(GM-led) Devils In The Details
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"Let them go now," Bob spoke as they cleared the warehouse. Sirens blared from the opening of the alley, as a firetruck sped past.
The hulking Mastema turned slowly in her direction, the unconscious mortals dragged limply behind it.
"Please," she continued. "If they die, we are all screwed."
Bob edged closer, hands raised in supplication.
"Who are you working for? Monn'Santoe? Viduus?" She stopped well beyond the menacing demon.
"Lets make a deal." The words rang with truth. They filled the air, reverberating within the confines of the alley until they settled within their bones.
"Your employer won't be happy with this mess. Things seemed to have gotten out of hand." The windows beside them burst, glass shards spraying across the concrete street. Flames lept through the shattered opening, smoke rising into the ski.
"Your assets aren't doing so well." Bob gestured toward the demon's captives, their color turning an unpleasant blue.
"We'll clean up your mess and you give us three."
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As the group had cleared the warehouse, and their conversation entered a stage of negotiations. The Mastema had turned around to face Bob, Astra, and Cye. Nosra stood close by to him, a bit more nervous as the air was filled with uncertainty, mixed with truth. Various things went wrong this asset acquisition venture. However a new light was made apparent. A demon had caused a miracle in this scuffle, they killed one asset without a care, and they seemed fairly disgruntled. Nonetheless, the intensity of the situation grew to fade at the first offer made unto the table.
Kuroda, unfurled his tendrils from the necks of the Weevils. Whom had been given quiet rough treatment in the moments before, and had thoroughly passed out due to a lack of oxygen, as well as the tightening of the noose around their necks as they were dragged up the stairs.
"Hrm?... So you want three of these radiant souls?... For fixing my mess?..." Kuroda's voice rang out as they stood in the alleyway, the flames flickering through the nearby windows high above them within warehouse walls plumed smoke high above them.
"How about this then. I'll give you the four souls here... however I get to draw the terms for a long term contract, you all clean up this mess. Also in addition... Hire me on, I'll still work for my current contracter in addition to working for you all... It's rare to find demons who are willing to wheel and deal with me. My mood was rather foul up until you started talking, Consider the lives of these potential sinners yours to collect ultimately however."
As Kuroda said this, a immense quandary was presented to those who were present. He was effectively reneging his own claims to the souls, at the prospect of writing up the contract that outlines specific stipulations that would lay ownership to a soul. Normally deals are one and done, however these long term contracts had specific stipulations that would void said contract if the persons in suspect were left unfulfilled, didn't perform specific tasks, or the contract provider can't fulfill certain conditions. These were long term investments, and they didn't necessarily have to pan out. Not only that, he was forwarding his services Brimstone and Co, which would be unheard of as it would effectively mean lowering himself to working beneath them, as the Mastema had connections to the second and first hierarchies -
@darkwalker57
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@KaeZeroLarazeth stumbled from the crowd fleeing the Cavern. His face was drawn in irritation, his emotions thickening the air around him. A hazy soup settled over the would-be rescuers, their movements turned sluggish. A few fell in exhaustion, bodies left piled before the emergency vehicles.
He made his back toward the alley. The team would have to come out the exact way they went in. Having Val light the building on fire hadn't been part of the plan. But Larazeth was sure they must have encountered the competitors without him and made a quick get away. What that meant for the assets he couldn't say, but he sure as buttons he wasn't going home without something to show for it.
Turning into the alley he filled it with his presence, allowed it to roll before him, an invisible consuming wave. He half stumbled into the standstill, his team caught open and negotiating with the would be thieves.
Op…qO
=(o..O)=Sloppy. Asinine. Amateurs. Your assets are dying as you stand here listening to us. If she had listened to us, this never would have happened.
The voices chattered to themselves, happy to list the failures that were already very apparent to Cye. Lulu would make their punishment worse than wax this time. Worse than that time she cursed them to be a mouse and allowed the office cats to terrorize them. Worse than that millennia of filing.
"How about this then. I'll give you the four souls here... however I get to draw the terms for a long term contract, you all clean up this mess. Also in addition... Hire me on, I'll still work for my current contractor in addition to working for you all... It's rare to find demons who are willing to wheel and deal with me. My mood was rather foul up until you started talking, Consider the lives of these potential sinners yours to collect ultimately however."
It was as though the demon had shined a light at the end of their proverbial tunnel.
"Yes, that sounds exactly like what we need to do." The words burst from Cye, excited energy filling their limbs. "Yes, I have the parchment. We need to wake them up." She gestured toward the weevils.
Astra eyed Cye'tlov. She had been left gawking as Bob, the soul analyst of all things, took the lead, but the outburst from Cye shook her most. She had to rein in her team. Taking a step forward, Astra drew the Mastema's attention. She felt the weight of his stare settle on her, attention trained for detail.
"And whose your current contractor? I'm betting they aren't going to be very pleased that you didn't complete their assignment, " she said.
The Mastema was a big player, brought in to test these mortals. The Mastema were a class of heralds versed in corruption and disaster; a viable mana making cauldron of chaos. But his presence professed to the involvement of more influential architect. With these souls being worth a fortune, agreeing to his terms could throw Brimstone into a feud it may never walk away from. Astra couldn't help as her thoughts drifted back to Lulu. She could hear the conversation ahead of her.
Sloppy. Asinine. Amateurs. Disappointment gathered in her chest, a deepening hole of dread within her. Worst of all she didn't know what would Lulu would do when she found out all Astra was going to have to agree to.
^…..^
(o_ o)Val studied her nails. Two broken. Boy, that made her mad. She pursed her lips, deadpanning the monotonous conversation before her. Bet it would make other people mad if something happened to that paper… or perhaps a curse on the blood quills? Why not both?
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@KaeZeroAs the congregation gabbed away in the alley, Cye'tlov's apparent Enthusiasm to accept the Mastema's counter offer was met an ease of tension in the air. In turn the Mastema held their hand out as if to await for the papers, however once Asta stepped forward and asked their question. The oppressive gaze of the herald had once again been cast down upon the demon. They would retract their hand once the over excited cye had placed normal paper within their hands to write up the contract.
"My Contractor... perhaps I should say contractors actually, well as it stands you all have no real right to know such information. Although neither force would entirely care if I were to spread the information. A long time ago, I was an adversary. A "demon" capable of retaining the title of Satan, as it stands however,I'll tell you that one of my current contractors is Satan...but who exactly is satan?… that’s up for you to speculate"
As he said this, the paper in his hands began to slowly drip with ink,before lighting ablaze and charring to a brittle crisp, becoming a pure sheaf of carbon paper. He brought a finger up to the carbon page and in turn a growth of bone pierced through his finger tip, creating a fountain tip as he began to write the terms of the contract.
"I doubt those below the third heirarchy to know who I'm referring too... however do not mistake those who hold the title of Satan... I do not refer to hell's poster child lucifer... No, they're just a young child who threw a temper tantrum and tried to grow past their station…. I suppose I can reveal one individual who held the title before, Baal, the first king is one such man who I have a contract with.”
As Kuroda wrote out the terms of the contract, his tendrils began to shoot downwards to latch onto the chests of the weevils causing them to jolt awake suddenly once these tendrils retracts and retreated back into the form of the mastema. They gasped for air and sputttered to catch their breath while coming too
"Get to work convincing them"
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@darkwalker57
@mianngu
@Ezra
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@KaeZeroWhat a fuckin' mess, Asta thought to herself. How could this have gone so off the rails? She could feel her body bristling with anger, her face shifting to look more like the wrathful monster she was.
How in all Hells was she going to explain things to Lulu?
Not to mention this Mastema situation was proving to be a bit more troubling than she initially thought. Doesn't help that the guy seems to have a shitty, smartass attitude. OOooOO the guy has a contract with Baal, he's such a edge lord.
Asta felt herself getting more and more annoyed as the conversation went on, the fire within her building to an inferno. She wondered if Cye could feel the warmth that was surely come off her, and the corner of her mouth slightly upturned at that possibility. It was time to get fuckin' real.
"Hold up there, gruesome," Asta roared as Kuroda started writing the contract. Her voice had gShe extended her frame to her full height and a low growl rumbled from her belly as she stepped toward the Mastema. "Long term contract for us AND we have to clean up your mess? AND we hire you in? Do you even hear yourself, what you are asking? This whole situation has been essentially the worst interview!" Asta gesticulated wildly with her clawed hands as she admonished the demon before her and her team. Bob and Cye both found themselves having to dodge around her wild arms and restless tail. Asta palmed her face in exasperation and continued. "For you to come onto our team with the... the prowess" Asta enunciates with lovely air quotes around 'prowess' "that you've so sloppily shown here... I shudder to think what our boss would think striking up a deal with you without her. You are bold as shit, but that will only get you so far."
Asta was so incredibly enraged she could feel herself almost losing control, but found herself cooling as she thought of the ways this deal could be better shaped to go well for everyone involved. She took a deep breath in, and blew out a cloud of smoke and clasped her hands together so she didn't wring this fellow's neck.
"Hoooooookay, you know what? I think we can make this work so everyone is all peaches and cream," Asta goes as she paces back and forth between the Mastema and her team. "How about this. Absolutely FUCK no to a long term contract or hiring you without big boss's buy in. That's the first thorn in my ass. However, we can get you council with her for a proper interview. We can pretend none of this ever happened and I can put a solid word in for you. You'll have the chance to work with us, whether you blow it or not is out of my claws." Asta paused for a second and looked off in the distance as she considered her next points. "Next thorn, yeah sure, we'll clean up your shit. And we get those four souls. I can even include that in my spiel, let boss know that you helped us get these bad boys." Asta stops again to gesture at the weevils. "As for your other contractors... Fuck 'em. Last thorn that's up in there real deep is the idea that you would be working with our competition alongside working with us. That shit stinks. Brimstone's legal team can get you guidance on how to sever those ties real quick."
Asta then looks around, taking in all the BULLSHIT. She was settling into her anger elegantly.
"What do you say to that?" Asta asked the Mastema, crossing her arms. She looked back to her team to see if she could read their expressions.
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@Hanzilla
@mianngu
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@KaeZeroAs Asta listed off these various complaints they had towards the Mastema's initial counter offer, he grinned and the air was filled with levity of jovial laughter.
"Wonderful! Now we're negotiating. However there a couple problems with your line of thought. As it stands baal, and the other individuals who held the title of satan aren't your competitors. I am. What I'm offering is effectively a merger of assets, and interests. They may be my contractors, by they don't gain anything besides potentially powerful souls to send through the wringer and to forge new demons, but in reality they don't need my souls, in a sense this is merely a long standing formality between me and the 1st and 2nd hierarchs."
As Kuroda said this he would walk to and kneel down beside one of the weevils even without a illusionist a glamour began to form around his hulking frame. Creating a fairly burly middle eastern man with royal blue eyes, blackened hair, and tanned skin. He reached out and grasped one of them by the cheeks. The glamour was fairly high in mana density, making it almost impossible to discern from reality, and looking at his form was creating a haze over their minds. This was obviously a high quality residual glamour. Nonetheless what he said next only threw a further curveball in their discussion.
"I'm not bold... It's not bold to demand things of others when the odds are so far stacked in your favor. You are the one who is bold little recruiter. I accept your terms happily. However make sure to not renege on the deal.
Kuroda would then rise to his feet and approach Asta, reaching out a hand eminating in harmless blue flames
"Do I have your word. You will absolutely fulfill your part to a T little Soul hunter?"
