Welcome to the Nightside

[Sloane]

I hadn't really expected t'be findin' a job so quick. After all, this place looks full up on killers, an' that's most what I do. But when that news paper was tossed up by the wind, an' it flew right up against my leg...well, I'd have to be a more superstitious man to call it fate, but it was certainly happy coincidence.

When I grabbed the paper an' saw it was the classifieds, with an ad right up front about killin' a demon...

Alright, fine. Maybe it was more'n coincidence. I'll probably never know.

The ad had a phone number on it, for expressin' interest in the job. I found the nearest phone booth I could...and I threw things at it, for a couple o' seconds, just t'make sure that it weren't goin' to eat me or nothin'...an' then I slid on in, used a few o' the coins I had litterin' my pockets, and called the number. It connected me to some bland, anonymous answerin' machine. I left a message, makin' sure the person who'd put up that ad knew I wasn't gonna fail, an' I hung up.

I don't normally like workin' for people who don't see fit to let me know who they are...an' I normally like a bit more information on a target than that ad was givin' me. But, it was an offer to pay for killin' a demon. No way I was gonna let that one slip by, no matter what else I didn't like about the offer. Because if'n it turned out that I was huntin' my own Demon, and gettin' paid to do it? All the better. An', because it didn't quite sound like my own Demon I was bein' paid to hunt, if'n it was just another demon, one of the many that I'm sure littered this place? Well...I could try to make it talk before I put a bullet through its skull. A demon might know where my Demon was.

No two ways about it...this job was entirely in my favor.

'Cept, maybe, for the part where I needed to find the sucker.

I didn't want to just pull off my goggles, go starin' at any possible suspects, 'specially as this sucker was a shapeshifter. I'd have to look at everyone around me, and I'd probably go mad if I saw all those sins. I'd need to narrow it down a bit first, get a bit more of a handle on what I was lookin' for.

As I was thinkin' all this, I weren't payin' close attention to where my feet was takin' me. By the time I looked up again, I realized I had made my way into what looked like the food district. Bars and restaurants lined the streets.

Bars. Those seemed like as good a place to find a demon as any.

And then, as I watched, I noticed a trio o' demon lookin' types leavin' one o' the bars across the street. Sign above the door screamed "The Tenth Circle" 'n bright red neon.

I approached the demons. These likely weren't at all related to either of the ones I was lookin' for...they were too classic demon, horns an' pointy tails. But I thought I could learn me somethin' from 'em, and if nothin' else...well, if word got out that I was lookin' for the shapeshiftin' demon, or my Demon, maybe eventually, he'd come to me.

"Hey, fellers!" I said. "Could I have a word with you?"

The three demons stopped laughin' their hearty, rumblin' demon laughs, and exchanged some looks.

"Yeah...you ca' have a wurd...But we shpeak wiff our fishtsh!" I could hear the alcohol on their breath, even if I couldn't smell it. Still...even drunk, these three could probably tear me to itty bitty pieces.

The demons stepped in towards me, crackin' their knuckles.

Oh, joy. Looked like I was in the process of makin' some new friends.

[Reptilious]

Reptilious and Rekka left the Tenth Circle to see three other Daemons, threatening another guy who looked like a cyborg zombie. These three Daemons obviously had VERY low alcohol tolerance, as they were piss drunk and they'd only had 32 liters of straight alcohol. Reptilious, being the larger of the two brothers, stepped forward and tapped the middle Daemon on the shoulder.
"You got a problem, mate?" He growled threateningly "Because you look like the wrong sort of Daemon to mess around with random men on the street, my brother and I, we're TRUE Daemons!"
Rekka shifted, both of them were in human form because Reptilious decided he'd ask for trouble and look human, these three Daemons were fairly tall, around seven feet, with red skin and hooves. Rekka looked as they all turned around, staring down at the two brothers, they laughed and the middle one swung mightily, he was so drunk that he fell over, flat on his face, Reptilious snorted and the brothers both turned Full Daemonic.
Reptilious curb stomped the middle Daemon and the other two, yelling in surprise and terror, ran down the street, they were lower class, from around the 3rd circle of hell.

Reptilious growled and his arm stretched out like a whip, his body gradually becoming thinner as his arm stretched and wrapped around the other two Daemons. Reptilious and Rekka had both read an advertisement in the paper and were looking for the Alal, these two would be nothing like it, the brothers were closely related to the Alals, cousins, in fact. But the Alals were mainly female, and this lot might have had some 'business' with one.

Rekka just edged his way towards the man who was getting threatened in the first place, noting the newspaper in the man's hand. "You looking for the Alal too?" he said, grinning a little "they're like me and my brother, shape shifters, which makes them hard to track, luckily us Daemons can see one another, even disguised"

Reptilious pulled the other two Daemons in, his body became bulky again, and he picked both up by the scruffs of their necks, carrying them over to Rekka and the cyborg zombie. "They know an Alal, Rekka, they pissed their pants and told me straight up, but there's one problem, they don't know where she is!"

"Well here's our lucky day, Reptilious, this man here's looking for the Alal too!" He looked at Sloane "What's your name, anyway? Always got to know you're comrades' names!"

(OOC: Sorry Sloane for controlling your NPC's, if you want me to edit, I can.)

[Hayden Houston]

Hayden was walking around nightside again but this time he finally had a reason, to find and kill some Alal! But so far Hayden has had no luck he was around a bar and notcied that a walking mechinized corpse was being picked on by some demons. Hayden was going to stop them but then he saw reptilious and he knew what would happen. he was right. Hayden walked over after that and looked at the daemon that wasnt rept and then at the corpse and introduced himself and goal...

"Hey rept! Oh by the way other guys my name is Hayden Houston and im on a mission to find and kill some Alal's why are you here?"

[Sloane]

(OOC: Well, you don't have to change the post, I guess...I was sorta expecting the trio of demons to put up a bit more of a fight than that, but I guess it's okay this time. Oh, and Hayden, technically, if nothing else, Sloane and Hayden would recognize and know each other's names, after the thing in the Bloody Tavern, cuz presumably that's when this is happening.))

I seen some things in my time, but just about every moment in this hellhole tops anythin' else I seen outside.

I watched as two more patrons o' the Tenth Circle emerged an' turned into towerin' monsters, the likes a' which musta lived in men's nightmares since the beginnin' o' time. They made short work o' the demons, crushin' one's skull and grabbin' the other two with tentacles. All the while, my hands was restin' on my guns, ready to draw in a flash. I woulda gladly plugged the trio, but I was just as glad to have someone do the work for me. Still...as much as these two monsters, claimin' to be Daemons, had been helpful...they was clearly not exactly the type o' creature you'd wanna meet in a dark alley. They had the killin' look about 'em, an' if they was Daemons, 'specially Daemons claimin' to be related to the demon I was huntin', well...I wasn't sure they could be trusted. My hands stayed on my guns.

"I ain't necessarily yer comrade, friend," I said, keepin' my voice nice an' cool. "Yer sayin' that yer lookin' for the Alal. Well, if'n that's true, then you 'n may jus' be competition. Still...much as I woulda enjoyed puttin' a few holes in them buggers myself, I must thank ya for yer aid. Saved me some bullets."

As I was speakin', I noticed a familiar figger approachin'. Hayden, he'd called hisself back in that bar. He recognized one o' the big Daemons...Reptilious, I think, if'n I caught their names right. An' then, Hayden said he was lookin' for the Alals too.

Lord Almighty. I guess demon-huntin's a pop'lar thing here 'n the Night Side.

"Well, Hayden, I'm jus' here askin' a few questions. O’course, the fellers I was questionin’ weren’t so keen on answerin’. These gentleDaemons stepped in afore anyone could get too impolite. So, then, I’ll just be getting’ my answers an’ then I’ll be on my way.” These gents didn’t seem too bad, but then, if my Demon taught me anythin’, it’s that appearances is deceivin’. I weren’t gonna take no chances with folk I wasn’t sure I could trust, ‘specially with shapechangers all about. I could jus’ look at ‘em with my eyes, o’course, see their sins…you get a pretty good picture of a person when you see their sins. But I wasn’t goin’ do that jus’ to be safe.

I might do it, though, if’n it’d be helpin’ me to catch some demons.

The two demons the big feller was holdin’ still looked sloshed…and scared…as hell. Even if they was inclined to be givin’ me answers, I don’t think they coulda managed it. Luckily, considerin’ near everythin’ a person does in the Nightside is a sin, or so I understand, I had a good shot of seein’ what I needed to see. I braced myself, takin’ a few deep breaths (even though I didn’t think I needed to breath no more). These was demons, and regardless o’ anythin’ else, they’d likely done some horrible things. An’ I was gonna get an in-person account. I had to be ready.

I stalked up to one o’ the two and stood in front of him where the Daemon held ‘im. I grabbed either side o’ the ugly sucker’s face, and I focused my gaze, makin’ sure all I saw was him, nothin’ else existed…I didn’t wanna get blasted by a peripheral glance of someone’s sins. When I thought I was ready, when all before me was jus’ that red, horned, blubberin’ face, I reached one hand up to my eyes and tore off my goggles.

Grunting laughter, wild excitement as the blood spurts onto his face…ripping, tearing, biting, chewing…FLESH! Feeling a woman die in his HANDS! Watching the life leave her!...meaty hand wrapped around handle of beautiful, beautiful whip…barbed, blood dripping from it…Yes, swing it again, make pain, GLORIOUS PAIN! His fanged maw gapes, his tongue lolls, his eyes glow with the thrill, and they SUFFER, OH HOW THEY SUFFER!

then…

She is so beautiful. She is so beautiful, she is more than any of the others have been. She is…she is the closest he could imagine an angel…He wants to show her how much he loves her, by rending her limbs, clawing at her flawless skin, he wants to bring her the pain that is the only love he knows…And she kisses him…And he is gone. All he sees is her. All he hears is her. All he knows is her.

She is his greatest Sin.

I brought my goggles back to my face as I tried to close my lids, as fast as possible. In the distance, I thought I heard a whistle, like the old trains they had back when I was livin’. Took me a couple o’ seconds to realized, it’s me, screamin’.

I’m not fully right in myself, not settled back in my own head, an’ before I knew it, I leaped forward, knockin’ the bastard out of Reptilius’s hand. I pinned him to the ground and pulled out my Colt Walker. I barely felt my face twist into somethin’ dark, some horrible mask, as I fired round after round right into the demon’s head. I kept pullin’ the trigger long after I ran out o’ shots.

After a few seconds, I had come back to myself some more. The world was startin’ to return to me, an’ I could process what I’d seen.

That woman. She was the Alal. I was sure of it. An’ I knew where he’d met her.
She was as good as dead.

[Hayden Houston]

Hayden finaly reconized the Corpse. he was Sloane from the bloody tavern! Hayden waited until Sloane was done killing the daemon before he started to put his hand on Sloane's shoulder, and felt the cold machinery of what used to be a man and he recoiled a little and asked something....

"What are you? And what is going on? And with you stumbling and out of bullets i think that you should be sticking with us for awhile."


He then looked away and to Reptilius and the other Daemon, who seemed to be related to Reptilius in some way and asked the big question.

"So who is Alal?"

Almost as soon as he asked this Hayden heard some shrick from behind them. he turned to see tow figures in the darkness.

Rachel was simply walking away from another bar after being kicked out for groping again and she wasnt even buzzed! She was walking through an alley when she heard someone or something from behind her. She turned to see a Man behind her and was approching her relitivly fast. which she turned and asked the man...

"Why are you following me!?"

" I am to kill you in the name of Alal! Now die!"

Rachel saw the man start to change into something terrible! The "Man" now looked like some kinda mutant spider crab thing! his arms had become 8 and all with crab claws. His head had seemed to be replaced with some kind of skull but it had a very thin blood red skin on it and it had also seemed that he had no eyelids because his eyes were now gogeing out of his skull. His body seemed to bulk up massivly his muscles seemed to instantly bulge with meat. And during this what was going threw Rachel's mind? What was going threw her mind was this... What the Hell is going on!? Why is this man suddenly changing into some kinda monster?! I think im going to die! Help! After all of this Rachel was too shocked to do anything but scream.

[Sloane]

When Hayden put his hand on me, I brushed it away quickly, coldly. I weren’t in no place or position right now to be comforted or friendly, not until after I’d hat a bit longer to recuperate. An’ maybe a stiff drink. O’course, seemed I might as well have saved myself the trouble, as Hayden recoiled a bit when he touched me. Couldn’t blame him, really. I wouldn’t touch me neither.

"What are you? And what is going on? And with you stumbling and out of bullets i think that you should be sticking with us for awhile," he said. I couldn’ help but snort at the last bit. If only I were outta bullets. Then I might be able to stop, for just a time.

No, that’s not true. I’d just find a way to get more. Killin’s what I do.

“Look here, feller. What I am is o’ no concern to you, an’ trust me, you’re sure as like to not want to know. An’ what’s goin’ on here is, I’m leavin’. I got me an Alal to catch. I got plenty o’ bullets, more ‘n enough to kill a demon, an’ much as I know you fellers is more’n likely to be a great boon in a fight, I’m just not in a teamworkin’ mood right now…not after what I just seen…” My voice drifted off at the end, there, even as a tiny shudder tore through my dead skin. Even corpses can shiver if they see enough horror.

While I was unwillingly recallin’ some o’ the nightmares that’d just flashed through my brain, Hayden turned to the two Daemons an’ asked, “So who is Alal?” I snorted again. The Alal is just a demon-corpse to be. That’s all.

An’ then I heard a shriek in the dark, behind Hayden. I peered closely into the shadows, and saw a girl, she looked young to my eyes, movin’ quickly away from some feller. I listened as best I could.

“Why are you following me!?” the girl shrieked. I immediately tensed up, realizin’ that a fight were brewin’.

“I am to kill you in the name of Alal! Now die!” said the man. An’ then he started to change. In no time, he were a monster, straight outta someone’s nightmares, with too many limbs and claws like a crab, a head with blood red skin stretched taut across the skull, bulgin’ bloodshot eyes, an’ muscles like a predator.

Just lookin’ at him, I knew right away that this feller had the same sorta air about him as the demon I’d just murdered had. Faintly intoxicated…but not with booze. No…the Alal had gotten to him too, an’ seduced him just the same. Fantastic. That meant I could kill him. Just what I needed right now.

As the girl started screamin’, I felt a dark grin tear across my face, an’ I reloaded my pistol with practiced speed an’ ease. I snapped the chamber back into place with a flick o’ my wrist, an’ then, a gun in each hand, I charged forward an’ let loose with shot after shot, each one aimed with a trained gunslinger’s precision, each one bringin’ death, each one hungry for blood.

[Reptilious]

Reptilious and Rekka stood silently as the Corpse man and the young human had their conversation, they had nothing to say, and so wouldn't say anything. As the girl started screaming and yet another Daemon appeared right before their eyes, they swung into action, Sloane fired his weapons, alomst fifty bullets whizzing angrily towards the creature almost 20 meters away.

Reptilious growled and launched three fireballs from his shoulders, and every ranged weapon on his body activated, unleashing their payload and tearing the street and every living thing between them and the ammunition into chunks.
Their setting all on incendiary they quickly set fire to the cars, which exploded and screamed as their oil ignited within them, the street lamps collapsed, and wriggled in agony. Reptilious stopped almost as quickly as he began, smoke coming from the barrels of his weapons, he looked as the crab like daemon stood up, three legs missing and holes in his torso, and turned angrily.

Black blood slid down the creature's torso and it hissed, it collapsed and struggled back up, growling and snapping like an animal.
Rekka jumped about 15 meters, powering all his muscle to his legs for the jump, his muscles all shifted back once in the air, and he landed with a massive thud, the pavement cracking beneath his huge weight. He swung his massive sword and the creature caught the blade, growling, it pushed the blade aside and jumped onto Rekka, who threw it off and brandished his sword once more.

[Hayden Houston]

Hayden had just stood there while the others attacked the Demon in the darkness. He had no idea what to do, but stand there. It had seemed time had stoped for him and only him. Hayden had fallen asleep consciously, and in this "daydream" Verdandi was there but all cloaked up like the very first time they meet. She walked up to him and said....

"Hayden you must help that person, my sister Urde, has interfeared with her life as i have yours. Now go, there may be a treat in it for you."

Time had unfrozen and Hayden suddnely started running to the woman that was cowering against the wall, as he got closer he saw that she looked alot like his sister, Rachel. He had got to her and held out his hand and saw that she was his sister! Hayden said.....

"Come on Rachel, I know you dont get hurt easily, so get up."

Rachel had fallen when the Demon had told her to die and was backed against the wall of the alley, which was as cold as ice as she was sweating from fear. Then she heard some gunshots and something that sounded like a fireball or something. After these sounds had stoped she opened her eyes and saw that the demon was no more. She saw that his heart, still attached to his chest as well as his lung, was still beating which meant he was alive! but the demon could not move but he did say something....

I am no longer under control of Alal, so i can say this *cough* She is in the *cough* sewers. *cough* *cough* you will know when you're *cough* close.

Rachel heard him and shivered from the fact that he was only a chest and head but after he said this he had died. A man had been running toward to Rachel she saw that it was Hayden, when he got close enough. He had said for her to get up and she wasnt about to think twice. She grabed his hand and jumped up and hugged her brother.

"So where have you been Hayden? And who are your friends?"

[Sloane]

Uh...well... damn. An' I thought I carried some nice, big guns.

As I was chargin' the monster, my guns blazin', one o' the Daemons let loose a salvo o' fire I ain't never seen the likes of in my life, or unlife, for that matter. He melted the street an' all the cars in the way, causin' tremendous destruction, even as he blasted huge holes in the creature's body. I had to veer away, not to be caught in the blast, an' even so, the heat was enough to scorch even my dead body. I had to hold up a hand to shield my face, it was so hot.

Damn.

After, the other Daemon leaped nigh-twenty feet in the air, an' came down at the creature with some huge sword in his hands. After a short tussle, he tossed the critter away, where it lay on the ground, spewin' an sputterin' black blood. It sure as hellfire weren't long for this world, 'less it had some kind o' regeneratin' ability. Somethin' I really hoped it didn' have.

I approached the creature where it lay, an' heard it rasp out a few words. "I am no longer under control of Alal, so i can say this *cough* She is in the *cough* sewers. *cough* *cough* you will know when you're *cough* close." I snorted at the thing. It were a monster, I sure as heck weren't gonna trust it when it just told me it were no longer under the Alal's control. I needed to know, couldn't take the risk o' not knowin'. So, even though my head still ached, even though those nightmarish images was still flashin' around inside my skull...I focused in on the dyin' creature, an' lifted my goggles off again.

It killed, yes, and it killed often, but never out of hate or fear or spite...always out of simple need for food. It was a predator, it had to kill to eat. These were barely sins, closer to facts of its life and its nature, but they still bore the taint of sinfulness for the fact that the creature was aware of what it was doing, even as it dragged the girls off to its lair to feast on their flesh. The creature heard their screams and understood. It was no dumb animal...it killed knowingly and willingly, if perhaps understandably. These were truly its only sins, it seemed...the creature was little more than a feasting predator...until...

It had grabbed her by the ankle, and was dragging her away...when it finally arrived at its lair, she stopped screaming, and started laughing. This was new to it. Why would prey be laughing? And then, before its eyes, she started changing. Could it be? Was she like himself? Another shape-changing predator? Perhaps a mate?

She came to him, and she kissed him with fluid, ever changing lips, and momentarily he tasted something dark and bitter, and then...he felt his form and flesh dissolve beneath her touch, as he was filled with lust and longing for her...and she was all, she was everything, and he needed her, he would do anything for her, she was more than his mate, she was his goddess, and he would serve her unto the end of his days...

She was his greatest Sin.

I pulled my goggles back on, much easier 'n last time. This creature weren't really a sinner, just a critter that needed to eat...even if it did eat people. Seein' those things it'd done, well, they's didn't really phase me much. Until that last bit, that is, with the Alal again. She'd done the same thing to him that she'd done to the demon from before. An' I'd felt her sinful hold spillin' throughout his mind, an' I knew how tightly he had been held by her. An' much as I wanted to believe the critter when he said he weren't under her thrall no more...I just couldn't.

I stepped over it, puttin' my foot on it's chest, an' pointed my gun at its head. "Time to sleep, feller." I fired one, two three shots, an' then three more into its still beatin' heart. Finally, the critter died.

Alright, so...if'n it were still under her hold, even to the bitter end, then...it'd been followin' her orders to tell us she were in the sewer. Which meant that she wanted us to come lookin' for her down there. Why?

Probably cuz it was a trap, or a dead end, likely as not to get us killed. Still...a trap's not so much of a trap if you know it's there. Might still be worth investigatin'.

I tipped my hat to the Daemons, an' to Hayden an' the girl, an' then I strode off into the Night. I had a demon to catch.

[Reptilious]

Reptilious watched the undead man as he walked past him and tipped his hat "And where do you think you're going?" Reptilious called to Sloane. They still hadn't found the Alal, well as far as Reptilious knew they hadn't. "What of the Alal? Are you to let her slip away?"

Rekka sheathed his mighty blade and strode towards Hayden and the woman, he looked at them hugging each other and asked "you two know each other?" Personally Rekka thought that they had been in a relationship before, it sure seemed like it.

Reptilious started walking after Sloane, expecting his question answered, his arrogance really never left him. He put his huge hand on Sloane's shoulder and said "What did you see?"

[Sloane]

As I were walkin' off, I heard one o' the Daemon's voices over my shoulder: "And where do you think you're going? What of the Alal? Are you to let her slip away?" Without pausin' in my stride, I called back, "Nope. She certainly ain't gonna slip away from me. She's got a date with my guns comin' up, an' I mean to see she attends."

I understood that these other fellers were huntin' the Alal, but I couldn' afford to share a bounty, not when I needed to collect my money to pay for this John Taylor feller to find my Demon. They'd certainly be helpful in a fight, o'course...even if that one Daemon had almost reduced me to cinders...but like I said, I needed the reward. Besides...I wanted to make the Alal pay, now that I'd been seein' her work. Hard not to let a thing get personal, when I started usin' my sin-sight.

Suddenly, I heard loud, thumpin' footsteps behind me. One o' the Daemons, probably. Great. I felt a large hand fall on my shoulder, an' then the same voice, full o' fire 'n brimstone, said, "What did you see?"

I stopped walkin', an' turned around slowly. Sure, he were taller 'n bigger than me, but I gave him my best hard look. "What I saw were my own business, friend. You'd best be doin' to remember that. An' I'd appreciate it if'n you'd keep your hands to yerself," I said, brushin' his hand off my shoulder. "I like this coat, an' I wouldn' wanna get it mussed up. That, an' I don't take kindly to bein' manhandled...or demonhandled, whate'er the case may be. Now, if'n you'll excuse me, like I said. My guns have an appointment t'keep." I turned around an' started walkin' again.

[Reptilious]

"You are not the ONLY one hunting the Alal, and I'd be happy to give up my share of the bounty for you if it's required." Reptilious growled as he took his hand off Sloane's shoulder, being more respectful than usual.
"I would be expecting she'd be surrounded by hundreds, if not thousands, of lusting Men, and I'm not judging you, but I don't think even you could do it alone." Reptilious said deeply "You will need assistance, and my brother and I will leave our shares to you, Rekrelous will let you if you have a good reason to need it."

Reptilious awaited an answer, not angry at the man's response, he had his manners, and didn't step out of line. "Very well, friend, we will always be at your back if you need it." and looked back at Rekka, who was talking to the human couple.

[Sloane]

I were a bit taken aback at the Daemon's response, to say the least. His fiery personality suddenly seemed to vanish under a haze o' civility, an' it took me by surprise. But it weren't a bad thing...although it did make me wonder why he were suddenly so polite. Couldn' be that I'd scared the feller...maybe I'd proved I could hold my own, an' would do so, but I didn' believe this were one bein' who scared easy. So why the sudden change o' heart? Why were he bein' so...generous?

"What's yer angle?" I asked, cockin' my head to the side an' lookin' at him askance. "Why would you hunt the Alal, if'n it's not fer the bounty? You don't strike me as the altruistic type, the kind that's likely to just help out the community. You strike me as the kind who's more'n likely to kill a bad person if there's pay involved, but if not, you'd let it go, unless you were directly threatened. Is that it, then? Alal's henchmen attacked, an' you want a go at vengeance?"

I were tryin' not to be too impolite, tryin' not to incur the feller's wrath, but...I wanted to see his reactions. I didn' understand why he was offerin' to give up his shares, an' in a place like this, I didn' believe that any generosity came freely. If there was somethin' more to the kind gesture from this Daemon, I had to know, afore I accepted help as might damn me for eternity.

Still...it might be nice to have some help. While I didn' quite believe that the Alal had thousands o' minions, that bein' more'n enough to call out them's Powers as could level whole blocks o' the Nightside in order to deal with the Alal, instead of just puttin' out a bounty in the paper, the Daemon did have a point that there might be more minions down there. I'd probably have my hands full just with the one shape-changin', mind-controllin' demon. Wouldn' help to have to deal with all her minions, too.

First, though, I needed to be sure that workin' with this Daemon weren't a one-way ticket to Hell.

[Reptilious]

Reptilious' long grin spread across his face, and he said "I know the Alals, they're bitches" he cackled and conjured an image of one before crushing it in his hand.
"And anyway, I don't really need the money just now, I've got enough to get me by."
Well, I don't need it NOW... he thought, he blinked and took in his surroundings for a second, there were creatures of the night scurrying around, one leaped across the street, from rooftop to rooftop.
"And no, I won't eternally damn you for help." he growled, somehow knowing that's what the machine man was thinking.

[Sloane]

I had to hide my surprise at how the Daemon seemed t'be able to read my mind, or at least address what I were thinkin', as I were thinkin' it. More 'n a little disconcertin', to say the least. An' I still weren't sure how much I bought some o' what he were sayin'...fightin' the Alal just 'cuz he didn' like their kind? Men've had worse reasons, I s'posed, but it still didn't seem quite right t'me. An' not wantin' the money? Again, seemed possible, but I didn't trust it fully, not in a place where it seemed everythin' a person did were motivated by money.

Still though...he were offerin' to give up the money, an' I'd get the help. An' I wouldn' be damned to Hell.

"Alright, tell ya what, big feller," I said, tryin' not to betray any o' my thoughts through my expression. "I'll be runnin' to a place I saw, the one where the Alal seemed to take control o' that demno feller from before. I'll try an' see if I get anythin' outta that place that might give us some advantage, some information that might tip the battle in our favor. Then, we can go down into the sewers, an' see what we can do about the Alal herself. I'll contact you when I'm ready. D'ya got some way I can reach ya?"

I still weren't entirely sure about this, but trust had to start somewhere. An' I figgered that if I were trustin' the wrong demon, I probably wouldn' be livin' long enough t'regret it.