(A continuation of what happened to Steven, featuring the return of Nathan Stillwinter, R.P.R., shown here: https://www.furaffinity.net/gallery.....tillwinter-RPR )

Steven woke with a start, finding himself resting comfortably on a long leather couch. In spite of its sturdy construction, the wood creaked loudly and springs groaned in protest as he sat up.

Blinking his eyes he looked down at himself. He was dressed in clean hospital scrubs and the wounds he had incurred during the night's "festivities" were gone. Not bandaged. Simply gone. The thick scars from earlier wounds remained, but he was hale and healthy, ready for more.

Casting his eyes about himself, he saw he was seated in a room positively filled with books. They lined the walls and adorned shelves all around him. Gilded lettering on each one had merely a name and nothing more. Before him was a large, ornately carved desk of dark wood. A thick file folder, so stuffed with papers they were spilling out across the surface rested on the desk along with a nameplate that read "Nathan Stillwater, R.P.R.".

After a moment, a young looking man with shockingly white hair in an immaculate black suit sat up in the chair behind the desk. He hefted the folder into his lap as he kicked his boots up onto the desk, silve toe-caps glinting in the dim light.

"Well well well, Steven Barkridge. We don't get a lot of folks like you here. Now, if you stay calm and civil we can sort this out fairly quickly and you can be on your way."

Steven was on his feet in a moment, looming over the other man. "What is going on here? Where am I? Where is Dr. Pleasence?"

Nathan studied the giant with his dark eyes much the way one might study a particularly interesting insect. "Alive and well unlike you, Steven. Now please, sit down."

Angry and confused, the huge man roared in anger and grabbed at the desk, neaning to fling it aside but the heavy wood wouldn't budge. Instead he reached over it, grabbing the man by the throat and squeezing with all of his great strength.

Nathan merely sighed and stared at him, "I'm not saying I told you so..." He snapped his fingers and there was a flash of bright green light. Steven found himself back on the couch in a sitting position. "There now, perhaps we can be a bit more civil. I've seen in your file that you're capable of that."

Slamming his hands down on the folder, it transformed into a very thick book bound in black leather with Steven's name on it in metallic red. The murderer watched this small miracle and leaned against the back of the couch. "My apologies for my earlier rudeness, Mr. Stillwinter."

The reaper smiled and leaned back in his chair again, lighting a cigarette. He took a long drag and exhaled a cloud of smoke such a deep gray it was nearly black. "Now, we have a real conundrum here. My job is to decide what to do with you. Normally, someone with a record like yours is cut and dried. Going down, no question, you wouldn't even be sent to my desk. However, you have a unique issue."

"Going down? Heh, can't say I wasn't expecting that. You say there is a problem, though?"

Nathan nodded and opened the book to a later section that just looked like a long list of names in tiny fine print, thousands upon thousands of them. "Yeah, it seems that you've gained a bit of a cult following on Earth and a whole lot of fanatical followers. The big man downstairs is a little worried how much power you might have if you're sent down there. Obviously going up is out of the question, so now the problem is what to do with you?"

Steven rubbed his chin thoughtfully. The thought of gaining power from his fans if he went down below had a certain appeal, but this was a punishment he had earned. He would do things by the book until he decided to escape, just as he did on Earth.

"Is there a Purgatory, or is this it?"

Nathan shook his head, "No, there's just Limbo where I send the ones I need to think on a while longer." He swung his feet off of the desk and sat up. "Wait, are you seriously volunteering to..?"

Steven nodded curtly, "If I would have too much power in Hell because of my followers, then I should be placed into Limbo until I am forgotten. Then I can be safely moved to the place I have earned."

Nathan put out his cigarette, whistling to himself. "Never thought I would see someone so outright evil give up power like that."

Steven just grinned. "Having a lot of power in Hell, where I would likely be able to lord it over demons and head back to Earth whenever I wished without a fight? Now where's the fun in that?"