2. The Struggle

"Damn, you were one...come on Dariel would want to meet you." The cupid gargoyle fellow walked before me, he didn't thank me for rescuing him. But hey... I guess in the pit of hell there was no need for manners.

We eventually reached their so-called camp, it was hidden inside the caves molded into the stone mountains. It was surrounded by trenches of hot molten lava coursing through its path.

"Why are we not bursting into flames by now? that lava looked boiling hot." I questioned Savaric.

But he just gestured to his own body then to mine. Mmhh...hmm... hell power it is then.

He introduced me to several beings there, he said that they were all human once. I saw less than ten creatures there, each with different shapes and sizes. Dariel was the first one who greeted me.

"You might as well get yourself settled here, it'll be a while for you." The red looking man said to me, he was the one with the most human features from the rest of us.

That day I found out just how long, I would be condemned to this forsaken land. He gave me a book showing my future, it was unfolding right in front of me. Two hundred years, I was doomed in this hell hole for two hundred years.

That goddamn sorceress!

*****

It was months later after I was sent to hell when I find out how being a true immortal really felt like. That forsaken day I was captured by the creepy crawlers. It was Savaric's term for indicating them, he said their native name once, but the language was far too ancient for me to remember.

"Oh, we're going to have so much fun with you." One of the crawlers hissed his words in my ear, as he slit his very sharp fingernails and draw blood to my thick shard skin upper arm. I was shackled to the low dungeon ceiling, my body was forced to bend and my head bows lower, my arms were hanging on each side of my body.

"He looks so strong, I bet he could withstand anything. Here...here...let me try...." the taller bony crawlers came up to me and draw his sharp knife-like nails and slid them across the length of my backside, and stopped just above my hips. I could feel my flesh tore open, making me scream in pain loudly.

"Arrghhhh...stop...it...nooo...umpph..." I slumped as far as my restraints allow me to, while they kept on tearing my body, torturing me. I could hear the little cupid-gargoyle words in my head.

"Just keep yourself away from the crawlers they are the worst. You don't want to get caught by them, they know we're immortal down here. The things that they can do to you is beyond words. I was in their dungeon for almost a decade, until I finally manage to kill one of them and run anyway from their grasps." He said one day when he saw me walking towards their area.

Months later I had carelessly wondered to their area again, I was looking for a way out. Thinking that as an immortal, my time was best spent in finding a way out of this hell hole rather than trying to survive.

But that day, I was proven wrong as parts of my body were slit open and I was in so much agony. I let out a deep growl and groaned louder, but it seemed to fuel them so much more, as they let out their high pitch laughter. And slicing me deeper, making me drop even lower to the ground.

"Enough...let's let him heal. We'll play again with him later. His screams are too beautiful to resist." The other crawlers let out his scratchy voice, making me shivered instantly. He noticed it and laughed hard, like a true evil demon.

I was left alone in the small dungeon, I thought I was alone. Until I heard a faint whisper on my right side.

"You're new, you're one of those immortals from the camp aren't you?" A deep voice was coming from the other side. I couldn't see him, and my body was mending itself back making me hurt in ways I had never imagined.

"Y..yes..." I hoarsely said.

"You are very strong, get me out of here and I will repay you and let you live in my kingdom." His voice was full of authority.

My skin was stitching itself back together, somehow this hurts just as bad as the mending of my broken bones from the fall. I kept on growling and grunting from the immense pain.

"W..what kingdom? Wh...who are...you?" I was trying to voice my words, but the pain was so intense that I had to pause a couple of times.

"I'm King Eustace from the North Kingdom of Hell..."

Savaric had told me about the kingdoms in hell, he said that there were several kingdoms in hell. They reign various lands and spent more time at wars against each other, all kingdoms were pretty much chaos.

"It's hell Arky, it's as expected. That's why we never venture to those kingdoms, we like our freedom and we're mortals. Creatures reside there to shield themselves from death, but since we don't get to die...here we are. Damn, I missed my kingdom on earth. I missed the gathering, the food, oh how I wish I could eat again..."

Obviously, Savaric was right, since there was nothing to be expected why even bother. I just needed to get out of here, and back to find an out from this so-called hell.

My insides were pulling itself together, I was sweating from the pain. I could feel my blood starts to rush and flow to the other part of my body, that was severely torn away from my flesh. The little veins were creeping, sewing themselves to each other allowing the blood to flow again.

"I'll make it worth your while..." The voice started to speak again.

"All I need is to find a way out of here... back to earth." I groaned as I felt the insides of my stomach just stitched itself together again. 

"I'll help...and in the meantime, you will be pampered..."

I didn't believe anything he said, as Savaric told me it's hell, so I just groaned to his statement. If I could manage to get out. if I could manage to help him out, then he would owe me. If not, it wouldn't be my loss. I still had nothing to lose. With hundreds of years in front of me, and with my immortality I had nothing else better to do anyway. 

It was not until three slow agonizing weeks later that I finally see an opportunity, I was seeing their weakness. I had been studying them, every time they had finished with me they become stronger. They were feeding off of my pain, my agony, my suffering it fueled their strength.

The so-called King Eustace was getting weaker each passing day, he was not recovering as fast as before. I was hearing the crawlers speak, they were going to dispose of him and gave him as an offering to the lower being. 

That day, I decided to give my all and try to break free. The moment they stepped into my quarters, I tugged the shackles that bound my hands. For days I had been loosening them from the ceiling and had finally made them loose enough yesterday. 

The crawlers were surprised but I didn't give them the chance, knowing that there were more crawlers out there. I had to make it quick if I wanted to escape the dungeon, I cut their throat with their own knife-like nails. It was not as much of a struggle as I imagine it would be, and they finally lay dead on the ground moments later.

I got to the other side and open King Eustace's quarters. I had no intention of helping him, I just like the idea that some King of hell owes me his life. That was if he was actually true to his words, but that was not my concern at that time.

I was worried about finding a way out and getting both of us out of there but turned out that King Eustace was quite knowledgeable in that matter.

We were finally out of the crawlers' territory, I was about to part ways with him when he holds me back.