away to nothing but sludge. The houses that I'd seen situated around the lake only belonged to those who owned boats, and not one of them was open to the idea of taking me to the Realm of Blood and Death, not even with the promise of a truck full of treasure that Lucius no doubt possessed and would have paid. A few harmless looking demons had asked me what was behind my back and I told them nothing but clothes.
This was when I decided that to try to beg for a lift from strangers probably wasn't the best of ideas, not especially considering what I was carrying. The Eye of Crimson was most likely classed as one of the most wanted objects in all of Hell. Meaning that for anybody powerful enough, or stupid enough to want to use it, then it meant I had a large target on my back.
Lucius' brother had obviously believed that anyone could use it, unless watching Harpies explode into black sand was how he got his kicks. Either way I believed the outcome was still a shock to him. But that did mean that if he had been under this dangerous assumption, then, in all likelihood, this would be everyone else’s assumption too. Needless to say, that me possessing it was not actually a good thing, making me now very wary about even speaking to anyone.
Of course, those I had spoken to were curious to know why a mortal was in Hell, one of which asked if it was even possible. At least that's what I think he said considering he had a mouthful of protruding teeth that gave him a considerable slur. Another one had been drunk off his ass and having a merry old time with a female demon that had six breasts. She was laying naked on the bed and it looked as though her main job was to be milked or she was getting ready to feed her litter. Either way the second he suggested I join them was when I was on my own merry way.
In fact, it was the small demon after this who was only the size of a dwarf and had the horns of a bull, that actually offered any help. And after stepping sideways out of his door (on account of the big horns) he pointed to the gated keep that was the entrance to the main part of the town. I thanked him after receiving a grunt in return and for some reason, he then butted the side of his house three times before walking back inside…sideways of course.
“Ooookay,” I said, wondering if this had been some sort of ‘good luck’ thing. Like when someone sees a magpie or throws salt over their shoulder if they spill it. Did Hell have its own version of old wives’ tales?
I ended up shaking my head a little as if I hadn’t just seen what I had and turned in the direction he'd shown me. I also had a pretty good reason to believe that he was not going to be the last strange thing I saw this night.
Notably, I stuck out like a sore thumb being there, as there weren't that many demons walking around in mortal vessels. But then, as for behind the wall, I was still yet to find out, because after knocking on the door my plan abruptly ended. This was when a little window was opened and a gruesome face full of eyes told me to fuck off. After that the window was slammed shut and I looked up at the sky still pouring with rain, asking anybody up there who would listen to give me a break.
Unsurprisingly, no one answered.
Of course, if I eventually did get inside, I wasn't holding out much hope for a reputable community, as no creature had batted an eyelid at my appearance, where I was covered in blood and dirt and soaking wet. Well, one thing was for sure, and that was I couldn't just sit out here in the rain all night. And as much as I hated to admit it, I most likely had a better chance in finding someone to help me behind those walls, than I did on this side of them. I turned around and leant back against the door before saying,
“Come on, Fae, think damn it, think! There's got to be a way inside!” I shouted, banging my fist against the door and hearing the guard grumbling once more