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  "Your madness and lust are what bring conflict between us always," Iggwilv replied condescendingly. "The toad is obviously a niggling, just as are the harlots you enjoy surrounding yourself with. As for the Demon of Slime, I should hardly have to point out that Zuggtmoy's dear kinsman was not some agent brought to attack. Szhublox was nothing more than a late arrival."

  "Your words are dung, crone of crones," Graz'zt retaliated. "We agreed to an equality of force to assure no tricks. It was to be three and three."

  "Szhublox is the third," interjected Zuggtmoy, shooting forth a cloud of spores as she spoke.

  Kostchtchie sneered at this remark and issued his own rejoinder. "You are too stupid to even think straight, Queen of Rot."

  Zuggtmoy returned the insult by simply ignoring the demon's statement. Iggwilv spoke next, and further demeaned Kostchtchie by again addressing Graz'zt. "I am a disinterested party," she explained patiently. "How can I be else as the mother of your own beloved son? Therefore, Zuggtmoy, Szhublox, and dear Iuz are three, just as you and your two thegns make a trio."

  Yeenoghu threw back his ugly head and issued a series of giggling, yowling barks to demonstrate his rage. Kostchtchie's skin took on a dark mustard color as he too flushed with rage at Iggwilv's words. He hefted his huge iron hammer and strode toward the gorgeous-looking grand witch. It was evident that he meant to destroy Iggwilv's beauty in one blow. But before he could get close enough to bring himself and his target into conflict, Graz'zt intervened.

  "Stay, Marshal of the Abyss!" ordered the demon prince. "You too, Viceroy, contain thine ire! The woman speaks with hubris, but such petty insults and twisted words are to be expected. Refrain from your actions. I will handle this."

  Both great demons glared at Graz'zt as he spoke, but they slowly brought their anger under control. Yeenoghu continued to snarl, baring his fangs. Kostchtchie glared, but lowered his hammer to a less threatening position.

  "You and your cohorts are four," Graz'zt continued, "but since you and your sprat at best equal one, I shall be generous and allow your attempt to disturb the parity of this conference to stand."

  Iggwilv only smiled sarcastically at the demon prince's blustering words. Iuz, however, showed that Graz'zt's statement stung him. The cambion's skin turned an angry maroon, and he retorted.

  "We shall see who makes what, Graz'zt! Give Me your demonhorde now, and all Oerth will be Mine!"

  Now it was the so-called king's turn to retaliate. "Give Me the Theorpart, boy, and you shall have ten thousand of my fiercest demons at your beck and call!"

  "What?! How dare-"

  Iuz's angry words were cut short by Graz'zt. "I am now King!" the great ebon demon thundered. "I dare anything! A dozen layers of the Abyss bow to My will, and a dozen more are tributary. Orcus cowers from Me! Mandrillagon hides rather than face Me on the battlefield! Still, Prince Lugush remains uncommitted, Eblitis and Marduk stall, and Var-Az-Hloo and his lickspittle dogs Chidun, Zomar, and Yuibiri war upon Us. Should Bulumuz and Azazel happen to make cause with them, Our advance will be checked. Then the fat sheep-head Orcus and the freakish Mandrillagon will crawl forth once more to claim power here and there…" Graz'zt paused, smiled at the cambion he had sired, and then said, Thus, dear son, your father does properly demand that you give filial obedience to Him so that He may shed His glory upon His offspring thereafter. Give Me the Theorpart!"

  Drawing himself up to his own considerable height, Iuz rebutted the statements just made by the newly proclaimed king. "Know you, Graz'zt, that I am now Emperor of the Flanaess! True, some petty kingdoms still need to be subjugated, but the north is Mine, the west is under siege, and the heartlands will soon fall under the might of My hand. Despite such sweeping victories, the Theorpart must remain with Me. Aerdy is marshaling legions of devils, while the Scarlet Scum hides Hierarchs and recruits enemies of Iuz and the Abyss as well." Pointing an accusing finger at the huge, six-fingered demon who was his progenitor, the cambion demanded, "You will detail forces to Me, so that My conquest of Oerth can be completed in the face of My… Our enemies!"

  "Bah! You blither weakling words," Graz'zt shot back with a sneer stretching his handsome, if demoniac, face. "You will give Me the Theorpart as I have ordered you to do. As a faithful vassal, dear Iuz, My son, I will furnish you with horde upon horde of My demons as soon as all of the Abyss bows to My might!"

  That will be eons from now, if ever," Iggwilv retorted smugly.

  Kostchtchie grunted angrily and hefted his iron hammer. "Lying and perverse old human bag! Bow to the will of King Graz'zt, or by All Unholy-"

  "You bandy-legged bastard! My fungi will feed upon your filthy yellow flesh," Zuggtmoy said as she altered shape, and strange buds began to form on the mass of her body.

  "You are wrong, toadstool!" Yeenoghu growled as he lifted his terrible flail and advanced. "I'll spread bits and spores across this no-place so that your little mushrooms will be without a head!" With this, the hyena-headed demon vented his awful giggling bark as a battle cry.

  Szhublox spread forth slimy pseudopods to counter Yeenoghu's threat while Graz'zt faced off against the hard-visaged Iggwilv and livid Iuz. The lesser demons still in attendance could see what was happening. They assumed ferocious postures but held back, for they had not been commanded to take part and no actual combat had occurred. They were powerless to affect the course of events, but it was apparent to them that in a moment the null-space would become a war ground of unimaginable sort.

  "It had to come to this," Graz'zt grated harshly as he raised his huge sword.

  "You are at least right about that!" Iuz snarled back, hefting his own weapon.

  "Both of you, stop!"

  This last came from Iggwilv, who in the space of an eye-blink had placed herself between the two rivals. Iuz was stunned at this, instantly suspecting some treachery against him on the part of his mother. Graz'zt too, a victim once of the mighty powers of this human terror, seemed surprised and disconcerted. Iggwilv's move was sufficient to make both demon and cambion pause.

  "If we fight among ourselves — even if some of us survive the battle — all of our enemies profit," said the witch. Think on it, Graz'zt: Orcus and all those in the Abyss would be jubilant. Consider, Iuz, what comfort this will give to the Hierarchs and the Brotherhood and the others. The Hells will rejoice! Hades, Tarterus, and Gehenna will hold revels! The scum of the upper planes will vaunt, and the lord-lings of Oerth's kingdoms will be reprieved. If we are to prevail, then we must cooperate. Fight now, and those who wish to oppose our ends will do so — and succeed!"

  "Wise words, greatest of witches," Graz'zt said as he lowered his massive blade a little. "Yet the resolution of matters can go but one way…"

  "Yes," Iuz concurred, "and I shall retain what is Mine!"

  As this brief conversation took place, the hostile groups had continued to glare at and threaten one another, but no actual violence occurred. "Good, good!" Iggwilv cackled gently as the commotion diminished slightly, the sound seeming exceptionally strange and gruesome coming from so lovely a throat. Then, with much more forcefulness, she added, "Both sides, cease your foolish displays!" After the antagonists had calmed down, Iggwilv spoke again.

  "You are both right and wrong," she said to Graz'zt and Iuz at the same time. The demon prince glowered at this, and the cambion spat, but the witch ignored both of them and went on. "Iuz has the Theorpart, and since he is weaker than you are, dear Graz'zt, he must retain it now and forever."

  Graz'zt drew in his breath to spew forth an outraged reply to this, but Iggwilv cut off his tirade before it could begin. "Wait! There is more than one Theorpart, Graz'zt, and you might have another," she said.

  "You know as well as I that the dung-eating Brotherhood holds it," the demon-king grumbled. "Even I cannot wrest it from that pack of curs. Its own power and the weight of the dukes of Hell combine to stop me."

  Iggwilv nodded, accepting the truth of that statement. Then, smiling, she pointed out a new fact. />
  "That portion of the artifact held by the Scarlet Brotherhood is a Theorpart, but it isn't the one I speak of. The final portion remains hidden somewhere."

  Graz'zt frowned. "You expect Me to traipse off in search of that?" He sent forth a bellowing, booming laugh filled with mockery and derision. "I am to use My strength to chase shadows, all the while held fast in My own plane where the conjoined enemies you will no doubt encourage will be able to attack and overthrow Me? Do you think I am so gullible a fool as that, Iggwilv? For such I will have most sweet revenge, bag!"

  "Consider, consider," said the witch, unimpressed as usual with the demon's outburst. "Be not so hasty, Graz'zt. What if My own dear friend and associate Queen Zuggtmoy and her brother Prince Szhublox were to become your unswerving allies?"

  "Allies?"

  "Upon certain conditions, of course."

  Graz'zt swiveled his massive head and peered at the fungoid demon. Zuggtmoy somehow managed to convey an attitude of cooperation despite any recognizable means of doing so. The ebon-hued giant pondered this, one six-fingered hand stroking his square jaw as he reflected on what had been offered. "You guarantee me alliance and the last part of the great artifact?" he asked Iggwilv, seeking confirmation of the promise.

  The witch cackled, delighted at having piqued the demon's interest. "Not just so, Graz'zt," she said. "I mentioned conditions. The alliance is under terms which are acceptable to Zuggtmoy, so should likewise be acceptable to you. The final portion of the artifact is to be awarded to the winner of… a contest, let us say. I have discovered the hiding place of the last Theorpart. To the first to hold it goes the prize!"

  "Stop lauding yourself, once-wife, and give details of these terms and conditions you prate of,"

  Graz'zt said with irritation to hide his grudging respect for and fear of this terrible human woman who could make even great demons shudder.

  Iggwilv launched into the explanation of her plan. First, Graz'zt and Zuggtmoy would contest with each other, both attempting to claim the last part of the artifact from its hiding place. Then once the Theorpart was gained, regardless of which faction held it, both Graz'zt and Zuggtmoy would send their strength to aid Iuz. The Scarlet Brotherhood, even with all of its legions of devils and swarming daemons, would be unable to withstand the cambion's combined might, backed as it would be by the hordes of the Abyss and the power of two of the Theorparts — the one already at Iuz's disposal, plus the one to be sought. The portion of the artifact now held by the Brotherhood would be gained in this conflict, and would then go to whichever side did not have one, Graz'zt or Zuggtmoy.

  Thus, once-husband, you will rule all the Abyss in conjunction with Zuggtmoy," concluded Iggwilv. "King Graz'zt will hold sway over that portion you and Queen Zuggtmoy agree to, and vice versa — each of you with a Theorpart!"

  "Why be so generous?" the dark demon asked suspiciously, for Iggwilv was never to be trusted.

  "Self-preservation — what else?" she replied. "The three portions of the key must never be joined. When each of you have one part, neither you nor Zuggtmoy will desire to have the portion remaining with Iuz. The Abyss will be safe — and Iuz is but a reflection of it, you know. I will see to it that he conquers and reigns supreme over all Oerth. Our power, the might of the Abyss, will spread over the multiverse!"

  Graz'zt turned to confer with his lieutenants at this point, and both of them gave forth exclamations of joy and merriment. Here indeed was a plan that would bring to both sides all that could be desired, they told their leader. Of course, it went without saying at some time in the centuries to come one of them, Graz'zt or Zuggtmoy, would emerge as sole ruler, but time would see to that. The black demon prince listened to his cohorts with one ear, forming a conclusion of his own at the same time. Then the ever-suspicious Graz'zt brought the celebration to a halt.

  "A stench like blooming flowers fills My nostrils!" he said to Yeenoghu and Kostchtchie. "Why does this human pit us against each other in a contest for what she claims she knows how to get? Why must we be opponents before we can be allies? The bitch seeks to gull us — to have us exterminate each other so that she can take the Theorpart for herself!"

  "Well thought, Graz'zt the Clever," Iggwilv spat, "but you are still ignorant of certain facts. Who spoke of knowing? Of getting? Mark you, all. It is in my knowledge as to its location, and I am also aware under what conditions the portion of the key can be gained. But I cannot myself obtain it directly — nor can any of your ilk, demonlings!"

  For a change, Graz'zt absorbed the substance of Iggwilv's response instead of reacting to her choice of words, or the tone in which they were delivered. "This concerns the contest," he said after a moment of deliberation.

  "Yes, Graz'zt," said the witch. "The Theorpart lies under a great dweomer which requires that it can only be successfully sought by contesting mortals. It would be possible for one or more of us to venture forth to gain it. But this action would invoke the power of the dweomer, thereby bringing all of the mighty ones of the multiverse to the spot to contend with us for it. Then would many be destroyed, we and they alike, and Oerth would shatter asunder under the weight of the forces centered there.

  "So, My plan is simple. Better to have family, as it were, contending for the final portion than those whom we must count as enemies. Am I right?"

  Murmurs of agreement came from all parties in response to that. Then Graz'zt asked, "Zuggtmoy, have you a champion for this contest?"

  "Of course," the fungi queen burbled. The huge, ugly toad hopped away from the mound that was Zuggtmoy, taking a place of its own next to the demoness, and suddenly changed into an evil-visaged dwarf. "Obmi, bow to King Graz'zt," commanded Zuggtmoy. The dwarf lowered his head slightly and briefly, the scowl never leaving his face. At the same time Graz'zt looked to the side, formed his mouth into a sneer, and elevated his head in an expression of haughtiness and contempt.

  "And who will you have as yours then, dark one?" Iggwilv asked.

  Graz'zt, after a moment of thought, gestured to a succubus somewhere distant on his right side. As she came toward the group, the demon prince uttered a string of barely audible syllables, and by the time she reached Graz'zt's side her true nature became apparent. This was no real demon but a drow, one of the evil race of dark elves of Oerth. "I present Eclavdra, My chosen representative in your contest," said Graz'zt to Iggwilv, pointedly ignoring Zuggtmoy and Obmi.

  "So be it," said the witch. "Now, let us set the rules and discuss the distractions we must cause to mask the affair. It would not do to have others of unwanted sort seeking our prize."

  "Others?" This word came from Graz'zt and Zuggtmoy simultaneously.

  "What I have gleaned, others can also learn," Iggwilv admitted in a grudging tone. "The Hierophants, the Cabal, or that old fart Mordenkainen — not to mention the Brotherhood, Hades, or Hell's martinets."

  "Just what have you learned, human?" Graz'zt snarled.

  Iggwilv deliberately did not speak right away, to make the point that she was volunteering information rather than giving it in response to the demon prince's demand. The Ashen Desert hides much," she began. "The great metropolis of the empire vanished beneath the dust is now known only as the City Out of Mind. The masters of the lost empire ruled from that city, and they used the Theorpart in their final battle. It lies there now, buried beneath a blanket of dust so deep that scarcely a trace of the city can be seen from the surface."

  "Why do we use such weak champions as these?" Szhublox asked in his dripping, bubbling voice.

  "Only mortals, either humans or their demi-human kin, can retrieve any part of the Key-Which-Unlocks-The-Sleeper — may this never occur! This fact we know from what has transpired with the two portions already found, and from examination of the dweomer surrounding the part yet to be uncovered," said Iggwilv. "But once a part is found, the mortals discovering it may do with it what they choose. The Brotherhood holds that portion of the artifact attuned to the Abyss, and with it they would yoke us in t
hrall to the Slumbering One. Iuz and I hold the portion which would be able to command the Glooms of Hades, should the Theorparts be united. Somewhere in the Ashen Desert, lost within the buried City Out of Mind, rests the last portion of the key, that part commanding the Nine Hells and their dukes to slavery and obedience. All with power will sense when such a mighty thing comes into ken once again."

  "I will send an army there to guard it," Iuz announced grandly.

  "No!" countered Graz'zt. "I will send my demons for it, once it is held by Eclavdra!"

  Zuggtmoy gave vent to an angry retort at that. "And what if that skinny bitch fails? My own servant, Obmi, will be escorted by a horde of Mine Own fiercest-"

  "Contain yourselves," Iggwilv said with a flat, forceful voice. "Should such numbers and powers assemble in the Ashen Desert, should such forces even approach it, all will be lost! Think you not that our every move is watched? Do not our adversaries have spies? Only the champions must go. Only they — or, more precisely, one of them — can return with the object."

  "And to where must these champions return?" asked Graz'zt.

  "Yolakand, in the land of Yoll, is favorable," Iggwilv suggested.

  "Ocherfort, in the land of the Seakings, is nearer," Graz'zt said, "and less likely to be influenced by your son and puppet."

  "Your son, too," cackled Iggwilv.

  "Puppet? I am no puppet!" Iuz said, all but jumping up and down in his rage at Graz'zt's statement.

  "Zuggtmoy, Queen of the Abyss, says that Her champion will carry the Theorpart to Yolakand," the fungoid demon burbled.

  "Graz'zt, King of the Abyss, decrees that His minion, Eclavdra, will bring the final portion of the Artifact of Evil to Ocherfort in the Seakings' Lands!" countered the black demon.

  Again Iggwilv intervened. "It is in all of our interests to gain the object. Can we agree that either champion can carry it to either place? Let us say that place is immaterial. Whichever of the two holds the Theorpart when either place is gained wins for his or her master — agreed?"