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Bargain Infernal Episode 98: "The Abyss Strikes Back"
The great warden roared, the guttural cry of its voice shaking down rocks from the cliffsides. The air seemed to tremble under the weight of its fury.Alex Mercer stood firm, shadows curling around him like living serpents. His chest heaved, every breath filled with acrid ash and void energy. The abyss inside him pulsed, ready to be let free.The warden charged, its massive claws tearing through the scorched earth. Each step sent shockwaves rippling through the ground, cracks spiderwebbing in its wake.Alex clenched his fists, hellfire igniting along his arms. "Come on," he growled. "Let's finish this."The creature lunged, claws as long as swords swiping through the air. Alex ducked, feeling the air above him slice through with lethal force. He countered with a blast of shadowfire that struck the warden's chest, searing through its abyssal flesh.The warden let out a howl, but it didn't stop. It brought back its hand in a wide, arcing swipe that Alex didn't see coming. It sent him fl
Bargain Infernal Episode 99: "The Sanctuary Fractures"
The golden light of the Sanctuary loomed ahead, flickering like a beacon of salvation against the charred and ruined wasteland. With each step, Alex Mercer took, his body seemed to weigh more than it had the step before, almost as if he were teetering on the edge of collapse. Blood streaked down his arms, and the dark tendrils from his encounter with the abyss still lingered beneath his skin, pulsating faintly.Helena's voice echoed out of the entrance, sharp with urgency. "Alex, hurry!"He clenched his teeth, pushing forward. Every instinct told him that the abyss wasn't done with him, its shadow lingering in the cracks of reality, waiting for a moment of weakness.Lucifer stood beside Helena, his usual smirk nowhere to be found. His golden eyes flickered with something rare concern. As Alex stumbled closer, Lucifer stepped forward, his coat billowing in the wind."You're cutting it close, Mercer," Lucifer said, his tone trying to regain its usual arrogance. "Even for you."Alex coll
Bargain Infernal Episode 100: "Judgment’s Fall"
The Sanctuary trembled, its walls groaning in protest as the weight of what had emerged from the crack in the earth strained against it. Alex's breathing came in gasps, his head spinning and his hands shaking, not from the remaining resonance of the abyss but from this unearthly power now swirling around him. The golden light flickering about the obelisk died with each passing second.Helena's voice penetrated his daze. "Stay focused, Alex. We need to get out of here NOW!"Lucifer's normal act of arrogant arrogance was replaced by an edge of genuine fear. His golden eyes locked onto the figure that emerged from the crack in the earth. The being stood tall, its form radiating an overwhelming energy that seemed to twist the very air around it.Its skin was an iridescent silver, a liquid sheen that shifted in color with every movement. Its eyes, glowing with celestial fire, stared down at them with cold, unblinking judgment. The air around it crackled with divine power, each step it took
Bargain Infernal Episode 101: “Ashes of a Love Lost”
The air was heavy around them, as if the world itself held its breath. Alex slumped against the remnants of the Sanctuary's broken walls, his body battered, his soul weary.The fire of the battle had long since died, leaving only the faintest glow from the wreckage, the aftermath of a war fought in the shadows between heaven, hell, and everything in between.He felt cold gravel beneath him; it was nothing, however, compared to the ice clogging his heart. He won. They won. But at what price?Helena sat beside him, her face worn but determined, the holy light of her sword dimmed in the aftermath. She didn't say a word at first, only placed a hand on his shoulder, offering him the only comfort she could in this broken world.She knew, like he did, that victory sometimes came at a price far greater than what you could ever expect.Lucifer stood a little ways off, his posture relaxed but his gaze distant.For the first time, Alex saw him as something other than a devil, other than a liar o
Bargain Infernal Episode 101: "Shadows of Ruin"
The golden light of the Sanctuary was trembling with a quivering mass as the Archon of Judgment stood in its midst, shining bright and replete with a potent aura of divine wrath. Alex Mercer only had a nanosecond in which to perceive the full power of the entity's presence as his knees betrayed him. His very essence seemed to howl in revolt at the celestial force flooding the room.Helena tightened her grip on her sword, the holy glow flickering in the wake of the entity's arrival. "We need to move. Now."Lucifer, for once, wasn't smirking. His golden eyes flickered between caution and something that almost resembled fear. "Oh, this is going to be a problem."The Archon stepped forward, its voice like a celestial bell tolling a death knell. "You have disrupted the balance for the final time. The corruption of the abyss, the defilement of the Sanctuary this ends now.A pulse of light burst forth from its form, sending shockwaves through the crumbling chamber. The force sent Alex crashi
Bargain Infernal Episode 102: Tendrils of Darkness
The air inside Sanctuary was heavy with unease, every breath laced with apprehension. Above the cracked ground, there hovered the luminous figure of the Archon of Judgment, its radiant form crackling with divine energy.Sanctuary quivered before it as if the very walls realized that the celestial authority now stands within them.Lucifer, for once, had lost his smirk. He stood rigid, golden eyes narrowed. "Of all the problems I expected tonight, you weren't one of them."The Archon's voice echoed through the chamber, layered with echoes of ancient power. "You have meddled with forces beyond your right, fallen one. The balance has been disrupted."Helena gripped her sword harder, the holy light flickering along its blade. "If you're here to render judgment, you should start with the abyss. That thing nearly destroyed everything."The Archon only slightly turned its radiant look toward her. "The abyss is a result of disobedience. Your meddling merely puts off the inevitable."Alex, stil
Bargain Infernal Episode 103: "A Shattered Dawn"
The blinding light of Lucifer's power swirled through the air, crackling with an intensity that seemed to distort reality itself. The abyss shrieked in agony, its form flickering between substance and shadow, as if it were caught in the throes of being torn apart by forces too immense to comprehend.And the golden energy flowed out from the obelisk, pulsing with the rhythm of a heartbeat, shaking through the trembling walls of the Sanctuary.And then in the wink of an eye, it was gone, just gone, and replaced with an eerie silence.Alex blinked rapidly, his vision still swimming with the aftereffects of the blinding explosion. His body ached with the remnants of his hellfire powers flickering weakly beneath his skin, but he could feel something else too: coldness, a heavy absence.His pulse quickened as he scanned the room, his eyes searching for the abyssal creature, but it was gone. The only sound was the faint crackling of the obelisk's fading light.Lucifer was the first to break
Bargain Infernal Episode 104: "Shadows Unbound"
The world around Alex dissolves into darkness. His senses are swallowed whole by the crushing weight of the abyss, suffocating blackness pressing against his very soul.He feels it tugging at him, clawing its way into his mind like the sharpest of knives, slicing through his thoughts, leaving them fragmented and disjointed.He cannot move; he cannot speak he can only feel the abyss wrapping around him, claiming him, pulling him deeper into its void.In the distance, a flickering light; it was dying, barely hanging on to existence. A memory, a whisper of something not part of the dark.Helena.Her name was a lifeline, pulling him back from the precipice. He clung to it, his mind reaching out, but the darkness twisted it, turning it into something twisted and wrong. He was drowning, but there was a spark, a chance, a shred of hope buried beneath the suffocating shadows.Suddenly the void was torn apart. A burning, tearing pain shot through him, ripping at the edges of his consciousness
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Episode 200: The Day of Redemption
The earth had been rent asunder. The heavens had cracked open. But now, in the aftermath of the battle, there was a stillness. A calm that seemed almost unnatural, as though the world itself had been holding its breath, waiting for this moment.Helena stood alone at the edge of the ruins, her hand pressed to the cool stone of what had once been a great wall, now reduced to rubble. Her fingers traced the cracks, as if seeking some sign that the world she once knew was still there, beneath the destruction. She closed her eyes, taking a slow, deep breath, and the weight of everything they had lost pressed down on her chest.She thought of the faces they had seen fall, the countless souls who had given their lives to this war. Friends. Strangers. Heroes. She thought of the world that had been swallowed by darkness, of the innocence that had been torn away. The battle had taken everything. And yet…A whisper of wind brushed her cheek, and for the first time in what felt like forever, she s
Episode 199: Final Descent
The fight had been on for hours, but Alex and Helena were not done. They were drained of their last drops of energy; every punch was a swat of finishing blows. The sky above was split apart by the crash of calamity, the earth below their feet cracked and blood-soaked, the battleground. They were a relentless force of abyssal creatures, clawing their way up from the very depths of hell itself. And above them, the dark creature they had been battling the twisted, monstrous being of molten rock and shadow—did not back down.Alex's eyes were wild with fury, his entire being charged with the hellfire he had summoned. Every breath burned like the underworld's flames. His body had become a vessel of destruction, and he was fighting this battle for what seemed like a lifetime. It was not just the creature in front of him but the darkness within himself, the abyssal power that threatened to consume him with every passing moment.Helena fought at his side, her blade slicing through dark creatur
Episode 198: The Horizon
The light had changed the battle scene, returning what was lost. The earth cracks had closed, and the lifeless land was now dotted with the first green shoots. Yet with all this peace, Alex couldn't shake the unease growing in his chest. The light was pure, potent, and alive, and it had pushed the void back. However, with its presence came something darker, something ancient, which had awakened from its slumber. The battle was far from over.As the warmth of the sphere ebbed away, the air shifted around them. The air, once still and inert, had become dense and heavy; it seemed almost as though it were waiting to break into the daylight, out of the shadows. There was a humming, pulsating vibration through the ground that lay in the pit of Alex's stomach. Like a heartbeat almost, but life's not this: that was deeper, much, much older.Alex: (on point, grave) "It's coming now."Helena: (eyes scanning the horizon) “What is it? The darkness… It’s not gone, is it?”Alex: (tightening his gri
Episode 197: The Spark of Hope
The light ahead flickered like a dying ember, casting a pale glow over the shattered landscape. It was faint, but there was a small, stubborn defiance against the darkness that had nearly consumed the world. Alex and Helena moved toward it, their footsteps echoing in the hollow silence left behind by the chaos.The air was still, heavy with the remnants of the abyss. Each breath felt weighted, as though even the atmosphere had been scarred by what had passed. The ground beneath them was cracked and barren, but there was something about the way the light shone through the haze that made Alex believe just for a moment that there was still something worth saving.Helena: (quietly, observing) "It feels like, like everything is waiting. Like the world is holding its breath."Alex: (gravelly, focused) "It’s not over yet. Not by a long shot."They pressed on, the journey heavy with the weight of the battle they had just fought. The path was uncertain, littered with debris, but Alex’s eyes we
Episode 196: Aftermath
The explosion had stopped. The sound was deafeningly silent. Helena's ground crumbled as the remnants of the abyss dissipated, but it wasn't a relief. There was no victory. Just emptiness that engulfed her.Helena: (whispering frantically) "Alex. Alex, where are you?"She scanned the devastation around her, her heart pounding in her chest. The rift was gone, its tendrils retracting into the ground like the remnants of some nightmarish creature. The air was still thick with the lingering residue of darkness, and yet, there was no sign of Alex.The sky above them, once twisted with shadow, was now eerily calm, the storm having passed. But this calm felt wrong like the world was holding its breath, waiting for something more.Helena: (shaking, speaking to herself) "He has to be here. He can’t be. gone."She ran through the rubble, calling out his name, but only the wind answered. Her hand tightened around the hilt of her blade, the weight of the weapon a hollow comfort in her grasp. She
Episode 195: The Final Hour
The air stank of smoke and rot, heavy with an acrid flavor. What used to be a city lay strewn before Alex and Helena as if it were a graveyard: buildings shattered, broken, rising like tombstones in the deserted land, all skeletal and speaking of the desperate fight they went through. Now, the world felt colder—as if the air had been hollowed out.Helena: (soft, grim) "How much longer can this go on, Alex?"Alex: (determined) "As long as it takes. The abyss isn’t done with us yet. And we won’t stop until it is."They had just finished dealing with the last of the creature's tendrils. The rift had closed, but there was no peace. The storm had calmed, but the tension was palpable, as if the calm before the storm held something far worse yet to come. It was clear now: the abyss had a plan. It wasn’t merely an enemy to be defeated. It was a force, a presence, an ancient evil that had only begun to reveal its true form.Helena: (with a sigh) "This place. It's like nothing is real anymore.
Episode 194: Descent Into Madness
The world had become a battleground. The city lay in ruins behind them, a monument to the chaos that had overtaken their lives. Alex and Helena, standing amidst the devastation, could feel the weight of what they had just accomplished. The creature, an embodiment of the abyss, was gone, but its shadow still lingered in the air. The ground was cracked, the sky darkened, and the very fabric of reality seemed to pulse in unnatural rhythms.Helena: (low, somber) "What are we even fighting for now? This place. It's a graveyard."Alex: (gritting his teeth) "We're fighting for the world that's left. We don't stop until it's all gone, until it's finished."Alex's voice was heavy with the weight of their struggle, hours of fighting, endless battles, and the constant, gnawing pressure of the abyss clawing at his mind. They had come so far, yet there was still so much to do. The world, what was left of it, was a fractured reflection of its former self. And Alex knew that, deep down, the abyss wa
Episode 193: The Reaper’s Reckoning
The remnants of the city loomed behind them, twisted steel and concrete jutting out of the ground like skeletal remains. The air still smelled of charred flesh, burnt remnants of a world that had nearly been consumed. Alex and Helena stood in the shadow of the destruction, their faces grim as they stared into the horizon, where the first signs of the coming storm appeared dark clouds swirling ominously in the distance.Alex: (gritting his teeth) “I thought we had more time. I thought we could end this.”Helena: (softly) “We can still try. But whatever we’re facing, it’s not just demons or the abyss anymore. We’re up against something older, something more dangerous than we can even comprehend.”The ground beneath them trembled ever so slightly, sending a shiver down Alex’s spine. He could feel it the pull of the abyss, as if it had sensed their uncertainty. The darkness was alive. It responded to their fears, feeding on it, growing stronger.Alex glanced at Helena, her sword still gri
Episode 192: The Storm of Violence
The air was heavy with the acrid scent of burnt flesh and smoke, and hellfire still hung faintly in the air. Alex and Helena stood together amidst the ruins of what had once been a city. The battle was over, but its aftermath clung to every corner: destruction, chaos, and the silence that follows the storm of violence.Their breaths were heavy, the adrenaline of the fight still coursing through their veins. Helena wiped the blood from her face, her sword still in hand, its edge now darkened with the stain of the battle. Alex could feel the weight of the abyssal energy within him, like a constant hum in the back of his mind, a reminder that the war was far from over.He looked over at Helena. Her eyes, which had been bright with determination, were dulled now with fatigue. She was standing yet still fighting, but Alex could see the cost of the fight, endless as it was. To both of them.Alex: (softly) "We did it… but it's not over, is it?"Helena: (shaking her head) "No. It's only just
