When Hell Froze

by Forrest Minter

  “I know he exists though. I’ve felt his power, and his presence.” Benny said, stubbornly clinging to her worldview. She released Azel’s arm so that she could turn and face him fully.

  “Indeed. When was this?”

  “When I was inducted into the order. When Orion lent me his power.”

  Azel seemed to ponder her for a moment as if searching for something. Finally he nodded, seemingly locating what he sought.

  “When they inducted you into your order, did they draw this shape on your forehead, in blood perhaps?” Azel asked, making a cross with his fingers.

  Benny nodded. “They did. It was part of a holy ritual that opened my inner eyes so I might see his glory.” Benny said, speaking robotically as if reciting a passage from a book.

  Azel laughed uproariously. When he noticed her glaring at him, the laughter subsided into a wheezing breath. “You don’t… let me explain. What you felt was not your god. Among demons, we use that same ritual to steal the power of our slain enemies. Or perhaps steal is the wrong word. Copy? Something along those lines. Regardless, what you felt was not your god, but the soul of the slain demon. It was him marking your soul, whether with his own power, or at least a potential he possessed.”

  “I don’t believe you. I know what I felt! Stop lying to me!” Benny shouted, brain shutting down as a last defense against the madness of his words.

  Azel shook his head in disappointment, then spoke with a patient tone as if to a child. “I believe I have a way to prove my words. If you are willing. I will not force anything upon you as it would break the oath I made to Charlie.”

  Benny wanted to scream at him; to shove a blade down his throat, and then stomp on the hilt. Something in his eyes stopped that train of thought. As if the ghost of a mournful expression were trying to creep into his face, prevented from emerging only by an effort of will. Her wits returned, reminding her that she was this man’s prisoner. Even if she wanted to, she had no power here.

  “Fine, as long as it doesn’t injure me.” She said, looking away from his eyes.

  Azel nodded dispassionately. “I appreciate and honor the trust you give me. Now, hold your head still for a moment.”

  Benny heard the sound of a blade leaving it’s sheath, but when she glanced toward the sound, she found Azel cutting into his own palm. The wound closed almost instantly, presumably by some magical effect; but a pool of blood remained on his palm. Azel resheathed the knife, dipped a finger from his now-empty hand into the small blood pool, and extended it; drawing a cross on her forehead with his blood. The mark completed, he pressed a finger to the point where the two lines joined. His face took on a look of concentration, and Benny watched as sparks of magic flowed down his hand, and into the blood mark on her forehead.

  Suddenly, the world fell away. Her consciousness only had room for HIM. HE took up the entirety of her being, and though she could not grasp onto his thoughts or memories, his feelings consumed her. She felt the amusement he had felt when she described her holy vision. His sadness at seeing her so unreasoning in her convictions. The strength of his own faith in his goddess. Later, the only feeling she could compare it to was the presence she had thought to be Orion. Though that had felt more like a judgemental, angry god; and less like a bemused but disapproving parent. Eventually she found herself able to filter through what she sensed of him, in a way that she thought of as “zooming out.” What started as a scattering of random feelings became more a sense of his entirety. Of who he was. He felt conflicted to her. He was ruthless, and determined, yet empathetic, and full of conviction. Intellectual, and curious. He felt as if he entertained two selves in a single body, one cold and calculating, the other full of love and light. Determined to do good in the world.

  After what felt like an eternity, the sensation faded until there was only a small corner of her being that felt subtly different. The last time, she had attributed this feeling to being marked by a god. Now, she was more worried that her soul had just been violated in some way; though she knew from her memories of his feelings that this was likely not his intention.

  “That was… What happened?” She asked, suddenly groggy.

  “As I said before, This ritual allows you to gain the powers of another. What you felt was not a god, it was me. My essence if you will. Naturally it is much more potent when taken from fresh, living blood than the stale blood you likely received upon induction into your religious order.”

  She shook her head, attempting to drive the sleep from her brain, and stood from where she had fallen into a kneeling position without realizing. “Unless you gleaned something wholly unexpected from me, you should hopefully have some measure of my own ability now. Use it well.”

  She nodded, resolving to explore it; whatever it was, later. “I’m your prisoner. Why are you giving me power?”

  He frowned slightly. “I understand it may seem strange, but despite our noble aspirations, and my promise of protection, a demon fortress in a war zone is not a safe place for a human woman such as yourself. It will give me peace of mind if you have the power to protect yourself.” His face became thoughtful for a moment. “As long as you remember I still hold your people as my prisoners of course. I do not mean to damage the rapport we seem to have established, only to remind both of us that you are not here as my student. I admit it can be easy for me to forget. Before I was called to this I was a teacher, and it seems the instinct is still there.”

  Benny nodded, and looked away. His comment had indeed jolted her out of the conversation. Combined with the emotional upheaval she knew she would have to work through once she had time to process the wound to her belief system; she decided it was in everyone’s best interest to avoid getting any closer to him, or asking about his life.

  “Just… take me to my room please. If you don’t mind.” She mumbled, suddenly so tired that she could barely stay on her feet. He nodded, and linked his arm into hers again. When she began stumbling with every step, he scooped her up into his arms. Despite her exhaustion, this was too much for her. She thrashed weakly against him. He frowned at her thoughtfully for a moment before a soft glow emanated from his hand. The moment she saw it, she succumbed to unconsciousness, and fell into a pool of nightmares.

  Chapter 6

  Benny woke in the most luxuriously soft bed she had ever experienced. This acted as a pleasant counterpoint to the scream of terror that woke her. It took her a second to realize that the scream had been her own. A demon rushed into the bedroom as if shot by a cannon, but stopped as soon as he saw nothing amiss. For her part, Benny instinctively sat up; reaching surreptitiously for the dagger she kept beneath one of her pillows, but a moment later she woke enough to recognize where she was.

  “I’m fine, don’t worry about me.” She mumbled groggily at the demon; who bowed, and walked back through the door, closing it gently. Groaning, she fell back into the bed. She wasn’t sure exactly how long she had been unconscious, but she felt as if she hadn’t actually slept at all. Looking down, she found she was fully clothed exactly as she had been before, having apparently been dumped into bed fully dressed; though minus her shoes which sat in the corner of the room. Mumbling a thanks to orion for small favors, she took the opportunity to poke at the spot of wrongness in her soul that represented her new power. Instantly, menus appeared in front of her as if a computer had been implanted into her brain.

  Welcome to the Demon Enhancement Virtual Interface Link, also known as D.E.V.I.L

  By absorbing the power of a willing, living creature you have been recognized as a Demon Lord. Should any question this designation, simply activate the Devil system, and the mark of supremacy will be made visible.

  To earn new avenues of power, absorb the blood of those with innate strength; whether born to them or taken from others.

  To earn points toward enhancements, absorb the blood of your enemies.

  Current point count: 0

  Current functions include:

  -Physical Enhanceme
nt

  -Mental Enhancement

  -Magic Enhancement

  -Sigils Level 1

  -Manipulation Level 1

  Curious, she opened up the sigils ability, and produced a dropdown list with a variety of options for upgrading sigil strength, duration, and other more arcane options. Suddenly, Benny wondered if Azel realized just how much power he had truly given her. Hesitantly, nervous about the implications, she opened up the menu for “Manipulation” and discovered it was something akin to mind control. She recoiled slightly at the thought, but decided she needed to explore all of her options.

  Current point count: 0

  Current functions include:

  -Physical Enhancement

  -Mental Enhancement

  -Magic Enhancement

  -Sigils Level 1

  +Manipulation Level 1

  -Mind Fog 1: cloud an individual's mind, making them unable to focus, and more susceptible to mental influence.

  -Suggestion 1: The first step on the path to true control. You may speak an idea, and have that idea lodge in the individual’s mind. How they act on it is entirely up to them, and susceptible to the time limit of mental effects.

  -Seduction 1: Make yourself more alluring to another individual, even if they would not normally “swing your way.” Be warned that if you overuse this power, the victim may lose all self-control.

  -Mental Resistance 1: Become less susceptible to anything which might cloud one’s mind, be it drugs or magical effects. With enough points in this, you might never get drunk again.

  -Duration 1: Extends the duration of your manipulation powers. Actual amount is determined on a case by case basis, but is percent based. Might also combo with other powers such as select sigil effects.

  -Magnitude 1: Manipulation powers become stronger by 3%. Might combo with other powers such as select sigil effects. Be warned, you may cause undesirable results if you are imprudent with the amount of force you manifest.

  -Next Level: To access further powers, or evolve pre-existing powers to a higher form, one must increase the base level of Manipulation. This will also increase the base magnitude and duration of all powers, as well as their level cap. Current cap for powers is 3. Increase level to increase this cap.

  Benny frowned at her new power, but couldn’t deny that it was useful. Part of her was almost giddy with the possibilities. Before she could explore the menus further, a knock came at the door. She closed the menu, and called “come in.”

  Azel strode into the room, and stopped in the center, eyeing her critically. “Ah good, Reven told me you were awake. Have you eaten yet?”

  Benny blinked in surprise. “No, I haven’t had the chance. Though now that you mention it, I am a bit hungry.”

  Azel nodded. “Next time you need only ask your door guard, and he will send for a meal. On this occasion though, I will escort you to the dining hall so that I might give you a tour in the process.”

  “Sounds good.” Benny said, deciding knowledge was always useful. Wordlessly Azel nodded, and offered his arm. Benny took it begrudgingly. It still bothered her, but not as much as it had the previous day. The truth was, Azel was a font of information, and she wanted to know more about Demon culture. They chatted idly as they walked, and she did her best to create a mental map of the compound in the process. The layout was maze-like passages placed almost haphazardly, sprouting from each other with little rhyme or reason. Finally, she stopped Azel.

  “How do you find your way around?”

  Azel chuckled lightly. “I’m assuming you have unlocked the Devil system?” Benny nodded an affirmative. “Go into it now, and open the mental enhancement tree. You should see that you have level one of the mapping skill. Open it, and it will record anywhere you go as long as the map was active. Just be aware that it will only record while it is active, and it has a limited amount of memory which increases quadratically with upgrade level. Level one should be more than sufficient for the halls of my stronghold though.”

  Benny did as he instructed, and a blank space inside a gold filigree border appeared at the edge of her vision. She found that if she focused on it, it expanded to fill her vision. Yet at the same time she also saw everything her eyes normally saw as if she was simultaneously seeing through two sets of eyes. Though she could do it, it was difficult for her to split her attention like this.

  “I recommend that if you intend to use it often, you should increase your mental processing power through the Devil menu.”

  Benny raised her eyes at him, and Azel held up his hands placatingly. “Not to say that you’re unintelligent, only that it is difficult to parse the map and your vision at the same time. It can be useful though if you can reach the point of operating normally while the map is up simultaneously.”

  Benny nodded, but remained silent. For his part Azel scratched the back of his head awkwardly, and Benny decided it was an endearingly human-seeming mannerism. She realized she was staring and coughed. Wordlessly, Azel resumed their walk. Soon the pair had arrived in the dining hall, and sat down at a table removed from the rest.

  “Most Demons must enter the line there.” He pointed to a line of Demons which stood in front of a set of counters similar to any human cafeteria. “But being a lord has its privileges. I have made you a lord, so you may eat at this table whenever you wish.” Azel waved over another demon who had been standing nearby. The Demon took their order, and scurried to retrieve their food from the counters. Benny noted that the Demon’s who stood in line moved out of the way without any complaint.

  A moment later, Benny looked back to Azel. “Why did you make me a lord anyway? While I can understand the excuse that it makes me better able to defend myself, it seems like far more than was necessary to hold up your end of the deal you made with Charlie. You could have just stuck me in a room under guard, and I’d be safe.”

  Azel sighed. “The truth is, I’ve been looking to find someone that might act as an arbiter between our two peoples. This individual can’t be a Demon, your church would never believe anything which left their mouth. I can’t send a demon disguised as a human either. The church would quickly determine they were a Demon. It would have to be a human, one the church trusted, in order to have any hope that they might listen. By making you a Demon lord, I’ve given you enough status to act in that capacity from our end.”

  “But why me?” Benny asked.

  “Because while I have respect for you, the attempt costs me nothing if it should fail. One human prisoner versus the chance at peace.”

  Benny nodded. She didn’t trust his intentions, but playing along seemed like the best idea for the moment. “Alright, where do we start then?”

  Azel sighed. “You may not like this, but we will have to start by taking the town of Cyram. It will cripple the distribution of supplies in the region, forcing your army to stop their campaigns and reorganize their supply lines. We can hopefully use this lull in hostilities to conduct diplomacy. Worst case scenario, the human army lays siege to the town after we capture it, and we use that as a chance to parlay with the siege commander. If needed we can use portals to evacuate.”

  Benny nodded. Based on her rudimentary knowledge of the region, it was a solid plan, even if she didn’t like it.

  “You know I can’t just stand by while you do this.” She said, feeling compelled to offer at least some form of resistance to the idea of attacking a human town.

  Azel shrugged. “I have your squad as hostages. Is it worth trading their lives to make a show of defiance? You must realize this attack will happen with or without you.”

  Benny sighed, but looked away in defeat. After a moment her gaze returned to him.

  “What will you do with the civilians after we take the town? I’ve seen what it’s like when Demon armies decide to use scorched earth tactics, and really won’t stand by if you try that.”

  Azel bit his lip uncomfortably. “My faction is not as united as you might think. Individual lords largely govern their
armies with impunity. Some may choose that tact, but I am not one of them. So long as they do not fight us, the civilians will be unharmed.”

  Benny nodded. Though she still felt uncomfortable knowing she was about to take part in the deaths of hundreds if not thousands of soldiers, there was nothing she could do to stop it. She tried to put that fact out of her mind as she assessed the situation analytically.

  “How do we get there? As a rule of thumb, taking a town with a wall and a decent garrison from the outside takes three times the number of troops in the garrison, and you don’t seem like you’re planning for a siege. You can’t just take portals into the town though, there are going to be spells preventing unauthorized portals.”

  Azel smiled cruelly. “Actually that’s the easy part. You see we’re already underneath Cyram. This entire complex is built half a mile beneath the town. We’ve established quite a few tunnels to the surface, and whenever I give the signal we could finish the final ten feet or so, and pour soldiers into the streets. There will indeed be no need for siege warfare, though we will establish portals once we are on the surface to expedite our movements. Your spells only block portals from outside the radius after all. They do nothing to prevent portals that come from within.”

  Benny stared at him, realizing for the first time that humanity was woefully outmatched. That no stronghold was ever truly safe. She felt a moment of despair, then hardened her heart. She had been given the opportunity to be the arbiter of peace, and though diplomacy may not be her forte she would take advantage of this chance the best she could. Benny did her best to quell the cognitive dissonance; focusing on her role as peacemaker even as she consigned an entire garrison to death.

  Chapter 7

  Two days later, the attack commenced. During the intervening time, Benny fell into a routine of exploring the compound, and trying to learn more about the Demons. After her tour, Azel gave her permission to explore as she wished, though accompanied by a pair of guards. They made poor conversationalists, though she quickly discovered this was because they didn’t have a firm grasp on English. It seemed that all demons learned the basics of human speech and writing so they might “know their enemy;” but, most didn’t bother learning the finer points. Still, she was glad to have someone to talk to, and explain the finer points of Demon-living to her as she explored the compound. Their names were Noraz, and Lorbin. Mid-ranked demons who were almost fanatical in their devotion to Azel.