Night had engulfed all the surroundings.In the middle of the forest,quite a walk from the school,I had now stumbled upon another tomb.Unlike my last encounter,it would seem this tomb was made in a more recent time than the temple.Ahead of me stood a massive marble stone,engraved over it were depictions of a tribe unknown to me.This door would have earlier been visited after following a long corridor,traces of which I could only make out due to the still erect pillars.Bathing in the dim milky light of a full moon,the tomb..or whatever remained of it,glowed.The devil's hand made no reaction to this tomb.Strangely though,lead by nothing but intuition,I arrived right before it.

The creatures of the night,now active,started making noises.Welcoming or threatening I could not tell.

"They don't seem happy about this"Tridus warned me in a shaky and unsure voice.

"You don't have to come,Id rather leave you with company here.Besides I cant be bothered watching my step in there"

We both were interrupted by a low growling voice,echoing from within the tomb.Nothing ordinary,even for the standards of this place,could be living in this deserted mossy structure,let alone it being a tomb.

"We are going in" I made it evident now as I took my step towards impending doom.

The door was jammed from the years of weathering and plantation covering it around.I would have to destroy this thing to enter,for which I would feel bad.But since noone managed to take care of this,perhaps it has little meaning to everyone.Charging the devils hand,I blew away the enormous door.Much to my surprise,someone was/is living here.The inside was lit by torches,and the yet long corridor continuing after the door,was echoing with crackles of burning fire,warm..but certainly not welcoming.Staled on the walls was blood,not a little,a massive amount of it.Almost as if abstractly painted upon it.The floor itself showed a blood pattern..food perhaps or rotten carnage,bodies were dragged through this place,onto the dark room that lied ahead.

Beneath the blood were again more hieroglyphs.Upon reading I came to one conclusion,this place was in fact related.

"It's been hunting,whoever it is,the blood is still fresh"

The tip of my feet dragged itself over the yet fresh blood,over the one already dried.
I would have thought this creature,whoever it was,would probably be lurking in the darkness,awaiting my arrival,ready to devour me.But this creature called out my name,a low
hoarse voice,echoed yet again,the room shrouded in darkness ahead was probably big and spacious,enough for him to hunt me.I could tell tridus's animal instincts told him not to go further.I would regret later to take the risk.

"You can stay here if you want"

"but I.."

"scratch that,your staying here..its an order"

He bowed his head ,and I departed further.

The hall was big as expected,I burnt my own flames,with a little visibility I could see clearly.

I was rather startled that the tomb was actually another temple.Facing a spacious hall with a rather primitive statue for worshipers was a primitive god.Or rather a demon.Yes,my inner instinct and some obvious features,did indicate this was Arihala,the demoness of fertility.Perhaps the occultist worshiping her camouflaged the temple with a tomb.And then I heard cries,first one,then followed by others.
Hiding behind the primitive stone carved seats,were glowing innocent eyes over a rounded face.Their small bodies and tender hands,uncared,abandoned in their lives,they seek the motherly love they could never receive in their life.Finally they appeared,we call them the hellchild.

The hell child had appeared.
In the time I had spent with the demon inside of me.I had come to know about hell,If not a little.Apparently all demons feast on fear,and overtime just like a politician,gain strength..only a lot more physical.The father of all demons Lucifer himself,and some of the archangels who followed him from heaven are our ancestors.Each of them had their own abilities and powers,which in time became more distinguished.The powerful became even more powerful,while some demons,like the one inside of me,became the lower step of the ladder.

I was certain there was no way I could defeat her,but she too did not have any reason to attack me.

"Ah,yes its bex..Iv heard rumors about you son,what naughtiness are you up to now?"

"It seems fate made us cross paths Arihala.remember,I still was and am the drogan warrior,and it is my duty to annihilate each one of you fiends"

"Is that so?How will you explain the darkness your heart breeds in? Is that not a demon you house?"

"I see your well informed.Yes I do house a demon.One that obeys me,one that I have tamed

"You ignorant fool,he was right about you.You shall be no good to hell.You look down upon us,as if you posses any holiness yourself.I will make sure to teach you some manners.Now my children,dispose him off"

The hell child,each one of them,sprouted out large scythe like blades from there hands,as they bent back,ready to attack,their eyes started to bleed...tears.

In a chain,dozens of these infants started to attack.Small and fast,armed with a deadly weapon,defeating each one was near impossible.As I burnt one in my hand,another slashed my throat.One leap onto my back.Stabbing me brutally from behind.

"Ugh..curses"

blood choked out from my mouth.

I grabbed the one at my back,and squeezed him to death.

more had grabbed my feet,tucking my cloths,crowding over me.

I kicked them,severed their arms,legs,heads.More kept coming.

" aah yes,more..more of this carnage..We're close..to the hour..the hour of rebirth..."said Arihala

Something was awfully wrong,I felt powerless..slowly being slaughtered..unable to do a thing.

Bump for you, Bex.

(sorry,took a long while,im back)

Relentless agony and pain followed the next few events that were to unfold.
The hell child were among the most fascinating and rare beings in the depths of hell.Arihala
there so-called mother could be better explained a a deity than a monster .

Usually people believe every child is born pure of all sins,and their acts decide their future,either to ride the heavenly clouds of heaven or damn them to hell,banishing them from all that is pure and holy.

Although hell child are rumored to be infants who died before they could start breathing,their rebirth was in hell,born again to grow up and become even more powerful demons.Although they are frail and weak at this age,after perhaps a prolonged lifespan of a 100 years they could become whats equivalent of our teenagers.

The blood they now cry from their eyes is the vented up loneliness,the fact that they were once human and memories from their earlier lives.

My eyes shrouded in darkness and my consciousness fading away,words were being chanted by the demoness while I fought,swinging the homura,killing as many as I could but not being able to count the cries that awaited to lurch at me any instant.My ki was slowly being sucked out,until the hell child overpowered me with numbers.They caught both my hands,and disarmed me,after which they started to feed upon me,tearing off my skin piece by piece,gobbling me down.

Finally the hour has come..the hour of sacrifice,be honored bex,you shall serve a far greater purpose than this meaningless life you so bravely fight for"

The primitive dome shaped roof,started to open up,twines and wild bushes,a lot of dirt and insects,started to fall on the floor.This roof must have been covered from the outside with the wild growth,explaining why I couldn't notice it.As the roof collapsed,moonlight began to enter the tomb,making it more visible.Except the color of this light wasn't like white,instead blood red.For some reason this red light affected my skin,burning it like acid,the pain so sharp ,it felt as if my body was burning,decomposing..withering away.In an instant I felt all these,side stepping trying to avoid the light.As the instant passed,I realized I was fixated at the spot.Cries of pain escaped my mouth.The small hell child apparently were immune to this acidic blood bath.Also they had lost their shape,In the light or perhaps at whim,they were now nothing but lumps of skin clustered up together,holding my feet down.

I tried to move,to twitch,tried to blink.I tried to channel out ki into my feet...futile,the chanting was holding me down.Slowly the pain started to fade away with my consciousness.

"Enjoying ourselves are we?Good good..soon bex very soon,the demon you so proudly house in yourself shall be mine,do not worry though he will be reborn..into an adorable hell child!"

"must move...must move.."I kept telling myself in my mind.

This cursed ritual went on,the chanting had pitched up.The magical words were not recognized by me.But it was eminent that these spells were perhaps scrolls or scriptures one might want to lay their hands on.This speech,these words were definitely ancient demonic magic.

As the time went on,all the hell child present had clustered onto my feet,melting themselves,solidifying.

The moon seemed so grim,morbid,unforgiving.The anger started to boil up in me.The confinement started to itch me,and the power I sought was bestowed unto me.

Slowly his arms stretched,binding into mine,his wings opened up,giving me flight.His strength was now mine,and my body was his.This was it,the demon now controlled me.Perhaps even he retaliated to serve someone other than me.I could not see him ,but yes I could feel him.This ki was familiar to me.This was the demon.

I felt light,as I took flight.My body was no longer visible,though through the blurry vision I could make out the distinction.The hands..fingers..feet,nothing but a shining blue mass of ki,with contours that of a human.

Had I transcended humanity,or did I succumb to the earthly soil?
Was reality this twisted or is this a dream?
Will my quest continue or is this the final enactment of my fate,the destiny I so hardly sought of achieve?

My brain rattled with questions,quarries,doubts and uncertainties.
Suddenly but swiftly,my arm lifted itself up,and my fingers opened,exposing my palm.A minuscule ball of concentrated ki.Right in my palm I held it,the sheer magnitude of its power made me realize how much I had suppressed the demon,rather than him being overwhelmed by me.This little ball held the power to eradicate the gift we call life.

My mouth opened and I started to speak a language not familiar to me.All I could see was her face...Arihala the mighty demoness,the icon of fertility among the demons,one of the ancients..stood dumbfounded and terrified.Her expressions told a sad tale,she was finally to meet her end.No word escaped her mouth.The only sound that resonated this underground tomb was her shriek as a massive,concentrated and heavenly huge beam of ki,struck her head on.

And then consciousness faded away and darkness surrounded me,the shriek was now faint...silence.

And then I felt his presence,it was tridus.Shouting out,trying to ascertain my condition..Although something didn't seem right,his voice seemed to tremble..scared..terrified.
I opened my eyes to recieve the most unpleasant surprise .

My vision sharpened from a blurry array of colors .I gasped in shock as I stared my surroundings.

Where Arihala once stood..there was absolutely nothing.Not even her bones survived the concentrated blast of demonic ki.The surroundings were nothing but debris.Broken trees,twines,burnt vegetation,unearthed soil and rubble from the remaining roof.

The fight must have lasted the night for now the sun shine cleared away the dark sky,the horrid moon and the painful,mundane night.The morning birds made the environment alive,and the wildlife started roaming the land above this massive crater,where the tomb would have stood not long ago.

The horror had passed,the night was over.I had defeated no a mere demon,but a hell being,one of the superior,prime creatures of the hell .But this feeling of accomplishment was short lived.

I had never imagined in the wildest of my dreams that I would perhaps defeat her.And so came the painful truth.I was not alive in a sense..neither was I dead.While my body moved,nothing was left of me.I was now nothing but a Mannequin from a biology lab.Nothing but bones,a skeleton bonded together with demonic ki..a indication that the demon still resided within me..or whatever was left.A structure of bones..trembling,crackling bones,walking,seeing and speaking as well.The colored drained tridus staring in shock now made more sense.

And then my eyes stumbled upon him,breathing..twitching,crying,stumbling uneasily.

It was a hellchild so to speak,the aftermath of battle,a result which Arihala left incomplete.
His skin was mine..so were his organs.He looked at me,with eyes of attention,with love and care.Perhaps he took me for a parent.

"Ugh,looks like we'll have to baby-sit a little" I finally spoke,braking up the silence

Tridus realized that inside the carcass was me,and so his expression calmed like usual.

"looks like it" he replied


THE END


gained pet/helper:The Hellchild

Rewards

Bex - 3 SP, 2 KP and item get! Hellchild! During your modification thread, please create a description for this little critter.

No Drachma, as you got an item instead.