Demon Soul (1)

XXVII

I slept through the night, my breath light in my chest. There were no dreams to be had, and I felt almost sad that I wouldn't be able to see the girl anymore. I still sat up contentedly though, jumping out of bed and grabbing some fresh clothes from my drawers. I pulled a sweater over my head and slid my legs into a pair of leggings before walking out into the hall, spotting Nox leaving the bathroom. He smiled and waved at me as I took a turn down the steps and practically ran into Gabriel, who was holding onto a coffee cup and a book.

"You're up bright and early." He smiled. "What's got you so excited?"

"Can I talk to you in the study? There's some things that I need to discuss."

"Of course! Just follow me." Gabriel led the way down the hall, holding the door open for me as I ducked inside. The smell of faded pages and old leather was calming, and I knew I'd have to start coming in here more often.

I took a seat in the small armchair across from his desk, like I was in a business meeting. He plopped down in his own seat and sighed happily, taking a sip from his coffee. It smelled good enough to put a smile on my face.

"So, what is it you wanted to discuss?"

"The plans to break in to the Order facility."

"You really want to go through with that?" He asked, a little surprised.

"Yeah, I want to do it." I clenched my fists and loosened them, trying to take a deep breath. "I'm going to end this, and I'm not going to just sit back and wait."

"Well then..." He nodded gently. "Are you wanting to go this alone, or would you like some help?"

"I'd prefer alone...but I know neither you or Nox will just let me do it." I chuckled a little, and he smirked.

"I have some hidden resources that I think might be able to help us here."

"What kind of resources?" I raised an eyebrow.

"It's a letter and a number."

"Care to enlighten me?"

"C4."

"Damn Gabriel, have something you need to talk about?" I snickered, feeling something blossom inside me, a dark urge that I'm sure all demons fought against: bloodlust. "How much?"

"Enough to blow the top off that building." He grinned darkly, a strange look on his usually placid face.

"How do you suppose we get in?" I asked.

"I'd suppose that Nox and I could cause a distraction while you run inside." Gabriel began to process ideas in his head. "I'm sure it shouldn't be hard for you to break through and find your way to the elevator. You'd take it all the way down to the bottom floor and you'd probably run right into it."

"What is it supposed to look like?"

"Even I'm not sure of that one." He sighed. "Rumor says it's a massive portal, or even just a simple blank space that when you pass through it, you'll be in the Nether."

"I'll know it when I see it, right?"

"You have the idea." He chuckled. "When do you want to do this Nyx? It's not something that we can just jump into headfirst and deal with the backlash later."

"Not tonight, maybe tomorrow." I sighed. "This needs to be done quick though, because of Mazel."

"I almost forgot about him." Gabriel said. "You have to kill Ronin in the Nether, then."

"It's okay, I won't be scared." I said suddenly, catching his attention. "I've been there before."

"You have...?"