The acrid stench of sulfur and decay filled Qing’s nostrils as he stood atop the ridge, his eyes fixed on the shimmering blue barrier that stretched across the hellish landscape. Behind it loomed the Darksoul Tower, the nightmarish structure’s eyes all glaring at them, unblinking. The angel kneeling angel rose, leaving the sword plunged into the barren ground.

Beside him, his companions stood in stunned silence. Ghida’s hand found his, squeezing tight. Rowan’s jaw was set, his knuckles white around the hilt of his sword. Morgana’s eyes darted between Qing and the barrier, a mix of fear and determination etched on her face.

Qing glanced at Cedric, who nodded grimly. Without a word, they stepped forward, preparing to confront the celestial being that stood between them and their goal.

“Ready?” Qing asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

“Since before you were born,” Cedric answered.

With a deep breath, Qing cast Blink. The world blurred around him, the hellish landscape rushing by in a dizzying whirl of motion. He felt Cedric’s presence beside him as they traversed the distance in a series of rapid teleportations.

In moments, they stood before the barrier, its surface shimmering with an otherworldly energy that made Qing’s skin crawl. The angel regarded them with cold disdain, its perfect features blank.

Qing steeled himself and cast Blink once more, aiming to pass through the barrier. Instead of the familiar sensation of teleportation, he slammed into an invisible wall. The impact sent him reeling backward, his head spinning as he struggled to maintain his footing.

Frustration welled up inside him. Qing raised his hand, channeling his energy into a barrage of Arcane Missiles. The glowing projectiles streaked towards the barrier, only to dissipate harmlessly against its surface. Not even a ripple disturbed the shimmering wall of energy.

“Damn it,” Qing muttered, his fists clenching at his sides.

Cedric stepped forward, his ancient eyes blazing with barely contained fury. “You overstep your bounds, angel. This interference violates the old codes that govern your kind.”

The angel’s laughter was like broken glass, sharp and cutting. “Codes? You speak to me of codes, mortal? I am beyond such petty constraints.”

“You will be judged for this,” Cedric spat. “God itself will call you to account for your actions!”

The angel shook its head. “I have done nothing but encapsulate a portion of hell. Rufus and your precious Cleo are inside. You are outside. Where is the interference in that?”

“You guarantee an outcome,” Cedric said. “That is interference, plain and simple.”

The angel’s face scrunched up, as if it had sipped from a glass of tepid and stale cola, and then it screamed, “Shut up!” Spittle flew from its lips. “You have no POWER, Kine Ashguard! Think God will listen to you?”

Qing watched the exchange, his mind racing. He had never seen an angel lose its composure like this. It was both terrifying and oddly satisfying.

“The other angels will never stand for this,” Cedric said, his voice low and dangerous.

The angel’s laugh was hollow. “The others are as tired and bored as I am. They will thank me when this is over.”

The wizard stepped forward, eyes blazing. “I have spent centuries preparing. You think a mere barrier can stop us?”

“Oh, Cedric,” the angel said. “Always fighting yesterday’s war. This isn’t a test of strength or will. It’s a fundamental rewriting of reality. We nearly stopped your earlier kin, but they threw themselves away in the thousands. And for what price? To give up their chance at eternal salvation? Now you are here…all two of you.”

Qing felt his anger rising. “What gives you the right to interfere?”

The angel’s gaze snapped to Qing, its eyes blazing with celestial fire. “This is God’s will, you fetus. The cycle of conflict and resolution drives the universe forward. Without it, all of creation would stagnate and die. If Elrydisan is not to be forged into unbreakable material on the anvil of demons, God would not have made it so.”

Qing recoiled as if slapped.

Could their God truly have intended this? Was there a reason for such a cycle of horror, and not simply the twisted logic of a bored, callous being?

Does it matter? I will not stand for it, even if their damn God comes down and declares it itself.

“We’ll find a way,” Qing said, his voice steady despite the trembling in his hands. “We’ll stop you, and Rufus, and save both our worlds.”

The angel chuckled, the sound devoid of any real mirth. “Your determination would be admirable if it wasn’t so pathetic.”

“What level even are you?” Qing asked.

The angel’s face scrunched up. “Level?” it said, and Qing barely repressed a smile.

Maybe I am truly the only one who levels up, even among demons and angels.

But As Cedric opened his mouth, the angel waved a dismissive hand. “I can no longer stand this smell. Enjoy your death. I have an apocalypse to prepare for.”

The angel spread its wings, preparing to take flight.

“Tell me your name,” Qing said, his voice carrying across the hellish plain. “So I may carve it into hell until you return.”

The angel paused, its gaze meeting Qing’s. Then it licked its lips, and something like respect, or maybe lust, flickered through its eyes. “Seraphina,” it said.

With a powerful beat of its wings, Seraphina rocketed into the air, disappearing towards the roiling clouds above. Qing and Cedric stood in silence, staring up at the turbulent sky as a single black feather drifted down, landing at Qing’s feet.

“Shit,” Qing said.

Cedric nodded grimly. “Shit indeed, my boy.”

Then, as Seraphina disappeared from sight, it was as if a jamming signal had been lifted, and a flurry of notifications flooded Qing’s vision.

“Whoa!”

Quest Completed: [Gateway to Damnation]

The path to save Elrydisan from the devil leads through the very depths of Hell itself. Find your way to an entrance, and brave the horrors that await.

-Objective (Completed): Locate and enter Hell’s gate

-Optional objective (Completed): Bring your team (8/8)

-Reward (Received): [One level four skill-book]

-Optional reward (Received): 10 stat points

“Quest updates,” Qing said to Cedric’s questioning glance.

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Finally! Where has GG been? Why did it take so long?

He closed the notification and immediately read the next.

Quest: [Evade the Gaze of the Hellfire Oculi]

You have made it to Hell. The dangers here dwarf any you have previously faced. Find your way through the Fields of Fallen Grace without being seen by the eyes of the Darksoul Tower. Known as the Hellfire Oculi, they seek to expose intruders. Stealth is your greatest ally in this realm. Remain undetected as you navigate Hell’s treacherous landscape, avoiding confrontation.

-Objective: Avoid detection by the Abyssal Watchers until you leave the Fields of Fallen Grace.

-Reward: [A level five skill-book]

As he saw the reward, Qing’s belly tightened, but he forced himself to move on, reading the next message.

Quest Failed: [Evade the Gaze of the Hellfire Oculi]

You were seen. Your chances for success have dropped significantly. Further quest rewards reduced.

-Objective [Failed]: Avoid detection by the Abyssal Watchers.

-Reward [Missed]: [A level five skill-book]

Teeth gritted, he punched his thigh and cursed.

“A god damn level five skill-book?” He turned towards where Cedric stood, seeing the wizard through the notification. “Something has been messing with the quests.”

“This entire place is rotten,” Cedric said, his voice laced with anger.

Qing nodded as he closed it out, his disappointment at losing out on such a powerful reward burning in his belly.

Quest: [Static in the Void]

Testing, testing. Can you hear me? Over.

-Objective: Jump twice on each foot while holding your nose and patting the top of your head.

-Reward: 1 skill point

“But it seems now it has been fixed, and…”

“Yes?” Cedric said.

“Just ignore what I’m about to do,” Qing said, and hopped twice on each foot while holding his nose and patting the top of his head, feeling like a complete maniac. All the while, the Hellfire Oculi glared at him, so when he finished, he flipped them the bird.

“Curious,” Cedric said.

“Quest,” Qing said as he got two additional notifications.

Quest Completed: [Static in the Void]

-Reward [Received]: 1 skill point

It was worth it for the skill point. He’d need all the help he could, going forward.

Quest Completed: [Resist the Celestial Temptation]

The angel’s offer is a trap. Stay true to your mission. Earth is counting on you.

-Objective (Completed): Reject the angel’s offer

-Reward [Received]: 5 x Health Potions

-Failure: Abandonment of quest and return to Earth to probably die a horrible death.

It seemed at some point, GG had managed to tune into the situation again, and attempted to put his finger on the scales.

Item received: 5 x [Health Potion]

It felt like a relief to finally have some health potions backed up again. During the siege of the Gilded Hold, the entire supply of Zylphadia’s capital had been drained, just to bring the army back into fighting shape.

And finally he got the quest he’d expected. Or rather, quests.

Quest: [The End of Terror]

The Devil and his generals know you are here. They will do everything in their power to hunt you down, and their power eclipses yours. Armies will hunt you and their environment drains you. Unless you save Cleo in time, a final battle will ensue. You have limited time. Spend it wisely. Gather your resources and allies, and find a way to set up a final battle, in your favour.

If they sacrifice Cleo, the only way to save Elrydisan is for you to defeat the Devil itself.

-Objective: Defeat the Devil

-Reward: Completion of Qing’s First Quest

Three other quests followed rapidly, one for each of the challenges mentioned in the previous quest. But, while the rewards were good, they were less about increasing Qing’s power. Was this the result of the reduced quest rewards because they had been spotted by the tower?

Quest: [Thrive to Survive]

Hell’s atmosphere slowly drains your life force and magical energy. Find a way to counter this effect and maintain your strength in this hostile environment.

-Objective: Counter Hell’s draining effect

-Optional Objective: Discover the source of the drain

-Optional Objective: Create or find a protective ward against Hell’s influence

Current drain: 1% (increases by 0.5% every 12 hours)

-Reward: Permanent resistance to Hell’s drain

-Optional reward: Two level five skill-books

-Optional reward: The Eternal Sentinel’s Armour

-Optional reward: Dawnbringer’s Battlegear Set

Quest: [The Hunted Becomes the Hunter

The Devil’s generals have become aware of your presence in Hell. Magdalus the Redeemed leads the first wave of demonic forces to eliminate you. You are not ready to fight.

-Objective: Avoid or defeat Magdalus the Redeemed’s army

-Optional Objective: Gather intelligence on Magdalus and her forces

-Optional Objective: Defeat Magdalus the Redeemed in personal combat

Time until arrival: 36 hours

-Reward: Stormcaller’s Regalia

-Optional reward: The Astral Sage’s Attire

-Optional reward: The Phantom Arrow’s Battleset

Quest: [Knocking down heaven’s wall]

The angel’s barrier stands between you and saving two worlds. Find a way to break through before it’s too late.

-Objective: Breach the angel Seraphina’s barrier

-Optional objective: Find a way around it.

-Reward: [1 level five skill-book]

-Optional reward: Samson’s Fury

“Funny man,” Qing said to himself.

“Me?”

“No…my quest giver. Its either got a sense of humour, or my mind is missing Earth more than I thought.”

“Any help from your quests on what to do next?”

“Don’t you know what we should do? I thought you always had a plan.”

“Not this time,” Cedric said and turned to Qing, and he recoiled in shock. Tears rolled down the wizard’s cheeks. While his expression was as stoic as ever, tears were rolling down the wizard’s cheeks.

“Are…are you alright?” Qing asked.

“I am fine,” Cedric said, snapping, wiping his sleeve across his eyes. “Just my stupid traitor of a body.”

“You sure that’s the traitor you’re angry at?”

Cedric’s bush eyebrows gathered above his nose, and he glared at the barrier and the crystal-like two-handed sword embedded in the ground, his face contorting in rage. When he spoke, his voice was a guttural growl that seemed to shake the very air around them.

“Four hundred bloody years I’ve been fighting this war. Four centuries of blood, sweat, and sacrifice. I’ve seen empires crumble, watched countless friends die screaming as demon claws tore them apart. And for what?”

He slammed his staff into the ground, sending a shockwave of arcane energy rippling outward. “For this? A cosmic joke?”

Cedric’s voice rose to a roar as he glared at the shimmering barrier. “You gutless, soulless bastards! You let us fight and die, thinking we were heaven’s champions. How many good men and women have I sent to their deaths, believing they were martyrs for a holy cause?”

He strode towards the barrier, his hands crackling with barely contained power. “I’ve incinerated demon hordes, banished arch-fiends back to the pit. I’ve waded through rivers of blood, performed rituals that would drive lesser men mad. All of it, every drop of blood spilled, every life sacrificed, was for you!”

Cedric hurled a bolt of pure arcane energy at the barrier. It splashed harmlessly against the surface, but he didn’t seem to notice. “And now you reveal your true colors. You’re no better than the demons we’ve been fighting. Just another pack of cosmic parasites, feeding off our suffering!”

He turned to Qing, his eyes wild with rage and despair. “Don’t you see, boy? We’re alone. Truly, utterly alone. Caught between the infernal flames of Hell and the cold, uncaring void of Heaven.”

Cedric’s voice dropped to a deadly whisper, “But mark my words, we’ll find a way through this barrier. And when we do, I’ll show those feathered frauds what true wrath looks like. I’ll tear down the gates of Heaven itself if I have to, and rip their wings off, one by bloody one, until the only thing flying through heaven’s rarified air are the flatulent gasses of decomposing angel carcasses!” He took a deep breath. “Holy shit!”

Cedric gripped his staff so tightly his knuckles turned white. “They think they can just use us as toys? Pieces in a play for their amusement? I’ll make them pay for every life lost, every drop of blood spilled in their name.”

With a final, inarticulate cry of rage, Cedric held his staff towards the barrier and unleashed a torrent of magical energy. Qing stumbled back as the air crackled and burned, and for a moment he thought he felt the barrier weakening, but when Cedric’s attack stopped, the barrier stood as if untouched. Cedric panted, trembling with exhaustion and fury.

“We are truly alone,” he said, his voice hoarse. “And may whatever gods there are have mercy on those who stand in our way. Because I sure as hell won’t.”

Qing wet his lips and leaned back on his heels, hands on hip. “You know what, Cedric?”

“What.”

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you contract a word,” Qing said and smiled into the wizard’s glare.