Author's Note: This chapter is a little shorter than is the norm for me, mostly because it's more of an interlude than an actual chapter. Still, hope you enjoy this one as well as the previous ones. I fully plan to get this episode of Excedo Inferi finished no later than December, seeing as the next episode (dubbed "Silent Night") is the Christmas episode of Excedo Inferi (taking the place of the canon-episode "Amends"). Maybe I can write it in the spirit of the season.

Serrafina: Your question as how come everyone can survive in Hell when it was toxic to Buffy will be answered shortly, but not in this chapter. Suffice to say there is an explanation. Congrats on catching that little tidbit, though.

Darklight: Who says Cordy won't remember? I always thought it was a bit cheap that, at the end of the original episode, everything got turned back to what it was and no one remembered (not even Anya, it seemed). Don't expect it to be that way in Excedo Inferi.

Arobow: Glad I could anticipate your line of thinking so well. Hope you like this newest chapter.

And now, on with the show!

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Part 6:

A fine piece of work if she did say so herself. Anyanka was quite pleased. She would never have expected so simple a wish to have consequences such as these, so widespread and profound, but that was one of the perks of her job. The power of the wish was quite unpredictable and offered lots of fun in ways you would never even suspect.

Anyanka had always been one to take pride in her work and was not above accepting the praise that was due. So when she teleported home -home being the demon realm known as Arash Ma'har- she fully expected to bask in the praise of her co-workers and especially her boss, the demon D'Hoffryn.

Her expectations were not met.

Arash Ma'har was usually cloaked in near-perpetual darkness, where vengeance demons moved about their business in silence and dignity. Not so right now. The realm was lit, showing the empty rooms and corridors. There was also quite a bit of mess. Demons moved around with very little dignity and lots of hurry. All of them seemed quite peeved.

Once they noticed her, most of them gave her hostile looks.

"What is going on here?" she asked, directing the question at everyone and anyone.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here," a deep voice said from behind her.

Anyanka turned around, coming face to face with her boss an patron, D'Hoffryn. Over the centuries she had gotten very good at reading the expressions on his inhuman face. He was angry and made no effort to hide it. Angry at her, it seemed.

"I don't understand," she confessed. "Why are you angry? What is happening here?"

D'Hoffryn grabbed her by the arm and dragged her toward his scrying room, the place from which he kept watch on the world. The scrying orb was empty. No, not quite empty. It still showed the Earth realm. Only there wasn't much there to see. Empty plains, craters were cities had been, slowly being reclaimed by nature. No humans anywhere.

"See what you have done?" D'Hoffryn growled at her.

"The wish I granted consigned all humans to Hell," she said, confused. "I thought... I thought you'd be proud of me."

Apparently seeing that she had absolutely no clue as to her wrong-doing, D'Hoffryn's rage lessened slightly. He sighed deeply.

"You stupid young thing. I have always admired your dedication to work, but you have always been short-sighted as to the possible consequences of granting a wish. Haven't I told you not to grant wishes that effect change on such a profound scale?"

"I did not expect it to have such consequences, but... I still don't understand. We are demons! Shouldn't we be overjoyed at consigning all of humanity to Hell?"

D'Hoffryn sighed once again. "In theory, yes! The downfall of humanity is every demon's goal. But you also need to look at the practical matter of things, Anyanka!"

"Practical matter?" she asked, her confusion not lessening.

"We are out of work," he thundered at her, losing his patience. "We are vengeance demons! Our whole raison d'être is to wreak vengeance among the humans. But with all humans in Hell, we can no longer do this!"

Slowly it began to dawn on Anyanka.

"I... I see how this could be a problem, but... can't we wreak vengeance on them in Hell, too? I mean..."

"No, we can't," he interrupted her. "Stupid thing, do you not remember the rules? Vengeance may only be wrought by human against human. And what human does have the time to think about vengeance on another human when he is being tortured endlessly by demons? And so, since vengeance is not allowed against fellow demons, we are out of job! The lease on Arash Ma'har is coming up and without a steady job we are being evicted. You have turned us all into homeless unemployed."

His rage apparently spent for the moment, he looked down at her.

"Now do you understand what you have done, Anyanka?"

The vengeance demon nodded. "I... I did not see this coming. I... I didn't indent for this to happen."

The barest hint of a smile softened his face slightly. "I know you didn't, little one. Still, you have done this."

Her shoulders bowed, Anyanka tried to think of anything she could to somehow make this right again.

"I... couldn't I take back the wish? Undo what I have done? I... I have done it before."

D'Hoffryn shook his head. "Taking back a granted wish is difficult at the best of times. One that has had such profound consequences... it would take an enormous amount of power and will. And I doubt your power centre would survive it."

Anyanka looked down at the pendant around her neck. D'Hoffryn had given it to her over a thousand years ago. It was what made her a vengeance demon, gave her the power of the Wish. To even consider losing it... still, what alternative was there?

"I will try to undo what I have done," she said, her voice steady. "I will seek out the one who made the wish and get her to revoke it. I will make this right."

D'Hoffryn looked at her for a long moment, something very much like pride in his eyes. "Then I wish you best of luck, my child. Remember, though! Only the one who made the wish can revoke it. So you must find her while she is still among the living. And you must be prepared to give up all your power."

Anyanka nodded. "If that's what it takes..."

With that she took her leave of Arash Ma'har and teleported back to the realm that was now a part of Hell.

TO BE CONTINUED