Astral Plane

The four black-winged men were in the cavern, each one kneeling on top of a thin stone column. The Duke hung suspended in the middle of them, in trance, and started to speak in Aramaic while molten lava climbed up the walls of the cavern.

"The time has come, dear brothers! Our master wishes to test your faith! He spoke to me, and told me that only those who believe in his light will overcome it."

Sweat poured in rivulets down the hunter's bodies; the cavern resembled now a blast furnace. The fourth hunter noticed, with increasing horror, how the lava was moving up faster. The Duke, with his eyes wide open, said some strange words.

The lava finally reached the feet of the winged men. They shut their eyes tightly, like their lives depended on it, feeling the scorching heat envelope them. All but the fourth man, who saw, terrified, how his body went up in flames. He opened his wings and took fly, but it was already too late: the flapping of his wings was fueling the fire enveloping him; the higher he climbed, the higher the flames grew.

The cries of pain of the fourth hunter grew stronger, echoing on the cavern's walls. The scalding lava pool swallowed the remaining hunters while he was still trying to escape this trap. He lost height and fell, nearly unconscious, in it, his charred body burning to ashes. The Duke looked on with pleasure, cackling with laughter, and let the lava consume him.

***

The four men reappeared in a wall-less hall with a pitched roof floating without any kind of support. A series of other-worldly inscriptions twirled around. Before them stood an Exux holding a trident in his right hand with a golden nose ring decorating his sour, hairy face.

"Rise," said the mythical monster in a gruff voice.

He levitated towards the Duke. "You've passed the test and are now in prince Luzbel's territory. He's waiting for you," he said, pointing to a hallway obscured by fog.

"Advance!" ordered the Duke.

The winged men obeyed his command while he stayed behind, standing next to the enormous bull-faced creature. He bowed to the Exux and turned around to follow his men, but a heavy hoof on his shoulder stopped him. Startled, he stood still, a strange expression crossing his face.

"The soul lost in the lava is mine now," announced the Exux.

"Of course, it's all yours, my lord," the Duke answered looking sideways at the creature.

The Exux breathed out a puff of white smoke. "There's something else." "Yes, sir?" the Duke smiled nervously.

"When you go in, don't look back."

"I won't."

Drops of sweat glistened on the Duke's face, but it was hard to say whether they were the product of fear or of the intense heat. Without looking back, the Duke left the hall, taking the same path his men did.

The four men found themselves surrounded by an open and empty space, levitating over a silver path suspended in the outer space. At the end of their way, they discovered a large black door made of polished marble. A whirlwind of little symbols moved from one side of the door to the other. One of the hunters approached the Duke.

"Master, what happened to the fourth hunter?" he said with a Russian accent.

The Duke was focused on the door. "He's now the slave to an Exux," he answered, without paying much attention to the man.

"What?"

"His soul will wander around tormented. He'll be an astral slave," the Duke explained, a sinister look crossing his face.

He took a handful of black grit from one of the saddlebags of his armor suit and turned around to address his companions. "Kneel before the Supreme!"

The three hunters obeyed him immediately. The Duke threw at the door the handful of grit, saying something in Aramaic. The door absorbed the grit, and the whirlwind of symbols started to slow down until it stopped completely. The door disintegrated with a hissing sound, similar to the release of a vacuum seal. Slowly, a bright white light and a strong floral scent wrapped the four men and swallowed them.