Legends of Amacia Srandi: Last Bastion of the Caverias

Hannibal and his team met up with Joshua, Bruce, Vergil, Trevor, Xavier, Kusanagi, and Liam just outside the main entrance. They were in the midst of a meeting planning their next steps in the cleanup when Joshua heard footsteps coming from within the fortress. He turned aggressively with his hand on his sword to confront the intruders. Bruce, Vergil, Trevor, Xavier, Kusanagi, and Liam likewise went into an aggressive defensive posture, hands on their weapons. Joshua then saw Hannibal and his team emerge from the shadows and a relieved sigh escaped his lips, saying, “Thank the merciful Almighty; it’s Hannibal and the team.”

“It is,” Xavier replied as he and the rest of the group backed off their weapons. “But something isn’t right. They look as if they’ve just come from battle.”

“I agree,” Kusanagi concurred, seeing the grim weary looks on everyone’s faces. “I suspect they encountered something unexpected in there, though they did manage to deal with it.”

“Yeah, but it took a serious toll on them,” Bruce observed, seeing the weary looks on the team’s faces. “I haven’t seen Hannibal look like that since he came back from Kartoom.”

“You’re right,” Joshua agreed. “I bet that ominous clamor we heard a couple hours ago had something to do with it.”

“It’s possible,” Vergil commented, noting the haggard expression on Hannibal’s face. “But I’m glad they came out safe. I was dreading going in there blind to find them.”

“Same here,” Trevor declared grimly, “At least we know you can come out in one piece.”

“Quiet,” Joshua hissed as Hannibal walked up with his team. Their weariness and solemn demeanor was impossible to miss. “Hannibal,” Joshua called out in greeting, “It’s about time you came out of there. After that hell we heard roaring out of there a couple hours ago, we feared something may have gotten you.”

Hannibal’s eyebrow rose at the statement as he stopped three paces from Joshua. Sitting the pummel end of the scepter gently on the pavers, he asked softly, “You heard that?”

“We heard something,” Joshua reported grimly, “but we didn’t know what it was. The hellish cacophony was so loud it shook the ground for about two minutes before everything went dead silent. Did you encounter something dangerous in there?”

Hannibal nodded solemnly, saying, “Yes, Joshua; we encountered the dark power that’s haunted this place since the original Emperor sacked it. However, the Almighty was merciful and helped us banish it back to where it belonged.”

“What was it?” Bruce asked tensely.

With a sigh, Hannibal said grimly, “The legends of what happened here are true, my friends. Bolthor indeed sacked this place, unleashing all his dark power to do it in an orgy of utter destruction. Thoth and Bolthor fought to the death in the throne room as the Kragonar ended the war just as the legends say. What they don’t say is who won.”

“Who won?” Vergil asked in horrified awe and curiosity.

“Thoth did,” Hannibal reported grimly, “However, like Ezra in his watchtower, Thoth was mortally wounded in the fight. He killed Bolthor in a fight I can barely even imagine, but Thoth didn’t survive his wounds long after felling Bolthor. He died on the Sapphire Throne after leaving one last message for his son, Beowulf.”

“You’re kidding,” Joshua breathed in disbelief, “You mean Thoth’s remains are still sitting on the throne in there and that he left a message you saw?”

“No kidding, Joshua,” Hannibal returned sternly, “He’s still sitting there on the throne in the same type of armor Enoch used when we destroyed Kartoom. Furthermore, there’s still enough power surging through this place for us to have activated Thoth’s last message to Beowulf, where he begged forgiveness for all the evil he brought down on the Caverias line.”

“Interesting,” Kusanagi rumbled thoughtfully, “If Thoth’s remains are sitting on the throne in there and the stories are true, did you see the Emperor’s remains? Is his body there too?”

“Yes, Master Kusanagi,” Hannibal reported grimly, “We found Bolthor where he fell to Thoth, at least the abomination that used to be Bolthor.”

“What do you mean?” Xavier asked bluntly. “Was it the original Emperor or not?”

“I was him,” Josephine spoke up softly, “I recognized him, though I had no idea what the mutation into a dark god did to him physically until I saw his remains. He really did become a demon god, to my horror and shame.”

“Hmmm, that doesn’t sound good,” Kusanagi replied sternly, turning his attention to Nemesis, “Is this true, Nemesis? Did you see the old Emperor’s mutated corpse?”

“I did,” Nemesis growled gravely, “Though he was just a desiccated corpse like Thoth, he had all the structural components I’ve seen in Zaros when he morphs in anger into his demon form. That’s definitely the old Emperor Bolthor in there. The only thing I can say is Bolthor in his demon form is far larger than Zaros is. He must have shed his human form entirely when he came here to end Thoth.”

“Then we can expect something similar from Zaros then,” Kusanagi growled menacingly.

“I wouldn’t put it past Zaros, Master Kusanagi,” Nemesis stated. “He’s always wanted to surpass Bolthor in power and skill, just as every Caverias has always wanted equal or surpass Ragnar Omicron. It’s an eventuality I fear we may have to face at some point.”

“I agree,” Hannibal concurred darkly, “But what I didn’t tell you is the Darkness infesting this place actually came from Bolthor’s desiccated corpse. When Bolthor fell, he left a thing called the Legion here to occupy his remains and this fortress to insure it remained a stronghold of the Dark Powers. That war you heard was the Lord and I working together with my team to purge this place of the Legion. Once the Lord banished it back to the Abyss, we took control of this place. Did you all not notice how much more pleasant this place felt after the racket you heard died down?”

“As a matter of fact, I did,” Joshua said in a stunned tone, “Even though this place still has a dismal eerie feel to it, it doesn’t feel like it wants to swallow my soul now. In a way, it’s kind of nice in a queer sort of way.”

“That’s because we banished the Darkness of Legion from here,” Hannibal stated. “However, there’s still much to do before we can say it’s been totally cleansed of the Darkness that poisoned it.”

“And how do we do that?” Bruce asked plainly.

“It’s quite simple,” Hannibal said with a weary smile. “To completely purge this place of its contamination, we need to clean it up... give the defenders of this place their proper rites while removing and destroying the remains of the invaders, who I will tell you right now aren’t all human. I don’t know about the rest of the city, but we saw not just minions of the Emperor in there, but the remains of physical demons and even the Grimm. What happened here was a total unleashing of all the Dark Powers to destroy Thoth and this place. It was such a dark hostile attack it drew in the Grimm en masse, who apparently fed on both attackers and defenders alike, which is their way if I’m not mistaken. The Lord ultimately intervened and ended the war for good with the Kragonar, killing all the invaders and allowing Thoth to see Bolthor dead at his hand and the fortress safe before he died on the throne. However, this place will not be completely clear of the Darkness until all of those dark invaders are removed and their remains destroyed. Did you see anything like the Grimm or demons as you swept the city?”

A dark look swept over Joshua’s face as he asked, “What do you mean demons?”

Hannibal pointed to one of the demon skeletons lying in the entrance alcove as his team stepped out of the way, saying, “Do you see that abomination there that looks like a demon laying there in the entrance alcove, Joshua?”

Joshua cringed at the sight, replying with horrified realization, “Merciful Ancient of Days, are you saying that thing is what’s left of a real demon and not one of the Cadre’s hideous constructs?”

“Yes,” Hannibal declared with the grimness of an executioner. “That’s the skeletal corpse of a real demon Bolthor summoned physically from the Abyss to help him overrun this place. It’s one of the Berserker Hell-fiends of Baal’s Berserker Legions, who are nothing but a hammer of infernal destruction to be used when complete annihilation is the goal.”

“How do you know that?” Joshua blurted out in amazed disbelief. “You haven’t actually seen one of those things before, have you?”

Hannibal sighed grimly, saying, “Yes, Joshua; I saw them long ago when I made the hideous mistake of looking into the Abyss as a dark wizard. Just be happy you’re only seeing their skeletal remains. Seeing one in the flesh is like seeing one of the Old Ones. It can drive a lesser mind to utter madness and death. I’ll tell you more about them later when we have the time to discuss them, but for now, I need to know if you’ve seen those things out in the rest of the city.”

“Yes, we did,” Joshua answered in a stunned tone. “I figured they were just some hybrid abominations created by the Old Emperor’s Cadre of dark wizards like the Xenians and Zarukars. I never even considered they were actual dead demons from the other side.”

“It’s all right,” Hannibal replied soberly. “You didn’t know, but now that you do know, what have you been doing with them?”

“We’ve been piling them outside the city with all the other invaders and unceremoniously burning them,” Joshua stated, “The fallen defenders we found are likewise being cremated on true funeral pyres on holy ground, as is our way for honoring our fallen comrades. However, because of the sheer numbers of the fallen defenders, we aren’t able to do single pyres, but must use gigantic mass funeral pyres holding hundreds. It’s not my first choice for the honored dead, but we have no choice. There are just too many to process singly or in small groups.”

“It’s okay,” Hannibal reassured, “No one will fault you for using mass funeral pyres for the fallen defenders. I assume you’re keeping the fires for the defenders separated from those of the Emperor’s forces.”

“Absolutely,” Joshua stated emphatically. “We found an area near the back of the city next to the cliffs where the people of this city apparently used funeral pyres for their fallen. It’s also a cemetery of a sort, making it holy ground. That’s where we’re processing the fallen defenders. On the other hand, the demon hordes are being hauled out en masse to the plain outside of the walls and set alight in giant bonfires with no rituals or prayers offered over them as we do for the defenders.”

“That’s very good,” Hannibal replied with a weary smile. “The defenders deserve the appropriate rituals and prayers before being sent on their way to the afterlife. The demon hordes on the other hand don’t deserve any such respect. They are nothing but a contamination of all things good that should be purged by the hottest fires.”

“Funny you should say that,” Joshua said with a raised eyebrow, “The fires consuming the old Emperor’s horde is far hotter than anything I’ve ever seen from a funeral pyre for our honored dead. It’s so hot that once it gets going, no one can come within twenty cubits of it without being scorched or even killed. It’s almost like hell itself is erupting out of the ground beneath it to reclaim its own. When the fire gets like that, we’re forced to start another pile. As of now, we have almost two dozen bonfires going on the plain outside the main gates with more piles being created every hour. I wonder what makes those fires so intense. It’s as if the bones of some of those things are actually flammable. Maybe it has something to do with those ones you say are hell-fiends.”

“Really,” Hannibal replied with visible surprise. “That is news to me. There’s something going on there we may need to investigate. Tell me you aren’t moving those demon corpses without protective gear, are you?”

“Absolutely not,” Joshua stated ardently. “In fact, all of the cleanup crews are in full protective gear, including protective gloves and masks to prevent the inhalation of any dust present on the dead, whether they are defenders or invaders. I know very well how dangerous the dust of the ancient dead can be. I didn’t want anyone to be exposed to any unknown pathogenic residue left from the sacking of this place. I’ve also got the crews rotating every three hours to prevent fatigue and carelessness in the teams.”

“That’s very good thinking on your part, Joshua,” Hannibal replied, “That’s what I would do if I were in your position. Who suggested that?”

“I did,” Nemesis answered, “When work first started on clearing the streets and other structures here before we obliterated Kartoom, I came in with Joshua and the initial survey teams. We did preliminary sweeps and scans of the dead to make sure there weren’t any hazards. I didn’t see any active pathogens, but some of the remains had some very strange readings I didn’t like, especially among the dead invaders. Therefore to be safe, I ordered Joshua to be sure the cleanup crews who were to physically remove the bodies have on full protective gear just to be safe.”

“Very good; what did you find with your scans, Nemesis,” Hannibal asked turning to him.

“I detected faint biological, chemical, radiological traces of old weapons systems contaminating the fallen,” Nemesis reported, “Most of the traces are inert now because of the obscene length of time they’ve been present, with just the tiniest fraction of those traces being active but so weak and insignificant it poses no real health risks to the crews. However, the places I saw these active traces most concentrated were in the Emperor’s fallen minions, especially in the ones you identified as demoniac. They have a much larger concentrations of these traces associated with them than any of the others, and their remains have a caustic residue associated with them that makes them more hazardous than the other fallen minions. Still, even with that, they don’t pose a real threat to the workers. Because of that and knowing what the Emperor unleashed here, I ordered the workers to be in protective gear while removing the dead. I felt it best not to tempt fate in case I missed something in my scans. After all, it was just a preliminary scan as we made our initial search.”

“I see,” Hannibal answered, rubbing his chin thoughtfully, “That was very good planning on your part, Nemesis. You didn’t happen to see anything different with the dead when we went into the keep, did you?”

“I did, but with only one single corpse,” Nemesis answered grimly, “The rest of the dead we saw, including the demons and Grimm we encountered exhibited the same level of contamination that I recorded with those outside the keep. As long as the crews wear their protective gear, it should be safe to remove them.”

“Who was different?” Joshua asked hesitantly, unsure if he wanted to know the answer.

“I know who it was,” Hannibal growled darkly, “It was Bolthor’s corpse, wasn’t it Nemesis.”

“Aye,” Nemesis stated, “His corpse was very highly contaminated and actually very corrosive until you and the Almighty purged the Legion from it. After that happened, the contamination level dropped significantly, but it still retains a dangerously high level of biological, chemical, and radiological contamination, not to mention the residue of that hellfire Legion used to reanimate that monster. There’s no way to know for sure if the purifying white fire we saw neutralized that infernal flame and flesh it created. I have no way to scan for such anomalous contamination. Therefore, I strongly recommend you not let anyone approach the Emperor’s remains unless they are in the most advanced protective gear while I’m present. I have a built-in immunity to the agents still present within the Emperor’s remains. You should let me dispose of his corpse just to be safe. There’s no sense in exposing the crews to such a potent hazard.”

Joshua’s face went pale, as did that of Xavier, Bruce, Trevor, and Vergil at the report Nemesis rendered concerning the state of Bolthor’s remains. “In that case, we will leave the old Emperor to you, Nemesis,” Joshua declared soberly, “You will take care of it, won’t you?”

“Of course, my friend,” Nemesis reassured, “I can deal with the old Emperor’s corpse. In fact, it’s so dangerous I will have to find a place to quarantine it until we can find a proper way to dispose of him. Burning him in the pyres with the rest of his minions would be ill advised for it might unduly spread that contamination around, infesting and infecting anything exposed to its fumes and fallout. It’s just not worth the risk.”

“I quite agree,” Hannibal concurred gravely, “In fact, I’ll help oversee his removal, with the proper protective gear on of course. We’ll find a place to quarantine his body until we can find a suitable way to get rid of him.” He looked to Josephine, seeing her horrified look, adding, “I’m so sorry that we must take such extreme measures to deal with your husband, Jo, but it must be done. Apparently, even though the darkness has been excised from his remains, Nemesis says he still poses a grave contamination threat to the rest of us. His remains must be disposed of in the safest manner possible to prevent the pathogens and agents still apparently infesting his body from spreading.”

Josephine nodded grimly, saying, “I understand, Hannibal. The safety of the people must be our primary concern. I too saw the contamination Nemesis spoke of after Legion was banished to the Abyss. All I ask is you let me watch when you destroy his body.”

“You have my word,” Hannibal replied firmly, “You deserve that much, but I just can’t think of a way to get rid of such a hazardous thing right now. It obviously can’t stay here, but where do we put him where he won’t hurt anyone anymore.”

After a moment of silence, Harry declared, “I have an idea.”

“Let’s hear it, bud,” Hannibal replied as everyone gave Harry their attention. “I’m not dismissing any ideas at this point.”

“Well, as you and Nemesis were talking about how dangerous the old Emperor’s body is, I suddenly remembered what we did with those shebats things we pulled out of you and Selina,” Harry stated, “If I remember, Magnus gave the one he took out of you to Argus, who destroyed it with his fire.”

“Yeah, that’s true,” Nemesis agreed, “I remember Magnus telling me of that. You were in Acheron at the time and had no other way of destroying it. Only draken fire and molten rock are hot enough to destroy the shebats. Argus’ fire was more than hot enough to break down the cursed little mechanized beasts, so Magnus surrendered it to Argus, who promptly neutralized it.”

“And then when we got the one out of Selina after her rescue, Hanna insisted it be thrown into that volcano using the portal,” Harry reported, “Wasn’t it that big volcano in Tartarus you had it tossed into, Hannibal?”

Hannibal nodded soberly, knowing where Harry was going with his line of thought. “Yes,” he replied, “We opened the portal over the crater of Mt. Tartarus and threw the thing in. It literally went nuclear when it hit the lava.”

“That it did,” Enoch agreed. “I remember that. Wait a second; are you suggesting we throw Bolthor’s remains into Mt. Tartarus, Harry?”

“That’s exactly what he’s suggesting,” Hannibal replied firmly. “It’s far enough away where any contamination wouldn’t be a problem. The only problem would be transporting him without risking the contamination of the Red Tower or those who carry him. That’s the only hitch I see in the plan.”

“It’s just an idea,” Harry stated. “I never considered the thought the old Emperor’s corpse could contaminate the Red Tower or the people in the process. Sorry about that, Hannibal; I wasn’t thinking.”

“No, don’t be sorry,” Hannibal returned with a smile, “It’s actually an excellent idea. It’s a shame we don’t have a lava pit nearby or a working portal. That would simplify things greatly.”

“But Hannibal, Srandi does have a portal,” Leila called out urgently, “In fact, if I remember correctly, it has one of the most powerful portals ever built. If we can find it and get it working again, then Bolthor doesn’t have to go to Antilla. We could send him on his way from here.”

“That’s it!” Hannibal beamed excitedly, rushing to Leila and hugging her as she sat in her wheelchair. “Srandi’s portal is the answer! I knew you’d be the key to this place.” He kissed her on the cheek and stood back, animated in his excitement, saying, “All we need to do is find the portal chamber and the power plant so we can get it back online. Then we’d have a way to dispose of not just Bolthor’s contaminated remains, but all his dead minions as well without having to build those hellish bonfires to burn them.”

“Then we definitely have some work to do,” Nemesis declared, “We need to find the portal and get it operational. Moreover, we need to find a place to quarantine the old Emperor’s remains until then.”

“I have a thought about that,” Enoch announced, “What if we were to isolate Bolthor’s remains inside a magnetic shield container the way we contained the shebats?”

“Now that could work,” Nemesis stated. “Do you have a mobile field generator large enough to use on the remains?”

“I think so,” Enoch stated, “But I’ll need to get someone to look for it in the warehouse back at the Red Tower. Andrew, do you think you could find it?”

“Yeah, dad,” Andrew stated. “I’ve got a pretty good idea of where one may be, but I’ll need to get someone to help me move it. It’s a pretty large piece of equipment.”

“Get whoever you need to retrieve it,” Hannibal ordered, “We need that machine to safely isolate Bolthor’s body so the cleanup crews can get to work in the throne room.”

“Would you care to assist Andrew, Xavier,” Nemesis asked.

“Of course,” Xavier stated, “Hey Carver; why don’t you give us a hand too?”

“Sure thing, Xavier,” Carver answered, stepping up beside Andrew. “Lead the way, my friend.”

“We’ll wait for you in the throne room,” Nemesis declared, “Removing Bolthor’s corpse should be our top priority right now.”

“We’re on it,” Xavier rumbled. “Come on, Andrew. Let’s find your magnetic field generator.”

“Right,” Andrew replied, “Let’s go. Joshua, where’s the portal?”

“Just a second,” Joshua answered, pulling out his communicator. “I’ll call for it. After all, it is about time for Elias to open it anyway. The crews are ready for a shift change.” He signaled Elias through the device and the portal promptly appeared at the edge of the courtyard next to the main wall. “Portal’s open now, Andrew. It should stay open for about an hour so that should give you plenty of time to get the machine you need and bring it here.”

“Thanks, Joshua,” Andrew replied, “It shouldn’t take that long to get it. Come on, Xavier, Carver; follow me.” Xavier and Carver fell in behind Andrew as he darted to the portal a couple hundred yards away.

Joshua turned to Hannibal and asked, “Okay; what’s next, Hannibal?”

“I guess the next thing is for us to remove Bolthor’s corpse and lay Thoth to rest next to Ariel in the Caverias Family Crypt,” Hannibal stated wearily, unable to hide his fatigue now, “At the same time, we’re going to lay Ezra to rest in there too. Then we’re going to search for the portal chamber and the core so we can get both operational.”

“Whoa, hold up,” Joshua retorted, “What do you mean? Do mean to say you also found Ariel in her tomb in there?”

Hannibal smiled wryly, saying, “Yes Joshua, we did. That’s the other reason it took so long to come out. Leila led us to the Caverias family crypt and we found Ariel’s remains lying there just as Thoth’s message in the throne room said. We got in and saw her. She’s lying in her tomb waiting for Thoth to join her, so we, as Thoth and Ariel’s descendants, have an obligation to see his remains are laid to rest properly next to her. We’re also going to lay Ezra to rest in there too for he earned that honor with his sacrifice at the watchtower in the Dune Sea.”

“Oh, okay,” Joshua replied in a stunned tone. “I didn’t know you found Ariel. Since you found her in her tomb, then it’s proper you lay Thoth with her.”

“I knew you’d understand, Joshua,” Hannibal declared, patting Joshua on the shoulder. “You’re a good man, one of the best. I’m honored to have you working at my side.”

“It is I who am honored,” Joshua stated softly but emphatically, “as are all of us.”

“But you should know we found something even more amazing than Ariel lying in the Caverias Family Crypt...something I never expected and will change everything,” Hannibal declared excitedly.

“What else did you find,” Joshua asked curiously. “It’s not like you to exaggerate the importance of a find. What is it?”

“Joshua, we discovered the true heart and soul of Srandi,” Hannibal stated. “Remember when we opened the main door out here and I suggested the fortress may be harboring a sentient AI?”

Only then did Joshua realize what Hannibal meant and his mouth fell open in surprise. “You mean you discovered and interacted with the AI powering this place and it’s sentient?” he asked in utter amazement.

“More than that,” Hannibal replied bluntly, unable to hide his excitement at the find. “Srandi’s AI is not just sentient, but a living entity that has merged with a most powerful guardian war angel whose sole purpose is to protect this place and the people who take refuge here. When we purged Bolthor’s bones of Legion and banished it back to the Abyss, the AI and its guardian angel fully activated. They’re on our side now. It will help us get the fortress back to full operation as long as we can finish cleansing it of the corrupt minions, so it’s imperative that we sanitize the fortress from top to bottom. By driving the Darkness of Legion from this place, we have given the AI and its guardian purpose again. Now we have a real chance at stopping the Emperor. Do you get what I’m saying?”

“Holy Ancient of Days,” Joshua replied in a stunned tone. “I take it you convinced it the same way you convinced the Kings to back you?”

“Yeah,” Hannibal stated, “But it was nowhere near as dangerous as dealing with the Kings. Apparently, once it saw who I was and confirmed I had the Caverias gene sequence, it was more than happy to assist us in our cause and give us the sanctuary we need.”

“Amazing,” Joshua answered emphatically. “I’m sure you let it know we’re not the enemy.”

“It already knows who you are and is very grateful for all the work you’ve been doing to clean up its city,” Hannibal stated. “If you need any help from it, all you have to do is ask.”

“Does this AI have a name?” Kusanagi asked, very intrigued by the revelation.

“The AI is named after Ragnar Omicron’s guardian...Azriel,” Hannibal replied. “It’s consciousness saturates the entire keep through its computer systems, which I suspect are as advanced as the computers in the Red Tower and maybe even Tiamat. It can see and sense everything that goes on inside the Keep. Just call his name if you need his help for anything, but be warned. It will not allow any malicious destructive intent to threaten it, its domain, or those who are under its protection. We now have a fully activated guardian who will protect this place and us with lethal force. Keep that in mind as you and your crews sanitize the fortress. If it bars you from an area, don’t try to force it. Even though I’ve managed to lift the main lockdown on the fortress, there still may be areas under a localized lockdown. Should you encounter such an area come get me and I will open it. Do you understand? We don’t want to make an enemy of the guardian spirit of this place.”

“No, we don’t,” Joshua agreed. “We’ll keep that in mind as we sweep the fortress of the Emperor’s filth. Having the fortress’ guardian intelligence helping us will make our job so much easier. However, all that aside, how do you suggest we proceed?”

“Well, the keep is an even larger mess than it is out here, as you can see from the entrance there,” Hannibal stated pointing to the charnel mass of the ancient dead at the front door, “I suggest you start right here and work your way in, cleaning as you go. However, just be careful of those demon remains. Be sure to handle them carefully. If things go without a hitch, by time you get to the throne room, we should have taken care of Bolthor and Thoth.”

“Sounds like a good plan to me,” Joshua stated, “But what if we encounter a section that’s closed off from us?”

“As I said just said, if you find a sealed off area, leave it alone and let me know,” Hannibal ordered. “I’ll come open and scout it to make sure it’s safe to enter and clean.”

“Very good,” Joshua stated, “How soon do you plan to move Thoth and Bolthor?”

“Give us about three hours,” Hannibal stated. “To be honest, we need time to regroup after our first incursion into the keep. If you and your cleanup crew manage to reach the throne room before we get there, it’s okay to start cleaning up around the entrance. However, stay well away from the throne on the far end of the chamber and definitely stay away from Bolthor.”

“How will we know which body is the old Emperor,” Joshua asked.

“Believe me, you’ll know. There’s no mistaking Bolthor,” Hannibal replied gravely. “He’s about twenty-five feet long with hideous demoniac features far larger and menacing than the demons you’ve already been cleaning up. You’ll definitely know him when you see him. His body lies on the south side of the throne room approximately one hundred thirty cubits from the throne. If you get there before us, stay back at least ten cubits from him. Don’t worry about the remains around him. You can get them after we remove Bolthor. Everyone else except for Thoth you can remove. We’ll take care of Thoth personally since we mean to lay him with Ariel.”

“Thoth is still on the throne,” Joshua asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Yes,” Hannibal replied, “Like Bolthor, you can’t miss Thoth since he’s sitting on the Sapphire Throne where he died after killing Bolthor.”

“Okay,” Joshua stated softly, “We can do that, though I doubt the cleaning crews will reach the throne room before you do. However, I will take a small survey crew in ahead of the main crews to scout the corridors to see how best to approach the cleanup.”

“That’ll do just fine,” Hannibal stated with a weary smile. “Just remember, if you encounter something you have any doubts about, don’t approach it and let us know. We’ll deal with it.”

“Yes sir,” Joshua replied, “You can count on it. Now since you guys look like you could definitely use a break, I suggest you go back to Antilla and take a breather. We can handle things here for now. I’ll see you in three hours.”

“You’re a good man, Joshua,” Hannibal declared, patting him on the shoulder. “Thanks for holding down the fort for us. I promise to give you a full account of everything that happened later on.”

“I appreciate that,” Joshua stated, “Now go and get something to eat and a bit of rest. I’ll let Elias know you’re coming.”

“Thanks,” Hannibal said gratefully. Turning to his team, he said, “Come on. Let’s take that well-deserved break.”

“I’m going to stay here and help Joshua scout the keep,” Nemesis stated. “Since I’ve already seen it, I can help them stay out of trouble, especially when they get to the throne room.”

“Good call,” Hannibal replied. “You’ll be able to point out Bolthor to them and keep an eye out for trouble, which is still very possible. We’ve only just started exploring this place. Who knows what other hazards lurk in the dark corners in there. I trust you’ll keep Joshua out of trouble.”

“Absolutely,” Nemesis replied, grinning wryly. “We’ll be here when you get back.”

“Right,” Hannibal said with finality, “Come on, guys. Let’s go.” With that, he led his team through the portal to Antilla.

Turning to Bruce, Vergil, Trevor, Nemesis, Kusanagi, and Liam, Joshua ordered, “Come on guys; let’s see what they found. Nemesis, I think you should lead the way with me since you’ve already walked these halls. Bruce, Trevor, Vergil, Kusanagi, Liam, keep your eyes open and your guards up. Liam, stay close to Kusanagi in case there’s trouble. Even though Hannibal says it’s safe and the fortress’ guardian is with us, this place still doesn’t feel very safe to me yet. I think it would be wise to keep our guards up.” Liam nodded silently, hovering close to Kusanagi’s hand with a hesitant expression.

“That’s always a wise decision,” Nemesis stated, “There could still be hazardous things we missed in there. I’ll keep my eyes open for any potential problems.”

“I’m with Nemesis on that,” Kusanagi agreed, “Let’s tread softly and not antagonize any remaining ghosts.” Bruce, Vergil, and Trevor agreed with Kusanagi’s idea.

“How far are we going to scout?” Bruce asked.

“Initially, we should go at least as far as the throne room,” Joshua suggested. “We’ll stop there and check everything out. When we get a feel for the place, we’ll come out to give the crews their orders. Does that sound good to you, Nemesis?”

“Yes,” Nemesis rumbled in agreement. “It’s a wise decision for the throne room is as far as we went. We didn’t go beyond it in the main corridors. Double-checking the main hall and the throne room is a good first step. I’ll let you take the lead here, since this is your task, Joshua. You know what you want better than I do. I’m just here to make sure you don’t blunder into something you can’t handle.”

“I appreciate the vote of confidence, Nemesis,” Joshua replied with just a tiny hint of sarcasm mixed with gratitude. “Come on. Daylight’s wasting.” They pulled the flashlights they had on their person and Joshua let his small scouting team into the keep, starting the official securing and cleanup of the Fortress of Srandi’s keep. Meanwhile from high above them perched on the edge of the keep’s parapet, the Roc gazed down at them intently with a gleam in its eyes.