Dog eagerly bounced from left to right, shifting her weight from one side to the other as she stared intently at the door before her. The room she was in was relatively small and had been used as little more than a storage space near the main teleport array, but the filly didn't mind. Normally Dog would marvel over every little thing in the room, from the small collection of arming crystals for bizarre crystal-based weapons higher on the shelf to the more rudimentary arms and armor near the bottom. Even the more mundane items would usually catch her attention, like the various small jars filled with minor souls or essences lining one shelf near her right.
Despite all those curious items, Dog was intent on staring unblinkingly at the door in front of her.
“Come on, come on, come on!” She muttered to herself, continuing to hop from one hoof to another.
She had been sent here to don her armor and weapon and load up on supplies, but she had finished doing that ten minutes ago and her father had yet to come retrieve her. Thoughts of the impending mission flashed through her mind, making her bounce from hoof to hoof even faster as a wide smile spread across her face. This was it, her first mission and her only regret was that she couldn't bring her cleaver with her, and was forced to bring a more mundane dagger.
The filly squealed in delight, imagining all the praise that her father would give her and if she was lucky, maybe even a new book, or homework!
Her fantasy was brushed aside when she noticed the door beginning to open, and with speed that would have impressed her combat teacher, Twilight leaped up at the door just as it opened.
“Oof.” Tirek stumbled back, temporarily taken aback by the sudden impact against his midsection.
“Father!” Dog yelled.
The old centaur laughed, looking down at Dog who clung to his torso with all four hooves, her wide eyes peering up at him with complete adoration. With a reluctant sigh, he pushed down the mote of annoyance that wormed into his thoughts and forced himself to pat the filly on the head.
“Now now Dog, what did I say about hugging?” Tirek exclaimed without an ounce of venom.
Dog pouted and fell from the centaur with a soft thump, her butt impacting the ground. Her wide-eyed expression fell away, replaced by a mask of disappointment.
“To ask first,” she tiredly replied.
“Exactly,” Tirek stated, his small smile slipping away. “Now Dog, how did the armor fit?”
Dog blinked, looking down at the armor she had nearly forgotten about. It was slim and fit her perfectly, small plates bound by straps covered her most vital places while leather armor of unknown origin covered everything else. It was plain in comparison to the extensively enchanted armor the rest of the guards and soldiers in her father’s employ wore, being little more than black leather and grey plates.
“It's fine,” she remarked with a hint of sadness.
Tirek rolled his eyes, already seeing this coming.
“Yes, well, when you have earned your place, you will receive your own set of proper armor, for now, be happy that you have any at all. How does your weapon feel?” Tirek pressed.
“Yes father, its fine, father,” The filly grouched, shifting slightly to display the dagger belted to her barrel.
Tirek’s eyes narrowed, trying to figure out if the filly was being snarky or not. In the end, he just shrugged, unable to muster the effort.
“Come Dog, we have final preparations to attend to before I send you on your way," Tirek proclaimed.
The filly nodded eagerly, following close in her father’s hoof steps.
Together the pair passed by several halls filled with the hustle and bustle of activity. Numerous demonic servants skittered between the legs of large golems, ferrying arms, armor, magical components, and items that Dog didn't even have names for. Evidently, this was a larger mission than what the filly had first assumed.
The pair turned and entered a barracks of some kind that contained demons of all shapes and sizes. Though most seemed to be more warlike demons like hate bearers, rage demons, and the odd war specter, Dog could still see a select few demons she would not have assumed would serve her father in such a capacity. Small, four feet tall clawed imps, scurried around a tall floating demon with a strange crest around the back of its head. Though it had wings, it didn't seem to need them and they lay dormant along its back while it floated impassively in mid-air.
Dog oohed and awed at the sights, sticking close to her father’s heels. Most demons gave Tirek a wide, respectful berth, and the few that did not received a harsh glare for their small act of defiance. Those who were on the receiving end of the fear demon’s ire shrunk away, muttering apologies in the demonic language that Dog had not had the chance to learn as of yet.
Amidst all the activity, Dog saw the glint of a gold scale in the sea of mostly blacks, greys, and reds that seemed to dominate most of the demons. The filly’s eyes lit up as she recognized the familiar appearance of the wrath demon standing amidst a small throng of various other demonic creatures. She spoke animatedly, locked in some sort of heated argument with an imposing armor demon that appeared to be a mess of interlocking spiked plates with no way to tell where its face was supposed to be.
Dog grinned and was about to launch into a greeting when Tirek suddenly spoke.
“Come Dog, we have no time to waste and neither does Pear Butter, so do not distract her," Tirek warned.
The imp pouted but did as she was told.
“Yes faaather," Dog whined.
Tirek rolled his eyes, noting that he would have to have a talk about being respectful when she spoke to him. In the meantime, he had more than enough on his plate.
The pair exited the barracks, made another quick turn, and after a brief set of stairs and passing by an imposing set of golems, they arrived in the teleportation room.
“Wow,” Dog muttered.
Standing there, she felt her eyes drawn up and around the room, marveling at the intricacies that seemed to cover every square inch therein.
The space was dominated by glowing runes and strange arrays of magic, the only living thing inside being the blindfolded seer standing dutifully off to the side, her hood up and her torso bent, bowing low to her master.
The area was a wide, circular room that seemed comparable to the library in size, except this room was relatively empty. Sure there were braziers standing every few feet near the wall, coloring the room with an eerie red glow, but save for the sources of light the space was empty of all furnishings. What really drew Dog’s eye was the intricate weave of spellcraft that seemed to cover every inch of the space. In the middle of which center was a massive spell array that hummed with such power that it made Dog’s hooves itch and her teeth vibrate just looking at it.
At the center was a dull blue circle, surrounded by an incredibly detailed rune array that Dog couldn't even begin to guess the purpose of. Around the blue center array were formed several secondary runes and symbols, stretching from the array at the center of the room all the way to the walls. These were much more numerous and the lines inlaid in the ground were usually a deep red or imposing black, all of which glowed with a strange light.
The filly shivered as she looked at the runes, and something told her that they contained enough power to tear her form asunder without expending even the smallest degree of its stored energy. From there the runes and symbols crawled up the walls and roof, growing smaller and more numerous as they did. If Dog had to guess they were designed for a more specific purpose while the larger ones were for more obvious things like stopping unauthorized teleportation or acting as defensive wards in case the first failed.
“Come along, Dog,” Tirek commanded.
Dog nodded obediently, continuing to stare in awe at the masterwork of magic and engineering on display.
The fear demon stopped a few meters from the center-most array, keeping a wide berth from the blue lines. He stooped low, gripping Dog’s chin and pulling her away from her wide-eyed staring.
“I need you to pay attention now, Dog," Tirek stated sternly.
The filly nodded slowly.
“Good, what I am going to tell you is very important,” Tirek stressed, prompting Dog to gulp and stand a little straighter. “I am going to cast a spell on you that will ensure I will be able to keep an eye on you. It may feel funny at first, but that will pass, ignore it.”
“It's not going to hurt, is it?” Dog asked.
“It might," he admitted, wincing as he did so. "It won't be much though. First I need to tell you more about your mission, so listen closely.”
The filly nodded eagerly, inching a little closer to the much larger demon.
“You will be arriving near my spymaster, who will give you instructions from there. I want you to respect him as if he were me, understood?” Tirek stated.
The filly nodded resolutely, flashing her father a winning smile.
“Yes sir!” Dog proclaimed.
“Good. Now prepare yourself, child.” Tirek concluded, his expression growing grim as he rose to his full height.
Dog pushed down the sliver of doubt that tried to worm into her mind, maintaining her wide and proud stance even as her father’s hands began to glow.
Bright demonic sigils expanded from her father’s wrists and his palms lit up with a deep red light, then in a flash of it was all gone, and the pain began.
The filly clenched her jaw and resisted the urge to fall to her knees, a sudden and intense feeling of her organs being compressed and turned into jelly nearly knocking her off balance. She would not be laid low by such minuscule pain and refused to give up, maintaining her stance and even forcing a smile onto her face while every one of her nerves cried out in agony. Slowly the pain began to dissipate, becoming bearable, then finally disappearing altogether.
The filly slowly opened her eyes and looked around, testing each one of her hooves before sighing and standing up straight.
“Is that it?” she asked nervously.
“That is all, for now," Tirek muttered weakly.
He then turned suddenly, startling the seer that had taken up a position near the door.
“Pythias!” Called the fear demon.
The seer nodded and eagerly scampered up to the centaur before bowing low once more.
Tirek waved a hand at the teleport array at the center of the room.
“Have the array ready to fire and indicate to me when it is ready to do so," Tirek ordered.
The hooded humanoid bowed low once more before walking over to the array, her hands glowing a soft teal light.
The centaur studied the seer’s actions for a few seconds and after determining she was doing exactly as commanded, turned once more to Dog.
“Now child, I want you to know that this may be a difficult challenge, but I have faith in you," Tirek began, his voice ringing with worry for a moment.
Dog grinned, beaming proudly.
“I won't let you down, father!” She proclaimed.
“No matter what, remember that I am proud of you," Tirek exclaimed.
The aged centaur then reached forward and pulled the filly into a tight but brief hug, leaving the imp breathless and confused.
“F-father?” Dog muttered in confusion.
Tirek swallowed hard and stood tall once more.
“Now get ready to show me what you have learned," Tirek ordered, his voice devoid of the usual stern authority that it usually did.
The imp nodded eagerly once more.
“I am going to kick so much butt, father!” Dog proclaimed.
She flashed her father a winning grin before bouncing over to the array and standing beside the seer.
Pythias bowed low, her hands losing their blue glow and lowering to her sides.
Tirek glanced at the array, noting that it was glowing much, much brighter, the entire thing filled to the brim with potent energy and positively humming with power. He waved his own hand over the array, using his magic to check that the proper location was implemented. He took a slow step back, his hands losing their trademark red glow.
“Good, stand upon the platform, Dog," Tirek ordered.
The imp gulped and scampered over to the center of the room, standing in the exact middle of the array with a huge beaming smile of absolute confidence.
“Ready father!” Dog shouted.
The glow returned to her father’s hands, only this time it grew and grew until it flashed suddenly. When his magic surged, so did the magic within the array, bathing the room in a bright blue surge of magic and forcing Tirek to look away for a moment.
When he looked back, the array was empty. The centaur’s right hand lit with a prepared spell, causing a small prism of light to form several inches above his outstretched palm. Inside the crystal was a rather confused and slightly singed Dog, stumbling from hoof to hoof as her eyeballs rolled around in her head. After tripping and falling on her face she shook her head vigorously and took a deep breath of the sulfuric air.
With her bearings returned, she looked around until her eyes flashed with recognition and she scampered off towards the distant form of Tirek’s spymaster. With a sigh, the centaur dismissed the glow, and with it the view of his favorite minion.
“Make ready to transport Pear Butter and the rest of the emissary team. I don't need to remind you what would happen if you spoke about what you saw, now do I?” Tirek proclaimed, lifting his eyebrow and staring at the emaciated creature.
The seer shook her head vigorously while bowing extremely low.
“I didn't think so,” Tirek muttered.
The centaur then turned back and stalked away, leaving the seer to slowly rise once more.
Pythias sighed, running a hand over her mostly bald head. When she looked at her hand, she noted a few stray strands of red and gold hairs clung to it. With a miserable snort, she shook her hand free of the offending strands. She turned back to the array and activated her teal-colored magic once more, only to hesitate a moment as a thought occurred to her.
The spell Tirek had used was… strange to say the least and the seer had grown used to studying demonic magic enough to know that it wasn't meant to do something as benign as simply watch a target. Furthermore, though the spell was mostly a mystery, she could tell that at least one part of the component was meant to record what it saw. What did that mean and what purpose could the aged centaur have in recording the exploits of a filly?
She shook her head and willed more power into her palms, determined not to raise the ire of her master twice in one day.
Outside the room, Tirek walked in the direction of the library, his thoughts consumed by strange and cloying questions. So occupied was the centaur that he hardly even noticed when Pear Butter approached him until she cleared her throat.
“Y’all right there, boss?” she asked hesitantly.
“I am fine," Tirek stated a bit too firmly to sound natural. "Do you need something, Pear Butter?”
“Was just wondering what the hold up was, is all, the boys are ready to go on your orders," Pear Butter replied.
Tirek glanced over the assembled troops with bored disinterest.
“Good, Pythias is warming up the teleporter as we speak. Make ready for your departure and remember your lessons," Tirek warned.
Pear Butter nodded, watching as the centaur slipped away, hardly noticing the demons all staring at him. The wrath demon shook her head and stomped her hoof, gaining the attention of her subordinates.
“Alright, you sorry bunch of worms, you ready to be bored to tears?” Pear Butter boomed.
A chorus of groans, soft chitters, and gelatinous squelching met the question, making Pear Butter chuckle.
“Chin up, something tells me the boss man has more plans in store for us, so no slouching, capiche?” Pear Butter pressed.
The assembled demons all nodded or made the equivalent of such an action as they lacked a head or neck.
“Let's go raise a little hell," Pear Butter remarked with a smirk.
The filly eagerly leaped over small rocks, dodged around boulders, and bounded her way up the steep incline. Her eyes fixated on the crouched form half-hidden behind a boulder just up ahead. Dog knew this shape well and though she was not glad to see him, she was glad to have completed the first of her father’s instructions for her.
As she neared she could tell the demon was no longer clad in the wildly colorful robes she had last seen him in, but rather a slim, form-fitting set of black and red leather armor that clung tightly to his muscled form. Numerous daggers were belted to his body, among other equally as numerous weapons the likes of which Dog didn't even have names for.
She leaped over one last boulder and stopped a few paces away from the crouched figure, throwing a hoof against her forehead in a triumphant salute.
“Reporting for duty, Mister Sisyphus!” Dog proclaimed.
“What did I tell you about being silent?” the figure hissed without turning around.
Dog gulped and lowered her stance slightly.
“Sorry sir,” she whispered back.
The figure sighed and turned around, revealing an angled, goatlike face with twin horns growing from just above his brow and grew backward, extending over a foot behind his head on either side. His face was much, much more pointed than a normal goat’s however and a shaggy mess of black hair covered the majority of his features, leaving only a single shining yellow eye and his pearly white teeth visible.
Sisyphus sneered at the filly but seemed to lose his bluster quickly, his anger turning into a sigh.
“Please tell me you remembered at least one of my lessons," he muttered.
Dog pouted in that adorable way that only the very young could.
“I did!” She proclaimed, only to wither slightly. “I’m just excited, is all.”
The demon crossed his arms over his chest and fixed Dog with a steady glare.
“Well, take a second and reign that in, or we both might not make it back," he warned.
The filly gulped.
“Yes sir," Dog murmured.
She closed her eyes and breathed deeply a few times before reluctantly opening her eyes once more and nodding to the larger demon.
“Good,” he said simply, then motioned for Dog to join him at the small ridge he had been looking out over moments earlier.
Dog restrained her urge to hop over to him and instead followed his lead and silently slipped between the two large boulders that obscured them from sight. She trotted in close to the larger demon and restrained her enthusiasm at the sight that she beheld.
Directly beneath her was an expansive wasteland of blasted stone and sand, broken only by the occasional hill or valley that seemed to dot the landscape at random. This barren land extended from one horizon to another, fading into distant mountains to her right and rising steppes to her left. She could only spot a single piece of the wasteland that seemed to be unnatural and it lay smack dab right in the middle.
A huge stone castle complete with walls, towers, a keep, as well as a massive red shield that covered the entire thing.
“Wow,” Dog whispered, marveling at the sheer size and scope of the enormous shield.
“And you’re going to bring it all crashing down,” the other demon added.
“Uh, I thought father told me I was going to do reconnaissance," Dog murmured.
“You are, in a way,” Sisyphus remarked. “Your father didn't want to get you too excited but he planned for you to be the key to his entire plan.”
The filly’s eyes went wide.
“Really?” She muttered.
“Indeed, but only if I think you can handle it,” he said sternly.
Dog clamped her mouth shut and stowed the happy giggle that had almost slipped past her lips. “I can do it,” she announced as sternly as she could muster.
“Good, because this is going to be difficult. There are several patrols, traps, detection spells, and numerous other minor things that you will need to surpass in order to reach the crystal that powers the entire shield," Sisyphus explained.
The grim look on the demon’s face hardened Dog’s resolve and she nodded resolutely.
“Should I start with mapping out patrol routes or do you want me to begin with clearing the surrounding area for secret entrances and hidden defenses?” Dog asked.
The older demon slowly smiled.
“Actually I’ve done all that for you,” the other demon answered, poking a blackened nail into the filly’s chest. “You just have to follow the plan I’ve set aside. Think you can do that?”
Dog winced and rubbed her chest.
“Yes sir,” she mumbled.
Sisyphus smirked and stood back up, leaning on one of the boulders.
“Alright, first thing you have to know is-”
Dog lowered her head, sprinting across an exposed patch of land before leaping behind a large rock. The filly wiped a sheen of sweat from her forehead and forced her breathing to normalize. Alright, minefield and detection spells are behind me. It's a straight sprint a hundred meters to the shield.
The filly puffed out her chest and breathed deeply, filling herself with confidence. Three, two, one, go!
She turned and with a burst of speed, began sprinting towards the enormous red shield that spread out before her. Between her and it was an empty expanse that was bereft of the usual clutter of variously sized rocks and debris. It was flat, perfectly so, allowing the scanning spell she knew would be coming around in thirty seconds to work more efficiently.
With that in mind, the filly broke out all the stops and poured herself into the simple act of sprinting as fast as possible. A hundred meters was a simple task to complete in the allotted time, but where the difficulty came in was breaking past the barrier in that amount of time and it didn't help matters that she couldn't bring along her trusty cleaver.
Dog remembered well the warning she had received from her father the day earlier, that full demons could not pass through it, but imps, like her, could. Even still, she would need a good running start, then summon the single bit of magical power she could muster and focus it just as she hit the shield. The filly whizzed through the empty expanse and with only a metre between her and the shield, launched into the air with all the power her tiny legs were capable of.
Once airborne, she pulled back a hoof and channeled the power as her father instructed, making her hoof glow with a magenta light. Her calculations were complete, her timing perfect, and her power channeled, she collided with the shield with all the force her body could muster.
She expected resistance, she expected the shield to fight back or to stop some of her forward momentum. However, unfortunately for her, none of those things happened.
“Whuh?” she cried, her body twisting in the air, unable to compensate for the force she exerted, having not met any resistance.
Her tiny hooves flailed wildly to little effect, her body bouncing off the ground and rattling her already shaky nerves even more so. Hooves went in every direction, and all sense of up and down was temporarily lost as she flipped end over end, bouncing into rocks and debris until finally coming to rest against something very, very hard.
“Ouch,” the filly muttered, rubbing the back of her head.
Her training screamed at her to snap to attention and she reacted quickly, jumping into a defensive stance and surveying her surroundings. No attack came, no alarms blared and nothing moved along the walls above her. With a sigh of relief, she relaxed her stance and got a better look at her surroundings.
Right behind her were the enormous stone walls that surrounded the pride demon’s castle, in front of her Dog could see the scanning spell pass over the spot where she had been only seconds earlier. Around her were a few chunks of mortar and stone that had come loose from the wall and been allowed to simply remain there, the opening free to use for anyone who could fit through it.
The entire thing reeked of arrogance and laziness, but more than that, it also smelled of sweet sweet opportunity.
With a confident smile, the filly picked her way through the debris, doing her best to stick close to the wall, and out of the potential sight of anyone upon it.
Her hooves were a blur as she worked her way through the cracked and broken ground, dodging around larger chunks of fallen masonry with ease. She rounded a tower and bolted up a small incline before dashing around one last corner and behind a large piece of a fallen parapet. The stone was just big enough to hide the filly from view, but that was not why she had chosen to dive behind it.
With a shove of her hooves, she pushed aside the large chunk of stone to reveal a narrow crack in the wall where there used to be a storm drain. It was exactly where Sisyphus had said it was, and sure enough, they hadn't bothered to do anything to cover it up other than toss a broken piece of stonework in front of it.
The imp would have laughed at their foolishness, but she didn't want to give herself away.
The old storm drain was partially collapsed, and was really only big enough for Dog to crawl through, anyone bigger than her would find themselves stuck in the narrow passage. Only someone similar to Dog’s diminutive size would have a hope to slip through and for once in her life, she was quite thankful that she was so small. With the last tug, she fell out the other side where she was able to see a good majority of the interior structures.
Recalling all the instructions Sisyphus had given her, she knew that the squat, square stone building to her right was the barracks. It contained the majority of the pride demon’s troops and also contained an armory, a summoning circle, and numerous other rooms that would aid in the defense of the castle. Despite the proximity of the barracks, Dog wasn't worried as she knew she had roughly four minutes before anyone would pass by her location.
Besides the barracks, there were numerous other minor structures, the pride demon’s keep that also served as his palace, but more importantly, there was a narrow, twisting tower that sprung up on the eastern side of the courtyard. It was ten or so stories tall and was dwarfed only by the palace itself. The walls of the tower were as black as night and no windows dotted its exterior, only a single door at the base of the tower served as any point of entry. Most important of all these features was the one at the very top of the tower, where a large beam of blood-red light shot out of the top of the tower and connected with the apex of the shield.
That was her goal, and if the spymaster was to be believed, a relatively easy one at that.
Even after entering the castle grounds, Dog couldn't spot a patrol or even any movement. All save for a group on the walls to the right, but they kept their eyes firmly trained on the small winding road that led towards the palace and out into the wasteland beyond, ignoring everything else. Over the next few minutes, she was able to see a few patrols winding throughout the compound, but they kept their eyes firmly trained outwards, all but ignoring the interior of the castle.
Dog searched the courtyard for the barracks, remembering the spymaster’s words.
After two pain demons and a hate demon leave the barracks and turn towards the keep, you will have exactly one minute and twenty-one seconds to get into the tower without being seen. Stay fast and silent and you will slip right under their noses.
The filly’s eyes narrowed and she peered intently at the barracks door.
Sure enough, right when Sisyphus said they would appear, the demons emerged. The three hulking creatures didn't even scan their surroundings before turning and lumbering off towards the palace, a grimace on their twisted features.
When the last demon turned, she acted, leaping into a sprint and taking off like a shot toward the tower.
Her hooves began to glow a faint purple and her already incredible speed surged to new and incredible heights, surprising even her.
“Whoa,” she mumbled, nearly overcompensating and tripping over herself.
The filly had learned to adapt quickly though and even with the sudden change of speed, she was able to adjust accordingly. Mere seconds later she was already near the door to the tower, her hooves skidding on the ground as she tried to regain control of her momentum.
After nearly tripping over her own hooves several more times, the filly finally skidded to a stop mere millimeters from the door itself.
Pushing the sudden strangeness from her mind, the filly focused on her next objective.
The door itself was strangely simple in design, appearing as nothing more than iron-wrought wood of some unknown origin. Dog knew better though, and with a few taps of her hoof, the door’s true nature was revealed.
A wall of flat, reflective metal shimmered into existence, replacing the simple and unassuming door with something much more intimidating. Dog was not dissuaded however and simply reached into her bags and produced a long thin length of carefully bent copper wire.
Having memorized where the door handle would normally be, the filly reared up, and using her mouth to hold the wire, she carefully inserted it into the part of the wall where the handle would be. There was a moment of resistance, but the filly knew just what to do and adjusted her wire a little lower, watching as the copper length slipped into the wall like it was passing through a liquid.
With only a slight application of force, the wire slipped into the door itself, sliding all the way until Dog’s lips were nearly pressed against the door. Lockpicking had not been an easy skill to learn, especially when she didn't have hands or magic like most other demons, but she was confident in her abilities. Relying solely on her mouth and tongue, the filly maneuvered the copper wire up and down, back and forth until finally she hit the spot she was looking for and the door clicked softly.
Pulling out the copper wire, Dog stowed it back in her bag and grabbed the door, pulling it open just enough for her to slip through before quickly pulling it closed behind her.
With the door now closed, the illusion reactivated, making Dog snicker silently to herself.
What kind of idiot puts a mundane lock on such an extraordinary door?
The filly shook her head and took in her surroundings, noting that everything was as Sisyphus had said it would be.
A long, narrow hall stretched out before her, at the end of which a single solitary demon stood watch, staring right at the door she had just entered through. Dog knew better though and after a few seconds a long, low snore rumbled through the hall.
Whoever put a sloth demon on guard duty is a big stupid head, Dog thought to herself.
The demon was large, easily towering over the filly by a good seven feet, and between his arms, armor, and sheer bulk he easily weighed around a ton, but what was the use of all that if he wasn't awake?
Dog rolled her eyes and focused on the task at hoof, scanning the hallway between them and easily finding the traps Sisyphus had told her about. Three invisible wires, a set of runic trap spells, a hidden teleportation array that no doubt led to a cell, and finally a simple set of pressure plates.
The filly would have to praise the spymaster after she completed her mission as his directions were truly impressive. To think he had gathered all that information just through watching the compound, truly a trickster demon was not something to be underestimated. Dog wondered if she could convince him to teach her such secrets, but she knew better than to hold her breath on that one as he was anything but open at the best of times.
Looking back down at the hallway, Dog easily picked out a path that would ensure she would be able to skip most of the traps, with minimal effort. With a nod, the filly leaped over a tripwire, crawled under another, dodged left around a rune prison, and over a pressure plate. Coiling her muscles into a tight ball under her, Dog launched herself at the wall and spring-boarded off, allowing her to leap over the last of the traps and land majestically on the other side.
Letting her momentum carry her, the filly ran around the unmoving form of the sloth demon, shooting him a raspberry as she passed. The demon merely let out a long, rumbling snore, which made Dog giggle as she walked by. The imp rounded the end of the hall and jumped up the steps that led to the second floor, eager to push on.
The stairs were large, obviously not made for an imp like her, and she was forced to jump up every single one. Thankfully her armor extended over her hooves, muffling the sound somewhat. She had long since gotten used to being stealthy even while jumping up stairs however as nothing in her father’s tower seemed built for someone her size anyway.
Leaping up the last step, Dog looked around the room, expecting the next room to be the ‘small, measly laboratory’ that the trickster demon had said would be there. The imp’s jaw fell and instead of the lab being small or measly, it was far, far different. The lab easily dominated the entire floor, with only a single room and a set of spiral stairs not serving as lab space.
Much to her annoyance however, it seemed to have not been in use for a long time and a thin layer of dust covered everything other than the most direct path from this floor to the one above. Dog glowered silently, only barely holding back an urge to dust the laboratory, or at least to save some of the no doubt moldering books she could see.
With a sigh, she forced herself to look away from the sight of two entire shelves of dusty tomes and turned to the path ahead. Each step was like a stab to the heart and when the filly reached the stairs, she cast a sad look over her shoulder. Her gaze lingered on the slowly rotting tomes, the equipment, and even the unloved and forgotten quills that lay strewn across a table.
“I’ll come back for you,” she whispered softly, wiping away a tear.
With a heavy heart, the filly turned away and began the arduous task of ascending the next flight of stairs. Leaping from one step to the next, the filly hesitated a moment, her ears swiveling as she heard the distant sound of movement.
Peeking over the last step, the filly saw the distinctive flash of steel and ducked back down. The sound of heavy footsteps continued just as slowly, plodding further away from the filly. Slowly, carefully, the filly looked over the lip and saw the armored shape of a pain demon leaning on the wall just ahead.
The tall, spindly four-armed demon was staring intently at a painting that adorned the wall across from him. The image depicted some kind of battle, with demons of all shapes and sizes locked in heated combat with a bipedal, helmeted creature clad from head to toe in green bulky armor. In one hand it had what Dog knew to be a gun, while the other grappled with an imp who was held aloft, the creature’s hand crushing the life out of the imp. Various demons surrounded the creature, attempting to overwhelm him, but the creature himself stood proudly on a hill of demon corpses, unperturbed by the fact that he was surrounded. Stranger than even that was a figure in the distance that looked like an airborne skeletal demon wielding what looked like a trumpet.
Dog blinked. That's weird.
Evidently, the pain demon thought similarly and snorted before continuing down the hall, one set of hands placed firmly on the hilt of the blades hanging from his hips.
The hall before her was relatively narrow, and lined with doors with only a small alcove at the center breaking up the perfectly straight hall. The words of the spymaster came unbidden to her mind. If you don't know what's behind a door, don't use it. The filly looked down, noting that the floor was marked by the pain demon’s heavy steel shoes.
From just a quick glance at the location of the marks, Dog was able to discern that he had been tasked with walking up and down this hall endlessly, as the marks trodden the centremost part of the hall and rarely deviated. How could she manage to get past him if it was a simple straight hallway? A second glance at the alcove and an idea was born. There, off to the side, was a tall statue of some unknown demon with a clawed hand raised in triumph, but more importantly, behind it was just enough space for Dog to fit.
With a smirk, the filly crept over the last stair and scampered over to the alcove, keeping her eyes glued to the back of the pain demon who was walking slowly to the other side of the hall. The filly slid to a stop and wiggled her way behind the statue just in time to catch a glimpse of the pain demon as he reached the end of the hall.
By the time she had wormed her way behind the stone statue, she could hear the distinct sound of the demon’s footsteps as he turned around and walked back down the hall. Thinking quickly, the filly stifled her breathing and shrunk down as small as she could, not daring to even peak from behind her hiding spot for even a second.
The heavy plodding footsteps stopped suddenly, making a lump of panic well in Dog’s throat. The sound of the demon inhaling through his nose made that lump double in size and for a second she feared that she may be caught. Only for the demon to continue inhaling before horking a massive loogie on the floor and continuing past.
That was close, Dog thought to herself.
Before he had a chance to get far, Dog slipped out from behind her hiding spot and scampered off towards the stairs leading upward, knowing that the next floor should contain what she was looking for.
Sure enough, she made it to the stairs before the pain demon reached the end of the hall, allowing her just enough time to hop silently up the stairs. With a wide confident smile, Dog jumped from one step to the next before hopping up onto the landing of the next floor, her smile now encompassing her entire face.
There, at the center of the room lay her objective, a jagged red crystal roughly the size of her entire body. It floated above a pedestal at the center of the room. An enormous beam of blood-red light poured out of the top of the crystal before being fed into a set of glass mirrors and siphoned further up the tower and through a hole in the ceiling.
All around the pedestal were numerous rings that glowed faintly with power. Wards, spells, runes, and magic Dog couldn't even name were spread out all around the crystal, guarding it from any would-be intruder. The pedestal itself was little more than a circular tube of obsidian that morphed into a clawed hand that was the perfect shape to hold the crystal if it were not floating just about it.
Besides the magical defenses, and the pedestal itself, the room was empty, with no clear way to reach the upper floors. Not like that mattered to Dog however as she had exactly what she was looking for. Now it was time for the hard part.
Dog pulled out a sheet of paper and a small bag of items from a pocket and placed them down before her. On the paper was a long list of steps, warnings, and precautions she would have to heed in order to breach the magical defenses that shielded the crystal. The bag contained all the necessary components that would ensure she could even bypass those defenses.
The filly grinned and cracked her neck.
“Time to make father proud," Dog whispered to herself.
Dog flopped out onto the floor, breathing heavily from the sheer mental and magical exhaustion she felt. It may have taken her nearly an hour of constant work and a complete emptying of her very limited magical stores, but it was done and her prize was within reach.
The last ward shimmered briefly before falling away, fading into oblivion.
With that done, there was nothing left between Dog, the crystal, and all the glory that would come with its capture.
Despite her exhaustion, Dog smiled triumphantly, already imagining all the compliments her father was going to pay her. You did it Dog! You are the best daughter in all of Tartarus! She couldn't help but feel a surge of energy rising inside her. This is going to be awesome!
With thoughts of all the nice things her father was going to say when she got back, Dog reached forward and gripped the crystal in both hooves.
The enormous red power source felt oddly light in her grasp and the second she touched it, Dog felt… warm? She blinked, looking down at the crystal in confusion. The warmth had grown and continued to grow until it became too hot to hold.
In a moment of panic, she tossed the crystal into the air, only to immediately regret it as Sisyphus had told her to bring it back to him in one piece. Not like it mattered though, as the second it left her hooves the crystal began to flake, with large chunks tearing away, and by the time it hit the ground it had been reduced down to little more than a speck of what it once was.
“No, no, no!” she cried, desperately trying to catch the crystal flakes as they blew away, disintegrating into nothing.
Reaching up she grabbed a few stray flakes of crystal, only to open her hooves and find that they too had been reduced to dust.
“No!” She cried in defeat.
What did I do wrong? She looked down at the instructions, reading them over again before coming up once more, with nothing. It doesn't say anything about this! I did everything I was supposed to!
She looked around, frantically trying to find any piece that had survived only to come up with nothing.
“Father is going to kill me,” she muttered.
“Not if the boss doesn't first,” said a voice, filled with dark mirth.
Dog spun around, leaping back into a defensive stance, but her opponent was faster, far faster.
“Hrk!”
A hand wrapped around Dog’s throat, and she found her legs dangling high above the ground before she could even get into her stance.
Before her was the pain demon from earlier, only his thin skeletal features were alive with energy. Her forehooves gripped his bony fingers, and her hind hooves tried to push off his wrist, but all was in vain as the demon was far stronger.
The demon’s smile grew as did Dog’s panic and he seemed relished in the increasingly desperate attempts to remove his hand from her throat.
“Shh,” he whispered, his strange, rattling voice filling the imp with dread. “This is not your final end little one, the boss will decide when that comes.”
The filly’s eyes went wide and she pounded her hooves against his hand with renewed aggression, desperate to be free. Even her best was not enough and soon the imp found her vision beginning to grow blurry, and her strikes becoming weaker and weaker until she hung limply in his grasp, her eyes bulging as she looked on in terror.
Until even her sight faded away, leaving her in a world of darkness.