Lucian rolled his eyes. “You don’t listen well, do you?” He asked. “I’d like to see the world again, but I don’t have to use you to see it. Eventually I’ll have my power to reopen portals and doors back, and I’ll just wait for that if you get a wild streak and think you can escape through any random door you open. I love having fun with the damned souls and sometimes, the living ones, like you. It’s a nice break. But sometimes they tend to get on my nerves.” He twitched again, giving a sideways glance to Danny.

“Pain is pain. It’s nice to cause it, and for me, I don’t mind receiving it either.” He laughed. “I don’t have to explain that again, do I?” He asked.

He cackled when Danny was startled by the plants. They tended to do that, mostly when one got too near and bothered them, and especially when they reached the part of the song they couldn’t recall. “You’re damn jumpy, aren’t you?” He asked. “Relax, they can’t hurt you. If you stay away. Nothing here in Hell, I emphasize Hell is good or sweet or pure. It’s all death and torture and revenge against those who misused their lives and took advantage of what they were given on a daily basis.” They had reached the massive front door to the palace. Lucian stepped forward, grabbing the brass doorknob and turning it. With a loud mechanical clicking, it opened the door, creaking wide.

"If it wasn't easier for you with me, why would you make that deal to begin with Lucian?" Danny stated quietly. "I get all that. I just wanna know what you mean by fun? I want to know what you intend to do with me before I get to go home..."

He thought for a moment, his brow furrowing, before looking away quickly. Did Lucian mean pain was a turn on? Danny hadn't met someone like that before, but he supposed it made sense, seeing how messed up Lucian was. Danny let the subject drop. He didn't really want to know that much about the male.

"Hey!" Danny glared at Lucian, "Don't laugh at me! Its new, and I don't know about this damn place! Relax?" Danny scoffed, and shook his head,"I'm in a place where apparently everyone is gonna pop out my eyeballs and giggle about it. I can't really relax...." As the taller man continued, Danny licked his lips. Taking advantage of their life? Danny wasn't that kind of person, right? From the way Lucian spoke, Danny would have a cozy little seat here for eternity. "T...there's good in everything." Danny stated softly, "If Lucifer's son could start to feel compassion, then that's proof. Good in everyone."

As Lucian opened the door, and despite how.much Danny disliked him, the human found himself behind the taller male, peeking over his shoulder in an effort not to draw attention, but still view the room.

“Sometimes,” Lucian said, as they went inside. “It’s a nice change of pace, getting someone out of here and getting something out of it. There’s good in everyone, but there’s also different forms of good.” He looked around, letting Danny stay behind him. The entrance hall was massive, two gracefully arcing staircases in front of them, a huge fountain before them whose water was mysteriously dark red. When they entered, a devil with red eyes and twisted horns protruding from his head approached, leading a ferocious, demonic-looking dog whose fur seemed more like thin spines on a heavy chain.

“Lucian. Here with the captive.” His voice was extremely deep, gurgling. “And… Who else?” He looked past Lucian to Danny. “Who’s the boy?”

“Another captive. Mine.” Lucian grabbed Danny’s wrist and jerked him to his side again. “Caught this one by the lake. Took a liking to him.”

The devil nodded his square head. “Come then.” He said, pulling the dog with him. “Elevator, now. Azazel’s been waiting for you.”

Danny didn't respond to the devil's comment, instead peering around. The sight of the new devil's red eyes made him take an instinctive step back, though he was jerked into Lucian's side a second later. He remained quiet, and stood where he'd been tugged, instead of tugging away like he had earlier.

His green eyes moved around the grand hallway. Devils clearly liked their luxuries. That made sense. Greed was a sin, wasn't it? And these...creatures seemed to enjoy any sin they could. For the first time, he could understand what Lucian's protection meant for him, and was thankful.

Danny hadn't paid much attention to the two speaking, but as they moved, Danny obediently followed. The fountain actually interested him quite a bit. It couldn't be blood, right? If it was, even with it circulating like it was, it would coagulate, wouldn't it?

Unable to keep his curiosity contained, he pointed, whispering to Lucian. "That's not blood right?"

Lucian hefted the girl to his other shoulder. She was alive, and awake, but she seemed far too tired to move or fight back anymore. He bent down low to hear Danny speak, and nodded. “Yes,” he kept his voice low. “It is, but I’ll answer your questions later. Captives aren’t allowed to speak to anyone unless spoken directly to, especially within the palace of Azazel, Lucifer, or Beelzebub.”

He joined the devil in the elevator and pulled Danny along. They stood on a thick stone base, the elevator held up by a brass skeleton. The pulley system was of chain. “Keep your head low, sometimes harpies get stuck through the windows the elevator passes.” Lucian muttered. “They’re not too coordinated.” The devil forced the hellhound to sit at his feet, and he started the crank. The elevator shuddered, passing rooms as it rose and letting in a bit of light from outside as windows went by on the other side.

The man nodded in response to Lucian. He was honestly surprised he had talked as much as he had. For the past four years, whenever he'd been around someone his girl had been there too. And she did more than enough talking for both of them. The new place and strange things stirred his curiousity. And watching what he said was nothing new either. He wouldn't be suprised if Lilly changed forms like that when he got back home.

Once harpies were mentioned, Danny glanced upwards quickly. Those things had looked worse than Lucian's other form. He didn't wish to tangle with them at all. Once they began passing room and windows, however, Danny seemed to forget all about harpies. He shifted, peering into the rooms, then craning his back, twisting to see out the windows. Excitement bubbled in him, though the fright and uncertainty remained.

He had wanted something different, and though this hadn't been what he'd had in mind it wasn't too bad yet. Things could always be worse. He could be the one slung over Lucian's shoulder. As long as he was careful, hopefully he wouldn't ever be. There was a big part of him that had trouble believing Lucian would actually help him.

The elevator sometimes paused as the devil caught his breath and rested. It seemed an eternity had passed as they rose, lifted past countless rooms of varying in size and lighting, mostly hallways leading to other rooms, chambers, areas of the palace itself. The hellhound became restless after a while, and started eyeing Danny’s legs, which were the closest to him. Lucian pulled him away from the hound’s reach, putting himself between the two. If he had to listen to Danny crying and bitching about his legs being torn off, he’d probably kill himself. Again.

Finally the elevator shuddered to a halt, and Lucian pulled Danny onto the solid floor. It was naturally warm, a dark red, shined to a very high gloss, and a mosaic of human bones led the way from the elevator to the end of the room. Lucian kept a tight hold on Danny’s wrist and led him forward. The lights of this room were high above, massive, black candles hanging in iron chandeliers, the tapestries hanging on the walls presenting various despicable acts of torture and disembowelment, some also woven with the images of demons and devils, namely, Lucifer and Azazel in various forms depicted in paintings and ancient descriptions.

As they approached, their eyes fell on Azazel. His form was one of his most recent favorites, of a tall, muscular man with curly blonde hair and bright blue eyes. He stood in front of a dark red curtain that hid the rest of the hall. “Lucian, my demon!” He called, a sinister smile on his face. “I knew you wouldn’t fail me! Ah, this girl was such a handful, was she not?”


Lucian nodded as he and Danny came to a stop. “She’ll be fine in a bit.” He said, dumping her on the ground at Azazel’s feet. “Tired, and I don’t blame her.”

“Who’s the boy?” Azazel studied Danny hard for a while, eyes glittering unnaturally.

“Newcomer.” Lucian brought Danny up and close to his side. “Took a liking to him, thought I’d keep him for a while. Doesn’t seem to belong anywhere.”

In all honesty, Danny had almost forgotten the dog. During each ad every pause he continued his scrutiny. The new world was amazing. Even the hallways interested Danny, and he peered closely at the carvings along the wall borders. It was was mostly bare, but that just made the tiny detailing so much prettier. He was dragged out if his thoughts as Lucian moved him, and opened his mouth to object. He shut his mouth as he spotted the demon dog's intent gaze. Unable to see much else with Lucian blocking him, Danny peered out behind the male, studying the dog. Its fur looked like it would prick anyone who tried to pet him.

Once the elevator stopped, Lucian's hand encircled Danny's wrist, and the human was tugged forward. He froze for a second, paling as he looked around. The decorating style was enough cause fear, and made Danny dread this meeting. The devil who lived here couldn't be as fun loving as Lucian was. At least the male leading him had been the first to find him.

Finally, the two men stopped in front of who Danny assumed was this Azazel. There was a sharp intake of breath from the human. Despite his surroundings, and that Danny knew this man was demented and unholy, Azazel himself was beautiful. Oh, Danny didn't doubt that he didn't truly look this way. Like Lucian, he could probably changed into many different ones. Still, the one he had selected was stunning. If Danny had been gay, he'd probably be grovelling at the devil's feet.

At the conversation, though, Danny glanced back and forth between the two. He licked his lips nervously, and jumped as Lucian simply dropped the female. Lucian's warning remained, however, and Danny bit his tongue.

Azazel snapped his fingers, and at once, two harpies flew from the rafters and landed hard in front of the three, on either side of the girl. Their heads were of bald, sharp-chinned women, their eyes black. Their wings were like bats, but much larger,and its body was furry. Their talons were long and curved. Without a word from Lucian or Azazel, they grabbed the girl’s arms as she tried to push herself up and lifted themselves again, flying behind the curtain with a coupled screech. “She’ll be well taken care of.” Azazel laughed. “Surely it will show her that she can never escape her fate.”

“Indeed, Azazel.” Lucian smiled. “It was great fun tracking her down.”

“Ah, I would have joined you, but you know how things are.” Azazel ran a dark hand through his hair. “Now, as to the boy. Who is he, Lucian?”

“Dunno. Found him when I tracked down the girl, seemed disoriented and lost. Looks like he’s had his share of injury already, though.” He indicated Danny’s bloody shirt. “Probably got a good crack from a demon. Took a liking to him, though. Doesn’t reek of any particular sin, so I wouldn’t know where to put him. Doesn’t look like he’d belong in Limbo either. Thought I’d keep him with me for a while.” He put an arm around Danny’s shoulder. “Until I get bored of him, anyway.”

“Doesn’t sound like a bad idea.” Azazel grinned at Danny, then turned his gaze back to Lucian. “When you do get bored of him, bring him to me. I’ll find a nice little place for him.”

“Sure thing.” Lucian saluted. “I’ll be off now, just send a harpy if you need me again.” With Azazel’s words of departing, Lucian turned with Danny and started back to the elevator. “Did good.” He whispered. “Stick with me, now, I got a dwelling you can stay around so no demons or devils can get to you.” They boarded the elevator again, and the devil started their descent.

Without any warning, other than a quick snap, the ugly beasts Danny had seen early had snatched up the female. Danny gave a tiny cry and stepped forward, his hand reaching out. It didn't even take him a second before the arm lowered, and Danny was biting his lip. What could he do to help her anyway? Those things would tear him to shreds. The two devils made his blood run cold as they talked about her. Despite what she'd done, she was a person. How could they be so callous? It made Danny remember they were different, and that he shouldn't let himself be fooled by outer appearances.

Then they were talking about him the same way! Danny frowned as Lucian's arm encircled him, and tugged him back. Before he could think of a comment, Azazel's words made him blanch and stare at the devil blankly.

Then they were leaving, Danny stumbling over his feet slightly. "Dwelling? How long? When will I be able.to get home?" He whispered to the male distrustfully. What if that was Lucian's intent, to play with him until he got bored, then pass him on to other creatures? Still...he had no choice but to trust him. "Are you sure that's safe? What am I supposed to do if they find me? You...you can't just leave.me somewhere!"

Lucian didn’t answer any of Danny’s questions until they were out of the palace. Then, between the gardens of singing, screaming flowers, he stopped and let Danny go. “I saw you almost act out in there.” He said. “Don’t do that. You have to act. You’ll be safe in my dwelling, it’s secluded from other demons and devils. And if you want to wander and be left alone, you’ll have to wear a slave collar. That’ll show you belong to someone, and everyone else will leave you alone. I’m not claimng ownership over you, I’m protecting you from the others who’ll screw or beat anything that moves and doesn’t have a collar.”

He pushed him along. “C’mon, boy. I’m pretty sure there’s a legend about a door that needs nine keys to open it. When the door’s open, it’ll allow you to get back to the world of the living. I’m not sure if it’s true or not, so we’ll have to figure it out. How ‘bout that? Good idea?”

The human followed along numbly. He didn't like this. Collars and hiding. Nine keys... Dangerous demons all around.

A thought struck Danny. "Hey...you said some about nine circles of hell earlier, right? And nine keys? Is that a coincidence? How can we find out about these keys?" He hesitated, ruffling his hair nervously. "None of them will try anything when I have on this collar thing? Where's some anti demon weapons just in case?"

"A-and that devil in there...I...I can trust you, right? Like...you don't intend to kill me over and over and then toss me away, right? How do I know I can trust you? It doesn't seem right for you to have all the power here..." The human was speaking quickly, panic edging into his voice.

Lucian ruffled Danny’s hair. “You need to relax, and get a little more courage.” He said. “First off, there isn’t a coincidence about nine keys and nine levels of Hell. Unfortunately, the first level is Purgatory, where the soul of the newly dead where, as you climb the mountain to Heaven, you’re submitted to humility and confession, cleansing your soul. As long as you escaped damnation. But that isn’t an option. Obviously one key is here, before we get to the nine levels.”

They returned to the road leading into the destroyed city. “Once you’re wearing the collar, you’ll be fine. Each demon and devil has their own scent, and once someone’s placed in the collar of a demon, others will leave that person alone.” He was studying his nails. “Oh, and you’ll not find ‘anti-demon’ weapons. This is Hell, we’re pretty adamant about keeping those types out of here. Like I said in the beginning, the weapons we have here take years to master, and they’re made of blistering brass and iron, so they’ll burn the skin off your hands.”

He led Danny through a narrow alleyway that seemed to be a dead end, trapping them with a brick wall. “You can never fully trust a demon or devil.” Lucian continued. “But then again, you can’t trust anyone, can you? Anyone can be evil, and everyone has a bit of evil in them.” He ran a hand over the mortar between the bricks, around the middle, and they fell away. “I’m the kindest demon you’ll ever meet, though, so believe me, you’re better off than with... Say, Nybras. You’d never be the same...” He laughed quietly, pushing Danny into the area beyond the brick doorway. Within what seemed like a dead end, a large, darkly-lit den stood waiting with hot stone floors and iron-laced walls.

As some of his fears were wiped away, Danny followed with a sigh. The room was revealed, and Danny gingerly moved inside glancing around. "Home sweet home..." He muttered softly, before turning back to Lucian. The male had admitted Danny couldn't really trust him, though he was helping. "So...you keep saying you don't need me to get to Earth...why keep me then? It seems like you could find these keys on your own..."

He shifted around the room, sizing it up. "Who is Nybras?" He continued softly. "This collar...is there anything else I need to know about it? Like what am I allowed to do when I'm out there, and what would happen if I did something wrong and you weren't around?"

Lucian went forward. In the den, a few black couches sat around a massive fireplace. He went to one of the metal-enclosed tables and opened the heavy drawer, pulling out a collar. It was mostly leather, plated with brass and emblazoned with Lucian’s name. “Sometimes.” He said, studying it. “Sometimes you just want something different. Thought I’d help you since it’s a break from the same damn thing. I get bored doing the same old killing, maiming, ripping, tearing, chasing. Besides, you can’t get into the eight other levels without me.”

Stepping back to Danny, he showed the boy the collar. “This is what you’ll wear. When away from this place, you’ll be confronted by other demons and devils. Don’t make eye contact with any of them, except me. And don’t talk back to them or try to show resistance. They won’t try to take you anywhere, and they won’t hurt you.” He put the collar around Danny’s neck, and rubbed one of the brass plates with his thumb. Danny’s name appeared as though it were pressed with a hot iron into the metal, sizzling for a moment. “There. Now, to the rest of the underworld, you’re mine.”

The human was silent at Lucian's explanation. Wanting to get away from the same mundane things was what had landed Danny here. "Yeah, well...be careful what you wish for. You'll end up someplace you didn't think existed with a devil as a-"

Danny's eyes widened at the collar. Why was Lucian getting it out now? As it was brought closer, he eyed it unhappily. Before he could speak, Lucian had slipped it on him. Danny's eyes grew wide, and he tugged at the collar. "H-hey...I...I don't want this on yet! Why won't it come off?" His throat felt funny, the light thing was hanging lose, but was much bigger than a necklace. "I don't have to wear it in here right?" His fingers moved over the leather, feeling the dip where Lucian's name was embedded. His finger slipped back more, his index tracing where his name has burned in.

He couldn't take too much of this place. "H-how can we find out about this first key, then?"

“Relax, boy. I don’t even care where I end up. Hell’s as bad as you can get.” Lucian checked the collar. It couldn’t come up over Danny’s head, but it wouldn’t choke him. “Looks good. You’ll have to wear this at all times. But don’t worry about it; if you manage to get back to the land of the living, it’ll just fall off.” He patted Danny with a smile, going back to the fireplace and flopping down with a sigh.

“Relax about the keys.” He said, waving Danny’s question away. “Just sit, would ya? The keys won’t dissolve if we don’t find them in time. Besides, evening means the corpse eaters come out. They won’t just settle on the dead, Danny. They’ll take care of you too, regardless of who you belong to. I’ll go get the book tomorrow, when the harpies fly back north. The book tells you if it’s possible to get into the levels, which it is, and where to possibly find the keys.”

"Why don't you like it here? You get to do all the stuff you guys like to do? I don't get it..." Danny stated, lifting his chin as Lucian inspected the collar. He glanced to the door when Lucian continued, the flopped into the plush furniture across from him. "So much for.nothing will harm me." He remarked sarcastically. "And excuse me if I wanna get outta here. Its hard to relax right now."

Absently, Danny tugged on the collar, sensing a new habit in the making. "What are the other levels like then? You mentioned some things when you attacked me earlier...what else should I know? And...what would happen, if we were caught with this book and keys?"

He studied Danny a bit. “I don’t mind it here. It just gets boring seeing and doing the same thing. Boring and annoying.”

Lucian rolled his eyes at Danny’s words. “I said noone will hurt you. There’s a big difference between demons and devils and the corpse eaters. The latter used to be demons, but were ripped of all their powers and what little humanity they had, then, when insanity struck, turned into creepy little golems with sharp teeth and speedy little legs.” He wriggled his fingers like spider legs. “If you don’t try to relax, though, you’ll never settle down. Nothing can get you here, at least. I can, but I already said I wouldn’t, and you’ll have to take my word for it.”

He was staring at the claw-like nails on his hands again, no longer interested in what Danny did. The wall was closed again, and wouldn’t let any demons, devils, or corpse eaters in with the fall of night. “The archives are open to anyone.” He said. “The book’s dismissed as a tome full of myths. I’ll not get in trouble for taking it. But if the keys are figured out to be real, we’ll have to hide them when we’re out of the rings of Hell. You can keep secrets like that, eh?”

The human laughed, and shook his head. "I tried to leave the boring behind too. Look what it got me. So, last time you said you almost felt human stuff. You aren't worries about it happening now?"

The rest of what was said, Danny either nodded or shrugged to. "You aren't exactly comforting you know. You flipped on me earlier. Or what if you had some quick thirst for blood or something. It's not like I can really fight back." To the male's question, Danny nodded. "Of course I can. Besides, I'm not supposed to talk to anyone, so I can't really tell them what I'm thinking."

Lucian smiled. “I don’t think it’ll happen again.” He assured. “I didn’t like feeling human in any way. Was weird.” He sighed. “I prefer how I am now. Maybe not how you like it. Ha!” He shook his head.

He winked at Danny’s worries. “I only nearly disemboweled you because you questioned my resolve. I’m not about to say something and not commit to it. You doubted me. But now, you seem to believe I’d kill you if I wanted to. But I don’t want to. And I’d like you to be able to at least half-assed be able to defend yourself. I might have some heat-repelling gloves somewhere, but the things I have would take a bit of work to be able to use. You committed to learning? I have a few I won’t bother naming, and a couple scythes.” He paused. “No, by the way, we don’t use pitchforks. Not unless it’s for a nice little torture party.” He laughed quietly.

"Well I didn't really know you before, so I can't really compare it to anything." Danny stated with a shrug. "Besides. You don't need me but you are still helping me. No matter what reason you give, it boils down to doing something you don't have to do for someone else. Seems pretty un-devil-like...."

Danny found himself chuckling at the devil's joke. "Now that I saw you partially turn into that thing, if someone came after me with a pitchfork, I'd laugh. Yeah, I'm willing to learn. It could save my life in this place, and I don't like relying on someone else for my protection. What would be the easiest thing for me to pick up quickly?"

The human leaned backwards, resting his head on his hands, which he tucked behind his head, his elbows in the air. "So we will have to go to these other circles sometime, huh? When you get that book tomorrow, you should grab some books on the circles, and maybe some maps. I can learn as much as I can. We.may get separated at some point or something. You never know what could happen..."

“I’m getting something out of helping you.” Lucian said. “If we succeed, I’ll be able to get out to the world of the living, maybe influence a few new Hitlers or cause another plague.” He laughed. “Best days ever. Hell, if you get out, maybe you’ll be killed by one or the other! That’s something else I’m getting out of helping you. Then you’ll be back and I’ll be able to have more fun with you!”

He stood, rummaging around another side table. “I’d love to see you laugh with a pitchfork prong halfway down your throat.” He muttered. “That’d be a show.” He pulled up a metal spear-shaped object about as long as his forearm, and a pair of gloves. “Here’s what you could try.” He showed the item. Dropping the gloves, he twisted it, and small, sharp spikes flew from the seemingly-smooth surface. “Watch your hands when you do that.” Lucian advised. He twisted it again, and the spikes returned inside. Twisting it the other way, it detached from the middle, still held together by a long chain. “This’ll turn it into a whip. Put the gloves on, or you’ll be burned.” He picked up the pair and handed them to Danny. “It’s a simple melee tool, just call it a spear.”

After handing off the weapon, Lucian turned to the fireplace and stared at the flames. “Oh, we’ll definitely go to the circles.” Lucian sat again, putting his heavily-booted feet up on the table before him. “There aren’t any maps, though. The circles themselves are, in a way, alive, and always changing, depending on what you think they look like. Then multiply that by about a thousand. Don’t worry about getting lost, your collar will let me know exactly where you are and I’ll be able to find you. Do you know about each level, or do you need a quick lesson on each one?” He looked accusingly at Danny.

"Well, scratch the human thing..." Danny stared open mouth at the devil for a few second, before frowning. "Hey...you said you just wanted to see how much it changed. Uh uhn." He shook his head, sitting forward once again. "No. I don't want to help if you'll be causing havoc and diseases!"

He stood and gripped the gloves, fumbling into them. Then the strange weapon was in his hands and he held it awkwardly, careful not to twist it. "So how so I use this? On the upside it won't kill me if I make a mistake...." Danny muttered softly. He turned to Lucian. "No lessons? Just sink or swim?"

Once Lucian began talking about the collar, the human touched it with his free hand gingerly, glaring at Lucian. "What other things does this collar do?"

Lucian rolled his eyes. “Sweet Satan, you humans can’t take a joke, can you? I’m not being serious! I want to see how screwed up you idiots are as a whole. I mean, you should’ve seen the plagues and scares in the past! Can’t believe the Salem witch trials. Someone acts stupid and they’re a witch or possessed, and believe me, we’ve got better things to do than possess random people.”

He nodded without a word, turning his yellow eyes on the human. “You can use it as a whip, a club, or spear.” He said. “That’s about it. Just don’t pick it up without the gloves if you wanna keep feeling in your hands.”

He sat forward, reaching out and tapping the collar’s metal. “Doesn’t do much. Nice accessory, and I’m linked to it mentally. That’s it.” He smiled. “I just can’t stop thinking about which level of Hell you would be good in. I mean, maybe level...eight. By your inability to accept where you were in the beginning, and noting that if Hell exists, God and Heaven exists, you probably didn’t believe in God in the first place. You’d do well there. Well... Not really.” He nodded.