Walking through the institute wasn't pleasant during the day, but the atmosphere within the crumbling building was even less pleasant at night. The fact they were carrying a body down the eerily empty corridors nearly pitch black with lack of light only made the experience feel all the more sinister.
"Is it just me, or is she getting heavier?" Trixie grunted.
"As we carry her longer, our muscles grow more fatigued," Jemma replied. "Her weight is unchanged, it is merely your perception that has changed. What initially seemed easy has grown difficult with prolonged exertion."
"Yes, thank you Jemma," Trixie huffed. "That was so very, very helpful."
"Ah, irritability," Jemma noted. "Another sign of fatigue. I could do without the sarcasm though."
"Please, just let me grump to myself in peace, at least until we are free of this witch," Trixie gasped.
"How would that help?" Jemma questioned. "You would be wasting oxygen, fatiguing yourself further and inconveniencing me by slowing yourself in your fatigue while also distracting me with your biting but ultimately illogical commentary."
"Yeah," Trixie growled. "I think I prefer it when you're shy and quiet."
"Too bad," Jemma stuck her tongue out, causing Trixie to roll her eyes. Under normal circumstances, she would be thrilled that Jemma was displaying so many of her own emotions. The slime girl tended to hide herself under the personas of others if she displayed any feelings at all. At the moment though, with all the tension and urgency plaguing Trixie, she was just being irritating.
As they were nearing the makeshift staircase the instructors had built to reach their dump plank, Trixie noticed there was an odd glow coming from one of the doors they had passed. Curiosity piqued, she halted abruptly, certain she had caught the sight of something moving in front of it. She caught Jemma off guard which nearly caused her to drop the end of the bundled body she'd been carrying. She shot Trixie a glare after she regained a solid hold, but Trixie didn't noticed. She swore she could feel something or someone watching her.
"Trixie," Jemma's voice was soft, but stern, "If you intended to cease forward progress, you should have indicated as much! I could have made an unnecessary ruckus had I dropped the body!"
"You are an unnecessary ruckus," Trixie replied. "Now hush up. Someone else is here."
Jemma grumbled something unintelligible as Trixie carefully set her end down on the ground and crept back towards the illuminated door. She followed suit and quickly, but carefully followed.
"There is someone else here," She breathed to Jemma.
"Based on the presence…" Jemma spoke so quietly even Trixie's sharp ear could barely pick out her words, "I would guess there is a demon nearby."
"A demon?" It was all Trixie could do to keep herself from shrieking. For a demon to be in the city was unthinkable.
Dangerous and chaotic by nature, powerful wards and enchantments prevented both the demons and the undead they controlled from invading and overtaking the kingdoms and cities that littered what most knew only as the uendless planes. It wasn't unheard of for an outer laying settlement, or even a small city to fall due to holes in the wards, or a weakened enchantment, but Arnwald personally inspected the city wards of the Esperion province himself. The only way a demon could possibly be in the city is if someone had brought it in, and even then Trixie wasn't entirely sure how that could be possible.
"It has likely been contracted," Jemma nodded. "They're typically rather bitter about such things, so it is likely it will be eager to exploit any possible loophole to be rid of the master that bound it. If you approach it carefully, it may be willing to work out a deal with you."
"And why would I want to work out a deal with a demon?" Trixie questioned.
"It almost certainly knows we're here," Jemma replied with a shrug. "It hasn't attacked yet, so it is logical to assume it has no hostile intentions towards us unless we inadvertently do something that forces it to follow its orders. That said, it isn't exactly on our side, and if we try to ignore it, there is a possibility it may alert its master to our presence, which would only bring more trouble on our heads, especially if it is discovered we're lugging around a matron's body."
"So, you're saying it's in our best interest to make a deal with the devil, so to speak?" Trixie's eyebrows rose.
"You must be very careful," Jemma warned. "We don't have much of an option but to confront it, and it's imperative that you master it. The master will have some sort of talisman the demon is bound to, be sure to get it and forge your own contract."
"Why me?" Trixie frowned. "Why do I have to do it? You seem to know more about all of this. How do you know all this anyway?"
"I…" Jemma frowned. "I'm not entirely sure how to explain. The matron's death triggered some of my suppressed memories… and apparently those came with some knowledge about demons. I don't really know what to say except… I have an odd understanding of them, and I know that I could not form a contract, but you can."
"That's the worst excuse I've ever heard!" Trixie hissed.
"It's all I got," Jemma shrugged. "Besides,' you're the boss. It's your job to boss people around."
"Yeah, PEOPLE! Not demons!" Trixie shook her head.
"Demons are people too," Jemma pointed out. Somewhere in the darkness, Trixie thought she heard soft laughter. The sound was brief, but it made all her hair raise. Something was definitely watching and listening.
"I don't think I can do this Jemma!" Trixie gasped. "I don't even know where to begin! What If I wind up making a mistake?!"
"Just be thorough and precise," Jemma shrugged. "Make sure you're clear about what you want. The fact it hasn't attacked yet indicates its current master gave it some odd vague instruction like 'guard the door' or 'keep look out' or something along those lines."
More laughter echoed from the darkness, and this time Trixie felt goosebumps erupt down her arms. Based on the amusement of the unseen entity, Trixie assumed Jemma's assessment was right on the money.
"Don't over think it Trix," Jemma placed a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Just think about how you would instruct me to do something I've never done, or how you have to relay orders to Titus. Be specific, be clear, and don't leave room for misinterpretation."
"Easy enough for you to say," Trixie sighed. "Fine, here goes nothing I guess."
Warily, she crept towards the door and the unseen demon that lurked somewhere near it. As she was only a few paces away, she stopped. She wasn't sure what to expect, so she looked around cautiously, and nearly jumped out of her skin when a figure materialized beside her.
"Salutations," Came a sultry voice.