GATES OF DIVINITY. TOI BLASIER
breathed fire. The inside of the fortress looked like a raging inferno now and a lot of pillars had been smashed away. Everything inside was beginning to crumble from the vast destruction brought on by Moloch.
He had her in his sights now and she was across the room waiting for him. She had to play the rest of this by ear. They stared each other down for a moment. The fire and the lack of support from the pillars was causing everything to crumble and fall apart at a rapid rate now. Moloch smiled and she smiled right back at him. He began his charge at her and she planted her feet. As he made his way across the hall towards her, she noticed a crack form across the floor. It formed and spread like a crack on thin ice. He did not seem to notice. All he cared about was feeling her little body crush under the pressure of his fists. She held her ground as he leapt for her. She was so sure the floor would give away before he had a chance. A miscalculation on her part. He tackled her and they both went crashing through the floor. Fire and debris rained down on them as they fell crashing through one floor after another. She could feel his grip constantly tightening around her. Pain began to sear her senses as she felt him begin to crush her body. She began to despair; her plan had failed. Her eyes rolled back into her head and she heard the crushing sound of a body and then she felt nothing at all.
It took her a moment to realize that Moloch’s grip on her had loosened and the sound of the crunch was not her body. They had reached the bottom and the broken half of a pillar had impaled Moloch through the chest. His eyes were still fixed on her and she rolled out from his grip as fast as she could. Pain still surged through her body, but she could not take any chances. He tried to say something, but all that came out were gurgles of what looked like molten lava. The fortress continued to crumble all around her, and she had to get out fast. Before she did, a sharp pointy piece of rubble impaled Moloch through the head. Lilith quickly made her way to the other side of the fortress to continue her journey to Peak Malice.
Once she put some distance between her and Moloch’s fortress, she turned around to gaze upon it one more time and was shocked at what she saw next. The fortress reassembled itself and looked completely undisturbed. Despite the pain she felt through her entire body, she made the ascent up to the peak.
She stepped up to the doors and let herself in. Upon entering, the entire complex appeared deserted. Lilith continued to ascend through its levels until reaching the top balcony, noticing along the way that every hall and room were completely devoid of any décor. She stepped to the balustrade and Asteroth was nowhere to be seen. There was no doubt in her mind, this is where she had to be. She could not go back to Lucifer empty-handed. Her patience paid off; it was not long before Asteroth appeared before her. Her appearance still revealed evidence of her once being a heavenly angel. Her wings were still covered in angelic feathers and her poise still maintained heavenly grace. However, her gender has since transformed to female and her corruption robbed her of any beauty. Her face looked like it had been superficially stretched and the skin on the lower face had turned black. Her mouth dripped with venom and she always wore a white blindfold despite having full use of her eyes, she did not need them. Lilith held a magical silver ring to her face to protect herself from the angel with fetid breath. They held their gaze for a moment. “Lucifer is back.” she finally said. Asteroth acknowledged devoid of any emotion. With that, another piece of Lucifer's grand plan came together.
6
Upon returning to Heaven, Bazathiel is struggling with the knowledge he gained from his clandestine expedition with Murmus. He knows its information is of the utmost importance that the highest of Heavens needs to know. But to give this insight also gives up the fact that he engaged with a fallen angel. The punishment, especially if this indiscretion reaches God, will most certainly be quite severe. Bazathiel knows that his stature in the hierarchy is low and he does not have the acclaim to absolve him of this. Back and forth, Bazathiel has never felt such a pull in his mind of what he should do versus what he will do. "Will they listen to me? Can I even get my words to anyone who can put in motion a plan to stop this possible onslaught before it happens?" Bazathiel ponders to himself. These thoughts rang loud in his head like the magnificent trumpets in Heaven. So much so, that he was almost convinced he said them aloud to all of creation. As Bazathiel paced back and forth trying to decide, a gentle voice called out to him. "Hello, Bazathiel. Is the day treating you well?" asked Raziel. Startled by his sudden appearance, Bazathiel attempted to regain his composure in front of the Angel of Secrets and Mysteries. Stalling, Bazathiel contemplated his response, "Yes...Yes, I'm doing well on this glorious day. Thank you, Raziel. Am I interrupting something? I am not accustomed to having your presence. I can depart if need be." Bazathiel nervously said to Raziel. Bazathiel, knowing that Raziel hears all and that trait keeps him often next to God's throne, is extremely wary of that fact. Does Raziel know where he has been and what he knows? If he does, why isn't he being reprimanded already? A flurry of questions races through Bazathiel's thoughts. "No need to worry Bazathiel. You are not interfering in any of my tasks. But I feel as though I am stumbling upon much more from you then you are letting on. It seemed like you were in great contemplation when my arrival surprised you." Raziel's cool and confident observation worried Bazathiel even more. “Well…” Bazathiel paused in his thoughts, "I possess knowledge that is as essential to report as it is dire to my own wellbeing in Heaven. However, it is stuck in my head and refuses to leave my mouth." Bazathiel reflected to himself. He knows that this internal strife was manifesting into his outer self. "Bazathiel... Are you okay? You may speak freely with me. I hear all, yes, but I am the Keeper of Secrets as well. So please, be candid with me." Raziel assured Bazathiel as he could see the anguish in his face. "Raziel, I do have something to tell you. To tell everyone. It's information is with perhaps the direst of consequences if ignored." "Go on Bazathiel. Tell me what you saw." Raziel waited for the story of what Bazathiel learned with concerned anticipation. "When Murmus came to Heaven and nobody listened to what he had to say, I understood why. He is a fallen angel. His word means less than nothing here. But something inside me told me otherwise, if only this one time. Obviously, I know who I am here. My suggestions to listen to him were aggressively dismissed by Sabrael. Pazriel, though he had my best interests in mind, tried to talk me out of listening to Murmus. I know I defied them, but there was just... something that told me otherwise. So once the others departed, I went off to Hell to have a secret engagement with Murmus. Perhaps just to prove my instincts wrong. I think I would have felt okay knowing that this Fallen Angel was bringing false news and I was just too naive to not believe him. Unfortunately, I was not wrong." Raziel listened intently to Bazathiel. He felt a gnawing in his gut as each deep, vivid description poured from this makeshift confession. "Bazathiel, go on. Once you got to Hell, what happened?" "Well... I do not think words can describe what I felt. It was every terrible feeling all rolled into one torturous existence. My skin was crawling... My soul felt aflame. I just wanted to leave, but I had to have my answers. And soon enough, I got them all. And more. Much, much more." "What is it that you saw, Bazathiel?" "I finally approached Murmus. He led me down a corridor that was draped in pure darkness. Once we got to the end of the cavern, I wished the darkness continued. I saw the massive and mutilated remains of Abaddon himself." "You must be mistaken, Bazathiel. Abaddon is the master of The Pit. He is quite unstoppable, let alone to be destroyed in such a manner. Are you sure you saw what you think you saw?" Raziel questioned Bazathiel's testimony as that fate surely seems highly unlikely to befall the Lord of the Pit. "I wanted to think it was not true, but it was confirmed to me by Murmus that it was Lucifer himself that released and commanded The Scourge to feast on Abaddon's body. I had heard of The Scourge in tales, but I could never imagine the stories were true. When Murmus told me that The Scourge were under direction from Lucifer and they devoured Abaddon, it was then that I knew something must be done. If Lucifer can orchestrate this kind of coup to overthrow Abaddon and escape his pit, clearly, he is putting a plan in motion for his millennia aged revenge. So, Raziel, this is my story. I know for what I have done and whom I have defied, my punishment will be aplenty. But please, send this information upwards so that a proper defense may be put in place. I beg of you." Raziel raised his celestial hand to his chin to contemplate what to do. This warning from Bazathiel would have merit if not for his only source a fallen angel. "No word of a fallen angel would be held in any regard, no matter the severity of it. And yes, Bazathiel, you are quite the loyal and trustworthy soldier. But it won't mean anything to Him since you followed a fallen angel to Hell to get this information." Distraught and bewildered