Cherreads

Chapter 45 - Avernus - I

AUTHOR NOTE:

Before you read this chapter be aware that the content in this one is rated Mature, as it has excessive violence, a lot of pain and other subjects that you should not read about unless you can take them. This is a real warning so please if you know you can't handle stuff like gore and the likings maybe it's better to not read it.

"Avernus, Lady Zariel? What are you talking about, we were supposed to do some easy quest."

"Let's talk while we walk, shall we? I fear that if I take too long m'lady is gonna kill me."

He said while taking the lead.

We found ourselves in a blasted, infernal wasteland, lit by a red, oppressive sky. There is a visible barrier despite the redness. Also no sun, just a blood-colored haze, rocky terrain, scorched even, cracked by rivers of lava and hellfire.

In the long distance can be spotted some big walls which is the main city of Avernus.

"You got transported here through a special space magic that was made in a pact with a very powerful entity back in the day by the lord of the NineHells." The one-eyed monster said.

The 'Nine Hells' sounds like a really fitting name for our surroundings, and this is just one of them? But this is a bit weird, judging by everything around us and how desolate it feels, some big fights have happened here. Why? If the realm has a lord?

"Asmodeus, one of the 72th Demon King, created the Nine Hells, they are tests disguised in an easy quest for adventurers such as yourselves. The barrier you see is what isolates this planet from the rest. You see this whole planet hosts all the hells, they are just divided from each other."

I took a bit of a pause to think about what the one-eyed demon just said but it doesn't make much sense still.

"Tests for what?" I asked, curiosity being evident in my own voice and I continued. "What's the purpose of these 'tests' and what happened to this place?"

The one-eyed demon didn't bother to look back and he just continued strolling. Now that I think about it, it's foolish of us to follow someone we just met but realistically we don't have another choice.

"A war, a war between devils and demons is what happened here. The tests are to find worthy warriors or to amuse at the failure of the weak. The war ended once Zariel descended here. You should know that she's not a demon nor a devil, which is realistically just the same thing, it's a distinction created by the high social classes, the nobles, to make them feel special. I'm not a demon myself either."

Zariel... the name itself doesn't strike anything in my head so I'm left speechless.

I took a look at my companions but they shrugged, shivering. They looked at me in a weird way... almost asking me 'why are you not scared of that?'

Why would I be? We've seen weirder things.

"Zariel, once an angel who descended to put an end to the war, she got consumed by the bloodshed and made a deal with Asmodeus in which the quest of Avernus got changed. And she became the absolute ruler of this hell. She is obsessed with military discipline, honor through strength, she encourages mortals to fight with her, which will be your quest... but you'll have to hear that from her rather than me."

"Excuse me... Mister, what about you?" Stella asked, in a week, a shrill voice.

I couldn't help but notice the hands hanging out of his back are sentient on their own.

"I'm just a bit of an oddball, I got defeated by Zariel and enslaved, you can't see it but there's a collar right around my neck. I got forced to pledge loyalty to that psycho long ago. My space magic going to waste in a place like this *sigh*"

Without noticing how time passed, we arrived at the front gates of the barricaded city. From one side of the door someone peeked at us and when they saw Cipher, the gates immediately opened.

"You should be aware that time doesn't flow naturally in this place, while you may be spending weeks here, only a few days can pass in the real world. This is also due to the speciality of the barrier. A barrier that will fall shortly once the real war starts and we will be forced to put an end to these countless tests."

Curiosity got the better of me at this moment. I looked around and what I saw was an absolute disaster.

Not even homes, or buildings, just tents, with families in it.

You can see, and smell the death all around, corpses lying on the street, robberies in the plain day from the already poor merchants trying to grow materials and food to make a living.

Childs starving, bones visible through the bare skin, clothes very rarely worn by anyone who's not an official of the big tower standing in front of us I assume.

"This is hell..." Maverick exclaimed, taking the words right out of my mouth.

Cipher turned around to look at us and with a gesture of opening his hands he exclaimed.

"WELCOME, CONTESTANTS NUMBER 947 TO THE BLEEDING CITADEL."

His voice resounded through the whole city, seemingly, alarming everyone of our presence. Shivering in fear a small child tried to approach us, his looks... demonic to say the least... but so sad at the same time...

"Excuse me... do you have any food? My sister... she ... she... Waaah!"

The boy, dragging his bones around, clearly lacking the necessary nutrients to keep going for much longer came to us asking for food... for his sister.

I couldn't help myself but search for food, opening the dimensional space of my insignia... but I was cut short. Cipher kneeled down to the child.

"Tell me, boy, where's your sister? I'll go and help her personally." Cipher said, mimicking a smile I assume? Not having a mouth and only a big eye for a face, made it very hard to read his expression.

"... Come."

Maverick picked the boy up while Stella used her magic to try and calm the boy's mind.

They both did their best to help this child.

We walked for about 15 minutes until we reached a tent... that had 2 corpses laying bare at the entrance.

I couldn't help myself anymore, the smell, the sighting, I threw up. Maverick was holding better and Stella somehow was fine as well.

"Mother... father... I'm home." The boy said.

And then the realization hit me... this is worse than I imagined.

"How did they die?" I asked.

"They cut pieces.... to feed me and my sister... but they..." 

The look on the child's face told me everything I needed to know... approaching the corpses I heard a faint whisper...

'Don't trust the one----- beast"

I have the feeling I know what the whole message said and at the same time a drowning expectation filled my throat.

Cipher took a look at me, and I couldn't see but I could tell that he somehow frowned.

When we got inside the tent a barely alive even younger girl was standing next to a wall. Reaching her hands.

The boy jumped down and ran for his sister, embracing her.

I couldn't help but tear up at the sight.... She tried to speak but she couldn't.

Looking like she's almost dead I couldn't help but want to do something.

Cipher took a step forward and kneeled towards both of the kids.

"I'm sorry you had to endure such hardships, young ones, I'll perform a ritual for you both to feel better and never feel hungry again. Close your eyes."

'White Flower'

I said internally, preparing the faintest bit of pure mana to manifest my scythe.

But I didn't realize back then that our hands are already locked in place.

"Cipher, don't!" I exclaimed.

Stella and Maverick soon realized what he was about to do.

"Don't what?!" He looked at us angrily, while crushing the kids under his embrace.

The boy screamed, audible, painful, pleading for him to stop. His sister on the other hand... she was already dead by the time Cipher embraced her.

Minutes passed and he got up, letting the corpses of the kids fall to the ground.

"You!"

Anger displayed on Maverick's face.

I kept calm, knowing we can't defeat this one even if we tried... but also knowing that this is probably for the best.

"Shut your mouths, this is mercy... you don't know what fate would've awaited these two if left on their own. Well one of them at least."

He said while taking off his blood stained gloves.

"Avernus is not a place for the weak, you'll see a lot of death around and sometimes killing someone is doing them a favor. I'm not nice, neither helpful. This is just a job I got stuck with."

With a snap of his finger the chains holding our hands disappeared.

And I knew… I realized... this is mercy...

Maverick looked at me desolated, while Stella was holding back her tears.

"I'll announce the guards to come and bury this place, and tear it to the ground, so another family can take their place."

He said, but no remorse came out of his words or gestures... he's used to this stuff.

"We have to meet her majesty, so we better hurry up." 

And so we left the tent, looking back at it, three guards came to pick the kids bodies but... the boy got ripped to shreds and ate on the moment while the girl... got used before suffering the same fate... even if she was already...

This is beyond disgusting to say the least... but even now I can keep my calm...

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