Chapter 33 - Tartarus

Passing into the next realm felt more like tumbling. Endless falling through time and space before the hippogriffs shattered into non-existence, swept away like dust. Seas of purple and black with twinkling stars melted into burning red. The sky lit up with cracks of lightning that flashed like crimson. The wind swept through their hair and clothes, and whipped past as they tumbled.

Marcello felt his body strike against something. He bounced off, his vision spinning with shades of black before a hand lashed out desperately. Then it caught. His fingers screamed as they latched onto the side of a rough, stoney structure and his shoulder strained in its socket.

A gasp parted his lips. His gaze tore up, another hand latching to keep himself sturdy. All around him, mountainous, jagged spires shot up into the sky, sloping down miles beneath the furthest reaches of his sight. The sky itself was painted with blood, filled with regular lashes of lightning. In the distant, five orbiting shapes that speckled like moons loomed in the distance out of any possible reach.

Hopelessness seized Marcello’s already crushed heart and he sank against the spire he’d caught hold of. His forehead touched to the surface where he hung.

Beside him, Lucian and Aven caught themselves upon the same spire, Aven’s arm curved around Lucian to support their weights against the steep slope of jagged stone. “Marcello?” Lucian beckoned with a grimace. “I need you to grab onto me. I’m going to see if I can’t get us down. There has to be a bottom.” The blonde parted from Aven to climb his way over to Marcello, bits of loose rubble shifting and tumbling down the spire beneath his footing. When he reached him, all Marcello could manage was a hand lashing out to twist into Lucian’s robes.

Aven joined them a split second later with a grimace. “Lucian,” he hissed lowly. “Where are we?”

“I don’t know. Hold on.”

With Marcello and Aven latched onto him, Lucian cast a spell that washed up over his body in a pale blue glow. As if he had clouds beneath his feet, he kicked off from the towering spire and began to descend with the two at a slowed, harmless pace.

Down, down, down.

The descent was near painful as rolling mountains of spikes that spanned in the distance crept closer. The base of the spire began to grow wider, making it a near mountain itself. Inlets of dark caves burrowed deep within the structure and red glowing eyes peered out from the dark at them as they passed. Eventually, the ground came to view. It was a continuing expanse of plateau, the earth painted warm hues.

Lucian’s feet touched first and his grip went slack to allow Marcello to stumble a few steps away. He wisely averted his gaze as the man began to hurl, instead turning his attention upon Aven with worry.

Behind his own ice blue gaze, tears lingered.

Aven surged forward and tore Lucian into his arms with a light squeeze. “I know,” he whispered.

Lucian burrowed his face into Aven’s shoulder. “Kendyll… Dammit, Aven. First her and now this…”

“We’ll figure it out.” Lips touched to platinum blonde hair, Aven’s features holding their own grief. He then lowered his voice. “Is he even going to be okay?”

Before Lucian had the chance to answer, garbled screeches scattered overhead. Twisting and weaving through the mountains, a swarm of creatures flew overhead. Twisted creatures of varying shapes and sizes with spiked and dark tainted skin were carried by large, leathery bat-like wings as they passed.

Demons.

Lucian paled as he threw himself and Aven flush against the base of the mountain. “Shit, shit, shit. I need to think. We need to find shelter.”

As soon as the demons had disappeared behind more spires, Lucian took Marcello up by the robes and yanked the man down into the mouth of the cave. Inside, it seemed to extend down for miles into the earth, overwhelmingly consumed by a pit of darkness.

Aven followed with his sword drawn, wearily exploring deeper into the immediate entrance. He came back seconds later and gave a grim nod in Lucian’s direction. “It’s clear as far as I could see, but it extends down far. No telling what could be inside.” “It will have to work for now.” Lucian’s gaze spun on Marcello. “I know. I know it hurts, but I need you to close up the entrance. You’ve got to have something.”

It was impossible to tell if Marcello had even heard him. He’d already slumped down against the wall of the cave, his knees pulled up to his chest as a gaze stared blankly at the far wall. Absently, Marcello swiped his hand towards the entrance of the cave and a solid wall of stone shuddered up from the ground, sealing them in.

Lucian grimaced as darkness engulfed them. Upon his palm, a bloom of dancing lights twinkled into small orbs. He directed the balls of blue into several areas of the cave to keep it lit before turning his attention back onto Marcello. “…Aven, would you mind going over there to guard the other side?”

Aven glanced towards Lucian with an exhausted gaze. He looked between the two of them and gave a solemn nod. “Of course. I’ll… let you know if I see anything.”

Aven gripped his twin axes tight in hand as he moved off to guard the exit leading into the heart of the mountain. Lucian turned back to Marcello. The Netyarch sat, devastated and crippled to the point of silence. His back was to the wall, hand unconsciously stroking the fluffy head of his familiar that lay in his lap, summoned to his side by grief.

Lucian said nothing. He sat down beside his friend in silence. Crushing. All of it. The loss of their horses. The death of Kendyll. The utter hopelessness of their situation. Finally, Lucian curled his fingers into fists and sighed. “….it wasn’t your fault.” His voice was delicate, as though afraid it might stir Marcello and blow him over.

“It doesn’t feel real,” Marcello said with a broken rasp. A single tear rolled down his cheek from his blue eye. Blood was caked between his fingernails and oozed from his palms where he’d dug them in.

Lucian reached out. He gathered Marcello’s hand and shredded off a piece of his cloak to wrap them around fresh wounds. “I know. But we can’t falter now. We have no idea where we are… certainly not on Toril. We have to keep moving if we’re going to survive.”

“Happened so fast, Lucian..” Marcello rocked forward. His face disappeared into his knees. “She was my little sister…all I had left. I just got her back, and it was shattered in seconds."

Lucian didn’t respond. He had no words. He could only rope his arms around Marcello’s frame and pull him close and tight. They sat in quiet as they listened to the screeches of demons and roars of devils beyond stone. A shriek shook the mountain and outside, they could hear the sounds of a battle between titanic creatures raging outside.

Marcello shuddered. ”…where the fuck did I take us?“

"I don’t know. But… we should rest.” “I don’t know if I can, Lucian.” Marcello’s eyes were sunken, jaw tight.

Lucian’s gaze swept over him. “Close your eyes."

Marcello knew what he intended to do. He didn’t resist. He closed his eyes and as pink mist expelled from Lucian’s fingers, his body slumped against Lucian’s and let his mind sink into a deep slumber.

Lucian eased Marcello to lean against his familiar and pushed to his feet to rejoin his lover at the exit. "He’s asleep,” he murmured.

Aven stared into the darkness, fists tight around his axes. “I don’t think we should have run, Lucian.”

“Run..? What do you mean?"

Aven sighed. "I get…Kendyll dying scrambled us. But that dragon seems like fighting a baby compared to where we are now."

Lucian leaned against the wall as he peered into the dark. In the shadows, red eyes blinked at them curiously before disappearing. "Do you regret me buying you, Aven?"

Aven’s head snapped over in shock. "What?"

“Do you regret me buying you? Taking you from the pits… do you regret where it’s brought you now?"

"What kind of question is that?” Aven hissed. “I don’t give a shit where we are. I’d never take back a single bit. I gained you from all of this, Lucian, and it’s worth more than anything."

Lucian pushed off from the wall to kiss his lover. When he broke away, his eyes were locked on Aven’s, jaw set. "Neither do I. The point is, we made a decision, Aven. That dragon could have killed us. So we made a decision. Now, there are consequences, for better or worse. Mulling over them will change nothing except distract us from our next decision."

Aven’s fingers wove through blonde hair and he sighed. "You’re right….we’ve got this. We’ll take what comes next, and get the hell out of here."

"This is why I keep you around,” Lucian purred. Then paused. “I think I know where we are."

"Yeah?"

“Do you know what ‘planes’ are, Aven…? I doubt they taught you as a slave."

Aven shook his head. "No…I know there are other worlds, but I was never taught the… finer details.”

“Allow me to teach you, then.” Lucian drew his rapier. “There are other realms, like our own. Worlds where creatures like demons, angels, slaads and eladrin reside. Some are realms of fire and smoke. Others have no gravity. Some have forests that go on forever.” Lucian dragged his rapier through the ground, scratching a ring of circles into the ground.

Every symbol was drawn with care. “There are worlds that are good aligned, dominated by creatures like angels, archons and other celestial beings. Those are the upper planes. There are worlds ruled by law and chaos, with no regard of good nor evil, such as Mechanus and Limbo. There are even mirrors of our own world, like the Shadowfell and the Feywild, that represent Toril in a shadowy and feyan nature respectively. Then…” Lucian’s brows bumped together. “There are the lower planes. Acheron. The Nine Hells. Gehenna. Hades…. and Carceri.” He walked along the circle, poking his rapier into each one until he reached Carcerai.

“Carcerai is the realm that imprisons gods and demons alike. Beings of infernal nature that can’t be controlled and don’t play by the rules."

"Demons have rules?"

"You’d be surprised. Devils, demons…. fiends abide by their own set of malicious code. There are several layers of Carcerai, but the one we are in, Colothys - the prison of liars and deceivers, goes on like this forever. Mountains in all directions. You can’t teleport out. You can’t fly out. You essentially lose your mind, or you’re devoured by the occupants trapped here. There are creatures that lie and decieve, make you see things that aren’t there."

Aven’s face paled. "Then how do we get out of here..?"

"It’s a prison, Aven. They aren’t well known for being broken out of."

Aven looked as though he might crumble. "So we’re trapped here.. we’re never getting out."

"…not quite. I think I might have an idea.” He drew a darker line connecting the lower planes. “Running through and tying all of these lower planes is… an entity. A powerful force that takes the form of a river that flows through the realms, known as the River Styx. One touch and you can lose your identity, but if we can find one of the Marraenoloths-’

“The what?”

“They’re the demons that can maneuver through the Styx… they could ferry us out, and bring us back to the Prime Material Plane.”

Aven seemed to swallow the information like sand. He leaned back and rubbed a headache from his eyes. "And here I thought Faerun was far from home….so we make our way for the River Styx, then."

Lucian nodded. "We just… have to make our way through a fiendish realm dominated by demons, doppelgangers and deranged gods, find the River Styx, pay for passage from one of the Marraenoloths and hope they don’t betray us. Then we’re home free.”

“…then we’d better get some rest, then. Sounds like we have a lot to do."

They sank to the ground, exhausted. Lucian curled into Aven’s frame and for once… there were no complaints. Not about the hard, stony ground. Not about the bitter cold. His fingers twisted into Aven’s shirt.

Aven was quick to wrap his warm arms around the Prince, easing him against his chest to use him as a pillow. ”… it’s going to be okay,“ he whispered. "I won’t let anything happen to you, Lucian..I promise.”

————————————————

Visions of red spun behind Marcello’s eyes as the sleep spell drained from his mind. He gained consciousness with a jolt, wrenching from a nightmare that left his forehead cold with sweat in the chilly cave. His breaths rattled in the silence as hellish moans and wails drifted outside like whispers on the wind.

He adjusted to the dim lighting of the cave, his gaze tiredly seeking out the twinkling lights Lucian had left bobbing about the corners. Aven and the prince were fast asleep, arms tangled with one another. Marcello felt his stomach twist with grief. How could they so easily sleep after everything?

The Netyarch let his head crash back against the cave wall and he felt Acheron’s soft tongue drag up his fingers. His familiar met his gaze knowingly as if a single look shared thousands of secrets.

A hum started upon Marcello’s lips as he idly returned to stroking through white fur. It turned to a haunting melody that bounded off the cave walls. Once a lullaby that shared upon the lips of every Silvercrest, now faded in dying words of grief.

By the time he finished, his fingers had curved tight into Acheron with a tremble. Exhausted tears smeared down his cheek with not a sound to his pain.

“You’re up.”

Marcello’s body went rigid as Lucian spoke from across the cave. He pushed his sleeve across his face. “Yeah.” The tears bit back as his voice pushed out strong. “Did you sleep well?”

“Like a baby.” Lucian pushed up after detangling from Aven’s grasp and nudged the man awake with his boot. “We shouldn’t stay here much longer. I can’t begin to fathom how long we were out.”

“Not like it would matter. I don’t think the day even cycles here,” Marcello replied dully. He pushed up shortly after, watching Aven roll over and stir with a groan.

It took them only a few minutes to begin flitting about the cave. While Lucian silently went over his plans, lips moving in unspoken utterances, Aven took the time to sharpen his axes against the rough stone littered about the cave.

Marcello watched sparks jump from the metal while Acheron lounged at the side. From behind him, the open cave extending down into deep caverns stirred. Like a whisper at first. It tickled at the back of his mind.

Then louder. A voice. He knew it.

“Marci please help me!”

A paleness took Marcello’s features as he whipped around to stare into the darkness. He stepped towards it, his heart hammering in his chest. Was that… Kendyll?

“Marcello? What is it?”

Marcello looked back to find Lucian watching him. He saw the lines of worry creased into the boy’s features. “Nothing. I believe I heard something, I’m going to check it out. You two be ready to go when I return.”

He didn’t wait for their approval. A bauble of light flickered in his palm as he descended down into the dark tunnel, his heart strangled in his throat. As soon as he’s out of earshot from the others, his composure falls. “Kendyll? Kendyll are you there?”

His voice echoed down both passages as he came to a fork. Marcello peered down each, whispers becoming louder. Every hair on his body stood on end. From the right, sobs broke from the darkness. They begged and pleaded for him.

“You have to help me, Marci! Please find me!”

In a split second, his feet pounded against the cave floor as he raced through the tunnel. His light winked out. The darkness crept in around him, but he didn’t stop. “Kendyll!” he cried back. He felt his shoulder smash against the cave wall in a wild daze, tripping over something round in the dark that crushed beneath his foot. When finally he stumbled out into an opening.

In dim, hellish light, the cavern opened up into a massive hive like structure. With holes burrowed into the walls every few feet apart. Red eyes blinked from the darkness at him, but all he saw was Kendyll. Collapsed in the center of the room on her knees, her sobs echoed into wails.

Marcello rushed to her. His knees bit harshly into the ground, but before he could come to touch her, his sister wheeled back with a gasp.

“No! Please don’t!” Her eyes met him wildly as she staggered back onto her feet. The distance between them grew again. Deep wounds crawled up her arms and dug oceans of red at her torso where a tattered dress hung.

“You’re hurt,” Marcello pleaded past a strangled voice. Wetness brimmed in his blue eye as he reached out for her. So real. Her voice.. Her body.. It should have been in pieces. She couldn’t possibly be there. But more than anything he needed her to be. “Let me help, you Kendyll, please.”

As he reached out, she disappeared into the darkness. Somewhere out of reach. Panic seized the man’s chest. “No! Kendyll come back, don’t leave me!”

The only response was an eruption of voices. To his left. Behind him. Above. To the right. Marcello’s breath pulled from him in horror as several figures of his sister stepped out from the shadows. They all cried for him. Sobbing. Begging.

He sank down and fingers twisted maddeningly into his hair. His own sob wrenched from his chest as he yanked upon his hair, eyes pinching shut. “Stop it. Stop it, I just want her. Just give her to me,” Marcello begged.

“This is what you deserve.” Kendyll’s voice came from much closer. The one from before stepped towards him, teary eyes looking down upon him. “This was your fault, Marcello.. You did this.”

“What?” Marcello looked up wildly and his gaze searched her. “No… no all I ever wanted was to protect you. I’m so sorry, you have to believe me.”

Kendyll leaned down beside her brother and a warm hand pushed up to his cheek. “My dearest brother,” she soothed, “You can’t protect anyone. Not our kingdom, not our brother, not our parents, not our friends, and surely not me.”

Something splintered within him as he sank to the hand in gross defeat. Tired and hopeless. “I tried… I’m sorry it wasn’t good enough. That I wasn’t good enough… Please just come back to me and I’ll try harder. I’ll do better…”

“There is one way.” Kendyll’s voice turned sweet as she pulled a dagger up from her dress and delicately eased it into her brother’s hands. “You can let go.”

From somewhere behind, Marcello could hear the echoes of Lucian and Aven calling to him as they navigated the tunnels. Another sob wrenched from deep within his chest as a gaze explored the blade. He felt his finger split from dragging across the blade. A drop of blood splashed against the cavern floor. “You want me to take my life..?” He questioned in confusion.

“Marcello don’t!” Lucian had made it, a hand thrown out to the entry of the cavern as his breaths left in flustered heaves. Aven watched at his side wearily with weapons drawn. “You don’t need to do this!”

Kendyll ignored them. Her hand swept over Marcello’s shoulder as lips wobbled in a soft pout. “It’s okay to let go, brother. You’ll be with me and Theseus again. Everything will be okay. No wars, no conflict. We’ll be happy.”

Marcello grated his teeth. His hand trembled against a white knuckled grip around the handle of the dagger. “I can’t,” he pushed out in a gasp. “Not yet… Kendyll would never want this for me. She’d hate me for giving up.” He draws his gaze up to the figure of his sister with tears of grief dripping down his chin. “No matter how much I’d like to pretend this is real… I know when I’m being fooled.”

Her features suddenly twisted in rage. “Then you will die here, rotting in your own guilt.”

Kendyll was ready to lunge for Marcello when Lucian cried out for him to drop. Marcello spun out of the way in time for several magical missiles to shoot through the air. Each one embedded in Kendyll, knocking her back.

As she staggered back, her form began to change. From soft pale skin to red scales. Wings burst from her back, a scorpion’s tail lashing behind, until a visage of hell fell to the ground dead.

Cold rooted like ice in Marcello’s chest. He stared down at the form before the dagger fell from his grasp and he stumbled a few steps back. His gaze found Lucian and Aven. “I’m so sorry,” he pressed out. “We need to go. I need to go now.”

“Go?” The voices mimicking Kendyll’s echoed throughout the cavern as more of the demons crawled from their holes. Their claws dragged them forth, laughter and malicious grins of sharp teeth flashing in the dark. “You’re not going anywhere.”

Marcello fell back until he, Lucian, and Aven were back to back, eyeing down over fifty of the small, devilish creatures. They began to converge inward. Bitter hate swelled in Marcello. Stupid. He was so stupid to give in for even a second. To let them toy with his head and use her.

He felt the magic bubble at his throat as if it summoned in tune with his emotion. With a scrunched snarl, he stepped out before the demons. “You will let us go.” The final word blared throughout the cave, walls trembling and rubble falling into tunnels as a gust of sonic energy slammed out against the approaching beasts.

A quarter of them were thrown back, small bodies smashing into far walls and crumpling in heaps. While more continued their approach with hideous laughter and carnivorous snarls. Swarms of them sweep down, their tails lashing out with wicked stingers, claws raking up skin.

Marcello felt blood blossom with pain as his robes were torn beneath their attacks. He screamed out for Lucian and Aven to run. They were his. He’d destroy every last one of them.

Behind, he heard the cries of two demons falling to Aven’s blades. Could hear the man call Lucian back as a spell uttered on the Prince’s lips. It blurred as flurries of bat wings smacked Marcello with each pass. He stumbled aside, more of his mana traveling down to his fingers as a spark of red began to hum at the tip of his index.

“Marcello no!” Lucian cried out.

The pinprick of red amassed into a glowing ball of flame. “Choke on this.” Marcello released it. It crashed against the ground in the center of the cavern with an explosion of heat. Fire lashed out, consuming and eating away at the bat-like creatures.

Lucian was thrown back in the blast. His head struck the wall as he slumped over at the base. Aven’s voice raised in pain as flames darkened and bubbled at his arm. Even Marcello, himself, swept off his own feet.

He landed on his back with pain blaring in his skull while the flames began to die. The smell of smoldering flesh met his senses alongside ash and smoke that choked his lungs. He rolled with a ringing in his ears to find his friends.

“What were you thinking!?” Aven’s voice boomed. It sounded murky, as if beneath water. He knelt at Lucian’s side, sweeping him up into his grasp. “You could have killed him!”

“No.” Marcello winced as he pulled himself up. He staggered over with a wand drawing from his robes to where Aven and Lucian sat. “I’d never have done something he couldn’t take.” He leaned down, pushing the wand to Lucian’s temple where a faint glow sparked. Where flames had lashed up the prince’s face, threatening to scar, skin began to fade to normal.

Lucian gained consciousness with a panicked gasp. He lurched upwards, a wild gaze sweeping Aven and Marcello as they stood over him. When they finally settled on Marcello, his jaw tightened wearily. “Feeling better?”

Marcello grimaced. “Not even close. I’m sorry for dragging you into this. And for being so reckless, but it’s done. We need to move.”

“…Very well.” Lucian eyed him only a moment longer before letting Aven help him up onto his feet.

Aven insistently kept Lucian at his side, his gaze spanning about the room. “That’s fine and all… but where exactly did we come in? There are dozens of these tunnels.”

“Well I came in from-” Marcello stopped as he made a full circle. It had seemed so obvious where he’d entered before. The chaos had completely turned him around. He wiped soot from his brow and sunk back, letting the hand cover his face. “Shit. How could I have possibly made this worse.”

“We’ll figure it out,” Aven assured. “Let’s start small and just pick one.” He untangled his fingers from Lucian’s to begin heading towards one of the tunnes up ahead.

Lucian watched him stunned. “You want to just pick one?”

“Do you have a better idea?”

Marcello and Lucian shared a brief look before Marcello averted his gaze and slowly followed after Aven.

The tunnel they followed curled into an endless darkness. The only light to be seen bloomed from Lucian’s palm as he led the way, but even that seemed to be swallowed by shadows as it cast an ominous glow through the cavern. With every step they took, a sound from within the mountain echoed them. The skitter of creatures above them. The snarling of demons in the distance.

Lucian’s foot suddenly came down on something that resisted him. A sticky substance that latched to his calf. Lucian gasped and ripped his leg away, staggering back into Aven’s chest and lifted his hand. Spiderwebs crawled along the surfaces of the tunnels, stretching onwards as far as the tunnel would go.

“…do you think a spider is going to eat us?” Lucian whispered.

Aven grimaced, stepping forward and as his eyes trailed upwards, the color drained from his face. “…no…but it might eat that thing.” He pointed upwards. Their eyes traveled up to the ceiling and Lucian put a hand over his mouth to suppress a scream.

A demon was fastened to the ceiling with web, mouth forced shut and limbs locked in place as it thrashed about. It was as tall as a giant, with a broad body and four arms ended with two clawed hands and two powerful pincers. Its horns were snapped off and its cold eyes bore into the humans that stared up at it in shock. Anything that could contain a demon as powerful as that…

Marcello gripped Lucian’s shoulder. “Keep moving. Now."

"Have I ever mentioned I have a fear of spiders,” Lucian pushed out with a whimper as he trudged forward.

The webbing seemed to be more of a green, mucus-y paste splattered across the walls, floor and ceiling. It covered every tunnel, every exit. Aven glanced over to Marcello. “You know what did this..?” He asked and Marcello nodded grimly.

“This is the lair of a bebelith… a spider demon, used to hunt other demons and fiends."

Lucian suddenly whimpered behind them. Both of the men stopped and trained their eyes upwards. An elephant sized spider crawled along the ceiling high above them. Its pincers clicked, eight legs slowly dragging its fat body down the wall towards them, eyes blinking in unison.

Marcello put up a hand. Stay still.

They were utterly still and silent, watching with eyes wide as the spider touched down onto its webs, moving with complete silence. It didn’t seem to notice them…. But how…

The webs. They hadn’t stirred the webs yet… it was feeling for them.

The massive tarantula brushed by them, fangs clicking, dripping with venom, about to move on by… when Lucian collapsed against Aven, white faced as he passed out.

Aven’s eyes widened. His hand shot forward to grab Lucian by the back of his shirt - but the webs had been disturbed. The monstrous spider whipped its head about, eight eyes blinking towards them and it lunged.

Aven met it in midair, axes swinging downwards and buried into its body, spider guts splattering across the wall. For a moment, all was still… before they heard it. The sound of skittering, screeches. From around the corner, a wave of squirming, writhing black bodies filled the tunnel as they tore at them, red eyes glowing in the darkness.

"Grab him, now!” Marcello shouted as he threw out his hand, a wall of fire separating them from the spiders. It did little to slow them. Those that didn’t burn up instantly from the wall’s flames pushed through, flaming, spindly legs clawing at the web towards them. Aven yanked Lucian onto his back and they raced blindly into the darkness.

Aven’s arm pumped at his side, the other holding his lover firmly in place as they charged through the tunnels. He spared a glance over his shoulder. Hundreds of evil red eyes stared at him from behind, venom dripping from readied fangs as they tore towards them, closer and closer.

They weren’t going to make it. Aven grit his teeth, moving to grab his axe. If he could just pass Lucian off to Marcello-

“Keep moving,” Marcello snarled at Aven from ahead. “We can’t fight them, go!” He reached his hand back and electricity charged from his palm in a line, knocking three of them onto their backs.

They came to a crossroads. Three tunnels stretched out before them and Marcello grabbed Aven’s shoulder. “This way, now!” He yanked Aven to the side and before he could protest, Marcello slammed his hand against the stone wall behind them.

A cocoon of rock curled around them, tucking them against the wall. They didn’t move. They didn’t breathe. They had only the smallest gap between the stone to peer out of and from beyond, the hoard of spiders charged past. Hundreds of them. Some as small as tarantulas, and others larger than a horse.

“Fresh blood…. Find them…rip….tear.”

A voice echoed in the darkness, like a blade grinding across stone. Aven’s body froze up in terror. An enormous spider stalked out of the darkness, forelegs ended with wicked barbs. Globs of acidic drool dripped from its fanged mouth as hellish red eyes peered into the darkness. Dragged from its massive pincers was the captured demon - its throat torn out and eyes staring dead into nothingness.

They waited until they passed. Then waited a little more. Finally, tentatively, Marcello dropped the stone and the three tumbled out. Lucian fell to his knees and wretched. “Sorry,” he hissed out and Marcello grimaced.

“Maybe you could try not to pass out in the middle of Tartarus.”

“And maybe you could not have another breakdown? We need you.” Aven pulled Lucian close to his side. “It’s okay,” he murmured. “Let’s just keep going…"

The spiderwebs melted away to bricks and blocks of obsidian. Torchlight glittered in sconces built from bones, the flames a deep, blazing red. Tired. Thirsty. Every step they took ached as they trudged through the mountain.

From further down the tunnels… Aven could see something. A glow of red light. The way out. "There,” he said, pointing. “There’s light."

Lucian looked ready to pass out again from relief when his eyes widened in horror as the sound of footsteps echoed from behind them. There was nowhere to run. They could only watch helplessly as a great fiend stepped out of the shadows behind them.

He was enormous. His body, jet black was bulbous and swollen, with two great wings stretching from his back, ripped and tattered. An open maw was filled with razor sharp teeth and beady red eyes locked on to them.

Squirming around in its closed fist was another demon, held by its throat. It looked like a vulture, and its screeches were cut off in gurgles as it thrashed about, strangled in the fiend’s fist. It paid them no mind. It merely offered the humans a horrible, blood filled smile before it passed by with its prisoner in hand. The fiend dragged the demon down another tunnel, further into the depths of the mountain and disappeared.

Marcello sank against the wall. "I hate this place,” he whispered. His body trembled like a leaf. “Let’s just….get to the opening. Once I recover a bit of mana, I’ll transform into our ride out of here."

The light at the end of the tunnel opened up into the exit. Somehow, it didn’t offer any relief. The expanse of mountains spanned before them, with sheer cliffs that stretched endlessly into a blood red sky.

A mountain range that never ended.

While Marcello recovered, Lucian sank against Aven, eyes closed and body shaking. Aven roped an arm around his small frame.

They could hear the screeches and sounds of blood filling the tunnels as demons fought against demons. In the sky, the clouds erupted with flashes of blinding light as titanic creatures battled above. "Are we going to make it out of here?” Lucian whispered, his voice thin.

Aven’s hand clutched his, tight. “I’ll make sure of it,” he murmured.

A sound caught their attention.

Like bone being dragged across stone. The couple pushed to their feet and spun about as a creature rounded the corner, red eyes burning at them from the darkness. It was a wretched, skeletal creature - the husk of a humanoid form. Its dried skin stretched tight, outlining every bone. Eyes burned from inside empty sockets within its skull and a scorpion like tail flicked from side to side. Long, bony claws dragged across the stony wall as it approached.

A bone devil.

“Marcello.” Lucian’s voice was faint and he pushed to his feet. “How much time do you need."

Marcello looked back, face white. ”…as long as you can give me.“