The nerve of them, to make Carl sleep in such a place. After a terrible dinner that gave him the runs Carl expected to be made up to in some way but when he had gotten to his quarters the previous night he found they were barely any larger than a broom closet.

“You’re a fool, if you think anyone will ever give you respect. You have to earn it, or take it.” Kahmin offered. Carl wasn’t in a listening mood then and as he woke up he felt much the same, there was frustration there to be sure but far more overpowering was this sense of compliance.

“Doesn’t surprise me one bit.” Kahmin started the day off with.

“I haven’t even said anything yet.” Carl grumbled, as he opened the door to the hallway earning him a suspicious glance from a dark elf servant.

“I’m in your head, or did you forget? It is quite hollow up here.” Kahmin said in jest. Carl however refused to take it as such and gave an audible sigh.

Sitting down at the same table where just yesterday evening he had received food poisoning instead of food, didn’t improve Carl’s sour mood, so he huffed and he puffed until Agazuul and Qilynrae who were seated next to each other already enjoying breakfast hushed him. Unlike the previous evening there seemed to be a breakfast table by the side so guests could choose for themselves what to eat as Qilynrae pointed out. Even so Carl remained apprehensive of his first few bites of Deeprealm fruit with minced mushroom doused in sweetener. He had to admit to himself he now saw why everyone was so put at ease last night, such food didn’t just fill the stomach. Lixiss arrived just in time before the lovey-dovey behavior of Agazuul and Qilynrae evolved into carnal pleasure. She arrived in such haste that Agazuul had to process her arrival for a few seconds.

“All right now that you’ve all gathered and paid your dues in full, I do think we can get things underway.”

“Paid our dues?” Carl asked, trying to pierce Agazuul's cranium for an answer.

“Your kill, it cost us dearly…” Agazuul’s words were but a whisper easily lost in a wind but echoed in this cold stone room.

“What did you do!” Carl couldn’t help but sound accusatory, afraid of the answer.

“It is what you have done that is the problem!” Agazuul said, biting back. The bitch is smiling.

“My warriors are worth fourfold yours, but luckily for you to our customs two must only repay for the one.” Qilynrae said with a calm that sent a chill down Carl’s spine.

“They killed two of ours at random?” Carl asked, trying to seem calm. Agazuul had tried to hide it but his face was wracked with guilt. Not random then.

“Oh, but they didn’t choose you. That’s good, they know you’re worth too much in the coming fight.” Kahmin put in. Agazuul might have fought for me. Carl realized.

“In the end two died, my trusted master of warfare took care of it.” Lixiss put in apathetically. Just a simple case of accounting is it, the scales are to be righted. Carl thought disgustedly.

“That is not why I’ve gathered you here today.” Lixiss continued clearly not seeing the loss of the two as any obstacle for conversation to fall over.

“I’ve decided to put the plan into motion, the Othreth guild claimed they should be able to do it.” Lixiss said, looking at Agazuul.

The Othred guild being summoners they were apparently extremely capable of opening planar portals to anywhere they desired. As they were hoisted in a wooden lift to the stalactites above Lixiss sang songs of praises for the guild she clearly loved so much.

“Ah you’ve made it Webweaver.” A dark elf said as soon as the lift came into view of her. An older dark elf with many scars, a trio of scars that divided the right side of her face. An eyepatch of a strange green metal to hide an empty socket, she felt no need to hide her burn scars which turned her arms to look like the skin of prunes. Her neck had strange spiky scars that Carl couldn’t even begin to conceive of their origin.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Chalitra Fih’Tahne, the representative of the Othreth guild.” Lixiss said in lieu of proper introductions as they was seemingly no need or time to introduce the people she brought with.

“It is good you came so punctually, we’ve been ready for your arrival and can open the portal at a moment's notice.” Chalitra Fih’Tahne said.

“You’re sure?” Agazuul said shortly and darkly.

“Yes…” A confirmation that was hard to utter. There were a dozen dark elves all standing at the ready, a big ritual circle with a clear point of casting in the middle. Waiting there as well was Gwyrynn Hylarr, Lixiss’s master of warfare.

“Preparations have been made for your temporary absence.” He said to Lixiss but loud enough for all to hear.

“Bring them in!” He shouted. Out from a side-room came Patrik, Alma, Eira and Mirva. There was a dark look on their face, one of horror and accusation. Eira cast Agazuul with a quick glare.

“We’re all gathered then.” Lixiss said, ignoring the mood brought in with the remaining Rastaytan Rookie soldiers.

“I’d say, remind me to tell you not to piss her off; but too late for that.” Kahmin remarked, and while Carl couldn’t see his face he was sure Kahmin was grinning.

“The ritual requires death…” Agazuul said, his voice trailing off towards the end. He looked over to Gwyryn Hylarr who shook his head. This interaction put Agazuul somewhat at ease it seemed. Several dark elves stepped forwards towards Lixiss each offering to lay down their life to further the goals of their Webweaver. Lixiss caressed the chin of one of her sacrificial lambs and guided them hand in hand to the middle of the ritual circle. She pulled out the mighty blade given to her all those years ago; one that belonged to the Sanguinators, one that could be used to end a demonic duke for good. The blade slid slowly through the flesh as a hot knife would slide through butter, her one hand on the blade the other supporting the back of her lamb. There was a calm in those eyes, an acceptance but in the end they bleated and bled all the same. The runes carved into the rock beneath their feet were filled with blood, the channels running the blood to every rune across the room. It was an unnatural sight and it only took a moment to recognise that some of the dark elves present had taken to using blood magic to guide and thin the blood where needed.

Lixiss is more perceptive than I would have ever thought. That or she stole some books when we all went to the Sanguinators Academy. Carl thought, his fear of Lixiss and the Deeprealm growing ever more. Agazuul plunged his blade into the dead body; a blade bearing the markings of Orcus that was forever changed after Agazuul had met his father. He pulled a large tome from his belt, flipping to his bookmark lint. He started a strange incantation, one whose words were not of the common tongue, a deep guttural language that came with a deep growl tone to it, one that evoked a primal fear in all those unaccustomed to hearing it.

Spectral strands grew out of the mouth of the dark elf, those became hands. The hands cracked open the jaw allowing a wider opening for the rest to crawl its way out, Agazuul looked up for a moment and increased the intensity of his incantation. Out of that dead body crawled the ghostly specter of the dark elf.

“Death can be a new beginning, but it wasn’t the body they required. It’s the soul.” Kahmin put in for once he sounded serious as if not daring to joke about this. The soul of dark elf stood there, trapped within the inner circle banging its incorporeal hands against an invisible wall, screaming all the while with no sound. The incantation continued, picked up by a dozen dark elves who’d gathered in close. The soul became warped and was stretched across the circle; pulsating and swirling. Carl took a step back, then another but before he could flee from the scene Lixiss caught him.

“Would you have that dark elf die the true death for nothing? Let their sacrifice be wasted?” This gave Carl pause. Damn them both. Carl thought but he kept it to himself.

The swirling intensified; boiling hot blood began to spill out of the portal in mass, bones traveling on waves. Lixiss and Agazuul looked at one another suddenly, quite worried. Agazuul flipped through the book, two dark elves huddling in trying to help. They shouted a new incantation with great intensity, over the sound of roaring blood waves and bones shattering against the ritual wall. The portal began to change, allowing Carl to see a landscape through it, a bit of dry ashen dust began to waft through, several more dark elves picked up the chant pushing the waves back. It wasn’t the blood that was pushed back but rather the portal moving on the other side that prevented more from spilling in as more of the landscape became visible. The chanting quieted to a whisper of an underlying white noise, easy to ignore.

“What happened?” Carl had to ask.

“The ritual was successful right away, but the specificity of the location was ancient and seemed to have become part of the blood river Pyriphlegethon. There will be quite the length for us to travel to Castle Limbo but this is the closest we can get.” Agazuul explained, sweat on his forehead; he quickly drank a potion afterwards that restored him entirely and instantaneously.

“You seemed worried, are you still up for this?” Agazuul asked. There was a foul accusation in his tone which Carl couldn’t appreciate.

Carl couldn’t say why; then or at any point afterwards but he ran towards the portal and jumped right through without hesitation. His boots made a crunching noise on blood covered grounds.