"As always, please pick up the goods in the regular spot," the announcer said. "As always, thank you for your patronage. We hope to see you all at our next action. We pledge to deliver even finer items next time.” I’m guided off stage back into the crummy hands of the man-baby.

“Looks like some lucky fellow found their servant,” he cackled. “25 large gold coins!”

We retraced our steps near the entrance leading to the underground cells. It was now or never. We turned down another corridor opposite the direction of the other staff members. Evading the eyes of the security cameras, I elbowed the man-baby right in the jaw. He grunted as his body flew against the wall like a rag doll. Blood and saliva spewed from his mouth with a few decaying teeth. Before the man-baby could retaliate, I utilized the momentum from the elbow to land a spin kick on his temple. Killing someone like him needed to happen. Preserving his life would cause more people to suffer. I don't regret my decisions; I delivered him a bittersweet send-off to hell. Maybe I'd end up joining him in the future, but on the bright side, that meant he couldn't escape from me even after death.

I searched his musty dry clothing for anything useful. I stole an access pass to some part of this building with a few silver coins hidden in the under pocket near his left peck. Before anyone witnessed me with the lifeless corpse, staining the dapper wallpaper with bodily fluids, I fled to locate a way back home.

Escaping this complex came with its own set of difficulties. Not only did I have to evade everyone in the complex, but I also needed to leave before they electrocuted me. The range of the shock devices terrified me. There was a chance that my sorry ass would still be fried even if I fled the country.

"I wonder what's taking Jeremy so long to get that kid to the docking room," said a high-pitched voice close to the nearby hallway on my right.

"He's probably delivering his one last beating before shipping him off," answered another voice. It sounded like the announcer from earlier. "I'm going to go check his man cave and hopefully not find the kid dead."

"Shit!" I cursed under my breath. They were going to turn the corner soon. Taking the access pass, I attempted to unlock the closest door, a heavily deadbolted door on my left. Please, don't need a fingerprint scan or retina scan. I didn't bring that man-baby's finger or eyeball with me. If this doesn't work, they will find me and eventually connect the murderer to me. After what felt like fuckin' hours, a soft click came from behind the deadbolted door. I turned the large titanium handle and lunged my body inside.

Unlike my cell in the underground dungeon, parts of this room were illuminated by what looked like ancient magical tools. Three small light sources consumed some of the darkness plaguing the room. The odor of chemicals lingered, sitting like a bump on a log. The light revealed rows of beakers of all different sizes and shapes. They lined neatly on shelves around the room. Slightly illuminated in the back of the room by a rosy pink light sat a gigantic metallic chamber that resembled a time capsule. Curiosity got the best of me as I approached the capsule-like object.

"Fuck you, Jeremy!" A gruff voice reverberated into the room. "Not only did you die in such a sorry state, but you also lost the fuckin' merchandise! Such a waste of space. Where is the shock devise?"

"Lady Ellain had it last," a bell voice replied. "She should be with the rest of the merchandise."

"Tell her to get the fuck over as soon as possible with the device," the gruff voice demanded. "And you three, help me search the rooms. The smart ass probably stole Jeremy's staff card. He could be anywhere. Find the bastard!"

"Yes, sir!"

"This is so fucked up," I complained. I'm going to be captured at this rate.

A soft click rang in my ears as the door to this room hissed open. I could hide under the tables, but any rational person would check there. I hope the person searching this room was a dumb ass. Every step the person took sent vibrations from the floor up my body. I covered my mouth to prevent my breath from escaping my lips. Sweat formed on my face the closer the footsteps arrived at my position.

My heart froze when I made direct contact with my maker. His bloodshot eyes gazed right through my soul. I'm finished. However, he left? We made direct eye contact, but I wasn't seen?

"Not in this room, boss," the man said as he exited the room. The door clicked shut, and I released a sigh of relief. My life definitely flashed through my eyes; however, I should have been caught. His lifeless eyes drilled holes into my being. None of what transpired made sense.

"That's because I protected you," a deep entrancing voice replied.

I quickly scanned my surroundings. When I entered the room, I never noticed anyone else in this room. If that were the case, who could have protected me and why. The majority of people would be chasing my ass. What would they gain protecting me?

"I protected you because you are my only way out of this shit show," the voice explained. "I've been trapped here for almost four years. I'm sure you aren't interested in my entire life story; however, I have my own reasons for wanting to escape."

"How in the fuck am I supposed to get you outta here if I end up burnt to ashes?" I asked.

"I'll make a deal with you," the voice said. "You may not like it, but I'll help you escape and achieve your ambitions. However, in return, I want something from you."

"Like what, my soul? And how the fuck do you know my ambitions. You don't even know me."

"Well, I can't say you are not wrong, but you're also not correct either. I am not after your soul. We demons don't steal souls, unlike what human stories depict us as."

Wait, a demon? Why would a demon protect me? Demons command lower and weaker monsters all the time to plunder villages and slaughter adventurers almost every day. If it weren't for the strength of the hero, Hanai, humanity as we know it would cease to exist because of the demon generals. Why the fuck would a demon protect me other than having an ulterior motive. I won't fall for that crap.

"I see you already decided without understanding the whole story," the voice said.

"Get the fuck out of my head!"

"Let me ask you a question if you saw a Reguog on your way to a mission beyond your city walls, what would you do?"

"Those ugly ass three-meter giant toads? I'd slay it to prevent it from terrorizing our villages."

"Okay then, if one of you humans were prancing around the Dregus Swamps, and a Reguog killed them."

"The Adventure's Guild would put a request to slaughter those Reguog. Why would we tolerate some toads trampling all over us."

"You missed the point of that analogy. You humans say that the Reguog would terrorize your villages, and you would exterminate them on site. Why would that be any different from you wandering into the Reguog's village and running amuck over there? I feel that's a bit unfair if you think about it. You humans make it seem like you are the true gods of this world. Everything must revolve around you; all your actions are always justified no matter what. Take a step back from the situation and think about it rationally. Just because some monsters attack humans doesn't justify stereotyping all monsters and demons. Because if that's true, then why doesn't it make sense that all human men rape any woman they see. Because it's not true, and it's the same for us."

Fuck, I cannot disagree with what the demon said. No matter how much I wanted to refute anything that he said, the fact that it made sense if we removed the aspect of monsters away from the equation. I hate to admit it, but the demon's fuckin' right. Shit.

"Okay, sure, I get your point. But what does this have anything to do with me helping you?" I asked.

"I am asking you to work with me to bring peace between us, the Beings of the Outer. We understand that you humans love wearing our skin for some reason as a fashion statement and prize our body parts. We are willing to work with you if it would end the fruitless fighting."

"And why should I trust your words? For all I know, you monsters will use this to get pardons for accidentally killing a human in so-called self-defense."

"I don't see how that can't be seen from both sides. A human could do the same thing. We are more intelligent than you may think that we are. We just happen to have a different culture than you humans."

"Okay, let's assume that I agreed to your terms. How am I supposed to persuade the prime minister, let alone the holy church, to collaborate with demons and monsters?"

"That's where I will help you achieve your ambitions. I'll help you get onto the prime minister's circle. I noticed how knowledgeable you are about poisons and medicines. Your knowledge would be valuable to the prime minister and being in his trusted circle means you'll have some leverage in discussions. I want you to demonstrate to the prime minister, no the world, that we aren't just monsters. We may not look like you; however, we too feel emotions and the desire to protect our loved ones."

"Okay, I get into the prime minister's circle. But what if he doesn't listen and judges that idea is fuckin' stupid, and I end up sacrificed to the goddess because of it."

"By proving your worth. Even humans follow leaders who hold power. Trust me when I say this, prove to the world your strength. Power brings change."

"Fuck, fine, we have a deal," I finally gave in. Everything he depicted would be safer than having humans and monsters continue to fight constantly.

"My name is Cleitos, the Demon General of the Eternal Flame. I realize you're skeptical of this arrangement, so I'll write up a sacred contract between us."

"And what if one of us breaks it."

"We demons cannot break this contract. It is impossible for us to be able to because it's forged out of our magic. Violating the contract will result in our magic imploding on itself. We won't survive it. As for you, I would end up consuming you. And so we get this out of the way, I do not wish to steal your body. Your body would morph into my original body, and I'd be back at square one. So, I have no intention of wanting to steal your body. But I can go more into that later."

"I guess I have sold my soul to the devil," I laughed hysterically. "I guess we have a deal. I'm Jae, this better fuckin' working, or I want my money back."

Cleitos chuckled. "The green flame glowing in the front of the room contains my essence. Killing a demon comes with difficulties. When we are defeated, we end up as the essence of our abilities. You humans believe us to be unkillable because we are able to steal a human host's body as our own. However, we are able to be killed. It's just that you humans haven't learned how. I can explain that to you another time."

As I went to fetch the flask-like object containing a kelly green flame, a scorching pain drilled into my neck, spreading around to my body. I spazzed uncontrollably from the shock. Fuck, those bastards found the shock device.

"They will find you at this point. Our contracts..." Cleitos's voice trailed off in my head. Everything he said I could no longer process. The knawing pain zapping through my body prevented me from concentrating on his voice. Tears leaked from my eyes as my breathing slowed. The space around me zoomed out of focus.

Before I lost consciousness, I rasped, "Yes."