1 – Forfax
Diamond Tooth rode the ankou’s ferry across the white void. The boat glided past the nymphs who gamboled in the meadows and sailed through the A’raf. The vessel protected her from the scintillating bolts of lightning that lashed out from the barrier of Paradise, and the lumenite stone the ankou had forced into her chest cavity pulsed and radiated a searing heat with each crash of the lightning. But the further they traveled away from the A’raf, the more it cooled to a steady beat, warning her that if she ever returned, it would act as a homing beacon to draw down the bolts and detonate her new heart, annihilating her in an instant.
But now that Diamond Tooth had arrived back in the Underworld, she took deep breaths of the repugnant odors of sulfuric decay that surrounded the eternal souls of torment, yet it did not revive her as it usually would have. Returning to this plane of immortal, rotting souls left her feeling more drained than ever.
Diamond Tooth worried the lumenite had altered her internal makeup. She badgered the ankou with endless queries concerning it, yet the ancient spirit remained mute, propelling them in stoic silence towards Amenthes in the realm of Duat.
The boat did not cease to move for many sleep cycles until they reached their destination, at which point the ankou released Diamond Tooth unceremoniously and spiraled off towards the Southern Inferno, leaving nothing but a sandstorm in its wake. As its silhouette faded into the horizon, Diamond Tooth pondered what mysteries the lumenite within her held.
The liberated city of Amenthes was now the refuge of those who had sought a sanctuary away from the reign of terror brought about by the gang wars that had breached and cast down all the walls that used to divide the realms of the Underworld.
Legions of displaced spirits congregated in its streets for a festival. They twirled and sang to a diabolically enchanting refrain that scarcely disturbed the raging flames above. It was an almost whimsical melody that percolated with life and spoke to the relentless spirit of those who had made it their new home.
Diamond Tooth swept into the temple’s courtyard.
The thunderous noise of the crowd seemed to grow in volume with every step she took, her gaze casting over the bustling throng. Each animalistic head and muzzle blurred in her pursuit of Forfax, the rogue squal she had recruited weeks before to uncover additional information about Clem Balfour.
The putrid stench of Forfax wafted into Diamond Tooth’s nostrils before the clammy squal slinked up to her, his gauze bindings obscuring his features.
Bleached bands bound the scrawny creature’s head, and black liquid seeped through the tattered wrappings. The Tribulation garb he sported hung too loose and was ill-fitting on such a gaunt frame. Men fashioned it for men and not squals.
“Do you have it?” Forfax twirled and wound himself around her in an obsequious gyre, his supplications making him seem like a loyal hound. “Do you? Do you?”
Diamond Tooth held Rowings’s treasured ring tight in her grasp, its facets glinting in the firelight.
Forfax sprang from the ground with desperate fervor, lunging for the coveted bauble.
But Diamond Tooth tugged it away just in time, stifling any chance of him seizing it.
“What’d you find out?” Diamond Tooth asked.
The loathsome creature huffed.
Diamond Tooth’s lips, chapped and cracked from a combination of desert travel and not being able to recover from her time in Paradise, stifled the impatience that had been brewing deep within her since she began this quest and whispered with a tinge of urgency, “Where is Tivoli?”
“All I know is-sss Tivoli is-sss Clem Balfour.”
“I know that already,” Diamond Tooth said. “Anything else?”
“He’s-sss one ear sss-short, and he lives-sss with a girl called Lenore.”
“Where is she?”
“I sss-suffered a head injury, you know. My memory is-sss not sss-so good.” Forfax’s bony digits cracked in the air, a silent yet deliberate request for her to give him the ring. His every gesture charged the surrounding air with the promise of unfulfilled aspirations.
Diamond Tooth’s patience ended. Her lumenite heart pounded in her chest as if it would soon burst out of her ruach. She had been searching for answers for so long—keys that would unlock her destiny. She wouldn’t rest until she found them.
Diamond Tooth flung the token into the air, arching it towards the figure of Forfax.
Forfax’s bony hands encircled it, and he cradled it to his chest as though it were the most delicate of treasures, exulting in its sacredness with an ecstatic jig. His joy manifested in every bounce he made, reverently cherishing his precious.
“Now, where is she?” Diamond Tooth asked. “Where is Lenore?”
“Mictlān,” the squal said. “Mictlān. sss-She’s-sss in Mount Mictlān.”
Diamond Tooth wended her way through the masses, the courtyard receding farther as she stepped beyond the city walls.
In the simmering shadows of sand and smoke, she meandered into the alley of colossal pyramids. The sandstone structures towered above her—mighty guardians of a forgotten past.
Wind whipped around her, rustling the sand surrounding her boots into a gentle, eternal drumbeat that raced through her new heart.
The lumenite’s glory radiated through her. There was a power in it, old and alive, that resounded with her every breath.
A behemoth xrafstar towered beyond the pyramids, its pale gray base fading into a cerise hue at its apex. Craters pockmarked its weathered hide, etched with the agelessness of time.
If it was traveling North, she could ride it to Mount Mictlān, freeing her several sleep cycles, many arduous hours of marching through wind and sand, and gambling away her prospects of catching Balfour.
Diamond Tooth strode towards a group of pigmies, a formidable figure compared to their small stature.
Their tiny bodies tensed at her approach. Her looming shadow cast a pallor over them as she asked the little troupe about their travel plans.
The pigmies exchanged glances before the fat tribe leader stepped forward and answered, as if seeking to mollify this imposing figure. “We are full, my fellow traveler,” the tribal chief said. “We can take no more!”
“I’ll ride outside,” Diamond Tooth said.
“Bold,” the tribal chief said. “But not an option.”
“You ride on the back of a mountain,” she said. “How can you be full?”
“The xrafstar is not just a landform but our friend and our life source,” the tribal leader said, his voice rolling across the dense dunes surrounding them. “We respect it, honor it, and protect it with all our might.”
“There must be a price.” Diamond Tooth delved into the sack Rowings had gifted her, her fingers grazing over the three items within—one of which was a matchstick she’d tested during the dreaded journey on the ankou’s boat. With careful consideration, she plucked out the cream of the collection to sell him on its heka.
“A match?” the tribe leader said.
“A match made in Paradise,” she said. “It’s re-lightable and never burns down. I’ve lit it at least a thousand times.”
She struck the match against her bagh nakhs, its head bursting into a modest flame. As the seconds passed, the fire never devoured the stick but continued to burn without end, casting an ethereal glow across the pygmies’ faces. It was as if time had slowed to a halt, and the match would continue to burn undisturbed for all eternity.
“We reside in the realm of infernos,” the chief said, his voice low and solemn. “Therefore, we eschew implements of flame.”
Diamond Tooth exhaled, snuffing out the flame of the matchstick. It was the best token she could muster compared to the other two divine chattel remaining in her sack.
She delved into it absently, her chapped fingertips sweeping across various textures, searching for something else she might offer instead.
But the chief spoke out before she could retrieve any lesser artifact.
“The preservation of our people and the safeguarding of sustenance are constantly on our minds. What shall we do about those?” The tribal chief’s coal eyes were full of hostility as he inclined his head toward Diamond Tooth’s bagh nakhs, nudging her to give her prized gauntlets to him.
But there was no way she would ever relinquish them to him or anyone else. She had held onto them for so long that they had become a part of her. Nothing could separate them from her.
Clenching her fists within her gauntlets, Diamond Tooth envisioned burning the entire tribe and seizing the xrafstar for herself.
The guards tensed their muscles and lifted their spears menacingly toward her.
The tribal leader raised his hand, and a hush fell upon the hardened warriors. He uttered a guttural clicking sound with a slow cadence, and the warriors stood in formation, spears raised to salute their liege.
“Your objects have great significance for you,” the tribal leader said. “This I understand. But our customs are ancient and must be obeyed. Either I become the keeper of those gauntlets, or we must come to another understanding.” The chief slowly traced his fingers down Diamond Tooth’s arm, their energy lingering like a poisonous fog.
He stood far too low ever to reach the heights of her bosom, though his dagger-like stare could’ve pierce through her shirt.
Diamond Tooth could have effortlessly sliced off his arm and stabbed through his eyes before the guards thrust their spears. Yet, each time the thought of burning him crossed her mind, her lumenite heart pulsed with aching intensity in her chest. It was almost as if an innate sense of morality had been instilled within her. But it was not an actual conscience. It was deceit, an insidious hex hidden in the dark crevices of her ruach. It could shape her future in unforeseen ways, and she was not ready to realize the devastating consequences that might ensue.
“To what lands do you travel?” the tribal leader intoned in a low, guttural growl, his slimy grip still pressing against her skin.
“Mount Mictlān,” she said.
“Mictlān? You are certain? Only the most wretched of souls and squals dare venture there, deep into the unknown.”
“Well, I ain’t no squal,” she said.
“I see that.” He scanned her body without discretion, his gaze like a searing torch blazing across her curves. “We make our journey West to Kurr and must pass through Xibalbá on the way. That is as near to Mount Mictlān as it can be, but you shall need to pay extra.”
The warriors snatched the sack of objects from Diamond Tooth’s desperate grip.
“Extra?” Diamond Tooth said. “I’m not even traveling the whole way.”
“The price is for entry, not the ride,” the tribal leader said.
“So much for being full.”
The tribal leader’s laughter reverberated with a guttural snarl. It was an eerie and malicious guffaw, laced with a perverse sense of delight and superiority, underscored by a nasty undertone.
“The village is always full, my dear.” The tribal leader laughed. “To make more room for my harem.” He withdrew his grasp from her arm. “It shall be left up to you whether you join us or remain.” His voice had a finality about it that left no room for argument.
The chief strode away from her, his tribesmen aiding him in climbing the ladder onto the xrafstar’s mountainous foot as he was too portly to ascend on his own mobility.
Diamond Tooth had few choices available to her. The xrafstar ride would transport her to Mount Mictlān faster than any other form of transportation and with the least amount of tribulation. Perils abounded for those who traveled the Underworld on foot, especially with the ongoing spiritual wars.
A xrafstar outmaneuvered every predicament simply by stepping over it or trampling it. A herd of unbridled xrafstars once leveled an entire realm in one frenetic stampede.
Though Diamond Tooth embraced the sport of peril just as much as any other demon, in this case, jeopardy would only impede her voyage to her ultimate goal: finding Balfour before he eluded her grasp once again.
“Wait.” Diamond Tooth called after the tubby tribe leader. “Will your new offer get me to Mictlān?”
“The price is for entry, not the ride.” An unnerving smirk crept across the tribal leader’s plump cheeks as he fluttered a conniving wink in her direction, his eyes glinting maliciously.
The chief clicked his tongue, communicating in the Nwa-Efé language. At his call, eight alluringly nubile vixens descended the ladder with grace and playfulness, like sprites who had just escaped some enchanted forest. The scantily clad maidens giggled as they approached Diamond Tooth in unison, smiling sweetly as they greeted her.
“My hetaeras will show you to my quarters,” the tribal leader said.
The hetaeras were not ordinary whores. These women were erudite and exquisite, and it was a marvel they allowed themselves to live out such debased existences, particularly with the dwarfed Nwa-Efé men who stood scarcely above Diamond Tooth’s stature. Diamond Tooth respected the astute mind more than any other possession, and the hetaeras’ knowledge was so vast they could have forged any afterlife they desired. Yet, here they were, trudging along the reprobate road of dishonor, penning their own experiences into a ghastly tale with little control over their destinies. It was this enigma that left Diamond Tooth dumbfounded.
2 – Atop The Xrafstar
The hetaeras swarmed Diamond Tooth, escorting her up a dizzying array of slippery rope ladders, moss-trampled wooden landings, and grooved stairs carved into the living rock as they scaled the xrafstar’s monumental heights. They traipsed up its formidable foot, then its leg, before mounting the sprawling plateau on its back, cloaked in a plush blanket of mosses, ferns, shrubberies, soil, and clay.
An evening chill wrapped around them, an uncanny tranquility that spoke of some forgotten epoch pervading every breath. Geysers spouted devil’s water which flowed through the xrafstar’s veins and lurked beneath knotted branches.
Diamond Tooth appreciated how its putrid reek saturated the air as the hetaeras guided her into the colossal creature’s rambunctious tangle of fur.
A towering verdant wildness, a labyrinthine forest of interlacing twigs, and unkempt shrubbery stretched before them. Abodes of huts and cabins spotted the chaotically flourishing landscape, as though positioned indiscriminately by some unknown force. Gloom pervaded the slim, serpentine passages between them as the group pressed into the unknown. The air seemed still with weighty anticipation; this place was no mere refuge but a strange world where anything might happen.
The tribal leader’s colossal abode boasted its majestic presence at the head of the xrafstar, a multi-story domed hut constructed from mud, clay, and the bristles of the beast itself, intricately coiled around its thatch roof, balconies, and terraces.
They brought Diamond Tooth through the house and up to the tribal leader’s chamber. Candles illuminated the space, flickering shadows across the walls. The candlesticks were placed strategically around the circular room. Their danger posed no issue despite the risk of flames licking at the walls as the mystical mane of the xrafstar—an ethereal substance that refused to be consumed by fire—made up the decadent abode.
An ageless woman of mesmerizing beauty circled Diamond Tooth. Her cherry-red hair cascaded down to her waist in luscious locks, and her piercing emerald-green eyes glistened like precious gems as they scanned every inch of Diamond Tooth’s body, her soft hands tracing along Diamond Tooth’s frame. The chamber echoed with the eerie rhythm of her well-practiced steps.
She carried herself like the madam and was certainly the most graceful and attractive of the lot—Diamond Tooth could feel a spark of contentment blooming inside her as she considered what new delights this journey might bring.
Lust had always been a sin that provided fleeting revitalization. Never as potent as torturing—but better than nothing—sex, when the right partner was involved, could restore her vitality almost as much as murder. And her lumenite had so far reinforced her conclusion, its non-reactivity providing an unimpeded assurance.
The hetaeras sat rigid and transfixed on the madam’s every action as though they awaited her bidding.
The madam stood before Diamond Tooth, one arm resting against her waist as she bore down upon Diamond Tooth with palpable intensity. Her fingernails arced, painted to glitzy perfection like glassy claws under the candlelight, adorned with ornamental jewels that glittered with each delicate sway of her hands. As she moved Diamond Tooth’s tresses from her visage, the trinkets on her wrists tinkled in tune.
“He has a penchant for the new and exciting,” the madam said with a glint in her eye. “But you … there must be something special that he sees in you, even beneath all that grime. Maybe you could dazzle if given half the chance. One way or another, we’ll make you shine.” She tapped her manicured finger on the tip of Diamond Tooth’s nose.
“I have faith that you’ll handle me with the utmost care,” Diamond Tooth purred.
The madam coyly cocked her head to one side, letting her smooth, seductive lips curl into a tantalizing smirk. “Let me assure you that you are in skillful hands. My talented ladies will take care of your every need. And you are in for quite a ride.”
Diamond Tooth curved her lips into an alluring smirk, arched an eyebrow, and replied in a low, throaty voice, “There’s no greater thrill than a challenge.” With confident strides, she stepped closer until their forms were chest-to-chest and said in a husky whisper, “Let’s not delay any longer, madam…”
“Mnesarete,” the madam purred with a slick smile. “I am Madam Mnesarete. Welcome to my parlor of delights. So tell me, who stands before me?”
A low chuckle emerged from Diamond Tooth’s throat. “Oh, it depends on who you have the misfortune of asking. Diamond Tooth is the moniker floating around these days. And that name’s ill repute brands me as the demon of pain and suffering. But I prefer to think of myself as more of an absolver of inhibitions. That much better suits my true name.”
A few of the courtesans exchanged glances, and with a wave of her curly fingernails, Madam Mnesarete commanded her hetaeras to begin their duties.
One courtesan grasped for Diamond Tooth’s bagh nakhs. But as soon as she made contact, Diamond Tooth recoiled and secured her hands away from the woman.
All activity in the room ceased as Diamond Tooth drew out her tiger claws and applied them to the woman’s throat.
“I must manicure your nails,” the courtesan said, trembling.
“Work around them,” Diamond Tooth said icily, watching in satisfaction as the courtesan quivered in fear. “These don’t come off.”
All the hetaeras scrambled back in horror from Diamond Tooth, except Madam Mnesarete, who remained steadfastly unwavering as she faced the ferocity of Diamond Tooth’s wrath.
“Remove them,” Madam Mnesarete said, her voice an icy blade. “Or I’ll see that you’re cast into the depths without delay.”
Despite the fleeting rapport that had grown between them, Diamond Tooth detected how serious she was and that she would have no qualms about casting Diamond Tooth into the sand if need be. The deathly undertones were apparent in her fetor, yet beyond her perfume, a barely there suggestion persisted that indicated she didn’t wish for this to occur. Still, Diamond Tooth admired the madam’s determination to be rid of her and consented to Madame Mnesarete’s free access to her bagh nakhs.
The madam’s gaze lingered on Diamond Tooth as she peeled the gauntlets away from her ivory palms, bared from their bondage. Their fate now lay in the hands of Madam Mnesarete, who placed them in an accessible corner with great care.
“Here, they shall remain in plain view at all times,” Madam Mnesarete said.
Madam Mnesarete’s voluptuous form would remain etched into Diamond Tooth’s vision like an opulent sculpture for eternity.
The courtesans tentatively stripped Diamond Tooth of her grimy attire and draped it in the far corner of the room beside her bagh nakhs.
A frigid caress erupted at the touch of the astrolabe against her bare flesh, causing her nipples to stand erect.
Diamond Tooth hesitantly unlaced her astrolabe necklace from around her neck, cradling its shimmering opulence between her folded clothes, safeguarding its sanctity.
At last, each hetaera attended to a singular task with varying degrees of diligence, as if Diamond Tooth was their pet project.
One hetaera bathed Diamond Tooth in the sacred water that sprung from the xrafstar’s veins. Two others shimmied her into a more daring ensemble akin to their scanty attire. A third toiled with her tresses, curling and looping them around her head. The fourth strumpet artfully painted her visage with shades and hues that revealed her hidden beauty. Each whispered amongst themselves, offering a blessing or good luck charm for Diamond Tooth’s future endeavors.
The air outside the decadent hut roiled and vibrated in time with the fiery tempest that loomed above.
Through the window, brilliant flame sparks cascaded across the sky, whirling in a frenzied cyclone of heat and light that battered against the hut’s walls.
The commotion outside the chamber grew more turbulent, piquing Diamond Tooth’s curiosity, but Madam Mnesarete refused to permit her to rise and inspect what was going on, stating, “Don’t disrupt the work of my lovely ladies. It’s just a storm. Maybe it’s even the sound of the Master himself enjoying the festivities.”
A shattering boom shook the air, and sparks of crystalline fire shot in all directions. The tumult was almost indescribable, and its echoes extended far beyond the initial blast.
Diamond Tooth rose, eager to see what danger lurked outside. But Madam Mnesarete held her back.
“It’ll pass,” Madam Mnesarete said. “Sit tight.”
An uproar of hoots and hollers joined wild, unbridled cheers as horns blared alongside peals of laughter and frenzied babble, all brewing into a delicious concoction of elated exuberance.
“See?” Madam Mnesarete said.
Diamond Tooth repositioned herself and allowed the hetaeras to complete their preparation.
One courtesan was meant to file and paint Diamond Tooth’s fingernails, but she cowered meekly in the far corner, her fingertips tracing the tender crimson indentations on her neck where Diamond Tooth’s mighty tiger claws had nicked.
“You frightened her,” Madam Mnesarete said. “She’s a fresh soul. Recently deceased and just arrived in our care. We collected her at one of Charon’s ports not too long before we found you. You’re not only her first client, but you may also be her first encounter with a demon.”
“Do I not scare you?” Diamond Tooth said, her astral surface prickling with admiration.
She had always respected the resoluteness of a strong-willed soul; few could keep their courage in a demon’s presence.
Madam Mnesarete clasped Diamond Tooth’s hands in her own, cradling them tenderly as warmth radiated from her soft palms.
“Oh my,“Madam Mnesarete whispered.”Your hands have known hard labor. They could polish a diamond. I think it’s best that I take care of your manicure. But first, let’s have some fun. We have the best view of the ceremony from our penthouse. Let’s have a look, shall we?”
She lured Diamond Tooth to the balcony, gracing her with a gentle smile and a tenderness in her eyes. Taking her by the hand, Madam Mnesarete welcomed Diamond Tooth into the radiance of the firelight.
Diamond Tooth and Madam Mnesarete gazed downward, taking in the sight of the majestic spires that pointed toward the heavens. Nine pyramids were arrayed below them, spanning across the horizon next to the ancient temple holding hundreds of spirits in its courtyard.
From the dizzying heights of the grandiose penthouse balcony atop the mountainous xrafstar’s head, Diamond Tooth had a commanding view of the hustle and bustle below.
The aroma of the teeming masses, intoxicatingly pungent from her lofty perch, were amplified by the lumenite embedded in her chest. Unearthly sensations thrummed through her as her lumenite heart beat against her breastplate, as though she were a living conduit of the city’s collective energy. It was almost as if a veil had been lifted, granting her access to subtleties and delicate nuances that had until then been hidden.
Diamond Tooth spotted a familiar face lying on a crystal altar atop the temple’s rooftop. Her old friend, Cross, whom she hadn’t seen in ages. Rays of firelight reflected off his wounded forehead like a crown of diamonds, accentuating the hollowness of his visage.
Diamond Tooth grinned to herself, reflecting on how Cross was always up to his neck in trouble. He surprised and impressed her with his consistent resilience. She thought he would have been burned ages ago with all the relentless onslaught of monsters that sought his memories. Yet somehow, his head remained attached to his neck. It was almost as though he were immune to their wrath. But if any of his pursuers had employed her services, things would have turned out differently for him.
The people of Amenthes, however, could not seem to grasp that Cross displayed no signs of fear or trepidation despite his capture. Her lumenite-enhanced vision reached across the distance and saw not a single bead of sweat nor an ounce of terror grace his bullet-wounded head; instead, it was contorted in a simulacrum of dread.
His pores spoke even truer than his expression; they reeked with the stench of confidence and assurance. He groaned and cursed, as if facing second death, yet this was artifice.
Diamond Tooth recognized when genuine fear touched a spirit, for she had inflicted that horror upon many. So, knowing when natural fear was absent came effortlessly to her. And it appeared as if she had stumbled upon Cross amid a captivating masquerade. But what sort of play was he engaged in?
All the bestial faces gazed skyward to the temple’s summit in respectful silence as the high priest uttered invocations over Cross.
“The past is a sea of blood and death,” the high priest said to the onlookers, “and many have drowned within its depths. But with this blade, fashioned from the hairs of the goddess Sia and blessed with all her might, we shall sever the ruach, free the nephesh, and grant the damned a swim through the mind, emotion, and will of the living. May the Great Goddess have mercy on his soul.”
The crowd’s roar of joy rose and reached a fever pitch, seeming to bring even the ancient stones of the temple to life.
Madam Mnesarete spoke up with a hint of anger in her voice. “About time they caught The Man Who Remembers. That man thinks he alone deserves to know what’s out there in the beyond. But such knowledge should be available to all who seek it, not just some self-appointed guardian of secrets. It’s high time we discover the truth behind these myths and legends.”
Diamond Tooth let out a throaty laugh as the high priest’s arm rose, hoisting a razor-sharp obsidian blade above Cross’s throat.
“Is something amusing?” Madam Mnesarete asked.
“Men with blades at their necks don’t always lose their heads. Even a miserable soul like that has a guardian angel.”
Diamond Tooth drew the nearby crowd’s scents and detected another familiar synthetic fragrance beyond Cross’s own. Following the stale aroma, she spotted her nemesis, The Raven, soaring out of the courtyard toward the temple’s rooftop, draped in black wings with a top hat perched atop her head.
