"What plan?" Rak spat contemptuously. "Work together with you lot? Why would I do that?"

  I could feel we were losing Rak. Despite the danger he posed, he was vital to the plan. The dude was an insider, as in he worked for the dude we need to whack to escape. Turncoats are valuable people in any scheme that involves a ragtag group taking on some powerful dude with an army of minions. But as with every movie, there is always the possibility of a triple cross. So, having a nuclear option was a must.

  My thoughts turned to the toaster hidden away in my bag. Like a pocket nuke, cleverly concealed and ready to wipe this whole place away. The only problem is triggering the damn thing and escaping the blast zone. Maybe a teleportation spell? Need to give that some thought.

  "You want to go it alone, be my guest... but we are getting out of this crazy town." I shot back.

  He grumbled to himself, swallowing whatever retort he had planned to launch. The power of logic defeated him. He wanted out too; he was just to prideful or suspicious to work with us.

  "What plan do you suggest?" He asked.

  I grinned maniacally, chuckling like a madman without a plan. "I have no idea..." the moment I said that everyone but Marius groaned, "but if we put our heads together, I am sure we can come up with something brilliant."

  We all looked at each other, and no-one spoke for a full ten minutes. To be honest, escaping was easier said than done. But I had a few ideas of how to accomplish it, and bouncing ideas seemed the best way.

  "Well, let's break this down." I leaned back on the couch, smoke in hand. "The doors seem the best option to escape. If we can work out how to control them, we can open one to the entrance and walk out."

  "Easier said than done, this is old magic." Xynthia added.

  "Rak, what did you do to the door?" I asked the surly gargoyle man.

  "Runic spell only works on certain doors and opens to this place." Rak stood up and began pacing.

  "How did you figure it out?" Xyn asked, and for once the gargoyle didn't snap back with an insult.

  "Lots of experimentation and research... took years to scrounge up enough knowledge to even attempt it." Unlike his typical demeanour, he seemed lost in thought, almost melancholic.

  He was silent for a moment, eyes locked on his left hand and the partially healed burn on the palm. The wound looked aged, an injury better left forgotten in the annals of time and the suffering long past? At least, that's what I figured.

  "The doors make you suffer when you get it wrong." He turned to us. "Best make sure you have the correct spell or this will be the least of your worries." Gesturing to his burnt hand, a direct warning.

  "So it's kind of like a magic password, and if you fail too many times, it exacts a toll?" I reasoned.

  "A heavy toll," he spoke with a weight and seriousness that made it seem there was a story there.

  "Then we'd best not plug in the wrong password. Who has the right one, I wonder?" I asked, and someone answered; more precisely, two people answered.

  "Calverus." Xyn and Rak spoke in unison, both spoke the name like they wanted to kill something.

  Ah, don't you just love-hate? It brings people together. The ultimate unifier is not love children it is hate, the common hatred of an enemy, for which their own paltry feud becomes a speck of dust compared to a common enemy. Now, to capitalise on that like a sleazy salesperson.

  "By your tone, this Calverus guy is a bad guy," they nodded in unison, so in sync, "the vampire lord, I take it?" another unified nod.

  "If he has the method, then the path is obvious," Marius chimed in. "We need to capture the vampire and make him talk."

  Silence lasted for a few moments before two incredibly different beings guffawed with laughter. It was creepy how in sync they were. And only a few minutes ago, they were trading racist insults. Was this a genuine friendship? Was it blossoming as we speak?

  "You are insane, dead man. Lord Calverus can slaughter us all by himself. Why do you think the entire army follows his every word?"

  "I would assume a mixture of loyal retainers and a healthy dose of fear amongst the lower ranks." Marius suggested.

  "He is not far off." Xyn nodded.

  "Loyal retainers? More like foolish minions working for table scraps." Rak all but growled.

  "Does that mean there is trouble in paradise? Trouble we can exploit?" I suggested.

  Rak weighed my words, frowning deeply in thought. I had briefly thought he had turned himself to stone with how he barely moved. Eventually, after quite a while, he withdrew from his mind and entered the world to convey his wisdom.

  "There are a few who might turn against him. A few Garathi like me and maybe one Volkaran wouldn't mind plunging a stake into his heart."

  "Does that work on vampires?" Xyn questioned.

  "No, it just paralyzes the demon. Cut off its head and burn the body to really do the job."

  The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

  "Moonlight rules, got it."

  "Moonlight rules?" Xyn said, confused.

  "It's a show about a vampire detective that got cancelled."

  They looked at me as if I had just started talking in tongues. I am going to make that subtitle skill and make it now. Nope, Joey, not the time for another project; you have way too much stuff to do now. Grinning stupidly, I got back on track, which they appreciated after my pop culture drops. I just realised how weird it is that I know so much about Earth and yet have never been. I should be an isekai protagonist, but im a rogue employee with an encyclopedia of pop culture.

  "Well, it looks like the plan is obvious. We get those dudes to rebel, group up and stab Calverus until he talks." I simplified.

  "Perhaps we should consider this more deeply." Marius suggested, eyeing me a tad warily.

  I was about to continue until a very familiar sound caught my ear. A faint hissing of a very memorable beast. It has awakened, and soon the hunger shall consume all! Carefully, I turned to meet the voracious beast and found it settled in the corner, singing the song of its people.

  "Excuse me, guys, I've got a cat to feed." I left and picked up the deceptive feline and took him away from the group.

  Hoping they don't kill each other while I'm away. I passed through the doorway and plopped the little liar down. Not too harshly, he was still my little cutie. Dropping and sitting cross-legged in front of him. I stared deeply into his eyes, searching within those abyssal orbs for the truth. I knew how to get answers, but to use such a dirty tactic?

  "Sup Jer, you had a good sleep?" I broke the ice.

  Unwavering dark orbs just stared back, with no intention of using his voice to explain this insanity.

  "Not going to chat? Because I have ways of making you talk." I enunciated in a Russian accent.

  Jeremy didn't react, but he soon will. Grinning like a sadist, I withdrew the object of his doom. A small metallic can, a circular tin with a cap to pull off the lid. Written on the side was "Tuna" all caps and in bold dull letters. Yeah, nothing branded for this little kitty. With a faint tearing sound, I pulled away the metallic cap and let the fishy scent waft out. His nose twitched ever so slightly, and I knew he would crack, right in that moment.

  "Yummy tuna, I am starving, Jer..." I gestured to myself, "you don't mind me having a quick snack?" No answer but that was fine.

  Digging in, I plucked a hefty chunk of the fish and dropped it casually in my mouth. Chewing slowly, savouring the juices that exploded with every bite. Sighing loudly, I made a show of eating like I had just started smashing a buffet with no holds barred. Still, he didn't even budge, so I shrugged and went in for another hefty bite, getting even louder with my chewing and moans of enjoyment. By the time I sounded like I needed to get a room with the tuna, I nearly gave up.

  "Okay enough! Give me the bloody tuna."

  I couldn't help but grin like a madman just as my best friend and feline companion said his first words to me that were mind shattered void speak.

  "So you can speak English, good to know."

  "Of course I can; you only watched like a billion movies. Any cat could work it out." He sniffed before devouring the offered can.

  "So you are a cat?" I questioned sceptically.

  "Yes..." he mouthed in between bites.

  "Just a cat?" I pressed.

  Pausing his feast to look up at me. I could see the gears working inside that little brain of his. He was considering deception; I knew it the moment we locked eyes. Despite never having spoken until this day, I knew Jeremy, down to his personality and mannerisms. And he was about to lie.

  "Don't you dare, Jer, don't you pull the magic cat card. You can speak void? Do you need me to spell it out for you?" I heard the feline sigh.

  Quickly he inhaled the rest of the tuna, lapping it up like a vacuum cleaner. Cleansing that can of every juicy piece before shifting his eyes to me. He looked resigned to his fate, and for a moment I hoped for the truth — an irony considering my actions five minutes ago.

  "What do you want to know?" He said, resigned.

  Licking my lips, the tantalising truth was something to be desired but, sometimes, a poison when swallowed. Few can accept its bitter aftertaste. Not that I blamed Jeremy. He probably hid his true self for a reason, and hopefully it was nothing nefarious, like he was draining my soul... assuming I have one. Those are two scary concepts I only just now considered. Shaking my head, I quickly regained focus.

  "First things first, are you from the void?" I questioned bluntly.

  "As in a native denizen of the void between worlds, a realm of terror and otherness that would strike horror into the minds of mortals?" He replied with a question.

  "Yes."

  "Then yes..." he nonchalantly answered before tapping the empty can with his paw.

  I groaned and by reflex withdrew another can, opened the top and fed the insatiable beast. The sound of him devouring the tasty fish made me a tad hungry, and so I withdrew some jerky and started chewing on it.

  "So how did you get into the office?" I asked over a mouthful of salted meat.

  He paused during his feast. "The barrier you put up was not perfect."

  "I knew we should have advocated for a divine miracle rather than outsourced magic."

  "It's still pretty effective. I got lucky with that staring contest you had."

  "Staring contest?" I questioned, getting confused.

  "Yeah... remember how you stared into the abyss for like a million years? That's what helped me cross over."

  "How?" I queried, not really up on void logic.

  "I could explain it, but it is super complicated."

  "Can you dumb it down for this... mortal?" I said the last part bitterly.

  Still chewing some tuna, Jeremy seemed to be lost in thought. Probably trying to reduce something only the gods and demons know, so my pea brain can fathom. "Think of it this way," he pointed a claw at me. "You are a physical being; you exist in that location right now."

  "Yes, that's pretty obvious." I shrugged.

  "Exactly, but for my kind that are beyond physical matter. Space and distance are relative." Thrusting a paw, he started down the path of the wise professor. "Without such constraints, moving within the void is easy; outside of it... not so much. Especially with that barrier separating void from physical reality."

  "So how did you do it?" I tried to hurry him along.

  "I'm getting there, but to be more precise, how we did it is the better question." I looked at him like a confused puppy. Somehow he rolled his eyes. "Your staring contest created a link between me and you. I became a reflection in your eyes, mind and soul. This allowed me to slip through the barrier, through you."

  I stopped in my tracks, thoughts racing as I reprocessed how I apparently assisted a void beast in entering the sacred and holy place. Not that I really saw any of it as sacred. Then, a thought occurred, distracting me from my musings.

  "A reflection? Does that mean you are a copy?"

  "From a certain perspective, yes, there would technically be a version of me still in the void."

  Slumping back, I braced against the floor, trying to process all of this. It made sense, at least in an abstract, weird, void-magic kind of way. I wondered if that process was like the possession or the insanity effect others experienced. I asked the one who would know.

  "Yeah, not everyone can endure a reflection, for lack of a better word. Since the mortal experiences the void."

  "I see, so why are you a cat?"

  "Oh... well, I needed a physical form, and Greg was watching cat videos on his phone while you were all staring into the abyss."

  "Yeah, he did like those cat videos." I chuckled at the oddity.

  Thus, I discovered the truth: my cat was not a cat at all. He was beyond flesh, beyond this reality, reduced to such a trivial form. Why did he become a cat? Who knows, but did it matter? Not one bit, Jeremy was Jeremy.

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