By the time it was around 11 in the evening, both Demons had smoked through at least half of the canister of joints Mick had on him, at that point the pair of them were so stoned that the initial shock of what they had seen earlier was all but a small haze at the back of their minds. Granted, had they been living Humans, the amount of cannabis they have been inhaling would have caused them to pass out about four blunts ago, but being Demons, the effects are greatly lessened, so the most they managed to get was a decent buzz.
As they both laid down on the deck of the boat from opposite ends, their heads resting side by side as they stared up the cave ceiling and smoked the last of their respective joints, both Mick and Octavia's minds were finally at a state of ease that they were both comfortable with. Of course, while the effects of the weed were able to calm their nerves, that didn't change the fact that both of them were still starving, so much so that they couldn't help but voice their discomfort.
"I'd KILL for a Sandwich right now," Mick complained with a sigh, Octavia slowly nodding in agreement.
"I'd kill just for a Snickers Bar," she countered, flicking the last of her joint over the side of the boat with a single flick with a heavy sigh of her own. "Jeez, how the hell did things turn out like this?"
"Such is the afterlife I suppose," Mick replied with a small shrug.
Octavia couldn't help but let out another sigh at that. Quickly sensing the Goetia Demon's anxiety, Mick then tried to change the subject of the conversation, hoping it might take Octavia's mind off her hunger, and maybe do the same for him too.
"So you really think that this river is what Hell used to be like?" he asked. "And that Lucifer and the others just built the new Pride Ring on top of the old one?"
That had been one of many theories the two of them had come up with over the last few hours, ever since they first saw the words on the wall. In fact, it was the strongest out of all of them. Granted, they couldn't come up with anything conclusive, but given the existence of the river itself, along with the boat and the ancient language, all of which was out of sight and out of mind from the Demons in both rings above and below it, it felt like the pieces of the puzzle were beginning to fit together.
"Is as good an explanation as any," Octavia pointed out. "I mean why else would there be a boat down here? It was probably abandoned during the transfer year ago."
"If it's been down here for as long as we think, then that would explain the Whale Oil," Mick added in agreement.
"True," Octavia replied with a nod. "Still, it was completely unexpected. I mean I figured this place was old but I didn't think it was 'Old Testament' old."
Needless to say, Mick agreed with that statement 100%. Given how modern Hell appears to be in comparison to what he had heard about it while he was alive, it was still pretty baffling to see certain things about it that were right on the money.
"You know, it does kinda make sense if you think about it," he commented, before listing off the possible details of what might have happened. "Hell starts as the stuff of nightmares spoken about in the old texts, then as the years go on, the times change, and eventually even Lucifer himself starts to mellow out. At some point, he moves on from the rivers of blood and the mountains of bones and builds the pentagram right above the lot of it. Guess even the Prince of Darkness has to get with the times eventually."
"Kinda makes you wonder if the other rings have something similar doesn't it?" Octavia added, understanding Mick's description of the potential scenario easily enough.
Mick couldn't help but sigh upon hearing that.
"Possibly," he admitted. "Though I highly doubt I'd be able to see for myself. Not a lot of opportunities to travel when you're confined to the Pride Ring for all eternity."
The moment she heard those words, Octavia couldn't help but feel a little guilty about bringing up such a sensitive subject without thinking. As a Sinner, of course, Mick would never be able to leave the Pride Ring unless he had special permission from one of the higher-class Demons, namely members of the extended Goetia family or even one of the Big 7 themselves. Though it sounded unfair, especially considering that there are six other rings below this one, that's just how it was here in Hell, one of the many factors that consist of a Sinner's eternal punishment. Taking another look up at the ceiling, both Mick and Octavia tried their best to come up with a different subject of conversation, unfortunately, Mick ended up choosing one that didn't sit too well with the Goetia demon lying next to him.
"The Extermination must be over by now," he said without thinking. "I wonder how much damage those bastards have done this time."
Scowling a little as she turned her head away, Octavia couldn't help but let out a small huff.
"If you don't mind I'd rather not talk about it," she said bluntly.
"Oh… Sorry," Mick apologised, quickly realising his mistake as he threw away the last of his joint and reattached the bottom of his mask.
Not wanting to start up another argument over this, Octavia chose not to say anything after that. As the pair of them continued to lie there in silence for a few minutes, both Mick and Octavia had no idea what to say next, both of them believing that any other subject of conversation either of them could bring up from this point onward might just end up upsetting the other. However, it was at that moment that something quickly was brought to the front of Octavia's mind, something that she felt that if she didn't let out now, she might just end up being too clear-headed to do so afterwards.
"Hey, this may just be the weed talking, but… I'm sorry for being such a bitch earlier," she said, much to Mick's surprise as he finished adjusting his mask. "It's just that this whole day has been… you know."
Hearing those words come out of Octavia's mouth, Mick couldn't help but look back at her with surprise. Even though he could only see the back of her head at the moment, he knew that the look on her face right now would show all of the regret she was feeling with every syllable that escaped her beak.
"Yeah, I know," he replied with a small sigh. "Hell, I'm not exactly guiltless either, after all, I'm the one who dragged you down here in the first place."
"Yeah, to save my life!" Octavia retorted, snapping her head back around to face the Cat Demon.
Having nothing to counter that, Mick remained silent as he once again started back up at the ceiling. However, Octavia wasn't done just yet. Now that she had gotten that particular sentence out in the open, she simply had to ask the question that she thought she would never actually say.
"Why'd you do it anyway?" she asked. "Why DID you save me?"
In all honesty, Mick really should have expected her to ask that eventually. After all, when in Hell, especially during the Extermination, it's usually always every Demon for themselves. But even so, after stepping out onto the fire escape to take a quick smoke before heading off to work that morning, and hearing those accursed sirens, Mick couldn't deny that he felt a terrible urge to step in after seeing the look on Octavia's face.
"I guess I just could never ignore someone begging for help," he finally answered honestly, remembering every detail from nearly choking on his joint to throwing the loose brick he had yanked away from his own apartment wall. "Especially when that someone was crying."
The moment Mick gave his answer, Octavia was left practically speechless. Honestly, what could anyone possibly say after hearing that? Had this come from any other Demon, she would have accused them of being dishonest, but with Mick… for some reason she didn't get that feeling. She couldn't understand why, but for some reason or other, Octavia felt like she could trust Mick's word no matter what came out of his mouth. Of course, she also didn't want to give Mick such an impression so she tried to brush the statement off.
"You know, if we weren't in Hell, that kind of talk would actually sound pretty nice," she said, trying to sound as casual as possible.
"Thanks," Mick replied with an appreciative smile. "Glad I was able to say it to you though. If I said that to anyone else, I'd more than likely get shot for my troubles."
At those words, Octavia couldn't help but laugh.
"Or made into someone's bitch!" she retorted, adding to the shared joke.
As the two of them laid there, laughing to themselves, they both couldn't help but enjoy the quiet moment. After going through the horrors of the early Extermination, the uncertainty of sailing down a river of blood, and smoking a lot of weed, the silence was quite a welcoming noise. In a way, they needed to unload all that they had gone through for each other. They giggled from time to time before Octavia spoke.
"You know? You're okay, Mick," she admitted. "You're definitely a lot better than some of those brats I usually deal with, that's for sure."
"What do you mean?" Mick asked, still giggling like a stoner.
"I don't know," Octavia replied with a shrug. "I guess I mean once you get past the moodiness, you're actually someone I can really talk to."
Mick couldn't help but let out another small chuckle at that.
"Okay, now that is DEFINITELY the weed talking," he laughed.
"Yeah, I think we may have overindulged a bit," Octavia shrugged. "But in all seriousness, you ARE a good guy. I'm not too proud to admit that."
"Thanks," Mick replied gratefully, tilting his head to notice a small yawn escape from Octavia's beak. "You should get some sleep. Can't have you feeling groggy when we finally get out of here, can we?"
Before Octavia even had the chance to protest, Mick then stood up, picked up his hoodie from the railing where it was finally dried, earning a weird look from the young Goetia Demon. He then folded up the hoodie and rested it under Octavia's head, like a pillow, much to her surprise.
"I'll stay up just a little longer," Mick said, laying back down with a heavy yawn of his own. "You need the rest more than I do."
Sweet Satan, could this guy BE any nicer!? At this point, Octavia couldn't even think of any words to say to that. Thus with one more yawn, she gave in to the Cat Demon's request and allowed herself to lay her head back and soon drifted into a light sleep.
An hour had passed, but even so Mick didn't feel the need to go to sleep just yet, and yet as he continued to stare up at the ceiling, it was apparent that he was completely bored out of his mind. Tapping his finger against the wood of the boat, he couldn't help but sigh at how alone he and Octavia were as the echoes rang through the cave. Soon enough, his mind began to wonder about what could be at the other end of this seemingly never-ending river of blood. Was it Lucifer munching on some poor souls like in Dante's Inferno? Or maybe there would be a lone house where some ancient demon lived? Or maybe they would find all the ancient pagan gods just chilling while playing cards? No matter what he could think of, every theory sounded quite baffling, even in his head. Deciding to take his mind off the subject for a while, Mick pulled out his Hellphone and decided to scroll through his photos while he still had a little power left. Eventually, he smiled underneath his mask as he came across one particular photo, namely one that showed him taking a selfie while cuddling up with a small white fox with two tails.
"So who's that cute little thing?"
Feeling his heart practically jump out of his throat, Mick quickly snapped his head around in shock upon hearing Octavia's voice, seeing the Goetia Demon peaking open a single eye to stare up at him.
"Shouldn't you be asleep or something?" Mick snapped, grabbing his chest as if he had just had a heart attack.
"Just woke up," Octavia replied, her voice slightly slurred due to still being completely exhausted. "So, who's that in the picture? Your pet?"
Quickly getting over the initial shock, Mick shook his head with an amused smile.
"Yep, my little Snowflake," he said, once again holding up the phone to his face. "Rescued her from this dinghy dealer in the slums about two years ago. After that, she became my only pride and joy in this shithole."
Octavia couldn't help but smile at that as she once again closed her eye and yawned.
"That's nice," she murmured, once again drifting back to sleep.
Laying her head back down on the hard wood of the deck with a hidden smile, Mick looked at Octavia, unable to deny how cute she was while she slept… not that he would actually say it out loud, lest he risks getting kicked in the balls again. With that in mind, he then took one final look at his phone, sighing in disappointment as the battery finally died, leaving nothing more than a black screen. Putting the phone back into his pocket, Mick then simply continued to stare up at the rocky ceiling above him, not even realising the exact moment when sleep eventually took him over as well.
Minutes turned into hours, and neither demon sleeping on the boat even knew whether or not the morning had even arrived when Octavia finally fluttered her eyes open. Stretching her entire body out as she sat up, popping her back as she tried to recover from sleeping on a solid surface, she turned to see Mick still sleeping yesterday's fatigue away. The funniest thing about it, however, wasn't the fact he was still passed out, but rather he was curled up into a small ball and PURRING like an actual cat! At that moment, Octavia desperately tried to resist the urge to laugh. Oh how she wished she still had her Hellphone, this would have made a hilarious addition to her Voxtagram.
Unfortunately, while the Goetia Demon was giggling to herself up on deck, she failed to notice something that was happening in the river, just beneath the boat. As the blood continued to flow, all of a sudden a large ripple stood out, one that was quite huge and FOLLOWING the boat. A mere few seconds later, a bunch of large bubbles started forming on the surface. As they all burst one by one, a foul stench was released into the air, after which it began to waft through the entire cave and found itself going right up Octavia's nostrils.
"UGH!" she exclaimed, swiftly snapping her hands to her beak in an attempt to block out the horrible smell.
Instinctively reacting, Octavia then tried snapping her head in all directions trying to find out what was causing such a disgusting odour to intrude upon her senses. Not even bothering to look over the side of the boat, she then accused the only other person within her vicinity, thinking that the smell may very well be a case of broken wind.
"Gross Mick!" she snapped, jolting him awake with a sharp kick to the shin.
"OW!" he yelled, rubbing her sore leg while giving Octavia a fresh case of the stink eye "What was that for!?"
"You are disgusting!" Octavia snapped back, getting back to her feet in disgust.
Needless to say, Mick did NOT appreciate being so rudely, and painfully, awakened in such a manner. In fact, he was so ticked off that he was just about ready to bite Octavia's head off… that is until he stood up himself.
"What are you— Woah!" he exclaimed, instantly regretting the fact that his mask did next to nothing to block out the sickening stench. If he had to put such a horrible smell into words, it would be as if a septic tank had sharted in both their faces. "Okay, that was NOT me!"
"Well, it had to be something!" Octavia retorted. "And you're the only other one here!"
Suddenly, as though it were only there to prove the Goetia Demon wrong, a loud, rumbling noise echoed throughout the entire cave, one which literally shook the very wood beneath the two demons' feet. Neither Mick nor Octavia had ever heard such an unnerving sound before, but if either of them had to describe what echoed around them, it would be as if a large animal was growling with a voice made of thunder and the cries of a humpback whale.
"Octavia… I don't think we're alone anymore," Mick pointed out, his mask doing nothing to cover the fear that dripped from his voice.
Of course, Octavia wasn't feeling any better. Between the smell and the noise, it was practically a miracle that she had been able to hold herself together at the moment, in fact, the tension was so bad that even her tail feathers were standing on end. All of a sudden both Demons found themselves losing their footing, with Octavia falling on top of Mick as they both collapsed to the floor due to the sudden rocking of the boat… almost as if something had rammed it from below.
"What the fuck!?" Octavia exclaimed, only to awkwardly stare down as she realised how close her face was to Mick's.
"Uh… do you want to get up?" Mick asked with an uncomfortable gulp, his eyes noticeably shifting from side to side.
Blushing with embarrassment, Octavia quickly pushed herself off the Cat Demon, allowing them both to rise to their feet again. Deciding to brush off that awkward situation for the moment, the two Demons then tried to focus on the noise again as it notably began to grow louder… before suddenly going silent as the grave.
With nothing ringing in their ears aside from the gentle flow of the blood, Mick and Octavia briefly shared a frightened glance. Whatever was making that noise, it was clear that it was something big and quite possibly beneath the boat if that sudden jolt was anything to go by. Giving each other an understanding nod, both of them knew that if they were to put their respective minds at ease, they had no choice but to see the cause of their distress for themselves. Putting one careful step forward at a time, Mick and Octavia slowly edged their ways closer to the railing of the boat. Little by little, they both reached onto it and leaned over, gazing deep into the flowing blood beneath the hull as they tried desperately not to vomit from the lingering smell. As time went on, feeling slower by the second as it dragged on, neither Mick nor Octavia saw or heard anything else. All was silent. Releasing a breath neither one of them realised they had been holding, Octavia, in particular, putting a hand over her heart, both Demons allowed themselves to relax a little, thinking that the scare had passed.
"Well… that was pretty scar-"
FWOOSH!
Alas, Mick never got to finish his sentence when, all of a sudden, something burst out of the blood, letting out a fierce bellow as it fell back with a heavy splash against the side of the boat, once again sending both Mick and Octavia flying onto their backs. Quickly recovering from the sudden shock, the pair of them wretched as the foul stench instantly became stronger than ever, causing both their eyes to water as they snapped wide open upon seeing what had erupted from the river. Though a good chunk of it still floated beneath the surface of the blood, the colossal mass that glided through the river like a piece of driftwood had to be the most DISGUSTING thing either Demon had ever seen.
Pulsating like an oozing heart, with swords and daggers sticking out of its back like a slimy pin cushion, this creature could only be described as a titanic, foul-smelling, gelatinous mass, roughly half the size of the boat itself, that both resembled and swam like a whale in the sea. The only thing worse than the mere sight of this creature as it swam around the boat like a shark, was undoubtedly the disgusting smell that grew stronger every second the damned thing stayed above the surface of the blood, which consisted of a sickening combination of raw sewage, rotten eggs and decayed flesh. Worse still, after the creature circled back and rammed itself up against the boat for a second time, it then drove its body downward, causing what appeared to be its tail to flip over and smash against the deck and splattering whatever it's made of all over the two Demons on board.
"UGH!" Mick yelled in disgust, trying desperately to shake the rancid sludge off. "NASTY!"
Needless to say, Octavia shared in the Cat Demon's disgust, as evident by the fact that she was unable to keep whatever was in her stomach down and threw it up all over the deck. Not even taking a moment to recollect themselves, Mick and Octavia then ran over to the front of the boat and got as low and quiet as they could, unable to think of anything else.
"What in Hell's name is that thing!?" Mick snapped, his tone practically frantic even as he tried to keep it hushed to avoid drawing the creature's attention.
Taking a moment to recollect herself, the foul smell from her freshly soiled dress not doing her any favours, Octavia began rattling her brain, trying to make sense of what was going on. At that moment, she suddenly remembered something. Having taken an unwanted, yet still decent look at the creature swimming in the blood, she couldn't help but feel that she knew exactly how to answer Mick's question.
"I think… I think it's an Excremental," she muttered. "The Golgothan!"
Mick, however, was instantly baffled by the answer he got.
"The what!?" he exclaimed.
"A fucking SHIT DEMON!" Octavia snapped, having next to no patience left even as she clarified her answer.
Feeling the beast, the "Golgothan", as Octavia put it, once again ram against the boat, Mick felt the urge to vomit just like the Goetia Demon did, not just from the smell, but also from the constant rocking. Not only that but his ears couldn't help but pick up the sounds of cracks and creaks coming from below. If the stinking blob of a beast kept this assault up, then it would more likely be a guarantee that it would end up sinking the boat with the two Demons on it.
"Do I even want to know how something like that even exists!?" Mick asked, hoping to get more of an explanation than what Octavia was giving him.
Rolling her eyes in annoyance, the Goetia Demon groaned and proceeded to elaborate further.
"Well, you've heard of Golgotha, right?" she inquired. "The place where the Romans crucified their prisoners?"
"Not really," Mick answered, giving her an honest shrug.
"Well, except for that one guy, all the people that were crucified were all criminals. Killers, rapists, thieves, you name it," Octavia proceeded to explain. "And after they died their bodies would naturally expire, spilling bowel and bladder in the process. If you believe the stories, the result of all that filth was that foul-smelling floater down there, cursed to roam Hell, devouring the filth of the world for all eternity. But I never actually thought it was real!"
"Well, clearly it is!" Mick retorted, resisting the urge to smack himself in the forehead due to how filthy his hands were. "Just great, we escape the Exorcists only to get eaten by a giant fucking turd!"
Being both completely horrified and disgusted by their current situation, Octavia nodded her head in agreement with that. At the same time, the Golgothan once again rammed into the boat, shaking it so much that both Demons had to hang on for dear life.
"I don't suppose you have any bright ideas on how to get out of this?" Octavia asked, almost begging as she took hold of Mick's arm and whimpered.
Seeing Octavia act so scared in such a way, Mick couldn't help but grind his teeth under his mask.
"I don't know, I-" he said, only to cut himself off mid-sentence when something, in particular, caught his eye. "Wait…"
Getting back up to his feet, ignoring Octavia's protests as he did so, Mick leaned over and gazed over the side of the boat, particularly at the Golgothan itself. From what he could tell, despite being riddled with weapons and made entirely of a giant pile of faeces, the basic shape of it appeared to resemble everything a whale had; a large body, a flipper-like tail, even fin-shaped bulges on either side that shifted now and then. However, as the Golgothan dove under the surface of the blood, Mick noticed that there was one particular body part that the beast DIDN'T have.
"I think… I think it's blind," he pointed out, much to Octavia's confusion as he fixated on the beast's obvious lack of eyes. "I think we can take advantage of-"
FWOOSH!
Once again, Mick never got to finish his sentence, because, at that moment, the Golgothan decided to ram the boat from the other side, causing it to suddenly spin and once again knock Mick off his feet. By the time the boat stopped spinning, the bow was facing the opposite direction and the Demons on board were more anxious than ever.
"You okay!?" Mick asked, hoping the Goetia Demon wasn't too rattled from that last knock.
"Do I LOOK okay!?" Octavia snapped, feeling that such a question was stupid, given the circumstances.
Unfortunately, Mick wasn't even given the chance to answer, for at that moment, the Golgothan once again burst out of the river… only this time it managed to extend its reach. Before either Mick or Octavia could even react, the Golgothan had jumped out of the blood and flopped its body right onto the opposite end of the boat, its titanic amount of weight crushing it down, while the other end was shot straight up like a seesaw. Unfortunately, while Octavia managed to hang onto the front of the boat, Mick wasn't quite so lucky.
"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
Within a matter of two seconds, the Cat Demon was launched over the end of the boat and was sent flying straight into the flowing blood, with a heavy splash.
"MICK!"
Alas, Octavia's horrified screams only served as the dinner bell for the Golgothan. After putting all of its weight on the other end of the boat, the foul-smelling creature went another step further and began opening what Octavia assumed was its mouth. Splitting open from the middle, the sickening squelch of the oozing excrement pulling away as a huge opening began to form in the Golgothan's body, rows and rows of swords and daggers began to stick out from the edges, forming a huge set of metallic teeth that quickly began chomping on the boat! Screaming for her very life once again, all Octavia could do was hang on to the bow of the boat as the Golgothan continued to eat it from the other end, reducing the wood into splitters and devouring everything from the inside out.
Meanwhile, after finally breaking through the surface of the river, Mick instinctively swam up to the nearest stalagmite before the current swept him too far away, coughing up the blood he accidentally swallowed as he gazed in horror at the travesty happening at the boat. Hearing Octavia's terrified screams, Mick's own blood instantly began to boil, his gaze hardening with hate as he tried to figure out what to do. Suddenly he spotted something bobbing along the surface of the river, something that he instantly recognised just from the powerful odour that cut through even the stench of the Golgothan. An idea quickly forming in his head, Mick launched himself at the bottle of Whale Oil and grabbed it before swimming back to a different stalagmite, a small smirk forming under his mask as he saw more bottles of the same oil spilling out from inside the boat, and most of them going directly into the Golgothan's mouth as it ate.
As the bow of the boat drew closer and closer to the sharp teeth inside the Golgothan's mouth, Octavia once again found herself crying tears of despair, unable to even find her voice so she could scream anymore. Clutching her hands to her face while wrapping her arms around the broken wood, trying desperately to hang on while blocking out the disgusting smell at the same time, all she could think about was how once again she was mere seconds away from oblivion. However…
"HEY!"
Her eyes snapping wide open at the sound of Mick's voice, Octavia gasped in shock and awe as she suddenly saw him standing atop a nearby stalagmite, using his tail as an anchor while he used his hands to hold two objects in his hands, a bottle of oil with a torn piece of his tank top stuff in it in one… and an ignited lighter in the other.
"Octavia, jump!" he screamed before bringing the lighter to the rag and setting it ablaze.
Not needing to be told twice, Octavia followed Mick's instructions and swung herself away from the bow, allowing herself to fall into the blood just as the Golgothan was mere feet away from devouring two thirds of the boat. The moment the Goetia Demon was somewhat out of harm's way, Mick did exactly what he needed to do… and prayed to whoever was listening that he didn't miss.
"Smile, you sonuvabitch!"
With one single throw, he flung the makeshift Molotov high into the air, watching in suspense as the film burned ever closer to the spinning bottle flying through the air… until finally, it smashed against the metal teeth in the Golgothan's mouth.
It took no more than a few seconds for the flames to fully ignite the oil that was smeared all over the inside of the creature's mouth, turning it into a blazing inferno that quickly began to cook the Golgothan from the inside. What's more, any bottles that didn't get smashed up while swishing about inside the titanic beast's body… made for the perfect explosive.
BOOM!
One ear-piercing screech of pain later, the Golgothan's entire body burst from the inside out, causing its entire back to burst, sending all the weapons in its back flying in all directions in a hailstorm of flaming metal.
"Oh shit!" Mick exclaimed, quickly releasing his tail from the stalagmite and plummeting into the river again, diving deep below the surface to hopefully avoid the onslaught of sharp flaming objects.