Sophia didn't quite think of a response to that right away.
"Excuse me," the Demon asked again, his tone sounding both dry and irritated, "but how can I help you today?"
"Uh..." Sophia didn't like the feel of the coins around her. They weren't people's souls, but whatever they were they didn't feel right. She glanced down at the coins and looked back at the Demon, trying to keep a cool face. She tried to look tough, although her gut told her that wouldn't really matter to a demon, regardless.
"Are you seeking a particular service or good? Or..." The demon licked its obese lips, its needle-like tongue vibrating. "Perhaps you are here for something specific?"
"Someone. I'm here for someone." Sophia mumbled the words, forcing the demon to rise and try to listen to her.
"Speak up, speak up!" The demon waved its arms at the piles of coins around it. "So much clinking and clanking, follow me?"
"I'm looking for a woman named Lucy." Sophia let a bit of frustration flood into her face. She got irritated and raised her voice. "I sense her aura her. Where is she? What have you done to her?"
"Sense? Ah. Someone with the sight, eh?" The Demon picked up a few coins in its fat fingers. Flicking them around, it smiled a knowing smile. "Ah, someone in the know. Someone who can see my true form."
"I asked you a question." Sophia put her hands in her coat. She grabbed hold of both of her knives. They wouldn't help her against this demon, but at least she could try and figure something to do with them.
The demon pulled out a ledger and put a accountants visor on. It smiled. "Please, the name again?"
This threw Sophia off a bit. "Um... Lucy..."
The demon started to flip through the pages of the ledger, looking through columns. More gold coins rolled in, each feeling that same cold energy Sophia had felt from them before. "I did accept an exchange earlier today, one 'Lucille', as you called her, for a service."
The Demon held up a single coin. Unlike the other coins, it wasn't gold, but instead looked to Sophia to be made of copper and it was the size of a half-dollar. It didn't have the demon's hideous maw. Instead Sophia saw Lucy's face on the coin.
"What-" Sophia closed her mouth, chiding herself. She didn't know everything about the occult or weird, but the witch knew enough about demons to remind herself to be careful about what she said. They liked to perform services, often for chantel. That and negative emotions empowered them. Getting angry at the demon wouldn't help her.
It might even cause her to get herself stuck as a coin too. Yay.
"Yes, it is." The Demon opened its mouth, a hissing and howling sound coming out of it. It took Sophia a moment to realize that the Demon was laughing, although it sounded like a snake drowning in a toilet. "Ah, so many coins! Most just give me a taste of their wants and dreams- but my true servants give me gifts like this. A innocent, who doesn't really want to give up their dream for a cheap, meaningless gift. Delicious, it is. What do you have that equals something so sweet?"
Sophia opened her mouth, then closed it. She couldn't really lie about Lucy being like that. Yes, she would only have this job because she thought it was necessary, not for frivolous reasons. Yes she was a good person. She didn't deserve this, and despite Lucy being gullible and nescient, Sophia couldn't say something bad about her.
"How about I offer to let you live, creature?"
Sophia opened her mouth, pouring feeling and her magic into it. Her tongue glowed as she spat out of the bead she'd been keeping under her tongue all evening. The bead had been a gift between Lucy and Sophia from years ago.
It had been symbol of the strength of their relationship, how they knew they loved and needed one another. The bead was worn and worthless, but not to the two of them. It represented time and effort spent on making each other's lives better, not on some selfish gift. A altruistic connection they both shared.
That gave the bead power, making it glow a bright and hot white. Gold coins skittered away from it. The Demon's eyes widened, and it fell back away from the bead, dropping Lucy's coin on the ground.
Sophia stood over the bead infused by the charity and love she shared with Lucy. Her eyes glowed white. She spoke down to the demon, not pretending anymore. This night had irked her enough.
"Mammon, prince of greed, I present a sign of my connection to the one you've taken. I will take her back or I will turn my love and charity for her into a sharp blade and drive it into that flabby skull of yours. Now you have a choice, give me back Lucy or see how serious I can be!"
Mammon peeked from the shadows behind the Altar. Flabs of fat smoked and steamed in the presence of the bead. He spat out black blood, trying to use gold coins to fend it away from her.
"Bah! This little one tis not worth the effort! Take her coin!"
Lucy's copper coin flew up and at Sophia. She caught it, holding it up. Sophia glared at Mammon. "Take her out of this coin!"
"Bah, witch, we had a deal, remember? You gave me your mercy for the coin." Mammon's hissing laugh greeted her from behind the black marble altar. "Of course, I can return her to you. You just need to return to me what I gave the original seller."
Sophia blinked down. She looked at the gold coin. "Who?"
"Ian S Gerald. Glasses and some measure fake power." Mammon tossed a coin at her. "Leave me! Take her back and leave me be!"
Next Part 5/5
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