A/N: Sorry for the delays, I've had such a BRUTAL week. Two lab reports and a final all within the course of two days. But enough of that. We are now about to enter into the darker, nastier corners of ELO Hell in all of their unholy glory!
Because we are now entering asshole and toxic categories of the damned, more…uh…contemporary and…unpleasant…language will sometimes be used. You have been warned!
Chapter 10 – The City of Dicks
As Fenrir and the now-Infernal Nasus cautiously approached the distant city, Fenrir occasionally saw lines of chained souls moving in the opposite direction towards the Dalgum. The souls varied wildly in their physical state; while some seemed merely gaunt or bore only a few lashes from a whip, others were burned entirely from the waist down. They were carefully flanked by Demon guardians that whipped and beat at any who moved too slowly or tried to resist. Although the demons coldly gazed at Fenrir, a death glare and a growl from Nasus were more than enough to fend them off their unwanted attention.
"Where are those souls being led?" Fenrir asked as the latest group faded out of view.
"Those are the trashtalkers," Nasus explained with a snarl. "These damned are gathered from deep within the Sixth and Seventh Circles, and must suffer an additional punishment to that which they are already forced to endure. Every day, they are forced to the banks of the Dalgum, and must drink from its putrid waters on pain of being torn to pieces."
Fenrir's jaw dropped in shock. "They…actually have to…DRINK…from there?" he choked out. He tried to imagine himself in that state, but just as quickly forced the images away from his mind.
Nasus nodded, showing only the barest hint of a sardonic smile. "In life, their words were filled with malice, hypocrisy, and hate. Here in the darkness, they must swallow back the garbage that they spewed out of their mouths now, and for all eternity."
Fenrir tried to feel sympathy for them, but then he remembered his own experiences with trashtalkers. All too well, he recollected how they had always heaped insults upon him or fellow teammates for making the smallest mistake and how they always condemned the rest of their team with abuse even if they were the ones who had made the poor decisions.
"You know what?" Fenrir replied with a mixture of satisfaction and bitterness. "They deserve their fate. Let them suffer."
Nasus raised an eyebrow. "That was a surprisingly brutal and cold comment," he remarked. "I don't disagree with you, but do you not feel the sympathy that you expressed for the damned in the higher circles?"
"I remember you specifically telling me not to feel any sympathy for the damned punished in the Sixth Circle or lower," Fenrir countered dryly, "and I'm starting to see why."
Nasus nodded in acknowledgment and the two walked closer to the city. As the battlements came into view, Fenrir could now more clearly see mighty stone towers and walls, with a gate accessible only by a single bridge that spanned across a chasm of fire and lava.
Fenrir's eyes widened when he saw the battlements. "Oh, in Shurleya's name!" he exclaimed in disbelief. "Are those towers seriously shaped like middle fingers?"
The jackal guardian gazed impassively at the curve obsidian towers. "The City of Dicks is Hell's eternal insult towards Heaven. The Infernal Realm's demons will never again taste the glory of salvation, and so they erected this city as an act of defiance, a twisted mockery and an affront to Paradise."
Fenrir wasn't impressed. "Looks more like the demons of ELO Hell were butthurt about getting their asses kicked," he muttered.
Nasus actually rolled his eyes. "I did not say that the demons were ever mature in their behavior," he responded with a hint of sarcasm.
Within a few minutes they approached the bridge that led to the City of Dicks. Fenrir looked down over the stone railing into the flaming chasm below. "Where does that river of flame and destruction lead?" he asked.
"The flaming river is part of the Seventh Circle of ELO Hell," Nasus answered. "I will tell you more once we enter that Circle on safer ground. For there is only one safe passage down to the Circles below, and it is through the City of Dicks that we must pass."
Fenrir suddenly heard a snarl coming from in front of them. He looked up to see a guard baring its fangs at him, already holding a wicked sword in its hand. The summoner prepared his own weapon, but Nasus was already one step ahead of him. As the demon lunged at Fenrir, Nasus swiftly grabbed the mace and smashed the assailant's head into pieces with his halberd. The other demons quickly backed away, allowing the two to cross the bridge unmolested.
As Fenrir looked towards the gates of the city, he noticed that in front of the gates was the statue of a mighty winged demon, its skin painted blood red and adorned with dark iron armor. There was already a skeletal warrior approaching the statue in front of them. Nasus signaled for Fenrir to stop moving.
"Do not come any closer," he warned. A few seconds later, Fenrir learned why. The demonic statue suddenly pounced onto the hapless undead, grabbing its entire body and devouring the head before tossing the rest of the body over the bridge into the infernal river below.
Fenrir cringed. "I'll let you talk to him," he decided. Nasus nodded and approached the guardian, halberd held tightly in his hands.
The demonic gatekeeper stared coldly at him. "Who dares disturb my rest?" it growled.
"I am Nasus, Servant of Shurelya and Commander of Heaven's armies," Nasus responded evenly. "I am accompanying this mortal summoner, Fenrir, on a journey through the Circles of ELO Hell. Our passage has been sanctioned by Heaven. We request passage into the City of Dicks."
The gatekeeper's eyes flashed a bright red for a second. "Hmm…" it mused. "You possess the authority, of that there is no doubt. As such, you are free to enter. But there is something about you…you belong to Shurelya, and yet you have an aura of darkness around you filled with demonic energies. No ordinary celestial would ever possess such an aura, much less freely exhibit it freely."
It shook its head. "No matter. You and your charge may pass unhindered by me. But I cannot answer for the demons dwelling within the city."
"My thanks, Gahoachma," Nasus answered. He turned to Fenrir. "It is now safe for you to approach."
Fenrir did so cautiously, and as he approached Gahoachma turned its attention to him. "You are the first living mortal to have ever crossed these borders," he commented. "Do not forget the torments you have seen here, lest you make this Infernal realm your final resting place."
"I will not forget," Fenrir answered solemnly. Gahoachma snorted. "It is easy to say those words, but even easier to become one with the rest of the noobs," was his only reply before he stepped aside. "Badzdoraz!"he roared.
The dark city gates swung open, and Nasus and Fenrir stepped inside. The summoner gazed in horrified wonder as he beheld the depths city for the first time.
If Demacia had made a pact with the Devil, Fenrir was certain that the City of Dicks would be the unholy aftermath. All around him were buildings had been shaped into desolate, twisted mockeries of the shining city up above. From inside several of the buildings, fiery light flashed from windows and the screams of torment echoed from deep within the structures.
This was nothing compared to the streets. The broken, ruined walkways were filled with enslaved souls chained together, being mercilessly whipped and beaten by demonic guardians and overseers. While some of the damned were merely being forced to walk about, others were pushing loads of stone or carrying weights of iron on their backs.
"Behold, Fenrir!" Nasus declared. "The City of Dicks and the Sixth Circle of ELO Hell, the Circle of Arrogance!"
"Why are these souls beaten so brutally by the demons living in this city?" Fenrir asked.
"In life, these souls looked down on their fellow summoners and treated ally and enemy alike with disrespect and contempt," Nasus snarled with a trace of disgust. "They carried in their hearts a delusion of superiority that tainted their souls, and these were the fools who unrighteously lashed out at any attempt to sway them from their own ideas and actions. Here in the Sixth Circle, they are reduced to servitude at the lowest dredges of society, left to the mercy of their demon captors. For there is nothing more demeaning to the arrogant and prideful than to be made a worthless slave for eternity."
"I've met plenty of people like that," Fenrir growled. "The League and all of Valoran are full of them."
One of the shades suddenly shouted at him. "Who are you, filthy dog, who thinks you can walk among us?" he yelled. "You think you are so high and mighty? Come join the rest of us!"
"I have my freedom before me," Fenrir taunted back, "which is more than you can say, wretch!"
"How dare you speak back to me!" the shade screamed. He launched itself at Fenrir, who promptly responded by taking the hilt of Nocturne's blade and slamming it right onto his assailant's face. The shade gasped in pain as Fenrir roughly kicked him backwards into the rest of his fellow slaves.
The shade attempted to rise again, but the demon guardians were already slicing him with their blades and slashing his flesh with their claws, brutally crippling him until he could barely move.
"This one clearly hasn't learned his lesson," hissed the overseer in charge. "Take him to the prison. Lord Vucarik will deal with him!"
Upon hearing Vucarik's name, the shade's attitude immediately became much more fearful and desperate. "No, no, please! Not him! I'll keep my mouth shut from now on, please! Have mercy!"
"I don't think so," the overseer growled back. "This isn't your first outburst, and I've had just about enough of your attitude." He turned to some guards. "Take him away!"
The shade could only wail in lament as the guards roughly grabbed him and dragged him deeper into the city. The demon overseer turned to Fenrir and Nasus for just a brief moment before focusing back on his slaves.
"Bah!" he spat. "Keep moving, scum!"
Fenrir and Nasus watched as the slave line disappeared. "These torments are so much more…vicious…than the ones I have seen in the Upper Circles," Fenrir commented.
"That is because the souls imprisoned within the City of Dicks are the toxic and the corrupt, rather than the merely inferior," Nasus explained. "When a soul is condemned to the Sixth Circle or lower, Mordekaiser slams him upon a spike of his Wheel of Laments, before kicking him down into the City. The wound left by Mordekaiser's wheel is a symbol of shame and disgrace, and the damned spirit is chained into slavery by the demons of the City…or sent into even worse torments far below. And there is no hope of redemption for any damned who are claimed by this infernal city. Those who step foot inside the Sixth Circle will never leave."
"And who is this Lord Vucarik?"
Nasus' eyes narrowed. "The Demon Lord of the City of Dicks, the Master of Agony and Torment. He takes those damned who dare to pursue their arrogant ways, even as they are subject to the greatest of humiliations. In his prison, Vucarik chains his victims and tortures the arrogance out of them in unspeakable ways. His demons also do the same in many of the buildings you see around you."
Fenrir thought hard for a second. "Demon Lord Vucarik…I've heard that name before. In the archives in the Institute of War…something about the Shadow Isles champions…"
"One champion in particular. You know who he is."
Fenrir's eyes widened. "I remember now! He corrupted Thresh into the Chain Warden!"
"You remember correctly," Nasus affirmed. "The legends surrounding Thresh are for the most part accurate. After he was hanged by the prisoners he had brutalized for so long, Thresh fell to the Seventh Circle of True Hell for his violence and ruthlessness. But before he could be subject to its torments, Demon Lord Vucarik came to him and offered him a deal."
"I know about the deal from the legend," Fenrir completed the story. "Vucarik would allow Thresh to return to the world of the living and grant him a vast array of unholy powers. In return, Thresh would continue to torment the living and the dead in the Shadow Isles for all eternity. An unholy bargain that both sides were happy to make." Fenrir shuddered. "I don't think I want to meet the Demon Lord who spiraled Thresh down his descent into darkness."
His guide gave him a reassuring smile. "Fortunately for us, Vucarik rarely ever leaves his prison. He delights in the torments of his victims and does not normally concern himself with the affairs of the city. And although he can be considered one of the Dark One's supporters, he is mostly indifferent to his master's plans."
Nasus turned towards the depths of the city. "Let us continue on, Fenrir. The more quickly we move on to the Seventh Circle, the better."
Guide and summoner continued their journey deeper into the city, staying closely onto the main roads to avoid unnecessary danger. They passed many other lines of slaves along the way, but word of the incident at the gate had apparently travelled quickly, and the souls either ignored the duo or pointedly looked away from them. Neither group made any attempt to contact the other.
Eventually, Nasus and Fenrir reached the very center of the City of Dicks. Fenrir beheld a mighty fortress of black iron and obsidian, through which struggling and weeping souls were being dragged in by demons. Surrounding the fortress was a ravine that glowed orange with distant fire. Fenrir noted to his surprise that there were stairs leading downward into the depths.
"Why would anybody want to walk down into whatever fiery horror is waiting down there?" Fenrir asked, confused.
"Many who take that path do not have a choice," Nasus clarified. "That fiery chasm leads down into the Seventh Circle."
Fenrir cringed. "If this is going to involve me getting burned to a crisp, I think I'm done."
Nasus laughed. "Do not fear. If you tread carefully, there is nothing that can harm you. And to be safe, I will grant you power that will protect you from the flames."
"And what, pray, will you grant your little charge to protect him from me?"
Fenrir instantly looked up to see a flaming figure of a demon, wearing black and purple vestments that were marked with the image of a demonic head. His entire body was coated with orange flames, and in his arms was a wicked scythe with a head shaped in the visage of a skull, hellfire flickering from its blood red rubies.
"Demon Lord Vucarik…" Fenrir breathed.
Vucarik laughed. "So you know who I am, do you? Excellent. This will spare us time that would be otherwise wasted on pointless introductions. No doubt you've heard of the legends surrounding the Chain Warden in the land of the living."
The Demon Lord stopped laughing once he saw Fenrir's hand inch towards his sword. "Don't be a fool, mortal," he snapped, his tone laced with impatience. "I am not like that conceited brat Nocturne. Even if you had the power to defeat me by yourselves, I know how to use the overwhelming advantages that I possess at my disposal. The legions of the City of Dicks obey my ever command, and I would unleash them upon you before you even had time to move."
He chuckled darkly. "And even if you were to defeat me, what would you do? Slay me and destroy more Chains of the Forsaken? Free the damned buried deep within my prison? They would only be captured again in mere seconds. Face the truth, mortal, in your current situation, you are absolutely powerless."
"So what now?" Fenrir asked, defeated. He was outmatched, and he knew it. "Are you going to kill me? Torment me in your prison?"
Vucarik broke out into hysterical laughter. "Torture you? A living mortal who doesn't even belong here? That would be such a waste. You mortals are such frail creatures. It is one of the reasons why I am so fascinated by the human soul…it is so resilient. No matter how much I twist and mangle it, it never breaks completely. It makes prolonging the torment so much easier and sweeter…"
Fenrir gulped, clearly disturbed the Demon Lord's sadism. "You, on the other hand, exist only as an imprint of your essence," Vucarik continued, this time with more of a sour tone in his voice. "The tortures that are so brutally effective on my victims would destroy you in an instant and send you back to the mortal world. Even if your soul was released here, in its entirety, it would immediately ascend to Heaven or at the very worst to the First Circle. Either way, my time and efforts would be wasted on you."
"So what are you going to do to us?" Fenrir asked again. Nasus made no response, merely gazing darkly but impassively at the City of Dicks' master.
"Why, let you proceed, of course!" Vucarik responded with a vicious grin. "You wish to see the greater punishments in the lower Circles? By all means, feel free to continue your quest! The sights that you will see in the blackest pits of ELO Hell will reveal much greater horrors to you than anything I can permanently inflict here. I merely came to see the mortal who was able to destroy Demon Lord Nocturne. So far, I am unimpressed."
Fenrir was tempted to make a rebuttal and boast about all he had done to make it as far as he had, but then he remembered the actual sin that was being punished in the City. "Perhaps you assessment will change when I make it through all Nine Circles."
Vucarik smiled. "We shall see, mortal." He turned to the rest of the demons. "Get back into the fortress," he commanded. "Our business here is done."
The demon warriors grunted and filed back into the entrance to Vucarik's fortress. The Demon Lord himself turned back towards Nasus and Fenrir. "What you have seen so far is only a fraction of the terror that ELO Hell can inflict on the souls of summoners," he gave them his final thought. "We shall see if your soul can endure more hardship than all the rest." And with that, Vucarik vanished in a pillar of flame.
Nasus gestured towards the flaming pit. "Vucarik does not easily pass up an opportunity to torment others, even as fleeting as it would be in your case," the guide speculated. "He must have another reason for allowing you to pass so easily. But there is nothing else we can do at this point. It is time to begin our descent into the depths of the Seventh Circle…and the torments below."
/
A/N: As you can guess, Demon Lord Vucarik is based on Thresh. I hope I've somewhat captured Thresh's malevolent personality in Vucarik's character.
Read and review please!