As the Deuce roared up the mountain and into the Kill Master's lair, only a single one of his men remained lounging underneath the huge, spider web stringed Grand Bass, and watching dispassionately as the car came to a stop. The bassist himself was nowhere to be seen.

The lone biker stood up and went over as Eddie got out of his car and asked, "Where is everyone?"

"Down in Bladehenge helping out with the damage," the biker explained. He peered curiously into the car at its unconscious passenger. "Hello... who's this?"

"Just a friend who needs help." Eddie clasped his hands in front of him. "So please, please, please tell me the Kill Master's still here!" he pleaded.

"The boss? Yeah sure. He's out back with his flock. Spiders were too worked up for him to leave."

Eddie heaved a relieved sigh. "Thank God!". He didn't know if the Guardian would have lasted another trip.

Sensing urgency, the biker said, "I'll go get him then."

While he was waiting, Eddie hefted the Guardian out of the car and moved him to the alter in front of the Great Bass. He was checking for signs of life when the Kill Master appeared at the strings in a flurry of spiders.

"Dane says you've brought a casualty?" the older man asked.

"Yeah," Eddie nodded, "I uh... I don't really know what's wrong, but he said he's dying... right before he collapsed."

While Eddie spoke, the Kill Master fixed a fresh cigarette in his mouth and lit it, and as the roadie finished, he took a long drag. "Alright. Step back." He strummed a few notes, but nothing happened except a slight tilt of his head to hear better. Suddenly he laid his hands across the strings, stopping the sound dead. Without taking his eyes from his patient, he said, "Dane, go check on my babies for me will you."

The biker seemed disappointed, but said, "Sure boss," and left none the less.

Once they were alone, the Kill Master leaned back from his instrument and leveled his default serious stare on Eddie. "What is that thing?" he asked.

Eddie spared a glance at the being and said, "He is the Guardian of Metal."

The Kill Master stared over his sunglasses, his eyebrows raised. "Really?" His slow, rough voice was tainted with suspicion. "You sure you want to stick with that?"

"I don't know his name, or if he even has one," shrugged Eddie.

The bassist took another drag of his cigarette. "I suppose you didn't know that he ain't human either?"

"No. I knew that."

"Eddie..." he growled out as he massaged the bridge of his nose. "Only you could act like its no big deal to drag in some creature that even I've not heard of... and I've been around mind you."

There was concern in Eddie's eyes, but not for his friend's suspicions. Instead he cut straight to his point. "But you can help him, right?"

A long moment of silence later and the Kill Master said, "I'll give it a shot."

With a gracious smile, Eddie stood back and let him work.

The roadie didn't understand the whole healing end of 'music power' or whatever it was, but he did know what it looked like when it worked. It didn't look like it was working. When the Kill Master was finished he felt none too hopeful. "Well?"

The Kill Master sighed, "I think I bought him some time, but... it's like he's hemorrhaging his soul... You wanna stop something like that, you'll need a miracle."

Much to his surprise, Eddie grinned, a fire igniting in his eyes. "Well then we better go talk to some Gods!" he said in his overly dramatic tone.

"You hit your head or something, Eddie?" the Kill Master asked with a quirk of an eyebrow.

"Yes actually..." he had forgotten about that, "but that's not the point. I've gotta get in touch with the Gods of Metal anyways, so maybe they'll help the Guardian at the same time!"

The Kill Master didn't outwardly react to this strange proclamation, except to toss his smoke to the ground, put it out with his heel, and hook his thumbs into his belt. He liked Eddie. Liked him from the first moment he met him. The young son of Riggnarock shared many traits with his legendary father, such as a strong back, an unshakeable sense of responsibility, and a... usually rational mind. Now here he was going around with a strange, soul leaking, whatever the hell that thing was (honestly, it looked human, but that's where the similarities ended), and talking about speaking with the Gods as though they were only next door.

To say the least, he was concerned. He kept his cool though... for now. The Kill Master prided himself on his composure, but even that wasn't going to hold up. What the roadie said next was the last thing he was prepared to hear.

Not noticing the look he was getting, Eddie said, "Oh yeah. Do you still know that song to call on the Gods? 'Cause I kinda need you to play it for me."

He stopped talking abruptly because the Kill Master, even with the hat and sunglasses obscuring his face, was clearly flabbergasted. Even his hands, which were now held slightly in front of him, were shaking.

"How..." he started breathlessly. He barely overcame his shock to bare his teeth and say, "How do you know about Hellraiser?"

"Why?" asked Eddie, confused. "It wasn't a secret, was it?"

"Of course it is!" His voice was hushed, but it carried a bite. "Otherwisethe Demons'd have come for my head ages ago. I've never told anyone about that song; not even my own men. So how in the name of Ormagoden's bloody codpiece did you find out about it?"

Nervously, Eddie pointed at the Guardian and said, "He told me. He said he can hear everything that goes on up here, so that must be how he knew."

The Kill Master placed his hands on the Grand Bass and leaned over the edge of it to get a better look at the subject in question. He was beginning to get himself back under control; beginning to figure out if not what was going on, then at least what kind of direction it was going to take. "This is big, isn't it?" he asked Eddie.

"Yeah," the roadie confirmed. "And it doesn't sound like we have much time so-"

"The song doesn't work," said the Kill Master. "Even when I played it with a full band it didn't work."

There was Eddie's confidant smile again. "It will, but only if you play it in the right spot."

Of course. He should have known. "And I'm guessing you know where it is?"

Eddie nodded. "Go get your porta-bass and your Thunderhog, and come with me. I'll explain everything on the way."