Up the Ante

Cal chuckled and looked at Steve. The alien nodded and tosses a small yellow ball down the hole. It stopped before hitting Austin and hovered a second before it started to give off a soft yellow light, illuminating a large portion of the tunnel.

Cal followed after the angel down the ladder, "Rule number one for boy scouts and random aliens and or kids with bounties on their heads, always come prepared."

Austin quirked a brow but grinned none the less. "Yeah, light isn't usually an angel's top priority..."

"Yeah, well, it should be..." Dustin muttered before jerking his head for the rest to follow as Austin descended further into the revolting darkness. "Cause I hate the dark now."

Charles followed after Steve down into the tunnel.
"An angel afraid of the dark? Now that is a funny thought." The ghost chuckled dropped down the last few steps to the damp concrete below.

"Not afraid!" Dustin called after him before climbing down the ladder himself. "Just don't like it!" He dropped like Cal had before, careful not to step in any puddles. "Kinda logical too, being an angel of light and all that."

"Which way? Left or right?" Austin asked, wanting to get everyone's two cents before barreling off into God knows what.

"Left." Charles said and started walking down the dark tunnel.

"Not gonna wait for everyone's opinion? Geez." Cal huffed, more than annoyed with the ghost in his friend.

"No, because apparently I'm the only one who actually knows where we're going." He continued walking into the darkness not waiting to see if the rest of the group was following.

"Bastard." Cal muttered and followed after him, Steve close behind.
The little light ball hovered close over head.

Dustin frowned and looked to his brother as they shortened their pace to fall behind. "Dude, why'd you ask..."

Austin shrugged. "Either way, we'd find the guy."

"Yeah. So, why ask?"

"Cause I just don't want to shove them along, geez!"

Dustin shook his head at his brother's worry for these people. "They can handle themselves. We've just gotta focus on the demon guy. He's a nasty sonuvabitch."

Steve looked back at the angels, hearing their conversation. "Steve will not let his friends get harmed. You help with this dee-mon, and Steve will watch the humans."
The cat popped it's head out of his shirt. "Meow!"

Austin looked startled at first but then his gaze softened into a gentle, understanding smile. "Yep. Now you will. And Kitty too, right?" He chuckled as the cat started pawing at its ears, one eye closed, the other staring at the two angels. "I feel kinda bad for bringing that poor creature into all this..."

"He'll live." Dustin replied to Austin's non-question. "And, if he doesn't, he'll be going to a nice , bright, happy, warm place, right Kitty?"

Steve nodded and pet the cat's head.
The cat meowed again and started purring.

Cal paused to look back at the three plus cat, "Hey you guys coming or what?"

"Shit!"

Cal jumped as Charles yell echoed down the tunnel to him and flinched when a blast of fire exploded a little ways further down the tunnel. "Woah! Aw, damn it Charles you bastard you better not be injured!" The teen raced towards the blast.

Steve quickly followed after Cal, tucking kitty back into his shirt.

"Ghosts." Dustin muttered darkly under his breath before running towards the fire bomb as well, Austin on his heels.

Charles backed away from the flames now blocking his path. "Damn it, what the hell was that?" He ducked as a large chunk of concrete came flying at his head from inside the inferno. "Holy-!"

Steve tackled Cal to the ground as the concrete flew past Charles towards him.
"Some one is not happy to see us here." The alien pushed himself up and helped Cal up.
"Yeah no kidding..." Cal turned to glare at the fire ball now blocking their path and watched as a figure emerged.

A man walked out of the flames, his clothes unsinged. His eyes shone red as he tilted his head and grinned at the group. "Hellooooo~!"

Charles too several steps back, eying the newcomer carefully. This is bad...very very bad...those eyes...

Austin ran up behind the ghost and saw the man, then the eyes. He stopped in his tracks, a bit too shocked to really do anything. Dustin came up behind him and saw the eyes as well, before whipping around and throwing his hands up in the air.

"Aw, come on, fucking Samhain! Can't we get a damn break?!"

He turned to Austin and gestured angrily at the man. "Look! This is what happens when we help people! We get a stupid human messing with what he shouldn't!" He turned again, pulling at his hair. "I hate humans!"

The new man chuckled and spoke with a light, lilting voice, "Silly angels. I'm not human. Well not anymore, not for a long time now."

Charles scowled at the man. "You really shouldn't get in the way."

The man turned his bright eyes on the possessed body. "Oh? That should be my line really. You're the ones getting in the way here. Interfering in lord Mastema's resurrection, for shame little ghost, you should be helping us!"

Charles gave a bitter chuckled, "I'm only interesting in my own well being, thanks."

The man smiled, "Is that so? Well perhaps you should leave that body then before I destroy what's left of your soul with it." The man held his arms out, bent at the elbow, his palms up. Flames began for rise from his palms, dancing across his fingers. "Your soul with burn in Hellfire little ghost."

Charles scoffed, "Let's see you try it."

Cal watched as the flames on the man's hands grew and crawled up his bare arms, "This guy...there's a weird pressure in the air...we need to get out of here."

Steve stiffened and sniffed the air, "This is very troublesome..."

Cal's eyes went wide as realization hit him, "Aw shit there's methane everywhere!"

Dustin rolled his eyes. "I know you're not human, dumbass, but you had to be to make this goddamn suicidal mistake..."

He scowled and turned back to Cal. "Yes, there is. Is there going to be a problem?"

"Shut up!" Austin scolded with a harsh jab to the ribs. "Just because we can't burn and they can doesn't mean you have to be a dick about it! And," he turned back to the demon. "Mastema isn't that terrible! Yeah, he's bad, but you're making him out to be so much stronger than he really is. So give ti a break!"

The man smiled, "We have made certain...preparations for some ah, how should I say this...enhancements, to lord Mastema's power." He chuckled, "But rest assured little angels he is not the least of your problems here. Also, do not worry little human. I won't cook you so fast as that. The fire obeys my will, it will not burn what I do no tell it to consume, but that does not mean you shouldn't be worried about the abundant flammable gas." The man laughed as a tongue of flame jumped off his arm towards Cal.

"Shit!" Cal ducked.
Steve jumped in front of Cal, a transparent green shield taking the heat of the flames.

"Such heroism shall gain you no ground with me alien." The man laughed again, a light cheerful laugh that echoed eerily down the expanse of tunnels. The flames hitting Steve's shield quickly shifted and started spreading out over the shield, clawing their way to the edges of it.
"Hellfire burns everything in it's path with a mind all it's own. He who can command that mind has the power to burn down civilization itself." The man grinned, the shadows cast from the fires on his arms danced across his face in the darkness of the tunnel.

"Well aren't you special?" Dustin drawled as he sneered. "And these "enhancements"... What, has he been taking a daily dose of Cialis?"

"Dustiiiin." Austin warned his brother, coming up beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder. "Seriously, this is no time for you to get all fired up over nothing..."

"Fired up?! This hotshot, ex-human, demon-wannabe is dangling his fantastical fire powers in our faces, a walking encyclopedia to knowledge about Mastema's whereabouts and actions but is obviously to freagin powerful that he's in no danger at all and you're telling me not to get "fire up"?!"
His expression morphed to incredulity as he pulled his shoulder out of his brother's grasp. "... What is that, some sort of lame pun?!"

The man started giggling, unable to contain his laughter, "Now now, let's not get hot headed over this. Hahaha~!"

Charles stared at the man, not really believing the situation anymore. "Oh great, a comedian."

The man chuckled, "It helps to balance out your sour attitude ghosty."

"Um, can we get over the bad puns and just deal with this guy now, these flames are starting to worry me a bit." Cal swallowed as the flames reached their way around Steve's shield and soon consumed it.
The alien quickly hoisted the skinny teen into the air and jumped back as the flames reached for him again.

"You know it only prolongs the fun the more you run~!" The man giggled again as the flames hovered in the air, forming a decent sized fireball between Charles and the other.

Charles eyes the fireball, but kept his attention on the man. "Playing with fire you're bound to get burnt..."

The man's eyes lit up and he grinned again, "Oh yes, I've been burnt. So many many times. And you know, there is an odd pleasure in it." He laughed and the fireball grew, various flairs reaching out occasionally.

"Oh, and now he's a masochist!" Dustin threw his arms up again. "This guy is just one big ball of fun, huh?"

"News flash, dickwad! We can't die!" He shouted, motioning between him ad his brother quickly. "And, we have a lenient boss who would let us bring them back!" He motioned between Steve, Cal, Corny, and even Kitty. "So what's the point?"

Austin blinked.

"Damn, you're annoyed."

Dustin sneered.

The man continued to laugh. "Oh you are slow aren't you!? I'm not stupid, I know you two fools can't die, and we hardly care about the others." The man fell into another giggling fit of laughter, apparently finding something funny.

"This guy's seriously lost it..." Cal watched the man carefully, waiting for him to make another move.

"He's only attacked once, and that was really just a half-assed attempt at showing off. He's just staling for time you idiots.The longer he keeps us busy here the more time his friends have to finish whatever the hell they're planing." Charles spat out. "We need to hurry up deal with him already."

The man stopped his laughing and smiled, "Give the man a prize~"

"Well, excuse me for not instantly assuming that everything's either stalling or a trap!" Dustin spat, still not entirely focused. "Father, I mean, what the Hell ever happened to a good ol' villain who ranted of his plan and then died quietly!?"

"They sucked and they died off pretty quickly." Austin said, attempting to placate him. "Now let's go! Just run around him!"

"Fine." Dustin sneered and moved to avoid him as he headed down the tunnel.

"Tisk tisk! No avoiding the host!" The man sent flames after the angel, leaving no room to avoid it.

"Just kill the guy and get this over with!" Charles shouted, not wanting to risk his own neck dealing with the pyromaniac.

":Why don't you kill him?!" Dustin demanded, wings unfurling to encase his body. The fire bounced off the feathers harmlessly. And then he was behind the man. "Seriously, just cause we're angels doesn't mean we'll do everything!"

"Dustin, shut the hell up and kill him!" Austin shouted, going from worried to absolutely livid.

Dustin blinked at the outburst. "... Sorry!"

He pulled out his sword, the white blade flashing even in the dark tunnel. He swung the blade in a graceful arch and lopped off the man/demon's head. It fell into the water with a splash, the knees of the body buckling and falling as well.

Dustin ducked his head in a subdued manner when Austin came up beside him.

"Sorry."

Austin rolled his eyes. "Whatever. Let's go."

A rush of shadows fled the corpse, rushing off down the tunnel.

"Man...we are so gonna die down here." Cal sighed and started walking once again, going around Steve who had still been protecting him.

"Way to look on the bright side of things kid." Charles chuckled and started forward again.

Steve blinked and also followed.

"You're not gonna die, Cal." Austin grumbled, moving past his now downcast brother. "We have a couple of loopholes if worse comes to worse. Just pray none of you are damned and you should be fine."

"Damned...that's just great." Cal frowned. He was not enjoying this field trip. One of the teachers had probably noticed their absence by now and had the cops out looking for the two boys or something. "Let's just get this over with already." He trudged on down the tunnel.