[center][b]A Devious Plan Begins [/b]
[u]Day 2: Early Morning[/u]
Collab by: Fallen, Lucius, Slade and Yoshua[/center] 

Juan was sore, very damn sore. His slender, slouching figure was leaning against the damp wall where his eyes were fixed upon the end of the dead end alleyway. Despite the ache, it left his bones and flesh heated in a pleasant way which made the sensation dulled. Or at least more so than the other experiences he had, the demon slightly chuckled as his eyes glanced down to spot the ever slightly lighter suction mark lingering near his collarbone. It broke the jagged fire lines across his skin rather nicely though unless someone had a sharp eye or was brushing along the v-neck he currently wore, no one should’ve been the wiser. The worst part was the fact his mind was fixed on that little form, cross between an octopus and woman, Damon had used. It might’ve sucked in the sparing match (test of Damon's fight abilities within another form earlier that morning) but it had other uses that were much more enjoyable. 
 
His fingers pinched the now dying cigarette as the cherry began to fade. They had gotten here nearly an hour early even after Juan had managed to pack an emergency kit, filled with needles, tubes, blood and plasma bags--including a few supplies for himself as a precaution. He didn't need to risk the result should the minions manage to damage him badly enough and he not be able to repair it. 
 
To further his own security there were now six vials total on his belt, ready for use. He had also modified his bracers with attached metal plates, altered on the underside which made the exposed surface able to be swiped clean with another sigil. This happened to be on his hand, etched into the right palm, and would force the metal to revert back to its original state when he touched it. The bad part he would've had to re-etch a completely new sigil within the surface using his heat losing the earlier effect until the new one could be established. However, it was a small price for adaptability within combat. Namely if he needed to go beyond mere strength and add multiple runes, providing more effects to counter whatever Darius had set up. 
 
After Damon’s and his little…quality time, Juan had the shape shifter show him exactly whom he had met within the bar. He had gleamed all the details he could, from attitude, mannerisms, and more which had lead Juan concluding the man might've been completely human. A fact that slightly comforted Juan more then it should’ve but he was better off safe than sorry. He wisely took a photo, storing it away as he intended to use it to gain any information he could. Not that he had a vast resource for Intel. However, the image certainly helped somewhat. He just hoped to hell the man was just human and not some damn demon. Instinctively Juan's mind wandered over the several demons who might've been able to shift their shape like Damon, landing on a key species he hoped never to meet within a dark alley: a nightwalker. 
 
Juan had only scraps and bits of information on the race, yet it was enough to make his skin crawl and the idea of being indebted to one wasn’t a good thing in his mind. Then again, pissing off Darius was on that list as well and yet here he was. He sighed. A few seconds later his finger flicked the dying cigarette away, his eyes drifted lazily to the nearby wax house chosen for a meeting site. It was falling apart, the sign, once beautifully carved and donned proudly was hanging lopsided in its sorry state. The paint had peeled and weathered until only a few letters were left. Despite the run down appearance, the door was boarded up as if to deter any miserable and ill skilled burglar from attempting a heist within. 
 
The idle thought amused him slightly to think anyone would’ve bothered. 
 
Currently he knew it coming was close to the time his ‘aid’ and likely, his troubles, would be arriving. He only hoped it wasn’t going to end up being a one-way trip for all of them. They only had one chance and if it didn’t work, Emmet was as good as dead. A sour taste of bitterness crept into his throat before the demon swallowed it. Any time now…he thought, partly wondering if they would notice the oddness of the essence within the area. 

b]“Yeah, yeah. I'm at the place. It's a cheap dump. Yeah, I'll go meet the guy, Crow, don't get pushy.”[/b]

Rhett hung up on Crow and took a look at the derelict house. The place looked like it hadn't had an owner in a few decades. The wood was rotting and probably had bugs eating it, the paint was chipped and peeling.The place had been accumulating dust for who knows how long. Rhett scratched his beard and sighed, it's as if he was back in the army all over again.

Rhett at this point was wearing a grey overcoat to conceal the items he had strapped to his body. Slung under arm was a silenced MP5 with some hex-tech attachment Crow had sent him. Rhett didn't have time to tinker with it too much, but it was apparently a basic fire upgrade, made purely to deal with Angels. Demons it would have a lesser effect on, but he reckoned it would still hurt like a bitch.

His sidearm was holstered at his hip, a Beretta, simple but effective. He didn't bother asking for any hex-tech adjustments, he just wanted a simple pistol for a backup situation. And of course, his machete was sheathed in its leather pouch on his other hip. But it was what he had strapped to his belt that was the most dangerous.

Smoke grenades to help conceal themselves when they finally rescued this guy, C4 if they needed a distraction, and finally. Something he had specifically ordered that he couldn't tell if he had made Crow nervous with its request.

Mustard Gas, and lots of it, he had five canisters of the stuff attached to his belt, and one canister could cover a few city blocks. Which is why hanging loosely around his neck was a gas mask. And in the back pack he slung over his shoulder were three more for the others. He figured Crow would be pretty sore at him if his partners ended up choking on the rancid stuff.

Rhett pauses as he takes out his flask from his coat pocket and drinks a big gulp. He was good and drunk, just the way he liked to be. He stares at a man who flicks away a cig near the building, this must've been his guy.

[b]“You the Guy I'm shacking with?”[/b] Rhett asked coarsely.

[I][U]"Ahh, yes, he would be,"[/U][I] a stout 3'6 demon stated, his pudgy humanoid, but grotesque form disentangling itself from some shadows. Dr. Kasain 'Mve had arrived. Saviour of Lily Qarin, healer of demons, or as he was better known these days: The Puncturist. While he was now 1,100 years old, the demon hadn't aged a single day, he looked the same as he had 200 years ago when he'd assisted Szayeis in saving the woman who had eventually founded the Academy.

Talk about small gestures causing a domino effect. Had he not saved her, who knows what would have happened. Nonetheless, the stout four armed demon sauntered, or...wobbled(?), his way towards Juan. His gait was uneven and almost random, as if his musculature was altering as he moved.

It was an unsettling sight.

Kasain wore a bloodied doctor's labcoat, causing him to look the part, until you noticed his breaches, which were extremely baggy, much like the pants of a jester, but instead were composed entirely of a patchwork of fabrics--all different colors. Glancing back at Rhett, the demon's eyes gleamed with mischief, his grin stretching just a bit [I]too far[/I].

This had earned him his other nickname: Cheshire. It was rather fitting. [I][U]"I take it you are Juan, good good. I will be your medic, and...[I]demon specialist[/I]. He,"[/U][I] one of his four arms jabbed out, pointing at Rhett, [I][U]"is the combat specialist. Those three,"[/U][I] his other 3 arms pointed in 3 directions, all of which were up, but none of which were in the same vector, [I][U]"are our...well, back-up and support. One of them has concealment magic, and the other two are equipped with hex-tech snipers. They will be...useful somehow, I imagine."[/U][I] The demon's too high, and slightly shrill, grading voice was [I]almost[/I] hell on the nerves.

It was pushing that precipice, but was not close enough to be outright aggravating or painful to listen to. Instead it simply added to the doctor's already unsettling nature. [I][U]"Ah, and I am Dr. Kasain 'Mve."[/U][I] He grinned, this time much wider, his body [I]stretching[/I] as his mass resdistributed itself till he was 5'2. He then bowed to Juan, and shrunk to 4'5, where he stayed. His build more average than fat at that point. The doctor was having fun.

As fun as this morning's escapade was, Damon had no intention of revealing himself. Also because he wasn't with Juan; as he mentioned on the phone before they met, Damon wanted to set up the area for their inevitable escape. He would return to Juan once he was finished, and he was nearly done. He wished he had more time to set up more sophisticated traps, but alas, there was only so much he could do with so little time. Had he at least another hour or so, he could rig a bridge to explode, but alas he'd have to make due with what he had now. Leaving the scene Damon headed back to Juan.

As he was within visual range of Juan, Damon noted the new figures. One was the strange looking humanoid thing pointing in random directions, and the other was a much more obviously human mercenary type. Damon was somewhat certain that the strange looking humanoid was a demon of some sort, and pointing out forces that Damon currently could not observe. It's not like he didn't expect them; he did ask help from Crow after all. Now he just wished that he knew how exactly Juan wanted him to distract Darius while they go save Emmet.

When Damon arrived, he wasn't in his normal form, rather he appeared to be the maid he was this morning, sans the tentacle legs. While he could walk and run just fine even in the woman's heels, Damon wasn't comfortable being bipedal. That being said, Damon would remain in this for for now. Better that he isn't recognized as "Dark Matter". Besides that, this form was more subtle than being an amorphous blob.

Once he arrived Damon silently nodded towards the others before turning to Juan. [b]"I've finished preperations. Ready when you are Juan."[/b]

Juan had enough time to make two quick assumptions about the pair that approached him, followed by a slight sigh at the three behind them. First was the man with the large, grey over coat which when examined closer, Juan could guess held more than just his person. Though the specifics were something that would only be revealed with imagination and Juan wasn't that imaginative when it came to some thing so serious. There was a second figure who ushered himself from the shadows and seemed to be more jelly then anything solid. 
 
His eyes noted the bloodied apron even before the demon mentioned he was the doctor for the mission, making Juan rather tense. However his body, still leaned against the wall, barely showed it. When Rhett asked his question bluntly, followed by his companion who ended up using his name and immediately made the hairs on Juan's neck stand. Impulsively his eyes flickered back to his ally, Damon, when the demon uttered his name right in front of the two strangers. Oh well, Juan thought bitterly and let the fact his name was too well known among the current company slide off his mind. This wasn't good. 
 
"Yes, my name is Juan. Seems your employer's more knowledgeable then I gave him credit for. That or very well resourced, Dr. 'Mve. As you might've guessed, this young [i]woman[/i] behind me is my associate. Now that we're all almost introduced, unless your companion rather we simple refer to him as CS for the mission then he might want to grace us with a title better suited to him. Down to business." Juan said then pushed fully off the wall. 
 
His lithe figure moved to the crude but accurate sketch of Darius's mansion, namely in shape representations for buildings, armed guard number, and more. "I figured a model would be better then merely telling you with a vivid description."
 
He pointed out to the main gate. "There's the entrance point and best place to keep the attention focused there. That's where Damon and likely at least one other will come in at, namely to keep Damon alive while he causes as much havoc as possible," Juan lifted his head and glanced at the shape shifter, "Damon, how you distract them is up to you yet I suggest you shift into a form you can deal out lots of damage in. The Guards will start to thicken around the main entrance and that's when a smaller group, you Dr. 'Mve and the one with the concealment magic will enter here...."
 
Juan's finger indicated a point almost directly across from where the main entrance was. "I'll create a hole here where we can enter and slip in undetected. From there we'll make our way to the guest house here." 
 
His finger moved to the square nearest the main mansion, then circled it. "Inside there will likely be where our target is being moved from. Dr. ‘Mve, I'm not completely sure what condition he'll be in but if Darius has drained him since last night...We've got our work cut out in keeping him alive. I've brought some supplies, namely the subject's blood as well as my own personal first aid kit. I can't promise what we're going to find so I suggest we all be braced for the worse. Now, any questions?" 

Rhett rubbed his temple at the lot he was stuck with. Why were Crow's friends so damn weird? He shrugs as he removes his coat and drops it on the ground. Revealing the small arsenall he's strapped to himself. He listens to Juan as he pulls out the little model of the mansion. Well that's conveniant. He listens attentevely as his own little plan formulates in his head. His grins darkly, this'll be a piece of cake.

 He chugs down the last bit in his flask before throwing it into his bag, then throws on the ground the three gasmasks for the others.

[b]“ This is mustard Gas I got on me, along with a few other things. One of those masks there will be for the guy were saving. The rest of you can squabble over the other two. But here's my plan.”[/b]

His accent was thick, borderline impossible to understand. He kneels down with the others and points to the model. Making various hand gestures to visualise his plan to the others.

[b]“ Cause as much havok as possible. Overwhelm them for a brief moment and grab the package before they have time to retaliate. While Spooks over here is dishing it out at the main gate. I'll use smoke grenades around the entire outside vicinity of the house. Plant C4 and detonate it all at once. At that point, the fucks inside will hardly know what to do, thats when the Gas comes in a wipes them all out. Afterwards we probably got around ten minutes to find our package and get him out before they bounce back with a counter attack..”[/b]

Rhett stands back up and places his own mask on his face. Bits and pieces of his beard sticking out awkwardly. His pants had been ironed and once again, tucked into his boots. Which seemed to have been polished the night before. Strange considering that he barely cared about how his face looked. His one hand instinctively rests itself on the rubble handle of his machete as he points at the three masks on the ground.

[b]“Make sure you get one of those on our guy quickly. If he's in really shit condition. It'll only take a breathe of this stuff to possibly kill him.”[/b]

Damon looked over the plan and had a general idea of what he could do. He won't have much use of this form unless he does something clever, which he may very well try. Everyone else seemed rather intent to start blasting ASAP, which was fine with him, but their job wasn't to wipe out the place, but to save Juan's VIP. That mustard gas concerned him because it's not like a normal toxin; skin contact would ravage the VIP's body too. But Damon would let Juan worry about him. 

[b]"Don't underestimate these people. We're not just attacking some human compound. They have, what, magical wolves or something?"[/b]

"Foxes, they aren’t completely flesh and bone." Juan answered, his body propped back a bit to allow the others access to the makeshift diagram. He didn't appear to like the notion of using mustard gas as his eyes narrowed on, mentally debating on creating a sigil translation mark near his head side. At least then he wouldn't have so much trouble understanding the dialect. 

 [b]"Right right, I simply know that when it comes to tracking and finding, they are quite good at it. They may detect us before we even see them, so some infiltration is required. That's why I look like this instead of a tank. Besides, how long do you think you have to plant C4 around the entire estate, even under the cover of smoke? Our jobs is to provide a distraction anyways. No need to waste time trying to demolish the place. Mustard gas might be more harmful for our VIP too, or worse, completely ineffective against those magical wolves and other superpowered people inside. And they're the ones we have to worry about, not just the mooks."[/b]

Damon knelt down and looked at the scale model of the mansion and tried to think of possible battle plans, should things go in that direction. [b]"Hmm.... What I need to do... Is something that would make all the guards converge on our position. If they're smart, they'll keep their distance and secure their perimeter. If we want to bring their full attention on us, they need to see a threat that requires their full power. And no offense to you all, but a small strike force isn't the most intimading threat against a fully armed compound. Hmm... Dr. 'Mve, do you have any methods to create mass illusions?"[/b]

The doctor, listening intently at first, was mildly impressed with this fellow's planning abilities. However, there were variables that had not been considered, the shapeshifter pointed out one of them.

In response, one of his arms moved up to his chin, where his hand tapped it lightly, as if in thought. Kasain's left arm, for the aforementioned one had been his top right one, crossed his body, slinking into his coat deftly, and withdrew a set of five 6-inch needles. These needles were metallic, but did not look to be made of any human material. Their color was undefinable to the human eye, and even to the eyes of most demons.

Kasain could tell the color though. He was a Taerialnian demon afterall. Having originated from the Western realm's underground, his kind were specialists in ore and had very particular senses. They could detect energy pathways. They had no talent for sensing external essence and often required contact with a living thing to actually properly detect their essence, but for anything non-living it was a breeze.

However, due to their specialization they could not detect aura essence at all.

[U][I]"I can create illusions of a sort,"[/I][/U] the doctor replied, his grin widening, [U][I]"It won't be simple, but with a bit of assistance I think I can manage it. I'll need something to fire these with, at high speed, quickly, and from far away. A normal sniper won't do the trick."[/I][/U] By piercing multiple people with his needles he could erase their awareness of the needles and trigger specfic hormones, and essences, in their bodies, causing fully realistic illusions.

It was not how he preferred utilizing his needles, as they were extremely valuable, but nonetheless it could be done.

Damon extended his hand towards Dr. 'Mve, and with some appropriate adjustments, gave him a crossbow. It appeared to have simply melded out of his hand. It looked like one of those advance composite crossbows you'd get at hunting stores. Damon would have brought it for about two thousand dollars if he hadn't... Acquired it from a hunter. [b]"And may I see one of those needles Dr. 'Mve? I'm... Curious about how they are supposed to help."[/b]

"Either way, using the mustard gas is out for the time being." Juan began, his eyes looked to Damon though his face failed to tell his mental thoughts. "Though Damon, by mass illusion, what do you have in mind? These creatures don't depend all on their eyes, but scent and hearing too. Trust me; these things have been tracking me since I left the apartment with a high intention to ensure I'm...occupied." 

[b]"Ah... Well... I'd figure if it looks like we showed up with a sizable force, they'd muster all their men together to fight back. Though when you mention it like that..."[/b]

Juan's lips smirked as his eyes lifted up, immediately spotted movement shifting toward the alley. His voice lowered slightly. "Speaking of which, I was wondering when my little tail would arrive. I was starting to wonder if that essence trail I used on the cat was too much and he was too dull to realize it was a hoax." 
 
Slowly Juan edged upright while his eyes continued to watch the shape emerge until one of Darius's foxes moved completely into view. "Anyone curious to seeing what exactly we can expect or should I merely just get rid of it?" 

[b]"... I guess I don't have to worry too much about getting their attention."[/b] Damon didn't move his body, as he could see the shadow fox just fine. And if he was there, more would come. [b]"Well... We wouldn't want it to go back and tell the others about us. So, show us how it's done."[/b]

"Why do you think I wanted to arrive early?" Juan said calmly, "These things aren't stupid. Not just simple animals though their instincts, motive and lack of learning ability makes it seem so." 
 
Slowly, Juan moved past Rhett's crouched form and toward the alley exit. His fingers pulled out of the animal's sight while its ears perked, the body alerted the moment it sighted him. Juan's finger tips already started to flicker alive like cigarette ends and pressed against his other arm's plate. It sizzled, burning a sign into the once perfect surface. In its wake was the sigil that shortly poured in strength into his veins, enough to easily crush a human skill within his grasp with great ease. "Looking for me, little one?" 
 
Its ears lowered and white fangs flashed, the legs coiled then shot forward. 
 
A whine cried out into the air. It shattered the air as the wall sudden came into contact with Juan's hand, his blood smeared onto the wall after he had sliced himself and slammed it into the center all in one smooth, sudden motion. In front of him the fox was held in midair by a molded spear, created from the wall's materials, that had impaled it through the head. Yet the beast didn't fade. Instead its forepaws thrashed against the thick spear while its blood, thick and dark streamed down its black fur. It wasn't hard to see it seemed to be made from a material crossed between flesh and shadow on closer inspection. 
 
"I don't think we'll need a large distraction as we would the right...bait?" Juan twisted away and paused, adding one last thing. "I suggest you not kill it until you've studied it. It dissolves and vanishes." 
 

The doctor took the crossbow, looking it over briefly before he closed his eyes, scanning its essence deeply, before fashioning a small sling from a series of threads and bandages, which he produced from his lab coat.

Watching Juan, and initially ignoring Damon's query while he considered the demon's words, Kasain noted the substances which appeared to compose the fox. When their team leader had incapacitated it, the doctor rushed over to it at a brisk pace, eyes gleaming, grin stretched 'cross his features. One of his hands suddenly held a needle, which just as soon found itself deftly pushed through the foxes' body, where it hit at the very edge of one of its vertebrae.

Juan instinctively moved aside allowing the good doctor, the title he dubbed on the demon, though. Once again his back leaned, ignoring the dampness seeping into his shirt, against the alley wall to watch Dr. 'Mve at work. His eyebrow raised in silent question when a needle appeared then shot through the fox's spine making it still abruptly.Yet he kept quiet in his observation. 

The fox immediately froze, its nervous and essence systems essentially stalled completed, putting it into a sort of stasis. Following this, the doctor placed the tip of one of his unnaturally slender, many jointed fingers upon the exposed edge of the needle. Closing his gleaming eyes the demon sent a tiny pulse of essence throughout the creature's body, tracing all of its energy systems and scanning the entirety of its physical make up, from the structure of its mind, down to how each material was positioned and utilized throughout its form.

After roughly twenty seconds the doctor pinched the needle's end with two fingers and withdrew it with uncanny swiftness, storing the needle in his coat. A small dark blood stain formed where he stored it near his hip, as he returned to the bulk of the group. [U][I]“Wonderful little creations. Useful to their master I'm sure, but easily dealt with all the same.”[/I][/U] He smiled with a certain pleased cunning at Juan and then turned his gaze to the humanoid octopus demon. [U][I]“You may hold [/I]one[I] of my needles, but be careful. With a body such as yours, you might find it...troublesome.”[/I][/U] The Doctor smirked and winked before extending an arm to Damon, one of the needles in hand, the blunt end aimed at him.

His eyes, before Damon even took the needle, shot over to Juan, then Rhett, and then Juan again. [U][I]“There might be certain ways to utilize the mustard gas. It is simply a matter of keeping it off our VIP, yes? Simply done. My first priority is stabilizing his condition, I would believe. Your supplies combined with my expertise will make that...much easier I am sure of it.”[/I][/U] By now the octohumanoid had likely taken the needle and so 'Mve was hopping from one foot to the other.

He was giddy.

With the needle in hand, Damon absorbed the needle into his body, gaining knowledge of its function and its creation. After the doctor observed the wolf, Damon went to Juan and simply asked him. [b]"Do you intend to let him go, or shall I deal with it?"[/b]

He was pleased, a little, to note the smile his direction and though he shouldn't let it show he enjoyed the unsaid praise, a small smirk crossed his lips. Sadly with the eye contact at Dr. 'Mve and noting his giddy nature, Juan had missed Damon's absorption of the demon's needle or else he would've cautioned him against it. More so, he would've likely been slightly less pissed at the naive nature of the younger shape shifter then he was about to be. Before he could speak to both the doctor and Damon, Kasain spoke, interrupting him. 

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, the doctor noted the demon absorb the needle into himself. [U][I]"Tsk tsk tsk,"[/I][/U] he said, clicking his tongue lightly, [U][I]"Those are excessively difficult to obtain and I did tell you to be [/I]careful[/I] in your handling of them."[/I][/U] Sighing as the needle's essence began to take effect from the core of Damon's body. A numbness would start to spread throughout the demon's form. [U][I]"I suggest you reassemble that quickly and remove it from your body, lest it paralyze you."[/I][/U] The needles were, while not toxic, infused with his essence and if damaged they became...defective, paralyzing or causing excessive numbness in whatever came into contact with them, barring himself.

Portions of Damon's internal body would begin to break down into the goop that he was composed of, rather than maintain any semblance of organs or the like. Kasain had one of his hands on his hip, with his other two crossed over his chest. His last appendage had reached out, palm up, waiting for the demon, who he now knew was a shifter, to relinquish the needle. On his face was a look of mild disdain and in his eyes was a mixture of disappointment and even more mild amusement.

He knew one other thing now. This demon was Dark Matter. Quite the interesting tidbit, perhaps he could trade that information from Crow in exchange for more materials with which to construct his supplies. Yes, good, very good.

It also seemed like Juan was a magic user of some sort, though he was not certain of what kind he utilized. He did know it was not demonic in origin. More useful information.

Silently Juan cursed, his body jerked backwards from Damon who was falling apart at the seams to avoid the mess created. Immediately his eyes flashed Damon an irritated look, a rarity and used only when the shape shifter had royally fucked up, risking his usefulness into a burden. Now wasn't the time to be reckless or too far trusting, at least within Juan's mind. His anger was seething under the surface which meant Damon would gain an earful, or worse, later when their 'guests' had left. 
 
"I think I agree with the good doctor. As for letting the fox go, no, I don't intend to. If it does then Darius would know I'm doing something rather...uncharacteristic. We both understand to a fair degree how each other works and he won't expect anyone but me to pull this little coup off. I'd rather his thinking remain that way. Currently I'm debating on allowing you to absorb it after your little [i]reckless[/i] stunt..." Juan stated, stressing his clear displeasure when Damon absorbed the needle, and his head turned to Kasain to finish his sentence," but before I do, doctor, is there anything else you need to do with the fox before it's dispatched? I want to be absolutely sure you're done, cutie, cause we won't be able to catch another."

Though he had flashed Damon a spiteful look, his eyes now twisted into mirth at Kasain while it seemed he was slowly relaxing. Or rather lapsing back into his usual flirty nature. Regardless of the shift in attitude, his nerves were on edge and inwardly he was still braced should something change the mood, and cause their temporary alliance to come unraveled in moments.

Damon merely smirked at the effects the needle had on his body. It was interesting to say the least. As for the parts of him that began to melt, he flicked them off like they were nothing more than bits of mud. Upon hitting the ground they took on a much more liquid consistancy, like an oil. But despite the feeling of numbness Damon wasn't too worried. He got what he wanted to know from the needle. He would make use of this later.

Damon produced Dr. 'Mve's needle and placed it into his hand. [b]"Sorry about that doctor. I was just curious about your methods. I want to make sure that our methods won't... Conflict with one another."[/b] Damon gave a polite smile before turning to Juan. He was quite aware of Juan's inner anger from his choice of words, but that was expected. This was a delicate operation, and of course Juan doesn't want any of his operatives to have to sit out before the job started. [b]"Don't worry Juan. I can still do my part. Besides, that was a very interesting learning experince. And if I can absorb that wolf, I can learn what it knows. Wouldn't that be helpful to say, figure out where the rest of its allies are? Or what exactly it's doing here, how it found us, and our enemies are prepared to do should we get caught?"[/b]

Knowledge was power, and Damon was always willing to get stronger. Besides that, he could always use more mass when they attack Darius's stronghold. Damon was certain that the shadow fox had more juice in its being than its size would indicate. 

Juan merely shook his head. Inside his mind, he knew one of these days Damon's curiousity was likely to get the shape shifter killed. Dr. 'Mve had been kind. At least kinder then most other demons would've been and hadn't decided to do something to the needle that could've harmed Damon more when he absorbed it. What some demons could do when others tried to absorb them or part of them was sometimes terrifying, being one of the most diverse of the three (four if you counted Chimeras as a separated one) races made it hard to predict what every single one could do. 

Glancing at Juan even as Damon extricated the needle and handed it back to him, the doctor flicked the implement, removing any of Damon's [I]substance[/I] from it, before he stored it in his coat once more. Grinning widely at their team leader's words, his eyes gleamed. [U][I]"I have a better idea than Damon's in regard to the fox. While I'm sure the shifter could use some mass, I think the fox would serve us far better as a [/I]spy[I], what do you think of that,"[/I][/U] his hands flexed and curled repeatedly, grasping the air, before letting go every few seconds.

He was channeling his giddiness somewhat, as he'd had an idea. Damon could certainly absorb the fox's knowledge, but it was unlikely to know much. It was merely a tool, he figured. It would be better for Damon to absorb a damaged bit of the fox servant, and then for he himself to repair the damage done, turning the fox into a little spy with which to infiltrate its former master's den.

[I]'Den, oh that was a good one, he mused internally.'[/I] He was glad the shapeshifter would be fine, as otherwise the fellow was useless to them. It would be difficult for even him to heal the demon, due to the creature's bodily structure, or rather its lack thereof. Nonetheless, he found himself somewhat amused by the obvious youngling's curious naivety. It was almost...[I]cute[/I].

Almost.

[U][I]"Should you not wish that action, yes, I am done, but otherwise I can give Damon a small chunk so he may assimilate the beasty's knowledge, after which I can repair it and highjack its body for our own purposes. What say you?"[/I][/U] His body waved back and forth slightly as he leaned from one foot to the other, teetering from side-to-side. It was so difficult to keep himself still in moments like this.

It was why he often kept himself occupied by patients. Yes...patients.

"Ummm....You can do that?"Juan asked, mostly to himself, then turned to gaze at the fox. He placed his chin into his hand, seeming to weigh the options. However, he already had decided within his head the choice and after the last minute ticked by, he gestured with his hand at the fox. "It might be possible. At least worth a shot." 

He pulled back, his face turned to Damon's grinning one. "Damon, the fox is merely condensed essence made to mimic a living, intelligent creature. Their learning streak needs improvement but outside that, they are merely tools. Darius can construct and make them fade after they've served their purpose. If Dr. 'Mve is able to prevent the fox from crumbling, would a piece do for your information gathering? I still doubt you'll gain anything from it. I think all thoughts, memories and more are wiped each time it's deconstructed." 

Damon chuckled. [b]"As long as it stays solid as I consume it, it'll be good enough. I'd like to absorb it whole to get as much mass as I can, but just a bit ought to be enough to get everything it should know."[/b] Truthfully, Damon thinks he actually needs to consume their "heads", or what would serve as one, to absorb memories, but he's never actually experimented with what would happen if he just ate parts of a creature's body. In the event that this doesn't work, Damon could always lie and say that the fox didn't know anything beyond what it was supposed to do. He turned his head towards the doctor to see what he would do now.

Grin tearing his cheeks, the doctor nodded, gesturing for Damon to follow with one of his arms, as the other three each extracted four needles from his coat. In moments he was upon the fox, needles piercing in various points along its spine, and through its temples. He began to lightly prod each needle, sending light shocks of essence through the creature. He could purge Darius' control, but instead he would do something far more devious.

He would bypass and make the fox numb to it. Several minutes past as he worked, reprogramming the fox's essence pathways and receivers, making them deficient to Darius' command signals, if he decided to give any. Several non-essential signals would return to Darius signalling that the fox was still functioning properly and was allegedly following his orders.

In actuality, the fox would be totally unaware of its former master, unable to detect its signalling consciously, and unable to control any of its prior functions. Kasain increased its learning capacity, feeding it essence and small bits of his own memories to foster various talents.

Stealth, swiftness, the ability to conceal one's presence, and draw the least amount of attention to oneself.

Then he began to slowly remove his needles, cept one, which remained buried in the beast's chest, piercing its mock heart as a reminder and deactivation method. After all the needles were extracted, Kasain began the secondary process, prodding the fox with needles, but never fully inserting them as he had before.

The creature's essence became thinner, spreading throughout its body for maximum efficiency to heal itself. It was rendered useless in combat, but could run swiftly and move silently. Finally he ceased his prodding, looking over his work, having long removed the spear of stone, which had pinned the fox to the wall.

The creature's form remained still, but observant. It was sitting on its haunches, looking up at Kasain. Smiling down at his work, the doctor patted its head, deftly slipping a needle into its skull, missing all vital portions of its pseudo-brain with skillful precision. From there he extracted the creature's memory-based essence, and any portions of superflous or useless essence that would merely weigh the fox down.

After a minute he extracted this needle fully, surged his essence through it to disperse the numbing and destructive effects of the implement, after which he turned, taking two steps to close the distance between himself and Damon, and plunged the needle straight into the shapeshifer's head.

The needle would instantly dissolve inside Damon, doing no real damage, and dispersing his desired mass and memories into him.

It was a rather strange feeling, more so since this isn't how he normally "Consumed" something. Still, Damon absorbed the knowledge within the needle and the ensuing essence, though he had a feeling that he wasn't quite getting everything that Damon could get if he had simply consumed the fox normally. Still, knowledge was knowledge, so he was going to make use of what he got. 

The memories of the fox, as well as its creation, were abosrbed into Damon's mind. It was a bit to take in, but he was able to adjust the flow of information entering his head which he can pick out at his leisure. Quick leisure, since time was of the essence. While Damon would look more into the fox's memory later, right now he looked only for what mattered; what was going on at Darius's mansion and what the group could expect when they showed up.

Fuzzy images surfaced, at first were hazy images. Crumbled, aged, and bits of words here or there for Damon from where it seemed the essence had been cleaned over and over. Gleamed of most of its past though with time it could be recovered. Currently only a few words and letters stick out. Isaac, attacked, human and demonic appearance all would stick out to Damon yet none made sense. 

The first really clear page was the fox's most recent resurrection within Darius's office. It was nothing much outside a dull, normal once that anyone could've used while the fox's eyes shifted, its lithe figure stayed utterly motionless. 

"Track Juan and keep him...occupied. Namely as far away from here as you can." Said the Kitsune demon, his back to the fox while he merely continual to stare outside. In his hand was a towel, stained slightly red, wipping away what remained of a glass In the air was the scent of demonic blood caught in the fox's nose before it edged to the doorway. Beside it were two more more which joined it while they traveled toward the mansion's front door then out of the front gate. This was little after Darius had been contacted by Sir. It was followed by Juan being tailed, several times losing the foxes in various places and times before the [url=http://www.roleplayerguild.com/topics/49231/posts/ic?page=2#post-2026345]apartment[/url] scene came into view. Its life spared by being entrapped within quicksand the whole time while it watched its fellows attempt to take Juan down. 

Kasain was not just a doctor, he was an artist, and his canvas was a mixture of essence and flesh.

He knew what he was doing.

Walking over to Juan he extended an arm, needle in hand and gestured for Juan to mirror the motion. "I need a small bit of your essence to weave into the fox. I feel you would much rather it be loyal to you, rather than myself, yes? Nonetheless, I will retain awareness of its status, and be able to administrate such. However, you shall be its new master, with both of us its eyes. Favorable?" He seemed calmer now, rather composed. His fingers no longer twitchy, his stance stable and unmoving.

Work always calmed him down and got rid of his excess energy. Furthermore, since he regenerated his essence so fast, he'd be able to work again within minutes. A useful ability. Had he been a normal demon it would've been impossible.

Alas, he was not. Rather, Kasain was a demon in addition to having been both student and partial construct of the Fleshshaper. Yes, his past had its advantageous sides. This was for sure. Sadly, not all of it was advantageous, but that was a story for another time.

The fox had wandered up next to the Doctor, where it sat once more, staring between the two.

Juan's body had instinctively tensed at Kasain's request, remembering the needle into Damon's head. Every notion of life and natural process seemed to have stalled within his very being, his eyes narrowed upon Kasain after he had finished with the fox and Damon. Juan didn't like the idea of giving a piece, either blood, skin, or anything similiar to the doctor. It reminded him of a mage and the things she could easily do to her victims when her essence intwined into others. He felt a shiver trace up his spine and instinctively shoved it away. His sight eyed the fox for a few moments then sighed. 

"Any piece of me you prefer?" Juan slightly mused though it was only half hearted. 

Without thinking much about it, his hand reached up and jerked a piece of his hair. The root ripped free, taking not just scalp but blood as well as he held the bloodied dreadlock within the palm of his hand. Considering he was in continual pain, most would assume he couldn't feel anything at all but the opposite was the reality in fact. Any change in pain, small as a pinprick or more, was impossible to ignore though he had hellish tolerance. He only hoped this wouldn't bite him in the ass or else he would have to pay Afua Sane a visit and call in a favor, sadly at least becoming a nuisance within the man's life. 

"Likely more then enough so enjoy, sweetheart, though be careful it doesn't burn you. It doesn't like being...detached." Juan said, though it sounded like a mild warning, as he held the dreadlock out enough for Kasain to take it without having to touch. The moment the doctor touched it there would be a sizzle sound and the dread would attempt to burn up which didn't surprise Juan at all. "Be gentle... it's my first time, darling."

Once Kasain took the hair, Juan snapped his fingers and pressed one to his scalp searing the wounds closed. 

Wincing not at all at the man's action, the doctor nodded and rather than touch the lock, he pierced it with his needle, brought it down to the fox, at which point it began to burn. Grinning, the demon doused the flames with his essence and used the heat generated to disassemble the lock of hair, turning it into a weird looking paste, which the fox eyed with mild disgust. Kasain snapped his fingers, sending a thought command, and the fox snapped at the paste, devouring it in moments, only sticking its tongue out repeatedly afterwards at the taste.

Hair was not a pleasant snack. "Thank you Juan," the doctor stated, piercing the fox's head once more with a needle, inserting it only an inch this time as he pulled Juan's essence throughout the fox, coded it properly, and then removed his needle. "Now, try a few commands, if you please." He smiled at Juan, keeping an eye on the fox as he did so.

"Alright." Juan replied, seeing the fox act in less then a pleased manner at eating his essence within the hair. A slight perk to being an Ifrit demon was that he never had to worry about leaving left overs and remains behind for someone else to meddle with. Though he slightly questioned how wise he was taking this risk. 

He inhaled softly then snapped off several thought commands, first simple then more complex as each was completed. First it wiggled its paw, kneading the hard concrete with its claws and then shook itself. It yipped then paced around Kasain without any problems in its movements. When it came to the right, it abruptly twisted and snapped right at the doctor's leg. Its teeth stopped just inches short. It was a clear indication Juan was merely testing its reflexes, among other things, to see the full effect of the changes made to the fox's structure. Juan's smirk widened briefly, his mind commanded the fox to settle back onto its hunches. 

"Lovely changes, Dr. 'Mve. Though apologies for the attempted love nip, I wanted to test the full effect of your changes and guess what you had done," impulsively he moved to examine the creature. His hands stroked the fur, noting the slight contrast to its brethern, which he had petted in past studies, while he made a thorough study. Deep inside, a part of him stirred that hadn't in...ages. Not since the encounter with the half angel that attempted to kill Emmet and him back at the apartment. 

"If the fox had originally done that before then it would've bitten through the skin and muscle tissue, rather then been able to stop like it did." Juan's mind went through the observations he had made in the short moments before, his hands seemed to be feeling the essence of the fox yet they didn't pierce the surface like Kasain did. He barely noted his dialogue had altered a bit from the casual, fun loving tone into a more serious one. "Changes have been made to the speed after observing its reaction time, namely when I compare it to its fellow specimens experiences. Though the jaw strength seems rather lacking, its likely the essence was spread thinner then it was originally had been and any excess removed making it less dense. This would account for the quickness and increase its stealth capablities. Useless in direct combat, however, making a disposible pawn if needed."

As if realizing his speech pattern had shifted, Juan slowly rose upright. Mentally he hoped neither of his current companions would think much into the change as it would've been rather difficult to explain. Essence had been the area he studied, namely the section about a living creature's soul and their aura essence, mostly on human subjects. However his obssession had driven him to edge into some demons and angels inorder to farther his...projects. It also required sacrifice from him on a personal level resulting in his current status. 

Juan left the rest of his statement off with a topic change. "Rather impressive Doctor, rather impressive. Getting back to the point, you mentioned keeping the mustard gas off our subject which is a little hard to believe." 

He also looked to Damon and the combat specialist, seeing if they had anything to add to current events. Namely anything helpful. 

Rhett had been ruffling through his backpack, tampering with the C4 to make sure it could operate properly. He didn't want there to be any duds at the last second. He ignored most events surrounding the fox. Mainly because he didn't understand Demon magic and couldn't be bothered to try. They had their own way of doing things, and he had his.

When he was satisfied he zipped up his bag and slung it over his shoulder. He was ready to get started. He looked at Juan through his gas mask, with his dull red eyes. The mask muffling his already coarse voice.

[b]“If the Doc says he can do it, I'd believe him. Seems to have quite a few tricks up his sleeve. Besides, it took me all night to get this stuff in these canisters without choking on it myself. Would be a shame to just not use it at all” [b]

He admitted to himself that it probably wouldn't have a strong effect on anything charged up with magic. Just the mooks who were basically meat shields anyway. He didn't think of that. He wasn't accustomed to fighting demons on a daily basis. Just the mooks, he had been after all, a mook himself for most of his life. It was just another thing he would have to adapt to. Of course that also meant a lot of reading manuals and tinkering with more gadgets that could quite literally blow up in his face. Which meant he probably wasn't going to be getting much sleep in the next couple of weeks. But as long as Crow kept up with the booze train, who cared about sleep?

[b]“Regardless, we should get going soon. The longer we wait the less chance we have of finding our man alive. He's probably not in the best condition as is.”[/b]

Not even wincing at the Fox's actions, the Doctor turned his eyes to Rhett, the other specialist that Crow had hired. Well, more like [I]found[/I], or so he'd heard. Coarse fellow in odd medical condition as far as he could tell. Granted, since he'd had no direct contact with the human he had no way of knowing his exact status.

[I][U]"I appreciate your faith in me, mmm, Rhett, yes that was it,"[/U][/I] he nodded to himself, giving a thumbs up with one of his four hands. Turning his gaze to the compound, the doctor considered their situation for a brief moment before he spoke once more. [I][U]"I figure a simple [/I]white room[I] would do it, Juan."[/U][/I] Smiling at his current leader, the demon tapped scratched his chin, pulling a small amount of flesh loose, before a needle was suddenly in his hand, sewing up the damaged area.

He didn't even seem to notice the occurrence. [I][U]"I can establish a clean room of sorts, or in other terms, a field of absolute cleanliness in our query's direct vicinity. It is incredible what a simple manipulation of essence can do, is it not? Granted, I will need to make contact with his body via one needle, not enough to break skin though. No damage."[/U][/I] His expression was serious, for it was obvious that Juan, despite all his airs, cared in some facet about the individual they were rescuing. Most would not go to such lengths to rescue someone in such a situation.

It was a matter of survival. However, this man was different. Something [I]drove[/I] him to this, something about his future patient, but he said nothing and nothing about his demeanor revealed this intuition. He appeared perfectly transparent, though too unsettling to be entirely trustworthy.

Still he ought not to be setting off any alarms. After all he hadn't survived this long to do something so stupid.

Once everyone had their turn talking, Damon chimed in. [b]"Hmm... That fox sure did follow you a long ways. Frankly I'm surprised that it managed to find us at all... Though beyond that, it doesn't seem to know much. It's suppose to stall you however, so I'm guessing that we shouldn't waste any more time trying to make further use from it."[/b] That tidbit with some "Issac" fellow seemed sketchy, and may make a later appearance in the story. But without anything else going for it, there was little use it had for Damon.

[b]"Now than, shall we be off? Do you have a ride, or should I provide?"[/b]

Juan nodded, outwardly admitted to their wisdom when it came to limited time. Juan found it odd the combat specialist was the first, and likely only one, who vouched for the Doctor's skill as he looked at him through the mask. Deep inside he knew no matter how much planning went into this, if Emmet died then everything done was pointless. Worst case scenario was they were required to wing it. Inside, Juan noticed his stomach twitched at the thought and pushed it away. From the corner of his eye, he watched the doctor stitching up his own chin, a piece loosened by his scratching, drawing a comment from him when the demon finished.

"Not coming apart at the seams, eh Doctor?" Juan inquired, his relaxed attitude returned once more and left the comment hanging.

Immediately his attention turned to Damon, "Sadly I left my car keys at the apartment and I don't intend on going back for them. Unless these fellows have a ride, you'll likely have to provide one or I'll need to... [i]borrow[/i] one. Once we get there, we'll split into our groups and head out. And just to recap: Kasain, another, and myself will seek a discreet way in. We can use that fox to scout ahead a bit to avoid trouble. Damon, you cause a ruckus near the gate drawing most the attention while Rhett keeps you alive by taking out what he can. After the subject is found, we all make to get the hell out of there then back to the apartment. If you make sure to use a canister of that mustard gas before we leave, it should prevent anyone from tracking us since the foxes depend a bit more on scent then sight."

He started to move then paused a moment to add, "Oh, that reminds me, mind if I borrow a spare radio? I rather not send up a flare and announce to the whole area we've got our target."

[b]"Here, take mine."[/b] Damon first consumed a radio off of Rhett, only to produce a set of three identical radios, exactly like they were before he consumed them. He handed one back to Rhett, kept one for himself, and handed another to Juan. Looking at the bulky device, Damon than reabsorbed the radio back into his body, seeing that he wouldn't really need to keep it on him to use it.

Juan nodded his thanks then took one of the radios. One problem down, he thought placidly.

Once that was finished with Damon stepped out of the alley and onto the street. Making sure that there wasn't any traffic on their way, Damon put his hands out and skimmed through his mind for a vehicle they could take. Since they were expecting to take at least four people, he couldn't just take a motorcycle. However they needed to be inconspicuous; driving up in an unmarked black van would surely attract too much attention. He decided to go for a Gran Torino, or as he calls it, "Clint Eastwood's car". The car itself used to belong to this really antsy old guy, but after he got shot to death (Wasn't Damon's fault), he decided to commandeer the car while no one was looking. A pretty sweet ride, and for some reason or another, that old man put some serious metal plating on this thing. While it might not be enough to block a burst of gun fire, it would certainly provide better cover and move faster than your average car on the block.

It was a bit of an awkward sight (For some) to see Damon's flesh bubble together into the shape of the car at the end of his arms, only to drop it gently on the ground like it was a basket of flowers. Damon was unharmed of course. Producing a set of keys in his hand, Damon turned to Juan with a cheeky smile. [b]"You driving?"[/b]

Kasain chuckled as he looked upon the newly formed car. Yes, this fellow was most certainly DarkMatter. Interesting. With that in mind he approached the car. [I][U]"I sure hope so, I'm terrible at the wheel, despite my arms I can't handle that round thing worth a single coin."[/U][/I] He promptly opened a door and hopped into the middle of the backseat where he grinned to himself. The three extras had brought their own method of transportation, ones that none of them would see.

Crow sure knew some useful people, thought the Doctor.

Juan watched the scene play out, barely phased by Damon's display of pulling a car from inside himself as the shape shifter had done much stranger in bed. Namely when Damon's form shifted from solid to liquid in the middle of their fun's best part, ithings got rather...slippery. Juan inwardly chuckled at the thought, fully knowing things were about to get more interesting and not in the positive way last night had been. When Damon produced the keys, jingling them in front of him like a teasing toy, Juan's hand whipped out to snatch them. From the doctor's comment it seemed there wasn't going to be any arguement over it and that was the most positive thing Juan had all morning. 

"I'll drive. Just give me a moment to shove the medical things in the back seat." He said quickly, getting the medical cooler with the blood and supplies within. After nearly dying getting them, he wasn't about to forget them now. He noted the other three had dispersed to their own transportations likely. Finally, after every thing and one was loaded up, he placed the cooler in the back with Rhett (finally he now knew what to call the mercenary) and Kasain through the open window on the doctor's side. 

Wasting little time he hopped into the driver's side then pulled away. The location Juan had picked wasn't far and the drive wasn't going to be very long at all.