The old woman woke up, opening her eyes wide as if she had just broken free from some terrible nightmare. She managed to get up, hissing because the still fresh wound reminded her that she had been recently stabbed. Looking around she tried to figure out where she was located. Small room, small bed, small bed stand, and a cabinet - also small. And a window. Getting up, Morrigu approached it, and momentarily got blinded by a bright light, which stabbed her eyes with sharp pain.
After a minute or two, the old witch again tried to look through it, once her eyes adjusted. It was the middle of the city. On the streets, she could see vendors selling their goods and carts traveling through.
Once she was certain where she was, she checked her own body. She was covered in bandages, except for these, she was completely naked. Some very simple clothes were lying on the spare chair next to her bed. She put them on and left the room.
She was in… an adventurer’s guild. How did she know that? Mostly because the room she woke up in was right next to the reception, and one beautiful, young woman working behind the desk quickly called out for her:
* “Oh! Old Lady! Here! You are finally awake! You were unconscious for three days! Our best priests were doing their best to return you back to the living! According to them, you were already with one leg behind the mist! You even reeked of death… not a nice saying, I know, but still! They managed to perform a miracle! Feel free to rest as long as you need, don’t you worry - we, the Adventurer’s Guild, are not charging for our services. Your bills are fully paid by the Church of the Three! I am Mia, and on behalf of the guild I would like to most sincerely ask you to stay for a couple of days in the city of Boltward - you may be able to provide us with valuable information regarding a quest that was issued…”
* “I… am afraid I might not be able to. My village needs me, I am a witch with a capital's certificate, the only person that might help them…”
She quickly lied. She lost her certificate when her student betrayed her to the inquisition, but, because she woke up in a warm room and not a cold prison cell, they clearly didn’t know that.
* “I see. That’s unfortunate, but we can’t do anything about that. Please, consider filling out these forms, then, you will be able to leave as you please.
* “W-what happened? Sorry, but my memories are still hazy…” she decided to keep on lying to understand her situation a bit better.
* “Oh, I am afraid I can’t fully answer that. One of our adventurers - Frank - found you passed out in the middle of a special district. According to him, you were a ritual sacrifice used to perform a powerful rite of reanimating a huge army of undead. As you said, you are a witch, so by killing you someone probably hoped to obtain a powerful source of magic… and apparently, they did. The House of Silver Lion is right now fighting an undead invasion.”
* “By the Three… That’s terrible…” Morrigu pretended to be shocked and disgusted.
Oh, how fortunate did fate favored her… No, she still remembered the promise she had made with the Beast. Fortune had nothing to do with it. His hand was fate itself and only he was responsible for that.
* “... I will.. of course, fill out the form… But forgive me, sweety, I need to… I think I need to drink something stronger. I-I will be back in a jiffy.” she tried to find an excuse to leave this place as soon as possible. She had no intention of filling any form, nor to sign any document that could lead the inquisition back to her.
* “Oh… Of course… That’s more than fine…” said the receptionist after giving her a pondering look.
* “Then, pardon me, I will be leaving for now…” she said heading towards the guild’s exit.
* “W-wait! Your robes were completely destroyed! You had no money on yourself either… how will you pay at the tavern…” but the doors were already closed behind her.
Mia shrugged her arms. She just tried to work according to the procedure, but what happened to the old witch was indeed not her problem.
As for the witch - she quickly walked down the street trying to find a sign. Mysterious Codex - whatever she was, clearly demanded her services. And, as part of the divine plane, she was able to manifest via signs and omens. That’s what Morrigu was looking for. A weird bird sitting on the post, a cat with strange eyes that would suddenly approach her, or some other irregularity in the surroundings around her.
And she didn’t have to look for long. Something called for her. A weird, impossible to understand cacophony of whispers that could be heard from the side. The old witch quickly looked in the direction of the weird sounds, and all she saw was an obscure, ugly, and old pub. It was located in a cellar, one would actually have to walk down a few steps before they could enter it. Only a small sign betrayed the facility that was located here.
“The Devil’s Den.”
A fitting name, especially when taking into consideration all the shadows that danced around the door, as if luring her in. Every normal person would run as far away as possible, but Morrigu knew that her life was no longer hers. Even if she was about to enter the actual resting place of an elder devil, he could not threaten her. Not if he wanted to make an enemy of Zariel.
Armored with her faith, she entered the pub.
Truly dark was the best description of the pub, only a few strange devices illuminated a counter and rows of chairs. The pub had very few patrons, all concerned with their own little bizarre businesses. And all of them looked very inhuman. A man with the head of a wolf was playing a strange game with a woman who looked like a deer. On a tall table, they were hitting balls with poles which they were wielding, trying to make the balls fall into pits located around the table’s edges.
In the meantime, on the other side of the room, by a regular table surrounded by four chairs, another group of weird creatures was playing yet another weird game.
A girl with rabbit ears threw the dices on the table before yelling:
* “Nat 20! Take that bitch, critical success!”
* “Oh come on, Lust! We agreed not to cheat!” a man with a face of the pig yelled from the other side of the table.
* “Sorry hun, ain't no cheat here! Maybe if you invested some points into intelligence your defensive roll would be a success… Gluttony, how much does Wrath need to roll for success?”
Lamia took some book into hands and started reading.
* “...Apparently… Three rolls, all critical success… and as you are at a disadvantage - because your champion is dumb as fuck, you will roll d100…”
* “YOU OUGHT TO BE KIDDING ME!” the man flipped the table throwing cards, tokens, and figures to all sides. With a pained groan and whispering “not again” to herself, Lamia snapped her fingers making all figures go back in place.
* “Roll.” Rabbit girl - a person called Lust called out with a cocky smirk.
The man with an extremely annoyed expression tossed the dices without even looking toward them.
* “Seventeen, eighty-six, sixty-six. Nope, not even close. Wrath, do you wish to use your divine intervention to save your champion?” Lamia asked
* “Hell no! I have only four more til the end of the game! Fuck this, I will just make some more contracts hoping that a new champion wouldn't be that fucking pathetic.”
* “That’s a 'No' for me… Very well. Wrath, your champion didn’t resist the temptation of a strange nymph, which actually was a succubus… oh, and he failed to recognize her as one because you rolled 1 on your perception check. He joyfully agreed to lie with the stranger. Succubi depleted all his stamina, and later carried his barely moving body to the crypt, where he was sacrificed to the elder lich dragon…”
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The table burst into flames. The fire worked like a portal through which one could see events from places far away. Morrigu was able to see the man lying on the stone altar that didn’t have the strength to even scream when a monstrosity was tearing his body apart.
* “... Wrath loses another champion. Because he was sacrificed in a ritual, the champion of Lust will get 50 additional experience points... and that after getting 10 after sucking his stamina Congrats, Lust, that’s a level up for you champion, the Old Forgotten will favor you more due to sacrifice… also… Wrath. Hand over his soul.”
With another grumpy sound, the man tossed a figure over the table, which rabbit woman skilfully caught midair.
* “Let’s take a break. I am running out of resources, I need to make a few contracts.” said the pigman getting up from his chair.
* “Lust will get an additional move for each of your attempts…” Gluttony noticed
* “I fucking know!” he roared leaving the pub.
The witch shivered one she understood what was happening. These figures were not just a game. Each piece was someone’s life. That man just died… Not only that, but his entire soul was also being passed from one being to another like a currency… The Devil’s Den… Up until now she had no idea how adequate this name was.
The last strange person was a bartender - a man with the head of a bird who was the only person that looked in her direction.
* “You must be Morrigu. We were expecting you. Please, don’t be afraid. Come on, sit by the counter. You can call me Envy… care for a drink?”
* “I…I am fine.”
* “Oh, don’t be so modest! You probably already know, but this place is a border between worlds, any drink you have here is mostly a fantasy, and as such, we never run out of stock.”
* “In that case… The strongest thing you have, please.”
* “Coming right up.” The bird-like bartender turned around and picked a bottle from a shelf… which Morrigu was sure was not there a second ago. Then, the man quickly picked a glass, uncorked the bottle, and poured generously.
Without thinking twice, the old witch bottomed the glass and choked. Whatever she drank was the real deal - even purer than most self-made vodkas had drunk.
* “Whoa! Easy there! Just because it’s fantasy - doesn't mean it’s not real. Sometimes, things that we believe in are far more harmful than reality could ever be. You can get drunk, you can even get poisoned by it - even though once someone cuts your belly open and they would find nothing. Take it easy. I will leave the bottle. I will let Her know that you have arrived. Someone will come for you pretty soon.”
Envy said, picking some weird, smooth rock from under a table. Part of it was covered in buttons with strange symbols. He pressed the symbols in seemingly random order, before pressing the smooth rock to his face.
* “Hallo? Giselle? Tell Zariel, to tell Codex that she has arrived… What who? It doesn’t matter! They will know who I am talking abo… No! No side chick came to Zariel!.. I am telling you again, he is not cheating on y… Shesh. That’s pointless. Wait a moment, I will send you a picture…” he put the rock off his face and pointed it toward Morrigu. There was a quick flash of light, before Envy pressed some button again and put the rock to his head again “... did you get the picture? You did? Good. Check it. You did? Great. Now, repeat your previous question? Why? Why aren’t you questioning Zariel’s loyalty now?... Why not!? You totally should!... Maybe he got tired being with such a childish, manipulative person like you!?... yeah! Maybe you were THAT immature that he started chasing after people being THAT OLD!... What? No!... I mean… look, can you just deliver the fucking message?... Why won’t I do it myself!? CUZ CALLING HIM DIRECTLY IS A PAIN IN THE ASS! I ain’t got time to wait on the line for thirty minutes just to end up being answered by you!... Oh my Zariel! You will! You are not lying, are you? You will do your fucking job!? Praise the heavens! Praise the…!!!... Hallo? Hallo? Shit. She ended the call.”
Envy put the rock aside.
* “Good thing is - I delivered the message. Bad thing - the person that received it is an annoying bitch and it may take some time to…”
The rock started letting out a weird sound… a pleasant one. Was that music?
* “Hallo? Boss? Good to hear from y…”
And then a noise could be heard through the rock. In that noise, one could actually distinguish words.
* “ENVY! For fucks sake! Care telling me why Giselle told me that YOU told her that I am cheating on her with some granny!? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA WHAT YOU JUST DID!?...”
* “Boss… I was just annoyed… That was but a joke and…”
* “JOKE!? GISELLE DOESN’T UNDERSTAND JOKES! Her head has as many wits as a brothel has virgins! I will tell you what you just did with that joke of yours - you gave me a week of Giselle’s bitching! I will have to make up for that… EVEN THOUGH I DIDN’T DO SHIT WRONG!... So you better tell me, the fuck do you want…”
* “SHE… is here, boss…”
* “Who is the SHE!? Do you know how many women I’ve made pacts with… seriously though, making a pact with a woman is far easier than with man… they are constantly dissatisfied with their lives, always looking for a change… But, back to business. Who the fuck did come?”
* “... Witch Morrigu?” the birdman answered after a moment of silence.
* “Great? And? Why the fuck are you bothering me with it!? She is Codex’s problem now… I gave you the number to Codex, right?”
* “... You didn’t. You said you would… but…”
* “Whatever. I will notify her for now, later I will send you her number… and for my sake - don’t ever joke about me betraying Gis!”
* “Yes boss, sorry boss…”
And then for the last time he put the weird rock aside.
* “... yeah, someone will come for you soon.”
But, in the meantime Morrigu's attention was drawn by something else.
* “This.. Giselle. Who is she?” she asked as if she didn’t even care.
* “A little whiny bitch! That's what she is! Absolute attention whore!... and for some unknown reason to me, my boss likes her. A lot. And he made her his head-priestess… only to make her nearly immortal so he could spend time with her. You don’t want to get on her bad side… although, she doesn’t have a good one now that I think about it.”
At that moment, the door opened again, and a small purple-haired girl entered the pub. She quickly located the witch and greeted the bartender with a nod as she jumped onto the chair next to her.
* “Same thing as always, Miss Codex?” the bird man asked.
* “I am offended that it’s not ready yet!” she joked, clearly in high spirits.
The batended picked some milk and fruity syrup before mixing these and passing them to the divine being, alongside a straw made of some strange material.
* “... where is the ice cream with sweet-sparkling-sprinkles?” she pouted.
* “Ask gluttony over there…” he pointed with his head towards the lamia “... if you want some, you will need to fantasy some of them out…”
* “Meh. I am too busy to bother. Let’s cut down to business… Morrigu, right?”
Taken aback, the witch only managed to nod after a moment.
* “My name is Codex. Codex of the Fallen, Codex Diabolicus, The First Grimoire and so on, and so on… But, if you would try to repeat after Zariel and call me Codi… well, I would kill you to death. I would kill you so fucking hard that you would be reborn as a miscarriage. Are we clear?...” all she could do was to nod in answer “... Good. Now, as you probably remember, you are my possession. Why? Because, as you probably noticed, every god in this damned land has its own Holy Book, being either a set of rules, or specific credo. It is vital to have such a book when one of the gods wants to spread his domain - simply because it’s the easiest way around. And Zariel, as he is fairly new to the business around here, still doesn’t have one. Therefore, he asked me to take this ungrateful and definitely underpaid job of becoming one. And, because I am his possession, I couldn’t say no. Yet, as I am lazy as well I am against doing all the work myself, here - you make a grand entrance. You will become my librarian. Your job will be to help me - read it as ‘do most of the job’ - in organizing all information that I carry and forming it into a somewhat more plausible form. Oh, and just so you know, you have no right to refuse… I mean, you do, but as you do, your life ends.”
Codex took a huge sip of her drink through the straw.
* “... Any questions?” she asked after a moment of silence.
* “Two: where and when do I start?”
* “Oh my! How eager! You already annoy me - since I got my body I hate those overly eager types - that blessing of a body is wasted on you - the living! As soon as I got my body all I ever wanted to do was to laze around and eat sweet things.”
* “I am old already, for a human that is. I studied necromancy in hope of surpassing weaknesses of my flesh and obtaining immortality. You could say that I had plenty of time to enjoy myself. Now, at the very conclusion of my life I am motivated to prolong it as much as I can…”
* “... Are you really sure that you are fine with just becoming an undead? You will not be able to take naps or eat sweet things if you do!”
* “Ha! If there was any other way…”
Morrigu just shook her head with a saddened expression.
* “... That’s not that hard actually… Say, do you want to become young again?”
* “Ho-ho-ho! Oh, no, the elixir of youth will only hide the old flesh and not make you actually younger… But, if there was a way then…” but she couldn't say anything more, because Codex already started swinging her finger casting a spell.
* “Mortals and their incorrect, linear understanding of time. How adorable…”
The body of the witch changed and twisted. Her bones cracked a little, her grey hair turned black and her crooked backs straightened. Within a minute she got taller and much thinner.
When her transformation was over, the old witch had vanished completely. In her place stood a person that was nothing like the person that was standing in her place a minute ago.
* “You should be around twenty-five years old now… Don’t look at me like that. I would have no use for an old grandma! All I did was optimize my use of you… Now. Get yourself ready, once we finish our drinks, we are starting our work… and by saying that WE are starting OUR job, I mean that you will be working while I will be supervising. We clear? Good…. Marvelous even… Envy! One more!”
Ah, if someone would only enter the pub “The Devil’s Den”, just to witness what had just happened here…
… But obviously, nobody who wasn’t invited could enter. For this place never existed. It was all but a fantasy - a nowhere between the realms.