Chapter 32: A Group of Fiends Walks into a Bar
Loki's laughter cut through the lounge, disrupting a few of the ghosts that had been trying to pick up conversations again. Some decided to leave while others thought something interesting would surely happen. "Has Lucifer approved of this?" Loki asked, a gleam in his eyes.
"I haven't said anything to him," Naoki said. "Since I have this plan ready, I want to carry it out quickly."
"He might be watching," Harlot said, behind the bar with Nyx this time. "In that case, we can take his silence as approval. We fiends usually do. If he gets mad, we'll just fight him again."
"You've got guts, that's for certain," Loki said. "Now if you can prove that you pulled this off, I might be willing to do something for you. Be sure to come back here for that."
"All right," Naoki said. It was good that he was changing this demon's opinion of him, especially after how their first meeting went. He then looked to the two women behind the bar. "Then we can do this?"
"Of course, I already said so," Harlot said.
Nyx nodded. "Angels don't indulge themselves. Your trickery should go over smoothly because of that naivete. But you're crossing into their territory and we don't want you erased from existence by their power. I can fix up something for you that will protect you in case you come into contact with their holy water. It will only last for what was a day, but that should be plenty of time."
"Right, thank you," he said.
Nyx nodded and went to work with Harlot. Then the door opened again, letting in three cloaked skeletons and another in biker gear. "Hey, we heard that we were having a get-together!" Hell Biker called, waving over to them. "We gonna go wreck some place?"
"Once we find a good place to wreck," Naoki said. It was actually fun being like this, even outside the full Kagutsuchi.
"You'll have to raid the Amala Temple eventually," Black Rider said as the other two Riders decided to grab a table (ignoring the current occupants) and drag it closer to where they were gathered. "And Hikawa has holed up within the Diet Building, which is already something of a fortress with the demons that are stationed there. We have some good options in those two places."
"It doesn't matter where as long as there's plenty of faces to smash in," Hell Biker said. His mere presence scared off the ghosts and other demons that were nearby. More of them left; others took to the corners of the room to stay out of the way.
"You got that right," Wu Kong said, and ended up bumping fists with Hell Biker. Meanwhile, Amaterasu had taken a seat near the corner of the bar and was watching quietly.
"Are we going to have to get drinks for everyone?" Harlot asked. "Nyx, do you have any helpers?"
"No, not unless you count one fellow who'd work in exchange for paying off his tab," Nyx said, waving to the fellow in question. "Loki?"
"All right, but you guys better not want anything fancy-pants out of me," he said, getting up off his stool. Wu Kong was quick to steal it from him since it was next to Naoki.
"You give me any fancy-pants stuff instead of beer and I'll give you three black eyes," Hell Biker said.
"She's got my drink coming," Naoki said, feeling something faint get through his horn. Good, time to get this show rolling. 'They're watching now,' he whispered to the ones who had contracts with him.
There was a small nod from Black in acknowledgment, but the rest kept going, calling out whatever they wanted to drink to Loki. While he was trying to fulfill that, the door opened again as Matador decided to join them. He had his red cape hanging off his shoulder this time, apparently not anticipating a fight. "I hope I'm not too late," he said, posing as though he was trying to make a grand entrance.
Unfortunately, it was ruined by a strange gray demon barreling right through him and flying over on what seemed to be jet wings. "DEMIFIEND!" he called, backing off a bit until he found a good place to hover. "I found you!"
"Yes, and you are?" Naoki asked, even though his senses had already told him. This was someone the others had talked about.
"Chemtrail," he said. "I would have offered to help here, but I was on the trail of a rogue Gaean sector that were acting as spies for the Mesians. Probably affiliated with other groups, I could only get circumstantial evidence."
"Hey, don't take anything this guy says for granted," Hell Biker said to him. "He lives in his own little fantasy world, disconnected from reality."
"I do not!" Chemtrail insisted, kicking his feet down. "I see truths that no one else will accept because I am the death of common sense! That's what it takes to know the true reality of our existence."
Naoki took another look at this fiend. He seemed geared for stalling with poison and insanity. Still, "If you're the death of common sense, you should be a lot more powerful."
"Well there's no internet here," Chemtrail said, disappointed in that. "I thrive on fast information and poorly made opinions, so the lack of internet holds me back."
"That makes sense," Naoki said.
"Then you're already ahead of us in trying to understand this fellow," Matador said, having gotten back up and trying not to seem ruffled.
"I've got yours done, Demifiend," Nyx said, coming over and setting an oversized mug in front of him. The foam on the dark drink was silver and faint smoke trailed off the top. "You'll need to finish it off."
All of that? He'd already expected that it wasn't going to be something pleasant from what it needed to do. "I'll give it a shot," he said.
"Aw come on, you can handle jumping right in with the crazy stuff," Hell Biker said, playfully swatting at him. "No backing down."
"Yeah, I know," Naoki said, then took a good drink to start with. It had a taste like black licorice, smoke, and old tea, not in a pleasant way.
"Are we sure our boy can handle that as a first-timer?" Matador asked as a taunt, patting his shoulder. "Just that mug would knock over a lightweight."
"I can handle it," Naoki said. For now, Satan was having him continue acting normal.
"I would've had you start with a drink that'll open the horizons for you and let you see the complex web of conspiracy around us," Chemtrail said. "That's how you do things!"
"We don't want to kill his brain," White Rider said.
"What good is that kind of thinking?" Chemtrail challenged him.
"I'd like to keep my brain," Naoki said. "Although it sounds like I can leave the conspiracy digging up to you."
He folded his wings back. "You got it, I can find out anything!"
"Just expect that less than a percent of what he finds will be truth," Black Rider said.
"At least until the universal truth polarity reverses and then it turns out that more than a hundred percent of what I say is truth," Chemtrail said.
"But that..." Wu Kong said, looking confused. "What?"
Wondering about something, Naoki took another drink, then asked, "So Chemtrail, what's the latest conspiracy you've found?"
"Ah, I have one that I really wanted to tell you about," Chemtrail said. He drifted over to one of the stools and landed on it, then crouched down so he could sit at the bar with them. Doing that might have been easier for him as he had no arms.
"You're in for it now," Hell Biker said, leaning in close.
"And I can mention it here since it's just some ghosts here with us fiends," Chemtrail said. "And Nyx. She ought to be a fiend too, but that's a whole different conspiracy."
Nyx chuckled, still working on the other drink. "No, I am the night, so I am best suited for the Night clan."
"And I'm a car wash," Chemtrail said. "That's part of how I hear so many things. What I've heard lately and have put together all behind a sudsy curtain could change everything. See, somebody had the dumb idea that since we fiends are more willful than other demons, it'd cause a huge fight among us if somebody tried to organize us more neatly, so they're trying to get some kid named the leader of the fiends to bring us all down to nothing with in-fighting."
Naoki sputtered a bit trying not to laugh in his drink when Chemtrail claimed to be a car wash. None of the others seemed to find that funny. He finished off a smaller drink of the stuff to not choke on anything, then said, "Go on."
"And that kid is going to be Alice," Chemtrail said, puffed up with pride at the revelation.
"No," Red Rider said flatly.
"I would hardly think she would be appointed our leader, gifted though she may be," Matador said.
"Who's Alice?" Naoki asked.
"Well sometimes she's one of us, and sometimes she's with the Undead clan," Mother Harlot said, chuckling a little. She at least found Chemtrail amusing as well. But then, she actually was drunk now; how much was she helping Nyx at this point? "She's an adorable engine of mass destruction if you ask me."
"A spoiled rotten brat if you ask me," Hell Biker said. "On the other hand, she is powerful enough that you really don't want to turn down her demands unless you're ready and raring for a challenging fight."
"She is a child who was granted eternal undeath by Belial and Neiberos," Daisoujou said. Naoki hadn't seen when he'd arrived, but the monk was now sitting on the bar near Chemtrail. "She bears a cruel innocence that brings about powerful magic. She never realizes the wake of pain and suffering that follows her childish games."
"And as a child, she will never have a strategic mind to lead battle," Red Rider said. "Nor any leadership qualities that we would recognize. He's just speaking nonsense as usual."
After taking another drink, Naoki held a hand up to Red. "Actually, he does make sense there."
"What?" Hell Biker asked, staring at him with most of the others in bewilderment.
"You believe me?" Chemtrail asked, excited enough to hop back onto his feet on the stool.
"Nyx, did you slip something extra into his drink?" Harlot asked, elbowing her.
"No, that'd make me a bad hostess," Nyx said.
Naoki pointed up to Chemtrail's face. "What I believe is that putting Alice in as leader would ruin the fiends, even if I've never met her."
"You do have to agree with him there," Black Rider admitted.
"Indeed," Daisoujou said with agreement from some of the others.
Having all the others agreeing that he was right about something, Chemtrail cackled and spread his wings. "Ah-ha, I knew you'd all see my way! I will always find the truth, no matter how counter-intuitive it is! You must be a true visionary too, Demifiend. I wasn't asked to do anything in this world, but is there anything I can do to help you out, hmm?"
What could he do with a demon so crackpot that he called himself the death of common sense? Something came to mind that he doubted would really make a difference. But it would be amusing if it did anything. "Actually, there is something that you could do as a favor, that maybe you could best accomplish," Naoki said. "Black Rider told me that Hikawa is holed up in the Diet Building. I have things I want to get accomplished here in the Vortex World, but if he gets moving, Hikawa would try to end this game of Creation quickly."
"Oooo, Hikawa is a key player in tons of conspiracies," Chemtrail said, childishly eager.
He nodded. "I thought so. Because you know so much about that, I'd like you to scout around the Diet Building. Mislead Hikawa and the demons there as much as you can. I don't care how you do it, just as long as it gives us more time to get things done for Lucifer."
"You got it, I can stall like nobody else!" he said, then jetted off to leave the lounge.
"Well that's one way to get rid of him," White Rider said, impressed although he was exaggerating it now. Maybe they did have a sense of humor.
"And quick too," Matador said.
"Well he's gone and you're going way too slow," Hell Biker said, nudging the oversized mug. It was about half full now. "Be a man and get the rest down!"
"You think I can't?" Naoki asked, smiling a bit. It was tough and unpleasant, but he got the other half down in about a minute.
In the next few minutes that he kept chatting with the other fiends about nothing important, the angel kept watching them. Naoki whispered to Black Rider to signal the next part to begin. He was gone briefly, during which Naoki made sure to keep up some banter with Matador and Hell Biker. Shortly after Black slipped back into his chair, Trumpeter flew in with his trumpet on a belt. "Have any of you seen Chemtrail? He showed up out of nowhere ranting about something, then took off before I could say anything."
"He was here for a bit," Harlot said, having joined the rest of them in drinking at the bar.
"I sent him off to annoy Hikawa, it's fine," Naoki said, waving it off. His words felt clumsy, less because of the drink and more because his magatama were making him act drunk.
"He's not supposed to be here," Trumpeter said.
"Like he'll know anything important," Hell Biker said. "Even if he does, it'll come in his usual torrent of shit, so nothing's going to happen."
"You can always go keep an eye on him if you're that worried," White said, getting snickers from the other two Riders.
"Why should I be Chemtrail's keeper?" Trumpeter asked, annoyed at the suggestion.
"Other than Pale, you're the only one of us not in contract with Demifiend," White said.
"He was supposed to come find me at a point I set up, not here," Trumpeter said.
"But you're here and I see you," Naoki said, pointing to him. "I could challenge you now."
Hell Biker laughed at that. "Yeah, I want to see this match go down!"
"Are you sure you should be doing that now?" Amaterasu asked. She was in on things, but it would sound right coming from her.
"I'm sure I'll be fine," Naoki said.
"Hmm, I should be able to adapt to here, given a couple minutes," Trumpeter said putting his skeletal hand on his trumpet.
Harlot laughed. "You don't have to hide it, nobody wants to be Chemtrail's keeper."
Ignoring that, Trumpeter pointed back to him. "All right, if you want to challenge me now, leave town and head towards the former Nihilo building. When we're out in the open, I'll be ready for you. And it will be only you against me, got it?"
"I'm sure you won't be ready for me," Naoki taunted him with as he left.
"Let's sneak up on him before he's prepared," Matador said the moment Trumpeter was gone.
"Sure," he said, getting up from his seat.
"Wait a moment," Nyx said, passing a lidded mug over the bar. It was of similar size to the one he'd drank from. "If you're taking him on alone, you may need this. It'll clear your head if you have too much difficulty, just some of it will do."
"Ah, he'll be fine," Hell Biker said.
"May as well, just in case," Naoki said, taking it to store away. This was definitely alcoholic, with some enchantments on it to do all that he needed it to do. "Let's go after him."
Even with Matador's suggestion, Naoki made sure to distract the demons tagging along just enough to give Trumpeter what time he asked for. The lack of the facility activity led the outside of the city to be very still and quiet. If there were other demons about, they either kept away from the group of fiends passing by or trailed after to see what was going on. Trumpeter was hovering upside-down now, out in the sandy flats between the remains of Ginza and Nihilo's dome. He had his trumpet at ready and there wasn't a hole passage to the secluded battlegrounds here.
"Are you ready for your demise?" Trumpeter asked as he approached.
"Are you?" Naoki asked, exciting the crowd behind him.
Trumpeter chuckled. "Confidence is good for one of your role, but it may be the end of you. You've overcome the others impressively, but with my trumpet, I can end your life in a few notes. But, that's not the challenge I have for you."
"Then what is your challenge?" Naoki said, actually curious about this.
"Something that you are not yet capable of, but I have been allowed to grant you brief access to for my trial: aerial combat." He played a few notes, causing a black orb to completely encase Naoki.
Aerial… did he change this from his original plans? It was certainly going to be enough for Naoki's plans. Energy wrapped around his body and he could feel it spreading out into a pair of borrowed wings off his back. Given that he was meant to be fighting angels and gods, it would make sense to train him in this, in the fly or die manner that the fiends used.
You're fine, don't worry. It'd be better if we had Gundari with us, but we can manage with numbers this time. Perhaps enough to beat him once we've accomplished our mission.
"I'll let you know something else from the start," Trumpeter said. "I'm not going to sit still and make this easy on you. You'll have to do some tricky flying just to catch up."
"Making it a real game, huh?" Naoki said. "Sure, let's play."
Trumpeter snickered, then took off towards Ginza. Leaving it to the magatama to work out the physics of things, Naoki left the ground as well. There wasn't much for wind here, but the pace that Trumpeter set quickly caused Naoki to crash into a building and die.
As usual, Pale Rider caught him. "Are you really going through with this?" he muttered.
"Yes," Naoki said quietly. "Are you with me?"
He nodded. "I don't like this, but I am in charge of keeping your soul intact. Don't push your luck any more than necessary."
"Sure," Naoki said, although the whole plan was pushing his luck to its limit. The goal was well worth the risk.
The situation caught Michael's attention as multiple fiends were meeting up with Demifiend. They were corrupting him even further, as evidenced by how the previously cautious boy was getting drunk with them. While the situation seemed dull and sinful, it could easily lead to a situation where Demifiend died and Michael could snatch up his soul for destruction. For that reason, he kept watch over them.
His vigil was disrupted once, by Raphael appearing at his station. "Michael, we've gained permission for full entry into the Vortex World. We're gathering to help Chiaki overtake a location where she can call upon the designated avatar."
"Good, assist her to all of your abilities," Michael said. "I would join you, but an opportunity has come up with the Demifiend and eliminating him is still our priority."
"Do you need any assistance for that?" Raphael asked.
He shook his head. "No. Using large forces has not worked thus far, so I will try on my own again. As such, take my troops should they be needed with Yosuga."
"We should be fine with those already present in the Vortex World," he said. "Glory be to God."
"Glory be to God," he replied in parting.
A short time later, the opportunity he had been waiting for came. One of the two fiends that had yet to be challenged entered the bar and got challenged as a result. And he meant to test Demifiend with flight, something humans were incapable of naturally. Michael reduced his presence as he went to the proper plane and location to intervene. The defeated fiends were turning out strangely loyal to Demifiend even as he was the youth of the clan. If they spotted Michael, they'd surely fight him again. He was certain that he could take out the fiends if needed, but taking on more than one on his own was foolish.
He waited this time, watching the boy fail again and again. It helped Michael's cause that Trumpeter was taking off straight into Ginza, forcing the novice flier to navigate buildings. After eight deaths in a row (he was growing resilient), Demifiend returned to life in a momentary daze. He still pushed himself to take the challenge again and again. But the fiend of death itself kept too close for Michael to fly in.
But when he failed a thirteenth time, Demifiend retained the borrowed wings past death. He flew right past Pale Rider's reach. Now was the time! Michael darted out of hiding and grabbed Demifiend's dark soul. All he had to do now was crush it out of existence…
The boy tightly clung to him, his eyes afraid. "Get me out of here, please!" he whispered. "I can't take this anymore."
"Certainly," Michael said, then hurried on his way back. It didn't really matter where the deed was done as long as it was done. He had to dodge out of an attack from Pale Rider, but it was a satisfying reaction.
Demifiend was crying now. "What am I doing anymore? Why did this have to happen to me? Can I talk with you now? I don't want this anymore, I, I won't run."
Talk with him, now? Perhaps there was a chance still to turn even him around. Would God accept it if Demifiend was convinced to join Him instead? It would be easy enough to send the boy off on a suicidal mission. If he somehow succeeded and was accepted, then the weapon Lucifer hoped to turn the tides of the eternal war would be turned against him. Either way would be good.
"God will be glad to listen to any willing to turn to His light," Michael said, using his more coaxing tones to calm him. "You'll be safe now. We'll ensure that the forces of Hell won't come after you again."
Michael brought him back to the Elysian riverside to talk, but stopped some distance from where the souls of the boy's family were being held. He had to call up some furniture to make it seem more normal to a human: a garden table with a pair of white chairs, a folding screen to give a sense of privacy. With those in place, he set the boy's soul down in the chair that had arms. Demifiend was losing his wings and his perception of normality would keep him from being able to escape quickly.
Even though this was a place of peace, being here seemed to make him nervous. "Um, thank you. I wasn't sure if you'd help, but I don't think I could've gotten another chance." He rubbed his neck. "Could, could I offer something to prove I'll stick around and talk? Um," he then made a large silver mug with a lid appear, "I could trade drinks with you? This was meant to help me sober up if I wanted, but demons put a lot of pressure on me to appear strong."
He examined the drink inside, finding it to match the stated purpose. Even if it had been made by a demon, it was made safe for a human to drink. Thus, it would be safe for him as an angel to drink. "That would be a good show of trust," Michael said, thinking. The boy seemed to like tea, so he called up a tea cart. "I'll make sure to use plain water to start with, so you don't come to harm."
But it didn't take much holy water to undo a demon. Even if it merely rendered him incapable of resisting, a drop ingested should be enough. Whatever talking he wanted to do could happen while the water was heating, during which Michael could decide if it was worth keeping him around.
He silently gave orders to his angelic troops to keep a tight defense around this area. This was an ideal situation that he did not want to lose.