Before leaving the Good Acts encampment, Georgia used the whistle Midas gave to her to call a dog. The beast was as large as a two story house with an ashy, gray coat. Its eyes were like two coal orbs. But despite its menacing appearance, it just seemed like a normal puppy, playfully bounding around and licking Georgia with such force she almost stumbled to the ground.

She instructed Suzu to grab an item of Yume’s for the dog to sniff. While the dog seemed like it be better suited as a guard dog, maybe it had some training in tracking.

The group, along with Suzu and Ivan, departed.

***

  After being led through a series of twisting, turning tunnels, the group finally made it to where the dragons-and possibly Acacius-resided. Georgia instantly understood why it was dangerous to go here. Every inch of the place was covered in riches. Gold, gems, and treasures beyond one’s wildest dreams were piled high and scattered along the ground. If Georgia thought it was possible, she would snag a few pieces for herself and return home richer than she ever imagined.

But along with riches came danger. Dragons of all varieties and sizes roamed the lands and they didn’t seem like the friendly kind.

“Now we must be careful.” Suzu warned. “Stay close together and look out for any dragons or traps. Anything we don’t see, the beast should alert us.”

Georgia took Yume’s scarf and let the beast sniff it. It looked out past the vast mountain of riches and bound ahead. The group followed behind.

“You’re not gonna bother looking for the snake?” Virgil asked.

Georgia shook her head. “Not through all this treasure. It’d be like looking for a needle in a hay stack. We need the dragon.”

“For what?”

“To smoke Luci out. The best place to hide is here. The way I see it, we reunite Drusilla with Acacius and he’ll be so grateful he’ll set this place on fire.”

Virgil chuckled. “You really think these other dragons will allow that?”

“He’s supposed to be the HDIC around here from what I’m guessing. Who’s gonna stop him?”

“For your sake, I hope you’re right.”

They walked beside each other in silence for several minutes before Georgia spoke again.

“Can I ask you something?”

Virgil hummed in confirmation.

“Can you like die down here? Does anything really die down here?”

“Yes and no. You remember the people up in gluttony, right? Half of em looked dead? Well, they really weren’t. At least not in a real sense. You feel the pain and the nothingness for a moment. But then everything starts to heal. Slowly of course, but as long as you don’t get reinjured you’ll be right as rain.”

Georgia’s blood ran cold at the realization. The supposed dead up there weren’t really dead. They were healing but some may never have a chance to do so with pigs and demons picking apart their flesh. They were trapped in a regenerative cycle of pain and death never to be fully released. It made her sick.

“And the demons and monsters?”

“They can be killed. Apparently so can the souls too. But you need a special weapon for it. Verge would probably be the best one to ask about that. Looks like he has his hands full right now.”

 Georgia glanced back to where Drusilla and Verge were walking. Drusilla looked crestfallen as he spoke quietly and gently to her. It made Georgia’s heart ache. Whoever this Acacius was must have been special to make Drusilla so upset.

She wondered if anyone would mourn her like this. Did anyone find her body? If she never came back would anyone shed a tear?

Georgia hoped so, but the odds were unlikely. She had no lover, no close family. What friends she did have, she pushed away. When the opportunity arose to mend those fences she was too embarrassed and ashamed to even think about it. Maybe that’s why she was so desperately clinging to those who were traveling with her and helping her. Maybe if she made the right choices here, she could go home and fix what she broke in her life.

The hound stopping snapped Georgia from her thoughts.

“What is it, boy?” she asked.

He took a giant paw and swiped at the ground to reveal a spiked pit. Many of them were covered in blood. Suzu put her hand over her mouth as Ivan pressed her to his chest.

“There’s not a body here so that has to be a good sign.” Georgia said.

“Unless a dragon got to her.” Ivan replied.

Georgia shook her head. “We can’ think like that. Not just yet. We’ll let the dog get the scent again and see what happens.”

They let the beast sniff the scarf and he was bounding ahead again. The further they went, the more dragons there seemed to be. Most were just roaming around or sleeping but there were others fighting viciously over the mounds of treasure.

One dragon bit the neck of another and swung him towards the group. They ran ahead to avoid getting hit, but Georgia tripped and was whacked by the dragon’s tail. She was launched to the left landing hard on the coins below. Before she had a chance to recover her breath, the ground below her gave way. Georgia tried to grab onto the sides of the pit for purchase but it was too late. With a heavy thud she landed onto her back and gasped for air. She groaned and rolled over on her side before losing consciousness.