Second World

"Come here." The voice inside Red Death's head sounded gentle, but she felt a headache from the voice.

She then felt herself getting dragged. She was helpless to resist the force. Her body floated and then zoomed along the bridge with a speed that kept on increasing as she approached the island where the crystal throne was at.

She abruptly stopped just before the crystal throne, floating right on top of the lava pool. She could see the woman on the throne clearly now. She wore a slightly revealing red gown with an intricate golden belt and a tiara that seemed like it was sculpted from a piece of giant ruby.

The woman's hair was red. A bright red that looked almost as if it could burst aflame.

"Nice hair," the woman on the throne said, complementing Red Death's hair which was also red. "Now, state your business."

Red Death looked at the lava pool right beneath her. She would fall into that lava pool if the woman on the throne released control of her body. She also looked at the seven different maids around the woman. Their eyes carried reverence to the woman as if the woman meant everything to them.

"Goddess Wrath, forgive me for trespassing your sanctum," Red Death said.

"Child. You didn't trespass. If I didn't let you in, you won't be able to step inside here. And I don't forgive. It is only a matter of if you draw my wrath or not. Let's hear it and we shall both find out," Wrath responded.

Red Death nodded. "I'm here to request the release of one of your captives."

"Captives?" Wrath chuckled. "Which one?"

Sounds of chains rattling could be heard. Red Death caught movement from above. He looked up and saw innumerable iron cages hanging on metal chains being lowered from above. But that was not the thing that caught most of her attention. It was the gigantic being clinging to the ceiling far above.

It was an enormous spider. Crimson hairs filled its body. What Red Death thought were metal chains holding the cages were the giant spider's silk.

Red Death's eyes were glued to the spider. She couldn't help but feel the creature's eight eyes staring at her. She felt drowsy and weak. She felt that she was back to becoming the small powerless child who depended on others to survive.

It took a moment before she realized that she was under an influence. She bit her lips and forced herself awake. She scolded herself in her mind. Angry at herself for letting herself get affected this easily. She tore herself away from the spider's gaze.

Wrath chuckled. "Not bad. To be able to free yourself of my pet's hold. Well, then again, if you couldn't do even that, I guess I have no use for you."

"You… have use for me?" Red Death asked. Her mind was still drowsy. The spider's short incursion into her mind was worse than she thought.

"Why do you think I let you in here?" Wrath asked.

The cages had been lowered to their eye levels by now. Red Death looked around while still fighting the effect in her mind. She saw figures inside the cages. Each cage held one person. She saw people from different races. There were even races that she had not seen before. A cat-like man, a man with an eagle head and a pair of large wings on his back, an ape who looked at Red Death with an intelligent gaze, and several others.

As Red Death looked around, her gaze fell on one of the cages.

"Aunt Clara!" She called.

The person inside the cage Red Death was looking at, turned her head. Her surprised eyes turned wide when she recognized Red Death. "Cleo! What are you doing here? Oh no! Are you captured as well?"

"Aunt Clara, I've been looking all over for you," Red Death shouted.

Before Clara could reply, the cage that held her was suddenly lifted again. As with the other cages. All of them were being pulled back up to the ceiling.

"Cleo! Run…! Leave this place!!" Clara warned as she was brought back up.

"Aunt Clara…!!"

The two kept on calling for one another as they were separated further apart. Wrath simply smiled at the scene.

"Well, I guess it's obvious now whom you come here looking for," Wrath said. "Now, what will you do for her freedom?"

"State your price!" Red Death exclaimed.

She was suddenly pulled violently by an invisible hand. She was dragged to right in front of Wrath, who now leaned out and stared at her up close. Wrath was still smiling but there was madness in her eyes.

"I suggest you watch your tongue, child. I'm known for my temper. One little slip and I might find you become ashes already. I will regret my hasty act later, but it did happen from time to time. So, I think we can agree that we both prefer that to not happen, can't we?"

"Yes… Forgive me, Goddess Wrath," Red Death said.

Red Death was pushed back a little bit. Wrath leaned back on her crystal throne. "As I said, I don't forgive. Just make sure you remember to not have any more outbursts near me. Otherwise, it might cause an outburst from me as well."

Red Death nodded. "What can I do to claim my aunt's freedom?"

Instead of answering, Wrath said, "Do you want to know why I didn't just punish you like the others who came traipsing? Why you didn't join your aunt and the others up there inside another cage? It's because I sense something that I can understand inside of you. Under all that cold veneer, you have this rage. I can smell it! It's bottled rage, but in a consciously constructed bottle. Ready to be unleashed when needed and in a controlled amount based on the situation. I'm very impressed that a mortal like you can learn to control your rage so. Like many other things, rage is useful if you know how to use it."

Wrath laughed and stood up. "Well, that's the sentimental reason. The more practical reason is that something had invaded my lair not long ago. Something I need help dealing with."

Wrath walked on the lava pool and toward the edge of her island. She continued to walk even then. When her foot was stepping off the edge and into the empty air, a block of stone magically detached itself from the pillar underneath the island and became her stepping stone.

She continued doing the same, and more stepping stones came. The stones formed stairs going down.

She was talking as she descended, "You might be wondering. What can a weak mortal like you help against something that even a Goddess can't get rid of? Well, the truth is that it's not that I can't get rid of it. But by doing so, I might damage the place where this thing had made its lair. I don't want that. I need finesse."

They continued going down. Red Death followed helplessly as she was still held by the invisible force that kept her in the air and close to Wrath. The abyss seemed unending.

Red Death looked up and saw that the island they had descended from was so far above that it was but a speck. Which made no sense, they hadn't walked that long. How could they have covered such a distance?

When she looked back down, she found that they had reached a bigger stone island below. The cascading lava from above fell on this island and made another pool, before cascading down again. She still couldn't see the bottom of this place.

A stone bridge extended from this island to the cliff wall far ahead. Wrath was now taking Red Death walking on this bridge.

They arrived at an opening that was covered by a translucent layer. The wall around the opening was covered with frost. To be able to cause such a phenomenon inside an active volcano indicated whatever that was inside was no common thing.

"Inside there is my chamber. The thing that had made its home inside resisted my divine power and prevented me from entering," Wrath explained. "If I use brute force, I will need to expend an amount of energy that might cause a collapse to this place. As I said, I don't want that. Additionally, I can sense the energy the thing inside generated is more accommodating to outworlders. It let your kind enter without a problem. Considering the nature of this world, I don't find this strange…"

Her voice slightly trailed off during her last sentence. But she soon regained her composure and said to Red Death, "So, this is where you come in. Do you accept my request to drive out the thing inside?"

Red Death received a quest notification then. The quest was automatically accepted. She was not being given the chance to accept or reject. When she checked her quest page, she almost couldn't believe her eyes.

*

Cleanse Wrath's chamber

Difficulty: SSS

Rewards: ???

Enter Wrath's chamber and drive out the force inside.

*

"I'm going to be open with you. You are not the first adventurer that been given this request," Wrath said. "Most died. Some tried to flee, which of course, offended me. So, they are now up there in the cages with your aunt. If you succeed in this mission, I will free your aunt and then give you a little something extra… Perhaps."

Red Death felt the invisible force holding her disappeared. She could now move freely again.

"Off you go," Wrath gestured at the opening. "Unless of course, you want to spend your life inside a cage for eternity."

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