Inferno Ascended

In Rusa, they were introduced to a man named Briaxis, who would be the scout accompanying them part of the way. He was a tall, particularly thin man, his muscles clinging to his bones, and the traditional shaven head. 

After he explained in little detail what the path would be like, they began their journey across the plain of Heramis, heading northeast. Glax had the notion that they would, on foot, traverse about 100 km of hills and plains, towards the forest where they were supposed to find this village of the Prometheans.

"The plains were never really cleared of all the deaths that took place here, so Heramis never recovered. It's a... fucking nasty place. Some obstacles may appear. Pray to the unknown god of the roads for a safe journey to your destination, if you believe in superstitions." He showed an amulet attached like a phylactery to his arm. "I'll drop you off at the entrance to the forest. I'll be waiting there for a day. If you have any problems, go back to the place where I left you. I won't be there after a day. I'm just coming back at the moon change, so if you want to come back to Rusa with me, be there on time."

They agreed, knowing that Briaxis was not to be seen with them. Glax also imagined that most encounters with Silvans from then on would be combats, or at the very least, very hostile encounters.

They exchanged their clothes, armor and weapons for neutral items before entering Erimos. This meant that it might not immediately identify them as Echelian soldiers. But it didn't guarantee that, of course.

Just in case, Glax had brought a firearm and ammo in his backpack. Thersos lent him his own rifle, which was effectively the best firearm Glax had ever seen in Stygia.

When they exited one of the gates to the north, on foot, and were still in the shadow of the black fortress, Glax gazed at the mist-shrouded horizon and strange bluish wisps with amazement.

At least the small part of the Mytossus valley that he knew, and the river Ioleum, where Marbium village sits by, was a beautiful land. Rocky and cold, with forests, windy plains and marshes, with their vegetation vaguely familiar but full of surprises. In the distance, the mountain ranges to the east and west, separating the Echelians from the Erimos, were stunning and imposing postcard scenes.

However, Heramis was not exactly like that.

It was like a downgrade in the travel package.

The sticky, damp mist seemed to cling to the skin like cobwebs, advancing like waves against the walls of the fortress. It wrapped around its charred landscape, with small tufts of vegetation growing here and there. A foul odor of burnt bones and tar penetrated his nostrils. And with every step, the ground crunched underfoot.

Glax looked down and saw what he at first thought were shells. But that made little sense. Then when he saw a piece of femur, he understood it was splintered bones.

"I didn't imagine the battle of Heramis had been so horrible."

"Oh, yes, it was. Horrible. I was a messenger back then," said Briaxis nonchalantly, looking around for signs of danger. Then he motioned for them to advance. "I served a Kroton who died on the first day of battle. It was a terrible day. So they put me on to deliver messages. Since then I've been here. But that wasn't the only battle. It never ended, actually."

He was told how Albium, and then Rusa, were erected after the battle of Heramis. This was the second widest and easiest entrance to Stygia, with the forests in the small portion of fertile terrain available on Erimos, mild enough to live on. So the villages and towns of the Silvanos were farther east, and as far as possible from the legendary Vectorum.

It wasn't long before Glax and Rasmus learned Vectorum was the Gate where the orbs of the dead reached the River Leto. They all flowed there if the right rites had been done. The river Leto cut the Erimos from west to east, disappearing into the depths of an abyss.

"Did you see all this?" The valosian inquired the scout.

"The closest I got to the River Leto was as far as seeing it from a distance. Its waters and even its vapors are dangerous. You'll know you're too close if you can see the lights…" replied the guide.

"Is it true that those who fall into Leto lose their memory?" Rasmus questioned.

"It's worse than that. Whoever falls into Leto has his soul ripped out immediately by the dark waters. The body is still alive, but its soul is taken to the depths!" The scout told them, and his tone of voice showed that he truly believed his own words.

Rasmus crossed himself and grabbed his amulet, a symbol of the sun and moon that had likely been a gift from Priestess Jolla.

As they walked, they saw willow fires and tarred smoke rising from shallow pools across the ancient battlefield. Bursts of iridescent light that formed humanoid silhouettes meters ahead also surprised them.

"Stay away. Cacodemons."

"What?"

"Lost souls grow angry and jealous overtime. A Rhoas said that orbs gather in groups that form these evil spirits, the Cacodemons. They can engage in combat if we get too close." Briaxis explained.

"Why didn't you say that before?" Glax charged.

"Because I hope you don't get any closer than necessary. And spirits are defeated with common weapons, though not very easily. They disappear and return to the same place later, of course."

The information surprised Glax, but it made sense.

Briaxis only detoured a bit when these often menacing apparitions came his way. 

But the farther they went into Heramis, the more remains and old armor, chariots, and wreckage they saw, the darker the sky became. Although they had left Rusa in the middle of the day, they had only walked an hour and it was already dark. The fog blurred everything and they could only see about 10 meters away at most.

Glax's fingers were cold and hard, and he gripped his spear tightly. His senses were alert, and at this point they were all silent, noticing where the next manifestation of a Cacodemon would appear.

'If regret could kill a man…' was all Glax could think. For some misunderstanding in his mind, he thought Erimos wouldn't really have a Traditional Hell Trial at the entrance. 

In fact, he expected to find desolate steppes and decrepit villages with sick and aggressive fauns. Although he had sometimes heard that the Infernal River ran in this region, he had the dumb idea it was in a far corner, and not crossing the entire length of the Erimos. Or that it was so dangerous.

'I won't be surprised if I find out that the Steam People are doing something terribly stupid with the river…'

His thought wandered for a moment to the possibilities, and only returned to the present moment when Rasmus jerked his body and leaped with an exclamation.

A spear jabbed an already broken skull at Glax's feet. Soon afterward, a ghastly roar echoed deceptively in the mist, and they only became aware of its origin when the burst of gaseous light struck very close to them.

'Oh shit…' His first thought had to be cut off to use the spear in his hands against the gigantic figure that lunged at him with the fury of a pinscher but the size of a tractor. He jerked his body to avoid being slammed like a fly.

The mace hit the ground where Glax fell, hurling bones and stones into the air. Glax saw the spear thrust into the giant's side, who turned to sweep him away with his club.

A single eye, huge and blue, stared at him briefly. Glax could only roll and hope he'd be fast enough.

The creature was slightly ethereal and emanated light from the orbs. The cacodemon in the shape of a cyclops about 3 meters tall snorted when he didn't hit Glax again.

Rasmus hit the creature with a smack of his shield in the middle of its back. The cacodemon dropped to one knee, turning its fury on its attacker, and Glax was able to recover, pulling the rifle from his back.

"Let's see if you like this."

Until that moment, he had not imagined that a cacodemon could acquire a quasi massive and corporeal form. He fired two shots in a row, not fully prepared for the gun's jerk. 

To his surprise, he had no problem with it. His aimless shots landed on the back of the huge bluish monster, busy dealing with Rasmus' powerful frontal blows. And the third shot hit the fake Cyclops in the back of the head.

He saw the creature topple and the soul orbs disperse like fireflies to the sky. His clock immediately attracted the slower ones. Several of them, in fact. 

He straightened up, feeling a little dizzy and, at the same time, intoxicated. It felt like his nostrils had flared for more intake of air.

'Wow.' 

He then turned on his heel to help Briaxis with his opponent. Or opponents.

These two looked like grotesque caricatures of Stygian warriors, with mocking grins and curved horns. Briaxis tried to keep them at bay with his bow, but they advanced with their ghostly shields. 

Glax grabbed his spear from the ground and attacked one of them from the side again. The cacodemon fell to the ground and Glax on top of it. They rolled as the Valosian delivered blows and more blows with the spear. 

A strange satisfaction filled him when he realized that the amalgam that held the cacodemon's orbs ragged with each blow, and they were drawn to the artifact.

The clock seemed to vibrate in its belt under the leather armor. Something also strained inside himself, pushing at the shackles. And now he understood that the more orbs the Chronos Disc imprisoned, the freer he would be. 

Eventually the cacodemon also dissolved, and some orbs managed to escape, while most were captured by the vselys artifact.

Rasmus and Briaxis easily took care of the other opponent.

He didn't have time to breathe when he noticed a new flash of light and heard the cussing not far away.

"Out, fuckin' ugly thing! Die! Die!"

He and Rasmus looked at each other.

"Alekos?!"