"My! If ever there were a more satisfying sight! At last, I have you!" I looked around for the source of the voice but all I saw was black. There was no one, but at the same time, I felt a terrible presence that sent shivers down my spine.
"Behind you, Cat-Boy," the voice informed. I turned around and I was greeted by an ordinary man. He was just as tall as me, with dark skin and large, intimidating muscles. His head was bald and two large scars sat there like small ridges in his skull. His eyes glowed a bright fiery yellow and his stare in the darkness that surrounded me made me feel vulnerable and fearful.
"Who are you?" I wondered quietly.
The man chuckled, his voice was deep and threatening, "Who else do you think would greet you at the Gates of the Underworld?"
My blood ran cold when his words reached my ears and it suddenly clicked. His name repeated over and over in my mind but my voice said nothing. Still, a cruel smile crossed the man's lips and he nodded in satisfaction.
"That's right, boy. You know who I am," he purred. I shook my head slowly in denial; there was no way! For years everyone went on and on about religion and the afterlife and they believed it be so real. I thought it was all a joke! I never took it seriously and now, here I stand; dead and in the midst of the devil himself... I truly was doomed to suffer for eternity. What the hell have I done to myself?
"Not quite what you expected, was it? Well... now that you've realised the truth of your fate and what you did to get you here, I should move you along to your designated pit... I have a very special place for slime like you..." the Devil stated as he took a step backwards and promptly turned on his heel. He walked into the shadows but, in my surprise, I chased after him, yelling like a loon.
"Wait! I can't go there!" I exclaimed. I knew deep down that I was on many levels of wrong and Satan clearly knew that as well. He turned to me with a condescending look in his glowing eyes, the intimidating stare causing me to pause for a moment and reevaluate if what I was doing was smart. It was not a smart idea at all, but my cowardice gave me bravery.
"I can't go there just yet, I have unfinished business!" I said. Satan scoffed in amusement.
"No, you don't... I watched you die as you told yourself you could die once you saw that... girl. I watched you drag yourself twenty miles while you thought you could die once you knew she was alive! Hell, you were gonna free her but once you saw her, you were so caught up in your own damaged mind, you forgot to unlock the cage for her, let alone even bring the damn key!" Satan explained harshly; however, his words sparked a thought within me that I had previously never considered and it fueled my persistence.
"Exactly! I wanted to free her and I didn't!" I stated. Satan paused, staring at me intently with a look as if he were judging me. I knew then that I had caught a loophole and that loop was gift-wrapped by the Devil himself.
"And what will you do once you freed her? Use her again? Keep her for your own sadistic needs?... not like a soul like hers doesn't deserve any of that, but the idea that a mortal like you would be the one to punish such a mutt is in and of itself, a sin," Satan pressed, stepping up to me with his chin raised and a disgusted look on his face. As troubled as I was by his words, I refused to show that I was frightened.
"I would do nothing. Once she's freed and we settle our differences, you can claim my soul and torture me all you want," I informed boldly, raising my chest confidently. The Devil stared daggers into my soul.
"And ignore the mutt that you just allowed to roam free? My dear, Cat-Boy... she would cause havoc wherever she goes. Her bloodthirst is stronger than you think... I'm sure you can't forget when she nearly ripped your damn throat out?... Now imagine what she would do to helpless, innocent souls... the answer is no. She should remain in that cage forever," Satan hissed threateningly. His words and the tone he used sent shivers down my spine. He clearly knew more about Tae than I did and despite his obvious hate for me at the moment; I could tell he was more worried about Tae being free. I was but another damned soul in the eyes of the devil, but Tae... she was a "mutt", whatever that meant in Hell terms.
"But say she was to escape... wouldn't the years of being locked away have fueled her 'hunger', causing her to be more driven to hunt these 'innocent souls'?" I inquired, challenging the devil's logic. He may know more about Tae, but I knew more about how she thinks and I was going to use that to my advantage.
Again, Satan paused and stared at me with a manner of disdain. I could tell he hated me and every word I said. Yet I was clever and correct, which is exactly the reason he hated me. Because for once, his understanding of humanity was being challenged by a lowly magician ringmaster. His mannerisms made me begin to feel quite confident in myself and I began to see this encounter as nothing more than a series of riddles to solve in order to get past.
Satan gnawed on his lip for a few brief seconds before sighing in exasperation and pointing his finger at me, "Fine... let's make a deal, Cat-Boy."
I smiled, "A'ight. I say a classic game of poker should determine what happens."
Lucifer reluctantly nodded, "Agreed, go on."
"If you win, nothing happens and you get to keep my soul and do what you will with me. If I win, you will return me to the earth and let me remain on earth until my differences with Tae are settled."
Satan held up his hand for me to pause and he added, "And if she refuses to comply... you will both be dragged back to Hell."
I considered his addition to my deal; either way, I would be going to Hell, but one outcome includes prolonged time on Earth- possible immortality- and eternity with Tae in Hell. Both outcomes were a win-win for Satan, but if I were to read between the lines and find yet another loophole with his words, my outcome could prove to be complete freedom from Hell's grip. I was sold. It was a deal.
Eventually, with an innocent smile, I agreed and shook the devil's hand, officially sealing our deal. That was it, there was no backing out now and I had to win. Whatever measures I had to take, I would take them.
Without another word, Satan turned and lead me over to a small card table that was illuminated by a small lantern in the centre. A thick deck of cards and a case of poker chips sat nearby. I never questioned how the table got there without me seeing it as I had quickly dismissed it as being a result of the devil's power. I was far more focused on my strategy to win anyway and didn't have room to ponder mysterious poker tables.
We sat down and I watched intently as the Devil shuffled the singed deck and dealt the poker chips as they should be. I stared at each card he dealt intently; I examined my own cards and even the deck itself to see which clever trick would be easiest for me to use in my arsenal of illusions. Everything seemed completely honest and normal, which was my advantage. I could handle normal cards like no one's business.
Our game started calmly and quietly, with nothing at all to note of importance. I kept my mind clear and my face blank in order to focus. Every move I made had a specific purpose; right down to even scratching my ear. Every move was subtle yet deliberate and Satan never took notice. He was too preoccupied with managing his own cards and leading the game.
The poker chips began to pile up on the table as bets were placed and the stakes rose higher. Those chips represented my freedom but I wasn't panicking. My cards were all working in my favour and my secret scheme was still unnoticed. Satan's strategy grew obvious to me the longer I observed him. He would deliberately put out useless cards, only to presumably take in more useless cards in order to preserve his valuables. I knew which cards were his valuables because of this and took note.
The cards were like my own minions at this point. They obeyed me and no amount of occult magic from the devil could change that. I was far in the lands of victory but my hand displayed an evident loss. Satan had no clue what was coming to him and he continued to play on, unaware of what was about to happen.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity of my continuous scheme, he gave me a sly grin and laid down his hand for me to see: a perfect straight flush. Quite a hard win to surpass if I had been playing honestly all along.
"Your soul is mine, Cat-Boy," Satan smiled, his yellowed, sharp teeth glimmering in the light of the lantern. I remained stoic as I glanced back down at my cards, moved them around between my hands, and sighed quietly. I fueled the Devil's own triumph for a few moments before calmly and placently laying down my royal straight flush.
"Oh, what a shame, it doesn't look like it," I answered him disappointed. Satan's mouth went agape and he stared in disbelief between both of our hands.
"Unbelievable!" he muttered quietly to himself, going through my hand of cards to make sure there was nothing sketchy about them. I simply sat there, innocently gazing at him as if nothing at all was stuck up my sleeve. I revelled silently in my pride and triumph as I watched him double and triple check our cards in disbelief.
"Well? Our deal?" I reminded. Satan looked up at me with widened eyes before at last, sighing and accepting his defeat.
"A deal is a deal..." he mumbled, slouching in his chair and waving me off. I smiled kindly, stood from my chair, and bowed politely, commenting on the good game we had as I did so. The devil rolled his eyes, too disappointed in himself to really return the polite manners.
Satan watched me as I began to walk away from him; however, I stopped when I felt one last card still folded cleverly in my sleeve. The darkness around me was beginning to brighten into blinding light and the devil, still sat at the poker table with a darkened look in his eyes, was disappearing. Feeling the card within my fingers, I began to chuckle at the thought of making the devil look like a fool. Still snickering, I turned to the man.
"Oh, dear Satan, before I go," I started. Satan cocked an eyebrow and I proudly held up the singed Queen of Spades for him to see.
"You are a fool to think a magician wouldn't have a little trick or two up his sleeve!" I laughed triumphantly as the black world around me faded even further. Satan's manner changed in that instant and his eyes began to flare with rage. He threw the poker table out of his way and charged toward me, horns grew from the scars on his head and large, disgusting wings emerged from behind him. The devil pointed a sharp, clawed finger at me as he approached but the blackness was already too far gone for him to reach me.
"REGINALD MACSEREN YOU WILL BE DAMNED FOR ALL ETERNITY YOU SLIMY BAS-" His voice faded into nothingness and I left him with the sound of my taunting laughter in his ears. I'm not afraid of a pathetic little curse! Try and stop me, you wanker!