The first year of the third Reckoning

Kheshatta, Stygia

Did I make the correct decision? Should I have run off with her?

Reinhardt patted his satchel. Amirah wasn't the only one he betrayed.

While Reinhardt's magic was stronger than ever, his teleport magic was a bit rusty, especially with his mind so preoccupied. Though his arrival was only a few hundred yards off, Reinhardt barely arrived at the edge of the ice locked island of Kheshatta, a special beacon point created by the jackal headed god Set to bypass the usual entry points into Baator. A secret nexus known only to a select few. Still, it was a risky venture that could have killed a spellcaster out right, or worse, have him absorbed into the Hellish realm if his control of his magic wasn't strong enough. Satisfied that he barely passed the test, Reinhardt looked around and sighed at that misery and despair that greeted him.

Many scholars and Planeswalkers often referred to Stygia as the second coldest realm of the pit. Compared to the frozen glaciers of mountainous Cania, the icy marshes of Stygia were supposedly mild in comparison.

Reinhardt of course knew better. Cania's cold was a static dry cold. While the ice filled valleys and the snow capped peaks of Cania were indeed cold. There were also geysers and rivers of hellfire that acted as a dangerous refuge on that plane. Stygia had no such mercy, it's cold was a wet frozen one that creeped through clothing and chilled one to the bone. It was a vast plane of ice, supposedly the end and beginning of the River Styx. Chilling winds and blizzards blew through that realm, made all the worse because of the accursed underworld river, driving the temperature to an insufferable point with its frozen moisture.

Of course all of this was home for Reinhardt, or it once was. Most Gelugon's or Ice Devils were spawned in Cania, but a significant portion hailed from Stygia as well. Given their superior size and magic ability, Gelugons were considered the apex predators of the region. The stronger Pitfiends were almost exclusively found in Nessia, and preferred the heat of Phlegethos or Malbolge instead, leaving Reinhardt's kin free reign to bully the weaker Bone devils and Aminzus as well as fiendish Sahaugin and other half breeds that made this realm their domain.

Though the cold never bothered him anyways, Reinhardt already felt the ice grow heavy around his heart.

I could have chosen better final words for Amirah. She deserved better. Maybe I'll succeed with this crazy plan. Maybe things will work out. I'll break free of Geryon's grip, and be able to return to my life with her. Who am I kidding? There's no happy ending here. This is for the best. The more time I spend with her, the more my enemies will use her against me. The more danger she'll be in. It's best to just settle this by myself. Live by the Baator code. Rise and climb over the corpses of your rivals.

"It's not every day a cutter blitzs through a door by a few hundred paces, especially a barmy one talking to himself," said a voice nearby.

Reinhardt wanted to face palm himself for talking out loud, he thought he was over it, but instead whirled to face the voice with his spear at hand.

"Whoa there guv'nor, no need to start barshing 'eads. I can see you're no gully sod, "said a pale slim humanoid with mousy brown hair and some lopsided pointed bone spurs on the side of his head and arms. He was dressed in a mismatch of leather armor and was leaning against a blind made of packed snow. At his side rested a double crossbow with a heavy bone bayonet, a weapon which Reinhardt thought probably looked better than it actually worked. "I'm just a tiefling like you mate, a cutter trying to do mah job."

While he understood a little of the tiefling's Sigil street speak and he did not particularly like the dialect. It was guttural and constantly changing, and it hurt his ears. He preferred the structured sentences of Axiom or even the backwater common of Primer worlds like Grom. "And what job is that?"

"I'm no prod or peel, but I just wanna lift some jink after the legion barshes who they're waitin for."

Reinhardt was curious. He had no idea what the Tiefling said exactly, but he did understand the term Legion. A common lower plane slang for the armies of Baator. Reinhardt then lowered his body and crept up to where the Tiefling hid and saw there was indeed roughly forty Infernals waiting at the standard gate point. Was this an ambush or an escort? Either way, Reinhardt had no intention to find out.

"Who are they expecting?" asked Reinhardt as he pulled out a golden coin, the Grommish crown, one of the most respected currencies even in the cosmology of the Great Wheel. He held it out before flipping it towards the tiefling.

The tiefling easily caught the coin with his tail of all things, and quickly hid it on his body. "Chant is that Machalas is xpectin some bloodlusted Ice fiend to bob. I hate to be that poor sod."

Reinhardt stiffened.

"Can you umm…point a clueless berk…towards Tantlin?" asked Reinhard slowly.

The tiefling nodded and pointed towards a cluster of icebergs off in the distance. "Don't know why you snooping in Ice town, the chant is that all the jink is in Coldsteel. I'm no tout, but that's where the high n mighty Geryon is holdin court. "

Reinhardt scratched his head. What does jink mean again, and what's a tout? He remembered Coldsteel Citadel was Geryon's fortress, but wouldn't it make sense to hold court in someplace central like Tantlin, or was his former lord's situation not as secure as he thought. Reinhardt thought that this was all too suspicious. The chances that this tiefling was waiting on his ambushers seemed miniscule, and he should simply bite his head off. Still, if this creature wanted him dead it would have been easily to point him out. Reinhardt decided a more prudent wait and see policy.

"Thank you, sir…..?"

"I aint makin it a habit to chant out mah name, but I guess its okay to another Tiefling, especially a paying one. It's Kyxius, but you can call me Kyle since you look and dress like your from a clueless world."

Reinhardt was slightly ashamed for his own deception, but he bowed slightly to Kyle. "Reinhardt, and I would prefer you stay silent about me if they ask you," he said as he flipped him another Grommish crown.

Kyle smiled as he pocketed the coin. "No worries, mums the word. No one likes the Legion unless you're in the Legion. Even the poor sods in the Legion don't like the Legion."

Reinhardt nodded and looked for the best way to Tantlin. While he was probably expected at Coldsteel, Tantlin would be the place for him to plan and make his move. Flying or teleporting would be easiest, but if Machalas was expecting him they would be watching. Reinhardt had already ruled out travelling directly on the Styx, or the prime gate at Phlegethos. He had chosen this nexus to avoid any sentries, but saw that his enemies knew of it as well. Only his incompetence prevented them from springing an ambush on him. He was sure they would be watching the skies and tracking any unusual magical movements, if their security was this tight.

"Look Reinhardt, I said I'm no tout but I know the chant of this area better than you. Those barshers have been waitin for weeks, and I've been waitin on them just as long. Who knows when this ice sod will show up and get deaded and sent to the book, and more importantly if they'll leave Kyle any jink on his corpse. You on the otherhand look like a jinkjangler from the way you dress. A smuggler or a rich gelter I'm guessing. While I'm no quipper, I think we can come to a shake, if I take you to Ice town."

"Huh? I can't understand a word you said."

Kyle took a deep breath. "I'll take you to Tantlin …if you pay me…"

"Oh, they why didn't you say so," said Reinhardt as he shook Kyles hand.

While he still had his reservations, Reinhardt was glad he recruited Kyle. Tieflings were often scorned for their lazy and untrustworthy ways, but they were also praised for their resourcefulness and ingenuity. Since tieflings had no special mode of transportation like teleport magic, or even wings, Kyle made do with what appeared to be a self-made ice skiff. From what Reinhardt had gathered, Kyle made his livings scavenging off the victims of Levistus' legions. The tiefling made sure to stay out of sight and out of their way, and in the process earn a few coins or other salvage in the process. Reinhardt also suspected that on some occasionsKyle lead the Legions to some choice prey, but he decided to keep quiet about that opinion and simply keep an eye open.

The ice skiff itself resembled two primer inventions, snow skis and a boat, and combined them to form a light craft that harnessed Stygia's winds to enable it to glide across the cold marshes. For the area's that were frozen, the boat was sturdy enough to actually skim across the surface, a daring and dangerous maneuver that probably kept Levistus' legions off his back. Though Reinhardt knew that the waters of the marshes were not as lethal as the primary tributary of the Styx, they did pose enough of a hazard to keep wiser folk away. Acid, powerful undercurrents, Sahuagin, sea monsters, and even fiendish sharks were common hazards. Kyle though, seemed competent enough to pilot their skiff safely past them.

"How long have you been doing this?" asked Reinhardt as they sailed towards Tantlin.

"Goodness. A barmy two score cycles I think. My mum said, I should have learin a trade in Sigil, or join the Legion like da, but that's for sods. I rather be rekt than hide in those alleys. You understand right? You're a cutter aren't you?"

"I prefer the word consultant, but yes, you can call me a cutter, though I was in the Legion at one time."

"Oi! Are you being lily with me? What happened?"

"They kicked me out. I had to get by on my own, do the…what did you call it, independent cutting."

"I guess, cuttin pays good considering the jink you toss around."

"It has its moments, but some things can't be bought with all the …jink… in the world."

"Like that Amirah skirt you were talking to yourself about, guv'nor?"

Reinhardt closed his eyes and conjured her image in his mind. "Yes, like Amirah. The girl I've been travelling with for the last while. I..I had to leave her behind, because of certain business interests I have to take care of first."

"Oh? That sounds rather glooming. She must have been piked when you went the crow's mile."

"Huh? " asked Reinhardt again.

Kyle shook his head. "Look Mr Reinhardt. Due to the current socio-economic conditions in Stygia, I maybe a scavenger, but I'm a guide by trade. As a guide, I wish to provide my customers with the full Baator experience, complete with the Tiefling street savy talk they have come to expect. I can see that my dialect is a bit too strong, and if it pleases you I could converse in a more provincial common."

Reinhardt flipped Kyle a coin as his answer.