The Abyssal Tithe

Magistrate Gideon stood at the edge of the treeline, shielded from the searing heat only by the trunk of a dead oak. He had read about demonic summonings, but this was no summoning. It was a harvest. Veraxia stood in the center of the burning pentagram, unbound by the physical laws of the mortal realm. The sheer crimson ribbons that served as her only garment drifted around her like blood in water. As she raised her hands, the illusion of her perfect porcelain skin shattered along her forearms, cracking to reveal the blinding, molten fury of the Nine Hells beneath. She opened her clawed fingers, and a cascade of heavy, golden Soul Coins fell into the flames. They were the souls of the men Gideon had condemned this week. "Every law has a cost, Gideon," she whispered, her voice echoing in his mind despite the roaring fire. "And tonight... the debt is paid in full."