Author note: Welcome back readers, so glad to have this chapter done. I don't know if it's a faux pas to name names, but sending special shout out to my followers and favorites! All ten of you keep this project going! Enjoy the read!
Chapter 20: The Dealbreaker Demon
Taylor was resting their eyes as they waited for their final client of the morning. Despite the euphoria they felt after annulling contracts, the cloud of hopelessness returned soon after. Breaking contracts didn't help their mark heal either, which made it an ever-present reminder of their bleak situation. They heaved a sigh as Antonio came into the room.
"Tee, you doing okay? You seem out of it today." He asked with concern.
"The last couple days have been a rollercoaster. It's been making me wonder what the point of all this is." They shook their head, "I mean, how many people arrive each day and get caught up in these abusive contracts? I'm only one person! It just feels like we're fighting a losing battle."
Antonio considered the words before saying,
"Just a minute." and leaving the room. Taylor leaned back carefully and tried to relax. A few minutes later, they heard a soft voice from the doorway.
"You're not fighting a losing battle."
Taylor startled and looked over to see their first client, Melanie the white dog demon, standing before them, smiling warmly, with Antonio by her side.
"Melanie?" Taylor said surprised.
"That you, Taylor? Is that more of your fox magic?" Melanie asked curiously.
Taylor glanced down at their disguised form. This time, they turned into a stopwatch demon with a clock for a head, one eye in the center, and a ghoulish grin. Taylor laughed awkwardly.
"Heh, no, nothing like that. Just another disguise." They sat up straight as they got back on topic. "What are you doing here? You don't need another contract broken, do you?"
"Nope! I came here as part of a proposal." They chirped with a determined smirk.
"A proposal?" Taylor asked, curious.
Antonio cleared his throat.
"It's just… some of our previous clients have reached out and they want to help our operation. They're willing to go back into their dealmaker's turf as a satellite worker and help get people out and keep tabs on those higher-ups you were looking for."
"No." Taylor said firmly without hesitation. "They came to us to get out of those situations. Now they risk getting hurt or worse again? I couldn't live with myself if something happened."
"But it would be our choice." Melanie insisted.
"Why would you want to put yourself back there? We couldn't guarantee your safety! No way what I can do is worth that risk."
Melanie clenched her fists as her brow furrowed. "You have no idea how much things changed after you freed me. I finally have a choice in what I want to do. I know better now so I haven't taken any deals and things aren't unfairly lopsided. Times are decent for once." They took a determined breath. "But I can't help think of my former coworkers and anyone else who is being taken advantage of. I want to help, no, I have to help. So let me, let us, help your cause." They said passionately.
Taylor was gob smacked at the change in Melanie's demeanor, but got stuck on one word.
"Us?"
Antonio chimed in.
"Yeah, we got about a dozen or so people who are wanting to go undercover and be your eyes and ears to track down their dealmakers and their bosses. That way you can go after them directly! We help you help more people, stoke fear in the scummy bastards, and give people hope that things can be turned around down here so it isn't as shitty."
"Point is, you don't have to do this alone." Melanie implored.
'They have a point. There are just too many for me to do recon on alone. But still…' Taylor considered. They still didn't like it, but they were outnumbered and knew the others would do it anyway even if they refused.
"Fine." Taylor said begrudgingly.
Melanie and Antonio beamed as they high fived. Antonio grabbed a simple cell phone out of his pocket and handed it to Taylor. It had an off-brand label on it.
"We should shift to using non VoxTech equipment for communications, one of our contacts says things are being heavily surveilled for talk of the Dealbreaker Demon." Antonio explained proudly.
"Dealbreaker Demon?"
"Yeah, it's what people are starting to call you."
"How creative of them." Taylor said sarcastically. "But how are people talking? I thought we made secrecy deals."
"Remember those dealmakers on the side you took down? Their former signees are free to talk. Luckily, there are only tons of rumors and theories about who is the culprit, so we're safe for now."
Taylor rolled their shoulders to relieve some tension. "I guess the cat's out of the bag now. So now what?"
"We establish our contacts in our target's turfs and wait for enough intel to arrive so we can pin them down and you do your thing."
Taylor shook their head. "Please don't make me regret this."
By the time Taylor got back to the hotel, they were in a more agreeable mood. Inspired by Melanie and Antonio's confidence in them, Taylor renewed their promise to free as many souls as they could before they got redeemed. They put a hand on their neck as they mused.
'Maybe someday I'll be able to break my own chain too. I just have to get stronger.'
Just as they made it into the lobby, a red blur dashed towards them and jumped onto their shoulder. The little cyclops demon bounced animatedly as she spoke.
"Where have you been? We missed you at breakfast! How are you feeling? Drinking enough water?" Nifty asked furtively in rapid succession.
Taylor chuckled as they walked to the bar where Husk grunted in greeting. They gently put Nifty on the barstool as they answered.
"Work, sorry, fine, and yes."
"How you holding up? Drink?" Husk asked gruffly.
"No need to worry, I'm fine." Taylor responded as they sat down gingerly. "Sure, I'll take whatever."
Husk quirked a knowing eyebrow at Taylor.
"Don't bullshit me, tell me the truth." Husk asked intently.
"I'm fine! Just sore. Why don't you believe me?"
"Kid, you're not the one who had to watch you wide eyed and bloodied, thrashing on the floor screaming your fucking head off. You really gave us a scare back there." Husk admonished as he started pouring an amber liquid into a glass.
"I like blood and screams, but yours made me sad." Nifty said glumly as her grin faltered.
They felt bad as they swirled the liquor.
"Sorry about that."
"Breakfast was great, by the way." Husk added as he pushed the drink over.
"No problem, It's the least I could do for spooking everyone." They took a sip and slapped the counter excitedly. "No way! Peach whiskey? Husk, you sly devil!"
Husk barked out a hearty laugh at the reaction.
"Enjoy it kid, after a night like yours, you've earned it."
Upstairs, a tense conversation was being had in Charlie's office. Angel Dust was waving a picture from their phone to Charlie and Vaggie while talking in a concerned but hushed tone.
"This ain't a normal tumble on the nightstand toots, this has intention. Look at the lines, the dots, no way we can ignore it!"
Charlie and Vaggie gazed at the picture. It was Taylor's mark, cleaned up so the blood was gone, but the black sigil was clearly visible on their back.
Angel looked guilty. "I took it stealthily while I was cleaning them up, but it's the same mark from last time. It looked angrier, like it was cut open a second time." Angel grew angry. "The first time it looked fresh, and they were fine before they went upstairs that night. So that means someone snuck into the hotel and did this to them under our noses. Aren't you two and Smiles supposed to protect us from the shittier demons?" They said accusingly to the two demonesses.
Vaggie held up a hand to calm the spider demon.
"Angel, we get it, you're worried about Taylor. We are too. I'll ask Alastor if he's sensed anything strange coming through the hotel." They looked closer at the image. "But I've never seen anything like this before, maybe it's a brand of some sort? Do dealmakers generally mark the souls they own?" Vaggie questioned.
"Not all of them; Val makes his top earners get a golden tooth like his, hence yours truly. But it seems excessive to repeatedly mark someone." Angel explained with a furrowed brow.
"I feel like I've seen something like this before. But I can't remember where." Charlie said quietly.
"Really? Where, babe?" Vaggie implored.
"Like I said, I don't know!" They said exasperated. She took a calming breath. "Angel, send me this picture and I'll do some digging to see if I can't figure out where it's from. Can you ask around if your coworkers or clients have heard or seen this kind of mark?"
"Sure toots, anything for Fuoco." Angel tapped some keys and sent the image over.
"I still don't see why we can't just ask Taylor about it." Vaggie noted in an annoyed voice.
"Didn't ya see their face when Husk offered to clean them up? They clearly don't want any more people to know 'bout it." Angel said as they remembered the panicked look Taylor had that night.
"Well, what can we even do about it? If Taylor is under contract, there isn't much we can do about it." Charlie mused.
"Maybe not, but at least if we know what it is, we can put up appropriate wards to keep this dealmaker out of the hotel. I don't like the idea of someone roaming the premises without me knowing. That way, we can also make this hotel a safe place for Taylor so they can focus on their redemption." Vaggie said tensely.
Charlie clapped her hands to dispel the tension.
"Okay then. Let's all work on researching this mark, keeping everyone else in the dark about it. Got it?" Charlie said resolutely. They all nodded. The blonde demoness slapped her cheeks to hype herself up. "Okay! Time for therapy! C'mon Vaggie!"
Taylor was trying to politely decline Nifty's offer of a fifth glass of water when they heard Charlie and Vaggie come down the stairs. The peach whiskey had put them in a great mood, and they greeted the trio warmly.
"Hey ladies!"
"Taylor, what were you thinking, going into town after last night!" Vaggie scolded harshly.
"I'm fine Vaggie, promise!" They answered as they leaned back too quickly, causing them to wince slightly. Taylor sighed. "Okay, I'm still super sore. But I got called into work so I had to go. Turns out, business is going so well, we're expanding!"
Taylor heard a hiss of static before Alastor manifested from the shadows beside them. Their enthusiasm shifted to annoyance as they braced for guaranteed derision.
"Well, well, if it isn't the demon of the hour! How are you doing, chum?" He asked cheerily, leaning against the bar.
"Hi Alastor. Doing fine, thanks." Taylor said calmly.
"Why, we were sick with worry about you last night, but what a performance!" He leaned back and waved his hands dramatically as a recording of oohs and cheers came on. "You have quite a set of lungs on you, chum. Why, perhaps next time I'll bring you in as a guest on my show and you can regale the whole city with your superb screams and pleas! Ha ha!" He said boisterously as a recording of applause played.
"Glad someone enjoyed it." They said flatly before finishing their drink. 'You're not the only one.' they brooded, recalling the unfathomable delight their patron took in their suffering. "With any luck, therapy will make sure there isn't a next time." Looking for a reason to get out of the conversation, they looked at the hotel manager pointedly. "It's about that time, isn't it, Charlie?"
Realizing the intent, Charlie chimed in.
"Oh! Yes! Sorry to cut the conversation short, but we do have an appointment to keep!" She grabbed the fire demon by the arm and tugged gently. "Let's go Taylor!"
Taylor bade everyone goodbye as they were dragged away by Charlie as Vaggie glared at Alastor and followed.
The three demons were in a side room, with Taylor sitting stiffly on a sofa, Charlie on an armchair, and Vaggie standing resolutely at her side. Not sure what to do, Taylor asked.
"So, now what?"
Charlie looked at them with a concerned expression.
"Well, we'd like you to tell us about what you experienced in your night terror. It might do you some good to tell someone and we could make a redemption plan that would be best suited for your sins."
Taylor nodded as they prepared to give their cover story.
"I was in a restaurant with my parents. We had had a disagreement, and I stormed off to the restroom to calm down."
"What was the argument about?" Vaggie questioned.
They clenched their jaw at the memory.
"They made a decision that would have screwed me over big time, and I had no choice but to go along with it."
'"Our only child would be turned over to our patron's possession upon reaching 21. We've tried to stall for time, but it seems that the bill has finally come due."' Shaking in anger. Stomach clenching in betrayal.
"Anyway, I stormed off to the bathroom to calm down. After cooling off, I left and the restaurant was an inferno."
"Over here darling!" A tinkling bell-like laughter. An unnerving aura of malice.
"I looked around the blazing room and I couldn't find anyone, not even my parents, and I started to panic."
"As for the others, I simply moved us to a more private venue for our conversation. They are just fine, I assure you." Overwhelming dread.
"There was so much smoke and the heat was so powerful I could barely move."
The choking collar and chain. A tower of blue flames with sinister red eyes. Heat so powerful it scorched their skin. Immobilizing terror.
"The place started to crumble, and I tried to avoid what I could, but the flames were so strong, I kept getting slammed with flaming debris that burned my skin through my clothes."
'"In case you hadn't noticed…I own you!'" Heart in throat and shaking numbness.
"I called out for help, hoping someone would come. But the smoke and fire were too powerful. I was trapped."
'"Perfect! Now that we've got that established, let's be on our way!" A portal opening to a crimson expanse. "Tsk tsk, you can't come along looking like that!"' Mind racing, not enough air to breathe, overwhelming panic.
"Larger debris started to fall, slowly I was getting pinned down as it started to pile up around me. I yelled as my skin was blistering from the burns and the smoke was smothering me."
"Oh no silly, you misunderstand! I meant you're alive and where we're going, that just won't do!" Muscles screaming to flee, but frozen to the spot.
"Then a flaming beam fell and landed right on top of me. I screamed as the beam crushed me and I felt fire start to engulf me. It felt like my skin was being sloughed off."
"See you on the other side!" Searing pain all over, skin peeling away, sluggish movements, dimming vision, gasping breaths, screaming.
"My vision started to dim as the pain got so intense and breathing became impossible. Then everything went quiet."
A look of utter ecstasy, as if watching a performance. Utter darkness and silence.
Taylor exhaled a shaky breath and realized they were hugging themselves as they sat. They wiped a tear with their sleeve and released themselves as they glanced back at the two demonesses. Vaggie looked wide eyed and horrified and Charlie was on the verge of tears. Putting on a strained smile, they finished gratefully.
"And then I woke up and found my way here with some help! The rest is history!"
The room was quiet for a moment before they heard Charlie burst into sobs.
"I-I had n-no idea! N-no wonder you were s-screaming s-so much! Y-you didn't even recognize us when you woke up! Waahh!" Charlie wailed. Vaggie bent over to console her girlfriend and gave Taylor a look of pity, not knowing what to say.
Taylor moved closer and kneeled next to Charlie.
"Hey, hey, it's okay. Things have gotten much better since coming to the hotel. I got friends, a new family even, a job I like, and the chance to seek redemption!" They said comfortingly as they held Charlie's hand. "I'm glad I met you all. Burning to death was worth it for the honor of helping you with your dream." They looked up at Vaggie. "You too, Vaggie. I can't wait till I'm all healed and we can get into another sparring session!" Vaggie smirked determinedly at the prospect.
The three demons laughed quietly as Charlie calmed down. Taylor stood and pulled Charlie to her feet. Dusting off their sleeves, they sighed contently.
"Well, now you know. Let's work on getting me redeemed already!" they said with mustered enthusiasm.
Charlie smiled widely and stars started to form in her eyes. She nodded excitedly.
"Okay, let's do our best!" She grabbed Vaggie by the hand. "Come on Vaggie, let's go to our room and get planning! I have some ideas already!" Vaggie barely had time to wave Taylor off before the two dashed away, leaving Taylor alone.
Taylor chuckled at Charlie's boundless energy and positivity, loving that about her. They stood for a moment as they put a hand on their throat and felt the dull ache of their back.
'I wish I could tell you the full truth. Once I free myself, I'll come clean.' They mused guiltily.