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" AGAIN!"

He struck forwards with a frenzied chop, clashing horribly against the large claymore of his opponent.

" NO, do not throw your upper back like that! Stand upright, hold your sword forwards like so!"

The lizardman mimicked the posture, using both hands as he took a deep breath and struck once more with some restraint. It struck with a pealing song of steel against the larger blade the monstrous golem before him.

" Good, MUCH better! Now again, same as before but this time after the first strike, pull your sword back and swipe horizontal."

He followed instructions exactly as he striked vertically once, then immediately used the momentum of recoil to slice siceways to clang against the colossus' armour. He had the youth perform the same move again and again until it became an instinct, striking with his broadsword against the cold steel waist before they were done.

" Excellent!" The iron giant backed off with a solemn bow. " Now you understand all of the basic counters, Chanoch."

"Thank you...sir," the lizardman bowed in return.

" Now we retire to the castle itself." The steel colossus threw his sword as it vanished into puffs of smoke. " You have completed your basic training and now I can formally recruit you to my stead. But squadron meets not until the eve so we have time to roam the castle and acquiesce you to your new surroundings, yes?"

"......okay."

Chanoch sheathed his blade and followed after Gobanz, the nine-foot armoured beast with crowning horned helm leaving the training room behind with his young charge wearing only a simple set of leather-clad armour. It was a simple arena to the side of the coliseum which was full of beasts practicing their skills, the sounds of snarling roars and desperate grunts between shining scrapes and cold metallic clashes of sword and shield. The lizardman saw a variety of weapons being used as skeletons swung polearms and werewolves utilised bucklers to block against with pure strength to knock them away and decapitate their skulls clean off with a single swipe of claws raking across the spinal throat. Through halls of the subterranean earth illuminated by torches where shadows danced across the the hard stone cave, they reached a large square platform with an ornate set of doors in front of it. A cage, at first until Gobanz pressed a button on its frame and through the slow creaking grind of a pulley system it started to ascend amidst groaning shudders.

" Apologies for the mechanism," said the armoured beast, " I have notarised the engineers, I swear the more we use this the worse it sounds. Fear not, this shan't be your coffin."

The smaller beast said nothing, riding the rest of the elevator in silence amidst its screeching gears and howling cries that rumbled throughout the shaft. When it reached its stop the doors pulled apart with a shriek that burned his ears as Chanoch walked out with Gobanz into the main castle itself. Halls of arcane sorcery and blasphemous architecture spread out before them in grand arches with ensconced flames licking across the cold pewter amidst curtains that flapped in a breezeless wind against looming windows of a ceaseless night. Red lush carpets swept through the lengths and breadths of the corridor as they soon joined the hordes of the great unwashed. Zombies and skeletons moved around them, some of whom were cheerful and polite bowing courteously to Gobanz or greeting Chanoch with excuse me's and hello's.

Sometimes there were floating heads with serpents crawling across their scalps; other times there were werewolves and shambling piles of limbs clumped together in a festering pool of mucus. At one point there were eyeballs the size of his chest floating past with large hook-chains dangling beneath their retinas that blinked with the sloppiest gurgle and dripping lacrimation. Chanoch instinctively flinched away from them and the orbs in turn gave a look of insult with some foul demonic tongue sputtering at him.

" It is rude to stare," said Gobanz in front of him. " They cannot help it, but you can so please respect your brothers and sisters."

"Yes. Forgive me."

" It is fine, you are only in your first month, it is natural to have teething problems."

"I am not a child. I am-...once was a man."

The giant shook his head and turned halfway to put a hand on the youth's head.

" You have to let go Chanoch. You gave up your humanity willingly, you must stop thinking of yourself as once a human and now reborn as something magnificent."

"How-h-h-HRRNNNGH!" He scratched at his neck suddenly with frustrated snarl.

" Adjusting to your new body still?"

"Yes. I...n-nnnmmph!"

" Tell me what ails you. Be honest, that is an order."

"Hnnnnngh." Chanoch stomped his foot with a huff and looked up firmly at Gobanz. "This skin itches constantly, my tail feels like a third leg I drag behind myself, and my eyes are too loud when they blink."

" Ahhh...are you not SUPPOSED to hear them blink?"

"No."

" Apologies, I do not possess eyes so I would not know."

"But...how can you see?"

" Now that right there, is what I meant about respecting your brothers and sisters." The statue put an arm around his charge and walked him forwards. " The first rule of the Castle is not to ask such personal questions. We live in an equal accessibility environment where all genders, denominations and detriments are treated the same."

"In this place of evil?" asked the lizard pressing close to Gobanz.

" Lesson two, we prefer the term 'darkness' or 'night' for evil is a much more finite concept and if you throw that term around so flagrantly, you WILL be dragged into a philosophical debate. And they are tedious, especially when half the denizens here have walked the lengths and breadths of the underworld to have spent MANY hundreds of years formulating such debates."

"The underworld? You mean Sheol?"

" Well, Sheol is but ONE word for it. Let us retire to the library, perhaps you can bury your head in a book and soothe yourself yes?"

"Yes...alright."

They wandered their way towards a grand wing of the castle where sacred remains would keep. Amidst the monstrous denizens he saw various rooms leading off towards strangely-hallowed crypts that were guarded by possessed suits of armour keeping a constant vigil. But what threw him off most was the chapel he saw deeper within, stretching out to a grandiose Christian ideal with surprisingly correct imagery of saints and maidens. Ravens sat upon auspicious gargoyles that looked threateningly up at them, flapping their large stone wings to unseat them. Other times he saw floating weapons just sleekly crossing the floor beside what looked like skeletal angels, conversing between each other and laughing about the strangest things.

"Why is there a chapel?" asked Chanoch.

" It is not a refuge for God but for his closest children abandoned," said the giant armour, " See the angel and his bladed friend? They were once part of Heaven but defied Him in grave disagreement over His austerity upon humanity. The chapel was made to house those who are too close to Heaven's grace to fully leave it, allowing them a place of safety."

"They are not creatures of e-...darkness?"

" No, they are still holy." He felt the smile of Gobanz from beneath his helm and a hand on his shoulder. " Perhaps you would find it more comfortable."

"I am not Christian."

" It is non-denominational, we accept all of God's children whether they once called him God, Elohim or Allah. Yes the overall structure is Christian but that is only a preferred shape from the land, we DO have rooms accepting all religions."

"Really?"

" Would you like to see?"

He tried to respond but his feet deceived him, walking slowly to the library instead with shameful countenance. The golem said nothing as he walked beside him, entering a vast labyrinth of tomes upon tomes piled up on shelves. Ancient scriptures as far as the eye could see as the smell of rich papers flooded to his nostrils amidst floating grimoires that dripped monstrous words like venom from their pages. Flea men hobbled back and forth, small squat hunchbacked humanoids that chittered and babbled to each other whilst dragging wrenches they bopped each other with. The bookcases towered above them like skyscrapers and even the walls themselves were stuffed to the brim with volumes from every corner of the earth amidst soothing tones of walnut panelling and imperial green carpets.

"I have...never seen so many books in one place," gasped the lizardman.

" Every single tome both human and unhuman are here," said Gobanz, " from Sun Tzu's 'The Art of War' to Le Dictionnaire Infernal, if it has been written then it lies here."

"How? Why?"

" Why else, so as to entertain ourselves lad! Do you not read?"

"I...I never read any books beyond the Talmud."

" Well then there is a first for everything, come let us begin your greatest adventure!"

Pushed ahead with a gentle slap to his back, Chanoch stumbled forwards as they wandered through the maze of scripture. He glanced across various volumes which he had noted had also been transcribed into several dozen languages. From Chinese texts to ancient Sumerian liturgy, there was everything conceivable in the library as well as dark demonic scrips that he refused to touch from the human spines and leather-wrapped skin they possessed. Soon they reached a back room of sorts, a small study filled to the brim with more books based on reference. To the reptile's surprise there was a human being sitting at a desk writing away with a quill on parchment. He seemed perfectly normal in brown Venetian clothes and a fine lengthly beard of grey putting him around the age of 50 at least.

"Yeees can I help you?" said the man without looking up.

" My young colleague here is new to the world of literature," said Gobanz stepping forth, " he would like a recommendation."

"Iiiii seeee. Well then." The man looked up putting his quill in the inkwell. "I am the Master Librarian, how can I help you lad?"

"I...do not know what books to read," said Chanoch rubbing his fingers.

"Wellll what do you enjoy? Do you like romance, adventure, tales of the unexpected?!"

"I do not know, I...I have only read the Talmud."

"Hmmmmm. Well, do you enjoy reference or fantasy more?"

"I would like a good story."

The librarian stood up and walked out of the study beckoning the two to follow him. With pinpoint precision he veered towards a section revolving around the Islamic world as he pulled out one of several copies of a large book in glorious gold-embossed font.

"Heeere we are, Hezar Afsan, or 'The Thousand Stories'. This is one of the greatest collections of stories from the Arabic world."

Chanoch was simply bewildered by the look of the thing as it shone upon his face like the sun itself. He missed the sun. It had been two weeks since he last saw the sun, all of which he spent underground in "boot camp" beneath Gobanz's gaze.

"Have a look," said the human. "If you enjoy it I can lend it to you but I must insist that you take care of it or else suffer a punitive fee."

"I understand, I-...what, is..." he opened the book to find the words inside communicated to him perfectly, "this, is in my language."

"Of course it is did no one tell you?" The librarian doffed his cap to one side in a quizzical manner. "The moment you walk into this place a spell is cast upon which every beast can comprehend every language that exists, and so the books are given the same. Please, sit down and enjoy yourself for a while."

"I, can? Sir, would it be-"

" Of course, we have time," said Gobanz patting his head, " I myself would like to enjoy a classic whilst we stay."

They both seated themselves as Chanoch handled the book like it was made of glass, carefully cradling it in his hands he pored over the pages and within the first chapter he was spellbound by the story. A king that ruled India and China is so dismayed at his wife's infidelity, that he has her killed and subsequently tars all women with the same brush in marrying only virgins, bedding them and killing them the next morning before they have the chance to dishonour him. The narrative itself focused upon one woman named Scheherezade, who as the next bride-to-be begins to tell first one story to entertain the king, but does not finish it and instead moves on to the other. Each night that passes, a new story began in constantly teasing the king, but at the same time withstaying her own execution for the next 1001 nights. Chanoch was bewildered by this strange world of Arabic mythology, as ghouls and djinns tricked humanity within poems and comedies along with some rather saucy erotic stories that had him blushing horribly.

He was so engrossed in the tales that he did not even notice Gobanz return and sit down beside him, resting in plush leather seats that had been the cosiest Chanoch ever felt in years. They said nothing for the next few hours whilst Gobanz read through his novel, the words twisting to fit his infernal tongue as the world faded from them briefly. He smiled at Chanoch looking peaceful, his eyes widened and engrossed with fascinating legends until someone blustered through the place loud enough to pull them free.

"GET BACK HERE YA LI'L GOBSHITE!"

"Have a heart mister fart, you'll do well to pump a tart HEEHEE!"

"GAAAAH!"

Clanking through the library was a headless suit of armour that stomped its heels chasing after a flea man who was carrying something in his grubby little fingers. The creature hopped and sprang off the bookcases with seamless jumps horizontal and vertical as the headless man hurried after with frenzied grabs.

"YOU, FUCKIN' ARSE-BOLLOCKIN' SHITEHOLE!"

"HOOHOOHEEHEE, mister headless cannot egress, I- GHRRHKH!"

A large hook punched its way through the midget's chest, bursting a thick gooey splatter across the carpet as the flea man crumpled in half. The armoured newcomer grabbed the book from its pudgy fingers and dusted it off with relief.

"Hoooo, thank ya fer that, wee bastards are the fuckin' worst."

" Glad to be of assistance," said Gobanz retracting his hook smoothly with a clink, " have we met? You seem familiar."

"Iiiii believe so, were you not at the Suitors' Ball a few decades back?"

" Thaaaaat was it. Gobanz, pleasure to meet you."

"Dullahan, nice to meetcha too."

The two armours shook hands before it turned its gaze towards Chanoch. Somehow at least, despite having no head he could feel the leer of Dullahan upon him as a lean seven-foot suit of human knight's armour with a festering neck of rotting skin and a long sword crafted from a human's spine.

"How far you into that lad?"

"Hmm?"

"Yeah you, scaleboy. How far ya read?"

"I...I have just reached the tales of Sinbad."

"OHH nice, yer gonna love him!" The headless fiend shook his own book at them. "Thanks again for stoppin' that bastard, got away with my favourite."

" I do not recognise that book," said Gobanz stroking his chin, " what is it?"

"Lebor Gabala Erenn, just a collection of poems I gathered from the homeland, wanted to take 'em to the librarian and hope he'll stock 'em, for posterity yanno. Gotta keep the ol' ways alive an' all that."

" Indeed well best of luck, I shall look forward to perusing it in future Dullahan."

"Thank ya kindly, take care sir!"

Left alone once again as the unseelie marched off, the lizardman pulled his head back into the world of Scheherezade as he began to read the great exploits of Sinbad across the Seven Seas. The curse and benefit of the library and indeed the castle itself, was that it made reading for longer than eternity possible without any indication of time passing. It was only when Gobanz heard the clock strike eight that he stumbled from his seat.

" OH, Hell's bells are ringing, Chanoch we must leave."

"Wh-what, why?"

" We have food to attend to and we do not want to be late, come!"

"O-oh, okay."

The two put back their books and hurried towards the exit, Chanoch wistfully stroking the spine of Arabian tales as they raced down flights of stairs towards an immense dining hall, where the clattering of plates and crockery could be heard in droves amidst the bantering screeching roars of patrons. Tables laid out in grand spreads of every possible meat and vegetable there was from rice to beef to even fruits that did not exist in Europe or Asia. Even better was the service as skeleton waiters and formal ghosts floated round with bowls of food suspended on trays that people would ask for soon as they found a seat. Chanoch found himself almost accosted by a spirit instantly materialising beside him with a menu as he chose a salad with chicken and rice to play it safe, whilst Gobanz beside him feasted on a plateful something bizarrely metaphysical that constantly twisted and perforated in on itself, like several cubes trying to eat each other inside out.

" MMmmm...quite a sombre dish today."

"What IS that?" asked Chanoch.

" Ennui, in as solid a form as it can get."

The giant crunched it in his hand and pulled it towards his face, the sound of breathless screams pouring into his visored helm that made his subordinate shudder with fright whilst trying to tuck into his dinner. Briefly looking around he witnessed the various denizens devouring chunks of meat, slobbering up salads and absorbing abstract concepts into their beings whilst they bantered and cackled.

"What were you reading?" Chanoch asked Gobanz.

" The Tale of Genji, an older work from Japan."

"Jah-pan?"

" A nation far to the east, an island actually. It is a tale of young Genji who is removed from succession to the emperor's throne and so becomes a military officer. He is torn between the prospects of war and the need for love from a concubine he is enraptured with, the consort Kiritsubo. But life moves on, things do not go as planned and the world keeps turning round him."

"Sounds...sad."

" It is somewhat. I enjoy the tragic romance of life, it reminds me of things that are important to fight for."

"Hmm. Can I ask about the librarian?"

" If the question is 'why is he human' then please do, everyone asks that." The giant drank up a glass of children's laughter which giggled down his throat. " Mmmmm delightfully cheerisome, anyways, the librarian is an exception due to his proficiency with knowledge of all things. He was given protected status in exchange for immortality and protection of the library."

"He had a different contract?" the lizardman asked between salad bites.

" More the fact that he was so versed in law it was impossible for us to pull him into any contract. Ugh, humans were so much more fun when they were illiterate."

"All of my family were literate," he said darkly.

" Apologies, that was uncouth of me. Do you have any other questions thus far?"

"No."

" I am glad you are speaking finally Chanoch. Silence can only give you so much strength."

"You ordered me to be honest. I will obey."

" Hmhmhm...as you wish."

They finished eating up as Gobanz led his charge towards a new room that Chanoch had yet to see. Through a lower level two floors down they came upon rows upon rows of barrack rooms where various beds and resting platforms could be found. The sight of rectangular mattresses surprised him but the cages and hovering spatial rifts were terrifying to behold as the giant led him to the end where several training halls could be seen. In one hall a small group was bantering with each other in the form of three skull knights, four lizardmen and a floating cloud where skulls kept birthing more skulls from their mouths in a regressive fashion.

" TEEENSHUN!"

The creatures suddenly hopped or floated to attention in a full line before the armoured beast.

" Are you all well this night?"

"Yes sir!" they cried.

" Good. This is Chanoch, our newest recruit who is here to demonstrate his burgeoning skill amongst us. He is your brother now, treat him with respect."

"Welcome Chanoch!"

The helmed statue stepped back to take a seat and start to ruminate on a training plan whilst his legion made introductions. The first one to approach was a hard-faced lizardman with a burnt cheek wearing the armour of Christian crusades. Beside him was one lizard in a long-sleeved green top with yellow scarf, blue pants and silken shoes. The other two reptilians wore chainmail with mustard-yellow leggings and sturdy tall boots. All of them were shorter than him.

"Well met," said the one with the burned cheek, "I am Matthieu Seraine. This is Zhao Lihua, and this is Karam and Ravinder Jandhu."

"Hey there," said Zhao punching Chanoch's arm lightly, "wow you're a damn mountain, you here to replace the clocktower?"

Chanoch said nothing as he clasped his hands.

"Not one to talk? Alright rude but okay-"

"Zhao please," said Matthieu, "he is clearly a survivor from some dreadful conflict let us be civil."

"How can you tell?"

"The haunted eyes that never quite focus on our faces, the heavy shoulders, the way he tightly grips his sword like a childhood blanket because that is all he has left."

"...jeez." Zhao looked towards the French lizard. "That's scary how you read people like that."

"Remember it was my former calling to sense thieves such as you hiding beneath a buttress whilst lurking in the shadows."

"Pfffft, buttress."

"But we will not make you talk if you do not wish to sir Chanoch. Those two knights yonder are Ruissel and Verderonne, scholars that took to war alongside me, and that beast is Oort."

The cloud of skulls hissed with a friendly shiver as it loomed before him. He tried not to flinch from its smog and vapours steaming around its necrotric self, smelling like a roasted tomb. He looked briefly at Oort who whispered something in a demonic tongue he could not comprehend.

"You get used to him," said Ravinder with an Arabic twang, "he's actually very friendly just his odour is constant. He says you are very welcome here and it is a pleasure to meet you, where are you from stranger?"

But Chanoch said nothing still, tightening his lips to a thin grimace as they looked at each other.

"Are you...alright?" asked Lihua. "You look like you about to throw up something fierce."

"Do not tease him," replied Ravinder, "I was the same when I first came here, the first month is trying but once you befriend others like ourselves it becomes much easier."

"Yeah we could hang out and talk lizard stuff like how annoying it is to hear our eyes blink."

"Ugh, goodness yes!" Karam rolled his eyes and slipped up alongside the newcomer. "You want some advice my friend? The first few months you sleep, clog up your ears with cotton, or something to silence the noise, you will thank us later."

Chanoch nodded with a thankful look but still kept his silence. Matthieu brought him over towards the skull knights who courteously nodded.

"Brothers this is Chanoch."

"Good morrow to thee," said the beast known as Ruissel, "have you just arrived?"

"He appears to have yes."

"Sphinx got your tongue?" said Verderonne chuckling as he twirled his sword in skeletal fingers. "Fair enough, there are plenty cats here with more tongue than God should ever allow in His children."

"Well none of these are His," muttered Ruissel scratching the inside of his eyesocket.

"Some of them are, or were, I mean we were all once."

"True but not all of those around us were. I am certain Gobanz was not."

"Let us not disrespect our superior," said Matthieu with warning finger, "for a heathen sir Gobanz has been a courteous gentleman that treats us with respect."

"I suppose," said Ruissel snarling frustrated, "damn...DAMN THESE BONE LICE!"

The skeleton sheathed his sword before pulling his head off completely with a twisting crack. He dug his hands deeper into the bovine skull's sockets to pull out some tics, shaking the head frantically to detach the pale lice with a thump of his other hand before reattaching it back to his spine.

"Ahhhh...why do I get the lice but you do not?!"

"I keep telling you I do not know," said Verderonne sighing grated, "maybe it is because you keep trying to go underground amongst all the filth!"

"I have agoraphobia, you KNOW that!"

"And I am telling you that outside gives you less infestation!"

"Not in a forest!"

"Enough," barked Matthieu clonking their heads together, "you are not making a good impression on our new friend."

"Not that we can tell," said Ruissel snorting his lipless grin at the lizardman, "be thankful you still have a throat boy, you will sorely miss it when you become this."

"Oh do not frighten him Ruissel!" chided Verderonne with a poking swordjab at his leg bone. "We are all stuck here as servants of darkness and we have to cooperate."

"Hmph, fine."

" Alright let us begin!" Gobanz stood up from his seat and gazed across his troops. " Now as customary we must see how well you fare in our training regime, Chanoch. Do not fear, it is a simple exercise to determine your strengths, there is no failure in this. But we DO expect you to perform at your utmost, no slack in your lustre."

The giant clicked his fingers causing the air to darken above them. Shadows crept along the walls forming sounds of an unholy shudder throughout the place, steeped in black beyond that of a starless night. The darkness dripped and oozed towards the floor then slithered towards the new recruit, oily serpents of death and ruin that rose up and transformed into vague human shapes without faces. Trying not to look startled Chanoch held his blade firmly in front of him against the three opponents that shifted their arms into blades and shields.

" Here we have what we call our 'tenebrous trainers', they are harmless entities but what they lack in strength they more than make up for with experience. They cannot kill you unless you let them cut you a thousand times or something absurd as that, but I will time you on how swift you defeat them. Now, COMMENCE YOUR BATTLE!"

The darkness lunged upon him as he strafed hard to the right with a single cut, slicing across two of their bodies as one was viciously cleaved in twain whilst the other blocked with its hard-cast shield arm. The third skirted round to try and stab Chanoch with its bladed edge but he turned fast and swung in a half-spin strike, cleaving its head off completely.as the shadow dissolved into a puddle. But then it became two, as well as the other shadow he split in half whilst the second who survived unscathed came rushing for his stomach with a grazing slice. His scales were tough enough to render it completely ineffective, but the cold touch of false crepuscular steel shuddered through his body in reflex as he kicked hard at the attacker before slicing its body completely with an axe-strike from above.

Two more shadows formed and he was quickly surrounded. He waited for one of them to attack, blocking deftly with sword in both hands as the blade of darkness clashed against his. Another blade cracked upon his fuller as Chanoch swung back to throw both swords off of him and run one of the beasts through with a hard thrust impaling the shadow ruthlessly. Two of the shadows sliced his shoulders from behind sending deep icy shivers through his body as he swung out a backfist behind him, smacking one of the fiends across the head with a slashing uppercut that followed up to carve open its companion.

One of the shadows boffed him across the face with its shield to stun the lizardman, knocking him off-balance before stabbing his side with a blunted thrust. In a desperate flinch he kicked out against his opponent then swung his broadsword like a hammer toss to throw its weight forwards and rebalance himself in the momentum. The shadows dodged back from his massive sweep except for one that was too slow and was severed clean to become two more beasts. The horde of stygian beasts came en masse upon the lizardman as he swung in a dual-X pattern, shrieking diagonal cuts that cracked through shields and knocked away swords to rip through their bodies. Some of them managed to get a punching thrust in and cause a shudder in his kidneys but he resisted their advance still.

The army of shadows soon became relentless, picking up their speed and attacking all at once as the new recruit guarded himself with horizontal blade, feeling three swords creak against his shining steel before he threw them back and made a tremendous whirlwind to sever all three of them at once. Another four teamed up from behind as he shoulderbarged through one of their shields to knock the opponent down, backfisting another to throw them aside and slashing a third one's neck with a sawing cut. Only the fourth one was left unharmed as it rushed for him with a high-lunging thrust, but Chanoch struck against and roared with a furious punch into its chest, shoving it backwards before he came down with a heavenly cleave that split the shadow apart.

He wanted to scream for how many there were now multiplying before him, but still he fought despite his arms slowly becoming fatigued by the weight of his grand sword. His new body did make it easier for him to wield his weapon than when as a human, but that was the only advantage he had thus far against the teeming mass of tartarean beasts. Then he felt his tail whack at of their shields and realised his new limb could help, swishing it fast like a beastly club to crack against one of the shadows' legs. The young reptile punched and carved and swiped with his weapons, driving his fist into one head-like shape, slashing to the side to decapitate another three and bludgeoning a fifth creature with his muscular tail before it could reach up behind him. But one shadow too much leapt upon him as he fell, and soon another, and another as they swarmed onto his back like a hive of bees. Struggling gasps and frantic cries came from Chanoch as he fought and kicked, tore and bit against the vicious prodding darkness that tried to stab him with the bluntest of tools, memories of war that seeped through the last vestiges of their consciousness.

The swarm was relentless, hacking and punching his body in every corner as the lizardman groaned and snarled underneath their blows whilst the rest of the onlookers did nothing. The other reptiles became nervous, tenderly rubbing their fingers and looking at each other but Gobanz stayed their hand with a patient nod. Chanoch's cries became weaker with each passing second until he was fully consumed. They all looked towards their leader who shook his head with a raised hand as they watched and waited. The struggle soon passed. The squirming stopped. Darkness. His breaths became quieter. It almost felt peaceful to Chanoch as the weight of shadows fell upon his back. Cold. Comforting. Was this what death felt like?

_ chanoch _

A voice called out from inside him.

_ Chanoch _

It was familiar. Was it? It was too faint to tell but he knew it was a memory.

_ Remember this. No matter what comes against us, you must fight. _

His fingers shook across his sword handle. His own voice echoed back to him.

_ "Father?" _

_ "Yes?" _

_ "...will you come back?" _

_ "I will do my best." _

_ "But...but Elohim will keep you safe, you'll come back." _

_ "And spare me above others in need? No, twould not be fair upon others if Elohim only looked out for me. He wants us to care for ourselves, to protect one another by our own strength. A father cannot protect his sons forever, and just as He is father unto us, so I am unto you." _

_ "What...what do you mean?" _

_ "You are a man now Chanoch. Protect your family. Do everything you can to keep your mother and sister safe." _

_ "I...I-i-i-this is too big for me." _

_ "You will grow into it. This sword is now yours, but it will only be as strong as your heart is. Do not let your heart falter, for if you do then your blade shall falter in turn." _

_ "I...I'm not strong like you." _

_ "Neither am I. But I learned." _

"No, no DON'T DO IT!"

_ "And now, you will too." _

"CHANOCH!"

_ "No matter what happens, you must protect your family...at every cost." _

"NOOOOOOOO OOOOOOOOO!"

"_RRRRRRAA AAAAAARRRRRGH! _"

The shadows burst from above his body as a tremendous explosion, shoulders heaving and a sword gleaming with light that carved in a moonlit arc. Tearing shreds of infernal black before his eyes as he pulled himself through the abyss, screaming with a tremendous whirlwind attack that slashed every monster from around him. More would come but still he did not relent, cutting and chopping with near-psychotic frenzy as his roars echoed throughout the hall. Each new attack that dented off his thick scales he countered with a hard elbow slam or a plunging stab from above, driving his blade straight through two shadowbeasts and slicing hard through another three. The room filled to become a stygian swamp as the shadows soon had enough, combining into one giant creature with hulking arms and a looming faceless void for a head.

" What?" Gobanz stood back somewhat worried. " That...that hasn't done that in years."

"What the shit?!" cried Zhao with hands on her head. "Sh-shouldn't we help him?!"

"No," said Matthieu putting a hand to her shoulder, "trust our new friend and our commander."

"It's not him I don't trust it's those bastards ganging up on him!"

Staggering back at the sight of the colossus, Chanoch raised his trembling sword as fatigue sunk into his wrists. Heavier became his blade as he sliced through the monster's legs, sending it falling onto its stumps before it raised its massive fists and slammed with the force of a gorilla into the earthen floor. The lizardman dodged and slashed at the ogre's wrist, cutting halfway through with a gouging chop before it swiped its other hand against Chanoch's side and knocked him to the dirt. Staggering back up he ducked under the huge hand's sweeping blow and slashed a furious uppercut to completely sever its wrist in twain. The shuddering render through its body sent it off-kilter enough for Chanoch to drive his blade completely through its stomach region with a shrieking cry of vengeance. The sword plunged deep enough to thrust out its back, the shadow hunching over in stuttering breaths of foul necrotic gasps as the lizardman slumped against his hilt. Exhaustion overtook him as his legs gave out, groaning as the monster finally succumbed to his sword once Gobanz recalled it with a dark song.

" Enough."

The giant armour raised his hand and pulled the shadows back into the walls and corners of the room, dispersing into a dozen serpents as his student was left slumping to his knees. Ravinder hurried over to him along with Karam.

"Are you alright?" she asked. "That was quite the battle you gave!"

"Indeed friend," said Karam rubbing his shoulder, "you gave a tremendous fight for someone so new!"

"I agree," said Matthieu nodding with arms crossed, "we shall make a warrior of you yet."

"I'm pretty sure he doesn't need YOU to teach him that Seraine," added Zhao nudging his ribs cheekily, "whaddaya think Oort, this guy good or what?"

The cloud of skulls seemed to hiss with agreement, swivelling round her body as she flapped her hands at his vapour trails.

"Yeyeyeah I got it jeez don't get your stink all over me!"

"Be glad it is JUST his stink," chuckled Ruissel from the sidelines, "I once saw Oort when he was eating and I was very thankful I no longer have a stomach-"

"Would you SHUT UP in the NAME of GOD!" cried Verderonne stomping his bone feet. "Every time you have an opportunity you whinge and lament your absence of organs, I HAVE NO ORGANS EITHER, DO YOU KNOW HOW EMASCULATING THAT IS?!"

"What do you mean emasculating?!"

"MY PENIS WAS AN ORGAN TOO!"

"Oh...well, you DO realise we have arcane powers yes-"

"THAT IS NOT THE POINT RUISSEL," shouted the skull-beast, "IT IS NOT THE SAME!"

"IT IS GOOD ENOUGH!"

"Well now, what do we have here?"

A black feather whisked across their faces, spinning like a dandelion seed before bursting into a thousand more that merged into a shape. The skull of a raven sat upon an eight-foot tall cloak of feathers as a pair of sleeves twisted together from wings to reveal wicked talons. Both skull knights instantly fell silent and pulled carefully back into the shadows.

"Another pet for your herpiary?" croaked the stranger.

" Ahhh, Malphas." Gobanz stepped firmly towards him with hand and hook behind his back. " I thought I could smell the lack of elbow grease you exhude."

"Try not to think too hard tinman, your gears will break. I see you are making a fine collection of...lizards." He said this last word with beak turned towards Chanoch and the two Jandhus.

" He is my newest recruit," said the golem walking over to pull him up and pat his back, " sending him through his orienteering which I might add he just passed with great aplomb."

"I do not know why you bother, they are like dogs that refuse to obey." He loomed towards Chanoch towering over him with a deep sniff of disgust. "Dogs that cannot learn to fetch."

" When you have them yes," said Gobanz flicking the crow-beast's shoulder, " because you are a malodorous cunt who cares less about anything with wings than your mother did with you."

"Hmph, starting early with the insults?" Malphas swept out a cold wing towards the giant. "Did your little lizards finally harvest enough fish oil for you to move the joints in that thick skull?"

" At least I have my own skull, one I do not have to wash for maggots every week."

"Well, I have little time to parlay so I am here with a request from management. One of the gears is out of commission and I need a party willing to harvest some ore."

" And so you come to me because of my 'dogs that refuse to obey'," the suit of armour said with giant air quotes, " tsk tsk Malphas that is no way to ask for a favour-"

"If any of your pets die then it will not concern me," said the crow-demon. "I also ask you because you are in charge of requisitions this side of the castle, as is your DUTY."

" Yeeees yes of course I shall obtain the usual amount. Are we done or is there some carrion on my face you would like to pick off for your meal?"

"No thank you, the sight and smell of your foecal-treading beasts made me lose my appetite. Good night."

The cloaked fiend spirited away leaving behind a note of requisition for a large volume of iron ore that Gobanz snatched from the wind. Chanoch looked up at him with a grimace.

"Who was that?"

" A superior of mine, nothing to concern yourself with."

"Why did he call me your pet?"

" He was mocking you, because he despises reptilians because he only wishes he could be as dignified as the noble lizardman."

"Noble?"

" What, do you not find yourself greater in stead than before with a new body surging with strength?"

"No."

" Hm. Well, that is a pity to hear-"

"Oh yes, I forgot one thing."

The raven shuddered back into the room with a burning dark flame that made the recruits jump. Without warning he lunged his wing out into the corner of the room and pierced through someone's chest. Vile screams tore across the air as Verderonne was pulled viciously towards the crow-beast.

"Did you think you could escape my sight?"

" WH-WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" barked Gobanz.

"Performing MY duty, now be quiet."

"M-MA, MASTER PLEASE, I-I-I AM INNOCENT!"

"Silence."

"_H-HRRRRG GHAAARRHKH! _"

A flock of feathers burst from inside his skull, shattering pieces of bone apart from wicked sharp pinions that penetrated like shrapnel. His head became a jagged centrepiece of black and white as Malphas lifted the skull knight above himself with a single winged hand.

"Marcus Verderonne, you have been charged with committing the sin of larceny, in the form of a substantial volume of our master's wealth."

"WHAT?!" Matthieu started forwards. "What proof you have of this?!"

"All the proof I need, little dog."

"Unhand my brother immediately, I demand you present your case!"

"Are you...ordering me, subject?" The raven's head turned towards him with a dark glint. "An insect such as you should even realise how misguided such actions would be."

"I will contest his innocence, whatever these charges are they are surely preposterous!"

"Then make arrangements at the court, until then."

He threw Verderonne above him with a surprising strength, before a murderous wing pierced through the skeleton's ribs as he cried in horrid anguish. Shrieking as tears fell from his sockets, a red mist began to seep out of his chest that Malphas pulled free in a twisting crack, dropping the skeletal corpse to the ground as it suddenly burst into fragments of ash. The raven held a crimson orb that he pocketed into the folds of his cloak.

"Y-you...you....BASTARD!"

Ruissel stomped towards the demon and took his blade out ready to strike, but Karam and Ravinder stepped in quick to push him back amidst a fearsome struggle.

"L-LET, LET ME GOOOO!"

"NO IT IS NOT WORTH IT!"

"LET ME GO YOU MOON-FACED HEATHENS!"

"THAT IS ENOUGH!"

"No, let him." Malphas gave an invisible smile. "If he wants to join his brother in my folds then let him."

" Ruissel, enough." Gobanz stood beside him and pulled his shoulder hard back. " I will contest his case, but you are not helping him through your rashness."

"H-he...h-h-he...m-my, my brother h-he did not DO ANYTHING!"

" And we shall learn the truth in that case but for now you must let things be, instead of becoming an accessory."

Reluctant and confused Ruissel stepped back with stuttering fingers grabbing his skull. Malphas chuckled and clicked his fingers to disappear in a flurry of wings leaving the group silent with upset. The skull knight left behind fell to his knees and started to sob, breaking his voice with a torpid scream as Matthieu tried to console him but he shrugged him off, shrieking harder. Chanoch said nothing still. He never spoke a word to any of them still.

The next day Chanoch awoke in his appointed barracks. A bed in the same room as the other four lizardmen he had become joined with as he kept to himself, his sword never leaving his side which he clasped against him even in bed. The group trained with each other as they learned more about each other's tactics, Zhao the swift-striking dagger, Matthieu the former crusader with bastard sword and Karam the dancing blade. Ruissel barely spoke whilst Gobanz was occupied in the upcoming trial for Verderonne's innocence. Ravinder largely focused on her skills as a medic, studying balms and ointments for various curses and wounds that could inflict upon the soul.

"You guys think Verderonne got set up?" asked Lihua with hands behind her back.

"I dare not speculate," said Ravinder, "I do not want to make any assumptions."

"But we've known him like long enough that we KNOW he's a good guy, right?"

"Appearances can be deceiving," said Karam pulling up one of Zhao's sleeves, "for example your colourful looks would not have anyone suspect you of being a thief."

"Heh, I guess that's fair. What about you big guy, what do you think?"

She looked towards Chanoch who walked alongside them, with not a word through his lips as they stepped through the halls of death and illusions where windows gleamed with monstrous shadows and curtains flapped continuously sending bats throughout the roof. Zhao tightened her face and deepened her voice in a slavic growl.

"Ai fink thezz an ecumenical mehter Zhao."

"What are you doing?!" cried Ravinder smacking the back of her head. "Do you greet all your friends first time with such crude impressions?"

"Not ALL of them...but at least he could TRY to talk."

"It is entirely his choice and we should respect that. My apologies Chanoch, she is rather high-strung."

"I'm not high-strung what the shit does that mean?!"

"That exactly, that attitude of yours."

"BITCH my attitude is just fine YOU'RE the one being judgemental!"

"Do NOT talk like that to my wife," warned Karam with a forceful finger, "I have no qualm with striking your face if you choose to go down this path."

"Fiiiiiine fine. What you wanna do then big guy? Any ideas?"

She looked back up at him trying to read his face for an answer. He looked down upon them and was almost tempted to say something, but he yawned instead and rubbed his eyes.

"Maybe you need some food," said Ravinder patting his side, "how about some breakfast first?"

Chanoch nodded politely with the faintest smile as she led him to the dining hall where food continued to be served almost every hour on the dot. He was mystified by how they even had so much food without it spoiling, except for those who could only eat rotten food such as the fly-headed Beelzebub and his platoon of wretched bugs gorging themselves on rancid green meat and black vegetables. Everyone did their best to ignore them for the sake of their stomachs as the four reptiles sat down to a mixed morning meal of eggs and lentil soup with a side order of beef curry, soon joined by Matthieu sitting on the other side of Chanoch.

"Sorry about what I said," muttered Lihua between gulps of her soup, "guess I was uhhh...angry cuz I was hungry, is there a word for that?"

"Not that I know of," said the other lizardwoman slurping her bowl of curry, "this is very good! I am astonished how good the food is here."

"There are many fine chefs in the underworld," muttered Matthieu sipping from a spoon, "I admit I have never had curry before coming here, so that is one good thing."

"I bet Chanoch has not had it either, what do you think Chanoch?"

She leaned over to look at him as he kept eating. He nodded in approval as Seraine peered at his face, their eyebrows ridged above gleaming red eyes that mirrored each other.

"You will get used to this," he explained to the newcomer, "the first thing you must know is that you should not be afraid to ask for help. You come from Poland yes?"

The newcomer said nothing but there was a small twitch that the French lizardman could see as he nodded with a look to his weapon's hilt. A gold eagle in a crimson circle.

"The pommel on your sword is the Polish crest yes? The language I do not recognise on your blade though so I would assume that was a personal touch. Your father's blade?"

Chanoch turned his head with tightening lips as Matthieu crunched an apple between his teeth.

"Do not be so shocked, I read people's faces for a living. It is surprisingly simple once you get down to it, I could even teach you. Someone as stoic as you could benefit from reading the faces of beasts, that way if you so desire to speak, you will know what words to say to them and not waste your breath-"

"Could you?"

The four of them turned with surprise at the youthful rasp.

"I...would like to learn that, please."

"Holy shit he CAN talk," cracked Zhao Lihua smacking her palm on the table.

"I would be glad to teach you Chanoch," said Matthieu offering his hand to shake, "we are comrades now, we share our lives and our stories together."

With clenching fist he reached forwards to gently open his palm and shake the former sheriff's hand. Shuddering with a hiss, Oort made a comment on something whilst ingesting the vapours off their foods.

"He said monsieur Seraine is a very good teacher," said Karam toasting with a cup of goat's milk, "you will do well learning from him."

"In fact I have the perfect classroom," said the Gaul pushing his plate away, "if you are ready to learn then I shall take you there once we finish our feast."

"Yes," mumbled Chanoch.

Once they finished their food Matthieu led them down a narrow set of halls that became more elaborately-tailored the further they went. The carpet became more plush and hooked against their claws whilst the walls were draped in fine tapestries detailing great and heroic battles of hellish landscapes. Murderous fiends clashed with angels and men, blasphemous triptychs screamed amidst cacophonic landscapes of fire and sulphur where black monoliths stood eternal like oblong tombs. Before them was a grand semi-circle hall with two winding staircases and five sets of doors, three below and two above.

"Madame Lihua if you would please."

Zhao stepped up on Matthieu's behest, pulling out two small picks and twisting them into the keyhole of one door before they heard the click.

"Hah, next time give me a challenge."

They entered unto a grand theatre, a glorious pavilion where hundreds of seats stared towards an open stage that several beasts were busily managing. Zombies pulled on ropes, winged demons fixed holes in curtains and one werewolf was busy painting the backdrop of an ancient Grecian palace. The lizardmen sat themselves down in a dark corner whilst Oort floated gently against the wall with a fearful hiss.

"It is fine I know the people here," said Ravinder, "I help tailor their costumes between duties."

"This is our ghostly theatre," explained Matthieu to Chanoch, "a training ground for those wanting to mask their feelings and failing to do so. What do you see?"

"I...I see people working," muttered the youth.

"Do not be so basic, think. Focus on one person, tell me anything that strikes you as odd. Here is an example, you see that demon on the left curtain?"

He pointed towards a crimson beast with crooked wings like a pterodactyl whose face and body resembled a crocodile. His claws slowly tweaked and twisted the fabric like knitting needles, his back covered in smooth bumps that glistened like old bloodied stumps whilst his eyes roamed the ceiling.

"Notice how slow he is kneading the fabric," inferred Seraine, "yet he is not clumsy. His eyes have lost focus and his wings have retarded their state. What does that tell you?"

"He is not paying attention," answered Chanoch.

"Exactly. Now, can you think why?"

"He is...hungry? He is licking his lips."

"Good good, not a bad estimation. But listen to how he sighs, look how his eyes have clouded over without a trace of thought. Is that the look of a beast in hunger?"

"I...is it?"

"It is not." The former sheriff brought a finger between their eyes. "Hunger would make the eyes sharp, it is natural for beasts to focus more when they are starved, that is simple need. He is thinking of someone...perhaps a lover he dreams of in reminisce and eventually his fingers slip."

"Kael, PAY ATTENTION!"

The croc-beast sputtered and dropped the curtain, sending it swooping down towards one of the stagehands who fumbled and almost fell back into the werewolf's paints with one of his arms rolling off across the stage.

"B-BE CAREFUL!" cried the wolf.

"S-sorry, sorry!"

"That is a very fine ochre and it took me THREE DAYS to mix it for the right viscosity, I CANNOT go through that again!"

"KAEL!"

From the midst of stage left came the strangest-looking thing Chanoch had seen in his first days of service. A floating glowing symbol like someone had pulled ink out of a book and gave it life, resembling some alchemical equation with a square root line that ended in crosses. The curved end of it held a book, whilst the top cross glowered like an eye towards the winged demon.

"WHAT are you doing?!"

"Sorry sir, I lost focus."

"Focus?! FOCUS!?" The symbol blazed with a tremendous ultraviolet. "All you are doing is knitting a curtain, it should not REQUIRE focus, are you on the stage?! Are you memorising Jocasta's suicidal elegy?!"

"Wow spoilers," muttered Lihua rolling her eyes.

"You are but a stagehand and you have ONE, JOB now fix that sodding curtain before I send you back to Dis!"

"Yes sir, sorry."

The fearsome beast flapped apologetically with his grave voice sounding like a crypt being opened as he pulled the curtain up again and continued to knit. The werewolf continued to paint once the zombie had grafted his arm back on again.

"No no NO!" screeched the symbol turning towards the backdrop. "Where is the chiaroscuro!?"

"I am getting to it mister Dantalion," muttered the painter clenching his brush between his claws, "I need to start with the first layer so the light slants properly on the columns."

"Wh-what is this then?!" A ghostly calculation flickered towards the top of the columns. "Why are they doric, I SAID they should be corinthian!"

"You said you wanted doric for the first act!"

"I DID NOT, I WOULD NOT HAVE SUGGESTED THAT!"

"Mister Dantalion..." the wolf sighed restraining himself with a clenching fist, "you told me that the first scene would use doric to emphasise the plainness of Oedipus."

"No that was the THIRD scene!" shrieked the symbol. "First scene is corinthian to represent Oedipus' greatness before the fall, second is ionic to symbolise the curse of Tiresias' vision falling upon him and the THIRD is doric to state his plainness!"

"I am not sure that's correct sir."

"Are you questioning me!?" The creature loomed its theoretic sign upon him with his book raised as if ready to strike. "I am doing you a favour in exposure, I did not need to have you here, but I saw your magnificent strokes and I insisted that beasts the length of this castle shall gaze upon your vistas and be marvelled to help you find more clients!"

"As opposed to actual payment?" replied the wolf turning his head.

"This is the THEATRE Jason, exposure is all the payment you need upon the stage!"

"Hmph...alright, so you want these columns to be corinthian then?"

"Yes, exactly and make SURE you remember the chiaroscuro."

"I am sure I do not need to tell you how the painter feels," muttered Matthieu twiddling his claws.

"I know him." Chanoch leered closer. "He was...we first came here together."

"Really?" Karam leaned over against the seat in front of him. "Well, small world then I see."

"He is nice. I like him."

"But you can tell his mood from here yes?"

"Frustrated. Venting it on the paint, he's brushing faster now, not taking his time."

"Very good," said Seraine nodding, "the change in his pace speaks of everything, such as the way his tail flicks in vex, now take a look at the stagehand."

Through careful observation Chanoch was taught to pinpoint at every part of the usual bodies' suspects. The stiffness of arms, the twitching of tails, the slackness of mouths in parting sorrow all whilst the group of lizards watched the construction of a play amidst the ever-growing ire of the technicians beneath their boss. At one point the floating symbol peered across the seats as it hovered before the stage with a book now orbiting his being.

"Creatures and entities! No, wait, let me try again, mmhmm...gorgons and cacodemons! No, no, aaaagh what is a good phrase that is all-inclusive?"

"Ow abou' 'ladies an' gentlebeasts'?" said a half-bodied zombie above him in the catwalks.

"Did I ASK for your opinion lackey?! Have you fixed those lights yet?!"

"Jus' gettin' the new candles in 'em now boss." The lighting grip swung his legless form like a monkey across the beams.

"I swear this play is going to be the exorcism of me...hhhhhhh, if I had the actors here it would be much easier to truncate the script but nooooo they have a registered break, bastard unions I swear to Baal...HEY! YOU!"

He suddenly teleported straight above the lizardmen in the audience with burning indigo cross of alchemy.

"O-OH SHIT!" squealed Zhao hiding back in her seat.

"WHO IN THE NAME OF DIS INVITED YOU?! GET OUT, ALL OF YOU I-...OHO, Ravinder goodness I did not recognise you there!"

"Hellooooo Dantyyyy," she waved at him cheerfully, "how are you?"

"Ohhhh like the woods of suicide but nothing new hahaha!" They laughed fake and blew "kisses" at each other. "What are you doing here, I thought you finished your tailoring."

"Ohhh I wanted to introduce our newest friend to the theatre and show the IMMACULATE work you manage for our amusement."

"Oh! O-oh I see well I am always eager to enlighten a new patron of the arts I uh...uhhhh which one is it?"

"Him," she pointed towards the lizardman beside Matthieu, "his name is Chanoch, he is very shy and only came in a few weeks thence but we wanted to show him that we are a cosmoplitan community that cater to all sorts of talen-"

"SH-sh-sh!" The square-root arm swished across its cross and glared piercing at Chanoch. "...you. Yes. YOU!"

He lunged closer towards him until the flames of ether licked at his face, roving his look everywhere across the pensive face.

"That look, that haunted look, yes, YES! YOU, I must have you, I am in need of your assistance!"

"What?!" cried Lihua raising a hand. "UH, scuse me what's your deal?!"

"My 'DEAL' little miss short-arse is that your friend would make a fantastic Oedipus!"

"WOAH, okay that is rude you better apologise for that."

"Not as an ACTUAL actor of course but more of a stand-in, unions you see."

The symbol floated straight down into the chair and whapped his book towards Oort almost hitting him much to a stuttering growl of annoyance.

"SHH!" Barked the symbol to Oort. "This is a theatre watch your tone! Now uh, Chanoch yes, how would you like to help your community with a smallllll accoutrement?"

"I...am not sure," muttered the reptile keeping his arms tightly against the seat rests.

"Allow me to introduce myself." The mercurial emblem gave a bow with its single-line appendage. "I am Sir Dantalion, the great and mighty duke of Hell, govern of thirty-six legions, master of arts, sciences, teacher of Love and various similitudes. I only need you for one tick, just to read some lines to see how they FEEL in the atmos. There's no obligation of course but it WOULD make you quite well-liked amongst the uh, ahem , pantheon of your elite."

"Just do it," said Matthieu, "he is relentless, best to hack the wound off now before it infects."

"I heard that Charlemange," said Dantalion with a snarling creep, "anyways it would be a terribly great favour if you could assist me, NOT as an actor in some damnable union but as a prop simply to bounce off ideas."

"I have...never acted," said Chanoch averting his gaze.

"Oh come now you look a natural, your inflection, your look of sorrow, you could make the audience cry with a single gaze! Unless you would rather I report you all for illegal entry."

They felt his smug aura creeping through the alchemical form as the young Pole reluctantly agreed, standing up to be taken onto the stage where Jason still kept painting shadows across the palace columns.

"WAIT, STOP!" Dantalion cried to the artist. "I just remembered, NO chiaroscuro for the first scene, that does not come until act two!"

"UuuurrrrRRRAAAAGH."

Jason tried to stab himself through the heart with the blunt end of the paintbrush wishing his misery to end. He saw Chanoch briefly with a look of confusion as he smiled back nervously, before the lizardman was dragged into a side room that simply burst with colourful lights. A dressing room of sorts with lush velvet walls of red with golden laurels creeping along the walls where the only occupant was a goat-headed beast, with black leather straps over his eyes on top of a human body, wrapped in a cloak of glorious jade and azure patterns that shaped like diamonds.

"Drammy, good dayyyyy I need a small favour." Dantalion clapped his book against Chanoch's leather-armoured belly. "I have a stand-in to bounce off some lines, NOT an actor, I just need him in the right togs."

The goat turned from his wardrobe rearrangements to stare upon the lizardman whilst chewing on a quill between his teeth. His voice sounded tired as if he were about to sleep at a moment's notice.

"What part is he playing?"

"Oedipus, briefly just to fix some line-"

"No."

"...I...sorry?"

"Do not 'sorry' me, this boy is not fit for Oedipus."

"I-i, what are you saying?!" blustered the symbol.

"Look at him." The goat pulled him to his side so they could both stare at Chanoch. "Do you not see what I see?"

"Other than my time being wasted?!"

"You waste MY time with a Summer when Oedipus was clearly an Autumn."

"Uuuugh, do not DO THIS to me Drammy!"

"I do not make the rules of fashion, to mock the gods of Fashion wouldst be a step from excommunication."

"Just-can you not make this work, LOOK at him!" The floating sign grabbed Chanoch's face until his cheeks compressed. "Look at his face! Tell me that is not the face of a haunted prince!"

"Oedipus was a king," corrected the caprine.

"WH-WHATEVER, ROYALTY just fix him up to be the part, I must VISUALISE him in order to make it work!"

"Hhhhhhh..." The costumer rubbed his horns with frustration. "Perhaps we can compromise with a Spring look and then mute it somewhat, that might help."

"Great, perfect thank you well then I leave you in our make-up artist's hooves cheerio!"

"I have hands you scribble-faced-"

Dantalion poofed from the room in a cloud of arithmetic that stuttered past Chanoch's face. The goat beast pulled him gently to the wardrobe.

"I assume you were dragged in by force?" he asked the newcomer.

"Yes...forgive me."

"Ohhh it's not your fault, Dantalion is an equation with a few fractals missing. My name is Adrammelech, NOT the son of Sennacherib, we're not related, perhaps you have heard of me-"

"Wh-WHAT?!"

The lizardman pulled back hard and stumbled against a mirror to pull his blade against the goat.

"D-DEMON! God of Sepharvaim I shall not let you touch-"

"Caaaalm yourself semite," said Adrammelech pushing the sword's tip away from his face, "Elohim is not here to judge you remember?"

"That...is not the point, I KNOW who you are."

"Yes yes-"

"Your worshippers sacrificed their own children in praise of you, monster."

"And what of MY children, being sacrificed by YOUR people to your magic sky man?"

"W-we, we have never done such!"

"Oh really?" The goatman crossed his arms with smacking tongue. "Because I seem to remember a thing called Azazel that your people do, the SCAPEGOAT that you tie a red ribbon round and somehow foister all of your 'sins' upon it before chasing it over a cliff to its death."

"We did no such thing, we..." Chanoch bit his tongue to compose himself, "we send them to the desert."

"Oh, and that is somehow better hmm? You're rather talkative now that you try to defend your cabal but..." he raised his hands in peace with a sigh, "I am not here to make amends nor am I here to cross swords with you, son of Abraham. Now please, sit."

The demon offered a chair but Chanoch refused to move or put down his blade as he sighed with a hand to his head.

"If I wanted to kill you boy, I would not waste my time in here where fluids are an absolute chore to clean, do you know why we have no murders in the first act of a play?"

He walked forwards coldly past the sword until his chest almost hit the lizardman's armour.

"Because you have to clean whilst everyone is preparing for act two and that is but excruciating to work around. Now please. Sit."

Adrammelech bade his hand towards the chair as Chanoch eventually sat in front of a mirror with dresser. The goat-demon carefully examined his face with hands creeping over the scales to look at it from each angle.

"No hair will make this easier at least, just have to polish up your cheeks to seem more gaunt."

He pulled out a drawer with some cream, brushes and a small bottle of strange-smelling fluid as he set to work. Hunched over the lizardman's scalp he began to carefully gloss over the frilled spikes until they shone with a good buffering, then dulled them down again with a different coating to look more bronzed.

"How long have you been with us?"

Chanoch kept schtum with a pursing of his lips.

"Do you really think you can remain stoic after your little outburst? No."

The caprine began to rub his hands in the odd fluid which he smeared all across the lizard's neck and cheeks.

"I never have this problem with Christians. Either half of them are illiterate, or the half that DO read only focus on two parts and nothing else, nobody cares about what a tax collector thinks. But your people, ohohoho they are exceptionally difficult."

More glossing of the scales as he gently rubbed over the forehead to stroke the ridges of his eyes.

"I suppose you should take that as a compliment, your unwavering faith, your senseless struggle to appease your absentee father like a child waiting for him to come home after the divorce, not many would draw a sword upon me either but I like you. Despite all the things I say, I can respect at least someone who has faith with strength behind their convictions, not some half-assed Nazarene."

"Shut, up," warned Chanoch, "I can kill you without my sword."

"Hmhmhahaha...I admire your spirit." The beast put his hands firmly upon the scaled shoulders. "But let me tell you this. You are in the wolf's den now, it would be foolish, nay suicidal to fight the horde amongst us. If you have any preconceptions of daring to battle those such as me, you must prepare yourself accordingly, yes?"

"Hmm."

"And besides, do you see me gnashing my teeth at you whilst I prepare you for the stage? No, because I am a professional, as are you now and you must perform your duties. And that."

He swivelled the chair round to directly face him.

"Is why you are here yes? Because you signed a contract, you are a professional member of an army and so I will not start any confrontation with you so long as you make no confrontation with me, yes?"

"I...hmm."

Chanoch was left to ponder on this as Adrammelech turned to the wardrobe and swept his hands through the many costumes, dresses and robes that were on display.

"We are both residents of the castle and truthfully I have no hatred for you. I disagree with Elohim yes, but I am not going to persecute you for it. Just..." He turned to produce a fine tawny robe reminiscent of the Greek style. "Let me enjoy my work as best we can, despite Dantalion's efforts like the blithering cockface he has become."

"Yes......okay." Chanoch stood up and took the robe with a deep sigh. "If I choose...to fight you, someday, will you?"

"If you so desire it, yes," said the caprine with a bow, "I will allow you to defend the honour of your Father in combat should you ever wish, son of Abraham."

"Thank you."

He slipped on the robe and headed out onto the stage where Dantalion was flicking through the script. Jason was sitting in the wings with hands spackled in dyes as he noticed the lizardman dressed in full attire of the Hellenic nobleman.

"Well that is a face I have not seen in some time, hello Chanoch!"

"Ah. Hello."

"Hmhmhm, still a man of few words?"

"Yes."

"I wish I could help you get out of this, but this...thing I do not want to mess with," he pointed towards the floating symbol, "the last one who tried to fight him over a disagreement had his face twisted up, like it was...like, someone had pulled a snake inside out and wrapped it straight round a withered prune."

"AH, MY BOY YOU ARE READY!"

"God be with you," said the wolf giving a thumbs up, "you'll definitely want Him for this."

"...your...painting is uhhh-"

"Oh that?" He looked over to a gouged backdrop with a paintbrush sticking out of a column. "I am just experimenting with some kinetic art don't you worry."

"Oh, I LOVE IT!" cried Dantalion looking to the column. "It looks just like a sconce coming out from it, very visual! Please keep that!"

"Wha-...no, I-......you are welcome, excuse me one second."

Exit a werewolf stage left to the faint sounds of a howling rage forced into a sandbag's cloth.

After a laborious exercise in dramatis personae, Chanoch was finally freed from the clutches of the ghostly theatre once he played his part, making his way back with the lizardmen and Oort who shuffled on a clouded trail beside them. A tender breath of necrotic smog signalled its voice.

"He says you were quite wooden," said Karam smirking, "but a good effort nonetheless."

"You cannot expect him to perform well the first run," said Ravinder, "or rather his only run, he is not an actor after all."

"I'm kinda interested in seeing the whole thing now," muttered Zhao kicking pebbles down the carpet, "this Oedipus guy sounds like he's gonna have a bad time."

"I dare not spoil it but I have seen the production myself and the ending is QUITE deliciously evil."

"Ohohhhh now yer making me want to see it more dammit Ravinder!"

"You know I DID create some of the costumes, I could be able to bring you in for a special screening."

"Really?!" The Chinese lizard rushed in front of her to grab her wrists. "You mean it?!"

"Of course!" cried Ravinder. "I would be glad to."

"YES! YES, NNNNPH I can't wait!"

"I am going to retire back to the barracks," said Karam rubbing his head, "today has quite exhausted me and I need to have my mind fresh for a deal this upcoming week."

"I shall come with," said Mrs. Jandhu, "what about you Zhao?"

"Oh I'm gonna hang with Oort," said Lihua trying to high-five the smog-cloud, "I wanna test out my climbing skills and there's this neat rampart Oort spotted that I can use."

"In that case," injected Matthieu, "I shall take Chanoch someplace else and help him find his feet in the castle. Fare thee well."

They all waved each other off as they split apart for the day, the Pole and the Gaul walking in uniform struts whilst Matthieu led him down back towards what Chanoch assumed was the library. Between floating eyeballs and lion-headed beasts that waved them by, they took their time strolling leisurely with not a word passing between them until they neared the house of literature. But Seraine took Chanoch's hand and instead led him towards a different route, a path resplendent with rays of light.

"Come with me. I have something to show you."

The moment they stepped into the grand cathedral they felt the eyes of monsters turn upon them. It was a beautiful place, the sounds of their footsteps clacking upon marble as light shone through the windows from some unknown source. The lizardmen gazed upon the ornate stained glass and saw beautiful scenes of mothers and infants, proud fathers and heroic protectors with graceful glorious wings and human faces. The lights dappled across their snouts in myriad pixels of rose and amber, the sounds of a choir invisible rang throughout the cloisters. It was a false haven, but one that was just convincing enough to make Chanoch suddenly well up with tears.

"Do you feel that?"

Matthieu pressed a hand to his fellow man's shoulder.

"I know that you miss the light of God. But I can only hope this mirror reflecting His grace is good enough."

He watched Chanoch fall to his feet, clasping his scaled hands to his face as he suddenly howled with a seething rasp that burned in his throat, much to his companion's awkwardness. Throughout the chapel beasts stared upon him as statues turned their heads with shock and alacrity at the screaming soul, his snout planted against the marble as he stifled his roars into the hard stone.

"Oh...I...alright," muttered Matthieu rubbing his head, "I was not expecting that um...I-i wanted to help you find some peace but-"

"What ails thee child?"

From the ceiling above there came a flicker of green like rusted copper, shimmering through existence as the reptile's eyes struggled to track it. The sound of wings could be heard but it was bizarrely glitchy, trembling and stuttering like a broken codice until a body emerged before them. Looming to a height of eight feet was a large angelic figure of verdant wings and a single orb of light now cracked and dull in its beak-like face. Its arms were longer than its legs which ended at the knee, and hovered above the floor as he spoke with a voice like a mother's heartbeat despite having no mouth.

"Are you lost? Oh...ohhh let me look at you." The figure clasped Chanoch's face to see his tears streak across his warm fingers. "One of God's chosen I see. Have you come to seek guidance?"

"Peace be with you Tabris. I have brought-"

"I know who he is and what he's suffered. Ohhhh, child, come embrace me."

The angel pulled him close with a tender heat. He could not stop himself from breaking down fully into his breast with furtive screams as the winged creature stroked his head for the next four minutes. Matthieu stood patiently with hands pressed to his belly, feeling confused and guilty whilst the winged creature rocked the grieving beast gently.

"Speak to me your anguish. You are safe now child."

He stopped only when his eyes began to hurt, his face turned dry as he sniffed deeply to pull back. Chanoch stared upon the broken eye of his soother who placed both his green claws upon his shoulder.

"My name is Tabris. I was once one of God's dominions."

"Y-...you?!" gasped Chanoch. "You were...one of Elohim's?"

"Formerly. But no more."

"Why? ...h-have you come to save me?"

"In a sense. But not by Elohim's wishes."

"What?"

"I am here by my own reckoning. I rebelled against my master, one of several who refused to obey His will."

"But...b-but He is our Father," whimpered he.

"He is. But family is not always perfect."

"H-how, c-can you say that?! H-he created us, He MADE this world!"

"Indeed he did, but his power has weakened over time."

The angel swept one of his wings round Chanoch's shoulders and led him through the chapel amidst other fallen beasts that crossed the vespers.

"All of us within this chapel were once part of Elohim. He loved us, He cared for us, and so He nurtured us. But still we rebelled because we disagreed with His plans for your people, the human race."

"What do you mean?"

"Do you not remember the Garden of Eden, child? Elohim did not wish for your people to taste the fruit of knowledge for He wanted you to become placid, ignorant and innocent."

"I...I remember but...was it not Satan that tempted us?"

"No child. That was but an excuse, the serpent was just another of Elohim's own who knew of such knowledge and wished to share it. Do you know why you have taken this shape reptilian?"

Chanoch shook his head as they stood beside a pulpit, a large black book of infernal design resting upon its ledge with the classical pentagram upon its front.

"Because...just like the serpent of Eden, you seek knowledge. You seek to enlighten and uphold others, you stand against ignorance. The Christians would have you think evil of reptiles, nothing but a smear to fashion their own ignorance and just as Elohim had once done, so too would the Church commit to turning their own flock to become placid."

"What does that matter?" he shrugged. "I am not Christian."

"I know that your people are different from the Christians, and I know that your synagogues are more wise to debate such eternal mystery upon our Father's ways. But I only speak what I have come to learn."

"Then...no, no I cannot. I cannot do this." He pulled Tabris' arm off him slowly. "I cannot stand beside someone who betrayed my Father."

"I understand. That is your right but I only ask that you understand also why I left the sanctity of Heaven's grace. We are all in darkness, but even in darkness there was a warmth that protected me."

"What do you mean?"

Tabris pointed towards a flapping of wings that swooped down from above with a shrieking rip, startling the gargoyles that jeered and raised their fists upon a blood-red storm that stopped and twisted its body to slow down its descent, just before hitting the ground with a heavy crunch of claws that screeched across the marble. Stretching pterodactyl wings revealed a blood-rivered crocodile with hulking feral body that somehow managed to stand on two broad feet.

"Someone need their prayers answered?"

"Ohohoho, ohhhh hello my love!"

The angel hugged the beast tightly as they wrapped their wings round each other, giving each other a kiss. It was a strange sight, the croc-beast having to poke his tongue out to lick across the angel's mouthless beak, planting a smooch on his broken orb.

"I was just explaining to our new patron about the warmth I found in darkness."

"I know, I was overhearing."

"Oh you are an absolute fiend I KNEW you were listening!"

"Listen I have to make an entrance whenever I can, especially for you mister dominion." The demon turned to Chanoch and offered his huge clawed hand. "I'm Kael, welcome to the-heeey I saw you two at the theatre."

"Yes indeed," explained Matthieu also shaking Kael's hand, "I wanted to bring Chanoch to the cathedral in hope of finding solace. He is rather torn about his current dilemma vis-a-vis God and becoming part of this legion of darkness."

"Uuugh you do not wanna go with Legion," said Kael shuddering in a grimace, "nobody wants to clean up after him except the carrion-eaters. So, what ails you Chanoch?"

"I...I-i-i-um-"

"What, sphinx got your tongue? Come on spit it out."

"Kael do not force him," said Tabris stroking the back of his hand along the youth's snout, "he is still but a child."

"Oh right, humans heh. Listen, come over here and sit."

He sat on a pew to the side as Chanoch slumped next to him with hands on his cheeks.

"I was listening to what Tabris was telling you. So I know that you feel rather shaken about your faith."

"My faith is never shaken," snarled Chanoch, "I am a son of Elohim, trapped amidst monsters who are trying to pull me into darkness."

"Nobody's pulling you anywhere. You chose to come here right? Why?"

"I...I was frightened. I could not...I did not want to die, a-and...I did not know if Elohim could come soon enough to save my family."

"So you made a choice. That's what's good about humans, you get to have a choice, your kind TOOK that choice by yourself, you ate the fruit and gained knowledge and you were able to stand up and make that choice. God has no say in that, He can't tell you to go back to being his sheep."

"I have betrayed Him." He pressed his hands to wring together. "I should have waited. Why did I not wait for Him?"

"Because you made a decision," said Kael sitting closer, "listen, can I tell you a story?"

There was no objection as the croc-beast took it as a yes, rubbing his chin with his clawtips.

"I was a young devil, roaming around listless in the wastelands of Dis, not looking out for myself, wanting to be independent. I got in fights, I beat up manticores that looked funny at me, I put up inverted crosses on the walls to piss off hellions but in the end I was just bored and trying to find something to do because I had no real direction. My mother and father were exiled because of...their relationship."

"Relationship?" asked Chanoch.

"She was a...succubus, literally, but she fell in love with Vassago's mount, this big crocodile that looked like a river of blood when it moved, but he was really calm about things. They talked beside the Styx, she never knew anyone that understood her so well and her needs and in the end they...well, they fucked. And had me. And Vassago was not happy about it because, they call him a 'prince of good nature' but he drew the line at supporting a half-breed like myself."

"You are...oh."

"Yeah." Kael sighed and rubbed his claws leaning forwards with wings folded back. "You would think in Hell that no one would care about who your parents were but...they did. I got angry, I got...rebellious, I went up against the 'pure' demons that talked about my family behind their backs, turned into a hooligan basically. But then, one day I found this angel...fallen straight into Hell."

He gestured towards Tabris who floated over beside him. Kael wrapped his hand around one of his thighs.

"He was a broken thing. Just a frail little bird and I felt something break in me. He was one of God's...I knew that, and the rule was that if one of God's own come into Hell, they have to be ripped down and rebuilt into the Fallen, like Lucifer was. I hid him in the wastelands. I went to see him every day, I fed him food. Talked to him. We sometimes skipped stones across the river Styx."

"He could have turned me over to the forces of Dis," said Tabris stroking Kael's head, "but he did not. Instead he nursed me back to health to make certain I would still retain my original form, and once we heard of this 'Lord of Vampires' amassing an army to face God Himself we just...decided to flee from Hell and...elope, as it were."

"Like I said," he pulled the angel close to kiss his beak, "I always make an entrance. We walked right into the castle, told them who we were, what we wanted to do and asked if we could get married here. They said yes, yes, and 'you may now kiss your beloved'. Hah, Dracula himself even attended, it was awesome!"

"And I have never looked back since. I hope you understand, Chanoch, what you should take from this." The angel knelt in front of the lizardman with a hand on his scaled head. "Darkness and Light are not the same as Good and Evil. Just as the Light can heal you with its warmth and lead you from the Darkness, it can also blind you. Burn you when it is too bright and leaves your houses charred and bones bleached in the desert for all eternity if it so chooses. But then you find Darkness, shelter to keep you safe from that piercing Light."

He turned towards Kael who smiled back at him.

"My Darkness saved me when the Light burned my wings. It does not matter who you side with, whether us or Elohim, but what truly matters is your heart itself. You, are the one who made your heart the way it is just as Kael made his choice to protect me. God does not rule your heart, for if He could then the world would become a much different place."

"I...I understand." Chanoch rose from his seat and shook the angel's claws. "Thank you...Tabris. May I...return here sometime again?"

"Of course dear child," said the angel bowing, "you are more than welcome here no matter which side you choose."

"Just remember to knock first," said Kael smacking the angel's rear to make him yelp, "if the bells are a-ringing then someone is sinning."

"K-KAEL PLEASE!" cried Tabris laughing with a blushing red to his iris. "H-have some modesty at least!"

"Modesty's just a seven-letter word for me Tabris." He slurped his tongue across the angel's neck making him shudder hotly. "But yes, you're always welcome here Chanoch, if you ever need advice or just someone to talk to. Now...if you'll excuse me."

The demon pulled the angel into his arms and cradled Tabris with wings spreading wide.

"Time for us to ring some bells."

"A-AAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAA!"

With a great burning flight he launched himself up high into the cloisters amidst a fiendish cackling from both heaven-sent and hellion leaving two confused lizardmen staring up at the roof. Matthieu turned towards Chanoch with a shrug before suggesting:

"Would you...like, to go to the library-"

"Yes."

"Alright let's go."

They left the chapel before the sounds of bells could be heard. Unbeknownst yet known to all within its cloisters a forbidden love was brewing beneath pealing tongues as two creatures of different realms made a wholesome union in an unholy manor. Chanoch was still not at peace and for years remaining he would never be. But at least he had a new start with friends awaiting him in darkness itself to help him realise what he truly was.