I assure you, we have no intention of creating problems for you. On the contrary, we hope to create a lasting, mutually beneficial relationship. In order to see if such a relationship is possible, I have come to this world in search of a potential warlock."
Though she was looking at the ground, I could still see a hint of confusion on Virexa's face. "A mortal warlock, my lady?"
"Will this create problems between ourselves and your lord?"
Virexa shook her head. "So long as your actions and those of the warlock do not impede my lord's interests, there will be no problem. Is there a particular mortal you are interested in?"
"We have several potential candidates, but none that meet my criteria."
"What criteria is that, my lady?"
"I would like a female tiefling capable of using magic."
For the first time since entering the room, Virexa looked up, a grin on her face. "I believe I might be able to help you, my lady. A mortal city has recently fallen into Avernus. There is a section of the city dominated by a tiefling population. As I travelled here on my task, I witnessed many of the tieflings using magic. I would search there for your servant, my lady."
My eyebrows furrowed as I heard Virexa speak.
A mortal city in Avernus? Did Elturel already fall? I wasn't really paying attention to major events in the world because they didn't really affect me.
If Elturel is already in Hell, I might need to be proactive and go look for a chained up elder brain to kill it before it becomes a problem. The last thing I need is for Faerun to be dominated by a sea of mind flayers because the BG3 protagonists failed. It shouldn't be too hard to deal with the elder brain. A magic nuke could kill it, so a dozen tailed beast bombs should be able to handle it without issue.
But I could afford to wait a little while. I needed to sort out this situation with Helios first. At the end of the day, Faerun wasn't really my priority. I'd like to get ahead of any potential problems I might face in the world, but if all else failed, I could just grab my warlocks and bring them home. There were other worlds I could open mines in. The only people I really cared about in Faerun were Vellia and Cyvis. Everyone else could fend for themselves. They weren't my responsibility.
"Avernus?" Serafall asked, confused.
"The first layer of Hell." I said quickly, noting Virexa's excited expression give way to confusion. I'd need to fill Serafall in on everything I could about the Nine Hells when we were done here. If she was really going to try to negotiate with Dispatar, she'd need to at least know the names of each layer of the Nine Hells.
Serafall frowned. "Will we be trespassing if we enter Baator without permission? I will not jeopardize our burgeoning relationship just to find a warlock."
"If you will allow me, my lady, I can quickly submit a report to my lord. I will include your intentions to go to Avernus and inform him I approved your passage on his behalf. So long as you do not harm any devils or negatively interfere with our operations while you are there, you will have my lord's protection and permission."
"Very well." Serafall said. "Send your report. We will wait."
A flaming parchment appeared in Virexa's hand. She laid the document on the ground and frantically scribbled hellish markings into the paper with a dark metal pen. She dramatically signed the bottom of the page and it vanished in a burst of orange flame. A moment later, a similar paper appeared in her hand.
Smiling, Virexa held it up, averting her eyes. "A writ of passage signed by my lord, my lady."
Serafall took the paper and looked it over, her eyes glowing with blue magic. With a nod, Serafall secreted the paper away in a pocket on the inside of her suit. "Thank you, Virexa. Matters back home require my immediate attention, but I will schedule a time to meet with your lord as soon as I am able."
"My lord will eagerly await your word." Virexa stood. She grasped a pendant hung around her neck and her form shimmered as the pendant's enchantment took effect. The dark wings and flaming eyes faded until she once more appeared as a mortal woman in leather armor. She met Cyvis's eyes and gave my warlock a mocking salute. "I'm heading back out, boss!" she said in a deeper voice. "Call if you need me." With one final bow to Ajuka, Virexa – or was she Alaine now? – left the room.
"Should I fire her?" Cyvis asked after she was gone.
"No." Serafall said immediately. "Don't do anything to anger them. This is a great opportunity for us and for them. Don't jeopardize it."
"Don't worry, Cyvis." I said reassuringly. "I'm already taking steps to make sure you and Vellia are safe in case she tries anything."
Reaching back out for the faint connection I shared with my Queen, I said, 'Can you send Aqua and someone else here to watch over the warlocks until Shang Tsung gets those golems ready?'
'I have already taken the liberty.' Medea said back. 'Aqua, Shang Tsung and Mothra should currently be with Vellia.'
'You're amazing. Thank you.'
I opened a Hole in the corner of the room. "If anything happens, go through that. It will take you to Vellia. Several members of my peerage are with her. They will keep you safe and be able to let me know if there is trouble."
Cyvis bowed her head. "Your protection is greatly appreciated, my lord."
Turning to Serafall, I said, "What about us? What are we doing now?"
Smiling, Serafall held up the flaming piece of paper in her hand. "Virexa went to the trouble of getting us a passport. It would be rude not to use it. Besides, I want my cute demon girl warlock, dammit!"
Smiling at her antics, I said, "Then I guess we're going to hell."
Serafall narrowed her eyes at me. "Boo. Bad joke. I've only heard it a thousand times."
X
Avernus was much like I expected it to be. Fire, brimstone, death – it did a good job of living up to the classical interpretation of what Hell should be. DXD's Hell was practically a paradise depending on where you ended up. Avernus looked like it would be miserable no matter where you lived.
It took a little scrying to figure out exactly where Avernus was in relation to the material plane, but once I found it it was just a matter of opening a Hole and now here we were. Further scrying showed us where Elturel was, but rather than opening a Hole and going there directly Serafall and Ajuka wanted to fly there.
Both Satans took in every detail of the Hell around them. Tall sharpened peaks of dark metal-like stone. Deep pits filled with tormented souls burning in hellfire. Twisted structures rising into fortifications every few miles. An endless expanse of blood-like rock that stretched in all directions.
Multiple times, devils of various shapes took flight and rose to intercept us. Whenever they came within a certain distance, they would immediately halt their approach, moving aside and bowing to us as we passed. Whatever Virexa was able to sense on me and later on Ajuka and Serafall, it was evident other devils could sense the same thing.
"It certainly takes you back, doesn't it?" Serafall said quietly as we flew.
"It does. I am pleased we have moved past this" Ajuka agreed, lips pulled into a solemn line.
"Our Hell used to look like this?" I asked carefully.
Serafall smiled sadly. "Not exactly, but it's close. There was more variety in color back home. Imagine hundreds of devils lying dead and you'll have a good picture of what the Civil War was like. It wasn't pretty."
"Doesn't sound like it. Can't say I'm unhappy I missed it." I said.
"You might very well live through something similar." Ajuka said plainly.
Frowning, I asked, "What do you mean?"
Watching me closely, Ajuka said, "You are young, yet you have already had a profound impact on our world. War with Olympus is not an impossibility now. In the chaos following that conflict, I expect certain other factions will make their move. The branch of devils still loyal to the Old Satans have been watching you. Mine and Serafall's agents have kept them at bay, but I imagine they will attempt to recruit or eliminate you soon."
"How likely is war with Olympus?" I asked.
"I'm working on it." Serafall said, eyes narrowed at Ajuka. With a sigh, she said, "But there's a reason I want to see if this warlock thing is repeatable. We need every advantage we can get right now."
"Is there anything I can do?" I asked.
"You're probably going to be playing taxi for me for a while." Serafall said seriously. "If this warlock thing works out, I'm going to need to meet with this Dispatar guy and try to work out a long term arrangement with him."
We flew in silence for a bit while I pondered our conversation.
I was confident my peerage could defend itself from most minor threats. If full war broke out with Olympus, we might very well have to fight gods. That was a daunting prospect, but Medea and I had been preparing for some time now. I was confident we'd be able to think of something. If not, I could always pick up everything and flee to some other world until the fighting died down. Considering nothing like this happened in canon DXD, it was likely mostly my fault relations were as bad as they were. I would like to help Hell fight off the Greeks, but I wouldn't risk my peerage's safety if I thought it was a losing battle.
"We've been flying for a while." Serafall said, pulling me from my thoughts.
"Have you not noticed?" Ajuka asked. "Distance is more of a suggestion than a concrete fact here. Space is expanding and shrinking as we move through it. We've passed the same fortress three times. Avernus has repositioned it to be in front of us each time. We have also been flying for longer than it seemed. Time is similarly flexible in this place."
"I hate spacial fuckery." Serafall sighed. "Bal? I've decided I don't want to fly anymore. Just bring us to the city please."
I opened a Hole, then frowned as I closed it. Closing my eyes, I scanned the location Elturel was in when we first entered Avernus. It was gone. Ajuka was right. Things were moving without showing any sign that they were moving. No wonder people went insane in Avernus.
Reaching out with scrying magic, it took me a little over a minute to find Elturel again. Opening another Hole, I led the Satans through the sky above Elturel.
Once pristine white walls surrounding the city were cracked and covered in demonic rot. Buildings held a red demonic stain. The city sat straddling a wide river flowing with dark, murky water. Few people roamed the streets. Most residents hid behind shuttered windows. No one wandered alone.
Bone-white, spindly creatures and living masses of iron chains wandered the street lazily, testing doors and frightening what few people were on the street away.
I wasn't sure how long Elturel had been in Avernus. Devils were openly walking on the street. That either meant the city had just arrived and hadn't managed to organize itself yet or it had been here so long people had given up trying to keep their city free of devils. Either way, it wasn't my problem. I came here for a specific purpose.
Ajuka and I followed Serafall as she descended to the ground. A nude, masculine devil with sandy skin turned as we descended. Lips pulled back to reveal snarling sharpened teeth. A clawed hand tightly gripped a long spear. The devil started as we came closer, hastily falling to a knee, his wings laid flat on the ground at his sides. Curled horns scraped the ground as he hastily averted his eyes.
"How may I serve you, my lady?" the devil said in a gravelly voice.
Serafall's wings disappeared. She walked forward and assessed the devil knelt before her. "I was told there is a section of this city inhabited by tieflings."
"There is, my lady." the devil said. "It would be my honor to lead you there." The devil rose, keeping his gaze fixed on the ground. He turned and led the way down a cobbled road.
As we walked through the city, humans and a smattering of other races – elves, dwarves, halflings – turned and fled when they saw us. What few devils we passed immediately vacated our path and bowed as we passed.
The immediate subservience of the devils, creatures known for twisted dealings and cruelty, made me a touch uncomfortable. Seeing such horrifying creatures submit to me without a moment's hesitation was strange. I'd tell myself it was Ajuka that terrified them, which was likely part of it, but Virexa, a powerful erinyes, had immediately knelt before me the moment she met me when I was on my own. The devils were able to recognize something in me that made them step carefully around me. That was good for dealing with devils, but they likely weren't the only ones who would be able to sense whatever it was that clued them in to who and what I was. I'd need to work with Medea to create some kind of illusion to cover myself once I was done here. I'd like to be able to move around Faerun in anonymity if at all possible.
"This is the section of the city inhabited by the tieflings, my lady." our devil guide said, turning and bowing his head to Serafall. "Is there any other way I can assist you?"
"No. Thank you for your help." Serafall said.
"It was my honor, my lady. With your leave…" The devil slowly backed away, quickly turning a corner and disappearing from view.
Looking around, the street was nearly identical to the rest of the city. Tainted walls and cracked roofs surrounded us. Maybe this part of the city once looked different when Elturel was still in the material place, but in Avernus, it was hard to tell anything apart.
"Where do you want to start? It might be difficult to find a spell caster." I asked. The streets before us were empty. The tieflings were likely hiding inside like so many other residents of the city.
Frowning, Serafall slowly began to walk forward, focused on something I couldn't see. "I can feel… There's someone very interesting here."
An explosion sounded from our right, followed closely by panicked screams and screeching devils. Metal clashed. Someone was fighting.
Ajuka and I looked off towards the commotion. Serafall's attention remains fixed ahead of her.
"Do you think that's a problem?" I asked.
"It is unlikely to be a threat to us." Ajuka said. "I will monitor the situation from here. If it grows to be a problem, I will deal with it."
"Respectfully, I'd worry for the surrounding city if you went over there and got dragged into a fight." I said. "I can check it out quickly and pop right back. If it's something we need to worry about, we'll deal with it. Otherwise, the local devils can worry about it."
"Call me if you need help, Bal." Serafall said, distracted. "I'm going to see if I can figure out what I'm sensing." Serafall started walking down the street, focused on something I couldn't feel.
Ajuka looked at me for a moment before nodding. "I will be standing by in case you require assistance. Be careful. You are the only one capable of transporting us home."
"Don't worry. I have no intention of biting off more than I can chew. I'll see you in a minute." I stepped back through a Hole. My wings caught me as I hovered in mid air, observing the city below me.
There was commotion a fair distance from where I left Ajuka and Serafall. The dark river that ran through the city had become ground zero for a massive melee. A small group of devils was being overwhelmed by a group of lumbering demons that seemingly appeared from nowhere, flooding over the bank of the river like an unholy flood. On the river itself sat an elegant boat. The boat was too small to have transported the demons. Only a single individual sat on the boat, lazily standing and stepping ashore.
The figure was feminine, but she was clearly inhumane. Horns curled up from her head. Dark spines stuck out of her arms and legs and jutted from her spine. A thin tail curled around her to stab a sharpened stinger through a devil charging towards her. Clawed toes clicked against the stone as she stepped off the boat, nude save for a cloth hanging loosely from her waist.
As she surveyed the area around her, the devils began to retreat, disengaging from the demons and retreating between the buildings.
With a flick of her wrist, reality tore apart. Massive, furred hands gripped the distortion in space, ripping it apart. A lumbering demon spilled into the city, followed closely by many others.
I frowned, eyebrows furrowed as I looked at the distortion. This bitch stole my trick.
Pushing my irritation away, I slowly descended towards her. "Could I ask that you refrain from whatever you're doing for another twenty minutes? It's rather distracting."
The woman turned to look up. Amber eyes narrowed as she saw me approaching. Her lips pulled up into a wide grin, showing off sharpened teeth.
"Now you seem fun." she said, ignoring the slobbering demons milling about around her knees. "I was promised there would be interesting toys here, yet all I've seen so far are weak little peons. You'll make a delicious pet."
I blinked, unimpressed. "I'll have to decline your offer. I'm in a committed relationship. Please stop blowing things up if you would be so kind."
The woman threw her head back and laughed, an unnatural screeching sound. "Oh, darling, you don't have a choice." She raised her hand to point at me. Immediately, the demons around her flew into a frenzy. Those with wings took to the sky, flapping furiously towards me. Those locked on the ground lumbered as close as they could, snapping up at me ineffectually.
I was originally planning to leave after asking her to give Serafall some more time to herself. I wasn't feeling so generous anymore. I had no interest in being this creature's pet. The fact she seemed so happy about forcing me into such a position had frankly pissed me off.
Holes opened all around me. In the sky. Near the ground. Around the woman and the tear in reality at her side.
The pained screech of dying demons filled the air as the city was bathed in elemental fire. The fire parted. I drifted to the side to avoid an orb of dark, demonic energy hurled upward from the ground.
The woman burst out of the fire, eyes manic, snarling at me as she hurled more magical orbs up towards me. She was clearly affected by my fire, but she wasn't destroyed immediately like the lesser demons were. Either she was much stronger than they were, or she had special defenses against fire.
My Holes closed, cutting off the torrent of fire. Several others opened as I erected a shield to absorb the woman's attacks.
The woman screamed, falling to the ground in a heap as four magical spears fired out of Holes behind her and drove through her back. I was surprised when she managed to struggle up to a knee, glaring hatefully at me despite the enchanted spears driven through her body. She was stronger than I thought.
She raised a hand to launch another orb at me. Her hand was slammed to the ground, pinned by a magical spear as another Hole opened right next to her.
She screamed, enraged as more spears and daggers impaled her, pinning her to the ground.
I held up a hand, intending to open another Hole over her head and end this.
"My lord!"
My eyes flicked to the side, following the voice. A writhing mass of chains with flaming eyes and dark cloth held in the facsimile of a bipedal frame looked up at me desperately.
"My lord, the arch-duchess wants this one alive. Allow us to secure her!" the devil called up, sounding meek.
I lowered my hand. "Be my guest."
The figure bowed. "Thank you, my lord. Secure her!"
More masses of chain joined the first. Together, they approached the weakened, struggling demon woman. She lashed out as they approached, but there were dozens of them. Chains lashed out from the devils, winding around the demon's arms, legs, chest and neck. The demon thrashed, screeching in rage, but there were too many chains pulling her apart. She was forced to the ground and quickly bound by the devils.
Seeing they had things well in hand, I drifted back through a Hole to rejoin Ajuka and Serafall. The Satans weren't where I left them. I turned in the direction Serafall had been so focused on and began walking. It didn't take long before I caught up to the Satans.
"What happened?" Ajuka asked as I joined him at the threshold of a small home, eyes still aimed into the house.
"Some demons got into the city. The situation is handled now." I said simply, following his gaze.
The house was really more of a shack. Wooden walls with a caved in roof. A single room with half-destroyed shelves and a barrel in the corner.
Serafall was inside, kneeling over a prone form.
It was a tiefling. Her skin was white like snow. I'd never heard of a white tiefling before. Weren't they supposed to all be shades of red?
Clothed in torn rags and covered in blood, she looked to be in rough shape. Many cuts along her arms and legs ended at gatherings of ivory scales growing out of her flesh. The scales looked like they'd protected her from whatever had cut her up. They were likely the only reason the tiefling was still breathing. She was unconscious, completely at the mercy of whoever might come through the door of her ragged shelter.
"She's hurt really bad." Serafall said, running a hand over the woman's forehead, gently parting her black hair around the blue icy blue horns jutting out of her forehead.
"There are likely others." Ajuka said.
Serafall frowned. "No. I want her. There's something about her that's calling to me. I can't tell what, but…"
"It is possible there is something we do not understand at work here attempting to trap you." Ajuka said softly.
Serafall shook her head. "I don't think so. I can't explain it. I just…"
"Can I look her over?" I asked, stepping up next to Serafall.
Serafall shifted to the side, making space for me to join her.
Carefully, I ran a hand over the ivory scales on her forearm. They felt like Coal's.
"Dragon scales." I said quietly.
"What?" Serafall said, confused.
Pursing my lips, I looked at the tiefling in a new light. "Some people born in this world have traces of their ancestry manifest. Apparently, someone in her family tree got busy with a dragon. A white dragon by the looks of it. That explains the scales, the white skin, and maybe even why you felt something from her. Did it feel like ice?"
Serafall looked at me curiously. "Like winter."
I nodded. "White dragons in this world have powers over ice. She probably inherited a piece of her ancestor's magic." I wasn't expecting to stumble across a draconic sorcerer on this trip, but I guess anything can happen.
"We need to get her home. I have people there who can help her." Serafall said, already moving to lift the girl up.
"We will likely not be able to test your ability to create a warlock if we bring her back to our Hell." Ajuka said from behind us.
I held up a hand to stop Serafall, kneeling down at the tiefling woman's side. A Hole dropped several small vials onto the ground at my side. I pulled the stoppers off and carefully poured the contents over the woman's wounds, tilting her head back to pour the last one down her throat.
"Medea can't make Phenex Tears, but she and Shang Tsung have worked out some tricks of their own." I explained.
The tiefling's eyes shot open. Cold blue eyes met mine. Her arms rose to shove me away. She fell backwards, weakly coughing as she tried to crawl away.
"It's okay." Serafall said, comfortingly, holding up her hands placatingly.
"Please… Don't…" the tiefling said weakly.
"We're not going to hurt you." Serafall said gently, holding a hand down to the tiefling.
The tiefling looked at the hand suspiciously for several seconds before slowly taking it.
Serafall helped her up into a sitting position with her back against the wall, then sat down in front of her.
"What's your name?" Serafall asked.
The tiefling looked between us suspiciously. "Seraphine." she said quietly.
Serafall beamed at her. "My name's Serafall. We're both Sera! Isn't that great?"
"What do you want?" Seraphine asked, a slight tremor in her limbs. I couldn't tell if it was from fear or injury.
Serafall frowned. "What do you want, Seraphine?"
Seraphine let out a sound that was half laugh half sob. "I want to leave. Everyone is dead. The longer we stay here, the more people die. I don't want to be here anymore. I don't want to die."
Serafall frowned, laying a comforting hand atop Seraphine's own. Seraphine flinched. When Serafall didn't hurt her, the tiefling relaxed, looking up at Serafall with confusion.
"Do you want to go home?" Serafall asked.
Seraphine's features twisted in pain and fury. "This is my home. I never want to see it ever again. The devils and demons should have been the worst of it. They weren't the ones who tried to take advantage of me."
Serafall's expression darkened for a brief moment before her soft, encouraging smile returned. It was a rapid change. I caught it because I've gotten to know her pretty well. I doubt the tiefling caught it.
"What if I told you I could take you away from here?" Serafall asked softly.
Seraphine frowned, looking between Serafall, Ajuka and I. "You're not humans, are you?"
Serafall nodded slowly. "I'm a devil, Seraphine."
Seraphine's breathing picked up. She looked deathly afraid, but she didn't make any moves to escape. She was stuck in a broken down shack with three devils. She likely thought it would be stupid to try to run. "What do you want with me?"
"Do you know what a warlock is?" Serafall asked.
Seraphine froze, no longer breathing. After a moment, she said, "One of the men who attacked me was a warlock. The devils have been picking people they think are interesting and making contracts with them since we got here."
"I'm not like those devils." Serafall said, a hint of rage in her voice. "I'll treat you well. I'll take you home with me, a place far away from here where you can start a new life."
"Why… Why did you pick me? There has to be a reason." Seraphine said, looking between us suspiciously.
Slowly, Serafall raised her hand. A ball of ice appeared between her fingers. Fractals fell away from the sphere in shavings. An icy sculpture of a smiling Serafall standing hand-in-hand with a tiefling sat in Serafall's hand. "I felt your power. I think we'd compliment each other well." Serafall said.
Hesitantly, Seraphine reached out and took the sculpture from Serafall, turning it over in her hands, icy eyes intently focused on the small statue. "Will you take my soul?" Seraphine asked with a trembling voice.
"No." Serafall denied instantly. "I'll make you strong and give you a home. Your end of the bargain is to help me out when I need it. I won't treat you like the devils here treat their warlocks."
Seraphine was still looking at the statue. She closed her fist around it protectively and held it to her chest. "I was lucky to get away last time. I'm alone. I'll die if I stay here. Or worse." Looking up at Serafall, Seraphine said, "Will you abuse me?"
"Never." Serafall said, iron in her voice.
Seraphine swallowed. She took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay. As long as you get me out of here and protect me, I'll serve you."
"Ajuka," Serafall said, already pulling a piece of paper out of nowhere.
Ajuka was at her side in an instant. The two spoke in hushed tones as they worked out a simple contract and scribbled it onto the paper.
Serafall held the paper out to the tiefling. "Take as long as you need to read this."
Seraphine took the paper with trembling hands and slowly looked down at the page to read it. After several minutes, she shook her head, looking up at Serafall. "What are you hiding? No devil would be this generous."
"I'm not hiding anything from you, Seraphine. I swear it." Serafall said. "I want a friend, not a slave."
Seraphine looked back down at the paper, reading over it again.
"Fine." she said at last. "I'll deal with the hidden clauses when they come up. I won't be able to last long here with those bastards hunting for me. Give me a quill."
Serafall pursed her lips like she wanted to say something, but she held her silence, wordlessly holding out a pen for the tiefling.
Seraphine snatched the pen from Serafall and hastily scribbled her name onto the paper, like she was trying to get it over with before she could have any second thoughts. She dramatically dropped the pen, visibly bracing herself.
Nothing happened.
Slowly, Seraphine's tense muscles started to relax. "Is that it?"
Ajuka was frowning. "Is this how it worked last time?"
"No," Serafall said, eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "There was a light show and everything."
Wracking my brain, I said, "This happened both with Vellia and Cyvis. After signing the contract, I gave Vellia a sword and Medea gave Cyvis a familiar. Maybe that's what's missing?"
Serafall's eyebrows furrowed. She smiled brightly at Seraphine. Holding up her hand, a beautiful crown of ice with sharp gleaming crests like daggers extending up from it appeared in her hand. Serafall carefully set the crown on Seraphine's head. It nestled perfectly between her horns, tailor made for her.
"There!" Serafall said. "Now you can be a real ice princess!"
Seraphine opened her mouth to reply. Whatever she was going to say was forgotten as a scream tore free from her lips.
Atop Seraphine's head, the icy crown glowed a brilliant blue with vibrant power. Dark demonic lines dripped down from the crown across Seraphine's forehead like ink dripping off a canvas. The demonic markings burned blue, searing into Seraphine's forehead in the shape of an inverted crown, mirroring the one she wore on her head.
The contract in Seraphine's hand lit on fire. Seraphine's scream raised an octave. A flash of white was the only warning I had. I was barely able to summon a barrier in front of myself as a veritable blizzard of ice erupted from Seraphine.
The walls, the roof, the shelves, the floor – everything but Seraphine and the devils around her was frozen solid.
Seraphine was panting, looking around with wide, frantic eyes. She stared down at her hands in awe. "I feel… I feel…"
"Good?" Serafall said, lips pulled up into a grin.
Seraphine swallowed, looking up at Serafall. "Better than good. I feel as strong as a blizzard."
"I'm glad. What do you say to a tour of your new home, Seraphine?" Serafall held a hand down to her warlock. Behind her, Ajuka hastily scribbled notes into a small journal and cast several spells into the air to analyze every facet of what he'd just witnessed.
Seraphine swallowed heavily. Hesitant, she reached out and took Serafall's hand, looking at the Satan in awe. "I'll follow wherever you lead me, my lady."