Chips on the table, I went all in. I was betting on fate bailing me out of any trouble I could get into, but part of me was ready to accept the opposite. After living and suffering through so much, if I died in the pursuit of victory, then I would call it a fair shake. I’d be leaving behind Pearl and Rodney. Wight too, I supposed. But things go on, and they would do so with or without me. On and on and on.

The fuse was lit, and my decision made. We were going through the portal. Even if I became reduced to bloody sludge, we could slide down the gutter in the direction of putting a stop to this. A mad plan? My eyes burned hot fury as the first Deep Fiend lifted his fist to strike me.

Three shots to his kneecap, enough to take most of the energy out of his swing. I sidestepped it as it hit the wall beside me, and put two shots into it. Too dark to see if I was bleeding, and I could really do with Blood Redd right now.

A second figure loomed for me as the first shook off the pain I inflicted. Too dense to avoid, too dangerous to blaze through. It was a conundrum for sure. Cool energy feathered itself down my arms.

The fifteen-foot wide beam destroyed the arm of the second Fiend, and nothing else. Instead, I had angled it off into the wall. Now a circular tunnel cored its way into the dense stone - and I ran for it, hopping over the extending arm of the injured demon as my vision returned after the bright light of the attack faded.

I made it to the near end and pointed my revolver again, a second True Hell Cannon extending the tunnel further and opening up to the chamber again on the side. Through my self-made shortcut, I was now parallel to the portal, albeit around forty feet away and halfway in the ceiling.

[Last chance to back out.]

My feet made the decision to leap me into the fray. Mouths and arms reached up toward me. put beams of light through the hands, and I bounced over the first head, rolling to the floor. Thirty feet.

I blocked an attack that sent me backward, straight into another. Nothing broken. Thirty-four feet.

Too many for me to realistically fight off in the dark. I held the dice in my hands and was ready to gamble it all. The Hunter’s up top better be paying attention.

Even before the flash of crimson and white had faded, I was sprinting toward the portal. Wight empowered me through the exhaustion as we leaped between and over the shorn masses of dead Fiends. Fifteen feet.

Then the beams began. A light show of bright red that illuminated this arena. They spun off in different directions, some scouring through the ceiling or walls - many catching some of the other massed demons in the room. The dominoes had been knocked, and a beam sliced just by my feet. I hopped and then dropped to a slide to avoid one removing my cliche gunslinger hat. It had been a gift.

I rolled back up to my feet in front of the portal. A device of dark steel and shimmering red light not so different from the one I used in my basement. It hummed with a ridiculous amount of power, and I doubted I could easily break it without resorting to something like Entropy.

As the intensity of the light behind me grew, I sighed and stepped forth.

//Eric? Eric, what are you doing?

Traveling through a portal into Hell, duh. It took a brief second longer than I was used to, which made it uncomfortable and unsettling. Two out of Five stars.

I stumbled through the other side, straight into the looming figure of a Deep Fiend. His surprise was oddly comical until I rent a hole through his face with Hell Shot. He dropped forward, and I jumped to the side to avoid being crushed. The laser beam burst forth and struck the portal, melting through some of the frame. With a fizz and sudden pop, the portal broke, sending a wave of foul energy out around me.

And my, what an ‘around me’ this place was. A large factory building with an impossibly high ceiling. Metal pipes and odd panels or box shapes lined everywhere I could see. I was on a raised metal platform, and beyond the railings was a long queue of Deep Fiends waiting their turn to enter the mortal realm. It was all rather orderly considering the context.

On a hanging walkway to the right a demon stood, looking angered and perplexed at the Hunter now in their midst. I gave him a wave, which didn’t seem to cheer him up.

[You know this is going to get much worse?]

“Yeah.” I grinned. But I was a world famous detective, and I wasn’t going to go home empty-handed. Hell Shot for the Fiend trying to clamber up the stairs as I vaulted the side of the platform. Landed into a roll as the laser beam swung around wildly into the crowd. I needed to track down that suited demon up top who was now making a hasty escape to some third floor offices.

A door way ahead of me in the side of the building. Better than the large open hangar. Doors led to things. Things that could satiate my mania.

//Audio and Visual back, Org is… up in arms.

“Yeah?” I sidled up beside the closed metal door to check if I was being followed. Nothing close enough. I had created enough chaos. “Portal closed?”

//Confirmed.

“Saved the day then, didn’t I?” For a second I gave myself a chance to breathe, and for Rodney to get all his ducks in a line.

//Con… firmed? A Hunter almost died from the backlash, but they’re able to whittle the remainder down.

I bet it was Josh, and it served him right. “Are you able to stay online, could really use a friendly voice?”

[My voice is friendly.]

Wight dropped possession to filter up into bird-form beside me, pulling his blade from my belt.

//Just… They’re arguing, hold.

It was easy for him to say. I could make a start, but I’d rather know if there was an elite squad of flamethrower wielding Mid demons on the other side of the door before going in blindly. The amount of noise from the main chamber I was slightly obscured from was increasing, and I didn’t want to have to explain myself to the maintenance crew when they showed up to fix the portal.

Even as I said this, a yellow demon with twisting black horns and a blue jumpsuit hopped up in front of the broken device. Not the clearest of shots, but…

Somehow I managed to guess the curvature of the projectile innately - but giving how these powers worked, it couldn’t have worked any other way. An orb of crimson light was lobbed from the front of my gun, arcing through the air over the railing and landing where the repair demon had stopped.

A crack of lighting sounded as it hit, a blast of white light that faded away to red that shook the area and sent parts of machinery, along with charred demon parts all across the area.

I whistled. “Thank you, Wight.” He gave me a little bow.

[You deserve it, Eric.]

//Okay, Org is allowing me to assist. They will be observing too. Confirm objective?

“Find out answers for this portal shit. Crack some heads of those responsible.”

//Confirmed. Five hostiles in the next room. Star pattern, level six.

Even if we couldn’t find a way out, or we died, maybe I fell to corruption. I was happy to have Rodney on board and assisting me. We had used a bit of power just getting in here, and while I could sense we weren’t getting close to empty… my brain was already beginning to slip again and the more I soaked in demonic energy, the worse I’d get.

The worse it would get for them, too.

I grabbed the door handle and twisted it, cracking it open by an inch. shook the room, and I barely shut the door again before the blast wave vibrated through the floor. I flung it open again and stepped inside, putting two shots into each of the two demons that remained standing. These ones were also yellow in color, almost green. Pale white eyes with thin amber pupils like a cat. Some of their horns had stripes of white near the bases. Some of them had their limbs and organs painting the room - but that was probably partly due to my explosive addition. An excitable mathematician, unimpressed with the answers so far.

“We want to go up two floors, find the offices.” I spoke up to where I thought Rodney might be viewing from.

//Elevator through the door and to the right. Stairs too. No hostiles.

As much as I hated stairs, after remembering what I had done to the last Elevator I had come across, I didn’t want to share the same fate. I exited the room and followed his directions. The factory-aesthetic followed through this part of the building too, the walls a mishmash of metal plating and pipes leading to who knew where. Oddly enough, there was a carpet that led down the middle of the halls, crimson to contrast the dark metals and muddy silvers. The wall mounted lights flickered slightly as I walked past.

//Hostiles approaching right side of corridor ahead. Five.

I could see the elevators ahead now. Two doors of polished metal with a panel of small buttons. When I got closer, I would put a bullet through it to make sure others couldn’t use it. Disrupt. Dismantle. Destroy.

Wight ran ahead, keeping low and against the wall.

//Contact.

The first pair stepped into the hallway, one low and one high - wielding what I assumed to be some kind of ranged weapon. Before I could get a sure answer, I had already put a bullet in the forehead of the back one. Wight leaped at the crouched one, knocking him to the floor and stabbing repeatedly with his dagger.

Darkened marks scoured the floor around him as the other three opened fire. My patron hissed and sunk backwards, partly mist, to the safety of the corner. I caught up to him and narrowed my eyes to see if he was hurt. No visible damage that I could see.

//Three holding their positions. Two left, fifteen feet in, one right, same distance.

They should be paying Rodney double whatever they currently did. As much as the prospect of his patron had worried me at first, it had been a boon for what little Questing we had done already. Even if most of it was off the books and at my own detriment.

“I probably shouldn’t use the Mortar constantly, huh?”

[It uses power, around the same level as Cannon.]

Probably a waste for three small demons, too. It was a wonder that nobody had-

The dim lights turned a dark, pulsing crimson as an emergency alarm began to ring out down the halls. There it was.

I dove across the corridor while there was a distraction, emptying the cylinder into the two on the left side. Wight stepped out and threw his dagger - the weapon impaling the last demon in the arm as he readied to fire, causing him to drop the weird demonic gun.

No time like the present. I strode over to the maimed demon and grabbed her by the horns. “Hello, who runs the show here?”

“Get fucked, Hunter,” she hissed with a forked tongue.

“Maybe later. This is a business call.” I pressed the barrel to her forehead. “Last chance.”

“Get-“

I drew the hammer back and pressed a little firmer. It didn’t seem to do much, however. Apparently, knowing that I’d blow their brains out whether they spoke or not wasn’t very persuasive in the long run. Mid demons were a lot more fun, because you could…

Oh, what was that wiggling around inside me?

My eyebrow raised as I looked toward my patron, and he gave me a knowing nod. In all the excitement, I had almost forgotten that I’d been promoted twice. While the Mortar was certainly a showstopper, there had been a second one which now yearned to be brought forth.

A whisper sank from my mouth and into the ears of the demon, and her eyes widened. Her mouth hung open and words rolled out as if they had been sitting there waiting to be shaken out once the hatch was free.

“The demon K’trek runs the factory.”

I had forced that from her, and as soon as the sentence was complete she panicked further, angered at her own betrayal. My revolver silenced her complaints.

“Let me guess, I can only do that once per demon, right?”

[Something like that, yes.]

Not that it wouldn’t be fun to interrogate every demon I came up against, but I’d have to be more careful about what question I was going to ask them. Possibilities thrummed in my mind - or that could just be the return of some good old-fashioned demon-killing music. I hoped so, oh please.

This would have been a place where I’d usually pause to have some introspection or dabble in a bit of noir forethought. I couldn’t though - not when there was so much death to be wrought. A picture of a little demon standing on a line drawing of stairs hung from the hallway, an arrow telling me which way to go. Where would I be in my life without arrows?

In this hallway forever - not that it was a terrible hallway, but… I shook my head and walked over to the elevator control panel, to put a bullet in it. Whether that made it inoperable or just messed up some of the buttons, I wasn’t sure. It depended on if this was working on movie logic. I stared at the flashing red lights until it remained an artifact in my blinking eyes.

[Time to move, Eric.]

Corruption was slowly inserting its claws into my brain. Nothing I wasn’t used to on occasion. This just happened to be the most I’d courted insanity for a while. The chance to see the other side of one of the portals was too great of an opportunity to just pass by. I was done searching around in the shadows. I would stomp a hole in reality and demand to see the person in charge of this travesty.

Boots hit stairs. I rose. Wight followed, and the doorway to the next floor stood before me. Didn’t go all the way up like we wanted, then.

//Stairs continue on down the hall, to your right.

Perhaps the elevator pitch should have been the correct tune to dance toward. No matter, I itched for adventure. Maybe I could just live in Hell forever now. I could get used to it.

//Ten hostiles, level eight. Pairs every eight feet.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

That was a lot of feet, even for demons. I burst through the door and leveled my revolver as feathers ran down my arm. found a mark in all of them. Seven died instantly, three were lucky enough to not immediately be erased from existence. Yet.

Wight ran up and finished two off, a quick stab into their hearts, before he grabbed the third and dragged him over to me.

- “What is the purpose of this place?”

His sweaty face paled, and mouth opened. “To breach the mortal plane.”

Elective surgery to remove his brains. I elected it, using the gun as my precision tool. Didn’t miss. “We kinda knew that already.”

[It felt like half an answer, like he said the bare minimum.]

I nodded and gave the body a short kick. Not fair to hold out on us. A shrug rolled my shoulders, and we continued to the staircase. Another little informative picture showed the way - before the creak of metal pierced my ears and metal shutters fell down and blocked my progress.

“It’s just… can’t I just Mortar it away?” Perhaps my skills weren’t so precise after all, seeing as most of them would erase most of the steps themselves too.

//Alternate route through three rooms and a lobby. Continue course.

If that’s how they wanted to play, that was fine. I would get to where I was going eventually, and even if the main demon himself had escaped, there would be paper trails or some data I could scrape from something. Probably a demon’s brain.

//Next room clear.

I pushed the door open to see that he was correct. Clear indeed. A table in the middle with a few chairs. A meeting room, perhaps? The only thing they needed to meet was doom at the end of my silver gun. Hmm, losing my touch here.

“Should have brought snacks.”

[Or an easy route to escape this place.]

It was a little beyond that point now. We’d both made the choice willingly, knowing the potential costs. I had just felt I needed to make a tangible change for once. Even if the Lowers were endless and every dive into bloodshed was barely a drop in the ocean, being able to open the skulls of the few actually trying to sow ruin amongst the living world was worthy of my potential death.

I wouldn’t die, though. Even if I had to out my other abilities to the Org, fate wouldn’t allow me to get away so easily. Rat God had warned me, but I was playing up to my demonic side with no sight of further divine help. Even if I…

The key. It was in a pocket still. If I couldn’t return home or to the Org after running the clock out here, that might be an option. Wouldn’t bring me any closer to home… but perhaps I could carve out more of the future under the roof of the Church.

//Next room has ten hostiles. Three are level ten, rest inconsequential.

Walking over, I put my head against the metal door. There was the humming of slight footsteps and the mutterings of demons beyond, only slightly audible over the general ambience of the fading alarm and working machinery down below.

Breaching through rooms was getting tiring. There should just be one long corridor I could walk down and mow the weak demons into mulch. Now that I found some opponents that were smart enough to use ranged weaponry, I didn’t feel it was super healthy to barge through into somewhere I was expected.

I guess I’d have to strike my own path. Revolver went up, pointed towards the wall adjacent to the door.

//Hostile incoming behind, high level - they’re fast.

Wight and I both turned back toward the doorway I had left open. There was no sound - but then there was a figure. Dark blue and yellow eyes, and then a blast of something unavoidable.

Pain wracked my arms as the ball burst out behind me and I tumbled across the floor amongst the debris. My ears rang from the explosion. By instinct I rolled to the side as a large metal bat struck the floor where I was laying.

Thick hands grabbed my jacket and tried to pull me up, but I slipped out as Wight stabbed them in the arm. Instead, I stumbled forward onto my feet, feeling the air displaced as another swing barely missed the back of my head. Dazed, I was being led along by muscle memory and whatever sense the powers within me could cobble together.

A shot of demonic energy struck my leg and then torso as I turned to face my aggressors. While the guns they were using hurt, the fact that they used the same power that I drew from meant I could absorb some of the danger.

The three higher levels were wide demons with hardly a neck between them. Wide maws with flat teeth and muscle arms that held the metal bats. There were still seven of the lesser demons spread around, trying to take shots at me between all the confusion. The explosive one snaked in between the shadows back in the meeting room.

Two shots to the left leg of one of the wide demon, then I blocked the swing of the second with the revolver. Staggered back from the force. Three shots into his flat face before he could follow-up. Last shot of the cylinder went out to one of the small demons, straight through his throat.

Wight had run off to deal with the other ranged threats, already bearing down on a second victim as demonic blood started to pool around the first. If only we had time for getting that shotgun fixed…

Revolver spun as it reloaded. The fast demon had withdrawn a jagged sword as was trying to find an opportune opening. pierced the stomach of one of the bat-wielding demons and the dark blue one dodged out of the way. Too fast for my liking. The wounded one didn’t seem to be too bothered about the new inch-wide hole through his torso and struck me with the solid weapon.

I tumbled, a numbness on my left arm as I was peppered by a couple of rifle shots. There was movement through the air as the lithe demon zipped toward me. Let’s see if they could dodge a

Another metallic thunk struck me, causing stars to flare in my vision. I backed away, turning just in time for the jagged sword to pierce through my side below my lungs. Pain was sobering, but I had a dry mouth and time to burn away. I grabbed at the sword with my numb left hand as the demon tried to withdraw it. Cold ran through my grip, but there was just enough friction to cause the monster concern.

“Dodge this,” I put the revolver up and through the bottom of their jaw. They dropped their grip on the sword, which slowly slid out of the wound and clattered to the floor. No time to watch them stagger about gurgling to death, as a metal bat was already on its way to my head.

Numb and bloodied hand went up. Broken wrist. Head still intact, however. I growled out in pain, the power within me flickering wildly. I painted the air with the straight lines of my attack, red illuminating the dull metals of the room. Simultaneously they struck, boring holes in the heads of everything still standing. Quite interesting, actually, but doing that hurt.

[Careful, Eric. I didn’t assist with that one.]

My patron padded over to me, the blood soaking his feathers drying and turning to dust that fell from his body in mere seconds. His crimson eyes glared me over as I hunched over panting.

“I did that… myself?” Agony radiated up my side, and I hoped the blade hadn’t been poisoned.

[You should be using your power to regenerate. That will have slowed your recovery.]

I’d take that as a yes then, with a side of pancakes. Somehow I had drawn on enough latent demonic power to True attack without my patron filling me with his energy. Now I was suffering for it, but that was an interesting development. Perhaps the boost to Level Eight had more going for it than I first thought.

//Targets neutralized. Next room has the stairs, but two adjacent rooms with hostiles.

Did that mean I had more danger to get into? The option to kill more if I wanted? Or that I may have uninvited guests to my reluctant cardio? Usually Rodney was more concise, but I imagined he must be under more stress with the Org breathing down his neck. Surely, if things at the site had calmed down...

“Didn’t get to Interrogate anyone,” I huffed. Couldn’t move my left hand still, and that whole arm was ready for a long sleep. My shooting one was good enough to go. I would just need to take it easy.

[What information do you require?]

I shrugged. Thinking was becoming difficult. It reminded me of going through the Lowers as a low Level Hunter, where even ten minutes started to wear on my sanity. What could be worse than the Sea though? We had some H-Mix for emergencies, and I’d take Org meds if I really had to. Just needed to get back to my home. Maybe I could call for Pearl and she could pick us up, grab some burgers and milkshakes on the way home. Would fucking murder for some fries.

My legs wanted me to sit. Death sentence. I would sink through the floor and melt into dust, becoming one with the Hell around me. Already had fallen too far. The revolver was cool in my grip. Purpose made manifest. I strode toward the door to the next room.

Most of the drones here wouldn’t know the fine details of what the real plans here were. They might just be as blind as me, but where they were content to follow orders, I couldn’t do that. My shovel was rusty, blood red. But I would dig until I struck something that satisfied, or become buried when all the dirt I displaced came back down upon me.

This next room was plain, a table up against the wall ahead, a stairwell to the right. A doorway ahead and to the left. Closed, uncaring, and cold toward my approach. They didn’t want me here as much as I didn’t abide by their existence. I went straight for the door ahead.

//Four hostiles, weak.

Weak wasn’t very fair, but the Blank didn’t have much more time to labor me with details before I was already kicking the obstruction out of my way.

Immediately, one leaped out at me, fury in his eyes as he bore down with a dagger. It plunged straight through my jacket into my upper left arm. I turned the revolver to empty out his skull. Wight ran past me to assault the next and I lazily gave three shots to one, a final to the leg of the last.

Wight wiped his knife off on his side as I strode over to the wounded demon. I held him up down on the floor with my boot and pointed the revolver at his face. “What is your greatest fear?”

“Y-you…?” he blabbered out, eyes wide and staring at me.

“Good answer.” I smiled, and erased him from existence.

[You shouldn’t misuse that ability, Eric.]

My dull eyes rolled over to my patron. He might be right… or maybe he was in league with them. The thoughts rolling around in my skull were sharp and prickled at my sensibilities. Was Wight the bad guy all this time? The true orchestrator of my downfall? I ran my tongue across my teeth. Five teeth. No, not correct, I tried again. Three teeth.

“Let’s go.” I shook my head at the delusions. “We don’t have the time or teeth for this.”

Back out into the other room and the other doorway had already been opened by someone, not me. My torso was peppered with rifle shots. Enough to the break the skin and score bloodied welts through clothing, but they didn’t pierce and destroy.

//Other room neutralized. Next floor is offices.

I forced myself upon the stairs. Each step drawing me further into the future. After they turned, there was an open window that looked out onto the main yard below. There were dozens of the maintenance demons milling around the frustrated and bored Deep Fiends. It was any wonder that they hadn’t started chewing the place up… there must be something keeping them placated.

With the end of the barrel, I pushed my glasses up and hit . From this range, there wasn’t a lot of detail I could pick out, and I sighed. Just monochrome.

[I can help you with this once, but it means no Detect for at least a few hours.]

I nodded. Didn’t want to lose my eyes at this stage. Maybe after seeing something really cool. Wight possessed me and the cooling energy helped to temper the raging fever that was tensing the muscles across my whole body. The power rose up in my skull and for a second; I thought I was going to burst. A mercy killing, if anything.

Things seemed to pause as if I had just taken a picture in black and white. A small orb of red glowed from a shack further near the entrance. It looked to connect to a handful of pylons that ran throughout the large hanger. Something to calm the demons until they could get through the portal. Perhaps one of the reasons they seemed so lethargic on the other side. After chewing their way up to the tunnel the Hunters and I had been in, they had become pretty tired. Underwhelmed.

My vision came back to normal, alongside all the colors and sounds of the area. The burning in my eyes made them water, but I quickly blinked that away. I leveled the revolver out of the window and adjusted for distance. popped out, the crimson orb arcing through the air as it came to crash into the shack. The white hot explosion ripped the building to shreds, sending shards of metal out across the area.

Sparks hissed along dark cables as the pylons vibrated and dulled. All eyes were drawn to the sight of the explosion, and I could almost feel the change in mood in the air. The small yellow demons knew exactly what was up, just before a Deep Fiend grabbed a nearby one and ripped them in half. Chaos bloomed as the larger monsters took to breaking and eating through everything around them.

I smiled and hopped up the rest of the stairs. If the Org was going to be watching, then I’d best put on a good show for them. If the portal area was secure, then there would be plenty of eyes on me, just to see who the madman was who would dive through the portal into unknown danger with no way to get back. Shit! That was me. How could I have been so foolish?

My body crashed through the door while Rodney was still getting his bearings.

//One hostile in- shit, he’s Mids level.

A long room of desks and chairs, paperwork all across them. Truly an office if I ever did see one. The figure at the opposite end, guarding the way forward, wasn’t much like any office worker I could remember from my past, however. Although, those memories were wet mush, right now.

Hell Knight. Never seen one in the flesh before - or rather, in the metal. A thick suit of crimson hell-metal that looked more like something from a dark fantasy tale than… whatever my reality was. Large skull-shaped shield, and some form of sword mixed with jousting lance.

I waved. “Hey, neat outfit. I don’t suppose-“

He launched forward, as if powered by jet boosters, knocking through tables and furniture. A spray of paperwork followed his wake that would have looked really cinematic if I weren’t so worried about being flattened by a ton of cliche.

beamed out just as he reached me, the shield striking me and I flew back across the room. Table edge to my left shoulder. Good thing I wasn’t using that arm for-

He was already above me, the sharp tip of his weapon drawn back in the air, ready to pierce me to death. I wasn’t ready. The Hell Shot has just left a mark across his armor.

Cold energy flooded my left hand, which lay limply on the floor. Couldn’t risk my right, and I hadn’t had time to prepare my internal energy. The floor of the room turned to dust, and we both fell suddenly. My left hand burst from my body. Goodbye, you did well, little hand. Comms were somewhat silent, and I wasn’t sure which of the terrifying reasons it was for.

We landed amongst the rooms I had just cleared prior. By matter of luck and opportune positioning, we collapsed into the two different ones. I staggered to my feet and looked up, trying to see a way to get back to the prior floor.

Saved myself, but doomed myself. But doomed by safeness. Safely. I worked my jaw. Clearly, my sanity had taken a beating.

//Hostile engaging.

They weren’t that interesting; I thought - just before the lance weapon burst through the wall a few inches beside my head. I tutted and walked backward.

[We will not be able to defeat this demon without going all out. Which we cannot.]

Who needed to beat them? I wondered if I could get off an Interrogate before being gored. As I stepped away, the wall was slowly rent open by the weapon. Right by my exit doorway, too.

“How much energy is left in the tank?”

[We are nearing dangerous territory.]

I snorted. We were long past that. The paneling of the wall popped out and clattered to the floor as the Knight stepped into the open space.

“Ride with me, Wight.”

The silver revolver raised as my body cooled.

but I also pushed more energy into it. Gave it my all, made Wight put more into it. The white and red faded from my vision, to see the Knight still standing in front of us, shield raised.

“Oops, think I missed.” I grinned as blood ran from my mouth.

The Knight went to move and slipped, his heavy body falling into the hole I had made almost directly downward. His jet boosters tried to save him, but with no free hands to grab anything, the burning edges of the metal buckled beneath his weight and he dropped into the pit I had created.

I wasn’t sure if my legs would allow me to move. Intrusive thoughts made me want to follow him down. Battle wasn’t over yet. Even with the large clang a good hundred or so feet down, it wouldn’t be enough to kill him. I doubted Rodney wanted to gather the true name while under the glare of the Org, either.

//Hostile incapacitated. Clear for now.

cleared the way for someone who could get us back on track. I watched my left arm raise as a new hand made of Wight’s black mist appeared from my stump. I circled the large pit and leaped up to grab at the edge of the wall. This was much more relaxing, not having to do the work myself.

[This is only temporary. I need to use a lot of energy to hold you together.]

It was nice to be held. Had been far too long. My body climbed up along the ruined edge of the walls, switching to the one leading across the other room. By nature of good luck or bad planning, we were able to leap from the ruins I had created, up the office door the Knight had been guarding.

//One H...tile...

Handle held with my short-term claw hand, Wight pushed my feet against the wall to lever the door open, and with gymnastics usually beyond me, I grabbed at the ledge of the floor to clamber up.

And immediately took a shot to the head.

[Oh fuck.]

“Quite the stubborn cockroach, Hunter.” The voice belonging to a demon echoed around the comparatively small room.

I just stared at the carpet, where Wight was still fully in control of my tired peepers. A luxurious floor covering that started to soak through with what I assumed was my blood. I needed it, though. Why was my blood here? Get back in, get back in. I seethed in my backseat position, furious at the crimson that was rightfully mine. There was no release from the rage, though. Something about my current condition didn’t allow me to take back control.

Demonic energy flared and crackled beneath my skin. I could hardly feel it, but it was uncomfortable, and I just had to move and shake it off.

“Impressive that you got this far, but this is where it ends for you.” Footsteps closer to me. Why wasn’t Wight moving me? He couldn’t. The sound of a weapon being cocked painted my insides with adrenaline. I fought him for control - knowing that I was too wounded for him to drop it, but I had to move.

My head turned, shakily. I met the glare of the demon above me. He seemed intrigued that I was moving. Using whatever willpower I could muster, I slowly pushed myself up onto my forearms. Crimson electricity started to spark around me.

“Even with a hole in your head, body and sanity broken, you do not give up.” The demon kneeled down by me. He was a dull green, two horns of yellow rose and circled around the side of his head. Eyes of pale red with dark pupils that viewed me with nothing more than cold contempt. “You destroyed the portal and most of the factory, but what did you truly gain?”

He pressed his weapon against my shaking head, pushing my hat to the floor. “This is why the Organization fails at every step.” A humorless smile widened across his face. “Yet I will not give the game away now. I assume they’re listening in. Watching the finale of their sick snuff film? Well, I won’t drag it out any longer. You've suffered enough.”

The trigger was pulled. It was an odd weapon, more akin to a flintlock pistol than anything modern. His first shot had taken a shortcut into my fragile brain, letting the knowledge sink in before it was due. Powerful demonic energy swirled within it. If it had been something more mundane, then that would be the last line of my story. The smear of my brains against the carpet, the final note of a struggle hard fought, a life lived in the shadow of past regrets.

He stumbled backward, confused, as my skull was not blown open. As he panicked, trying to reload the device. I rose to my feet.

A painful act. Wight was still holding control, but I was forcing him out of the way. The energy swirling around my insides looking for release wasn’t helping. I had shown half my hand to the Org, and now it was time to go all in. No taking anything back. Here’s what I truly was.

The orb of radiant light struck the demon in his chest and he backed into the wall, knocking books down from the shelving there. Dropped to his knees in shock and lethargy. I was there, placing a bloodied hand on his forehead.

“What is the real plan that the portals are a cover for?”

He paused, as if trying to resist it before it came out. “We are raising an old god beneath the city.” Dead. His brains made a mess of the books behind.

Wight was not responding. Rodney either hadn’t said anything or I couldn’t hear it.

I stumbled back over to the door, body feeling like it was on fire. Holstered the revolver and used my shaking hand to pull the door back closed. Dug around in my pockets for the pancakes. No - the key.

Felt cool in my hand, and I lowered it slowly into the lock. Head was thrumming with pain and my heartbeat was slow and heavy. Turned the key and took one last haggard breath.

I held the handle and pushed the door open, radiant white light embracing me.