Rey ran alongside Filomena and Noidet, who led them toward the bar section of the inn, where the guards and the Sniffer were trying to sniff out Aearbon. Could Aearbon handle a few guards and a Sniffer by himself? Absolutely. But Rey hoped it didn't come to that. He wanted to make a quiet escape from here. No noise, if possible.

  But he also knew that Aearbon was always one fuse shot of exploding at any given second. If the Sniffer or the guards said something that could be considered a minor infringement on his honor, he would rip heads off first and ask questions later. Actually, he would never ask questions. Asking questions just wasn't his style. Rey always wondered how he got such a loose cannon on his side. Well, he knew how, but still it seemed more like a fluke than an actual genius move.

  It wasn't a long trip to the bar. A couple of turns later, they were standing at the door to the bar. One thing was certain, Noidet was right about why no one came to this place. It was filthy, even by Hell's standards. And they hadn't seen another demon staying at this place. So, Noidet was right to bring them here. Of course, Rey would never tell him that.

  Noidet slowed to a walk. "It's just right around this corner."

  "Wait," Rey said, stopping him and taking the lead. He looked around the corner, and the next hallway led to a really shitty bar. From here, Rey could see that two demons in guard uniforms and a red-skinned, one-eyed demon that was clearly a Sniffer as he was sniffing around the place like a guard dog.

  "You'd better tell us where you've been hiding this being with a soul, or we'll do to you what we would've done to him." One demon guard threatened Moitev.

  Moitev did his trademark trembling then grovelled at their feet. "I beg you not to kill me. I don't know anything about a being with a soul. M-Maybe one came in earlier, but there is no one here as you can see."

  "No, someone is definitely here," the Sniffer replied. "And I'll sniff them out even if it's the last thing I do."

  Rey turned back to the others and motioned for Noidet to come forward. The Sniffer, who had been uncharacteristically trustworthy so far, stepped forward.

  "Do you know that Sniffer?" Rey whispered.

  Noidet nodded. "Yeah, I know him. That's Zirgen. He used to run with us a long time ago before he joined the guards for a steady pay." He spat on the ground.

  "Oh, I'm with you there. Only the feeblest of demons take jobs in the government, and especially for steady pay." Rey also spat on the ground. Filomena did her best to hide her smile, but the demon totally missed the sarcasm. "Okay, he knows you. That's a good thing."

  "W-Why?" Noidet stammered.

  "You go in there and tell the Sniffer to get lost, that this is your turf. Of course, he'll refuse. Then you whisper to him that you're working this bar, and that it's your brother's bar. You've known that a being with a soul is hiding here and that the rest of your crew is coming here. Hopefully, that should be enough to get the Sniffer to back off. If not, well, we'll come in spears blazing and deal with them another way."

  "You sure?" Noidet asked.

  "It's the only way to avoid bloodshed and for us to sneak out of here without drawing another horde of demons," Rey said.

  "Okay, but if something is about to go down, you'll come in right away?" Noidet asked.

  Rey placed a hand on his shoulder, making him flinch a little. "Of course, my friend. Besides, we couldn't just leave our Tigerman behind. Oh, speaking of said, Tigerman, he has excellent hearing. So, before you begin this little act, do whisper in the wind that this is my plan, or he might rip your head off, before you've even finished."

  Noidet gulped or trembled or both. Actually both.

  He drew a deep breath, stepped out into the hallway, and did his best not to look like he was shaking like a wet dog. How he survived in a Sniffer gang was beyond Rey. He didn't think he would ever understand that.

  Filomena sidled up beside him to get a better look, but he waved her back.

  "We don't want to spoil the immersion of the act by being nosy little backstage actors who keep poking their heads out to know when it was their turn to take the stage."

  "Then how will we know it's our time to take the stage?"

  "Oh, you know when the screaming starts."

  She stared at him a moment longer.

  Rey frowned. "What? Is it something on my face? Oh my god, is my face on my face or did it run off?"

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  She snorted and shook her head. "You heard my conversation with Kass, didn't you?"

  "It was kind of hard not to, and…thanks for taking my side. Also, for reminding me that I've been distracted. If I hadn't been, I would never have allowed us to linger here for that long or let Aearbon spend every waking hour down here, watching that coward's brother, who is an even bigger coward."

  "Kass is being an idiot." She patted his shoulder. "I'm sure she'll come around soon."

  "She'd better or…" He was about to make a joke, but didn't. He stared off into the distance. "Or I don't know what I'll do. The time is coming when I'll permanently lose her, and that is not something I'm looking forward to."

  "If she doesn't see sense after the tongue lashing I gave her, then nothing will. Why don't you just tell her what she wants to know?"

  Rey sighed. "If it were only so easy as that."

  Right then, there was a loud barking sound or maybe a laugh. It definitely sounded like a dog's bark, but some might call it a laugh, and it came from Zirgen, the red-skinned Sniffer.

  "You actually expect me to believe that stinking piss of an excuse?" Zirgen laughed. The demon definitely sounded like a barking dog.

  "Fine, then don't believe me, and you can answer to Vayrio when he gets here," Noidet sounded confident and in control. So, basically, the total opposite of himself. "Why don't we take a seat over there?"

  Rey dared a peek, and Noidet was leading the Sniffer away from the corridor and towards the bar, or what Rey figured was the bar. However, the Sniffer didn't follow him. Several minutes passed.

  "Vayrio won't be happy to see your ugly mug, that's for sure," Noidet said. "Not after the way you left us. Stole two whole humans off us. You know, he often talked about skinning you alive and then popping out your remaining eye."

  "O-Okay," Zirgen finally admitted defeat. He made a clear showing of sniffing about, then turned to the demons. "No one is here, or at least I can't find anyone."

  "You sure?" One of the guards asked.

  "Yes, I'm fucking sure," Zirgen snapped. "It moved off already. Maybe I'll find its scent down the road."

  There was a sound of them heading for the exit. The door opened and shut, and several people sighed in relief, Rey included. He stepped around the corner and arrived in the bar, and by the Maker, it really was a shitty bar. As in the color of the walls, a strange mustard color, that he must've picked out at the nearby Home Depot, or just covered the walls with his own shit. There was an acrid odor assaulting Rey's nostrils, and he didn't even want to know what dead vermin Moitev kept as a room freshener. Filomena gagged and clamped a hand on her mouth.

  "Looks like everything went according to plan," Rey declared. "Noidet, great acting, truly, especially the part where you acted like you had a backbone. Moitev, you didn't give us up, which saved your hide, and Aearbon, I'm so sorry that they've been sending you here to spy on the toad. I can barely tolerate this stink, and I've been here all of two minutes."

  Aearbon reappeared. He was scooting on the far side of them, making sure that he didn't touch the walls. Smart cat.

  "It is of no concern," he replied. "I got used to it after the first two days."

  Rey tilted his head. "My guy, was that a joke?"

  "I'm so sorry, Aearbon, for sending you down here", Filomena spoke with her nostrils firmly pinched, a hand on her mouth. "If I'd known...why didn't you say anything?"

  "It was for the safety of everyone. Our lives are worth more than a little discomfort," Aearbon replied, stoic as ever.

  "Thanks, man," Rey said. "Moitev, we'll be checking out. Will we be staying at your place again? Not if we can avoid it. I'll be sure to give it one star. You can find my detailed review in the room, which I cleaned off all the bugs, thank you."

  Moitev only heard the parts that he wanted to hear. "Thank you for leaving."

  With that, they headed back through the corridors. The exit was right past their rooms. It wasn't like they had much to pack as they all kept their things in one of the two satchel bags that they carried.

  Ajay and Kassi were waiting for them by the door. His eyes met Kassi's for a brief second before she looked away. At this point, it didn't even hurt. This was fine. This was totally fine. No reason for the dull ache in his chest. None at all.

  From the looks of things, there weren't any demons hiding out there to give them a rude welcome. They could sneak out of here and head on towards their next adventure. However, Rey was sure they wouldn't know where he was taking them. Not one bit.

  This place really wasn't a bad place to make it as their base. It was stinky enough that it would easily hide their scents and save them from any Sniffer that was lurking nearby. If Aearbon weren't in the bar, they would never have been in this mess.

  "Oh, thank God, you guys are safe," Ajay said.

  Rey frowned. "Of course, why wouldn't we be? The real star was our Sniffer friend. He totally made out with the other Sniffer, who was an ex-lover."

  "What? No! He was not my ex-lover."

  "Ah, so that's the part you deny. So, you've made out with him?"

  Noidet looked at everyone. "O-Once or twice when we were drunk."

  "Damn, maybe I'm omniscient too," Rey commented. "Anyways, let's get this show on the road."

  "Where are we headed?" Filomena asked.

  "Same place as last time," Rey mentioned. "We're going to pay Ginirth a visit and see what needs fixing in his place."

  That quieted everyone. They threw glances at each other and didn't say anything.

  "Should I take that you all agree?" Rey asked. "You know what, I'm just going to take that as acceptance. Noidred, where does the head of your order live?"

  Noidet sighed. "So, he's back to doing this again."

  Rey frowned. "I never really stopped. Anyway, Ginirth's house. Where?"

  "It's not really a house, more like a mansion, in the better part of town."

  "Well, then, lead the way, because a little birdie tells me they need some remodelling done in that district."

  Noidet gulped. "I would strongly advise against that. He lives really close to the prince's palace. Any disturbance in that area is surely to draw the attention of the palace guards and the Terrors, who, if we haven't forgotten, are also on the hunt for you guys."

  Rey winced. "Damnit, and here I was fully planning on getting Ajay to thoroughly cleanse that place by fire. Okay, I'll hold off on the fire cleansing for now. Alright, we'll walk in pairs like last time. Kassi with Noidet in the front, the star-crossed lovers in the back, and I'll bring up the rear with the big guy."

  They all nodded, save for Kassi, who it looked like was back to pretending he didn't exist. Filomena glared at Kassi for a brief second, and then they were ready.

  "Wait, Aearbon, you think you can handle staying invisible for a long stretch of time?" Kassi asked.

  "Yes, I have enough Mana remaining to last a few hours," he replied.

  Rey cleared his throat. "Then Decepticons, roll out!"