Even gods die

 

 

 

Chapter 1

Greetings

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   "So, monster. Are you here to eat me?"

   The great beast laughed, "No mortal. If that were so, I would have already."

   "Then you are here to drag me, bloodied and broken to your master."

   More laughter, "You are an entertaining human. I grant you that." The beast sat back down on his rock chair, "I serve no master on this plane."

   "Yes. This plane. Midir?" Lacey's head ached. She had trouble breathing. Every breath a gasp for air.

   "You're not here to kill me or enslave me. What kind of Devil are you?"

   "You mortals are not versed in the outer planes. I am not a Devil."

   "You said this is Midir, the third level of Hell, right? Hell is for devils; the Abyss is for demons."

   "If that were true, then this is not Midir. For I am not a Devil and I met many on this plane that are not devils. On your plane, the prime one, demons and devils exist. Does that make your home Midir?"

   Lacey rested on her heels, "Fair enough. So I am in Midir. How?"

   The beast eased forward, "Is that rhetorical?"

   Lacey did her best to focus. The conversation she had with this creature sounded appropriate for the lounging hall at the Academy. Not for the wastelands of Hell. Whether this being was demon or Devil or something different, Lacey should find out.

   The warm, dust-filled wind, continued to assault the duo. The red beast looked accustomed to such a barrage; Lacey was not.

   "Before you kill me, consume my soul, or whatever your plans, tell me where I can get out of this wind?"

   "Yes," The monster raised a massive hand, large enough to engulf Lacey's head at a cave entrance behind her.

   "That's convenient."

   "Yes, mortal. You landed in the right spot."

   At this point, confusion gripped Lacey, beaten and bruised that accepting help from a monster seemed only logical.    Gasping for every breath, she had little care whether the monster helped or killed her.

   The cave smelled of ash and feces. But it got Lacey out of the wind. The mage sat on the nearest rock she found, "I... thank you. I find the shock of arriving far more than expected."

   "Expected. So, you came here willingly."

   Lacey thought back, "Yes, I mean no."

   Did I? She tried to make sense of her memory. Her mind was like looking at a scene through dense fog. She recalled the battle with Khaax.