The caverns run deep, connecting through the deepest pits of Midwich
town beneath its sewage. Where the sewage outflow dumps in putrid falls
over the valley, deeper still run the caverns connecting many points
countryside.
The Killer may wander here from the under-dock, the Explorer from beneath the Founder's home under the dragon's wrapped wings.
But now the Learner must find it to continue. The most guarded entrance if not already found marks on the map, to Hell.
Bright
lights hover near the entrance like the cherubs at opening, like as
well the stars in the sky which if one could fly close enough, one would
find are not so far away.
As these right before you gathered at
the entrance, waiting. Apparently unable to pass the circle carved red
around the rounded entryway.
The
vines grow thick and more lively, lashing if too close to the cavern
walls while some poor fools reach begging from beneath them. One may
hack at the vines, in one can do so without killing the trapped.
They
fall to their knees and run for the way out, dragged back in if too
close to the walls, greeted by its hovering soul waiting if it escapes. Home to the more intelligent of demons protected
by their idiots. The Leaner cuts away through.
Found pages serve
as seals and bindings merged with the electrical whips of magic
lashing. Tearing the souls from the living to leave a husk stumbling
zombie, easily shot down.
While demons never living nor dead are absorbed, with every one new knowledge of Hell's maps.
Each
had a routine, a pattern of patrol or habits of the day, the most
recent learned and marked. The higher their function the more they
know, reasonably one could find a single commanding demon to find the
way down.
The most decorous. Belial.
The maze is
simple enough, the caverns broad. Many places to lurk and hide, leap to
and swing but the ground below is filled. One must die to find what
you need.
Or all if you cannot differentiate.
See the Keys
of Solomon for their names, the one you seek is Nergal. The notorious
'Hound of Hell' and forebearer to the Wolvenkind, Jaws of Hell as
gatekeeper, his throne stands before the pit glowing molten red behind.
And
yet so much more as Anubis. Elongated and graceful with staff in hand,
eyes sharply observing, another god made demon by the translations of
man. Ears become horn, cursed by mistranslation to be a beast in every
mind instead.
Nergal - "What."
...
Learner - Bursts out laughing, "Barely more than a random encounter."
Nergal - "Excuse me !?"
Explorer - "Kinda true man ... I mean the horns are bigger ..."
Learner - "I think they increased his overall size a bit but ..."
Nergal - A sigh ... "Yes yes you fought through hell to get here now what ? What do you want."
Learner - "To work together and get out Hell free card."
Nergal - "Really."
Explorer - "Yes. But we need your people with us."
Nergal - "Demons."
Explorer - "That's what I said."
Nergal - And ... how many of my ... 'people' have you killed ?"
Learner - "Random ! Encounters !"
The demon stares ...
Explorer - "It means we had no choice given the circumstances."
Nergal - A sigh ... "I like leaving this place. And I know who you are, 'learner'.
Learner - "You've never seen me before in your life."
Nergal - A laugh, "Fair enough. Got a plan ?"
Learner - "Absolutely."
Nergal - "And you have no qualms betraying your own kind, vampyre ?"
Learner - "They're not my kind. They made this way, the same way they made all the old gods into their own demons."
...
Nergal - "So you know."
Learner - "I'm currently a demonologist."
Nergal
- Grins a broad row of very sharp teeth, "That's funny. Could have
sworn you were supposed to be the sacrifice. To brother Baal." He
raises his arms in laughter as the undead pour released from the walls.
One
can fight them and they are very slow and stupid, but if the player can
crack the code in the walls and unlock the cave entrance, the souls can
enter to reclaim the undead back to the living.
Each
gear turned alters part of the seal on the floor, which starts exactly
as the one at the gate. Hard to see beneath the damned attacking, but
until it turns from Solomon's necromantic seal to summoning gate.
If the pages are found, or if in one's own collection.
Who
then turn on Nergal, dragging him back to the pit behind him.
Otherwise he only laughs untouchable and compliments your form as you
kill his many damned.
Same if you attack him, you're in his world. Occasionally backhands.
If
both Belial and Nergal are defeated the demons and damned are released,
and equally interested in escaping Hell. Otherwise you carry on
without them, with a weaker army.
________ ________________
________________ ________
Learner
- Upon reaching their camp, begins singing, "O Where ... oh were
... have the creepy werewolves gone ... oh WHERE oh WHERE can they ... ! BEEEEE !"
...
Wolf - Exiting the shadows of the surrounding wood among the many more. "Oh My God Yes ! Yes ... we hear you vampyre. What do you want ?"
Learner - "I'm not one of them. I'm just here to use my magical powers to control you."
Wolf - "Wow. That's actually worse than them. Congratulations."
Learner
- "I'm gonna need the rest of the animals too. Pretty much everyone especially the unicorns, because."
Explorer - "Because pale horse."
Wolf - "Um. No ?"
Learner - "No, Yes.
There really are a lot of things to consider here. Such as the fact we
all hate the same people, and that as awesome as animals are, you
really are incapable of working together."
The
wolves all snap a look at each other, then slowly back, then to two
others frozen guilty in fighting over a torn up human like a rag-doll.
Wolf - A dog-sigh, "Point."
Learner - "I mean all the
creatures, at once. I mean an army. We take that town and see them gone,
and anyone who wants out of this hell can take that ship and the rest will never see us again."
...
Wolf - "You'll never get the unicorns."
Learner - "Watch me."
Explorer - "Totally will. It's obviously foreshadowing."
They both stare ...
Explorer - "What !? It obviously is !"
~ Surly the Horrorcorn ~
Entering
the home of the unicorns, their apparent ruler at the head of the
circle, opposite the cave entrance, the only black unicorn, with fire
for eyes (it's Surly).
A man skewered on the unicorn's horn reaches out to the Learner ... weakly on the last of his breath he begs, "Kill ... meee ... "
Unicorn
King - "Ignore the food." Shakes his head a bit to bring the blood
pouring down his face, lapped madly with the tongue, then flings the
meal hard against the cavern wall with the hard bone crack of
finality.
The rest of the unicorns dive for the leftovers like a Ross day-after.
Learner - Staring in horror as the limbs fly into the air, "I feel like I just lost my virginity in a truck stop bathroom."
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