My attention raced back to the untouched space in front of my dais, and I slid my consciousness into twisting demonic designs. I could only construct images I’d seen before, and I couldn’t make anything too detailed, but I carved sweeping motifs of gnarled claws, bat-like wings, and twisted imp tails.
I crowned the wall behind the dais with the culmination of my artistic endeavors: a forty-foot-high image of Lilith embossed into the stone. Surprisingly, it was my most detailed work yet, almost so real that I expected the goddess to step out from the stone. The composite of obsidian and bread-rock sent a shiver through my jewel. It was a little over the top, but I imagined dungeon divers would quake in their armor upon seeing the goddess in her giant likeness.
I sent a brief mental command to Puck, telling him to bring my Core down to its fixing on the temporary cradle I’d constructed for it. He happily obeyed, and as my consciousness brushed past Bertha’s relaxed and meditative form, I felt her moan softly. She almost sounded impatient, but she smiled at my mental touch before letting her mind drift back to her meditations.
As soon as I was done with my dungeon renovations, I was going to present the half-troll with the kind of reward only Von Dominus could give.
Puck brought my gem to its cradle, and as he fixed it in place, I laughed silently. My core illuminated the fresh designs in the walls, and Lilith’s visage stared down at me with a lustful smile. In one way, it was a symbol of my devotion to her. In another, it was a picture of the woman I aimed to conquer.
For the moment, Zagorath’s First Floor was complete.
17
Interlude
Spurred on by his new status in life, Ralph spent most of the week-long journey to Shadow Crag slaying monsters and growing increasingly powerful. By the time Alaxon and his protégé reached the mountain’s foot, Ralph had learned to harness the sword’s power. The magic sigil allowed him to channel Infernal Essence to increase his strength threefold and become twice as fast. He learned how to leap fifteen feet into the air by enhancing his leg muscles, and to cleave through monsters in a single attack by both increasing the power of his swings and speed of motion.
The active changes in battle were one thing, but the use of the magical sword and his enchanted tattoo also modified his body permanently. Muscles rippled on every limb, and his eyes could see with a new sharpness. Where only a little stubble had touched his face before, he now sported a full beard.
Ralph had become a man in only a week.
It was his first taste of the power Infernal Essence could give him, and he swore it wouldn’t be his last. No longer did he wish to kill himself, not when he had an opportunity like this.
The path to Shadow Crag’s peak was rife with danger, but Ralph was ready. The ascent was rocky, slippery, and more than once, Infernal creatures appeared from small pockets of stone. Halfway up the ascent, squat little beings appeared from behind.
“Watch out, boy!” Alaxon yelled, but he took a distinct step away from the monsters.
Ralph surveyed the creatures but didn’t draw his weapon. They hadn’t attacked yet, making him think they were more curious than deadly. If they did choose to attack, it would mean their deaths. Their wart-covered bodies suggested they harbored diseases, and a single broken pustule would spray noxious ooze everywhere. They were almost like demonic toads with their bloated stomachs, but the hateful broken speech that burst from their mouths indicated something more diabolical.
They certainly weren’t curious anymore; they were challenging Ralph.
Fear might have been the appropriate response, but he wasn’t some pathetic stableboy any longer.
Alaxon remained behind Ralph, in the same manner he had done during every fight. The priest had only needed to use his staff on a few occasions, and it had always been deadly, but he seemed to prefer watching his protégé combat the monsters.
Ralph sprung forward, his trusty sword flying free of its sheath and into his hand in a single movement. Instinct and hours of training paid off as he sliced through the first with ease. The Dark Reaper punctured the demon-toad’s swollen body and cleaved it in two. The pustules exploded as the two halves separated, and Ralph leaped back to avoid getting hit. The liquid steamed when it struck the ground, and Ralph whispered a blessing to Lilith. While these monsters were the Goddess’ children, he was also her servant. All creatures of the Infernal Realm served her, even when they were killing each other.
The second toad darted past its massacred comrade, coming too close and too fast. The creature leaped for Ralph’s legs, but he sidestepped just before it would have clamped onto his right calf. The toad lost its footing and clawed the ground as it slid over the precipice. It screeched as it plummeted.
Ralph turned to face the final demon-toad, but it was already moving, much faster than the others. It bowled into Alaxon before he could lift his staff in defense, and the two tumbled to the ground. The toad thrashed at the old man’s face, but its jaws couldn’t sink into flesh;
