Oblivion

Kristasia nearly sighed in relief at being free of the spider's grasp. She knew she had to think and act both well and fast or she and the child would not survive their encounter with this beast. Having been a slave since her early childhood, Kristasia had become exceedingly good at doing both for the sake of her own survival. Her choices of late hadn't been so good, though. Running from her master into a group of demons, from a group of demons into a demonic realm, and from a group of demons in a demonic realm to a demonic spider beast in its own nest, was really the definition of jumping from a frying pan into the fire and then again into an inferno. She knew she had to escape this beast, but she certainly hoped that didn't mean jumping into a volcano this time.

"If you'll come to me, then take off your clothes join me in my nest," the spider stated, motioning to the nest of webbing in the corner.

"I... I will. I'm so thirsty though. Is there no water here?" she asked.

"If you will stay, I will bring you some. But you mustn't leave. If you do, I'll kill you," the spider threatened.

"I'll stay right here. I swear it," Kristasia replied.

The spider man looked her over once more, and she wasn't certain he believed her, but he finally nodded and turned to leave the den. Kristasia counted to ten as soon as he disappeared before she ran to the pile of bones, rummaging through them for anything she could use. She came away with a bone shard that had broken to leave a pointed, jagged edge. She tucked it away into the pocket of her dress and turned around expectantly just as the creature appeared, a jug of water in its hands.

"Here you are," the creature told her as he handed it to her.

Kristasia turned the jug up to her lips and pretended to drink. She spilled a bit of the water down her chin, but drank none before handing it back to him. She didn't trust this creature at all. He placed the jug on the table before crawling towards his nest.

"Are you ready now?" he demanded then.

"Are you even sure it would work?" she questioned him then. "I... I don't have the same anatomy you're meant to breed with."

"You certainly do. I do as well," he stated as he motioned downward.

Kristasia paled a few shades as the creature motioned down to his scrotum. The area just below it turned to a spider's abdomen, but just above a strange slit in his skin began to open and a long, thick appendage began to emerge.

"I... I mean with children. Don't spiders lay their eggs? Humans don't, you know," she said, wanting to run from this beast with every fiber of her being, but forcing herself to stay still.

"I suppose there is a chance the eggs may hatch inside you and eat you from the inside out, but I sincerely hope that isn't the case. I'd like to keep you," he replied rather nonchalantly. "Now come, or I'll get you myself."

"Do you have a heart like a human?" she then asked softly.

"What a ridiculous question," he muttered as he stepped towards her again.

"I'd only like to know about the anatomy of the creature I'm about to breed with. Is that ridiculous?" she asked as he drew closer with his large, throbbing appendage poised and ready still.

"I suppose not. Yes. I have a heart, like that of a human, in the same place and all. I have all the correct upper anatomy of a human and all of the correct lower anatomy of a spider. Enough questions. I want you now," the spider hissed as he grabbed her and drew her in.

In a split second Kristasia had grabbed the bone shard from her dress pocket and had jammed it with all the force she possessed into the spider's heart. The creature let out an awful shriek and his hands clenched her in a bruising grip. All eight monstrous eyes went wide and its mouth opened fully to show the inner jaws and fangs of a spider. Kristasia screamed in terror as the creature screamed in its death throes, but then he fell away and crumpled to the ground before her.

She collapsed, adrenaline coursing through her veins as she fell to the webbed floor. The bone shard fell from her limp fingers and tears trailed down her cheeks. However, Kristasia knew she had but a moment to collect herself. She quickly pulled herself up and ran to where Lonia lay, still unmoving and barely breathing. The child was pale, but alive.

"Lonia. Lonia, baby, wake up. Please," Kristasia whispered as she shook the girl softly.

The child would not wake.

Suddenly the mass of webbing beside them began to shake and tremble. A strange moaning sound cried out from within. Kristasia pulled Lonia away from the mass of webbing and watched it with terrified fascination. It took her mind a moment to realize that something was alive inside it. Fearing the worst and hoping for the best, Kristasia grabbed the bone shard up from the floor and began to cut the thing loose. What popped out was far worse than what she'd hope for.

A strange tawny beast leapt out of the web sack with razor claws ready for battle, its long and scaly tail balancing out behind it. Sharp, pointed ears pricked up and a vicious maw of teeth sat barred beneath narrowed black eyes. The creature looked around itself several times, lifting itself up on its bipedal clawed feet, before its dark eyes lost their narrowed vicious glare and settled on Kristasia.

"You free Scawp?" the creature demanded in a nasally voice.

"I... well... yes," Kristasia stuttered as she looked over the strange little creature, only half her height.

"You kill spider beast?" the creature, apparently known as Scawp, then asked.

"Yes."

"You save Scawp life!" the creature cried happily as it danced up and down on its little clawed feet. "Scawp like you now! You Scawp new master!"

"What?" Kristasia asked, taken aback by the little beast.

"Master name?" the creature then asked as it turned its eyes up to her like an obedient dog.

"What?" she repeated uncertainly.

"Name! Name, master. Name?" the creature repeated quickly, its head bouncing up and down expectantly.

"Kristasia," she finally answered the beast.

"Kris... Krista... sus... Kristaza?" the beast began to repeat until he felt he'd gotten her name right.

"Close enough, I suppose."

"My name Scawp! Master Kristaza must come. Not safe. Must leave," the beast stated urgently.

"I can't leave without her," Kristasia stated, motioning to Lonia who still lay comatose on the floor.

"Master other servant?" Scawp asked curiously.

"She's a child. She's in my care. I love her. I won't leave her," Kristasia explained.

"She Master other servant?" Scawp asked again, clearly not understanding.

"Oh, yes. I suppose so, if that's all you'll understand. But I can't leave her."

"Master Kristaza so kind. So good Master not leave servant! So good Master not leave Scawp! Scawp carry servant! Scawp good servant too!" the beast exclaimed as he picked Lonia up and threw her over his little shoulder. "Come! Good servant Scawp show way home. Leave nasty spider beast."

"Well, I suppose. You know where you're going, don't you? Are you certain?" Kristasia asked him.

"Scawp know! Scawp good servant. Smart. Scawp find way out," the creature replied confidently as he grabbed the lantern off the table with his free hand and, holding Lonia secure on his shoulder, began to lead the way out.

An hour or so later they finally emerged, amazingly unscathed, from the dark catacombs. Scawp laid Lonia down gently beside the lantern and stretched up on the tips of clawed toes to scan their perimeter. Lonia began to groggily wake up.

"Krissy, where are we?" the child asked softly as she rubbed her eyes and looked around.

"Safe, for the moment," Kristasia replied as she helped the child up and hugged her tightly.

"What happened to the awful spider man?"

"He's gone. That's all that matters."

"And what is that thing?" Lonia then asked as she laid eyes on Scawp who was still dutifully searching for any threats.

"That would be Scawp."

"Safe, Master!" Scawp declared joyfully as he came down from his toes. "Ooh! Servant wake! What name?"

Scawp, not terribly much taller than Lonia, looked down at her with studious eyes.

"My name?" the frightened child asked as she clung to Kristasia's dress.

"Name," Scawp repeated.

"Lonia."

"Scawp better servant than Lonia," Scawp announced dismissively.

"Scawp, I tried to tell you. She's a child, not a servant."

The creature shrugged dismissively as Kristasia took a moment to survey their surroundings. Far off in the distance she could make out the canyon they'd left and the fiery red portal at its end. Just beyond that was an ocean of steaming lava as far as her eyes could see. Before them was a rocky, mountainous terrain and at its horizon were three black towers.

"We go there?" Scawp asked as he pointed to the distant towers.

"I'm not so sure about that."

"We go there. There safe. Here not safe. Here spiders and hedans and jeggas and more scawps. Not nice like Scawp. Bad scawps. Mean scawps. Nasty scawps," Scawp explained. "People there."

"People are out there?" Kristasia asked hesitantly.

"Lots of people. Scawp old master there. Old Master not nice. He send Scawp for in...inge...gre...dens...ingedens for nasty water," Scawp explained. "He drink nasty water. Make Scawp get things. Scawp not like. Scawp get hurt. Scawp not like hurt. New Master good! Not make Scawp get hurt!"

"Krissy, he's silly," Lonia stated, though she appeared to no longer be afraid of the creature.

"Alright, Scawp. Take us to the other people," Kristasia agreed.

Scawp nodded happily and they started off again through the rocky desert land. The sky above was still red and the huge purple clouds still grumbled as the orange lightning danced across it.

"Really?" Daedronus demanded as Creed stood before him. "Again?"

"Sire, I..." Creed started before being cut off.

"I'm still not laughing Creed, but this is still a joke. A young woman and a small child? Seriously? I mean, seriously? Tell me you're joking. It's an awful joke, but I swear I'll laugh."

"My men are searching the canyon for them right now. I just thought you should know."

"Creed," Daedronus huffed as he shook his head again. "Oh, Creed. My Divinity Stone is in this realm. I can feel it. One of them has it. Likely the child. Find them and bring them to me before one of the spiders eats them."

"I intend to, Sire."

"By doing what? Searching the canyon? Really? They're obviously not in the canyon anymore."

"My men are searching the catacombs, Sire."

"Try again, dear friend. They're out of the catacombs and they are, in fact, almost upon the first village. What do those mortals call it? Hellspath? Get them. Now. I mean, really, they're practically right outside the gates. All you have to do is walk outside, go down to the village, say 'Hey, I'm Creed, come with me if you want to live,' and bring them back," Daedronus stated as he held is hand out, swiveling his wrist as his fingers swirled.

"And you believe that will work?" Creed demanded.

"It certainly worked for a ravenous spider about three and a half hours ago. Dear me. Look what you're making me do, Creed. I'm an immortal being beyond comprehension who has been alive for thousands of millennia and you're making me break time down into hours. How dare you?" Daedronus demanded as he crossed his arms over his chest in offense.

"Sire, if you know exactly where they are, why are you making us hunt them down?" Creed demanded.

"I was wondering how long it would take you to ask. Of course I know where they are. I've been watching everything that's been going on this entire time. I'm omniscient remember? Actually, I'm rather beginning to like that girl. Make sure you don't harm her or the child when you bring them in," Daedronus stated.

"But Sire, why am

I

bringing them in? Why did you let the thief escape? Why any of this?" Creed demanded.

"Well what else am I supposed to do for entertainment? It gets boring being the lord of everything."

"Do what normal people do and take a mistress. Females provide endless amounts of entertainment and drama, if that's what you're seeking," Creed snapped.

"They bore me. I understand that I am all-knowing and all-powerful and all that, but even if I put a stop to my all-knowing of all-everything and my all-powerfulness to do all-everything, even then few mortals are capable of comparing. Besides, they stay a few centuries and then they grow a yearning for their mortality back. I understand. It is rather boring spending eternity here. I really did like the last one. She spent too much time yearning for her mortal life back though, and so, I gave it to her. She's been reincarnated several times now and each time she comes back to the Ninth Realm she doesn't seek me. Humans do not love as gods do," Daedronus said with a sullen sigh before placing his chin upon his palm. "I'm so bored of casual relationships, Creed. I'd rather to take one I could keep than to keep taking ones, you know?"

"I actually thought you were upset about losing your Divinity Stone! The entire balance of all the realms could have been shattered! Are you suicidal?!" Creed shouted.

"Oh, some days more or less than others," the demon god replied drolly. "Just go bring me the humans."

"Get them yourself, you oversized child!" the Daedran general spat angrily.

"Creed," Daedronus said, drawing the other's name out in a dangerous manner.

"Fine," he hissed. "Fine! But in another thousand years when you do some other manner of self-destructive nonsense just to provide yourself with empty entertainment, get someone else to do your bidding!"

The Daedran turned and stormed from the hall.

"There is no one else, Creed!" the demon god called after his friend, a smile curling his lips.

Kristasia, Lonia, and Scawp finally reached the broken, dusty town. Hovels of stones and cracked boards constituted most walls of most buildings and a few rugged people were out roaming the dirt streets. Scawp scampered on without a care as several people began to view them with strange looks.

"Scawp, I believe this was a very bad idea," Kristasia whispered just as someone cried out.

"It's them! Call the Daedran!" a man shouted as he pointed to them with a single chubby finger.

The town exploded into a sudden frenzy of life. Humans along with gray-skinned demons came pouring out of every hovel, hole, and hiding place. Scawp gave his utmost vicious snarl and scratched and clawed at any humans who dared come near. The Daedran began pulling the humans back, away from the girls and Scawp, almost as if to protect them. Kristasia held Lonia tightly against her chest as Scawp circled them protectively and Daedran surrounded them in mass. Then one, the very one who had saved them from the dogs in the mortal realm, came striding out of the mass of infantry.

"Get back, beast," he growled formidably to Scawp.

"Scawp protect Master," the little beast growled.

"Get out of my way or I'll kill you," the demon warned sternly.

Scawp, entirely unfazed, snarled and lunged towards the demon man threateningly before falling back to Kristasia's side. The demon placed his hand upon the hilt of his sword and began to draw it.

"Scawp, stand down," Kristasia cried desperately. "Stop it, now! Please don't hurt him. He doesn't mean anything."

The demon paused to look at Scawp, who was hesitantly obeying her command, and Kristasia, who knelt hugging the terrified child to her chest. He let his sword fall back to its sheath.

"Come on then," the demon stated as he motioned for them to follow.

"Where are you taking us?" Kristasia demanded immediately.

"Does it matter? You'll go there whether I tell you or not."

"You underestimate how resourceful I am," she bantered.

"Apparently so. I'm taking you to Lord Daedronus. He will decide what is to become of you. Now let's go," the demon demanded as he motioned for them to follow.

One of the Daedran soldiers gave Kristasia a hard shove. Scawp turned viciously on the man, biting through the armor of his gauntlets until dark blood came gushing out. The demon man cried out and shook the little creature violently from his hand. Scawp hit the ground, rolled, and was quickly on his feet again, tail balanced appropriately and ready to fight.

"Don't touch them!" the demon general snarled as he turned back over his shoulder.

Kristasia slowly rose, taking Lonia's hand, and the two of them followed the demon general as the crowds parted before him. Scawp, snarling all the while, brought up the rear. The demons escorted them from the village up a path leading to tall black gates and to the first of the three large towers beyond it. Though from a distance the towers had looks so close, Kristana now realized there were miles between them. This tower, the largest of them all, must have been the main one and the one in which they would soon meet the god of their realm, the demon lord to whom all devout men prayed, Lord Daedronus.

Once they were in the black tower, a huge lobby with tawny marble floor greeted them. The lobby encircled a large inner tower that strived upwards beyond the high ceiling. Several staircases spiraled upwards, some along the walls of the outer tower and some along the walls of the inner, meeting only to adjoin at levels of railed walkways that wrapped along the walls of the tower every fifty or so feet. Bridges crisscrossed the empty air above, joining the levels of railed walkways attached to the inner and outer tower walls as far up as the eye could see. Levels and levels spanned up the tower to be lost in the domed, black ceiling far above.

"Where are we going?" Kristasia asked curiously as she stared ever upward.

"Nearly to the very top," the demon general replied.

"That's a long way."

"Yes. It's nearly a mile to the very top. Fear not. There is a much faster route," he responded as he led them around the curved lobby to the other side of the inner tower where a raised, railed platform awaited them.

He opened the railing at a small gate and led them onto the platform. The following Daedran stopped there, watching as only their general, the two girls, and Scawp entered onto the strange device. From there the demon pulled a lever and heavy black chains began to jerk the platform up at an alarmingly uncomfortable rate of speed. Scawp jumped up and down, laughing gleefully while Lonia clung to Kristasia tightly with closed eyes. Kristasia grabbed the top bar of the railing to steady herself, the ground seeming to almost give way beneath them. The demon general looked rather bored.

Finally the awful device brought them to a jerking halt at the final level of railed walkway at the top of the tower. From there the demon general opened the gate and they began to disembark on woozy legs. He marched onward towards a black door set into the tower wall and pressed a square of stone that jutted out an inch from the rest. The door, instead of opening inward or outward, split down the middle and was sucked into the stone frame on either side. The Daedran general motioned towards the entryway and, summoning all her bravery, Kristasia stepped through with Lonia in tow. Scawp and the demon general followed behind.

Before Kristasia was a curving hall that followed the path of the tower wall at a slight elevation. She followed the curving hallway up until its curve straightened into a long hall leading to a rather bored looking man draped across a throne chair. One leg rested down on the floor while the other had been flung high over the arm of his gleaming black throne. One elbow was propped on the other arm of the throne, supporting his head, while the other hung limply across his chest. Black hair cascaded in long locks down his arm, past his elbow, and down one side of his throne. Behind him the back of the throne chair stretched upwards in a series of gleaming black spikes with pointed razor tips. Bored and unthreatening as he looked, Kristasia couldn't help but wonder if this was, in fact, the volcano.