The third day for Internship Week was on the way, and Joshua was off to learn about the next lesson as the devil's intern: serving as commander-in-chief for a whole army. Lucifer led Joshua to this training facility located outside Inferno Tower, all the way down its crooked road. There Joshua met those that guard the damned, the Doomsguard. Like any army the demons—young and old—signed on to be soldiers for the Inferno. 

Lu left Joshua under the care of one of the young demon soldiers of the outpost. "No worries. I'll treat him like my kid brother." Those his exact words to his king as he led Joshua through the wreck rooms. "Welcome to the Doomsguard, kid. Outpost 13."

The soldiers were young. Their ages varied different centuries but they all looked and sounded like they were in their twenties. Like Babylon and the Tower, he saw a different assortment of demons. Some looked reptilian, some looked like goats or satyrs, and some were the humanoid incubi and succubi. There were even a couple that were hybrids like his friend Dominic, part demon and part succubi or incubi.

Joshua got to know several of the young recruits. At first they joked about eating him—which made Joshua very nervous—but they liked his company. They even introduced him to the personal friend of the guard: the FyreBlast-23. An automatic assault rifle, flamethrower, and grenade launcher all in one. Each clip loaded with a .300 Winchester Magnum bullet casing, powerful enough to tear a scavenger and soul to meaty pieces.

The pleasantries and jokes ended quickly when a loud whistle signaled them all to attention. In rows of two they stood. Joshua stood among them too. The recruits hoped the kid would meet their drill instructor, a demon that was harsh but laid back, yet someone worse arrived.

CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!

Another succubus marched inside the barracks. This one had skin was light blue like the ocean. Her hair, or what's left, trimmed short to the skin. She wore a pitch black tank top and dark camo pants. Large, thick dark sunglasses, that looked like an eclipsed sun, hid her savage eyes. Her face was stern, not at all friendly like Lilith or Sitri.

All of the Inferno knew her by name and reputation: General Belial. The first succubus to reach the rank of general, and to become the supreme commander of the Doomsguard. A rumor floated that she yanked the wings off an archangel once with her bare hands, long ago during the Heaven-Hell War. Didn't even scorch her.

CLUNK! CLUNK! CLUNK!

The metallic peg that replaced her left leg tapped across the cold floor with each step. As she walked down the rows the recruits tried their hardest to stand still and not flinch when she darted them. They dared not breathe or sweat with the general present. Punishment from her was similar to how the condemned souls were treated.

"This is for all you new faces here in my beloved guard." she hollered. Joshua made himself not jump when the general spoke, "My name is General Belial. Yet the only thing I want to hear out of your pie holes is 'ma'am' or 'general'. Is that clear?"

"Yes ma'am." the recruits uttered in unison. 

"Bullcrap! Make it sound convincing!"

"YES MA'AM!" they all shouted louder.

"Unfortunately your drill instructor is out sick today. But lucky for you maggots, I volunteered to give you some serious P.T. We're gonna P.T. until your legs pop right off. Doesn't that sound good?"

"YES MA'AM!"

"We are the Doomsguard. Nothing in the Inferno gets in or out without our say so. We are born from hellfire and we crap hot coal. We shoot for kills and for thrills. We're lean, mean, killing machines that smashed open the gates of Heaven and march through the fields of Eden. And we did so as one superior unit.

"I don't care what you are or who you were. I don't look down on purebloods, half-breeds, succubi, or incubi. I don't care if you're endowed with magical abilities or not. I don't care if you were born from Hell or reborn from a soul. To me, you're all equally worthless, and you'll all receive the same amount of treatment. Do you maggots understand me?"

They answered. "YES MA'AM!"

She cocked her head to the left. "You!" Her eyes locked with one of the recruits.

"Yes ma'am!" he answered. The recruit looked a lot like Moloch. Not in physique or appearance, but he had his horns, red skin, and dark eyes. 

"You're one of Moloch's boys, ain't ya?" the general moved a couple feet closer to Moloch's eldest son.

"Yes ma'am!" he answered again.

"Are you the scrawny little maggot that died at childbirth?"

"No ma'am! That was one of my younger brothers. And he's not dead now, ma'am!"

"Your daddy was a war hero. He ever talk about the war?"

"Just once, ma'am."

"Good. Then he wasn't lying about it. Now you better live up to his reputation, or he's gonna wish you'd died so he wouldn't be embarrassed by your existence!"

Moloch's son gave the general his final answer. "YES MA'AM!" 

The succubus general carried on. She waltzed a few feet down the line until she sized up to another recruit. This one looked like a toad with his pudgy body and blank, round eyes. 

"What's your excuse?" Belial asked him.

"Excuse for what, sir?" her next victim responded.

Belial's hand slapped around the recruit's meaty throat. "SIR?" she berated. "YOUR MOTHER IS A SIR! Do I look masculine to you, soldier?"

"No, ma'am!" the recruit choked. "Just a slip-up."

"Slip-ups getcha killed, private!"

"Sorry."

"Sorry what?"

"Sorry, general."

"Oh, so I'm a sorry general now, that it?"

"No ma'am!"

Acknowledging his mistake, the general released her grasp. The toad-like recruit cough some fresh air back into his lungs but remained at attention. General Belial continued her onslaught. "Tell me, why did you join my beloved guard?"

"To shoot scavengers, ma'am!"

"Scavengers were souls once. Do you have sympathy for them?"

"No ma'am!"

"Were you a soul once?"

"No ma'am!"

"I bet you were once a scroungy little soul that got damned down here because he liked fondling little boy pee-pees! You can bet your ass I'll be watching you!"

General Belial moved back down the line. Her march then led her to another recruit. This one a doe satyr with small eyes, pale skin, brown fur, and a pair of small, nubby horns on the back of her head.

The general eyed the small female. Her gaze then concentrated on a tattoo, on her right shoulder. "What is that?" She demanded an answer. Her brows scrunched into her sunglasses.

"A tattoo, ma'am!" the doe answered.

"Are tattoos allowed in my barracks, private?" 

"No ma'am!" 

"Then why the hell do you have one on your skin, private?"

"It's brand new, ma'am!"

"Is it now?" Belial's struck against the fresh tattoo. The doe felt the sting but she dared not flinch in front of the general. "Where should that tattoo be next time?"

"Apologies, ma'am." the recruit gasped. "I'll have it covered next time."

"Damn right you will."

Their conversation ended when Belial marched off again. A couple feet down then she paused. She felt something off in her guard. Her neck curved to the right. There was a gap between two other recruits. If there was one thing she despised it was gaps in her beloved guard.

Her neck tilted down. There's the problem. Joshua Wordsworth, standing in the row and staring at the general. The general whipped off her sunglasses to get a better look at this new face. For the first time Joshua saw the succubus' eyes. Clear blue, like her skin and hair.

General Belial approached the human boy. Her shadow engulfed the boy's small body. "Well, what do we got here?" she said, her tone a little calmer. A grin groomed on her lips. "A human among demons. What brings you down here?"

"I'm here as an intern for-"

"SPEAK UP, KID!" the general snapped. "Or am I talking to a mouse?"

"Internship for the devil, ma'am!" Joshua answered anxiously. His words nearly jumbled together.

"What's your name, son?"

"Joshua Wordsworth.

"What's that around your neck?" A blue finger pointed at the cross that Joshua carried on him.

"My rosary, uh ma'am." Joshua answered, trying to avoid being yelled again.

"So you're a Christian?"

"Yes ma'am."

"What kind? Catholic? Protestant? Lutheran?"

"Evangelical."

"Ah, the fun kind."

Josh's eyes couldn't help but stare at the general's leg. Just a stump attached to a long metal shaft that stretched into half her humerus. Josh tried not to stare too long at it, but the general already noticed. 

"What are you eyeballing at, boy?" Her hand slapped against the metal, taunting the poor human boy. "You like this? You got a prosthetic fetish I should know about?"

"Uh, no ma'am." 

Belial's calm demeanor reverted back to her aggressive nature. "You don't think I look pretty with this leg on, kid? You don't think I look attractive?"

Joshua gulped. "Wha? N-no that's not-"

"Oh so you're gay then. That why you don't find me attractive?"

"No! No! I'm not gay-"

"Then why are you in my beloved guard then?"

"I don't know! To do what you tell me to do?" Joshua shouted. It echoed through the barracks.

The general's smile returned. "To do what I tell you to do. I like that answer. Well done, son." 

She turned from him and addressed the recruits. "Take note from this boy, maggots. If you do what I say, when I say it, if you follow my directions and proceed with my training, you will survive. You will live at the end, until the end. We are the Doomsguard! When Hell rises, we help raise it!

"Now all of you! Drop and give me twenty!"

The recruits obeyed. The dropped to the icy floors, hands and legs spread out. They all pushed themselves up and down, counting the number of push-ups their general wanted. Joshua even joined in with the recruits.

Belial marched down to the entrance where her king, Lu, watched them all. "How's my intern holding up, Bel?" he asked his loyal general.

"Sir, your intern seems to be doing fine," she answered. "Boy's got brains and guts, and that's good enough for me. If he was really part of my guard, I'd give him a metal."

The glistening bowl of tangled spaghetti strands was mesmerizing to me. I could see little snippets of my face reflected by the glassy beads of oil. Here and there were bright splotches of sauce masquerading as rivers of blood. As I bent closer to determine what else was contained therein, I watched frozen in horror as tentacles of the pasta reached up toward me and captured me in their arms.

“Leave me alone,” I protested to no avail as I was drawn further and further into the frightening dish of noodles. “Why are you doing this?”

Since I could no longer fight the inevitable threat of my capture, I decided to take a moment out of my fear to survey my surroundings. Little pink shrimp wiggled toward me with their devouring mouths. Bits of sausage promised to suffocate me as they formed a barrier around me. The spices were the worst. They marched in formation toward my nose, attempting to annihilate me. The smell of garlic impregnated my body as it rubbed its torso against me. I had no idea how to escape the terrorization of the spaghetti bowl.

At last, I thought of a solution. I opened my mouth wide and began to gobble up the little morsels as if I were a little Pac man. The strands and chunks slid smoothly down my esophagus. Soon I was alone in the bowl. I struggled valiantly to propel my body over the edge of the container to find myself becoming my normal size once again. I felt free and alive.

But no! My belly was killing me as I doubled over in pain. The little warriors were now inside me, burning their acid through my stomach lining. The garlic and the assorted spices had teamed up together to cause me misery. The spaghetti was pummeling my insides like a drum. The small shrimp used my insides as a trampoline. I knew now that I could not withstand the torture. I pasta way to my dismay!

Lu, Joshua, and the rest of Lu's gang all sat inside a large room with an oval shaped table. 

"Welcome to the meeting room." the devil proclaimed to his intern. "Here is where we discuss different methods of torturing souls. No worries, there's no gore or violence. Just talk."

"Yeah," Balthazar added, "Talk about gore and violence." The others laughed at his comment, including Joshua. 

Joshua seemed to be adapting well to his demonic company. His business was kept mostly in the upper portions of Inferno Tower, which he was glad to be part of. No torturing, no screaming, no sort of abuse against souls. He didn't even have to look a poor soul wandering around the towel, with the exception for one or two used as a servants.

While Lu rambled on during the meeting, Joshua did as he normally would: doodle in his journal. Ghuul peeked over the boy's shoulder with his lazy eye. "Hey kid." he whispered. "Whatcha working on?"

"Just some doodles."

Ghuul caught a glimpse of the boy's artwork. Superheroes battling supervillains, monsters on top of skyscrappers, UFO's hovering in space. Typical drawings for a boy his age, yet there was much more attention to detail with every pencil mark he made.

"Say, you got some serious talent." Ghuul added.

"You think so?"

"Kid, you should do some serious business with this."

"I don't think my mom would approve." Joshua said hesitantly. The thought of his mother's disapproval worried him. He knew that she preferred that his talents was put to use serving God as an educator or a priest.

"And what does your pops think?"

Joshua frowned. "I don't think his opinion matters anymore." he muttered to himself.

"May we keep all eyes and ears on me, please?" Lu demanded. All eyes were now focused on him. "Now as you all know we gotta come up with new methods of torture. Some techniques are still good, others are a little dated. But we don't want them too broken. Otherwise you know what becomes of them."

"What happens?" Joshua asked.

"Scavengers." The hulking Moloch growled.

"Filthy, festering diseases that kill and eat everything." the devil explained.

Lilith shuttered. "Yeeek! Scavengers. Every time I think about them, I need to shower in holy water."

"Don't even joke about that." Balthazar said. "I'd take the scavengers over what holy water could do any day."

"Yes, yes, we know the damage scavengers and holy water can do," Lu interrupted, "but now we need some new methods to punish all those damned down here. Any ideas." The room was silent. "Come on, there are no stupid ideas."

"How about we boil them in hot sauce?" The short bat-looking demon Scrugs suggested to the group.

"That's a stupid idea." his boss retorted. "Next?"

"We could bring back the prongs?" Ghuul said.

"We haven't used those since the Crusades," Lu then turned his gaze over to Joshua. A nasty smile formulated back onto his lips. "Intern, what about you? Got any fresh ideas?"

All demonic eyes were on Josh now. Joshua started getting nervous. His throat was becoming dry and lumpy. He had to think of something fast. One idea popped into his head, yet he wasn't sure if these dark beings would approve. "Uh, just one," he muttered, "Can we get TubeFlix in here?"

The devil pressed a button on a remote while a large projector screen lowered behind him. He then proceeded to take his seat in his large chair, which dwarfed all the other chairs around him. 

The remote slid over to Joshua's spot. After examining the remote, he pressed the button that read 'TUBEFLIX'. The screen showed a wide variety of shows and movies for everyone's viewing pleasure. Joshua flipped through the alphabetized catalog of titles until he found the show that remembered watching through much of his childhood.

The title showed a bright background of disgusting sunshine and happiness. The few kids featuring on the cover were despicably happy. The most heinous image was the adult man, cosplayed as a superhero, who stood at the center of the cover box. The man's costume, which was just low budget body armor of a forgotten movie set, was painted bright blue like the fake sky background. His mask covered most of his face, probably to hide his shame. On his back was a cape that looked like a regular bath towel. But the one feature that drew everyone's attention was the large cross that was painted on the "hero's" chest.

"Captain Christian and the Holy Helpers?" Lu read the title. His face scrunched up in confusion. "What is this crap?"

"Something my mom had me watch when I was younger." Joshua said.

"That explains it," Moloch growled again.

Joshua pressed play and the show began. It opened with the titular hero talking about a certain dead carpenter and how much he loved everyone. Joshua overheard his demonic cohorts make a few jokes about the character, unaware of the real horror that awaited them all.

As the episode continued, the protagonist would confront a child, talking to each about their problems. The hero and the child would then say a prayer and the problem was magically fixed. The phrase 'what are we watching' was tossed around much each member of the room. The demons slumped over the desk, dazed and petrified by what they were watching. Joshua, on the other hand, sat perfectly normal, unfazed by the show's campy nature. 

All the demons breathed a sigh of relief when the credits finally rolled. "Oh thank god it's over," Lilith gasped.

"That's just the first episode." Joshua said.

"THERE'S MORE?!?" All the demons screamed. 

The show continued onto the second episode. Each episode was the same scenario. A kid has problems, Captain Christian comes in and talks, they pray, problems solved. Once in a while he would have to battle monsters and costumed baddies, but the fights were so poorly choreographed the hero might have sneezed and won the fight.

It was torturous. The demons could barely hang on to their sanity. Both Ghuul and Balthazar wept on Lilith's shoulders as Lilith lightly panted their heads. Scrugs tied himself a noose out of paperclips around his neck. Even the mighty Moloch, who was the toughest of the group, couldn't stand it. His head smacked into the desk so many times that a crater was beginning to form.

The devil himself look completely lobotomized. His mouth gaped open for a fly to buzz right in. His scarlet eyes blank of life. He wished that he was repeatedly cast out of Heaven so that it would spare him having to watch more of this fiendish show.

The credits rolled again. "That's the end of the first season." Joshua muttered, "Only seven more to go."

"NO MORE!" Lu popped back to life. "No more. I can't take it. This is sick. This is evil!" 

His lips curled up. "I love it! This this just what we need."

Dis, city of demons. A festering hive of scum and villainy. The hellish streets were covered in dust and littered paper. Its inhabitants scurried from one sin-filled building to the next. No different from Detroit. And at the heart of this rustic city was its popular attraction, Babylon. A place where hard working demons can come in and relax, enjoying the festivities of its nightly raves and live entertainment.

Lu, Joshua, and the gang — consisting once again of Lilith, Scrugs, Balthazar, Ghuul, and Moloch — stood out side the popular resort, studying its marvelous structure. It was a very moldy looking building, crooked as the city it nested within. It looked like four different buildings were poorly stacked on top of each other. But the one thing that caught Joshua's eye was a neon sign flashing 'Live Girls & Guys'.

"You're taking me to a strip club?" Joshua gasped.

"It's not a strip club," the devil coughed, "It's a... well... it's like a Hooters restaurants."

"Yeah, it's totally family friendly." Ghuul added, "They do kid's birthday parties too."

"What am I suppose to learn here?" Joshua asked. He was started to get a little irritated with the devil and his demons' antics.

"What every good boss should do," Lu said, "First, check to see how their businesses are holding up. Second, and most importantly, get to know their employees. I own the joint now, and I've gotten familiar with some of the hardest working folks this side of the Inferno."

Lu, Joshua, and the others all entered into the popular clubhouse, where they were greeted by an employee at the front. It was another succubus much like Lilith, but her skin tone was mint green, and her eyes and hair were greedy jade. Her black leather top matched her skin-tight shorts. Her smile was paired perfectly with her luscious personality.

"Welcome to Babylon." she greeted. Her voice was very soothing and flirtatious. "My name is Sitri. I am here to serve your greatest desires."

"Hello, my dear." the devil gave a sneer. "Table for seven, if you please."

"Very well, my lord." The waitress replied. Her gaze then focused on Moloch like a hungry predator. Her deadly smile curled all around. 

Moloch's champed lips also made a flirty grin. His brows bounced about the more he thought about this sexy little creature. Sitri strutted her way towards the hulking behemoth and wrapped herself inside his large, muscular arms.

"Well hello to you, my favorite customer." She winked at him. Her fingers crawled along his pecs like a flirting daddy long-legs. "Been a while since you dropped by. I was beginning to feel lonely."

Moloch held the waitress close to him. His large hand gave her a couple pats on her rump, which the green succubus greatly enjoyed. The rest of the company chuckled as they watched their friend get lucky. All but Joshua were amused.

He did not know this stranger but he knew Moloch was the father of his friend. From what he knew he was married with twenty-three other children. The ideal that this huge demon was flirting with this employee felt it was disrespecting a sacred bond that he was taught. He then figured that all demons probably cheat on their wives at some point.

Sitri then led the group deep to the building. Inside the clubhouse it was alive with color. Not just from the employees but also the flashing strobe lights and color-coated dance stage. The interior clean, polished, unlike its exterior. There was a large stage where dancing incubi and succubi entertained a cheering crowd. Catchy techno music blast through the surrounding sound system which made the employees on stage dance wildly on the poles.

The employees were strictly one of two species of demons: the very humanoid succubi and incubi. The succubi Joshua was already familiar with, having been associated with Lilith before. The incubi were much like their colorful sisters. Very near human with the exception of their hair, skin, and eyes a multitude of colors from a demonic rainbow. The only difference was the whole population were made of males, just as their counterparts, the succubi, were made of females. And unlike their female counterparts, the males were topless, wearing only skin-tight, black leather shorts as their clothing.

It did not matter the gender or sexual preference, these two species kept a wild crowd under their control with the help of their pheromones they secretly emitted. Yet there was some type of mist in the air that helped shine on the pheromones, making them sparkle like a night lit sky.

Once Sitri had the group placed at a large, rounded table. She wrote down everyone's orders. A double bourbon for Lu, a couple beers for Balthazar and Ghuul, a dry martini for Lilith, a strawberry milkshake for Scrugs, and a glass of water for Joshua Wordsworth.

She then went to Moloch for his order. But instead of standing like she did with the others, she plopped herself down into his lap. Her small form made her look like a doll compared to the muscle bound demon.

"What about you, big boy?" Sitri flirted again. "Wanna taste of the appetizer? Or would you rather have the whole dish?"

"Careful ma'am." Balthazar teased, "He's a happy, married demon."

Moloch's dark eyes darted at his friend. A low-sounding growl bellowed out of him. He was not amused by the comment, and neither was Joshua. 

Sitri's hand moved Moloch's head back to her enchanting gaze, which seemed to calm him back down, "Oh I'm sure the missus won't mind at all." she said.

"Wonder what the rest can get, eh love?" Lilith joined in, also giving her colorful kin a flirtatious wink.

Sitri tittered, "Sorry but this one's got me all to himself."

Moloch stood up from his spot and walked off, carrying the green succubus in his biceps. The two never took their loving gazes off each other. Their smiles complimented each other too. 

Joshua felt like his was going to barf from all this grown demon, lovey-dovey, adultery. "Is there a bathroom around here?"

"Down that way," Lu pointed to the other end of the building. Joshua jumped from his seat and made his way there. He didn't really have to go to the bathroom but he needed a minute to separate himself from the others.

Joshua wandered around the large clubhouse. He noticed there was definitely more than just a dance studio. There were also slot machines, a large dance floor for partying demons, and an arcade area for more entertainment. Maybe that arcade is for the aforementioned kids, Joshua pondered. Perhaps he could hang out there for a bit until their food arrived.

Before Joshua could make his way towards the arcade he saw someone exit out of one of the bathrooms. There was a boy too. A demon child. But this demon child looked familiar. Black hair, orange hoodie, and a pointed, serpentine tail. 

The boy looked like Dominic, a friend of his and Rosemary's. Finally a familiar face, and someone around his age. But what was he doing here? Certainly not old enough to be a customer. He watched as his friend entered into another room with an open door.

Joshua rushed over to see what his friend was doing. At the entrance of the doorway he watched as the other boy took a seat at desk inside what looked to be a large dressing room, likely used by the employees. Dominic then picked up a pencil from his bag and started writing away on some paper. On his desk were also some textbooks for different courses. From what Joshua could tell they weren't about subjects dealing with torturing souls or learning spells. These textbooks looked much like the textbooks he has at his school.

Joshua worked the courage to enter the dressing room. "Dominic?" he asked the boy.

Dominic's dark eyes, much like his father's eyes, glanced up briefly. "Oh hey Josh." he gave a friendly greeting. "What're you doing down here?"

"I'm doing an intern thing with Lu, as part of a school project." Joshua explained, watching as his friend focused on his work.

"That's cool."

"What about you? Why are you here?"

"My mom works here." Dominic answered as he wrote on his assignments. "I'm allowed to do some homework here as long as I'm not distracting the employees. It's better working on it here than at my house where it's too noisy to concentrate. You know, twenty-two other siblings and all."

"Oh, your mom's here?" Joshua started feeling funny in his stomach. It was a gut-wrenching, guilty feeling. He feared Dominic doesn't know about his father being present and has captured the attention of an employee. Unless... 

"Which one is your mom?" he stuttered nervously, hoping his friend's answer might give him some ease. It beat having to break his heart.

Dominic briefly glanced up at the doorway. "The one dancing with my dad."

Josh looked back. Directly where the dance floor was located the monstrous Moloch and the seductive Sitri tangoed to the music. Things started to become clear to Josh now.

"She mostly takes orders and serves them," Dominic continued, "but once and a while she'll have to do some music numbers with the other workers. Yet she does "special offers" for only my father and no one else."

"Wow." Joshua sighed, feeling relieved. "I didn't know you're mom's a... uh..."

"Waitress." Dominic finished for him. "Sometimes showgirl."

"Right." Joshua now felt guilty for having judged his friend's parents so harshly.

Dominic noticed his human friend's discomfort. He stopped writing and calmly explained. "Look, I know what you're thinking. I get it. My parents don't really have the most glamorous jobs in the whole universe. My dad tortures people and my mom entertains them. But they're still my parents. They do everything they can to provide a better life for me and my siblings. Isn't that something all parents strive to do?"

"It hasn't been easy, but they're still together and have been that way for, like, over a thousand years now. And I appreciate everything they've done for us. After all they're my parents, and I love them."

Joshua thought about what the demon boy had said. His words helped make a smile on his face. Perhaps there was more than he had been taught.

Just then Sitri entered the dressing room alone, carrying a plateful of food. She still carried that same pleasant smile that she had before. 

"Hey sugar." she said, walking the food over to her thirteenth born child. "Figured you might be getting hungry, so I spared you a couple of burgers and fries."

"Thanks mom." Dominic said, happily taking one of the burgers off the plate.

Sitri then leaned in on his desk, examining his homework. "Whatcha working on?" she politely asked.

"Just some algebra. It's hard but I can handle it."

"That's good. Oh, one more thing. Liza can't come in later so they needed me to fill in for her shift, which means I'll be working overtime tonight."

"It's okay mom. I understand. You do what you gotta."

His mother smiled brighter, "Thanks, sugar." She leaned forward and kissed her son's forehead. "How did we get so blessed to have you?"

Dominic's mother walked away, proceeding back to her job as a waitress and hard working mom. Joshua said goodbye to his friend and headed back to his table. Get to know the employees, or at least learn something about an employee. Just one of Lu's teachings. Joshua figured that perhaps he could learn a thing or two from the devil. 

Joshua Wordsworth's first day as an intern for the devil had come to a close. Not long was he sent home, which he was mighty thankful for. Any more time he spent down in the Inferno he would have been driven insane. This realm was never meant for mortals, at least none alive. 

The devil had sensed the boy's unease all through the tour. This concerned him. It was easy for Rosemary, Regan, and their mother; yet this one mortal boy caused difficulty.

Inside his gigantic office Lu futzed around with his aid, Legion, to keep him company. All of the sorcerer's six eyes watched as Lu paced back and forth, contemplating what went wrong during their lengthy tour.

"I don't get it, Legion," the devil whined, "I've shown this kid a piece of our world and yet he's so... so..."

"Unsettled." the ancient demon added.

"Exactly!" Lu dropped to his chair. 

"To be fair, my lord, our world isn't quite for outsiders." Legion exclaimed, "Especially those that have been debased by religious ideologies. Did you show him something in our realm that made him truly uncomfortable?"

"Well... there was an incident earlier today."

                                                               ***

A few hours ago, Lu took his temporary intern to the Mines of Suffering, where the condemned must forever work and suffer for their sins. Chisel the rocks slowly. Shape them into brinks. Ship them on carts for transportation. Day in and day out, a continuous loop. Sometimes there were reasons why they had to work, such as building new settlements for new demons and building monuments for old devils. Sometimes they were no reasons for the to work other than just to overwork them. 

The souls. Tired, malnourished, and frail. They were also hairless, wore rugged rags, and covered in dirt and soot that no one could tell them apart. They worked endlessly. While they didn't have to endure vicious tortures like other souls, they were still slaves to the demons and their sins.

The lesson the devil wanted Joshua to learn was that as king he was above everyone. The strong empower over the weak. The way and life of demons. Demons won't show any cruelty towards their own kind, at least not any more, but they won't show mercy towards the souls. Relentlessly beaten, tossed around like bean bags, kicked into hellfire pits just for laughs.

This part of the tour disturbed Joshua the most. It was very much like the preachers and his mother had warned about the Inferno. The damned forever punished for their sins against God, or what they were mislead to believe were sins. 

                                                                 ***

"Wait," Legion interrupted, "I thought we agreed not to show the boy the mines."

His king stuttered, "Yeah, well... you see. We did but... we got a little, um, sidetracked." 

"Oh I'm sure." The sorcerer was not convinced.

"Okay, back to the story."

                                                               ***

As they were walking along the trail, Joshua noticed one of the souls being threatened by a gluttonous demon.

"You worthless scat-maggot!" the demon cursed, "Look at the mess ya gotta yourself into!"

"I'm sorry, sir," the helpless soul wept. "I didn't mean to. It won't happen again."

"Yur damn right it won't!" the demon raised his fist high. In his scaly clutch was a spiky bullwhip, ready to cleave off what flesh was still on the soul.

Joshua ran off the trail and towards the demon. "No!" he cried, placing himself between the demon and the soul. "Stop! Leave that man alone."

The demon turned, "What's this? Outta the way, boy! There's a punishment needed."

"Why?" Joshua defended, "What good would beating a helpless man do?"

"Actually I'm a woman." the soul squeaked. "I understand the confusion. Doesn't really matter. Please don't mind me."

"There a problem here?" Lu said, approaching the company. His sinister sneer was spread along his face.

"My lord," the tormentor gasped, "This boy with you?"

"He is." the king answered. "Now my question. Is there a problem here?"

"This sniveling soul spilled water meant for our real workers. Our fellow demons."

"I'm sorry!" The soul pleaded. Salty tears poured out of its eyes. "I'm very sorry. Please forgive me."

"Easy, easy," Lu said, his voice very calm. He then knelt down the soul, who shook at his very presence. "I'm sure it was just an accident." His hands grasped around the soul's very bony hands. 

"Wow!" Lu exclaimed, "Oh my father, your hands. So soft. You moisturize?"

The soul gave a nervous chuckle. A weak smile started to form. "Thank you, my lord. I am really sorry about earlier. I promise it won't happen again."

"I know it won't." Lu's scarlet eyes lit up like a hungry fire. There was a series of cracking sounds like someone breaking twigs. Joshua's jaw dropped when he heard the soul scream in agony.

Lu finally released his tight grip. The bones in the soul's hands were contorted into different angles, it could barely move a single finger.

Lu stood up and patted his demon worker on the back, "Take it deeper into the mines. I'm sure it'll learn its lesson there."

"With pleasure, my king." his demonic henchman gave a nasty cackled. He then grabbed the soul and dragged it away as it helplessly kicked and screamed. The other souls ignored their kin's cries as they hurried their work.

"Another lesson to learn, Joshie," Lu said to his shocked intern. "Let the meek know who's in charge. Never show pity for them." 

                                                               ***

"Oh yes." the ancient demon said, "I don't know how one wouldn't feel uncomfortable from witnessing that."

"I know right." Lu exclaimed. His proud demeanor then vanished, "Wait - that was sarcasm, wasn't it?"

"Indeed it was."

"Then what's your counsel then?" Lu asked, slinking back into this chair. "What do you think is the best path to take?"

"Try to show the boy a different light in our world of darkness. Show him that we are not always savages but decent enough species. We only act as so to please this realm. As we know Hell cannot survive without the torment of others.

Lu allowed his adviser's words to sink in. He then jolted from his chair and proclaimed, "You're absolutely right, Legion."

"As always, my lord."

"I should show the boy a lighter side. And I know just the place to show him that light."

"I hope you're not taking the boy to Babylon."

"Noooo, of course not." the devil said with his fingers crossed behind his back.

Cast of Main Characters (So Far) of the Sins of the Father stories

Lu/Lucifer

Meet Lu, or Lucifer, or Satan, or the devil. Call him whatever you'd like just don't call him late for dinner. Banished from Heaven and now the big boss of Hell, a fact that he flaunts every chance he gets, Lu's business is making deals with humans in exchange for their souls to be tormented forever, and business has been good, however, it did get lonely. Then one day he met Carmen and her own pair of hellions and felt something that even he never knew he could feel: love. Now that they are married, he can freely cause whatever chaos he pleases; just so long he remembers to take out the trash every other night, and pick the girls up from school.

Carmen Gravely

The matriarch of the Gravely family and often the voice of reason. All Carmen ever wanted to do in life was to be a wonderful mother, a loving wife, and work as a TV host for a popular local cable show What's Hot in Brimstone. Sadly, two of those prayers were answered when her first husband died suddenly in a car accident. Then one day she met the second man (or in this case devil) of her dreams in the form of Lu. Even she couldn't have predicted that she too could fall in love with the devil. While she refrains from being addressed as the Queen of Hell, Carmen does her best to maintain order and raise an awesome family.

Rosemary Gravely

A ten-year old goth girl with an attitude. She dresses in black, wears a beanie on her head, and has her raven-dyed hair covering half her face, typical preteen angst. Rosemary, or Rosie as her friends call her, can rock a guitar and own noobs on her favorite video game Major Rager. Being the new stepdaughter to the devil, Rosemary has a new audience to rock out loud to, and a never ending adventure to endure around every dark cavern of the Inferno.

Regan Gravely

The adorable five-year old ball of sunshine and rainbows of the family. Regan is the youngest of the Gravely family. She's got the face of an angel that melts away the coldest of hearts. Regan loves unicorns, dolls, stuffed toys, her family, and her pet albino python Slinky. Being the new stepdaughter to the devil to her means that there are an endless number of unfortunate playmates for her weekly tea parties.

Scrugs

The devil's number one assistant and punching bag. Scrugs is a dedicated servant to the boss, and always willing to endure all sorts of pain to get the job done. He'll do anything he is told to do. Pick up dry cleaning? Can do. File your taxes? Done. Feed the hellhounds? Sure thing... just be sure to have an ambulance and clean up crew on standby.

Lilith

The sexy succubus secretary under Lu's employment. Lilith is kindhearted, cheery, and speaks with a British accent. She is also independent, wise, but can sometimes be a little ditzy. She absolutely loves hanging with the Gravelys and working for the devil. Plus when the parents need a babysitter, Lilith is the first they call (especially when it means getting paid overtime).

Mike/Michael

The eldest son of God, older brother of Lu, and one of the nine archangels of Heaven. Mike spent a long time mourning the days that he and his little brother were once close until their biblical battle. Now he returns to his brother's life in hopes to reconcile the bond they had. And serving as the girls' cool uncle, Mike has a place for himself on Earth. If you ever want to see the wings, be sure to wear sunglasses. 

Slinky

The Gravely family's pet albino rock python. He doesn't do much other than sit inside is fish tank and stare with his blank, pink eyes. But once and a while he'll get out of his tank, forcing the family to search high and low for him. Despite what people believe, the devil and his demons don't associate with snakes. In fact, most are down right afraid of them.

Gabi/Gabriel

The eldest daughter of God and older sister of Lu. Like her older brother Mike, Gabi is also one of the nine archangels of Heaven. She loves kicking ass and kissing the ladies (sometimes doing both). While she struggled with alcohol in the past, Gabi is still loyal and dedicated to her family, especially to Lu and the Gravelys. If you're ever in a jam, you'll definitely want her by your side.

Ms. Kat

Regan's kindhearted kindergarten teacher. Her full name is Malaika Katan, but she prefers to be called as Ms. Kat by her students to make things easier. She is also Muslim-American, while not traditional, she still practices some beliefs such as not eating pork and sometimes wearing a hijab. Now that she has more interactions with the Gravely family when she started dating the archangel Mike, it's a never ending adventure for this teacher, which she is always excited to be apart of.

Mrs. Wordsworth

Mrs. Gloria Wordsworth is the strict, disciplinary principal of Rosemary and Regan's elementary school. Devoted to her Christian faith, she despises the Gravely family, especially the new husband. She loves her son Joshua as much as she loves the Bible, and doesn't mind if her son wishes to hang out with the Gravelys. But she'll keep praying that he'll return safely... or that the Gravely family will move away.

The Demonic Trio

Consisting of Balthazar, Ghuul, and Moloch, these three are often the practical jokesters and Lu's closest friends. There jokes are often dark but they each have a good heart. The hooded Balthazar loves to party, the skeletal Ghuul loves to play video games, and even the hulking Moloch is a proud husband and a father to 23 three children. Looks are very deceiving in the Inferno.

Dominic

The thirteenth born son of Moloch, Dominic is a demon child from Hell and a very good friend of Rosemary. His parents being a pure blooded demon father and a succubus mother. Like his father, he is also gifted with dark magic that he is learning to control under the teachings of the demonic sorcerer Legion. He also developed a crush on Rosemary since the first day they met, and who knows, perhaps she feels the same for him.

Legion

The Devil's royal adviser and high priest/sorcerer of Hell. He looks scary with his arachnid-like appearance and dressed as a demonic pope. Yet his devotion to the king is never questioned. He is also very skilled in all forms of magic, making him one of the most powerful demons of Hell, even stronger than Lucifer or the archangels. Legion is also the oldest demon in existence, having been around to serve the king for many eons. In fact he's so old he could recall that Hell looked much different than it was now.

The Scavengers

Horrid, decrepit creatures that were once souls damned in Hell. When a soul cannot endure the torments and live up to its service, Hell's influence takes over, corrupting them into a nightmarish horde. Scavengers are often feared and hated by the rest of the demons as they are not seen as a different species of demons but a disease. Fast, agile, violent, and always in large numbers, the scavengers are the most dangerous creatures in the Inferno, next to the hellhounds. You don't want to be caught in a dark place with one of these things.

Mephistopheles

The main antagonist of the series. Mephistopheles was once the majordomo under Lucifer until he became sickened with the devil's love for the Gravelys. He's been imprisoned since before the start of the series; yet he waits in the shadows, plotting his revenge against Lu and his family. He is known for his satyr-like appearance and having three eyes on his face. But his most notable trait is his affinity for apples, always seen carving and eating one. Whatever you do, don't trust Mephistopheles.

Lu, Joshua, and the group toured the rest of Inferno Tower. They walked around each of the levels, giving their intern a thorough walkthrough of the facilities. Next was their art collection. While Joshua liked art, viewing the graphic depictions of demons slewing souls, graffiti of demons bathing in painted blood, and murals of melting skeletons wasn't something he wanted to look at.

Joshua decided to wander off on his own. The others continued gawking at their twisted art. The boy soon found himself in a strange hallway where torches were the only light source. The hallway was vast and empty. No painting, no statues, no furniture. Bare as a desert with the exception of a large glass window that stretched from one end of the hall to the next. 

He tried peeking behind the glass. It was empty too. Only shadows engulfed most of the room. Was this a room to keep something in, like with the man in the cells below, Joshua wondered. He tried tapping on the glass to test this theory.

"Whoa there, lil' feller!" A voice cried out.

Joshua jumped and turned to face the caller. Standing next to him was a slime-green scaled demon dressed in dirty, blue overalls. His eyes were like a snake's, yellow and sinister. Three horns poked through his dark fedora on top of his bald head. What surprised the boy the most was that this demon was threatening him, but he was smiling. Rather friendly looking, despite his rotten, sharp teeth.

"You don't wanna be tapping on that dar glass." the demon gave a friendly warning, "dey don't like that."

"They?" Joshua asked.

"Well hellhounds of kurs,"

"Hellhounds are real?" Joshua had heard of them before. Mostly from fiction novels that this mother never allowed him to read, but never imagined they could be real. Then again he was in a realm where souls burn. Anything could be real.

"Dey sure are!" the strange demon replied, "Dem dogs are a beauty, I tell ya what. Meanest sons-a-guns too. Seen one fight off twenty scavengers, not get a single mark on it."

The demon then took Joshua's hand, shaking it crazily. "Well shoot, I've gone an forget me mannerisms again. Da name's Botis, by the way. I'm da trainer for dees beasties, just like my pappy before me and his pappy before him."

"How do you train them?" Josh asked, wiping off the grease left on his hand.

"Oh it sure ain't easy. Dey the most dangerous ting in da Inferno next to scavengers. But once you develop a connection wit dem, dey can be sweeter than pumpkin pie. Dat reminds me."

Botis the trainer smacked his fist onto a large button that was placed at the side of a wall. A small alarm sounded and the center of the enclosure opened up. Upon hearing the alarm, Lu and the others that were with him appeared by Josh and Botis' sides. They all eagerly watched behind the glass barrier.

"Did we miss it? Did we miss it?" Lilith hollered. The succubus pulled out her cellphone and started recording a video.

"Miss what?" Joshua asked.

"Botis, buddy." Lucifer said, "You gotta let me know when you're starting one of these. You know we like a good show."

"What show?"

Something was coming up on in the enclosure's floor. It was a large steer chained to a small post that rose from the trapdoor below. The animal stood still, tranquil in its surrounding.

Joshua asked, "What's with the cow?"

"Feeding." all the demons answered.

"The cow?"

The trainer laughed, "You sures are funny, lil' feller."

Joshua gulped hard. A loud dog howl echoed in the distance. He now understood what was going to be fed.

The cow continued standing still, unaware to the encroaching danger. Joshua and the other watched as five sets of evil, red eyes beamed through the darkness. The eyes appeared to be hovering a few feet off the ground; but this only indicated that whatever these hellhouds were, they were all bigger than the steer. They all crept closer and closer to the oblivious steer. They all heard the hounds monstrous growls but could not see their full bodies. Probably for the best.

Joshua quickly shut his eyes and plugged his ears with his fingers, trying to censor out what came next. Yet he still heard the muffled sounds of dogs barking and agonizing screams of the steer that only lasted a couple seconds then silence. He then heard the juicy sounds of meat ripping apart and bones being crushed. 

In his head he pictured the gruesome attack. The alpha had already bit down on the bull's neck while the others tore into its belly. They each took turns ravaging the organs. He picture two of the hellhounds fighting over a piece of leg, or maybe a rib cage. It was hard to tell but he definitely heard two of them fighting about something.

The vile sounds ended. The barking was fading off into the distance, back into the shadows. The boy opened one eye to see the devastation left. He gasped when he saw the steer and the hellhounds were gone. Nothing of the steer remained. All that was left in the center were large, blood stained paw prints — five times the size of any ordinary earth dogs.

All the demons then cheered from the bloody carnage. It appears what Joshua's mother and the scriptures said about them were starting to look correct. 

"Well that was fun," the devil said, "Who's hungry?"

Lu, Joshua, Scrugs, Lilith, Balthazar, Ghuul, Moloch, and Legion all walked around the giant office space. "Top floor, my office." Lu stated. "I run everything in this dimension all in here. Should've seen it when it was just a tasteless throne room. All dark, musty, and way too bland. This way to the elevator!"

The Devil led the gang to a large elevator. Unlike the demonic one that transported individuals from Hell to Earth, this was just an ordinary, rusty elevator, large enough to hold the whole party. All but Legion entered inside.

"You're not joining us?" Joshua asked the ancient demon.

"I've seen every crack and corner of the tower before," Legion grumbled, "I have no need to see it again. I shall remain to maintain order for you, my lord."

"Sounds good, Legion," Lu agreed. "Pull the lever, Scrugs!"

Scrugs obeyed. The elevator jerked around, failing to move in the right direction.

"WRONG LEVER, YOU IDIOT!" Lu spat. He smacked his cane at Scrugs' oddly-shaped head.

"Sorry!" Scrugs squeaked as he pulled the correct lever. The elevator dropped to the lower levels. Joshua could hear the screams of the damned grow louder with each descending floor.

The first floor the elevator came to was a wide space filled with scurrying demons. Some demons were dressed in fashionable suits and carried brief cases while others stood off to the sides, opening portals for the suits to walk in and out.

"This here is the Dealing Department." The Devil lectured, "It's where we send out some demons, which we call Contractors, out to Earth to deal with some humans for their souls. In return we'd give them their greatest desire. Money, power, women, whatever they can think of we can give - for a price of course. 

"They'll enjoy their taste of paradise until pay day comes around. And, oh boy, you better cough up for soul willingly or it'll end ugly. You see, Joshy, we demons live by a moral code that cannot be easily broken: if a demon should make a deal, they intend to keep it to the end."

The elevator carried the group down another level. The screams grew louder and louder. Joshua's body was shaking from the sounds of the torment. 

The elevator stopped at the floor where the screams were coming from. "And this is the torture chamber. Guess what we do in here?"

He didn't see any souls being tortured. All there was in this room was a dark corridor with several metal doors. But the screams echoed out of the stone walls. "Can we skip this part of the tour, please?" he begged.

"That's fine. We'll move onto torture chamber B. Way more exciting." Lu looked back at the young human. The boy's eyes pleaded for him to keep skipping. "Oh alright. I guess we can skip that too. And we can skip torture chamber C because that's being remodeled."

The elevator lowered them into the next series of floors. They saw a large factory for crafting and testing torture devices. They followed that up with a refinery for metallurgy projects and rocking mining. Next was everyone's favorite chamber, the sauna room. Then came the main lobby where all the demons walked around, talking and trading with one another.

Joshua was awestruck by what was constructed within the tower. It was all unlike anything that his mother read to him from the Bible. Yet he couldn't shake his teachings from the reality that was surrounding him. Was the scripture wrong? Partly true? These questions and more spiraled in his head.

"Um, Lu," he spoke up, "I was taught that Hell was like a prison. So, where do you keep your worst prisoners?"

Just as he asked that, the elevator made its final stop. The doors slid open to darkness. It was dark and cold like the mouth of a cave. Only a single light shined at the end of the chamber, where a single soldier demon sat behind a desk. 

"This," Lu explained, stepping out of the elevator, "this is where we keep the worst of the worst."

The party all exited at once and followed Lu down the dark corridor. Joshua's eyes adapted to the darkness. He could make out a number of cell doors embedded in the walls. He could barely see what were inside the cells but the shadowy outlines could make out different monstrosities that lurked in the dark. Joshua was definitely happy that he wasn't on the other side.

Lu lectured on, "I brought you down here to show you what happens when Father almighty wants some things to be completely forgotten. But most importantly to teach a very important lesson: don't screw with the Devil."

He came to a stop in front of a dark room. The others mimicked the same pattern. Joshua noticed that all the demons, even the timid Scrugs, were staring that one jail cell. In their benevolent eyes they all shared the same fiery hatred for whatever was kept inside. 

Joshua summoned the courage and stepped forward, hoping for a better look. He approached the metals bars, each marked with a series of symbols he never saw. Something, or someone, was definitely meant to be kept there. 

His eyes adjusted once more. There was an outline in the shadows. There was no monster or beast, not even a hostile scavenger. The outline looked much like a man. But it couldn't be a man. Its head was shaped oddly. For a moment Joshua thought he was staring at the shadow of a goat. 

What were those long things that extended towards the back, he wondered. Are those his ears? His horns?

The figure sat against the stone wall. It was holding something in its left hand. With enough light gifted from down the hall it looked like something red, like an apple. Joshua's eyes widen when he saw the prisoner's hands. They, like the room it was in, were dark. Yet he could make out they had some mix of grey and navy blue coloring to them.

He could also see the prisoner's fingernails were elongated. Its thumb nail, so gnarled and decayed, slowly pealed away the skin of the fruit. 

The figure did not look up. It concentrated at pealing the apple bit by bit, oblivious to the company outside its cell — or perhaps it was ignoring them.

"Who's in this cell?" Joshua whispered to the devil.

Lu leaned forward to the barred doors. He made sure the prisoner could hear him. "A lowly, forgotten, little worm placed preciously where he needs to be, under my foot."

The figure stopped pealing. Its hidden head tilted towards Lucifer and the gang. Joshua felt a cold shiver run through his spine. He couldn't see its eyes, or its face, but he could tell it was looking right at them. He felt the prisoner give them the coldest glare unseen by his human eyes. 

The prisoner then continued to peal away the apple. Its head looked away from the company. Lu gave his young intern a nudge away from the cell. "Come along," he ordered, "there's much to show you."

The gang all made their way back to the elevator. Joshua tried to resist looking back at the figure but failed. The last thing he saw before getting back to the elevator was its name that was engraved on a wooden plaque: Mephistopheles.

Inside his prison, the prisoner couldn't shake off the devil's words. A worm, he called him. Pathetic! Forgotten!

SPLAT!

The apple he was carving crushed under his vengeful grasp. The moist juices ran between his fingers. He could mock him. Oh yes he could, for now. It won't be long before he would get out. He had everything he needed. Just one thing he valued. Time. Time was all he needed, and the devil gave him plenty. 

As he sat in the darkness, he thought about his revenge and how he was going to extract it. Starting with the two brats that put him there in the first place.

Here are Some Jokes that I Wrote:

The Man asked Person D. what He was Doing, and Person D. said, “Someone asked Me to go outside and Let out some Steam. And that is what I am doing by Carefully Opening These Pop Corn Bags, and letting Out the Steam.” And the Man said, “Ok. And Do You think that there are other Ways to Safely Let out some Steam?” And Person D. replied, “Let Me do some Research about that, and then get back to You.”

And Here is another Joke that I Wrote:

Person B. asked Person C. what He was doing with that Magnifying Glass by The Computer Screen, and Person C. said, “Thank You for the Question. And I am Looking through this Magnifying Glass while Reading this Blogger’s Blog and Website, because I want to Read Between The Lines.” And Person B said, “Ok. Ok.”

And Here is another Joke that I Wrote, entitled, “Complete Proof Not Required about That”:

Jim said to Jimmy, “That Ice Cream was sure Good to eat.” And Jimmy replied, “How do You know?! How do You know that that Ice Cream was Good to eat? Sure, You may think that it tasted Good; however, Where is Your Proof? And You must have Proof of everything. And Your Proof must ALWAYS be Satisfactory to ME. At all Times. And that is Unproven! Unproven.” And Jim said, “Jimmy, that statement of Yours is Not True. And it is False. And it is Not Logical. And it is Not Rational. And it is Fallacious.” And Jimmy replied, “And where is Your Proof about that?”

CRASH!

Legion reentered his home to a shocking discovery. A formula that he had been working on for months now a purple, milky mess on his floor. Glass shards were everywhere. His hard work absorbed into his floor. His six eyes then focused on Rosemary and Dominic, whose clothes were soaked by the spill.

"Care to explain?" the old demon grumbled.

The two children wanted to lie but left they couldn't. "We did it, Legion." Rosemary confessed.

"We're sorry." his pupil Dominic sighed.

"Well at least you were honest about it." Legion muttered. "Grab a mop and bucket in the back, and clean it up."

Rosie and Dominic smiled, relieved they weren't going to be punished. As they hurried away, the old sorcerer pulled out a journal and began to write. 

"Entry number 5120. Interesting development. Truth potion works effectively through contact, not just ingestion. Further testing will be required."