Both Illnerith and The Doberman regard the sword in a surprised manner, trying to divine what it could mean.

My hand begins reaching for the sword, but I stop myself. Even though the visions did not show me the cost associated with this boon, it is unthinkable to me that this horrid place would give me anything without making me pay or suffer in some form or manner.

However, can I really doom nine beings to The Abyss? Make them go through all of the nightmarish experience I have in my short stay--only forever? It is obvious that things can make it out of this place; what if they crawl their way out and come for me?

Besides, this place has some kind of deal going on with my family. It needs me right? How bad can it be?

I move to pick up the sword, and when I wrap my hands around the tattered rags that constitute the handle, small, thin black spikes emerge, piercing my palm and fingers. A feeling of warmth travels from the injection site to the rest of my body.

I raise the blade and point it towards Illnerith. It looks nothing like its fancy former self. When before it was golden and elegant, it now looks corrupted and ominous, the dark metal emitting periodic black and green electric bursts. 

"What are you doing, Jesse?" asks The Doberman, her hackles raising. "Stop acting retarded and put down your sword before he takes offense!"

I shake my head. "No, I don't think I'll pay the toll," I said, my voice sounding annoyingly feminine, already shifting my body into position and getting ready for the fight that will surely break out. "You are welcome to join me, as a familiar should, but I don't want to damn nine souls to this shitty place."

Illnerith looks at me languidly, showing no sign of anger. He even smiles in a peaceful manner.

"If you want to fight him, then go ahead, I won't stop you due to the oaths that I made, but I won't join you either. I worked too hard to establish a relationship with him and I won't ruin it for your stupid morals," she answers.

"Worry not, my boon companion, I have not been offended as of yet," he sang with his beautiful voice. "As for you, mortal, if I were in your position, then I would think carefully about the action you are about to undertake. While it is true that I find myself in a sorry state after the betrayal of my brethren, I will not take kindly to the affront of you, a fecal matter eating ape, thinking you can beat me, a prince of the Seelie Court." His voice makes even the insults sound like a joke, like a compliment

Time to bluff. "Honestly, I meant no offense to you. I am sure you will agree when I say, that I've done things for The Abyss, helped it"--if you count me taking my familiar out, which undoubtably will help it--"And it has given me with a significant sum of power in the form of this sword"--I pass my hand through the blade, brandishing it.

Illnerith considers this for a moment, then his smile comes back.

"You are wet behind your ears, a newborn Scourge. How strong can you be? For trying to trick me, you will suffer"--some of his many eyes stare at a point behind me--"Trees, heed my call, capture this insolent wretch and devour him to the last!"

My stomach drops. Don't tell me the fucking trees are unrooting themselves coming towards me! I look to see how many I have to deal with and--nothing's there. Fuck! I've been had! 

I whirl around, sword ready, and there he is, Illnerith, right in front of me, a broken, muck covered, yellow-glowing sword in hand, aiming it right at my stomach.

I manage to block it only through a devilish combination of luck and a magical increase in speed I must have received after picking up the sword.

But, it is not enough. His mutant arm, punches me in the face, dazing me for a short moment. Long enough for him to grab one of his many chain-hooks with his free hand and stick it right through my thigh.

I move to cut it, but he pulls on it before I can, destroying my center of gravity and staggering me.

I expect him to rush me again, but instead he paces, arms on each side like a true showman

"Do you know I was told that this sword, Brightivul, is a relative of the famed Excalibur?" he asks me in an arrogant tone. "When all was said and done and I betrayed, I was left with naught but a shard of this legendary sword. But, legends need only a spark, a moment, to grow again. With every enemy I have defeated, it has mended, like me--even stronger than before. We will continue to grow until our retribution is had and the betrayers doomed to the same fate as I!"

Why is he telling me all this? What is he trying to do? 

"Why are you telling me this? Are you that insecure and lonely here in The Abyss that you feel the need to brag?" I said, fed up with his superior attitude. Pain will do that to your patience.

"As if I would ever brag to a primitive," he retorts, flashing me a dangerous smile.

But, on The Dobermans face I see something else: recognition and worry.

I can understand the worry, but why the recognition? Maybe...

"My strength was unparalleled in the Othersidhe. Even now, with a fraction of my strength, I can destroy a hundred of you. What has been broken can be restored and I will-"

I interrupt him, trying out my theory. "Shut the fuck up! You are nothing but a disgraced prince! A pitiful-"

Illnerith explodes towards me, stabbing frantically over and over, his face a mask of rage. 

Alas, I notice that his sword is shining less bright than before, showing more signs of damage. His body is also more damaged and moving slower than before.

"I have studied torture for centuries! I will flay the skin of your bones, make you eat your eyeballs! You will weep blood by the time I am finished with you!"

I dodge the first strike, the hook that follows, and when the mutated arm is coming down with a hook right for one of my eyes, I give it a wicked slash.

But, Illnerith is a master combatant, having centuries or more of experience under his belt. He dodges, quick as a weasel, and the cut only nicks him.

He is getting ready to charge me again, but stops when his arm starts simultaneously melting off and growing strange tumors. It turns out a little nick was all that was needed.

Wasting no time, he starts reaching to it with one of his hands, presumably to rip it off before it can continue spreading.

I am ontop of him before he can, though. Sword slashing him once, twice. 

Again, he weaves and dodges, fainting, predicting, and both strikes hit nothing but air.

That is fine, at this stage, I do not need to hit him. The decay has now practically destroyed the upper portion of the arm and is gaining ground, moving dangerously low. Once it is inside his chest, that is the end of the line for him.

Now that the tables have turned and I finally have air in my lungs, I say "You are nothing but a faker, faerie.  All of your strength comes from belief. A sad balloon full of hot air. I will put you out your misery."

"Wait! You win!" He pleads, hands up in the air in a sign of peace "I will give you safe passage. There is no need for further bloodshed."

"No, we are past that point now, faerie," I said, whilst swinging with my sword at him, keeping him on his toes. "I can get safe passage anyways after you die. And, before you offer, I can get most of what you can offer out of your corpse."

He continues pleading for a while, making offer after offer: service, riches, power. 

His words ring hollow to my ears and we continue our desperate fight. The Doberman watching me anxiously, her ears flat against her head.

Eventually the decay reaches his chest and he stops trying to convince me, opting to save his breath for the fight. 

He knows he is as good as dead, but on his eyes I see the murderous rage of one who has decided to sink the whole world with him.

He fights with the abandon that comes with nothing to lose and chooses to take a blow that bites right through his shoulder and into his chest.

Before I can pull out the sword, he swipes his broken blade right at my neck.

I dodge backwards abandoning the sword in favor of my life. 

The faerie chuckles maliciously, thinking me disarmed, approaching me with carnage evident in his smile.

However, he doesn't know that I still have one ace left on my sleeve; I speedily pull out my enchanted gun and begin blasting him, punching shot after shot into his neck, his leg, shoulder, and finally one in his head--the coup de grace.

As I stand there panting, heart jackhammering. I think to myself, I did it. I defeated a guardian of The Abyss. This twisted world can be beaten.

Even after a few moments pass, my body refuses to calm down from all the adrenaline coursing through it. 

I hear footsteps approaching me from my left and I whirl around, snarling. Ready to rip into-

It's just The Doberman, who is sporting an awestruck expression, trying to decide between respect and sadness.

"I can't believe it...how?" she asks, lost in thought. 

I pay her no mind and move towards the body, before she can stop me or take the choiciest loot for herself.

The faerie's body has grown older and shriveled by the time I reach it, a colored light shining from within his wizened chest. 

I obviously pick up his shattered blade... Brightivul was it? 

Next, for lack of something better, I open his chest and remove the thing that is causing the light. It is soft and slippery to the touch, a ball of rainbow hues like car oil on water.

"What do you think you are doing?" demands my familiar.

Here we go, I think, expecting her to get angry for looting her chum.

"I am taking some trophies. Essentials mentioned they give one the power of the defeated," I answer, hoping she won't make me leave them behind.

To my surprise, she is fine with it.

"I don't know what this Essentials thing is, but good thinking. Give me the sword."

I debate keeping it, but it would just complicate things. More bees with honey and all that. 'Sides I already have a two handed sword.

"Thanks," she said. "Now, where's that gate?"

Turns out we don't have to search much for it: a hole in the earth appears in front of us.

Doberman advices me to jump head first, so that is what we do.

We free fall through this tunnel in the earth, so fast I can barely make out the details, the fossils and creatures scurrying about.

At one point the gravity shifts and starts pulling us instead of pushing us. Alas, our momentum is too great and we burst through the other side before we can start falling again.

We land harshly in grass and I am sure I will feel the bruises tomorrow morning.

I look around. We are in a garden, there's a gate in front, and a man- We are at the Scaurgez mansion.

Then it hits me, we are outside the Scaurgez mansion! The Others! Where are the-

It's the early afternoon: they are not here yet.

We both make our way to the broken window, since I didn't bring the keys with me to the abyss and the door is too expensive to be opened with the lock picks.

Seems like she can make it through the barrier erected around the house just fine, on account of being my familiar most likely.

We walk through the house, making our way to the kitchen. I am starved and  she is always hungry.

However, there in our path, blocking us, is Synthia. 

She looks worse for wear, hair in dull and in disarray, black bags under her eyes. She is wearing a dirty tank top and panties.

But, most concerning is the fact that she is pointing her short shotgun at me.

Dober growls at her, about to lunge.

"Move and I blow your master's head, Boogeyman," she said, eyes glacier cold.

"It's me Synthia! It's me, Jesse!" I tell her, before the situation can escalate.

She gives me an incredulous look that is turning into icy fury with each moment that passes.

"Really, that's what you people are resorting to now? You look nothing like him! Your hair isn't even blonde and you have tits for gods sake!" Her hands and shotgun are shaking with emotion.

She isn't thinking clearly, practitioners can't lie.

"Look, I can't lie, remember. It's really me. The Abyss pulled me in. I...was changed there. Went through hell, after a fashion, and was forced to take a familiar."

Slowly, the despair and anger are giving way to hope. 

"It's you...Little J?" she asks tentatively, her whole body trembling. "Gosh, it really is you, isn't it? You've been gone for a week, I didn't know what to do, came close to blowing my head off a few times..." 

Then, she starts running towards me, opening her arms for a hug, beaming me a radiant smile full of joy.

The Doberman moves in front of me, still growling and pushes her away with one paw, making her stumble.

"He's mine," Dober decrees, baring her sharp red-glowing teeth. "Don't touch him."

I don't think I've ever seen an expression more full of hate and malice than the one Synthia sported at that moment. It literally sent a shiver down my spine.