Made in Hell 2 Chapter 4

“So, what happened with the witch last night?” Ashe asked as she tore off a chunk of cheese with her teeth.

“Sveila,” I said automatically.

“Excuse me?” my huntress frowned.

“Sveila,” I repeated. “That’s her name, although she isn’t fond of giving it out to people.”

“Oh, Sveila, then.” Ashe shrugged.

We hadn’t had the opportunity to discuss my trip to Pixie Lane last night because when I returned, Gyor had just arrived with some more food to stock up the kitchen. I had paid him generously for his efforts, and then the three of us sat around the table and enjoyed our own little banquet.

It was now the morning after, and my demon lover and I were still enjoying the new foods. Gyor had managed to get his hands on a new meat for us to try. It was white, instead of the pink legs of meat we thoroughly enjoyed, and it had much more of a subtle taste. Unlike the legs of meat, this new kind came with the skin still on, and the skin was crispy and salty. It reminded me of something, but I hadn’t had it on the surface world before, so I couldn’t think of where that memory came from. Gyor also bought us a sack of vegetables which, at first glance, looked like dirty brown apples. Apparently, they were called potatoes, and the little imp told us that it was best if we boiled them in a pot, instead of eating them raw like we would with an apple.

“I told her about the mission with the priest,” I said as I licked the juices from my fingers. “She didn’t appear too keen on the idea, but I think she’ll change her mind.”

“That’s something, I guess.” Ashe shrugged. “Did she give you any information there and then that we could use?”

“No, she just told me how dangerous the plan is,” I snickered.

“Which is exactly why we want to take part,” Ashe shot me an evil smirk.

“But she looked… sad,” I added as I thought back to my conversation with the Red Witch.

“Yeah, she didn’t appear happy in her surroundings while I’ve tracked her lately,” my huntress agreed. “It still doesn’t explain why she refuses to leave, though. I get that the priest probably has her locked away, but surely a witch like her has the power to escape?”

“I asked her that, but she refused to answer,” I replied.

“So mysterious,” Ashe muttered under her breath.

“Very.” I nodded.

I’d found myself constantly thinking about Sveila after I’d left Pixie Lane last night. The sadness in her eyes had stuck with me, but so had the intrigue that washed over her face as we parted. She may have seen my plan as too dangerous even to talk about, but to me, it seemed like the only logical option. Something had to be done to the priest, and I was more than happy to ensure he got everything that was coming to him.

I tore into a freshly boiled potato with my fingers as I continued to think about the Red Witch. The skin was rough, but the flesh inside was soft, almost like a fluffy texture, and I wondered what Sveila was allowed to eat on a daily basis. I was sure that the priest had his share of grand meals, but would he ever allow anyone else to enjoy them? Or would Sveila be treated as a true slave and only be given the leftovers once he had finished stuffing his face?

That holy bastard probably enjoyed watching his workers salivate and starve.

Yet here I was, a fucking demon of the Tempest Void, and I made sure the imps and Bennet were well looked after. If they were hungry, then they could help themselves to our food, and in my opinion, it was only fair that I showed them the gratitude, especially after they’d worked so hard.

I knew too well what it was like to endlessly slave away for an ungrateful lord.

Ashe and I had been treated like shit for eons in the Hellscape, and that’s one of the main reasons as to why I sought this freedom in the first place. It would be bullshit if I turned around and acted the same as the assholes who used to rule me.

Well, at least with my subordinates who didn’t deserve that kind of treatment.

“Have you made a plan to see the witch again?” Ashe asked.

“Yeah, I’m going to visit her tomorrow night at the tavern in Pixie Lane,” I replied. “Hopefully, she’ll have reconsidered and completed the mission by then.”

“Ooh, have a dragon’s breath for me.” Ashe smirked.

“Hmm,” I muttered, and the demon woman snickered.

My little fiend had fallen in love with a brew they called dragon’s breath on the surface world, but I still wasn’t a fan. It was far too bitter for my liking, and I much preferred a brew called a thunder clap. That drink was more tangy and left zaps of energy dancing across my tongue and down my throat. Both drinks had the same effect on us, but one was far more enjoyable than the other in my opinion.

But before I could enjoy a night in the tavern with the mysterious Red Witch, I had my own tasks to complete.

“I’m going to head off to see the imps,” I said as I stood from my seat. “I’ll see you back here?”

“Yeah,” Ashe sighed. “I wish I could join you, but I’m sure I’ll find something to do around here.”

I walked around the table and stroked Ashe’s silver-blue hair back with one hand.

“You know why I want you to stay here,” I said in a low tone. “We don’t know how safe this mining set up is yet, and I wouldn’t want to put you at risk like that.”

Ashe smiled up at me. Her pink eyes glistened in the sunlight that poured through the window.

“I know you only want to keep me safe,” she replied, and I nodded as I stroked my thumb across her lips. “I suppose I might enjoy having the manor to myself. Perhaps I’ll test out positions for the paintings you want to have done…”

“You little tease.” I grinned and then leaned down to capture her lips in a heated kiss.

The tip of Ashe’s tongue practically begged for more, and before I knew it, I’d hauled her up from the chair and planted her ass down onto the table. My hands became lost in her silky, silver hair, and her legs parted to allow me the space to nestle inside. My cock strained against my pants, and Ashe’s hands sat neatly on my hips while she pulled me flush against her.

I could have happily stayed in that position for the entire day, but then a small knock came from the main door.

I pulled away with a sigh. “Come in!”

Ashe refused to move from the table and didn’t even bother adjusting her dress or the mess I had made with her hair. She loved watching people’s reactions to her insatiable lust, and I didn’t mind in the slightest.

“Good morning, sir,” an imp squeaked as they entered the house. “I was wondering if - oh, I do apologize.”

The imps eyes grew larger, and it seemed like he wasn’t sure where to look when he’d figured out what we had been up to.

“It’s fine,” I replied. “I’ll be there in two seconds. You are just doing your job and will not be punished.”

“O-okay,” he stammered. “I’ll wait outside.”

The imp turned on his foot and left the house as Ashe and I continued to chuckle together, and my lover smiled with scandalous pride. The noise filled the entire building, and anyone walking nearby would have been able to hear the terrifying sound as our demonic tones rippled from our chests.

I gave Ashe one final kiss before I popped a handful of green grapes into my mouth and left the house. There was only a set amount of time that the imps were at the mining shack, so if I missed the slot, I’d need to wait until another time, and it felt like the only free morning I had in order to do it.

The same imp was waiting beside a tree in front of the manor, but he never said a word as I walked over toward him. He was clearly still slightly frazzled and possibly embarrassed, but that was a common reaction for beings to have around Ashe when she felt like being inappropriate.

“Lead the way,” I said to the imp and gestured toward the gnarled trees ahead of us.

The imp nodded his tiny head and then began to hurry deeper into the trees.

We travelled past the old, cage shack where the imps used to reside, and it brought back the memories of when we first found them. The imps had lost all the life in their eyes and sat together in those cages like vermin, but now, they were safe in the large covered wagons I’d set them up in, and the life in their eyes had returned.

I could see the great wall in the distance, but we headed adjacent to the wall at a quick pace, and I continued to sniff around in the air as we proceeded further, just to make sure we weren’t being followed by anything. Several wilder creatures lived in the forests of the surface world outside of the wall, and I wondered if any of them ever found their way around the stone barrier and into the Shadow Quarters.

I still felt slightly on edge whenever I travelled this close to the great wall. As far as I knew, a demon hadn’t shown up in this area since Ashe had been sent to get me, but I knew the Lord Captains would send someone to complete the initial mission at some point soon. They wouldn’t let us get away that easily, and probably not ever. That was the main reason why I didn’t want Ashe to follow me this deep into the woods if we could help it, at least not yet. The Lord Captains had to be planning something down below, and I knew it was only a matter of time before they put that plan into action.

The imp and I were running for a while, and I was amazed that they had this route all planned out, especially since I never saw any specific markers to work as a path. Every tree around me looked the same, and the buildings of the Grimmway had become lost from the amount of foliage that stood in the way. Fortunately, due to the scent that was lodged in my mind, I would have found my way back to the manor easily, but I wouldn’t have managed the journey out to the shack without the imp guiding me because I had no fucking idea what I was even looking for.

“It’s just up here,” the imp said and pointed.

“Am I meant to know what I’m looking at?” I asked. All I could see was a continuous layout of gnarled trees, and the great wall on the left hand side.

“Once you’ve seen it, you won’t be able to miss it,” the imp replied.

I wondered if this mining setup was somewhat like Madame Nyra’s manor. The leader of the black fairy coven had covered the building in an invisible veil. It wasn’t until we looked close enough that we’d managed to see the shimmer of gray mist in the light, but had it not been for the black fairy who showed it to me, I would have walked straight past the house without realizing anything was hidden there. It was for added security, like how the troll’s shack was caked in silver on the inside. Things weren’t often safe in Rengfri, and we all did what we could to make sure our possessions were as secure as possible.

“There, Master,” the imp said with a pleased smile. “Focus directly on the large rock between those two trees. Can you see it now?”

The rock in question appeared to be at least twice the size of the imp, and it had a countless number of cracks and chips littered all over it. The rock was mostly white, although it had patches of gray which sparkled brightly in the sunlight.

I did as the imp suggested and focused on the rock as well as the two trees that sat behind it. At first, I couldn’t see anything, and I was about to ask the imp if he was messing with me, but then something came into view. I was staring at the tree trunks on either side of the boulder, and then I squinted my eyes to make sure I was looking at it properly, and after a moment, it really did seem like a wooden shack had appeared out of nowhere.

It was just as the imp said, and now that I’d seen it, I couldn’t miss it. The walls and the roof were made from dark oak, but the roof was black, instead of dark brown. The building itself was square in shape, and there was one main door and a square window, but I wasn’t sure if there were any more openings on the other sides. It all seemed to blend in nicely with the tree trunks, and at first, I imagined that that was the reason as to why I didn’t see it in the first place.

“Is it camouflaged?” I asked as I continued to stare at the new building.

“The best camouflage,” the imp replied. “It’s visible to you because you know what you’re looking for, but to anyone else, they’d see a rock and some trees, and that’s it.”

“But what if they walked through it?” I queried. “Wouldn’t they smash into a shack if they went through those trees?”

“Nope, it’s all in the mind.” The imp tapped his temple with one finger. “They aren’t expecting to see anything, so there’s nothing to get in their way.”

“Amazing,” I muttered to myself.

Ashe would love to witness this, and I hoped it wouldn’t be long before I could bring her here myself.

“Come on, let’s go,” the imp said with excitement and continued on toward the rock.

Once we reached the mound of stone, the imp clambered over the top, whereas I just had to step over it. The wooden shack was only a few steps away from me, yet I still couldn’t get my head around the magic behind it all. Maybe they used an orb to create such magic, but that was a question to ask at a later date.

The shack had two doors all tied into one. There was a main door for beings of my size to use, but then a shrunken version was placed much lower down for the imps to enter through. Each door had the same golden handle, and a strange, gold shimmer fizzled around the metal. Bright sparks flew from the gold object, like the embers of a fire when it crackled in the darkness, and it was mesmerizing to see in the sunlight.

“What’s that for?” I asked as I motioned toward the shimmer surrounding the handles.

“Oh, yes, that’s part of the illusion,” the imp responded. “In case someone managed to see the shack, this is added security to stop them from entering. The handle allows us both to enter, and the other imps, of course, but the shimmer sends out a painful shockwave to anyone who isn’t eligible.”

“And how does it know I’m eligible?” I wondered. I was constantly surprised by how much these imps could accomplish.

“Because you own the manor.” The little imp shrugged. “As soon as you defeated the dark elves and took over the organization, you became eligible. It allows you the ability to enter the shack whenever you feel the need to, so that you and Ashe don’t need one of us to let you in. They are your orbs, after all.”

“Hmm.” I nodded. “Not a bad setup.”

I held out one hand and slowly moved it closer toward the handle. The golden sparks continued to fly, but as soon as my hand was within touching distance, the shimmering stopped, as I was safe to take the handle in my grasp.

Then I opened the door, and I imagined that my feet were going to step onto the damp soil and leaves, but the wooden floorboards came out of nowhere, and the shack appeared to be five times larger inside than it looked outside.

I had a feeling more surprises were going to be found around every corner with these imps in charge, and I couldn’t understand what the hell was going on, but I was eager to find out about all of it.

The shack had been divided into three areas, and two had yet another door with the same glowing handle barring the entrance. The far wall had been made from a solid line of crates that were all stacked up from floor to ceiling, and some of the crates were already packed and locked securely, whereas others were empty and awaiting to be filled.

There was also a small, circular table with three miniscule chairs around it. The chairs were clearly for the imps, and I guessed that it was for when they took a break, or sat to eat something. Apart from that, the building was empty, but I couldn’t wait to find out what was in the two other rooms.

Another imp was standing on a stool in front of the line of crates. He had some paper in hand, and every time he finished with one box, he would move over to the next, check for something on the side, and then write it down on the paper.

“What is he doing?” I asked.

“He’s taking the codes,” my guide replied. “Every crate has a different number on the side, and it’s a way for us to keep track of what’s waiting to be sold, or what has recently arrived. For example, Bennet receives a list of codes, so we match that to the crates, and then it assures us, and him, that we’re selling the correct orbs.”

“Does each crate contain a different orb?” I queried.

“Sometimes.” The imp nodded. “Some of them are mixed, but some contain only singular colors.”

There were at least twenty crates in that line, and it looked as though ten of them were full. Not only had the building alone amazed me, but the sheer thought of how many tiny gems were loaded into those crates blew my mind. There was a reason as to why we made over seven-thousand pieces in one week alone. People paid good money for one of those stones, and there must have been thousands just in this shack.

The imp on the stool then dropped his paper and came over to join us.

“There’s another load of crates coming in soon,” he informed us both in a nasaly voice.

“How many of you does it take to bring them in?” I asked.

“Usually six, but two of us can handle the empty ones,” the imp replied.

The two of them began to converse between each other in a language I wasn’t familiar with, but I’d heard them use it several times over the last couple of weeks. I could tell from the tone of their voices and the looks in their eyes that they were excited about something, and I smirked at the way their ears flopped around as they spoke. I waited patiently for them to finish their conversation, but they didn’t speak for too long.

“Sir, would you like us to show you the crates being brought in?” one of the imps asked.

“Sure.” I grinned.

“It’s further along the great wall,” he replied. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

The three of us then left the shack, and as soon as the door closed firmly, the gold sparks appeared on the handle once again. They led me through some more of the trees in the direction of the wall, and when I glanced back over my shoulder, the shack had vanished from view. It confused me that the shack had vanished, even though I knew what I was looking for, but there was so much mystery tied into this organization, that it would take me a while to figure it all out.

The edgy feeling from earlier returned as we trekked further away from the shack and closer to the great wall. I was certain that my sense of smell would tell me if it was safe or not, so with that thought alone, I followed the imps and focused on the operation at hand.

We came across the great wall and then turned and continued to walk along it for a few more minutes. I half expected for another building to appear like the last one, but nothing came into sight.

“So, the miners are on the other side getting the crates together,” an imp informed me. “They’ll come through with their load of the day, and then we take it back to the shack to get it all organized.”

“How do you know when they’re done?” I asked.

“We watch the sun.” The little guide shrugged. “The miners are always done by the time the sun is central, so we head to this area at that time.”

It all seemed so simple when they explained it, but I was pleased to see they put so much effort and thought into the job.

“Here, this is the spot,” the imp continued. “They’ll be here shortly.”

Once again, like with the journey toward the shack, I couldn’t see anything out of place, or out of the ordinary.

I kept quiet and allowed the unanswered questions to scroll through my mind as I stared at the great wall. Nothing shimmered, no buildings appeared, and there were no large rocks to help pinpoint a location. That was, until I heard the sound of stone scraping together, and my eyes grew wide as the wall began to rearrange itself.

“What the fuck?” I muttered in shock.

The two imps laughed quietly to themselves. They were used to this shit happening day in and day out, but it came at me as a complete surprise to see the fucking great wall opening right before my eyes.

The stones at the bottom of the wall moved out from their placement, and then the ones above them followed, and so on. Each old brick came out toward me, and a silver glow surrounded the dark hole that had appeared in the stone’s place. The hole seemed to be about five stones wide, and six high, which I realized was the perfect amount of space for a crate to fit through.

Or an imp.

I took a small step back as four imps appeared from the space in the wall, and they wheeled out a crate behind them. I was glad to see that the crate was on wheels, because I could imagine that it would be far too heavy for the imps to carry without the aid attached to it.

“Good afternoon, Master,” one imp said to me with a polite bow of his blue head.

“Good afternoon,” I replied. “Did you have a successful morning?”

“Absolutely.” His face wrinkled into a big smile. “We have three more crates like this on the other side.”

“Excellent.” I nodded with approval. “Here, let me assist you with those.”

I stayed on this side of the wall, and all six of the imps then stepped through the black hole to collect the remaining boxes. It took a few minutes to get them all through the wall, but as soon as all four crates had been hauled through, and the six imps were safe on this side, the stones returned to their previous positions.

“Thank you, sir, for all your help,” an imp said graciously.

“I don’t mind helping, you guys do all of the work,” I replied.

The imps all blinked in surprise to hear me say this, and they clearly hadn’t received this same assistance from the dark elves. This didn’t surprise me since they were living in fucking cages when I found them, and just remembering the state of the imps sent anger rushing through my veins.

If it wasn’t for the imps, the elves wouldn’t have had an organization like this to begin with, and I wouldn’t have been able to take it over. It didn’t cost me any pieces to show them some gratitude, and from what I had learned, this specific breed of imp were the best for mining magical orbs of all kinds. They had a natural sense to be able to do so, and without them, and the skills that they carried, Ashe and I wouldn’t have seven-thousand pieces coming in every week.

That alone was reason enough to give them the best life possible.

I picked up one crate without any trouble, and then the six imps worked together to roll the other three boxes back toward the shack. I didn’t need help spotting the giant rock, but as we neared the shack, I realized that I had to stand directly in front of the rock in order for the shack to appear between the trees.

“Did you spot any more ogres today?” one imp asked another as we neared the rock.

“The same as yesterday,” the little creature replied. All six of them seemed extremely excited at that news.

“There’s ogres in the forests?” I asked with an intrigued grin.

“Not just ogres, sir,” the same imp responded. “We have plenty of beings out there. Sometimes we see undead unicorns and even basilisks, but we’ve had some fun teasing the ogres recently.”

“Do you think that wise?” I smirked over my shoulder. “I’ve seen ogres eat creatures your size in one bite.”

“Nah, they’d have to catch us first, sir,” an imp snickered, and the rest of the group seemed equally unconcerned.

“Fair enough,” I chuckled. “Do you not need to be careful with where you go out there, then?”

“Sometimes.” The imp on my right nodded. “We can often work out where the beasts are by following the tracks in the soil, and then we decide where the best mining location is from that.”

“Last week we came across a carcass!” another imp shouted excitedly. “It had to have been an undead unicorn what left it there, and it was a glorious sight.”

“What had the unicorn eaten?” I asked with a soft laugh.

“I don’t know.” The imp shrugged. “It was practically a pile of bones with only a bit of meat left when we came across it, but it was big, like one of the Church horses.”

That answered my question about the creatures entering the town. The great wall only covered this one side of the Shadow Quarters, which meant that the rest of Rengfri was at risk of those creatures entering the forests easily. And from what the imps had suggested, the horse must have plodded too close to the forest’s edge one day, and the unicorn pounced before the horse had the time to react. What a shame it wasn’t one of the king’s guards, or even the priest, but if that had been the case, then the unicorn would have taken all the fun away from me.

I would have the priest’s neck for myself.

Once the main door to the shack was open, we hauled all four crates inside, and then I followed their lead and piled the full crates onto the pile against the wall. The imps then took four of the empty ones and left them beside the main door for their next mission in the morning.

“So, what orbs did you find today?” I asked as I peered through a small hole on one of the crates, but it was too dark for me to see clearly.

“We found a large collection of red ones, a few blue, and several green,” an imp replied.

“Can I see?” I questioned.

“Of course, sir.” The little imp nodded and proceeded to open the first crate it reached.

A greedy smile spread across my face as I checked out the magical contents, and I picked up the first gem I touched, a red one, and held it in the palm of my hand. I knew the red orbs had the power to paralyze any being on the surface world, the blue gave someone the ability to vanish into thin air, and the yellow produced a thick, toxic smoke, but the green ones were still a mystery to me.

“What does a green one do?” I asked.

“They have the ability to move any object around you,” the imp replied. “Almost like the telekinesis of the high elves. It can be anything from a small mound of dirt to an entire tree straight from the roots.”

“Incredible,” I muttered.

I moved the orb around my hand as I inspected all of the small details. I still hadn’t used an orb yet, but I remembered the leader of the dark elves had placed the tab of his thumb against the indentation in the center on the night he tried to attack us with the toxic smoke. The thick fog then appeared from the orb, so I’d always suspected this was how I used one.

And I’d been itching to try it out for myself ever since.

“Do I just have to place my thumb there?” I asked.

“Not exactly,” the imp replied. “Like with this shack, it’s all in your mind. You need to know exactly what it is that you’re harnessing before the orbs will work for you.”

“So, I just think about it?” I guessed.

“Sort of.” He nodded. “We’ll show you one day, but it’s best not to be in an enclosed space when you’re being taught. Especially a man of your… size and nature, sir. You uh… you have a lot of power in you already.”

I chuckled at the uncertain look that crossed the imp’s face while he sized me up. I imagined my demon powers intimidated him enough without adding an extra layer of surface world magic to the mix, and I nodded in understanding while his ears twitched nervously.

“Another time,” I decided.

“Certainly, sir,” the imp quickly agreed. “But if that amazes you, then you’ll love to hear what we sensed today.”

“Ooh, yes!” another imp exclaimed.

“This rarely happens!” a third piped up.

“What is it?” I furrowed my brow as I looked at them all in turn. “Another carcass?”

“Ohh no, it was a flicker of a presence,” the original imp replied. “Just a dash of sense, really. However, if our senses are correct, then we may have discovered an orb that is so rare, it’s never been seen before now.”

Intrigue sparked in my chest, and I crossed my arms as I leaned a little closer to the imps. “Where was this?”

“In the spot we were just at.” The imp’s eyes gleamed. “This orb is silver. It’s incredibly impressive, and more powerful than all the others put together. If we find it, we’ll make seven-thousand pieces on one crate alone.”

The idea of that amount of money was exciting, but one thing overpowered that thought. If this silver orb was as impressive as the imps suggested, then it was definitely something I needed to wield myself instead of sell.

“What does this silver orb do?” I asked as a grin hitched at the corner of my mouth.

“They act as a shield,” the imp explained. “The shield can surround you, or the people you’re with, and it’s strong enough to protect you from the sharpest of blades, or the strongest of enchantments.”

“Any enchantments?” I checked. “From any being? Even… holier ones?”

“Any of ‘em,” the imp said in an eager whisper. “So long as they’re here roaming around the world.”

All the imps seemed to shiver at the idea, and a greedy chuckle slipped from my lips as they rubbed their little blue hands together.

I could only imagine what it’d be like to hold that kind of power in my hand, but judging by the looks on my imps’ faces, it wouldn’t be long before I found out for myself.

And it occured to me that if a demon couldn’t be harmed by any powers, even those of the Blessed, they’d be fucking unstoppable.