Chapter 3.12: The Plane In Between

(Deception 15 versus insight 18)
“What are you talking about?”
Lyssa is panting, tired from practising her voice. Her cheeks are red and she rests her hands on her knees to catch her breath.
“About this”, Dargothoth says and he holds up the golden medallion. “I took it off the cult leader to make sure it doesn’t fall into the wrong hands again. I thought I’d show it to Cyrzana and see what she could tell us about it.”
The siren raises her eyebrows.
“Well, that’s bullshit”, she says agitatedly. “You know as well as I do that you don’t do anything if it doesn't benefit you.”
He is surprised by her level of anger. Normally, she is one of the kindest persons he knows. He can’t have his companions doubting him now, not when they are about to go to Abaddon.
“That isn’t entirely true”, Dargothoth slowly says as he tries to not sound too defensively. “I just suggested Cyrzana to help you learn master that shattering spell. I did that for you, Lyssa. I can be helpful.”
She shakes her head doubtfully.
“I don’t think you would do it if it wouldn’t benefit you in some way. But I can give you the benefit of the doubt if you tell me what she just told you.”
He hesitates as he tries to keep a straight face. He doesn’t think it shows too much and he hopes Lyssa doesn’t poke through it.
(Persuasion 19)
“I was showing him this.” Cyrzana interrupts the tension between them and draws the siren’s attention to the amulet and away from Dargothoth. “It’s a symbol from a story called the Vault of the Singing Key. Have you ever heard of it?”
Her eyes widen and she shakes her head. “A vault? What kind of vault? What is the story about?”
The succubus tries to hide her smile by pouting her lips. They’re voluptuous, the perfect shape and she used it often to get anything she desired from the men she encountered. She wonders if it will work on Lyssa as well.

“The legend of the Vault of the Singing Key tells the story about the avarice of a demon known by the name All-Hoarder. He is the owner of the biggest bank in Abaddon, the Bank of Pell-Hellvaron, and it has an almost incomprehensible amount of wealth stored there. Because everyone in Abaddon knows this, it’s often a target of thieves. Although the entire building is guarded heavily and protection wards are cast everywhere, the All-Hoarder has stored his own most valuable and prized possessions in a magically hidden vault. To prevent someone from ever breaking into the vault, he has enchanted the key to never stay in the hands of someone who wants to steal his stuff for his or her own. It’s a key that tries to drive anyone insane who uses it. If someone survives its magical effects, it is believed the key will return to that person. I don’t know why the All-Hoarder would do this, because this is exactly how you lose your belongings. It might have something to do with his legacy, as it is commonly believed that who possesses the key to the vault, will become the new All-Hoarder when he dies... Which is hard, I believe, because I think he is immortal, but I could be wrong.”
Dargothoth looks at Lyssa with an open mouth, surprised with what he just heard and wondering if she remembers what he is remembering. It looks like she does, because she is almost squealing with joy.
“You gotta be fucking kidding me”, she shouts with a high-pitched voice. “We found a key like this a while back and it sang to me. It almost drove me crazy, but I fought it off. I opened a chest with it and then it disappeared.”
“Seriously?” Cyrzana stares back at her with the same kind of confusion and surprise. “Tell me what was written on the key.”
Lyssa closes her eyes as she tries to remember.
“It said something along the lines of that I should use it in times of need. Oh, and when I recited the rhyme aloud, three chests appeared. Does the story say something about this as well?”
The succubus nods enthusiastically.
“This is good. This is really promising.” Cyrzana stares into the distance. “Maybe you’ll encounter it again when you come to Abaddon. I have high hopes. Just don’t be too greedy, okay?”
Dargothoth laughs.
“Well, that might be a bit of a problem, unfortunately.”
Lyssa squints her eyes and gives him a nasty look. She turns back to her teacher.
“But where do I start looking? I don’t know how big Abaddon is, but trying to find a magical key without knowing where to look, sounds like an impossible task.”
The succubus shrugs her shoulders teasingly and puts her hand on her shoulder, squishing it gently. They smile at each other.
“I know someone who might be willing to help you look for it. In my family’s palace you can find my baby brother, Inaemos. Just tell him you met me. Judging by the looks of you, he would be more than happy to help in any way possible. He is an incubus after all.”
She blushes. She knows the stories about the incubi well. They are quite similar to those of the succubi, with the main difference that all incubi are men. She has always wanted to meet one.
“Well, if he’s just as pretty as you are, Cyrzana, I think we will have a very good time indeed.”