Headed by a Snake

Obtaining magical components for Lulu's Teleport spell was the most efficient way for Tycondrius to travel to the Holy Country.

"Fine," Tycon sighed, "Guild Invictus! We continue the ascent... against my better judgment."

Lone looked up the stairwell in disbelief. He had already traveled half-way down the precarious staircase. He sighed in exasperation as he began the walk back up.

"Thank the gods!" Margeaux breathed a sigh of relief.

"NOPE!!" Lulu slapped her hard across the face, disheveling her long pink hair, "If there's anyone you should be thanking, it should be me, B i t c h!!"

The pink-haired maid held her cheek, surprised and piteous, as Lulu stepped through the doorway... She seemed to understand that she was in no condition to argue.

Tycon walked past her, whispering a friendly bit of advice, "I advise you to avoid the... 'G' word around Miss Lulu. She can be rather testy about it."

The girl frowned and nodded in aggrieved understanding as Invictus walked up the steps and through the door.

...

[Wizard Tower: Floor 4, Vision of Hell]

"Now where has Lulu run off to...?" Tycon mused.

The door had opened into a hellish landscape. Orange desert sands stretched out to the horizon, marred by jagged spikes that made up cliffs and mountains. The ground itself seemed to give off an ominous glow, illuminating the area. The skies above were lit by foreign, colored stars and violent sky-storms of metal debris.

Looking back, Tycon noted that the door was not built into a wall, but remained stationary, looking as if a simple push could knock it over.

He knew better. The door was a stable portal that linked to the Eternal Battlefield. It would take someone of Lulu's prodigious magical power or greater to disrupt the link.

...It wasn't something Tycon wished to try. He did not want to be stuck in hell. The food variety was abysmal.

Tycon paused. It was an interesting thought. Perhaps he'd been stuck in a hell before?

Lone, Wolfrider, and Margeaux stepped out of the door, eyes wide in wonder.

Sasha closed the door politely, behind them.

Lone walked up beside Tycon, "Boss, where... where in the seven hells *are* we?"

"The correct question is 'in *which* of the seven hells are we?' We have crossed into the Eternal Battlefield," Tycon frowned, "Weren't you listening?"

Lone squinted his eyes as he began to observe the landscape, "I mean... I don't see any signs of fighting?"

Tycon opened his arms, directed to the ground all around them, "Look closer."

Margeaux held her hand out, "Miss Sasha, no!"

Sasha scurried forward and grabbed at the ground. She pulled out something like it was a radish and fell on her bottom. Tycon and Lone approached. The chocolate elf had pulled out an ancient sword, but it was completely rusted over and began to crumble away in her lap.

Amongst the rocks and sand surrounding Invictus were scores of demon-bones and corroded weapons and armor.

Tycon grabbed Sasha underneath her shoulders and lifted her to her feet, "Young lady, be careful of touching the things you find here."

Levi Wolfrider froze, mere ilms away from grabbing onto a discarded silvery helmet, strangely undamaged by the atmosphere.

"Like that," Tycon confirmed, "That's definitely cursed."

Wolfrider stood up straight and wiped his hands on his trousers, "I didn't want it, anyroad."

Lone glanced around the deserted battlefield, flinching at imagined movements. "Is it safe, Boss Tycon?"

"No, it is not. Why would it be?"

Lone grimaced, "Um... Is it safe... to move to the next floor... with uh?"

The dark-haired Warrior pointed above, to the sky-storms.

Tycon observed the sky without concern, "It appears there's a magical barrier protecting our pathway, preventing the rain of metal from above. Likely, when we get to the other end of the said pathway, we'll reach the next floor."

Lone peered around their surroundings in various directions, "I... I don't see it, Boss."

Pondering for a moment in thought, Tycon offered, "Did Lulu spit in your mouth, earlier?"

"B-boss, that sort of thing doesn't turn me on at all!" Lone crossed his arms in an X in front of him in vehement denial.

"...Right. If Lulu lent you some of her mana, perhaps you can focus on it. She left a trail for us to follow."

The Warrior crossed his arms. He seemed to be swishing the saliva around in his mouth.

...Was he saving Lulu's saliva? No, that made no sense. It had been over a bell since then. What was he doing?

"Got it, Boss. I can see it!" Lone exclaimed, "I think I'm starting to get the hang of this mana thing!"

Tycon gave him a troubled smile but otherwise said nothing.

Taking Sasha's hand, Tycon started down the path Lulu had left for them. With an Arcane Mark spell, she had professionally drawn an easy-to-follow, pale-green line of mana. The path led Invictus into a mountain canyon, about 5 horses wide, littered with decayed bodies and desiccated flags of companies long forgotten.

It didn't take long for the demons to smell fresh meat.

Crawling out from the rocky crags, nearly a dozen red-skinned, black-horned humanoids dropped down, wearing looted armor and wielding chipped weapons.

Tycon narrowed his eyes, calculating the demons' strengths, "Really?"

The Wizard's barrier must have been quite strong. Only Unranked demons had dared to get in their way... Each of them was capable of gutting a non-combat Class like Margeaux, but still...

With a shout and a metallic wolf howl, Lone had his weapon transform into its dark-iron wolf form, "Boss, we're surrounded."

Levi guarded the rear, with Margeaux and Sasha protected at its center, "3 or 4 each. Can do."

Tycon wasn't good at his pronunciation in Abyssal, but most demons knew the Common tongue, "We bear the standard of Lucifer of Pride. Why don't you ugly red bastards... sod off?"

With a flash of blazing red mana, Tycon displayed the Demon Seal inscribed on his soul. The demons flinched from its power, averting their gaze and covering their eyes.

Tycon turned to his party members, "There. We should be alright, now."

"(The OUTSIDERS have stolen the seal of Lucifer of Pride!!)"

"(We must defend the honor of Luci!!)"

"(How DAAAARE THEY!!!!)"

"B-boss, what are they saying??" Lone asked in a panic.

Wolfrider barked and whined, "Boss!! They're looking really mad, right now!!"

"Empty night," Tycon placed his face onto his palm.