Amatricina had been pleasantly bathing in the large stone basin she kept in her bedchambers prior to Sly's arrival. The emphasis was on the word had in this instance. Much to her chagrin she could heard that diminutive little acquaintance of Dain's arrive, and begin screaming Sincara's name to the high heavens. The Demon Queen slowly rose to her feet, the molten rock she had been only seconds ago bathing in still dripping off her porcelain complexion. Amatricina gave a soft sigh, she could actually sense the inebriation setting in on Sly through her telepathy. His brain visibly slowed from the alcohol in his system. The demon rolled her eyes, snapping a finger as her scantily clad armored attire re-materialized over her voluptuous figure in a flash of ebony flames. With that she departed her chambers in haste, if only to silence Sly so she could return to her previous arrangements in peace and tranquility.

The curvaceous demoness slowly sauntered her way down the lengths of the Saiyan's private warship turned pleasure palace. All the while armored heels clicked loudly against metal floors and the great menagerie of jewelry and bells that adorned the Demon Queen's horns clinked and chimed to announce her presence. His servants had grown wise enough to distance themselves from her unless specifically called for. Amatricina much preferred their arrangement be this way. After a short while she arrived on the spacious bridge of the vessel, finding the Earthling known as Sly lounging in one of Sincara's chairs, alcohol in hand as expected. His tolerance for liquor was as expected of his small stature. She frankly shouldn't have been surprised by this fact, as even their first meeting was punctuated by the small creature taking frequent sips from his liquid courage even as the Queen of the Demon Realm itself pummeled him half way to death without much lifting a finger.

Amatricina thought for a moment about doing something grandiose, like appearing from without her Dark Miasma, or a pillar of fire. But truthfully, with Sly, she couldn't be bothered with less. So with merely a reluctant sigh Amatricina casually strolled up to her newest... 'champion' that had pledged himself to her service. One hand placed on her prominent hips, the other gently stroking at her chin as her fiery gaze was cast down at Sly as Amatricina peered over the slope of her bust. "Sly..." She said simply, in an irritated, commanding tone of voice like that of a mother addressing her hungover teenage son. "Dain Sincara is not here presently. He is away, tending to some business I cared not to inquire about, and unlikely to return for some time."

The demoness then removed her hand from her chin, clenching her armored gauntlet tightly into a balled fist. An agitated scowl formed on her brow, and Amatricina's vast power level briefly flared despite having been largely suppressed during her relaxing bath. "Furthermore, you can stop that infantile screaming now..." Despite her clear anger, the demon's eyes shimmered with a sinister, wicked light as she looked upon Sly. "Though... do tell me what exactly you mean by 'jewels and gems'? Because I find Avarice to be among my most favored sin..." Her words trailed off, and an ominous, malicious presence began to fill the room. It inspired dread in most mortals, save for those who knew the Demon Queen's full intentions.

---

Word Count: 570 | Sly

The Demon Queen scoffed, shaking her head slightly. "It has merely been weeks. Hardly a long time. I have walked the Demon Realm for over eighteen hundred years. Weeks are like blinks before my eyes to me. Speaking of that, how long does your race live for anyways?" Amatricina did not in earnest know the lifespan of an Earthling. One century, two, maybe more? They didn't seem a particularly hardy race, she surmised there was no way they'd live for an entire millennia. She grinned as the drunkard silently accepted her berating. He was if nothing else, a quick learner. She had no time for mouthy or uppity supplicants. Only powerful and staunchly loyal champions that pledged themselves in her service.

Amatricina rubbed her chin as she listened to Sly regale her with his stories. When he finished a wide smile crept across her face. "So you are telling me, dear Sly, that you have found a planet with an impossibly well guarded vault of treasures, and your first instinct was to look for someone to help you rob it?" She let her words hang in the air as she spoke. The demoness then let out a content sigh, this was what she enjoyed most in mortals. Their sin. The Queen of the Demon Realm lifted Sly up by the scruff of his neck, to address him at eye level. "This is why I tolerate your presence, drunkard. Such a thoughtless display of Avarice. You catch wind of the word treasure and you immediately think nothing more than how you desire it for your own? I can appreciate the Avarice."

With that Amatricina let go of Sly, and seated herself in the very seat her had vacated moments ago. The demoness was already thinking long about his outlandish claims. "This 'faraway planet', what is it called? What inhabitants dwell there? Do they possess a sprawling empire? I have no desire to make myself an active thread within one of the great galactic powers of this realm. Not yet anyways. As to these 'formidable warriors', by who's definition is this? Because you address the strongest being in the universe. I am without peer since my ascension. I could destroy planets with a wave of my hand, level cities with a snap of my fingers, and tear apart an entire dimension if I truly put my mind to it. I want to know is this will take conscious effort, or merely be a slaughter. I will gladly tolerate either should the reward justify the effort."

Amatricina shifted in her seat, crossing one leg over the other as she spoke. "Furthermore, you address the Warlord of the Fire Demon Clan. I can shape katchin with my own flame and my bare hands. It is the strongest metal in the universe, yet my clan freely crafts it in our fellforges. I should think this impenetrable vault can merely be burned its way into. Unless of course, it is guarded by something more potent than metal. Magic barriers? You have not said if any of magic is at play here or not." With that the demoness simply smiled, for Sly's story had done nothing to deter her and she had everything to gain from it. And if his story proved false, she'd inflict unspeakable demonic magic upon him to wrack his feeble body with horrific pain and agony as punishment for his insolence.

"All that said, consider me very interested. Though be aware I will be a very displeased demoness should your boasts prove false. And I will be taking the lion's share of the plunder. Consider it your tithe to the Queen of the Demon Realm." With that Amatricina rose slowly from her seat, cackling with malevolence as she agreed to her Everchosen's schemes. The thought of such wealth got her blood running. Her claws had sat idle for too long. She needed feel them slick with blood once more, to remind her the simple pleasure that was destruction. For woe to the enemies of Amatricina the Avaricious.

---

Word Count: 683 | Total Word Count: 1,253 | Sly

Amatricina listened patiently, this time she was the one nodding along silently in agreement. It was quite the tale. A vaulted city, guards at least as powerful as a Super Saiyan, and a God as powerful as both of them combined? She could scarcely believe it. The demoness just let out a long "Hmm..." As she listened to Sly's rambling speech. "You are good at piquing my interest, Sly. It is one thing you excel at, beyond alcoholism." The Demon Queen said half joking, though more than half serious. If Sly's liver was as black as his heart, he had serious problems only dark magic could solve. She would cross that bridge when they came to it, and his major organs began to fail from years of alcoholism. For now though, his ability to command her interests was the sole reason Amatricina kept him around. That and the fact he was Dain Sincara's esteemed... companion.

"So you say these guards are as powerful as a Super Saiyan?" The demon said questioningly. "I suppose that is fitting. Dain Sincara is the galaxy's most notorious bounty hunter, it is only expected there be security forces on the other side of the coin that are equally as capable, seeing as this realm isn't completely overrun with crime and lawlessness." The bit about the stronger guards being at Sly's level made Amatricina chuckle softly. Not to make him feel worse or anything, she just found it genuinely humorous. "Sly, you do remember when we sparred, do you not? I am unconcerned with your maximum power level. Unless that is, you have limits to your potential you did not demonstrate in our brief excuse for a 'fight?'" Amatricina scoffed, dismissing the threat of any would be warriors at her furry comrade's power level. She would grind them into dust just as easily as she could have killed Sly should she have wanted to.

The last bit of information definitely had Amatricina's undivided attention. She reached down once more, plucking Sly off his feet as she listed him by his shirt collar to eye level. "A god?" She said bitterly, thinking of the Kais who had imprisoned her race so many eons ago. They seeded Guardians across the universe, lowly deities that administered planets under the command of their patron Kai. Was this supposed god, if it even was one, the Guardian of this Alpha Centauri? "So the local fools claim their vault is protected by a god. You think it is a mere beast. But for a beast to be that powerful? Unless it all lies and fabrications meant to keep thieves away." She paused, mulling over the possibilities in her head. As she did her grip on Sly's collar loosened, but only just. "Yes, if you must know, I am 'in.'" Amatricina said without the slightest bit of hesitation. "Tell me though Sly, how much do you know of magic? Because from what you've told me thus far you seem largely ignorant of its potential. In fact... its beginning to sound you couldn't even do this little task of yours without my help..." The demoness said as she trailed of, releasing Sly from her clutches as Amatricina became lost in her own thoughts.

---

Word Count: 548 | Total Word Count: 1,801 | Sly

Amatricina simply chuckled at Sly's comment on their earlier spar, though her brow quickly furrowed in irritation. No, her own performance had been underwhelming to say the least. She found it loathsome, and would correct that at a later occasion. "Sly, if there were four or five of you, then you'd have learned a technique or two from Sincara. I would actually be impressed, and given pause by that." The Demon Queen rolled her eyes at Sly's belief that his weapons would solve all of his problems. Though she appreciated the sentiment, sometimes more finesse was required to achieve one's goals. She did not comment on the matter though, as Amatricina had long since come to the realization that Sly was very set in his ways. His very... peculiar ways.

Sly rampant alcoholism was also well known to the demoness, and as he reached for a fresh flash of liquor Amatricina did the same, though far more leisurely. She reached out a hand, dark magic pooling at her fingertips as Amatricina lazily pulled a bottle of red wine from a shelf via her telekinesis. It was her most preferred drink of choice among mortal liquors. "I am well aware of how you solve your problems. I prefer you do the former to the latter. Though for once, I am mostly in agreement with you." With that said, Amatricina conjured an onyx goblet in her right hand, the black volcanic glass glinting in the light. She poured herself a glass of wine from the bottle, and took a long sip before sighing contently. "Ideally you do not completely destroy the Arioch. I loath the destruction of anything valuable, especially when it is valuable and in my services." She added dryly in response to Sly's comment on wrecking Dain's ship. Amatricina needed a drink, mercifully for once she had one.

At Sly's question about demons and kais, Amatricina simply sighed. "It is a very, very long story. But, we have a long voyage. So cease drinking, I want you sober enough to listen and remember." With that the Demon Queen found herself a chair, sitting down and folding her legs crossed as she began to tell her tale. "Eons ago, over seventy five million standard galactic years if I go by your time keeping methods, there was no Demon Realm. There were no Demons, there was only the Mortal Realm, Other World, and the Abyss. My distant, very distant progenitors were a collection of powerful beings. Mighty warriors, sorcerers, wizards, shinjin, monsters, warlords, kings, even Kais themselves. They were unified by one singular goal. They wished to rule the universe, and usurp the throne of the Supreme Kai and remake existence in their image. I can think of no more grand a purpose. No greater tribute to the sin of Pride."

Amatricina took a drink, recalling her kind's long history brought great pleasure to her, even if the events themselves did not. "A great war erupted, between the forces of my ancestors and the Kais and their allies. Gods and mortals clashed in a titanic struggle unlike anything the universe had seen before or since. A cataclysmic war that leveled entire star systems, decimated planets wholesale, and brought the heavens themselves to their knees. My ancestors came so close to winning. So painfully close to realizing their goals. Instead, the Kais realized they could not defeat their foes in a contest of raw strength. So instead, they devised a way to seal them away forever, so they could not threaten the natural order again." With that, the fire returned and Amatricina's boundless rage briefly flared forth. She quickly regained her composure, taking another sip of her wine.

"There lies an Abyss at the bottom of the Mortal Realm. The physical make up of the universe looks akin to this..." With that Amatricina raised her free hand, summoning a strange snow globe like orb with her magical materialization. "The uppermost layer is Other World, it is subdivided into three segments. The highest level is Heaven, home to the worlds of the Kais, the afterlife of the 'benevolent' dead, and the golden tree Kaiju from which all shinjin are born as magic fruit. Below Heaven is an intermediate level, ruled over by King Yemma and his ogres. Here lies the great Snake Way, the Check-In Station where all souls are judged, and Furnace of Eight Divisions, among other things. It is run by the Celestial Bureaucracy, the middling races of demigods and divine beings that serve under the Shinjin. Beneath this cloudy layer is Hell, a place your race is most familiar with. It is home to the 'malevolent' dead, the final resting place of all souls judged unworthy of Heaven. Even my kind come to rest in Hell, though we do not get the luxury of the fiery Hell your race fears. We know only the Frozen Tundra of Hell, the coldest, darkest, most soul crushing region in the lowest planes."

"Beneath Hell, there is a dimensional barrier, on the other side of this is the Mortal Realm. The physical universe as you mortals tend to call it. It composes the vast bulk of creation, and is where almost all life in existence resides." Amatricina gestured lazily to the middling center portion of the globe with a finger, within it could be seen swirling tiny galaxies and flickering little star lights. "Below this... at the bottom of the universe, there existed an empty Abyss. Nothing existed in this void, save for Dark Energy. It was a part of the universe, just an empty part. It was here that my ancestors were sealed away. Trapped by a magic seal erected by the Kais to banish their enemies forever. In time, my progenitors came to master the Dark Energy of this void, using its ruinous power to shape the Abyss into a dark mirror of the Mortal Realm. They were irreversibly corrupted by this fiendish power, made stronger for it. They took the name Demon for themselves, becoming the first of our kind. They then created the Demon Realm as our mockery of the Mortal Realm. We made our prison our own, but it is still just that, a prison."

That said, Amatricina crushed the snow globe in her hand, it shattered into a million shards that flickered away like so many embers. She let out a long sigh, ruby eyes looking past Sly, gazing into the distance as the demoness was temporarily lost in thought. "That is why my kind despises the gods of the universe, the Kais. We came so close to achieving our goals, only to be banished, sealed away for eternity. The strongest demons can rip through the seal between dimensions, as I can. But, for my race as a whole we remain trapped. It is my goal, no, my purpose in life to see this injustice undone. To see the seal unmade, liberating my kind from our prison. Only then can we continue our ancestor's noble purpose and claim our throne over the universe by force. Does this answer your question, Sly?" Amatricina added flatly, before sipping another drink from her goblet.

---

Word Count: 1,202 | Total Word Count: 3,003 | Sly

Amatricina merely sighted, still gazing longingly into the past. "I knew it would. And I knew you'd find it difficult to fully grasp. You race has never known the suffering mine has endured from millennia." She scoffed, turning to the Earthling. "Eighty years? Is that truly all you can muster? You are the most powerful of your race by a wide margin, you wished for such strength from the Eternal Dragon himself did you not? I expect well over a century out of you, at a minimum. Yes, you poison your body daily with the things you ingest, but your training should more than make up for it. Unless your kind truly is that feeble. As for Immortality, you are not the first of the your race to desire it. Nor will you be the last. I am fond of a particular witch from earth, by the name of Lady Lilith Nevermore. She quests for Immortality, and for her sake I should hope she finds it. She is a gem among your kind, a darling black pearl of malevolence in a sea of otherwise mundane mortals."

The demoness was quite fond of Lilith, and she made that fact well known. Though such fondness was born out of the ambition and evil in the young girl's heart. It sung to Amatricina has few things in this realm of the universe did. She finished her wine glass as the ship's intelligence chimed in such petty concerns as 'danger.' Amatricina simply rolled her eyes, and lazily levitated her wine bottle back to its proper place. She set the goblet she had been using down on the arm of her seat and slowly rose to her feet. "Ominous is the name of my cloak, what that 'sounded like' was an automated warning by a machine that vastly underestimates my strength. Though I agree with your sentiment. Only fools rush in where demons fear to tread. We will conduct surveillance, if only to see how well the truth of this matter matches up with the rumors you told me." With that said Amatricina casually sashayed her way out the cargo bay door alongside Sly. She did not share his enthusiasm, though this did prove an interesting diversion, if nothing else.

Amatricina's cold gaze turned down to her comrade as she folded her arms crossed beneath her considerable bust. "If you wanted a battle right out of the gates, you wouldn't have landed well outside the city and requested we survey the area." The demon scoffed, sensing outwards for noteworthy power levels. None were moving on their location... yet. She kept her own vast power suppressed, if only for now. Her demonic ki was unmistakable, and tended to attract unnecessary attention. Sly had wanted the time to conduct surveillance, and the million power level strong Demon Queen was an immediate way to blow his cover before they could gather useful information. The demoness looked westwards to the distant city, towers rising high into the sky. Most of the planet was heavily forested, and dense jungle separated their landing site from the outer walls of the city itself.

Amatricina began to hover slightly into the air, a sadistic grin on her face. "If you think the Queen of the Demon Realm is 'walking' across this horrid planet, you are sorely mistaken. Now come, you are the expert on this venture. You will lead the way. We fly low, and slow for the time being. I do not want whatever is supposedly hidden in this vault moved elsewhere should we be uncovered early. I prefer to avoid needless detection, unless it suits me." Amatricina then let out a haughty laugh, giving Sly an even more wicked grin. "Besides, you only have eighty measly years to life, you said so yourself. Better to be eighty full years, than just one more day... don't you agree? You should be the more cautious of the two of us. Now come, we are wasting time." With that Amatricina kicked off, soaring ahead like a burning comet as she waited for Sly to watch up.

---

Word Count: 692 | Total Word Count: 3,695 | Sly

Amatricina glanced over at her companion, a slight scowl on her face. "I can move much quicker than this, I know you are aware of that fact..." She said dryly, as if Sly had somehow forgotten the fact Amatricina could keep pace and hurt him even when he used the speed of his teleportation to try and avoid her attacks when they fought. The two landed in a clearing at the edge of the forest, the high walls of the city looming in the distance. Large flak batteries and defensive emplacements lined the outer walls, to ward away would be invaders. They swiveled and locked onto passing ships, like hawks looking for potential prey perched on a rooftop. Anything without proper clearance would have been shot down in moments.

The demoness dusted herself off, before leaning against another tree as she listened to Sly speak. As much as she loathed to admit it, he was right. "Hmph. I am Queen of the Demon Realm. I prefer to command attention. Though for once I am in agreement with you." Her clan preferred the direct approach, though that did not mean they were above such common demonic tactics as guile and subtlety. Amatricina gazed coldly at the 'outfit' Sly procured for her to wear. The demoness simply growled, teeth gnashed together at the hideous insult of apparel she was expected to wear. Without saying a word, Amatricina's eyes began o glow with brilliant demonic light. She blasted the garment with her Burning Gaze, vaporizing it in an instant. "You offend me with this... insult to clothing." Amatricina said flatly, dusting her hands off of ash from her disguise.

She looked at Sly in his beggar's frock, thinking it a suitable look for the vermin. "Sly, you are aware my attire is as much a part of my form as the rest of me, do you not?" Amatricina stated flatly. "It is all magically materialized from my own reserves of demonic ki, I am free to change my apparel at a whim. This is just my preferred outfit, it is similar to what my mother wore in her youth." That statement out of the way, Amatricina snapped her fingers and a pillar of hellfire erupted around her. It vanished in an instant, leaving only her new appearance in its wake. Amatricina's scandalous attire was gone, instead her cape had grown into a large black cloak with a matching hood. Large enough she could wrap it around her body. The demoness' regal horns pressed up through tattered holes in the hood draped over her head, as if she had punched the holes herself and found no better way to wear her attire. Her golden jewelry had vanished, and for the first time Sly could see her bare, delicate hands. Her nails were painted black, pointed into sharp tips like talons upon otherwise graceful hands.

Amatricina inspected herself thoroughly, adjusting her cloak. Beneath it she wore a loose jacket and ill fitting pants tied at the waist with what appeared to be rope. It hid most of her curvaceous figure beneath otherwise unflattering apparel. She gruffly sighed, finding herself suitably unsuitable. "There. This should be a sufficient beggar's disguise for you. If you speak of this to anyone, I will carve out your tongue." The demon said sharply, there was great truth to her words and only her intense avarice allowed her to momentarily swallow her pride. With that she began to follow Sly towards the outskirt of the city itself. The planet was home to a myriad of detestable filth. Sin ran like water from the slum like bazaars where petty merchants hawked their wares.

The Demon Queen could sense great avarice and envy among the street vendors. These people coveted wealth above all else, they saw it as their only escape from poverty. Armed guards patrolled the streets in thug like gangs. They routinely harassed merchants, forcing them to pay protection money and savagely beating those that disobeyed. One street urchin, a starving boy, tried to steal a loaf of bread from a merchant that had just paid off the guards. They shot the child through the back with energy rifles, keeping the bread for themselves and rifling through his pockets for anything of value. Amatricina reveled in the sin, silently drinking in all the malice and negativity among the impoverished masses. To a keen eye Sly and Amatricina did not act like the other beggars. They moved with purpose, not limping or sitting begging on street corners. Still, they bothered no one, so no one bothered them. Just two more low life scum amidst the teaming masses struggling to survive in the shadow of the walls of the great city.

'These guards are a front. Merely security theater.' Amatricina informed Sly telepathetically, her thoughts invading his mind. 'Their ranks are filled with corruption, little better than armed thugs to keep the squatters in line. If there are more professional enforcers, they keep a much lower profile...' She added, scanning the crowds with ruby eyes. She noted the eyes upon them. Much like the duo, there were those in the crowd that stood out in how they moved. Or rather, how they didn't. A man wrapped in tattered cloaks with his face concealed behind a sand visor and a helmet was watching the two since they had passed the last street corner. 'That one... behind you and over my right shoulder. His eyes have not left the back of your head since he first saw you. I don't suppose your reputation proceeds you, does it Sly?' Amatricina could have forcibly bored the information from Sky's mind, but that tended to cause excruciating agony as her demonic magic invaded another's soul. She preferred to have her companion explain himself, he did like drunkenly referring to himself as the "Greatest Bounty Hunter of All Time"...

---

Word Count: 989 | Total Word Count: 4,684 | Sly

Amatricina scoffed to herself when Sly said the guards wouldn't pose a threat. 'Of course these ramble don't threaten me. I am Queen of the Demon Realm, such chaff is beneath me. I'd incinerate them in a heartbeat, I just don't want to escalate the situation needlessly. I am, if nothing else, pragmatic.' More telepathic conversation from the demoness, she'd have flashed Sly a malevolent grin, but he was walking ahead of her. So Amatricina simply kept her head down and tried to remain in cognito.

The demoness exhaled sharply when Sly admitted his drunken antics to her. Twin jets of black smoke billowed from her nostrils, and Amatricina furrowed her brow as she thought of a proper response that did not involve inflicting terrible agony on her comrade. 'Now you inform me of this? Be lucky I am in position to strike you, or I would. So you think there are more of them watching us? How lovely, and to think I entrusted you with the notion of 'stealth.' Now I remember why I am loath to ally myself with mortals...' Her thoughts trailed off, her mental words like fire within Sly's mind. Amatricina was in an ill mood, and did not hesitate to make it known to her companion.

Nonetheless the demon silently followed Sly as he detoured into an otherwise empty alleyway. Whereas Sly could best be described as scurrying, Amatricina did not share his eager pace. Her gait remained slow and graceful as ever, both because she deigned to move faster but also because she felt his sudden change of pace did more to blow their cover than aid in it. With mild exasperation Amatricina joined Sly at the far end of the alley, holding her cloak clutched tight against her body. A scarf covered most of her face, she had materialized it out of her usual assortment of necklaces and choker. It covered most of her face, leaving only her piercing crimson gaze and ruby hair truly visible through her disguise.

As expected, their uninvited tag along followed the duo down he alley, to which Sly immediately whirled about to face. Claws bared, the Earthling threatened the stranger in the way he best knew how. Amatricina remained initially silent, as she mused on how best to handle this change of pace. There were a hundred different things she could do, each blowing their cover more than the last. She could snare this follower with her Malicious Intent, binding him in shadow tendrils so he could not move. She could cripple him with her Agonizing Gaze, and torture the information out of him. Or perhaps simply reveal her true form and see how he fares when confronted with the Demon Queen herself.

But, for now Amatricina did nothing. She merely nodded along at Sly's words, before chiming in after he finished speaking. "My friend is right, and you should do as he commands. My quarrel is not with you, and your likelihood of survival increases exponentially if you simply turn and leave us be." Amatricina's eyes wandered to the rooftops of nearby buildings. More of these masked strangers stood perched, watching the alleyway as they spoke. "Otherwise... I can assure you I will make it so death is the least of your concerns. Now speak." Amatricina threatened in her commanding tone. She addressed the stranger slowly, doing her best to keep her Power of Hatred in check. She was not ready to eviscerate this potential threat, not quite yet anyways. She needed see what he had to say first. And if he did not speak, then she would simply torture it out of him.

---

Word Count: 617 | Total Word Count: 5,301 | Sly

"So be it, and here I had hoped I wouldn't have to lift a finger until we reached this vault." Amatricina said dejectedly, eyeing the men on their rooftops. Their deaths were already upon them, a shame she would not be able to see in the look in their eyes as the light slipped from them. As Sly sized up his opponent, the Demon Queen waited, studying her own prey atop their perch. A half dozen, far too few to slow her down. The only question remained how best to kill them. She still did not wish to make a scene and draw undo attention to the two. Though that may be unavoidable at this point.

As Sly fired his weapon, Amatricina sprung into action. She leapt into the air, cackling as she did. Her adversaries immediately opened fire on her, but the demoness shifted out of reality with a Bunkai Teleport. She appeared behind the men, materializing on the roof top in her true form. "Foolish Mortals." Amatricina purred as she raised a hand. Her Shadow Tendrils raced out from beneath her cloak, coiling tight around the necks and hands on the men. They struggled against the grip of her dark magic. Some fired off panicked shots her way, to which Amatricina merely blocked them with a Demon Barrier. Still laughing she stepped closer to the men, raising her free hand.

"I will get to watch your souls slip from this realm after all. I expected more of Sly's miscreant foes." With that said, Amatricina tore the masks from the men with her telekinesis. Their eyes flashed with fear, while her own glowed bright red with demonic energy. "Burn!" She commanded, sweeping her head left to right as her Burning Gaze carved clean through the neck of each and every foe, as well as several buildings behind her. The burnt stubs did not even bleed, cauterized as the heads slumped from their previous necks. Amatricina released her tendils' grip, and her shadowy maws returned beneath her cloak.

The demoness lifted up the bodies with her telekinesis, hopping from the rooftop and landing back in the alleyway. As her feet touched the ground the demon returned to her beggar's cloak, once more hiding her demonic visage beneath a facade. She sighed, heaping the bodies together in a pile. "Tell me... who are these men." Amatricina asked calmly, "And what is their interest in you?" As she awaited an answer the demoness breathed her fell flames onto the corpse mile, burning them away to cinders to hide any trace of the men or their deaths. Any trace that is, besides the horrid smell of burning metal, plastic and flesh. It was a fragrance only a Fire Demon could love. And Amatricina relished the stench of death like few others.

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Word Count: 477 | Total Word Count: 5,778| Sly

Amatricina rolled her eyes at her companion's explanation, before letting out an exasperated sigh. "Once more your penchant for greed precedes you. Well I care little for numbers, if they lack strength I will slay each and every one of them all the same. I'm far more formidable than any lawless gang of thieves." The Demon Queen laughed to herself, raising a hand to half suppress her haughty chortle at Sly's words. She leaned in close to the diminutive little Earthling, meeting him eye to fiery eye. "I am far worse than a 'living hell'. Let them come, I will relish the slaughter." With that she pulled away, draping herself once more in her black cloak and following at Sly's side. Did he truly think criminal low lifes posed threat to her? Or was he simple retaining paranoia from his time spend flying solo?

As she followed the massive, looming shape of the structure arose before them. It was towering, and as foretold lined in a small company of guards. She stood, arms crossed, eyes slowly looking over the structure from a reasonable distance. The entire time her brow furrowed in mild irritation. It was quite the building, far too large to hide anything not important. When Sly reached out to her telepathically, the demoness merely glanced over her shoulder at him before returning to her observation. 'I am thinking on that one. Give me a moment, Sly.' She said, studying the guards, the building, and the number of bystanders who would be alerted to their presence. 'I agree with your initial assessment. Something that large must house something equally as impressive. I could fit a modest warship in there, or enough gold to supply an entire planet's economy. I can only speculate as to what they must be guarding.'

The Demon Queen rolled her thoughts at the prospects, though she adored violence and the direct approach, she abhorred making her presence known unless needed. 'Hmm. I could burn my way through the outer walls with ease, but it may take time. I have no clue as to the thickness, or if they are shielded or warded by magics. By the I do, we will already be tripping warning alarms. As to this so called unkillable beast, if it even half lives up to its name I'd prefer conserve my strength for that. I had no desire to waste precious Dark Energy mending unnecessary wounds. And your kind does not even regenerate naturally, so of course it will fall upon me to heal you as well.'

Amatricina lifted a hand, gently rubbing her slender chin as she mused to herself. 'My father was a wise demon, he always told his sires that we must plan for the worst, but hope for the best. Our best case scenario is seamlessly slipping in and out, completely unnoticed and with our treasures in hand. Our worst case is immediate detection and being forced to fight our way for every inch of ground. I see no reason to willing go in 'guns blazing' as you so bluntly put it, not when that will occur regardless should stealth fail us.' With that said the demoness turned abruptly and began walking off to the side. She had much of the building exterior to scout for possible points of entry. 'Come then Sly, we have reconnaissance to do. We will employ stealth, and should that fail up, then naturally bloodshed will be our answer. So do keep ready for a fight, it is one thing you seem to be good at.' There was a hint of humor to the demon's final words. If only a hint.

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Word Count: 618 | Total Word Count: 6,396 | Sly