Deep down in the ground, lay a place hidden from all. Obscured by magic and nature.

Hallways upon hallways filled it, illuminated only by torches. Monstrous figures roam these halls, some contorted, some had far too many eyes, and teeth and others...No words could describe them in their grotesque beauty.

There was a gate at the end of the halls, past the monstrous beings, and past the rooms where screams of agony rang out.

A gate that was guarded by two gigantic crystal statues, humanoid in shapes and looks, faces blank and wielding a halberd.

Their heads turned to face someone who was approaching.

Four pitch-black eyes, mish-mashed scales, and carapaces covered them from head to toe. They were hunched over, they had four arms, two of which had clawed hands, and the other had sickles in place of hands.

The figure stopped before the statues and opened their mouth. In a raspy, inhuman voice, they said, "I come to deliver my reports for the Eldest One."

The statues stare at the figure, faces still blank and unmoving. Then a voice boomed out from behind the gate.

"Let her in."

With that, the statues snapped back their head to their original positions and opened the gate for the figure.

She hurried through the gates and entered a room where the Eldest One stood hands on railings that circled around a ball of flesh, with fleshy tendrils protruding out of it, connecting to the walls, and ceiling.

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The gate closed behind her and she kneeled, head down facing the ground. She heard footsteps as the Eldest One walked toward her.

"Mammon, my dear sister, why are you kneeling?"

Mammon turns her head to look him in the eyes.

"Because I have failed you, brother."

She was unable to read the Eldest One's expression for his face was hidden behind the skull of a ram, head tilted as yellow eyes bare straight into her soul. A tense silence shrouded the two, shivers went down her spine as she awaited her punishment.

"...In what way have you failed, Mammon?"

"I have failed to locate where Belphegor is hiding, nor have I determined what was the cause of the recent...disturbances that had occurred."

"But you have gotten hints and clues as to the reasons for the recent disturbances, and most importantly where Belphegor is hiding, correctly?"

"Yes."

The Eldest One relaxed, before chuckling to himself and pulled her up into a standing position.

"My dear sister, you have failed, in fact, you have done your task perfectly."

"I-I have?"

This only caused the Eldest One to go from chuckling to throwing his head up and erupting into full-blown laughter. Mammon just stared, unsure of what she should do.

Calming down, the Eldest One put a hand on her shoulder and said, "Mammon, for you to even find clues and hints shows that you are truly the best among us for this sort of thing. You shouldn't be ashamed of yourself, no, you must be proud of yourself for what you have accomplished.

In fact, Mother would be proud of you."

Mammon's mouth was opening and closing, repeatedly, with no words coming out.

The Eldest One then turned around and walked back to the ball of flesh, gazing upon it as it pulsate. A small imp flew down and landed on the Eldest One's shoulder. He whispers something to it.

The imp nodded and took off, flapping its wings.

"There will be a reward waiting for you in your dwelling, Mammon."

This made her perk up, having finally found her voice.

"Really?"

The Eldest One nodded.

"After all, as Mother used to say, 'good children get rewarded and bad ones get punished.'"