Chapter 20: Spy's Redemption
RED Spy's panicked footsteps echoed down the hallways. He was desperately trying to find a place to hide, his eyes filled with fear. He sped down the corridor and dove into a janitorial closet. He slammed the door shut behind him and sat down on a bucket, catching his breath. Suddenly, a voice started to echo all throughout the abandoned corridors.
"Come out, my child. Please don't make your Mother angry." The voice was cold, lacking in emotion, but alluring at the same time. The very sound of it sent shivers down RED Spy's spine as he struggled to get his breathing under control. "I know you want to go out and play with your no-good friends, but it's my job to keep you away from such dirty influences." There is something special about Mother's voice. A part of RED Spy wanted to leap right out of his closet and follow her forever, like a baby chick following a hen. He grunted in frustration and violently clawed at his head.
"Stay focused. I must...stay...focused." He thought to himself, the sharpness of his nails digging into his scalp snapping him out of his trance. "I only have a few minutes before she comes back in, so I must make it count this time!" RED Spy stood back up, a look of steely determination flushing out his fearful expression. He turned his invis watch on and loaded up a map of the Overwatch HQ, which soon flickered onto his watch's tiny screen. "The broadcasting room. That is where I must go. That is where I will end this." With that thought in his head, RED Spy took a deep breath and took out his revolver. He silently opened the door and activated his cloak, sneaking out of the closet. He started to navigate through the dark hallways, occasionally glancing at his map. Before long, his cloak had worn off, rendering him visible once again.
"There you are, child..." Mother said in her all-encompassing voice. RED Spy immediately ripped two small pieces of cloth out of the base of his balaclava and stuffed them in his ears, partially blocking out Mother's seductive tone. "Listen to me when I'm talking to you, young man. It's disrespectful to clog your ears." She berated. RED Spy ignored her and sped onwards. Mother's voice started to lose it's kindness. "I'll have to send your brothers and sisters after you if you don't turn back this instant." She warned. All this did was make RED Spy tighten his grip on his revolver, fully expecting a fight to break out at any moment. Mother growled. "This hurts me more than it hurts you…"
With that, a small group of Overwatch and Talon Soldiers burst out from several nearby rooms, armed with assault rifles and pistols. Without skipping a beat, RED Spy took aim with his revolver and fired, managing to kill two of them with two clean shots. The rest quickly started laying down a wave of suppressive fire, causing RED Spy to e into a room for cover, making sure to leave the door open behind him. The squadron cautiously approached the doorway. One of the soldiers unhitched a grenade from his belt, pulled the pin, and lobbed it into the room. However, the grenade suddenly stopped by itself in midair and was flung back at the soldier who threw it. Before he could even react, the grenade detonated, killing him. The others were knocked off their feet, but relatively unharmed.
RED Spy decloaked in front of the doorway, having invisibly caught the grenade mid air. He shot another soldier in the head before he could get up, leaving only two left. Seeing the soldiers raise their rifles once again, RED Spy quickly shot at a flashbang hanging off of one of their belts. The resulting bang and explosion of light sent the two guard careening into the hallway walls, leaving them blinded. RED Spy had managed to shield his eyes, while the fabric in his ears softened the deafening bang. With a twirl of his revolver, he quickly filled the two with lead. Before the two soldier's bodies could even hit the floor, RED Spy had taken off once again, feeling a bit more confident in himself. He could still faintly hear Mother's berating tone through his makeshift earplugs as he reloaded his weapon. After a few more turns, he had made it. He shot the hinges of the door and bashed it down, tumbling to the floor. He stumbled back onto his feet and made his way over to a broadcasting console, full of determination.
"Think before you act, child. Do you really think anyone will believe you?" Mother questioned discouragingly. Her voice was even more sinister than before. "Suffering is all that contacting him will bring, both on your part and theirs…" Once again, RED Spy's earplugs kept Mother's words of discouragement out of his head. He turned on the console and typed in a few commands. Suddenly, gunfire erupted from the room's doorway, causing RED Spy to frantically grab the console's microphone before ducking down. He desperately returned fire as the console hummed to life. Without a moment to spare, RED Spy raised the microphone up to his lips.
"Merasmus! This is RED Spy speaking." He said, panicked. "I have finally managed to break free of Mother's control for a moment! As you may be able to hear, I do not have much time right now." His point was reinforced as he was struck by a bullet in the arm. "Hrrng! Gah… I must be brief. I am liable to fall back under control at any moment!" He urged.
Broken glass started to litter the floor as bullets started to shatter screens and monitors. "All of Overwatch and Talon's personnel are being controlled by one being, myself included." He quickly paused to return fire. "Her name is Mother! She is one of Bombinomicon's underlings!" RED Spy loaded his last six bullets into his revolver. "Merasmus. What you told me all those years ago… it has happened! Forgive me for being so weak. The enemy was one step ahead of us. They put me under their control almost immediately after my team was brought into this era."
A soldier suddenly rounded the corner and found RED Spy ducking behind the console. Before he could shoot, RED Spy tripped him with a leg sweep and shot him in the forehead. "The glimpse into the future you had blessed me with two hundred years ago… if all has gone according to what we subsequently planned, then Demoman should be with you." He suddenly noticed a sharp pain in his leg. The leg sweep from earlier had caused a bullet to embed itself into his foot. "Nngh… As soon as you have finished training him, you two must launch an attack on the George Bush Intercontinental Airport! That structure is the one thing stopping the Talon forces from launching a rescue!" He urged, all while flinging a grenade back at its thrower. "Only when both Overwatch and Talon unite, shall victory be possible." RED Spy paused, having run out of ammo.
He stood up and threw his empty revolver at the enemy, managing to hit one in the head,knocking the soldier out. After taking two bullets to the shoulder, he quickly ducked back down and took out his butterfly knife. "Grah! Also...about Zerfallen, Bombinomicon's scientists think they may have found something massive. Something that has changed our understanding of what Zerfallen actually is! I know not of what it is exactly, but you must hurry! " RED Spy then cloaked and reached for a SMG lying on the floor beside him. He then reached over the console and blindly returned fire at his assailants. "One last thing. Bombinimicon is holding the rest of the world's population in something called a Soul Gap! I do not know what this is, but if anyone should know of this, it should be you." Suddenly, RED Spy's right hand was pierced by a bullet, causing him to drop his SMG with a painful yelp. In a panic, he managed to activate his cloak before the soldiers managed to surround his location.
"Once he shows himself, kill him." Mother ordered. RED Spy was trapped on all sides, his nine seconds of invisibility quickly fading away. He sighed, ready to accept his fate. He raised the microphone to his mouth once again.
"Give my message to the resistances. Tell them that if they destroy Mother, all of our comrades will be freed, and that they will be able to get some straight answers out of me." RED Spy smiled solemnly, walking up to a soldier. His time was almost up. He reached for a grenade on the soldier's belt and pulled the pin. "Goodbye, my friend. I'm looking forward to your rescue." With that, the grenade detonated, killing the soldiers and RED Spy instantly in a blast of shrapnel. Their bodies fell to the floor, covered in fatal wounds. All was quiet in the wake of the explosion, until Mother broke the silence with a small chuckle of amusement.
"The human spirit never fails to entertain me." She said. Slowly, the bodies of the soldiers and RED Spy began fading away. "Master must know about this unfortunate setback." Mother thought to herself. Strangely, her confidant, mesmerizing voice became tainted with the slightest bit of fear when she brought up Bombinomicon. Before long, all of the bodies had disappeared, along with their equipment and weapons. The broadcasting room was soon restored, looking as if the brutal gunfight had never happened in the first place.
200 years ago...
The park was nice that day. The skies weren't too cloudy, yet it wasn't too sunny either. The songbirds were out, filling the fragrant air with their pleasant chirps. The air wasn't too humid, nor was it too dry. The people on the trails weren't too talkative, yet spoke with each other just enough to make the park feel alive. The temperature was a cool 24℃. Not too hot, not too cold. It was days like these Spy liked the most. Not because he liked being outside, but because nothing could bother him. No ominous silence, no chaotic chitter-chatter, no sweat, no chills, and most importantly, no gunfire.
Spy was walking down the park trails, disguised as a random person he had walked past earlier. His disguise wore an average sized t-shirt and exercise shorts, along with being rather gaunt and pale. To Spy, this was the most innocuous form he could take to avoid attention. He looked down the trail and saw a man hunched over in the distance, sitting on a park bench. He was leaning on a scrappy-looking cane and was wearing a puffy jacket with jeans, looking wildly overdressed for the weather. Spy sighed and walked up the the bench. The man looked up at him meekly. Spy gestured towards the bench.
"May I, sir?" He asked. The man narrowed his eyes at him.
"How's the weather treating you, young man?" He asked suspiciously.
"Everything is perfect. Just the way I like it." Spy responded. The man scooted over, allowing Spy to sit beside him. Silence ensued.
"Aren't you going to say something, fool?" The man questioned. "...or did I transform my likeliness into a that of a mere mortal for nothing?" Spy sighed quietly.
"You know what I want to talk about." He said, turning towards the man. "Merasmus, tell me more about what you showed me on the mountain." He stated. Merasmus scoffed.
"Why should I care? As I told you that night, I am planning to leave this mortal realm and move to Hell with Bombinomicon. I will use the souls you gave me to rent out a room in his castle." He rebutted.
"If you did not care, then you would not have agreed to meet with me." Spy pointed out. "Well, aside from the fact that I threatened to tell Soldier where you were going to go if you did not show." Merasmus grimaced at the mention of his past roommate.
"Damn it all…" He mumbled. He knows that Soldier had possession of his arsenal of magical artifacts after he had evicted him from his own castle. With his steely determination and downright stubbornness, even the gates of Hell would have trouble holding back someone the likes of Soldier. Also, he could just sell them all to Bombinomicon and move in with Merasmus again. Either way, Merasmus wasn't about to risk it. He sighed. "Fine. You have my full cooperation…" He looked down. "…and I must admit that I have grown rather fond of this world, Soldier or no Soldier." Spy gave him a fake smile.
"Heartwarming." His expression became serious again. "Now, if you please?" Merasmus nodded.
"Back on the mountain, I have only shown you a small peek into the future, hoping that I could come out of that exchange with an advantage." He confessed. "The truth is, I have been practicing the ability of future sight for a while now, mostly after my first accidental encounter with it while I was running some magical experiments." Spy listened with interest.
"What did you see during the accident?" He asked. Merasmus chuckled emptily.
"What do you think?" He raised his staff and gestured. "Hell on Earth. Demons. The death of mankind." He stared at Spy intently. "In short, everything I showed you back on the peak." Spy stroked his chin, thinking.
"So, you've known about the dark times the future will bring for a while now?" He asked. Merasmus nodded.
"Of course. That is why I've decided to learn how to use future-sight magic." He explained. "Ever since the incident, I have been secretly training. Not even Bombinomicon knows about this, back when he was nothing more than a talking book on my shelf." Merasmus suddenly looked away. "Unfortunately, I...have not gotten very far." A look of discouragement spread across his face. "I cannot see everything yet. All I have managed to wrestle out over my years of training is just a few more glimpses." Spy looked back at him, expressionless.
"Anything helps. Just tell me all you know." He reassured. Merasmus looked back up and cleared his throat.
"If it truly does help, then I suppose I have no choice." He said with a smirk. He cleared his throat and began his explanation.
The glimpses I have gained are short, but they reveal a lot more than one would think. As it turns out, the future I showed you was but one possible timeline. A timeline where only this so called "Overwatch" organization stood guard against the demons. Through practice, I have discovered how to look into different timelines, where different events unfold. As I have said, my visions are not absolute. Sometimes, I cannot even tell what caused these alternate timelines to even occur in the first place. As I was skimming through timelines, one of them caught my eye in particular. I saw you and your team two hundred years in the future, fighting the demons side-by-side with Overwatch. I do not know how you have all been taken forward in time, so do not ask.
Naturally, my curiosity made me delve deeper into this timeline. Through rigorous training, I have managed to see five events.
One: Overwatch forms an alliance with one of their mortal enemies, Talon.
Two: Demoman unlocks Eyelander's true potential.
Three: The demons take control of select Overwatch and Talon members, making the survivors form a resistance force.
Four: Talon was founded by you under the mantle of "conflict maketh man".
And five: Someone initiates the end of the world by unknowingly unleashing an apocalyptic force.
Spy stared blankly into space. This was too much information for him to absorb in one sitting. He turned to Merasmus. "I'm sorry, how is this a desirable timeline if the world ends?" He asked, bewildered. Merasmus waggled his finger.
"Nah, ah, ah! I said 'initiate'. This timeline does not guarantee destruction. There is still hope that the world can be saved." He corrected. "In comparison, every other timeline results in the absolute destruction of mankind. This is the only one where oblivion is not guaranteed."
"Alright, but what about this 'Talon' organization?" Spy questioned. "Why do they ally together? Why would I want to get involved with sowing discord within all of mankind? For heaven's sake, I'm more of a neutral hitman than a real spy with an underlying motive! I only care about keeping my multiple bank accounts in the undecuple digits!" He sighed. "I'm just a man in a suit and tie who wants to live off of killing a few people here and there." Merasmus nodded.
"So I take it that you are not happy with your current job?" He asked. Spy chuckled sarcastically.
"If I could travel back in time, I would have rather killed myself than accept that wretched hag's job offer." He spat. "I could earn the same amount of money and live a few years longer on my own." Merasmus raised an eyebrow.
"Even if it means not seeing your son ever again?" Spy's expression hardened at the sound of Merasmus's inquiry. He looked away in discomfort, pausing for a moment.
"Ugh…never mind that." He said dismissively. Merasmus nodded.
"Very well." He responded, still smirking at Spy's discomfort. "Now, about the alliance between Overwatch and Talon… although I could not see the results of their collaboration, I do know that it is crucial." Spy raised an eyebrow.
"How so?" Merasmus looked at him sternly.
"I may not be able to get a straight answer, but I do have enough evidence to formulate a conclusion all on my own." He took a deep breath as he began his explanation. "When the end of the world is initiated, it was out of desperation. Almost as if it was some sort of last-ditch effort made by a cornered beast. The being will capture one specific person and use them somehow to bring out an unspeakable force."
"I think that the being you speak of is Bombinomicon." Spy deduced. "Since he became the devil some time ago, it would make sense that he is the mastermind behind the demonic invasion, seeing how power-hungry he's always been." Merasmus knew too well about what Spy was talking about. From attempting to possess Demoman's eye to taking over Hell, it was always clear that the bomb book had been seeking power, no matter how little the amount.
"Yes, I agree." He said. "However, since Bombinomicon is currently the supreme overlord of Hell, there is nothing we can do about him for now." Merasmus cleared his throat yet again. "Anyways, this proves that Bombinomicon unleashed the end of the world because he was close to getting defeated. This is why I am choosing to believe in this timeline, for it is the only one where I see the demons suffering any sort of loss." Spy nodded, his mind busy processing the information.
"I see…" He paused, still thinking of what to say. "Let's go back a few steps, wizard. About the Overwatch and Talon alliance. I suppose that in order to drive Bombinomicon back, I must take the steps necessary to create Talon myself." He stated.
"That is what fate commands us to do." Merasmus said. "From what I can see, Talon is an organization that believes the human race gets its strength from conflict. Do you think you know how to sow the seeds of chaos into the roots of mankind?" Spy smirked.
"Before I joined the ridiculous battle between RED and BLU, I have been killing important people left and right." He said. "Although I dislike relishing in the ensuing chaos, I believe I can put up with it for the world's sake." Spy pulled out his phone and opened his planner. "Start...Talon...set at tommorow for 10:00 AM." He recited, typing in a blank space. He then tucked his phone back into his suit, ignoring Merasmus's amused glance.
"Well, aren't you an organized mortal." He remarked. Spy stared into the distance, thinking.
"Now that I think about it, it should be easy." Spy said, breaking the silence. "I have the money to do it. I know who to kill and when to kill them to cause the most amount of distress within the world, and I tend to be the one to call the shots on the RED team." He took a deep breath. "Alright. I'll do it. I'll become the most wanted man in the world to save it."
"Aren't you already?" Merasmus asked. Spy chuckled.
"Then I'll make the bounty on my head quadruple in value." He assured. Merasmus gave him a confident look.
"Now that that's settled, let us address the last vision. Demoman and Eyelander." Spy stroked his chin, sarcastically pretending to think.
"Hmm, if only we both knew someone who is good with magical, ghostly artifacts and is proficient enough with said magic to take on twenty-four dangerous mercenaries armed to the teeth all at once?" Merasmus rubbed his head sheepishly.
"Well, don't give me too much credit." He said. "I suppose I could wait two-hundred years and check for any unusual paranormal activity then. It will be a good time to both hone my magical prowess and to spy on Bombinomicon as a roommate." Merasmus stood up wearily from the bench. "Well, that settles all of my worries for now, but we now have much to prepare for." He motioned for Spy to stand as well. "I have much to explain. I think you are trustworthy enough to have the honor to enter my Castle of Eldritch Horror." Spy raised an eyebrow.
"Isn't it a raccoon sanctuary now?" He asked. Merasmus laughed.
"You think I can't deal with a few wild animals?" He reinforced his point by making his staff silently crackle with energy, being careful not to draw attention from bystanders. "My castle is the perfect place to further discuss this matter. We have two-hundred years to plan out." Spy nodded.
"The fate of the world rests in the hands of a second-class wizard and a murderer. Sounds like the beginning of the world's worst movie." He said jokingly. Merasmus chucked at Spy's quip and extended his hand towards him.
"Come. Take my hand so I may initiate the teleport spell." He urged. "By the way, if we are going to start working together from now on, I must know your name." Spy looked up at him, a smirk on his face.
"Ronseau. Chavern Ronseau."
Present Day...
"Hey man. Rent's due. Pay up, buddy." A rather nasal voice suddenly echoed through Merasmus's chambers, snapping him awake. He sighed in frustration.
"Ooh, can you not wait until tomorrow!? I am trying to get some sleep here!" He complained loudly.
"Nah, I like my tenants to be on time." The voice responded. "So do you have the fifty souls or am I gonna have to turn your skull into a diaper?" He laughs, cutting himself off. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding… but you better have that rent or you're outta here, wizard." Merasmus grumbled.
"Ugh...fine." He stumbled out of bed with a yawn and walked over to his closet, opening it wide. He bent down and reached for his soul gargoyle, picking it up and cradling it in his arms. He walked over to the door of his suite and opened it. Beyond the doorway was nothing but pitch black void, extending for as far as the eye can see. Merasmus held the gargoyle up. Within moments, small strands of spectral energy started leaching out of the stone artifact, accompanied by quiet wailing.
"Oh yeah, that's some good stuff there. Hah…" The voice sighed. "Ok wizard. You're in my good...books for the next three months." He laughed again. "Heh, that was a book joke. Ok, have a good one, buddy." Merasmus abruptly slammed the door shut with an annoyed expression on his face. He groggily placed his gargoyle back in his closet and collapsed back onto his bed.
"How we lookin', boyos?" Bombinomicon asked. His massive figure was sitting atop a towering throne made of solid rock. Before him, his minions were running about, making sure that everything was set for the big day. A single demon materialized before the demonic book.
"We are nearly ready, my lord. Mother says that she needs to make just a few more adjustments to make sure that her powers can control all of Overwatch in one fell swoop." He reported. Bombinomicon laughed giddily.
"Good stuff, good stuff. How 'bout Occisor? How's he doing?" The demon grinned.
"Lord Occisor is ready to activate the Soul Gap. All we are waiting for is Mother's go ahead." Bombinomicon chuckled snidely.
"Women. Always taking their time. Whether it's in the bathroom or just before a massive trans-dimensional invasion..." Suddenly, Mother's voice chimed in.
"My lord! We have a problem!" She yelled desperately. Everyone in the throne room froze in surprise. "Our agent is is trouble! That 'Dell Conagher' is confronting him! He suspects something foul of his comrade!" Bombinomicon gasped.
"How much more time do you need to make those adjustments?" He asked.
"Too much! We are at risk of losing significant amounts of progress! If Dell finds the portal device, he will destroy it for sure!" Panic instantly erupted in the room. Bombinomicon grumbled in frustration.
"Whatever! Do it now! Get Spy to open the portal! We'll deal with any non-possessed Overwatch goon later!" Within moments, a massive gate of light appeared across the throne room. Bominomicon's minions stood still, unsure of what to do.
"Go, you idiots! Move! Charge! Go!" Bombinomicon yelled angrily. The minions all perked up and started to charge into the portal. After a few minutes, the throne room was emptied. Another more sophisticated looking demon teleported before Bombinomicon's throne.
"My lord, the Soul Gap has been completed. Only members of Overwatch and Talon remain on Earth." He said proudly. The good news helped Bombinomicon relax a bit.
"Well, at least something went right today…" His glowing, red eyes shifted over to Occisor and glared at him, sending a shiver down his spine. "I want you to go work with Mother to figure out who got away. I ain't too happy right now so this better be done chop-chop!" Occisor gave a trembling bow in response and left Bombinomicon in his lonesome. He sighed, thinking about what to do next. After several minutes of silent pondering, he started to recite a spell under his breath. Suddenly, RED Spy was teleported before him. He was a trembling mess, his suit torn up and his eyes wide with panic at the sight of Bombinomicon. He yelped and quickly got on his knees.
"S-sir! I-I-I can explain! I was planning to stall for another hour or two, but Engineer had burst in ever so suddenly! Please don't kill me, my lord! You must understand the unpredictability of my situation! You must-"
"Shut it!" Bombinomicon's sharp order silenced RED Spy at once. His red eyes glowered down at him. Bombinomicon cleared his throat. "Gordon Hillsbury. Born in 1957. Charged with two counts of rape, assault, and robbery. Sentenced to 30 years. Died in 1970 in a prison fight." Bombinomicon suddenly started to float on a cushion of spectral energy. He crept towards RED Spy's face menacingly. "Tell me something. Does this person sound like something anyone would want to take in?" RED Spy looked down at his feet, trying to avoid eye contact.
"N-no, sir." He stammered. "...because that person doesn't even hold any value in the devil's eyes. The devil only wants the worst of the worst. If you only partially embrace your dark side, you're just trash." Bombinomicon chuckled.
"Heh, you still remember the lecture I gave you. Good stuff." He floated back onto his throne. "So...Gordon. When the big boss of Hell plucks the soul of a nobody like you out of limbo and hands you over to Mother to possess a very key target, basically placing his entire conquest on your shoulders, what's the last thing you wanna do, eh?" Gordon's breathing quickened as sweat started to drip down his face.
"Erm… f-fail, sir?" He looked up at Bombinomicon pleadingly. A few seconds passed in absolute silence. Suddenly, Bombinomicon burst out laughing.
"Ah ha ha! Man, the look on your face is priceless! I swear, this never gets old! Ooh, good stuff, good stuff." He continued to laugh, much to Gordon's shock. "Eh, come on buddy! Laugh with me! You can't say that you almost pissing your pants isn't some funny stuff, right?" Gordon managed to snap out of his worried trance and let out a few exasperated laughs. Bombinomicon let out a few more giggles before calming down. "Anyways, the point is, I don't blame you. I guess we just all underestimated Dell's big brain!" Gordon immediately kowtowed, tears streaming down his blubbering mess of a face.
"Th-thank you, sir! I will make you beam with pride with my future efforts! I p-promise!" He cried between sobs of relief.
"Yeah, yeah. Imma send you back to Earth now. If you fail me, prepare your mind, body, and (most importantly) soul for an eternity in the box of pointy rocks! Or maybe the pit of rabies. Either way, you're not gonna have a good time!" Bombinomicon warned. With a flip of his pages, he whisked Gordon back to Earth, his face still raw with tears.
Merasmus was in a panic. He had no idea that Bombinomicon would be starting the invasion so soon. Potion bottles, cards, and other magical artifacts were flying into a large suitcase as Merasmus desperately packed his equipment. Finally, everything he needed was inside the case. He closed the lid and summoned his staff to his hand. He needed to leave as soon as possible.
"Hey wizard guy! You goin' on vacation?" Bombinomicon's voice rang out. Merasmus flinched. He slowly turned around with a sheepish grin on his face.
"Well, you know how it is down here… It's always either too hot or too cold. It does not help that my air conditioner is slightly wonky at me moment as well…" He said as he quietly used magic to set the air conditioner in his room on fire. He gestured towards the blaze. "See? Too hot!" Bombinomicon chuckled.
"Well, I guess I gotta fix that up soon." His tone became serious. "Listen...Merasmus. You've taken care of me for centuries. You've led me to my first possession by bringing Demoman in that night. And now, you've always been on time with the rent." Merasmus listened with surprise. "So as thanks, I'll let you go on a small vacation. I'll even keep your room tidy and fix up your air conditioner free of charge!"
"Really?" Merasmus asked in disbelief. Bombinomicon burst out laughing.
"Nah! I've always fuckin' hated you! Just get outta here! You better bring back some more souls for me! Also, I'm charging you double for the room service and radiator." Merasmus didn't even take time to react to Bombinomicon's snide remarks. With the demon's laughter still in the air, he grabbed his staff and suitcase before bolting out the door, leaping into the void. A portal suddenly cracked to life before him and sucked him in.
Merasmus found himself transported back to Earth, and right where he wanted as well. He stood before his dilapidated Castle of Eldritch Horror. Vines and ivy were sprawled across the castle's stone walls. Raccoons could be seen running in and out of holes in the structure. Even the refrigerator Soldier buried in the front lawn two centuries ago was still there. Merasmus couldn't help but smile with comfort. It was finally time to put the plan into motion.
After a few minutes, Merasmus had fixed up the castle's master bedroom with his spells. He launched a small fireball into the fireplace, illuminating the chamber. With an exasperated sigh, he sat down in his restored velvet armchair and turned on the TV. "Now presenting...biography bash! Welcome to seven straight hours of dramatized autobiographies written by some of history's most celebrated people! Up next: Tom Jones: Hell of a Sex Bomb." Merasmus leaned forward with interest. He figured that he should stay in his castle until he detects an abnormal amount of spectral energy. Once he does, it would mean that the next step of the plan will be underway.
Demoman's training will begin.