Die Hafen, Act II

As Samiel spoke his "threat" Potiri listened, very amused.

Samiel, you are in no position of threating me, and you know you can't wave your sword and destroy me, so don't threat me.


And as a response of the imps insult, as he of course ignored, he started to walk.

Shall we continue our trip, then?

 

"Excuse me Charon, but may I cross this river? I really don't feel as if I belong to this side..." Tanaros asked the ferryman with a vocie as pleasant as a cold and snowy day in Russia during the seige of Stalingrad.
"That was a really short visit you made. Are you really sure you want to cross?" Charon answered.
"Yes, I'm really sure..."

As Tanaros stepped on to the boat, he saw a person on the out side. "I wonder who that might be... Probably not a demon and it doesn't look like an undead, but on the other hand, it could just be a young undead... Or and angel..."

When to boat hit the other side, Tanaros stepped out with Trevors body and saw that the person on the outer side were a rather goodlooking woman with a staff that he recognised...

Whatahell? Were did she get that one from?!"

 

Jared was striding towards the small, arguing party, wondering what they were doing, and more importantly, why he had been sent here to ask them about it. He was not happy with the current situation, he had a lot to do as of now, and now he had a dire need to reschedule the meeting with Leraje, and he had a hard time enough with him as it was. Well, what had to be done had to be done and though he wouldn't admit it he was curious about what exactly had happened at the cave of the Mother of Evil? What where angels doing in hell at this time and place? He had no clue. He had not been informed, that was where the problem laid. Why had he not been informed? He was, as far as he knew, the current master of torturers, and he really did not intend to be misinformed and definately not not-informed-at-all. He saw the master scout imp appear and get beaten down by the fallen angel. He frowned, that Samiel always seemed to think that he was above all else... Not that imps didn't need the discipline, though, and this one really used to speak about himself as if he was a like of real demons. This master scout title should have been taken away already, but Jared was not the one handling this. Oh, what are theese demons up to?

"What is this nonsense you are up to? Why do you disturb the Spider? Do you really want to be devoured?"
Why did they have to disturb his scheme? Why the hell was he sent here to question them about it. Sometimes superiors just seemed to relaxing and having fun, while sending people like Jared to do the dirty work. They never seemed to have to schedule meetings and torturing months before they were actually dealt with.
"Of cource you are not battling her, are you?"
That last line had a hint of question in it.
They wouldn't be that stupid, would they?

 

Samiel pretended to ignore Potiri for now, as killing one of the team members at this junction wouldn't help him get revenge on Shaw. Regardless, he gripped the handle of his sword, fighting back instinct which commanded retribution. Instead he patted the noxious-mouthed Imp on the head for his choice of words, letting the insult to Potiri hang in the air.

"Very well, if everyone's ready to go then, lets make our way to the-", he was unintentionally interrupted by some unknown demon, dresssed in delicate looking clothing .... and demanding answers!

"What is this nonsense you are up to? Why do you disturb the Spider? Do you really want to be devoured?", he asked. "Of cource you are not battling her, are you?"
Samiel lifted an eyebrow at the newcomer and his fancy garb.

 

Liz watched one of the undead from the elevator, carrying another undead, step off the ferryman's boat, and walk towards her. He suddenly stopped. When he continued, he walked with inreased speeed, and he seemed somewhat angry and worried. Liz closed her eyes and waited for him to reach her.

 

The imp smiled and gave a disgusting little sound of satisfaction as his master patted him on his head, and then set off towards Charon, the boatsman. He continiuosly looked back at the party, to make sure that they were following him, and barely noticed the undead man walking past him.

Oi you, Charohn, he said to the boatsman, I'm goin' tho them lohwer levels with me guesth 'ere, you see. So justh giv' us a quick rideh ahn we're on our way, eh?

Charon simply nodded as an answer and let the imp on board.

 

Aerth looked at this little play and smiled.

- Excuse me, i´m going with these men to if i may?


Aerth Sheathed his sword flew over to where the others stood. He sensed the little imp and couldn´t think of a more pathetic creature than this one. Letting someone push it around like that and not make him pay for his deed!

"I never thought that someone could be this weak! Maybe hell ain´t so bad after all."

He then turned to the ferryman with his blindfolded eyes and awaited his answer.

 

Jared looked at the hand of Samiel that was gripping the sword that the angel always seemed to carry. He shouldn't blame him, he always carried his whip, but the overuse was getting to him.
"I am of no threat, please remove your hand from the blade, I want this to go smoothly.â€￾
He was still watching the hand. This had to be over shortly and smoothly. The second meeting before the first torture session, which he really needed to attend to, was commencing shortly.
“I do believe my superiors, your superiors, want answers. And I am here to collect those.â€￾

He proceeded to look at Potiri.
“Give me the answers to my questions and I’ll be gone as quick as I arrived.â€￾
He finished with a bow. You had to be formal, theese demons and angels where quite a lot above his rank, but he was angered by the way they refused to answer him.

 

Aerth now sensed another demon standing there.

"And might you be?" He ask this newcomer.

Aerth quickly laid his hand on the sword just incase something would go terrible wrong.

 

As the newcomer seemed to ignore Samiel and proceed forth to himself, Potiri smiled.

“Give me the answers to my questions and I’ll be gone as quick as I arrived.â€￾ The newcomer asked.

At this point, Potiri answerd;


"We had a mere discussion so to say with the spider demon about an undead being, that now lies dead in there, unless someone has removed him. And now, when you have your answers, begone or tell me your name, so we all can proceed"

Then he turned to Samiel.

"You know Samiel, you shouldn't take everything as a threat, and you shouldn't be so fast to act. We all know you wan't to show your powers, but everyone isn't that intrested in seeing them, especially not thos that are in the way. So stop being so childish and realize that there are not many that would oppose you, and those that does, probaly have a reason, are more powerful then you, or as powerfull as you, and in neither case, can you do very much about it." This he said with a smile on the face, as taunting Samiel was very amusing.

 

Samiel had already walked off, and only heard this newcomer going on about answers. His mood was foul, as his blade had run dry, and decided to let someone else explain matters to this unnamed visitor, maybe that loudmouth upstart pot-whatever? He'd already resolved to ignore the stupid demon potuti and his ugly face.

Having already made up his mind on matters, he boarded Charon's ship and sat near the front, an odd smile upon his lips.
Charon, old friend, these folks must be wearing you out, with all this coming and going across the Styx?

Charon turned and faced Samiel, It is no matter, the change in routine can sometimes be refreshing, though few of them are screaming in pain and horror. Most disappointing. But, when I get bored I just sip some of the refreshing Styx water, and all memory is washed clean.... He gave the waters an appraising look.

 

Jared turned to face Aerth, looking at his sword, not moving from the hilt. He felt a bit uneasy. Why would demons draw swords in hell, to fight other demons over just a piece of information? Was this struggle with the Mother of Evil so important that they dared not utter what it was all about?

â€￾Have you lot not been in hell for that long time? I am the Master of Torturers, Jared Kamodred. Perhaps you do not venture that far down into hell?â€￾

Leaving the partial insult hanging in the air for a while, he took a step back, his gaze still resting on Aerths sword.

â€￾Wait, Potiri, was this struggle all about a petty undead? Bah, he should have been devoured by the Spider now, I guess. The real question is why that fight was necessary? If someone opposes the spider they’ll be dead, you know that, do you not? Even so, this was but a mere petty struggle, so I leave it as it is.

He suddenly let out a laugh, relieved as current events had changed. He was still curious, though… Had this all been about an undead? He intended to question them further, but he’d leave that to later times. But now he had to find out where they were heading, he was taking a personal interest now. Even so, he’d make it to the next meeting.

â€￾Are you heading to the deeper levels? If so, then I will follow you. Our superiors might want to have more than a simple answer like the one you just gave, Potiri.â€￾

 

"Charon, you can't be serious, can you? You've been drinking this water? How do you remember anything?" Uriel was amazed.
"Ha ha! The trick is to simply hold it in your mouth until your vision gets fuzzy. Of course, at that point, you've forgotten exactly why there's water in your mouth, and wonder whether or not you should simply swallow it. Come to think of it, I remember having been told who I was, and that is who I am."
"Interesting...Do you ever wonder who you were before?"
"Not particularly...or ever. My job doesn't allow for such thinking. You might say it's simple, but it takes a steady hand and a gentle touch to guide anything across these waters. Not to mention the riff-raff I deal with on a daily basis...uh, present company excluded, of course! Anyway, all of these people come up to me, ask who I am, and say they shouldn't be here.
'Sure, buddy,' I say, 'but if you're here, you're supposed to be here. I don't think the ones in charge have time for mistakes. Now, just sit down and keep quiet, the judge will determine your final stop.'
"Aha! We've arrived! 'Ey! Minos! I've got some company for ya!"
"Charon! What are you doing! You know that none of us can be judged! Minos hates when his time is wasted!"
"Yeah, sure, Drach...er, Uriel! Do you know how bored he gets simply sending sinners to their proper place? At least say 'hi' to the man!"
"You're right...Uh, Hail, Minos! How've you been?"
"Hmm? Ah, Uriel! I hardly ever get to talk any more. People are getting too swift, and know exactly what I mean when I've drawn circles with my tail. Yes, yes, you're all free to do what you like. You need to find your own way around, however. I'm not running a chartering service, here. Ah, I see a new sinner. Go about your business!"
Limbo...peaceful, but the sorrow is palpable.
"This place is enormous. If we had more time, I'd suggest staying here to learn from the great philosophers of the past."
Uriel began the trek toward the Castle of Virtuous Pagans...

 

Are you heading to the deeper levels? If so, then I will follow you. Our superiors might want to have more than a simple answer like the one you just gave, Potiri.â€￾ Jared said.

"Ofcourse I am, wy else would I be on the boat?
And Samiel, I hope you didn't get mad back there? I mean, I was simply joking with you you know. I didn't mean any harm."Potiri finished.

Then he raised and stepped out of the boat, in to Limbo, where Minos stood.

"Ah...And now, should we continue our trip deeper into hell shall we?" He asked to the surounding and the rest of the party.

 

"Ofcourse I am, wy else would I be on the boat?
And Samiel, I hope you didn't get mad back there? I mean, I was simply joking with you you know. I didn't mean any harm." Potiri said.

Jared stepped on the boat and sat down, this journey was soon to be done with, and he had better things to do. He was still curious though.
"There was an undead in that cave, was there not? Why was he battling the Mother? And I see you have brought on Uriel." Having overheard the conversation between Charon and the one that appearantly was Uriel, he was unsure of what do to. "I need the information. Tell me, any of you."

 

Ky'Nareth had just about got enough of this squabbling little party, and of the question-asking demon hanging after them. If they were going into the deeper levels of Hell, them others couldn't continue like this.
Anyway, they had to start moving soon; Cerberos wasn't the nicest of dogs, and he would, just like the Queen Mother, eat most anything.

Oi you loth! Keep yer squabblin' tho yerselves ahn leth's geth goin' already, eh?

He reached for his spear and poked the demon newcomer Jared in his behind with the top of it.

Ahn you! Sthop holdin' me parthymembersh back, yer dafth demon. If ye wanth answurs, justh go intho the cave ahn ask the Spider hershelf, eh? 'Cause We've goth ther geth movin'!

 

Ahn you! Sthop holdin' me parthymembersh back, yer dafth demon. If ye wanth answurs, justh go intho the cave ahn ask the Spider hershelf, eh? 'Cause We've goth ther geth movin'!

Jared immediately turned around, and broke the spear, poking his behind, with his hands.
Your spear is broken; you will attend to me later, so we can fix it. Why would you ever open up that foul mouth of yours? Be quiet and only speak when asked to. Are we clear on the matter? He said, angered by the petty imps obvious disrespect. And now he had another meeting, this time with the imp, to schedule. Bah, he thought. Things weren't going too well.

 

"Why do YOU have HIS staff?" Tanaros asked with a voice as calm as a winterstorm. He couldn't seen any kind of weapon or anything else that might be used as a weapon. Except Friedrich's staff. That can only mean one thing: she must be cunning in the arts of magic. No ordinary human would be let into Die Hafen, she would weild the Staff if she'd never been inside Die Hafen.
"Okey, so she's one of "The Others". Then I better behave and show a little respected. Maybe Friedrich even meant her to have the Staff, who knows? And now I've promised myself that I don't want to be alone in this world, so why not start now?"
"Or, maybe we can wait with that question... But I really have to ask, who are you? Have I seen you before or is my mind playing tricks on me?" he asked, with a more or less gentle tone.

Tanaros were silent for a couple of seconds, then continued with a dreamy voice:
"And, do you know were I can find a nice cemetery? I don't know were he would have wanted to be buried, but I want to give him the best I can find. Maybe a statue of him too... somewere in the nature, were he won't be disturbed by our cursed "civilization", somewere silent. Maybe in the mountains? Or, I could bury him on the bottom of the sea... that would be nice... "

 

Imp, quit being a pest and guide us through the Tangled Forest., he commanded.

Then to the assembled party, The Tangled Forest is a giant living organism, which can ensnare the uncautious and unguided. The many tentacles move ever so slowly, but if you stand in one place to long, or take a wrong turn into dense growth, you could find yourself a permanent guest of the Forest. Also, the topology of the woods are always changing, making maps useless. The only ones capable of traversing these woods without worry are the industrious Imps, hence our guide... He guestured towards Ky'Nareth.

A dark and gloomy forest stood before them, muffled cries for help could be be heard. The trees themselves were a blackish-green with long, tentacle-like branches swaying slowing in the wind. The ground below them seemed to be a ruddy-brown mud that was soft and squishy, and upon closer inspection was found to be drenched in blood, the trees roots firmly rooted in it. Over the tree tops in the distance could be seen a gleaming white castle apparently coated with a smooth layer of alabaster, making it gleam in contrast to the redish-black background of the skies of Hell.

 

The imp suddenly dived for the ground and put his hands over his head for protection. He'd heard irritation in his maters voice, and he had already decided that he didn't need another beating today.
As soon as Samiel started to describe the forest, though, he swiftly got to his feet and straightened himself, his spine making a terrible cracking sound as he did so.

Alrighthy then, masthur. Leth's geth goin' then, everyon'. Ahn don' fall behind; I can'th garanthee yer safethy. From 'ere, we'll run.

And with that, Ky'Nareth nodded and set off through the forest in an increadible speed; a speed most imps were'nt supposed to posses. But Ky'Nareth was the master scout, after all, so you could quite say that he was special from the other imps.
And generally more cocky.

Oh, yeah, I forgoth sumthin', he said, without making the slightest pause, Don' thouch them waspz. They're bithers...