Chapter 671: True Demonlord [2]

"What do we write then?" inquired the stumped investigators. 

"Anything else, write about a monster invasion or whatnot. As long as the agency or any affiliates of Phantom aren't affected, we'll be dandy. I'm must admit, the body was a man who passed out from late-night drinking," left to right, "-I've made our disposition clear. Have a great day, officers." Hairs stood on end; the young noble left confidently. Admiration and envy spawned before their eyes, a constant thought went about, '-how can I become like him, or, can I ever become like him?'

'Should handle them easily. The paintings have been loaded into the jet. What else…' the phone displayed many o' options for cargo, '-I'd be best to bring weapons. Some of Gate-Six's latest models will do fine. Pistols, assault, and sniper rifles. I wonder how Asmodeus and Kul are doing in the Alphian underworld?' Igna rejoined the party of acquaintances, the members of Vorn were very interested in stories of war. The more they grew in popularity, the more he felt fulfilled on their behalf. Not a matter of heart, or whatnot, Vorn was the first to hear him play beside a legend in the music world. In a way, their bond was more than friendship; one of which would take a while to recollect and brand. Meanwhile, the influence didn't halt either. A helicopter direct for the castle carried the Pride of Hidros, or what remained of her. Queen Gallienne impatiently stood outside, the wind and cloudy night didn't make much difference. Her best friend, a contract made for life, was alive and well. Grievance over her death was one the lady bore in solitude. Mental health declined substantially; she couldn't believe it was her voice on the phone. Then again, where the Haggard's are involved, anything is possible. 

The backdrop rudely changes to one of menace and adrenaline. Current location, south, past Odgawoan's airfield – a still under construction space research center. 

The night sky and how it differed, the true watcher of the world. On one side of the world, a friend impatiently waited for another, while on the other, the intent of slaughter diffused across the lush fields of gravel. 

The yet-to-be-finished building(bearing a hemisphere roof) stood on a skeleton of what would be considered a great investment. The building company, Xiola, adamantly displayed their efforts in form of logos and the brand name. A top-side view of the area would follow as is, '-a lonesome car to the right (else north) the construction in the middle(surrounded by iron gates and the natural treescape) and lastly, a bunch of unknown vehicles to the left (else the south) hidden under the canopy.

"Éclair, is the information correct?" wondered Kul with her feet kicked onto the car's deck, the sightly lowered window allowed for a fresh breeze to cleanse the claustrophobic inside.

"How dare you question my sources," cried via the car's audio system, "-wait and watch. Asmodeus, don't be overly aggressive. This is a survey mission, we need information, and what isn't in the digital world must be acquired in the analog."

"And we're the pawns," she exhaled boringly, "-Asmo, do the thing for the both of us. I'm hungry, tired, and want to take a nap."

"Please take the mission seriously," said Éclair.

"Yeah, yeah," said Kul just about jaded with the ordeal, a roll of the eyes and she excused herself from the boring reality and seeped to the ever-colored dream world.

Perched shy of the hemisphere, binoculars in hand and transmitter in the ears, "-there they are," said Éclair, "-watch them closely." He did as was told, a legion of suited men, clearly attentive to their surroundings, joined before a toppled vending machine. Those at the back scanned with much sternness to an obnoxious lecturer.

Party one said, "our agreement is as due." 

"-We appreciate the welcomed effort," replied party two.

"Words mean nothing in our business. Hand over the money and everything will be great."

"-should have expected this kind of response from your association."

"Cut the crap, we have more things to attend to," replied party one. 

"Could you stop saying party one and party two, I'm getting confused," fired Asmodeus.

"Fine, here's the rundown. Party one are people from the underworld, party two are the client-" gunfire halted the explanation.

"That's magic!" cried Asmo. Water spells of lethal capacity fired in tandem beside guns. A well-laid-out ambush stood before the fallen members of Party one. The negotiator, barely living, coughed blood and faced the assailant, "-fuck you," *bang!* blood splattered. 

"Waste of air," said the shooter. "-Alright, no need to give 'em money. You're under our protection now; tis a message to any who dares opposed the Hondo Family."

"Thank you immensely, lord Hondo."

"Ah, don't worry about it," he gently patted the head of a prominent businessman as if he was a pet, "-stay loyal to us, we'll make your company one of the greats." Part of the legion left, the remainder carried and buried the bodies. In the end, Asmodeus waited whilst a deal turned bad concluded. 

Slump-shouldered and tired, the car doors opened, "-you still sleeping?" said Asmo settling into the driver's seat.

"Shut up, I had to keep myself entertained."

"And you chose to sleep?" the engine toggled, "-what a waste of time." 

"Excuse me?" she side-glanced, "-you know who you're talking to?"

"Not you," he facepalmed, "-I was referring to this espionage mission. Éclair better gets that pixelated arse over to the radio and explain what happened. I hate when my time is used without a purpose." 

"Someone's grumpy," said the speakers, "-and for a man who'd enjoy wasting time fantasizing over who he'll meet in bed, tis quite an audacious statement."

"Leave my love life out the equation." The car slowly made its way onto the less-than-car-friendly path. "-I knew we should have used the jeep or SUV."

"Don't bring that up," sighed Kul, "-I didn't know the mission would be here out of all places. Whatever dude, I'll keep my suggestions to myself next time."

"Sorry, mother, I apologize," he pressed his hands to her, "-no more next time, ok?"

"Whatever," she pouted to the window, "-stop at a drive-thru, then I might consider."

"Did I intrude in a lovers quarrel?" 

"Shut up!"

"Jokes aside, the mission today was successful. I half-expected the deal to end badly. I'll start from the top. Our goal is to take over one of the four great families. To said end, we've turned Luon onto Saku. Moreover, we've aggravated matters between Saku and Luon, the former has decided to ally to the already rigid foundation of Vermillion and Yonak. Simply put, Luon are against three. The prior deal was one made long before the alliance between Luon and Saku broke. In plausible outcomes, Saku decided to have Luon take all the deals they once made as an alliance. Without their dogs to do the bidding, Luon had to send members to recuperate money for a scam. The construction company of Xiola heavily bribed the top for the contract – if not for Saku's intimidation, they would have never gotten the deal. Once one is involved in the darker side of the world, there are no turnbacks. In the end, Luon took the bitter path and paid the ultimate price. They don't have money nor protection; a wounded dog has wandered into a lion's den."

"Basically, they done goof."

"Correct, they done goof. I've sent the video; the lawyer should return to us with a proposition sooner or later. Frankly, the plan was to intervene and save the deal. You heard it yourself, the Hondo Family. Best research else we might be blindsided."

"Man, part of it went over my head," said Asmo, "-the whole being in the shadows thing doesn't work for me. I perform best live, especially when the other party is a female."

"Just because you can charm anyone you meet, doesn't make thee an expert at manipulation."

"Say what you want, dear Kul. My charms and talents are enough to rule over a kingdom – tis the truth, nothing more, nothing less."

"Keep your egotistical arse bound to the mortal realm," a pause later, "-is there a reason we're not teleporting?"

"You said you wanted a drive-thru," the lashes blinked emptily.

"FOR FAST FOOD, NOT A DRIVE THROUGH THE FOREST!"

A close room of monitors and state-level equipment lit in various blueish hues. The transmission shut, '-so loud,' yawned Éclair. '-being a butler is hard,' the door opened out the basement, '-some coffee will do great.' The manor resounded per his steps; the place sure grew lonesome without company. A trip to the kitchen, a flick off the coffee maker poured the nectar of nightly reign. The tall handsome figure leaned against the counter and sipped; a bland view of open doorways waned emptily. '-I love my job,' he chuckled, '-everyone relies on me, and it's amazing. I wish I had an assistant to help out from time to time.' *BEEP,* the watch displayed, *Asmodeus*, '-can't I enjoy a cup of coffee?' a timid touch of the glasses showed the man in question.

"You've reached Éclair's helpline; how might I be of help?"

"STOP JOKING," cried Asmo, "-I forgot my wallet, Kul's breathing down my neck. Could you handle the payment?"

'These two,' he exhaled, a tangible holographic display of their location summoned out his palm, a red dot showed the location and the fast-food joint confidently named, *-no food no life.* A press resolved the query, "-there, the payment is complete." 

"Awesome," they cheered, "-your awesome, I love you!" 

"Whatever," the transmission ended. '-Eccentric people,' he laughed. Not all would be fun and games. Between helping the Raven and drug production, time was scarce. Especially since the master would return soon. The basement lit, the surveillance camera showed piles upon piles of Angel's dust and barrels of God's Ale. Without clients to sell, the stocks increased until they shifted into another room. The multiple screens displayed another notification. The arrival of the young master, along which came a message, '-have the art gallery readied for the new pieces. We're going to host a few private parties to draw attention to ourselves. Wait till Lum is ready, we'll follow the ways of the entertainment world when the man returns.'

"The master is on his way," he gulped, "-I ought to get matters readied."

Thus, a new day rose, a new day that brought plenty of possibilities. The duo of Asmodeus and Kul arrived at the gambling house; popularity increased by words on the street. 

"Have you heard of the gambling house?"

"No, why?"

"A man won around a million exa in a game of poker. The stakes are scarily high.

"I also heard they have the best women in town. No matter your fantasy, they'll make it happen. One-eyed Jim and his envy for crippled woman satisfied his lust too."

"If that freak can be satisfied, so can we." 

A shot in fame didn't mean good business. The word was of their abundant choice in partners. Where there is a choice, there are also the degenerates of society. The boldness to satisfy their lust for power, money, and carnal inklings, Raven's den had it all. In a way, the new businesses somewhat alleviated the headache of the nearby brothels. The rougher customers visited, and some never left. Two words dictated Raven's modus operandi; integrity and respect. Fail to obey, and tis death, or worse.

Dawn snuck onto the glacial airfield. Aceline stood fulfilled by the sudden reunion. Julius waited in the company of his lover. A nod of the head and off they were to Alphia. 

'Hidros is in good hands,' he sat lavishly in the leather couch, '-I'm glad Rotherham's grown into what it is. Time to head for Alphia,' a laptop displayed multiple prompts, '-the monster plagues affected many, no viable cure in view,' read a new article, '-I smell profit.'