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I'm heading for the Rim.

That's so typical of me - I would decide on something only to do a 180° right after. But to be fair, a smart kid once said: 'Why not both?' I can still go to the desert after scouting the Rim, since I would need to visit my rose after this anyway.

And a high level Chort out in the wasteland had been bothering me. I've a bad feeling about this.

-So I will go take a look. I've been somehow out of touch with what's been going on outside of the wasteland - something to be expected seeing as I'm living like a hermit in this dust bowl. Don't want to get involved with whatever the big shots are scheming, but I also dislike the idea of waking up to a nasty surprise in case shit were to hit the fan again.

Just a short trip —I say that but there's no way to measure time here. Sometimes that makes me wonder if my sense for it is completely off.

Running like a wind, jumping from rock to stone and avoiding leaving any trail, I make my way towards the dark line that is now slightly visible over the horizon. Scanning the land ahead and on both sides, looking out for any movement or color.

-It feels amazing being able to run so fast. Almost like flying; it's not just my newfound strength, I'm testing the Empower skill. And let me tell you it was worth it - almost doubling my power as it is. Skill description didn't include much detail but it converts my Magic Attribute into 'physical' stats. Splitting its 30 points evenly between Strength, Resilience and Agility... The downside is I can't use other magic while it's active, Tsk.

But I can't complain as it should be very useful, even if just for traveling like this.

Landscape is zooming past at fast pace and the wall of the Rim comes into clear view, growing taller as I approach. The bad feeling in me grows with it, since I haven't seen any demons on the way. Even for the wastes, it is unusual - especially this close to the border after a big storm.

The almost black cliffs of the inner Rim with all its doom and gloom are now looming over me, the jagged teeth like edge up above as menacing as always. I'm currently hiding from view while scanning the odd geological formation for threats -Not true that, geology had nothing to do with it. This was created by a magical cataclysm. Yes, that one.

A pressure wave of magic - stripping the land of everything tainted, all the way to the bedrock and pushing it aside. Forming a tall wall from all that was caught in it around what is now the wasteland. Wall of stone, dirt, taint... and bodies. That's a lot of bones out there.

The Rim is full of Taint that got displaced from the piece of hell I call home. Main reason I now stay in this empty, desolate empire of dust.

The sinful stuff is slowly flowing back in, carried by hell storms of miasma and black haze falling from the sky. One day it will once again be as tainted as the rest of this realm. And I don't know what am I going to do about that— Need to get the hell out of Hell.

The inner Rim with all this Taint, is a land full of those crazy enough to consume it. The insane demons living here are like junkies that have unlimited, free access to their favorite poison. Nearly fully black Lemures are digging through all the Tainted trash that got swept there. Macabre trees and other hellish flora can be seen slowly claiming the slopes. Cocoons of fresh Hell Spawns hanging from the branches.

Those demons born here, in such heavily poisoned land, quickly lose their minds as they don't yet know any better.

Truly a hellish place. Fitting as this is Hell after all. I squint my eyes, brows furrow -and it is usually full of newborn weaklings so just what I need. —Usually.

I can spot some activity but not nearly enough. My bad feeling slowly turns into suspicion that soon, someone is about to make the life in hell even more miserable for everyone. Again.

Sitting here in the dirt, already hurting at the thought of climbing up through all the Taint, I sigh wishing I'd picked going to the desert instead. But now I need to know what is going on or it won't let me rest. If only to be prepared.

Taking a swing from my bottle to top myself up after what little I've spend coming here - so that my body won't passively absorb more excess Taint. I pick a route and approach a long scar that now mares the giant wall, being as stealthy as a Red Imp can be in the monochrome landscape. That means I cover myself with a gray silk cape made from Hell Spawn cocoon -duh.

-Will have to resize it later. This piece is not the same one I picked up after getting reborn here. Sadly that was lost, got taken away from me. Even after - by some miracle, surviving all the bullshit of my first few days in hell.

The surprisingly smooth slopes are broken and cracked enough now to provide an ample cover for my ascend. The hellish trees growing on them have a very dark color, their bark covered in tar of the Taint. The amount in this area to much even for those hardy plants to process. They feed on the stuff but too much of anything and... Yeah.

I move past a couple of fat 'maggots' climbing one of the trees. Not a time for it now. I can grab some on my way back, their Scream not very conductive to stealth.

-This place is as bad as ever. The climb slowing down as the path up gets more steep the higher you go, turning near vertical near the top. Hearing a sound of ripped flesh I crouch down inside the crack I've been following; there is a demon above an to the left, a hell-hound is tearing into a Lemure. Its sharp claws grasping the rock surface, still unnaturally smooth where it wasn't eroded over the years.

-A stray? You don't normally see those around here. I've seen the Chorts keeping them before when I was brought here the first time. Seeing its black fur I assume it ran away to this place and got mad feeding on the little bastards, Shrug. Wouldn't want it to sniff me out, and then attack from behind were I to try and pass by it.

Main reason I came here was to test my magic, and better to do that here where retreat would be easy in case something went south, rather than after cresting the top. —But what should I try.

Identify first.

> Hellhound (6)

'Easy' target, just what I wanted –Since you are busy eating, don't mind me. I will go with the personal favorite of mine and make use off all the new abilities to see how strong it became.

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Pointing an open clawed hand in the direction of the distracted beast I invoke my magic. The canine demon reacts, feeling the power gathering in the air - but it was to slow. After I closed my fist its head explodes in a shower of gore. The body falls to the ground limp and starts sliding down, until it gets stuck on a sharp rock jutting out of the surface.

Wow! My mind is blown by how easy that was. I overcame its resistance like it wasn't even there. With a grin I move to secure the kill, stuffing the corpse in a nook on the path I took - in case I want to grab it when coming back through here, and of course I do.

Implosion is my favorite because it is discrete; no flashy lights or bursting flames, and hard to see it coming without being able to sense magic. Without ambient magic in hell, the collapse of the mana also isn't causing any shock waves to travel through the area.

All demons can feel magic to some extent, which is unfortunate. It's still fast enough and pretty cheap to use unless you want to crank it up to 11. You can, but the cost grows exponentially. Pressuring mana to collapse onto itself, preferably inside your target is especially effective on magical beings like demons.

Overcoming demon's natural resistance to mana intrusion and their Resilience was always the tricky part. Before, it would most of the time fail to enter the target and cause a burst of power near it - Still strong against demons, but this here is what it's really meant to do.

I proceed unbothered, not encountering any more demons on my path. And after finally lifting myself over the edge, a familiar scenery of sharp ridges, fissures and thick dagger like rock spires of the inner Rim greets me. It is now a gentle slop down until we reach the Outer part. Stone here Is almost black and small streams of condensed miasma slowly make their way down. Unpleasant haze in the air, like a dark fog makes it hard to see.

All demons can see in the dark, but this isn't natural darkness. The effect similar to what I witnessed running for my life on my very first day in hell. Minus the smoke.

-It's eerie silent. No screams of insane demons nor sound of them fighting each other. No mad howling. That is not how I remember this place― and I hate it. Something is wrong.

I proceed with extreme caution now, even spending mana to hide my presence with magic, constantly reaching for the bottle to make sure I stay full.

Using the darkness lingering in this place to my advantage is as convenient as it is unpleasant. As I make it through a maze of stone I detect a presence of demons ahead -there's quite a few. Careful, I make my way over to a spot that will allow me to observe them from a higher ground for an extra advantage.

...

Nested on a flat, slanted shelf overlooking what I would describe as a 'small peaceful valley, surrounded by cliffs with a nice little lake near one of the walls supplied by a quaint waterfall'. I would - were we not in hell, and the lake wasn't actually filled with tar of pure Taint; the waterfall wasn't slowly dripping a viscous disgusting substance into this hell hole covered in miasma; And the place wasn't overgrown with thick black vines, armed in thorns the size of my arm. Not to mention a group of demons extracting the foul substance and carrying it in strange bowls to the only entrance to this place - a fissure guarded by—

-I can't sense those things with my horn's ability! That's not possible, all beings have mana, some sort of skill?... This– this could be bad.

The creatures actually look similar to what I'm familiar with; there is an Imp, a couple of Chorts, Mephits and even a Sinner. But there is something very wrong with them. There are thorny vines wound tight around and through their sunken, thin bodies and their faces are covered— No, their heads are flowers. They stand motionless, not even a twitch. To the point I wouldn't be surprised the reason I'm not picking them was because they were already dead.

Chill runs through me as I lie there watching, hidden by illusion magic, and am pretty sure that those guards are actually looking at me. Gulp.

I start backing off on all fours and their heads follow. Fuck.

Decision made- the active part of my Mana Sense ability sends a sonar like wave In a sphere around me - a risky move that someone could pick up, but it reveals my surroundings to my mind's eye... I'm not alone on this ledge.

-No time for magic; Empower flows out of my core strengthening me as I twist out with a Hiss! Untie my cloak with a snap of sharp claws and jump up, over a humanoid demon-flower hybrid reaching for me with thorn covered hands. Turning midair a well aimed kick lands on the back of its neck - sending the spiky thing now entangled in silk over the ledge, propelling me further away from the second one that also sneaked up on me. This one's head is still where it should be, but a blood colored rose grows out of its left eye. Big guy.

Since I can't cast magic while empowered I reach into my Magic Pocket retrieving a small vial of bright orange liquid and throw it at the-

Identify.

> Thorn-bound Slave. (9)

At that!

I'm unfamiliar with whatever this thing was before something obviously unpleasant happened to it. Long but now too skinny arms with loose skin, somehow resembles a gorilla if you squint. It slaps the vial away with a jerky move.

It's reaction faster than I hoped it would be, -but it's perfectly fine, as the vial breaks under such rough mistreatment and erupts into a ball of sticky flame setting whatever remains of its fur on fire. I'm not going to just wait and watch like a fool and am already fleeing max speed, the way I came from. Chased by screams of the demons that were working down by the pond of Taint.

-Oh, hell. I actually got away.

Or not! The place is now swarming with the damn things. They seem to be crawling out of every hole there is that would fit them.

A bright blue vial breaks on the chest of a thorn infested chort that blocked my way - turning it into an ice sculpture. That won't hold it for long but it doesn't have to. Fuck! Having to waste those vials hurts since I don't have many of them left, and can't get more. They were supposed to be for emergency use only and this situation counts I guess, but it still hurts my greedy little heart.

I can't allow myself to drop the effects of Empower right now to deal out some magic. I need the speed and agility it grants me to run and dodge; those things can see through my invisibility so sneaking past them is not an option, shit! The worst is, I can't sense them and it makes me feel near blind. I've been depending on this ability a lot to avoid trouble. Even when I knew it's possible to fool it, so I should have known better.

I'm almost there when a firebolt explodes over my back - thankfully stopped by the magic ring activating, but it still makes me stumble. Another one flying over my head soon after.

Right at the edge, a rose headed woman steps from behind a rock protrusion - straight into my path.

A pair of long thin horns sticking out from between the petals and a pair of wings, currently uselessly bound by thorny vines to her body, marks her as an ex-succubi. ―Magic is forming in its outstretched hands.

But I'm not stopping and power through a stream of flames - shielded once again by my new favorite accessory, tackling her at the waist and sending both of us flying down the Rim. The thorns covering the thing are digging into me, but I hold onto the abomination. Making sure to stay on top, because—

Just as a bunch of sharp tipped roots emerged from her back and were about to skewer me, we hit the side of the wall - Hard. Fast.

I make sure to grind its head against the stone while we slide down the slope. Petals are falling away as I take advantage of my smaller body to keep myself safe from rough surface rushing under us. Thorns breaking, vines tearing off.

> Thorn-bound Slave (11)

It's struggling even now but I'm able to overpower it. When crazy thing attempted to use magic again I dispersed the forming mana construct with my tail.

The resistance stopped rather abruptly when a sharp stone poking from the surface snapped its neck off... The ride ended soon after, on a trunk of a tree. Oof!

"Let's not do that again." I'm grasping for air and *cough in a cloud of dirt raised by the wild ride; watching the flower-head and loose rocks roll past and continue dawn the slope, bouncing off the now more uneven terrain. I can feel mana in the air and notice that the bottle tied to my waist cracked. -Fuck it damn it!

In a hurry I drain it of what was left inside. It wasn't much. What got spilled into the environment is getting reshaped by my demonic magic into an illusion that will hide us from sight in case some flying creatures were sent in pursuit.

-I will have to fashion another one. Something smaller that will fit into the Magic Pocket this time. Need to calm down and catch my breath. Sitting under a tree, next to the torn up body I try to wrap my head around what just happened.

This sure wasn't what I expected to find. Something nasty is brewing up on the Rim. Was this just an unlucky find? Or is the whole place getting taken over? There were 'normal' demons there though. And I don't understand what even is the deal with those things! It had no mana yet started casting spells. The fucker is reeking of Taint and yet it's bloody red. Makes no sense. And I hate it.

-Damn I'm hurt. I want to go back to my dark, dust covered lair and just stay there until whatever it is ends.

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