Eddie's eyes widened as the screen lit up, his brother's newly reformed jaw cracking as it parted at the sight of what was shown. Nothing could prepare them for the shock that gripped them in the sky, for in that moment, the vampire’s cold, yellow eyes were drawn to the sensation of what felt like sweat sliding down his temple. It was actually just a last drop of lab water that had escaped between dead, white strands of the monster’s tightly kept hair, and yet that single drop was enough to induce a powerful feeling of recognition that drew his eyes back to the screen. 

Through that screen, he recognized himself, the city of Allure, the planet called Earth, and most importantly, despite not truly [i]knowing[/i] it, he comprehended all of those things, as well as their relative positions. He understood them. Why? Because he knew what it was like to be at the bottom. Eddie knew what it was like to be a weak, defenseless human, helpless against forces greater than his own, that had transformed him into an undead creature of the night. He knew how his position had changed since then, how he and Goldman had grown strong enough to stand up to those forces and destroy them.

Now he had to stand up to this.

Returning his attention to the old man, Eddie spoke his demands with a refreshed aura about him. 

"We want [i]double[/i]. 

"The [i]first[/i] half is for repairs to our business, and the [i]second[/i] will be for lost future gains that will come as a result of these repairs."

Goldman's jaw closed with another chain of cracks, followed by more as he slowly raised his head, tightening his tie with his golden fingers in the process. His moment of tidying himself up would have to wait, for as he reached with his right, golden index finger to adjust his sunglasses, he instead moved it back to his earpiece in response to a voice speaking through a cloud of supernatural static. The owner of the voice possessed a thick, west Texas accent, and spoke his words with full, unironic ease, betraying the complete urgency of the message he was conveying to the brothers.

"Leadahs of th --ite Sy--d-cate. It mig-- b- ti-e to consider --sten readyin’ the horse and carriage."

"..."

Goldman rotated his neck to face his brother, who heard everything that was said over the rapidly clearing link.

Eddie looked over at Caldwell, then back at his brother, whose partially scrunched brows and pursed lips reinforced the fact that this was not a call to be put on hold. “Excuse us.”

The Texan took the vampire’s request to the stranger on the other end as a sign to continue his address. "As Ah’m sure you are keenly aware, the wolves have come out of their dens, and they brought the whole damn pack with ‘em.”

“The seventh syndicate has yet to show itself, Jackson.”

“Right you are, Mr.Goldman, but from the way things stand now, we may not have a choice.”

"[i]Don’t[/i] listen to that bullshit," came a different voice, the words tinged with a strain that came with being injured all over, "this requires that all seven syndicate leaders be present, or we’ll be devoured. So when I said six isn't enough, I meant SIX of you isn't enough."

"Heh heh, calm down, Pawn." Ron coolly interjected, "Ah’m sure they’ll get the message one way or another."    

“N-[i]NO![/i]” the right hand of the Red Syndicate shouted with agonized warning. “It’s YOU, Ron who isn’t getting it. All seven demons HAVE to be satisfied. If we don’t satisfy all seven of them, they could turn on one of us, each other, or even worse...themselves.”

The ivory suited monster’s brow rose at the sudden introduction of new and dangerous information. “What [b]exactly[/b] does he mean by six of us isn’t enough. You told us he said we needed seven, and while I am inclined to believe him due to what he is, WHY seven? What is the importance of it?”

“He means that if we wake up one of those things, and it ain’t satisfied with our the amount of evil we got festerin’ our hearts, it’ll punish us for wasting its time.”

“Not...entirely.” Pawn said more calmly, having managed to suppress some of the pain he was in. “It doesn’t capture the full scope of what could go wrong. They too will suffer for failing to bond with their prospective partners, or rather it’s what they will resort to doing if they realize they are lacking the ‘right stuff’, that will lead to the mission’s failure.”

“Then what [b]is[/b] the full scope, Seraphim. Tell me, before this man decides not to reimburse me for my losses. Enlighten me [i]nooow[/i].” The end of his sentence came with snarling hiss. The vexing nature of the day’s numerous events had not been kind to a six-hundred-year-old creature of the night, whose only desire was to be left alone, so he could quietly run his syndicate.

“Listen, Goldy.” This time the shinobi spoke in a manner that sounded nearly relaxed. “Demons are not without feelings. What separates a human from a demon is that demons only truly resonate with one thing--the sin they were born from.

“What unites men with demons is their urge to bond with that which is most familiar to them, helping them to feel complete. Humans are willing to forego certain aspects of themselves, all for the sake of fitting in. Demons on the other hand are very bad at this--in fact, they’re terrible at it. Their nature is far closer to that of an animal--driven predominantly by primal instinct, yet still able to convey their feelings with lucidity due to being sentient.”

Eddie couldn’t help but roll his eyes at this. “I didn’t ask for a demonology lecture, Pawn. I want to know why they demand such a specific number.”

“There are seven deadly sins: Lust, Gluttony, Greed, Sloth, Wrath, Envy, and Pride...”

“Yes, yes...get to the point...”   Eddie was now tapping his cane against the floor, exhaustion kicking in.

“A demon of envy will only be able to truly bond with a man who has envy in his heart, but that envy must be strong.” Pawn stated. “The same goes for all the others, but as I said there are only SEVEN deadly sins, not six, not five, not four - [i]seven[/i]. If six people travel to Hell, and bond with six demons, the last remaining demon will do [b][i]whatever[/i][/b] it takes to create a bond.”

“Really now?” The ninja had the vampire uncharacteristically intrigued now. “[i]Anything?[/i]”

“It may try to disguise itself as a different sin in order to match the evil most prominent in one of the syndicate leader’s hearts.”

“[i]And?[/i]”

“And it would 100% backfire. We’re talking about the two of you forming a spiritual tether that will bind your souls together. To lie about who you are, to disguise your true self, this leads to an unstable tether and will invite pure chaos. This chaos will bury itself within the core of your being, and unlike a curse that corrupts a person gradually... this will make your soul explode--and I promise you--there won’t be any second chances. 

“No resurrection.

“No reincarnation.

“[b]Permanent. Karmic. Death.[/b]

“Your own personal omega.” 

Eddie was at a loss for words. Before he could get halfway through clearing his throat, Ron said something which caught the Ivory Monster by surprise. 

“Why don’t you go get somethin’ t’drink, boah. Ya sound parched.”