The Fiasco at Scala

The Damned, part nine

9. Back in the mortal world, the Devil witnessed a large crowd of human protesters at the palace gates objecting to the ineffective provisional rule of the evil one in maintaining law and order in the kingdom. He knew how mortals could be easily persuaded to change their ways and could be corrupted by any means necessary, so he showered the subjects of his new kingdom in golden coins and alcohol to placate their thirst for rebellion. In their stupor of drunken greed, the Devil convinced the masses to take to the streets and pillage the mansions and estates of the rich and famous at their own behest, a plan that went as smoothly as the smoke columns that began to rise across the island from raiding mobs doing the Devil's work. The Devil himself did not intend to rule the kingdom of Scala forever, but rather watch it fall into ruin and destroy itself from the inside out. 

He knew nothing would last forever, from the state of the kingdom to the opposition posed by Ilaria and her team who were cavorting in Hell looking for the fabled objects that epitomized the Devil's talent at the skilful trade. For centuries, the Devil had been called upon by helpless and desperate mortals who needed to boost themselves and their reputation. These mortals in need would usually come to the king of darkness for help in their matters, whether it was money or ability, they received whatever they needed, just as long as they signed a deal with the Devil. 

This could not prove anymore to be one of the worst deals made in the history of the cosmos, as the Devil would eventually have his way and tip the natural order into balance by condemning the soul who had needed them to eternity in the mildly infinite chasms of his underworld lair. The Devil had to admit that several souls had managed to slip through his fingers and avoid their eventual fate, but he did not want to suffer the same fate to a banished queen and her crazed brother. If he went into Hell, it could lead to a direct confrontation. What the Devil needed was for Ilaria to be distanced from the rest of her party, easy enough to kill by the Devil's standards, but this could only be achieved through her return to the mortal world for Ilaria to face him in person. For the time being, all the Devil could do was wait and command his mortal legions to do everything in their power to destroy the kingdom of Scala beyond repair.