Hollow #2 - Chapter 59 (Patreon)

Chapter 59 - Teamwork

The Hellforge

The Main Fucking Character

Here we are.  Round 2.

Or 2 million, I guess?  But who’s counting?

Ahh, haha.  Probably all the other-mes, huh?  The losers?  The failures?  The less intelligent, funny, and good looking versions of yours truly?

Either way, we were finally ready to enter the gate—

Wow, none of you look confident.  Honestly, you look nervous.  Don’t worry.  We got this.  This time will be different.  This time, we’ll tackle the gate as a family—

“I’m not part of this family,” Cole muttered.  “Does that mean I can leave, or….”

I just stared at him, slowly unraveling my motivational arm chain.  Cole swallowed hard and nodded.  “Ahh, right.  I’m still part of your business family.”

“Exactly.  And this is going to be great,” I shot back.  “All we need is the five of us.  You, me, Fang, Lili, and Maribel.  The dream team.”

I’d had the babies lead the other sacrificial Guides to a safer portion of the tunnels.  We were going to need them later… assuming we didn’t die.  You’ll see.  Maybe.

“In this dream, was I wearing this?” Fang demanded.  He tugged uncomfortably at his suit, the fabric clinging to his slightly damp scales.  He looked fantastic.

“Actually, yes.  Now, if no one has any other objections—”

Maribel and Lili raised both of my hands.  Which was just confusing.

I let out an exasperated sigh.  “What!?  What now?”

“Are you sure this plan isn’t cra—” Lili stopped herself short.  “Uh, rationally challenged?  What about the truth demon?  Or those memories of Demi?  How she made the gate harder?  We’re pretty sure that’s this timeline, right?”

Maribel just pointed at Lili’s hand.

“Like I said, we’ve got this,” I insisted.

“Wait, what memory about Demi?” Fang demanded, his snake eyes narrowed.

“And is it really a good idea to keep secrets with a truth demon?” Cole demanded.

Which… well, which was fair.  But they’d never have gone along with the plan if I told them all the pesky details.  Which is why I had to take matters into my own hands.  Literally.  I took control of Lili’s hand and plunged it into that writhing mass of darkness lingering in the center of the hellforge.  That ball of corruption that pulsed and throbbed with a malevolent evil that threatened to destroy our family… again.

That icy, burning sensation enveloped my hand, licking at the skin and draining my sweet, sweet nimbus and leaving me feeling…

Huh, actually, pretty good?  I barely felt it, honestly.

I guess this me had a lot more nimbus.

I told you!  Proper nutrition is important.  Vital really.

The gate also seemed to really enjoy the sudden influx of power.  Darkness cascaded away from my vessel, adding to that malignant mass as it writhed and pulsed.  With a sudden blast of power, it summoned the waters of Cocytus.  The ground trembled as a raging torrent barreled down through the hole in the ceiling before blasting out into the hellforge—

My eyes widened.  Oh.  Oh, shit.

That was a lot of water.  Like a LOT of water.

It slammed into the forge like a tidal wave, my arm chain barely wrapping the anvil before it swept me away – Fang forced to make an emergency misty.  The pressure was so intense that the waters were chipping away at the stone overhead, widening that tunnel leading down into the depths of the forge.  And then the gate finally followed – that ancient vessel crashing into the center of the floor with such force that it cracked the stone.

The water finally relented as the worn planks of a familiar ship drifted out of those waters.  Except this one was about two times larger?  Like a galleon or something?  Those ancient doors creaked and groaned and began to open, revealing an inferno of flame lingering just past that threshold.  The blast of heat was so intense that it immediately began to evaporate the waters, steam suddenly billowing and coiling along the ceiling.

At the same time, our corrupted host took control of the forge.

Fires lit up around the room, lava poured from the gate, and the ground itself began to shift and tremble.  But, this time, the forge didn’t simply come back to life.  It… it transformed.  The room grew dramatically in size, the stone walls melting away and the ceiling sliced back to form a massive, vaulted cathedral.  Piping and tubes emerged from the walls, the molten metal stitching itself together to form a patchwork along the walls.  Geysers of gas-fueled flames ignited from the open ends, lighting the interior of the forge.

The clank and grind of metal echoed from the entrance and I turned to find an army of weapon-wielding robots rolling into place.  This time much larger and more deadly looking.  They had multiple arms and a lot more weapons.  The robots’ eyes glowed with hellfire and steam poured from the cracks in the armor.  Frankly, I was impressed.

Although, the truth demon still copied my awesome new track technology. 

And on the far end rested that anvil.  That flaming portal to hell.

From that mawing chasm emerged our enemy.  Our opponent.  The truth demon.

That mangled monstrosity of flesh and stolen parts, lashed together and tied tight by midnight black chains, flames rippling down their length.  Which only reinforced how much the truth demon was copying me.  The chains.  The insanity.  The many different souls inhabiting one vessel.  Honestly, it felt like he’d stolen my thing…

Or I could just be deflecting from the emotions whirling in my gut.

I was facing the monster that murdered my parents, after all.

But I was good.  Super chill despite the oppressive heat.

So, there we stood, me and…

Shit.  Where was Fang?

He rematerialized beside me, his suit now soaking wet, and glaring at me.  Oh, and Cole was still alive somehow.  Choking and coughing and spitting out water.

Perfect.  Ahh… where was I again?

Right!  Just two slightly damp bromates facing a nightmare demon formed from the damned souls of thousands.  Souls that had fucked us over countless times across an infinite number of lives and who were responsible for the destruction of both my biological and current, dysfunctional family.  Who guarded a treasure of immeasurable power.  One that could forge dreams.  And I’d always dreamed big.

Which is why I did what any rational, ambitious entrepreneur would in this situation.

I threw on a smile, stuck out my hand, and formally introduced myself.

“Hello, pleasure to meet you.  My name is Nyx.”

The bear demon’s flaming eyes narrowed, but it said nothing.

Ahh, right.  I figured this might be a problem – the whole speaking thing.  I’d noticed the truth demon hadn’t really communicated itself.  That’s why I brought Cole.

“You can use Cole as a voice puppet again, he doesn’t mind,” I offered.

A freebie.  A show of good faith.  It was important to bring gifts to a business meeting.

“What?  What do you mean?  I definitely mind!” Cole shot back, glaring at me from the ground – still dripping wet and shaking.  “You told me I’d be safe.  That I wasn’t going to get spiritually gang-raped… again?

“Ahh, right.  I guess I did.  Damn, you caught me in a lie,” I muttered as a hell portal opened along the floor beside me and dark, flaming chains slid out, slithering toward me.

I felt a little guilty about it.

Although, less when I noticed Cole’s relieved smile.

I sighed, hanging my head.  “It’s such a shame that I lied to you right before confronting a truth demon.  I guess I’m still harboring some resentment about how you gaslit me an infinite number of times.”  That was my truth.

The chains slithering out of a nearby hell portal stopped short of my skin, just hanging there impotently, those hellfires sputtering out.

And Cole’s smile started to fall.

“Ahh, are you upset?  Do you want to do something to me right now?” I asked, the picture of innocence as I slowly unraveled my arm chain.

“No, no, it’s totally fine.  I’m just a little concerned—" Cole began, flustered.

“Are you saying you don’t want to help the family?” I interrupted.

“Well, that’s not exactly—” My arm chain started spinning.

Cole swallowed hard.  “Which is to say, I’m really excited to be part this.”  He even smiled, his eye only twitching a little.  “I just love it actually—"

He suddenly cutoff as a chain whipped out a hell portal behind him and stabbed into his spine.  His whip-thin body twitched, jerking and spasming and his eyes rolled back into his skull as the truth demon lifted its new puppet up into the air.

I also felt slightly conflicted about this.  I mean, maybe I had tricked Cole into telling a lie.  And, yes, maybe that lie was that he didn’t want to watch me get tortured.  But honestly, this was good for him.  A confidence building experience that would reinforce the value of standing up for himself.  He’d probably thank me later.

Yet that wasn’t important.  Not right now.

Not with how Cole’s eyes had turned solid black.

The truth demon lifted him from the ground, Cole’s pale arms limp and head lolling in place, tilting until those dark eyes rested on us.  A manic cackle erupted from his throat, the laughter of a hundred thousand corrupted souls, their spirits warped by pain and suffering. 

“Ahahahaha.  You fools.  You have ventured into our domain – the dream forge.  Its fires fueled by lies.  Only one may control the power of the forge, but before you do, you must free yourselves of the lies that stain your blood-soaked vessels.”

As Demon-Cole spoke, more portals erupted around him, glowing with hellfire and obsidian chains emerging from their depths, lashing and snapping at the air as flames rippled down their length.  And behind him stood that nightmare amalgamation of rotten flesh and stolen body parts.  Cole stared at us, his eyes filled with dark delight and his body framed by the flickering flames of judgement.

I have to admit… it wasn’t a bad entrance.

“Ahh, great!” I chirped.  “Now we can properly introduce ourselves.  I’m Nyx and this is my business partner and bromate, Fang.”

I stuck out my hand again and the floating Demon-Cole hesitated for only a second before weakly accepting my grip.  Whew, I still felt a pulse.  That was a good sign.

There had been a small risk that Cole would die.

Honestly, I don’t remember what happened to him last time.

“A pleasure,” Fang stepped in smoothly, suddenly professional.  His suit was freshly steamed from the heat of the hell gate and he was looking sharp – both literally and figuratively.  He’d even put on the glasses I brought for him.

The Cole-Demon’s attention snapped to those frames and started to form another hell portal behind Fang.  I guess fake glasses was a lie of sorts?  But Fang beat him to it.  “Ahh, they have no glass,” he offered, taking them off and stabbing a claw through the frames.  “I just thought they made me look smarter…”

Yet the hell portals were still there, the chains inching forward.

Fang hesitated and I nudged him.  “I—I also feel self-consciousss about my appearance in a business setting.  Other races often think savran are slow or stupid predators.”

“Probably the lisp,” I offered sympathetically.

Fang winced and continued in a growl.  “Anyway, I wish you to take me seriously.  Maybe a result of my strained relationship with my mother and childhood trauma,” he hissed out reluctantly, reading the notes Lili was scrawling along my arm.

We’d practiced ahead of time.  We were killing it.

Which was ironic, because we didn’t plan on killing anything.

Honestly, the truth demon didn’t even know how to react.  The chains just retracted and the hell portals winked out.  Which left Demon-Cole looking stumped.

“What is this?  What are you doing?” the damned souls of thousands demanded.

My brow furrowed, Fang and I looking at each other.  “Um, telling the truth?  Didn’t you say we needed to reveal our truths?  We’re both an open book – we’ve told each other everything.  Or everything important anyway.”

Demon-Cole was starting to look horrified now.  “No… no this is not how this should work.  You are supposed to lie to yourselves; to each other,” he snapped.

I frowned.  “But I thought you wanted the truth?” I looked at Fang.  “Right?”

He nodded.  “That is what it said.  Or do you want us to lie?”

“But that wouldn’t make sense, would it?” I asked Fang, shaking my head.  “I thought the truth demon was doing this as a weird form of revenge.  You know, kill all the liars because a liar killed them?  Why would it want to make us into liars?”

Fang just shrugged and we both turned back to Demon-Cole.

“It is a fair point,” Fang murmured.  “Maybe we were wrong – maybe it is not a truth demon – maybe it is a hypocrite demon?”

At that question we both turned to Demon-Cole, our eyes wide and innocent.

The vessel for a spiritual gangbang was on the defensive now.  “Well… that is…” he fumbled, the spirits whispering and bickering with one another under his breath.

“Remember, you can’t lie,” I interjected quickly.

The pale puppet froze, its pitch-black eyes going wide and mouth moving without speaking.  Almost like the souls were having a committee meeting.

Which made sense.  Because admitting that you want people to lie in order to torture the shit out of them and get them to kill each other might be, well… a little contradictory?  But it was also more than, wasn’t it?  I mean, the truth demon hadn’t attacked Cole until he lied, had he?  And it wasn’t attacking us now, was it?  Almost like it couldn’t?

At least, that had been my theory.  Turns out I was right.

After all, the Flow really loved its rules and mantras, didn’t it?

“Uh, you still there?” I asked, waving a hand in Demon-Cole’s face.

His eyes snapped back into focus, his mouth twisted into a scowl.  And the weird bear golem behind him was growling angrily, its body pulsing with malevolent energy.

“You’re focused too much on us – it is your lies that matter,” Demon-Cole answered.

 Fang and I looked at each other and nodded.

“Question dodger,” we said in unison.

This felt good.  Right, you know?  Both of us on the same team?

The demon just laughed.  “Is that so?  Then you hide nothing?”

I shrugged and my arms went wide. “Like I said, open book.”

Demon-Cole’s gaze flicked to Fang.  “What about the others?  What about Fang?”

“We worked through our trust issues.  We told each other everything.”  It had been a mixed bag.  Fang’s truths were super mean.  “Tell them, Fang.”

Yet no words slipped from my bromates’ lips.

“Yes, tell us, Fang,” Demon-Cole cooed, suddenly hovering beside the savran’s ear, his jaw clenched and yellow eyes glaring.  “Did you really tell him everything?”

Fang was being really quiet for some reason – too quiet.

Also, hell portals were starting to open up around him.

That, uh… that wasn’t great, was it?  Plus, there was the implication of the thing, you know?  That Fang was hiding something?  Something else?  But what could he possibly—”

“What about me?” another voice spoke up.  “Did you tell him about me?”

I turned to find something strange happening to Cole.  Shadowy energy rippled down that chain in his spine – a torrent of energy that grew and built, feeding the gaslight spirit nestled in the elf’s Core.  With each pulse of power, shadowy spiderwebs wrapped Cole’s whip thin limbs, thickening and growing and filling out.  His pale skinned turned darker and wrinkles appeared on along the former smooth flesh.  Muscle rippled down his arms and legs and graying hair sprouted from his head.  His ears shrank, those sharp tips rounding into a sapian curve.

Then the totally-not-Cole stepped down onto solid ground. He strode forward, confident, his eyes burning embers, and stretched out his hand toward me—

“Hello, I’m Gram.  Your father.”

Those… those asshole spirits!  They stole my move!

Specifically, coming out of left field with some absurd mind game.

“Really? That’s what’s wrong with this scenario?” Lili muttered.  “That’s all you’ve got when confronting the ghost of your father channeled through Cole’s gaslight spirit?”

Okay, it might have been deflection.  Maybe.  And yes, I realize that my father’s appearance wasn’t real – was just more gaslighting.  But that look shining in his eyes made me think this was more than just a simple trick.  I mean, Other-Fang had already admitted to killing him – my father, I mean – which meant my Fang probably had too.  And Worse-Me had definitely seen the evil, fiery death bear munching on the souls of the dead, right?  Plus, there was the way it used Cole as the mouthpiece for thousands of tortured spirits.  So, it made sense that my dear old dead dad would be in there somewhere.

Plus, the demon couldn’t lie, could it?  We’d already tested that.

Which, I guess, meant that this really was my dead demon daddy dearest.  The one standing there looking at me with eyes just like mine.  The same chin.  The same nose.  Even that same shit-eating grin.  The one I was supposed to be wearing right now.

But my lips seemed to be frowning.  Also, trembling slightly.

“Oh, this is such bullshit,” I muttered.

Wow, you all look really nervous now.  Almost as anxious as Fang…

Uh, which is to say, we’re totally still on plan!

 Yeah, yeah, this was going to fine—

 Ahh, shit.  I heard it as sound as I said it…