If I hadn't had a mouth full of seawater, I would have probably had a dry mouth as I gazed from our hiding place amongst the chaotic coral. Behind it was the edge of a gorge that looked like it was so deep that it would reach the very depths of the planet itself. Thick clouds of blood wafted up from it, propelled by the chaotic water currents that surged from the crevices.

Above, and for as far as I could see, titanic monstrosities, dwarfing Casiron, were fighting, ripping each other to pieces. Smaller demons roamed the edges, squabbling over the pieces of flesh that rifted around, gorging themselves.

I had seen Deities fight, watched Ulderion battle a giant Guidar, and recently seen a war over a city, but I had never felt as insignificant as now. Some of the scavenging demons were my size, but those were the smallest, while most were the size of Casiron or much, much bigger. Not too far, a giant demon with the bottom of an octopus, a humanoid body with crab-like arms, swiped after another, its talon slamming into a nearby wall and tearing out a piece the size of a building.

I'm like an ant, I thought as I scanned the outer rims left and right from where we sat.

There was no apparent end to the crevice nor any sign of the other side—just a swirling mass of blood, teeth, and carnage. Two beaked leviathans without eyes that resembled a cross between a parrot and a frog had grabbed the sides of a serpent with puckered holes, plucking out big chunks of meat as their heads drilled down, disappearing inside the serpent that was rolling itself around, trying to get rid of its assailants. Green ooze came from the holes, moving towards the other demons, but before it could reach, one of them screeched, the sound rippling the water, and ripped something long and white out of the hole, rushing away with it.

"Is that a spine?" I whispered, not worried the soft words would draw any attention amid the screaming and roaring.

"Yes," Libidi replied.

"Is this as you remember?" I asked, turning to her.

"I don't know. I've never seen it up close," she said. "None are crazy enough to go this close."

"I think we should go around and see if we can find a spot where the fighting is less, then go down," Casiron said, causing both me and Libidi to stare at him, stupified.

"You can't see, but I can sense that the fighting isn't like this everywhere," he said, turning his unblinking gaze on us. A few hundred meters lower, it seems to be reasonably quiet. We should try to sneak past and find the portal to Leralion."

"Impossible," Libidi said. "It will be the most well-defended place, likely guarded by one of Ux's lieutenants. You have no idea how powerful those are," she continued, her voice a low growl.

I looked at her in surprise, eyes heated, words laden with emotion.

"Perhaps," Casiron said, unruffled, "but Est is right. Something is going on here, and if his Deity says we need to stop it, we need to find out what is going on."

Libidi quieted, and I watched her, hoping she would come with me. It was one thing, going into a demon invested, war-filled hell together, and another entirely going in alone. Although having Casiron along was great, it wasn't the same. If his body was destroyed, he wouldn't die.

Libidi's hand reached for her dagger, and she frowned. Then, she pulled it out with a sigh and held it out to me.

"I cannot do this. It is far too dangerous, and I don't see a way to run if things go wrong. No. If I fail my mission, the existence of my entire race might be forfeited. Please take your dagger. I am not worthy," she said, looking straight into my eyes, no hesitation left.

I gazed at her, then the dagger, and felt my hope vanish. Ever since she had told me in the skull cave, I'd prepared for the possibility, but we had been together so long, traveling, that it had somehow seemed impossible. I thought for a moment to try and dissuade her from leaving, then I saw the set of her jaw, the frost in her eyes, and knew it wouldn't help.

"Keep it," I said, floating back a little. "I have no use for it, and after I get back, you still need to travel with me. You promised to have my back! You need that to stay alive until I return," I forced a grin to my face, making it sound like she was the one going off into dangerous territory.

Libidi stared at me, then, in a sudden rush, moved forward and kissed me on my cheek. I froze, unable to respond as she floated back, staring at me with an intensity that made me uncomfortable.

"Stay alive," she said as she began casting a spell again. It lasted for a while, and I recognized it. It was the same one she had cast before to remove the trouble of diving too deep. When she put her hands on me, I felt the same sensation but stronger.

Her dark face grayed a bit when she finished, but she nodded sternly. "You will be fine for a week now," she said." Make sure you leave before then. I'll wait at that skull for one week. Don't keep me waiting!"

I grimaced as she turned and swam away like a tiny torpedo, her body moving and bending with inhuman grace. Then she was gone, no final look across her shoulder, no wave.

I sat at the edge of death-filled doom, staring at the coral she had vanished behind.

Seriously? I thought.

Even though I knew she did the right thing, I was disappointed. It didn't matter that I knew I would have done the same in her situation; it just felt bad.

"We will find her again, Est," Casiron said softly. "But we all have things we need to do, and she has her own goal."

"I know," I muttered. "But I hadn't imagined things to go this way."

"If I've learned anything across my five thousand year life, it is that things never go exactly as planned," Casiron said. "Now, grab my frills. It will be faster and safer that way."

I took one more look in the direction Libidi had left, feeling a wave of emotions. I shoved them down with effort and clung to the frill-like hair behind Casiron's horns.

Casiron rushed forward, moving faster than I could have, angling forward and down. He kept to the shadows and the overhangs as I dangled behind him, holding on for dear life and trying to keep away from the horns on his sides.

As we continued forward, the constant violence seemed unending, and I zoned out, losing track of time.

--

"Belch, you fool! We join Pursor! He is stronger than you think. He won't get usurped that easily," a human-sized demon said, growling at what could be his twin brother as they slowly swam through the brightly coral-covered cavern.

They both looked like ugly mermaids with green scales covering parts of their purple leathery skin, and they had long white bone shards running across their backs and arms. Their algae-invested tentacle hair drifted behind them.

The left one, slightly bigger and greener than his companion, waved around with his claws as he spoke. His green vertical slits of eyes burned brightly in his noseless, angular face, and then he growled, baring teeth filed to points.

Ugly bastards, I thought, staring down from my hiding place in a higher outcrop.

We were in a maze-like vertical cavern filled with deepwater mushrooms with ruffles around the edges that waved lazily in the water. The deep fissure we had followed had begun splitting up into dozens of minor caverns, walls filled with bloodred coral dividing them, and some wound away from the main shaft into the rock.

Casiron had spotted the two demons half an hour earlier, and we had followed them since. They had been a great source of information as they argued about what to do. Apparently, Libidi had been right. Ux had sent one of his captains here, a demon called Belegh, who had been battling the three current leaders of the Birthing Abyss. The three had been in a constant war until now and seemed hardpressed to create an alliance to battle Belegh.

Now, however, the two demons had begun arguing about who to follow, repeating the same crap, and I was about done with it. I looked at Casiron, perched to the side and ready to pounce on my signal.

Get them, and keep them alive, I said.

The massive dragon didn't respond but moved like an avalanche, surging down.

"Attack," one of the two merman demons screeched.

The two-shot forward like torpedoes, their long scaled tales moving in a frenzied blur.

Damn, they're fast! I thought.

Casiron would never get them in time.

Grab the left one, I sent as I swam away from my hiding spot and aimed my bolt casters.

The mermaid demons were making a beeline for an opening returning to the main cavern systems, and if they reached them, we would lose them within moments. If they warned others, we would be in trouble. I took careful aim and shot four bolts, two aimed at its back and one on each side. Then I swam after it, excruciatingly slow compared to them, counting to six in my head for the bolts to refresh.

It was a good thing I was cautious. The demon swerved at the last minute, dodging the two bolts aimed at its back, just for another to puncture it in the base of its skull. Brownish blood splattered everywhere, and its arms spread out with a screech. Then it began to twitch and flop around, the water around it turning into a swirling mass of bubbles and more brownish-red blood.

Lucky, I thought, as I slowed down.

I reached the demon that was grabbing at the back of its skull, a long, narrow tongue protruding far from between its thin lips.

I took one cold look, then shot bolts in its exposed neck and face until it stopped moving. By then, a thick curtain of blood wafted through the water, fogging the already ruddy liquid. It was almost like being in a fogbank.

As I turned around, I was glad to see the other demon dangling from Casiron's maw. It wasn't moving but silently staring at me with wide-eyed fear.

"Dirtborn? Why are you here? What do you want?" it gurgled, its throat contracting oddly after each word.

Dirtborn? I thought, suppressing my surprise.

"Information," I said.

I swam to within a few feet of the captured demon. Its eyes resembled crescent moons, and there was a pitch-black, tiny pupil inside the burning green. It also had a face that was far more expressionate than I thought possible, and I could see both fear and anger.

"About?" the demon asked, its heavily lidded eyes narrowing.

"Let's start by you telling me where Pursor is," I said.

"Are you with Puil Da? I was just joking when I said we would join Pursor!" the demon said, followed by another throat contraction.

Is it swallowing? I thought with a frown. It almost seemed like it swallowed water each time it spoke. Odd.

"Perhaps," I lied. "Now, where is Pursor?"

I watched the demon's eyes narrow, wondering if he even knew. It wasn't like I desperately needed to know or even cared about Pursor, but it would be helpful to know where the strongest players here were. If only to keep away from them.

The demon scrutinized me; then, its gaze darted around. It tried to move its head, which proved impossible with Casiron's teeth holding him tightly.

"There are only some rumors, mostly spread from the deepest pits of the Forlorn caves," the demon said.

The Forlorn caves? Why does that sound so familiar, I thought. I couldn't recall, but I did recognize someone trying to weasel their way out of something and growled, faking anger.

"Where is he?" I said, raising all of my boltcasters at the demon's head.

"He is hiding there, in the top part of the Forlorn caves," the demon squeaked, its voice rising to glass-shattering height. His face looked like the mockery of a fearful child, giving me the chills. Still, as afraid as he looked, I saw his gaze roaming about, an intelligent glitter in them.

The forlorn caves, I thought, again wondering where I had heard that before.

Then it came to me. Wasn't that the place Lark said he came from? He hadn't said anything about it beyond a mention, or if he had, I couldn't recall, but I shelved it for later. I needed to drag more information out of the demon first.

"Good, good! Now we are getting somewhere! So, where is Puil Da hiding?" I said, lowering my arms and grinning as wickedly as I could.

The demon's eyes widened. "You are not with him?" it whispered, its eyes almost bulging out of its head in surprise. "Are you with Qyolix?" he whispered, thick fear in his voice.

"Maybe," I said, wondering how many more names I would drag out of this thing like this. It was good that my learning rate had increased since I came to Kernstalion, or I would have had to write everything down.

"Please, release me! I know I've erred! I'll return to the army," the demon suddenly howled, staring straight at me. "It was wrong to leave. I know this now!"

My grin widened automatically now, and I shook my head. So, this guy was a deserter? Perfect!

"How about you tell me from the start," I said. "And I'll think about it."

"I... But? ... Alright," the demon muttered, staring at the ground. "We were together with the ambush group," he muttered. "And-"

"Who were you ambushing?" I snapped, trying to keep the demon in the ropes.

The demon kept its eyes down, and I frowned. It had been staring around all the time before. What was going on? Was the thing really afraid, or...

"Vile Snake," the demon said, voice low and laced with hate. "That abomination!"

I wanted to ask who the hell that was when I saw the demon's eyes flicker to the side so fast I almost missed it. I managed to keep myself from looking, but my hair stood on end.

Is something hiding to the left of us? I sent through my bond with Casiron.

I didn't notice Casiron move, but a sudden weariness came through our connection as he responded.

There are three of these ugly things hiding behind an outcrop, and more are coming, Casiron replied.

How many? I asked, keeping my eyes on the demon, trying to keep it from realizing we knew we were being watched.

Four or five, Casiron said, noticing the demon's eyes narrow.

"Who is the Vile Snake?" I asked again, trying to sound like I was thoroughly confused.

The demon probably had little experience with Dirtborn, as it called us because the weariness in its eyes dissipated. Its sharp green gaze flitted around again as it grinned, and I saw the fear vanish.

"Puil Da's new lieutenant! We were supposed to kill him when you ambushed us!" it said in a much louder voice.

It didn't take a genius to realize he wasn't only talking to me.

We need to leave. They are spreading around, trying to cut of our escape, Casiron said.

Damnit, I wanted more information, I thought as I glared at the demon.

Why don't we just bring him along? Casiron replied.

I blinked, then grinned nastily as I swam towards Casiron and grabbed the gills.

Do it, I said.

"What are you-" The demon's worried question was cut short as Casiron rushed forward, straight at an opening that led to a wider cavern with dozens of paths snaking away into the labyrinthic maze beyond.

A howling scream echoed out, and a quick look behind showed seven demons, roughly the same as the one we had captured, propelling through the water in pursuit. Their arms were stretched forward, nails grown into foot-long talons, as they surged through the dark, muddy water like living harpoons.

They are fast, I hissed at Casiron, watching them gain on us rapidly.

Casiron didn't reply, but I sensed worry through our connection.

Although his body was better suited for this underwater world than mine, I hadn't only made him for this.

A second look made it sure. The Demons would overtake us within moments.

Finish that one, and keep going straight, I messaged as I flipped over on my back, holding on with two arms.

I fired two bolts, their tiny shadowy forms almost impossible to perceive, just as a scream of pain and fear came from Casiron's head. We burst through a cloud of blood, leaving trails of bloody and slivers of flesh in our wake. Behind us, the demon I had shot at swirled elegantly around a rocky outcrop and flicked its head sideways, dodging both bolts before throwing me a wide, toothy grin.

The decapitated demon body flew passed us just as one of those chasing us did something and blurred forward with a burst of speed.

Stop and fight! I shouted, knowing we had no other choice.

As if he had been waiting for me to say so, Casiron spread his wings, which he had kept folded since we reached the water. We braked so hard that the demon shot passed us while I flipped over and slammed into Casiron's head, my leg an inch from one of his spikes.

Let go! Casiron barked.

My hand released automatically at the order, and Casiron turned around, wings still spread, almost blocking the entire tunnel.

"Get the handler first!" one of the Demons' screamed in a commanding voice.

The loud voice made my hair stand on end, and I looked at the demon who had surged past us. It was hovering there, gazing at me with a nasty grin as it blocked our escape route. Its eyes weren't green but yellow, and its face was more angular than the one we had questioned.

The leader? I thought as I pushed myself away from Casiron and swam towards him.

I had thought my swimming, using four arms, was reasonably fast, but that was before I'd seen the demons rush around in the water. As I moved, the demon seemed to realize the same thing, as its grin widened, and it gracefully moved towards me, moving faster than I could run.

I should have learned more body modifications, I thought, wishing I could have some flippers or a tail like a demon.

I shot four bolts at him, trying to catch the spots he might try to dodge.

"Pathetic Dirtborn," the demon laughed as he spun through the water, easily dodging all four. Its eyes flickered behind me and widened, surprise on his face.

Screams and roars came from there, but I didn't fall for it. Casiron would have warned me if anything was happening. I didn't let the demon out of my sight; my gaze fixated on its yellow slits, trying to determine when it would pounce. If I could grab it, I could take away its most significant advantage. Speed.

"Not that gullible," the demon said sadly as it scoffed at me before continuing its approach.

I didn't bother responding, keeping an eye on the long nails, and my boltcasters trailed on its face. I shot again when the leader was less than ten feet from me, but it just laughed and swirled through the water.

"Fuck," I hissed, keeping my boltcasters raised.

At the same time, I got ready to cast Controlled Conflagration. I had no idea if it would work underwater, but if I could grab the demon and burn the shit out of it, that would be great.

One got past! Casiron shouted in my mind.

Together with his shout, I saw the lead demon's eyes flick to the left, behind me. I used all four arms to spin around in the water, and a blurry shape filled my vision. A screaming demon, arms outstretched. My bolt casters twipped, and four bolts slammed into it from point-blank range. The demon screamed but didn't stop and collided with me, causing both of us to spin around.

As the world flashed around, I held onto the still struggling demon, casting Controlled Conflagration.

"Stop him," the lead demon screamed.

Pain flared from my top left arm as the demon I held bit down, its needle-like teeth puncturing deep into my flesh. I lost my focus as my fingers jerked, and fear grew.

"Let go," I roared as I placed bolt casters against its head and willed them to fire, only to find they hadn't reloaded yet.

Something slashed across my back, and a stinging, burning pain made me cramp up. The demon biting my arm slung its head sideways, trying to tear my arm off, and I grabbed it with my lower arms, leaving me with one hand and weapon to try and get free. Then we slammed into the side of the cavern, me below, and the pain on my back intensified.

The burning sensation vanished, and it felt like ice cubes were drawn across my back. A soft ping came from my status, barely registering, as I tried my bolt caster again. This time it worked, and the demon froze as a bolt exploded into its eye. Instead of nicely dying, it let go of my arm and screeched and flailed around, its claws slashing across my chest and arms.

A blurry movement was all the warning I got; then, the lead demon slammed into me, almost seeming to teleport in front of me, and its ten-inch-long talons speared my chest.

The pain was otherworldly, as something foreign pierced through my organs. Without thinking, I grabbed the demon's arms, mechanically kicking away at the other one whose flailing arms slashed at both me and the lead demon.

Casiron shouted something in my mind, but somehow it seemed like a garbled, confusing mess. The coldness on my back was spreading rapidly, while the pain in my chest felt like hot pokers driven into my flesh.

"You shouldn't have come here, Dirtborn," the demon whispered, sounding gleeful. "Even if your stupid Deity is helping Ux, you are still weak compared to us! Now I'll consume your soul and relish in its agony as it helps me evolve!"

I barely heard the words, my mind slowly fogging over, when a rush of power flooded me. My muscles bulged obscenely, and the demon's eyes widened as my hands instantly squeezed its wrists. It tried to pull back, and I felt a tiny semblance of calm return as my muscles grew. As they did, a little voice screamed into my head that this was the failsafe skill I'd not needed for ages, and it meant I only had ten percent of my health remaining.

I clenched my fists, squeezing the demon's wrists further, slowly pulling them out and to the sides.

"Die," the demon screamed, biting forward.

Its movement seemed slower, and I grabbed the scaly throat, clenching hard and holding the demon in place, spread-eagled. It screeched obscenities and began flailing with its tail, dragging us across the wall, causing my wounded back to scrape across the sharp stone. I barely noticed it, though, as I squeezed for all I was worth, trying to snap his wrists. My mind was rapidly fogging over again, either by loss of blood, pain, or something else, I didn't know, but I felt like I was going to faint if I didn't hurry up. The weird confusion was returning with a vengeance.

Gurgling sounds came from the demon as it tried to get free, but my doubled muscle mass made me more than twice as strong now. Even wounded and bleeding as I was, it appeared worried I might drag it down with me.

Focusing all my power on the hand around its throat, I squeezed and strangled it. The demon's eyes bulged further, wide with panic. Then something snapped inside, and my thumb perforated the thick hide. Blood welled up as the demon went into confusion, flopping around like a rodeo bull.

The rugged cavern wall thudded into my back; then, all resistance left the demon, and we drifted through the water. Blood, both its and mine, was swirling around in a mixture of rusty brown and bright red.

Dead? I thought, then not sure what the concept meant.

Confused, I released one hand from around its neck and thudded a bolt into its eye. There was no reaction, and I kicked the demon away, raising my arm. My muscles were still bulging beyond normal, wrapped around my arm like metal coils, while the spot the other demon had bitten me was swollen and discolored.

In pain and feeling my mind seemingly turning on and off, I looked up.

Where am I? I thought, watching three demons drift motionless next to Casiron, one struggling in his jaws.

Casiron? I asked.

Est, your back! What happened?

I don't feel- I muttered back. Where are we? What is happening?

I stopped, my stomach roiling as my vision clouded. With a horrible suddenness, the power of my body gushed away, leaving me hanging in the water like a wet towel. Casiron's voice came from far away but again couldn't make it out.

Something was wrong! Even through my quickly growing confusion and unfocused lethargy, I knew that. Somehow, I was in serious danger. With difficulty, barely knowing what I was doing, I pulled up my status and gazed at the dozens of lines, trying to make sense of them.

> You have been infected by chaos poisoning

> Chaos flux

> All resistances temporary reduced by 1

> Demonic poison resistance dropped: 3(-1)/5

> Passive benefit 'Quick regeneration' disabled

> Chaos poison resistance -1/1

> Status set to: confused

> Constant exposure to mild levels of Chaos poison has granted you resistance to it

> Chaos poison resistance 0(-1)/1

> Raparion used 10 karma to resist the effects of: Unconsciousness

> Chaos poisoning

> Raparion used 10 karma to resist the effects of: Unconsciousness

> Chaos poisoning

What... I thought as I looked at the lines. I could read them, but it was as if the words made no sense like they were gibberish.

A counter sat below, slowly counting down from nine hours while a host of messages sat in my message window.

> What the hell are you doing?

> Get out of there, wherever you are! Something is trying to get into your mindscape!

> Dammit, mortal! Flee

> Fine, no other choice

> Dammit, that's twenty karma wasted, and it's still happening! What are you doing?

I read the lines, but it all seemed like gibberish, my mind not accepting the information even though I read it. Deep down, panic grew.

Something moved to my side, and I mechanically and slowly raised my bolt casters as I tried to see through the hazy mist.

Est, grab on! We need to leave! More are coming!

Some last bit of clarity made me understand, and I groaned in pain as I searched for Casiron's frills. Then I clenched on and felt the water around me flow passed, as the only thing I could think of was.

Hold on, don't let go.