At least that was true before he heard the voice.


    ¡°Lightbreather?¡± Nero turned to see Alisan standing behind him, torch in hand. There was a mix of panic and confusion in her features.


    ¡°Hey!¡± He smiled. ¡°Alisan, didn¡¯t expect to see you here.¡± He said, perhaps the first and last truth he would be telling her.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t find you in the library and then I remembered hearing a door creak.¡± She said, ¡°Wh-what¡¯s going on, what are you doing here?¡±


    She¡¯d probably woken up from sleep and wanted to check on him. The fact that she was the only one here meant that she hadn¡¯t told anyone else that she was down here. That meant if he wanted to escape all he¡¯d need to do was kill her.


    ¡°I found what looked to be a passage the enemy could come from.¡± He told her. ¡°I was checking it out.¡± Nero did well to slide the sack containing all his escaping material behind his leg.


    ¡°You¡¯re lying!¡± Ember cried out, but Alisan didn¡¯t hear her and he ignored her.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Alisan looked at the door and nodded. ¡°Good catch Light Breather, I¡¯ll go tell Atix and he¡¯ll position some guards here, come, this place isn¡¯t safe, anything could come through that door.¡±


    She turned and began walking away.


    Alisan had her back turned, relaxed. She was vulnerable like that and he had a kitchen knife in his sack. There was no good way to knock a person out, not without having them wake up near-instantly or drop dead. He had no choice but killing. It would have to be quick, painless and silent. He could manage that.


    He¡¯d regret it, yes, loathe himself for it, but what was self loathing if not a way to reassure yourself you¡¯re still human after doing something heinous? Finally he¡¯d move on, like he always did.


    With that, it seemed his decision had been made for him.


    Nero began walking towards her.


    ¡°Tell Atix I want to begin learning magic tomorrow.¡± He told Alisan.


    ¡°Of course.¡± The woman smiled, beaming. ¡°You¡¯re going to love it, I assure you.¡±


    He wasn¡¯t a killer.


    Oh, but you¡¯ve killed more than enough people already for that to be true. But doing it face to face is where you draw the line huh?


    Yes.


    He¡¯d stay with Atix, learn what he can learn and then when the time was right find a way out of all of this.


    There was a creaking noise, and for a second Nero thought it was coming from the door he¡¯d been through. But this time he heard it behind him.


    He turned to see the door ajar, purple light spilling into the tunnel.


    Ten figures stepped into the tunnel, there could have been more for all he knew, it was so narrow that they all had to stand in a row.


    Most of them wore armour, white plate armour to be exact, though designed with runes similar to those on Atix¡¯s sword and more lean and form fitting than any he¡¯d seen in illustrations. All of their faces were covered by helms.


    On one, the metal was blood red.


    What sent a true chill through him was the figure at their head. Nero had first thought it was a trick of the light, but the colour of his skin truly was blue, his eyes an empty crimson and atop his head were two pitch black horns.


    The man- no, the creature- had a grin that showed off his needle sharp fangs. He wore a dark fitting suit that seemed made for a noble ball rather than a monster.


    ¡°Well, I was working under the assumption that there wouldn¡¯t be guards down here.¡± He said, voice both smooth and sharp.


    Nero blinked. ¡°Who are you?¡± He managed to ask.


    He hadn''t known when Alisan had stepped in front of him, but she was now. The woman had her hands splayed forwards, teeth grit and seemed to be exerting force at some unseen force. ¡°Run, tell Atix the Warden is here!¡±


    He half bowed, a motion so filled with grace it barely even seemed natural. ¡°You may call me Mercury and I am here to kill every last one of you.¡±


    The demon pulled out a sword from its sheath. It was a needle-like thing, a fencer¡¯s blade. And then he was coming towards Nero as a sprinting blur.


    ¡°Nero!¡± Ember yelled, but she couldn¡¯t do anything, and neither could he.

 Chapter 4: A coward鈥檚 strength.

    Chapter 4: - A coward¡¯s strength.


    Mercury¡¯s blade had stopped inches from Nero¡¯s face, it hung there hungrily, eager to feast on his blood.


    A wall of translucent blue light filled the space between Mercury and Nero. The demon¡¯s blade had pierced through it but stopped at the hilt.


    Alisan stared ahead, eyes focused, hands trembling with exertion and sweat running down her skin. She was responsible for the wall, he knew. She saved my life¡­


    ¡°Quite the talent aren¡¯t you.¡± Mercury grinned, eyes on the woman. ¡°Shame you have to die here.¡±


    ¡°Run, please, my shield won¡¯t hold for long.¡± She groaned, every word she uttered seemed a feat in itself.


    Nero banished the shock, dropped the sack in his hand, turned and ran for the stairs. Nero had a good memory, so he could remember the turns to take and exactly when they were coming up. It was also why he knew he would never forget the terrible sound of Alisan¡¯s scream clawing through the air and echoing against the walls of the tunnels.


    She was dead, and she was dead because of him.


    Nero didn¡¯t let the guilt come, he tucked it away somewhere neat and tidy. Somewhere he could come back to and poke and prod when he was safe.


    If I¡¯ll ever be safe.


    His legs were burning by the time he reached the stairs, and he could hear footsteps behind him already, gaining faster than he thought was humanly possible. Probably it was, he wasn¡¯t being chased by a human.


    He climbed up the stairs and stumbled back into the tower. There was a guard in the hallway, likely mid-patrol. ¡°Demons, the Demons are here, they¡¯re coming from the tunnels!¡±


    The man dispersed his robes to reveal the chainmail beneath. Similar to Atix¡¯s in make. ¡°Get to Atix, Light Breather, I¡¯ll buy you time.¡±


    Run away?


    That he could do, that he could always do.


    Nero nodded, took a deep breath, then raced for Atix¡¯s quarters. Luckily he¡¯d made sure to identify it during his planning.


    ¡°Inquisitors, the enemy has breached the tower!¡± Nero heard the man yell.


    He took one last glance behind to see two other armoured men racing to meet him. And then the door exploded. Nero knew it was Mercury moving only by the blue tinge his eyes caught blurring across the hall.


    The men moved quickly also, but it was no contest at all. Nero saw him dance out of the way of their attacks like a fly taunting a baby. He saw the ease at which he put his sword straight through a man¡¯s throat and knew it was over right then and there.


    Nero didn¡¯t look back, he also did his best not to set his eyes upon the guards rushing past him and straight towards their deaths.


    Soon the world was deafened by the sound of clashing swords and dying men behind him. Nero raced up winding stairs and nearly screamed with relief once he found Atix¡¯s room.


    He threw it open to find his hopes crushed. It was empty.


    He knew why immediately.


    Nero, you stupid, stupid bastard!


    ¡°Where¡¯s Atix?¡± Ember asked.


    ¡°At the library, looking for me¡­¡± He told her in between pants.


    ¡°Shit!¡± The library was three floors down, where the Demon and his men were. ¡°Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck.¡± He had no choice, he needed to go back down there.


    Nero drew in a breath, turned around and made his way down the stairs. He could hear death laughing through the walls. Violence too, swords clashing, explosions and more.


    He stumbled out onto the library floor and something caught his foot. Nero tripped, fell and turned to see what it was.


    An Inquisitor¡¯s corpse laid against a pillar, half of its face cleaved off so its lower jaw overflowed with blood. He knew that would stick with him forever. He also knew that now wasn¡¯t the time to dwell on it.


    Nero stepped into the library, feet fast but also light on the ground. The room was illuminated only by the flickering torches hanging on the wall. And there were far too many in-between for it to banish the dark in its bulk.


    ¡°Atix¡­¡± Nero whispered as he slid behind a shelf. No response.


    ¡°Atix¡­¡± Nothing again.


    There was a thump. Like boots on the ground. Nero could hear it coming from the other side of the shelf. He peered in between the books to see a red visored helm staring back at him.


    Shit!


    The man reached into his sheathe, drew his weapon out and swung the bladed edge at Nero.


    He ducked just in time to see it carve through inches of wood and books like they were foam.


    ¡°Nero, run!¡± Ember screamed.


    ¡°You and your brilliant ideas,¡± He yelled back just as he raced for the exit.


    He was closer to it by a pessimistic three steps and optimistically five, but he could hear the armoured man move with a speed to cut that down with each of his own.


    By the fourth something hit Nero in the back and sent him falling hard. He met the ground painfully, rolling and stopping with a sprawl.


    ¡°Nero, are you okay?¡± Ember asked.


    ¡°No, I feel like shit.¡± He coughed. He was sent flying, He didn¡¯t know people could hit that hard.


    I didn¡¯t know they could move that fast either.


    ¡°Inquisitor.¡± A voice said, cold, merciless and with the muffle of a helm to it. ¡°Do you confess your sins against the Inferno before death?¡± It was the armoured figure speaking.


    Nero turned to see the man approaching him with a calm walk, like an executioner readying to swing his blade.


    He gazed up at the man¡¯s eye slits and noticed something that gave him hope. Unlike Mercury, his skin wasn¡¯t blue, it had a pale-pinkish hue to it. Like people do. So he was human, not Demon.


    ¡°Please, I¡­ I don¡¯t want to die.¡± Nero begged. He decided that appealing to his humanity might be his only hope. Nero didn¡¯t know what kind of world this was, but he hoped that the act of killing your own kind would leave cracks in any man. Cracks that he could possibly squeeze through and come out the other side alive.


    The ice in the man¡¯s eyes banishes any such hope away. He raised his sword high and brought it down at Nero. He was dead.


    ¡°I know who the Light Breather is!¡± He screamed.


    The blade stopped, inches from his throat, a trickle of blood running down from his neck.


    He was alive¡­ For now.


    ¡°You managed to summon the Light Breather?¡± The man asked, an uncertainty in his voice. He still wasn¡¯t convinced though, Nero didn¡¯t have him where he wanted him quite yet.


    ¡°Yes, that''s why we¡¯re in this tower, to summon him and we succeeded.¡± Nero replied.


    ¡°Lies.¡± He said, eyes hardening again.


    ¡°Maybe.¡± He shrugged. ¡°But are you confident enough to kill your only lead?¡±


    ¡°There are other Inquisitors-¡±


    ¡°Who won¡¯t tell you shit.¡± Nero scoffed. ¡°They¡¯re zealots, you moron, I doubt there''s anything you could do to make them give him up.¡±


    Some might say insulting an enemy with a blade to your neck would be pure stupidity. Nero had long decided those people simply didn¡¯t know what risk management was.


    The soldier didn¡¯t kill him, which all but confirmed that he¡¯d decided he was telling the truth. After all, only an idiot would insult a man with a blade to his neck. And if one was dealing with an idiot, one hardly had to be cautious for clever lies.


    With a finger, Nero gently guided the blade away from his neck. ¡°This is the part where you ask me to tell you where she is?¡±


    A risky move if it¡¯s common knowledge that the Light Breather would be a man, to change the gender.


    But one made with the intention of throwing his scent off of him. Nero couldn¡¯t take for granted that he stood out from every other Inquisitor.


    He watched the man¡¯s eyes for a sign that his gambit had fallen flat and found none. He was either a very good liar or Nero had made the right call. ¡°Where is she?¡±


    Nero took the time to slowly get to his feet, careful not to make any sudden movements that might have him ending up with a blade between his ribs. He cleared his throat, looked the man directly in the eyes and grinned brightly. ¡°Not gonna tell you.¡±


    Nero¡¯s new favourite thing was the sweet shock that was suddenly etched into his face. It was quickly overtaken by the rage that followed. ¡°Do you play with me boy?¡±


    ¡°No, no, I¡¯m just very, very aware of who has the cards here.¡± He shrugged. ¡°And that¡¯s me, the person with all the valuable information in my brain and you without¡­Well, much of anything in your brain really.¡±


    He raised his sword.


    ¡°What are you going to do, kill me?¡±


    It was his fault really for giving Nero even a foot in his mind. What was it his ex-girlfriend said? ¡®You slept with my sister you disgusting pig.¡¯ No, the other thing, yes, it was ¡®You¡¯re like a vampire Nero, it¡¯s easy to keep you out, but once you¡¯re granted permission to step in, then you feast on people until there¡¯s nothing left of them and they don¡¯t even realise it¡¯s happening.¡¯


    The man hesitated, then did exactly what Nero wanted him to do.


    The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    The gauntleted fist slammed into his gut and sent him to the floor puking and coughing.


    ¡°Tell me where she is!¡± The man roared.


    ¡°You punch like a-¡± He kneed him in the face, sending Nero onto his back. His nose burnt, maybe it had snapped, he wouldn¡¯t know, he hadn¡¯t been in too many fights. All he knew was that it hurt like shit.


    ¡°Girl.¡± A foot slammed into his chest, shunting him backwards and slamming him into a shelf. The world spun as books rained down on Nero¡¯s back.


    ¡°I¡¯ll keep going.¡± The man hissed, voice like venom.


    ¡°I know you will.¡± Nero grinned up at him with bloodied teeth.


    If he had fought he would have died.


    If he had tried to escape he would have died.


    The game was rigged against him, so he just had to turn it into a different game. And so he did.


    The rule of this game was simple.


    Nero would only die if he gave up himself.


    And a coward like him would do anything to survive.


    A kick came, then a blow, then another, and another. Soon the world was a sea of pain. He couldn¡¯t tell up from down anymore, colour was a blur, balance was a distant fascination and the only sound he knew was a dull ringing in his ears.


    Far away someone screamed in agony. The burning in this throat told Nero it was him.


    And still, he clung on.


    He wasn¡¯t a hero, no matter what these people wanted him to be, but he was damn fucking sure that no matter what this world threw at him, he¡¯d look out for himself. It was always the cockroaches that lived after all.


    After what felt like hours but was most likely minutes, a shove sent him sliding across the floor. He guessed the red blur approaching him was the soldier. Nero could hear his breathing, he was panting, tired. He really had been kicking for a while.


    ¡°Where is the Light Breather?¡± The soldier asked,


    ¡°S-¡± Nero tried to speak, winced because his jaw, guts, everything hurt so much.


    ¡°Nero..¡± Ember whispered, voice tiny and filled with despair.


    The man bent a knee and leaned in to hear him better. ¡°Speak boy, let the pain end.¡±


    Everything hurt, everything hurt so fucking much. ¡°Suck my dick. And squeeze my balls while at it.¡±


    For that, he received a slap that left his face raw but Nero couldn¡¯t help but laugh. It was a hysterical thing, loud and painful, so damn painful but he couldn¡¯t stop himself.


    The man stood up. ¡°I¡¯ll take you to Mercury, he¡¯ll make you speak.¡±


    He grabbed Nero by the ankle and made his way for the door with him sliding along the floor behind him.


    He froze at the sight of a figure at the exit. Dawned in chain mail and with eyes like a feasting wolf, Atix pounced on the soldier.


    The man caught the first swing of Atix¡¯s strike with his own blade. There was a spark in the air as the metals kissed, the enemy stumbled back, letting go of Nero as he lost his footing.


    Atix chased him, eager to claim his life, but his opponent¡¯s guard was a match for his blood lust. For an eternity the library was silent, save from the sound of clashing steel and grunting killers.


    It seemed the battle could go either way, and Nero couldn¡¯t have that.


    He raised his leg and with all the force he could muster, slammed his foot into the back of the enemy¡¯s knee.


    Nero wasn¡¯t a strong man by any measure, but he wasn¡¯t a child either, so he was quite surprised when kicking the man felt like kicking an oak tree. There was very little give. Very little, not none.


    It was enough to unbalance the moving man and leave him with no place to go when Atix¡¯s next swing came.


    The man¡¯s sword chased the armored warrior¡¯s helm and caught it. Nero had been expecting it to dent the metal, the helm instead shattered on impact like crystal or clay would.


    The blade cleaved through the enemy¡¯s face and Nero watched as the top half of his head slid off the lower.


    The corpse dropped soon after with a wet thud. Blood flooded out his skull, like it had suddenly gained consciousness, inside his brain, and decided it wanted out. The display was rather disgusting, and Nero looked away.


    Nero¡¯s eyes fell on the remnants of the shattered helm and saw the cracks where it had failed to break apart.


    It¡¯s not made of metal.


    It was a dull and ultimately useless thought, but at least it allowed Nero to think of something that wasn¡¯t his current predicament for at least half a moment.


    ¡°Are you alright son?¡± Aix¡¯s eyes fell on him with concern.


    ¡°Ah, Atix, you¡¯re early.¡± Nero groaned, mind snapping back to the man. ¡°Should have taken the time to pour yourself a drink or something first before coming to save me, I think I have a few ribs left.¡±


    ¡°Alright enough to have an attitude, then.¡± He sighed in relief and helped him up to his feet.. ¡°I was on an impromptu patrol when I heard, came over to the library to find you, didn¡¯t see you.¡±


    ¡°Yes, I was¡­¡± Nero hesitated, he remembered the girl¡¯s scream, he remembered running. ¡°Alisan¡¯s dead, Mercury got to her, she¡¯s dead, she¡¯s dead and it¡¯s my fault, it¡¯s my-¡±


    ¡°She died protecting you then.¡± Atix nodded, stoic and with a hint of pride in his eyes, mingled in with pain. ¡°Good, she would have had it no other way.¡± He looked at Nero like a veterinarian might a dog. ¡°Can you run?¡± He said, already making his way to the door.


    Nero tried and managed a pained limp. ¡°Yes but-¡±


    ¡°Not fast enough.¡± Atix said, grabbing Nero and throwing him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Despite the situation he couldn¡¯t help but feel a little bit emasculated.


    ¡°The main force has breached the front gate, we have to head up to the tower.¡± Atix informed him. Nero hadn¡¯t seen any convenient exits at the top of the tower, but far be it from him to question the man currently saving his life.


    Atix stepped out into the hallway, it was a war zone. Inquisitors battled Knights, killed and died, screamed and roared. The scent of cooked meat hit Nero¡¯s nostrils, the sight of a burning corpse told him it was human flesh he was smelling.


    Atix ran through the hallway, cutting down the white armoured men in his way like a butcher slaughtering cows.


    So the white ones are weaker than the red one.


    Hardly a thing to be focusing on at the moment, but yet again, it was a welcome distraction.


    Atix roared as he opened up a man¡¯s throat and Nero heard the enemy¡¯s bubbly gurgle as they fell to their knees.


    He stepped over the corpse, moved to carry on and then suddenly stopped moving.


    Nero found the reason ahead and it made his blood run cold.


    ¡°It¡¯s him¡­¡± Ember trembled. ¡°It¡¯s him again.¡±


    Mercury stood at the other side of the hallway, rapier dripping with Inquisitorial blood.


    His eyes lit up with recognition at Nero. A grin split his lips to reveal needle-like fangs. ¡°Oh, I know you, you¡¯re the one who ran while I tortured poor little girl, a shame I thought you Inquisitors had honour, I guess standards have dropped over the last couple hundred years.¡±


    Mercury moved, and Nero was anticipating it, still he could only glimpse him as nothing but a blur rapidly approaching him. He couldn¡¯t dodge him, but Atix could.


    The man shifted his footing, dodged and brought his blade down at the back of Mercury¡¯s neck.


    Mercury slid out of the way like oil and then the fight was over.


    Atix stood, frozen.


    ¡°A¡­ a feint..¡± The dying man croaked.


    Nero hadn¡¯t seen when Mercury stabbed his sword through his chest and he doubted even Atix had. It didn¡¯t matter, regardless, the Demon was too fast for him to get out of the way in time.


    ¡°Huh¡­ That lasted longer than I¡¯d expected, good on you.¡± Mercury said as if the ending of a man¡¯s life was some idle curiosity.


    ¡°Atix!¡± Ember screamed helplessly.


    Atix fell to his knees, and held himself up only by his hands.


    Nero landed on the ground shortly after. This wasn¡¯t a fight, it wasn¡¯t even a slaughter, it was a man coming across a particularly large rat. There was no contest, none at all, which meant Mercury could end both of their lives whenever he wanted, the bastard just enjoyed seeing them suffer.


    Rage boiled within him like fire. Nero got to his feet and sent a fist flying for Mercury¡¯s face. The Demon wasn¡¯t there when it landed and Nero didn¡¯t know what sent him to the floor. All he knew was that he was on his back, his head ached and the world was spinning.


    ¡°Be quiet child,¡± The Demon said. ¡°I¡¯ll have my fun with you later, It¡¯s rare to see an Inquisitor so spineless, you might be the first I can extract some useful information from.¡± He said, sounding amused.


    A stream of fire shot through the air above Nero and towards Mercury. For all his speed, the Demon was in a tight corridor so there wasn¡¯t much room to move.


    The ball of fire slammed into him, exploding on impact and swallowing all sight of the Demon.


    Nero looked up to see the Inquisitor responsible with their hands splayed out and another ball of fire coalescing above his hand. He was looking past him and towards Atix. ¡°Get him to safety, I¡¯ll hold him back for as long as I can.¡± The man hissed.


    Atix roared as he got to his feet. He was pale, wearing a sheen of sweat and had a large patch of wet blood on his chest where he was stabbed through.


    He picked up his sword in one hand and Nero in the other. The race to the stairs was a blur and Nero only knew it ended when he saw purple skies up above him.


    Atix shut the door behind them and set Nero down onto his feet. The man was panting, his eyes were foggy and he looked like he barely knew where his feet were half the time. ¡°We¡¯re here. The next part¡­ The next part is not going to be easy.¡±


    Nero looked around for some kind of escape but found none. ¡°H-how are we going to get down from here.¡±


    Atix sheathed his sword, walked up to Nero, grabbed him by the shoulder and once again picked him up. This time it was in a hug. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Nero,¡± Atix said, the man was wheezing now. Trickles of blood ran down his chin, bubbling from behind his lips with every breath He was dying, Nero knew it and by the look in his eyes Atix had known it the moment he was stabbed. ¡°It¡¯s the only way, you have to survive.¡±


    ¡°What?¡± Nero shook his head, panic setting in. Atix¡¯s hold was tight. ¡°What¡¯s the only way?¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m sorry.¡± Atix said as he began running towards the edge of the roof.


    ¡°Nero what¡¯s happening?¡± Ember asked, confused and scared.


    ¡°Wait.¡± Nero began. ¡°Just wait a second, there¡¯s another way, I¡¯m sure of it, just give me the chance to think, just give me-¡±


    ¡°Ember,¡± He interrupted, voice grim. ¡°Remember, Ember is the key to all of this.¡±


    ¡°Wait!¡± He screamed.


    But Atix had already leapt off and they were falling through the air with the ground rapidly approaching.

 Chapter 5: Abyss.

    Chapter 5: - Abyss.


    Nero woke up groaning. His sides hurt, his head rang and his entire body felt like it had been put through a wall while he was unconscious.


    ¡°You¡¯re awake!¡± Ember chimed, relief filling her voice.


    ¡°I¡­ I guess I am.¡± He said. Nero placed a hand to his throbbing head and felt something wet. He winced at the stinging sensation that followed. Shit. He was bleeding from a gash there.


    He rolled up to his knees and felt something underneath him. It was Atix. His eyes were open but they gazed up emptily at the sky. Nero knew he was dead, but he checked his pulse anyway to confirm.


    Nothing.


    ¡°Is he¡­?¡± Ember asked, voice soft.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nero swallowed.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Ember croaked.


    Atix was dead and he was alone. A better man might have been overcome with grief, but Nero could only really focus on the terror that now plagued him.


    He looked around to find himself surrounded by a forest of large dark trees. From where he stood, it seemed there was no end in sight, and the wide leaves created a canopy that barely allowed any of the moon¡¯s light to trickle through.


    Okay Nero, calm down, we just need a plan. He let the fear run its course, his hands were shaking, his stomach was turning and his throat was tight. This is just the body¡¯s reaction to stimuli, He told himself. No different from a bruise or a punch or bad food making you want to vomit.


    Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Nero gathered his senses.


    Firstly, you¡¯re cold, He noted. He didn¡¯t notice it until now but the nights in this place had a vicious chill to them. He could see his breath hanging in the air as mist, feel his body tremble as the freezing air snaked through the threads of his cloth and bit into his skin.


    He would die here if he didn¡¯t get something to cover himself with.


    The answer to his problem was obvious, and he didn¡¯t like how quickly it came to him.


    Nero looked down at Atix¡¯s corpse and began to strip it. He¡¯d need the weapon and the chainmail too he realised, if Hell was as dangerous as he was starting to think it would be, then mail and a sword might be the only thing that could save him from a grizzly death.


    ¡°Nero, what are you doing?¡± Ember asked, distress clear and unhidden.


    ¡®Looting the corpse of your recently deceased friend?¡¯ Well he could hardly say that, not because it wasn¡¯t true but because it simply sounded like what a villain would do. ¡°Can¡¯t talk right now Ember, busy.¡±


    He was having issues actually removing the chainmail from the man¡¯s body. Undressing mediaeval men wasn¡¯t exactly common practice back on earth. Not anymore at least.


    ¡°Nero.¡± Ember started again. He ignored her.


    He undid the man¡¯s leather belt and found the material suddenly freer. Fuck, finally. All he had to do was take it off like a normal shirt now.


    ¡°Nero, there are people coming!¡± Ember yelled.


    So single minded was Nero, that he hadn¡¯t registered the sound of footsteps approaching.


    He looked behind him and could just about see two figures making their way through the trees.


    Nero resisted the urge to immediately run and began affixing Atix¡¯s belt back onto his corpse. There was no hope of him undoing the chainmail in time, Atix was simply too heavy, so this was the only thing he could do.


    ¡°Nero, what are you doing? You should be hiding!¡± Ember urged.


    ¡°Can¡¯t leave the corpse like this.¡± He whsipered. A corpse with a belt unbuckled would hint at a looting interrupted midway. That could only mean that there was an Inquisitor still alive and Nero didn¡¯t quite fancy the idea of being hunted.


    The footsteps were getting closer now. He hesitated, knew he was forgetting to do something but couldn¡¯t for the life of him remember what it was.


    ¡°Nero!¡± Ember yelled and that had him moving.


    He dashed to the side and rolled behind a felled tree.


    Nero had barely landed when the pair of white armoured warriors came into view.


    ¡°Told you there¡¯d be one this far out, these crazy types would rather leap from a building and die than answer a couple questions.¡± The smaller of the two said, as if it were all terribly amusing.


    ¡°Yeah, yeah, just hurry up and grab his shit. Last thing we want is to keep Lord Mercury waiting. I like my balls safely secured within my sack and would like to avoid anything that might jeopardise that status quo.¡± The bigger man grunted.


    The other soldier crouched down, and Nero watched as he began to loot Atix¡¯s corpse. First he took the chainmail, the leather underneath, his boots, and then finally he unsheathed his blade. He didn¡¯t bother being gentle, just broke what needed breaking to get everything off the old man. Ember whimpered.


    The bigger man snatched the sword from his companion greedily. ¡°Fuck, look at the runing on this thing, definitely gonna sell for a lot.¡±


    Nero felt his stomach turn and his frustration boil. That was what he was forgetting. Should have grabbed the fucking sword! He clenched his fists impotently and watched with rage shot squarely at himself when the man sheathed the weapon.


    ¡°Hey, I found it!¡± The smaller said.


    ¡°Yes.¡± The other soldier replied. ¡°And I didn¡¯t beat you senseless to take it for myself the moment you did. So I think the debts¡¯ been paid.¡± He turned and began heading off into the dark.


    ¡°Arsehole.¡± The smaller whispered before following behind.


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    Atix¡¯s corpse was left with nothing but the flimsy fabric he wore underneath his armour. It was a far cry from what he had hoped for but he¡¯d be a fool not to take it.


    Or perhaps simply a better person than he is.


    He waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps then crouched down in front of the dead man. Nero took a deep breath.¡°Ember¡­ turn around.¡±


    ¡°Nero-¡± She began.


    ¡°Just turn around, please.¡± He begged, and to his relief she did,


    Nero made quick work of stripping Atix of his shirt and trousers. He let his mind dissociate, so it felt like he wasn¡¯t really him, he was simply observing someone else do this. His heart still broke seeing what the other bastards had done to it.


    Once done, Nero wore the man¡¯s clothes on top of his. It was far from comfortable but the largeness of them combined with the extra layer of fabric did something to stave off the heat.


    That something was little, Nero knew, but it was something nonetheless. Might buy me an extra minute of two before I freeze to death.


    He gave one final look at the man¡¯s bloody corpse and with two fingers, pulled down his eyelids.


    Nero got to his feet with a sigh and stepped deeper into the forest.


    ¡°What are we going to do Nero?¡± Ember asked.


    ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­¡± He told her honestly, hollowly.


    The nearest town was seven days away, and he had planned to get there with the help of a map, a sack full of food and his body in peak condition.


    Now he would be forced to make it with nothing, in the freezing cold, and a body that screamed in agony with each step he took.


    Nero set off in the direction of the town. It was a hopeless endeavour, he was shivering, limping, practically a dead man already, but there was nothing else to do, so he kept on at it.


    Nero continued to walk, even as his teeth clattered and his feet throbbed. He didn¡¯t know how long or how far he had walked, it couldn¡¯t have been much, and yet it felt like he¡¯d done nothing else in his life but that.


    He could hear chattering, howling, growling and a myriad of other sounds flowing out from the shadows. He didn¡¯t want to imagine the kind of creatures responsible for them, lurking in the dark, waiting for him to stumble upon them. But his mind had nowhere left to wonder but there.


    Something caught his foot and he fell hard on the ground.


    It should have been a minor annoyance, but today it was the straw that broke the camel¡¯s back.


    Nero¡¯s frustration bubbled over and flowed past the edges of his mind. Should have taken the sword before I left, should have taken the sword, should have taken the sword. He didn¡¯t know when he began hitting the ground, but he kept on going. Punching it, over and over again even as his knuckles poured with blood and his fist screamed in pain.


    He was stuck here, in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by monsters and simply awaiting a terrible death. It didn¡¯t matter what he did, didn¡¯t matter how smart he was, it was hopeless.


    ¡°Nero¡­¡± Ember called out, concern lacing her voice.


    ¡°I should have taken the goodman sword!¡± He roared. He was trembling, not just from the cold, he felt like his entire being was coming apart at the seams. Tears ran down his cheek, Nero clutched his head desperately, as if that might help him keep his wits about him. ¡°I should have taken the sword¡­¡± He croaked, voice cracked.


    Ember floated in front of him, eyes wide with distress. ¡°What would that have changed Nero?¡± She asked.


    ¡°I¡­ I don¡¯t know, everything.¡± He replied. ¡°I just¡­ fuck!¡±


    It would have changed nothing, he knew it, she knew it and yet he still tormented himself.


    Nero sighed, and rolled onto his back. His teachers¡­ They said he was brilliant, destined to do amazing things.


    He could have done anything, gone into the sciences, arts if he wanted to. But I picked business school. He laughed and coughed, throat sore. Because it was easy¡­


    It was easy when I fucked people over, it was easy when I got a pat on the back and a million dollar bonus for ruining entire lives. He was numb now, barely able to feel his fingers. What¡¯s that, wanna dump toxic waste ten miles off from a low income neighbourhood? Have Nero handle the paperwork, he¡¯s your guy. Falsely advertise medication, he¡¯s your guy, get out of paying insurance, don¡¯t wanna pay your taxes? And so on, and so on.


    His eyelids felt so heavy now, he could barely keep them open.


    He didn¡¯t know what exactly it was he did to make that man walk up to him and blow his brains out¡­ But I know that I deserved it. And now the world has one less him in it. Which is good, because people like me, don''t deserve to live, We just don¡¯t.


    Ember¡¯s voice was a soft whisper now. ¡°Nero, you¡¯re dying, stand up Nero.¡±


    By all accounts, he shouldn¡¯t have, he should have let the cold take him, he didn¡¯t want to keep going on, the only good thing he could do was let nature turn him into a corpse overnight. There was a reason he urged himself to move however and he heard it yet again.


    ¡°Please, Nero, get up!¡± Ember begged.


    She¡¯d already lost Atix, she¡¯d seen so many Inquisitors die. You¡¯re all she has left. For once in your life, don¡¯t be a selfish prick, you don¡¯t get to die here, you haven¡¯t fucking earned that right.


    Nero gathered the dying flames of his strength, clenched his fist and rolled up onto his knees with a groan. ¡°Do you ever¡­. Shut up?¡± He sighed.


    ¡°Nero!¡± Ember beamed. Flames burning brighter than he¡¯d ever seen her.


    He winced at her volume. ¡°So that¡¯s a no then, neat.¡± He took a painful step forward and then another. ¡°Come on, there¡¯s got to be a cave somewhere here.¡±


    Soon Nero was walking again, he wasn¡¯t enjoying it by any means but he was doing it. ¡°Seven days¡­¡± He whispered to himself. ¡°I¡¯ve just gotta survive seven days in this fucking place.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s just seven.¡± Ember nodded happily. ¡°Do you know how many seven days have passed without you even noticing, it¡¯ll be over in a heartbeat.¡±


    Nero smiled, rolling his eyes. ¡°You can talk when you¡¯re physically affected by the cold.¡±


    The Imp laughed and Nero felt for the first time, like less of a piece of shit than he typically did.


    Up above, something moved from the corner of his eye. Nero let himself fall backwards, as jumping wasn¡¯t an option. He was barely out of the way when the figure hit the ground.


    He rolled onto his feet and rested his back against a tree.


    Standing in front of him was a thing of nightmares. Eight eyed and eight legged, the spider was large enough that its head reached as high as his hip. With black fur, it blended in well with the dark.


    ¡°What the fuck is that?¡± Nero whispered.


    ¡°A Sin Spinner Spider.¡± Ember replied. ¡°Very deadly venom.¡±


    ¡°Ah, well awesome.¡± Nero said while masterfully managing not to shit himself at the sight of the monster.


    It stalked him, its too-many eyes affixed to his form even as it moved to try and circle around him. Nero reached up and grabbed a branch from the tree above him. He broke it off and swung the weight in his hands. Surprisingly, the spider fell back, fearful of the blows.


    I can take it. He told himself. I can take it.


    Four more spiders dropped down behind the creature with barely a sound made.


    Nero knew, there was simply no hope in taking five.

 Chapter 6: Prometheus.

    Chapter 6: - Prometheus.


    Nero hadn¡¯t been in too many fights, but he knew the basics. Hit the other guy until he can¡¯t hit you back anymore. The issue was that most fights he¡¯d seen were against other humans, with four limbs and not eight. Also they were one on ones and not one versus five.


    All things considered, he¡¯d be needing to do a fair bit of improvising here.


    With a roar he swung the branch in a wide arc in front of him. He had hoped to scare off the Sin Spinners as he had the first. Courage bolstered by numbers, they barely even looked phased.


    One moved in on him and Nero swung the branch at its face with all his might. To his surprise, awe and relief, it struck. To his horror, the wood shattered into splinters on impact. It did however have the effect of pissing off the spider, which let out a high pitched squeal. It wasn¡¯t hurt however, or at least it didn¡¯t look it.


    The other four were moving in now.


    Makes sense, they¡¯ve seen the extent of their prey¡¯s defences and weren¡¯t impressed.


    He was going to die here, and that boiled him with rage. He should have just laid there, let the cold take him and be over with it. Why did it have to come just when things were beginning to look up for him?


    I suppose this place really is Hell. He almost laughed.


    The spiders had encircled him now, there was no hope of escape. Nero grit his teeth, took a deep breath then let it all out with a roar. If he was to die, he¡¯d die fighting, maybe, just maybe he¡¯d be able to pluck out one of their eyes before this was over. ¡°Come at me then, finish the fucking job!¡±


    But they didn¡¯t. The spiders all took a step or two back, a simple man might have thought they were scared of his voice, but it was clear something else was going on.


    ¡°Nero.¡± Ember whispered with hope.


    He followed her gaze to find his palm alight with the same smokey golden aura that seemed to make up her form. For a moment he thought his hand was on fire and waited for the pain to hit, but only a soft warm tingle met him in its place.


    Nero blinked. ¡°Huh¡­ that¡¯s¡­ that¡¯s new.¡±


    Out of the corner of his eye, a spider leapt at him and Nero swung for the creature, flaming hand coming down hard on its face and sending it flying.


    It disappeared into the dark before Nero even heard it hit the ground, body thumping softly, squeal escaping sharply.


    ¡°I.. Holy shit, I didn¡¯t know I could hit that hard.¡± He stared off into the distance with awe.


    ¡°Nero!¡± Ember screamed.


    It was just in time for him to catch sight of the remaining four moving in on him. Despite his new trick, Nero wasn¡¯t quite certain it¡¯d be enough to get him through this without dying. After all, so close to the ground, the Spiders were at the perfect height to make punching them a pain in the ass.


    One dashed at him, scuttering along the ground with a speed to match the armoured soldier that Atix beheaded. They¡¯re treating me like a real threat now, not good.


    It leapt at him, but Nero found that he was out of the way just before its attack had landed. Somehow, he¡¯d dodged it.


    Its friends came in next, leaping, biting and squealing at him with each of their attacks and yet Nero found that he¡¯d flowed away from all of them.


    His hands were shaking, his heart was drumming. At first he¡¯d thought it was adrenaline, but now he knew it was something else, something foreign flowing through his veins.


    Again, a spider came for him and Nero slid out of the way, this time not before a claw tipped leg caught his thigh and opened up the skin there. Shit!


    The bleeding wasn¡¯t severe, only a small trickle of blood ran down his leg, but it told him two very important things.


    These spiders were not to be taken lightly, and he couldn''t dodge them forever.


    Emboldened, another sprung into action, keeping low to stay out of range of his most dangerous asset. That meant he couldn¡¯t rely on his new magical glowing hand to get him out of this one.


    Nero didn¡¯t know what possessed him to throw a kick at the thing, but he did. His foot tore through the air and cracked into the side of the closest spider¡¯s body like an anvil against glass.


    He heard its squeak of pain as it was lifted off the ground and sent rolling into the dirt. It came to a stop soon after, not going nearly as far as the one he had previously hit did. Nero was fairly sure he¡¯d not been able to kick like that on earth.


    So, whatever this is, it¡¯s increased not just my speed but my strength too. He looked at the spider begin to limp back into the fight.


    Sill, it¡¯s better if I get them with the weird light in my hand.


    Simultaneously, the remaining three sprang into action just as Nero was beginning to gather his bearings. He moved a moment after they did.


    The closest clashed with him first and he met it with a kick to the side, it dodged, jumping right into his golden blow. The beast shot towards the ground and slammed into its friend with enough force to topple them both over.


    Nero was fast now, faster than he ever was, but he wasn''t fast enough. The third had jumped onto his knee, claws dug into his skin and Nero saw it open its mouth to sink that deadly venom into his veins.


    Fucker!


    He ignored the pain that tormented him and slammed his knee into a tree with malice. Nero felt something give within the monster with a crunch, and green fluids leaked from its orifices like juice from a burst fruit. It fell limply to the ground. Twitching.


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    He turned; only two remained now, the two he hadn¡¯t hit with his glowing hand. Both were limping and orbiting him with caution.


    Nero was panting, heaving, his body felt like it was on fire- no, he felt like he was the fire. ¡°Come on, let¡¯s fucking finish this!¡± He roared at them.


    The creatures seemed to have other ideas on how they wanted this fight to end, for they limped away from him as fast as their injured forms could manage and slunk into the night.


    That strange energy still coursed through Nero, telling him to chase them into the dark and rip them limb from limb. He ignored it, though it was quite a tempting proposition.


    Once he knew in his heart of hearts that the fight was over, the flame died in his palm. Nero slumped against a tree, took a deep breath and slid down into a sitting position. ¡°What the fuck was that?¡± He asked Ember.


    The imp floated in front of him, a strange expression on her face. ¡°Light Breathing¡­ I think.¡±


    Nero took a deep breath. ¡°Light Breathing¡­¡± He repeated softly. ¡°And you didn¡¯t think to tell me I could do that, ever?¡± He asked, hearing the edge to his voice, it could have saved him from torture, saved Alisan and Atix from death.


    Ember flinched back like she¡¯d been struck. She shook her head guiltily. ¡°I didn¡¯t know you could¡­ Didn¡¯t know what it was¡­ Things weren¡¯t clear before, they still aren¡¯t¡­ I¡¯m¡­ I¡¯m sorry.¡± Her voice was barely higher than a whisper.


    Nero sighed. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ It¡¯s okay.¡± He told her, biting back his guilt. There was a lot he didn¡¯t understand, but that wasn¡¯t her fault. He grinned. ¡°I showed those guys, didn''t I.¡±


    ¡°You were okay.¡± Ember smiled back smugly, eyes suddenly bright again. ¡°But, I think we both know who the real star of the show was if we¡¯re being honest.¡±


    ¡°You?¡± Nero scoffed.


    She feigned bashfulness. ¡°Oh Nero, you¡¯re too kind.¡±


    ¡°The hypothermia must really be getting to me, cause I can¡¯t seem to remember the part where you did anything.¡±


    Ember lifted a finger. ¡°There were all those times I warned you n¡¯ stuff, do you think it''s easy for someone with as tiny vocal cords as mine to yell ¡®Nero!¡¯ every three minutes.¡±


    ¡°Do you even have vocal cords?¡± He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°That¡¯s not the point!¡± She said, strict as a teacher. ¡°And then it was also me who told you the Spiders were venomous.¡±


    ¡°Negligible,¡± He waved a dismissive hand. ¡°It¡¯s hell, I would be surprised if they didn¡¯t have aids too.¡±


    Ember huffed, folding her arms. ¡°You¡¯re ungrateful.¡±


    ¡°That is one of my many redeeming qualities, yes.¡± He groaned and pushed himself up to his feet. ¡°Now if you¡¯ll excuse me, I¡¯d like to go back to freezing my balls off.¡±


    ¡°You¡¯re excused.¡± She said, flitting off behind him. He¡¯d noticed that she either didn¡¯t want to or couldn¡¯t go off further than about a ten metre radius away from him. Likely the latter since she didn¡¯t immediately zoom off to look for a cave for us.


    He walked over to the corpse of the spider he hit with his magic. Nero could see that the spot where he had struck it still burnt with a bright golden energy. It ate away at the flesh, like acid through paper. He raised a hand above it and could feel heat from the burn rise up and lick his flesh.


    ¡°Light Breathing magic is anathema to Demons.¡± Ember said from above him.


    ¡°I thought Demons looked like Mercury did, with horns and stuff.¡± He said, careful to keep the terror of recalling everything that monster did away from his mind.


    Ember floated down, frowning in what looked like deep thought. ¡°They¡¯re both Demons¡­I¡­ I think.¡± She said finally, looking defeated. ¡°I¡¯m sorry Nero, it¡¯s hard to¡­ Remember things.¡±


    It was an oddly disturbing thing to observe, she looked like she both simultaneously knew the answer and didn¡¯t have a clue what the question even meant. He chose not to dwell on it, perhaps he could help her remember. ¡°Are you trying to say every living thing native to Hell is technically a Demon?¡±


    Ember smiled. ¡°Yes, yes!¡± She nodded. ¡°And- and Mercury is a higher Demon.¡±


    ¡°Just like humans are higher animals, makes sense.¡± He nodded. That makes me anathema to everything here. Nero noticed himself shivering again. It didn¡¯t matter that he now had cool magic powers, that wouldn¡¯t save him from freezing to death.


    Unless it did.


    ¡°I¡¯ve got an idea!¡± He sprung to his feet.


    ¡°What is it?¡± Ember asked eagerly.


    He scoffed. ¡°I¡¯m not going to tell you.¡± He said, pulling down the branches of a tree.


    ¡°Why?¡± She asked and he could feel her pouting glare burning into the back of his skull.


    ¡°Because you¡¯re just going to take credit for it.¡± He grinned.


    ¡°Oh, you¡¯re going to try using Light Breathing to start a campfire.¡± Ember guessed.


    Nero turned around to face her with a bundle of sticks and leaves in his arms. ¡°Eat shit Ember.¡± He huffed while she giggled. Nero placed them on the ground and sat down in front of it.


    ¡°Okay,¡± he took a deep breath. ¡°Now I just have to remember how I set my hand on fire.¡± He stared intently at his palm. ¡°I do not remember how I set my hand on fire.¡±


    Ember smirked. ¡°Try to put yourself in the same headspace you were in when you first did it.¡±


    ¡°Oh, that would have been my second guess.¡± He replied. ¡°Alright, so let¡¯s see, I was angry, terrified and nearly pissing myself in anticipation of a horrific death- god that sounds horrible, I don¡¯t want to do that again.¡±


    Ember shrugged. ¡°Do you want to do that, or do you want to freeze to death?¡±


    ¡°Do you want to do that, or do you want to freeze to death?¡± Nero repeated in a high pitched nasally voice. Because he was mature like that.


    Ember gasped as if he¡¯d committed blasphemy. ¡°That is not how I sound Nero, you take that back, right this very instant- '''' He tuned her out and focused on drawing in his magic.


    Nero thought back to the desperation he felt when the Sin Spinners came for him, the powerlessness. He felt nothing.


    He tugged on the fear. Nothing.


    Finally he brushed the anger, the rage, the decision he made to go down fighting. Nero gasped, his heart raced and his palm burned with a now familiar bright golden light.


    He lowered his hand into the pile of wood and leaves. It began to eat through them like it ate through the Sin Spinner. It seemed trees due to being native here were also under the classification of Demons. A problem loomed however, no fire came with the burning, only warmth.


    Piss and shit!


    As disheartening as it felt, it made sense now that he thought about it. It wasn¡¯t a fire but a substance that reacted with Demonic matter to give off heat. That meant it couldn¡¯t set things aflame. But it should be able to start a reaction that will. All he needed was enough fuel.


    He gathered more leaves until they were a small heap and placed his hand on top of them. ¡°Come on, come on¡­¡± Nero saw a glow, orange not golden like his magic. It was a small thing, fragile but growing and spreading across the leaves. He¡¯d done it, he¡¯d made a fire.


    ¡°We did it!¡± Ember grinned.

 Chapter 7: Bigger Fish.

    Chapter 7: - Bigger Fish.


    Nero woke up to find that the horrible dream he¡¯d had about being trapped in Hell and hunted by Demons was, in fact, very much real. That set the tone for the rest of his day and it was not exactly one of glee.


    ¡°Finally, you¡¯re awake!¡± Ember beamed.


    He rubbed his head, it still throbbed in agony, much like the rest of his body. ¡°Good morning Ember.¡± He groaned.


    ¡°I have no idea why you humans sleep, you know, it¡¯s really tedious to have you suddenly unconscious for hours at a time.¡± She continued, floating up to a branch and sitting on it.


    ¡°Good morning to you too Nero. How¡¯re you feeling? Thank god you didn¡¯t freeze to death last night.¡±


    Ember rolled her eyes. ¡°Ugh, stop being so dramatic.¡±


    Nero sighed. His fire was out now, which was good, because the mornings were more than hot enough.


    He climbed up to his feet and felt all the angles of his body convulse with pain. Nero groaned and forced himself to stretch ¡°Alright then, time to start my day.¡±


    Priority number one was his new magical powers. He needed to figure out more about them while he wasn¡¯t actively in the heat of battle. Had he known what he did now a day early-


    No, he¡¯d not be thinking about that.


    ¡°So, how hard can I hit?¡± He stepped up to a tree, rolled his wrist and flexed his fingers. ¡°For control, I¡¯m going to throw a punch without drawing in any magic, then I¡¯m going to throw one after drawing in magic and finally I¡¯ll throw one with the light coating my hand.¡±


    Ember looked down at him. ¡°That all sounds rather boring.¡±


    ¡°It¡¯s called the scientific process; coined, designed and refined by a bunch of old dead racists. Of course it¡¯s boring. But it¡¯s effective.¡± He sighed.


    He pulled his arm back and slammed a fist into the tree.


    His knuckles dug into the bark, a stab of pain answering them. But his fist still dented the damned thing, leaving an imprint at least an inch or two deep and about as wide across as his hand. He could even make out where individual knuckles had dug in.


    He blinked. ¡°Huh.¡±


    ¡°Nero!¡± Ember growled. ¡°If you could already punch that hard on your own, why didn¡¯t you do that before?!¡±


    ¡°Because I couldn¡¯t do that before you oik.¡± He shot back. Nero pulled his fist back and stared at his knuckles. He flexed them, expecting a twinge of pain, but there was nothing. It was like he¡¯d hit a pillow. ¡°So I guess this is just my strength now?¡±


    Unless I can actually hit harder still just by channelling that light.


    Nero let his mind slip back to that place of instinct and survival. The adrenal rush filled him once more, but this time he was expecting it. After a few seconds his hand was soon alight with the bright golden hue.


    He stepped up to another tree and hit it with his not-glowing hand. The results were the same as before. He swallowed the disappointment, he quite liked the idea of being even stronger.


    So, whatever happened yesterday¡¯s given me a permanent increase to my strength. Probably speed too and hopefully reaction time. I will have to test those out later.


    Nero walked over to a third tree. Now for the moment of truth. He pulled his glowing hand back and slammed his fist into the hard bark. It hit with a furious force, smashing a short gouge out right across its width and sending a spray of wood spitting outwards as his fist punched through it.


    ¡°Holy shit.¡± The tree shook slightly, he thought, and dark shapes emerged from its leaves to take off into the sky. That got Nero thinking. The destroyed section wasn¡¯t that big, really, but¡­


    He punched again, and again. Ten times, twenty. Each impact sent another fistful of bark and plant tissue spraying away, and before long he¡¯d almost bisected the trunk. It groaned, shivered, then fell with a crunch.


    He stepped up to the fallen tree and examined the ruined part of it. He could see the golden energy of his fist continue to eat away at the bark, like acid clinging to the tissue.


    ¡°So, much harder with this thing then.¡± He muttered, looking at his glowing hand.


    Finally he walked up to a boulder to the side of the tree. Nero hit it, and in a shocking turn of events found that his hand hurt after punching a surface of solid stone. It hurt a lot in fact. Bits of the rock came away, tiny chips, but the pain really was something and he stumbled back yelping. Not invincible then, just¡­less vincible. Well he knew that already. What about with his Light Breathing?


    The second blow, this time wreathed in golden light, did more to the rock, but not by a lot. A crack spread along its surface spanning maybe a few inches, and more flakes of stone broke away. And his hand hurt. Less than before, but still it hurt.


    Seems my Light is still effective against non-demonic matter, however less so.


    ¡°I wonder what¡¯ll happen if I punch myself in the face with it.¡±


    ¡°Please don¡¯t accidentally kill yourself Nero.¡± Ember said as if she were talking to a toddler.


    ¡°If you insist,¡± He replied, disappointed. He snuffed the light out with a thought and felt his stomach grumble. With a grimace, Nero clenched his jaw. ¡°I¡¯ve got other things to worry about anyway. Like the fact that I¡¯m hungry.¡±


    ¡°Oh, well there¡¯s the Sin Spinners!¡± She suggested eagerly.


    ¡°Can¡¯t, they''re venomous.¡± Nero sighed.


    ¡°Ah, yeah, uhm, don¡¯t eat poison.¡± She nodded.


    Nero shook his head. ¡°Venomous, not poisonous, normally it should be safe for ingesting just not injecting. I¡¯m not a biologist but last I checked it had something to do with the size of molecules relative to the cells,¡± he explained.


    ¡°Ah, well I followed about half of that.¡± Ember shrugged. ¡°But now I¡¯m confused as to why you can¡¯t eat it,¡±


    ¡°Well, a certain red armoured bastard smacked me around enough that I probably have a gash in my mouth now.¡± He nearly hissed and found a hint of satisfaction in knowing that Atix had relieved the bastard of his head. ¡°Not to mention that I was coughing up blood yesterday, and my guts still feel like that tree looks. Can¡¯t risk the venom getting into my bloodstream that way, the effects would be no different than if I was actually bit.¡±


    ¡°Oh,¡± Ember nodded. ¡°There must be something we can do.¡±


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    Nero picked up a sturdy looking stick and snapped it off at the tip so it had a sharp edge. ¡°I could try and eat the parts where the venom isn¡¯t, but I don¡¯t know all that much about spider biology or if this thing''s biology is similar to any spider back on earth. I think I read somewhere that snakes secrete their venom from a gland in their mouth, but again, not sure and those are earth snakes not Hell spiders. I¡¯d rather not take the chance if I don¡¯t have to.¡±


    ¡°You could try fruits?¡± Ember suggested.


    Nero tested the weight of the stick in his hand. ¡°We¡¯re in a forest, not a farm. I could be wrong, again this is Hell, not earth but my guess is most of the fruits here haven¡¯t been selectively pressured for human consumption.¡±


    ¡°What does that mean?¡± Ember asked, frowning in thought.


    That gave Nero pause. ¡°Uh, hard to explain, just know that practically all edible fruits are man made and back on earth it¡¯s gotten so bad that you can own a seed type that other people aren¡¯t allowed to use.¡±


    ¡°That sounds horrible.¡± Ember blinked.


    Nero shrugged. ¡°Point is the fruits here are either extremely lacking in nutrition at best or poisonous at worst.¡±


    ¡°So, what can we do?¡±


    ¡°Well, you seem to know the animals here well enough.¡± Nero grinned. ¡°I say we go hunting.¡±


    Ember, it seemed, did know animals. After a few hours of familiarising himself with common wildlife, they¡¯d decided that their best option was a Crimson Centipede. Nero didn¡¯t like the sound of that at all, having never been a fan of eating bugs, but the other options were animals called things like soul splitter and mind cutter.


    Well, those names were non-starters, so bug-hunting it was. That didn¡¯t actually prepare him for when he actually found one,


    They were twice the length of a man, and about the width of his stomach.


    Nero came at it with his fist, and the whole gory affair was over soon enough.


    Thick with the taste of sulphur, the centipede made faeces taste like gourmet food, but it didn¡¯t make him sick or kill him so for the next few days that was what he ate.


    The trek was not uneventful, in fact it was overflowing with events. If the word ¡®event¡¯ meant creatures born from satan''s arsehole trying to murder him.


    There was a lot of running, a lot of hiding, and Nero was half-certain he had actually wet himself on the fifth day, when he came across a Face Eater. It was a creature shaped like a bat, but twice his size and with blood red eyes.


    It had loomed over him, like a tower of shadows. In its maw, was the terrified face of the last person it had eaten. Their final desperate expression immortalised in the mouth of the creature who killed them.


    That one, Nero had only managed to get away from by holing up into a small cave and punching its face as hard as he could manage when it tried to squeeze through. To his terror the thing took his natural like a brick wall would have taken his old ones, but to his relief a golden one was at least hard enough to encourage it to leave him alone.


    From then on, Nero couldn¡¯t shake the feeling that he was being followed by the thing. It had reminded him that this place was still phenomenally dangerous and despite his newfound power, there was very little he could do if lady luck decided it was time to run into a monster he simply couldn¡¯t take or run away from.


    There were several nights when Ember would wake him up because she saw something moving in the shadows, and only half of those times was she wrong. He reckoned he wouldn¡¯t have survived for long without her.


    On the dawn of the seventh day, things were soon looking up for him.


    ¡°That¡¯s it then?¡± Ember asked, smiling brightly.


    ¡°Stradale, yes.¡± The town sat in the distance, perhaps a few hours away now. It was a mostly wooden settlement, roughly mediaeval like he had guessed and he could see smoke leaking out the top of certain buildings. Chimneys.


    Something rustled in the trees behind him, snatching Nero out of his relief and slamming him straight into a moment of alertness. It was a headspace he was quickly getting used to being in.


    A Sin Spinner emerged from the bushes, clawed tips allowing it to move so seamlessly that the monster almost seemed to glide across the earth.


    He was shaking.


    He had faced Sin Spinners before, multiple times in fact, but there was one thing about this one that set it apart from the others.


    ¡°I didn¡¯t know they could grow that big.¡± He swallowed


    A Sin Spinner as large as he was, and with a fury in its eyes that seemed to betray an almost human intellect. It snarled, a sound that Nero recognised instantly, not from the smaller ones he took but from the shadows that seemed to follow him for the past few days.


    ¡°You¡¯ve been tracking me, waiting for the perfect time to strike, but Ember¡¯s been there to warn me every time before you got too close.¡± He realised. Those little bastards I killed were your children and now you¡¯re here for payback.


    Clearly not in the mood of conversation, the creature came for him with blinding speed. Nero only just managed to dodge with a leap. To his horror he realised the creature was almost as fast as he was. And with twice my number of limbs.


    ¡°Can we run?¡± Ember asked.


    ¡°Doubt it.¡± He grimaced. It came again and he bathed his hand in golding light. Nero swung but it dodged, immediately weary of it. Far too weary of it. You¡¯ve been watching me, learning my moves.


    He would have been impressed were his life not in danger,


    A blade-sharp leg caught him in the stomach, sending Nero flying and smacking into the side of a tree. He hadn''t even hit the ground when he saw the beast coming for him again. It¡¯d be on him before he did so.


    Nero slammed his foot into the bark and launched himself above the creature. He landed behind it in a chaotic roll and haphazardly got to his feet.


    His belly burned, he¡¯d been cut there and cut bad, but his enemy had no plans to let him assess the damage. It was coming again, and Nero still didn¡¯t have a game plan.


    He ran.


    It wasn¡¯t a good run, already limping and now clutching on a bleeding stomach, he¡¯d be hunted down and killed in seconds.


    Unless he thought of something quick.


    When that something came, however, he didn¡¯t like it one bit.


    He could hear the Spider racing behind, it was almost on him, almost.


    Nero suddenly stopped, let its blade come at him and raised his golden hand to block. It bit into his palm and came out the other side but it was the Spider that snarled in pain.


    Apparently, covering his hand in light didn¡¯t make it that much more durable. But he hadn¡¯t been counting on it to. The spider was stunned as the energy burned it, and Nero used that second to attack.


    With his good hand he grabbed the limb just above its joint, pulled his injured hand out from around the blade and brought it down hard on its leg.


    The creature screamed just like Nero would expect any to at having their limb snapped off. It stumbled backwards on its remaining legs, green blood gushing out of the wound.


    It was his turn to hunt now.


    Nero grabbed the severed limb by the joint and wielded it like a makeshift dagger. He dashed up to the creature, swung his bright fist at its face and revelled in the satisfying crunch that followed the motion.


    It went tumbling and Nero chased after it, but it was soon on its feet before he had gotten to the thing. It swung wildly with its long legs and he was forced to jump back for fear of being opened up. Well, opened up further.


    Another swing came, this one less wild, more calculated, the bastard was on the offensive again and he hadn¡¯t even noticed when it happened.


    Nero caught it with his new dagger; its former leg. The force sent him stumbling regardless and the beast kept on coming.


    One of its fangs hung loosely to the side, dripping with that characteristic green pigment. His punch had broken it, and that gave him some satisfaction.


    The joy was quickly fading however, as the limbs kept on coming, and Nero kept on just barely managing to fend them off, taking nicks, slices as an omen of the death dealing blow that was to come. He was a swordsman facing seven others at once, sooner or later, his luck would run out.


    The only option that remained was to quit sword fighting.


    Another swing came, this time it sent Nero off his feet and rolling on the ground. The Spider sprinted to finish the job. Nero didn¡¯t move, he let it get closer, closer and only when it raised its limbs to skewer him did his plan spring into action.


    With his golden hand, Nero threw his dagger as hard as he could at the creature¡¯s face. It reacted quickly, tilting its head to the side so he missed.


    The blade tore into the spot where its head met its body instead. The Spider stumbled back, confused and dazed as a fountain of green sprayed into the air from the gash.


    It paused, glared at Nero as if vowing to keep on going until its body gave out, and then finally lurching sideways as its legs collapsed underneath it and slamming into the ground.


    Nero crawled to his feet soon after. The world was a blur, his legs felt weak underneath him.


    ¡°Nero, you¡¯re bleeding.¡± Ember warned, her voice sounding like it was coming through water.


    He looked down to see his shirt dripping red. He was losing blood and losing blood quickly. ¡°Yeah.¡± He gasped. ¡°Just need to get to the town....¡± He whispered.


    He just needed to get there, there¡¯d be a doctor or something that should be able to stem the bleeding. That was all he had to do. Just get to the town, get to the town, get to the town.


    Nero had barely taken three steps towards it before he collapsed on the ground and his world fell into darkness.

 Chapter 8: The Hunter.

    Chapter 8: The Hunter.


    Nero woke up, so that was a good sign, his last thoughts were him wondering if he¡¯d ever have the privilege of doing that again.


    That however was where the good news ended. His body still bathed in agony and his head still felt woozy. Nero opened his eyes to find a wooden ceiling where the sky should have been.


    He was in a small room, laying on a bed on the far end of a room. He shifted in place and groaned in pain. His stomach still hurt, he¡¯d nearly forgotten what that eight legged bastard had done to him.


    Well¡­ Now seven legged.


    ¡°Careful not to hurt yourself, Nero.¡± He heard Ember call out and saw her floating above him, concern etched into her face.


    ¡°I¡¯m alive.¡± He sighed. God, how bad must my life be going for that to be the highlight of my day.


    ¡°Where am I?¡± He asked her.


    ¡°Stradale, someone found your unconscious body and patched you up.¡± Ember said.


    ¡°Really?¡± He raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°Yeah, they were a hunter, at least I think they were a hunter. They had a half circle thingy with a string attached and a pointy stick.¡±


    ¡°You mean a bow and arrow?¡± Nero asked.


    Ember scoffed. ¡°Sure, if you want to be verbose.¡±


    ¡°How do you know what verbose means and not-¡± Nero sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. ¡°Okay, so this is their house I¡¯m guessing?¡± He asked.


    Ember nodded. ¡°I think they went out or something.¡±


    ¡°Gotcha¡­¡± Nero nodded and pulled himself up to his feet carefully. He raised his shirt to find a runed bandage wrapped deftly around his stomach. That, it seemed, was what had kept him from bleeding out. There were others around his other nicks and cuts too.


    Nero opened the door and stepped into a room that looked more like an armoury. Weapons laid across tables but most of them were hung up on the wall. For the most part they were clearly made for use at range.


    What struck him however was how modern they looked. They weren¡¯t guns, and he wasn¡¯t an archer, but he knew a compound bow when he saw one. Putting aside the primitive materials, the designs he was seeing could have come right out of the twenty first century.


    ¡°You¡¯re snooping around.¡± Ember whispered, as if at risk of actually being overheard.


    ¡°I¡¯m investigating,¡± He corrected.


    Nero walked over to the wall and lifted the bow carefully free. It looked like something he¡¯d expect to be used in the olympics. Only heavier. Nero pulled back the string to find it was amazingly stiff.


    He reckoned with his enhanced strength he could use it with no problem, but a normal man might have cut his own finger off in the attempt. Which told him that his hunter friend probably had some sort of strength enhancement as well.


    It seemed to be a common facet of Hell. Something in the air, perhaps. Or a consequence of eating things that lived in Hell? He couldn¡¯t use himself as a benchmark- he knew just enough to know he was something of an outlier with what he could do- which left his opportunities for logical reasoning irritatingly scarce.


    Nero¡¯s eyes were caught by the runes on the bow and its string, similar to those he saw on Atix¡¯s sword. The symbols were different, not that he could read them, but he assumed that meant something.


    Nero stepped over to a drawer, pulled it out and found several arrows within it. They were heavy metal things with polished edges. No regular human could reliably shoot these, which lended further credence to his theory that the user had magic as well.


    The arrows weren¡¯t runed though, which made some sense. It seemed running was something done to give objects special attributes, that would mean it was valuable, and shooting valuable things at appreciable fractions of mach speed was a great way to lose lots of money.


    Though, I could imagine a few circumstantial exceptions.


    ¡°Should I excuse you?¡± A voice rang through the air.


    Nero jumped and turned around to see the source. It was a woman; pale skinned, white haired and perhaps a few years his senior. Her eyes were purple, like the clouds of Hell, and she wore a set of practically-fitted furs, equipped with a bow, arrow and quiver.


    The woman did not look upon Nero approvingly. He saw Ember snickering above her head. The cunt had known she was coming and chose not to warn him. He¡¯d find a way to pay her back for that, in time.


    Nero smiled. ¡°I apologise.¡± He said politely. ¡°I was just curious.¡±


    ¡°Too curious.¡± The woman responded, tone flat. She seemed to look through Nero and not at him, in a way that made him feel uncomfortable.


    ¡°You saved me, I¡¯d like to thank you for that.¡± He told her.


    ¡°Perhaps start by dropping my shit?¡± She asked.


    ¡°Ah, yes, good idea.¡± Nero winced, nodded and set the bow and arrow down.


    The woman seemed to relax a shade at that. ¡°You faced off against a Mother Sinner and came out alive.¡± She said.


    Nero assumed from her tone that it was an impressive feat. But he had very little idea exactly how impressive, or why. Only arriving here a week ago would do that, but that was no reason to clue her in.


    ¡°Dying, I came out dying. And you rectified that predicament, thank you.¡±


    ¡°You had other wounds too¡­ many that couldn¡¯t have been done by Spinner claws.¡± She added. She was questioning him, there was suspicion in her, she hid it well but he could feel it.


    She¡¯d be a fool not to be suspicious, judging by the map there were a few settlements close to Stradale,but he didn¡¯t know enough about them to confidently tell a lie he¡¯d need to keep going for as long as he stays in this town.


    This meant that he was a man trekking through the wilderness, alone.


    That was often the fate of very dangerous people trying to escape some sort of punishment.


    Those kinds of people brought trouble and it was always smart to stay out of trouble, no matter the scenario.


    He couldn¡¯t tell her the truth, his number one priority was fitting in with the locals.


    He could lie and say bandits got him, but he¡¯d already shown himself to be abnormally powerful in her eyes, and didn¡¯t know how many people in this world were actually a match for him. Probably a good number, she¡¯s a hunter, a common vocation, if someone with strength like her was one in a billion she¡¯d be in a throne room.


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    Still, there were too many variables and an obvious lie was far more damning than a suspicious truth.


    Nero made a decision.


    ¡°Yes.¡± Nero shrugged. ¡°The Dark Forest is a den of many nightmares.¡± Not a lie, but not the whole truth either.


    ¡°And why were you heading through the Dark Forest?¡± She asked, eyebrow raised.


    ¡°Personal reasons.¡± He told her. He was allowed some secrets after all, and being casual about it was one way to ease the tension.


    ¡°I see.¡± She nodded. ¡°Alright then, can you walk?¡±


    Nero smiled and nodded. ¡°Still have a bit of a limp but I should be able to.¡±


    ¡°Alright, best you head off then, and use the backdoor, I don¡¯t need anyone knowing that I helped you, this place isn¡¯t a nursing home and I can barely take care of meself.¡±


    Nero blinked, whiplashed from the change in topic. He nodded and smiled however, knowing better than to infuriate the few people in this world who he knew meant him no harm. Or I can at least be certain she doesn¡¯t, you can¡¯t ever be too careful with people Nero, remember they all share nearly the same genetic material as you. And you wouldn¡¯t be foolish enough to trust someone who¡¯s ninety nine percent you now would you?


    ¡°Of course,¡± Nero nodded and made his way for the door. He couldn¡¯t exactly think up a way to make her cater to him while he gathered his bearings. You should have pretended to have a fever. But the time for that was gone now and all he had in front of him was a door that led to a terrifying world.


    After the trials of the forest, Nero was beginning to get used to deciding his own way forward, which was why it came as a surprise when the woman offered him one.


    ¡°Head north to the potion¡¯s shop, Gunther could use someone with your Might, the pay is cheap but at least he pays.¡± She told him.


    Nero nodded. ¡°Thank you.¡± He said and stepped out the door.


    Night had come, so the air was gaseous ice and the twin moons hung in the sky. Fuck, I passed out for that long?


    The buildings around Nero were humble wooden things, they looked like they might fall over at the slightest gust of wind. It added up when he saw the citizenry that owned them.


    The streets were packed full of people, shuffling their way around to get to one business or another. Many of them wore dirty rags on their short, thin fragile frames that made Nero¡¯s torn, blood caked shirt look fit for a ball.


    Lower nutrition meant a shorter population, and judging by the fact that he seemed to tower above most people in this town with his relatively average earthling height, the populace of Stradale were well past undernourished.


    Despite their state, they all looked to be thriving compared to the homeless. There were homeless back on earth, Nero had seen them in passing, heck he was responsible for a lot of them, and he¡¯d bet any of the one¡¯s here would trade places with earth¡¯s in an instant.


    Huddled on the side of the streets, they looked on the verge of dying, each and every single one of them. Cheeks gaunt, skin cracked and eyes distant, like reality was too much of an experience to bear.


    Other people seemed to ignore them, in that there was a commonality to the world he knew and the world he¡¯d found himself in.


    ¡°We should help them.¡± Ember pressed, face low and eyes wide.


    ¡°How?¡± He asked, but she said nothing, and he set his mind to more pressing issues.


    Nero made his way through the streets and headed in the direction the lady had suggested


    It didn¡¯t take long for him to make it to what seemed to be a market. Stalls were pressed against the far side of the walls and merchants waved goods in front of people¡¯s faces.


    It didn¡¯t surprise him to see it, a hunter¡¯s home should be close to the markets.


    Nero walked past a good few stalls with foodstuffs on display which made his stomach grumble and his tongue salivate. Observing them up close, they looked utterly horrifying. One was a fish with seven eyes and a tentacle for a tongue, the other was a crab with too many mouths, and the last was a potato that seemed perpetually on fire. Still, he was so hungry for anything actually crafted by human hands that he would have given anything to eat one.


    Judging by the state of the people here however, he was half certain that if he reached for one without the money to pay for it, he¡¯d lose the offending hand.


    All the more reason to get the job done for whoever this Gunther fellow is.


    Ember swam around people¡¯s heads, inspecting them like they were action figures. She looked absolutely delighted to finally be around others after all this while.


    It almost made Nero feel like his survival was a net-positive.


    On his way he walked past a large building in the town centre, it stood out not just for its polish but the fact that it was two stories high. Given what he¡¯d seen of much of the architecture, such a thing was a lot of effort for this civilisation¡¯s architects.


    ¡°Who lives here?¡± Ember asked, similarly fascinated, though he guessed she just liked the pretty building.


    ¡°Probably the person responsible for other people living on the streets.¡± Nero replied.


    She was silent at that, and he felt no reason to break that status quo. The rest of the walk was uneventful, though it gave him a good look of the town.


    He walked past what seemed to be soldiers, though these ones weren¡¯t anywhere near as equipped as the ones who¡¯d attacked the tower. They carried spears and wore what looked like wool. All had runes on their weapons however, and that further solidified the opinion that those had the benefit of adding magical effects to materials.


    If Mercury came looking for him here, the law enforcement would be the first in line to collaborate. That was what law enforcement was for after all- Nero had benefited from it well enough back when he¡¯d been the one at the top. So he decided to keep his head down and eyes front as he made his way past chattering soldiers.


    Once he¡¯d thought he¡¯d gone sufficiently north, he asked around for Gunther and was informed he¡¯d gone too far north and should turn around. Grumbling, he did so and found the potion shop not too far behind him.


    It was a small thing, better maintained than most of the buildings he¡¯d seen but the patches of work around it told that it had been well kept not through an excess of wealth, but an abundance of effort.


    Nero walked up and knocked on the door, it creaked open and he stepped in. The shop bled with a heat to banish the chill of the night. Pots of all sizes stood on lit stoves, bubbling away and giving off what Nero could only define as the optimum pungent aroma.


    He resisted the urge to puke. Ember zipped around, utterly oblivious to the smell.


    A man was sitting in the corner, hunched over a small boiling pot and pouring beakers filled with varying colours into it.


    Nero hesitated a moment before speaking. ¡°Are you Gunther?¡± He asked.


    The man turned around as if he¡¯d been pricked and got to his feet. He was in his forties, wrinkled and short, shorter even than most citizens of Stradale. He looked up at Nero with inquisitive eyes. ¡°Yes, but we¡¯re closed right now.¡± He said distractedly. ¡°Unless it¡¯s urgent, come in tomorrow.¡±


    ¡°Well, I guess you¡¯d be the one to tell me how urgent it is.¡± Nero began. ¡°I was sent here by¡­¡± Fuck, he didn¡¯t get her name. ¡°A woman.¡±


    ¡°Oh, a woman, well that changes everything, I ain¡¯t know it was a woman sent you, come on, help yourself to everything I have.¡±


    Nero huffed. ¡°A hunter, she said you could use someone with my attribute.¡±


    ¡°Oh, Selvas.¡± His eyes brightened with recognition. ¡°Well, you should have said that to begin with, we head off in three minutes, try not to lag behind.¡±


    Nero was about to ask what they were heading off to do when the door creaked open. He turned to see a man standing at the entrance. He was huge, bigger than Nero even, which he knew would be a rarity in this village.


    A long scar cut through his face where someone had tried and failed to kill him. By the coldness of his eyes Nero very much doubted that person was still alive.


    ¡°You again¡­¡± Gunther frowned.


    ¡°Not here for any trouble, unless you make trouble.¡± The man began. ¡°You know what I need.¡±


    ¡°I know what you want, Tommy, and what you need is to stay away from it.¡± Gunther replied, glaring up at the giant. ¡°You¡¯re not injured no more, I only gave you it to get you through recovery.¡±


    Tommy reached into his pocket and pulled out a long, crude blade. It too had that characteristic rune marking alongside it that Nero was getting used to seeing. The big man¡¯s lips were drawn into a thin line. ¡°I said, you only get trouble if you make some.¡±


    Gunther laughed. ¡°You think you¡¯re the first lad to pull a knife on me?¡± The man asked. ¡°Go ahead, stab me then, have fun explaining to the townspeople why their healer was murdered.¡±


    The big man glared but it was one of impotent rage. He turned and shoved a pot of boiling liquid to the ground with a roar.


    Gunther¡¯s lips were drawn into a thin line of annoyance at that. ¡°That was a day¡¯s work you just ruined.¡±


    Nero sighed. ¡°Sir, just leave.¡±


    He hadn¡¯t expected all that aimless rage to be drawn to him so instantly as he spoke, but he welcomed it. The man¡¯s focus slammed into him. ¡°Did you fucking say something?¡± He spat and a globule of saliva slammed into the side of Nero¡¯s face.


    ¡®No.¡¯ The answer was no. He knew people well enough to know when posturing was just that. This man didn¡¯t want a fight, he just wanted someone to shove around, someone to make feel small so he could feel better about himself, and Nero was the closest person.


    All he had to do was keep his head low, let the man think he¡¯d come out of this with a victory and step aside. He would have, too, had he been back on earth where he couldn¡¯t cleave off half a tree with a punch. But Nero didn¡¯t need to tolerate grunting morons like this anymore.


    ¡°Just ignore him, lad.¡± Gunther urged.


    Nero cleared his throat, he was tired of scurrying around, he¡¯d had enough of that from the Dark Forest. ¡°I said, get the fuck out. Do you have a problem with that?¡±


    Tommy came for him, dagger in hand, though seeming to favour the closed fist of his other arm rather than a stabbing motion. He was fast, fast as X, but with how swiftly Nero could react now, he was also slow, far too slow to be a threat. Nero grinned, ready to meet the bastard with his own fists.

 Chapter 9: Fall from grace.

    Chapter 9: Fall from grace.


    Nero held back in his first blow, wanting to hurt the man, not kill him. That only heightened his surprise when the force of the attack sent Tommy shunting backwards towards the door, tripping as he reached it and falling onto his back so he rolled out the building.


    Huh, neat.


    He coughed, but was on his feet again and Nero stepped up to meet him. Tommy swung that cruel, hungry blade at him several times and each one missed, either by Nero dodging or blocking.


    In hindsight, starting this fight had been a hotblooded thing to do, he was still far too unfamiliar with where he stood in this world¡¯s hierarchy of magic. But from the looks of things, he reckoned fate had given him just enough shit to allow for one bad decision to go unpunished.


    Back on earth, Tommy would have been uncontested for strongest man in the world. That, it seemed, was a testament to how powerful the magic in this world was then. His strength was at best a mild concern to Nero.


    It was still a concern though, which was why when Tommy chucked a handful of dirt in his face, Nero was sent stumbling back, trying to blink his vision back into existence.


    He saw just enough to know the fist was coming at him again, caught the hand and batted the blow aside, then stepped in and wrestled the unused knife from Tommy¡¯s other hand for good measure.


    You should be focusing on fighting, not thinking.


    It was a reminder that the man was a better fighter than him. Well, really, he was just a fighter, and Nero wasn¡¯t.


    The only thing that kept him ahead in this fight was just the vast difference in physicality. Like Mike Tyson going up against an elephant.


    He slammed his head into Tommy¡¯s face, felt something crunch and sent the bigger man stumbling to the ground. He was dazed, and Nero watched to see if he still wanted to continue the ¡®fight¡¯.


    ¡°What the bloody hell do you think you¡¯re doing?!¡± Gunther growled.


    Nero turned around, surprised to see the storming rage etched into the small man¡¯s face. All directed at him too. He raised an eyebrow. ¡°I¡¯m defending myself.¡± Nero protested.


    ¡°Yourself or your ego boy?!¡± The potions master accused. ¡°God of Hell, you broke the lad¡¯s nose!¡±


    ¡°He¡¯s a big fucking bully.¡± Nero shot back. ¡°People like him do what they want because they know they¡¯ll get away with it and nobody¡¯s going to make them fucking pay because that¡¯s how the world works!¡± Nero felt his own rage grow to a flame he hadn¡¯t known was there. He¡¯d almost let himself think this was just about testing out his new found strength. No, there was something deeper there. ¡°Someone needs to show them that you can¡¯t just fuck people and get away with it!¡±


    ¡°Oh, and you¡¯re that someone?!¡± Gunther scoffed. ¡°Listen lad, I don¡¯t know what you¡¯re working through but you best do it internally and not use my fucking patients as your punching bags do you understand?¡±


    Nero could have sworn nothing in the dark forest was even half as hateful as the man¡¯s eyes were at that very moment. He swallowed then nodded. What was he even on about?


    The man was an addict, he had a problem and Nero¡¯s solution to that was to goad him into a fight. ¡®People like him do what they want because they know they¡¯ll get away with it and nobody¡¯s going to make them fucking pay.¡¯ He was describing himself, he realised.


    When Gunther¡¯s eyes softened, it wasn¡¯t at Nero. ¡°Tommy, you¡¯re all kinds of fucked up, come here lad, let¡¯s have a look at you.¡±


    Nero looked down at what he¡¯d done. Rivers of blood ran down from Tommy¡¯s nose, he clutched the side where he¡¯d hit him. He looked at Gunther then back up at Nero with fearful eyes. The man hesitated then ran off with a limp.


    ¡°Fucking shit.¡± Gunther swore.


    Nero turned to him. ¡°I¡¯m sor-¡±


    ¡°You, with me, now.¡± Gunther said, turning around and making his way into the shop with a brisk walk.


    Nero walked behind Gunther and the two shared a silence only periodically interrupted by the sound of howling and growling from the woods. Stradale was a few hours behind them now and with every step they moved closer and closer to the Dark Forest.


    Gunther had given Nero a long robe to wear. ¡®You¡¯ll freeze to death in those, soft lad,¡¯ he said, and that was one of the very few words exchanged between the pair.


    It left a lot of time for Nero to think, which was a terrible fate. Dying, being hunted by Mercury, watching people be murdered to protect him, surviving the Dark Forest. It had all meant nothing, the moment he had power, what did he use it for? To make myself feel better. No matter the consequences.


    Ember didn''t seem to approve either, she looked at him with eyes that were apologetic yes, but also weary. It was the first time he¡¯d seen her look at him like that, and it made him feel all kinds of wrong.


    ¡°Where are you from, boy?¡± Gunther asked.


    Nero blanched, surprised at even being spoken to. It took him a moment to get his tongue working. ¡°Somewhere far away.¡± Was all he said.


    ¡°Well, clearly they don¡¯t teach you much sense in somewhere far away.¡± Gunther began. ¡°Cause around here, idiots who start fights just because they think they¡¯re hard tend to end up with an inappropriate number of holes in their backs soon enough. And then they¡¯re my problem, bleeding out on my table while I try, and more often than not fail, to pull them back from the depths.¡±


    The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    Nero didn¡¯t say much at that, he¡¯d not considered that he¡¯d made an enemy on his first day in the town, and the implications of that made his guts squirm.


    ¡°Where are we going?¡± Nero asked, eager to change the subject. To his surprise, Gunther let it happen.


    ¡°We''re going to grab a Sky Slitherer corpse.¡± Gunther told him.


    Nero had no idea what that was but he pretended to know since Gunther seemed to expect him to. ¡°Ah.¡±


    ¡°You don¡¯t seem too surprised.¡± The man raised an eyebrow.


    ¡°It¡¯s the serpent thingy you saw in the sky!¡± Ember chimed in, clearly she¡¯d been deep in thought, else she¡¯d have helped out sooner. Of course, Sky Slitherer. Should have guessed.


    Nero shrugged. ¡°I¡¯m used to odd jobs.¡±


    The man looked at Nero¡¯s hands then shook his head.


    ¡°No you¡¯re not.¡± He didn''t dwell on it however. ¡°Anyway, you¡¯re gonna help me haul it back to Stradale, how many rubies do you want for it?¡±


    He didn¡¯t know the currency, he should have asked around about that when he had the chance. For most people in his predicament, the smart thing to do would be to simply say ¡®Whatever you feel comfortable with.¡¯ But Nero didn¡¯t want to risk it, he stood out enough already and if the rest of the world was as impoverished as this town was, people would insist on being paid the worth of their labour.


    He looked up to Ember and she looked lost at the concept of money. Perfect.


    Luckily he had the luxury of recalling half remembered prices called out by merchants when he passed the market.


    A fish was sold for two red rubies.


    He¡¯d seen clothes sold for sixteen red rubies, the priciest exchange he¡¯d witnessed however was a dress for seventeen red rubies and one azure ruby. The highest purchase he¡¯d come across in raw ruby denominations was seventeen red rubies.


    The currency probably works in base eighteen. An azure ruby should then be worth eighteen red rubies.


    He¡¯d walked past stalls where people could exchange azure rubies for black rubies. That was the only time he¡¯d in fact heard of black rubies which meant it was a much higher currency, possibly worth eighteen azure rubies. Could be worth thirty-six.


    He¡¯d have to make a guess here. Nero hated guessing. But that was a distraction.


    There was the size of a sky-slitherer, it was big, very big in fact, if his memory served him correctly, and it probably didn¡¯t, it would be several tonnes in weight. Plus or minus one for an imperfect memory, he had seen it when he was half-way to pissing himself so his mind was very likely inflating the size. Minus one then.


    How many people could lift that? Not many people. Selvas, the hunter, had seemed impressed at his feats, and when she¡¯d remarked on his strength the first thought she¡¯d had was the job of dragging it. There was also the fact that he dwarfed Tommy in strength too.


    He also had to consider how common magical strength was in people though. He¡¯d seen superhuman strength enough now that it was beginning to seem a banality. Certainly Tommy couldn¡¯t lift several tonnes, but five of him definitely could.


    Finally, Nero decided on an answer. ¡°Two azures and five red rubies.¡± He smiled neutrally as he answered. Nero wore an expression carefully crafted to be projected upon, that way if he was wrong in his estimations he could look like either a fool undervaluing his labour or a money grubbing swindler trying to clutch all the money he could. ¡°Assuming the creature is only a few minutes away now.¡±


    Gunther scoffed. ¡°Lowballing yourself ain¡¯t gonna get you back into my good graces, but I guess you laid your own bed, might as well lie in it, Two blues and five reds it is.¡±


    Ah, so he had underestimated, but not by that much then. I¡¯ll have to figure out where I fucked up on my own time then.


    They reached the corpse not long after just at the outskirts of the Dark Forest. The Sky Slitherer was curled up into a ball which made it appear smaller than it actually was, but even now it still cut a titanic figure.


    ¡°That¡¯s really, really big.¡± Ember hummed.


    It was still as a statue, every part of Nero knew the thing was dead, and yet it was those exact same parts that screamed at him to flee.


    ¡°There you are.¡± Gunther smiled.


    ¡°It¡¯s massive.¡± Nero whispered.


    ¡°And a mean bastard too.¡± Gunther said, walking over and patting the corpse like the roof of a car.


    ¡°Why do you want it?¡± Nero asked, then nearly winced. It could have been a question with so obvious an answer that it would be odd not to know.


    Gunther raised an eyebrow in a way that made Nero think it was. ¡°Nearly all parts of it can be used to make a concoction.¡± He said. ¡°It¡¯s why they¡¯re so valuable in the first place.¡±


    ¡°Of course, and you¡¯re a potions master, that makes sense.¡± He nodded.


    ¡°Yeah, with a resource bag like this, my patients are gonna have a good month.¡± Gunther smiled, as if at something distant.


    Nero looked at the wrinkles in its skin, the way it dropped in certain areas. He¡¯d thought it was from decay, now he realised what it actually was.¡°It¡¯s ancient isn¡¯t it, died from old age?¡± Nero asked. ¡°And Selvas, she¡¯s the one who saw it, while hunting.¡±


    ¡°If you had a brain like that you should have used it while we were back at the shop.¡± Gunther chastised, but he seemed more relaxed now, more warm. ¡°She¡¯d have dragged it back for me had she not come across an idiot who picked a fight with a mother Sin-Spinner.¡±


    Nero huffed and got to work. He moved under the thing¡¯s head, groaned and lifted it off the ground. Once he began to move he became quite certain that he should in fact have charged higher, much more. This thing was denser than it looked. And it looks pretty fucking dense.


    He dragged it across the ground and began to make his way to the town.


    ¡°What are you doing?¡± He asked Gunther.


    The man was climbing on top of the corpse. He rolled onto its head and laid his back across it. ¡°Getting comfortable.¡± He replied with an audible grin.


    Ember laughed, and Nero grumbled.


    ¡°Do be quick about it, if the guards spot you before you reach Stradale they might try to claim it as their find and hand it over to the Lord of the town.¡± Gunther noted and there was a hint of urgency to his voice.


    ¡°What¡¯s stopping the Lord from taking it when we reach the town?¡± Nero asked. He hated that every question he asked had him touting his own ignorance. But better to show ignorance around potential allies than enemies.


    If he wanted to figure out this place he¡¯d need to take risks.


    ¡°Witnesses.¡± Gunther answered. ¡°The Lord doesn¡¯t want a revolt and fucking over the man who heals your people is a sure way to start one.¡± He laughed. ¡°Now that doesn¡¯t stop the bastard from twisting my balls with taxes I can barely afford to pay, but that¡¯s different from prying months worth of healing material away from the people right before their very eyes.¡±


    ¡°Well, let''s hope we make it to town quickly then.¡± Nero suggested.


    ¡°Lets,¡± Gunter agreed. ¡°God of Hell, I can¡¯t stand the silence, should I sing?¡±


    ¡°That¡¯ll be fun!¡± Ember beamed.


    Nero shook his head. ¡°I assure you, you don¡¯t need to-¡±


    ¡°I¡¯m gonna sing.¡±


    And so the potions master sang while Nero carried him to the town. They reached it without any exchange with the guards, and a great many witnesses saw Nero carrying the monster through Stradale.


    The good luck ended when they reached the shop however. Its door was ajar.


    ¡°Did you forget to lock it?¡± Nero asked tightly.


    Gunther jumped down from the creature, dread etched into his face. He hurried into the shop and the moment he stepped in Nero heard him let out a cry of agony.


    He¡¯d thought he¡¯d been hurt, but when he stepped in after him, Nero found that the situation was much, much worse. The shop wrecked, it looked like a storm had rolled through it. The once bubbling pots were turned over, beakers were smashed and shelves were fallen over on the floor.


    ¡°No¡­¡± Gunther whispered. He walked over to an empty drawer and shut his eyes. ¡°The bastard¡¯s taken all of it.¡± The man made his way across the room, inspecting the damage and physically flinching with pain every time he came across something new that was ruined or damaged. Gunther sank to his knees, clutching his head. ¡°This¡¯ll set me back months.¡± He whispered, sounding broken. ¡°Months¡­¡±


    Nero stared and felt his heart sink. He knew who did this. Tommy. He should go there and- And what? Beat him up, throw him around, what will that change? Make him more desperate, perhaps.


    Nero looked at Gunther. ¡°What can I do to help?¡± He asked.