From One Barrier, To Another

Re-emerging into Old Spring Forest, their surroundings were much brighter than before; though looking up John could tell that the sun was beginning its descent and that sunset would likely reach them by the time they returned to Springfield once again.

The three followed the beaten path. Robin led a few paces in front, often turning around to talk, while Ellie interlaced her fingers with John’s and leisurely swung her arm, almost bouncing as she walked.

“What’s got you in such a good mood? You came in second to last,” John said, bumping her shoulder.

“Hmm? Oh, not much, I had fun in the barrier. I’ve been able to meet a friend of yours as well as a god who speaks funny, and on top of it all, it seems you have an angel keeping watch over you, that may have been giving you the look. Not to mention how bashful she was getting when you were questioning her,” Ellie replied, a warm smile plastered onto her face.

“Oh, come on. You just want her to have a thing for me because you want something to happen. Also, she might be able to hear us while she’s in the amulet,” John grumbled at his overly happy girlfriend.

“Good!” She smiled.“It’s not like she could deny it, I saw how she was cuddling up to you in the throne room,” she said as she pulled John’s arm to her chest, hugging it and resting her head on his shoulder.

Feeling a tad uncomfortable, John blurted, “Subject change. How about you move your lab into my garage?”

Ellie seemed shocked. “Wait, what? Are you serious?” she asked.

“Robin might have talked some sense into me earlier. I want you close by, and even though introducing the two most important women in my life makes me feel like I’m going to throw up from nerves, we can work around it for now. I’ve been thinking about it, and Dahlia can be a lookout for us so that we can avoid an early meeting between you, at least until I’m ready,” John admitted.

“Aw, what a thoughtful dork,” Ellie said, smiling ear to ear. John was about to complain about the insult at the end but was preemptively shut up as his girlfriend pulled him towards her and pressed her lips against his. “My dork,” she whispered as she pulled back.

“Get a room, you two,” Robin said, chuckling as he walked backwards.

“Oh, don’t worry, I have a portable one. You don’t mind if John and I vanish for a while to have a little fun, do you?” Ellie teased.

Robin laughed a little louder. “Be my guest, but I’m not interested in becoming part of John’s harem.”

“What a shame, I bet you and John would make a cute couple,” Ellie said, sticking her tongue out.

John tugged at Ellie's arm. “How about we just get back to Springfield and stop trying to indoctrinate everyone into our relationship?”

Ellie leaned over and kissed John on the cheek, before turning his head slightly and licking his lip. “I can only promise to not try indoctrinating guys.”

John just rolled his eyes and continued walking. They neared the country road that took them back to Springfield and John became slightly on edge, seeing a lone car idling at the bus stop. It was late enough now that they had only seen one or two other people on the trail.

“I’ll sit in front,” Robin called back to the couple as he picked up his pace. John’s brow furrowed and he looked at Ellie who shrugged. Robin rolled his eyes and explained, “I ordered a car while you two were having your little tease match earlier.”

Content with the answer, John moved over to the car. He opened the door and ushered Ellie inside, before walking around to the other door and climbing in.

“So you’re going to The Seven Circles of Hell, right?” the driver asked Robin.

“Yeah, that’s the place, thanks,” Robin replied.

John had heard of The Seven Circles of Hell before. From what he remembered the entry fee was exorbitant, which could be a factor in its lacking popularity, especially with people close to his age. The only time he could remember people actually going to it was if they had an event or a guest DJ in which case their entry was usually lower. John had always just assumed it was a regular club that was owned by some rich asshole.

The couple in the back seats was silent the entire journey, content with holding each other's hands while occasionally making eye contact and smiling. The driver was quite a chatterbox and more than happy leading a conversation that Robin was reluctantly taking part in.

Just as John had predicted, as they neared the club, it was getting dark. Robin sat up straight and pointed between two buildings. “Just pull down the alleyway after the club and stop just before the red emergency exit door, if you don’t mind.”

The driver nodded, following Robin’s directions, and pulled up, allowing the trio to get out before the car left them alone in the empty alleyway.

“The mundane side of the club won’t open for another couple of hours, though I prefer using the back entrance even if the front is available,” Robin explained, ringing the buzzer three times fast followed by three times slow.

“Ha, same,” Ellie blurted, then looked at John who raised his eyebrow. “It’s a joke.”

A heavy thunk echoed in the alley as the door unlocked and opened. Curiously there was no one on the other side. Robin walked through the door and motioned for the other two to follow. The hallway was narrow and after turning several corners it began to widen until they reached a double door.

“So, we could talk to a bartender to get you access to The Inferno, but it’s a whole ordeal. I’ll go into the barrier and talk to a friend who can get you the bands faster, and no, I’m not doing something illegal, I’ll essentially be getting you in via recommendation. So while I’m away feel free to take a look around the mundane side of the club, it’s not every day you get to see an empty nightclub,” Robin said, then he turned to go through the doors but stopped and turned back, rubbing his neck. “Actually, one piece of advice: if any of the upper booths are in use with their curtains drawn, stay clear; it’s likely an Abyssal meeting and you don’t wanna get tangled up in any of it.”

John nodded and Ellie spoke up first, “We’ll just stay clear of anyone who isn’t obviously working here.”

Robin nodded, and as he pushed through the door, he vanished. The two walked through the now open door into the main club. The place was completely empty, save for a couple of bar staff who were cleaning glasses, and a DJ who was playing music quietly while he set up. The entire room was set up in a tier system.

The topmost tier was where John and Ellie stood; it held the bar, several tables and chairs, the entryways for the bathrooms and the entrance itself, as well as the door they just came from. This section of the club was different from the rest as the other tiers were surrounding the focal point of the club in a horseshoe-like orientation.

Two steps down took you to the next tier of the club, which were private booths that could either be open or closed with a curtain. Of the twelve large booths, two had their curtains drawn and voices could be heard coming from both of them, loud enough that John should be able to hear what they were saying, but no matter how much he tried, the voices remained incoherent.

Down the last set of steps was the dance floor which was ringed by open booths, obviously meant for people who had grown tired of dancing or needed somewhere to put their drinks. The dance floor itself was quite large and had bright glowing tiles which changed and shifted to the quiet music which was currently playing.

Finally, the stage was at the far side of the room. The DJ booth currently took up a good chunk of the stage but on either side were poles as well as dancing cages. Robin hadn’t returned yet, so the two decided to take a seat at the closest table and wait.

“So, you’ve got another girl who’s throwing herself at your mercy and you didn’t even need to marry a fairy queen for this one,” Ellie said, chuckling to herself.

“Yeah yeah, you’re joking but I really don’t know what to do about it. Is this going to be something that’s gonna happen every day from now on? I only have so many places I can hide all these people in and now I’ve gotta worry about getting you settled in too,” John sighed.

“So I’m a bother for you too, am I? I can just keep using the same place I have been, it’s not a problem.” Ellie smirked while shuffling her chair closer.

“That’s not what I mean! Of course I want you closer to me. Heck, I’d tell you to put the door in my room if there was an easy way to get you in and out without my mom seeing you. It’s probably dumb that I’m making you wait to meet my mom, right?” John asked, looking down at the table.

Ellie smiled, lifting John’s chin and giving him a peck on his lips. “You are dumb, but not because of this. You said I’m your first girlfriend, so I get how nervous you’d be even if that was the only factor.

“You’ve also got a hard choice to make in either telling her we’re a boring mundane couple or finding a way to break the news that not only is there magic but you’re also married to two women. So even if you’re still figuring it out a couple of months from now, I’m not going anywhere.”

John’s pensive expression softened and he smiled as Ellie’s warm hand softly brushed over his forearm, then interlaced her fingers with his. “Thanks, and I promise it won’t be that long, I can’t keep the best thing that happened to me secret from my mom for too long. It might not be tomorrow, it might not be this week, but I promise it will be soon, maybe we could go out for dinner or something?”

“That sounds wonderful,” Ellie said, leaning in to kiss him once more.

The two were interrupted by Robin, clearing his throat. “You know, I was joking about you guys getting a room earlier but I’m starting to think it might be easier if you guys just went and fucked so we could get on with our night.”

John and Ellie both rolled their eyes, but before they could throw a witty comeback at him, Robin held out two smartwatch-looking bands.

“So these will allow you to not only sense the barrier, but you’ll be able to access it. I’m not gonna lie, The Inferno has some extremely seedy parts to it, parts I know could probably scar the both of you even with the stuff you’ve already seen in the Abyss. Luckily, these bands have restrictions and protections which will mean you will be able to avoid those areas as well as keeping you safe from some of the more unsavoury patrons,” Robin explained, beginning to walk towards the mundane entrance.

As they neared the door, Robin stopped by a table and sat down, motioning for the other two to join him. “I should probably give you a heads up before we head in there, actually. So The Inferno consists of the seven sins, and each one is on its own floors. Saying floors makes it seem like some kind of multi-story mall though, and that’s not The Inferno. It would be better to think of it like several towns stacked on top of each other, each containing their own rules and entertainment.

“I don’t wanna take up all night explaining it but essentially each sin has its own rules. The main rule across every sin, however, is: don’t use any magic at all unless we’re in a zone that allows it. The band should stop you from using magic while we’re in areas that it’s prohibited in, but with you two having such fucky magic, you could possibly bypass it and I think you’d rather not give the bouncers a reason to pay attention to you.”

While Robin had been talking, John and Ellie had put on the watch-like bands, and after he finished he stood and walked the rest of the way towards the entrance, stepping up onto a raised square which was cordoned off with red rope.

“There are other rules that are specific to each sin, but I can explain those when and if they arise,” he said, motioning the other two onto the odd square step. “Make sure when you go into the barrier, especially if the club is open, you do it here.”

Once the rope was put back in place, Robin raised his hands and covered his ears before vanishing. John and Ellie looked at each other; concerned, Ellie reached into her bag and pulled out two pairs of earplugs. After the two of them had firmly inserted them, they held hands and John focused on the barrier. The room began to spin and grew dim, his legs felt weak, and suddenly the light vanished.

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