The Paladin in the Abyss

With a loud bang, the prisoners staggered out of the cage, supporting each other.

"Congratulations on leaving that tiny cell and coming to a slightly larger one," Lancelot said with a bitter smile.

"Thank you, Sir," the tall and thin man said gratefully, "at least we don't have to worry about the fate of becoming food anymore."

"Uh, actually, that risk hasn't decreased by much. How long have you been locked up here?"

"I just got here three days ago."

"About two weeks, I guess."

"Me too."

"I don't remember, at least a month I think."

"I remember, I've been counting the days; you've been here for two months."

"I know you have a lot of questions, but a lady is waiting for you, she has some questions that need answering. Please follow me."

Lancelot nodded, signaling everyone to follow him out.

The prisoners walked out of Kuka's lair timidly, but the moment they saw Tijana, a look of fear appeared on everyone's face.

"A Succubus, it's a Succubus!"

"It's over, is this a trap? Are we going to be executed?"

"Wait a minute, this isn't the same one from before…"

Tijana frowned at the noisy situation and let out a delicate scold:

"Silence!"

Everyone immediately fell silent, as if their throats had been suddenly squeezed shut.

"Good," Tijana nodded in satisfaction. "Who among you has been here the longest?"

No one spoke, but involuntarily, everyone's gaze turned to one person.

Seeing there was no way to hide, that person stepped forward and stammered:

"Succubus Lord, I've been captured for half a year, the longest among those still alive."

"I need you to answer a few questions for me."

Hearing Tijana's words, the person involuntarily looked up, only to be captivated by the Succubus Lord's intoxicating eyes, their gaze becoming increasingly blank.

"Now, you will answer my questions truthfully."

"As you command, my Lord."

"How long have you been on the Abyssal Plane?"

"27 weeks and 3 days, my Lord."

"Have you seen this bound Succubus before?"

"I have."

"Describe the scene at the time."

"We were being chased by a group of terrifying creatures. She drove them away and told us to follow the Stygian River where we would find a town built in the middle of the river, where we could earn shelter by working. However, a gorilla attacked our group on the way, and I was captured."

"I will send maids to patrol the surrounding area periodically," Tijana explained expressionlessly, unclear to whom. She continued to inquire:

"Have you seen her since then?"

"I have; she often came to find the big gorilla, and then they left this place together. Sometimes we could hear her screams from far away, and afterward, the gorilla would return here and eat one or two of our companions—it always ate them in front of us…"

The extraordinarily terrifying scene seemed to unfold once again before this man's eyes, causing his body to shake uncontrollably as his mind teetered on the brink of collapse. The red glow in Tijana's eyes blazed brighter, barely calming the man, who then collapsed, falling asleep on the ground.

With a fierce tug at the whip in her hand, Grace was dragged to Tijana's feet. Tijana released the whip from Grace's mouth and asked coldly,

"Do you have any last words?"

Grace spat a mouthful of bloody saliva against Tijana's boot fiercely.

"Torturing these people has brought me endless joy. I know who you really are, Tijana. Once the Demon Lords find out that you are..."

The whip that bound Grace suddenly emitted a burst of red light, silencing her midsentence as her flesh melted like butter, turning into a puddle of filth that seeped into the ground; only a skeleton remained, which turned to powder as Tijana retracted the whip, the wind scattering it, leaving no trace.

"I've changed my mind," she shrugged at Lancelot, "Let's bring these people back, if they wish to come."

No sooner had she finished speaking than the Succubus Lord's figure shimmered with a familiar glow and vanished from the spot.

Lancelot turned back to see everyone staring in stunned silence. He touched his nose and said,

"Do you have any questions that need answering?"

People hesitated, then all asked at once:

"Who are you? And who was that just now?"

"Where is this?"

"Are we free now? How do we get back?"

Lancelot looked helplessly at the barrage of questions, raising his voice to interrupt,

"Hold on! One at a time!"

The newly freed prisoners silenced at once. They looked at each other, and finally, the tall, thin man who had first greeted Lancelot spoke,

"Thank you again for rescuing us. We haven't had the chance to ask your name, Sir?"

"My name is Lancelot, and as you can see, I am a knight," Lancelot decided to forgo promoting the title of Paladin.

"Thank you, Sir Lancelot. My name is Kalalin, and I am a scholar. I don't hold out much hope, but I have to ask if you have a way to get us back to the Main Plane?"

"I'm ashamed to say that I, too, am searching for such a method," Lancelot replied with a wry smile.

"As expected," the man sighed, "My second question, pardon my bluntness, but... are we your captives now?"

"Of course not, you are free to go wherever you want," Lancelot hurried to clarify, "But this is the Abyss, and you don't have many options."

"Yes, ordinary people are like walking desserts on this plane, sigh," Kalalin sighed heavily. "I know that there are some neutral towns in the Abyss where mortals can survive as something other than slaves. Can you tell us about the place you're taking us to next?"

"Uh, actually, I've just arrived here myself and am undergoing a mercenary qualification assessment," Lancelot scratched his head, "Ordinary people can find refuge there as hired labor, but as you might guess, these are very hard and poorly paid jobs."

"Such work probably isn't suitable for me," Kalalin said despondently, feeling very hopeless about his future.

"There's a market district in the town. Maybe you can find a shop there willing to hire you?"

"Sigh, I guess I can only hope... And what was with those two Succubi just now?"

"The one killed was named Grace. Her Lord thought she had been kidnapped by that gorilla; my mission was to rescue her, but it turned out the two were lovers, and they hoped no one would expose their secret."

"What about the other Succubus? Was she the Lord's lieutenant?"

"Oh, no, that was the Lord herself, Tijana of Twin Bridges Town."

As Lancelot spoke, Kalalin looked as though he had been struck by lightning, his face etched with shock.

"You mean to say... that was... the Pearl of Stygian Riverbank, the legendary Tijana who rose to prominence three hundred years ago, the Lord of Twin Bridges Town?"

"Well, it should be her," Lancelot said, a bit puzzled, "Is she that famous?"

"To certain people, she's practically a superstar." Kalalin bowed deeply, "Allow me to reintroduce myself. My name is Kalalin, a Seeker of the Black Cult. Please ensure my safe arrival at Twin Bridges Town, I beg you!"