Chapter 27

“We’ll flay the skin from your body! Gouge out your eyes and remove your tongue! You’ll beg for the release of death, human, but it will be denied! Countless times you will be healed, all so we may start again.” The imp screeched, its small body restrained to the floor of the chamber with golden chains of mana.

“Cute little fella.” Bell said dryly, his arms folded as he stared down at the Imp.

“Charming. Answer our questions, you little bastard. Where’s the girl?” Garman shouted, readying his axe to split the small fiend in half.

“Ape! Monkey! Stupid, Stupid, Stupid!” It screamed, flailing his head back and forth. The imp was the first demon Wil had ever summoned, preferring to start with a Rank 1 to test his control and the power of the enchantments.

“Answer!” Wil spoke, and his voice thundered through the room. The braziers that ringed the imp flared brighter, the fire climbing higher. Wil’s presence pushed down on the fiend, compelling it to obey.

“Can’t!” It hissed, struggling to resist answering.

“Then tell me who can.” Wil ordered.

“Fool! Fool! Fool!” It screamed, staring at Wil with its red eyes. “You offer nothing in Exchange!”

“Don’t try to trick me, Imp. No exchange is required. Give me a name and I will send you back.”

The imp watched him carefully, before its lips curled into a sly grin.

“Very well. Moloch, Archdevil of the Nine Hells!” It hissed the name. The words echoed off the walls, and it was as if the shadows lengthened around him. The temperature dropped, and Wil could see his breath from the cold.

“Give me a different name, Imp. An Archdevil is equal to a demigod, there must be a weaker fiend who can find a Tiefling.” Wil reasoned.

“No other names! Moloch is the fiend you seek. Summon him, human!” The imp screeched.

“The enchantments would never contain something so strong, Wil.” Astrid advised, turning away from the imp, and looking towards Wil.

“I know. I could never control it, either. Moloch isn’t the demon’s true name, I could summon it here, but without its name, it would kill us all.”

“No name! Talisman! Talisman! With it, Moloch would obey.” The imp suggested, its eyes glowing in the darkness.

“A Talisman? The Compendium mentioned a ‘Devil’s Talisman’ that could improve the success rate of the spell. Where can we find it, Imp?”

“A temple, on another plane of existence. Talisman has Moloch’s true name. Now, release me, human!’ The imp shouted, thrashing wildly.

“Begone!” Wil commanded it. In a flash of crimson flames, it was gone, and the golden chains clattered to the ground.

“A Temple on another plan of existence. That Imp mustn’t think much of us. It screams ‘Trap’, and for what? A talisman supposedly capable of controlling an Archdevil? You can’t seriously be considering this.” Kellerman scoffed, looking at Wil.

“We can look at it as a last resort. I’ll try other Fiends and Demons, see what answers they give. I have no intention of releasing Moloch into our world. We have enough troubles without adding to them.” Wil said, frowning.

They summoned another half dozen fiends, each stronger than the last. A Bearded Devil, Rank 3, gave the same answer as the imp. A Hell Hound only answered after nearly an hour of threats and demands, only to say that it was impossible, the girl was lost.

The final fiend, a Night Hag, provided more information than all the others combined.

“The Tiefling’s blood is shared by Moloch. It is only he who can find the girl.” The Fiend stated, her red eyes staring hungrily at those present in the room. Only Wil’s considerable mana and concentration kept the creature contained. It strained against its bonds, testing them for weaknesses.

“Let me guess. You want us to travel to a temple and retrieve Moloch’s talisman? Do you bastards spend your time in hell conniving with each other?” Garman said angrily.

“You wanted an answer, Human. You have it. Release me.” The fiend said.

“Begone!” Wil dismissed it. The fiend faded from existence, sent back to where it had come from.

“I know you don’t want to hear this right now, but you can’t go to this temple. It’s too risky, Wil. We’ll find another way.” Greaves said, placing a hand on Wil’s shoulder.

“There are no other ways. Not if we want Illyria to survive.” Wil responded. The House Guards were already engaged with fiends and undead. The numbers were even at the moment, the humans holding their own. But how long could that last? The suns wouldn’t rise for another ninety hours, more than enough time for them to be overwhelmed.

And they still had no guarantee that the daylight would fix this.

“I’m going.” Wil said.

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Wil stood in the empty chamber, the wards and enchantments for summoning demons lay dormant beneath his feet. The others had tried to convince him not to do this, to look for another way, but he ignored them.

The goodbyes had been hard, particularly Quentin and Astrid. One had tried to physically restrain him from leaving, while the other had demanded to come with him. It had taken awhile to convince them that this was the only way, and even then, he had Garman and Kellerman guard the door to keep anyone from interfering.

Pulling out the Compendium of Conjuration, he studied the ‘Gate’ spell. A 9th tier spell, it created a portal to another world, one that would remain open for his return. If it was too dangerous, he would collapse it on the other side, rather than risk something traveling through.

Wil retrieved a large diamond from his bag of holding. Ironically, it had been part of the payment he had received from ‘Gold’ years before, when he had been sent to retrieve Serena. It was fitting that he used it to find her once more.

Drawing on his mana, he formed the complex spell matrix, covering the black was in front of him. Swirling magic, filled with runes and symbols imprinted on the stone. In the center, he placed the large diamond, the glittering facets catching the light, reflecting the magic.

In a moment, a portal appeared, a doorway to another plane. Like a mirror, it reflected his image back at him, not allowing him to see what he was walking into.

“I’m coming Serena.” Wil whispered, plunging through the Gate.