Purgatory: The Devil's Game

by M. A. Carlson

  I was confused, both by the fact that he was pleased I survived and by his request. “What?”

  “Just do it,” Asher snapped, refusing to explain.

  I frowned at him but complied. I spread out the Call Divine Spirit Weapon: Mace and laid the Scroll of Body and Soul over it. I really didn’t expect it to do anything, but the telltale sign of a new proficiency being added was there in a flash of light.

  Blinking away the spots, I flipped to the new page in my Scroll of Body and Soul.

  Call Divine Spirit Weapon: Mace

  Level: 2

  Experience to Next Level: 1,000

  SE Cost: 100

  Call a Divine Spirit Weapon in the form of a mace to aid you in combat.

  Mace: 10-15 Damage

  That was stronger than my current mace . . . a lot stronger. If it was that strong at just level two, I could see why a spirit mace would be so valuable.

  “Saint Cajetan . . . you must be truly attuned with maces,” Asher said, gaping at the new page.

  “Saint who?” I asked.

  “Saint Cajetan, the saint of good fortune,” Asher answered.

  I nodded, “Uh huh, I see,” I said with a nod. Truthfully, I had no idea who that was. My knowledge of Catholicism was severely lacking.

  Ignoring that, I asked, “Moving on, what do you mean I am attuned with maces?” Honestly, the mace was enough like a baseball bat that I was extremely comfortable with it as a weapon. But the ‘attuned’ statement made me curious.

  Asher took a moment to collect himself before he explained, “Once again, you started at a higher level. That means the proficiency is stronger by default. As you level it up, the damage your mace deals will be higher. For example, normally, level 2 of that proficiency should be able to call a mace that deals maybe 8-12 damage. For you, 10-15, stronger, yeah? It also means it will cost less experience to take it all the way to level 100, a lot less.”

  I nodded. That was good information to have. It also made me wonder about something. I asked, “Does that mean we should target proficiencies that are specific to maces. Like, I know the proficiency dealer said sword and board could be used with any weapon and a shield, right? But is there something like that specific to a mace? Like mace and board?”

  Asher hummed in thought. “Maybe. We’ll need to ask around at the proficiency dealers. It might be a good idea to start getting to know some of them. Making friends. That’s the best way to gain information. You could also ask your new friends to keep an eye out for you, that weapon fanatic might already know the proficiency and be able to tell you what to look for.”

  I nodded. I planned to hit the bar to celebrate my victory over the first floor anyway. It wouldn’t hurt to see if they are around and get them to join me.

  “Check the sack and then we have one more thing to go over,” Asher said, his eyes flitting to the bag left behind by Ramy.

  It was a large sack, maybe similar in size to a school backpack, tied at the top with a simple rope cinch. It was easily undone. Inside was glittery. It was filled with tiny crystals, or mostly filled with tiny crystals. There was also a chunk of what looked like a door and its nob . . . if that door had been made of flesh and the nob was an eye stalk. Clearly, this was part of the demon door I had killed. As disturbing and disgusting as it was, I was very curious what the essence extraction and purification would look like. I really needed to put some time into that.

  Satisfied, I tied the bag back up and stuck it into my inventory, or at least I tried to. Frowning, I slung it over my shoulder. It was weightier than I expected. Seeing Asher looking at me expectantly, I answered, “Crystals and part of that demon door thing.”

  Asher bobbed. “Good, you’ll need them if you’re going to learn the heavy armor proficiency. As for the bag, take out the piece of the demon door and you should be able to put that into your inventory by itself and then the bag should go in as well.”

  I nodded and did as he said. Both easily entered my inventory after that.

  Once my hands were empty, Asher spoke again, “Now, as to the other thing I needed to tell you. Now that you have leveled me up, you can see I that now have HP. That means I’ve been made corporeal. I can be attacked and killed. More importantly, other humans will be able to see me.”

  “Is that good or bad?” I asked. It would be nice if my other friends could see him and talk to him.

  Asher looked hesitant to answer. When he did, it didn’t fill me with confidence. “Eh, could go either way. Some people, as you well know, are just not good people. They’ll see me and think a demon escaped and I’m experience waiting to be gained. Some will think I’m . . . your pet,” he finished, his flames dimming slightly.

  I snickered but quickly stifled it when the fireball glared at me. “It’ll be fine. You have a bunch of spells now, right? Can you use any of them on yourself? Which reminds me, what are your spells?”

  “No,” Asher answered with a pout. “My proficiencies can only be used on you. I currently have a single new proficiency. Shield. It’s a damage absorption shield capable of absorbing one hundred points of damage.”

  Ignoring his correction from calling them spells instead of proficiencies I was more than a little pleased. In fact, that was a fantastic spell. “How long does it last?”

  “One minute, which is also the cooldown,” Asher answered. “And before you get too excited, it costs one hundred SE to cast and before you ask my SE regeneration is the same as yours.”

  “Right, then we need to level you up,” I said, preparing to go back into my Scroll and do just that. Ramy already told me Asher would gain a unique proficiency at level 5.

  “Now, hold on,” Asher quickly stopped me. “We need to really review your sheet. I’m hoping you gained a lot of experience for completing the library and your first floor of Purgatory.”

  I knew I gained at least sixty thousand. I had no idea how much else I might have gained just from clearing the remainder of the library.

  I was about to do just that when Asher stopped me again. “Later. For now, go out, celebrate your win. Try not to let anyone kill me . . . please.”

  I chuckled but nodded. Asher might the biggest pain in my backside ever, but he wasn’t all bad.

  I made my way out of Purgatory and back into the shanty city. There were more people around than I usually saw. I hadn’t really paid much attention to the coming and goings of the other residents of Purgatory. I saw a fair number of them at the bar, but the few times I’d gone shopping, there hadn’t been many people around. Then again, I didn’t often exit Purgatory this early in the day. I supposed most people went in early in the day and came out earlier than I normally did. The Cherubim were turning a quick business, trading demon pieces for tiny crystals, hocking weapons and armor, or selling food.

  “Mm, food,” I hummed aloud then blushed as I realized I said that out loud. Unfortunately, my statement drew some curious stares which quickly redirected from me to Asher. Thankfully, we were not attacked outright.

  A deep voice with a southern drawl rumbled from next to me, “What is that?” I looked for the source only to see an extremely large, tall man towering over me and pointing a thick meaty finger in Asher’s direction.

  Swallowing nervously and feeling rather intimidated by the big man, I answered. “This is Asher, my . . . call.”

  “Huh, never seen a . . . what did you call it? A call? I ain’t never seen one of them before,” he said. “Does it do anything?”

  Asher seemed to have mustered some courage because the delightfully stupid ball of flame decided he’d been offended. “I am not, an ‘It’. I am a flame of Enoch.”

  The big man asked, “What’s that?”

  Asher sputtered. “A flame of Enoch! How is it possible that you do not know? My goodness, how . . . why . . . this is an outrage!”

  The big man shrugged, then looking to me he asked, “He always talk this much?”

  It was my turn to shrug. “Pretty much.”


  Asher sputtered again and started complaining, something I blatantly ignored.

  The big guy thankfully laughed, then offered me one of his meaty hands, “Names Brick. You?”

  Brick was huge for a human. I wondered if he suffered from gigantism back on earth. He was covered in this plate armor and carried a sword at the hip and a tower shield on his back that made me think he had chosen a similar path as my own.

  “Victor,” I replied, taking the hand, and giving it a firm shake, or at least, trying to. The man’s hand easily engulfed my own and part of my wrist. I had a feeling he’d be able to break me like a little twig. For the first time, I wished there were actual levels and nameplates so I could see just how strong this guy really was.

  “Good to meet cha,” Brick said. “Is that ‘call’ any good? I ain’t never seen one before.”

  “He’s been a big help,” I replied honestly.

  “Expensive?” Brick asked.

  I shook my head. “Not so bad. I think I kind of got lucky.”

  Brick nodded in understanding. “Sometimes that’s just the way it works here. Anyway, I should get moseying. See you around, Victor.”

  “See you around, Brick,” I replied. For a large and imposing man, he seemed like a nice enough guy.

  I was about to move on when a woman’s voice cut in, “You should watch yourself around that one. He might seem nice, but he isn’t.”

  I looked to the source of the voice. It was a scantily clad girl who was dressed like . . . a witch? She even wore a black pointy hat on her head and carried a gnarled staff. That was where the comparison ended. She wore a halter top that showed a lot of cleavage and stomach and an extremely short skirt that barely covered . . . didn’t really cover much of anything, and naturally, her ensemble was completed with thigh high boots. Even in my youth, I knew a girl like this meant trouble. Whether that was good trouble or bad . . . well, only time would tell.

  “Something wrong with Brick?” I asked, trying to feel her out.

  The woman smirked. “Something is wrong with all of us, don’t you know? We’re all convicts here. I was burned in Salem as a witch because I slept with my neighbor’s husband. As you can see, I embraced it. Brick was a soldier, killed women and children in the name of God. You tell me, who’s the worse sinner? Either way, you should watch your back around here.” With that, she pushed off the wall she was leaning on and sauntered away. I can admit, I might have watched her go a little too closely. While I doubted witches in Salem ever dressed like that, after how many hundreds of years, she was sure to have picked something up.

  I considered calling after her for her name but decided against it. Like she said, everyone here wasn’t exactly the best of people. It reminded me that the three people I had come to think of as friends, weren’t necessarily good people either.

  I groaned and grumbled, “I hate this place.”

  Asher snorted. “It hates you too.”

  I barely spared the fireball a look before moving toward the bar. I planned to celebrate properly. A glass of scotch on the rocks was in my hands in short order. Unfortunately, it was still rather early in the day so I doubted my ‘friends’ would be in for several hours. That left me with just my drink for company . . . and Asher as well I supposed.

  “Asher,” I started, hesitating slightly. “What’s it like after Purgatory? I mean, what’s the Silver City like? And the war?”

  Asher sighed. “I can’t tell you much, it’s against the rules, especially not about the war. Those memories are . . . I have them, I feel them there, but if I focus on them, they vanish. A block to prevent me from telling you anything about it. As for the Silver City. It’s a place of dreams. Where everything you ever wanted or needed is there for you, you only need to imagine it.”

  “Sounds horrible,” I said jokingly.

  Asher surprised me when he bobbed his agreement. “It is. There is no challenge. No need to fight for anything . . . ever. It’s boringly peaceful. Bah! Maybe I’ve been at war so long that anything less seems that way. Still, a forever existence without worry can’t be all bad.”

  I wondered about that. Would it be like a drug induced haze? Or would it be the greatest dream you ever dreamed? Or would you grow bored over time? I was shaken from those thoughts when found my drink was empty and in need of a refill.

  I sipped slowly at my refilled scotch while I waited. Asher and I chatted a little. He shared some stories about Metatron, his creator. Apparently, the Archangel was something of a massive nerd. Asher even claimed that the story of Merlin, in the stories, were based on Metatron as were several other prominent wizards throughout fiction. Just like almost every famous sword throughout history was based on the flaming sword. The history of Judeo-Christian mythology didn’t exactly line up some of the weapons mentioned but I didn’t know it well enough to correct him. Besides, maybe it was true.

  Some hours later, Theo arrived looking somber, barely giving me a soft smile when he spotted me. He got his usual stein of beer from the bar then came over to join me.

  “Where are the others?” I asked.

  “Rebecca needed a night,” Theo answered.

  “And Gunther?” I asked, wondering where the fastidious man was.

  “Gunther entered Purgatory,” Theo said, putting his mug to his lips and tipping it back. He chugged until it was empty then slammed the mug down on the table. “And never came out.”

  “So, he’s still inside?” I asked.

  Theo shook his head. “No, lad. He never came out. He’s made it through his Purgatory and left the rest of us to rot.”

  That stunned me a little. Gunther said he’d been in Purgatory for a hundred years or more. Still, his anger confused me. I asked, “Isn’t that a good thing?”

  Theo grunted. “Aye, it is. But for someone like me, someone who’s been here for . . . I don’t even know how long. It’s . . . disheartening. I may talk about the eternal battle and the revelry of the evening as though I were in Valhalla. But the truth . . . the truth is I’m weary. I’ve cleared more than a thousand floors of my own Purgatory. I’ve fought demons that would give you nightmares and keep you from ever entering the tower again. I’ve killed worse. And yet, here I remain. I fear, here I shall remain for eternity.”

  I nodded. I honestly thought Theo loved it in Purgatory, despite the dangers the demons presented. But here he was, lamenting that he was still trapped. Still forced to fight his own demons. Would I feel the same if I fought for as long?

  Theo sighed, then picked up his mug and said, “Alright, time to get drunk. You need another?”

  “Sure,” I said.

  It seemed Theo also finally noticed Asher, “How about your little fiery friend? Does he need something? Firewater maybe?”

  I chuckled, “Sure.”

  “I don’t drink?” Asher commented.

  Theo laughed. “We’ll see about that.”

  What was supposed to be my celebration for completing my first floor turned into something of a somber send off for Gunther that ended with me stumbling home and passing out just inside my door.

  Chapter 17 – Pride

  After getting solidly drunk with Theo, waking up the next morning was an unpleasant prospect. Sleeping on the floor was more unpleasant. I wouldn’t have thought a crick in the neck was even possible anymore, not with my advanced Body. And yet, there I was . . . hungover . . . with a crick in my neck.

  “Oh, my head,” whined Asher from somewhere nearby.

  Though it hurt to move, turned my head left then right to find the fireball significantly dimmer and laying on the ground with his eyes closed in a wince.

  I chuckled then winced. We learned Asher was able to drink now that he had a corporeal form. Unfortunately for him, as soon as he discovered that, he started ordering a large variety of alcoholic beverages. He wanted to ‘taste them all’. He may not have tasted all of them, but he got through quite a few, hence, his own hungover status.

  “I’m never drinking again,�
�� Asher complained.

  I chuckled and winced again. “Yeah, I’ve been there before.”

  “Not so loud,” Asher complained, then added, “I think I’m going to be sick.”

  I heard the little flame belch, which included a flash of light and a ‘whoosh’ sound. I laughed and winced at the pain it caused but kept laughing. Asher was belching flames.

  Once I stopped laughing and Asher seemed to have burned off all the alcohol it was time to get back to work . . . after I found coffee and a lot of water.

  “Before we go,” Asher said, his form quivering slightly. He was clearly still hungover despite his earlier assurance that he was fine. “You need to allocate your experience.”

  I mentally grumbled about my head hurting too much to do any math. Still, I pulled out my scroll and spread it open on my cot.

  Name: Victor Goodspeed

  Highest Floor Cleared: 1

  Experience Earned: 72,344

  Hierarchy: 4th

  Rank: 12th

  Title: Sinner

  HP: 200/200

  EP: 140/140

  SE: 100/100

  Body

  Experience to Next Point: 9,992

  Unused Points: 0

  Strength:

  14

  Reflex:

  11

  Constitution:

  20

  Recovery:

  12

  Soul

  Experience to Next Point: 8,327

  Unused Points: 0

  Faith:

  10

  Spirituality:

  10

  Righteousness:

  10

  Fortune:

  10

  Applied Statistics

  Health Regeneration: