The moment he saw the big-chinned Imp from the previous night staring down at Chimp with a disgusted snarl, Mick felt his stomach twist with anxiety. It was bad enough to deal with this asshole of an Imp while he was drunk, but now he was completely sober and by the looks of things, EXTREMELY livid. And unfortunately for Chimp, all that anger was now solely directed at her.
"You little pissant!" he yelled, suddenly grabbing Chimp by the neck and lifting her off the ground. "Your luck's finally run out!
"L-look, Mr Scorch, it's not what you think, I-" Chimp tried to beg, only to suddenly be slammed into the nearest wall for her trouble.
"Do y'all have any idea what you cost me, you dirty rat!?" Scorch snapped, spraying saliva in Chimp's face as he spoke. "Any notion of all the shit I had to deal with because of the cash you stole from me!?"
So Scorch was another victim of the child's thievery? And by the sound of it, he needed those Souls for something important too. Still, as mad as he was about getting his Rosario stolen, Mick felt a horrible twist in his gut upon seeing such aggression against a child… which was pretty ironic considering what he was doing mere moments ago.
"B-but, Mr Scorch, I…" Chimp tried to say, only to gasp as the big-chinned Imp pressed on her neck, her uncovered eye shrinking in horror as she caught a glimpse of his mutilated eye.
"I know, horrible ain't it?" Scorch chuckled, quickly noticing where Chimp was looking. "Then again, the guy who gave me this sure didn't live long to regret it."
And on top of that, the asshole was also a bold-faced liar. Deadpanning at how casually Scorch fabricated such an idiotic take on what really happened, Mick had to resist the urge to walk up to him and give him another beating just to remind him of the truth… and yet, the sneer and glare in his eyes seemed to show how dangerous this Imp was now that he wasn't intoxicated. As much as he hated it, Mick had to keep his distance until he was sure no one was going to get hurt.
"I-I can get your money back, I swear!" Chimp whimpered. "Just let me go and I can-"
Alas, that only made Scorch squeeze her neck even harder.
"Oh, I don't think so," he retorted, his snarl soon turning into a sickening smirk. "What say you and I go on a little trip, instead… to Bloodflow Mine!?"
Mick may not have known anything about the mine Scorch was referring to, but judging from Chimp's reaction to his statement, the Cat Demon knew that it couldn't be good. Watching in horror as Scorch carried the Imp further down the alley, all Mick could do was growl in anger. Still, despite his ongoing anger for what Chimp did to him, he just couldn't walk away from this. With a small readjustment of his mask, he then proceeded to follow the two Imps, keeping as much distance as possible to allow himself enough leeway to move without their knowledge.
Much like any other abandoned mine, Bloodflow Mine was dark and eerie, with little to no noise aside from the faint whistle of the wind blowing through the caverns. Unlike mines in the Living World, however, Bloodflow mine was carved into the side of one of the burning mountains that were situated all over the ring, filling the tunnels with intense heat and creating small pools of magma that threatened to melt any poor Imp unfortunate enough to fall in. It was next to one of these pools, that one of the side entrances to the mine was carved into the mountain. Here, Scorch continued to carry the struggling Chimp back her neck as they both faded deeper into the darkness.
"Ah... the Bloodflow Mine," the elder Imp chuckled, taking a deep inhale of the brimstone in the air as he lit a nearby lantern. "Back in the old days, the gems from this here mine were the very source of wealth of the Wrath Ring... now we just grow crops and livestock for all them filthy sinners five rings up!"
Sadly, Chimp could only give a timid laugh at that.
"R-really? T-that sounds interesting," she said fearfully, hoping that stroking the older Imp's ego would help her find a way to escape her predicament. "W-well as much as I'd like to see more, I really should be going soon. My folks would be real sore with me if I don't- Ahh!"
Alas, her efforts were only met by a vicious snarl and resulted in her being tossed to the stone floor of the mine.
"Don't take me for a fucking idiot, you little shit!" Scorch barked irritably. "You and your sibs ain't got no folks!"
Taking a moment to breathe after catching Chimp out in her sad attempt to fool him, the elder Imp's snarl soon twisted back into an unnerving grin.
"Besides, I ain't told you what we use the mine for these days," he continued, taking a glance at his surroundings as though he were admiring a piece of art. "Oh, sure, the gems we used to dig for have all been hollowed out and frittered away, but this place still has one particular use I find quite pleasing. These days, it makes for a suitable dumping ground for corpses… ESPECIALLY the ones who ain't got nobody to miss them!"
Realizing where this situation was going almost instantaneously, Chimp's one visible eye shrank to the size of a flea and her fears skyrocketed. Daring to make one last attempt at an escape, she tried scrambling back to her feet in hopes of running back outside… However, her efforts were all for nought when Scorch delivered a powerful kick to her stomach.
"EURGH!"
Winded by the sudden strike to her gut, all the poor child could do was wretch as her body skidded across the rocky floor. When Chimp finally managed to open her eye again, she once again gasped in horror upon seeing that Scorch had kicked her over to the edge of a dark mineshaft leading an indistinct distance down. Seeing nothing but a dark void that gave no notion of how far down it went or what lay at the bottom, Chimp's terror was now reaching breaking point as she once again tried to get back to her feet.
"Not so fast, sweetheart!" Scorch mocked as he snatched Chimp up by the front of her shirt and outstretched his arm, chuckling with sickening delight as he watched the poor child dangle over the empty void.
"P-please, have some mercy on me!" Chimp whimpered, both her eyes, good and bad, overflowing with terrified tears.
Scorch, however, only laughed even harder.
"Sorry," he retorted with a sneer. "All out of mercy."
Bad enough Scorch wanted to punish Chimp for crossing him, but any decent person would clearly say he was enjoying the younger Imp's anguish far too much. So much so, that even certain sadists would say he was a nutcase. As he watched the tears from Chimp's eyes, suddenly, Scorch's smile faded slightly.
"Hmm... you know something?" he said, scratching his bulbous chin in thought. "All things considered, this DOES feel like it would be a tremendous waste."
Her hopes raised, Chimp actually thought that Scorch may reconsider his choice to kill her, causing a tiny smile to form on her face… Unfortunately, those hopes were immediately crushed underfoot when Scorch suddenly ripped off her eyepatch.
"Ah, there we go!" he declared, using his free hand to pull the strap over his head and place the patch over his own damaged eye. "NOW there is no waste."
Sobbing over Scorch's vile cruelty, all Chimp could do now was wait for the inevitable. This was it. After everything she had been through, THIS was how it ended. Never again will Chimp ever see her siblings, nor the town they-
"HEY!"
Suddenly, Chimp was snapped out of her moment of despair by the sound of a familiar voice. Looking over Scorch's shoulder, she gasped upon seeing the long-tailed silhouette standing in the torchlight, one that looked absolutely terrifying due to the intense glow of the flames burning from his furious eyes. Noticing Chimp's surprise, Scorch soon turned his head and soon found himself in his own state of shock.
"Put her down," Mick demanded, giving the elder Imp his most hateful of glares.
Once he got over the initial shock of being caught, however, Scorch merely glared back at the Sinner.
"You again!?" he scoffed, seemingly uncaring as to how the Cat Demon came to be in the same location. "Can't you see I'm busy here?!"
Mick couldn't say he was surprised by Scorch's reaction. After all, he did seem like the type of prick that would try to save face all for the sake of his own ego. It almost reminded him of Seth in that manner. Still, that didn't mean Mick was going to back down. It wasn't exactly easy keeping up with him and Chimp without being seen, especially during the times when they were out in the open. Hell, he even lost count of how many times he had to duck away whenever Scorch turned his head around. Of course, while he may have been hesitant to help out the Imp who robbed him at first, seeing what Scorch just did to her made Mick respect his decision to do so.
"You'll be busy picking your teeth up off the floor if you don't do as I say!" he snapped, keeping his glare fixated on the Imp in front of him. "Now I won't ask again. Put. Her. Down!"
Witnessing the standoff between the two Demons, Chimp found herself at a loss for words as her breath was held in her throat. As each moment passed, the tension between them grew thicker and thicker until finally… Scorch smirked again.
"Whatever you say, kid,"
Those were the last words Chimp would hear Scorch say before his hand released her shirt. With gravity immediately taking hold of her, the poor child's one good eye shrank in horror as the realization of what was happening around her began to sink in. Seconds felt like hours as the world began to disappear around her; all Chimp could do was scream as she helplessly fell into the darkness.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHH!"
"NO!"
Seeing Scorch casually drop Chimp down the shaft without a care in the world, his blood immediately ran cold before boiling with anger. Seizing his chance, Scorch then swiftly ran up to the Sinner and shoved him to the side before he had the chance to react any further.
"See ya, asshole!" he cackled, his vile laughter echoing through the mine as he ran back towards the entrance.
By the time Mick managed to recollect himself and get back to his feet, Scorch was already long gone. However, this time Mick had no motivation to even bother giving chase. Soon enough, he realized that he could no longer hear Chimp's terrified scream and that the reason why was cause to make him weep. Walking over to the top of the mineshaft, he soon collapsed to his knees in despair as he tried to process what had happened.
He had failed. Plain and simple. Because of his hesitation to step in sooner, he had let someone else die right in front of him… she was just a child, damn it! Roaring in anger and self-loathing, Mick stared down into the mineshaft, baring his teeth at the dark void below as the image of Chimp's face refused to leave his mind. He may not have known her for long, but now her face would never leave his memory. He could still hear her mocking tone, her laughter, her crying… wait, he STILL could hear her crying!
"It can't be," the Cat Demon muttered, leaning his head closer to the edge of the shaft to make sure he wasn't just hearing things. "Kid? Kid, is that you!?"
At first, Mick received no answer, but then a few moments later…
"H-help me… please!"
She was alive. Chimp was ALIVE! As soon as that realization hit him in the face, Mick let out a heavy sigh of relief as he clutched the area over his heart. Between the guilt and the overbearing stress, he wasn't sure how much more drama he could take.
"P-please, mister!" Chimp continued, sounding like she was bawling her eyes out. "I don't wanna be stuck down here!"
Sensing the terror and the agony in Chimp's voice, Mick knew instantly that he had to do something. The shaft clearly wasn't deep enough for the fall to kill her but didn't mean the poor kid had a soft landing. Undoubtedly she must have been terribly hurt, and, more importantly, scared out of her mind. And if there was one thing Mick couldn't stand, it was hearing people cry.
"Okay, think, think, THINK!" he rambled, snapping his head in all directions to see what options were available to him.
Alas, no matter where he looked, there was nothing remotely useful. Any mining tools left behind were all either rusted or melted down from the lava. There was no rope anywhere and since Chimp was too far down into the darkness, lowering his tail down there would have been pointless. Looking down at his own hands, Mick soon grimaced as he realized that there was only one choice left for him.
"Oh, bleeding hearts of the world UNITE!"
Meanwhile, down in the pitch-black darkness below, Chimp painfully sat herself up as she shamelessly cried her eyes out over her now-damaged right leg. While she couldn't tell how far she had fallen, it could be considered a small miracle that she managed to survive at all. Alas, her survival still came at a price. While she may have been able to avoid dying or even getting paralysed, Chimp's fall was broken down by her bumping against the wall of the mineshaft, undoubtedly causing major bruising and from what she could feel, a badly mangled leg after landing on it funny.
However, while the agonizing pain she felt all over was unbearable, Chimp's tears were mostly out of fear. The fear of being alone in the dark, unable to see anything even with her good eye. Fear of knowing she may never be found, or even noticed after she was gone. For a little girl her age, it was all too much to bear… then all of a sudden, she heard it.
SCREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEECH!
Snapping her head up at the ear-piercing sound coming from above her head. Chimp soon found herself gasping in shock when she saw a faint light emanating from the mineshaft. Whimpering as she quickly scooted back against the shaft wall, wincing every time she moved her damaged leg, Chimp was suddenly met with what she would come to describe as a miracle. With literal sparks flying from his hands, Mick was sliding down the mineshaft, using his claws as an anchor to keep him from falling. Mere seconds later, the Cat found himself at the base of the shaft with Chimp.
"Fuck, that's smarts!" he exclaimed, blowing the steam from his hands as a little heat remained.
Once he managed to cool his hands a little, Mick soon used his unique Demon ability to form a small blue flame at the tip of his tail, creating a makeshift torch that illuminated the area around him and gave him more insight into Chimp's current condition. However, as much pain as she was in, the Imp child's mind was more overwhelmed by the fact that Mick was actually down here with her. Granted, she thought she heard him before when she made her pleas to seemingly no one, but she never actually thought the Cat Demon would answer her cry for help.
"Alright, let's take a look," Mick muttered, kneeling close to the young Imp, and causing her to flinch. "Relax, kid, I'm not gonna hurt you."
She may have been reluctant to do so, but for some reason, Chimp trusted Mick's words, though she couldn't really understand why. He didn't seem to have any vicious intent, but if there was one thing Chimp has learned over her short life, it's that most other Demons are Grade-A assholes that deserved everything they got. Plus, it's not like she had given this Sinner any reason to help her, so why would he do so anyway?
Of course, little did the Imp child realize at the time, the Cat Demon examining her hurt leg was simply the 1 in 1000 Demons to actually give a shit. As much as he hated what Chimp did to him, he couldn't in good conscience just leave the poor girl to her fate, alone in the dark. As such, he had no choice but to act. Granted, he could have seen what he was doing easily enough due to his feline night vision, but he felt Chimp's nerves would be better off if he gave her a little light with his flames. After all, sometimes it's better when one can actually see who was standing in front of them as they tried to help.
"Okay, I'm no doctor, but I think this is a clean break," Mick soon commented, noticing the swelling on Chimp's shin. "You should consider yourself lucky that the bone didn't go through the skin."
"It really hurts," Chimp whimpered, trying to put on a brave face but failing badly.
Hearing those words come out of Chimp's mouth, Mick immediately felt his chest tighten with anxiety. Tilting his head up, he soon caught a glimpse of the fear and agony in her eyes… only to be caught slightly off guard by what he saw. Without the patch to cover it up, the Cat Demon was able to notice how different Chimp's bad eye was compared to her good one. Completely white and lifeless with no iris or pupil and no visible scar, it was like someone placed a shiny pearl where her eye should have been. Fearing such a question of how Chimp's eye became like this would be too personal, given the circumstances, Mick thought it best not to ask.
"W-what now?" Chimp blubbered. "Are you gonna leave me down here? Did you just come down to gloat?"
Mick immediately deadpanned at that.
"As much as I would love to get you back for stealing my shit, you're lucky I'm not THAT petty," he stated bluntly, before, much to Chimp's further surprise, he turned around and crouched down. "Now shut up and get on my back."
"W-what?!" Chimp stuttered, wiping away her tears as she tried to process what was happening.
"Well, do you want to get out of here or not?" Mick asked with an irritated sigh. "Come on, I'm gonna carry you up."
Did he… did he really mean it? This guy was… actually trying to help her? It was too good to be true. Still, even if there was some small chance the Cat Demon was lying, Chimp didn't have any other choice but to take his word. Wincing in pain, she soon tried pushing herself up off the ground, desperately trying to keep as much weight off her right leg as possible. It was difficult, but with Mick's help, Chimp was eventually able to wrap her arms around his neck and allow herself to be lifted off the ground.
"Alright, hold on tight," the Cat Demon soon instructed, dousing the flame on his tail and looking straight back up the mineshaft. "This is gonna be a bumpy ride."
At that Chimp gave no response other than a nervous nod of her head. Suddenly, she felt something wrap around her torso, causing her to yelp.
"It's alright, it's just my tail," Mick quickly reassured her. "I need to use both my hands for what I'm about to do, okay?"
Once again giving no response aside from a nod, Chimp allowed the tail to wrap around her several times, binding her to Mick's back as it looped around his torso too. Finally, the two of them were ready.
"Jeez, this is gonna SUCK!" Mick muttered, wincing as he once again unsheathed his claws.
With one large jump, the Cat Demon then launched himself against the wall of the mineshaft several feet off the ground, latching onto it as he used his claws as an anchor once more.
"Damn it!" he grumbled as he began the climb. "How the hell do actual cats do this so easily!?"
Slowly making the ascent up the shaft with Chimp on his back, Mick grunted and groaned with every pull of his arm. The child may have been small but bearing the extra weight made the climb all the more difficult nonetheless. Sensing Mick's struggles, even in the dark, Chimp's feeling of confusion was soon overshadowed by guilt.
"Th-thank you…" she muttered in a small voice, giving Mick an excuse to let out a chuckle.
"Don't thank me yet, kid," he replied, his voice a little strained as he tried to keep his grip on the wall. "Wait 'til we're out of this shithole first."
After that, Chimp remained silent, feeling that no words she could come up with could ever portray what she felt as the Cat Demon continued to climb.
It had been several hours since Mick had disappeared and, understandably, Ember and Snowflake were starting to worry. After failing to meet back up again after capturing their respective kids, the two Demons eventually decided to wait outside the Snakeskin Saloon just in case he went back there… Well, it was more Ember's decision and Snowflake simply went along with it. Kicking the dust at her feet as she continued to pace around, Ember's frown soon deepened.
"Oh... where are they?" she muttered, her anxiety reaching seriously high levels.
Sitting just outside the front entrance to the saloon, the pair of them bound in cables and being guarded by Snowflake, both Champ and Chomp rolled their eyes at Ember's worry.
"Sooooo… does your boyfriend take this long to ever do something?" Champ commented, causing his little sister to giggle at his joke.
Of course, this only earned the pair of them a fierce growl from Snowflake and an irritated huff from Ember.
"You hush up!" Ember snapped. "You're lucky that-"
Suddenly, Snowflake cut her off with a few loud yips, drawing everyone's attention to the opposite side of the street. To Ember and Snowflake's relief and the children's shock, they saw Mick walking towards them with Chimp on his back. In all honesty, Champ and Chomp had thought their sister had somehow managed to get away and the Sinner was just wasting time trying to find her. But now here they both were, and with the Cat Demon giving Chimp a piggyback no less. Worse still, the pair of them looked as though they had been put through a grinder.
"Mick!" Ember called out, running over to him. "Are you okay? What happened!?"
"It's a long and back-breaking story," Mick replied with a sigh. "One I think would be better told after getting this kid some medical attention, if you wouldn't mind."
"Y-yeah, of course," Ember agreed with a nod. "Come on, bring her inside. Granny should have a first-aid kit somewhere."
Mick couldn't help but feel a little relieved after hearing that. However, as soon as he saw Chimp's siblings struggle against their bonds, giving him a hateful scowl each, that relief didn't last very long. Seeing their sister in such a terrible state on the Cat Demon's back, Champ and Chomp immediately gasped in horror and automatically assumed the worst.
"You rotten bastard!" Champ snapped, baring his teeth like a rabid raccoon. "What the fuck did you do to our sister!?"
"I'll bite your legs off!" Chomp added, trying desperately to chew through the cables tying her up.
"Guys, STOP!"
Their ears perking up to the sound of their sister's voice, both Champ and Chomp froze in place and looked up at the Cat Demon's shoulder, where they saw Chimp's tear-stained face looking back at them with a pleading expression.
"Just… just stop," she uttered, burying her face into the back of Mick's shoulder, unable to look anyone in the eye. "L-leave him alone, okay?"
Needless to say, both of Chimp's younger siblings were shocked and confused by what she had just said, their minds baffled over what could have happened to her. Mick, on the other hand, let out another heavy sigh. Having carried the child on his back all the way from the base of that mineshaft, he had heard her weeping ever since they left Bloodflow Mine. And they weren't tears of relief either, nor fear… no, these were tears of guilt, and it was tearing the poor kid up from the inside. Giving the pair of them one final look, Ember needed to ask her question again.
"Seriously, Mick," she said. "What happened?"
About an hour later, everyone found themselves inside the Snakeskin Saloon, feeling the exhausting aftermath of their respective ventures. While Granny Magma continued to splint Chimp's leg, her siblings now free of their bonds and refusing to leave her side, Mick was at the bar with Ember finishing off his story of what happened back at the mine.
"... Anyways, it took me a while, and a whole lot of effort, but I managed to pull us out easily enough," he said, taking another swig of his drink to numb the soreness in his arms. "Had to walk back here with the kid on my back."
As soon as she had heard what Scorch had done, Ember was immediately fuming with rage.
"That sick bastard!" she yelled, tossing a shot glass at the wall and smashing it. "I know them kids had something coming to 'em, but… but that's just twisted!"
"I'm not cleaning that up, sugar," Granny commented, not even bothering to look up from Chimp's leg.
Letting out a sigh of frustration, Ember soon slumped down on the bar, allowing everything to sink in for a moment.
"Well, he's definitely barred, I can tell you that much," she muttered, digging her clawed hand into the bar's surface.
"I hope that's putting it mildly," Mick added, taking another swig of his drink. "Seriously, you guys might want to put him on some kind of kill list for this place. Now, normally, I wouldn't openly say anything like that, but I'll gladly make an exception in this guy's case."
Granny Magma let out a small chuckle at those words as she finished tending to Chimp's leg.
"Now don't y'all worry your little head off, Micky," she said. "The moment that fucker steps foot in here, he'll be shot by every Imp in here. I guarantee ya that."
Mick gave a small nod at that, grateful for Granny's kindness. Needless to say, he did feel guilty about asking her to put the kids up for a night or two until the situation with Scorch blew over, even more so when he did it the moment he sat Chimp down in her Saloon, but still, at least he can rest easy knowing that Granny agreed and that all the kids were safe for the moment. Of course, unlike Mick, one condition was that the kids had to EARN their place for the night. As such, Granny was all too willing to put the kids to work as soon as they were able… that part Mick DIDN'T feel so guilty about.
"There you are, youngin," Granny said as she helped Chimp stand up with her new crutches. "How do y'all feel?"
"Still hurts," Chimp answered awkwardly, wincing as she tried to keep as much weight off her splinted leg as possible. "But... not so much now."
"You sure gave us a good scare there, sis," Champ commented, feeling the nervous sweat under his cap.
"We thought you were gonna croak for sure," Chomp added, her big eyes threatening to water as she looked up at her big sister.
Chimp, however, didn't say a word at first. Once again, her gaze was fixated on the Cat Demon who saved her from the mine. After everything that has happened, the guilt felt too heavy to carry. She opened her mouth to try and say something to him but found herself struggling to even utter a whisper. Unfortunately for her, Mick caught her struggle from the corner of his eye.
"If there's something you'd like to say, then say it," he said, his patience long since gone after the incident at the mine.
Seeing that she was being put on the spot, Chimp tried her best to force out an apology, her nerves be damned,
"I-I'm sorry," she whimpered, trying her best not to cry. "I'm sorry for stealing your shi- uh, I mean your stuff. If it weren't for you… I… I'd be as good as dead. I… I can't tell ya…"
Alas, at that point, any other words she may have said were lost to her own tears. Unable to cope with the guilt, the poor child broke down crying right there and then, much to the sorrow of her siblings. Whatever tough façade she had was long gone.
"Hey come on sis, don't break down on us now!" Champ whined, unsure of how to respond to Chimp's sudden breakdown.
"You know we hate seeing ya cry!" Chomp added, instantly rushing to wrap her little arms around her big sister's torso.
As much as he hated seeing others cry, Mick made no effort to try and stop Chimp in her weeping. As painful as it was, sometimes shedding a few tears can be good for one's mental health, especially when it's in the embrace of family. It was only after about a minute of sobbing that Chimp eventually managed to recollect herself just enough to let out a few more words.
"I… I'm sorry, guys," she said, her lip still quivering as she let out another sniffle and a hiccup. "But still, even after the shit we pulled… he still… he still…"
At that moment, Chimp suddenly felt a furry hand on her shoulder. Snapping her head up, she saw Mick kneeling down to face her, allowing the Imp child to see the gentle look in the eyes behind his mask.
"Hey, come on, kid, there's no need for any of that," he said, using his thumb to wipe a tear from Chimp's cheek. "The important thing is that you're okay now, alright? I told you, I'm not so petty as to leave a kid in a place like that. So don't dwell on it, okay?"
Once again, Chimp found herself completely floored by the Cat Demon's kindness. After spending so long on the streets mugging other Demons she could barely remember the last time anyone was so nice to her. Suddenly the moment was interrupted by the sound of Granny Magma clearing her throat.
"As touching as this is, sugar, I believe these youngins still owe you something," she said, snapping everyone back to the event that started this whole mess in the first place.
"Ah yes," Mick said, standing up straight like a scolding parent and holding out his hand to the kids. "My stuff, if you please."
The moment he said that the kids looked at each other awkwardly, all three of them knowing that things were about to go from bad to worse.
"Well?" Ember added, raising an eyebrow at their hesitation.
"W-well, go on, Champ," Chimp whimpered, pushing her brother forward. "Give Mr Nikos his stuff back."
"B-but we-" he tried to say, only to have his own words fail him as Mick's shadow loomed over him. "Uh... yeah, sure."
Unable to think up any kind of excuse, Champ had no choice but to comply with his sister's request. Rummaging through the front pocket of his overalls, he soon pulled out the small box containing Mick's weed. Checking the contents, the Cat Demon let out an irritated growl when he found a couple of joints missing, causing Champ to let out a nervous laugh before giving him the rest of them, along with his lighter. However, while he was glad to have them back, there was something far more important he needed to be returned.
"And my OTHER stuff?" Mick asked sternly, causing Chimp's eyes to shrink with realization when she suddenly remembered what she and her siblings were doing before the Cat Demon chased her.
"Oh... right," she uttered awkwardly. "Well, you see…"
"YOU SOLD IT!?"
When those three words burst out of the Snakeskin Saloon and echoed through the street, everyone, from the Imps to the scattering Hellbirds who were within earshot outside, were scared shitless for hours afterwards.
"What do you mean you can't sell it back!?"
As soon as Chimp told Mock which pawn shop her siblings had sold his Rosario to, it took him no more than a few seconds to begin running out the door and straight towards it. Of course, Ember had to run after him due to the fear he might unintentionally burn the place down with his angry flames. Which was just as well, considering the shop owner seemed to be giving him a hard time at the moment and the Cat Demon looked as though he was about to burst any minute. He may have been able to get his phone back easily enough, but his Rosario was another story.
"Do I really have to spell it out, buddy?" the Imp behind the counter retorted rudely. Having experienced many angry customers before, it was no wonder he didn't falter even with Mick's eyes burning like torches. "It's already gone, alright? I couldn't sell it back even if I wanted to."
"WHAT!?" Mick yelled, smashing his fists against the counter so hard, he almost left cracks in it.
"Yeah, one of the judges for the Pain Games took a shine to it after the kids sold it to me," the shop owner continued, a smug grin smearing across his face. "Paid a hefty sum for it too."
Hearing that, Ember couldn't help but raise an eyebrow as she pulled Mick away from the counter.
"One of the judges?" she repeated. "Which one?"
That question, however, was only met with an uncaring roll of the eyes from the shop owner.
"I don't know. That weirdo with the top hat, Willy or something," he answered, clearly not giving a flying fuck about the whole thing. "Look, it don't matter anyway. The guy's gonna use it for one of the prizes for the game tomorrow. So I highly doubt he's gonna sell it back to ya."
At that point, Mick's eye began to twitch with such vigour, one would swear he was trying to do morse code with his eyelid.
"This… this can't be fucking happening," he muttered. "You can't be serious!"
"Look, that's all I know, alright?" the shop owner huffed, clearly starting to lose his patience. "Now either buy something, sell something or get the fuck out!"
Seeing that nothing was going to get accomplished by sticking around, both Mick and Ember had no choice but to reluctantly comply.
"Fine!" Ember snapped before muttering under her breath. "Fucking dick."
"You know, I'm surprised anyone comes in here at all with service like this!" Mick snarled as he was ushered to the door. "Oh, by the way, those Forge Master weapons you have on display… total knockoffs!"
Of course, the Imp merely scoffed at the comment as Mick was pulled away and out the door. Of course, his expression quickly changed into a look of intrigue once Mick was out of sight and earshot. He may not have been one to take other Demons at their word, but there was something about how the Cat Demon spoke about the weapons he had in the display case behind him that rubbed him the wrong way. Quickly unlocking it and pulling out one of the red daggers before tapping it against the counter… only for the blade to break off almost immediately.
"AGH! And I paid 300 souls for these!"
After taking a good 20 minutes to calm down, both Mick and Ember sat on the front steps of one of the local buildings, with Mick, in particular, looking distraught as he buried his masked face in his palms.
"Hey… um, I'm sure we can get it back if we talk to the judge, sugarcube," Ember said hesitantly, not wanting to set the Sinner off again as she placed a comforting hand on his back. "We'll never know unless we try… right?"
However, it was at that moment that Ember received a shocking surprise in the form of two simple words.
"I'm entering."
"Huh!?" Ember exclaimed, not really sure if she heard the Cat Demon correctly. "Say what now?"
"I'm entering those Pain Games," Mick repeated sternly, rising to his feet with determination burning in his guts like the flames in his eyes. "The judge wants my Rosario for a prize, so there's no other choice but to win it back."
It didn't take a genius to pick up on how serious Mick was being at that moment. With every word that came out of his mouth, every syllable made him sound like a man who was willing to go for the kill to get what he wanted.
"But are you sure about this?!" Ember asked, walking up to him understandably worried. "The Pain Games can be fucking brutal. Hell, a couple of folks even DIED playing them last year!"
Mick, however, wasn't deterred in the slightest. In fact, he let out a small laugh at Ember's words.
"You're talking to someone who's survived a fight between a possessed toy, a member of Hellish Nobility and a giant pile of living shit. These games will be nothing!" he stated firmly before walking away. "Now if you'll excuse me, I got a phone call to make."
As she watched Mick walk down the street back towards the Snakeskin Saloon, Ember's face was riddled with worry. True, she had seen first-hand that the Cat Demon could handle himself in a fight and today's events certainly didn't change her opinion on how tough he was… very tough… it was kinda hot actually... What was she worried about again? No! Mick will be fine. If there was one fact that brought a smile to Ember's face, it was that this Sinner was going to push through no matter what gets thrown his way. This was a man on a mission and nothing short of a Fire Dragon was going to stop him now.
"Wait…" she suddenly uttered, her turned-on grin suddenly shifted to a confused glance as the last few words of Mick's previous sentence sank in. "What was that last one?"