Author note: Welcome back to another chapter, glad to have you! Now to the first high-level dealmaker job. Thanks for the kind reviews, I love rereading the comments every so often to give me the impetus to keep going. I have had someone ask if Taylor will get romantically involved with anyone, and in my head, they are too hyper focused on getting out of Hell and their patron's control, plus not dying to be really paying attention to that now. They notice attractiveness, but they don't linger on it for long due to more pressing matters. But who knows, things might change as the story goes on. Enjoy the read, I had a good time with this chapter.
Chapter 25: Intoxication
"Heat syncope!"
"Heat sicko-what now?" Antonio asked in a bewildered voice.
"Heat syncope. It's the answer to our problem."
Taylor, Antonio, and Melanie were discussing the logistics of the plan to take out Dieter, a Komodo dragon demon and one of the higher-ups in overlord Zeezi's network. They had a secluded location they could isolate the target already arranged, but a few glaring issues had come up. Namely, Dieter would most likely have company, and both him and his crew were built like tanks. Taylor knew they had some increased strength from their mark, but not enough to take three burly demons at once while trying to do their job. The three had been discussing possible options to either separate Dieter from his company or use some means to incapacitate them, but all the ideas left too much room for error. Taylor was racking their brain for a solution when they started to feel hot and took off their jacket to cool off. Then it came to them.
"Basically, it's heat exhaustion. Your body gets so hot and to cool you down quickly, your blood vessels dilate and then gravity makes the blood pool in your legs." They paused eagerly to look at the two, who still didn't seem to get the picture. They sighed as they pointed to their head. "So, if your blood is all in your legs, less will be in your brain. Which means you'll feel lightheaded and even pass out. Hence the syncope part, it means fainting." Antonio and Melanie's eyes widened at the implication, getting excited.
They started to pace about the room, deep in thought. "But how to heat up a person without using fire directly though..." They recalled that heat syncope usually happened during heat waves and looked up at the overhead lights. If they focused, they could see heat waves radiating off the light bulbs. They reached out and tried to redirect the heat from the lights to hit the group in a concentrated way. After a good while, the group started to feel toasty, but nothing serious. They decided to drop that idea. They glanced back at their jacket and their eyes darted to Antonio and Melanie. If they paid attention, they could sense small waves of heat coming off the demons, so they stared intently at them as they tried to contain the radiating heat around their bodies.
"Tee, you're scaring us with your staring. Your eyes are glowing and everything. It's spooky." Antonio said nervously.
"Shh, I'm testing something." Taylor responded tensely as they tried to keep their focus.
It was a challenging feat at first, but Taylor ended up making a sort of invisible blanket of heat swirl around Antonio and after a few minutes he started to sweat. They stopped when he started getting short of breath, not wanting to hurt their friend for an experiment.
"There! That's what I'll do. I'll be their bottle service attendant in the room and while I'm getting them drinks, I'll be heating them up steadily. At some point, they'll get up, and boom! They'll be out like a light! Then I can do my thing and there will be less threat of harm."
The trio agreed it was the best course of action, as it didn't require extra resources and was stealthy. But Taylor conceded that they would need to practice until they could do it on multiple people at the same time. For the next few days at the hotel, Taylor would stand near groups of hotel residents and covertly stare fixedly until they started sweating. They got so good at it; the hotel residents thought the air conditioning was on the fritz. Sir Pentious proved to be the most resilient, seeing as he was cold-blooded, but even he started to get hot under the collar before long. The only person they avoided was Alastor, who was too observant and would surely catch on if they tried it on him. Soon enough, they felt ready to do it in real time. They just needed 5-10 minutes of uninterrupted eye contact to get the job done.
Grinning widely at their success, they rolled up their sleeves.
"Good night shitheads. Now then, to work."
They rubbed their eyes gently to relieve some of the tension and then focused on the demon's wrists. After a moment, all three prone demons sported different colored manacles, each with several chains attached. Dieter had two manacles, so Taylor moved to him. Feeling a little winded from their previous manipulation, they elected to go one wrist at a time. Grasping the chains quickly, they summoned the silver flames and tugged hard. The Komodo dragon demon groaned at the movement but didn't rouse. Grinding their teeth, they worked through the dizzying images they saw flash before them as the chains melted in their palms. They heard the snap and clanging of chain links as the first set of chains shattered. They moved on to the second wrist, opting to not wait around for the sphere of energy to finish coalescing.
'I don't know how much time I have before these guys get back on their feet or someone comes up here.' they thought anxiously.
The second wrist proved more tiring. They wished they'd had more time to recoup, but they kept pulling and squeezing until their arms shook in exhaustion and they became unsteady from the dizziness as more images streamed across their view. Just when they were about to stop and take a breather, the second group of chains splintered loudly and soon a second cloud of miasma covered the floor. Panting, they were relieved that the first energy sphere was hovering gently on the ground, ready for collection. Taking it gratefully, they soon felt renewed, with energy coursing through their veins as the euphoria hit them like a breath of fresh air. As they rode the high, they considered the two other demons and decided to break their chains too. 'Dieter was the only target, but I should get theirs too... let's do it, I feel great now! The more the merrier, right?' They decided determinedly.
The demons started to stir, so they curtailed their exuberance to focus on the new task at hand. Hopping over to the first subordinate, they collected the chains hastily and repeated the process with renewed vigor. The silver flames blazed wildly as they gripped the chains forcefully and immediately started melting the chains. Another wave of vertigo hit them as they felt the chains break and they dropped them summarily to stumble over to collect Dieter's second energy sphere. Almost falling over, they clutched the second orb, and they felt their vision blur as the energy blasted through their body, causing their heart to pound painfully in their chest as they tasted bile.
'Ugh. That's new.' they thought distastefully as they took a moment to catch their breath.
Taylor unsteadily padded over to the last demon as all three were starting to groan and stir more. They took hold of the fourth set of chains and began to pull with all their might. The demon yelled pitifully at the action, which made Taylor's panic rise.
"Come on, come on, almost done. Stay asleep." They quietly repeated.
Soon enough, the final set of chains fractured with such force, it knocked Taylor onto their back. Groaning, they pushed through the dizziness and pulled themselves upright. They awkwardly lumbered over to the third hovering sphere, grasping it with some trepidation. They felt their stomach do somersaults as a nauseating amount of energy hit them like a freight car and they felt like their heart was going to explode. They fell to their knees as they clutched their chest and stomach with a groan.
'One more. One more then I'm out.' they promised themselves as they crawled over Dieters to get to the last sphere, breathing hard and trembling all over.
Just before they reached the last hovering orb, they felt a yank on their ankle that knocked them down. They turned over and saw that Dieter was gripping them unsteadily, his face contorted in pain and gaze unfocused.
"What the shit did you do, you yellow eyed freak?" He barked out. His gaze shifted over to the last bit of chains dissolving into miasma nearby and then he stared wide eyed at them in horrified realization. "You… you're the Dealbreaker Demon. It's you!"
Panicked and stomach churning, Taylor rammed their foot into Dieter's face until they heard a crunch, making the dragon demon let go as he screamed and held his nose painfully. Taylor stumble-crawled to the last sphere and gripped it with a clenched jaw. The explosion of energy felt like they were being kicked in the chest and they couldn't catch their breath; the world around them spun and they toppled over as they tried to regain their balance.
Panting heavily, they laboriously got back on hands and knees and unsteadily crawled to the door to get away. They heard Dieter and his crew struggling to stand behind them as they reached up to the doorknob, causing another wave of vertigo to hit them as their legs shook violently. Stifling the need to vomit, they opened the door and looked back to see Dieter a few wobbly strides away from them. He looked murderous as he yelled at his crew to get up and help catch the Dealbreaker Demon. They threw themselves into the hallway and slammed the door shut behind them. Quickly leaning against the door, they could hear Dieter yelling and banging on the other side as Taylor pulled out their phone and tried to steady their hand enough to call Antonio. The phone seemed to ring forever before he picked up.
"Tee, what's wrong? You should have been out ten minutes ago!" He said frantically.
Taylor's mouth tasted sour as they answered with a shaky voice.
"I need the contact to get up here and help me out. I think I'm intoxicated and I'm barely able to function."
"Intoxicated on what? Doesn't matter, I'll get them. Hold on!"
They nodded as they pocketed their phone and looked for something to focus on as the everything kept moving from under them. The yelling and banging on the door got louder as it felt like all three demons were trying to force it open. Taylor sat there against the door, clutching their chest painfully as they gasped for breath and felt woozy. Whatever euphoric energy they had felt before was now replaced with overwhelming anxiety and instability as the world wouldn't stop spinning.
Suddenly they tensed as arms picked them up and they were moved aside gingerly. They looked up and a bull demon they recognized as their contact grabbed heavy furniture from across the hallway and placed it against the door, making a barricade to keep the three raving demons trapped in the room. Taylor could barely string words together as they tried to thank them, but the bull demon just grunted and crouched down over them. He grinned and reached over to bring Taylor's arm around his neck.
"Grab my shoulder and I'll get you out of here. Luckily, you'll pass for being drunk and we handle those all the time here." He said cheekily.
They nodded wearily as they did as they were told, and they were pulled to their feet. The bull demon helped them walk down to the back of the hallway and out the disabled emergency exit. Once outside, Taylor was unceremoniously slung over the demon's shoulder like a sack of potatoes as the bull demon carefully climbed down the fire escape. Taylor's nausea came back at the jostling, but they swallowed the burning acid and kept it down through sheer force of will.
Once on the ground, they were pulled back into the supported walking position as they shakily walked down the alleyway.
"Your getaway ride is down that way, let's go." The bull demon indicated as they rounded the corner.
"Hold on, I'm gonna be sick." Taylor let go as they quickly held onto the wall and threw up. After emptying their stomach and dry heaving for a bit, the bull demon handed them a cleaning rag and they took it gratefully. Once they were finished, they held on again and shuffled down the alleyway as they saw a car idling at the end. A distressed looking Antonio poked his head out the window.
"What happened?"
"Not here. You got to get out and I need to get back to my post." The bull demon urged as they placed Taylor gently in the car. "Go!"
Taylor sat limply as the world started spinning again and their chest ached. They winced as they spoke painfully.
"Antonio, he's right. We gotta move before someone notices."
The German Shepard demon just nodded worriedly at both demons as he drove off. Taylor saw the bright lights of the city pass by briefly before everything got dark.
At that moment, one of Alastor's ink demons was on the rooftop keeping watch for anything interesting that would warrant summoning their master over. They glanced over when they saw one demon dragging another drunk looking demon down the alley but made a face when they said demon stopped by a dumpster and vomited. Turning away in disgust, they focused their attention elsewhere for signs of the Dealbreaker Demon.
Taylor awoke with a splitting headache and felt both too hot and too cold. They turned over with a groan as they opened their eyes and saw a somewhat familiar looking living room and coffee table. They sat up carefully and instantly the world tilted again, causing them to sway to the side. They flinched as they felt soft hands touch their shoulder, steadying them.
"Hey, you're okay. It's Melanie." A timid sounding voice called out gently as they sat next to them.
Taylor looked up carefully as they beheld the tense looking white dog demon.
"Where am I?" They rasped out.
"Antonio's. You passed out in the car, and he didn't know what to do. So, he called for backup." Melanie explained with concern.
"What about our contact? What happened after we got out?"
"He's fine, no one suspects him of anything." She made a face as they continued. "But there's lots of commotion at the club that the Dealbreaker Demon struck. People are wigging out."
Taylor was glad the everyone got through this debacle relatively unharmed. They heard a door open as Antonio slunk in nervously. When he saw Taylor, he jumped and rushed over.
"Glad you're awake. Jeez, don't scare me like that!" His eyes darted around worriedly. "Sorry to rush you, but do you think you can change back yet? Folks are looking for a fish demon and you fit the bill right now."
Taylor nodded slowly before closing their eyes and focused. They felt the familiar flames tickle across their body, and they basked in the fleeting warmth. When it passed, they shivered. They heard Melanie gasp as Taylor opened their eyes and spied a blushing Melanie.
"What?" they asked, puzzled.
"Oh! Um, nothing!" Melanie sputtered as her face turned crimson.
They checked their claws and hair to confirm they were back to normal. Then they understood.
"Oh! You've never seen me without a disguise before!"
"This is your normal form?" She asked with disbelief.
They smiled warmly. "Yeah, this is regular old me."
Melanie continued to stare at them quietly as Antonio stood anxiously beside the two demons.
"Kid, what happened? Did something go wrong with the plan?"
"No, the plan worked, they dropped like flies." They winced as they continued. "I broke all three demon's chains."
"Three? You were only supposed to go after Dieter!" Antonio said incredulously.
They massaged their temples as the headache came back.
"I know, but they were all there and I thought I could handle it. Something was different this time. After I absorbed all of Dieter's chain energy, instead of the normal energizing feeling I get from breaking contracts, I started to get increasingly dizzy and nauseous after each absorption. My chest started to hurt, and breathing got difficult too."
"I see why you thought you were intoxicated, sounds like when someone takes too many shots at once and getting plastered immediately. Or a bad trip even. Maybe it's the same, you took too much too soon? If I'm right, this was the largest number of contracts you've broken at once so far."
They nodded tiredly, accepting the explanation as they saw the time. "I got to get back to the hotel. Charlie will worry if I'm not back by morning."
"Tee, you can't even sit up straight, if you head over people are gonna ask why you're looking like Hell warmed over."
They stubbornly stood up on shaky legs. "I'll just have to risk it. I'll just say I'm hungover. Husk is like that every day, so it won't be out of the ordinary." They glanced down at the suit they were still wearing for the job. "Do you have my clothes here?"
After a lot of back and forth, Taylor wore down Antonio and he reluctantly gave them a ride back to the hotel after changing back into their normal attire. It was very early in the morning when they arrived in the lobby, so thankfully no one was around. They took their time to slowly totter their way up to their room. Once they made it in safely, they clambered into bed and passed out immediately.
Alastor was bristling as he strode back to the hotel. He had just missed the Dealbreaker Demon when one of his ink demon familiars scattered around the city summoned him to Klub Kaijuu. He had had an unilluminating conversation with a brutish lizard dragon demon and his cronies, who could only say that it was a fish demon with yellow glowing eyes that attacked them. This wasn't helpful as Carmilla's intelligence suggested that this demon was a shapeshifter, but the eyes could be a clue. He did the demons a favor by putting them out of their misery and devoured them on the spot. While their screams and pleas were entertaining, it was not enough to quell the bitter frustration of missing his quarry. With a strained smile, he retreated to the hotel to try again another night.