The cave was uncomfortably hot, not surprising, since it was a volcano. The party had to balance their interest in moving quickly, so as to leave the cave faster, versus not exerting themselves too much in the overwhelming heat. Consuming bottled water in copious amounts seemed to help. Emma alone was unaffected and waved off Ben's offers of water. Ben observed enviously that she wasn't even sweating, while he was drenched.
Due to Emma's comfort in the hot environment, she had taken the lead, scouting ahead for potential dangers. The demons of hell would also have no discomfort in a place like this. The last thing the party needed was to be surprised again.
Emma called a halt with a silent gesture. She sniffed the air. "Dragon," Emma announced matter of factly.
"Maybe you could say that a little louder?" Ben whispered.
"If I can smell the dragon, the dragon already knows we're here," Emma retorted, and then added, "Dumbass."
"Pardon me for not being an expert on fire breathing dragons!" Ben responded, still whispering unnecessarily.
Emma was already striding into the chamber, not waiting to hear Ben's retort. Ben knew she probably heard him anyway given her own superb senses. Ben was less pleased with his own. Sylph increased his ability to sense danger, but only if the danger was moving, and only if he wasn't distracted. The dragon must have been stationary, lying in wait ever since it had become aware of their presence. Ben was not about to let his Emma face a dragon alone, so rushed in after her, not bothering to see if Promestein or Ashley followed.
The dragon that Ben saw upon entering the chamber was enormous. He had expected it would be big, but not the gigantic monstrosity that stood on its haunches in front of Emma. The dragon and Emma were conversing in an unknown language, presumably dragon. The conversation didn't sound friendly, but then Ben wasn't sure what a dragon should sound like, and Emma sounded unfriendly whether she was speaking human or dragon. Emma turned to Ben when she was finished speaking to the dragon.
"This dragon protects Salamander from intruders," Emma explained. "Not that Salamander needs the protection, but she doesn't like being disturbed. In order to prove your worth to even face Salamander, you have to defeat this dragon. She's very old, Ben. When she was young, she faced Luka, two thousand years ago. Luka defeated her to earn the right to meet with Salamander. And she's a lot more powerful now. Then again, you're a lot more powerful than Luka was at this stage. So how about it? You up for the challenge?"
"What happens if I lose?" Ben asked with trepidation.
The dragon's mouth opened to expose a beautiful woman inside. Ben's sword was out in an instant. "Oh my God! You have a woman in your mouth! Let her go… you…. Red…. Thing!"
The woman smiled in amusement at Ben. Emma simply rolled her eyes.
"I AM the dragon," the woman replied. "All monsters are part human female and part animal. My human portion is simply part of my mouth. As for what happens if you lose… well, I will eat you of course. Salamander hates dealing with intruders in her domain. If humans could simply come here, try their best, and leave, there would be no deterrent."
"Do I really need Salamander?" Ben asked Emma. He looked around for Promestein. She had not entered the chamber. Smart move, he conceded. "I'm pretty powerful now, right?"
"That's up to you," Emma said, shrugging.
"Look, dragon…" Ben started. "What's your name, by the way?"
"I am Julia," she replied.
"Julia," Ben said. "Look, Julia, I know that Salamander doesn't get out much, but the world is under a huge threat, like really, extinction level event huge, and I've got the other three spirits with me right now. If you just let me talk to her, I know she'll agree to help. She doesn't want the world to end, does she? Do you?"
"If you have the other three spirits," Julia replied calmly. "Salamander already senses their presence. Yet she has not come out to greet you. That does not mean she is hostile or uninterested in your cause. It simply means that she cannot be bothered with you unless you can prove your worth. After all, if you cannot defeat me, how will you defeat this great danger you refer to?"
"Emma," Ben said, turning his attention to her. "Is this really worth it? This quest isn't about getting the spirits, it's about the Luka ring. Why should I risk my life? I mean, doesn't that gamble everything we've accomplished so far?"
"How would I know, slug boy?" Emma responded. "It's up to you. I won't respect you any less if you don't want any part of Julia. I think you can take her, though. Besides, why worry? If she does eat you, she'll make it feel awesome. Wouldn't that be a great way to go?"
"I'm thinking I'd prefer not to go," Ben replied. "Is that an option? Can I not, like, go, because I still have a lot of things I want to do if that's okay with you."
"True, can't die before you get laid," Emma teased. "Like I said, choice is yours. But speaking as a warrior born, having the oppotunity to fight a dragon sounds like quite a bucket list item to me."
"Does anyone seriously have fighting a fire breathing dragon on their bucket list, Emma?"
"More than you'd think," Julia interjected. "You'd be surprised at how many men come here to challenge me. I suspect many of them just want a 'great way to go', as you say. Suicide by monster is quite common, I hear."
"Aw, c'mon, Ben!" Sylph said inside his head. "We all want to be together! You can take that big stupid dragon! She can't match our speed!"
"Sylph's misplaced enthusiasm aside," Undine said. "What Salamander does is important, but you may be able to get by without her. She enhances your strength, but you've already become ridiculously strong. Besides, I'm not sure you have enough fire in your heart to use Salamander effectively. Luka and Heinrich were filled with fighting spirit even before contracting with us. You, on the other hand, are a very reluctant warrior. You're more of a thinker than a doer. Not that that's bad. Heinrich and Luka could often be frustrating in their rashness."
"So what do you think I should do?" Ben asked Undine.
"Only you can decide," she sighed. "If you want a yes or no answer, I have to come down on the side of fighting the dragon. As powerful as you've become with three of us, we are greater than the sum of our parts when we are all together. I would just prefer not to be all together standing over your dead body. I'm sure Sylph would prefer a happier reunion as well."
Ben sighed. "Fine," he said, now addressing Julia. "I need to see Salamander. I'll fight you."
"You smell delicious, so I was hoping you'd say yes," Julia said, clearly happy with Ben's choice. "You know, when Luka came into my chamber, I never gave him the option of not fighting. I guess I've matured since those days. In addition to greater maturity, I've also acquired two thousand years worth of sexual skills. Your end will be most exquisite."
"Let's just get on with it," Ben said with resignation. At least if he died here, it would be pleasant.
The skyscrapers of New Remina stood tall and proud in the early morning light. Below, at street level, hundreds of thousands of downtown workers were walking to their jobs, boarding buses, or taking the subway. It was a lovely day, with temperatures in the 60s, expected to reach the 70s by midafternoon.
To the residents of New Remina, the slaughter that had occurred at the site of the ancient city had as much significance to them as the fall of Jericho did to modern Earth men. It was simply something from the history books, the real circumstances of the slaughter no longer remembered. After all, angels weren't real! That was just a story from ancient scriptures, warning man of the danger of intercourse with monsters. The world had moved beyond such backward thinking millennia ago.
Most of the residents in suits and ties heading to their extremely well paying jobs were human. The second largest group were kitsunes, most of them high ranking executives or highly compensated tech workers. Elves also made up a large percentage of the pedestrians on any given day in New Remina. In fact, more than two thousand years ago, a day in Remina might have looked exactly as it did in the present day, minus the skyscrapers, buses, subways, and cars.
One particular resident was excitedly heading to her first day on the job. She was a rat girl, by the name of Heidi, and she was the first in her family to graduate from college. She had landed a job with one of the top mortgage brokers in the world. She was determined to prove herself, as prejudice against rats ran deep. Because she was an educated and successful rat, the prejudice came not just from the humans, kitsunes, and elves, but also from her fellow rat girls, who resented her success.
Heidi arrived at the Remina One building, which stood at the center of the city and was its tallest structure. She gazed up at the wondrous edifice, a place she had dreamed of working in from the moment she had been allowed to run around the city as a little girl by herself. The company she was working for was on the 74th floor.
Just as Heidi was about to proudly stride into the lobby of the most famous building in the world, she felt the ground shake slightly. Earthquake? She wondered. Other pedestrians had also stopped, looking for something to hold onto in case the tremor returned. New Remina was geologically active, just like the whole of Hellgondo, so earthquakes were not unusual. The citizenry knew what to do.
The ground began to shake again, this time rattling her bones. People began screaming, as the asphalt cracked and buildings swayed. Definitely an earthquake! Heidi thought, as she cast about for a safe place to scurry towards. And on my first day of my new job!
It may have been an earthquake, but it did not have a natural cause. Before Heidi could locate a safe place, dark beings the likes of which she had never seen before erupted from below the ground. The screams around her grew louder as humans and monsters alike were snatched, to be raped, eaten, or dashed against walls or the sidewalks by horrors beyond her imagining. Being a rat girl, and having the instincts of a rat, she didn't stand around and stare as most of the humans did. She scurried at once towards a hiding place, a dark corner where she might avoid being seen in the early morning light, but where she could still be aware of what was around her.
If not for her survival instincts, she would have shut her eyes and tried to wish the terror away. A huge black creature with spines on its back and a huge, gaping maw, shoved a poor one-tailed kitsune into its mouth. Dark, winged creatures that looked like mockeries of succubi were snatching people off the streets and flying away with them. Undead looking things, skeletons, zombies, and ghouls, many of them carrying rusty swords and maces, attacked anything living within their reach.
Most of the city residents tried to escape. Others stood and fought, especially the monsters. Police drew their revolvers and fired at the creatures. Many of them went down under hails of bullets, writhing in agony on the street, black blood flowing from their wounds. Others dissipated into dust when hit. The police were hopelessly outnumbered, however. Within minutes, there were only demons and their victims as all thought of resistance was vanquished. Only flight remained. No, not just flight. Some, mainly humans, Heidi could see cowering and praying.
To Heidi's shock, those prayers seemed to have been heard. Beings that looked like angels from legend streamed out of the prominent Eden cathedral on Church Street, and immediately set upon the frightful demons. The demons screamed in rage, dropping whatever human or monster victims they had in their clutches to engage the hated angels.
One angel in particular caught her eye. A glowing, white figure with a great sword was leading the charge, a small companion with a bow and arrow by her side, picking off demons that attempted to attack her flanks or get behind her. Those in front of her were cleaved cleanly in half by her great sword. Other angels with bows and arrows exacted a huge toll on the demons, while other angels with morningstars, swords, and whips waded into the fight. The angels with bows continued to fire despite the melee, yet never seemed to hit anything but demons.
"Excellent work, angels!" the mighty swordswoman angel shouted over the din. "Our training for this day has not been in vain! History shall not repeat here! For Ilias! For Eden!"
Ben could scarcely believe how powerful he was. Do I even need the Luka ring? He thought. Julia seemed quite alarmed that her fire didn't even singe him, although it did burn away his clothes, much to his embarrassment. He would have to ask Promestein later if it was possible to make him a superhero outfit that would be as indestructible as he was.
Even better, if the fire had been a threat to him, he could have avoided it easily thanks to Undine. Everything about this seemed too easy. This was a two thousand year old dragon! The dragon wasn't completely helpless against him, however. It's sheer size made it hard to seriously damage, even with his super strength. He decided to see if he could end the battle quickly. Drawing Angel Halo, he dove into the dragon's mouth, seeking to seal her with one blow by striking her vulnerable human portion.
He didn't fear the dragon's teeth. Those teeth would be very likely to break should the dragon attempt to bite down. He was invincible, after all! Feeling like the ultimate superhero, he flew directly into the dragon's mouth, sword raised.
"Fool!" Julia shouted, as the dragon's tongue immediately wrapped around his naked body. "As strong and fast as you are, you decided to feed yourself to me?!"
The feeling of the dragon's tongue wrapped around him wiped all thoughts of being a superhero out of his mind. The dragon's human portion tenderly embracing and kissing him as the giant tongue worked on him didn't help matters.
"Once you come, you'll be too weak to hold onto the spirits, hero," the dragon's human form said. "Then I'll dissolve you with my saliva while you drown in ecstasy."
Ben was barely listening, so wonderful was the feeling of being wrapped up in this lovely dragon's mouth, while at the same time being held in the arms of its even lovelier, very naked human portion.
"Um, Ben?" he dimly heard Undine's voice in his heart. "You've still got your strength. You might want to break out of this before it's too late. I'm not really into having my spring turned into hellfire."
"Just a few seconds more," Ben said. "I've got her right where I want her. I just want to enjoy this…. Ah… a little longer."
"Men are so pathetic," Undine sighed.
"Ben!" Emma yelled. That got his attention. "if you don't get out of that woman's mouth right now, I'll kill you myself!"
Now fully cognizant of his predicament, Ben easily broke free of the dragon's mouth, picked up his sword, and put it to the human portion of Julia's neck.
"Checkmate," He said. "You're not going to make me finish this by sealing you, are you?"
"I think….. I think you've proven your worthiness," Julia said.
The flow of the battle seemed to have moved away from Heidi's location, so she decided to cautiously leave her hiding place. Outside, she saw that the coast was not completely clear. A few demons were still terrorizing what few humans remained in the open, too slow, or too frozen in terror to get out of danger. There were also still a few angels attempting to help where they could. She saw one angel dispatch a demon by running it through with her sword. Another was ministering to a fallen human woman, laying her hands on the human's body and apparently healing her wounds.
Heidi decided to make an attempt for her workplace. The building was huge, with armed security. Since this was not an earthquake, secure buildings would be safer than being outdoors. Looking around furtively, she ran to the building.
No sooner had she started running than some winged thing lifted her from the ground. She screamed in terror and pain as claws dug into her shoulders and her feet were no longer touching solid ground. Her danger was short lived, however, as the creature suddenly let go of her. Heidi fell what must have been ten feet, landing hard on her side. The thing's head landed next to her. She screamed again as the dead eyes of the demon gave her a taunting stare before it turned into dust.
A strong hand lifted her to her feet. "Are you hurt?" a warm female voice asked.
Heidi turned to see the loveliest being she had ever laid eyes on. She was extremely tall, at least six and a half feet, with long brown hair, and entirely naked. She wielded a flaming sword. Heidi had seen paintings of this figure before. Could this be…?"
"A... Are you the Goddess?" Heidi stammered.
"I am," Eden replied. "You must get to safety. These terrible creatures are everywhere. We are getting the better of them but it is still dangerous to be out in the open."
"Thank you!" Heidi cried, embracing Eden. "I promise I'll go to church every week from now on!"
"Simply live a righteous life," Eden replied uncomfortably. "I do not need nor desire your worship. Honor me with your deeds. Now go!"
As Heidi ran to the building, she took one last look at the goddess battling multiple demons attacking her from all sides.
Salamander appraised the group skeptically. Julia had sheepishly shown the four into Salamander's chamber. Salamander had dismissed her gruffly, then looked over each of them one by one, spending an inordinate amount of time glaring at Promestein and saying nothing. Finally, she spoke.
"I've seen some pathetic looking crews in my time, but this…."
"He beat your stupid dragon," Emma sniped. "Pretty easily, actually."
"Julia isn't MY dragon," Salamander replied. "Why, are you Promestein's dragon?"
"Fuck no!"
"I like this girl, Promestein," Salamander said with satisfaction. "Reminds me of Granberia."
"Granberia?!" Emma asked, her attitude changing in a split second. "You knew Granberia?!"
"I knew her better than anyone! I raised her and trained her!"
"Are you serious?!" Emma squealed. "And I remind you of her?!"
"Is she bipolar?" Salamander asked Promestein.
"Do you want my medical opinion?" Promestein asked.
"Never mind. I assume the human is the one who wants to contract with me."
"Did the other three spirits residing in him tip you off?" Promestein asked, eyebrow raised.
"Do you four win battles primarily with that cutting sarcasm?"
"We don't have time for this, Salamander," Promestein said. "Whatever your issues with me, we need to work together. The world is in danger."
"Don't I know it? You four interrupted me while I was watching the news. Take out your tablet, Promestein."
Promestein removed her tablet from her handbag and turned it onto her favorite news station. Ben saw her expression change to one of pure dread. Seeing the others staring at her, she turned up the volume and held the tablet up so that the others could see.
"…the angel army seems to be gaining the upper hand against this invasion of….. what exactly we don't yet know, but casualties are expected to be in the thousands if not tens of thousands. We are still waiting to hear from the President, who was en route by air to Grand Noah when the attack occurred. Her press secretary assures us that the President will address the nation shortly after she lands. I have here a woman who claims to be.... the Goddess Ilias? Is that right?"
"That's right," a beautiful blonde woman all dressed in white answered. "I am your Goddess Ilias."
"Well, while we're waiting for the President to address the country, is there anything you'd like to say to people who must be very scared right now?"
"I do, Andrea, and my statement is this: Run for your lives! I am on the air, right?"
Promestein closed the window. "This is bad," she said.
"I'll say it's bad!" Salamander exclaimed. "Your designated hero doesn't have the Luka ring, and you think running around gathering up spirits is going to save the world?! I thought you were supposed to be smart?!"
"Look, it's all I could think to do! He has an extraordinary affinity for the spirits! Now are you going to help, or not?!"
"Argh.." Salamander muttered. "Boy, give me your wrist. Let's see what happens. Worst case, you blow yourself up."
Salamander took Ben's wrist and in no time at all, joined her three fellow spirits in Ben's heart.
"Yay!" Sylph cheered. "We're all together again! Let's go save the world!"
"Ben?" Promestein said cautiously. "Are you feeling anything unusual?"
"Not y-" Ben started to say, then he burst into flame and started screaming.
"Oh my God!" Promestein shrieked as Ben began to flail around. "Find a fire extinguisher! Something!"
Ashley and Emma frantically looked around. Salamander's lair had a surprising number of modern conveniences, but a fire extinguisher didn't seem to be among them. Promestein could only watch helplessly as Ben burned. Then she noticed that he wasn't being consumed by the flames.
"Ben!" Promestein shouted. "Ben! Listen to me! You're fine! The flames aren't burning you!"
"They aren't?" Ben asked, bewildered. "Oh wow, they aren't! I'm the human torch!"
"Use my power to lower your temperature, Ben!" Undine ordered.
Ben summoned Undine and immediately found an equilibrium. The flames doused. Ben looked himself over. Aw, crap, he thought. Naked again. His clothes had been entirely burned away. And he'd just changed in order to enter Salamander's chamber!
The helicopter was waiting for them outside to take them back to Grangold. Promestein and Ashley had contributed some of their own clothes to Ben's battle against nudity, although that left Promestein wearing only a bra for a top and Ashley with nothing below her waist but some pink underwear. The chopper pilot was a professional, though, and said nothing, not even giving the group a second look.
"So now what?" Ben asked Promestein once they were on the ground in Grangold.
"Now we go to Yamatai," she replied. "It's our last hope of finding the ring. If that fails, then…. I guess we just have to work with what we have. Which admittedly is a lot more than I expected."
"True," Emma said helpfully. "we could do a lot worse than a genuine superhero."
"We'll have to hope it's enough," Promestein said grimly.
Getting to Yamatai wasn't easy. Yamatai had mostly avoided modernization, preferring to stick to its traditions. It was still a small village of no more than two thousand, reliant mostly on farming and sales of specialty products. The nearest airport was a medium sized city to the east known as Edo. Promestein had hoped that perhaps another copter would be waiting for them, but apparently Agent Haven no longer knew where they were. She toyed with the idea of calling him, but decided against it. This particular mission, she preferred to keep from him. The person she was visiting would not appreciate federal agents in her village. In any case, they might be able to get there faster by themselves.
"So here's the deal," Promestein announced as they reached the outskirts of Edo. "I'm pretty familiar with Yamatai, so I can take Ashley and teleport there. Ben, you can fly Emma. Should only take ten, twenty minutes, assuming you don't get lost. It's not a large city, so if your bearing is off, you'll miss it. Since it's behind a mountain range, if you run into the mountains, you went too far."
"I've got sharp eyes," Emma assured her. "I'll navigate for him."
"Great. Then see you in Yamatai!"
"Promestein, wait," Ben urged. "Who are we going to Yamatai to see?"
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you."
"Are we looking for Tamamo?"
"We are," Promestein answered, arching an eyebrow. "Good guess."
"Kinda obvious, actually. If anyone would know where Luka is, or the ring, it would be her. And since she's an immortal, it's safe to assume she's still alive."
"Sometimes I forget that you aren't Luka," Promestein said, shaking her head. "I want so badly for you to be a match that sometimes I get you two confused. Luka would never have figured it out."
"So we're going to meet a genuine Heavenly Knight?!" Emma exulted. "That's awesome! Were any of the others immortal?"
"I'm afraid not. Tamamo was actually undercover as a Knight. She was really an Ancestor, but kept that from the Monster Lord and the other Knights for quite awhile. No, the other Knights are long dead."
"Oh," Emma mumbled, dejected.
"Now let's get going! That barrier could fall any day now! Any hour!"
Ben and Emma's flight to Yamatai went pretty smoothly, all things considered. It was almost fair to say that Ben was pretty good at flying by that point. The only thing that made it a little difficult for him was something that hadn't bothered him the first time: Emma's arms wrapped around him. It made him think about that kiss they'd shared in the hotel the previous night. It also made him think about what it all meant. When they arrived, Promestein and Ashley were waiting.
"So do we know where to find her?" Ben asked.
"The most likely place is right over there," Promestein said, pointing out a shrine near the village center. "That's the fox shrine. Tamamo spends most of her time there when she's not at home. If she's not there, she'll probably be at her house. Hopefully she hasn't changed her address in the last thousand years."
"What's plan B?" Emma asked.
Promestein gestured helplessly. "Look, I know I haven't done the best job here, but…. I'm doing my best. I never thought I'd be running around with three kids trying to save the world. My role was in a lab, giving the people who were actually doing the running around the tools they needed to succeed. If Tamamo isn't here, or she is and there's no Luka or ring…. I just don't know. We just have to hope the world can win a very difficult and bloody war."
"Don't beat yourself up too much," Ben soothed. "The tools you've already given us are pretty amazing."
"That's all you, Ben," the angel scientists said, smiling softly. "You were the one brave enough to contract with the spirits when they warned you that you might die in the process. You were the one who mastered their power in record time. If we win…. It'll probably be because of you. Now let's go and see if we can make your job easier."
The group walked towards the fox shrine. Emma could barely contain her excitement at the prospect of meeting a Heavenly Knight. Villagers milled around, along with a number of monsters of various types: lamias, cat girls, kitsunes, even a couple of slug girls, who eyed Ben with recognition, as if they could tell just by looking that he was part slug himself.
When they reached the shrine, Promestein entered first, the others following closely behind. The ancient shrine had been well kept by the worshipful villagers. If they truly had an immortal among them, it was doubtful that their belief would have declined even after all these years. Ben's heart sank as he saw that the pedestal that he assumed Tamamo must normally sit on to greet worshippers was empty. The only other person in the shrine aside from Ben and his friends was an old lady sweeping the floor.
"Excuse me," Promestein addressed the old lady. "Would you happen to know if Tamamo will be here today?"
The old lady turned and regarded the four people in the shrine coolly. "Who wants to know?" she asked, putting extra grump into her voice.
Promestein eyed the woman suspiciously, then pulled out her phone and pointed it at the old woman.
"You gonna take my picture, young lady?" the cleaning lady asked, shaking her head. "Tourists."
Promestein put her phone back in her pocket. "You can drop the act, Tamamo," Promestein said. "Nice disguise, though."
The old lady turned and glared at Promestein, squinting her eyes. "If you're who I think you are," she said. "Then something very bad must be happening. Was it your fault?"
"Why don't you drop the disguise so you can see more clearly?" Promestein said with a smirk. "I'll give you credit for effort, though. A disguise so convincing that your eyesight is actually poor? Was that really necessary?"
"When you've lived as long as I have," Tamamo said, transforming into the loveliest woman Ben had ever seen. "You enjoy a break from having to see clearly now and then."
"Yamatai Sake will do that for you," Ashley offered.
"I gave up drinking a long time ago," Tamamo said, assessing the succubus with now very sharp eyes. "But if you want some, they keep on bringing it to me as offerings. These kids today don't seem to remember that I prefer tofu. And who are the rest of you? Oh! A dragonkin! Haven't seen one of you in a century or two! A warrior, too, by the looks of you."
"I am a warrior," Emma confirmed, looking quite starstruck. "I'm like, the biggest admirer of the Heavenly Knights."
"Especially Granberia, I'd imagine," Tamamo replied.
"Yeah, but you're a close second!" Emma exclaimed, looking as if she might jump up and down.
"And a human," Tamamo noted, looking at Ben. "With the spirits, no less! Promestein, what in the world have you gotten this boy into?"
"You haven't heard?" Promestein asked. "World ending? Armageddon? Demons? Hell?"
"I don't watch TV," the kitsune replied. "Not many here do. We keep the traditional ways here. Not that I hate technology, mind you. I did win a Nobel after all, although a single Nobel probably means nothing to Mrs. Ten Nobels."
"Twelve."
"Whatever. So what calamity has brought you here and how did you cause it?"
"New Remina is under attack as we speak by demons," Promestein explained. "And that's just a small scale attack. The gates of hell are opening into our world, Tamamo. If we don't find a way to close them again, and lock them tight, we all die. Or worse."
"Zurith?" Tamamo asked.
"Zurith," Promestein confirmed.
"Then I guess I know why you're here. You want the ring."
"I'd rather have Luka," Promestein said. "Is he….?"
"Dead," Tamamo said. "he passed away over a thousand years ago. Do you know that you were the last person he called, Promestein?"
"What?" Promestein was utterly gobsmacked by that revelation. "I don't understand."
"What's hard to understand?" Tamamo asked bitterly. "He always talked about you, always wondered how you were doing. He called you days before his death because he just wanted to make sure everything was good with you."
Promestein seemed at a loss for words. Ben tried to come to her rescue.
"Tamamo, this is why the ring was created by you and Promestein. Promestein seems to think that I can wield it. So…. I dunno, could you give it to us?"
"You see," Tamamo said, shaking her finger. "What I don't get is why anyone would think Promestein would be the ideal candidate to find someone with a soul similar to Luka's. Why not send me? I knew him better than anyone! I was only married to him for four hundred years!"
"Ilias can't get into your dreams, Tamamo," Promestein said.
"You do realize they text in heaven," Tamamo retorted. "Or... Ilias could have come to Yamatai and asked me herself."
"I'm sure she had her reasons for choosing me. Don't think that I was eager to do this. I was so not ready for any of this. You would have been better for this job, no question."
"Well, it's pointless, anyway," Tamamo sighed. "I don't have the ring. It was lost just before Luka died."
Promestein and the others all stared at her in disbelief and dismay. Ben was aghast.
"Lost?!" Promestein exclaimed. "Didn't you secure it?"
"Who do you think I am?" Tamamo retorted. "Of course I secured it! It was in an enchanted box that couldn't be stolen by anyone except the most powerful beings! At first I suspected Ilias, maybe even Alipheese. But then I realized that the ring was not only useless to them, it wasn't really designed to fight them! I'm far more powerful than either of them since Luka depowered them, so if they ever decided to make trouble, I could have dealt with them myself! I don't know anyone alive who was powerful enough to break that seal and who would also have motive! I guess you were capable of it, but if you stole it you wouldn't be here asking me for it! And Eden certainly wouldn't do it!"
"Then logically, that leaves only one possibility," Promestein said.
"And that would be?"
"Luka did something with it, just before he died."
"Why would Luka do that?" Ashley asked.
"I have no idea," Promestein said. "He must have had a reason. Have you heard from Luka since he died?"
Tamamo looked at Promestein as if she was the biggest idiot she'd ever seen. Emma had the same look on her face.
"You do know what dead means, right?" Emma asked.
"Sorry," Promestein said hurriedly. "I wasn't being clear. Luka wasn't like other humans."
"That much is clear, but talking to us from beyond the grave was beyond even him, idiot!" Tamamo growled.
"No! Goddess, why am I stumbling over my words so much? What I meant is, unlike every other human on this planet, he had two godlike beings who were very interested in him. In Eden's case, she even sent him back in time so that he could extend his life by acquiring the immortality ring. And Ilias…."
Tamamo's hands went to her mouth in shock. Tears started to form in her eyes.
"Either one of them could have taken his soul!" Tamamo cried. "Intercepted it before it could pass on! Eden would have taken him to heaven! Ilias….."
"Would hopefully have done the same," Promestein finished.
"You're being optimistic there. Ilias may have done that. She also may have created a Sealed Sinners Prison just for Luka. She did promise to make him suffer someday."
"She's not that person anymore, Tamamo," Promestein said gently. "But it's possible that Luka is in Heaven. And if he's the only one who knows where the ring went…."
"Then we need to go to Heaven and ask him," Tamamo finished. "Could it really be possible? Could my Luka still be….around? But he can't be! He would have contacted me!"
"I know it's a long shot, Tamamo, but it's all we've got left. We have to go to Heaven."
"Wait a minute!" Tamamo said with sudden realization. "You found the Rings of Brocia with a device that analyzed one in order to find the others! You made the Luka Ring! Why haven't you just scanned for it?"
"I did," Promestein answered. "It's nowhere on this world. But as I learned with the five rings, that could mean it's in heaven, or in subspace, maybe even on Earth. If somehow it was stolen, it could even be enchanted to hide its signature if someone knew I might be scanning for it."
"Are we really going to… Heaven?" Ben asked. "Like, that place is real? Real Heaven?"
"More like a fake heaven," Promestein scoffed."We call Ilias and Eden goddesses and their home Heaven, but it's not the real afterlife. Ilias and Eden do have the ability to rescue souls from death. Ilias was once even powerful enough to resurrect someone, at least as long as she had the person's soul in her possession. But except for very special cases, she just allows the dead to move on to whatever the real afterlife is. And now we know about one particular afterlife."
"Hell," Ashley said, shuddering.
"Okay," Ben said. "Still, we're going to go to this quasi-heaven to find Luka?"
"She might be right," Tamamo said. "I don't want to get my hopes up about seeing my dear Luka, but it's quite possible that either Eden or Ilias did take his soul. If they were going to take anyone to Heaven, to keep him for themselves, it would be those two."
"But if they did that," Emma observed. "Then why bother with having Promestein find a match for his ring? They already have Luka!"
"Yeah, a very dead Luka, who is nothing but a shade," Promestein explained. "Ilias isn't powerful enough to fully resurrect anyone anymore. Luka doesn't have a body. But you bring up a good point. If they do have Luka, then they should already know where the ring is. So why send me searching for it?"
"Did she actually send you searching for the ring?" Tamamo asked. "Or did she send you searching for someone to wield the ring?"
Promestein slapped herself in the head. "My Goddess! I can't believe how stupid I am! She did tell me to find a hero! She did not tell me to find the ring! Maybe she even has it! How could I have been so stupid!?"
"I guess our mission is clear, then," Tamamo declared. "Put your teleportation boots on, we're going to Heaven!"