Into The Hellhole

He sat on his throne and watched the fires burn around him. Bodies tumbled only to continue screaming, their pain and suffering never ending. Embers melted the flesh from their feet, and lava and steam cooked their eyeballs.

He sat on his throne and wondered...

He sat on his throne and remembered...

"So we have a deal?," The Goddess asked.

"Yes," he replied.

"So be it. You will have your place on the empty throne as well as your revenge against him later. And in return, you will give your soul. The magics that hold a soul together will be used to create a weapon."

"Yes," he said again smiling.

"And that magic will be used to create the first one.....the Genesis of it all."

"Yes," he said walking to the throne that was now his.

"One final part," The Goddess of Vengeance began, "when Genesis is created, should that bastard kill Genesis....what will you do? How will you ensure his destruction. I know we have Mathias on our side...but he is only a darkling. He doesn't hold the power we do. How will you uphold you're end of the bargain? How will you kill Erron?" The Goddess of Vengeance asked.

"If Genesis dies, Erron's death is still inevitable. For what that bastard did to me, so many years ago, if I have to leave this throne and hunt him myself, then so be it. I will kill Erron. And in return you shall have what you long for..."

"Yes," she said smiling, removing her robe, revealing her body to him.

"Yes," he said eying her curves.

"I shall have everything I want," she said straddling him as he sat on the throne in hell, "I will be the only God on Aeon...The Goddess of Vengeance shall have her vengeance....I will rule the world."

"And I will rule hell," he said has his tongue slid down her neck to her chest.

He sat on his throne, remembering how this had all been set into motion. He sat on his throne remembering how her body felt against his. How their ecstasy flowed like rain and how their screams of passion echoed in halls of hell like thunder.

He sat on his throne and grew angry when his demon lieutenants reported that Genesis had been killed.

He then communicated with Genesis, and instructed him on what to do next.

He hadn't ruled hell for long. Ever since Erron had slain his father, a demon who ruled this layer of hell, the throne had sat empty.

And so when the Goddess, first approached him and offered him the throne in return for his cooperation to help her take over Aeon, he only had one stipulation....

when his and the Goddess' child was born.....she would name it after him.

Browden pulled his axe out and stood wary of the ghost. Slaying zombies was one thing. They could be destroyed. But something that is harder to strike that the air? As Genesis got nearer, and nearer, Browden stepped back further, and further.

What could his axe do if Genesis wanted to attack? All he could do was stay back. As far away as possible...

"Stay back, monster!" Browden called, his voice was definitely shaky.

Lucian backed up with Browden, after all he was the closet person in the group he knew, better to die with a friend then with a compleatly stranger.

"Hey Brow" Lucian whisperd to Browden as they backed up, "If he chargers stab me"

Browden kept backing away, getting annoyed he'd have to die with the hound. However, the spectral Genesis freaked him out enough he didn't care. Then Lucian gave his plan.

"I'd prefer to stab you now. Damn, dog. If you want a death wish, I'd be honored to be the one to make it come true!"

The ghost of Genesis lumbered forward and forced itself diving at Browden.

Oddly the ghost was able to touch Browden, yet it felt as if Browden wasn't touching anything. As if wisps of spiderwebs touched his arms.

"Remember....." the ghost of Genesis said and then vanished.

Browden sat on the desert floor while the rest of the group stood near him confused.

Genesis was gone at long last.

And Browden knew he was supposed to remember something about Erron....but he couldn't think of what it was.....all he could think of was a name...

...Niynde.

Lucian growled more like a snarl but in human form as he snacthed at the disapating Gensis.

Lucian then relised something more imporant my being going on he looked at Browden. "Brow, if you no anything you should probley tell us," said Lucian he then looked at the Mintour and the Dwarf.

"Listen, something big is going to happen I dont know what, but i can sense it you have to trust me we have to prepare!" said the Lycan as he scrambled around worried and confused he wasnt sure what he good he could do to prevent or help the others.

He sat on his throne.

"Good," he thought, as Genesis knelt before him surrounded by this layer of hell's fires.

"Now, you will go Genesis.....and you will suffer!!!" he screamed from a top his throne.

Genesis flew backwards and landed in a pool of lava, his soul burning forever.

The Goddess of Vengeance walked from behind the throne, and sat on his lap.

"Hmmmm....you like seeing me exert my power, my godess?"

"Mmmmm, yes," she moaned as she began to gyrate her hips as she sat on his lap,

He reached around her and grabbed her throat.

"Oh god, yes," she moaned with pleasure, "exert your power over me....King of Hell!"

He stood up and steeped in from of her, shoving her onto the throne, grabbing her see through night gown and ripped it off.

"Show me you power," she moaned throwing her head back with joy.

He slowly lifted one of her legs, placeing her ankle on his shoulder...

************************************

The group walked through the desert. Herod's steam buggy had broken down when a dust storm had hit them and clogged the engine. Luckily they had found wild camels and used them to haul the buggy as a wagon, with hopes of getting it repaired in The Hellhole.

Dacen's wound grew worse. A green puss, poured from it. He was clearly infected, and the surrounding skin was starting to blacken. He wouldn't have long.

At long last they could see the lights in the night sky of the tent city of The hellhole, roughly ten miles away. They were nearly there.


************************************

Her legs spread far apart, she moaned....and screamed.

"IT'S COMING! IT'S COMING!!!!!' he yelled.

"OH GOD! she screamed, 'IT'S SO BIG!"

"HERE IT COMES!!!!"


"Waaaaaa!" the baby cried as the Goddess of Vengeance gave birth.

"It...it's a boy...." the King of hell said smiling.

"Let me have my baby...." she said crying.

The King of Hell handed his dark mistress the infant.

"Yes....he will be a suitable replacement and perfect to kill his brother...


Talkren."

"And the name?" the King asked.

"Oh yes....he will be named after you. he is the Prince of Hell...

he is Edaw."

Lucian leaned back and strechted as he layed on the camel not wanting to walk anymore. "Finally," he said strecthing "It seemed like forever,"


Lucian then rememberd what he heared about hellhole and ha second thoughts. "This place smells worse then were we just were, full of hellfolk nasty little place." said Lucian as he adjusted his sword and gun and hoped off the camel walking next to the Dwarf admiring his firepower and glancing over at Browden walking ever so ready and ever so silent.

"I belive it is...." Dacen was going to say when Genesis appeared again "Dammit, Genesis! Why cant i ever finish a sentence!?" Dacen shouted but then he started to yell
"Uh, was it something i said?" But Dacen heard him yelling at someone, who was obviously imortal. As he tried to attack Browden Dacen fired an arrow but he disappeared right before it hit him. "Whats going on?" Dacen wondered as we neared the hellhole "Anyway...i believe the base is actually near the hellhole actually, and by my calculations, we are actually.." Dacen didnt finish the sentence as he realized something. Dacen walked over the a faint mark on the floor, elvish. "Calderna.." Dacen spoke as part of the floor disappeared revealing a small cave. "Its in here, quickly!"

Lucian was about to enter. He stoped and looked at the Dwarf.


"Ya think you could fix my gun for me?" asked Lucian he then looked at his blackend chared hand as blood leaked threw the bandages.

"Aw man," said Lucian as he started to walk back to the camel to re-bandage his wound.

Lucian screemed in pain as he fell against Browden and tumbled off him in the sand. Soon it became clear what happend. Lucian lay there still not a sound not a word form him. 10 arrows through out his body, some in the legs, some in the arms, some in the chest and shoulders. What was even worse was they were silver and barbed at the ends they couldnt be removed. Blood pooled around the group as gurgling noises came from Lucian, it was the moment of truth will he live or die? The others looked off the the side and the group that hunted him was not far behind with hellfolk with them.

Two months ago....

The arrows had sunk deep into Lucian. The steam-cycle gangs of The Hellhole had ambushed the group.

They had been taken captive and Lucian would have died, had it not be for Talkren.

The group had been thrown into a makeshift cell in Dead Town where the darkling was being held prisoner.

None of them had even known who he was however when he introduced himself as "Erron" Browden attacked the darkling, wrapping his fingers around Talkren's throat.

Herod had struggled to pull the big man off.

For two weeks the group listened to Talkrens incoherent ramblings that made no sense to any of them.

And then one day it just stopped. Talkren stopped mumbling and walked over and laid hands on both Lucien and Dacen healing both of their serious wounds completely.

Everyone had been confused by this, to which Talkren replied, "I'm whole....I'm finally whole."

Now.....

The group, including Talkren had been led from their cells to the gallows. Each man had a thick steel chain with shackles binding their wrists behind their backs.

They each then had a noose placed around their necks. Several guards stood nearby, each of them aiming guns, with silver bullets, at the heads of the group.

A man, human and ugly as sin, approached them...

"yer from them sons a bitches in Krest. Yer meanin' to take us out of The Hellhole and reclaim it fer that fat ass King there, ain't ya ya pieces of shit! Well FUCK YOU. FUCK YOU AND THE HORSE YA RODE IN ON! Cause now yer gonna swing," he finished, spitting chewing tobacco into the face of Browden as he grabbed the lever that would open the trap doors of the gallows and hang them all.


They were helpless to do anything physical...someone would have to do some quick talking.

Lucian's foot standing on the soon to be open panel in the floor. Lucian kicked the man in the gut and he keeled over. Lucian stood on his back and balanced as the man being stupid swung his sword without looking. Lucian grabed it between his fit and handed it to the Talkren who then sliced Lucian's rope. Lucian then grabed the sword and stabed the men who was inches away from droping the lever. Lucian sliced the other mens ropes and stood there looking at the man, outnumberd and out of time.

A small voice chimed in, from who knows where, "SIR! SIR!" A small figure ran up to the group, out of breath. He leaned over, hands on his knees, trying to breathe.

A dwarf leaned over to the ugly human, whom Thumsthru assumed was the leader, and said, "I say we kill the vermin, before he be tellin' his friends that we have 'neat stuff'"

Thumsthru noted the derisive tone in the dwarf's voice, and was hurt deeply. "Why sir, I know when things should be kept secret, I only came here to stop this atrocity from happening!"

The dwarf sneered, "These lot here will die, they been sent to stop us!"

"No sir," said Thumsthru defensively, "The atrocity I spoke of stopping appears to have already happened," he looked at the ugly human, "And it appears I missed the chance to stop it about 30 years ago!"

The dwarf looked confused, first at the riverfolk, then his ugly leader, who was furious at this point.

The riverfolk, as helpful as he could possibly be, spoke up again, "I was saying, sir dwarf, that your leader here is very ugly, and he should not be disgracing an already plagued world with his prescence," he said before turning to casually walk away...

Parah stood, glad to be freed and waited on alert. One wrong move and he would give it everything he had. He wouldn't go down without a fight.

Herod stood there in amazement.

"Saved by a riverkin? I'll not be havin' someone repeat this!"

the dwarf tried to re-attach the noose to his neck, but couldn't reach.


"Just ye all be walking off. Let an old dwarf te die a'fore people find out he was saved by a riverkin!"

Talkren stood there in amazement.

Just like everyone else.

The entire village of The Hellhole was silent.

Someone coughed.

No one said anything.

Then the dwarf, Herod, starting talking of still wanting to die just to avoid being saved by one of the Riverfolk.

Everyone started screaming and yelling.

Two large men grabbed the Riverfolk.

Other guards grabbed the other prisoners and put the nooses back around their necks and re-bound their wrists.

However two other guards had different plans for Lucian who had attempted to escape.

"Maybe it's time we teach this little shit," one guard yelled nodding at the Riverfolk, "how ugly we all really are!"

The grabbed Lucian one holding his feet the other with Lucian's head in a headlock and a gun pushed against the side of his head.

"The piece of crap isn't going to die today! He's going to be made an example of!"

Lucian struggled both against the men, and against his inner beast.

He held the beast at bay, but this allowed the men to do as they pleased. They drug him to a wagon and slammed him into it.

Two more men grabbed Lucian and held him there, while one of the original ones pulled out a hammer and was handed a bucket of dwarven railroad spikes.

"N-NO! NOOOOOO!" Lucian screamed struggling.

Talkren stood and stared as if transfixed.

BAM!

"AHHHHH!"


BAM!

"AHHHHHGGG!"


BAM!

"AHHhhhh*"

Lucian hung from the wagon, a dwarven railroad spike driven through his forearm into the wood. He passed out from the pain, before the beast within could be let loose.

"WAKE UP!" on of the men screamed punching Lucian in the face breaking his nose splattering blood all over his face.

The man grabbged three of Lucian's fingers.

"SNAP!"

"AHHHHH!!!!"

"Grab this sumbitche's other arm!" The man yelled.

They did as was instructed.

BAM!

"AHHHHHHHHHGGG GOD STOP!!!"

BAM!

He passed out again. Blood pooled on the ground as he now hung by both forearms and rested on his knees.

"OPEN HIS FUCKING MOUTH!" the guard yelled.

Talkren was in a daze.

They did as instructed and shoved the railroad spike into Lucian's mouth.

BAM!

"GEHHHHH!!!!! AFFFFFF!!!!!"

Lucian's head was nailed into the wood as the railroad spike was driven through his cheek.

"Get a few of the lurkers," the guard said dropping the hammer, and wiping blood from Lucian and sweat from his brow.

Next the crowd cheered.

Several guards hauled out 4 undead horde zombies in chains. The undead looked weak and starved.

"WE'RE GOING TO FEED HIM TO THEM ALIVE!!!!"

I'm gonna feed you to them alive.

"Jade," whispered Talkren..."no...not again."

Talkren jumped into the air slamming down on the trap door below him, snapping the wood with his feet and falling through.

The force of him jumping forced extra pressure onto the rope and it snapped.

Everyone stopped and turned staring at Talkren, whose hands were still behind his back.

"NOOO!!!! NOT AGAIN!" Talkren screamed running forward and slamming into one of the undead with his shoulder.

The rest of the group looked down. Talkren had damaged the gallows. The wood was cracking, they would be hung if they didn't act quickly.

The undead Talkren had slammed into, tackled Talkren. It opened its maw to bite him as it pinned him down.

Talkren did the only thing he could think of.

CHOMP!

Talkren bit deep into the forehead of the zombie, chipping one of his own teeth and breaking the skull open., He pulled out stringy rotted brains with his mouth.

The horde zombie fell over dead.

"What. The . Fuck?" the guard said in shock.

The wood cracked more.

The crowd was silent staring at Talkren who wrestled his way up and stood, blood, and brain matter around his mouth and on his face.

"Let them go," he growled at the guard.

Everyone stood in shock and silence.

"LET THEM GO!" he screamed.

The guards rushed to the gallows.

The untied Dacen, Herod, Browden, Parah and--

SNAP!!

The wood broke.

The minotaur and the Riverfolk's bodies fell through the trap door.

They hung alive, but just barely. Their necks snapped, and they began to asphyxiate.

No one moved.

First the minotaur stopped moving. Fecal matter and urine ran down his legs. The Riverfolk soiled himself next as his body died as well.

Not a sound could be heard.

One of the guards untied Talkren and then hurried away, afraid of what the darkling might do.

Talkren stared with hatred at the guard who had nailed Lucian to the wagon.

He then reached out and grabbed him by the throat. The man struggled. Talkren punched him in the face with his free hand. He hit again. And again. And again. Again. Again. Again.Again. Again. Again.Again. Again. Again.

The man barely breathed. One of his eyes were gone. The other was swollen shut. His bottom jaw only hung onto his face by a thin strand of membrane.

Talkren drug the guard to the gallows and put a noose around his neck. The man didn't move. Talkren grabbed the dangling rope and yanked on it lifting the man high. His body convulsed. It shook. And then it hung very still. Soon he soiled himself.

Talkren dropped the now dead guard into the pile of his own filth.

"Someone take those damn spikes out of that man," Talkren said barely above a whisper.

Several people ran to Lucian's aid. he was unconscious and they all began to tend to his severe wounds.

"This is my city now. I run The Hellhole. If anyone has a problem with that, speak up now," Talkren said.

All was silent for a moment. Then a woman spoke.

"Who...who are you?" she asked.

"My name....my name....I am the terror of this world. The man parents frighten their children with so they will obey, I am the boogeyman. The creeper in the night. The dirt beneath your fingernails. I am the dark dirty naughty secret you keep from your spouse. I am the blade that sinks into your liver. The bullet that barrels into your spleen. The bludgeon that smashes your bones....I am the lust a woman seeks, and the battlecry a man yells. I am pain, I am hatred....I AM VENGEANCE!"

All was silent again.

"I am Erron....King of the Undead."

Dacen was shcoked to see him wound healed "I...im healed" he thought as everything happened after that, and now he hung nearly dead. "Graaargh" Dacen whispered though noeone could hear him. "The....signal has been lit" He whispered barely enough for the companions to hear. "Dont worry guys......help is coming"

"READY?! FIRE!!!" Everyone heard as Tregon and his army of elf warrior jumped down and untied Dacen and the others "Hold on dacen, let me get you guys out of here" Tregon spoke to Dacen as he turned towards a guard nearby tell your boss to realease these men!

Browden only walked when others walked. He only did what others did. Though he was alive and well, his mind was nearly crippled after that encounter with Genesis. Why did he attack Browden? Who was Niynde? And what... was Browden not remembering?

He sat there on the trap platform without making any movements. He wasn't afraid of dying. That was getting too common for him. What scared him was the unknown. What was it about this Niynde? What was the unknown?

No one would hear that name until Browden knew what it meant. Or at least, Browden hoped he'd know what it meant. Still, Browden was ready to accept he would not speak to anyone else until he found Niynde...

Talkren wrote:

"Jade," whispered Talkren..."no...not again."

After Talkren finished his battle, after he cried his name, and announced himself as Erron, King of the Undead, Browden looked at him.

Erron? His mind went back to Niynde for a moment, but before that, he had said her name. It was just a whisper, but the name of someone familiar always was clearer to hear: Jade.

"What do you know of my wife?"

Tregon Beiner wrote:

"READY?! FIRE!!!" Everyone heard as Tregon and his army of elf warrior jumped down and untied Dacen and the others "Hold on dacen, let me get you guys out of here" Tregon spoke to Dacen as he turned towards a guard nearby tell your boss to realease these men!

"He's dead, fool," Erron....or Talkren....or whoever this was, said to Tregon, "I want your men to secure this village. The Civil Agents haven't taken The Hellhole yet. i want it secured and manned. You may not take your orders from me, but the fact is this is my city now, as hopeless as it is, and while you're here you'll do as I say. It's either that, or my own soldiers escort your elf asses back into the desert....the hard way."

When Tregon looked he saw all of the steam-cycle biker gangs stand, ready to fight for Talkren/Erron. He had truly taken command and was now their leader.

Browden wrote:

"What do you know of my wife?"

"Heh? Wife? I....she...I...the rain...the mud...nailed....broken....what? Who are you talking about? I don't know what you're talking about. Jade? I don't know anyone named Jade," Talkren/Erron said to Browden and then turned to walk away.

'Look, im not hre to take orders or to invade this base. Dacen sent the beakon requesting assistance so i came to rescue these people, that is all" Tregon replied to Talkren/Erron "I mean no disrespect, i only came for these people.

Perhaps Browden had misheard? For a moment his heart leaped at the sound of his lost wife's name. He didn't understand why. She was long gone. So many years ago... When she left him for them...

Browden looked at Lucian and sneered. When they left him them...

"Damn Civil Agents," he said under his breath.

"Well, what do we do now? We still need to find Talkren, don't we? I hardly think a baby would be found here..."

"Well, if your alright, i better head back to the Base, just blow this horn if you ever need us again Dacen" Tregon said before he tossed a horn at Dacen. "Ill be going now, MEN, MOVE OUT!" Tregon called to his men the started headed back to the cave a few miles off from the hellhole.

Dacen caught the horn and nodded at Tregon 'Good luck with the base Tregon, Thanks for saving us!" Dacen called to tregon as he walked away.

DacenTainer wrote:

Dacen caught the horn and nodded at Tregon 'Good luck with the base Tregon, Thanks for saving us!" Dacen called to tregon as he walked away.

Talkren/Erron walked up behind Dacen and wrapped his forearm around Dacen's throat and leaned back and began to squeeze. Dacen dropped the horn and grabbed the darkling's arm trying to pull him off.

"Gkk! Gk!" Dacen muttered as he choked.

Talkren spun throwing Dacen on the ground. he then bent down and picked up the horn.

"This clusterfuck of a town, The Hellhole, is one of our last refuge's that the Civil Agents have yet to take over. If you so much as nod in anyone else's direction to get them to come here, I'll will persoanlly skin you and leave you to fucking live like that."

Talkren then droipped the horn to the ground and stomped on it, smashing it into several pieces.

"Remember, worm, I saved you life....the belly wound....I'm the one who healed it. I saved your life, and I can end your life....just like I have so many others," he finished, accidentally glancing at Browden, and catching himself looking away.

Talkren then stormed away to find Lucian to see how he was doing, leaving Dacen and Browden with the others.