Kashif scowled as he rubbed his head and slowly struggled back up off the cold, hard ground. "What the hell was that?" the man cursed as he rapidly blinked like he was trying to adjust to some blinding light. Once he finally got his bearings, he quickly realized that he was meandering through a pitch-black room. "Ugh," he muttered again as he rubbed the back of his head, "Blood?" It appeared that somebody or something had struck his noggin quite horrendously, and—judging by the relative dryness of his now-sticky hair—the attack must've happened quite a while ago. Once he checked that his person was in no further mortal danger, the bodyguard took a deep breath and hurried to the nearest wall. "Sight or not, there's always a way out," he thought as he stealthily followed the stone to the dungeon's exit.
"Stop," he thought to himself as he instinctively brought his hands to his lips. Nothing seemed amiss, he couldn't hear anything, and he couldn't see anything; at a glance, everything seemed to be perfectly peaceful. However, this "peace" told him all he needed to know: he was in danger, and if he didn't watch his steps, it wouldn't be long before whatever put him in this situation found him. Carefully, he placed his palm against the moist, moss-covered walls. Moments turned into seconds, and seconds into minutes before he eventually felt the familiar reverberations of feet pattering against the floor.
"Where's the Bureau's dog?" he overheard a disgruntled man hiss. Like a snake, he craned his head around the doorway only to find that the voice belonged to an exceptionally-drunk Giant. "Well it wasn't him who dragged me here."
"She's gone back home, you oaf," another Giant—presumably the first's partner—lied as he walked up and carefully placed a hand atop the first's shoulder. "C'mon, let's get you back to your room," he continued.
"I wish you luck, my friend." He had plenty of experience dealing with drunks back in Ms. Lombardi's front yard. While he was giving this poor soul a quick prayer, he noticed something strange dangling from the man's waist: a shiny key. A quick glance down at his cell's barred door told him exactly what it was for. "Should I call out to them?" He shook his head. He didn't like how any of this felt. "Better not take any chances." With that, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small string and hook. One skillful toss later and the answer to his first problem was resting squarely in his hands. The rusted lock almost instantly fell apart the moment he inserted the key, falling to the floor in a small cloud of dust and grime.
"What was that?" he heard one of the Giant duo murmur off in the distance.
"Ignore it," his partner said, "It's probably just the foundation settling."
"I hope staying quiet was the right call." Ever since Atlantis, he always preferred airing on the side of caution. At the moment, he needed to focus on getting himself out of here and, crucially, figuring out how he ended up here in the first place. Slowly, he opened the cell door with a loud creak, the sound bouncing off the cobblestone walls and knocking a small amount of dust off the compact cracks. In this dark place, Kashif's footsteps sounded like drums, making him wonder how it was oddly strange that that pair of Giants didn't notice him earlier.
Ever since those guards walked past him, the entire place had become as quiet as a morgue. Yet again, that uneasy, foreboding silence seemed to creep up his back like a hiding predator. He thought, "This isn't right." Giants were many things, but chief amongst them was that they were a loud, joyful people. They wouldn't be able to exist without making at least some noise. He muttered to himself, "Maybe they vanished like I did?" However, the second he walked into the basement's main hallway, he immediately knew that that wasn't what happened. "Blood?" he thought as he knelt down and ran his fingers against the still-damp stone floor, "It's still fresh."
A wave of thoughts overcame Kashif like a tsunami as he began racking his brain for a possible explanation. His bodyguard instincts took control, and after a moment of inspection, he hastily identified a few recognizable traits. He thought, "This slightly-brownish hue and musky scent, this is a Giant's blood. Could it be?" He looked around the hall, but found no one. He was alone. "Considering how fresh this is, it has to be from those two, there's no other explanation." For Heaven's sake, it was still warm! After that horrifying realization, he tiptoed to the nearest spattering of shadow and took a breath. "Whoever left that pool here can't be far." Logically speaking, this part of the complex only had one exit: the main stairway which bled out into the reception hall. If he closed his eyes and focused, he could still make out the faint murmurings of the Giants discussing policy and the like on the upper levels. "I have to move fast!" He couldn't just let the perpetrator vanish into the crowd.
As quick as his feet could carry him, Kashif rushed out into the hallway and clambered up the stairwell. Small spots of blood trailed up it like demented breadcrumbs, leading him to a large landing with a shocking sight: two burnt Giant corpses. "I can probably guess who these two unfortunate souls are." He shook his head, that wasn't what was important right now. With steeled resolve, he clenched his teeth and sprinted up the stairs. This feeling was one that he was all-too familiar with. The shock and awe, the smell of burnt flesh, and the dreading sense of chaos which hung over his every step. He didn't know how, or why, but he was certain of one thing, "There are Demons here."
The moment that realization bubbled to the surface, the entire atmosphere of the building flipped on its head. The quiet now held a sinister air to it, and the pitter-pattering of heavy footsteps in the distance now caused his heart to skip a beat. "A lion's den." That was the only term that could fit the dread of this place. "I need to make it back to Ms. Lombardi's side, fast." How he would accomplish such a feat, though, was another issue in and of itself. "First, I need some more information." His hunter instincts took hold, and without nary a thought he was sneaking through the halls like a ghost. The once-bustling building was now emptier than a cemetery, and, save for the occasional creak from the floorboards, the entire building was silent.
"That all for this level?" Kashif stopped dead in his tracks.
"That doesn't sound like a Giant." The voice he overheard was too sharp and small to be from such a large frame. To make matters worse, he had a pretty good guess as to who, or should he say what, that tone came from. "Demons." He should've known. Right on cue, a menagerie of unknown soldiers came marching down the hall. The haste in their step, not to mention the sulfurous stink which followed their every move, was a dead giveaway.
"You sure this is the right way, Jern?"
"Shaddup! Of course it is! Just check the briefing Pereph gave us! You'll see that our orders told us to be right here. 'Stand by near the main entrance' it says!"
"Well... as long as you're certain," the first Demon sighed. "Damn. I wanted to ask the boss another question before we headed out, but I guess that that's not possible now, huh?"
"Are you still talking?"
"A lively bunch..." Kashif thought as his grip tightened around his weapon's handle. "From the way they're talking, it doesn't sound like the force they came with made it to the third level yet. That means that Ms. Lombardi and Elizabeth should be safe." Those two knew how to defend themselves, but, as their friend and colleague, he still couldn't help but worry. "If I take one of those Demons out, would I be able to force them to tell me where the others are?"
"Stop being an ass, Melin, and help me move these two oafs." Kashif watched with bated breath as the group of Demons dragged a pair of Giant corpses out from behind the main reception desk. The bodies were burnt down to the bone, so much so that their mere presence filled the air with the choking scent of soot and fire.
"Damn!" Instantly, his hand shot up to his mouth. The horrid stench was so strong that it nearly made him gag.
"Did you hear that?" one of the Demons asked as they fished a small sword off the ground. "I thought for sure we cleaned this level out."
"We're dealing with Giants, mate, they aren't exactly known for their frail bodies. You've got to double-check every corpse—even if they've got a hole in their head." The first Devil let out a disturbed chuckle as he pranced over and caved one of the corpses' jaws in. The gore and rotting bile exploded over the tiles like confetti, which only seemed to make the Demons even more excited.
"Ugh," Kashif thought, "Those monsters certainly live up to their reputation." He wanted to dive in and take them out, but with a group as large as this such an action would be tantamount to suicide. "I'll have to pick them off one by one." Slowly, quietly, he cocked his pistol's hammer and slinked closer to the nearest Demon.
"Hey, hey, hey! Everybody stop!" Jern yelped as he rapidly started to sniff the air. "There's somebody here, and they aren't a Giant."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Melin growled.
"Exactly what it sounds like. I think some patriots from the Pearly Gates are here. The scent's sweet, after all," he continued as he tapped his nose.
"Ugh. You and your damn 'third eye' have been wrong the past several missions. Why in the world should we trust it now? Need I remind you that you're a Demon? How much contact with scents from Heaven have you even had?"
Jern growled, "I know we have our disagreements, but trust me on this. Somebody from upstairs is poking around in here."
"Let's not fight, guys," Ue chimed in as he pulled out a grungy and grimy axe, "Save that ferocity for the Giants." The Demon proceeded to take his weapon and tap it lightly against the blood-covered stone walls, causing a deep, guttural echo which reverberated throughout the entire floor.
"He's not—"
The Devil grinned, "Found a rat." Like lightning, the hulking mass of a soldier dashed over to Kashif's position and buried his blade in the wall. "Tch," he hissed, "I missed again."
"I'm not going to lie, this could've gone better," Kashif thought to himself as he bit his lip. How in the world was he going to get himself out of this?
"I guess I owe you a drink when we get back, Ue," Jern said as he grinned and unsheathed his weapon. "So, friend, where are you from?"
Kashif scowled, "I guess saying that I'm a Giant is off the table?" The Demons' foreboding silence spoke volumes.
"Well, at least he has a sense of humor," Melin added as his gaze darted to his comrades. "Make it quick," he continued, "The boss wants us upstairs within the hour." Immediately, the hulking Devils hurled themselves at his position.
"The left!" The only slight silver lining in this horrid situation was the fact that both of his assailants seemed to be left-handed. "It's a small blessing, but I'll take what I can get!" Kashif dove under the first wave of attacks like a fish in water, the next moment he was shooting past the behemoth's side, firing a bullet with every step.
"Shit!" the monster cried out. "That bastard got a hit in!"
"Well, hit him back, Ue!"
"That's easier said than done! This guy's buzzing around like a fly on a corpse!"
"In that case, let's try this out," Jern said as he fetched a small gadget from his belt.
"An explosive?" Kashif thought as he dashed back. As expected, the Devil quickly pulled out the device's pin and tossed it toward him; however, instead of detonating, it did something truly bizarre: it flew. The bomb sprouted miniscule wings like an insect and immediately shifted course to catch him off guard.
"Let it go, Melin!" one of the Devil's yelled as they all ran back and covered their noses and mouths. It only took Kashif a handful of moments to figure out what was going on, but, at that point, it was too late. Once the weapon had gotten close, small slits lining its main body slid apart to release an untold amount of toxic gas. Mere contact with the produced cloud sent his body into a state of chaos, which temporarily paralyzed him.
"Ah hell," Kashif thought with a scowl. A tingly feeling crawled up his arm with every slight movement, taking with it his motor functions and senses. On instinct, Kashif dodged back and attempted a temporary retreat. The Demons, who thankfully didn't know the surroundings as well as he did, weren't able to catch up after he slipped away into one of the many dark corners that dotted the complex.
"Can somebody explain to me how we managed to lose track of a paralyzed man?"
"I don't know, friend, maybe ask Jern. He's the genius who decided to use our one-per-team weapon on some nobody."
"That man was not 'some nobody.' Did you even look at the guy? He was a mortal wandering around the Giant's home turf! You don't find that even the littlest bit suspicious? Maybe he's an important figure or something."
"What? You mean like a diplomat? I guess that could be possible, but the only faction with the capacity to do such a thing is Heaven."
"Don't these blokes hate those prudes?" Ue asked as he lightly kicked a disembodied Giant's arm out of the way.
"That's what I heard," Jern sighed. "Damn. Pereph's going to tear me a new one once she finds out we let that guy slip through our grasp."
"Stop daydreaming, Jern, let's get searching! Remember, our orders were to ensure that this floor was clear."
"I know, Melin, stop riding my ass!"
Kashif sighed, "Phew... those morons sure are a colorful lot." After taking a brief moment to thank fate and the heavens for this turn of good luck, Kashif immediately turned around and bolted toward one of the secondary staircases. "I have to let Ms. Lombardi know what's going on!" However, right as his boot hit the first landing, he noticed something strange: a shimmering, almost wave-like, aura hovering just above the surface of a nearby wall. Yet again, his instincts called out to him, and he bolted into the shadows.
"This the place?" he overheard a strange voice say. Suddenly, the strange shimmer cracked apart like glass creating a floating void. A few moments later another group of Demons came shambling out, but not before carefully inspecting their surroundings for any enemies first.
The largest Demon, the one he assumed to be this contingent's commander, clicked his tongue, "Make sure you all watch your step. You don't want to get trapped in the doorway and get swapped with some poor bastard; it'll turn you into mulch." With that, the Demon motioned toward the direction of a disembodied arm near the bottom of the staircase. It was blood red, and carried the faint scent of sulfur and brimstone. "Looks like one dolt didn't get the memo. See if he dropped his tag and report it to Pereph; after you're done with that we'll head to the archive upstairs."
"They're here for the library? Why?" An operation of this scale couldn't be done without major risk. Was there something the Giants' had that Satan wanted? "Think back, Kashif, you're missing an important detail." He furrowed his eyebrows as he scoured his brain back to the war council meeting. For a moment, a flash of that bizarre-looking outcropping near the back of the archive popped in his vision. "It can't be—"
"Found you," he heard a sinister voice say from behind as he felt something hard crash into the back of his skull. And, just like that, everything went dark.