Author's note: Thanks for waiting, I'm grateful to you, readers! I can't believe we're 10 chapters in, I'm getting excited to start the next part of this story. Enjoy!
Chapter 10: Extermination Day
Extermination day arrived, and it left Taylor horrified. Looking out the lobby balcony window, they sat in an armchair and witnessed a golden portal open up in the sky, followed and a multitude of black streaks flying down out like bats escaping a cave. They could hear screams and explosions as the what they knew were angels descended into the main part of Pentagram City, and it turned their stomach. Taylor was already feeling pessimistic about their situation with their patron, but the mayhem and destruction that ensued outside left them utterly despondent.
Coming up the stairs, Angel turned and saw Taylor across the way gazing out the window at the carnage. At first, Angel wanted to shrug it off, as they had seen plenty of Exterminations in the time they've arrived and as a result grown desensitized to the yearly event. But for some reason, seeing the normally high-spirited demon looking so miserable didn't sit right. They got out their phone and sent a message before walking determinedly over to fire demon and draping himself over them.
"Oh Fuoco, I'm feeling so hot, I feel like I'm on fire! Wanna stop, drop, and roll with me?" He purred suggestively with a grin.
Taylor flinched at the sudden interruption, disturbing them from their thoughts.
"Hm? Oh, no thanks Angel." they said with a distant tone.
Angel gritted their teeth in annoyance, but tried to play it up some more.
"C'mon! Ya still got dat freebie! Why not use it to get ya mind off of things?"
"That's okay, maybe some other time."
With an aggravated huff, Angel sprung up and pulled Taylor to their feet suddenly. The fire demon hardly had time to react before they were being dragged over to the elevator.
"Enough of this pity party, I know just what ya need!" Taylor tried to free themselves, but the spider demon's grip held fast as they made their way up to Angel's door. Upon opening the door, Fat Nuggets ran out and Angel scooped him up before he got too far. Turning around, he passed the little pig to Taylor.
"Here! Enjoy the best therapy pet there ever was!"
Taylor regarded the little demon pig. He held out a hand and when Fat Nuggets started to nuzzle it, Taylor smiled. They continued petting the pig as they stared up at Angel.
"I forgot how soft and cute he is."
"What I tell ya? Of course I have the best pet around! Only the best for the best! He always cheers me up after a rough day."
The two walked into Angel's room and both sat on the bed while Fat Nuggets laid on Taylor's lap. Angel leaned back and started typing away on his phone. Taylor regarded the room briefly, noting the pink and purple color scheme, neon signs of Angel's name, and the many beauty products and posters around the room. After a few minutes of silence only broken by Fat Nugget's happy grunting, Taylor sighed contentedly as they scratched the pig's chin.
"Thanks, I needed this. It's been tough the past few days." Taylor admitted.
"Whateva, as long as ya get out of this slump! Charlie is counting on ya for this redemption project she's got going."
"She's depending on you too, you know."
"Yeah, but you got a chance. Can ya imagine me in Heaven? Ha!"
Taylor shrugged. "Hm, maybe. But I think they'd be missing out, you're the life of the party. I'll miss you when you go."
Angel laughed. "Don't you mean if I go?"
Taylor turned and smiled brightly, "you heard me. Sure, you'll stumble a bit, but I can see the good in you, even as you try to hide it." Taylor winked knowingly.
Angel blushed and looked away.
"Sheesh, this pity party got turned around onto me. Enough with the sappiness already!"
Taylor chuckled as they got up and set Fat Nuggets on the bed. The pig demon went to cuddle with the its owner.
"Anyway, I appreciate the pick me up, it helped."
Taylor walked and stopped at the doorway. "And I meant what I said."
"Since we're being all appreciative, I gotta ask again. You a chick or a dude? I'm crazy to know what you're packing, if you know what I mean." he asked with as he eyed Taylor up and down teasingly.
Taylor chuckled dryly before answering. "How about whatever you want. I am one of those, but I really don't care much for gender expectations or anything like that."
"Shit, I'm never gonna see that money" he mumbled.
"What's that?"
"Oh, nothing! Just go and don't let me catch ya being all down in the dumps for no reason!" He quickly replied. Taylor nodded as they made their way back to the lobby.
Taylor suspected that Angel had tipped off Charlie, seeing as soon as they reached the bottom of the stairs, the blonde demon snagged Taylor by the shoulders excitedly and led them to the bar space. Vaggie, Husk, and Nifty were there and they greeted Taylor. Before they could ask what was happening, Husk started dealing out cards and proclaimed they were playing poker, with the aside of playing for bragging rights with no money involved when Vaggie piped up. So the group played several rounds, and Taylor suspected Husk was cheating since he won a majority of the time. But the feeling of competitiveness took hold and by the final round, Taylor had a respectable pile of chips and was in better spirits. Husk handed a pitcher of sangria and cups for everyone as the Charlie, Vaggie, and Taylor made their way to the parlor. Charlie popped in a movie and they watched as Nifty wandered off to tidy up and Husk went to restock the bar. Angel showed up and lounged on the couch and watched half-heartedly while sipping sangria. Taylor hadn't seen this particular movie, so they shared Charlie's emotions as the film progressed. When the movie was over, Vaggie offered to go through a relaxing stretching routine, which Taylor accepted. They had been feeling antsy all day, and the movement helped calm their mind and relieve the anxious energy. Taylor had to suppress their chuckles as Angel kept ruining the calming vibe by making lewd comments about their posing, to Vaggie's annoyance.
At the end of the evening, Alastor appeared as he presented a wrapped box to the fire demon. Suspicious, Taylor undid the string and saw a stress relief ball inside that had the writing "you're never fully dressed without a smile", which confused them immensely. Looking up at Alastor in bewilderment, the grinning demon just gestured to go on, and Taylor squeezed their gift. Suddenly, the whole room exploded in green smoke and ink and the whole room and its occupants were painted emerald, barring the deer demon who was left pristine and grinning mischievously. There was a second of silence before the others started to shout in outrage and Vaggie had summoned her spear when they heard laughing. They turned to see the fire demon holding their stomach as they laughed hysterically. Everyone stared at each other before Angel piped up,
"Great, Smiles, I think ya broke Taylor."
After Taylor managed to settle down and catch their breath, they got up and addressed the group.
"Guys, thanks. You didn't need to do any of this, and it really meant a lot." Everyone nodded back or otherwise acknowledged the statement. Taking in the mess of the room and everyone's clothes, they sighed. "Well, I guess we should start cleaning up."
"No need!" Alastor interjected as he snapped his fingers. In an instant, the room and the hotel's denizens were no longer viridian and back to their original states. Charlie squeed in awe as the others sighed appreciatively. With that, the crowd stared to go their own ways as most headed for bed.
Taylor lingered for a moment before heading up the stairs to the elevator. As they were riding up, they heard their phone ping and looked at the message from Antonio.
'Hey kid, just letting you know that I'm safe and not to worry about me today, no way I'm gonna let some angel get me when things have finally started looking up. I have a few consulting clients ready to meet, so once things settle down out here, let's talk about when to meet.'
Taylor was relieved that Antonio was safe and the reminder that they were going to help other demons get free from their abusive contracts gave them some determination.
'So what if I'm in a shitty arrangement with a sadistic patron? If I can keep the hotel safe and help others get a second chance, I think I can endure whatever that sick fuck throws at me.'
Taylor gently held their throat where their collar manifested as they contemplated with hope. 'Maybe I can get strong enough to break this on my own too.'
Taylor got ready for bed and for the first time since arriving, they didn't feel afraid of what was to come with their patron's nightly visit. Taylor got in bed and closed their eyes with a feeling of resoluteness.
"Time to wake up, little one" sang out the dulcet voice of the volatile patron nearby.
Taylor got up, wary but committed to enduring whatever was to come. As they looked around, they saw that their desk was moved to the middle of the room and a tall woman dressed in a white power suit with long flaming red hair that seemed to shimmer at the crown of their head stood close by with a superior expression.
"Excellent! I do hope you're feeling better after our last encounter. I will say, your screams were quite enjoyable, they were music to my ears!"
The bell like laugh followed at their words, but Taylor ignored the comments. Getting out of the bed, Taylor greeted their patron politely, earning a disbelieving expression from the woman. Shrugging, the woman indicated to the desk and a book appeared in their hand.
"No matter. Come, we have a lot to cover and not a lot of time." Taylor found their seat and the woman began a series of lectures about the intricacies of poetry, followed by a biological science review, and a history lesson about the American roaring 20s and subsequent Great Depression that resulted from the stock market crash. Despite the content being novel to Taylor, they seemed to soak it in and retain all the info like a sponge, which threw Taylor off. Noting their furrowed expression, the patron chimed in proudly,
"Ah! I see you've noticed what a small bit of my power is doing for you! I do pride myself in the pursuit of knowledge, and being as I am, I have perfect memory and retention for these kinds of things! You'll find your physical and fire-based abilities will be boosted by the mark as well!"
Taylor seemed to accept the explanation, but one point stuck with them.
"If I may ask, what kind of being are you? Are you a Sinner like me or Hellborn?"
"Oh, don't you worry about that, perhaps in time I will reveal myself in my true splendor. But for now, I am enjoying using my glamour forms too much!" They answered cheerily.
The lecture continued as Taylor took it all in with the occasional question. When the woman concluded, the book disappeared and with a wave of their hand the room and desk melted away as the city scape returned. The woman then explained the theory of fire manipulation and gave an exhibition on launching fire balls, raising a flame-based barrier, and generating a weapon by condensing the flames to a point. Taylor attempted to do the same, but while the raw power was present, they struggled to lob multiple fire balls before needing a breather, their flame barrier had areas where the flames were weaker, and they couldn't condense the fire larger than the length of a small dagger. Taylor was breathing hard as their snuffed out.
"The control and stamina will come with practice, but it's certainly an improvement than before!" the patron noted, nodding approvingly.
The woman then summoned a fire being and using the figure as a demonstration partner for various blocking and striking techniques, along with ways to escape when grappled. Taylor was hesitant at first to engage with the fiery foe, but after taking some blows, they dialed in and managed to keep the being at bay and showed that they could escape being grabbed from behind to their patron's satisfaction. Falling to their knees in exhaustion, Taylor sat there and caught their breath.
Clapping their hands, the flame being vanished and the city scape dissolved as the bedroom returned. The woman walked over, bent down to grasp Taylor's chin, and looked back with a wide grin.
"Oh, good job, little one! Such an improvement! I am so glad I decided to invest in you!" Letting go, they stood up and continued. "Now, I want you to focus on breaking more soul contracts, keeping an eye on the Princess's dealings, and honing your pyrokinetic skills. Once a week we shall meet to build your skills further, of course! I'm sure you won't let me down!"
"Y-Yes, patron" answered Taylor shakily.
"Now, let me see how that mark is healing." they ordered.
Taylor flinched and stumbled back as they didn't want to be so exposed. But a dark look from the woman had them reluctantly get up, turn around, and lift their shirt. Taylor had looked at the mark once in the mirror when the area wasn't tender. Where they were cut into, their skin was raised with a black lustrous layer, as if it were freshly added ink. The mark itself looked like an intricate sigil, with many circles and curves and intersecting lines that looked like a maze. Taylor couldn't decipher the meaning of the markings, so they pushed it out of their mind.
"That's the problem with this form, the height difference is troublesome." The patron muttered as they waved a hand and Taylor felt their body rise and start to hover above the ground. Scrambling to right themselves for a moment, they rose up to bring their back to slightly below the patron's eye level. "Better. Ah, fascinating! It's as if our blood simply refuses to mix, so it stays at the site until needed." They mused excitedly. Taylor felt whatever was holding them up let go as they fell, but managed to land on their feet. Suddenly, their wrist was grasped and their arm was wrenched up by the taller woman as Taylor cried out in surprise. A vial appeared with a pop and one of the woman's fingers elongated into a sharp claw. Taylor's heart started to roar in their ears as their panic shot up. Their patron noticed they smiled mirthfully.
"Oh, calm down, I'm just taking a little blood for research purposes! Now hold still or this will get messy!"
Taylor could only stare in a panicked daze as the woman took their clawed finger and cut into Taylor's palm quickly. Hissing in pain, Taylor saw the vial float over to their palm as the woman held it to the blood pooling from the cut. Crimson blood collected in the vial as the woman had an ecstatic look. Finally, they let go of Taylor's hand and capped the vial of blood. The fire demon clutched their hand painfully as they stared back at the woman idly observing the blood in the vial. Tucking it away in a pocket, they faced their thrall and gleefully smiled.
"Well, that's all for now! I'll be leaving some literature for you to brush up on for our next meeting!"
Taylor blinked and they were looking up at the ceiling. Sitting up, Taylor was back in their bed and they quickly checked their palm. There was a bandage over their hand, which disturbed Taylor. 'Why do cuts stay with me into the day but not getting kicked or punched?' they worried.
Before Taylor could think about it more, they heard a knock at their door that sounded like "shave and a haircut". Focusing their attention, they heard a soft jazzy tune and static from the other side and was alarmed. Looking at their clock, it read 7 am, and they remembered they were supposed to help Alastor with the hotel commercial.
"Hurry up, chum! The early bird gets the worm!" they called out as they heard a recording of a Reveille bugle call.
"I heard you! Go wait downstairs and I'll be down in 15 minutes, Alastor!" they called back with a groan.
'This is gonna be a fucking long day in Hell' they thought wearily as they got out of bed.