Chapter 28

Wil emerged from the portal to a world belonging to the dead.

The sky was grey, thick clouds blocked the sun, letting only a weak amount of light through. Ash fell from above, coating the land in a layer of whitish/grey residue. Wil’s boots sunk deep into the soot, nearly up to the knee.

All around him, ruined buildings and structures stretched into the distance. Shattered stone constructions that had once reached hundreds of feet into the air, now lying abandoned where they had toppled.

Nothing lived in this world, and no colors existed, just shades of grey. The air was thick with Negative Energy, more than Wil had ever experienced before. It prickled against his skin, slowly draining the life from him. His lungs burned with every breath, and he was forced to cycle his mana through his body to keep upright.

Looking around the hellscape, Wil spotted his destination immediately. In the distance, a mountain rose above the ruins. Staring closer, he realized it was made of bones. A pile of skulls and bones that reached thousands of feet into the air. At the top, a large skull sat, with twin horns emerging from its forehead.

Drudging through the ash, Wil headed towards the mountain, weaving his way around the remnants of a once thriving civilization.

“Could this be the result of a demonic incursion? Is this what awaits our world?” Wil whispered, his voice lost in the drifting ash.

The mountain touched the clouds, and Wil couldn’t imagine how many hundreds of thousands of bodies were needed to accomplish it. Looming ahead of him, there was a passageway leading deep inside of it.

On each side, statues of humanoid figures, twisted in agony and pain, had been erected to line the path. Each seemed to demonstrate a particular form of torture, brought to life by the warped demonic minds that had constructed them.

The passage smelled of sulfur, and the lingering scent of magic. Mercifully, the ground was free of ash, making the walk less of an ordeal. Each step he took brought him further from the light, forcing Wil to expend his mana to create an orb of light.

The white light exposed the walls and ceiling of the passage, more tightly knit bones, packed together to form a stable structure. The deeper Wil traveled into the mountain, the denser the negative energy became. The bones gradually gained remnants of flesh, and the ground glistened with moisture. Rivulets of black tar oozed down the walls, forming small pools on the ground.

The air pulsed with energy, like a heartbeat that throbbed throughout the entire structure. Wil could feel it through the thick soles of his boots. He felt like he was approaching something, entering a perverse mockery of a living world.

The tunnel eventually opened up into a large chamber, so massive that the light of Wil’s magical orb barely brushed the edges. In the center stood a statue, a hundred feet high or more. The creature depicted had large, leathery wings outstretched and in its clawed hand it held a talisman.

The talisman was a skull, demonic, with curved horns. It was as large as both of Wil’s hands cupped together, and it was covered in runes and symbols. An aura of darkness surrounded it, the negative energy gathered close, as if it was the source of it all.

The statue’s eyes were focused on the entrance, and it seemed to be staring at Wil as he entered the chamber. He could feel its focus follow him as he walked slowly across the room. Standing in the center, beneath the statue, he felt a surge of negative energy swirl around the room, rushing into the statue.

Its eyes turned red, and the stone figure came to life.

“Tremble before me, Mortal! Know that I am Moloch, destroyer of worlds! Defiler, blasphemer!” The statue spoke, its head grinding against its body as it looked down on him.

“Moloch, the banished. Archdevil who cannot return to the Nine Hells.” Wil responded, calm in the face of the personification of one of the rulers of hell. He had done his research, scouring the Imperial Library for anything about the Devil. There was surprisingly quite a bit about him, records of his rise and fall.

“Welcome, Human. I see that you received my message.” The statue rumbled, its booming voice shaking the chamber around it.

“You weren’t being subtle about it, Moloch. Half a dozen fiends, most sharing the same answer? Now that you have me here, are you willing to find Serena?” Wil asked, not surprised. It was true, Moloch wanted Wil to travel here, to receive the information about the talisman and the dying realm. And Wil suspected it had to do with Moloch’s banishment from hell.

Eons ago, Moloch had led armies of minions against the other archdevils, carving out his domain, until a collation of other devils drove him from the Nine Hells. His banishment could not end as long as the others remained in power.

“Of course! I am Moloch, the all-powerful. But why should I help you, Mortal?” It questioned, leaning its stone head forward.

“You already want to, you’re just looking for an excuse, aren’t you. Which one of your rivals made a deal to enter my realm?” Wil guessed.

“Mammon.” It growled, and the dark energy spewed out of its body. Wil could sense the anger within it, striking against him like a physical thing.

Mammon the betrayer had been one of the archdevils behind his banishment. The thought of him gaining a foothold in a verdant realm tore him apart with anger.

“I can stop him, send his horde back through the portal and seal it shut. Think of the humiliation he will feel, banished by mortals.” Wil cajoled, trying to egg the Archdevil on. He needed his help finding Serena, and having their interest align, even temporarily, would improve his chances of finding her.

“I would enjoy that…Very well. Take my talisman and summon me to your realm. I will search for the girl.” Moloch agreed, placing the talisman on the ground in front of Wil.

“No. I’m not stupid, once I summon you, you’ll break free of my control and I’ll have to worry about you, rather than Mammon. Tell me where she is from here. Surely, an all mighty Archdevil like you is capable of such a simple feat?” Moloch scoffed at the remark, not responding to the insult.

Changing tact, Wil thought of another way to interest the Archdevil.

“Have you heard of ‘The Dark that Waits’? It also is named Cyä-” Wil was cut off as the possessed statue roared.

“Do not speak that name in my presence. Fool! Speaking the True Name of an Outsider draws their attention.” Moloch boomed, his voice reverberating throughout the chamber. Once the echo faded, Moloch continued.

“Where did you hear that name?”

“The ones who took Serena, the Tiefling, they worshipped a creature by that name. Do you know it?” Wil asked, curious.

“Of course, Fool! It is an outsider, devourer of worlds. The antithesis of life! Even Devils and Demons fear it. It is the void, the hungering nothingness!” Moloch whispered, as if afraid of it. Wil had never known that Demons could feel fear.

“I’ve seen it, in Aachen. At least a part of it. And it’s coming, the portal the Fiends are entering through is also drawing the Outsider.” Wil explained.

“Then Mammon lives up to his name. The Betrayer has allied with an outsider. The Fool, it will devour him, leaving nothing left, then enter the Nine Hells and consume it all.” Moloch said, his tone contemplative.

“Then help me stop it. I need to find Serena. Help me, and I’ll close the portal, drive the outsider away and stop whatever scheme Mammon is planning.” Wil asked. Standing, he waited while the statue contemplated.

“Very well. In the interest of self-preservation, I will provide you with the location of your Tiefling. In exchange, you will close the portal and eliminate these Cultists. Take my talisman, Mortal. When you confront Mammon, use it. Have no doubt, my brother will not allow you to succeed. You will need my power.” Moloch said, gesturing to the Demon Skull Talisman.

“I agree to your terms. As long as it is understood that you will not be entering my realm, nor will I be entering into your service. We both get what we want, no ties bond us beyond self-interest.” Wil said, picking up the skull with both hands.

“So the pact is entered, So the deal is made. Leave, Mortal.” Moloch said, the statue standing upright and his power fading from the stone.

While Wil was walking towards the exit, a voice whispered behind him.

“We’ll met again, Mortal.”