Read The Infernal Scribe :: Chapter 3: Scribe

I read over the description of the trait several times, not quite believing my eyes.

[This trait grants the ability to chronicle any event you have witnessed firsthand.]

What does that even mean?? Are you saying this trait is the equivalent of pen-and-paper?

I recalled the demon that the arrow had pierced and remembered it was holding a quill and scroll.

Oh, god... I killed Baphomet’s scribe.

A demonic roar echoed through the air. I looked down to find Baphomet charging towards me, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Several notifications appeared on the display in rapid succession:

[Log Entry: Baphomet has determined my location.]

[Log Entry: Baphomet is closing in on me.]

[Log Entry: Baphomet has arrived. Danger imminent.]

I looked up and saw Baphomet high above me, somehow having leaped from hundreds of meters below. He fell towards me like a meteor, arm cocked back, prepared to strike.

My instincts took over as my body hurled itself backwards. The ground shook as Baphomet's fist shattered the earth, missing me by mere inches.

[Log Entry: I avoided Baphomet's attack!]

Thank you, log entries... That really helps.

I desperately rolled back onto my feet and saw Baphomet rising to full height. He was easily over ten feet tall, arms thick as cannons, and rippling with sinewy muscles covered in dark, matted fur. His goat horns curled into the sky like a warning sign.

Baphomet's nostrils flared, letting out a plume of hot air as he snorted at me.

"An aberrant... At the start of your journey, eh?"

He glanced at the log entry my new trait had generated and smirked.

"You stole my scribe's ability. He was very useful, you know. Kept detailed records of all my exploits."

I watched as Baphomet flexed his fingers. Threads of light weaved their way through the ground and up his tree trunk legs. The muscles in his arms and legs slowly grew, feeding on the energy he was absorbing from the earth.

[Log Entry: Baphomet has activated his trait, Chaos Berserker.]

[This trait allows the user to collect aether from the environment itself to enhance physical abilities.]

[This trait is highly dependent on geography and cannot be used to increase the user's overall aether points.]

Baphomet lifted one of his massive arms, then brought it swinging down like a hammer. Somehow, my legs responded in time as I dodged the blow, but the concussive force sent ripples through the air, nearly shattering my eardrums.

Shit... If even one of those lands, I'm dead!

I suddenly felt an unsettling calm in the air. I looked behind me and saw Baphomet leaning over, legs tense. The muscles in his calves doubled in size.

Then he took off towards me! I felt the earth tremble against the strength of his legs. He was like a bullet the size of a tank.

He swiped his giant hands at me. I just barely managed to lift my arm up in defense. His monstrous strength crushed it like a toothpick and threw me against a boulder. I felt my skull whip back against the hard rock.

[-5 Aether Points: (10/100)]

The world seemed to spin as my brain rattled inside my skull. As my vision slowly cleared, I saw something curious… A bone sticking out of my forearm.

[Log Entry: I have a compound radial fracture.]

I could see the nerve endings exposed to the air, frayed and torn against the shattered bone. The shock and adrenaline slowly gave way to an intense, electric pain, and I let out a cry of agony.

I might be dead, but the pain felt incredibly real.

I felt the footsteps of the gargantuan demon slowly approaching. I tried desperately to crawl away, using my one good arm to pull myself through the dirt. My efforts were in vain as I felt large claws grab me by the neck and lift me into the air.

Baphomet's smile widened as his claws dug into my skin, drawing blood. His iron grip choked the air out of my lungs.

[Log Entry: Baphomet is choking me.]

[-2 Aether Points: (8/100)]

[Log Entry: My oxygen supply has been cut short.]

[-3 Aether Points: (5/100)]

Baphomet's eyes flitted back and forth, scanning the displays, his foul grin growing with each new update.

“Your guide must have not told you what happens when that counter reaches zero.” He leaned in, revealing razor-sharp incisors. His breath reeked of rotting meat. “Aether is what binds the soul. Without it, your soul forgets its form. Time will slow down to a halt as your soul tears apart at the seams, one atom at a time, for eternity.”

I searched desperately for a weapon, anything that could help me fight back. That's when I remembered my inventory—the demon's bone I stored inside it earlier.

It just might be sharp enough to damage him, but there's no way he'd let me get close. I have to surprise him...

Then an idea popped into my mind. It could work, but I would only get one shot at it. The first thing I had to do was create some distance. I had to make him want to drag this out.

I smirked at the goat. "You're so interested in my log entries. Here's some reading material for you."

[Log Entry: I collected spit into my mouth.]

[Log Entry: I gathered as much mucus as humanly possible from the back of my throat.]

[Log Entry: I watched Baphomet grow angry as he realized what I'm about to do.]

[Log Entry: I spit directly into Baphomet's eyes.]

Baphomet wiped the massive glob of spit from his eyes, then threw me into the ground as hard as he could. My body crumpled against the rock, creating a loud crack as my knee popped out of its joint.

I stifled the pain and scampered away like a field mouse, sliding across the sand-covered rock.

Good, that means I can control the frequency of the alerts.

I slid backwards along the ground, collecting a bit of sand in my hand.

Just a little more...

Baphomet lumbered towards me. Finally, I tossed all the sand I had collected into the air. It created a harmless cloud of yellow dust. Baphomet burst out in laughter, bleating like a goat.

"Sand in the eyes? Really?"

But his laughter stopped when a display appeared before him.

[Log Entry: I threw a grain of sand at Baphomet.]

Displays suddenly appeared around Baphomet's head. Hundreds upon hundreds, all saying the same thing:

[Log Entry: I threw a grain of sand at Baphomet.]

[x500]

The displays blinded Baphomet's field of view. Every which way he turned he was met with one of my displays. His massive arms swung wildly, only for them to pass straight through the displays with no effect.

Before Baphomet could realize, I summoned the demon bone from my inventory, then threw my entire body at him. The bone pierced his chest and I pressed down with all the strength I could muster.

I heard the crack of his sternum, followed by the squish of his heart. He gasped in pain, unable to breathe with the bone lodged in his chest.

Baphomet pressed his fingers into the earth, pulling aether into his body. In a last ditch attempt at survival, he grabbed my head and squeezed as hard as he could. I felt his fingers pressing down against my skull. But I didn't give in. I pushed the bone in harder and saw Baphomet's face contort in pain and desperation.

In that moment, I wondered—Is that what I looked like when I died?

The pressure against my skull suddenly went away. Baphomet's arm went limp and fell to his side. The demon's body began to glow and then dissipate into golden particles—aether—that entered my chest.

[Log Entry: I killed Baphomet, The Sabbatic Goat.]

[+95 Aether Points: (100/100)]

[You may now enter the Inferno.]

I laid there. My forearm snapped in two. My leg shattered. Broken and alone.

Well, maybe not alone.

Elara materialized before me in a puff of embers. She seemed impressed, but tried not to show it. “Not bad... Baphomet's a tough one.”

"Elara... Is there a way to heal me?"

"Sure there is. If you ascend to a new Circle of Hell, you get restored to full health..."

I breathed a sigh of relief.

"...all you have to do is reach the Inferno."

That relief quickly evaporated, leaving me in a cold sweat. I couldn't even walk in this state.

"Can you help me...?" I asked. Begged.

A devilish grin formed on Elara's lips. "Sorry, but guides can only provide information. You'll have to get there yourself."

I was afraid she would say that. I gazed up at the Inferno, towering over us. It was only a few miles away, but in my injured state, it might as well be on the other end of the world.

"Seems like you've got a straight shot to it." Elara held her hand above her eyes like a visor. "Baphomet's underlings have scattered. Says a lot about the loyalty of demons, huh?"

I hung my head in defeat. The undertaking seemed too difficult. Too painful. A part of me wanted to stay there, where I could have a moment of peace.

Elara flew down to my level. “Then again, you could always change your mind. Take the easy route up, roll the dice on a new life. Doesn’t that sound nice?”

Her words made me consider the life I had lost. The future that was taken from me. Was it worth the agony? Would I gamble on a life I died for? Or defend the one I bled for?

The choice was clear.

I pulled myself along the dirt, angling myself towards the Inferno. Each movement sent jolts of pain shooting through my body. A cruel reminder of what was to come.

I fought through it and reminded myself that the pain was the only thing keeping me from my goal.

Elara smiled. "It's funny how much torture humans put themselves through. Always making things harder for yourselves—“

"Elara," I interrupted. "If you're not going to help me, then at least get the fuck out of my way."

Elara raised an eyebrow, then snapped her fingers and vanished into her embers.

Finally, some quiet.

I gave myself a moment to prepare. It was at least two miles of empty wasteland until I reached the Inferno. I had one arm and one leg that could still move. That would have to be enough.

With one hand, I clawed at the dirt, pulling myself forward. With my foot, I found footholds of rock to push against. Inch by inch, I made my way closer to the Inferno. With every inch, I felt the air get a little bit warmer.

I must have been a sight to behold. Caked in dirt and dried blood, I might not even have looked human anymore. Over time, the pain seemed to dull. It was as if my body realized my brain had gone on autopilot and told the nerves, "Just stop firing. This guy's not listening."

I focused on just two thoughts: Pull with my arm. Push with my leg.

For a moment in time, those two thoughts became my entire life.

Pull with my arm. Push with my leg.

I repeated them over and over, like a prayer, until the air became scorching hot. My skin peeled as it burned against the heat of the Inferno.

I had arrived.

Now the journey would begin.