The tour continues. What's Krystal's second test?

Chapter 14-2: Tour de Diablè: Leader shift

Again, all alone. It seems to be getting a thing for her. As cold as a dead man yet fearing like a coward, she wanders through the firestorms. The heat of the storms seem to do nothing to warm up her cold feeling. Slightly cringed, arms folded and feeling the empty spot around her ring finger. She's barely recovered from witnessing the hanging of her somewhat boy-friend, somewhat lover Panther and her suddenly traitorous girl-friend Estelle. Two souls added to Délarbé's collection and she helped. The thought of it makes her sick and powerless.

Only a minute into the blaze, it suddenly makes way for a wider open area than any of the other previous rooms. The magma is now filling up with at least five streams of moaning souls pouring out of the walls and even from the ceiling and is filled with numerous carcasses of giant beasts.

The path ahead of her is a little more zigzagged than the previous ones. Also, there is someone lying on his stomach on the right side of the path.

'Adonis!?' she shouts at the person. She feels another Cerinian presence in front of her and clearly she never met anyone with his hair style.

She runs towards his aid, forgetting about her own problems for the moment. When she comes closer, Adonis suddenly rises his paw in the air.

'S-stop! Don't... come any closer Krystal.' he tells her warning. 'Not if you want to die.'

He looks and sounds severely weakened. He's half-naked, with only a pair of pants on. His bulked up body is full of nasty cuts and big bruises. He has been in an intensive fight for his life. And seemingly he lost. Most of his right foot has been replaced with a chain attached on his Achilles' heel. The chain runs down into the magma, only a couple centimeters away from Adonis himself.

'W-what happened to you? Can I help?'

'No Krystal. Urk...' He tries to stand up, but can only perform an unwanted push-up before dropping himself down again, his arms too weak to carry his body weight. 'I gave my soul away.' he confesses. 'I deserve this. Agh... but you don't. However you came here... get out!'

Krystal can't agree. Not after all she remembered from Cerinia. Even though from a different tribe as hers, he assisted and fought on Krystal's side for every micrometer of Cerinian land when Andross eradicated every bit of land and killed off Cerinians one by one.

'This isn't the Adonis I know.' she says disappointed. 'This is not the Adonis who's Phantom's partner!'

Her words aren't convincing to an unnerved Adonis who seems pretty fine with it. 'Oh... Phantom. I guess I'll never see him again as well.'

'Adonis... please. Let me help you.'

She starts to cry, having witnessed enough death as it is. She can't lose another. She falls on her knees before an Adonis who seems to stubborn to listen to Krystal's pleads.

'Leave me here Krystal. I'm dead meat wherever I'll go.' He turns his face towards her. From giving her the cold shoulder to suddenly being very emphatic. 'But I want you to live on. For me. And... Cough... for us?'

'For us?'

'Can you do that Krystal? Live on for me. Innocent souls like yours don't deserve to perish here.'

Krystal nods as she wipes her tears away. 'I can do that Adonis. For us...'

With a smile on his face, he turns to his left side and points towards the end of the path.

'Over there... is the entrance to the cathedral. Another innocent soul is trapped there. Like you... she hasn't given up on her soul.'

Krystal stands up, understanding that if Adonis feels like it's over, it's really so. The tests have to wait; Adonis gave her a new mission. She looks ahead and sees that the entrance looks like a Greek temple build within a mountain. Aside from the chalk white stairs and pillars, everything is dark around it.

'Who is that then?' she asks.

'It's...' He tries to say her name but has a lot of hardship in pronouncing. After stumbling a couple of times, "Jade" comes out of his mouth. 'Jade. My-my wife is in there.'

Krystal looks surprised. 'A wife? I never figured.' She looks back at Adonis, once more on the ground. His arms are spread out wide as if he's ready to be taken to heaven. 'What do I tell Phantom?' she asks considered.

'That I failed... but also gained. When you're out of here... tell him to find my phone. Everything is on there… ACK… All you need to know where Délarbé goes…'

'Thank you Adonis. I'll miss you...' she says, not afraid to let a tear slip away.

'Be free with my wife. Give her a life where I couldn't.' The chain tightens as it pulls him slightly closer to the edge. 'Best of luck Krystal.' is his final wish to her before the chain starts to lift him up in the air.

Like a swinging tentacle of the Kraken, the chain starts to take Adonis with him towards the temple entrance. The chain seems to have some kind of feud to fight out with Adonis as he vengefully starts to slam Adonis a couple of times on the path until. With at least 90% of all bones shattered, the chain submerges itself under the lava. And just before Adonis meets the same fate, two paws catch him.

Krystal can't believe her eyes as Dagon rises from the lava, completely untouched. Out of his back, dark souls spill out and shoot in every direction. His eyes and the runic markings glow bright red. He looks at Krystal with a nerving glance.

'You Cerinians are worth absolutely nothing.' he states rather simple. He wants to scream it but knows that keeping his voice down has that tad of eeriness that nerves Krystal so much.

'What is it Krystal? Afraid?'

At that moment, Adonis regains consciousness. He opens only one of his eyes to witness the underside of the midnight blue wolf. For some reason, he can't open the other.

'Who… a-are you…?'

Dagon looks down with a hungry look on his face. He can sense Adonis' sold soul already withdrawing. He takes one look at Krystal. That one look is enough to see that Krystal cares for Adonis. The many thoughts, the many battles cross like a movie in front of Dagon's eyes.

*This… is… marvelous. Simply said. I'll give him a special treatment*

He looks back at Adonis, focusing primarily at his throat. 'Your soul is mine!' he quotes before holding Adonis erect in front of him, facing Krystal. She can see he's missing an eye and that is face is completely mangled, thought fairly recognizable. He tries to free himself, but his body is like cooked spaghetti. His muscles soured and most of his bones broken. He's lucky to be alive.

But as Dagon's stare over Adonis' right shoulder suggests, looking right into Krystal's soul making her cringe, tail so far in between her legs that the tip actually reaches her belly button, that's not for long. He opens his jaws and sets his razor-sharp teeth in Adonis' neck.

The screams of agony and pain, enhanced by Adonis trying to break free. His horrified, bleached face drains of life as Adonis' Cerinian soul is sapped out drop by drop. The disgusting sucking and slurping nearly makes Krystal faint.

'AAAAAH!' exhales Dagon forcefully. 'That was…' He wipes his mouth in between. '…Royal!'

The empty shell that was once Adonis has its eyes withdrawn in his skull. His tongue is hanging out, dry as the desert. As a dead man, he releases everything left in him. That means whatever was left inside his system as to come out.

'Uugh… you got a leaking vessel for a friend Krystal!' laughs Dagon yet a little disgusted by the excreting Adonis. He throws him away like an old rag before the shell lands in the lava, slowly cooking before going under.

Krystal is still standing there, looking like she needs to be pee very bad. But she's paralyzed by fear. Her comrade, her brother in arms on Cerinia has just been sucked dry before her eyes. Her paws feel clammy as she feels her heart skip a beat or two. Her pain is simply indescribable. How she wishes to scream, how she wishes to end Dagon by decapitating him. But she can't. The being responsible for that, notches to the temple's entrance.

'You're not done yet Krystal. Continue your path.' speaks Dagon soulless before submerging himself back into the lava he came from. 'I'll… We'll be watching you…'

Krystal proceeds her path. With some kind of confidence in herself. Maybe it was because of Adonis' neutral approach instead of the pleading and begging the previous ones did. The screaming and the bleached face… it was like she was prepared for it. It left a scar for sure, but her survival is more important to her than anything now. And not to forget his trust in her. The cold inside of her seems to warm up, but it's not yet enough to make her stop seeing her own breath.

She tries to evade Adonis smacked remains as much possible. Yet, in her utter carefulness, she nearly steps on one of his eyes. Grossed out, she hopscotches her way out of the minefield of remains until she reaches the entrance. She looks at the second enormous staircase she has seen today. It easily larger than the other though less impressive. She approaches the stairs, very distrustful about stairs lately. They look too bright white and too good to be true. Very diligent, she puts one foot on a step after the other.

*Steady... Easy... I'm gonna make this* she keeps saying to herself in her head to talk some courage into herself.

But her fear of the stairs comes true to moment an infinite amount of wrinkled and burned arms and paws break right through the stone steps. Despite her shock, she resists fierce against the arms and paws trying to clamp on and around her. The moaning of the beings below makes it only worse. Random spoken words and sentences can be heard in between the serenade of agony.

'Help me...'

'Join me...'

'Krystal...'

'Be with me... forever...'

'You smell... good...'

Eventually, all the paws are too much as she forces onto the steps. The peer pressure is just enough to make keep her down. She looks in front of her, in between the steps and sees a hideously black-burned face coming closer to her. His eyes look hungry and his mouth, with horrible teeth, gapes in front of her. She can smell his terrible breath and body odor; it's like the finishing touch.

'Finally...' it speaks. '...a friend to play with.'

He reaches his arms out for her as they grab both sides of her head. He starts to pull Krystal closer to his opened mouth. No matter how she resists, the other paws don't allow her.

'Get off me you filthy monster! Let go of me!'

Nothing seems to work as the being can almost bite off her nose. In a last attempt, she looks around for someone. Foolishly of course inside the dark underneath the staircase, until she spots two red dots behind the being.

'It seems that I didn't burn you properly enough.' states Délarbé as the being lets go of Krystal's face and turns to Délarbé. Krystal immediately crawls away as other paws and arms go back from where they came. She sees the being walk towards Délarbé before she backs off from the stairs. Just in time as a black, acidifying tar fills up beneath the staircase. The moaning breaks up in screams that end in dead silence as a last desperate paw reaches out from beneath before they are imprisoned within the tar.

Délarbé appears at the top of the stairs and stares at her with an evil grin.

'One of your punishments?' she says upset and full of adrenaline.

'I was very sure I had roasted them... it's hard finding the right temperature.' he says to himself, not giving her any attention.

'Don't ignore me! I asked you something!'

Délarbé looks in Krystal's eyes, still fiery enough to resist giving up her soul. 'No. It was an anomaly. I'll let you go on now. The second test awaits.'

He walks away, into the temple. Krystal shakes it off and moves on.

*I can't tell him that I'm not following his dumb tests anymore. That would mean I'll be in even deeper sh... you know.*

The tar got hard and cold very fast as she climbs up the stairs. No paws reaching out for her to her relief. Délarbé is gone the moment she's atop. The top nerves her a little more than usual: two very ominous looking gargoyle's stand there. And they look awfully alive.

Ahead of her is the entrance to the Cathedral. The top of the temple is just a small template hiding the giant building inside the cave. She enters the gloomy black cathedral, while the gargoyle's behind her track her every move. She is greeted by an even gloomier darkness inside. Small beams of lights break through blackened poached windows.

The Cathedral outside looked way bigger and more impressive than the small room she's in. Benches are replaced with trashed chairs and dirt on the floor. Suddenly, two torches on each side of her light up. And with each step, two more in front of her.

*This is really convenient. But this Cathedral is a little too open and safe looking...*

Her suspicion comes true when out nowhere five hooded persons dressed in red robes appear in front of her out of thin air. She's scared to death and backs off slowly. She would love to turn around and run away but she can't turn her eyes away from them. They slowly lift their heads to reveal a soul-sucking darkness.

'Aaaah...ck...!'

She faints hallway through her scream as her vision blackens out. It flashes back in an instant, putting her back at the entrance. The torches are unlit.

'Uuurgh...' she exhales fed up. 'A cheap jump-scare got me.'

She moves as the torches act the same as before. No robe-wearing persons appear in front of her as she nears the altar. The last torch, looking more like an oversized candle atop of the altar, lights up and reveals Jade, Adonis' wife chained to a wooden cross on the wall behind the altar.

'Jade? Is that you?'

She turns her head to Krystal. The two have never met before, but there is an instant connection between the two.

'A-another Cerinian? I thought that... that Adonis was the only.' she says weakened.

'Uh yes... talking about him...' Krystal doesn't know how to say that her apparent husband has been killed in a horrible way.

'You have seen him!?' she exclaims happier than Krystal expected she would be. It seems Jade is indeed close enough to Adonis to be his wife. 'He went on to search for a way out for us. Then... that cowardly demon cuffed me to this cross. Adonis promised me that he would return with the tools necessary to free me when the demon chased him out. No matter what spell he casted on him, nothing worked. Not even his Kata technique!'

'He is indeed a great warrior and spell-caster.' admits Krystal painful thanks to the fact that Adonis disappeared in the magma as a pulp. It also explains why Adonis was so exhausted and fine with dying at first. After the Kata-stage, all energy has been drained and he needs rest.

'You two met before?'

'Uh... yeah.' she responds off guard. 'We do go a… uh... long way so to say. We fought on Cerinia together.'

'I see. You can be trusted. Besides, you're Cerinian so you can't be wrong.'

Jade exhales deep and closes her eyes, thinking about good times. Awkward, Krystal comes closer to her. She stops at the right side of the altar to see what she's dealing with. The cuffs look thick and are screwed airtight into the wooden cross. The second test suddenly commences when she sees something invisible scribble text on the altar. Without drawing too much attention from turning away from Jade, she reads the text in her softest voice possible.

'Time for the second test?' *Are you serious?! I barely got through the first one! Urgh... what is it this time?*

Another line of text appears underneath it. This one is longer.

'This IS your second test. Free Jade from the cross. 60 seconds. Tic-tac Krys.'

*How am I supposed to do that? I know this is your Hell but cut me some slack.*

She hears a faint "Cling" and sees a saw with reinforced teeth is placed against the altar.

'57 seconds. Tic-tac.' is displayed as a final line text.

'So...' brings Jade back up. 'Did Adonis send you?'

'Yes.' she answers quick, hiding the death of her husband. 'He sent me ahead. He had to... take care... of something. He didn't specify what.'

She chuckles. 'Oh my Adonis. He's just gonna go after that demon, you'll see when he's here.'

'Yeah... when he's here...'

Krystal can't believe she sold a lie this easily. Lying feels horrible, especially when has to hide it in her voice and in her Cerinian connection.

'Did you bring some tools?' asks Jade

'Ah yes. I have a... saw here.'

She holds it up to show Jade the tool. 'Oh.' she reacts impressed. 'Reinforced teeth. It looks like Adonis made it himself. Well? What are you waiting for? Cut me out.'

Krystal takes one last look at the lines as another scrabble is made.

'40 seconds. Tic-tac.'

She runs towards the cuffs around Jade's right wrist. She sets the saw in the cuffs and starts to cut it away. The ear-splitting sound that comes from it is nothing good. And after a while, she gets stuck.

'Oh no. What is this?' She tears the saw loose and sees that most of the teeth either broke off or bended. 'Crap!' she exclaims as she looks at the blade.

'What happened Krystal?' she says before she sees the saw. 'You never used a saw, did ya?'

'I have! Okay? S-sometime ago yes but...'

'25 seconds!'

The blade only has a few teeth at the front. She feels the pressure of the previous test coming up again. She gets very upset and nearly drops the saw.

*How am I gonna get her loose now?*

The lines gets another addition, but the tone of it is very cynical.

'Maybe you should find something else to cut... like something softer, something fleshy. 20 seconds. Tic-tac.'

*Something fleshy? You don't mean... Her wrist!?*She's in shock that she has to cut Jade out, the aggressive and brutal way.

'Krystal? Wh-what's wrong?'

She's almost too afraid to answer. 'The cuffs are... too strong. I'll have to...'

She swallows hard as the countdown from 12 commences. 'You'll have to what, Krystal?' asks Jade sensing something is really off. Krystal doesn't look like herself.

'I'll have to... cut you out. But not via the cuffs.' she answers shivering.

As the counter reaches 10, she begins the realize it's already too late.

'Then do it Krystal!' tells Jade. 'I don't care to live without paws and feet. Just cut me loose. Adonis would love me anyway.'

Unfortunately, before Krystal can get closer to free Jade, another thick iron cuff straps around Jade's neck. That would mean that she had to decapitate Jade to free her. She backs off, dropping the saw in the process. She's not gonna kill anyone by herself, especially by beheading another Cerinian.

'Krystal. Wait! I know how this looks like, but when Adonis gets back, he can fix me.'

'A-about him... he's... uh...'

'2... 1... 0! Time's up!'

With a raging earthquake, tearing up the ground and cracking the walls, the wall behind Jade begins to crumble as the cross she's on starts to turn into the Inverted Cross. The tempo is murderously slow.

'No! Please don't this!' begs Jade crying. 'Adonis! Help me!'

Krystal keeps walking backwards as the cross turns inverted and the wall is sucked inside a black hole sucking everything in. Screaming for help and crying out loud, Jade is sucked into it. Her agony is ear-candy for Délarbé, standing in the shadows on the right side of the opened right door. Dagon too, standing on the left of the opened left door. Both with folded arms, they stare at Krystal failing the second test.

The altar and chairs around the whole cathedral start to follow. Windows shatter and Krystal begins to feel the pull as well. She turns around and begins to sprint away. The exit nears but the gravitational pull tugs her as she falls face down on the floor. She looks behind her and sees the dead bodies of Panther, Estelle and Jade clamp on to her leg. They lift their heads and look at Krystal with dead eyes. Their fur color is pale and they feel extremely cold.

'You're coming with us!' proclaim the three as the black hole hauls them in. Krystal struggles with all her strength but they won't let go. Stomping her boot in their faces has no effect. No matter the damage. She looks towards the exit where Délarbé moves out of a shadow near the entrance, having witnessed it all. With his paws on his back and his ever so joyful tune whistling away, he leaves the Cathedral.

'Oei fukxokas udt tajwijkadw rujkuht! Nxukoloh ei te, A nacc doloh walo ei m jeic! Oei xouh mo? DOLOH!' (You pathetic and disgusting bastard! Whatever you do, I will never give you my soul! You hear me? NEVER!)

Hearing her Saurian strong words, he stops in his tracks. Flaming turn to face her as two new symbols underneath the third start to smolder.

'These symbols tell me otherwise!'

He turns around completely as his shadow grows without him moving an inch. He sticks his left arm out, his claws unfolded and all pointing at her. Dagon had no idea two new symbols had been forming on Délarbé's face.

*The fourth and the fifth already? Is he… No. He can't be…*

Feeling absolutely nothing but power running through his veins while also scorching his insides, Délarbé just speaks Saurian back as if it was his mother tongue.

'Eih oposikaed douhj m touhojk Krystal. Eih jeic sud jkacc hek nahxeik eih ret ke xect ak ad. A'cc walo kxuk... ke eih "vhaodtj"! Hahahahahahaaa!' ('Your execution nears my dearest Krystal. Your soul can still rot without your body to hold it in. I'll give that... to our "friends"!)

The pull increases enormously in strength. It takes only a few seconds for Krystal to be sucked. A last glimpse she catches of Délarbé is that claw-like objects emerge from his head as a significant growth in body mass.

Dagon is left in the cathedral with a confused looking Délarbé, in dubio over what those symbols actually grant. Spikes erupt from his upper body and retract a second later.

'Are you okay Dé?' asks Dagon concerned.

'Fuck off!' snarls Délarbé. 'I have a bitch to take care of!'

He stalks off, disappearing in the shadows. 'Wait! I can help you!' calls Dagon after him, unsure if he actually heard it.

She gets back to her senses the moment a circle-shaped grate forms her new foundation to stand on. It's floating above a pool of that magma, notorious for taking care of Adonis. Surrounding her, is a twister made up out dark souls moaning. She looks around for Jade, feeling guilty for walking out on her. Instead of finding her, she's startled when a loud clang is heard behind. It's part of a birdcage and more start to surround her. She grabs the bars and tries to break out.

'Let me out!'

A mostly held-in laugh is her answer. An enormous shady figure starts to appear from the other side of the twister as Délarbé's raging judging voice starts decides to speak up.

'Because you've failed the second test, you are no longer welcome in my Hell!'

The figure starts to emerge and enter the twister. Krystal looks up to see the bodiless sky-high being, dressed in a blue robe. The being looks down and reveals a horrifying familiar face.

'Ak'j ei!' ('It's you!') calls Krystal out. Old memories from her trip to Sauria come up again. When Andross' spirit forced her into the crystal. 'Andross! How is this possible!?'

The primate does not answer as Délarbé commands him to begin the execution. He puts on the Krazoa God mask and wields an authentic Cerinian sword.

Made by the blacksmith Krystal's family knew very well. The friendship held together for three centuries. It was welded for the first time, some 200 years before she was born. At the present time, it was called The Zoht (Zitwo, oposikadeh, hosedsacaukaed, toukx = Judge, executioner, reconciliation, death. It describes the usual flow of a Cerinian criminal sentenced to death.) And that is what coming right for her.

'Face your punishment Krystal. Look it in the eye.' demands Délarbé.

Krystal instead cowers as far away in the cage as she can. Délarbé has no interest in any resistance.

*Tight... fucking... hooker...* he complains. *Do I seriously fall for that?*

A few seconds later Krystal hears a sound comparable drawing a sword beneath her. Suddenly, a sword pokes in her back.

'Ouch. Hey, lay it off!' she says as she tries to get rid off whatever is jabbing her. However, more swords rise from beneath and force Krystal on her feet.

'What's happening?'

She sees the swords imprisoning her in an inescapable deathtrap. She has to stand perfectly still in order not to get stung. She manages to stray her face away from Andross, until a sword slowly comes up right beneath her lower jaw. It begins to press against her skin. This forces Krystal to look up at Andross. His sword is ready for the death blow.

Krystal remains stubborn, knowing that it will extent her lifetime. Even if it's just for a few seconds. She closes her eyes, much to Délarbé's irritation. Yet also much to a somewhat admiration. It's a growl ending in a chuckle.

*Her resistance is... adequate to say the least. Very interesting. Also... attractive? Somewhat? Ah, no matter.* he thinks by himself. *The sooner she's dead, the faster she's out of mine and Fox's life.*

He orders Andross to continue the execution, despite suddenly remembering the promise he made with Fox. "Don't kill her directly. I'm very sure she can pull through your challenges and get out alive."

*Don't kill her directly... the hell with it! These new symbols...* He strokes the forming symbols. They start to look and feel like rings filled with ember. *Ack! These things are like reversed leeches. The longer they stay like this, the more instable power runs through my veins.*

As he says that, he feels sweat run over his forehead. He starts to heat up from the inside as the flowing power starts to act like stomach acid.

*Uurgh... Andross. Kill her! Do it before I do!*

He snaps his fingers. Little wires with fishing hooks start to move towards Krystal's eyes. They hook in between her eyelids, and force them open. She's forced to witness her own death. The sword is swung and comes down on her like a collapsing building. Unable to move or look the other way without cutting herself, she begins to give in.

*I'm so sorry everyone. Fox, Phantom, Adonis, Jade... I was foolish and stupid. I'll soon join you...*

One last deep breath is she allowed to take before the shadow of the sword hangs over her. It will be mere seconds before the darkness becomes hers. A final tear runs down her cheek. It spatters on one of the swords. She has embraced her punishment. Fox has to forgive her now.

'Stop.' is said pretty easy. It comes out of nowhere but Andross seems to react to it. The swing is halted the very moment it starts to slash right through the cage's roof. The hooks withdraw from Krystal's eyes, which she's happy to have back again.

'Get out of here.' speaks Délarbé painful. He doesn't want it, but he has no choice. The power running through him is more of an annoyance compared to his inability to kill her.

'You're done here.' he ends.

Andross is send away. He disappears behind the curtain of souls that stopped their twisting.

Krystal has no idea what going on. She thought that Délarbé wanted her dead for sure. The swords turn to dust and she's free to go wherever she wishes within her cage. A little interested, she goes to the opposite of the cage, where Andross stood the closest to.

'Uhm... Délarbé?' she asks in the blind.

'Grrr... What!?' he barks back at her.

'Why didn't you kill me?'

For seconds, it's quiet. She can actually hear a breeze blowing by. It isn't the only thing blowing by; her curiosity got her life lust back. She utters a loud scream as the cage suddenly breaks apart. She plummets to the ground underneath her. In a hard smack, she lands flat on the stone soil.

'Ouch! That was... not painful.' she says surprised. She gets up without a scratch and sees a clearing ahead of her within a valley. The ground is rock solid and coal-black but looks harmless enough. When she comes closer to the edge, she sees that it must have been some kind of maze inside of a slough. It's completely annihilated, leaving only 13 pillars standing.

*This must be some part that wasn't completed yet.*

A click of is heard behind her. Someone has approached her silently the whole time and only one, on purpose reveals himself.

'You wanted to know something?' she hears the black metal behind her say. She doesn't turn around, only her eyes move over to Délarbé. 'Well ask me again. I'm a little dazed because of these...'

'Symbols?' she answers for him.

'Hmph. Yes indeed.'

*He acts out of his rhytm.* thinks Krystal. *Almost as if he's nervous. Maybe he never had... No wait! What am I thinking? He's evil!*

She turns around with a temper. 'Now what's going on mister?'

'It seems that...' He sits down on a nearby rock and sighs deep. With a groan, he holds his chin in his left paw. He looks out the distance, seeing dark red sky slowly fade to a less hostile orange. 'I've inherited more of Fox than I thought at first glimpse.' he grumps.

'What else then?'

'You thought that Fox was the only with a crush on blue vixens? Cerinian to be exact? Like I said: Who do you think was such an animal in the bedroom huh?'

It gets a small grin on his face. 'Therefore, I can't kill you unless...'

'You get my soul voluntary. Yeah yeah, I know.'

'People say I'm a dick but at least I don't finish someone's sentences the whole time. That's something Fox doesn't like about you.'

It gets her thinking but she quickly dismisses it for her continuation and her way out of here.

'Are you gonna give me something?'

'Losing your shit already?' Now he gets a temper. He might not have been able to kill her, but the Tour sure as Hell ain't over until he says it's over. 'You're not off the hook yet missy!'

'Oh great. Then what now!?' she snarls upset. Just when she thinks she has done it...

'I'm gonna let you in on a little secret.' He turns his face and her attention to those 13 pillars. 'Beneath one of those pillars, lies a long, spiral staircase going downward. The area is under construction since I was going to plan this for you at a later time. But-ah... Fate...' as he calls it. '...plays dirty with me. Don't you hate that? When you're played?' suggests Délarbé to numerous cases Krystal has experienced. As a thank you for that reminder, Krystal presents her middle finger to Délarbé.

'Thought so.' concludes Délarbé a little hoarse. He coughs a few times, seeing blood spatter on his paws. He's unable, again, to do what he was made for.

'No. Not the same shit as I had with Fox!' he bellows. 'I need a break from all of this. Get my symbols in order.'

'What is it Dé?' says Krystal manipulative. 'Afraid of killing a girl? Scared that you'll vanish? I know you need my soul. And since you can't kill me, I'm not going any further. I'm just gonna stand here… maybe sit after a while and watch you perish!' she makes him understand good and proper with a bitchy attire.

Délarbé, a little beaten, catches his breath and looks up at Krystal's ego-tripping glance. At first, he hates it. But then he imagines how good, how arousing it would feel when he would wipe it of her face with extreme violence. She hasn't seen enough of that yet. I mean… only four of those who cared for her have perished.

He holds his Death hand in the paw, seemingly a signal. Out of the rock hard coal-soil, Dagon breaks out and starts to approach Délarbé. Délarbé lifts his head to face Krystal once more. This time, with a more assured facial expression. With a whiff of blood lust.

'Wait. I can help you.' he quotes Dagon before looking at him. 'That's what you said, wasn't it?'

'It sure was Délarbé. I'm glad you're accepting it.'

'This bitch is too stubborn. Even for my standards.' He comes closer to Dagon. 'Guide her to the Slough of Despair. I have a plan. Play the game along for as long as you can.'

Délarbé turns around, feeling the instable power pounding his chest. He starts to walk, kinda looking like a broken old man.

'Understood my friend. Have a good rest.' wishes Dagon to him.

Before Dagon moves towards Krystal, Délarbé pounds something in his stomach. It's soft enough not to hurt him, but hard enough for him to notice that Délarbé left a note there. As he stumbles off, Dagon reads that on the note stands:

Fox is imprisoned somewhere beneath one of the 13 pillars. Only you can feel which one cause I can't remember. Take Krystal there. Guide her and don't hurt her unless she's asking for it. Gain your strength from the souls she leaves behind, not hers! Have no worry though: I'm not going loco. I have a plan.

He tosses the note aside and approaches Krystal. He trusts Délarbé, but just to act as a guide? Maybe he can spice up things in between.

'Krystal.' She is startled by Dagon's sudden call for her name. She turns around and ups her face, asking what now. 'I' am supposed to guide you to Fox.'

'Wait… Fox is here?'

'Yes…' sighs Dagon, now knowing that Délarbé never actually gave a shit about Fox. The ember Fox disappeared was nothing more than a trap. And for Krystal, this is just perfect. She was right all along. And Dagon as a guide that will lead her to Fox.

'YOOHOO!' she cheers, jumping a hole in the air. 'Now what are we waiting for? Délarbé just left and Fox is ahead. Let's go!'

Overexcited, she runs ahead of Dagon who follows fed up. Although he has a plan to mess with Krystal, warned that she can be manipulative, it was by Délarbé. He just found out that Fox wasn't set free instead imprisoned. A low, backstab that Dagon can't appreciate. At the sight of a distant fire, large enough to look like an undergoing sun, the future looks a little more dubious.

This... you did not expect did ya? For Délarbé, it has taken a toll for the worst. And Dagon has been degraded to just a guide. Krystal... is in command now?