Part 12: Path of Damnation

Path of Damnation

Easy Quest

Requirement: None

Reward: 1,000 zeni and +10 Villain Points

Congrats, you’re dead. Welcome to the afterlife! Many choose heaven as there’s peace and tranquility, but you’re one of those that seek adventure and pain! This takes some work though, but it’s fun work! Pass the first test and you’re on your way! This test is greed. how greedy can you be.

Ian hit the wall hard, his skull cracking the concrete. He looked up as the gate closed and the guards walked off. He was dead, again. This time, hell was a bit different. He wasn't sure why but he wasn't going to argue. He was still a demon and therefore could go back to the mortal realm, though the cuffs on him prevented any way of channeling energy.

He had briefly seen the guardian of the afterlife, King Yemma. He wasn't very pleased, and though no demons came after him for killing Korig or Liora, Yemma knew he had killed them. Not something they approve of.

Now he was stuck, in a cell, in human form. He wasn't sure why he was in human form, maybe because it was his weaker form. He wondered when the torture would begin. Maybe they'd send the additional few dozen he's killed since back on earth. All of the Penguin Village, the village in the mountains. The young mercenaries. No, something told me this was going to be different.

"Welcome to the Hell's Penitentiary. A place where the most evil get locked up."

Ian looked over and saw a decrepit old man walk out of the shadows, his cuffs glowing brightly. Not sure why that was, but maybe it's just the amount of time he's spent there, or maybe it's meant to hold back more. Ian's was dim in comparison. And after the beating he took on Earth, he wouldn't be surprised. That brute and brat were a team to be taken seriously.

The woman who attacked him, he wasn't sure what had happened to her, he had been too focused on trying to survive. Then there was Ava. She was still alive when he died. He wondered if she survived.

"Why are they locking us up, instead of torturing and providing us the years of torture we caused those."

The old man cackled. "You've been to hell before it seems." He walked to the bars and looked out across the twisted landscape. "They aren't dumb. They know you. Obviously punishment wasn't enough. Obviously they wanted you in hell, but they figured it was useless to punish you."

"So then, why are you here?"

The old man looked at Ian, sizing him up, then shrugged. "I've done much in my time. Some few thousand years ago, I brought darkness to the galaxy. Many fell under my power."

"Someone kill you?"

The man shrugged. "No. Just got bored. I wanted people to improve and grow and offer me a challenge. Well, Yemma was a bit of a challenge for me. He cuffed me and threw me into here. Now I'm stuck like this scraggly old man like you will soon be."

Ian tinkered with the cuffs a bit. There was no seam or any way he could see to take them off. "They're stuck on huh?"

"They are set to your power and your evil 'rating'."

"Evil rating?" He hadn't heard of such things before.

"An evil rating is based on your deeds. By your glow, I'd say you're between twenty and thirty. Maybe thirty five. With mine, I've reached the max. I'm a one hundred."

Hearing twenty or thirty made him slightly proud, that was, until he heard a hundred. Then he didn't feel all that worthy, though he didn't care how evil he really was. He just needed out and get back to the mortal realm.

"Don't think of escaping. At least not yet. First you gotta learn to survive. In here, we do go hungry, and it's not a very pleasant thing to go through. When food is given to us which will be in about three hours, you have to take more than your portion. You have to show who's boss. Everyone is on even ground here. They all have to rely on their natural strength. Some are bigger than others. One thing that happens first is those who aren't strong enough go hungry. They are miserable bastards who can't die from starvation. Some get rabid and attack and kill. Some eat others. So you have to prove your dominance. I would suggest you get used to cracking a few skulls if you will."

The first meal came around three days later. Ian's stomach growled in protest to the food strike he was forced to take. The old man was right. Everyone was ravenous. The moment it was lowered into the cell from the ceiling, they were all over it. Most fought over what little amount was given, while others scavenged off the ground from what was dropped. Many of them got kicked and stepped on.

Ian watched how they acted. He would have to wait till next run, but he understood how everything was organized. Those smart ate off the ground. Those brave went for the tub. Those that had strength got to have full stomachs, and many of them walked away with many bowls of the gross gruel that was served.

The man walked up to him. "Told you. You should've gone after it."

Ian shook his head. "Next time."

Next time was painful. He waited as his guts twisted in anger. No food, no water. It was two weeks without food. The previous tub was scrapped clean by scavengers that hissed him away. He was trained by the Crane Master. Something he'd have to use here. He decided to use what he knew best. His words. He had to show the more powerful ones that he could take care of himself, then work out a deal with them. Showing force if need be.

He approached a scavenger and minutes later had his head in his hands. Others around looked at him. Ian didn't do it with his bare hands of course, but the edge of a tub and a rock was useful, though quite messy.

The scavengers cleared way, but the bigger ones ignored him. At least until he launched the head at one of them. The big creature turned and glared at him.

"You dare strike me? Do you know who I am puny human?"

Ian shrugged. "I don't care as I'm sure you don't know who I am." The big guy shook his head. "I just needed your attention. Here's the deal. You let me eat all I want first while you guys protect the tub when it comes. After which, if there's any left, you can have what you want. Deal?"

The big man let out a boisterous laugh. "You think you're funny. I make the rules here, not you. Instead, you're going to die. I'm going to rip that tiny head off your shoulders and use it as a bowl for my gruel."

Ian shook his head. "No."

The big man lost his smile. This little runt thinks he can dictate how things went. What audacity! He wasn't going to sit by and let him do that. He was the king of this cage they were all stuck in.

Ian grinned as the large man approached, anger on his face. He looked at the big man in his eyes with only a sadistic grin, then moments later the man's eyes went wide with terror. Everyone watched as he backed up, almost stumbling over himself.

"No! How can you do that? Who are you?!"

Ian smiled and laughed. "I am Izon! Demon and rightful Lord of the Demon Realm! You will bow to me!"

What the big man saw and no one else was a large winged beast that nearly touched the top of the high ceiling. It was the image Ian remembered from the Succubus' ceiling. A powerful demon. One that everyone feared.

The large man fell to his knees and the image vanished. Everyone watched as the one that tormented them collapsed and professed his undying loyalty. Fear... such a great weapon.

Food came a few days later and the large man who was named Oric listened. Ian grabbed his fill and had Oric distribute the rest before he got any. But getting the food was no simple task. Each one had to pledge their loyalty to him. Everyone except the decrepit old man whom Ian did not trust but listened to with open ears. The man had power, that he had no doubt about, but who was he? Every time he asked, he deflected the question.

But that was neither here nor there. His first task was complete. Second one was to get free of this place. But how? The old man seemed to know something, but wouldn't reveal anything. Was he preparing Ian for something? Everything was advice out of his mouth. Why would he care about him unless he knew Ian was the one who took down Liora and Korig. But they were minor from what he understood.

He had a feeling things were getting pulled for him, that he was doing what someone wanted him to do. It made him quite uncomfortable. It made him question many things about himself and his own future.

WC:1505