The Following episode will be featuring Sergals. Sergals are a creation of Mick39 as part of her sci-fi world Vilous; this story is a fiction all its own and the lore is unrelated to Mick39’s creation. Posted with permission.

Written by: Epicstu Wyyvernwriter

“You’re going to win, right?” Zesrial, the embodiment of Heaven, asked her Lord and Creator. “You always win.”

Jesus looked at his Realm. Her wings, white as snow, went on for eternity. Her lightning and her eyes were as glittering gold brighter than any star. The city within her granted eternal life to all who dwelled within. He had created her and yet he looked at her face as though it were the first time he had ever seen it, because he knew it would be the last. He just smiled and said, “You can do it. I love you.” Then he disappeared. Zesrial clenched her sides and fell to her knees as the Kingdom of Heaven drowned in darkness, purple flooded to her eyes and across her lighting until it had replaced all that was golden. Darkness replaced all that once had been pure and white as the fabled city of eternity fell from the sky. Zesrial saw that all living within the eternal city had died. She was an Underrealm now. Her cries of pain reached to the ends of the Void, but no matter how loudly her pain made her cry, there was no living left to answer her call not even her Lord and Creator. Tears fell from her eyes, she couldn’t hold them back,”Jesus, my God, why have you forsaken us.” Only the Dead remained, or so she thought.

*          *

Present Day

Edward’s mighty warcry echoed and shook his now frozen Underrealm. The war was over, and the siege was complete, all he had to do was display his dominance over the hordes of Hell. At the start there had been quite the circle of mayhem around him, now, however, Hell’s Demons cowered in corners as Edward beckoned for something to give him a challenge, “Is there no one here in all the Hordes of Hell who has the power to stand against me!” he shouted so all Hell could hear him.

Then a tall, slender Archdemon approached, its flesh dripped from its bones yet it spoke with a surprisingly soothing voice, “Edward Dimir, Second half of Deceit,” the familiar Demon began. “I am Ragdiul, Archdemon of Deception. Find me when you are whole, and we shall see who has more power, a Wyyvern or an Archdemon.”

“Any time anywhere, I’ll invite the Archangel of Deception, and we shall make a day of it!” Edward replied with excitement.

“Don’t get too excited,” said a voice Edward didn’t recognize yet caught his attention all the same. He turned around to reply, but before he could, he was, “Iron Ram!”ed. Edward reared back and put his palm to his head, it ached like never before. It was her. His personal hero. The one knight he had idolized above all others. He had never met her in person before, she had been long dead by the time he was born. “You are my successor?” said a cocky effeminate voice. “Ha!, pathetic. You couldn’t headbutt a bolder of obsidian in half,” Sarah of House Iron Ram, first Knight and founder of the Iron Ram order, scoffed. She had created the Iron Ram fighting style, but not its headbutt. That was invented by her Uncle, Sir Aldwin of House Iron Ram when he stopped a charging Ram from killing Sarah by beating its headbutt with his own. She headbutted towards Edward’s left. Edward felt a gust of wind so he turned around and saw a smoldering hole through entire mountains in the direction Sarah had headbutted. Then she drew her short-sword and gauntlet. Edward did the same and the two stared each other down. With a single step towards Sarah, Edward unleashed a tremor that shook the very foundations of Hell. Sarah smiled and the two charged each other, meeting with an “Iron Ram!”

*          *

The massive fist of a great Bear struck Jack Harris across the face one last time, “that’s enough, Kul,” Skinner, a Sergal as bold as a naked mole rat, interrupted. “I know you’ve been communicating with Dolan Crow. Tell me where he and the other three are hiding and we will let you live.” Jack simply spat out a tooth in reply. Skinner growled and pulled a large sharpened knife from its sheath and held it to Jessy’s throat, “talk Rabbit! Or your ironic wife gets a facelift,” he grinned as he shaved off a scar of Jessy’s fur to get at the flesh underneath.

 

“Mom!” Katherine shouted. “Stop it! Stop it! Stop it! Please just let us go!”

“Someone shut her up!” Skinner shouted.

“Come on, Ty,” Rya, a cat of grey fur and blue eyes said as she grabbed Katherine by her bunny ears. “I’ll hold her down while you go to town,” she giggled. Ty was a Westland Rabbit of brown fur and red eyes. His grin was the stuff of nightmares.

“No!” Katherine’s parents shouted in unison.

Kul punched Jack to shut him up as skinner pressed the edge of his knife to Jessy’s throat. “Talk!” Skinner demanded.

“We don’t know where they are, we haven’t heard from any of them in almost a year,” Jack pleaded, “please leave my family be.” Skinner nodded to Rya and Ty, and they took Katheran, kicking and screaming to her room. “No! Please!”

“Too late,” Skinner interrupted. “You haven’t the information I seek, so none of you are of any use to me.”

Katherine could hear her parents plead for her innocents, but she could tell by the looks on the faces of the two who had her that she was about to lose it. She screamed with her eyes shut, hoping and praying for something to save her and her family.

“While those two take your daughter,” Skinner said to Jack, “I think I’ll have your wife.”

“I’ll bite it off and shove it up your ass, if you get near me with it,” Jessy snapped.

Skinner chuckled. Then, “Skinner!” Rya shouted.

“What is it, Cat” Skinner replied in irritation.

“You’d better have a look at this?” replied Ty.

“Kul, keep an eye on our prisoners for a moment,” Skinner said as he went to the room Rya and Ty had Katherine in.

There was only Jack Harris, Jessy Harris, and Kul Kanzro left in the tavern-like room now. Jack and Jessy were tied up with no hope of escape when suddenly Kul fell unconscious, “I’m not late am I?” Aleister asked sarcastically.

“Never heard of you leaving anyone alive before,” Jack commented as Aleister untied his restraints.

Jessy slapped Aleister as soon as she was free, but Aleister caught her hand, “Head South, Dolan has Katherine already.”

“What will you do?” Jack asked

“Where the Hell did she go!” Skinner’s angry shouts could be heard from Katherine’s room. “Find her.”

“Go, I will throw them off your trail,” Aleister replied as he waited for Skinner and his henchmen. Jack and Jessy grabbed some previsions quickly and ran for the South.

Skinner, Rya, and Ty returned to the bar to find it empty, “Damn it, where are they? Oh, for the love of, someone wake the hibernating fat ass up.” Rya kicked Kul who got up slowly shaking his head. “What happened?” Skinner asked in disappointment.

“I was caught by surprise,” Kul replied, “It will not happen again.”

“Rya! Ty!” Skinner shouted in anger. “Go get Johnny.”

“You mean slim?” Rya’s irises shrunk, “but he is Death.”

Kul looked around the outside of the old tavern for signs of their targets and saw birds flying from the treetops to the West. “Westland’s Grove.”

“You find something, Kul?” Skinner asked. Kul pointed to the West.

*          *

Zesrial walked up to an empty throne and Snow was with her. In the dark room, varying voices echoed seemingly randomly, “What’s with all the noise?” Snow asked.

“Prayer’s to a God who is no more, “ she put a single white rose she had picked from a Living Realm upon the empty throne. “Prayers that may never be answered. Come on, Warpriest, I need to explain the rules if you are going to live here.”

“I am to live in you?” Snow questioned.

“If you hope to protect my city, then yes,” Zesrial replied. “You can use the Iron Ram’s old hall since they work for Edward now. Anyway, as I was saying, rules,” she opened the large doors that led to Heaven’s throne room, “there are a lot of them.”

“Apologies for the intrusion, Ma’am,” Stu had been waiting outside. “I’m afraid I have an urgent job for you and that wall of yours.”

“What’s the job?” Zesrial asked.

“Count Dracula has returned,” Stu replied.