Project S.T.A.T.I.C. Part 4: Worlds Apart

Rebecca and Ashley ascended the staircase back to the marble domain above ground. Their alliance was temporary, aggravated, and tense to put it mildly. Rebecca wasn't anymore thrilled about it than Ashley, but the fiery vampire was proving to be more argumentative and difficult than she expected. To an extent, she understood the mistrust that Ashley felt towards her, but their goals were aligned for once. Her hope had been that a Conqueror of her level could have understood the value of working together in the face of overwhelming odds. Instead, she'd been met with hate and vitriol at every turn and suggestion. It would have been nice if she could have left the parasite to rot, but she needed her help. Of course, there was the matter of Jake's attachment to her. While Rebecca loathed it, she knew she'd driven him into her arms. If she was going to have any chance at moving forward and redeeming herself, she was going to have to learn to cope with Ashley. It would certainly be easier if Ashley was willing to meet her halfway, though.

“Remember-” Rebecca began.

“I know, I know,” Ashley snapped, cutting her off and furthering her frustration, “I'll deal with the sisters while you get to Jake. Do not cross me, witch.”

“You are the epitome of insufferable,” Rebecca grumbled, “Trust me for once in your wretched life.”

“Trust the woman who revived me, not once but twice, in hopes of making me a slave?” Ashley scoffed, “The woman whose sole purpose in life was to hold my beloved hostage and break him? The woman who made a deal with the very demon that now holds his soul? The woman who-”

“Alright, fine!” Rebecca snapped, sick of having her past thrown in her face, “I have made mistakes, more than I can count, but I am trying to set things right. If it costs me my life, my soul, I will get him home. He deserves that much, but I cannot do that without your help. If we have any chance of pulling this off then we have to work together. Take the hate you have for me and use it for what is to come. Otherwise all three of us will pay the price for my sins. Trust me for him, not for me, Ashley.”

Ashley glared at her for a second before frowning and sighing, “Very well, but only because he needs us.”

“That is all I am asking,” Rebecca said, “I will do my best to aid you should you need it.”

“Just save him,” Ashley said, “I can’t believe I am counting on you to save the man that I love. I can handle myself, witch. Try not to fuck this up like you have everything else in your pathetic life.”

Ashley took off ahead of Rebecca and left her standing near the entryway. Rebecca took a deep breath before following after her, “What Jake sees in this wretch I will never understand.”

Rebecca could feel the demonic energy filling the area above them. Lilith was too far for her from the stairwell for her to make it there without Ashley distracting the demons and her foul daughters. As nice as it would have been to let her temporary vampiric ally get herself killed causing a distraction, she needed her to restore Jake and open a portal out of this dimension. The connection that she shared with Jake was paramount in finding a way back to their world. Combined with her blood and residual powers, she was certain that she’d be a key to get home. That meant that she had to keep her undead pain alive.

The moment that Rebecca cleared the last step, she could hear shrieking and growling in the distance. “The vampire is loose!” the demons exclaimed, signaling the start of the chaos.

“Reckless twit,” Rebecca sighed as she prepared for the onslaught on its way.

Ashley was furious at the situation she’d found herself in. First, she had lost her second chance at life with Jake at the hands of that insufferable Courtney. As if that weren’t enough, she’d been ripped from her union and thrown in a cell by the demoness that was holding her beloved hostage. Then, to top everything else, she’d been saved by the very witch that had forced Jake into his prison. Now she was working with that wretched witch. To say that she was angry was an understatement. All of her rage, hate, and animosity was spilling over, and she was desperate to release it. These demons and those filthy daughters of Lilith would be an appetizer to satiate her hatred.

A demon with twin horns, long red hair, and scales that looked almost like a corset had been torturing a poor soul when she made her first move. Subtly was the least of her concerns as she hurried to catch the sadistic demon by surprise. Ashley was behind her before the demoness could react and turn around. She leapt into the air and wrapped her hands around the demon’s head as she threw herself forward. The demon growled as she was taken to the ground, but Ashley didn’t let go of her head. Her hands shifted to take hold of her long horns as she hit the ground, but she didn’t stop there. Ashley spun around and flung the demon into a larger large demon standing off to the side. The horns of the demoness punctured its gut and Ashley was on the move again.

That was when the first shrieks and shouts erupted. It was music to her ears as she looked around for her next target. These creatures weren’t afraid of her, not yet, but they would be before she was through here. A large cauldron of bubbling liquid was close by with a man halfway submerged in it, and it sat between two of Lilith’s massive, gaudy columns. Ashley didn’t bother counting the number of demons scurrying towards her because she could have cared less. Her targets were the twisted sisters and daughters of that filthy queen of the underworld, and she’d wreak as much havoc as she could to get their attention. To do that, she was going to wrack up the body count as high as she could as quickly as she could.

Ashley smirked as she dashed towards the cauldron and dodged a wild swing from a demon with a large halberd. She slid underneath the hulking behemoth of a demon and vaulted up as she neared the cauldron. She pushed herself upward with a handspring before her foot pressed against the column opposing the cauldron. Ashley kicked off of the column and spun around like she’d seen Jake do countless times as she kicked the bubbling vat with her other foot. A resounding clang filled the air as the scalding liquid and burning metal hit the ground. The cauldron crushed a smaller demon, the amber and molten substance spilled out and seared two more, and it forced others to scurry along like the rats they were. This was almost too easy.

A winged demon flew down towards her in hopes of scooping her up in its grasp, but Ashley saw its approach. She clenched her fists and grinned as she pivoted as it got close. Ashley flipped into the air and over it as it passed underneath her. She threw her weight down and stomped on its back to force it to the ground. Once it was downed, she reached down and snapped its neck. Her bloodlust was growing, but these foul creatures were a poor substitute for human blood. It was tempered when she was bound with Jake, but separated from him it was beginning to grow. The longer she was away from him, the more fevered she was becoming. With it and her outrage, she was feeling more like an animal than the composed queen she was.

In her growing rage, Ashley failed to notice a pair of demons that had managed to creep up behind her. Before they could apprehend her, twin jagged spikes burst from the marble beneath their feet and impaled the two of them. Ashley frowned and looked to see Rebecca standing in the distance looking annoyed with her hand raised. “Don’t expect a thanks, witch,” she remarked, “Find Jake and let’s put this nightmare behind us.”

“You need to survive for this to work, girl,” Rebecca reminded her, waving her other hand and sending a demon flying in the opposite direction, “We cannot achieve this unless you are present. Use your head for a change, or were the stories I read about you exaggerated?”

“Don’t chide me, you repugnant harlot!” Ashley snapped, blocking an incoming swing and snapping the arm of another demon, “My empire lasted over a century whereas yours crumbled under the weight of your twisted ego within a week!”

Rebecca scoffed, but chose not to engage with Ashley any further. She was too focused and concerned with winning and outperforming her than working together. At least when she was with Jake she didn’t have to hear her insipid and hateful speech. As much of a pain as it was to admit, Ashley was right about needing to find Jake. She couldn’t stick around and babysit the vampire queen and find their mutual love. It was difficult to do, but Rebecca was going to have to trust that Ashley could handle herself despite her recent oversight. Besides, she needed to save her strength for the inevitable confrontation with Lilith that was coming closer by the minute.

“The pretender is free!” the demons growled and screamed, “The usurper is loose!”

Rebecca rolled her eyes as she turned to run towards the demon’s queen throne on the opposite side of Lilith’s marble playground. They’d both been spotted now, and the clock was ticking on their escape attempt. For all their strength, the reality was that they were hopelessly outnumbered here. Rebecca needed to move faster if she was going to get to Lilith without expending more energy than necessary. She let herself change into her werewolf form to gain some additional momentum. In seconds she was on all fours and scrambling across the marble. She ducked under a hulking demon that tried to grab her and pounced on another close behind it. She shredded its chest cavity before standing on its lump body and pressing onward. She could feel the agitation and hunger rolling off of Lilith as she got closer. She just hoped that Ashley could hold her own without her help while she worked.

Rebecca swiped at the throat of another demon and brought it down. She spotted the pool of violet liquid near the marble throne. She was close to the most dangerous being in the underworld, the bane of the last several centuries of her existence. She could see her long legs dangling from the base of her throne, and she quickened her pace as she got closer. Rebecca was getting ready to try to pounce when she was suddenly lifted into the air by an unseen force. Her arms and legs were pulled taunt and her body was forced to revert back to her human form. She wasn’t surprised by the telekinetic grab, but she had hoped that she would have been able to get closer before Lilith made her move.

“Rebecca,” Lilith cooed, getting to her feet, “I wish I could say I was surprised by this little insurrection. I am surprised you waited as long as you did, but this is a paltry attempt is sad even for you. Did you really think that you could catch me off guard a second time, little girl?”

Rebecca tried to pull her hand free, but after it moved a few inches it snapped back into place. She clenched her fist and channeled some of her magic into her palm. She dug her nails into her palm to spill some blood. “You expected this,” she said.

“Why else would I send my most careless daughter to act as your jailor?” Lilith chuckled, “Analise has always been ruled by her lust and desires. Cherrie may be gullible, but her mirth is more of an act than true true foolishness. If anyone were to let you slip through the cracks it would be her. Until that time came, I knew that she would inflict a fair amount of pain and suffering unto you, my dear. After all, what is life without pain? How can you know joy if you don’t know misery? If I recall, we shared that sentiment for quite some time, didn’t we, Rebecca?”

“Burn in hell, bitch,” Rebecca snarled, remembering saying those exact words to Jake in the past.

“This is my domain, girl,” Lilith chuckled, “The only ones burning will be-”

Rebecca opened her hand and released a purple blast from her hand that blinded and broke Lilith’s concentration. She fell to her feet and quickly prepared another spell. She had to move fast if she was going to have any hope of winning this fight. Lilith wouldn’t take long to recover, and her powers were beyond anything she could match here. She hurled a series of crackling bolts at Lilith as she got to her feet, but they were easily deflected as Lilith waved her hand. Rebecca ducked down and slapped her palm against the stone. All she had to do was outlast Lilith long enough for her plan to work. That was easier said than done, though, considering the sheer number of demons that she had at her disposal.

“Miserable little insect!” Lilith shrieked, raising her hand and clenching her fist, “I am going to rip your soul to shreds and force you to watch as I eat Jake alive!”

Her taunting and insults were almost as bad as her promised threats. Rebecca stumbled as the ground shook and cracked beneath her feet. Spires of burning rock broke through the ground and barely missed her. Shape-shifting wasn’t an option now. She couldn’t enact her plan in that form and Lilith would just force her to revert again. Lilith snarled as she reached up and slowly pulled her fist down. Rebecca glanced up to see a series of meteors come hurtling out of the crimson sky. She needed to get a little further before she could cast a barrier, but she knew that was what Lilith was hoping for. This was going to hurt.

Rebecca made it fifteen feet before she stopped and knelt to place her hand on the marble again. The shadows of the meteors grew in size as she got close. A sheen of green energy surrounded her just as they crashed down on and around her. Her barrier held strong, but the stone surrounding her was battered and splintered. She only had seconds before Lilith would move on her. Rebecca couldn’t wait for the smoke and debris to settle before she had to move. She dispelled her barrier and prepared her next trick just as Lilith’s gigantic hand grabbed where she’d just been standing. A combination of illusion and druidic magic caused her body to seemingly separate into a flock of ravens that charged towards Lilith’s face.

It would only buy her a handful of seconds, but every second was vital. Lilith was getting more and more furious by the second, and Rebecca could feel it. Her eyes burned bright as beams of hellfire shot out of them and cut through her flock. Rebecca couldn’t stop running. She pulled one hand to her side, ripping a shard of the marble floor up and flinging at Lilith. Lilith caught the rubble and crushed it in her hand before lobbing the remains back at her. Rebecca barely managed to catch the larger pieces before they could smash into her. All the while she never stopped running. Two were down, but she needed to place another three if they had even the slightest chance at winning this.

Across the battlefield, Ashley was cutting a swath through Lilith’s demons. She’d beaten and broken more than she could count, but those miserable harlots had yet to show themselves. “Oo, the pretty redhead has talent,” a cheery giggle called up from the ground, “I want to see if you have that same kind of fire when we play together!”

“Twisted lunatic,” Ashley scoffed as she flipped backwards to avoid a clawed hand coming out of the ground.

“Awe, don’t play hard to get!” Cherrie pouted as she appeared out of the stone, “I’ll let you bite me, but I get to bite you first!”

Ashley grimaced at the disgusting innuendo. There was one, but where was the eldest sister? A pair of shackles appeared and locked around her ankles. They glowed and burned her skin, but they would be easy to break. They weren’t meant to stop her, but rather to slow her down. Ashley glowered down at them for a second before ducking low to grab them and rip them off. They broke with ease, but Ashley stayed low as a gust of cold wind flew overhead. There she was. The leader of the three troublesome pains. Her hand fell to the floor, and she pushed herself into a backward handspring to put some distance between the twins.

“Clever,” Victoria chuckled, landing beside her sister, “I was expecting a beast of your kind to fall for such a simple trick. I won’t make that mistake twice, I assure you.”

“Underestimating me won’t end well for you,” Ashley frowned, “Standing in my way is a mistake. Turn around and retreat while you can. That is your one warning.”

“I think she means it, sister,” Cherrie giggled, “Should we do it?”

“Don’t be silly, Cherrie,” Victoria scoffed, “Mother needs her essence, remember? We can rip it from her corpse, though.”

Ashley rolled her eyes and prepared for attack. She noticed that the legion of demons were slowly backing off. At least she wouldn’t have to worry about them while dealing with these sadists. Cherrie flew forward at blinding speed. Ashley turned to the side and ran up the nearest column. She made it a short way up before kicking off of it. Victoria was close behind Cherrie, and Ashley crashed her fist into Victoria’s jaw, stopping her momentum and causing her to pause. Ashley dug her nails into her forearm to spill a few drops of her blood. It was time to show these monsters what a true regent could do.

Cherrie spun and circled back around. Ashley could feel the shift in the wind, and she let the drops of blood roll down her arm and into her hand. She turned on her heel and slung a series of small bloody spears at the incoming daughter of darkness. The trio of spikes blew through the air and sunk into Cherrie. The startled shriek of pain was music to her ears, and it was almost as good as watching that foul harpy crash into a nearby pillar. It wouldn’t stop them, but it was more satisfying to watch them stumble than words could describe.

Victoria recovered first and pulled a large sword from the ground. It was black as night and smoke rolled off of the blade as she held it. She wasted no time barreling towards Ashley again with her weapon at the ready. She swung horizontally and missed, but she quickly followed through with an overhead swing aimed at Ashley’s skull. Ashley raised her bleeding arm and a bloody shield appeared to stop the abyssal sword before it could cut her. She held her arm up and smirked as she pushed her other hand against the makeshift shield. A series of spikes sprung out of her shield. It forced Vicotira to retreat a few feet.

“Don’t forget me, little bat!” Cherrie cackled as she flew up behind her and sliced the back of her knee with a dagger, “I don’t want to be left out of the fun!”

“Petulant little cur,” Ashley growled, running her fingers along the cut and letting the blood trickle down, “If you wanted my attention, all you had to do was ask!” 

“Oh, she’s feisty,” Cherrie giggled, floating beside her sister.

“She’s a thorn in my side,” Victoria countered.

Ashley rolled her eyes and formed a broadsword out of her blood. She kept her shield up with the spikes still jutting out. It had been a long time since she’d been in a melee, but some things were impossible to forget. Fighting was like riding a bike, and her time with Jake helped to keep her skills sharp. Ashley stepped back as Cherrie charged forward with her daggers at the ready. She raised her shield as Cherrie let out a flourish of swipes with her blades, but she saw Victoria flying around to flank her. Ashley pushed forward with her shield to bat Cherrie away before twisting and meeting Victoria’s blade with her own. Cherrie flipped around and came at Ashley a second time, but Ashley twisted her blade and threw her shoulder into Victoria. She twisted again and slammed her shield into Cherrie’s face.

Ashley’s eyes darted from side to side as she watched for either specter to make a move. To her dismay, Cherrie and Victoria moved in tandem as they launched their next assault. Victoria went low while Cherrie went high with her blades at the ready. Ashley ducked down and plunged her sword into the ground to stop Victoria’s swing and dodge Cherrie. However, Cherrie flew upwards and cackled before she dove for Ashley in a furious spin. Ashley lifted her shield over her head to block Cherrie. The weight of the mad sadist pushed her down further, but Ashley pushed upward and sent the spikes on her shield shooting out of her shield. Cherrie shrieked as she was stabbed and sent flying off to the side.

Victoria spun herself around and swirled upwards with her abyssal sword outstretched. Ashley was knocked back a few feet and felt the cold of Victoria’s dark blade as it cut her. The cold chill of that shadowy sword was unlike anything she’d felt before. She could feel her muscles fighting to seize up from the demonic magic, but she wouldn’t give in. Instead, Ashley plunged her sword deeper into the ground and let the blade explode in a flurry of bloody shrapnel. The shockwave that followed knocked Victoria back, and she put her hands together to channel a ball of darkness. A shadowy and pitch black orb began to swirl around in her palm. The orb swirled and pulsated as Ashley held it and waited for one of the two to attack. 

Cherrie was the one foolish enough to charge at her. With her weapons gone, the twisted demonic specter thought her easy prey. Ashley saw her coming and stepped back to dodge a series of rapid slices aimed at her midsection, throat, and face. Ashley leapt backwards and spun around as Cherrie lunged forward in an attempt to stab her. That was when Ashley made her move for a counterattack. She twisted around and slammed the hand holding the orb into Cherrie’s face. The resounding impact elicited a scream of pain from the blonde demoness. The energy continued to swirl and pulse as Ashley held her hand against Cherrie’s face. It was like a vortex that held her in place until Ashley released the spell. When she did, Cherrie was sent careening backwards until she crashed into a large pillar that turned to rubble. The demonic specter didn’t get up as the dust and debris fell and settled on her.

“Don’t think that I’ll be as foolish as my sister,” Victoria scoffed, glancing back at Cherrie’s fallen body.

Ashley rolled her eyes and took a breath to channel more of her power. This miserable vermin didn't know who she was dealing with. Her body began to tremble and quake before splitting in his to three different illusions. It was a simple trick, but one she could use to her advantage. Only her attacks would cause any harm, but she'd used this trick countless times before. All she had to do was utilize the task of a shell-game against Victoria and throw her off balance. It wasn't about winning, but about buying time. She ran alongside the other three illusions, trading places and zipping around in the blink of an eye. She may have lacked Pam and the witch's empathy, but she knew it was frustrating and confusing the demoness.

Ashley sprung her attack without warning. She, and the rest of her duplicates, moved in without warning. Victoria had been trying to figure out her best plan of attack. She hadn't been expecting the sudden rush from Ashley and her clones. She knew that the vampire wasn't like the other magic users, but she hadn't been able to discern which one was the real threat. She had no other choice other than to guess and hope for the best. Her sword came down and cut through the body of one of the Ashley’s, but her sword caused the body to shimmer and fade. She'd chosen wrong, and she felt a blow to the back and side of her head. A sense of confusion hit her alongside the pain as the three other women landed and smirked. That shouldn't have been possible!

Ashley had used her speed to her advantage as she landed her first two attacks. A swift elbow to the back of Victoria’s head and a kick to the side. It had happened in less than a fraction of a second, and it looked like the demoness hadn't been able to detect her play. It wouldn't last forever, but it would buy her enough time for the witch to finish whatever she was doing. It wouldn't be long before Victoria figured out which one was the real her. That didn't matter. All that mattered was buying time for the witch to enact whatever plan she was working on.

Meanwhile, back across the marble expanse. Rebecca was finishing her last seal. Lilith had barely moved from her post; a testament to her arrogance, or so she thought. While Lilith had been raining down hellfire, hurling bolts of agony, and trying to catch her, Rebecca had seen why she wasn't moving. Jake's body was dangling from the rear of her chain loincloth. She'd almost missed it, but a couple of quick twists and turns and she'd seen his legs dangling in from her repulsive backside. Lilith wasn't just staying rooted because of her hubris; it was because she didn't want Rebecca getting close to Jake. The demoness wasn't afraid of her, she could feel that, but she had every intention of denying her hope.

Rebecca stood up and prepared to activate her final efforts. Lilith growled, having grown beyond annoyed with her, and held her hands together. A sudden pull from where Lilith stood signified potential doom for her. “Enough of this!” Lilith bellowed as a blackhole began to take shape, “You have survived long enough, girl. I grow tired of these games. Die, you little worm!”

Rebecca only had one chance. She clapped her hands together and knelt in front of her seal. “I call upon the one most ancient and mighty!” she shouted, a golden light beginning to form between her seals surrounding Lilith, “The one who gifted mortals with both life and magic, the one who spawned both light and shadow, I invoke thy power through the sacrament of the forgotten King! Lend me your strength and grant me the power to still this beast!”

Golden strands of light stretched out and connected with each of the seals. A circle formed first, but then it took the shape of a pentagram. It wasn't an original spell of hers, nor was it one she used often, but she'd seen it work many times over the last several centuries. The Seal of Solomon that had been used to bind, banish, and control demons in a time long since forgotten to the likes of humanity. As the seal ignited, Lilith’s spell was halted in an instant. Her body tensed as her arms fell to her side. Rebecca didn't know how long it would hold in the underworld, or if it would even work here, but it seemed her luck hadn't completely run out yet. However, she knew that she wouldn't have long before Lilith found a way to counteract the spell here in her world. 

“Wretched little insect!” Lilith screamed, fighting against the bonds, “When I get my hands on you, I'm going to rip you limb from limb!”

Rebecca didn't have a moment to spare. She could only hope that Ashley had seen the golden glow from the seal, but she couldn't signal her. Rebecca ran as fast as she could towards Lilith. She dashed between her legs and reached up to use her powers to pull Jake down to her level. His body broke free of the chains, a few of them snapping all together, and she caught him in her arms. He was barely conscious, but he was breathing. He stunk to high heavens, most likely from Lilith's sulfuric emissions, but she had him at long last. Now she needed to get him away from here as fast as possible. To do that, she needed Ashley. Without looking back, Rebecca raced off towards her tense ally.

Ashley had been fending off Victoria as best she could. Her illusions had been undone by now, but she was still holding the specter at bay. The glimmering, golden light from the witch's spell had caught her eye. It had come as a shock to her, but even she had to admit it was a smart play. The Seal of Solomon had been used both by and against her before, and it was a wise choice to use it against Lilith. It was time for them to make whatever crazy escape attempt the witch had planned. To do that, she needed to put some distance between the fiery harlot before her and subdue her. Cherrie still hadn't managed to crawl out of the rubble, but she knew it wouldn't be long before she managed to free herself.

Ashley saw Rebecca coming towards her, so she switched her focus to a holding spell against Victoria. The furious demoness had failed to notice what was happening behind her, and that gave Ashley a slight advantage. A black smoke began to trail from Ashley's hands as Victoria prepared for another charge. Ashley raised her hands and easily stepped around Victoria as she whizzed past her. As Victoria passed by, Ashley slapped her palms against her back. Tendrils of smoke rose up and drifted around the demoness. Victoria stopped and went to turn, but she froze as Ashley's magic took effect. The smoke locked in place and solidified to hold her in place. Ashley chuckled as she ran off to meet Rebecca.

“Until next time, vile harpies,” Ashley cackled as she raced off.

Lilith was slowly beginning to break free of the seal Rebecca had created. She didn't have long before the queen of the underworld was loose, but she spotted Ashley running towards her. They met and stopped as a horde of demons began to give chase and encircle them. “What's you plan, witch?” Ashley asked, looking around.

“I'm making this part up as I go along,” Rebecca admitted, thinking as quickly as she could, “How fast can you merge with Jake? Your form won't last when we make the jump between worlds.”

“That's comforting,” Ashley scoffed, looking down at her beloved, “I can merge in a second. What do you need from me for us to get out of here. We have literal seconds before they're on us.”

“I know, I know,” Rebecca sighed, “Merge with him, but can you leave a trail of essence when you do? I can use your life-force, and connection to the void, to rip open a hole between worlds. I can't promise where we'll wind up, though.”

“Oh, that is perfect,” Ashley rolled her eyes, “So we're flying blind.”

“Would you rather us take our chances here?” Rebecca asked.

A series of growls and roars filled the air before Ashley shook her head, “Fine, but don't get us killed.”

“That's not my intention,” Rebecca said, channeling as much power as she could into opening a doorway, “Hurry, Ashley, we don't have long.”

“No shit,” Ashley scoffed, connecting with Jake and entering his body.

Rebecca ignored the hateful tone in Ashley's voice as she focused on finishing her spell. She could see the faint trail of essence Ashley had left behind, and she snatched it out of the air to use the vampiric life-force to finish the incantation. She looked back as she set Jake's body down and brought her hands together. It was difficult to concentrate with the noise and threats surrounding them, but she had to break through to another world. She needed something to focus on, but finding it was proving to be difficult. Pamela, she could feel her energy as the walls between worlds began to lower. She could only hope that it was enough for them to make it through and escape.

“Ugh, the stench of that repugnant monster is stuck in my nose,” Jake's voice groaned, Ashley piloting him and making him stand up.

Rebecca didn't reply, but she wondered if she'd assumed control for their escape, or if this might be something else. Jake had been incredibly out of it as she'd caught him, but he'd endured much before now. She'd personally put him through more anguish than she cared to remember. No matter, it held no bearance on their goal. Rebecca raised her right hand while lowering her left. She stretched her arms out and pulled her right hand to her side. She began making a circular motion with her fingers to finish the spell. A doorway opened up, but neither of them could see what was on the other side. All that was there was a bright light, but Lilith and her demons were closing in.

“Go, now!” Rebecca shouted, pushing Jake and Ashley through before stepping in herself.

“No, get back here, you miserable dogs!” Lilith screamed, “Nobody escapes from me! We had a deal, worm, you belong to me and I will have you!”

Her screams echoed as they fell through space and time. Jake's body was back in their universe, but Astral and soul magic was a funny thing. Sadie, assuming she still held her post, would probably be panicking as Jake's body faded into the ether. Rebecca had neglected to inform her of that little detail, but it meant her contract was fulfilled. It felt like their bodies were being pulled apart as they fell through the void and slowly approached the light at the end of the tunnel. The question was where were they? The air was heavy, but she could feel Pamela and someone else here. There was something, someone, else as well. The light began to fade and Rebecca's dyes widened as she saw a severely weakened Pamela fighting to stand and a woman dressed in Jake's old costume holding her up. Where the hell had they gone? One thing was certain, this wasn't their world.