text: [Themes: grimdark fantasy]
  
  You aren't sure about this, but you let him speak.
  
  "Speak demon, but make it quick!" you demand.
  "Ah, glad you're willing to be reasonable. Name's Big Red by the way."
  "Get on with it!"
  "Very well. Your company and everyone in it is doomed to the infernal planes when they die I'm afraid. You captain's deeds alone make him one of the most sought after souls in Hell. He used to be much worse before he got married, but ah well; women often make men weak like that."
  "Yeah? Well not me."
  "Heh, yeah you too. I understand that you're probably the most moral person in it, but this whole company has been targeted by Hell and Hell gets what it wants."
  "Well Velzix isn't..."
  "Velzix? I'm not talking about Velzix! Velzix is just another demon with big dick complex. If I trust my judgment he's not going to last another year in his current status, he'll probably either be dead by one of you mortals or that little Necromancer. (Sigh) Wish I'd known about him sooner, things could've been a lot...different."
  
  Big Red sees that you're getting antsy so he gets to the point again.
  
  "Anyway, seeing as you're all doomed to Hell, I figured it would be nice if I got direct credit for bringing you there. Bringing in evil souls yourself is one of the few things makes Hell all worth it. You get all sorts of perks. However, if I just call in the reinforcements now to have you guys get ripped from limb to limb, I won't get direct credit. The souls will just be gathered wily nily and then I gotta argue with the fucking collectors and lawyers and all that other shit about who killed who and who gets credit which will probably just result in nobody getting credit and doesn't help me out at all."
  "Barring that you're saying that I'm doomed in any case, I fail to see why I should help you."
  "Well that's why I'm coming to you with a deal. I can see you're not a bad person, you just serve a bad master, and he's the one I really want direct credit for. The rest of you are just a bonus and you in particular aren't even worth that much given your tendency towards good."
  "So what is it you want from me exactly?"
  "I want you to take out the sentries and distract your fellows for as long as possible while my boys sneak up on this village and strike with as little resistance as possible. To sweeten this deal, I'll try to tell my boys to not target you while you try to escape the mayhem. I'm not making any promises though, killing rampages among my kind encourage indiscriminate killing. You'll be on your own; however it gives you a small chance for survival and by agreeing to this plan it gives me direct credit as the mastermind of this cunning plan. Getting other demons to kill isn't any kind of feat, but employing a mortal to help is looked upon as more favorable. So do we have a deal?"
  
  Big Red offers his hand...
  
  > decline the deal
  Fuck this. He's lying and even if he isn't, making a deal with a demon is never a good idea. You've heard the stories and you've seen the former Tulan "citizens" that debased themselves just in order to live to serve their demon masters. It never ends well.
  
  If you are going to the infernal realm when you die, you're still not going to be helping anyone to take you there!
  
  "Well, let me think about it....HEY THERE'S A FUCKING DEMON ATTACK COMING!" you shout at the top of your lungs. You're pretty sure at least one person heard you.
  "You asshole!" Big Red growls and lunges at you which you dodge out of the way and just focus on getting back to where most of your company is making camp, yelling the whole time.
  
  Upon hearing your warning, everyone scrambles for battle. You can hear the demons bellowing in the distance. They'll be here in force soon. You quickly climb on to the village rooftops and ready your bow as the demon hordes advance all around you.
  
  The battle wasn't as hopeless as Big Red made it seem like it would be (He must've ran off as there was no sign of him) however, the Company does take more than the usual casualties. One of the mercenaries starts to openly complain.
  
  "This is just fucking retarded! Why the hell are we doing this shit?" Cal complains.
  "You know the score; you don't like it you can leave." The Captain says calmly cleaning off his sword.
  "Yeah and then I don't get paid, which is when by the way? We'd all like to know when this contract is over! You never did tell us!"
  "Oh that...indefinitely."
  "WHAT?!" almost everyone exclaims.
  "Look, would you sissies calm the fuck down? We got a break coming up in a few weeks. We go back to the Zalan Empire to get paid, rest, re-equip and whatever else they got there, but after the break we go right back out here. Possibly even deeper."
  
  At this point the whole company is turning against the Captain, he doesn't look worried though.
  
  "Are you fuckin' kidding me? You're expecting us to go deeper into this shit? You're practically asking us to stand in the middle of Hell!"
  "Dunno why you're protesting, we're all going to the real infernal plane anyway when we die, might as well get used to it. Look, take it or leave it, I don't give a shit. If you want to stay, go ahead. If you want to leave now, go ahead. If you want to leave after you get your pay, go ahead. But I'm sure you know by now, if you leave don't come back ever." The Captain says and goes back to the abandoned home he was staying in.
  
  This comment by the Captain makes you think back to Big Red's little speech, you start wondering about your future while everyone begins talking amongst themselves about what to do next. A lot of them are saying the Boss has lost his mind and is being suicidal. You can't say you disagree. In fact you're not sure you want part of this anymore. Your family might need the money, but what good are you dead to them?
  
  A few weeks pass and your company makes its way back to the Zalan Empire. You get your payment. Almost feels like you're in the "real army" given the formal nature of it. After you get your pay, you're on your way home where you intend to stay, much like many others are planning to do. However, you bump into the Captain who speaks to you. There's a hint of alcohol on his breath.
  
  "So can I expect you to stay on lute boy?" he asks bluntly.
  "Erm...well, no Captain. I'm sorry, but going deeper into demon territory is suicide." you reply..
  "Probably right, but who wants to live forever?"
  "Well I'd like to at least live past the next year."
  "Hah! So you wish to die an old man in your bed?"
  "Sounds about right."
  "Then why did you take on such a dangerous line of work in the first place?"
  "My family needed the money."
  "Ah yes, you are one of the few in the company that has one. One of the fewer still that actually takes care of them...an honorable pursuit. I can respect that."
  
  You're surprised to hear the Captain praise anything that seems honorable.
  
  "I have a family that I take care of too you know."
  "Yes, I know you are married."
  "Yeah...but my daughter is a captain in the Zalan army. She's stationed on the Tulan border as a matter of fact. She might even get transferred to the Grand Alliance army. Don't know yet." He says with a hint of pride in his voice, though he tries his best to conceal it.
  
  The Captain is just full of surprises. You now know that this isn't some simple death wish, but that he's taken the job to help her out in a way. You don't know, but can only imagine what growing up with a dad like him was like. You unsure of how to reply so you just follow up with something.
  
  "Um, that's great Captain."
  "Yeah, it's great. Got a son too...he's...a wizard. He's a fuckin' disappointment... y'know you look back on your life and you wonder what you've accomplished and it doesn't mean shit in the scheme of things, at least not when the world has one foot in Hell and the other in the grave. But still you struggle and fight right? You still remain true to your nature."
  "Sure I guess so." You say wondering where the Captain going with this.
  
  The Captain sighs heavily.
  
  "I guess I'm lucky...killing and battle are in my nature. I get to do it every fuckin' day and it never seems to be enough, even after all the years and changes... but I bet you didn't want this shit right? You probably wanted to just play that fuckin' lute of yours right? You got a gift and its being wasted due to events out of your control...but you still play that thing when you can. It's in your nature. It's also in your nature to help out your family because you care about them."
  "I suppose it is."
  "Yeah, nature...it's a fuckin' bitch."
  
  The Captain now looks directly at you.
  
  "Look I'm not gonna beg ya, but you're one of the best men I got in the damn company, and I'd rather not lose you, so I'll appeal to your nature. What's going on in the world today is some fucked up shit. Quite honestly I don't think it's going to end well for any of us, but you struggle and fight anyway. The financial aid that you're providing for your family pales in comparison to what you're doing in the long term. You're making the world safer for them so that they might be able to live. We got the Gates of Hell on one side and Death's Door on the other and both of them need to be fucking closed. I don't know if that makes us the so called good guys now, but all I know is if there's an active way I can protect my wife and even help my daughter then I'm gonna do it. What are you going to do?"
  
  The Captain then leaves you without saying another word.
  
  Some pretty deep words for a man who you never saw as compassionate in anyway. He does make a point though. Lately what has been going in the world is pretty bad and you wonder if not fighting today will just mean putting off fighting tomorrow.
  
  > stay in the company
  You might be a fool, but the possibility that the Captain knows what the fuck he's talking about can't be ruled out. If killing demons now is going to make life a little safer for your family in the future, then you probably should be apart of that. Same with the undead if it comes to that, though you're hoping that you don't need to. Fighting demons is bad enough, you haven't even fought any undead and the stories that your dad told you and that you've overheard others tell still makes you dread the day that you'll actually have to.
  
  For now though you're going home to spend time with your family and tell them all how much you love them.
  
  One year passes...
  
  Five years since the Nuro Incident and you're deep in the heart of Velzix's Realm. Guerrilla hit and run tactics and sabotage have greatly angered Velzix causing him to divert forces where he might use elsewhere. You've even managed to sneak into his fortress a few times to sabotage his goals of creating a permanent open portal to the Infernal Planes. Something nobody wants except the demons.
  
  It's odd, but the Chimera Company has been turned from an example of "thugs for hire" to "Heroic warriors" by the Zalan government, but then the Zalan Empire has always been a bit heavy on propaganda. The fact that the company is directly working for it, makes any politician that was remotely involved with the idea of hiring you in the first place to milk it for all its worth.
  
  The real truth however is what's currently of the company is made up of the suicidal, desperate or the insane. You're not sure which one you are at this point, but in the eyes of the public, you're a hero. (Surprisingly Cal is still there for all his past complaining)
  
  The Captain has been telling tales of his past life a lot more lately when sitting around the campfire. He talks about the people he's killed, the women he's raped, and the treasures he's plundered. Most of the stories you've only heard about in rumor from others in your Company, but hearing them come from the Captain himself makes him sound even more rotten. You're sure glad you didn't know him back in the "old days". He doesn't seem to show any remorse, though he doesn't really talk about it gloriously either. He just tells them as a story to pass the time between fighting, much like you do with playing your lute.
  
  Every now and then he tells you to play something specific. Some elven song that you've never heard before, though apparently he really wants you to play it since he gives you a crumpled piece of sheet music containing its notes.
  
  It's a not a complex song for an Elven one, but it still takes you a few weeks to learn it completely. It would probably take you less time, but there's the demon fighting that sort of gets in the way of practice.
  
  The first time you play it, the Captain, closes his eyes and begins to smile. You think that's the first time you've ever seen him do that. Others in the Company are amazed as well.
  
  With his eyes still closed he begins to speak of his family and how beautiful his wife is and how when he first met her it was love at first sight.
  
  He then speaks of his daughter, and how proud he is of her. Her battle skills have gotten her a captain's position in Grand Alliance army. He hopes that she has many victorious battles and kills all those that stand before her without mercy.
  
  He is silent for awhile as you play...then he speaks of his son is much harsher tone.
  
  "A disappointment...a fucking disappointment. Fucked up somewhere...wasn't hard enough on him. Now look at this shit we're in...demons, undead...fuck it. If I'm bound for the Infernal Plane for bringing destruction to the world then I'm gonna give those bastard demons a good reason for torturing the shit outta me when I get there. Namely by killing a shitload of them and fucking up their plans as much as possible. Just hope my necromancer spawn is eventually there right beside me getting tortured as well."
  
  You temporarily stop playing at this outburst by the Captain. Others in the Company are looking and whispering to each other. Did he just allude to what you think he did?
  
  "What he fuck are you doin'? I didn't say stop playing!"
  
  You quickly return to playing and nothing more is spoken of it. As it happens the song is one of the last things you play. Your lute is destroyed in a battle a couple days later. You curse as one of the few things that took your mind off this shitty place is gone. You just hope you live long enough to buy a new one.
  
  A few more weeks pass and what wasn't spoken of, makes an appearance...
  
  Two of the lookouts run back to the main camp one day and rush into the Captain's tent. You can hear them babbling something about son, and death and doomed. You then hear him yelling at them to shut the fuck up and speak clearly. The rest of the Company starts to pick up there weapons as if expecting something to go down and you follow suit and that's when you look in the direction where the sentries ran from and see a lone hooded figure.
  
  None of you don't know how to react. Every instinct in everyone is telling them to attack, but the aura of power and fear he's giving off is very strong. Almost paralyzing.
  
  Just then the Captain comes out of his tent and speaks.
  
  "Boy, you gotta a lot of balls showing up here before me. Didn't think you had 'em either. Figured you'd be hiding in some tower somewhere."
  "Yeah, well sometimes you have to do things yourself."
  
  Weird. He doesn't sound at all like you thought he would.
  
  > attack now
  You know who the hell this is, it's the Necromancer Lord. You're never going to get a better chance than now to kill him and put an end to some of the madness that's going on. You muster up all your courage and quickly raise your bow.
  
  "No! Wait you dumbfuck..." the Captain yells trying to stop you.
  
  You arrow flies straight towards the Necromancer Lord, but it doesn't even reach him, a magical shield causes it to bounce off harmlessly. However your actions cause the Necromancer Lord to react defensively and he unleashes a ray of pure black energy which drains you of your life force entirely.