The Raven Part 6: End of the World

Chapter 12

Jake sat on the edge of the marble platform waiting and massaging his jaw. He felt shameful after his time with Lilith, and his stomach was beyond full. "Stop acting like a baby," Pam chided beside him, "It's over and done with now, and we have what we came for."

"Says the girl who didn't just suck a dick and eat a demon's pussy," Jake replied, "Excuse me if my mouth is sore after that."

"I'll only say this because they're not around, but don't pretend some part of you didn't enjoy that," Pam said, "Personally I've never been a fan of cocks. You have a surprising lack of a gag reflex, though. I thought for sure once you hit the base you'd be retching."

"Not helping," Jake said, his cheeks turning pink, "I'm just glad it's over. Any idea what's happening back on earth?"

"No," Pam sighed, "The enchantment I placed on Beth's collar isn't strong enough to travel between dimensions, so I have no way of monitoring the situation. Back on topic, how does Ashley feel about your...technique?"

"Pam, please," Jake begged.

Ashley sat beside him with a wry grin, "You can tell her that I found it quite entertaining and enlightening."

"She's laughing," Jake sighed, "Can we talk about anything else, please?"

"I need a distraction, Jake," Pam said, "I'm terrified that this is taking too long and that we'll be too late. If that means having to talk about your uncanny ability to suck a dick, then you're going to have to deal with it."

She was worried. He could understand that. He didn't like it, but he knew she was anxious about leaving Beth behind. "They'll survive," he said, trying to reassure her, "You know as well as I do how tough Beth is."

"They're being pursued," Victoria's voice called out, "They've already lost one of their own, and the pretender has taken it upon herself to hunt them down. I'd apologize for bursting your pathetically hopeful bubble, but hope is such a trivial and human idea."

Pam whirled around and glared at the demoness, "Arrogance is something that transcends our kind and yours has in abundance," she growled, "What is taking so long?"

"Impudence and impatience," Victoria scoffed, "The mark of the entitled and sad. Mother is preparing a special ritual that will bind our kin to Jake. I assume that neither of you wish for the soldiers you're taking with you to ravish your world, or am I wrong?"

"Who did they lose?" Jake asked, ignoring Victoria's patronizing tone.

"Alexis," Victoria replied, "She hasn't materialized on our plane, but she was caught in an explosion of self-sacrifice."

"Show me," Pam ordered.

"You don't get to make demands at me, little girl," Victoria said, "You are a child in an ageless domain, and I won't be-"

Pam's aura flared as her anger surged, "Show me what's happening, or I'll demonstrate the vast difference between myself and your average mortal. If you think that I fear you, you're sadly mistaken."

"Pam," Jake said, trying to keep his friend from jeopardizing their plan.

"Let her speak, boy," Victoria sneered, "I forget just how irrational and foolish you humans are. This is a pleasant reminder of just why it's so rewarding to crush your spirits."

"Victoria, stop antagonizing our guests," Lilith called, "Show the girl what she wants to see."

"Lucky little ape," Victoria grumbled before waving her hand and calling back, "Right away, mother."

"That's right, do as you're told, girl," Pam chided, "For all your talk, you're nothing but a worthless and pathetic pawn for someone greater than yourself."

"Isn't that what you are, Pamela?" Victoria asked as a cloud of smoke formed before them, "You're simply the byproduct of that pretender, and you followed her blindly for years without question. Deep down, you're still just a scared little slave like all humans. Enjoy seeing your beloved suffer at the hands of your master. Jake, you're to accompany me for the ceremony. Try not to tary, unless you want your worthless little friends to die horribly."

Jake stood up and looked over to Pam, "They'll hold out," he said, "We'll make it in time, I swear."

"Go," Pam said, watching as an image of Beth and the others racing through the hedge maze flashed to life, "We can't afford for this to take much longer."

Pam watched closely as Beth, Sally, Sam, Kait, and Havoc raced through the maze. Her heart pounded as she watched the looks on their faces. Beth's was hidden behind her helmet, but she knew the girl was most likely terrified. She'd hide her fear behind her anger, as she always did, but Pam knew it was there. She should have been beside her. The thought of her being alone against Rebecca was mortifying. Part of her wanted to turn away, but she couldn't bring herself to do so. Like it or not, she simply had to know what was happening. She could only pray that they could endure long enough for her and Jake to return.

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Zoey slammed her fists onto the keyboard, "Goddamnit! I can't do anything here!"

Avery and Chasity had been standing beside her looking at the monitors when everything went black. Avery watched as Zoey threw her chair back and stood up, "What are you going to do?" she asked.

"I'm going out there," Zoey said, grabbing a handgun from the table, "I'm not going to let Sam die alone at the hands of that monster!"

"You're going out there?!" Avery asked, "That's suicide!"

"Sam went out there knowing the risks," Zoey said, checking the pistol and looking for other weapons, "She doesn't have powers, and neither does Sally or Beth. The only reason I agreed to stay here was because they needed someone monitoring their approach. If I can't see, then I'm going to go fight."

"That's not a good idea," Chasity said, "Goth's forces are going to be congested, and you saw what the outside of the manor looks like. Sam wouldn't want you to throw away your life."

"And I don't want her throwing away hers," Zoey snapped, "I took an oath to serve and protect this city, and I'm not going to let that psycho destroy everything I hold dear. Sam needs me, and that's enough for me."

"You're not going alone," Avery said, "We've got a car that we can take you in. It won't draw suspicion if you ride in the back, and we can get you close."

"Jay said that Goth wiped out the traitors," Zoey said, "You two are staying put. If the screens come back up, then you can patch yourself in through the link. I'll take the car and get there myself. Nobody else needs to die, and you've got your sister to think about. Jason will have gotten her to safety, and she can take the car to get away once I get there."

"Zoey, you don't need to do this," Avery said again, "It's chaos out there."

"That's exactly why I'm going," Zoey said, grabbing an earpiece and radioing Jason, "Jay, this is Zoey and I'm coming to you."

"Are you out of your mind?!" Jason immediately asked, "We've got forces closing in on all sides, Goth is on the battlefield, and we've already lost Alexis. Hold position, that's an order."

"Not happening," Zoey said, grabbing an assault rifle from a footlocker, "I'm going to fight, and that's the end of the discussion. Avery and Chasity will keep an eye on things here, but I'm useless if I stay. It's a half hour drive, but I'll be there in ten."

"There's no talking you out of this, is there?" Jason asked.

"Nope," Zoey replied.

"Then go to my room and grab the chest under my bed," Jason said, "Inside is a collection of special elixirs, grenades, and ammunition. Take everything you can carry if you're insisting on coming out. The grenades are experimental litch fire that I've been toying with, the ammo is designed to drill upon impact before it erupts with either freezing or fiery shrapnel, and the elixirs are adrenaline boosters that'll give whoever drinks them a burst of energy that can rival Havoc and Kait. They taste like shit, and they're not fully tested either. Use those as a last resort, but use the others if Goth gets too close or you get in trouble."

"Why the hell didn't you send these with Beth and the others?!" Zoey demanded, turning and heading to his room.

"Like I said, they're experimental," Jason explained, "They could do more harm than good, but at this point we're fighting a losing battle. The elixirs alone have the risk of crippling the body when they wear off, and there's a high chance that the user could die afterward. Just grab them and get to the damn manor!"

"Ugh, fine!" Zoey snapped, rushing to uncover the case of aforementioned equipment, "For the love of God, find a way to keep them alive until I get there."

"Working on it, Zoey," Jason replied.

---------------------

Jason growled as he hit the rooftop of the mausoleum. He'd dropped Casey off in one of the abandoned buildings nearby. Everything was quickly going to hell in a handbasket. He'd expected Goth to eventually make an appearance, but to murder her own people...it was a extreme, even for her. Hs knew she was mad, but this was a level of depravity that he hadn't anticipated. He needed to move fast, and get in position to provide support. He didn't like the idea of Zoey coming out, but he knew he couldn't stop her. Truthfully, they needed every able body they could get right now.

He shouldered his rifle, stared down the sights, and watched as Goth began her descent to give chase to the others. He didn't have long to line up a shot, and he hoped for the best as he fired the first of many to come. The sound of his fifty caliber rifle boomed across the chaos, and his shot connected with her shoulder. It wasn't enough to bring her down, but it was enough to stagger her midflight. She hadn't been expecting it by the look on her face, and she looked around to see where the shot had come from. He pulled the slide back to eject the cartridge, and readied another shot. He pulled the trigger again, and another bullet ripped through the air and into her other shoulder.

Jason felt a chill run through him as Goth's blazing red eyes landed on his position. He had to fight the urge to jump when he heard her voice in his head, "Jason, dear, whatever is going through that tiny brain of yours? Did you really think those pathetic shots would hurt me? It would seem that your mind has yet to fully recover from our time together. Unfortunately for you, you're still not worth my time, but I don't want you feeling left out. Allow me to send someone to keep you company, and to remind you of where you belong."

She was still a condescending, arrogant, and hateful witch. He snarled as he took another shot at her. Jason didn't expect to win or hurt her, but if her attention was on him, then the others could keep running. What good was life to a man already dead? This was personal. His bullets didn't have a chance at bringing her down, but that wasn't the point. Ridiculous as it was, this was his only way to express his hate and anger towards her. Years of his life stolen, and then he had been tossed aside like some sort of trash. He hated her because she'd made him feel like nothing, but more than that, she'd almost convinced that he was nothing.

His bullets never reached their target, though. She held up a hand and they froze in place before falling to the ground. He'd emptied what was left in his magazine, but all it had done was stall her for another moment or two. He lowered his rifle to reload, but he jumped back when a purple light appeared at his feet. Black smoke rose from the base of what appeared to be a portal, and a woman's figure slowly rose out of it. Tall and imposing as the last one he'd faced, but her skin was gray and cracked. Long silver hair fell down past her shoulders, and her eyes glowed an unsettling shade of red. This must have been the entertainment he'd been promised. She was almost twice his size, and she sported thick steel armor with only her arms and legs being exposed.

She pulled a sword out the air once she stood at her full height. She swung it over her head before leering at him with a mixture of lust and sadism, "On your knees, little man. Beg me for mercy, and I may just make this quick."

He stepped back and tried to assess his options, "Are all of her followers this rude, or am I just lucky enough to get two in a row?"

"You're fortunate to be standing in my presence, little man," she replied, stepping forward, "Many would kill for the honor to merely breathe the same air as Madame Morgana!"

"I suppose everyone has their kinks," he sighed, realizing he had nowhere to run, "Still, I think I'll continue to stand and see how things shake out."

He took two more steps back, and threw the empty cartridge at her face. She slashed at it and split it in half, but it was all the time he needed to slap another magazine in. "Foolish little man thing!" she screamed, "I will make you suffer more than you could ever imagine!"

The roof of the mausoleum was small, but thankfully flat. He rolled out of the way of an angled swing, and swung the butt of his rifle at her ankles. It connected, but she didn't even flinch. Whatever magic was coursing through her had given her incredible strength and resistances. He barely had time to raise his rifle to block her next swing. He could feel the weight of her strength pressing down, and he knew that his rifle wouldn't hold up for long against her. He pushed up and fell back before taking a blind shot at her. The bullet drilled into her shoulder and stunned her, but beyond that it seemed to do little to stop her. Seeing no other alternative, he tossed the rifle to the side to save it for later.

Jason got to his feet and backed off enough to give himself some room to breathe. He reached into his coat to retrieve a dagger he'd stolen from Brunswick Co. A curved blade that had been saturated in the space between worlds that he'd been pulled from. The blade glowed a translucent white amidst the darkness that surrounded them. It burned whoever had tried to hold it, but given his connection to the void, it had no effect on him. He held the blade out in front of him with his free hand just behind it. His knees bent, he stood ready for her next attack. He'd have to be fast if he was to stand a chance against her.

"Jason, what the fuck are you doing?!" Beth's voice shrieked over the comms, "We need support, dammit! That bitch is hot on our heels!"

He winced at the shrillness of her voice as he dodged another swing, "Little busy at the moment!" he yelled as he managed to parry the bastard sword Morgana wielded, "You're on your own for now!"

He stepped in to try to stab at her, but she knocked him back with her shoulder before he could connect. She swung her blade around at his neck, but he ducked beneath it and moved closer. He spun the blade in his hand as he neared her, and slashed upward as he got close. Sparks flew as the enchanted blade cut across her breastplate, and she stepped back out of shock. He smirked as she realized that his dagger was more than met the eye. She narrowed those glowing slits she called eyes before she went back on the offensive. She swung the blade low, but he jumped over it before she could hack his legs off. She anticipated his evasion, though, and quickly brought the sword up before bringing it back down at an angle. Jason barely had time to dodge the crackling blade by leaping back.

She was trying to keep him away from her. A smart move given that his dagger could easily pierce her armor. With him back at a distance, she brought the blade down at an angle and assumed a defensive stance. Her knees were slightly bent, and her feet were just past shoulder length apart. Both hands clutched at the handle as she stood ready to counter his next move. It was a sound plan, but he had more than just the dagger at his disposal. He stepped back, reached into his coat with his free hand, and pulled a grenade out. He pulled the pin with one finger and rolled it over towards her. Her eyes went wide as they followed the explosive little ball, and she had to break her stance to prepare. Jason waited until the explosion happened before making his move.

The eruption of fire and shrapnel was the sign he needed to break into a sprint. He raced around to the backside of her, and narrowly dodged the shrapnel that whizzed past him. The smoke from the explosion was rising as he stopped behind her. He took off in a sprint towards her back with the intention of driving the tip of his blade into the back of her neck, but when he leapt into the air, he was stopped by an unseen force. It was different than when Goth or Aurora restrained him; this felt like he'd hit something solid. He cursed as he realized she'd conjured a barrier around herself. He kicked off of it, and waited for it to dispel. She may not have been as powerful as Goth, or even Pam, but this woman had some degree of magic on her side. That made her all the more dangerous to deal with.

He watched as the smoke cleared and a faint purple light faded beneath it. "Haha, is that your best, little man?" Morgana asked while turning to face him, "You're no match for me, boy. Fall to your knees, and I'll make it quick for you. Resist me, and I'll teach you what true pain is."

"There's nothing you can teach me that I don't already know," he growled, standing and returning to his original stance, "I've seen and felt more agony than you can imagine, lady."

"Have it your way then, boy," she said, charging towards him with her blade reared back.

She swung at him, and Jason ducked under before moving in. He slashed up at her chest before sidestepping around her. She spun the sword in her hands and tried to run him through, but he kept his pace and avoided the tip of her sword. He held the dagger out just as she tried to swing the edge at him, and he managed to keep her from cleaving him in two. He closed the gap between them and tried to slide her armor again. As soon as the edge of his blade hit, she slammed her massive fist into his jaw. He fell back from the impact, and Morgana tried to drive her sword between his legs. He was just barely able to spread his legs and avoid a painful and humiliating dismemberment.

The tip of her sword was wedged within the concrete rooftop, and Jason was quick to return to his feet. While Morgana worked to pry her sword from the concrete, he capitalized on the opportunity and drove his dagger into her hand. She howled in pain as he ripped it out, and quickly spun around her and leveled another slice at the back of her knees. She growled as she fell to one knee, and Jason jumped onto her back. He brought the blade around to her throat, and drug it across her exposed skin. The pearlescent blade was stained a brilliant shade of crimson as he brought the fearsome woman down. Her body fell forward, and Jason rolled off of her. It began to crumble and turn to ash after moment.

He let out a sigh as he stepped through her remains to retrieve his rifle. "Beth, I'm moving back into position," he said as he sheathed his blade and picked up his gun, "There should be a car approaching soon too. Zoey decided to take the fight to Goth, so be on the lookout for her."

"Goddamnit!" Beth roared in his ear, "Hurry the hell up! We've got a sociopath on our heels, and we've got more of her fucking goons climbing through the fucking hedges!"

"Shit, let me get into position," Jason said, rushing over to the ledge, "I'll focus on picking off any that are converging on you all. Just keep moving!"

"Thank you, captain obvious!" Beth yelled back.

---------------------

While Jason had been dealing with Morgana, Beth and the others had been running to stay alive. Goth's shrill cackle filled the air around them, and the atmosphere had taken a decidedly foreboding turn. Their goal was to breech the walls of the manor, but beyond that, they didn't have much of a plan. None of then were ready for the showdown that was on their heels despite what they told themselves. When more of her crazed followers began pouring over the hedges, things came to a head. Whatever progress they'd been making was stalled by obscenely dressed fanatics.

Kait had been the first to spot them, and after quickly running one through with her sword, three more dropped behind them. Sam and Sally sprung into action with their guns at the ready. A blast from Sally's shotgun leveled two of them, and Sam's SMG cut down the other one. "They're coming out of the woodworks!" Sally yelled as another two dropped down, "Where the hell is our cover fire?!"

"Occupied," Beth replied, grabbing her pistol and dropping another one attempting to scale the hedges, "We're running blind and on our own while he deals with whatever situation he's in. Push forward, and down as many as you can!"

"Damnit, we could really use your girlfriend right about now!" Kait yelled as she jumped in front of everyone with her shield raised, "These lunatics are armed with more than melee weapons! Havoc, care to lend a hand?!"

"On it," Havoc said as a machinegun opened fire.

"Run, run, run, little ones, I'll find you sooner or later!" Goth's voice echoed around them.

"Jesus, this is like something out of a nightmare!" Sam yelled as she mowed down another group trying to flank them, "We can't stay here. She's gonna catch up to us, and then we're as good as fucked!"

"Way to keep it light, Sammie," Sally laughed as she turned to fire her shotgun a woman attempting to get the drop on them.

While Sally and Sam tried to stave off the ranks of Goth's militia, Havoc stepped forward to charge headlong into the ones that were waiting to ambush them. She barreled through them with ease; knocking them down and stomping their prone bodies to clear a path. "Move up!" Kait ordered, taking a spot beside Beth in case she needed to reload.

The five of them slowly inched their way deeper into the maze just as thunder rolled above them once again. Beth kept in step with Kait as they approached Havoc and cried out, "Left!"

More of Goth's followers continued to drop down. They didn't have the ammunition to keep up this fight for long, but they had no choice but to fight. As they rounded the corner, Sam pulled the pin on another of her grenades and tossed it behind them. "Run!" she yelled.

None of them needed to be told twice, and they picked up the pace to avoid getting caught in the backdraft of the explosion. Flames erupted behind them followed quickly by the screams of the dying. To no one's surprise, their path was blocked yet again by a group of ten men and women dressed for a sick ceremony. Swords, spears, guns, and shields were at the ready as they waited for them to fall for their trap. Kait growled as she stepped forward with her shield at the ready, "Come on, you worthless peons! You're fighting a real warrior now, and I'll gladly put you all in the dirt!"

Beth holstered her pistol and held out her right hand. She could feel Sborra crying out within her. Her hand flashed blue for a second as her sword materialized. She heard the voice of the spirit within foe the first time since it had fused with her soul, "Bring them down, girl, and shown them what it means to fight with true strength and courage."

"Fucking shit!" Sally yelled, "They keep coming over the damn hedges! Cut those sons of bitches down so we can move up!"

Gunshots rang out in the distance, and one of the men who had climbed up fell to the ground with hole in his chest. "Finally found you," Jason's voice came over the comms, "They're swarming you, but I can take out as many I can from here before they get to you."

"No shit, like we hadn't noticed!" Sally yelled back, "We're fucking pinned!"

Kait looked over at Beth, who's body had begun to glow, "You ready?"

"Born ready," Beth replied, taking a deep breath as she prepared to launch into a full assault.

They moved in tandem with one another. Years of fighting each other had given the two girls a synchronization that transcended understanding. Kait took the right with her shield raised, while Beth stuck to the left with her sword raised at an angle. Four of their opponents in the front had guns and opened fire on them. Bullets richocheted off of Kait's shield, and Beth had given her body over to the spirit within her sword. She let it guide her movements, and with pinpoint precision, she cut through the hail of bullets that rocketed towards her. As they drew closer, the four in front tried to spread out to avoid them. The six in the back stood with their weapons at the ready, and they took to the front in hopes of halting Beth and Kait's attack.

Beth was the first to arrive, and she immediately sidestepped to avoid a thrust from a spear. A fast diagonal slice cut the steel pole in half, and Beth spun the blade in her hand before ramming it into the woman's chest. Kait wasn't far behind her, and she charged forward with a shield bash to the face of one of the gunners. The heavy steel smacked him in the face, and she swept his legs out from beneath him with a mighty swing of her sword. She struck his back with the pommel of her sword before turning her attention to the remaining eight. A man moved in dressed in revealing leathers and a harness to lock blades with her. She pushed forward with her shoulder to break his defense, but he stepped back to avoid giving her an opening.

A woman wielding an axe swung at her in hopes of capitalizing on her distraction, but Kait fended her off with her shield. A forceful sidekick to the chest was enough to knock her away, but her first opponent moved back in. She narrowly avoided a fast jab from his sword by parrying it with her own. Seizing the moment, she swiped her sword across his throat and brought him to a gurgling end. She heard the slide of the machine guns as the gunners prepared to fire again. She spun around, and slipped her arm out of the leather straps on her shield. She growled as she threw it at the group of them, and she wrapped her now free arm around the neck of the woman wielding the axe. She forced her face into her pit as she put her in a headlock, and her shield bounced between the three gunners and knocked them to the ground.

"Breathe that in, you little whore!" Kait ordered as she tightened her grip and proceeded to fight off another swordsman with one hand, "That's the scent of a real woman, a real warrior!"

While Kait battled and degraded her opponents, Beth took a much more silent and vicious approach. After impaling the woman, she ripped her sword out of her chest and slammed the pommel of it into the jaw of a young man. While he stumbled from the force of the blow, another woman swung a sword in an attempt to cut Beth down. She leaned back out of the way of the overhand swing, and swung her katana in an upward arc to knock her adversary's sword away. Another quick spin, and Beth slashed her across the chest. Her sword cut through her breastplate like a knife through butter, and Beth advanced further into their ranks on the offensive.

She swung low to sweep the legs out from under a young man with the blunt end of her sword, and spun around before bringing the sword down to slam him to the ground. She was in a slight crouch when a spear came for her face, but she batted it away with her sword. She followed through with her diagonal arc as she rose, and she brought the edge of the blade up in a circular motion to cut the man wielding the spear in half. Kait had the others occupied, and Beth released the energy that had been building within her at the gunners sprawled out on the ground. A wave of blue energy shot from her sword, and it eviscerated their bodies while also destroying the hedge wall.

Kait parried and battled against the last remaining opponents while she suffocated the poor fanatic she'd captured. Once the girl's body went limp, she took her hand and began wielding her sword with two hands. The young woman fell to the ground as another man and woman moved in to attack. Kait blocked a horizontal swing from the young man, and shifted to deflect a vertical swing from the woman. She stepped back and ducked under another swing from the young man, and rushed forward to tackle him to the ground. She threw her sword without looking into the chest of the woman, and proceeded to beat the young man's face into a bloody and unrecognizable shape. Once she was finished, she stood and ripped her sword from the woman's chest and retrieved her shield.

While they fought, Sam and Sally held their position with the assistance of Jason from afar. Their ammunition was running low, but when their clips ran dry, they fought with their guns as blunt instruments while the other reloaded. Havoc shielded them from a barrage of bullets and bought them both time to reload at one point. The ones who managed to avoid Jason's shots, Havoc dealt with before they could reach the others. She caught some in her massive hands and snapped their necks, and others made the mistake of trying to bring her to the ground by force. Those that did were brought to a swift and humiliating end as she dropped her meaty backside down onto their heads.

"Let's go!" Beth yelled, having finished the last of their blockade.

The others didn't waste a second as they ran after them. Sally reloaded her shotgun and called out, "Fucking shit, how many of these whackjobs are there?!"

"Over half the city follows that psycho now!" Kait yelled back, "We don't have to beat them all, we just have to reach the manor. If we can get there, then we can fortify a position!"

"Stop talking, and start running!" Beth yelled, "That fucking sociopath will be here any second!"

-------------------

Pam turned away from the images on screen. Victoria sat with her legs crossed and smirked, "They can't keep this up forever, Pamela. You know that, don't you?"

"Stop talking," Pam ordered, bitterly.

"Whatever is the matter, pet?" Victoria asked, delighting in Pam's sullen mood, "Even if you succeed, they will all eventually find their way to me. You all will serve as my toys for eternity, and there's nothing you can do to prevent it."

Pam leveled a glare at the demoness. Her hands began to glow and she brandished a chain that fell from the tips of her fingers, "Hold your tongue, you disgusting freak! I've served under one demon before, and I will be damned if I serve under another. Touch me, or touch Beth, and I will erase you from existence!"

"Hmm, I think I'd like to see you try, little girl," Victoria laughed, standing and gliding over to her, "Of course, if you attack me then you risk your chances of mother's aid. You'd be dooming that pretty little firecracker to a fate worse than death at the hands of that pretender. You may be beyond my reach now, Pamela, but I am well beyond yours. Or is your pride worth that much to you? Would you sacrifice everything you've fought for just for the sake of little old me?"

Pam huffed and stormed off in search of Jake, "Get fucked, you revolting whore."

"That's what I thought, mortal," Victoria cackled.

-------------------

Jake was on his knees with his head bowed as Lilith chanted above him. He felt like he'd been sitting here for hours, but it had only been a short while. Lilith had instructed him to remove his chestplate again, and she had been speaking in a strange language the entire time. Hordes of demons had gathered around the platform, but it was silent beyond Lilith's voice. He could feel all their eyes on him as he kept his eyes focused on the ground. He was an outsider among them, and from what he'd learned through his previous visit, he was more food than anything. He wondered if this ritual would actually work. Would these demons really bend to his will?

"Rise, Jake Blackridge!" Lilith ordered suddenly, "Rise and stand before me, the one true queen of Hell!"

He did as he was told, and he cried out when Lilith dug her claws into his chest, "What are you doing?!"

Lilith lifted him off the ground and he felt heat begin to course through his veins. "By the powers of the Seventh Circle of Hell, I imbue thee with the power of control," Lilith continued as her eyes began to glow, "May those that have pledged themselves to me now pledge themselves to you. Seek not salvation from the gift that I offer, but rather seek to dwell within the powers that I give. I name thee, Commander of my armies. You who are bound to me, they are now bound to you. Until such time that I choose to call them back into my service and subjugation."

She withdrew her claws from his shoulders and let him fall to the ground. Ten black marks adorned his flesh like brands from the demoness. He winced as he felt himself becoming light-headed, "Is it over?"

Lilith knelt down before him, cupped his chin, and opened her mouth. A stream of red energy rolled out like smoke from her toothy maw. It swirled around him before flooding into his mouth and eyes. He fought the scream that bubbled up from his mouth as he sat there until it eventually cut from his own mouth. "I dub thee of mortal blood, Emissary of my realm," she said, "Let my power work within you, and go forth to become an instrument of my will. Remind those that walk above of the power that lurks below and beyond the void. Sleep now, little human, and awaken with the strength of Hell."

Jake could feel every part of his body growing heavier by the second, and soon he couldn't hold his eyes open any longer. He collapsed as the last tendril of smoke entered his body. The last thing he heard was the chorus of cheers and growls from the demonic army he'd come for. He could only hope that this would be enough, and he hoped that he would wake sooner than later.

Pam stepped around the corner just in time to see Jake slip into unconsciousness. She rushed over to his side to ensure he was still breathing. It was faint and slow, but her friend still drew breath. She looked up at Lilith, "What did you do to him?"

"I did what was asked," she replied stepping away, "His slumber will be short, but it is necessary for my power to take root. It will spare him the pain that comes with the ritual. When he awakens, the two of you will have what you need to bring me the soul of that usurper. You will return to your world, and you will lead my subjects to victory. All that is left is to wait, Pamela."

"We don't have time!" Pam exclaimed, "Beth and the others are outnumbered, and they're fighting a losing battle! They need us now!"

"Then I suggest you indulge in the human pastime of hope, little girl," Lilith said without turning around, "That is all that you have left, and I have done all that I can. Ready yourself for the battle to come, and be ready to move when he wakes."

Pam knelt down beside Jake while he slept. She lifted his head into her lap and pushed a few stray strands of his hair from his face. She ignored the horde of demons that surrounded them and sighed, "Hurry up, Jake, they're running out of time…"

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