" The Towering Worlds : Hell's Chalice. ™ "
A Story written by @mohhdude.
(Be warned, there will be references from other series in this book!!)
Alternative Names -
" TTW : HC.™ "
" Protocol — Hell's Chalice. ™ "
" End of Earth, Beginning of Hell. ™ "
Chapter XVI :
"In the Wake of Solomon."
Act I : The Dungeon Tower of Hell.
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" For my mouth shall speak truth; and wickedness is an abomination to my lips. "
— Archangel Solomon.
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Victor ran his hand up his hair, trying to process the situation and what he just saw. Huffing, his breath was slightly visible from how cold the city of Grandolia is getting. Victor's eyes were slightly red after seeing a flash of memories burst through his head.
Victor glances at Leif, beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, trickling down his face and then to his chin. Dripping on the floor. Victor take a deep breath, looking at Leif who is shaking from the red eye glowing on Leif's back.
" … Leif… Why didn't you tell us about this…? ", Victor said whilst trying to find a reason for Leif's secret, while captivated by disbelief. Victor tried to make contact with the eye, then getting another flash of memories. As if the eye wants to communicate.
" Shit… I'm getting a headache… ", Nonetheless, Victor still wished to make contact with the eye, fascinated by such a symbol of a pact, " … You are… The eye of Solomon… Yes? ", Victor said to the eye. As the eye split itself in two, Victor made contact with the pact symbol that was glancing at him. The Second eye travels from Leif's back to Victor's Hand. Victor did not notice this action taking place.
" … Indeed, I am Solomon. ", a Voice said in Victor's head. Victor flinched, but regained his stance nonetheless. Victor commuted with the voice now in his head. Victor held his head, whilst sweating. Sitting on the bedside chair and closing his eyes to converse with Solomon.
" You are one of the people who has seen me. Thus, I shall make a contract with you. ", Victor saw Solomon in his mindscape, Solomon was wrapped in black ash, covering his body and face. Except his white hair and golden eyes.
" … Why me? ", Victor asked Solomon. " I will not repeat my reason, you fool. You are one of the people including Leif Sagamore, who has actually seen me or my pact symbol. ", Victor felt a burn in his hand.
A pact was forged.
" Now… If you agree to these terms and conditions, I will not bother you. Only keeping an… 'Eye' on you.", Victor was unamused by the sudden pun, Solomon was stone faced by it, He had felt no sense of joy by making a pun. " … At least show some emotion when you make a pun… Lord Solomon. ", Victor said to Solomon.
" Either way, I do not have a choice, do I? ", Solomon formed the rules of the pact, forming it in flames and then appeared behind Victor, grabbing his hands from behind. Whispering in his ear. " No, from now on… You will share a spot with Leif Sagamore as my vessel. Am I understood, Victor Ivanov? "
Victor flinched from Solomon suddenly grabbing his hands. Solomon forces Victor's index finger to sign the contract. Victor's hands were then released from Solomon's grasp. Victor opened his eyes, Leif was shaking Victor with one hand on Victor's shoulder.
" Victor!, Victor! Wake up! ", Leif shouted at him. Victor flinched, waking up. With the pact symbol on Victor's palm. However, unlike Leif's pact symbol which was an open eye, Victor's pact symbol was a closed eye.
" Ugh… ", Leif looks left and right, walking to the door. Seemingly healed, Leif walked to the door, opening it, looking left and right outside of the hall. " … Leif.. ", Victor said, Leif turns to Victor.
" What? ", Victor glanced at Leif whilst sitting on the bedside chair, leaning forward with his hand on his head. " … How long have you been hiding it from us… ", Leif tilted his head in confusion from Victor's sudden question. " Hiding what? Stop being so vague already… "
Victor got up, walking to Leif, pulling him by the shirt collar. Looking at him with anger and disappointment filled in his eyes.
" DO NOT PLAY THESE GAMES WITH ME, LEIF! WHY AND HOW DID YOU GET IN A PACT WITH ARCHANGEL SOLOMON?! ", Leif widened his eyes, looking to the side with a look of sorrow. " Don't try to look sorry… We traveled a long distance, the least you could do is at least tell us about the encounter! How did the pact even get forged anyway?! "
" … When I reached floor 10 in The Tower of Hell"… I saw him. Sitting at the top of the staircase, on a Throne made of Marble… He offered to make a pact with me, so I accepted it. After I made a pact with him, He said he had the knowledge of everything granted to him by Aria. "
Victor flinched, looking at Leif, His eyes no longer were filled with anger and disappointment, but sheer disbelief. His eyes widened the moment Leif said that. " … He's Omniscient*…? "
(*Omniscient – Knowledge of anything and everything)
Leif nodded; Victor let's go of his collar. " … I see… " Victor showed Leif his palm, The Pact was sealed. Victor is now sharing the spot of a vessel same as Leif. Leif was shocked to see this. " … Victor, I'm so sorry I dragged you into this… ", Victor sighed. " No more secrets, you'll explain this to the rest of the group. "
Leif nodded, " I will. ", Leif replied. " … Let's go to the apartment Aurum rented for all of us… Okay? ", Leif nodded once again. Victor walked outside of room door. Leif followed Victor to the hospital exit, Victor & Leif walked to the rented apartment.
Victor balled up his fist, Leif kept walking as he conversed with Solomon in his head.
… " Hey… So why did you form a pact with Victor? ", " … I found him interesting. He was one of the only people to actually withstand the flashes of my knowledge and memories. ", " Riiight… Ok, but are you sure you can trust Victor with your own power? ", " …Are you, Sasaki Yamamoto, implying that your friend, Victor Ivanov, will betray you? "
" … I don't… I don't know. In my previous life, I was betrayed many times… But the group I currently have is… some sort of a… ", " An unhinged family? ", " ..Yeah, I guess… But they are like my family. ", " … I see, well… We can talk tomorrow. ", " … Okay. "
Leif & Victor reached the apartment, Leif knocked on the door, Kalon woke up from the knocking. Sheri was awake the whole time. Sheri tucked Kalon in bed, Kalon slowly drifted back to sleep. Sheri walked to the door. Sheri opened the door.
" Oh, Hey Vick, How're you doing, Leif? ", Leif smiled, nodding his head. " I'm fine. Are your cuts and wounds okay, Sheri? ", Sheri nodded. " I'm better than ever. Don't worry. "
Leif walked in with Victor, two futons were set on the floor. " I already got two days of sleep, I'm fine. ", Victor would lay on the futon, The Sky was brightening by every hour. Leif spent the hours speaking with Sheri, telling her what happened on the tenth floor.
" … So, you made a pact with Archangel Solomon, went to the other floor, then proceeded to get your ass beat by a three headed dog, huh? ", Leif snickered from the mockery, but he nodded. " Yeah, I did. Did you eat anything before going to bed, Sheri? "
Sheri nodded, " Yeah, I did. I gave Kalon and Aurum food, too. Both of them seemed to like it. ", Leif leaned back on the chair. The sunlight shined through the window, before Leif fell on his back with the chair. " ACK- "
Aurum woke up from the crash, " Ugh… stop with the loud noises… " Aurum threw a pillow at Leif. Kalon yawned as he woke up. " … Mister Leif! ", Leif got up, dusting his pants. Just to see Kalon leaping to him and hugging him.
" Woah! You've gotten… a tiny bit taller, Since we've last seen eachother! ", Leif ruffles Kalon's head. Looking at the small stump on the side of Kalon's forehead, where his horn is. " Oh, you cut it? ", Kalon nodded, Leif turned to Sheri. " Kalon's Horn is like our finger nails, we have to cut them before they grow too long. "
" … Right, but what race IS Kalon? ", The sudden question made Sheri think. " Well… I think he's a Brutacian* Child mixed with Human blood. Since most Brutacians have horns. ", Sheri replied.
( *Brutacian : a Race of large humanoid people with horns on their body, Usually described as a Hostile race, but they are very nice if you meet them. )
Kalon nuzzled his face on Leif's stomach, Leif chuckled, rubbing the back of Kalon's head. " Alright, Kalon, I'll go get something to eat. Then, I'll be back. ", Kalon pulled back from the hug. Smiling brightly as he looked up at Leif. " Okay! Be careful, Mister Leif! ", Leif takes note of that, opening the door, waving at Kalon then closing the door.
Leif went downstairs to get breakfast, Victor was upstairs, sleeping. Aurum was brushing his teeth; Sheri was looking outside the window. Leif bought a piece of bread, carrots, and cucumbers. After eating them, Leif walked around the city for thirty minutes.
" It's pretty cold… Might have to get a jacket later. ", The Sun was blocked by the traveling clouds in the sky, The Streets were bustling with people who were shopping or having food. Leif walked back to the apartment, opening the door.
" I'm back! ", Leif shouted, Victor was snoring loudly as there was a cockroach on the floor, Kalon was at a corner standing with Aurum, Aurum looked at Leif, " LEIF, HELP, THERE IS A PEST HERE! ", Sheri passed by after washing her hair, a towel around her neck, Sheri was wearing casual footwear as Sheri stepped on the cockroach.
Leif slowly blinked, Kalon hugged Leif again. " Welcome back, Mister Leif!! ", Leif smiled slightly, patting the child's head. Kalon let's go of the hug, Leif would stretch a bit and groan. " Alright! It's time to lea- ", Victor's snoring was slightly loud.
Leif sweats a bit, Sighing. " … Sorry, Sheri.. if you could- ", Sheri, without hesitation, raised her leg and stomped on Victor's stomach. " WAKE UP, VICTOR! IT'S TIME TO LEAVE! ", Victor spat out, coughing a bit as the side of his mouth drooled. He held his stomach, rolling on his left side while shaking.
Not able to say a word since he was gasping for air, with weakly words, Victor said: " Y-You cou-could've… woke me… up… without a… stomp… ", Sheri stepped on his ankle. " C'mon! Stop being a baby, we have to go and find Gudo! ", Victor sat up, his hair was messy as he yawned.
" Ugh… You're such a bitch… ", Victor held his stomach as he scratched his head. Sheri then delivered a kick right between Victor's legs. " THERE IS A CHILD HERE! " Victor was ffrozen.
Victor Ivanov, in fact, could not get up from his futon.
Leif covered Kalon's ears the whole time, because an argument between Sheri & Victor can't exist without swears and offensive slurs.
" You… fucking… valkie… ", …Sheri then proceeded to beat up Victor after such a slur.
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After a full 10 minutes of them throwing swears at each other, Victor was healed by Sheri. Victor still felt the pain in his pelvis. Victor had breakfast, so did Sheri, Aurum, and Kalon at a restaurant outside.
The Five walked outside of the restaurant, Sheri held a mana potion in her hand as she chugged it down. The Five had purchased coats for the winter. They walked out of Grandolia after doing so. " Alright, are we forgetting anything? ", Victor said.
After checking, The Five of them left the City of Grandolia with a purpose and 5 backpacks filled with food and supplies, to find Gudo Nomasaki and get him back. " … So how did Gudo get kidnapped? And how did the Paradox know we were here to begin with? " Leif asked, " Oh, uh… "
Sheri scratched the back of her head, Sighing. " Aurum did. Aurum feared for the safety for the City so- ", In a quick moment, Leif's sword was unsheathed and pointed at the neck of Aurum.
Victor caught the back of the sword, his index, middle, and thumb holding it tightly with struggle. Aurum sweats. " … Leif, listen, He will help us find Gudo. You can decide the rest from there. Okay? ", Victor said. Victor broke a bead of sweat, as Leif's pact on his back glowed red.
Victor's pact glowed red as well, Leif pulls his sword back from Aurum's neck, " … Don't think for a second you're off the hook after we rescue Gudo, Aurum. ", Aurum sighed. Nodding his head, Understanding Leif's words. Leif sheathed his sword.
" Alright… Where do we go next? ", Aurum scratched his chin from Victor's question. Aurum pulls out a map tracing his finger from Grandolia, The Holy City to Putresc, The City of Rot. " All I know is that one of their hideouts are in Putresc, we travel there, shake the information off the guards about their whereabouts, then go there. "
Leif nodded, Sheri tapped on Leif's back. " Yeah, Mind explaining this symbol too? ", Leif sighed. " Okay, I'll explain. I made a pact with Archangel Solomon at the tenth floor on the Dungeon Tower of Hell. "
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Kalon was confused as to who was Solomon, Aurum was frozen in shock, Sheri clears her throat before asking a very nice, and gentle question: " Ahem, Excuse me… "
" WHAT THE HELL DID YOU JUST SAY?!?! ", Sheri shakes Leif by gripping on his shirt collar repeatedly. Sheri was in anger and shock at the same time.
" Ugh… this is exactly why I never wanted to tell them… ", " If I could laugh, I would. " Solomon replied to Leif's sorrow.
— Chapter XVIII, Fin.