Chapter 108: Aw Hell

The trip back home was quiet. Ann doodled more in Rosalyn’s sketchbook, showing off some of her old artistic style. The party had all loved the chibi caricatures. Lucia looked the most offput about the large eyes and exaggerated tusks, but had still taken the page and folded it into her pack reverently.

Bren, of course, had grilled her about the style and history behind it. Ann got a laugh when she’d had to explain how anime styles had developed over the decades. When she got into the history of Japan itself, the conversation turned a bit more serious. Bren wanted the whole thing, even the bad parts of the story. She’d gone over Japanese imperialism as best she could remember, then their participation in World War 2, and how that ended.

Bren looked horrified when she described the effects of nuclear weapons, their aftermath, and the death toll they’d taken. He’d asked after how they worked, but Ann flatly refused to describe it. This time had magic and alchemy, and that’d be scary enough.

Death wasn’t a great topic, so she got back to drawing.

She also ran through a few experiments with her new tooth focused skill. She did a quick one, replacing her full set of teeth with a completely human set, then returning to her fanged canines. The pain had been excruciating the first time, but better the second. By the fourth set, a set of flat herbivore teeth, it was just an ache in her jaw, followed by a new set of collectible teeth. She’d be a fucking hit with the tooth fairy.

“What are we going to do with all my body parts, by the way?” Ann asked, turning over the flat cuspid in her fingers. “I haven’t really put much thought into it, since it’s mostly been my hair, but leaving random pieces of me everywhere can’t be good. Is there like, curse magic or something I have to worry about?”

“Yes, we should figure something out for that before long,” Bren nodded. “Curse magics are absolutely a thing. Though their users are usually on the ethically unsound side of things, there are practitioners who may be in prominent places within society. Either that or employed by them. If we make enemies, and I have a hard time believing we will not, not giving them weapons and mediums through which they can influence you would be worth considering. We do not have any easy way of incinerating something like your teeth, so for now it would be best to keep that skill usage to a minimum. Hair and your eyes? Well, I suggest you become familiar with the scent of burning hair and carry some tinder around?”

“Yeah, but if I have to change my whole coat, like when I take on my Orenous Chosen form, that’s a lot of hair. Can’t just be starting little fires all over the place when I need to change.”

“And acid would be too volatile and not very re-usable. This is a new conundrum. Quick and easy disposal of a large amount of biological matter. Normally, with battles, we just burn the dead, allowing the ash to fertilise the soil. Something that entirely destroys…” Bren lapsed into thought, then pulled out a book and started flipping through it.

“Maybe some kind of bag that’s linked to a furnace of some sort? I dunno. We’ve seen Pile using dimensional magics, and Wendyl was talking about portal rings. Could that work?”

“Possibly. The issue would be the heat. The medium for the portal would have to be highly resistant to heat and set in a place not easily detected. We do not want someone finding it and accessing it.”

“How about a stone ring? Doesn’t have to be connected to a stone ring on our side. We just need it big enough to shove hair and maybe a few body parts through, right?” Rosalyn asked. “If we get the enchantments inlaid in the rock, and it’s the right type of rock, it’d be just fine.”

“Aye, then we could stick it in one o’ the furnaces under the palace. Feckers burn hot as the fifth hell,” Kat suggested from the driver’s seat. “It’d be a bit rank on the initial burns, but wit’ how hot they normally are, nothin’d survive.”

“Wendyl might need to put a heat shielding enchantment on our end, too. We do not want to open a bag to an inferno and burn ourselves in the process,” Bren said, nodding.

“Hey Kat, I’ve been meaning to ask. Y’all say ‘hells’. Kinda assumed it’s like saying Gods instead of God, but do you all believe in multiple hells?” Ann asked.

“Bren, ye’re up,” Kat deflected.

“As a matter of fact, we do. Currently there are six, unless we discover more. This is mostly something that a priest would discuss, but I will do my best. The fifth hell is, as alluded to, an inferno full of creatures who have adapted to that environment. Now, I must stress that the hells as we know them may not be a divine construct, but different planes of existence. The Gods have forbidden any tampering with them for the safety of the mortal races, but there is always going to be someone who is too curious for their own good.”

“Anyway, I digress. The first hell is not too different from our plane. Water, sun, plants. The issue is the plague. An unknown, incurable disease that permeates the planet and causes all non plant life to die a long and horrible death. They slowly grow plants within them until it bursts from every point possible, tearing its host apart. I have seen sketches of the corpses, and it is grisly.”

“Think I’ve seen a movie or two like that,” Ann nodded. “So avoid that one at all costs. Doesn’t seem like an active threat, though.”

“No, you are correct. If left alone, the first hell is nothing to worry about. The largest threat it poses would be the disease making its way to our plane and not having it properly quarantined.”

“Cause that’d kill everyone.”

“Correct. The second hell is the frozen hell. It and the fifth hell are the most active and hostile. The two planes are also diametrically opposed, and have warred in the past. The Gods had passed records calling them the Steambath Wars, but I believe there is some humour being injected there. Large creatures prefer the second hell. Usually they are covered in furs and large fat deposits to allow them to subsist in the frozen environment. Creatures as large as mountains stride between glaciers, and breathe blizzards if stories are to be believed.”

“The third hell is… interesting. It is a non corporeal realm where concepts become reality and thought is power. Think about something and it is likely to become real.”

“Sounds kinda awesome,” Ann laughed.

“You would think, but how in control of your mind are you?” Bren asked. “I do not mean conscious thought, I mean all thought. Have a nightmare? That is now real and happening around you. Intrusive thought about harming yourself or someone? You are now bleeding out on the ground with a wound in your chest. The temptation of this realm is something that has lured many to it, and very few are lucky enough to return. Those who do are usually mad. Madder than most Warped. When you spend time in a place where reality is in flux and nothing and everything is real, your mind breaks trying to handle it.”

“I… see,” Ann said. She really couldn’t grasp the implications of this other plane of existence, but it sounded incredibly dangerous. “Has anyone actually come back alright?”

“A couple, and let me stress that they are rare exceptions. The type of mind that can handle that everything around them is a fabrication of their mind, and real at the same time is rare. Any power or knowledge from that realm is completely useless, as it is inherently dependent on the mind that enters. If there are secrets to find, we never will.”

“That… sucks but is super interesting at the same time,” Ann whistled. “Maybe a drone might work. Whenever that’s figured out. An autonomous thing to see through?”

“It has been tried,” Bren nodded. “The issue is getting something inanimate across planes. Attached to a being with intent is doable, but the intent is a major factor of the process. Losing that connection can even eject the foreign matter.”

“Well, that’ll be a puzzle for way later, and probably smarter people,” Ann shrugged. “What about the fourth?”

“The fourth is… well, it is dark. There are things living in there, but it’s near impossible to explore without heavy casualties because there is absolutely no light. Any light you bring in doesn’t do much to illuminate around you, but is a beacon to the local denizens. You have fought while blind, yes?”

Ann nodded.

“Well, imagine that for an entire world, and everything else in that world can sense you perfectly. Hunting creatures of unknown configurations leaping out and cutting you down before you even know they’re there. Pits opening up in front of you that you have no chance to see before falling in. Strange anomalies that pass by, disappearing people. Like the third hell, there is very little we know about it. We have documented a couple creatures, but there is far more that we do not know.”

“Yeah, gonna avoid that if at all possible. The fifth, then?”

“The fifth is the fire hell.”

“Let me guess. Fire, brimstone, volcanoes and lava?”

“Well, yes, and lakes of fire, gouts of the stuff erupting everywhere. It honestly does not interest me at all. The heat alone would set you ablaze.”

“Like the second hell wouldn’t freeze ye tae death in a heartbeat,” Kat called back.

“Yes, yes. Preferences on how I would die, Katlyn,” Bren laughed. “Regardless, the denizens of that plane tend to be smaller, reptilian or stone based. Some have adapted to be more human, but the overarching theme of either flame or stone is apparent in all from that plane.”

“It sounds better documented than the rest of them,” Ann pointed out.

“It… is, and it isn’t. There have been some efforts in both the second and fifth hells to make contact with the creatures closer to our kind. They fail, ultimately, and the Gods keep very close watch for any incursions from those planes. One of the earliest warnings we have is against divulging information to those from the hells. If they discover the bounty we hold, most would stop at nothing to take it.”

“So, what are the more human ones like?”

“Well, in the case of the second hell, they are a larger race, covered in long, thick, white hair. Their skin is blue and their eyes a pure black, possibly adapted to help with the blinding snows. Either that or it is just part of their race. Male and female are distinct, and they are certainly mammalian. Speech is not something they have mastered, though, and they are exceedingly wary of anyone outside their culture.”

“So big yeti people, got it,” Ann nodded. “And the fifth?”

“Closer to reptilian Vulhardrin? Long tails, slitted eyes to help with the heat. Thick horns atop their heads, with hard stone scales. They have distinct ridges above their eyes that they seem to use to differentiate individuals. Sexually, they are hermaphroditic, and seem to be able to mate with any of the rest of their kind.”

“Sorry, how do you know this?” Ann asked.

“No clothes,” Bren said flatly. “They apparently were not hiding it. Their body types vary widely. All are bipedal, but some are towering brutes, while others can be small and lithe. Children hatch from eggs placed in pools of magma. Very strange, but fascinating.”

“I wanna go see them,” Rosalyn blurted. “They sound so interesting! What do they hunt and eat? How do they determine hierarchy within their society? Do they have society or are they mostly pack animals? I don’t know. Ooooh, damnit, why are we forbidden?”

“These records are from long ago,” Bren sighed, patting Rosalyn. “There was an issue with the fifth hell. At one point, a creature got through. Even separated from its home plane, it ignited everything around it. Burned a swathe of the countryside and took a large force to subdue. This was before Korvas was a kingdom, mind you, so literally ancient history.”

“Anyway, the sixth and final hell was the one we found two centuries ago. It, again, is not too different from our realm, save that everything there is made of glass. Well, a glass-like substance. It is hard, reflective, and smooth to the touch. There is water, but instead of a liquid it moves more like a liquid ice, if that makes sense. Hard facets instead of smooth waves and curves compose the surface.”

“Ah, so it’s all geometrical?”

“Exactly,” Bren nodded. “The sun is a diamond, the moon an opal. The people are the most interesting. They are also geometrical. Their legs end in sharp points, and their fingers are similarly sharp. They are friendly enough to interact with, and do not seem hostile, but the Gods sent a firm warning through their priests that we are to avoid them.”

“Actually, on that point, how did you just find another one of these hells?” Ann asked, shifting to pull Rosalyn over onto her lap, then idly starting to play with her hair.

“Research into magics and dimensional magic specifically can lead to unexpected places. It is one of the most dangerous fields, but curiosity has never been a barrier for a dedicated scholar. The Gods have said they do not tell us of all the planes we might discover for fear of bad actors intentionally seeking out places that would bring ruin to our planet. Instead, they monitor and warn us by proxy.”

Ann nodded. She could see the benefit of obscuring the more dangerous parts of the universe if they were truly that threatening. “But the glass people are friendly?”

“So it seems,” Bren nodded. “In the brief time that we were in contact with them, they… changed. They began to mimic our speech, and their facets began to morph. Sharp talons became multi-planed and smoother. If you looked closely, you could still see the geometric shapes, but from further away, they seemed almost smooth. Their images changed, becoming more human, and then various forms. More and more, they began to try to get closer to us. Some even reported suggestive actions they interpreted as attempting allure. It was around this time that the warning from the Gods came through, and all contact was ended. We suspect that the race is a mimic of some sort, changing and adapting to whoever is around them. Fears of what the end state of that change could be have sown worry in scholars that what was started there may not be finished.”

“If the glass people wanna be big tittied girls, I’m not gonna stop ‘em,” Kat laughed.

“Kat!” Ann groaned, elbowing her girlfriend in the back.

“What? I put up wit’ yer literally furry arse,” Kat retorted.

“Love you too. Anyway, yeah, probably best to not mess with that one, either,” Ann nodded. “A mimic anything could be a massive problem. An entire race of them with enough time to perfectly copy us? Talk about a nightmare.”

“That, and we do not even know what magical abilities they may possess. They easily could wipe out the mortal races if so inclined.”

“Eh, could be fine,” Lucia shrugged. “We are tough. Gods didn’t kill us. Could survive them.”

“The Gods were not trying to kill us in the Return,” Bren reminded her. “These might be.  Better not poke the sleeping Quillbear.”

“Good advice,” Lucia nodded.

“I still wanna see the rock lizard people, and the big hairy ones!” Rosalyn pouted, kicking her feet impotently in Ann’s lap. “A whole race of hermaphroditic lizard ladies and men sounds so interesting!”

“Ye just wanna know ‘ow they feck.”

“That’s only part of it!” Rosalyn scoffed. “There are other reasons.”

“So, have there been incidents involving the hells more recently?” Ann asked, trying to steer the conversation back to something Bren and Lucia would be more comfortable with.

“A few, yes. The issue with this information is that it is hard to keep a secret. With the Temples preaching about the horrors of the hells, there are those that are driven to see them. We try to police it the best we can, and since the materials required to hop planes are very specific, we do a fairly good job of it. Unfortunately, you will find a madman now and then who has visited the third hell rambling about reality and subjectivity. Thankfully, people know to avoid the first hell.”

“Plague would be terrifying. Am glad Inquisitors and Indelholm watch this,” Lucia nodded. “Other hells do seem interesting. Agree with Rosalyn. Will not defy Gods’ wishes, but curiosity.”

“I know, right? Imagine a giant quadruped adapted to the literal coldest you can think of!” Rosalyn blurted. “What’s its bone structure like? Does it have a large amount of fat to insulate it or does it rely on fur? What does it even eat in an environment like that? Does it eat? Do they even need sustenance, or does the plane sustain them?”

“How many hearts and stomachs? Vital points to hit and kill? Many questions,” Lucia nodded. “Would like to see drawings of these things.”

“Me too. Bren, can you get a book or two on them? Please?”

“The subject is highly restricted,” Bren shook his head. “I am sorry.”

Rosalyn deflated in Ann’s lap, pouting. “I get it. I don’t like it, but I get it.”

“Alright, I’m gettin’ tired,” Kat groaned. “Bren, c’mere an’ take o’er. I want tae grab a nap.”

“As you wish, princess,” Bren laughed, earning himself a punch to the shoulder as he took the reins.