A Different Kind of Hell

Welcome to Chaumala

"Ok, I think there's been a big mistake here. I have no combat experience, the most I've ever done was to get a basic lesson from the blacksmith guy at the Ren Fair on using a sword for a blowjob after hours. If I even try I'll be dead before I get to swing!"

I was panicking and I knew it. Her face was streaked with blood and sweat and her hair was hanging limply as if she had been in the most devastating fight of her life, she was sitting on top of me and had a sword to my throat a moment ago, but she looked calm and cool as she looked around. When I looked into her cold grey eyes, I knew that I was safe. She could have killed me, but she didn't, at least not yet.

"What's your name, mortal? Be quick with it! I don't have time for you and you sure as the hell we're in right now you shouldn't be here, so come out with it and do it now!" she snarled at me

"I'm Kota, Dakota. I'm just a girl from New Orleans that works at a Renaissance fair and I have no idea what's going on or where I am. I shouldn't be here, I'm not supposed to be here, hell I don't even know where here is!"

"You don't know, do you, you don't have a clue where you are?"

I held my hands in front of my face, in her view. "I don't even have fingernails to scratch you, I have no weapons of any kind, and have no idea how to hurt anyone stronger than a glass of wine!" I screamed at her

"I'm trusting you, stay with me."

With that she vaulted off of me and snagged her sword, she didn't wait, just grabbed my wrist and hauled me to my feet. I stumbled behind her and was slammed into a rocky cliff wall when she stopped and looked into my eyes. "Do not move", she snarled at me and stalked away to take down almost a dozen attackers with a grace that made a ballerina cower in shame. When she returned I was awestruck and unable to speak.

"It's rare, but it's not unheard of that humans are sent to this realm. Normally, they are ready for it but sometimes they are being punished in ways they can't even understand; we need to figure you out and quickly. If we don't, you're dead and you're going to take me with you, and I can't have that."

She sheathed her sword and started walking away, glancing over her shoulder at me but never stopping. I followed along quickly and kept pace as she headed for the lake of fire.

"This is Chaumala, a hellscape realm of eternal battle. Normally it's reserved for those who have committed atrocities in battle or champions who crave battle more than the rest of life. You're clearly no warrior with how you reacted to me taking down those fighters back there so I need to know what you did to get sent here as a punishment. And before you say 'nothing' just know that I've been here for a very long time and know exactly how this realm works. People don't just get here by accident."

"And which one are you? Did you commit atrocities or are you a champion? And what makes you think I did something that I'm being punished for? And what in the hell universe has a hellscape that's one eternal battleground?!" my voice rose with each question

"Settle down little Princess, that's a lot of questions when we're literally in the middle of a battle to the death here. See that lake over there, it's not full of cotton candy, it's hellfire and it doesn't just burn, it's hot enough to melt steel. Grab that sword over there, don't worry he's dead he doesn't need it anymore. Now, we'll get you another one in a minute but I want you to hold that sword in the lake." she said dryly

I took the sword and walked to the edge of the lake, the heat already enough to feel as though it would burn me, and plunged the blade in. Almost immediately I saw the steel start to glow and the metal was soft and melty in moments. I dropped it when the handle started to burn my hand and it vanished into the fire. I spun around and faced her and my jaw dropped as I looked at my hand, still feeling the heat of the handle.