5 A Glimpse of Hell

WALTHER DIDN'T KNOW THAT ESCAPING FROM THE GUARDS WON'T END HIS SUFFERING.

"Rouse up, Kid!" called out someone.

Walter gasped as he opened his eyes. He immediately started examining the place, finding himself lying on a wooden stretcher inside a tent. He tried to stand up with the support of his hands but, saw his hands were heavily wrapped in cloth bandages.

"Are you okay, kid?" asked a bearded man who was standing beside the stretcher.

"Eh, I am fine kind, sir," replied Walther.

" Sir, will you care to tell me where am I?" inquired Walther in a humble tone.

"We are currently camped at the foot of mountain Obitus and preparing to raid a dungeon which is placed just ahead of us." answered the bearded man.

"Should I join them, I might get a chance to earn some money and a decent set of equipment for raiding a dungeon, " thought Walther furrowing his eyebrows.

"I am Yu-Jin Han, The Elder of the Karnith Tribe. Our tribe lives within the footholds of Mountain Obitus." introduced the bearded man.

"Myself, Walt Harth, I am an Adventurer. My party was attacked on the top of the mountain and to survive, I had to jump off the peak," said Walther.

"That's a sad occurring. May Lord Ashmedai guide them to the land of the dead." prayed Yu-Jin Han.

"Who is Ashmedai, is he some deity of your tribe?" questioned Walther.

"Ashmedai is the King of Earthly Spirits and the Patron Deity of the Karnith Tribe. We live near his realm, He, who protects and guides our tribe," explained Yu-Jin Han.

"I see, they mean the Demon Prince Asmodeus is their Patron deity. What place is this, even demons are praised by the people. I, Walther Scott am trapped in this hellish place with the people who praise the Demons." Walther cursed under his breath.

"May I know more about the Karnith Tribe?" asked Walther.

"I can tell you more about us for sure. We are one of the seven tribes blessed by the Princes of Hell. Our patron deity is Lord Ashmedai, We are a warring tribe and a few of us can summon and control the dead." explained Yu-Jin Han.

"I, as the Tribe Elder of the Karniths, annihilated the Tribe of Satan, Satusvia. We protect the Septim of Ashmedai which is left by Lord Ashmedai himself." continued Yu-Jin Han.

"Anyways, since you lost your group, you can join ours if you want. We are about to raid the dungeon of Obitus but, missing one person." invited Yu-Jin Han.

"I don't feel like joining them. I mean who would be crazy enough to join a tribe that worships a demon lord. But, If I get my hands on a decent set of equipment, I can escape this place." thought Walther.

"So, what did you think about the offer?"

"Umm, sure, I would love to join your group. But, I don't have any equipment." Walther said calmly.

"You can choose from our tribe's vault. I think no one would mind if you choose one from the Vault." offered Yu-Jin Han.

"Bravo! I hit the jackpot. I will choose the best one and leave as soon as I can." thought Walther.

"Thank you very much, I am glad that I met you." He exclaimed hurriedly.

Walther stood up with the help of Yu-Jin Han and slowly limped outside of the tent. He was surprised to see that the climate of the place was warm and pleasant instead of cold and snowy which was on the top of the mountain.

"I know what you are thinking, the climate is warm because of the Septim of Ashmedai. It helps our tribe survive the cold and harsh winters while protecting our tribe from any invasion." confronted Yu-Jin Han as he read the thoughts of Walther.

Walther gazed at the cloth tents which were aligned in a large circle covering all the areas nearby. There was a huge stone altar placed in the middle of the camp, around it stood four pillars. A strange sigil was engraved in the middle of the altar.

"What's that huge stone in the middle of the camp?" inquired Walther.

"That Altar is dedicated to Lord Ashmedai, his sigil is engraved in the middle of the Altar. It is a sacred place to offer sacrifices to Lord Ashmedai." explained the Tribe Elder.

A guard wearing leather armor and carrying a spear came before the Tribe Elder and bowed down. He whispered something in the ears of the Tribe Elder and his expression changed from gentle to serious. The guard immediately left after he delivered the message.

Walther, who was watching these events concluded by the looks on the face of Yu-Jin Han that something is wrong. He stood there silently without uttering a single word.

"I must attend to some important matters relating to the tribe, one of the guards will guide you to the Vault," explained Yu-Jin Han as he signaled one of the guards to take Walther and left.

The guard came forward and hold Walther by his arms. He then guided him to the Vault. The Vault is made up of dark black stones and a huge gate made of wood. The same sigil of Ashmedai was engraved in the middle of the huge entrance. Walther limped inside the Vault and saw several weapons aligned in different rows.

"There are a total of three chambers inside this Vault. The first chamber contains normal-grade weapons, the second chamber contains some of the rare weapons, and the last chamber holds the 'Septim of Ashmedai', the legendary Book of Ashmedai. It is prohibited for us to enter the third chamber." explained the guard.

"Okay, I got it. But, where do I get a weapon for myself?" asked Walther.

"The Tribe Elder told me to guide you into the inner and provide you with a weapon of your choice." replied the Guard.

Walther slowly limped through the rows of swords, lances, cleavers, bows and arrows, and daggers and entered the Second Chamber with the help of the Guard.

Suddenly, Walther heard a slow whisper inside his ears and he immediately fell to the ground. His head started to hurt as he heard screams inside his head. The guard ran outside the Vault to call for aid. The voice in Walther's ears became clearer with the passing time.

After some time, Walther heard long poetry or a prophecy ringing inside his head.

'There comes a day when the darkness rises once more. A pureblood shall mark a shift in power. It shall be then, when the dark one returns, a marked child shall bring forth a new unity.'

Soon after Walther heard the Prophecy, another voice started to call him into the third chamber of the Vault. Walther felt that his legs were healed and he stood up without any trouble.

The gates that led to the Third Chamber of the Vault were opened and Walther entered the third chamber which was darker and gloomy than the other chambers. Immediately, the gate shut closed behind Walther, enveloping the place in complete darkness.

"So, you are the Pureblood who shall hold my Septim?" asked a voice inside Walther's head.

"Who are you, and who is the Pureblood you are talking about?" questioned Walther.

"I am Ashmedai, the King of Earthly Spirits and the Prince of Lust and Walther Scott, I am talking about you when I say, the Pure Blood. You are the one true successor of the Karnith Tribe." explained the Voice.

"Is this an event of the game, this is annoying." thought Walther.

Suddenly, the gate behind Walther was crashed open and he turned to see Yu-Jin Han gazing at him. Walther's gaze fell on a familiar figure standing beside Yu-Jin Han and his expression turned grim as he ground his teeth and clenched his fists.

"The Varynian Kingdom Guard, how did he reached here?" thought Walther.

"Walther Scott, You are doomed from this very moment." exclaimed the guard in Anger.

Yu-Jin Han turned to the guard and then to Walther, his expression showed seriousness and grimness. He stared into Walther's pitch-black eyes for the first time, witnessing the coldness and darkness it stored within them. A chill ran down the spine of Yu-Jin Han.

"So, it's true. Walther Scott, you are a liar and a murderer. Also, a thief who was just trying to steal the Septim of Ashmedai." exclaimed Yu-Jin Han, whose anger was visible in each of his words.

Walther was confused as he heard the words from the mouth of Yu-Jin Han. His thoughts stuck at the words, 'Septim of Ashmedai'. Suddenly, he felt some weight on his left torso and immediately, turned his eyes towards his torso, finding a thick, old black book tied to his torso under the robe.

"Guards! arrest Walther Scott, and prepare for his Sacrifice to Lord Ashmedai."

"You are the first mortal that I chose to be my host. I Ashmedai, One of the seven princes of hell and Lord of Death commands you to destroy the foe that stands before you. The powers within the Septim are yours to wield. Use it to destroy them." rang a voice inside Walther.

"Shit! how did I end up in this mess? A voice is guiding me and ahead of me stands my doom. I must escape this place for once." thought Walther as he stared at the guards in leather armor surrounding him by all sides.

"Are you thinking about an escape plan, you son of a..." yelled the Varynian Guard.

"Use the Septim, that's the only way to escape this place. As for how to use it, I will transfer the information directly into your brain," warned Ashmedai.

Suddenly, Walther felt a surge of energy inside his head, and a series of information was flooded into his brain. As the guards neared Walther, he untied the thick, old black book tied to his torso under the robe and threw it up into the air. The book flapped open in mid-air and Walther immediately reached for the book. But before he could do anything, two of the guards caught his arms and tied them at the back.

"This Mortal! he is too slow. He would have disposed of them pretty easily. But, the hesitation within him makes him too vulnerable." cursed Ashmedai.

"Just shut up! I am neither hesitant nor vulnerable. You will see, I will kill them all." Walther snapped at the voice.

"What should we do to him, shall we sacrifice him immediately?" asked a guard.

"No, bring him to the cell. First, we will provide him with a glimpse of hell," ordered Yu-Jin Han.

"As you command, Elder Han."

Walther was dragged into the cell that was located north of the Karnith encampment. The cells smelled of rotten carcasses which were left after days of torturing. At that very moment, Walther realized, what Yu-Jin Han meant when he said, 'A glimpse of Hell'. Torches lit the cell dimly giving a faint aura of dread and despair.

"What was I, a fool?" cursed Walther under his breath.

"Trying to play a damned Hero, this is real life not the scene of a movie or something. Anyway, I won't panic." Walther consoled himself.

"Tie him to the wooden chair and bring the special tool for our special guest. Also, call upon the priest into the cells, I have a work for him," ordered Yu-Jin Han as he smirked at Walther.

"A Channel-lock Pliers, I know now, what is going to happen to me. This is a real hell." Walther thought as soon as he saw the special tool in the hands of Yu-Jin Han, who was testing its sharpness.

"I will cut all the fingers in your hands one by one. If you don't scream until I am done with my job, I will leave you at the mercy of the Varynian Guard. But, if you uttered a single word, I will repeat the process." explained Yu-Jin Han.

"No... No... No... I wanted to live, please please, please. Help me, someone." Walther was screaming in his mind as he stared at everyone with the expectation that someone will save him.

Yu-Jin Han slowly came forward, and grabbed the index finger of Walther, and snapped it before finally cutting it with the pliers. Tears flooded in the eyes of Walther as he saw his cut-off finger on the ground. The Karnith Tribe Elder took the middle finger of Walther and was about to break it but, abruptly stopped in the middle.

"There is no fun in this act, is it?" The Elder questioned Walther.

"You are just a pain, get off with it you bastard," Walther yelled and spitted on the face of the Elder.

"You think this is fun? Guards! rip his clothes and lash him until he is unconscious." ordered Yu-Jin Han as he wiped off the spit from his face.

Yu-Jin Han grabbed Walther's middle finger and broke it swiftly and then, slowly cut it off. Walther was engulfed in pain, his usually cold eyes turned lifeless with the continuous lashing by the guards. But, he didn't utter a single word. After Yu-Jin Han cut off the ninth finger, he called upon the priest and ordered him to heal all of Walther's fingers.

"This is unfair! I can't endure it anymore. Please, I beg you, please stop this inhumane act." Walther cried as he saw all the fingers in his hands grow back immediately after the priest cast his spell.

"So, you screamed, now I will do it again. I won't let you die, don't worry," assured Yu-Jin Han.

"Why... Why am I even here? This damned world of codes. I hate it to my core. I won't let you kill me if you are hearing me." Walther exclaimed, anger clear in his voice.

10...

11...

49...

97...

Walther tried to keep himself conscious while counting the number of times his fingers were cut. Whenever Yu-Jin Han reached the ninth finger, he ordered his priest to restore Walther to his full health. The torture told Walther that he couldn't trust anyone in this world. Every time, one of his fingers was cut off, he felt less pain and more anger.

"I will take revenge upon you, I swear I will destroy this Tribe of yours and establish an order of my own. I will take my revenge on the Kingdom of Varynia too. Just wait and see. I will give you the glimpse of hell, the hell you showed me is nothing compared to what you and your people will endure." Walther thought as he spurted blood from his mouth.

"Prepare him for sacrifice, I am done playing with this toy." commanded the Tribe Elder as he held Walther by his hairs and spit in his mouth.

The guards untied Walther and forcefully dragged him off to the Altar of Asmodeus that was located in the center of the encampment. All the tribesmen were surrounding the altar as Walther was dragged onto the raised platform that was made before the altar. There was a boulder placed on the raised platform and a person was standing close by the boulder, holding a large cleaver in his hands. His bulky, muscular body marked him as the executioner of this tribe.

"So, I think, I will finally die as I was meant to. Guess, you can't escape your fate after all. How did I end up like this? Maybe, If I had shown a little courage back then. I wouldn't be dead right now." Walther commented gloomily.

"So, are you sure, you can change your fate if you were given another chance?" asked a voice.

"I will not hesitate to kill if I am given another go at it. I am sure, I will dispose of the trash," replied Walther confidently.

"Well then, accept your fate, Walther Scott. Die at my Altar, and with my blessing, you will be reborn." ordered the voice.

"What do you mean by rebirth, I mean will I die and reincarnate as a kid?" questioned Walther.

"No, I can't give you any more details. You will understand once you die. Don't worry my host, I am watching over you. answered the voice.

"Remember, don't hesitate this time. And, try to get hold of the eternal ring worn by the Tribe Elder. We will meet again, Walther Scott." reminded the voice.

"I, Yu-Jin Han, the Tribe Elder of Karnith offer the sacrifice of Walther Scott to the Lord of Dead, Ashmedai." The Tribe Elder announced as he took the cleaver and hacked through the neck of Walther, splitting his body and head.