Chapter 44

  ‘Oi, Boss! How is it going in there?’ Grashon yelled from the shore, very wisely standing behind the sentry turret — he had seen firsthand how easy it was for the AI operated gun to turn a demon to mush.

  His call nudged me out of my own, internal musings about the Fifth Ring and Zeneth’s desire to get back to the place dreaded by most demons I’d met so far.

  ‘All good for now,’ I yelled back to the big grunt, lifting one of my arms out of the water and giving him a thumbs up — I doubted he knew what the gesture meant, but what the hell, I did it anyway.

  I turned my attention back to Zeneth-Kralsen, an alleged member of a group of Fifth Ring hive mind demons, if I could believe the rumours my sword had mentioned. I wasn’t sure how it might have worked, but hive mind or not, it seemed the demon and I were past the point of wanting to kill each other.

  ‘So, I assume you want me, the ruling demon lord, to give you and the rest of the Kralsen Hive Mind passage through the Lost Pillars and through the gate to the Fifth. Am I correct?’ I said to him.

  ‘Yes.’ The clipped answer came from the blob of darkness sticking out of the water.

  ‘And why should I do such a thing?’

  ‘Because I am asking.’

  Seriously? I took a deep breath and suppressed an entire dictionary’s worth of insults and swear words wanting to burst out of me to fly at the demon. This guy had some nerves.

  ‘You’re asking someone you have tried to kill to do you a favour? And you think it will work?’

  ‘Yes.’

  Was it just me, or the thought process of a hive mind was different than that of the demons I’d got to know? Or of a human like me. Or maybe they were just socially inept. And not just that; they’d had a thousand years to figure this out, hadn’t they? Let’s say a demon lord lasted a hundred years on average, that meant ten generations of demon lords since the Fifth Ring’s failed invasion, so how come they were still stuck here? And Kralsen was supposed to be a general, right? The aptly named “Dreamer of Pain”. Ah, his story kind of made sense, but at the same time I just found some of it implausible. So, I asked, and the answer kind of surprised me.

  ‘Kralsen is not a general. Most demons see and think what we want them to see and think.’

  And that explained how he had managed to get me out of the minotaur general’s camp. I was now sure that if he wanted to be invisible, he could and would psychically manipulate demons around him to see and hear nothing.

  ‘Except me, I take it? Because of my resistance skills?’ I asked.

  ‘Yes. The ruling demon lords of this Ring had gained psychic skills and have been passing them to their heirs since Siltram the Infernal Tyrant. He was the one who built the lost Pillars.’

  The Infernal Tyrant? He must have been the first demon lord to emerge after that whole invasion business. And it seemed I had just discovered the origin of a certain skill of mine.

  ‘Was he the first to get psychic skills then?’

  ‘Yes.’ He nodded, the water rippling around him. ‘The subsequent demon lords knew who we were. They resisted and keep resisting.’

  I was starting to see the problem here. Regular demons weren’t able to resist but they weren’t able to open the gate to the Fifth either. Or any gate for that matter, as that was a prerogative of demon lords. Ah, this was making my head spin with so many questions. Was this guy a thousand years old? Or did the Kralsen Hive Mind keep replenishing its numbers over the centuries naturally? Or unnaturally? Or magically? And was it something I wanted to be involved with?

  ‘Okay, so after a thousand years of hanging around here and deceiving everyone, you’re now trying your luck with me.’ I tried to get to the bottom of things.

  ‘We sought you out after we felt a new demon lord, and found you weren’t a demon but a human. Unprecedented. Dangerous. Unacceptable. Only the heroes of the Blessed have ever thrived in the Rings.’

  ‘And then you learned I wasn’t one of them. Through my dreams.’

  ‘The worlds I saw were foreign. Not of Hell, not of the Surface, not of this reality. Ultimately, we decided it matters not. You are a demon lord. You have the means to give us what we want.’

  ‘And now that you’ve failed to kill me and take my title, you’re asking.’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘Kind of a roundabout way to do things, don’t you think?’

  ‘No.’

  ‘Of course not.’ I sighed.

  If I was honest, I could relate to someone’s desire to get home. I was doing the same after all; fighting this war on behalf of the Fourth Ring was a step to achieve that goal. This hive mind of pure darkness — while it was an absolute pain to get information out of it … him … them — was somewhat forthcoming about its goals.

  ‘Do you think he’s telling the truth?’ I whispered to Burning Darkness.

  ‘I don’t know, man, maybe he is. I mean, based on what I’ve heard and know, he’s probably not lying. But I’m sure he’s not telling the whole truth either. But it doesn’t matter, we can’t trust him. Them. Whatever.’

  The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.

  ‘We may be able to use them,’ I suggested.

  ‘Use them?’ the sword asked.

  ‘Yes,’ I said, then turned back the Zeneth of the Kralsen. No, that sounded wrong. Just Zeneth for the time being. ‘So, how many of you are out there? And are you guys everywhere?’

  ‘Enough. In many places. Not everywhere.’

  ‘Alright then, keep your secrets,’ I said to him, then whispered to my sword, ‘See? I think we’re looking at a full-blown covert intelligence network.’

  ‘Uh … a what? I don’t know what that is.’ Burning Darkness said.

  ‘Spies.’ I cleared it up for him.

  ‘Oh, well, they’d be good at that.’ He agreed.

  ‘Exactly,’ I whispered. ‘We’re in the middle of a war, and any information on the enemy, our overall situation, or any information at all, is priceless.’

  That was the truth. Over my career I had come across army and navy intelligence people in passing, mostly SigInt guys and girls. I myself knew next to nothing about how the whole thing worked, but I knew that they were an extremely important part of any military operation. It was no different here in Hell; if I wanted to win a war with demons, then I needed to know where they were and what they were up to, and so far my knowledge of the ongoings in the Fourth Ring were pitifully inadequate. The Kralsen Hive Mind could potentially change that.

  ‘Well, they could … uh … prove useful,’ Burning Darkness conceded.

  ‘But?’ I asked, sensing the “but” coming.

  ‘But are you willing to trust Fifth Ringers?’

  ‘I don’t know. Do you think it might be a problem if I opened the gate for them and they went home?’

  ‘Maybe, maybe not,’ the sword mused. ‘You never know with Fifth Ringers. I don’t think letting them go home would be an immediate problem. I mean, if the Fifth Ring could and wanted to invade again, they’d just do it with or without this small hive mind collective. I don’t think it would make a difference in that sense. I’m more worried about the prospect of working with them here and now. Does he strike you as the trustworthy, non-backstabbing type of demon?’

  ‘Hm. Good question.’ I muttered. ‘Button, is there a way to enforce an agreement? Like a contract or something?’

  [There are different types of contracts available to enforce an agreement between demons and other parties. Standard Contract. Mana Contract. Mana Covenant. Bloodsigned Covenant.]

  ‘Okay, which of these can be enforced no matter what?’

  [Bloodsigned Covenant. This type of contract is only available when ruling demon lords or official representatives of different Rings come to an agreement they want enforced by an impartial third party, typically the Genius Loci of either one or both involved Rings.]

  ‘Okay, did you see that? This could work, right?’ I asked Burning Darkness.

  ‘Yeah, it could. Are you sure about it, though?’

  ‘You know how it is: when in Hell, making a deal with the devil is always an option,’ I said.

  ‘You know, you might be the proverbial devil in this case, being a dreadful human and all,’ the sword said.

  ‘Okay, don’t sweat the details! Anything else?’

  ‘Well, I see how it would be an advantage to use them here and now,’ he said. ‘But what if letting them go will cause problems later?’

  ‘I guess we’d have to cross that bridge if or when we come to it.’

  I agreed with my sword, I truly did, but the benefit of Kralsen working for me was just too great to pass up.

  ‘If you want my strictly professional opinion, given our circumstances, and with a Bloodsigned Covenant in place, it is probably worth the risk.’ Burning Darkness concluded.

  It was definitely a risk. And I was going to take it. I turned back to Zeneth, who had no doubt heard the entire conversation, and I said to him,

  ‘So, would you and … uh … Kralsen be open to a deal?’

  ***

  [The Bloodsigned Covenant establishes the following terms between Hellfire Lord Hyde of the Fourth Ring and the entity known as the Kralsen Hive Mind of the Fifth Ring:]

  [Hellfire Lord Hyde agrees that upon eliminating the Minotaur threat as well as securing his rule of the Fourth Ring, he will assist the Kralsen Hive Mind in traversing the Lost Pillars to the location of the gate to the Fifth Ring, and as the ruling demon lord, he will use his authority to open the above mentioned gate and provide passage for the Kralsen Hive Mind to the Fifth Ring.]

  [The Kralsen Hive Mind agrees that it will aid Hellfire Lord Hyde in eliminating the Minotaur threat and securing his rule of the Fourth Ring as a subordinate entity to him and to the best of its abilities.]

  [The Covenant’s duration is until the terms set by both parties are fulfilled.]

  [Both parties agree to not act against the life and interests of the other.]

  [Hellfire Lord Hyde offers his own life and that of every member of his dynasty as collateral.]

  [The Kralsen Hive Mind offers the life of its every member as collateral.]

  [This Bloodsigned Covenant will be enforced by the Genius Loci — also known as Hellguide — of the Fourth Ring.]

  [For further terms and conditions of the Bloodsigned Covenant, please consult with your Demonic Help Button.]

  [Both parties are required to offer their blood to finalise and sign the Covenant.]

  Honestly, reading Button’s messages as the Genius hashed out the contract, I wasn’t all that happy about Flamey’s life included as collateral. I didn’t have a problem offering mine, but my daughter’s? Wasn’t that a bit too much? Of course, I had no intention of going back on my word, and the Covenant would make sure Kralsen’s ilk would hold up their end of the bargain, too, so I didn’t think it would come to the point where our lives would be forfeit. Still, it was a worry, and I hesitated before shedding my blood to seal the deal.

  ‘Is there a problem?’ Zeneth inquired, still submerged into the lake up to his head.

  ‘No, there isn’t,’ I said, and I lifted my left arm up and put my blade against it, just as Zeneth lifted his own, black limbs out of the water.

  My sword did its job, and blood seeped out from the small cut on my arm. I wasn’t sure how the hive mind guy did it — he must have had claws or sharp nails at the end of his fingers — but he was bleeding too. Our blood, instead of dripping into the lake, rose into the air and dissipated as if by magic. Well, by magic, actually, and a new notification popped up on my NeuroHUD.

  [The Covenant is signed by the blood of both parties and is in effect as of this moment.]

  ‘So, it’s done,’ I said, looking into the air where our blood had disappeared.

  ‘It is done,’ Zeneth said. ‘Kralsen is at your service, Hellfire Lord.’

  I was satisfied and apprehensive at the same time. I had no doubt that having the sort of intelligence network the Kralsen Hive Mind was — or would soon become — was going to be a game changer. And I hoped I could let them go through that gate without issues when all was done. It would probably be wise not to mention it to my daughter that I used her as collateral along with my own life. Such a demonic thing to do.

  ‘Good stuff,’ I said to Zeneth. ‘So, can you now tell me about your numbers and capabilities? You know, so I can plan how to best use your talents?’

  ‘Yes,’ he said as plainly as ever.

  ‘Oi, Boss! What was that about cutting yourself?’ Grashon yelled at me again from the lake shore.

  ‘Nothing. Don’t worry about it, we’re done here,’ I yelled back at him.

  And that reminded me to disarm the sentry, so I did that as I turned back to my new ally.

  ‘Actually, before we discuss operations, can we get out of the lake?’ I asked him.

  ‘Out of the water? Why?’ He asked, emotion creeping into his voice for the first time. The guy really liked being in the lake, didn’t he?

  ‘It’s nice and everything, but we have work to do, generals and captains to talk to,’ I said as I began to trudge towards the shore. ‘By the way, are any of your people in Scaragar? And Orroth? Do you have eyes on Riaret the Severing Strike?’