In the centre of the basin stand the three biggest, ugliest, most vicious-looking demons I’ve ever clapped my thousands of lenses on. Torrifex looks much as I remember him. A brutal, gigantic monster who towers over the rest of us, even Tiny, smoke billowing from his back and curling around his feet.

Now that he isn’t moving around as much, I can see a little more detail of the big guy. His skin kind of looks cracked, with burning light shining through, as if he’s got lava running through his veins. Those jackalish features aren’t any more appealing than they were before, and his wickedly curved claws tipping each of his four arms don’t look any nicer than they did before.

His sisters, if anything, are worse.

Pyrixan is hard to even look at. Not because of her terrifying appearance, but because of the slowly revolving cloud of ash that covers her at all moments. I can catch glimpses of the demon within, and what I see isn’t great. My impression is of a withered blob of flesh covered in eyes, each of them weeping black ichor.

Lovely.

Somonax, on the other hand, appears in her full glory, not bothering to conceal herself beneath cloaks of ash or smoke.

She’s… terrifying.

The first thing I see is the blades. I mean… there's a heck of a lot of blades. Thousands of the damn things. They swish and swirl through the air in elegant motions, like a dance… of DEATH. Thanks to their movement, I can make out the wire-thin threads that link them back to their host. In the middle, Somonax stands like a spider in the centre of a web.

Of the three, she’s the most humanoid, two arms, two legs, one head, boring, standard stuff. She’s still huge, of course, as a powerful tier eight monster should be.

Her face is… well… let’s just say she looks happy! Half of her head is taken up with a wide rictus grin of needle-like teeth, the other half is pretty much just red eyeballs.

It’s… a unique look.

A thought intrudes on my mind.

[Welcome, little worm!] Torrifex appears to be in a fine mood, bellowing across the mindbridge the moment I allow it to snap into place.

[You’re awfully cheery,] I grumble, [quite different from the last time I saw you. As I recall, you scurried away after I dispensed a right whopping.]

The gigantic demon doesn’t appear too pleased with this description of events, but his arrogant tone doesn’t alter a whit.

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[The Demon God wished you to be tested, and so you were. I had not been sent to kill you, that is the only reason you still live.]

[You slithered away like a little worm, that’s the only reason you are alive. And now what? Arconi-butt wanted me tested, and I passed, naturally, and then you drag me down here and trap me with your two sisters, for what, exactly? Is this another test, or have you gone off script?]

The Ancients want another monster to rise to their level. I don’t know exactly why, but they actively try to create claimants to that vacant throne. The Call is just one tool they use, sticking this damn hook in my guts to ‘encourage’ me to descend and grow stronger. The various monster cults were literally created by the Ancients for this purpose, putting members of the surface races to the task as well, all to find and foster the twentieth Ancient.

So it made sense that I, as one they’ve put their greedy eyes on, would be tested. What doesn’t make sense is that after passing the test with flying colours, Arconidem would then want to lure me down here for a rather uneven three vs one battle to the death.

Which leads me to suspect that Torrifex and his merry crew are no longer acting on the orders of the Demon God. In fact, they may be going against his wishes in a particularly narrow way.

[The Demon God has ordered this stratum be made clean for his return. You and your Colony are not demon, so you will be removed.]

[That’s true. But he didn’t order you to kill me, did he?]

The big demon grins all the wider, the fire beneath his skin growing brighter until flames begin to lick through the cracks in his skin. That’s all the answer I need.

These morons are jealous that the big daddy demon god paid attention to someone else. As heralds, they were supposed to be the special children, the favourites, but they were sent out to test a piddly little ant.

Or perhaps they aspire to sit on the throne alongside papa? Be the second demon to ascend to Ancient. Would be a rather special achievement, sure to elevate them in the eyes of Arconi-butt.

I sigh.

[Well, come on then. You three are giant sacks of experience and Biomass, just waiting for me to claim. You cannot imagine how hard it’s been to afford my mutations.]

In a separate message, I speak to Al.

[Make sure you hit them with everything you’ve got. We need to unleash everything we have.]

To Crinis, Tiny and Invidia: [Keep the reinforcements off my back for as long as possible. Don’t push yourself too far, Crinis, if you don’t survive, I’m going to be super mad at you.]

[I-I-I-I won’t, Master!]

[What, won’t survive?]

[I mean I will!]

[Good then. Let’s get to it.]

And just like that, I swagger down into the basin, with three tier eight demons waiting for me. Their auras are staggering, battering me. Torrifex is the same as before, heat and dominance pressing in on me like a vice, but the others are just as bad. The pressure emanating from Pyrixan feels like it's eating away at me, nibbling at the edges of my mind. Somonax… hoo boy. Violence, blood, murder, death. A manic, rabid, gibbering need to cut and thresh boils the air around her, rolling off in waves that try to push me back as I step forward.

I resist them all, staring the three of them down as I languidly click my mandibles.

[Well then. Shall we?]

HOOOOOOOOWWWWWWLLLLLLLLLLLL!