Lemmy carefully examined his own reflection in the mirror. The demon-turned-man wore a pair of dark green velvet trousers complete with a waist high, long sleeved jacket to match. Underneath the jacket was a pearl white silk shirt with embroidered patterns of gold and ebony. A black bear fur mantle rested atop of his broad shoulders, held together around his neck by a thick gold chain that sported fist sized bear head pins on either end.

The burial chamber around him had been repurposed into a makeshift dressing room and stocked full with wardrobes and chests. They were filled to bursting with clothes and accessories, such as boots, belts and hats. The containers lined the walls of the dim chamber while numerous bolts of cloth were stacked in the middle.

The man-demon shifted around to try and get a better a view of his body, but the mirrors levitating in front of him were meant for much smaller creatures and as such provided an incomplete picture. Even in his human form Lemmy stood over two meters tall and his muscular build meant that no less than three mirrors had to be placed side by side for him to be able to view himself from the front alone.

“Do you like it, My Lord?” Silphi asked and levitated one more mirror behind Lemmy’s back for a complete view of his posterior. She then flew up to him and placed a black felt hat on her Lord’s head. It had a wide rim and a gold buckle on the left side.

“You tell me,” Lemmy mumbled in frustration. “I have never worn this much clothing before.”

He leaned in closer to observe his reflection in the mirror.

“Is this appearance acceptable? I mean, I don’t want to stick out too much.” He gave his servant a questioning look. “Do you know what I mean?”

Silphi tilted her head and graced her concerned lord with a kind smile. “Lord Grey, you are more than twice the size of an average human male. Dressed like a monk, a noble lord or running around butt-naked, I can assure you that you are going to attract a lot of attention either way.”

“Well…” He sighed heavily and looked down at the gold chain holding his mantle in place. “Fine, I will go with this one then.”

“It looks great on you, My Lord,” Silphi reassured him. “I believe that our Master expects an encounter with the local human nobility. To that end you should be dressed accordingly.”

She tapped her finger on her cheek. “Appearances are very important in human interactions and as such should never be underestimated.”

“Meeting the locals…” Lemmy made his dissatisfaction known with a low growl as he eyed his reflection in the mirror.

Silphi hummed quietly as she polished the gold buckle on Lemmy’s hat with a piece of cloth. 

The demon suddenly snapped to attention as a shadowy presence emerged from behind him. He clenched his fist in preparation to strike, but dropped his guard as soon as the he realized who it was that had arrived.

“Lord Grey,” a cold voice echoed through the chamber of the crypt. “I hope that I am not interrupting.”

Boniface stepped through a portal that was as dark as the deepest night and stopped in front of the demon. Nothing but bones – dressed in finest velvet – the Lich Lord was barely quarter the size of the man-demon. The black clothes of the undead necromancer were still a shade brighter than the Void portal from which he had emerged.

“Lord Boniface…” Lemmy gave him a weary gaze. “Have you come to amuse yourself on behalf of my new and clearly inferior form?”

Just a moment after it had first appeared, the dark gateway fell apart, turning into a cloud of black, twisting smoke that soon evaporated, leaving behind nothing but a lingering sensation of cold that had emerged from it along with the necromancer.

Bones slowly shook his skull in dismissal. “I have not come to have a laugh at your expense, my friend. Though I must admit that I am intrigued to see what caliber of a man a high demon such as you will make. It could turn out to be… quite amusing.”

“What is it then?” Lemmy spurred him on.

Bones nodded. “I have come on our Master’s behalf.”

Lemmy’s expression lightened at the mention of Diana. “I am listening,” he said.

“While our Master has entrusted you with escorting her across the surface world, she feels that you might not be able to blend in with the human population well enough on your own.”

“You don’t say,” Lemmy remarked and eyed his shovel sized fists as he flexed them.

“Oh, but I do. And so does our Master. Your impressive size notwithstanding, she fears that your understandable lack of prior human interaction could lead to a rather unfortunate–”

“–disaster?” Lemmy growled.

“–slaughter?” Silphi inquired in a chipper tone.

Bones placed his skeletal hands together. “–misunderstanding.”

Lemmy scoffed. “Knowing my luck we will run into a pack of ogres, a horde of orcs and a dragon or two along the way.”

“There should be no orcs on this side of the river Nuur, My Lord,” Silphi assured him.

“Make it three dragons then,” Lemmy growled.

“Oh, I am sure that you could deal with the dragons,” Bones said, “But, statistically speaking, you are very unlikely to encounter any real danger on a two day trip through a swamp in the middle of a human kingdom. The humans, however – they could become quite the nuisance for you to deal with–“

“–quickly?” Lemmy asked.

“–mercilessly?” Silphi added.

“–softly.” Bones shook his head.  “Softly, as in: try and avoid any unnecessary bloodshed.

For that reason our master has seen it fit to assign you an escort; a confidant of utmost experience in dealing with humans. She reckons that…”

“A confida-what now?” Lemmy asked.

Bones placed his skeletal palm over his eyes and sighed loudly. “A confidant is someone who–”

“Alright, alright,” Lemmy interrupted him. “I know what it is. I was just messing with you.”

Met with the silent gaze of the undead mage, the demon cleared his throat and continued. “Anyhow… Is it going to be one of the handmaidens?”

“No,” Bones replied in an annoyed tone. He looked to Silphi who was hovering patiently at the demon’s side. “It will be you, My Lady.”

Silphi’s eyes widened at the suggestion. She tried to hide her joy, but barely managed it. “I am honored to have our Master entrust me with such an important task.”­

She took hold of the long flowing fabric of her dress and curtsied midair. “I will not fail you, My Lord.”

“Silphi will act as your advisor and guide on this journey,” Bones explained. “Hopefully that will prevent you from acting out of turn?

Can I expect you to follow her advice?”

The demon growled. “Well, if that is what our Master would have me do. Still…” Lemmy examined Silphi’s ghostly visage. “I might stand out a lot, but a banshee would attract even more attention, wouldn’t she?”

The demon waved his hand back and forth through the transparent figure of the banshee. “Could Silphi possess one of the corpses, maybe? That way she could walk around without drawing suspicion from the locals.” 

“My Lord…” The banshee’s joyful expression turned sour.

“What?” 

“They are all men...” 

Lemmy shrugged. “I fail to see the problem here.” 

Silphi crossed her arms in a protest. “All the corpses that we have right now – ugly adventurers. I am not going on a trip with you and the Master wearing some random dead guy as a hat.”

She looked to the undead necromancer with a sinister glint in her eye. “Besides, Lord Boniface has already set me up with a solution.”

“You have?” Lemmy asked.

Boniface slowly nodded. “Why don’t you go and fetch it for us, My Lady.”

Silphi bowed her head and flew out of the storage chamber.

“Leonard,” Bones addressed the demon once the banshee had left.

“Ah, yes… that is my name now, apparently.”

“And you would be wise to get accustomed to it,” Bones advised. “A careless slipup would be most unfortunate.”

“I don’t assume that you came all this way just to remind me of that,” Lemmy said.

Boniface paced around in front of Lemmy and examined the demon’s new apparel more closely. He ran his bone fingers across his bare, pearl white chin as if he was scratching his beard – yet there was clearly none to be scratched.

“Is this the look you are going with?” Bones finally asked. He glanced over the heaps of torn up and discarded cloth that lied scattered across the floor around them.

Lemmy looked down at his jacket. “Silphi had these clothes custom made just now.”

Bones nodded in appreciation. “Then she has retained her fine taste in clothing. As expensive as it was when she was still alive…

You would do well to trust her on other matters as well, my friend.”

Lemmy smiled. “Honestly? I was half afraid that I would have to beg for our Master to let Silphi come with me. I have no idea how to act around normal people. Having her with me should help a great deal.”

“I wouldn’t worry too much about the humans if I were you,” Bones reassured him. “In the end, we are not going to be spying. In fact, I expect a rather quick and violent end to this expedition.” He shrugged. “Or just violent – if our Master decides on a little torture and terror...”

“Yes,” Lemmy once more examined his shovel sized hands, “And I seem to have developed an unfortunate disability.”

He scoffed. “At a time when our Master might have a need for me…”

“Is that so?” Even though his skeletal expression conveyed no change, Bones sounded sincerely surprised.

Lemmy held up his arms towards the Lich Lord. “It would appear that I have lost my claws in the transformation.”

“Does that inhibit your fighting abilities that severely?” Bones asked.

“How do I split the skulls of my enemies with no claws?” Lemmy rubbed his human fingers against one another. “I couldn’t flay an onion with these things, let alone an armored knight.”

“Well, the lesser demons use weapons for that,” Bones advised him. “Axes, swords, mallets… Maybe that would be something that you could enjoy?

Personally, I’ve never carried a sword, – a bow while hunting, yes – but never a blade… Still, I reckon they could be quite fun, given your reckless fighting style.”

“Hmm, I did like using that one human as a club...” Lemmy admitted, “But the knight that I fought was much better at wielding his weapon than me. Swinging that big sword of his around like it was an extension of his body – that is just like how my claws were to me!”

He shook his head in dismissal, “A weapon would not feel the same…” 

“Well, I suppose you could ask Victorian to train you,” Bones suggested. “We might as well make use of the boy while he lasts.”

“I still don’t understand why we couldn’t just kill him,” Lemmy said. “He is weak. We don’t need weakness.”

Bones shrugged. “I agree with your, but our Master has a soft spot for people like him,” he said. “We two might be heartless monsters, but Lady Diana has retrained at least some small part of her humanity. And I for one do not wish to see it stamped out completely.”

“But that is a sign of weakness,” Lemmy suggested.

Bones nodded. “Yes, well, for someone in her position of power, having a heart is actually useful. If she was as single minded as you, we would be having a much harder time attracting supporter for our cause.

Tyranny is effective in the moment,” Bones said, “But loyalty lasts longer. Not to mention, that terror is a finite resource – there is only so much that a slave can lose or be afraid of losing before deciding to risk life and limb to overthrow you.

Never rely on power alone. I made that mistake long ago and I paid the price.”

“I will try to keep that in mind,” Lemmy said.

That very moment Silphi flew back into the room.

“My Lords,” she bowed her head, “I have returned with the item.”

The banshee presented Lemmy with a glistening gold earring that had an emerald – roughly the size of a quail’s egg – nestled in it.

“What is that?” the demon asked.

“A soul stone, My Lord,” Silphi explained. “Lord Boniface gifted it to me some time ago.”

Bones took hold of the earring by the hook and presented it to Lemmy. “I have enchanted this soul stone to provide Silphi with a means of remaining undetected during your travels. The item is capable of hiding her presence while she resides inside of it.

And yes, she will be able to talk to you from within the soul stone. I have not done any field testing, but from a long experience with these matters I can assure you that no common priest or witch hunter will be able to detect her.

Well, as long as she keeps quiet, that is.”

Lemmy’s gaze narrowed as he examined the item more closely. “Silphi…”

“Yes, My Lord?”

“I might not know much about clothing, but I have a nagging suspicion that you had a good reason to make mine the way you did.”

Lemmy looked at the dark green velvet sleeve of his jacket and then back at the emerald earring in Boniface’s hand. “I don’t suppose that the matching color of my clothes and that of the earring was just a coincidence?”

“A happy little coincidence…” the banshee tried to mask her guilty expression as she answered.

Bones placed his free arm on his heartless chest. “Are you suggesting that the two of us have conspired behind your back to secure a place for Silphi on the expedition?”

“It might be an unexpected side effect of the transformation,” Silphi suggested.

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“Side effect my big red ass,” Lemmy mumbled. “You would do anything for her…”

Bones raised his arms before him. “I wash my hands–” he examined his fleshless fingers, “Well, someone’s hands in innocence.”

“I am sure that you are,” Lemmy said.

“Anyhow,” Bones continued, “Our Master’s decision stands and Lady Silphi will be accompanying you on this little trek across the surface world.”

A portal of twisting shadows appeared behind the necromancer’s back. The air around Boniface grew cold and whispers echoed throughout the chamber.

“I trust you can find your own way to Victorian,” Bones said as he handed the earring over to Lemmy. “We set out for the Rotwald estates with the first light on the morrow. Please be on time for the departure.”

Boniface bowed his head and stepped backwards into the gaping maw of the Void. A second later the portal vanished into thin air and the Lich Lord was gone along with it.

Lemmy was left standing with the emerald earring it his hand.

Silphi eyed him expectantly. “Are you–”

“Yes, yes…” He fidgeted with the hook on the earring with his fat fingers, but was unable to pry it open.

Defeated by the impassably tiny scale of the task he turned to his servant for assistance. “Could you?”

Silphi took the earring in her delicate hands, opened it and pushed the needle trough his earlobe. Having secured it in place she once more distanced herself from the demon.

“It is done, My Lord.”

“Thank you,” Lemmy said and turned for the exit. “We have received a new task from our Master.”

The massive man-demon could barely fit through the doorway. The old, drab stone walls of the cluttered storage chamber were replaced by the similarly drab stone walls of the corridor. Small mage amber lanterns dotted the walls and provided the hallway with a dim source of light. Instead of burning wax, oil or coal, they were sustained by the traces of arcanite in the air and, if left alone, could burn indefinitely as long as there was a large enough saturation of the element in the crypt. 

“Are we going to visit Victorian now?” Silphi inquired as she followed her lord out into the corridor.

“Do you know where they are keeping that little man?” Lemmy asked.

Silphi nodded. “I believe our Master had him taken to one of the spare cells in the servant quarters.”

Lemmy gestured forward. “Lead the way then.”

Silphi took up position flying slightly ahead of her lord as the two of them headed down the poorly lit passage. Lemmy’s hulking body left long shapes on the walls as he passed the torches by, but Silphi’s body cast no shadow at all.

“About your character, My Lord,” Silphi inquired after a moment of silence. “Have you given any thought as to who you are going to pretend to be while we tour the human realms?” 

“Now that you mention it,” Lemmy rubbed his smooth, fist wide chin in contemplation, “No, I have not.

What do I tell the humans when they ask about my past? Who am I? Where did I come from?

Grrrr–” Lemmy vocalized his frustration with a low growl after a moment of intense mental workout. “Given how little I know about this world, I am not really looking forward to talking with the humans. I fear that I will have to rely on your advice for that.”

“Then maybe you should just act like yourself?” Silphi suggested. 

“What do you mean?” Lemmy asked.

“You are a warrior, My Lord, and a damn good one at that. So why not just pretend to be a human that has spent his entire life fighting? War is a constant among the mortals and no one in their right mind would trouble you with questions if you were known as a violent man.

That way you could still be yourself. Just change your stories of how you ripped rampaging demons and beast to shreds with your bare hands with little white lies: like that you defeated them using swords, hammers and spears.

A brave knight in shining armor riding down a fearsome fire breathing dragon to rescue a kidnapped princess...” Silphi tiled her head from one side to the other as she imagined it. “What a romantic story it would be! I can definitely picture you doing it, My Lord.”

“Pffft!” Lemmy scoffed. “Fire breathing dragons are pushovers anyway.

But is it really that common among humans to defeat one? Because I will have you know that my personal record is five in one day. And that is only because the rest of their flock fled.

Lemmy slammed his hand against his puffed chest. “I would like to meet anyone who can claim a higher score, because those little red bastards are hard to catch!”

The banshee frowned at the heavy handed delivery of Lemmy’s boast. “Well, your might have to play it down a ‘little’ bit. Besides, you don’t have to pretend to be a modest person, because the mortals often over exaggerate their stories. No one would really expect you to be able to fight dragons, not in single combat, at least. That is just silly.”

“Huh… puny mortals,” Lemmy grinned. “I am not holding back on my stories just because of their weakness.”

“Don’t worry, My Lord, you won’t have to. Our Master only ever told us to pretend to be human, not that we couldn’t show off our power. Unless she says otherwise, of course...” 

“So it is decided then?” Lemmy asked. I will be playing the role of a human warrior?” 

“How about a journeying knight instead?” Silphi suggested in an ever so slightly conspicuous tone. “You could tell people that you have been working as a sell sword while traveling the world. Searching for something, maybe?” 

Lemmy was growing weary of her intent. “You sound like you have a story to go along with it already.” 

“Oh, maybe…” the banshee mused. “Just a random thought, really. Certainly nothing that I have been fantasizing about for a while now…”

Silphi flew circles around Lemmy, spinning in the air as she began her narration of his supposed origins. 

She tried to downplay the excitement in her voice as she spoke. “You were a young knight in your lord’s service, when the intrigues of the fellow nobles vying for power saw your family wrongly accused of conspiring against the king. 

You were drawn into a power struggle far above your station. Insults were delivered, accusations made and one thing lead to another... In the end your beautiful young wife was assassinated over petty envy and you, driven mad with vengeance, lead your loyal vassals into battle against the corrupt nobles that had driven the kingdom to the brink of collapse. 

Your battles against the traitorous nobles were numerous – each a bitter engagement with forces far outnumbering your loyal few. Yet your unyielding determination won the day each and every time.

You won the war. But it was a victory attained at a great cost, as of your friends few remained among the living. Of your noble house but one man still drew breath – it was you.

The king thanked you generously for your outstanding service with gold, land and power. But all the tiles and glory in the world could not bring back the woman you loved, the woman that you had risen up to avenge in the first place.

Grief stricken and desperate, you searched the land for a power that could bring her back to the realm of the living. Oh, to only feel her in your arms once more… You did not care for the cost or the means. 

As the time went by the people that you once knew all turned away from you, frightened by your mad ambitions. They called you a madman; a fool chasing his happy past that was long dead and buried.

But their petty insults did not stop you. After years spent in searching for a way to cheat death itself, you finally came upon a powerful necromancer who offered to fulfill your heart’s deepest desire. He was willing to call her soul back from the afterlife, but there was a terrible price to pay­–” 

“I’m going to stop you right there,” Lemmy interjected. “That story sounds awfully familiar to me. All you did was to change some of the details around to fit the narrative, but that pretty much is the story of how–”

“So what?” Silphi shrugged. “It is pretty decent story in its own right. Why not just go along with it?”

They turned a corner and were met with a yet another corridor. Unlike the previous passages, this one housed many large wooden doors that lead to smaller side chambers that the other living denizens of the crypt used as their personal quarters.

“We shall discuss this ‘romanticized’ background of mine at length on some other occasion, Silphi. I would like to have a talk with the little man first.”

Lemmy walked down the corridor examining the many doors as he passed. “Which one is his?”

Silphi flew past Lemmy. “It is one of the spare rooms on the far end, My Lord.”

As the two of them made their way over to the far end of the corridor, they were met by three hooded figures moving in the opposite direction.

The three humanoid shapes were dressed in dark blue robes and had wide cowls drawn over their heads that obscured their faces. They carried in their hands strips of torn clothing and blood and grime soaked bandages.

“My Lord,” the leading figure addressed the demon and the banshee in a woman’s voice as she passed them by, “My Lady.”

The other two robed figures following her nodded in a silent greeting as they scurried past.

“How is our guest holding up?” Silphi asked.

The three women stopped and turned to facing their superiors. They then bowed their heads once more before answering.

“The young man is lucky to be alive,” one of the servants answered. “We dressed his wounds to the best of our abilities and gave him something for the pain. For now he should be allowed to rest. We were just about to bring him something to eat.”

“Carry on then,” Lemmy said and continued towards Victorian’s chamber.

The three women waited for the demon lord to turn around before leaving.

“Looks like our Master has spurred the entire tomb into action,” Lemmy said and glanced over his shoulder at the robed figures hastily making their way down the hallway.

“We are setting out to avenge Victorian’s family on a very short notice,” Silphi explained. “I am sure that our servants have a few preparations to make beforehand. Provision to collect; gear to gather...

Aaaand here we are!” She stopped at the entrance to Victorian’s chamber.

“We should use this opportunity to try out the soul stone that Lord Boniface made for me,” she advised.

“A quick test before the journey?” Lemmy picked at his chin. “Sure, go ahead.”

The banshee touched the emerald soul stone with her ghostly hand and was drawn into it. The gem appeared no different with her hiding inside of it.

“It is a little cramped in here,” the banshee spoke in a muffled voice from within the gemstone. It rattled around ever so slightly as Silphi tried to get accustomed to her new dwelling.

“Can you hear me, My Lord?” Silphi asked.

“Yes,” Lemmy said. “Can you see anything?”

“I can, but only what is on your right – your head obscures the other side.”

“Well, as long as you can see whoever I am talking to in front of me.”

“I should be able to,” the banshee replied.

“Alright,” Lemmy knocked on the door three times before grabbing the handle, “Let’s get this test over with.”

He pushed the door open, bowed his head to mind the doorframe that fell slightly short of his height and stepped one foot inside Victorian’s chamber.

“Excuse me for barging in like this, but–”

He was planning to follow up his apology with an immediate introduction, but halted in the doorway instead.

Victorian’s chamber was as poorly lit as the rest of the crypt. It was also functional at best: a single wooden bed on the far side of the room with a wardrobe on the right and a plain wooden chair up against the wall next to it.

There was a single white candle in a lamp on the wall to the right that valiantly struggled to fight back the ever-present shadows of the underworld surrounding it. The light it cast could barely reach the young man swaying back and forth in his bed, but it was enough for Lemmy to make out the other presence in the room aside from Victorian.

A human shape stood in the shadows behind the young man, its’ robed sleeve laid across the paladin’s right shoulder.

Victorian sat slumped forward at the foot of his bed, facing the doorway. His narrow gaze expressed a trance-like state as the young paladin swayed back and forth ever so slightly; in an out of the shadows cast by the lone source of light in the room.

Lemmy examined the robed figure and sniffed the air for its scent.

“You?” Lemmy asked with a mix of surprise and suspicion in his voice. “What are you doing here?”

The mysterious figure tore away its’ arm from Victorian and jumped backwards, towards the stone wall behind him.

A flash of cold and a half spoken whisper later and the hooded figure had disappeared, leaving behind nothing more than a cloud of smoke that quickly evaporated into the air.

“Should I chase after her?” Silphi asked.

“No,” Lemmy answered. “I will question the little girl about her intentions later myself.”

As the demon stood in the doorway pondering his next action, the young paladin sitting on the bed seemed to slowly awaken from his lethargic state.

Having shifted his confused gaze around the room for a while, Victorian turned his attention to his hands as he proceeded to move his fingers in front of him as if checking to make sure that they were real.

Lemmy cleared his throat to get Victorian’s attention.

Victorian looked up and finally noticed the strange man standing in the doorway.

“Hey there,” he addressed the visitor with a raspy voice.

“Are you feeling alright?” Lemmy asked. “You look a bit… out there.”

Victorian rubbed his eyes and carefully cracked his neck before replying. “Yeah… I was just… dreaming.”

“Dreaming?” Lemmy asked. “Is that what it was?”

Victorian examined the room around him more closely. “Just… old nightmares.” He took a deep breath and touched his chest as he was reminded of his injuries. “It will pass.”

Lemmy entered the room and made sure to close the door behind him.

“Go on, introduce yourself, My Lord!” Silphi whispered in his ear. 

Lemmy stepped forward and extended his hand in a greeting. “Greetings, Victorian,” he said. “You do not know me yet, but we share the same Master.”

My name is Lem… – ehem – Leonard. Leonard Grey.” 

Victorian wearily examined the massive velvet clad man before him with suspicion. 

Standing so close to one another, Lemmy could now tell that Victorian looked exhausted beyond words. His eyes were sunken and his body trembled lightly. 

Lemmy sniffed the air and whispered to Silphi, “He reeks of death.”

“Are you an ogre?” Victorian finally asked. “No, wait. It can’t be… Could you really be a human?”

“Say yes, Lemmy,” Silphi whispered in Lemmy’s ear.

“Really?” Lemmy whispered back through his teeth in a sarcastic tone. “I was planning to go with 'a really tall dwarf' instead.”

Victorian’s lifeless eyes narrowed as he followed Leonard’s movements, listening in on the giant man conversing with himself.

“Eh,” Lemmy sighed. “I guess it’s a bit hard to pass for a human looking like this.” 

“Well you seem human enough,” Victorian said. He slowly stood up and accepted the stranger’s greeting. “But are you actually one?” 

“Well, sort of,” Lemmy said. “It is complicated.”

“Mind if I sit?” Victorian asked. “I am not feeling too great right now…”

“Sure.” Lemmy stepped back so that he did not have to look down at the man.

Having seated himself, Victorian gestured at the chair standing next to the wardrobe. “I would offer you a seat but…” 

“Not my size,” Lemmy noted.

“If not a human, then what kind of a monster are you?” Victorian asked.

“Monster?” Lemmy felt a little insulted by the casual description applied to him. “I am a demon.” 

“You don’t look like one,” Victorian said. He dismissed Lemmy’s claims as he glanced over his features. “No horns, no claws or fangs. I might have taken you for an incubus but I don’t see any of the common traits. And you are too large for a half-breed…”

“You sure know your demons, little man,” Lemmy noted. “Have you ever traveled to the Oblivion?”

Victorian mustered a faint smile. “The Oblivion? No. I don’t think I have ever come across anyone who could claim to have visited it. I have only ever studied about the demons that dwell there.”

“Well, today you got to fight one,” Lemmy grinned. “But have you ever fought a dragon one on one?”

“What?” Victorian furrowed his brows. “No. That would be insane. Why would you ask that?”

“Oh, just checking to make sure,” Lemmy said.

He then whispered to his earring. “I told you I was the greatest.”

“Not everything is a contest, My Lord,” Silphi whispered back.

Victorian covered his tired eyes with the palm of his hand. “You must be the same demon that I faced in the… throne room. I– yeah, it would make sense.”

“You have guessed correctly, little man,” Lemmy said.

“So… Why have you come for me?” Victorian asked.

“I know it might be rude,” Lemmy said, “Given that you only just arrived, but I was meaning to ask you a favor. You see, I lost my claws when I was transformed into a human. I was wondering if you would be willing to teach me how to fight like a human would.”

“Have you had any previous experience with handling weapons?” Victorian asked.

Lemmy’s expression warped into a cheeky smile. “No, not really,” he said. “I preferred a more… hands on approach. A little less of a chopp’y-slash’y and more of a punch’y kind of fighting style, if you catch my meaning.

I am pretty good at throwing stones, though, so at least I have that going for me.

Does it qualify as weapon handling? Cause if not, then I– well, I am a novice at it.

In any case, I came to you in hopes of a getting few pointers. I am not a fool; I know that simply waving a weapon around won’t be enough when facing a well-trained opponent. That is why I want to learn how to fight with weapons.

Would you be willing to train me?” 

Victorian took a deep breath through his teeth. “I don’t… think it is the right time for that. I am not feeling too well.” He cradled his bandaged chest.

He glanced back at the pillow on his bed. “Whenever I try to sleep, I just– I keep remembering things that I really wish I could forget instead.”

“My friend could help you fall asleep,” Lemmy offered. “Would you like that?”

Victorian shook his head. “Thank you, Sir Grey, but I wouldn’t want to bother you with my problems.”

He sighed. “Besides, it is not the first time that I am having these waking nightmares. They should pass on their own in a few hours.”

“A few hours?” Lemmy asked. “Well, I mean I’ve got her right here with me…” He pointed at his earring. “It is haunted by a crazy dead woman – she is good at putting people to sleep.” 

“I am your long lost love!” Silphi’s voice carried through the chamber loud enough for everyone to hear. “Not just some random dead woman.”

“And I still haven’t agreed to that story, Silphi. I told you that we would discuss it later.” 

The banshee emerged from Lemmy’s earring in all of her ghostly glory and flew up to Victorian.

The young paladin recoiled as she reached out her hand for his head.

“Don’t be afraid,” Silphi reassured him. “I will not harm you. I just need to touch you for a moment. I can make your pain go away.”

Victorian’s expression tensed up and he eyed the banshee with distrust, but went along with it.

“Devils, demons and the undead,” he muttered.

“We are a colorful bunch,” Lemmy grinned. “Tons of fun to be had for anyone willing to join us. You made the right choice, little man.

Now, before Silphi does her thing, I would like to hear your answer: Will you train me?”

“I’d rather not make any promises right now,” Victorian said. “I have already broken too many vows today.”

“Fair enough,” Lemmy said. “In that case we can discuss this when you wake up.”

“I am thankful for the effort,” Victorian said. “I really am, but I don’t think that…”

“Do it, Silphi,” Lemmy ordered.

“Yes, My Lord.”

The banshee pushed her hand into Victorian’s head. The young man’s eyes rolled up as he passed out and slumped backwards onto his bed.

“His mind is like a raging storm,” Silphi said as she levitated Victorian’s unconscious body into a proper sleeping position and covered him with a blanket. “It is almost as though his very spirit is tearing itself apart.”

“He is under our protection now,” Lemmy said. “Why would he feel bad about surviving?” he asked as he turned around and went for the door.

Silphi followed him out into the corridor and closed the door shut behind her. “It could be a side effect of him renouncing his gods,” she suggested. “And he is also in a state of grief right now. So… his body and soul are not in balance.”

“Is it the same as my connection to our Master?” Lemmy asked.

“A bit,” Silphi said. “But while you are entirely bound to her, a human can never be so intimately intertwined with the arcane powers. Victorian can use them, but a magic creature he is not. He is ultimately shackled by the laws of nature. His arcane gifts can only bend the rules, not break them.

While you? You are an abomination.”

“Thank you, Silphi,” Lemmy said.

“Oh, I mean it,” she said. “The Void and the Oblivion does not work the same way as the mortal plane does. You and I aren’t exactly ‘real’. And neither is Boniface.”

“Well that makes perfect sense to me,” Lemmy said.

“Really?” Silphi asked.

“No,” Lemmy frowned. “It sounded like complete gibberish.”

“You weren’t even trying to understand it, My Lord,” Silphi pouted her lips in disappointment.

“And you weren’t doing a very good job at breaking it down for me,” Lemmy protested. “I don’t do science and magic. At the end of the day I am just a demon, Silphi – I smash things.”

“But the necromancers have studied–”

“Lemmy smash!” Lemmy roared.

“But the spirit and the soul–”

“Lemmy smash!” Lemmy roared even louder.

“But there is–”

“Lemmy–” Lemmy whispered.

“But it–”

“–smash.”

The banshee glared at the demon in disappointment. “Are you done acting like a child?”

Lemmy shrugged. “Can we move on from this topic?” he asked. “My head is about to pop from all this talk of souls and spirits and whatnot.”

“Fine,” Silphi crossed her arms, “I won’t bother you with my insights any longer.”

“Silphi…”

“What?”

“I am not mocking you,” Lemmy explained. “It really is very hard for me to understand these concepts, you know. I was born and raised out in the Oblivion. Punching things is all I knew for most of my life.

Don’t take it the wrong way, but you are pushing my limits as it is with the fancy clothing and the silly human customs. Isn’t that enough for one day?”

“Alright,” Silphi conceded. “No more brainy stuff for today.”

Lemmy halted.

Silphi turned around to face him. “What is the matter, My Lord?”

“Can you explain to me one last thing, though,” Lemmy asked. “What was she doing to Victorian back there when we entered his chamber?”