Aboard an airship, those who were summoned by Alexis were sitting either in their seats or standing up and looking through a viewport as a voice came on over the intercom.

“Thank you for flying with Darksol National Airways. As we are making our final approach, please be seated and buckled in until we announce that you may disembark. Please make sure that you have your seatbelts on as we commence docking with the terminal. We once again thank you for flying the friendly skies with us and wish you a good day.”

“Weird.” Alice said as the intercom finished its announcement.

“I know, right?” replied Vladimir. “I honestly didn’t expect Darksol to have a civilian airline industry. I mean, can’t people just use the Dungeon Transport Network to go from point ‘A’ to point ‘B’ without taking too long?”

“I guess some people would rather not use the Network. You have to admit, the view up here is amazing and you can’t get it from the ground or the Dungeon.” added Wakanda, who had only recently rejoined his fellow former Heroes. Those of them that had survived were shocked to hear that Wakanda had defected mere days after he had been exiled and was responsible for a great deal of the modern conveniences that the Greater Darksol Empire had to offer. The knowledge that he was working hard to try and push this world into a brighter, more technologically advanced age and that he was not doing so at the point of a spear was something of a shock to the other former Heroes. They had all thought him dead and buried long ago.

But Wakanda had a point. While the Dungeon Transport Network was indeed far quicker, it was not nearly as enjoyable or exciting as flying in an airship. Sure, the airship was slower, but it afforded luxuries that a simple in-and-out trip through the Dungeon could not. Likewise, it was the only way to reach their destination, as the Nightbringer Battle Station (formerly the Vatican Flying Fortress City) was still airborne and thus an impossible place for a Dungeon Entrance to be created.

As the airship began to dock with the hastily constructed docking terminal, everyone aboard sat in their seats, completely bucked up so as to avoid falling down in the event that the airship connected with the docking arm a little too fast. The airship jolted a bit as the docking arm locked onto it via electromagnetic clamps, and everyone thanked their lucky stars that the small shift they had just experienced was the most eventful thing that had occurred during the flight.

“We have finished docking procedures; you may unbuckle your seatbelts but please remain seated until directed otherwise.”

A collective sigh of relief permeated the interior of the airship and everyone began to unbuckle their safety belts. When the intercom announced that all passengers were now free to disembark, there was a bit of a traffic jam as the passengers acted just like people on an airplane from Earth. Thankfully for them, none of them had brought much in the way of luggage and what they had brought was just a change of clothes or two which could easily be washed and then stored while the VIPs that Alexis had summoned were doing whatever they were going to do.

A few minutes of slight shoving later and everyone that was not a crewmember of the airship had exited the craft and were either making their way through the docking arm or were already waiting for the rest of their fellows to do so. As the last person exited the docking arm and entered the crude terminal, they were directed as a group to follow Alexis and her children through the corridors of the newly acquired and thoroughly corrupted battle station.

The sight of statues weeping blackened blood and former clergymen/women hanging from the walls and ceiling with spiked chains running through them or trapped in any number of other torturous devices sickened those who saw them. And to make matters even more sanity-reducing, the utterly insane survivors of Kain’s incursion wandered aimlessly through the place while gibbering like the madmen that they were, causing some to wonder if they were going to be like them once they reached their Emperor’s newest throne. Needless to say, Alexis’ insistence that those who answered her call be prepared for anything had not managed to fully express how twisted this once holy place had become.

“My god…” Pierre muttered as he tried to avoid looking at the reminders of what happens when Kain gets angry. “This is all so horrible… nothing could be worse than this…”

“Wrong.” chimed a voice not too far away that sent shivers down the spines of all of the former Heroes.

“Oh, god… it’s you…”

“Yes. It is. Me. C’thylla.”

Yes, one of those summoned had been the massive monster of the deep Zalga herself, but as she was too large to fit in what for her would have been exceedingly small hallways and rooms, she had sent C’thylla in her stead.

“This is not. The worst I have. Seen. Not by far. You should. See. What becomes. Of those who invoke Mother’s. wrath.”

Pierre gulped and turned away. “Somehow I think I would rather not.”

“A wise. Choice.” C’thylla replied in her usual broken speech pattern.

“Please be silent.” Alexis said loudly in a definitely not indoor voice. “We are almost at our destination. We must be prepared. I have no idea what that freak of nature is planning, but I am certain it can’t be good.”

She turned to look at the former slaves that Kevin had owned. After being treated like garbage so many times and not having those they idolized come to their rescue, the former slaves were more than willing to turn traitor once their collars and Stepford Runes had been removed and their mind left free to once again control their bodies and words. They knew that Kain had defeated and destroyed Kevin in this very structure and, perhaps out of a sense of gratitude for freeing them, they wanted to see their new ruler firsthand. If Kevin had been left alive and had escaped, no one with skin color anywhere near like theirs and/or who didn’t have a twig and berries would have been able to sleep soundly at night.

“We’re here.” Alexis said as she and the others stood before a massive door made of granite and covered in silver, platinum and a single giant carving that depicted a vast number of undead and living alike kneeling to a single figure of a man whose entire body was covered in flames. The carved figure had no features whatsoever aside from the empty sockets for eyes and the flames that seemed to hide any trace of the figure’s gender or identity, but everyone knew that this figure was meant to represent the divinely ascended form of Kain at full power, sans his clothes of course.

“Is it just me,” Alice asked aloud, “or does that figure look like an unpainted C’tan model made of granite?”

“A what?” asked everyone else.

“Oh, nothing. Just figured it looked similar to an unpainted model of a figurine. I was really bummed when daddy found out about my hobby and had my entire Necron army melted down in front of me.”

Alexis stole a glance at Alice before rolling her eyes.

“Don’t know what you are talking about and I don’t care either. Just prepare for what is to come; we don’t want that bastard whatever-he-is pulling a fast one on us.”

And with that, Alexis opened the huge doors and the group entered the throne room of the newly acquired Battle Station.