Not wasting any more time, Zobek sent me to a teleportation device. I approached it, while it transformed my body into smoke in order to get through its magical gates. Within moments I arrived outside the factory complex just a few feet away from some narrow smoke-emitting tunnels. Zobek was cautious about any of the acolytes tracing his energies back to him despite the prominent involvement of his alter-ego with the outside world or the obvious location of his hulking obsidian tower. His rampant idiocy aside, I could understand why someone such as Zobek would prefer to sit and hide while someone else did the dirty work. After all, this was what he did the last time we worked together exactly a thousand years ago. The smoke vents would have been an obvious choice if I had my ability to shift into mist, but that for some reason still escaped me. No matter how many times I concentrated on the ability, I could not access my magical reserves. Frustrated, I instead channeled my efforts into making a much more fitting set of attire. The Dragon was not going to fight in the frontlines with torn rags and a measly grey waist cloth. These intrusive cloths offered practically no benefit and left me with no form of protection. Tough as my skin was, I could not rely on it to avoid harm from the demons I would be facing this night.

By cutting my wrists, I was able to conjure up a large pool of blood which I manipulated to surround the entirety of my frame. Using whatever traces of magic I did have, I solidified the blood to form a crimson, gold-trimmed, armored cloak possessing a metallic hardness more durable than the enchanted metals that the Brotherhood of Light used against me in our ceaseless skirmishes. This was good. It meant that I could still form elaborate constructs out of my blood not only to attack, but also defend myself. I pressed my hand, letting the long claws that had formed in my fingertips to pierce my own flesh and draw blood. Using the same technique I employed in crafting my armor, I was able to cover my arm in an eldritch gauntlet comprised of my solidified blood and the smoking shadow essence that made up my unleashed bestial form. Using just the right level of concentration, I could craft and reform this gauntlet, making it appear and vanish at will. After a few dozen tries, I was able to summon my blood gauntlet without the need for self-mutilation.

I could feel Zobek's intrusive telepathy trying to communicate with me and within a few seconds, his inaudible whispers became much clearer.

"You should be able to see a smoking vent ten feet ahead of you. Though you do not yet possess the ability to turn into mist, you should be able to knock over one of the covers in the nearby ventilation shaft and use the extra space to move around the complex. Naturally, you will not be able to fit inside but you should be able to change your form into something that will better accommodate you. Once inside, I will not be able to communicate with you for more than a few seconds at a time, as it will alert the acolytes of my presence. I will try to scan the area for nearby targets but you need to be careful, Gabriel. I will not be able to save you if you are detected, and we are all doomed should you meet an early end."

"Your overbearing thoughts are starting to irritate me, Zobek. Leave me be. I can do this without being treated like a damn child."

"As you wish."

I opened up the metallic grates of the shaft and surveyed the area. Zobek was right in that I would not be able to fit there normally. There were however a few ways around this. Although my magical reserves were nowhere up to par to their previous state, I could still call upon my ability to shapeshift into beasts of the night. I could hear the light noises being made by rodents, and figured that it would be easier for me to avoid detection by imitating the local wildlife. I concentrated and reduced my form into that of smoke and reformed myself into a swarm of rats. The form was unbecoming, but I needed to blend in to gain a better understanding of the area. I crawled through the vents, hearing the incessant cackles of loose electricity past the whirring buzz of worn down fans. I approached the complex, and often came across metallic grates which allowed me to see inside the factory.

The construction of the building was very strange, as it was comprised largely of metallic walls embroidered with an assortment of electric devices. I could hear the clanging of boots crashing against metal where humans collaborated with one another in a series of agitated discussions. Each section of the factory was sealed and separated. Some of the rooms contained humans working in secluded tables containing a menagerie of scientific equipment. These workers were dressed in sealed suits and rarely talked to one another. I cared not about what they were working on and moved on. Other sections bellowed with the roaring sounds of undulating machines soullessly crafting curious structures made out of clear yet sturdy-looking containers where fluids would be dispensed and then sealed. As I sauntered past the vents of this complex I searched for the nearly indistinguishable scent of a demon's essence.

Throughout my many battles, I have never encountered creatures such as the hellish beast that attacked me in the enclosed alley. There was no doubt in my mind that that creature was working for Lucifer and that there were many others like it, a great deal of which I was convinced were hiding in this place. If they were anywhere close to as powerful as my broods of vampires, then I expected that they had the ability to change their forms into the visage of these lowly humans. They would never be able to blend in so well with this vastly overpopulated city otherwise. I journeyed further and further through the vents until I eventually ran into an area that made my spectral senses tingle. Behind a thick wall was a room that contained possibly what I was looking for. There was no way of me to tell what was inside, and so I called for Zobek in my thoughts, knowing that he was still watching my every move.

"You are right, old friend. That area does indeed contain an unimaginable amount of spectral matter. I should be able to subtly influence some weak-willed creature in the complex to open the hatches.

True to his word, Zobek managed to hypnotize a low-ranking technician in an adjacent control room into making a slight opening at the hatches. A nearby officer noticed this and inquisitively asked what the man was doing.

"What's going on? We're under direct orders to seal all sections of this facility."

"I'm sorry, sir. There was an error in the circuitry and I had to run a quick diagnostic to see what was wrong."

"Alright. Carry on then."

I wasted no time and scurried into the small opening made by the metallic gate.

I could see that the room was well sealed off from the rest of the complex, with all ventilation shafts leading somewhere else entirely. I could not crawl about like a rat for much longer so I restored my humanoid appearance, opting to hide within the shade of a nearby corner preceding a long empty corridor. At this point the unmistakable odour of hell filled my nostrils, forcing me to let out an untimely cough. I envied humans in this sense, for their weaker bodies were unable to tell one creature of the night from the other based purely on scent. A hulking creature approached in alarm. The demon appeared slightly human in appearance, with mechanical devices overlapping parts of its face. Most of its body was covered in thick red scales of armor while its pale bald head was hastily exposed. It clumsily walked about while carrying a large cannon strapped onto its right arm. Zobek once warned me about these creatures, and told me that I would be unable to directly confront them until much later.

Its presence quickly alerted me of its relative weakness. The armor that it carried must have been a crutch to make up for the weakness in the creature's body. At first I could not understand why I could not tear it into pieces using my bare claws, but then something piqued my interest. Though its cannon was mechanical in appearance, it contained the distinct scent of a demon's essence within it, as though an imp or some other lesser creature had become ensnared and trapped within the inner workings of the machine. The projectiles it launched likely depended on a more supernatural source, and I was not about to find out how being pelted by this curious weapon felt like.

I was trapped hiding in this corner, with little options other than to shapeshift once more or to fight. There was no reason for me to shapeshift, seeing that no other creature could wander off in this secluded section. And so I prepared myself for combat, conserving my energy until my new prey approached…and approach it did.

I had exactly three heartbeats to choose the right course of action, and my first instinctive move was to strike its jaws with my crimson gauntlet. This sent the creature reeling back in pain and exposed an open mouth for me to take advantage of. I quickly morphed my body into a viscous cloud of blood and forced myself into its throat before the creature could recover one step. Once inside, I melded myself into its bloodstream and took over the creature, using it both as a puppet and a shield. The creature's body was weak, however, and would not last long. I would only have a short period of time before the potency of my corrosive blood completely consumed the creature from within. This was made all the more apparent by the quick succession of innards that would progressively collapse with each passing step, making my vessel much clumsier and appear less inconspicuous as a consequence. Its pain was unimaginable, and I reveled in the screams that I muffled while I manipulated its limbs like a young boy playing with his toys.

I used this puppet's lumbering motions to propel myself forward down the corridor, noticing the small glassy eyes of metallic boxes following my movements. These contraptions must have alerted the other guards, who then proceeded to break their line of patrol and start questioning my new toy. Unable to answer, the guards grew impatient and drew their cannons, aiming them at me. I knew that this body could not hold on any longer and so let go, allowing the power of my blood to completely consume my fleshy vehicle and absorb both his flesh and armor into my body. The process of conversion was admittedly unrefined, as it left much of my victim's remains spraying out in a messy explosion of blood and gore. The important part was that my flesh and armor were now more durable than ever, having absorbed part of the creature's sturdily crafted armor. Given a few more attempts, I could probably increase my defenses even more. Fortunately, fate itself was smiling at me this very moment.

The rest of the guards were shocked at what they saw, still unable to determine what had just happened. Before they could alert the rest of the complex of an intruder, I dashed forward, nimbly dodging their aim but inadvertently alerting the higher authorities anyway. There was no turning back, and so I resolved to I grab on to one of the guards' faces and then furiously slammed it into the ground, crushing its skull in my grip in the process. The other two guards open fired at me, barely missing before I formed a couple of daggers from my hardened blood and hurled it into one's head, tearing a fissure in its skull in the process. I then transformed my body into a cloud of blood and possessed another guard. Once inside, I took the opportunity to fire its cannon into the creature's companion, completely incinerating it in the process. The feeling was satisfying, but short lived as other guards ran towards me with their weapons drawn. They did not hesitate to fire and before I knew it, my vessel was destroyed beyond recognition, reducing my form into that of a shapeless puddle of blood. Unaware of my inability to get hurt when possessing another creature, they approached the puddle while I patiently waited for the chance to strike. I waited one…two…three steps before pouncing and taking over yet another guard, forcing it to vomit my blood into the other's face. The creature's face melted at so quick a rate that it could barely utter a scream before its jaws dissolved into a dark bony fluid. After I finished, I began consuming my vessel, making it explode into a primordial soup of corroded flesh.

I reformed back into my original form, noting that with this encounter I was definitely more durable than when I first entered the facility. The near fatal blows that that demon in the street had dealt me would now only register as weakly as a bee stinging an object made out of steel. Feeling some more of my powers beginning to restore themselves, I dusted off the small scraps of flesh hanging from one of my pauldrons and walked towards an unsealed gate.

With every step I took in the direction of the gate, I felt the gradually increasing pull of a strong presence drawing me somewhere oddly familiar. Soon I noticed that my surroundings had somehow changed from the drab ambience of whirring machines into a grand passage that greatly resembled the former grandeur of my castle. I could hardly believe my eyes.