by Ramy Vance
The tree line of a great forest could be seen in the shadows. Another howl screeched like an angry wind.
Abby picked up a stone and rolled it in her palm as they walked. "No. Ma and Pa didn't take us to church. We grew up around Mormons, but we never talked religion much. All this is new to us, except for what we've seen in video games or read about. I read Dante in high school. That’s about it."
Anabelle was staring at the forest. "All elves are spiritual. Wouldn't say religious, though. Most of us don't bother with the whole organization thing, except for the drow. The high and wood elves have a lot of gods. Some of the older high elves still keep the old ways alive, but they've been fading for a long time."
To the right, in front of the tree line, there was a large hill. Atop it was a she-wolf who stood nearly as high as the tree line. Her red eyes glowed in the darkness, and saliva dripped from her steaming, growling mouth.
The three Angels stopped to watch the creature as she peered at them.
Abby raised her hand, trying to scan the wolf from afar. "Do you think everything in here is going to try to kill us?"
Anabelle shook her head. "I doubt it. Myrddin sent us a dossier earlier this morning. Doubt either of you had a chance to read it.” She paused to look at the other two Angels, who both shook their heads. “Good thing I did, huh? Apparently, the kingdoms in hell are pretty concerned with themselves. All of them are still infighting, trying to take down the ruler, archdemon, or whoever is in charge around here. We just have to play nice by hell's rules, and we'll be okay. So—and this should go without saying—don't open fire unless you’re provoked."
Terra, who had her axe in hand, sighed and put it away. "Fine."
The wolf watched the DGA walk into the forest.
The trees around them managed to obscure the little light that was starting to break through the fog. The branches were worn and old, stretching out like fingers forever unable to reach one another. They looked sad, and Terra noticed the sense of dread they inspired.
The trees grew thicker, making it harder for the DGA to make their way through the forest. They resorted to crawling, climbing, and cutting their way through since the path had all but disappeared. Finally, Terra threw her hands up and shouted, "How the hell are we going to get out of here if we get lost?"
Abby snapped her fingers and pulled out a compass. "Cire said we have to go west. The sun rises in the east, but in hell, it rises in the west, and all paths follow the sun."
Anabelle's arm flashed bright with fire as she cut through a tree. Then she held her arm up, casting light all around them. "Thanks for the little lesson."
Abby raised her hand, palm toward the sky, and a book materialized in it. "Cire said if we can't figure out what's going on, we can check this. He said it might be a little hard to understand. It's all poetry."
Terra, who was once more tangled up with the creeping branches of the tree, groaned with irritation. "You just leave the poetry to me. I had a long goth poetry phase."
"But you never read Dante's Inferno?"
Terra slashed through more branches and caught up with the other Angels. "I was much more of a Paradise Lost kind of goth. Satan was pretty sexy."
"Figures you'd end up dating a semi-lich."
As those words left Abby’s lips, a leopard stepped out in front of them. It was as large as the she-wolf, its black- and yellow-spotted coat shimmering in the sudden moonlight. The cat bared its fangs.
Abby and Terra looked at Anabelle. "This one looks like it wants to eat us," Terra said. "Beyond the shadow of a doubt."
Anabelle shook her head as she folded her arms. "Just because it’s big, it doesn't mean—"
The leopard charged, covering an obscene amount of distance in the blink of an eye, and plowed into Anabelle. The elf wrapped her hand around the leopard’s neck, trying to gain leverage, but she couldn't get a grip on the creature.
She fell to the ground, hitting it hard enough to knock the wind out of her. Before she could get back on the defensive, the leopard was above her, slashing at her with its claws.
Terra was already on the move. She rammed into the leopard’s side, knocking it back as it hissed and spat.
The cat sank into the shadows to regroup and take advantage of the darkness.
Abby flew to the other two agents, spinning as she shone her eye lights into the dark forest. They seemed to have no effect. "It's a magical forest, isn't it?" she muttered to herself.
The leopard struck from the shadows again.
Terra barely had enough time to raise her battle-axe to catch the giant cat's jaws. The leopard pivoted, standing its ground as it shook its head and flung Terra into the air. It then leaped and slamming down on Terra, treating the human as no more dangerous than a large rat.
Abby fired a plasma blast at the giant cat, singeing its fur and causing it to back away from Terra. The Hand picked up her axe and swung it at the beast, cutting its leg.
The leopard hissed and stumbled back before opening its mouth and unleashing a barrage of thorns.
Anabelle ran forward and slid between Abby and Terra, throwing up a mana shield to take the bulk of the impact from the leopard’s attack. "Oh, come on, leopards can't do that."
The cat didn't seem to care. It darted forward as Abby lined up her aim.
She fired as the leopard dodged to the side, skidding in front of the DGA. The leopard swiped at them and connected with the scientist, sending her flying into a tree, which cracked.
The girl threw the broken trunk at the leopard.
The tree hit the cat in the face, knocking out one of its fags. The cat stared at its broken tooth on the ground and hissed as it clawed at the earth, its claws stretching and growing. The hair on its back stood up, catching fire as the cat's claws burst into flames.
Terra swung her axe over her head and leaped at the leopard. "Hell, yeah, this is more like it!"
The cat swiped Terra out of the air. Anabelle ran past them, pulling earth up in front of Terra and then transmuting it to powdery ice for Terra to fall into.
Then the elf slammed her hands together as she stomped on the ground, sending boulders into the air. The boulders exploded into icicle shards that flew at the leopard.
The shards hit the cat in the chest, piercing its skin.
As the cat stumbled back, Abby flew after it, her body filled with kinetic energy. She hit the monster hard, forcing it to stumble. Terra came up behind the cat and wrapped her arms around it as it shot fire into the air, then lifted with all of her might and threw the leopard on its head.
The cat scrambled to its feet, bleeding from the mouth, and hissed loudly before running into the forest.
The DGA watched the creature go.
Terra sheathed her axe. "Well, that was weird as fuck, but if all we have to deal with is big-ass cats, I think we'll be cool. That was a large cat, though."
Abby looked at her compass until she found west. "Come on. We should keep moving."
They went through the forest until it began to thin out. Ahead, Terra could see a river but could not hear running water.
There was a dock on the river and a frail old man with blue skin and a bald head, draped in a black cloak, stood near a boat. His eyes bulged from their sockets, and the skin around his mouth was tight, showing the jawbone beneath.
He smiled grimly when he saw the DGA agents approaching. "Ah, a new fare. Allow me to introduce myself. I am Charon, ferryman of the dead. And you are?" Charon's smile dropped. "Still among the living. How do so many of you mortals make it into this place?"
Anabelle stepped forward. "Us? Have more mortals come through here?"
Charon yawned lazily. "Of course. Mortals are always trying to sneak in here before their time. Don't know why. Everyone else is dying to get here."
No one laughed.
Charon shrugged. "That one doesn't usually go over well with the living."
Terra raised an eyebrow. "Does it fare better with the dead?"
&
nbsp; "Most people who find themselves in hell after they die are ready to laugh at anything."
Anabelle waved her hands in front of her face. "Okay, okay. When was the last time a mortal came through here?"
Charon scratched his leathery blue skin. "Last time...hm, probably three hundred years ago? A loud-mouthed kid named José. Tore another hole in the damned place."
Anabelle sighed and shook her head. "One mortal in three hundred years is hardly ‘all the time.’"
Charon stuck his oar in the water and swirled it around. "Listen, I've spent an eternity on this river. Let’s say dates aren't my strong suit. Well, what do you want?"
"That's a good question."
Anabelle turned to Terra and Abby. "Any idea what we want?"
Abby took out her book and scrolled through it, then turned to Charon. "We want passage to the first circle of hell."
Charon's face drooped a little bit. "You don't want the river tour? It’s to die for. Honestly, it’s beautiful. There’s a wonderful waterfall of blood a little north of here."
"No. Just straight to the circle."
"Wouldn't be a problem if you three weren't so full of life. Only charter is for the dead."
Abby frowned as she crossed her arms. "You helped Dante and José get across."
Charon looked back down to his oar. "I only let Dante across because he was with Virgil. And José because he had special permission from on high.”
“How high?” Terra asked.
“Very. All the way to the top. Permission you three don’t have.” Charon paused as he considered his next words. “But there are ways around the rules. I'm not allowed to say. The bosses get pissy, and they got tempers."
Terra groaned as she leaned her head back. "Ugh, didn't we have something to deal with this before? Like, a temporary solution to being dead?"
Anabelle was cracking her knuckles in frustration. "Honestly, we've picked up so much crap I can’t remember. We probably never used it. I don't remember ever being dead."
Abby was still flipping through her copy of Dante’s Inferno. She let out a squeal of joy. "Oh! Does anyone have any coins?"
Terra and Anabelle looked at Abby like she was crazy. Charon, on the other hand, looked delighted. When no one answered, Charon cleared his throat and tilted his head to the boat, where a large pile of shining coins sat in a pile. "Oh, look! I found something very interesting in the water," Charon said as he stared down.
Abby walked over to the pile of coins and took six, two for each of the DGA agents. "Put these on your eyes."
Anabelle accepted her coins, leaned her head back, and placed them on her eyelids. Terra did the same, and then Abby. "Okay, Charon, how about now?" Abby asked.
Charon smiled widely, his yellow teeth shining. "Ah, looks like the dead have arrived with the proper toll. Come this way, my suffering souls. Let's get you to your torturous afterlife."
Terra reached out to find her way until she felt a cold, damp hand wrap around her wrist. She jumped, nearly knocking her coins off of her eyelids.
"Uh-uh," Charon said. "Try to keep those on. Just follow me."
Terra tried to relax as Charon guided her to the boat, which had tripled in size.
Charon helped Terra step in. "Go ahead and lie down."
Terra held the coins to her eyes and laid back. The bottom of the boat was oddly comfortable.
The boat started to move, and Terra could feel it rocking in the waves. What she heard next surprised her.
A beautiful baritone voice rose around her, singing in Latin. It continued as the boat rowed down the river Styx, only stopping when the boat hit the bank.
Charon plucked the coins from the DGA's eyes and pocketed them. "Thanks for that. Not often I get a living audience. I'm assuming you have some business to take care of. If you see the Big Guy, could you kindly not mention this? Oh, and try to stay sane."
The ferryman smiled as he pushed off, and his boat continued down the river.
Abby watched Charon float away. "Can't say we were expecting such a pleasant ride."
Terra nodded as she walked over to Anabelle, who was interested in the large stone wall ahead of them. "I guess hell's full of surprises."
Chapter Thirteen
Abby, Terra, and Anabelle stared at the vast wall separating the vestibule from the first circle of hell.
It was cracked and looked ready to come apart. Some of the cracks were filled with a sealing compound that looked like blood.
Abby scanned one of those spots to satisfy her curiosity. "Ugh." She looked up at the top. "We can fly up there right quick. See if there's anything we need to be prepared for."
Terra picked up a rock and sent it sailing toward the top of the wall. She whistled as she watched it go over. "Not a bad idea. If that hit anyone, would you apologize for me?"
Abby flew up the side of the wall, coming over its rim in a few seconds.
Thick fog stretched out over what looked like nothing. She couldn't make out if there was any ground, or if there were any enemies.
She headed back down and reported what she had seen. "Kinda weird that the first circle wouldn't have anything in it." She pulled out her book and cracked it open.
Anabelle grabbed her hand. "Do you want to suck the fun out of this?"
Abby laughed as she looked at Terra, who seemed to share Anabelle's opinion. "You guys are having fun?"
The elf shrugged as she headed toward the wall. "Brand new realm? No idea what's ahead of us? Feels like an adventure for the first time in a long time. Definitely beats beating up mobsters."
Terra followed Anabelle to the wall and kicked it, breaking through the stone. Then she punched another hole higher up in the stone, anchored her hand, and lifted herself. "Hopefully, this circle has something cooler than a giant leopard. Ugh. If this is a realm of giant creatures, I'm giving hell a zero out of ten."
Anabelle's feet and hands glowed light blue as she touched the wall, and she effortlessly pulled herself up. "Meet you up there, Abby?"
The girl nodded. "Sure thing," then took off toward the top. She sat on the edge, her feet hanging over, staring at the heavy fog.
Martin popped up in Abby's HUD. "Is this place a big deal for humans?"
Abby kicked her feet as she nodded. "For a lot of people, yeah. You could say we humans are obsessed with the idea of heaven and hell."
Terra pulled herself over the top of the wall. "Heaven, hell, another dimension…whatever this place is, you'd think someone would have installed an elevator or something."
Anabelle jumped up onto the wall beside Abby. "Why? Can you think of anything more torturous than dying and then having to climb a wall to get into hell?"
Terra smirked as she nodded. "Yeah, I guess that makes sense. So, who wants to take the plunge?" She leaned forward and spat over the edge.
"How about on the count of three?"
Terra jerked her hand at Abby. "That's not fair. She can just float down."
Anabelle stepped off, her mana suspending her in the air. "So what? I can too."
Terra crossed her arms as she glared at the elf. "I'm really tired of all the cool powers everyone has. Path of the Lost, my ass. I still can't even fly."
Abby stared down at the drop. "We'll rig you up something when we get back. You'll be like Power Woman, minus the cleavage."
Terra stood up as she peered down into the fog. "What if I want the cleavage? I happened to be a fan of that look. All right, catch you guys at the bottom."
Terra leaped off of the wall, screaming wildly as she dropped.
Abby took a deep breath. "Guess it's only fair." She cut her thrusters and plummeted into the fog.
The rush of wind brought tears to her eyes, but she didn't pull her armor up. This was the first time she'd free-fallen in over a year. It was pretty exciting.
Below, she heard Terra's impact.
Abby covered her waist and legs with armor, shock absorbers replacing her thrusters. She hit the ground hard, making
a crater under her feet.
Terra was waiting for Abby, axe drawn. "Where's the princess?"
Anabelle hit the ground with a heavy thud, sending a shockwave of mana out. She stood as the fog dispersed around her. "Is that what you call me when I'm not around?"
"First time, but I like the sound of it. Would you prefer 'Your Majesty?’"
Anabelle breezed past Terra and followed Abby, who was heading west into the fog. "I don't mind it."
The girl went farther into the fog, ready to convert her arm to a plasma cannon whenever necessary. But the farther they walked, the less likely it seemed that there was anything there. "Hello?" Abby called. "Anyone here?"
Terra and Anabelle laughed. "I thought we'd be hearing more screams by now," Terra remarked.
"Hello? Is someone there?" a voice called.
The DGA agents exchanged glances. "Uh, yeah," Terra replied. "Are you being tortured?"
The fog directly in front of the DGA agents swirled and formed into an old man with a spindly beard and an oddly strong-looking constitution. He wore a toga and stroked his beard pensively as he beheld the DGA agents. Then he politely nodded his head. "Plato. Nice to make your acquaintance."
Abby's jaw dropped. "Wait, as in, the Plato?"
"The very one."
Abby extended her hand to the philosopher. Terra jerked her thumb at the two. "Figures there would be a circle in hell for nerds."
Plato shook his head. "There is nothing nerdy about preparing for one's death in the most virtuous way possible. How do you prefer to spend your time?"
Terra opened her mouth, but Abby stepped in front of her. "Be careful about answering his questions. It could be a trap."
Plato laughed jovially. "I see someone is familiar with the dialectic. I assure you, this is not a teaching moment. Besides, I have enough people to pester with the pursuit of wisdom. You three do not belong here. It doesn't take an undergrad degree to see that. I assume you are making your way through our humble limbo on some Herculean adventure of sorts?"
Anabelle, who was still eyeing the philosopher suspiciously, nodded. "Yeah. You wouldn't know the way through here, would you?"
