POV Rio
After the destruction of the Prydwen, many things happened in a short time. The first thing to happen was the news that Elder Maxson managed to survive, and so did 2 other members. Senior Scribe Neriah and Proctor Quinlan. They fled to the Cambridge Police Station. They arrived safely and then prepared to leave the Commonwealth. But with one Vertibird, they couldn't all go. Someone would have to be left behind. Not that it mattered, as when the Vertibird had left the Commonwealth, I had a Stingray follow them and destroy them, and Delta Squad was also assigned this task.
POV Elder Maxson
An alert goes off, and I walk over to the cockpit to see what is going on.
"Confirmed one bogey on our 6, closing at point 4 miles," the Pilot says.
"Shake them off," I order.
"Roger, hold on," the Pilot says while maneuvering.
I hold on as the Vertibird banks left. As we do that, the bogey appears and shoots at us. I was shocked as it was a Stingray Fighter Jet.
"A Stingray? That's impossible!" the Pilot responds.
We try to avoid the Jet, but it comes around for another attack. This time, it launches a missile.
"INCOMING! Deploying Flares!" the Pilot screams.
The missile goes for one of the flares, and we bank towards some hills. Alarms keep blaring and I and finding it hard to stay standing. The jet shoots another missile, and we deploy flares again.
"Sh*t! It's an LGM hold on!" the Pilot says before banking and swerving as best as he can to avoid the missile.
A Gunner tries to shoot the missile, but the erratic flying prevents a clean shot, and the missile gets closer and closer.
"Crap! Brace for impact!" the Pilot screams.
The missile hits, and my vision goes dark.
POV Pharynx
"Targets confirmed KIA," I say over the comms.
"Affirm, RTB," the Pilot responds.
We loot the remains of the Vertibird before we head back, but stop after a while when we smell something foul.
"Is that Sulfur?" Urtica says with disgust.
"Yeah, watch out for Demons," I say while sending a message over the comms, reporting what is happening.
"That is quite rude. I am no brute. I assure you I mean no harm," says a smooth voice.
We all turn to aim at the source of the voice and see a man with a wide smile. The man had blue eyes and black hair and was wearing a dark grey suit. He had his hands held up in a surrendering motion.
"I suppose introductions are in order. I am the Smiling Man, but you can call me Indrid. I want to stress that I have no hostile intentions towards you or your creator. I only wish to speak with him," Indrid says with that same smile.
We communicate with our eyes, and eventually, I decide to call it in while Cornicle casts a protection spell.
"We will need to bind you," Cornicle says.
"Hmm, as long as you promise not to harm me. I am here for a very good reason, and I am not a threat to any of you with or without the binding spell," Indrid says.
"It's standard procedure," Urtica responds.
"Hmm, very well," Indrid complies.
POV Rio
That brings me to now. I was sitting in an office across from what I know to be a devil. Not a demon. Devils are arguably worse. They are more devious and into deals and contacts. I read about this Devil specifically. He is rarely violent and has been known to operate in West Virginia for the last millennium.
"So what do you want?" I ask straightforwardly.
"I will be... honest. I need your help," Indrid said.
I was fairly surprised, as that is not usually what a Devil would come out and say so bluntly.
"With what?" I ask.
"I am certain that you are aware of the war between hell and the invaders. Mr. Constantine would tell you something when you met him. Which is what brings me to the Commonwealth. Lord Demiurge has ordered me to clean out the various cults that worship the invaders and cleanse Earth of their hold. I have cleared most of the locations. There are only 2 remaining. It was three, but thankfully, you cleared one out for me," Indrid says with that same smile, but now it was a little more tense.
"Pickman," I say.
"Indeed. But the reason I need your help should be somewhat obvious," Indrid says.
"You're far too weak," I reply.
"Indeed. I have no followers left on Earth, and cleansing so many locations has drained much of my power. I used to work with a remarkable mortal. But after the Dunwich Building, we went our separate ways," Indrid said.
"So what do you need from me specifically?" I ask.
"I can handle the first location, The Museum of Witchcraft, but I won't be nearly strong enough to clear out the Dunwich Borers," Indrid replies.
"Why would I help you?" I ask.
"This war is dangerous for both our groups. Lord Demiurge is... ill. The corruption of our enemy has infected him, and it might not be much longer before he destroys himself rather than be corrupted. The war is in its final stages. Who wins heavily affects you. Hell may not be the best place, but we are few in number, and by the time the war is over, I doubt more than a couple of us will still exist. But our foe is different; they will consume Earth and eventually this universe. You have seen their handiwork firsthand. You must realize they are our common foe," Indrid says.
"Okay, let's say I could help you. What do I get in return, and how can I trust you not to screw me over?" I ask.
"There is not much I can give you. Except... A magic item would do. And of course, information. Mr. Constantine must have made it clear that we sell info all the time. As for trickery, I can sign a contract stating I will only tell the truth. Nothing else. No terms for you. You wouldn't even have to sign anything to agree to help me. I would be bound, but you wouldn't," Indrid explains.
"What magic item and show me the contract," I reply.
"The magic artifact is the only one we have left. Mostly because no one has figured out how to use it. And rituals to drain its power don't work. I can't give it to you until you complete the task, but I can give you all the info I can," Indrid offers.
"So you don't even know if this artifact is worth anything?" I ask.
"Well... No... Technically, I don't. But that is why it is the completion reward, and the real reward is given up front," Indrid says.
"What kind of info can you give, and why is it valuable to me?" I ask.
"I can give you the complete knowledge of Hell and its magic. I know plenty of secret places and how to access them. And I can help you know something about the Feral Ghouls," Indrid says.
"You have info on that horde near New York City?" I ask.
"Yes, and I will prefice this by saying there are unfortunately limited things I can tell you. Not because I don't want to, but because I can't. A contract was signed long ago that prevents us from disclosing information about each other, and it's quite binding. I can give you some additional info on top, but that is it," Indrid says.
We sign the contract, and instead of asking Indrid about many things, I have him hold a Memory Orb I crafted and have him input his memories inside. It was done that way for two reasons. One was that memories are hard to falsify, so I could compare what he says and what his memories say, and secondly, I didn't want to sit here talking with him forever. We talk about many things, and unfortunately, most of the things he knows are basically useless. Most of the info is from 200 years ago, and many of the places are no longer in existence. Then, on top of that, he wasn't the most knowledgeable Devil.
The main pieces of info I got from him were the location of a special bunker storing a specimen that I might find useful. It managed to survive the annihilation of West Virginia by the Zetans. The other note was that he was able to tell me a few things about the leader of the Feral Ghoul Horde. He used Evil Magic, Necromancy, Dark Magic, and Death Magic. He is likely older than Hell itself. He cannot be negotiated with as he has one and only one goal. The death of all life. And he reiterated that nothing can stop him. The best I might be able to do is destroy his current physical form.
After that, the Smiling Devil gave me a collection of books. A large amount, no less. Many were prewar books on various topics, but the rest were books from Hell that included topics on Magic, Demonology, Souls, History, and many other things. When I asked where he got them, he said they were his personal collection that he never goes anywhere without.
"Wow, you really are desperate," I said.
"Yes, yes, I am," Indrid responded.
"Hmm, can you identify between a good and a bad soul? And can you drain a soul's power without destroying it?" I ask.
"Yes to both. In fact, very few Demons or Devils would destroy a soul. There is a... Backlash from doing so. Very few would be dumb enough to deal with that mess. This Universe doesn't like it when someone does that," Indrid says.
"So if I offered you some souls, would you only take the bad ones and release the good souls?" I ask.
"Yes, I am shocked you would have any souls," Indrid says.
I pull out the mirror.
"I have been trying to figure out how to release the souls from this mirror safely for a while and haven't managed to do it yet," I reply.
"Well, I'll be," Indrid says with a mocking smile.
"You recognize it?" I ask.
"Of course, this belonged to a Devil I knew. She was a cruel and vicious creature. Embodied all the 7 Sins except Gluttony quite strongly. Her name was Gwynevere. This Mirror was one of her tools she used a long time ago. And yes, I can see that there are 11 souls inside, and 8 of them are quite tainted. I can release them and even absorb this artifact. This might give me just enough power to cleanse Dunwich without being forced back to Hell," Indrid said.
I let him release the souls and empower himself. I was wary, but he did exactly what he said he would. He still wasn't too powerful that I couldn't beat him, but it was a massive difference. If before he was on the verge of being banished, now he is fully manifested. We discuss a few more things, and I get ready to clear out Dunwich Borers. I needed to clear it out eventually, at least now I don't have to try and cleanse the place myself. It wouldn't be easy, but I had confidence I could do it.
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Author's Note:
The scene with the jet is very recognizable to some people. And ooooh, a Devil, huh? The Smiling Man was never explicitly said to be a Devil in the series, but I think it fits, as he is very strange and can vanish at will. In case it wasn't clear, the invaders are another term for the Eldritch, and Hell is fighting them because they are a threat to them first. And no, Demiurge is not Demiurge from Overlord. He was just the replacement overlord of Hell after Lucifer was destroyed. Until next time, Ciao.