The Red Hand

Chapter 331.5 – Target Practice and the Goddess of Death.

*CRACKLE* *SPARK* *SNAP* *POP*

"Man, how long has it been since we've been this far South?" Arcus asked from his propped-up position against a rock. "Simoea always has this nasty vibe to it, but it's always worse once you go through the Gap." Most magically sensitive people could detect the darkness that was still deeply embedded throughout the Simoea plains. It had only been a thousand years since the Demon Race cleansed the corruption, and it would be many more years for it to subside entirely. As a land formerly ruled by Demons and other monsters the darkness that tainted the land ran deep and the millennia of control by such creatures made it inhospitable to most races. The Demon Capital of Targul had largely been built in the Fumbal Gap between the two halves of the Misty Mountains because a large fortress was needed to keep the more chaotic elements of the Simoea plains from coming North. Not to mention that the horrors even further South of Simoea were much worse.

The Mountain range that surrounded the plains made travel almost impossible by foot, and the only 'safe' path into the Simoea plains themselves was via the aforementioned gap, a hundred or so mile wide pass between the two halves of the Misty Mountains, and the most militarized area on the Continent. This natural barrier meant that any of the creatures or Demons that wanted to move northward from the Burning Wilds into the more populated areas needed to pass through the huge fortresses within the gap that presented a nearly impregnable barrier to attacking forces. Many Demons and their ilk had tried to lead armies northward to pillage and destroy, but most had failed.

"One hundred twenty-seven years, eight months, and fifteen days." Penelope said as she took a bite of some monster meat that she'd cooked. "We came down here to deal with a Demonspawn that had decided to get a little bit uppity."

{Such a disgusting and vile creature it was. Only second to that duck in its level of depravity.} (Penelope)

"Oh right, Cynthus' daughter." Arcus sighed as he recalled the battle with the Demon. "That She-Devil was just as wacko as her mother, though lucky for us not as powerful." Cynthus was the First of the nine Arch Dukes of the Hells and also the weakest. Her domain was one of almost total darkness, and the creatures that roamed it were almost all blind and unable to see. It was generally regarded as not a fun place to visit, and the majority of mortals that entered without invitation ended up going insane and turning into sludge monsters.

"In the end, she fell, just as her mother will one day." Penelope said as he took a swig from a water skin. "Eventually, we will march into those accursed Hells and purge them of their rot."

{And once we do, we'll clean up the rest of the material plane as well. That includes dealing with that Angel!} (Penelope)

"Always ready to go to war for the Gods, aren't we?" Arcus laughed. "Don't get me wrong, I approve, but have you ever thought about slowing down a bit? Maybe taking a break and relaxing? When's the last time you even took a vacation?" He'd always wanted her to take things a bit slower, though she rarely listened.

"What, do you expect me to be some kind of housewife or something?" Penelope glared at him.

"You? A housewife? Yeah, no. Reality would collapse long before that ever happened!" Arcus chuckled as he imagined such a thing. "But would it kill you to look beyond work for a bit? I mean, come on. It's been centuries since I've seen you do anything else."

{Would it kill you to at least get a boyfriend or something every now and again? You're still a mortal, Pen. There's no need to shun that part of you, and I think having a bit more of a connection to the regular people of this world would give you a better perspective on things. At least then you'd have a bit better understanding of what they go through. Hell, we could go to the beach if nothing else!} (Arcus)

"It is my duty as Lady Reflia's Knight and servant to do her bidding." Penelope said as she took another bite of meat before throwing the bone into the fire. "As long as she needs me, then there can be no rest, and I need nothing else to be happy."

"Just think about it, okay? I'm worried about you." Arcus had been troubled by how into this assignment Penelope had been, and he was worried that she was going to do something reckless.

{She's always been a bit pig headed, but recently... I don't know it feels like she's pushing toward this more forcefully than normal.} (Arcus)

"Why? It's not like we haven't faced trouble before, and the Cult is an old enemy." Penelope asked, seeming to not understand his deeper meaning. "Besides, you and I together are quite the formidable team, and we've never come across something that we couldn't handle once we combined our powers." She noted that they'd always come on top when they worked together.

"Hey, just because we've never lost doesn't mean we can't. Case in point, other Demi-Gods and even a Goddess were killed by the Cult." Arcus scolded her for being over confident. "Don't go telling me you've forgotten that?"

"Of course I didn't, but we've handled everything they threw at us with ease." Penelope retorted. "And I'm smart enough to back off if I know I can't win. I don't take fights I'm not certain of."

"Which is something that I'm grateful for..." Arcus sighed, putting his non existent head in his non existent hands. "But just don't go forgetting that we're here to scout, not dive in head first against a foe that we both know is highly dangerous."

{The Cult gave even Halifax a hard time, someone with a great deal of power even without a wielder, so it would be fair to see we aren't ready to fight such a group on our own.} (Arcus)

"I've actually got a few ideas about how to deal with that part." Penelope said as she pat a brown satchel at her side. "The Demons will be helping to crush these fools, whether they want to or not."

{Not to mention I've got a special suprise in store for this so-called Demon Lord.} (Penelope)

"Ariel is gonna hate you for that..." Arcus groaned as he realized what Penelope was going to do.

{Not like I wouldn't understand either...} (Arcus)

"She never liked me to begin with, so I fail to see why I should be concerned with her opinion at this point." Penelope commented. The two had met several times, and they more or less detested one another, largely due to Penelope's attitude issues. "Besides, she's just a lowly member of the Demon race, so I see no problem with ordering her around. In fact, they should be glad to help me." She said as she kicked a bag from the ground into her hands. “Its a great honor for someone with such tainted blood to be of help to a Demi-God.”

"Just try not to be your usual self when you bring her the bad news. Maybe try and smile a bit?" Arcus said with heavy sarcasm in his voice.

{I'm sure the Hells would freeze over, thaw and then freeze again before she did that though...} (Penelope)

"Sure, I'll give her a nice big ol' smile as I conscript her and her little army." Penelope laughed as she walked over and picked up the bow before pulling back his string and summoning a flickering blue arrow.

"A bit of after-lunch target practice? Not a bad activity if I do say so myself." Arcus said as Penelope loosed an arrow, firing it at a large flying gargoyle-like creature in the distance.

*BOOM!*

“Bullseye!” Arcus cheered as the arrow exploded, creating a massive blue blast that quickly subsided, revealing that the monster was vaporized.

"If I missed such an easy target the I wouldn't be worthy of my position of a Knight." Penelope retorted with a shrug as she placed him securely on her back. "Creatures like that should be destroyed on sight. They're truly horrid things."

"I'd tend to agree, Cemois are nasty little buggers, but still, it's strange to see one this far away from the mountains." Arcus noted that ordinarily the large creatures nested in the sides of mountains and that, while they could see the Misty Mountains that formed a barrier at the southern end of the Continent, they were quite a ways away from them.

"It may have been ejected from its nest, and it wouldn't be the first one I've seen that lost its home to a rival." Penelope said as she kicked dirt onto the fire to put it out before turning to walk away from the makeshift campsite. "But forget about that. We've got a mission to do."

"Right, that base..." Arcus sighed. "Just promise me you won't go running in there like a madwoman..."

"I only promise to try." Penelope snickered as the two made their way to the Dumetor base, unaware that what they were about to find was far more than they expected.

_____________________________________________________________________________

<???> POV

Within the Demon Capital of Targul was a rather large, but empty Church. It was one of many that venerated the Enorian Pantheon, but for whatever reason it tended to be empty and devoid of worshipers on most days, save for those times where last rites were performed or a new life was being blessed.

Inside resembled many European Cathedrals of Gothic make, and the large stained glass windows, while beautifully created, seemed to do little to brighten up the rather dark interior of the large central spaces.

"Please bless the souls of those who perished and welcome them into your warm embrace, oh mother of Darkness." A darker-skinned Elven woman with silver hair bowed before a stone altar at the back of the room. Behind it stood a sculpture of a woman holding a pair of moons in her hands and it illuminated by the minimal amount of light that came through the windows. "Allow them to seek peace in the next life." She clasped a small crescent moon-shaped pendant as she prayed, her eyes shut tightly as the nearby candles flickered for a moment, almost seeming to go out completely at one point.

"Such a pious child you are, Miz'ri." A woman's voice came from one of the many pews behind the Elven girl, but she was not startled by the unexpected words. "You would even go so far as to pray for people who at one point or another would've condemned you to slavery or worse just because of who your Father was." She chuckled. "But I suppose that's what I've come to like about you." She said as she stood up and slowly walked next to Miz'ri, who finished her prayer.

"Everyone is equal in death. It does not matter what they did or said in life, for all that come before the end are judged without bias or prejudice." Miz'ri slowly opened her eyes before turning to get a look at the woman next to her.

She was tall, pale-skinned, and had the same silver/gray hair as Miz'ri, but her eyes were the same shade of silver as her hair, unlike the Elf-girl, whose were of a deep amethyst color. Her black robes aided her already existing air of authority and regality, and it was clear from the aura about her that she was not a mortal being.

"Lady Esquire, how can I be of service to you?" Miz'ri turned, keeping her bowed position before the Goddess of Death.

"Service?" Esquire chuckled as she pat the girl on the head gently. "I have no need of such things at the moment. Your use of Dark Magic to heal the sick has been more than enough 'service' as far as I'm concerned." She smiled.

"Then how may I help you, My Lady?" Miz'ri asked, confused why the Goddess had appeared if she did not need something from her.

"Why must you always think that I've come here to order you around?" Esquire shook her head. "Can't I come to visit one of my most adorable little Priests without some kind of ulterior motive? You're making me out to be someone who only seeks you out due to convenience, and that hurts, Miz'ri." She wasn't actually upset, and this conversation was by this point a staple of their relationship. "But, while I did not come here to ask you to do something for me, I did come here to give you a warning." She pulled her hand away, her voice and eyes turning sharp.

"A warning?" Miz'ri looked up at the Goddess, their eyes meeting. “About what?”

"The ones responsible for the attack on Riftwood will not be stopping anytime soon, and it's only a matter of time until wider conflict breaks out across the continent." Esquire said, her words echoing throughout the empty Church. “It would seem that our foe is a dangerous one.”

"If I recall there was a proclomation about the appearnce of a Demon Lord. Do the Gods intend to fight this so-called Demon Lord directly?" Miz'ri asked if they were going to incarnate and fight Akagi themselves.

"I suspect that it will come to it, but Gale isn't saying much at this point." Esquire sighed, her face showing displeasure for a brief moment before returning to normal. "It killed our sister, an act that cannot and will not go unanswered. However, such a clash, if it truly will be with a Demon Lord, is going to shake the foundation of Enoris, and I fear that this world will be dragged into a far worse crisis than the last time one of their kind plagued us."

{Not to mention that this world is hardly stable as it is.} (Esquire)

"If I can be of any assistance, I will do anything I can to help." Miz'ri said. “I am yours to command.”

"Miz'ri, listen and listen carefully, child." Esquire put her hand on Miz'ri's shoulder. "While I may not be able to ordain the future like Elariel can, my role as ruler of Death gives me a bit of insight into the fates of most mortals." She paused for a moment as she stared into Miz'ri's eyes. "From the day I met you, I've seen great potential in you. For whatever reason, you were blessed with an incredible mastery of Dark Magic, and you've been able to do things with it that even Cheofla and I hadn't even known was possible." She was referring to Miz'ri's ability to use Dark Magic to heal, something that was thought to be impossible.

"Such things are all thanks to your wisdom and patience with me, My Lady." Miz'ri replied, not wanting to take credit for her ability or skills. "Before I met you, I was nothing more than a mere slave. I had nothing and no one before I met you, and its thanks to you that I found what my true purpose in life was."

"Miz'ri." Esquire's words became slightly more authoritative as her voice turned sharper. "I want you to swear to me that you will survive the coming battle, no matter what." Her words were uncharacteristic for the usually stoic Goddess of Death. She was never one to demand that someone stay alive, largely because as the Goddess of Death she saw little difference between the living and dead. "Swear to me that you'll do whatever it takes to survive, even if that means abandoning everything, swear it." Her unusual request caught the Half-Elf by surprise.

"Abandon?" Miz'ri's eyes widen in shock. "What... What do you-" Her mind went blank for a moment as Esquire's eyes began to glow.

"Do you swear it? Do you swear to survive, no matter what? Even if that means betraying everything you've ever known? Do you swear to follow my orders?" Esquire's words made the entire Cathedral grow silent, and not even the flickering of the candles made noise. To demand that Miz'ri forsake everything to stay alive was an unprecedented request and it made Miz'ri internally question what the future the Goddess had foreseen for her.

"I..." Miz'ri stuttered and froze as her mind briefly flickered before returning to normal. After a moment she regained her composure, though to any outsider it was clear that something had just been done to her. “Yes... I...” Miz'ri shook her head in an attempt to push away the mental static as cognitive dissidence kicked in, blocking her from questioning what had just happened to her mind.

The Half-Elf had no idea what made the Goddess demand such a promise, nor why she would demand that Miz'ri betray this world in order to survive. In all her years of knowing the Goddess of Death, she'd only rarely seen her show concern for others, and even her own blood children tended to regard the Goddess as cold. So to hear such a being demand that she survive went against everything the Elf-girl knew about her, though again whatever had been done to the Elf prevented her from thinking  too deeply about it. "I will... I will survive if that is your wish. If that is what you desire than I shall make it happen."

"Good." Esquire breathed a sigh of relief, an act that she didn't fully expect of herself. "As long as you make it through this, then perhaps... Perhaps I can still..." Her words were quiet enough that Miz'ri couldn't hear her.

{Perhaps I can make things right. I hate that I needed to use the suggestion I'd implanted in her mind, but this is for the best...} (Esquire)

"What of my work with Burning Light?" Miz'ri asked about the rest of her party and what she should do with them. "Do you want me to leave them? I could return to my mountain home until this crisis passes if that is what you wish." She figured that hiding would increase her chances of survival.

"No, stay with the three of them and continue aiding their efforts." Esquire shook her head. "For whatever reason, I'm sensing that you need to stay at their side if you are to survive." She gave a defeated laugh. She couldn't exactly see what Miz'ri's end would be, only that staying with her party members would keep her alive for longer. "Though why that is, I couldn't say."

{I can sense that they will all be called to their ends in a hopeless battle soon, so why... Why would such a place put Miz'ri in the best position to survive?} Esquire thought to herself. {No matter. Hopefully, she can remain safe with her party, and meanwhile I can deal with this Demon Lord. This world is doomed no matter what the outcome of the battle is, but that doesn't mean it's too late to try and make things right... As long as Miz'ri survives this, then my atonement... it can begin.}

"Lady Esquire?" Miz'ri had grown concerned that the Goddess seemed lost in thought. "Is everything alright?"

"Ah... Sorry, I just have a lot on my mind at the moment." Esquire gave an embarrassed smile as she pat Miz'ri on the head. “Now, I must go my child. Just remember the promise you've made me, and all will be well." She snapped her fingers, causing her body to fade away in front of the Elf. "I'll see you again soon, my cute little Miz'ri."

"I... Thank you, My Lady." Miz'ri stood in the empty Cathedral, confused by her Goddesses' words but fully intent on following through with her pledge. "If my life is that important to you, then I'll guard it with every ounce of strength that my body has."