The plane narrowly dodged out of the grasp of the giant ape, who let out a bellowing roar as it circled around for another pass at the beast, gunfire rattling over the streets of New York, joined by the occasional guttural roar from-

"You two are watching that movie again?" Rasputin questioned as he entered the room.

"You read the same books every month." Replied a rough voice from the couch. It was warped slightly by the presence of a metal mask over the demon's face, his pure blue eyes remaining fixed on the just about ancient movie. His thick horns jutted out over the top of the couch with the strange, icy blue feathers shining in the light of the room "Besides, this one's my favourite." His dark brown skin was like a void in comparison to the rich colours of his clothes.

Rasputin mumbled to himself as he sat down "Fulgore, Beelzebub, Faust wants a meeting once Mary Jane has cleaned herself up. We have a new job."

"Already?" Fulgore blinked, lifting his head off the fist it had been resting on "Didn't someone just hire MJ?"

Rasputin shrugged "We've had jobs come in faster than this, where is the surprise?"

"Because the last time that happened was seven months ago." Beelzebub interjected without looking away from the film, at least as far as the other two could tell, her eyes hidden under a pair of pitch black shades. The only thing that broke up the sheer amount of black clothes on her body was her own bright green skin, and the design on her shirt. A "Vex" she called it…whatever that was.

Flicking her equally dark hair over her shoulder, Beelzebub turned her head straight to the imp and the sinner "So what is it, then? If Faust's calling a meeting, then it must be important."

Rasputin weighed his options, releasing a low rumble as he thought and dragging his finger over the mug he held before he spoke once more "Assassinations. But I'll let Faust explain."

Fulgore's eyes widened slightly in amusement at the words, the muscles in his face contorting like he was smiling under the steel covering "Ohhh, it's been a while since we got dirty." He rung his hands together, scratching at the backs of his palms.

Beelzebub chuckled, reaching for one of the bright green canisters that, to the others, seemed almost permanently affixed to her gear and spun it on her finger "Must be big if Faust wants us all together for it."

Rasputin nodded mid sip, leaning back in his armchair. He watched the two with a brother-like gaze as silence fell on the conversation before they returned to the movie, the imp giving it an occasional glance as he just stared at the table.

Some time passed before they heard a sound that didn't come from the screen – Mary Jane entered the room, back in her usual clothes and her fur had gone all fluffy, eliciting a snicker from Beelzebub. The chimera looked over to her, pausing, before she continued on, flinging herself into another armchair opposite Rasputin, her lower pair of arms resting on the sides with her upper pair going behind her head.

"You took your time." Rasputin commented, getting a look from the chimera's secondary eyes "What?"

The eight smaller eyes shifted from Rasputin to the screen…staring. Beelzebub herself looked to the chimera under her shades, smirking, then back to the film.

"Ah, you are all here, good." Faust's voice alerted the group, who looked over the couch to the demon as he approached, holding the lamp-like container of the fang. He placed it down on the coffee table, then sat between Fulgore and Beelzebub "I assume Rasputin has told you?"

"Yeah." Beelzebub nodded as she nabbed the remote and paused the film "Assassinations, finally some good stuff."

Faust clicked his tongue before answering "Well, it may not be so simple this time."

"You said that about Kennedy." Rasputin interjected "And he popped like a melon!" He burst out into laughter, eliciting a chuckle from Mary Jane and Fulgore "Ahh…" The imp smiled as his laughter died down "Politicians."

Faust smiled at the memory, then slapped his thigh "Right, right, we need to talk. Have any of you seen this before?" He gestured to the lamp, to which he got no response "I shall take that as nein. According to our, ah, client, zis is a tooth from Lucifer himself."

Mary Jane's chair creaked as she leaned forward, her upper pair of arms pressing against the back of it "Es-tu putain de sérieux?" She spoke in her native tongue, to which Faust nodded.

Fulgore was next to pipe up "And how do you know that?" He questioned, sitting forward, staring intently at the lamp "How can we be sure this isn't just some fancy nicknack?"

Faust held up a finger and picked up the lamp "Like zis." He said, opening the top. In an instant, the room was filled with a screaming wind and a blood red light. Faust clutched onto his hat as the wind howled from within, the rest of the gang shielding themselves as best they could from the rushing air.

Finally, Faust's free hand shot into the lamp and wrapped around the tooth, holding it with an iron grip. He breathed a sigh of relief as the wind vanished in an instant. Mary Jane released an animalistic grumble as she adjusted her hair "Well, that's one way to dry me off…"

Pulling the feathers on his collar back into position, Fulgore looked to Faust's hand as he pulled it from the lamp "Just what the hell was that, Faust?"

"Proof." Faust smirked as he opened his hand again, the tooth now hovering above his palm in pure silence, spinning in place "It's real." The tone of his voice betrayed his words.

"You sound just as surprised." Beelzebub latched onto it "You had doubts?"

Faust nodded gently "A bit. But if it's real, then…"

Fulgore lightly jabbed Faust in the arm "You still haven't told us who we're even going after." He said gruffly "All this for who?"

"Ah." Faust's smile returned as he placed the tooth back in the lamp and produced the letter that M had previously handed over "According to ze client, a man named M, he wants us to kill, let's see where was it…ah, here. Stolas, Alastor and Valentino!"

Mary Jane's claws dug another wound in the fabric of her seat at the mention of Porn Studio's owner, her lip trembling as she growled. The fact that pompous asshole had his filthy moth hands all over her Angel Dust-

"MJ." Rasputin said firmly, the harshness in his voice sending the chimera crashing back from her spiralling descent.

She nodded with a simple "Hm."

"Does that say Charlie Magne?" Fulgore leaned over to read the letter himself "What the hell drove you to agreeing to this, Faust, do you want NMG to be public knowledge?"

"Ah, we won't have to use zat…I hope." Faust produced the vial of blue liquid from before "Behold!" He held it up to the light "Angel's blood!" His arm softened slightly as he looked to Mary Jane "Not your Angel, MJ."

"I know what his blood is like." Mary Jane said flatly "…What's that, though?"

"According to M," Faust began as he placed the vial next to the now empty lamp "It should be able to turn any weapon into an Overlord killer. Gone, reduced to dust!" He grinned from ear to ear as he looked around, the rest of the group humming pensively.

"Alastor, Valentino…Stolas." Fulgore echoed the names "Why them? What would have someone have to gain from their final deaths?"

"More importantly," Beelzebub crossed her arms, placing one foot on her knee as she leaned back in the couch "How in Lucifer's name do we fight Overlords, much less Stolas?"

The hollow sound of ceramic meeting wood echoed through the brief silence that filled the room, Rasputin lifting his hand from the mug "Perhaps we do not need to fight." He said as his eyes met Fulgore's "We have Technocrat."

Fulgore released a moan that almost sounded like a wheeze as his shoulders rose and fell with it "Tricks and traps will only get us so far." He mused, spinning his hand as he spoke "Is there anything else about the tooth?"

Faust nodded once more "Our client told me that as it tastes the blood of Overlords, it allows the wielder, and their allies, exponential strength. Effectively, a snowball effect, the more we kill, the stronger we are. The stronger we are, the more we kill."

"Keh," Beelzebub cackled "The Seven Deadly Sins are gonna have their first competition in millennia if that's the case."

"Stolas first." Mary Jane finally spoke up, snatching the attention of the gang. She was flipping her knife in her hand, the sharp edges delicately dancing betwixt her gloved fingers "If one of Fulgore's traps can snag him, we'd already be strong enough to take Alastor and Valentino out in one swoop." She spat out the name of the moth, yet her smile returned just as quickly.

"Any objections?" Faust questioned. No one said anything – Rasputin gave a shrug and a nod, mouth stretched "Alright!" The suited demon slapped the table "Stolas it is! Now, Fulgore, MJ, you two fancy a night on the town?"

The wolf's secondary eyes glanced to a clock "It's awful late to start drinking now, wouldn't you say?"

"I'm sure your favourite dive's still open." Beelzebub put her feet on the coffee table "Ya dirty skank."

"Plague ridden vermin." Mary Jane quipped back, eliciting a chuckle from both of them "Move your ass, Fulgore." She turned her attention to the masked demon as she stood, hitting him with the back of her lower left hand as she passed "We're going to Bisexia!"

"Hold on!" Faust's hand shot out and grabbed the chimera's arm "We need to talk about the blood."

Mary Jane huffed and rolled her eyes as she sat back down with a mutter "What about it?"

Faust gingerly picked up the vial, examining it "We only have enough for one usage. We should decide on-" He was cut short by Mary Jane's bright pink knife impaling itself into the wooden table in front of him, followed by Rasputin's personal revolver hitting the wood with a solid thud.

"You two talk fast." Fulgore commented "Not enough for me to use in traps." He looked to Faust "Plaguebringer?"

"Think I can just make more angel blood? Keh!" Beelzebub cackled, flicking her hand "Let's let the big ones decide."

Faust looked at the two weapons – they were enormous, rightfully so for the giants that wielded them. He stared at each one, then to their owners, weighing every attribute in his head, his fingers tapping on his leg as he thought.

"Si je peux dire quelque chose à ce sujet," Mary Jane once again spoke in her native tongue "When I commissioned Banshee to make Love Bite, I specifically noted for the teeth to draw as much blood as possible." She gestured to the spiked, angular additions to the back of the blade "We need blood? Love Bite is how you get blood."

"Hmm…" Rasputin hummed and crossed his arms "You make good point. Piercer is designed for damage, not bloodshed. We will need as much of that as we can, but that means getting up close." He pulled a bullet out from his pocket "Bullet does not need to be close." His accent seemed to only get thicker as he spoke those words.

"Compelling." Faust nodded, then slapped his thigh once more "MJ, Fulgore, you two go enjoy your night. I'll talk with Beelzebub about it."

…

Thumping bass filled the club as Mary Jane and Fulgore entered, the chimera ducking through the doorway on their way in. Her eyes scanned the room, a few of the patrons giving her a glance as she passed, the two of them sitting at the chrome bar, which glistened in the mixture of blue, pink and purple lights.

Fulgore clicked his tongue under his mask "Drinks here are good, but it's too damn colourful."

"Ohh, lighten up." Mary Jane lightly jostled Fulgore's head by grabbing his horn "Those pubs you go to are too quiet."

Fulgore grumbled as he removed his mask, placing it on the counter with a thud. The sound attracted the attention of the bartender, whose face lit up as he made eye contact with the pair "MJ, Fulgore, been a hot minute!" He smiled as he approached, leaning on the counter "What can I do for you?"

"Dirt." Was Fulgore's quick and snappy reply.

Mary Jane rolled her eyes and threw her head back, sighing "You don't have to be so direct…" She put her head back down "One Caipirinha for me, please, with…" She leaned in close to the bartender, her breasts resting on the cold metal of the bar "Stolas' feathers." She whispered, then slunk back into her seat, her secondary eyes looking to Fulgore "And you?"

Fulgore murmured to himself for a moment before he answered "Titan's Blood." He paused, to which Mary Jane cocked an eyebrow "Please."

"Comin' up." The bartender nodded, turning to the station behind him "So, what you are guys planning this time?" His tail flicked in excitement as he asked the question.

Mary Jane rested all four hands on the counter "Oh just a tiiiiny amount of bloodshed." She grinned "Some very important people, perhaps. We'll see what happens~" She cooed, dragging her finger along the chrome surface.

Fulgore's eyes darted about the room before landing on a poker table with numerous demons sat around it. One in particular caught his eye – a cat. Not much else was significant about this cat, save for one thing – a pair of giant red wings.

"Whatcha lookin' at?" Mary Jane questioned, following Fulgore's gaze until she saw the cat, too. Her lip quivered at the sight of the feline, her eyes snapping down to Fulgore "Looks experienced."

"I'll get my drink," Fulgore replied, turning his attention back to the counter "Then I'll have a go with him."

"'ere ya go." The bartender smiled as he placed the drinks on the counter, Mary Jane handing him a note of cash in return.

Fulgore took a quick sip of the drink and nodded "It's good. Thanks." He said before taking his mask and walking over to the table.

"He's not much of a social butterfly." Mary Jane commented as Fulgore departed.

The bartender shrugged "Usually see him at the pubs instead, guess he prefers quiet places." He then looked to the chimera "So…Stolas, huh? Whaddya need?"

Mary Jane chuckled, tracing her finger in a circle on the counter "Not dirt, but just…info. What's his routine, any openings in his big ass house? You know, stuff we can…exploit."

The bartender hummed, idly wiping a cloth over the counter "Well…"

Fulgore marched up to the poker table, mask under his arm. The cat was quick to notice him, raising an eyebrow as he approached "Fuck d'you want?" He spat, his voice rough and gravelly.

"Deal me in." Fulgore said firmly as he sat in an empty seat. He felt the eyes falling on him one by one. An oddly pale imp in a cowboy get up sat across from him, to his left was a bat demon with, impatiently rattling his fingers against the wooden border of the table.

Silence fell as the game resumed with the new player, the only words spoken necessary to the game's continuation. Fulgore didn't need to look at the cat to know the glare he kept shooting his way. He ignored it, focusing on the table, only giving the occasional glance back to the cat.

"So he has a daughter…" Mary Jane mused, nodding "Interesting…"

The bartender nodded again "Could use her as some…leverage." He tilted his head to accentuate the words "If things go south." After a brief moment of silence, he continued "How're the others?"

Mary Jane chuckled "Peachy."

"Good to hear." The bartender smiled, placing his cloth on a hook as another customer called him over "I'll be right back."

A buzzing in her pocket made Mary Jane pull her phone out, flicking it on. A new upload from her Angel. She bit her lip, fingers curling at the idea already. Not now, though. Idly swiping her phone open, the chimera scrolled through her social media quietly, usually only letting out a chuckle at a few humorous posts.

The entire bar's attention was then snatched by the sound of shattering glass and yelling.

"YOU THINK I'M FUCKIN' CHEATING, YOU SORE ASS LOSER!?" The cat bellowed above the music, every patron in the bar turning their head to the source of the noise. Fulgore was quick to duck as the bat flipped the table straight in his direction, it went flying over him and shattered on the floor. He snarled and affixed his mask back to his face, clenching his right fist.

A sharp blade burst forth from his wrist, his snarling amplified by the mask "Watch where you throw things, shithead!"

The bat hissed at the cat "The cheater is only mad he got caught!"

The cat marched up to the bat, grabbing them by the collar "Caught, you braindead fuck!? You're the one who can't play a card to save his life!" His next movement was swifter than one would expect from someone riled up on booze. He picked up the shattered remains of a bottle and smashed it across the bat's face, sending him reeling into Fulgore.

Stumbling back from the impact, Fulgore shoved the demon off of him before training his arm blade on the bat, letting out an animal-like snort before charging. His blade just barely clipped the bat's wing, leaving only a tear in the membrane.

The bat shrieked at the sight of its damaged wing and pounced on Fulgore, viciously clawing at him before the cat picked up another shard of glass and rammed it into the bat's neck "You got a problem with me, don'tcha!?" He drunkenly slurred, his posture slumped.

Fulgore grumbled once more as he got up, dusting himself off. He gave the cat an angry glance before turning his attention to the bat. Just as he brought his blade up for another charge, Mary Jane's hand gripped onto his shoulder, yanking him with enough force to pull him off his feet.

He quickly found his footing once he landed, trying to wrench himself free of the chimera's grip as she passed by the bar "Thanks for the drinks, Laurence!" She waved to the bartender, then ducked out of the door.

Once out on the street, Mary Jane released Fulgore, who rubbed his now numb shoulder "Get it all out?"

"Hmf," Fulgore huffed, retracting his blade "Yeah, yeah. Barely even made it into the game before the bat flipped out."

Mary Jane shook her head "And that cowboy, where'd he go?"

"Dunno." Fulgore shrugged "Why?"

Mary Jane shrugged back "Just thought he looked interestin'. Now come on, I got the stuff we need to know, let's go tell the others."

"Yep, they showed up." A heavily southern voice spoke into a phone, their identity obscured by the shadows in the alley "Hook, line and sinker."

Mary Jane's head spun around to look directly behind her in an instant, her ears flicking. Her rapid sniffing was audible, the owner of the voice falling silent. After a few moments, however, Mary Jane turned her head back around "Thought I heard something…"

"It was nothing." As the moon appeared from the clouds, the cowboy imp from before was revealed in the alley "Just the wolf bein' a little mutt."