The group continued through Hell; quite an interesting sight to see, with the various assortment of adventurers followed by Amber's father, in cat form, carrying Amber. Amber looked back, nervously.

"Do you think they're alright? Jakob and Jack, I mean..."

King barked. I'm sure they'll be fine.

Skulryk looked around Hell with absolute horror in his eyes. He could barely hold his camera steady. Despite the heat, he shivered in fear.

"Are you alright?" Paula said to Skulryk. He gave no response, so she tapped him on the shoulder.

He snapped out of his trance-like state. "Whoa, Paula... Uh, sorry about that." He shook his head. "I feel like I've been here before. I dunno. The pain, the hatred, the despair, it all seems familiar. Do you remember the night after we arrived in Altus?"

Teddy joined in the conversation. "You mean the night you got drunk off yer..."

Skulryk cut him off. "Yeah, yeah, that... Anyways, I had some really messed up nightmares. They were horrible; I don't think I'd be able to put them into words. I just figured it was a result of the alcohol everyone is saying I drank, but the feeling I got that night is the same I'm feeling here."

"What do you think that means?" Paula said.

"I don't know. Maybe something happened that tied me to this place."

"Be strong, Skul." Paula said. "Don't let this place get to you."

"Hey, that's right!" he said. "I've got the opportunity of a lifetime here! I tell ya, no one else can get footage of Hell!" He whipped his camera around, centering it on a band of demons. One of the demons hissed, leaping towards him, but he was pulled back by a much taller demon, who gave a fiery hiss as he watched the group pass.

"Careful!" Raltise yelled. "For the denizens of Hell, they can feel pain yet not have anything done to their physical body, but you must remember that you have mass; anything done here will affect you! Don't go provoking anyone!"

The group emerged into a large cavern. Fire danced up through cracks in the floor. Seong-un had to jump out of the way to avoid being singed.

The ground began to shake before the group's feet. Raltise frowned as a crack formed at the cavern's entrance, with flames covering the entrance.

Raltise turned to see what had caused this. The Horsemen stood tall in the chamber. Pestilence grinned. "Well, it's good to see you again."

Famine frowned. "They aren't all here. Where are the rest of them?"

"What does it matter?" shouted War. "All the easier it is for us!"

"Yes, yes..." Pestilence said. "I hope you'll enjoy a battle here, now that we have our home field advantage."

Amber's father hissed loudly, nearly causing Amber to fall off. She looked around nervously, not sure if she could keep control of him.

"Pestilence, the centaurs..." Famine said.

"Quiet!" Pestilence snapped back. "I was just getting that!" He turned back to the group. "Yes, I hope you enjoy meeting some of Hell's own minions."

Flame danced out of the fiery cracks in the ground, flying through the air to form horses. They were not as large as the horses of Famine, Pestilence, and War, but they were certainly a sight to see. However, instead of having the head of a horse, there was the body of a man from the torso up. In the hands of the centaur, they held fiery bows. They opened their eyes simultaneously, which were all blood red.

"And" War bellowed in a mighty voice. "do not forget the demons!"

Bands of demons flew through the flames surrounding the chamber, hissing evilly. They formed a line in front of the centaur glaring at the group, simply awaiting orders to viciously attack them.

Jets of flame shot up throughout the cavern. The group looked at their opponents nervously. Amber's father growled at the demons. Paula charged up her psionic powers. Skulryk debated whether or not he should stop filming and begin fighting.

Famine rose his scales. "Let the battle begin."

----

Simon stopped walking almost as soon as he was around the corner. Get a grip, he thought. You've got to see this job through to the end. Doesn't matter if she's here or not.

Something didn't sit right with the whole situation. The Cameraman had hired him recently to keep watch over Amber, the last Beastmaster (or Beastmistress, they never really cleared that one up) in case anything happened. Simon had grown so accustomed to watching her from afar that he was, well, was....

Okay. Wait. Slow down, Simon. It's just a mission. The last time this happened you got tied to a cactus.

A screeching noise from above stopped his train of thought. He spun around to see a winged demon dropping towards him like a meteor. In the wink of an eye, he pulled a shotgun out of his trenchcoat and blasted a chunk out of its midsection.

Okay, now where was I? Right. The last time this happened-

The winged demon, having evidently reformed itself, leapt on Simon's back, having also evidently figured out that not screaming improved its chances of catching him by surprise. "Jesus!" Simon yelled, caught unawares.

A bright flash of light swung through the air over Simon's head, cutting the demon through the neck. Simon dropped to his knees, rubbing his shoulder where the demon's claw had pierced his skin. He looked over at his benefactor, a man with a long beard, dressed in simple white robes and holding a sword of pure energy in his hand.

Simon raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Jesus?"

The man chuckled. "You should know better, Simon. Bullets will shatter the demons of Hell, but only ice will defeat them." He helped Simon to his feet. "Nice trenchcoat. Where's your katana?"

"Katana? What katana?"

"Shoot!" The man slapped his forehead. "You're one of those other SimonBobs. I hate parallel universes, they mess everything up."

"Yeah," Simon agreed. "They make for terrible conversation too. If I so much as mention them, a lot of my friends tend to yell at me."

"Right. Well, here's a replacement katana in the meantime." The man snapped his fingers and a longish Oriental sword dropped into Simon's arms. "You know how to use it, I trust?"

"Hold it by the handle; pointy end goes in what I want to kill; keep away from children."

"Right on. Be careful, I imbued it with ice power."

Simon turned to leave, but the man grabbed his arm. "Listen, if you promise me that you'll tell Amber how you feel when this is over, then I'll see to it that you get in some retirement time once you're done here."

Simon nodded. "We've got a deal. Thanks." Then he turned away to go finish his mission - complete with its new objective.

---

"Hey guys!" Jakob yelled. "It looks like they're cleaning shop up ahead of us!"

Jack hollered a curse as he blew away another succubus that was trying to get too close. "You'd think they could've sent some help back here!"

Raven's shouting could barely be heard above his magnum's firing. "Is it me, or do these demons not seem to be stopping? Woah, AGH!" A rather large and ugly demon knocked him down. It towered over him, preparing to plunge a flaming fist into his head, when its upper body disappeared. Simon leapt over the falling body and pulled Raven out of harm's way.

Jakob gave Simon a nod of acknowledgement. "'Bout time you showed up. Nice sword."

"Thanks," Simon replied. "Use ice weapons. They work better."

"Excellent." Jakob borrowed Simon's shotgun and loaded it with the Regime-Tek Ice Shells he'd bought at the 7-11 last week.

Raven pulled out his Swiss army knife, but to his dismay found that the spork was the only thing that wasn't broken off. Jack sighed and passed him a switchblade, along with some ice to chill it with, before loading his own MP5s to the lamely-named (in his opinion) Freezy-Mode. The four ice warriors ran into the hordes of Hell, slashing and firing furiously, until every demon in the hallway was colder than a codfish.

When it was all over, Simon breathed a sigh of relief. "I wish I had a snappy comeback of some sort," he wheezed.

"How about this?" Raven asked. "'We cut those demons like rugs at a DDR tournament!'"

Simon was too tired to complain - much. "That'd be great if we were using bladed weapons, but no, we're using ice. If only this were more like Devil May Cry."

Jakob pointed to a demon's head that appeared to be sniffling. "Well, he might..."

----

Tears streaming down her cheeks, Indigo ran through the twisted corridors of Hell, desperate to be freed from the memories that were flooding her mind. Thoughts of Simon's abandonment, Jack's cruel words, and her own overwhelming sense of loneliness struck at her from every side until she could bare it no longer, and she collapsed in a heap on the ground. Paying little heed to her surroundings, she burst into heart-wrenching tears that shook her frame with each movement.

"Why, why, why? Why do all of these bad things have to happen? Why can't people just be happy? Why can't I ever be happy!" She cried, burying her head in her arms. She slumped against the bluish walls of the cave, her eyes shut tight and streaked with tears. Her sobbing continued in this manner until she heard a single set of footsteps approach her, getting louder with each step. Rubbing her eyes quickly, Indigo looked up to see a tall, feminine man approaching her, a lecherous grin pasted on his face. Ancient black markings covered his skin, signifying his role in the demon race.

"Aww, poor dear, why so glum? Something an incubus like myself could do to help?" The demon leaned down to her level, allowing her a close look at his face. Indigo gazed on in horror as his dead eyes combed her body mercilessly, as though it were nothing more than a piece of meat. She let out an inaudible gasp as he leaned even closer, and used her remaining strength to push herself off the ground and into a standing position. The incubus' grin became dark as he turned on her, grabbing her by the shoulder.

"Why try to resist? Even if you run, you know I'll just find you in the end!"

Indigo screamed in terror, startling her assailant and giving her just enough time to break free. She turned around and ran as quickly as she could in the opposite direction, but his footsteps followed her all the while. It was only a matter of time before she found herself cornered, backed up against the edge of a cliff overlooking a sea of black flame. The incubus narrowed his eyes and approached her, his grin twisted into a hungry sneer.

"Well, young maiden, you knew that you couldn't run forever! Now just lay back, while this demon 'does his thing!'" His eyes glimmering with triumph, the incubus moved to descend on Indigo with a quick movement, but was cut off by the sound of a roaring flame. He whipped his head around to see a figure standing in the entryway, surrounded by a menacing aura of blue flames. The demon's eyes went wide, revealing the yellowed whites around the edges.

"By the power of Satan! The one of suffering has finally come!" The cries of the incubus were cut short as the stranger pulled all of the blue flames into its hands and shot them out in a concentrated blast, slamming into the incubus with the strength of wrecking ball. The demonic man let out a bloodcurdling scream as his body flew through the air and down toward the oceans below, dead before he hit the surface.

Indigo remained completely still as she took ragged, gulping breaths, the adrenaline rushing through her body. Her heart knocked against her chest roughly, beating loud enough for her to hear.

"You'll be alright." Indigo snapped her head up to see the stranger approaching her, the aura of blue flame now gone from its figure. She strained her eyes to see the figure through the shadows, but it was nearly impossible from her distance. It was only when the stranger was within a few feet that the haunting glow of the oceans illuminated their body, lighting up its features for all to see.

Indigo's heart stopped beating as instant recognition struck her head on, rendering her numb. As the figure leaned down, she could mutter only one word before a hand reached down and pulled her up.

"Scarlet?"

The figure nodded once, a small smile tugging at the corners of her mouth. Before she could help Indigo any further, the girl sprang from her fallen position and embraced her sister warmly, crying jubilant tears.

"Scarlet, we thought you died!" She exclaimed, holding her sister tightly. Scarlet separated the embrace, a sardonic smile on her visage

"I did die - we're in Hell, remember?" A sobering pause filled the cavern, allowing Scarlet to create a short distance between them. This widened space allowed Indigo to look over her sister, and to see the small changes that had come over her during these past 5 years.

Scarlet's hair was still fastened inflexibly in a high bun, the mark of Altian royalty, but her eyes seemed to have taken on a new glow. The piercing blue remained, but before it had always betrayed some sort of hidden suffering. Now, it was alight with purpose, as though her life had been given some new meaning.

"Scarlet," Indigo began, "There's so many things I want to ask you!" Scarlet managed a small smile, but it faded away as her memories began to emerge in her mind.

"Well, ask away." Indigo shuffled slightly in place before blurting out her most pressing question.

"Why did you kill yourself?"

The faded smile on Scarlet's face now became tinged with a hint of pain, but her eyes remained impassive.

"I killed myself because I could no longer bear the weight of my own burdens in life - the suffering was too great." Indigo was about to press on further, but Scarlet cut her off. "There will be a time when you can understand all that I've been through, but for now, there is no time to tell you everything."

Indigo was speechless for a moment until the memory of her brother's goodbye flashed through her mind. Before she had left with the group, Chartreuse had told her to give a message to Scarlet. She didn't understand it then, but perhaps Scarlet would explain it for her.

"Scarlet, Chartreuse had something he wanted me to tell you," Indigo said suddenly, slightly mystified. Scarlet's eyes flickered with a keen interest.

"Well let's hear it." She smirked, crossing her arms. Stumbling on her words slightly, Indigo delivered the message.

"Chartreuse told me to say...to say he was sorry. Scarlet, sorry for what?"

Scarlet's expression softened visibly, and she closed her eyes for a moment. Memories danced about in her mind like snowflakes on the breeze, and she watched them all with a profound sadness.

"Tell Chartreuse there's nothing he has to be sorry for - all the power in the world can't stop destiny."

Indigo was now completely confused. She stared up at her elder sister, her puzzlement registering on her face.

"Scarlet, what's he sorry for?"

Scarlet said nothing, but the expression on her face suddenly became warm. Extending her arm, she placed her hand against Indigo's cheek and held it there. Indigo let out a sharp cry as she felt all of her childhood agonies flooding her brain - never being loved, fearing her own mother, and living in a world where no one ever wanted her around - all of these thoughts haunted her in a powerful montage. It was only when she looked into Scarlet's eyes that she realized her elder sister could see all of these memories as well, inside her own mind.

Withdrawing the slender hand, Scarlet ceased the rapid-fire flow of memories. Indigo stared at her sister in awe, but it was Scarlet who spoke first.

"No one ever told you that you were special, did they." It was a statement, not a question. "But you don’t need to be told - out of the four of us, you were always the strongest. I killed myself rather than suffer in life, but you were able to take on all of your own pains for an eternity. I respect you for that."

"Scarlet," Indigo stuttered, "How did you do that?" Rather than answer her question, Scarlet glanced back to the hallways.

"We have to go, your friends are in trouble. But remember, one day you're going to be happy. I promise."

-----

Although the 9 warriors fought valiantly, the horsemen and their entourage were easily pushing them back.

"We can't keep this up!" Paula shouted, tossing an iceball into the fray and receiving the scream of a centaur in return. "It's only a matter of time before they overpower us!"

Raltise nodded in reply as he shot off a volley of ice bolts from Love and Peace, barely singing the horsemen.

"Indeed! The armies of hell are much vaster than these simple demons, and the horsemen control them all!"

Without the power of ice at their disposal, the remaining fighters were having much less luck. It was only Amber, with the power of the Rallets gem, who was giving them a fighting chance - she tossed random directives at the horsemen's steeds, forcing them to do as she commanded. The horsemen were only barely able to keep their rides under control, and thus had little time to direct the lesser demons and centaurs.

"Amber, keep holding them!" Seong-un shouted encouragingly as he dodged a volley of arrows from the direction of Pestilence. If only they had more time, he thought irritably, they could have come up with a better plan!

Amber heard Seong-un's cry over the din, but she was losing hope just the same. Struggling to control the horses to the best of her ability, she was so busy that she never noticed Famine swing his scales in her direction and fire a demonic bolt.

"Amber look out!" Amber whipped her head around to see Indigo standing in the doorway of the cave, powering a frost aura around the young girl. The shield was created just in time, as Famine's bolt struck the layer of frost and bounced off harmlessly. Famine's horse reared up angrily, and he turned to face the entryway.

"Hey! Who did that?" He snarled, his mouth contorted in an ugly sneer. Indigo stepped forward boldly.

"I did! But I'm not the one you have to worry about!" Stepping aside, she nodded to her elder sister. Scarlet flashed a wry grin and stepped into the room.

Famine eyed the newcomer with disdain. He snorted arrogantly, picking up his scales. The fight raged around him, but he paused here to converse.

"What gives you the guts to think you can beat up the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, woman? Get lost!"

Scarlet let out a haughty laugh, her royal upbringing leaking through. She sneered openly at the man before her and held up her hands.

"This!" Thrusting her arm upward, Scarlet shot a mammoth blast of the Gelid flame at the ceiling with her right hand, instantly creating a layer of ice above their heads. With her left hand, she shot a bolt of dark energy at the sheet, shattering it on contact. Millions of ice shards rained down on the battlefield, striking the demons below with impartial ferocity. Many of the lesser demons and centaurs perished when hit, and the few remaining were critically wounded.

Famine gaped at the carnage around him in abject horror. His own limbs had been sliced in several places by the ice shards, but his power as a horseman kept him safe from minor wounds. It was when he looked over to Scarlet and saw her smirk of triumph that his horror turned into an intense rage.

"What the Hell are you?" He snarled as his brothers joined him on either side. Famine's horse stomped his foot on the ground forcefully, the clicking noise echoing around the chamber. Scarlet stood in place, her arms crossed across her chest. Her stance was triumphant, as were her glittering blue eyes.

"I'm the one that's going to restore the power of Hell to its rightful owners!" With a chilling cry, Scarlet extended her two hands and shot out powerful beams of ice and darkness, which twisted around each other to form a gigantic spear. Even if Famine had had the room to dodge, he would not have been able to; the sheer display of power had broken him beyond repair. All of his life, he had relied on his powers to get him through anything, and now he was bested by a stranger. The force he had put all his faith in had abandoned him in these last moments of life, and the pain of the spear slicing through his middle was nothing compared to the betrayal of his own beliefs.

The entire room was silent as the spear shot through Famine's stomach, leaving a gaping hole in his abdomen. With an exhausted sigh, Famine slumped over on his horse, his eyes clouded with death. Pestilence and War stared at their fallen comrade in disbelief.

"You...you killed him! Just like that!" Pestilence cried, dropping his bow in shock. He turned Scarlet, feeling the first reel rush of terror in his life. War's reaction was much calmer, although nonetheless unsettling. He stared at Scarlet with a mix of fear and awe, recognition finally occurring.

"Yer the one Golgothas told us about! He said you were a myth, that ya weren't actually real! Yet here you are, in the flesh! The one who will undo us all!"

Scarlet offered his words no recognition, merely lifting her arms for a final assault. Both War and Pestilence knew what was coming now - as the air around their bodies turned a deadly cold, they knew how they would meet their maker. The two looked at each other in a final farewell as the invisible ice gripped their organs, freezing them solid. Their blood turned to frost, unable to flow toward their frozen hearts. Pestilence and War, horsemen of the apocalypse, had been frozen to death.

Raltise had been watching the spectacle the entire time, staring openly at the mystery woman. He knew, somewhere in his mind, of what War spoke of - this woman was exotic, yet not without familiarity. Her powers over ice were unheard of in Hell, yet she also used the black magic of demons. Truly, she was the one whom Golgothas had spoken of.

And yet, Raltise thought to himself, there was something else. He felt an odd stirring sensation inside of him, something that was not at all familiar to him. The more he looked at the stranger, the more it plagued him. There was something alluring about this woman, and he couldn't take his eyes off of her.

Indigo stared at her sister in shock as she lowered her arms from the attack. She had always known her sister was powerful, but this was beyond her imagination!

"Scarlet, I-" Indigo began, but Scarlet again cut her off.

"Golgothas is up this path - He's well aware of your arrival. Oh, and Raltise," She said, turning to the Nightmare Demon. He nearly jumped in place, somehow shocked that she knew his name, "He's waiting with your watch."

"Scarlet, come with us! You can help us get the watch back!" Indigo exclaimed, pulling on her sister's arm like a child. Scarlet smiled down at Indigo, but shook her head.

"No, Golgothas cannot that I am the one he's looking for just yet. The time will come when he sees me for what I am, but for now I must remain in the shadows. You'll do fine on your own, but for now, I bid you adieu."

Raltise watched as Scarlet stared around the room a final time. Maybe he was being jumpy, but he could swear that her eyes lingered on him for just a moment before she left the room.

----

Far above the inner sanctum of Hell, Dio watched the battle rage below her out of the corner of her eye. The process to open the gates of Hell was complicated, and the chant took quite some time to complete. It was during this time that she allowed herself to contemplate what would happen after the chant was completed.

Dio had never thought very far when it came to their plans - once the demons were unleashed on the overworld, she assumed that everything would fall into place from there. But now, before the moment of triumph, she was unsure.

Not only was there the issue of the aftermath, but there was also another problem, one which shook her much harder - the sacrifice of Tracy.

Dio had prepared for everything when planning for this sacrifice, but she had not prepared to become friends with the sacrifice herself. It took all of her logical reasoning to convince herself that what was happening was for the best - yet somehow, deep in her heard, she suddenly knew this was wrong.

Her thoughts turned back to the battle below as she felt a sharp tug at her mind, the signal of a message from the demons. She turned her head upward as she continued the chanting, mentally receiving the message. Once she did, a wicked grin appeared on her face. Pausing the chanting for only a brief moment, she turned down toward the battle and delivered the message. As giant rocks rained down from the sky, unfolding to create giant, flame covered warriors, her voice echoed around the land.

"Lord Golgothas has sent Infernals to aid us in battle!"

-----

Light flashed and swords clashed as Talus and Neo battled in the far corner of the desert, each giving the fight their all. Both were sweating and drawing in deep breaths, but the adrenaline was doing its work and the two continued to battle with unending vigor. As they exchanged blows, they engaged in a light conversation, both to throw each other off guard and to learn more of their respective natures.

"Your kind fight better than I had predicted," the Death Knight grunted, thrusting her runeblade toward Talus' unguarded midsection. He swung a single blade down to meet the sword and used his remaining arm to take a slice at her neck. She thrusted her sword upward just in time and forced the upper blade back, twisting his two blades around each other. This maneuver bought her the precious seconds needed to make a wide swipe at his chest, but he countered by crossing the twisting blades upward in a makeshift blockade.

"Thanks," Talus responded finally, uncrossing the two blades in a shower of sparks, "You're not so bad yourself." He jumped back just as her blade found its mark on his arm, drawing only a thin trail of blood when his entire arm could have been chopped off had it not been for his quick movement. Undaunted, the boy faked a low cut with his left blade, only to slice upward with his right. However, Neo had prepared for such a ruse, and her runeblade met his right in a class of steel. In a bold move, the Death Knight twisted her arm out of the sword lock and jammed her elbow at Talus, again succeeding only in tapping him because of his speed.

"You're good at evading," Neo commented, thrusting outward again with her sword. "You only move in close when you're absolutely sure of yourself - like a bird of prey. They should call you Falcon." Talus laughed as his two blades connected against her gigantic sword, creating another shower of unearthly sparks.

"Clever name - I think it suits me. What about you - does your name suit you?" Neo's reply was laced with sarcasm as she responded.

"I used to go by another name, when I was a mortal - but now, I have reached my true, greater form. This is why they call me Neo." The conversation paused here as the two absorbed themselves entirely in the fight, allowing their swords to say more than words ever could.