Chapter 18
As usual, when I stepped through a gate leading to another world, my connections snapped. It was still disorienting and unnerving. I paused and checked what I still had. My main connection to Morwan was still there, stretching off into nothingness. I sighed with relief.
I checked the spells I had ready, and was relieved to see them shining and ready in my mind. It was an impressive list of spells, too. All my magical items were charged and at the ready, also. I also had a connection I had never seen before, but knew it for what it was: a connection to CHAOS.
The world I found myself in was warm. A ubiquitous red haze seemed to be prevalent. I mean, it was everywhere! The landscape was an artist's conception of a moonscape, or perhaps a Mars-scape I had seen in a fiction magazine, years ago.
"Are you alright? I see you are distressed," Sheblia said to me.
"I'm fine. Let's just get to the gate where I am needed, shall we?" I responded to her.
"Very well. We must walk a ways, first. Then we shall gate to a new part of the realm," she said to me, leading off.
"We can't teleport to where we need to go?" I asked curiously.
"Unfortunately, this is only the first of several lands we must go through, in order to reach our goal. Unlike your Morwan, we must travel through the lesser lands in order to reach the greater land," she said as if that explained everything.
"Your world has different lands then?" I asked curiously.
She peered at me. "This land is one of the latest added to our realm. We conquered it some hundreds of your years ago. We are ever vigilant for the chance to add to our strength by conquering the weaker," she said almost proudly.
"So the gate we need to get to is at a different land in your realm?" I asked, trying to grasp something that I seemed to be missing.
As we continued to walk, she started explaining her world to me.
"When our world was first created, it had just one area, or land. As we grew in power and knowledge, we learned that we could create a gate between worlds. As we did this, we added lands to our control.
"We started to call these new lands circles, with the place of our birth being the first circle. Each land added was considered a new circle, until our great one deemed we had enough new circles.
"Now, when a new land is added to our realm, it is added to an existing circle. This is the 21st circle of circle 29. 29 was deemed enough circles, and Lords were created to rule each circle. All lands are now absorbed by the circle that captures it.
"If a Circle Lord captures enough worlds, he can increase the size of his circle to the point that it replaces the circle above it in power and preeminence. Thus all circle lords try to capture new worlds.
"The Lord who tried and failed to capture your world, will be stripped of power. He will be sent to serve as a laborer in the farthest and weakest circle, until he can prove himself by taking power from that circle's Lord," she said as we continued our walk.
"Why don't you just kill him, like you did Elpor?" I asked curiously.
She laughed. "Foolish mortal, Elpor is not dead. He is just changed, and in punishment. I destroyed his current body, and he serves a time in great agony and pain, to remind him not to fail, again. We do not throw away those who have served well.
"He will be given a chance, again, sometime in the future. If he is very clever, he can gain his freedom by stealing the power of someone around him. It will be interesting to see what he does, and how long he takes doing this," Sheblia told me in an amused tone of voice.
I was stunned and disgusted. Talk about a place to learn the art of backstabbing! If what she said was true, this was a peculiar place indeed. They encouraged their people to climb over one another. What a way to run a world. Come to think of it, it sounded an awful lot like 'corporate America'!
"If I may ask, what level or circle are you from?" I asked her curiously.
She straightened, and seemed to grow in stature before my eyes.
"I am of the 3rd circle. I oversee the running of lesser circles and dispense judgments and rewards to those in charge. I have been chosen to be on the great ones council, when the next opening comes," she said in a proud voice.
"How do openings occur?" I asked curiously.
"Any may challenge anyone on the council. Once challenged, the two will fight until one either surrenders, or is dead. There is no appeal from that death. It is the final death. If you fight and surrender, you are then a slave until you win free," Sheblia said.
While it might not be the correct thing to do, I wished her luck when she became a council member. She looked at me, startled for a moment, then smiled at me.
"Why, thank you. I accept your luck wish with gratitude. Ah, here we are. We will now gate to the next circle. Come, we have far to go," she said, and we entered another gate.
I won't bore you with the trip, as we went inward to the more powerful circles. I saw humans, or what seemed to be humans. I saw other things that are better left to your imagination. Let's just say I was going to have nightmares for years to come.
We finally arrived at the third circle. We came out of a gate, to a building that looked like any pre-industrial municipal city building. The floor was of a marble looking substance, which was clean and polished.
Support columns held up the ceiling a good twenty feet above our heads. I was surprised, really. This was the first circle or world that seemed almost normal to me. Sheblia led me to a hall, and we went down it quickly.
"We will be met by another guide. We are fortunate indeed. This one has the power to create a door to where we have to go. He is powerful, indeed," I heard envy in her voice.
"Is he on this council," I asked.
"No. He is second in command. You might think of him as the prince, or the heir apparent to the throne. None are so foolish as to even think of challenging him. His power is such, that even your Jorslan might loose in a fight with him. I would never even think of challenging him," she said as she led me through a bewildering path of rooms.
Although I tried to memorize the path, it was impossible. Instead, I concentrated on trying to memorize a place to teleport to if I had to. While it was difficult, I finally got something committed to memory.
My guide came to a stop outside a door. It was not a particularly fancy door or memorable door, just your normal wooden door. Sheblia looked at me.
"I ask you now to give me your word you will not antagonize the one we meet inside. I gave my oath to protect you, but he has power to kill me easily. I will die to protect you if I have to, but I would rather not," she said in a half begging voice.
I gaped at her. This being must be something. She was actually begging me!
"Sheblia, you have been the very soul of courtesy. I would be a poor guest indeed, if I caused you trouble at this point. I give you my word I will not instigate anything to cause you a problem," I said with a slight bow to her.
She relaxed, and nodded to me. She knocked on the door.
"Come," a huge sounding voice said.
We entered, and I looked around. We seemed to have entered a library of some sort. A statue of what I considered a devil or THE devil was holding a huge book in its hands. I didn't see anyone inside, so I looked again.
Sheblia went to the statue and kneeled to it. The statue moved! Shit! It wasn't a statue at all, it was an honest to 'god', actual devil! It stood eight feet tall, had the horns on its head, and a tail. For crying out loud, it was the description of the devil that we on earth had feared for so long! And there is stood, before me!
I'm afraid I didn't do well at first. I gaped at him. His mouth moved into, I don't know. I could not tell if it was a smile or a snarl. It started hissing. I looked at Sheblia. She seemed startled to say the least.
Finally, I got the impression that it was laughing. Its wings were opening and closing, as it laughed at me. It handed the great book to Sheblia, who stood, and staggered as if the book weighed a lot.
"Welcome, Paul. It is a pleasure to see one who has come from my favorite world to play in. It has been some time since I was on Earth. Perhaps you can fill me in on what has been happening since I was last there?" he said to me.
"Uh," I said with profound eloquence.
"Forgive me. Allow me to introduce myself. I am called many names, but you may call me Shaitan," he said, as if he was saying he was Bill or Tom.
Shaitan! Come on! The most feared being on earth was standing before me here?
I finally got control of myself. I bowed to him.
"It is with mixed feelings, that I say that I am happy to make your acquaintance," I said, tongue in cheek.
He threw his head back and laughed. Then he started to change! He shrunk, and his features flowed. It was disconcerting to watch as it happened. Shortly, a nude man was before me. A moment later, and he was garbed in a very deep red robe.
Now I was looking at a bald man, with black eyes. He was still tall, and very muscular. He radiated power, but I hadn't felt it until he had changed form. Now how how he blocked that? The power he radiated made Sheblia's power look like a small campfire compared to a blazing inferno.
"You have done well, Sheblia. Leave us," Shaitan said.
"My Lord, I have given oaths to the gods. I have sworn to protect him," Sheblia said a bit nervously.
I narrowed my eyes. Shaitan looked from me to Sheblia.
"I am aware of the oaths you swore. I will not harm him. As a matter of fact, would you like a beer?"
This last was addressed to me. He held out a hand, both of which now held a bottle of Hofbrau.
"Given freely, with no strings attached, as you from Earth would say," he told me.
I looked to Sheblia, and she nodded slightly to me. I accepted one and thanked him. I opened the bottle, and took a drink. It was served at room temperature, which was the correct way to drink a good German beer.
"Ah, thank you. It's been a while since I've had a Hof," I told him.
"Think nothing of it. We have time before I will make a door to the Great One's palace.
He actually came to me and sniffed me. "Good! I smell the power of chaos about you! I am glad you have that power with you. I had wondered what it was about you that our seers said was important," he said, and took a long gulp of his beer.
I could not believe I was standing here, drinking beer with one of earth's most feared icons! Could anything be more surreal? I took a gulp of my beer.
"So, chaos has a special power here?" I asked him.
"Chaos is the primal source of all power. It is what the creator used when he created all. It is also a power that has long been denied to us. None of demon kind can touch it. I think not even the ancient ones can handle Chaos, either.
"But that is for tomorrow. This day we will eat and drink, and give you a chance to recover from your journey. Sheblia, you have done well as I said. Go to your place and take charge of the defenses being readied," Shaitan told her.
With a last glance to me, she bowed and was gone. I looked at Shaitan, and he got two more bottles out of nowhere, and handed me one. I wondered if he was trying to get me drunk? This time the beer was cold, and of a different brand.
"Now then, while we wait for the feast I have ordered, tell me of that Earth you lived on for so long. It has been some time since I was last there. Unfortunately, I am blocked from taking active interest in that world for some time to come," he said to me.
I was stymied. This was not how I had envisioned the devil to be. Was this a trick to get me to lower my guard? I just didn't know. So I told him about the politics that were going on when I left.
We talked for a while, and then there was a knock on the door.
"That will be our repast. COME!" He said, raising his voice to those without.
I hate to say it, but it was a very good meal indeed. There was a roast, mashed potatoes, gravy, corn on the cob, peas, and a fruit like substance as dessert. All in all, I was stuffed at the end of the meal.
After the meal, I could feel how tired I was. Shaitan summoned a servant, and he told me a room had been prepared for me to sleep in, tonight. He said he would send for me in the morning. I was escorted a short distance down a hall, to another room.
I went in. It was a well appointed two room apartment. A bed and a chamber pot were in one room, and a chair and sofa were in a sort of a receiving room. That was it.
I looked the room over for hidden spells. Nothing. I cast a spell of protection, and lay down. I don't even remember falling asleep.
Edited By TeNderLoin