Exhibit 15: "Piercer"

This is it, y'all. The confrontation you put your asses in the seats for in the first place. The deadly, heroic battle between our band of misfits and the devil himself, to save the innocent and strike down the less-innocent!

Time for maximum rowdiness.

To bring that shit right outta ya, I've got a different very special band of misfits to help. Give your best to Hazard Aces, led by Selin Emeritus—that's right, our very own Imber's sister! She's—

Yeah, Selin, I know. Yes, thank you, Selin. Okay, I'll tell 'em.

The world-famous Hazard Aces, going on their first world tour—soon! Sometime! More details after the gallery.

Right, so I shot Reishan with a gun—this gun. Let's get the music goin'.

Everybody stand up! This is a group activity. What, did I say all the exhibits were paintings? No the fuck I did not! The exhibit is all of us, including you bastards! Get up and dance!

Heh, just kiddin'. It's not loaded. But you'd better sway enthusiastically.

Lemme paint ya a word-and-action picture. I pull my pistol out and pump the prick full of pepper. He didn't have no glib reply for that, instead opting to poke me with that pitchfork right 'n the side—long reach—then whacked me into the wall with the spiked tail I'd forgotten was there. Here's that scar—big one.

I wheezed, vision blurry, sure he'd pierced a lung and my blood was leakin' into it. From the migraine settling over my head, the fire enshrouding his muscle-bound body like a cloak, he looked like much more of a firefly than Promise. Cora thought that was pretty funny.

Keelo looked even more blurry than the others, but that just meant the spell they cast from their now-ignited greatsword was working. They stalked toward Reishan like one of them big black cats, whipping its tails around so you can't see which way it's comin' from.

Peeling myself from the wall like a flattened cartoon, my head swiveled 'til I found Viola blocking fire bolts from Promise with that damned Scythe we spent this whole time trying to find. Fuck, I'm still mad about that.

Some of the fire licked past the big thing and burnt her arm. "You should understand what I'm trying to do most of all, hell spawn!" she yelled at him.

Promise closed in. "What, control him? Steer him? You're only worthy to be cut down."

I glanced toward Timera for the second I could spare. She was curled up on the throne, clutching her axe—had she hidden it behind her? Those two were backing dangerously close to her.

Didn't matter. I loosed the two daggers at my sides into Reishan's hide as he leapt down to meet Keelo, and Drake and Neville spat their lightning and acid into the wounds as Euphor shouted commands.

"No god will do that," Promise assured as he sprayed another scorching ray. "Not before I do."

I ran to back him up, trying desperately to separate the Viola who snuck me donuts after bedtime and pretended not to notice when I stole her booze from the one in front of me. She was ragged, scuffed, breathing like a cornered wolf with twice the ferocity. I knew I shouldn't stop him—I couldn't. No, I couldn't, but—

Euphor released an arrow that carried a hail of thorns over Reishan's head, and Keelo slashed across his belly. I couldn't believe it. They were puttin' some pretty good work in, and he wasn't doin' a thing.

"Timera, get down from there," Promise shouted. He was far from meek before, but this was a military captain voice. "We're leaving."

Her spine went rigid for a second, but she quickly pressed back against the throne, face anxious and distrustful.

"Are you sure?" Viola said softly, which crashed my compartmentalization efforts into the goddamn dirt. "There's a place set aside specifically for you, Repellam."

"You don't have the right to that name," he said.

"It's right there." She pointed to the right-hand throne. "Far greater than hers. Certainly greater than mine."

Promise grimaced. I couldn't take it. "What's yours, a fuckin' rocking chair?" I blurted. "Mama June's got forty of those. I bet yours is burnt up—"

Before I could finish or Viola could even scowl, a giant red hand closed around her, and a pitchfork stabbed clean through my thigh— I'd rather not show that one off—as one of the daggers I'd stuck him with fell out and nearly split my skull.

More energy spells and arrows glanced off him, some finding weak purchase, but Keelo and Euphor's juice was losin' the initial rush. Rebecca trounced up the stairs and stood guard in front of me, ready to push him, but Reishan wasn't focused on us. He had Viola in both hands, flying twenty feet off the ground, massive wings causing tornadoes miles off—I could barely stand—calmly grappling for the Scythe while she scrambled to stab him with it.

Promise looked at me, raised his eyebrows, then shot a fire bolt at her wrist. It hit, and she screamed, her assault faltering.

I got the message. Steeling myself, I scooped up the fallen dagger and lobbed it at the other wrist as he shot a second blast. It cleanly pierced the tendon, and the Scythe began to fall.

All I remember of the next bit is another blindingly painful spiky slam. I've got the ab scars to account for it, but he apparently knocked me out with his tail again. Keelo said the big lug held Viola in one hand as she clutched her own in agony, and picked up the Harvest Scythe.

There was a sizzling sound, and he dropped it in surprise as it rebuked him.

Euphor's face was above me as I came back around, feeling some healing magic in my veins. That shit tuckers you out, but it wasn't nap time yet. Three double-headed wolves, fur and teeth as jagged and nasty as the green shit drippin' from their mouths, ran out of the furnace toward their papa.

We had another four-legged menace. Rebecca, soulless little metal thing she is, clamped onto the end of the Scythe and started dragging it away as Keelo shouted for her to run. They stepped in front of the death dogs, flaming sword in both hands.

Reishan reached up to crush her into cogs and pistons, but another source of flame, damn near impossible to sense because of the overabundance of it, bapped him in the chest with her hooves.

OH? Reishan regarded her with amusement. WELL MET.

Aramis neighed. Dunno what she said—I don't speak horse—but it was badass all the same.

Then she pivoted, glancing at Promise before taking Timera's arm in her teeth and vanishing in shimmering light.

My eyes bulged right outta my head—I tried to push past Euphor, but he held me back.

"The border ethereal," he whispered. "I can feel them. She's taking her away."

"Where?" I hissed.

"I don't know," he hissed back, and I quieted.

In the moment Reishan was distracted, Rebecca padded her metal feet up next to me, draggin' the Scythe all the while.

"Huh," I said to myself.

Viola was using one of my lodged daggers to cut at Reishan's fingers. Promise shot one wolf through both of its skulls. Keelo was being dragged down by the other two.

It wasn't like the Scythe called to me or some woo-woo bullshit. Matter of fact, I was surprised it didn't rebuke me in the same exact way. But the fact is… it didn't. I took advantage of that by staggering to my feet and sinking its blade into Reishan's ribs.

Tell you what—I'm glad I didn't slash Nicholas Ridice's throat when I had the chance. This felt better than that would've.

He roared, more a feeling than a sound, one that burst my eardrums and sent rocks crashing down from the high cave ceiling. The wound bubbled molten gold, then turned infernal red as it pushed the blade out and sealed itself. The fresh scar tissue still glowed underneath, like whatever divine energy it had got into him and stayed.

I HAVEN'T MADE MYSELF CLEAR ENOUGH. FOR THAT, I APOLOGIZE.

Reishan tossed Viola thirty feet away, where she cracked onto the stone floor like a porcelain doll as the dagger in her wrist skittered away.

The urge to sprint back was overwhelming; to go to her side, to book it outta the cave, all of it at once.

Again, the Scythe didn't give me strength. But I did hold onto it as I stared into his eternal eyes, holding such concentrated, focused evil that I thought maybe I was a pretty decent fella after all, yes indeed.

A SOUL I CHERISHED WAS REAPED WITHOUT CARE. I'LL UNLOCK THE GATE.

His hand was the size of the sun then, and just as bright, only the fire that coated him brought no warmth, no light to see by—it was a carefully coordinated pruning of reality in that space that made his flame both lightless and blinding, both cold and searing.

BUT I HAVE NO WANT FOR THE KEY MAKER, NOR THE WIELDER. JUST THE KEY.

It was only his voice and his unending malice in my head. I was eight years old, cowering in the corner under the real specter of death, and he wanted to take the first thing anyone had ever made for me in my life. I was like to drop it and run.

YOU ARE NOT EVEN A SHADOW OF A STAR. YOU HAVE THE MIGHT OF A THOUGHT AGAINST A TORRENT.

Reishan towered over me.

I WILL KEEP HALF OF YOUR SOUL, AND GIVE THE OTHER TO THE DARK.

A gunshot rang out, and the devil recoiled slightly as a bullet impacted his left shoulder.

Promise pulled the trigger a few more times, but it only clicked. "She's been dead a while." He tossed Bug Repellant to the side. "Get over it."

His eyes didn't hold the terrified self-loathing I knew. They were full of a fire more like Viola's, only he didn't care if the rest of the world had to burn—the people in this patch of it would never.

As Reishan launched at his son, I knew it was over. Promise slung every fire attack in the book at him, but it only served to scorch himself. Reishan whipped up a great gout of flame from his wings, singing Euphor and I as we ducked back.

I may not look it, but I'm a big thinker. In a battle, I'm never not scannin' the situation for how I can survive. I had one destination, and I had to get there.

In that moment, I didn't think. I charged in, silent as a shadow, and pierced the devil's fresh scar. He wailed, and I pulled it out and did it again. And again, and again. I did it as many times as it took.

Still, he batted his wings.

I rolled out of the way, trying to get to Promise, but—I looked up Reishan instead. He was an unassailable tower straight from the tenth circle, his claws and pitchfork and tail all burning with the hate of eons.

Eons that a little axe and its wielder hadn't been around for, apparently, because Timera finally decided she'd had enough of bein' small.

With a roar not unlike her daddy's, my lil' sis's head appeared over his shoulder as she sank her axe into it. He seemed more confused than anything, and annoyed, as he sent another blast of fire out of his back, consuming her entirely.

A scream started in my throat, but she emerged from the fire unscathed. The power he'd given her came with a big middle finger in the mirror.

Reishan was badly hurt. I knew it would only take another swing of my big shit, but—

I watched him crawl forward, unseen. He was on the verge of death, crumpled and bloodied and burnt beyond recognition underneath the tower, and harboring a certain dagger that had been passed around like the shots at the party we'd met at.

Timera leapt back, falling ass-over-teakettle, and Promise stabbed their dad in the heart.

The whole cave stuttered, then murmured. Then, the furnace went out. The other two dogs were already dead.

As if to deny his repulsive son one last time, Reishan didn't say a damn thing as he fell onto his back. The fiery cracks in his skin faded as the giant central throne crumbled to dust.

I don't… pretty sure I didn't even get a final word in. I scooped Promise up, and his blackened body was silent and still. Warm.

Thanks for that, Selin. Y'all can go on and sit now.

Euphor pulled Keelo out of the wreckage of the dogs—they were bloodied, but alive. Drake and Neville coiled around his neck as Rebecca whirred at Promise's feet.

We stood there for a minute, careful not to move so we didn't turn him to ash.

It took a while before I was ready to look at Viola. I dragged my eyes over to where she'd fallen, but she wasn't there. Instead, she was dragging herself on broken wrists toward where we numbly mourned.

Again, I didn't think. All I did was sink to my knees and wrap my arms around her.

She scratched at my back, trying to plunge my other dagger into it. I saw it in her hand before. She couldn't quite manage it.

After her failure, she turned it on herself instead.

Keelo was quick to stabilize her, but it was all too much. From my knees, I fell on my side and held 'em to my chest. Timera was with me, crying by my side as I finally let the tears fall in front of everyone.

"I'm terrible," she kept saying. "I'm a bad person."

"Me too," I eventually said.

I don't even know what the promise was. He never did explain it. I'm still not sure if he said "I promise" when he lied, or only when told the truth.

Whatever the meaning, the promise was fulfilled.

HAZARD ACES WORLD TOUR—RECEIPT—9/18/1316

FOUR PRESALE TICKETS SOLD TO KEELO KILDERKIN (100 GP)