Chapter 21 Part 2

The night that followed was as sleepless as any Dylan had ever remembered. There were periods in which he was fitful and drifted in and out of sleep to the point that he was no longer certain what was real and what was dreamt. He remembered bits and pieces of conversation between his companions, and other bits and pieces that, once he was again fully awake, realized were not real, though they had seemed so at the time.

Dylan pulled watch with Rathe again during the night. The intensity of the explosions and diversion that Armegon, Ultrecht and Avery were making were not as prominent. Dylan secretly wondered if that was because the battle was moving further away or because they had grown tired and returned to the realm of men and elves, the prime plane.

He wondered those thoughts aloud in the darkness, and Rathe laughed. He suspected, though the Minotaan could not be sure, that Armegon and company were holding back so as to keep from completely routing the devils' army. He reminded Dylan that the diversion was to draw attention away from them and the Citadel.

"I think that it most likely that Gage and Coran's father and the two archmages thrust deeply into the heart of Nessus and then began a fighting withdrawal. That would keep the devils' occupied, and make it appear as if our people were being driven back." Rathe seemed pretty confident. "Remind me after all this is over and I'll tell you some more of the stories my father told me. I know that it sounds improbable that three lone individuals could launch an attack on the Nine Hells, but you must remember that it was these same three who took on all the gods and the Godking, all those many years ago."

Dylan had to agree that it was difficult to imagine. There was the wise enigmatic Ultrecht who had long ago given him his first lesson in the thoughts of women when he was in the academy. There was the strange and, yet jolly Armegon, who Coran had once described as a tantrum in a robe. And there was his master's father, who seemed so peaceful at times, and yet carried the legendary Sword of Justice. They seemed to be content to let the world carry on and yet had the power to make wondrous changes.

Dylan contemplated those thoughts well into the night when Coran finally relieved them of watch. Then Dylan tried, with little success, to go back to sleep.

Though he did not get much in the way of good sleep, at least he was well rested when the morning arrived. He still felt as if he could sleep another night, but that may have been due to the fact that the temperatures had returned to a moderate, and even comfortable level. There was no telling how long that would last, and Crystal said so fervently as she urged them to hurry and get underway while the weather held.

As they resumed their voyage, they made their way down the side of the ridgeline towards the vast expanse below. It took them at the very least an hour to get to the bottom. They were lucky in that no one was injured at one point when the gravel underfoot became loose and some sliding was involved. But eventually, they stood where the slope played out in a broad plain of dry rock and sand.

Crystal did not like the look of what she was about to walk upon, and insisted that they all tie each other off with rope. She admitted that she could not put her fear into words except to say that it looked too easy. Nevertheless, her instincts were heeded and Crystal and Coran were tied off at the front while Gage and Rathe were tied at the rear. Dylan was tied in the middle.

They began across the open area with some apprehension. They had not seen any flying devils in many hours, and hoped that they would not see any more at all, since there was no way to hide out in the open like they were. They were exposed to any who flew by and would be impossible to miss.

Crystal reminded them that they estimated about two days of marching to get to their destination. They would march until it became dark, then they would sleep and wait for the next day. Then they would have to negotiate the river which they had seen from the ridge, and then they would have to approach the Citadel without being seen. Gage was still unsure how to do that. He could cast a spell of invisibility, but such a spell was primary and illusion and he did not know how well it would work in Nessus or how long it would last.

For the first hour the ground was a packed layer of crushed rock and sand. The footing was easy except for the occasional pebble that, if stepped on wrong, tried to twist an ankle or two. At lest they were not climbing uphill or wading a swamp, Coran remarked at one point.

After an hour had passed, Dylan noticed a strange smell. It reminded him of sewage and rotten eggs. At first he did not say anything, but as the odor grew stronger, he spotted Rathe tie a rag across his large nostrils.

"What's that smell?" he finally asked.

"Brimstone and filth," Gage told him. "It is coming from ahead of us. We will have to make our way through a maze of marsh or something as we get deeper into the wasteland. We will try to avoid going through the muck. It is filled with disease and some of the foulest stuff in all the cosmos."

After a couple of hours had passed, the packed gravel gave way to bare rock again. The rock was not flat, though. It was pocked with shallow depressions that seethed with liquid clay or mud as near as Dylan could tell. As he passed one by, a bubble slowly surfaced and popped assaulting his senses with an almost overpowering reek.

"Well I suppose I was wrong," Gage confessed with a cough. "I had read that there was a marsh near the river that was filled with sewage, but it seems the text was wrong. This is where the smell is coming from."

"Well let's dot stop to idvestigate," Coran urged holding his nose closed.

"Agreed," Gage said as he rummaged through his shoulder bag. "But I must get a sample of this. There is no telling what latent powers it may contain."

"You mean other than repellant?" Rathe asked.

Gage carefully knelt by one of the mud pots and filled his flask with the noxious substance. When it was in the glass bottle, he stoppered it and held it up to look more closely.

"Come on Gage," Crystal urged. The mage put the bottle away and rejoined them.

"Can you get us through the area?" Gage asked.

"I think so," Crystal answered. "There's plenty of space between the muck pools."

"Then by all means lead on," urged Rathe. "I don't want to have to camp out with this smell around."

Crystal nodded and began leading them around and about the mud pools. She seemed to be looking to skirt around the larger ones as far as possible staying closer to the small ones and only then if it was necessary.

At first, Dylan thought it was because the smell was stronger near the larger ones, and he could tell that it certainly was, but as he walked along, his feet occasionally made a sound like stepping in water. He then noted that the ground near the larger mud pools seemed moist and covered in dirt. It was just dawning on him why Crystal was avoiding the larger pools when off in the distance, he saw one of the pools erupt sending mud everywhere.

"I was afraid of that," Gage muttered as he began rummaging through his shoulder bag. He extracted a glass ball about the size of an orange. "It's an emergency shield," he explained to his apprentice. "The spell is encased in the glass. If I smash the glass, the spell will activate."

"How does that work, master?"

"What, the spell?"

"No, the glass ball," Dylan asked.

"Well, to answer your question," Gage explained nervously, "time is suspended within the sphere and the spell that stops time is dependent on the integrity of the glass sphere. When the sphere breaks, the time spell fails and the spell within will activate."

Dylan understood and reflected on the clever application. His master interrupted him, though. "But I do not want you to concern yourself with this kind of magic. Learn spell casting first. Then you can learn enchantments."

"Who made that?" Rathe asked out of curiosity.

"Uncle Ultrecht," Gage answered. "It is a very powerful half shield spell. It will last for a long time, it will move with us, but it won't protect us from magic, heat, cold or lighting. It will only protect us from projectiles such as flying mud or water or whatever."

"You could have used that before on that terrible rain, couldn’t you?" Rathe asked.

"Yes, but then I would no longer have this. It is for emergencies only. Once it is used, it is gone."

Crystal led them along for another two hours. Several more mud pools erupted, most of them farther away, but the deeper into the wasteland they went, the more frequently the pools erupted, and the closer together the larger pools occurred. Fewer and fewer of the small pools were to be found and reluctantly, Crystal was cautiously approaching a pool and then running past it when it began to bubble violently. She urged everyone to run hard, and they only barely missed being covered in the foul stinking sludge.

They paused briefly to catch their breath. "Well it was bound to happen sooner or later," she told them. "But at least now we know that there's a bit of a warning before they blow up."

Crystal pressed onward, she approached each pool quietly and observed the bubbles then would hurry past it. On two occasions, the bubbles were too frequent for her comfort and she chose another route.

The frequency of the eruptions around them became more and more alarming, but Crystal seemed to know what she was doing.

Dylan casually watched one of the nearer pools erupt as they passed safely out of its range. For a brief moment he thought he saw something rising amidst the fountains of mud, but when he looked back at what he thought he saw, there was nothing there but cascading mud. He was sure that it was just his mind playing tricks on him and he held his tongue. A moment later another eruption occurred nearby and he watched closely to see if there was anything in the mud, but saw nothing.

The day was wearing long, and Dylan had no more desire to camp in the stinking area than did Rathe, but there did not seem to be an end to the mud pools. He silently wondered to himself if Gage's powerful shield spell that they had used several times before could keep out the stench, but then he remembered the horrible rain and the smell that they had had to suffer with in spite of the shield. He knew, then that unless they managed to get away from the horrible mud, then they were doomed to smell its reek all night long.

Dylan's thoughts were interrupted as one of the closer pools erupted. The column of mud rose above them with startling speed. Gage instantly threw the crystal sphere to the ground shattering it and releasing the powerful spell within. A shimmering appeared in the air about them and Dylan fully expected to see the rain of mud bounce off the shield, but it did not.

The mud did not cascade down on them like a fountain as it had been doing all day. Instead, the mud seemed to take on a solid form and bent back on itself. It was soon apparent that what they had witnessed was not an eruption of mud, but a huge tentacle had emerged from the pool. It was pure luck that the tentacle was solid enough that the shield repelled it as it attacked. There was, however, a flare of light as the appendage came in contact with the shield.

They were watching the tentacle feel around the boundary of the shield, a spark of light flaring every time it touched the invisible barrier, when another spark flashed behind them. As one they all turned with a start to find two other tentacles feeling out the barrier behind them.

"We need to get out of here," Rathe urged tightly gripping his battle axe.

"No kidding," Crystal swore. She uttered a few choice words that made Dylan's ears ring. Such language from a lady!

Gage knelt to the ground and gathered the broken shards of the glass. "Everyone stay close," he urged. "Take us straight out of here as fast as you can, Crystal. Do not worry about the eruptions now. The shield will protect us."

Crystal trotted forward hurriedly. She only avoided walking through the pools. She no longer made any effort to keep her distance.

Dylan glanced behind them to see the tentacles withdraw into the pools and then emerge again to their sides. "They're more of them," Rathe warned.

"No," Dylan disagreed. "It's the same one. It's following us underground."

"Gage, how long with that spell last?" Coran asked.

"Several hours, I think," the mage answered. "It is one of Ultrecht's. It will not time out for a long while."

"Let's hope it lasts long enough to get out of these blasted pools or else we're going to have to fight that thing," Coran warned.

"Let us hope that that is all we have to fight," Gage answered. "Let us hope that this is some mindless beast that is hungry for a meal and not a sentinel to inform the devils where we are."

No longer walking or trotting. They ran as fast as they could. Crystal set a blistering pace and Dylan was hard pressed to keep up. He was still a growing boy and his legs were not as long as the men. Crystal had a constitution hardened by her many travels in the wilderness. Tall Coran had long legs and was able to keep up as was Rathe. Gage, the elf was light on his feet and was also able to keep up. But inevitably, Dylan began to get winded as he was having to take almost twice the number of steps as Rathe or Coran.

His chest hurt and he was wheezing when he felt himself grabbed from behind and raised into the air. He almost cried out until he realized that it was a pair of Minotaan hands that had picked him up.

"Don't fear kid," the huge warrior grunted to him. "You're not heavy and I'm not even trying hard to keep up. I can carry you." Though he was grateful for the relief, Dylan felt a bit ashamed and the ride was not comfortable by any stretch of the imagination. Still without him to slow them down, they did seem to pick up the pace, and the pools passed by more rapidly.

For many long moments, Dylan watched until it began to occur to him that the pools seemed to be getting farther apart. He held his breath in hope and began to count the number of strides between pools. He almost cried aloud when his suspicion turned out to be true. That meant that they had passed the midpoint and were on the way out and away from the pools.

Crystal led them at the blistering pace and began to zigzag somewhat drawing them farther from the larger pools. It was a tactic that seemed to be working as the tentacles suddenly could not find them and they managed to put a little more distance between them and the mud colored appendages.

After about an hour, it was apparent that they had lost the tentacles. It was also apparent that they were approaching the boundary of the pools as they were much farther apart and in the distance there appeared to be a collection of rocks. They were not big enough to hide among, but it did indicate a change of terrain.

Finally as they seemed to pass the last of the mud pools, Rathe put Dylan down. They all paused for a few moments to catch their breath, in spite of the smell.

"There's not much daylight left," Crystal warned. "Unless we want to sleep with this smell, we need to keep moving." She started walking, but at a much slower and more relaxed pace, and though no one said anything, they were all glad of it.

Dylan was not sure how much longer they had walked when he noticed the sky getting darker. Night was approaching and they were still out in the open, but thankfully the smell was so weak that he could only just make it out in the air.

"This is a good a place as we are going to find," Coran announced as he urged Crystal to stop. "Let's use what light we have left to pitch a tent or something."

They used the blankets and a canvas covering to make a large cover that was held about four feet off the ground on one end by stacked packs. That was the best that they could do and so they all crawled under the cover and started to make themselves comfortable.

"We still need to keep watch," Gage warned. "The spell will function for many more hours, but that will not protect us from everything."

"I'll take first watch," Coran volunteered. It was quickly growing dark and there were no stars or moons to provide light, so Dylan had to wonder aloud how Coran was going to keep watch.

"With his ears and nose," Crystal answered with a yawn, "but after that bog, I'm not sure how effective his nose will be."

Gage sat next to his pupil under the canvas. "Your next lesson will be a speed spell," he told his apprentice. "Do not be distraught. You still have some growing to do and you have spent more time studying than working, so you do not have a great deal of stamina and strength. I plan to remedy that as well, but starting with the next opportunity, you will begin to learn how to speed your body up."

"How does the spell work?" Dylan asked.

"It increases your natural frequency," Gage told him.

"My natural frequency," Dylan asked.

"Yes, each person has a natural frequency. It governs how quickly they can do things. For example, clap your hands as fast as you can." Dylan did as he was told making the clapping sound in the darkness.

"Very good," Gage continued. "Now shake your head as fast as you can."

Dylan did so again. And though Gage could not see or hear the shaking of the head, he asked. "Did you notice that you shook your head at the same speed that you clapped your hands? That is your natural frequency. You would find the same speed for pumping your arm or beating your chest or anything of that nature. It also governs how fast you can move your legs and your feet. If we speed up your natural frequency, say to twice the speed..."

"I can run twice as fast?"

"Exactly," Gage confirmed. "It can be a handy spell, but it has a drawback. It will make you very tired and very hungry. It will drain your energy temporarily, so do not use it unless you need to." Dylan thought about the spell he was going to learn. Of course in the dark, that was all he could do, until he finally nodded off to sleep.

Just like with the previous nights, Dylan woke in the darkness. This time it was Crystal who was awake and on watch. Dylan could tell be cause she was humming a merry tune. He crept past his sleeping master and the light snores of Rathe and homed in on Crystal.

"Hello Dylan," she said as he approached.

"How did you know?" he asked.

"I heard you stirring, and I felt your body heat getting close."

"Oh." Dylan sat next to the huntress. "How long until daylight?"

"I'm not really sure. About two hours I think. You slept pretty long tonight."

"Have there been any explosions like the other night?"

"No. I think that the battle, if it is still going on, has moved farther away."

"I just want to get going again. I'm worried about Cindy. I miss her."

"No doubt you do. I know that she misses you too." Crystal chuckled. "Do you know when she first realized she was falling for you?"

"No, when?"

"At the Academy," Crystal told him. "But she would never let you know it. She was the one who pressured her master into apprenticing her out to me just so she could be with you."

"Why didn't she just tell me," he asked. "I'm sure Master Gage would have found some work for her with him."

"It doesn't work like that for women," Crystal explained. "We can't tell the men we love that we love them until they tell us that they love us first."

"Is that written down somewhere?" Dylan laughed at the silliness.

"Sport," she laughed with him, "that has been written in the annals of mankind since the dawn of time."

"So how did you get Master Gage to admit it to you?"

"I can't tell you that now," Crystal replied quietly.

"Why not?"

"Because your master is awake and listening."

At that, the elven mage spoke up. "Go to sleep, Dylan. Tomorrow is going to be a hard day."

Dylan sighed and lay back down. He had difficulty getting to sleep for well over an hour. Typically, he finally fell asleep with only about half an hour left before daylight.

When Dylan was finally awakened, the camp was mostly packed and ready to move on. He was pushed, none too gently in his opinion, when the canvas was taken down and folded. He quickly got up and pulled on his boots. Then he drew his cloak about him to ward off the slight chill in the air.

Once everyone was prepared and packed, Crystal started off in the same direction that she had been leading them all along. Off in the distance they could see nothing but flat plain. On the horizon, there was a haze that might be rock or mountains, and to the rear was a smog that hovered above the mud pools.

After three hours of walking, there appeared a dark line on the horizon, and after another hour, they had finally reached the river. They stood on a bluff overlooking the outer bank of a bend. Across the river, perhaps a quarter of a mile was a wide sandbar.

"So this is the River Styx," Gage announced. "Do not touch the water."

"Where does the water come from and where does it go?" Rathe asked. Dylan was glad, because he had been thinking the exact same question.

"No one really knows," Gage answered, "or if they do, they do not share the knowledge. Some say that the river comes from the elemental plane of water and passes through the outer planes before going to the prime material and ending at the Well of Time. But that is just speculation."

"Uh-huh," Coran added looking over the edge. "So how do we get across?"

"We fly," Gage told his brother.

"Fly?" Rathe's voice trembled slightly. "Minotaans don't fly."

"This one will, or else he will have to find a way home on his own," Gage told him. "Do not worry. The spell is simple enough and will last more than long enough for you to get across the river."

The mage rummaged through his shoulder bag and pulled out the components. Dylan, dutifully attendant, helped with the casting and first Rathe, then Crystal and Coran drifted slightly off the ground.

Gage gave each of them a hefty shove which sent them floating in the air across the quietly flowing water. Then he turned to his apprentice.

"Okay, Dylan, it is your turn. You have seen me cast this spell three times. Do you want to try it yourself?"

"Yes, master, but do you think I should? The price of failure here is high."

"A wise caution," Gage commended his pupil, "but I am confident you can handle this spell."

"Thank you, sir." Dylan read the words out of the book Gage held open for him and he took the feather from the spell bag that Gage carried. He summoned the power with the preamble. He gave the power direction and magnitude and applied the function with the feather. Then he set the completion parameters and closed the spell to balance the magic.
Instantly, Dylan felt himself grow lighter. He raised up on the tips of his toes with no effort at all. Then he lifted his feet and found that he did not fall. He just hovered.

"Master, this seems more like a levitation spell than a flying spell."

"That is very perceptive of you, Dylan," Gage agreed. "They are very similar. When this journey is over, we will go over the two spells in detail and I will show you the differences." With that Gage gave his student a hearty push and Dylan drifted out across the river. He looked back over his shoulder and saw his master casting the spell yet again, only this time there was a slight variation and Gage really did fly. He left the ground and lay his body out in the wind. Soon he had caught up with Dylan and using his hands, pushed the apprentice along before him. In no time, they had caught and passed the others. Then they reached the other shore of the river where Gage guided Dylan to the ground and nullified the spells. Then, as the others arrived he did the same to them. Before long, they were all on the ground.

"That was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be," Coran said with a grin.

"So far everything has been pretty easy. It is getting into the Citadel that is going to be hard," Gage warned.

"Any idea how we're going to do that?" Rathe asked.

"Actually, I was thinking we would hike over to that ridge line," Gage pointed at another rising of rock, "and hug the base of the line around that bend. The Citadel is on the other side. The rock will give us some cover. Then we can scope out the setting and make a plan for getting inside."

"That actually sounds like a good idea," Coran admitted. "At least it sounds better than just marching up to the front gate and knocking."

"That will be our backup plan," Gage joked.

They marched on with an elevated sense of confidence. It seemed that having passed through the mud flats and crossing the river, the ridge would be a little more comfortable because of the cover it could provide. Still when they finally got there, they discovered that the amount of cover was much less than they hoped. There were no loose boulders or recesses that had been present on the other ridge.

Gage speculated that since the Citadel was eons old, and the Dukes of Hell had always been in conflict with each other, anything that could offer an enemy cover or protection had long been removed. The ridge, prevent them from being seen by the inhabitants of the Citadel, though and that was something to be thankful for.

It took most of the rest of the day, but finally they rounded a jutting outcropping of rock and saw the Citadel of Despair. The place was immense and ancient. It was a collection of towers and spires surrounded by arches and thick walls. There was a wide spread of marsh land surrounding the walls like a moat. The size of the place became truly apparent when one considered that it was still at least thee miles away from them and encompassed their entire view.

"How are we going to find Cindy in there?" Dylan wondered aloud.

"Shhhh!" Crystal urged. "Try not to be so loud. They could have sentries."

"Okay, brother dear," Coran whispered, "as father would say: 'How now brown cow?'"
Dylan and Rathe looked at each other, confused, then they looked at Crystal who just rolled her eyes and shook her head indicating that they should ignore it.

"Well, I guess it is pretty obvious that..." Gage suddenly went still and silent. The others saw his expression change and they turned and followed his gaze.

Slowly walking along the edge of the rocks, only slightly above them and perhaps no more than two hundred feet away was a minor devil. Dylan knew it was a minor devil as it had no wings, but carried a long three pronged fork. It stood upright on two clawed feet and wore no clothing other than a loincloth. Its eyes were set deeply in its skull and it had a mouth filled with jagged teeth. Its head was bald and featureless except for a snout of a nose and a pointed chin.

They each held their breath so as not to alert the creature of their presence. It proved to be a wise precaution and was successful as after a few moments the monster turned and walked away.

"A sentry," Coran advised. "He is probably walking a route. He'll be back after a while."

"We need to find someplace else to stay," Gage replied, though it probably did not need to be said.

Crystal led them around another bend to where they were surrounded on three sides by rocks high enough to hide behind. Then per Gage's instructions, they pitched the canvas canopy and Gage used a cantrip to change the canopy's color to match the surrounding rock all while Coran climbed up the side of the ridge a bit to see if the devil was anywhere near.

When Coran returned he assured them that the canopy was almost invisible from above. They watched very carefully after that. The devil did eventually return about two hours later and only remained on location for a few moments before leaving again. Once more Coran climbed up to spy on him.

"He isn't one of the more intelligent ones," Coran told them when he returned. "He's definitely a sentry, but he has no clue we're here."

"That suggests that the thing we met in the mud flats was just a monster and not a devil," Gage sighed with relief.

"They watched the Citadel's outer boundaries for the rest of the day. At one point, a caravan of slaves appeared in the distance and walked along what must have been a causeway to the main gate. The slaves were all lashed together and driven by a devil with a whip. He used the whip liberally, but the slaves showed very little reaction to it.

"Their minds are gone," Gage told his pupil. "This is what happens to the people who try to summon a devil and fail to keep it under control. Those poor souls are damned for all time. The devils will never let them go and even if they could, their bodies back home have probably died and rotted."

"You mean those are not real people?" Dylan asked.

"Oh no, they are real. They exist here on this plane the same way a devil can exist on our plane. But unlike the devils on our planes, when one of those poor people were forced here by a devil, his body was possessed and probably destroyed when its use was over. They have no body to return to. Now they are slaves here."

"Are our bodies still back home?" Dylan asked.

"No, we shifted here of our own volition using a gate. We are completely here. The disadvantage to that versus a summoning is that if we die here, we really do die. If one of us had been summoned by a minor devil and then killed here, we would simply revert back to our real body, just very weak and injured, but not dead."

They watched on until night fell. This time, however, there were lights from the Citadel and torches were lit along the causeway. It became pretty clear that approaching the gate under cover of dark was not going to keep them from being seen.

"What about crossing the marsh," Rathe offered at one point.

"We may have to. We can try the flying spell again, but I really do not wish to be over such as that marsh. I do not know why but something about it disturbs me," Gage answered.

He was right. Dylan could feel it too. Something about the marsh bothered him greatly.
The sentry continued to pay regular visits to the same location, or another sentry which looked the same did. Fortunately their camp remained hidden and they were never spotted.

During the night, another troop of slaves approached the Citadel. One or two of the slave seemed to have some life left in them as they struggled against the bonds between them. At one point, one of them actually broke free and tried to run. The two devils behind him cut off any hope of retreat and with whips drove him towards the Citadel's gates.

The devils at the gate laughed and raised their own whips. The poor slave was being beaten savagely until in desperation he ran frantically out in to the marsh. He got no more than three hundred feet before several large hairy legs like those of a giant spider rose from the marsh and grabbed him.

Dylan could not tell much more about the legs due to the dark, but the back light from the Citadel did show what they did. They pulled in opposite directions and easily tore him limb from limb. The legs then searched around for the bits and pieces of gore and dragged them down under the water.

"So much for crossing the marsh," Rathe muttered. "Now what?"

"We go to the backup plan," Gage answered smugly.