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To the Ashen Lands

It had been weird for Zardes and Malkar when they were sailing.

Somehow, travelling over the sea of water seemed like a normality, much like the phrase 'the sea is water'. Now, however, it wasn't the case, for the sea was molten rock.

The boat they were on was quite a boat: it was propelled by the heat of the molten rock via a device within the engine that convert the heat into energy. The boat itself was specifically made so that it would not melt or burnt by the heat, yet also buoyant enough to be a proper boat. The boat was also self-propelled. It drove on its own with a set navigational input given at the start of the journey. Thus, there was no need for a pilot on the ship, and the passengers were not required to pilot it, either.

The journey to Ashen Lands wasn't long, or so it seemed. Due to the lack of sun, there was no way to check the passage of time aside from Malkar's pocket watch. He claimed to ask his mage friend to strengthen it with charms so that it could be used in high temperatures, and it did. According to it, they had traveled for an hour, and it was in the middle of hot molten rock that was dangerous for everyone except Belial and his suit. Somehow, the suit could also withstand high temperature, possibly to seal off Belial's fire powers.

The only one in the group who clearly felt the heat around them was Malkar. Despite of claiming that his pocket watch was heatproof, he himself not. While the heat of the molten rock sea was not enough to cook him, he was clearly trying to cool down any way he could. Zardes knew that this was due to the fact that Malkar was not a true hellhound. It was true that he still had more hellhound blood than his Lycan blood, but only a pureblood hellhound would be able to feel comfortable in the Underworld. Malkar was not as comfortable as he should be, but his presence there did not endanger his life.

Then Zardes remembered that Gehen, being an Ashen Sorcerer, would be able to help Malkar cool down by lending him a bit of the ash he carried around. The Underworld Ashes had a unique property to keep the Underworld cool enough for the Ash Hounds to live in it. Gehen agreed as he knew what Malkar was currently feeling, so he coated Malkar in the ash to help him cool down. This, however, took every ash he had in his possession. The ash hound did not really care much, for their destination had plenty of ash.

Without anyone trying to attack them in the middle of a molten sea, they got plenty of time to relax. Only Belial and Zardes kept watch while the rest made themselves comfortable with the foods they bought. They went in the ship while the two kept watch outside.

The sea was hot, but it seemed tranquil and silent. There was no sound of waves or animals. It was just silence. This made Zardes and Belial bored, so they started a conversation.

"Do you think something's going to happen to us on the Ashen Lands?" started Zardes.

"Well, we are fighting against a cult of whichever sibling I have, including Asmodel. I'd say their base of operations is in the Ashen Lands."

"Do you think you can fight them?"

"I can fight their followers, but if any of my siblings are involved...well, I'd not be able to fight back."

"Why so?"

"Look at me. What am I wearing?"

"A prison suit."

"Yes, Exactly. Right now, I am wearing the prison that can fuck me whenever you want it."

"You know we won't do that."

"What did I say about trust again?"

"Let's just say that, for this context only, that we do not identify ourselves as demons. You can trust me that anyone in the group will not try to do anything stupid with the suit."

"A little doubtful about that, but I'll try to believe you."

"See? It isn't hard to trust, right?"

Belial simply scoffed as an answer. There was another silence between the two before they start talking again.

"You know," said Belial. "Back then, when we met the ash hound...I saw your face when you kill those hellhounds," said Belial. "You may not have an Infernal blood within you, but that is the face of a bloodthirsty warrior."

"Yeah. Everyone talked about it," said Zardes. "There were...things on the surface that were as bad as anything down here. It wasn't always there, but when it was, I..."

"What happened?"

"It was around ten years ago. I was a young Hellfighter recruit when the dragon slayers started their rather...pointless and suicidal attempt to win the war. It was a chaotic time, mind you. The Northern Dragons were in fact dangerous, evil dragons that almost destroyed the world once. Many died, including some of my friends. I...well, I...was trying to fight and survive the onslaught. Before I knew it, there were piles of bodies around me, all killed by my knife. Apparently, I was the one who killed them. It did not matter anyway. My kill count was apparently not enough to justify any notoriety in my part. They may not think of it as important, but I did. It changed me.

"I know you've forgotten the feeling, Belial, but when you take lives, you'll never be the same again. It's as if a chain called 'conscience' holding you back is broken at that moment of desperation, and after that...taking lives do not feel as bad as before. By time, you'll become the monster you try to avoid."

"Yeah, I get that feeling," said Belial. "I can bet that whatever happened up there is not as bad as the one I need to endure for thousands of years."

"You are a literal demon, Belial. What we described as 'hell' might sound like a 'playground' to you."

"I don't pretend to not know about feelings, Zardes, but I know that you've felt your personal hell that day. If you can fight like a demon, then that hell of yours is something that's as much as the hell I lived in, even if the scale is nothing compared to my realm."

Hearing this made Zardes smiled, before he started a chuckle. Belial, confused by this, said, "What?"

"I never thought you, of all people, would talk to me about personal hell. It sounds like you've known a bit about our world, enough to be able to talk about it. Have you been a good prince, Belial?"

"Of course, I am! I just want to find the Texts to give me an edge. That's all!"

"I don't know. You may have a little soul-searching quest before. Are you neglecting your duty?"

"What I did is not your fucking business!" said Belial, avoiding the question.

"Alright, alright. You don't need to be apprehensive. Your domain's not my concern, anyway."

"And keep it that way."

"At least until I die and got sent to the Fifth Circle for violence. I mean, there is a high chance that we are going to be sent to any of the Circles for being a hellhound."

"And got yourself in a never-ending fight. Believe me. It's a shithole down there."

"I hear you."

Belial then turned towards the sea. "Well, that's hell for you. It's a free-for-all battleground of fucked up people getting their asses kicked. Still, free-for-all always end up one way. One wins, others kneel. It also appeals to my siblings, too."

The Infernal then stood up. "But until that time comes, our fights are nothing but simply quarrels between siblings. I simply hate that. All I want is a true fight. The war that ends all war. That's the shit I'm into."

"Considering how this situation spills to the Outer Ring, I have a feeling that it's closer than you think. Just live with it for now. I gotta find something to eat. Anything?"

"A strip of jerky's fine."

"Alright."

"Oh, and Belial?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been wondering. I've never seen you going to a restroom. Are all Circle Demons okay with that? I mean..."

"Not taking a shit or taking a piss? Of course, I still need that! I also need to fuck, too! Hell, I might even do all that if it isn't because of this fucking suit! But, don't worry. It's a pretty useful suit."

"How useful?"

"Let's just say I carry the shit hole and piss hole around."

Belial made a toothy grin before resuming his watch, while Zardes walked into the boat's waiting room. Zardes contemplated the suit's functions and sanitation system. If he claimed that he relieved himself in the suit, and the suit regulated the waste product, then where would it end up?

Knowing that it was pretty much impossible to comprehend a Circle demon's technology, he let it pass, and took some strips of Underworld meat jerkies and walked out to meet Belial.

***

The travel took more times than they thought. Five hours in the middle of a silent underground ocean could make anyone forget the passage for time. The only way to tell was from Malkar's watch, and from it, they found out that it was already nighttime.

There was nothing much they did in the middle of the ocean, so they all conserved their energies by napping and getting to know each other. It seemed that it helped making them understand each other more and be ready to tackle any problems.

Of course, all of those happened before they reached the shores of the Ashen Lands.

Somehow, looking at the ash-covered shore of the area made it far more depressing than looking at it from a portal. While the 'normal' looking Underworld was cracked drylands and occasional burst of lava, this was a depressingly cold ash-covered land, with withered petrified trees and nothing much to see except gray-colored land and a barely lit area full of mystery.

It was made even worse by the fact that the area was once a thriving kingdom of the old demons, where people and buildings once stood. Now, it was a massive graveyard where everything was cremated many years ago, and they were stepping on presumably someone's remains.

It did not deter them, though. Belial did not seem to care, while Gehen and Ammon grew up around the area. The rest tried to make it work. Also, that fact was not their primary concern.

As they had found out early on, the compass did not work in the Outer Ring area. They knew how to trace their way back to the unearthed portal on the surface, but here, nothing worked. It was also made difficult with the fact that the Ashen Lands area was not as heavily developed as the hellhound cities, and it was hard to determine the direction unless you grew and lived there, like Gehen and Ammon. While Gehen could give a direction to his village, and he could help the group find any villages with the Infernal Texts with his Ashen sorcery, it would not work if he did not know what to look for. His village was also far and walking there would take at least one month (they left their motor carriage in Halish Ser when they realized that the boat they used could not fit the vehicle). Thus, they all turned to Ammon, and hoped that the place where he grew up was not as far.

"(We can go to where I once grew up)," said Ammon. "(The Temple of Ashes, where I was ordained as a Priest of the Ashes)."

"(How far is it from here?)" asked Zardes.

Ammon looked like was unsure himself, until he made a couple of turns and pointed towards a direction. "(It'll be five days walking towards that direction)."

"(You sure?)"

"(I know my own way home. Still...to be honest, I'm not sure if they would accept me)."

"(Why?)"

"(It's...nothing. Let's go)."

Ammon was clearly hiding something, but the group did not seem to notice except Belial, who looked at the Fuzandre with suspicious expression.

The port town on the Ashen Lands side was not very populated and quite traditional in many ways. Like the other side, it was not a fisherman's village, but instead it was a hunter's village and a trading post. The ship they were on also had a handful of cargo only accessible by a lock given by the harbormaster, opening a door forbidden for the group to access.

They needed to find transport to go to the village where the Temple of Ashes was. They quickly found out that there was no transport through the Ashen Lands.

Thus, knowing full well that they would need more supplies and camping equipment since there were no transport, along with the fact that the shops had closed, they decided to stay for the night there. The group found an inn where they could sleep and eat dinner, which tasted good.

That night, everyone went their own ways. Some went directly to sleep like Damos and Ammon. Others like Belial and Zardes talked to each other. Gehen, on the other hand, did not have anything to do that night. He wasn't all that tired, and he wanted to feel the ashes under his paws after so long. It had been five years since he last been to the Ashen Lands, getting on a journey to know the rest of the Outer Rings. Damos, who was Gehen's interpreter and occasional bodyguard, did not seem to enjoy the fact that the ashes were once people, but it wasn't the case for Gehen. While it was morbid in any sense, the ashes felt alive, inhabited by the souls of those whose physical vessel perished when the area was turned to ashes, a long time ago. This connection was made apparent with Gehen's own blood, and his identity as an Ashen Sorcerer.

"(A land of wonders, don't you think)?"

The voice came from behind Gehen. It was an ash hound, sitting and watching Gehen with intent. Gehen turned and looked at him, who smiled.

"(Don't you think it's rude not to give a comment?)" he said.

Gehen tried to explain the ash hound that he was a mute, trying to make a sign to indicate this. The ash hound, however, seemed to understand, and stood up.

"(I guess that explains a lot)."

Suddenly, his expression grew menacing, and if it wasn't for Gehen's quick reaction, he would be impaled by a sword that flew towards him. He rolled away, surprised by this attack.

"(Can't shout for help?)" he said. "(Don't worry. You won't need to shout...once I cut your throat)."

Gehen looked at the sword. It seemed to him that it was controlled by magic, as it levitated around and seemed to respond to the user's will. He could control the sword's trajectory, speed, and angle to dangerous lethality. Gehen needed to be sure that he could use his ash-related magic to succeed.

As if defying his mysterious attacker, Gehen stood up, glaring at the ash hound with renewed vigor, and his seriousness to fight back and potentially kill the hound. His attacker seemed to understand this, and chuckled.

"(Of course, you will. No ash hound will go down without a fight. Unless, of course, if they were a cowards)."

His sword then levitated beside him.

"(Now, voiceless ash hound)," he said. "(Show me your resolve)."