Legends of Amacia Attack on Tartarus
Chapter 34: Infernal Treason

Infernal Treason

Unbeknown to the Black Prince, the archangel Michael and a squad of angelic Special Forces had slipped in unawares and hid themselves in the roof of the throne room, gathering intelligence on his movements. After watching the Black Prince deal with Zeus and Samhein, Michael motioned to his squad and they headed into the dungeons, meaning to escape the fortress underground. On their way down, they stopped at the secret chamber where Nemesis and Hanna met for the first time.

Staying hidden in the walls, they saw a gathering of demon-lords in the chamber that included Samhein, Dagos, Baal, the Devourer, Dagon, Azathoth, Asmodeus, Nergal, Shiva, Kali-Ma, and Osiris, who looked like an ancient man in Egyptian garb with a strange staff standing nearly fifteen feet in height. He was significantly smaller than the rest of the demons around him at thirteen feet, but he emanated tremendous dark power they all acknowledged and respected. They stood gathered around the stone table still stained with Hanna’s blood, arguing with everyone giving Baal space so his infernal heat wouldn’t scorch them.

“What’s happening here?” one of the Special Forces angels whispered. “I’ve never seen so many heavy hitters in one place like this before. They hate each other with a passion. Why would they gather like this, and why is Samhein here? We saw the Black Prince dispatch him in the throne room.”

“Shhh,” Michael hissed. “Be quiet. We don’t want them to see us. If we’re seen, we’re in trouble. We have to replace out why they’ve gathered like this. They don’t just get together like this to have a friendly chat.”

Seeing Michael’s point, the warrior angel shut up and watched with his comrades as the argument between the demon-lords ensued.

“The Black Prince has gone too far this time,” Azathoth hissed from the amorphous cloud that made up his body with his large gray eye in the center and a myriad of other eyes forming and dissolving through the rainbow-colored cloud. “He’s completely out of control. We must do something before he wakes the Grimm enough to lure them out into the open. We cannot let that happen. He’s already stirred up several packs of them when he swept through Zin and Cushar. We cannot afford to let any more of them awaken.”

“I agree,” the merman-like Dagon agreed, his voice gurgling from his fish-head in tones not meant to be heard by human ears. “His war with Beowulf is attracting some very unwanted attention. The Deep Ones are beginning to stir in my domain because of his activity. This is intolerable. They’re nigh impossible to control if they fully awaken, especially if Cthulhu wakes. He must be kept asleep at all costs. That beast will be our demise if he wakes enough to break his chains.”

“Cthulhu and the Deep Ones are the least of our troubles,” Shiva snapped, his many arms and fists pounding the stone table. “The Black Prince’s incompetence has caused the Ancient Ones who came here with Lord Grimm to stir in their prisons. I’ve not only felt their stirring, but seen it. I’ve also seen the Grimm starting to move in the deepest shadows and felt their leader trying to escape the Void in that last electromagnetic storm. Fortunately for us, the warp collapsed before Lord Grimm could use it. The Black Prince’s rampage is awakening powers that shouldn’t be awakened. His rage and darkness are calling out to the worst of the worst, putting all our positions in jeopardy.”

“You worry too much, Shiva,” Asmodeus growled deeply, his long slug-like tail attached to his humanoid-like torso swishing back and forth. “Even if the Ancient Ones wake, they can do nothing. They’re still locked up and can’t get out. Furthermore, the Deep Ones have seldom ever risen to interfere with our plans. They’re content to remain where they are in the deeps. As long as we do nothing to agitate them, they’ll not a be a problem. If they do, we’re more than a match for them and they know it. As for the Grimm, their movement does create a problem, but they have refused to come out of the deepest shadows since that fucking silver-eyed Ragnar Caverias exiled Lord Grimm back to the Void. Surely, we can deal with a few Grimm, so what’s the big deal here? We should be concentrating on the Black Prince and Beowulf and not them.”

“You’re missing the point here, you slug-for-brains,” Baal snarled viciously, his flame pulsing to express his anger. “This fight between the Black Prince and Beowulf is not just stirring them, it’s energizing them. They’re feeding on the negative emotions it’s generating, making them stronger. Eventually, they’ll break free and we’ll again be relegated to servant status, or worse yet, consumed by them for our betrayal of them in the 1st Age. If they break free, that means the souls they harvest will not go to Lucifer for his war. You conveniently forget that they served Lord Grimm, not Lucifer. Shit, they may even be able to bring Lord Grimm back into this dimension if they gather enough power. I’d rather not see that happen. I like my position and intend to fight for it.”

“You’re a flaming idiot, Baal,” Asmodeus retorted hatefully. “It seems your loss to Beowulf in Acheron has addled what’s left of that brain of yours. We are more than capable of taking them down should they break free.”

“I’ll burn you to ashes for that, you fucking slug!” Baal roared, reaching for his sword. “No one disrespects me that way! Beowulf was just lucky last time.”

“Touch that sword and I’ll kill you myself, Baal,” Samhein growled sternly. “We’re here to deal with the Black Prince, not fight each other. Asmodeus is just being his typical arrogant self, trying to provoke you, and you bit. Now simmer down, all of you.”

Baal snarled and backed his hand away from his sword, grumbling under his breath.

“That’s bold coming from someone who just lost their host to the Black Prince’s rage,” Nergal barked snidely, his canine-like face smiling wryly. “I’d like to know how you avoided getting thrown into the Abyss by his rage.”

“I bet you’d like to know, you canine-faced shit,” Samhein snapped back. “Let’s just say I have my own tricks the Black Prince doesn’t know about. The point here is we’re arguing and back-biting when we should be coming to a consensus about how to deal with the Black Prince’s brazen abandonment of the plan.”

“Well said, my shadowy friend,” Osiris said calmly, having watched the entire argument without saying a word while stroking his long white beard. “As long as we’re fighting amongst ourselves, the Black Prince will continue to get stronger. We’ll never be able to do anything about him if we continue to bicker like this.

“What no one seems to want to admit is that the Black Prince’s actions are literally upsetting the balance of the multiverse. His rage and hate towards Beowulf and the humans are rising so precipitously that, as Baal has suggested, it’s not just waking the Ancient Ones and the Grimm, but it’s energizing them. He’s tipping the balance of the Darkness away from us demon lords towards the Ancient Ones, the Grimm, and the creatures of the most Ancient Darkness, whom he has no control over. He must not be allowed to tip the balance that far, otherwise we may not survive.”

“Osiris has a point,” the Devourer hissed menacingly; his long tail swishing back and forth like a snake, “The Black Prince has abandoned the plan to enslave all souls for Lucifer’s rebellion against the Almighty in favor of his own agenda. And what none of you seem to realize is the Black Prince’s actions are having far wider consequences than you realize. It’s attracted not just the attention of the Ancient Ones, the Deep Ones, or even the Grimm. It’s stirring the Dark Titans from their slumber as well. Both Behemoth and Leviathan are stirring in the darkness, awakened by the Black Prince’s rage and hate. Should either of them awake fully, our cause will be in considerable jeopardy for, like the Grimm, the Behemoth and Leviathan are just as happy to consume us as they are our enemies.”

“Lord Devourer is right,” Kali-Ma agreed. “As much as I revel in death and destruction, I fear waking either the Behemoth or the Leviathan would be a fatal mistake. Their one and only purpose is to destroy and consume everything in their path, including us. Remember, that pair of cosmic monsters was the ultimate weapon of the Ancient Ones Lord Grimm brought to this pathetic mud ball of a planet. Even they feared them, especially the Leviathan. Why do you think FATE created the Leviathan complex? It was to put the beast under its complete control, which brings me to another reason the Black Prince should be removed. He’s actively mining FATE inside the Temporal Disruption. That activity has awakened that terrible AI and now it’s slowly rebuilding its strength. Furthermore, the Black Prince’s repeated penetration of the Temporal Disruption bubble has weakened it. None of us know what will happen if that bubble fully collapses and time returns to normal around FATE. It could end all our plans if we’re not careful. FATE must be kept isolated and asleep if we have any chance to stop the Black Prince and Beowulf.”

“Kali is correct,” Shiva concurred. “FATE has never been under our control. It became a life form of its own long before the humans were introduced to this planet. It’s goals are not compatible with ours. We saw that in the 1st Age when it turned on us. Somehow, it must either remain contained or destroyed.”

“I vote to take it out,” Baal rumbled. “And then we should dethrone the Black Prince and take Beowulf out of the picture permanently. His treason cannot be allowed to stand.”

“Plus, you have a score to settle, don’t you?” Nergal chimed with a wicked smile.

“You bet,” Baal growled. “That bitch was just lucky in Acheron.”

“You’ll have to stand in line with the rest of us, Baal,” the Devourer hissed. “From what I understand, Dezarcus has first dibs on that treacherous human ape, and he’s not going to allow anyone to get in his way. If you take Beowulf out, Dezarcus will have your flaming hide nailed to the wall and devour your essence himself.”

“Like hell he will,” Baal retorted, “Dezarcus may be a shadow draken lord, but he’s no match for me, the Fire Lord of the Belrock.”

“Both of you conveniently forget that Beowulf is not just any human now, thanks to the Black Prince’s blundering,” Osiris reminded them icily. “When that stupid feline shit had Beowulf mutated into a woman, he inadvertently opened the genetic locks of the Caverias gene sequence. Now look at the incredible power he’s wielding...power that our enemy the Almighty has imbued to him. That’s going to make taking him back or even killing him extremely difficult, if not impossible for us.”

“It’s worse than you think,” Samhein intruded, “I confronted Beowulf after he and his companions stopped Zeus and the Cadre from opening the gate to the Nexus. When he attacked the Gate Sanctuary, Beowulf wore Grimm’s Mask and wielded the Caverias Sword, using both with flawless precision.”

“You have got to be kidding,” Azathoth hissed with great astonishment and hate.

“I am not,” Samhein answered bluntly. “He used both when he attacked the Gate Sanctuary. Grimm’s Mask enhanced his elemental power by at least ten times, maybe more. He wiped out a platoon of Xenian guards with a simultaneous elemental lightning attack that tapped the very power of our temple. Furthermore, the Mask protected him from my breath, which kills normal humans.”

“Get to the point,” Baal hissed.

“The point is when I confronted him, I could see and sense his genetic structure,” Samhein reported. “It’s still changing him.”

“What’s it changing him into?” Dagos asked sternly.

“It’s my belief that Beowulf is about to awaken genetically as a Guardian of Light,” Samhein stated grimly. “That’s why I didn’t attack him. Between his blossoming genetic power, Grimm’s Mask, and the Caverias sword in his hand, I knew I was outmatched and didn’t want him to send me back into the Abyss.”

“Coward,” Asmodeus sneered, “You obviously choked. I would not have let that stop me. I’d have eaten him alive and swallowed his soul myself. We cannot have another fucking Guardian of Light arising to counter us. It’s taken us over twelve thousand human cycles to rid ourselves of the ones we already knew about. Now Samhein sees the true threat of Beowulf and refuses to deal with it. He’s a quivering pile of gelatinous shit for not consuming Beowulf on the spot! That in itself disqualifies him from even suggesting anything to us. He let an awakening guardian live!”

“And what would you have done, slug-for-brains,” Samhein rumbled ominously, his anger and hate dripping from his tone.

“Grimm’s Mask or no, I’d have charged in and torn the shit apart,” Asmodeus replied with great animosity. “I would not have given him a chance to even defend himself. Beowulf is a traitor, and traitors must be obliterated. There wouldn’t be so much as an atom left of him when I finished with him.”

“You truly are an arrogant prick of a slug,” Samhein snapped back angrily. “You think there’s not a thing in this multiverse you can’t take. Do you really think you can take me? I think not, just as you’d not be able to take Beowulf. He’d kick your ass back into the Abyss so fast it would make your rotting bloated head spin. You have no idea how powerful Beowulf has become. I made a choice not to fight a useless battle I was sure to lose. I weighed the facts before me and saw I was at a disadvantage. Only a fool fights when he’s outmatched, but I forget, you’ve always run off at the mouth and charged in where even the angels fear to tread. One day that’s going to get you killed. I just hope I’m there when it happens.”

“You gelatinous pile of Grimm shit!” Asmodeus snarled, reaching for his sword. “No one talks to me like that. You think you can take me. Okay, let’s go right here and right now.”

Osiris turned to Asmodeus, cracking him over the head with his staff without warning. “You’re a complete imbecile, Asmodeus,” he snapped. “You conveniently forget there’s always someone smarter, cleverer, and more powerful than you lurking in the shadows and Beowulf is that shadow. Had you been in Samhein’s place, Beowulf would have chopped you into fish bait, sending your arrogant slug ass back into the Abyss without a thought.”

Asmodeus rubbed his head with his clawed hand, growling, not willing to talk back to Osiris. “And just what would you have done, O mighty Osiris...god of the Egyptian Dead?” he asked venomously, “You know we can’t let Beowulf mature into a Guardian, if that’s what’s really happening here.”

“It is happening whether any of us want to admit it or not,” Samhein insisted. “I saw his genetic structure shifting in that direction. He isn’t there yet, but it won’t be long before it does happen. Should he unlock that missing time of his, we’re royally fucked.”

“Shut up, you festering blob,” Asmodeus snarled. “Well, Osiris...what would you do?”

“I would have done exactly what Samhein did,” Osiris replied icily to Asmodeus. “When he saw what Beowulf has become and is becoming, he gathered valuable intelligence on him and avoided a battle he couldn’t win. Samhein did the right thing in my opinion. Besides, didn’t Beowulf want the Black Prince to know where he was?”

“That’s right,” Samhein admitted, “He called out the Black Prince using a number of insults, saying he was at Srandi. He also suggested that if we give him his chance, he might be able to remove the Black Prince himself. And as you all know, that’s why we’re here. The Black Prince is now a lethal liability to us and I think everyone here knows it. When I heard Beowulf’s proposition, I relented and got Zeus out of Kartoom before the core exploded. Unfortunately for me, the news of Kartoom’s destruction cost me my host. I’m going to get the Black Prince for this if it takes me all eternity.”

“Beowulf actually wants to tangle with the Black Prince now?” Shiva asked, genuinely surprised.

“Yes,” Samhein answered with a wry grin on his gelatinous face. “At this point, it seems to me it’s a personal grudge between them. He’s got a plan in mind and seems to think it may work. Beowulf is purposely provoking the Black Prince now, driving him into an irrational rage. It’s making him sloppy. I saw it when he tried to send me into the Abyss. He’s so distracted by what Beowulf is doing to his precious plans, he was unable to see I’d left a puppet copy of my form behind. Under normal circumstances, he could have easily seen through it, but this time, he didn’t. He’s so enraged now he’s not thinking straight...much like Asmodeus there. Seeing that, I’m of the mind to let him have his chance at the Black Prince. If he’s able to topple the Black Prince, we’ll be able to sweep in and fill the void, taking out Beowulf and his treacherous minions in the process.”

“Hmmm,” Osiris murmured, “It may work, and it’ll keep us out of the fray initially. Even if Beowulf doesn’t win, he may weaken the Black Prince enough for us to take him down. I say let him have his chance.”

“You think Beowulf really has a chance to topple the Black Prince?” Azathoth asked.

“I do,” Samhein hissed. “If he does, I’m sure the battle will weakened him sufficiently for us to overrun him. And if he does lose, then we don’t have to worry about his meddling in our affairs any longer.”

“That’s good thinking there, Samhein,” Dagon gurgled in his fishy voice, impressed with Samhein’s logic. “Either way, we stand a chance of either enslaving or destroying Beowulf outright. I’m in.”

“Me too,” Dagos growled. “At least I’m smart enough to see I’m not a match for Beowulf at this point. He bested me twice. I’ll not let my anger cloud my judgment concerning him again. I will wait until he weakens to the point I can successfully have my revenge on him.”

“Same here,” the Devourer agreed. “Our only chance at taking Beowulf down now is to pit him against the Black Prince and hope they destroy each other. As Osiris said, either way we’ll be able to take down the winner of that fight. I’m willing to forgo my revenge until then. Shit, if we’re lucky, they’ll kill each other and we’ll not have to do a thing.”

“I like it,” Baal rumbled. “I’d still prefer to do it myself, but I cannot argue with Samhein and Osiris’ logic. If we can get the Black Prince and Beowulf to kill each other, then I’m in.”

“I like it too,” Dagon gurgled in his fish-voice. “Let them fight.”

“It seems we’ve come to a consensus here,” Shiva declared. “It’s about fucking time. I’m willing to let Fate have her say here. But make no mistake, this fight between the Black Prince and Beowulf will shake the heavens and earth. It will be epic. Besides, I’m curious as to who will win. Despite my hatred of Beowulf, he’s gained my respect. It takes incredible gall and confidence to call out someone as powerful as the Black Prince.”

“I concur,” Osiris stated soberly, “Beowulf is proving to be quite a resilient foe. I’d like to see how he plans to dethrone the Black Prince too. However, whatever happens, death and destruction are going to spread to every corner of creation from this fight. It may permanently scar this planet and dimension, so we must move cautiously and not get caught between them. I’m sure Kali-Ma is going to enjoy this immensely. I know how she relishes in death and destruction of the human world.”

“That I do,” Kali-Ma cackled. “It makes my mouth water at all the souls I’ll be consuming. After all, the souls of those slain by deceit and violence are my domain. They belong to me. You all know this. This is going to be epic.”

“That it will,” Samhein agreed. “What about you, Nergal? What do you think? Should we let them fight and take out the winner?”

“Sounds good to me,” Nergal growled. “It’s always better to pit your enemies against one another. Let them fight. If everything goes well for us, we’ll be able to eliminate the winner and be rid of both of them forever.”

“That would be ideal,” Azathoth declared with a hiss. “But you forget the nature of chaos, of which I’m an expert. We must try to contain the fight so the chaos matrix doesn’t hit a critical mass. If that happens, our planning is in vain. Chaos has a tendency to do things no one expects...things that cannot be controlled. The last thing we need is for the chaos matrix to go critical mass, enabling the release of the Ancient Ones, the Dark Titans, or even the Grimm. We must work this very carefully, steering it to our ends, but not allowing it to derail our plan.”

“Very well put, Azathoth,” Osiris stated. “We must indeed keep some semblance of control over this event if we expect to profit from it. But we cannot expect to control every aspect of it. We must let Fate have her say in this too. Let them fight, but try to contain the damage. Fate willing, we’ll rid ourselves of these two cumbersome millstones.”

“Let it be so,” Azathoth rumbled. “Let them fight, but try to contain the damage. I’m sure there will be enough damage to sate even Kali-Ma’s immense appetite.”

“That it should,” Shiva agreed. “That appears to be everyone except for you, Asmodeus. What say you? Are you going to let them fight, or are you going to do something stupid like you always do?”

“You tread on dangerous ground, Shiva,” Asmodeus snapped venomously, “But yes, I will let them fight, for now. However, make no mistake...if I see a chance to eliminate either one of them, I’m taking it.”

An irritated sigh escaped Osiris’ lips. “In that case, do what you like,” he said bluntly, “But be sure of this. If I see you interfering with this plan, I will send you back the Abyss myself chained up and the keys thrown away. We must let this fight play out between the Black Prince and Beowulf on its own without any interference from us.”

“Don’t threaten me, old man,” Asmodeus snarled. “And if you ever hit me with that stick again, I’m going to impale you on it.”

“Shut the fuck up, you slug-brained twit,” Samhein said icily. “You have no idea who Osiris is. He’s someone you don’t want to fuck with. He’s seen the Lords of the most Ancient Darkness and their minions up close and personal. He’s more than capable of executing his threat of sending you bound into the Abyss. Besides, you so much as look at Osiris or any of the rest of us crossways, I’ll eat you myself. Osiris won’t have the chance to execute his threat.”

“As will I,” Baal growled, resting his hand on his sword handle. “I’ll take great pleasure in roasting that slug body of yours. It should make quite a tasty barbecue for the rest of us.” All the other demon lords made similar threats to Asmodeus, making it plain they would tolerate no interference.

“Fuck all of you,” Asmodeus cursed. “May the Grimm eat every one of you; I’m outa here.” His slug body became a vaporous cloud that swept down one of the corridors leading away from the chamber.

“We should go after him,” Dagon stated, his gurgling voice betraying his concern. “His arrogance and hate will compel him to interfere.”

“Leave him be,” Osiris ordered sternly. “I have already sent my minions to deal with Asmodeus. Anubis, Ra, and Sekmet will insure Asmodeus doesn’t interfere. Should he resist them, they will chain him as I promised, and cast him back into the Abyss without the keys to those chains. There he will remain until end of time itself.”

“A bit severe, don’t you think,” Azathoth declared, “...but not undeserved. Asmodeus has always been an arrogant, conniving shit. I say good riddance.”

“Not so much as what awaits the Black Prince,” Osiris growled. “His fall will be far worse than anything I ordered for Asmodeus. Now we must wait and see what Fate has in store for him and Beowulf.”

“We should go,” Samhein insisted, “If the Black Prince catches us down here plotting his removal in his own domain, it’s we who may be exiled to the Abyss, or worse yet, to the Void where Grimm rules.”

“Well said,” Osiris agreed. “He presently has the power to execute that possibility. Now let us swear an oath to guard our plan and not let any know about it. Should anyone violate this oath, the others will deny it and dismember the violator, sending his or her soul into the Void to be consumed by Grimm himself. Swear it!”

One at a time, the demon-lord conspirators swore the oath with Samhein being the last. As Samhein finished swearing the oath, he declared, “We are now bound to this plan under penalty of extermination and oblivion. Let no one outside this room know of this plot, or all is lost and so are we. Come, we have a Black Prince to undermine.” The demon-lords cackled wickedly and went their separate ways, changing into vaporous clouds that vanished into the darkness.

“Can you believe that?” one of the angelic warriors with Michael breathed in stunned amazement. “They’re plotting against one of their own. I didn’t think they’d do that.”

“You’d be surprised at how often they do that,” Michael answered soberly. “But a plot of this magnitude doesn’t happen very often. They genuinely fear what an all-out war between the Emperor and Hannibal will do. They do not want the Ancient Ones, the Dark Titans, or the Grimm to become embroiled in this fight, for if they do, they will lose their place once again. It’s as the Lord said. They’re turning on each other out of fear now. Come, we must fall back to Antarctica and report this.” With that, Michael and his Special Forces squad of angelic warriors dove into the earth beneath the Black Fortress to escape detection by the demon hordes all around them, heading south.