text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy, fantasy, war]
  
  You're not going to make the quota in time. Big Red gave a task he knew you'd fail so you'd get desperate and end up signing the contract for the other deal.
  
  Your better plan is to wait for the baby and shore up what remains of your defenses against undead attacks so you can survive to be rid of the spawn and use its blood as a loophole for the contract.
  
  You don't have too many other options.
  
  TR 12
  
  You look out the window and see the land barely clinging to life. You think there might be a patch of grass that's still green and a small tree in your immediate area, but that's about it. It's a good thing you'll be getting out of here soon. Reports of some robed wraith like figure have recently been sighted on the continent. The being just kills anything living that's near it. It doesn't even have to do anything.
  
  You can only guess it's the same being that killed Francis based on what Belina told you last year. Seems like a lifetime ago though.
  
  Honestly it probably was a good thing you stopped sacrificing svelk and trapping their souls when you did since it seemed to slow down the undead incursions at least in the short term. Maybe you were indirectly pissing off the Death God trapping souls like you were.
  
  As you move away from the window, you hold your baby close to you, which is grabbing at your tits to suck on.
  
  "Don't worry little one, mommy will make your death quick. And your death will be helpful mommy too, which already makes you more useful than my pathetic daughter ever was. I suppose you deserve one last meal though. Drink deeply." You say clutching the child and allowing him to feed.
  
  As the baby drinks his last, you grab your dagger from your bed table. When he seems to be finished his eyes are closed looking completely content. If he hasn't gone to sleep immediately, he's well on his way.
  
  "Oh you males. You get what you want, and then fall right to sleep don't you?" you say bringing the dagger up closer to the child.
  
  Before you strike, you'd be lying if things were different, there's a part of you that would be curious to actually try to raise this one. Maybe you'd get a competent one this time. Then you shake your head smiling.
  
  "No, he wouldn't even exist in any other situation and even if he did, he'd just grow up to be another disappointment, like all children I raise. Goodbye son." You whisper and slash open the baby's throat. It makes nothing but a gurgling noise and just bleeds out like a stuck pig.
  
  You quickly gather the blood (which is now all over the top part of you) in a nearby bottle that was also on your bed table.
  
  You fill it up and then wrap up the baby's bloody body in more blankets. You then call for Arrak who comes in soon after.
  
  "Yes Mistress?" he asks, not batting an eye at the bloody bundle in your arms.
  "Take this and dispose of it how you see fit." You say and hand off the corpse to him.
  
  Arrak takes the dead baby and leaves without saying another word.
  
  You never did bother to tell Arrak he was the father, you aren't sure if he ever suspected, but he never addressed you about it. Either he didn't want anything to do with it anyway, or more correctly believed that if you really wanted him to be involved, you would have told him.
  
  Wasting no more time you immediately go to the table where Big Red's contract still lays. You look it over again and see it's changed slightly from the first time you looked over it last year. Typical infernal contract, always with the loopholes.
  
  Big Red probably didn't think you could read infernal and granted you don't understand all the words which could be enough to doom you. However, you've made your play and just hope you don't damn yourself.
  
  You take a quill, dip it in your baby's blood and write your signature. No sign of Big Red yet, but you imagine it won't be long. You start to become very nervous, as you've made this final gambit a reality.
  
  Big Red suddenly appears.
  
  "Ah, so you have made your decision. Good thing too, I can already tell this world is nearly at its end. Or at least this continent. In any case, I trust you have the hundred souls?" Big Red says.
  "A few more than a hundred actually, but I imagine you already KNEW I wasn't going to make a thousand in time." You say.
  "Well I wouldn't be good at my job if I couldn't judge these things. I do thank you for the extra souls though."
  "The souls are in the chests over there." You say pointing to a couple of them against the wall.
  "Excellent, I'll just take a look and we'll soon be on our way."
  
  Big Red goes over to the chests and opens them. He then turns to you.
  
  "Looks good, now I need to just look over the contract just as a formality. I have to say Semra, I'm looking very forward to all the time we're going to soon be spending together."
  
  You wait as Big Red reads over the contract. He this looks up and smiles causing your heart to sink. You knew it was a long shot, but somehow you thought you'd still win.
  
  You maintain your composure, but you actually feel mildly sick at the reality of the situation.
  
  "Nice try, but while the blood of your baby makes the contract valid, it doesn't make you exempt from our deal. I see Gikil talked you into my plan." Big Red says.
  "Ah, of course. Your plan. I knew he couldn't have come up with that idea himself." You reply.
  "Honestly, I'm surprised it worked since I'm equally surprised you were foolish enough to listen him. Where is Gikil anyway, I would have thought he'd want to be here to gloat about how he saved his worthless hide by selling you out."
  "He's been dead for months."
  "I see. Did you kill him after you mated with him?"
  "No, he died in battle. The baby wasn't even his."
  "Interesting. Well I suppose this has gone even better than expected. Now I don't have to honor my agreement with him. So I suppose there's nothing left now then to get on with honoring the rest of this contract, though I have another question which is do you really want to go through with it?"
  "What do you mean?"
  "Well I mean you know I already have a claim on your lovely soul and I could just kill you now if you wish to get the waiting over with for the both of us. It's a win-win really, you don't have to wait with the doom of going to hell forever looming over your head and I will be in a much more generous mood about your...situation."
  "How generous exactly?"
  "Let's just say, you wouldn't be just a form a prized piece of currency to be used up or even a personal source of enjoyment, I'd actually consider you something a lesser advisor on certain plans I have. I would be most interested in hearing your insight on some matters."
  "That is a very generous offer, but considering you're a demon, well I'm sure you understand if I don't quite believe you."
  "What is there to gain by lying? Granted I could be, but I see no reason to as I already have your soul. Whether I wait for you to die or you agree for me to kill you right now makes little difference in the scheme of things. Just remember though, I may not be as generous later."
  
  You gambled and lost; now you're getting the chance to gamble again. Big Red is probably getting a big kick out of playing this game with you especially now that he's all but won, but there really isn't anything you can do now except keep playing it or surrender to him completely and hope he's telling the truth.
  
  > Surrender
  You usually aren't one to jump into a situation without at least a plan, but what's the point now? Big Red outplayed you and what remains is just prolonging the inevitable.
  
  You can only hope that Big Red is sincere in his offer, but that's a lot of hope and probably misplaced. Still, there's a part of you that doesn't even care. You lost what you really wanted and you tried your best to cheat death for centuries, but it all wasn't enough. You're just done with it all.
  
  "Fine. I surrender." You say.
  "Wait, really?" Big Red remarks.
  "Yes."
  "You are just full of surprises. I sort of expected you to attempt to kill me when we got to the infernal realm. You would have lost of course."
  "Of course. Hence why I didn't do it."
  "You also could have just went to the new world and lived out the rest of your life there. You could have even tried to seek some sort of immortality to try to cheat your fate."
  "I suppose so, but honestly I think I'm just done with it all. I'm tired and I don't have the patience or even the energy to start all over again on some new world."
  "You do realize you won't get any rest in the afterlife?"
  "Yeah I suppose not, but I'm guessing I won't have the burden of having to be in charge anymore."
  "Well you got that one right."
  "Hrm. So, did you actually mean what you said, or am I going to just be sucking your cock for all eternity?"
  "Well since it wasn't in a contract, I suppose the infernal thing for me to do would be to completely fuck you over, but that would be rather predictable so you're in luck and I'll honor our unofficial deal. Of course you will still be sucking my cock on occasion, among other things."
  "Great, can't wait."
  "Glad to hear it. I like it when a lesser complies so willingly don't you?"
  "Yeah, it was pretty satisfying once."
  "Okay, well I'll do you another favor and make your death quick so we can get on with it."
  
  Before you can say another word, Big Red suddenly puts his fist into your chest and crushes your heart. You blink once in shock and then slump lifelessly as Big Red pulls his fist out of you.
  
  Everything goes black.
  
  When you wake up, you're in a very different place.
  
  You're on a fairly nice bed and well-furnished room with a single door, which is closed. The coloring is mostly red and it's warm enough to be slightly uncomfortable.
  
  You instinctively feel your chest and look down to see that you have no obvious wound. You also see that you're naked.
  
  You can only guess you're in hell, you don't feel any different though. Not yet at least.
  
  You get up and off the bed, and are about to explore the room when Big Red enters.
  
  "Ah, you're up. Good." Bug Red says.
  "How long was I out?" you ask.
  "Not long, but then who can be bothered to keep track of time in a place where it doesn't mean much right? Anyway, I hope you like the room. Tried to make it as appealing to your mortal sensibilities as possible."
  "It's a little warm."
  "Yes, well this is hell so it normally is. Sorry, but nothing can be done about that. I've lowered the temperature about as much as I feel comfortable with. I'm not one of those oddball frost infernals. Not to mention this is still my dwelling so I make the rules. Speaking of rules, going to need you to get back on that bed and on all fours. Quick as you can."
  
  You're a little taken aback and Big Red's face displays some annoyance.
  
  "Come on Semra, you came here willingly, contract and even submission. Are you REALLY going to fight me on this now? Because that will NOT go well for you."
  "No! I just didn't know we were going to do that immediately. I thought I was to be more of an advisor."
  "And so you shall be, but we have to get to some of the humiliation first. I mean you are here for a reason. You didn't expect that you were going to just continue your existence here in relative bliss did you? Granted I will be gentler than most would be, but this is happening and similar things will happen from time to time. Now we can do this the easy way and you maintain your favored status with me, or we can do it the hard way and...well you not find your quarters as relaxing to exist in during the downtime."
  
  Not much you can do except comply, so you do. Big Red gets behind you.
  
  "Alright, now spread those cheeks wide because I'm going in raw."
  
  At first you think he's going to just fuck you in the ass, but it's a little worse than just simple anal violation. A lot worse.
  
  Big Red liked "fisting" you the first time he punched a hole through your chest to crush your heart so he decides to do it again, though this time he decides to do it by shoving his whole arm up your ass through your insides, totally ripping everything apart.
  
  The pain is nothing like you've ever felt before and naturally because you're already dead and in hell, you feel all of it without passing out. Your whole body shudders and you're screaming to the point of tears. Big Red makes a few comments to you, which only he finds humorous.
  
  Eventually he stops and pulls his arm out the extra large hole he's made. You can't stop crying and just bury your face in the pillows. While nowhere near as bad as it feels, the sounds you hear are horrible as well.
  
  "Yes, satisfying. Well you're nice and loose now, guess it's time for the real fun." Big Red says and then shoves his big barbed dick into you, shattering part of your lower spine and ripping up whatever insides he didn't destroy when he fisted you.
  
  After you don't know how long, eventually Big Red pulls out. You think that's finally the end of it, but then you feel a couple of clawed hands forcefully lift your head up out of the pillows. You already know what's coming next...
  
  Big Red finishes his pleasure by ramming his dick into your mouth, breaking your jaw, shredding through your tongue and teeth. He releases down your throat, which burns your esophagus. You can't scream out until he pulls out and when that happens you're mostly just coughing and gagging up blood, seed and bits of flesh and teeth.
  
  "Well that was fun. I admit, I don't normally indulge in this sort of base act, since I'm so busy with more important things, but we all slaves to urges I suppose. While I know you're lying in a big puddle of your own mess right now, I suggest you just stay put until you heal up, which should be relatively soon. Then again your back is broken, I doubt if you could walk anyway. I tried to be as gentle as I could, but...well you know how it is when in the throes of passion."
  
  You can barely lift your head up to even look at Big Red, let alone speak.
  
  "In any case, I'll be back later to ask your advice on some minor things I have going on. And if your advice proves useful, I'll start consulting you on more important things. Of course if it doesn't, well..."
  
  Big Red lifts your head up with a single hand under your broken jaw. He looks into your eyes and now you see an evil that pales in comparison to anything you ever managed to do.
  
  "Remember this."
  
  With those words, Big Red leaves you to wallow in your pain and poor judgment.
  
  Time passes and eventually your body does indeed completely regenerate, your mind however is another story.
  
  Your time in hell has just begun and worst part of all this isn't the bodily torture or the threats of worse to come.
  
  The worst part is you gave up. You think back that you allowed your moment of weakness to submit. You willingly became a slave in the hopes for a slightly better fate.
  
  You could potentially become very useful to Big Red, but it won't matter. The weight that you gave in will never go away and always torture you.
  
  Even with the loss of your soul, you were still ALIVE and could have tried to figure out another way to get out of the situation.
  
  But you didn't and now it's too late.