Author note: Welcome back my readers! Time to go after a big fish today. Sending special thanks to all eleven of my followers and favorites, and those who were kind enough to leave reviews, you're the best! Enjoy!
Chapter 24: Bottle service
Some days later, Taylor was hanging out at Cherri's place, listening to the rebel cyclops demon update them on her latest exploits. Still riding the remnants of the euphoria that came after a successful contract annulment, they chuckled along as Cherri animatedly regaled them about blowing up an enemy supply warehouse and going after the scrambling demons caught in the aftermath. Cherri wrapped up the tale and offered Taylor some beer, which they declined with a wave. They sighed contentedly and stretched out to release some energy.
"I'm happy you called, Cherri. I really needed some time to let off steam." They said gratefully.
The days had been getting busier; along with keeping up with their clients and the activities at the hotel, they had been working tirelessly on honing their fire abilities in anticipation of an upcoming visit from their patron, with the hope they would leave unscathed for once. More pressingly, Antonio and Melanie had decided on their first high-level target and were working out the logistics of the game plan with Taylor and their contacts. They barely had time to relax as it was and Cherri's call had been a nice reprieve.
The idea of going after bigger targets both excited and scared them; they had accepted that they needed to hit higher to get powerful enough to break more resilient contracts like Angel's. After a lot of consideration, Taylor had come to the conclusion that because their friend's soul was owned directly by the overlord and said dealmaker had an extensive list of souls under their control already, the chain strength was directly linked to the dealmaker's power. They had noticed that clients who were under contract from smaller dealmakers had chains that were easier to break; most didn't even require the silver flames to get the job done. Following that line, Taylor also assumed they weren't strong enough to go after an overlord directly yet. With Angel in mind, they knew that they needed to get stronger as quickly as they could.
"Bitch, of course! That place is too stuffy. You need to let loose sometimes or you'll explode!" Cherri imitated an explosion with her arms as she took out a handful of pills. Taylor stopped her before she could down them.
"If it's all the same, Cherri, could you indulge after you get me back to the hotel? I don't think I can handle a ride with a wired Cherri on the roads." They pleaded.
"You're such a baby. No worries! Just pull a sickie and we'll raise some real hell today!"
"Sorry, but I promised Charlie I'd be there." They said apologetically. They got up and straightened out their clothes. "Shall we?"
The ride back was more enjoyable this time, now that Taylor could sit back and admire the view and the initial feeling of fear gave way to exhilaration. They even yelled at the top of their lungs at Cherri's suggestion, and it felt freeing. Once they arrived, Cherri saluted them before peeling away and dashing off. Taylor chuckled at the enthusiasm and made their way up the hill.
Taylor arrived at the hotel and Charlie was bursting with excitement to start the day's activities. The theme was leadership, wherein the three program participants were charged with running an approved activity with the group. Sir Pentious directed the group into pairs and were tasked with putting together a simple machine with parts he provided. One person had to relay the instructions while the other would build based solely on what their partner directed. The pairings this time ended up being Alastor and Husk, Vaggie and Angel, Taylor and Charlie, and Niffty with Sir Pentious.
The activity led to a range of emotions in the room: Alastor purposefully gave misleading instructions to torment Husk, leading to him being cussed out; Angel gave overly suggestive instructions to Vaggie, much to her annoyance; Niffty kept trying to clean the pieces while ignoring a frantic Sir Pentious's direction. Charlie was great at receiving guidance from Taylor, despite them having a hard time deciphering the instructions and conveying it effectively. At the end of the activity, all groups had managed to build working wind-up toys. Everyone seemed pleased with the results until the toys suddenly produced weapons and started destroying each other. While Vaggie yelled at Pentious for building weapons in the hotel again, to which he clarified that he wasn't the one who built the weapons, the rest took bets on which toy would be the last one standing. Alastor and Husk's toy won summarily, but Taylor suspected that there was some voodoo magic involved.
After cleaning up, Angel led a yoga stretching activity to the group. Alastor stood to the side, refusing to participate. When Angel tried to sidle up to him to change his mind, the loud whine of radio feedback and a murderous glare made him back off. The activity went smoothly, despite Angel adding lewd comments about everyone's positions and compliment certain demon's flexibility. Taylor found the activity relaxing, as they still had a lot of pent-up energy from annulling contracts earlier and riding along with Cherri. Once it was over, Charlie congratulated Angel on a job well done. The spider demon grinned happily and blushed.
Taylor's activity was last. They planned on doing an activity called the demon knot. While the name intrigued Alastor, the fact that everyone had to be in close contact made him refuse to join again, stating that it violated his "five-foot rule". Taylor shrugged as they gathered everyone else. The group stood in a circle shoulder-to-shoulder and each person would reach out and grasp two different people's hands.
"And you can't hold on to your neighbor's hand, only those across from you." Taylor specified.
Once everyone had made a jumble of joined hands, Taylor instructed everyone to keep their hands together and untangle the demon knot through communication. The room became cacophonous as everyone shouted instructions at their neighbors to twist, turn, step under or over people to disentangle the knot. The first time around, the group couldn't manage the goal, but by the second round, everyone cheered when they all stood in a new wider circle, hand-in-hand. Charlie and Vaggie complimented Taylor on picking such a fun activity. They nodded as they were happy it turned out so well.
After Charlie thanked Sir Pentious, Angel, and Taylor for being outstanding leaders, the rest of the staff clapped politely and everyone began dispersing. Taylor was considering what they'd do for the rest of the day when they felt their phone buzz. Looking at the message, they saw it was from Antonio.
"Everything is set. Best chance is tonight. You up for it?"
Taylor took a deep breath as they accepted. Antonio sent them a time and place to show up where they would set up. They steeled themselves and tried not let their nerves take over.
'It's go time. Now for the big leagues.' they coached internally.
They went to Charlie and Vaggie to privately tell them they were called into a meeting with a big client and would be out for the evening. Charlie seemed excited that their job was going well while Vaggie warned them to keep their guard up, especially at night. Taylor thanked them as they went to their room to get ready.
They were locking up when they heard the familiar hiss of static and an echoing chuckle. Groaning, they turned and Alastor stood beside them, his jackal smile unnaturally wide.
"Evening chum! I heard through the grapevine you're heading out this evening! Pray tell, what ever is the occasion?" He asked leadingly.
Taylor huffed but kept their tone neutral.
"Business meeting. Just a standard wine and dine event." Taylor said matter-of-factly as they noticed that he had changed outfits as well; his normal all black lapels sported white piping and his pants were red instead of black. "You look like you're heading out yourself. What's your reason?"
Alastor's smile twitched minutely.
"That's for me to know. But do be careful, I hear there's a nasty demon out there targeting dealmakers!" He leaned in closer as he smiled darkly, "we wouldn't want any aspiring overlords to get cut down and lose all the souls they've been collecting." He chuckled knowingly as his eyes glowed red.
Taylor understood the implication, but decided to play dumb.
"I don't know what you're talking about. It's just a meeting. I'd say you should be on your toes, considering you're a dealmaker yourself."
They heard a laugh track as he leaned back and laughed heartily.
"Ha! Like anyone would dare confront me! Such bushwa!"
Taylor had had enough of this conversation, so they made to end it quickly with a shrug.
"Then it seems neither of us have anything to worry about. Good night, Alastor." They made to leave, but the red demon grasped their arm roughly to stop their departure. Taylor's temper started to prickle as they spoke tensely. "Do we need to get Charlie involved? Let go, Alastor."
The whine of static grew louder as they turned their head to stare at the Radio Demon with steely eyes. His eyes had turned to radio dials and his smile glowed yellow as the hallway lights flickered. They should have been intimidated, but their anger at being manhandled again fueled their confidence.
He spoke with an edge as he narrowed his eyes and clutched their arm tighter.
"Don't think I haven't noticed you've put up wards to keep me out of your room. That isn't something a new arrival is capable of without gaining considerable power. It makes one wonder what you're hiding."
They stared daggers back at the red demon, but the searing burn of their mark made them clench their jaw as they spoke carefully.
"If you want to go in there, get Charlie's permission and bring her along. I'm sure she'd love to hear your reason for intruding on a guest's space."
The two demons stood there, eyes locked in another battle of wills for a few minutes, neither wanting to back down. In a flash, Alastor let go of Taylor's arm and reverted to his normal form before walking off with a twirl of his microphone and jazzy tune playing.
"Just stay out my way and we will be right as rain, chum! Enjoy your night out!" He called out merrily as he sank into the shadows and disappeared.
'Asshole.' Taylor irritably thought as they rubbed their arm and readjusted their blazer before heading downstairs. They winced as their mark kept burning, a punishment for not heeding their patron's orders.
Dieter sauntered into Klub Kaijuu with two of his subordinates at his side and surveyed the scene. He tasted the air with his tongue, something he had to get used to when he woke up as a Komodo dragon demon. The dance floor was electric, packed with gyrating bodies, pulsating music, and strobe lighting. The bass was so loud, he could feel it in his chest. With a satisfied grin, the group made their way to the VIP section to request drinks and company. Once settled in their booth, they were approached by a wiry-looking blue fish demon with yellow eyes in a well-fitted black suit. They got close to be in hearing range over the music as they spoke respectfully.
"Mister Dieter, correct? We've been informed of your arrival ahead of time and Overlord Zeezi has had us prepare a private room with bottle service at their expense for you. If you would, please follow me."
Dieter was surprised at the news. He had been getting his fighters to bring in more substantial crowds lately, even if some the fighters complained they were being worked too hard. Not his problem he would cackle cruelly at them and throw them back in the ring to fight to the death. It appeared that Zeezi was finally seeing his potential and rewarding him for a job well done. With a smirk and flick of his tongue, he responded smugly.
"That so? Lead on, fish man!"
The group went upstairs where the music and bass were less prominent and were led into a sumptuous room with an aerial view the dance floor and bar below. They were the only guests in the private rooms, further fueling his sense of grandiosity. He noted how the booths were made of soft leather as he and his posse made themselves comfortable and the fish demon attendant closed the door. They hadn't noticed before, but in the dimmer lighting of the room, their golden eyes glowed eerily. The room felt a too warm, so he called out brusquely to the fish demon.
"Hey, Fish man! It's stuffy as shit in here! Crank up the AC and get us some drinks already!"
The attendant nodded quickly and made their way to the side of the room and started pressing some buttons, presumably for the thermostat. They spoke in a servile tone.
"I've adjusted the temperature, sir. Within a few minutes, you should begin to feel the effects." They moved across the room to a drink station and collected some champagne flutes before placing them on the table before them and asking, "Champagne, gentlemen?"
The trio chuckled excitedly as the fish demon collected a bottle on ice and brought it over. They carefully twisted the bottle and eased the cork loose. With a soft hiss, they popped the cork off and began pouring slowly into each flute. Dieter guzzled it down, finishing the drink in one go. He was beginning to sweat as he wiped his brow. He growled out angrily at the fish demon.
"Fish man! It's still hot as balls in here! When is that fucking AC going to kick in?" The fish demon attendant jumped and moved back to the thermostat and pressed more buttons. "And top me off! Since Zeezi is paying, we're going to drink this place dry!"
The trio whooped and hollered as they drank a few more rounds and talked shit about their "ungrateful" fighters raucously. Dieter felt a little buzzed, but more so he was feeling hot and was sticking to the leather seats. He glanced over to the attendant standing nearby, watching them fixedly with those creepy glowing golden eyes.
"Hey shithead, is the air fucking broken or what? It's like an oven in here!"
The attendant stared back and then moved slowly to the thermostat. They spoke with a flat tone.
"It's set to the lowest it can go, sir. Perhaps you'd like more to drink?"
Dieter was pissed at the horrible service. His clothes were ruined from sweat, he felt hot and shitty, and this fish fucker seemed unperturbed about the whole thing. He stood up suddenly with the intent of beating the shit out of the demon attendant.
"You fucking idiot! I don't want another drink! If I say turn the air down, I mean-" they stopped as a wave of nausea and lightheadedness hit them like a truck, making him sway where he stood.
"Boss? You okay?" He heard one of his subordinates utter, but it sounded muffled. He looked over at the attendant, who was still at the thermostat but smirking now. The room started to spin as he tried to make his way to the grinning fish demon.
"You piece of shit. You did this, didn't you? I'm gonna-" he couldn't finish as the room got dark and he hit the floor hard.
The other two got up quickly to help their boss, but ended up stumbling and falling to the floor as well. The trio groaned as they passed in and out of consciousness. The fish demon strode purposefully over to the passed-out demons, put a foot on the boss's shoulder and shook them. No response. They grinned wildly, yellow eyes blazing.
"Sweet dreams, shitheads." They rolled up their sleeves "Now then, to work."