Library of the Damned Account #43; Scrolls A-D, F-H

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...I mean bloody hell, you guys are stingy with your water. What's it take to get a mug of tea? I mean gods, I'd have to write a fucking novel for you. I swear.

I can see you getting ready to tell me to get on with it, so whatever. Fuck you, I have my water. I'll talk.

Where was I?

Oh yeah. Once I actually got down to the Underworld, I found Hades and fought him. Like I predicted, he was surprised and I was victorious. When I talked to him, he basically told me he had let me win, and showed me a grand force of defense that would have easily crushed my force of attack. He told me he would never forgive me for plotting against him, but that I was needed on the surface.

“I...I don't understand,” I told the god of the underworld.

“The power that Ketiraca holds in her fortress is real. It is, in fact, a gate, though she won't listen to reason. I have have tried to tell her multiple times that what she has created will kill her, but she will not hear my words. I myself cannot stop her, because as I approach, she can sense my presence. But you...you are not as powerful as a god. You can stop Ketiraca.”

“What kind of gate? What's going on?”

“You must go. Time is not your ally in this fight. Take haste.”

What else could I do? I mean, the god of the Underworld tells you to do something, you had better bloody listen, especially if you're standing in the middle of his domain.

So back up to the surface I marched, barely making my promise of Summer Solstice. I told Nike what had happened, and she nodded.

“I had wondered if something bigger was taking place. It makes sense that I shall be the one to vanquish Ketiraca. I shall put an end to this. Great things are afoot.”

I assumed she was right. It must have been them ruddy fates messing about in everyone's business again. Why else would my dad have chosen to start something that actually mattered, if he wasn't destined to do it? It was a battle from this point on. Nike and I verses Ketiraca. Well, maybe not. Nike wasn't able to go within 50 miles of the fortress, so she put me in charge of her forces. We fought and all, and since she couldn't sense me coming, I beat the stuffing out of Ketiraca's army. Then-

[Scribe: Please provide a thorough record of your experience.]

You want me to describe the gods-damn battle for you?

[Silence]

Fine, you asshole. I marched to her stronghold, and used a double-flanking pivotal phalanx formation, with a secondary charge and a strongside reserve. The enemy only had one front, and roughly equal numbers. Like I said before, I'm a bloody good tactician, so we tore them a new one.

Once we advanced inside the stronghold, it was considerably slower going. Even as we fought our way through the corridors, I could feel an energy building, like the world was holding its breath. We fought corridor by corridor, and I lost a lot of troops in the advance. Still, it's hard to hold off a long-trained son of Ares for too long. After about an hour, me and another demigod, Kira, made it to the throne room, where Ketiraca and her mysterious gate awaited us.

Stepping over the body of the giant we had just taken down, Kira and I stepped through the doorway to the stronghold's central chamber. Within, we saw Ketiraca sitting at a table, which had an extravagant feast laid out upon it. At the head of the table was a simple wooden door frame, carved with strange hieroglyphics, like a very peculiar guest of honor.

“Hello, Zachariah. You know, I knew another boy named Zachariah about two millenia ago. He was...not what you would call a good person. He tried to undermine me, much as you are doing now.”

“What happened to him?”

“I destroyed him and threw his remains into Tartarus.”

I gulped. “Look. I talked to Hades, and he told me that what you're doing is bad.”

“I'm sure that's what he told you. Of course he doesn't want me to do this. Do you know what these gates lead to?”

“The end of the world? 'Cause in my book, that's not a good thi-”

“It leads to the underworld, halfling. The unimaginable power of the souls of every being that has died on this earth is just a turn of a key away. Through that gateway, there lies the ability to destroy Nike and everyone that sides with her.”

“So, question,” Kira said. “When all of these souls come streaming through, why won't they just destroy everything? What's giving you their power?”

Ketiraca's eyes shimmered. “A covenant. A covenant with the keepers of this gate. In just minutes, I shall unlock this gate. I shall have unlimited power, and you shall die. Painfully. Slowly. Ag-”

In an effort to shut the bitch up, I attacked her.

“You will be no different than the last Zachariah.” A spear materialized in her hand, and she twirled it with expert ease. “There is nothing that can stop me.”

I ran forward and cleaved downward with my sword, relying on brute strength to distract the goddess from Kira's blade, which would follow mine shortly. Or so I hoped.

Unfortunately, after deflecting my blade, Ketiraca held out her palm in the direction of the advancing Kira and sent her flying into a wall, knocking her out cold.

I slashed again, feinting right before stepping inside her spear and stabbing forward, which she easily dodged. I parried her thrust and counterattacked, and we danced around each other for the next pair of minutes, our blades flashing and defending ourselves in a deadly game.

All this while, I noticed that the gateway was glowing brighter and brighter, and a strange buzzing hum was permeating the room.

Ketiraca laughed, and with a powerful strike, my sword was smacked from my hands. No problem. I can fist fight like Bruce Lee, who incidentally was also a son of Ares. Little known fact.

I stepped forward, and kicked Ketiraca in the jaw. I don't know what I expected. Maybe surprise, or pain, or something, but she didn't so much as flinch except to stab me in the abdomen.

I doubled over in pain as she withdrew her spear, still laughing at me.

“Listen, you cunt,” I managed to say. “You...have to stop this. Please. You're going to die.”

“I think not, little hero. I think you'll be doing the dying around here.” She walked over to the gate and took a large key from under her armor.

“Di hurr formicia...no dole principia admirables...”

I groaned and got to my feet. I could feel desperation seeping into my gut. This crazy bitch was going to literally unleash hell on the living world, and I was the only one who could stop her. I didn't think I could, either, but I figured it would look better if I gave it a shot, so I picked up my sword and bore the pain.

As I charged, I felt an indescribable agony set in around my stab wound. I cried out and stumbled to floor, smashing my face against the cobblestone. It was like nothing I had felt before in my life. I wanted to die.

Ketiraca glanced over to me. “Do you even know what I am the goddess of?”

I could barely hear her words through the agony of what I was going through, much less respond.

“I am the goddess of pain. Such a fickle thing. It can drive people to great lengths, make them do horrible things...or just incapacitate them. Don't even try to get up, no one ever has.” She turned back to muttering her incantation to the gate.

Trying desperately to focus on what I needed to do, I concentrated on the pain, trying to isolate it and focus on not realizing it.

I moved my head first, looking over to see the portal fully shining now. I didn't have much time.

It took me about a half a minute to stand up, but I managed to, tears streaming down my face. Making sure Ketiraca wasn't looking, I took three steps forward. After raising my sword, I chopped into the brightly glowing wood of the gateway with every fiber of my being.

The pain was indescribable. I would have blacked out for sure, but the amount of agony I felt from moving my body with that much strength was far too overwhelming to pass out. I collapsed to floor instead, wet with blood and shivering from the pain.
“NO!” screamed Ketiraca as the portal continued to brighten. Small pieces of wood and light were beginning to shoot off in all directions from where I had chopped it. One hit my arm, boring a hole into my skin, but it felt like a tickle compared to my stomach.

“YOU...” the goddess turned to me, and gave me a look of pure hatred and spite. Then the portal exploded into a huge white ball of pure energy and light, and I died.

Then I went through the usual process...you know, being judged by the three kings, being sent to the fields of Punishment for trying to attack Hades, and then being sent to Asphodel instead because, as some bloke so kindly pointed out, I saved the bloody world. Little thanks I get. So yeah.

[Scribe: Please continue.]

Right. I'm not talking about my attempted escape. Uh, I mean, what you guys say is my attempted escape. Of course I never attempted to escape. If I admitted that I'd go back to the fields of Punishment. But you ain't got proof, so suck a cock, you fucking loser. I won't admit shit.

[Scribe: You must tell the truth.]

Yeah? Well I don't have to actually talk to you, do I?

[Long pause]

What's...Oh, no. That's...you can't...

[Subject screams in agony]

[Scribe laughs]

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